*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The ground shook violently.

The three-meter-tall Orc was charging at Ha Gangwoo with full force.

Ha Gangwoo stood still, both feet planted on the ground, watching the Orc.

*Fast.*

His Agility stat was a whopping 33. Three times higher than the average Player, and yet the enemy in front of him felt impossibly quick.

He swallowed dryly, the motion automatic.

The Orc’s momentum was so threatening it felt like a dump truck was barreling toward him.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Before he knew it, the Orc was right in front of him, leading with its massive body in a shoulder tackle.

Ha Gangwoo’s pupils contracted. Time flowed the same, but his heightened Sense stretched this moment, slowing it down.

*What if I take the hit? Can I withstand it?*

Curiosity flared for a second, but he wasn’t foolish enough to indulge it.

With a smooth pivot—

Ha Gangwoo turned his body lightly, letting the Orc rush past him. A simple straight-line charge—easy to dodge once he read the timing.

*Crash!!*

The Orc, unable to stop its own momentum, slammed into the crystal wall. The ground shook wildly.

*Crack!* The seemingly solid crystal wall shattered into pieces.

*No joke.*

If he’d taken that head-on, he wouldn’t have survived. Instinct told him that much.

He’d entered with stats equivalent to level 25, yet the Orc’s presence was on another level. Far beyond what a mere level 1 Player could handle.

The corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth curled up.

*This isn’t a monster meant to be killed.*

He’d grasped the Quest’s intent.

[4:55]

The timer ticked down by the second right in front of him.

[Antero’s Final Trial.]

Description: This is Antero’s final trial. Fight the monster before you for five minutes!!!

(Rank calculation: accumulated Damage + survival time)

Reward: ???

And the newly appeared Quest’s content.

It wasn’t about killing monsters at all—it was about holding out and scoring points.

Krrrrr—

The Orc staggers, the impact against the cave wall clearly having dazed it.

Ha Gangwoo resettles his stance and clenches his fists.

*Squeak*—the leather glove makes a satisfying sound.

*Top rank. I’m taking it.*

Gangwoo made his decision.

With Agility pushing nearly 30, he could easily run out the five minutes. But that wasn’t enough.

He *needed* a good rank—no matter what.

Unlike others, Gangwoo had zero knowledge about the Tower. All he had were slightly superior Stats, which made the payoff backing those Stats all the more desperate.

*Accumulated Damage, huh.*

According to the scoring, there were two ways to raise his rank: survive five minutes, or pile on Damage.

So there was only one way.

Beat the hell out of that Orc.

*Kwaaaaah!!!*

The Orc came to its senses, let out a savage roar, and fixed its glare on Gangwoo. The sound was so loud it rattled his skull.

Gangwoo snatched up a shard of the crystal cave the Orc had smashed.

*It’s just an animal, anyway.*

The Orc’s intelligence didn’t seem high. A monster on the level of a beast. Which meant a simple strategy would work.

Gangwoo hurled the crystal with all his might.

*Whrr—* the crystal split the air, then *Crack!* smacked the Orc square in the face.

The Orc swayed. It was working.

*Should’ve invested in Strength.*

A thin smile curled at the corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth.

His Strength was a meager 31. But the *force* of that hit—the sound alone was no joke.

*—Kwaaaaah!*

The Orc bellowed, blood streaming from its head.

Then it charged straight for Gangwoo.

Faster than the first attack, and just as threatening. But it was still just as simple.

Gangwoo spread his Senses wide, locking the Orc in his focus.

*It works.*

That single throw had confirmed it: his attacks could hurt this thing. So then—his best shot.

One all-in blow—could it take the Orc down?

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

With every step the Orc took, the ground shook.

Gangwoo spread his legs wide and dropped into a low stance.

*Still simple-minded.*

The only difference was speed. So he just had to match his timing to its pace!!

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The Orc charged straight for Gangwoo’s body.

*Pat—* Gangwoo drove his foot into the ground with everything he had.

