Chapter 24: The Floor of Tests (4)
"…Hey, Arie."
Hwarang, who had been eating the skewer I gave him, widened his eyes and looked toward the top of the cave.
"What."
"I sense a strong shinsu wave. Right above us. We should prepare for—"
"Oh, they're just guests. Don't worry."
"…What?"
Before Hwarang could even finish his confused sentence, today's "guests" stepped into the cave. They rushed here at incredible speed, yet now that they actually had to enter, every single one of them looked awkward and stiff. One Ranker—who didn't look like the leader but was bravely acting like it—stepped forward to speak.
"Uh… we came because you invited us."
"Welcome, I've been waiting. Here, take a cup."
The white porcelain cups I handed out were unmistakably special—Arie-style white porcelain, the kind Arie Hon himself collected as a hobby. The examiners' reactions varied, but every face held some mixture of shock and admiration.
"When did you even invite the examiners…? I really can't understand you, Hoaquin-hyung."
"Haha, the more people around a campfire, the better. Luf, want a drink too?"
"I'll pass. Alcohol still doesn't suit me."
Leaving the baby-faced Luf out, I poured a drink for Hwarang and then handed the bottle to the examiners.
"Feel free to fill your cups to the brim. Drink as much as you like."
Even with my offer, the examiners hesitated, glancing nervously at one another.
'We're examiners… can we really drink alcohol while on duty…?'
'But after coming all the way here, it feels wrong to just turn it down…'
Realizing they were struggling with the last drops of their conscience, I sprinkled a bit of flavorful MSG into the situation.
It would be a waste if they left without drinking after I invited them.
"We're Ten Families direct heirs, and you're Rankers. None of us could get drunk even if we tried. It's not like it'll leave any traces. Hahaha."
The Rankers' eyes changed instantly.
'Oh? He's right?'
'Ah yes, I AM a Ranker.'
'If it's just a little… it's fine!'
That was the end of their internal resistance.
They lifted their cups, tasted Arie Traditional Liquor for the first time in their lives, and were instantly captivated. Time passed without them even noticing as we chatted and relaxed together. Hwarang and I drank too—just without feeling anything.
"Hahahah! When you three formed a team earlier, I seriously thought I'd end up writing a report until sunrise!"
"Haha, we didn't want to run around killing teams. We've already basically passed, so why bother working hard? Isn't relaxing like this way better?"
"Wuahaha! If only all Ten Families heirs were like you three!"
"Hey, Hoaquin Regular~ sorry, but the alcohol's gone~"
"No problem. There's plenty more. Here, take this."
"I can't believe this… I've served as an examiner for years, and yet the day has come where I can drink Arie Traditional Liquor to my heart's content…"
"So you're THAT Hoaquin? I was a Regular in the Grand Festival too. I heard you defeated one of Zahard's Princesses."
"Grand Festival? Now that you say it… oh yeah, I remember. Hwarang, you placed 2nd in the Shinsu Game!"
"Oh? You knew? I gave up after three attempts—it was impossible to beat your 800-point score."
And so the night passed with lighthearted, fun conversations. With Ten Families bloodlines and Rankers together, no one got drunk—just enjoyed themselves.
This is why campfires are best with lots of people.
"Dawn's coming soon, and it looks like the number of teams has dropped significantly. We'll head back now."
"Take care. It was fun."
"Luther, take this. You might need it later."
I handed Examiner Luther a bottle of Arie Traditional Liquor and a porcelain cup.
"Thank you, Hoaquin Regular. See you later."
The Rankers left as quickly as they arrived, leaving just the three of us again. Hwarang and I were still wide awake, chewing on skewers. Luf, meanwhile, was fast asleep.
— Current surviving teams: 99
The number, once around 300, had dropped to 99. Still far from 34, but at this pace, the test might finish within the day.
What should I do today? I heard there are some unique fish here… maybe I'll go fishing.
While trying to remember whether I kept a fishing rod in my inventory, noise erupted from the upper part of the cave.
"Hey, I think I see traces over here!"
"Is someone hiding? Look around."
"Hmmm—"
The sudden noise made Luf toss in his sleep. Hwarang wanted to take care of it quietly so Luf wouldn't wake, but the smell of burning food might wake him anyway—so I stepped out instead.
"What the? Is there a space under the cliff? Why are you crawling out from there?"
"This guy… why is his skin so white?"
Wow. If they knew I was an Arie, they'd never dare talk to me like this. Many outside Tower residents live without knowing a thing about the Ten Families or Zahard—they must be one of those.
There were over fifteen of them. Looked like five or six teams had joined forces into an alliance. Smart enough.
Fortunately for them, among the gathering crowd, someone actually recognized me.
"Oh, that guy's from the Ten Families. Is he alone?"
"If he's alone, he'd be disqualified. Obviously the others are sleeping, and he's standing guard."
At the "leader's" words, they all tightened their grips on their weapons.
Seems like even if they know about the Ten Families, they've never fought one.
"Yeah, my teammates are asleep. So—how about you quietly leave so they don't wake up?"
"If they're sleeping, that's even better. We'll kill him quietly first, then take out the sleeping ones."
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue lightly and moved.
First target—closest to me.
