Level 2 Player

Chapter 2

‘A newly awakened player’s stats should be between 5 and 10, right?’

Before the return, Jinsu’s stats were also between 5 and 10.

‘It’s not bad.’

Although his level was only one higher than before his return, his stats had nearly tripled.

When a player levels up by one, the total stat points automatically distributed are 10.

Currently, Jinsu, at level 2, has stats similar to a level 9-10 player.

‘Is it because of this?’

The blessings of Hwangshin and Hongshin.

These blessings must have raised his level to 2 and fixed all his stats at 22.

‘There’s no information.’

Jinsu had reached the highest floor of the tower, so he knew almost everything about it.

But he had never come across information about gods and blessings before.

‘It must have been Hwangshin and Hongshin who made me regress.’

He didn’t know why they regressed him, but…

‘For now, it helps.’

Jinsu closed the status window and looked at the panicked people.

There were no familiar faces.

He walked toward where weapons and food were displayed, picking up two longswords, two daggers, and two backpacks full of food.

***

[Hwangshin’s Blessing has grown.]

[Hongshin’s Blessing has grown.]

‘What’s this?’

Suddenly, system messages appeared, saying the blessings had grown.

And it happened twice.

‘The blessings have grown?’

Jinsu quickly opened his status window again and checked the details of the blessings.

[Hwangshin’s Blessing]

Increases Strength stat by 2.2%.

Increases Agility stat by 2.2%.

[Hongshin’s Blessing]

Increases Health stat by 2.2%.

Increases Endurance stat by 2.2%.

‘Did it gain option effects?’

The blessings’ details had changed, showing benefits that weren’t there before.

‘Strength, Agility, Health, and Endurance stats increased by 2.2%?’

This was a significant boost.

Right now, the base stats were low, so the effect wasn’t huge, but once he gained more titles and levelled up, the efficiency of these boosts would increase dramatically.

‘And if it can grow more than 2.2%?’

The existence of the blessings, which didn’t exist before his return, would become a tremendous strength for Jinsu.

‘But I don’t know why they grew.’

He hadn’t achieved any special accomplishments, received titles, levelled up, or cleared any hidden dungeons, so he didn’t understand why.

‘I’ll think about that later.’

For now, he needed to get moving.

‘There’s enough time.’

Players who reach the first floor must reach the second floor within 10 days.

‘If they don’t, they die.’

Considering his current stats and the information he knew, Jinsu was confident he could clear the first floor and reach the second floor within an hour.

‘But I can’t just go up.’

Before the return, Jinsu had been focused on surviving and didn’t have the information to take advantage of achievements and hidden dungeons only available on the first floor.

But now, things are different.

‘The reward for clearing the first floor in the shortest time is that if you reach the second floor within 3 days, you’ll get a special reward.’

Jinsu was about to take his first step when a large, muscular man in a brightly coloured leopard-print shirt and tattoos all over his arms blocked his way.

“Hey! Kid! Do you know something?” the man asked.

“You must know something, or why else would you be taking all this stuff?” He picked up a dagger and pointed it at Jinsu.

“Don’t leave anything out, tell me everything you know.”

The man pressed the blade against Jinsu’s neck.

“If I catch you lying, I’ll put a hole in your throat, kid.”

Jinsu’s mind suddenly flashed with an old memory.

He remembered a gangster who had ruled over the players on the first floor, using ruthless violence and committing murder like a king.

This gangster controlled the food and made others work like slaves.

He even threw people to the monsters to survive.

Jinsu had fought back with some others but was severely injured when his left arm’s muscles and ligaments were torn.

‘After clearing the first floor and reaching the second, all wounds were healed, and there was no permanent disability, but at the time I didn’t know that the body would fully recover when moving to the higher floors. I was really desperate back then.’

The gangster had become powerful because he had obtained a strong title that greatly boosted his stats.

‘The first murderer.’

It was one of the titles only obtainable on the first floor, given to the first player who committed murder.

‘I had forgotten about that.’

It wasn’t a title anyone was proud of, so many kept it hidden.

Jinsu didn’t even know about it until his teammate mentioned it just before they cleared the 100th floor.

‘Before I knew about the title, I just thought that guy was strong, but it wasn’t the case. It was just because of the title.’

“Why aren’t you answering? You really want to die? You think I can’t stab you?”

The man’s dagger poked at Jinsu’s neck.

“Thanks.”

“What?” The gangster looked confused.

