The Hero of the Tribe

‘Only F-rank, huh.’

It was not what I expected, but the important thing was that I had received something, after all.

Without hesitation, I checked the skill information.

[Hero of the Tribe][F]
The owner of the 4th floor, Gulrak, has granted you the qualification of "Hero of the Tribe."
All stats of the Goblins, your kin, will increase by [14].

After quickly scanning the details, I couldn't help but let out a sound of admiration.

‘This is probably another tooltip error, right?’

It usually inflated everything by about 10 times.

‘So, it’s probably about 1 point instead of 14?’

Honestly, even that would be no joke.
Since it’s for all stats, it’s the equivalent of the bonus from 6 points.

The problem was the qualification of "Hero of the Tribe."

‘What’s this?’
I’ve never heard of it before.
None of the ascenders I’ve seen up until now mentioned the title of Hero of the Tribe.

“You still don’t know. What lies at the top of the Tower.”
“I would like to tell you, but I can’t. Kekek. Our tribe, which occupies the lower floors, is still being treated unfairly.”
“But it’s okay. You will understand with this alone. Kekek!”

The Goblin manager stared at me.
There was something strange in his gaze.

I shuddered.

“Hero. That’s a pleasant term. Kekek.”

I cleared my head.
I’d think about what the "Hero of the Tribe" was later.

‘Right now, the important thing is to move up.’

I pretended to be a low-intelligence Goblin.

“Kekekek.”
“I want to go up to the 5th floor. Kekek. Please send me up.”

“Already prepared, are you? Don’t you want to stay and continue conquering the trials of the 4th floor?”
“….”

They were blatantly giving hints.

“I want to go to the 5th floor and kill other players. But….”

“Kekek?”

“If you, my seniors, say so, then I’ll stay longer on the 4th floor!”
“Indeed. You’re no ordinary Goblin. You’re the seed of a hero who will surpass Gulrak!”
“Kekekek!”
“Kekekek!”

I laughed in harmony with the Goblin managers.
The other players’ gazes became strange, but I ignored it.

I stayed for about a month.
I repeated invasions and attacks on the 4th floor, building up my achievements.

Most of them were related to the resentment that Goblins felt.

Thanks to that, I managed to clear out all the rewards on the 4th floor.

‘A bonus stat of 15.’

It was worth the month I invested.
I regretted not being able to get more.

“Looks like you got everything, Kekek. I thought you’d be able to do it.”
“Thank you.”

When more players take rewards, the rewards get smaller.
On the other hand, fewer players mean greater rewards.

What’s the principle behind that?
It’s like a lottery.

‘Warrior promotion 3 points. Honestly, that’s not easy to achieve.’

The cumulative causality stacks like lottery winnings.
It’s possible to give 15 bonus stats for clearing the highest difficulty.

‘The strong keep getting stronger. The weak are busy just surviving.’

The gap widens.
It’s practically impossible to close it.

“That’s why the Hero of the Tribe is important. It’s a skill that strengthens the whole tribe.”
“…Does it not apply to ascenders?”
“Ascenders are treated differently by the Tower of Struggle. Kekek. You could say they have cast off the shackles that bound their souls.”
“….”

It was hard to fully understand what the Goblin manager was saying.
He used vague expressions to avoid filtering.

“I don’t like difficult words!”

I played along, pretending to be a Goblin.

The Goblin manager didn’t seem interested in making me understand.
After a month of chaos, communication had failed, so this response was natural.

“You will understand someday. Kekek.”

“I’ll take care of my kin. I’ll level up this skill so that the Goblins can stand at the top of the Tower!”
“Kekekek! That’s reassuring! I’m glad we made you a Hero of the Tribe. Gulrak, the owner of the floor, won’t regret it either!”
“….”

When I finally understood what being a Hero of the Tribe meant, I briefly felt sorry.
Because I was from Earth.

But now, it was fine.
That was thanks to the month I spent rationalizing it.

“First, I’ll kill all the Earthlings. The most reliable ones in terms of strength are Earthlings. Kekek.”

“Good. We can beat Earthlings too. It will be even easier for you.”
“Right.”

What I could do was comfort the Goblin managers, who would be betrayed.
I made false promises, saying that I’d become stronger and lead the Goblins.

The portal opened.

Only I survived in this invasion stage.
Because the difficulty had risen too high.

‘It can’t be helped.’

It was their bad luck.
Why did they have to be assigned to the same camp as me?

‘If only they had raised their Luck to 11, they might have survived.’

Would any player raise it if told to?

【Luck: 15】

I invested 3 points into Luck.
Others had only about 10 or 11, but mine was 15.

