Chapter 110 51. The Frontline Assault Team's Motivation
The Motivations of the Frontline Assault Teams
Chapter 111.
Ellen White was pretty. But that wasn't all. She was cute, and strangely enough, even sexy.
Her skin was always fair, almost glowing. Her pink hair, which she took pride in, was beautiful every day as if it were a divine gift. She knew better than anyone that her beauty was extraordinary compared to others.
A single blink of her eyes could make men swoon, and those who couldn't tear their gaze away from her ample chest never hesitated to shower her with gifts. She had long grown accustomed to a life where she was treated like this.
So, she absolutely despised plans like this.
Why the hell should I do anything for others?
One day, "Strategist Diandre" visited the inn.
—Ever since the "Calamity" where monsters suddenly grew stronger, the casualties among climbers have been severe. The fifth-floor boss was barely cleared, and progress on the sixth floor... is slower than expected. The number of casualties is also higher than anticipated.
—I see... That's unfortunate...
—That's why the guilds are planning to actively recruit the new climbers arriving on the First Floor.
—That's a good idea...
—But the climbers who've just entered the First Floor are all on edge and full of stress because of the Tutorial, aren't they?
—That's true...
—So, we need someone with a friendly and bright image—someone like you, Ellen White—to help ease their wariness.
—......
She gritted her teeth.
Diandre adjusted his monocle with a weary look.
—I already got permission from your "older sister." She said, "Do it."
—......Ah, fuck.
Ellen White, who had been lounging lazily, was thus forcibly recruited.
* * *
I stared blankly into Ellen White's radiant skirt, lost in thought.
Ellen White and the other climbers from the Sixth Floor had spent at least six months in the Tower.
They must have obtained far more opportunities than we had.
No matter how overpowered my abilities were, or how formidable Park Ha-rin, Kang So-eun, Park Se-eun, and Kim Seon-hwa were, it would be difficult to take on all the frontline assault teams as enemies right now.
"Victory is uncertain, and the odds are overwhelming."
To begin with, there was no event in the original where Sixth Floor climbers swarmed down to the First Floor like this.
In the early stages, when the protagonist had just entered the Tower, how had the climbers active on the Sixth Floor behaved?
"Whether it was the Third or Fourth Floor, frontline climbers had a strong tendency to look down on those below them. It was because of the superiority they felt from having secured more resources."
They were also wary of those beneath them, fearing they might rise up at any moment, and saw them as rivals to suppress. At least in the beginning.
But the situation had changed.
"Heaven Mode," unlocked at a Protagonist Synchronization Rate of 150%.
All monster damage was increased to 200%.
Casualties had skyrocketed, and progress had stalled.
The Sixth Floor assault teams had no choice but to compromise after hitting a wall of reality.
At this point, the assault teams hadn't thoroughly explored every corner of the Tower—they had rushed through it.
The faster they cleared it, the better the rewards.
They were blinded by the desire to clear each floor.
But considering how drastically the difficulty would spike in the future, it was a hasty and foolish strategy.
"That's why there are still opportunities left from the First to the Fifth Floor. But in any case, frontline assault teams coming down to recruit First Floor newbies was something that happened much later—at least after passing the 20th Floor."
I glanced around at the Sixth Floor assault team coalition.
Though they maintained solemn expressions, their true thoughts were laid bare to me.
—Damn it, the monsters have gotten way too strong.
—To think we have to waste time nurturing these weaklings after coming all the way down here...
—Well, we need numbers. What else can we do?
Their emotions were nothing but a tangled mess.
That was why "Strategist Diandre" had pushed Ellen White to the forefront.
Through her, the Sixth Floor assault teams had conveyed their message.
"Unlike Park Ha-rin, who exudes an unapproachable aura, Ellen White has an image that makes people feel at ease. She's the kind of person who's easily admired for her mysterious charm, and her cute appearance works in her favor. Things that would've drawn resentment if said by anyone else could be softened by her skills."
Ellen White was merely the face of the Sixth Floor, a recruitment advertisement.
As for Ellen White herself...
—...Fuck. This is so annoying.
She was all smiles on the outside, but inside, she was utterly repulsive.
"What a shitty way to do business."
None of the Earthlings besides me knew about the Tower.
So why were they flaunting a massive golem in front of us?
"Obviously, to emphasize the difference in power between us and them—to show they wouldn't hesitate to use force."
Then, as if offering an olive branch, they inserted Ellen White into the mix.
They coaxed us gently, dangling both the carrot and the stick, insisting we join their guild.
"The Sixth Floor assault teams are impatient and desperate, but they don't want to show that to the newbies. They don't want to reveal their own urgency and desperation—they want to maintain control. They act like they're doing us a favor, imposing their conditions while firmly establishing the power imbalance."
The assault teams were desperate, and I didn't like how they alternated between intimidation and flattery to pressure us.
