Chapter 3: 0th Floor (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: 0th Floor (1)
Kang Jun-hyeok had arrived.
He stood at the site of the 0th Floor Quest.
The setting was a village with a medieval aesthetic, where dozens of crudely built houses were scattered in every direction.
Jun-hyeok was not alone. Roughly a hundred people were spread throughout the village.
It’s the same.
The 0th Floor Quest. This stage, commonly referred to as the Tutorial, was not a solo endeavor. It was conducted with a group of a hundred people summoned at once. Jun-hyeok scanned his surroundings.
He was positioned somewhere between the center and the outskirts of the village. It was the exact same spot as in his past life.
The location is the same. The flow is the same. I can safely assume the basic framework remains identical to my previous life.
While Jun-hyeok made his cold assessment, the others began to grasp the reality of their situation.
"A-Ah... No..."
"No! This can't be happening!"
Groans of despair erupted from all sides. This was the beginning of the invitation to the Tower. The survival rate of the 0th Floor Quest was a mere 50%. Thrown into a situation where they had a coin-flip's chance of dying, it was only natural for them to feel terror.
However, not everyone reacted with fear.
"Ha... Hahahaha!"
"Finally! My chance has finally come!"
A small minority—those with faces lit up by excitement—let out cheers of joy.
The Tower was undoubtedly a place one had to climb at the risk of their life. But if they survived, they could obtain immense power. It wasn't strange for four or five people out of a hundred to be willing to gamble their lives for such strength.
"D-Damn it."
"I'm going to survive. I'm going back home."
Even those who had been despairing began to grit their teeth, steeling their resolve. The atmosphere grew heavy and somber.
"...So, what are we supposed to do here?"
Someone’s voice gave words to the collective uncertainty.
They were the latecomers. In terms of percentage, they belonged to the bottom 10%. The 0th Floor Quest had already been cleared by 90% of Earth's population. Naturally, the early starters were fundamentally unable to provide information to the latecomers. Consequently, no one here knew anything about the 0th Floor Quest.
Except for one man.
Kang Jun-hyeok began to walk slowly.
"Huh?"
The others, who had been looking around the village, finally noticed something.
"...What is that?"
"A monster?"
In the very center of the village—the plaza—stood something that looked like a praying mantis.
The only differences from a normal mantis were that it was twice the size of a human and possessed lethal blades on its forelegs. The creature stood as still as a doll. It lacked any sense of life, looking almost like a taxidermy specimen.
"What are we supposed to do?"
The people were bewildered. At that moment, the quest window appeared.
[0th Floor Quest]
[Respond to the three monsters.]
[Time remaining: 3 minutes.]
The quest had begun.
Simultaneously, a clicking sound, like a button being pressed, echoed through the air. The world was dyed in a crimson hue.
[Kaaaaak!]
[Kieeeek!]
The previously motionless mantises began to move. Their sharp forelegs swung violently. In an instant, three people standing nearby were hacked to pieces. If they had any fault, it was simply that they were incredibly unlucky.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed in all directions, staining the village. For a moment, the crowd stood dazed, unable to process the carnage.
[Kieeeek!]
The swiftly moving mantises lunged. Pouncing with the speed of wild beasts, they killed three more people.
"...Aaaaagh!"
"Aaaaaah!"
Only then did the crowd realize the situation and begin to flee, screaming in terror. The mantises chased them down, driving their forelegs into the backs of those trying to escape.
"...!"
It was then that they realized the true nature of the 0th Floor Quest.
A game of tag.
For three minutes, they had to run for their lives from the monsters.
"D-Damn it!"
"Aaaagh!"
The people fled desperately, but the mantises were faster. They pursued the fleeing crowd, slaughtering them one by one in an instant.
In that moment, the quicker-witted individuals realized one more thing.
The face of a man being chased by a mantis suddenly turned cold and rigid. As he ran, he reached out.
"Gah!"
He grabbed the collar of the person running in front of him and threw them backward. The fallen person scrambled to get up and glared at the man who had tripped them.
"You son of a—"
The sentence was never finished. Before they knew it, a mantis had arrived and taken their head.
What is the best way to survive when a beast is chasing you? It is quite simple: make someone else the sacrifice.
That behavior spread through the crowd like a plague. Those in front kicked those behind them, and those behind grabbed the collars of those in front. They began to struggle to survive by sacrificing one another.
In his past life, Kang Jun-hyeok hadn't been much different from them. While he didn't proactively use others as sacrifices, he had shaken off the hands of those trying to throw him and pushed them away instead. He had survived upon a mountain of corpses, and for a full week after returning to Earth, he hadn't been able to eat properly.
Though it was a long time ago, the memories of his past life remained vivid. If he followed that path again, he would surely survive without issue.
But this time, he had no intention of using such a pathetic method. There was a much better way.
Kang Jun-hyeok took a step forward. He didn't run away, nor did he push forward into the chaos. He entered a house nearby.
Opening the door and looking inside, he saw a very ordinary medieval home. Inside, a single dagger was laid out.
"It really is here," Jun-hyeok muttered in wonder as he gripped the dagger.
Having obtained the weapon, Jun-hyeok stepped out of the house and moved forward.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
A man being chased by a monster ran toward him, his face flushed red. He hesitated for a moment as he prepared to grab Jun-hyeok and throw him.
Jun-hyeok wasn't running away. In fact, he was walking toward the monster.
Is he... insane?
