Episode 45
The second safe zone had an atmosphere reminiscent of a village.
A large road running through the center.
Large and small buildings stand across the road.
People walking on the roadside.
The number was only about a few dozen people.
‘It feels a bit strange.’
I touched my chin.
Crowded people.
White, yellow, etc., non-rankers from Earth.
Rankers invited from another dimension, such as fishmen or elves.
People from various dimensions were mixed together.
“Cheap. Cheap. A dagger made from a swordfish snout costs only 3,000pt!”
“King Crab Armor. Feels of use. Excellent durability. 4200pt.”
“We sell a mid-level healing potion made through alchemy.”
All kinds of stores.
And street vendors.
It appears that people, regardless of race, bargain with each other or buy and sell goods.
It feels more like a traditional market than a pagoda.
“Look.”
A profound voice lingers in my ears.
I’m sure you’re not calling me.
Just as I was trying to ignore the voice and go inside the safe zone.
Someone suddenly approached me.
“You. Stop for a moment.”
It was a white man in his 50s.
Yellow and brown hair, and blue eyes.
He had a handsome mustache on his nose.
He looks like a gentleman that appears on TV.
‘what. What about this gentleman?’
I looked at the man with wary eyes.
“I’m sorry it’s my first time meeting you. Can you give me some time?”
“$#@%（This!※#(c)”
Yuck!
I tried to answer without even thinking, but just drank a lot of water.
‘How does that guy talk?’
There’s no way to know.
I used whole sound.
-I’m not interested in Tao.
“Hey. Is this your first time in this safe zone?”
The fishman said the same thing, but the unknown man also said the same thing.
It’s not like I have “This is my first time participating in trials” written on my forehead.
“There’s a way to know everything. I know it when I see your shoes.”
shoes?
I looked down at my feet.
Other than being wet with water, it’s fine.
This time I turned my gaze and looked at the man’s shoes.
‘What is that?’
Something that looks like slime is covering the white shoes.
“Transparent jellyfish shoes. They say they are a must-have item when going around the sea. Didn’t the fishman Aol Ok explain it to you?”
-no. I didn’t hear it.
“It’s hard to keep your balance without wearing these, but you somehow made it this far.”
The fishman guy at the general store.
I told you without leaving out the really important things.
yes?
“It’s just luck that we got here safely without encountering any marine monsters.”
-what. okay.
I answered hesitantly.
There’s a big misunderstanding.
But there didn’t seem to be any bad intentions.
“Hey, how many points do you have? I need 2,000 points.”
what.
Was this guy also a businessman like that fishman?
– I don’t have any.
“Ugh. Transparent jellyfish shoes and Orja’s cloak are a must.”
-I made it this far without any items.
“That won’t work. It would be quicker to show the effect of the item directly.”
The middle-aged man looked around.
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A swordfish leisurely passing by.
He stamped his feet and approached the swordfish with skillful swimming.
Swordfish recognized the middle-aged man.
“This guy’s charging speed is so fast that you can’t avoid it by swimming.”
A swordfish that charges with its pointed mouth in front.
The cloak covering the middle-aged man’s back gave off a bright light.
“Orza’s cloak gives you a foothold in the water.”
A translucent plate that forms under the feet.
When the middle-aged man stepped on the board and climbed up, he immediately melted into the water.
A sword fish passes by just in time.
“You can only use it once every ten minutes, so you’d better use it carefully.”
A man struggling with his arms and legs.
“Transparent jellyfish shoes correct your posture even in the water.”
After shaking in the water, he quickly regained stability.
“Then like this… the swordfish stops moving for a moment.’’
It was just as the man said.
Swordfish, which missed its target, fell into a state of rigidity for a moment.
“Ice Spear!”
Damn it!
The rearranged mana materializes.
Some of the water froze and took the shape of a large window.
The ice spear moves through the water.
Phuuk-
An ice spear stuck between the swordfish’s eyes. The monster widened its eyes and stopped.
