Return of the Woodcutter

Present time.

Aito and the siblings arrived from the fourth floor. Surprisingly, this time, the staircase led them inside a majestic cathedral. 

Delicately carved and smooth white marble paved the floor. Six main imposing pillars located at each corner supported the structure, preventing the building from crumbling. Engravings depicting people fighting against monstrous beings were carved into them. 

Aito recognized one of those monstrosities with tentacles, a Paineater. The others were unknown to him, though he could guess that the numerous hulking creatures were Goliaths. 

Challengers were seated on benches lined up specifically so that those who sat on it could admire four tall statues highlighted by the fake sunlight passing through a beautiful multicolor rose window, under which a magnificent painting of a woman clad in armor was fixed on the wall. 

The siblings looked around, astounded by the sheer beauty of the place. Large chandeliers hung on the ceiling, housing light crystal emitting orange hues that gave the place a warm feeling. 

Aito approached the statues and struggled with an immediate urge to spit on Belmand's feet. His gaze followed each statue from left to right, memorizing the face of every god, until it laid upon the painting. 

'Valinar, I suppose.' 

She had a sword in hand. From where he stood, Aito could feel her tremendous power, or it could be said that the painting was able to imitate the ridiculous strength that she once had. 

On it, she was fighting a being shrouded in darkness. Multiple pieces of land floated around them like gravity mattered not. Or was it the power of one of those two beings? 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said a voice next to him. 

"Yeah." Even though he despised the gods, Aito had to admit the architecture was worthy of a second glance. 

"Hahaha, this really tells us how small we are in the grand schemes of this world." 

Aito turned towards the person speaking to him. An old man clad in leather armor, nearing the end of his sixties, stood next to him. Despite his apparent age, and the fact he was leaning on a staff, he looked quite healthy. 

"I'm Rey, Rey Clover." 

"Aito Walker." 

"Well, young lad, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow admirer of beautiful things." He said, staring at a goddess's statue. 

Aito traced Rey's gaze only to realize the old man was looking intently at Filona's bosom. He couldn't help but crack a smile. Even though he himself felt a profound disgust towards these two bulging bricks, he could understand that some men would fantasize about these. 

"You're him, aren't you?" Rey asked, his eyes now fixed on him. 

"Him?" 

"The black challenger," Rey said with a slight smile. "Now, now, don't look at me like this, I'm not a stalker. Your fame has already spread to all challengers, you know? The fact that someone trained in plain sight like a madman every day on the third floor didn't go unnoticed. What really brought you fame, though, isn't your masochism but your fight against the Chosen sect." 

"*Sigh* You people don't have anything better to do than talk about rumors?" 

"Hahaha. Of course not. Rumors are exciting to hear, young man. It is appealing because it speaks to us humans in various ways. Our sense of wonder, our curiosity, our self-esteem. Also, what do you think people do when they are not hunting monsters? We need subjects to talk about amongst ourselves. Turns out that you giving a taste of their own medicine to the sect is a popular subject these days." 

They talk about a man in grey armor armed with an ax. Rampaging like a god of war. I've been on this floor for quite a while, you know? And it's the first time I've seen you around here. I wasn't sure at first, but your answer and facial expression confirmed my hypothesis." 

"I see." Aito replied, "This chat isn't just a coincidence, isn't it?" 

"Haha, you catch on quick, young lad." Rey said, "You see, I recently lost my team. For a poor old man like myself, venturing out there alone would be too dangerous." 

"Cut to the chase old man," Aito said. "What do you want?" 

"Direct I see. Very well. I'm offering you my services as a guide."

Aito pondered the offer. It was true that he had Gwen's knowledge, but those were blurry and couldn't compare to someone who has stayed on this floor for a while. Not because Gwen's knowledge was insufficient, but because... well, they were blurry. 

"The fifth floor can be quite tricky on your first day, you see. And this old man knows the fifth floor like the back of my hand. With me, you increase your chances of coming back alive by at least fifty percent." Rey said, winking.

"In exchange for?" 

"Free food. That's all I ask," Rey said, with a smile. 

Anyone sane would find this old man suspicious. First, Rey had lost his teammates and was the lone survivor. An okay suspicious. Second, he had asked for nothing more than meals in exchange for his services that might cost him his life. Very suspicious. Third, Aito didn't like the old man's smile. Very very suspicious.

However, thanks to Gwen, Aito knew something the others didn't. At first, he wasn't certain, but Rey's offer confirmed his suspicions. This old man was, in fact, the moderator of the fifth floor. 

Apparently, when he was bored, he'd look for entertainment by teaming up with challengers. Moderators weren't exactly allowed to clear the floors for challengers, however, serving as a guide bypassed this rule. Well, as long as Rey didn't help them too much. 

Also, to seek more entertainment, the moderator would apparently lead challengers to the most dangerous places on the fifth floor, which suited Aito perfectly. 

He didn't aim at only clearing this floor. Just like with the fourth floor, there was an item he wished to pick up here. But the hobgoblin's he was supposed to kill to obtain it would always move around. 

In that sense, there might be a higher chance of encountering it if he was to follow this old man. 

"Sure, we can spend some food," Aito replied. 

"Great!" Rey said, "We'll depart tomorrow then. It will be nighttime soon. Going out when it's dark is too risky. You can take this time to rest and also visit the belltower. You can access it through those stairs over there. The view from up there is quite exquisite! I promise you it'll be worth it. Ah, and don't worry about hobs coming to this place. The cathedral is a safe house. Under normal circumstances, they never come here. I'll see you tomorrow in the morning. Same place. Have a good evening, young lad."

With those words, the man went off to discuss with other challengers present in the cathedral. 

Aito stared at him for a while longer. Rey truly looked sociable with other challengers. If Aito had to take a guess, there were around a hundred challengers in the cathedral at the moment. 

More kept coming through the tall entrance double doors, though. So there were probably more than a hundred. Some were settling for the night while others seem to be going back to the Square. 

They all appeared battle-hardened. 

He assumed it was normal. If they have reached this floor, they were supposedly more experienced than those still stuck on the fourth floor. 

After a few moments, Aito rejoined with the siblings and, curious about the belltower, proceeded to ascend the stairs leading to the top. 

"Wow," Ogoro muttered, looking at the city from the belltower. Even Sheyla let out a "beautiful," while seeing the streets stretching for kilometers. 

Aito, however, remained with a straight face in front of this spectacle. Not that he wasn't impressed, it was just that something else occupied his mind. Something Rey had said. 

'Under normal circumstances, they never come here.'