Pick Me Up!

As expected, humanoid monsters appeared on the 13th and 14th floors.

Though the personnel, equipment, and formation differed, there was one commonality. The fact that they harbored an unwavering hostility towards us. Ironically, it was fortunate. Thanks to this, party members could deal with their enemies without hesitation.

However, battles against humanoids raised stress levels slightly more than fighting demon-like creatures.

Even Anytng, who was careless in most situations, refrained from recklessly spinning around. Once a day. After the battles ended, there was rest. Conditioning management was important in preparation for the 15th floor.

Days passed like this.

Party 1 reached the appropriate level for conquering the 15th floor.

I was level 15, Jenna and Aaron were level 13, and Eolka and Edis were level 11. We hadn’t reached the maximum level, but it takes a long time to raise the levels even for two three-star members. The experience efficiency was low. It was one of the few drawbacks of being heroes with high innate ranks.

The equipment workshop was operational again.

This time, leather pouches were distributed. These were accessory items that increased the limit for carrying consumables like potions. It was not a bad choice. It was better to carry an extra potion or two than to upgrade trash equipment.

As the conquest drew near, I set a goal for the party members. The goal was to acquire at least one skill before attempting to conquer the 15th floor. This time, the second party that wasn’t joining the expedition provided assistance by sticking together overnight for training.

And,

[Give Han(★★) ‘Minor Vitality Potion’.]

[Give Han(★★) ‘Minor Vitality Potion’.]

[Don’t drop it. It’s expensive!]

Iselle, perched on the cart, threw a vitality potion.

I accepted the potion and put it into the pouch on my belt. Then, I took another and put it in. Iselle’s hand slipped as she tried to throw the third one.

Clang!

[The ‘Minor Vitality Potion’ has been destroyed!]

[Tips/Items can be lost during the process of carrying them.]

“Expensive, you say?”

[I, I don’t know. It’s the fault of the master who made me do it!]

Iselle flapped her wings and blushed.

The shattered glass fragments and the red liquid disappeared as they were absorbed into the ground. Redistribution began again. This time, it was Jenna’s turn.

[Give ‘Jenna (★★)’ the ‘Low Life Potion’… … .]

A total of five people gathered in the square.

Me, Jenna, Aaron, Eolka, and Edis.

Master was gathering the party members for item distribution.

The intention was clear to anyone. It was to challenge for the 15th floor.

I observed the members of the first party.

Jenna muttered to herself that she could do it, Aaron held his spear with determination until his hands turned red. Eolka was taking deep breaths. Edis had her eyes closed. Each of them was finding their own way to ease the tension.

There was no one excessively stiff.

Having gone through numerous practical battles with me, they naturally possessed this level of know-how. I finally glanced at my status window.

[Han Israt(★★) Lv. 15(Exp 38/120)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 35/35]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Health: 32/32]

[Agility: 30/30]

[Skills: Minor Swordsmanship(Lv.7), Mind’s Eye(Lv.4), Flame Resistance(Lv.2), Pain Resistance(Lv.4), Composure(Lv.4), Frenzy(Lv.3), Equestrianism(Lv.1)]

Total stat value: 107.

For a level 15 two-star, these were quite decent stats. It was sufficient to compare with advanced three-stars. The result of effort and calculation.

Approximately two months had passed since arriving here. Not a single day had been taken for rest.

I had seven skills.

Excluding Equestrianism, which was a support skill, there were six skills that directly aided combat. Mind’s Eye was a skill I refined through focused concentration. It combined the abilities of insight and projectile defense. By significantly enhancing my ability to deflect projectiles, it granted defense effects, as well as enabling me to discern the openings in my opponents’ defenses. This skill was of A-grade quality and had been part of my planned acquisitions since my arrival here.

Also, Pain Resistance, Composure, and Frenzy had each been raised several levels.

Activating frenzy every dawn resulted in this. Improving mental skills wasn’t easy, but I seemed to have found an effective training method.

[And we’re ending with this!]

A vial of mana potion was held in Eolka’s hand.

Three potions per person. The warehouse door opened, and the empty cart moved on its own into the interior. Iselle wiped the sweat from her forehead and exhaled with a snort, saying,

[Listen carefully to what Han says, everyone. If you want to survive, follow orders.]

“Why do you keep saying unnecessary things?”

[It’s to build morale. If you follow orders half-heartedly, you’ll end up in trouble.]

“Even without you saying, I know how to handle my party.”

[Is that so? Anyway, let’s gather strength for the 15th floor. Don’t die!]

With a sprinkle of stardust, Iselle vanished.

Simultaneously, the door leading to the rift opened.

“She’s always so bossy.”

Jenna shrugged her shoulders and entered.

After that, members of the first party entered one by one. Lastly, as I entered, the door closed.

[Climb the Tower, Save the World!]

[Main Dungeon: Current Floor – 14]

’15th floor.’

There were some expectations, but the exact nature of the mission wasn’t known. It wasn’t like the quests on the 10th floor. I spoke up.

“Do as you’ve been doing. If you stay focused, you can return alive.”

“I can just follow you, right?”

“Don’t rely on me too much.”

“It’s okay to rely on you. Your instructions are accurate.”

Edis chuckled.

I glanced at the system message at the top of my field of vision.

The control panel was moving chaotically.

[Using recording function.]

[Recording allows you to save the record of this stage as a video. You can watch it anytime. But, for this, you need to purchase the feature.]

‘Is he saving replays?’

It’s not a bad habit.

I, too, had analyzed the features of heroes, their achievements, and the types of stages by re-watching stages I had already cleared numerous times. There were many things that couldn’t be understood with just a single viewing. Furthermore, it was useful in identifying the causes of stage failures.

Analyzing past records greatly helped in nurturing insight and judgment. Although there wasn’t much that the master could contribute to the mission yet, this would change as we advanced in floors. Training now would help you shine in the future.

[Would you like to purchase the ‘Recording Function’? This will consume 300 gems.]

[Yes (Selected) / No]

Flash!

A temporary flash occurred in the rift of time and space.

[Congratulations, Master!]

[From now on, you can enjoy the hero’s records.]

A triangle appeared at the top of my field of vision, indicating the start of the recording.

Simultaneously, a faint light emerged from the mirror on the left.

I took a deep breath.

“Everyone.”

The party members’ attention was focused on me.

I spoke.

“This mission has two features. First, it’s a special mission. Recall the explanation of the statue of the goddess on the 10th floor. I mentioned that if it was destroyed, we would all perish. In this 15th floor, there’s a similar condition for total annihilation.”

The 3rd party entered the 15th floor and was wiped out in just 5 minutes. There was no appearance of fear, panic, or any kind of death state before their demise. Meaning, they didn’t experience any battle. They failed the mission without even understanding it, and as a consequence, they were wiped out.

“Then, what we need to do when we enter is to find…”

“Right, Edis. We need to quickly find the objective. And prevent mission failure. However, we don’t have much time. At best, around 15 minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?”

“Party 3 went in and died in 5 minutes. Do you understand the significance? If you’re just spacing out inside, the mission fails automatically. We’ll all be wiped out. This is the second feature.”

The flow of time between the waiting room and the stage is different.

If you translate this, the time given to us is about 15 minutes.

This mission’s time is not much.

In other words, it’s a time attack rule where you must satisfy conditions within a limited time.

“Once we enter the mission, we have 3 minutes to gather information and move.”

All four nodded.

[Main Dungeon, current challenge floor is the 15th floor.]

[The door will open in 10 seconds. Prepare yourselves!]

The light gradually intensified, filling the rift of time and space.

And as the light dimmed, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar place.

I looked around.

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