[Hell Difficulty - 1st Floor]
{Ace Hayes}
The transition from his personal waiting room to the first floor of hell difficulty was very noticeable. From clean, bland air to air filled with blood and dread. Scanning his surroundings, there were broken pillars that jutted out from the rough ground. It was a large hall, enclosed in what looked to be solid steel. In front of him was a large wolf, so to speak. From teleporting in, the wolf was waking up and the system notified him.
[Please choose a weapon]
Sword
Spear
Bow
Gauntlet
None
Since his inventory was wiped due to the change in difficulty, he picked the sword again and the flimsy sword appeared in his inventory. He had an overpowered weapon from the shop after floor 5 because he was selling information to other people, farming coins. Now he was back to square one.
Just as he picked the sword, the wolf readied its body and instantly lunged at him. Ace barely dodged even with his ten floors of experience. He tried scanning the wolf.
[Direwolf - Level ???]
HP: ???
ATK: ???
DEF: ???
'Well that's unhelpful.'
The direwolf stepped forward from between two pillars, and Ace's breath caught in his throat. This wasn't just a big wolf. This was a monster. It was the same height as him, with muscles that bulged beneath its dark gray fur. Its yellow eyes locked onto him with a cold intelligence that made his skin crawl. When it opened its mouth, it revealed rows of razor sharp teeth the size of daggers. The saliva dripped to the stone floor, causing puddles to form.
This is too hard of a first floor for newcomers, Ace thought. I wouldn't be surprised if most people died from the initial lunge since you have almost no time to react. Well, good thing I'm not a newcomer. Ace faintly smirked.
The wolf began to circle him with a steady flow, never out of rhythm. Each step was deliberate, calculated. It wasn't like a regular wolf—it was faster, stronger, and clearly smarter. The way it moved reminded him of the professional fighters he used to watch on TV.
Ace settled into a combat stance, but it still shadowed his former self. He still had his muscle memory which would help him remember his skills, but it was like trying to remember a song he had only heard once.
The direwolf struck without warning when Ace was a little distracted.
It launched itself forward with explosive power, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. Ace barely managed to throw himself to the side. He rolled behind one of the stone pillars, heart pulsing even faster.
The wolf prowled around the pillar in no apparent rush—a slow crawl. It knew it had the advantage. Ace could hear its claws clicking against the stone.
When it appeared around the corner, Ace was somewhat ready. He swung his sword in a wide arc, but the direwolf was faster. It ducked under the blade and snapped at his legs. Ace jumped back, stumbling slightly as his footwork was clumsy. The wolf's teeth caught the edge of his pants, tearing only fabric.
Focus, Ace commanded himself. You didn't switch difficulty just to die.
As if responding to his determination, he felt something shift inside him. His next dodge was smoother, more instinctive. The wolf lunged again, and this time Ace sidestepped cleanly, his body remembering the rhythm of combat. He tightened his grip around the hilt of the sword and struck down. The wolf narrowly dodged, but Ace's swordsmanship was coming back, piece by piece.
The direwolf snarled in frustration, circling again. This time when it attacked, he was more than ready. He met its charge with his blade, the steel scraping against its thick hide. The wolf's defense was stronger than a normal wolf's, but it wasn't impenetrable. A thin line of dark blood appeared along its side.
But the wolf was far from finished. It spun with surprising agility and backhanded Ace with its massive paw. The blow sent him stumbling, his left shoulder taking the full brunt of the impact. He felt claws tear through his shirt and into flesh, warm blood beginning to trickle down his arm.
The pain was sharp but manageable. What Ace didn't know was that somewhere else, someone on error difficulty had faced a direbear on their first floor—a monster that made this direwolf look like a puppy. That beast had been massive, with defense that could shrug off most attacks and strength that could crush bones. At least it was only as fast as this wolf. But Ace had no way of knowing any of that.
The wolf pressed its advantage, rushing forward again. But Ace was finding his groove now. He ducked under its snapping jaws, rolled to the side, came up with his sword ready. Each movement felt more natural, more fluid. His dodge skill was definitely coming back.
They traded blows for several more exchanges. The wolf would charge, Ace would dodge and counter. His blade found fur and flesh more often now, leaving shallow cuts that leaked dark blood. But the direwolf's stamina seemed endless, while Ace could feel his breathing becoming heavier.
I need to end this, he realized. I can't keep this up forever.
The wolf seemed to sense his fatigue. It backed off slightly, yellow eyes gleaming with cunning. Then it rushed forward in what was clearly intended to be a finishing charge, jaws open wide, aiming for his throat.
In that moment, Ace felt a foreign energy flowing through his body. Something he remembered from before, like muscle memory kicking in. Without fully understanding what he was doing, he reached for that energy and pulled it into his muscles. His sword arm strengthened, his legs steadied.
He dodged the open jaws of the wolf aiming at his throat by a fraction of a second, and went for its neck. The sword cut the wolf's neck clean off in one swift motion.
The massive creature's eyes widened in surprise before the light faded from them. It collapsed to the stone floor with a heavy thud, blood gushing out of the wound.
Ace stood over the fallen direwolf, chest heaving, blood still trickling from his shoulder wound. He'd won, and he was still alive. If he had let down his guard he would have been easily killed and eaten. He knew that if he had dragged out the fight, the monster would have gone berserk and its stats would have gotten even crazier.
The God of Adversity is pleased
Multiple Gods are watching with interest
[Stats Gained from Kill: +9 Strength, +10 Agility]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the 1st Floor!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Reward Unlocked: Steady Sword]
[Reward Unlocked: 30 Tower Coins]
[You have learned: Mana Sense]
[You have learned: Mana Manipulation]
[You have learned: Mana Augmentation]
[You have learned: . . .]
[Travel to 2nd Floor Waiting Room?]
Yes