Chapter 23

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"Menu."

Selected Name: John

Username: [Locked]

Global Chat Access ->

[Restricted]

Full Menu Access: ->

[Restricted]

Total Days in Trial:

[85 Days]

Floors Completed: [2]

Current Floor: [3]

Unspent Attribute Points: [0]

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[Global Chat: 22,752 Total Selected Currently Active] [Round 53] - Started

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[RunnerGunner – Floor 44:]

All new arrivals appearing with the start of the 53rd Round, please read the following immediately:

1) This is very real. It is not your mind playing tricks on you. Please know that if you are injured, those injuries will remain until you make it to the next floor or recover naturally. If you die, you will not “come back.” You will be dead.

2) If you manage to clear a floor, injuries and damage received while on the previous floor will be healed. You will also be rewarded by an increase in Attributes depending on your performance while clearing the floor.

3) Each Floor is progressively more difficult than the Floor before it. Floor 1 is the introduction Floor and has not been reported to have monsters. It is recommended you spend as much time as you feel possible improving yourself on this Floor before advancing. As Floor layouts and content can vary considerably between Selected, providing specific advice is difficult beyond Floor 1. At a minimum, know that each Floor will provide you with a specific challenge that must be accomplished in order to clear it. Going above and beyond can provide additional rewards.

4) On the 20th Floor, you will be provided the option to return to Earth instead of continuing to the next Floor. If you choose to do this, you will be removed from the Trial with all weapons, status attributes, Skills, and Spells you have gained while within the Trial, intact. You will not be able to return.

5) Almost all Floors past Floor 1 will present the possibility of combat. For the sake of your survival, I strongly advise increasing your Attributes by any means possible. Finding a method to protect and defend yourself is needed. Exercise and training are highly recommended for increasing Strength. Gaining a Class is also advised, if possible. The conditions for these will vary, but know that the Trial rewards hard work.

6) Your ability to post in a Global or private Chat will only unlock after reaching the 10th “Communal” Floor. Any username chosen will be locked in place, so please don’t pick a stupid one like I did.

7) Above all: Do not panic. Understand that whatever limits you once had no longer exist. We will overcome this.

"Ping."

[RunnerGunner – Floor 44:]

Warning:

As the highest ranked [Selected] I am allowed to post globally to all participants. Please know that if you make it to the tenth floor or further, violence or harm to other Selected individuals on the Communal Floors will not be tolerated. The Trial System will mark you should such an event occur, and we will be certain to act swiftly upon recognizing it.

I repeat: abuse of other [Selected] will not be permitted.

"Ping."

[RunnerGunner – Floor 44:]

For all Selected who are willing to continue beyond the 20th Floor:

As expected, the Floor difficulty is continuing to increase. After private discussions with many others, I would like to publically confirm the following information and prevent any confusion in the case that I die.

The 40th floor is a "Communal" Floor. This is matching the pattern of the 10th, 20th, and 30th Floors.

In addition to this, the 40th Floor also provides the option to exit the [Trial] and return to Earth. This choice is an alternative to proceeding to the 41st floor, and it appears to give further weight to the theory that the 60th, and 80th, and 100th Floor, will offer the option to return as well.

"Huh." I chewed on a piece of dried meat, as I read through the flurry of messages, skimming the words for anything unusual. The original broadcasts from RunnerGunner were mostly the same as they always were, and the following message was... Well, probably interesting? "Long ways off, that."

The concept of getting all the way up to those Floors seemed almost entirely out of reach. Just getting to the 10th Floor was going to be a brutal accomplishment for me. And getting all the way to the 40th... as I was? I couldn't even fathom what it meant, really. That kind of thing was just crazy. Rereading one more time, I made sure I hadn't missed anything important. There didn't seem to be much I hadn't already read.

I was getting used to seeing messages from RunnerGunner. They came like clockwork, right around the start of every new round. They hadn't missed one yet. In truth, the broadcasts were one of the few consistent things I felt I could rely on, as I continued to survive on the Floors. So, whatever RunnerGunner was up against, I wished them the best.

44th Floor, though... that was just wild.

Washing down my crude breakfast with a swig from a water pouch, I rose from the stump I'd been sitting, I focused on my breathing. The lingering traces of the Miracle in the blood was fading away to nothing, but I had learned some tricks to make it last. And besides, there was nothing better to do but try and multitask, as I still had to continue my early morning search for "Tolloc Herbs" in the patches of grassland directly outside the town walls.

It was a surprisingly simple quest, but there were some tricks to it. Searching while the sun was high, I had found that these plants were remarkably difficult to spot. Yet, early morning and evening, they had a faint glow that stood out a bit from the other green things that littered the ground. Which meant that if I wanted to complete the quest in a reasonable time, I had to get up early, and stay up late.

