Episode 288 senior manager
“A bet? You mean a fee?”
“It’s no fun just paying the fee, so why don’t you let me add a little more? If I lose, I’ll double the fee. Also, let me answer one of your questions, Rick.”
“Wow. That’s quite interesting.”
The corners of Rick’s mouth turned up.
For worn-out middle managers, irregularities are always fun.
It’s a great source of entertainment, especially if it’s about the player you’re most interested in watching.
Even apart from the fees.
There are a lot of things I’m curious about.
For example, why did the set item obtained by killing Yasha, one of the strongest boss monsters in the middle layer, be changed to an unfamiliar weapon?
How the player who climbs the tower for the first time actually knows more information than the residents.
And the most curious question lingered in my mind: how to overcome this crisis.
The worries didn’t last long.
“What bet?”
Rick accepted the offer.
“I’m going to open a gate now, and you just have to guess where it leads. If Rick loses, I’ll waive trading fees for the rest of his life.”
“Hahaha. This is too much of a joke. Are you really thinking that there is a gate that I don’t know about?”
“So let’s make a bet.”
Jinhyuk smiled brightly.
It is a bonus to arouse curiosity with appropriate provocation.
“…Good. They say you are intentionally donating your assets to Rick Hennessy, and I will gratefully receive double the fee.”
Rick nodded.
Then at that very moment.
Parts!
A green, almost blue gate opened in front of the two.
“Is this…?”
An earthquake occurred in Rick’s pupils.
Of course you have no choice but to not know.
I didn’t know that something like this existed even when I saw the top of the tower in the past.
Moreover, no matter how resourceful and knowledgeable Rick, a mid-level manager, is, there is no way he would recognize him.
Purple runes appeared along the black border.
Gate leading to the senior managers’ rooms.
It is the ‘Shadow Gate’.
Wooooow!
It wasn’t until the gate’s surface was fully open that Rick realized where it led.
“Thank you so much for waiving the transaction fee.”
“Jinhyuk… what are you…”
Rick stuttered.
Then, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“I guess it was me who was still overlooking it. It was a bet against none other than Jinhyeok.”
As expected, he is a fun player.
Probably, this man would not be intimidated by them.
No, it might actually be the upper-level managers who are flocking to it.
“Please, I hope you have a good conversation. Tower climber.”
Rick took off his fedora and bowed deeply.
“I’ll be back.”
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
＊＊＊
That… … .
When I passed the rippling surface.
Everything I could see had completely changed.
Bare tree branches, piled up snow, and a small cabin in the middle of the forest.
A place reminiscent of Northern Europe appeared.
[You have entered the territory of Senior Manager ‘Bendivia’.]
‘I thought it was a place where dragons flew around, but surprisingly it looks ordinary.’
Jinhyuk slowly looked around.
It’s my first time coming here.
To be honest, I never dreamed that one day I would be in the residence of one of the senior managers.
Exciting! Exciting! Exciting!
My heart was beating rapidly.
As I got closer to the door, my entire body became extremely numb and my body contracted so that I could jump out at any time.
‘You say you’re a senior manager, but you don’t even feel any magical power.’
Of course, it’s not that there is no magical power.
Just as humans cannot hear ultrasonic waves, we cannot even feel the incredibly powerful magical power.
Right then.
“Come in. The door is open.”
A thin voice echoed from inside the hut.
First of all, it’s not a bad start.
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At least they didn’t attack someone just because they came into the house.
Shake!
Jinhyuk opened the door and went inside.
Sigh.
I felt hot heat.
Inside the cabin where the bonfire was lit, a female elf with impressive black skin was sitting.
Dark elf. To be exact, it is a being that can be said to be the beginning of the Dark Elves.
“Hey. I lost my way and was wandering around for a while, but thanks to you, I was able to get some warmth from the fire. I almost froze to death.”
“Ha… you’re good to go. Why don’t you ask for some really hot soup and a blanket?”
“Hmm? I didn’t want that much, but if you really want to. I think a blanket made of deer fur with sausages cut into thumb-thick pieces, cream soup with peas, and a blanket made of deer fur would be fine. Since the baby has sensitive skin, please use fur made from a female deer, not a stag. .”
“…….”
At Jinhyuk’s words, the manager’s face distorted grimly.
But it was only for a moment.
“The middle managers said that a goal-scoring player came in. I guess it was you. Damn. A really amazing guy came in.”
Bendivia clicked his tongue.
And then he poured the wine on the table into the glass.
“Stop talking nonsense and tell me why you chose me out of all the higher-level managers. I just don’t like dragging my feet around.”
Shadow Gate is a line naming ceremony.
In other words, you decide on the senior manager you want and then go there.
The moment the gate was activated, seven managers appeared before Jinhyuk’s eyes.
And the one chosen among them was the dark elf ‘Bendivya’.
You need to get past the first question here.
Because upper-level managers were very fickle people.
“There is no particular reason. Anyway, the only information given about the senior managers is their names and races. In that case, I decided that it would be best to have a conversation with the Dark Elves, who are the most reasonable race. If you are Bendivia, you will not pretend to be on the same side as me. Because it will.”
“Not covering the same side. What does that mean?”
“Don’t you know? One of you crossed the line. And very hard.”
“…….”
The hand movements that were sipping the wine stopped.
It’s a face I didn’t expect to know such things.
“The administrators I know are the ones who protect the tower’s discipline. However, if they collude with a specific force, they can no longer be called administrators, right?”
