After the panels appeared, like they never existed, the light started erasing the arena, the blood traces on the sand, and the lizardman's dead body. Within seconds, after the light successfully completed its job, Leon found himself in the eternal whiteness of the hub once again.

*Sigh*

"Boring... Whatever, let's look at these rewards." Leon said while opening his status screen.

"Hmm, health potions? Oh, this is first," Leon said while using 'analyze' on a health potion.

[Health Potion]

[Rank: 1]

[Restores 100 HP upon drinking.]

"As I guessed. A classic RPG game item," Leon said while shaking the red liquid in the potion bottle.

'Well, better than nothing,' Leon thought while putting the potion into his inventory. "Now, how should I spend these?" Leon asked to himself while looking at his points.

"Hmm, total 4 skill points and 10 attribute points."

After thinking a while, "Put 4 points into the [SWORDSMANSHIP], 5 points into inner energy, 3 points into vitality, and 2 points into intelligence." Leon commanded.

[SKILL POINTS: 4>0] [ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 10>0]

[SWORDSMANSHIP | Level 6>10]: Every attack dealt by sword will be %40 strengthened]

[VITALITY: 29>32 (+4)] [HP: 360/360]

[INTELLIGENCE: 31>33] [MP: 330/330]

"*Yawn* Okay, this is it for today." Leon said before lying on floor to sleep.

Remembering he hasn't been writing anything in his diary since days, 'I better start writing the diary again...' Leon thought before falling asleep.

...

...

...

- Day ?

Level: 12

Hello again I guess! Since I was busy, I haven't been able to write properly. But from now on, I will write every day. However, as I can't increase my stats through training anymore, I started entering trials much more lately. Today's enemy was an elven warrior. Too bad he was male...

...

...

-Day ?

Level: 13

Have you ever fought against ghouls? Let me tell you something, in one word, they are D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G. Let alone their looking, their smell was even terrible, too. I can't believe I accidentally swallowed one of them's saliva...

...

...

-Day ?

Level: 14

I swear I won't ever crush an ant again. System gave me a dungeon trial again, and this time there weren't undeads in it. Just ants and more ants! The problem wasn't their individual power, but rather than their numbers. Good thing they are afraid of fire. And don't forget, if they catch you, they eat you alive. Don't ask me how did I learn this...

...

...

...

...

-Day ?

Level: 17

Kill, kill, and kill again. I don't know how much time has passed but it should be around 1 or two months. Whatever, my daily schedule: Wake up, complete a trial, use points, and sleep again. Also in the 55th trial, I gained a new armor set and a shield...

[Glory of Burdens]

[Type: Armor Set]

[Rank: 4]

[Material: %90 Pleontine, %10 Mithril]

[Defence: 320]

[Durability: 100/100]

[(When All Equipped) Effects: +4 VIT +2 AGI +3 STR]

----------------------------------------------------------

[Dawnguard]

[Type: Shield]

[Rank: 3]

[Material: Kreatium]

[Defence: 220]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Effects: +3 INT]

...

...

...

- Day ?

Level: 17

...Today I lost a companion, a friend, the Tyrfing while fighting against a harpy in the 65th trial. I wouldn't have cared about something like this before, but because of the [SWORDSMANSHIP], I feel like I lost one of my limbs. Well, whether now or in the future, it was eventually going to happen. So there is nothing to do about it. Goodbye...

...

...

...

- Day ?

Level: 18

After dying over and over because of fighting with no weapon, today, I gained a new sword from trial rewards. It is much bigger and heavier than the Tyrfing, and also it has a skill. I don't know for sure, but I guess this skill comes from the engraved rune on its blade. I named it 'Torchlight' because of its skill. However, it will take some time to get used to using it.

[Great Sword]

[Name: Torchlight]

[Rank: 4]

[Material: Odrounium]

[Sharpness: 350]

[Durability: 100/100]

[Skills: (HOT BLADE)]

[HOT BLADE: Channelizing mana will increase the sharpness of the sword by +40 while heating the blade. Uses 200 MP per minute.]

(the Torchlight)

...

...

...

