Chapter 25: self-proclaimed sage and Internet influencer "Mr. Florida Man" attempted to assuage fears on social media, suggesting that the missing people had "negative karma."

Chapter 25 - Tutorial (Hunter) - 11

RIP

Upon tearing the skill ticket, similar bubbles appear. Following similar rules, Vesper must find one rune skill within the time limit.

However, this ticket gives Vesper a new challenge when he sees the details.

Most of the available spells can be either absurd or situational. He continues searching for a skill or spell that offers the most utility without strict conditions.

It doesn't take long for Vesper to locate some:

Both seem useful, but these spells require mastery of the related element.

**Quagmire (Active):**

- Soften an area and make it difficult to travel across. If used on empty land, the area will turn into quicksand. 60-second cooldown. Requires Earth Element Aptitude. Upgradeable.

**Fireball (Active):**

- Summon a fireball and launch it at your foe. May set the victim on fire. 60-second cooldown. Requires Fire Element Aptitude. Upgradeable.

The requirement complicates the selection process. Vesper continues searching, hoping to find a spell related to gold or neutral skills. Delving deeper into the array of bubbles, Vesper spots a glowing orb in the middle of the pack.

**Golden Blood (Active):**

- Temporarily increases your strength, dexterity, vitality, and stamina by 50% for one minute. 60 Minutes cooldown. Requires Gold Element Aptitude. Upgradeable.

The spell's description still sounds promising. Vesper selects the spell.

*DING*

Here begins the complex min-max strategies of a gamer. Vesper looks at the two naked men, wondering if he has enough time to explore the benefits of his body parts. Unfortunately, they have already started walking toward the house, leaving Vesper with insufficient time to prepare or experiment with his rune slots.

'I hope I can unequip them later. Well, I should put it on something sensible...'

Vesper plans to use the right-hand rune slot for a physical attack rune in the future, so he saves that part for later. Since he dislikes the rune scanner, he attempts to push the rune into his left hand.

*DING*

In short, there is no refund.

Not wanting to discard the scanner rune, Vesper equips the gold rune to his right hand. The back of his hand is illuminated with a gold symbol, forming a tattoo.

Just as Vesper finishes equipping the rune, the duo steps onto the front yard of the house, triggering the mission. Arrays of stone walls trap them inside, and Vesper's body is drawn toward the house once again.

Phasing into the house, Vesper flies toward the living room. He lands five feet away from the front door, and the usual transparent cage drops down, sealing him inside.

Confirming his starting position, Vesper drops a default bear trap and an auto-arm bear trap next to him. In his side pocket, there's a rusty dagger for emergencies.

*DING*

The match has started. A monitor emerges from the transparent wall, allowing him to use his abilities.

*CREAK*

Noah and the chubby man open the door behind Vesper and rush into the house, leaving the door open. As neither survivor can see Vesper and his cage, they phase through him as if he never existed.

Vesper turns around and sees the open door, nearly bursting into laughter. Without hesitation, he begins summoning a guardian.

A crawler manifests on the rooftop, starting to stomp and patrol the house.

Noah March feels fortunate to have encountered a comrade. The chubby man next to him, Zillion Chub, has also experienced death in this trial once. He died and got teleported here without knowing why.

Zillion is a 45-year-old businessman who was scammed into joining the Terror Mode like Vesper. He lost a kidney when he died the last time but didn't feel any difference.

The billboard instructs them to cooperate to achieve a good score. As their lives are on the line, they decide to retry the smallest stage, the one-story house.

Coming up with a strategy, both men agree to rush into the house and grab as many runes as possible. Noah heads for the master bedroom while Zillion enters the garage to get the furthest runes first.

In the master bedroom, Noah boldly switches on the light. He searches under the bed and grabs a blue and a white ball. Turning around, he opens the closet and discovers a backpack. Emptying its contents, he places the runes inside and continues his search for more.

"KIHIHIHIHIHI!"

The ominous monster on the ceiling notices the light and crawls down, peeking into the window.

She instantly spots Noah.

*CLANK*

The monster breaks the windows and squeezes her body inside, her jaw detaching to reveal sharp fangs and drooping saliva.

Noah's face pales as he grabs the backpack and sprints out of the room, quickly closing the door behind him.

*BOOM!*

The crawler dashes forward, slamming into the wooden door and causing part of it to crack.

Without looking back, Noah races toward the garage, entering through the middle door and shutting it behind him.

*BOOM!*

The crawler bursts through the door and looks around. However, she has lost sight of her prey.

Unable to find Noah, she starts sniffing the ground, following the scent toward the garage in search of survivors.

Meanwhile, Noah locks the door behind him and notices that Zillion has already turned on the corridor's light. Silently, he moves toward the washroom, still carrying the backpack.

Entering the washroom, Noah continues his search for runes, finding another white rune in the face-washing basin along with a giant ball on the ground. He picks up the runes and squats to grab them.

In the mirror, Noah's reflection behaves normally… except for the presence of an old man holding a hatchet in the mirror's reflection.

*BLINK-BLINK*

The fluorescent lights in the washroom and the corridor flicker. Noah briefly glances at the light bulbs, confused.

Behind him, an old man ghost phases through the wall, staring at Noah and raising his hatchet.

A chilling wind hit Noah's nape. He turns around and notices the ghost.

However, the hatchet is already descending to his face.