Uriel’s stats had increased; however, he still didn’t feel much stronger, though the fatigue in his arms and the weight of the hammer had lessened a bit.

Now they were ready to head to the second zone.

Still, why was he the only one who still had a normal class like tank? Right now they had a necromancer and a battle mage—he wanted something cool like that too.

Time passed as the team lit campfires and kept warm. There was still one last thing they had to do before leaving, something necessary for every team.

"We need to choose a team leader."

Miguel was the most concerned about this; honestly, Uriel was too. The small conflicts kept happening.

"Why do we need something like a leader? Does your Western brain not see beyond having a figure to follow?"

Anastasia didn’t like the idea of someone being above the others, so she criticized the need to choose a leader.

However, it was necessary. She was the only one bothered by it, so she was quickly ignored.

Miguel spoke again.

"I’m the one with the most experience leading people. Among the paladins of Soliel, I led several new recruits and was the leader of my former team."

No one said anything.

Ininise looked at him with clear rejection, and Vladimir didn’t seem to care much.

No... in the end, it had to be him.

Uriel knew it. As arrogant as it sounded, these people were here mainly because of him, to a greater or lesser extent. Ininise was here only to help him, and Anastasia and Vladimir had been recruited by him as well.

Miguel might have his own personal motives, but at the end of the day, one thing was true: the only thing connecting most of the people in this group was him.

He felt a bit uneasy. He had never led a group before, and he didn’t like the idea of people depending on him—but he had to do it.

"Hahhh..."

"I’ll do it."

Miguel looked at Uriel, surprised, and the eyes of the others lit up immediately.

"I’ll be the team leader. Who’s in favor of that?"

Quickly, Ininise raised her hand, followed by Vladimir.

Two votes were still missing.

Uriel looked at Anastasia.

"Don’t look at me like that, Comrade Uriel. This betrays my ideals—I don’t support it. We don’t need leaders in a place where we are all equal."

Uriel wanted to smack his own face, but he held back.

"Don’t see me as a leader—see me as the one whose job is to make sure you don’t fight with anyone else in the group."

Anastasia’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Comrade Uriel, I understand now! Are you a commissar? Hahaha, how did I not realize? I thought bourgeois poison had already taken root in your brain." Uriel didn’t understand anything she was saying, but he was glad to see her more animated. "Commissar Uriel has my support."

Suddenly, Uriel had earned a promotion—though Anastasia probably hated that word.

Now only Miguel remained.

"Uriel, with all due respect as another member of the round table, do you have any experience leading people? Don’t get me wrong—it’s not that I think you can’t learn, and please, let me be clear: learn."

Uriel didn’t resent Miguel’s reluctance. At the end of the day, he understood his doubts. He had his own goals and responsibilities. The last thing he wanted was to die because his leader was incompetent.

"Listen to me, everyone. It’s true this would be my first time taking on the responsibility of leading people for Soliel. Yes, I arrived at the tower alone, without a team. But I’m not alone. If all of you agree with me, then..."

Uriel had already thought of a solution.

"I’ll appoint Miguel as second-in-command, and he’ll help me with any problems that arise within the group. However, any decision he wants to make will be consulted with me first."

Uriel looked at the group again, at their expressions.

"Does everyone agree?"

They all nodded.

Miguel stood up from his seat and clapped.

"Excellent, excellent, Uriel. You are undoubtedly a worthy member of the paladins of Soliel, hahaha."

After that, everyone went to sleep. The only ones who remained by the campfire were Uriel and Miguel.

"Well, now that everyone’s gone to sleep, there’s something I need to talk to you about, team leader."

Uriel found it a bit amusing. He was certain there was still one person awake, listening to everything.

"Oh? And what might that be, second-in-command?"

Miguel’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Oops... Uriel hadn’t realized it bothered him that much.

Miguel sighed.

"The truth is, I didn’t really want to be the leader of this group. These people are undoubtedly powerful, but also volatile. Still, I wanted to congratulate you—the decision you made was the right one. As much as it pains me, you’re the best person for the role."

