Chapter 13 - Trial of Competition (2) (1/2)
Chapter 13: Trial of Competition (2)
The Elixir of Steel.
An elixir you could get by clearing the 3rd trial.
Normally this would sell for billions but…
「 You’ve taken the Elixir of Steel. 」
「 Special stat ‘Tenacity’ has been created. 」
「 The spirit of steel encapsulates your body. The higher the tenacity, the stronger your body gets. ]
That didn’t matter now.
The most important thing was whether or not I’d survive the 4th trial.
「 Han Sungyeun 」
「 Strength – 34 」 「 Stamina – 29 」
「 Agility – 33(+5) 」 「 Mana – 20 」
「 Tenacity – 10 」
「 Innate ability – ‘Necromancy (E) 」
「 Skill – See details 」
Seeing my newly increased stats gave me a sense of pride.
‘I have to do everything in my power to make sure I win the competition.’
Victory or death.
‘I don’t know if I can win against them in a fight but…’
I at least wouldn’t avoid a fight.
I started to gain more and more confidence as I climbed the tower.
There was no more hesitation.
I wouldn’t run from any more fights.
And I’d win.
More importantly, the effects of the elixir were taking place.
“It’s doing its job as a C-rank item.”
The change was almost immediate.
Everything felt hard to the touch.
It was as if my skin had turned into steel.
I could also tell that my endurance had gone up.
I was a little disappointed that the reward was gone already, but it was too late to worry about that.
Then it was time to inspect my equipment.
I decided to go easy on the points this round.
I wouldn’t buy anything besides the necessary food and potions.
That was the most efficient use of my points.
‘Especially since they’re going to sell return stones and skills in the marketplace later.’
It would be more worth it to save up now.
I had already determined that I would be safe with my current equipment.
Also, it seemed like the objective of the 4th trial was indeed competition.
‘If it wasn’t, someone would have said something about it when they asked for more details.’
But the community was silent.
You could deduce an answer without wasting any questions.
“Teams of three…”
This would be the first time meeting anyone in the tower.
I was a little excited but still nervous.
‘Would the other challengers have gotten stronger like me?’
I couldn’t tell how much stronger I had gotten because I had no one to compare myself to.
But I did know that I was growing at an accelerated rate.
But…
I also wanted to know how the other challengers had progressed.
No one ever revealed information about themselves, even back when the community was most active.
One thing I knew for sure was that they were all strong enough to pass 3 trials.
‘No matter how much I progressed, I can’t be arrogant.’
I straightened up all of my equipment and prepared for my training.
「 Do you want to disable the waiting area’s auto-healing? 」
「 Y/N 」
Using some information that I got before the community quieted down—
「 The auto-healing has been disabled. 」
「 The body will retain physical stress and injuries will not heal. 」
If that was true, it would prove to be pretty useful.
Training was the only thing I could do.
Just like always.
***
When I was just starting to get used to my new body, a message appeared as if to tell me I was ready.
「 Do you accept the 4th floor trial? 」
Gasping for air, I stared at the message.
“Pant, pant.”
Damn, training was much harder without auto-healing.
‘I didn’t know having it off would make this much difference…’
I had hit my physical limit swinging my sword and rolling on the ground.
Every fiber of my muscles ached, and the pain pierced through my bones.
「 The skill ‘Accelerated Regeneration’ is activating. 」
I had been repetitively leaving cuts on my arms to activate Accelerated Regeneration.
The self-harm was also doing a number on my mental stability.
But the results were astounding.
「 Skill – Accelerated Regeneration (E+) 」
「 Proficiency – 27% 」
「 Effect – Able to recover quickly from non-life-threatening injuries. 」
The proficiency had been going up as I constantly gave myself small cuts.