Chapter 163
Clop. Clop. Clop.
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.
The horses walked on at a steady pace, completely unfazed by the blazing sun overhead.
“…”
“…”
Surrounding them were twenty players, silently marching alongside the carriages.
No one said a word—not because of the heat, but simply because there was nothing to say.
Earlier, at Ji-won’s suggestion, the group had settled on a simple plan:
“Let’s just escort the carriages for now. If anything happens, we’ll deal with it then.”
So here we were, walking. Walking. Still walking.
“Is nothing seriously gonna happen?”
“Ugh…”
Nearly three hours passed with absolutely nothing occurring. And I mean nothing.
The sun kept baking us from above.
Tiny bits of dirt kept flying into our eyes, making us rub them constantly.
The horses kept walking at the same steady pace, never speeding up, never slowing down.
Our footsteps—thud, thud—formed a dull rhythm so hypnotic it was like a trance.
Who am I?
Where am I?
“All right, listen up. This is exactly the kind of moment you need to stay alert. Surprise attacks always hit when you least expect them, when your guard is down. That guy earlier said the journey could take up to three days, so we need to stay vigilant at all—”
“Yeah, we get it, dumbass.”
“….”
One player, trying to sound wise and authoritative, was promptly shut down by the shaved-head guy with a single sharp glare.
Fair enough.
Of course, ambushers would wait for the moment our guard drops. That’s obvious.
And that’s why no one had been talking.
Everyone knew that.
Still, knowing it doesn’t stop the tension from slipping away.
“…”
I kept quiet too, focusing on walking in silence.
Honestly, I was starting to worry I might’ve jinxed us with all that “this is gonna be easy” talk.
Starting a new floor by saying it’ll be a cakewalk… that’s basically waving a death flag.
It’s the Tower-crawler’s equivalent of pulling out a family photo before a battlefield.
The 11th Floor had been technically easy, too, but the situation spiraled into chaos fast.
The same thing could happen here.
I had to stay on guard.
But for some reason… I just couldn’t shake this creeping sense of calm.
Like I could curl up inside the carriage and still pass the mission without lifting a finger.
My brain understood the risk.
But my body kept whispering—just rest a little… It’s fine…
“Stop.”
“Huh?”
“I said stop. Take one more step, and I’ll cut you down.”
“…”
Just as everyone’s attention had started to drift, one player quietly reached for the canvas covering the carriage—only to be stopped cold by Choi Ji-won.
“We all agreed not to touch the carriage, didn’t we? So what do you think you’re doing?”
“N-No, I mean… I was just bored…”
“There won’t be a next time.”
The reason I’d let my guard down was simple:
One of Ji-won’s strengths was her detection ability.
Back in the tutorial, she could already sense everything happening across a massive open field. And now that she’s even stronger?
There’s no doubt—Ji-won is tracking every single move each player here makes.
Anyone even thinking about doing something shady… she’ll catch it instantly.
“…Sorry.”
The other players, who were quietly just as curious about what was inside the carriage, saw how fast she moved and immediately shelved their wicked little urges.
Nope.
Not worth it.
This wasn’t a fight they could win.
Turns out that story about her going toe-to-toe with the reaper on the 11th floor and annihilating him wasn’t just hype after all.
As the players swallowed hard, realizing the sheer gap in power—
“Hey! I see something!”
“Something’s coming! It’s coming right at us!”
A player at the front of the group started banging on his armor, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Off in the distance, a massive cloud of dust was kicking up.
And within it… several large, dark shapes barreling toward us.
“…Cows?”
A herd of black cattle—horns curved wickedly—was charging straight at the carriages at terrifying speed.
“Mrrrhh… MRRHHH!”
Except… these weren’t normal cows.
Their eyes were blood-red, their mouths dripping with froth and drool.
Even their cries sounded warped and unnatural.
There was no doubt—they were under something’s influence.
Someone sent these things… and they were aiming for the carriages.
“What is that, like a hundred of them?”
“You’ve gotta be kidding…”
Sure, compared to the monster wave back on the 4th floor, this wasn’t much.
But still, seeing over a hundred massive beasts charging at you with bloodshot eyes?
Yeah, that hits different.
“Can we dodge them? Does anyone know how to handle the horses?!”
“Forget it. They’re not even reacting to us… They’re locked onto the carriages.”
One player tried steering the horses to veer the carriage away, but the horses didn’t even acknowledge him.
They just kept marching forward, eyes locked ahead.
At this rate, the herd of enraged cattle and the carriage were headed for a direct collision.
“…What the hell are we supposed to do?”
“Damn it…”
You might think, “Why not just stop the cows?”
But the players were all hesitating.
Taking on one cow in a one-on-one fight? A mid-tier player could handle that.
But a hundred charging at once?
No one wanted to be the one trampled into paste trying to be a hero.
“Step aside.”
Yeah.
Now it was my turn.
I let out a subtle wave of the mana I’d been holding back, stepping forward with confident, deliberate strides—straight toward the oncoming stampede.
“W-Wait! Hey!”
“Mister! You’re gonna get yourself killed!”
