The Dive

It took a few hours for the other party to arrive at the lake.

When they did, Kai felt them approach miles before they even got close. He could tell from birds taking flight from their treetop nests, spooked by fights that no doubt broke out between the massive party of 99 and the less than welcoming denizens of the forest.

A large party afforded strength in numbers, but there were always tradeoffs. Larger parties made more noise. Set off more traps. A party that big had probably tipped off basically every dangerous creature in the forest. Most beasts probably backed down at the party's numbers, but the ones that didn't were particularly dangerous, confident in their ability to snag away a meal even against such a huge herd.

Sixteen hours. That was how long the party had taken to get here. How long they had fought. It was guaranteed that they had suffered losses by now.

The first person Kai saw breaking out into the clearing across the lake was the Superior. He had discarded his old military uniform for a full set of plate armor. Dents and claw shaped marks riddled the armor already. Muck and blood drenched almost every crevice of his armor like he had stepped out of a warzone.

The Superior dug his weapon - a large broadsword painted with blood - into the grassy dirt of the clearing as he inspected the shining light of the lake. He sighed in what seemed like relief - it was hard to tell his expression under his helmet - before he froze, catching Kai in his sights.

Kai looked ahead at the Superior with unchangingly neutral expression. He wondered whether the Superior would show surprise that Kai was alive or maybe even anger.

Instead, the Superior turned around and shouted, "All clear!"

He prioritized his party above any petty conflict.

The trees and bushes behind the Superior rustled as the rest of the party streamed in in varying states of wear and tear. Some were being carried on makeshift stretchers made of torn cloth, thick leaves, and sticks. They suffered lost limbs and equally grievous injuries.

Others, mostly the supportive classes like creators, rangers, mages, and healers, were less roughed up.

Regardless of state of injury, everyone looked tired. Haggard.

Kai understood. Just a day ago, most of them had been living in the comfort of air conditioned homes with food and police and military and so many other services that civilization afforded for their primal needs. Getting thrust in here, where survival was not guaranteed but rather fought for by tooth and nail, was likely a harrowing experience.

In the past, he himself had suffered like they did. Shaking hands at narrowly avoiding death, at killing for the first time. Losing friends in all sorts of brutal ways. And the nightmares - no, the nightmares, he still had them. He had grown used to almost everything else, the killing, the surviving, but the nightmares were not a thing of the past. Nor would they ever be.

"Care to explain how the hell you're still alive?" the Superior stepped up to the edge of the eastern bridge, staring Kai down. Beside him stood a mage and a ranger, recognizable by their staff and crossbow respectively.

The way the two stood with the Superior, ahead of the rest of the party, made it clear that they had proven themselves in battle.

'They've gotten themselves new equipment on their way here. Crossbow instead of longbow. And a poison cursed staff especially effective against wild monsters. The Superior's blade also looks to be enchanted with a searing effect, judging by the feeling of the mana emanating from it. Not too shabby for the tutorial,' noted Kai. He scanned the rest of the party, doing a brief headcount. 'Roughly sixty. Over fifty percent. Surprisingly good. Maybe there is something to be said about the Superior's leadership.' He looked down at the lake, at the trap that it held. 'But if they step in here, most of them will die. The more that dive in, the easier my life will be, but…'

He exhaled through his teeth. He had already told himself he was going to try and save them. Thinking about how their lives could make his easier was a temptation he was trying not to entertain.

"Did the forest make you deaf?" the Superior said again, snapping Kai out of his thoughts. "I'm asking you how you made it this far by yourself." He looked Kai up and down. "Without a single scrape or cut, too, looks like."

"I had a vision," said Kai. He had rehearsed this life quite a few times in his head. "I was the last to leave the Interim. The Tower pitied me, so they gave me a vision. A way through the forest that didn't involve bloodshed."

"Rewarded for being a coward and a loner, that it?" the Superior scoffed. "Real fucking convenient, don't you think?"

"The vision told me more." Kai pointed at the blue-lit lake. "It told me that this was a trap."

The Superior paused before laughing. "You serious right now? You think we'll believe you? Do you have any idea how much we suffered to get here? No, no you don't. Don't even got dirt on your face, let alone blood. You think we'll let you take the treasure here from us? The treasure we earned with our blood and guts and limbs?"

