Chapter 243: The Tutorial Floor (15)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: The Tutorial Floor (15)
Administrators exist to select player candidates or test players attempting to climb the Tower, all for the sake of the Tower's balance and the Constellations' entertainment.
The tattered guy I met on the 6th underground floor and the rabbit doll from this Tutorial Floor were both Administrators.
“Wh-what is this?!!!”
The rabbit bastard, who hadn't shown himself even once since the first day, finally popped out.
His flustered expression was quite a sight, but I had no time to stand around and watch.
Maintaining and controlling the flames required that much concentration.
Besides, as I said before, the trees in this forest are fundamentally non-combustible. Even if they catch fire, it's just a momentary combustion reaction; the flames don't spread.
To set a forest like this ablaze, my magic power had to act as a flammable gas.
If I were to stop supplying magic power, the fire would go out before long, and the magical beasts gathered nearby would swarm the camp all at once.
It would be pandemonium.
If that happened, casualties within the camp would be unavoidable.
Of course, it didn't really matter to me, but to make a good impression on Yoo Ah-rin, who would become a clan member later, I had to avoid such an outcome as much as possible.
I started reducing the number of magical beasts so the survivors in the camp could handle them.
An alien black flame filled the surroundings.
They were my flames, but the more I looked at them, the more I couldn't shake the feeling that they were sinister.
The violently burning black flames incinerated the magical beasts and killed the very earth.
As if the flames themselves had a will, they swelled in size, using the beasts' corpses as fuel.
It was like watching a scorching hell descend upon the mortal world.
「Black Flame (黑炎)
Classification: Authority
Rank: C
A flame imbued with faint divine power.」
It didn't look like a flame imbued with divine power at all.
Demonic energy (魔氣), maybe, but not divine power.
It felt as if the fire element I wielded was being consumed by blackness. Thanks to that, it had become as powerful as the lightning element, but it was also trickier to control.
If I hadn't had experience handling the lightning element, I would have struggled for a while.
“H-hey! You!!”
Just as I was busy adjusting the flames to herd the magical beasts toward the camp, a disagreeably shrill voice called out.
Just as I expected, it was the rabbit doll, the Administrator of the Tutorial Floor.
It looked rather desperate.
But I felt no need to answer. When I ignored it, its face twisted viciously, as if it had lost its temper.
Still, a doll is just a doll.
It posed no threat whatsoever.
“Hmph... You're a primitive human, so I suppose I must be magnanimous. Hmm, your name is Kang Hyun-woo?”
The situation at the camp could best be described as fierce.
Desperate screams echoed from all directions.
The combat squad, including Yoo Ah-rin and Baek Jihyuk, was steadily reducing the number of magical beasts while protecting the camp's survivors.
Lucifer, on the other hand, was carrying out a one-sided slaughter with Lee Serin's support.
Every time she swung her sword, the spectacular sight of magical beasts' heads flying off unfolded.
“Yes, Mr. Kang Hyun-woo. I see now that you were hiding your true abilities. Although I'm not fond of humans, there's no reason not to give preferential treatment to someone with talent.”
Watching the situation carefully, I began to gradually narrow the range of the flames.
Those who were frantically hunting the beasts might not realize it, but the camp was in a precarious situation.
It wasn't just that the number of beasts was increasing; every single one of them was charging toward the camp, breaking through the wall of fire.
This was clearly an anomaly.
No matter if they were magical beasts, they still fell into the category of living creatures.
And one of the most fundamental instincts of a living creature is the will to survive.
Charging headfirst, throwing their bodies into the fire, all because of a single taunt skill?
If that were possible, every Hunter with a taunt skill would be a top-priority individual under national protection.
“Well... I don't like that your traits and skills are all D-rank, but your magic power capacity seems large, so I suppose you're passable. Mages are a rare commodity, so there will be many who want you.”
At this rate, the camp might be wiped out in an instant by the swarming beasts.
To prevent that, it was better to concentrate my firepower around the camp rather than covering a wide area.
“Don't ignore me!!”
A wave of killing intent, strong enough to break my concentration for a moment, washed over me.
I reflexively turned my head. There stood the Administrator, its face so horribly distorted it was hard to even call it a doll anymore.
“How dare a mere human ignore me not once, but four times?! I try to be nice, and you think you're something special—”
“Shut up.”
I instantly increased the output of my magic.
With this, I wouldn't have to worry about beasts swarming in for a while.
