Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Neglect of Duty - 3
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Sua was wringing out every last bit of small talk she could muster.
Her words spilled out in a disorganized mess, stumbling over themselves at least once per sentence.
It was proof that she wasn't organizing her thoughts before blurting them out.
She wasn't conversing to pass the time—she was dragging out the conversation just to kill time.
"Enough."
The recap of successfully conquering the 60th floor was barely tolerable.
Once she ran out of things to say there, she backtracked to the 59th, then the 58th, dragging the story out in reverse order.
There was no reason to keep listening.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You know I don't care about this stuff."
"……."
"Is harassing me your brilliant new plan?"
Among the adventurer who had entered the tower together during the same period, Sua was the only one with whom he still had any semblance of a connection.
They'd chat occasionally, and whenever their paths crossed, she'd try to recruit him into her guild.
That was the extent of it.
He had no desire to waste time on meaningless nonsense.
Lately, everything Sua did felt calculated to him.
He played along in conversations out of old ties, but he couldn't view it all favorably.
"No."
"No what?"
"I'm not asking you to join my guild. I never will again. Believe me."
It was an unexpected statement.
From Sua, of all people?
"What wind blew this way? Where'd that adventurer-hunter hiding out at the request office go?"
"Th-that was... You weren't even climbing the tower, and I couldn't understand how you got so strong, so..."
"So you kept detailed records of me heading to the training grounds, buying candy, and stopping by the fruit stand?"
"……Sorry."
Sua was one of the top adventurers in the tower.
Other guilds were closing in fast, and she had to gauge how much to keep tabs on the Sword Saint conquering floors solo.
That pressure made her desperate for new recruits, which explained why her guild pushed promotions harder than anyone.
Even though every other guild had given up on him, Sua was the one who'd slyly tossed out recruitment offers this time too.
"You really expect me to believe you're just here to rest for a few days?"
"Yeah."
"And I should buy that?"
She nodded with an innocently guileless expression that was so convincing, he almost fell for it.
There were far more comfortable villages than this one, and the rank-one adventurer wouldn't pick the first floor as a vacation spot.
"What about your guild? Aren't they busy recruiting newbies? And you have to prep for the 61st floor."
"No idea. They'll manage fine without me."
Some leader she was, so utterly irresponsible.
It was obvious the vice guild master was getting buried alive under the workload every day.
And this was the same girl who'd promised him the vice spot if he joined?
"Hey, if I actually had joined your guild, what were you planning to do with the current vice guild master?"
"There's only one vice position, so... fire them?"
"……."
How the hell did she even run a guild?
Back when they climbed together, he'd thought she was pretty sharp, but now she seemed utterly brainless.
Since he stopped getting involved, the adventurer scene had changed dramatically in so many ways.
Unlike the frantic rush to the next floor before, progress was agonizingly slow now.
But it looked more comfortable this way.
They dyed their hair, dressed in flashy outfits straight out of comics.
They picked new English names, streamed their conquests, and basked in fame.
Guilds competed as units, forming rivalries, turning "who conquers the next floor first" into prime content.
The desperate struggles of the past were gone; they acted like celebrities, emphasizing their personal brands.
Adventurers like Amelia and Luna were idol-level stars to those outside the tower.
Some even entered the tower just to see them.
"The public needs to see this side of you."
"I don't say stuff like this on camera. Just prepared lines, all dignified and proper."
Sure enough, Sua transformed into a completely different person when working.
"Camera? Where'd that come from? No item info pops up on it."
"I brought it in before climbing the tower. Why'd something like this stick around?"
"Everyone, gather up! We've got a camera—let's take a group photo before we go!"
Thinking back, the rankers resembling celebrities was one of the changes after he stopped climbing.
Values he'd overlooked while hyper-focused on ascending shone now that they took it slow.
"Whoa, he really is an old-timer. Thinks we're just out for a hike?"
"Then why take pictures with the camera?"
