The portal shimmered as Joe walked through with a blood-splattered smile. He took off his pack and surveyed the surroundings, checking for potential threats. His clothes looked tattered, and his armor had splotches of goblin blood on it, but otherwise, he was fine.

Completing the first floor had been significantly more straightforward this time around. The first few waves of goblins barely put up a fight due to the level difference, allowing Joe to breeze through their ranks in no time. The fourth wave had presented a bit more of a challenge, but he leveraged the kiting maneuver again to considerable effect. Not even the final boss put up much of a challenge. His extra levels and stats allowed him to overwhelm the goblin champion with ease.

It was only a shame that the floor quests were not repeatable. Such a loophole would have allowed him to rack up vast amounts of DP and EXP using the respawn skill. However, it seemed the Tower was more intelligent than he had assumed, or quests could only be completed once since, this time, no quest announcement was given. All Joe could do was sigh in disappointment and move on.

After confirming the area was safe, Joe put on his pack, grabbed his sword and a few spears he had liberated from the goblins, and made his way into the forest.

Trees and foliage flashed by as he ran through the woods. Each step left a deep mark on the Earth as he bounded forwards faster than any Olympic runner. His power and speed were now equal to four times the average human. The overweight gas station worker he had been before was now gone. His body had begun to morph as his weight dropped, and outlines of muscles he didn't think he had started to form.

Yet he couldn't get conceited. He was four times stronger, but so what. It was nothing compared to the power the Angel has demonstrated. Nor did he think he could take on someone with gold or even silver-tiered skills. He would need much more Strength if he wanted to survive long enough to get justice for Smokey and the others. Therefore his objective today was simple- it was time to act like a true gamer by picking the forest clean of treasures while leveling up like a madman. Joe cackled with an evil laugh as he considered his genius plan. It was time to grind.

***

A gray wolf scurried through the undergrowth with eyes full of hunger as it stalked the land looking for prey. Suddenly, it stopped and sniffed the air before turning its head, spotting a small woodland critter scampering up ahead. Saliva congealed in its mouth, causing it to lick its lips with a primal urge to hunt. It lowered its body and began to stalk forward with soft steps, keeping its body out of sight. A lesson learned from countless failures. As soon as it was in position, it bent its back legs, ready to pounce, when suddenly, an iron-tipped spear appeared out of nowhere, whistling through the air like a bullet, penetrating its side and unleashing a torrent of blood that marred the wet brown soil.

The projectile's speed was too quick for the wolf to notice, let alone avoid. It yelped in agony, unable to understand what had just transpired. It tried to scamper away, but its fate was sealed when a human wearing brown leather armor and greaves appeared behind it and ended its life with a single swing of its sword.

Gray Wolf Lv6 Killed, +300 exp, +350 divine points.

Joe wiped the blood-splattered blade clean on the grass before standing up and removing the spear from the wolf's corpse. This was the fifth gray wolf he had encountered after an hour of traveling, and the EXP gain had brought him much closer to level 11. However, Joe couldn't help but frown in consternation.

The first step in his master plan was to return to the clearing and consume another round of attribute fruits. Now he knew what to expect, the badger wouldn't present much of a threat, and the promise of being able to eat multiple attribute fruits each time he respawned made him giddy with excitement. However, that excitement soon turned to confusion, followed by dismay. He had searched all over the forest for the fruit tree with no luck. Now it appeared he was utterly lost.

Joe stopped to pull out [Heavens Compass], an item he had bought from the shop. It was a nifty little device, costing only a few dozen DP. It looked like a standard compass, with an arrow spinning around the north and south poles, yet it worked regardless of the world or location. The device showed he had traveled in a straight line from the portal, yet the forest around him felt entirely different. Joe wasn't sure if he had been sent back to the same forest or a new one. Either way, it put a damper on his plans.

Joe pondered what to do when he heard a rustling to his left. He jumped to the side just in time to avoid a giant wolf lunging from behind a bush. Its claws and teeth pronged to tear into his side. Joe dropped his pack and unsheathed his sword. He spun around and slashed out, slicing the beast's torso while avoiding its attack altogether. The wolf walked a few steps before collapsing in a heap with its intestines protruding from its side. Joe stared at the beast with curiosity. The wolf was no longer the skinny, half-starved type he had met so far but looked like the ones he had met in the clearing. A memory he didn't wish to recount. It looked far healthier with its thick coat of fur covering a solid layer of muscle. Joe flashed forward and released a vertical swing, putting it out of its misery.

Gray Wolf Lv8 killed, +600 exp, +450 divine points.

A check of his notifications confirmed the beast was two levels higher than the skinner wolf. However, before he could check his status, another two wolves emerged from the underbrush. Their mouths foaming, and their eyes were red with rage. Joe gulped with trepidation, and his palms began to sweat. Fighting one wolf was hard enough. Two was more than he could handle.

