Sail finally... finally... sat down.

  Sitting down was a wonderful feeling.

  Sail and Shilling were currently sat in the lounge of a karaoke bar eating upon cup noodles and other delicious magical items.

  Eating was similarly a wonderful feeling.

  Sail stared at a window behind the people in front of him and got a first decent look at his new body in the dark reflection. He grabbed his jaw and fiddled it around a bit.

  "You forgot how you looked as well? That must feel strange.."

  Scattered across this lounge were all the highest ranked climbers in the tower. Sail had been here for the last few hours or so answering bits and pieces. The karaoke booth was more like an interrogation booth. Sail had come to learn the nature of everyone here.

  The small woman to his side sipping on dark lemonade was miss Lantern, the second highest rated in the tower. She was one of the only 2 people in the tower with an A rank skill.

  Her C rank "Observation" had evolved all the way up to "Scrutinize" letting her now see into the skills and details of anyone. The cooldown was a measly 10 minutes.

  Her home floor was the 4th, 'The Essential Utensil!' and she had been a pivotal member for all the successful team climbs ever since the 4th.

  She had a penchant for kicking her legs and talking slowly.

  The man who never stopped asking questions was Match. Match Rayet. The highest ranking and highest height in the room. The current strongest in the tower according to the peoples rankings. His A rank skill 'Trap arsonist' allowed him to set up invisible planes. 2d square planes which set anything that walked through them on fire.

  He currently had quite the pose as if he was contemplating something heavy with his hands resting as a platform for his chin. He was deciding what song to choose.

  Match was the man who single handedly completed the first floor of the tower 'The mole scourge!'.

  As with all floors, the inhabitants inside do not realise their existence is a floor in the tower of ascension until it is beaten. As for the first floor, the inhabitants there were the first round of unknowing climbers. The goal not being explained to them was part of the first floors trial apparently.

  Match was given the first skill in the tower, the C rank 'Firestarter' after he burned down the mountain of the ancient mole mother and cleared the hidden trial. He was the kind of person who's existence was known by all and was the standing pillar in the public consciousness of what a climber should be in the truest sense.

  The sharp chinned clerk with glasses and an apron was Itai Yasai. He had the type of face that looked straight out of an idol game. He was the kind worker who had provided such healing remedies that Sail was still slurping up.

  Supposedly, such remedies were great help in helping injured refugees in his battle against the 3 ancient kaiju of Pajan. His Konbini was filled with a vast arsenal of various magical household items. David slings in the form of rubber bands. Yasai was the 3rd rated in the tower with a variety of B and C rank skills.

  There also existed the bob haired Illi. She was a girl with excessively long sleeves along with the bail and dash skills. There also existed a man? A guy that could walk around with no legs and just feet. He had no limbs or neck, just the pieces on the end. He was wearing shorts as if to let it be obvious. There was also a guy with a baggy shirt, scruffy black hair and a bell.

  Sail was quite exhausted mentally so he stopped paying as much attention at this point and was most interested in leaning back in the sofa. Most people around were staring at him with stars in their eyes for hours now..

  "Where the bathroom?"

  A severed floating hand pointed over.

  Sail walked into the bathroom and stared at the reflection of Gastione. His new body.

  The form was quite nice, toned with a fairly handsome face. Short brown hair and clothes that were still cut showing all sorts of fabric threads inside. It reminded him of ripped jeans.

  This man ,Gastione, had recently joined the floor wanders with his weapon belt. He hadn't talked much, all he had really said was that he was here to make an honorable climb and get revenge for his late father, hung by the 1000 knots.

  He died the next day.

  Match had informed Sail all about the situation on 'his' joining. Gastione's home floor was also the 1st.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Gastione had a sister and a mother back home.

  Sail stared into the mirror and questioned what he was going to do with such a thing..

  'Am I...a corpse snatcher...or... a body snatcher??'

  'That guy, Lihan.. was similarly lying on the floor.. maybe he really was cursed to death.. and i woke up in his corpse...or.. i just possessed him out of no where.. I suppose it doesn't matter that much.. But... No.. it does... That would make me a natural murderer after I die huh... If you kill me you secretly get a double kill.. Is that it?'

  'But he was trapped in the 26th floor. He was set to die regardless. I didn't kill you Mr Gastione, it looks like you killed yourself. Ill have a look at caring for your family...'

  Sail splashed water on his face, looked back in the mirror and breathed out slowly.

  His heart was not moving a mile a minute anymore but the ritual action of breathing out slowly to calm ones mind was strong for keeping himself together. If he were to name it as a skill he would perhaps call it 1 second meditation.

  Speaking of skills..

  [Mad Sprint[B] : You are able to run at insane speeds! Your legs become able to withstand stronger forces and your wind resistance is very strong! You can outpace a fist of the Sucker Punch when you reach full speed! Duration: 2 minutes. Cooldown: 5 minutes]

  [Slider[C] : You are able to lower the friction on things! You can make floors and surfaces slippy and slide about! Duration: 10 minutes Cooldown: 10 hours]

  'Its certainly much easier to take time to evaluate things when your not in a haunted house. Slider is probably better than it seems. Like laying out sudden invisible ice maybe? I still need to go ask what a rolled wench worm was..'

