Chapter 102: Chapter 102 Mafia (1)

Mafia (1)

“Wh, what the hell! Suddenly…”

“Earthquake…?”

The explorers who were sleeping wake up at the tremors that spread through the ground.

I realize…

Once a Hans, always a Hans.

‘I can’t believe even changing his name wouldn’t work.’

I sigh deeply and look at Hanst…

No, the man who will now be remembered as Hans G, one last time.

“I, I didn’t do anything!”

Yeah, I know.

There’s no way you could have opened a rift while being here.

It’s just my shitty luck.

“Bjorn?”

“Run!”

I grab Misha and start running.

Because there’s no time.

Misha asks, even though I didn’t explain anything,

“…Don’t tell me a rift opened?”

“Yeah.”

Just like my life, another shitty thing has happened.

Of course, it’s not the kind of shitty thing that threatens my life.

But…

‘Damn it, how much did I spend?’

I chose a rift to enter and bought items accordingly.

I even enchanted everything with the lightning attribute, feeling excited.

But what the hell is this?

“Bjorn! Over there!”

Some bastard ruined my plan.

Is it a player?

Or just someone who knows a lot about this world?

Well, I’ll get a sense of it once we enter.

Whoosh!

A portal forms in the direction Misha pointed.

By now, thousands of portals must have been generated throughout the 1st floor.

“Misha!”

I pull Misha close and hug her, just in case we get separated.

And I step into the portal.

______________________

「Character has entered the 1st Floor Rift.」

______________________

Kwaaang!

I land with a heavy thud and put Misha down.

And I immediately check the surroundings.

It seems like we barely made it as the last ones, as there are already three men and women inside the rift.

I examine them one by one.

“Oh, a barbarian and a beastman, that’s reassuring already. Nice to meet you, please call me Kalson.”

First, a human man.

He’s about 170 centimeters tall and uses a sword.

If I were to describe his first impression as an animal…

Hmm, I think a rat would be appropriate.

“…I won’t be a burden. I’m Avman Urikfrit.”

Second, a beastman man.

Judging by the round ears on top of his head, he seems to be from the Black Bear tribe, one of the seven major tribes.

His defining features are his muscular build and his giant crossbow that resembles a siege weapon.

“Hello, I’m Jensia Nayfrin. I use this sword as my weapon. I’ll try my best not to be a burden.”

Lastly, a human woman.

She’s about 165 centimeters tall and has a pretty face.

And surprisingly, she has black hair in twin tails.

It doesn’t look bad on her, but I never thought I would actually see someone with this hairstyle.

Anyway, since it’s our turn, I introduce myself as the representative.

“I’m Bjorn, son of Thor, and this is Michelle. As you can see, we’re a team.”

“Huh?”

What do you mean, ‘huh’?

When I give her a look that says ‘stay quiet’, Misha purses her lips as if she understands. And she relaxes her eyes and stares into space.

…Is that her poker face?

It’s obviously strange, so I lead the conversation before anyone notices.

“I’m the main tank in the labyrinth, and I’m most confident in that role. What are you guys good at?”

When entering a rift, it’s the most basic procedure to check each other’s strength.

“I’m good with swords! Ah, and I’ve absorbed the Goblin Archer’s essence, and I received training as a scout when I was young, so I’m somewhat knowledgeable about traps and mechanical devices.”

The woman named Jensia explains herself in more detail.

Goblin Archer’s essence, not even Goblin Swordsman?

I think to myself, ‘what kind of shitty essence is that?’ as soon as I hear it, but it’s not something to worry about too much.

She’s not a character I’m raising.

And besides, just by looking at her equipment, I can tell she’s a newbie.

“I mainly use a sword and shield. That… Mr. Bjorn? Anyway, although I’m not as good as you, I usually take the role of receiving attacks in the front lines when I’m in a team.”

Sword and shield warrior, Kalson, is better than Jensia, but ultimately similar.

Maybe mid-2nd floor level?

Still, judging by the fact that he didn’t reveal his essence like the woman earlier, he seems to have more experience.

Well, or maybe he just hasn’t absorbed any.

‘Two newbies besides the powerful one, huh…’

Well, I kind of expected it.

The situation is different from when I met Hikurod and Raven. It’s only been three months since the rift opened, so the method of waiting beforehand is impossible.

And it opened on the first day, so this is as good as it gets. Otherwise, the place would be swarming with locals who haven’t even reached the 2nd floor.

‘In that sense, it’s still suspicious.’

I turn my gaze to the last member.

But did he take it as a sign to hurry up and introduce himself?

“As you can see.”

The macho bear-like man with a beard and muscles shrugs his massive crossbow.

He’s the only experienced explorer among the three.

I ask directly, like a barbarian,

“I’d like you to tell me clearly how reliable you are.”

“Shouldn’t you tell me first?”

Uh, that’s true.

“I’m a 6th-grade, and Michelle is a 7th-grade explorer. We used to operate on the 4th floor.”

“I see, I’m 5th-grade.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Damn it, he’s not just experienced, he’s high-ranking.

Generally, 6th-grade is considered experienced, 5th-grade is high-ranking, and 4th-grade is top-tier.

That’s because the gap between ranks widens significantly from 6th grade onwards, and the guild even conducts promotion evaluations.

Tsk, this is getting even more suspicious.

“Why is a 6th-grade explorer here?”

“The same goes for you.”

Geez, this man doesn’t let a single word go.

