[Level 15 has been Cleared.]
[Rewards will now be distributed.]
“Man, that was exhausting. You little bastard, if this was how it was going to end anyway, you could’ve just let yourself get caught without a fuss. It would’ve been better for both of us.”
“Moo.”
The massive Minotaur waiting out of bounds lowered its head at my scolding.
I looked bitterly at the battered, broken Stone Golem. The golem, which had been the Level 13 Gatekeeper, lay collapsed in a heap of shattered fragments after the battle that had just taken place.
It was going to leave me soon anyway, so I supposed that was a relief, but...
“Are you okay?”
I asked the Blood Wolf, the Level 14 Gatekeeper lying beside me with its tail curled around itself.
“Pant, pant...”
It had been licking the wound on its hind leg, but it jerked its head up when it heard my voice. Then it let its tongue hang out, looking exhausted.
Even at a glance, the wound was no minor one. Unable to swallow my anger, I complained to the Minotaur again.
“Look at that! What are you going to do about it? Do you think it can fight properly in that condition?”
“Moo...”
The Minotaur lowered its head farther and farther until it finally flopped down on the ground.
It looked strangely solemn, and my anger cooled as though someone had poured cold water over me.
Right. What was the point of blaming it? It had only done its best at the role it had been given.
Still, I was a little uneasy.
The higher the Level, the more noticeably the Gatekeepers’ combat power rose.
I had no idea what kind of monster would be waiting at Level 16, but I could not say with confidence that we would get through it smoothly with only our current strength.
It would be nice if I got a satisfying reward, at least...
I licked my lips as I looked at the black chest sitting in the center of the arena.
Aside from the System Pouches I had received in Levels 1 and 10, every reward so far had been Purified Red Fruits and Mana Orbs. Of course, the 10% Trait experience awarded at every Level was the most valuable reward this Stage could offer.
Still, I was beginning to hope that I would get at least one reward that could help directly in battle.
This is the Level 15 reward. Multiples of five are the kind of numbers that make people expect something. Please, let something good come out.
Hoping inwardly, I reached for the chest.
Suddenly, I remembered Grandfather’s words.
—“The more you let go, the more you are filled. What you give will come back to you.”
Ah, but Grandfather...?
Whether I emptied my mind or not, the reward inside the chest had already been decided, hadn’t it?
If the cat in the box lived or died according to the state of mind of the scientist observing it from beside the box, that scientist would be heartbroken.
Anyway, I opened the chest.
Huh...?
[Trait Stone]
┕ Grants an Awakened an additional Trait.
“WOOOOOOOOOOO!”
With my head still buried inside the chest, I let out a triumphant shout.
Startled by the noise, the Blood Wolf hurried right over to me. Then it stretched out its head and peered into the chest.
Naturally, the little guys were curious too.
I took the Trait Stone from the chest and raised it high over my head.
“It’s a Trait Stone!!”
“...?”
“...?”
Right. There was no way the two of you would know what this was. Still, I wanted to share this joy with you.
“It’s incredibly good! It’s just good! It has to be good! Let’s scream together!!”
“MOOOOOOOOOO!”
“AWOOOOOOOOOO!”
“WOOOOOOOOOO!”
This was absolutely not an overreaction. I was not just making a fuss for no reason.
I had gotten a Trait Stone!
Grandfather, I got a Trait Stone!
In my previous life, I had never used a Trait Stone. I had never even seen one in person. A Trait Stone was an item too valuable and rare for a B-grade Hunter to dare covet.
As its description said, a Trait Stone was a treasure that granted an Awakened one additional Trait.
Hadn’t I said it before?
“An Awakened is a Trait wearing human skin.”
And with this stone, I could obtain one more Trait—the very essence of an Awakened.
“Hoo...”
The excitement that had suddenly flared up inside me cooled just as quickly.
It was not over yet. Maybe this was where things really began.
What kind of Trait I received was what mattered most.
It was like Schrödinger had opened the box and found another box inside instead of a cat. I still had no way of knowing whether the cat was alive.
Oh, God. Nothing more, nothing less—please let it be at least a decent mid-to-high-tier Trait.
...No. Was that asking for too little?
With the way things had been going, maybe I could get a top-tier Trait. Like Lee Hasol’s Flame Summoner or Sa Jeil’s Blood Sword.
