Chapter 7: Surviving in the Family (2)
It's been four years since I entered the Tower—four years since I became Hoaquin.
When I first arrived, Hoaquin's body was twelve years old, so now I'm sixteen.
They say even a temple dog learns the scriptures after three years; I guess that's true.
After living as an Arie in the Tower for four years,
I've grown more accustomed to this place than to Earth itself.
I've nearly adapted completely to life here—though I still can't get used to how time works.
To the people of the Tower, a few hundred years isn't even considered long.
But my mind is still that of an Earthling.
Sure, a Tower year is shorter than an Earth year,
but these four years have still felt plenty long to me.
When I become a Ranker someday, my lifespan will be practically immortal—but will I be able to keep my sanity for hundreds or even thousands of years?
I'm slowly adjusting, but still…
....
"You're not putting enough weight into your sword.
Speed alone isn't everything. The sword of Arie must be fast yet heavy."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Next—Arie Vicente and Arie Hoaquin!"
Before becoming Regulars, the Arie children are trained within the family's floating fortress—to develop the mindset of an Arie, to learn how to deal with the Ten Families, Jahad's princesses, and FUG.
I was no exception.
Our lessons covered the Tower's history, the current political landscape, the philosophy of the Arie clan,
and countermeasures against threats like FUG or Jahad's bloodline.
It felt like discovering lore that had never appeared in the webtoon or anywhere else—and honestly, it was fascinating.
And best of all—no math.
Apparently, those classes are only for Light Bearers and Spear Bearers.
Poor kids.
As for me, my aptitude was closer to Fisherman/Wave Controller, so my curriculum focused on swordsmanship, duels, and Shinsu manipulation—
thankfully, nowhere near a math problem in sight.
....
"Arie Hoaquin!"
Ack— that startled me.
A voice suddenly shouted my name.
I think they might've called me earlier, and after I failed to respond, they raised their voice.
Ah, right—this was sparring time.
Every student's eyes turned toward me.
Ugh, so much pressure.
The Ranker instructor gave me a puzzled look.
"That's unusual for you, Hoaquin. Are you distracted?"
"Haha, my apologies. Just lost in thought for a moment."
I quickly bowed and stepped forward to the dueling area.
Vicente was already there, sword drawn and waiting.
So he's my opponent again today.
Arie Vicente.
In the original story, one of the fragments that would later form White.
In person, he was just as kind and composed as I remembered—cool-headed, but with a quiet warmth underneath.
He was also the first friend I made after becoming Hoaquin.
On my second day in the clan, I'd been lost and confused about where to go or what to do, until I accidentally met Vicente, and he helped me find my footing.
That's how our friendship began.
But today, he looked… irritated.
His brows were furrowed as he aimed his sword at me.
"So now you're ignoring me altogether, Hoaquin?"
Ah—he must've thought my silence earlier meant I was snubbing him.
I quickly apologized, explained the misunderstanding,
and only after that did his expression soften again.
The match began soon after.
....
Vicente's sword—White Morale—was a blade forged to uphold the honor of the family.
He struck first, which was unusual for his defensive style.
Guess he was still a bit upset.
Clang—!
After living as Hoaquin for four years and experimenting with Shinsu, I'd discovered something new.
Vmmm—
The moment I deflected Vicente's sword, I manipulated Shinsu and formed a Bang—a sharp, linear one instead of a round sphere.
Lately, my Bangs had been changing shape on their own—becoming thinner, faster, more refined.
Maybe this was that "Shinsu property manifestation"
that Data Khun mentioned in the Hidden Floor arc.
It's still rough, but it's something.
I fired two Bangs toward Vicente, timed apart, and immediately rushed in with my sword.
He blocked the first one, but since he had to parry my slash next, the second Bang hit him directly.
"Kh—!"
The explosion that followed confirmed the hit.
Still, as expected of a Ten Family direct descendant,
he somehow withstood it.
But that brief recoil left him open—and I used that moment to knock the sword out of his hand.
His White Morale went flying across the arena.
"Hoaquin wins!"
The match ended in only a few exchanges.
The other Arie students erupted in awe, and even the Ranker instructor praised me, saying he saw nothing to criticize.
Thankfully, no one looked down on Vicente for losing—they all knew just how abnormal my talent was.
Among our generation, Vicente was the strongest after me.
....
One of the many things I've learned in four years:
Right now, I'm far stronger than the Hoaquin from the original story.
I'd suspected it ever since defeating the Barracuda on the First Floor.
Even if Hoaquin had the potential to become a Slayer,
there's no way he could've mastered Shinsu, created Bangs, performed Reverse Flow Control, and used Flower Butterfly Piercing Technique on his first try.
