A Lesson in Survival

"Whew..."

A day had passed since I was dragged here by that dopamine-crazed—no, just plain crazy—bitch of a goddess. Lying in bed clutching my head wasn't going to change the reality she had gifted me.

"First... I need to figure out how to use this Dying Message skill."

Looking at the skill description, it seemed I needed to be around people for it to trigger. I got moving to find a crowd. Recalling Woran's explanation from yesterday, the market district where the shops clustered seemed like the best bet. People would naturally gather there to buy gear and consumables before tackling the trials of this godforsaken Tower.

"Let's see... it was this way."

Tracing back my memories of yesterday, I arrived at the market square. Perhaps because it was still early, only a handful of people were wandering around.

"Hmm, too early..."

"Fuck... Dammit..."

As I looked around, my eyes caught sight of the man who had tried to punch Woran yesterday. One of his arms hung limply at his side as he walked, muttering curses under his breath.

Oof... that looks incredibly painful.

His arm was basically just dangling there, completely useless. As I winced, almost feeling his pain, a window suddenly popped up in front of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my eyes.

"Huh...?"

Before I could even process the sudden notification, my surroundings plunged into pitch-black darkness. Then, the figure of the man I had just seen materialized before me.

"Aaargh! S-spare me! Please, spare me!!!"

The man was on the ground, scrambling backward in sheer terror, screaming at something ahead of him. Aside from his desperate cries, there was absolute silence—no wind, no ambient noise, nothing.

"S-stop!!!!!"

With that final, desperate shriek, the man collapsed and lay completely still. His figure dissolved, the darkness receded, and the bustling market square rushed back into my field of vision.

"W-what was that? What am I supposed to do with this...? Is that it?"

While I stood there, utterly bewildered, another notification popped up.

Ice magic...? How the hell am I supposed to figure anything out with just that?! And wait, does this skill actually work on guys too?

"What am I even supposed to do with this?!"

My mind was a chaotic mess from the rapid-fire events, but I knew I had to follow him if I wanted to understand how this ability worked. I quickly fell into step behind him.

As I tailed him, I studied the status window that had become accessible.

So his name is Bong-gu... Let's see here... Solid Earth...

I carefully read through the details of his skill.

Whoa... this skill is absolutely broken. As long as the damage doesn't exceed his threshold, he's basically invincible for five minutes? And it even negates a fatal blow once if the damage does go over?

If this were a game, players would be screaming bloody murder about how overpowered it was. He was the ultimate tank. With a decent damage dealer to back him up, this skill would make him the tank of all tanks. On top of that, raising his Health stat would increase its duration.

Right, the skill description said it detects S-rank skills or talents...

I nodded to myself, recalling the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠details of Dying Message. Then, I looked back at Bong-gu, who was clutching his broken arm as he trudged ahead.

But seriously, why the hell is it triggering on a guy, you crazy bitch Loki?!

I cursed the goddess once more in my head and kept a wary eye on Bong-gu. A sudden doubt crept in: how was I supposed to know when he would die? Was I just supposed to follow him around indefinitely?

Man, I really got dealt a bad hand...

I let out a quiet sigh and looked up at the sky. When I lowered my head to resume following him, Bong-gu had vanished.

"What the? Where did that idiot go?"

I wondered if he had slipped into an alleyway and scanned the area, but our crippled friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah, damn it..."

"Aaaaargh!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Just as I sighed and began searching the nearby alleys, a man's bloodcurdling scream echoed from somewhere. I bolted toward the sound immediately. It seemed to be coming from just around the corner of a deep alley. Holding my breath, I pressed myself against the wall and carefully peeked around the corner.

"Pfft, look at this. The little newbie went and got himself crippled."

"Right? A pathetic loser like him needs some help, don't you think?"

"Ugh... W-what are you doing?!"

A strange man and woman stood there, cornering Bong-gu, who had fallen to the ground. He glared up at them, trembling like a cornered herbivore.

