I Became a Gallery Newbie Beloved by Transcendents
Chapter 48
Releasing a moderate amount of killing intent seemed to have worked.
The three who had been standing dazed in front of the fallen Matthew dropped their weapons to the ground and knelt as I instructed.
Ten seconds passed.
Matthew, now fully recovered, also knelt.
With a somewhat softened expression, Matthew looked at me and spoke.
“…Wh-what do you want?”
“What are you asking?”
I tilted my head.
“Did I try to kill you first? You were the one who tried to steal my things and kill me.”
I tapped Matthew’s cheek lightly.
“What difficulty are you from?”
“…Hard.”
As expected, the numbers didn‘t lie.
Having cleared the 9th floor on Hard difficulty and now standing on the 10th floor‘s staircase, he must have had some confidence in his skills.
“The theme clearly states that ten people should move as a team, yet you suddenly demand others to hand over their weapons and items. How can the mission be properly carried out like that?”
“…I‘m sorry.”
“What I want is very simple. Whatever the mission is, carry it out properly. And—”
I straightened up and looked at the four kneeling figures, as well as the two standing nearby.
“I‘d appreciate it if you listened to me.”
It seemed like Matthew had gotten the proper warning, so I planned to warn the remaining three one by one.
First, I approached the blonde woman with <10> floating above her head, just like Matthew.
She was the one who had hesitated before deciding not to charge at me earlier.
“Name, country.”
The woman let out a faint sigh before answering.
“Lena Vogel, Germany.”
“Which tower are you from?”
“Hard difficulty.”
I shifted my gaze to Matthew, who was kneeling quietly, watching my reaction.
“Same tower as him?”
The woman, Lena Vogel, answered obediently.
“Yes.”
“How many times have you pulled this stunt together?”
At my question, Lena furrowed her brows.
“Is there a need to ask that?”
“Yeah, there is. I‘m curious.”
My firm response had an effect.
Lena‘s lips parted again.
“…The first time was two exchanges ago. We formed a team right before entering.”
They must have enjoyed it enough to keep doing it.
One more question remained.
“But why did you hesitate to charge at me earlier?”
“Your movements.”
Lena stared straight into my eyes as she continued.
“The way you dodged the spear‘s trajectory and countered. It made my will to attack disappear. You have to pick your battles.”
Lena seemed to want to ask me something but didn‘t voice it.
Even if she had, I wouldn‘t have answered.
Moving past Lena, I also spoke to the two quietly kneeling figures—a man and a woman—and learned their names and countries.
9th-floor resident, Josephine Bernard, France. Normal difficulty.
9th-floor resident, Okada Yuuji, Japan. Normal difficulty.
These two were also from the same tower numbering but on Normal difficulty.
The link that brought these two parties together as one team was the last exchange meeting.
I mentally categorized these four troublemakers separately.
The seniors from the Transcender Gallery had given me various pieces of advice about the exchange meeting.
ㄴ Light‘s Sword: Just like the first exchange meeting, you’ll clearly be in the position of the strong this time.
ㄴ Archmage: If you think you can control the situation, do so. That‘s the easiest way to handle mission-type themes.
ㄴ Heavenly Demon: There are two ways to reduce unnecessary variables. The first is to control every situation. The second is to eliminate all variables by killing everyone, but I doubt you‘d choose the latter.
“Now stand up and pick up your weapons.”
Right after I spoke, a notification window appeared before my eyes.
[Move toward the area illuminated by the red beam alongside the summoned players.]
Beyond the wall.
A dense forest stretched out, and the red beam shifted toward it.
I deliberately chose the very back, the rear.
During the last exchange meeting, I also observed the others from the back, as it made it easier to scrutinize their movements.
“Thank you for saving me.”
A woman with short hair.
Clearly a Korean voice.
The language translation system provided real-time translations of each country‘s speech naturally, but there was still a faint awkwardness.
But just like with Baek Jin-young, whom I had killed with my own hands, I heard unmistakable Korean.
“Your name?”
“It‘s Kim Joo-eun.”
“Difficulty.”
“Normal difficulty, 7th floor.”
I gestured with my chin toward the two Normal-difficulty troublemakers walking ahead.
“Are you from a different tower numbering than those two?”
“Yes, a different one.”
Kim Joo-eun also looked curious about me.
“You won‘t tell me your name, right? Even if I ask.”
“Nope.”
“I figured, since you‘re wearing a mask.”
“You‘re quick to assess people.”
At my words, Kim Joo-eun let out a small laugh.
“Still, it‘s nice to meet a fellow Korean. No matter how natural the translation sounds, it’s subtly different from hearing a real Korean speak.”
“True enough.”
I was glad to meet her too, but that was all.
I had no intention of making companions during the exchange meeting.
If the mission explicitly required cooperation or demanded a minimum number of surviving players, I‘d step up to help. Otherwise, I had no plans to assist others.
That‘s the Tower as I understood it.
I tapped the shoulder of the man walking beside Kim Joo-eun.
