Free 10 Draws (2)

A middle-aged man stepped forward, as if to calm those around him.

"The one thing we know for sure is that none of us, including you, know anything about this place. If we start by sharing what we know, we might gain some valuable information. How about we begin with introductions? Does anyone have any objections?"

The room was silent. The man smiled satisfactorily and then spoke.

"I'll start with my introduction. I'm Lyle. Forty-four. I run a woodworking shop in Edora. I have a wife and two daughters. As for why I'm here... I'm sorry, but I don't remember. Next, would you go?"

"Grit. Thirty-two. I was a street vendor in Halsea. I also have no idea why I'm here."

The people began to introduce themselves in a clockwise direction.

They were all different ages and had various occupations: merchants, woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, stablemen, butchers...

They described occupations that had disappeared long ago. They were dressed in clothes made of roughly woven leather and fabrics and mentioned place names I had never heard of.

Isell had said that I was from Taonia. Although I didn't know why, the clothes I was wearing when I arrived here were similar to theirs, not my tracksuit.

Unlike Sher, these people seemed to have no idea about the current situation.

Anyway, my prediction was correct.

These people are not from Earth. They seemed to be from a continent called 'Taonia' that Isel mentioned. It appeared that humans lived there too, but their civilization was far behind that of Earth. Out of the eleven people, I was the only one from Earth.

The introductions of the people gathered in the square were completed.

All we learned from the introductions was that none of them knew anything. Lyle repeatedly asked if anyone remembered how they got here, but no one, including himself, knew.

"This is quite troubling..."

Lyle stroked his beard with a troubled expression. However, he soon clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention and spoke.

"Let's look around this place for now. It might be dangerous to go alone, so let's form groups of four, three, and three..."

[What are you talking about, old man!]

As expected, it appeared.

Isel sprinkled stardust and circled above us.

[It seems the Master is going to open the rift in space-time, so get ready to fight!]

"Y-you are...?"

[I'm Isel, the fairy managing this place! If you don't want to get hurt, don't mess around.]

A man stepped forward.

I brightened my eyes. His name was Mormont. He was the only one among us with two stars. He said he used to be a mercenary. He wore worn-out leather armor and had a proper sword at his waist.

'Status Window.'

I murmured while looking at Mormont.

[Mormont Carl (★★) Lv. 1 (Exp 0/10)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 14/14]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Stamina: 12/12]

[Agility: 12/12]

[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.1)]

His initial stats weren't bad. Even his intelligence, which is useless except for mages, was 10. He was much better compared to the one-star individuals who started with all stats at 10.

Mormont, who had stepped forward, spoke.

"Are you the one who summoned us?"

[What are you going to do if I am!]

Srrng.

At the sharp sound of metal, everyone held their breath. Mormont drew his sword and pointed it at Isel.

"I'll make you spill everything!"

Mormont shouted as he thrust his sword.

It was quite a spirited thrust.

[Mormont (★★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His spirit will be remembered forever.] [Sudden death!] [Cause of death - Suicide due to stress] [Tips/ Heroes can become exhausted, depressed, or panic. Reduce their stress levels! Provide heroes with rest and playthings. You can prevent mysterious sudden deaths.]

Thud.

Mormont's headless body collapsed.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"W-what is this! Is he dead? He's dead! What's going on here!"

[I told you not to mess around if you didn't want to die. If you had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened. Touch me, and it's self-defense. Got it?]

Isel flicked his right hand, scattering blood droplets. With that tiny hand, he had instantly crushed an adult man's head.

Suicide due to stress?

How is that suicide in any way!

"Uuugh, ugh, blargh!"

A few people with weak stomachs crouched and vomited.

I also felt nauseous. There was a human corpse right in front of me.

I gritted my teeth.

I desperately tried to regain my sanity, which seemed on the verge of breaking.

[A party is being formed.] [Drag and drop heroes!] ['Lyle (★)' has joined 'Party 1'!] ['Ranto (★)' has joined 'Party 1'!] ['Marlene (★)' has joined 'Party 1'!] ['Kelcord (★)' has joined 'Party 1'!] ['Jaxon (★)' has joined 'Party 1'!]

'It has begun.'

[Open, rift in space-time!]

The door at the front of the square creaked open.

"What, what is going on here. What is happening!"

"Stay calm! Stay calm! Calm down! So, why did you summon us? If you want something, just say it!"

Lyle stammered as he asked Isel.

Isel picked her ear with her index finger and spoke.

[What I want? Just listen to me, fight well, and win. That's all. Easy, right?]

"Y-yeah, what should we do?"

"Those I called, step forward. Lyle, Ranto, Marlene, Kelcord, Jaxon!"

"Me, you mean?"

"If you don't want to end up like him, then step forward."

Isel pointed at the headless corpse. The five of them, albeit reluctantly, stepped forward.

"Line up. See that door? Go through it."

"Wait!"

I spoke.

"Is it you again? What now?"

"You want to climb the tower too, don't you?"

Isel's expression twisted.

It seemed I hit the mark. If I hadn't, there was no reason for her to get so angry when Shay was synthesized. She would've just laughed.

"So what?"

"Let the master draw weapons. We're all one-star. We don't even have basic weapons. You're not planning to send a suicide squad, are you?"

"That's… true. Hold on a moment!"

Isel disappeared with a sparkle.

