"Did you sell the weapon?"
"No…"
"It's all that guy's fault… If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be stuck with it."
"Exactly!"
Floor 2, Urbus
In the main city square, many players were setting up stalls to sell equipment or items. The game had no auction system, so players could only sell through these stalls. If a player had enough Col, they could buy an entire shop—but the price was usually tens of millions of Col, beyond the reach of most.
At a small stall, two players were arguing irritably, echoing the previous dialogue. They were beta-test veterans and had been playing in a team from the very beginning. Luck had smiled on them today: while clearing the first-floor dungeon, they had miraculously gotten a weapon drop from a minor enemy!
Although the weapon was only of common quality, its stats far exceeded what was available in shops. However, it wasn't a weapon they specialized in using, so they set up a stall on the second-floor plaza, hoping to sell it at a good price.
Half a day passed—and still, no buyers.
The weapon's stats weren't the problem. Many players had inquired, all tempted by its stats. Yet after seeing its size and appearance, they hesitated and walked away.
Why? Because it was a greatsword.
"Ugh," one of them muttered, lifting it and swinging a few times. "It's too heavy for me. Otherwise, I'd use it myself… and it's all that PK with the conical hat's fault! He's made everyone wary of wielding greatswords!"
"Yeah… everyone's worried that if they use a greatsword in the wild, they might be mistaken for him and get attacked. I heard several players who originally used greatswords switched to other weapons out of fear."
"Right… what bad luck. If it had been any other weapon, we could have sold it for a few thousand Col, maybe even ten thousand."
"Who knew we'd get such bad luck? Let's pack up—better to sell to an NPC for less than waste more time."
The two began packing their stall when a shadow suddenly fell over them. Looking up, they saw a handsome young man smiling down.
"Hello." After greeting, his gaze fell on the greatsword. "Are you selling this weapon?"
"Yes, we are."
"Can I buy it?"
"Eh??" The two were surprised, a mix of excitement and disbelief. "Of course! Uh… don't you want to check the stats first?"
"No need," the youth said lightly. "I just like how it looks. I want it for my collection. Stats aren't important."
Collection?
The two glanced at each other, thinking the young man must be rich. Ordinary players usually didn't even have enough Col to enhance gear.
"Then… eight thousand Col?"
"Deal."
The youth raised his slender fingers, clicking to confirm the trade. The two hesitated, wondering if they had underpriced it.
"Well…" one player tried to bargain, but meeting the young man's gaze gave him chills and left him unable to speak.
"Fine…"
He selected the greatsword for the trade, and the transaction completed.
"Nice." The youth swung the greatsword a couple of times, a strange smile curling at his lips. "Quite similar to his."
"Let's go then."
The two players left quickly, feeling uneasy around this youth for reasons they couldn't explain.
"Boss."
A young boy approached the youth, eyeing the greatsword in his hands. "You want it?"
"Yes. Just for some fun." The youth placed the sword in his backpack, watching the two players disappear, and snapped his fingers.
"You follow them and message me when they're in the wild."
"Haha, got it."
---
Meanwhile, Lillian had finished off the tree spirit. The creature let out a low, mournful cry, collapsing to the ground as its trunk shattered and disappeared.
[Exp: 300]
[Col: 240]
[Items: 0]
The experience and Col gained were higher than second-floor monsters. Still, looking at his XP bar, Lillian sighed.
He had reached level 18, far ahead of other players.
The reason was simple: he had solo-cleared the second-floor boss. All the experience that should have been split among 48 players went entirely to him. The increase of three levels at once was indescribable.
Col was the same. All the boss loot was his alone. Combined with what he already had in his inventory, he now possessed 270,000 Col—likely more than many guild treasurers held, and all entirely his own.
With this wealth and his already formidable stats and speed, Lillian's advantage over ordinary players skyrocketed. Snowballing his level and gear meant no one could trouble him without mobilizing large numbers.
Of course, he wasn't foolish. If a huge force tried to surround him, he could simply flee. But he didn't expect anyone to come after him; he had been behaving much more "civilly" these past few days.