"Oh, come on~ We're just trying to help a fresh face~"

The woman crouched down to meet the terrified Bong-gu's eyes, offering him a sweet, mocking smile. Bong-gu shrank back even further, his guard raised to the limit.

"Just like this!"

The woman whipped out a small wand and flicked it through the air. Instantly, an icicle materialized right in front of Bong-gu's injured arm and drove straight through it.

"Aaaaargh!"

"Oops, my bad... I was aiming for the space between your eyes. Heheh."

"Aaaargh!!! Why?! Why are you doing this to me?!"

The woman looked down at Bong-gu, who was thrashing in agony, with pure amusement.

"Yep, you're definitely one of those clueless stragglers. There's always at least one~ Teehee."

"Just wrap it up so we can grab some food. He probably only has his starting points anyway," the man said, picking his ear with a bored expression.

"Sorry, sorry~ It's just been a while since we had a fresh newbie to play with~"

"Aaargh! S-spare me! Please, spare me!!!"

Bong-gu crawled along the dirt, begging pitifully, but the duo didn't even blink. They acted as if they were merely checking off a daily chore.

"There, there, little newbie. I'll help you~ I'll put you out of your misery right now!"

The woman flicked her wand again, and this time, an icicle formed directly in front of the space between Bong-gu's eyes. Bong-gu's face went completely pale. He could undoubtedly see his own death staring him right in the face.

"S-stop!!!!!"

Thwack!

Despite Bong-gu's desperate plea, the icicle shot forward, piercing straight through his skull. His entire body went limp instantly. Just as I had witnessed in the Dying Message, the man named Bong-gu met his end.

"Alright, let's grab his points~"

"Tsk, damn it. He really only had his starting points..."

"Well, at least it'll cover our meals for today~ Let's go eat."

After doing something over Bong-gu's corpse, the two of them disappeared down the opposite end of the alley.

I held my breath, frozen in place. Even after they vanished, I couldn't bring myself to make a sound for a long time. Only when I was absolutely sure they were gone did I finally let out a ragged gasp.

"Fuck... I knew lives were cheap here, but..."

I squeezed my eyes shut, looking at the rapidly cooling corpse of what used to be Bong-gu. The brutal reality of this place—where life could be snuffed out in an instant—sank deep into my bones. At that moment, Bong-gu's body began to glow with a faint light before dissolving into nothingness.

"Ugh..."

Just as Woran had warned us on our first day, those who died here vanished, leaving absolutely nothing behind. The spot where Bong-gu's body had lain was now completely empty. A wave of nausea washed over me, but I forced it down. Even though his killers were out of sight, they might not have gone far, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there was a risk they would return if they sensed my presence. I turned around and walked away in the opposite direction, doing my best to look completely nonchalant.

"Whew... Whew..."

Once I was a safe distance from the alley, the adrenaline began to fade, and I gasped for air.

"Damn it... You really can get offed here without anyone ever knowing..."

The image of Bong-gu's brutal death kept replaying in my mind. How many times does an ordinary person witness someone dying in their lifetime? It was, of course, my first time seeing someone get murdered. My first time seeing a corpse, too.

But I had to get used to it. This was my reality now. If I didn't keep my wits about me, I would end up exactly like Bong-gu. The thought consumed me.

"Yeah... get a grip... or you're dead..."

Still, there was one major takeaway: I had successfully tested my skill once. Even though it wasn't an ability I could trigger at will, experiencing it firsthand made a world of difference.

"First, I need to gather information."

Drawing from my years of experience as a shut-in gamer, information was life in any starting zone. Gathering as much data as possible was the only way to boost my survival rate and stay ahead of the pack.

"That's right, I used to be a top-ranked RPG player! Let's just treat this like I'm playing the game myself!"

Of course, it was a death game where a single slip-up meant losing my life, but I needed to keep things light. If I didn't, my sanity would crumble. Fortunately, having already survived Loki's psychotic tantrum as a sort of vaccine, I was able to regain my composure relatively quickly. Pulling myself together, I immediately began approaching the nearby Tower Residents to gather whatever information I could.