“…We used to be in a team, but due to some circumstances, we entered as a duo. We haven’t been able to reach the 2nd floor yet because we don’t have a scout, but we entered because a rift opened.”

It’s an answer I prepared to give if anyone was suspicious when I opened the rift.

However…

“That’s a coincidence. I’m similar. Well, it’s been a while since I left my original team.”

Phew, damn it.

‘Is he lying or telling the truth?’

I wonder if there really is an archer who’s tough enough to solo, but looking at that macho man’s face, it’s believable.

‘Still, I should be most careful of this man.’

I designate the bear-like man as my number one target for suspicion.

His strength is one thing, but the circumstances are all suspicious.

‘In the first place, if it weren’t for this man, there’s no one else who would be able to go to the 2nd floor and mine 8th-grade magic stones at this time.’

Of course, that’s just based on the information that’s been revealed so far.

Kalson and Jensia…

…or ‘Jenson’ for short… might be hiding their true strength.

“Ah, but who entered first?”

I ask casually, as if out of curiosity.

Who opened the rift?

If they’re not all in cahoots, this one question should reveal the truth.

But…

“Who knows? I think we all entered together…”

“It was too simultaneous to say who was first.”

“You’re worried about strange things.”

As expected, I’m not allowed to exploit the system.

Phew, damn it.

This is like a game of Mafia.

_______________________

Someone opened the rift.

With this, my plan has gone awry in many ways.

First of all, there’s the loot distribution issue.

“Alright, then it’s decided.”

After some discussion, it’s agreed that Misha, the bear-like man, and I will each get three shares, and Kalson and Jensia… or ‘Jenson’ for short… will split one share.

The world of explorers is ruthless.

“It’s not that bad of a deal. We’ll give you all the remaining essences.”

“Yes…”

It’s the classic ‘pulling the ladder up after you’.

It’s the same thing I did to the dwarf and Raven in the Crimson Fortress.

For reference, I was also planning to do that.

Because what would I gain by being generous and considerate in this situation?

‘Tsk, he’s surprisingly kind despite his appearance. I was going to keep all the magic stones too.’

My plan was to open the rift around Day 3.

And then I was going to monopolize everything and make the 1st-floor locals clean up the leftovers.

But the bear-like man variable appeared, and I had to make significant concessions in the distribution.

Although Misha is supposed to absorb the guardian’s essence…

…if a Numbered Item or a Rift Stone drops, I have to roll dice with the bear-like man.

‘Ha, I’m not confident in dice rolls.’

My stomach already hurts.

It’s not that I think I’ll lose, but I don’t think I’ll win either.

That’s why I was trying to avoid the variable of dice rolls…

“Then let’s get going.”

I push aside my lingering thoughts and move forward.

Behind me, ‘Jenson’ is on either side, then the bear-like man, and finally Misha at the back.

Crackle.

I hear a cracking sound with every step I take, as if we’re walking on thin ice.

It’s not an inaccurate description.

We’re currently crossing a frozen lake.

That’s the only blessing in disguise.

‘At least we can use the items we prepared.’

There are four 1st-floor rifts in total.

The monsters that appear, the difficulty level, and even the rewards vary depending on the type.

So where should we go?

After much deliberation, I chose one place, and coincidentally, it’s the place where I’m walking right now.

[Glacier Cave]

It’s a rift that opens when you offer the magic stone of an 8th-grade monster that appears on the 2nd floor Beast’s Lair at the altar.

For reference, the selection criteria was solely for Misha.

Well, I also have one essence slot left after reaching level 4, but…

‘There’s nothing worth absorbing.’

It’s just a 1st-floor rift, after all.

Even the guardian is only 7th-grade, and they don’t drop essences that suit me.

‘In the first place, the reason this man readily gave up the essence must be because of that.’

Anyway, that’s why it’s more efficient to raise Misha for now and use her to fill the empty slot with a better essence later.

‘…Wait, come to think of it, I did the same thing last time, and then Ainar left for the sanctuary…’

There’s no way that will happen again… right?

“Why did you suddenly stop?”

“It’s nothing.”

I shake off the thought that suddenly crossed my mind and focus on my surroundings.

We’ve entered the rift, after all.

And there’s even a mysterious mafia member, so it’s not the time to be spacing out.

Swaaaaaaaaa-.

A frozen snow mountain.

Snowflakes are falling from above.

And the sunlight reflecting off the ice feels even more intense.

‘It’s strange to be in a place like this after always being in dark places.’

After walking for about 30 minutes, the lake area ends, and a suspicious cave appears, leading underground.

For reference, there’s a monster blocking the path.

“Grooooowl!”

The 7th-grade monster, Yeti.

It’s an elite monster that only appears in the ‘Glacier Cave’ and acts as a gatekeeper from the start.

Jensia mutters as she sees the creature letting out a threatening roar as soon as it sees us,

“Do, do we have to kill that and then go down?”

The answer comes from the bear-like man.

“I don’t know what this place is like, but in rifts, the places with monsters are usually the way forward.”

It’s an answer that makes me nod involuntarily as a gamer.

He’s getting even more suspicious…

“You two, stay behind so you don’t die needlessly.”

“…Is that really okay?”

‘Jenson’ looks at Misha and me at the bear-like man’s kind consideration. Well, it would be shameless to ask them to risk their lives for just a 10% share of the magic stones.

So I just tell them to do as he says.

In the first place, it would just be annoying if they were hovering around.

“I’ll go first.”

The bear-like man finally takes off his giant crossbow from his back.

And…

Whoosh!

The battle begins with the firing of an arrow.