[Party 1, assemble in the plaza!]
Iseul's cry echoed out.
I stood up. Papers detailing information about Pick Me Up were scattered across the desk in the room. I gathered the materials, put them in the drawer under the desk, and locked it.
When I arrived at the plaza, four people were already gathered. Jaina, Aaron, Iolka, and the temporary member, Edith.
Party 3, having just finished a battle, was emerging from the Rift of Space-Time. They were the reserve party composed of promising 1-star recruits. However, only three people came out; two were missing. The three passed by us with emotionless, statue-like faces.
"Is it Floor 11 again today?" Jaina asked, her shortbow slung over her back.
"It'll be Floor 12."
We'd done Floor 11 until we were sick of it. The experience efficiency had dropped, and it was time to move up. Amukena surely knew this as well.
[Open, Rift of Space-Time!]
Clunk.
The gate at the front of the plaza opened.
The three [Party 1 members] entered, and as I was about to follow, Edith grabbed my collar and whispered.
"Are you sure it's fine not telling them?"
"About what?"
"Fighting against people."
"They're not kids. No need to spell everything out."
I replied and stepped inside.
Lastly, Edith sighed and entered. The door closed shortly after.
As the mirror on the left glowed, a message appeared.
[Main Dungeon, current challenge floor is Floor 12.]
[Door opening in 10 seconds. Prepare yourselves!]
Edith spoke in a low voice. "Whatever happens, just do your job."
"I know that already," [Jaina said].
"If you know, then all the more reason."
Jaina blinked with a questioning expression. Aaron looked back at Edith.
"Are the monsters on Floor 12 that strong?"
"Not strong. You'll see."
Edith's eyes turned cold and沉沉 (沉沉 - deep/heavy/gloomy).
Sshhhng.
I drew my sword. The sound of the blade scraping against the scabbard tickled my ears. The longsword caught the light, giving off an eerie gleam.
Teleportation, number unknown. When the light that filled my vision faded, I stood in an unfamiliar place.
[Floor 12.]
[Mission Type - Subjugation]
[Objective - Annihilate all enemies!]
The field was a city street. Brick-paved avenues lined with stone walls and buildings. However, the street was deserted. Unidentifiable fallen leaves swept past on the wind into the distance.
"Subjugation! Where are the enemies!" Jaina nocked an arrow to her string. Her eyes shone with confidence, an effect of the Hero Responsiveness research. The other heroes could now also see the mission objectives displayed via system messages.
[Human Soldier Lv.11 x 13]
"So... Human Soldiers?" Jaina tilted her head.
"Who are you people!" A man's voice called out from the opposite end.
I directed my gaze there.
Across the street, seven armed soldiers were looking our way. Clad in chainmail and helmets pulled low, they pointed their spears at us.
'They can see us.'
Different from NPCs.
Then they were enemies. I brought out my shield.
Aaron cut in. "Hyungnim. Those aren't monsters. They're people."
"Are you saying you won't fight?"
"W-We should at least try talking to them first, I think."
I looked back. Difficulty was written plainly on the faces of the three [party members]. Iolka, who had been frozen, snapped out of it and said,
"I agree. We might be able to get information about this place. We might even be able to pass without fighting."
"Not fight?"
"I don't want unnecessary bloodshed either."
"And you?" I asked Jaina.
"Ahah, well, I..." Jaina scratched her head.
Edith stood further away from us. She had her eyes closed as if intending to stay out of it.
"Hyungnim..." Aaron's eyes wavered.
'No intention of fighting.'
I could force them to obey, but considering the future, that wasn't a good approach. It seemed I needed to show them.
"Do it then."
"Thank you. I'll try talking to them."
Aaron advanced onto the avenue. When he reached the midpoint, Aaron shouted. "My name is Aaron! I wish to speak with you!"
Aaron stopped in the middle of the road.
A man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.
"Same here! We were dragged into this strange place out of nowhere, you see."
"How so?"
"It's too complicated to explain easily. How about you come closer? Don't worry, we don't mean any harm. We just want to go back too. We can't get out because of some strange wall."
"Then I shall approach."
"Put your weapons down first. My comrades are very wary."
Aaron hesitated, then lowered his spear.
I said, "Stop."
"Yes?"
"Are you an idiot? Doing everything they say." I chuckled softly and stepped forward. "You guys come here. Weapons down. We're very wary too."
"That's difficult!"
"It's fine for us to drop our weapons, but not okay for you?"
As I sneered, the leader's expression visibly hardened. The leader conferred with the soldiers beside him, then nodded.
"Fine. But only three of us will come."
"Be my guest."
The leader and two subordinates placed their weapons on the ground and approached us.
"Hyungnim, are you going to try talking?" Aaron asked.
If communication was possible, there were things I wanted to ask. Plenty of information needed gathering. How they arrived at this stage, how they received a monster designation. What else they knew.
'If that's even possible.'
Clank. Clank. Clank.
The joints of the soldiers' armor scraped with each step.
The leader stopped three meters away. He spread his hands and said, "As you can see, we are unarmed. We'd appreciate it if you did the same."
Clang!
My shield clattered onto the paved street. Then I tossed my sword down at my feet.
"Satisfied?"
"Good. Now we can talk properly. But did you know? There's a constant voice in my head. No matter how I cover my ears, I can't stop it."
The leader slowly approached me.
"The voice is telling me this. Even right now, constantly."
"Oh? What kind of voice?"
"That would be..."
The man's eyes turned bloodshot. Black veins bulged beside his eyes.
