All in all, the fight had gone significantly worse than Nathan had expected. He was bleeding from half a dozen wounds, at least one of his ribs was broken, his foot was a mangled mess, and the guardian was barely wounded at all.
If I just had a single person who could heal me, this fight wouldn’t be a challenge at all. Oh well, the cost of a second life, I guess. Then again, now that it was alone, the guardian should be easier to take out.
Nathan and the guardian stared at each other for a while, the latter having already dropped its chains now that there was nothing to distract Nathan from them. Nathan held his position, waiting for the goblin to come for him. I’m bleeding, but I won’t die before this fight is over. With my foot as wounded as it is, attacking now would be foolish.
Finally, the goblin lord couldn’t take it any more and rushed toward Nathan, the heavy chains dragging behind it.
Nathan dodged to the side, his spear hitting the ground for a moment to stabilize himself before he landed a stab on the monster’s backside. It turned around before Nathan could wrench his weapon from its leathery hide, almost catapulting the spear out of his grasp. He kept hold but had to roll to the ground to avoid its attack, once again balancing on his spear for a split second as he stood up.
Again and again, the goblin attacked Nathan without changing its technique, its mind too broken to react to its opponent. Nathan just barely dodged its strikes multiple times but still managed to catch himself in the end, until he finally made a misstep—his spear, used to keep balance, was caught in the chains.
Nathan had no choice but to let it go, now facing the guardian unarmed. He shot a quick look at his weapon, but it had been flung far away, impacting the cave's wall before falling to the ground.
There was no time to panic as Nathan ducked under the goblin’s next swing, throwing himself at its feet and wrestling it to the ground.
As the goblin fell, one chain hit Nathan on the head, his vision instantly tilting, the whole world taking on an unreal quality. He persevered through the confusion, picking up the chain binding one of his foe’s legs and pulling it with all his might, interrupting the lord’s attempts to regain its footing.
Nathan crawled over to it, using the chain in his hand to strike its already wounded back, but his enemy retaliated savagely, kicking toward him and impacting his ribs. Nathan let out a pained wheeze, new wounds joining the existing ones.
They spent several minutes brawling on the floor, exchanging vicious hits until both fighters slowed down, their energy too spent to continue. Nathan's face was painted with bruises, and his clothing, which had followed him from Earth until now, hung in tatters. He spat out a tooth as he took up one of the chains once more, crawling toward the guardian, which was currently trying to get onto all fours.
Hitting the goblin lord on the back, he sent it to the ground again before taking the heavy chain and looping it around its neck. The guardian reacted too late, weakly clawing at the chain as Nathan tightened it, its movements soon ceasing as it let out weak breaths.
Nathan leaned backward, putting his entire weight into strangling the guardian, maintaining the position for over a minute until its struggles finally ended.
Finally, he let go of the chain, allowing himself to weakly tumble to the ground. His eyes were heavy with fatigue, the blood loss and blows to his head sapping the strength from his limbs and slowing his thoughts.
Nonetheless, he gritted his teeth and took the time to rip strips of fabric from his already damaged clothes, which he used to bandage all the cuts he could find. He felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness during the task, and it was impossible to determine the exact moment he fell asleep, his last thought being, I should have taken that Blood Regeneration skill.
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Nathan tried to open his eyes, but something caused his eyelids to stick together. He brought up his hand, intending to wipe off whatever was on his face, but the movement sent sharp pain through his whole upper body.
Surprised by the pain, he let out a wheeze as all the air was forcefully expelled from his lungs. He spent a few moments gathering himself before attempting to move again, this time proceeding with significantly more caution, carefully patting down any region of his body he could reach and wincing at almost every touch.
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I’m messed up, and messed up good at that.
In addition to his physical injuries, he had a headache strong enough to split his soul apart, and he was so parched that swallowing felt like sandpaper running down his throat.
Wondering where his supplies were, it took him minutes to remember - outside the guardian chamber. I left them there for after the fight.
Nathan's body demanded water in a way few would ever truly understand, and his only priority became finding it. Slowly and painfully, he got on all fours before opening his eyes. The world was bright, sending lances of fire directly into his brain, but it didn’t take long to locate the exit.
