UH CH 8 Part 2 (Patreon)

For the pause, we had Jana erect a magical barrier. This was the only way we could take down our suits and drink something or eat. The cleric class was quite versatile, even at low rank. It was one of the higher tiers when compared to other Healing Type classes. 

“I can’t keep the barrier for long, guys, and it has no defense abilities. But it can help filter the air around us.” Jana said. 

I did not bother asking her why she didn’t just purify the entire dungeon alone. Low rank hunters all suffered from a lack of mana, and using an actual good mana potion for such an operation would be a waste of money. 

Once the barrier was ready, I sat near a rusted pipe, took a long drink from my water bottle, and stared at the dark tunnel ahead. The barrier was barely enough for all of us, but it was enough, and that was all that mattered. 

I was more focused on our problem. This was a pretty bad start, but at the very least, the worst of it seemed to be behind us. All we had to do now was do what we came here for and clean the damn place. 

Still, he found the way everyone else was moving to be quite admirable. Of them all, only Jana was an awakened and yet they showed a calmness that made clear how experienced they were.

They did not have anything heavy, only a few energy bars that could help satiate the hunger and give them enough strength to continue. 

“Is it normally like this?” I muttered under my breath, but Jana, who sat not far from me, nodded. 

“Not always, but accidents happen. Some of them are mortal, some others sadly not so much.”

“Sadly?” 

“There are many fates far worse than anything death could bestow. Our previous companion, for example, had his chest and lungs half melted not long ago. For once, the insurance didn’t completely fumble, but they did not give enough. Now, even though that friend of ours will survive, he will most likely never be able to fight again. Making a living will be hard for him.”

The man with the hedgehog spikes added, “From what I heard, he took a loan from the Viper Gang.”

I winced. The Vipers weren’t just loan sharks. They were a loan leviathan. They had the kind of Greed that could only be described in the bible. Taking a loan from them was no different from quenching a fire with oil.  “I thought he worked with Iron Fist?” I looked at the massive black man behind us, but he shrugged.  

“Some people are fools.” He did not say more than this. 

 Jana added, “Boss wanted to settle the bills and all, but well, the Vipers promised more money, and so he accepted. Stupid bastard. But well, nothing we can do, I guess.” 

There was a clear nonchalance and indifference to her words. She was pretty enigmatic. I still wondered what a hunter like her was doing here. It clearly was not loyalty at the very least. 

“Things would be different if the insurance did their jobs.” This made me realize once again how much of a scam all of this was. 

“Ha! You think they care?” She giggled. “Take Marques, for example. Why do you think his body is like this? He nearly died during one of our last operations. It was a D-ranked dungeon. Poisonous swamp. His suit was damaged, and he got poisoned. Which accelerated the mutation? What do you think was the HQ answer when Richard requested additional funds?”

“I have a feeling I won't like the answer I will receive.”

She gave a bitter smile. “The HQ refused to help. From what they said, there are no funds. Bullshit. I was a Hunter. The annual budget of the Association is ten billion dollars, and Millions of Credit points. 70% is allocated to the hunting teams. But the majority is wasted on useless stuff.”

“What about Insurance?” I asked.

“Well. You should understand that the insurance is even more bullshit than the Association. At least the Association pretends to treat us as equals.”

She did not need to finish her words. Marques himself continued. 

“When I asked the association to put more pressure on the insurance, I was given a disciplinary note. The insurance refused to pay on the ground that it was not an accident caused by their lack of new suits but by my negligence.”

“Heheh. You should have seen the paper. [Violation of multiple employment prohibitions], they said: Accumulation of fatigue due to multiple jobs has been deemed the cause of the accident. As such, all claims for industrial accident and compensation are dismissed.” She mimicked a man's voice but then sneered. “As if someone could live decently with the pitiful pay they gave us.”

Marques looked down. His body was shaking slightly. The hedgehog guy patted him on the back, and the Cleric simply shook her head.

