Chapter 8

008. Growth (1)

"Congratulations, you have cleared the 2nd floor of the Tower of Trials."

"As a reward for clearing, the 'Assassin's Cloak (D)' has been sent to your inventory."

"As a reward for clearing, the 'Black Iron Dagger (E+)' has been sent to your inventory."

"As a reward for clearing, you have obtained 2,000 points."

"As an additional reward for clearing, you have obtained the skill 'Pain Resistance (D).'"

"As an additional reward for clearing, you have obtained 1,000 points."

"Please move to the waiting room."

I feel dizzy.

Some kind of message seems to be floating up, but I can't quite make it out.

I'm in a state where it wouldn't be surprising if I lost my mind.

The high-speed regeneration skill didn't activate, perhaps recognizing this as a critical injury.

I pushed the hologram that was floating up to a corner of my vision.

Messages about what I've obtained can be checked in the waiting room.

But not these.

The bodies of the orcs left in the burning, scorching forest.

I watched the black smoke rising from them.

Symbols indicating that I can absorb the spirits appeared here and there.

It would be a loss not to absorb them.

But right now, I could pass out at any moment.

I had to at least do some minimal first aid before moving.

I put out the fire on my clothes as if brushing off ashes and took out a potion from my inventory.

"Regeneration Potion"

An item that heals minor external injuries when consumed or applied to a wound.

After uncorking the Regeneration Potion I had saved, I poured it over my head.

Swoosh!

"Ugh!"

As the potion dripped down my body, intense pain followed one after another.

But it seemed to be working, as sensation slowly returned to my body.

Yeah, it's enough if I can move right now.

I don't want to stay in this tedious forest any longer once I absorb all the spirits.

"Ugh..."

I approached the symbols, staggering like a zombie.

Before I lose consciousness completely...

I have to absorb all these spirits without missing any.

"Orc spirit absorbed."

"Orc spirit absorbed."

"Orc spirit absorbed."

...

"Current number of spirits possessed: 5/5"

"Proficiency increased by 42%."

After absorbing all the orc spirits, I turned around.

I'll convert them into stats later.

Whoosh!

I threw myself into the portal that appeared behind where the orc chieftain died.

"Moving to the waiting room."

With that message, I lost consciousness.

***

"..."

When I came to, I was lying face down on the floor of the waiting room.

I felt a bit dizzy, but I wasn't mentally exhausted.

I got up and checked my entire body.

The burns from the fire and the various large and small wounds from blocking and dodging the orcs' attacks.

Hmm, as expected, all the wounds were healed, just like before.

But...

"I can't use the shield anymore."

The shield I was holding had transformed into something almost like rags.

The rough shield of the dwarf was broken and cracked in many places.

With this, I couldn't block any attacks.

"Was it because of the impact of the last spell...?"

I could dodge the orc sentry's formidable strength, but not the orc chieftain's magic.

Trying to block it with the shield was the root of the problem.

'But at least it saved my life, so that's something.'

The shield had done its job and broken.

If I hadn't blocked it, I might have been burned to death.

In fact, I was almost unconscious from the burns.

After confirming this, I put the broken shield in my inventory and spoke.

"Trials."

"Time remaining until 3rd floor trials: 22 hours 52 minutes"

'So I was unconscious for about an hour and a bit?'

Surprisingly, the time I spent lying down felt quite short.

Given how mentally and physically drained I was, it wouldn't have been strange if I had been unconscious for longer.

But the recovery effect of the waiting room handled everything in one go.

"The recovery effect of the waiting room is pretty good."

I still feel a burning sensation all over my body from the phantom pain...

But this is still a bargain.

If it had been more serious, I might have died without absorbing the spirits.

'Oh, right, I absorbed the spirits.'

Only then did I recall the memory of absorbing the spirits and brought up the hologram.

"Current number of spirits possessed: 5/5"

"I managed to absorb all the dead orcs even in that state."

I thought I might have missed one or two...

But apparently, I handled it better than I thought.

While checking the absorbed spirits, I started reading all the messages in a corner of my vision.

Burn resistance, pain resistance, and the rewards from the trials.

