Some time later…
Subedei moved away from the goblin corpses and returned to the small stream.
Since he would be staying here for another day, he found himself with nothing in particular to do. And so, he began training.
Training was the best way to familiarize himself with his own strength.
The pain in his arms and legs had lessened, and having already grown accustomed to it, it no longer interfered with his movements.
He began with a warm-up, moving every part of his body muscles, joints, arms, legs, and back.
Once he finished warming up, the exercises themselves were simple.
Basic push-ups, running, squats, and sit-ups.
Though they seemed ordinary, they worked the entire body in a short amount of time, making them the best choice.
One hour later…
Subedei finished his workout as if nothing had happened.
Soon, he would be entering the Tower's 1st Floor, and no one knew what awaited him there. Because of that, he poured more effort and determination into his training than he ever had on an ordinary day.
Finding a place to rest, Subedei cleaned the game he had hunted earlier, lit a small fire, and roasted the meat.
After finishing his meal, he thought,
"Now I need to properly study my stats…"
When he summoned his status, two things immediately caught his attention.
Class: ??? King
Mana: 132
"Is this profession's real name actually this… or is there some kind of error?"
"What does '??? King' even mean?"
"And mana… can it be used for something other than skills?"
As he murmured these questions to himself, Subedei's eyes suddenly sparkled, as if a brilliant idea had struck him.
He quickly sat down and focused.
Sensing mana was surprisingly easy.
It felt like a part of his body like blood flowing through his veins.
It was extremely thin, yet clearly perceptible.
"Is it this easy to sense mana because of the 'Mana Master' skill?" Subedei wondered.
For some reason, he felt as though he could freely control this mana if he tried.
Driven by curiosity, he attempted to release the mana from his body.
A blue glow began to slowly envelop him.
Soon, a thin layer of blue mana covered his entire body.
Suddenly, his muscles tightened, his veins bulged, and he felt an overwhelming surge of power flooding through him.
"This is incredible… I'm becoming stronger—"
Before he could finish the thought, excruciating pain shot through his entire body.
"Aaaaaaahhh!"
Subedei immediately stopped coating his body with mana, and the pain began to subside.
Though it had only lasted a few seconds, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was ragged.
He fell backward, staring up at the clear sky as he gasped for air.
Even though his body hurt, a smile spread across his face.
"I don't care if it hurts. I felt myself getting stronger."
"I need to try again."
"This will work. I have plenty of time."
After that, the forest echoed for a long time with the screams and cries of a human in pain.
How much time passed, he didn't know but eventually, the screaming stopped.
Subedei lay exhausted on the ground, soaked in sweat.
At that moment, a familiar voice rang in his ears, and a notification appeared before him.
[You have learned the skill "Mana Control." Congratulations.]
[Skill: Mana Control
Level: 1
Description: You can coat your body and weapons with mana, increasing your power by 20%.
Consumes 75 mana every 10 minutes.]
Seeing this, Subedei was overwhelmed with joy.
"Amazing! I managed to learn it before entering the Tower's 1st Floor."
He slowly checked the remaining time before entering the Tower.
[06:09:56]
Smiling in satisfaction, he recalled the many moments when he had nearly given up.
"I almost quit so many times, thinking it was impossible…"
He whispered softly to himself, and exhausted from his long training, soon fell asleep.
However, his rest did not last long.
A familiar voice echoed, and Subedei startled awake.
[00:00:10 seconds remaining.]
[You will be transported to the 1st Floor when the countdown ends.]
[10]
[9]
[8]
[…]
[3]
[2]
[1]
As the notifications ended, a black hole formed before Subedei.
At first, it was no more than a tiny dot, but it slowly expanded until it was large enough for a person to enter.
"Damn it… I just closed my eyes and opened them again."
Before he even had time to get angry, an immense pulling force began dragging him in.
As the black hole swallowed him whole, Subedei tightly shut his eyes.
Moments later, the ground beneath his feet changed, and he felt as though he had landed in deep darkness.
[You have arrived on the Tower's 1st Floor. Congratulations.]
[Please choose your weapon.]
[Sword]
[Dagger]
[Spear]
[Bow]
[Magic Staff]
Though his head was spinning and his stomach churned, Subedei carefully observed his surroundings.
Just like before, he found himself lying in a forest.
No monsters were in sight, so he began reading the notifications.
When he saw the weapon choices, Subedei's face lit up. Without hesitation, he chose his favorite weapon the spear.
Light gathered in the air before him, and a spear with a wooden shaft and a steel tip slowly materialized.
It looked simple at first glance, but the moment he grasped it, he felt power surge through his body.
[Spear]
Grade: Common
Effect: Increases Strength by 5.
"Incredible… I can even see a weapon's stats."
Subedei spun the spear experimentally in his hand. It sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, its tip gleaming brightly.
Deciding to familiarize himself with the forest, he began walking in the direction he was facing.
The Tower's forest was swept by fierce winds.
After walking for about ten minutes, he noticed something strange.
Every goblin he saw along the way was dead.
Their blood had soaked into the soil, their bodies partially buried beneath fallen leaves.
Subedei frowned, sharpening his vigilance as he continued forward.
Soon, he heard the scream of a goblin.
Moving cautiously toward the sound, he began to hear human voices as well.
As he drew closer to the source of the noise.
"Grahhh…"