Jinwoo could not believe what he was hearing .

    ‘ . . . Penalty Zone?’

    Ah-

    He remembered . He did not do the daily quest today . He had purposely skipped it to enter the Penalty Zone, in order to test out his progress against the centipedes and see if he could continue the Demon Castle Raid . To think that it would work out like this .

    shaaaaaake-

    Like back in the hospital, the area started shaking vigorously .

    pshhhh

    pshaaaaah

    One by one, even the knights that he was fighting turned into sand .

    The world changed around him .

    ‘Ha… ha ha…’

    He silently laughed . The System’s words before the quest started kept appearing in his head .

    I wish you luck .

    Was it because it was that difficult of a quest? Or did it want him to be lucky in obtaining more advancement points?

    Luck, coincidence, call it what you want . It was just another chance for him . The important thing was how he would use this chance .

    Shaaaake-!

    The tremors became stronger . Instead of fighting to keep his balance like in the past, Jinwoo gave himself up to the earthquake and closed his eyes .

    ‘Be calm…’

    And just like that, he felt a sense of weightlessness, and all sounds disappeared . When he opened his eyes, it was in the middle of a familiar desert . Jinwoo collapsed onto the sand .

    “gasp- gasp- pant- pant-”

    He grabbed the sand with his hands and let loose a torrent of panting . His lungs filled with a refreshing breath of air, spreading the feeling to his entire body .

    Finally,

    “I feel alive . ”

    With the sense of safety surrounding his mind, Jinwoo stayed lying on the ground . He looked up at the empty, black sky . The vision of an endless pitch black ceiling filled his view . It was the Penalty Zone that he remembered .

    ‘Oh wait, now’s not the time to be lying down . ’

    Because he had just escaped from an incredibly dangerous place, he forgot that this place was not exactly a safe one . Still, he didn’t want to get-up, so he called up the status screen while lying down .

    HP: 104 / 10,270

    MP: 202 / 850

    Fatigue: 91

    He wondered why it was so hard to move . Now he knew why; his fatigue had risen over 90 .

    ‘This is the first time that happened, I think . ’

    He didn’t feel like moving a finger right now . His health was one thing, but at the moment, it was important to recover his stamina .

    “Shop . ”

    ring~

    The words “Buy” and “Sell” appeared in the air . No matter how he looked at it, the System had clearly created the so-called shop with the bare minimum of effort, but today, it was an incredibly welcoming sight . Jinwoo purchased the most expensive healing potion . The moment he confirmed the transaction,

    shooo-

    A glass bottle with a red liquid appeared in his sprawled arm .

    pop

    In his state, it took effort even to uncork the bottle . He poured the potion down his mouth .

    gulp gulp

    The red liquid passed through his throat .

    Your stamina is recovered .

    Your stamina is recovered .

    Your stamina is recovered .

    Since it was the highest level healing potion, just one bottle was enough to completely undo his fatigue . Strangely, his health did not recover .

    HP: 106 / 10,270

    MP: 204 / 850

    Fatigue: 0

    Even when the bottle was emptied, his health stayed the same . It was drastically different than the fatigue that was now zero .

    ‘Why?’

    The moment the last drop of potion fell into his mouth, he was able to find out why .

    ring .

    Your health is below 10% . You cannot recover your health with a potion .

    The reason was simple . It was because his health was too low .

    ‘Now that I think about it…’

    Even healing magic had their limits . This was not an unfamiliar phenomenon . Just as Healers could not heal someone past a certain point depending on their skill, it appeared that potions had similar limits .

    ‘And you''re telling me that the limit is 10% remaining health . ’

    This was good to know . Had he placed faith in the potion at a wrong time, he could’ve made a grave mistake . This is why experience was important . Wasn’t there a saying?

    “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger . ”

    That was all due to the power of experience . Even right now, he thankfully had the experience of encountering the Penalty Zone .

    ‘It’s about time…’

    And indeed it was . He felt a lifeform rising beneath the sand . Jinwoo raised his legs and shot up from the ground . His body felt as light as a feather . Thanks to the potion, his strength had completely returned . Jinwoo landed few steps away and turned around .

    shaaaaah

    As expected, the spot he was lying on was sinking to the ground .