"Master, the heroes lack equipment. How about summoning equipment for smoother battles before they embark on their adventure? Tips: Heroes without weapons will enter battle with a rusty iron sword (F). If you place equipment in the armory, the heroes will automatically equip them. You can also specify the weapons they'll carry. Don't forget to prepare the equipment!"

Another one of my assumptions was correct.

Isel could interfere with the system messages.

Following Isel's guidance, the master entered the summoning chamber and began summoning immediately.

"Equipment Summon"

"Summoning items."

"One-time summon – 5,000 gold"

"Ten-time summon – 50,000 gold"

"Master, commencing a ten-time equipment summon."

Click, whirrr.

Ding!

"Master 'Amkena' has obtained 'Iron Sword (E+)!' Master 'Amkena' has obtained 'Crude Bow (E-)!' Master 'Amkena' has…."

Lyle approached me.

"You, you're Han, right? Do you know anything about this place?"

"I haven't been here long, so I don't know much. One thing I do know is that if we mess around, we could die. So everyone, I suggest you grab a weapon from there. It'll start soon."

"What's going to start?"

"Battle."

"Battle, you say?"

"If you don't want to, stay there." I entered the armory. Various weapons were displayed in the old display cases. They were items obtained from Amkena's ten-time equipment summon: iron swords, bows, maces, spears. There was a variety.

Before long, people started flooding into the armory.

"Do we just choose a weapon from here?"

A middle-aged woman asked me with a nervous look.

I nodded.

"I-I don't know anything about fighting! I never even fought as a kid!"

"Just pick one. Choose and think later!"

"This one's mine!"

The nine people clamored and started rummaging through the armory.

The highest-grade weapon seemed to be that one. I looked at the mace Lyle was holding dearly. It had a spiked iron ball at the end.

"Morning Star"

"Grade D+"

Lyle flinched when our eyes met. He seemed to think I would take it from him. I smiled and turned away.

Don't worry. I won't take it.

I picked up a piece of equipment from the corner of the armory.

"Crude Wooden Shield"

"Grade E+"

'There it is.'

I was worried it might not appear. When heroes are low level and inexperienced in battle, which equipment increases their survivability the most? This was one of the tips I learned from nurturing one-star heroes in multiple sets.

The ones with the highest chance of survival were those holding shields.

"Everyone out of the armory! It's starting now!"

Isel barked in the square.

Each person grabbed one piece of equipment and exited the armory. Mormont's body, the blood, and the vomit that had been in the square had all disappeared.

"What happened here?"

"Is it magic?"

"Quiet! I called earlier, right? Lyle, Ranto, Marlene, Kelcord, Jaxon! Those five, go through that door. Now!"

The five called individuals hesitated but eventually entered the door. Isell followed them in, and the door slammed shut.

Silence.

The remaining four stood around blankly.

I was sitting near the rift, inspecting my shield. Checking for any breaks or holes, ensuring it could properly block an enemy's attack.

No problems.

It was a crude shield made from oak, but it should easily block a goblin's sword or stone throw.

"Do you know what's going to happen?"

A girl holding a bow approached me.

She had long red hair with freckles. She was a head shorter than me and her skin was tanned brown.

"More or less."

"What's going to happen to us? Why do we need weapons? Where is this place? What is that fairy?"

She fired off questions like a machine gun.

This was why I tried to pretend I didn't know. When I intervened earlier, it wasn't particularly for their sake. It was to increase my own chances of survival. Mormont, the professional mercenary, had died, and the remaining four didn't seem like they could fight well.

An old coachman, Gael, who had driven carriages all his life.

A street vendor, Grit, who had never fought a friend.

A fat man, Dazil, who seemed too overweight to run.

And this impudent girl, Jena.

'That's why they're one-star.'

If we're unlucky, we might die on the first floor.

I gave a rough answer.

"We're about to enter a battlefield. We have to kill all the enemies there. The rest, I don't know, so figure it out yourself."

"Battlefield?"

I fell silent.

Jena kept pestering me with questions, but I didn't respond. Eventually, she gave up and sat against the wall.

"Marlene (★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. Her spirit will be remembered forever."

She died already.

The monsters that appear below the 10th floor are mostly goblins.

I wanted to see the battle scene, but no visuals appeared. The system only informed us of the results.

"Kelcord (★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His spirit will be remembered forever."

"Ranto (★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His spirit will be remembered forever."

I stood up.

No way, did they all die on the first floor?

"Jaxon (★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His spirit will be remembered forever."

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Quiet."

"Lyle (★) has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His spirit will be remembered forever." "Party 1 has been annihilated." "You Lose!"

"You useless bastards!"

Isel stomped her feet in frustration. Her face turned red.

I was also a bit stunned.

It's not easy to be wiped out on the first floor.

This might be the fate of a master who lost rare heroes obtained for free. If Shay had been here, she would have handled everything alone.

"Forming a party." "Drag and drop heroes!" "Han (★) has joined 'Party 1!'" "Jena (★) has joined 'Party 1!'" "Dazil (★) has joined 'Party 1!'" "Grit (★) has joined 'Party 1!'" "Gael (★) has joined 'Party 1!'"

Out of the 11 heroes, 6 had died, leaving 5.

The master now had three choices.

One, use the 500 gems obtained as a tutorial reward to do a premium summon. A hero of three stars or higher would come out, and with their abilities, clearing the first floor wouldn't be difficult.

Two, use the 500 gems to buy a training center, strengthen the heroes, and then deploy them.

Three, just throw the remaining one-stars into the fray.

"Open, rift in space-time!"

...It seems like the third option was chosen.