Chapter 82

 

Wooooosh.

 

A chilling wind slashes across my face.

 

“What the!”

 

“...Sir, please quiet down.”

 

“Oh, another person appeared.”

 

I was surprised by the cold, but as soon as I opened my eyes, what I saw was a crowd. Not just one or two people, but a throng bustling with activity.

 

Looking down at my body, I was wrapped in a thick winter coat. With the heavy clothing and the crowd of people, the space felt cramped.

 

“Wow, how many people will there be...”

 

“98.”

 

I hadn’t expected a response to my rhetorical mumble.

 

Turning towards the source of the voice, I saw a middle-aged Caucasian man smiling kindly at me through the crowd.

 

“It’s nothing special. It’s displayed up there.”

 

Following his finger pointing upwards, I looked to the sky and saw letters floating in the air.

 

 

“...Thank you.”

 

I responded briefly and turned my head away. It might seem rude, but I have no intention of getting overly familiar with others here. Unless they seem promising like Kang Chan or Kyung Joon.

 

“…”

 

More than figuring out the crowd, I was curious about where I was.

 

Pushing through the crowd, I managed to make my way forward. The human wall made it difficult to see ahead.

 

After about 30 seconds of struggle, I finally managed to break free from the throng.

 

Thud.

 

“Ouch...”

 

My nose lightly brushed against something invisible. It was a good thing I was moving slowly due to the crowd.

 

Extending my hand, I felt a transparent dome-shaped barrier. The reason people were clustered wasn’t just due to the cold; it was because we were trapped.

 

“It seems like this barrier will disappear once 100 people are gathered...”

 

I removed my hand from the barrier and looked up.

 

Above was a sky so blue it seemed almost frigid, with snowflakes falling fiercely, and further down were jagged mountains as if trying to pierce the heavens. At ground level, the view ended with a stone wall encircling the area, starting where the dry earth was just beginning to gather snow.

 

Yes, we were inside the walls. The place was enclosed by stone walls on all sides.

 

“Hmm...”

 

Turning around, I saw a castle of a rather crude design. Not the kind of fancy castle you’d expect in a fantasy world, but more of a fortress. Blunt, aged, and solid.

 

So, it seems like we’re in what could be the courtyard of the castle...

 

“Hey, the 99th person has entered.”

 

“The clothes keep us warm at least...”

 

“My legs hurt from standing...”

 

I could hear the commotion of people anxiously keeping track of the numbers.

 

“...Excuse me.”

 

“...Yes?”

 

I approached a man who was rubbing his hands together and looking up at the sky. I chose him because he seemed to have been here for a while, as indicated by the snow on his clothing.

 

“That... What is that?”

 

Across the courtyard, about 100 meters away from this protective dome where all the players were standing, there was something dark and dome-shaped. It was completely alien compared to the antique walls of the castle, a black and glossy entity.

 

Moreover, it seemed at least three times larger than the barrier enclosing us, and just looking at it made me uneasy.

 

“Ah, that... Well, I’m not sure. It’s probably nothing. It’s been there since I first came in.”

 

The squint-eyed man responded casually, genuinely seeming to think it was not a concern.

 

“...But what if something jumps out of there?”

 

“Uh, well... then we fight, I guess. But I don’t think that will happen. Usually, when a floor starts, they give us weapons, right? Since there’s nothing like that inside the barrier, I’m guessing it’s probably nothing.”

 

“...I see.”

 

I thought he was just being blindly optimistic, but his reasoning had some validity. Right, they should provide weapons to start with. It wouldn’t be fair if those without items were left to die.

 

“By the way, sir. The atmosphere seems a bit tense, as if a fight might break out... If it turns out to be a competition among players, maybe forming an alliance...”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

After declining the man’s suggestion, I walked around the edge of the barrier. The snow was falling heavily, the castle was ancient, and the mountains high. I wondered if I should have waited for Ji-won Choi, feeling somewhat restless.

 

“...It is beautiful, though.”

 

Amid the falling snow, the towering mountains stood majestically, beautiful in their own right. I felt a desire to climb to their peak, reminiscent of an old Windows desktop background, strangely captivating.

 

“Hey, hey! It's the 100th person!”

 

“Did the mission appear? I can’t see anything.”

