Chapter 117: Overwhelming
As Vahn's Party pushed their way further into the glade, the number of Timber Wolves they encountered gradually increased from pack sizes of ten to an average of twenty. Stronger monsters called Timber Wolf Pack Leaders began appearing, taking charge of the weaker wolves, but even if their coordination steadily improved, they simply lacked the stats to pose a threat.
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Accurately shooting two Timber Wolves in the head, Tanya, looking bored, remarked, "We should take on an F+ Rank Dungeon next. These monsters are way too weak."
"Well, each Rank is supposed to be a hundred times stronger than those preceding it," explained Vahn, intercepting a Timer Wolf's pounce with the tip of his spear, discarding it to the side as he revealed, "Also, this is Floor 0 of the Tower, also known as the Tutorial/Testing Area. It was conceived to help everyday people acclimate to fighting monsters, so we're ahead of the curve at D and C-Rank."
"Everyday people?" parroted Tanya, frowning as she asked, "What's the point of empowering such people? More to the point, why create a place like this? People don't empower others arbitrarily, so what do you and the others who created this place hope to achieve?"
Though he was a little taken aback by Tanya's abrupt, interrogatory line of questioning, Vahn didn't hesitate to smile and answer, "We want to build a community."
Preempting Tanya's follow-up questions, Vahn stabbed his spear into the ground, creating a golden Magic Circle with a twenty-meter diameter. All monsters within its area of effect were pushed out forcibly. At the same time, those on the outside could not enter, their advance thwarted by an imperceptible, dome-shaped barrier that produced golden light whenever something came into contact with it.
"Oh? That's a convenient ability..." remarked Himmel, wearing his usual smile as he turned to face Vahn and pulled out a cloth to clean his sword. It was free of blood and gore thanks to the monsters disappearing when killed, but dutifully cleaning and maintaining their equipment was a habit most seasoned Adventurers from his world had.
Continuing where he left off, Vahn explained, "I'm one of a small group with the capacity to link and cross between different worlds, universes, and dimensions. Some of us have the power to decimate entire planets, but even that isn't as impressive as it sounds when you consider it only requires a Power Level in the tens of thousands. There are beings in the multiverse with Power Levels in the billions, so you could say our goal is to create an organization that can solve multiversal problems or oppose virtually any threat that could appear."
"An organization that you or someone you know will stand at the top of, no doubt..." remarked Tanya, exhaling from her nose.
"That's not entirely true," refuted Vahn, shaking his head as he contended, "I honestly don't care who's in charge so long as they follow the rules and aren't a complete tyrant. I personally just want to live free and spend time with the people I care about, but since I possess the means and power to help or enable others, I feel obligated to at least try."