*Swoosh*

In a blizzard on some mountain peak, dense enough to reduce sight distance for a few meters, snowflakes fell from the sky to the ground, one after the other, by piling up on the previous fallen ones.

And if you look closely at on the snows, you can see blood traces that are freezing because of the low temperature next to footsteps of a human.

*Huff*

*Huff*

Releasing a hot steam into the air with every exhale, 'System, how much time left?' asked in his mind.

[REMAINING TIME: 0 Day 1 Hour 5 Minutes 45 Seconds]

"Just one more hour and I can get out of this frozen hell," Leon grit his teeth from the anger and because of the cold.

*Owooo*

"Fuck! They are here," Leon said while positioning the Torchlight and getting himself ready for the battle. Because the sight distance is low, Leon needs to trust his other senses and battle experience to know from where enemy will attack.

*Grrr*

*Grrr*

Listening to their growls, 'I am surrounded,' Leon guessed. After a moment of silence, sensing the movement coming from his back, Leon instantly turned while raising his shield to block the wolf's bite.

[Frost Wolf Lv.17]

[RACE: Direwolf]

[STRENGTH: 110]

[AGILITY: 120]

[VITALITY: 75]

[INTELLIGENCE: 60]

Stabbing the Torchlight into its throat, "Eat this!" Leon shouted while blood painted the snow underneath them. Sensing another movement, Leon somersaults on the snowy ground, causing the wolf's bite attack to go in vain.

Controlling fire, Leon uses his hands like a flamethrower while burning the wolf's body to death before another wolf jumps on him.

While he still uses his flames, the wolf bites Leon's right arm to crush. But fortunately, his armor set has an armlet to protect him from tons of bite force the wolf has.

While wolf still tries to crush his arm, "Fuck off!" Leon shouts as he swings the Torchlight into its abdomen, causing the wolf's bowels to fall to the ground from the deep wound.

Taking his position again to wait for his next enemy, Leon observes his surroundings to sense where the next attack will come.

This is Leon's 71th trial and his goal is to survive in this hell for three days. Well, if it was comprising just snow and cold, it would be an easy trial, but the problem is a wolf pack is after him. Whenever he tries to rest or slow down, they would attack Leon without losing a single second. That's why Leon needs to move constantly without sleeping or resting.

After waiting for a minute, this time the wolf pack attacks Leon altogether to finish his job in one strike.

Seeing firstly their crimson eyes through inside of the blizzard before they attack to him altogether, "By my blade, all of you will taste death!" Leon sent a war-cry while channelizing mana into the Torchlight, causing it to glow orange while emitting heat.

With this, the bloody battle on the top of mountain started. Cutting the first two wolves into two, Leon sent a Qi blade before he got in close combat with them. Swinging the Torchlight like the grim reaper's scythe, Leon took a life with every swing. Sometimes he burned one or two of them with his flames, and sometimes biting him from the damaged parts of armor, the wolves tore off meat pieces from Leon. As the fight goes on, both sides get brutal more and more to kill each other.

...

*Owoooo*

*Slash*

Only thing besides from the sound that comes from the blizzard in this unsuitable environment for life is the Leon's sword swings and growls of the wolves.

...

*Huff*

*Huff*

Now kneeling down on the snow in the centre of wolves' corpses, Leon is panting from tiredness while his whole body trembles in pain as blood drips onto the snow from his wounds.

"I need to move," Leon says before forcing his body to stand up after a moment of resting. If you look at his armor painted with mixed blood of Leon and the wolves, you can see many biting marks and claw marks on it.

*Cough*

"System, how much time left?" Leon asked while coughing blood.

[REMAINING TIME: 0 Day 0 Hour 27 Minutes 21 Seconds]

*OWOOOO*

After hearing the loud howl, turning at his back, Leon sees an abnormally enormous wolf that looks at him with its golden vertical pupils.

[Alpha Frost Wolf Lv.20]

[RACE: Direwolf]

[STRENGTH: 175]

[AGILITY: 170]

[VITALITY: 100]

[INTELLIGENCE: 80]

"And what did I expect else with my damned luck!" Leon said while looking at its stats.

-CHAPTER 23 END-