The three men were watching us as if it were someone else's problem.
The number of weapons displayed in the Armory had drastically decreased. Only two were left: a bow and a shield. This was because everyone who took equipment out had died. In Pick Me Up, when a hero dies, the equipment they hold also disappears.
Jena took out the bow and quiver, slinging them over her back. I secured the leather straps on the back of the wooden shield to my wrist.
As soon as we stepped out of the Armory equipped, the door closed.
Isel appeared and pointed at us accusingly.
"[Han, Jena, Aaron, Toby, Yelsens! Out!]"
"What are you?"
"Where did you come from? Send us back!"
The men showed hostility towards Isel.
Jena tried to intervene.
"Stop it. You'll regret messing with her."
"Are you one of them? Did you bring us here?"
"I'm not one of them! I was dragged here just like you. That's why I adapted first."
"Why bother with this hassle? They'll find out on their own in a few minutes anyway."
I said this and walked into the Rift of Time and Space.
No matter how much Jena or I chattered here, they wouldn't understand. Even if they did, they wouldn't accept it.
"Haaah, really."
Jena followed with a sigh of frustration. From behind, I heard angry shouts.
"My wife's waiting! Send me back quickly!"
"I'm a poor farmer, not a penny to my name! You picked the wrong person!"
I wondered how long Isel could tolerate this.
Jena asked me.
"Are they going to die?"
"Just don't provoke her first."
A moment later, one of the men flew through the air like a shot put. He crashed onto the floor, groaning.
The remaining two soon flew in as well. Finally, as Isel entered, the door leading to the plaza closed.
"[See, I told you to listen quickly if you didn't want to get thrown around. Like those two.]"
The leftmost mirror began to glow.
The main dungeon. Floor number probably 2. We could go back to Floor 1, but there's no benefit at this point.
As the light gradually filled the room, the other party members, likely thinking they were going to die, pounded on the exits. They even attacked Isel.
"[Tch, annoying!]"
Isel easily evaded their hands by lightly flying upwards.
And then the light filled everything.
[Floor 2.]
[Mission Type - Extermination]
[Objective - Annihilate all enemies!]
'Field Type, Plain.'
Similar to the grassland, but subtly different. The grass was sparse, and the ground sloped.
'Wolves, then.'
[Goblin Lv.3] X 2
[Plain Wolf Lv.4] X 2
Up the slope, two wolves with grey manes were growling. Above them, goblins holding slings were picking up stones.
I frowned. Both the terrain and the composition favored the enemy. We were below, they were above. If it were just the wolves, maybe, but there were ranged units too.
"Wh-wh-what's that!"
"Huuu."
['Aaron (★)' feels Fear. All stats decrease by 30%.]
['Toby (★)' feels Fear. All stats decrease by 30%.]
['Yelsens (★)' feels Fear. All stats decrease by 30%.]
I took a deep breath.
How often does an ordinary person encounter wild beasts in their lifetime?
The wolves were displaying undisguised hostility. Their fangs, capable of easily tearing through soft human flesh, were visible.
I steeled my wavering heart. They look strong, but it's nothing. I've fought before, and I've become stronger too.
"Grrrrrr..."
['Jena (★)' feels Fear. All stats decrease by 30%.]
You shouldn't be like this. I tapped Jena's shoulder. Jena, who had been trembling uncontrollably, suddenly let out a yell.
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
"Did you eat something bad?!"
Has she lost her mind?
But the next moment, Jena regained her composure.
['Jena (★)' has recovered from Fear.]
"..."
"I'm okay. Just... just for a moment."
"You handle those two goblins. Just keep the rocks off me, and I'll take care of the wolves."
Whoooosh!
A goblin threw a stone. Not towards me. Towards Jena, who was fumbling with her quiver. I leaped forward and deflected the stone with my shield.
"Consider this the last time I help you!"
"Yes!"
Glancing back briefly, the other three were huddled together, trembling.
'Still useless.'
Seems like they won't even serve as bait this time. The enemies were clearly targeting me and Jena.
I bit my lip hard. I won't become like them. I will fight to the end.
And survive.
"Kraaaang!"
One wolf leaped, jaws wide. It's a quadrupedal animal. Its leaping ability is different from a humanoid's. But I anticipated this pattern.
I jammed my worn iron sword into the charging wolf's mouth.
"Not dead?"
The wolf was writhing in pain but didn't die instantly.
The blade pierced its palate, but it seemed the tip didn't reach the brain. I tried to pull the sword out, but it felt stuck, perhaps on bone, and wouldn't come free. Up on the hill, the other wolf paced back and forth.
'Is it because the weapon sucks?'
No sooner had I thought that than the other wolf leaped. I pressed my stomach flat against the ground. The terrain here was sloped. The wolf's leap missed, cutting through empty air.
As soon as I got up, I ran and kicked the head of the wolf with the sword stuck in its mouth. I yanked the sword free with both hands. Then I plunged it into its forehead.
'One down.'
"Woof, woof woof woof!"
The wolf barked from below the slope.
Positions reversed. I was above, the wolf below.
The wolf charged straight at me. No need to retreat. Shield forward, I charged too.
As we collided, I slammed the shield into the cheek of the wolf opening its mouth wide, then plunged the iron sword into its side.
"Yelp! Yipe yipe!"
The wolf, thrashing wildly on the ground, went limp after a moment.
'Two down.'
What happened to the goblins?
I looked up the hill. Two goblins, riddled with arrows like porcupines, lay slumped over. Thwack, another arrow embedded itself in a goblin corpse.
