Chapter 83

 

“Who are you people? Are you residents of this place?”

 

Snowflakes whirl furiously around.

 

The garments of the self-proclaimed Baron Jorge were far from suitable for the biting cold of winter. They were slightly worn, a bit fluttery, and somewhat flamboyant. In short, they were thin.

 

“We are... It’s difficult to explain our situation in detail, but we only need to survive for five days. We will compensate you in some way, please...”

 

Yet, Baron Jorge seemed unscathed. To be precise, he wanted to appear unscathed.

 

His fingertips quickly turned red-hot, his nose became as red as a strawberry, and his wrinkled facial skin spasmed uncontrollably due to the sudden chill.

 

However, his voice did not tremble, and his gaze remained assertive. It was hard to believe that he had just been summoned here moments ago.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

But... even if he were asked for help. What kind of help could we possibly give? We too had just been summoned here, knowing next to nothing. Help? It was we who needed help, not the other way around.

 

“Uh, uhh...”

 

“It’s cold, so cold...”

 

But it was inconceivable to just leave the hundreds of shivering people behind. Like Baron Jorge, they wore thin clothes, but unlike him, they lacked the mental fortitude to withstand the snowstorm.

 

“Let’s... go inside for now.”

 

“Let’s... go inside for now.”

 

Our voices overlapped, and my gaze met with that of the middle-aged Caucasian man. It was too cold outside, and there were too many people, so we decided to head inside the castle for now.

 

“Thank you, I’m truly grateful. I will definitely repay this kindness.”

 

Although Baron Jorge had not fully grasped the situation yet, he seemed to have noticed that we had shown him kindness. He nodded at me and the middle-aged man, then turned around and shouted to the hundreds of people behind him.

 

“Follow me! We will definitely survive! Understand?”

 

“Yes, Baron!”

 

“We will follow you!”

 

Despite the desperate situation, the people’s eyes gleamed brightly. In their eyes, one could feel the warmth piercing through the cold winter wind.

 

“…”

 

Trust. That’s what it is. The belief that Baron Jorge would somehow make things right. An absolute trust that only those with capability and renown could earn.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Hundreds of people silently followed, led by ten players. They moved towards the castle.

 

To escape the biting wind.

 

-119:50:12

 

***

 

Step. Step. Step.

 

The sound of hundreds of footsteps echoed off the dry earth.

 

“...”

 

The walk towards the castle was short, but it was filled with turmoil in my mind.

 

These people. Why did they suddenly appear? The message window that popped up earlier had not mentioned anything about these people.

 

The harsh winter. The old castle. Surviving for five days. My head was already aching from these thoughts, and now, hundreds of people from another world appearing? And without proper winter clothing?

 

Would saving them yield a hidden reward based on the number of people? Or are they actually monsters pretending to be human, providing massive experience points upon their death?

 

...Or is it... were they given as food? Seriously, it’s a possibility.

 

Of course, it’s a disgustingly appalling thought, and it goes against the ethos of the tower... But this is the domain of Archangel Raphael. On the second floor, he had treated people who were not climbers as if they were mere insects. My wild speculation might not be so far-fetched after all.

 

“Let’s go inside.”

 

As mentioned before, the castle wasn’t far. My grotesque imaginings naturally came to an end, and we arrived in front of the old castle.

 

“...The gate is rather small.”

 

Normally, when one thinks of a ‘castle,’ they might imagine the pointy, ornate castles of a fantasy world. Those with an interest in history might even think of the stone castles that still stand in Europe.

 

However, the castle before us was more disappointing than that.

 

Though it served as the main gate to what was ostensibly a castle, connected by a path leading from a large drawbridge on the castle walls...

 

It was so narrow that three adult men could hardly pass through side by side. How were hundreds of us supposed to enter through this in any reasonable amount of time?

 

“...Well, let’s go then.”

 

Despite the hesitance, I quickened my pace. Somehow, I had ended up leading the way, probably due to my experiences on the third floor.

 

Step. Step. Step.

 

We walked down the corridor stretching straight ahead. The stone floor echoed our steps, with torches hung here and there as the only sources of light.

 

Whoosh.

 

The wind rushing from the entrance made a chilling sound as it brushed past our ears.

 

The ambiance was strikingly similar to the caves on the third floor. Narrow, damp, and dark. It felt as if, after the arduous journey escaping the cave, I had entered another such place.

 

“Is everyone following okay?”

