Chapter 446: Flag Search
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 446: Flag Search
The screen that popped up before me was baffling.
The guy who was peeping on me as he pleased was now suddenly running away?
And it wasn't just anyone, but Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods and a bona fide high-ranking deity?
This was by no means a normal reaction.
As the saying goes, even a stray dog fights best on its own turf. The Night Market was, without a doubt, Daikokuten's domain.
And yet he was scrambling away with his tail between his legs?
Ding-
「The ‘Dancing Destroyer’ looks around with interest.」
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ frowns at the filthy scenery.」
「The ‘Dweller of the Swamp’ yawns, bored.」
‘Hmm...’
After seeing the notifications appear one by one in the corner of my vision, I could finally understand Daikokuten's feelings, at least a little.
He must have felt an unbelievable presence in his territory and came to take a peek, only to find three of the highest-ranking Constellations—beings he wouldn't normally dare to even make eye contact with.
For Daikokuten, it was like three S-rank magical beasts suddenly popping up in his own backyard.
‘But his reaction feels like it’s about more than just that...’
I mulled it over, but I didn't know much about Japanese mythology, so nothing came to mind.
It wasn't important enough to dwell on, so I hurried on my way.
Ding-
「10 minutes have passed since you entered the Night Market.」
「The fee for your stay will be charged.」
「50 WP has been consumed.」
「WP Owned: 95,975」
It was a message that might have made other players anxious, but I had no reason to be.
50 WP?
I get 1,000 WP from a single sponsorship. Why would I care?
Besides, as long as I had Lucifer's information, there were endless ways to earn WP.
‘Is that it?’
As I scanned the area with Detection and moved quickly through the streets, a shabby-looking shop caught my eye. Unlike the others, it seemed as if it had barely seen any foot traffic.
Tucked away deep in a complex back alley, it had a somewhat gloomy air.
I reached the firmly shut door, took a moment to catch my breath, and knocked cautiously.
Knock, knock-
“Is anyone there?”
-Get lost.
The sharp voice from beyond the door made my killing intent flare for a moment, but I suppressed it with superhuman patience.
Right now, I was the one in the weaker position.
“I've brought the information fee.”
-How much.
“10,000 WP.”
-…
At that moment, I heard a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the door.
On the lower floors, 10,000 WP was a considerable sum of money.
-...Come in.
Click, creak-
With the sound of a lock turning, the door opened on its own.
I stepped inside the shop.
Contrary to its shabby exterior, the interior was quite neat.
“Hoo... So, what do you need?”
The one who greeted me was a mysterious man draped in rags. He sat with his legs crossed, puffing hard on a long pipe.
The shop quickly filled with smoke.
He must have been using an item, as I couldn't see his face.
“I need information on the 5th Floor's test.”
“10,000 WP is too much for just that.”
It was a kindness that contrasted sharply with how he'd cursed at me upon first meeting and was now smoking in front of a customer.
Of course, it wasn't because he had a strong sense of service.
It was simply that the system made it impossible to rip off players.
As you might have guessed by now, the man before me was no ordinary information broker.
“The guy on the 4th Floor said a monster was coming up. I suppose that was you.”
He was the Administrator of the 5th Floor.
‘A normal player would never imagine that an Administrator would be running a shabby shop like this.’
When there wasn't a floor test, he always worked as an information broker in his shop in the Night Market.
Of course, just because he was an Administrator didn't mean he could sell all information. It was only possible within the scope permitted by the system.
And information about the 5th Floor test was within his authority.
Ding-
「10,000 WP has been consumed.」
「WP Owned: 85,975」
“The rest is a tip.”
“...What?”
At the Administrator's bewildered voice, I shrugged and quipped, "Please consider it a small token of my sincerity for your diligent service to the Tower, Administrator.”
“...”
I couldn't see his face, but for some reason, I could feel his eyes trembling as he looked at me.
The Administrator didn't bother mentioning that I knew his identity. After all, nine out of ten players who came here already knew he was the Administrator.
This was especially true for players belonging to large clans.
“...Really?”
“Of course.”
I nodded lightly with a friendly smile.
The Administrator still seemed wary, but his tone and voice had softened to an incomparable degree.
“A-Ahem... Unlike the kids these days, you know your manners. I can see why the higher-ups are interested in you.”
“You're too kind.”
“Right, you said you needed information about the 5th Floor test?”
Snap-
He snapped his fingers, and a chair appeared out of thin air. I suppressed a laugh at his excessive kindness, the intention of which was painfully obvious, and took a seat.
It was a moment that reaffirmed that Administrators were just as desperate for WP as residents and players.
“Do you know the details of the test?”
“I heard it's about finding a flag within a certain area centered around the city.”
“Correct.”
'Finding the Flag,' something anyone would have tried at least once, was the theme of the 5th Floor test.
But it was by no means as simple as its name suggested. The test area spanned a radius of a whopping 10 kilometers.
Furthermore, morning never came on the 5th Floor, and the city was surrounded by mountains packed with tall, dense trees and a lush forest.
To make matters worse, magical beasts would pop up the moment you strayed even a little from the city. It wasn't for nothing that this test had the highest failure rate among the lower floors, below the 10th.
