Elang: The Strongest Hunter in the Tower

Chapter 6 ~ 3rd Floor

Elang felt as though his soul were being forcibly dragged through a narrow time corridor.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer at the graveyard. He awoke in a strange forest. The trees here had no leaves; instead, they bore pulsing black crystals that emitted a dense purple glow.

[Synchronization Complete!]

[Congratulations! You have changed your Class to: The Unbound Sovereign]

Class Effect: You cannot be affected by forced contracts from Translators or Overseers.

Passive Skill: Empty Throne – The more enemies nearby, your Willpower and Stamina increase by 1% per enemy.

Active Skill: Sovereign's Command (Rank E) – Subdues entities with lower levels than yours for 3 seconds.

"Cough!" Elang coughed up the remaining dried blood from his throat.

He looked at his hands. The steel sword he had bought for 1,500 Cash earlier was completely shattered, leaving behind only a cracked hilt.

"Crazy... That expensive sword only lasted a single slash," he muttered.

However, the pain in his chest was gone. His body felt significantly lighter and more stable. He clenched his fist, and a golden aura—now mixed with a faint black glow symbolizing the power of the Unbound—swirled around his fingers.

"O-Oi! You're still alive?!"

The Dragonfly Guide's voice echoed from behind a crystal tree. The creature emerged with a slightly torn wing. "I was just about to report to the system that this Player was swallowed whole by the Observer. How on earth did you get out of there with such a terrifying Class?"

"I don't know. Guess I got lucky," Elang replied briefly.

"Lucky?" The Dragonfly Guide let out a dry, high-pitched laugh born of sheer terror. "There is no such thing as 'luck' in this Tower, Elang. There are only anomalies, and you are the most reckless anomaly I've ever seen."

Elang stood up and dusted off his school uniform, which was now tattered and torn. He surveyed his surroundings. The forest felt alive; the black crystals on the trees pulsed in sync with his own heartbeat.

"Where are we? That graveyard wasn't the actual 3rd Floor, was it?" Elang asked as he tossed aside the useless sword hilt.

The Dragonfly Guide shook its head rapidly. "That was a Hidden Stage. Right now, you are on the actual 3rd Floor, The Hunger Forest. This floor is a hunting ground. And you—" The Guide swallowed hard, pointing above Elang's head.

Elang looked up. Above him, a glowing red crossbones skull symbol materialized, radiating light visible from a great distance.

[3rd Floor Global Warning!]

[Bounty Hunt Target Detected: Player Elang Satria]

Status: Enemy of the Translators

Reward for Killer: 50,000 Cash & Instant Level-Up by 5 Levels!

"What?!" Elang's eyes widened. "Just like that, I became a floor-wide fugitive when I barely even arrived?!"

"That's the consequence of rudely rejecting a sponsor!" the Dragonfly Guide yelled in panic. "The Translators of the Black Snake Clan and the White Crocodile Fiend Clan are furious. They put a price on your head so that other Players or monsters here will slaughter you!"

No sooner had the Guide finished speaking than the crystal bushes around Elang rustled violently. A pair of hungry red eyes appeared one by one from the darkness. It wasn't just monsters—Elang could also hear human footsteps. Other Players lured by the 50,000 Cash reward were approaching.

"One... two... ten?" Elang counted the red dots in the dark.

[Passive Skill: 'Empty Throne' Activated!]

[Detecting 15 nearby enemies. Stamina and Willpower increased by 15%!]

Elang felt a surge of new energy rushing through his muscles. He was no longer trembling. Instead, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smirk. He felt a craving for battle.

"O-Oi! What are you doing? Run!" the Dragonfly Guide screamed as Elang lowered his guard and stood relaxed.

"Run?" Elang clenched his fists, causing the gold-and-black aura to burst around his hands. "I just destroyed my grim future back at that graveyard. I'm not running from trash who are content being pawns for the Translators."

From the shadows, a Player wearing bronze armor leaped forward, swinging a massive axe toward Elang's head. "Die, Elang! That 50,000 Cash is mine!"

Elang didn't budge. He merely stared cold-eyed at the attacking Player.

