"W-What was that?! Suddenly..."
"Earthquake...?"
The explorers woke to the vibrations traveling through the ground. Then it dawned on me. Eleven Hans, always Hans.
And to think that even changing the name doesn't help at all.
I sighed and looked at Hanst - no, the man who would be remembered as Hans A - for the last time.
"I haven't done anything!"
Yeah, sure. How would you have opened the rift from here? It's just my damn bad luck.
"Bjorn?"
"Run!" I grabbed Missha and started running. We didn't have time.
Although there was no explanation, Missha asked, "...Is it crack? Has it opened?"
"Yeah."
Just like in my life, shit happened again. Of course, it wasn't the kind of shit that put us in danger.
Damn, I spent a lot of money.
I selected the rift I wanted to enter and bought the corresponding items. I was so excited that I even enchanted my gear with the lightning attribute. But what the heck was this?
"Bjorn! There!"
I didn't know what kind of bastard he was, but he'd just spread shit all over my plans. Was he a player? Or just someone who knew this world? Well, I was sure I'd figure it out once I got inside.
Whooooom!
A portal opened in the direction Missha indicated. By this time, thoughts of portals had probably opened all over the first floor.
"Missha!" In case she fell, I picked Missha up in my arms and put my body into the doorway.
[You have entered the crack on the first floor.]
Boom!
When I landed with a deep, resonant thud, I released Missha from my arms and immediately checked my surroundings. Apparently, we had barely boarded the last train because there were already three people inside this crevice. First, I took a closer look at each of them.
"Oh, a barbarian and a beastwoman. How trustworthy. Pleased to meet you. Please call me Carlson." First, a human man. His height was around five foot seven and his weapon was a sword. To express his first impression as an animal... a rat would suffice.
"...You will not be a burden. I am Abman Urikfried." The second was a beastman. Judging by the round ears growing from the top of his head, he appeared to belong to the Black Bear tribe. His features included a muscular body and an enormous crossbow reminiscent of a siege weapon.
"Hello. I'm Jencia Nephrin. As for my weapon, I use this sword here. I'll do my best not to be a bother." The last one was a human woman, about 5'7", with a pretty face. Surprisingly, she had black hair styled in two pigtails. Not that it didn't suit her, but I never thought people wore that hairstyle.
Anyway, it was our turn next, so I stepped forward as their representative. "I'm Bjon, son of Thor, and this is Michelle. As you can see, we're together."
"Hey?"
Nothing from «huh». When I glanced at her to stay still, Missha pursed her lips as if she realized my intentions. Then he relaxed his eyes and looked at a point in the air. Was that supposed to be his poker face?
It was obviously strange, so I led the conversation before she attracted attention. «I took on the role of guardian in the maze and feel very safe in it. What are you good at?»
When entering a crack, knowing each person's strengths was the most basic procedure.
The woman named Jencia explained herself in more detail. «Sword for me! Oh, and I have the essence of a Goblin Archer, and I was also trained as an explorer from a very young age, so I have some knowledge of traps and mechanical devices.»
Not a Goblin Swordsman but a Goblin Archer? When I heard that I thought, What a useless character, but it wasn't something to worry about much. Furthermore, he was not a character he was cultivating. Just looking at her team in the first place, I realized she was a rookie.
The swordsman and defense warrior Carlson was better than Jencia, but ultimately similar. «I mainly use sword and shield. Mr. Bjon? Anyway, maybe not as much as you, but I usually get attacks from the first line of the team.»
In the middle of the second floor at most. However, since she did not reveal her essence as the naive woman in front of her, it seemed that she had a little more experience than her. That, or maybe he didn't have any.
Two beginners, huh?
Well, I was more or less expecting it. The situation was different than when I met Hikurod and Raven. It had only been three months since the crack opened, so it was impossible to know in advance and wait. It even opened on the first day, which led to this; Otherwise it would have been full of locals who hadn't even been on the second floor.
In that sense, it is suspicious.
I looked at the last person. I guess he accepted the indication to show up. «As you can see». The male with the beard and muscular attributes shrank the large crossbow he was carrying on his back. He was the only middle-class explorer among the three.
Like a barbarian, I asked him directly: «Tell us how trustworthy you are».
«Shouldn't the person saying it reveal it first?».
Oh, that was true. «I'm level 6, Michelle is level 7. We operate mainly on the fourth floor».
«I see. I am level 5.»
Shit, he wasn't middle class but upper class. Generally, 6
level was high, and 4
level was called medium, 5
level was a first class explorer. This was because the difference between the grades increased enormously from the 6th grade onwards.
level up, and even included a promotion review. Dang, this was getting more suspicious.
«What is a level 5 explorer doing here?»
«Shouldn't we ask the same thing about you too?» This guy didn't miss a single word.
