Chapter 12
#12. Tower of Trials, 2nd Floor
Defeating the boss monster on each floor lets you earn rewards like gold and experience, along with permission to activate the transfer gate.
The base rewards are split evenly among the party members who took part in the boss fight, and bonus rewards go to whoever lands the finishing blow.
Since I beat the boss alone, I’d expected to get a huge share of the base rewards and the last-hit reward.
But I never expected there to be a separate first-clear reward. Nothing like that was mentioned in any of the info posts on the community.
[Graksar's Bone Axe]
Attack Power +100 (Slash)
Critical Damage : x1.0
Durability 100/100
Enhancement Attempts Available : 3
Even the specs are absurdly high. Critical damage and durability are both very low, but the base attack power alone is 100.
That outdoes the [Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword] with [Sharp] +7 on it, even without any enhancement.
If I add [Accuracy] enhancement and raise the critical damage too, it should become a much stronger weapon.
But the durability is really disappointing. If I wanted to use it in real combat, I'd probably have to give up on crits and add [Endurance] enhancement instead.
“Still, an axe, huh.”
My current main weapon is a one-handed sword. Switching to an axe all of a sudden would throw away too much of the proficiency I’ve built up so far.
[Sword Mastery Lv.1]
- One-Handed Sword Proficiency (252 / 999)
- Two-Handed Sword Proficiency (026 / 999)
My current one-handed sword proficiency is 252, and I’ve already unlocked five passive options, one for every 50 proficiency points.
The displayed attack power on the bone axe is much higher, but the gap in actual combat right now probably won't be that big.
No, the bone axe side might even be weaker.
-Thud.
I took the bone axe out of my inventory and tried equipping it. It’s a little smaller than the real one the Goblin Lord used.
But the Goblin Lord’s body was so huge that even after shrinking a bit, it was still ridiculously massive.
Big weapons have their own advantages, sure, but no matter how I look at it, this isn't something I can actually use in combat.
I’d been a little excited because it was a first-clear reward, but even considering that absurd attack power, it’s a real white elephant of an item.
“Tch.”
I clicked my tongue and checked the next reward. The accessory I got as the max-contribution reward was for the necklace slot.
[Goblin Bone Necklace]
Defense +25
HP +100
It’s a necklace with simple options and can’t even be enhanced. But its base stats were incredibly outrageous for something you could get on the first floor.
Setting defense aside, it gives 100 extra HP. Since HP goes up by 10 per level, that’s almost ten levels' worth of stats.
My necklace slot was still empty, so I equipped it right away.
[Achievement Unlocked: Ruler of the Tribe]
[Achievement Reward ‘Strength +10’ obtained.]
Then an achievement completion notice suddenly appeared in front of me.
I’d naturally known achievements existed through the open community, but I’d never heard of one with a name like that.
Achievement conditions are usually the least clearly stated, but to think there was an achievement you could get on the first floor.
Could it be an achievement you get for equipping the bone axe and bone necklace together?
The bone axe was the first-clear reward, and the bone necklace was the max-contribution reward. Only one person per tower can manage both at once.
Even then, if the condition is to have both items equipped, then the moment I hand one to a party member, the achievement is out the window.
Maybe the true first-clear reward is this achievement itself.
[Indomitable Lv.1]
A tenacious will to keep fighting without yielding to injury.
When HP falls below a certain level, all stats increase.
At 30% HP or less, all stats +5.
What I checked next was the passive skill I got as the last-hit reward.
It’s a simple skill that raises stats when HP drops, and the amount it increases them by apparently scales with the skill level.
The activation condition is strict, but the skill itself is excellent. Even if Intelligence doesn’t matter, having Strength, Agility, and Endurance all rise will be a huge help.
That accounted for all of the boss-fight clear rewards. Still, there was one thing bothering me.
[Battle Awakening LV.1]
Where on earth did this skill come from?
**
A skill I suddenly acquired during the battle with the Goblin Lord: Battle Awakening.
It wasn’t a reward for defeating the boss, it wasn’t something I got for earning an achievement, and it wasn’t from leveling up either.
I took a quick look through the open community, but I couldn't find any mention of anyone learning a skill this way.
Maybe I just couldn't find it, but I’m pretty confident in my ability to dig up information in the community.
I did spend years living as an unemployed shut-in, rummaging through internet communities from my room.