The wolves seemed to sense his hesitation. They charged like bulldozers, snarling with fangs that could rip an animal to shreds in seconds. Joe sprung into action. He evaded to the side with a leap, avoiding the first beast's lunge. It flew by, allowing Joe to take advantage of the opportunity to release a downward slash with his sword. The blade cut into the wolf's spine, causing the beast to yelp out in pain.

The second wolf, sensing an opportunity, dived for Joe's heel, catching his leg with its thick fangs and flinging him off his feet. Joe landed on the ground with a grunt. However, the metal grieves did their job, preventing the wolf from tearing off his leg. Joe clenched his teeth and thrust his sword into the wolf's mouth, piercing straight into its brain cavity, killing it instantly.

Not wasting a moment, Joe ripped open its jaw to release his foot. He jumped up and readied for the first wolf's follow-up attack. However, the remaining wolf merely hobbled towards him, dragging its back legs behind it. His attack had severed its spine, impacting its mobility. Joe didn't let this opportunity go to waste. He limped to his pack and pulled a few of the spears he had brought. Keeping his distance, he began hurling them at the injured wolf. A moment later, the beast collapsed, its body riddled with spears.

Energy flooded Joe's body, bringing him to level 11. He had been close to leveling up, and the last three kills helped give him the final push. He opened his status menu and placed 2 points in Agility and 1 in Strength. He had decided to maintain an agility strength mix to maintain his existing stat distribution while keeping a few extra stats free to help fix his build later if needed.

So far, he had placed all his free points into the physical stats. Not out of choice, but out of necessity. However, Joe was no longer sure if the path of a warrior was the way to go. None of his skills aligned with the warrior or physical path except for [Sword Mastery], and he had only gotten the skill to give him a basic understanding of how to wield a weapon without killing himself. Now he was at a stage where one attribute point no longer meant the difference between life and death, he could finally start planning for the future.

What kind of build did he want to go for, and what skills should he pick to best compliment it? He had planned to go for a Spirit skill to rectify the issue with the Respawn skill, which meant he needed to start thinking about investing in the Spirit stat. However, doing so would take him down the mage route. Unfortunately, he had no other skills that used that particular attribute, making any investment worthless in the short term. He could buy a mage skill like [Flames of Purgatory], but with only one skill slot left, he couldn't risk it until he knew whether the skill limit could be increased. Joe scratched the back of his head in consternation. He had inadvertently caused his build to become skewed. It was a mistake he would need to rectify somehow.

As far as he could tell, concepts like classes didn't exist in this world. This meant a person wasn't limited to a predefined path or a particular set of skills. They could become anything they wanted. In a way, a high-tier skill was a whole class on its own, where each mastery stage would unlock additional functions and abilities. On the other hand, the lack of a class system made everything more complicated. Without a class to help guide people by allocating stats or providing class skills, most would probably invest their points and buy skills that didn't align.

In the end, Joe decided to place the topic on hold until the 4th floor. He walked over and pulled out the spears. Overall, the fight had gone better than expected. If only all battles could go so well. He pulled a red potion out of his bag and chugged it in one go. The red liquid flowed into his stomach, releasing soothing energy that felt invigorating. The effect was remarkable as the wound on his leg began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye. A moment later, his body was back to normal, and Joe prepared to head out when he heard the sound of more howling in the distance.

"Crap!" Joe exclaimed. The fight and smell of blood had likely attracted even more wolves. Not bothering to wait, Joe sprinted away and headed deeper into the forest, hoping he would be long gone before they arrived.

For over a mile, Joe raced through the forest, jumping over logs and ducking under branches. At first, he believed he was in the clear. However, only a brief moment later, he could hear feet clambering across the forest floor. Worse, the sounds were getting louder. Joe turned his head back, spotting at least half a dozen wolves on his heel. 'Damn!' They had caught his scent. Joe's mind raced as he considered his options.

He couldn't outrun them. Nor could he risk stopping and letting himself get encircled. Joe thought about fighting them but realized that such an attempt would be foolhardy. There was no way he would come out of the fight alive against so many. He bit his nails in thought when another wolf suddenly appeared in front of him.

The beast snarled and drove for his legs to push him off balance. However, Joe wasn't entirely out of options. He pulled out one of the cheap goblin knives on his belt and chucked it at the beast to disrupt its charge while he hefted one of his spears and pointed it in its direction.

The knife hit the wolf on the shoulder, causing it to reel backward, while Joe followed up with a spear thrust straight through its torso. The spearhead pierced through the wolf like a knife through butter, lifting it off its feet and turning it into a skewer. There was no time to extract the spear, so Joe chucked the now dead wolf and spear to the side. He had managed to kill the beast without stopping, but the delay gave the other wolves time to close the distance.

Things were starting to look bleak when Joe noticed a cave in the corner of his periphery. The entrance to the cave was covered in a mass of vines and foliage, helping it merge perfectly into its surroundings. If it hadn't been for the darkness that permeated from the inside, Joe would have completely missed it. The interior was pitch black, giving it an eerie feeling, like a scene from a horror movie. He didn't know where it led or what was waiting inside, but his eyes lit up with renewed hope. It was a chance to survive.