 

The narrowness of the corridor limited our vision, and the low ceiling meant turning around didn’t help much in seeing anything. It was as if we had entered a cramped tomb.

 

“...”

 

Typically, a castle served both as a strategic stronghold and as the lord’s residence, equipped with various facilities.

 

There would be windows that serve both as lighting and decoration, reception rooms for guests, large halls for banquets, and dining areas where everyone could eat together, among other amenities.

 

But here, there was nothing. No windows, only torchlight for illumination, and instead of dining areas, just long, stretching corridors.

 

After about three minutes,

 

We faced a dead-end, with corridors branching to the left and right. A crossroads.

 

“...Sigh.”

 

This isn’t a maze, is it...? Is there something lurking beneath the castle, and the exterior is just for show?

 

Despite the ominous thoughts, the decision was clear.

 

“...We’ll go right.”

 

Splitting up here would be folly. I led the group to the right, and the corridor stretched on.

 

“Oh?”

 

This time, we found a wooden door to our right.

 

Creak.

 

“...”

 

I gently tried the handle and pushed, but the door didn’t budge.

 

“...It’s blocked.”

 

The feel was different. It wasn’t simply locked; something was blocking the door from the inside.

 

“Hey, we got here first.”

 

A trembling voice came from behind the door.

 

“I know everyone’s superhuman, so breaking down the door wouldn’t be hard for you... but if it comes to a fight, we’ll resist to the death. Just go away.”

 

“...”

 

It was a cute attempt at a threat. Glancing back, I saw the squint-eyed man shrug his shoulders and point behind people following us.

 

It was a gesture that if it came to force, those inside would stand no chance.

 

“...You don’t have to open up, but could you tell us what’s inside?”

 

“...”

 

“If you don’t speak, we’ll break the door...”

 

“It’s… it’s just food, winter clothes, torches... That’s really all there is. I swear.”

 

“...Okay.”

 

Having heard the answer, I moved on without hesitation.

 

Judging by the sound of the voice, the room didn’t seem large enough. It was clearly insufficient to accommodate the hundreds following me, so I decided to let them be.

 

We walked past the locked door and continued on.

 

“Ah...”

 

The path ended again, with only a way leading to the left visible. However, this time there were stairs to both the upper and lower floors on the right, and straight ahead was a wooden door of the same design we had seen before.

 

The peculiar thing was that this wooden door was carelessly left open.

 

“...”

 

Peeking inside, as the man had said, various foods and winter clothes were scattered on the floor. Like the other room, there were no windows, leaving torches as the only source of light.

 

But why were the supplies still here, untouched? No people, only food remained. As I felt something was off and scanned the room,

 

Step. Step.

 

“Damn, it’s fucking humid here.”

 

“You idiot, it’s still better than the third floor. But this place is damn huge... Oh!”

 

Two men cursing while coming down the stairs stumbled upon us.

 

First, they looked at me peering into the room, and then at the hundreds following us.

 

“...What’s all this about?”

 

One of them asked in a flat tone.

 

“It’s actually what I wanted to ask you.”

 

I pointed inside the room, asking the two men.

 

“Did you know... there’s food and winter clothes here?”

 

“Yeah, well...”

 

The man scratching the back of his head answered nonchalantly. It seemed he really was aware of the food’s existence.

 

“...But why leave it untouched?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The food.”

 

The initial rush into the castle was for the purpose of hoarding supplies. Yet, upon entering, to find rooms filled with food left unattended was baffling.

 

“Oh, you just got here.”

 

“That explains it.”

 

But the men seemed to catch on to something from my questions, showing a knowing reaction.

 

“At first, it was chaos. People were rushing in using skills and nearly came to blows over it...”

 

“...Then?”

 

“There are a ton of rooms like this here.”

 

The man clicked his tongue.

 

“The corridors are damn narrow, and the rooms are too small to fit many people... But there are many rooms like this. Scattered all around.”

 

“...”

 

“There aren’t many on the first floor, but the second floor and the basement are full of them. So now, others are roaming around, looking for a hidden piece or something in one of those rooms.”

 

Despite the man continuing to explain, I barely registered his words.

 

Many rooms. And those rooms are packed with food and winter clothes.

 

In extreme situations, people can become selfish and violent, but in times of peace, they become generous.

 

The reason others weren’t fighting was simple: there was enough food to last beyond five days for everyone.

 

And if resources were plentiful...

 

“...This is serious.”

 

The situation seemed more severe than I had initially thought.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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