Chapter 447: Flag Search (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 447: Flag Search (2)
The appearance of the Administrator, clad in shabby burlap, caused a stir among the players.
“Silence.”
But with that one short word from the Administrator, a heavy silence fell over the plaza.
It was hard to believe that a crowd of hundreds had gathered here.
Having made it to the 5th floor, they all knew. Nothing good ever came from disobeying the Administrator.
“The 5th floor test will now begin.”
Snap.
The Administrator snapped his fingers, and a bluish hemisphere materialized above the plaza.
“The test is simple. In a moment, an area with a 10-kilometer radius will be created around the city. Your task is to find the flag located somewhere within that area. The time limit is six hours. The flag is a goal point, not a finish line for a race. As long as you arrive within the time limit, you all pass.”
““Ooh...!!””
At the Administrator’s words that it wasn’t first-come, first-served, the players began to cheer.
But that was short-lived.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be celebrating?”
Fwoosh—
A screen appeared in mid-air.
Beyond the screen, the forms of magical beasts could be seen roaming through a dark forest and mountains.
Every single one of them looked more ferocious than a tiger that had been starved for days.
“Vicious monsters are wandering outside the city, so if you don’t want to become their next meal, you’d better run hard. And I’ll tell you this in advance: interfering with or even killing other participants is permitted.”
““...””
The moment the Administrator finished speaking, a suffocating silence once again descended upon the plaza.
It wasn’t necessary to kill others to pass the test.
But at the same time, there was no penalty for doing so.
In other words, the monsters weren’t the only thing they had to be wary of in this test.
That fact alone placed a mental burden on the low-floor players, who had been ordinary people until just a short while ago, that was by no means negligible.
“For your reference, you cannot enter the city during the test. However, you can pay 500 WP to forfeit the test and be moved immediately to a safe zone.”
500 WP.
It was by no means a small amount for the players gathered here, but it wasn’t that expensive when considered the price of one’s life.
“The test will now begin.”
Snap.
At that moment, every player in the plaza was enveloped in a beam of pure white light.
While everyone else was panicking, my eyes were tracking the Daoists of Boundless Heaven Sect.
“Well then, I wish you all the best of luck.”
*
Ting—
「Flag Search – Escape
The 5th floor test is Flag Search.
You must reach the goal point within the time limit.
Time Limit: 05:59:59
Success: Access to the 6th floor, additional rewards
Failure: -」
As I slowly opened my eyes, a dark forest, so dense I couldn’t see an inch in front of me, unfolded.
I could sense the presence of monsters all around, but I leisurely stretched my body and checked the quest.
The test details were just as the Administrator had described. The time limit was also quite generous.
But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
We couldn’t enter the city during the test, and the area around the city was surrounded by forests and mountains teeming with monsters.
This meant that even if we gave up on passing, we would have to survive outside the city with our bare hands for at least six hours.
Of course, it wouldn’t be impossible if the players cooperated, but... would they?
The theme of the tutorial floor’s test was survival.
But as you could tell just by looking at the quest screen, this test was framed as an escape.
‘It means there’s something more than just monsters.’
Something lurking in that dark forest, waiting to test the participants.
Thud.
I climbed a tree and checked my direction.
There was no need to rush, but I had no intention of dawdling either.
At the very least, arriving before the Daoists of Boundless Heaven Sect would minimize any potential conflict.
The goal point for the test was a mine north of the city.
After quickly assessing the geography with Detection magic and my own eyes, I immediately took off.
I wasn't even running at full speed, yet the surrounding scenery blurred past in the blink of an eye.
-Kuaaaack!!
-Aaaah!!
-He-help me!!
The screams of players echoed from all corners of the forest.
It seemed most of them were those who had challenged the test alone.
‘What were they so confident about?’
I could understand, though.
They must have been confident in their skills, having made it to the 5th floor on their own.
