Tutorial — Floor 8

"I'll take the second option."

Na-yeon, who had been turning my choice over in her mind, spoke up to Epathos.

"I-I'll take the second one as well."

"The same as oppa."

The Na sisters and I had all chosen the second option.

"Very well. Then... let's see. Na-yeon. An Elementalist, I see. This one's for you."

As a Floor Master, Epathos could inspect a trainee's status window. Having identified Na-yeon as an Elementalist at a glance, he seemed to have already decided on her reward, and gestured toward her.

A moment later, a cluster of light bloomed just as it had on the first floor, then shifted shape before her. The light became a staff.

That shape...

A wooden staff. Na-yeon seemed to study the item information window for a while before speaking.

"Elvenwood... Super Rare?"

Super Rare. A weapon.

I was now certain the second choice had been the right one.

With Information Level 60, the weapons you could select went up to Super Rare. Armor had cost six thousand points. Weapons ran even higher — around ten thousand, give or take. In other words, Na-yeon had essentially invested 2,500 points and walked away with a 10,000-point weapon. Nearly a fourfold return.

A weapon of that grade would still be viable even on the Middle Floor. Na-yeon wouldn't have to worry about her weapon for a long while. Of course, she'd need the skill to match the item's performance — as she was now, drawing out the full power of Super Rare-grade equipment would be difficult.

"It'll be a bit much for you as you are now. Grow into the skill this weapon demands. Only then will you be able to draw out the staff's true power. That said, even at your current level, it should serve you well enough. Your mana will increase, and your mana recovery rate along with it. At your present strength... I suspect you'll be able to contract with one more spirit."

Na-yeon looked stunned.

"Next, then... Na Seoyun. Your turn."

A gesture toward Na Seoyun, same as with her sister. A small orb of light flew forth and became a sword in front of her.

Na Seoyun, who'd been wearing a look of eager anticipation, grabbed the blade — and immediately looked bewildered.

"Uh... I spent 2,500 points too, but this is a Normal weapon...?"

A sly grin. Epathos spoke with a meaningful smile.

"Keep it safe. Someday, it'll be of great help to you."

"...A Normal weapon? Mind if I take a look?"

"Of course, oppa."

I took the weapon from Na Seoyun. An information window appeared at once.

For a Normal-grade sword, the attack power was remarkably high. But to have gotten only this...

Lesser... Fury?

The "Sealed" prefix attached to the name caught my eye. Even the detailed information wouldn't display. With Information Level 60, I could identify anything up through Super Rare... which meant whatever sat above that was at least Legendary.

There was no way Epathos — who could see Na Seoyun's skills and stats — would hand her some random weapon.

Wait.

Na Seoyun's skills were Legendary-grade Magic Affinity and Super Rare-grade Dual Wielding. Giving her a sword meant... a small suspicion, and a possibility.

A legendary weapon immediately came to mind.

Lesser Fury. Begalta. The key to finding Greater Fury — Moralltach.

A paired set of swords: Greater Fury, Moralltach, and Lesser Fury, Begalta. Moralltach, which could be found using Begalta, possessed a unique skill called Greater Fury — a slashing wave that swept everything in front of it in a single stroke. That slash even detonated at the point of impact.

Both were Legendary-grade. But Moralltach's performance had been all but Semi-Mythic.

The catch was that, despite being a sword, it demanded an enormous amount of mana, making it difficult to wield at full power. In my first playthrough, it had actually been mages who used the blade as a self-defense weapon.

Since the slash scaled with mana, you could say they were only after the Greater Fury option. Even that had been lost when the last users — a mage party — were wiped out, the sword vanishing into an inventory that was never recovered. A cursed blade, in its own way. Items like that usually resurfaced in the System Shop, but Moralltach never had.

"Hold onto this. Keep it safe."

"...Oppa?"

"I won't know for sure until the seal is broken, but it feels like no ordinary weapon. Wouldn't you agree?"

It didn't look like much, but once the seal came off, that would change.

A sly grin. Epathos merely continued to smile that meaningful smile of his.

Then, last of all, he gestured toward me.

"I wasn't sure what to give you. But as it happens... something rather fitting caught my eye. Here. Take this for now."

"Once you reach the tenth floor, you'll receive a class. Use it then. Something very, very good will happen."

I was a little puzzled, but both of them had gotten excellent results. It was luck either way. I had no choice but to nod.

The others looked curious about what I'd received, but since I'd already told them I'd used the skill card, they kept their mouths shut. Fortunately, Epathos continued speaking, drawing their attention elsewhere.

"Well then. What will you do? Head straight to the ninth floor? The ninth floor is a dungeon, you see. Dungeons can only be cleared once each, so it's first come, first served. If you're going now, I'll send you—"

"Excuse me, Epathos?"

"...What is it?"

"I was told there would be two. Is this everything you've given us?"

"Hm?"

"The System Shop. I heard we'd get two chances. Can we use the other one whenever we like, later on?"

"That wouldn't be... that..."

