Things were finally starting to look up after the battle with the snakes. Not only had Joe obtained two attribute fruits, but the resulting exploration of the tree hollow revealed a narrow hole leading down into the tree's core. The first real opportunity he had found to escape this predicament. The hole was small and dark, making it impossible to see where it led, but Joe felt hopeful. After all, the snakes needed to eat like all other creatures, and with no food source available up here, there had to be a way down for them to feed.

However, Joe knew he couldn’t afford to rush in, there was no telling what was waiting for him inside and he was in no state to fight another elite beast. Joe therefore took a few days to recover, only setting out once his food stores were finally exhausted.

The trip through the hole was relatively uneventful. It led downwards through the tree's trunk, like a tunnel or mineshaft leading deep into the earth's core. The tunnel's surface was smooth like sanded wood, suggesting years of use by snakes. Fortunately, his fear of meeting more serpents proved unfounded. The worst part about the journey was the lack of visibility and narrow size. The tunnel was only the height of a small child, forcing Joe to crouch and crawl his way through the darkness.

Squeezing through a small hole with no light would normally have induced an intense feeling of claustrophobia; however, for Joe, the journey was a walk in the park. He had already tempered his will through constant respawns. Anytime he felt a hint of panic, all he needed to do was pinch himself as a reminder that he was still alive.

It took a full day of travel until Joe finally reached the tunnels' end. Rays of light broke through the veil of darkness in the distance, confirming he had reached the exit. Joe poked his head out and surprisingly found himself back in the woods close to the clearing. The path must have taken him through the trunk and into the tree's roots. He could still see the clearing where close to a hundred wolves stood waiting at the base of the tree, a far greater number than he expected.

Keeping as silent as possible, Joe snuck out of the hole and crept away from the clearing, intent on making his way back to the cave. However, even though he moved nimbly through the forest, he couldn't escape the wolves' encirclement. Before Joe had even traveled a few hundred meters, a trio of wolves burst out from the thicket and charged straight toward him. Joe silently cursed the Tower as he unsheathed his sword and met their oncoming charge. Even with his injuries, Joe’s Agility allowed him to sidestep and swerve around their attacks with comfortable ease. Each time the wolves attacked, Joe countered with a precise thrust into a vital, leaving them convulsing on the ground in death throes.

His actions were beginning to sync with [Sword Mastery], helping to merge his strikes and footwork into a coherent technique. Joe took a moment to nod in satisfaction with his performance before continuing on his way. However, a blaring howl soon echoed in the distance, followed by another. Before long, the forest came alive with a clamor of cries. He had been found.

***

Joe gasped for breath as he hid under a thick patch of shrubbery. His body was covered in a multitude of wounds, leaving his clothes and armor drenched in blood. His mind was dizzy, and his throat was dry from thirst. The wolves had chased him relentlessly, preventing him from returning to the cavern to gather his supplies. He had been on the run for over a day now, and no matter where he went, he could still hear the Incessant howls of wolves patrolling the area from all directions. With the way back blocked, his only hope was to reach the forest exit before they could catch him.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling to the right, and another four wolves burst out from the undergrowth. Joe pushed off the ground, ignoring his aching muscles, and dodging to the side. He narrowly avoided the first attack before another wolf jumped to intercept him. With a roar, Joe swung his sword upwards in a vertical arc, cleanly bisecting the wolf's mouth in two. Blood and brain matter spewed out, and the wolf fell lifelessly to the floor.

The remaining wolves howled out in rage, but Joe capitalized on the moment to escape. He knew he couldn’t afford to get bogged down. More howls meant more backup was coming. He only took a few steps when the remaining wolves sprung into action. Two wolves jumped to the side in an attempt to flank him. In response, Joe launched a direct lunge toward one of the beasts. The power from his legs catapulted him several feet forward in an instance, and his sword pierced through the wolf's torso, inducing a pained whimper. A final slash to its esophagus caused the wolf to collapse as it gasped for breath.

