Chapter: 07
The first thing players usually did after arriving in Terra was blink in confusion.
They had somehow survived the Tutorial Floor and reached the First Floor, but from this point on, they had no idea what they were supposed to do.
There was no one like Didascalia to kindly explain everything anymore.
From now on, every player had to carve out their own path with their own strength.
During his first run, Eugene had been just as clueless as everyone else.
He hadn’t known where anything was or what he was supposed to do.
But that wasn’t the case now.
Eugene knew exactly what his first priority was.
Step.
Unlike the players who had yet to enter Terra, his footsteps never hesitated.
Brilliant ornaments decorated the pure white city like colorful paintings on a blank canvas.
Contrary to its solemn first impression, Terra’s interior was extravagantly luxurious.
No matter where he looked, the magnificent cityscape was etched into his vision like a photograph.
“A new player?”
“So it has begun again.”
“But how did he get here so quickly?”
“He must have set the fastest record yet. Lady Akasha will probably be quite pleased.”
The NPCs whispered among themselves.
Even to them, Eugene’s ascent to the First Floor had been astonishingly fast.
The curious and expectant gazes constantly directed toward him made that much obvious.
Seeing the city again after so long made Eugene truly realize that he had returned to the past.
I thought I’d never see these people again.
When the world was destroyed, the Tower had collapsed along with it.
Even Eugene didn’t know what had happened to the NPCs afterward.
Had they died together with the Tower?
Or had the Akasha System relocated them somewhere else?
The latter seemed far more likely.
After all, the NPCs behaved as though they had experienced this same situation many times before.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
He was glad to see them again, but they weren’t important enough for him to waste his time.
The people staring at him in curiosity weren’t the ones he urgently needed to meet.
Here it is.
Drawing the attention of every NPC as he walked through the luxurious streets, Eugene finally stopped in front of a small shop.
[Citadel’s Golden Hammer]
The shop’s name was crudely scribbled onto an old wooden signboard that looked as though it had been rotting for decades.
It was a shabby little building that stood in stark contrast to every elegant structure surrounding it.
Eugene nodded.
“So it really does look exactly as I heard.”
At first, not a single player had shown any interest in this place.
Its run-down appearance was one thing, but its doors were always shut, making it seem as though it wasn’t even open for business.
To make matters worse, the owner had an unbelievably rotten personality, giving people even less reason to visit.
Of course, there had still been a few players who peeked inside, wondering if some hidden secret existed.
The only thing they got in return was a mouthful of insults.
“But there really was something hidden here.”
It had been about three years after players were first summoned to the Tower.
Rumors suddenly spread that Citadel’s Golden Hammer possessed a beautiful black sword called Black Wing [C].
Players had gone into a frenzy trying to obtain it.
“In the end, though… it ended up in his hands.”
After reminiscing for a moment, Eugene raised his fist and knocked heavily on the tightly shut door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dull sound echoed loudly.
Just as expected, there was no reply.
Chuckling to himself, Eugene simply pushed the door open.
Creeeeak—
The rusty hinges screamed as though it had been ages since they had last moved.
“Who dares enter my shop without the owner’s permission?!”
Only then did a thunderous roar come from inside.
“That’s a pretty rude way to greet a customer.”
“What?!”
“You don’t sound that old. Did you already go deaf? I said you’ve got a customer.”
Thud. Thud.
Whether the footsteps were simply that heavy or the floor was poorly built, the entire shop shook with every step.
At last, the owner appeared.
A thick, unkempt beard.
Arms as thick as pillars.
Sharp, intimidating eyes.
He looked so much like a stereotypical blacksmith that ten out of ten people would point at him and shout, “That’s definitely a blacksmith!”
“I’m not taking customers for a while. Get out while I’m asking nicely.”
But looking at his face more closely, he seemed to be in terrible condition.
Every time he opened his mouth, the overwhelming smell of alcohol poured out, and his complexion was dark and unhealthy.
“Doesn’t look like you’re in any position to turn customers away. Planning to starve to death?”
The giant man’s face immediately flushed red.
“…You little bastard.”
He exhaled sharply through his nose, reeking of liquor.
“I’ll break a few of your bones before you finally lear—”
“Citadel.”
As he rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward, Eugene’s cold voice stopped him in his tracks.
“That’s your name, isn’t it?”
Citadel’s Golden Hammer had been named after him.
Of course, that wasn’t some closely guarded secret.
Every nearby NPC already knew it.
But what Eugene said next was entirely different.
“You’re dealing with a problem these days, aren’t you? Let’s see… Ah, right. You accidentally extinguished an important flame.”
Citadel’s eyes widened.
They were already huge to begin with, but now they looked as though they were about to pop out.
“H-How do you know that? Wait… You’re not from around here!”
Only then, despite being drunk, did Citadel realize that Eugene was a player.
“That’s right. I just reached the First Floor.”
“Then it makes even less sense.”
The problem that had driven Citadel into alcoholism wasn’t known even to the other NPCs.
He had never told anyone because there was nothing to gain by letting the secret spread.
So how could a player—one who had literally just cleared the Tutorial Floor—possibly know about it?
“Does it really matter how I know?”
Eugene had always lived by one principle.
Results over process.
Results over reasons.
Results over causes.
Only the outcome held absolute value.