Voices shouted in alarm behind me, but I ignored them, focusing instead on the energy gathering inside my body.
To be honest, freezing the entire body of something as large as a cow isn’t easy.
Trying to stop a hundred of them all at once?
Impossible.
“But if I just target the right joints…”
I gauged the height of their legs as they ran, zeroing in on the knees.
And not all of them—just the five in the lead.
Fwooom.
Frost began gathering at the tip of my sword. The blade hummed with power as the air around it vibrated.
I gathered just enough force, careful not to overdo it, and then…
“Hup!”
I swung low and wide.
The concentrated chill burst out in a sweeping crescent wave, shimmering in the hot air.
The temperature diluted its power, but it didn’t matter.
Shhhhkt.
“MRRRH?!”
“MRROOOOO!”
The thin sheet of frost struck the joints of the frontmost cows.
Their knees locked mid-charge.
At that speed? With that kind of body mass?
Naturally, they tripped.
Three of the lead cows crashed into the ground, tumbling helplessly.
“MRRROOO!”
“MROOO!”
The ones charging behind them couldn’t stop in time.
One after another, they slammed into the fallen ones, flipping over like dominoes.
The sounds of cracking bones, smashing skulls, and squealing moos echoed like a car crash from hell.
When the dust settled, only about five cows had managed to stay on their feet.
The other players, shocked at first, rushed in to clean up what was left.
“…That was insane.”
This is where Frost Energy becomes downright broken.
Unless you already know how it works, you’re guaranteed to get caught by it at least once.
And if Frost Energy hits a vital joint and freezes it?
In a world where fights are decided by fractions of a second, losing mobility in even one limb is basically a death sentence.
If I had to point out a downside…
…it’s that Frost Energy doesn’t work well on cautious opponents.
Top-tier warriors tend to adapt to it quickly. And if I don’t gain the upper hand with the first strike, I’m the one at a disadvantage, since I can’t drag out fights for long.
That’s actually why I lost to that [70]-level mannequin during regression. It was exactly that kind of fight.
But when you’re up against a herd like this—rushing in like mindless beasts—it’s a different story.
It barely took any effort to knock them down.
The very thing that makes mobs strong—numbers—also makes them weak.
When the lead unit falls, the rest crumble. It worked to my advantage.
“…Who is that guy?”
“…I heard he’s with Choi Ji-won.”
“Holy shit.”
Basking in the growing attention, I casually strolled back toward the carriage.
When I clear the 13th floor this time, I’m planning to keep my identity under wraps, so I should enjoy the spotlight while I can.
“All right, don’t just stand there. Let’s clean up the bodies. If there are any cows still alive, finish them off.”
Ji-won stepped up beside me, giving me a light tap on the shoulder.
I shot her a smug smile that said, ‘See? I can show off when I want to.’
“…You look like a total perv.”
“…Huh?”
Apparently, Ji-won didn’t quite see it the same way.
Later that day...
After the cow ambush, the journey continued smoothly without any major threats.
The sun eventually dipped below the horizon. Night fell.
“Oh, the horses stopped.”
“Guess they rest at night, too. Looks like we’re camping here.”
The players began preparing to rest.
Turns out, the back carriage had 20 personal sleeping bags packed inside.
Not exactly cozy, but good enough.
Someone with a fire attribute gathered dry grass and lit it up—didn’t make things comfortable, but it made them bearable.
“Hold on. There’s one thing we haven’t decided yet.”
Just as everyone was settling in to sleep, one player stepped forward.
He was a tall man with a large, prominent scar across one eye.
“We need to set a night watch. There could still be attacks while we sleep.”
“…True. A night watch is a good idea.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Having someone on watch during camp is basic survival 101.
So his suggestion made total sense—on the surface.
But behind that sensible face… a darker motive was brewing.
If you wanted to sneak a peek inside the carriage, nighttime was the perfect chance.
Sure, Ji-won’s detection ability and physical prowess were in a league of their own—but when she was asleep, it was a different story.
Sensitive senses? That just means you have to hide better.
No matter how overwhelming Ji-won might be, the other players were also superhuman in their own right.
With the right skills or traits, someone could easily move quietly enough to slip in and steal whatever was inside.
And let’s face it—this is a carriage we’ve been told to “escort,” which practically screams, “There’s something valuable in here.”
If someone managed to snatch a reward from this without being caught?
They might just become powerful enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Choi Ji-won.
That was the real reason he wanted to set a watch.
Despite the logic behind the suggestion, Choi Ji-won simply shook her head.
“No. We don’t need a night watch rotation.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I’ll stand watch alone. But if you don’t trust me, you’re free to stay up with me.”
“…You mean you’ll take the whole night shift? By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“But then… what about tomorrow morning? The carriage will start moving again…”
“I’ll be fine.”
Ji-won’s trait—Blade-Heart Unity.
- A sword that shares the will of its wielder. A person who inherits the strength and resilience of their blade.
“When it comes to stamina… I have no issues. I can go three days without sleep.”
Her stamina wasn’t just impressive—it was inhuman.
Her endurance was literally forged from steel.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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