The First Scenario – Choose Now
Tarte's team had heard from the villagers of the village about the god they were talking about right now.
Fortunately, it was a god far from the image Tarte had first recalled when she heard the word "god".
This place's background, a god that matched the medieval-level civilization very well.
The forest's beast god.
A being that protects nature, punishes foolish humans, and helps kind humans.
Its size was like dozens of adult male humans combined, and its height was even larger than a house, matching its size. It was said to use magic.
Tarte thought.
'This scale is perfect for a 1st floor boss.'
If a god that caused floods to bury the earth or dropped lightning from the sky to erase cities appeared, there'd be no way to fight it.
After explaining to the outsiders, the villagers returned to their previous debate.
Killing the corrupted forest god vs. purifying the corrupted forest god.
"This is a scenario branch. Depending on which side you choose, the story afterward will differ."
There's a saying about the butterfly effect.
A butterfly's wingbeat in one place could cause a typhoon on the opposite side of the earth in the distant future.
Whether to kill or purify the forest beast god didn't seem like a very important choice to the villagers here, but it could have a huge impact on many stories that would unfold in the future.
So, they had to be careful.
Thinking this, Tarte suddenly had a young man from the village say something.
"Hmph! We've already sent expert hunters from our side! It's just a matter of time before the forest god is defeated!"
"Wait, is that expert hunter the 4-person group that just appeared in the village today?"
"Yeah. Now that I think about it, you guys are also a 4-person group. Are you acquaintances?"
Upon the man's answer, Tarte realized.
The expert hunters were the A team that had disappeared into the forest earlier.
"Then, if we join the expedition to defeat the forest god..."
"You want to just add a spoon to the efforts someone else has already done?"
The young men's hostile attitude made Tarte realize.
At this moment, it was just hypothetical, but if they seriously joined the side hunting the god, the village young men probably wouldn't allow it.
In reality, they had no reason to stop A team from making the same choice.
The more supporters, the better, and the more people who could lend strength, the better.
But why were the young men getting angry? It was hard to think of anything other than the competitive scenario.
Team B couldn't make the same choice as Team A.
They had their choices stolen.
'Why did they rush so much? Did they know about this?'
She felt a strange information gap.
As expected, A team knew more than B team.
The remaining choice was just to join the elders' side who wanted to purify the forest god.
But Tarte thought she should consult her party members before proceeding with the story and backed off.
"Do you know about the Tower? Where are you from?"
While Tarte was diligently thinking about progressing the scenario, Geomseong was throwing deep philosophical questions at the villagers.
"Those who climbed the pilgrimage path were fakes!"
"We don't believe in the gods made by the Empire!"
The villagers' favorability towards him was dropping visibly.
It was just before they defined him as a fake religion propagator.
"Wait a second, come here."
Tarte pulled Geomseong back before the villagers' opinion worsened.
"These people are just NPCs. Do you need to ask such strange questions?"
"It's not like they're NPCs. And isn't it important what they think of themselves?"
Monsters are enemies to be exterminated, NPCs are beings that give quests and rewards.
Isn't it natural to think that way?
Tarte recalled the earlier battle.
She had started the fight with an advantage: the warrior class, a fine weapon, but her delicate sensitivity hadn't allowed her to kill even one fox.
"She's an incredibly cute girl, Geomseong. Her nickname is Hyeolpung Geomseong."
"Righteousness and justice are important values."
"Before discussing righteousness and justice, can you at least defeat a fox?"
"If you don't like me, what are you going to do about it. I don't like you either."
"Everyone must return home alive."
That was obviously the unspoken truth.
Who would want to meet an meaningless death in this incomprehensible Tower.
"I'll do my best."
"So, how are the wounds? Can you walk?"
While leaving the forest, Geomseong was being carried on Muraebae’s back.
The instruction Tarte gave was to apply strength to the wound area because it's general knowledge that it makes it easier to heal.
"About that, the scabs have already formed. No pain. It seems like there's no hindrance to movement."
'It's not normal regeneration. Because of the warrior class?'
It wasn't like the wound healed like a troll.
But it wasn't normal either that after just 1 hour of hemostasis, a fairly large wound had recovered to the point where movement wasn't hindered.
'Maybe thanks to the priest's healing bonus.'
As expected, she had done well to assign the first aid. She thought she would have to handle treatment from now on, and finished her thoughts.
"Then, let's have a meeting with the rest of the members too."
After finishing the private conversation with Geomseong, Tarte saw him jumping to call the rest of the party members and thought.
'Her jumping around is adorable.'
The difference between Geomseong, who was the tallest and bulkiest in the party, and Tarte, who was the smallest, was literally more than double.
It wasn't that Tarte was small, but Geomseong was enormously large, but the structure made it hard to look cute.
"Probably A team got the jump on us. The atmosphere seems like we won't be able to join the side that kills the god. After all, it's a competition, so joining the same side is weird. Did they know about this and leave first?"
"Purifying the other side would obviously be much harder and complicated. Wait. If they succeed on that side, does that mean we fail?"
"That's right. We can't purify the god that was defeated."
Tarte, the priest, and Daepokpal the mage were having a strategic conversation fitting their classes.
"Viewers watching the broadcast right now, where is the opposing side's position? What are they doing? Has it progressed a lot?"
Out of the blue, Tarte asked towards the chat window.
They said their climbing the Tower was being broadcast live worldwide.
It wasn't just for Team B.
Viewers probably could see Team A's appearance too.
If so, what if they got information about Team A through the viewers?
Unfortunately, such a workaround didn't work.
"Even if the choices aren't limited, I think it's better to purify than to kill the god."
Geomseong brought out his opinion.
Given his nickname and love for wuxia novels, and being a high-ranking player in an expensive RPG game, he already had an ajja image.
"Even if you can't refuse, it's good to approach it positively."
Like, since they couldn't immediately escape the situation trapped in the Tower, they should work hard.
Tarte steadied her mind.
Her activity in the battle with the fox pack, her judgment to tear her own clothes to use as bandages, her spirit of sacrifice, her leadership in leading the party, and her busyness moving everywhere.
Tarte's evaluation couldn't be worse.
'Is this censorship not working? What is the atmosphere of Team A?'
Actually, her head wasn't resting and she was trying hard to understand and analyze the incoming information.
"Muraebae, do you have no particular opinion?"
The most active, lively, busy, talking, and progressing the work was Tarte.
The party's thief Muraebae was exactly at the opposite end.
A heavy burden, but had done the activity of carrying Geomseong out of the forest.
At least, no words. No opinion presentation. No visible desire to do something.
Some people were feeling PTSD recalling free-riders in group projects.
'I won't be able to do it if I work hard alone. Everyone has to work hard. And well.'
"I'll follow the leader's opinion."
Muraebae left the choice to Tarte!
"Leader? Me?"
Tarte asked, pointing to her own face with her finger.
Muraebae nodded his head.
"Yes."
Somehow, when did I become the leader.
Muraebae's additional explanation about that was simple.
"You were the main order originally. In Starfall too."
"Ah."
The story of becoming the leader in the Tower after being the party leader in the game.
But Tarte didn't dislike the leader role.
"Then, shall we go towards purifying the forest god?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
"Let's go."
Thus, the first scenario began.