Chapter 233: The Tutorial Floor (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: The Tutorial Floor (5)
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「+1 WP」
「You have defeated a Goblin.」
「+1 WP」
「You have defeated a Hobgoblin.」
「+3 WP」
「You have defeated a Green Orc.」
「+10 WP」
˙
˙
˙
Flick—
Lucifer swung her sword, flicking off the blood and viscera. A foul stench rose from the monster corpses piled around her, but she paid it no mind.
She simply focused on the screen floating before her eyes.
“About 30 WP, then.”
She frowned without realizing it.
An hour had already passed since she’d re-entered the forest. Thanks to her search skill, she had managed to gather around 230 WP.
At this pace, she could probably make 10,000 WP within a week.
It was true that this was a considerable sum, not only for player candidates who had just entered the Tower, but also for most lower-floor players.
But for her, it was still a woefully insufficient amount.
A mere 10,000 WP for a whole week.
Humans seemed to have a saying, ‘Gather dust to build a mountain,’ but dust, no matter how much you gathered, was still just dust.
To her, it sounded like nothing more than a phrase invented to console those in the pathetic position of only being able to gather dust.
While Lua was used as the basic currency in the Tower, WP served a role far beyond simple money.
World Points, or WP, were a form of causality.
They granted legitimacy to a Constellation's actions and could partially offset the restrictions placed upon them.
And it wasn't just Constellations who could enjoy the privileges of causality.
Though the residents and players of the Tower were unaware, humans could also become Constellations by meeting certain conditions and paying the System an appropriate amount of WP.
That was precisely her aim.
If she could reclaim her authority scattered throughout the Tower and use WP to regain her status as a Constellation, then revenge would no longer be just a pipe dream.
She had been operating under that assumption until now.
However.
“...How pathetic.”
Looking at her current state, she couldn't feel certain of anything.
Not only had she been stripped of her Constellation status and robbed of nearly all her power, but she was now scrambling to hunt monsters for a paltry 10,000 WP.
In this wretched state, she was supposed to face Eden, one of the most powerful Constellation groups?
“I wouldn't be in any position to complain if others laughed at me.”
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
Even at the height of her power, facing all of them alone would have been nothing more than a moth flying into a flame.
It went without saying that the same would be true now, when she had only just begun to regain her strength.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Perhaps she wasn't seeking revenge, but a place to die.
She couldn't refute it.
But that didn't mean she was without options.
“...Kang Hyun-woo.”
An Irregular acknowledged by the System that protected the Tower's balance.
She had no doubt that his existence would one day become a blade that could reach the throats of the gods.
Of course, she had no concrete proof.
But the fact remained that he was the only human to have entered the Tower undetected by the System.
An incomprehensible being, impossible to judge by her standards.
Her assessment of him in her mind was firm.
“Ha...!”
Another hollow laugh escaped her, born of disbelief.
The road to revenge was long and arduous, yet here she was, about to cross a precarious bridge while relying on a human she had only just met.
If she had told her past self this a few days ago, she would have surely scowled and yelled at her to stop spouting nonsense.
It was that unbelievable.
...He's probably sticking close to that woman right now.
At that moment, her chest tightened.
Whenever she thought of Kang Hyun-woo and that woman, a corner of her heart felt constricted, and her grip on her sword hilt tightened on its own.
Why?
She was confused by this emotion she was feeling for the first time in her life.
Whether he showed interest in the human woman or sought to satisfy his private desires, it had nothing to do with her.
Interfering in a partner's private life in a simple cooperative relationship was crossing the line.
A cooperative relationship...
In truth, it was hard to call her relationship with Kang Hyun-woo a normal cooperative one.
If anything, it was a situation where he was the one making all the sacrifices.
A cooperative relationship meant a mutually beneficial one. It was a flimsy bond that could shatter at any moment if the benefits no longer aligned.
No matter what information she provided, it was a woefully inadequate reward for the risk of confronting a group of Constellations.
Besides, even as a player candidate, he was stronger than most mid-floor players.
He could just clear the Tutorial Floor and join a large clan. Why would he be so desperate for information?
It was absurd for her, who was essentially receiving his cooperation based on his goodwill, to complain.
Thinking back, she had been overly emotional ever since he returned with that human woman.
She hadn't answered his questions, had deliberately reacted sharply—from start to finish, she had behaved in a way that even she couldn't understand.
...Why did I do that?
No matter how much she pondered, no clear answer came to mind.
It was such an unfamiliar feeling.
It went beyond confusion to the point of being unpleasant.
What was certain was that she found herself frowning whenever Kang Hyun-woo's gaze turned to the human woman. She didn't know the reason for this, either.
