As they walked, Vivian pulled up his Status menu. I’ve spent some time leveling, so I should be a bit closer to level twenty now. I know I saw the Level Up message a few times. Let’s see how high I got!

Level +4

[Status]

HP: 4/10

SP: 0/5

STR: 5

MAG: 1

SKL: 7

SPD: 16

MDEF: 5

DEF: 5

Skills

[Tiptoe Through the Tulips] Lvl 1

[Gardenational Awareness] Lvl 1

[Plant Appraisal] Lvl 1

[Splice] Lvl 1

[Dig] Lvl 1

[Claw] Lvl 1

[Rake] Lvl 1

[Trim] Lvl 1

[No More Human Meat] Event

[What is Lost Cannot be Found] Legendary

Vivian put his hand on his chin, looking over his stats. Hmm. I could go for an even twenty in speed, but at this point, that isn’t going to make as much difference as pumping up a lesser stat. I can already out-speed secret bosses. We’ve hit the point of diminishing returns, at least for Floor One.

Considering my skills… I don’t think it’s worth pumping up a single skill to level five. Although I’m real curious about Splice, I don’t think I’ll see the next level of it at level five, and even if I do, we’re going into battle, not taking our time and exploring skills. Maybe once we hit Floor Ten…

Floor Ten, huh.

Yeah, that’s gonna be… He snorted, cutting a look at Kyung.

Kyung arched a brow at him.

“Nothing, nothing,” Vivian said, waving his hand. Can’t wait to see how Mr. Stoic K-Pop idol reacts to that floor’s, er, ‘unique’ properties.

Back to my level-ups. If I’m not going to put points in a skill, that puts me back at looking at stats. I run out of SP way too fast, and my HP is dangerously low. If I had ten SP, I’d really never have to worry about it again, but that might be a waste, since I’m not an SP-heavy fighter. On the other hand, four points in HP, at best, will take me from one-hit chump to two-hit chump. Fourteen HP and ten HP aren’t that different from one another in an actual fight. Any boss will likely do enough damage to kill me in one hit anyways. Still, fourteen HP might mean I’m not as much in danger of dying to random chip damage.

STR… classic. MAG… not for me. SKL is Kyung’s gimmick. Already covered SPD. MDEF and DEF… I could push those both up to seven, but it might be better to consolidate my defenses and put it all into HP instead, which will allow me to soak just as much damage from both magic and physical attacks, instead of specializing in one or the other.

He twisted his lips, then shrugged. Eh, whatever. I’ll die again and reset my stats sooner rather than later, in all likelihood. No point worrying too much. Raising his hand, he put three of the points into HP.

Level: 12

HP: 13/13

Oooh, unlucky!

I’ll hold one point in reserve, so I can use it as a free potion in combat. Vivian waved his hand, dismissing the menu. He glanced at Kyung.

“Yes?” Kyung asked.

“Have you allotted your stat points yet?” he asked.

Kyung nodded.

“Swordsmaster build? STR, SKL, SPD?” Vivian asked.

Kyung raised an eyebrow.

“What? We’re in a party. We should know one another’s builds so we don’t overlap. It’s not like I can guess your build based on your class,” Vivian said, shrugging.

At that, Kyung nodded. “Swordsmaster build. And you?”

“Uh, I put a shit-ton of points into SPD, and a couple of points in HP. It’s not really a build, but it seems reasonable,” Vivian said, shrugging.

“Pure speed… there are worse builds,” Kyung allowed.

“Which means you’re our heavy hitter. We can both be considered dodge-tanks at this point, but we don’t have a proper front-liner or anything resembling a DEF build. Noah! What’s your build?” Vivian called over his shoulder.

Noah jumped. “Er, build? I’m… pretty small…”

“No, not your body type. Your stat distribution. What did you put points into? Or rather, what do your points look like?” Vivian asked.

“Oh! Oh. Here.” He poked at the air, then threw his hand out, and a menu appeared before Vivian.

Level: 9

[Status]

HP: 15/15

SP: 14/15

STR: 0

MAG: 12

SKL: 2

SPD: 5

MDEF: 10

DEF: 1

Skills

[Fire] Lvl 2

[Ice] Lvl 4

[Wind] Lvl 1

[Lightning] Lvl 1

[Mage Armor] Lvl 1

Grants MDEF + 5

Vivian whistled, shaking his head. “Damn. Those are some Player stats.”

