To be honest, this life was a bit exciting.
Had he suddenly developed a taste for killing? No. It was because of the difference in level. He understood the joy that big numbers would give him for the first time.
▶ Attack ▷ Use martial arts ▷ Use toolbox
It didn’t matter what he chose. He would win. “Attack” would end it in three seconds, and he’d already done “Use martial arts”, so…
▷ Attack ▷ Use martial arts ▶ Use toolbox
For now, he’d figure out what the Toolbox would do for him.
<You have selected Use toolbox. Instructions will not be repeated.> [Toolbox] <Healing> Confectionery Bar (Bitten) Golden Potion x2 Iron-Blood Poison x1 <Equipment> Short Sword x1 Moon-Scented Dagger x1 <You may choose from Healing items and Equipment.> ▶ Healing ▷ Equipment
Does it only show the things I can use right now? That would mean everything he could see could be helpful right now.
[Equipment] → [Weapons] ▶ Short Sword x1 ▷ Moon-Scented Dagger x1 <You have selected Short Sword.> <Where do you want to equip it?> Location → Right Hand <Continuing.>
“Huh? When…?” The opponent’s expression stiffened.
So this is how it works. The sword had appeared directly in his right hand. This feature would be handy if he ever broke or lost his weapon. Of course, he wasn’t in control of when the System would give him the opportunity.
“Die!” As his poor skills suggested, Seol-Hwi’s opponent rushed in recklessly.
In Seol-Hwi’s eyes, the man was almost too slow. He took him down with a simple stab and plucked the bamboo plaque off the corpse.
“The Toolbox…” Seol-Hwi weighed the benefits of the Toolbox versus being able to rewind to three seconds before the attack. Honestly, it didn’t seem that great in comparison, though the healing could be useful in an emergency. He didn’t think it was reliable, though.
“Well, I’ll figure out a good use for it if I keep trying. No need to use it just because I learned it.”
Seol-Hwi peeked around and carefully moved away.
[Stealth has been activated.] <Note: Internal Energy will be gradually consumed.>
How many people were in the test arena? What treasures lie within, and how many?
What he did know were the two buildings he’d seen in his last life. The bigger the building, the more treasures it had.
There were seven buildings: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. Seol-Hwi opted to go for the purple building. Why? It seemed like it had the most treasure. The purple building had three sections arranged into a U-shape, and all sections were quite tall.
Seol-Hwi quickly leapt over the wall. Fortunately, there was good cover—he had Stealth, but the sugar canes blocking vision were better. He may be stronger than before, but that was all relative. He couldn’t be sure just how strong he was.
First, to the roof, he decided. And… to this side. There was an opening on the other side, but he opted for the other direction. Seol-Hwi leapt over the roof tiles and ducked into a window.
I need to be careful from now on. He cautiously scanned the room. It was large, large enough to comfortably accommodate a dozen people. It had a closet and a few drawers along the walls. Seol-Hwi carefully closed the door and thoroughly searched the room for treasure.
“Tch. Nothing.” He was disappointed, but he knew it would be weird to find a treasure so easily.
Seol-Hwi padded slowly into the hallway.
Huh? Someone’s there? Seol-Hwi ducked into a doorframe. He could feel the energy from a room a little bit away. It wasn’t something he could normally feel; it was probably because of his new technique.
[Stealth Effect] - You can hear faint sounds from the 5th room.
Detecting your opponents was a critical part of effective stealth. This technique turned out to be surprisingly effective at it.
Seol-Hwi decided that he needed to see the opponent. He wouldn’t just blindly attack; he would track them down, discern their abilities, and then find a weakness. Seol-Hwi took full advantage of Stealth to approach, sticking as close to the wall as he could.
He felt the opponent move from the third room, by the stairs, to the second floor. What is he up to?
It was frustrating. The enemy was moving, but Seol-Hwi couldn’t figure out what was happening through the closed door. He didn’t have the confidence to venture in, however.
He got more nervous the longer he waited. It’s dangerous to stay like this… Should I just attack? If he remained in the hallway, exposed, another enemy could come. In the worst-case scenario, that meant dealing with two opponents at once.
Let’s go in. Believe in yourself! Seol-Hwi carefully cracked the door open. The System didn’t show him any weaknesses, just the enemy’s abilities.
[Status] Gu Yeom [Wutian Pavilion Extermination Squad Leader] Body: Normal [Stats] Health: 2,205/2,205 Internal Energy: 1,820/1,820
Seol-Hwi dashed towards him, swinging his sword as hard as he could. The man hastily tried to block and lost his balance.
[Stats] Health: 2,102(↓103)/2,205 Internal Energy: 1,712(↓108)/1,820
The man’s body twisted and collapsed. Seol-Hwi didn’t miss the chance—his sword whistled past his opponent’s chest and smashed into his collarbone.
<A powerful strike!> [Stats] Health: 44(↓2,058)/2,205 Internal Energy: 110(↓1,602)/1,820
Gu Yeom coughed up blood. His eyes lost focus, and it seemed like he lost the will to fight.
Why? Seol-Hwi had successfully beat him down, but he was confused. Why didn’t I get a message about a weakness this time?
It should have, from what he knew. So what was the trigger then? How was he supposed to land the critical hits?
“…kill me,” Gu Yeom croaked. His eyes were hazy and struggled to stay focused.
I see. He didn’t want to fight. There would be no window if the opponent was ready to die already.
I need to finish him off. Seol-Hwi brought his blade up to Gu Yeom’s throat. Then, he saw something in the cabinets the man had been rummaging through.
Wait, why is this here? A confectionery bar. The rest of the cabinet was empty, but it seemed like Gu Yeom had been rummaging through it for some time.
“I’m curious about something.” Seol-Hwi turned back to the man. “Why were you searching here for so long?”
Gu Yeom didn’t answer, but Seol-Hwi couldn’t figure out if he was being stubborn or he just didn’t have the energy to respond.
I need to get this done quickly.
Seol-Hwi hefted his sword again. He swung it down, and<Please select a choice.>
What now? He’d decided to kill the man, but another option was presented.
▶ Kill ▷ Torture
“…Why aren’t you killing me?” Gu Yeom stared up at him with a sudden intensity.
“I’ll get there.”
“What the hell are you on about?”
Based on my experience, torturing seems like the more useful option. Well then.
Seol-Hwi approached and pushed down on the man’s shattered collarbone.
“Ah—Ack!”
The bone cracked loudly. By inducing internal energy into the wound, it would rouse the pain again and twist the bones. It was an excellent torture method.
“Answer me.”
“Answer what?”
“You should know.”
“Crazy bastard…”
I should do it again. Seol-Hwi was worried that the screaming would attract other people, but he knew that the System always offered him choices for a reason.
“Can’t be helped.” Seol-Hwi reached out again.
“…here.”
“What?”
“I have it,” Gu Yeom mumbled through the pain. “Take it.”
[You have obtained a piece of a treasure map. 1/7]
What is this?
He opened the purple parchment, revealing a map with an accompanying manual.
[Treasure Map] ○ Purple building treasure map. Description: All of the treasures in the purple building are shown in detail. 10 total treasures.
This is—! Seol-Hwi’s eyes widened.
“Now kill me.”
“That’s easy.” Seol-Hwi stretched his hands out, thinking he’d send Gu Yeom off painlessly, but
<Please select a choice.>
Seol-Hwi examined his choices and swore.
▶ Kill ▷ Torture
This bastard. He had more secrets?