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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Hellfire Training Ground
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I glanced down at the corpse of the Wolf King, its head buried in the dirt.
"He was a simpleton. An easy win."
The Wolf King Seorin's combat prowess was a cut above the Dragon Tooth Soldiers from the Forgotten Temple.
Even with their stats and skills sealed, those soldiers were still beings from the upper floors of the Tower, and their combat sense was exceptional despite the heavy penalties.
The Wolf King, on the other hand, moved purely on instinct. Despite having higher stats, he was easily drawn into my pace during the fight.
I had even considered letting him take an arm just to melt his throat with [Acidic Blood].
But it was an easier victory than I expected.
Now, shall I exercise the rights of the victor?
[Predating the essence of Wolf King Seorin.]
[Essence Predated: 100%]
[Essence Grade: Normal]
[You have perfectly absorbed the essence of a species.]
[Strength +5]
[Agility +3]
[Skill - Roar will be added.]
[Roar]
Grade: ★★
Classification: Active
Infuses one's voice with a threatening aura and lets out a powerful cry.
*Range: 20 meters
*Strength -10%
*Agility -10%
*Duration: 20 seconds
*Cooldown: 60 seconds
Oh ho.
This is my first time acquiring the Wolf King's essence.
Before my regression, I was just struggling to survive the tutorial.
I never even dreamed of raiding a high-difficulty boss like the Wolf King.
'It was worth giving up the Wolf King's Fang.'
A smile spread across my face.
The reason players hunted the Wolf King.
It was for its fangs.
[Wolf King's Fang] is used as a material for crafting sword-type weapons. Using the powdered fang increases the item's grade and attack power.
If I sold it outside the Tower, I could get at least 700 million.
I basically burned hundreds of millions of won to get a skill!
'This is why they called it an ability that turns gold into crap.'
I recalled the things people said about me before my regression.
Don't worry. I won't be called that in this life.
A wide-area crowd control skill with a 20-meter range.
It's a perfect skill for me, having decided to climb the Tower alone.
With the Wolf King hunted, I made sure not to miss a single essence on the plains, predating every last one.
But.
There's no rule that says I can only obtain essences in the tutorial.
-If you go south on the plains, there's a basic training ground. Passing the test there will grant you the Endurance skill.
-A highly recommended skill to acquire if possible. It will be helpful for any class when climbing the Tower later on.
This was part of a guide for the tutorial stage.
What is the [Endurance] skill, you ask?
It's a skill that reduces flinching when you take damage.
Not only that, for skills that require concentration, it prevents cancellation when you're hit and even reduces the concentration time by 5%.
A useful skill that the tutorial guide emphasized getting, saying, 'get it if you can'!
But the reason for that phrasing was...
'Because the place where you get Endurance is deep inside the Silver Fangs' territory.'
Ordinary players have to muster quite a bit of courage just to face a pack of Silver Fangs.
The Silver Fangs' strengths were their high attack power and agility.
While they weren't very durable, they moved in packs, which negated the advantages of team play.
And that wasn't all. If the Wolf King was still alive, they would have to deal with a boss raid on top of that.
Even I couldn't get the [Endurance] skill in the tutorial stage before my regression.
'This time is different.'
I hunted the Wolf King alone on the first day of the tutorial.
The basic training ground is just a straight shot down from here.
Since I won't be coming back to the plains, I should get the [Endurance] skill now and be done with it.
With light steps, I ventured deep into the Silver Fang territory.
* * *
Finding the basic training ground wasn't difficult.
A structure rising abruptly from the middle of the flat plains.
It was impossible to miss.
I pushed open the wooden door, and it swung open with a creak.
"They could've oiled this thing."
I frowned as I entered the basic training ground.
The interior was simple.
A polished, oiled wooden floor.
On it, dozens of wooden dummies stood frozen in strange poses.
[Your current location is the Basic Training Ground.]
[The Basic Training Ground will test your skills.]
[Please select the training difficulty.]
[Easy / Normal / Hard]
Just as I thought.
The choices were no different from my memories before regression.
