The Master's login frequency noticeably increased.
The sky lit up at least once a day. Meaning, in Earth time, they were logging in three times a day. Some days they logged out without doing anything, other days they ran 'Party 1', consisting of me, Jena, and Aaron, through low floors, and sometimes they sent out sub-parties fresh from the culling process.
From the second 10-summon, a blacksmith and a tanner were obtained, and the Equipment Forge began operation.
The first blacksmith chosen was me.
The reason was simple. I had crafted C-rank weapons from the lowest-grade materials. I couldn't possibly have the Blacksmith skill, but Amkena noticed me and placed me in the blacksmith. After wasting materials through about ten spectacular failures, the rightful person was assigned.
The production method was automatic production.
A method where crafting is entirely entrusted to the artisan's hands without Master control. Fortunately, the newly arrived blacksmith knew how to make weapons. The blacksmith, tanner, and carpenter began collaborating to craft equipment.
The main equipment being made were E-rank crude swords and wooden shields. These were distributed to the newly arrived heroes. The newcomers' survival rate rose significantly.
The main party received more advanced equipment.
Aaron and I received E-rank leather armor, and Jena received a self-defense dagger as a secondary weapon. The quality wasn't great, but it was better than going bare-bodied, so we decided to use them.
After the strange misunderstanding from Amkena, I had no intention of crafting equipment anymore. If I were to craft, it would be after finding a way to deceive the Master's eyes.
And the three who hadn't contributed much were disposed of through synthesis. Those guys who never showed up at the training ground and spent all their time trying to escape, looking for an exit. Among them was Dolph, who lied about his profession on the first day he arrived.
The members of 'Party 1', the synthesis targets, each gained a level.
I became level 8, Jena level 6, and Aaron level 4.
[Han Israt (★) Lv. 8 (Exp 24/60)]
[Class: Novice]
[STR: 20/20]
[INT: 12/12]
[VIT: 20/20]
[AGI: 20/20]
[Skills Owned: Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts (Lv.4), Pain Resistance (Lv.1), Composure (Lv.1)]
Instead of Intelligence dropping, Strength, Vitality, and Agility are rising.
Well-rounded growth, with no single stat particularly standing out.
Thankfully, the Intelligence stat doesn't seem to affect actual intelligence. I wouldn't want to become stupid.
[Forming Party.]
[Drag and drop heroes!]
['Zid (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
['Hanson (★)' joins 'Party 1'!]
Finally, two of the trio of boys joined the main party.
With this, Party 1 reached its full capacity. Amkena, perhaps eager to try them out immediately, opened the Rift of Time and Space.
"Please take care of us!"
"Relax."
Aaron patted Zid and Hanson's shoulders.
I chuckled. Acting all grown up.
"Harpies again this time?"
"Probably."
"Getting tired of this already."
Jena yawned with a bored expression.
Once a floor is cleared, the mission remains the same even when re-challenged. We had already faced harpies and goblins more than three times.
[Floor 4.]
[Mission Type - Extermination]
[Objective - Annihilate all enemies!]
[Goblin Lv.4 X 3]
[Harpy Lv.6 X 2]
Same place.
Same monsters.
The goblins and harpies' eyes gleamed upon spotting us.
Aaron stood a few steps back behind me, and a few steps further back stood Jena, arrow nocked on her bow.
Zid and Hanson took positions on either side of me.
Their main weapons were also sword and shield.
"Don't panic. Maintain formation."
"Yep!" The two replied with stiff faces.
Good, the fear status effect isn't showing. They must have been run through lower floors before joining us, so they're not rookies experiencing their first battle.
"You two are the shields. No need to force attacks. Spear and bow are behind you."
"Understood!"
Weaker individuals have fighting styles suited for the weak.
That is formation. Drawing out the strength of the group rather than the individual.
Later, as levels and stars rise and promotions repeat, they might reach superhuman levels, but not now.
I don't engage in the fighting.
Honestly, I could clear this stage alone. I've actually done it before. But if I step in, they won't practice the formation.
I don't know what mission will appear on Floor 5. Among them, there were surely missions I couldn't handle alone.
"Kiyaaa!"
The two harpies charged from both sides.
Jena didn't make the first strike either. She held her drawn bow, observing, seemingly wanting to watch the two.
"Iyaaah!"
Zid and Hanson began their counterattack.
Covering vital points with their shields, they swung their swords. Their sword strikes held a sharp momentum. Zid's sword deeply cut a harpy's wing joint.
At that moment, Aaron's thrust pierced the opening.
The harpy shrieked as the spear plunged deep into its chest, dying.
"Keek!"
Jena's arrow hit the forehead of a goblin trying to attack Hanson.
The two maintained a solid guard, focusing on defense and counterattacks, while Aaron's thrusts and Jena's arrows exploited openings.
'The shape is coming together somewhat.'
The subtlety of Close-Mid-Range is being demonstrated.
This level of coordination can certainly produce combat power exceeding individual strength. The three goblins and two harpies died without mounting a proper counterattack.
[Stage Clear!]
['Zid (★)', 'Hanson (★)' Level Up!]
[Reward – 2,000G, Iron Ore(C) X 2, Leather(C) X 1]
[MVP - 'Jena (★)']
Light enveloped the forest.
We returned to the Rift of Time and Space.
"Alright!" Zid and Hanson high-fived with bright faces.
