"… What do you mean by that?"
The middle-aged Caucasian man asked me with a puzzled expression.
"Isn't it a good thing that there's plenty of food? Feeding the people behind us was a major concern."
"It's not that simple."
Earlier, Lord Jorge mentioned that they too only had to survive here for 5 days. We have 5 days, and they have 5 days. Humans need to eat, sleep, and relieve themselves, so needing food is a given. At first glance, it seemed we should be happy that the food issue was easily resolved.
"What did the message earlier say?"
"... It said to survive for 5 days."
It wasn't a tutorial or like the second floor where you need to retrieve an item. Nor was it a straightforward challenge like on the third floor. We just had to stay alive.
Thinking about it in reverse, the environment of the fourth floor is likely to threaten our survival.
The cold winter, an isolated castle - it's a tough environment to find food in, even if you can melt snow for water. That's why I was hoping that 'finding food' itself would be the challenge.
Even if there's a difference in abilities among players, all possess abilities beyond those of an average person.
Given the castle's existence, there would be paths, vegetation, and something to eat. If superhumans went hunting, they'd likely succeed.
In the worst-case scenario, we could melt snow for water, eat winter clothes, and somehow survive the 5 days.
But no, there's plenty of food, and even additional winter clothes provided. This means we definitely won't starve.
"... It might have been better if there was a shortage of food."
This means our survival will be threatened by other means, not by starvation.
"We need to gather the players. We can't just stay idle."
Monsters might attack from outside the castle. Or maybe monsters live in the castle's basement.
... Perhaps some of the humans aren't humans. Maybe out of the 100 players, only 50 are real, and the rest are monsters. Or all the otherworldly people are monsters.
The message only instructed 'to survive', so the possibilities are endless.
"Let's split up for now. Gather everyone you see, and let's meet in front of the castle in an hour. Do you agree?"
"... Let's do it."
"Yes."
"We don't have time to search for something like a hidden piece."
No matter what, we need to take action. That was the thought.
Following my suggestion, other players dispersed throughout the castle.
Watching silently, Lord Jorge cautiously spoke.
"You folks..."
"Yes?"
"Are you perhaps from Liftun? Or Alarack? Your accent is unfamiliar. You seem like mercenaries by the vibe you give..."
"... I apologize for not explaining earlier. We probably come from another world. The only similarity is that we have to survive here for 5 days."
I briefly explained to him that the players come from Earth and that suddenly a being claiming to be God transported us here.
"... My God."
Stroking his thick beard and sighing, Lord Jorge said,
"So in your world..."
Lord Jorge's expression momentarily went blank before returning to normal after about 10 seconds.
"... Why aren't you responding?"
When someone speaking suddenly goes expressionless and then asks as if they said something - it's a phenomenon I've seen countless times online. It's the 'information restriction' of the Tower.
"... No, first, what should we do with the people behind?"
"I understand. I'll repay this favor. "
After some discussion, Lord Jorge and his subjects decided to use rooms on the second floor. If they meet a player, they were instructed to relay the message to gather in front of the castle in an hour.
"Now, after your 'meeting' ends... let's have a separate conversation. Thomas! Lead the people and follow!"
"Yes, Lord!"
Lord Jorge, leading his subjects with grace, headed to the second floor.
After confirming their ascent, I turned and headed outside the castle.
"Where did you find the weapons?"
"There's a room in the basement filled with them. There's also a room with just raw materials like wood... There's a variety. But before that, shouldn't we introduce ourselves? I'm William Smith."
"... I'm Junho Kim." "So... Junho, why are you doing that?"
The middle-aged Caucasian man named William Smith, who led the other players, asked me.
It was because I was comically tucking my lips into my mouth.
I hadn't expected it to be this dry. The cold wind made my lips chapped, and I worried they might split and bleed. So, I concluded the best idea was to keep them tucked inside.
After moistening my lips and bringing them out, I checked on the other players. Somehow, I had become the leader, a role I should embrace given the circumstances.
"Is everyone here?"
"Except for one guy holed up near the entrance, everyone's here."
Was that the guy who threatened to resist if we approached his room?
But more importantly, he was alone? Although he claimed 'we', it seemed like a bluff.
"So why did you want to meet outside?"
A man with a rugged appearance, seemingly irritated by the cold, raised his hand and spoke.
"The castle is too cramped for 100 of us. Plus, the echoing inside makes it unsuitable for discussions."
