Tower Awakening: I Have Limitless Potential Trait

Chapter 7 – 1st Floor: The Forgotten Catacombs (5)

Chaos erupted in the dark corridor as the pack of Grave Hounds lunged forward. He raised his cracked sword, catching a heavy claw strike from the first beast. The impact sent a painful shockwave up his arms and forced him a step back.

From his right, Elian thrust his spear toward the beast's ribs, but missed when another hound tackled the young man's side. Their chemistry was awful. They bumped into each other's blind spots and interrupted each other's attack rhythms. He almost slashed Elian's shoulder by accident while dodging a snap from a hound's acidic jaws.

"Don't cross my line!" Elian shouted, pushing a beast back with the shaft of his spear. "Watch my right side, I'll take the front!"

He did not argue. He adjusted his footing and stepped to Elian's flank. With a clear boundary, the chaotic scramble turned into a real fight. If a beast tried to bypass the spear, he intercepted it with a heavy slash. When a hound's weight threatened to overwhelm him, Elian's spear darted out and pierced the creature's neck.

The rhythm clicked. He ducked under a leaping beast and drove his sword upward to slice its underbelly, while Elian finished the remaining two with precise thrusts to their heads.

The last beast fell with a heavy thud, its black blood pooling on the cold stone. He dropped to one knee and gasped for air. His arms felt like lead, and his cracked sword looked ready to shatter at any second.

[Congratulations. You have defeated a Grave Hound.]

[You gained 30 Tower Coins.]

[You obtained: Alpha Beast Core x1 (1% Drop Chance). Item automatically transferred to Inventory.]

His eyes widened at the golden text floating in his vision. He lowered his head, hiding his reaction. A one percent drop chance. He kept his mouth shut about the notification. He still harbored doubts about trusting the young man, especially regarding valuable items.

As Elian caught his breath and checked his spear, he commanded the system in his mind. "Inventory."

A transparent screen appeared, displaying his stored items. He focused on the glowing dark stone resting in the second slot.

[Item: Alpha Beast Core]

[Grade: Rare]

[Function: A crystallized core containing dense, mutated mana from an apex predator. Can be absorbed to grant a permanent boost to physical stats, crafting a magic weapon, or sold for a high price in the Hub-World.]

He closed the inventory panel. His heart beat faster in his chest. A permanent stat boost item. He planned to use it later in a safer environment.

He looked up at Elian. The young man wiped monster blood off his face. He had protected his blind spot during the fight and risked his own safety. Surviving this endless maze alone was too difficult, and the double experience buff was too good to ignore. His mind was made up.

"Hey, Elian," he called out, standing up. "That party invitation. I'll accept. Let's form a group."

Elian paused. A wave of relief washed over his tired face. "Thanks gods. I was hoping you would say yes. Fighting that pack alone would have been a nightmare."

Elian tapped the air with his finger, interacting with a system panel only he could see. "I will send you the contract now. Since we do not know each other well, I will set the terms strict to prevent any misunderstandings."

A glowing blue holographic parchment materialized in front of his face.

[Party Contract Proposed by Challenger: Elian]

[Condition 1: The party will disband upon reaching the first Safe Zone on the 5th Floor.]

[Condition 2: Experience points gained from slaying enemies will be divided (50/50), triggering the 2x Party Buff.]

[Condition 3: Loot Distribution is set to 'Strict Privacy'. All items obtained through the drop system will be sent to individual inventories. Neither member will be notified of the other's drops.]

He read the third condition twice. It was a flawless system rule. Elian would not know about his Alpha Beast Core, and he would not know if Elian got a rare item. It eliminated the risk of betrayal over loot.

"The privacy rule," Elian explained, seeing him read the text. "It is standard in the Ring Cities for temporary parties. Keeps everyone honest and prevents backstabbing."

"It is perfect," he nodded, accepting the contract in his mind.

[Contract confirmed. Party formed.]

A new, small interface popped up in the top left corner of his vision. It displayed basic information about his new teammate.

[Party Member: Elian]

[Race: Human | Job: - | Level: 5]

Across from him, Elian stared at the empty air. Both of them let out a small gasp of surprise. It was their first time experiencing the party system, seeing another person's level displayed by the Tower.

