I rolled my shoulders and tilted my head from side to side, feeling the tension of battle still knotted in my muscles. With practiced ease, I reached into my ToolsItems inventory and pulled out a healing potion. A quick gulp sent the mid-tier elixir’s warmth spreading through me, restoring my HP to full. I sighed, momentarily at peace, as I gazed at the sky overhead.

From the first floor to the ninth, the journey had been an unending series of trials. Triumphs were fleeting, overshadowed by the looming shadow of the next challenge. Days blurred together in the tower’s twisted rhythm. Each defeat resurrected me back to the beginning, the first day of the tutorial. I lost count of the days but kept a tally of my deaths—a grim reminder of the tower’s merciless nature.

My biggest irritation was the tower’s online store, especially its weaponry selection for my gunner class. The system seemed to conspire against me, issuing weapons intended to complicate my life. The latest offense? A handgun that fired rubber bullets.

“Is this a joke?” I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the time, feeling the sting of mockery as the item first became available for purchase. It was as if the tower itself harbored a vendetta against me. Why, I couldn’t say. But I intended to find out.

Yet, that toy gun sparked something in me—a flicker of inspiration. My current weapon, a basic slingshot, wasn’t cutting it against the tower’s escalating threats. I needed something more reliable. The breakthrough came on the second floor, where I stumbled upon a hidden grove of bamboo. The swaying stalks reminded me of a school trip to Kyushu Olle Miyama-Kiyomizuyama course, a place rich with history and natural beauty.

Memories and inspiration collided. I recalled a documentary on crafting powerful slingshots using PVC. I could adapt to those techniques here. My fingers danced over the online store’s interface, purchasing a hammer, nails, chisel, sandpaper, a sturdy rubber band, and a handsaw. I handpicked two bamboo stalks, their slightly different diameters perfect for my plan.

Sawing, sanding, and hammering, I crafted a weapon. The larger bamboo became the front handle, with a pulley for automatic reloading. Grooves carved into the sides of the smaller piece allowed for smooth pouch sliding. The toy gun’s trigger mechanism was repurposed, creating a seamless reloading system. In just two seconds, I could reload and release my projectile. Thus, the SlingBam was born.

Holding my creation, I felt a surge of triumph. The system acknowledged my ingenuity, awarding me fifteen INT points. My stats soared, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many points a handmade handgun might earn me. But for now, the SlingBam was my trusty companion.

With the SlingBam as my chief weapon, I navigated the tower’s floors with renewed confidence. Each monster fell swiftly, precision and speed now my allies. Still, the journey remained fraught with peril. Death came for me often, especially in the dungeon-riddled floors requiring multiple quest flags.

But the dungeons, with their promise of epic loot, were irresistible. Each risk was a gamble I couldn’t pass up, and it paid off. Furthermore, a troublesome dungeon boss fell to my SlingBam, and I was rewarded with my first legendary item. I looked down at my boots, marveling at their quality, and grinned. If the shopping mall back in my world had this kind of footwear for sale, crime rates would definitely increase, and the police force would have a very hard time catching criminals wearing these boots.

***

Puss in Boots

Type: Legendary

Description: The fairy tale magical boots worn by the sly and lewd cat.

DEX: +60

INT: +35

WIS: +20

LCK: +15

Advantages:

Enhanced agility and cunning: Exceptional dexterity and intelligence empower the wearer to outsmart opponents and achieve their goals through wit and stealth.

Stealth: Steps become silent, aiding in stealth and evasion.

Balance: Improved balance and agility facilitate the traversal of difficult terrain.

Increased Speed: Running speed is significantly enhanced.

Dexterity: Overall dexterity is improved, aiding in nimble movements. Reaction time is reduced, proving useful in combat situations.

Disadvantages:

Player may become lecherous overtime.

***

Even though the description of my new boots was strange and, frankly, slightly embarrassing, I didn’t care. The Puss in Boots quickly became my favorite piece of gear. Their sleek design and enchanted properties combined both style and protection. I couldn’t help but feel somewhat smug strutting around in them.