    ‘Heh, I remember thinking that I’d slip and fall into that in the past . ’

    Now, he could stare at the sinkhole with a carefree attitude . The bottom of the depression boiled like in the past, and-

    pshaaaah!

    A column of sand exploded from the ground, revealing the form of the giant centipede .

    screeeeech!

    It was all just as he remembered .

    ‘Man, they looked a lot scarier back then…’

    Now, they appeared to be moving in slow motion in Jinwoo’s eyes . He raised his gaze and confirmed the red letters above the centipede’s head .

    ‘Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede’

    A red name . Just like the Cerberus from the Demon Castle . The quest message appeared .

    ring~!

    Penalty Quest: Survive

    Goal: Survive for the required time .

    Required time: 4 Hours

    Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec

    After reading the message, Jinwoo clenched his fists .

    ‘I can buy some time with this . ’

    As he did not use the Instant Return Stone out of the Dungeon, he probably still had a chance .

    ‘I’ll probably be moved back after the penalty quest . ’

    And if the 4 hours he spent here was added to the endurance timer? The advancement points he would gain would be massive . Well, he still did not know just how the math worked .

    ‘Still…’

    When he thought about how the System worked up until now, this might become an incredible windfall .

    ‘Four fucking hours!’

    He couldn’t last 10 minutes back there and was about to use the Instant Return Stone . Now, thanks to the Penalty Zone, he would be able to add 4 hours to that timer . There was one problem left . He had to survive this world with barely a 100 health remaining . Since he could not recover using a potion, he had to level-up through the centipedes without receiving any damage . In a way, this was an additional condition of the penalty quest .

    ‘ . . . Let’s do this . ’

    Jinwoo summoned Casaka’s Poisoned Fang .

    Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec

    The moment the penalty quest started, Jinwoo began to move . Because of his experience, he knew to move before the centipedes did . He closed the distance in a flash and jumped .

    land!

    He reached a halfway point on the insect’s body then started working his way to the head while slashing at its body .

    stab! stab stab! slash!

    Wherever the dagger attacked, the exoskeleton of the centipede cracked and seeped a liquid .

    screeeech!

    Every time Jinwoo made a new wound on its body, the centipede thrashed in pain .

    ‘Sprint!’

    Jinwoo’s legs sped up .

    step, step, step, step!

    He quickly reached the top of the monster’s head and grabbed the dagger with both hands .

    ‘Vital Stab!’

    He used the skill and brought down the dagger onto the centipede’s head . The dagger dug deep into the head .

    crack!

    ‘Vital Stab’ has leveled up!

    ‘Alright!’

    It had been a while! The leveled-up skill appeared to have done quite a damage . The centipede shook its head in pain .

    screech, screee!

    Jinwoo did not stop there . He moved from its head towards the centipede’s back . The monster’s back was completely exposed .

    stab!

    After stabbing a point behind the centipede’s head, Jinwoo held the dagger in place and jumped down .

    cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaack!

    Combined with the strength over 120 and a leap from a height of a 5 story building, the dagger slid completely across the centipede’s back, cutting it wide open .

    cra-cra-crack!

    land .

    Jinwoo landed safely .

    screeech, screeeeee!

    The centipede spewed a liquid all over the place then finally fell .

    Boom!

    Its body raised up a cloud of sand .

    ring~

    You’ve defeated the Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede

    Jinwoo patted the sand off his body and checked the time .

    Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 42 Sec

    ‘That took 17 seconds . ’

    It took him less than 20 seconds to take down the centipede . It was completely different than the time he took down the Cerberus . His strength had reached a different dimension .

    ‘Well, if I think about all the leveling I did and the items I’ve obtained…’

    It made sense . At this rate, Jinwoo was confident he could continue hunting without losing life .

    ‘Now the problem is if there are enough monsters here for a level-up…’

    Only then would he have a chance of surviving when he went back to the class advancement quest . If he went back without recovering his health, he was sure to be crushed like an insect . As he was deep in worry, multiple sand columns appeared around him .

    pshhhhh-

    pshaaaah-

    The centipedes had arrived after smelling their kin’s blood .

    screeech-

    screeech-

    Jinwoo’s face brightened .

