The light enveloped my entire body.
When I opened my eyes, we had returned to the Rift of Time.
The time spent on the 16th floor was about half a day. Looking up at the sky, the light was off. It seemed Amkena had logged off due to the somewhat lengthy mission.
"Will Floor 17 be like this too?" Jenna asked.
"Probably."
Jenna's face was full of dissatisfaction. "I don't like it. It's better when things end quickly. It looks like it's late at night too, I'll go wash up first."
I nodded.
Jenna slung her shortbow over her back and gestured to Iolka.
Iolka left the Rift of Time with Jenna. As always, it seemed the two were heading to the bathhouse together. I spoke to Velkist and Nerissa, who were waiting behind me.
"Dismissed for today. Good work. Training is tomorrow morning, so don't be late."
"I'll be taking my leave then," Velkist said, sheathing his sword and striding out.
Only Nerissa and I remained. Nerissa hovered near me, hesitating subtly.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"There's something I need to tell you about the place we just visited." Nerissa's gaze was firm.
Right. Her reaction when we first entered Floor 16 had been strange. I stepped out into the plaza.
"Follow me."
"Yes."
Unlike before entering, the 1st-floor plaza was now empty.
A considerable amount of time had passed. The plaza clock indicated early morning, and the sky was a deep, ashen blue. I went up the stairs to the 2nd floor. Heading towards the dorms. Through the open entrance of the 2nd-floor training center, I could see Velkist's back.
'...'
I had already figured out that guy was a training fanatic, no less than Aaron.
I passed Velkist and closed the training center door with the tip of my foot. Then, I entered the dormitory. Nerissa followed me.
Perhaps because it was late dawn, the dining hall was also empty.
I took a seat at a random table. Nerissa sat opposite me.
In the center of the table sat a pitcher and cups. I poured water into a cup and offered it to Nerissa.
"Thank you."
"So, what did you want to say?"
Nerissa took a sip of water.
Then, with a tense expression, she said, "The mansion we just visited. I know that place."
"..."
"It's more than just knowing it. I originally worked at that mansion before coming here."
After a moment of silence, I responded, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I believe sticking with you offers the highest chance of survival."
"Well, alright. If you know something, tell me."
It was better than going in blind.
Now that a labyrinth had appeared, there was a decent chance it would continue all the way to the boss stage. The more information, the better. Nerissa continued.
"That place is called the Golden Mansion, the residence of the Halgyon family."
"Halgyon?"
"Yes. One of the four great families of Taonier. You must know of them, Han-ssi."
"I don't know them well. Just an ordinary farmer."
"I doubt anyone would believe that."
Regardless, Nerissa gave me an overview of the Empire and the four great families.
The continent of Taonier is ruled by a single nation, the Empire. And within the Empire, four families exist possessing power rivaling that of the imperial family. Respectively: Shutenberg of Magic (魔), Halgyon of Gold (金), Lantia of Literature (文), and Ashinis of Martial Arts (武).
"Those are the four great families. Even the Emperor cannot treat the heads of these families carelessly."
Nerissa's explanation continued.
I listened selectively, absorbing the necessary parts and letting the unnecessary details flow past. When the explanation finished, I got to the point.
"So, that place we visited was the Halgyon mansion?"
"That is my assumption, but I cannot be certain. Only the mansion entrance was the same; the rest of the structure was completely different. I couldn't understand why it was like that."
I agreed with that part.
Architecturally, a mansion with such a structure served no practical purpose.
Nerissa took a brief breath before continuing.
"I still don't know the reason for undertaking these missions, but I feel they are strangely connected. Watching the mission replays in detail gave me conviction. Don't you agree?"
"Don't press me for answers. I don't know much either."
"My apologies if you felt disrespected."
I took a drink of water.
Though they didn't express it to me, I knew that Jenna, Aaron, Edyth, and other members in the waiting room harbored doubts about the missions. They would learn the truth before long. I opened my mouth.
"Did you say the Golden Mansion has five floors?"
"Yes."
"And that the bloodlines of the four great families are mixed with monster blood?"
"Not ordinary monsters. I'm uncertain about the Halgyon case specifically, but there are rumors that the blood of dragons flows within them."
I took another gulp of water.
'Dragons.'
Floor 20.
A critical checkpoint in Pick Me Up, the gateway distinguishing beginners from intermediates.
Users who passed Floor 20 were treated as fully-fledged Masters. Though that wasn't entirely a good thing.
Anyway, Floor 20 had one particular characteristic.
The stage type was fixed.
'Boss fight.'
Though the setting and enemy type varied, a boss always appeared on every 20th floor.
Not some half-baked ogre, but a unique monster with characteristics specific to each account. Of course, their strength was on a different level compared to typical medium or large monsters.
The first gate in Pick Me Up was Floor 5.
A third of the Masters were eliminated there.
The second gate was Floor 20.
More than half were eliminated here. Just browsing the official forum's advice section revealed countless Masters lamenting their inability to break through Floor 20.
"I also witnessed the rescue of the Princess on Floor 15. However, I find it hard to understand why the Golden Mansion suddenly appeared in the Floor 20 range."
I scratched my cheek.
Unlike other Heroes who simply carried out given tasks, Nerissa seemed to delve into the purpose of the missions themselves.
"I don't know what your circumstances were there, but if you want out, say so now. I have no intention of dragging along someone who doesn't want to be here."
"I have absolutely no intention of backing out. They're sons of bitches who deserve nothing less than death," Nerissa said with a faint, cold smile.
"Good."
