Chapter 20

After Leon finished, Hert shook his head. “You’re shitting me. Why did Ai decide to have fun with you two? Did you piss her off or something?”

“She was bored, as I said.”

“Nah. Nah, that can’t be it.”

Leon leaned back where they sat on the floor in his room, and Troublemaker took the chance to hop onto Leon’s crossed legs. He stroke the fur.

Hert frowned and pointed at the almost grown rabbit in his lap. “And what is that? Where did it come from?”

“My baby rabbit, Troublemaker. Hasn’t caused any trouble, though. Just looks like he would.”

Hert bent over to stand on his knees to inspect the creature in Leon’s lap. “How…”

“It’s corrupted from the time in the dungeon.” Leon shrugged.

“So you probably can’t eat it? That’s a shame.”

Leon shielded the rabbit with a hand. “So, what do you want to do? Will you complete the first floor with us?”

Hert sat back and stared at the blackness outside. “I… I don’t know. You put me in a dangerous position. Now I won’t dare to go out into the woods, even if I wanted to. That’s limiting when you have five years left—especially with the iron mine being a day’s trip from here.”

Oh, so that must have been where he gained the experience from before. “Why not complete the first floor with us? Then you wouldn’t need to worry. If you do, we could always try to get the stone later. Besides—do you know how many wolves we’ve killed since we became a party? You definitely won’t reach level seven by slaying a few of them.”

Hert tapped his temple with a finger. “But in here, I’ll always worry.” He sighed and stood. “For now, let’s disband the group.”

Leon nodded. “We’ll probably head into the tower in a week. If you want to come with, you’re welcome. We put you in this situation, after all.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Hert exited the room without looking back, and Leon laid down in the bed.

How much experience had the wolf given them, really? It was a level five wolf, and even though it was enormous, it shouldn’t have given that much. So why?

Leon’s mind flashed back to Ai. She’d been nice enough to gift them with this, both the experience and the loot, but that was the unnerving part. Ai had proved, several times, that she wasn’t nice.

He thought about when he got slammed into the ground and got the message that he’d died. About Ai forcing him to face four wolves in one go. That she wanted to restart the challenge with the behemoth if Leon had weapons, and stopped because he would die too soon. He wasn’t foolish enough that the gift Ai said she’d give them was the actual loot, and she’d shattered before she could deliver it. Maybe it was better that way.

Leon stared at the ceiling, trying to block his mind from going further into those thoughts. That road led to madness. Instead, he started counting the planks in the ceiling, and soon, he was fast asleep.

*******

The next morning, Ava waited for him outside the inn. She leaned on the building in her usual spot.

“You don’t need to get up this early anymore, you know?” Leon asked as she joined him. “Now that Hert has left the party, you wouldn’t get experience, even if we went hunting.”

“Just because we’ve stopped fighting doesn’t mean we can slack off,” she said in an airy tone. “Or were you going to do something else?”

“I’m not sure. Since we aren’t going to fight, we could head to the first level in the tower, but first I’d like to know what to prepare and gather what information we can. I don’t think we can do much more. That said, I think you’re right that we shouldn’t stop with the training we’ve done so far.”

“And how do you suppose we get information?” Ava asked as Leon stepped up to Hert’s Smithery.

He frowned at the sign, saying that the store would open at nine. Even if Hert didn’t view them in high regard right now, it would be good to show that they could contribute to his business.

“I have a personal quest that I’d like to follow up on, and I thought I’d stop by the portal to the first floor to see if there’s any information that I’ve missed. Then, I’ll probably head to the general assortment store to look at different things—we’ll probably need some potions and other such stuff before we head into the first floor. Hopefully, Hert can help me out with a weapon.”

“Mind if I tag along? I wouldn’t like to train without you, or let you do all the preparations alone. I’m going with you, after all.”

“Sure.” Leon nodded at the guards as they passed them. “What do you think we would need before we venture into the tower?”

