Out of the darkness of the corridor stepped a five-foot-tall reptilian humanoid equipped in full leather garb and a simple wooden spear. It had reddish-brown scales and burnt orange eyes. Its legs were sinewy and digitigrade, with long claw-like fingers and a lizard-like tail extended from its back. It walked forward with a smile, revealing a long row of jagged teeth that looked like they could snap a bone in two. The second the being appeared, Joe could taste the vile smell of ammonia and stagnant water waft through the air, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

Overall, the beast reminded Joe of the quintessential kobold from lore. It was another shocking discovery. First, there had been goblins, now kobolds. He couldn't help but wonder what other surprises the Tower held in store.

The kobold surveyed the hallway with its glowing orange eyes that shone like a flashlight as it searched for prey in the dark. The creature took a few steps forward and then stopped when it spotted Joe’s naked body standing helplessly in the middle of the corridor. Without a moment's hesitation, it hissed excitedly, spewing out a mass of vile and saliva, and charged forward with its spear aimed directly at his heart. Joe's muscles went taut as he burst from his position and pivoted to the side, narrowly avoiding the spear tip by a few inches. The spear flashed by and collided with the stone wall, creating a resonating sound that thrummed across the hall.

The kobold hissed in anger and spun around to launch another attack, but Joe was ready. He stared at the kobold, waiting for it to make its next move. The kobold obliged by lunging toward him. Its inverted leg shape allowed it to shoot off with a burst of speed that matched or exceeded the wolves he had faced on the second floor. However, Joe remained unperturbed. How many times had he faced similar situations? Plus, with his earlier gains in agility, the kobold's speed was no match against his own. He waited until the kobold had fully committed to its strike before dodging to the side at the last second, leaving the spear to hit only air.

Joe didn’t waste time. He kicked off against the ground, bolting towards the kobold and grabbing its torso with both hands. Using his full strength, he lifted it off the ground and smashed it into the stone floor like a rocket, leaving it disorientated. Without wasting a second, Joe held the kobold down with one hand and ripped the spear from its claws with the other. He spun it around and thrust the spearhead straight into its jugular. The kobold attempted to thrash out by using its tail as a whip, slashing Joe along the back. However, Joe just gritted his teeth and pushed the spear through its scales, sending a deluge of blood squirting out like a fountain. With a twist, he ripped it out, leaving the kobold to flail until it finally went still.

Red Kobold Lv10 Killed, +700 exp, +500 divine points.

A quick check of his notifications showed the kobold was level 10, surprisingly high considering this was technically the first black floor. Joe finally understood how each grade differed. Not only were the mobs in each gate elevated in level, but the quests were more challenging to complete. However, at the same time, the rewards were undoubtedly greater. Those who could complete the quests and leave alive would be leagues ahead of those who had chosen the easier floors.

Joe gripped the spear and pushed himself up. He couldn’t afford to let down his guard while stuck in a hostile environment. He scanned the area waiting for another kobold to attack, but all that met him was silence. Ten seconds, thirty seconds, then one minute passed, yet the only movement came from the flicker of fire from the burning torches located on the walls. With no immediate threat, Joe fell back on the hard floor, the searing pain from the tail whip had finally subsided, but his back was still red and raw.

So many questions spun through his mind as Joe considered his situation. He quickly brought up his status, frantic to see if the outcome of his decision to allocate his free points into Spirit had resulted in any negative repercussions.

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: 35

Free Stats: 0

Joe breathed a sigh of relief once he saw his status menu and Spirit stat had returned to normal. Moreover, his fear of losing his Spirit points proved unfounded. Instead, he happily counted all 20 points safely allocated under Spirit, which had resulted in his build becoming even more evenly distributed.

With the pressing matter about his Soul resolved, Joe could finally take a moment to consider his next steps. He was stuck on the Black floors that the Tower classified as Impossible, with no food, water, or supplies. He was fully naked, without a single piece of armor or clothing, and the only weapon he had was a spear the kobold had generously donated.

Worse, Joe hadn’t even had time to recharge his respawn skill. Heck, he wasn’t even sure if he would be able to use the skill again until he knew more about what had happened to him. No matter how he looked at it, his situation was bleak. Joe bit his lip while staring down the dark stone corridor. There was only one thing to do. Until he knew it was safe to respawn, he would have to pass the floors without dying.

The task that lay before him was daunting, but Joe didn't despair just yet. First, he needed to test his skill sigils to see if they still worked. The imprinted Sigils were the mechanism that made all skills possible. There would be no way to manipulate and transform pure spiritual energy into something useful without them. Joe still didn't know the intricacies of how they worked, but he knew enough to tell if something felt wrong.

He sat up and concentrated on moving his spiritual energy along his pathways. Unlike before, the flow of energy now felt sluggish and erratic. Before, it had been like a smooth flowing river, but now, it was more like a clogged pipe. Joe furrowed his brows but pushed on by directing the energy into the [Respawn] skill sigil.

At first, the energy resisted, but it eventually relented and started getting absorbed by the sigil, making him release a pent-up breath. The efficiency was half as fast as before, meaning it would take hours longer to charge but at least he knew it still functioned. Joe repeated the same with [Sword Mastery], discovering the same problem. Fortunately, it was a passive skill, meaning the impact wasn't as profound.

Knowing his skill sigils were undamaged took a weight off his shoulder. While there may still be a more fundamental issue with the Respawn skill at play, he could at least confirm it was usable.