Because right now, it seemed I had to deal with a rabbit about to throw a tantrum because it wasn't getting enough attention.
“...You must want to die.”
-!!
As if the previous killing intent had been child's play, the air instantly grew heavy and began to press down on me.
So, even if it looks like a rabbit doll, an Administrator is still an Administrator, huh?
“Don't get cocky, human. If I wanted to, I could kill the likes of you right now...”
“Do it.”
“...What?”
I took a step toward the Administrator.
“If you can kill me, then go ahead and try.”
“...”
The thing fell silent.
What filled its eyes as it stared at me was none other than bewilderment.
Only then did a crack appear in the condescending expression it had worn the entire time.
“How long did you think that kind of threat would work?”
Administrators wield absolute power under the System's law of causality.
But because of that, they are also heavily restricted by that same law.
Naturally, an Administrator can't just kill player candidates willy-nilly. A test that violates fairness cannot exist.
“Besides, that woman you killed on the first day wasn't a real human, was she?”
「The 'Saintess of Uruk' is intrigued by your statement.」
“If an Administrator intervenes and kills a player candidate, the test becomes invalid. A test where the prerequisite of fairness is broken can't exist. But you couldn't just stand by and do nothing, because you'd lose control. So you planted a fake beforehand and set it off at the right moment, didn't you?”
“H-how did you...?”
「The 'Dancing Destroyer' lets out a hearty laugh.」
「The 'Saintess of Uruk' admires your deduction.」
「The 'Dweller of the Swamp' scoffs at the Administrator.」
The flustered Administrator stumbled backward. Or in this case, should I say it flew backward?
Of course, this wasn't some deduction. Lucifer had simply tipped me off.
Though, I had thought something was strange even before she told me.
Because the fairness the Tower spoke of was nowhere to be found in the unjust death of that middle-aged woman.
“If you're an outsider, then shut up and watch.”
“Y-you...!!”
CRACK!
Unable to contain its rage, the Administrator snapped an innocent tree and trembled furiously.
“...You will regret this.”
I flipped the middle finger at the bastard and its pathetic threat.
After glaring at me as if it wanted to kill me, the Administrator vanished into smoke.
I'd essentially made an enemy of the Administrator, but I wasn't worried. If my theory was correct, there was no need to be.
“H-help me!”
“Kyaaak!”
“If you don't want to die, hold the line!”
“Th-they're breaking through!”
I didn't have the luxury of dwelling on what just happened.
The hunt wasn't over yet.
In the brief moment I'd been distracted, the number of magical beasts swarming the camp had increased significantly.
Fortunately, Lucifer and Lee Serin were fine. In fact, they seemed to have warmed up, as their hunting speed was even faster than before.
Yoo Ah-rin's group, on the other hand, looked to be in considerable danger. It seemed there had been quite a few casualties already.
I didn't care about the others, but Yoo Ah-rin was an exception. She was a clan member I'd gone to the trouble of signing a contract with; I couldn't let her die in a place like this.
BOOM! KABOOM!
Fireballs tore through the air and swept away the magical beasts around her.
In that moment, my eyes met with Yoo Ah-rin's as she panted for breath.
She gave me a brief nod before immediately resuming the hunt. Her sword was like a blue dragon soaring between heaven and earth.
'Changing Sword (變劍)?'
Unable to react to the ever-changing path of her blade, the magical beasts were cut down helplessly.
The Thirteen Swords of the Blue Dragon (靑龍十三劍).
It was a sword style worthy of its name.
But the more I watched, the more I couldn't shake the feeling that something important was missing. Of course, since I didn't even know the oral formulas of martial arts, I had no way of knowing what that was.
I was curious since it was my first time seeing a martial art that used the Changing Sword, but I didn't let myself get distracted by it.
After all, there would be plenty of opportunities to ask about it once this was over.
Now was not the time to satisfy my curiosity.
I don't know how much time passed amidst the desperate screams and explosions.
By the time the flames that covered the area had died down and the magical beasts no longer swarmed in...
“...It's dazzling.”
In the distance, the dawn was breaking.
The 7th morning since the start of the tutorial had arrived.
*
Of course, just because the sun was up didn't mean the hunt was over.
The survivors, short on WP, dragged their exhausted bodies into the forest. The tutorial wouldn't end until noon.
Needless to say, I didn't have to.
「Owned WP: 76,127」
I'd gathered about 6,700 WP from hunting in a single night. The other 6,000 WP came from sponsorships.