‘With this, I won’t be in a situation where bad luck causes me to lose.’

The remaining 12 points were all invested in health.
The reason I prioritized health was for survival.

‘With this, my health is 30. My vitality is 300.’

At 300, it’s unlikely I would die from a single hit.
Unless I encountered a Swordmaster using aura attacks.

I briefly said my goodbyes to the Goblin managers and headed toward the portal.

“Please move slowly.”

As soon as I stepped onto the 5th floor, I faced a long line.
Different races were lining up.

“Don’t push.”
“Warning. Please keep order.”

Is this a checkpoint?

‘…At least it’s a relief.’

I looked around and let out a sigh of relief.
The architecture was modern, close to what I’d seen before.

It had the scent of the first floor.
That made me feel secure.

‘The 2nd floor wasn’t easy, but… 3rd and 4th floors were genuinely tough.’

That’s why I fervently wished for the owner of the 5th floor to be a modern figure.

Was it the wind that helped?
Or maybe my luck, now at 15, was starting to work?

The person managing the new players, their attire and the overall atmosphere, felt modern.

‘It’s like an airport, and it feels good.’

I walked along the line and passed through the gate ahead.
It didn’t seem like there was much of a check going on.
It seemed like they were just set up for maintaining order.

‘So many players from the 4th floor have come up here?’

Each time you ascend to a new floor, the time difference occurs.
I had stayed for a month, but for other players, it might have been only a day.

“What is the trial on the 5th floor?”

I approached the staff standing outside the gate.
They didn’t seem like managers, so I wasn’t as wary.

“The trial details will be announced soon. After all players have entered.”
“….”

The staff seemed to think this was just a regular event that happened from time to time.

“Then can we go outside?”
“Yes, of course. It’s different from the lower floors. You won’t have any problems living here.”

Should I trust the staff’s words?

I observed how other players behaved.
Some of them asked the staff similar questions and didn’t wait long before going outside.

‘They’re quite free-spirited.’

Well, it would probably work out somehow.

I’d gone through a similar situation on the 2nd floor.
Back then, players were directed to the Colosseum by controlling economic activities.

There was likely a similar rule here.
I could easily come to a conclusion.

I decided to go outside as well.

The wind blew coolly.
The weather was pleasant.

“…It’s a city.”

A normal city.
I never imagined the phrase “normal city” would resonate so deeply with me in my life.

That’s how harsh the conditions on the 3rd and 4th floors were.

‘I’m glad I’m not soiled yet.’

As I left the 4th floor, each player regained their original state.
The dirty, tattered appearance was gone, and everyone looked clean.

‘…I’ll test it.’

There was something I’d been thinking about while staying on the 4th floor.
The Hero of the Tribe test.

【Race – Human (Earthling)】

I changed my race.
Then, I checked the Hero of the Tribe tooltip.

[Hero of the Tribe][F]
The owner of the 4th floor, Gulrak, has granted you the qualification of "Hero of the Tribe."
All stats of the Earthlings, your kin, will increase by [14].

The information had been updated.
A chill ran down my spine.

‘This is huge.’

By changing my race, I could share the tribe’s special benefits.
This was a special benefit that was on a completely different level than other Hero of the Tribe benefits.

But there was a problem.

The qualification of Hero of the Tribe.
It was indicated that I had received it from Gulrak.

‘Is this really okay?’

I scratched my head.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

‘…It’s not like anyone can read my information.’

I muttered to myself, as long as I didn’t speak it out loud, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

‘What if a player who can peek at my information shows up?’

At that point, I don’t know.
This was a problem that was beyond my control.

I strolled around.
The well-paved asphalt road felt so welcoming.

Perhaps because it’s the Tower of Struggle.
No cars were coming and going.

It was empty, but it had its own charm.

‘The feeling of emptiness isn’t there because players are walking around.’

There were shops here and there.
It was similar to the 2nd floor.

Players were living in this city.

‘I like it.’

Of course, since I didn’t have money, I couldn’t buy anything or eat anything.

Gulp

I only salivated in front of a convenience store.

‘My motivation is rising.’

Quickly.
Whatever it takes, guide me to the trials.

I need to earn money and buy something to eat.

Ding-

Then, a message appeared.

[Players who have ascended to the 5th floor, please check your inventory.]
“Inventory?”

Nearby players took out their smartphones.
Not from their pockets, but from their inventories.

I also checked my inventory.

[Smartphone][F]
Category: Progressing Artifact

A message came through.
Not the Tower of Struggle’s message, but a smartphone message.

[Administrator] ─ We will guide you regarding the 5th floor.