He thought Jinsu was just too scared to speak, but his calm tone was completely unexpected.

“Is this kid crazy?”

As the gangster scowled, thinking he should show Jinsu how serious he was by making him bleed, suddenly—

Crack!

The arm holding the dagger twisted in the opposite direction.

Clink!

The dagger dropped to the floor.

“AH!” The gangster screamed in pain as his arm was twisted unnaturally, but his scream didn’t last long.

“Ugh!” Jinsu’s hand gripped the gangster’s neck.

“Ugh! Gah!” The gangster gasped, his vision blurry, and his neck bones dislocated in an excruciating pain.

“P-Please…!”

Crunch!

Before the gangster could finish begging for his life, his neck snapped.

[You are the first to commit murder.]

[The title ‘First Murderer’ is granted.]

[You committed murder without a weapon.]

[The title ‘Barehanded Murderer’ is granted.]

[Your stats have increased.]

As Jinsu had thought, two titles appeared.

“Did I get one more because I didn’t use a weapon?”

Just as Jinsu was thinking this, a new message appeared:

[The Blessing of Hwangshin is very pleased with you obtaining the titles ‘First Murderer’ and ‘Barehanded Murderer’.]

[The title ‘First Murderer’ has disappeared.]

[The title ‘Barehanded Murderer’ has disappeared.]

[Your stats have decreased.]

“Wait, what?”

Something strange happened.

“What’s going on?”

Jinsu’s face hardened in confusion.

“The titles disappeared?”

Even after experiencing so many strange things before his return, he had never heard of titles just disappearing.

“What’s going on with the blessings?”

Hwangshin’s Blessing and Hongshin’s Blessing.

He had thought these were gifts from the gods that had sent him back in time.

From the moment he awakened, his level was already at 2, and all his stats had risen to 22.

Plus, there was a 2.2% increase in his strength, agility, health, and durability.

He believed these blessings would always benefit him.

“Why are they doing this?”

But the blessings were not just giving him advantages.

Hwangshin’s Blessing and Hongshin’s Blessing had erased the titles, which were a key part of player growth.

Jinsu quickly checked his status window just to be sure.

“Nothing’s changed.”

It wasn’t just the titles that disappeared.

The stats that had risen with those titles also returned to their original values.

“They said they were satisfied, pleased, and proud… but why erase the titles?”

Jinsu’s mind was in confusion.

But there was still not enough information about the blessings.

“Yikes!”

“Someone’s dead!”

“It’s murder! Murder!”

“It’s the murderer!”

“Crazy guy!”

Seeing the bulky man dead, people began to panic and quickly backed away from Jinsu.

But not everyone was afraid.

A man and woman, probably in their early twenties, were wary of Jinsu, but they didn’t step back.

“Are they the ones?”

Jinsu carefully observed the man and woman.

At first, he had planned to just take what he needed and head to the second floor alone.

But with the bulky man stepping up, forgotten memories from the first floor began to resurface.

The people who had fought alongside Jinsu against the bulky man.

The people who had risked their lives to clear the first floor with Jinsu.

Those who had shared the joys and sorrows on the lower floors.

Jinsu’s first companions.

“That’s them.”

As he looked closely, their faces seemed familiar.

His blurry memories started to become clearer.

“What were their names?”

But he couldn’t remember their names.

“They adapted to the tower quickly. They had good judgment and were excellent players.”

However, during the first-choice moment,

These two made a different decision than Jinsu.

And they parted ways.

“This time will probably be the same.”

Jinsu had a strong reason to return to Earth.

“If we’re going to part ways anyway, there’s no need to stick together.”

He would need party members only after reaching the 50th floor.

Swish!

The bulky man’s body turned to dust and scattered.

“No job or skill book dropped.”

That was to be expected, as the bulky man likely had no class or skills learned.

“Yikes! The body disappeared?”

“Is this really reality?”

“Where are we? What is this place?”

As the bulky man’s body vanished into dust, the others fell into panic.

Meanwhile, the man and woman, Jinsu’s old companions, remained calm.

“Are they going for the weapons and food?”

The two of them kept their eyes on the display stand next to Jinsu.

Swoosh.

Jinsu stepped aside.

The man and woman carefully approached and took the weapons and food.

“Do you really know something?”

The woman asked Jinsu.

“No.”

“Ah, okay.”

She replied briefly and then turned her gaze away.

“Let’s go.”