Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Level 2 Player

Blessing of Hwangsin and Hongsin

‘A newly awakened player’s stats should be between 5 and 10, right?’

Before the regression, Jin-su also possessed stats between 5 and 10.

‘No downside to it.’

Compared to when he awakened before the regression, the level was only different by one, but the stats had risen by nearly more than three times.

The total sum of stats that automatically distribute and increase when raising one level is 10.

Currently, even though Jin-su was Level 2, he possessed the stats of a Level 9–10 player.

‘The cause is this after all, huh?’

Blessing of Hwangsin and Hongsin.

This blessing must have made his newly awakened level 2 and fixed all stats at 22.

‘There’s no information.’

Jin-su was the person who had reached the highest floor in the Tower. To that extent, it would not be an exaggeration to say he knew all the information about the Tower. However, this was the first time he had encountered information about the existence of gods and blessings.

‘The ones who regressed me must be the existences called Hwangsin and Hongsin.’

He didn’t know for what purpose they had regressed him.

‘So far, it’s helpful.’

After closing the status window, Jin-su scanned the people who had fallen into confusion. As expected, there were no familiar faces.

Jin-su moved his footsteps with steady steps toward the place where weapons and food were displayed. And he packed two longswords, two shortswords, and two backpacks containing food.

[Blessing of Hwangsin has grown.]

[Blessing of Hongsin has grown.]

[Blessing of Hwangsin has grown.]

[Blessing of Hongsin has grown.]

‘What?’

Suddenly, a system message appeared saying the blessings had grown. And twice at that.

‘The blessings grew?’

Jin-su quickly opened the status window. And he checked the information of the blessings.

[Blessing of Hwangsin]

-Increases Strength stat by 2.2%.

-Increases Agility stat by 2.2%.

[Blessing of Hongsin]

-Increases Stamina stat by 2.2%.

-Increases Durability stat by 2.2%.

‘Option effects appeared?’

The information of the blessings, which had no options at all when he checked a little while ago, had changed.

‘Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Durability stats increase by 2.2%?’

This was quite a big help. Right now, the basic stats were low so the option efficiency wasn’t high. But if he acquired titles and leveled up to increase the basic stats, the option efficiency would inevitably skyrocket.

‘Moreover, if the increase rate isn’t the end at 2.2% but can grow further?’

The existence of the blessings that didn’t exist before the regression would become an enormous power for Jin-su.

‘But I don’t know why they grew.’

It wasn’t that he had achieved a special feat to receive a title, raised his level, or cleared a hidden dungeon.

‘Let’s think about that later.’

Right now was the time to move his body first.

‘There’s enough time.’

Players who have reached Floor 1 must climb to Floor 2 within 10 days.

‘If not, they die.’

Combining his current stats and the information he knew, he was confident he could clear Floor 1 and reach Floor 2 within 1 hour.

‘Even so, I can’t just go up.’

Before the regression, he was so busy surviving and lacked information that he couldn’t obtain a single one of the achievements and hidden dungeons that could only be obtained on Floor 1. But now the situation had changed.

‘The Floor 1 fastest clear reward can be obtained if I arrive at Floor 2 within 3 days.’

3 days was enough.

‘I’ll sweep up everything without leaving a single one.’

The moment Jin-su, who had packed the weapons and food, was about to move his footsteps.

“Hey! Kid! You happen to know anything?”

A big guy wearing a flashy colored leopard print shirt with tattoos covering both arms blocked Jin-su’s front and asked.

“You do, right? Since you know something, you’re packing these, right?”

The big guy picked up one shortsword with a sharply honed blade.

“Don’t leave out a single thing you know and spill everything.”

The big guy said as he brought the blade toward the nape of Jin-su’s neck.

“If you get caught lying, a wind hole will open in your neck right away, kid.”

“Ah...”

At the big guy’s actions, a fragment of an old memory floated up in Jin-su’s mind. A gangster who, among the people who had arrived at Tower Floor 1 without knowing why, exercised ruthless violence, committed murder, and reigned like a king.

He monopolized the food and treated other people like slaves. Not satisfied with that, he threw other people as monster food in order to survive himself.

