The Second Floor Is Too Suspicious (4)
The Second Floor Is Too Suspicious (4)
At first, I thought I had misunderstood.
But after visiting other 'Nobles' mansions, I came to the same conclusion.
The 'Nobles' here... were deeply corrupt.
To sum up their demands: kidnapping, beatings, or fights against their personal soldiers.
Not a single one was a request worthy of a 'Noble'.
"Strange... too strange..."
The oddities of this city were more than one or two.
First, the city overflowed with abundance thanks to God's grace, yet the Bronze Class people still wore tattered clothes and lived in dilapidated houses.
The people's generosity was ludicrous. Ask for fruit, and they give you fruit. Ask for a sword, and they give you a sword.
A literal utopia. I'm sure you could sleep with your front door open and nothing would happen.
But... there were beggars on the streets.
Despite that overflowing abundance, beggars still slept on the streets and begged for food.
And on top of that, the Nobles were blatantly unlikable.
It felt like they were provoking us: 'Hey, players and residents can hit each other? Go on, hit me~'.
Exploited residents and evil, lazy nobles. I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all artificial.
And second. This city... was encouraging evil acts.
I heard stories of players who had kidnapped residents and sold them to the nobility for profit.
Of course, the citizens weren't fools; they fought back, and they often managed to subdue players... but that only held true to a certain extent.
When players with powerful Traits set their minds to evil, the citizens had no way to stop them.
"This is too strange."
I'll say it again: this Tower was created by God to judge humanity.
Because humans are evil, selfish, lazy, have lost their faith... there must be many reasons.
But now, this Tower was encouraging rapid growth through committing evil acts.
Of course, they might judge us again after we clear Floor 2, just like in the Tutorial. There's a possibility that those who climb the Tower honestly and with a good heart will receive proper rewards.
But... what if that's not how it works?
What if the judgment only happens after climbing all 66 floors?
What if the maniacs who enjoy terrorizing civilians in real life are the ones optimized to grow the strongest, fastest, in the Tower?
What if God's stance is, 'It's true that bad guys grow stronger faster, but that's part of the trial. If humans were good, they'd help each other and climb well together~'?
Humanity would be doomed.
Lastly, the structure of the plaza.
The alleys in the plaza were extremely narrow. Three people blocking the way bodily meant there was absolutely no getting through.
The bastards who sold their souls for a Gold Badge were ultimately designed to be tripped up by other punks blocking the way.
There's a saying about crabs in a pot. If you fill a pot with crabs, the ones trying to escape will be dragged back down by the others, so none can ever escape.
"Hmm..."
In truth... it looked hopeless, but there was actually a solution.
All you had to do was sweet-talk a couple of residents and have them clear out the blockers. Violence was possible between residents and players.
But would ordinary residents really want to help someone who earned a Gold Badge by sacrificing others?
One twisted situation piled on another.
At times like this, it's best to focus on the task right in front of you.
"You're the one who guided me earlier, right?"
"Ah... yes, that's right."
"Follow me."
First... I decided to go back to Baron Licht, who gave me my first task.
"Hm? Where is Miss Emily, and why have you returned alone?"
Baron Licht, who was leisurely enjoying coffee and a book in the reception room, looked up at me.
Without answering, I closed the distance in a single breath and swung my sword, scabbard and all, at Baron Licht.
"Heh heh... It's useless... Ugh!"
Baron Licht waved his hand and conjured some kind of barrier in the air, but my scabbard smashed through it and struck his head. He couldn't finish his sentence and immediately passed out.
"...He was a bit of a fighter."
The presence I felt in that instant was quite fearsome. If I had faced him head-on, nine out of ten times I would have regressed. I was able to finish it in one blow because he let his guard down.
"...Let's see."
I rummaged through the unconscious bastard's pockets, and several perverted items no normal adult man would carry poured out, but that wasn't my concern.
"...Found it."
Finally, I discovered two gleaming Platinum Badges at his waist and a flat, golden box in his coat.
"...Is it over?"
A man carefully walked into the room, watching for signs. It was the resident who had guided me when I first came to the street.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
"...Yes. That's right. It's a Badge Generation Box... that only residents can use."
The resident took the flat, golden box I offered and gave a small nod.
"With just this... we can create Gold Badges at will."
He took a silver box of the same design from his pocket and shoved it into the clothes of the unconscious Baron Licht.
"Then... as promised..."
"Yes. I will issue proper tasks. Not ones that satisfy personal perverted desires... but tasks that truly aid the growth of the climbers. This madness should have been stopped long ago."
This was the solution I came up with: replace the Noble with someone else and guide them to issue proper tasks.
In the past, when I was guided through the street... this resident had been kind to me and had shown a rational side.
If this man took Baron Licht's place, people would no longer have to harm residents to get a Gold Badge.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
"First, think about what kind of tasks you'll give out from now on. I'll go dump this guy outside."
"Very well."
I grabbed Baron Licht by the feet and dragged him out of the reception room.
"Kuk... Ughk..."
As his head scraped against the hallway floor, Baron Licht finally came to his senses and forced his eyes open with difficulty.
"Hey. You should have thought nicer thoughts. What's with the kidnapping? Kidnapping, really."
If I replaced the other nobles in the same way, people could grow stronger without committing more evil acts.
Since this Tower was made by God out of disappointment in humans... just preventing further evil acts could be considered a sufficient achievement.
If I tear down and fix the Tower's structures that force ordinary people to commit crimes, one by one, I'll get some kind of result.
Now, what I had to think about were the spot-squatters blocking the plaza road, the hidden reward... and the beggars.
I felt the need to investigate why the beggars were living as beggars.
"Heh... Heh heh..."
My train of thought, which had been busy planning, ground to a halt at Baron Licht's laughter.
"What's so funny?"
"You aren't the first to have these thoughts."
"..."
His tone had changed.
Not a noble's tone... but a respectful and polite one.
"Do you know the saying that positions make the man? Do you think I was a lust-crazed bastard from the beginning? I just... naturally become that way. Because it is God's will."
"..."
"Look behind you."
When I slowly turned my head back... the kind village resident was outside the reception room.
A sneer on his lips.
"Baron Licht was caught off guard... but I am not. I just saw you in action."
Dozens of light projectiles floating behind the resident's head, and a thick protective barrier wrapped around his body.
"...This is just ridiculous."
Do I have some kind of DNA for getting backstabbed?
I let out a heavy sigh and charged at the former village resident.
I struggled in my own way... but it was impossible from the start to perfectly counter 'magic,' which I had never seen before in my life.
[You have taken damage.]
[Regressing to the moment you first entered Floor 2.]
***
"Frustrating."
The situation was utterly complicated. A whole host of hidden circumstances lay behind it.
First off, the very idea that a person is readjusted to match the badge they acquire is absurd.
"It's just fucked."
I'm... trying to find the best answer, but right now, it all felt hopeless.
What even is the right answer?
Overcome this situation with goodness? What a load of shit. What do you want me to do?
I'm not a genius. I'm not a politician. And I'm certainly not a hero.
I'm just... an ordinary person with a regression ability.
It felt like a bunch of suspicious, meaningful-looking plot setups were popping up left and right, pressuring me: 'Why don't you solve this one too, hm?'
Regressing dozens or hundreds of times here just to find the right answer.
Then regressing hundreds more times on the next floor to find the right answer.
Just imagining it makes my head throb. I feel the stress eating away at my mind.
Setting a goal... taking one careful step after another...
I'm tired of that now.
"...I'll do whatever the hell I want."
For the first time since I came to the Tower, I decided to let emotion take over, not reason.