NABC Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The next day, all Earthling players were summoned. Jo Seohui gathered them and gave them a mission.
“...Does this even make sense?”
Someone voiced a complaint. They found the mission to be unfair.
"That guy’s just going to win anyway." "We’re just here as punching bags."
The gazes of the people turned to me. But unlike yesterday, there weren’t any unpleasant glares.
"If you don’t like it, don’t do it. You don’t have to."
At a glance, it might seem like Jo Seohui was giving them a choice.@@@@
"It’s only your loss. I lose nothing. If you want to stay put and get killed when you go up, be my guest."
If you don’t want to die, you have to struggle. As a senior player, Jo Seohui was all too familiar with the harsh reality of the Tower.
"Only the first place gets rewards, so stop whining. I’m not your mom. I’m not here to baby you."
Jo Seohui’s words were blunt, leaving no room for argument.
The people fell silent. The hall quieted down.
"Don’t worry too much. You won’t die. Once your vitality reaches 1, you’ll just be eliminated and forcibly returned here."
I didn’t know how she’d done it. Apparently, she used the Soul System to create a no-death field. It seemed limited to missions, but it was impressive.
"A week. Yesterday was a freebie, so you have six days left."
A tournament mission. First place received two points, and second and third each received one point.
"This is the best I can do. So manage on your own. Keep whining, and I might just kill you myself."
A voice dripping with threat. A player who had been about to protest clamped their mouth shut.
Even those who couldn’t understand gentle words fell to their knees in the face of Jo Seohui’s raw killing intent.
They may not have realized it, but Jo Seohui was looking out for us in her own way.
‘My Hatchling Breath is powerful enough, so ascenders above the 50th floor must be even stronger.’
It’s crucial not to forget that she’s a monster capable of wiping out thousands of players with a mere flick of her finger. This fact should be drilled into my mind and revisited regularly.
‘...And this woman shows interest in me...?’
A woman’s interest. Honestly, I was used to it. This kind of situation wasn’t new.
Back then, I’d brushed it off. I’d worried about becoming famous later and getting tripped up by rumors of womanizing. I’d been careful about that since high school.
Though my athletic career had ended due to an accident, making it all pointless in the end.
‘This is the first time I’m purposefully trying to take advantage of it.’
She’s given me artifacts, created missions to earn points. I’ve received quite a lot in many ways.
The things I gained on the first floor would be a great help to my survival. With that thought, the overwhelming gifts felt more welcome.
‘A mission crafted just for me. I should make the most of it.’
I had no intention of going easy. I’d squeeze out those twelve points no matter what.
After the first day, the administrators gathered together.
“What’s the sudden reason for calling us here?”
Dokgo Un, an administrator from Murim, looked at Blinky and asked.
“It’s about the final test on the first floor.”
“...The final test?”
Dokgo Un clicked his tongue, as if he’d expected this.
“Has the master of the floor awakened?”
“Nope. Still asleep.”
Typically, the test is under the authority of the floor’s master. It’s conducted under their supervision.
If the master adds a test, it means more struggle. If they omit a test, it makes ascending easier.
Administrators assigned to each floor act as deputies for the floor master, giving up on ascending as an ascender to train successors...
“Are you saying you’re adding a test? And the floor master isn’t even awake?”
“Yes. It just seemed a bit too quiet.”
Blinky was the administrator with the most authority granted by the master of the first floor. Adding a small test wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible either.
‘Why bother?’
Still, no one voiced the question. Blinky pulling stunts on a whim wasn’t a new thing. They were used to it.
“What kind of test?”
“I was thinking of making use of the three-player teams we’ve put together. It would help prepare them for the second floor, wouldn’t it?”
“Are you hiding your true strength?”
“...”
Maintaining my black dragon persona, Eun Seoryeong hinted at the truth with an appropriate flourish.
“Reaching the peak has raised my strength, agility, and endurance stats to 50.”
A dizzying number.
“And I’ve mastered the Cheongmyeong Technique and begun the Yuseong Technique.”
This roughly matched what Jo Seohui had told me during the tournament mission.
‘Damn. Does this even make sense?’
Earthlings have nothing. Meanwhile, people from other dimensions not only possess their own powers but can also continue to grow.
The important thing here wasn’t the stats. Stats were secondary.
The real problem was the skills they acquired.
‘The more they train their techniques, the stronger their skills become...’
Mastering Cheongmyeong. In other words, reaching Lv.10. Beginning the Yuseong Technique, which means acquiring Yuseong Technique Lv.1.
When they "break through walls," it includes an absurd upgrade.
‘No wonder Earthlings end up stabbing each other in the back.’
It’s not that I’m defending Earthlings just because I’m one of them.
‘Isn’t it the Tower of Struggle’s fault for making it inevitable for Earthlings to betray each other?’
If a parasite kills its host, is it the parasite’s fault? Or is it the fault of the creator who made the parasite that way?
No one would claim it’s the parasite’s sin. Likewise,
Earthlings aren’t at fault. I’m not a sinner, either.
“How’s it going with your training, Baeksong? Any progress?”
Baeksong shook his head. It seemed breaking through the wall was harder than expected.
“Training is frustrating, isn’t it?”
Eun Seoryeong murmured knowingly, with a look reminiscent of the Skill Competition days.
“Practical experience is the best. It sharpens your instincts for survival.”
“...”
“Baeksong has talent. He’ll reach the top in no time.”
Then, someone approached, trudging forward.
“Heh heh, Eun Seoryeong.”
A bulky man approached Eun Seoryeong, acting overly familiar.
“...Madokwang, the Flashing Blade Demon.”
Eun Seoryeong didn’t seem particularly pleased to see him. She looked at him as if facing an unwanted acquaintance.
“You heard the news, right? To advance to the second floor, you need to defeat at least one team.”
“Yes, I’ve heard.”
“Then you know you can choose your opposing team?”
Madokwang ran his tongue over his lips as he looked Eun Seoryeong up and down. His gaze lingered on her chest.
It wasn’t sneaky but openly leering.
“...”
Eun Seoryeong’s expression soured, but the man didn’t care.
“The Flashing Blade Princess, Eun Seoryeong. It’s been a while since I’ve had a worthy opponent.”
“...”
“If you want to live, just say the word. Then I won’t target your team.”
His gaze fell on me, a sneer playing at his lips.
“Just do me one favor. It’s not too hard for someone your age, so don’t worry. Kehahakha!”
With that, Madokwang gave Eun Seoryeong a few taps on the shoulder and walked past.
I watched him leave and asked her,
“Do you know him?”
“No. He’s someone I met in the Tower of Struggle.”
“...”
“He’s been like that since the first day we met. Maybe he has a death wish.”