But the boots weren’t my only prize. Thanks to the glitch that affected my time in the tutorial phase, I amassed a hefty amount of gold. Every reset sent me back to the same monsters, allowing me to collect and sell their weapons and equipment repeatedly. Each encounter sharpened my skills and provided valuable insights into the weaknesses of the Akai and Kiiroi monsters.

Alongside the wealth, I accrued a significant number of free stats, untouched since my first day in the tower. Regular exercise increased my base STR and DEX, while my ingenuity in setting traps during battles bolstered my WIS. A brilliantly crafted double trap I set to kill the ogre on the first floor earned me three WIS points. And as for LCK, I suspected the system rewarded me for overcoming great odds against high-level monsters.

Spending so much time in the tower also had an unexpected perk: I didn’t age. Despite estimating that I had spent at least six years in this game reality, I still looked like an eighteen-year-old teenager. This quirk of the tower’s time distortion was a minor comfort amidst the constant challenges.

Taking a well-deserved break, I slumped into a worn chair within the confines of a large stronghold, the aftermath of my battle with the ninth-floor boss still vivid in my mind. Facing off against the goblin boss wouldn’t have been possible without the latest type of projectile available to me after conquering the fifth floor: hiishi (fire stones). These new projectiles caused small explosions upon impact, sending targets flying or engulfing them in flames. The cost, though, was steep. While ishi cost a mere gold, and kōkyū three coins per piece, hiishi set me back a hundred gold each. Thankfully, my amassed wealth made the expense worthwhile. The combination of the SlingBam and hiishi significantly boosted my combat capabilities, allowing me to face even the toughest opponents with ease.

I surveyed the scene where several huts still smoldered, remnants of the fierce battle, and the bodies of my fallen adversaries lay strewn across the ground. Around a hundred goblin soldiers had guarded the ninth-floor boss, but they were mainly Common Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Goblin Riders. If the Shadow Goblins had been among them, the battle would have been far more challenging. These elusive foes were masters of stealth, their poisoned daggers striking swiftly from the shadows. On the bright side, my repeated exposure to their toxic weapons in the dungeons had granted me a default skill of Poison Resistance.

Bringing up my status window screen, I reflected on my progress. The Portal feature, which allowed players to teleport from floor to floor, had become available after defeating the first-floor boss. However, it came with limitations that I fully understood upon reading:

Players could only teleport one floor up or down.

The feature could be used only once a day.

The portal would be disabled during battle or under any dangerous circumstances.

Though constrained, the Portal feature added a strategic layer to my exploration of the tower. There was also another method of teleportation: teleportation scrolls, albeit at a hefty price. The mass teleportation scroll, for instance, could transport a group to any opened floor or specific locations, with the ability to exclude individuals within the group by writing their names on the scroll.

Inhaling a deep breath, I let my gaze settle on the lifeless form of Thrognak the Earthbinder, the ninth-floor boss. He was a formidable Goblin Shaman whose innate magical abilities had tested me to my limits. His crumpled form lay amidst the wreckage, a silent confirmation of the grueling battle we had fought.

As I stared down at the dead Thrognak, a thought gnawed at the back of my mind. It had cost me two lives to take him and his horde of goblins out. How many lives would I need to defeat the final boss of the tenth floor? And what awaited me beyond the goblins’ realm, in the territory of the Lizardmen?

I shook my head, dispelling the doubts. No matter how tough or long it took to beat the final goblin boss, with the glitch on my side, I was confident I could clear all the floors in the Goblins’ realm. The glitch was my trump card, my edge in this relentless climb.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the residual tingling from the use of the hiishi projectiles. Their fiery impact had been crucial in the fight against Thrognak. I made a mental note to stock up on more before my next major encounter, despite their steep cost.

Rising from my chair, I approached the portal, its shimmering surface a gateway to the unknown challenges of the tenth floor. The rules of its use echoed in my mind—defeat the floor’s boss, endure the cooldown period. It was a fair system, ensuring each step forward was earned.

Now, with Thrognak defeated and the ninth floor behind me, the final goblin boss loomed ahead, a formidable obstacle but not an insurmountable one. The glitch, my ingenuity, and my growing arsenal of weapons and skills would see me through.

With a last glance at the fragments of the battle, I stepped toward the portal, ready to face whatever awaited me on the tenth floor.