The Stone Titan's massive body collapsed, sending dust and debris flying across Floor 5.
Ethan stood over it, breathing heavily but grinning.
DING!
[Floor 5 Cleared!]
[Calculating Rewards...]
[Reward 1: Rare Skill Book - Meteor Strike (Rank C)]
[Reward 2: Equipment Enhancement Stone x3]
[Reward 3: 500 Credits]
[Reward 4: Titan's Essence x2]
Ethan's eyes widened.
Four rewards? Most floor clears only gave one or two.
'First clear bonus?' he wondered.
He immediately opened the skill book.
DING!
[You have learned: Meteor Strike (Rank C)]
[Meteor Strike: Summon a flaming meteor from the sky. Deals massive area damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
A Rank C offensive spell. Perfect.
But Ethan's attention quickly shifted to the other items.
[Titan's Essence: Consume to increase Vitality by 5]
Without hesitation, Ethan consumed both essences.
Warm energy flooded his body, strengthening his bones and muscles. His HP maximum jumped significantly.
DING!
[Vitality increased by 10!]
[HP: 180/180 → 230/230]
Ethan clenched his fists, feeling the difference immediately. His body felt sturdier, more resilient.
'Good. I was too fragile before.'
Next, he examined the Enhancement Stones.
[Equipment Enhancement Stone: Use to upgrade equipment. Success rate varies by enhancement level.]
In Tower Climbing, enhancement was a gamble.
The higher the enhancement level, the higher the chance of failure. And if it failed, the equipment could break completely.
Most players saved these stones for endgame equipment.
But Ethan wasn't most players.
He pulled out the [Cursed Ring of Strength] he had purchased from the Shadow Merchant earlier.
[Cursed Ring of Strength: +10 Strength, -5 Vitality]
It was a trade-off item. Powerful but risky.
'Let's see if I can make it better.'
Ethan crushed the first Enhancement Stone.
DING!
[Enhancement Success!]
[Cursed Ring of Strength +1: +15 Strength, -5 Vitality]
The curse penalty didn't increase, but the strength bonus jumped by 50%.
Ethan grinned. 'One more.'
He crushed the second stone.
DING!
[Enhancement Success!]
[Cursed Ring of Strength +2: +22 Strength, -5 Vitality]
His heart pounded. The stat gain was ridiculous now.
'One more. All or nothing.'
He crushed the final Enhancement Stone.
DING!
[Enhancement Success!]
[Cursed Ring of Strength +3: +35 Strength, -5 Vitality]
"Yes!"
Ethan equipped the ring immediately. Power surged through his arms.
He checked his status.
[Name: Ethan Cross]
[Level: 15]
[HP: 230/230]
[MP: 165/165]
[Strength: 75]
[Agility: 62]
[Intelligence: 82]
[Vitality: 42]
[Combat Power: 418]
Over 400 combat power at Level 15.
Most players would barely break 250.
'This is insane.'
But Ethan wasn't done yet.
He still had the 500 credits from the floor clear.
Combined with his earlier savings, he now had 1,347 credits total.
'Enough for Shadow Step again if the Merchant appears... or I could save for Gravity Manipulation.'
Before he could decide—
DING!
[Hidden Quest Triggered: Explore the Hidden Chamber]
[A secret passage has appeared on Floor 5]
[Reward: ???]
Ethan's eyes lit up.
Hidden chambers were rare. They contained treasures that normal floor progression didn't offer.
A glowing doorway materialized on the far wall of the boss room.
Without hesitation, Ethan stepped through.
The chamber was small, circular, and filled with a faint blue light.
At the center stood a single pedestal.
And on that pedestal... a treasure chest.
It glowed with a soft silver light.
'A treasure chest. Let's see what's inside.'
He approached carefully, checking for traps.
Nothing.
Ethan reached for the chest and opened it.
DING!
[You have obtained: Advanced Mana Core]
[You have obtained: Skill Fusion Scroll]
[You have obtained: 1000 Credits]
Ethan stared.
'A Skill Fusion Scroll?!'
[Skill Fusion Scroll (Rare): Allows you to combine two skills into one advanced skill. The fusion is permanent.]
His mind raced.
This was similar to combining spells, but permanent and limited to one use.
Still... this was incredibly valuable.
'I need to think carefully about which skills to fuse.'
He had:
Fireball (Rank F)Mana Shield (Rank F)Lightning Bolt (Rank E)Ice Spear (Rank E)Wind Blade (Rank E)Shadow Step (Rank D)Gravity Well (Rank D)Meteor Strike (Rank C)
'If I fuse two high-rank skills, I might get something incredible. But I could also waste them.'
Ethan decided to wait. He would use the scroll when he found the perfect combination.
Next, he examined the [Advanced Mana Core].
[Advanced Mana Core: Consume to permanently increase maximum MP by 50]
'Hell yes.'
Ethan crushed it immediately.
DING!
[Maximum MP increased!]
[MP: 165/165 → 215/215]
More mana meant more spell casts. More sustained fights. More power.
[Combat Power: 418 → 468]
'Almost 500 at Level 15. This is ridiculous.'
Satisfied, Ethan left the hidden chamber and proceeded to Floor 6.