Level Up Legacy

  After letting out a shout, the man exploded into countless red lights that illuminated the terrified faces of his comrades. Arthur did not allow this phenomenon to disturb him and proceeded to strike the man on the ground, killing him as well.

As the room was covered with red lights, Arthur turned toward the last one, still on the ground. The smell of urine filled the room as soon as he glared at the man on the ground.

"You have one minute to tell me who you are and why did your group attack me," said Arthur, pointing his sword at the frightened man. "Otherwise, you will die too."

***

Arthur opened the windows and allowed light inside. The room that should have been covered with blood was the same as he left them, without even the bodies of those who died. The only difference was the young man sitting at the room's far end.

After he interrogated the man, Arthur realized the truth behind his quest. It seems that Peter was not someone he should have trusted, and the quest he gave him would either end up in him getting killed for his gold coin or weakened by failing the quest.

As for these men, they were part of a bigger group that hunted newbies, and they were the same men who patrolled the farms and oversaw the food distribution inside Sith Town. They also ensured that no one opposed them by deceiving new arrivals with various methods.

"Then, that Quest that I obtained is illegitimate?" Arthur frowned as he took out the book and looked at it. It was still there with the same description.

"Th-that is not the case," said the man with a stutter as he flinched. Arthur noticed that he was sweating from every pore in his body, and it made Arthur wonder if he was that terrifying or if this man was just a coward. "Peter can give genuine quests at the expense of his reward points. However, he never has to pay them because we always intervene and make their quests fail," said the man as he glanced at the bucket.

"Don't even think about it," said Arthur as he raised his sword. "I might fail the quest, but I can still kill you easily," he said as his lightning crackled. The man flinched again and remained seated. "Then, where is the old nanny?"

"She is upstairs, tied and gagged. At this point, this became a routine, and she could not do a thing about it," said the man, but he got scared when he saw Arthur's furious face. "Please, we are just following orders. This is the only way we could survive in Sith Town."

"And who is that?" asked Arthur as he tightened his grip on the sword and walked toward him. The man grew flustered as he started spewing everything he knew.

"His name is Vesper, and he is the strongest man in Sith Town. No one can disobey him, so we must follow his rules until he allows us to leave this place."

"How do you leave the town?"

"We must reach Level 10 as a challenger before we can pass through the walls. Challengers would face the monsters of the outside, who guard the Path."

"Path?"

"The Path connects the first floor to the second and Sith Town to others. Many travel the first floor because they are too weak or scared to enter the second."

Arthur considered whether Whisker was one of those who traveled through the towns since he looked too strong to be just another nameless challenger.

"How can Peter give Quests even though he works with Vesper?" Arthur asked what bugged him the most. This tower might be unorthodox, but it did not make sense if anyone could give quests to others and force them to follow them.

"I don't know," said the man with a shake of his head. Arthur walked toward him threateningly, making the man back away in his chair while raising his hands. "Please, believe me, all I heard were rumors!"

"Tell me those rumors, then."

"I heard that he is a floor master who could give quests because he obtained an item or a role that lets him do that. What you do with the quests doesn't matter if you become the floor master."

"An item that lets you give quests?" muttered Arthur with a frown. "And what happens to those who die like your friends? Why did they scatter to red lights?"

"If someone dies, they would be sent back to their room with severe restrictions. Their level would decrease by one, and there is a chance that they might drop their items, like the sword that you have in hand."

"I stole this from your friend."

"It should have disappeared alongside its owner since he assigned it as his weapon. However, there is a chance that he drops it, which happened in your case."

"Is it valuable?"

"It costs one gold, quite the sum on the first floor. This is why we hunt newbies and kill them. There is a high chance that they will drop this gold coin since they have nothing but permanent items."

"Explain."

"Return Scrolls and Books are items that a person would not drop even if killed but can be stolen if someone takes them out. Vesper sometimes forces people to give out their scrolls so they cannot return to their rooms and rest."

"You were cooperative enough, but I cannot let you go and warn your mates," said Arthur as he raised his sword again, making the man scream with fright. "You don't need to worry. It will hurt just a bit."

"Please, anything but death! Every time someone dies, they lose some of their selves and memories!" said the man as he was about to fall to the ground.

Arthur paused when he heard that because he was the one who could feel existence the most. Furthermore, he knew what it was like to lose oneself and its accompanying loss. However, that was not the reason why he paused.

Nothing could disappear without a trace, so there must be a destination for these fragments that people lose upon death. Arthur was certain that the one who stole those fragments was none other than the Immortal Sage, the entity behind Yuvan Perli.

Arthur would refrain from killing others if that were the case since that strengthens his final enemy. This man was helpful and a coward, perfect to use for some more time.

"Rise and guide me to the old nanny. If you do anything weird, then you will be killed. Remember that even if I am just a level one, I have this," said Arthur as the colorless lightning crackled over his sword.

"I understand, just don't kill me, please," said the man with fright as he tried to rise. Arthur lowered his sword and watched the man rush to the upper floor, and he followed after him.

The old nanny was tied and looked as old as Grandma Mo. Arthur rescued her and gave her the water, which finished his quest and rewarded him with five points. The woman seemed surprised and worried that those men had been killed, all because of Vesper.

"You be careful, lad. These men know no mercy," said the old woman as she rubbed her swollen wrists. Arthur just smiled and said nothing. "If you can, run outside these walls. Even if you die against monsters, it is better than being devoured by evil."

"I will see how far that evil goes," said Arthur as he turned toward the lackey and glanced at the door. "I have to go now. You should change this house."

"This is where all kids come for food," said the old nanny with a shake of her head. "Even if I spend my life in this house, I still want to provide those lost souls shelter and warm meals."

Arthur looked at the woman gazing at the ground with a hollow stare. He realized that she must have been in this town all her life.

After that, Arthur and the man left the house. After a few steps outside, they heard a snicker from the roof. When they looked up, Arthur saw the same cloaked creature he met earlier, Whisker.

"You proved to be far stronger than I thought, scentless human," said Whisker as he removed his hood. "I might have found the person I have been looking for," said the feline before jumping from the roof and landing beside them.