"You, why didn't you step forward when they called for a cook?"
"M-me?"
"Yes, you. Chloe, right?"
"Yes..."
"From now on, you handle the cooking."
[Cook Recommendation List!]
['Chloe (★)']
[Appoint 'Chloe (★)' as the Dining Hall's cook? The existing cook will be relieved of duty.]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
Good job, Isel.
Well done.
"W-wait. I'll remake it!"
"Lying when you don't even know how?"
Your quick wit is commendable, but if the lie was bound to be exposed anyway, it's better not to tell it. The gazes of everyone, including Jena, turned cold.
That gaze intensified when Chloe brought out the potato dishes. Potato salad topped with a refreshing sauce, butter-roasted potatoes, crispy french fries, warm stew – Chloe presented a variety of dishes that could be made with potatoes.
"Delicious! Potatoes have such diverse flavors."
"It's because there were various seasonings..."
At Jena's praise, Chloe shyly lowered her head.
Dolph huddled in a corner, unable to say a word. I spoke.
"Listen while you eat. I won't tell you twice. What you hear today, tell the newcomers exactly the same when they arrive. If you don't want to see them die messing around."
I explained the basic rules of this world to those gathered in the dining hall.
The existence called Master. The fact that we need to complete missions to survive. That the floor number increases with each completed mission, and reaching the 100th floor might mean liberation.
After a brief hesitation, I also told them about synthesis. It's a fact they'll eventually find out anyway.
"Is that... true?"
"Believe it or not, the choice is yours. But you bear the responsibility."
Though trembling with anxiety, the people seemed to have somehow accepted it. At least, no one went berserk or rampaged.
"If we just prepare diligently, we can definitely survive. I'd never even fought before coming here either. So let's all cheer up." Jena said with a lively voice.
"Are we doing other jobs?" The carpenter youth raised his hand.
"You and Chloe are the carpenter and cook, respectively. Just help us in other ways."
"I-I also worked as a carpenter..."
"If this lie gets exposed too, maybe I'll recommend you as the first sacrifice for synthesis? You seem like good teaching material."
Dolph shut his mouth.
It's true that non-combat roles have a higher survival chance than combat roles, but they're not safe. Positions are limited, and there's no guarantee a hero with better skills won't be summoned. If pushed out of their position, only one thing awaits them. Therefore, non-combat personnel also need to constantly hone their skills.
[Master, would you like to log out?]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[Goodbye then!]
Seemingly satisfied to some extent, Amkena also left the waiting room.
After the meal ended, the dorm rooms were assigned.
This time, I decided to stay here too, instead of my original room.
There were signs that Amkena's login time was increasing.
I don't know if that room is visible to the Master or not, but there's no harm in being cautious. I didn't want to attract attention in strange ways.
"By the way, Oppa, I didn't know you cared about others."
"How long have we known each other for you to judge me like that?"
"Even if I don't look like much, I have a good eye. One look is all it takes."
"This is the last time anyway."
Due to Pick Me Up's system, climbing all floors with a small group is impossible, so I just took minimal measures. As long as they don't all die, they'll relay what needs to be done to the new arrivals.
From the next day, the monotonous daily routine gradually changed.
Waking up at dawn, Chloe was peeling potatoes in the dining hall. Her eyelids were red, as if she had cried heavily during the night. Soon after, Jena came out. Besides the three of us, no one else was in the lobby yet.
After a quick bite, we headed to the Training Ground.
The Level 2 Training Ground was noticeably larger. If the previous one was the size of an auditorium, this now looked like a sports field. The scarecrows made of roughly woven straw bales had been replaced with wooden dummies carved from logs. There was also a shooting range for archery, a sandpit, and an obstacle course.
In the Training Ground, Aaron, who had arrived before us, was already training. He was thrusting his spear into the air, shouting. Jena and I joined the training soon after.
We ate baked potatoes for lunch in the training ground and continued training until evening.
Several people arrived at the Training Ground, but none actively joined the training yet. They seemed to understand verbally, but hadn't truly grasped the reality.
And in the evening, the Master logged in.
This time, the login interval was one day. Considering the interval had been at least 3 days before, it had significantly shortened. Thinking about the time difference between the waiting room and Earth, it seemed they were logging in briefly during spare moments like morning or lunch.
This time, Amkena's target wasn't us, but the newcomers. Today, even Aaron couldn't join the party. One person didn't return.
The next day, as expected, people gathered in the Training Ground.
"Please teach me how to fight!" A small-statured boy bowed his waist.
Feels like the same thing happened just a few days ago.
I looked over the faces of the newcomers in the Training Ground. All three were boys of similar age.
'One died yesterday, leaving 7. Excluding the cook and carpenter leaves 5. But only 3 gathered.'
Where the other two are, I don't know.
"Got tired of fighting Aaron anyway, guess we can change the mood a bit."
I tossed a wooden sword to each of the awkwardly standing newcomers.
