The elation of having become a Challenger faded quickly.
'First... I need to figure out what this is.'
A translucent image flickered before my eyes.
Without realizing it, I waved my hand and selected a person-shaped icon.
'Hmm?'
It was a skeleton. I quickly noticed which skeleton it was.
I was standing there in a stiff posture.
Then again, since I was originally a skeleton, of course I was stiff.
'Is this me....?'
It was my first time properly seeing my own appearance. When I moved my hand, the figure rotated this way and that following my hand gestures.
There were many letters next to me. Since they were the letters I had seen earlier, I didn't pay them much mind.
However, there was one thing that had changed.
[Lv1 (0%)]
'Why...?'
Why had my level become 1?
Just why on earth?
I had tirelessly played dead to raise my level—did that mean it had all been for nothing?
'No way....'
I calmed my mind.
Among the intruders—no, Challengers—I had seen so far, there had been strong ones and weak ones.
Did that mean all of them were Level 1?
'Maybe... it's because I used to be a monster?'
I was confused. In that space of light, my level had definitely been 3.
Clack, clack—
My jaw shook.
I couldn't dwell on questions I couldn't answer right now. I didn't want to waste time.
More importantly, there was much more I needed to learn.
[Status]
Those were the letters written at the very top. It seemed this was called Status.
As I stayed still, my figure soon disappeared. Next was a book-shaped icon.
[Skill List]
That was the title. Explanations for Play Dead and Swordsmanship were displayed.
'So it shows my skills.'
Beneath Status, there was also an icon with several people, but touching it produced no particular reaction. It didn't seem to have anything to do with me right now.
'Is there anything else that's changed?'
I had finished understanding the unfamiliar icons. Were there any other changes?
WHOOSH—
I swung the sword I was holding around here and there.
Holding a sword still felt unfamiliar. In fact, holding a bone might have been more comfortable.
'Let's go for now.'
I hadn't gone through all that hardship just to stand around blankly in here. I looked around the room.
There were two doors, split between both sides.
'Which way should I go....?'
It didn't matter which way I went. Now that my level had become 1, I intended to steadily raise my level.
I headed to the right.
I passed through the familiar door and passage.
THUD— THUD—
As I entered the room, the familiar sound reached my ears. However, my feelings were completely different.
'Did I really become a Challenger...!'
It was a clear change.
"I want to eat...."
"My stomach's hungry...."
The voices reaching my ears definitely belonged to Slimes. When I turned my gaze, I saw the bastards slowly crawling around on the floor.
'Are they my first opponents?'
I gripped my sword tightly. The bastards didn't think of me as a comrade.
Dealing with monsters was the job of a Challenger.
I looked at the core inside the sloshing mucus.
'They definitely said you have to deal with the core.'
Recalling what the previous intruders had said, I swung my sword.
SIZZLE—
Mucus splashed off. At the same time, smoke rose from the sword.
"Oh no...."
Holding the sword, I hurriedly stepped back. I had failed to hit the Slime's core, and the blade seemed to have been damaged.
'Still, it was already a damaged sword to begin with.'
I turned my head. It reabsorbed the mucus that had splashed off.
'I'll be in trouble if I don't finish it off in one go.'
It was a tricky bastard. Thankfully, because its movements were slow, I wasn't attacked.
Circling around the bastard, I watched its core.
The problem was that the bastard's core moved around inside its body along with it.
'Hitting it blindly will only damage my sword anyway....'
Circling the room like that, I observed the bastard. As I watched, I was able to figure out its pattern.
The core moved left, right, up, and down four times before returning to the center. What I had to aim for was none other than the center.
'One, two.'
Matching my walking pace, I timed the bastard's movements.
One, two. One, two.
SWISH—
I brought the sword down quickly. Piercing through the mucus, the sword dropped.
CRUNCH—
A hard sensation transmitted to my fingertips. Unlike the rest of it, the core was solid.
Cracks formed across the core, and it began to melt away into mush. The Slime soon lost its viscosity and became a puddle of water.
"That did it."
Only the first time was hard; once you got used to it, it was easy. I easily dealt with the other Slime as well.
