The sun was gradually setting.
A considerable amount of time had been wasted in the city streets, moving from the first floor to the second.

It was a time that felt awkward to do anything more.
Just then, someone approached me.

There was no reason not to respond.

“This way.”

I followed the woman into a certain tavern.

A roughly arranged round table, wooden barrel chairs surrounding it, and various races drunkenly chatting filled the atmosphere.
The ambiance was distinctly different.

It seemed she had been here before as she naturally brought back some beer.
For the price, one coin bought two glasses of beer.

I couldn’t help but click my tongue at the unexpectedly steep price.

“What’s your name?”
“Error Player.”
“Error Player? That’s unique. I’m Lee Seol-ah.”

Lee Seol-ah smiled gently as she handed me the beer.

“You just registered as a gladiator, right? You must be quite hungry.”
“A bit. I am hungry.”
“…….”

The corners of Lee Seol-ah’s eyes twitched.
It was just for a moment, but she couldn’t avoid my gaze.

‘You started it by speaking first.’

She wasn’t from another dimension.
I didn’t feel the need to bend over backward for an Earthling.

Lee Seol-ah quickly composed herself and led me to a seat.

“…It’s not like I buy just anyone a drink. Getting gold is not easy.”

Lee Seol-ah expertly ordered food.

I glanced at the menu.
Nothing really looked appetizing.

“…….”

The establishment was shabbier than other restaurants, and the state of the customers was disheveled.
Having scanned everything, I quickly realized this was a tavern for low-tier players.

A restaurant using cheap prices as its weapon.
The quality of the meals was, of course, not good.

It was at a level that could only be considered acceptable if you were genuinely starving for a meal or if you ended up ordering snacks after just drinking beer for too long.

‘Is this the average living standard of Earthlings?’

That said, it wasn’t filled with Earthlings alone.
There were other races as well.

More players than I expected seemed to prioritize price over taste.
That must mean surviving on the second floor was quite tough.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I’m on a diet.”
“…….”

She had confidently said she would treat me, but it seemed like it was quite an expensive expenditure for her.
I tore a piece of bread in half and handed it to Lee Seol-ah.

“We can share.”
“You don’t seem that hungry?”
“I’m on a diet too.”

Lee Seol-ah didn’t refuse my offer.
As we shared a piece of bread, I waited for her to speak.

There had to be a reason she approached me.

“You seemed to be looking at the recruitment announcement earlier.”

Just as I expected, Lee Seol-ah was the one to bring it up first.
I chewed on the bread and responded.

“I felt like I couldn’t just sit still. So I was checking out the matches.”
“…You made a quick decision, huh? While everyone knows, it’s not easy to decide.”
“Is that so?”
“Most people go a day or two without food and end up sleeping outside, then register as gladiators late. They keep putting it off.”

Lee Seol-ah took a sip of her beer.

“People like you tend to survive longer.”
“Get to the point.”
“…….”

I didn’t want to drag the conversation out.

‘Trusting in a pretty face.’

When I cut her off sharply, Lee Seol-ah looked flustered for a moment before gathering herself.

“Okay. I’ll get to the point. You seemed interested in the Griffin Hunt on the bulletin board earlier. Am I right?”
“I was just looking around. It’s good to know what kind of matches there are. I’m not planning to participate right away. It’s dangerous.”
“What does it matter if you know? Earthlings have limited matches they can join.”
“Limited?”
“You’re going to apply for matches with the Elimination Prevention option anyway, aren’t you? Or am I wrong?”

For a human whose life is precious, the Elimination Prevention option was like a lifeline in a drought.

‘Not for me, though.’

As long as it wasn’t a dangerously strong opponent, I could win with my skills.
So I was confident even if I had to fight for my life.

I wasn’t thinking of taking any unnecessary risks, but I also didn’t plan on just running away.

“Well… I do need the Elimination Prevention option.”

I didn’t outright deny Lee Seol-ah’s words.
It was a hassle to explain everything.

The reason I was listening to her was to pay back the cost of the meal, not to divulge everything about myself.

“There’s a good method. You might not know it since you just came up to the second floor today, but you can also apply for matches in the Colosseum as a team, right? Especially in the Bestiary, team play is preferred.”

Lee Seol-ah continued.
To summarize, she was suggesting I join her team and take on the Griffin Hunt.

“Our team leader has an amazing skill. It’s even D-rank.”

There was confidence glistening on Lee Seol-ah’s face as she spoke.

“Do you have a D-rank skill? I doubt you do. Maybe an E-rank skill?”
“…….”

