kscans

Chapter 512 - Interlude

"—Alright…"

Doing left and right lunges before a sprint had become a pointless habit of mine at some point.

A warm-up that lacked the significance it held in reality had approximately zero positive effect on my avatar's body. It was purely a mental routine, a way to get in the zone and fire myself up.

Regardless, my resolve was more than sufficient. Not just that, but my status, skills, titles, and equipment were all maxed out—it was safe to say there was no way to improve my current setup.

If I couldn't do it with this, then I would finally give up.

I came here today with that level of determination—or so I tell myself every time. I already knew I would stubbornly challenge it again ‘next time.’

"Was it… almost three whole days?"

I thought of the record set by the one who came after me, an out-of-bounds successor and a great trailblazer, the one who literally soars through the sky above. It was a famous story that when he conquered this place, he ran for roughly three days straight.

In other words, he died, over and over again, for three days. Even here, where death is but a fleeting moment compared to elsewhere, to tolerate game overs so casually was nothing short of insanity.

He truly must not have possessed a single shred of ‘fear.’ It only made me feel the ‘gap’ in our fundamental ways of being. No matter how many times I came here, I could never get used to the terror of that murderous warhead bearing down on me at incredible speed.

But this time, I would steel my resolve and follow his example.

Three days, no, until this spirit of mine breaks—no, until it's ground to a fine dust. Until these legs can no longer move, I will hole myself up in here for as many days as it takes.

If I become unable to recover, well, I'll think about it then. From the start, the only thing I could be proud of was these legs, so it would be a lie not to give it my all.

"—Just you watch, you damn Acrobat…"

I am the pioneer and the pursuer. The man once called ‘the fastest.’

I never had something as grand as pride for just doing what I wanted, but I did have a bit of a man's stubbornness.

The first-place flag was snatched away from me, which is frustrating, but as for that…

"Second place is a decent enough honor in itself…!"

My avatar took a silent step forward and vanished in a blur.

My stats, polarized into Agility (AGI) and Dexterity (DEX), and ninety-five percent of my skill slots filled with mobility-assisting abilities, all activated at once—twenty seconds later.

"Gah, shi—CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!??"

In the crimson tower that spiraled high into the sky, a chain of endless screams began to echo.