I smiled slightly as I saw the list of various skills and items I had acquired.

I got so much that the corners of my mouth naturally turned up.

Checking, I found that the points I had also increased dramatically.

"Inventory."

As written in the message, there were new items in my inventory.

"Assassin's Cloak"

"Grade: D"

"All types of stealth reduced by 10%"

"A cloak in the form of a robe made for the elite of the Assassin's Guild."

"Agility stat increases by +5 when below 50."

"Movement speed increases by 15% for 1 minute when infused with mana."

"The use effect can be used again after a 24-hour cooldown."

"..."

After looking at the options of the Assassin's Cloak, I was speechless.

Even at a glance, it was clear that the options were absurd.

"What kind of reward level is this..."

Not only did I get an item for assassins without being an assassin...

'The effects are so crazy...'

It reduces stealth by 10% and increases agility.

Just this alone is absurd, but the text that follows is even more jaw-dropping.

"When infused with mana, movement speed increases by 15% for 1 minute."

"This is probably the most absurd option."

The cooldown is a bit long, but a 15% increase in movement speed is not something to be taken lightly.

The higher the agility stat, the better the performance.

A useful option whether you're running away or chasing someone.

But the rewards from the 2nd floor trials weren't just this.

"Black Iron Dagger"

"Grade: E+"

"Reaction speed +5%"

"Attack speed +10%"

"A dagger made of black iron (黑鐵) infused with dark magic."

"A heavy-duty dagger with a blade about 60cm long, sturdy and resistant to damage."

While not as good as the Assassin's Cloak, it's a decent dagger with good options.

It looks more like a one-handed sword with a suitable length than a dagger.

But it's a more versatile form, so I have no complaints.

I swung the black iron dagger, which reminded me of the night sky, for practice.

Swish!

"..."

The sound alone is sharp enough to be impressive.

Compared to the basic longsword I received during the tutorial, it's embarrassing.

So the decision was easy.

The longsword given during the tutorial trials is done.

Not only is the sharpness different, but the grade is different.

The initial longsword didn't even have a grade, but the black iron dagger is an E+ grade weapon.

And the longsword is quite damaged from use and blood.

It's better to store it in the inventory since it's not very useful anymore.

'With this, the equipment check is done...'

Now it's time to check the skills I obtained from the 2nd floor trials.

"Skill - Burn Resistance (F)"

"Proficiency - 5%"

"Effect - All types of burns from fire are reduced by 7%."

For some reason, starting with the burn resistance that was created as an achievement.

"Skill - Pain Resistance (D)"

"Proficiency - 4%"

"Effect - All types of pain are reduced by 15% when receiving a major shock."

Including the pain resistance I received as an additional reward for clearing.

While I got more skills than I expected, it was a bit disappointing.

"It would have been better if I got a martial skill or a combat-related skill."

Even if I forced myself to use martial skills...

There's a difference between a skill-based martial skill and my sloppy martial skills.

It's a bit of a middling reward considering I risked my life.

'Of course, with the Assassin's Cloak and the Black Iron Dagger, it's not a bad deal.'

Resistance skills don't show much efficiency in the early stages.

Unlike other combat skills, resistance skills need to be cultivated patiently.

At least, they say it's useful to raise them to D+ grade.

Of course, it might be a good fit for someone with regeneration characteristics or skills.

'But self-harm doesn't raise the resistance level much, so the compatibility isn't that good.'

In other words, it's a skill that can only be grown in actual combat.

In that sense, the 'Pain Resistance' skill I got is immediately useful.

I'm not sure if it's because it's a reward for clearing, but it's a D-grade skill.

After checking the rewards, I suddenly thought,

"Did the others also pass?"

There were hunters among them, so there's no need to worry...

But during the process of clearing the 2nd floor trials, I had a doubt.

The theme of the trial I experienced was 'assassination.'

And the breakthrough condition was simply to kill the aging chieftain.

If you didn't know better, it might seem easy to pass.

However,

'The chieftain, who seemed weak, was actually a mage.'

What if I had fought inside instead of outside?

Mages fortify their workshops.

