WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 12: Tower of Trials, Floor 2

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Defeating the boss monster on each floor granted the right to activate the Transfer Gate, along with rewards such as Gold and Experience Points.

The basic rewards were divided evenly among the party members who took part in the boss battle, while whoever landed the final blow received a bonus reward.

Since I'd defeated the boss alone, I'd expected to receive a huge amount of basic rewards along with the final-blow reward.

What I hadn't expected was a separate first-clear reward. The community guides hadn't mentioned anything like this at all.

[Graksar's Bone Axe]

Attack Power +100 (Slash)

Critical Damage: x1.0

Durability 100/100

Enhancement Attempts Remaining: 3

Its stats were absurdly high, too. The critical damage and durability were pitifully low, but its base attack power was a whopping 100.

Even without any enhancements, it surpassed the [Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword] with +7 [Sharp] enhancements.

If I added [Accuracy] enhancements and raised its critical damage, it would become an even more powerful weapon.

Still, the durability was a major disappointment. If I wanted to use it in real combat, I'd have to give up on critical damage and enhance its [Durability] instead.

"But it's an axe."

My main weapon was a one-handed sword. Switching to an axe now would mean throwing away all the proficiency I'd built up.

[Sword Mastery Lv.1]

- One-Handed Sword Proficiency (252 / 999)

- Two-Handed Sword Proficiency (026 / 999)

My one-handed sword proficiency was already at 252, and I'd unlocked five passive options, one for every 50 points of proficiency.

The Bone Axe's displayed attack power was much higher, but the difference in actual combat power probably wouldn't be that great right now.

No, the Bone Axe might actually be weaker.

-Thud.

I took the Bone Axe out of my inventory and equipped it. It was a little smaller than the one the Goblin Lord had used.

Still, the Goblin Lord had been so huge that even after shrinking, the axe was still ridiculously large.

Big weapons had their own advantages, sure, but no matter how I looked at it, this wasn't something I could use in real combat.

I'd gotten my hopes up when it said first-clear reward, but even with its insane attack power, it was an awkward item to use.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue and checked the next reward. The maximum-contribution reward was a necklace accessory.

[Goblin Bone Necklace]

Defense +25

HP +100

It was a necklace with simple effects and no way to enhance it. Still, its base stats were incredible for something obtainable on Floor 1.

The Defense was whatever, but it raised my HP by 100. Since HP increased by 10 per level, that was basically ten levels' worth of stats.

My necklace slot was still empty, so I equipped it right away.

[Achievement Unlocked: Tribal Ruler]

[You have obtained Achievement Reward: 'Strength +10'.]

An achievement notification suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Of course, I knew achievements existed through the Open Community, but I'd never heard of one with that name.

The conditions for most achievements weren't clearly known, but I never expected there to be one I could obtain on Floor 1.

Could it be an achievement earned by equipping the Bone Axe and Bone Necklace together?

The Bone Axe was the first-clear reward, and the Bone Necklace was the maximum-contribution reward. Only one person in the entire Tower could possibly earn both at once.

And if equipping both items was also a requirement, giving either item to a party member would make the achievement impossible to obtain.

Maybe this achievement was the true first-clear reward.

[Indomitable Lv.1]

An unyielding will that fights on despite injury.

When HP falls below a certain amount, all stats increase.

All stats +5 when HP is below 30%.

Next, I checked the passive skill I'd obtained as a final-blow reward.

It was a simple skill that raised my stats when my HP dropped, and its stat increase apparently scaled with the skill's level.

The activation requirement was harsh, but the effect itself was excellent. Intelligence aside, having Strength, Agility, and Durability all increase would be a huge help.

That was every reward from clearing the boss battle. Still, there was one thing bothering me.

[Battle Awakening LV.1]

Where the hell had this skill come from?

* * *

Battle Awakening, the skill I'd suddenly acquired during my fight with the Goblin Lord.

It wasn't a reward for defeating the boss, it wasn't from completing an achievement, and it wasn't something I'd gained from leveling up.

I briefly searched through the Open Community, but I couldn't find any cases of someone acquiring a skill like this.

Maybe I just hadn't looked hard enough, but I was pretty confident in my ability to dig up information from online communities.

