Only My Skill Tooltip Is Strange

Chapter 91

The layer is soon to advance.

There was no time to strategize or relax.

‘What could the Swordmaster do?’

The players looked at him with expressions full of expectation.

Since he’s called the superhuman Swordmaster, surely he could bring about a miracle in this situation.

Everyone began to hope.

Of course, there was no miracle.

The Swordmaster seemed to have neither the reason nor the obligation to perform one.

“Survive on your own.”

The players screamed as they saw the Swordmaster speak so decisively.

What? Is he abandoning us?

The Swordmaster frowned.

His twisted face looked like a demon.

“I’m under no obligation to save you. Don’t cling to me. If you cross the line….”

“Ugh, ugh.”

The power he wielded made even the simplest gestures feel like threats.

‘Survive?’

Had the Swordmaster’s stats dropped?

Or had his stats reached a point where they no longer mattered?

‘...His stats are the same as mine. 13. But...’

Could I beat him if I fought the Swordmaster?

I ran a simulation in my head.

‘There’s no chance.’

We have the same stats, so why?

The power he unleashed with his sword was something entirely different from sword energy.

Having high stats alone couldn’t guarantee victory against the Swordmaster.

‘I might be facing skills I don’t know about.’

I had to let go of the thought that only I could use skills.

The enemy wouldn’t be foolish; they would also have skills to assist them.

The Swordmaster was a superhuman capable of using such skills more threateningly.

He was on a different level than regular players.

‘...Why am I even thinking about fighting the Swordmaster?’

I was preparing for a fight with him without realizing why.

I didn’t know the reason.

Was it instinctively preparing for the worst?

“Advance!”

A knight shouted.

It was a firm command, as if they wouldn’t wait for any more meetings.

The players had no choice.

They had to march forward, pushed along by the situation.

But this time, it was different.

Everyone hesitated, reluctant to lead the charge.

The difference in stats between the monsters and us made it highly likely that whoever took the lead would die.

Everyone kept their distance.

The knight couldn’t just stand by and watch.

He drew his sword and stabbed a nearby player.

Thrust-!

“Advance! Those who retreat will die by my sword!”

The knight’s strength wasn’t that high.

Maybe around 15 or 16?

Looking at his movements, it seemed that way.

With that level of power, he couldn’t kill a player.

There’s a limit to the damage of basic attacks.

However, the player stabbed by the knight’s sword instantly lost their life.

Despite having some life left, they collapsed and died helplessly.

‘...He must be using his absolute strength against players.’

The authority to execute deserters.

It must have been granted by the Soul System.

If the players didn’t want to die by the knight’s sword, they had no choice but to move forward.

The chance of survival was higher fighting orcs.

Besides, the Swordmaster was also with the players.

Boom-.

Every time the Swordmaster swung his sword energy, orcs fell one by one.

The destruction was absurdly powerful.

‘He’s ignoring the Soul System’s stats.’

Or maybe when you reach the Swordmaster’s level, even mana utilization becomes on a different scale?

In any case, the battle was progressing relatively well.

Players were still dying, but definitely fewer than before.

The weaker players were eliminated, and they began to cooperate more effectively.

Bang-!

The orcs couldn’t use skills.

What they had was physical strength and sheer numbers.

On the other hand, what did the players have?

We had skills.

Skills hit the target regardless of stats.

Using various crowd control skills, the orc army was wiped out.

“The difference in numbers is considerable. Though it’s an orc army, they’re fewer in number, so it’s easier to deal with.”

Igral spat fire.

His flames easily burned one orc.

The orc screamed a savage scream as it disintegrated.

It was cleaner than killing it with a spear.

Right after wiping out the orc army, the administrator appeared.

It was a Middleworld being.

?Players heading to the 7th floor, through the portal.?

A portal appeared where the Middleworld administrator gestured.

It was a portal to the upper floor.

The players hesitated and looked around.

They were unsure whether it was the right choice to go up.

“Isn’t the mission too short?”

“It might be.”

Igral expressed his doubt, but I couldn’t answer it.

I didn’t know everything either.

I was just another player.

I knew as much as anyone else.

“It was short on the 4th floor too.”

On the 4th floor, the duration varied for each player.

It ranged from a minimum of one day to a maximum of a week.

