The middle-aged man stepped forward, seemingly trying to calm the others.
"One thing is clear, including you, none of us knows anything about this place. If we talk about what each of us knows, maybe we'll gain valuable information. Shall we start with introductions? Does anyone have a different opinion?"
Silence fell over the group. The man gave a satisfied smile and then spoke.
"I'll introduce myself first. I'm Lyle. Forty-four years old. I run a carpentry shop in Edora. I have a wife and two daughters. As for why I came here... apologies, but I have no memory of it. Could you go next?"
"Greet. Thirty-two. Ran a stall in Halsea. Don't know why I'm here either."
People started introducing themselves, going clockwise.
Ages and professions were all different. Merchant. Lumberjack. Carpenter. Blacksmith. Coachman. Shepherd. Butcher...
They introduced occupations that had disappeared ages ago as their livelihoods. They wore crudely sewn clothes of leather and fabric, and they spoke place names I had never heard of.
Isel had said I was from Taonier. I didn't know why, but the clothes I was wearing when I arrived here weren't sweats, but similar clothes to theirs.
Unlike Shea, they seemed completely unaware of the current situation.
Anyway, my prediction was correct.
These people aren't from Earth. They seemed to be from the continent Isel mentioned, 'Taonier'. It seems humans live there too, but their civilization level appears to be far behind Earth's. Out of the eleven people, I was the only one from Earth.
The introductions of everyone gathered in the plaza finished.
The only thing we learned from the introductions was that they knew nothing. Lyle asked several times if anyone remembered how they got here, but nobody, including himself, knew.
"This is quite troubling..."
Lyle stroked his beard, looking perplexed. But then, as if nothing happened, he clapped his hands together to refocus the group and said.
"Shall we explore this place first? It might be dangerous to go alone, so let's split into groups of four, three, and three..."
"[What are you saying, old man!]"
Just as expected, she appeared.
Isel sprinkled stardust as she circled above us.
"[The Master is probably gonna open the Rift of Time and Space, so get ready to fight!]"
"Y-You...?"
"[I'm Isel. The fairy managing this place! Don't mess around if you don't want to get hurt.]"
A man stepped forward.
My eyes lit up. That man's name was Mormont. The only one among us with two stars. He said he was a mercenary before coming here. Though worn, he wore leather armor and had a proper sword at his waist.
'Status Window.' I muttered while looking at Mormont.
[Mormont Karl (★★) Lv. 1 (Exp 0/10)]
[Class: Novice]
[STR: 14/14]
[INT: 10/10]
[VIT: 12/12]
[AGI: 12/12]
[Skills Owned: Low-Grade Swordsmanship (Lv.1)]
His initial stats aren't bad. Intelligence, useless except for mages, is also 10. Much better compared to the 1-stars who start with all stats at 10.
Mormont stepped forward and spoke.
"Did you gather us here?"
"[Why do you need to know!]"
Shhhing.
People held their breath at the sharp sound of metal scraping. Mormont drew his sword and pointed it at Isel.
"I'll make you spill everything!"
Mormont shouted and thrust his sword.
It was a thrust delivered with considerable force.
['Mormont (★★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
[Sudden Death!]
[Cause of Death - Suicide due to Stress]
[Tips/ Heroes sometimes get exhausted, depressed, or fall into panic. Reduce their stress level! Provide heroes with rest areas and toys. This can prevent unexplained sudden deaths.]
Thump.
Mormont's headless body crumpled.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
"Wh-what! Dead? He's dead! What is this!"
"[I told you not to mess around if you didn't want to die. If you'd just listened to me quickly, this wouldn't have happened. If you touch me, it's instant death. Self-defense. Got it?]"
Isel flicked her right hand, scattering droplets of blood. With that small, fern-like hand, she had instantly crushed an adult man's head.
Suicide due to stress?
How is that suicide in any way!
"Urk, ugh, uweeegh!"
Several people with weak stomachs doubled over and vomited.
I felt nauseous too. A human corpse was right in front of my eyes.
I clenched my teeth.
I desperately tried to maintain my shattering sanity.
[Forming Party.]
[Drag and drop heroes!]
['Lyle (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Ranto (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Marlyn (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Kelkard (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Saxon (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
'It's started.'
[Open, Rift of Time and Spaaaaace!]
The large gate at the front of the plaza clanked open.
"Wh-what is this? What's happening!"
"Calm down! Calm down! Everyone, calm down! Now, young lady, for what reason did you call us? If there's something you want, please tell us!"
Lyle stammered, asking Isel.
Isel picked her ear with her index finger and said.
"[Something I want? Listen to me, fight well, win well. That's it. Easy, right?]"
"Ye-yes, what should we do?"
"[Those whose names I call, step forward. Lyle, Ranto, Marlyn, Kelkard, Saxon!]"
"Me? You mean me?"
"[Don't come out if you wanna end up like him.]"
Isel pointed at the headless corpse.
The five, though repulsed, somehow managed to step forward.
"[Okay, line up. See that door? Go in there.]"
"Wait!" I said.
"[You again! What is it this time!]"
"You want to climb the tower too, right?"
Isel's expression crumpled.
Seems I hit a nerve. If not, she wouldn't have needed to get so angry when Shea was synthesized. She would have just sneered.
"[So what?]"
"Make the Master summon weapons. We're 1-stars. We don't even have basic weapons. You don't want to send in a suicide squad either, right?"
"[That... that's true. Yep, yep, wait a minute!]"
Isel vanished with a poof.
[Master, the heroes have no equipment.]