The difference between difficulties was the reward.
You could get the Endurance skill even by choosing [Easy], but clearing a higher difficulty would grant additional rewards.
At my level, I could probably clear Hard with no problem.
"Har—"
I was about to choose the difficulty without a second thought.
If not for the additional system message.
[The player who found the Basic Training Ground has a total stat value exceeding 250.]
[Players who exceed a total of 250 stats within the first week of the tutorial stage can challenge the Hellfire difficulty.]
Well, now.
"Hellfire, you say?"
This was the first I'd heard of a Hellfire difficulty in the basic training ground.
A hidden element that even I, a regressor, didn't know about!
Come to think of it, the condition of achieving a total of 250 stats in the first week was so absurd, I wondered who could possibly meet it.
It was only possible for me because I had been actively using [Predation] even before entering the Tower of Babel.
Even with the full support of a famous guild, they probably couldn't reach that number.
'This wasn't in the plan, but it's for the best.'
Without hesitation, I chose the newly added difficulty.
[You have selected Hellfire difficulty.]
[Failure means you cannot retake the basic training master's test.]
[Do you still wish to challenge it?]
You could retry the basic training master's test as many times as you wanted, even if you failed.
On the other hand, for [Hellfire difficulty], slipping up just once would revoke the opportunity to take the test altogether.
"Yeah. I'll take the challenge."
A huge penalty means the reward will be just as sweet!
As soon as I selected the training difficulty, a strange light flickered in the pupils of the wooden dummies.
▶ Sub Quest
Basic Training Ground - Hellfire Difficulty
▶ Objective: Fight against your own shadow and win.
The shadow has the same stats as the player and will randomly copy one of their skills.
My own shadow, huh.
Before I could even question it, a red slime covered the head of a wooden dummy.
The liquid squirmed a few times before transforming into a human figure.
"That's me."
The form the wooden dummy took was my own.
So that's what the quest meant by a shadow.
The moment the wooden dummy copied my face, it shot off the ground.
Its fingernails extended to a length of 20 centimeters.
It seemed this wooden dummy copied the [Sharp Claws] skill.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Judging by the wooden dummy's speed, it seemed to have copied my stats as well.
You think you can beat me just because our stats are the same?
*Whoosh! Whoosh!* The wooden dummy's claws sliced through the air.
Its movements were linear and simple.
Its speed was impressive since it copied my stats, but...
It couldn't do anything about its stiff joints. I could see its every move.
[Using Sharp Claws.]
I cut off the elbow of the wooden dummy's outstretched arm.
Then, I closed in on the staggering figure and sliced its neck.
*Swish!* The head of the wooden dummy, which had my face, flew into the air before rolling on the floor.
Even if it was a fake, it wasn't a pleasant sight.
Fortunately, after a few seconds, it reverted to a wooden dummy's head.
"Is that it?"
[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]
[Number of Shadows - 2]
Of course, that's how it should be.
If you're going to intimidate me with a name like [Hellfire Difficulty], the test better live up to it, right?
Just in case, I placed my hand on the wooden dummy's body.
[Using Predation.]
[You have already collected 100% of the essence from this target.]
[The target is not a living creature. You cannot restore health or mana through Predation.]
So, restoring health and mana with [Predation] during battle was impossible.
Well, it's not like Predation is all I have.
Thanks to the [Blessing of the Earth Mother], my health and mana regeneration speed increases by 50% just by standing still.
Wait a minute.
'Already collected the essence...?'
I mulled over the system message again and again.
The skill the wooden dummy copied was [Sharp Claws], the essence of the Silver Fang.
But what if...
What if one of them copied an incomplete essence, like the [Essence of the Primordial Species]...
'Couldn't I predate its essence?'
A hypothesis suddenly came to mind.
It was definitely worth testing.
I crossed my arms and waited for the time to pass.
One minute later, two of the wooden dummies in the training ground turned their heads to look at me.
Red slime covered their heads.
The number of dummies that looked exactly like me had increased to two.
"Haaaaaaah—!!!"
