Chapter 264: Seventy-First Floor, The Crimson Wilderness (2)

[Complete a contract within the designated time. Time remaining: 95 hours 16 minutes.]

The relentless sun scorched the wasteland’s boundless expanse, and its heat prickled against my skin. The horizon shimmered and rippled under the oppressive heat, and the tiny patches of shadow cast by tufts of withered grass were the only sources of shade.

The wind carried the scent of dry dirt, swept across the desolate terrain, and scattered red dust into the air. Now and then, thistles and tumbleweeds rolled aimlessly across the barren land, caught in the gusts.

I pulled up the edge of my robe with my left hand, covering my nose once more. Dust kept creeping into my nostrils.

We had been riding at breakneck speed across the wilderness for nearly forty minutes now.

How long until something shows up?

So far, I hadn’t seen a single structure, not even the faintest silhouette of a building on the horizon.

However, I had spotted a few travelers in the distance. Some moved in small caravans, likely merchants, while others wandered alone, much like me.

I didn’t approach them, nor did they make any effort to come closer. It wasn’t that I was avoiding them. I simply didn’t know this world’s customs yet.

Likewise, their guarded expressions suggested that they were reluctant to interact as well.

Or maybe this wasteland is just that dangerous.

One thing was certain: some of those travelers had replaced parts of themselves with mechanical elements.

Even from a distance, I could tell that they weren’t ordinary. Their presence alone exuded a distinct sharpness, something I wouldn’t expect from someone wandering a barren land.

A spark of anticipation flickered within me at the thought of facing them in battle, but at the same time, a different realization settled in.

This trial won’t be simple.

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned that after the seventieth floor, the trials shifted drastically. Additionally, since this was an individual challenge floor, it would likely be even more challenging.

I tightened my grip on the reins.

For now, the best course of action was to find a settlement, likely a town or city, where I could gather more information.

I knew too little. This world’s class structures, local laws, and factions were all foreign to me. Until I had a clearer grasp of the situation, I had to move cautiously.

Just as that thought settled, something appeared at the edge of the horizon: a thin column of black smoke rising into the sky.

A city? Or trouble?

I nudged the mechanical horse, urging it to pick up speed.

As the smoke grew more distinct, I managed to make out some buildings. There weren’t many, but enough to indicate a settlement.

The faint outline of structures began to take shape through the shimmering heat waves, smoke billowing steadily from their rooftops.

Hmm, it is too small to be called a city. A large village, maybe?

I tilted my head upward to check the time.

Fifty minutes since we set off.

If we had been riding a normal horse, it would have taken at least three hours to cover this distance.

The tower could have just spawned me right outside the town...

It felt like a waste of time—until I reconsidered.

Perhaps the spawn point was intentional

.

There were likely multiple settlements in different directions, each with different contracts. If so, this was one of those floors where the initial choice determined the type of mission available.

Considering Doppy had instinctively led us this way, it was probably the best option.

As we got closer, more details came into focus.

Hmm.

The architecture was a peculiar blend of different styles. Some of the buildings were made of weathered wood, reminiscent of an old western town, but many were reinforced with rusted metal plating.

Still, the majority of the structures had integrated metal components somewhere. Several rooftops continuously belched out thick, black smoke, feeding into the haze above.

A world advanced enough to engineer cybernetic horses, but they live in towns like this?

Something felt off. A world as technologically developed as this one shouldn’t have settlements this run-down, which likely meant this place was underdeveloped compared to other regions.

As we neared the village entrance, I spotted a bored-looking guard slumped against a makeshift metal-and-wood barricade. His right arm—from shoulder to fingertips—was entirely mechanical.

Large, gear-like components jutted out from his shoulder, elbow, and wrist, each turning slightly as he shifted. At his waist, a revolver similar to mine rested in a well-worn holster.

Despite noticing me from a distance, the guard didn’t bother getting up.

It was only when I arrived at the entrance that he finally let out a long yawn and stretched lazily before rising to his feet. “Where are you coming from?”