“Huh?” Noah asked.

“We only get one point per level,” Vivian explained.

Noah’s eyes widened. “Oof.”

“Yeah, big oof.” Vivian scanned the stats again, then nodded. “So we have an MDEF tank. That’s good.”

“Do you need a particular build? I can aim for that,” Isa offered haughtily, arms crossed and chin high.

“Well, Kyung’s a DPS unit, and I’m pretty much speed only right now. Noah’s a mage with high MDEF… that is, a classic mage build. We don’t have a DEF tank, and if Kyung’s full Swordsmaster, he does lots of little hits, not single big hits, so he’ll only do chip damage against high-DEF enemies.”

Kyung glanced up, then nodded.

Vivian nodded. “So what we need is a high DEF, high STR unit. Dump SPD and SKL, focus DEF and STR.”

“I can do that,” Isa muttered.

Vivian took a deep breath. He turned and faced her, putting a smile on his face. “Isa, I might have been a bit rude earlier, and I’d like to apologize for that.”

“Would you?” Isa asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Not really, no,” Vivian admitted.

She crossed her arms again and pressed her lips together.

“That’s not the point, though. Look. Kyung and I are only two NPCs. We just can’t carry two party members through the final map at once. But there’s time yet. If you can hit level ten before tomorrow… no, even level five, you’ll be much more helpful to the party,” Vivian said, nodding.

“Mhm,” Isa said, annoyed.

Kyung looked at Vivian and shook his head. “Better not to talk.”

“But talking is my best skill,” Vivian said, frowning.

Turning to Isa, Kyung nodded. “He’s irritating, but it is true. It would help a lot. He and I are both well below level twenty. We’re going to struggle to pass the Ruined Castle. You know that. You saw us run from the hobgoblins.”

“That’s true,” Isa said. She sighed. “I know. I know I’m level one and I’m a liability. It’s just…”

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“He’s annoying, yes. Very annoying,” Kyung said.

Isa nodded. “I’ll try to level up. I don’t want to end up waiting on that event again.”

“What was that like?” Vivian asked.

“What?” Isa demanded, whirling to glare at him.

Kyung sighed, shaking his head. “Just when I was winning her over…”

Vivian nodded, ignoring Kyung. “When you weren’t alive or dead, but waiting to respawn. I can never remember, but I also don’t spend long in that state. Were you ever conscious in that state?”

Isa opened her mouth, then closed it. She frowned. Resting a finger on her lips, she stared at the sky and hummed. “It’s… um, it’s…”

Vivian tilted his head, waiting patiently.

She shook her head. “It’s hard to describe. I wasn’t fully conscious, but I wasn’t fully unconscious either. It’s a lot like dozing, somewhere between being awake and asleep. I knew time was passing, but I couldn’t keep an accurate track of how much. Sometimes hours would pass like seconds, and sometimes seconds would pass like hours. It was dark, and…” Isa fell silent.

“And?” Vivian asked.

Isa shook her head. “And, that’s all. I don’t remember much of being in that state.”

Vivian nodded. He pointed ahead of them. “We’re almost there. Get ready to act like ordinary NPCs.”

“When have you ever done that?” Kyung muttered.

Vivian narrowed his eyes at Kyung.

“Why? Is there a reason…?” Isa asked, glancing from Vivian to Kyung.

“Not really, aside from the sense that you should always hold some cards close to your chest,” Vivian said, shrugging.

“Oh…” Isa furrowed her brows, but said nothing.

Around the bend in the road, a cluster of makeshift buildings and tents clustered together, built up against a ten-foot-tall stone wall. A few Players wandered around, hanging out in the tents, offering items to other Players, or perusing the wares. Some simply stood around, discussing routes through the Castle and various strategies. Closer Players glanced up as Vivian and his party approached, but most ignored the small party.

“You know, given that my information might be a century old, it’s good to see this place hasn’t changed much,” Vivian said, putting his hands on his hips.

Kyung startled, drawing back. He stared at Vivian.

“What, did you forget?” Vivian asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No, no. You aren’t the Vivian, so it’s fine,” Kyung muttered to himself. Still, he glanced at Vivian from the corner of his eyes, a suspicious glint in his eyes.