However, he couldn’t say the same for his Spirit. Somehow, his damaged Soul had impacted his ability to generate and control energy. Any concepts related to the Soul were far too esoteric for him to get his head around, meaning he had no idea how to even go about trying to fix it. His only hope was to find something in the Divine shop or reach the 4th floor. The Angel had mentioned that everything would become clear then. Perhaps he would find the answers he needed there.

Joe spent the next hour meditating while recharging his [Respawn] skill. He found the control and flow of energy improved with a calm mind, allowing him to make a small amount of progress. However, the heavens had other plans.

Barely an hour passed before another burst of light appeared in the corridor. This time two kobolds spawned, both equipped with the same set of equipment as the first. The kobolds looked around with blank stares, taking time to adjust to their new environment.

Joe took advantage of the reprieve to jump up and run towards the corpse of the last kobold he had killed. He reached the body, lifted it into the air, and chucked it with everything he had at the two oncoming opponents. He couldn’t afford to get injured too early on, and without a shield, the risk of injury was too high. He was going to have to fight dirty if he wanted to live.

The corpse slammed into the closest kobold, causing it to tumble. Joe took advantage of the distraction to thrust his spear into the second enemy. His longer reach and speed caught it by surprise, eliciting a pained hiss as the spear tip pierced through its torso and armor. A second lunge was all it took to end its life for good. Suddenly, a flash of metal appeared in his periphery, forcing Joe to jump to the side.

The first kobold was back up and had managed to launch a strike from behind. Joe swatted its next attack to the side with his higher strength and countered with a lunge that impaled the kobold through the mouth, killing it instantly.

With the battle concluded, Joe picked up a fresh spear and began rifling through the bodies for loot or other valuable items.

Joe couldn’t help but realize how naive he had been. The floor challenge wouldn’t give him the time to recharge his skill, especially on the black floors. He didn’t know how far the corridor extended or when the next group of enemies would arrive, but there was no time to sit around if kobolds spawned every hour with increasing numbers. Joe extracted the vambraces of one of the kobolds and strapped them on.

They were a little tight but would at least provide some protection to his arms. The chest armor was too small for Joe’s large frame, but he took one anyway to act as a shield. Joe stared at kobold's clothing and then looked at his naked form. He desperately needed something to cover himself, but the rags these things wore stunk to high heavens.

The clothes they wore were stained with patches of grime and filth. Joe would rather be naked than be clothed in the disgusting germ factories these things wore. Why did the Tower have to make everything so damn real? Joe did at least take one of the belts and a simple pouch. The pouch contained a strange assortment of items, from plain rocks to half-eaten mice. He emptied the contents and attached the empty satchel to his new belt.

It was risky to leave without recharging the respawn skill, but given the circumstances, there wasn't much choice. Besides, he didn’t even know if the skill still functioned.

Once Joe's preparations were complete, he began his jog down into the dimly lit passage, while watching for any traps or hidden enemies. The corridor was a simple straight path that was utterly symmetrical in look and design. Joe had tried to spot the exit by gazing into the distance, but the hallway seemed to extend for eternity.

In a scenario like this, Joe's biggest fear was encountering unexpected threats. He had played enough games to know the number one rule when traveling through a dungeon was to always watch out for traps. It would only take a simple tripwire or pressure stone for a permanent game-over.

Luckily, the heavens were merciful, allowing Joe to travel unimpeded through the corridor. He had made good progress when another beam of light appeared, signaling the arrival of the third group of enemies. Joe ground to a halt readying himself for the next wave.

This time four kobolds spawned, causing Joe to clench his fists in consternation. He finally knew how this floor worked. If the number of spawns kept compounding each wave, he would soon be facing hundreds of enemies by the tenth wave. With this realization, there was no time to waste. Joe charged into the kobolds before they could organize.

His spear drilled straight through the first enemy. Its orange eyes opened wide in shock as it coughed up a mouthful of blood while falling backward. Joe didn’t wait to extract the fully embedded spear. He smashed into the next target, using the armor to block an errant strike. Once he got in close, he began to kick, punch and bash with everything he had. His hand-to-hand combat technique was non-existent, almost laughable, but his higher stats gave him the power to cause devastating damage with each blow.

A punch to the gut caused one to bend over in agony, and a follow-up kick to the leg caused another’s shin to crack. Each attack caused Joe’s body to hurt like hell, but his higher vitality made his skin and bones stronger. Another kobold tried charging in from behind, but Joe sidestepped, allowing its spear to skewer its ally. Joe quickly put it down with a kick to the groin. The power behind his strike caused the kobold to collapse while foaming at the mouth.

The final kobold lunged and grazed Joe on the shoulder with its spear. Joe responded by grabbing the weapon out of its hand and kicking it in the gut. The force sent the kobold colliding into the wall, leaving it unconscious.

By the end, Joe stood tall with four kobold corpses strewn around. Blood dripped down his shoulder where he'd gotten grazed, but his breath was steady.

So far, he had managed to win each battle thanks to his higher stat advantage. However, he knew once the number of opponents got beyond ten, even he would struggle. Each kobold had strength that was 10x above the goblins he had faced on normal difficulty, making the floor significantly more dangerous.

With no time to waste, Joe checked the bodies before picking up a few more spears and sprinting deeper into the corridor. He needed to escape before the next wave arrived.