I'd spent years as an unemployed shut-in browsing internet forums.

Yet I still couldn't find anything related to it. That meant there was simply nowhere near enough information available.

"I don't know."

Thinking about it alone wouldn't get me an answer. I'd let it go for now. Getting a skill wasn't a bad thing, after all.

Seo Jinhyeok Lv.40 (Warrior)

HP: 620/620

MP: 320/320

Strength: 58 (50+8)

Agility: 44 (40+4)

Durability: 46 (40+6)

Intelligence: 42 (40+2)

I also checked my final stats after clearing Floor 1. I'd reached Level 40 after gaining a level from the boss battle.

I'd taken a few hits because I was outnumbered, but I defeated the Goblin Lord without any major injuries.

At this rate, I could beat the boss on Floor 2 without much trouble. If I weren't solo, I could probably manage even the floors in the teens. I was satisfied.

I closed the Status Window and trudged toward the Transfer Gate beyond the boss room.

[Would you like to activate the Floor Transfer Gate?]

"Yes."

A slight floating sensation came over me, and my vision was engulfed in light. The next moment, I arrived in another world.

* * *

The second floor I finally set foot on looked a little different from what I'd expected.

It was a wide, open area similar to the grasslands where Horned Rabbits appeared. The expansive space made it clear I'd left the Labyrinth Area behind.

But it didn't feel particularly refreshing. I definitely felt fulfilled after clearing Floor 1, but what I felt now was, how should I put it?

"Excitement...?"

An urge to run somewhere right away welled up inside me. I'd exhausted myself fighting the boss, yet I wanted to push myself even harder.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to grow stronger. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to achieve another massive goal with these hands.

For a moment, I pressed a hand to my forehead, confused by the strange sensation. Then I realized what it was.

Ah, so this was real dopamine.

It was nothing like the stuff I'd squeezed out of short-form videos while holed up in my room. This was bigger, stronger, and more addictive.

"Ha ha."

It felt like an abnormal amount of drive. Still, it would definitely help me keep moving forward.

I put a positive spin on it and willingly enjoyed the excitement exploding in my head. Good. Let's keep moving.

-Ratatatat!

I sprinted across the wide clearing. According to the Open Community guides, I just had to keep going straight from the second floor and I'd find a village.

At Level 40, my running speed was already faster than a car. The cool wind brushed against my cheeks and pushed me forward.

After running for a while, a gray lump of fur sprawled out in the distance twitched and got to its feet.

They said most monsters on Floor 2 took the form of beasts. That was probably one of the Gray Field Wolves that appeared early on.

Its health and defense were low, but it was agile, and its sharp teeth were supposedly more powerful than a Goblin's weapon.

-Grrr!

The Gray Field Wolf detected me and charged. Since we were both running toward each other, the distance closed in no time.

It was definitely much faster than a Goblin. It was also huge, far bigger than a large dog, and it looked strong.

Without slowing down, I kicked the wolf as it lunged at me.

-Thwack!

It felt lighter than I expected. Well, lighter on my foot than expected. The wolf went flying like a soccer ball.

Just because it was a Floor 2 monster didn't mean it was stronger than every monster on Floor 1. This wolf was probably around the level of a Goblin Squad Leader.

If the equivalent of a Horned Rabbit, the first mob you met after crossing the Transfer Gate, was as strong as a Squad Leader, that was already pretty impressive.

I was only making it look easy because my stats were overwhelmingly higher than those of an average Floor 2 Challenger.

-Grrr!

As I continued forward, more Gray Field Wolves appeared one after another.

I didn't even bother using a weapon. I just casually kicked aside every wolf I saw and kept moving.

Then, just as I'd turned more than ten wolves into soccer balls...

"F-Flanders...!"

I spotted an NPC in the distance being attacked by a wolf. It was a small girl holding a staff.

Beside her, a black dog was growling as it faced off against the wolf. Behind them were several things that looked like sheep.

She was obviously some kind of shepherd NPC, but why was she here? According to the Open Community guides, wasn't she supposed to be in the village?

-Woof! Woof!

And the shepherd girl's expression as she faced the wolf looked far too real for an NPC.

I didn't know what was going on, but this looked like the part where I saved her, right?

Footnotes:

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