But it was nothing more than reckless bravado. Generally, the limits of a player who hasn't contracted with a Constellation are quite clear.
‘Still, something feels strangely off.’
It went without saying that the monsters on the 5th floor were no match for me.
Despite that, my nerves had been on edge ever since the test began.
An unknown killing intent, carried on the desolate night wind, seeped into my skin like a thousand needles.
I glanced toward the city and clicked my tongue.
‘...What the hell have they done to a simple 5th-floor test?’
The fact that the Administrator had given me a B+-grade item was strange from the start.
Even if it was a consumable, it was an excessive item to use on a 5th-floor test.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to give up.
It seemed there would be more obstacles than I expected, but the difficulty of a low-floor test had its limits.
*
Boundless Heaven Sect.
One of the major clans that held sway over the vast Tower, they followed the Constellations of the Jade Purity Divine Palace.
Many mistakenly believed Boundless Heaven Sect to be a group of Daoists who practiced sorcery, but they were, in fact, cultivators who practiced a Cultivation Method.
Furthermore, a fact not well known to ordinary players was that Boundless Heaven Sect, unlike other major clans, paid particularly close attention to the lower floors.
The reason was simple.
In learning a Cultivation Method, the most important thing was innate talent.
In that respect, Wi Ryeong-ah was a heaven-sent genius.
She was born with what was known as the ‘Heavenly Fated Ghost Soul Body,’ a constitution spoken of only in myths.
Thanks to this, she showed a natural aptitude for the Ghost Cultivation Method, a branch of the Demonic Cultivation Method, and was ultimately chosen by Boundless Heaven Sect as soon as she cleared the tutorial.
To accelerate Wi Ryeong-ah’s growth, Boundless Heaven Sect sent Eumjin, an elder from the Ghost Spirit Valley—a sect within the clan that focused on Demonic Cultivation Methods—down to the lower floors.
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Crack—
“Kieeeek!!!”
The neck of a beast-type monster twisted at an unnatural angle.
Looking down at the monster’s corpse, Eumjin scowled and seethed inwardly.
‘...Dammit.’
Although the Ghost Spirit Valley was just one of the many factions belonging to Boundless Heaven Sect, as an elder, Eumjin’s position was by no means low.
Yet, not only had he been sent down to the lower floors overnight, but he was now reduced to waiting on a player who had just cleared the tutorial.
Naturally, he was in no mood to be pleased.
His pride was so fragile it felt like it could shatter at any moment.
But Eumjin endured, suppressing his feelings.
“Um... Master...?”
At the voice in his ear, Eumjin turned his head, a broad smile spreading across his face as if nothing had happened.
His gaze fell upon Wi Ryeong-ah, who was mercilessly slaughtering monsters by commanding dozens of ghosts.
“You’ve already reached a new level in the ‘Ghost Soul Spirit King's Path.’ As expected of a disciple of our valley.”
“It is all thanks to your teachings, Master.”
“Yes, yes.”
Eumjin tried his best to hide his true feelings as he looked at Wi Ryeong-ah.
It felt as though the jealousy and inferiority complex roiling inside him would swallow him whole at any moment.
Unlike him, who had long since passed the prime of his life, Wi Ryeong-ah had reached the second star of the Qi Condensation realm within just a few weeks of starting the Ghost Cultivation Method.
Her talent was enough to incite a rage that went beyond mere jealousy.
Nevertheless, Eumjin held back.
She was a genius, destined to be the direct disciple of the Ghost Spirit Valley Master.
Now was the time to set aside personal feelings like jealousy, envy, and inferiority and think rationally. With Wi Ryeong-ah’s talent, it was clear she would soon surpass his own level.
And she would surely rise to a high position within Boundless Heaven Sect.
If he could build a good relationship with her now, it was self-evident that it would bring him great benefits in the future.
“Let us hurry, then. It seems there’s nothing to be gained by dragging this out.”
“Understood.”
