Chapter 21 (1/2)
The biggest difference between the area where the Tutorial took place and this Neutral Zone was the facilities available at the latter. If Seol were to get technical about it, then the Neutral Zone could only exist in the Lost Paradise and nowhere else.
He could definitely agree to the notion of this sanctuary being very special - after all, the seven deities combined their might to create this place.
Seol sensed that they paid a considerable amount of attention to the safe integration and adaptation of the survivors. Such a thing was easy to figure out when recalling the initial reactions of who all saw this place for the first time. Even he thought he was looking at a high-end department store or something. The plaza located in the middle of the ground floor, or mock cafes where one could buy something to drink, were good examples of that.
However, such considerations could only be extended so far; just with a casual glance, he spotted several items that people from modern Earth wouldn't have the chance to see or use in their everyday lives.
It couldn't be helped, after all. The Paradise was a different planet altogether where scientific progress had not advanced to the same level as to that of Earth, never mind the two enjoying very different cultures and mindset as well.
In other words, certain things to remind one about what to come was essential - all in order to minimise the sense of incongruence one might feel during his or her initial days spent outside the walls of the Neutral Zone.
The upper floors were solely reserved for those who managed to ama.s.s more than 1000 points during the Tutorial. When looking down from the guardrail of the winding corridor, one could easily take in nearly everything happening below. That proved to be quite a view.
Seol couldn't hide his antic.i.p.ation, wondering what it would be like inside the room.
Maria led him to a door with '1' engraved on it. Seol opened it and entered the room beyond - only to struggle very hard to keep his jaw shut that threatened to drop to the floor.
The floor s.p.a.ce of the so-called room was as wide open as an ocean; so much so, he couldn't even figure out how big this place was. And as his eyes took in the many luxurious paintings and sculptures decorating the walls and pockets of s.p.a.ce, as well as the gorgeous chandelier hanging high in the ceiling, he couldn't help but mistakenly believe that this room ought to have belonged to a king.
For all of his 26 years of life, Seol had never ever stepped foot inside any room or s.p.a.ce as luxurious as this one. He had clapped his eyes on something this grand only through the magic of internet. As a comparison, probably the legendary Amba.s.sador Suite of Brunei's Empire Hotel - supposedly there were only two such rooms in the world - would be able to rival the level of opulence seen here.
Seol took his time checking out this room that was obviously far too large to be called a mere room, before sitting down on the edge of the equally-too-large-for-one-person bed and decided to relax for a bit.
His elation lasted for a brief moment, though. Finding himself all alone in such a expansive room, he ended up getting lonely/bored quite quickly. What was the point of such a wide open s.p.a.ce and all this luxury? There was no TV here. No fridge. No computer, too.
The only object that operated on electricity he had on his person was the smartphone he got at the beginning of the Tutorial, used to receive the missions and the like.
….He had basically nothing to do here. So, he ended up checking out the pamphlet Maria left behind once more. And as he browsed through it, his eyes remained wide in surprise, but the expression on his face was getting more and more complicated in the meantime.
- Greetings to you!
The Neutral Zone operates a very special store for those of you with plenty of Survival Points burning a hole in your pocket!
The VIP store possesses three distinct characteristics that separate it from other stores within the Zone:
Firstly, this is a very unique store created through the combined guidance of the seven deities.
Secondly, the products from this store won't be restocked ever again once it's been purchased.
And finally, the number of people who have used the services of this store can be counted on one hand.
Although the pricing on each item might be unimaginably high, we can confidently guarantee their effects.
The following are the list of items purchasable from the VIP store.
We eagerly look forward to your patronage, so see you soon!
- VIP Item List
Ambrosia: 30,000 SP each, x2 Pneuma's Sky Boots: 50,000 SP per pair, x1 Moirai's Souvenir: 600,000 SP, x1 Miyal's Branding Iron: 100,000 SP, x1 Divine Elixirs: 30,000 SP each - Strength x1, Endurance x1, Agility x2, Stamina x2, Magic x1, Luck x3 The Divine Stigmata: 300,000 SP, x1 The Seed of the World Tree: 400,000 SP, x1 Sidus's Divine Strength: 80,000 SP, x1 Aphrodite's Sedge: 150,000 SP each, x5 Psychi's Tears: 250,000 SP, x1
There were only ten items on the list, but every single one of them possessed outstanding effects. The obvious problem was, of course…. The prices were incredibly, absurdly, nonsensically, sky high.
'Crazy….'
