Frozen Loneliness and First Blood
Damn, it's fucked up.
Sometime during that, my left arm stopped moving.
Even if I could move it, it felt like I shouldn't.
Just brushing it sent waves of excruciating pain through me.
I ransacked the entire mining village with my one good right arm.
Thanks to my Perfect Sense skill, I could roughly pinpoint where the loot was, saving me a ton of time.
Luckily, I secured a decent amount of food.
If I rationed it carefully, it should last me two weeks solo.
If only there'd been a bigger backpack.
Since entering the Tower, my strength had grown a lot, so this backpack felt light as a feather.
Probably thanks to my Martial Arts Skill and all the other levels I'd gained.
Running out of space in the backpack, I stuffed winter clothes into every pocket and crevice.
I found some combat rations too, but they were bulkier than expected, so I couldn't take many...
But I grabbed at least one.
Even I need a proper meal now and then.
Besides food, there were other spoils.
This zone might be a crapshoot, but scouring the whole village turned up some useful stuff.
A gas mask.
Picked it up in the village, so it's obviously Tower-made.
I grabbed some clean cloth too, then got out of there quick.
Not a place to linger.
The village was the biggest landmark on the Tower 6th Floor's surface zone.
Now I had a rough idea where the descent exit was.
But I didn't head straight for it.
Like before, I moved to the uninhabited outskirts and picked up my entrenching tool again.
"Urgh..."
Even with my night vision, digging with one arm was hell.
Without Dexterity Skill, I probably couldn't have dug a pit at all.
Unlike games, even basic skills were powerful here—every level felt tangible.
Finally finishing the snow trench, I sealed the ceiling and laid down snowfield troll hide on the floor.
With trembling hands, I pulled out the heart and activated it.
Whoosh!
The 6th Floor surface chill couldn't be warded off with a simple fire.
The debuff you catch here is Soul Freeze.
In the game, it chipped away at max HP.
To beat Soul Freeze, you needed a thermal kit or something like my Eternally Burning Heart.
Or dive into the far riskier underground.
Thankfully, the heart's performance was no joke.
No fuel needed, and hot enough for cooking.
Worth the hell catching that Hell Dog Handler.
With the snowfield troll hide, my hideout got a cozy upgrade.
The monster that wrecked my arm, but damn if its pelt wasn't top-notch.
I boiled water for a meal, scarfed it down, and passed out like the dead.
How many hours was that?
I woke to the skill-up alert, cooked again.
Left arm still bad.
Planning to focus on recovery until I could move it without agony.
Staring at the glowing heart sparked a thought...
Could've just melted the snow with it instead of all that shoveling?
Oh well, Dexterity Skill leveled up, so no regrets.
Fluffy snow walls might insulate better than solid ice anyway.
"Nngh..."
Arm seemed to be improving, slowly.
Lying back down, the cold hit anew.
Not from snow or wind.
So goddamn lonely.
I thought I was used to solitude.
Guess not.
Being utterly alone in the world felt like this.
So lonely I started thinking of my old part-time boss and regulars.
Maybe that's why I streamed—to fight the loneliness.
Pain makes the dumb thoughts flow.
I closed my eyes like hibernating.
Arm recovery accelerated.
By the third wakeup, swelling was down, and I could move it a bit.
Still food to spare, so I decided to run an experiment.
Heated metal scraps over the fire, made small cuts on my limbs.
Perfect for infection, but I had some disinfectant to use with it.
"Kch."
Regeneration Skill closed the wounds fast.
Would this speed up leveling?
Two days later: negative.
Doesn't seem much faster.
Even accounting for higher EXP needs, effect was negligible.
Makes sense—if it were that easy, upper skills would've leaked sooner.
Now I kinda got how skill levels worked.
Why my Stealth and Detection shot up so fast.
Hogging five people's EXP, plus situations where they were essential.
Can't level easy-mode, huh.
Bigger wounds might pump Regeneration faster, but...
Risk derailing escape.
Food wasn't that plentiful.
A full week later, I gave myself the all-clear.
Time to leave the 6th Floor.