Why is he keeping that woman around, anyway?
To say it was because of lust, Kang Hyun-woo had never once laid a hand on her.
On the contrary, he treated her kindly and looked out for her.
...Come to think of it, even when I was bound in chains, he only glanced at me furtively and never touched me directly.
Despite having stared at her body with eyes gleaming with lust, he never crossed the line.
Not even while she was unconscious after being freed from the chains.
She hadn't been completely out, so she would have known instantly if he had touched her.
But he hadn't.
He had only laid her on his lap, not touching her with even a fingertip.
Why?
Was her body not attractive enough to bother touching? Did he dislike angels who weren't human? Don't tell me he prefers that human woman over me?
The unpleasant questions continued, one after another.
In the end, only the conclusion that it couldn't be true remained.
Humans were a species that mated without regard for race. It wasn't for nothing that it was common knowledge that humans were in heat year-round.
Besides, she was confident in her appearance.
The thought of their names now made her want to vomit, but in the past, several archangels had proposed to her.
Including the proposals from male gods of other pantheons, the number easily exceeded several dozen.
If satisfying his lust isn't the goal... is he thinking of recruiting her as a companion?
The woman certainly had considerable talent for a human.
She might seem weak-willed now, but with repeated combat experience, she would become useful.
Thinking that, the tightness in her chest seemed to ease a little.
“...I should probably head back.”
Although she hadn't met her WP quota, she could just make up for it tomorrow.
Besides, her real activities were scheduled to start tomorrow anyway.
Just as she turned to head back to the clearing.
「The first night has arrived.」
「Be careful of the night.」
She noticed the screen floating in the corner of her vision.
She definitely hadn't heard a notification sound.
Which meant the message had appeared a while ago...
...Why am I only seeing this now?
It was strange.
No matter how lost in thought she had been, she hadn't been that distracted.
She stared intently at the screen.
In truth, she didn't know much about the Tutorial Floor.
To begin with, only a handful of Constellations paid any attention to the Tutorial Floor.
For that wretched goddess—who would selfishly steal another Constellation's epithet just because she liked it and twist its meaning—to take an interest in Kang Hyun-woo was an extremely rare case.
Though I never imagined a Constellation like the Dancing Destroyer would be interested...
In any case, she had fortunately heard about the 'night' on the Tutorial Floor.
She didn't know much.
Only that it held a special meaning and that the danger level rose sharply compared to the daytime.
She had remembered the information too late to tell him.
Of course, Kang Hyun-woo would likely be fine, but one could never be sure.
The moment she turned toward the clearing to inform him.
Tiring—
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 8%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 12%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 19%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 25%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 36%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 42%…」
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has successfully resisted.」
As the screens filled her vision, her head grew cold.
It was as if a fog had been lifted from her mind.
A part of her lost reason returned, and she realized she was standing alone in the middle of the deep forest.
No, to be precise, she wasn't alone.
“Shiiii.”
「Observation Eye (B) is observing the enemy's information.」
「Observation successful.」
「Shade
Grade: D
Incapable of physical attacks, but uses Mental Erosion (D) to seize control of a target's mind, then covets the neutralized target's soul.」
A monster in the form of black mist floated in the air, staring at her.
She tried to cut it down immediately, but her body wouldn't move.
It was because of the erosion rate, which had climbed to 42%.
To think I didn't even realize I was under a mental attack...
She bit her lip in frustration.
At present, mental attacks were one of her weaknesses.
When she was stripped of her Constellation status, she had to choose which powers to preserve, and in the end, she decided to discard those related to magic.
As a result, her Mental Barrier's rank had dropped all the way to E.
She had made that choice because there were few monsters with mental attacks on the lower floors, but to think one would appear on the Tutorial Floor...
Blood trickled from between her lips.
To be in such a state because of a mere D-rank monster.
Kuhk...!
It was an utterly unacceptable humiliation.
But she couldn't just despair over her situation.
She forced her magic to move, trying to break free from the bind.
「Mental Erosion (D) is attempting to encroach.」
「Mental Barrier (E) has failed to resist.」
「Erosion Rate: 45%…」
But the creature didn't just stand by and watch her try to escape.
Her resistance slowed the erosion rate, but it was only a matter of time before it reached 100%.
It had become rather annoying, but she wasn't out of options.
If she risked damaging her magic circuits and just blew away this entire area—
Swish.
“Shiiiit!!”
In that instant, a golden slash cut across the night sky, splitting the monster in two.
It was a swift, clean strike.
As she stared blankly at the scene, a familiar face was reflected in her eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
The stirring in her chest grew even stronger.