Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Not Dying - 1
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Ellie had a few backup plans in case things went wrong, but the other restaurants were no different.
To begin with, there weren't that many eateries operating in this village.
It took checking out about three other places before they could finally sit down somewhere suitable.
It was just as noisy as before.
Finding a quiet, atmospheric spot was something she'd given up on long ago.
Even Ellie, who was leading the way, looked like she couldn't push on any further.
She figured they'd just grab a quick bite and move on to the next thing.
"─sir, how's the─?"
"What, what'd you say?"
"─tastes─."
I couldn't make out a single word she was saying.
"Bell! Table three!"
"Yes! Coming right up!"
"Then─head to the─?"
"─tonight─best─."
"You─guild─?"
"─? Take 'em─first─."
It was way too loud around us.
Ellie did have a soft voice, but everyone was talking over each other, drowning everything out.
The only voice I could somewhat make out was the head chef's shrill shouts.
"Bell! Not table four—table three!"
"S-sorry! It's just so loud, I couldn't hear..."
"Food's piling up! Move it!"
They're having a rough time over there too.
Bell was the girl working at this restaurant back when I first entered the tower, and she was still as clumsy as ever.
If anything, she seemed to be getting scolded even more than before.
Ellie and I couldn't communicate properly at all.
All I could do was watch her scoop up a bite and shove it in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out as she chewed, a smile spreading across her face from the heavenly flavor sliding down her throat.
Then she'd quickly look disappointed when it didn't match her expectations, clearly uncomfortable in the noisy crowd.
I just watched those ordinary moments while taking a bite of my own food.
This place only had two staff: Bell handling serving, and one person cooking everything else.
Customers flooded in nonstop, and he never got a break from the stove, but there wasn't a single flaw in the food he churned out.
Plenty of portions for the price, perfectly seasoned.
They say you eat with your eyes first.
It looked delicious, and it tasted just as good.
I really liked this side of the tower.
How even the little details felt close to ideal.
"Couldn't hear─ right?"
"Huh?"
Ellie tried talking to me again.
Her voice still got swallowed by the noise.
All I could see were her varied expressions, transparently revealing her inner thoughts.
She tilted her head slightly, her distinctive eyes curving into circles, her right lip corner tugging inward just a bit.
Those were the habits she always showed when gauging my reaction.
They were so subtle it was hard to call them habits, but now even those tiny tells jumped out at me.
"What, got something to ask?"
Not like my voice would carry over anyway, so answering was pointless.
As I stared at her blankly, she made yet another face.
"─sorry."
Ellie gave an awkward smile, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
After that, she avoided eye contact, so I just kept eating, my head full of questions.
I paid Bell for both our meals and headed outside.
Stepping out of the noisy restaurant into the open air made everything feel lighter.
"Ellie, what were you saying back there?"
"You didn't hear?"
"Too noisy."
"Hmm."
Ellie's reaction was oddly ambiguous.
She didn't blame the loud restaurant.
Didn't repeat what I missed.
Didn't lament my deaf ears.
"I'll tell you later. As much as you want, for life."
She seemed to enjoy my cluelessness.
"Anyway, at least let me buy the potion."
"If you're buying, I'm grateful."
"I said I'd get the food too."
Honestly, conversations like this didn't mean much.
This place was stubbornly peaceful—abundant, even.
Not that I'd defined abundance precisely, but there was no shortage of food, sleep, or clothes.
So whether I paid or Ellie did, it wasn't like it'd strain anyone's wallet.
It just felt good to treat each other.
"Here."
I took the blue potion.
It was supposed to promote mana recovery, but no dramatic effects here.
Though the smooth swallow was top-notch.
Like the red potion, floor one had little demand for potions' core effects.
As long as beginner protections and buffs were in place, the need for instant heals plummeted.
From here on, combat injuries piled up, and mana depletion was constant.
Of course, that had nothing to do with floor one—recovery-focused potions were only at high-floor shops.
"No seats here to drink either."
"Park it is. Benches might have space."
The shop stools were all taken.
