215 – The returner is too strong (2)
-Enter the 22nd floor.
Consciousness that had been dark emerges. It circulates the magical power that was floating around in the body absentmindedly and at the same time squirts it out in all directions to ensure safety. The series of processes was smooth and natural. So much so that I, the subject of the action, admire it.
“Oh wow.”
Was it the 16th floor? Sign angel Anael says, ‘Not only characteristics, but everything is connected. I remember the saying, ‘If you touch one thing, it affects other things as well.’ I feel like I have become more proficient at manipulating my overall magic power by practicing careful magic control. It is closer to ‘becoming more efficient’ rather than ‘becoming stronger’.
More than that, where is Jiwon? It doesn’t look like it’s nearby right now. Even if you try to spread out your magic power, it doesn’t spread out as if you’re in thick water.
“Hmm… “
When we look around, all we see are trees and grass. It is not a dense and dense forest, but a forest with a moderate amount of vitality. The sky is blue, the sun is warm… It is a forest scene so beautiful that it feels unrealistic. Ah, I see something over there.
There was nothing that stood out, and since it was a task on the 22nd floor, nothing was given, so I walked towards what I could see in the distance without delay.
“… Town?”
Now that I see it… It’s a village. Wooden buildings painted in warm tones. A road with attractive dense cobblestones. Residents smiling and wiping their sweat. The scenery of the village seen between the moderately grown trees literally looked like it had been painted. This is what you would see if you asked AI to draw a ‘happy medieval village.’
“… ?”
The thing that ruined the beautiful scenery of the village were the armored men with blank faces and wide eyes. They were all wearing shiny armor and sharp weapons, and were sitting in the center of the village, glaring at each other. I can feel quite a bit of magical energy inside my body… What can I say? They are players.
“Dwarven armor has now become school uniform.”
As a result of resolving the dwarven conflict on the 11th floor, all the players were now wearing shiny dwarven armor. The easiest way to recognize a player was to wear that armor. More importantly, why are all the players here?
As I entered the village entrance, all blank stares were focused on me.
“It has arrived.”
“I’m here.”
“It’s strong.”
“I need to register.”
They started moving their hands busily while looking at me, and the mechanical movement of them suddenly doing the same thing as a group was enough to give me goosebumps.
“Uh, uh… “
The moment I got goosebumps and took a step back without realizing it.
Tiring.
{Welcome to the ‘Village of Beginnings’!}
{Beginners, please be sure to talk to the village chief, Alex!}
A message window appears before your eyes. I was quite used to seeing strings suddenly pop out, but for some reason I felt a sense of discomfort.
“… “What is this again?”
It’s different. Yes, the UI is different. The font is different, and the color of the box surrounding the text is also subtly different. If the existing ‘message window’ felt like just saying something dry, the text that appeared before my eyes was colorful and sophisticated.
So… Like a game.
＜22Nd floor＞
-The courage to go the path that others have not taken. Prove your courage.
-Items obtained on the 22nd floor can only be used on the 22nd floor.
– Compensation is determined based on the rarity of the ‘collectible’ submitted to the exchange. Submission is permitted only once.
“Oh, Junho! “There you are!”
With the existing ‘message window’ popping up just in time, I saw Choi Ji-won approaching from across the village.
First of all… I have to go to the village chief.
**
Finding the village chief was not that difficult. Because the second largest building in the village was the village chief’s house.
“Welcome! “Please sit here.”
The village chief welcomes us with a smile the size of a hamjibak. The problem is… The thing is, we haven’t said a word yet. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted with a smile.
“Beginner adventurers like you are really rare these days. Young people have no spirit. Well, back in my day… Oh. They say young people these days hate saying things like this. I’m sorry. hahahaha.”
“… Hey?”
“This is your first adventure, so everything will be unfamiliar and awkward. But don’t worry! As far as I know, I will step forward and help!”
It’s clearly just two people, Jiwon and I, but he says ‘you’, and even when I try to talk to him, he ignores me and only says what he wants to say. Above all, the mouth shape and voice are slightly awkward…
“It feels like a game?”
Games. Yeah, it’s definitely a game. If this space is not real but some kind of virtual space, it is understandable that my magical power cannot spread. It makes sense that the village chief is behaving strangely, and the strange UI that came to mind earlier also makes sense.
“You can find various things outside the village! You might find animal skins, useful herbs, someone’s lost bag, or, if you’re really lucky, a legendary mineral! If you bring it back to town and submit it to the ‘exchange,’ its value will be determined through an auction 12 hours later.”
The village chief is talking hard even while we are worrying.
