"You know what I want."
"Hand over the mark. You have the power. You can just take on a new quest, can't you?"
The men continued to threaten the woman.
From a quick glance, the information I could deduce from this situation was:
Firstly, the woman had obtained a gold-grade mark.
How do I know? Something is flashing gold above her head. Anyone not noticing would be a fool. It seems that obtaining a mark comes with some kind of advertising feature.
Secondly, violence is not allowed here.
I'm not sure about the exact scope of what constitutes violence or what happens if one uses violence, but she's reluctant to push past the men.
But one thing I wonder... Can't she just jump over them?
Being the curious type, I approached one of the three men blocking the path, the one in the center.
"Excuse me."
"... What?"
He started to shove me aside but stopped when he heard my voice.
"Why doesn't she just jump over you guys?"
"What?"
"I mean... you guys are blocking her, but can't she just quickly jump over?"
"Huh. You must be new here. Just leave."
He turned his attention back without giving a proper answer.
If he won't tell me, I'll just have to find out myself.
"Grunt..."
According to a search on the internet, the world record for a standing jump is 155cm. However, with my enhanced stats from achievements and warrior potions, I can surpass human limits.
I contracted my leg muscles, then explosively released the stored energy. As soon as my feet left the ground, the world seemed to blur from the rapid ascent.
This is the perspective of a superhuman. This is the world of a superhuman. This is...
Bam!
"Choke!"
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed before my eyes, and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and neck. My vision tilted forward.
"What the?"
"Did that guy just jump?"
As the surprised men looked back, the woman seized the opportunity and darted towards the angel.
[You've taken damage.]
[You'll return to the point when you first entered the 2nd floor.]
"...Okay."
Didn't expect a barrier on the ceiling.
If I'd known, I would have jumped more gently. But what's unfair is that even though I raised my hands above my head, I still hit it.
I mean, my arms can pass through the barrier, but my head can't? That seems a bit unfair.
I removed one of my leather shoes and threw it upwards. The shoe bounced back at around 3 meters.
"Hey, buddy..."
Before the loud man could speak, I approached the angel who was still fervently speaking by the fountain.
"With every reward tier..."
"Excuse me, Angel."
"Please wait! I'm in the middle of explaining!"
The angel finished her speech and finally looked at me.
"Yes, what is it?"
"I noticed there's a barrier on the ceiling... My arms can pass through, but why can't my head?"
"Why is that a problem?"
"... Isn't it strange that my arms can pass through, but my head can't?"
"It's not strange! A human is still a human without arms or legs! But without a head, it's not a human! All barriers are based on the head and chest! At least, that's the case on the floors overseen by Archangel Raphael! The detailed reasons for..."
"Thank you."
So, the barrier blocks the head and chest.
Before the angel could continue her lengthy explanation, I quickly walked towards one of the alleyways connected to the construction site.
<2nd Floor>
- Clear Condition: Earn the recognition of the city's residents and bring back a mark of acknowledgment. However, do not leave the city area. Climbers should get along!
- Clear Reward: Varies depending on the grade of the mark.
I had confirmed the rule that says, 'Do not leave the city area.' I physically verified it when I hit the barrier. I've also noted the condition about climbers getting along.
While I'd need to experiment to understand the detailed conditions and penalties... at least, I knew the early arrivals on the 2nd floor were wary of using violence. Now, what I want to find out is about the quest. I need to see how this so-called quest operates.
“I'm passing by.”
“Oh, sure.”
At that moment, a person with a silver emblem floating above walked out from the alley.
Unlike the woman with the gold emblem, he walked up to the angel without any obstacles, presented his emblem, and then disappeared somewhere.
"...Hmm."
I'm sure I saw a group squatting next to the alley I entered from.
I guess these thugs ignore those with silver marks.
Leaving my unnecessary sentiment behind, I hastened my steps into the alley.
As I walked down the narrow alley, it eventually broadened.
"...Hmm."
If the second floor is a city, then the place I arrived at is some kind of residential area. A bed town. On one side, houses of modest size were tightly packed, and on the other side, there were various stores like bakeries, blacksmiths, and grocery stores.
A local resident happened to pass by me.
It was easy to identify him as a resident because, unlike climbers, he wore clothes made of fabric, not leather armor.
“Hello?”
“...Hello.”
The resident responded to my greeting with a look of annoyance. I decided to ask what I intended without hesitation.
“I’m new here... could you possibly guide me a bit?”
“...Well, I guess. I don't have anything else to do anyway.”
Surprisingly, he nodded gently and signaled for me to follow.
“You're a climber, right?”
“There's no need to hide. Everyone here knows. They know about the second floor. After all, they've made a deal with the deity.”
The resident spoke calmly.
"...I see."
“At first, we were enthusiastic... but doing the same thing over and over became tedious. There’s no particular reward either, just the same tasks repeatedly.”
The resident led me to the front of a bakery.
“For example... the owner here gives a silver mark if you bake a loaf of bread. Of course, the owner provides the ingredients.”
“...Is it that easy?”
“There are even easier tasks.”
This time he led me to a beggar lying in a small alley.
“If you give this man anything to eat, he'll give you a bronze mark. Even the failed products from the bakery would suffice.”
“Don’t look so surprised. Unlike the other marks with no limit, there’s no benefit or loss for us with the bronze ones.”
The resident shrugged. Given his explanation, obtaining silver or bronze rewards seemed like a walk in the park.
But I still had some lingering questions.
“How do you earn a gold or platinum mark?”
The resident tried to maintain a neutral face, but I noticed a slight crease in his brow.
“See over there?"
Following his direction, I saw a lavish mansion at the end of the long road.
“That's where the self-proclaimed 'nobles' live. Even in this situation, they are still fussing about maintaining their dignity.”
“...Ah, I see.”
“I know they give a gold mark if they approve of you. They might even give a platinum mark if they really like you, but unlike other marks without a limit, one can only possess three platinum marks.”
"Oh..."
“But... I wouldn’t recommend aiming for a gold mark. Those people are a real pain in the ass. Utterly useless. Personally, I'd just get the silver mark and be done. Tch.”
The thought alone seemed to sicken him, and he spat on the ground.
“Ah... Thank you for your kind guidance.”
After parting with the resident, I started wandering the streets.
There were many residents, and occasionally I spotted players.
If all of them can provide either a bronze or silver mark…
"G..."
It's a lot to take in.
The first thing that comes to mind is, 'Can I complete the same quest from a resident multiple times? Can I possess multiple marks?'
The next question that arose was the enormous gap between silver and gold grades.
Getting a silver mark is too easy. It's practically handed out for free. This seems like a bait for anyone who wants to survive in the tower, or for those who desire to become stronger, pushing them to challenge the gold grade.
Is this intentional? Or does the angel who designed the second floor have a flowery imagination?
And the third point is the conflict between the residents who give bronze and silver marks and those who offer gold marks.
It seemed like there was some underlying story behind this.
However, beyond these three questions, an even more significant doubt was gnawing at my heart.
“It's suspicious... too suspicious...”
I wonder if it's because I'm an avid web novel reader... or if this tower encourages flexible thinking.
Still, I personally think it doesn't make sense for the rewards to just cut off at the platinum grade.
"…No matter how I think about it, there should be more."
A diamond grade reward. Or a hidden reward that can be obtained only once.
The structure of this village... it would be strange if there wasn't any hidden reward.