[The trial will begin in 30 seconds]
There was apparently 30 seconds to go until the damned trial began.
Sigh.
First, I jumped to the rock in the centre.
2 metres.
My body had become somewhat abnormal thanks to the modification from the stats and skills. Making a 2m jump while standing still was an easy feat.
But still, the fact that one slip would result in my death from the lava made my heart quiver a little.
Phew, I managed to land on the centre rock with my right foot.
Of course my heart was in a state of great disturbance.
Among the rocks which were positioned in a 3x3 formation, I stood in the centre and remembered the position of the other rocks without mistake.
And,
Ping!
An arrow flew without warning.
Huak.
Bending my knee, I barely dodged the arrow that was coming towards my face.
So, I can't just dodge the arrows as easily as I thought.
Ping!
There were some arrows thatmade loud noises.
These arrows usually fly much faster, and on impact, would be more lethal.
I had to dodge these arrows.
If I block it with my shield, I'll fly backward from the impact.
Tik.
But I can't dodge all the arrows.
I couldn't maintain a proper stance while trying to dodge the arrows at the same time..
With no other choice left, I raised my shield and deflected the incoming arrow with the edge of my shield.
It's a very difficult technique for a novice who has never had proper training, and using it made me sweat on my back every time.
I managed to get a shield skill from deflecting some of the arrows while evading all the others.
[Basic Shield Skill Lv.2]
Whad'ya know, its level 2 already.
All this time I thought it was the action and how much the action is performed that was basis of skill formation.
But within an extremely stressful situation, the shield skill grew rapidly in such a short time.
And I'm surviving thanks to that.
There was no end to the arrows..
Rather than dodging or blocking them, I jumped backward.
A backspin.
I flew without even looking back, but I was quite confident of myself.
Confident that I wouldn't slip on the landing.
I figured out something since the boss room trial began.
Heightened senses not only improved sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing, but also it also included all the other senses that a human may have.
If my sense of balance wasn't enhanced from the multiple tries of the rope trap before, I would have fallen in the lava a long time ago.
And if I didn't have the bonus from the Heightened Senses skill which improved not just the 5 senses, but also balance, direction and body control, I would be swimming in the lava.
I landed perfectly on the rock 2m behind me.
I twisted my waist to dodge the arrow that was fired when I landed.
My balance was shaken, but I managed to recover by swinging my arms.
Hiss
Damn it!
My clothes was caught on fire.
I don't even remember when it happened.
Anyway it didnt matter anymore, the moment it touched the lava it was set ablaze..
Ping, ping, ping.
Did they know that I was on fire?
The number of oncoming arrows suddenly increased.
I wanted to cut the clothes, or rub it or do anything to get the fire under control, but with these arrows, I didn't have a chance to.
As I dodged the arrows forcefully, the flames on my clothing became larger and larger.
"Uaaaah! FU! CK!"
I moved to the rock on the right as I screamed.
I had to continuously move to dodge them.
Meanwhile, the flames continued to grow and was already burning my torso.
Nothing could top the execruciating pain from being burned alive in this hell of arrows.
I was desperate to lose conciousness.
But the moment I lose my focus, I'd fall into the lava and perish.
[You have received Pain Resistance Lv.9]
TLN: For all the tolerance skills, changed from Tolerance -> Resistance.
[You have received Burn Resistance Lv.1]
I've thought to myself multiple times, but these resistance skills are useless.
These resistance skills improved the body and the mind's tolerance, but not lessen the pain.
The fire was now spread around my entire shirt.
I couldn't think straight as the smoke began to sting my eyes and nose.
My mind fell into misery from the sudden encroaching of death.
As I leapt toward the rock in front of me, I ripped the shirt with my strength.
And because of that, I lost my balance from the landing, and an arrow pierced my right arm as I tried to regain my balance.
It's alright.
They said the trap will continue for 5 minutes.
I only got hit once at this point in time.
