Golden Spoon Starting #2

The Black Horned Rabbit charging at me looked like a goddamn bullet.

"What the—!"

I reflexively threw up my arm to shield myself, but my awkward stance did jack shit. The rabbit's horn shoved my arm aside and slammed right into my solar plexus.

"Gah!"

This thing was the size of a large dog, and it hit me with full force. My body naturally flew backward.

Fuck, a preemptive strike from a Horned Rabbit? Strategy guides didn't mention shit like this.

No, forget that—

I'm gonna die!

"Ugh, heave!"

I broke out in cold sweat, frantically patting down my body where the rabbit had rammed me. But there wasn't a scratch anywhere. Despite that speed and power, I was completely fine.

Only after confirming I was intact did I remember to check my Status Window.

My HP had dropped. That headbutt had shaved off 9 points.

Oh, right.

I'd forgotten the basics of the Tower of Trials again in the heat of the moment. This place ran on a system damn near identical to a game—stats, skills, even HP. You take hits, HP drops, but you don't suffer fatal wounds until it hits zero. Like a shield.

I knew this before even entering the tower, but panic had wiped it from my brain.

"Th-that almost killed me."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stood up. The Black Horned Rabbit that had charged me wasn't bouncing around anymore; it was glaring, waiting for another shot at a body slam.

Like I'd let that happen.

"You little shit!"

I charged at the Black Horned Rabbit and unleashed a brutal soccer kick.

-Squeak!

My wooden sword was busted, so I'd just swung wildly, but it actually connected better than expected. Must be the difference between Strength stats of 2.

I followed up with kick after kick. The Black Horned Rabbit squeaked pitifully as it took hit after hit. No damage numbers, so I couldn't tell how effective it was.

Then its eyes flashed, and it lunged with another body slam.

"Ack!"

I ate it full-on from close range—no dodging that. I tumbled back hard, HP dipped a bit more, but no wounds.

"Hyaah!"

I scrambled up and soccer-kicked it again. More squeaks from the Black Horned Rabbit!

The initial horn stab had spooked me, but once we were properly scrapping, it wasn't any tougher than a regular one. Lowbie trash mob, after all.

Just hand over your XP nice and quiet.

-Squeak! Squeak! Squeeee...!

After wailing on it for a good while, the Black Horned Rabbit finally dropped.

I scooped up the loot without a second glance and headed straight back to the Starting Village. Fired up the open community and searched for Black Horned Rabbit info.

**

I scoured every early-game guide in the open community, but mentions of Black Horned Rabbits were scarce. Still, my NEET-honed search skills from years of scratching my ass online dug up the goods—from some ancient, buried post, not the shiny revised ones.

Why wasn't it in the latest guides? The comments explained.

Yup. Black Horned Rabbits were extinct in every other Tower. Monsters and resources here are finite. Prime hunting spots, quests, items—all snatched up by first-gen Hunters during the chaos. But in Tower #2661? I'm the only challenger. Untapped riches everywhere.

This is huge, right? Labyrinth treasures, limited rares—all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mine. Maybe my life's not a total fuckup after all.

**

"Take care!"

I stepped out of the weapon shop, the NPC's robotic farewell echoing behind me. In my hand: a brand-new wooden sword.

Sold the rabbit hide for a fat stack and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bought the Sturdy Wooden Sword. Was gonna grab a basic one, but the hide fetched top coin. Twice the price, but over double the durability—smart buy if you can swing it.

Newbies in other towers skip this crap altogether. Doesn't hurt my feelings. I'll rake in way more cash than them; no reason to pinch pennies.

"Nice feel."

Premium grip. Can't wait to tenderize some rabbits with it.

Back to the Field for more hunting. Guides say clearing all the village NPC rabbit quests gets you to level 5 easy. Plus, I've got exclusive Black Horned Rabbit quests no one else can touch.

Tower limits apply to quests too—some are one-and-done after a few clears. And rewards? Usually juicy.

Confirmed via community search: Black rabbit quests pay better than average. More than covers my sword, leaves me loaded compared to peers.

Labyrinth at level 3, they say. I'll hit that with time to spare.

Initially figured I'd bus with rankers and settle as low-rank Hunter. But hogging these limited resources early? B-grade easy. Hidden pieces? Maybe even S.

"Hyaah!"

Fueled by delusions of grandeur, I farmed rabbits like a madman.

**

Overhyped enthusiasm crushed every quest in no time. Only dailies left in the Field now.

And the haul? Ta-da.

"Status Window."

I summoned my pimped-out status. Leveled up beyond recognition from just hours ago.

Level 8! Unpublicized community secret: First to clear a quest on your server gets bonus rewards. Nailing every rabbit quest first gave me a huge level boost.

Oh, and strapped to my right arm like a shield: a thick book. The World Rabbit Compendium, rare equipment from rabbit quests. Community stats say 10% drop rate, but as first-clear king, I picked it myself.

Early-game nectar: +2 Strength, +2 Agility, +20 HP. Plus a shit-ton of G (gold).

"Fuuuuck... this is golden spoon starting."

The kind of setup only connected challengers get. I blew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my daily earnings at the shop, full armor set equipped.

Then hopped on the community, attached pics of my gear and status, and posted.

Everyone lost their shit over my unbelievable day-one specs. Deep satisfaction hit as I closed the community.

"Best room you've got."

Booked at the village inn, crashed on the bed, doomscrolled a bit more, then passed out. The community's meltdown lulled me into sweet sleep.