Chapter 41: The Second Floor is Too Suspicious (2)

 

“You know very well what I want.”

 

“...”

 

“The mark. Hand it over. After all, you can get another quest since you have the ability, right?”

 

The men continued to threaten the woman.

 

Looking quickly over the situation and summarizing the gathered information...

 

First, that woman has obtained a gold-rank mark.

 

How do I know? Something is flashing gold above her head. It’d be foolish not to notice. Seems like when you get a mark, it comes with an automatic advertising feature.

 

And second, one shouldn’t resort to violence in this place.

 

I’m not sure of the exact definition of violence here, and I don’t know the consequences if one resort to it, but that woman was hesitating to push the men aside and move on.

 

However, one thing I was curious about is... Why doesn’t she just jump over them?

 

Being naturally curious, I couldn’t resist but ask. Approaching the trio blocking the path, I addressed the man in the middle.

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“...What?”

 

Hearing a voice from behind, the man reflexively tried to push me away but managed to stop himself just in time.

 

“Why doesn’t that woman just jump over you guys?”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean... even if you guys are blocking the way, can’t she just quickly hop over you?”

 

“Ha. You just got here, didn’t you? Stop being a nuisance and get lost.”

 

Without giving a proper answer, the man returned his gaze to the front.

 

Hmm. If he won’t tell me... I’ll have to find out for myself.

 

“So annoying…”

 

According to my online search, the world record for a standing jump is 155cm. But, with the boosted stats from my achievement levels and the effects of the Berserker’s pill, my physical abilities must surpass that. I’ve gone beyond the limits of a normal human, after all.

 

I contracted my leg muscles fully, releasing the built-up energy in an instant. The moment my feet left the ground, my surroundings seemed to blur due to the rapid ascent of my body.

 

Woah! This is the point of view of a superhuman. This is the world in which a superhuman lives.

 

Yes, this is what I must get accustomed to...

 

Thud!

 

“Ugh!”

 

Suddenly, there was a flash before my eyes, followed by intense pain in my neck and the back of my head, and my vision tilted forward.

 

“What the?”

 

“Did that bastard just jump?”

 

The moment the startled men turned around upon hearing the noise my head made, I saw the woman seize the opportunity. She slipped through the gap between the men and sprinted towards the angel.

 

 

 

***

 

“…Okay.”

 

Who would have thought they physically blocked the ceiling?

 

Had I known this, I would have tried to jump a bit more gently. What’s unfair to me is that even though I raised my arms above my head when I jumped, it’s my head that hit something.

 

I mean, the arms passed through the invisible barrier… but the head didn’t. It felt a bit unfair.

 

I took off one of my leather shoes and threw it above my head; the shoe bounced back at around 3 meters.

 

“Hey, buddy...”

 

Before the noisy man could speak to me, I walked over to the angel who was passionately explaining something beside the fountain.

 

“You’ll also get rewards according to the rank...”

 

“Excuse me, Angel.”

 

“Please wait a moment! I am in the middle of explaining!”

 

After finishing her explanation, the angel finally looked at me.

 

“Yes, what is it?”

 

“It seems like there’s some kind of protective shield on the ceiling… It seems like arms can go through it.”

 

“And why is that a problem?”

 

“...Isn’t it strange that arms can pass through, but heads cannot?”

 

“It is not strange! A human is still human without arms! And also a human without legs! But without a head, it’s not a human! All barriers are designed with the head and chest as reference points! At least, on the floors under the jurisdiction of Archangel Raphael! For a detailed explanation of why…”

 

“Thank you.”

 

‘So, this barrier blocks the head and chest…’

 

Leaving behind the angel, who seemed about to prattle on about something again, I hastened my steps towards one of the alleyways connected to the square.

 

 

I have confirmed that the statement, ‘You cannot leave the city area,’ is true.

 

I have verified it physically; it’s blocked off completely.

 

I have also confirmed that the condition to get along well is true as well.

 

I would have to experiment to find out the specific conditions or methods of punishment… but at least I could tell that the people who had come to the 2nd floor in advance were reluctant to use violence.

 

Now, what I want to find out is about the quest. I need to see how the quests are carried out.

 

“I’m passing through.”

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

Just then, a person with a silver mark floating above his head walked out from the inner part of the alleyway.

 

Unlike the woman with the golden mark, no one blocked his path. He walked up to the angel without any hindrance, presented his symbol, and then disappeared somewhere.