He flinched, then awkwardly bowed his head and looked at me.
“Name, country.”
“Felix Bauer, Germany.”
Felix was from Easy difficulty, 8th floor.
We were almost at the destination illuminated by the red beam.
I spoke again.
“Keep walking and listen.”
I raised my voice slightly so Matthew, walking at the front, could hear too.
“When the mission is given, all you have to do is act according to it.”
The four troublemakers, including Matthew, turned their heads to glance at me.
“If you make any unnecessary moves unrelated to the mission, I‘ll kill you.”
To make sure they understood I wasn‘t joking, I let out a faint hint of killing intent.
They got the message.
What appeared before us wasn‘t a sanctum serving as the exchange meeting’s waiting area but what seemed like actual fortress walls meant to hold back monsters and enemies.
Soldiers were bustling about.
“They‘re coming! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
The one shouting was a knight who appeared to be the field commander.
In the distance, the spire of a temple had been crushed under the weight of something enormous.
Blood was everywhere.
Crushed human bodies.
Kim Joo-eun, standing beside me, muttered in a trembling voice.
“…A spider?”
It did look like a spider.
Felix took a step back.
“Wh-what kind of spider is 60 meters tall?”
He was right.
The spider‘s appearance was imposing enough to crush several buildings with a single move.
“You there! Mercenaries, right? Quickly, set up a barrier to block Kabalax‘s webs!”
[NPC – 3rd-rank Knight Gerard]
I approached Gerard, who was focused on issuing orders with a stern face.
“Do we have to kill that thing?”
Gerard shook his head at my question.
“That would be ideal… but its shell is sturdy enough to withstand even my sword aura, a 3rd-rank knight‘s. It can even hold up against 4th-rank attacks. Kabalax has strong resistance to aura itself. Until the mages arrive, building structures and holding out is our best option.”
Right after Gerard finished speaking, a notification window appeared before my eyes.
[Mission Triggered!]
[Defeat all three monsters, ‘Kabalax,’ and drive them outside the city of Dmülen.]
[Afterward, find and eliminate the entity controlling Kabalax like its limbs.]
[Three recruited players have already begun searching for the entity in the forest. Join them as quickly as possible.]
So it progresses in stages like this.
The three players not here must already be on the mission to find the one controlling Kabalax.
“Just hold out! Once the mages arrive and deploy sonic magic, the creatures will quickly retreat into the forest, bind themselves with threads, and fall asleep!”
Like the notification window in front of me, the other six must have seen it too, as murmurs broke out.
“Why does something like this appear in an exchange meeting?”
Josephine took a step back.
Matthew scowled and shouted.
“Shut up! At least we don‘t have to kill it. Move quickly, just like the NPC said!”
SWOOSH—
I took out the formation tool and unfolded the Veil of Secrety right in front of me.
Title: The Kabalax Spiders Appear.
Author: Anonymous
Disgustingly huge. There are three Kabalax as enemies. We just have to hold out until the mages arrive and use sonic magic to repel them.
There are quite a few NPC troops.
Can I kill these things? They‘re said to have strong resistance to aura.
ㄴ Why is Kabalax… Oh, right. It said “repel,” so the difficulty drops significantly.
ㄴ Even if it says “repel,” you‘re still thinking of killing it!
ㄴ Ice Queen) Freeze them solid, and they‘ll die…! Sorry if that’s not helpful. BRRR.
Even monsters that a 4th-rank knight‘s aura can’t easily penetrate can be killed by freezing.
It seems most monsters can be killed just by freezing them. I‘m curious about its power.
ㄴ Archmage) Kabalax can be repelled with sonic magic, which even a 3rd-rank mage can use… but the problem is that they‘ll spin web barriers around the forest, hibernate for about a month, and return even bigger and stronger.
ㄴ Archmage) By then, you‘d need a high-rank mage or at least a 5th-rank knight to kill them. If you can kill them now, it’s best to do it cleanly.
ㄴ Archmage) Though this is just a one-time exchange meeting quest.
ㄴ As expected, knowledge is power.
ㄴ You‘re talking about the likely smartest being on the continent as if they’re just “knowledgeable.”
ㄴ Sewer Sword Sage) The Climber should be strong enough to kill them.
ㄴ Light‘s Sword) You can kill them one by one. Even a 4th-rank sword aura can do it. Yours seems sturdier than most 4th-rank auras, so it’s possible.
ㄴ Anonymous*) One by one?
ㄴ Light‘s Sword) I’ll explain.
After learning how to kill Kabalax from Light‘s Sword, I put the gallery terminal back into my inventory.
“Move aside.”
The players standing in disarray quickly stepped aside to make way at my words.
I stood at the edge of the fortress wall.
Gerard hurried over and blocked my path.
“I said we just have to hold out.
What are you planning to do?”
I drew my sword, Mundum Exstinguit.
Then, I unleashed a white sword aura.
“Kill them.”
If I can kill them, then I should.