 

The shouts of others pulled me from my thoughts.

 

Without realizing it, I looked up to see the number updated to [100/100].

 

“...Is it starting?”

 

As I muttered to myself, a message appeared before me.

 

 

As the message appeared, the barrier holding the 100 or so players vanished.

 

“No... survival?”

 

“Seems pretty screwed, doesn’t it?”

 

Yet, no one moved. Everyone was frozen, reading and re-reading the message that appeared before them.

 

The first floor is essentially not a floor at all but a rest area and base camp.

 

The second floor, while I had manipulated it extensively, was a moderate level where no one died or got hurt. Even now, due to the changes I made, it serves as a sort of teacher, helping inexperienced players get used to combat.

 

The third floor was extremely tough, but... that was because I chose the hardest difficulty. From what I’ve heard from others, assuming they chose a difficulty that matched their abilities, it wasn’t incredibly hard.

 

According to posts I saw online, the clear rate is over 70%. If one person dies, everyone fails, which also prevents trolling.

 

In other words, the players were quite relaxed. The third floor emphasized ‘cooperation’, which likely fostered a sense of camaraderie among players.

 

But suddenly, the mission for the fourth floor is ‘survival’.

 

Simply put, if you’re alive, you clear. It’s an exceedingly easy condition, but at the same time...

 

“...What’s coming at us?”

 

Whatever was to come, it was declared a threat to survival.

 

People frozen in place collectively remembered the tutorial. Unless you killed the hidden boss, only 25% were allowed to survive. The despair, bloodshed, cursing, and struggles they faced.

 

Wooooosh.

 

With 100 people standing, only the sound of the wind filled the courtyard.

 

“Hey, hey! Run!”

 

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

 

What broke the unexpected silence was a group of five rushing towards the castle.

 

“Food, we need to find food first!”

 

The group, consisting of three men and two women, each held a weapon that seemed uncommonly special, likely items. They probably got gold rewards on the second floor and chose weapons with them.

 

“Uh, oh!”

 

“Hey, let’s go too!”

 

Only then did it dawn on most that they might be each other’s competitors, and the majority started running towards the castle.

 

The first group to run had made the right call. If food was limited, having food could very likely become a form of power.

 

Moreover, as the snowfall grew heavier, the idea of seeking shelter indoors also played a part.

 

After a bit of time, only a few people remained in the courtyard.

 

Including the middle-aged Caucasian with the kindly smile and the squint-eyed man who had asked to team up, only about 10 people were left in the courtyard.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

After a brief exchange of glances, I was certain of a few things.

 

First, the people who remained here felt they had the luxury of choice, meaning they were confident in their ability to acquire food through force if necessary.

 

Second, these individuals had keen perception.

 

“Everyone’s sharp.”

 

The squint-eyed man said with a smirk.

 

His gaze was fixed on the black hemisphere on the far side of the courtyard.

 

As the atmosphere turned chaotic with the message appearing and people starting to run towards the castle,

 

Crack.

 

The black hemisphere began to show cracks.

 

While the panic had prevented most from noticing, those present had caught on.

 

Crack. Crack.

 

What started as minor fissures soon spread,

 

And with a loud crash, accompanied by black smoke, it shattered completely.

 

So, what would come out?

 

Monsters? Weapons? Food? Or perhaps an angel?

 

The fierce wind quickly dispersed the smoke, soon revealing the inside.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

The ten players cautiously approached the hemisphere, exchanging wary glances.

 

And what was revealed inside the hemisphere were...

 

“Cough, cough...”

 

“Huff...”

 

“Ugh...”

 

People, a lot of them.

 

Their numbers far exceeded that of the players. By a rough estimate, there were over 300.

 

“Uh...”

 

“What is this...”

 

While it was known something would emerge, no one expected it to be more people. The players, taken aback, didn’t know how to react.

 

“Cough, is anyone there!”

 

From the midst of the smoke, a man emerged, coughing continuously.

 

“I am Baron Jorge! I need help!”

 

A long beard. An antique style of dress. And an accent, though translated into Korean, that felt utterly foreign.

 

Very, very likely not from Earth.

 

“...”

 

Towering mountains. Blustering snow. An ancient castle. And suddenly, hundreds of beings from another world.

 

Thus began the fourth floor.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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