Jin-su, together with several others, fought against that big guy and suffered a major wound where the muscles and ligaments of his left arm were severed.

‘After clearing Floor 1 and climbing to Floor 2, all wounds were completely healed so permanent disabilities didn’t occur, but.’

At the time, he didn’t know that if you climbed to an upper floor, even if you were on the verge of death, your body would recover to its best state. So he remembered despairing greatly.

The big guy was strong. The reason was that he had obtained one powerful title that greatly increased stats.

‘First Killer.’

One of the titles that can only be obtained on Floor 1, given only to the one player who committed murder first.

‘That existed.’

He had completely forgotten. Because it wasn’t such a proud title, there were many cases of hiding the very fact of possessing it. Jin-su also hadn’t known and remembered hearing it from a comrade right before clearing Floor 100.

‘When I didn’t know about First Killer, I just thought that guy was originally strong.’

But it wasn’t. It was simply the power of the title.

“Why aren’t you answering? Do you really want to die? Think I can’t stab you?”

The shortsword held in the big guy’s hand poked Jin-su’s neck repeatedly.

“Thanks.”

“What?”

At Jin-su’s words, the big guy made a puzzled expression. The big guy thought that Jin-su with the youthful face was so scared he couldn’t say anything. But hearing the voice, the tone was far too calm.

“Did this bastard go crazy?”

While frowning and thinking whether he should draw blood to show that he was serious.

Crack!

The arm of the big guy who was holding the shortsword was bent in the opposite direction.

Clang!

The knife held in the right hand fell to the floor.

“Aaaak!”

A desperate scream burst from the mouth of the big guy whose arm was abnormally twisted. However, the scream didn’t last long.

“Keoeeok!”

Because Jin-su’s hand grabbed the big guy’s neck as is.

“Keok! Keok!”

His breath was blocked, his vision blurred, and he felt the alien pain of the neck bone dislocating.

“Sa, save me...!”

Crack!

Before the big guy who was begging for his life could finish speaking, his neck was broken.

[You have committed murder for the first time.]

[Title First Killer is granted.]

[You have committed murder without a weapon.]

[Title Barehanded Killer is granted.]

[Stats have increased.]

Titles appeared as he had heard. And two of them at that.

‘Did I receive one more because there was no weapon?’

The moment Jin-su thought that.

[Blessing of Hwangsin thinks very satisfactorily of acquiring the titles First Killer and Barehanded Killer.]

[Blessing of Hongsin finds the existence of the titles First Killer and Barehanded Killer praiseworthy and is satisfied.]

[Blessing of Hwangsin chews and eats the titles First Killer and Barehanded Killer crunch-crunch.]

[Blessing of Hongsin chews and eats the titles First Killer and Barehanded Killer munch-munch.]

[Title First Killer has been extinguished.]

[Title Barehanded Killer has been extinguished.]

[Stats have decreased.]

‘Huh?’

But a change occurred.

‘What is this?’

Jin-su’s face hardened like stone.

‘The titles disappeared?’

Even though Jin-su had experienced all sorts of bizarre things, going through all kinds of hardships before the regression, the titles extinguishing was a grotesque thing he had never heard of in his life.

‘Blessings, what on earth is their identity?’

Blessing of Hwangsin and Blessing of Hongsin.

He had thought they were a gift from the gods who regressed him. From the moment of awakening, the level had risen to 2 and all stats had risen to 22. On top of that, they even gave a buff that increased Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Durability stats by 2.2%. So he had thought they were unconditionally a power that helped him.

‘Why are they doing this?’

But the blessings were not existences that only gave gains to Jin-su.

Blessing of Hwangsin and Blessing of Hongsin had extinguished the titles, which are one of the cores of player growth. Just in case, Jin-su quickly checked the status window.

‘Nothing has changed.’

As expected, it wasn’t only the titles that extinguished. The stats that had risen upon acquiring the titles also returned to their original state.

‘They said very satisfactorily? Praiseworthy and satisfied? But why did they extinguish the titles?’

Jin-su’s mind became complicated. But there was still too little information about the blessings.

“Hieek!”

“A, a person died.”

