If Berzak found us, 70% of us would end up dead, and that's assuming we all ran away as soon as we saw him. If we tried to fight him, this would be the last expedition of all of us.
These bastards... Don't they value their lives?
The more I looked at them, the less I understood it. With every passing second, Berzak was probably getting closer. However, instead of running towards the second floor, more people were actively gathering here.
«...Just as I thought, other people had the same idea as us».
A group of five adventurers stumbled towards us, miserably. They seemed to have struggled to avoid all the traps scattered around the first floor. But as soon as they saw the crowd in the hidden room, they only had one question.
«Where is the portal? It opened?»
«Why didn't it open? The Lord of Terror has already been defeated nine times and Berzak was summoned!»
Was something wrong with these people? Why had they bet everything on the remote possibility of the portal opening instead of going up to the second floor? They weren't even one of the parties that had been waiting here since Berzak first appeared. They had been somewhere else and had purposely forced their way through all those traps to get here instead of heading towards safety.
Noticing my obvious disbelief, Amelia approached me. «Yandel... what should we do?»
«I don't know. I think I've underestimated how tenacious and greedy adventurers can be».
«It's not just the adventurers. All humans are like that. Regardless of the time or place».
These days, talking to Amelia was like talking to a wise man. Still, his wise words didn't help me much this time. I needed advice on what we should do now. If I expected something like this to happen, you should have let me know in advance.
Sigh slowly.
Let's calm down.
This situation was far from ideal, but there was no need to take it out on my colleagues for no reason. Instead, it was better to spend my time trying to find a solution.
The biggest problem is that it's going to be difficult to open the portal discreetly with so many eyes on us...
If we open the portal now, everyone here would obviously hitchhike for free. Just imagining how much loot they would steal from us gave me a headache.
But the most important thing is that word will spread.
Although the number of people who could pass through the portal was limited and only my companions and I entered, rumors about our entry into the hidden area would spread throughout the city. That meant that, starting the following month, there would be countless people following us and watching our every move. Since he wanted us to calmly reap the rewards on our own, he preferred to avoid that outcome. However...
«He is a Watcher of the Abyss! Berzak! That monster is here...!»
Just as I thought, the world wasn't going to let me sit back, watch things unfold, and think of solutions. The moment I saw an Abyss Watcher, that meant that Berzak was definitely coming for you.
«¡Ack! ¡Aléjate!»
«
«¡Aaaaaagh!»
As the Abyss Watcher floated closer, the group of adventurers panicked. Didn't they know that acting like this would only make it worse? It was ridiculous to see a group of adults tremble in fear as they saw an Abyss Watcher, a useless rank nine monster, approaching them.
¡Splurt!
The poison shot out of his eyeball like a water gun.
«Argh! Get out of my way! Get out of my way!»
What a joke. These adventurers easily looked like veterans of the sixth floor or higher, so why were they so scared by a rank nine monster? Was this some kind of comedic comedy?
¡A slap!
While silently observing the amusing Chaos from a few steps away, one of the panicked adventurers accidentally slapped the Abyss Watcher.
¡Shaaaaaa!
It immediately burst into a cluster of lights and then disappeared.
A heavy silence quickly replaced the panic in the cave.
«Ahhh... n-no... wait...»
Realizing that he had just killed an Abyss Watcher, the adventurer began to tremble. The situation had officially gone from bad to worse.
«Hurry up! Stay away from us!»
People began to shout at the adventurer who had killed him, trying to push him away.
«If you stay here, Berzak will come! Run to the second floor before I catch you!».
«Q-But... I-I can't get there on my own...»
«Then why did you kill him?!»
Are all adventurers callous bastards or something?
«Enough.» Unable to continue seeing this, I took a step forward.
«Baron Yandel...?»
«Your Honor! We'll all die if this guy stays with us! We need you to leave as soon as possible!»
That logic was ridiculous. Were they trying to argue that we would be fine as long as we got rid of him? The fact that the Abyss Watcher saw us meant that Berzak was going to come after us no matter what we did.
In any case, he now had a clear idea of the situation. It didn't matter how much longer we waited for them to change their minds: none of these people were willing to go to the second floor.
«I told you to stop.»
«But...!»
«I'll open the portal now.»
It was time to move on to Plan B.
As soon as I said that, the man quickly moved out of my way. The crowd of adventurers inside the hidden alcove near the stone also separated so I could pass.
«All of you, stay here for now».
«...Sorry? O-Oh! Of course! We won't get in the way. Everyone, come here!»
Everyone was clearly stunned to hear me suddenly declare that I was going to open the portal, but luckily they were quite helpful given the situation and quickly vacated the small stone room for us.
«Versyl, can you create a curtain so they can't see what's going on here? Make sure they can't hear us either».
Versyl quickly cast some spells, creating a barrier to ensure that no one could spy on us from the outside. With that, we were able to ensure some kind of privacy.
Before I could begin, Amelia came over and stopped me. «Yandel, are you sure about this?».
«There is no other option. We can't let everyone die here».
«If we wait a little longer, everyone can go up to the second floor on their own. No matter how reckless they may seem, they have to value their lives.»
Well, it's not that that exact thought didn't cross my mind, but...
«Unfortunately, I really don't think they're going to give up.»