The second wolf didn't hesitate to charge straight in, clenching its fangs around his ankle. With a roar, Joe swung downwards, slicing into the wolf's neck cranium, bisecting its spine and causing its body to go limp. Before Joe had time to finish off the beast, movement in his periphery made him instinctively swing outward. The sword edge glided through the air and sliced into the fourth and final wolf, eliciting a pained yelp. The wolf had tried to ambush Joe from behind. Unfortunately for the wolf, Joe's senses had improved dramatically over the past week. His sense of hearing and smell had increased to such a level that he could hear most beasts creep up behind him. The wolf collapsed to the ground, dead on impact, and Joe wasted no time finishing off the wolf attached to his ankle. He ripped open its jaws to release his now bloody foot and limped to a tree to support himself.

Already, Joe was nearing his limit. The physical exertion had only helped to exacerbate his pre-existing wounds, leaving him dizzy and exhausted. But there was no time to rest. More howls in the distance informed him that more wolves were on the way. He had to move.

Joe trudged through the forest, putting down any wolf that came close with extreme prejudice. Hundreds of wolves had converged from all parts of the forest, turning his escape into a giant game of hide and seek. Large packs of over 20 wolves scoured the woods, supported by smaller groups acting as scouts. Joe had covered his body with mud, dirt, or leaves, anything to hide his scent. Yet even with his best efforts, he was still forced into confrontation multiple times. Each battle left a litany of wounds across his scarred and broken body. He had even lost his [Heaven's Compass]. Destroyed after a wolf had successfully ambushed him by hiding in the treetops. With no compass, he no longer knew where he was going. All he could do was rely on instinct and Willpower to keep him alive.

After what felt like a day or more, the attacks finally relented. The constant howls driving Joe to near insanity disappeared, replaced with the soft chirping from groups of birds and insects. The dense forest, once unending, slowly began to disperse as thick copses of trees gave way to grass and other vegetation. Finally, a welcome sight jolted Joe out from his stupor. Beyond the last thicket of trees was a pristine-looking prairie, with barely a tree in sight.

At last, he had reached the forest edge. With salvation ahead, Joe dropped his sword, which had already turned into a hunk of broken metal, and clawed his way forward with everything he had. The last few feet between him and the forest edge felt like running a marathon. Joe's body was wrung dry. His left arm hung limply to the side, and his left leg dragged across the forest floor. Every step required Joe to extract the last ounce of strength he had in him. He could feel his consciousness faltering as his vision began to go cloudy, but Joe gritted his teeth and pushed on until he finally crossed the forest boundary with tears in his eyes.

'Ding’

"Floor quests completed. Assessing performance”

Floor Quests:

Escape: Escape the forest. Reward: 10,000 exp, 15,000 DP (COMPLETE) Solo Runner: Escape the forest alone. Reward 30,000 exp, 45,000 DP (COMPLETE) Fast and Furious: Escape within 24 hours. Reward: 40,000 exp, 60,000 DP (INCOMPLETE)

Joe collapsed to his knees with a smile on his face. He had managed to complete two quests, gaining 40,000 Exp. A burst of energy invigorated his battered body, but the multitude of wounds was too many. Once the last of the adrenaline wore off, a surge of exhaustion overcame him, summoning him to rest. Joe capitulated, closing his eyes and letting darkness embrace him again.

***

Joe blinked awake in confusion as he awoke on the cold hard floor in the Hall of Beginnings. Shouldn't he be in the darkness waiting to respawn? He only had a moment to question his surroundings when his body suddenly started convulsing uncontrollably. Severe spasms caused him to shake while white foam and blood erupted from his mouth. Joe tried to cradle himself on his side, desperate to prevent choking on the large chunks of flesh lodged in his throat. However, panic gripped Joe's heart once he realized he had no control over his body. All he could do was lie there as the sensation of being ripped apart caused every part of his body to scream in agony. Joe wanted to cry aloud and beg for it to end, but no sound came out. There was no precedent to help explain what was happening, but he knew he was on the verge of actual death unless he did something.

"Status!" Joe mentally stuttered, causing a hazy blue transparent screen to appear in front of him.

Name: Joe Heraldson

Level: 17

Experience Points: 13,840/31,117

Race: Human (F)

Grade: Mortal

Blessings: Heaven's Chosen

Strength: 42

Vitality: 38

Agility: 55

Will: 45

Spirit: @##$&

Free Stats: 20

The once stable screen flickered intermittently, enough to confirm something was wrong. Joe first checked his level. Thanks to the quest rewards, he had gained two whole levels, adding an extra 10 free stats to his stockpile. A welcome surprise but not something he could focus on right now. Next, Joe moved on to his attributes. Vitality had increased by another point after running relentlessly for his life for an entire day, but the real issue was the Spirit attribute. The value blinked, swapping between numbers and an ineligible error message.