    ‘Just how many are there?’

    Looking at the heads of the centipedes popping up from the ground, Jinwoo could not hide the smile on his face .

    You’ve leveled up!

    You’ve leveled up!

    You’ve leveled up!

    You’ve leveled up!

    After nearly 4 hours, Jinwoo had gained 4 levels after taking down countless centipedes . He had reached level 51 . The penalty quest was almost over .

    Penalty Quest: Survive

    Goal: Survive for the required time .

    Required time: 4 Hours

    Remaining time: 0 Hours 3 Min 19 Sec

    It was about time he’d return . Jinwoo looked around at the corpses of the centipedes that littered the area . Thanks to their sacrifice, he was able to recover his health .

    ‘It’s a shame they didn’t drop any items or gold…’

    Well, it wouldn’t have made sense for a place of punishment to reward him that much . Now, it was time to prepare for his return .

    ‘Shop . ’

    Current Gold: 3,115,629

    On top of the various moneybags from the humanoid monsters, he had earned a whopping 1,500,000 gold from Ygritte . He had plenty of funds now . With that in mind, he looked through the shop for a new weapon . A suitable upgrade caught his eye:

    Knight Killer

    Rarity: B

    Type: Dagger

    Attack Power +75

    ‘Knight Killing’: +25% damage against heavy armored opponents

    It’s a sturdy and sharp dagger designed to cut a knight’s armor . Because of its serrated blades, it will not slip easily against armor .

    It was a weapon meant to be used for killing heavily armored targets . The cost was 2,800,000 gold . He would have to spend most of his gold, but this was not the time to be stingy .

    ‘Can’t take my gold with me to the afterlife . ’

    Without hesitating, Jinwoo bought the weapon . Additionally, he also purchased some wrappings .

    You’ve purchased “Knight Killer” .

    You’ve purchased “Wrappings” .

    As its description noted, it was a scary looking dagger with a serrated blade . He took the weapon with his right hand and used the wrappings to tightly bind it in his hand .

    slash! slash slash!

    He swung the blade around . It felt natural in his hand, as if it was a part of his body .

    ‘At the very least, I won’t be dropping it like this . ’

    He briefly considered wrapping Casaka’s Poisoned Fang to his left hand but decided against it . It would be too inconvenient to lose both of his hands . He would keep the usage of his left hand just in case . He placed the leftover wrappings into the inventory then noticed the Runestone he had gotten from Ygritte .

    ‘Ah right, there was this . ’

    Runestone: Ruler’s Hands

    Break the Runestone to absorb the skill .

    He needed every little bit right now, whether it was an item or a skill . Jinwoo smashed the Runestone without a regret .

    You’ve learned ‘Ruler’s Hands’ (Lv . 1)

    Ruler’s Hands (Lv . 1)

    Active Skill

    Mana Cost: 0

    Exert your will over an object without physically touching it .

    ‘Ah…’

    Reading the explanation, he remembered a scene from earlier . It was when Ygritte stretched a hand to his sword and brought it to his hands from a distance .

    ‘So he used this skill to move the longsword . ’

    A skill to move an object from a distance just with his mind! On top of that, it didn’t have a mana cost .

    ‘If I can really move anything, it’s an incredible skill . ’

    Jinwoo quickly tried it out on the corpse of the centipede next to him .

    Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object .

    Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object .

    It seemed that moving something heavy required more practice .

    ‘What about this one?’

    Jinwoo dropped Casaka’s Poisoned Fang onto the ground, then stretched a hand toward it . The dagger easily moved into his hand .

    grab!

    ‘Oh~ . ’

    Jinwoo stared at the dagger with amazement .

    ‘Alright, this is helpful enough . ’

    And with that, he had completed all preparations . Jinwoo raised his head and saw that the time was almost over .

    Remaining time: 0 Hours 0 Min 4 Sec

    As the 4 seconds decreased to 3, the System messaged him .

    ring~

    The Penalty Quest will end soon .

    And another one followed,

    ring~

    Because you’ve hunted in the Penalty Zone,

    The next Penalty Quest’s difficulty will be adjusted .

