The gimmick of the prairie layers from the 51st to 60th floors is a territory-capturing game.


    Additionally, after the mages analyzed the dark purple crystals and we researched the safe zones and monster encampments we''d conquered, the gimmick was fully revealed. Viewers were making a fuss, saying it was Han Se-ah''s first-ever gaming achievement to get complete information before diving in headfirst.


    "What do you mean they''re gradually coming down?" I asked.


    "This crystal you heroes brought us is truly remarkable. And also wicked and vicious," the excited mage explained.


    The priest, wearing a displeased expression, added to the mage''s explanation. It was actually quite a simple gimmick. The monster army on the 60th floor kidnapped humans through fake safe zones and processed them with black magic to create these dark purple crystals.


    Come to think of it, wasn''t it strange that fake safe zones consumed mana when people entered, and then summoned people when the mana was completely depleted? How could a summoning spell be cast when mana reached zero?


    So in fact, what we''d been calling fake safe zones were actually neutral safe zones. When you fill a neutral safe zone with mana, it eventually bears the fruit of divine energy and becomes a real safe zone. When a neutral safe zone is completely drained of mana, it becomes a ''potential'' monster encampment that sucks away life force.


    "So that means from the 56th floor up...?" Katie asked.


    "Yes. There''s a high chance their army is waiting," the priest confirmed.


    Neutral safe zone > Charge with mana > divine energy flower blooms > Possible to build a provisional temple


    Neutral safe zone > Mana depleted > Plant dark magic crystal > Use as monster encampment


    These facts were now clearly revealed, with no more secrets to speak of. As it dawned on everyone that the dark purple crystals we''d been diligently collecting were objects made by grinding up people with black magic, the expressions of my companions darkened rapidly.


    It seemed that among the randomly kidnapped people, the lucky ones fell to the human-controlled areas around the 51st to 54th floors, but those taken higher up weren''t just wandering the prairie to their deaths - they were captured by the monster army and processed into crystals.


    "Hmm... So this means the mid-boss isn''t the monster army, but more like a commander, right? The boss would be the general on the 60th floor, and the mid-boss would be like a subordinate general," I mused.


    -All this talk of generals is giving me strong Three Kingdoms vibes. Is it just me?


    -Is this the part where we go throw Roland and defeat the enemy general?


    -Talking about Three Kingdoms, I smell old man


    -On the other hand, the general-like guy could be the mid-boss, and the one making crystals with black magic could be the boss


    -That''s true too. Isn''t the black magic crystal more important than the monster army?


    While Grace, Irene, and Katie''s expressions grew noticeably darker, Han Se-ah seemed busy sorting through discussion points with her viewers.


    Well, while my companions were probably thinking about the innocent victims who had disappeared and died, Han Se-ah was likely still thinking the mid-boss we hadn''t encountered on the 55th floor. Despite being stuck in an endless loop of eat-sleep-shit-game for a long month, we still hadn''t met the mid-boss.


    "Still, thanks to you heroes, we should be able to minimize the damage," the mage said soothingly. "Now that we''ve discovered their evil plan, we can move forward by purifying the safe zones."


    "That''s right. If we hadn''t found out so quickly, many adventurers, mercenaries, and even knights would have entered the tower and depleted the mana in the safe zones. The damage would have been uncontrollable," the priest added.


    -Show me what you guys saw! Show me what you guys saw! Show me what you guys saw! Show me what you guys saw!


    As a result, Han Se-ah''s stream screen was slightly wavering due to the drunkenness debuff, while the other three had their foreheads planted on the guild table, groaning.


    Normally, Irene would have gently emitted divine energy and given them a soothing massage, but today even Irene, our last line of defense, had her head down, experiencing the pain of a hangover for the first time in her life. Still, they were all such beauties that it was entertaining to watch. As I stood with my arms crossed, I felt a sharp glare.


    "Roland, you, look fine?" Katie managed.


    "Of course. I detoxified in real-time," I replied.


    "...What?"


    Even Han Se-ah, who had drunk the least, was fiddling with settings while being scolded by viewers for her wavering vision. So to Katie''s eyes, even the genius mage Han Se-ah seemed to be suffering from a hangover. In reality, she wasn''t hungover but harassed by viewers.


    As all four of them were clutching their throbbing heads and churning stomachs, I alone was looking down at them with a chuckle. Perhaps that''s why a sense of indignation arose.


    Of course, the glare wasn''t threatening. Her nickname wasn''t just due to her behavior, but also her small stature, delicate figure, and youthful face. With such an adorable face, teary-eyed glares only looked like sulky complaints expressing grievance.


    "H-How...?" Katie stammered.


    "This is how adventurers usually wash away their thoughts when they start thinking too much," I explained.


    "W-Wash away? More like threw up..."


    The first to recover was, of course, Katie, the melee warrior most accustomed to using her body. Next was Grace, the scout character who, despite being sensitive and passing out first, was used to handling her senses.


    And in last place was our future saint, Irene, who clearly hadn''t had much experience with alcohol in her life. While Katie glared at me and Grace massaged her own nape to loosen up, Irene was still face-down on the table, making weak "hueeng" noises.


    Still, it seemed that drinking hard liquor and stuffing their faces with all sorts of greasy and sweet foods for the first time in a month had cleared away their complicated thoughts. It''s standard practice for adventurers and mercenaries to wash away problems they can''t immediately solve with alcohol, sending them to the back of their memories.


    "Now that we know their plan, we should steadily move up and conquer the 56th floor," I said.


    "All of a sudden?" Han Se-ah asked, confused.


    "What do you mean, all of a sudden? Didn''t we talk to the temple yesterday about conquering the prairie like the 35th floor swamp?"


    "Uh... Oh. I guess we did."


    The problem was that they seemed to have washed away the plans discussed while drinking, but that was just a minor side effect, right? ...They''d also forgotten about finding a closed inn in the market street while moving between bars.


    In the end, those people never made it back.


    ---