I kept a little distance.
For now, the Knight of the Frozen Earth had its lower body broken, and my lower body was gone entirely.
Cold Resistance LV.1 alone was impossible.
I needed stronger resistance for my body to be restored.
And at that moment.
[ Ding! ]
[ Overcoming Death activates! ]
[ Resistance increases due to repeated freezing attacks! ]
[ Cold Resistance LV.3 obtained! ]
“That did it!”
-Shhhhh....
Only then did my body slowly begin to restore itself, and the lower body that had vanished gradually formed again.
But the speed was markedly slow.
“Damn it!”
Cold Resistance LV.3 alone was not enough.
This bastard.
In many ways, I had to approach it differently from every enemy I had fought until now.
“...Haa.”
First, I raised myself up, breathed out mist, and wiggled my fingers to feel the sensation.
-Whoooooosh!
But ice still wrapped around my skin.
My regeneration was slow, and my movements were slow.
-Vwoooooooom....
The Knight of the Frozen Earth was still on one knee before me.
Its blue eyes glowed as it braced itself against the ground with its greatsword like a cane, and although its lower body was completely wrecked....
It was still going strong.
Then how should I fight it?
In truth, the answer was simple.
I just had to buy time until I grew stronger.
I could fight slowly like that for a thousand, ten thousand years.
If I died and came back to life for more than 100 hours, no, more than 1,000 hours, I might be able to win.
But....
“I can’t fight that way this time too.”
I remembered the 30th floor of Namyangju Tower No. 2, when I fought Sylvatera.
I fought for nearly two or three weeks and seized victory, but during that time, other Hunters completed the tower’s subjugation.
Winning was not what mattered.
I had to climb the tower as fast as possible.
Because I was climbing the tower not ‘to live,’ but ‘to die.’
I had to clear the tower myself, and uncover the tower’s secrets.
Only then could I either meet the Curse of Infinity or obtain a clue to dying.
And to do that....
“I have to end this fight as fast as possible.”
But by what method?
Now that the stat increases from Overcoming Death had been reset, how could I fight?
I decided.
“Good.”
From now on, for the first time, I would prepare for a fight that did not rely on ‘stat increases.’
-THUD—!
The Knight of the Frozen Earth drove the greatsword it was leaning on deep into the ground.
-Crackle, crackle, crackle!
In an instant, a wave of ice spread and covered the floor.
My speed was slow, but I reflexively threw myself aside.
-THUD!
“Guh!”
I tripped and fell, but I safely avoided the wave.
“Grrk.”
I rubbed my jaw where it had struck the ground when I fell and spat out blood with a spit.
-Grrrk, grrrrk... Crack!
After the Knight of the Frozen Earth pulled its greatsword out of the ground,
-Slide, boom! Slide... boom!
it used the greatsword like a cane
and slowly approached me.
-Sliiide....
Then it raised that greatsword high.
-Whoosh!
And swung it at me.
“Guh!”
I barely ducked at the waist and avoided the attack, and the greatsword cut through the air.
I nearly lost my balance and fell, but I had protected myself once from those blue eyes and that enormous greatsword.
-Shhhhh....
Then the Knight of the Frozen Earth prepared its second strike.
I tried to dodge the attack the same way, but.
-Whoosh! Slash!
“Khak!”
I thought I had avoided it by bending back the same way, but my right arm was cut off by the bastard’s greatsword.
-Thud, thud....
My right arm, turned into a block of ice the moment it fell, rolled across the floor, and sure enough, my right arm began restoring far more slowly than usual.
At this speed, it was impossible.
I could not die and kill the way I usually did.
-Shhhh....
And the Knight of the Frozen Earth prepared its third attack.
Could I avoid three in a row?
No, impossible.
It would be fair to call the last one pure luck.
That was why I had actually given up my right arm.
I instantly looked around.
“!”
I saw the ice pillar before me.
Let’s use that.
-Screech!
