Chapter 39

039. 7th Floor (4)

Bang!

The moment I noticed, I started running straight without a moment's hesitation.

If my thoughts were correct, this race is an application of the 6th floor trial.

The environment, where touching the water surrounding me would decrease my stats, is sufficiently threatening.

If the platforms all fall at this speed, it would be impossible to avoid the water...

If that happens, all my stats, including agility, would drop below the minimum level.

After that, it would be certain death, as I wouldn't be able to run any faster.

‘Damn, it’s already tough with three trials...’

The problem is that all these trials increase the difficulty level drastically.

The mental and physical strain from the continuous trials is almost unbearable.

But...

Even in this hellish difficulty, there was a way to break through.

「The Assassin's Cloak (D) special effect is activated.」

「Movement speed +15%」

「Remaining duration – 00:00:59」

Bang!

Instantly, my legs gained strength as I stepped on the tiles, and my body shot forward.

‘Alright, with this, at least I won’t be caught...’

Right at that moment.

Whoosh!

The water on both sides parted, and streams of water shot out like blades.

‘What the...!’

Normally, I would have slightly bent my knees to avoid it, but I couldn’t do that now.

The speed I had increased to its maximum was not something I could easily maneuver.

As a result, there was only one way to avoid these water streams.

“Suck!”

Without reducing my momentum, I threw my body onto the tile.

Bang!

The water streams behind me collided, creating a loud noise.

The power of the impact was easily discernible from the sound alone.

‘If I had been hit, I would have at least suffered a concussion, or my head might have exploded...’

A chill ran down my spine, and my senses heightened.

Having gone through various trials, I immediately realized that this third trial would result in death if I lost focus for even a moment.

Crash.

“Huff, huff.”

I quickly got up, bracing my hands on the tiles.

The tiles are still collapsing at intervals that haven’t caught up with me yet.

There’s still a chance to recover from my mistake.

‘I can’t hesitate any longer; I need to steady myself and move...’

Splash.

“...?”

As I felt the cool, refreshing splash in my hands and looked down...

I noticed that the tiles I had braced my hands on had slightly sunk.

「The skill ‘Eyes of Truth’ is activated.」

I activated the Eyes of Truth skill, hoping that what I had touched wasn’t what I imagined...

「Trial Water」

「Grade: A」

「Water that applies penalty effects in the Trial Tower; touching it decreases physical stats.」

「Stats do not decrease if there is no direct contact.」

「However, this water cannot be taken to places other than the 6th floor stage.」

Reality cruelly mocked my cry, revealing it as a trap.

「You have touched the Trial Water.」

「Strength temporarily decreases by 10.」

「Agility temporarily decreases by 10.」

「Stamina temporarily decreases by 10.」

「Remaining penalty duration – 2 minutes 59 seconds」

Three physical stats, directly related to my body’s strength, decreased instantly.

‘Why...!’

I was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of anger.

No, I had clearly avoided the water blade and braced myself on the ground.

Yet, I ended up in this damn trap, and my stats decreased.

‘How am I supposed to pass this trial...!’

I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t just stand still.

「Remaining duration – 00:00:29」

The Assassin's Cloak special effect was about to end.

I quickly pulled my hands out of the Trial Water and started running again.

However, I couldn’t achieve the same speed as before.

It was only natural.

With all my physical stats reduced by 10, how could I maintain the same speed?

I had planned to use the Assassin's Cloak special effect to pass the trial steadily...

But at this rate, I would be caught and fail.

‘...In the end, do I have to use it?’

I thought I might have to use the Instant Acceleration skill I had saved.

The ‘Iron Chain Pendant’ I had recently obtained wouldn’t help much in this situation.

If I needed to increase my speed, Instant Acceleration was the only solution, so it was worth considering.

The problem was that my mana was down to less than 10%, and I didn’t know where this path led.

If I used all my strength to run and couldn’t see the end...

Then I would be doomed to die.

However.

‘I don’t have a choice.’

It wasn’t my decision; it was the situation that forced me.

If I didn’t increase my speed, I would be trapped by the trap and fall into the water.

