“A Cyclops?”
If that thing was there…….
I was not particularly knowledgeable about monsters, but I had still heard a few things.
If that creature was here, then this had to be…….
“Somewhere around the twentieth floor…….”
It was quite astonishing.
I understood that the tunnel extended a long way, but even one upward passage could take me all the way to the twentieth floor?
I could only marvel at the scale of a tunnel network so vast that even the spirit could not fully comprehend it.
If one passage led upward, where did the other two lead?
To answer that question, I sent the spirit down the central passage.
However, even the spirit could not grasp the entire structure of tunnels that seemed to continue without end.
‘For now, all I can tell is that this one also goes up…….’
Just like the passage that led to the Cyclops on the nineteenth floor, the central tunnel also headed upward.
But I could not tell how high it went.
That left…….
The passage at the far left.
“This one doesn’t seem to descend either.”
At a glance, none of the three passages led downward.
The tunnels differed somewhat from what I had expected, which left me confused, but I did not stop exploring.
I needed as much information as possible.
Did people not say that nothing in the world was useless?
‘If I can at least figure out where it leads, I should be able to find some use for it.’
With that one thought in mind, I slowly squeezed into the tunnel.
***
To put it simply, the final tunnel was…….
“What the hell is this, an anthill?”
Without the slightest exaggeration, it was more confusing and sprawling than an ant colony.
Its range covered the entire tenth floor.
The tunnels split into dozens of branches that allowed travel throughout the whole floor, and they had a considerable number of exits as well.
The tunnel network could be accessed from anywhere on the floor, and I could emerge from it anywhere.
In other words…….
‘If I seriously tried to run, they’d never catch me.’
If I had to play hide-and-seek across the tenth floor with an entire guild, I was confident they would never find me.
I could appear in the east one moment and the west the next.
All I had to do was appear near the tenth floor’s entrance, then pop up again by its exit.
The tunnels were extensive enough to make a complete fool out of anyone chasing me.
─CREAK.
I opened the bark covering one of the tunnel exits and stepped outside for a moment.
“Hey, did you find them?”
[Using the skill ‘Shadow Step (A).’]
I concealed myself when I heard a voice the moment I stepped out.
Someone came running over in a hurry.
A man in a black robe ran until he was out of breath, then spoke to someone who appeared to be his companion.
“No…… What about over there?”
“Would I have asked if I’d found them?”
“Fair point. Then where the hell did those bastards disappear to?”
‘It’s those guys.’
They were the guild members I had seen earlier through the spirit’s eyes.
The lunatics who had attacked the Scabbard Guild.
Unable to find the two people I had hidden, they seemed to be frantically searching every corner.
“Ha, then…… didn’t they already go downstairs?”
“We’ve stationed men on every floor from the tenth to the twentieth, so there’s no way they got out.”
“Shit…… Then where the hell are they? I told you to finish them properly.”
‘They stationed men everywhere above the tenth floor…….’
Just as I had expected, they appeared to have completely sealed off the tenth floor so their targets could not escape.
No one could enter or leave.
However, one question occurred to me.
‘Can they really do this?’
A guild was ultimately nothing more than an enormous group of powerful Hunters who had teamed up.
One that was strong enough could also act like a company, taking control of a city district and making money by managing it.
But it was not as though there were only one or two guilds in the city.
Even if they had the manpower, actually carrying this out was another matter.
Attack the Scabbard Guild?
That could happen.
Guilds stabbed one another in the back and killed each other inside the Tower for profit all the time.
But taking over an entire floor of the Tower was a different matter.
Other guilds had their own schedules and would come here to hunt monsters. How could this possibly not lead to conflict with them?
If a major guild came through on an expedition and encountered these people……?
Blood would undoubtedly flow for an entirely different reason.
“Damn it, we don’t have much time…… You’re sure none of the other guilds have expeditions scheduled today, right?”
“No one except the Scabbard Guild. Still, find them quickly. We can’t keep running these checkpoints forever.”
‘Just as I thought…….’
I could tell that they did not have much time either.
The pursuers and the pursued.
One side needed to finish the job before the other guilds noticed.
The other needed to evade them and either survive or escape.
However, without food, the fugitives would be at a disadvantage if this turned into a prolonged battle.
‘In the end, this is a fight where one side has to die.’
“God, all this bullshit just to catch the Guild Master’s daughter.”
“If we catch that bitch, everything’s solved.”
“Exactly. Ha, damn it. Let’s go have a smoke.”
His daughter? The Guild Master?
At that moment, another piece of the puzzle seemed to click into place in my mind.
