One evening, several days later.
Jaina and I were waiting on a bench in the plaza.
The Master was logged in, and in the item synthesis window, three different colored stones were mixing and rotating.
[Starting Item Synthesis!]
[Selected Materials - Lower Fire Attribute Stone, Lower Water Attribute Stone, Lower Wind Attribute Stone]
[Resulting Item - Lower Attribute Stone]
[Success Rate - 87%]
[Synthesis Method – Auto]
[Proceed with Synthesis?]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
When Amukena touched 'Yes,' the rotation of the attribute stones sped up, then began to clump together.
With the sound of fireworks erupting, a white light flooded the synthesis window.
System messages and the control window flickered wildly in my vision, but I was the only one who could see them.
Jaina, sitting awkwardly on the bench, nudged me and said, "This is for rank-up, right?"
"Yeah."
If they could see the status window, the explanation of grades couldn't be skipped.
I had explained that there were growth limits based on grade, and rank-up was what allowed them to break through those limits. Going deeper into the specifics of stars and grades, it wasn't a 100% accurate explanation, but it was sufficient for now.
Since the strike incident, Amukena had steadily trained Party 1 by going back and forth between Floors 8 and 9.
I reached level 12, Iolka level 8, Aaron level 9, and Jaina level 10. Level 10 is the threshold for rank-up. Because we had consistently gathered materials from the daily dungeons, they could immediately attempt the rank-up without wasting any experience points.
[Clatter-clatter-clang!]
[Fairy Power!]
[Fail!]
[Synthesis Failed!]
[Materials are destroyed.]
'They failed that?'
Attribute Stones aren't easy materials to obtain.
Rare monsters aren't always in their spots, and the drop rate isn't high either. Still, we had gathered spare Attribute Stones in preparation for such cases.
Amukena brought up the synthesis window again and attempted the combination.
[Good!]
[Synthesis Complete!]
[Acquired 'Lower Attribute Stone'.]
The success message appeared.
Shortly after, Iseul emerged from the storage, holding the rank-up stone.
[You're becoming 2-star too, huh. How time flies.]
Iseul tossed the rank-up stone with an indifferent expression.
Jaina caught the rank-up stone and examined its surface.
"It looks peculiar."
[Master, commencing rank-up!]
Clunk.
The door to the Synthesis Pod opened.
Jaina stared into the Synthesis Pod, her face stiff.
"I'm not going to die, am I?"
"Who knows."
I didn't know what happened during the rank-up process either. I couldn't see it when I was the Master, and my own experience had been somewhat unique.
"Anyway, I'll be back!"
Jaina saluted me and stepped inside the Synthesis Pod.
As soon as she entered, the doors to both the Promotion Pod and the Synthesis Pod closed simultaneously.
While Jaina was ranking up, I looked at the Warhorse Statuette displayed on the fountain.
I'd forgotten about it after leaving it here, but it seemed someone had made a pedestal and set it up decoratively.
'This is boring.'
There was no real need for me to be present at the rank-up. It was because Jaina had asked me to come along, saying she was worried.
Having tired of looking at the statuette, I gathered my thoughts.
Once Aaron also completed his rank-up, we'd be heading above Floor 10. Meaning the challenge of Floor 15 was drawing near. It was about time to start preparing the strategy for Floor 15.
Unlike Floor 10, Floor 15 didn't trigger a chain quest, but it was partially influenced by previous stages. Even if not explicitly stated, some information allowing one to deduce the mission was given. For survival, even the smallest hint couldn't be ignored.
Just as I was briefly organizing the information, a message updated.
[The hero's forgotten memories awaken.]
['Jaina (★★)', Rank-Up Complete! Became 2-star.]
The Synthesis Pod door opened, and Jaina walked out.
Her complexion was unusually pale.
"What happened?"
Jaina collapsed onto the bench next to me and spoke. Her voice was subdued.
"I had a strange dream. A dream where the forest I lived in was burning."
"Just a bad dream."
"But, I... somehow..."
"Forget it. No need to worry about it."
Jaina, who had been briefly gloomy, forced an awkward laugh.
"Ahaha, right? There are all sorts of weird, unpleasant dreams."
"Anything else?"
"Um, and that was it. Just a feeling like something opened up? Nothing besides that."
It seemed the normal rank-up process ended with just seeing memories.
In my case, some exceptionally unlucky crap had gotten mixed in.
'Looks like they recover memories through rank-up.'
Which meant the current heroes were in a state of amnesia.
Probably by 4-star, or 5-star at the latest, the heroes would learn the general truth. How they were summoned. What happened to their worlds. Since their cases were slightly different from mine, I'd probably need to ask them when their memories returned.
The next day, Jaina was back to her usual cheerful self.
Shortly after, Aaron also finished his rank-up. Since I wasn't with him this time, I didn't know what dream he'd had. However, it seemed his determination to return home had grown much stronger than before. Aaron didn't stop training, even late into the night.
Deep in the night.
The clock indicated the early hours of the morning.
Aaron stared at me with a tired face. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes. An expected change, given he hadn't rested from morning till night. Aaron spoke.
"Aren't you going back, Hyungnim?"
"I have things to do."
"You're working even harder than me. I need to try harder too."