Oh, the horror.

[Lesser Analysis] [Tolloc Herb] - [A plant known for use as an ingredient in potions]

Ah, I was starting to hate Lesser Analysis a little bit less. And there was a second one- and a third! I let out a silent cheer.

Finally!

[Lesser Analysis-

Mentally, I pushed the notification away as I plucked both by the roots, and headed back to town to finally turn in my first quest. What a pain that had been. I was hopeful the reward would be enough to buy myself something more interesting to eat than travel-jerky, but I felt assured in the fact that there hadn't really been a catch. This E-Ranked quest had really been truthful for what it was. All I really had to do was pick a few plants. Nothing bad had happened. No sudden surprises had occured. And If I wanted to, I could just keep repeating it.

It was solidifying my belief that the temptation to breeze on through and clear the Floor was probably the trap, here. This was just too easy.

Walking past an open gate that lead to Greywalk, I raised an eyebrow at a snoozing guard, earning a few cheeky grins from his fellows. Then, I carried myself down the main street, returning nods and greetings as I passed the many people who were starting their days.

It was all the same as it had been the day before.

The whole town had a very relaxed and friendly feeling. Small market stalls and blankets with goods were being laid out near the Guild's hall and tavern. Some shops were starting to make noise, as the smiths began to fire up and merchants were unlocking their doors to open shop. Other Adventurers were wandering in, or out, of town. Trying to pick out whatever they needed before they set off. And yet, it seemed as as if anything super important, could take its time. People might be starting their day as the sun was rising, but no one seemed to be sprinting off anywhere.

As I perused the shops that were opening, meandering my way towards the Guild, I wondered at just how odd this Floor was.

Maybe, it was just a context thing. I could see my mind playing tricks on me, and making an unfair comparison, based on the fact I'd chosen a strange direction on the previous Floor. Anything following demons wiping out mankind... well, that was probably going to seem a bit off. And yet, at the same time: I couldn't help but wonder at just how perfect everything seemed.

It wasn't as though things were perfectly safe, here on the third Floor. But when compared to a world-ending threat, all of this just seemed... ordinary. In an almost uncomfortable sort of way. I knew there were monsters, somewhere, probably. If the quests on the walls of the Guild buildings were any indication, leaving town and heading out into the wilds would be eventful. I'd seen skulls on the wall in the tavern, and some of the Adventurers were rocking brutal looking scars. If that sort of trouble was what I was looking for, I knew I could find it. But, as things seemed to stand: trouble wasn't going to be looking for me on its own.

Which was nice.

As I entered the Guild Hall, I eyed a few of those higher-ranked quests. Several jumped out at me, simply because they looked like they paid well.

D - Rank Quest: Collect 10 Iron Deer Hides

Kill 10 Iron Deer and return with materials.

Reward: 5-10 Silver, depending on condition.

D - Rank Quest: Gather 3lbs of Song Stalk

Harvest 3lbs of Song Stalk

Reward: 10 Silver.

C - Rank Quest: Harvest Drake Scales

Retrieve Drake Skin and Scales.

Reward: 1 Gold for each Drake slain.

There were pictures, and basic symbols that seemed quite similar to my understanding of roman numerals, followed by another symbol designating the currency. Lesser Analysis helped quite a bit in puzzling that out, as the list went on and on, each marked with a description and Guild-rating for difficulty. The more difficult the quest, the greater the reward.

Still, I felt a surprising lack of pressure to try and take any of these on. Currently, I wasn't really monster-hunting material. Just eyeballing some of the weapons being carried by the Adventurers who were present, I knew some of what was posted on the board was way out of my league. Maybe I could day-dream a little, but I couldn't get caught up in the life here.

Besides, slowed down by the Miracle or not, my body was still on the clock, and wasting ages trying to learn how to best track down, hunt, and skin a monster-deer, was probably not going to be the best use of my time. I'd looked around for healers or priests, and I'd come up with little. The best I found were some shrines where people could pray. Simple little things, with candles and a few carved symbols, they were unfamiliar and unattended. No matter where I looked or who I asked, the floor seemed to lack anyone capable of casting Miracles. So, sticking to the rough plan I'd made, my main priority was going to be taking care of my body and keeping up practice with healing and meditation. There had been very little that I'd seen, which seemed to try and convince me otherwise.

If I could improve my Strength, while improving some of my other Attributes by passively maintaining a good routine, I had already decided that I would consider this floor a victory. Dexterity could probably get a few extra points as well, if I opted to try and hunt something (or just waste a few afternoons doing nothing but target practice) and that was regardless of whether I cleared the Secondary Condition. Sure, the extra rewards for clearing the Secondary and potentially hidden conditions on this Floor were likely fantastic. The Free Attribute points from the first Floor had been amazing, but I didn't feel they were worth risking death over at this point.

