After my grandfather and the driver left me alone in the middle of the road, I began to explore the Village of Beginnings. But first, I wanted to read everything the old man had given me.
[Achievement Engraved]
Enter the Tower before you turn 16.
Reward: 25,000 Points
[Achievement Engraved]
Enter the Tower for the first time.
Reward: 1,000 Points
[Achievement Engraved]
Activate Special Core for the first time.
Reward: All Stats Increase by 10%
[Special Core Activated]
Half-Demongod Dragon - Fafnir
Bonus: All Stats Increase by 50.
Seeing the strange achievements that only provided points without any other rewards, I immediately called out to the old man for an explanation.
'Hey, old man, what do you mean by the points listed here? Can I exchange them for something useful?'
'Oh right, I gave you something like this, taken from some comics you've read. Just think of it as a way to grow stronger, but it's only useful inside the tower, so make good use of those points.'
'Wait, I've already received 50 stat points in total. Haven't the missions you assigned me finished yet? I've increased my stats by 50 points in each stat.'
'That doesn't count. You need to earn those stats through missions or training. Speaking of missions, don't you want to go hunting? Since you're already in the starting town, why not head to the 1st floor to gain experience fighting monsters?'
Hearing the old man's words, I found myself at a loss for how to respond, but the old man quickly realized what he had said.
' Nonsense about needing experience fighting monsters. You've dealt with monsters plenty already; a goblin or a slime won't be difficult for you. So forget about gaining experience on the 1st floor. Use this time to earn money, and first, find a safe place to stay to protect yourself from thieves.'
' You're right. There are too many eyes on my suitcase. They probably have no intention of helping me carry it.'
I walked toward the crowd that was watching me. As they noticed their prey approaching, they brandished their weapons and began to threaten me.
"Hey, kid, hand over your suitcase and your magic bag!"
I smiled. "What if I don't want to?"
"We'll kill you!"
"Huh? Kill me? You're just a group of humans who dare to survive only in this beginner's town and don't even venture outside the tower. You want to kill someone? Oh, right, you guys are just like that."
As I mocked them, the person behind me raised his bow and shot an arrow. I easily dodged it and moved forward to counterattack. But suddenly, five needles flew toward me at a rapid speed. I deflected the needles with the back of my hand, but due to that careless action, I didn't realize that the arrows were coated with Aura, and the five needles lodged themselves in the back of my hand.
*Thump, thump!*
My heart raced heavily after being hit by the needles.
"Poison, huh?"
As I pulled out the needles lodged in the back of my hand, I could feel the poison spreading faster with each one I removed. However, this level of poison wouldn't be enough to take me down.
This is the advantage of being a Master of All Trades; regardless of the type of magic, I can learn all of them to a certain extent. While this gives me many advantages, it also comes with disadvantages.
Seeing that I was able to counter the poison needles they had shot at me, they immediately turned to flee. But I wouldn't let them escape so easily.
I forcefully opened the suitcase, and my two swords leaped out.
As the black and white dual swords emerged from the suitcase, the group quickly realized what I intended to do and hastened their pace to get away.
[Emergency Mission]
Kill all enemies
Enemies killed: 0/7
Reward: 10,000 Points, Rune Fragment x1, 1,000,000 Tower Coins.
Seeing the rewards for the mission, I couldn't help but be surprised. One million tower coins was equivalent to a billion dollars. In other words, the old man was effectively making me a billionaire with a low-level mission.
"You know, I actually gave that amount because it was just piling up like trash in my storage. None of it even made a dent in the pile," he explained.
"How many coins do you have?"
"To be honest, I lost track, but the amount I just gave you is the maximum that can be provided as a mission reward."
"Is that so? Then I'll gladly take all the money you didn't use."
Kicking the ground with all my strength, I sprinted toward the seven individuals who had tried to kill me. Drawing my two swords from their sheaths, I swiftly slashed the person at the back, cutting him in half.
I then unleashed Water Slash magic to sever the ankles of the remaining six who were still trying to flee, successfully incapacitating them all.
As one of them clutched their severed ankle, they began begging for mercy, promising not to commit crimes again if I spared them.
I regarded them with a scornful look. "Let's put it this way: when you threatened to kill me, did I beg for mercy? Of course not. So why should I do that for you?"
After saying this, I mercilessly slashed the necks of all the people there.
[Mission Completed]
Your reward has been sent; please check your Leather Pouch.
I resurrected the six bodies as undead and allowed them to wreak havoc in the city. After awakening this source of future trouble, I made my way to the mission reception to see what missions I could take at this time.
"Aren't you going to look for a room to sleep in first?" the old man asked.
"What for? I have one million tower coins plus 20,000 coins from Grandpa. I can stay in the most luxurious inn."
"Okay, just do as you wish. I've warned you."
After finishing my conversation with the old man, I entered the Awakener Association Building in Beginner Town.
Feeling the aura of a newcomer, everyone stared at me intently. Some attempted to use their appraisal abilities on me, but it was futile—thanks to the item Grandpa gave me at home, I was shielded from such assessments.
Realizing they couldn't appraise me, some individuals began to speculate about my true value as I approached the registration counter.
I placed my exam card on the counter and stated, "I want to register for a task according to my score on the exam."
The receptionist, noticing my confidence, looked at me unhappily. However, as she examined my exam card, her expression changed; she couldn't find the words to respond and simply froze in place.