hotmtlnovel Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Being a dropout doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a good person.
They just gave up on climbing for various reasons—because they were weak, afraid of losing their life, or for other reasons.
A bad person remains a bad person.@@@@
The 5th floor has good infrastructure.
If you have money, you can settle down without any inconvenience.
For those who have survived the 3rd and 4th floors, it was like heaven.
The problem is that even the trash thinks the same way.
‘This guy and that guy, they’re the same.’
I went to find the Citizen Gang, wary of the Earthlings.
The gang had set up their base on the outskirts of the city.
Perhaps aware of their situation, they were located at the far end of the floor.
“Do you think the police won’t come if you’re in this abandoned factory?”
“They don’t come, actually.”
“Hmm?”
The floor administrator isn’t a real policeman.
There’s no reason to maintain law and order.
Whatever players do, they leave it alone.
If someone dies or is kidnapped, it’s the player’s responsibility to deal with it.
“So, they only show up when a thief’s stack is wiped out?”
“Yep.”
The man who introduced himself as Riz’s father, David, nodded.
He was walking ahead with a stiff face.
“It’s over there. That’s where Poison Coffin is.”
“Poison Coffin...”
Are they the ones who use poison?
I quietly approached the abandoned factory.
I could hear sounds coming from inside.
It was the chatter of the thugs on guard duty.
“I heard the Poison King died. Is that true?”
“Are you believing the rumors spread by thieves? Geez, it’s not like we’ve been on the 5th floor for just a day or two.”
“No, there’s no reason to lie about the Poison King. They wouldn’t want to die either.”
“Then, the Poison King must have spread the rumor on purpose. He made it up himself.”
“Oh, that could be it.”
They didn’t seem to think the Poison King was actually dead.
“The boss said the Poison King is going to start climbing the tower soon. He just cleared his mission, so he’s probably planning to go up.”
“So?”
“He’s probably planning to take care of the trash on the 5th floor who are hostile to him before he goes. It’s clear. If he leaves them behind, who knows what will happen later.”
Alice’s story actually turned out to be helpful.
I was able to understand the principles behind the Poison King’s actions.
‘Time flows differently on each floor. No one knows how much the players will grow by the time they show up.’
When you’re stronger than your opponent on the same floor, it’s better to take care of them whenever possible.
I glanced at David.
‘That applies to this guy as well.’
The golden dagger whispers to me, as if urging me to strike before being betrayed.
“Wait here for now.”
I decided to sneak in, leaving David behind.
There are too many variables if I get betrayed in the middle of a fierce battle.
Though I got Hermes' shoes, I can’t say I’m invincible.
Crowd control skills are still a threat.
‘Maybe the Earthlings are setting me up to take the fall?’
It’s not good to assume that the Citizen Gang is automatically bad.
They might have their reasons too.
“Wait, hold on!”
I walked confidently toward the abandoned factory.
I heard David trying to stop me, but I ignored him.
“Stop.”
The Citizens who spotted me became wary.
Each one gripped their weapons and asked with tense expressions.
“This is Poison Coffin’s territory. You know who we are, don’t you?”
“Are you famous?”
“......”
Two Citizens exchanged glances.
“Are you a newbie? How long has it been since you came to the 5th floor?”
“I just got here.”
“...Then I guess you wouldn’t know.”
The opponents didn’t let their guard down.
They were at the level of barely understanding, still aiming their weapons at me.
‘They’re walking the fine line.’
Should I say they’re leaving room for doubt?
They didn’t exclude the possibility that I might be an unmanageable powerhouse.
That way, they’d have a reason to talk later.
I proposed a choice to the two.
“I heard you guys are kidnapping people. Is that true?”
“......”
The corners of their mouths twitched.
They couldn’t deny my question.
“You’re like the Whitebone Pirates, huh?”
“You bastard. What, you think we’ll be scared just because you came strong?”
With a sneer, I activated my skill.
