Day 12

Instead of training all of the morning, I spent most of my time installing the bear traps, instructing the undead in their use and where they were, and exploring our new location. It was much, much larger than the previously simple set up, and I want to be familiar with it.

I glanced up, hearing another scream in the distance. Walking back towards the sound, I considered the situation. I had expected that the traffic of challengers would go down after moving up from the 128 path level to the 64, but if anything, it was higher. This was the 5th time already someone had stepped onto a bear trap, and only an hour had passed. I had left Jerry and his zombies guarding the exit, which was located in the heart of the castle, and told them that they would switch with Dead Snake and the skeletons at lunch. I had raised both of their minions until they each had 8, which I assumed would be sufficient.

The screaming cut off, and I felt a bit relieved, but then someone else started screaming in another direction. I increased my speed.

*****

Dead Snake reported that he had already lost 5 skeletons, but had killed somewhere between 12 and 16 challengers. His counting wasn’t excellent beyond 10. I summoned two more skeletons, which was all I could manage with my mana levels, and told other me to stop practicing air affinity. Drawing my short sword, I began moving through the mist to one of the screamers.

To my surprised, there was already a group of 4 people surrounding the creature in the bear trap when I snuck up. They were surprisingly unconcerned at the volume of their conversation.

“So? Think it’s just a trap path?”

“Seems so, but-”

“SOMEONE LET ME OUT OF HERE!”

“-but from the report I got from a friend saying this is a newly risen path. So no report on it. Really new, like 3 days. There’s no way these traps are all-

“Should we help him?”

“-AHHHHHHHHH”

“-all there is. Nah, it will help us gather a group to push forward together.”

Hearing enough, I stepped out of my hiding place, silencing the scream with a thrown knife, and taking two of the challengers in the same manner. The remaining two spun around, one hefting a hammer and the other a whip. One of the two, the one with the whip, was the one who was talking about a report. Nodding to myself at my own foresight, I activated my Aura of Dread and walked calmly towards them.

They trembled, but both seemed able to withstand the fear rolling off of me in waves. I imagined I must look quite cool strolling out of the mist after killing three people. I sensed their assault a second before it came, the whip shooting to grab my hand and hammer man rushing forward.

A thrown knife shot into the hammer man’s shoe, causing him to stumble, and by the time he had recovered I had already cracked him in the temple, knocking him unconscious. Seeing that his whip missed and I had so quickly handled hammer man, whip man dropped the whip and turned to flee.

I grinned; I loved a good chase.

After 5 minutes, I no longer loved a good chase. Much to my chagrin, whip man was slightly faster than me. It seemed like he stumbled much more often, but when he got his feet under him he ate up distance faster than I could compensate for. Frowning, I let him run off. He would need to come to me to pass the path anyway.

Annoyed that I hadn’t gotten many improvements to agility, I walked back to hammer man, bound him with the whip, and then dragged him back to the gateway upwards. I sent Jerry and his zombies down to help Dead Snake and watched as hammer man began to moan and twitch while unconscious.

*****

Toggling off my Aura of Dread, I turned to Jen with a question. “Why are there so many challengers? Shouldn’t there be less here on the level of 64?”

Jen tittered, the center of her green slime body curving in something that could be a smile. “Well most of the paths on the first level aren’t even in use. People leave them empty for about 10 years, just collecting the salary. After all, once you have the job, you can’t lose it. You can only go down to the level of 128. Then they spend all the saved up towers to buy traps, minions, and a cool story.

Once they have all of those expensive things installed, the path rises naturally to the top. And if you stay in the 1 spot for 3 days without letting anyone through, you get promoted to the next floor.”

I raised my eyebrows. “So I can climb the tower just by killing challengers.”

The jelly part of Jen wiggled. “Well no. You will be on the second floor, but then you will be a challenger like everyone else. It won’t be until the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, every 5, that you can show your tile and work for the company. You have to prove your strength by climbing to have those jobs. Which is why the job here on the 1st Floor is so sought after. They are relatively easy to get.”

I nodded, eating more larva.

*****

The day ended without any mishaps, although only 1 skeleton and 3 zombies survived. I peered at the skeleton, whose bones had turned distinctly yellow. I rapped my knuckles against it, surprised by how firm they seemed. Were bones normally this hard…?

The skeleton preened under my attentions. Jerry stepped forward smartly. “Sir.”

-Ah, polite subordinates are the one true joy of a boss’s heart

-Truely, other me, this is paradise.

“According to my skill, Absolute Identity, he has gained enough levels to evolve into an Ancient Skeleton Drudge. With this, he has become much more durable and can strengthen himself, as well as heal by absorbing the bones of the fallen.”

-Ah, another dependable subordinate has been born~

-...Wait a second other me, what is this broken skill, Absolute Identify? And Jerry can disintegrate matter at a distance? Thankfully he wasn’t watching his cholesterol, or that fight with him would be troublesome.

-Hum. I will make a note to watch the subordinates that are too dependable.

-Indeed.

I surveyed the land before me after summoning a single skeleton, all my mana could handle for now. Aside from the whip man escaping, it had been a good day. I set my subordinates to guard the path to the next level, and went to bed.

**************Author's Note*************

Okay, done with another uploading spree. My copy and paste fingers hurt =. Besides, we are almost caught up, and I enjoy writing it ever so much more than I do transferring it onto here~

I should upload another day or three later tonight.