ALL NOVEL chapter 14
14 – You guys…!!
[Points owned: 755]
The remaining amount after purchasing and using the intermediate healing potion with the 1,750 points received as a reward for the 6th-floor trial.
“…I’m done for.”
It had only been a few hours since he rushed in with just one staff, realizing the importance of the shield deep in his bones, yet that crucial shield had disappeared.
“I’m done for… I’m ruined.”
Desperately scavenging through a shop, Kangwoo found nothing but an ordinary shield with no apparent effect.
[Steel Kite Shield]
Price: 750 points.
Fortunately, the price wasn’t out of reach, but even if he bought it, problems would persist.
“If I buy this, I won’t be able to buy anything else.”
Aside from a backpack that could hold the remaining 5 points’ worth of items, he couldn’t even afford water, let alone jerky.
[Hard Bread 5 points]
The only item affordable with the remaining money was the lowest-tier item in the shop, a piece of hard bread.
“Damn it!”
These were problems he couldn’t postpone. Kangwoo found himself at a crossroads of choices.
A shield to protect himself and food for survival.
If he chose the shield, he had to break through the trial on the 7th floor, whatever it might be, at the maximum speed possible.
For him, without water and food, delaying in the trial would be a disadvantage.
The longer he lingered without water and food, the more unfavorable it would become.
If he managed to finish the trial safely, it would be fortunate. The real problem arose when faced with a trial that couldn’t be bypassed swiftly.
What if a maze-like trial appeared again?
Four days without water and food. With that weakened body, he might tire out and starve to death before the end.
“But it’s not like I can go without buying a shield…”
Just a few hours ago, an incident had troubled Kangwoo.
Encountering a bird breathing fire was the recent ordeal, but what if he were to face a monster wielding ice magic instead?
Would it be possible to confront such a monster without a shield, facing it with just his bare body?
“Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!”
After much contemplation, Kangwoo, who was tearing at his hair, decided to make the purchase.
Hoping that this choice would be the right decision.
***
[You have challenged the seventh trial.]
Having completed the purchase, Kangwoo immediately took on the trial.
Exhaustion had dissipated after collapsing as if defeated following the completion of the sixth-floor trial, and there were no abnormalities in his body thanks to the effects of the intermediate healing potion.
“Sigh. Please.”
Kangwoo, now transferred to the trial location, couldn’t conceal his tension as he awaited the next system notification.
[Mission: Cross the bridge and reach the monument on the opposite cliff.]
[Upon completing the mission, the trial will conclude.]
“A bridge?”
After checking the mission, Kangwoo finally had the leisure to look around.
A fierce wind blowing relentlessly, intermingled with a faint scent of water.
“What, what is this!”
Realizing that the edge was just five steps ahead, Kangwoo involuntarily took a step back.
Astonishingly carved cliffs stood on either side. A fragile wooden suspension bridge connected them, swaying weakly in the wind.
“… It won’t collapse halfway, will it?”
Even at a glance, the bridge seemed to stretch for about 1km.
As a chilling apprehension enveloped Kangwoo, the last system notification echoed.
[The trial is beginning.]
The trial had commenced. Kangwoo, with a face pale with fear, reluctantly took the first step onto the wooden bridge with a sense of uncertainty.
“Ugh… Huh?”
Thud. Thud thud.
Carefully stepping forward, Kangwoo, with a puzzled expression, began to hop along on both legs.
“Oh. Seems sturdy.”
He had worried that the bridge might collapse midway due to Tower’s various pranks, but it seemed quite robust, dispelling those concerns.
After checking the safety of the bridge repeatedly with thud-thuds, Kangwoo, satisfied with its stability, proceeded ahead.
“What’s this? Shouldn’t something be coming up by now?”
As he crossed over halfway across the bridge, strangely, the surroundings fell eerily silent.
Tower wasn’t the type to just orchestrate some heroic feat to overcome a fear of heights… Kangwoo pondered, filled with skepticism.
Swish-.
Dozens of arrows suddenly filled the sky.
“…!”
A swaying bridge that allowed movement only forward and backward.
Already within range, there was no way to completely evade the arrows even by retreating backward.
The Moment of Retreat and Survival.
A wide grin spread across Kang Woo’s lips.
[Steel Kite Shield]
A weapon worth 750 points, chosen after careful consideration in the Safe Zone on the 6th floor.
It was a moment that proved his decision to forsake provisions was correct.
“hahahaha!”
All the arrows that had come flying were deflected by the shield.
Despite covering his entire upper body, was there another shield of such size and sturdiness?
This was the first time Kang Woo had touched the Kite Shield, so naturally, he had no previous experience, but that wasn’t important.
“Is that all you’ve got, you losers?!”
Arrows were fired again, but that was it.
They couldn’t penetrate the 750-point Steel Kite Shield.
“hahahaha!”
Having confirmed the effectiveness of the Kite Shield, Kang Woo began to sprint like a madman.
Clatter, clatter, clatter?!
Suddenly, the distance to the end of the leg was only about 20 meters.
Monsters, witnessing the crazy guy ignoring attacks and sprinting, couldn’t hide their confusion.
“Huh?”
Strangely, the voice of confusion seemed somewhat familiar.
“What’s going on?”
Kangwoo took advantage of the moment when arrows weren’t flying to extend his head beyond the shield.
“Huh??? You guys…!!”
Krrr!!
Beautiful creatures with a green hue… No, monsters. How could he forget those petite ones?
“Goblins?!!”
During the second-floor trial, they had bestowed upon him many material rewards.
The living item storage… Well, anyway, the lovely goblins were welcoming him.