And yet I still couldn't find any related information, which just means the sheer amount of information out there is pitifully lacking.
“I don’t know.”
Trying to figure it out alone won't get me anywhere, so I'll just leave it for now. Getting the skill wasn’t a bad thing anyway.
Seo Jin-hyeok Lv.40 (Warrior)
HP : 620/620
MP : 320/320
Strength : 58 (50+8)
Agility : 44 (40+4)
Endurance : 46 (40+6)
Intelligence : 42 (40+2)
After clearing the first floor, I checked the stats I’d finished building. Clearing the boss fight had also leveled me up to 40.
I had let a few attacks through because I was outnumbered, but I’d brought down the Goblin Lord without taking any major injuries.
At this rate, I should be able to beat the second-floor boss without much trouble. If I weren’t solo, it’d probably hold up even in the teens. I was satisfied.
I shut off the status window and trudged toward the transfer gate beyond the boss room.
[Activate the floor transfer gate?]
“Yes.”
With a slight sense of weightlessness, my vision was flooded with light, and the next moment I had arrived in another world.
**
The second floor I finally stepped onto had a landscape that was a little different from what I’d imagined.
It was a wide clearing similar to the field area where horn rabbits appear, a completely open space that made it crystal clear I’d left the labyrinth area behind.
But I didn’t feel particularly refreshed. There was definitely satisfaction in clearing the first floor, but what I was feeling now was, how should I put it.
“Excitement…?”
The urge to run somewhere right this instant surged up inside me. Even though I was exhausted from taking on the boss, I wanted to whip my body even harder.
I want to fight. I want to get stronger. I want to advance. I want to achieve a huge goal with these hands once again.
I pressed a hand to my forehead at the slightly confusing sensation, then realized what it was.
Ah, so this is what real dopamine feels like.
It’s a lot different from the stuff I used to squeeze out of short-form videos while holed up at home. It’s bigger, stronger, and far more addictive.
“Haha.”
It did feel like an abnormal level of enthusiasm. But it would definitely be a huge help for my steps from here on out.
I sorted my thoughts into something positive and obediently savored the excitement exploding in my head. Good, let’s move forward.
-Patter-patter-patter!
I sprinted across the wide clearing at full speed. The open community guide said that if I came up to the second floor and just kept going straight, I’d be able to see the village.
My running speed at level 40 was already beyond that of a car. The wind brushed my cheeks coolly, pushing my body forward.
After running a little, a gray furball that had been lying far away twitched and stood up.
I’d heard that most of the monsters on the second floor are beast-type. That was probably the Gray Field Wolf that shows up early on.
Its HP and defense are low, but it’s agile, and the power of its sharp teeth is supposedly greater than a goblin’s weapon.
-Grrr!
The Gray Field Wolf that sensed me charged at me. Since we were running straight at each other, the distance closed in no time.
It was definitely insanely fast compared to goblins. Its build was huge enough to be unmistakably wolf-like, and it was far bigger than a big dog; it looked strong.
Without slowing down, I kicked at the wolf charging straight at me.
-Thwack!
It was a lighter impact than expected—no, a lighter kick, rather. The wolf was sent flying like a soccer ball.
A second-floor monster doesn't automatically mean it's stronger than every monster on the first floor. This wolf is probably around goblin squad-leader level.
If the mob you meet right after crossing the transfer gate, in the horn-rabbit slot, is on par with a squad leader, then that’s ridiculously strong.
It’s just that my stats are absurdly above the average second-floor challenger.
-Grrr!
As I kept moving forward, the same Gray Field Wolves kept appearing one after another.
I didn’t even need to use a weapon; I just casually kicked every wolf I saw and kept advancing.
And then, after a while, when I’d turned more than ten wolves into soccer balls...
“F-Flanders...!”
I spotted some NPC being attacked by wolves in the distance. It was a little girl holding a staff.
A black dog was growling beside the girl, facing off against the wolves. And behind them were several things that looked like sheep.
At a glance, it looked like a shepherd NPC, but why was that here? According to the open-community info posts, wasn’t it supposed to be in the village?
-Woof! Woof!
What’s more, the expression on the shepherd girl’s face as she faced the wolves was so vivid it was hard to believe she was an NPC.
I’m not sure what it is, but doesn’t this feel like the kind of scene where I’m supposed to save them?