The response didn't come from me, but from another man wearing glasses.
"It's cold, but bear with it for a bit. My glasses are fogging up, which is quite annoying."
But he looked familiar.
"... Glasses-man?"
It was the man with glasses I saw during the tutorial. Ah, the brother of Glasses-jun from the third floor, Glasses-man.
Upon closer look, there was another familiar face next to him. Buffer, Da-hye Baek, who I also recognized from the tutorial.
I didn't expect to see them here. I considered greeting them, but they wouldn't recognize me. I had already reset the episode in which I had any significant interaction with them.
"Ahem, if you could please listen to me for a moment."
I was momentarily distracted by the unexpected faces, but that doesn't change what I had to do. Using my curiosity trait, I naturally drew everyone's attention and repeated what I had told William Smith earlier.
"... So, it's logical to expect some threat, either outside or inside the castle."
"Mmm..."
"Uh-huh..."
"That makes sense."
It's been less than two months since the initial tutorial started, and this is the fourth floor. Those without a certain level of enhancement and sense couldn't have made it this far.
Moreover, the message clearly stated that the goal was to survive. The weight of potentially losing one's life made people think rationally. Naturally, the players agreed with my perspective.
But knowing something is coming doesn't mean the situation has significantly changed.
"So, what do you think we should do?"
The rugged-faced man who had asked me earlier about meeting outside posed the question.
"I've only outlined possibilities. I'm not certain about any specific course of action."
He was right.
I was still in my first run, uncertain of what was to come.
Whether something would emerge from outside the castle, from within, or if the castle itself was a trap, I couldn't be sure. If I had already gone through a reset, I might've confidently bluffed my way through, but I couldn't now.
"... For now, we must explore all possible scenarios. 'Survival' is at stake."
We'd have to repair the castle walls to some extent, prepare barricades, set up guards, and simultaneously search the castle, looking out for anything unusual. We had no choice but to do both.
"The otherworldly residents are on the second floor. We should search the basement as thoroughly as possible. Check the walls, the floors, everything. If we don't find anything, we move to the first floor."
There was a reason I directed Lord Jorge to the second floor. If a monster or a hidden piece was to appear, I assessed it'd be more likely to be in the basement.
"Speaking of which, otherworldly residents? Who are they?"
The question came from a woman with a prominent chin.
"... Well..."
Earlier, I saw people within a black semi-sphere. They seemed to have been pulled from their world, like us on the second floor, and if they survive five days, they'd return to their original world. So, we formed a temporary alliance... After explaining this to her... The woman, with a seemingly disgruntled expression, jutted her chin out even more.
"... Do we really have to stick with these otherworldly people? I mean, come on."
She raised her voice, looking around as if seeking approval.
"This survival mission came out of the blue. The gentleman speaking earlier wasn't even sure what's coming, right? What if those people suddenly turn into demons? Okay, maybe that's a bit exaggerated. We're the players, the superhumans, and this is the fourth floor of a tower that tries to kill such superhumans. Is it really worth the effort to carry around hundreds of non-combatants? This floor doesn't seem to have the luxury of extra baggage. We're already struggling to survive ourselves."
A few nodded cautiously after hearing her words.
Her tone might've been brash, but she wasn't wrong. The difficulty of the fourth floor was a complete unknown, and it didn't seem feasible to carry along hundreds of ordinary people with no combat skills.
From my perspective, sticking together was the right move. It wasn't just about 'helping them because they're people,' but because there was a possibility of receiving a bonus reward for saving them.
However, I couldn't convince her with that logic. Telling her, "I'll reset this run, so just sacrifice a bit this time," sounded absurd.
What should I do? Maybe perform a sword dance? The aura I felt from the woman wasn't impressive, so if I lightly threatened her, my 'Reverence' trait might activate immediately.
Lost in thought and weighing various options, a voice interrupted.
"There's no need for that."
Despite the loud wind, a deep and clear male voice resonated. The automatically translated voice had an old-fashioned yet unfamiliar tone, capturing everyone's attention.
"I've heard everything. I understand your concerns. But it's okay."
Step by step.
Unfazed by the intensity emanating from the players, the man gracefully walked towards me.
The faint smile on his lips was truly aristocratic; there was no other way to describe it.
"We, the otherworldly residents and I, will certainly be of great help to you."
There was only one man like this on the fourth floor.
"I, Lord Jorge, guarantee it."