Bunty entered the second floor’s primary hub carrying his loot and with his coat stained green with ichor. He attracted several stares, but he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself. Blue twinkled from his swelling pockets, and the rolls of fur still dripped with arachnid remains. Bunty kept the Cores hidden inside his vest. Even though the hubs were almost always full of Climbers, he didn’t trust human greed.

“What the hell have you been killing?” A wide-eyed Climber asked, approaching him. She sniffed at the air about Bunty before recoiling. The woman appeared no older than him and wore worn and ripped clothing. Her appearance suggested that she’d been struggling on the floor and money was tight.

“Ice spiders,” he answered. “They’re a nasty bunch.”

“Are they easy to kill? Where can I find them?”

It was then Bunty realised, the information he had gathered was probably more valuable than his loot. He could use it to gain leverage over a party and use them to climb a couple of floors.

“I’m not in the habit of giving out free information.” The woman sighed, hearing his answer. It was probably not the first time someone had refused to help her out. Bunty suspected she was no different from him: Gaia dealt her a seemingly useless spirit. As a result, she was left to brave the tower alone. Her drooping shoulders stirred Bunty’s sympathetic side, so he gave her one of the smaller crystal eyes. “I don’t know how much they’re worth but should still fetch a decent buck. If you help me carry the furs, I’ll give you a couple more. Does that sound okay to you?”

The woman stared at him for a second, eyes narrowing. Bunty knew the look. He had used it several times when dealing with the nobility’s generosity. “The name’s Hina,” she said, accepting the dark blue stone. She helped Bunty take the rolled furs off his shoulder, tied them together with her belt and hoisted the load onto her back. “Where to?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Hina. I’m Bunty.” He flexed his neck, back and shoulders, enjoying the several cracks. Two swigs of whiskey and the aches became manageable. “I’m going to need you to guide me around the hub. I need to attune my spirit to the Bind Stone. Then we’ll go to the primary hub. Meet with an available administrator—”

“Why don’t you just talk to the administrator here? The lines will be shorter.”

“I need to communicate with the first-floor administrator, though.”

“They’re all cogs of the same machine and have the means of communicating. Let them do your job and make your life easier.”

“Fine.” Bunty sighed. There was still too much he didn’t know. The stories never discussed logistics or administrative works. “Then I’ll need an appraiser to figure out the cost of all of this loot. Once all of that is done, we can find a buyer for all of this.”

“You sure you’re up for all of that?” Hina asked, raising an eyebrow. “It looks like your knees are about to turn into jelly.”

“I’ll be okay once I’ve had some tea,” Bunty told her, flashing a tired smile. He didn’t tell her the truth that he didn’t have any money for food or a bed.

“It’s not a problem for me. The sooner I get paid, the better.”

The second floor’s hub proved much bigger than the last. Much to Bunty’s surprise, most of it was human-made. It did make sense. The floor was all subterranean and populated with veins of Earth metals. He had read that the deeper caverns housed gemstones and minerals not available in the outside world. As a result, several families and organisations had mining operations running all over the level. Many of whom had Climbers on payroll to fend off monsters and competition. To make things more efficient, they had laid tracks along the smoothed-out cave floor. Carts moved along them, transporting people and lumps of ore.

A fur-covered man brushed past him. He stood taller than everyone in the vicinity, and his shoulders would never fit through an average door. When Bunty saw his large rectangular pupils and horns, he understood why the man didn’t look human. He had a beast spirit, probably of the bovine variety, and was exercising a full-body augmentation. The man dragged a lizard with a mastiff-sized head behind him. Its bloody body appeared caved-in. A shiver down Bunty’s spine, it was his first time seeing an upgraded beast-spirit at play. If Lawrence’s wolf had augmentation as a primary focus, he would’ve been able to do something similar.

The Bind Stone sat in a side cavern full of food vendors. Bunty struggled to avoid the food vendors as he weaved his way through them to the floating sphere. It appeared to be made from the same material as the upgrade stations, but the runes covering glowed without anyone touching it. The smell of warm, spiced milk and meat pasties called to Bunty, making his stomach growl. He ignored his senses and summoned his spirit.

“What?” Hina mumbled behind him, but he ignored her too.

The fountain pen’s nib glowed with a bright silvery light when Bunty pressed it to the Bind Stone. Just before it went out, Hina pulled him away from the floating sphere. The rune’s glowed brighter until it was almost blinding, and Bunty held his breath, thinking it would explode. It rose into the air, dragging an unmarked door out of the ground. It swung open, and a trio of Climbers in mining gear walked out. Bunty caught a glimpse of the Gate Room before the door closed and disappeared.

“Careful,” Hina said. “Are you sure you killed these beasts yourself? Your reaction time is horrid.”

“I’m just tired.” Bunty laughed. “Do you know where the Bound Gate is in the primary hub? I don’t recall seeing it in the Gate Room.”

“Let me get this straight. You have a junk spirit and just solo-killed these ice spiders on the icy first floor? I’ve got to tell you, Bunty, it’s mighty suspicious. More for your lack of companions than the spirit.”

“Well, this suspicious person is paying you for your time and knowledge. If I weren’t new, I wouldn’t need your help, would I, Hina?”

“The Bound Gate is an identical stone deeper in the Gate Room. It’s just past the first ten doors. You can’t miss it.”

It explained the crowd in the Gate Room. Bunty had been so tired after escaping the collapsing ruins. He hadn’t taken the time to study the primary hub. Then while entering the first floor, he’d been anxious about starting the climb. After he ate, slept, and bathed, Bunty planned on taking some time to explore the primary hub. It housed valuable resources that could potentially help him reach his goal sooner.

“Lots of newbies don’t learn this until much later, so I’ll just tell you,” Hina continued. “The door will only take you the last Bind Stone you used. You don’t get access to multiple bindings until upgrading your spirit.”

“I’m aware,” Bunty said. He appreciated her efforts, but the pain and exhaustion took a toll on his patience. He was in no mood for long explanations.

Hina was right. The administration desk didn’t have a line. Bunty spoke to the man in charge and handed him the job sheets from the first floor. He didn’t have to do it, but Baba had taught him to take the courteous route whenever possible. Besides, the woman had his name on file. He didn’t want to run afoul with the city-employed staff.

The administrator looked down at Bunty throughout the conversation. He couldn’t tell whether the man was an arsehole or tired after dealing with rowdy miners all day. It didn’t matter, though. Bunty remained polite throughout the conversation. He didn’t explain why the jobs didn’t get done, beyond running afoul with monsters and finding a gate on defeating them. The administrator wrote it all down before returning to his book.

“Good work ethic,” Bunty commented once far enough from the desk.