Only I’m the solo player

Chapter 12  – The 2nd Floor of the Tower of Trials

—–CROW—– 

When you defeat the boss monster on each floor, you receive rewards such as gold and experience, as well as the right to activate the transition gate.

The basic rewards are distributed equally among the party members who participated in the boss battle, and the person who landed the final blow receives a bonus reward.

Since I defeated the boss alone, I expected to receive a large amount of basic rewards and the last hit reward.

But I didn’t expect there to be a first-clear reward. There was nothing about this in the information posts in the open community.

[Grax’ar’s Bone Axe]

Attack Power + 100 (Slashing)

Critical Damage: x 1.0

Durability 100/100

Enhancement Attempts Available: 3

The stats were absurdly high. The critical damage and durability were very low, but the basic attack power was 100.

That’s higher than a +7 [Sharp] enhanced [Royal Knight’s Straight Sword] without any enhancements.

If I could increase the critical damage by adding [Accurate] enhancements, it would be an even stronger weapon.

However, the durability stat was quite disappointing. If I wanted to use it in actual combat, I would have to give up on critical damage and add [Durability] enhancements.

“But it’s an axe.”

My current main weapon was a one-handed sword. Suddenly switching to an axe would mean losing the proficiency I had accumulated so far.

[Sword Mastery Lv.1]

– One-handed Sword Proficiency (252 / 999)

– Two-handed Sword Proficiency (026 / 999)

My current one-handed sword proficiency was 252. I had already unlocked 5 passive options that could be selected every 50 proficiency points.

The displayed attack power of the bone axe was much higher, but the actual difference in power in combat wouldn’t be that great.

No, the bone axe might even be weaker.

-Thump.

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

However, the Goblin Lord was so huge that even though it was smaller, it was still ridiculously large.

Large weapons have their own advantages, but this didn’t seem like something I could use in actual combat.

I was a little excited because it was a first-clear reward, but even considering its absurd attack power, it was a rather useless item.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue briefly 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 options and no enhancement possibilities. But the basic stats were very exceptional for something that could be obtained on the 1st floor.

The defense was nothing special, but it increased HP by 100. Since HP increases by 10 per level, that’s almost 10 levels worth of stats.

The necklace slot was still empty, so I equipped it immediately.

[Achievement Unlocked: Tribal Ruler]

[Achievement Reward: ‘Strength +10’ acquired.]

Then, an achievement notification suddenly appeared.

I knew about the existence of achievements through the open community, but I had never heard of an achievement with this name.

It was rare for the conditions for achieving an achievement to be clearly known, but I never knew there was an achievement that could be obtained on the 1st floor.

Could it be an achievement that is unlocked by equipping both the bone axe and the bone necklace?

The bone axe was a first-clear reward, and the bone necklace was a maximum contribution reward. Only one person per tower could achieve both at the same time.

Even then, if the condition was to equip both items, the achievement would be impossible to obtain the moment you gave the items to a party member.

Maybe this achievement was the true first-clear reward.

[Indomitable Lv.1]

An unyielding will to fight on despite injuries.

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

When HP is below 30%, all stats + 5.

Next, I checked the passive skill I acquired as the last hit reward.

It was a simple skill that increased stats when HP fell. The stat increase scaled with the skill level.

The activation condition was strict, but the performance itself was excellent. I didn’t know about intelligence, but the increase in strength, agility, and durability would be a great help.

This was all the boss battle clear rewards. However, there was one thing that bothered me.

[Battle Trance LV.1]

Where did this skill come from?

**

The skill I suddenly acquired during the battle with the Goblin Lord, Battle Trance.

It wasn’t a reward for defeating the boss, nor was it obtained by achieving an achievement, nor was it obtained by leveling up.

I briefly looked through the open community, but I couldn’t find any stories of anyone acquiring a skill like this.

It was possible that I just couldn’t find it, but I was confident in my ability to find information in the community.

