Fate/Tower of God - Climbing the Tower as/with Mordred (fanfic)

"Ah, okay," Khun replied. He pointed at a bench at the side of a corridor. "If you want to talk, let's sit here."

The trio sat down on the bench as Rachel joined them.

From the moment that Rachel appeared, Isaac was silent.

As if seeing this, Khun took the initiative and asked Rachel, "Did you know Bam well?"

Hearing this, Rachel's body slightly shook. She then formed a faint smile and said, "Yeah… I have known him since before I came into the Tower."

Khun said, "... I'm sorry. It was tragic what happened to Bam. But you need to know that Isaac didn't kill him. Bam was already dead when… Isaac's ability activated accidentally."

"I… I felt it was like that. It was a test, so I don't hold a grudge. But… What happened to Bam?" As Rachel asked, she looked at Isaac.

Isaac slowly replied, "I'm not sure… It's the first time something like this happened."

"..." Rachel stared at him silently.

"I'm sorry." Isaac lowered his head to avoid further questions.

At that moment, Khun spoke up, "Uh, Rachel. What do you want from us?"

"I only wanted to ask you about Bam… Bam was a lonely boy. When I told him I was climbing the Tower, he asked me not to go with tears running down his face. But I left him. I thought we'd never meet again. But he… later appeared in front of me during the Crown Game…"

"Sorry…" Khun consoled again, upon seeing Rachel's expression break down.

Rachel calmed down after a moment, looked at the two and continued with a forced neutral expression, "I couldn't take Bam's crown, so I decided to help you… But I just made things worse. He got hurt because of me…"

Khun and Isaac were silent.

'At least she's self-aware,' Isaac thought.

Rachel said, "I understand that it was my fault why Bam leaped out to help me… So I don't blame you. You were Bam's friends and protected him until then, I'm sure you're not bad people… So, I hope we can also be friends from now on."

"Ah?" Khun was surprised when he heard that. After a moment's delay, he emerged with a friendly expression. "Sure! Let's be friends!"

Rachel gently smiled when she heard that.

Meanwhile, Isaac faintly looked at Rachel in surprise. Be their friend? Unlike how she was hiding in the manhwa, was she instead trying to drill her way into their friend group or did FUG send her here?

Looking at Isaac, Rachel said, "Mr. Isaac, I feel sorry for Bam, but I'm not narrow-minded. I hope we can be friends."

At the end of her sentence, Rachel sent Isaac a bright smile like a flower.

"Ah, yes…" Isaac muttered expressionlessly.

He didn't see how declining here would be natural or fitting for the persona he was building.

…

After Rachel joined Isaac and Khun, the trio visited the cafeteria and made their orders. Unlike before, this time they had to pay for their meals using test points.

At that time, the cafeteria was rather deserted.

The three sat down and ate together while making small talk.

"By the way, why didn't you take the crown back then?" Khun asked Rachel.

After Bam left the throne, the crown laid on the ground and no one picked it up. The game ended without a winner.

Rachel said, "About that… I felt it wouldn't be right for me to go up, thanks to Bam's misfortune. And I was also shaken after seeing what happened to him…"

"I see…" Khun murmured as he returned to his food.

Isaac was silent. He wasn't exactly happy with Rachel being their 'friend', but he didn't actively chase her away or express his dislike either.

'It's the case of: keep your friends close and enemies closer, huh?' Isaac's heart thought. He was aware of Rachel's nature and goals, and keeping her close might just allow him to use her to his advantage.

After eating lunch, the three separated and Isaac returned to his room.

…

Being left alone, Isaac locked the door and sat down on the bed cross-legged.

"Pocket Visible Mode…"

When his tablet-like Pocket materialized in his hand, Isaac ignored all distractions and closed his eyes.

"Contract with the Administrator."

After muttering this command, he soon felt that he ended up in another space.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself floating in a world of darkness.

'!!!'

In front of him was a giant head of a gray turtle-dragon-lizard-eel-like monster, staring straight at him sideways with one of its huge eyes.

{Hmm… You look tasty.}

Isaac was startled, as his instincts warned him. After a moment, he forced a small smile and replied to the giant, "Ah, I don't think I am…"

The giant creature slowly formed a grin on its face. {I am the guardian of this floor. Are you here to fight?}

"Fight?... No, not to fight."

Isaac was surprised. Things escalated quite quickly. Was it because he was stronger than Bam who at first glance seemed like an ordinary boy?

{No? Okay. Then why are you here?}

Isaac recalled his plan, then touched his chest and politely said, "My name is Isaac, Isaac Ainsworth. What is yours, sir?"