"Don't overdo it, you'll wreck your body. Pace yourself."
"But Hyungnim..."
"I'm fine."
Aaron gave a wry smile and left the training ground.
I looked around the training ground.
Just half a day ago, the place had been bustling with people; now it was empty and deserted.
I drew my sword and approached a wooden dummy. A humanoid doll. Since the training ground reached level 2, the practice equipment had evolved from scarecrows to wooden dummies. I flipped the switch in my head.
['Han (★★)' has entered Berserk state!]
My head instantly felt hot. A sense of omnipotence, like I could do anything, coursed through my nerves. I took a stance and began 'carving.' Right eye. Left shoulder. Heart. Lower abdomen. Rib cage. Groin. Calf. Each time the blade danced, wood splintered away, and sawdust scattered.
About three minutes later.
The wooden dummy was mangled in various places.
This dummy couldn't normally be scratched by just any sword strike. Aaron had to put his maximum strength into a thrust just to make a slight dent. But now, it had lost its human shape and was reduced to a mere block of wood.
'Strength definitely increases.'
Even looking at the status window, the change was clear. All stats except Intelligence increased by 5.
I approached the wooden dummy and examined it closely, checking if the sword strikes landed precisely where intended. Striking precisely at the desired spot was one of the basic skills I had most diligently honed. However, after a moment, I couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh.
'So it's still incomplete.'
The sword strikes were slightly off from where I intended. Accuracy suffered. Normally, there shouldn't be even the slightest deviation.
Even activating Berserk, Composure prevents me from losing my reason, but the penalty still exists.
When I flipped the switch off in my head, the heat rapidly subsided, replaced by a lukewarm, dull ache throughout my body.
'If skills truly have synergy, they should normally merge into one.'
Just as Basic Sword Technique and Basic Shield Technique changed into Basic Sword & Shield, if these two skills (Berserk Nature and Composure) properly harmonized, they should combine into a single skill. I conducted the experiment just in case, and it confirmed my suspicion.
'Activating Berserk strengthens the body, but skills falter, and Composure is taxed.'
Light emanated from the wooden block that was once a dummy, and it began to restore itself.
I activated Berserk once more and started practicing again.
Suppressing the heat in my head, without losing control of my body. The goal was skill merging. Until the two skills become one. I wanted to complete this, at least before going to Floor 15.
It wasn't exactly a sight worth showing others, so I was practicing alone, but after a moment, I realized someone was watching me.
"..."
I stopped moving.
Turning around, I saw Edith leaning against the wall, watching me.
When our eyes met, Edith waved her hand slightly.
"Working hard late at night."
"What are you doing here at this hour?"
Unlike Aaron, the training maniac, Edith often finished her training early. It was unusual for her to stay this late. Edith pushed off the wall and slowly approached me.
"There's something I need to say."
"Something to say?"
"We're going to Floor 12 soon, right?"
"Looks like it."
Edith's primary affiliation was Party 2, but she was temporarily assigned to Party 1. She fumbled a bit at first, but through battle after battle, she was now pulling more than her weight. Edith hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a firm voice.
"Have you ever killed a person?"
'What's this out of the blue?'
I sheathed my sword and turned to face Edith.
"Why ask something like that?"
"I heard you guys weren't combat types. Jaina was a forest keeper, Aaron a hunter, and you were a farmer, was it? Though I don't believe that."
"So?"
"Killing people is different from killing monsters."
Edith's gaze lost focus. It seemed she was recalling distant memories.
"Starting from Floor 12..."
"You mean the enemies are human."
Edith nodded silently.
'So that's it.' Party 2 had challenged Floor 12 first. Usher and Dika were brought to the brink of death on Floor 12, which became the decisive reason Party 2 joined the strike. The cause of their struggle wasn't the difficulty itself.
"Are you asking if we're prepared?"
"Yes. For survival."
"You should know the answer better than anyone." I chuckled softly and replied. My life here was already built on the deaths of others. Shaey. Tobi. Avant. Just the ones synthesized into me numbered three. More would likely follow. Edith gave a wry smile.
"That's true too. It's basically you who killed Dire Wolf." (Referring to the synthesis process).
"Do you want to criticize me?"
"No, I just... hah, I don't know what I'm trying to say."
"Whatever comes out, whatever they look like, they're monsters."
"You might think that, but your party members might feel differently."
"They won't be different. If they are, I'll just have to find different people."
Humanoid monsters definitely exist. Plenty of them. There were also many enemies who weren't just humanoid, but actually human. I hadn't expected the jump from skeletons on Floor 11 straight to humans, but it was something we'd have to face eventually. I continued.
"In short, it's a pointless worry. Is that answer enough?"
"...Alright."
Edith hesitated slightly, then disappeared out of the training ground.
'Murder.'
Considered the worst crime in modern society. Judging by Edith's reaction, the treatment seemed similar in Taonier.
'Ridiculous.'
I'd slaughtered hundreds of goblins, and chopped up countless human-like figures like the Black Priests and walking corpses on Floor 10. I'd seen people die so many times it was sickening. The color of blood, its scent, its heat—all remained vivid.
"..."
I drew my sword.
There was still much work to do.