The chairman’s assistant led James down a hallway with frosted glass walls and closed office doors, and they stopped at the third door on the right. She knocked once and opened it without waiting for a response.

"Director O’Shea," she said. "James Ganner."

James entered and found himself in a large but not ornate office. A wide desk sat near floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the Dublin skyline and part of the Tower in the distance. O’Shea sat behind the desk with Niamh nearby, both already waiting.

O’Shea looked up when James entered and gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."

James sat down and waited.

O’Shea leaned back in his chair and studied James for a moment. "I assume this visit is about Floor 9." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Yes," James said.

O’Shea’s expression didn’t change. "Do you know how to clear it?"

James met his eyes. "I’m not sure, but I have a theory."

"Theory." O’Shea repeated the word without inflection. "Three teams are dead and you have a theory."

"It’s more than anyone else has right now," James said.

O’Shea didn’t argue with that. He gestured for James to continue.

James explained what he’d seen in the footage. The three ogres attacking from different angles instead of just rushing in. The goblins moving in formations and targeting the priest first with coordinated aggression. The dark magic traces he’d noticed running through some of the monsters like thin threads.

"The goblins aren’t just stronger," James said. "Something is controlling them. Directing them. That’s why the priest died first. Whatever is commanding them knew exactly who to remove."

O’Shea listened without interrupting. When James finished, he said, "And you think you can counter it."

"I think the circlet can," James said. "The Purify effect should cleanse whatever dark magic is controlling them. If the control breaks, the goblins go back to being normal monsters."

"You think," O’Shea said. "You’re not certain."

James shook his head. "I can’t be certain until we try it."

O’Shea was quiet for a moment, then he said, "The circlet is strategic equipment now, and it’s not something the TRB can release casually. We have licensing agreements with multiple guilds, active revenue streams, and scheduled attempts on higher floors."

"I understand," James said. "That’s why I came to ask properly instead of just taking it."

O’Shea nodded once, as if James had passed some small test. "The TRB can allow Team Zero to use the circlet, but there’s a condition."

James waited for him to continue.

"We want the Floor 9 run streamed," O’Shea said.

James went still because he hadn’t planned to stream anything.

O’Shea continued before James could refuse. "Floor 9 has become a national problem. Ireland is stuck. Other countries are stuck. Everyone is watching to see who clears it first." He leaned forward slightly. "If Team Zero clears Floor 9 on stream, Ireland becomes the country that solved it. First confirmed clear. First tactical data. First proof of concept."

He paused. "It will also increase the circlet’s value significantly. Every country and every guild will want access to the item that helped clear Floor 9. Which means higher licensing fees."

James thought about it but immediately saw the problem. "The streamer rule," he said. "If a Challenger dies during an official stream, the family can be made to pay damages or government penalties depending on the agreement."

He met O’Shea’s eyes directly. "I won’t risk my mother being punished if I die."

O’Shea smiled slightly, and the expression wasn’t mocking but something closer to approval.

"You noticed the dangerous part," O’Shea said. "Good. Most people don’t think about their families until it’s too late." He leaned back in his chair. "That rule won’t apply to you or Team Zero. This will be a TRB-sponsored stream. The TRB handles everything. Stream infrastructure. Promotion. Moderation. And all liability."

James said, "I want that in writing."

"Of course," O’Shea said, and he pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Bring the circlet from the vault and prepare the streamer papers."

Ten minutes later, the assistant returned with a secure metal box and a folder of documents. She placed both on the table and left.

O’Shea opened the box first.

The Apostle’s Radiant Circlet sat inside, glowing faintly with divine light. The pale gold band and white stone at the center looked exactly as James remembered from Floor 1.

James looked at it for a moment, then O’Shea pushed the contract folder across the table.

"Read it carefully," O’Shea said.

James opened the folder and started reading.

The revenue split was 90% to the clearing party and 10% to the TRB. The TRB would handle promotion, hosting, moderation, stream setup, and all liability coverage.

Then he reached the channel name field and found it blank.

O’Shea noticed where James was looking. "The stream needs a channel name. What do you want it listed as?"

James thought for a moment. His team already had a name and they’d registered as Team Zero after clearing Floor 5.

"Team Zero," James said.

Niamh wrote it in the blank field.

James continued reading and found the protection clause.

[TRB SPONSORED RAID STREAM PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT]

[EVENT: FLOOR 9 RAID ATTEMPT]

[STREAM CHANNEL: TEAM ZERO]

[REVENUE SPLIT]

[TEAM ZERO: 90%]

[TOWER RESOURCE BUREAU: 10%]

[TRB RESPONSIBILITIES]

- Stream infrastructure

- Promotion

- Moderation

- Public notification

- Government liability coverage

[PARTY PROTECTION CLAUSE]

- No death-on-stream penalty charged to participant families

- No government damages charged to participant estates

- No emergency response fees charged to participant families

- TRB absorbs all official stream failure liability

[ARTIFACT CLAUSE]

- Apostle’s Radiant Circlet loaned for Floor 9 attempt only

- Circlet remains James Ganner’s property

- Circlet must be returned after the Floor 9 attempt

James read the family protection clause twice. No death penalties. No government damages. No emergency fees. The TRB absorbed everything if the team died on stream.

He signed at the bottom.

O’Shea countersigned and stamped it with the TRB seal.

"Done," O’Shea said. He pushed the circlet box across the table. "The stream setup will be sent to your System within the hour."

Niamh explained the technical details while James secured the circlet box.

"The TRB will send you a partnership link through your System," she said. "Once you accept it, a Stream tab will appear in your interface. The stream won’t start automatically. You have to activate it manually after entering Floor 9."

She pulled up a tablet and showed him the preview. "The listing will show only Team Zero and Floor 9 Raid Attempt. No names, faces, classes, or personal information will be shown before activation."

James nodded.

"When you activate the stream," Niamh continued, "the broadcast goes live immediately. Irish Challengers will receive a notification. International viewers can access it through TRB’s public channel."

She closed the tablet. "Any questions?"

"No," James said.

He stood, took the circlet box, and left the office.