Advance
The Lizardman, riddled with critical hits straight to the throat, didn't last long before collapsing. I'd learned fairly recently that strong monsters' corpses don't vanish right away after death. That's why, even with its neck full of holes like this, I couldn't rule out the chance it was still alive. Ah, but no, this one's definitely dead. One time, a Lizardman tried playing dead and ambushing me, so I'd gotten into the habit of double-checking kills. Do it enough times, and now I can tell just by looking whether a Lizardman is truly done for—no poking required.
Finding the Ruins' Treasure - Exploration Leader Winzer
The quest was done anyway, and I'd already gotten the field boss clear message and rewards. No way the system interface is bullshitting me, so no need to verify if it was really dead or not.
Acquired 'Experience' and 'Gold'.
You are the new Ruler of Lightning.
The field boss rewards weren't anything special, and aside from that one skill, the quest rewards weren't impressive either. I did snag some new gear, but even judging by max enhancement potential, it wasn't much better than my current top stuff. What I'm wearing now—armor, weapons, all of it—is just a set of junk with high durability. I do have some good accessories with special options equipped, but I'm not obsessed with items anymore. Might be tempted by unique-grade or higher, but my current specs are overkill anyway.
The real haul beyond items was probably the new achievement reward.
Intelligence, the stat I'd had the lowest in out of the four, jumped by 5 all at once. Not a mage class, so it doesn't matter much, but more is always better. Even for warriors, total MP cost for skills scales with intelligence.
Anyway, the biggest gain this time looks like it'll be the Lightning Charge skill. Charge skills usually imbue weapons with elemental effects, right? I pulled the dagger out of the Lizardman's corpse and gave it a try.
Lightning Charge
Blue sparks flickered over the dagger for a moment, then faded. What the hell? Did it even work? MP went down in my status window, so yeah, but the effect was way too underwhelming. Lv.1 limitations? Maybe it's active but invisible now?
Hmm, if there were some trash mobs around, I'd grab one to test on. Guess I'll have to experiment elsewhere. Hadn't done this since my poison resistance stalled out.
Squish!
I sat down and started stabbing my own thigh with the dagger.
I poured a potion on the wound to heal it and stowed the dagger in my inventory.
"What a piece of shit."
After an hour of steady self-testing, conclusion: this skill is trash-tier. Basic specs are a toggle buff that lasts until MP runs out, channeling electricity into one equipped weapon. But the power? Pathetic. No paralysis, no extra damage. Even at Lv.1, it's barely the static from pulling off a thick sweater. And the fuel efficiency sucks too. Even toggling it on and off midway, it burned over half my MP. For my level, an hour of use halves the tank. Average Floor 3 challengers couldn't sustain it long. Mana potions are pricey consumables too.
Even for building elemental resistance, it's too weak—no skill gain there. One word: useless. Worthless now, but one of my few actives, so I'll grind levels on it.
"Are all charge skills this bad?"
Thigh healed, I stood and muttered to myself.
Time to check the community. Worth growing? Usable for a basic warrior like me? If it doesn't fit warriors, ditch it. Can't change class now anyway.
The community I opened for info was, for some reason, on fire.
Post regen speed was always fast, but today was next-level. Like a big game update drop.
Common keyword: Festival. I knew about the Tower's Festival event. Roughly every 3 years, a server-wide event where challengers from different towers meet—the rare chance for cross-server interaction. Move to shared fields, team up to clear dungeons for rewards, farm festival-exclusive gear.
Back when I was stuck on Floor 1, I thought it'd be my ticket out, pinned big hopes on it. Then learned the entry minimum was Floor 1 clear—shook my mental hard. Entered the Tower on the 10th anniversary of the cataclysm, been about a year and a half inside. Yeah, right on schedule.
Refreshing the endlessly updating page, one post caught my eye. Why the hell are these guys so obsessed with me? Opened it—tons of comments from others wondering the same.
Sheesh, treating me like a legendary Pokémon. Great growth chance, so I'll join, but gotta avoid pulling aggro. Lots view me positively, but not all. I'm overwhelmingly stronger than same-floor challengers, but high-floor folks and rankers? Still way behind. If some spec'd-out psycho takes issue, no guild or group means no backup.
Nah, I do have one option.
I smirked and closed the noisy community window.
Worried about high-spec psychos picking fights? Just get strong enough to handle anyone. Closed-door training for growth is over. Time to blast through floors, rack up levels and specs.
"Let's go."
Nothing changed. Keep moving forward without stopping. Until I reach this tower's top.
Stepped into the boss room, and messages popped up immediately.
The genius scholar Karamanta, who had mastered the language of another race, asked his Lizardman friend:
"Why does the warrior race's leader oversee the shaman's rituals?"
The Lizardman replied, "You don't know what terrifying spells they can wield."
Far ahead, a shaman Lizardman trembled at an elaborate sacrificial altar, chanting spells.
Latest strategies said attack on entry interrupts the chant. Fewer ancient Lizardman warriors summoned, drops difficulty via special gimmick. My throwing could nail it instantly.
But I stood still, waiting for the spell to finish.
Kerruk! Kerruk!
Soon, the shaman's staff glowed. Violet light rippled, and bone fragments on the altar stood, flesh knitting onto them.
Lizardman heroes surpassing elite warriors, marked by purple shoulder bands, gathered. The shaman, having summoned the tribe's legendary figures, wore a triumphant expression. Eyes full of conviction: invincible with them.
"That all?"
But the certainty in my eyes, fixed on him, burned several times brighter.