The Spiky Boar and the Red Rock Cave

I had gotten everything I needed from the merchants.

I turned on my heel and headed straight for the lake.

“Hey, you’re only buying the moonstone?”

The dwarf merchant stepped in front of me.

“Yes. That’s all I came for.”

“Come on, at least look at some weapons before you go. The swords made by dwarves boast the best performance!”

“In the tutorial you might actually get hurt. Why don’t you buy a potion while you’re at it?”

The dwarf and the elf merchant both tried to hold me back.

Well, I suppose when a sucker walks right up to your stall, you don’t want to let him leave empty-handed.

Originally, the Midron Merchant Association was ignored by players climbing the lower floors of the Tower.

That’s because you had to spend the points you earned on that floor to buy anything from the shop.

Naturally, the more often you used the shop, the worse the quality of your rewards became.

See? Just buying the moonstone dropped me out of the rankings entirely.

The shop was a double-edged sword for players.

Honestly, there’s no real need to use the shop in the early stages anyway.

It had already been ten years since the Tower of Babel appeared all over Earth.

Basic items like low-grade potions had long since been developed by pharmaceutical companies.

Techniques for crafting equipment using monster hides and ores found only inside the Tower had also advanced quite a bit.

Not enough to compete with the mid-floors, of course.

So rather than wasting points at the shop during the tutorial, it was far better to buy equipment ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and consumables from outside.

“I’m broke, so stop trying to sell me stuff.”

“Now that you mention it, you do look broke.”

“Still… why would you waste points on trash like that moonstone…?”

The two merchants grumbled with long faces.

You two wouldn’t understand.

You have no idea where the true value of this item lies.

“See you around. Or maybe not.”

I waved them off and stepped into the lake.

Right after leaving Snain Lake.

I headed southwest and walked without any particular destination.

After walking for some time—

I had entered the foothills of Mount Emirite.

I hadn’t even started proper hiking yet, and the penalty was already in effect.

This place isn’t that bad when it comes to penalties.

Players who had just entered the Tower of Babel usually only had one or two skills at most.

A ten percent increase in mana consumption wasn’t something they would feel too strongly.

The real problem was the terrain of the mountain itself.

A mountain made entirely of rock.

Unlike well-maintained hiking trails, Mount Emirite required you to find your own footing from the very beginning. It was exhausting.

There was one more thing that tormented players.

“There it is.”

I pointed at a faint silhouette illuminated by the moonlight.

A monster the size of a large boulder.

It was a Spiky Boar.

“Kwooong!”

The Spiky Boar snorted loudly.

As its name suggested, it was a monster with sharp spines embedded all over its body.

Its only attack pattern was charging.

It felt similar to the Horned Rabbit I had faced on the plains, but it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠far more difficult to deal with.

The reason was those spines covering its entire body.

Even if you barely dodged its charge, you would still get scraped by the spines and take damage.

Even though its charge was slower than the Horned Rabbit’s, you had to move much more to avoid it.

The terrain is also an issue.

The Spiky Boar’s habitat was the mountain—specifically, these rugged rocky areas.

It moved freely as if it were in its own home, while the player’s mobility was severely restricted.

In a different sense from the Silver Fang, it was a troublesome monster.

“Krrrruuung!”

The Spiky Boar kicked off with its hind legs and charged forward.

A head-on collision was out of the question.

In that case—

Obviously, I should aim for the side.

I leaped to the left just before colliding with the Spiky Boar.

At the same time, gray armor wrapped around my flank.

Scraaaape! The sharp spines attached to the boar’s hide tore across my side.

Large and small sparks flew from the point of impact.

It was the sight of friction heat created when the armor and spines collided.

The armor’s durability had dropped by seven percent.

That was quite a lot for a mere graze.

Still, this much was manageable.

It’s faster than the Horned Rabbit, but it takes time to change direction after a charge.

This time I covered my entire body in armor.

To attack a Spiky Boar, you had to leap right into the middle of those spines.

Unless you had a spear, arrows, or some long-range attack skill.

A close-combat fighter had no choice but to take damage if they wanted to defeat one.

Claws about twenty centimeters long extended from my fingers.

With my claws sharpened, I slowly climbed onto the back of the Spiky Boar as it turned its body.

The spines embedded in its back stabbed into my armor.

Well, in this case I guess I was the one who ran into the spines.

The armor I had created over multiple areas was being shaved away simultaneously.

Heh heh heh.

If I hadn’t absorbed the Ironclad Armadillo’s essence, I wouldn’t have even tried hunting a Spiky Boar.

I swung my raised claws with all my strength.

Splurt!

The red blood that sprayed into the air shimmered faintly as it caught the moonlight.

“Kweeeek.”

