After a while, Amkena finished her adjustments. A system message popped up.
[Adjustment Complete.]
[Applying changed settings. Please wait a moment.]
Iseul snapped her fingers. [Let's see now!] A thick ledger materialized in the air. Iseul flipped it open and began scanning the contents.
[Current total occupants in the waiting area is 35... and the Master's instructions are...] Iseul murmured as she examined the ledger.
Zena approached and whispered to me, "What's going on? This is a bit strange."
"Seems perfectly normal to me."
"Is there really a need to divide the first and second floors like this? It's almost like..."
"Nobles and commoners. If the Master intends to manage us according to her will, it's a natural measure. I didn't like how things were, so this works out well," Iolka interjected, fanning herself with a high-quality fan she had received as a gift.
"Nobles and commoners?" Zena pouted.
I gently placed a hand on Zena's head. "You wake up early and go to the training ground. You train hard there until evening. Then you hunt in the daily dungeons. More than half the meat we eat, you hunted. You perform well in missions too."
I looked towards the group of people murmuring amongst themselves in a corner of the second-floor plaza. Deep anxiety was etched on their faces.
"What about them?"
"They do nothing. You really are foolishly kind, you know. I would have gotten annoyed long ago," Iolka said, covering her mouth with her fan.
Edis, who had been listening, sighed. "So instead of Synthesis, she's creating classes."
"Exactly."
Until now, all Heroes in the waiting area shared a similar lifestyle. They slept in the same kinds of beds, ate the same meals, and wore clothes made of the same material. Effort and results varied individually, but the rewards were the same. This approach might work if the waiting area was managed with a small population centered around Synthesis.
However, to elevate the current waiting area, still stuck at a primitive level, to the next stage, measures to counteract this egalitarianism were essential. That was the principle of separation.
Facility Customization. In the early days of the game, this function was merely used to decorate the waiting area. Masters didn't accept that Heroes possessed intelligence nearly equivalent to humans. They treated them as mere data with fixed abilities and ranks.
But I was different. I quickly acknowledged this fact and discovered another use for what seemed like a purely decorative function.
What Amkena had just built was the A3 model I used in the very early stages of Niflheim. It had its fair share of disadvantages, but it was the simplest way to reduce the reliance on Synthesis. A cross-section of that model was drawn in the play record.
Iseul closed the ledger. Scattering stardust, she circled the plaza widely.
[Everyone pay attention! I'm announcing the room assignments. I'll only say it once, so listen carefully. This is the Master's solemn command, so don't even think about defying it, or you'll be sorry.] Iseul cleared her throat and put on a stern expression.
[First, Party 1 total, 4 members! Party 1 is all on the second floor. You can stay in any room you want. Same goes for Party 2. There are plenty of rooms, so pick whichever you like.] Iseul continued her instructions.
[Chloe, Enoch, Alter, Patrick, Amarin. You guys are also on the second floor.] Relief washed over the faces of those called. Two cooks, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a tanner. These were Heroes who had diligently honed their skills since being assigned to facilities. There were other auxiliary staff, but they lacked sufficient skill.
[Everyone else, first floor.]
"Wait!" A man from the corner of the plaza stepped forward. Iseul puffed out her still-chubby cheeks.
[Got a problem?]
"Aren't there plenty of rooms on the second floor? Putting everyone else on the first? Isn't that a waste?"
"He's right! At least 30 people could stay on the second floor! Reassign the rooms!" The man's companion shouted loudly. Others who hadn't been called began voicing their complaints in unison.
"Reassign the rooms!"
"That's right. How are we supposed to sleep in rooms without beds? Our bones will ache!"
[Give them an inch, and they take a mile.] Iseul smiled sweetly and clenched her small fist. She spun around, leaped into the air, and plummeted down, striking the floor.
BOOM!
With a sound like an exploding bomb, the entire waiting area shook violently. Several people near Iseul fell flat on their behinds. The plaza fell silent instantly. Iseul landed gracefully on the shattered remains of a bench, folding her wings.
[Getting quite full of yourselves, aren't you? Just a month ago, you all would have been Synthesis fodder. Consider yourselves lucky.]
"But..."
[But what? Want a taste of my nuke punch?] Iseul raised her guard and threw a right jab. Her small hand moved at an invisible speed, emitting a tearing sound through the air. Though she looked like a small, delicate fairy, Iseul was a level 257 monster.
The commotion in the plaza died down. Iseul nodded, looking satisfied.
[No more complaints now? Moving on. Chloe, come forward.] Chloe stepped nervously before Iseul.
[Yes, you. The head cook. Master's orders. From now on, you and Amarin will act as the exclusive chefs for the second-floor dining hall.]
"Exclusive chefs?"
[You'll be solely responsible for the second-floor residents' meals.]
"W-wait!"
[Now what?]
"If you take away all the cooks, what are we supposed to do?!" Iseul picked her ear with a bored expression.
[Figure it out yourselves. Eat dirt for all I care. Oh, something I forgot to mention: from now on, meat is forbidden on the first floor. Look in the first-floor cupboards, there are potatoes. Roast and eat those.]
"Don't tell me... you expect us to eat only potatoes?"
[So?]
"Fuck! Making us sleep in shitty places and now no proper food either?" A burly man stepped forward, fuming.
"It's bad enough being dragged here by some Master bonehead, but now you treat us like this? You think we'll just stand by?!"
[What will you do if you don't stand by?]
