Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

21. The Top Ten

"A new mission has appeared near the shore, and I suspect it has something to do with Scylla," Freya announced while we were eating breakfast.

"How did you find out?" I asked out of curiosity.

She shrugged. "Well, I was just taking a walk outdoors, and I overheard everyone chatting about the quest."

"Did you catch anything else?"

So I moved closer to her, listening intently to what she was saying. I had to make sure that I would hear what she had to say. The quest piqued my curiosity, so I would like to consider taking it. Well, unless it's too much for the team to handle. Dylan and Blake also leaned in when they saw what I did. Freya chuckled as she pushed their faces away. Seriously, what is wrong with these two...?

Freya cleared her throat to gather our attention. "In any case, that's all I know for the time being. It must have something to do with a monster on the ocean floor, and they also claimed that a few of the players swimming at the beach went missing at night, along with boats and ships, all while everyone was fast asleep."

I held my chin as the prospect of becoming lost in my thoughts began. There are a plethora of conceivable possibilities building in my imagination, especially after what transpired yesterday morning. I believed that the creature might have died following the explosion I made, but it doesn't appear to be the case. The most bizarre thing is that everything returned to normal as if there had never been an incident at all. Everything that had been destroyed had been restored to its previous state, and the water was still in pristine shape. Who knew it was so easy for the kings to pull it off...

Aside from that, I get a strong impression that there was mythology around this on Earth. Even though I was never a fan of such things, this seems to me to be slightly close to an idea from one of such stories. But I'm not so sure about this since it may be a part of the game's lore as well. Ah, now I'm becoming a little too curious about it all.

"Have you guys ever heard of Charybdis? The one from Greek mythology? If there's someone called Scylla here...then it's possible that Charybdis will be here as well, wouldn't you say?"

"It's unlikely that Artemia is related to that mythology, but it's plausible, given that we're in a different realm."

"I'm not too sure about you guys, but Scylla didn't look like a monster to me," Blake emphasized.

All of Scylla's stories and information weighed heavily on my mind. Everything she told us about should have had a hint, even if it's just a tiny one. If I come across anything that may lead me to believe she is connected to Charybdis, I will be able to construct a hypothesis. Her participation in Yuki's resistance was based on the sinking of naval fleets, if my memory serves me correctly...

"Ah!" I exclaimed, which immediately caught everyone's attention. I grinned as I clasped my hands together. "I've come up with a theory, which we can use as a hint or anything. It's not too accurate, but I think we can base our investigation on this."

"Oh?" Blake responded, raising an eyebrow. "Let's have a conversation about it."

"The reason for Scylla's imprisonment is that she destroyed the three kings' naval fleets, which is why she was imprisoned in the first place. At least that was what she said. It's possible that she used to look like the mythological figure, but now that she's been restrained, she's most likely returned to her original appearance. I was able to sense an immense amount of power within her, but those chains were most likely holding her back."

"How does it relate to Charybdis? How do these two cases relate to each other?"

I cracked a grin. "The quest will be completed if we are able to confine Charybdis in the same way the kings restrained Scylla."

As though they couldn't believe what I'd said, they all sighed. I realize it seems stupid, but it's the best idea I could come up with at the time. I knew we'd have to depend on reasoning since there aren't any hints. Besides, I have always relied on my gut feelings, which has often led us to victory. But of course, I won't force them to do something ridiculous with me.

Then Blake groaned. "You're planning ahead of time, Ivory..." he murmured as he looked away from me. "Charybdis is said to generate whirlpools capable of sucking ships, and we'd most likely perish if we were swallowed by one of those."

Dylan ruffled my hair as he smiled at me. "This is an excellent theory, and you are correct in that restraining Charybdis is the only choice we have since there is no way to kill her."

"We're the ones who are going to get slaughtered first..." Blake whispered.

I looked him in the eyes and smiled. "No, we won't. I guarantee you that we'll work everything out."

All of us, even Blake, were in agreement that we should go on this mission. Despite his grumbling earlier, he agreed and said that he had an idea. I don't really know what he was talking about, but he assured us that he was capable of handling our journey to Charybdis's belly. I just shrugged and trusted him with whatever he was planning. Blake would never do something that would get us killed, after all.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on us as we walked across the beach. Although this is what normally happens whenever we are outside, there is obviously something unusual about this time. It could be my imagination, but they seem to be shooting judging looks at us. What they are saying is confusing to me since I don't think they knew that the minotaur is on our trail. They don't seem to, or do they?

"Come on," Blake said as he grabbed me by the waist. I was surprised and almost tripped, but he quickly held my arm. "Don't pay any heed to what they're saying.

"Watch where you're touching," Dylan quickly warned him when he saw us.

The arm that Blake had placed around my waist was withdrawn, and I was able to walk on my own. I understand that he is concerned about my well-being, but I am capable of dealing with it on my own own. I was curious as to why everyone in our immediate vicinity was behaving strangely. That's all! I swear there isn't anything beyond that! Besides, the last thing I want right now is to get into another fight. Seriously, I'm sick of them...

"There it is," Freya said as she pointed to a stall near the shore.

My brows furrowed because of confusion. What is the point of having a stall at this place? Oh, wait! Aren't they informed that there have been tidal waves that can easily wash humans away here? Unless they're safe from it. Because I've heard that not even NPCs can have a chance against the waves, it seems that the threat is equal for everyone.

When the NPCs realized we were coming, they gave us an optimistic glance in their direction. Everyone else seems to have refused the quest based on their facial expressions. Doesn't this mean that it will be really difficult? If the others refused to accept the quest, then I wouldn't have suggested taking it. Oh, gosh. I don't want another life-threatening situation!

