Shall We Become Friends? (2)
From what I’ve seen of the world, no one excels at everything. Sure, there are rare individuals gifted in every art and sport, brilliant at academics, and even blessed with good looks. But when you look closely, even they have at least one glaring weakness. Everyone struggles in some area. It’s almost as if the heavens designed it that way so humans would have to rely on one another. And me? I was an extreme outsider whose talent for getting close to people had all but vanished.
‘Of all the missions, it had to be this one……’
Having to work at befriending someone. For some people it might be the easiest thing in the world, but for me it was far harder than swinging a sword, learning martial arts, or fighting in a duel. Understanding another person was simply more complicated.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“……”
Besides, the one who issued this mission didn’t seem to be either a Helper or a Constellation. The Constellations, who usually chimed in by now, were completely silent, and even the Rabbit didn’t appear to share the mission floating before my eyes. The true source of this mission was none other than the Tower itself. This was the first time since the world’s collapse that a mission of this type had appeared.
‘The failure penalty isn’t that extreme either……’
If I failed, I would lose the wyvern’s favor and earn the hostility of the dragonkin. While gaining more enemies was never ideal, it was hardly a deterrent for someone like me who had grown used to death penalties.
‘Still, a Tower mission……’
Wasn’t the Tower just a playground created by the Constellations? A basic stepping stone meant to raise players and turn them into their subordinates? It felt strange to have stumbled upon a secret the other players didn’t know. To dig deeper into this uncertain secret, I needed to complete the mission I had just received.
“Hmm……”
On second thought, becoming friends might not be such a big deal. It was just finding common interests through conversation, spending time together, and building mutual understanding. Simply talking and sharing time could be enough to grow close. However—
Intimacy with ‘Crescendo’ has decreased.
Current: -14%
Was it because I hadn’t reacted to his “ta-da”? Seeing the sudden 1% drop in intimacy, I had a feeling this was going to be more troublesome than I thought.
***
I set up a simple camp near the lake so we could rest comfortably. Returning to the village was an option, but retracing the distance I had sprinted for over an hour sounded tedious, and the wyvern beside me showed no desire to leave the lake. So this was the only choice.
“So…… you’re saying you appeared naturally on the 5th floor?”
Thanks to that, I now had plenty of time to talk with him. We took turns asking and answering questions. While the goal was partly to grow closer for the mission, the real value lay in obtaining information about the 5th floor regardless of success or failure.
-Saying “appeared” sounds weird. Say I was born instead.
The blue wyvern Crescendo claimed he hadn’t hatched from an egg but simply became aware of his own existence one day. Yet the one who reacted to his words wasn’t me—it was the Rabbit.
“What you just said, is it true?”
-……Why would I lie?
“No, no. I’m not accusing you. It just doesn’t make sense. How is that possible? You shouldn’t even have memories.”
At the Rabbit’s startled reaction, Crescendo frowned with his blue brows and looked at him.
-I remember it right now. You came to the lake with people before, didn’t you? Your clothes are different, but your tone and behavior are the same.
“That’s exactly why it doesn’t make sense!”
Instead of letting the Rabbit’s discomfort slide, I pressed him. He was usually sharp; it didn’t seem like he would stubbornly insist without reason.
“What’s the problem? Isn’t it possible to have memories?”
“It can’t be. The Tower is a place to test players. Everything within its system must reset once a player leaves.”
I nodded, partially agreeing with his explanation.
“I understand the logic. If you want to fairly assess everyone’s qualifications and abilities, they all need to face the same test under the same conditions.”
But the problem was that this fairness had never been granted to the players in the first place. The greatest source of that inequality was the Constellations.
“The only thing that’s fair is the overall reward. Those who put in effort receive rewards proportional to their effort. But the additional rewards given by the Constellations depend on how well you capture their attention.”
The rapid growth I had achieved compared to others had only been possible because of the Constellations’ sponsorship. Of course, the countless life-or-death challenges and the rewards for my efforts couldn’t be dismissed either……
‘Huh?’
A single question flashed through my mind.
“This is definitely the Tower’s 5th floor, right?”
“……Huh? Ah, yes. It’s the 5th floor?”
The Rabbit tilted his head at my question. This was the 5th floor of the Tower. Yet there was one key difference from the other floors I had climbed: here, players were separated according to which Constellation they had contracted with before attempting the floor.
“……Did you say Seo Seyeong completed a Constellation contract?”
