Many people remained in the plaza. They alternated glances between us on one side and those who had declared the strike on the other. Curiosity and doubt flickered in their eyes.
They must be wondering if this method would work. If it did, they too would make the same choice.
"Heh heh, thought you could sneakily keep it all to yourself, huh? We know everything too. We can refuse the Master's orders!"
"..."
"We also know that nasty little fairy can't lay a hand on us easily! How about that, surprised?" The fat man smirked maliciously. His companions snickered beside him. Glee flickered in their faces.
They weren't entirely wrong. Heroes did have the right to refuse a Master's order. Iseul also couldn't harm a Hero without a special reason.
Edis spoke with a hardened expression. "Stop it. We risked our lives. What you're doing now is different."
"What's so different? We're risking our lives too!"
"You don't even know the meaning of those words..." I stopped Edis as she stepped forward. She frowned, pinched the bridge of her nose, clicked her tongue, and stepped back inside.
Thinking they had won, they laughed loudly. I spoke. "A fine attitude. In that case, put your lives on the line directly."
"We were already..."
[You were already planning to! Belkist, Alan, Leslie!] Iseul spun around and pointed towards the left door of the plaza. Inside the Synthesis Chamber, a purple magic circle glowed ominously.
[These three. Enter that door, go!]
"Synthesis?"
[That's right.] Belkist smiled wordlessly and walked into the Synthesis Chamber. Iseul addressed the two men staring at her with uncomprehending eyes.
[What are you two waiting for? Haven't got all day.]
"Wait, what is this..." It was impossible not to laugh. They knew about the strike but not Synthesis? They must have heard the stories but let them go in one ear and out the other.
[If you don't go in, I'll put you in.] Iseul grabbed the two men by their collars and threw them. The motion was light, but the force behind it wasn't. The two men shot towards the Synthesis Chamber like cannonballs, slamming into the back wall. One of them hit his head on the wall, blood streaming down his forehead.
"Wait! Hold on..."
SLAM!
The Synthesis Chamber door shut with a violent bang.
[Are you sure you want to Synthesize?]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
A flash of light from the Synthesis process leaked through the cracks of the closed door.
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Alan (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Leslie (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Belkist (★★)' Levels Up! Learns 'Feral Instinct' Skill!]
The fat man, Sitan, stared blankly at the Synthesis Chamber door. After a moment, the door opened, and Belkist burst out.
"What a rush!" Belkist twisted his lips into a grin that almost reached his ears. Fangs showed between his lips. Belkist looked at the striking group, now reduced to eight, and said in a low voice, "Not enough. Any more? Seems like there are plenty of sacrifices left."
"You've devoured enough. Your turn is over."
"That's a shame." Belkist grinned again and sat down beside the Synthesis Chamber door. "Anyway, it was a good experience. I hope you do this often." His expression showed no hint of unease. If anything, he seemed pleased. There was no sign he worried about being a target of Synthesis himself.
[Nerisa, Oliver, Walter!] Iseul called the next batch. Three again. One target, two sacrifices. Nerisa walked calmly into the Synthesis Chamber. The man called next grabbed Sitan, who was standing beside him, by the scruff of his neck.
"Damn it all, you lied! You said nothing would happen!"
"N-no, that can't be right. I heard it would be fine!"
"Then why didn't those two who went in earlier come back out!" As Iseul approached, the man collapsed to the floor, waving his hands frantically.
"Wait. I was tricked by him. Tricked! I didn't know it would be like this. Really!"
[Like I care?] Iseul spoke with annoyance and threw the man. The man twisted and resisted, but it was useless. Another man trying to escape up the stairs was quickly caught by Iseul and thrown into the Synthesis Chamber.
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Oliver (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Walter (★)' vanishes into...]
Four victims. Six survivors remained. Sitan hastily said, "I retract the refusal to sortie!"
['Party 4' has become controllable.] No message appeared for Party 5. They had been wiped out.
[Zena, Lawrence!]
"It comes down to this, huh." Zena entered the Synthesis Chamber with a displeased look. The refusal was withdrawn, but the Synthesis didn't stop. Lawrence fell to his knees and begged profusely.
"Spare me. Spare me! It was his fault! Just kill him!"
[Bye.] Iseul grabbed Lawrence's hand and tossed him into the Synthesis Chamber.
"W-we retracted the refusal! Why isn't it stopping!" Sitan cried out, sweating profusely.
'Of course.' These were examples. While this method was milder than the Synthesis-focused management, fear wasn't unnecessary.
The people gathered in the plaza stared at the victims with fear-tinged eyes. They were relieved not to be among them. Complaints about uncomfortable living quarters or food had vanished.
[Edis, Riddle!]
The number of sacrifices dwindled one by one. Two each for the less developed Belkist and Nerisa. One each for the established original members. Some swung their fists, tried to run, or thrashed about, but it was futile. They hadn't developed any real abilities in the first place. Their resistance was pathetic.
"H-hey. Say something, won't you!" A man clung to my feet.
"Say what?"
"I heard you can talk to the Master. Please tell her to stop this madness!" Light spilled from beyond the Synthesis Chamber door.
I pointed to my sword lying near Sitan's feet. The one I had kicked aside, ignored by everyone. "Cut off one arm with that sword. Then I'll talk to the Master."
"What!"