"That is all I can share. I hope it was helpful."
Nerissa bowed deeply to me and then exited the dining hall.
I sat alone in the dining hall, continuously drinking water. The information gained from Nerissa's explanation and the wanted posters I saw in the Exploration Dungeon swirled in my head.
'The Halgyon family, one of the four great houses, and the cult that issued wanted posters for that kid are connected.'
I heard that most of the donations the cult receives come from the Halgyons.
I didn't know exactly what the cult was, but judging from the situation on Floor 15, it was related to the Goddess. And they were also antagonistic towards Priasis, the special mission NPC.
'What a headache.'
I turned my thoughts over but concluded I couldn't figure it out.
Why do I even need to bother with such tedious worries? My job is to carry out missions, ascend the tower, and find a way back to Earth. I have no intention of getting involved in some trivial internal strife that has nothing to do with me.
Ignore the background context.
Select only the useful information.
If there were two takeaways from the conversation with Nerissa, they were these:
First, the Golden Mansion, the setting of the labyrinth, consists of five floors.
Conveniently, this matched the number of floors in this segment. Floors 16 through 20. The moment I acknowledged this, a wave of slight annoyance washed over me. Labyrinths weren't my preferred type of field either. What Master would actually like this kind of field, anyway?
Second, the members of the family residing on the 5th floor of the Golden Mansion have dragon blood flowing through them.
This allowed me to confirm the type of boss monster likely appearing on Floor 20.
'... Damn it.'
I just chugged more water.
Dragonkin. Among the myriad monsters in Pick Me Up, they boasted top-tier strength yet lacked any particular glaring weaknesses. There were some magic types or equipment with advantages against them, but they were impossible to obtain at the current floor level. Right now, they were one of the most difficult monster types to face.
The fact that it wasn't pure bloodline was the only small comfort.
Since she said mixed blood, it wouldn't be complete. In a way, it was obvious. A pure dragon would be a bug-level monster that shouldn't appear on Floor 20.
'Is there anything I can do?'
I mostly understood the mission structure, but there were no personnel or equipment I could readily change.
The only thing possible for me now was to climb to Floor 19 without incurring losses.
Early the next morning.
Well before assembly time, I ordered Amarin, the kitchen assistant, to prepare preserved rations. Floor 16 ended within a day, but subsequent stages might require us to stay for days on end depending on the situation. We needed food.
Additionally, I requested storage backpacks and camping gear from the personnel at the equipment workshop.
Although they showed reluctance, they crafted tents, sleeping bags, and various other items. I stacked them in a corner of the warehouse.
And after the morning training ended, while eating lunch in the dining hall, I said, "Listen while you eat."
The gazes of the four members gathered.
"We'll be going to Floor 17 as early as this evening, or within two days at the latest. It will likely be the same kind of labyrinth as last time."
"Ah, I knew it." Jenna pouted, her lips pushed out.
She seemed thoroughly displeased.
"From Floor 17 onwards, it might get complicated. We could end up searching for the path all night. In preparation for that, we'll assign roles."
The backpacks filled with rations and tools were divided into three.
Velkist, Jenna, and I would share the load. Nerissa, who moved around a lot, and Iolka, who had less stamina, were excluded. Next, I explained the order and times for night watch duty.
Iolka let out a heavy sigh. "Are we really going to be there that long?"
"We might not be able to come out at all."
Such cases were actually known to happen.
Parties unable to find the way out within a labyrinth starved to death. The Master who experienced that strongly protested to the company headquarters but was reportedly told it was normal gameplay. Given the lower floor level, it probably wouldn't reach that extreme, but there was no harm in preparing.
"Are we kids going on a picnic?" Velkist sneered.
"Once we get past this section, the missions will likely switch back to short-term ones."
Labyrinths, once completed, don't reappear for at least the next 10 floors.
And I hadn't studied mission types just for show. I knew thoroughly what types of mazes existed and how to explore them efficiently. Even if a complex maze appeared, I was confident I could break through it within three days.
Munching on meat, I took out a piece of paper from my robe.
Drawn on the paper were the basic maze patterns I had researched. No matter how complicated the paths became, the fundamentals wouldn't deviate from these.
"What's that?" Velkist asked.
"Don't worry about it."
"Let me see." Velkist reached for the paper.
I moved my right hand. Velkist's hand grasped empty air. He reached out several more times, but I dodged each attempt. Velkist's brow furrowed. "You seem to dislike me."
"Just figured that out?" I smirked.
And that evening, after the day's schedule concluded.
Amkena dispatched the 1st-floor Heroes to the lower floors and Daily Dungeons, then summoned us.
[Party 1, assemble in the 1st Floor Plaza!]
Just as expected.
The four members who had been waiting stood up in unison. Against the training center wall, the three bags retrieved from the warehouse lay side-by-side.
I slung the leftmost bag over my shoulder.
Simultaneously, a system message appeared.
['Han (★★)' requests permission to carry the 'Leather Backpack'. Accept?]
['Leather Backpack' - Contents: Waterskin, Firewood... ]
[Yes (Selected) / No]
The cursor touched YES.
'Need permission for every annoying little thing.'
I adjusted the straps to secure the bag and then left the training center.
Permissions for Velkist's and Jenna's backpacks followed. We descended to the 1st-floor plaza.
Following Yisel's guidance, we entered the Rift of Time. The door closed immediately behind us, and the message indicating the floor number appeared.
[Main Dungeon, current challenge floor is Floor 17.]
[The gate will open in 10 seconds. Prepare yourselves!]