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"Didn't that guy just exit from a meeting with the Overseer? I wonder what they talked about? Could it be anything important? I mean, wasn't he evaluated as someone hopeless," one of Aurora's followers asked.

It was an averagely built male with a handsome appearance and a distinctive lightning-shaped scar on his cheek. After seeing Aurora's gaze rest on them for a moment, he was curious.

"Mmn, I don't know. But, that isn't of any importance right now. You seven will be attempting the First Floor. I expect you to have at least two C+ attributes by the end of it," Aurora replied. Although she was easy on the eyes, everyone in her party was now aware of just how strict she was.

Unlike most, she didn't allow any mistakes nor did she tolerate the presence of useless gossip. If the information wasn't useful in any way, then it need not be mentioned in her proximity.

After being lightly reprimanded, the male didn't attempt to ask any more questions. After finding his place on this team, he didn't wish to jeopardize it. After all, the prospect of belonging to an extraordinary expert's core team was akin to receiving a seat in a future famed faction!

Meanwhile, Lucian continued to think about some possibilities, 'Just why are they withholding this information?!' Continuously, Lucian grumbled to himself.

Only after some time did he push the matters to the back of his mind once he realized there was no extracting immediate answers. In return, he paid attention to the FM Shop, browsing through the store until he came across Tier 1 items. When he looked at them before, they were too impractical to purchase.

Just the purchase of one would disable him from acquiring the other items he wished to have. Not to mention, Tier 1 weaponry required a minimum of 20 MQ to operate. Fortunately, neither of these issues were a problem for him now.

He possessed both 1,015 Merge Tokens as well as 21 MQ, fulfilling both requirements.

The first thing he did was replace his battle suit with a Tier 1 version, a thorough upgrade of material. Then, he switched the dagger, but surprisingly, the tier 1 version came as a set of two. Lastly, Lucian purchased a Tier 1 Bow with 100 Refined Arrows as well as a restock of basic recovery elixirs.

〈Alert: Tier 1 Battle Suit (Light), Tier 1 Dagger (2), Tier 1 Bow, Refined Arrows (100), and Lesser Recovery Bundle (2) have been received. [300 Merge Tokens subtracted from your current balance.]〉

In total, he was left with 715 tokens, a sufficient balance. Although he was curious about the collection of knowledge the shop had to offer, he didn't have time to delve into the specifics. Before he knew it, the surrounding changed, standing before a sizable entrance.

〈Alert: You are now entering your determined first floor of the Fracture Monolith. [Chosen Destination: Lair of the Elemental Knolls.]〉

"Knolls?" Lucian muttered, taken aback by his lack of information.

"They're like goblins, just not quite. You'll see what I mean," Cezar replied with a shrug.

Without further ado, Cezar took the lead, entering the cavern's pathway which earned the presentation of new objectives!

Despite the fact that Cezar had revealed the basic knowledge related to Knolls, Lucian felt it was insufficient. The only information he was made privy to was their bodily features. As far as their strengths, weaknesses, and perhaps abilities, it was all unaccounted for.

As of right now, the only thing he was certain of was their superficial characteristics. In short, they were similar to goblins; their frames were on the smaller side, however, they also possessed some strange markings used as differentiation amongst their rankings. Fortunately, a useful piece of information surfaced.

'So, the color of the strange markings and their skin gives a hint as to what elements they'd control. However, there is also the possibility of no element at all. Fair enough,' Lucian nodded thoughtfully.

As they transverse the outskirts of the cave, their surroundings changed rapidly. Lucian inspected them carefully, taking note of the stony surroundings and the different engravings on the wall.

This might not mean anything to the others, but Lucian's senses were tingling. Everything he saw was imprinted on his mind for later reference. Since this was classified as a lair and the Knoll bore some semblance of goblins, then their choice of respite was classified as more of a cavern setting.

However, the complexity they were looking for was nowhere to be found. At first, this was surprising, seeing as goblins and knolls were lauded for their tendency to research. Hence, the lack of branching paths led to surprised expressions.

"Hold on," Cezar decreed, raising his hand as his ears twitched. His actions generated the entire team's silence whilst he narrowed his eyes. Cezar knelt on the ground in the pin-drop atmosphere and planted his hand on the ground.

In a few moments, Cezar gathered a rudimentary understanding of the cavern's interior.

While it wasn't deep nor intricate, Cezar was able to tell the happenings of up to 75 meters in front of him. As his attributes grew stronger, allowing his abilities to become more prominent, this would change.

In the meantime, Cezar retracted his hand, looking down the cavern's only path.

"For now, this appears to be the only pathway. But, I don't sense any Knolls in the general area, nor are there any scents of different elements. I can only assume that they're located deeper within this place," Cezar voiced as he turned back towards Elaine and Matthias.

Both of them noted, taking his words for truth. In this case, Cezar held the keenest senses and acted as a scout. Not to mention, it wasn't the best situation to harbor dissension as this was an actual floor on the Monolith. None of them wanted to become an experiment to test the consequences of death here.

In the meantime, Lucian's eyes were focused on the objectives they received at the beginning of the excursion.

«Tutorial Objective»

Objective Name: FFC - EAEITP

Information: As a Guardian, clearing the first floor is but the first step on your extensive journey. However, remember all steps play a vital role in the long run, no matter how small. A step taken is an advancement made and every action is a piece in the larger puzzle.

Details:

(Main Task)-

-Eradicate all of the Knolls. -Incomplete-

-Enter the boss room by fulfilling the necessary prerequisites. -Incomplete-

-Collect the Chieftain's Mark. -Incomplete-

(Side Task)-

-Clear the floor without experiencing damage. [Separated into Team and Individual Evaluations.] -Optional-

Reward(s)-

- +5% Authority.

-300 Merge Tokens.

-5 Enhancement Points

-0.8 Destiny Accumulations

*Completion of the side task will add a multiplier to rewards as well as produce a bonus reward.

**Bonus reward isn't set in stone. Depending on contribution, the item will be randomized but stunted at a certain item rank.

"Hmm, these rewards aren't bad but not as good at the multiplier. I see why the tutorial is seen as a point farm. Nevertheless, as long as we get the mystery multiplier, the rewards will get better. Then again, this is only the first floor. I've heard that the higher floors reward rare items. These are just inferior in comparison," Elaine voiced, rubbing her chin in thought.

Meanwhile, Matthias merely shrugged. "The faster we get this done, the quicker we'll be able to scale the floors. I'd like to reach the Alpha Echelon soon."

"Soon?! How soon is soon?" Cezar gawked. What the others didn't know was that the Alpha Echelon was the 3rd Echelon, and it required a Guardian to clear floor 15.

However, the stipulations behind floor 15 were enough to induce dread amongst most Guardians.

"3 years, max. This means you all will have to reach authentic S Rank Guardians by then. That also means, just the Monolith won't suffice, we'll have to join the others in the Guardians Corps," Matthias responded, earning unusual looks from Elaine and Cezar.

On the other hand, Lucian was intrigued by this conversation, "Is there an option to get stronger other than the Monolith?"

Everyone turned towards Lucian, raising their eyebrows. By now, they should have been inured to Lucian's lack of information, but this was odd. After all, this was the other way for Guardians to contribute to society!