The atmosphere in the lobby had turned tenser than ever.
A week had passed since we cleared the fourteenth floor for the first time.
Most of the heroes had been in the forged land long enough to know the next floor we were going to climb was going to be important.
And by important it actually meant the floor was going to be the most difficult battle the raid team would ever face yet.
Ever since Party 1 came back from the fourteenth floor, all members of the raid team immediately intensified their training.
Everyone woke up way earlier than usual. Stayed up longer to train. Faces were as stiff as steel.
Even my pupils had stopped complaining.
They all always agreed to whatever extra lessons and hellish training I assigned to them.
Never had I seen them so driven before.
Well, they knew what was waiting for them on the fifteenth floor.
The three wildlings might had seen the previous Quintal Trials records. But they were perfectly aware the third Quintal Trial would certainly be like nothing they had ever seen before.
After seeing my raid team comrades, I descended to the second floor of the lobby.
The dread for the Quintal Trial had spread among the supporter heroes as well.
The crafter workshops were more bustling than ever.
Gatherers scurrying in and out of the main storage, carrying resources they collected in the Weekday Dungeons and delivering them to the designated depositories throughout the lobby.
Most of the workers were too occupied with what they were doing that they did not notice me standing in the middle of the second floor of the lobby, observing them.
Usually, every time they saw me, they would promptly give a reverent greeting such as, 'Fortune to the raider.' Or 'Victory to the raider.'
I was not one for such narcissistic gesture.
But the second floor residents had been doing the greetings so often that I could not help but notice their silence when they stopped doing it.
[Big news!]
The fairy suddenly appeared in front of me.
Well this was someone who would enjoy being worshipped like an empress.
I turned my gaze to her.
"What is it, warden?"
[Master just improved the communication blessing using the research points you mages have gathered!]
I raised my brows in interest.
"Did they now? Does the improvement allow us the ability that I'm thinking right now?"
[If you're thinking communication among party members, then yes!]
The fairy said.
Now that was an improvement.
It was quite restrictive previously that the communication blessing only allowed us to speak among party leaders.
There was always the possibility that our own party members would get separated from each other in a trial.
It was nice to know that now I could talk with my comrades from long distance.
[The range is still the same as before, however. And the connection only open between your own party members. So you can't communicate with members of Party 2 nor any of the other parties, except for their party leader in your case.]
The fairy added.
I nodded to her.
"Reasonable enough. It would only disturb the chain of command if I were to give direct order to other party's members. Best if my message is relayed through the party leaders instead."
[There's more!]
The fairy said again, raising a finger.
She went on when she saw me keeping silent.
[Master also improved the Hero Reaction Research. It is now level 10!]
My eyes widened upon her words.
Level 10 of the Hero Reaction Research.
The fairy had told me what function such improvement would enable.
One important, VERY important function that would greatly help us in climbing the tower.
"Has master chosen a Vice-Master for the lobby?"
To my disappointment, the fairy shook her head immediately.
[No. The role is still vacant. But master is definitely considering!]
"Do you know who is master considering for the position?"
I asked warily.
The fairy smiled at my question.
[Do you need to ask? You're quite a narcissist, aren't you?]
"How can you be so certain master plans to appoint me as the Vice-Master?"
[I'm sure you know already that all this time I've been working to relay master's orders across the lobby. Believe me when I say that your name has come up many times whenever master was browsing the heroes' list to choose someone for the position.]
"Then why hasn't master appointed me yet?"
The fairy was slow to answer for this one.
[I…don't know. Clearly master isn't certain yet to give control of the lobby.]
I sighed at her response and began walking away.
"Well, tell master to make up their mind. I could definitely use more authority if master wants me to take us to the top of the tower."
[I'm sure master will appoint you as Vice-Master once you cleared the fifteenth floor! Don't worry, I'm certain it'll happen!]
"If you want me to become the Vice-Master that badly, then why don't you run along and start relaying volunteer party requests to master? There has to be a bunch of them since many trainees are being made to climb right now."
The fairy suddenly straightened her posture and gave me a stiff salute.
[Of course! As you command, future Vice-Master!]
The tiny winged-creature instantly disappeared in twinkling flash.
I could not help but sigh again.
Apparently I had to wait until after the third Quintal Trial.
I was hoping master would give me the role now.
There were plenty things to prepare before the fifteenth floor climb and I would like to recommend many plans to master in order to tackle those tasks.
Honestly, there were just too much things left to do.
I doubted we would ever have too much time preparing for a Quintal Trial.
I sighed for the third time.
What I got was what I got.
I simply had to work with what I had instead of getting depressed of what I could have.
The reason why I was on the second floor of the lobby was actually to do just that.
I made my way to the second floor square where a blue-haired woman was waiting for me.
"Working hard, instructor?"
I greeted the woman.
Trudy turned around with a spent smile.
"If only I could just focus on instructing the trainees."
She said with a grunt.
"More of those people bothering you?"
Trudy nodded exasperatedly.
For the past week or two, disturbances had been occurring on the first floor of the lobby.
It all started after Trudy's promising trainees moved up to the second floor once master recognized their potential.
Needless to say, there were those among the first floor trainees who could not improve enough to catch master's attention.
Those who could barely reach level 2 in weapon skill despite the intense training Trudy had been giving them. Many even just remained on level 1.
They just were not talented in fighting.
It was even worse that they could not obtain supporting skills, such as gathering or crafting. Or rather, could not be bothered to learn.
It was clear that these people would never be considered raid team candidates and possibly fated to stay on the first floor forever. Or the Slum of the Forged Land as some had called the district.
Even so, these failed trainees had levelled up enough that they had increased in power through status values improvement.
Enough to overpower newly-summoned 1-stars.
Some of the failed trainees took advantage of this otherworldly nature of the forged land.
They started harassing the recently-arrived heroes using their newly-gained power and practically forced the newcomers to become their slaves.
The newcomers were not exactly beaten up, so the fairy could not intervene under the rule that prohibited heroes from fighting with one another.
But the victims were somehow pressured nonetheless.
Ordering the newcomers to do their biddings, such as making the newcomers collect and prepare food for them while they were in the Weekday Dungeons together, doing menial errands, or even harassing other newcomers to get more slaves.
Essentially, these failed trainees had turned themselves into thugs.
They practically formed an organized gang of lowlifes on the first floor. Seeking loopholes of the forged land to make their lives better in expense of others who were weaker.
News of these harassment and oppression eventually reached Trudy's ears.
After consulting with the fairy and I, the combat instructor gathered her successful trainees and had them rounded up the thugs.
Trudy would then recommend master to put the arrested thugs into confinement. Basically putting the criminals in an isolated chamber and banned them from doing anything.
That was what the fairy suggested us to do since the lobby did not have a disciplinary law just yet. Coincidentally, it was something that the Vice-Master had to think about.
So far, Trudy and her trainees had arrested 23 thugs. I was certain they would be sacrificed for synthesis or as scouts for the Quintal Trials.
It was not surprising that crimes would occur in the lobby given how big our population was growing to be.
As more people arrived to the forged land, these thugs would keep emerging, unfortunately. That was just the way of the world.
But we could not keep entrusting Trudy and her trainees to arrest the criminals.
We certainly needed to set up a clear policy in terms of public order in the lobby. Including appointing law enforcement agents.
More reason for master to soon appoint a Vice-Master.