“People call us hyenas or dung beetles. But what else are we supposed to do when we aren't given the minimum courtesy and worker rights? Just starve? At least give us enough money for cleansing.” The one with gills on his neck complained.

“That's the reality. In the end, if you aren’t happy, the only way is to become a Hunter or directly get chosen by the Tower and survive. Just finishing the Tutorial in Hard difficulty is enough to become a top-level recruit.” Richard, who had been silent until now, spoke up. 

“The Tower, huh?” I looked up, though I could not see beyond the thick wall and ceiling, I felt like I could see the Tower. A place of trial where everyone was judged fairly and rewarded for their hard work. 

“What about Hell Difficulty?”

“Pff, why would anyone be stupid enough to choose Hell Difficulty? That's a meat grinder.”

“Why is that?”

Jana shook her head as she heard this question, “The Tower is fair to everyone, but it depends on the difficulty level. People in easy mode can directly enter with all their stats, skills, and equipment from Earth. Of course, the rewards are far smaller, but the bosses are weak, and all those who participate are given a return stone that takes them away when they receive a fatal strike.”  

Even as she spoke of the easy mode, it was easy to see the disdain she held. “Many rich people chose that difficulty. Normal difficulty is where stuff becomes interesting. You can keep your stats, skills, and skill level. But all equipment are normalized.”

“In Hard difficulty, you can only keep the stats you had before entering. Everything else is normalized. No return stone.”

I nodded to myself. Most heirs of the top guild who entered the Tower would choose Hard difficulty. This was also why I refused to let Helen give me her Elixir. This was the best way for her to strengthen herself and survive.

“As for Hell…” She shrugged, “Hell is the most unfair of all in a way. In Hell, everyone is equalized to F rank and needs to start from zero. That's years of hard work down the drain. Death is a given, and survival is a miracle.”

I could see a few of them shiver at her words.

“So far, only a few rankers like the Sword Saint, the Saintess, the Immortal, Invincible, and so on have managed to reach the upper floor in Hell Difficulty. This is why nowadays, they say unless you are born with some supreme talents or a Cheat or become the Incarnation of a Constellation, don’t even dream of Hell Difficulty.”

Everyone listened to her as she explained, and I had to say, she had a gift when it came to telling a story. Her inflections and acting helped increase the immersion. 

Still, what she was saying was the truth. All the people known to have passed the Hell Difficulty Tutorial were known to possess something special. The Immortal had 12 lives on any given day. Invincible had a skin impervious to all damage. The Sword Saint had a sword that could cut anything, and the Saintess could bring even the dead back to life. 

The Wizard King had near-unlimited mana, the Hunter could perceive everything around him in a radius that was simply frightening, and The King of Knights had a dragon heart.

For some, they were born with those powers. Some others were lucky to find secret pieces while exploring the Tower, and the others were blessed by constellations.

That kind of power that defied reason was called Cheat by many, and many said that the high rankers only succeeded thanks to their cheat. But I knew it was ridiculous. Even with those cheats, without incredible hard work, it was impossible to reach as far as they did.

“Enough bullshit guys.” Jana was about to continue her words, but she was interrupted by Richard as he stood up and clapped his hands to bring everyone's attention to him.

“Whining won't change shit and talking about the Tower doesn’t change our situation. Marques is getting the bonus this time. Once I awaken, I promise we will get out of this hellhole. For now, though. Let's start working. Jana, you can bring down the barrier. Thank you.”

He clenched his fists even as he said this and put back his equipment. The discussion stopped, and everyone did as ordered.

Standing up, I looked up at the guy named Richard. 

My first impression of him had been horrible. Rude, brash, condescending, and all around unpleasant. 

But now…He made me realize once again that everyone had something weighing down on them and that first impressions could be wrong.

“Newbie move your ass. You will come to the frontline with me.”

…Well, not entirely wrong it seemed.