{Hm? What is… my name?] The giant Floor Guardian seemed a bit surprised and was silent for a moment, then continued, {It's been a while since someone asked me for my name in this manner. You can call me Levi.}

Usually Regulars would tremble in fear right upon seeing him, ask to make a contract and immediately leave. It was very rare for someone to take personal interest in him. That was a bit unexpected.

Levi was, in truth, a nickname that one Irregulars had given him long ago and not his real name.

{So, why did you want to see me? Climber of the Tower.}

"Right… Levi-nim, I have been asked to make a Shinsoo contract with a Floor Administrator. But I can already use Shinsoo… So I was meaning to ask… Should I?"

The reason he came here was just to meet the Floor Administrator and hopefully gain some useful information from him. If there was no need, he didn't plan to make a contract which in the manhwa was mentioned to only be 'shackles' for Bam.

{A Shinsoo Contract? Why would you consider making a Shinsoo contract?} Levi asked.

"Well… We have these classes and everyone else made a contract. So I was wondering if there would be a problem if I didn't."

{I understand. But for you, as someone who opened the gate yourself, a contract is simply not needed to use the Shinsoo.}

"So… no one will know that I haven't made a contract, right?" Isaac asked again for confirmation

{No one will know. Apart from me.}

"Okay, I see…"

Isaac let out a breath of relief.

At that point, he was still somewhat curious about the contents of the contract itself that normal Regulars make, but there was one thing that he wanted to inquire about even more.

Isaac said, "Um, Levi-nim, I have one more question."

{What is it?}

Isaac slightly bowed his head and asked, "Would you take me as your disciple?"

{Hmm?} Hearing Isaac's question, the eel-like Floor Guardian turned his head and looked at Isaac with both his eyes.

He asked him to become his disciple?

Indeed. The thought processes of Irregulars are truly different from a common man.

{Interesting. Why do you want to become my disciple?} The Floor Guardian curiously asked.

"Well… I heard that you're very powerful and knowledgeable, so I thought I could learn some things from you," Isaac said.

A Floor's Administrator has the power to control the entirety of Shinsoo on his floor and has incredible powers.

This being should have lived for thousands of years, apparently ever since the Tower's creation, and was viewed as a literal God by the residents of the Tower.

With all that combined, shouldn't his knowledge and teachings be possibly invaluable?

At least, Isaac knew that one of the abilities of this Floor Administrator was that he could teleport Regulars or Rankers to any location on any floor of the Tower, even to a sealed and secret space that he wanted to; he did it once in the story.

He was an expert on teleportation and space manipulation. That's why Isaac hoped that perhaps he could help him grasp his personal Displacement Magecraft.

Even if teaching Isaac human-style Shinsoo control was not possible, perhaps he might still learn some secrets of the Tower. 

And even if the chance was low that the Floor Administrator agrees, Isaac won't know the outcome unless he tries. In the worst case, he would be declined and laughed at, but what's the big deal about it?

The Floor Administrator slowly asked, {For what reason do you want to climb the Tower?}

Isaac was a little taken aback. Then he said, "I have many reasons to climb the Tower. Actually, there are so many of them, I'm not sure where to start…"

{Go ahead. I'm listening.}

Isaac slowly gathered his thoughts.

After seeing that to the Floor Guardian it was a very important question, he began speaking honestly.

It was quite a long monologue of his.

Not hiding anything, he told the Floor Administrator most of the wishes in his heart. He talked about the powers he wanted to attain, the unending lifespan, the adventures he wanted to experience, the sights he wanted to see, the friends he wanted to make, all of his more and less selfish wishes…

Even his desire for something like finding a lover, or even a few, he had also shared with him.

As he finished more or less, Isaac coughed with an embarrassed expression and said, "So… These are some of the reasons I want to climb the Tower, Levi-nim."

{Very well. You are honest with yourself and you know well what you want. You are suitable to climb the Tower. But I cannot teach you as is. First, you'll need to pass my test.}

"... What kind of test?" Isaac asked, being slightly excited. It meant that as long as he could fulfill that requirement, he could receive the Floor Administrator's direct help!

{It's my test to pass this floor, of course…}

…

After having a short talk with the Floor Administrator, Isaac returned to his room.

He was frowning.

The Floor Administrator required him to pass his test for this floor to demand anything. With the way that he was framing things, it seemed that he wanted him to take the final administrator's test that Bam originally took which pulled him into FUG.

At this time, Isaac was sent back to 'think things through'.

The Floor Guardian basically tried to help FUG to pull him to their side.

