#49. Ruel's Stump
Challengers who stay in the Tower of Trials for extended periods tend to see their various desires fade away. As their stats and levels rise, granting them superhuman physical abilities, they can endure without long bouts of sleep. The community recommends sleeping once a day for mental health, but most challengers can easily pull through three nights without a wink. With fatigue recovery meds or potions from the shop, if I really pushed it, I could probably go a fortnight without sleep. Sleep itself gets drastically shorter too—four hours is enough to hit full condition.
Because of that, Tower challengers lose their need for sleep at a frighteningly rapid pace. Rumor has it some famous ranker sleeps only two hours every 48-hour cycle, out of obligation. On top of that, a challenger's body performs perfectly as long as calorie intake is met, regardless of nutrient type. That's why I and some rankers survive on white rolls instead of proper meals. Even chowing down on sugar-and-flour lumps like white rolls doesn't make you gain fat or lose muscle, and your stat-derived physical prowess stays constant.
That's why so many raid party challengers develop the habit of skimping on meals for wallet reasons or efficiency. Of course, they don't lose their sense of taste—most challengers prioritize flavor over efficiency and seek out tasty food. The community recommends a cheat day once a month for mental health, but it's the same story as sleep. Rankers aiming for high-grade hunter status maintain these "diets" long-term, gradually losing their appetite in the process.
But while these major desires fade, there's one that never dims no matter what.
Sex drive.
The closer your physical abilities get to superhuman, the more vigorous your vital energy becomes—so far from fading, it only intensifies. In the Tower's early days, challengers' sex drives went haywire in twisted directions, causing no small number of problems. Superior martial prowess falling into the hands of those who entered early, easily identifiable physical weaklings, and the Tower's nature as a completely isolated space beyond laws or public authority. You can imagine what happened. It took a lot of blood to establish order under the influence of massive guilds like today.
But me? Whether due to some skill effect or just mental issues, I've never had trouble from sex drive. No functional impotence or anything, and the desire isn't completely gone—I'm just not interested. Maybe it's because solo resolution is my only option anyway. Whatever. I'm definitely not like those open community ghosts who picked the dark elf faction because of their big, uh, you know. For real. Or... not?
Sure, there were various reasons for choosing a faction, and yeah, it might've subconsciously influenced my decision. Fine, bad habit. Rationalizing everything with excuses. I admit I was drawn to certain dark elf body parts. But I didn't pick the faction solely for that.
"Alright, we're here."
Lost in those thoughts, Elenoir's footsteps halted, and a system message popped up before my eyes.
The fog enveloping the surroundings lifted, revealing the dark elves' village: a massive tree standing like a skyscraper.
One reason I chose the dark elf faction was this village itself.
A colossal black tree matching the dark elves' dusky skin. In shape, it's akin to a baobab, but no baobab grows that enormous. This tree is the dark elves' home—a gigantic natural apartment carved and hollowed from within. The sky is blanketed by the apartment tree's branches and leaves, blocking sunlight. Instead, firefly-like light sources drift about, emitting glow. The brightness is a touch more than a particularly luminous full moon night. It suits the image of shadow-wielding dark elves perfectly.
"Heh, damn."
Even though I'd seen it in the open community, the real thing was so stunning it drew a hollow laugh.
"Impressive."
I rarely muttered to myself even on normal days, but pure admiration kept the words leaking out.
Elenoir suddenly hooked her arm through mine and leaned in close. "Oh? Looks impressive, does it?"
The proximity was a bit much. And with the arm hook, something big kept brushing against me. The contact was burdensome, and my already poor silver tongue failed to muster anything impressive.
"Forest bitches are always so dark and drab, like mold's gonna grow on you—they make a fuss like that, so this reaction's been a while."
Elenoir grinned as she said it. Forest bitches meant high elves, probably? Complaining about mold while seeing this spectacle—those stuck-up pricks' personalities live up to their rep. No wonder the community calls them past "elf-eating shit elves" to "fuckfuckfuckfuck-elves"?
"Ah, mind wandering around nearby for a bit? I'll check if there's a guest room available. Outsiders don't come often, you see."
With that, Elenoir summoned shadows and hopped away somewhere.
"It's easy to find even if you stray far, so roam freely."
"We're not like forest folk—no one's gonna jump you just for being human."
"Ah, they might crowd you if you're too novel, so avoid the dense crowds."
The other dark elves had their own tasks too, tossing a word each before scattering. The treatment was way different from expected, but hey, free to roam? Suits me fine.
Elenoir said to look around, but I already knew the layout here.
Details might differ slightly, but the open community has maps covering the entire Floor 7. The village area is separate originally, but this dark elf faction has its own village-like infrastructure. Natural, since dark elves live here, but anyway.
First place I hit was the smithy selling weapons and armor. Along with the village itself, this smithy was a big reason for picking the dark elf faction.
"Customer? Not taking custom orders right now... What the—human?"
Stepping in, a short female dark elf in work clothes with a hammer emerged. Even as a regular blacksmith NPC, not an elite, her reaction felt very human.
"What? Why's a human here? Lost? Separated from your group?"
The dark elf blacksmith's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she stuck to me. Are all dark elves like this?
"Got invited."
Awkward reply, and she jumped back in surprise. Humans invited here? Rare as hell. She muttered to herself, then nailed that Elenoir was my inviter.
Curious how, I asked. She laughed heartily. "No one else it could be."
Didn't get it, but not curious enough to probe. Cut to the chase.
"Looking for sturdy weapons."
Affiliating with one of the three factions gets you more than quest rewards. Faction specialties: standout items sold or crafted only in their villages. High elf faction, living in harmony with nature, sells high-performance potions, mage armor, and wands. Dark elf faction, shadow-dwellers, sells superior metal weapons and armor. Kingdom faction lacks special items except a few, but offers cheap gear based on reputation.
I avoid high-performance gear that hinders growth. But today's high elf knight fight exposed a fatal flaw in my usual equipment. Low attack power and such was expected, but material limits meant durability wore out too fast. Weapons that clashed with her armor, shield, and sword were mostly scrap now. Losses are replaceable, but higher floors would mean eating a weapon per strike. Attack power can be low, but durability can't. It has to withstand my full strength at least.
"Sturdy weapons? Ours outlast any human crap."
Perfect—dark elves use special ebony steel gear, ideal for tough buys.
"Go on, pick what you like over there."
To the grinning dark elf blacksmith promising whatever I wanted, I said:
"From here... to there."
Bring it all.