[Combat EXP acquired.]
[Lv1 (30%)]
THUD— THUD—
As the iron bars went up, letters appeared.
15% per Slime, huh. As expected, it was on a different scale from the EXP obtained by killing a Challenger.
'So Combat EXP really can only be obtained by clearing out all the monsters in a room....'
I looked around in case there was a key, but there was no way I could obtain one that easily.
I proceeded to the next room.
"Oh...."
A chest room.
Unfortunately, it was brown.
'Let's remember it for now....'
In my head, I drew my own map. Based on the starting room, to the right, and then to the right again was the chest room.
'It'd be nice if I had a map too....'
I coveted the map Feirin had used.
'She said you have to get to the tenth floor....'
How many floors did this tower have in total?
I thought about it as I went to the next room.
Rattle—
That wasn't a sound that came from me.
Three Skeleton Soldiers looked back at me.
"It's an intruder!"
'Not Big Guy and Beanpole, huh....'
They were different.
They were Skeleton Soldiers with nothing special and no individuality. Bastards that looked identical, as if made from the exact same bones.
There was nothing in their hands. They charged blindly toward me.
Couldn't they at least think of picking up a bone?
'I'll use you as my stepping stones.'
What would the EXP from Skeleton Soldiers be like? Hoping it would be better than Slimes, I gripped my sword tightly.
I brought my sword down toward the head of the bastard that had come closest. It didn't even think of dodging.
CRACK—
A crack formed in its skull, and it pitched forward. I swung my sword toward the waist of the bastard approaching right behind it.
CRUMBLE—
Its upper and lower halves separated and fell to the floor.
The last bastard tripped over them and pitched forward. I twisted my waist.
'The head.'
I swung my sword with all my might.
CRACK—!
The Skeleton Soldier's skull was torn right off its neck and flew toward the wall.
I easily finished cleaning them up.
The EXP was 20% each. As expected, it was better than Slimes.
Unfortunately, I failed to level up and stopped at 90%. It would have been nice if there had been just one more bastard.
'Hmm? This is....'
I looked at the letters beneath my EXP and level.
[Congratulations. Skill level increased.]
[Skill – Swordsmanship (Lv2)]
'Mhm....'
A level going up was a good thing. Because it meant my caliber rose by that much.
As I read the letters, a single question came to mind.
'Is there a limit to the level?'
Did skill levels go up without limit?
The question soon faded. Because I had no way of checking right now anyway.
I passed the scattered bones. It was another fork in the road. For now, I decided to go straight.
'If a dead-end room comes up, let's turn back.'
I had to find the stairs anyway. And before going up, it was better to raise my level as much as possible.
Among the Challengers I had seen before, searching every room suited me better than climbing the stairs right away.
Because I wasn't that strong yet.
'There's nothing here?'
The next room was an empty room. Wondering if there might be something different, I examined it meticulously, but there was nothing.
It seemed not every room had monsters, chests, or a key.
'A wasted trip....'
Since it was also a dead-end room, I turned back and headed to another room.
And that room was a room familiar to me. No, to be precise, the monsters in the room were familiar.
"Intruder!"
Big Guy and Beanpole glared at me.
Could they perhaps remember me?
"Wait...."
I opened my mouth, but they charged straight toward me.
'Then again....'
In the first place, if monsters recognized what I was, attacking me would be strange.
Because I was a Skeleton Soldier. Attacking a fellow Skeleton Soldier right away was a strange thing to do.
Though I had attacked them out of necessity.
'In the end, that means race isn't what's important.'
Was what mattered whether you were inside the tower to begin with, or whether you came in from the outside?
There was no way to know. If they thought of me as an enemy, I had to act accordingly.
Just because they were Big Guy and Beanpole didn't make them any different from other Skeleton Soldiers.
In fact, perhaps thanks to my Swordsmanship level going up, it was even easier.
The battle ended anticlimactically.
'Hmm....'
They had fulfilled their roles.
Looking at the bones scattered across the cold floor, I turned my head.
I saw the grave where I had awakened.
'Could there....'