"Hello, System? Settings? Help?" Joe mentally screamed, hoping for a hidden settings menu or help function that could give him any indication of what was happening. Yet no matter what he tried, the system remained unresponsive or uncaring to his pleas. Joe checked his skills page, expecting to find some answers. However, the Respawn skill description remained the same with his mastery standing at Basic.

Another wave of pain slammed into Joe's body, causing the spasms to worsen. He felt something snap inside him as though his very soul was starting to unravel. It took all of Joe's Willpower to focus his mind and scramble for a solution, anything to solve this current crisis. Since his physical stats were fine, the issue had to do with his soul. It was plausible that something had gone wrong during the Respawn process. Perhaps he had traveled too far from the save point? He knew he was starting to reach the limits of the skill but had thought there was still some buffer left.

The worst-case scenario was if there was a fundamental weakness with the respawn skill that he didn’t know about. He had effectively taken a gamble on an unranked skill and gotten an overpowered ability on the cheap. The fact it was defective wouldn’t be too surprising at all. If that was the case, he could only blame himself. However, Joe refused to give up without a fight. He stared at his free stat points and gathered his resolve before mentally allocating all of them to Spirit. At this point, he didn't know what to do. His only hope was to bet everything on a Hail Mary. There was a risk of losing all his free points, potentially setting him back several levels. But, at this point, what else could he do? The blood was starting to pool in his lungs, causing him to asphyxiate. There was no time for hesitation.

Joe confirmed the allocation and watched as his Free Stats turned to 0. He waited with bated breath to see if his gamble had paid off. For a minute, no change occurred. His body continued to be racked by pain, and the status menu continued flickering sporadically. Joe began to fear the worst. He had come so far and been through so much, only to be taken down by his own skill. Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as Joe waited for the end. However, just as Joe accepted his fate, a wave of warm energy engulfed his soul at the last moment.

The gentle, serene energy spread across his body, alleviating and soothing the fiery pain that ripped at his very being. The convulsions slowed, and the spasms finally ebbed away. Joe felt his control over his body return, allowing him to turn to the side and cough out the lungfuls of blood blocking his airways. Joe took a deep breath, relishing the feeling of oxygen entering his lungs. He lay on the ground in serendipity, covered in a thick layer of sweat, with remnants of blood dripped down his chin. His breathing was weak and erratic, but each inhale soothed his burning lungs. Soon, Joe's eyes became heavy, and he fell asleep.

'Ding’

"Tower announcement: 24 Hours in the hall of beginnings have expired, all remaining participants to be teleported to the first floor immediately"

"Level to be chosen on behalf of participants. Level Selection: Black"

Slowly Joe's consciousness returned. He felt sore and groggy but relieved to be alive. Fortunately, the pain had reduced to a slight ebb, nothing he couldn't handle. Joe prepared to open his stats to review the changes, but a chime of bells echoing through the hall caught his attention. Joe looked around until he saw the tower announcement in his peripheral vision.

"Teleport in 3…2…."

Joe's eyes blinked open. "wait, what?" before he could finish his sentence, the tower countdown reached 0, causing a vast tapestry of sigils to appear around the hall. Joe tried to move but found his body frozen in place, similar to his first experience arriving in the tower. The next moment, the formation activated, engulfing the hall in a burst of white light.

The world around Joe went black, and a second later, he found himself landing in a dark stone corridor, bereft of any windows or doors. The only light source came from a line of wooden torches attached to the walls, giving the place the vibes of an old RPG dungeon. Joe quickly pushed himself up to observe his surroundings.

‘Ding’

"Welcome to the first floor - rise above the masses to become a chosen of Heaven."

Floor Quest received:

Rise to the Challenge: Travel the corridor of Contrition. Reward: 15,000 exp, 25,000 DP Solo Champion: Complete the challenge solo. Reward 45,000 exp, 75,000 DP Absolute Carnage: Defeat all 10 waves. Reward 60,000 exp, 80,000 DP

"Crap" was all Joe could think before the first wave of enemies spawned.