“What do you think? Still, you still don’t feel the need for these items?”
-well.
It’s worth using.
I don’t need it at all.
“Huh, then I’ll lend you mine as a rental. Even though it’s used, it’ll be useful.”
ah.
This guy was just a big-hearted person and a good person.
There was no malice in his voice.
But what can I do?
I really don’t need it.
Just then one more swordfish appears.
It came out.
By kicking the water, he caught the swordfish’s attention.
“Now, you. If you run like that…!”
I can hear the man’s voice in my ears.
I am.
If you knew how many swordfish were made into sashimi on the way here, you would faint, right?
‘It’s best to show this in person to that old man.’
Transforming Dark Star into an attitude.
Immediately, the first herbal eating of Oho Danmundo was performed.
The black pottery split the swordfish in half across its snout.
– Did you see it?
“…What are you doing?”
The middle-aged man’s pupils shook left and right.
Rice Rice Rice Rice
The middle-aged gentleman’s name is Gerard.
He was a hunter from England.
Gerard gave me a leaf-shaped brooch.
By wearing it on my clothes, I was able to talk even under water.
“I wrinkled myself in front of the chrysalis.”
“That’s enough.”
Hum hum, Gerard cleared his throat as if he was embarrassed.
but.
I would be embarrassed if I were in the same situation.
“While you’re trembling, let me guide you to this place, the deep sea.”
“deep sea?”
“The safe zone of this sea area. No… it’s a place called a city.”
“But it’s a strange name for a city.”
“It’s a name given by the challengers.”
“Is it called Deep Sea because it’s a city in the sea?”
“That makes sense, but it’s not the right answer.”
“Let’s hear why.”
“A place where you can’t return to the third floor or the original world. A place where those who fell into the deep sea stay.”
Hey. mister.
When I asked him to explain, he was reciting some kind of poem.
“What is that disapproving expression?”
“It’s because it’s hard to understand.”
“Ah. I guess you still don’t know the structure of this staircase.”
Gerard squatted on the ground and scratched the ground with his cane.
I was watching something and I found something.
and was there.
“Is that a sunflower?”
“…It’s a rescue from the abyss of the sea.”
“Ah. It looks a bit like a flower.”
A form in which five other circles surround one circle in the center.
A long oval extends from the top of the picture.
“This is where we are, in the Central Sea.”
“Central Sea?”
“It’s called that because it leads to all sea areas.”
“Then is that bar the Sea of Silence?”
“That’s right. You understand quickly.”
I thought the sea area was divided into stages.
After listening to the story, it seems that it is not stage-based, but rather you can choose the trial of the jewel you want.
“Maybe that’s why they say the safety zone in the central waters is particularly larger than the safety zones in other waters.”
“I don’t think you saw it in person?”
“Well, that’s it.”
Gerard smiled bitterly.
“To go up to the 3rd floor, you need to spend at least a few gems.
“You have to collect four.”
“Yes.”
“In other words, even if you want to return to the original world, you need 4 gems.”
for a moment.
Then the deep sea…
‘Does it mean it’s a deep sea just because you can’t escape it?’
I opened my mouth wide.
“I guess you understand.”
“So are all those people stranded on the second floor?”
“That’s right. Including me.”
There are roughly hundreds of people who are staying for a long time in the second floor ordeal, [Abyss Sea].
It is said that a significant number of challengers are staying in the safe zones, excluding the ‘deep sea’, which is the size of a city.
“What about lodging and food?”
“Get points by killing monsters like swordfish, and use them to cover living expenses.
They’re suffering.”
People who cannot escape the ordeal of the tower.
I don’t know who gave it to me, but the name of the city, ‘Deep Sea’, fits well with the situation of the challengers.
“As you can see here… the minimum conditions for living are in place.”
“Well, can you call this life?”
I shook my head.
A life that repeats itself in a confined place.
I didn’t think of it as real life.
“Is the second floor trial that difficult?”