The process, the reason, and the cause could all be examined later after everything was finished.
“Or is it more important that I know how to solve your problem?”
Citadel felt exactly the same.
He was curious about the first question.
But it couldn’t compare to the second.
“…You know how to solve it?”
“I do. That flame you stupidly put out—I can bring it back.”
Eugene nodded with complete confidence.
Citadel’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.
“Please! Help me! That flame is more precious than my own life! If you truly succeed, I’ll do anything within my power for you!”
“Oh, really?”
The only reason Eugene had restrained himself from smashing the foul-mouthed blacksmith’s face was because he had been waiting to hear those exact words.
“You said that yourself. You’ll do anything I ask?”
Seeing Eugene’s expression, which practically screamed, Don’t even think about going back on your word later, Citadel briefly wondered if he had spoken too hastily.
But only for a moment.
Reviving that flame was simply too important.
He nodded.
“A man never takes back his word! Fine! Whatever you ask, I’ll do it!”
A grin spread across Eugene’s face.
“Then hand over Black Wing [C] first. Oh, and while you’re at it, throw in Grace [C] too.”
“Y-You… You insane bastard!”
Despite his enormous size, Citadel jumped in shock.
“W-Who the hell are you?! How do you even know about those?!”
Anyone would have reacted the same way.
The two items Eugene had mentioned were treasured heirlooms passed down through Citadel’s family for generations.
At this point in time, not a single soul besides Citadel himself knew they even existed.
Yet this player—someone who had only just reached the First Floor—had named them without hesitation.
It was enough to make anyone collapse from shock.
“You don’t need to worry about that. So? Are you giving them to me or not?”
Eugene asked with a smile that showed his teeth.
“T-That…”
Citadel couldn’t refuse.
Black Wing [C] and Grace [C] were priceless treasures.
But they couldn’t compare to that flame.
As he’d just admitted himself, the flame was worth more than his own life.
His hands trembled violently as he forced his stiff neck to nod.
“I-I’ll give them to you. But you must succeed. If you fail, I’ll personally snap your neck.”
His blazing eyes locked onto Eugene.
Good. That’s reassuring.
If Citadel had intended to break his promise from the beginning, he wouldn’t have looked so reluctant to part with the treasures.
“Don’t worry about it. Just wait here. I’ll come back by tomorrow with the means to restore the flame.”
He hadn’t said he would look for a solution.
He had said he would return with it.
Realizing the difference, Citadel let out a hollow laugh.
“So it’s true. You really do know how to restore the flame.”
“I told you. Anyway, I’ll be back, so have those items ready when I return.”
With that, Eugene turned around and walked out of the shop.
The NPCs outside kept glancing at him.
They were obviously curious about what kind of conversation had taken place inside.
Naturally, Eugene had no intention of satisfying their curiosity.
Ignoring their stares, he continued walking.
What exactly did I need again?
He searched through his memories.
Horn of a Sulfur Deer [F], Blood Membrane of a Vampire Bat [F], Core of a Blue Slime [F], and…
The most important ingredient.
“Earth Dragon’s Blood [D].”
The first three would be easy to obtain.
Outside Terra, monsters that dropped those materials were practically everywhere.
Kill a few, and they’d be collected in no time.
The last one was the real problem.
“An Earth Dragon…”
It had been a long time since he’d spoken that name.
“Well, it’s not a real dragon.”
Compared to true dragon species like the Apocalypse of the 100th Floor or the Black Darkness of the 90th Floor, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
It merely had the word “dragon” in its name.
In reality, it was little more than an enormous earthworm.
Granted, it was dozens of meters long.
Even so, it was undeniably powerful.
Players at the current stage wouldn’t stand a chance against it, even if several hundred attacked together.
Only parties composed of players at least Level 10 or higher could hope to defeat it.
Back during his first run, killing one had taken a tremendous amount of time.
Many people had died in the process.
“I wonder if I can take it down by myself.”
Eugene was currently only Level 7.
For an ordinary player, the idea would have been absurd.
Yet he didn’t think for even a second that he would lose.
If anything, the thought of fighting it made his whole body itch with excitement.
“I’ll find out once I face it.”
Eugene had obtained four rewards from the Tutorial Floor.
Moment [E].
Fire Dragon Blade [E].
Inner and Outer as One [E].
And finally—
The magnificent Body Blessed by a God [S].
With all that, calling himself an ordinary Level 7 player would have been laughable.
Filled with confidence, Eugene headed back toward Terra’s city gate.
“Looks like they’re finally arriving.”
He could now see a few players entering the city.
While he had been taking care of business at Citadel’s Golden Hammer, they had finally reached the First Floor.
“Seems the other Tutorial Floors haven’t finished yet.”
Judging by the fear in their eyes, they were all players who had come from the same Tutorial Floor as Eugene.
“Good luck.”
“H-Huh?”
As he passed by Enund, who was verifying the identities of the arriving players, Eugene casually greeted him before walking straight through the city gate.
East first.
The first item he needed was the Horn of a Sulfur Deer [F].
From there, he would travel clockwise, collecting each material one by one.
Finally, he would hunt the Earth Dragon before returning.
Drawing the Fire Dragon Blade [E] from his waist, Eugene headed toward the Sulfur Deer habitat.
“It’s been a while since I’ve gone hunting.”