The Spiky Boar lowered its head to the ground.

Blood continuously gushed from its shredded neck.

I had struck its weak point—the nape of its neck—and finished it in a single blow.

All thanks to the Silver Fang’s essence and Sharp Claws.

The Spiky Boar’s hide was quite thick, after all.

Whether I used Brute Strength or not, without reinforcing my claws I would have had to struggle with it much longer.

It was worth absorbing all those essences beforehand.

Of course.

The reason I could use so many different abilities from the essences I had devoured was all thanks to the Dragon’s Heart, which increased my mana recovery.

“Bon appétit.”

I devoured the Spiky Boar’s essence.

The satisfying feeling of filling my stomach.

But this wasn’t enough.

The taste of a new essence made my stomach rumble with hunger.

Anyway, the night is still young.

I began climbing the mountain with much lighter steps.

As I stepped on rocks both large and small, I frequently encountered Spiky Boars.

Was it because it was nighttime?

The Spiky Boars’ activity range was wider than I remembered.

That’s even better.

Watching them charge at me in a rage brought a smile to my face.

How pleasant it was to have the essences I needed practically throwing themselves into my arms.

It hadn’t been that long since I started climbing Mount Emirite, yet I had already filled over fifty percent of the essence.

If I had to point out one minor downside, it would be that the clothes I was wearing had been reduced to rags.

“I didn’t think about that part.”

I gave a bitter smile.

Armor could only protect my skin.

It had been risky even when I hunted the Silver Fang pack.

The densely packed spines on the Spiky Boar’s body had torn my clothes to shreds.

It would be troublesome if I ran into another player.

In that case, I’d just have to cover my whole body with armor.

I didn’t think about it too deeply.

What was done was done. Worrying about something with no solution was pointless.

“Where was that red rock again?”

I muttered to myself as I followed the ridge.

There was no need to head to the summit before the full moon rose.

I would take everything I could get my hands on before then.

When climbing Mount Emirite, you’ll find a red rock halfway up the mountain. If you go behind it, there’s a cave. Inside the cave is the powerful moss used to craft high-grade potions.

Powerful moss was a high-class ingredient worth about ten million won per stalk.

It was a hidden area that had been discovered in the third year after the Tower of Babel appeared.

Most players in this round would have read the strategy guides and memorized it.

It would be good to harvest some before competition heated up, right?

While I’m at it, I can gather some more essence too.

I licked my lips and continued searching for the red rock.

Using the moonlight as my lantern while traversing the mountain slopes, Spiky Boars kept charging at me one after another.

While searching for the red rock, I had completely filled the Spiky Boar essence.

Even better.

Since it was nighttime, my tutorial score was doubled as well. It was killing three birds with one stone.

I was catching both the fish and the crayfish in the ditch.

The changes didn’t stop there.

Skill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fusion.

It was the ultimate display of synergy between essences with similar properties.

I had already expected this.

Without panicking, I spoke.

“Fuse them.”

I tested Spiny Armor on my forearm.

Drrrrrr!

Gray armor covered my right arm.

The difference from before was that sharp spines now densely covered the surface of the armor.

“Not bad at all.”

I muttered as I examined my spine-covered forearm.

The length of the spines had decreased, but their penetration power and the armor’s durability had both increased compared to the original.

Thud. I lightly tapped the spiny armor with my left hand.

The shock absorption rate has improved too.

The durability had risen significantly.

It even had the added effect of injuring nearby enemies with its spines.

In my previous life, I had been too busy trying to stay alive during the tutorial to obtain abilities like this.

Knowing the future really was—

The best.

I smiled.

I found the red rock around dawn.

Recalling the strategy guide, I walked behind the massive boulder.

A gap just big enough for one person to squeeze through.

I had no idea how anyone was supposed to find something like this.

“Excuse me.”

Muttering to myself, I pushed my body into the crevice.

Inside the rock, not a single ray of light could be seen.

The red rock cave is a straight path.

A Big Bat lives inside the cave. If you shine a light or make loud noises, it will attack players, so it is recommended to pass through without stimulating it.

The powerful moss is bioluminescent, so it is easy to find.

This strategy had been discovered in the third year after the Tower opened.

Naturally, most players at this point would have already memorized it.

The standard method was to relax your feet, move forward slowly, and gather the powerful moss…

But I had another purpose besides the moss.

Step. Step. My clear footsteps echoed loudly through the red cave.

On my tenth step—

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sound of flapping wings filled the cave.

“Kiiiiii!!”

A piercing shriek that rattled my eardrums.

It was the cry of the red cave’s owner, the Big Bat.

“Wow, what a warm welcome.”

I covered my entire body in armor and charged toward the direction of the shriek.