Wave Difficulty Management
If I were on the 3rd floor, I would have considered whether the opponent was strong or not.
No matter how I am, I’m not invincible.

But on the 4th floor?

‘Aren’t I invincible?’

I’ve become a goblin across dimensions.
Everyone, including me, has low stats.

I’m a goblin who barely breaks 30 in total stats.
Almost the same as an Earthling.

‘Even the peak warrior Eun Seoryeong, even the mana expert Abella, are just regular goblins here.’

Do other players pay attention to Earthlings?
They never do.

On the 4th floor, there’s no need to care about the opponent’s reaction.
Especially not me.

That’s why I refused.
Their annoying chatter made me firmly reject their offer.

Of course, they assumed I would join their group, and I didn’t like their confident tone about it.

“Why are you rejecting us?”
The goblin asked.

“No matter how strong you are, there’s a limit on the 4th floor. Kek. Even if there are only two mid-tier monsters, a single goblin warrior can’t handle them.”
“……”
“So you’re saying you’ll stay solo? Not joining our team?”

Logically, it’s advantageous for players to group up.
If you have a brain, you’ll come to that conclusion.

That’s why they don’t understand.
They don’t get why I’m being stubborn.

“Shut up.”

You shouldn’t be dragged around by the majority.
That’s the conclusion I’ve reached in such a short time.

‘I don’t know what kind of rewards there might be, but managing the wave difficulty? I can’t accept that.’

Once you join a group, you’re bound to follow the majority’s opinion.
It’s human nature.

Before I get gaslit into teamwork and used, I’ll take the initiative.

I’ll raise the difficulty on my own and grab the best rewards.
That was my plan.

So I took a strong stance.
I glared at the goblin and growled.

‘There’s no reason to be hostile. He’ll probably be startled by my reaction.’

And indeed, the goblin’s shoulder trembled.
He flinched.

‘What a scared little shit response.’

This was a skill that Earthlings possess.
The ability to catch the fleeting reactions the opponent can’t hide transcends dimensions.

“If you don’t want to die, then get lost. I’m already feeling uncomfortable being trapped in this tiny body.”
“……”

The bold goblin declared his solo stance.
The goblins that had been here for a while were clearly shocked and stepped back.

They were keeping a proper distance from each other.
Night slowly crept into the village.

“Harkin. What are you going to do? Kek.”

The Harkin group gathered together.
They put their heads together, discussing their next move.

“You’re not just going to leave him like this, right? Kek. He disrespected me.”

They all appeared as goblins, but their personalities were different.

They had revealed their names and species, but…

‘I’m sure there’s someone who’s lying.’

It’s foolish to trust blindly.
Harkin wasn’t that much of a fool.

“After being insulted, we can’t just let it go. Kek. You were the one who suggested keeping fear at bay to gain dominance in this village, Harkin.”

Using mid-tier monsters to kill other goblins.
The person who came up with this idea and put it into practice was Harkin.

He glanced at the goblin who seemed angry, grinding his teeth.

‘Blood Poison Master, right?’

Martial artists like to call themselves by grand titles.
Harkin couldn’t understand it, but he let it slide, thinking of it as a cultural thing of that dimension.

Sometimes there were those who actually lived up to their titles, so he couldn’t entirely ignore them.

‘The martial arts that melted mid-tier monsters… no joke.’

Blood Poison Master had proven his skill.
Harkin could tell that he wasn’t some amateur.

“You just decide. I’ll handle taking him down.”

So Harkin couldn’t easily dismiss Blood Poison Master’s words.

“Are you saying you can win? Against that goblin?”
“Is that a question? It’s not about whether I can win, it’s about whether I can kill him. Kek.”

The goblin sneered.
He was definitely a martial artist, but somehow, he looked more like a goblin than any of the other goblins.

“You know it, right? My martial arts leave no trace of my opponent. No one will know.”
“……”
“And it’s a little dangerous because I’ll attract attention from others. But honestly, if we get caught, what difference does it make?”
“We’ll be in danger at night too.”
“By the time we finish with the rewards and go up, there’s no need to worry about the night. Don’t you think so? Kek.”

You only need to fight off the human invasion.
Goblins shouldn’t fight each other.

During the wave, they stopped attacking each other for trivial reasons.
But during the most dangerous part of the night, they don’t stop attacks.

‘I should just assume they’re keeping quiet about it.’