Key, krrr!!
It was even during the Dagger and Bow 1+1 event.
“Nice to see you, guys-!!”
Kangwoo, leaping energetically from the end of his leg, greeted a goblin pulling out a dagger clumsily from its waist.
Swish!
The missed sound announced their reunion.
***
[Trial Completion Reward: 600 points]
[Monsters Defeated: 54⨉25 points]
True to their generous nature, the rewards were abundant.
With the Clear Achievement applied, the total reward was 3,900 points.
The wallet, which had been meager on the previous floor, suddenly became affluent.
It wasn’t just the wallet that became prosperous.
[Name: Choi Kangwoo
Strength: 19.2
Endurance: 10
Agility: 7
Intellect: 7
Mana: 9+(1)]
“hehehehe.”
On the second floor, just like before, Kangwoo, who had persuaded (threatened) a goblin at the end and fought with a red sparrow, was able to increase his strength from 18 to 19.2.
‘If only I wasn’t so hungry, I could hit 20…!’
There was more income.
As if proving that the increased body value from 17 points to 25 points was not a trivial value, the goblin friends, now stronger, bestowed equally abundant gifts.
Kangwoo hung the luggage all over his body on the floor, one by one.
A dozen short swords, three bows, and over a hundred arrows.
Although he actually looted more, he carefully selected and brought only the most useful ones.
“Good, good.”
Unlike the crude daggers looted from the second-floor goblins, the goblin daggers looted this time were quite sharp.
Satisfied with the results, Kangwoo turned his gaze towards another reward.
“Shop!”
[Tough Leather Backpack 100 Points]
Instead of the slightly tough backpack recommended by Fire Fist, Kangwoo purchased a tough leather backpack.
In addition, every time he visited Safe Zone, he purchased six bottles of water and jerky, a backpack, and replaced the lost pocket watch and compass that were dissolved in the 6th-floor red sparrow attack.
Remaining balance: 2,917 points.
Kangwoo, who had aching ribs due to the spending close to 1,000 points, came to a halt in front of one item.
[Intermediate Healing Potion – 1,000 points]
The one who saved his life twice.
It was a staggering price, costing 1,000 points per bottle, but it was also a being worth more than that.
[Purchased Intermediate Healing Potion.]
The contemplation was brief.
With a well-filled backpack, Kangwoo finally lay down on the ground to enjoy some rest.
***
[Hard Bread – 5 points]
Kangwoo, who had forcefully eaten the unappetizing hard bread in the 6th-floor Safe Zone, now enjoyed two meals a day with the missed rice instead.
Resting like this for two days.
The next day, Kangwoo, with a backpack filled with a staff in his right hand, a shield in his left, a dagger on his back, and a bow and quiver, challenged the 8th-floor trial.
[Challenged the Eighth Trial.]
“What, what the!”
Kangwoo’s face turned pale as he arrived at the trial.
Surrounded by the unmistakable scent of death, his body involuntarily recoiled without even looking around.
[Mission: Find 5 Black Stones.]
[Completing the mission will end the trial.]
Just looking at it gives an eerie graveyard vibe. The visible graves alone seemed to number in the hundreds.
Whether it was to enhance the gloominess or not, even the sky was dark. But here… to find five black stones…??
“Are you insane?”
Is this some kind of new courage test?
No, leaving that aside. In this dark place where you can barely distinguish your son-in-law in the moonlight, find ‘black stones’?
“…Is this madness?”
[Trial initiation begins.]
Despite Kang Woo’s resistance, the trial had begun.
Adding a flashlight to his next shopping list, Kang Woo moved his unwavering steps.
“Oh, darn…”
One step, two steps.
With a determined stride, Kang Woo lamented about this particular trial.
“No, at the very least, if they have a conscience, shouldn’t they use a white stone or a self-luminous stone instead?”
He hadn’t even searched for a few minutes, and it felt like his eyes would fall out already.
Carefully scanning through the grass, Kang Woo suddenly shuddered.
—-!
“W-Who’s there!”
He heard it clearly.
A chillingly eerie howl.
Just being in the graveyard on this dark night was torment enough, and now, what in the world is this?
The tension that Kangwoo had stirred up entered a defensive stance so intimidatingly, cries erupted from all directions.
Ah, aaah!
A bizarre sound that felt like it could drive one mad just by hearing it.
When that sound reached its peak,
What Kangwoo saw in his eyes were hundreds, thousands of ghosts filling the graveyard.
Ghost monsters that even appeared in modern dungeons, formally known as Freedom Ghosts.
“Haah-.”
At the moment of relief from identifying the monster, Kangwoo’s expression subtly changed.
Freedom Ghosts, monsters that reside primarily in places with strong negative energy, harmless unless provoked or disturbed.
Yet still one of the monsters beginners should avoid.
Ah, aaah!
“Ugh.”
Those unskilled in handling magic could face death from these creatures’ faint cries alone.
Ah, aaah!
Initially causing mere dizziness, the longer one was exposed to the sound, the more perilous it became.
“They said I’d pass out in 30 minutes.”
Enduring various conditions thrust upon him in this dark place, searching for the ‘Black Stone’!
Kangwoo, who had been at the mercy of the tower’s whims…
“K-kekekeke!”
Started laughing, soaking wet up to his waist.
[Sacred Touch]
The ‘Blessed Fist of Asper’ upgraded through blessings, once only capable of cursing Jehil, now a skill acknowledged by none other than Rain as a fraud!
As long as there is the sacred touch that heals even abnormal conditions, the 8th-floor trial for Kangwoo was no different from an ordinary treasure hunt.