I had spent years as a shut-in, browsing internet communities.

The fact that I couldn’t find any related information meant that there was simply an absolute lack of information.

“I don’t know.”

There was no point in thinking about it alone. I decided to just let it go for now. It wasn’t a bad thing to have acquired a skill.

Seo Jinhyuk 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 finally checked the completed stats after clearing the 1st floor. I leveled up once while clearing the boss battle, reaching level 40.

I had to allow some attacks due to the numerical disadvantage, but I defeated the Goblin Lord without any major injuries.

At this rate, I should be able to defeat the 2nd-floor boss without much difficulty. It would probably work even on the 10th floor if I wasn’t solo. I was satisfied.

I closed the status window and trudged towards the transition gate beyond the boss room.

[Do you want to activate the inter-floor transition gate?]

“Yes.”

With a slight floating sensation, my vision was engulfed in light, and the next moment I arrived in another world.

**

The 2nd floor, which I finally set foot on, had a slightly different landscape than I had imagined.

It was a wide open space similar to the field area where the horned rabbits appeared, and it felt very different from the labyrinth area.

But I didn’t feel particularly refreshed. There was definitely a sense of accomplishment from clearing the 1st floor, but what I felt now was, how should I put it.

“Excitement…?”

I felt an impulse to run somewhere right away. Even though I was exhausted from fighting the boss, I wanted to push my body even more.

I wanted to fight. I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to achieve a great goal with these hands once again.

I was a little confused by this sensation and touched my forehead for a moment. And then I realized the nature of this sensation.

Aha, this is real dopamine, isn’t it.

It was very different from the dopamine I used to squeeze out from watching short-form videos in my room. It was bigger, stronger, and more addictive.

“Haha.”

I thought it was an abnormal enthusiasm. But it would definitely be a great help to my future steps.

I organized my thoughts positively and freely enjoyed the excitement that exploded in my head. Okay, let’s move forward.

-Dash!

I ran at full speed across the wide open space. The information posts in the open community said that if I just kept going straight after going up to the 2nd floor, I would see a village.

My running speed, having reached level 40, was already beyond that of a car. The wind brushed my cheeks pleasantly and pushed my body forward.

After running for a while, a gray fur ball lying in the distance started to move and stand up.

Most of the monsters on the 2nd floor are said to be in the form of beasts. That was probably the gray field wolf that appears in the beginning.

It was said that their health and defense were low, but they were agile, and their sharp teeth were more powerful than the goblins’ weapons.

-Growl!

The gray field wolf detected me and sprinted. We were running towards each other, so the distance quickly closed.

It was definitely much faster than a goblin. Its size was also incomparable to a large dog, as expected of a wolf, and it looked strong.

Without slowing down, I kicked the wolf that was rushing towards me.

-Thud!

It felt lighter than I expected. The wolf was sent flying like a soccer ball.

Not all 2nd-floor monsters are stronger than all 1st-floor monsters. This wolf was probably about the same level as a goblin centurion.

It’s strong if a monster on par with a centurion is the first one you encounter after crossing the transition gate.

It’s just that my stats overwhelmingly surpass the average 2nd-floor challenger.

-Growl!

As I continued forward, more gray field wolves appeared one after another.

Without even using my weapon, I simply kicked the wolves that appeared in front of me.

And after a while, when I had turned more than ten wolves into soccer balls.

“F, Flanders…!”

In the distance, I saw an NPC being attacked by wolves. It was a small girl with a staff.

Next to the girl, a black dog was growling and confronting the wolves. And behind them, there were several sheep-like creatures.

It looked like a shepherd NPC, but why was it here? According to the information posts in the open community, it should have been in the village.

-Woof! Woof!

Moreover, the expression of the shepherd girl confronting the wolves was incredibly realistic, to the point where it was hard to believe she was an NPC.

I didn’t know what was going on, but it seemed like I should help her, right?

—–CROW—–