Chapter 87: What Comes Next I

A staff member led James down to the basement training room where Team Zero had prepared for every major floor attempt since the team formed.

The table was still there with scratches from where gear had been laid out before climbs. The gear racks were still lined against the wall with empty hooks where weapons used to hang between tower runs. The return platform still sat at the center of the room with faint scorch marks from System transfers that brought them back after each floor.

James remembered standing in this room before Floor 5 with the full party around the table. He remembered the pre-Floor 10 meeting when Finn pushed for momentum and everyone agreed to enter Hell-difficulty.

But Elliot’s chair was empty now.

Aria was not pacing near the weapons rack with her spear like she used to before every climb.

And no one was preparing for a floor because there was no floor to prepare for and no full team to prepare with.

Finn was already there when James entered while sitting at the table with his hands folded in front of him and his eyes fixed on the empty chair where Elliot used to sit.

He looked rested physically after the one-month break with no visible injuries or exhaustion left from Floor 10, but emotionally tired in a way that rest and healing could not fix. The confidence he had carried after Floor 5 and even immediately after clearing Floor 10 was completely gone.

"James." Finn stood when he noticed James enter the room.

"Finn."

They stood across from each other for a moment without saying anything because there were too many things to say and no easy way to start.

Finn sat back down first.

James pulled out a chair and sat as well while the empty room felt heavier than it should have with just two people in it.

"I haven’t entered since Floor 10," Finn said while breaking the silence. "I open the System, see Floor 11 unlocked, and close it again."

James understood because he had done the same thing.

"Every time I look at it, I see Floor 10," Finn continued while staring at the table instead of meeting James’s eyes. "I see Elliot’s HP dropping to zero. I hear myself calling TRB and telling them one of us died. I remember his parents at the funeral."

The conversation felt quiet and awkward because neither of them knew how to return to normal after a month of not talking or climbing together.

Finn finally looked up. "Do you blame me?"

James thought about that question before answering honestly. "You didn’t kill Elliot. The snake did."

"I made the call to enter Floor 10 when we might not have been ready."

"We all agreed to enter."

"I pushed for it." Finn’s voice carried guilt that had been sitting on him for a month. "I said momentum mattered. I said we should move before other teams caught up. Now Elliot’s dead because I wanted to stay ahead."

James did not argue with that because it was true. Finn had pushed for momentum after Floor 9 cleared. But arguing about it now would not bring Elliot back or fix what happened.

"Other teams cleared Floors 11 through 14 while we sat here," Finn said after a pause. "Guild-backed teams from England, America, China. If we return now, we’re behind everyone who kept climbing."

James looked at him directly. "Being behind is better than being dead."

Finn accepted that answer with a slow nod, but the line still bothered him because he was raised by Marcus Hale, and in that house falling behind anyone felt like personal failure instead of practical survival.

Kael arrived about ten minutes later while walking down the stairs and crossing the room with his usual calm efficiency that had kept him alive through nine floors.

"Finn. James." Kael sat at the table while looking at both of them with an expression that showed he already understood this meeting would not be about entering Floor 11.

He did not waste time with small talk or emotional comfort because that was not how Kael operated. "Team Zero doesn’t exist the way it did before."

James waited while Finn looked up from staring at the table.

"Elliot is dead. Aria retired. That leaves three people and a name." Kael’s tone stayed practical instead of harsh while he stated the obvious facts they all knew but had not said directly. "We can’t pretend the same team structure works when half the party is gone and the survivors aren’t ready to climb yet."

Finn’s jaw tightened, but he did not argue because Kael was right and arguing would not change reality.

"If we go back into the Tower, we need a different approach," Kael continued while folding his hands on the table. "Random recruitment is risky. We don’t know who we’re working with until we’re already in a floor together sharing life-or-death situations. Story floors change the rules and one bad teammate or one personality conflict can get everyone killed."

James remembered Kael pointing out before Floor 10 that Story floors operated differently from regular subjugation floors. Kael had been right then about the risks, and he was being practical now instead of emotional about Team Zero’s current state.

"So what do you suggest?" Finn asked.

"I’m not suggesting anything yet," Kael said while shaking his head. "I’m saying we need to figure out what we are before we figure out what floor comes next. That takes time and planning, not rushing back in because we feel guilty about being inactive."

The three of them sat in silence while understanding they could not stay frozen forever, but they also could not rush back into climbing just because the world had moved ahead without them.

The basement door opened again.

Marcus Hale entered while descending the stairs with measured steps that echoed in the empty training room.

James straightened slightly because Marcus’s presence filled a room whether he intended it or not.

Marcus looked at the three of them before his eyes settled on Finn.

"Still sitting here?"

Finn said nothing.

Marcus stopped near the table without sitting down while his arms crossed. "Other teams have reached Floor 14. Some are preparing for Floor 15."

Finn’s hand tightened on the table.

"You cleared Floor 10 on Hell difficulty," Marcus continued. "Ireland was watching you. The Hale name was everywhere. Guild offers were coming in. Sponsorships. Media attention."

Marcus’s eyes hardened.

"And then you disappeared for a month."

James stayed quiet because Marcus was not his father and this was not his house, but every time Marcus mentioned momentum or attention, James thought of Elliot’s HP hitting zero.

Kael also stayed silent unless Marcus tried to dismiss the team entirely.

"You had momentum after Floor 10," Marcus said while his tone carried strict disappointment. "You had the chance to lead the next wave of Challengers. Other teams are moving. You’re not."

Finn’s knuckles turned white where he gripped the table.

"I didn’t raise you to let one floor stop you from climbing," Marcus said. "The Tower doesn’t wait for grief. If you hesitate too long, you’ll be replaced."

That line cracked Finn’s control.

"One floor?" Finn looked up at Marcus. "Someone died. The team broke. Aria retired. And you’re still talking about momentum and the Hale name?"