Chapter 26

...

[Floor 3 – Day 24]

[Total Days in Trial: 106]

[Status]

Name: John

Attributes

Class: Disciple – Skills: 4/7

Titles:

Perks:

Strength:

15

-

Lesser Analysis

Dexterity:

15

Archery 14

Constitution:

23

Resist Poison 22

Intelligence:

10

-

Wisdom:

15 [+2]

Meditation 12

Lesser Heal 11 - (Miracle)

Wise man of the Mountains

Charisma:

11 [+0]

-

Ambitious [INACTIVE]

[Floor 3 - Minimum Clear Condition]

[Complete 20 E-Rank Quests: 19/20]

[Floor 3 – Secondary Conditions:] [Complete 10 D-Rank Quests: 5/10]

The morning was much like any other morning on the 3rd Floor. Only, this one was dragging on as I continued my traditional early-hour Archery practice. I'd been in the habit of this, because taking shots at a target with lower light, was a lot more challenging for me. And if increasing Attributes and Skills required pushing myself harder, I was hoping to gain more from higher-difficulty practice in shorter periods of time, relative to longer practice sessions, with less difficulty.

But something was different this morning. As I waited, stopping at last to chew down the my breakfast of stale travel-jerky, and I settled into focus on the Miracle making that food worthwhile until it finally faded away completely, I found that my attention was drifting back. Over and over, looking for that familiar sign.

I kept expecting the usual, because it should have been here by now. Only, as I continued to wait: the usual didn't appear. And as the morning hours started to lean towards early afternoon, and I was forced to finally head back towards town: my concern continued to grow.

Mentally, I flicked through the messages I could access. Some screens still wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pressed at them, but what I was looking for had never been an issue before. I knew the problem wasn't because I couldn't access something. It was that what I was looking for, honestly wasn't there.

Only, it really should have been.

Selected Name: John

Username: [Locked]

Global Chat Access ->

[Restricted]

Full Menu Access: ->

[Restricted]

Total Days in Trial:

[106 Days]

Floors Completed: [2]

Current Floor: [3]

Unspent Attribute Points: [0]

->

[Global Chat: 22,984 Total Selected Currently Active] [Round 56] - Started

->

The new round had started, and with it came another 1,000 people. All of them were probably clueless as to what was happening, and were being dropped into the 1st Floor without much explanation. Yet, RunnerGunner's traditional introduction message for these new arrivals, was still missing. And it had been hours.

I knew that normally, the message would have sent out by now. While RunnerGunner's ability to send broadcast tended to vary a little, (probably depending on whatever Floor they happened to be on, and how quickly they could write everything out) the message had never been this late before. And I was really starting to get worried, when finally, the Menu sounded.

"Ping"

[Bubblyghost – Floor 40:]

To all new Selected of the 56th Round, please read the following.

1) This is very real. Death is final.

2) Non-fatal injuries can be fixed. If you clear a floor, all injuries and damage received while on the previous floor will be healed.

3) Each Floor is progressively more difficult than the Floor before it. The 1st Floor is not reported to have monsters. There is always food and water. Shelter can often be constructed. Please spend as much time as you feel possible improving yourself on this Floor before advancing. For an example: Strength can be increased with exercise.

4) On the 20th Floor, you will be provided the option to return to Earth instead of continuing to the next Floor. This is also true for the 40th Floor. It is assumed this pattern continues on Floor 60, 80, and 100. If you choose to return, you will be removed from the Trial with all your Attributes and abilities. You will not be able to return.

5) All Floors past the 1st Floor will have a high chance of combat. Sometimes, it can be avoided. Often, it cannot. Because of this, increasing your Attributes should be done when possible. Find a way protect and defend yourself. If possible, train yourself with a weapon. The Trial rewards hard work. So far as we are aware, there are always hidden objectives for each Floor. Clearing these can provide additional Attributes, Skills, or Titles.

6) Your ability to post in a Global or private Chat will unlock after reaching the 10th “Communal” Floor. Any username you pick will be locked in place and cannot be changed, so please don’t pick a silly one.

7) Do not panic. There are many brave men and women doing their best to clear this Trial. We are all in this together.

[Bubblyghost – Floor 40:]

Warning:

Understand that if you make it to the tenth Floor, threatening, harming, or abusing other Selected on the Communal Floors will not be tolerated. There is a system in place for those who break this rule.

[Bubblyghost – Floor 40:]

For those of you concerned, RunnerGunner is not dead. These messages were agreed upon in the case that RunnerGunner would be unable to send out the broadcast themselves. These messages were sent using a "Store" option here on the 40th Floor. While this comes at a significant cost, you have my pledge that those of us currently on the 40th Floor will do our best to continue this broadcast each round until RunnerGunner has cleared the 49th Floor and can resume sending.