"Didn't I say it earlier? Cheap tuition." As he said, I could ask Amkena to stop. I just didn't feel the need. The man's mouth gaped open in shock.
"A-are you crazy! Cut off my own arm?"
"That's right." They had already started this. For the sake of the future, they couldn't get away scot-free. However, if there was someone ruthless enough to cut off their own arm, it would be better to keep them alive and develop them rather than Synthesize them.
Of course, cutting off one's own limb isn't easy. One man, seemingly resolved, tried to cut his arm, then screamed and threw the sword down. A thin line of blood appeared on his forearm. The man sobbed.
"Isn't this too cruel... Not a finger, but an arm!"
"Didn't you say you'd risk your lives?"
"P-please, you cut off my arm instead. I can't possibly do it myself."
"No."
"Are you telling us all to die?"
"That wouldn't be so bad either."
Several others attempted to cut off their arms, but none succeeded. To do it in one go required a swordsmanship skill or high strength. Otherwise, you'd have to saw through it. But I saw no one ruthless enough for that. They alternated between attempts and failures, becoming sacrifices for Synthesis.
Finally, one person remained. The ringleader of this incident.
[Han, Sitan!]
"I know." I walked into the Synthesis Chamber. With the waiting area becoming two floors, the Synthesis Chamber's structure had also changed. The Promotion Shrine was on the first floor, the Synthesis Chamber on the second. Soon after, Sitan was dragged into the Synthesis Chamber, eyes empty. As the door closed, the magic circle began to glow.
"Wh-what's going to happen to me."
"Don't worry. It won't hurt."
"We were just..." Before Sitan could finish, his body scattered into particles of light. The light particles seeped into my body. With that, the message announcing the completion of Synthesis appeared.
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Sitan (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Han (★★)', Experience Up!]
A faint energy pulsed through me.
'Barely made a dent.' The level difference between the target and the sacrifice was too great. I only gained a fixed amount of experience; my level didn't increase.
When I exited the Synthesis Chamber, the number of people, once over thirty, had been reduced by nearly half. Ten had died through Synthesis, so it was natural. I picked up the sword from the floor and hooked it onto my belt.
I surveyed the plaza. People's expressions were frozen. Though Synthesis hadn't been explained, they must have understood that those who went in weren't coming back.
'Should have known a bit more before trying.' Refusing to sortie was a method where even I had risked my life. It was inevitable that mere 1-stars from free draws would end up like this. It was the result of accepting only the information that sounded good to them without properly grasping the context.
Regardless, they served as good teaching material. The survivors would have realized: an absolute master-servant relationship exists between Master and Hero. The right to refuse was just a word; in reality, it was closer to suicide.
"That brings the count down to 25." I crossed the center of the plaza. The event was over. I planned to check out the facilities. The Living Quarters and Training Ground were now Level 3, and a bathhouse and lounge had been added. People moved out of my way as I walked.
"Y-you guys are crazy! Monsters!"
I stopped walking. The person who shouted was hidden in the crowd, their face unseen.
"Who said that." Belkist stood up from his spot. His sword was already half-drawn from its scabbard.
"Stop it."
"Wasn't the example setting finished? Seems like there's still a loudmouthed bastard left."
"I said it's fine, so why are you making a fuss?"
"You have it easy, Senior. I would've beaten them to a pulp." Belkist's lips twisted. "I'll head off first. See you on the second floor next time." Belkist headed down to the first floor. His steps went straight towards the training ground. He seemed eager to test the stats and skills gained from Synthesis. Others began to move as well. Soon, the Heroes in the waiting area were divided between upstairs and downstairs.
Those with value, and those without.
[Master, initiating 10x Summon. I wonder what kind of Hero will appear!]
Then, a message announcing a summon appeared.
[Click, clatter, clatter.]
[Ta-da!]
[Common!]
[Master 'Amkena' has...]
Through the transparent floor, I looked down at the first level. The first-floor Summoning Gate opened. White light spilled out from within. Having consumed Heroes through mass Synthesis, she was replenishing the numbers.
From now on, the summoning location would differ based on rank. Heroes from free draws on the first floor. Paid draws starting from the second floor.
A newly summoned man stepped into the plaza. The characteristic bewildered expression of a 1-star appeared on his face. A young girl followed behind him. She seemed to be shouting something, but the sound didn't reach me.
Clunk.
The Rift of Time and Space opened. Culling time. At least two would die here. It seemed job assignments would happen after the culling. Iseul appeared and shoved the bewildered newcomers into the Rift. Only a few among them would make it to the second floor.
'Crazy, she said?' I let out a short laugh. Common sense from the real world didn't apply here. We devoured each other through Synthesis and fought monsters trying to kill us, staking our lives. If adapting to such laws meant being crazy, then I suppose we were.
"Don't get complacent just because you're on the second floor. You can be sent down anytime."
"I guess so?" Zena chuckled, scratching her cheek. Aron looked up at the sky.
"The fact that there's a second floor means there will eventually be a third floor too."
"The number of floors will keep increasing."
"And ranks will be divided there too," Edis added. I nodded. Currently, the waiting area was just split into upper and lower levels, but eventually, it would become a pyramid structure. Like Niflheim. That place used a much more advanced system, but the core principle was similar.
I looked at the large gate at the front of the second-floor plaza. Above the firmly shut door hung a plaque inscribed with 'Dimensional Rift'.
I started walking towards the Living Quarters.