Chapter: 15
“So, it’s started.”
Eugene clicked his tongue at the commotion echoing from one side.
The influx of players had begun in earnest, so it was about time for this to happen.
Robbery through violence. The establishment of a pecking order.
Wasn’t humanity the kind of species that tried to prove its own superiority the moment three people gathered together?
They crushed those who looked weaker than themselves and stole what belonged to them.
Inside the Tower, the laws of society meant nothing, so it was only natural for people’s true nature to emerge.
This would probably be the beginning of countless incidents of chaos.
That was exactly how it had gone during his first playthrough.
“Still, it isn’t entirely a bad thing.”
As conflicts and disputes dragged on, the weak naturally formed groups.
They compensated for their lack of strength with numbers.
And those organizations would become a tremendous help when climbing the Tower.
“Well, it has nothing to do with me.”
There was no way anyone showing off their strength on the first floor would be worth anything.
The truly talented ones were probably busy figuring out how to raise their levels by now.
Because they would have realized that it was the only way to survive this damned Tower.
“I’ll ignore them.”
He kept walking.
After strolling along the brilliantly decorated streets for quite some time, the massive wall surrounding Terra came into view.
“It was this way, wasn’t it?”
There were quite a few ways to obtain a mount on the first floor.
The place Eugene was heading to was the most common—and supposedly the fastest—method.
Of course, at this point in time, no one else knew about it.
As he left the city outskirts, the change was immediately noticeable.
Not only were there almost no players, but even NPCs had become scarce.
“It’s been so long that I’m a little confused.”
The roads were the same.
Unlike the city center, where broad streets stretched endlessly like a planned metropolis, this place resembled an anthill.
A maze of narrow, twisting alleys connected one after another, so complicated that anyone unfamiliar with the area would get lost the moment they stepped inside.
In fact, during the early days of his first playthrough, quite a few players who wandered in here never made it back out.
Because of the labyrinthine streets…
And the trash that lived in them.
“A player?”
“Huh? They’re already coming in?”
“I heard the central district’s been noisy. Guess it’s about that time.”
As Eugene retraced his memories through the maze, someone spotted him and began whispering.
Long scars running across their cheeks, intimidating faces, arrogant postures, crude speech…
They looked exactly like the stereotypical thugs of the back alleys.
“So what’s a noble player doing in a place like this?”
“Don’t tell me you came all this way just to help us?”
Heh, heh…
Three hoodlums approached Eugene with greedy smirks.
“That sword on your waist looks pretty nice. Hand it over.”
“Got anything else? If you picked up anything in the tutorial floor, bring it all out. We’ll let you live.”
“How about we cut off his arm first and then start talking?”
The three drew daggers from their clothes, murderous intent filling the air.
These were exactly the kind of people who deserved to be called trash.
Scumbags who preyed on weak players and NPCs living on the outskirts of Terra.
The moment Eugene got a good look at their faces, he clapped his hands.
“Hey, this works out perfectly.”
“…Huh?”
The unexpected reaction made the hoodlums freeze.
Instead, Eugene walked toward them.
A grin spread across his face.
“There’s something I’ve been curious about.”
The smile on Eugene’s face was far more sinister than anything those petty thugs could ever hope to imitate.
“Don’t worry too much. If you answer my questions properly, I’ll only cut off one arm.”
“What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?”
“Who’s cutting off whose arm?”
“You’re dead. Don’t even dream of leaving here alive.”
The thugs burst into incredulous laughter.
It seemed they couldn’t even imagine losing.
Well, it made sense that they were so confident.
At this point, almost every player was still only Level 1.
Only the luckiest had managed to reach Level 2.
Against people at that level, NPCs saw players as nothing more than walking suckers.
Those hoodlums were probably at least Level 4 or 5.
Naturally, all they saw was prey.
But that only applied in ordinary situations.
Needless to say…
Eugene wasn’t ordinary.
“I’m the one who’s cutting off your arms.”
Flash!
The Black Wing [A] was already in his hand, its blade radiating black light.
At the same time, three long objects flew into the air together with sprays of crimson.
“Huh?”
There were three of them.
The hoodlums’ left arms.
Fwoooosh!
Blood erupted like fountains from the cleanly severed stumps.
“AAAAAAAGH!”
“M-My arm!”
Only after their severed limbs hit the ground did they realize what had happened.
The slash had been that fast.
“That feels nice.”
Eugene was quite pleased with his movements.
King of All Weapons [S].
Body Blessed by the Gods [S].
Inside and Out as One [E].
The synergy between those three traits far exceeded even his expectations.
Even during his first playthrough, achieving this level of unity had been difficult.
Obtaining abilities of this caliber on only the first layer…
It was nothing short of miraculous luck.
“K-Kill him!”
The one who looked like the leader glared with bloodshot eyes and shouted.
“You still want to keep going?”
Eugene casually tilted the Black Wing [A].
Black mana rippled along the blade.
“I don’t mind. But are you sure? This time I’ll cut off your legs.”
Flinch.
The hoodlums, who had been about to charge despite the pain, instantly stopped.
“T-This lunatic…”
Only now did they realize it.
The Eugene standing before them was nothing like an ordinary player.
His skill was terrifying enough…
But what was even stranger was his temperament.
A man who had cut off all three of their arms in a single instant wore an expression as calm as if he had done it a thousand times before.
