- Chapter 4, Episode 79. 14th Floor, Guides of Sin (2) “Next is… you.” The black-haired woman who had fought Aldoata flinched as his gaze turned to her.
“I, I don’t want to. I don’t want to go.”
She showed a resolute refusal. Her eyes were filled with terror.
“What is this. It’s strange. I don’t want to go.”
“Then you’re next…”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the frivolous-looking young man. He was a man who always had a silly grin and enjoyed joking, but that side of him was gone as he trembled and refused.
“I, I don’t want to either.”
Their gazes naturally moved to the next person. But it was the same. He shook his head with a terrified face.
The next one will be the same. The young man in charge of managing the second rank bit his lip.
“What kind of monster… is on the 13th Floor to defeat them like this? It’s impossible. Their judgment wasn't wrong. The difference between the 13th and 20th Floors is like that between a child and an adult.”
And not just any ordinary child and adult, but the difference between a nine-year-old child and a robust young man. But the result was a complete defeat. Five robust young men had all been killed by a nine-year-old child.
“So what are we going to do?”
“I don’t want to.”
“M-me neither.”
Everyone refused.
It was a cowardly reaction, but an understandable one. The reason they became Guides of Sin in the first place was less out of devotion to the cause and more out of fear. The implication that they would be killed if they refused was palpable, so they had no choice but to accept.
The very fact that they had been permitted only up to the 20th Floor, the very bottom, and had remained there, spoke of their disposition. The young man let out a hollow laugh.
‘Half of them are dead.’
Half of those he had spent long years with were gone just like that. There were some he didn't get along with, but there was still a reluctant affection. A sense of futility washed over the young man.
The young man barely managed to speak.
“Then let’s all agree not to touch him, and when he comes up, we’ll hide and wait for him to pass.”
“Y-yeah.”
Everyone affirmed.
Just as things were settling down.
“You worthless worms are still the same, I see?”
A mocking voice rang out. A man came up from the stairs leading to the lower floor. A confident face and a muscular body.
And a pair of impressive horns growing from his head. A sudden surge of demonic energy.
“Hello, kids?”
The young man gulped and bowed his head. Following his lead, the other adventurers, terrified, also bowed their heads.
“Welcome.”
“Yeah, you idiots.”
The man with horns. The demon Zagan smiled and gestured with his hand.
“Hey.”
The black-haired woman trembled.
“Come here.”
“Ye-yes…”
The woman stood beside Zagan, trying to hide her trembling. Zagan wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The young man hid his annoyance with a bitter smile.
The demon Zagan. He was an adventurer permitted up to the third rank. He was completely different from them, who were only permitted up to the second rank, an adventurer who could see a little higher.
But rather than descending the Labyrinth, he often came up to torment them, the adventurers of the second rank. Honestly, it was extremely irritating. If he was permitted up to the third rank, why couldn't he just stay on the 30th Floor?
Why did he keep coming up to torment us? If he had the ability, he would have torn him to pieces dozens of times. He could guess why.
The third rank was no different for him than it was for them. He had ten more floors to descend, but in the end, he had hit a limit. So, out of boredom, he came up to torment them.
He understood, but as the one on the receiving end, he just wished he would drop dead. Composing his emotions, the young man asked.
“What brings you here?”
“Nothing much.”
Zagan looked them over and spoke.
“Where did everyone go? There’s only half of you.”
In that moment, all of them wavered. Only the young man answered calmly.
“They’ve all gone to another floor for a moment.”
Pfft.
Zagan smirked and raised his hand. His fist struck the young man’s face.
“Don’t give me that bullshit. You think you’re the only ones who got the news?”
The young man bit his lip, enduring the pain. Why did he ask if he already knew? Swallowing his anger, he spoke.
“They all… died.”
“Hoh?”
Interest flickered across Zagan’s face.
“Even if you’re second-rankers with no talent or skill, ten of you died to someone from the 13th Floor?”
He mocked the second rank Guides, but he didn't disrespect them. To have survived up to the 20th Floor here was, in itself, proof of their worth, so he couldn't just ignore them.
“Hmm.”
Zagan stroked his chin, thinking.
‘If I kill that guy, will their evaluation of me change?’
Although Zagan was an incredibly strong being to them, it didn't change the fact that he too was at the bottom. The rank he was permitted was, after all, the third rank. Up to the 30th Floor.
His face contorted.
‘Why did they permit that idiot to go to the Depths?’
Not long ago, a child of the same demon race as him had entered the Labyrinth. He had descended to where Zagan was at a rapid pace, but frankly, Zagan hadn't cared. In fact, he had looked upon him with contempt.
The reason was simple. They were both demons, but he was of a nobler bloodline. He was born into one of the most prominent noble families in the Demon Realm, while the other came from the lowliest part of the slums.
But that bastard was permitted to go to the Depths. It was absurd. He wanted to kill him, but the High Council would kill him if he did, so he had no choice but to stay quiet.
So, he changed his approach. He would prove his strength, his talent, and make the High Council change their evaluation of him. A man who, despite being on the 13th Floor, killed ten adventurers from the 20th Floor.
He would kill that bastard to prove his own strength. He was only from the 13th Floor, but it would be a decent measure for evaluation. Having made his decision, Zagan nodded.
“Good. Guide me to that guy.”
“Pardon?”
