The Little Merfolk (3)
All those gathered here had lost their homes and entered the tower. Survivors who had endured the end of the world, risking their lives to reach this place. Each of them carried stories that others could scarcely imagine.
“These crazy fish bastards!”
“That little shit stabbed Bernard!”
Yet such tales could only be shared while one still drew breath. Staring at the half-corpse slowly cooling on the ground, one could feel how fleeting a human life truly was. The floor was already soaked in blood. The man had worn plate armor, but one of the merfolk had driven a spear through the gaps.
“You crossed the line first.”
“Crossed the line, my ass! It was an accident! He just tripped and didn’t even get hurt!”
The man supporting Bernard shouted back at the foremost blue merfolk. Ignoring him, the blue merfolk glanced behind, then spoke in a firm tone to the trembling young merfolk.
“Your Majesty.”
“……Yes?”
“Give the order.”
“……What order?”
At the child’s reply, the leading blue merfolk clicked his tongue and drew the spear from his back.
“Punishment.”
At that, over a dozen merfolk raised their weapons as if they had been waiting. The air grew murderous, as though a bloodbath was imminent. The knights in full plate armor bearing cross emblems also drew their swords, their faces pale.
The situation was on a knife’s edge. Just as both sides were about to lunge, a woman in a white dress and the red-armored man supporting her stepped forward from among the fantasy-armored group.
“Saintess!”
The gathered knights cried out in unison and bowed their heads. The woman called the Saintess paid no heed to their reaction and turned to the red knight beside her.
“Landon.”
“Your command.”
At the Saintess’s words, all the fantasy-armored figures lowered their heads in respect. She accepted their salutes naturally and spoke to the red knight.
“Guard the front for a moment. If they attack first, you may cut them down.”
“As you command!”
She turned and approached the man named Bernard, who was on the verge of death. Moments later, a white radiance flowed from her hands. Bernard’s complexion returned and his breathing steadied.
“He is breathing. I have only performed a simple recovery, so take him away and let him rest.”
At the Saintess’s words, the man supporting Bernard carried him off. She rose and turned to face the merfolk who were watching her. Her gaze held no hostility, yet there was no trace of complacency or weakness—only authority and dignity.
“Whoa……”
Han Gamin, who had been quietly observing the situation beside me, let out an admiring murmur. I was a little surprised as well—not by the Saintess’s charisma like Han Gamin, but by her ability. I had seen monsters and zombies, fantasy magic and Murim martial arts, but this was the first time I had witnessed a cleric’s “heal” straight out of a game.
“I am Silvia Erin, representative of the Holy Kingdom.”
“I am Cheongrin of Critias.”
The Saintess and the blue merfolk who appeared to be the merfolk leader exchanged greetings. The red knight flinched at Cheongrin’s tone, but the Saintess restrained him with a glance before continuing.
“Have you not heard about the penalties?”
It was the rule of the third floor that the Helper had explained: any coordinate that caused trouble in the waiting room before the competition began would be barred from participating in the next match.
“We heard.”
“And yet you still stabbed a man with a spear?”
“You started it.”
Cheongrin lowered his voice, radiating a fierce killing intent. He was the strongest among them. I had never fought him, but it was clear his level far surpassed the other merfolk.
Shing!
The red knight drew his sword roughly, unable to endure the killing intent directed at the Saintess. His skill was no less than Cheongrin’s. Yet the Saintess merely continued speaking with caution.
“Landon.”
“……”
“Sheathe your sword. We are not here to fight.”
At her words, the red knight glared at Cheongrin before returning his blade to its scabbard.
“Would you explain why you attacked Bernard?”
“It is the price for laying hands on our king.”
Cheongrin pointed to the small king behind him. The child bore no wounds and looked perfectly fine. Perhaps it was my imagination, but Cheongrin seemed even angrier at the sight. One of the knights, apparently close to Bernard, could no longer contain his rage.
“It wasn’t on purpose! He just bumped into him by accident! You stabbed a person over something like that?!”
“……Something like that?”
Cheongrin’s face twisted violently. A killing intent far more terrifying than before poured out. The knight who had spoken so carelessly froze like prey before a beast, staring at him in terror.
“Our knight misspoke. I apologize.”
“Saintess!”
“Everyone, calm yourselves. If I had collided with someone else, would you not have reacted similarly?”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the Saintess restrained her people.
“Your name was Cheongrin, correct? I have no wish to criticize your loyalty. It is true that we made the first mistake, and your response was excessive, but since Bernard is unharmed, I will let this matter pass for now.”
