Alessio Leone's Perspective
The truth was simple — brutally simple.And it stood there, materialized in the form of the ice giant emerging from the cave like a decree from the Black Tower itself.
This was why I was so certain that no major guild would ever surpass me here.It didn't matter how many players they had, how much money they invested, or how many titles they flaunted outside the game.None of that meant anything when confronted with the reality standing in front of me.
The Ice Man — as future players would call him — was not a common enemy.Not even a mini-boss.
He was a milestone, a turning point.The first true test of this mountain.A clear warning from the Tower to anyone who dared to move forward:
"If you do not belong on this level… die."
In my previous life, when the world already had months of experience inside the Tower, when guilds had formed, alliances had settled and cities were starting to rise, this same guardian was evaluated by specialists as a creature that should be at least level 30.
Level 30.
And not just any level 30 — a true level 30 boss.
Thinking about that now felt almost absurd.Absurdly unfair.Absurdly perfect — exactly the kind of calculated cruelty the Tower was known for.
I remembered clearly the estimates made by strategists back then:To face a boss of this size, you would need, at minimum, a group that was
fully trained,equipped with uncommon items,coordinated,and composed of players above level 20.
And even then…Even then, the chances of victory were low.
Low enough that many guilds gave up on the mountain before even reaching its halfway point.
So now… here… at the opening of the servers, when level 10 was still a distant achievement for most players…Level 20 was nothing but a fantasy.Something hundreds of thousands of players couldn't even dream of reaching.
And that meant only one thing:
The beast standing before me and my group could not be defeated at this stage of the game.
Not by brute force.Not by numbers.Not by conventional means.
It was like putting a newborn child to fight a tiger.It simply made no sense.There was no logic that could justify such a confrontation.
But I was here.And my group was with me.
As the ice giant released a deep roar that shook the air around us and sent crystals falling from the mountainsides, the sensation from my essence — Lion's Blood — burned brighter and brighter inside me.
A warning.A reminder.A calling.
I knew a truth the rest of the world had yet to learn:
Even against the impossible…I didn't feel like I would lose.
At this moment, I was — without exaggeration — an abnormal tank for the early phase of the Black Tower.
A level 10 player should have been nothing more than a beginner, someone still learning the limits of their body and the basic mechanics of the world.But I was not just any level 10.
I was carrying:
an epic item,a rare item,my essence fully active,and knowledge that no other player possessed.
And that was exactly what allowed me to stand here, face-to-face with a monster that should have been impossible for any player at our time.
My stats, combined with all these advantages, placed me on a different level entirely.In practice, I was equivalent to a level 40 player equipped with uncommon items.
And that wasn't exaggeration.Not delusion.Just cold math.Just the Tower's cruel calculations — which I understood better than anyone.
But what truly made me a colossus right now wasn't my equipment.It was my essence.Lion's Blood.
As the ice giant advanced, each step making the ground quake, I felt my vitality multiplying inside my body.It was as if my heart were pumping liquid fire, filling every muscle, every nerve, every cell with violently living energy.
If my health bar were visible in the air, it would be swelling and pulsing like it had gone mad.This wasn't normal.It wasn't balanced.It wasn't fair.
And that was exactly why I trusted it so much.
Even I — even with every shortcut, every secret — could not defeat this creature alone.It would be foolish to think otherwise.This guardian was a benchmark of power, a test designed to crush reckless players.
But I didn't need to win alone.
All I needed to do was stand in front of it.
Take the hit.Absorb the damage.Hold the monster to me like a chained beast.
Meanwhile, my allies — Freya with her rapid strikes, Eleanor with her precise magic, Hana with her cutting arrows, Cassandra with her improvised brutality — would whittle it down little by little.A battle of attrition.Long.Tiring.Exhausting.
But completely possible.
Because my group had something no other team in the world had:
A tank above every standard.
I stepped forward.A firm, heavy step — the kind that makes the ground acknowledge who is in control.
The ice groaned loudly beneath my boots, echoing across the open field like an inevitable announcement of what was about to begin.The cold wind struck my chest, but it couldn't pierce the brutal heat my essence radiated.Lion's Blood roared inside me, multiplying my vitality, my strength, my certainty.
In front of me, the ice giant raised its right arm.That single movement made the entire mountain seem to tremble.A gigantic arm made of crystalline plates sharp as blades rose slowly, gathering enough power to crush a normal player in a single strike.
I exhaled slowly, letting hot breath escape in a thick cloud.Then, with a fluid motion, I adjusted the shield strapped to my left forearm.
The shield — my epic item — settled perfectly into place, as if it were part of my body.The dark metal gleamed under the pale light, and the bronze details took the shape of curved claws, ready to absorb the impact.
Next, I reached for the lion-spirit helm.
One smooth motion, and the helm slid onto my head.
Then I reached for the actual lion-head helmet hanging beside my pack.The piece that symbolized my essence.I pulled it with one hand and placed it firmly over my head.
My breathing quickened.My mind sharpened.My focus locked fully into place.
Finally, I grabbed the axe strapped to my back.
The cold metal handle slid across my palm.A second later, I pulled the weapon free — and its weight filled me with the familiar sensation of controlled brutality.
The axe gleamed under the light, its sharp edges reflecting the blue of the surrounding glaciers.
That was when the giant completed its movement.The colossal arm came down, carrying with it the force of an avalanche.
And I faced the monster without blinking.
"Come."
I was the wall.I was the frontline.I was the difference between life and death in that moment.
And the guardian… was about to learn that in the most painful way possible.