Ethan faintly heard strange sounds around him. The silence in the hilly area made him able to clearly hear anything unfamiliar to him.
He recognized the sound of slimes hopping. From the nature and behavior of slimes, those monsters wouldn't attack unless they were attacked first.
As long as Ethan stayed quiet, lying on the hill's grass and doing nothing to them, the slimes would not attack him.
So why did Ethan suddenly become alert? One reason was the sound that felt unfamiliar to him.
A loud scream came from their direction. Ethan drew his longsword from its sheath.
He swung his sword sideways, and the system instantly detected that sideways slash pattern as Skill 1: Crimson Slash.
"AAHHH!" they screamed.
Ethan clearly saw it wasn't players attacking him, but three kobold monsters wielding spiked hammers. He exhaled heavily, leaping far backward.
[25 Damage]
[Bleed effect active!]
A damage pop-up panel appeared above all three kobolds. The Crimson Slash caused wounds, and the bleed effect took hold.
Ethan smiled, clearly seeing their HP bars decrease, along with their total remaining health.
[Red Kobold (Lv.5) || HP: 125/150]
"Kobolds really are bastards! They always wander out of their territory and gang up to attack."
"Even if you're in groups, your attacks won't have any effect on me," Ethan declared.
He gripped his sword with both hands, then charged forward to slash at the kobolds' bellies. All three were struck, and their HP dropped further.
[Red Kobold (Lv.5) || HP: 100/150]
Of course, the kobolds didn't want to die without fighting back. Two of the three rushed at Ethan, both hands gripping their spiked hammers, swinging them hard from above.
Ethan reacted quickly, parrying with his sword. He succeeded, but the force of their swings was strong enough for level 5 monsters.
Or was it because Ethan himself was relatively weak, struggling against kobolds, even though he remembered once killing 1,000 kobolds with his ultimate attack?
Pathetic! I'm being forced to kneel like this by damned kobolds!
Ethan gathered his strength and swung his sword sideways. He lunged forward again, slashing diagonally and striking the kobolds one by one.
The attack landed. Without defenses, the kobolds were easily wounded. Their HP dropped significantly.
[Red Kobold (Lv.5) || HP: 85/150]
I don't have much time. I must finish this before they summon the rest of their pack!
The kobolds leapt back to avoid Ethan. Ethan gripped his sword with both hands, lowering it to his side.
He was ready to use his third skill, his ultimate. Ethan was certain they would die.
With force, Ethan leaped, his body radiating fiery aura. The kobolds froze, unable to react, watching him soar toward them.
BLAST!
Ethan landed hard on the ground, right in front of the kobolds. They took damage immediately, but he didn't stop there.
He swung his sword sideways, unleashing a red scythe-shaped slash directly at them.
The kobolds were hit by two skills at once, leaving their bodies shredded with wounds. They collapsed helplessly onto the ground. Slowly, their bodies dissolved into magical particles as their HP drained completely.
[Red Kobold (Lv.5) || HP: 0/150]
[Congratulations, you received drop items:]
[+75 exp]
[+15 gold coins]
[1x Kobold Bone]
[2x Kobold Teeth]
The drops floated into Ethan's hands. The amount wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
[DING! Congratulations, you leveled up]
[Name: EthanArk]
[Level 5 → Level 6]
[EXP: 600/750]
[HP: 300/300 || MP: 350/350]
[Congratulations! You received Attribute Points]
[AP: 10]
Ethan was pleased, but he knew it wasn't enough to raise his power to the level he wanted.
At least he had encountered slimes and kobolds, though he had yet to meet other monsters considered low-level.
This is much better.
To reach level 7, Ethan would need about 150 more exp. Counting the kobolds, he'd have to kill six more to level up.
After reaching level 10, several features would unlock.
It's fine, I mustn't rush.
Ethan turned his gaze toward the wooded hills. He knew monsters grew wilder and more dangerous at night. He had been resting on that hill, but he'd be killed if he didn't keep fighting.
The safest choice was to go to the city, rest there, and start missions the next day to earn exp and gold. Ethan was sure he could find an inn.
He arrived in the city, seeing that fewer players were online than before.
Many had logged off to rest and such. Even so, the city stayed lively, as players from different time zones continued to arrive.
Ascardan City never truly slept—it was the first city for beginners.
Ethan spotted an inn near a tavern. Entering, he saw the attendant.
For conventional players, attendants were just NPCs running programmed commands. But Ethan could talk with them like real city folk.
"Do you want to stay the night?" Ethan asked.
"Yes."
"The price is 5 gold per night," the woman answered.
A transaction panel appeared before Ethan's eyes, showing the cost to rent a room at the inn: 5 gold.
[Transaction!]
[Rent 1 inn room for 5 gold]
[Y/N]
Ethan confirmed. The woman handed him a key, and he went upstairs.
With a proper room to rest, Ethan finally fell into a deep sleep without worrying about anything.
***
The Next Day.
Ascardan City.
Ethan's attention was drawn to the guild board, where numerous side quests had appeared, from both players and the system. Rewards varied, from contribution coins to gold.
"Hmm… contribution coins play a big role in guild popularity. But what I need now is exp."
His eyes fixed on a holographic panel showing a quest to hunt the Kobold Chieftain. Solo or party allowed, issued by the system.
Ethan smiled. Hunting the Red Kobold Chieftain was exactly what he needed.
As he reached for the mission panel, someone grabbed his hand from the side. Ethan turned sharply, seeing a woman with the assassin class also reaching for the quest.
Her username: Miraculous69. But Ethan would just call her Mira.
"I'll take this mission," Ethan said.
"No. Let me take it—you won't be able to handle it."
Ethan extended his other hand, grabbing hers, and the two struggled over the mission.
"Wait! This isn't solving anything," Ethan complained.
Mira let go, stepping back. Her eyes locked onto Ethan sharply, as if challenging him to a fight.
"To prove who's worthy to—"
BUZZ!
A loud hum echoed throughout the city. Ethan looked up, seeing the sky above darken.
What's happening?
Not only that—the players around him screamed in pain as their bodies convulsed and their heads ached.
Ethan didn't know what was happening. Strangely, he felt nothing.
He stepped toward Mira, curious about what was happening to the others. Just as Mira was about to speak, a black panel appeared before them, showing a figure in a white robe. Ethan received it too.
[Greetings, loyal players of Tower of Ascension.]
Who is he? What's really going on?
[VR technology has shown remarkable progress. Today, Tower of Ascension presents the greatest show, with endless thrills.]
[Everyone logged in cannot log out. The only way out is to defeat the three main gods or… die here.]
Three Main Gods? Death? Damn it! This is like that anime I watched in the past!
Forget that for now. Defeat the three main gods worshipped by most of the world's people? I never thought they actually existed. I've never gotten that far in this game before.
[Enjoy this game—its thrills, adrenaline, joy, sorrow, and tears. Most importantly, live as you always dreamed of living.]
The broadcast ended, the panel vanishing. Ethan thought it was over, but it wasn't. A pillar of blue light burst from every player, including him. He panicked, fearing it might harm him.
When it faded, Ethan was still alive, still in the game world. He turned and saw Mira had changed—into a fat, bespectacled 28-year-old man dressed like an assassin.
"Y-You… you're a man?"
"W-What happened?" the fat man asked, panicked.
Seeing his character transform into his real self threw him into panic. He ran off, away from Ethan, who chose not to chase him. Better to focus on himself.
Something must have happened. Did Ashley and the others get affected? I can't be sure yet.
I hope they're safe, spared from this tragedy.