"Sovereign's Command."

Instantly, the surrounding atmosphere grew impossibly heavy, as if gravity had multiplied a thousandfold. The leaping Player crashed face-first into the ground, pinned in a kowtow position before Elang's feet. His body trembled violently, completely unable to lift his head.

"W-What is this?! Why can't I move my body?!" the Player screamed in terror.

Elang stepped onto the Player's back, casting his cold gaze into the dark woods where a dozen other red eyes lurked.

"Who else wants a try?" Elang asked, his low voice echoing sharply.

Suddenly, from the depths of the forest, a roar far more horrific than the wolf on the first floor shook the area. The ground trembled and crystal trees toppled over as a massive creature emerged: The Forest Guardian (Level 15).

The monster was not alone. Atop its shoulder sat a neatly dressed man holding a magic staff, looking down at Elang with utter disgust.

"So you're the brat who dared disrespect the Black Snake Clan?" the man spat. "I am a Contractor of the Snake Clan. Elang, you will remain a sworn enemy of our clan forever!"

The neatly dressed man snapped his fingers. Instantly, the Forest Guardian—a giant bear monster with crystal-stone hide—let out a deafening roar that vibrated through the air.

"Finish him, Guardian! Leave not a single piece of flesh behind!" the Contractor commanded arrogantly.

[Warning! Contractor's Authority is exerting pressure on the surrounding area!]

[Your physical stats have decreased by 10% due to the level gap!]

Elang responded with a cold, tilted smirk. "Enemies, huh? Fine by me. At least I don't have to pretend to be nice in a place like this."

Elang's eyes immediately flicked to his remaining Cash balance hovering in the corner of his system view: 1,500 Cash left after his previous purchase. With an Intellect stat of 11, his mind worked at lightning speed. He couldn't face a Level 15 monster and the mage above it barehanded while his stats were suppressed.

He quickly opened the emergency Shop Window.

[Quick Shop - Remaining Cash: 1,500]

Iron Gauntlets (Grade F): 500 Cash

Skill: Dash (Rank F): 1,000 Cash

Mana Potion (Low Grade): 100 Cash

'Buy Iron Gauntlets and Dash Skill!' Elang executed the command mentally.

[Purchase Successful!]

[Item 'Iron Gauntlets' equipped directly to the Host's hands.]

[New Skill Acquired: Dash (Rank F) – Instantly increases movement speed by 50% for 3 seconds.]

Clank!

A pair of pitch-black iron gauntlets instantly wrapped around Elang's fists, clashing against the surging gold-and-black aura of his Unbound Sovereign power.

ROAAARRR!

The Forest Guardian charged forward. Its tree-trunk-sized crystal claws swung downward, ready to crush Elang's body into mush.

Sreeet!

Elang activated his new skill. His body shot sideways like lightning, leaving a faint trail of wind behind. The monster's claw slammed into the empty ground, carving a meter-deep crater and sending crystal shards flying.

"So fast?!" the Contractor gasped in surprise atop the monster's shoulder.

Elang wasted no time. Leveraging the momentum from Dash, he leaped onto the Guardian's stone arm, which was still lodged in the earth. Relying on his combat instincts, he dashed up the rocky-furred arm, charging straight toward the mage.

"Don't get cocky, you bastard!" the Contractor shouted in a panic. Raising his magic staff, he began chanting a destructive spell. "Black Fire Arrow!"

Three spears of pitch-black fire materialized in midair, shooting straight toward Elang's chest as he airborne. Lacking a bladed weapon to parry, Elang was at an extreme disadvantage mid-flight.

Yet, Elang let out a broad grin. His eyes gleamed with a deep red light of controlled fury.

"I won't be anyone's pawn!"

Elang crossed his iron-clad arms in front of his chest, unleashing his Awakened Will aura outward to absorb the lethal impact.

BOOMMM!

An explosion of black fire shook the entire Hunger Forest. A thermal wave swept through the area, shattering crystal trees into pieces as black dust billowed, obscuring everyone's vision.

The Dragonfly Guide covered its face with its tiny hands. "That crazy kid is done for..."

***