He felt like swearing out here. Just looking at that 'Moirai's Souvenir' told him seemingly everything he needed to know.
Were they actually being serious here? Wasn't this like making fun of him or something, by showing off an item so profound and desirable, only to declare loudly 'Ohh, look how expensive it is!! Kekeke!!'
'Just who in their right minds can afford things this expensive?!'
….He kept thinking like this, yet he couldn't just forget about it. Especially so, he couldn't let go of his interest on the first and the fifth items on the list.
The 'Ambrosia' was supposedly a 'drop' of morning dew that forcibly evolved one of the awakened abilities to the next level. As for the Divine Elixirs, they were miraculous medicines that increased the physical stats by one level higher. Their pricing seemed reasonable too, comparatively speaking.
Currently, out of the possible five directions, Seol's Nine Eyes had opened up the central and the left directions. If he could drink two Ambrosias, then he'd get to open two more directions out of the remaining three. Which meant….
Seol would be that much closer to unraveling the mystery that he had to live with for the last 26 years.
'….I shouldn't be wasting time like this.'
The time period of one month was not long at all. No, he thought it was far, far too short. He felt the sense of urgency take over his thought process.
After picking up the bag, Seol left the room.
Back on the ground floor.
There was still a crowd in the plaza there, but it was much smaller than when Seol first came out of the theatre.
Seol took a look around to see if he could find anyone he was familiar with, only to realise that other people were, for some reason, inching away from him. Thanks to that, he was able to approach the noticeboard in peace.
As Maria had mentioned earlier, the board was choke-full with numerous parchments. After deciding on the mission to undertake, one just had to take its parchment and rip it in half. That would teleport the person to the s.p.a.ce where the given mission took place.
There was this one rule that had to be adhered to, though. There were many missions available here that allowed the survivors to band together in order to complete. However, one couldn't form a party where more than half of the minimum required number of partic.i.p.ants were from the same Area as him- or herself. In other words, one was forced to cooperate with survivors from other Areas.
Seol wasn't thinking of forming a party now, anyways. Thinking like this, he quickly took a sweeping look at the board.
[Survive on a mountainside (remaining number of attempts: 14/15)]
Avoid the fangs of a starving beast and survive for the next two hours within the mountainside!
Difficulty: Very Easy
When successful: +10 Survival Points
When unsuccessful: N/A
*Cooperation not allowed
'Nope. Pa.s.s.'
It was an easy mission, but the reward on offer was too low. What Seol wanted was a mission that could be done in the shortest amount of time while also having the highest possible rewards. And if it was safe to boot, then there would be nothing more he'd ask for.
What with his numerous prerequisites, his search didn't go easily; but there were literally hundreds of missions available here, so it was only a matter of time.
Soon enough, he spotted a certain mission parchment.
[Find your path inside a maze! (remaining number of attempts: 90/90)]
Escape from an underground maze in six hours! If you end up in the wrong path….
Difficulty: Normal
When successful: +100 Survival points
When unsuccessful: Starting from the beginning again or death
*Cooperation allowed (up to two people)
Just by looking at the reward, he wasn't too keen on it. However, he could repeat it as much as he wanted to, and more importantly, he liked the fact that he could potentially rely on his innate ability. The mission explanation implied that he could die if he entered the wrong path. However, wouldn't it be fine if he only stuck to the paths that shone in green?
It was certainly worth a shot.
Seol made up his mind and took one parchment out from the thick bundle. He checked the time with his smartphone; it was 11:31 AM. After confirming the time, he ripped the paper in half.
A bright light exploded and he felt a strong suction force sucking in from his midriff. Seol closed his eyes and opened again a bit later. He realised that he was now standing inside a cavern.
The novelty of his new surroundings wore off really quickly, though. He tightly grasped the steel bar and cautiously surveyed the immediate area around him. However, even after one, two minutes of solid waiting, not a single thing showed up.
He breathed a sigh of relief and s.h.i.+fted his gaze to his front. There were five big holes in the wall, shaped like entrances.
As soon as he activated his Nine Eyes, things unfolded as he suspected it might; the hole to his far left glowed in green; the middle three glowed in yellow; while the right-most one was in the hues of orange.
Seol stepped forward in this slightly-bending cavern and entered the left entrance.
[You have completed the 'Normal' rated mission.] [100 Survival points has been awarded.] [Current SP: 26600 SP]
With the announcement ringing in his ears, Seol's vision was filled with the sight of the ground floor plaza. As soon as he made out of the maze, he was transferred back to the Neutral Zone.