I ran across the slippery ice as if swimming and barely hid myself behind the pillar.
-SHATTER—!
The Knight of the Frozen Earth’s greatsword smashed the ice pillar apart.
“Hup!”
I stepped on the shattered pieces of the ice pillar
and jumped up toward a taller ice pillar.
-GRAB!
“Grrk!”
I nearly fell, but barely managed to cling on and climb up.
Then I looked around for another nearby ice pillar I could jump to.
The Knight of the Frozen Earth’s blue eyes glowed as it swung its greatsword toward the ice pillar I stood on.
-CRACK!
“Aah!”
Standing atop the ice pillar, I lost my balance and staggered, then jumped toward another ice pillar again.
But....
-FLOP!
“Guh!”
With my low stats, it was nowhere near enough.
I barely caught the top of the ice pillar with my fingertips,
but soon slipped and ended up collapsing onto the floor.
“Damn it...!”
I rubbed my backside, but there was no time for that.
-Vwooooooooom...!
The blue eyes finally glared down at me where I had fallen to the floor. Dragging its knees, it slowly approached me, using its greatsword as a cane.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Was there no way out?
Did I have to fight while dying, just as I had until now?
Under this dogshit situation, where I froze and even my wounds healed slowly?
No.
Not even if it killed me.
At some point, that became how it was.
Not a single thing went my way.
My damn wife’s affair, my beloved father’s illness, my company life, my life, and this fucking Curse of Immortality!
“Damn it! Die! Dying and coming back to life is your only good point!”
-THUD! THUD!
Out of frustration, I beat my chest.
If only.
If only I could die while moving, like the Incomplete Golem had.
If only my heart could burst!
If only I could die each time!
“If I were as strong as the Giant Wolf King...!”
If not that, then at least as strong as an Ogre, at least as strong as an Orc, at least as strong as a Wraith Soldier, at least as strong as a Kobold, at least as strong as a Goblin.
If I had been even that strong!
“This worthless fucking garbage body!”
A worthless individual who could not even level up.
With my ‘recovery’ restricted, I felt truly useless.
-Sliiide, sliiide....
Even in that moment, the Knight of the Frozen Earth slowly approached to cut off my head.
“...There’s no way.”
Like this.
My neck would be cut off pathetically again like this.
And I would wait as the years dragged on and on for it to recover.
“...I don’t have time for that!!”
The moment I shouted that.
[ Ding! ]
A notification sound suddenly rang out.
[ Death Detection activates! ]
Death Detection suddenly activated.
[ The user has realized a method to grow stronger without leveling up through countless deaths! ]
“...What?”
A notification window whose meaning I could not understand.
And soon.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have died to the Incomplete Golem at least a set number of times! ]
“...What?”
An even more incomprehensible notification window appeared.
[ Ding! ]
[ Ding! ]
[ Ding! ]
After several notification sounds rang out.
[ You have died to Slimes at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Skeleton Soldiers at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Goblins at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to wolves at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Giant Centipedes at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Giant Spiders at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Ogres at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Wraith Soldiers at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to the Giant Wolf King at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to the Immortal Golem at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Sylvatera at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Kobolds at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Vampiric Moths at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Rock Predators at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Swamp Lizards at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Vampiric Frogs at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to wolves at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to Orcs at least a set number of times! ]
[ You have died to the Knight of the Frozen Earth at least a set number of times! ]
A ridiculous number of notification windows
spread out before my eyes as if plastering over them.
“What, what the hell?”
All of a sudden, what did it want me to do?
What was the point of pulling up a list of the bastards who killed me?
While I was thinking that,
[ Through the repetition of countless deaths, you acquire their combat methods. ]
“!”
Only then did I realize.
-Swoooooosh...!
I felt an enormous energy suddenly burrow into my body.
The monsters that had killed me.
And the monsters I had ultimately killed.
Their fighting methods, their stats, their final moments!
Everything entered my brain and spread through every nerve into my muscles.