“Of course, it won’t be easy to get valuable items. Was it easy to start from scratch? To help beginners, the village store sells various items. Of course it’s not free. All you have to do is help the villagers with their work, receive wages, and make purchases. To learn more, try it yourself! “Let the adventure begin!”
After pouring out what he wanted to say, he sat down in a rocking chair by the fire and started drinking cocoa.
“… Hey?”
“For more details, try it yourself! “I guess I’ll take a little rest.”
“… “
Okay, I understand roughly. So, the structure of this village is similar to the 11th floor.
If you retrieve a rare item from outside the village and submit it to the ‘Exchange’, the 22nd floor is over. However, given the emphasis on ‘adventure’, it seemed that the difficulty level of finding it would never be easier than before.
“It came out.”
“It came out.”
As we came out of the village chief’s house, many eyes were on us. To be exact, to Choi Ji-won.
“… “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Choi Ji-won, feeling annoyed, asked a question, but no one answered. I just swallowed my saliva and looked at Choi Ji-won. Regardless of age or gender, people are paying attention to Choi Ji-won… I felt very bad.
As if that wasn’t just my impression, Choi Ji-won frowned and took out the Bongbungi and placed it on his shoulder.
“Are you saying we want to fight now? “What are we going to do with this?”
“Wait a minute. “We’re not doing this because we have any bad intentions.”
Only then did one of the players who were watching open his mouth.
“You just got here, right? “Aren’t you curious why we’re doing this?”
“… Please tell us.”
“We are all doing this because of ‘Hidden Piece’. As you’ve probably noticed, this isn’t reality. You can think of it as being inside a virtual reality somewhere. The laws of physics are subtly different, and the way people interact is also awkward.”
The player continues his explanation with a blank expression.
“More than anything, the guy who made it must have read the web novel diligently… ‘Hidden pieces’ are hidden everywhere. You can only obtain valuable loot by doing things that are difficult to find or strange. If commonly available materials are rated at a maximum of [A], Hidden ones are rated at [S], And in extreme cases, they can be rated at [SSS]. “I heard that among the advance guard, there are at least three who achieved SSS rank.”
“… So, are you doing this because of that hidden piece?”
“Yes. If you’re going to beat the 22nd floor anyway, wouldn’t it be better to do so while receiving good rewards to have a higher survival rate in the future? About half of the players staying on the 22nd floor are looking for hidden pieces directly outside the village, and the other half, we, are looking for hidden pieces inside the village. “It’s a waste of time wasted, but the reward is worth the risk.”
“… “
“Choi Ji-won, I’m not doing this because I have any hostility towards you. Just… I’m looking at it because it’s fascinating. “I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the concentrated gaze slowly dispersed. It doesn’t seem like the player just told the complete truth, but it also didn’t seem like he was telling an outright lie.
“… “Junho, follow me for a moment.”
Choi Ji-won stares at the players and leads me out of the village. As a result of a meeting between the two of us at a distance where our voices could not be heard, we came to the conclusion that it would be better to believe what they said.
“Shall we go back first?”
“Then. “When you return from the village, please explain in detail.”
“Okay. Well then, see you later.”
I started to organize my thoughts by biting my cheek, which I was used to.
Now that you have roughly figured out the structure of the 22nd floor, it is definitely advantageous to start again from the beginning. This time, as soon as I start, I should aim to wander around suspicious places and find the ‘hidden pieces’ mentioned above.
I haven’t yet figured out what the ‘item’ that can be purchased at the store is, and I haven’t figured out the specific reason why those people are killing it in the village square… Time will tell that. Anyway, if you repeat the regression, you will learn that information even if you don’t want to know it.
Where should I go first? The advance party probably licked up the inside of the village. Even if there is anything left, those writers will take it first. What immediately comes to mind is the summit of the mountain in the distance. There seems to be something in the highest place or in a cave nearby. Or, it might be a good idea to walk all the way downstream along the river. Obtaining the hidden piece itself is not something to worry about. As long as Choi Ji-won is with me, I have a cheat key. The question is not whether you will wake up, but how you will wake up.
“Is it Junho?”
The long thought ended with Choi Ji-won. She was looking at me with eyes that seemed incomprehensible. Wait, long thoughts?
“… Uh?”
The inside of my cheeks are still sore. When I lightly lick it with my tongue, I smell a slight warmth and the unique fishy scent of blood. Yes, the taste of blood. It’s a taste I haven’t felt in a really long time.
“… “
The ominous feeling that was running down my spine spread throughout my body and my blood turned cold. This is the inside of a virtual reality game. In other words, it is not reality.
That means that even if you get hurt here, there is no damage to your real body somewhere else.
“Oh my God.”
It also meant that I could not return.