"... Don't come close. The stench is contagious."
The beggar, seemingly lost in self-loathing, retreated a step for every step I took toward him.
"... Why... did you call me?"
Like a 1/3 taunt minion dark magician from a card game, the beggar slowly shuffled forward.
"... What are you looking at? If you're not giving me food, get lost."
The moment I spoke, the beggar aggressively responded and spat on the ground.
After a quick wash, a haircut, and a change of clothes, he looked like any ordinary citizen.
When did he become a beggar? Everyone is born equal; it's the environment that shapes our appearances.
Walking the streets, I swiftly collected bronze rank mark boxes.
The people actively assisted in restoring their normalcy.
I relieved people from their pains, and naturally, due to the activation of the 'Reverence' trait, a massive crowd was orderly lined up in front of me.
"What did we do wrong? What's the cause of our inability to eat and sleep properly?"
"It's the damned box!"
"What's responsible for this city's twisted structure?"
"It's the damned box!"
"Don't you think we need to save the citizens from the grip of this box? Ahh!"
"We do, Ahhh!"
"Let's go! Let's rescue the people!"
"Wow, Ahhhhhh!"
With the 'Reverence' trait activated, manipulating these people was as easy as pie.
Following my directions, a horde of people moved toward the silver-ranked citizens.
They followed prior instructions, each approaching a citizen and carrying out their given tasks.
The first step was persuasion.
"Excuse me, Mr. Miller."
"Who... oh? Aren't you that beggar? Your name is..."
"That's not important now. Wouldn't you like to be free from the oppression of 'ranking'?"
"... Oppression of ranking?"
"Have you ever wanted to discard that cursed mark box and lead a free life?"
"... Actually, yes. I never wanted to run a vegetable store. I... I wanted to be a singer..."
"Then follow me. You are already one of us."
The player collects the boxes, while others guide the citizens to me.
"Please take me with you."
"Where should we go?"
There were more citizens than expected who resented the life forced upon them by the system.
They obediently approached me, opening their chests and willingly handed over their boxes.
However, not everyone was cooperative.
"Get lost."
"Excuse me?"
"I said leave. I like my life as it is. Living without thinking, just doing as I'm told, isn't it great? This mark box is a symbol of our relationship with God, isn't it?"
There were many silver-ranked citizens who, despite their status, refused to surrender their boxes because they enjoyed their current lives.
Then, the operation moved to phase two.
"Hold on... Who are you guys?"
"Just stay calm. He will be here soon."
"No, who's coming? Get out of my way!"
"We can't let you go. Just wait here."
About five people surrounded and cornered the man, restricting his movement, a tactic similar to that of street thugs blocking an alley.
By utilizing the rule that prohibited violence, they restrained his actions.
Just as players couldn't resort to violence against each other, citizens couldn't harm one another either.
The man, cornered and surrounded by a human barrier, had no choice but to surrender his box to me when I arrived.
Gradually collecting the boxes, we finally dominated one street.
"Let's move on. To the mansion."
Leading the people, I headed towards the mansion where the gold-ranked nobles resided.
"... Climber. What on earth is happening? What are you plotting?"
Baron Rihit, grinding his teeth, glared at me.
Let me reiterate, the nobles are powerful.
If he were to face me without any restrictions, I'd probably have the upper hand in a 7 to 3 ratio. However, with the disadvantage of 'Regression', I'd most likely lose in 9 out of 10 situations. "But no one fights a battle that's disadvantageous for them."
This time too, I used the citizens as human shields to push our way into the mansion.
Even if they're nobles, they are still citizens bound by the rules. Citizens can't harm other citizens. Baron Rihit's magic was sealed.
Of course, a few butlers tried to block the corridors using this rule, but once I took their mark generators, these previously loyal butlers immediately turned on their masters.
When the corridors of the mansion were filled with citizens, Baron Rihit, who had locked himself in a room, was also surrounded by them.
"Why?! Why is this happening? There must be a reason!"
"Weren't you supposed to mediate between the players and the citizens?"
"You neglect your duties and get involved in petty things, don't you?"
Baron Rihit blushed, perhaps a sign of his embarrassment.
I had to be a bit lenient, considering he was acting this way due to the mark's influence.
Using the citizens as a shield, I approached and knocked him out with a stab to his vital spot, then collected all the things I needed.
The people, elated at having dealt with a despised noble, started cheering, but I calmed them with a gesture.
"Don't celebrate just yet. We've only cleaned up one street. There's a long way to go."
We've just started. Many mark generators still remain.
"Let's go. Let's shatter this irrational system."
The revolutionary fervor hadn't died yet.
"Is that everything?"
"Yes. From gold marks to bronze marks. I double-checked the list of people, no one is missing."
"Phew... Good."
I wonder how much time had passed.
Thanks to the time invested, all the 'mark generators' were collected.
Save for almost missing a certain noble who could fly, everything went smoothly according to my plan.
Now, there was no imposed class among the people. There was no system interfering, forcing them to act in a certain way. They could live as they wished.
I had truly brought genuine equality to this city.
But that's from the citizens' perspective.
Being a player, I had my role to fulfill.
With the help of some citizens, I dragged a heavy sack to the square.
Players, overwhelmed by the massive crowd, began to retreat. Some even felt a sense of 'reverence' towards me.
Upon reaching the center of the square, I faced an angel who stared intently, seeming confused by the situation.
"Hello?"
Without hesitation, I smiled confidently at the angel.
"...What are you thinking, Climber? What you're doing seems to have nothing to do with self-improvement."
"Well, you don't need to know..."
I pushed my platinum mark towards the angel.
"I brought this mark. Clear it for me."
"Oh, this sack? This is just... loot? I can take it, right? No one said I couldn't take it outside, right?"
"... It's possible, but I wouldn't recommend it."
"... Why?"
With a malicious grin, I leaned into the angel's face.
"Is there a rule that says that? Isn't there? Why wouldn't you recommend it?"
"... If you take all of them, no one will be able to clear the 2nd floor in the future. Humanity will be one step closer to extinction, and this city will turn into a massive prison."
The angel, as if asking if I was sure, raised an eyebrow.
Was the archangel, Raphael, really concerned about the future of humanity?
"Even so, it's none of my concern. Well, I might leave them behind if there's an appropriate reward..."
But I shrugged, as if humanity's future had nothing to do with me.
The angel was right.
If I took all the 'mark generators' to the next floor, no one would be able to clear the 2nd floor.
Every newcomer to the 2nd floor would be trapped forever, endlessly hoping someone would clear the 66th floor of the tower.
Am I pushing humanity towards its doom? That's right. If the angel simply clears me here, humanity would edge closer to extinction. Those who come after me would be completely eliminated.
But I was certain.
There must be someone who wishes this system to remain unbroken.
Someone who personally reported the city's situation to God, someone who took responsibility for all of this.
There must be a rule-lover who hasn't intervened because everything I've done hasn't broken any rules.
"Are you listening?"
He must be listening.
Hidden somewhere unseen, monitoring the entire city.
I gathered my strength, and shouted to the sky with all my might,
"Come out, Boss!!!"
It's time to confront the master of this city.