It is our firm belief that providing information to all new Selected who have just entered the Trial is necessary. By doing so, we can prevent people from repeating the mistakes that cost so many people their lives when the Trial first began.

We will overcome this.

"... Oh." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Well... that's a relief."

I hadn't realized how worried I'd been for a second there. The username wasn't familiar, but as I read the final broadcast message, I let out a sigh of relief. Was I just being crazy, I wondered?

I didn't even know these people, but here I was, trapped in an anxious state all morning because I was seriously concerned about their well-being. To them, I was just one of 22,984 people currently stuck in the [Trial]. I could die, and they wouldn't even blink. But on the other hand: if they died, I was going to be pretty torn up about it.

I reread the message again.

It didn't tell me anything new, really. Not the initial broadcast itself, anways. The following messages had given me a little more insight into what was happening on the upper Floors, though. From what it seemed to me, the front-runners of those who had been Selected were mostly on the same page. In RunnerGunner's absence, they were making sure to carry the torch. Which, I took as a very good sign that morality was being upheld, even in light of the dangers everyone was facing... Of course, as I was still stuck on the lower Floors, I was out of the loop when it came to all sorts of things. Assumptions about people were mostly pointless, when the best I could do was make a wild guess or two based on limited information.

After clearing as many Floors as they had, I had to guess that losing anyone who had made it all the way to the 40th Floor or further, would be a huge loss. I honestly couldn't even imagine how difficult it was to make it that far, and I had my doubts just anyone could do it. But it wasn't something that would have a direct impact on me, saying it did happen.

People on the higher Floors could die, but that wasn't my business.

It was a little funny, though. My impression of this mysterious messenger remained a very one-sided affair. The fact was that RunnerGunner (and any of the others who were on the higher Floors) probably had no clue that I existed. At best, I was just a number. Finally letting go of the stress that had been holding me hostage all morning, I focused on the day ahead of me.

As it was, I'd already wasted too much time this morning worrying about things I couldn't change. As I wouldn't be able to communicate with anyone until I made it to the 10th Floor, I had to remind myself that stressing about what was happening to other people was a luxury, because I had my own stuff to deal with.

For example: There would likely be another Quest coming my way, and I needed to make sure I was ready. That meant restocking on arrows, water, food, and whatever else might be a benefit. Which would mean at least thirty minutes haggling with traders, and another thirty making sure that some new detail of the 3rd Floor hadn't snuck in under my nose.

Planning-wise, I was ahead of schedule, which was good. I'd finally made my arrangements to leave the 3rd Floor, and in my bag I had the final requirements for a 20th E-Ranked quest, all set and ready to go. My ability to spot random, specific-looking, plants, had become uncanny, even if the Menu didn't want to give me a Skill for it. I knew that now, if I wanted to leave, all I would need to do was walk into the Guild Hall and hand over a tied up bundle of Tolloc herbs. With this hard work completed, my exit was secured.

And yet, I was still finding excuses to stick around.

There were plenty of good reasons, I couldn't deny those. For the sake of improving my Attributes, and my Skills? Sure, sure... these were still important. Everything I could gain now, would continue to help me as I continued onto the next Floors, so I wasn't neglecting them, exactly. But neither of those were the real reason I wanted to stay.

It was these weird Quests.

Truth be told, I was getting caught up in the strangeness of the D-Ranked Quests. And now that I was knee-deep in the muck of these bizarre things, I really did not want to leave the Floor until I had seen everything through. Especially, now that I was positive that the story of the 3rd Floor was leading towards something big. It just had to be.

There was no way in hell, I was being run through a literal "Shaggy-Dog" story-line. Or if I was, I refused to believe it.

After my heroic (and cliche) effort to stand up in defense of the Guild Attendant, I soon found the story of these quests coming back at me like a boomerang. Because as soon as I walked into the Guild Hall the next morning to turn in more E-Ranked herb picking, Gulther Velresand (the Adventurer that I had slugged on the chin) had been there, waiting. As soon as he set eyes on me, I was confronted. As his shouting attracted more and more attention, this lead to another dramatic show-down. One, where I somehow managed to avoid an actual duel, and instead agreed to terms in which I would go about proving my worth as an Adventurer. Mostly, because I was nothing but a humble "E-Rank" who Gulther wished to humiliate in return for my actions the day before...

