The Color of Survival
"Entering the Babel Tower."
When I opened my eyes again, what I saw was a green meadow.
A landscape so peaceful it felt entirely out of place for the Babel Tower.
It looked like Mongolia, a place I had once seen on a travel show.
The wind...
A cool breeze swept over me, as if brushing away all my lingering worries.
"Nice..."
Back in my tiny studio apartment, watching celebrities travel on TV, I used to think: I wish I could go to a place like that someday...
Whoosh.
...Though I never imagined that place would be inside the Babel Tower.
My moment of peace was short-lived.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Different races began to summon in all around me.
Even at a glance, no two looked the same.
Is it only one participant per race?
Yet there were so many of them. I couldn't help but wonder how many different species existed in the universe, and just how vast it truly was.
"..."
Well, come to think of it, Earth wasn't much different. If you classified every animal and plant as its own race, the numbers would be just as staggering.
What are they going to make us do this time?
Gathering this many participants meant this wouldn't be an ordinary trial.
The rules of the Random Floors were simple: a random map would appear, and all participants' levels would be scaled to match.
Since I was level 23, every single creature here was also level 23.
Their stats and skills would vary, of course, but on paper, we were on equal footing.
All these different races had to clear the map. It sounded simple, but it was anything but easy.
The Random Floors were essentially a beta testing ground.
However, the rewards for clearing them were exceptional. The reward chests were guaranteed to be Gold-grade or higher.
On top of that, any race that met specific clear conditions would receive a special buff lasting about a week.
This, too, was random. It could be an attack buff, a defense buff, or a boost to health, agility, or even luck.
Since they were pure, unconditional buffs, obtaining one was a massive boon for any race.
Wait, then why not just run Random Floors all the time?
It wasn't that simple.
The Random Floors were completely unpredictable. You never knew what you would face, which made them incredibly dangerous. Even if the levels were adjusted, the unknown was always a hazard.
Furthermore, if your level was high, it meant the opponents you faced in the Random Floor would be equally high-leveled.
Because of this, high-level Hunters rarely entered Random Floors. They preferred not to take the risk. Compared to fighting intelligent alien races, killing brainless tower monsters was far safer.
Consequently, Hunters level 40 and above were actively discouraged from entering Random Floors.
As for the level 10 and 20 Hunters who could benefit from it, they were usually too terrified to enter. While they might get lucky and snag a racial buff, the odds were simply too low.
I heard that when the Babel Tower first appeared and legendary Rankers burst onto the scene, humanity managed to secure quite a few racial buffs. But that was ancient history now.
So why did I enter such a dangerous place?
As for me...
I was confident. Especially if everyone was at the same level.
And...
I might find what I'm looking for in the Random Floor rewards.
Random Floors frequently rewarded players with unique items. There was a chance I could get my hands on a mental defense item early on.
Even if I didn't, maybe we'd get a mental defense buff for our race? If we got lucky, that is. Either way, it was worth keeping my options open.
I could relieve some stress without worrying about anyone watching, and there was plenty to gain.
Crack. Snap.
I stretched my limbs and scanned my surroundings.
The summoned aliens were warily sizing each other up. No one was foolish enough to pick a fight or launch an attack just yet.
If this turned out to be a cooperative map, running your mouth early on would only screw you over.
"Hrggh."
I gave one final stretch and lifted my head.
"Huh?"
"...Ah!"
My eyes locked with someone else's. They were beautiful eyes, distinctly non-human.
"M-Master Taepyeong!"
The moment our eyes met, she threw herself to the ground and bowed deeply. It was none other than Nairin.
"Nairin?"
"Y-You remembered my name!"
It's only three syllables. Why wouldn't I remember it? Do elves have a culture where they don't remember each other's names or something?
Whisper... murmur...
Perhaps because a notoriously proud elf had just prostrated herself, the surrounding crowd began to buzz.
"An elf...?"
"Isn't that just a human...?"
"Why is she...?"
"Has she lost her mind...?"
The alien races nearby whispered among themselves.
Well, well. I didn't realize the dynamic between elves and humans was normally so different.
"Hey, stop embarrassing me and get up."
"Yes, sir!"
Nairin snapped to attention like a fresh recruit and stood straight up.
By the way, if she was here, did that mean she was already level 23?
"Are you already level 23?"
"Yes, that is correct!"
I thought I had leveled up incredibly fast, but maybe the standards for elves were just different.
"I was so deeply inspired by you, Master Taepyeong, that I trained without rest! Before I knew it, I had reached level 23!"
What is she talking about? We only met once.
Seriously, I'd thought this before, but she was way too dramatic.
"Hey, hey. Just relax. Be comfortable."
"Understood, sir!"
Why is she talking like this? Why is she so wound up?
"Everyone is staring at us because of you."
