150 – Training of the Returner (11)

“So, there was something resembling a mannequin?”

“Yes. A black mannequin holding a weapon attacked the all-white space. But perhaps because I have difficulty level 1, I am extremely weak.”

“Um… “It looks like they’re competing against each other, similar to the 5th floor.”

The four players who listened to my explanation kept nodding their heads. The bright expression on his face means he is confident in interpersonal battles.

“More than that, how did you decide to distribute the difficulty level?”

“Ah, since the number 34 is somewhat ambiguous… I decided to divide it by 9 9 8 8. Instead, the second or third person to enter will be in charge of 8.”

“It’s okay.”

There is a possibility that 1 was exceptionally easy. So after getting a taste of difficulty level 8, it makes sense to try level 9. As expected, because he is a top-tier player, his brain works quite well.

“Oh, and there’s a cabinet with weapons in it. “If you need it, I think you can use it.”

A woman with glasses swings the knife in her hand, saying that the knife she uses is also brought from there. The two men were each holding an ax and a spear, and the short-haired woman was wearing hand armor.

Good. This is all ready…

“Just a moment, just a moment.”

Just as I was about to move on naturally, I felt something strange. Something, something strange? But what’s strange?

Ah. I get it. The identity of the sense of discomfort I was feeling.

“Hey… “

“Yes? “Why are you doing that?”

“Everyone… “You don’t have any weapons?”

Come to think of it, they had no weapons when they entered the 11th floor. You’re given a weapon at the start of each floor anyway, so what does it matter? It’s relevant. If you cleared the 11th floor normally in the first place, you should have been holding at least one dwarven weapon.

The reason I didn’t notice any discomfort until now was because they were wearing dwarven armor… Buy only armor and no weapons?

“Oh, a weapon?”

However, the woman with glasses shrugged her shoulders as if that was no problem.

“Weapons are too expensive… I didn’t think it would be cost-effective compared to the time. So I just bought a pass and left. “I took the armor because it was provided for free.”

“You’re giving me armor for free?”

“Yes. “I heard you’re giving it to Choi Ji-won as a souvenir?”

“… “

Then… Did these people really come up purely by farming seats?

“Because we were confident in our skills, we thought climbing the tower quickly was more important than farming items. Well, isn’t it a difference in priorities?”

“Well, that could be true…” “

Yes, we are the same top-tier player, but isn’t it ultimately a difference in values? It cannot be said that farming all the items and then uploading them is the right answer. If you have the skills to climb the tower easily, I think it’s okay to climb the tower quickly and take advantage.

… But why did you wait 11 days to meet me? Ah, you must have been summoned late to the tutorial.

“Anyway, I’ll be back! “It’s difficulty level 8, so it won’t take long.”

While I was finishing rationalizing in my brain, a woman with glasses boarded the elevator. Soon the door closes, and there is silence for a moment.

“Hey, but have you ever fought with a person?”

“… No? But what? “It will be similar.”

After some time has passed, they quietly talk among themselves. He didn’t seem to have any intention of talking to me or getting close to me, but that was the same for me, so I felt comfortable.

So, I thought about future plans, and they had a small talk among themselves for about 3 minutes.

“… “Why aren’t you coming?”

“You came here just now?”

“… The level of difficulty is different. “You idiots.”

“Oh, I’m here.”

The elevator door opens, and a woman with glasses appears.

“Uh, huh?”

“Are you okay?”

No, now you have to call me the former glasses woman. In her hands were broken glasses.

“That… “I let my guard down.”

“Can you see without your glasses?”

“It’s a player, but I can’t see it. “Just slightly cloudy?”

I am a woman with glasses… No, I’ll just call her Glasses Woman. According to the glasses woman, she found the level 8 mannequin quite difficult. Although she was ahead in her basic physical abilities, the mannequin was ahead in her skills. The composition was created as if the fight was with an alter ego coming from the 5th floor.

“Still, I have the trait of showing weaknesses. “I got over it quickly.”

However, even if she is inferior in skill, she is definitely a top-tier player. Based on her vastly outclassed physical abilities and the traits that showed her weaknesses, she was able to slowly attack the mannequin and take it down fairly easily, she said. The reason my glasses broke was because I was careless at the end.

“Um… “

She is a person who must cooperate, but she would not have lied. So, you can think of a difficulty level 8 mannequin as being ‘a level of difficulty that can strike a top-level player off guard.’

This one has a pretty steep increase in difficulty, right? The difference between difficulty levels 1 and 8 is quite significant.

“So, is my car next?”

Anyway, the next order is the acne man. He confidently climbed into the elevator with a large ax on his back.

And 4 minutes later.

“Hey, is your armor dented?”

“No, I let my guard down too… “How do you unfold this?”

He returned with a gash near the side of his armor. It is certain that he was killed by crushing, as there were no injuries anywhere else, but it seems that an unexpected blow was allowed at the end.

“Hey, wait. “My brother shows me.”

The next man with the mole looked fine on the outside, but he had a couple of minor scratches on his armor.

“I’ll go and come back too…” !”

The short-haired woman who entered last completed her test without any injuries, except for hot smoke coming from her body.

Yes, they are still top level players, so they should clear this level easily. Anyway, with this, I successfully cleared the first test. This can’t be a very satisfying achievement.

-Then, before starting the second test, we will each choose our own reward. Please everyone please take your seats.

Without any time to celebrate this small victory, a dry voice echoed through the space. Feeling quite confident, we immediately sat down on the metal chairs.

As before, a protective shield surrounds the surroundings, blocking all sounds, and at the same time, a message window appears in front of you.

[10] Custom Item Box (A- ~ C+)

[15] Elixir of experience (medium)

[20] Random Trait Box (Unique)

“… ?”