If I got a Trait on that level, I could conquer the world.
“Hehehe.”
As I sank into a happy fantasy, laughter slipped out before I noticed. Maybe that was why the Blood Wolf came closer, rubbing its head against me as if trying to act cute.
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for rooting for me. I’m sure an incredible Trait will come out. Of course it will.”
A draw was all about momentum. I did not hesitate.
[Would you like to use the Trait Stone?]
[Yes / No]
Let’s go, Kim Daram. Let’s conquer the world!
“Yes.”
The Trait Stone in my hand was wrapped in a faint blue glow, then disappeared as though it had seeped into my body.
I called up my Status Window and slowly closed my eyes.
Then I snapped them open.
【Kim Daram】
【Level】: 1
【Traits】
└ [Manipulation] Puppet (LV 2)
└ [Unique] System Observer (LV 2)
└ [Summon] Tentacles (LV 1) New!
【Encroachment Rate】: 0%
【Ranking】: Requirements Not Met
【Performance Score】: 55,000
“...Tentacles.”
Tentacles...?
If Schrödinger had opened the box and found no cat anywhere, only a random octopus wriggling around inside, he probably would have felt exactly the way I did right now.
What was worse, I already knew this Trait.
As I remembered it, a Hunter from New Zealand whom I had met in my previous life possessed this very Tentacles Trait. Unfortunately, he had been torn limb from limb and killed while breaking through a Danger-rated Stage with me.
Even in that desperate moment when our lives were on the line, I had watched him die and thought it was a death remarkably fitting for his Trait. At the same time, I had thought that if he had possessed a higher-grade Trait instead of Tentacles, he might have avoided such a miserable end.
In other words, this was not a Trait I was particularly happy to get.
Damn it. Had the god of random draws truly abandoned me?
Grandfather, are you watching? Would the result have changed if I had cleared my mind before opening the chest? Was this all because of the black greed coiled inside my heart?
But what was done was done. There was no way to take it back.
Yeah. Still, it’s better than having nothing.
Come to think of it, that New Zealand Awakened had often used his tentacles to fetch objects from far away with ease.
It did look convenient.
Who was I?
The captain of positivity. A master of rationalization. Kim Daram himself.
No matter how difficult things got in my previous life, I had made it through with positivity powered by relentless rationalization.
...Still, my heart hurt.
Unable to let go of my disappointment, I kept looking over the Status Window when the label before “Tentacles” suddenly caught my eye.
【Traits】
└ [Manipulation] Puppet (LV 2)
└ [Unique] System Observer (LV 2)
└ [Summon] Tentacles (LV 1) New!
Summon?
The Tentacles Trait was not mutation-type. It was summon-type?
No. In my memory, the Tentacles Trait that New Zealand Awakened possessed had definitely been mutation-type.
But mine was summon-type?
Only then did I check my Performance Score.
55,000 points!
My Performance Score had risen by a full 15,000 points after I acquired the Tentacles Trait.
Considering that Sa Jeil’s Performance Score with Blood Sword was 19,000, this was an exceptionally high figure.
Judging by the score alone, it was comparable to a top-tier Trait.
Goosebumps rose on my arms. I came fully awake and hurriedly checked the Skill of the Tentacles Trait.
[Tentacle Transformation]
┕ Transforms the body into tentacles.
Transforms the body into tentacles... Was that all?
The description was painfully unhelpful.
For now, I decided to try the Skill myself.
[Tentacle Transformation will be applied. Please select the body part to transform.]
“Select the body part to transform?”
I did not have to think long. Anyone in my place would have made the same choice.
“Left hand.”
[Tentacle Transformation will now proceed. This Skill is applied passively, and once a body part has been designated, it cannot be changed. Thank you.]
No, you asshole! What the hell are you thanking me for?!
That was vital information! You were supposed to tell me before I made the choice!
Don’t tell me I was going to spend the rest of my life with a left hand transformed into tentacles.
No. That could not happen...
I had only just repaired my relationship with Mom.
I could not imagine going home with a left hand turned into tentacles. What would Mom say?
With my heart in my throat, I stared at my left hand, which looked as though it might turn grotesque at any second.
But time passed, and nothing changed.
[Tentacle Transformation]
┕ Designated Area (Permanent): Left Hand
Instead, the wording in my Status Window had changed.