Ava pulled on her earlobe, looking up into the sky. “Potions, as you said, and you also need a weapon.” She turned her head toward him. “You know, when you came up on the wolf’s back like that, I actually thought you planned it.”

“Yeah…” Leon sighed. “I wish I had, because then I wouldn’t have lost the weapons. Even though they were made of wood, it was more comforting than I realized to have them at hand.” He dismissed the requests about giving coins to the Scabs and continued down the cobbled path, looking at the empty streets and torn buildings. “Why don’t the Scabs do something about this place? I mean, they should be able to think up some entrepreneurial stuff that could make them some money, right?”

Ava shrugged. “I don’t think it’s in their programming. There has to be a lowest point, and this is it.”

“At least they could try to give the buildings a bit of repair,” Leon said. “Do you know if they have?”

“Nope. But I’ve only been here a little more than a year, and they aren’t very talkative when you don’t have something that they want.”

Leon nodded and then started jogging, and Ava followed suit. They passed row after row of ruined buildings leading into streets holding the same, like someone had decided it wasn’t worth making the place’s layout diverse. The place was so monotone, it would bore Leon out of his mind if he ever got branded with the Scab title, and he’d wondered on and off what Ava had done during the months she’d been here.

He had tried talking about it, but anything even remotely private had slipped away into a more superficial conversation, no matter if the private thing was sensitive or not. Luckily, he’d known Ava for long enough to be a decent judge of her character, and though she’d seemed to be pitiful at first, a strong but insecure woman lived inside, with set ideas and aspirations.

Though he’d noticed this, he had a hard time figuring out which of her emotions were real, and which were overplayed. She seemed upfront enough, but the only things he knew about her background and actual feelings were the ones that came out when she felt powerful emotions.

“Hey, you’re going too far!” Ava said.

Leon slowed his steps and looked over his shoulder. Ava stood by the ill-fitting building that would lead them to the tower and pointed with a thumb at the board outside.

“Sorry.” Leon jogged back to her and pressed his hand against it. The same text as before showed up and asked him if he was ready to enter the first level, but there was no new information. He said no to the question and exited the board. “Nothing.”

“So, what do you think we should do? Question the guards?”

Leon nodded. “That was my next thought.”

They walked away, and a hooded figure rose from where he’d sat, close to the wall. He staggered toward them. “Do you want to scale the tower?”

Leon looked at Ava, and she stepped forward as the man stumbled, catching his black jute-clad shoulders.

“Sir, are you okay?” She grasped his hands.

“I will be,” he said. “If I get a drink.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have that,” Ava said, tilting her head to look under the hood. “I can heal you?”

The man shook his head and flipped up the fabric that shielded his face. A scar ran down his jawline and long, ruffled blond hair lay thick over his scalp and partway over his eyes. “Give me a drink, and I’ll tell you what I know.”

Leon and Ava looked at each other.

“Um… are you a player or an NPC?” Leon asked.

“Give me a drink, and I’ll throw that information in for free.”

“Where could one get that?”

The man licked his lips and scratched at the few hairs on his chin. “Market. In five days. There’s this woman with a blue cart that sells just the stuff.”

Leon pulled Ava to the side. “What do you think?”

She bit her lip and glanced at the rugged man. “I don’t know. But any information would be useful, I suppose.”

“So we say yes?”

Ava nodded.

“What type of information can you get us?” Leon asked, crossing his arms. “No one has been able to tell us much, except that it is tough to beat.”

“Ah, yes,” the man wiggled a finger at them. “That’s because the information is locked. Hidden away, for ulterior motives.” He shrugged. “There’s only so much I can give, but give I shall, if you pay the right price. Which, I have to admit, is pretty low for what I offer.”

“Where can we meet you when we’ve got it? Here?”

The man pointed to the alley. “You will find me in the last building down this road. Bring me the bottle, then we can talk.”