Adventurers treated floor one potions like energy drinks.
No caffeine, so potion stamina boosts it was.
The park around the plaza was swarming with adventurers like pigeons at a station.
Still, plenty of benches for two.
"Not quite what I pictured, but there's plenty to see in its own way."
The guilds would soon pull out of floor one.
They'd climb at newbie pace from now on.
Scout them, evaluate talent, invite to their guilds.
These events were probably to brand their guilds in adventurers' minds before leaving, while crowds were thickest.
Guild vs. guild, ranker vs. ranker showdowns.
"Number one rank! Crimson Flame Guild Master, Amelia!"
"Woooaaah!"
Perfect timing.
Peak hype moment.
"Her opponent, number two rank! Moonlight Guild Master, Luna!"
"Woooaaah!"
Objectively, the power gap was huge, but a top guild vs. second-place showdown was irresistible bait for adventurers.
It didn't quite satisfy me, so I watched Ellie's wide-eyed face instead.
This was better.
Definitely.
The loser was Luna, in the end.
Swordsmen had an edge over mages in close quarters, but the skill gap was still brutal.
The crowd wasn't dissatisfied, but a tinge of regret lingered.
Most had expected Amelia to win anyway.
Luna wasn't who they wanted to see.
"Who'd win between the Sword Saint and Amelia?"
No way to quantify personal strength.
Class and trait grades, skill variety—combat involved stats plus battle sense.
Ranks were purely guild achievements: highest floor cleared.
The unaffiliated Sword Saint wasn't on any list.
The Sword Saint was stronger than Luna.
No hard proof, but everyone agreed.
He didn't run a guild or join one, so no reason to descend to floor one.
Probably wouldn't have even if invited.
Not the type to enjoy people.
The dream matchup was off the table.
"Who do you think would win, Earthbound Spirit?"
"Jae-hyun would beat Sua."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, the Sword Saint wins."
Ryu Jae-hyun.
Couldn't picture that guy losing.
Among my peers—no, any adventurer I'd seen—none matched his raw power.
Early on, we duoed floors.
I'd find solutions, he'd brute-force them.
That fell apart at 200.
"We can't do this duo anymore. It's not about strength."
"You saying drag other adventurers up here?"
"Maximize participants─."
"Won't team with the weak."
He was stubborn in weird ways.
Hated weakness to an odd degree.
More precisely, loathed worthlessness.
"We got here with your strategy and my power."
"What does that matter?"
"This record is ours alone. Why hand it off?"
Not volunteering.
For our gain—higher climbs—we'd pull others up to us.
He refused anyway.
Wouldn't let our 200+ floor efforts devalue, even for profit.
I still didn't get where the value vanished.
Guess being ahead mattered more than the next floor.
Our goals diverged: I wanted the top; he wanted the lead.
"We need other guilds' forces."
"While we climbed here, those guilds barely hit 80 with all their numbers."
"That's why we pull them up."
"How do you know without trying? Better hone my sword than rely on weaklings."
We searched endlessly for duo solutions, but none existed.
Teaming with a guy who shunned cooperation was the mistake.
He never guilded, avoided groups entirely.
His standards for others were sky-high; he acknowledged me only for 'strategy.'
Not combat prowess.
Unchanged despite persuasion, so second strategy pivot: ditch him.
Switched to big guild alliances for clears.
Took longer to 200 than duo days, but no stall there.
Third strategy worked to 300.
"Earthbound Spirit, looks like it's over."
"Ah, that the finale?"
Event wrapped.
Ellie's potion bottle was empty.
Mine—half-melted ice making it watery—still over half full.
"Earthbound Spirit!"
Someone else called me.
A guard protecting the tutorial village with Koon: him.
"Delion?"
"Trouble. Fight among newbie adventurers."
"Plenty of rankers— that hard to handle?"
"Well..."
No matter the talent, newbies were newbies.
Still ants to rankers.
"One newbie adventurer murdered another."
"Newbies respawn fine at the clinic."
"Every respawn, they kill him again at the clinic entrance."
What the hell kind of nonsense is this?