Naturally, everyone wouldn't just accept my words and move on because I said [Nothing happened]. They were all curious about how the Count was eliminated. So I gave them a rough explanation of everything I saw and heard.
"That person is really… beyond pitiful. How unfortunate."
The Black Dragon Master's expression was strange.
Her expression was usually blank, so whenever her facial muscles moved, it was easy to read her emotions. For example, just by making a slightly disbelieving expression, she had the ability to make the actions of others appear extremely ridiculous. It was amazing.
"It's her fault for choosing the elf race in the first place. They aren't that greedy, so it's easy for them to be satisfied. Since she gave those children a taste for money, there's no way they would care about anything else."
"Count..."
The Crusader looked up into the air with pity. It was as if she could see the Count's figure smiling and waving above us. We had a moment of silence for the absurd being known as the Count.
"By the way. What about the Count's points? Will they be distributed to us?"
"Huh, right. But I don't think it'll be as plentiful as the Heretic Questioners."
The Lady yawned.
"The Count used up her points whenever she got them, so…"
[The Lady Who Walks Through the Mirage will now distribute the points.]
[You received 2 race points!]
[You currently have 8802 race points.]
"There weren't many points for me to distribute."
Crazy. We were all shocked by the penny pincher Count's zeal.
"Ah. It wasn't even, so I'm left with 1 point. I'll give this to you, Swordy. Since Swordy is number one. You have to take care of me too, don't you? Thanks in advance! That's what you should take it as!"
"...Th-, thanks."
"It was nothing!"
In the end, what the Count left us with by being eliminated was an understanding of the importance of 1 race point, and a group of frugal elves who had become obsessed with making money.
What was going on? Why did it feel like my colleagues were making things more troublesome whenever they were eliminated? By the time we cleared the 40th floor, I'm afraid we'd have to change the name of our Tower from Deungcheon City to Deungsin City… (TL: Basically from 'Ascending to Heaven City' to 'Idiot City'… roughly)
"Now then, I'll send you to the 34th floor. Is there anyone that wants to buy items before you enter? Hurry up and pick.
"Mm."
I took a look at the Civilization Store. There was an item there I was looking for.
+
[Race Evolution]
Rank: Undetermined
Effect: Your race can evolve a total of two times. The cost of the second evolution is much more than the first!
Price: 30,000 Race Points
Unlock Conditions: Your race must have acquired at least 6 traits.
+
I clicked my tongue. It was too expensive.
'It'll be hard to get the final evolution.'
I just wanted to see our kids grow up and conquer the entire world. Unfortunately, it seemed like I would have to postpone my wish for now.
-I can't even believe those crazy guys can grow even further!
'Do you know what a hobgoblin becomes if it evolves one more time?'
-Huh? Well. A dwarf? Or a troll?
'So this gentleman also doesn't know.'
I laughed in my head.
'Wait and see. When those kids grow up you'll understand why I picked the goblin race. At that time, even I won't be able to recognize the goblin race.'
-Zombie… Don't laugh like that. You look terrible when you do that evil laugh.
Those words were too harsh.
The others chose the items they wanted. Seeing that everyone was finished with their preparations, the Lady nodded her head.
"Ng. All the items you bought have been reflected in history! I hope you understand that refunds are not possible. Then if I were to progress time until the next stage… This time, 300 years have passed!"
300 years.
More than a thousand years had passed since the primeval forest had burned down.
I recalled that it was around this time that the Flame Emperor had begun to earnestly unify the world. The elves who worshiped the Flame Emperor as the Fire God's incarnation, began to burn the continent.
I think it should be fine now since the elves were more interested in making money than burning people.
"Then I'll open the 34th floor. You didn't get any quests last time, but you will this time. However, it's not a joint quest that everyone can complete together. It's a solo quest! I will give a quest to each race."
The Lady put down her pillow and smiled.
"Your children's childhoods are slowly coming to an end. If they were people, would this be around the age of [puberty]? It's time for the problems to arise. And it's time for them to have some growth pains."
Pak.
The Lady clapped her hands together.
"Good luck, everyone! The scary kids are beginning to run around, so be careful!"
Good luck.
It was only after the white light enveloped us and I heard the voice of the Tower that I understood the meaning of those words.
[The Goblin Race has gained the new trait 'Noblesse Oblige'!]
As history developed, the goblins had probably experienced several changes.
While waiting for the 34th floor to begin, I heard the voice again.
[The characteristics of the Goblin Race's 'Bad Friend Doctrine' have begun to change!]
[The Goblin Race has gained the new trait 'Demonic Cult'!]
'What?'
Demonic Cult?
Before I could even begin to reflect on the meaning of the voice's words, I was sent to the next era.
2.
As soon as I was transferred, I was immediately able to notice a difference from the previous stages.
I was standing in the center of a secluded street.
"…Black Dragon Master? Sword Saint? Hello. Is anyone there?"
And my companions were nowhere to be seen.
The Lady truly meant it when she said that we would be separated and made to complete our own quests.
It seemed that we had been scattered to cities that belonged to our races.
-Ugor. Let's have a drink in the evening after training.
As expected, I was placed in a city belonging to the goblins.
-Watermelon is in season. When you grind watermelon and mix it with alcohol it's really delicious.
-Doesn't it damage your muscles after a while if you drink alcohol?
-Sometimes you need to drink alcohol in order to make your muscles more flexible.
Goblins walked along the street in groups of twos and threes.
The goblins had become the hegemon in the last stage. But that fact couldn't be seen from this city. There were neither colorful buildings or dazzling streets.
Should I say that it looked like a nest that was neatly built by termites?
Bumpy white buildings flowed in a row.
