Return of the Woodcutter

Two days ago.

Sam's POV

The fifth floor was a huge medieval city the size of Paris. From one end to another, it could take a challenger three hours to reach the edge. 

From up above, one could see the main streets forming a shape akin to a star. Right at the heart of the city, at the center of it all, was an enormous cathedral with a belltower from which the whole city could be seen. 

Buildings built out of grey stones made up the cobblestone streets. Some were narrows, others were main ones stretching for kilometers and a few were simple dead ends.

In the dark corner of such a dead end, Sam blocked a dagger throw of a hobgoblin, dashed and slashed both the creature's legs in half. 

"You filthy monstrosity." 

The creature the size of an average human teenager fell on the cold stone floor. Green dark blood poured out its wounds. 

"You there, you were missing one, right?" Sam said, pointing at an elementalist that had newly joined them. He couldn't bother knowing his name, not until he proved himself useful. "Kill it and let's get moving to the sixth floor." 

"Yes, manager," said the mage before burning the hobgoblin's head with a fireball. 

"Zephyr, how are the others doing?" Sam asked. 

Zephyr shrugged, "So so, I guess. At least they've cleared their quests." 

It was the first time they've worked together to clear floors. Managers would generally take charge of a team of employees, most of the times on the fourth floor. High-ranked managers like Sam though usually came on the fifth floor with a team. 

So, they knew it quite well. Amongst the sect members Sam, Zephyr, and Roisin had dared going to the sixth floor individually to check things out. Though, only Sam stayed on it long enough to be familiar with it. 

There was around a month left to clear the Tower and they couldn't just be dragged behind by the employees who would probably reach level 2 too late. 

Sam grunted. Amongst the ten level 2 composing the squad, one had died on the first floor because she had been too complacent due to her power up and another one recently died because of a hobgoblin's sneaky air assassination. 

Well, that couldn't be helped. The green creature had jumped off a rooftop and fell on the man dagger first, instantly killing its prey. Dying under such an attack wasn't that rare in hobgoblin's territory.

There were at most three hundred challengers attempting this floor every day, and at least one of them died in such a way every day, if not more. 

The fifth floor's monsters were tricky, to begin with. If goblins on the fourth floor could be considered adept in ambushes, hobgoblins were close to the master level. 

Grey skin, lean builds, and a good knowledge of their territory allowed for nimble moves and swift attacks. Their natural camouflage helped them stay hidden, even in the daytime. 

Encroached in buildings, they would either use range weapons or jump out of nowhere to ambush their prey. Oftentimes in groups, a few times alone, hobgoblins were fearsome sneaky bastards.

Because of them, Sam's team was now down to eight members. 

'The sect leader shouldn't have wasted resources on those two trashes.' 

However, it wasn't such a bad thing. It sorted out the weak from the strong and taught the other new level 2 to be more careful of their surroundings. 

The sect leader had ordered him to train the newbies first before facing the black challenger and his team. 

Why? Well, Sam didn't know exactly why. Kai had said it was to improve their teamwork, something Sam translated to "newbies had to gain experience first before facing the black challenger." 

Aito Walker was strong after all. 

Once they'd reach the sixth floor, he'd train the newbies some more and then prepare an ambush. He didn't know exactly where yet, but he'd figure it out on the way as he had always done. 

Compared to Kai, Sam wasn't a planner and liked to improvise on the fly. Not necessarily the best possible approach but it worked for him until now—apart from certain cases involving a certain person.

The black challenger wouldn't be able to reach the sixth floor before he did anyway. All the members of his new squad apart from one who had died had already reached the fifth floor before their power-up. 

Now that they had cleared it, they could finally climb to the sixth floor.

In his mind, he would have searched for the black challenger on the fourth floor. But the sect leader's orders were absolute, and Kai was often right.

Without him, Sam would still be a lost lamb. The sect leader had given him hope. He felt like he needed to repay him for it, that he owed it to him—not that he would know what to do without the sect leader. 

Before his revival, Sam had been a beggar, a homeless guy who had lost everything. His parents, daughter, and wife had died during the worldwide Colona incident. Due to the confinements and its economic impact, the company he had been working in had gone bankrupt. 

Debts after debts plus the sadness forced him out into the cold streets where he finally died during a particularly cold winter. 

No one had shown him kindness nor cared about him during his time as a homeless man. 

But Kai Tsubame had done that in Sam's second life.

Arriving like a messiah when he had needed guidance the most. If it weren't for that man, Sam would have preferred to stay dead. 

That fateful day when he had encountered the man who showed him kindness by sharing the few resources he had. Sam swore to himself to defend him at all costs in this new dog-eat-dog world at least until he deemed the debt repaid.

Since then, he has wanted to live with honor. To spread the glory of the sect. Though he did it quite clumsily by talking a lot, Sam was trying his best.

Kai's awe-inspiring speech had marveled him, and Sam wanted to copy the man. He had felt that his destiny lied with the sect leader. For the first time in his life, now second life, Sam had been given a purpose and also a small hope. 

Because if he had revived after death in this new world, then maybe, just maybe—according to Kai—there was a chance for his parents, wife, but also his precious daughter to be alive out there, in Iris.

A fool's hope, yes. But hope, nonetheless. 

And Sam firmly believed in it. If he didn't, this new world would be too much of a grim place. 

'Dad is coming, sweetheart, and not even the black challenger will stop me.' 

Sam didn't particularly hate the man. He was envious and a bit jealous, but what really drove him wasn't hatred. It was the will to surpass him and also to restore the sect's honor.

For him, killing the black challenger was just another way to get stronger and repay his debt. Well, he would be lying if he said he didn't have a small personal grudge to settle with Aito due to his past two defeats. 

"Let's move out!" Sam said, heading straight for the sixth floor.