An crouched down, his fingers brushing the dirt as he picked up a delicate white flower. Without a second thought, he popped it into his mouth, savoring the taste. For a moment, his eyes lit up with joy, pure bliss on his face, as though the flower was the finest delicacy he'd ever tasted. His gaze lingered for a moment, almost dreamy, before he swallowed it whole.
Tam, walking a few paces behind, shuffled along sheepishly. His footsteps were slow, almost aimless, as if he had nowhere to go and no real purpose. He was just following, hoping to make it through the day without any more bad surprises.
"You said your class was...?" An asked, turning his attention to Tam.
"Detector," Tam answered hesitantly.
An scoffed, shaking his head in mild disappointment. "What a waste of a good skill."
Tam blinked, clearly taken aback. "I—I'm... You—" he stammered, unsure how to respond to the sudden criticism.
"Activate your skill," An demanded flatly, not giving him a chance to explain.
Tam hesitated, his hand twitching by his side. "Wha?"
"Do it," An repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
With a deep breath, Tam closed his eyes, feeling the familiar pulse of his skill. He focused, trying to steady his mind. "Movement Feel," he murmured under his breath.
A wave of information rushed through him—the sense of intricate movements from every living being in the surrounding area. His skill wasn't precise; it wasn't perfect—but it was enough to give him a general sense of life and motion around him.
"Okay, what do you need me to—"
Thud!
Before Tam could finish his question, he suddenly had to leap backward. An's fist had flown toward him with lightning speed, only narrowly missing his face. The punch scraped through the edge of his left eye socket and brushed past his ear, but it didn't cause any serious injury, thankfully.
"You didn't die," An said calmly, as if it were no big deal. "You've got potential."
Tam stood there, his heart racing, staring at An in disbelief. "What the hell was that for?" he asked, rubbing the side of his face, his voice tinged with shock and frustration.
An didn't answer right away, instead turning his back on Tam as if the interaction was already over. "I've met at least 591 people like you," An continued, his voice distant.
"Great potential, a good skill, but they all die young because either they're too stupid, or their egos are bigger than their heads. When you can't revive yourself... you die. Simple as that."
Tam was still in a daze, trying to make sense of the encounter. His eyes narrowed, trying to process An's words.
"I don't know why you wanted to get into the Tower of Andrea," An said, his voice somewhat softer now, but still firm. "But you should turn around and go home. This isn't a place for people like you."
Tam didn't know what to say. For a good ten seconds, he just stood there, watching An's retreating figure, trying to process what had just happened. Finally, his voice broke the silence.
"What did you call this place?" Tam asked, his tone a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
An paused, clearly surprised by the question. He stopped walking, glancing over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as if Tam had crossed a line. After a long moment, An turned back around and walked away without another word.
But Tam wasn't going to let it go. He felt a deep need to understand more, to make sense of everything. With a grunt of determination, he stood up and followed An.
"There's only, like, 50 people awakened!" Tam shouted, trying to catch up. "What do you mean by—"
[Announcement]
The sudden loud chime of a system alert cut through their conversation, echoing in the air. A large system board appeared in front of them, displaying a new message that all players could see.
The [Floor Boss] has been discovered.
Tam froze, staring at the notification. He had no idea what it meant, but An's reaction seemed to say it all. The air between them grew thick with tension. Neither of them spoke for a long while, the silence lingering.
Finally, An broke the stillness. "You told me Shreya Mishra was the highest level player," he said, his voice calm but laced with something like suspicion.
Tam blinked, surprised. "Y-Yes…?"
"What level is she?" An pressed, his eyes narrowing as if to gauge Tam's response.
Tam thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Last time I checked, it was like 16 or something…" he answered.
An exhaled a sharp sigh. "Good," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to Tam. "Then whoever found the boss is going to die, even if there's 10 of them. I'll head there to grab their loot."
Tam blinked in confusion. "Wait, what? You're just going to... go to the boss's location and take their loot?"
An didn't bother to look back. "It's simple. If they're the ones who found the boss, they'll be dead soon. No one can handle that kind of challenge at their level, especially if they're not prepared."
"Dead?! What does that even mean?" Tam exclaimed.
"Dead, stop breathing, lights out." An answered half-heartedly.
"How could you be so calm about this?"
"Jesus, you're acting just like her... Stop it already."
An glared at Tam, frowning, as if he was just insulted
Tam wanted to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He was more confused than ever. What was An planning? And who was this boss? Why was he so certain that people would die?
"Wait, but..." Tam started again, his voice more anxious now. "If the boss is that dangerous, what are you going to do? You can't just... take everything and leave them to die!"
An's voice was cold and calm as ever. "You're asking the wrong questions, Tam. Just stay out of it. If you're smart, you'll keep your distance."