One of the Players approached them, smiling. Dressed in fine silk clothes dripping in gold, he nodded at them. “Is this your first time here?”

“Plant roses in flower beds that receive six to eight hours of sun,” Vivian told him happily.

The man turned to Kyung.

“Ten Gold for a haircut.”

He turned toward Isa.

Isa glanced around, then coughed. “Er, please… please help me! The hobgoblins!”

Skeptical, the man turned toward Noah, raising an eyebrow.

Noah ducked behind Isa. “I don’t know!”

“You don’t know if this is your first time?” the man asked.

“No, it… it is,” Noah said. He glanced at Vivian, clearly uncertain how to proceed.

Vivian grinned mischievously. “If you’re planting in warmer climates, find a place that shields the roses from the heat of the afternoon sun!”

“Ah! Wonderful. Then perhaps I could interest you in a map?” the man said. He reached into his breast pocket, then stopped. “Oh, that’s right. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Steven Grenel. You can call me Steve.”

Noah glanced at Vivian, who turned and walked away. We don’t need maps. Players might have changed in a hundred years, but the Tower shouldn’t have.

“No thank you,” Noah said. He hurried after Vivian, sticking his gaze to the floor.

Steve wrinkled his nose and snorted. Tone shifting completely, he grumbled, “Good luck then, kid. Don’t blame me when you crawl back, half dead. Or don’t crawl back at all.”

Noah stopped, then scoffed at Steve. “Fat chance.” He stomped away, leading the party.

Vivian raised his eyebrows. Where’d that come from, huh? Shaking his head, he followed after Noah.

A little away from Steve, Vivian stopped Noah. He went through his inventory and pulled out the barbarians’ Gold. “Here. Go get us rations and potions.”

Noah stared at the bag of Gold. “You trust me to…”

“What, you’re gonna run off now, immediately before the Ruined Castle, for two hundred Gold? Do you know what it’s like on Floor Two? Hell, hit Floor Three or Four and you can really make a life for yourself, just farming drops from the Tower, and that’s not even considering if you pass all the battle floors between One and Ten. Hit that next Story Floor and… phew,” Vivian said, shaking his head. He shrugged. “If you take off, that’s your own bad decision. Stick it out, get carried, and we’ll all reach Floor Two together. That’s the smart move here.”

Noah nodded. He clutched the Gold tight.

Isa glanced at him, then stepped over, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go help him buy stuff.”

“What? You? Are you sure you won’t run off with the money?” Vivian asked, squinting at her.

“You trust the kid, but not me?” Isa rolled her eyes.

“I’ve known Noah for longer,” Vivian said with a shrug.

“And? Do you trust the kid to not buy two hundred Gold’s worth of candy?” Isa asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Vivian opened his mouth, then shut it. He nodded. “You know what, good point.”

“I’m not stupid,” Noah emphasized, pressing his lips together.

“I’ll be back. Don’t grind without me,” Isa said. Waving Noah on, she led the way back toward the marketplace.

“And us?” Kyung asked, peeking at Vivian.

Vivian nodded. “Come with me. There’s something I want to check.”

“Somewhere they shouldn’t see?” Kyung asked.

Vivian shrugged. “Nah. Just don’t want the kid to get ideas and run off on his own.” He paused. “Or the level one, now that you mention it.”

Kyung nodded. He gestured for Vivian to lead the way.

Calling his hand spade out, Vivian tossed and caught it as he walked. Around the edge of the marketplace, where it petered off to a few lone tents and dodgy-looking Players, who gave Vivian and Kyung dark looks as they walked by. Kyung ignored them, while Vivian waved and smiled at anyone who looked his way.

The marketplace fell away. Their only companion was the stone wall, stoically passing by to their right. From this close, they couldn’t see the castle past the wall. Rounding the corner, they found yet more wall, though this time, the forest grew so close to it that Vivian had to climb and fight his way through. Behind him, Kyung followed, somehow neatly keeping his clothes free of the brambles and thorns that snagged at every inch of Vivian’s body.

Yanking his shirt free of yet another weed, Vivian scowled at Kyung. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” Kyung asked, hopping off the trunk of a nearby tree and landing perfectly on a patch of rock.

Vivian scowled at him. “Do that!”

“Practice.” Kyung dusted his shirt and nodded at Vivian. “Are we there yet?”