*Grrooooom—* The Orc swept past the spot where Gangwoo had stood at terrifying speed.

*Got it.*

Ha Gangwoo stepped aside from the Orc’s charge with deliberate ease. Then.

Crack!!!!!

The Orc, unable to check its own momentum, slammed into the crystal wall. It hit so hard the cavern shuddered, ceiling to floor, in a violent tremor.

Ha Gangwoo dropped low, watching. The Orc shook its head, dazed, still not tracking.

‘Go.’

Everything was going according to plan. Now—the best window to strike!!

Ha Gangwoo pushed off with everything he had.

Fwoosh—just a single step, yet his speed bordered on the impossible.

Ssshhh—Ha Gangwoo skimmed the ground, closing the distance to the Orc’s feet.

He curled his fist.

‘One shot first!’

Fwoosh—

His fist tore through the air and slammed—Thud!!!!—into the Orc’s knee.

Crunch—

A grotesque sound filled the animal’s den.

—Kugh?

It worked. The Orc’s knee buckled.

‘Now!’

Fwoosh—

Ha Gangwoo vaulted onto the Orc’s lowered back.

‘Orcs are built like humans. That means the weak spot is right here!’

Ha Gangwoo’s gaze locked onto the back of the Orc’s neck, right where the spine met the skull. He curled his right fist tight, and a faint blue light gathered around his knuckles.

He only had one real attack.

[Straight Punch]

Grade: F

Type: Active

MP Cost: 3~ (The more Mana consumed, the greater the destructive power.)

Action: Thrust your fist forward.

Effect: Wreathes the fist in Mana to amplify destructive power.

This was his one and only skill. And he’d already seen its destructive potential back in Antero’s trial.

That’s why he was confident. The only hitch—

[MP 13/29]

—was that he had a measly 13 MP left. But he didn’t hesitate.

Ha Gangwoo threw his fist with everything he had.

Fwoosh—it was just a simple punch, but the sound of it cleaving the air was vicious.

[You have used Straight Punch.]

[13 MP consumed.]

Crack!

A wet, splintering impact exploded through the air.

Thud!

The Orc’s knee buckled completely. And then—

*Fwoosh!*

A fountain of blood erupted in front of Ha Gangwoo, the sharp, metallic stench flooding his senses.

“Hah— hah—”

Gangwoo found himself gasping for air. His Mana was completely drained, and the dizziness churned his stomach with nausea.

Ha Gangwoo stared at his blood-soaked palms. A faint, growing tremor ran through them.

*I killed him.*

The Orc was exactly that—dying, right now. It twitched weakly on the floor, gushing a torrent of blood onto the ground.

The hands that hadn’t trembled when he gouged Kim Ducheol’s eyes out were shaking now.

*Why?*

Excited? With all his Mana spent? No. There was only one reason for the shaking now.

‘Murder…’

He had personally cut down a living thing.

It was hardly a pleasant feeling.

But then—

[You have defeated an Orc. (Tutorial Only)]

[You have acquired 1,600 EXP!!]

[Perk bonus: +1,600 additional EXP.]

[You have acquired 80,000 Gold.]

The Orc’s breath had ceased entirely.

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

A faint smile touched Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

A Player’s true calling: kill, loot, and grow without end.

Only now did he grasp what that phrase truly meant.

Had he ever felt anything this intense in his entire life?

If he could feel this again, he wouldn’t mind killing once more.

Gangwoo’s hand had stopped trembling. Without realizing it, he clenched his fist tight and smiled.

[Quest cleared.]

[Calculating score!!!]

Time remaining: +3:45

Accumulated damage: +15,300

Bonus: +Orc slain!!!

[Calculating score.]

….

…

..

Final score: SS Rank

[Rewards deposited into Inventory.]

[Moving to next stage.]

Pleasant chimes kept pounding against his eardrums.

Then his vision went black.

Ding-

[You have moved to Floor 2.]

[Quest updated.]