The damp, rancid stench of the school restroom was always the scent that marked the end of Elang's day. This time, his back crashed hard against the cold tiled wall, his uniform collar gripped tightly by a figure twice his size."Hey, are you deaf?!"Thud!A heavy punch landed squarely in Elang's stomach. He coughed violently, the oxygen instantly violently ripped from his lungs."Why didn't you give me the answers during the exam earlier?! Are you playing deaf, or do you want me to actually make you deaf?!" roared Redi, the school bully who constantly tormented him.Elang could only look down, offering no resistance. It wasn't because he couldn't fight back, but because he knew retaliating would only prolong his torture.After a final, brutal kick connected with his shin, Redi and his lackeys sauntered away, their mocking laughter echoing through the boys' restroom.Elang coughed, his saliva laced with a trace of blood. He picked up his backpack, now soiled with muddy boot prints, an

"What a shame. This player was actually quite clever, yet he still fell on the very first floor. I'm rather disappointed; I thought we'd get a surprise, but it turns out there was nothing interesting after all," the Guide said, playing to the drone camera that was recording them."You're far too quick to jump to conclusions, Dragonfly."The Guide gasped at the sound of the harsh, ragged growl. It spun around to see the wolf's massive carcass shifting. Suddenly, the beast's body was hoisted up and violently hurls aside.Beneath it, Elang rose from the ground. His face and clothes were utterly drenched in blood, and he coughed weakly as he stood.The Guide stared in disbelief at the wolf. Elang’s broken blade was driven straight through its heart. The blood soaking Elang from head to toe was entirely the monster's."I’m not dead yet. I am moving on to the second floor," Elang wheezed, forcing his trembling legs to stand upright, though he could barely keep his balance."Wow, what a twis

"Shit, what's happening?!" Elang struggled to brace himself as the violent tremors threatened to knock him off his feet.The massive shockwave from behind caused the empty white void to fracture. A bone-chilling cold seeped through the dimensional tears, numbing Elang’s sensory nerves until his very breath felt frozen.The Observer of the End was not an entity he could fight at a mere Level 9."A single second of hesitation means death," Elang hissed.The two doors in front of him seemed to call out, promising a false sense of security from the forbidden entity pursuing him. However, the Warlord's warning kept ringing in his head. Elang realized that the moment he stepped through either door, he would become nothing more than their pawn."I won't be anyone's pawn!"Elang slammed his foot down, fully mobilizing his newly purchased 20 Stamina. The muscles in his arms swelled, veins bulging as he gripped the Steel Longsword with both hands. The golden aura of Awakened Will began to fuse

Crash!Elang shot out from the blast smoke like a bullet. The Iron Gauntlets on his hands were cracked and emitting faint wisps of smoke, but his body was still intact.His HP had dropped drastically.[HP: 18%]"Ugh, that actually hurt," Elang grunted, a faint smirk forming on his face.The Black Fire Arrow earlier had almost burned his arms to a crisp. If it weren't for the Unbound Sovereign aura reinforcing his body, he would have died in midair."What?!" The Contractor's eyes widened in disbelief. "You blocked my Black Flame with your bare hands?!""Damn you! You filthy human!" the Contractor roared in a fit of rage. His face flushed red with anger and humiliation because his attack had failed to kill a low-level Player like Elang.The magic staff in his hand trembled violently. Black mana began pooling at the tip, forming a massive magic circle in midair."If one Black Flame isn't enough," he muttered venomously, "I'll incinerate your entire body until nothing is left!"The magic

'Why is it so noisy?' Elang thought as everything remained pitch-black.His head felt like it was being struck repeatedly with a hammer. His body was completely numb, while unfamiliar voices echoed faintly in his ears."Is this kid dead? Hey, kid?" someone's voice drifted over.'Who is that?' Elang focused, trying to listen."Woah, is he actually dead? Or is he just dying? If I kill him right now, it might get rid of a competitor," the voice remarked casually.Thump!'Who is that? Why does he want to kill me? Damn it, I can't even move my body,' Elang complained internally."Then again, it feels kind of unfair to kill him while he's dying. Say what you will, but I am a grand warrior from the land of Java—the reincarnation of the White Tiger!" the voice continued, dripping with pride.'What kind of nonsense is he spewing...' Elang strained to open his eyes slowly.His vision was still blurry, but he could vaguely make out a skinny man squatting in front of him, holding a bamboo spear.