32 Resemblance

'A Dungeon... What's that? Don't tell me it's like in those video games...' The person thought as they walked deeper into the cave.

Their eyes fell on a man with long hair.

The long-haired man was lying on the ground, unmoving.

His shoulder, wounded.

His stomach, bloody.

His breathing, so weak it was hard to notice.

'Is he dead? ... Should I take some of his-'

But those thoughts were interrupted once the person's eyes wandered a bit further.

They took a step back before stumbling down onto the ground.

"What the hell... Is this..." The person whispered, with their voice shaking, their body trembling and their heart racing.

Hiding in the cave's darkness, was its original inhabitant.

The Ruler of the forest.

Although it couldn't really be considered as such now.

'A Monster...!'

Still, its size was enough to terrify the intruder.

The carcass of the huge Beast lay on the ground, cold and unmoving.

But the origin of that terror slowly changed as the intruder studied the Great Tiger.

Wounds covered its entire body from head to tail.

Burn marks and even traces of ice that were slowly melting stained the creature's hide.

'What the hell...' The person thought as they got a bit closer to the dead Beast. 'Did this guy do it? Is this even something a Human is capable of...?'

COUGH-

Blood spurted out of the unmoving man's mouth.

The intruder's body froze, before immediately exiting the cave with light and silent steps.

...

About five minutes later, the unmoving man's eyes opened.

"Fuck..." Rin whispered as he struggled to get up.

After checking his surroundings, he let out a deep sigh.

'No Beast entered the cave... Good. Since I drank those Health Potions right after getting injured, I shouldn't sustain any long-lasting damage this time...' Rin's gaze fell on the dead Great Tiger. 'I had no idea I was using so much endurance just to keep up with this guy.'

He picked up his Butcher Knife from the ground.

[You have obtained the "Great Tiger's Hide[D]".]

[You have obtained a number of "Great Tiger Claws[E+]".]

[You have obtained two "Great Tiger Fangs [E+]".]

[You have obtained a certain quantity of "Great Tiger Bones[E+]".]

[You have obtained the Elixir "Poisoned Great Tiger Heart[E+]".]

Rin couldn't help but chuckle.

'A poisoned heart, really? Anyway...'

Rin turned towards the Dungeon's exit.

"Am I getting my rewards any time soon?"

[Resuming Rewards calculations...]

A minute later,

[Rewards will now be handed out.]

[The Rewards go up according to the Achievements accomplished.]

[You have defeated the Great Tiger.]

[You have achieved something that is extremely hard to accomplish.]

[You have earned a new Title!]

[You have obtained the Title "Night Hunter".]

[You have obtained a new Skill!]

[You have obtained the Passive Skill "Night Vision[E]".]

A smile appeared on Rin's face.

Fighting at night was what he was best at.

Therefore, such Skills and Titles could only be welcomed with open arms.

[You have cleared the Dungeon alone!]

[You have achieved something that is very hard to accomplish.]

[Your Title "Perfectionist Fighter" is feeling more favorable towards you.]

[Your Title "He Who Paves His Own Way" is feeling more favorable towards you.]

'Is that so? Well, they better start showing their effects more often.'

[You have been awarded 500 Achievement Points!]

[Additional Reward is being calculated...]

'Good...' Rin thought as he started to walk away.

[You have, by yourself, defeated a Feline Monster much stronger than you are.]

[Your achievement bears a slight resemblance to that of a certain Great Hero.]

A stunned expression appeared on Rin's face.

The Title of "Great Hero" couldn't be thrown around carelessly.

It was a Title fit only for those who could walk alongside Gods and Demigods.

Those who rose and gained a Status resembling that of Deities.

Great Heroes were Beings that Rin looked up to even in his previous life.

Even then, he couldn't hold a candle to them.

Their achievements were known by all.

Even those from other worlds knew of their spectacular feats.

The King Of Kings, Gilgamesh.

The Dragon Slayer, Sigurd.

Or even...

Rin's blood was boiling.

Veins appeared on his neck from the anger he was feeling.

"Are you comparing me... To him?!" He asked out loud, practically enraged.

An icy freezing aura reigned over the cave.

He was being compared, to the strongest of all Great Heroes.

To the most righteous of them all.

'I can't... This isn't...!'

A ball of bright light suddenly appeared in front of Rin.

[Your Item "Great Tiger's Hide[E+] is changing!]

'You must be kidding me...'

The ball of light changed form.

A new Item landed on Rin's body.

[Your bravery, strength and your actions have been deemed worthy.]

[You have obtained "Great Feline Cloak[C]".]

Rin's anger peaked.

Those messages seemed to him like an insult.

But it wasn't an insult directed towards him.

Rin pulled his sword out of its sheath and stared at his reflection.

'You're comparing a nobody, who just entered the Tower... To Hercules?'

The Nemean Lion was a great Monster and one of two Rulers of a certain Floor.

It was defeated by the Great Hero Hercules, thanks to his sheer and astronomical Strength.

'Using cheap tactics... Poison... Hiding in the dark... Cowardly blinding the enemy...'

A disgusted expression was reflected by the sword's blade.

'That's the way I fight. And that... That isn't the way a Great Hero fights.' Rin thought.

After all, he had seen and witnessed the strength of Great Heroes multiple times.

'Those aren't the actions of a Great Hero. They don't resemble the actions of a Great Hero in the least. They-'

[The Tower is encouraging you to follow the path of the Great Hero.]

It felt, like a spit in the face.

Rin's expression darkened as his gaze fell to the floor.

'The path... of the Great Hero?'

A Title that he was unable to get during his past life.

A Title that seemed impossible to obtain.

'This isn't the Nemean Lion.' Rin thought as he took off the Great Feline Cloak. ' And I am nothing like Hercules.'

He put his new Item back into his Inventory.

'And I never will be.'

But the next second, words he had heard not long ago came back to mind.

The words of Haya, the Tree Of Life's Incarnate.

"Can I really do it? Walk the path of..." Rin whispered to himself.

'It's so exciting, isn't it? You can literally do anything!' He was told only days earlier.

"But my style of fighting is... Different. My strongest point is my..."

Rin shook his head.

He knew the truth.

His fighting style was that of an Assassin.

It wasn't a path he had chosen, but rather one he was forced to take.

It was a fighting style born from his weakness, not his strength.

'Because I wasn't strong enough, I ran. Because I couldn't afford to get noticed, I hid. Because I couldn't handle getting hit, I let the Tanks get injured in my stead... Because I lacked strength, I used poison, arrows...'

Rin's heart started beating faster.

"Can I really do it? Fight... Differently?"