At my words, Nairin glared fiercely at the crowd.
...
...
...
With just one look from her, the murmuring crowd instantly went silent. I guess that's how elves usually carried themselves...
"Master Taepyeong, please tell me which of these bastards dared to look at you insolently."
There she goes again, overreacting.
"Quiet down. Since we ran into each other, I might as well return this."
I pulled the elven sword out of my inventory and handed it back to her.
"W-Why are you giving this back...?"
"It's not my style."
"But the swords of the Empire are perfectly designed—!"
"I said, it's not my style."
"Ah, I understand..."
Nairin immediately bowed her head and nodded.
"I couldn't really tell if it was even that strong, either."
"Ugh..."
Nairin bit her lip, her pride clearly wounded. Still, she took the elven sword back without another word.
Good. That's more like it.
"So, with that in mind..."
"Yes, Master Taepyeong?"
"Do you have anything better than that?"
"...!!!"
Did she finally realize why I had returned the sword? Nairin's face slowly turned pale.
"T-T-That is..."
"What's that at your waist?"
"T-T-This is..."
"Take it out."
"M-M-Master Taepyeong!"
"Hey. I said, take it out."
"Ugh...!"
With trembling hands, she finally drew the sword at her waist.
The blade was thin, slightly curved like a crescent moon, with a blue magic stone embedded in the center.
"Ho."
I took it. It was so light it barely felt like I was holding anything.
"Now this is pretty good."
"I-Is it...?"
"Mind if I borrow it for a bit?"
"...!!!"
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"It is... a great honor...!"
She finally yielded.
Heh. Fix your face. You look like you're being bullied.
"Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you."
"I told you, I'll give it back."
"...It would be an infinite honor if you kept using it!"
"Stop exaggerating."
"Yes, sir!"
Swish. Whoosh. Shhh!
It was so light it felt like holding a bird rather than a sword. Wow. Is this elven craftsmanship?
While I was silently admiring it,
BONGGGGGGG!!!!!!
A deafening bell chimed, echoing through the air.
As everyone covered their ears, I looked up at the sky.
Across the vast, blue sky, letters began to form like clouds.
Blue vs. White
"Blue vs. White...?" I muttered.
"...!!!"
Nairin, standing beside me, went pale.
"Of all things, it had to be Blue vs. White..."
"What's wrong?"
"...Is this your first time in a Blue vs. White match?"
"Yes."
"..."
Nairin swallowed hard and began to explain.
Blue vs. White. The rules were simple.
The participants would be divided into Blue and White teams. They would fight until one team was completely wiped out.
Then, the survivors would be split in half again into Blue and White, fighting until one team was wiped out.
This process would repeat until only a single survivor remained.
An elimination match...
Yes. The method was unusual, but in the end, it was a fight to the death.
I glanced around. Most of the aliens were looking in our direction. More specifically, they were looking at Nairin.
They had already assumed that Nairin would win, and that she would be the sole survivor of this match.
But Nairin herself was staring at me with a pale face.
She, too, had already assumed that I would win, and that I would be the sole survivor.
Fear slowly crept into her eyes.
Unfortunately, unlike the Wrath of the Sun map, this wasn't a place where we could survive together.
I knew that all too well. And because of that, I felt a bit uneasy.
"...Should I give this back?"
I offered the sword I had just "borrowed" back to Nairin.
Nairin stared at the sword, then slowly shook her head.
"What decides a battle..."
"..."
"...is not the quality of the weapon. I know this well."
With those words, she drew the elven sword I had returned to her.
"I leave myself in your hands, Master Taepyeong."
She bowed politely.
"Likewise."
I bowed back, showing my respect.
Nairin had been quite helpful during the Wrath of the Sun. But this time...
...We don't know when our teams will split.
If we ended up on opposite teams, Nairin would know exactly who she had to kill first.
Me.
And if our teams split, I intended to kill Nairin first as well. It was the only rational choice.
BONGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!
Once again, a warning bell rang out.
And,
Blue Team: Annihilate the White Team.
White Team: Annihilate the Blue Team.
The countdown began.
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
BONGGGGGGG!!!!!!!
The moment the bell rang, a fist-sized orb—either blue or white—appeared above the head of every participant.
I looked up to check mine.
White!
I quickly turned to check Nairin's.
It's white...!
Nairin had checked her orb just as I had.
At the exact same moment,
"Let's go."
"Yes, Master Taepyeong."
Back-to-back, we dashed in opposite directions.
As fast as we could, to annihilate the Blue Team.
Shring!
The crescent sword slid smoothly from its sheath.
And then, I moved.
Slice...
Like a hot knife through butter.
Slash! "Gah!"
Slice! "Screeech!"
Slash! "Aaargh!"
The heads of various alien races,
Spurt!
cleanly,
Thud!
began to roll.