"...to kill you all!"
The leader drew a dagger from his waist. The two beside him pulled out loaded miniature crossbows from within their clothes.
I flicked the sword resting on my instep upwards. Gripping the sword as it spun into the air, I fluidly dodged the dagger and plunged the blade into the back of his neck. With my left hand, I drew the dagger from my belt and threw it. The dagger embedded itself squarely in the eye of the soldier who was just aiming his crossbow at me. Pulling the sword sideways out of the neck, I slashed across the torso of the soldier clutching his eye. Simultaneously, a dagger thrown by Edith struck the third man's forehead like a dart.
The bodies of the three humans collapsed, spraying blood. Standing amidst the corpses, I was splattered with hot blood. The thick scent of blood reached deep into my head.
I let my blood-soaked blade hang loosely and said, "Still feel like talking?"
I had seen a similar incident during my time as a Master. The enemies were human, and the heroes who hesitated to attack were wiped out.
Negotiation does not exist. Whoever comes, however they come. Kill or be killed.
Aaron lowered his head, then silently picked up the spear lying on the ground. An emotionless voice drifted from his lips. "Are they all enemies that must be killed?"
"Yes. Talking won't work."
"Understood."
Gripping his spear firmly, Aaron aimed it at the enemy.
The five remaining soldiers were already in combat stances.
"Jaina, thinking of holding back?"
"If we don't kill, we die."
"Stating the obvious."
"Hoo, it's okay. I was prepared. I am prepared!"
Whoosh!
An arrow left the string and struck a soldier square in the chest. The man's eyes flew wide as he pitched forward. The impact pressure forced the arrow through his chest and out his back.
"Doesn't feel like much."
No need to check on Iolka. She had already begun casting her fire magic.
Edith, watching this, muttered wryly. "Looks like I worried for nothing."
"Obviously."
The most important factor I considered when selecting party members wasn't talent or strength, but mentality. That meant aspiration, single-mindedness. The will to do anything to survive.
"Prepare for battle."
The formation took shape. Aaron and I in the front. Jaina and Edith in the middle. Iolka in the rear. With four dead, nine enemies remained. The soldiers charged at us, yelling something that sounded like scraping metal.
"These guys aren't normal," Edith spun the daggers in her hands.
Abnormal. Literally. Ugly, tattoo-like black veins pulsed across their faces and skin. Madness flickered in their eyes.
[Blaze!]
Fwoosh.
A wall of flames erupted in front of us.
"Guaaah!"
Two soldiers engulfed in flames writhed and died. The heated metal plates of their armor glowed red.
Through the flames, Jaina's arrows pierced the air.
A middle-aged, bearded soldier thrust his spear at me. Blocking with my shield, I simultaneously moved my left hand. The spearhead slid off the shield, causing the soldier to stagger. My sword blade waited before him. With the sound of tearing flesh, his neck was half severed, and he died gurgling, clutching his throat.
'Weak.'
Properly armed, but no formation, no discipline. Just randomly charging and swinging weapons. It took less than five minutes to clean up. In an instant, 12 corpses littered the city street.
Only one remained.
The man sat slumped on the ground, trembling violently.
I wiped the blood off my blade against a wall, then approached the soldier. Spittle flew from his mouth as he yelled.
"Spare me! Please, spare me! I have a wife and daughter waiting for me! I have to go back! H-Home! I have to go home!"
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"That... Gaaaaah!"
The soldier clutched his head and screamed.
Screaming loud enough to tear the air, the soldier vomited a rush of black blood and pitched forward. Then he stopped moving. He was dead.
Iolka grimaced and said, "These people are strange."
Edith sheathed her daggers at her belt. "They're brainwashed. Seen it a few times. But brainwashing this many people so thoroughly is a first. No, thinking back, last time too..."
"You mean they were the same guys?"
"Right. We definitely killed them, but the exact same ones appeared again."
I examined the blood pooling on the ground. It was thick and pitch-black, like tar.
'Same as his stuff.'
Couldn't be sure yet. Too few clues.
But I now knew these guys were trapped on Floor 12, held strong hostility towards us, and would likely pull the same trick if we came again.
Not long after, light enveloped our bodies. The recall signal.
[Stage Clear!]
['Jaina (★★)', 'Edith (★★★)', Level Up!]
[Reward - 3500G, Leather (C) x 1]
[MVP - 'Han (★★)']
We returned to the Rift of Space-Time. Edith left ahead of us. The battle had been easy, but the faces of the three remaining members were etched with fatigue. I sheathed my sword and said.
"Get used to it. I will too."
"To killing, you mean?" Aaron asked.
"Yeah. Monsters, humans, there's no real difference."
The blood that had stained my entire body was already gone. But the metallic smell lingered persistently at the tip of my nose.
Killing people. As expected, there was no hesitation, no emotion. It would be the same going forward. After slaughtering so many monsters, it was ridiculous to think I couldn't kill humans. If necessary, I would. No matter who the opponent was.
Returning to my room, I organized the materials again.
Humanoids appeared on Floor 12. If similar enemies appeared on Floors 13 and 14, I could start estimating the monster type for Floor 15. Based on the way and time Party 3 was wiped out, I could also try guessing the mission objectives.
"..."
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
'Have I changed?'
If so, then so be it. The me on Earth and the me in the Waiting Room had become different in many ways.
But I have not a single regret. Change was inevitable. If I hadn't changed, I would have died. It was only natural.
'Readapting when I go back is going to be tough.'
I let out a sigh and continued working.