[Kang Jun-hyeok [Alone]: Isn't the Shopkeeper so annoying? Why does he always have to add a word when he sells things?]

[Lee Tae-yeon [Alone]: You too? If he's a Shopkeeper, he should just sell his stuff like one. Why is he like that? I really want to stab him with a knife, but I can't because I'll get my ass kicked. Ah. I'm so pissed.]

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

Taesan had no choice but to ask. There was no reason for Lee Tae-yeon to lie to him, so the Dwarf must have treated her harshly. But now, it was hard to find even a trace of that in the Dwarf's demeanor.

“What's with the attitude, even when I'm being nice. Can't I show some consideration?”

The Dwarf indifferently arranged the items one by one.

“Think of it as a simple investment.”

“An investment?”

“Quiet. Here. Take a look. These are things you can afford right now.”

He laid out nearly ten items on the floor. Taesan looked at the Dwarf reluctantly, but since the Dwarf showed no sign of answering, he examined the items first. Most of the many items were potions.

Taesan picked up a red potion.

[Health Recovery Potion] [Restores 50% of Health.]

[200G] Health Recovery Potions were extremely hard to obtain anywhere other than the shop.

Even in the shop, there was usually a limited quantity, making it a must-buy item. But Taesan put the Health Recovery Potion down.

‘I won't have any use for it in the beginning anyway.’

There were many other potions as well. The Potion of Rage, which temporarily increased Attack Power. The Potion of Swiftness, which temporarily increased all speeds.

The Potion of Teleportation, which allowed one to move to a thrown location. All of them were useful. They were indispensable potions for clearing the Labyrinth.

But they weren't things he needed to use right now. He had heard that potions were very difficult to obtain in Alone Mode. Using them on these lower floors would be a huge waste in itself, so there was no reason to buy them now.

It was a sort of trap, so to speak. Right now, he had to buy a more important Item than those. Taesan picked up a small bow.

[Crude Bow] [Accuracy +20%] [Seems quite difficult to use.]

[200G] [Crude Arrow] [Attack Power +1] [It has the shape of an arrow.]

[10G] He definitely needed one ranged weapon.

With just a bow, he could bypass many troublesome situations. With his current Gold, he could buy one bow and four arrows.

“How much is the leather worth?”

“For this quality, it should be about 70 Gold.”

“Then I'll sell it.”

With the seventy Gold, he immediately purchased seven more arrows. The Dwarf watched this with a satisfied expression. Taesan was bewildered by the overly favorable look on his face.

‘What is this?’

“And don't you know Health doesn't recover in the Labyrinth?”

“I know.”

Inside the Labyrinth, natural recovery was incredibly slow. Even after a full day, it was questionable if even 10 Health would recover. Mana was slightly better, but it was still slow.

There were three ways to solve this. One was to drink a recovery potion, another was to kill Monsters and absorb their Health to recover. Or visit the Fountain of Life that exists within the Labyrinth.

“There's a Fountain of Life on the First Floor. As long as you don't leave the First Floor, you can use it infinitely. I'll tell you its location. There's a crazy old man there, but with you, it shouldn't be a problem.”

It's different. Definitely.

The Dwarf had also guided Lee Tae-yeon to the Fountain of Life. But she had heard all sorts of contemptuous words. He had supposedly told her in a tone that suggested she should just hole up there and starve to death, but now he was very kind.

“I'll map the location for you.”

Now he was even marking it on the map.

“Do you know how to read a map?”

“I do.”

Taesan checked the map. On the black map, the paths Taesan had taken were displayed, and a single bright light lay in the darkness. That was the location of the Fountain of Life.

Taesan silently looked at the Dwarf.

“Why, is there something else you need?”

“... No. There isn't.” Taesan said his farewell.

“Then I'll be going.”

“Alright. See you again.”

There was no reason for Lee Tae-yeon to lie to him. That Dwarf must have treated her very badly. But not to him.

‘Is it because of the method?’

Lee Tae-yeon had failed to catch the Big Rat and fled. He had caught the Big Rat and returned. That difference might have been what changed the Dwarf's attitude.