At the very least, I had to make a desperate attempt.

I gathered all my mana and muttered.

“Instant Acceleration.”

I had just activated Instant Acceleration, which had recently grown to D+.

「The skill ‘Instant Acceleration’ is activated.」

Whoosh!

My body felt lighter, and I felt my speed increase instantly.

Even though my three physical stats had decreased by 10, the power of the skill didn’t diminish.

Of course, it would be difficult to maintain this speed and avoid the traps...

Bang, bang, bang!

But it was enough.

I didn’t need to make all sorts of movements to avoid the traps.

From the moment the trap was activated, I was no longer there.

‘It seems to activate when a certain point is crossed...’

If I could break through the point faster than the trap activated, it would be useless.

Bang, bang, bang!

‘It’s okay, I can pass...!’

My mana was down to about 7%, but it was still worth a try.

If I could buy a little more time, I could recover the stats that had decreased due to the penalty.

And once I recovered those stats, I could immediately activate Necromancy.

『Basic effect - Absorb the souls of the dead to enhance or replenish stats or mana.』

The modified basic effect of Necromancy can also replenish ‘mana’.

Given that I had absorbed quite a few spirits in the second trial, my mana would recover accordingly.

If I could increase the amount of mana consumed by Instant Acceleration, clearing the trial would be almost certain.

「The Assassin's Cloak (D) special effect is deactivated.」

The special effect had ended, and my speed decreased...

But it also meant that the remaining penalty time was decreasing.

However.

「Remaining penalty duration – 1 minute 57 seconds」

Even as I poured all my mana into Instant Acceleration, the penalty showed no signs of ending.

If this continued, the decreased speed would eventually lead to failure.

Then...

「Replenish mana using the spirit of the Orc Hunter.」

First, I needed to replenish my mana to buy more time.

Surprisingly, my speed was similar to before the special effect was deactivated, thanks to the mana.

‘If I keep this up, I can endure until the penalty ends...’

At that moment.

Boom!

Unlike the traps that had activated late, the tile beneath my feet shook violently and shot up.

“...!!”

I was momentarily stunned by the floating sensation.

‘What is this...?’

My eyes widened at the shocking sight in mid-air.

Dozens of tiles were floating in the air, lifted by water streams.

Moreover, the height of the tiles changed constantly due to the water streams.

It seemed that some special mechanism was in place to keep the tiles balanced.

It was as if they were designed to be crossed...

Thud.

I landed back on the original tile and let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha...”

I was tired of being shocked and angry.

Splash, splash...!

Behind me, the tiles were sinking into the sea, and in front, they were floating in the air.

It was a situation of being caught between a rock and a hard place, but the penalty hadn’t ended yet.

Perhaps it was designed to end when the penalty time was over.

Since I entered the Trial Tower, I’ve faced many trials, but...

I felt that this 7th floor trial was unprecedentedly insane.

Bang!

Without further ado, I kicked the tile.

If I could analyze the pattern of the tile heights controlled by the water streams, I might be able to pass more steadily.

‘But there’s no time for that...!’

The 7th floor trial has a condition to be cleared within 40 minutes.

The speed at which the tiles behind me were sinking into the sea was also increasing.

Given the absurdly short time to analyze anything, I had to act quickly.

Bang!

“Gah.”

The height of the tile suddenly dropped, causing a significant impact as I landed, making me wince.

It wasn’t enough to activate the protection shield of Necromancy, but it was still a considerable shock.

But I had no time to complain about the pain.

Boom!

A large impact lifted the tile again.

When I crossed the tiles earlier, I had felt some shaking, but it wasn’t this severe.

The impact was strong enough to make me fly into the air.

If I wasn’t careful, I could fall off the tile and into the sea at any moment.

‘If I stay on this tile, I’m done...!’

Just staying on the tile, which changed height in real-time, was a challenge.

Thud!

I kicked the tile again and leaped to the next one.

This time, the impact wasn’t significant, but the next tile was quite low.

But I had trained in various combat techniques as a hunter aspirant.

Whoosh!

I jumped from the tile and used a falling technique to minimize the impact.