Epathos's expression shifted — he'd realized his mistake.

"...I made a mistake. Used up all the points, and... well. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A level 12 is a first for me, so I did something quite unlike myself. I should have given you two..."

He looked a little flustered. I spoke as if it were no great matter.

"In that case, instead of a second item, could I receive information?"

Honestly, I'd been hoping he'd only give me one. A single, certain reward was better than two middling ones split across the points. Of course, it was possible the gift was simply worth 7,010 points. Even so, as long as that skill came out Super Rare or higher, I didn't particularly care. If it was garbage, I just wouldn't learn it — I'd sell it later once the exchange opened. If it was useful, I'd use it myself. I already knew plenty of worthwhile skills. Once I got stronger, I could find them myself.

"...Information, is it. What kind of information do you want?"

"That's..."

When I showed a hint of hesitation, he immediately swept a hand through the air. I felt mana wrap around us.

"Sound's been cut off. Speak."

"I received a Hidden Quest."

He could see status windows anyway. One look at my Information Level would tell him I wasn't an ordinary trainee. His expression didn't change in the slightest.

"It's a quest that summons me back to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seventh floor in two years... Once the quest is finished, do I return to my original floor immediately?"

He seemed to ponder for a moment, then stroked his chin.

"Hmm... Giving you only one item was indeed my mistake... But the information you're after is rather valuable for me to simply hand over. Mmm... Well, I did make an error. Fine. I'll give you a simple trial. Pass it, and I'll give you the information."

Information about a Hidden Quest, no less. And in exchange, killing a single Goblin Lord was trivially simple. This wasn't like the seventh floor, where goblins swarmed by the thousands and tens of thousands. More precisely, they weren't organized like that here.

"Understood."

There it was — the payoff for showing potential. This was where the Tower's nature, and the Floor Masters' favor toward talented humans, came into play. He could have just tossed me another potion and been done with it, but instead he apologized and offered an opportunity. As if a Floor Master wouldn't have even a single point to spare. He went the extra mile for something that could have been handled with a little sleight of hand.

The light barrier of mana dissolved at once. The others looked curious about our conversation, but seemed to figure there was a reason we'd hidden it, and didn't ask. Even Na Seoyun merely glanced over, reading the room.

I turned to the party.

"I've received a small sub-quest."

"A sub-quest?"

"Yes. A hunt. We just need to kill a single Goblin Lord."

"A Goblin Lord!?"

Memories of the seventh floor must have surfaced — unease spread across the party's faces.

"Ah, don't worry. I'm told the Goblin Lords here don't travel with that many goblins. There's one per village, so there's no need to be concerned. The villages aren't that large, either."

I had to rattle off the information as if I'd heard it all from Epathos.

"...Given the mood, I can go alone—"

"I'm coming with you!"

Na Seoyun, as always. The way she treated me no differently even after watching me cut off a man's arm. It was a satisfying feeling.

"...Alright. Fine. Would the rest of you like to rest?"

"...No. I'm coming too."

"I don't know what might happen, and I don't want to be separated from you, Shin-hoo."

"I'll come along as well."

The party seemed a little uneasy about me, yet didn't want to be apart. Thinking in terms of safety, it was the wise choice.

"Very well. Let's go now. Epathos, we'll see you shortly."

"Do that. I'll find you as soon as you return to the village."

With that, Epathos left.

We slowly made our way out of the village — Area 2.

Word about us seemed to have already spread a little. Those who'd remained in Area 2 and witnessed our fight with the four men didn't dare approach us any further. Besides, the ones still inside the village — aside from those actually resting — were losers too scared to even leave. How long would it take to get out of here?

I headed straight for the forest, the Hunting Ground.

A fair number of people were fighting there. The problem, as I'd mentioned before, was that anyone who'd arrived here ahead of us was likely garbage.

Sure enough, a nauseating spectacle was unfolding in every direction.

"Do it right, you piece of shit!"

A heavy thud.

"Guh—!"

A group of men brought a shield down on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one man's head. The man's scalp had split — blood poured freely.

"You fuck up, and they come after us too! Kill as many as you can!"

"B-but there are so many—"

"What, you don't care what happens to the pretty one? Why's your leveling so slow? At this rate, we might have to fill the gap with her, you get me?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'll do whatever it takes, please..."

The party system shared experience. In the tutorial, there was still no contribution system, so EXP was split evenly. Which meant they were sitting at a safe distance, using someone else to farm experience — a so-called power-leveling operation.

They figured that if they had the numbers, getting stronger wouldn't make much difference anyway. Levels went up, but stats didn't follow — and getting a little stronger here was no match for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raw numbers. The eighth floor's trial was leveling up. Hit 10 and you were done, so this was their way of looking after their own safety. The easiest method was killing humans. Kill a fellow trainee... and your experience went up. It seemed a girlfriend or companion of some kind had been taken hostage.

Of course, a method like that — just eating experience without earning it — was a moronic approach with a high chance of getting overtaken later. The kind of shortsighted, nose-to-the-ground thinking that got you killed.