"First, all three of you, come at me."
Since I couldn't use a real sword against novices, I also picked up a suitable wooden sword.
The basic method of my current weapon training involves researching techniques against scarecrows and practicing them on Aaron. I was incorporating not just simple blocking with the shield or slashing with the sword, but also more difficult moves like parrying or deflecting attacks.
Now, besides one-on-one sparring, multi-opponent sparring was also necessary.
In most situations anyway, I'll have to face multiple enemies. Until now, I couldn't due to lack of people, but finally, the opportunity arose.
All three got thoroughly beaten up. Midway, I got bored and included Aaron, but it was the same outcome.
['Han (★)'s 'Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts' has increased to Lv.4!]
Thanks to that, my skill leveled up once.
As if someone directly injected it into my head, I could increasingly feel the flow of swordsmanship. This was also a characteristic of this world.
Several more days passed.
"Here I come!" The boy with the shaved head thrust his wooden sword.
Easily dodged. Then, the other two boys swung their swords from the side. I swung my sword wide, simultaneously deflecting both wooden swords.
The opponent's sword was slow enough to make me yawn, but not long ago, I was the same. Yet the gap has widened this much. Every time my sword moved, someone went tumbling.
"Hyungnim really is strong." Zid, one of the trio of boys, said.
The trio of boys refers to the three gathered here. Zid, Hanson, and Dika respectively. All under twenty. These kids, perhaps picking up bad habits from Aaron, called me Hyungnim.
"It's because my level is high, brat."
"Level?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
All three are level 2.
The stat difference between them and me is at least 7 to 8 points. A gap larger than that between a child and an adult.
But if it were just a difference in strength, it wouldn't be this overwhelming. My supplementary abilities like dynamic visual acuity and reaction speed are also far superior. Probably the influence of Agility.
And above all, skills.
An unknown power is correcting my swordsmanship. The cause, of course, was the Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts I learned. I can instinctively feel where to move my sword, shield, legs, and arms.
'It's absurd, really.'
On Earth, I would never have achieved such results with short-term training.
On the far side of the training ground, Jena was now shooting while running. Every time the bowstring was drawn, a hole appeared in the humanoid target 30m away. That girl's Low-Grade Archery had already reached level 5. Her Low-Grade Dagger Arts had also reached level 2.
In contrast, Aaron's progress is sluggish. He recently reached Spear Arts level 2, but hasn't progressed further. Though he's the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to return to the dorm, that doesn't magically create skills where none exist.
The three before me each gained Swordsmanship level 1.
These guys were like wilted bean sprouts when they first came, but now they're strutting around like they own the place. Perhaps due to their similar ages, they even bonded, calling each other older or younger brother.
Well, better than crouching like the others. Days passed, but the remaining two still haven't come to the training ground. Looking for an exit, perhaps.
Again, futile effort.
I don't care anymore either.
Do as you please.
A few days later, another free 10x summon was performed.
This time, I didn't need to step in. Aaron and the trio handled it themselves. Aaron, in particular, volunteered to participate, greatly reducing the sacrifices in the first battle. Only one person died during the 'culling' process.
"The number of people keeps increasing." Jena said, sucking on a lollipop.
It was a hard candy lollipop made from solidified sugar water, which Chloe made for Jena who wanted a snack.
"It'll increase more in the future."
I leaned back against the lobby sofa.
I was now used to staying in the dorm. If I don't think about wanting to go to my room, that place doesn't appear even if I open the door.
Jena bit down on the remaining candy, swallowed, and said.
"By the way, why isn't the Master going to Floor 5? It seems like quite a while since we cleared Floor 4."
Knew that question would come up.
It's been quite some time since Floor 4, the harpy and goblin section, was cleared. During that time, the main party – me, Jena, and Aaron – had been constantly smashing Floor 4. The other sub-parties remained on Floor 1 or 2.
'Of course they're not going.'
Difficulty spikes sharply every 5 floors. A kind of boss stage concept.
If Amkena looked up guides, they would know that throwing us into Floor 5 as we are is a risky act. Regardless of level or equipment, the numbers were insufficient.
'Need 2 more people.'
A party's maximum size is five.
Candidates to join our party are likely two from the trio. Perhaps because they're young, they adapt quickly. They also had grit and enthusiasm. Zid even laughed, saying this kind of life seemed better than just tilling fields.
Whether that thought lasts, we'll see.
Pick Me Up's tutorial is over, but,
The real tutorial isn't over yet.
Aaron told the newcomers today that if they just kept their wits about them, it's no big deal, they could definitely survive.
So far, yes. Up to Floor 4.
I know.
How devilishly the difficulty ramps up afterward. Even after culling and repeated training, how many will die in future battles... Even I can't guarantee 100% survival.
There were countless trap missions like survival missions with extremely low success rates even below Floor 10.
I purposefully didn't tell Jena this fact.