With a dramatic sigh, Vivian pushed on. Did his Ranker dad teach him how to stay spotlessly clean and handsome at all times, too?

At last, he nodded ahead of him. “Right—” He kicked, yanking his leg out of a twining vine. “Right here.”

A crack cut into the top of the stone wall. The stones had fallen away, the mortar giving out. Stones piled at the bottom of the crack. Moving quickly, Vivian climbed up the pile and jumped. Catching the bottom of the crack with both hands, he found footholds in the stone and scrambled his way up. At the top, he turned and offered Kyung a hand up.

Ignoring his hand, Kyung hopped up the stones and hefted himself up into the gap in the wall.

“Well, alright then,” Vivian grumbled under his breath.

Kyung went to throw himself over the edge.

“Whoa!” Vivian jumped over, grabbing Kyung’s arm.

“No?” Kyung asked.

“Look before you leap! What’s down there, huh?”

Kyung turned. His brows furrowed.

An overgrown garden laid below them. Weeds crawled over what had once been paths. Thick greenery choked the flower beds and crowded the hedges, leaving little of the original garden. Past it, a stagnant pool of dark water stretched across the grounds. Reeds clustered in the corner of the pond, while a few mysterious shapes swam just under the surface. Across the dilapidated remains of a stone path, a heavy, gray-stone castle lurked. It bore no fancy spires nor twisting towers. A single fat, defensible tower stood in its front, while the majority of the castle sat square in the center of the center of the wall, thick, gray, and dull, crenelations like dull teeth jutting at the sky.

Filling up the space between them and the castle, monsters of all shapes and descriptions patrolled. A contingent of armored slimes bobbled around the garden, knocking and clanking as they lurched. Black horses with serpents twined in their tails looked around, hellfire red eyes blazing in the low light. Skeletons in tattered uniforms wandered the foot of the wall, and zombies with more flesh stalked the castle’s walls. A few bats fluttered here and there, perching in groups of ten or more in the pale, dead trees.

“Mmm. We’re not fighting?” Kyung asked.

“Not right now. This is just one of our options,” Vivian explained. “The front door is pretty shitty, but so is the back door—that is, this gap. The Tower knows about it, is what I mean. It’s a little easier, but not significantly. However, what the Tower didn’t think about… is that you can climb up onto the wall and walk around to any arbitrary point, then hop in from there.”

Vivian stood, shielding his eyes with his hands. After a moment, he pointed. “Over there. Do you see?”

Where he pointed, the side of the castle’s tower jutted toward the wall, while the wall veered slightly inward. Monsters wandered through the space, but none regularly patrolled it, or stalked the area.

“There?” Kyung asked.

“Yep. It’s the shortest point from the wall to the castle. You can’t usually enter there, but…” Vivian lifted his finger, aiming at the crenelations atop the tower. “If you throw a grappling hook up there, not only can you get into the castle, but you’re also way closer to the boss battle. It’s the shortest route in.”

“We’re speedrunning the Final Boss’ area?” Kyung asked.

“Yeah. People who grind here are idiots. The rest of the Floor is for grinding. The Final Boss is there to kill you, and getting there is a war of attrition,” Vivian declared, crossing his arms. He shook his head. “The Tower wants you to think like a game, but it isn’t a game. It’s out to kill you. The second you let your guard down, that’s it.”

“I know,” Kyung said.

“Oh. Yeah. Uh, well, I should make sure I tell Noah that,” Vivian said, nodding.

“And Isa,” Kyung suggested.

“She might be a Player. Just because she’s a level one NPC now, doesn’t mean she wasn’t a Player at one point. Though… yeah, she doesn’t have that vibe, does she,” Vivian said, nodding to himself.

“No,” Kyung agreed.

“But if she wasn’t a Player, how the hell did she end up like us?” he muttered to himself.

Kyung shrugged.

“Welp. We’ll just have to ask her.” Vivian turned and hopped back into the forest. He nodded at Kyung.

“Heading back?”

“Yep. Now that I know the route’s still there, all we’ve got to do is buy a grappling hook. Or some rope, something.” Vivian turned, pushing his way through the brambles once more.

Kyung flashed past, hurtling through the forest at speed. “I’ll see you back.”

Vivian stared. “Oh, hey!” He ran after Kyung, struggling to keep up. How the hell does he—