Thud.
The musician fell, his back making direct contact with the ground.
"H-how?" he stuttered, not believing what had just occurred.
Seeing his reaction, the grin on my face grew even larger.
"I've been fighting since I was thirteen, with combat systems too advanced for this backward place. Now, will you fulfill your end of the deal?"
I asked, taking note of the blue-haired musician's conflicted expression.
Sighing, he accepted his loss and got up to his feet.
"What do you want to know, brat?" he asked rudely, wind sweeping through his hair. It was at this moment that I realized the villagers were still here, and they appeared shocked.
Ignoring them, I asked the question I'd had for a while.
"How can I find Heavens Staircase?"
The musician merely stared at me in silence, not answering my question. That instantly pissed me off.
"Aren't you going to fulfill the deal?" I questioned, already irritated that getting such simple information was taking so long.
The musician sighed.
"You really are an idiot." he said.
"Wha—" I spoke before getting interrupted.
"Heavens Staircase isn't an item or a treasure, so asking how to find it is the wrong question."
"Instead, you should be asking how to access it, though the answer is such basic knowledge that even a toddler knows it."
He revealed, and after hearing his words, I became totally shocked.
'It's not a treasure?' I thought.
"Listen closely. I don't know what island you are from to not know these things, but I won't ask. Instead, I'll break down exactly what Heavens Staircase is for you."
He spoke bluntly, and right at that moment a short blonde-haired man with a blindfold stepped out from behind him before walking off into the distance.
'Grey…' I noticed. 'That bastard totally let that guy dog walk me earlier. After this, I'll collect my revenge…' I silently promised, a touch of blood lust flowing through me.
"Heavens Staircase is conceptual, yet its effects are real and tangible in the real world. It's essentially a path to power, allowing a normal person to embark on a supernatural path of ascension." He told me, and a flash of inspiration appeared within me.
'Ah, I get it. So it's a power system… if that's the case, then by accessing it I could bridge the gap between me and a superhuman, making me more dangerous. If I had it, I could have beaten that guy easily using pure combat ability.'
I analyzed, feeling the flame of passion that was once long gone returning in full force.
"There are 7 steps in Heavens Staircase." he said, placing air quotes around the word steps.
"Every person that gains access to Heavens Staircase reaches the first step, which evolves their physical bodies and skills worthy enough to be recognized by Heavens Staircase."
"In short, it's a total evolution, and a blacksmith who touched the barrier of what was naturally possible would be able to pierce this barrier after evolution. Evolution is not only physical but comprehensive."
The musician explained.
'A comprehensive evolution? Isn't that a bit too OP?' I thought, reevaluating the man in front of me.
"No wonder my punch didn't phase him…" I muttered.
"The distance between each step increases exponentially, meaning that it gets harder to climb the staircase, but the extent of evolution also increases proportional to the distance." He paused, and then continued.
"Essentially, someone at step 2 is leagues above someone at step 1, and someone at step 3 is even farther away from step 2 than step 2 is from step 1. And that remains consistent for higher steps."
Hearing this, a question formed in my mind.
"Does that mean it's impossible for someone at a lower step to pose harm to someone at a higher step?"
I questioned, since that's what this seemed to hint at. Faced with this question, the blue-haired musician smiled.
"That would be the case if evolution was the only factor. However, professions also exist." He said, causing me to grow confused.
"Let me explain. Like I mentioned earlier, there are 7 steps. There are also professions, sort of like classes in card games."
Listening to this, I immediately understood.
'So for them, classes exist in card games because they don't have video games. In essence, it's similar to classes in those MMORPG games.'
"Professions can be gained through profession cards, usually marked from 1 to 7 stars, corresponding to Heavens Staircase only having 7 steps. Using a profession card grants you that profession and basic abilities born from the card."
"Additionally, you can also find and use skill cards that resonate with your profession. Skill cards are essentially cards that, when used, grant you supernatural skills permanently, and they are also marked with stars from 1 to 7."
He revealed, and I nodded in response. All in all it seemed pretty simple before I noticed something.
"Wait, is there anything significant about the star markings?" I asked, as he had mentioned it twice already.
"Yes. They are essentially barriers stopping someone from a lower step from using them, though that only applies to profession cards."
"In short, a step 1 couldn't use a 2-star profession card or more. However, someone at a higher step could use lower-ranked profession cards. Think of it as a level requirement in a card game."
He spoke simply, making things easy to understand.
"So can I get an unlimited amount of profession cards? Or is there a set amount I'm allowed to take?"
I questioned again, trying to gain as much information as possible.
The blue-haired man shook his head.
"You have 7 steps, and therefore can only use at most 7 profession cards. That's why synergy is the most important factor as you ascend through Heavens Staircase."
"Reaching the seventh step but using conflicting professions which do nothing to support each other makes you extremely vulnerable."
"Also, at each step you only get one opportunity to use a profession card. If you ascend before using one, that opportunity is lost forever, as you can't gain an profession card more than once in the same step."
After he finished explaining that, everything seemed to come together in my mind except for one thing.
"Wait, does that mean the amount of skills I can acquire is also limited?" I asked my last question, to which he shook his head again.
"No. You can virtually use as many skill cards as you possibly can; you just have to meet the requirements. For example, a skill card involving some type of cutting weapon would be unsuitable for someone without an occupation related to cutting."
"In addition to that, there are many unique skill cards which require you to meet strict conditions before use, and the star grading system here merely refers to it's utility, and doesnt restrict a low step individual from making use of a higher ranked skill card. As long as you have the qualifications its fine"
He paused, then continued.
"The same is true for items, and they also follow the 1 to 7 star grading system. Now, in order to access Heavens Staircase in the first place, you have to achieve a feat worthy of recognition."
"It could be killing a monster, becoming a hero, or even crafting an item with a star ranking as a normal human, which is nearly impossible by the way.
"Additionally, the number of professions are virtually infinite, new ones being generated in Gates every single day."
Before I could ask what a Gate was, he beat me to it.
"A Gate is a hole in reality containing monsters and various treasures. They also follow the star ranking system, and if not cleared in time, the monsters and treasures within are dumped into the real world."
"That's all the basic information I'm willing to give for now. You'll likely learn more on your explorations."
The blue-haired man then turned around and walked toward the place he was previously playing the flute.
"Hold on! Who exactly are you?" I asked. For some reason, I could tell he was not someone simple.
"People call me Lyre. I used to be someone great, but I've since fallen to this pitiful state. My only role now is to play my music and guide the future generation born during this purple moon."
Lyre explained coolly, walking off into the distance and pulling out his flute.
'Purple moon?' I thought, looking up at the sky to see the golden rays of the sun and a massive celestial object emitting the color purple. Even the sky was purple.
"Huh… isn't the moon supposed to be red... unless the cultists mentioned in the Scenario details haven't started?"
I muttered, turning around to see Grey and everyone else from the group.
'Shit' I thought
"Now that we are all together, let's reveal what we've found."
The beautiful silver-haired girl with electric blue eyes, Victoria, spoke, and my expression hardened.
'I can't let them know what I've learned…' I thought, my eyes trailing to Grey's smiling face.
"Very well." I said in a low voice. "Let's begin."