Episode 3: Open the Doors of the Tower of Dreams That Suddenly Rises (3)

5

Caim launched into the attack. The skeleton soldier raised its sword and small shield to defend itself while attacking, but reacted too late. If he wasn't stronger, it didn't matter much, as he was faster than the enemy.

He swung the sword with both hands, as if it were a bat, hitting the skeleton in the chest. And that was enough to make that bag of bones fly into pieces.

"I see. Checked," he murmured to himself.

Skeleton soldiers were not a particularly strong enemy in any dungeon or place in this world; they were the kind of monsters that rookies trained against, even less dangerous than Goblins.

However, it shouldn't be this easy. Spreading their bones on the ground was one thing, but on the first strike, so perfectly? Usually, it would take two or three. There was no doubt: the mysterious power had worked. Not only did he have the ability to spit webs like, well, a [Human Spider]...

Just thinking about it, he felt the same pain as a knife sliding deeply into his throat, and he spat out more web, trapping one of the skeleton soldiers to the ground.

They weren't very smart, but immediately began trying to cut their bindings.

"So, just by thinking about it," another barely audible murmur.

Good. More convenient, but he also had to be more careful. It had been a rather casual thought, without really intending to use it. If he used this ability and accidentally hit Yonah or Victoria, well, if they weren't fighting, it would just be disgusting, but in the midst of such a fight, such a mistake could condemn them.

And that was just with this relatively harmless ability. But it wasn't the only one he could acquire on his way to the top of the Tower.

He didn't understand how this system worked, but it couldn't be that simple.

Yes. He had to be careful.

"Now, I do feel different."

He finished off the one lying on the ground before it could get rid of the web that bound it. Once again, it was easy; he annihilated it with a single blow. So, it wasn't a coincidence; it was his new normal. He was just that strong. Skeleton soldiers would always fall with a single blow.

A wild smile spread across his lips.

It was a bit stupid to feel this way against low-level monsters, but the sense of superiority was overwhelming. It felt like he was on top of the world.

And he had only just begun.

Indeed, he had only improved his Strength twice. Besides, that wasn't the only thing he could increase.

His ascent. How far could he ascend?

He couldn't wait to find out.

It was common for the bones of skeleton soldiers to come back together once or twice before they truly died, but these two were already dead, not regenerating even once. By the way, that regeneration was part of what made them a good practice for rookies. They were like sandbags that could be reused even when torn.

He had finished off two enemies in almost the same amount of seconds. It was going to be much easier than he thought.

They had no self-preservation instinct, so they didn't hesitate to come after him. Caim dodged a slash narrowly, turning his head. The sword had been aimed at his neck but only cut a strand of hair.

It was a bit like he was trying to show off by facing these low-level monsters, but what would really be embarrassing was to try harder than necessary.

In this way, he had avoided the attack without unnecessary movement.

Although it hadn't been perfect.

The loss of the strand of hair compensated for it by hitting him on the head with the sword. His skull went flying.

It didn't bother him too much.

He didn't have eyes in the first place. There were no worms in his eye sockets.

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They didn't know how they saw, even after so many years, but they clearly had other senses. The next blow knocked the sword out of the enemy's bony hand.

That didn't stop him; he lunged at him with the shield ahead. The edge was sharp enough to be used as a weapon, he had to admit.

The third blow, and the first one hit directly, shattered the wooden shield and reduced the skeleton to a small mountain of bones at his feet.

A laugh escaped his throat.

"It may seem silly, but, damn, it feels so good!"

He continued laughing.

Until suddenly, he leaped.

He didn't hit the next enemy with the sword, not even with the gun he had refused to use until now.

What he did was give him a knee.

Indeed. He slid through its poor guard and kneed it in the chest, and even that was enough to make it explode. It had been a long time since there was any doubt that he had become stronger (a long time? He had been fighting for seconds, hahaha), but ah, what a rush.

It wouldn't be so easy soon, but all the more reason to enjoy this ease while he could.

What gave him the most pleasure, however, was thinking that he could become much stronger. That his ascent had only just begun.

The next slash sent one of the skeleton soldiers flying into one of its comrades. Both flew against the wall. The one that hit directly exploded, of course, died instantly, with no chance of recovery.