Using my healed arm, I draped snowfield troll hide over my cape.
White now—camouflage even without blizzard.
Ah... wanna bathe so bad.
Over ten days without a proper wash; craving it bad.
Needed to for the smell alone.
Best I could do: heat water with the heart, wipe down with wet cloth.
Dig a pit-bath? Probably just mud soup.
Mining village had a tub.
Too big to carry one-armed, left it—regretting now.
Shook off the distraction, packed the hideout, headed for descent exit.
Nearest was a half-collapsed tunnel.
Wide approach angle—not great for ambush.
Plus, 6th Floor surface blizzards non-stop.
No idiot ambushes here.
But there's always exceptions.
What the hell's that guy?
Perfect Sense pinged a hunter.
Blizzard hid me, thankfully.
Just one guy—not a team.
Eastern European hunter, gear beat-up.
Straggler?
Scenario clicked.
Forced split from team exploring 6th Floor's maze-like underground.
Lucky surface escape to descent exit, but...
Solo-clearing to 5th Floor? No way.
To scavenge extras, ambush passersby here.
Worst case, bolt through descent exit.
Low risk, high reward.
Planning to camp till thermal kits run dry.
Thermal kits are dead weight below anyway. Goblin Merchant'd lowball 'em.
No need to fight, so I waited.
Crawled slow like a snow turtle.
Blizzard'd cover me.
But... something off.
Taking forever, super cautious.
Hours pass, no entry.
Get in already!
My Soul Freeze stacking up—troll hide barely holding it.
No way he's loaded on kits?
Nah.
Hiding, shivering.
Kits long expired.
Deeper in tunnel, better than me, but...
Hours waiting? Torture.
...Can't move, huh.
Looked like essentials—food or whatever—bottomed out.
No loot worth selling to Goblin Merchant.
Sell gun or armor? Suicide.
Me escaping 6th with pistol and dagger? Insane.
Please just go.
Begged internally, but no dice.
Blizzard weakening too.
Too risky now.
Stops completely, can't even approach.
Body and soul freezing, head burned hot.
No matter how I sliced it.
Blizzard stopping before he freezes beats it.
Another team shows? I'm dead.
Stealth Skill drops hard if I move...
Can't slip past.
No choice.
More dithering, lose my shot.
Kill him, pass through.
Decision made, focused all senses on him.
Gear not great, but not vs. me.
Rifle customized pricey parts.
One trigger pull, I'm done.
Armor trashed, but blocks my peashooter rounds.
My dagger OP, but need close stab.
Why I splurged on pistol from Goblin Merchant.
This thing even work?
Eyed my right-hand pistol doubtfully.
Frozen jam? Rage-inducing.
Huuu.
Deep silent breath, gripped dagger left-handed.
Move before blizzard dies.
Line of sight cluttered—obstacles, junk.
He's solo, can't cover wide; muzzle not my way.
Spots me, shoots no hesitation.
Same for me.
Final plan check, grabbed canned fish from pack.
Godawful stuff.
Packed to hide traces—didn't expect this use.
Go!
Whipped myself, hurled can deep into tunnel.
Clunk!
Can's crumple echoed.
Tiny sound, but he caught it.
"Gasp! W-who..."
Muzzle swung wide—my chance. Stood up.
Thud-thud-thud!
Full sprint, distance vanishes.
Too late spotting me, he peeked, swung rifle.
Pew! Shoo!
Firing pistol on run.
Target: his arm. Unarmored.
Dumped whole mag.
"Arghhh!"
Lucky hit—muzzle faltered.
I tackled full-body.
One dagger stab, done.
Then, his good arm rose.
Blue sparks at fingertips.
Basic skill!
Thought slower than dagger.
Shunk!
Hit true—light died in his eyes.
"Hah! Heuk... huuk!"
Gasping like mad, stripped his gear fast.
Felt like skinning a fresh corpse...
"Urp..."
No apologies to the dead.
Couldn't handle it.
Dragged his pack and gear into the tunnel, staggering.
Darkness revealed steep stone stairs.