Chapter 44: In Search of Treasure

As the night drew near, Aaron showed up at the training grounds and called out.

"Sorry for being late."

"What are you saying 'sorry' for?" I muttered as I flung a wooden lance.

Aaron caught it handily.

"If I had been a bit stronger, those two wouldn't have..."

"They died because they were weak. That's the simple truth."

It was evening, and aside from me, Jenna, and Aaron, the training grounds stood empty. The people who had trained during the day had scattered, seeking comfort in their own activities after their meals.

And I understood.

Training tirelessly throughout the day wasn't an easy feat. It's only natural for our human instincts to crave rest after becoming exhausted and tired.

After getting the lance, Aaron plunged it into the training dummy.

His stance was downright commendable, devoid of any unnecessary movements. Thus, Aaron began his familiar routine of 1,000 push-ups.

Meanwhile, Jenna was engrossed in practicing rapid-fire archery at the shooting range.

Her goal was to quickly shoot arrows. In a mere second, she would draw an arrow from her quiver, nock it onto the string, and let it fly. Although she failed numerous times, her accuracy steadily improved as time wore on.

As for myself, I engaged in a slow and deliberate blade swinging practice.

With each swing taking about a minute, it was a training method I had come across in martial arts books. Surprisingly enough, it proved to be highly beneficial. It allowed me to discern where the power resided within my body and which areas required refinement.

And just like that, an hour passed.

I sheathed my blade back into its scabbard.

I wiped away the sweat streaming down my neck with a towel.

The current time was 9:47 PM.

Based on my estimation, there remained about 10 minutes until Anytng would log in.

As I made my way towards the exit of the training grounds, Jenna followed closely behind.

"Expert will join us soon, right?"

"You catch on quickly."

"Well, I'm your main subordinate, after all, oppa."

We stepped out into the square and chose a random bench to settle ourselves upon.

Jenna sat down beside me.

[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]

When the clock struck 10 PM, the sky lit up with glowing lights.

[The loading is complete.]

[T O U C H ! (Selected)]

It had been a month since I arrived in this world.

In Earth's time, barely 10 days had elapsed.

Through my observations during this period, I had learned to recognize Anytng's pattern of logging in.

There was a time difference of approximately threefold between the lounge area and Earth. According to Earth's time, Antng would log in three times each day: morning, afternoon, and evening.

Based on this information, I could create a predictable schedule for Anytng's logins, although the sample size was still lacking. As time passed, it would become more accurate. For now, I had to rely on my instincts.

By the way, time during stages flowed in real-time.

If there was a threefold difference there too, I would have met my downfall yesterday.

["These rats! I told you to emerge to the square once the Expert logs in!"]

Iselle suddenly appeared and shouted.

"Compared to them, our Loki... It would be ideal if the others would learn some things from you. Anyway, remarkable performance in yesterday's battle! To overcome the endurance mission on the fifth floor, even with those clumsy ones, truly highlights you as the Expert of Bosses! You're exceptional, Expert."

"Expert, huh? An expression from a bygone era, indeed."

["AAAH! They're still not out? I won't let them get away with it this time!"]

"Just leave them be. They'll emerge on their own when you call them."

"Well, the number of staff sent for the upcoming battle is limited."

"Okay, I get it. I'll leave them, but just for you."

"What did you say to make her behave that way?"

"It's confidential."

Jenna cast a suspicious look at me, but soon exhaled deeply and relaxed her demeanor.

"So, today is the Weekly Prison, right?"

["Hang on a second! The Expert has logged in."]

Iselle disappeared in a matter of moments.

["Forming a party."]

["Initiate your heroes!"]

"Han() joins Party 4!"

"Jenna() joins Party 4!"

"Lewis() joins Party 4!"

["The Weekly Dungeon."]

"There's not much to see here."

["Open up, the fracture of space and time!"]

The front door squeaked open.

Iselle returned and yelled, "Lewis, Jeffery, Owen, come out now!"

A few seconds later, three men with tired faces emerged into the square.

They seemed annoyed by the interruption while they were resting.

"You five will enter the fracture of existence. Go!"

"Five people? Us and those guys?"

Jenna blinked, her eyes scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

They were people she rarely saw, as they remained on the first floor of the main dungeon. Even those three lowered their heads, seeming uncomfortable in our presence.

I entered the fracture of spacetime.

A few seconds later, the four of them, including Jenna, followed suit.

["Climb the tower and save the world!"]

["Main Prison: Current Floor 5"]["An Ever-changing Dungeon Extravaganza!"]

["Weekly Prison: Candleroot Forest (11 hours)"]["Collect various rare materials!"]

["Exploration Dungeon"]["Access Denied! Clear the tenth floor of the main dungeon."]

As expected, it's open.

The mirror in the

 center, once adorned in gray hues, regained its vibrant colors.

It was the gateway to the Weekly Prison.

"Will you fight alongside us?"

"Yes, it seems to be the case. What's your name?"

"I'm Owen."

He was an average middle-aged man, someone you could find anywhere.

He looked at me with an anxious expression.

"My strength doesn't seem like it would be of much help to you..."

"Quiet down about your concerns. You won't need to fight."

"Really? Well, I guess that's a relief."

Of course, it didn't mean they were necessarily here to spectate.

The mirror in the center began to emit a bright glow.

When the light died down, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar forest.

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