But the second one was only damaged and did recover.

Its bones returned to their place, and it even dropped its shield, replacing it with its fallen comrade's sword. He had never seen anything like it.

Well, he used words like comrade, but it's not as if those monsters felt anything. They were less than animals. They only existed to kill any other living being without really having a motive.

[Human Spider]

This time, he fully intended to use the ability, and it worked. But, to his surprise, it didn't just trap one of the enemies in the web. Seconds later, the web started to burn.

Caim tilted his head back, convinced that Victoria had gotten bored and decided to intervene.

But that wasn't the case.

Even she seemed surprised. She didn't comment on anything, but her expression said all that was needed. So, had he made a mistake before too, during the fight against the spider? Hadn't Victoria set fire to the web to free him, but it had been the spider's doing, saving him?

Well, thank goodness he hadn't said anything; he would have looked like an idiot.

In the end, it was the same, after all. The flames from the web weren't hot enough to melt bones, so what remained was a handful of anonymous and blackened bones scattered grotesquely on the ground.

He dispatched the remaining nine quickly and efficiently. Like a human hurricane. He really shouldn't feel as satisfied as if he had accomplished a great feat, but damn, he felt ready to deal with anything that got in his way.

"I feel like a new man," said Caim.

Had he gained something by defeating these enemies, weak as they were, or did it take a 'Boss' like the spider for that?

The box appeared in response to his thoughts.

EXP: 10

He felt excited for a moment. It's much more than the spider gave me, he even thought, but fortunately, he soon realized that the letters were different.

He frowned slightly. Okay, what did this mean now? Never mind.

"Any other news?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, but... Never mind. I'll see what I can do on the fly."

"If you're sure."

"I am. I can't wait. After so many months, I can say we've just crossed the starting line. This is nothing yet. I need to conquer this Tower."

"We need to," Yonah said.

"Yes, of course. Thank you. Both of you."

In reality, he was the only one with a compelling reason to risk his neck in this suicide mission, which had claimed the lives of thousands and thousands of people, like a small war.

But they were here anyway.

He could never take that for granted.

They continued advancing through the cursed corridor. He hoped no more enemies, strong or weak, would come their way before they reached the end. And find the exit to the first floor soon. If it really was a Tower, how many floors would it have? How far would he have to go to reach the top and uncover all its secrets?

The answer to that question could wait.

Step by step. That was the only way to get anywhere.

No more enemies came their way, and finally, they saw something new. Another door at the end of the corridor.

"It's about time."

Without thinking twice, he ran up to the door and opened it.

There was darkness on the other side.

Darkness and silence, until the scream of someone who seemed to be in agony rose from it.

Encouraging.

However, they had no choice but to venture into the darkness.

Victoria went ahead, illuminating part of the room with a flickering flame floating in her open palm. A living torch that could never be extinguished. Mages were too useful; that's why there was no group of adventurers without at least one.

Well.

There were a few, actually. For every rule, there were exceptions. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a wizard join their group or had the time to sit around waiting for a wizard to come looking for a team in the first place.

However, those who ventured into danger without a wizard didn't usually last long.

A very simple example.

No matter how good all the members of the group were, it was impossible to emerge unscathed every time. No one had a hundred percent success rate. And even if they did, many of those devastating successes would be paid for in blood.

A potion that could make someone on the brink of death recover could cost a hundred gold coins. A wizard only needed a few seconds or minutes, depending on the nature of the injuries, and their staff.

So it was natural for the adventuring industry to depend on mages in a certain way.

He was aware of all these things. He was aware of the danger of letting her go ahead, even though he had no other choice. And he was aware of his priorities. For everyone's sake, he had to make sure to protect her.

If he incapacitated her, the two of them would fall more easily. In a group of only three adventurers, it was true for any member, but especially for Victoria, who could heal their fatigue, wounds, and return them to the fight as long as her magical energy lasted.

He was attentive, prepared for anything. Yonah too, of course. Any adventurer understood that truth on an instinctive level. Anyway, they didn't hear it or see it coming.

A silver light cut through the darkness.

The light emitted from the edge of an axe.

Episode 3: FIN