The White Hatchling Breath inflicts ice-type damage.
“What—what's going on?”
“That person suddenly…”
After a burst of cold swept through, the black lion, which had been defenseless against the dragon’s breath, erged frozen solid in pure white.
The Earthlings stared at , their faces a mix of surprise and disbelief.
“Ryu-in. Error Player!”
They called my na in broken Korean.
Perhaps because there were no Koreans around, it took them a mont to recognize .
“Error Player?”
“The one who uses breath. The powerful Korean!”
“He survived…!”
The Earthlings who grasped the situation let out a sigh of relief.
It was a face that had found a glimr of hope.
“Is he dead?”
“I’m not sure. I know the breath is strong, but is it enough to kill that lion in one shot...?”
With the frozen lion standing like an ice statue at the center, they kept their distance.
No one dared to approach and check it out.
Although it was frozen, its fearso appearance remained unchanged.
What if I accidentally break it...?
They might be thinking sothing along those lines.
Even though they had summoned their courage to defeat the lion, their fear hadn’t completely vanished.
“......”
All eyes turned to .
I could feel their quiet expectations.
It wasn’t particularly pleasant to feel like they were passing the responsibility onto , but I tried to be generous.
After all, the black lion was dead.
Better than being disregarded entirely.
Compared to the audience watching from above, whose expectant gazes were filled with cruel anticipation for the brutal show, this was a relief.
I approached the black lion.
I didn’t forget to activate Cheolpo Samgong in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.
With the boosted durability from Cheolpo Samgong and the regeneration of the D-Rank skill, I was confident that I wouldn’t die even if the lion bit .
The noise from the audience died down.
Those who had been shouting excitedly now fell silent and watched closely.
As I got closer, cracks began to form in the ice statue.
Crrr—. Crrr—.
The small fissures spread across its body and soon, the ice shattered.
[You absorb the soul of the Giant Black Rager.]
[Agility increased by 0.03.]
The Tower’s ssage confird the kill.
The audience erupted into cheers, almost in sync, though they were a beat late to react.
It was as if the roar had been delayed in reaching them.
“Hey! Did you really kill it?!”
“Is this possible? How can an Earthling kill a Giant Black Rager?”
“Do you think we see only a few special ones in the Tower of Struggle? You idiot!”
Watching the arena filled with madness sent chills down my spine.
Indeed. I expected them to all be dead.
It seed they had intended to throw all the Earthlings to the lion as prey.
They were treated like re crickets, not even worthy of a second thought.
I clenched my fist tightly.
If I could send one of the audience mbers down, I was confident I could beat them to death with my bare hands.
I was that furious.
“It seems there was an issue with the summoning process.”
The administrator began to speak.
It seed he viewed not as an Earthling but as sothing more—like a dragon.
“Summon! Bring in the other Earthlings!”
“Don’t tell this is how it ends?”
“I paid a lot to be here! Show sothing worthwhile!”
The crowd shouted.
Thousands of voices were raised, making it hard to discern what anyone was saying.
“You all know that it’s not easy to go twice, right? I’m sorry it ended up like this.”
There wouldn’t be a second chance.
The administrator vaguely apologized while trying to manage the situation.
Manage might be too strong a word.
It was more like a forceful suppression.
He abused his power, treating the voices of the crowd as re noise to be drowned out.
Both the audience and the administrator.
To the Earthlings, they were just as detestable.
My teeth ground together in anger.
“Earthlings, thank you for your hard work.”
At the administrator’s words, a new ssage appeared.
It was a reward.
[Second Floor: Survive.]
You succeeded in surviving the onslaught of malevolence.
Bonus for defeating the Elite Monster, Giant Black Rager: Stat 3.
Three points.
A ager reward that felt bitter, especially considering the mocking cost I had paid.
Even receiving a reward didn’t lift my spirits.
What could I possibly do about it?
Should I take it up with the administrator?
He must be an ascender, after all.
What difference would protesting to him make?
I looked around the arena.
I could see countless spectators.
Whether it was the administrator directly involved or the passive observers enjoying the spectacle, they were all accomplices in this.
But I couldn’t do anything.
The weak had no rights.
Once again, I deeply felt the harsh reality of this damned tower.
“I got three points.”
“…I’m just glad everyone is okay.”
