Chapter 29: Floor 13, Needing Victories

Nothing’s the same. The times when they are the same, huge variations show up. I was sitting in a chair in one of the ship’s cabins, thinking about ‘Tethralin’. Was I just not paying enough attention to what was happening all the other times I was playing? I really can’t understand.

This ship I was on was fairly large—or at least I thought so. I wasn’t well-versed in ships, but it was the biggest ship I’d ever been on. I counted four masts, and traversing the ship took awhile. The strange thing here was that I was the only passenger—the ship moving on its own accord. I was only but a single passenger as the waves rocked the ship, taking me wherever it has decided.

The weather had constantly been overcast, not even a glimpse of the sun as I had been sailing along. I couldn’t move the steering wheel as it was set in its course. I had no other option than to sit still, waiting to see what happened. I had yet to receive a quest, and two other strange things were the two notifications I received.

[System Notice: Current players on Floor: 3/5]

[System Notice: There are currently no mobs for this Floor.]

The first notification didn’t seem likely—I was clearly the only one on this ship. But I didn’t think that the system would lie to me, that didn’t make sense. However—the second system notification was definitely a lie, I’d seen mobs in the ocean the past couple of days. Unless—does the system just… assign mobs that are meant to be killed? If so—why is nothing assigned right now?

The good thing about being on this ship was the time it gave me to think and rest. I was also provided meals—though they didn’t provide buffs. At least they tasted much better than the ‘tubes of satiety’ I had in my inventory. Speaking of inventory—I needed to find some weaker mobs that I could use to fill up some flasks. I’d been spending the couple of days I’ve been here making flasks when I realized I had nothing to do but sit and wait.

While I rested, I went over various movements in my head. I tried to figure out how I could have handled the previous fight better. I needed to reflect—otherwise, my growth through experience would slow. I needed to understand how I conducted myself during the combat, as well as why I chose to do certain actions. The more I could reflect and eliminate the unnecessary actions, the better I could handle my next fight. I would be increasing my chances of survival.

I spent another four days creating flasks with my endless mana regen, resting, and reflecting. I checked out my status once more before a system notification arrived.

“Status.”

Status

Health: 310/310

Mana: 72/72

Name: Zeryn Felix, Favored by Tethralin

Level: 11 [EXP: 48610/307200]

Class: Miraculum

Titles: Treasure Dabbler, Oathtaker: A Friend of Goblins, Favored by Tethralin, Stranger of Tethralin

Attributes: 0 AP

Vitality: 22

Strength: 21

Dexterity: 20 (55)

Agility: 20 (45)

Willpower: 18 (23)

Intelligence: 16

Perception: 15 (17)

Wit: 16

Wisdom: 15

Charisma: [5]

Luck: 38 (58)

Active Buffs: Nagascale Magic Ward

Active Abilities: {Spin!}, {Biding Hellfire Rupture}, {Area Scan}, {Sudden Slumber}, {Goblin Alchemy: Elemental Flask}, {Bladefire Infusion}, {Rally Allies}, {Mana Bolt}, {Adrenaline}

Passive Abilities: {Assimilation}, {Fire Resistance: B}, {Goblin’s Tongue}, {Battle Prowess}, {Wield Element: Fire}, {Perfect by Nature}, {Lucky Strike}, {Heart and Soul of a Troll}, {Shrouded Shadow}, {Abuphoan’s Tongue}

Assimilation:

Unknown Ability: ??? 13/30

Unknown Ability: ??? 1/??

Unknown Ability: ??? 2/4

[System Notice: You have arrived.]

“Great.” I stepped out of the cabin, looking around where I was. The ship had stopped quite a bit away from what I could tell was an island. The island wasn’t very large, but there was a giant building on it, encompassing almost the entirety of the island. So now what? Do I swim? My thoughts occurred too quickly as the system already figured it out.

[System Notice: You will be teleported to Nysel Kingdom’s Relinquished Coliseum in five seconds.]

[System Notice: Four.]

The system started counting down, and I stood there dumbfoundedly looking at the building—now known to me as a coliseum. A quick aura of light surrounded me, the platform of the ship I stood on shining brilliantly as I was teleported. I appeared in a room—a waiting room—with two other people. I assumed these two were the other players.

“Finally, another person’s here.” A woman who was scantily clad looked toward the man sitting next to her.

He looked at her, nodding his head but immediately looking away. He then began to stare at the floor.