The level of difficulty suddenly jumped. The lowest number is 10? The highest is 20? What? Are other people like this too? Or is it just me who picked 10 on the first test?

You have to be careful here. 8 Is a level that can deal a blow to a top-level player who is caught off guard. If I pick 20, will I be able to get through it without a single scratch?

“… “But I don’t have anything to choose.”

The problem is that the leap in experience is of no use to me. Even if you choose 10 and receive the item in the end, it will disappear if you return anyway, so you have to choose it in the last round.

On the other hand, if you only look at the rewards, [Random Character Box] With difficulty level 20 is the most attractive. Even if it regresses, the characteristics remain.

“… “

What should I do? Pick 20 and gamble? Or should I just pick 10 and check the difficulty level? No, I think 15 is definitely correct here. It was very suspicious that the lowest reward suddenly became [10].

If I chose 10 in the last test, and that became the reference point for this test, and the lowest reward was 10… If you choose 15 this time, the lowest reward will be 15 as well.

Why not just pick 10? Perhaps someone else might choose 15? The change in the standard of compensation may be limited to me.

-All climbers have been selected.

Anyway, after making the choice and the shield disappeared, I could see the other players relaxing.

“Are you here?”

“It starts with 10 this time?”

“Oh, it’s going up quite a bit?”

It seems that the standard of compensation changes for everyone. I see it as mentioning, ‘This time it starts with 10?’

I turned my gaze away from them laughing and talking, checked the elevator, and saw the number [90] Written on it. Wait, 90?

“Oh, I chose 20.”

“… Me too.”

A woman with short hair and a man with a mole proudly say that they chose [20]. If those two are 40… Is there one more 20 and two 15s including me?

“So, you also chose 20?”

“… No? “I chose 15?”

“… Are you sure? We both chose 15… “

The problem is that there is a liar again. If we say that the glasses woman and the acne man also chose 15… Doesn’t that make sense? I’m sure one person picked 20?

“… Is there a base score? Basically, there are 5 points.”

If there are no liars, this hypothesis is likely. I thought I could check this by doing regression, so I decided to just skip it.

“Then, will you come back?”

While I was thinking about it, a man with a majestic spiral was getting on the elevator. [9] He seems to have gained confidence as he easily won the difficulty level.

“Huh? Hey, why are you entering 25?”

“There are 5 points left this time, right? I’ll even take care of the liar. Wait.”

A man with a dot enters [25] In an instant without anyone having time to stop him, and then disappears in the elevator. It’s a bit unfair that you come out like that when you ask me, ‘Are you planning to take away my opportunity for growth?’ Is not it? Did you mean that I would monopolize 34 points?

“Gwae, are you okay?”

A woman with glasses who is taken aback by a sudden action.

“He must be like that because he has confidence. “Let us trust and wait.”

Her acne man reassures her. As he said that and slowly approached me, it seemed like he was trying to use this opportunity to gain some favor.

“Hey, if we’re like that, we won’t go anywhere. Did I tell you about the last time I went to a club in Gangnam? When I heard that the player who conquered the 11th floor came, I suddenly thought, wow! While doing this… ”

“…”

A man with acne who talks about his experiences quite tastefully. His words were so sharp that even while I was checking the condition of my sword, I found myself completely absorbed in his story.

“So that guy said, ‘Hey, do you know Minjoo’s ham?’… “

A woman with short hair was so engrossed in his story that she lost track of time and listened to his story. It was around this time that the story that started at a club in Gangnam progressed to a fight in a bar in Busan.

“That’s why I went there…” “

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

“Yes? Why?”

“I can hear the elevator.”

Has approximately 15 to 20 minutes passed? Finally, I heard the elevator whirring. Wow, I really lost track of time. But wouldn’t 20 minutes be quite a long time?

Ding.

“Hey, why did it take so long?”

“So, 25 might be a bit difficult?”

The elevator doors slowly opened, and people stood up to welcome the man with the mole. He happened to hear an interesting story, so a small smile appeared on his lips.

“… Uh?”

Until I saw the headless body in the elevator.

“Huh? Uh? Uh?”

A man with acne who repeats the word ‘Huh?’ Like a broken machine.

“Ah, ah… “

A woman with glasses sits down as if her legs have lost strength.

“Kyaaah!!!”

A short-haired woman screaming until her face turned bright red. The moment when everyone was shocked by the death of their colleague.

“Holy sh*t.”

I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to do if the person conducting the test dies during the test. ‘If you return anyway, you will survive.’ This is because the fact was stuck in my mind.

However, at some point, I felt heat of unknown origin.

“?”

When I quickly turned my head to the side, the short-haired woman’s entire body turned red as she screamed. The voice of a woman who was said to be ‘always on’ passed through her mind along with him.

“… !”

I jumped back from the instinct unit and at the same time awakened the cold mana that had been sleeping. By the time I fell about 3 meters in about 0.3 Seconds.

“aaah!!!”

Hwaaa!

Bright red flames emanating from the entire body of a short-haired woman. The space we were in was quite narrow, so there was no room to escape.

“Inhale!”

But I have no intention of returning in vain like this. I drew cold mana into her entire body and swung the sword containing the cold in a large circular motion repeatedly.

Wow!

A cold shield created on the spot blocks the hot flames. It’s a defense method I’ve only imagined in my head, but I never thought it would really work.

“hahahaha! “I knew it would be like this!”

Just before I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled in victory.

“… Uh?”

I felt a cold feeling hovering around my chest and my muscles were contracting excessively, and at the same time, I felt intense pain.

“Ah.”

I lost my mind.

[You have suffered damage.]

[Return to the moment you first entered the 12th floor.]