Free Web NovelChapter 13: Liquid Mountain
Slave 135 stared at the status window.
The errors were finally over, and it had finally settled.
"No more ding-dong bullshit at last." He scratched his aching head.
Though something new came to exist, he started wondering...
’What exactly is that?’ He doesn’t have prior knowledge of tower system but this didn’t need a scholar to realize something was going more wrong with every passing message.
[System Notice]
Due to a major error in the method used to complete the First Tower Trial, the Tower has detected a deep taint of [Death Echo] on the user.
[Restriction Applied]
The user cannot receive standard ascension rewards.
The user cannot access ascension-exclusive system functions.
[System Conflict]
User entry is not recorded within the Tower.
Assigned rewards cannot be processed.
[Evaluation Result]
User has achieved the impossible on the First Floor Trial.
[Processing...]
Calculating Causality...
Calculating Potential...
Calculating Destiny...
Calculating...
And that was everything he could see.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he an ascender or not?
Leaving out the obvious things he still lacked at this point, like how big the Tower was or what ascenders even did, none of this made sense.
He had a resilient mind, and even that was unable to keep up with the changes he had been seeing.
Dying, then not dying.An eyeball hater.A swarm of enemies.
The more he thought about everything, the more he wanted to just stare at the blue screen aimlessly.
The screen updated at the bottom.
[Total Monsters Killed]
Lesser Swamp Goblins: 800
Lesser Swamp Wolves: 600
Greater Swamp Goblins: 400
Greater Swamp Wolves: 250
Blood Sprout Saplings: 6
Kill Count: 2056
Time Spent: 43 days
After a moment, like a rapid calculation, the numbers disappeared again.
43 days.
’Over a month of dying and dying only not to die,’ he lamented inwardly.
Sigh.
After a while, the screen updated again.
[Compensation Notice]
Ascender will receive compensation befitting the effort of passing the trial.
[Directive]
Ascender must continuously increase the rank of destiny by climbing higher.
[Processing]
Please wait while compensation is calculated...
Unimpressed, Slave 135 dismissed this as nonsense.
For someone who didn’t know anything about what was happening, this was meaningless.
"Uggh, I just want to leave this cursed place."
He was getting restless after waiting for so long, only to be assaulted by system notifications, only for the system to get confused, only for his stay to be prolonged.
The smell was also crippling after cutting those trees.
He started walking away from the place, seeking somewhere where the smell was less severe.
There, he let his butt get muddy again, sitting down, closing his eyes, enjoying this moment of peace.
Ding!
But before he could, another notification sounded.
It was different tone from the one he kept hearing.
He inwardly hoped it was the end of his stay in this place.
So he opened his eyes.
But what he found was not what he expected.
The blue window was still where it was, calculating whatever it was calculating.
Instead, a crimson window appeared.
The text was cleaner. Sharper. Less distorted.
[Congratulations]
You have passed the trial. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
You have found your instincts.
You have reclaimed your name.
You have maintained your sanity.
Your mental resilience is commendable.
All rewards will be sponsored through ??? System.
[Reminder]
Always choose the lesser evil.
Unless fate allows you to stumble upon a right choice.
’What’s with this reclaiming your name bullshit now... I still only have my slave number...’
It was the third time he heard it.
First, the man in the bright space. Then the blue system. And now this.
For some reason, he could tell that this crimson window was related to the warrior from the memory fragment.
But again, he had no choice.... He could only observe and wait.
[Reward(s) Incoming]
Something dropped from the screen.
Thud.
Startled, Slave 135 jumped back.
[Item(s) Received]
Normal Clothing Set
[Properties]
Can hide Death energy
Can Self-Repair
Can Auto-Clean
[Content]
Brown long-sleeve shirt
Pair of blue pants
Pair of white socks
Pair of black underwear
Pair of black shoes
Slave 135 examined them and wanted to put them on.
But... freewёbnoνel.com
He looked down at himself.
Too dirty... Way too dirty even by his slave standards.
He looked back at the screen.
At the very bottom, another line appeared.
[Note]
Do not run around naked. You might catch a cold.
"Catch a cold?" He asked outload.
He ignored the comment and fixed his eyes on a certain line.
It said it could hide Death Energy.
The other system said he had Death Echo.
Were they the same?
He wasn’t sure, but no matter, considering the rags he had on, he had to put on some clothes.
He looked around. He had nothing on him but rags.
Still, he decided to put the clothes on first and think later.
Thud~
Something fell, he hastily jumped back again.
A familiar shape of a blade fell from the crimson screen.
The was inside a leather sheath, but the shape was sticking.
It looked too familiar.
So familiar that he questioned his own eyes.
He looked back at the screen.
He demanded answers.
[Item(s) Received]
Liquid Mountain
[Type]
Kukri Sword
[Description]
The sole surviving weapon of the [Golden Plains] battle.
[Abilities]
-???
-???
-???
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Disbelief washed over him, and his hands began to shake.
He let go of his cuffs and stepped forward slowly, as if he was walking inside a dream, as if dream and reality had already become one. As if everything he had seen was real. As real as he was finally as real as the thing standing before him.
All that was left was to touch it.
He extended his trembling hands, his breath came ragged. The moment his fingers touched the cold blade, familiarity struck him.
He didn’t hesitate.
His fingers wrapped around it tightly.
It was the same, it felt the same.
Even though his hands were more calloused, even though his fingers were shorter...
It was the same blade.
That cold feeling, that weight.
This was real, and in this new reality he finally found a new anchor.
He unsheathed it without hesitation, the blade felt heavier than he remembered.
It was a very special looking blade unlike everything he had seen, the cutting edge was on the inner curve making it feel and look more violent than a regular blade. The weight was at the upper third of the blade, which made the blade feel eager to chop.
His eyes were not just yet satisficed, he studied every line.
The wide last third smoothly going into a sharp tip, the thin waist near the handle, and the cold black and gold perfectly round handle.
The only difference was a small mountain-like emblem at the base of the blade, and another at the bottom of the handle.
But it was still the same weapon.
The weapon that survived the battle. The one and only.
A flood of feelings, both his one and some not his, overtook his mind.
"Ha."
He swung it again.
"Ha... Ha..."
His laughter echoed through the empty trial grounds.
Against all odds, he allowed joy to exist within this gruesome place.
Not to mention, it was not the last of his rewards.