Now, that was a tricky question.

“The wasteland.”

The guard clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. “

Tsk.

There’s no need to be so secretive. Everyone who comes to a backwater town like this is the same—bounty hunters. You’re not the first, and you sure as hell won’t be the last. In fact, you’re a little late to the party.”

His hand extended forward, palm up—it wasn’t for a handshake but for payment.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

So, either I have to pay a toll or pass him some kind of identity slip.

I had neither.

“What are you doing? I need to check your ID.”

I processed the guard’s words, sorting through the bits of information I had just gathered, while retrieving the coin pouch from the mimic. Inside, exactly ten silver coins gleamed under the light.

How much would be appropriate?

After a brief pause, I flicked a single coin toward the guard.

With swift reflexes, his hands moved in unison, catching it effortlessly.

The guard inspected the coin, then grumbled quietly under his breath, “

Hmph

. A cybernetic horse and a homunculus companion, but you’re this stingy?”

He glanced at Doppy, his mild complaint making it clear that I had bribed him just enough to be acceptable.

I simply stared at him, saying nothing.

After a brief pause, the guard exhaled heavily, then jerked his chin toward the gate. “Go on in.”

I gave him a small nod and urged the horse forward.

As I moved past him, I overheard him mutter under his breath, “Damn, looks like he’s got some skill, but he only gives me the bare minimum,

ugh

.”

***

[Complete a contract. Time remaining: 92 hours 20 minutes.]

There was a bulletin board near the town’s entrance. Numerous wanted posters were plastered across the board, each displaying a person’s face alongside bizarre symbols that seemed to represent numbers.

However, since I couldn’t read the script, they were of no use to me.

Even so, one thing stood out among the sea of human faces: a wanted poster featuring a monstrous creature. Considering the strange markings beneath it, which seemed to contain more information than the others, I had a hunch it could be connected to a hidden mission.

Regardless, my next destination was clear—the town’s tavern. After all, there was no better place to gather information than a bar full of drunken patrons eagerly running their mouths.

As I entered, a heated conversation reached my ears.

“Damn natives. Why the hell are they pushing into our land, bringing all these outsiders with them?”

“Northward expansion, that’s why. Why are you so worked up? I actually like seeing new faces in this dead-end town.”

“Kujine’s been head over heels for that bounty hunter who showed up the other day. It’s ridiculous.”

“Just leave her be, you overprotective bastard. They’re all here to hunt monsters or natives anyway.”

I felt their eyes on me, but I ignored them, quietly sipping my drink. A rich, dark liquor burned down my throat, and a spread warmth from my chest outward—the familiar tingle of Poison Resistance operating.

Is it the alcohol, or is it the tavern itself?

Probably the latter.

However, I didn’t mind. This was already my fourth glass.

It has been a while since I have trained my resistances. Not bad.

Surprisingly, the liquor itself didn’t taste terrible.

As the heat burning in my stomach gradually subsided, I began organizing the information I had gathered over the past three hours.

I had actually acquired more information than expected. In fact, it was so much that I wasn’t sure whether the Tower of Ordeal had deliberately set things up to be this convenient or if it was simply Doppy’s instinctive choice that had led us to such a trove.

Regardless, this world seemed to be divided into two factions. The “Pioneers” I had encountered and those referred to as “Natives.”

While I couldn’t be entirely certain, the pioneers appeared to be the inhabitants living in towns like this one and used mechanical enhancements, whereas the natives were in direct opposition to them.

From what I had overheard, the natives were the original and rightful inhabitants of this land.

I did hear some rumors that some natives are nearby.

Those rumors, however, had only spread because of a colossal monster. People here believed that the creatures that occasionally appeared were calamities summoned by the natives.

Since one had been sighted recently in the region, it led many to assume that natives were hiding somewhere nearby, which in turn attracted a swarm of hunters to the area.

Just like I had suspected, there were multiple towns scattered throughout the region as well.

Another interesting tidbit is that mechanical augmentation is incredibly expensive.

