The White Hatchling Breath inflicts ice-type damage.

“What—what's going on?”
“That person suddenly…”

After a burst of cold swept through, the black lion, which had been defenseless against the dragon’s breath, emerged frozen solid in pure white.

The Earthlings stared at me, their faces a mix of surprise and disbelief.

“Ryu-in. Error Player!”

They called my name in broken Korean.
Perhaps because there were no Koreans around, it took them a moment to recognize me.

“Error Player?”
“The one who uses breath. The powerful Korean!”
“He survived…!”

The Earthlings who grasped the situation let out a sigh of relief.
It was a face that had found a glimmer of hope.

“Is he dead?”
“I’m not sure. I know the breath is strong, but is it enough to kill that lion in one shot...?”

With the frozen lion standing like an ice statue at the center, they kept their distance.
No one dared to approach and check it out.

Although it was frozen, its fearsome appearance remained unchanged.

What if I accidentally break it...?
They might be thinking something along those lines.

Even though they had summoned their courage to defeat the lion, their fear hadn’t completely vanished.

“......”

All eyes turned to me.
I could feel their quiet expectations.

It wasn’t particularly pleasant to feel like they were passing the responsibility onto me, but I tried to be generous.
After all, the black lion was dead.

Better than being disregarded entirely.

Compared to the audience watching from above, whose expectant gazes were filled with cruel anticipation for the brutal show, this was a relief.

I approached the black lion.
I didn’t forget to activate Cheolpo Samgong in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.

With the boosted durability from Cheolpo Samgong and the regeneration of the D-Rank skill, I was confident that I wouldn’t die even if the lion bit me.

The noise from the audience died down.
Those who had been shouting excitedly now fell silent and watched me closely.

As I got closer, cracks began to form in the ice statue.

Crrr—. Crrr—.

The small fissures spread across its body and soon, the ice shattered.

[You absorb the soul of the Giant Black Rager.]
[Agility increased by 0.03.]

The Tower’s message confirmed the kill.

The audience erupted into cheers, almost in sync, though they were a beat late to react.
It was as if the roar had been delayed in reaching them.

“Hey! Did you really kill it?!”
“Is this possible? How can an Earthling kill a Giant Black Rager?”
“Do you think we see only a few special ones in the Tower of Struggle? You idiot!”

Watching the arena filled with madness sent chills down my spine.

Indeed. I expected them to all be dead.

It seemed they had intended to throw all the Earthlings to the lion as prey.
They were treated like mere crickets, not even worthy of a second thought.

I clenched my fist tightly.
If I could send one of the audience members down, I was confident I could beat them to death with my bare hands.
I was that furious.

“It seems there was an issue with the summoning process.”

The administrator began to speak.
It seemed he viewed me not as an Earthling but as something more—like a dragon.

“Summon! Bring in the other Earthlings!”
“Don’t tell me this is how it ends?”
“I paid a lot to be here! Show me something worthwhile!”

The crowd shouted.
Thousands of voices were raised, making it hard to discern what anyone was saying.

“You all know that it’s not easy to go twice, right? I’m sorry it ended up like this.”

There wouldn’t be a second chance.
The administrator vaguely apologized while trying to manage the situation.

Manage might be too strong a word.
It was more like a forceful suppression.
He abused his power, treating the voices of the crowd as mere noise to be drowned out.

Both the audience and the administrator.

To the Earthlings, they were just as detestable.
My teeth ground together in anger.

“Earthlings, thank you for your hard work.”

At the administrator’s words, a new message appeared.
It was a reward.

[Second Floor: Survive.]
You succeeded in surviving the onslaught of malevolence.
Bonus for defeating the Elite Monster, Giant Black Rager: Stat +3.

Three points.
A meager reward that felt bitter, especially considering the mocking cost I had paid.
Even receiving a reward didn’t lift my spirits.

What could I possibly do about it?

Should I take it up with the administrator?
He must be an ascender, after all.
What difference would protesting to him make?

I looked around the arena.
I could see countless spectators.

Whether it was the administrator directly involved or the passive observers enjoying the spectacle, they were all accomplices in this.

But I couldn’t do anything.
The weak had no rights.
Once again, I deeply felt the harsh reality of this damned tower.

