Non-Player Character

I took down the last remaining Kobold Rider and slumped to the floor, sorting through the results.

That was the haul from clearing the boss. A new weapon and some fur pelt I wasn't sure about.

The weapon from the Floor 1 clear had been an axe that didn't suit me at all, but this time they gave me a proper sword.

Looking at the options, this wasn't just a proper sword—it was a unique-grade weapon with its own special effect. The base attack power alone far surpassed the Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword, and the critical damage and durability were impressively high even without enhancements. Six enhancement attempts weren't a huge number, but with such stellar base specs, it was more than enough.

And that continuous effect? Beast-type monsters were everywhere, and just killing them would boost my attack power automatically. Even at max stacks without any enhancements, it'd hit 115 attack power—surpassing the Graksar's Bone Axe.

1,800 seconds was 30 minutes. I didn't know exactly how the stacks persisted, but it was plenty. Once I got it enhanced in the village, it'd take the main weapon slot right away.

The fur pelt I'd thought was just miscellany turned out to be a cloak classified as armor. The defense was mediocre, but that base +5 Strength option was incredibly appealing. With the cloak slot empty, this would be a significant spec boost.

Though with Strength shooting up way higher ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than my other stats, I might end up turning into the Hulk at this rate.

"Hm."

In case an achievement popped like last time, I equipped the Werewolf's Fur Pelt and Wolf Hunt Sword together.

The Wolf ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hunt Sword was a straight sword that looked dark and rusty. The length and weight were perfect for swinging, but instead of a crossguard on the hilt, it was wrapped in a dirty rag. Not the most practical design, but with specs like these, I'd just have to make do.

The fur pelt cloak looked exactly like it'd been peeled straight off a werewolf. I worried it might flap around and get in the way during combat, but it didn't seem like it would.

Unfortunately, no achievement triggered even with both equipped. But that was fine. I'd gained so much during the boss fight anyway, even if it wasn't intentional.

Including the freshly acquired Bleed Resistance, that made five new skills. On top of that, Unyielding, Prolonged Combat, and Combat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Awakening had all leveled up noticeably.

Skills like Instinct and All-Out whose effects were unknown, or the resistance skills that didn't need explaining—I could take or leave those. But Combat Healing? A skill that only Tower of Trials rankers possessed, and here I had it.

As the name implied, Combat Healing automatically regenerated your body during battle. Even rankers who had it just said they'd "stumbled into it somehow"—no one knew the exact acquisition conditions.

Maybe it triggered when you barely recovered from near-death. It made sense; a lot of first-gen Hunters, who'd risked their lives conquering the Tower, had it. Plenty plausible.

"Status window."

One level up, and thanks to the item bonuses, my total stats were impressively high. All in just two days on Floor 2.

But for some reason, it didn't feel as thrilling as before. I knew why.

Those two days, I'd nearly died twice. Despite having sufficient specs, I hadn't produced results to match.

In the fight with the Werewolf, the effective hits I'd landed numbered maybe four or five. The initial shield throw followed by two skill attacks, one shoulder stab exploiting an opening, and four dagger strikes into its back. Finally, ripping out its jaw with All-Out right before it died—that made five.

With just that damage, I'd won. I had attack power that should've overwhelmed it utterly. But because I'd grown complacent relying on the spec gap, because I'd gotten too excited after landing hits, I hadn't dominated—instead, I'd nearly died.

It was a skill issue, unrelated to specs. Maybe... my growth path was wrong.

The first-gen Hunters had challenged the Tower of Trials in the environment most similar to mine. And among those who truly stood out—the early rankers—there was one common thread.

Most of them had been involved in sports before entering the Tower.

Some had just hit the gym a lot, others trained martial arts as a hobby, and some were even pro athletes. The type didn't matter. Once inside the Tower, they were all Level 1 challengers regardless of their outside lives.

Differences in base physicality from lifestyle habits would've been negligible by the time levels hit double digits. Yet they pulled ahead of other challengers, leading the climb.

It wasn't physicality. Focus, cognition, creativity, judgment, mind control, routines—the intangible abilities honed through sports became another power that stats and skills couldn't quantify.

But I hadn't built any of that. I'd just brute-forced stats and levels like an idiot.

If I'd been in a normal Tower, this approach would've been fine. Plenty of challengers grew that way. But I'm a solo player. I can't use the same methods or strategies as others.

Overwhelming variables will keep hindering me. I need the same skills as those first-gen Hunters who tackled the Tower amid info scarcity and chaos.

The fundamental "skill" to adapt flexibly to any situation.

Before entering the Tower of Trials, I was a shut-in loser pounding keyboards in my room. Focus, cognition, judgment, creativity—they'd all melted away long ago in cheap dopamine waves.

Building them now won't be easy. It'll take massive time and effort.

But I'm confident. No different from grinding levels on Floor 1 to beat the Goblin Lord. The only difference is there's no intuitive number tracking progress.

My goal hasn't changed. Clear this goddamn Tower, get out, and apologize to Mom.

As long as I keep my eyes on that point and walk steadily, even if slowly, I'll reach it someday.

"Alright."

With my thoughts sorted, the forgotten excitement and elation welled up again. I knew I shouldn't rush, but my body itched to head to the next floor.

I stood before the layer transfer gate to Floor 3.

"Oh, right."

Come to think of it, that shepherd girl had said she'd repay me somehow. Dealing with her had been awkward since I'd forgotten how to interact with people, but watching her bicker with that black dog was entertaining.

She reacted well to anything I said, always bright in attitude and voice—perfect for rehabbing my social skills. She probably wouldn't give real rewards, but since it'd be hard to come back down after heading to Floor 3... at least say goodbye.

"Cancel."

I left the transfer gate for now and headed out of the boss room, backtracking through the labyrinth.

I knew where the shepherd girl was. NPC spawn points are mostly fixed.

Of course, Nora was very different from ordinary NPCs—more like a real person—so who knew. Fortunately (or unfortunately?), she was in the same spot as shepherd NPCs on other servers.

"Hello, isn't the weather nice today?"

Nora greeted me with a smile as I approached. But her voice lacked its previous liveliness.

"Hello, isn't the weather nice today?"

Just like any other NPC—an inorganic expression and tone.

"Hello, isn't the weather nice today?"

The Nora I'd met again had become an ordinary NPC repeating the same lines. It felt like a neighbor I'd known suddenly turning into a robot—goosebumps all over.

I couldn't bear to watch, so I fled to the next floor like my life depended on it.