So, we soon set out to a nearby forest. With many witnesses confirming Steelbeard as a impartial observer, we had agreed that whoever could slay the largest Iron Deer, would be the victor. The other would have to agree to give up on Adventuring all together.

This had, of course, gone horribly wrong.

In my defense, I'd known that it would. This was half the reason I agreed to go hunting for Iron Deer in the first place, because clearly this whole situation was a set-up for something crazy. The Floor wasn't really trying to hide whatever narrative it was following, unless it was going to use this whole thing to throw a red herring at me.

I had personally hoped that this hunt would mean another "scene" where I might be able to earn a free Attribute point, but I didn't know what it would be. The obvious possible direction this could go, would be that Gulther was using this all as a way to try and attack me. After getting me out into the woods, he'd find a way to distract Steelbeard, and then I would need to fight him... or something. But, as I waited for that, the reality seemed to be going in the opposite direction. Gulther was an arrogant jerk, but he actually seemed pretty determined to hunt that stupid deer.

So, I started to suspect it had to be something else, and had been on the lookout for anything unusual...

... Which saved my life. Because in the middle of our hunt, just as I spotted an Iron Deer and was tempted to try and line up a shot at it: we were beset by a pair of hungry Orcs.

If I hadn't had my wits about me, I definitely would have gotten eaten.

A huge arm reached out, and I just barely managed to duck under an effort to grab me. Rolling away, I let loose the arrow I'd been preparing for an Iron Deer, and watched in morbid horror, as it barely sank an inch into the thick, leathery, skin, of a beastly looking monstrosity.

Imagine a Goblin, but with the size and relative proportions of a grizzly bear: Orcs are big. They're like really big, ten feet tall, arms twice as wide as my legs, stuffed into the general form of a humanoid. Complete with giant fangs, green skin, and blood-red eyes.

Thankfully, Steelbeard was still with us, and he tackled one of them. As he and the first Orc went rolling down a hill, I heard him cursing loud enough to send every Iron Deer in the forest running. Their epic battle, it seemed, would be taking place "off-screen." So, the other Orc, was up to me and my new-found "rival."

The fight was on, and it started on the backfoot.

I needed to dodge again, watching as a tree splintered, under a nasty swipe that had been meant to swat me down. I had time to shoot, but in close range, I didn't have time to make sure the arrows went exactly where I wanted them to go. The Orc was moving in wild lunges, making it hard to predict.

That's when Gulther jumped into the fray, and got a decent strike in. His blade impaled the beast's side, before the Orc twisted. The thick green skin and muscle rotated, and tore the weapon from his hands.

Wounded as it was, the Orc was momentarily distracted, as it roared in pain. Thrashing about, it stepped back, giving me a chance.

As luck would have it, I still had my own sword. So, I shouted warning and I quickly threw it towards Gulther.

As luck would also have it, though: even when faced with a high chance of being eaten alive, Gulther still hated my guts. And he didn't want want my help. Or my sword.

It turned out that the single extra point of Charisma I had, was critical. Using it, I was just barely able to come up with whatever corny line was needed to convince Gulther that we needed to work as a team: striking gold when I said that Anna the Guild Attendant was "going to cry if we didn't make it back."

Super-effective.

If I hadn't already experienced how Charisma worked, I'm not sure I actually would have been able to pull it off. Yet, with Gulther once again up in front with his shield and sword keeping the Orc some-what occupied, I managed to start shooting off arrows without fear the Orc was going to make another grab at me.

The battle was fierce.

First chance I got, I made sure to take out both of its eyes. I'd hoped that in doing so, I'd hit something vital, or at least make it impossible for the creature to fight back. But even with arrows sticking out of its head, the Orc didn't seem stop coming for us. Be this due to the Orc's sense of smell, or its ability to hear us, I wasn't completely sure. Yet, the way it moved almost had me wondering if it needed to use its eyes at all. Especially, when it changed tactics, and ignored Gulther to charge directly at me.

I used every little bit of Strength and Dexterity I had to roll out of the way, losing most of my arrows in the process. And then, I had to use everything I had to repeat the manuver, as it doubled back and tried to crush me.

This was really my first time in combat where I was completely certain I would die if I made even the slightest mistake. The Goblins had been scary, but Golbins are small. The intimidation factor just isn't the same as when a giant Orc is looming overhead, head dripping blood from where its eyes should be.

Because once I ran out of arrows, I struggled to find a way to deal in a hit. Rushing around in a panic, I tried to retrieve them on the move. Picking one up and shooting, while trying to avoid being sent flying from a punch, or a backswing. Or crushed by a tackle.