Isaac thought, 'I can imagine the guys in FUG muddling over how they can control me and recruit me too. But it's actually a pointless worry. The path with FUG is a path that would make me the strongest being in this Tower, just like it did to Bam. Of course I'll take this path. I only need to grow fast enough to match Bam's pace.'

He has metaknowledge and, unlike Bam, he's willing to cooperate with FUG one way or another. At the very least, he would need the demon of FUG from the Second Floor just to become a vessel for the Thorn - the most powerful weapon in the Tower, an Administrator's fragment.

Regardless of how things worked out on the Second Floor, it was fine with him.

'If that's how things work out, then I'll take the Administrator's test at the end. I only don't know if I would be able to demand anything from the Floor Guardian. I hoped I could somehow make a deal with him to protect my body from being taken over, but it seems for now I have to forget about this topic...'

[Master, what are you muddling over? You just made a contract with that Floor Administrator, right?]

Isaac heard Mordred's voice and stopped his train of thought. He replied, 'No. I didn't.'

[What? Why not? Mr. Pikachu said before, without it you won't be able to control that 'Shinsoo'!]

Isaac faintly smiled and replied, 'But I can already control Shinsoo.'

[That's true, but, uh… Don't you still need to make a contract?] Mordred asked.

'No. I don't need to because I'm from the outside. I can freely control Shinsoo even without a contract. It's the perk of Irregulars.'

[Ah, okay. That guy didn't mention it.]

'Yes. Because Irregulars are extremely rare. But the Floor Administrator told me that. There's no point for me to make a Shinsoo Contract.'

[O-okay, got it!]

As silence descended, Isaac recalled something. He transmitted, 'Hey, Saber.'

[Yeah?...]

'When we talk like this, no one can hear us from the outside, right?

[Yeah, of course.]

'... Even if it's a very powerful being like a Floor Guardian? Do you think he might be able to spy on us?'

[... I doubt it, but I can't know for sure... Master, do you want to tell me some kind of secret? If you're worried, you can directly speak to Clarent.]

'You have good intuition. Yes, I wanted to tell you something.'

Isaac pulled Clarent out from within the Arms Inventory. Apparently, this way their connection is more intimate. Holding the sword in his hand, he then transmitted, 'Saber… The truth is that I know some things about this world.'

[Some things? What do you mean, Master?]

'To put it shortly, I read a special book before that described a world very similar to that of the Tower. That's why I already know some things about this place. I'm telling you this, so you'll understand my actions in the future. You might not understand why I do something, but I might do that because I already know some things or secrets of this world that I learned on Earth.'

[Oh…]

Isaac continued, 'Like during the Crown Game. I wanted to consider things like how I should act to perhaps conceal that I'm an Irregular or whether that game was a trap, but you suddenly pressed the buzzer in the first round without even giving me time to think. I'd like to avoid situations like this.'

[Oh, okay. Got it!]

Isaac didn't tell Mordred everything because he was still afraid that she might babble and randomly reveal his greatest secret of knowing the future just because she's too thoughtless and stupid. But he still felt it would be useful to at least make her understand the bare minimum that: 'he knows some things about this world that she doesn't.'

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///Commentary: I noticed that the popularity of the story dropped massively after Bam died, and I also feel that the story lost a bit of soul because of it. I don't regret it because what happened was too boring and dissapointing on that route as the OC carries Bam and has to deal with his boring drama, but perhaps things could be improved. It isn't impossible to instead have Isaac absorb V, and Bam recover soon after thanks to quickly regenerating (the explanation is that his death trigger a protective spell left behind by Arlene/Outside God, but before that, Isaac's grail/skill already got V).

It felt to me a bit stretched at first, but it could happen; Bam isn't easy to kill, and perhpas MC's skill had no interest in him, but just V. This way we would still have to deal with Bam's drama in Season 1, but the OC would no longer be a side character but a Main Character of the story, while Bam could be a Wave Controller supporter. It would change the general feel of it.

It's an idea I at least consider, for the sake of a good story. Even though it would be a second rewrite since the Crown Game, I think many people would enjoy this kind of change. Bam adds more life to a TOG story, and it might not be as much of a drag if we knew that the MC is the MC in the end, and Bam is just a supporter that's worth raising.

I would like to hear thoughts on that.

An alternative is that Bam would have officially died during the Crown Game, but would recover afterwards and be secretely brought into FUG. No rewrite this way, no boring BamxRachel drama in Season 1, but there's still Bam in S2 and going forward. It has the same problem if how to decide whom to give the Thorn to, but that has to be solved anyway.

PS: I have been writing/uploading one chapter a day for a while. Right now I need time to plan the story and consider various aspects of it, so I won't upload for a while.