-There's a Fire Painting Play tonight! All the popular actors will be there! It's called the biggest hit in two years! The seats are sold out. If we don't hurry, we won't even have the space to stand!
Occasionally, there would be unusually large circular buildings in the city. They were theaters. In front of the theaters, ticket clerks sold standing tickets with bright smiles, and surprisingly the ticket clerks were all elves.
-Come come! Almost sold out! Almost sold out!
What was even more surprising was the title of the play.
-A special experience tonight! Bring your lover! Bring your colleagues! To experience [Raviel and Kekerkker!] performed by a luxury theater company with 300 years of experience!
"Puhop!?"
I choked.
-The love story of the century! The heavenly romance! Why did the most beautiful princess in the empire abandon the crown prince to choose Kekerkker, who had little to show! What words did Kekerkker use to seduce the lovely princess? It contains the lesson that, in the end, the most important things in life are words! [Raviel and Kekerkker!] Perhaps you too could learn the wonders of your tongue!
"No, these bastards?"
I ran to the front of the theater. At a three way intersection in front of the theater were posters painted in ink. Portraits of the actors that played Raviel and me. Naturally, the actors were both hobgoblins.
The hobgoblins stood in front of the posters and chatted amongst themselves.
-So beautiful…
-Ugo. Honestly, haven't we already seen [Raviel and Kekerkker] many times since we were young? Now I could even recite the lines with my eyes closed.
-You don't know anything. Nowadays, it's popular to reinterpret classic masterpieces. The last time I saw a play, it was a remake of Raviel and the Lady of the Golden Silk.
-That's ridiculous. Shouldn't it be [The Silver Lily and the Lady of the Golden Silk] instead of [Raviel and Kekerkker]? The title is a scam.
-Don't look down on it. It's gained a lot of popularity in some areas…
-Right. I heard that some people got obsessed with the play and poured their fortunes into it.
-I heard that the elf playwright got a lot of money.
It wasn't just that.
-A golden opportunity! The best Fire Play! [Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon] is coming to you tonight! Witness the enchanting flames demonstrated by the grandmaster ranked 16th in the Fire River Council! Especially for the role of Sword Emperor….
-The only large scale Fire Play! The number of extras alone reaches 66! [Esdel, from Saintess to Witch]! The only place where you can witness this play is at the Swamp Theater in Guru! Great value for your money, if you buy a ticket now, you'll get one free watermelon beer!
The elves promoted the various plays in loud voices.
There were about three or four theaters concentrated in this three way intersection alone. They were all competing on one boulevard, so it was natural for their acts of solicitation to intensify. The elf ticket clerks also fought amongst themselves, and they even grabbed each other's ears.
-Hey! Watermelon beer?! You can't seduce them with food! You should compete fair and square using the quality of your play!
-There's nothing wrong with doing business! You should also develop your own products! Only losers talk so much!
-Ugor? Are they fighting now?
-There should be a play where the ticket clerks fight to see who wins. I'll be the referee, so good luck.
It was a shocking and terrifying scene.
"Th-, those crazy little…"
Of course, it was as Uburka said.
I will make your stories into Fire Paintings and pass them from generation to generation.
But I'd imagined it as grandparents telling their grandchildren, I never thought it would be commercialized.
-Is this the influence of the elves? They did say that the elves were obsessed with money.
Bae Hu-ryeong let out a bitter laugh.
-Hey, that one looks interesting. Let's go watch it!
In the theater he pointed to, [Raviel and Kekerkker] was in full swing. Half distracted, I followed behind Bae Hu-ryeong.
The circular theater resembled a huge cave. It was dark everywhere, but the actors freely controlled their aura while reciting lines. Should I say that it was more like a musical than a play?
-Ahh. Miss Raviel. I now understand what my heart is telling me.
-Silvia.
-Like a clam, I feel a weakness in my heart. A disease. A sparkling ailment. Just like my destiny, this ailment hardens and becomes a pearl. Miss Raviel. I cannot resist this beautiful disease.
A hobgoblin performed on stage. It was a great performance. Seeing as they were called Silvia, the hobgoblin must be playing the young lady.
-Silvia, no. Stop it. If you say more…
-The person I love is not the sun of the Empire. It's not my butler either. Miss Raviel. Your Excellency the Duke. The one I long for is you.
-Oh my God.
Oh my God.
-Are you out of your mind, Young Lady Silvia!
The kids were insane!
-No. I'm extremely sober. Tomorrow, I will give my farewells to the Crown Prince. He may be angry, but his anger will not consume my love. No. I'd prefer if he tried to consume it! I am willing to burn.
-Young lady!
My mind went blank as I stared at the play unfolding before me.
The plot went like this. Raviel could not accept the heart of the Lady of Golden Silk, the Crown Prince and the Lady of Golden Silk break up, and the Crown Prince, who was unable to contain his regret after the break up, attempts to assassinate her. Finally, as the climax, the butler Kekerkker tries to stop the assassination and is killed instead…
"I can't die, you bastards!"
I shouted without realizing it.
Like the hobgoblin had said before, the title [Raviel and Kekerkker] was a scam!
However, my voice couldn't be heard by the goblins around me. Instead, they chattered on as if they were moved after the Fire Play ended.
-The fire today was wonderful…
-This is already my fourth time watching it and I still can't get enough of it. All the actors used their aura very well.
-Gor. Frankly, I was quite moved. I want to be on stage someday too!
No.
Something wasn't right.
I knelt down at the three way intersection in front of the theater.
"Why… have our kids become so weird….?"
Bae Hu-ryeong looked at me with a strange expression.
-Your kids were weird from the very beginning. Zombie.