I'm not sure if Orcs keep their brains in a different place than most things do, or if maybe they've just got a lot of bone and meat behind their eyes, but the fight was only ended when Gulther managed to chop our attacker's head off. He'd timed a good swing, as the Orc dived at me for a tackle, and finally put an end to things.

Ultimately, we prevailed. Covered in Orc blood, perhaps both questioning our life choices, Gulther and I helped each other back to our feet. No longer looking at one another as enemies or rivals, but as comrades. As Steelbeard dragged himself back up the hill, also completely covered in blood, I knew this was the beginning of something wonderful.

Oh, the power of friendship, and shared trauma.

Dramatic Adventurering aside, I found it was quite frightening, and the ordeal had made confronting my shortcomings with close-range combat even more obvious than the swarm of angry Goblins had. Which, I supposed made sense, if this Floor was supposed to test me. That was probably the point, and perhaps, almost getting eaten by an Orc was the [Trial]'s way of making me "dip my toes in" before taking the plunge.

Clearly, I would need to work on this. My skill with a bow was great, but monsters were... well, they were monsters. Hunting monsters with a normal hunting bow isn't really the best choice. On Earth, people were using tanks. Which had me wondering if maybe I needed to upgrade my equipment in town, soon. I obviously wasn't going to be able to find a tank on the 3rd Floor, but perhaps a stronger bow might have done the trick? Something with a heavy draw-weight, relying on my increased Strength?

When we returned to town, I made sure to look for a new weapon after collecting my share of the bounty for hunting an Orc. I found one, but to afford both the bow and the heavy arrows that it would need, I found I was completely broke for the first time since arriving. Which, had me wondering how I could make money, without taking Quests and accidentally clearing the Floor or messing up the D-Rank story progression...

Which, maybe, the [Trial] had wanted me to wonder about?

Because the story didn't stop there.

See, each quest seemed to be rolling along into another at a quicker and quicker pace. And the very next day, there was another quest, where I was once again partied up with both Gulther and Steelbeard, but also a strange Merchant. One, who seemed to be hiding something. This turned into a wild goose-chase, where we went searching for a specific type of plant the Merchant was looking for. One, which just so happened to be in some ancient looking ruins. High and low, we looked, but even after searching for hours, we came up with nothing. In fact, we spent a good chunk of the day just wandering around an area of ruins that was somewhat near the town.

But then, the next day after that, we did basically the exact same quest again! Only this time, we were searching in different ruins!

Thinking back to the movies I'd seen, I was completely sure that something was going to leap out and latch onto my face the entire time. But, nothing did. And while we finally located the plants that we were looking for (eventually) it was becoming clear to me that the plant had only been an excuse for the Merchant to poke around places he normally couldn't go without an escort. Which lead down the rabbithole of discovering what the mysterious Merchant thought was just so interesting about these ruins...

Which lead me to talking to all sorts of people, trying to find out more information about the "Gem-Leaf" plant...

Which lead me to discovering that there was an illegal harvesting operation! One, which seemed entirely unrelated to what the mysterious Merchant was actually interested in, but apparently was the next stage in this confounding, twisting, turning, story!

I found myself haggling with a skeevy looking stall vendor, and then a seductive waitress- who clearly knew something, but didn't want to talk. All while I wanted to hurry up and go back to the damn ruins already and figure this all out: Without a Quest to take me there, I knew there would be no point! So, first I had to figure out what the hell was going on with this illegal, non-guild-sanctioned, operation! It was clear that the story wouldn't move on until I dragged those scoundrels out to the guards!

But the suspense was killing me!

As was my health!

Despite still having time left, there was no ignoring that I'd lost several more pounds of bodyweight, and I was really starting to get dangerously skinny. At some point, I knew I was going to have to call it. I was going to have to throw in the towel, and move on to the next Floor.

But I really didn't want to.

While this was still the [Trial] and getting caught up in all of this was undeniably dangerous: I was hooked. The mystery as to where these Quests were all heading was driving me nuts. And now, I needed to know. I needed to get to the bottom of this crazy story. Not just because I was certain, beyond any shred of doubt, that there was going to be some great reward for it (I was betting that I would be getting more Attribute points, or maybe some sort of Title or Skill) but because I honestly wanted to know what was happening.

Especially, once I realized that the mysterious Merchant, wasn't a Merchant at all.

No.

After finally sorting out the illegal trader's secret operation with a late-night stake out, and I was rewarded once again by Anna, the ever-grateful Guild Attendant: I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air, and I caught this so-called Merchant lighting his pipe with a snap of his fingers.

That man was a flipping Wizard.