章 29: Chapter 28: The Guilds.
The gorilla charged at Rigel at full speed and then smashed into the ground with both hands. Rigel dodged it and swung his sword down vertically, cutting off the gorilla's left hand. He jumped onto the gorilla's shoulder while it was in pain, and then he swung his sword and stabbed its head from above, killing it instantly.
The battle didn't last a minute, Arnel stood there and realized how talented Rigel was. Something was off about Rigel because nobody should be that strong the moment they entered the tower. Not to mention Rigel wasn't a Player who could gain status points to make them stronger or attain powerful skills.
"Before you came into the tower, what did you do to become a Non-Player?" Arnel asked out of curiosity.
"I killed orcs, ogres, wyrms, wyverns, drakes, and a dragon," Rigel answered as he cut the gorilla's chest.
"You what?" Arnel was stunned and Rigel could hear it in his voice.
"I absorbed their Cores, just like this..." Rigel showed the Core to the gorilla and it disintegrated. "I became strong because I did this to all of the Cores I took," he explained.
Arnel was shocked and couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He realized Rigel was special compared to other Non-Players. On the other hand, Rigel noticed that the 2 Cores that he absorbed were too easy to digest, unlike those Cores from Earth. He thought that the Cores that he absorbed earlier weren't as powerful as the ones back on Earth.
"You're just like her..." Arnel muttered quietly.
"I forgot that I should give the Core to Isaias," Rigel had just realized it after he absorbed the Core. "Is there another leader that we can kill?" He looked at Arnel.
"There's still a lot of them, so don't sweat it. Let's hunt some more because the forest is big and we have all the time to explore it and introduce you to this new world," Arnel responded.
They spent the day harvesting Cores from the leaders, and Rigel started to get a hang of the world inside the tower from Arnel. The tower had been run by Players for hundreds of years, and everything inside belonged to them. Of course, with that being said, there were a few Players that held the power in the tower. Those Players created various guilds to compete with each other, and every Player that joined one of the guilds, they were guaranteed to have a good life.
"The Soaring Sun Guild owns the 11th up to 17th floor. The Pure Blood owns the 18th up to 21st floor. The White Cross Guild owns the 22nd up to 29th floor. On the 30th floor, that's where their headquarters are," Arnel explained as he walked back to the cave with Rigel. "On the 30th floor, it's a similar world to this, a civilized world, and it's way bigger than here," he added.
Rigel heard that the 1st floor, or the floor he was on right now was as big as Europe. He only saw the tip of the iceberg, and it would take months if he wanted to explore every corner of the 1st floor. The 2nd up to 29th floors were the place where Players went to hunt and level up, and there were fortresses that each Guild built to keep an eye on the other guilds. Their wealth came from the resources they got from those floors which was that they were capable of paying new Players.
"What's beyond the 30th floor? I heard everyone can go back to their own world after they reached the 50th floor," Rigel looked at Arnel.
"What's beyond the 30th floor is an endless battlefield. The 3 guilds that I mentioned earlier are just small fries. They're nothing compared to them, and I think it's too much information for you to handle right now. Why don't you go to the 30th floor first and then you can ask what's beyond there," Arnel was anxious when he explained it to Arnel.
"I see. So, Players are also looking for Cores?" Rigel asked.
"Yes. They're like you. They absorbed the Cores and turned them into status points. But the way they did it was different than yours. The Cores didn't get disintegrated, they vanished and then their bodies glowed for a moment," Arnel answered as he nodded.
"What about you guys? How are you extracting the power of the Cores?" Rigel asked again.
"Consume it. That's the fastest way, but if we consume too much of it, we will be in pain, and rather than giving us power, it can wash all the powers that we got from the Cores that we consumed before," Arnel explained. "The other way is to keep it by your side as your body will slowly take the power from the Cores until the Cores no longer emit light. That means we exhausted the Core and we can get a new one," he added.
Rigel hummed and remembered that was how people became Adapters because they were exposed to the Cores. After that talk, they went back into the cave to rest for the day since they had hunted all the leaders and harvested the Cores.
(In the Player Association building)
"What did you say?" A woman with long dark brown hair, wearing a black sports bra, black leather pants, and black heels looked at the receptionist that witnessed the massacre. "You're saying a Non-Player did this? On his own?" She coldly stared at the woman.
The receptionist nodded her head repeatedly and she was intimidated by how tall the woman was. Especially with the tattoos that covered her arms and the 2 black daggers behind her waist.
"And you lost him?" The woman crossed her arms.
"He's not normal, Madam. He's too strong," A man behind the woman answered.
The woman called Madam turned around and stabbed her dagger up to the man's chin from below. The dagger pierced through the man's mouth and came out of his nose. The man didn't realize what had happened while everyone in the building grimaced and covered their mouths. The moment the pain started to kick in, he started to gargle as his blood dripped and leaked down from his chin.
"You're a Player, and you dare to say that a Non-Player is stronger than you?" The Madam squinted her eyes with the black eyeshadow that made her eyes more intimidating and yet alluring. "Find him... or I'll rip your skull," she tilted her head and glared at the man's eyes that filled with tears. She then pulled down her dagger and walked to the coach.
"Whoever finds that man, I'll reward you with 100 gold coins," The Madam said as she sat down and crossed her legs. "I'll give you all 3 days, or your name will be blacklisted from the association and you can beg for food for the rest of your life," she warned.
"He just entered the tower, so that means he can't use teleporters because he has no money. He should be that far, so go and find him," The Madam pointed out.
Everyone that was present in the building hurriedly left to find Rigel, but they had no idea where to go. A man in a black suit approached the Madam and stood behind her as he looked at the mess. The man looked like a butler, but he had a rapier hanging on his waist and he was a handsome man with slick white hair.
"Still, for a Non-Player to be able to kill that many Players and cut their bodies like that, he must be skilled," The man said. "I wonder where he came from, and what he did in his life before entering the tower."
"I know, and if the executives heard about this, I think we both are in big trouble if we fail to find him," The Madam hummed as she made herself comfortable on the couch. "I don't care where he came from. All I care about is his death," she continued.
"Should I handle this?" The man asked. "If he's nowhere to be found even after a whole day of the incident, I think he was getting help from them, don't you think?" he looked down at Madam.
"And do you have something in mind where are they hiding?" Madam leaned her head back and looked up at the man behind her.
"The Swamp Knight. I have always been so interested in that rumor, and if that person does exist, don't you think he's a part of them?" The man raised his eyebrows and stared blankly at the wall in front of him. "He has killed countless of Players, and I think we both know the answer already," he continued.
The Madam who seemed to be the scariest person in the building, was nothing compared to the man behind her when he smirked and squinted his silver eyes. The Madam knew who the real psychopath was in the building, and sometimes she felt uncomfortable being around that man.
"Well then, go ahead and bring some good news," The Madam said as she closed her eyes. "Don't underestimate them. You don't know if they're a part of the Resistance or not. If you think you can't handle them, go back immediately and I will help you out to get rid of them," she warned.
"Yes, Madam..." The man smiled and then walked out of the building.
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