I struck his jaw hard, knocking him unconscious, then kicked him off the cliff. The drop was high—someone of his level wouldn't survive. A moment later, two of them vanished in a flash of light.
Those must've been his teammates.
"So realistically, I only have to deal with six of you to remove eighteen, huh?"
"K-kill—!"
CRACK—
I uppercut the leader's jaw.
"Don't shout. You'll wake the kid."
Knock out, throw.
Knock out, throw.
Repeat five times.
By the time only a few were left, some of them started to flee—but dealing with small fry later would be annoying, so I chased them down, knocked them unconscious, and threw them off the cliff as well.
Before I knew it, the 99 teams had dropped: 6 teams eliminated by me, plus 3 more eliminated somewhere else, leaving 90 teams.
Thankfully, Luf was still asleep.
Hwarang, sitting beside him, stared at me quietly, then spoke with a doubtful expression.
"Why did you go through the trouble of knocking them out and throwing them off the cliff? With your sword, you could've taken all their heads in ten seconds."
"I'm not wasting my sword on trash. And knocking them out first was to make sure they didn't scream while falling and wake Luf."
"….."
He went silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"You haven't directly killed someone before."
"No, I just killed six people."
"I mean directly. Throwing them off a cliff is indirect—you did it because it reduces the mental burden, right? That much you can still tolerate."
"….."
I didn't deny it.
I've lived in the Tower as Hoaquin for four years, almost five now, and while I've fully adapted to its lifestyle… I still haven't completely adjusted to its ethics. I've fought with killing intent, yes—but in the end, I always stopped short of actually killing.
If I truly had to, I think I could do it without hesitation, but…
"Before you climb higher, you should fix that. In the future, hesitation will only hurt you. Though… given how overwhelmingly strong you are compared to this floor's average, it might not matter."
"Yeah… true."
If hesitation ruins a crucial moment, I'd hate myself for it.
I'll admit it—using Luf as an excuse was just that: an excuse.
The real reason I didn't kill them directly was because I didn't want the first swing of my sword—my father's gifted Starting Weapon—to be wasted on such trash.
I haven't even swung it once yet.
Letting its first taste of battle be small fry? That felt like an insult to the blade.
"On that note, Hwarang—how about a light spar? You're at a level where I wouldn't mind using my sword."
"…'On that note'? What note?"
….
Gulp.
A large office.
Eight examiners stood stiffly with their hands behind their backs, forming a line sharp enough to cut.
The suffocating silence pressed down on the room like a weight.
The only person sitting—the Chief Examiner, a woman—finally opened her mouth.
"Valtain Luther. Human Hummer. Partimire Alrosa. Sung Seyeon. Philip Ram. Abdur Ahmed. Kanou. Kiyoshi."
"Yes, ma'am!!"
They shouted with overwhelming energy.
The Chief Examiner, Roma, pinched her forehead.
"…Haa…"
Gulp.
With each small gesture she made, the examiners swallowed dryly and sweated cold bullets.
"Valtain Luther."
"Yes!"
"You're the elite among them and the one with the longest service. You explain."
Seven pairs of desperate eyes turned to Luther.
Their fates were now entirely in his hands.
Luther, burdened with eight people's hopes, activated every neuron in his brain and recited the speech he improvised on the spot:
"Yes! The Ten Families team sensed us first and invited us. I judged that accepting their invitation was the best way to keep them under control, so I brought the examiners with me. As a result, yes, we did engage in improper conduct by drinking while on duty, but because we accepted the invitation, we were able to prevent the Ten Families heirs from causing incidents! That is my judgment!"
At that moment, the Arie Traditional Liquor and Arie white porcelain cup that Hoaquin gave him flashed through his mind like divine intervention.
Luther silently thanked Hoaquin with all his heart.
"And this is… the Arie Traditional Liquor the boy served to us. I thought it would be a shame if the Chief Examiner didn't get to try it, so I begged him to let me bring one bottle."
Perfect.
Beautiful.
Damn it, Luther, I knew you'd come through!
Hoaquin Regular! We love you!
All eight examiners shared the same thought.
Luther's flawless explanation, topped off with the liquor and porcelain—the perfect finishing blow.
There was no way they'd have to write a report now.
Luther smiled, much more relaxed.
"Chief Examiner, shall I pour you a drink?"
"…Luther."
"Yes?"
"What's my name?"
"That's obviously Chief Roma…"
"My full name."
"Khun Royal Ro—…ah."
Behind her was a display shelf.
Filled with premium wines.
Khun Royal Roma smiled coldly and spoke softly:
"What are you waiting for? Go write your reports. And all of you—50 years of salary reduction."
Even if we expected a strict response, none of us expected the Chief Examiner to be from the Khun Family.
That was Hoaquin's one fatal miscalculation.
….
"What? Why'd you stop?"
"I suddenly got a bad feeling. Also… the test is ending soon."
I shook off the fire clinging to my blade and looked up at the sky screen.
The remaining teams: 35.
And then—34.
— "All surviving teams… sniff… congratulations… you pass…"
"…Why does his voice sound depressed?"
"No idea."
Leaving the confusion behind, we, the successful teams, were enveloped in light and instantly teleported to the massive floating island above the 2nd Floor.
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