Chapter 42 (1/2)
Chapter 42 – Day 11, Integration
I didn't gain as many levels as I thought. Every time my level went up, the required experience value doubled. The required experience from level one to level five was 1,500. The required experience to reach level eight from level seven was 3,200.
Even if I gained the experience of two people, it was hard to see a big effect unless I had already acc.u.mulated experience. I absorbed the talents from Gla.s.ses and Macho. Even so, I didn't see a remarkable climb in my talents, except for a few.
First, this was what I obtained from Gla.s.ses.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent – Negotiation: The success rate of negotiation with other parties and the ability to gain more favourable conditions will increase according to the level. Eloquence has slightly increased.]
[Negotiation. Lv 4.]
Apart from that, the only other noteworthy thing was that 'Persuasion' and 'Compulsion' increased by one level. Unexpectedly, the experience of Punching went up quite a bit, but there wasn't a rise in level.
In the case of Macho,
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Throwing Lv2 -> Lv5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Talent: Throwing. Power and accuracy will increase when throwing something. Muscle strength and health have slightly increased.]
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Leaders.h.i.+p Lv4 -> Lv5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Leaders.h.i.+p Lv5. Benefits have opened.]
[Technique has been acquired.]
[Technique – Proper Conduct: Increases the abilities of subordinates when they follow your commands that place them or utilize them in the right places. Regardless of loyalty, the ability will rise depending on whether they submit to your instructions. Can't be applied to two user commands at the same time.]
[The rise in abilities will depend on the level of Leaders.h.i.+p.]
[+1 to the two highest stats.]
I liked that I obtained a technique, but the effect seemed to be useless to me personally. It would be much more helpful to Yang Su-jin and Yoon Ji-hee. I looked down at the body of Gla.s.ses. I attempted to peel off the armor from the crushed body, but it was useless. No matter how much strength I used, it wouldn't come off.
Jjejeok!
Jjik!
Finally, one section came off. It wasn't peeled off, but the part that gave it strength was broken. The inside of the removed piece was red. It was like flesh had fallen away.
”…”
I threw the piece on the floor.
“You were lucky to be able to take off the shoes.” A familiar voice was heard from behind me. “The equipment made in Falen are designed according to the user's body from the beginning. There is no way to wear it other than rea.s.sembling it in the factory again.”
I looked behind me, and the stone statue was there. Isaiah. According to him, the old G.o.d of the city of Talia. … He was also a type of operator who managed this dungeon.
“Congratulations.” Of course, he didn't come here just to tell me this. Or he could no longer bear to not see my face and came to see me directly.
”That isn't it. Please rest a.s.sured. Well, half of it is true.” His neutral voice gave me gooseb.u.mps.
“Is this because I conquered something? You must feel obliged to come and pat me on the shoulder.”
“Indeed. You have completed the exploration.”
”I didn't know the last floor was here.” At first, I thought there would be at least 20 floors.
I moved through the forest while talking. When I came back to the village, there were cold bodies all over the place. It seemed to have been a fairly intense battle, as Yang Su-jin's sweats.h.i.+rt was also turned into a bikini. She was kneeling on the floor, hands folded together and eyes closed.
”What are you doing?”
“I’m waiting to change into a beauty. I have killed quite a lot of people. I thought I would suddenly transform like Oppa.”
”… I don't think that will happen.”
Yang Su-jin opened her eyes and was surprised to see Isaiah. “Why did he come again?”
”I don't know.” Isaiah was still quietly following me. If my guess was correct, the answer lay with the fertile field. I started walking with Yang Su-jin.
“Wait a minute, don’t move your arm.” As we moved, Yang Su-jin poured medicine on my wound and took out gauze from the bag. The bleeding at my wrist stopped. However, my HP was still decreasing slowly. Yang Su-jin looked above my head a few times before asking.
“Are you poisoned?”
”Perhaps.”
My fist had punched the poisoned soaked armor… “But blood isn't pouring from your eyes…”
“It's due to the change in my body.” It wasn't enough to kill me, but I felt slight nausea.
“Take a rest! There is no antidote so you just have to wait. Moving around the forest in this state and persuading all the natives…”
“There's no need to worry.” We were almost there. Once we almost arrived at the fertile field, I turned to Yang Su-jin. ”Did you or Hip-hop arrive at the village first?”
”Uh… He arrived a few hours before me.” Not much time had pa.s.sed.
“I visited six.” I declared as I stepped onto the fertile ground. The s.p.a.ce was almost 10 times larger than a village.
”…”
Yang Su-jin couldn't close her mouth. It was because of the grand sight before her. Hundreds of Tellans were digging at the ground with hoes and shovels. Including the place where I encountered Yang Su-jin, I had directly stopped in six villages.
”Ah, Hee-chul! Su-jin…!” I entrusted the indirect actions to Yoon Ji-hee. The Tellans turned their head this way. As they saw me and then Isaiah, the Tellans all fell to their knees.
“Your Majesty!” The oldest man cried out.
“Your Majesty!” Loud voices rang through the area. They stopped working and waited.
”We have discovered something!” The thing that was revealed wasn't a staircase or an item. There was a square-shaped slab that five people could fit on. Two overlapping circles were drawn over it.
[Neutral Zone – Evella Forest.]
[A person with a ruling authority can occupy it as their territory.]
This… Occupying the land? ”That's right.” Isaiah answered my thoughts. ”The start of… Sixth floor? No, it was from the fifth floor.”
That reminded me of the difference before and after the fifth floor. I asked, ”…Maybe the seventh floors are all 'cities.' Isn’t that right? It is a structure that allows a person who completely clears the floor to obtain it.”