I fell to my knees, breathless.

My entire body felt like it had just gone through a meat grinder; not even the large amounts of adrenaline coursing through my veins could eliminate all the pain and exhaustion that invaded me.

A sky-blue fire took shape over the goblin's dead body. As soon as I recovered my senses, I felt my stomach churn, but I refused to show weakness.

I forced myself to calm down and stop moving, though my entire body was trembling uncontrollably. The stone I had used as a weapon slipped from my trembling fingers, falling with a dull noise to the ground.

My breathing was agitated and shallow. My heart was beating faster than my breathing, and looking at the goblin's body beside me, the reality of what I had done hit me hard: I had killed him.

—Damn it.

I muttered, bowing my head. I couldn't pretend I felt nothing; the corpse lying at the end of my gaze was dirtier than the piece of cloth that had covered him in life.

I couldn't stay in this place.

I forced myself to move, feeling a strange attraction towards that celestial fire floating over the body. I slowly approached the blue fire that was burning dimly.

For some impulse I couldn't explain, I extended my hand towards it, wanting to discover its nature. To my surprise, it didn't radiate heat; it didn't seem like it could burn.

Suddenly, the celestial light was absorbed by my hand. I stood paralyzed, my eyes wide with surprise. After a moment that seemed eternal, the Tower's voice whispered in my ear:

[You have received a monster's soul]

[Soul Fragments: 1/10]

According to the information provided by the Tower, ten fragments were needed to level up or, in other words, to awaken.

In simple terms, 10 soul fragments were equivalent to the stellar core of a grade C monster. Although it didn't seem like much, for an ordinary person like me, it was no different from facing a death sentence.

And yet, awakening was just a basic requirement if one wanted to be qualified to challenge the Tower's first trial. Without awakening, it was impossible to pass the first floor in hell mode.

While analyzing my situation, I remembered that in the Tower, different rewards existed for killing monsters.

One of those rewards were souls, whose role was simple: they served as points to increase the level of existence and to increase the skills of the Ascenders.

Statistics points were important, of course, but soul fragments were worth more. Soul fragments were needed to learn and use skills!

The number of souls needed could vary significantly depending on the Ascender's level and the grade of the skill one wanted to learn.

If you were a mage, for example, you could learn different types of magic: fire, ice, wind, earth, and lightning. Choosing one and focusing on that single skill tree was the most accurate decision.

If you mixed the types of magic you learned, you couldn't progress in the skill tree and couldn't receive the synergy effect that you would obtain by choosing only one type.

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Anyone who climbed the Tower could store soul fragments in their bodies and use them later. They could also use them to negotiate with other people.

In conclusion, souls were a vital currency in the Tower, serving both to strengthen oneself and for trade.

Putting these reflections aside, I looked around for my spear.

Although I hadn't been able to use it due to the goblin's surprise attack, I was sure it would be helpful. I have always believed that there are no useless weapons, only incompetent users.

I walked cautiously as I advanced forward. The hallway was plunged into darkness, with the torches on the walls barely illuminating the area.

Soon I found the corpse of a goblin lying in a pool of blood. Even monsters killed each other. Something called evolution existed.

Ascenders had fixed statistics that gradually increased as they raised their level of existence. However, monsters didn't have statistics; instead, they had to strive as much as they could to evolve into stronger versions of themselves.

—This smell makes me want to vomit.

I muttered while pinching my nose. The goblin smelled like rotten fish, a stench that was unfortunately not unfamiliar to me.

My spirit maintained its facade, telling me that I wouldn't lose, no matter how many red eyes were in front of me. Of course, I was bluffing; my tiger mask was nothing more than paper.

I ignored the corpse and continued my path. Further ahead, I spotted the back of another goblin walking calmly.

He wore a rusty helmet and looked straight ahead, with blood dripping from his sword. His features were grotesque: fangs at the corner of his mouth, red eyes, protuberances on his blood-splattered skin.

His limbs were thin and fragile; in terms of muscles, he was probably not as strong as an adult man. Whether he was a primary or secondary school student, a stab with a sword would be enough.

Just thinking about attacking him made my legs tremble.

The environment seemed to darken even more, and my breath caught in my throat. A hot breath escaped my mouth as I wondered: Would it hurt if that sword hit me?

I had no intention of finding out; it would be too painful.

I approached without making any noise, observing the goblin while gripping the spear handle.

When I was close enough, I lunged at him. I quickly raised the spear and plunged it into his unprotected back.

Burst!

The spear tip pierced his flesh, causing blood to splash in all directions. The goblin fell to the ground, but I knew he was still alive; I hadn't heard the Tower's message in my head.

I raised my feet and stomped on him forcefully while he lay on the ground. Then, once more, I pierced him with the spear I held in my hand.

His neck flesh opened like a fountain, and his head separated from his body, rolling on the ground while dirty blood gushed in spurts, splashing my face.

I closed my eyes by reflex, a mistake that almost cost me my life. The weight on my spear's tip was heavier than expected, and I felt my right shoulder twist painfully as sharp claws cut me even as I rolled back after dropping the weapon.

Another goblin had attacked me by surprise. All of this happened in just a few seconds.

Don't tense up!, I mentally screamed at myself. Don't blink! Don't close your eyes! Look until the end! If you don't look, you'll die!

From my position on the ground, I grabbed the neck of the goblin who had pounced on me with both hands, barely managing to prevent him from pushing his head towards me.

I saw his sharp teeth clash just in front of my face, and his saliva flew everywhere as he violently shook his head.

I released his neck and kicked him in the stomach, but the momentum was already pushing me back. At the moment I kicked him, I fell to the ground. As the goblin recovered, I tried to reach my spear.

However, at that precise moment, a blade grazed my nose and I felt a mass of ice in my chest. I had been a millimeter away from dying.

If I had been a bit slower...

—You piece of shit!

I shouted while throwing the iron spear. The handle hit the goblin's helmet with a metallic sound, making him stagger.

Taking advantage of his disorientation, I jumped on him and attacked.

—Die, bastard!

I took the mounting position and punched him in the face. With both knees holding his shoulders, I smashed his nose with my fist. A dull sound was heard and his nose sank, splashing blood in all directions.

Feeling like my head was on fire, I rode the goblin, savagely beating him like a madman.

I completely forgot about the spear, aware that if I let my guard down even for a second, I would die right there.

I put all my strength into each blow, continued hitting until my fists were about to break.

After what seemed like an eternity, I moved away from the goblin and fell to the ground. The muscles in my entire body seemed to scream in protest. The goblin, covered in blood, moved slightly and then remained motionless.

The smell of blood that reached my nose made me dizzy, but I forced myself to get up with difficulty and absorbed the soul fragments from the two goblins.

[Soul Fragments: 3/10]