It was a matter he couldn't be sure of for now, so he headed for the Fountain of Life. He put the Rusted Sword into his Inventory and grasped the Tower Shield with both hands. As he walked through the Labyrinth, a Big Rat appeared.

[A Big Rat has appeared.]

The Big Rat squeaked and looked at him. Taesan quietly raised his shield. His Agility had increased by 2. Even such a small difference in numbers was significant in the beginning.

To put it simply, he could now react to the Big Rat's movements. Not perfectly, but unlike before where he had to see the muscle movements to block an attack, he could now predict its movements and deal damage. Taesan deliberately lifted his shield, exposing his ankle as if setting a trap.

The Big Rat lacked the intelligence to discern if it was a trap. The Big Rat charged.

[You have taken 4 damage.]

The moment he saw the damage window, Taesan slammed his shield down. Just as the Big Rat tried to quickly pull back, the shield crushed its body. A high-pitched scream erupted.

“Squeeeaaak!”

[Your attack.]

[The Big Rat is incapacitated. It will take more damage.]

[4 damage to the Big Rat.]

[You are victorious against the Big Rat.]

[Received a large amount of Experience.]

[5 Health has been recovered.]

[Acquired 33 Gold.]

[Acquired Big Rat's Leather.]

[Acquired Big Rat's Meat.]

He looked happily at the System Window that was obscuring his view.

‘The shield is the best, after all.’

A sword has a small surface area, so it requires aiming. The probability of missing is very high. But with the Tower Shield, he just had to slam it down.

Since the Big Rat always retreated backward after an attack, there was no fear of failure. As long as one met the minimum Stat requirements and obtained enough money to buy a Tower Shield, it was the most perfect strategy. Moreover, beginners were most afraid of taking damage, so the Tower Shield's high Defense Power was a huge advantage.

After he posted this strategy on the community forums, beginners started carrying Tower Shields. Recalling those times, Taesan checked the System Window.

[Your Level has increased.]

[You are now in optimal condition.]

[As a reward for Level Up, Health has increased by 10.] [As a reward for Level Up, Agility has permanently increased by 2.] [Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. Agility permanently increases by 1.] [Obtained Basic Skill [Shieldsmanship].]

[Proficiency of Insight has increased by 1%.]

“Status Window.”

[Kang Taesan] [Level: 2] [Health: 110/110] [Mana: 10/10] [Strength: 10] [Intelligence: 10] [Agility: 15] [Attack Power +1] [Defense Power +7] [Subject is in a state of hunger.]

Taesan smiled contentedly after checking his Stats. He hadn't even cleared the First Floor yet, but his Agility was already 15. In terms of Agility alone, it was a similar value to when he had reached the 10th Floor.

The difference between 10 and 15 might not seem like much, but here, even a small difference in Stats was very significant. If those with Strength Stats of 10 and 15 fought, the one with 15 could defeat more than five of the others. That was why the Hard Mode Players were able to survive in this crazy world.

With Stats in the thousands, they possessed the power to carve down mountains. And now, Taesan could also possess that power. He was incredibly happy.

Taesan sprinted through the Labyrinth. After that, he encountered more Big Rats, but he was able to handle them all without any problems. The difference in Stats was just too great now.

After dealing with them without taking a single point of damage, he finally reached the vicinity of the Fountain of Life. Taesan opened the map. A bright light was ahead of his position.

It meant the Fountain of Life was just past one corridor. Taesan stepped into the corridor.

‘It's longer than I thought.’

The door on the other side was visible in the distance. It was a distance that would take a good 5 minutes to walk. Thinking it was unnecessarily long, Taesan walked on.

When he was about halfway through, a System Window appeared.

[A Big Rat has appeared.]

Without panicking, Taesan raised his shield. Encountering a Monster in a corridor was a common occurrence. But at the next window that followed, Taesan's eyebrows twitched.

[A Big Rat has appeared.]

“Squeak. Squeak.”

“Squeak.”

The cries overlapped. Three Big Rats approached Taesan. One was in front of Taesan.

Two were behind him.

[You are in a difficult situation.]

[Performing confusion Judgment...]

[Performing Fear Judgment...]

Three Big Rats in a corridor with almost no room to move. And he was surrounded. Even for Taesan, it could be dangerous, but his expression remained unchanged.