The man made a quick judgment. There was no need to mess with a madman who was going to his death voluntarily. He sprinted past Jun-hyeok.
Jun-hyeok continued forward.
[Kaaaak.]
The mantis also noticed that Jun-hyeok was walking toward it. Perhaps offended that its prey didn't show fear, it tossed aside the corpse it was mangling and lunged instantly.
[Kieeeeek!]
A foreleg swung down to pierce Jun-hyeok’s head.
And in that moment...
Jun-hyeok shifted his weight slightly, evading the strike. He reached for his waist. Gripping the handle, he drew the dagger and plunged it into the mantis's neck.
* * *
The dagger slid smoothly into the mantis's throat.
[Ki, Kieek!]
The mantis flailed its forelegs convulsively, but Jun-hyeok ducked low to avoid them. He pulled the blade he had buried in its neck and sliced all the way down its body.
[Kaaaaaaaak!]
A horrific scream rang out. The creature staggered and tried to swing its forelegs, but it didn't even have the strength left to do so. After flailing for a moment, it collapsed onto the ground.
[System locked. Will be unlocked after completion.]
"What? There was a message like this? I guess they aren't going to make it easy."
Jun-hyeok narrowed his eyes at the system window that appeared before him.
[Kieeeek...]
The mantis let out a desperate shriek as it died. At the sound, those who were fleeing stole a glance behind them.
"...Huh?"
"Wh-What?"
And so, they saw it. The mantis that had been ruthlessly murdering people was lying on the ground, a mangled mess. And a man was standing before it.
[Kaaaak!]
[Kieeeeek!]
Their kin had died. Realizing this, the other mantises let out a cry. One mantis, its eyes rolling back in rage, charged at Jun-hyeok to kill him.
Jun-hyeok did not run. He simply measured the distance and took one step back.
[Kieeeeek!]
The blade swung, the sound of it tearing through the air sharp and piercing. A single touch would have been enough to sever flesh and bone.
But it didn't matter. All he had to do was not get hit.
The 0th Floor Quest. The beginning of everything. A horrific hell with a 50% survival rate. Because of its significance as the start, it was a topic that remained on people's lips long after they received their invitations to the Tower. Then, at some point, someone had said:
—The 0th Floor Quest. Can't you actually kill those mantises?
At first, everyone dismissed it as nonsense. But the more they talked, the more evidence began to surface to support the claim.
First: The mantises weren't as fast as one might think. Of course, they were strong enough to slaughter humans, but their actual speed was on the slower side. Their attack motions were also quite large, so they weren't impossible to dodge if one responded calmly.
Second: People had thought the houses were just meaningless decorations. This was because even if they hid inside, the mantises would just chop the house to pieces. However, inside each house, a single weapon had been placed. Swords, axes, clubs, bows—weapons designed for killing.
And finally, the decisive piece of evidence was the content of the quest itself.
[0th Floor Quest]
[Respond to the three monsters.]
[Time remaining: 3 minutes.]
It said "Respond." It didn't say "Survive" or "Run."
The mantises could be killed. It was just that the people, mistaking the mantises for irresistible monsters, had been too busy running away to notice. People had later regretted that so many died without realizing something so simple.
And the current Jun-hyeok knew this fact.
Crunch.
Having dodged the attack, Jun-hyeok pierced the creature's neck with his dagger and slit its belly. As he swiftly severed its limbs, Jun-hyeok thought to himself:
I was lucky.
It would have been troublesome if the house had contained something like a bow or a club. He was glad it was a dagger, which was easy to handle.
Click.
[Kieeeeek!]
Another mantis collapsed with a scream.
[System locked. Will be unlocked after completion.]
Now then.
Jun-hyeok’s eyes grew serious. He had killed two without much trouble. So far, everything was going according to plan. But there was still one mantis left.
The mantis that had seen its two companions die would not be careless. It glared at Jun-hyeok with eyes that clearly recognized him as an enemy.
[Kieek!]
The mantis let out a scream filled with rage. However, its forelegs only sliced through empty air. Jun-hyeok had already thrown himself backward.
[Kieeeeek!]
Thud.
The mantis lunged. The distance closed in an instant. Jun-hyeok made a rapid assessment. Its appearance was that of a mantis, and the structure of its forelegs was the same. Therefore, he lowered his posture to the limit and slid across the ground, burrowing into the mantis's space.
[Kaaaak!]
Perhaps not expecting him to charge back at it, the mantis hurriedly pulled its forelegs back to strike down. But its forelegs ended up slammed into the earth.
Screeeech!
The mantis scraped the ground as it forcibly tried to pull its forelegs back, but the resistance slowed it down significantly. Slow enough that it couldn't reach Jun-hyeok.
Stab.
Taking advantage of the opening, Jun-hyeok approached the mantis's underbelly, plunged the dagger in, and pulled.
Riiip!
The belly was sliced open, and its entrails spilled out.
[Kaaaaaaaak!]
Jun-hyeok stood up, dusting himself off. He walked leisurely over to the fallen mantis and drove the dagger into its head. The mantis flailed its forelegs in a final struggle, but they only beat uselessly against the air.
[Kieeeeeeek...]
With a final shriek, the mantis collapsed.
[System locked. Will be unlocked after completion.]
[0th Floor Quest Cleared.]
[Time remaining: 1 minute 25 seconds.]
[MVP: Kang Jun-hyeok.]
[Well done.]