The 4th floor is unique in that the administrator and the floor’s owner are closely tied.
Perhaps it’s because they are all the same species?

‘…The floor’s owner is focused on things they enjoy. They don’t care if other species of players die.’

Unless the opponent is a goblin.

The Harkin group turned their heads.
They were taking turns watching the new goblins.

They were being careful, trying not to let their gaze be noticed.

“…A magician.”
“If it’s a magician, it’ll be easier. Kek.”

A goblin created an ice wall.
He was building an ice house with magic.

Blood Poison Master chuckled.

“He was acting all confident, but that’s all it is. Being cautious of a surprise attack at night means he knows the dangers. Kek.”

Why be cautious?
Because if you’re stabbed in your sleep, you cross the three paths just like anyone else.

‘My Blood Poison Cloud Hand can melt even the body of a peak warrior. Mid-tier magicians will be even easier.’

Mid-tier magicians use magic through their heart’s circle.
It’s a different technique than upper-class martial arts, but they’re similar in lacking physical abilities.

‘Also, they’re especially vulnerable when it comes to self-defense.’

Unlike magic users who are skilled in defense, mid-tier magicians specialize in destruction.

Look at their magic.

‘It’s sloppy. Sloppy.’

Melting ice?
It’s really easy.

Blood Poison Master looked at Harkin and demanded a decision.

Even though he had been called Mad Dog in martial arts, he learned that going against the majority in the Tower of Struggle wasn’t easy.
You have to make sure the group’s intentions align before taking action.

Harkin scanned the members of his group.
It seemed like they were all leaning toward removing variables.

“He’s probably not a magician…”

Harkin asked, and his team responded.

“Did he kill the monsters by moving during the wave?”
“He probably picked out the ones whose health was already low.”
“Even if he’s a mid-tier magician, his stats are the same as a goblin’s on the 4th floor. It’s not that strange for him to kill monsters with his fists.”

Listening to their active voices, it seemed like the decision had been made.
Harkin couldn’t go against the tide with just his own concerns.

“…Is that so?”
“Well, what will we do if he’s a great magician? It’s impossible to withstand Blood Poison Master’s surprise attack.”

Belief in Blood Poison Master.

Harkin nodded.
His skill couldn’t be denied.

‘I definitely made an offer. It’s your fault for not accepting it.’

If he were a magician, he would’ve been helpful.
What a shame.

Blood Poison Master immediately prepared for the surprise attack.
As everyone was about to fall into a deep sleep, he silently approached the magician’s ice house.

‘Goblins are simple creatures. Once the sun sets, they fall asleep.’

Blood Poison Master extended his hand toward the ice wall.

Crack-

A sticky poison seeped out, beginning to melt the ice.

The silence of the night was filled only with the sound of the ice melting, which seemed unnaturally loud.

But Blood Poison Master wasn’t worried.

‘You chose a spot far from the village houses to be cautious. That’s what hastened your end. Fool.’

Something felt strange.
The poison stored in his dantian was slowly diminishing, but the ice wall didn’t seem to be disappearing.

‘…The durability is considerable.’

Could it be because it was created with magic, not a skill?

‘Looks like he’s not an ordinary magician.’

Usually, at the 4th circle, magicians are considered top-tier or peak level.
The highest circle magician Blood Poison Master had killed was at the 4th circle.

‘If she’s stronger than that…’

Then the opponent must be at least at the 5th circle.

‘This is good!’

If it weren’t for a surprise attack, Blood Poison Master wouldn’t have been able to kill a peak warrior.
But a magician was different.

He was looking forward to it.
What would it feel like to kill a 5th circle magician, someone on the same level as a peak warrior?

Crack-

“…What is this?”

At that moment, the vision went dark.
I couldn’t see anything.

A status effect skill.
Blood Poison Master wasn’t new to this.

“What the hell…?”
[0]

But a skill with over 150 damage?
It was his first time experiencing something like that.

Blood Poison Master’s body collapsed.
Instant death.

[Absorbing the soul of Goblin (Martial Artist).]
[Agility increased by 0.03.]

Error cheered inwardly.

‘Ha, luck was the answer!’

[The Soul System successfully implements a portion of Goblin (Martial Artist)’s soul.]
[You can acquire ‘Blood Poison Cloud Hand (D)’.]

‘Oh, shit.’

As soon as I raised my luck, the jackpot was hit.

Error smacked his lips and broke the ice wall to go outside.
He was thinking of killing those who had tried to take his life.