    An adjustment of difficulty . It would make it harder to hunt so that the penalty will feel like a penalty . Well, would there even be a next time? Jinwoo gulped .

    ‘Now, the class advancement quest will resume . ’

    Hundreds of monsters would probably be waiting for him back in the boss room . Perhaps even more . Although he thought of it as “returning” to the room, it was more like he was being “thrown” back there .

    Health, mana, fatigue, equipment and skill . In addition to those, even his mind had improved in the past 4 hours . Still, he was feeling nervous .

    ba dum ba dum ba dum

    The beating of his heart was almost painful .

    Jinwoo closed his eyes to calm himself .

    Then, the electronic tone rang .

    ring .

    The Penalty Quest will end now .

    ‘This is my last chance…’

    When Jinwoo opened his eyes, he saw the mass of silver knights starting to turn towards him . They were not his target . Jinwoo’s eyes shifted side to side, looking for his target .

    ‘First, the mages!’

    Sponsored Content

    I Alone Level-up: Chapter 50.

    .

    Jinwoo could not believe what he was hearing . .

    .

    ‘ . Penalty Zone?’.

    .

    Ah-.

    .

    He remembered . He did not do the daily quest today . He had purposely skipped it to enter the Penalty Zone, in order to test out his progress against the centipedes and see if he could continue the Demon Castle Raid . To think that it would work out like this . .

    .

    shaaaaaake-.

    .

    Like back in the hospital, the area started shaking vigorously . .

    .

    pshhhh.

    .

    pshaaaaah.

    .

    One by one, even the knights that he was fighting turned into sand . .

    .

    The world changed around him . .

    .

    ‘Ha… ha ha…’.

    .

    He silently laughed . The System’s words before the quest started kept appearing in his head . .

    .

    I wish you luck . .

    .

    Was it because it was that difficult of a quest? Or did it want him to be lucky in obtaining more advancement points?.

    .

    Luck, coincidence, call it what you want . It was just another chance for him . The important thing was how he would use this chance . .

    .

    Shaaaake-!.

    .

    The tremors became stronger . Instead of fighting to keep his balance like in the past, Jinwoo gave himself up to the earthquake and closed his eyes . .

    .

    ‘Be calm…’.

    .

    And just like that, he felt a sense of weightlessness, and all sounds disappeared . When he opened his eyes, it was in the middle of a familiar desert . Jinwoo collapsed onto the sand . .

    .

    “gasp- gasp- pant- pant-”.

    .

    He grabbed the sand with his hands and let loose a torrent of panting . His lungs filled with a refreshing breath of air, spreading the feeling to his entire body . .

    .

    Finally,.

    .

    “I feel alive . ”.

    .

    With the sense of safety surrounding his mind, Jinwoo stayed lying on the ground . He looked up at the empty, black sky . The vision of an endless pitch black ceiling filled his view . It was the Penalty Zone that he remembered . .

    .

    ‘Oh wait, now’s not the time to be lying down . ’.

    .

    Because he had just escaped from an incredibly dangerous place, he forgot that this place was not exactly a safe one . Still, he didn’t want to get-up, so he called up the status screen while lying down . .

    .

    HP: 104 / 10,270.

    MP: 202 / 850.

    Fatigue: 91.

    .

    He wondered why it was so hard to move . Now he knew why; his fatigue had risen over 90 . .

    .

    ‘This is the first time that happened, I think . ’.

    .

    He didn’t feel like moving a finger right now . His health was one thing, but at the moment, it was important to recover his stamina . .

    .

    “Shop . ”.

    .

    ring~.

    .

    The words “Buy” and “Sell” appeared in the air . No matter how he looked at it, the System had clearly created the so-called shop with the bare minimum of effort, but today, it was an incredibly welcoming sight . Jinwoo purchased the most expensive healing potion . The moment he confirmed the transaction,.

    .

    shooo-.

    .

    A glass bottle with a red liquid appeared in his sprawled arm . .

    .

    pop.

    .

    In his state, it took effort even to uncork the bottle . He poured the potion down his mouth . .