The actual journey to the exit was fragmented in his memories, a mixture of sensations—the stone scraping against his knees, the pain in his ribs and chest, him falling to the ground again and again only to rise once more.
Finally, he came to his senses, greedily drinking down an entire water skin. He threw it away, scared to vomit in his current condition. Now feeling a bit better, Nathan picked up a pouch full of berries, eating one to test his stomach's response, and sat down, leaning against one of the walls.
Having dealt with all immediate concerns and certain that he wouldn’t die in the next few minutes, he finally acknowledged the text floating before him.
Congratulations, Nathan Andrews
You have levelled up twice
You have been titled Survivor
Taking on that goblin village must have brought me very close to the next level for me to gain two after that fight. Might very well have been what saved my life, given the condition I’m in. I can’t spend forever healing, though. Place my two free points in regeneration. Now I want to know where I’m currently at—Status.
Name: Nathan Andrews
Title
Survivor [Equipped] – You recovered from unquestionably lethal wounds while unconscious and without outside help. Gain a 10% boost in regeneration while this title is equipped.
Class: Spearman – Swiftness [7]
Stats
Con: 18
Per: 14
Reg: 12
Ref: 17
General Skills [3/5]
Identify – Scan a target to gain information about their race, class, and level. Target may be aware of the attempt.
Inspect - Scan an item to gain information about its name, grade, and effect. Inspect may not be able to reveal all available information.
Ripples in the Water – Where reality is malleable, desires hold power. Focus on what you wish for and what you’re willing to sacrifice. Perhaps something is listening?
Class Skills
Art of the Spear – The spear is more than just a weapon in your hands. When wielding a spear, your movements become more refined, your mind quicker, and your strikes more precise.
Swift Footwork – Positioning is the essence of combat. When wielding a spear, your steps are faster without losing precision.
Perks
Lone Wolf – The user can no longer form or join any parties, clans, or organizations. Stats are reduced by 50% if not alone in combat. Upon death, the user’s soul is erased from all timelines.
I even gained my first title; getting lethally wounded might have just been worth it.
Titles were one of the more unpredictable boons of the tower; some were awarded by the system itself, like Nathan's current one, while others were earned by individuals carrying a title for long enough while being known well enough.
The requirements for titles, however, seemed to fluctuate—someone could repeat Nathan's feat tomorrow and not be awarded Survivor. Even naturally gained titles were enigmatic, with no one able to determine how many people needed to know a certain climber under a title for the system to bestow it upon them.
Satisfied with the development, Nathan closed his status, already feeling the effect of the newly added stat points before focusing on the next series of system messages.
Congratulations, Nathan Andrews
You vanquished the Guardian of the 1st floor
Any climber may now ascend to the second floor for a month
After that month had passed, the guardian would simply reappear in its chamber, ready to kill the next group of gullible climbers. Nathan did not plan to ascend right away; he would have to heal enough to walk, at least.
He had collected plenty of provisions for the next floor, but those would probably be gone by the time he was actually mended. Foraging for new food once I’m healed would be a waste of time. There are barely any places on the second floor where I wouldn’t be able to live off the land.
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It had taken eight days until Nathan considered himself recovered enough to leave for the second floor. He was still not fully recovered but took confidence in the fact that his level was far higher than that of a normal climber leaving the first floor—a boon of fighting on his own, no doubt.
He stepped onto the staircase now located at the far side of the guardian chamber when he felt a sensation he had only experienced once during this timeline: just before entering the tower.
Pressure surrounded him, while he felt as if he was falling at the same time. It lasted barely a few seconds before ending as abruptly as it started.
Once the disorientation receded, Nathan was immediately blasted with enormous heat. The first breath he took was dry in his throat, and he felt as though he had been slammed into a physical wall. Nathan opened his eyes, only to be blinded by the light of the sun being reflected off the ground he was standing on.
He instantly shut his eyes again, bright after images still lingering, and struck his spear against the ground. Upon hearing the splintering sound produced on impact he slumped down, a defeated expression of his face.
“Fuck,” he spat. “I landed in the molten plains.”