Coming out, Dika, the last of the trio, was waiting. Dika, who had been pacing anxiously back and forth in the plaza, ran towards us like flying as the Rift opened.
"How was it?"
"How was it? Piece of cake!" Zid said with a grin.
The three bowed to me, then entered the dorm arm-in-arm.
Amkena formed the main party with five members.
This meant the time to challenge Floor 5 wasn't far off. I expected them to insert a 3-star, but they don't seem inclined to yet.
Several more days passed.
Zid and Hanson looked confident. They participated enthusiastically in training and became accustomed to forming ranks. Now, even if Jena and I held back, they could manage to defeat the harpies and goblins reasonably well.
"Floor 4 again today? I want to try the next floor soon." Zid said, rubbing his scarred shield.
The Rift of Time and Space was open. We waited near the mirror as usual. Not just Jena and me, but Aaron, Zid, and Hanson also had a relaxed posture.
"Isel."
"[Yeah.]"
"Today, Floor 5, right?"
"[Probably!]"
"Huh, really Floor 5?" Jena blinked.
The mirror on the left was slowly starting to glow.
I waited for the upcoming battle.
It's true the difficulty is higher than other floors, but excluding a few trap missions, it can be cleared without much difficulty. I knew all the tricks too.
"This time will be a bit different. Relaxing is good, but relax too much and your head rolls."
"Understood!" Their reply was thunderous.
[Climb the Tower, Save the World!]
[Main Dungeon: Current Floor - 4]
I surrendered my body to the light enveloping me.
And when I opened my eyes again, we were in an unfamiliar space.
The field was an urban area. Buildings constructed from stone formed a city.
Not the modern style built with cement and concrete. Brick-paved roads and a tall bell tower in the city center caught the eye.
I looked around.
The message announcing the mission details hadn't appeared. There was a grace period before it began.
"Hyungnim, there are no monsters..."
"I know."
Until now, we were immediately confronted by enemies right in front of us upon being summoned. But not now. The city was empty, not even citizens, let alone monsters to fight.
'Not an extermination mission.'
I clicked my tongue.
Knew one would come eventually.
"Attention! First, head to the city center and assess the situation. Form ranks!"
As trained, the party members quickly dispersed and formed a search formation.
The formation: single file. Me at the front, Aaron and Jena in the middle, Zid and Hanson at the rear.
"Report immediately if you spot anything suspicious."
"Yes!"
Slowly advance towards the city center.
Looking back, I could see the low outer wall surrounding the city, so there was no worry of getting lost.
The further we went, the stranger things became.
"..."
Zid swallowed nervously, his expression anxious.
First, the condition of the buildings was terrible. Most were broken or shattered. Building debris like bricks or wooden fragments blocked the main streets, sometimes forcing us to detour.
Second, no people.
The uninhabited city itself exuded an eerie atmosphere.
Third...
"U-uwaaaaaaagh!"
"What is it?"
"H-Hyungnim, here, here!"
I approached the frantic Hanson.
Hanson pointed trembling towards the inside of a building's broken wall. Looking closely, a whitish human shape was visible.
It was a human skeleton.
I started walking towards the inside of the building.
No, I tried to. But an invisible wall signaling 'No Entry' blocked my path.
"..."
"Wh-where is this, exactly? There are buildings, but no people..."
Gone was their earlier confident demeanor; Zid and Hanson looked uneasy.
"Let's go."
The main road stretched towards the city center.
Suddenly, near a wall, I spotted a dark brown stain. Dried almost beyond recognition, but I could tell what it originally was.
'Bloodstain.'
Approaching the city center, the buildings became increasingly dilapidated. Debris from ruined buildings and human skeletons littered the area.
This was a destroyed city.
Upon reaching the central plaza,
The situation was the same here. Sections were collapsed here and there, no monsters or people in sight. For now, I ordered them to wait. Each found a spot and sat down. Jena approached.
"This is completely different from what we've done so far."
"Those were just warm-ups."
The boss stages found on every floor are on a different level in scale and complexity compared to other floors.
"When will the enemies appear?"
"Wait. I'm thinking."
A desolate city with neither enemies nor allies.
Bloodstains and skeletons scattered about.
The mission notification message still absent.
The conclusion was reached.
Pointing at the half-collapsed bell tower, I said.
"Jena, can you climb that bell tower?"
"What should I do?"
"Climb as high as possible and see what's there."
"Yes sir!"
Jena nimbly began climbing the bell tower.
With movements honed on the obstacle course, Jena grabbed protruding bricks and ropes dangling from windows, ascending several tens of meters.
"Okay, this seems to be the limit!" Jena called down from above.
"What do you see?"
"Uh, well, the city and..."
Also, the Eagle Eye skill enhanced Jena's vision.
She's perfectly suited for this role.
"The city and?"
"..."
Jena's expression hardened.
"What on earth is it, Miss Jena!" Aaron shouted impatiently from below.
"W-well, the city, you see. I hope I'm seeing wrong, but."
"You're not seeing wrong."
"W-wait a minute. Is this okay? Is this really happening?"
"Just tell us!"
"Outside the city, there are tons of goblins. Looks like they're coming this way."
"How many are there? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?"
"...Thousands."
"Wh-what did you say?"
"Thousands of goblins... are coming this way."
[Warning!]
[Floor 5.]
[Mission Type - Survival]
[Objective - Survive the incoming horde of enemies!]
[Goblin Lv.? X 1846]