Miguel raised his fist.

"I’m counting on you, Uriel."

"And I’m counting on you, Miguel."

Their fists bumped.

The camaraderie felt good. Uriel had been worried that Miguel might have hated him after that match.

"Oh, right, Miguel—how did you become a paladin of Soliel?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Miguel’s eyes lit up, gazing into the distance with longing. A smile came naturally.

"Would you believe me if I told you I met Soliel before entering the tower?"

It was hard to imagine, but not impossible for Uriel. After all, the gods had always existed—they were the ones who built the tower.

"That’s incredible. And how did you meet her?"

Uriel followed the conversation naturally; he was very interested in anything related to the paladins of Soliel.

"Well, you see, I’ve always been part of a wealthy family in the central states. I’m sorry, but what I’m about to say won’t sound very humble, hahaha."

Uriel could tell Miguel was happy recalling his past.

"I was always the best at everything, and it was hard not to be. I had natural talent in most things, and we had all the money we could ever need. But... my life, Uriel... my life felt empty."

Empty?

What was he talking about?

"I had everything, Uriel, but I still felt something was missing—like my life had no meaning. So when the tower appeared, I saw an opportunity to bring meaning to my life. At that moment, Soliel appeared as a golden light, and since then I’ve followed her guidance in everything. How did you meet her?"

Uriel had decided something: he could be friends with Miguel—no doubt about it. They could share camaraderie. But he would never understand him. What was all that about feeling empty? Uriel had been too busy trying to save what little family he had left to feel anything like that.

Uriel inevitably grew more serious.

"The truth is, I met Soliel not long ago." Not long ago? It didn’t feel that way—it felt distant somehow, though he couldn’t explain it. "Right after entering the tower. It was funny—I was the last one to enter, so I ended up without a team."

Miguel didn’t seem too interested in how he met Soliel; something else caught his attention.

"Wait, you were without a team in the first zone? How the hell did you survive that?" Inevitably, Miguel glanced toward where Ininise was sleeping. "Oh, I see... that’s why you were with them when I first saw you."

"Yeah... Ininise’s group definitely saved me, and because of me, one of them ended up losing her arm..."

The image of Kaelira without one of her arms always weighed on Uriel.

Miguel patted his back.

"Come on, cheer up. It wasn’t your fault. In fact, you sacrificed things too, didn’t you?" Miguel pointed to his own right eye.

It was true. Uriel was a mess himself—his body was covered in burns, and he would have lost his arms if not for his ability.

"Besides, if you ask me, you’re on the lucky side of the climbers. You know? Anastasia’s group lost three of their members—they’re all that’s left. I haven’t asked for details, but that guy, Vladimir, wasn’t always as quiet as he is now."

Uriel nodded. It was something he would talk about with Anastasia and Vladimir sooner or later.

"Well, leader, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you. I’m getting a bit sleepy." Miguel yawned. "It’s incredible I haven’t seen you yawn this whole time—the endurance of tanks is truly admirable."

"Good night, Miguel."

Miguel smiled.

"Good night, Uriel. We’ve got a lot of work tomorrow."

Uriel stayed there, sitting by the fire, warming himself. Lately, he had had very few moments to himself. He had a lot to think about—he was now responsible for these people; he wanted with all his heart to do his best so that everyone could return safely. And he still thought about the other Ininise... that needed to be resolved too.

What would he do when he returned home? Without a doubt, the first thing would be to take his little sister to see their mother—it had been far too long.

Uriel sank deeply into his thoughts.

"Uriel! Uriel!"

Uriel turned to see who was calling him. It was Ininise, looking worried.

"Oh, Ininise, I thought you were asleep. What’s wrong?"

At those words, Ininise looked surprised.

"Uriel, what are you talking about? It’s already morning."

Morning? How much time had passed while Uriel was thinking? He would have sworn it had only been an instant.

But in that instant, several hours had already gone by.