Chapter 242 – Tutorial 57th Floor (1)
[No!]
What did you mean ‘No’? I won’t stop.
I looked around, scanning the variety of furniture that had appeared in the previously empty cave. There were so many suitable things to burn that I didn’t know what to burn first.
“What should I burn first?”
[Let’s burn the picture on the wall first.] Ahb.o.o.boo sneered.
Impressive. He had a good eye for things like this.
“The painting on the wall should be the one that burns last. Before that comes burning the furniture used in our daily lives, such as tables and bedding.”
This dragon had h.o.a.rded quite a lot of luxurious things, ones that humans would usually have at their homes.
I didn’t get why it bought furniture for humans. Did dragons take the form of another species in their daily lives? If that was the case, the large size of the cave seemed excessive.
[What do you want!?] the dragon bawled. The crystal ball wriggled spastically, juggling the fireball from one round side to the other, just like a hot potato.
“Just let it go. Burning something makes me feel better; less stressed.”
[No! You crazy arsonist!]
What did this dragon mean by ‘No’ again?
[Why do you need to relieve your stress?]
Why? I didn’t know. Maybe it was because the dragon had killed the fun just as I was about to test the limits of the divine power.
It was more accurately phrased as ‘You can’t take anything from me’.
I explained to the dragon how I felt.
[I can’t help it. Unlike general stages where post-clearing behavior is also viewed as an evaluation factor, my designated stage is designed only for the challenger to reach the goal. It is normal to be moved here immediately after clearing.]
Then, you should have told me that in advance.
“You little b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I told you that I didn’t like leadership missions, and you picked the perfect stage for it, huh?” I growled.
[It’s my job to select a stage based on the shortcomings of the challenger!]
“Then, you could have told me in advance that you were sending me to such a stage.”
[You’d have hated it, nonetheless!]
That was true. I sighed helplessly.
I set the crystal ball down roughly on a clean table and flopped down on the bed. As soon as I hit the soft material, my body felt lethargic, and I lost all motivation and focus.
The last floor had been such a rare opportunity, and I felt dejected from missing it.
[Hmm. There’ll be another chance later, so don’t get too upset.] the dragon a.s.sured.
Yeah, well, there wasn’t much I could do about it now. Instead, I asked questions that I had put off.
“What’s this vote notification that’s been up for a while?”
[Voting begins]
[For: 23, Against: 41]
[Voting begins]
[For: 24, Against: 11]
[Voting begins]
[For: 59, Against: 4]
This window had continued to pop ever since we entered the dragon’s cave. It didn’t seem like a bug, but then what else could it be?
[Oh, you can see it too? Never mind. It has nothing to do with you. None of your business.]
“What is it?”
[It’s a vote for the G.o.d of Remorse.] the dragon said vaguely.
[Seeing you on this stage, some suggested taking disciplinary action against the G.o.d of Remorse in the vaccine war.]
The G.o.d of Remorse, huh? He was the G.o.d that designed the 35th stage; it was a memorable stage, one filled with remorse. The G.o.d of Remorse had kept a close eye on me in the time I had spent there. Perhaps it was because I suffered on the 35th floor stage that my feelings towards the G.o.d of Remorse hadn’t been favourable.
However, the source from King Goblin had proved to be helpful when controlling divine power. Now that I knew the G.o.d of Remorse arranged for the source to be given to me, his favourability with me had become better.
The G.o.d of Remorse had supposedly put himself at a considerable disadvantage by giving me the power source without permission. I was curious as to why he showed such willingness to break the rules for me.
“Can you tell me about the G.o.d of Remorse?” I asked, sitting up on the bed with my legs folded.
If the dragon replaced Kirikiri, it should, at least, provide some information after clearing the stage. Then again, information about G.o.ds isn’t that easily obtained.
“Sure.”
We weren’t informed much about G.o.ds, and generally, people were more focused on solving problems rather than finding out more information about them.
[To define the G.o.d of Remorse, he could be called the G.o.d of walking backward.]
It was a sensible a.n.a.logy.
[When you always look back at the past while walking forwards, you often fall and get lost. That’s when you feel regret, remorse filling within you. He, the G.o.d of Remorse, has always been looking behind him.]
It was essential to reflect on past mistakes. It could be a motivation for a better life, a warning not to repeat the same mistakes. But, a G.o.d who looks only at the past is unable to see the present and the future; he endlessly repeats the same mistakes. Listening to the description, the G.o.d of Remorse didn’t seem like a G.o.d one would want to a.s.sociate with,
[The G.o.d of remorse had recently gained a unique position. As the whole area fell into confusion, more and more people asked him for advice.]
“Huh?”