    .

    gulp gulp .

    .

    The red liquid passed through his throat . .

    .

    Your stamina is recovered . .

    .

    Your stamina is recovered . .

    .

    Your stamina is recovered . .

    .

    Since it was the highest level healing potion, just one bottle was enough to completely undo his fatigue . Strangely, his health did not recover . .

    .

    HP: 106 / 10,270.

    MP: 204 / 850.

    Fatigue: 0.

    .

    Even when the bottle was emptied, his health stayed the same . It was drastically different than the fatigue that was now zero . .

    .

    ‘Why?’.

    .

    The moment the last drop of potion fell into his mouth, he was able to find out why . .

    .

    ring . .

    .

    Your health is below 10% . You cannot recover your health with a potion . .

    .

    The reason was simple . It was because his health was too low . .

    .

    ‘Now that I think about it…’.

    .

    Even healing magic had their limits . This was not an unfamiliar phenomenon . Just as Healers could not heal someone past a certain point depending on their skill, it appeared that potions had similar limits . .

    .

    ‘And you''re telling me that the limit is 10% remaining health . ’.

    .

    This was good to know . Had he placed faith in the potion at a wrong time, he could’ve made a grave mistake . This is why experience was important . Wasn’t there a saying?.

    .

    “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger . ”.

    .

    That was all due to the power of experience . Even right now, he thankfully had the experience of encountering the Penalty Zone . .

    .

    ‘It’s about time…’.

    .

    And indeed it was . He felt a lifeform rising beneath the sand . Jinwoo raised his legs and shot up from the ground . His body felt as light as a feather . Thanks to the potion, his strength had completely returned . Jinwoo landed few steps away and turned around . .

    .

    shaaaaah.

    .

    As expected, the spot he was lying on was sinking to the ground . .

    .

    ‘Heh, I remember thinking that I’d slip and fall into that in the past . ’.

    .

    Now, he could stare at the sinkhole with a carefree attitude . The bottom of the depression boiled like in the past, and-.

    .

    pshaaaah!.

    .

    A column of sand exploded from the ground, revealing the form of the giant centipede . .

    .

    screeeeech!.

    .

    It was all just as he remembered . .

    .

    ‘Man, they looked a lot scarier back then…’.

    .

    Now, they appeared to be moving in slow motion in Jinwoo’s eyes . He raised his gaze and confirmed the red letters above the centipede’s head . .

    .

    ‘Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede’.

    .

    A red name . Just like the Cerberus from the Demon Castle . The quest message appeared . .

    .

    ring~!.

    .

    Penalty Quest: Survive.

    Goal: Survive for the required time . .

    Required time: 4 Hours.

    Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec.

    .

    After reading the message, Jinwoo clenched his fists . .

    .

    ‘I can buy some time with this . ’.

    .

    As he did not use the Instant Return Stone out of the Dungeon, he probably still had a chance . .

    .

    ‘I’ll probably be moved back after the penalty quest . ’.

    .

    And if the 4 hours he spent here was added to the endurance timer? The advancement points he would gain would be massive . Well, he still did not know just how the math worked . .

    .

    ‘Still…’.

    .

    When he thought about how the System worked up until now, this might become an incredible windfall . .

    .

    ‘Four fucking hours!’.

    .

    He couldn’t last 10 minutes back there and was about to use the Instant Return Stone . Now, thanks to the Penalty Zone, he would be able to add 4 hours to that timer . There was one problem left . He had to survive this world with barely a 100 health remaining . Since he could not recover using a potion, he had to level-up through the centipedes without receiving any damage . In a way, this was an additional condition of the penalty quest . .

    .

    ‘ . Let’s do this . ’.

    .

    Jinwoo summoned Casaka’s Poisoned Fang . .

    .

    Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec.

    .

    The moment the penalty quest started, Jinwoo began to move . Because of his experience, he knew to move before the centipedes did . He closed the distance in a flash and jumped . .

    .

    land!.

    .

    He reached a halfway point on the insect’s body then started working his way to the head while slashing at its body . .

    .

    stab! stab stab! slash!.

    .

    Wherever the dagger attacked, the exoskeleton of the centipede cracked and seeped a liquid . .