"Stop it! They're dead."
"Yes!"
"..."
Blood dripped from Jena's forehead. Looks like she got hit by a rock.
[Stage Clear!]
['Han (★)', 'Jena (★)', Level Up!]
[Reward – 5,000G, Leather(C) X 3, Iron Ore(C) X 1]
[MVP - 'Han (★)']
We returned to the Rift of Time and Space.
Jena rubbed her forehead curiously where the wound had disappeared, while the other three still looked completely out of it.
[Congratulations on clearing Floor 2!]
[Moving up to Floor 3.]
Clunk. Kurrr.
The waiting room vibrated.
"Wh-what's happening?" One of the men mumbled blankly.
Isel didn't appear. Did she get completely fed up? I decided not to care either.
'Status Window.'
[Han Israt (★) Lv. 6 (Exp 13/50)]
[Class: Novice]
[STR: 17/17]
[INT: 14/14]
[VIT: 16/16]
[AGI: 16/16]
[Skills Owned: Low-Grade Swordsmanship (Lv.1), Low-Grade Shield Arts (Lv.1)]
'Good.'
Intelligence decreased by 1, but Strength increased by 2. The total growth per level was still 4, but the level-up efficiency had improved. Proof that my constitution was improving.
[Master, would you like to log out?]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[Goodbye then!]
One floor per day.
The Master wasn't rushing the progress either. If they had just thrown us in recklessly like on the first floor, both Jena and I would have been in danger. Even without wounds, fatigue remained.
I went into the Armory, hung up my shield, and came back out.
Jena and the other three were bickering.
"Why did you just watch from behind? Only we fought!"
"You need to tell us the situation! What's what!"
"I explained at the beginning! Just fight!"
"Why do I have to fight? Where is this place? What are those monsters, and what magic did you use to drag us to a place like that!"
"That's not important, we have to fight to live first. We can think later."
"How am I supposed to fight monsters when I've never even held a sword!"
"Do you think we had experience fighting?"
The argument grew increasingly heated.
Jena argued that we were summoned to fight like we just did, and that we needed to work together and cooperate to survive. But the other three were different. They stubbornly insisted that such a thing couldn't possibly happen to them and threw tantrums.
They couldn't accept reality.
Now I think I understand why 1-stars are called trash.
1-stars are ordinary people. They've lived lives completely unrelated to battlefields. Thinking back to the introductions during the 10-summon, none of them had combat-related professions.
If there was one, it was the 2-star Mormont.
He said he was a mercenary.
'Then, it means that the higher the star rating, the more likely combat-oriented individuals are summoned.'
Also, high-grade heroes don't wander aimlessly.
If you send newly summoned 1-star heroes into battle, 100 out of 100 fall into fear or panic. But 3-stars and above were different. They started fighting immediately.
'Were they summoned already knowing?'
The reason they had to fight, and the purpose.
Shea probably knew. Her attitude made it clear.
If I had been a bit calmer, I might have asked.
"Hmph, what kind of useless things are they!"
Jena huffed angrily, went into the Armory, returned her bow, and came out.
"Would it kill Oppa to help out a bit? We're supposed to fight together, shouldn't you try to coax and persuade them to become allies?"
"Why should I bother with such useless guys?"
"They're better than nothing, aren't they?"
"They'll disappear soon anyway."
"Huh?"
"You'll see if you wait."
They wouldn't die fighting.
If they're still in that state by the next battle, they will disappear.
I looked at the closed door of the Synthesis Lab.
"In the next battle, it's you and me, fighting as two. Don't worry about them."
Jena looked dissatisfied but eventually nodded.
"Ah, and, let's go see your place."
"My room?"
"I'm curious what it looks like. What, you don't want me to?"
"Okay."
We crossed the central plaza towards the dorm. On the way, one of the men who had been murmuring in a corner approached.
"Hey, I want to ask you something!"
"Don't ask. It's annoying."
"What!"
The man tried to grab my collar.
I punched him squarely in the face.
"Urk!"
The man collapsed awkwardly.
"You guys danced around behind us while we bled, and that's your attitude?"
"N-no! I..."
I spat on the ground and walked away. The man clutched his bleeding nose, his face crumpled in misery.
"Hehet."
"What are you grinning at?"
"Nothing."
Jena opened the dorm door.
The interior of a room made of roughly woven wood was revealed. Furniture like a dining table, chairs, and display shelves lined the space, and light-emitting stones were embedded in the walls.
Modern conveniences like a refrigerator or gas stove were nowhere to be seen.
[Dormitory Lv.1]
A dormitory, huh.
Strictly speaking, this probably isn't Jena's house, but literally a dormitory for heroes. Meaning those three eyesores would be staying here too.
'Why is only my room like that?'
Can't figure it out now.
I decided to think about it slowly.
"What do you want to eat? Though there are only potatoes."
"Only potatoes?"
"Potatoes, salt, water? They get replenished the next day even if you eat them, but that's all there is."
My room only has ramen and orange juice too.
Must be because the dorm level is low.
Jena took a few potatoes from the display shelf, speared them with a metal skewer, and put them in the hearth in the center of the room.
While the potatoes cooked, I looked around the dorm.
A long hallway stretched inwards, lined with rooms.
Right now, there are only a few rooms and facilities, but as the dorm level increases, it will gradually become larger and wider.
When starting the game, the initial hero capacity is 20. You need to upgrade the dorm to summon more heroes. This is how Pick Me Up's system is implemented here.
The potatoes were delicious.