“What do you want? Don’t spin around, just say it.”
“We will make it possible for managers to fulfill their role as managers. So please help us.”
It makes managers perform their role as managers… … .
The pinching words hurt.
This meant that if Bendivia did not help, he would not be qualified to be a manager.
“You’re so arrogant. You’re talking about our role as a player carelessly.”
Sharp fangs were visible from Bendivia’s mouth.
For a moment, it felt as if the entire cabin’s warmth had disappeared.
Now that a senior manager has revealed that he lives in his home base, away from the stairs, it is inevitable that my bones will be chilled.
However, the pressure did not last long.
“But, I like how bold it is.”
Bendivia stood up.
“No matter what happens in the tower, we don’t intervene. However, that’s just the natural flow.”
“Are you saying you’ll help me?”
“Help… you’re overestimating me too much. The being that is trying to come out of the crack right now is not something even the higher-ups can do anything about. The only thing we can do is tie ourselves to the same staircase. Because of that, that thing is about to jump out. “If it comes out, I have no choice but to leave it alone until the set time has passed.”
I guess so.
So the system simply gave the quest to ‘survive’.
however.
“It’s not that there is no way. If a few conditions are met, we may be able to gain the ‘time’ that Bendivia mentioned.”
I’ve already experienced something like this.
Even at that time, I went through a lot of hardships that were said to be terrible… … .
survived.
I was able to survive and continue on.
“You can be so confident because you haven’t experienced it. Or rather, how on earth can you be so calm? Isn’t it human nature to be indignant or despair when something ridiculous happens?”
“It is true that the Tower of Trials is arbitrary and unfriendly, but it is not asking you to do impossible things.”
“He really is an unusual person. Among all the residents who have climbed the tower in the past, not a single one has thought that way… Then, can I hear why you think that way?”
the last question.
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“I hope that someone can climb to the top of the tower. I hope more than anyone else that I can reach the end of this world.”
I don’t know if this is the right answer.
I also don’t know if Bendivia liked it or not.
That is why I spoke my true feelings calmly.
really… … Because I thought so.
“Clear the 16th floor in one day.”
“……!”
“Why are you looking surprised? If you are as confident as you said, try to defeat the boss on the 16th floor in one day. If you do that, I will give you whatever you want.”
A jewel emitting a mysterious light protruded from Bendivia’s arms.
‘Soul Stone of Longing’.
A special item that can damage the soul.
In terms of size, it is roughly mid-sized.
This means that it is enough to fight like crazy for at least a few hours.
“Is this what you need? Isn’t it for the weapon you have in your arms?”
[Qualification test for senior manager ‘Bendivia’]
Content: Defeat the boss monster on the 16th floor alone and free the path to the 17th floor.
Conditions: Solo play (limited to defeating bosses) / 23h:59m:59s
Reward: Soulstone of Longing (4h)
The status window appeared before my eyes.
The first gateway to survival for the Sea of Destruction has begun.
“One day. Okay.”
Jinhyuk accepted the quest.
Before leaving the cabin. Bendivia added a word.
“I have seen many climbers so far. Empires, martial arts, and deities from each myth. I was confident that the spirit world, demons, and elyos would all see the top of the tower. So, I had high expectations. Someone, some force. “I believe I can climb to the top of the tower.”
A bitter voice continued.
“As you can see by looking at the current situation, all those forces and rankers have failed to reach the top. Now, they are focused on protecting and expanding their respective territories and making a living.”
so that.
Managers also compromise between ideals and reality.
Now I just give up expectations and repeat the same life every day according to the contract with the system.
“But, maybe… I think you might be different.”
The conversation ended with that.
＊＊＊
The entire 16th floor of the Tower of Trials is made up of a huge tropical rainforest.
The size of the stairs themselves was one of the smallest among the 50 floors, but there were various man-eating plants and insect-type beasts, as well as a hot and humid environment.
Everything threatened the players’ survival.
Therefore, the reality was that it was difficult to reach the boss monster on the 16th floor even if you wandered for days and days.
but.
‘I never thought there would be a challenger.’
Jinhyuk looked at the entrance to the ruins.
There were traces of a large number of people entering the ruins where the boss was located.
‘About twenty people.’
Outside the ruins, a flag with a huge rock giant symbol symbolizing the Titan Guild was planted.
Since they entered this place first, it is a sign that other guilds are prohibited from entering until the raid fails.
After clearing the 15th floor, I didn’t know because I was focusing on the empire and martial arts in the middle layer.
‘But it looks like he wasn’t completely playing around.’
If you make it this far, it means you have a fairly solid attack force.
Of course, being ‘solid’ is not enough to reach the end of the ruins.
I don’t know about the named monsters in the middle, but it would be too much for the boss.
‘I said I have to defeat the boss alone, so I’ll have to hurry up a bit.’
But right then.
“Kirik!”
“Shh! Shhh!”
With a metallic sound, a huge snake and a spider appeared.
‘Are they the ones wandering around the ruins?’
It didn’t seem like he had any intention of just letting the thing approach him with his mouth dripping wet.
It just worked out well.
Even if it wasn’t, I needed some space to relax my hands, and since it’s like this, I should think of it as a practice game.
Jinhyuk activated the ‘subspace inventory’.
“It’s been a while since I’ve used it, so it might be difficult to finish it cleanly. I don’t think I can control it well.”
Beyond the shimmering space, a rather exotic weapon emerged instead of the one previously used.
Slam!
Slam!
Two unique-looking pistols were loaded.
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