Unlike , the Earthlings were celebrating.
Their joy at surviving, the elation, and the life-giving reward dulled their senses.
Perhaps they had adapted to this situation.
They had been facing this unreasonable pattern since the first floor.
Though it had only been a week,
a week where life hung in the balance was not a short ti at all.
It was enough ti for one’s values to change dramatically.
“If you think of it as gaining experience earlier than others, it’ll be easier to bear.”
“......”
“Welco, new players.”
As the administrator’s voice faded, a blue light enveloped my body.
It wasn’t just .
All the Earthlings were transported to another location.
High school.
mories flooded back from when I had narrowly avoided a car accident.
I had dozens of steel pins inserted.
My knees were wrecked, and I could no longer play sports.
“Ryu-in. It’s okay if you can’t do Taekwondo. It won’t affect your life.”
The master had said that, but I couldn’t accept it at the ti.
My sense of injustice outweighed my pain.
Everything I had taken for granted.
The future I had worked so hard for had vanished in an instant.
No one could simply brush that off.
Why did this happen to ?
If there was a God, I wanted to confront them right now.
—Even if you make such choices, it only harms you. Your life is the only one that ends.
—......
—Those who laugh at your misfortune don’t care whether you live or die. They’ll go on living without a care in the world.
Looking back now, the words I heard that day on the rooftop were not from soone comforting .
The master had spoken with an angry voice, far from comforting.
—You crazy bastard. You’re going to die up there?
He had gently urged down.
He took a gamble, knowing that I might leap off the edge, understanding my personality better than my own parents.
“......”
Because of that, I lived.
Before the accident, I pretended to be friendly with everyone, but the mont I had to quit sports, I didn’t want to do anything nice for those who mocked .
I gritted my teeth and climbed down from the rooftop.
—You crazy bastard. What are you doing up there? Are you out of your mind?
It was a secret that I got slapped for coming down.
“......”
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an opulent room.
Amidst the luxury items on display stood a boy confidently.
“Welco.”
It was the sa voice as the administrator I had heard earlier.
“I am Daimus, the administrator of the First Colosseum on the second floor.”
“I’m the Error Player.”
I acted as much like a White Dragon as I could.
Maybe it was thanks to my experience from the first floor, but my voice trembled less.
“Error Player. What an unusual na. Please, have a seat.”
“......”
I made sure to roll my eyes cautiously.
I worried that my discomfort might show.
Fortunately, Daimus didn’t seem to catch on.
“I feel nothing but remorse for the Error Player. I never expected such a mistake during the summoning process.”
“…Mistake?”
“Yes, it was a mistake.”
Daimus explained.
“The match that the Error Player participated in was an event match. It was an event for watching the struggle between the beasts raised in the Colosseum and the Earthlings.”
“......”
“But since an Error Player was summoned instead of an Earthling, what else could it be but a mistake?”
Daimus wore a smile that seed congenial.
I sowhat knew this, but hearing it directly made it even more frustrating.
I didn’t show it on my face.
A dragon expressing emotions about the affairs of Earthlings didn’t seem credible.
“So?”
“…Yes?”
I surveyed Daimus’s deanor.
While my gaze was slow, my mind was racing.
Let’s say Blinky acted friendly because we’re both dragons.
Jo Seohui had pushed forward, thinking of as an Earthling.
Then why this guy?
Why had I been summoned here separately from the other Earthlings?
There’s a purpose.
That purpose was likely connected to the racial settings concocted by the Book of Illusions.
So, I decided to take a bold stance.
“You should have sothing to say, right?”
“...Huh?”
I examined Daimus closely.
With my slow eye movents contrasted against my busy thoughts, I kept my composure.
The summoning process had gone wrong, right?
He had shown a different perspective on the ga.
I had been dragged into this situation under the guise of being the Error Player.
Sothing is up.
There must be a reason why it wouldn’t do to treat dragons carelessly.
I didn’t know what it was, but—
Daimus lowered his head, looking more troubled than before.
“…I’m sorry.”
I received an apology.
But I didn’t feel happy about it at all.
Was it the bowing that bothered ?
No.
The bigger question arose, complicating my feelings.
What’s with the apology? Why is he apologizing as an administrator?
Reviews
All reviews (0)