"Level three already?" Elian raised an eyebrow, a look of impression on his face. "For someone on their first day, you level up fast. You must have fought like a madman before we met."

He offered a tired smile, keeping his anomalous trait a secret. "Let's just keep moving."

With the party buff active, their journey became much easier. They fought their way through several more skeleton groups and a few stray Grave Hounds. Their coordination improved with every battle. The double experience points pushed his progress bar higher, allowing him to break through to level four.

After another hour of navigating the damp, dark tunnels, the narrow corridors opened into a massive, circular antechamber. The air turned freezing cold, carrying the heavy scent of rusted iron and old decay.

A pair of colossal iron doors stood at the far end of the room, covered in glowing red runes. But that was not what made them stop in their tracks.

A towering figure stood still in front of the doors. It was an undead knight, reaching almost three meters tall, clad in heavy, blackened plate armor. It rested a massive executioner's sword on the ground. Through the gaps in its helmet, a pair of deep, crimson flames burned in the dark.

"The Floor Boss," Elian whispered. He thrust out his hand, stopping him from taking another step. "The Undead Warden."

He gripped his cracked sword. The overwhelming pressure radiating from the giant monster pressed against his chest. "Do we have a plan? Or do we just run in and hope for the best?"

"Do not be crazy," Elian muttered, keeping his voice low behind a pile of rubble. "Everyone in the Ring Cities knows the basic strategy for the first floor boss. Its armor is too thick for our weapons to pierce. Do not even try hitting its chest or back."

Elian pointed his spear toward the giant's legs. "Its weakness is its joints. The armor around the back of its knees and its elbows is rusted and exposed. It swings that giant sword with heavy momentum. When it attacks, it takes three seconds for it to recover its balance. We dodge the swing, aim for the joints, and bring it down to its knees. Once it falls, we shatter the helmet."

He nodded, running the plan through his mind. Dodge, strike the joints, bring it down. It sounded simple. But looking at the size of that executioner's sword, one mistake meant being cut in half.

His current raw stats might not be enough to pierce the rusted joints or dodge the massive blade in time. "Give me a second," he whispered. In his mind, he called out, "Status."

He had accumulated a total of 13 unallocated stat points—8 saved from his previous battles, and 5 from reaching level four just moments ago. To execute Elian's plan, he needed explosive speed and raw power. Without a second thought, he allocated 8 points into [Agility] and the remaining 5 points into [Strength].

A surge of heat washed over his body. His muscles hardened and condensed, while his heavy legs felt as light as a feather. The exhaustion from the long journey faded, overwritten by his enhanced attributes.

"Are you ready?" Elian asked, taking a deep breath.

"Let's get to the second floor," he replied, tightening his stance.

They broke out from behind the rubble and sprinted toward the center of the antechamber.

The heavy sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent room. The Undead Warden's helmet turned toward them. The crimson flames in its eyes flared with aggressive intent. With a deafening scrape of metal against stone, the giant knight lifted its massive executioner's sword with one hand.

"Spread out!" Elian yelled, darting to the right.

He threw himself to the left. His new Agility stat made him move faster than he ever had before. The Warden did not hesitate. It took a thunderous step forward and swung its blade in a massive horizontal arc toward him. The wind pressure alone felt like a physical blow.

He threw his body backward, sliding across the rough stone floor. The giant blade missed his chest by mere inches. It smashed into a stone pillar behind him, shattering the rock into pieces.

"Now!" Elian shouted.

As planned, the giant knight lost balance from its own strength. It struggled to pull its heavy weapon out of the rubble. Elian dashed in, thrusting his spear deep into the exposed, rusted joint of the Warden's right knee. The monster let out a hollow roar as black smoke leaked from the wound.

He did not waste his chance. He sprinted forward, channeling all his enhanced Strength, and swung his sword at the monster's left knee joint.

Clang!

But the Warden was faster than expected. It ripped its weapon free and backhanded him with its armored gauntlet before his attack could land.

The brutal impact sent him flying through the air. He crashed hard against the iron doors, coughing up blood. Before he could push himself off the ground, a massive shadow loomed over him. The Undead Warden raised its executioner's sword high above its head, the blade casting a dark silhouette over his face.

His muscles screamed in agony. There was no time to dodge. He raised his cracked, rusty sword in a desperate attempt to block the descending guillotine.