บท 65: Chapter 64: Expansion.
Rigel looked at all the slaves, and they were terrified not because of what he was capable of, but because of what he did. He didn't understand why those Non-Players didn't like the idea that he killed those Players.
"Do you think killing them would make us free?!" The slave shouted at Rigel and he was furious. "Our lives are a lot better like this!" He added.
"If that's what you want, then just keep doing your work as a slave. I'm not doing this because I want to free you. I'm doing this because I want to kill those people," Rigel glanced at the man and then looked at all the slaves around him. "If they asked what happened, tell them that it's Rigel's doing," he said as he started taking the bags of money from the dead bodies.
The slaves didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but Rigel had decided to reveal his name to the Player Association. He didn't know that they already knew who he was since Madam had told the Executives about him.
Rigel took the horse and went straight to the next town where the tower was.
A week had passed, and he could see the tower in the distance. He got a lot of money from killing Players and replaced the weapons he had with better ones. He remembered nothing was interesting on the 2nd floor based on the information he got in Sevan Village. He also remembered the new dungeon that was discovered on the 3rd floor, and he wanted to check it out.
He entered the tower and noticed there were no Players from the Association waiting for him. He thought it would have something to do with Artika which had declared war against the Player Association. He didn't want to get involved in that war because he was nowhere near their levels.
"Take it slowly, Rigel..." Rigel muttered as he looked at the door in front of him to start his trial to enter the 3rd floor.
The trial was to fight a Goblin King which had a crown made of bones on its head. The goblin was big and fat while holding a giant made of a massive bone and a goat's head on top of it. The Goblin King looked at Rigel and slammed the mace on the ground, taunting and intimidating him by shaking the ground.
The Goblin King ran toward Rigel, shaking the ground because of his overweight body. It lifted its hands ready to smash Rigel, but a flash of lightning struck his head and fried its brain. Rigel moved to the left and the Goblin King's head hit the ground next to him. A bright door opened in front of him, inviting him to the 3rd floor.
Rigel entered the 3rd floor, and to his surprise, the 3rd floor was an island in the middle of the sea. There was a town in the center of the island with the tower reaching out to the sky. He was standing on top of the cliff and he could see everything there, and there was a mountain on the other side of the island.
"That's a lot of Players..." Rigel looked at Players camping on the cliff in the distance. "Could it be that's where the dungeon is?" He raised his eyebrows.
He didn't want to go there yet because he needed to get information about the 3rd floor and the dungeon. It seemed that the 3rd floor was a paradise because it had everything for everyone to enjoy their time there. There was a beach, a valley, a mountain, a forest, and a lake to explore.
He remembered Aria's words that the 3 guilds were trying to clear the dungeon, but no matter how far he looked, he didn't find a single Player from those guilds. Based on what he heard from Players around him, nobody hadn't cleared the dungeon yet and the weirdest part was nobody remembered what made them fail.
He went to the tavern, the biggest building in town where it could fit hundreds of people inside. He looked at how crowded it was as the waiters and waitresses brought drinks and food to people at the tables. He found that place a perfect place to gather information.
While enjoying his mug of rum, a group of Players joined his table because there were no tables left to sit at. He didn't bother by it, in fact, he was grateful that they joined his table.
"Have you guys heard? The Soaring Sun Guild, Silver Cross Guild, and the Pure Blood Guild are invading the 31st floor up to the 40th floor," A man with a long beard and 2 battle axes on his back. "They got rid of those Players that have been killing and stealing from other Players. I'm thinking of joining them," he added.
"You don't have any unique skill, and you think they will take you Iin?" A woman looked at the long-bearded man with her right eyebrow raised.
"It doesn't matter. I heard they have been taking in Players more than usual. I think they need more members since they're expanding their territories, so he might be able to join them," A man with sleepy eyes said and drank his rum.
"I heard they're combining forces so they can compete with the Player Association. I don't know what they're thinking, but I'm down to join them because the Player Association is monopolizing the tower for so long that someone needs to keep them at bay," The bearded man said.
"But that's that. We need to enter Undercliff Dungeon later, but we need an extra hand though," The sleepy-eyed man sighed as he looked around, looking if there was someone that could join them.
The woman secretly elbowed the sleepy-eyed man and slightly tilted her head toward Rigel. The man looked at Rigel and he already got intimidated by his presence. It was a good thing because he believed Rigel was a strong Player who came from a higher floor.
"Excuse me..." The sleepy-eyed man looked at Rigel's half face covered with his black long hair. "Can we ask your time for a moment?" He gulped nervously.
Rigel only raised his mug, telling the man that he allowed the man to take his time.
"So, uh... We want to explore the Undercliff Dungeon, and we are lacking manpower. Are you perhaps interested in raiding the dungeon with us?" The man asked and looked at his friends, signaling them to help him persuade Rigel.
"We're not Outlaws! We swear to Gods!" The woman assured Rigel that they weren't dangerous people. "We're stuck on the 27th floor, and we have tried to complete the trial to the 28th floor, but we're too weak. We came down here because we were hoping that we could get some treasures to help us go beyond the 27th floor," she explained.
"How much?" Rigel looked at the woman with his sharp gaze that petrified her to the core.
"How much?" The bearded man raised his right eyebrow and didn't like the idea of paying. "You're asking for payment even though we don't know how strong you are. We won't give you any money," he said with a serious tone.
"It's your loss," Rigel responded and casually drank his rum.
"We will pay based on your performance and contribution!" The woman said hurriedly. "And we will share the treasure evenly. But if we fail, you won't get any payment," she added.
"Fair enough," Rigel nodded in agreement. "When are we going to enter the dungeon?" He asked.
"This evening, or at least that's the estimated time until the last group before us leave the dungeon. There are still 30 groups waiting," The sleepy-eyed man answered. "We can chill here until afternoon and then go there when the sun is down," he added.
"Fine by me," Rigel nodded and continued to enjoy his drink.
(At the unknown floor, Inside the Executives' Palace)
Madam was summoned by the Executives and she was brought into that dark meeting room. She could barely see their faces, but she knew who was talking to her.
"Is there anything else you want from me?" Madam looked confused because it hadn't been a while since she came to report what happened on the 1st floor.
"Some kids are trying to build a sandcastle..." Alwin said as he crossed his legs and stared at Madam. "You must have heard about what the 3 Guilds are doing on the 31st and 40th floor. With our current situation, we will prioritize the Resistance Army, so we want you to hunt those kids for us," he explained calmly.
Alwin had spoken, and Madam didn't dare to question his decision because he was the 2nd strongest Player in the tower. The last thing she wanted to do was to question his decision because she heard how ruthless Alwin was back then during the Great War.
"It's not because you're lacking in power to deal with the Resistance. It's because the Resistance Army has no fear of death, but the Players do. So I want you to show them fear to them," Alwin explained in a calm and soothing voice. "I hope you understand," he added.
"Yes, I understand," Madam nodded with understanding.
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