    .

    screeeech!.

    .

    Every time Jinwoo made a new wound on its body, the centipede thrashed in pain . .

    .

    ‘Sprint!’.

    .

    Jinwoo’s legs sped up . .

    .

    step, step, step, step!.

    .

    He quickly reached the top of the monster’s head and grabbed the dagger with both hands . .

    .

    ‘Vital Stab!’.

    .

    He used the skill and brought down the dagger onto the centipede’s head . The dagger dug deep into the head . .

    .

    crack!.

    .

    ‘Vital Stab’ has leveled up!.

    .

    ‘Alright!’.

    .

    It had been a while! The leveled-up skill appeared to have done quite a damage . The centipede shook its head in pain . .

    .

    screech, screee!.

    .

    Jinwoo did not stop there . He moved from its head towards the centipede’s back . The monster’s back was completely exposed . .

    .

    stab!.

    .

    After stabbing a point behind the centipede’s head, Jinwoo held the dagger in place and jumped down . .

    .

    cra-cra-cra-cra-craaaaaack!.

    .

    Combined with the strength over 120 and a leap from a height of a 5 story building, the dagger slid completely across the centipede’s back, cutting it wide open . .

    .

    cra-cra-crack!.

    .

    land . .

    .

    Jinwoo landed safely . .

    .

    screeech, screeeeee!.

    .

    The centipede spewed a liquid all over the place then finally fell . .

    .

    Boom!.

    .

    Its body raised up a cloud of sand . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve defeated the Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede.

    .

    Jinwoo patted the sand off his body and checked the time . .

    .

    Remaining time: 3 Hours 59 Min 42 Sec.

    .

    ‘That took 17 seconds . ’.

    .

    It took him less than 20 seconds to take down the centipede . It was completely different than the time he took down the Cerberus . His strength had reached a different dimension . .

    .

    ‘Well, if I think about all the leveling I did and the items I’ve obtained…’.

    .

    It made sense . At this rate, Jinwoo was confident he could continue hunting without losing life . .

    .

    ‘Now the problem is if there are enough monsters here for a level-up…’.

    .

    Only then would he have a chance of surviving when he went back to the class advancement quest . If he went back without recovering his health, he was sure to be crushed like an insect . As he was deep in worry, multiple sand columns appeared around him . .

    .

    pshhhhh-.

    .

    pshaaaah-.

    .

    The centipedes had arrived after smelling their kin’s blood . .

    .

    screeech-.

    .

    screeech-.

    .

    Jinwoo’s face brightened . .

    .

    ‘Just how many are there?’.

    .

    Looking at the heads of the centipedes popping up from the ground, Jinwoo could not hide the smile on his face . .

    .

    .

    You’ve leveled up!.

    .

    You’ve leveled up!.

    .

    You’ve leveled up!.

    .

    You’ve leveled up!.

    After nearly 4 hours, Jinwoo had gained 4 levels after taking down countless centipedes . He had reached level 51 . The penalty quest was almost over . .

    .

    Penalty Quest: Survive.

    Goal: Survive for the required time . .

    Required time: 4 Hours.

    Remaining time: 0 Hours 3 Min 19 Sec.

    .

    It was about time he’d return . Jinwoo looked around at the corpses of the centipedes that littered the area . Thanks to their sacrifice, he was able to recover his health . .

    .

    ‘It’s a shame they didn’t drop any items or gold…’.

    .

    Well, it wouldn’t have made sense for a place of punishment to reward him that much . Now, it was time to prepare for his return . .

    .

    ‘Shop . ’.

    .

    Current Gold: 3,115,629.

    .

    On top of the various moneybags from the humanoid monsters, he had earned a whopping 1,500,000 gold from Ygritte . He had plenty of funds now . With that in mind, he looked through the shop for a new weapon . A suitable upgrade caught his eye:.

    .

    Knight Killer.

    Rarity: B.

    Type: Dagger.

    Attack Power +75.

    ‘Knight Killing’: +25% damage against heavy armored opponents.

    It’s a sturdy and sharp dagger designed to cut a knight’s armor . Because of its serrated blades, it will not slip easily against armor . .