[Before embarking on an adventure, how about summoning equipment for smoother combat?]
[Tips/ Heroes without weapons enter combat with a Worn Iron Sword (F). If you place equipment in the Armory, heroes will equip themselves. Of course, you can also assign specific weapons. Prepare equipment. Don't forget!]
Another assumption confirmed.
Isel could interfere with system messages.
Following Isel's guidance, Amkena entered the Summoning Chamber and immediately began summoning.
[Equipment Summon]
[Summoning items.]
[1 Summon – 5,000 Gold]
[10 Summons – 50,000 Gold]
[Master, starting 10x Equipment Summon.]
[Clack, Dururururu.]
[Tada-ran!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired 'Iron Sword (E+)'!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired 'Crude Bow (E-)'!]
[Master 'Amkena' has acquired....]
Lyle approached me.
"H-hey, you, Han, was it? Do you know anything about this place!"
"I only arrived recently too, so I don't know much. If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that you can die if you just stand around confused. So, everyone."
I pointed at the open Armory door and said.
"You should probably get weapons from over there. It's going to start soon."
"What's gonna start?"
"Combat."
"Combat? Did you say combat?"
"If you don't want to, just stay there."
I entered the Armory.
Various weapons were displayed on old racks. The things Amkena got from the 10x equipment summon. Iron swords, bows, maces, short spears. There were various types.
Soon after, people poured into the Armory.
"H-here? Should we choose a weapon here?"
A middle-aged woman asked me with anxious eyes.
I nodded.
"I-I don't know anything about fighting! I never even fought as a kid!"
"Just pick one first. Pick and then think!"
"This one's mine!"
The nine people started rummaging through the Armory, clamoring.
The highest-grade weapon is that one. I looked at the mace Lyle was holding protectively. A spiked iron ball was attached to the end of the mace.
[Morning Star]
[Grade D+]
Lyle flinched when our eyes met. He probably thought I would take it. I smiled and turned away.
Don't worry. I won't take it.
I picked up equipment from a corner of the Armory.
[Crude Wooden Shield]
[Grade E+]
'It's here.'
I was anxious about what I'd do if it wasn't there.
When the level and star rating are low, when the hero isn't used to combat, what kind of equipment boosts survivability the most? This was one of the tips I learned while raising several sets of 1-stars.
The ones with the highest chance of survival were those carrying shields.
"[Out of the Armory, now! It's starting!]"
Isel shrieked from the plaza.
People emerged from the Armory, each having picked one piece of equipment. Mormont's corpse, the blood, and the vomit that had been in the plaza were gone, cleaned away.
"What happened here?"
"M-magic?"
"[Quiet down! Didn't I call you earlier? Lyle, Ranto, Marlyn, Kelkard, Saxon! You five. Go through that door, now!]"
The five who were called hesitantly entered the door. As Isel followed them inside, the gate slammed shut with a bang.
Silence.
The other four stood blankly.
I sat near the Rift of Time and Space, examining my shield. Checking if it was broken or had holes, if it could properly block enemy attacks.
No problem.
It was a crude shield made of carved oak, but it should easily block goblin swords or thrown rocks.
"Oppa, you know what's going to happen, right?"
The girl holding a bow approached me.
Long red hair, freckles. She was a head shorter than me, her skin tanned brown.
"A little."
"What's going to happen to us? Why do we need weapons? Where are we? What's that fairy?"
She fired off questions like a machine gun.
This is why I tried to pretend I didn't know. My earlier intervention wasn't particularly for them. It was to increase my own survival chances. Mormont, the mercenary, died, and the remaining four didn't seem likely to fight well either.
Geil, the old coachman who apparently only ever drove carriages.
Greet, the stall vendor who said he'd never even fought with a friend.
Dazil, the pig-like man so plump I doubted he could even run.
And this impudent girl, Jena.
'Is this what 1-stars are like?'
If unlucky, they might die on the first floor.
I replied vaguely.
"We're about to enter a battlefield. Kill all the enemies there. That's all I know, so figure the rest out yourself."
"Battlefield?"
I shut my mouth.
Jena kept pestering me several more times, but I didn't answer. Eventually, giving up, she leaned against the wall and slid down to sit.
['Marlyn (★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. Her fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
Already dead?
The monsters on the first 10 floors are goblins at best.
I wanted to see the combat scene, but no video appeared. The system only reported the battle results.
['Kelkard (★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Ranto (★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
I stood up.
Seriously, wiped out on the first floor?
['Saxon (★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
"What's going on? Did something happen?"
"Be quiet."
['Lyle (★)' has returned to the Goddess's embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]
['Party 1' has been wiped out.]
[You Lose!]
"..."
[You useless bastards!]
Isel appeared in the plaza, stamping her feet. Her face was bright red.
I was a little dumbfounded too.
Getting wiped out on the first floor isn't easy. Perhaps this is the fate of a Master who blew away a rare hero obtained for free. If Shea had been here, she would have handled it all alone.
[Forming Party.]
[Drag and drop heroes!]
['Han (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Jena (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Dazil (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Greet (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Geil (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
Of the 11 heroes, 6 died, leaving 5.
From here, the Master had three choices.
One, use the 500 Gems obtained from the tutorial reward for a paid summon. A 3-star or higher hero would appear, and with their abilities, clearing the first floor would not be difficult.
Two, use the 500 Gems to purchase the Training Ground, strengthen the heroes, and then deploy them.
Three, just throw the remaining 1-stars in.
[Open, Rift of Time and Spaaaace!]
Seems like it's the third option.