[...]

He was not shaken. He had seen countless people die from unexpected variables, even when they were fully capable of succeeding. Taesan had no intention of becoming one of them.

[All Judgments successful!]

[You have endured with your outstanding mental strength!]

[All Stats have increased.]

[You have obtained an unshakable mind.]

[Proficiency of Composure has increased by 1%.]

Thanks to the Level Up, his condition was perfect. The width of the corridor was about that of an apartment staircase. It was possible to turn his body around.

[Proficiency of Vision Expansion has increased by 3%.]

Due to the successful Judgments, all Stats increased by 1. With his current Stats, he could win even in a battle of reaction speed against a Big Rat. His chances of victory were more than enough.

[Proficiency of Insight has increased by 1%.]

He raised his shield. This time, he didn't expose his ankle. He quietly glared at the Big Rat in front of him.

“Squeak. Squeak.”

“Squeeeak.”

The Big Rats cried out cheerfully. Three of their kind had surrounded a large human. Even with their poor intelligence, they could tell they had the advantage.

And that thought invited carelessness.

Thud!

Taesan stomped his foot first. He charged toward the Big Rat in front of him.

“Squeak!”

The Big Rat in front was startled and fled. Surprised by the sudden charge, it ran far away. The distance between them widened so much that it would take quite some time for it to approach again.

“Squeak, squeak!”

The Big Rat behind him, which had been quietly laughing, was surprised and charged. At that moment, as if he had been waiting for it, Taesan swiftly turned his body.

“Squeak!”

Faced with the shield suddenly turning towards it, the Big Rat hastily tried to stop. But a body in motion doesn't stop easily. Taesan's shield crushed the Big Rat.

“Squeeeak!”

[You are victorious against the Big Rat.]

[Your Level has increased.]

Taesan dismissed the flashy System Windows that popped up. He quickly charged toward the remaining Big Rat.

“Squeak, squeak!”

But this time, it didn't go down easily. It quickly increased the distance. Just then, the Big Rat from the front that had fled earlier belatedly charged in.

Seeing Taesan's back turned, it thought it was an opportunity and bared its teeth.

Twirl.

And Taesan, who had been chasing the other Big Rat, stopped and turned his body. The charging Big Rat was startled and stopped, but it too was too late.

Crunch.

“Squeeeak!”

[You are victorious against the Big Rat.]

He took down two Big Rats in an instant. It was a complete domination. Taesan pointed his shield at the one remaining Big Rat.

“Come.”

“S-squeak.”

[The Big Rat is overwhelmed by you.]

[The Big Rat's thoughts are dulled.]

The Big Rat charged full of malice. When this happened, even its swift speed was very easy to read. Taesan aimed for the right timing and slammed his shield.

Crunch.

“Squeeeak!”

[Your attack.]

[The Big Rat is incapacitated. It will take more damage.]

[8 damage to the Big Rat.]

[9 damage to the Big Rat.]

[You are victorious against the Big Rat.]

‘Not bad.’

Taesan smiled faintly. He had already faced many Big Rats. He knew everything: that they would run far away if suddenly charged, that they would aim for the top of his foot without a moment's hesitation if he turned his back, and that their basic strategy was only hit-and-run.

Here, the value of information was by no means small. Taesan reopened the windows he had dismissed.

[Your Level has increased.]

[You are now in optimal condition.]

[As a reward for Level Up, Health has increased by 10.] [As a reward for Level Up, Agility has permanently increased by 3.] [Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. Agility permanently increases by 3.] [You have won in a desperate situation without wavering. Intelligence has increased by 1.] [Proficiency of Composure has increased by 5%.]

[Proficiency of Vision Expansion has increased by 3%.]

[Proficiency of Insight has increased by 2%.]

“It's rising fast.”

His Agility already exceeded 20. Considering how difficult it was to raise Proficiency by even 1%, this was an unbelievably fast pace. Besides that, a lot of Gold, leather, and meat. If he sold them at the shop, he would probably get a lot of money.

Taesan walked down the corridor with a smile. This time, no Monsters appeared. A square room.

Inside it was a small spring where not a single fish lived.

[You are the first to discover the Fountain of Life.]