 

“…Hmm.”

 

I’m sure I saw a group crouching next to the alley I entered.

 

‘So, the thugs blocking the way ignore the ones with silver marks?’

 

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, I hastened my steps into the alleyway.

 

Following along the narrow alley, the path widened once again.

 

“…Hmm.”

 

If the 2nd floor is a city, then the place where I arrived would be a kind of residential area—a Bed Town. On one side, there were houses of a decent size closely packed together, and on the other side, there were numerous shops such as bakeries, blacksmith shops, and grocery stores.

 

There happened to be a resident walking by my side.

 

It was easy to recognize him as a resident. Unlike the climbers who were in leather armor, he was wearing normal clothes.

 

“Hello?”

 

“…Hello.”

 

The resident accepted my greeting with a ‘so annoying’ expression. Regardless, I decided to ask what I intended to ask.

 

“I’m new here… could I possibly ask for some directions?”

 

“…Yes, well. I’ve nothing else to do anyway.”

 

Surprisingly, he nodded compliantly and gestured for me to follow.

 

“You’re a climber, aren’t you?”

 

“…”

 

“There’s no need to hide it. Everyone here knows it’s the 2nd floor. We are here after signing a contract with God after all.”

 

The resident spoke indifferently.

 

“…Aha.”

 

“We were motivated at first… but it became bothersome as we kept doing the same things. There’s no separate reward either. We just give everyone the same task every time.”

 

The resident brought me to the front of the bakery.

 

“For example… If you bake a loaf of bread, the owner will give you a silver mark. Of course, the owner will provide the ingredients.”

 

“…Is it that easy?”

 

“There are even easier ones.”

 

This time, the resident took me to a beggar lying in front of a small alleyway.

 

“This man will give you a bronze mark for any food you give him. Even the failed products from the bakery we passed by would do.”

 

“…”

 

“Don’t look at me like that. There are no limits to the number of marks you can give… and there is nothing we lose by giving more or less.”

 

The resident shrugged his shoulders. If his words were true, receiving rewards of silver or bronze grade seemed as easy as lying down and eating rice cakes.

 

However, my questions were not yet answered.

 

“How can one receive gold or platinum marks?”

 

“Um…”

 

The resident tried to keep as expressionless a face as possible, but he couldn’t prevent a slight crease from forming between his eyebrows.

 

“Can you look over there?”

 

Following his direction, at the end of the extended road, a lavish mansion came into view.

 

“That’s where the ‘so-called nobles’ live. They are the idiots who still maintain their ‘dignity’ and make a fuss about it.”

 

“…Ah, I see.”

 

“You can receive a gold mark if you gain their recognition. They say they even give a platinum mark if they really like you, but unlike the other marks with no quantity limits, one noble can only give three platinum marks.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“However… I do not recommend aiming for a gold mark. Those people are really unbearable. If it were me, I would just get a silver mark and be done with it. Tsk.”

 

The resident spat on the ground, disgusted even by the mere thought.

 

“Ah… Thank you for your kind guidance.”

 

After parting ways with the resident, I started walking, looking around the street.

 

I saw players mixed in here and there. But there were many more residents.

 

And they all could give bronze or silver marks…

 

“Hmm…”

 

My mind was cluttered.

 

The first thing that came to mind was ‘Can I repeat the quests given by the residents? Can I take multiple marks?’

 

And the second question that arose was the enormous gap between silver grade and gold grade.

 

Obtaining a silver grade mark was too easy. It was practically given away.

 

It seemed like someone was pushing anyone who wants to survive in this tower, or anyone who wants to become stronger, to try for the gold grade.

 

Is this intended? Or is the mind of the angel who designed the second floor in la-la land?

 

And the third thing; is the conflict between the residents who give bronze and silver marks and the residents who give gold ones.

 

It seemed like there was some backstory to this.

 

However, more than the above three questions, there was an even bigger question gnawing at my mind.

 

“Suspicious… too suspicious…”

 

Is it because I am an avid web novel reader… or is it because this tower induces flexible thinking? I am not sure.

 

But the rewards stopping exactly at platinum grade personally seemed unreasonable.

 

“…No matter how I think about it, it seems like it should exist.”

 

A diamond-grade reward. Or, a hidden reward that can only be obtained once.

 

Considering the structure of this floor… it would be strange if there weren’t any hidden rewards.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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