At her firm tone, the killing intent that had been pressing down on everyone receded. Cheongrin also seemed to decide that further confrontation served no purpose. He frowned and turned away.
The young merfolk—the child king wearing a golden headband—appeared frightened by Cheongrin’s gaze.
“Your Majesty, give the order.”
“……What order……”
“……Damn it.”
Leaving the dazed child behind, the blue merfolk departed. His earlier talk of the king and willingness to kill stood in stark contrast to his actions now. Since we had no way of knowing their circumstances, there was nothing more we could do.
Ding.
The competition begins now.
The first competition is an “Individual Match.”
The first competition the rabbit had mentioned. Just as he said, no one could know the details until they entered the arena.
“The first match is just practice, so no one will die, right?”
“That’s what was said, but who knows.”
Namgung Cheonho’s question was answered by Park Jocheol as he fiddled with his sword. Namgung Cheonho, who had spent the second floor in a world of immortals and demons, and Park Jocheol, who had survived a hunter world flooded with monsters.
“It’s an individual match, but if we meet inside, forming teams should be fine, right?”
“If there are no special conditions, that would be advantageous!”
Seo Seyeong and Han Gamin, who had spent time in a fantasy world, joined in. We gathered in the training hall we had been assigned and waited for the next notification.
If you wish to participate in the individual match, say “I will participate” within one minute.
After one minute, entry will no longer be possible.
“I will participate.”
We nodded to one another and spoke the words that would take us to the competition stage. As soon as we finished speaking, portals appeared around each of us.
[Time remaining until entry: 00:00:59]
I gripped my sword tighter and stepped into the portal.
Hum. Hum.
A strange sense of dissonance washed over me as my vision was cut off. I had felt this sensation several times, yet I could never get used to it. After a moment, realizing the surroundings had grown quiet, I cautiously opened my eyes and found myself in a forest.
“Hmm……”
No one else seemed to have landed nearby. A silent forest with no sound at all. Yet because I had trained in such silence during my time in Murim, it felt oddly familiar.
Ding.
Individual Match – Treasure Hunt
📍 Theme: Event
📍 Difficulty: Event
📍 Description: The first competition has begun. This is an artificially created island using the power of the Constellations. It is divided into small zones such as forest, desert, snowy mountain, and volcano. Somewhere in each region lies a treasure that raises stats. Collect five or more treasures and escape. (Treasures can be stolen from others.)
📍 Objective: Find five or more treasures and return to the third floor.
📍 Restriction: Participants of the first competition.
📍 Reward: The more treasures collected, the better the reward.
📍 Failure Penalty: Participants ranked in the bottom 20% will lose some of their stats.
※ Death in this mission will heal your wounds and expel you from the arena.
Ah, so that’s how it is. The line about being expelled upon death caught my eye. The rabbit’s words that no one would die. Still, losing stats was not the same as death, yet it was undeniably severe.
‘They’re trying to cram in as many people as possible.’
In short, a war of attrition. From what I had seen on the third floor, I could vaguely sense that if players achieved good results, the Helpers in charge of them would receive some kind of benefit. Otherwise, it made no sense for those who treated human lives like playthings to suddenly offer help and kindness to the players.
That was why they had emphasized that the first competition carried no risk of death. Since failing to participate in even one of the five competitions would result in death as a third-floor penalty, no player would skip it.
‘Win and everyone benefits. Die and only we lose.’
There was no reason for the Helpers to miss such a golden opportunity.
‘Well, anyway.’
What mattered now was proceeding with the treasure hunt. In ten seconds, all participants would finish entering, and once the match began, things would get busy quickly.
[Participant registration will close in 10 seconds.]
Just then—
Hum. Hum.
A new portal began forming right beside me. An unexpected encounter with someone else. Since everyone from my coordinate had applied at the same time, it was unlikely anyone would appear beside me now.
Shing.
I drew my sword, just in case. If it was a normal person, a temporary alliance might be acceptable, but if it was someone like the black mage or psychopath I had seen upon first arriving on the third floor, that would be nothing short of troublesome.
‘I don’t want to start fighting right away.’
The first competition’s area was vast even at a glance. There were also difficult-to-traverse regions like deserts and snowy mountains, so conserving stamina was essential for this mission.
But—
Plop.
The sound of footsteps emerging from the portal was different from an ordinary person’s. It sounded as though the feet were pressing fully against the ground, popping small air bubbles.
“……Huh?”
Then came a dumbfounded voice. A slender build with gills behind the ears—an unusual appearance. The one who stepped through the portal was, unfortunately, the child known as the king of the merfolk, distinguished by the golden headband.