[System Notice: The stairs are locked behind a quest. Quest requirement: Five players. Current players on Floor: 3/5. Currently awaiting the arrival of more players.]

I see now. I looked around, it was just me and the other two players. This waiting room we were in seemed to be sealed off, but there was a shop button, and a large enough table to fit multiple people. Besides that, there were couches and random chairs throughout. I scanned through the shop—nothing really catching my eye. I was just about to sell the ‘Tidal Fangs’ I had acquired, but I was interrupted by the other player.

“Hey, pretty boy. Care to introduce yourself?” She turned to her side, spitting on the ground and I swore I heard her whisper, “looks like easy pickins.”

“Nah, I don’t really care.” I left the shop, going to the table to hit the button to eat some food. I couldn’t see the weapon the lady was using, possibly having it unequipped. The man had a staff on his back, but not like a magical staff—it was more similar to a bo staff, yet much thicker. Their gear didn’t seem too high level, but the system was currently preventing me from seeing their names and levels. I tried to use {Area Scan} as a deterrent, and it worked just fine.

[Report received, 2 presences]

[Player Nadia, Lv12]

[Player Gregory, Lv11]

So weak?! I almost coughed on what I was eating. Of course, I was also level 11, but I was absurdly strong for being so. And it was possible these players were also absurdly strong but—I could only think it wasn’t possible. Their levels were probably correct though, we were still on Floor 13 after all. But that one player was already pretty decent for being on Floor 11...

I started pondering again as we all waited for the other players to arrive. I need to get to Floor 15 so that I could give {Spin!} another shot. Maybe I’ll get another jackpot. Also, my luck is almost 40—perhaps something will come of it. I heard a sound from behind where I was sitting, and the words of the scantily clad lady were repeated, “Finally, another person’s here—oh,” I heard a sound of disgust, “a woman.”

I decided to take a look and was briefly captivated. The scepter the woman had hanging off her waist was stunningly decorated. It reminded me of when I played a mage—I had hoped to always have such a marvelous magical item like that. I paid more attention to the woman who arrived. Her hair was short and wavy—and obviously dyed green, matching the jewel on her scepter. Her eyes looked hazel, but it was a little hard seeing past her hanging bangs. She took notice of something—possibly noticing the system notifications.

She walked to a distant couch away from where the other players and I were, crossing her laced legs and closing her eyes. I decided to look away then, waiting for the final player to arrive and the system to begin the quest.

“Oh hell. How much longer do I have to wait?!” The scantily clad woman, Nadia, jumped out of the chair she had been resting on. “I only need two more wins and I’ll be out of here. Why must I wait for more players? Just send me out!”

I wanted to ask what she meant but decided against doing so. I wasn’t a fan of her attitude, and I could partially capture what she was talking about, anyways. We were at a coliseum, and she needed wins. Putting two and two together, I supposed the quest required a certain amount of wins to progress and leave the floor.

The man who had been near Nadia—Gregory—sat still, looking at the ground. I wasn’t sure how long either of these players had been here, but he looked quite upset. At least he wasn’t throwing a hissy fit like Nadia was.

Time passed, and I had my share of meals a few times. The green-haired mage woman didn’t move from her spot once, her eyes closed the entire time. Whether she slept like that or had been meditating was a mystery, but I saw her open her eyes just as the sound of another player arriving rang out.

[System Notice: All players have arrived.]

[System Notice: Quest received. You must achieve 10 victories in Nysel Kingdom’s Relinquished Coliseum in order to complete the quest. However, you must also achieve 5 unique player victories. Players defeated by players must fight three consecutive mob encounters before fighting another player. Current progress: 0/10, 0/5]

Hm, I understand. Looking around, I noticed a key feature—all these players, including myself, must have been solo players. The last person who arrived looked familiar, and wielded a bow. His camouflage equipment instantly told me who he was—the veteran I met on Floor 11—Davorin. I knew he was also a solo player, considering he didn’t take the counter quest alongside the other players. I also never encountered this type of floor when I came through on Easy and Normal.

Player Davorin probably noticed the quest, and then his eyes locked with mine. I saw him shaking his head, mouthing the words, “Fuck me.” He walked over to the table I sat at, saying, “Looks like I’ll be here longer than last time.” He ordered some food and immediately began chowing down. I stopped paying attention as I received a system notification.

[System Notice: Your match will soon begin. Countdown: Two minutes.]

I watched as the countdown remained in my vision, ticking down. The faster, the better—ten victories in ten fights, let’s do it.