I was going to walk past. They were garbage anyway. They'd be weeded out later. Around Area 20, you'd start finding parties of actual human beings, and after the tenth floor, types like these would rise up, fight, and get swept away in droves. Besides, if I started picking fights over this kind of thing here, there'd be no end to it. I looked them over — no useful talent. I was just going to walk past.

"...Shin-hoo."

"What?"

"...Can't we help them?"

"No. We can't."

"...Why...?"

"Because I can't take responsibility for them."

I answered coldly.

"But..."

"I'm not as good a person as you think I am. I helped you because I could. Them? Sure, I could help. With our strength, we could probably take them all down and set those people free. And then? What if they hold a grudge and come looking for revenge? Then what? We'd be in more danger. And even if we save them, we can't keep protecting them. They'll end up in the same situation at someone else's hands. The only way they survive is by getting strong enough to save themselves."

I answered coldly, drawing on the experience of my past life. Perhaps because she'd never seen this side of me, Na-yeon looked a little crushed.

The others said nothing. A glance told me Joo Ha-yeon had already sorted out her thoughts — she looked almost relieved. Nam Eun-ju wore a pained expression, but didn't speak. Even Na Seoyun had no particular reaction. If anything, she just watched the thugs with wary eyes as we passed, as if concerned they might come after us.

Seeing the rest of the party like that, Na-yeon looked even more shaken.

As we pushed deeper into the forest, that wasn't the only group of its kind we saw. There were ones using meat shields as bait to flee or lure others into traps. Ones making threats. People being driven to the front with nothing but a weapon and no armor. Even ones snickering as they watched a woman fight naked.

But they all had one thing in common. Most of them were large groups. At minimum, five or more people tormenting one or two. The groups that had women mixed in, using them as playthings, numbered at least twenty.

Na-yeon's face grew paler and paler.

We'd passed those types and reached the forest when someone blocked our path.

"This is our territory. Get lost."

"...I hadn't heard that Hunting Grounds had territories."

I replied coldly.

"If we say there is, there is. Just get lost."

Three men spoke, weapons leveled. Behind them stood a group of about thirty — the largest we'd seen yet. Every one of them was watching us with tense expressions. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be heading back after a hunt.

"Looks like you're already done hunting. Why block us?"

"Because we'll be using it tomorrow too. You don't listen, do you? Get lost. Last warning."

I spoke to them.

"We'll be using it anyway."

"Ha, haha... Did wiping out Jae-deok's bunch make you think you were hot shit? You think we're on the same level as those losers?"

"...Jae-deok?"

"The ones you dropped the second you walked into the village."

They already knew about something that had happened so recently? Some of the people from the village must have belonged to this group. They'd probably run straight here to report our arrival.

Their gear was a cut above. They looked stronger than the snickering types outside. Their average level was definitely over 7. Stats averaging close to 9.

Even so, if Na Seoyun got serious, she could kill half of them and still get away. The reason they were pushing us out instead of trying to recruit us was because they knew we were far stronger. A group that had quickly grasped that this was a place ruled by strength. They were probably thinking they might get eaten.

I spoke to the tense men.

"If you know that, then don't get in our way. Unless you want an arm cut off."

As the conflict unfolded, other gangs that had been loitering nearby started approaching. The three men in front of us glanced back, looking a little flustered.

A man who appeared to be the leader walked toward us.

"Use somewhere else. Not here."

He didn't want to look weak. The Tower was still in its early days — a chaotic time. The forward areas in particular were full of garbage, all itching to devour each other.

Not that I cared. If anything, a fight might be for the better. Better to crush them now, I thought. For Na-yeon's sake, that would be better.

"Sh-Shin-hoo, let's just go. He said to go that way..."

A metallic rasp. I drew my weapon and spoke to the man.

"Sh-Shin-hoo?"

I spoke to Na-yeon in a low voice.

"Look around. It's too late. If we back down, every one of these people will take an interest in us. Don't look weak. You've seen it by now, haven't you? You want to end up like that?"

Four women. The Na sisters were especially beautiful, Joo Ha-yeon had clearly taken care of herself and was quite the looker, and even Nam Eun-ju had a rather cute face. This was something we'd have to deal with eventually anyway.

One man, four women. If more time had passed and people had gained experience, it might have been different — but to trainees who hadn't yet shed their modern-world thinking, we'd look like a delicious meal. The men's group was no different.

We couldn't afford to look weak.

A rasp of steel. A tight grip. They started drawing their weapons as well. In response, the party slowly fell into formation.

"N-no... we can't..."

Can't, my ass.

This was going to become a common occurrence.

Honestly, I hadn't expected anyone to be controlling the Hunting Ground this early. I'd just wanted to cleanly finish the sub-quest... but they'd brought this on themselves. Controlling a Hunting Ground, of all things. It was absurd.

Though thanks to them, I'd gotten a chance to condition Na-yeon. Maybe I should be a little grateful?

A situation on a hair trigger.

They were the ones who attacked first.