Chapter 72

Chapter 22. 1st Floor (4)

The players exchanged glances for a moment.

While 100 people seemed like a lot, it was by no means a large number.

If someone stepped forward as a representative here, they would undoubtedly play a leading role in the future strategy for the 1st floor.

Fortunately, there was already a certain level of community among the players.

Unlike Yeonwoo, they had already gotten to know each other while staying in the waiting area.

Moreover, many of them had already formed alliances in previous rounds.

Naturally, some had taken on leadership roles.

"I'll take it."

A man in a red leather outfit stepped forward, receiving the attention of those around him.

Aron nodded and was about to hand it over to him when—

"Hold on."

Pant suddenly stepped forward, interrupting.

The man's expression slightly twisted.

"What is it?"

"I never agreed to let you take it."

The man's face turned slightly angry, but he held back and said,

"Whoever takes it, what does it matter? We can discuss and hide it afterward—"

"No. I'll take all five."

The man's face crumpled like paper.

"What nonsense is this?!"

"Isn't it better if I keep them rather than hiding them in a complicated way? Or do you think someone here can handle it better than me?"

Pant laughed savagely and scanned the crowd.

The players either stepped back or turned their heads away.

Pant looked back at the man.

His eyes asked, "No one disagrees, right?"

But the man shouted,

"Do you have no conscience? In the previous round, you were so greedy that you ended up breaking all the crystals, didn't you?"

Some of the players behind the man nodded in agreement.

Yeonwoo, who had been watching their argument, clicked her tongue.

'So that's what happened.'

She had a rough idea of what had occurred in the previous round.

Pant was the type who couldn't entrust important items to others.

He had a baseless belief that he was the only one who could do it and a personality that wouldn't be satisfied unless things went his way.

The problem was that despite his difficult personality, it didn't matter at all.

He was that strong.

In the world of the tower, being "strong" was a precious treasure that could compensate for all flaws and more.

It might as well be called justice.

And Edo had the same thought.

Unlike the simple and greedy Pant, she was clearly rational and logical.

But because of this, she didn't impose any restrictions on Pant's behavior.

According to her judgment, the crystals were safest with Pant.

No matter how difficult the 1st floor challenge was, the level of the participating players was average.

Even if they attacked in a group, could they even touch Pant's sleeve?

So the crystals belonged in Pant's hands.

However, there was one issue.

"If you hadn't been so greedy back then...! This time, I absolutely cannot entrust the crystals to you!"

Yeonwoo was so exasperated that she almost laughed.

The idea that someone could break the crystals while trying to be active was absurd.

She had a rough idea of what had happened.

The enemy must have been completely flustered by Pant's performance.

They would have thought the challenge had failed and given up.

Then, when they suddenly received a report that the challenge had been cleared, they must have been shocked.

'They must have been flabbergasted. On the other hand, the allies must have been dumbfounded.'

The man seemed to be bringing up that incident to argue that Pant couldn't be trusted.

But Pant wasn't the type to listen to such arguments.

He thought there was no need to listen to someone weaker than himself.

He believed he wouldn't repeat the same mistake.

In the end, the man's argument had no effect.

"So? Are you suggesting we establish a hierarchy among ourselves?"

Pant, on the contrary, rolled up his sleeves and intimidated them with a terrifying glare.

A fierce aura spread around.

The players' faces turned pale.

The players behind the man pulled on his collar and shook their heads, signaling him to stop.

The man gritted his teeth. His tightly clenched fists were trembling with veins popping out.

Edo stood a step back, not intervening at all.

She watched the situation like she did in the G-block of the tutorial, hugging her demonic sword tightly.

Pant, thinking he had subdued the situation, smiled and extended his hand to Aron.

"It seems the decision has been made. I wish you good luck."

Aron handed all five blue crystals to Pant. Then he disappeared into the portal on the floor.

"Heh. I'll do better this time."

Pant didn't come up with any specific plan to hide or protect the crystals.

He just laughed and played with them, like a child with a toy.

He was about to put them in an inner pocket.

'There's no one as shameless as him.'

As the players' expressions darkened, Yeonwoo, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward.

Pant looked at her with a blank expression, wondering what was happening.

She stepped in front of him and extended her hand.

"Give them to me. All of them."

* * *

Aron crossed over to another space through the portal.

It was the administrator's room, where the many administrators managing the 99 floors gathered.

Several administrators were busy running around, and hundreds of screens in the sky were simultaneously broadcasting each floor.

"Oho, you're here?"

Someone spoke to Aron.

A goblin about the height of Aron's waist, Evilkey.

"Yes."

Aron nodded calmly.

His attitude toward Evilkey was very respectful.

In fact, not all administrators were the same.

There were those who handled various tasks, those who managed rewards, and those who supervised and managed challenges, forming a hierarchical relationship.

In particular, the highest-ranking administrators were the ones responsible for the overall management of each floor.

They could exercise the highest authority within the limits allowed by the tower's system for the floors they managed.

At times, they could even suppress ruler-level figures, though direct intervention was impossible due to various penalties.