And that theory was proven when I fought Vicente for the first time— and beat him in a single exchange.
In the original, they were equals who could never settle a match.
But me? I overwhelmed him instantly.
....
"Vicente, your technique was impressive, but attacking first was a mistake. Your swordsmanship is defensive by nature. I hope you learn to better control yourself next time."
"I understand."
"That's all for today! May you all continue to polish your blades!"
With the Ranker's feedback, class was dismissed.
Since I'd spent the past few months away for external training—thanks to my so-called "talent"—this was actually my first reunion with Vicente in a while.
I jogged up to him, and together we walked down the corridor back to our rooms.
Outside the glass windows stretched a dark night sky—or rather, a night ceiling—with no stars, only a bright artificial moonlight illuminating the void.
Even so, it was mesmerizingly beautiful. Honestly, I couldn't understand why Rachel was so obsessed with seeing real stars.
Back on Earth, there were barely any visible ones anyway.
If she ever managed to escape the Tower, she'd probably just end up disappointed by Earth's polluted sky.
....
"You're always staring out the window."
Vicente spoke flatly, watching me as I gazed out at the view beyond the glass.
"Huh? Isn't it beautiful? Come on, take a look. Doesn't it make you feel… enchanted?"
"…You get sentimental over the strangest things. You've seen that same sky since birth—what's so special about it?"
It was special.
The Tower's night ceiling was far more beautiful than any night sky I'd seen back on Earth.
Sure, the moon and sun here weren't real—they were just massive lights—but honestly, I didn't see much difference.
If anything, the Tower's clean, clear ceiling looked way better than Earth's polluted and dull skies.
"Anyway, hey, you've been so quiet since our match. What's with that? You usually replay every move in your head and ask for a rematch when no one's watching. You've gotten a lot stronger since last time."
"You say that like it's nothing after knocking my sword away in two exchanges. Are you getting stronger every single day or something? And when did you even learn to reshape your Bangs like that?"
"Ha… a few months ago?"
Jeez, why's he so moody today?
Vicente's not the type to sulk just because I beat him— not anymore, at least. I still remember that one time when I took it easy on him during a duel.
He used to push himself like crazy, training nonstop, while I slacked off, so I thought I'd go easy on him for once.
Big mistake.
He blew up, genuinely furious, and we almost stopped being friends over it.
It took months to smooth things out afterward.
Since then, I've promised myself never to hold back on him again—even if I don't go all-out, I'll always face him seriously.
Anyway, he still looked kind of down, so maybe a little teasing would cheer him up—
Thinking that, I slung an arm around his shoulders in an exaggerated gesture and started playfully pestering him—when suddenly, a small girl walked up to us.
"Ugh—fine, fine, let go already… Anna?"
"Oh, Anna! It's been a while! Didn't you miss your brother?"
"I did… but if you keep bullying Vicente like that, I might stop missing you."
Ack—
I immediately released my arm and helped Vicente stand straight again.
In the original story, Anna was one of the fragments that made up White, but right now, we just had a close, sibling-like relationship.
Vicente had been the one to introduce us.
"Haha, bullying? No, no—it's just friendly teasing between friends. Ahem. Anyway, how's the plushie I gave you doing?"
"…Mm. Here."
Anna showed me the seal plushie she'd been hugging tightly.
Once, Vicente had offered to buy her a stuffed toy,
so I'd tagged along for fun.
He'd been about to pick this creepy-looking rabbit doll, so I just bought her the seal instead.
Even now, I still think the seal looks much cuter than that unsettling rabbit.
Since it had been so long since I'd seen the two of them, I took them both out to the Altar.
It was a place only accessible with Arie Hon's permission—but ever since our first meeting, Hon had granted me access.
Maybe he'd liked how I praised it back then.
Even now, the sight was breathtaking—grand, majestic, radiant.
Anna, Vicente, and I sat together on the observatory ledge, looking down at the gleaming altar of blue and white light.
Vicente, who had been staring silently for a while, finally spoke.
"The Sword Altar… a monument to everything our father has built. It always feels overwhelming—an awe-inspiring symbol of power."
"Hoaquin."
"What?"
"I want to surpass that sword. To surpass our father—so that he will finally look my way."
"Yeah, yeah. You've said that plenty of times before."
I knew better than anyone how monstrous the Family Heads truly were.
And since I wasn't the original Hoaquin, I had no particular desire to surpass my "father."
But I never once thought of mocking Vicente's ambition.
Still—
"…Not like this."
I was too busy playing with Anna—making her giggle, "Jam-jam!"—to catch Vicente's quiet mutter.
But when our eyes met for a brief second, I saw something different in them—a sharper, stronger, unwavering determination I hadn't seen before.
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