Could there be a Skeleton Soldier that had awakened like me?
What if it was playing dead just like I had?
I slowly turned my body. When I could check the answer to my question right here, I had no intention of just passing by.
I gripped my sword firmly.
Since it would be trouble if I were ambushed, I prepared to attack right away.
CRUNCH—
I drove my sword into the grave.
Rattle—
Bones scattered and fell.
'Guess not....'
[Combat EXP acquired.]
[Congratulations. Level increased.]
[Lv2 (30%)]
The EXP acquired was 40%, too. The EXP given by two Skeleton Soldiers, Big Guy and Beanpole.
It seemed there was no bastard replacing me after all.
That was a great comfort to me.
Because it also meant I was a one-of-a-kind Skeleton Soldier.
My level had gone up, but there wasn't any big change. It had been like that when I was a monster, too.
'Is it because my level's low...?'
There was still too much I didn't know. When you couldn't figure something out, it was best to move your body.
There were still rooms left to go around to.
***
I entered three more rooms.
I eliminated two more Slimes and two more Skeleton Soldiers.
Unfortunately, I failed to reach Level 3 and stopped at 90% EXP. It seemed the EXP gained decreased as my level went up.
'If there's a chest, shouldn't there be a key...?'
There was no key.
Based on my previous experiences, chests and keys came as a pair. Although there were cases where there were more chests, at least one key had always existed.
'Did I miss it?'
Could I have failed to see it in one of the rooms I had passed through?
Clack, clack—
My jaw shook.
There were still rooms left. Even if I found the stairs first and turned back, it wouldn't be too late.
"This place is...."
"Welcome."
A voice welcoming me.
As I stepped inside, the skeleton carrying a bundle untied his bundle.
"Great Merchant."
"That is correct. Is there an item you need?"
The Great Merchant didn't seem to recognize me.
"Do you not remember me?"
At my words, he raised his head and looked at me.
Clack, clack—
Shaking his jaw, he shook his head.
"Good customers remain in my memory, however. It seems you are not one of them."
A good customer.
Did you have to buy an item to remain in his memory?
I turned my gaze to the items he had spread out.
I saw the leather armor the bald man had bought before, and leather boots that looked like part of a matching set with that armor. And the last thing there was.
'Isn't that a key?'
A key floating slightly above the bundle. It was definitely a key for opening a chest.
The prices were '25G', '20G', and '35G' respectively.
'Wait... did I have Gold?'
While hunting monsters, I had never seen anything called Gold. In other words, wasn't I flat broke?
Still, I wanted to at least take a look at what kind of items they were.
[Great Merchant's Bundle Shop]
[Smelly Rat-Hide Armor (25G) / Smelly Rat-Hide Boots (20G) / Key (35G)]
[Current Gold Held – 40G]
'I have 40 Gold?'
When the letters appeared, I looked down at my body. However, the only thing I was holding was a single sword.
"That sword is far too old. It is a shame, but it does not look worth buying."
It seemed the Great Merchant thought I was trying to sell my sword.
I had no intention of selling it, but was it really that worthless?
'For now....'
I examined the items closely. It said they smelled, but I had no nose.
The leather was rough. Could this block attacks?
"May I try stabbing it?"
"If you are going to buy it, I do not mind."
So that was a no after all.
Because I was a skeleton, I didn't get tired easily. What need would I have for the likes of shoes?
'Unless they were sturdy enough to block that trap.'
Could they block the iron spikes shooting up from the floor? Naturally, that was impossible. In the end, what I would buy was the key.
'Hmm....'
Even though I didn't know where the Gold was on me, since it said I had it, I grabbed the key.
[Purchase the selected item?]
Yes.
I pulled the key toward me.
"Thank you. That will be 35 Gold."
A pouch was held in the Great Merchant's hand. I had no memory of handing it over, but that seemed to be enough.
Since the deal was concluded for now, I turned my body.
"Please visit anytime."
Receiving the Great Merchant's farewell, I left the room.
Retracing my steps through the rooms, I arrived at the chest room.
CLICK—
When I used the key, I heard the sound of the chest opening.