Leon nodded. “Then, six days from now, you’ll be there? I don’t want to get into the Slums during the night.”

“Of course.” The man pulled up the hood and ambled back to his place by the side of the building, where he sank down.

Leon got a pop-up for a personal quest, which he accepted. Then Ava and he continued.

“That was weird,” Ava said, looking over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Leon said. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen him on my runs, but then again, if he’s been living in a building outside the main street, that kind of makes sense. But do you really think bringing something there will be a good thing? I mean, even Margaret couldn’t tell us more.”

“I know. But what other choices do we have? It’s worth a shot.”

They walked in silence, and soon came up to the stone arch that would lead to the plaza where the market would come up.

Leon had visited it once since the first time he’d come upon it, just to try the burger. Whatever the merchant had said, the burger had tasted nothing like the ones he’d had before, and he would probably not jump at the chance of getting another one.

They stopped by the guards, and Leon stepped up to one of the blue-clad figures.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?”

The guard scratched his hand over his neck. “I guess. Where are your weapons today? Have you given up your fool’s errand?”

“Not really, just can’t anymore. I won’t stop running, though,” Leon said with a smile. “I actually got a point in agility from it as well, so it wasn’t for nothing.”

The guard opened up the front of the helmet, revealing a short brown beard and a face that looked younger than he’d expected from the voice. “You’re joking.”

“Nope. But now it’s time to head into the first floor of the tower. Have you been there?”

The guard shook his head. “I have barely been out of the city since I got revived three years ago. Haven’t even slayed more than the tutorial monster, so I don’t think I’ll step a foot in there if I can help it.”

“Do you know anyone who could tell us more?”

The guard shrugged. “Not really. There’s talk in the guard’s house about it once in a while, but the information they have is very limited. The NPCs can’t talk about it, and the players who have gone through with it can’t say more than how different the difficulty was for them. Some experience that it’s easy, almost as easy as the tutorial, while others barely made it out alive and even watched their party members die.”

“That’s what we’ve heard too—that the first level is hard. Do you know what made it difficult? Too many monsters, or traps, or something else?”

“They don’t know. Or rather, they can’t say.”

“Memory wipe?”

“They literally can’t say, or something horrible happens to them. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard.”

Leon thought back to the conversation he’d had with Yung before he came to the world. He’d said the first level was tough, but little else. “Do you know anywhere where we could get more information?”

The guard shook his head and pulled down the visor again. “If I had that knowledge, I’d try to figure it out myself, but I don’t. As I said, everyone’s experiences differ, so you’ll just have to chance it. From what I understand, the last part of the level is the hardest one to face. But from the questions I’ve asked, people aren’t keen to talk about that part. They say something lofty and leave it be, probably to make sure the penalty won’t hit them.”

“Like what?”

“Something like… like… oh, I don’t know. Remembering is the hardest part, how little their existence matters. Gloomy stuff like that.”

“So, nothing about how to survive?”

The guard sighed. “Look, what I’m telling you has circulated through the guard’s house for longer than I’ve been here. If there was any more information, I’d gladly share it, but there isn’t.”

“Thanks for your time.”

The guard nodded. “If you make it through, feel free to fill the blanks in my knowledge.”

“Will do.” Leon turned and continued down the street, but Ava grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.

“I don’t like this. What if the level is super hard? He said he knew people who knew people who died.”

“I know,” Leon said. He turned to her. “Never think I’ll force you to complete the first level. If you want to back out, that’s fine. I won’t hold a grudge.”

Her ears reddened, and she looked at the cobbled street. “I still want to climb.”

“You can change your mind.”

Ava didn’t dignify him with an answer, but trotted on. This time, she was the one who picked up the speed first.

Leon followed her and thought about the doll in his backpack. He hadn’t seen the girl, but he’d keep an eye out for her all the same.