I asked quietly, naturally hiding the fact that Seo Seyeong had contracted with the Rabbit, in case any Constellations were listening.
“……She did?”
“Then there must be a separate Constellation managing the 5th floor that Seo Seyeong is challenging?”
“Yes, that’s right?”
Constellations raised players to match their own inclinations in order to gain power and status from them. The method they used was assigning missions and granting rewards.
“How much influence can a Constellation contracted with a specific player exert over that player?”
“Hmm…… I’m not entirely sure, but they can probably issue missions at least? If the reward is sufficient, they might even adjust the penalty.”
“Issuing missions is basically the same as holding decision-making authority over the floor itself.”
The Rabbit looked at me as if wondering what I was getting at. I was a player who had not formed any contracts. In other words, this place was a space that no Constellation could manage. And that meant this floor, unlike the other 5th floors, might be the original, untouched location that the Constellations themselves had once climbed.
‘Helpers are also beings who must climb the Tower. But even he rose in status by contracting with players like Seo Seyeong.’
According to the Rabbit, there came a point on the 5th floor where a player could become a Helper. From there, Helpers competed to become Constellations.
“……”
The premise that Constellations were divine beings had been wrong from the start.
‘The Constellations were once players like us.’
And it was highly likely they had experienced the same 5th floor I was now facing.
“So in the end……”
I thought I understood why Crescendo hadn’t lost his memories. The Tower and its missions had existed from the beginning. Players who climbed it in the past became Constellations and now greeted new players. The place I stood in was the original 5th floor from the era when those Constellations had climbed.
“Feels like I’ve uncovered an enormous secret.”
For the first time since the world’s collapse, I had reached the Tower’s foundational location. A place where Constellations had no right to freely control players. The only place where the world wasn’t reset and resources accumulated over time remained abundant.
“This is the perfect place to grow.”
I looked at the Rabbit and Crescendo. There was no reason to waste this sudden opportunity for growth.
***
The Demon King had roughly seven days left until he recovered his true power. But thanks to meeting Crescendo, an extra five days had been granted, so I could now consider it twelve days.
“Kim Siin! The Demon King’s castle is right in front of us. Is it really okay to be lounging around like this?”
“Don’t worry. Clearing the 5th floor quickly isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
The Rabbit, half-reclining in the makeshift chair by the lakeside, smiled as he said something he didn’t really mean.
“Well, if you say so, there must be a reason! I’ll just rest easy then!”
The shameless creature. Normally I found it annoying when he acted like he was working hard, but right now my focus was on extracting the spirit pill from the Hwa-ri I had just caught.
-That shiny thing over there. That’s what you were talking about, right, Siin-nim?
“Thanks.”
After hearing me call him by name, Crescendo had started addressing me as Siin-nim. Whenever I cooked the fish after removing the spirit pill and chatted with him, his intimacy steadily rose.
-But why aren’t we going? From what that guy said, the longer we wait to catch the Demon King, the stronger it’ll get, right?
“Smart. You even understand that.”
-Aww, it’s nothing. Hehe.
Intimacy with Crescendo has increased by 1%.
He seemed to have little experience talking with people; he was extremely weak to praise. In a good way, it was pure. In a bad way, it was rather simple-minded.
“You’re right, but the truth is, I’m waiting for that to happen.”
-Huh?
“Simply put, I want to achieve the same thing that made you smarter and stronger.”
-……Ah, I see!
Even though he didn’t fully understand, he nodded because he wanted to be praised. His innocence made me smile without realizing it.
My intention was simple. Crescendo was a monster born in this place. But after consuming elixirs from the lake and hunting other monsters, he had reached a level of status comparable to the Rabbit, who was a Helper.
‘Defeating a half-recovered Demon King won’t give me anything worthwhile.’
Conversely, defeating a fully recovered Demon King would grant me a corresponding amount of status. And additionally……
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“W-what’s that sound?”
“I knew they’d come.”
Heavy footsteps echoed from afar.
-Kweek! Over there! The lake!
-Food! Orcs get stronger!
A group of orcs that had come to the lake on their own slowly entered our view.
“I didn’t realize it until now, but all of them are experience points.”
“……This crazy human.”
Leaving the flustered Rabbit and Crescendo behind, I drew my sword and stepped forward. The orcs had come after hearing rumors of a delicious restaurant by the lake. For the next few days, I planned to dance with my blade without rest.