Free Web NovelChapter 17: Normalization Facility
Moon’s admiration for the giant grew.
He couldn’t help smiling inwardly. The time had come for his personal clean state.
For a moment, he thought about it.
Not the number. But the meaning behind it.
Thirty.
A hundred.
He had seen thousands. Died an unknown number of times, or rather, been ripped apart but kept alive somehow if he wanted to think about it accurately. Over and over again.
His lips parted slightly.
"...I didn’t count," he said at first.
Honest. Because he truly didn’t. Not at the beginning, not until the end, until the system counted them for him.
Uon nodded slowly, not pushing him.
"That’s normal. Most people lose track once it goes above ten," he said gently.
Moon’s eyes flickered.
Ten.
A laugh almost slipped, but he managed to hold it in.
"It wasn’t ten," Moon shook his head.
Uon raised a brow, but he didn’t ask again if he wasn’t willing to tell.
When he was about to dismiss the answer and change the subject—
"Can you keep a secret?" Moon gave him a mischievous look before glancing left and right.
A small pause.
"Of course." Enthusiastically, Uon replied with certainty.
Moon signaled him to come closer.
As Uon hunched his back all the way down to be at Moon’s head level.
Moon extended his hand and placed it around his shoulder.
He slowly whispered into his ear, "They were probably..." Moon paused.
Uon’s eyes darted left and right, eager.
He started sweating slightly. That moment was too long for this secret to unravel.
Moon stretched out his hand, his five fingers spread wide, waving it violently into the horizon while saying, "Thousands."
Uon’s eyes now locked with Moon’s, unimpressed.
His face fell, mouth open in a not very smiley expression.
"Are you messing with me?" he asked, squinting.
Moon nodded, "I’m messing with you," admitting it right away.
After a pause, they both burst into laughter.
"You’re more mischievous than your looks suggest," Uon said.
"I don’t want to hear that from you," Moon replied, hinting at his size and face that didn’t match his character.
But Uon was obviously clueless.
As for Moon, he was tired on so many levels, but his mind was still sharp for now.
"Actually, they were around fifteen or so goblins. There were actually a few wolves too," Moon admitted the numbers that would place him around the above-average benchmark.
"Hooo," Uon’s eyes gleamed, "Very impressive... The Tower must think highly of you!" He commented with clear enthusiasm.
"Of course it does, I’m strong," Moon posed, flexing his muscles.
"What did you do for a living before the trial, though, for the Tower to think so highly of you?" Uon asked, eyes sparkling.
’I thought you would never ask, hohoho.’
Moon licked his lips, ’I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment.’
And now...
The time had finally come.
"I came from the far mountains of Gru. Worked as a mercenary. I worked with gate suppression groups on the first floor," he said, puffing his chest.
Now his new identity was set, perfectly placed. All he needed to do was repeat this very lie over and over...
Over and over as many times as he must until it became the lone truth about his existence.
"No wonder," Uon clapped his hands lightly before pausing.
"I thought only the ashspawns lived on the first floor. Glad to know there are more people there," he added.
A murderous gaze flashed in Moon’s eyes for a moment before returning to normal.
"There are ashspawns here?" Moon asked.
"No, not at the moment," Uon shook his head. "There might be, though, in a week or so."
Moon’s mind flashed with countless thoughts. He wanted to avoid meeting them.
No...
He wanted to make sure he didn’t meet any of them.
"So, why in a week? What’s this place actually?" He finally realized the important question he had never asked.
"Oh, well, it’s common knowledge, but since you used to live in the mountains..." Uon started explaining.
’Just say I have no common knowledge, you bastard.’ Moon couldn’t help but feel like Uon was returning the favor.
The explanation was taking too long, longer than it should.
Moon’s smile never faltered. ’Are you messing with me?’ Yet he cursed inwardly.
He looked Uon in the eyes, his enthusiastically narrating giant face...
’He’s obviously not!’ Moon admitted it was all in his head, the big guy was just a chatterbox.
Before long, after explaining the history, when it was built, and many things that Moon didn’t pay much attention to—
"...So this facility is called the Normalization Facility. It exists to teach new ascenders how they can become better ascenders and survive longer in the Tower regardless of their status or background."
Impressed, Moon’s eyebrows rose.
"So you’re saying everyone who passes the trial of the first floor will come here?" Moon asked. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Yes and no. The facility has four branches across the second floor. This is one of them... so yes, they will come to a Normalization Facility, but it could be a different branch."
Now he understood what was going on.
He nodded slowly.
Then again, there was another important question.
"Erm... then may I know why I’m actually alone here?"