Oh. Then this meant it was a variable Tentacle Transformation.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Variable Tentacle Transformation meant, simply put, that I could transform the designated body part into tentacles or return it to normal at will.
Thank God. I had just narrowly avoided being disowned by Mom.
I stretched out my left hand and tried Tentacle Transformation.
Sure enough, my five fingers lengthened and wriggled through the air in a shameless little dance.
Heh. Twenty years as a Hunter had not gone to waste. It took no ordinary skill to use a Trait Skill this smoothly on the first try.
I gathered the five tentacles that had been moving however they pleased in the air, twisted them tightly into one thick cord, and slammed them down toward the arena floor.
THUD!
A dull sound rang out, like a giant punching a sandbag. But the arena floor did not crack, nor was the stone gouged deeply.
Its physical power did not seem all that great.
The one reassuring point was that the pain I felt from the transformed area was muted. The impact had made a fairly loud noise, but only a dull sensation reached me.
It was too early to be disappointed. There was no way a Skill worth 15,000 Performance Score ended at just this. There had to be some other ability hidden within it.
That was my hope, anyway.
In any case, there was not much time left. The Level 15 time limit was now racing toward its end.
I thought I should Clear Level 16 first, then investigate it more closely.
But could I Clear Level 16?
*****
[Entering Level 16.]
[You will advance to the next Level if even one of the following three conditions is met: the Gatekeeper dies, the Gatekeeper receives an out-of-bounds ruling, or the time limit expires.]
[START]
[60:00]
[59:59]
[59:58]
I immediately checked the Status Window of the newly appeared Gatekeeper.
【Iron-Scaled Lizardman】
【Level】: 32
【Performance Score】: 40,000
Level 32? Performance Score 40,000? That’s insane. It had suddenly tripled from the previous Level?
My Performance Score might have been 55,000, but that score likely reflected the potential of the Traits I possessed. The Iron-Scaled Lizardman’s Performance Score, on the other hand, was highly likely to come from pure combat strength.
I pulled my eyes away from the Status Window and watched the Lizardman that had appeared at the edge of the arena.
It was about the same size as an adult human. It seemed to possess a certain level of intelligence, carrying a sword and shield of the kind a human would use.
The creature looked around as though it were a stranger dropped into unfamiliar territory.
Then it suddenly turned its head and stared straight at me.
The Lizardman’s pupils glowed blue and narrowed into thin vertical slits.
At that moment, I knew.
Ah. I’m screwed.
The Iron-Scaled Lizardman moved.
I had only blinked once, but it was already right in front of my nose.
It seemed to pay no attention to the Blood Wolf beside me. Its chilling gaze, lit with blue light, was fixed solely on me.
Dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
The Minotaur was only now climbing back into the arena from out of bounds. The Blood Wolf, blessed with sharper senses, flinched as it reacted to the enemy’s killing intent.
But it was too late.
Before the Blood Wolf could get in front of me, the Lizardman’s raised sword would come crashing down.
Time slowed as though my life were flashing before my eyes.
Come to think of it, the last thing I fought in my previous life was a lizardman too... Goddammit, what kind of joke of fate is this...?
While my thoughts scattered in every direction, all I could do was instinctively raise my left hand.
At the same time, the Lizardman’s sword came down toward the crown of my head, ready to split me in two.
If I was going to die this fast, what the hell did I regress for?!
The moment I screamed that final cry without being able to get it out of my mouth—
CLAAANG!
A deafening crash exploded, loud enough to tear through my eardrums.
And I survived.
I had not indulged in something as childish as squeezing my eyes shut at the last moment, so I saw clearly what had stepped in front of me.
It was a tentacle.
More precisely, it was a tentacle summoned from my left hand.
Strangely enough, it had taken the shape of a shield and blocked the enemy’s sword.
A summon? A little guy?
You would be right to find that strange. But I did not think my word choice was wrong.
Dozens of unidentified eyeballs had sprouted across the inner side of the shield, and they were staring directly at me.
The eyeballs blinked at me.
Then roughly half of them rushed over to the other side.
That made the Iron-Scaled Lizardman recoil in alarm and pull back its sword.
That was right.
I had no idea what it was, but the thing attached to my left hand was terrifying enough to make even an otherworldly monster panic.