“What are you doing, Bunty?” Hina demanded after the Ito-clan members turned their attention elsewhere. “I know what they just did to you isn’t fair, but I can’t afford to lose this opportunity.”

“I know what I’m doing, Hina,” Bunty said. “Just give me a second.”

He stopped by the upgrade station, summoned his spirit and pressed a hand against the stone.

Climbers avoid century-old moles and keep far from their territories.

Not you, wielder of Explorer’s Fountain Pen. You faced one head-on with an un-upgraded spirit and your axe.

Absorbing the Core will temper your senses, making your hearing and smell twice as keen.

The nib atop Explorer’s Fountain Pen will take inspiration from its claws that can shred rock, gaining the utility spell: Sharpen.

Would you like to pierce and slice everything in reach? The nib shall oblige.

Bunty didn’t expect a lot. He didn’t expect the Core to give him a summon and the utility spell was better than most. If it gave the nib the ability to grow into a blade as big as the mole’s claw, he would’ve still considered it. Bunty guessed his spirits compatibility with the Core had to be low. Otherwise, it would’ve given a summon or spell for the inkwell too. He stepped away from the upgrade station, turned to Hina and held the sphere out to her.

“What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Just have a look,” Bunty said. “Is it compatible with your spirit? Will it give you decent spells?”

Hina looked back at the Ito-clan members. They weren’t paying any attention to Bunty and her and were locked in a heated discussion. Yukiho’s decision probably didn’t sit well with them. Mei’s opinion of him had most likely changed after he saved her from the grabbing flowers. Hina took the Core from Bunty, and a visible shiver ran down her spine. Even though she appeared hesitant, he could see the excitement in her eyes. Hina pressed her hands to the stone monolith, and a soft smile spread across her face.

“Body tempering related to senses and natural recovery,” she told Bunty, keeping her voice low. Her hands remained glued to the monolith, and eyes closed. “I’ll gain the ability to summon it in a higher volume and have the option of adding a blade to their ends.” The smile on Hina’s lips widened. “There’s a utility spell too. The fluff won’t just have the ability to reduce weight. I can have them increase it too.”

“Absorb the Core, Hina.”

She opened her eyes and looked at Bunty. “Are you sure?” She asked. “This is your payment. I just can’t take it.”

“I’m on a quest Hina. Right now, I’m trying to find a way to fix my friend. Once that’s done, I’ll be looking for answers regarding what happened to someone that I loved. It won’t be easy, and I’ll need help. Consider this an investment, Hina. Stick with the Itos until you outgrow them or Yukiho gets too dangerous to have around. Then come find me. We’ll form a real climbing party together.”

Hina smiled at Bunty and nodded. She closed her eyes and tightened her hold on the upgrade station. Bunty glanced back at the Itos. They were gone. Hina finished her upgrade five minutes later. She threw her arms around Bunty and squeezed him.

“I hope you don’t get the wrong idea,” she told him. “I appreciate the gift, and I may have been a little flirty before, but I don’t find you attractive.”

“Don’t worry.” Bunty laughed. “The feeling is mutual. There was a moment of passing curiosity, but I moved on pretty quickly.”

“I can’t thank you enough, Bunty. This means so much. This new spell and summon is going to make a big difference.”

“Good. Use this lot for combat experience and learn how to use it. In the meantime, I’ll find the perfect Core for my purposes.”

“You’re pretty awesome,” Hina said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“I got to the third floor without spending a dime.” Bunty sighed. “I reckon I’ll explore this floor a while. If I find a decent beast, I’ll commission a team to help me take it down. If not, they can help me get to the next one. Don’t worry about me, Hina. Just watch your back, and stay safe. Alright?”

Hina nodded and bid him goodbye. She let Bunty study her transformed tattoo before leaving. Three triangles similar to the mole’s claws grew from behind the dandelion fluff’s stem. Bunty hoped Hina would find a proper application for her new summon. She had a decent head on her shoulders. All Hina needed was a little boost and some confidence. Bunty was glad that he’d given her just that.

After Hina left, Bunty realised that he didn’t want to leave the tower. He’d already taken an unnecessarily harsh tone with Yukiho—it was foolish to antagonise someone much stronger than him. Bunty worried that if he bumped into her in the primary hub or Climber’s market, he’d make things much worse. No one would want to work with someone that caused a scene. All of a sudden, it made sense as to why someone would mess with the gate by the shrine. Bunty guessed the Ito clan had pissed off people in the past. They could’ve retaliated by screwing with the doors they used.

Several little fires had popped up around the third-floor hub. He checked his pocket watch. Bunty laughed realising it was mid-morning outside. No wonder Climbers had such distorted body clocks. He recalled Neer waking him up in the middle of the night with a midnight feast after returning from climbs. It also explained the campfire. Bunty guessed people wanted to follow their resident floor’s time while working there. He approached one and asked whether they’d mind company. The party of three middle eastern men appeared spoke to each other in Arabic for a moment before welcoming him.

Fortunately for Bunty, the party wasn’t interested in getting to know him. They sat on the opposite side of the fire, continuing their conversation. They cooked their meat on skewers over their fire and ignored him altogether. Bunty was glad. Despite the positive exchange with Hina, he struggled to unwind. His stomach was in knots, and he kept imagining his axe cleaving through Yukiho’s face.

The plant monster’s Core would’ve been the answer to all of Bunty’s problems. He was sure it would give him a size-alteration utility spell. Perhaps his ink would gain paralytic effects too. Yukiho and the party knew that he deserved it. Yet she had used her rank and exploited the contract to take it from him. After some thought, Bunty decided he wanted to spend a little while alone. He got his guidebook out and looked through the information regarding the floor and its beasts. It took him a few minutes to find a decent target.

If Bunty travelled west through the swamps, he’d encounter several lizardmen tribes. They were dangerous in large numbers and didn’t provide anything valuable. Due to their habitat’s treacherous nature, Climbers didn’t waste too much time hunting them. Bunty decided to take the following day to investigate them, perhaps set up a few traps. He didn’t expect to find anything worthwhile but hoped the time away from people would sharpen his mind. Chances of finding another powerful Core with size-alteration abilities were low. Bunty would need to think of an alternative route to power and progress.