As long as I could keep myself halfway healthy, I could do 19 out of 20 of the E-Rank Quests, then hold off on turning the last one in until I was ready to move to the next floor. That was the safe play, here.

"Already back?" The Guild Attendant cheerfully greeted me, as she took the small bundle of herbs I'd collected. "One, two, three..." She counted the stalks, before nodding and handing me a small pouch of coins. "Good work! I know there are more exciting quests out there, but potion ingredients like these are important to keep stocked. We'll take as many of these as you can bring back."

[Anna Blackthorn – Guild Attendant]

What a sale's pitch.

Her smile was almost blinding.

Quest Completed!

[Floor 3 - Minimum Clear Condition - Updated!]

[Complete 20 E-Rank Quests: 1/20]

"Of course, I'm happy to help. Here's hoping I can find some more soon." I replied, dismissing the menu screen and taking the coins.

From there, I headed back towards the shops.

Outside, more people were starting to mill about. Casual talks and conversations everywhere, just waiting for me to listen in. People trading or bartering, Adventurers talking about their next quest, or guards strolling along on patrols.

The interactions on this floor were quite particular, and I was only just beginning to wrap my head around them.

The people... well, they were people, but at the same time, they weren't quite normal? Each person I saw was very much of flesh and blood. I wasn't going to argue that much. From what I could tell: They ate, they drank, they slept, and they all went about their routines just like any normal person would. I had already observed the guards watching the gates, the Adventurers went out and completed quests, and the traders and merchants made their deals. I'd seen the wild celebrations at night, where ale and music flowed freely.

Normal stuff, and yet, there was something a little off about all of it.

It wasn't like each day I'd seen in town was exactly the same, or that each person was completely trapped in their routines. It was nothing even close to being that dramatic. It was just that the people here, so far as I could tell, were at least somewhat fixed in their roles.

The cute Guild Attendant was like that. Her interactions with me seemed somewhat locked in place. At some point, she would eventually switch shifts with a different Attendant, and I had to assume she went home, or shopped, or whatever it was people did when they didn't work. She would do all of these things, and in the same way, the jolly-looking Adventurer who liked to sit by the tavern, would also go through their routine in much the same way.

And yet-

"Hey there weed-picker! Care to join a hunt today?" The jolly adventurer shouted, waving as I passed him by. "It'll pay good!"

[Rol Steelbeard – C-Ranked Adventurer]

"Not today, friend! Maybe next time!" I shouted back, knowing full-well that the offer would still likely be on the table tomorrow. And the day after that... and so on, so forth. In fact, it would probably shouted exactly the same way, every single time.

Because that was what they were supposed to do.

It made me feel a bit like a cynic, as I hadn't even been here that long. And I probably wouldn't have noticed so quickly, if I hadn't decided to take things slowly and be the perfect blend of overly-cautious, and overly boring. But something was definitely up. The people here were stuck in what they could and couldn't do.

Especially if I asked anyone about the [Trial] or the Floors.

Without Charisma to tell me it was a horrible idea, I'd already tried that a few times. Mostly when bartering a bit with some of the traders for something to eat. What I had found was that asking anything about those subjects, and they would act as if they couldn't even hear me. They might shrug, or ask me to repeat my question. Which was understandable to a point, but if I kept bringing it up, their eyes would get a funny, glazed-over, look, and they'd stare off until I stopped asking.

So... that was something.

It seemed pretty clear that when compared to the second Floor, the third Floor was far more controlled. If the second Floor had been something similar to a real world with an unfolding event, the third Floor felt more like a scenario. A huge set that was being played by people who had no idea they were stuck in a role.

The more I spoke with the people here, the more I felt unnerved by the whole thing. Honestly, if I thought about the concept too much, it felt really creepy. These poor people were completely stuck.

Maybe, I could find a way to have some sort of deeper interaction with someone here, but I doubted it. Not one person I'd met on the third Floor had seemed to be half as genuine in their reactions as the Priest had been. They all seemed as if they were stuck in a bit of a loop, where I was the only real deciding variable. I could push the "story" of this Floor in whatever direction was available for me to push, but without my own choices specifically pointing things in a particular direction, there was a lot less variation to be had.

This was something I'd already decided to try and test. Creepy as it was, if I was going to be certain about anything in regards to the logic holding this Floor together, I knew I should try and push the limits of it. For all I knew, doing so might give me hints or information that would be of value on the next Floor.

Time would tell.

In the meantime though, I had herbs to pick, and Attributes to grind.