Before heading to the second floor, Alex stopped by the only potion shop on the first floor.
The shop wasn't as large as one might imagine when thinking of a potion store. Shelves lined with bottles of every color filled the small space, and as he stepped inside, the mixed scent of herbs, minerals, and alchemical reagents wafted into his nose.
From behind the counter, a woman dressed in a green top and black trousers approached.
"What would you like, sir?" she asked with a polite smile.
"I'd like to buy five Recovery Potions and twenty Shacklebane Elixirs—level range fifteen to twenty-five," Alex replied calmly.
He paused, then added, "The Shacklebane Elixir… it's a potion that must be taken before a control-type skill is cast. It only works if the caster's level falls within the potion's range, and its effect lasts for about a minute."
"Yes, sir," the woman nodded.
She turned around, gathered the potions from a shelf behind her, and arranged them neatly on the counter. "That'll be two hundred and ten gold coins in total."
Alex reached into his inventory, retrieved a pouch of gold, and tossed it lightly onto the counter. The woman counted the coins as Alex stored the potions into his inventory one by one.
As he stepped out of the shop, a soft wave of light engulfed him—warm and blinding. In the next instant, he felt the familiar pull of teleportation.
When the light faded, Alex found himself standing on the second floor of the Tower. Around him were dozens of other climbers—new faces, most filled with confusion or fear.
"How much longer do we have to stay in this hell?" a woman cried out, her voice trembling.
"'Quest: Kill fifteen Chain Wraiths'? What does that even mean?" another shouted, his hands shaking as he stared at the floating message before him.
The air was heavy with panic. Some challengers sobbed, wishing to return to Earth, while others had already begun to harden their resolve, adapting to the grim reality of the Tower.
Alex watched them quietly. A faint, distant look filled his eyes as memories of his first life surfaced—the fear, the confusion, the desperation. He, too, had once stood there trembling, unsure if he'd survive the next hour.
He smiled faintly, though it carried no joy.
To think that I—who once reached the Tower's peak—nearly died on this very floor... and I didn't even fight its boss that time.
Every floor had a boss, but not every climber received a quest to defeat it.
Most were assigned random objectives, yet those with special classes were burdened with greater challenges—tasks that were often far more dangerous.
Suddenly, a glowing message appeared before his eyes.
[Quest: Defeat Velkar, the Fallen Knight]
Alex stared at the message, his expression hardening into determination.
He took a deep breath and began walking forward. As he moved, flashes of memory filled his mind—recollections of the creatures that roamed this floor.
"The second floor consists of:
Chain Wraiths, Level 13–16
Iron Lashes, Level 16–28
Boss Monster: Velkar, the Fallen Knight — Level 30"
The path led him through an abandoned village. The air was thick and unmoving; every house stood dark and lifeless, as though the soul of the place had long been devoured.
From the shadows of a nearby alley, a faint clinking echoed. Then, with a hiss, a Chain Wraith burst forth—its form semi-transparent, its chains rattling as they whipped through the air.
[Chain Wraith – Level 18]
Alex reacted instantly. He pulled a small vial from his inventory and drank it in one swift motion.
[You have consumed a Shacklebane Elixir.]
[For the next 1 minute, you are immune to control-type skills from monsters below Level 25.]
Energy surged through him, a faint shimmer wrapping around his body. The wraith shrieked and lashed out with its chain-covered arm.
Alex gripped his scythe tightly, its dark blade gleaming with a cold light as he faced the Chain Wraith.
The creature's hollow eyes burned with malice, and a chain wrapped around its right arm rattled menacingly before it lashed out.
With a sharp hiss, the chain tore through the air toward Alex—but he had already predicted the move.
He leaped upward, narrowly avoiding the strike. Midair, his body twisted gracefully, the scythe spinning in his hands to build momentum.
The Wraith screeched, its form flickering, and sent several more chains whipping toward him like steel vipers.
But the moment they reached him, Alex's scythe danced through the air—each strike precise, each motion deliberate.
The sound of shattering metal echoed through the deserted village as his weapon cleaved through every chain that dared approach.
Landing lightly on the ground, Alex countered with a clean horizontal slash.
The blade of the scythe sliced straight across the Wraith's chest, splitting through its ethereal body. A distorted cry filled the air as the monster's form rippled and half its health vanished instantly.
The Wraith staggered back, its eyes flaring brighter—a sign of danger. It raised both arms, and its chains began to tremble violently.
[Chain Dominion Activated]
Dozens of spectral chains burst from the ground where Alex stood. They wrapped around his arms, his legs, his torso—binding him in place. The pressure was immense, as if the chains carried the weight of the dead.
Alex's movement slowed to a halt. The Wraith let out a guttural screech and charged forward, its chains coiling like serpents behind it, ready to pierce and crush him.
But instead of fear, Alex's lips curved into a calm, confident smile.
CRACK!
The chains binding him shattered like brittle glass. A soft glow pulsed across his body as a system message appeared before his eyes:
[With the help of the Shacklebane Elixir, you have resisted Chain Dominion.]
[30 seconds remain until the Shacklebane Elixir's effect ends.]
Alex's shadow flickered beneath him. His scythe began to hum—a low, resonant sound—as dark energy gathered along its blade, swirling into a sharp, ominous edge.
The Wraith's charge didn't slow, but Alex was already moving. In a blur of motion, he dashed forward, his weapon glowing with condensed shadow energy.
As the two clashed, Alex swung his scythe in a single, sweeping arc—a strike filled with ruthless precision.
SWOOSH!
The scythe's blade tore clean through the Wraith's neck. For a brief second, silence filled the air—then the creature's body dissolved into mist, its head vanishing with a faint echoing cry.
[You have slain: Chain Wraith (Lv. 18)]
[EXP Gained: 900]
Alex exhaled slowly and lowered his weapon, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"Let the hunt continue," he murmured.
From every corner of the ruined village, the sound of rattling chains began to rise again.
Figures emerged from the fog—more Chain Wraiths, their hollow eyes glinting with hatred as they drifted toward him.
Alex's scythe gleamed darkly under the ghostly light. He adjusted his stance, a thrill flickering in his chest as his shadow stretched long across the ground.
The second floor had only just begun.