章 9: Morning Star City

"Sir, given that you have no prior knowledge of the city. I'll be your guide. Our city is known as a Morning Star City. It is a rich city governed by Lucifer, the Fallen Angel. He is our deity. Our city is well-balanced because of him."

"Unlike in the past, when the city was filled with chaotic conflicts, everyone now obeys the laws. Yes, there is a social hierarchy. Our deity constructed this system when he initially arrived at floor zero."

"There are three classes of people: noble, commoner, and slave. A similar hierarchy is reported to exist on the upper floors. Nobles are the highest ranked and have the most authority. They are permitted to acquire slaves from commoners with authority, status, or wealth."

"In our city, there are four nobles. Noble of the East, Noble of the West...."

"Alright! Alright! Okay, I don't need to know about those details. Just tell me how many mana coins it takes to stay in a hotel for a night." When the middle-aged man began to explain, Peter's eyelids twitched.

"Sir, we do not accept Mana Coins as payment. They are out of our price range. Our exchange is based on gold coins. Each mana coin is worth 1,000 gold coins. I believe they are used for transactions on the higher floor. And, yes, there are hotels. Sir, you can find it in the city center." While looking down at the ground, the middle-aged man shook his head and stated.

While he was speaking, the lizard guys crawled on the ground, the bag on his back. Peter sighed and took the bag. He discovered a red t-shirt. And then I took it out. There were a few additional items such as a sleeping bag, another pair of clothes.

After wearing the red t-shirt, he sighed and said "Alright, I will enter the city. You guys can lift your heads."

"Stop! Please show me your pass!" A voice halted Peter just as he approached the opened gate. There were a few other persons who came to a halt as well.

When Peter looked back, he saw a man dressed in iron armor. He didn't say anything, instead of pulling out his pass and showing it to him. The man's expression completely changed when he took the pass and read it. He made a deep bow and spoke hoarsely.

"Please pardon my rudeness, Mr. Climber! Please come into our city!"

Gasp!

"A new climber has arrived in our town!"

"It's been more than a month. At long last, a new climber has arrived!"

"Is he one of the nobles, Mother? What is it that makes people so terrified of him?" Peter's expression changed as he heard a child inquire about him. He didn't want to draw so much attention to himself. He dashed towards town, entirely ignoring their conversation.

'I should look for a hotel first!' While strolling down the street, Peter pondered. When he turned around, he saw normal-looking buildings. They appear to have a sophisticated design from both the modern and medieval eras.

Two residences were connected to each other. The first was a single-story structure made of bricks and concrete, while the house next to it was made of wood. However, the wooden structure was designed in the style of a thatched hut.

While wandering, he notices many types of people and races coexisting. It wasn't merely a human race. Various monster beasts coexisted with mankind. They donned clothes and spoke in normal tones. While wandering around, Peter saw that individuals spoke in a variety of ways, but that everyone was friendly and easygoing.

Peter accelerated towards the city center. He arrived at his location in ten minutes. In front of him was a massive structure shaped like an arena. He also noticed a lot of tables outside. However, there were very few people dining out.

He entered the hotel through a door on the right. When he walked in, it was a regular restaurant, just like his previous one. Despite the fact that there was no TV on the walls. He took a step towards one of the empty seats.

It was right around the corner. After a few minutes of staring at the menu, he pressed the bell on the table as he sat on the sofa. A man in a white shirt and black pants came a few seconds later.

"Bring a Lunch Combo with a bottle of wine!"

When Peter delivers the order, the waiter walks away. While waiting for his breakfast, Peter had the thought, 'Since EXP is only a number that represents growth, I can see whether I can take other people's growth. But, I am not sure whether they really represent growth or not. I need to research more on this one.' "Greed!"

As soon as Peter activates his greed, a system notification appeared in front of him.

[Greed has locked on to the massive number of targets!]

[Would you like to decrease the number of targets to improve the effects?]

[Yes] [No]

Seeing this notification, Peter was a little surprised. He thought for a moment and finally clicked on the yes. He wasn't sure whether the effect would be good or bad. Since there were dozens of people just a few meters around him.

[Gained 5 EXP] [Gained 5 EXP] [Gained 10 EXP] [Gained [10 EXP]

After a few minutes, a few notifications appeared in front of him. Just when he raised his lips for a smile, the people around him instantly fell on the table.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Hey, what's going on?"

"What caused those people to fall asleep?"

"No, they aren't asleep. They're utterly worn out."

"Get them to the healers as soon as possible!"

People began to panic when they discovered folks who were becoming ill for no apparent reason. Peter quickly put an end to his Greed.

'Damn! I had no idea my greed would lead to this. Yeah! How could I have forgotten? My body gets stronger as I level up. If my level drops, my body will become weaker. Greed had to have stolen their power in the form of EXP. But, can greed really steal someone's strength. That shouldn't be possible, right?'

'It seems it is either greed really stealing their strength or someone very important.' Hmm! That's exactly what comes to mind when I think about it. EXP reflects my progress, but as I level up, it resets to zero. That means my EXP becomes my strength.'

'Taking their EXP is equivalent to stealing their strength. I must exert control over this conduct. I can't have them suspecting me.' Peter simply ignored their worry and sat down to eat as if he wasn't worried by it.

After a few minutes, his lunch arrived, and as the waiter was leaving, Peter approached him and said, "Does your hotel provide lodging service?"

"Sure, the customer! Would you like to stay at our hotel?" The waiter becomes animated and inquires.

"Sure, I'd like to remain for seven days. How much does it cost to stay in your hotel?" Peter inquired, nodding his head.

"Every day, Sir, it costs ten gold coins. If you stay for a week, you will be charged 50 gold coins, but you will not be provided any food." The waiter's demeanor immediately altered and he gently explained.

"Okay! I'd prefer to remain here. However, do you accept Mana Coins? I mean, can you assist me in converting mana money to gold coins?" Peter spoke as he drew a penny from his pocket. It was a purple crystal coin the size of a thumb.

Gasp!

The others around him noticed him pulling out the coin and immediately sucked in the frigid air.

"Is he a climber?"

"Even if he isn't, he has to be the noble." A commoner cannot possibly hold a mana stone."

The crowd began to roar once more. Peter's veins burst out when he saw this.

"Would you please show me the room?" He abruptly sprang up and spoke hoarsely. Everyone in the room felt a chill when they saw his expression. Everyone hushed their mouths, but he had no intention of eating in front of the onlookers.

The waiter nods his head, fearful in his heart, and immediately leads him away. As he walked away, Peter said, "Bring that food to the room once I enter."

The waiter saw Peter was irritated by other diners. But he was also perplexed.

'Don't those nobles enjoy being praised? He became enraged simply because others were conversing with him. He must be a climber if he is going to live here. Climbers who had previously visited the hotel were ecstatic, like nobility. He is a little unusual.'

Despite having a lot on his mind, he didn't forget to show him the room. They took the stairs to the third floor. He led Peter into the room. It was huge but only included a few essential necessities including a bed, table, chair, and a light bulb with a fan.

"I will deliver the meal, Sir." The server rushed over to the previous table and examined the untouched food. Then he walked to the kitchen and requested that a new one be made. At the same moment, he dashed into the storeroom and began packing the food, placing it in a cardboard box with a note attached.

"Food should not be thrown away. This will be distributed to all the slaves of Morning Star City."