Of course, the pain still followed, but it didn’t matter.

I had a high-speed regeneration skill, and my body wasn’t weak enough to break from this.

Thud, thud, thud!

Instinctively, I calculated the height of the tiles and crossed them in quick succession.

Even as I did, traps like holes in the tiles and water jets activated, but...

Whoosh.

I had adapted to this insane trial to some extent and could avoid them easily.

And then.

Whoosh!

As I landed on the last remaining tile, I finally saw what I wanted to see.

Whoosh!

On the other side of the sea, a portal was trembling on a red tile.

Instinctively, I knew it was the exit, but I couldn’t move immediately.

“...”

Unlike the areas with tiles I had seen so far, there were no tiles in front of me.

There was no platform or anything to help me make a run.

In other words, I had to jump directly to the portal from this distance...

“...I can’t hesitate.”

I sighed, looking at the tiles behind me that were rapidly sinking.

It seemed they wouldn’t give me time to think.

‘Right, it was never a question of whether I could or couldn’t do it.’

I made a quick decision, bent my knees like a spring, and lunged forward.

Boom!

I poured all my remaining mana into Instant Acceleration, and the speed was not lacking for a single leap...

The problem was whether I could land accurately on the portal on the red tile.

Even if I managed to land, it was questionable whether I would be unharmed.

The height was such that I could suffer multiple fractures, and a bit of fear welled up, but I had no choice.

‘I can only rely on my unique traits...!’

If the damage was too much, the protection shield of Necromancy would absorb it.

Of course, I had activated a minimal safety measure beforehand.

「The special effect ‘Steel’s Blessing’ of the Iron Chain Pendant (B) is activated.」

「A property that absorbs 10% of all physical damage is imbued in my skin.」

As I drew a parabola and fell toward the red tile’s portal...

Boom!

「You have proven that you can overcome hesitation.」

「The third trial has ended.」

The message I wanted to see appeared, and black smoke erupted from my body.

Puff!

「The spirits have absorbed the damage inflicted on the user.」

「The spirit of the Orc Hunter has been destroyed.」

「The spirit of the Orc Hunter has been destroyed.」

「The spirit of the Orc Hunter has been destroyed.」

「Current number of spirits – 12/30」

“...Huff, huff.”

My fears became reality.

The surroundings returned to a dark corridor, but the impact of the fall remained.

Even if I had passed the trial, a normal person would have died from the impact.

“What a crazy trial...”

But the clear fact was that I had overcome it.

Thud.

「The special effect ‘Steel’s Blessing’ of the Iron Chain Pendant (B) is deactivated.」

Sitting on the floor, gasping for breath, I felt the reality of being alive more strongly.

‘...If the level of Necromancy hadn’t increased, I might have died.’

Moreover, if it hadn’t been a growth-oriented trait and a well-rounded nature, I would have definitely died here.

‘If I had no mana, no stamina, and no protection shield from Necromancy, it would have been terrifying.’

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such emotions.

I forced my stiff body to stand and started running down the dark corridor again.

With 40 minutes left, it wouldn’t be strange for the trial to end soon, so I couldn’t rest.

And then.

「Congratulations, you have cleared the 7th floor of the Trial Tower.」

「As a reward for clearing, you have obtained the skill ‘Blessing of the Wind (A-)’.」

「As a reward for clearing, you have obtained ‘15,000 points’.」

「As an additional reward for clearing, ‘Swift Boots (C+)’ have been transferred to your inventory.」

「Please move to the waiting room.」

Suddenly, such messages appeared, and a portal materialized before my eyes.

Whoosh!

“Is this tedious trial finally over...”

Contrary to my expectations, there were no variables like sudden floor invasions; I almost died, but...

In the end, standing alive before the portal felt like a new experience.

But now was the time to face the end of this trial.

「Moving to the waiting room.」

As I crossed the portal, a message I had never seen before appeared.

「The number of people who have cleared the 7th floor trial has exceeded 1,000.」

「The system expansion has begun.」

Eventually...

「You were designated as a ‘Pioneer’ in the previous floor.」

「You can choose an aura.」

The full-scale system expansion began.