Chapter 25: The First Step Toward the Tower

The days that followed didn’t feel like preparation at first. They felt like adjustment. Kaelira Voss didn’t suddenly become someone else the moment she registered. She still opened her stall every morning, still traded with the same precision, still spoke with the same measured indifference. But beneath that routine, something had shifted. Every spare moment now carried a different weight, a different purpose.
Mira spent most of her time with whatever materials she could gather about the Tower’s entry exam. Old notes, borrowed guides, half-correct assumptions passed around by failed climbers—she absorbed all of it with surprising focus for someone her age. Aerin, on the other hand, balanced between physical training and learning, his earlier enthusiasm now directed into something more structured under the trainer Kael had arranged. By midday, both of them would leave for proper training, while Kael stayed behind, managing the stall as she always had.
Dain and Lera watched all of it closely. Neither of them tried to stop her anymore. That part had already passed. Instead, they adapted in their own way. Dain brought information when he could—small, practical things about how exams were conducted, what evaluators looked for, what mistakes people often made. Lera focused on preparation, quietly handing Kael notes, advice, even simple reminders about things most beginners overlooked. Their concern hadn’t lessened, but it had changed shape.
Days passed faster than expected.
And then the exam day arrived.
The guild was more crowded than usual when Kael and Mira entered together. There were others—men and women of different ages, all carrying the same mix of anticipation and tension. Some looked confident, others visibly nervous, but all of them had made the same choice.
The written exam came first. It lasted an hour, covering basic knowledge about the Tower—floor structures, resource classifications, survival protocols, and common hazards. It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t simple either. Mira worked through it with intense focus, her smaller hands gripping the pen tightly as she moved from question to question. Kael, on the other hand, remained steady throughout, her answers precise, her pace controlled.
They both passed.
The physical test followed immediately after.
It was held in an open training ground behind the guild, where a small crowd had gathered to observe. At the center stood the examiner—a well-known climber, easily recognizable by the way others gave him space. His presence alone carried weight. An S-rank climber, someone who had already reached a level most never would.
The test itself was straightforward.
Strength and endurance.
Weights were brought out first—heavy enough to challenge, light enough to measure consistency rather than raw power. Each participant was required to lift and hold, their performance recorded not by human judgment alone but by a magic stone placed nearby. The stone pulsed faintly, reacting to effort, stability, and control.
Then came running.
Distance, time, stamina.
No tricks.
No shortcuts.
Just performance.
Kael moved through it without drawing attention. Not the strongest, not the fastest, but consistent. Controlled. Mira struggled more, her smaller frame pushed to its limits, but she didn’t stop. She finished, breathing heavily but standing, her determination clear even in exhaustion.
When it was over, both of them were told the same thing.
They had passed.
Their results were average.
They were to return in three days to receive their licenses.
That was all.

Life didn’t pause after that.
Kael returned to the market the same day, reopening her stall as if nothing had changed. Mira and Aerin went back to training, their routine now more intense than before. Every evening, they reported back—what they learned, what they failed at, what they needed to improve. Kael listened, corrected when necessary, and left the rest to them.
Even she started running in the mornings.
Not openly.
Not dramatically.
But enough.

Three days passed.

The guild felt different when they entered this time.
Not because it had changed.
Because they had.

Their names were called.
Their results finalized.
Their licenses issued.

F-rank.
All three of them.

The lowest rank.
The starting point.

But it didn’t matter.

They were now climbers.

Eligible.

Able to enter the Tower.

They didn’t go immediately.
Kael didn’t allow it.
“Go back,” she told them. “Prepare properly. Pack what you need. Meet in the evening. After six.”
There was no argument.

After sending them away, Kael returned to the market one last time.
She opened her stall again, not for business—but to close it properly. Supplies were sorted, items packed, accounts settled. Even then, customers came, suppliers stopped by, conversations formed as they always did.
Only this time, they were different.
Word had spread.

Some congratulated her.
Some warned her.
Some tried to scare her.

“The Tower doesn’t forgive mistakes,” one said.
“Stick to the lower floors,” another advised.
“Don’t trust your team too easily,” someone added quietly.

Kael listened.
But she didn’t hold onto any of it.

Around four in the evening, Lera arrived.
She didn’t say much at first. Just placed a small bundle on the table.
“Herbs,” she said. “Basic medicine. For emergencies.”
Kael looked at it, then at her. “I don’t need this.”
“You might,” Lera replied simply.
There was no argument in her tone.
Only certainty.

Along with the herbs, she placed a small book.
“Read it when you have time,” she added. “It’s not complete. But it’s useful.”
Kael hesitated.
Then took it.

Not long after, Dain showed up.
He carried a small set of light armor pieces—nothing heavy, nothing overly protective, but enough to matter.
“For all three of you,” he said, setting them down. “Don’t argue.”
Kael didn’t.

By the time the sun began to lower, the stall was empty.
Packed.
Closed.

At six, Kael locked it properly for the first time with no intention of reopening it the next day.

Then she turned.
And walked.

The Tower stood ahead, unchanged, towering over everything else as it always had.

Outside the guild, Aerin and Mira were already waiting.

Prepared.

Ready.

And for the first time—
So was she.

End of Chapter 25