The café was called The Grinding Stone, a Climber-themed establishment near TCA headquarters, walls decorated with old Tower maps and signed portraits of notable Climbers. Nathan had chosen it for neutrality. No guild scouts. No academy observers. Just a quiet corner table and four cups of coffee slowly going cold.

Garrett arrived first, Dillon followed minutes later, Elise came last, precisely on time, all with their summons within their summon marks.

But Nathan had both of his bunnies present in small forms, curled on the table near his elbow.

"So," Dillon said, leaning back. "What’s the big secret meeting about? Are we forming a guild? Please tell me we’re forming a guild. I’ve already designed the logo. A bunny with a katana."

"We’re not forming a guild."

"Yet. We’re not forming a guild yet. The logo’s ready when we are."

Nathan told them about the third summon’s conditions. He edited and sanitized the info a bit. He didn’t mention the Bunny Girl System by name. Didn’t mention the draconic influence or class selection. He simply explained he had the potential for another summon, the requirements were steep, and he intended to meet them.

"Level 60," Garrett said, running a hand through his hair. "That’s... a lot of climbing. I’m Level 34 now. By the time we hit 60..."

"We will all be stronger," Nathan finished. "We all will. That’s the point."

Elise studied the conditions with her usual intensity. "Condition 2 is the immediate bottleneck. Fewer than four Climbers for an S-Rank clear in a High Class Tower. The Veiled Colosseum required four. We’d need to be significantly stronger to manage the same difficulty with a smaller party to get an S-Clear"

"Or significantly better coordinated," Nathan said. "The Colosseum tested trust. The next Tower might test something else. Efficiency. Precision. Speed. We won’t know until we choose our target."

Dillon twirled his coffee cup. "So we’re going dragon hunting."

"Eventually. The Dragon’s Heart Core is the long-term goal. Condition 1 will come naturally as we climb. Condition 2 is the next major challenge we can actually plan for."

Garrett nodded slowly. "Whatever you need, Cross. I’m in. Red’s in too, even if he doesn’t understand what’s happening."

"This isn’t just for me," Nathan said, looking around the table. "If we clear an Elite Class Tower, if we meet these conditions, we all benefit. The rewards. The recognition. The levels. We’ve proven we can win against stacked odds. Now we prove we can dominate them."

Dillon raised his ice cream, he had ordered dessert instead of coffee, earning a frosty glare from Elise. "To the next climb. May it be slightly less terrifying than the last one."

"I’ll drink to slightly less terrifying," Garrett said. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Elise raised her cup. "To the next climb."

Nathan raised his. "To the party."

They drank. Outside, the Towers gleamed against the afternoon sky.

---

The stone family estate.

Victor Stone’s office was a monument to old money.

Dark wood walls. Windows overlooking the capital’s financial district from thirty stories up. A mahogany desk, immaculately polished, completely bare except for a single holographic display showing the Stone family crest.

Derek stood before it. His brothers flanked him, Mars to his left, stone-faced and silent; Aldric to his right, arms crossed, jaw tight. Both older. Both more successful. Both had never lost a public duel to an F-Grade Climber with a bunny summon.

But beneath the contempt and indifference, something else flickered. Worry. The smallest crack in their composure. Derek was their little brother. He had failed spectacularly, publicly, humiliatingly. But he was still their little brother.

Victor Stone’s voice was calm. It was always calm. That was what made it terrifying.

"You embarrassed this family."

Derek didn’t respond. He had nothing to say.

"You spent family resources on a mercenary who lost. You failed to investigate Cross’s capabilities before issuing a public challenge. You broadcast your defeat to every guild, every academy, and every Climber with a TCA subscription."

"I didn’t know he had—"

"You didn’t know because you didn’t look, not hard enough." Victor leaned forward. The motion was slight, but Derek flinched as if his father had risen. "You acted on pride and ego. Assumed your birthright would compensate for lack of preparation. It did not."

Derek’s brothers said nothing. They didn’t need to in this silence.

"You will not challenge Cross again. You will not speak to the press. You will not make statements on any public forum. You will climb. You will improve. You will train until your body breaks and then train more and more. And you will not—under any circumstances—embarrass this family a second time."

He paused as the weight of the unspoken threat filled the room.

"If you fail..."

He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.

Derek left hollow-eyed. His Salamander’s summon mark pulsed faintly on his hand, but the warmth that usually calmed him felt distant and Muffled Like everything else.

Something had broken in him. Whether it will heal into something stronger or fester into something darker, whether Derek Stone became a cautionary tale or a redemption story was a question only time would answer now.

But as he walked the empty hallway toward his quarters, fists clenched at his sides, a small, cold voice whispered that this wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.

---

Nathan stood at the apartment window, watching city lights flicker on as evening settled over the capital. Towers were distant silhouettes against the darkening sky—some gleaming silver, some dark and dormant, all waiting. Behind him, Lucy sprawled on the bed with her homework, tongue poking out in concentration. Mirko and Kuro curled on either side of her, green and black shapes, both radiating the quiet contentment of summons who had earned their rest.

His status panel glowed in the corner of his vision.

[Nathan Cross]

[Level 31]

[Summons: Mirko (D-Rank Knight), Kuro (E-Rank Shadow Assassin)]

[Third Summon: Conditions Pending]

[Party: Garrett, Dillon, Elise — Active]

The duel was over. The world knew his name. Guilds circled. Vex was forging him a new bow. Derek was broken, maybe, or bent into a new shape. The road ahead was long...

Level 60, a High Class S-Rank with fewer than four, a Dragon’s Heart Core...

but since he’d woken in this world, Nathan could see the path clearly now.

"We’re not done," he murmured.

’No, Master,’ Mirko’s voice came through, warm and steady. ’We’re just beginning.’

’The road is long,’ Kuro added, quiet but certain. ’But we are ready.’

Nathan nodded. Tomorrow, the climb resumed. Tomorrow, the grind began again. Tomorrow, he’d take the first step toward a new Tower, a new challenge, and a third summon waiting somewhere beyond the horizon.

But tonight, the apartment was warm. His sister was safe. His summons were at his side. And the Towers could wait just a little longer.

He closed the interface and joined his family on the bed.