Why had only those two survived the attack on the Scabbard Guild?
Why were these men so desperate to catch them?
Everything made sense once I heard that the woman was the Guild Master’s daughter.
‘They planned to capture her and use her as leverage in negotiations.’
Even if it had been attacked, the Scabbard Guild was still at least a mid-sized guild.
It had to possess plenty of other members and considerable strength.
They intended to capture the Guild Master’s family to gain leverage in negotiations against them.
What a perfect scenario.
Right. That was why they had deployed so many people and were even willing to endure the resulting losses.
As that thought occurred to me, a smile gradually spread across my face.
After all, if she was a valuable bargaining chip to them…….
‘That means I can use her as one too, right?’
It seemed I had somehow rescued someone important…… which also meant I now had much more to squeeze out of the Scabbard Guild.
With this, I could obtain far more than a simple connection.
“All right, that’s enough. Oh, right. I need to report in. Huff, huff. This is the tenth-floor exit team. All clear.”
‘That’s…….’
It was a peculiar square stone with another stone embedded in its center.
Ordinary electronic devices could not be used inside the Tower, but that object…….
[Using Analysis.]
[Mana Stone Radio]
─Can transmit messages between radios imbued with the same mana.
─Current battery level: 54%.
‘A Mana Stone Radio? So that’s what the guild bastards use?’
I had wondered how they communicated inside the Tower and commanded so many people. Apparently, they used that item.
[This is the twentieth-floor team. There’s no trace of the Scabbard bastards…… We’ll concentrate more forces on the lower floors.]
‘They’re concentrating their forces below.’
It was an extremely rational choice.
All they had to do was station their men on the lower floors and prevent anyone from leaving.
In that case…….
─Bump.
“So what were we talking about earlier? Right…… Urk!?”
“What? What happened?”
“No…… Something shoved me. Whatever, it’s nothing.”
The two looked around for a moment before disappearing from view.
I quietly looked down at the Mana Stone Radio that had been hanging from the man’s waist until a moment ago and was now in my hand.
It seemed…….
All I needed to do was put this radio to good use.
***
As I passed through the narrow tunnel and approached the shelter again,
I began to hear voices.
[Mister…… are you okay?]
[I’m fine. Yuri…… what about you?]
[I’m doing better since you protected me, but…… where, uh, where are we? There’s no way a place like this exists around the tenth floor…… Don’t tell me we’ve already been kidnapped?!]
[Calm down. If we’d been kidnapped, they wouldn’t have left us alone like this.]
It seemed the two had regained consciousness.
─CREAK.
I opened the hinged panel blocking the tunnel and slowly appeared before them.
“E-Eek!? A-A person.”
“You are…….”
“Yes. I found you two members of the Scabbard Guild and brought you here. How are you both feeling?”
I walked naturally past them and glanced over.
Both were standing, but neither looked well.
It seemed that even the potion could not heal all their internal injuries.
I bottled the potion remaining in the cauldron and handed one to each of them.
“These are potions. You should feel somewhat better after drinking them.”
“Thank…… you.”
“You’re the one from before.”
The woman appeared to remember meeting me. She stared in surprise but still accepted the potion.
“A potion…….”
“The color may be unusual, but it’s good for you.”
I deliberately took a mouthful of the same potion in front of them. Only then did the two relax and drink theirs.
The earlier attack must have affected them deeply, as both had become considerably more wary.
“The effects…… This isn’t something sold on the market, is it? Which means…….”
“Tsk. Yuri, don’t you have something to say first?”
The middle-aged Hunter with red hair and a greatsword as tall as a person strapped to his back approached me first.
He was enormous and deathly pale…… Despite my treatment, his complexion still looked poor, likely because of his wounds.
Even though he seemed ready to topple over at the slightest touch, his imposing presence had not diminished.
It made me think a fist the size of my head could come flying at me at any moment.
─Grip.
“Thank you, truly…… If not for you, we would undoubtedly have died out there.”
“Ah, yes…….”
His enormous hand moved quickly and clasped my right hand.
Heavy.
No, it was fucking hard.
Was this really a person’s hand?
Wasn’t it just a rock?
Did he worship giant stones or something?
As we shook hands for a moment, my gaze gradually drifted behind him.
Wavy purple hair and striking clothes that gave her the impression of a witch.
She even wore light armor over them.
My attention lingered on the girl, whose overall appearance was extremely distinctive.
Her catlike, sharp eyes moved between the middle-aged man and me as she stood with her arms crossed.
After hesitating, she finally said something and extended her hand toward me as well.