He had said he’d cut off their legs.
Which meant he actually would.
Just like he’d cut off their arms moments ago.
They instinctively backed away.
If they got involved any further…
They might actually die.
“Where do you think you’re going? I never said you could leave.”
Eugene rested the blood-soaked Black Wing [A] on his shoulder and spoke casually.
The three swallowed hard.
“S-Sorry!”
“We picked the wrong person…”
“Please spare us!”
Their faces had turned pale as they dropped to their knees and begged.
“I already told you. Answer my questions properly, and I’ll let you off with just one arm. So all you have to do is answer honestly.”
“A-Ask us anything!”
They looked ready to sell out their own country if it meant surviving.
“Good.”
Satisfied with their attitude, Eugene nodded.
“I’m looking for someone. I think his name was… Tailen? Do you know him?”
Tailen.
It was a name that would eventually be engraved into the minds of every player.
“Y-You’re looking for Lord Tailen?”
“H-He is…”
The thugs exchanged nervous glances.
Eugene terrified them.
But Tailen was someone they feared just as much.
“You don’t know? Then I guess I’ll have to cut off your legs too. That was our deal.”
“We know! We know!”
As Eugene took a step forward, one of them screamed in panic.
“Then start talking.”
“Just follow the blue doors!”
“…Blue doors?”
“I-It works like this.”
One of the hoodlums pointed with his remaining arm.
There was a blue door standing nearby.
“It’s… it’s like a landmark. If you keep following the paths marked by blue doors deeper inside, you’ll eventually meet Lord Tailen.”
“Hm… Is that so?”
He remembered finding the place a little more easily before.
Still, they didn’t seem to be lying.
“Good. Thanks for the help.”
Eugene slowly approached them.
“Y-You said you’d spare us…”
The three trembled violently.
Apparently they thought he was about to kill them now that he’d gotten what he wanted.
But Eugene had no intention of doing that.
“I won’t kill you. I keep my promises. But… do you happen to have any decent items or coins? If you do, hand them over.”
Instead…
He robbed them.
“Oh, this seems like the right place.”
After thoroughly emptying the hoodlums’ pockets, Eugene followed the trail of blue doors for quite some time before a familiar street appeared.
It was still part of the slums.
But the atmosphere was completely different.
The heavy, chilling air felt as though it were pressing down on his shoulders.
An alcoholic lay in the corner chugging from a bottle.
A homeless man slept beneath a sheet of newspaper.
Groups of delinquents sat together gambling.
Their eyes weren’t looking at him…
Yet Eugene could feel countless unseen gazes watching his every move.
“This place is definitely different.”
The hoodlums whose arms he’d cut off earlier wouldn’t even be allowed to set foot here.
The people gathered in every corner were on an entirely different level.
Even so, Eugene walked straight into their territory without hesitation.
Silence descended instantly.
The pressure was suffocating.
No one moved, yet the message was obvious.
No farther.
Naturally…
Eugene couldn’t have cared less.
Step.
“Hey.”
Unable to ignore his casual approach any longer, someone finally stepped forward and blocked his path.
He was enormous.
At least two meters tall, with a body twice Eugene’s size.
Even the mana subtly radiating from him was anything but ordinary.
“Wow… This guy has to be at least Level 20.”
To be this strong on the first layer, Terra…
With just a few more levels, he could easily be considered a named NPC.
But…
“Move aside, big guy.”
This wasn’t the man Eugene had come to see.
“…So you’re just another idiot who’s tired of living.”
The giant sneered and reached out.
His massive hand looked like the lid of a giant cauldron crashing toward him.
Among the players currently on the first layer, there wasn’t a single one who could have avoided that grab.
Except for one.
Eugene.
Step.
Like flowing water, he smoothly shifted one step to the side.
That alone was enough.
The giant’s hand sliced harmlessly through empty air.
From the giant’s blind spot, Eugene drew the Black Wing [A].
Whoosh!
Like swatting away a fly.
A sword strike without the slightest hesitation.
The giant’s eyes widened.
He realized he could neither dodge…
Nor block it.
The overwhelming performance of Body Blessed by the Gods [S] rendered even a gap of more than ten levels meaningless.
The black blade crossed the distance in an instant.
Just before it reached the giant’s side—
“That’s enough.”
BOOOOOOM!
A cold voice echoed through the alley.
To Eugene’s surprise, his body suddenly froze.
Not by his own will.
An overwhelming force, one his current self couldn’t possibly resist, had restrained him completely.
Slowly, he turned his head.
The alcoholic who had been lying in the corner with a liquor bottle in hand was now standing.
Moments ago, Eugene hadn’t paid him the slightest attention.
But now…
Despite his short, frail appearance, it felt as though an entire mountain had risen before him.
“Let’s stop here.”
The alcoholic lazily waved a hand, looking thoroughly annoyed.
The giant was instantly blown away like a sheet of paper and slammed into the wall.
Boom!
Eugene’s expression darkened slightly as he looked at the alcoholic.
“I believe you’re my guest, aren’t you… Player Sung Eugene?”
To his surprise, the man had identified him perfectly.
As though he had expected this, Eugene sheathed the Black Wing [A] and nodded.
“Tailen. Right?”
He was one of the Five Lords who ruled Terra alongside Cupiditas.
“That’s right.”
The man smiled faintly.
“I’m Tailen.”
The King of Trash. Tailen.