This was an unexpected explanation. When I asked the dragon for a description, all I wanted was to know was the concept of the G.o.d of Remorse, not his status quo. I thought it would be good to know about the world I was unaware of, so I decided to listen quietly.
[Since the vaccine war began, many people have been confused. They sought out the foresight of G.o.ds with visionary powers, but even the visionary G.o.ds said it wasn’t easy to predict what the future held.]
“…….”
[Those, who could not find an answer, went to the G.o.d of Remorse. One of the characteristics of remorse is familiarity with past battles. Isn’t there a saying like ‘He, who looks back, can’t see the next moment that comes, but knows better than anyone else what the next moment will be’?]
“Never heard it before.”
[Really? I thought it was a pretty famous saying. To put it simply, we can predict the future through the past; history repeats itself.]
“So, what happened to the people who sought advice? Did they get any?” I questioned.
[I don’t know. However, I don’t think those who sought advice would have gotten any.] the dragon predicted.
“Why?”
The dragon snorted before answering, [If he had been able to provide useful advice to others, he would have gained prestige rather than remorse.]
It was an explanation that made me speechless. There really were many kinds of strange G.o.ds.
[It’s true that the G.o.d of Remorse was getting a lot of attention. He usually spent his time idling looking at the past, but this time he, himself, came forward. Breaking the rules. Bearing disciplinary action. You’re the reason why he did it.] the dragon accused.
“I’m responsible for this? What?”
Was it because the G.o.ds had taken pity on me?
[Don’t overthink it. The G.o.ds were already paying attention to you before that. Although, many still don’t know about you. It was only known that the G.o.d of Remorse had given an unknown challenger the power of origin without permission and was disciplined for it.]
With so much information to process, I became a little confused, even more so because it had been an unexpected turn of events.
“Yes. Thank you. But, are you allowed to tell me this?”
The amount of information I had obtained through other stages paled in comparison to the amount of information the dragon had just provided me.
[Hmm. It’s fine.]
“Okay. I won’t burn your house.” After it did me such a favor, I couldn’t vent my anger on its house without bearing a guilty conscience. I extinguished the fireball that had been floating above my palm.
[Is that so? You’re pretty decent. Oh, and as I said before, this cave is not my home.]
* * * * * *
“Kea-ek!” The frog was swimming in the lake under the waterfall.
I was curious as to whether it would act like a dog or a frog when it went into the water, so I watched it carefully.
“Kea-ek!”
Perhaps, because it had a dog’s body, it was dog paddling. After the meal, I continued to watch the frog swim and play, while the dragon talked to me.
[Let’s talk about the next stage. Is there a kind of stage you want to avoid?]
I believed I heard this question before.
“I’d like to avoid the stage where soul-type monsters usually appear.”
[Oh. Why is that?]
I explained to the dragon that the stages with soul-type monsters were mostly boring. The skill of soul exploitation, obtained from the sixth floor, was too deadly for spiritual enemies. I could use a soul sword and skills like soul-steal. Most of all, ghosts with terrible shapes and spirits that usually attacked the mind were not even impressive.
[Oh, is that so?]
You lizard! I had a bad feeling that I might just be sent to a stage full of soul-monsters this time.
[Is there any stage you want?]
The stage I wanted? It would be one where I could get to learn more magic. If not, then a place I could extract information from.
“I wish there was a stage where I could learn more about the source. Or the stage for what you call transformation.”
The dragon thought for a moment before saying, [Okay. Floor 57 and Floor 58 will have what you need. We’ll decide on the 59th floor later.]
Oh, was it a stage where I could learn about the source or transformation as I wished? I was so thankful that it was finally listening to me.
“It’s not a strange stage, is it?”
[No!]
I felt a little nervous at the dragon’s answer. Was there even a stage that wasn’t strange in h.e.l.l’s Difficulty? I was worried that there would be a really crazy stage.
[It’s not dangerous, and as you wish, it’s a stage where you can get a little more information about the source.] the dragon roared.
I still didn’t feel good about it. Pausing, I looked at the portal that had appeared on the floor.
But it’s not like I could quit now, and even if I could, I don’t think the dragon would let me off. I thought I might as well get it over with.
Returning the still swimming frog to the ring, I climbed into the portal.
“Move.”
As the portal spun, a wheezing sound came from the dragon’s crystal ball. I had heard Idy laugh like that once, and the uneasiness I felt only increased.
The place where I was transported to was in the middle of a busy street. There were a lot of people in the street, and the strange thing was that they were all looking up at the sky.
I followed their gaze; there was a black sphere floating in the sky.
[The 57th floor stage begins]
[Clear Condition: Death.]