“Ah, th-thanks. Earlier, I really thought I was going to fucking die, so I said a bunch of weird things, didn’t I?”
“Not at all. Anyone might have reacted that way.”
‘So you’re the Guild Master’s daughter.’
Unlike the man’s hand, hers felt soft despite its calluses, confirming my suspicion.
It was unmistakably the hand of someone raised in comfort.
“Then…….”
─CREAK.
─Thud.
I pulled out a chair, dropped into it, and crossed my legs.
I smiled up at the two of them, adopting the most arrogant posture I could manage.
‘There’s no reason to be intimidated just because they’re higher-level than me. Without me, they’re dead anyway.’
I did not know whether they meant to project such an imposing presence, but I stiffened my expression as much as possible to keep from being cowed by it.
“Now that you’re both conscious…… allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lee Yeon-woo.”
“I am Kleb.”
“Yuri. Call me Yuri.”
Kleb and Yuri.
I committed their names to memory for a moment before continuing.
“As you’ve both probably noticed, we’re still inside the Tower. You know that, right?”
“Yeah…… The Magic Power density is too high.”
Judging from her witch’s hat, she seemed well versed in magic and appeared to understand the situation itself.
In that case, there was no need for a long explanation.
“So what do you plan to do now?”
“What?”
“It’s obvious. We’re on the tenth floor, and the people trying to kill you are everywhere outside.”
“So those bastards really are…….”
“They’re everywhere~. I just went to check, and apparently, they’ve set up checkpoints from the tenth floor all the way to the twentieth.”
Their expressions darkened at those words.
Calling what I had done treatment was generous. Their bodies were still broken.
How could critical injuries be healed all at once?
I had merely patched up their outward wounds enough to make them look presentable.
With their current combat strength, the two could not break through those lunatics and escape the Tower.
“Then…… if we hold out for as long as possible…….”
“With those injuries? Besides, we don’t have any food, so we won’t even last a week.”
Injuries that serious needed proper treatment.
Besides, they wanted to hold out here?
Why should I let them? I was the owner of this place.
And without food, we could not last long.
Then what options remained?
None.
The two of them knew it as well, and their expressions only grew darker.
“Then what do you expect us to do? Are you telling us to prepare ourselves because we’re going to die soon……?”
[Analyzing the True Intent.]
[I don’t want to die. I really want to live a long life. I truly don’t want to die.]
‘As expected, her desire to live is strong.’
I had been somewhat worried that she might reject me and tell me to fuck off.
But my prospective bargaining partner had a powerful desire to live.
That would make this conversation much easier.
Perhaps because she viewed the situation realistically and sensed that there was no future ahead, Yuri’s eyes gradually filled with tears.
Who could smile in such a hopeless situation?
That meant it was my turn to step forward.
“That’s why I’m proposing a deal.”
“A deal……?”
“Yes. I’ll get you through this hellish situation and out of the Tower.”
The expressions on their faces changed by the second at my declaration.
They stared at me as though I were being ridiculous, then continued blinking blankly as if trying to confirm whether they had heard me correctly.
I merely told them once again.
“I have a way to get past that murderous guild and make it outside. Do we have a deal?”
My words left them silent for a moment.
Then…….
“How?”
They could only ask me again.
I understood their position.
Someone weaker than them…… some Hunter claimed to have a method to get past their enemies and descend the Tower. How could they believe me?
In their place, I would have told him to quit the bullshit and driven him off.
However…….
“So what will you do?”
They had only two choices.
Die, or trust the person before them.
Those were their only options.
“What do you want in return……? You must want something from us. That’s why you saved us and proposed this deal, right?”
I nodded.
Who in a world like this would help someone out of pure goodwill?
What I wanted in return…… was not difficult.
No, it was one thing these two could accomplish without fail.
“Arrange for me to meet your Guild Master.”
“What? You think that’ll be easy?”
“Of course. You…… can make it happen.”
I looked directly at Yuri as I spoke.
If even the Scabbard Guild Master’s daughter could not arrange it, who could?
Realizing that I knew her identity, Yuri said nothing more.
Instead, surprise and a meaningful glint appeared simultaneously in her eyes as she stared at me.
In the end, what they extended toward me was not a blade, but a hand.
“Very well. Yuri and I will arrange the meeting…… and if you need our help, we’ll provide it.”
“Good. Then you can leave everything to me.”
I clasped Mr. Kleb’s hand.
“So what is this method of yours?”
“Yeah. How are you going to overcome this shitty situation?”
“I have a plan, so don’t worry.”
A very good plan, at that.