Floor 10 - Deadly Forest.
Floor 10 was a forest, and only a forest, and just like its name, it was an extremely dangerous place, a place where if someone was not careful, they would definitely die.
For some reason, the Tower Creatures in this forest had powers far beyond their Rank.
Nonetheless, if a Climber, or a Ranker had enough courage to explore this place, to conquer the challenges it presented, the reward they received would be not small.
And that was also the reason why Kael came here.
Of course, if it weren't for a huge reward, how could he risk his life like this?
And the reward he had been aiming for all along, was an Ability.
99.99% of Climbers and Rankers believed that the only way to obtain an Ability was to wait for the Tower to bestow it upon them.
However, that wasn't the only way.
To obtain an Ability, humans would have to go on expeditions, be forced to endure dangers that no normal person could do.
Nothing was free.
"Hey Kael, why did we come to this place in the first place?" Hans, who had been dragged here without a word, spoke up.
Although the protagonist was forced to follow Kael wherever he wanted during this time, he still had the right to speak his mind.
And Kael, who had naturally prepared himself, did not flinch when he received that question from him.
"According to information from a friend of mine, deep in this forest, there exists a mysterious temple. And anyone who enters that temple will be able to obtain an Ability."
"Huh?" Hans' eyes widened, skeptical of the information he had just heard from Kael.
He was not surprised to learn that humans could obtain Ability in the wild, but rather because he had never heard of the rumor about that temple in his previous life, let alone seen it with his own eyes.
"…Is the information from your friend reliable? It smells like a scam."
"Haha, I know you find it hard to believe, but the information from this friend of mine is always accurate! You don't need to worry."
Kael chose not to say one piece of information.
That was that only a maximum of 7 people could receive an Ability from that temple.
That meant that if they were even a step too late, that opportunity would disappear.
But that wasn't something he should be concerned about.
Because they would definitely arrive in time.
***
Going deep into the Deadly Forest with only 2 people was extremely foolish.
If one had to compare, it would be no different from an act of suicide.
And if those two were Kael and Hans, then it was even more stupid.
Right now, Kael was just a nobody, perhaps even worse than a minor character.
He had no Ability, no skill or talent in fighting, to put it bluntly, he was useless. At least for the time being.
Meanwhile, Hans Varun was slightly better than him, but if he had to conclude, Kael would still say that the protagonist was pretty bad.
As a regressor, Hans definitely still knew how to use a sword, although not as proficient as in his previous life, but still better than an amateur.
But the problem was that right now, he only had one Ability, and worse, that Ability could only help the protagonist see in the dark, not having any effect in fighting at all.
That was why right now, he and Hans were in a camp - the safe zone of the 10th floor, trying to find a party that would allow them to join.
Party 1.
"Hey man, can I join your party?" In a friendly, unpretentious tone, Kael approached the leader of that group.
"Get lost." Unfortunately, he was flatly rejected.
Party 2.
Just like last time, he approached their leader, only to receive contemptuous looks from all the members of that group.
Party 3.
Not backing down after being rejected twice, Kael continued.
After all, the third time's the charm.
"Haha, what can two weak-looking guys like you do? With faces like that, I advise you to give up and go work as a waiter at a bar for rich women!"
Not only was he not allowed to join their team, but he was also humiliated by them.
Today was a really bad day for Kael.
Did he accidentally step in a pile of dog shit before he left?
…
10th time.
Failure.
Yes, once again, he and Hans Varun were rejected.
'Fuck! Don't those shitheads know what the hell they're missing!? Hans is a regressor with a lot of experience! And I literally know everything that will happen in the future!'
***
To be able to join a party, Kael had done everything he could, such as kneeling, humiliating himself, begging, …
But all he got was a head shake from them.
He had talked to more than 30 parties, and guess what? All of them rejected him mercilessly!
'I hope you all get killed in that forest! Hahaha!'
Kael thought, while sitting like a soulless person on a bench, watching the Climbers leave the camp one by one with a complicated mood.
"…Hey Hans, do I look that weak?"
Hans, not only did not console him, but also added fuel to the fire:
"...Maybe so. It's true that you have some muscles, but compared to the people here, you just look like an amateur. Furthermore…"
"What? Furthermore? Do you have anything else to say? Just say it."
"...To be frank, I think the other reason is because they're jealous of our looks. Many people here have to focus on fighting, so they don't have time to take care of their appearance."
"What?! Why are they so childish??!"
"That's right. That's why they always look down on people like us. They assume that we're weaker than them."
"..." After hearing those words, Kael was completely speechless.
Even in his dreams, he couldn't imagine that the humans in the Tower of Glory would have such stupid personalities.
It turned out that sometimes, being handsome was a sin.
Almost at the same time, both of them sighed.
And at that moment, a man's voice rang out, immediately attracting their attention.
"Excuse me, are you two looking to join a party?"
The voice belonged to a muscular man, who looked to be in his 30s, wearing a full set of leather armor and a few metal guards.
Anyone who looked at him for more than 5 seconds would have the same thought:
'He looks so friendly and gentle.'
"Yes, what's the matter? Is your team willing to let us join?" He said, excitement evident in every word.
"Yeah. But we only need a chef and a porter, are you two interested?"
Without hesitation, Kael nodded vigorously:
"Sure! Of course!"
This was a godsend opportunity, and Kael couldn't miss it! Only a fool would let this opportunity pass by!
All he wanted was to enter that forest, so even if he had to become an errand boy, a slave, Kael would still be willing.
Feeling so lucky, Kael didn't realize that in just a moment, Hans Varun's expression had changed.