“It can’t be compared to the desert of the martyrs. Haven’t you seen that treasure, the Lantern Angler?”
“I saw it.”
“Catching that… is not an easy task even with the power of the item.”
“I already caught it.”
“••••••huh?”
It’s quicker to show once than to say a hundred words.
I searched my subspace pocket and took out a ruby.
“It’s true. I meddled for no reason.”
“You might make mistakes. I understand.”
I smiled generously and passed it on.
Gerard’s mouth widens.
He must have been moved by what he just said.
Hehehe.
I am such a considerate person.
“Gerard. Why are you telling me this?
Are you giving it to me?”
“The abyssal sea is a harsh place. I make sure to tell this to young people like you who are here for the first time.”
“You are a good person.”
“Joe, that’s good. He’s just a dead man who couldn’t escape the deep sea.”
“How many years has it been there?”
“It’s been about three years now.”
Staying in the sea for 3 years?
It’s terrible.
I stuck my tongue out.
“I’ve collected three so far, but the remaining trials are so difficult to handle that I don’t have the courage to try them.”
These people are not the only ones.
They say that among hunters who enter the tower, the mortality rate is about 30%.
Many of them seem to have died because they were unable to escape their long-term stay on the second floor.
‘It’s not like I’m going to go through those people’s ordeal.’
I had no sympathy for those who stayed in the deep sea.
They are all warriors.
I chose to take on the challenge, but I stopped at a wall and couldn’t go any further.
It’s up to you to overcome that wall.
It wasn’t something he could get over just because I sympathized with him or helped him.
“Where can I go to take the Central Sea Trials?”
“It’s not far from here.”
Gerard glanced at me with mischievous eyes.
“Are you going to go take the test right away?”
“That’s right. What are you doing to waste time?
peel.”
My stamina was overflowing.
Time is gold.
I felt like I was wasting my time if I didn’t take the test now.
“Okay, then let me guide you.”
“You just have to let me know.”
“It’s because I want to see you go through trials, so don’t worry about it.”
This guy.
How do you not care?
I grumbled internally and followed Gerard’s instructions.
A safe area, a little far from the [deep sea].
About a hundred meters below, the bottom of the sea came into view.
‘Is that a gem?’
A large jewel embedded in the floor.
It was impossible to not see because it was scattering orange light.
A large whirlpool swirls around the gem.
［Tower of Trials – 2nd floor］
［Quest: Jewel of the Sea – Garnet］ Inside the mana vortex for a limited time.
Hang in there.
If you get caught up in a whirlpool or are unable to resist the flow and are thrown away, you will fail.
［Time – 00：10：00］
“Holding on in that vortex
Is this okay?:
“That’s right.”
Kwakwakwakwa-!
A whirlpool that rotates fiercely while sucking in sea water.
Even compared to the ocean current wall we encountered earlier, the momentum is absolutely unrivaled.
Inside the whirlpool, a man wearing fox ears was trying to keep from being carried away by the current.
“Someone has already started the ordeal. Please wait a moment.”
As time passed, the whirlpool became more intense.
“Kyaaaa!”
A fox that withstood the whirlpool.
The prisoner ended up being thrown outside.
“It’s a shame. I wish I could have lasted just one more minute.”
“But I won’t die.”
Sub quest on the first floor.
For the Fel Beast, failure = death.
On the other hand, the second floor trial was structured so that even if you failed, you could try again as many times as you wanted.
“This ordeal is like that. Not all the ordeals on the second floor are like this.”
The difficulty of each gem is different.
go.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it look easy?”
“Well, I see.”
“You need special equipment to survive there…
“What kind of equipment is going in?”
When will I get special equipment for trials?
Even if it’s not that.
I was confident that I could survive the mana vortex.
“Look! That’s too reckless!!”
I ignored Gerard’s words and
I stood on the ground where the light gem was.
[Garnet’s trials begin.] Before the storm.
The results will tell you whether the whirlpool is sloppy or whether you are sloppy.