As they entered the plaza outside Margaret’s inn, the merchants were busy setting up their stalls. Leon looked at the time and smiled.

“Let’s head into Hert’s shop,” Leon said, and turned toward the building. Ava slowed and jogged with him to the door.

She reached out a hand to open it, then frowned. “It says I don’t have the qualifications to enter.”

“Oh, yeah. I wonder why he has that. I had to complete a quest with him to get access, so I guess that’s why.”

“But I was in his party! I went to the cave and everything like that.” Ava pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

“I’ll talk to him about it, if you want me to.”

She turned away. “No. I don’t need it.”

“You sure?”

“Stop asking if I’m sure. If I say it, I mean it.”

Leon raised his eyebrows, but didn’t comment. Instead, he turned the handle. “See you in a bit, then.”

Leon pushed open the door and stepped inside. Heat caressed his face, and a smell of iron and burning coal wafted from the back of the store. Hert was nowhere to be seen, but his shop was quite a sight. Leon turned to face the outer wall.

The inside of the building was built with horizontal logs, upon which row after row of metal hooks sat hammered. They were of different sizes, sure, but they were all hooks, with a flat end on the top and a blunt edge on the bottom. The smallest ones would be fit to hang jewelry or other lightweight stuff, and the size of the larger ones made Leon guess they were used for hanging meat. He touched one of them. It was rough to the touch.

“Hey,” Hert said.

Leon turned around to the L-shaped desk, behind which Hert stood, wiping his hands on an apron. “Are you going to badger me into entering the tower with you?”

“Um… that wasn’t my intent, no.” Leon glanced at the lit forge behind him. “I figured I’d come to you to look for a weapon.”

Hert chuckled. “Sorry, won’t find one here.”

“No, I got that. How did you end up as a hook maker?”

“Blacksmith, thank you.” Hert cleared his throat. “Okay, the skill is called Hooker, but it’s in the Blacksmith skill tree, and not something I’d like to brag about, for multiple reasons.”

Leon quenched his laugh through coughing, but he couldn’t stop the trembling in his body, no matter how hard he dug his fingernails into his palms. Whoever created this game had a somewhat distasteful sense of humor.

Once he’d stopped shaking, he cleared his throat and said, “So you want the stone to make some kind of new hook?”

Hert opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then he scratched at his bald head. “Well… no. I’m trying to develop a new skill. Not going great, I have to admit.”

“What is it you want to do?”

Hert’s face flushed red. “Never mind that. I don’t have what you seek, anyway. Go to the general store. He has weapons.”

“You know, you could expand into making grappling hooks or something like it.” It could benefit him if he wanted to continue his business, especially since Ai had said more people were expected to arrive. Rangers could probably make use of those.

Hert’s redness turned darker, and he mumbled something, then waved a hand toward the door. “So there. Then you don’t have to ask again. If you don’t mind, I need to get back to work.”

“I didn’t hear—” Leon stopped as Hert turned his back to him and disappeared into an area beyond a large anvil. Okay, then. Whatever.

Leon went outside and found Ava discussing something with the crafting merchant and helping him put some of his wares up in his stall. Leon approached them and Ava looked up, stroking a strand of red hair from her face.

“Did you get a weapon?”

“I’ll have to go to the general store in the Slums. What are you up to?”

“He didn’t want to help you? That’s so typical,” Ava said, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. “Can’t trust him with anything.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. He just doesn’t smith weapons.”

Ava raised her eyebrows. “So what is he doing?”

Leon thought of Hert’s red face, and that he had requirements to enter his shop. “Something else.”

“Best prices on the market,” the merchant said and patted an empty hook on his stall. “Ain’t looking nice, but they’re functional.”

“He makes… hooks? Does he design other stuff as well? Like chandeliers, or—”

“Hooks are good for any sort of business or household,” the merchant said and lifted a box. He tipped the contents out on the table and started pulling sticky wolf's eyes from small vials carrying something that looked like sand, placing them side by side.