Following Eumjin, a dozen cultivators, including Wi Ryeong-ah, began to move toward the mine.
Like Kang Hyun-woo, they too had paid the Administrator WP for information, so they didn’t need to scour the forest to find the flag.
Of course, the forest at night was a natural labyrinth, but for Eumjin, who handled the Ghost Cultivation Method, it was no different from his own front yard.
“It’s that way.”
He sent out his ghosts to find the path.
Thanks to them, a shortcut leading straight to the mine was created.
Reaching the goal was now just a matter of time.
Rustle—
“Hm?”
As he was smoothly cutting through the forest, Eumjin turned his head at the sense of a presence beyond the bushes.
He immediately sent a ghost.
It didn’t matter if it was a monster or a player.
He had already resolved to kill anything that stood in his way.
But an unexpected problem arose.
“...What is this?”
The ghosts he had sent beyond the bushes were completely unresponsive.
To be precise, his connection with them had been severed.
Feeling a sense of unease at this highly unusual situation, Eumjin was about to draw upon his spiritual power when—
Fwoosh—!!
“?!!”
An unidentified beast leaped out from behind the bushes and lunged at Eumjin.
Instinctively sensing danger, he unleashed the ‘Ghost Slaying Incantation,’ a curse technique that could instantly kill most opponents.
It was a technique far too advanced to be used on the lower floors, but Eumjin didn’t hesitate in the slightest.
However, the result was far beyond his expectations.
Ting—
「The target has deflected the curse.」
“Wh-what?!!”
“Grrrrrrr!!!”
As Eumjin’s attack failed, his opponent did not miss the opening.
CRUNCH!!
“Kuaaaaaaah!!!”
“M-Master!!”
The massive, unidentified beast tore off Eumjin’s left arm in a single bite. Instantly rendered one-armed, he let out a scream and scrambled backward.
Having never imagined he would suffer a fatal wound on the lower floors, the panicked Eumjin ended up making the wrong decision.
“E-everyone! Move to the safe zone!”
Fwoosh—
Eumjin immediately paid 500 WP and forfeited the test. His body was engulfed in a beam of light and vanished without a trace.
It was an unbelievably selfish act for an elder of a major clan.
Caught off guard by Eumjin’s sudden action, his disciples were momentarily stunned, but they soon regained their senses and began to forfeit the test one by one, following his lead.
But there was one thing they had overlooked.
“W-wait!”
Wi Ryeong-ah had no WP.
She had spent all of it at the night market the previous evening.
Since Eumjin had always been there to protect her, she had never imagined a situation where she would need to use WP during a test. Her complacency had brought about this disaster.
Despite Wi Ryeong-ah’s pitiful cry, she was ultimately left all alone in the dark forest.
A despair beyond words washed over her.
“Grrrrr...”
“Hic...!”
At the low, chilling growl that echoed from behind her, Wi Ryeong-ah trembled and slowly turned her head.
There, an enormous, unidentified beast was glaring at her, its eyes glinting with a blood-red light.
An overwhelming fear she couldn't possibly defy gripped her, and the gruesome scene of the beast tearing off Eumjin’s arm flashed before her eyes once more.
“G-get away from me!!”
Wi Ryeong-ah unleashed dozens of ghosts at the beast, then immediately turned and fled.
The thought of fighting back didn’t even cross her mind.
The only reason she had been able to skillfully fight her enemies with the Ghost Cultivation Method until now was because Eumjin had always been by her side, ready to protect her if anything went wrong.
-Kieeeeeek!!
-Kyaaaack!!
The beast mercilessly slaughtered the ghosts with its massive forepaws, then stared at Wi Ryeong-ah’s hastily retreating back.
Then, it vanished into the darkness.
Ting—
「The ‘Nightmare of Southern France’ is watching you.」
「The ‘Nightmare of Southern France’ places the ‘Mark of the Hunt (B-)’ on you.」
A night that would not end had begun.