A mana-infused voice echoed thunderously throughout the basic training ground.
The two wooden dummies flinched.
[Using Roar.]
[Beings within a 20-meter radius will have their Strength and Agility reduced by 10%.]
[Duration: 20 seconds.]
A debuff skill that doesn't distinguish between friend or foe.
Since I was alone, I didn't need to worry about that when using Roar.
A 10% reduction might not seem like much, but...
In a real fight, a small difference can change the outcome.
Just like now.
*Crack!*
My two 'shadows' tumbled to the ground without being able to use a single skill properly.
[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]
[Number of Shadows - 3]
I used Predation on the two fallen wooden dummies.
[Absorbing the essence of the Primordial Species - Tyrannosaurus.]
[Essence Grade: Legendary]
[Essence Predated: 1.2%]
It actually works?!
"Holy crap."
I let out a gasp of admiration.
* * *
*Crack!*
One of the wooden dummies shattered with a loud noise.
"Another one bites the dust."
I grinned as I smashed the wooden dummies to pieces.
I had found the [Essence of the Primordial Species] in an unexpected place.
The essence of a Primordial Species could only be obtained on Earth, but intact fossils were so expensive that it was impossible to get them at this point.
'This is a total windfall.'
As I continued to fight, only 11 dummies remained standing.
It seemed the Hellfire difficulty would only end once all the wooden dummies in the basic training ground were destroyed.
[The next battle will begin in 1 minute.]
[Number of Shadows - 11]
A normal player would have collapsed when the number of wooden dummies increased to five.
The only reason I'm still standing is because I'm the one taking the test.
'The skill copying actually helped me.'
When players receive the Tower's invitation, they are generally given one trait and one skill.
I only got Predation, and that was it.
While players do acquire skills throughout the tutorial, getting around five is considered a lot.
But I had insanely increased my number of skills through Predation.
'Which means it's useless if they copy a skill that isn't a passive or one of my mains.'
Like [Dragon's Heart] or [Dissolution], for example.
During the actual fights, quite a few wooden dummies were shattered while fighting with only their base abilities, unable to use a single skill.
When the waiting time ended, the final group of remaining wooden dummies in the training ground glared at me.
One of the wooden dummies suddenly opened its mouth wide.
Wait a second.
-Haaaaaah!
Damn it.
For a moment, I lost my balance.
It seemed one of the wooden dummies had copied [Roar].
However, the other wooden dummies also flinched when they heard the roar.
"Ah, did you use it without realizing it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe?"
All of them, except for the one that used Roar, were debuffed.
It's one thing to randomly copy my stats and one of my skills, but...
"A bunch of morons like this are no match for me."
I kicked off the ground with [Agile Hind Legs], weaving through the group of wooden dummies.
One of them raised its guard.
Gray armor plating covered its forearms.
I balled my fist and used [Monstrous Strength] to strike the armored forearm.
*Craaash—!* With a deafening sound, the wooden dummy's arm exploded.
"Ow, that hurt like hell."
I scowled and broke the neck of the wooden dummy that had lost both its arms.
Just because it has armor plating doesn't mean it's invincible.
With enough power, you can shatter it like this.
It's resistant to piercing and slashing, but its durability drops easily against heavy attacks.
Well, there are ways to compensate for its weaknesses through the synergy of essences.
"That's a problem for another time."
I kicked off the floor with [Agile Hind Legs].
My right arm trembled from the aftereffects of Monstrous Strength.
The wooden dummies swarmed the spot where I had just been standing.
One of them crouched slightly as if for a running start, then chased after me with [Agile Hind Legs].
But that's it. It has no other skills.
I used [Sharp Claws] to tear apart the charging wooden dummy.
It didn't take long to destroy all 11 wooden dummies.
"Let's end this."
*Crack!* I shattered the last wooden dummy into pieces.
▶ Sub Quest
You have cleared the Basic Training Ground - Hellfire Difficulty.
▶ You are the first to clear the Hellfire difficulty. As a reward...
Alright, what kind of reward are you going to give me?
I swallowed hard in anticipation.