What kind of nonsense was this, so suddenly? That question was in their eyes. Zagan bared his teeth nonchalantly.
“I’ll get revenge for you, so guide me. Or would you rather die?”
[Moths to a flame.]
The Ghost sneered.
[Still, swallowing their pride, five of them came at once. A decision made too late, though.]
Five adventurers from the 20th Floor. They were certainly a threat. Their Attack and Defense Power were quite high, so Taesan had taken a fair amount of damage as well.
However, the adventurers had never fought together, so their coordination was incredibly clumsy, and every time he killed one of them, he immediately leveled up. Leveling up restored his entire condition. He was able to win by taking advantage of that.
“This is good.”
Having taken down a full ten of them, the overall increase was immense. To put it simply, his level before fighting them was 28. And now, it was 39. He had gone up 11 levels. Naturally, his stats had increased significantly to match.
[Kang Taesan] [Level: 39] [Shield: 169/169] [Health: 2020/2020] [Mana: 416/416] [Strength: 615] [Intelligence: 412] [Agility: 540] [Attack Power +69] [Defense Power +62] [The target is in Optimal Condition.]
“These aren’t the stats of a 13th Floor Player.”
Taesan whistled.
But it wasn't all good. The reason he had been able to receive the floor clear rewards properly until now was that although his stats were freakishly high, his level was appropriate for the floor. But if his level also rose like this, the clear rewards would be greatly reduced.
As Taesan showed a hint of disappointment, the Ghost let out a dry laugh.
[Even considering that, you've gained much more, haven't you? Trying to take everything like a greedy pig.]
“Because I have to.”
Transcendent beings. Gods.
To reach them, he truly had to obtain everything. The statement that he was overwhelmingly stronger than an ordinary adventurer wasn't that appealing to Taesan. Still, as the Ghost said, the gain was a big one.
Fighting the adventurers had also greatly increased the proficiency of his skills. On top of that, he had obtained another piece of equipment.
[Orb of the Nightingale] [Magic +6] [Sound Magic +5] [A magic orb containing the sound of a nightingale.]
According to the Ghost’s explanation, it was an orb that gave +5 to Magic and +5 to the Sound Magic school. It was a rather meaningless Item for Taesan, so he planned to offer it as a Tribute. And he had also obtained skills.
First, the werewolf skill he had acquired for the first time.
[Basic Inherited Skill: Werewolf] [Mana Cost: 1] [Proficiency: 0%] [Transforms into a werewolf. Cannot transform yet due to a lack of special blood.]
Being an Inherited Skill, he couldn't use it without receiving the blood, so he had no choice but to shelve it. And next, the basic magic he obtained from a mage.
[Basic Magic: Particle Diffusion] [Mana Cost: 4] [Spreads a large amount of ice particles by making them collide. The less immune an enemy is, the more damage it takes. Attempts a Status abnormality [Frostbite] Judgment on the target.]
This was the first wide-range magic Taesan had ever obtained. The particles would densely fill the space, severely restricting movement without strong physical force. The damage wouldn't be great, but it was valuable in the sense that it restricted movement.
And another new skill.
“What on earth is this skill?”
Taesan touched the ground with an ambiguous expression. He grabbed a weed that had withered in the blood.
[You have activated Greenery of Life.]
Along with the System Window, the weed twitched. Life returned to its withered green color. A moment later, a fresh-looking weed was visible.
[Basic Spirit Skill: Greenery of Life] [Mana Cost: 2] [Proficiency: 1%] [Bestows nature’s mercy. Revives flora.]
“Spirit Skill?”
A skill he had never seen before. The Ghost began to explain.
[You know about the existence of spirits, right?]
“I know the gist of it.”
[Then it's easy to explain. You can think of it as similar to magic. When you reach the extreme, they become similar, but unlike magic, there are more skills that are nature-friendly.]
“How do you learn this?”
[You have to meet a spirit, right?]
The Ghost replied casually.
Spirits.
He had heard about them from Lee Tae-yeon from time to time. But she had said they were all hostile, in the form of monsters.
‘There must be other kinds.’
He could look for them as he descended.
“By the way, is this the end of it?”
The adventurers who had been appearing continuously were nowhere to be seen.
[Ten of them died. They must be starting to realize it themselves. That you're not someone they can touch. …And they come just as I say it?]
Sense Detection picked up several presences. The number was close to double digits, and Taesan grimaced.
“Is this the last of them?”
He drew his sword. Before long, a being with horns appeared. The Ghost let out a dry laugh.
[So that one came too.]
“Hello?”
A surge of demonic energy. It was a power filled with such dense and deep malice that even Taesan, who had never seen a demon before, could notice it.
“There are demons too.”
Taesan glanced past the room. About ten presences were staying quietly there.
‘They won't interfere.’
Taesan looked at the demon before him with a serious gaze. He was strong. Qualitatively different from the adventurers he had seen so far.
He could feel a power that made it difficult to easily guarantee victory, even now that he was stronger.
“Hmm.”
The demon.
Zagan stroked his chin. As he looked at Taesan, he spoke.
“Who are you?”
His eyes became serious. When he had first appeared, he was frivolous and full of carelessness, but now that was gone, replaced by an endless vigilance. Zagan, looking at Taesan, asked cautiously.
“Are you perhaps a Dragon?”