Ava grimaced at the sight. “Could you tell Leon what you just told me?”

“Oh, it’s nothin’, really.” He scratched his cheek. “Just said that you might wanna pack up n’ stuff before you head in there. Most peeps usually take a while to get through.”

“What do you mean when you say pack up? That it will take hours to get through, or days?”

The merchant shrugged. “Some take hours, some take days. You might wanna look into buyin’ some camps.”

“Camps?”

The merchant waved him aside as an older woman in a shawl walked up to look at the goods spread out over the table. “Go to the general store and ask him.”

Ava pulled Leon to the side as they walked past the crafting fountain. “What do you think?”

“About the time it takes?” Leon sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. It probably has to do with the difficulty you’re dealt, so we should try to prepare for the worst.”

“Yeah…” Ava stared down the street, her eyes vacant.

“If you took a shot at guessing what we’ll meet on the first floor, what would it be?”

Ava tapped her lip. “I don’t know. But fighting must be necessary if people are dying in there.”

“That’s what I think too. But something I’d really love to know is what determines whether you get an easy pass or not. I mean, we’ve gained levels, so whatever shows up, we should be able to handle it. Except for items, we’ve prepared the best we can.”

Ava made a fist. “Yes. We have. It’s going to go great. We also have some luck, so maybe that plays into it.”

“Not without Hert,” Leon pointed out. “We aren’t in a party anymore, so that boon is gone.”

Ava looked at her walking feet. “Oh. Yeah.”

Leon stepped up the wooden porch to the general goods store and Ava looked up at the sign with the scale.

“I hope he’ll be fair,” she said. “He didn’t really give much for my items before.”

“You’ve been in here?” Leon asked, holding open the door.

“On occasion.”

They went inside. Nothing had changed since the first time he was here. The same table in the middle with a huge pileup with an assortment of different things, piles of armor and weapons lining the walls, and the rat-faced shopkeeper standing behind his counter at the end of the room. He’d either not changed the dress shirt from that time, or just happened to have it on again.

“Welcome to my humble store,” he said, wringing his hands. “What can I help you with today?”

“Weapons,” Leon said and stepped up to the man. “And some other stuff.”

The merchant looked over Leon’s shoulder. “Ah, a familiar face. Did you come to purchase your staff?”

Ava’s face reddened, and she took a step to stand behind Leon. “No.”

“Hmph.” The merchant drew over his thinning hair with deft fingers. “So, you want to purchase a weapon. What’s your class?”

Leon didn’t believe he’d forgotten about him, since there weren’t many new adventurers coming to town, but decided it didn’t really matter. “We aim to climb the tower, so we’re looking for a weapon for me, Warrior class, a staff for a Cleric, and other items that might help us complete the first floor. Oh, and I’d love to have a look at holding items.”

“Hmm, yes. I believe I have something to suit your needs.”

A box popped up.

‘Loading Warrior class and general items + Cleric’s staffs + holding items’

“You didn’t get that dress here, did you, sweetie?” the man said, leaning an arm on the counter while trying to catch Ava’s gaze. If the man had whiskers, he would have stroked them. “I could have made you a deal for something prettier.”

Ava took on an expression that reminded Leon of a hissing cat.

Finally, the box showed.

‘Long Sword, 67% - 279 coins

Short Sword, 50% - 159 coins

Fearsome Dagger, 30% - 199 coins’

He scrolled down and found a wooden sword for 129 coins. He was almost tempted to buy it. After some more scrolling, the long sword might be the best choice, since most of the weapons that came up after the first ones barely had any durability left, but that wouldn’t leave much for anything else.

But before he made up his mind, he scanned the side of the box, where there were four tabs. The first one was Warrior items, the second one took him to a page with potions and other consumables, the third one showed holding items, and the fourth held staffs for Clerics.