Ting-
I deflected another arrow.
And there is also a bad news.
My ankle caught fire.
The damn lava made anything that got close to it, even without direct contact, catch fire.
Damn it, there's no way I could take my pants off amidst the barrage of arrows. It was impossible.
My only choice was to continue while withstanding the pain from the burns.
Man, how much time had past?
But the traps didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon.
The entire world seemed to move slow.
Even the bubbles forming on the lava.
As the world began to slow down in my mind, my vision became wider.
Was it similar to how professional sports players felt when they were extremely focused.
Or was it similar to the vision of death where you see your past flash before your eyes.
Only after a few minutes of the trap and I was already on death's doorstep from each passing moment.
A flying arrow.
Calmly, with no hesitation, I deflect ited with my shield.
I managed to redirect all force the arrow had in it.
Now I looked for the next one.
It was coming straight inbetween my eyes.
Large movements were dangerous.
I bent my neck and shoulder with as minimal movement as possible.
My lower body hardly moved.
I was confident that I would dodge that arrow.
I watched the arrow fly past me as I tilted my head.
I could see everything clearly in this slow world.
If it was a baseball instead of an arrow, I felt like I could see all the individual strings on it.
Once the arrow finally flew past the side of my head, I looked for the next arrow.
There were no more.
The pain was still there, but the flames on my pants were gone.
The wall opposite to where I came from crumbled, making a path.
This really was a bridge huh.
Jumping across the few rocks, I headed towards the path.
[Congratualtions. You have cleared the Tuturial, Hell difficulty, Floor 1.]
[All status effects and injuries are healed.]
[You have received 1000 points for clearing the floor.]
[You have received 1000 points for being the first to clear the floor.]
[There is a god that has taken interest in you. You have received 500 points.]
[You will receive additional reward proportional to your play record.]
[You have received Wind Spirit's Protection Lv.1]
[Please continue.]
My entire body shone with light and all injuries were healed, as if I had leveled up.
I'v done it.
At the same time, multiple messages appeared before my eyes.
If I were to continue, I had to go through this path.
Before pressing on, I should check first.
Status Window.
[Lee Ho Jae (Human)]
Lv.6
Strength: 12
Endurance: 16
Mana: 22
Skills: Battle Concentration Lv.7, Willpower Lv.3, Awakening Lv.1, Night Vision Lv.2, Light Radius/Eye Lights Lv.1, Sprint Lv.1, Heightened Senses Lv.3, Basic Swordsmanship Lv.1, Cut Lv.1, Basic Shield Skill Lv.2, Wind Spirit's Protection Lv.1, Pain Resistance Lv.9, Bleed resistance Lv.4, Stun Resistance Lv.1, Piercing Resistance Lv.1, Burn Resistance Lv.1
Extra: God of Adventure has taken an interest in you.
Shouldn't you atleast be given one for effort.
The new skills I received were Shield Skill and Burn Resistance.
Furthermore, Pain Resistance leveled up.
And the reward for clearing Floor 1, Wind Spirit's Protection.
From what I've seen in Community, most additional prizes were potions, consumable scrolls or items such as accessories.
As it stated, the reward was proportional to the play record. It seemed all the bullshit that I've went through weren't for nothing afterall.
Description: A newly born Wind Spirit's protection is with you.
Dexterity +10
Althoughthe skill's effect was just an increase of Dexterity by 10, it was still an incredible help.
Considering that stat rewards for level ups ranged from 1 to 4, an increase of 10 was quite significant.
I closed the window, and continued down the dark path.
As my body began to relax from all the stress, my limbs were being dragged as if I were exhausted, even when I should have been fully healed.
A message appeared and I quietly replied, enter.
After a moment's feeling like I was afloat, I arrived on green plains.
What was this?
It looked like The Hobbit Village from Lord of the Rings.
And on the very plains was a girl in a white onepiece dress, crouching.
The girl was...
"A rabbit?"