He lunged at the creature as it ran in slanted movements, weighed down by fatigue.
Ashien drew his sword to strike the neck of the Earth Mushroom, whose face now showed signs of anger. It thrashed violently, relying in its next moves on strong shakes aimed at throwing the human.
From those successive pushes, Ashien felt his mind jolt like juice, and a cursed headache struck his skull.
[Chat]
[Unknown: hahaha, look what happened to him]
But for some reason, Ashien didn't untie himself; he didn't move even an inch. He closed the distance between himself and the enraged creature's neck, but its unbroken movements made the task extremely difficult.
The enraged one continued running in the massive space without pause. Ashien broke into a sweat, cursing this colossal creature that nearly matched him in size.
The creature suddenly stopped for a moment and rubbed its hooves on the ground. About three meters separated Ashien from the wall.
Ashien swallowed hard as he prepared for the next move of the Earth Mushroom. It dashed in a straight line at high speed toward the solid rock wall.
As the distance between the wall and Ashien shrank, the Earth Mushroom arched its back to push Ashien toward the wall and crush him. But Ashien jumped at the last moment before colliding.
Thud~
Dust scattered where Ashien hit the ground. He felt immense pain, especially in his lower back. He could not move, as if paralysis had touched him.
Tension overwhelmed him. He began gasping, trying to find a way, until he noticed the Earth Mushroom sharpening its hooves on the dirt, intending to destroy him.
Before the enraged creature charged, Ashien remembered the healing potion he had bought with the coins that had vanished into oblivion.
He opened his system window and checked his inventory for the potion.
[Inventory]
[Healing Potion: Use?]
Yes/No
"Yes!"
The glass bottle appeared before Ashien. He drank every last drop until he regained his strength. Green and then blue colored effects swirled around his body.
But just looking at it wouldn't help. He rolled to the side to dodge the Earth Mushroom's deadly hooves.
"Woofffff"
The furious monster screamed as it burrowed through the ground with a terrifying force Ashien feared.
He backed away and began running, sensing the ground beneath him shaking violently.
He paused briefly. Once steady, he jumped to the other side to avoid the resurfacing mushroom. Before he could land, Ashien sprinted toward it and grabbed one of the mushrooms that surrounded its body.
The creature leaped again, burrowing through the earth without noticing Ashien clinging to it. Each step it took underground left a pit, scattering stones and soil.
Ashien could no longer endure; he reached the point of deciding whether to escape or continue, but his determination to survive stopped him.
He closed his eyes, drew his sword from its sheath, and stabbed the beast. The enraged creature's fury increased, quickening its steps to emerge from underground.
[Chat]
[Good Samaritan: Don't forget your trap, your trap!]
Ashien remembered his trap, which accelerated his stabbing speed as both emerged from the earth.
They landed on the ground, both rising to continue the fight. Ashien held his sword and pushed the enraged creature's skull forward.
The creature approached, but Ashien leaned slightly to let it pass and jumped over it, landing on top.
He laughed at the creature's stupidity as it searched for him, but his joy didn't last long. The creature saw Ashien smiling, and flames ignited in its eyes.
It lunged forward without stopping, jumping uncontrollably. Ashien continued stabbing, but it was futile—the beast's body was solid.
[Creature Info]
[Earth Mushroom: 174/180 HP]
"I have no choice. I must do this, or I'll remain like this all night."
Ashien leapt forward and ran toward the trap he had set himself. The enraged creature followed, aiming to kill him.
He ran toward the trap, slowing as he neared it. The distance between them shrank until nothing remained.
Ashien dropped himself to the ground, shielding his body from the threat behind him.
The enraged one entered the enclosure, and Ashien closed the gate behind it.
He felt pain from the sticky slime on the ground. The creature tried to jump and burrow through, but the ground was solid and unbreakable.
It thrashed, unable to move for long, its speed gradually decreasing to zero.
[You defeated the Earth Mushroom.]
Ashien sighed and leaned against the wooden gate.
Ding~
[Congratulations]
[You've completed the climb to the second floor!]
[The second floor welcomes you!]
Ashien lifted his eyes with difficulty, staring at the glowing words. He smiled, blood dripping from under his feet.
"Finally… I've finished the first floor."
[Chat]
[Unknown: Congratulations, Ashien]
[Sharp: You got lucky]
[Unknown1: Beginner's luck]
[Reward]
[345 XP points,
200 points + 55 points,
5 skill development points,
Scarf: Level 1]
It seemed as if the system had cursed him with these rewards. What could these points do besides buying minor items?
[Take what I throw at you and stay silent]
"So my opinion doesn't matter."
[Strength: 1 > 2] [Endurance: 1 > 2] [Agility: 1 > 2] [Vitality: 1 > 2] [Energy: 1 > 2]
Ashien upgraded some of his stats, then stood to check his tattered clothes. He retrieved his old scarf and wrapped it around the back of his upper body.
He covered his frozen body with the scarf, which extended down to his ankles.
"Now… where to?"
[Proceed through the newly opened gate and ascend the stairs immediately]
Ashien followed the system's instructions and stepped through the gate as it opened fully.
Inside, it was nothing but a narrow tunnel with a staircase leading upward.
Ashien didn't know what awaited him above, but the system forced him, as always, to do things he hated.
[If the survivor does not advance within 2 minutes, a penalty will be applied]
"Damn it," Ashien muttered, pushing himself forward with cold resolve.
He climbed the circular spiral staircase, hooking his fingers into wall holes to pull himself up.
Each step exhausted him; sleepiness overcame him. Gradually, he leaned forward, having taken a long time moving along the rocky path.
He focused only downward until he noticed the steps had vanished, replaced by a flat surface. Ashien lifted his eyes and realized his nightmare had ended.
He sensed something had changed suddenly, something that had followed him before without rest.
"Where's the chat?"
Ashien searched for his viewers' chat panel but found nothing. He couldn't find the streamer control panel either.
"What's happening?" he asked himself inwardly.
Ding~
[Info]
[Your ability is currently in cooldown and is now upgrading to Level 2. Do you want to know the Level 2 features?]
"Yes."
[Features provided at Level 2:
1. You receive support from your viewers, which becomes a raw power for a certain duration.
2. The more viewers you have, the higher your luck and support.]
"Classic features, aren't they?"
[Be silent, human]
Ashien continued walking, finding the corridor lit by candles. He discovered a rare chest, similar in shape to the first chest at the beginning of the tower.
He opened it and found a bracer and a sword superior to his previous one.
He wore the bracer beneath his scarf and carried the new sturdy sword. He did not discard his old sword, storing it in his inventory.
He proceeded down the corridor until it split into two paths. He stared at both, deciding which to take.
He chose the second path and continued walking. Occasionally, he heard a faint sound, almost like a human voice.
Ashien ignored the sounds and continued cautiously. He accidentally pressed a button under his foot, triggering a sound of a stone gate opening behind him.
Damn his luck. He raised his sword in defense, awaiting whoever was coming.
There was no one—nothing but empty air.
He cursed and continued down the long corridor until he heard a growl.
"Grrr"
He turned slightly and saw a beast resembling a tiger, drooling from its sharp fangs.
Ashien slapped the ground and turned to run at full speed, exhausted but alive. His rapid crawling and running could have cost him his life.
He reached the end of the corridor. Passing through, the gate closed behind him.
Ashien fell to the ground, gasping, his heart almost bursting. He lifted his deadened eyes and read what the system presented.
[Beginning of Test 2]
[Defeat 0/3 Phantom Wolf]