‘Staff of Tutorial, 100% - 339 coins

Staff of Tutorial, 83% - 279 coins

Staff of Blessing 1% - 10 459 coins’

That was the full list.

“What’s the last staff?” Leon asked.

“A staff for a level 65 Cleric or higher. Not that I’ve ever met one.”

Leon turned to Ava. “What did he give you for your staff? And do you know how much you used it?”

The rat-faced man suddenly stretched out a hand. “That’s confiden—”

“I barely used it, and he gave me fifty coins,” Ava quipped.

Leon raised an eyebrow at the merchant. “Market prices, huh?”

He took a quick look at the tab with consumables. Also very expensive. One of those camp items the merchant talked about was 139 coins. Then he shifted to the holding items. The one cheapest one with the four slots cost 600 coins.

There was no way he’d be able to purchase a staff, a sword, and something else. Heck, even the 80% durability staff together with the sword went over his budget.

“Ava, let’s leave. I know this is the most common place for new players, but like how I found our clothes at a tailor’s store, we should be able to find the rest elsewhere.”

The man licked his lips and wrung his hands faster. “Wait! Maybe… maybe I can give you a discount? Didn’t that dagger serve you well, mister?”

Leon only raised an eyebrow.

“Well… I… I’ll see what I can do.” The shopkeeper closed his eyes for a few seconds. He gave them a broad smile. “There. Now, have a look.”

‘Long Sword, 67% - 229 coins

Short Sword, 50% - 119 coins

Fearsome Dagger, 30% - 179 coins’

Leon opened the pages with staffs.

‘Staff of Tutorial, 100% - 289 coins

Staff of Tutorial, 83% - 229 coins

Staff of Blessing 1% - 9 999 coins’

Leon quipped his lips to the side, trying to not look pleased with the change. So haggling was also a thing?

“Nah, I still think we can find better prices elsewhere. I saw this shop near the plaza with the night market. We might drop in there, and see if they’re more forthcoming. Maybe they have some wider options, too.”

Ava nodded and turned on her heel.

“Wait!” The shopkeeper licked his lips and closed his eyes again. “There!”

Leon glanced at the prices. They’d gone down with ten coins each. “Come on. You can do better, right?”

“You’re bleeding me dry,” he whined as he closed his eyes a third time.

*******

“I can’t believe it!” Ava said, catching up with Leon. In her hand was a simple straight wooden staff with a clam-sized pearl embedded at the top, reaching from Ava’s knee to her shoulder.

“I can barely believe it myself,” Leon said, scratching the back of his neck. His heart still thumped uncomfortably loud.

“How much did you spend? Not all of it, right?” She clutched the staff as tight to her chest as she’d done with Leon when he’d handed it to her, and her eyes shone.

“No, of 527, I have 28 coins left.”

Ava squealed. “Oh, it was so nice to see that rat bastard sweat. I honestly thought he’d kick us out or something.”

“Maybe he would have, but considering his beginning prices, what he gave for your staff, and what I paid for my dagger before, he couldn’t deny that he had fooled us both before. Big time.”

Ava skipped past him. “Do you think you’ll get a skill?”

“For haggling? No. Unless others are doing the same to their wares. I really hope not, because my brain feels fried.” He shook his head. “Too bad the holding items didn’t change in price.”

“Doesn’t matter; I got my staff back, and you seemed to enjoy putting him in his place!” She threw him a smile and skipped down the road.

Ava continued ahead while Leon opened up the inventory. Except for the staff, he had bought the long sword and the short sword, and two camps. Even though he would have liked to save more coins in his balance, he wasn’t sure if the shopkeeper would save the low prices for next time, or if he’d have to haggle again. But he’d still paid 159 coins for a staff the shopkeeper had bought for 50, which stung a bit, since the rat-faced man still made quite a decent profit from it. Leon doubted the man even paid rent, which was something he himself had to do.