But the 6th floor lasted half a day.

After just three battles, players were eligible to ascend.

‘Maybe they want to conserve causalities.’

Or maybe this is just normal.

?Additional missions will be given to the remaining players.?

“…There will be rewards for clearing the additional missions, right?”

Someone asked the administrator.

The administrator nodded.

Among the players who reached the 6th floor, no one was unaware of the importance of rewards.

Whether or not you receive them, the difference in time would only grow.

If you simply ascended now, you’d fall behind those who completed the additional missions.

It wasn’t a matter of now; it was just a matter of time.

The players glanced at the Swordmaster.

They hoped that with him around, they might just clear it without much effort.

But the administrator ruthlessly crushed their hopes.

He showed them their next opponent.

Kraaaaah-!

A blazing plain, a collapsed castle wall.

And a dragon appeared beyond that.

“Are you saying we have to fight that dragon with these stats?”

“It’s impossible!”

Upon seeing the dragon, morale among the players plummeted.

More than half lost their will to fight.

“I’m out.”

The Middleworld beings reacted more strongly.

The players rushed through the portal.

?By the way, stats will be restored to normal. Asking players with just a stat of 13 to hunt a dragon is too cruel.?

“......”

Once the ones willing to go had left, the administrator lifted the restrictions.

It was ridiculous.

The administrator wasn’t exactly friendly to the players.

It was similar on every floor.

There were so few remaining players that they could be counted in one glance.

Altogether, fewer than a hundred.

Could we hunt a dragon with this number?

It was doubtful, but ironically, it felt better than before.

We were far more dependable than a group of random players with 13 stats.

“Is the floor’s owner related to the dragon? A Middleworld being, I suppose?”

The Swordmaster asked, staring at the administrator.

The administrator didn’t deny it.

?Most floor owners give the administrator position to ascenders from the same dimension. Do you know why??

The Swordmaster shook his head firmly.

He didn’t know much about floors.

We were just players who had barely reached the 6th floor.

?Well, you’ll figure it out in time.?

The administrator didn’t say more.

It was more like he couldn’t say it than wouldn’t say it.

‘...We’ll have to cooperate with players from the same floor.’

I had quite a few clues.

Seo So-hui’s advice, the antagonism toward beings from other dimensions, and the race’s hero skill.

So I could make a rough guess.

‘The goblins on the 4th floor were friendly toward me. It was because the illusionary old book made them mistake me for one of their kind.’

Thinking about it now, it felt a little excessive.

But if they thought I wanted something from them, I could understand.

Still, it was a bit much.

?Is there no one else going up? If not, I’ll proceed with the additional mission.?

The players who hadn’t moved yet were the ones who had made up their minds.

Even if more time was given, no one else would be going up to the 7th floor.

‘They must be confident in their own abilities.’

I occasionally saw familiar faces.

Alice, Yuki, and Hikari.

Since we had reached the 6th floor around the same time, I thought there was a chance I might meet them.

Alice spotted me and came over.

She was a reliable player.

“Error Player. I didn’t expect to see your face again.”

“Same here.”

There was no time to exchange pleasantries.

The administrator explained the additional mission, and we had to prepare for battle immediately.

The dragon.

A red dragon spread its wings and rose.

The ground shook as its massive body moved.

“…Are such monsters living in the Middleworld?”

Someone among the players muttered in awe.

Had they never seen a dragon before?

“There was one on the 1st floor. A dragon.”

“The administrator looked human, though…”

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling that intimidated.

Everyone nodded in agreement, but some kept quiet, realizing it would be pointless to talk down the administrator who was listening.

Everyone prepared to begin the additional mission.

We stretched awkwardly after being downgraded for a moment.

The Swordmaster stepped forward.

“Don’t underestimate the dragon.”

Unlike before, he spoke decisively and with more confidence.

‘...He probably had the same look on his face when we were on the 1st floor.’

Did he hate dragons?

If so, what did the administrator do on the 1st floor?

If the Swordmaster couldn’t control his anger and rushed in, he should’ve already been dead.

“Hmm…”

Could the Swordmaster control his anger?

“Well, this is the Tower of Struggle, so dragon hunting might be easier than in the Middleworld. Let’s each tell what skills we have.”