[You have entered the 2nd floor.]
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a fountain made of stone.
A vast plaza. A fountain situated in the center. Numerous alleyways branching off from the square.
In the center of the circular fountain, two cute baby angels were aiming bows at each other, the streams of water from the tips of their bows crossing mid-air, producing a beautiful light.
Beside the fountain, an angel was animatedly speaking about something, using a large wooden board as a prop. A few men in brown clothes were nodding in agreement as they listened.
"...Hmm."
Looking around, I could see a medieval fantasy-style city. Houses made of wood. Cobblestone roads. Narrow alleyways. A blue sky and countless people.
It felt as if I had awoken right in the middle of a medieval city.
I was a bit on edge and looked around cautiously, but people seemed preoccupied with their own business and paid me no mind.
Come to think of it, the clothes against my skin felt unfamiliar.
"...My clothes changed?"
I was now wearing a full set of leather – leather pants, armor, and shoes. To any observer, it would clearly be considered a "beginner's set". I had been wearing jeans and a hoodie when I entered the portal, but it seemed my attire had naturally changed upon entering.
Considering my phone was no longer in my pocket, it appeared that everything you bring with you disappears when you enter the 2nd floor.
"...But this is still here."
Correction: almost everything disappears. The 'Warrior's Potion' I had stuffed in my pocket remained. Items from Earth can't be brought, but it seems items from the tower can be taken to the next floor.
As I pondered potential uses for this, I instinctively dodged something from behind.
"...Huh?"
A large black man, who had tried to pat my shoulder, was frozen mid-motion. He didn't seem to have any ill intent, but my reflexive training made me dodge.
"...You're quick on your feet."
The black man, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, was wearing the same leather set I was. Given that others in the vicinity wore the same outfit, it seemed to be the standard gear given to all players.
"Well, good for you."
He smiled broadly, revealing a set of white teeth. "Hey, just got summoned? I saw you appear out of nowhere. I was just 10 seconds ahead of you. Name's David Trout. Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand for a handshake, but I didn't reciprocate. I feared that if he suddenly squeezed hard, I might need to revert back – he seemed about 2 meters tall, after all.
"Don't like touch? Sorry, my bad."
Still, David laughed it off. His Korean was fluent, but his lip movements didn't match his voice. Likely, there was an auto-translation magic feature in the tower.
"Anyway, did you get the stage objective yet?"
"...No."
"Me neither. This place is so user-unfriendly. If this was an online game, it would have tanked by now."
David, shaking his head, was clearly a social butterfly. From our short interaction, I could tell: he was extremely outgoing, while I was more reserved.
"Hey, where are you headed?"
"...Over there."
Ignoring David, who was trying to continue the conversation, I approached the angel beside the fountain.
"Once you get your mark, you'll know what to do!"
The men who were listening to the angel dispersed after the explanation.
"Oh, welcome, Climber! It's great to see you!"
Just like David, the angel was extremely energetic, hopping in place.
"You must've had a tough time, right? I don't know what the designer of the 0th floor was thinking. Isn't it just a death trap? Luckily, it's not managed by other angels."
"But don't worry! The Archangel Raphael, in charge of the 1st to 5th floors, loves humans! We won't force you into deadly situations!" The angel clapped and chuckled gleefully.
Soon after, a familiar message window appeared before my eyes.
<2nd Floor>
- Clear Condition: Earn the recognition of the town's residents and bring back a mark of acknowledgment. However, do not leave the city area. Get along with other climbers!
- Clear Reward: Varies depending on the grade of the mark.
David, the black man behind me, let out an exclamation. The problem was that hearing his reaction only seemed to heighten the angel's excitement.
"When you approach the residents, they will give you tasks! In modern terms, they're called quests! Complete the quests, come back here with the mark..."
Bang! Bang!
The angel tapped a wooden board set beside him.
"...and you've cleared this floor! Additionally, you can choose one reward based on the grade. Even better, you'll receive the reward after safely moving to the 1st floor, so there's no fear of it being stolen. It's like having your cake and eating it too!"
"...?"
Was there such a saying?
Regardless, the wooden board listed four grades: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. I decided to read the details later.
"Archangel Raphael loves all of you humans! All you have to do is strive! Endless self-improvement! Envisioning a better future is the essence of humanity! Show your potential!"
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!!!"
Clap, clap, clap!
I left the overly enthusiastic angel and the equally excited David behind and decided to explore the plaza a bit more. For now, there were no immediate threats, and I didn't feel trapped in an endless loop. But of course, I couldn't let my guard down; the rules could be twisted to someone's advantage. I could feel eyes on me from all around.
Trying to ignore the stares, I quickened my pace towards where the men were reading a large poster on a wall. Even though it was in English, I could read it easily.
"Could this be... the rumored M.Z.?"
"Typical... M.Z."
"...?"
The men discussing the poster were all Caucasians. At first, I thought I had misheard, but seeing the signature at the end of the poster, I realized the initials were indeed M.Z.
"… Michael Jeter?"
It was undoubtedly the initials of Michael Jeter, later known as America's top player. I remembered him well since he held the fate of my coins.
"Oh, you know him? I thought only our American community knew about him... you Eastern folks sure are well-informed."
A Caucasian man turned to look at me.
"...You already have a community?"
"Yeah? Of course. It's not official or anything... but regular people can't hear us anyways."
Apparently, the U.S. already had an informal climbers' community. Thinking about it, Korea probably had one too. A predecessor to PlayerNet must have already been established online somewhere.
"...It recommends stocking up on potions."
Seemingly having conducted the same experiment as me, Michael Jeter recommended obtaining potions first.
Michael Jeter's recommendation was the 'Potion Training Method'. It involved training like mad until your muscles tore, then chugging potions for recovery.
"…Smart, huh?"
If my body wasn't the type to revert when injured, I would've trained like Michael Jeter. After all, muscles supposedly grow stronger as they heal from tearing.
But for me, that advice was useless. If my muscles tore excessively, I'd revert. What good would ultra-fast recovery do me? My fate was to become stronger by simply raising my stats. "Guess it's time to..."
Just as I was about to start exploring the city to get a feel for the quests,
"Heavens...!"
" ... ? "
A woman with a large golden symbol floating above her head was frantically running from a narrow alleyway towards the plaza.
"Whew, whew!"
Judging by her stats, she seemed fairly competent, as her running speed was quite fast.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Three men who had been waiting nearby blocked the alleyway, leaving her with no choice but to stop.
There was no overt violence. They didn't seem to be using any abilities.
They simply blocked the alley with their bodies.
Moreover, the posture of the men blocking the path was... quite sloppy. They definitely weren't strong.
Judging by the performance the woman just displayed, she could easily jump over the men or just push them aside with her strength, but…
"… What do you want?"
Instead of resorting to violence, the woman opted for negotiation.
Having witnessed this whole farce, I was certain:
<2nd Floor>
- Clear Condition: Earn the recognition of the town's residents and bring back a mark of acknowledgment. However, do not leave the city area. Get along with other climbers!
- Clear Reward: Varies depending on the grade of the mark.
Climbers should get along.
Violence is prohibited on the 2nd floor.