The camp gave the people inside a safe night where they could rest, but it was only usable once. Still, it would probably be worth it. He looked at the swords. The short sword would give him +4 in strength, and the long sword would give +6. It would be interesting to see how that played out in battle, now that he’d increased his strength as well.

Leon thought about the behemoth wolf. He never wanted to see one like it again, but he also needed money for his room, and for the drink he’d promised to buy for the man in the hood, whatever price the woman took for a bottle. He also wanted a health potion or five, and maybe the wooden sword, in case the swords he bought broke. There were five days until the market, and maybe a week in total before they’d enter the tower. Leon blew out a breath through pursed lips. His fingers twitched by his side.

“I’m going to hunt,” Leon said, stopping.

Ava paused, hanging with an arm around The Drowned Goblin’s doorpost. “Weren’t you going to take a break?”

Leon scratched his neck. “I guess I just need to clear my head a little. You’re starting your shift soon, aren’t you?”

Ava nodded. “Well… alright, then.”

Leon turned to make his way through the south gate. It was a good thing Ava didn’t think about stuff like lodgings and food, because he could just imagine how she would react—she’d probably return the staff, even though she’d earned it.

*******

Leon took down the fifth wolf as the sky began to darken. He pocketed the items and coins, then put the sword in his inventory.

He had been hit more than a few times and his health had gone down to double digits, since it was decisively harder to swing the long sword than the short sword or dagger, but at least the strength had made his work easier. Leon looked at his fatigue. It was only at 34%, but that was still a lot for so few wolves and stronger strikes, even if the wolves had been a little below his own level. Maybe it took more per strike because the weapon was heavier?

He looked at his account balance. From the wolves, he’d earned about 59 coins, totaling 87, which would be enough for five nights and two meals a day at Margaret’s inn, but only leave him with 17 coins for anything else. He scratched his head. No matter what he did, it didn’t seem like he’d ever be able to create some sort of savings for when he’d really need it.

In order to buy health potions, he’d need to spend more time in the woods tomorrow, too. As long as he kept Pura within a safe distance, it would be okay. There, he could run and hide, if he so wished.

Leon looked at the saplings that had sprung up from the trees. Even though they gave little else than the worthless skills, they had helped him gain a bit more steadiness with his sword. Not completely wasted. Or at least, that was what he wanted to believe. Steadiness from trees, and skill from fighting wolves.

He wondered how much these kills gave him, now that he didn’t share the experience with a party anymore. Leon opened up his status page and blinked at the change.

The higher the level, the more experience and coins they gave. The five wolves had made his percentage toward level 7 rise by eight percent. If he wasn’t careful, he might be in the same situation as Hert soon. For Leon, it didn’t matter; he would venture into the tower soon, anyway. He just had to be careful, so he didn’t overstep the level before he got inside. For Hert, though… Hert was right. The recent experience boost had essentially bound him to the city.

Something fluttered by his ear, and a silver butterfly landed on his shoulder.

Leon’s heart took a leap, and he stared at it with wide eyes. Then he sprinted toward the road leading to Pura, as fast as his legs would carry him. If Ai came with another one of those monsters now, he was done for. Either by leveling up, or by the beast killing him.

As he approached the arch into the city, he looked over his shoulder. A comet of silver butterflies stormed toward him, and he picked up the speed, keeping it until he reached the arch leading out from the Slums, not daring to pause. The guards chuckled as he ran past them, and Leon slowed. He spun around. The swarm had gone. He stopped and leaned his hands on his knees, breathing hard.

“How’s your run today?” one guard asked. “Heard you actually went and did it.”

“Did what?” Leon gasped, still staring down the road. The only thing there was a group of Scabs.

“Got a point. Now there’s a list in the guard’s house, a sign-up for running exercises each day.” The guard tapped his helmet. “Smart thing you didn’t give up. If you want to join, they’re going at six in the morning, starting tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

The guard shrugged. “Just in case you want company.”