And.
[ Ding! ]
[ New Hidden Skill: Death Absorption obtained! ]
-Flash!
“Grr, ugh, urrrrgh!!!”
My nerves became overly sensitive.
My bones cracked as they reassembled.
My muscles burst and healed over and over, gradually growing larger.
My brain.
It felt like it was going to burst.
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
My eyes rolled back white as I screamed, and before long.
At last.
“Haa, haa....”
The 10th floor of Bukhansan Tower, where an ice storm raged.
-Hisssssssss....
I exhaled steam from my entire body and glared at the Knight of the Frozen Earth.
[ Ding! ]
No longer.
[ Death Absorption: Knight of the Frozen Earth - Cold Resistance LV.MAX activates! ]
The cold could no longer stop me.
“Haaap!”
-Tap!
I kicked off the ground and flew.
As if....
[ Ding! ]
[ Death Absorption: Giant Wolf King – Predator’s Leap activates! ]
Like the Giant Wolf King, I leaped quickly.
-Whoosh!
The bastard swung its greatsword at me as I shot toward it like a bullet.
But I was like....
[ Ding! ]
[ Death Absorption: Wraith Soldier – Incorporealization activates! ]
-Sliiide....
Like a Wraith Soldier, against which physical attacks did not work, I simply slipped through the greatsword.
And.
As if.
[ Ding! ]
Like the one that had flattened me with simple blows.
[ Death Absorption: Ogre – Monstrous Strength activates! ]
Like the Ogre.
-BOOM—!!!
I drove a powerful punch
into the exposed waist joint of the Knight of the Frozen Earth.
-Grrrk, grrrrrrk...!
The Knight of the Frozen Earth seemed to hold out for a moment, but then.
-CRACK!
In the end, it split in half, leaving its broken lower body behind,
and the blue core hidden behind the waist area of its upper body came into view.
“Hup!”
-GRAB!
I grabbed both sides of the bastard’s chest armor with both hands.
“Hrrrrrrrrrrup!”
Using the Ogre’s Monstrous Strength, I lifted the armor upward with all my strength.
-Skreee, skreeee....
Metallic friction sounded from the armor of the Knight of the Frozen Earth.
[ Ding! ]
[ Death Absorption: Ogre – Monstrous Strength activates! ]
[ Death Absorption: Orc – Strength Enhancement activates! ]
[ Death Absorption: High Goblin – Strength Enhancement activates! ]
[ Death Absorption: Skeleton Knight – Power of the Dead activates! ]
As countless notification windows rang out.
[ Ding! ]
[ Death Absorption: Knight of the Frozen Earth – Cold Fortitude activates! ]
Finally, with the activation of the Knight of the Frozen Earth’s own Skill.
-CRASH—!
When I finally tore off the bastard’s chest armor,
I saw a blue core encased in blue ice.
“Found you, you son of a bitch!”
With both hands raised, I pulled my foot back with all my strength.
“Hup!”
-BOOM—!
I struck the core with my foot and shattered it.
-Shhk, shhhh....
The bastard’s blue eyes flickered, then finally went out.
“Hwaa, hoo, hwaa...!”
[ Ding! ]
[ You have cleared the 10th floor of Bukhansan Tower No. 1! ]
Only then did the clear notification window greet me.
───────────────────
[ Floor: 10th floor ]
[ Climber: Yoo Da-huin ]
[ Clear Time: 2 hr 12 min 18 sec ]
[ Previous Best Record: 15 min 11 sec ]
───────────────────
[ Clear Condition Met ]
▶ Defeated 1 Knight of the Frozen Earth (Boss)
[ Climb Ranking: Middle Rank ] (Current Rank: 5,182nd)
And it was middle rank, at that.
I had really won.
Without Overcoming Death.
Not in the way I had fought until now,
not by dying and killing whatever came at me.
“...I won!”
Through a real ‘fight.’
For the first time, I defeated a boss.