"Y-you... Die!" The man drew a dagger and rushed at Iseul. Iseul rolled up her sleeves. Just as I felt a corpse was about to be made,
A flash of sword light. The arm holding the dagger flew into the air, spurting blood. The man stared blankly at his severed right arm before starting to scream maniacally.
"Aaaaargh!"
The young man licked his lips and spun his sword. Blood droplets scattered in all directions. It was Belkist.
[You, what do you think you're doing?]
"It's fine as long as I don't kill him, right?" Belkist looked down at the man writhing on the floor, covered in blood. "Reattach the arm yourself. Just press it against the stump, it should stick back on. Oh, have you never been cut before, so you don't know?"
The plaza froze instantly. Blood dripped from the sword in Belkist's right hand.
"Came back from a rough time to find something interesting happening. I quite like it. My hands are itching, any other bastards want to step up?"
"Crazy bastard!" someone hidden in the crowd shouted.
"Better than being a pig or dog, I think. Right, Senior?" Belkist grinned at me.
I frowned. "What's your business getting involved?"
"My apologies. It was so disgusting, my hand moved on its own." Belkist shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it. He went to the wall at the corner of the plaza and leaned against it.
'That guy got lucky.' The man was crawling towards his severed arm. If Belkist hadn't intervened, Iseul would have smashed his head in.
Iseul flew into the air and turned her gaze towards Party 3, which had just joined the plaza.
[Did you hear the news?]
"You mean about the first and second floors being divided? First floor wallows in shit, second floor gets treated well."
[In a nutshell, yes. And you guys are also on the first floor.]
"Don't worry about it. We'll be up there soon enough," Belkist swaggered. Beside him, Nerisa stood silently with her eyes closed.
[Let me summarize again for the idiots who didn't get it. Out of 35 total members, 13 belong to the second floor. The remaining 22 are on the first floor. Second-floor folks are free. You can use all facilities in the waiting area. First-floor folks can't. If you get caught going up to the second floor, you're dead!] Iseul threatened, shaking her fist.
[If you want to go up to the second floor, improve your abilities! Look closely, everyone. Here's a perfect example!] Iseul pointed at me, puffing out her chest.
[Take after the super ace who can do anything, Han, that's what I'm saying! Did you see what he did on the 15th floor? Did you?! You can't even imagine. Truly ingenious tactics and... Ugyagaga!] I pinched Iseul's cheek.
However, the surrounding eyes were focused on me.
'Did I get stuck with another tiring role?' I had said something similar before.
I let out a deep sigh and opened my mouth. "If you want to live like humans, show your abilities. Combat or whatever. The Master is watching you. If she judges you sufficient, she'll send you up to the second floor even if you don't want to."
"Still, isn't this too much? We were dragged here knowing nothing. And now you force this kind of life on us," a man complained with a woeful expression. Belkist pushed himself off the wall. His right hand touched his scabbard.
I spoke in a cool voice, "Don't push it." Belkist remained silent and returned to his spot.
I continued, "We're the same as you. Dragged here without warning. No, it was much harsher for us than for you. Right, Zena?"
"Mm, that's true. We didn't have much food either. One wrong step and it was straight to Synthesis."
"Did you think we trained all day because we're pushovers? It all comes back around."
"Does that mean... you expect us to fight alongside you?"
"It seems that way." There wasn't much need for auxiliary or gathering professions yet. Most would become combatants, and among them, a handful with talent would be able to ascend to the second floor. The man lowered his head.
'Half accept it. Half can't.' I saw a few people thinking deeply. Some seemed resigned and started heading down to the first floor. But there were definitely those who openly displayed their dissatisfaction.
It was simple psychology. She gave, then took away. Things they had enjoyed were snatched away in an instant. The resentment was bound to be strong. This part was Amkena's mistake.
To transition the system smoothly, she should have delayed the free draws or implemented the changes gradually. When you try to abruptly change a system after natures have hardened and structures are established, rebellion occurs.
"Bullshit!" Just like that.
A portly middle-aged man wiped sweat from his forehead and spoke. "We won't accept this. Fight while being treated like trash? Where's the fairness in that!"
"Bastards who didn't even go out when they were eating well," Belkist scoffed.
The man continued defiantly, "Isn't that right, comrades?"
"Yes. We will reclaim our rightful privileges!" Nearly ten people instantly banded together. The fat man smiled triumphantly.
"Did you think we didn't know the secret you're hiding?"
"Secret?"
"The way to change the Master's mind. We also know that monster can't easily lay hands on us! You tried to hide it, but we found out. What? Fight monsters risking our lives if we want to live like humans? Isn't that crazy?!"
"Hear, hear!"
"We hereby declare a refusal to sortie!" People rallied around the fat man, raising their fists.
Along with sound effects, system messages updated.
['Sitan (★)' has refused to sortie!]
['Party 4' has become uncontrollable.]
['Party 5' has become uncontrollable.]
[Mass Strike Situation!]
[Heroes are inciting a riot!]
I chuckled softly. "Pushing their luck without knowing their place."
I took the sword from my belt and placed it down. Kicking it, the sword spun across the plaza floor, sliding towards them.
"Cut off one arm each with that sword. Like him. Then I'll let you live." I pointed to the man desperately trying to reattach his severed arm.
The fat man looked at me as if I were insane. "H-have you gone mad?"
"If words don't work, there's no choice. Consider it cheap tuition."
[Master, initiating Synthesis!]
Clunk. The door to the Synthesis Chamber opened.