  "Thank you for now using references i can understand Mr tower"

  "I'll try do things that are in line with the skills i want to have in the future. So please do grant me such things"

  Sail left the bathroom and saw Lantern gently tucked in the hallway. She did a little double point to a door that led to a private karaoke room.

  "Do you want something?"

  "......are.......you.....Gastione?"

  "...."

  "...."

  "why do you ask?"

  "..different.......soul....."

  "..."

  "oh.. Well then.... uhhh....Yes, thats right. Im not Gastione. I have no memories of being such a person. Have you told everyone already? Im still mad at you for just yapping about my skill.."

  ".......sorry........."

  ".....it........will be .... revealed anyway......"

  "What do you mean?"

  ".......playback........"

  "Playback?"

  "......yes.....we're all going to watch.......everytime.....a floor is passed..... we watch....."

  Sails face contorted.

  "What does that mean? What is it?? A mental system thing? It shows everyone?"

  "....no...its.........Septembers.....September's skill... playback...."

  "Do... do we have to do that?"

  "are.....you......hiding........something..?"

  "No. Its just. its fine. I wasn't that desperate for secrets anyway. Take them. Just take them. Fine! Take em all. Your right, im not Gastione. You can call me Sail."

  "....like.....a.........ship?"

  "Yes, like sailing a ship. Wait so everyone's going to watch what happened on the 26th floor?"

  "....as.....a.....movie...."

  Sail grasped at his head in horror. 'What did i say again..... I said some truly cringe things... right?..

  "Are you sure we have to watch it?"

  "...we....always watch....its tradition... for celebration... everyone watches....."

  "Maybe you should nip that tradition in the bud. You dont want your climbers to underperform due to performance anxiety"

  "...it.....usually...helps moral.....they....want to be seen....as legends....."

  'Legends. Sail had a shudder run down his heart. He pulled up a certain line within his minds system. 'you words inspire and your actions bring forth change in the minds of others. You have an affinity for gaining followers''

  "You. You probably know about my title as well right?"

  "....yes.......ive....only...ever....seen one other....title."

  "On who?"

  "....Wander.......He's.....very...alike....to...you"

  ".....a.....soul....placed......over....another....."

  "....a......title....and...a.....double s......"

  "What happened to him?"

  "...we last saw him.....on...the....25th....he....blew up..."

  "Against what?"

  "....constellation......land.... mine"

  "A constellation land mine huh. Ill ask someone who talks a bit faster about the details on that. What do you mean when by last saw him?"

  "...he...returns..."

  "...different....bodies..."

  Sail got hit like he was in front of a lorry again. ...perhaps...another... reincarnate?

  "He returns by possessing someone? He keeps coming back??"

  "...he...says......its a....skill....called.....'another phoenix'.....hes.....lying.....he...tells me......to.....tell...no.....one"

  "..."

  "....he.....said....he....would....kill me.....so...dont...tell....him...i... said anything...."

  Lantern kept twiddling her thumbs and kept tilting her head around as she talked. Sail figured these were just her little mannerisms but he could now feel that she was quite nervous in risking talking to him.

  "He's a reincarnate then. Like me. He returns... returns here.... So he's different every time you said? How long since he was last here?"

  "He's... been gone.... 12 years....hes.....always.....someone......new......"

  "really? And he calls himself Wander every time."

  "....yeah......."

  "Lantern.."

  "....yes?........"

  "Im not from this world"

  "....your.....from...another......floor?"

  "No, no. An entirely different universe from the tower of ascension."

  ".......oh........ok........."

  "I come from a place kinda like Napan except we called it Japan"

  "....thats........stupid...."

  "........Its......not....much different...then....from...a.....new.....floor...."

  "Well yeah, i suppose not. Depends how big these floor realities are."

  "......When.....Wander.........returns......be.....sure......to......not.......tell....ok?....."

  "I wont. I wont. I certainly want a chat with the guy but... If i reveal anything ill say nothing about you ok?"

  ".....Promise?........"

  "Yes, i promise"

  Sail stook out his hand for a shake but Lantern just looked at it.

  "A handshake?"

  "........."

  "The weirdest things dont carry over huh"

  Sail grabbed her thin hand and shook it.

  "It means to cement a promise"

  "......ok......." Lantern was quite awkward about the whole thing

  "So.... Where's my movie?"

  "....main.....plaza....here......on 12...."

  "In JinShuku?? Just in the street??"

  ".....biggest.......screen........."

  Sail soon found himself sat in the middle of the road. He was in the back of a crowd staring at a giant monitor broadcasted on the side of an office building.

  A movie maybe titled 'bells and gloves' or perhaps 'playback of the successful climb of the 26th floor of ascension' was currently running through its trailers.