“Thanks.” Leon furrowed his brow and raised a hand in goodbye before he turned around and jogged to the inn.

He just couldn’t rid himself of the feeling of being watched from above, even though he saw nothing there. He pulled the door open and stood with his back pressed against the wall, listening for pursuers.

“Leon! Are you okay?” Margaret trotted up to him. She’d bound a handkerchief around her short blond locks. “You look like you’ve had a fright.”

“I’m…” he swallowed. “I’m fine.”

Margaret stood still, watching him. At last, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, have it your way, then. But if you bring Ava into trouble…”

“I know. It’s not that.” Leon took a deep breath. Silly to worry now. He was safe at the inn. “Has Ava told you that we’re heading into the first level?”

Margaret nodded, and her brows knitted together. “I really wish she wouldn’t. She’s not strong enough. She’ll break.”

“I’ve promised to protect her,” Leon said and plastered on a smile.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” She shook her head. “I need to get back to work.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Margaret disappeared into the kitchen. Why couldn’t people just talk about the first floor? It made no sense. Why the secrecy? Leon sighed and continued toward the stairs. He’d sell the five wolf fangs tomorrow, and from those, he’d get fifteen coins. It would have to be enough for the drink he’d promised to buy, even though he wouldn’t be able to buy health potions. One of those, with the reduced prices, was 29 coins. He could buy some if he slew more wolves, but now Ai had an eye on him. Would it be worth the risk?

He used the sink to wash himself off and continued to his room. When he opened the door, he froze. Ai, in her white dress, sat in the window frame with crossed legs, staring at Troublemaker, who’d hid beside the storage chest.

“You really shouldn’t run from those who want to give you gifts, you know.” Ai said as Leon approached.

He’d considered leaving for a split second, but he couldn’t leave Troublemaker with her. “When they come bearing gifts that could kill you, I’d rather not have them.”

“So you don’t want to know more about the first floor? That’s a shame. It’s information you’ve wanted for a long time.”

Leon bit his cheek and stalked forward to pick up Troublemaker. The small being trembled as in his arms.

“Nice rabbit, by the way. There’s a pot in the office for what will happen when it grows up. I bet on stew. It’s very nutritious, you know.”

“I’m not making Troublemaker into stew. I planned on releasing it into the wild once it’s grown up.”

“Oh, what a noble soul you are.”

“So, I suppose you don’t know what the corrupted status will do to it?”

“Told you, I’m mid-tier. Not even qualified as middle management, in some regards. Besides, what fun would betting be if you knew what was going to happen?” She tapped her cheek. “It’s rare that something new happens here. But not only did you discover the Kavanask dungeon, which has never happened so early in someone’s progress; you managed to corrupt a rabbit, and then you even got old gatekeeper Prelock to come out. He’s been locked inside that dungeon since it was created.”

“Wasn’t Prelock the dungeon keeper?”

“Wishful thinking on his part.” Ai sighed. “I approached you in the forest to give you a gift of information. The gift I promised for defeating my darling wolf. Do you want it, or are you going to keep blabbing?”

Leon held back a snort. “Are there any consequences of getting the information?”

“Depends on what you deduct from it.” Ai tapped with her heels on the wall. “So, do you want it?”

Leon gave a curt nod.

Ai clapped her hands and grinned. “Wonderful. My gift to you is this; the first floor is easier the earlier you head inside.”

“What does that mean?” Leon asked with a sinking heart. If she told the truth, time played into the matter. He’d been here for more than a month, Ava over a year, and Hert, if he decided to come, two years.

“Just what I said.” She tapped her head with a finger. “Just to keep you on your toes.”

She folded her legs and turned on the frame as if she was about to jump out. “And make stew of the little critter, okay? I’d really love to get the winnings, and the office is just full of discussions and different expectations. Make it easy.” Then she jumped out. A second later, a swarm of butterflies stormed over the sky, toward the tutorial forest.