I didn't like how they were trying to manipulate people by idolizing Ellen White.
But I wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"Hmph."
KWAANG!
Suddenly, from somewhere deep within the crowd, the sound of someone stomping the ground and crushing it echoed out.
A woman with jet-black hair tied up in twin buns.
Dressed in a modified cheongsam, she leaped onto the palm of the golem.
"!"
Ellen White's smile cracked the moment their eyes met.
—...Huh?
Liu Yen, poised mid-air, pulled her shoulders back. The energy gathered in her fist distorted the air.
『"Liu Yen" activates "Grow Stronger."』
『"Liu Yen" activates "Army-Breaking Star (Myth)."』
『"Fist Pressure (Normal)" activates.』
Liu Yen's eyes rolled back, emitting a savage, beast-like light.
Her fist, trailing heat haze, swung down. The golem's hand was obliterated by the sheer destructive force.
And yet, the remaining momentum still surged toward Ellen White.
"KYAAAAAAH!"
All composure fled Ellen's face. She immediately dove to the side.
KWAANG!
The shockwave from the punch exploded through the air, shattering what remained of the golem's palm.
Liu Yen landed lightly on the partially intact hand.
Meanwhile—
"Hah... Hahk... Hahk...!"
Ellen White had collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Frozen in terror at the near-miss, her thighs trembled faintly.
"Y-you... fuck! That was dangerous!!"
She finally snapped, paling as she saw the shattered remains of the golem's hand behind her.
But Liu Yen just crossed her arms and snorted.
"Hmph, so all that flashiness was just for show? A fox who bewitches people with skills... Your looks are decent, but tone down the cutesy act, yeah? As a fellow woman, it's disgusting to watch."
She swept a mocking gaze over Ellen's face and figure.
Ellen's expression twisted into something venomous.
As the two glared at each other—
CRUMBLE—
The golem's palm began regenerating from stone.
More people leaped up from the ground, landing on it one after another, their faces aghast at the destruction Liu Yen had unleashed.
"What the hell are you trying to pull?"
The first to step forward was a spearman, hostility burning in his eyes as he gripped his weapon tightly.
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. What the hell are you doing?"
"...What are we doing? We're here to protect the new climbers."
Liu Yen's eyebrow twitched grotesquely.
"And pointing weapons at them is protecting them? Weren't you just threatening us? 'Join our guild. Or else—'"
She tapped the golem's palm with the tip of her shoe.
"'We might be dangerous.' That's what you meant, right? Otherwise, why show off this giant rock monster? Every action has a reason, doesn't it? If you're making such a grand display, there must be an equally grand motive behind it."
"..."
"You're running an organization—you know negotiations are important. The stronger side has less to lose, and the weaker side always ends up at a disadvantage."
"We're only trying to keep you from dying."
"And you call that the 'consideration of the strong'?"
Liu Yen twisted her lips into a smirk. Tipping her chin up, she stared down at the Sixth-Floor climbers with unshakable pride.
"But here's the thing. I don't think you're the strong ones here."
"!"
The number of hostile gazes fixed on Liu Yen multiplied. Yet she didn't back down—if anything, she bared her teeth and loosened her fists.
"If you wanna fight, then fight. Quit the petty theatrics, you thugs."
A murderous aura rose from Liu Yen's entire body.
#
The situation was on the verge of exploding.
The First-Floor newbies didn't seem to fully grasp what was happening, but the Sixth-Floor climbers were clearly hostile toward Liu Yen.
Fortunately, it didn't escalate into an all-out brawl between the two floors.
Because the Strategist, Diandre, stepped in.
After some back-and-forth between Diandre and Liu Yen, she finally relented, seemingly persuaded.
Given her stats, standing against the Sixth-Floor climbers should've been impossible—yet Liu Yen's sheer audacity alone had forced them to back down.
No, more accurately, Diandre had apologized, believing this wasn't the time for climbers to turn on each other.
As a result, the Sixth-Floor Guild Alliance, which had been pressuring us to join, took a step back.
"Figures the small-fry wouldn't dare step up even in a situation like this. Cowards. What's the point of high stats if you've got no backbone?"
Liu Yen openly mocked the Koreans, but it was just harmless grumbling, so I let it slide.
Kim Seon-hwa, who had "Read," understood Liu Yen's words and grew visibly uncomfortable, but I soothed her by patting her chest reassuringly.
Still, the outcome wasn't bad.
The First-Floor newbies were now free to choose any of the 1,557 Sixth-Floor guilds to join.
The barriers the Sixth-Floor climbers had erected were dismantled, and the crowd gradually thinned, allowing us to move freely again.
I walked with Kim Seon-hwa and Yu Yeon in tow.
Though I could feel people glancing at me, I ignored them and headed toward where the Sixth-Floor climber alliance was gathered.