«...Originally, we worked as a team, but due to some circumstances, only the two of us came in. We couldn't go up to the second floor because we didn't have an explorer, and then the crack opened». This was the answer I had prepared in case there was anyone who suspected me once I opened the crack.
«What a coincidence. I am similar. Although I left my original equipment a long time ago».
Damn. Is he lying or not?
Although I wondered if there really was a goalkeeper tough enough to play alone, as soon as I looked at his face it made sense.
Still, I'll have to be more careful with this man.
Mr. Bear was designated as alert target number 1. Aside from his brute force, all of his circumstances were suspicious.
Except this man, there is no one who can collect grade 8 mana stones in the first place.
Of course, this was only taking into account the apparent circumstances at this time. The possibility that Carlson and Jencia were hiding their abilities could not be ruled out.
«Ah, but who came first?». I asked the question nonchalantly, as if it were pure curiosity. Who really opened the crack? In fact, unless the three of them were working together, I judged that this question alone would distinguish their identities.
«I'm not sure. I think we all went in together...»
«It was so simultaneous that I can't say who came first».
«You ask strange things».
I guess I wasn't allowed to learn that so easily. Fuck. It was like playing mafia.
***
A stranger opened the crack. This trampled many parts of my plan. First, the problem of distribution.
«Okay then, it's decided.»
At the end of the discussion, we decided that Missha, Mr. Bear and I would take three shares each and Carlson and Jencia-Jenson for short would take one. The explorer's world had no heart.
«It won't be that much of a loss. You will have all the remaining essences».
«Okay...»
Kicking the ladder was what Hikurod and Raven did to me in the Bloody Citadel and what I was going to do to them too. What would be left making concessions here?
He has more compassion than he seems. I wasn't going to give them anything.
My plan was to open the crack on the third day. Among the first floor premises, I was going to let them take care of all the dirty work and monopolize everything for myself. However, Mr. Bear's variable arrived, and there was no choice but to make considerable concessions in the distribution. For now, Missha was the one chosen to eat the guardian essence, but if a numbered object or a fissure stone fell, she had to roll the dice against Mr. Bear.
Ugh, I don't trust rolling dice.
My stomach already hurt. I didn't trust I could win. That's why I tried not to create the variable of chance.
«Let's get going». I shook off my remorse and moved forward. Behind me were Jenson on both sides, then Mr. Bear, then Missha.
Crackle!
As if walking on thin ice, he could hear the sound of creaking at every turn. It wasn't exactly a wrong comparison. Right now we were passing over a frozen lake. It was fortune in misfortune.
I guess I can use the objects I have prepared.
There were a total of four cracks on the first floor. Depending on the type, there were differences in monster appearance, difficulty, and rewards. Which one should we go to? After much thought, I picked one and luckily it was the one I was walking right now.
[Glacier Cave]
A rank 8 monster appeared in the beast's lair on the second floor, and the crack could be opened by offering that monster's mana stone to an altar. My only selection criterion was Missha. Well, he had also reached level 4, and now he had room for one more essence.
But in reality there is none to consume.
Even though it was a crack, it was on the first floor. Even the guardians were only rank 7, and they did not spit out an essence that would serve me.
That's probably why this man voluntarily gave up the essence in the first place.
Anyway, I decided that it would be more efficient to cultivate Missha for now, and fill the vacancy with a better essence later.
Wait a second. Didn't Ainar go to the holy land like this last time?
That won't happen again... right?
«Why did you stop suddenly?»
«It's nothing.» I shook off the thoughts that suddenly blossomed and focused on my surroundings. At least he had managed to get into a crack. Furthermore, with the presence of an unknown mafia, it was not the time to be idle.
Shaaaaaaaaaa.
Frozen snow settled on the mountain, snowflakes fluttered and scattered from above, and sunlight reflected off the ice made it feel warmer.
It's strange to be in a place like this after always being in a dark place.
After walking for about 30 minutes, the lake area ended and a suspicious cave appeared leading underground. A monster blocked the way.
«Kawwww!» A rank 7 monster, the Yeti, an elite guardian that only appeared in Glacier Cave, had appeared from the beginning. As soon as he saw us, he let out a threatening scream.
Jencia murmured: «Do we have to defeat him and go down?».
Mr. Bear responded. «I don't know what this place is like, but in the cracks monsters usually show the way».
It was a response that would make any player nod. For some reason, I was more suspicious now.
«Do not advance recklessly. You stay behind», Mr. Bear ordered.
«...Is it really okay?». At her kind consideration, Jenson looked at Missha and me.
I had enough conscience not to ask them to risk their lives to fight a guy like that for only 10% of the mana stones, so I just told them to do what he said. They would only get in the way, anyway.
«I'll go first.» Soon, Mr. Bear lowered the super-large crossbow from his back for the first time.
Whooooom!
An arrow was shot and the battle began.