“It’s murder! I said it’s murder!”

“Murderer!”

“Crazy bastard!”

The people who witnessed the big guy’s death were startled and distanced themselves from Jin-su. However, not everyone was like that. A man and woman who looked to be in their early to mid-20s were wary of Jin-su but did not step back.

‘Are those people the ones?’

Jin-su examined the man and woman. Originally, he had planned to pack only what he could obtain and climb to Floor 2 alone. However, due to the big guy stepping forward, the memories of Floor 1 that he had completely forgotten floated up faintly.

Those who had opposed the big guy together with Jin-su.

Those who had challenged the Floor 1 clear while risking their lives together.

Those who had shared life and death together on the lower floors.

Jin-su’s first comrades.

‘It is them.’

Looking closely at their faces, they were somewhat familiar. The faint memories gradually became clearer.

‘What were their names?’

But he couldn’t remember the names.

‘Both of them adapted to the Tower quickly. Their judgment was good and their skills as players were outstanding.’

But at the first moment of choice.

Those two people made a different choice from Jin-su. And they parted just like that.

‘It will be the same this time too.’

Because Jin-su had a reason he absolutely had to return to Earth.

‘If we’re going to part anyway, there’s no reason to be together.’

Because party members were only necessary when climbing Floor 50 and above.

Scatter!

The corpse of the dead big guy turned into powder and scattered.

‘No class change book or skill book comes out.’

In fact, it was natural. Because the big guy had neither a class nor any learned skills.

“Hieeek! The corpse disappeared?”

“Is this place really reality?”

“Where the hell did they drag us to!”

When the big guy’s corpse turned into powder and disappeared, people fell into a panic. Even in the midst of that, the ones maintaining a calm attitude were only the man and woman who were Jin-su’s old comrades.

‘Are they trying to pack weapons and food?’

The two people’s gazes were fixed on the display stand next to Jin-su.

Sseuk.

Jin-su stepped aside. Then the man and woman carefully approached and packed weapons and food.

“Um, do you perhaps really know something?”

At that time, the woman asked Jin-su.

“No.”

“Ah, yes.”

At Jin-su’s answer, the woman answered briefly and averted her gaze.

‘Let’s just go.’

For now, he had to pack the achievements he could obtain first. There was no need to help those two who would part later anyway.

‘Since that guy died, Floor 1 will pass without issue, right.’

They were people who had the backbone to fight against the big guy’s tyranny before the regression. They were people who, including himself, had gathered several players, cleared Floor 1, and climbed to Floor 2.

Probably even without his help, they would easily clear the lower floor sections of the Tower. And they would make the same choice as before the regression.

Step by step.

Leaving the other players behind, Jin-su moved his body alone to pack achievements and hidden dungeons.

“Kiiiik!”

“Kigigik!”

He hadn’t gone far when he encountered 2 goblins.

Crack!

Jin-su snapped the neck of 1 goblin with his bare hands.

Hwiik!

Toward the other 1, he lightly swung his sword.

Seogeok!

The goblin’s neck was cut off in an instant.

[You have hunted a monster for the first time.]

[Title First Hunter is granted.]

[You have hunted a monster with bare hands.]

[Title Barehanded Hunter is granted.]

[You hunted a monster in one blow.]

[Title One-Hit Kill is granted.]

[Stats have increased.]

He obtained 3 titles in one go.

[Blessing of Hwangsin thinks very satisfactorily of the titles First Hunter, Barehanded Hunter, and One-Hit Kill.]

[Blessing of Hongsin finds the existence of the titles First Hunter, Barehanded Hunter, and One-Hit Kill praiseworthy and is satisfied.]

[Blessing of Hwangsin chews and eats the titles First Hunter, Barehanded Hunter, and One-Hit Kill crunch-crunch.]

[Blessing of Hongsin chews and eats the titles First Hunter, Barehanded Hunter, and One-Hit Kill munch-munch.]

[Title First Hunter has been extinguished.]

[Title Barehanded Hunter has been extinguished.]

[Title One-Hit Kill has been extinguished.]

[Stats have decreased.]

And once again, the titles extinguished.