“To get straight to the point, there is only one flag in this test.”
“...Excuse me?”
Hearing the Administrator's words, I was quite taken aback.
No matter how low the pass rate was, only one flag?
It was something I couldn't comprehend with my common sense.
As if reading my thoughts, the Administrator slowly shook his head.
“That doesn't mean there's only one person who can pass. We just changed the rules a bit. There's one flag, but the area around it is designated as the goal point. As long as you arrive within the time limit, everyone passes.”
I fell into thought for a moment after hearing his explanation.
The intention was just too malicious.
‘Is he trying to increase the number of failures?’
Certainly, more people would pass this way than if they were competing for a limited number of flags.
However, if a particular faction were to secure the goal point first, it created a structure where other players couldn't pass, no matter how hard they tried.
And as it happened, a large clan was participating in this test.
There was no way the Administrator didn't know that.
“Don't worry, I have no intention of showing blatant favoritism.”
“I'll trust you.”
The Administrator laughed strangely.
“Well, I suppose it's hard to believe with words alone.”
He tucked his long pipe into his robes.
“The goal point for this test is the mine north of the city. That's what your information fee has paid for.”
Flick-
He rummaged inside his sleeve for a moment, then pulled something out and tossed it to me.
“What's this...?”
“A reward for the tip. As much as I'd like to just pocket it, I've seen plenty of guys who met their end because they loved freebies.”
Ding-
「‘Incomplete Moon's Eye’ activates.」
「Priest's Beast-Chasing Bell
Classification: Consumable Item (3/3)
Rank: B+
A bell imbued with the effect of chasing away beasts.
However, each use further enrages the beasts.」
“If you're done, get out. I'm busy.”
At the Administrator's dismissal, I gave a short bow and left the shop.
I was practically kicked out, but since I'd gotten everything I needed, I had no reason to stay any longer either.
Ding-
「10 minutes have passed since you entered the Night Market.」
「The fee for your stay will be charged.」
「50 WP has been consumed.」
「WP Owned: 85,925」
I swiped away the screen that appeared before me and headed toward the central street of the Night Market.
I didn't plan on spending WP recklessly, but since I'd come all this way, I figured I'd buy any decent items I came across.
*
The next evening.
After finishing my meditation at the inn, I headed straight for the central plaza.
Unlike yesterday, the streets were deserted, so much so that it was hard to spot a single person.
It was probably because of the floor test.
When I arrived at the plaza shortly after, hundreds of players had already gathered.
Even in that crowded throng, one group stood out: Daoists clad in traditional robes.
‘Boundless Heaven Sect.’
Like the Twilight Holy Society, they were one of the major clans that dominated the Tower, a group of Daoists who practiced Daoist arts.
They usually spent their time training in secluded places, so they were a rare sight on the lower floors below the 10th.
And just as the Twilight Holy Society followed Eden, Boundless Heaven Sect was backed by the Jade Purity Divine Palace, a group of Constellations.
I found a spot far away and observed them.
They were the only ones who could be considered competitors in this test.
‘Is that him?’
As expected, there was an old man among the Daoists whose aura was particularly strong. It was obvious he wasn't a lower-floor player.
He was probably a middle-floor player who had spent WP to suppress his power and participate in a lower-floor test.
Of course, even with his power suppressed, the chances of a lower-floor player winning against a middle-floor player were slim.
The difference in ingrained combat sense, owned traits and skills, and support from their contracted Constellation...
Especially for a player belonging to a large clan, it was no exaggeration to say the difference was like that between a child and an adult.
‘It must cost a fortune for a middle-floor player to intervene in a 5th Floor test... Is there someone here important enough to warrant that?’
As I watched the group of Daoists with suspicion,
“...?”
I made eye contact with a woman.
Before I could even think it was a coincidence, she was staring directly at me from within the impossibly dense crowd.
I didn't show it, but I couldn't help but be flustered.
‘...She detected my gaze while I was using the Ghost Divine Art?’
It was unbelievable.
I found it hard to accept that a woman who seemed only slightly stronger than Yoo Ah-rin had noticed something that even a middle-floor player had missed.
But I soon calmed my mind and began to assess the situation coolly.
The possibilities I could think of were a trait, a skill, or an item.
‘...It's probably a trait.’
Her eyes, which I had met for a brief moment, had a strange glow.
Thanks to that, I was caught secretly watching them, but it wasn't a total loss since I now knew why a middle-floor player was intervening in a lower-floor test.
Still, I had no intention of using the ‘Incomplete Moon's Eye’ to check the woman's information.
If I provoked them and became hostile with Boundless Heaven Sect, things would get complicated.
I moved to a different spot and spent the time observing the other players.
A short while later, the hands on my watch pointed exactly to 9 o'clock.
Dooong-
At that moment, the heavy toll of a bell echoed through the central plaza.
Naturally, every player's gaze turned to the plaza's clock tower, and at the same time, an eerie energy began to fill the entire area.
Crackle-
Sparks flew from the top of the clock tower.
The surrounding space distorted into a strange shape, and soon, someone appeared through a tear in the rift.
A familiar face. No, a familiar figure.
“Nice to see you.”
It was the Administrator I had met in the Night Market.
