World of Elevators

Chapter 10

Zach's forehead was wet with sweat. He'd never felt so tense in his life. He swallowed his saliva for a few moments. The pounding in his chest was like a bomb about to detonate.

Zach's demeanor was opposed to Ray's. Ray's face flushed, and his nose puffed up and down erratically.

"Who told you to sell gemstones to other players? I told you to kill each other, not help each other!" Serena Raff yelled.

Zach and Ray are now kneeling on the steps just below the queen's throne. Meanwhile, Lua, who was not allowed to join them, was furious down there.

"I wanted to create a tense game atmosphere. But you guys ruined it!"

'Now you are the one who has made us tense, Queen.'

Serena Raff has taken on the form of a perfect human after swallowing many gemstones from the players. And she was still wearing the same transparent dress!

Zach's eyes rose and fell in response to the stunning sight. He was both guilty and excited at the same time. This is the first time he has directly witnessed a woman's body parts.

"Are your mouths just decorations, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Queen Serena Raff, but you never said we couldn't sell the gemstones," Ray said.

Zach cast a glance at the man. Ray had to be thinking something dirty in his head, he could tell.

Serena Raff crossed her legs. Zach sighed in disappointment so hard that the queen's bottom was covered.

"You!"

Ray and Zach both looked up at the same time.

"Yes, you with the glasses! I know you make the most gold coins selling gemstones. How much do you make?"

Zach's pupils shifted in and out of focus. His gaze couldn't stay on Serena.

"Fifty thousand."

"Give me half of it, and I'll set you free!"

'No! You can lock me up whenever you want, Queen! I am willing to serve as your slave!' Zach grinned at the thought.

"Are you laughing at me now? Huh?!"

"N-No."

"Hand over half your gold coins immediately!" The queen stated.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. Isn't there a rule that I have to follow if I have to divide the gold coins? After all, you are both the queen and the administrator. You don't need the players' gold coins!"

Zach was proud of his bravery. That's right, there's nothing else to be afraid of. Zach is determined to be the strongest and wealthiest.

Serena Raff's face hardened. Zach liked her even more. Serena appears to be more charismatic.

"I... I'll give you 10% of the coins I earn from this floor," said Zach.

"20%."

'I'm getting ripped off even here! However, if it's for Serena..."

"All right, but I have one condition."

Serena Raff smacked her hand against the throne's armrest. She doesn't need gold coins. She just didn't like how Zach was ruining her show and wanted to scare him.

"How dare a lowly player like you..."

"We have completed the mission and can leave at any time from this floor."

Serena pretended to think for a moment before asking, "What are your conditions?"

"Allow me to return to this floor at any time without paying a repeating fee."

"What for?" Ray whispered "Don't tell me you want to flirt with her? Are you really in love with her?"

'No, I want to train on this floor because there are still a lot of wild wolves in the forest. But I can't say anything right now in front of the floor administrator, Ray. Think as you please.'

The wolf has a keen sense of hearing. Serena could hear Ray's words. Serena's face turned bright red all of a sudden.

"Fine," Serena said curtly, turning away.

***

Four days in the world of elevators have passed. Zach is getting better at killing wild wolves. Furthermore, when the wolves come face to face with Lua, they are instantly intimidated. Even though Zach hadn't improved his ability stats, he had gained some muscle in his upper arms.

[Your current level is 123.]

[Pet level 69.]

"Tsk! It's becoming increasingly difficult to level up."

Zach ran into several players who had just entered the -1 floor. Nobody dared to stand in his way. Zach was able to return to Serena Raff's throne without incident.

When Zach met Serena Raff, he was taken aback by the queen's transformation. The wolf's thin fur began to grow and cover her entire body. Even though it does not affect Serena's beauty.

"Zach, you've returned. How many gemstones did you collect?"

I managed to slaughter 2,100 of them, Queen. I wanted to kill them even more. But I'm afraid the wolf population on the -1 floor is getting scarcer."

"Hahaha... Zach, you are so amusing. They have a population of millions. And, unlike the wolves in your world, they continue to multiply rapidly."

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Zach shook his head. "Um, I'll give Queen Serena 1,100 gemstones as promised yesterday."

Serena Raff raised her eyebrow. "What then is the rest for?"

"Can I sell to the players?" Zach asked shyly.

Seeing Serena's annoyance to the point of glaring at him, Zach said quickly, "I didn't sell it, Queen! Really! First, I'd like to ask your permission."

"I know that. It appears that you are in desperate need of gold coins. But why did you decide to go downstairs? You can make a lot of money upstairs."

"I want to increase my abilities and strengthen myself. Because I'm always bullied in the real world. I want to change, Queen. It's true if I need money, but that's not enough to make those people stop bothering me," Zach answered honestly.

"What?!" Serena's eyes were fiery. "Who dares to bully you? I'm going to kill them!"

"Sorry?" Zach frowned. He thought he had heard it wrong.

"I-I mean, I don't like people belittling or harming others! Not that I care about you!"

"I know that. How could a queen as powerful and beautiful as you care about a lowly human like me?" Zach smiled awkwardly.

'No, Zach. I care about you.' Serena thought.

"Okay, I'll buy all of your gemstones. Don't give those gems to other players. They should complete the simple missions on this floor on their own."

"Huh? No, I'll just sell 1,000 gems instead. I want to give you half of what I make."

[Queen Serena Raff gives you 2,100,000 gold coins. You have 2,140,000 gold coins.]

[From Serena Raff, you receive an epic item, the red wolf warrior sword. Your level has increased by 40]

[Your current level is 163.]

“Q-Queen! T-This... This is too much!"

"Oh, I added 0 incorrectly. Just take it."

"But..."

"After all, it is non-refundable."

"Queen, are you refusing my offer to give you gemstones?

'No, I want to help you and make you indebted to me so you don't get tired of coming here,' thought Serena.

"If you want to give me something, I don't want the wild wolf gemstones that I can easily obtain!"

'How foolish I am! Serena Raff does not care for gemstones! I need to find something that will please Queen Serena. So she keeps letting me come,' Zach thought to himself.

"Yes, Queen. I'll be back later with something from my world. But what about the red wolf warrior sword? This seems excessive to me."

"That's my gift to you for helping me in reducing those stupid wild wolves."

The queen's kindness touches Zach. He unknowingly hugged Serena to express his happiness.

"I appreciate it very much, Queen!" Zach was ecstatic.

"Z-Zach, what are you doing?" Serena blushed.

"I-I apologize, Queen. I had no idea...."

Serena pushed Zach away and sat back down on the throne. She didn't want Zach to notice her irregular heartbeat.

"Use your gold coins quickly to improve your abilities." Serena pretended to be formal.

"Oh, right."

[Increases height by 20 cm. Succeed.]

[Increases body muscle mass by 30%. Succeed.]

[20% speed, 20% agility, 20% strength, 20% intelligence, 20% stamina. Each 1% stat requires 10,000 gold coins.]

[You have 640,000 gold coins.]

[Exchange 300,000 gold coins for $3,000. Succeed.]

"I think I'm ready to fight Harris now."