Most townsfolk were still entirely human, without any visible mechanical modifications. Only those with high status or exceptional strength seemed capable of undergoing enhancements.

The same applied to mechanized mounts or equipment; they cost a fortune.

The guard at the town gate made it abundantly clear when he grumbled about my mechanical horse and Doppy, calling him a homunculus.

That word felt strangely familiar. Back on Earth, a homunculus referred to an artificially created lifeform, though its meaning in this world remained unclear. Considering these people could alter both animals and humans with mechanical parts, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched if they had engineered living beings as well.

That summed up most of what I had gathered so far.

Still, something feels off.

For a world capable of integrating machines into both animals and people, its way of life felt oddly archaic, like something straight out of a Wild West film.

If they had the technological prowess to create such mechanical enhancements, wouldn’t they have developed trains or automobiles by now?

Judging by the magical energy infused into the revolver, it seemed as though this world had somehow merged technology with magic in an unusual way.

Not that it is anything new.

I had already experienced worlds with equally bizarre settings—like one where lying was physically impossible. Such oddities usually meant that a god had influenced the world.

Nobody had mentioned anything about gods yet, but maybe the natives knew something about them.

Regardless, my thoughts were wandering too much. I needed to refocus on my current trial.

In the end, I just need to complete one contract.

My choices were straightforward. Hunt down the natives, track and kill the colossal monster, or capture a wanted criminal.

The first option was immediately out of the question. I had no intention of hunting down intelligent lifeforms or harming innocent people.

That left me with two choices: either track the monster or go after a bounty.

May as well leave it to chance.

I decided to roam the wastelands and take down whoever I encountered first.

There were extra copies of wanted posters back at the bulletin board. I could grab one on my way out and have it translated at a general store while buying a map.

Not like it is my first time admitting I can’t read.

From what I had observed, illiteracy wasn’t uncommon here. People seemed more practical, and as long as I kept my responses simple, I wouldn’t draw suspicion.

And if someone asks a difficult question?

I could always remain silent.

With that settled, I pushed my chair back and rose from my seat with Doppy.

***

Letting out a brief sigh, I stepped out of town. “

Haaaaa.

”

After stopping by the general store and asking about the bounty posters, I discovered that most of the criminals had already been captured. It seemed the hunters who had arrived before me had already cleared them out. That was likely why the guard at the entrance had said I was “a bit late.”

Apparently, because this town was poorly managed, they had forgotten to take down old bounty notices.

In the end, I had no choice but to purchase a map and leave town.

Now, I was left with two real options—the natives or the monster. Unless I was on the verge of failing this trial, I had no desire to hunt down natives.

Still, something tells me this won’t be the last floor that takes me to this world.

After all, the worlds the Tower of Ordeal summoned climbers to weren’t manufactured by the tower, but actual places.

Because of the presence of pioneers, natives, and the monster, I had a feeling this would continue for at least a few more floors—probably up to the seventy-third or seventy-fourth.

Before worrying about that, however, I had to find the monster within the next three days.

A faint sense of urgency crept up on me, but I wasn’t particularly concerned.

Doppy is by my side.

The fact that he led us to this town meant that there was a high probability that the monster or the natives were nearby.

I pulled my robe up over my nose to block the dust and turned to Doppy. “Doppy.”

“Yeah?”

“Which direction should we go?”

Before Doppy could respond, I realized his answer wouldn’t be necessary.

Thud—

A distant rumble rolled across the horizon. The vibrations traveled through the ground, up the legs of my mechanical horse, and onto my skin.

The tremor wasn’t powerful—it was barely perceptible. If it had been any weaker, I wouldn’t have even noticed it.

The fact that it had reached all the way here, however, despite being so faint, meant that something massive was moving beyond the horizon.

Instinct told me it was the monster.

Looks like things are falling into place faster than I expected.

It seemed Doppy’s instincts had led us exactly where we needed to be.

I leaned forward and gripped the reins. With a sharp kick, I urged my mechanical horse to sprint forward.