If the wooden hut was a workshop, there would be some defensive mechanisms.

In that case, assassination might be useless.

'If I had attacked at dawn, it would have been even more dangerous.'

The orc hunters would have joined to kill the intruders.

In the end, I might have survived because I didn't attempt an assassination.

But there's no guarantee that others did the same.

As soon as I thought this, I immediately activated the community.

"You have entered the community."

"Difficulty - Hard"

"3rd Floor Community (1977/2531)"

- Kim Seung-hoon: Damn, they just outright put a trial that's meant to kill us.

- Hyun Seok-jin: ...Did everyone die? Really?

- Im Jin-wook: No, there are still some people waiting on the lower floors. But it seems many died.

- Kim Seung-hoon: Is this really meant to be cleared? Damn, a C-grade monster appeared on the 2nd floor!

- Kang Seon-woo: I barely survived thanks to my unique traits. I almost died. Luckily, my severed arm regenerated.

- Kim Si-hoon: The total number of people is halved. Looks like quite a few died?

As expected, the number of people in the community had decreased to less than half.

But the important part was the chat that followed.

- Hyun Seok-jin: But a C-grade monster appeared? I only had goblins.

- Kim Seung-hoon: A lich appeared and summoned a bunch of skeletons. What goblins?

- Kim Si-hoon: Huh? I had to survive for three days while being chased by a mutant ogre tribe.

- Kang Seon-woo: I had a 1v1 fight with an orc in a place like a coliseum.

- Lee Ha-yeon: It seems everyone experienced different trials?

Looking at the ongoing chat, I could grasp the situation to some extent.

'So everyone went through different trials?'

But it seems the difficulty was abnormally high for everyone.

I didn't find this particularly shocking.

'Well, it's possible for a tower to give different trials to everyone.'

Considering what I've seen in the tower, anything is plausible.

- Kim Seung-hoon: What the hell did I do to be dragged here, damn it.

- Kang Seon-woo: Rapid growth is good, but I'm stronger in reality.

- Hyun Seok-jin: I was a non-awakened, so I don't know much. I'm going crazy wanting to go back.

- Kim Seung-hoon: I'm supposed to take a long time to regain my abilities.

- Lee Chang-seok: Damn, is there no way to return to Earth? I might really die here.

Soon, the community started to heat up with the topic of returning to Earth.

Everyone is looking for a way back because they don't want to risk death.

Of course, there's a way to find out if it's possible to return.

'Ask the administrator, right?'

If I write a question with the information command and send it, I'll know right away.

But I didn't want to waste a question, so I just stayed quiet.

However, it seemed the people in the community now had no such thoughts.

- Kang Seon-woo: It seems like the time to use our question rights has come.

- Kim Seung-hoon: Yeah, it does. We need to find a way to return or restore our status windows.

- Hyun Seok-jin: Then let's each find out the information and post it. I'll look for a way to return.

- Kang Seon-woo: Oh, that's a good idea? Then I'll look for a way to regain my abilities.

- Lee Chang-seok: I'll join. I'll ask about the trial settlement method.

Everyone started using their question rights.

Looking at the scene, I briefly considered joining but shook my head.

'Let's just wait.'

Most of the people who opened the community are still quiet.

Only a few are actively looking for information.

'Actually, more people are watching than chatting.'

Most are just reading the chat.

In reality, only a few are actively chatting.

If I step in without any certainty, I might end up losing out, which would be the worst.

It's fine to wait quietly and share any information I find later.

While I was waiting quietly, a message came in.

- Hyun Seok-jin: ...I got a response from the administrator.

The news I was waiting for arrived.

- Lee Chang-seok: Really? How did it go? Can we return?

- Lee Ha-yeon: Please post the administrator's response!

- Kim Seung-hoon: Don't tell me we have to climb the tower to the end or something?

- Kang Seon-woo: Please, please, please! Tell us, bro!

The community heated up instantly, and more chat messages appeared.

- Hyun Seok-jin: There is a way to return to Earth.

And then,

- Hyun Seok-jin: I will now tell you how to return to Earth.

The method to return started to be posted in the community.