"You can choose to believe me or not. But I am warning you: you step in, you will die." Kai knew there must have been a way to communicate his intent better, come off less hard-edged and more cooperative, but he didn't know that way of talking to people.

Right now, he missed his little brother's ability to connect with people, even enemies. Especially Ren's patience. Kai already felt his patience wearing thin, not that there was all that much to begin with when it came to talking to others.

"I believe him." A woman's voice rang out loud and clear. A voice Kai recognized.

'The girl from the Interim. The blond one,' thought Kai, though he could not remember her name.

"Anna?" the Superior said, surprised. "You trust him?"

Anna removed herself from the crowd and walked up to the Superior, getting close to his space. The way she walked up confidently and the way the Superior talked to her made it clear that she had also proven herself competent. She wielded no sword or shield as the basic warrior did, but instead two gauntlets with studded knuckles. The studs glowed a molten orange imbued with mystical energy.

'That's the best gear I've seen so far,' thought Kai. 'The knuckles have an explosive spell enchanted in them. It's impossible to get enchanted gear in the Tutorial unless you find it as a rare treasure or drop from a dead monster. Speaks to her talent in fighting. Or luck. Either way, you need both to survive in the Tower.'

"I do," said Anna. "Before we came here, back in that white room, he told me the same thing: don't cross the bridge. Before we even knew there was a reward tied down to it. And look at him. Do you really think he would've gotten all the way here by himself if he didn't have that vision of his?"

The Superior mulled over Anna's words before grunting dismissively. "I'll concede that the little shit had some kind of hail mary vision to save his sorry ass. But the treasure is right here. He probably wants all of it, that's what it is. Wants to get us out so he can take it for himself."

"If that were the case, I would've jumped in already," said Kai. "But I didn't. I waited here. To warn you."

"Look at your system screens!" said the Superior, gesturing at his party. "All of you know how to read, don't you? It promises us treasure right there!"

"Maybe it's lying," said Anna.

"Has it lied to you before?"

"…No," Anna ceded.

"Doesn't mean it can't lie to you now," said Kai.

"Something about this does seem too good to be true," agreed Anna.

Like a mental tug of war, Kai and Anna's words clashed with the Superior's, pushing and pulling against the will of the party, leaving them in a deadlock where they did not know who or what to believe.

Kai had an idea. "Let's do this. I'll jump in. Have your rangers and mages prepared at the end of your bridge. If I come back out with treasure, then shoot me dead."

"No. What if you get treasure that'll save your ass from us?" said the Superior. "I'm going in as well."

"Hm." Kai cracked his knuckles. "There's nothing that'll convince you otherwise?"

"I'm diving in." The Superior took his helmet off and stared at Kai with driven intent. "No matter what. The downside of your easy stroll here means you never got a chance to pick up any equipment or stat points. You're piss weak.

If you're wrong and there's treasure, then expect me to break your twig neck. I'll take the treasure and spread it with my party. It's the least we deserve after what we've gone through.

If you're right and it is a trap, then only two of us have to die. The rest of us can stay safe. Anna - if I don't make it out, then you'll be the new party leader."

"I'm fine with that." Kai did not really expect to save everyone here. He'd figured he would create two groups, one that listened to him, one that didn't.

But the Superior had evidently shown enough competent leadership that the party were willing to fall behind his words, and not just that - he was willing to put up his own life as collateral in the case that things didn't work out.

It also reflected on Anna's capacity as a leader that the Superior was willing to leave the party in her hands with such little hesitation.

"I'm going in. Sooner we figure this shitshow out, the better." The Superior sheathed his broadsword and with helmet nestled under his armpit, dove into the water.

"Twenty-four hours," said Kai, watching as the lake flashed bright for a moment. The Superior's silhouette disappeared under the surface of the water. "If either of us are not back in twenty-four hours, then I advise you all to leave this place."

Kai jumped in as well. Cool, almost icy water assailed his skin. He could not see anything under the water, infused with blue light as it was. Then, the water turned warm. He felt nausea roil in his belly as the familiar sensation of being teleported washed over him.