The ground beneath me froze.
Though I had cybernetic enhancements like a cyborg, what I was really using was a skill from the Soul System.
“He’s going to fall. Then we’ll shoot him at the same time and kill him.”
“Okay!”
When did they contact each other?
The gang poured out of the factory in droves.
They immediately activated their ranged skills.
“I came here to talk, you know.”
I was wondering if I might be misunderstanding something.
But they didn’t welcome me.
As soon as I got to the point, they took the first strike like a thief who had been caught.
I activated Frozen Prison toward the throng of enemies.
An arrow with just simple physical force was easily blocked by Cheolpo Samgong.
“Are you crazy...”
“This doesn’t work either?”
I displayed the trick of deflecting the arrow with my forehead.
The gang looked at me with faces filled with despair.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Immediately following was self-injury.
Not 3 vs 500, but a 3-second 270 boost.
[‘Survival Instinct (D)’ is activated.]
My stats shot up.
My evasion rate soared, and the enemy’s skills automatically missed.
Still, I surged forward and shoved the Golden Dagger into the gang leader’s neck.
Blood spurted out.
My attack power was overwhelming.
No one could withstand a single blow.
With every swing of the Golden Dagger, people collapsed.
The scene was bizarre.
“Crazy. What the hell is this.”
“Save me. I... I didn’t have a choice...”
A quick-witted gang member immediately begged for mercy.
“When you were throwing skills, did you think we’d be scared?”
I swept through the Poison Coffin.
‘Not everyone who crawled out is here.’
The gang’s leaders should be inside.
The heads usually show up last.
I killed all the thugs and entered the abandoned factory.
“Did you come to take this bitch?”
“Ugh!”
I confirmed the photo and checked her face.
The woman held hostage was indeed David’s daughter.
“Do you think I’ll be scared just because you have a hostage?”
After all, it’s the Earthlings who are aiming at my back.
It’s laughable that they’re nervous because of a hostage.
“Riz!”
“Ah, Dad!”
David, who had ignored my words and followed me into the factory, screamed in rage after checking on his daughter’s condition.
“Y-Yujin. What the hell is going on? Wh-What did we do wrong!”
Yujin.
From the reaction, it seemed that the man holding Riz was named Yujin.
‘Are they familiar with each other?’
Is David and Riz also part of Poison Coffin?
Or are they separate?
“Why did you betray us and join the Coffin!”
David screamed.
Thanks to that, I finished assessing the situation.
Yujin smiled slyly and said.
“I guess they wanted Riz’s skill from Poison Coffin.”
“David. You really went and rescued someone? It’s pointless, you know.”
Standing next to Yujin was a Citizen who seemed to be a leader of the Poison Coffin.
A man heavily implanted with cybernetic equipment.
His face looked rough.
It seemed to be a side effect from the cybernetic implants.
“At this point, there’s no helping it. We’ll just have to do it.”
The man drew a knife and immediately tried to stab Riz.
“No!”
David rushed desperately.
But with the slow speed of an Earthling, he couldn’t stop the man.
I quickly used my 90 agility and caught Yujin’s back in the blink of an eye.
“Can’t you see me with those eyes of yours?”
“?!”
If they were going to kill Riz to take her skill, they should have done it before I arrived.
‘What is this bullshit in front of me?’
Are Poison Coffin and David in this together?
Are they trying to trick me?
‘It’s definitely a possibility.’
I pretended to be rescuing Riz while keeping an eye on whether she would burst out.
The knife was about to stab Riz’s neck.
Riz showed no sign of noticing.
‘What is going on?’
First, I blew the head off of the Poison Coffin’s apparent leader.
With my strength stats so high now, I could burst a person’s head open.
“AAAHHH!”
Riz screamed.
I didn’t take my eyes off the back of her head.
‘When are you going to start? Come at me already.’
I calmed my pounding heart and waited for their betrayal.