E-rank skill.
Don’t all players carry at least one when they come up?

Suddenly, I recalled Blinky’s complaint about how he was doing so much for others.

‘…It was a real privilege.’

Thanks to Lee Seol-ah, I realized that Blinky’s mini-game was merely a bonus game due to a whim.
It was a privilege that players from other batches couldn’t enjoy.

‘It’s a shame for those who died in the 3v3 team battle.’

Originally, there wasn’t supposed to be a 3v3 team battle.
That means they died unnecessarily when they didn’t have to.

But conversely, those who survived had a corresponding advantage and could strive to survive.

‘Should I consider that fortunate?’

Those who died must have their hearts shattered.

“It’s better to team up with someone from the same Earth. You can’t trust players from other dimensions. They look down on us.”

Lee Seol-ah gritted her teeth.
It seemed she had been taken advantage of by players from other dimensions before.

Team building.
That hell came to mind.

‘Experiencing that on the first floor makes it almost impossible to end well.’

That’s not something even a Buddha could easily do.

Still, I had no intention of accepting her proposal.
Just because we met today,
was I supposed to keep my loyalty just because she was from Earth?

“I think I need time to think.”

I slurped my soup and finished my plate.
I was ready to stand up at any moment.

“…Is there really a need to think? You can just join our team.”

Lee Seol-ah asked back, seemingly surprised that I would refuse.

“We can do the Griffin Hunt match together and collect the prize money. Once a week is a bit dangerous, so we can aim for every four days. Then we can gather enough money to live. You won’t become a slave.”
“…….”

Should I be honest?
That her fate looked quite dire?

Jo Seohui had told me.
The reason Earthlings were shunned by players from other dimensions.

‘Since they stab others in the back without hesitation, why would other players like them?’

The only way for Earthlings to grow stronger is by absorbing the souls of others.
Excluding cases where they receive bonus points, which are extremely rare.

Desperate Earthlings inevitably resort to betrayal.
Once, both you and I.

─ Imagine that happening repeatedly across dimensions. How do you think the reputation of Earthlings would fare?

Even though they were weak, and thus of little use as teammates, having an Earthling around meant everyone had to be cautious about getting stabbed in the back.
Naturally, their treatment would worsen.

‘Just because they are from the same Earth, do you think they won’t stab you in the back?’

They might actually be more prone to betrayal.

In a 3v3 team battle, when deciding the opponent,
to survive, I had to somehow manage to engage in battle with a weaker team.

I had watched with my own eyes as the loyalty built over a week crumbled in less than ten minutes.

‘But team up with a girl I just met today?’

If I was going to play solo while cosplaying as a dragon, I’d do that instead.
I wouldn’t do something that foolish.

‘And if I were to team up with someone from Earth, I’d rather do it with those who came up with me from the first floor.’

For example, Kim Min-seong and Lee Su-jeong.
There would be less resistance since I knew their faces.

Lee Seol-ah looked at me with a surprised expression, as if she couldn’t believe I was refusing her offer.

“…Are you really going to refuse my proposal? Why? I don’t get it.”
“It’s not a refusal. I just need time to think.”
“That’s a refusal.”

Lee Seol-ah’s tone sharpened in an instant.
She seemed annoyed that things weren’t going as she wanted.

“It’s not a bad proposal for you. I’m telling you it’s not a loss at all!”
“Whether it’s a loss or not is up to me to decide.”

Seeing Lee Seol-ah’s demeanor change to one of hostility made me want to laugh.

‘Tsk tsk. I’m refusing to save you guys.’

Jo Seohui had asked me.
To help Earthlings as much as possible.
This wasn’t an implication to take responsibility.

If there’s no reason to kill, don’t kill, and if you can save them, do so.

It was about drawing the line early to avoid any reason to kill.
In another sense, I was honoring Jo Seohui’s request.

‘And she doesn’t even realize that.’

Behind Lee Seol-ah, a man appeared.
He was obviously the team leader.

“Lee Seol-ah. You haven’t managed to convince him yet?”
“…No.”
“You foolish girl. Get out of here.”

The man roughly shoved Lee Seol-ah aside and took her place.
Lee Seol-ah didn’t say a word and was pushed away.

‘The atmosphere has suddenly turned bleak.’

Regardless of everything, sitting across from a pretty girl is much better than being with a man who hasn’t even shaved his beard properly.

He spoke.

“Let’s cut to the chase. Join my team.”

His eyes were burning with intensity.
He glared at me with a threatening expression that seemed to imply he would not hesitate to resort to violence if I refused to join the team.