The moment the scarred man's sword was knocked from his hand and embedded into the ground behind him, fear filled his eyes. He instinctively took a step back, trying to flee.
But Subutai gave him no chance to move again.
In one clean motion, he slashed the man's throat.
Blood burst from the wound as the scarred man clutched his neck, his mouth opening as if to say something yet no words came out. Blood poured endlessly, slipping through his fingers.
At last, his eyes widened, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
At that exact moment, something truly shocking happened.
[You have killed a "Human."]
"I just killed a human…"
"And yet… I feel nothing."
"Maybe it's because I've already seen too much goblin blood, organs, and shattered bones."
Subutai stared at the notification again, disbelief stirring within him.
"Does this mean… killing humans can also grant experience and levels?"
That single message revealed the true nature of this world.
Here, it wasn't only beasts and monsters that were dangerous.
This was a place where humans could kill other humans and turn their deaths into power.
Subutai had already known that people couldn't be trusted.
Now, he had one more reason.
The cold gazes and excessive vigilance of the people he had met earlier finally made sense.
He recalled what had just happened.
"That smile before he attacked me… He must've been leveling up by killing others."
"Too bad he underestimated me and chose the wrong prey."
Subutai burst into loud laughter within the forest.
"Hah—ha—ha!"
Whether he was laughing in madness or simply trying to calm his mind, even he didn't know.
The forest's silence mixed with the stench of blood thickened the air around him.
Ignoring it all, Subutai continued walking.
Soon, he reached the center of the forest. Leaping up onto a tree, he looked ahead and saw more than twenty goblins.
Among them stood what seemed to be their leader.
Behind the group was a far larger goblin, its body wrapped in animal hides, gripping a rusted sword.
A Goblin Warrior.
So the middle-aged man's words had been true after all.
Realizing that he would need to fight with his full strength again, Subutai immediately activated both of his skills.
[Your weapon is coated in mana. Strength increased by 20%.]
[Mana-based skill efficiency increased by 10%.]
Subutai tightened his grip on the spear.
Heat surged through his palms, his muscles tensing on their own.
"Incredible… I can feel overwhelming power."
His heart pounded fiercely as he leapt down from the tree and charged toward the goblins.
The Goblin Warrior noticed him and let out a terrifying roar, as if issuing an order.
"GRAAAHHH!"
The roar echoed through the dark forest, sending innocent birds scattering into the night sky.
Hearing it, every goblin rushed toward Subutai like madmen.
Subutai did not retreat.
Instead, he smiled like a lunatic and charged straight at them.
The tip of his spear pierced straight through the first goblin's chest continuing on to skewer the face of the one behind it.
In the next instant, his body moved without pause.
The spear whistled through the air, splitting goblins in half with each swing.
Blood and chunks of flesh sprayed everywhere as the sound of breaking bones echoed through the forest's heart.
Normally, goblins would flee in terror at such a sight.
But this time, their eyes were filled not with fear but madness.
This was the Goblin Warrior's influence.
Its roar seemed to crush their fear and drive them into frenzy.
Subutai carved his way through the horde, swinging his spear wildly.
In mere moments, every goblin lay dead.
Behind him, the ground was piled with corpses.
Green blood splashed across Subutai's body, streaming down his face and glimmering under the moonlight.
He looked like a demon that had crawled out of hell itself.
At last, only one remained.
The Goblin Warrior.
It grinned grotesquely and charged at Subutai with its rusted sword raised.
Subutai gripped the shaft of his spear and hurled it with all his might.
The spear shrieked through the air, pierced straight through the Goblin Warrior's chest, and embedded itself into a tree behind it.
Still smiling, the Goblin Warrior collapsed without making a sound.
[You have killed a "Goblin Warrior."]
"Is climbing the tower really this easy?"
"That wasn't even that strong."
Subutai felt a surge of pride at defeating a floor boss so effortlessly.
[Congratulations. You have defeated the 1st Floor Boss.]
[Do you wish to proceed to the 2nd Floor?]
"Yes" "No"
Retrieving his spear from the tree, Subutai glanced once more at the blood-soaked battlefield behind him.
Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."
A small black dot appeared before him, slowly expanding until it formed a hole large enough for a person to enter.
Expecting to be sucked in like before, he waited but nothing happened.
In the end, he stepped in on his own.
[Congratulations. You have reached the 2nd Floor of the Tower.]
His head spun briefly, his vision blurring.
Yet Subutai remained alert, quickly surveying his surroundings.
This time, he had arrived in a damp, dark cave.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, while old wooden torches fixed to the walls flickered weakly.
Broken weapons and scattered bones littered the floor.
Subutai adapted quickly, gripping his spear tightly as he moved forward with caution.
The cave felt endless.
Even after walking for dozens of minutes, he couldn't find its end.
Soon, goblin screams and footsteps echoed from deep within.
"Graah… graahh…"
Approaching carefully, he saw over a dozen goblins and one Goblin Warrior devouring what appeared to be the fresh corpses of two humans.
Subutai seemed already accustomed to such scenes.
Without hesitation, he hurled his spear at the Goblin Warrior.
The spear gave it no chance to scream, pinning it through the wall and killing it instantly.
[You have killed a "Goblin Warrior."]
The remaining goblins' eyes filled with terror. Abandoning the corpses, they fled in panic.
Ignoring them, Subutai pulled his spear from the wall as the Goblin Warrior's body collapsed.
He began to follow the goblins at a slow pace.
"They won't be leaving this cave."
"No need to rush."
He didn't waste energy chasing every last one.
He killed those that crossed his path and ignored the rest, continuing forward.
Hours passed.
Subutai's steps grew heavy, his breathing uneven.
Though his physical strength far surpassed that of an ordinary human, constant combat and movement were wearing him down.
Lack of sleep only worsened his fatigue.
Sleeping here felt far too dangerous.
Goblins seemed to lurk everywhere.
Yet for over thirty minutes now, he hadn't encountered a single one.
The cave stretched endlessly, its paths branching again and again, confusing him further.
"Am I going the wrong way?"
He whispered the question as he walked on.
Just as exhaustion and drowsiness made him consider resting.
A scream echoed from afar.
It sounded human filled with pain and terror.
Subutai tightened his grip on his spear and sprinted toward the sound.
When he arrived, he froze in shock.
Along the cave wall lay dozens of Goblin Warrior corpses, the ground soaked in blood.
Only two or three wounded Goblin Warriors remained alive.
They were standing guard over something.
And what they were protecting was
A green-skinned goblin holding a wooden staff, most of its body concealed beneath a cloak.