“I got three points.”
“…I’m just glad everyone is okay.”

Unlike me, the Earthlings were celebrating.
Their joy at surviving, the elation, and the life-giving reward dulled their senses.

Perhaps they had adapted to this situation.
They had been facing this unreasonable pattern since the first floor.

Though it had only been a week,
a week where life hung in the balance was not a short time at all.
It was enough time for one’s values to change dramatically.

“If you think of it as gaining experience earlier than others, it’ll be easier to bear.”
“......”
“Welcome, new players.”

As the administrator’s voice faded, a blue light enveloped my body.

It wasn’t just me.
All the Earthlings were transported to another location.

High school.
Memories flooded back from when I had narrowly avoided a car accident.

I had dozens of steel pins inserted.
My knees were wrecked, and I could no longer play sports.

“Ryu-in. It’s okay if you can’t do Taekwondo. It won’t affect your life.”

The master had said that, but I couldn’t accept it at the time.
My sense of injustice outweighed my pain.

Everything I had taken for granted.
The future I had worked so hard for had vanished in an instant.
No one could simply brush that off.

Why did this happen to me?
If there was a God, I wanted to confront them right now.

—Even if you make such choices, it only harms you. Your life is the only one that ends.
—......
—Those who laugh at your misfortune don’t care whether you live or die. They’ll go on living without a care in the world.

Looking back now, the words I heard that day on the rooftop were not from someone comforting me.
The master had spoken with an angry voice, far from comforting.

—You crazy bastard. You’re going to die up there?

He had gently urged me down.
He took a gamble, knowing that I might leap off the edge, understanding my personality better than my own parents.

“......”

Because of that, I lived.
Before the accident, I pretended to be friendly with everyone, but the moment I had to quit sports, I didn’t want to do anything nice for those who mocked me.
I gritted my teeth and climbed down from the rooftop.

—You crazy bastard. What are you doing up there? Are you out of your mind?

It was a secret that I got slapped for coming down.

“......”

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an opulent room.
Amidst the luxury items on display stood a boy confidently.

“Welcome.”

It was the same voice as the administrator I had heard earlier.

“I am Daimus, the administrator of the First Colosseum on the second floor.”
“I’m the Error Player.”

I acted as much like a White Dragon as I could.
Maybe it was thanks to my experience from the first floor, but my voice trembled less.

“Error Player. What an unusual name. Please, have a seat.”
“......”

I made sure to roll my eyes cautiously.
I worried that my discomfort might show.

Fortunately, Daimus didn’t seem to catch on.

“I feel nothing but remorse for the Error Player. I never expected such a mistake during the summoning process.”
“…Mistake?”
“Yes, it was a mistake.”

Daimus explained.

“The match that the Error Player participated in was an event match. It was an event for watching the struggle between the beasts raised in the Colosseum and the Earthlings.”
“......”
“But since an Error Player was summoned instead of an Earthling, what else could it be but a mistake?”

Daimus wore a smile that seemed congenial.

I somewhat knew this, but hearing it directly made it even more frustrating.

I didn’t show it on my face.
A dragon expressing emotions about the affairs of Earthlings didn’t seem credible.

“So?”
“…Yes?”

I surveyed Daimus’s demeanor.
While my gaze was slow, my mind was racing.

Let’s say Blinky acted friendly because we’re both dragons.

Jo Seohui had pushed me forward, thinking of me as an Earthling.

Then why this guy?

Why had I been summoned here separately from the other Earthlings?

There’s a purpose.

That purpose was likely connected to the racial settings concocted by the Book of Illusions.
So, I decided to take a bold stance.

“You should have something to say, right?”
“...Huh?”

I examined Daimus closely.
With my slow eye movements contrasted against my busy thoughts, I kept my composure.

The summoning process had gone wrong, right?

He had shown me a different perspective on the game.
I had been dragged into this situation under the guise of being the Error Player.

Something is up.

There must be a reason why it wouldn’t do to treat dragons carelessly.
I didn’t know what it was, but—

Daimus lowered his head, looking more troubled than before.

“…I’m sorry.”

I received an apology.
But I didn’t feel happy about it at all.

Was it the bowing that bothered me?
No.

The bigger question arose, complicating my feelings.

What’s with the apology? Why is he apologizing as an administrator?