    .

    It was a weapon meant to be used for killing heavily armored targets . The cost was 2,800,000 gold . He would have to spend most of his gold, but this was not the time to be stingy . .

    .

    ‘Can’t take my gold with me to the afterlife . ’.

    .

    Without hesitating, Jinwoo bought the weapon . Additionally, he also purchased some wrappings . .

    .

    You’ve purchased “Knight Killer” . .

    You’ve purchased “Wrappings” . .

    .

    As its description noted, it was a scary looking dagger with a serrated blade . He took the weapon with his right hand and used the wrappings to tightly bind it in his hand . .

    .

    slash! slash slash!.

    .

    He swung the blade around . It felt natural in his hand, as if it was a part of his body . .

    .

    ‘At the very least, I won’t be dropping it like this . ’.

    .

    He briefly considered wrapping Casaka’s Poisoned Fang to his left hand but decided against it . It would be too inconvenient to lose both of his hands . He would keep the usage of his left hand just in case . He placed the leftover wrappings into the inventory then noticed the Runestone he had gotten from Ygritte . .

    .

    ‘Ah right, there was this . ’.

    .

    Runestone: Ruler’s Hands.

    Break the Runestone to absorb the skill . .

    .

    He needed every little bit right now, whether it was an item or a skill . Jinwoo smashed the Runestone without a regret . .

    .

    You’ve learned ‘Ruler’s Hands’ (Lv . 1).

    .

    Ruler’s Hands (Lv . 1).

    Active Skill.

    .

    Mana Cost: 0.

    Exert your will over an object without physically touching it . .

    .

    ‘Ah…’.

    .

    Reading the explanation, he remembered a scene from earlier . It was when Ygritte stretched a hand to his sword and brought it to his hands from a distance . .

    .

    ‘So he used this skill to move the longsword . ’.

    .

    A skill to move an object from a distance just with his mind! On top of that, it didn’t have a mana cost . .

    .

    ‘If I can really move anything, it’s an incredible skill . ’.

    .

    Jinwoo quickly tried it out on the corpse of the centipede next to him . .

    .

    Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . .

    .

    Your proficiency is insufficient to move the object . .

    .

    It seemed that moving something heavy required more practice . .

    .

    ‘What about this one?’.

    .

    Jinwoo dropped Casaka’s Poisoned Fang onto the ground, then stretched a hand toward it . The dagger easily moved into his hand . .

    .

    grab!.

    .

    ‘Oh~ . ’.

    .

    Jinwoo stared at the dagger with amazement . .

    .

    ‘Alright, this is helpful enough . ’.

    .

    And with that, he had completed all preparations . Jinwoo raised his head and saw that the time was almost over . .

    .

    Remaining time: 0 Hours 0 Min 4 Sec.

    .

    As the 4 seconds decreased to 3, the System messaged him . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    The Penalty Quest will end soon . .

    .

    And another one followed,.

    .

    ring~.

    .

    Because you’ve hunted in the Penalty Zone,.

    The next Penalty Quest’s difficulty will be adjusted . .

    .

    An adjustment of difficulty . It would make it harder to hunt so that the penalty will feel like a penalty . Well, would there even be a next time? Jinwoo gulped . .

    .

    ‘Now, the class advancement quest will resume . ’.

    .

    Hundreds of monsters would probably be waiting for him back in the boss room . Perhaps even more . Although he thought of it as “returning” to the room, it was more like he was being “thrown” back there . .

    .

    Health, mana, fatigue, equipment and skill . In addition to those, even his mind had improved in the past 4 hours . Still, he was feeling nervous . .

    .

    ba dum ba dum ba dum.

    .

    The beating of his heart was almost painful . .

    .

    Jinwoo closed his eyes to calm himself . .

    .

    Then, the electronic tone rang . .

    .

    ring . .

    .

    The Penalty Quest will end now . .

    .

    ‘This is my last chance…’.

    .

    When Jinwoo opened his eyes, he saw the mass of silver knights starting to turn towards him . They were not his target . Jinwoo’s eyes shifted side to side, looking for his target . .

    .

    ‘First, the mages!’.