Another Addiction
The Tower of Trials has a system that's incredibly similar to an RPG game. And in RPGs, you can't skip magic—and sure enough, magic exists in the Tower too. Right now, there's a magic-use wand sitting in my inventory. Useless as hell, though.
But magic doesn't really show up properly until Floor 3 and above. Below that, you can't even job-change into a mage or pick up magic skills, let alone run into monsters that use magic.
So what the fuck is this? Some random Floor 2 field boss pulling off attribute attacks? Where the hell did they sell their conscience?
"Fuck!"
Lobo's charge, wreathed in scorching flames—I couldn't dodge or block with Blanca tying up my legs. I twisted my body as much as I could to evade, but in the end, he sank his teeth deep into my shoulder.
-Roaring flames!
Thanks to my high defense, his teeth didn't sink in too deep, but the real problem was the flames clinging to them.
"Aaaagh, sh-shit… fuck…!"
The savory smell of roasting meat rose from my shoulder, accompanied by an excruciating burning pain unlike anything I'd felt before. I remembered that old community post: "Let's Rank the Pains.jpg." Unprepared childbirth was third, limb amputation second. And burning alive took first place. Feeling it now, yeah, that tracks.
Fuck, it hurts like hell.
But it's just pain—this much won't kill me. And I sure as shit wasn't planning to just sit here and get charred.
-Kwaak!
Like he was trying to rip my whole shoulder off, Lobo shook his head wildly with his teeth buried in me. I grabbed his face skin with one hand, braced my legs, and forcibly endured the thrashing. Then I stored my frozen shield—still stuck in Blanca's teeth—into my inventory and gripped his face with my other hand too.
"Raaaaagh!!"
With all my strength, I hoisted Lobo's entire body into the air. His eyes shook in panic as he bit down on my shoulder.
You didn't see this coming, did you, you mangy fuck?
"This… is the power of a Strength stat at 62, you piece-of-shit mutt!"
-Thud!
I slammed his lifted body upside-down onto the ground. Lobo bounced back up, righting himself mid-air. But I was faster—pulling a new weapon from my inventory and thrusting it before he could fully recover.
-Stab!
The deep thrust triggered a critical, bursting with red effects. Perfect hit. I wanted to finish him off, but Blanca came charging from the left, blue eyes glowing. I threw out my left arm to block—then remembered I'd stowed the shield.
"Gah, fuck!"
I'd stupidly just offered up my arm. Frigid air from Blanca's teeth froze my left arm solid. Frostbite symptoms spread—red spots blooming even where he hadn't bitten. And fuck, the sensation was off. My arm's feeling dulled in seconds, like it was vanishing bit by bit in real time.
"Urgh, you fucker…!"
I tried shaking him off, but the freezing arm wouldn't obey. If burns are painful, frostbite is terrifying. From where his teeth dug in, I heard a crackling sound—like ice creeping deep into the bone. If I yanked him off now, my arm might come with him.
I didn't want to end up a one-armed cripple here. But fuck, staying still just meant getting ripped apart and dying.
Screw it, fuck this.
-Kwachik!
I wrenched my frozen arm, dragging Blanca in, then jammed my sword into his throat. Red critical effects exploded again. His attack power was bullshit, but defense was weak. I twisted the straight sword in his neck. Even as I shredded his insides, he wouldn't let go of my arm. Like he'd take my arm with him in death.
You dog-fuck of a wolf!
[Passive Skill: Frost Resistance Lv.1 acquired.]
"Huh?"
The blue alert in front of me wiped away the surging anxiety and pain. Frost Resistance—name's so straightforward, I could guess the effect. My lips curled up on their own. Before I knew it, I was grinning like a maniac.
"Alright, mutt. Let's see who wins."
Even I knew I looked insane, but who gave a shit anymore.
**
Blanca didn't last long after the sword in his neck. Lobo charged in rage the moment Blanca died, but he wasn't much of a threat. Dragging my battered body, I beat Lobo down, and soon the field boss clear alert popped up.
'Wolf King's Fang', 'Experience' acquired.
'Frost-Infused Fang' acquired.
[Passive Skill: Flame Resistance] acquired.
No first-clear rewards since it was a field boss, but I snagged new passive skills. I'd been cursing out a Floor 2 field boss for attribute attacks, but seeing the rewards made it click. Resistances are late to acquire and tough to get—most people grab 'em via item options. Scoring two this early? Huge luck.
"Wait, not luck?"
I looked down at my rag-of-a-left-arm, blood pouring out. Even chugging potions, this wound wasn't healing fast. That's why attribute attacks suck. Without resistance, damage is worse than normal wounds, and non-specialized potions heal 'em slow.
My HP was still like this. Indomitable—barely gotten it—was already proccing. Spec-wise, they were below Goblin Lord, but I nearly died. Simple reasons: they were a paired boss type, and their stats were extremely lopsided.
Those two factors hit a solo player like me hard. Hell, a Lv.15 Warrior tanking briefly would've let me win unscathed. Plus, I overreacted to the unfamiliar burn and frost pains. Instead of flailing and cursing, staying calm might've gone better.
This ain't about luck or misfortune. I won thanks to my built-up effort—and got hurt because it wasn't enough. Don't forget today's lesson. Burn it in.
**
After waiting for my arm to heal, I sorted loot and headed back to the safe zone. The shepherd girl was already asleep by the campfire, snoring away. Sleeping that close to fire okay? Hope she doesn't choke on smoke.
"Whatever, not my problem."
Her dog Flanders was flattened out beside her, so probably fine. That smart pup would handle danger. Anyway, I'd planned to head straight to town after killing the wolves… but maybe rest first. I'd been avoiding it, but condition was shit after endless fighting.
Pulled out white rolls from inventory and munched. Too awkward for sleep, so fill belly and browse community. Not for dumb posts like old days—info gathering.
I scrolled down the list endlessly, going way back to early challengers' posts. Tales from first-gen Hunters who risked it all are preserved here. Reading names of now-S-rank or first-gen legends stirs thoughts.
Those "heroes from the sky" were just like everyone else at the start. Some shone early with unique/epic classes or killer mindsets, but most? Totally ordinary.
"…"
No one wanted to be a low-rank Hunter mooching off life, though. That itch in my chest again. Energy surges through my weary body unbidden. Info gathering my ass—staring at community ain't cutting it.
"Might as well do something."
So with community open, I suddenly started bodyweight training.