"Are you going to accept the quest? There isn't much information about it, so no one else has attempted to accept it. Please, we're begging you. There is some type of fault in the system, which is why this quest has appeared sooner. This needs to be resolved immediately. Please..."

My brows furrowed after hearing her. "Uh, I'm not confident that a single team can complete this quest, you know...."

"We have already reached out to the top 10 teams apart from yours."

"What? We're in the top ten?" Blake asked as he stared at her in awe.

The NPCs exchanged looks of surprise after realizing that we were not aware. Oh, so we're expected to know where we are in terms of our rankings? Is it really so astonishing that we had no idea about that? Given that players seldom go to Khrysheira unless it is necessary for the challenge, it should be recognized that we are not mindful of what is happening. I mean, that tower is despised by everyone.

"Yes," the NPC named Naomi answered. "You're currently ranked as third."

"Did I make a grammatical error?" I blinked a few times, still unable to believe it.

She shook her head at me. "It's the truth. You can go and see it for yourselves."

Whoa. That was very unexpected, particularly considering how relaxed we've been these days. Hmm, I wonder who the second and first ranks are. Assuming they are at the very top of the list, it will most likely be a bit simpler to finish this mission. The fact that the prize is considered to be bigger than any other suggests that they would prefer to go on their own rather than as a group.

"All right, then, we're going to accept the mission," I said.

The NPC beamed upon hearing our response, then proceeded to process everything. We settled ourselves on a bench while waiting for the other players. According to the officials, a strong barrier has been created around the beach to protect it from being devastated by any tsunamis. This is already a given, but the kings seem to despise it when there are damages.

A slew of players arrived one by one in a procession. Wow, it seems like the majority of the teams have developed their own identity. It's like a whole ass variation. One team is gothic, and the other is relatively innocent-looking. Some of them are filled with a particular element. It was pretty evident because they were wearing clothing with the elemental symbols pinned to it. However, the most conspicuous of them didn't need any of them at all...

"Either of them would be second or first, wouldn't it?" I whispered to Freya, amazed because of the people that caught my attention.

She nodded in agreement as she giggled. "Are you referring to the team with just three members? They're known as the Sphinx team since they're all werecats, and the other team, I believe, is named the Lunatics team.:

"Come again?" I asked as I blinked twice. "Are you serious? That's their..."

She laughed at my reaction. "Yeah, that's their team name."

I glanced at the team that had the peculiar nickname. "They're not literally...like that, right?" I asked.

"No, they aren't. Don't worry about it."

I shot them a quick glance before pretending that I wasn't interested at all. To be honest, I was a little curious about them. We were intrigued by the fact that they named their squad in this manner. That team name had me scratching my head, wondering what they were thinking. It's a bizarre group...

However, I noticed that only four or three people are in the top three of the rankings. A total of three males make up the Sphinx squad, while our team consists of two ladies and two men, and Lunatics includes four guys. I'd say it's mostly boys who made that team name.

I was glancing at one of the Lunatics members when one of them caught me looking and gave me a wink. Uncomfortable, I raised my brows and turned away. My impression that they are actually insane has grown stronger in recent days. That pushed Freya to chuckle, but she quickly suppressed her laughter. Seeing how she was looking at something, I went back to check on her expression.

Shit. I might have messed up...

My attention was drawn to Blake and Dylan as they were getting ready to stand up, so I swiftly dragged them both away. The two grumbled as they attempted to stand up again, but I turned my gaze away from them. Given that we must collaborate with other teams, it is advisable not to get into any confrontations at this time. In addition, everyone's assistance is required for this objective. Arguing with others is not recommended.

"He was hitting on you!" Blake replied with furrowed brows.

"I was looking at them!" I told him, which shut him up.

"You what? Why would you look at them?!?" they said as they looked at me like I had just betrayed them.

"What's wrong with it? I was curious about the other teams, so I wanted to have a peek!"

It's amazing how much I wanted to avoid fighting with other teams, and yet suddenly, we're embroiled in a battle among our own team. But these two were acting out of line! I was just looking at the,! It doesn't seem to be a problem in any way, does it? And I didn't even try flirting with the guy!

"You two need to chill out. Ivory has eyes. Of course, she'd look at other people," Freya said coldly. "You two, stop being difficult."

Both of them apologized to me after they calmed down. The fact that they're afraid of Freya is a good thing, I suppose. It's hard to imagine someone not agreeing. When Freya is enraged, she is, without a doubt, the most terrifying character. A quarrel with her should be avoided at all costs. I grinned and hugged Freya, relieved that she got my back after all these months.

"Thanks."

She flashed a sweet smile. "You weren't wrong."

I stuck my tongue out to the two just to tease them, which made them sulk even more. Heh, it's fine. No biggie. They'd come to their senses as soon as we began our investigation. Although I should be more careful now since it's inconvenient to deal with their sulking all the time. There are men who might try to hit on us again since there aren't many girls around. Whenever this occurs, they lose their cool.

A total of seven teams were already present when the NPCs made their appearance. We're not going to be waiting for the others much longer, will we? Obviously, they were unwilling to take part in this kind of quest. Who would even want to go through with it, right? I'm beginning to believe that we're completely insane for embarking on this type of s**t together. This is the most dangerous of all the tasks, and it is rated as an SS-tier difficulty level.

Naomi, the NPC, took a long breath and looked at us with a worried expression on her face. "This is the first time that everyone has come, except for the other three teams, who refused to come for personal reasons. We'll now move to a brief orientation about this quest."