Adding the WP the other two had gathered, the total exceeded 100,000.
“Good work.”
I walked over to Lee Serin, who had collapsed onto the ground.
She was on the verge of collapsing from magic power exhaustion. I handed her a bottle of Holy Water.
“Th-thank... ah...!”
Her tension must have broken, because she almost dropped the bottle. I had no choice but to help her drink it.
Lucifer scowled, clearly displeased by the sight.
“You'll get wrinkles...”
“No, I won't.”
Just as I was chatting with the snappy Lucifer and enjoying some subtle skinship with Lee Serin...
“Hm?”
Someone approached.
It was Yoo Ah-rin.
She was limping, clearly in bad shape. It was only natural, given she'd been swinging her sword at magical beasts all night.
In fact, she was one of the lucky ones.
By dawn, only 23 people had survived. Four had died overnight, and many others were seriously injured.
“What is it?”
“...I wanted to thank you.”
Limping on one leg and rubbing her swollen wrist, Yoo Ah-rin's gaze was not much different from when I first met her.
I liked her calm, dark eyes.
Her clothes may have been in tatters, but as expected, being pretty solves all sorts of trivial problems.
“Don't worry about it.”
“But...”
“It's not like I helped you for free, was it?”
Tiring-
「Fulfillment of Clause 15 has been confirmed.」
「The contract has been concluded.」
A strange light flickered in Yoo Ah-rin's eyes as the screen appeared. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before bowing her head to me.
“...I may be lacking, but I'll be in your care from now on.”
“Um, what should I call you from now on?”
Yoo Ah-rin asked with an innocent expression as she sipped the Holy Water I'd given her.
Hmm, in human relationships, there's nothing quite as important as titles.
So I had already decided on one.
“Call me Master.”
“...Pardon?”
“I told you I'd teach you martial arts.”
Of course, I'm not exactly qualified to teach anyone yet, but everyone has to start somewhere.
And for some reason, I was confident.
Confident that I could become a star instructor in martial arts.
“Should I call you Master, too...?”
“No, you don't have to, Noona.”
Being addressed with a title by someone older than me felt a bit weird. Is it because the genes of the 'Eastern Nation of Courtesy' flow through me?
“B-but...”
I wrapped an arm around the pouting Lee Serin's shoulders.
She flinched.
“I like it when you call me by my name, Noona.”
“...”
Lee Serin nodded without a word.
I gently touched her bright red earlobe, hidden from Lucifer's view.
*
CRASH!
A fist like a cute cotton puff dented the wall. This was the residence of Repupu, the Administrator of the Tutorial Floor.
“How dare... how dare a mere human...!!”
Even after wrecking his own residence in a fit of rage, his anger showed no signs of calming down.
Instead, it burned even more fiercely, like a fireplace stuffed with logs.
The humiliation he'd suffered at the hands of a mere human had shattered his pride.
“...I'll kill him.”
As Kang Hyun-woo had said, it's impossible for an Administrator to harm a player candidate.
Through normal means, that is.
Constellations weren't the only ones who could use WP to escape the restrictions of causality.
The thought of using the WP he had painstakingly saved up just to get revenge on a mere human made his insides twist.
But he had no intention of giving up.
'Besides, I can just earn more WP by trading with 'them'.'
Repupu's eyes turned blood-red with vengeful madness.
However, his revenge would never be realized.
Not even if he waited until the end of the universe.
Swoooosh-
At that moment, an unidentifiable darkness swirled into his residence.
As Repupu hastily scanned his surroundings, an unfamiliar emotion flickered in his eyes.
It was fear.
The pitch-black darkness gradually took shape, eventually materializing before Repupu.
“Y-you are...”
An instinctive revulsion rose within him from the alien presence, which felt utterly devoid of life, and a chill that seemed to freeze his hands and feet.
Just as he was a mid-to-high-rank Administrator, a strict hierarchy existed among them.
From the lowest-rank Administrators who lacked an ego, to the high-rank ones whose status rivaled that of most Constellations, and even further, to the ten top-rank Administrators known as the limbs of the System: the 'Decagram'.
The one who had appeared before him was Mor, a member of the Decagram, the reaper who presided over the deaths of all Transcendent beings in the Tower, and the Administrator of the 6th underground floor.
His appearance meant only one thing.
'N-no way...'
It signaled that the System's judgment, stricter than anything else in all of creation, had been passed down.