"This is vlog time. Sis, come over here."
No one knew that single camera was the only channel broadcasting from inside the tower to the outside.
Though the real power likely came from its owner, not the device itself.
"I don't know what you're scheming, but if you're resting, do it properly and leave."
"You're giving permission?"
"I don't have any special authority. What's there to permit?"
This wasn't about ordering her to leave the first floor.
It was a plea not to waste his time pointlessly.
As planned, he turned toward Ellie to pick up a request.
"……."
"……."
Footsteps echoed.
Not just his own.
Hers kept intruding off-beat, grating on his nerves.
"Weren't you resting?"
"Yeah! Taking a break."
"Why are you following me?"
"You're going for the slime quest, right? I wanna do it too."
Yeah, clearing the 60th then grabbing a first-floor request could pass for "resting."
"Not heading to the request office?"
"……Never mind."
He couldn't figure her out at all.
After Rien left, now Amelia latched on.
What the hell was she after?
Sua, testing the waters, spoke up again.
Her voice came from behind as he walked.
He was right in front of the request office, just a few steps from opening the door.
"Sorry."
"……."
"You had your reasons for not climbing the tower, but I was too wrapped up in my own head."
It halted his near-arrived footsteps once more.
He really couldn't understand her.
The woman who'd hounded him relentlessly for recruitment was now apologizing.
Sua didn't even know why he'd quit climbing.
She knew nothing of his trait.
Rien didn't know, Tiana didn't, Koon, Harman, none of them did.
It was a secret he'd only confessed to Ellie, so Guild Master Amelia had no way of knowing.
Ellie wouldn't spill someone else's secret without permission, and she and Amelia weren't close anyway.
They'd met when she was a newbie picking up quests, but ages had passed since.
"You wouldn't talk, so when I went up to the second floor expecting us to go together... you were gone."
Sua's voice cracked, on the verge of tears over whatever saddened her.
"I kept bothering you."
"Sua."
"Even after you said no, I kept pushing you to join the guild... Sorry."
"Sua, no—Amelia."
"We worked so hard to get strong, but you barely did anything and you're stronger anyway. I hated that. That's why I kept sending people. If you wouldn't join, I had to figure out how you powered up."
Why the sudden confession mode?
Calling her by her new name didn't stop her.
"I had no idea..."
In Sua's memories, he was just a tiny fragment.
The few weeks after entering the tower, lingering on the first floor—he was an unremarkable adventurer among those around.
He hadn't shone early like the Sword Saint or rallied crowds with charisma like others.
The days he manipulated the adventurer alliance were from a cycle erased by his trait.
He clearly didn't loom large enough in her memories to warrant this emotional outburst.
Was it some special experience during her brief time back on the first floor?
"Earthbound Spirit, sir..."
The door opened, followed by Ellie's voice calling him.
"Who's this woman...?"
The receptionist stood there, her pupils trembling like they were in an earthquake.
She must have spotted him through the window and come out to greet.
They'd wasted so much time chatting by the door.
Ellie didn't recognize Sua.
It had been ages since Sua entered the tower, and her outfit and hair were drastically different now.
The townsfolk only knew that the clumsy first-floor adventurers of old had become famous powerhouses.
They rarely saw faces in person.
"Why is another strange woman glued to your side!"
"Hm?"
"And she's crying! Explain this situation right nowwww!"
Ellie reached out, grabbing his collar with her cute little hand.
"Even this time!"
"This time?"
"Why is there yet another pretty girl next to you!"
Pretty... yeah, she was.
With all the public exposure, she undoubtedly got top-notch maintenance.
Beauty and handsomeness were the best tools for popularity.
Plus, Sua's outfit was quite revealing.
A tactic for fan service, but right now it fueled misunderstandings.
"No, Ellie. It's a misunderstanding!"
"Sorrrry..."
"Stop crying already!"
The village was cleared of newbies, so why was his life still such a mess?