Walking deeper along the forest trail, he occasionally encountered tree spirits, but the spawn rate was low. Likely the game wanted to give players a breather after clearing the boss.
Soon, he reached a Y-shaped fork and stopped. Both directions vanished into the distance, offering no clue which was correct.
"…Whatever. Men left, women are always right." Lillian randomly chose the left path. About ten minutes in, he heard the clang of weapons ahead, accompanied by incomprehensible shouting.
Quickly stepping around a tree that blocked his view, he saw two figures engaged in an intense battle not far ahead.
One of them was a man clad in gold-and-green light armor. He held a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right. His platinum-blond hair was tied back, and his features carried the unmistakable air of an elven king straight out of The Lord of the Rings—so handsome he hardly looked human.
Facing him was a tall woman wearing purple-black leather armor, its colors the complete opposite of the man's. She wielded a curved blade and a crescent-shaped shield. Her deep-purple short hair fluttered with her swift movements, her skin slightly darker in tone, yet like the man, she possessed an otherworldly beauty.
The two exchanged fierce strikes and blocks, their movements sharp and ruthless. The clang of weapons echoed endlessly through the forest, and the flashes of light from advanced sword skills illuminated this dim stretch of woodland. This was clearly not a friendly spar—it was a fight to the death.
"So these are humanoid mobs, huh?"
Lillian did not rush forward. He stood where he was and observed.
Both NPCs were extremely strong—at least compared to ordinary players. After running a quick mental calculation, Lillian judged that his overall combat ability exceeded theirs. Their sword skills were flashy, but their raw speed and strength still fell short of his. Of course, if their attack stats were unusually high, that might change things.
"The theme of the third floor is 'forest,' so these two must be elves."
There was really no other possibility. Their flawless skin and perfect features were beyond anything a human could possess. But then—why were they fighting here?
Players who cleared the second floor would eventually come this way and have to choose a path. Did this mean he had chosen the wrong one? Was the other road the correct route?
After some thought, Lillian really didn't want to turn back. So even if continuing forward meant passing through their battlefield, he still stepped ahead.
After seven or eight steps, he seemed to enter the battle's range. Both fighters immediately noticed him. They quickly disengaged, retreating to create distance, their gazes fixed on him warily.
"Why has a human come to this forest?" the handsome man on the left asked. Since he called Lillian "human," that confirmed he truly was an elf.
"This is not a place you should be," the female elf on the right said coldly.
"…I don't want to interfere," Lillian replied. "But could you at least not fight in the middle of the road? How is anyone supposed to get through?"
The two elves froze for a moment. Then the male elf frowned. "You cannot pass through here. Go back."
"So if you tell me to go back, I just have to?" Lillian raised an eyebrow. "What, you think being handsome gives you authority?"
"?"
The male elf seemed momentarily confused. The female elf scolded him sharply, "Leave now! Otherwise, you'll be caught in the crossfire!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a "?" symbol appeared above her head—and another identical one appeared above the male elf's.
Huh?
Lillian paused when he saw the question marks. Those were quest indicators, weren't they? Did both of them have quests?
No—if both of them had quest markers in this situation, then could it be… a selectable faction quest?
Testing the idea, Lillian asked, "Do you need help?"
"Human, leave at once!" The male elf seemed to lose his patience. He raised the gem-inlaid longsword in his hand. "This is not a battle you are qualified to interfere in!"
"Didn't you see the sword on my back?" His rude tone instantly made Lillian choose sides. He pulled out the greatsword and planted it into the ground. "In that case, I'll just have to show you whether I'm qualified or not."
"…So that's how it is."
The male elf glanced at the female elf. "Is this your helper? To think an elf would fall so low as to rely on human aid." He raised his sword, pointing the tip directly at Lillian, his face cold and merciless.
"Foolish human. Since you insist on overestimating yourself and joining this fight, then I'll send you and her to your deaths beneath my blade!"