Therefore, Aron, the administrator of the 2nd floor, was also a high-ranking official.

However, Evilkey was an administrator that even Aron had to treat respectfully.

He was the leader of hundreds of administrators, one of the 12 zodiac signs.

Therefore, while they respected each other, Evilkey treated Aron in a somewhat affectionate manner.

"How was it?"

But no one could guess how important Evilkey was just by looking at him.

He was always seen as a unique goblin with a strange laugh and a monocle.

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

Aron crossed his arms and shook his head at Evilkey's question.

Behind the monocle, Evilkey's eyes were full of amusement.

"You're not sure?"

"Yes. I can tell they are far more skilled than ordinary novices, but they are still novices. I don't understand why you are so interested in them..."

As he spoke, Aron subtly raised his head to look at the floating screen.

There, Yeonwoo was taking the crystals from Pant.

When Pant's face showed dissatisfaction, Yeonwoo calmly asked, "So, shall we establish a hierarchy as you suggested?"

Pant flinched and tailed off.

To Aron, it was a situation that could easily happen among close players.

But Evilkey found it amusing and chuckled.

"Oho, I see. How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Shall we bet on whether this player will cause trouble or not? I'll bet on 'yes.'"

Aron frowned slightly, as if he didn't like the idea, but then nodded, thinking it might not be bad.

"Alright. I'll bet on 'no.'"

"Oho, good. Then the terms of the bet are—"

* * *

The players gaped at Yeonwoo with disbelief.

Just a moment ago, Pant had been acting arrogantly and aggressively.

But Yeonwoo had taken the crystals from Pant with just a few words.

Moreover, they had clearly heard Pant call Yeonwoo "brother."

'Pant is calling him "brother"?'

'What on earth happened outside?'

'What's going on?'

The perception of the unicorns in the tower was simple.

They were arrogant.

Each member was strong, and they had a strong sense of pride.

They didn't easily open their hearts and disliked interacting with those they didn't consider worthy.

But once they did, they would even give their lives for each other.

Naturally, the royal siblings, Pant and Edo, had even stronger pride.

Pant, in particular, had shown that the rumors about him were not exaggerated.

He was too arrogant and self-important.

It was already a big deal that Pant had other companions, let alone acknowledging someone as his superior.

Naturally, the interest in Yeonwoo grew.

Especially those who had seen the confrontation between Yeonwoo and Pant in the tutorial were completely baffled.

"Such a bad brother, bullying his own sister and extorting the crystals."

Pant grumbled and kicked a stone at his feet.

At that moment, Edo approached Yeonwoo.

"What do you plan to do now, brother?"

The players were surprised again. This was the first time they had seen the ice-cold Edo smile.

It was radiant and beautiful, making the hearts of the male players flutter.

But Yeonwoo, who saw the smile, remained calm.

Then, Yeonwoo scanned the other players with a bland look.

"Can you watch over this place for a while?"

Edo's eyes sparkled.

"How long will it take?"

"Thirty minutes at the shortest, an hour at the longest."

"That's enough. Go ahead."

Yeonwoo nodded calmly and walked to the edge of the cliff where the cloud bridge was suspended.

The players narrowed their eyes, unsure what Yeonwoo was about to do.

The challenge of the 1st floor was difficult not only because they had to invade the enemy's cliff and find and destroy the hidden crystals.

The biggest problem was crossing the cloud bridge, which could break with even a slight shock.

They had to cross it, but it was inevitable that a fight would break out on the bridge.

If the fight got too intense, the bridge would break, and the players would fall off the cliff.

Even with floating magic or flying skills, it was still dangerous.

They could cross the enemy's cliff without the bridge, but they would be vulnerable to concentrated attacks afterward.

It was a difficult situation with no easy solution.

Due to these challenging conditions, the 1st floor was the stage with the most deaths and dropouts among beginners.

Many who had passed the tutorial with confidence couldn't continue climbing the tower.

It wasn't surprising that the royal siblings had failed once.

So, while the players were interested in what Yeonwoo would do, they also had a cynical view.

They wondered if he would take all the crystals like Pant and cause some trouble.

But regardless of their thoughts,

Yeonwoo slowly drew Beigrid from his back and stood in front of the cloud bridge.

In the distance, the Red Team was running across the cloud bridge from the opposite cliff.

'No matter how difficult, there are definitely several ways to pass the 1st floor.'

Swish, swish, swish!

A strong wind began to blow with Beigrid. Even his hair floated.

The blessing of the sword.

A function that had swept away dozens of players in the G-block.

It was so powerful that it could divert a strong wind coming up the gorge.

Yeonwoo gripped Beigrid tightly and raised it high.

Boom!

'But the most certain way is—'

Yeonwoo's lips twisted.

'Overwhelming power.'

With that thought,

Swish!

Yeonwoo slashed Beigrid diagonally and forcefully.

The whirlwind that followed Beigrid flew like a whip.

It not only destroyed three cloud bridges in one go but also struck the opposite cliff.

An explosion sounded, and the cliff shook violently. A long, deep gash appeared along the wall.

Boom, boom, boom!

Rumble...!