«...You are unexpectedly calm about this.»
Does that look like...?
It was rather that he had already given up the possibility of them doing what was reasonable and getting out of there. Actually, just imagining how many freeloaders were going to accompany me once I opened this portal made my stomach turn and my head hurt.
Still, I said: «If this method doesn't work, we'll need time to escape to the second floor. It would be dangerous to wait any longer».
Amelia seemed persuaded by my logic.
I hurried to the stone of the portal with the fragments that we found on the third floor. «Versyl. Cast the Bonding spell on the six of us, excluding you».
"¿What?"
«If the portal opens, there is a good chance that there will be a reward for being the first to open it».
«I see...!» Quickly grasping, Versyl cast the Bonding spell without question. It wasn't like wizards needed experience points like us. «Everything done.»
Alright... then it's time. To work, please.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry, as I touched the three fragments carved into the stone of the portal.
¡Fwoooooo!
A sudden breeze rose around the stone as a great burst of color blinded us.
[You are the first to open a portal to this hidden area. EXP +99]
And, take it.
The portal had opened. One that led to a mysterious new area of the labyrinth that no one in Rafdonia's history had ever set foot in. Maybe that's why my mind was suddenly filled with all kinds of worries. Still, I decided to stand firm and carry out the plan I had already established.
«Versyl, cast the spell on us again».
«About whom?»
«You, me and Erwen will be part of Team One. Everyone else will be from Team Two. If we enter and the portal closes, Team Two will immediately go up to the second floor. Have I been clear? And Emily, you're in charge if that happens... understood?».
«Don't worry. I'm sure those people outside will come to their senses if they see the portal close. But if they don't, I'll be sure to convince them all to work together so we can get to the second floor safely.»
«Okay... And if you enter the portal and start in a different place than us, make sure you take care of each other. Understood?»
«I'll do what I can».
Those were all the precautions I could take.
«Then we will enter first». With that, I forced myself to step forward and enter the portal.
¡Fwoosh!
A bright light blinded me as I closed my eyes. I felt my body float as my vision slowly returned.
[You have entered the Basement One Plant Archives.]
[First achievement unlocked: The great feat you have achieved here will be engraved on the Stone of Honor forever].
Since I was already used to traveling through the portal, I was able to find balance and land safely on my feet.
Hit!
I raised my shield to protect my upper body as I quickly scanned the area. The ground I walked on was covered in tiles and I could only see about a hundred meters in front of me. Beyond, however, there seemed to be nothing worth mentioning, other than an area where the tiles turned into rocky terrain.
Shaaaaaa.
And that was the sound of the sea waves?
For now, there doesn't seem to be any monsters nearby.
A burst of light overhead interrupted my assessment of the situation, bringing my teammates with me.
«¡W-Yes...!»
First it was the silent Erwen and the outwardly surprised Versyl, who were both on Team One with me.
«¡Whoooa!»
Then came Ainar, who came in screaming, along with Auyen, Missha and Amelia.
...Luckily, it seems that the portal did not close after the three of us.
But I could only enjoy a moment of relief before I realized it suddenly and late.
«...We may not be able to get out of here.»
Just like when you entered a Rift, the portal above us began to close after spitting on us.
A one-way entrance, with no way to get back the way we came...
There was something sinister about that, but I decided to think positively.
...Not that this really changes things.
We were coming from the first floor, so either way, it would have been impossible for us to return once the apartment closed in a few hours.
The question is, when will this place close...?
That was the kind of information we could only discover by exploring. Still, unable to get rid of my lingering worries, I approached Amelia.
«Emily, how were things when you came in?»
«It was the same as when you came in. There was a slight difference in the color of the portal, but no change other than that. Furthermore, once Mrs. Gowland's barrier disappeared, people from outside ran into the room after us».
Hm, es asi...
«Then keep an eye on our surroundings and keep your guard up. If you notice anything, be sure to alert me. Even if it seems trivial.»
«Bjorn!» Ainar shouted, as if at the right moment. «I feel strange!»
«Strange? What's wrong with you?»
«Uh, my face is hot. And my heart beats hard».
... That's because you're excited.
Still, I proceeded to check on my other teammates to see if this place had any effects we needed to worry about. As he did so, other adventurers began to rain from above.
«Ohhh! A new apartment! A new apartment...!»
«Muahaha! My name will go down in history!»
Some of them seemed to have some loose screws, but others also seemed quite normal.
«Everyone, stay alert! You can't let your guard down! We don't know what can happen to us».
These people grouped together with the members of their group as soon as they set foot on dry land. I didn't really know why, but, for some reason, everyone started gathering relatively close to us. Did you think you'd be safer if we were around? I didn't even know it myself, but in the end, the constant flow of adventurers stopped and the sky portal completely disappeared.
«Wh-what?! Why don't the others come?».
«Mr. Zelton hasn't arrived yet?
«Kuredo! Kuredo, are you here?!»
A new data was obtained. Unlike the portals that led to the other floors, this one seemed to close after certain conditions were met. But what were those conditions?
I don't think it's some kind of time limit...
I started counting those present. The number of adventurers who had already entered was one, two, three, four, five, six...
Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty...
I see. So the portal closed once sixty people were inside.