At first, I thought I had misunderstood.
However, after visiting the mansions of other 'aristocrats', I came to the same conclusion as before.
The aristocrats here... were deeply corrupt.
In summary, their demands were to kidnap someone, beat someone up, or ask one to fight their soldiers and win.
There wasn’t a single request that seemed befitting of a noble.
"It’s strange... too strange..."
There wasn’t just one or two oddities about this city.
First, the city was incredibly affluent thanks to divine grace, yet the bronze class people wore tattered clothes and lived in worn-out houses.
The generosity of the people here was unimaginable. If you ask for fruit, they give fruit; if you ask for a sword, they give a sword.
Absolute peace. I’m confident that even if you left your doors open and slept, nothing would happen.
But... there were beggars on the streets.
Despite resources overflowing, there were beggars sleeping on the streets and begging for food.
Moreover, the aristocrats were blatantly unpleasant.
It felt as if they were provoking, "Hey, players and residents can hit each other? Try hitting them, hit them~".
Exploited residents and wicked, lazy aristocrats. I couldn’t shake off the feeling of artificiality.
And secondly,
This city was promoting wicked deeds.
I heard stories of players who had kidnapped citizens and presented them to the aristocrats for gains in the past.
Of course, the citizens weren’t fools and resisted, often subduing the players... but those were just occasional stories.
If players with powerful attributes started committing evils, the citizens had no means to stop them.
"It's too strange."
Again, this tower was created by a being called "God" to judge humans.
Humans are evil, selfish, lazy, lost in faith... the reasons could be many.
However, this tower was encouraging one to do evil and grow rapidly.
Of course, after completing the 2nd floor tutorial, one might be judged. There's a possibility of rewarding those who climb the tower with honesty and kindness.
But... what if not?
If the judgment only happens after clearing all 66 floors?
If psychopaths who enjoy civilian terror in reality are the most optimized talents to grow rapidly in the tower?
If God's stance is, "Bad guys grow fast, but that's part of the trial. If humans were good, they'd have climbed up helping each other"?
Humanity would have no chance of survival.
Lastly, the structure of the plaza.
The alleyways of the plaza are very narrow. If three people block the way, it’s impassable.
Those who sell their conscience to get a gold mark are designed to get caught by other thugs blocking the way.
There's a saying about crabs in a pot. If you put a lot of crabs in a pot, when one tries to escape, the others pull it back, ensuring none can get out.
"God..."
In fact... although the situation seems impossible, there is a solution.
Bake and boil a few residents, ask them to clear the thugs blocking the way. After all, violence is possible between residents and players.
But would ordinary residents help someone who sacrificed others to get a gold mark?
The twisted and convoluted situation.
In such cases, it's best to solve the task at hand first.
"Were you the one who guided me earlier?"
"Yes... that's right."
"Follow me."
First, I decided to return to Lord Rehit, who gave me the initial task.
“Hm? Where did Miss Emily go? Why did you come back alone?”
Lord Rehit, who was leisurely enjoying coffee and reading a book in the parlor, looked up at me.
Without answering, I stepped forward and swung my sword directly at Lord Rehit.
"Heh... It's useless to... Cough!"
Lord Rehit tried to create a protective barrier in the air, but my blade struck his head before he could finish his words, knocking him unconscious. "...He was quite the hitter."
The sudden surge of energy I felt from him was intimidating. If I had confronted him directly, I probably would've been defeated nine times out of ten. Thankfully, due to his momentary lapse, I was able to take him down in one blow.
"...Let's see."
Rummaging through the unconscious guy's pockets, various perverted items spilled out, items an average adult man wouldn't normally carry. But that wasn't my concern.
"...Found it."
Finally, I discovered two shining platinum marks on his waist and a flat golden box on his chest.
"...Is it over?"
A man cautiously entered the room, glancing around. He was the resident who had guided me when I first arrived in this area.
"Is this what you were looking for?"
"...Yes. It's a mark creation box, usable only by residents."
He took the flat gold box I offered and nodded slightly.
"With this... you can freely produce golden marks."
He then took out a silver box of the same design from his possession and stuffed it into the pocket of the unconscious Lord Rehit.
"So... as promised..."
"Yes. I will assign a proper task. Not to satisfy individual perverted desires... but a task that genuinely helps climbers in their growth. This madness should have stopped long ago."
This was the solution I had come up with.
Replace the noble with someone else and influence them to assign more reasonable tasks.
When I was first guided through the streets, this resident had treated me kindly and showed a rational demeanor.
If this man took over Lord Rehit's position, there would no longer be a need for people to harm residents to obtain golden marks.
"Ah... Aha..."
"While you think about what task you'll assign next, I'll be taking care of him."
"Understood."
I grabbed Lord Rehit by the ankle and dragged him out of the parlor.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
As his head scraped against the corridor floor, Lord Rehit struggled to open his eyes.
"Hey, you should've been more careful. What's with the kidnapping?"
If all the other nobles were replaced in a similar manner, people wouldn't have to commit evil deeds to become stronger.
After all, they say this tower was created by God due to disappointment in humans... preventing further evil acts would be a significant achievement in itself.
If I systematically dismantle the tower's structure, some results will surely emerge.
Now, I need to consider the thugs blocking the plaza, hidden rewards, and the beggars.
I felt the need to investigate why the beggars were living as beggars.
"Ha... Haha..."
My busy train of thought was interrupted by Lord Rehit's laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You're not the first to think this way."
"...?"
His tone had changed.
It wasn't aristocratic... but polite and courteous.
"Do you know the saying, 'The position makes the man'? Was I always a pervert consumed by lust? It just... happens naturally. It's God's will."
"Look behind you."
As I slowly turned my head, the kind town resident was standing outside the parlor.
A treacherous smile on his face.
"Lord Rehit let his guard down... but I don't. I've seen your abilities."
Dozens of glowing orbs floated behind the resident, and a thick protective barrier enveloped him.
"...This is just ridiculous."
Do I have DNA that makes me prone to backstabbing or what?
I sighed heavily and lunged at the man who was once a town resident.
I tried to fight back in my own way, but... it was impossible to perfectly counter this 'magic' I had never seen before.
[You've been injured.]
[You will return to the moment you first entered the 2nd floor.]
"Annoying."
The situation was hopelessly complicated. There were countless hidden agendas.
Getting a mark and then having a person recalibrated for it is absurd in the first place.
"It's just all crap."
I... was trying to derive the best solution.
But right now, everything just felt overwhelming. What's the right answer in the first place?
Am I supposed to overcome this situation virtuously? What am I supposed to do?
I'm not a genius. I'm not a politician. I'm certainly not a hero.
I'm just... an ordinary person with the ability to return.
Strange and seemingly meaningful settings keep popping up, making me feel pressured as if they're urging, 'Why don't you try to solve this one too?'
To find the answer here, I might have to return dozens or hundreds of times.
And on the next floor, go back hundreds of times again to find the answer.
The mere thought of it gives me a headache. The stress feels like it's consuming my sanity.
Setting goals and... moving forward step by step...
I'm tired of all that now.
"...I'll just do what I feel like."
For the first time since entering the tower,
I decided to go with my feelings rather than my reason.