Chapter 0
Attempt number 79.
297 attack squads from various guilds annihilated.
Death toll: 315,850.
All these numbers point to the failed attempts to climb the 48th floor of the ‘Tower of Ordeals’.
[Time limit: 0h: 58m: 33s] The dimmed status window flickered.
Time was steadily decreasing.
- Howl’s Moving Castle: Sigh… It looks like there are no challengers left.
- Amornzigda: Since all the big guilds have given up. Honestly, too many have died.
- My Rhyme’s Killer Orange Tree: The world’s going to end in an hour anyway. The news has already started the countdown. GG.
- Huhuh Feeling It: Why are you here on the last day? There’s a party happening in Hongdae right now. Not going to enjoy your Friday night?
- Font of Brothers: LOL, look who’s talking, a basement dweller. As if you’ve ever talked to a girl in your life, and you’re talking about Friday night.
[Current Online Users: 87] The chatroom, once bustling with millions, now had fewer than 100 people left.
It was to be expected.
After so many failures, the various guilds had already collapsed.
And even those attempting individually had long since vanished.
Humanity seemed doomed to never conquer the next floor, ending it all here.
That’s what everyone thought, when suddenly,
Woosh!
A blue light started to appear in this long-deserted place.
There was only one occasion for this phenomenon.
[A challenger has entered the domain of the 48th floor ‘Red Dragon Destia’.] Only when a new challenger entered.
A man appeared in the dungeon.
His face was not visible due to a facial distortion spell, but he was holding a dagger about 30cm in length.
Unmistakably a player.
- Howl’s Moving Castle: Oooooh!
- Climber123: There’s still someone who dares to challenge!
- Font of Brothers: Wow, is this for real? A challenger in these times?
- Front Vision Rear Blink: A challenger appears amidst the crisis. Keyboard confiscation for an hour.
The chatroom became lively with the sudden change.
How long has it been since a new challenger appeared?
The viewers who had not given up hope erupted in cheers.
[Current Viewers: 7,588] News spread quickly through the community and social media.
People, who were only waiting for death, came in hoping for something.
Soon, all attention was focused on the challenger.
- Missing No.1 Mackerel: But who is this person? Doesn’t seem like a ranker.
- My Rhyme’s Killer Orange Tree: Can’t see their status since they set everything to private.
- Climber123: Could it be, a newbie has naively wandered in as the last challenger?
- Veteran Detector: FFS. Shut up and look at that dagger.
- My Rhyme’s Killer Orange Tree: Looks like something you’d use to pick coconuts. What are you on about, showing off gear for beginners?
- Veteran Detector: Look at the color! The color!
At one viewer’s comment, everyone’s gaze turned to the dagger.
Obsidian-dark blade.
And at the end of the handle was…
‘Purple’.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Seven colors.
Among them, the highest grade, a top-tier relic that no one had yet managed to obtain.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The hearts of those watching began to beat wildly.
It has arrived.
A relic turned fossil from sheer neglect!
＊＊＊
“Krrrr…”
The Red Dragon growled lowly at the intruder’s arrival in its nest.
A massive body stretching 30 meters.
Just facing it made the hairs on one’s body stand on end.
“You humans never learn to give up. After losing so many, you still come back for more?”
Destia looked down at the intruder.
With an arrogant gaze.
As if all living beings were beneath it.
Of course, such arrogance was backed by overwhelming force.
But.
“If I’m going to make dragon stew, I need to prepare. Luckily, I’m not late.”
The man calmly met that gaze.
Provoked by the audacious reply, Destia’s brow furrowed.
“Human, do you not realize that even if you die like the rest, there are far more painful ways to go?”
“Well, try me if you can. Don’t just talk.”
“Very well. Conversation with vermin like you is meaningless anyway.”
Destia slashed the air with its claw.
“…!”
The man twitched.
A high-level binding magic was activated.
“Such a pedestrian ending.”
Its raised claw descended towards the man’s head.
He was swallowed by shadows.
And at that moment.
The claw fell.
Boom!
The ground cracked open.
Rocks and debris flew in every direction.
But.
“Hmm?”
The expected sensation was absent.
The feeling of bones breaking, flesh being crushed.
“The old bind-then-smash routine… Isn’t that a bit too predictable?”
The man’s voice came from behind Destia right then.
Impossible.
“Before the skill could activate… you broke free?”
In that brief moment?
“Well, seeing your hand movements, I could kinda guess what you were planning.”
“Don’t spout nonsense!”
Destia fully stood up.
Its head nearly touched the cave ceiling.
“There will be no more accidents.”
From its wide-open maw, flames began to brew.
Kukukuku!
All the moisture in the air dried up.
A power to reduce the enemy to ashes.
A privilege only dragons possess.
“As expected, going for the breath attack.”
The man muttered.
The reason why so many expeditions had failed was precisely because they couldn’t withstand that torrent of fire.
Kukukuku!
The flames grew fiercer.
Soon, when the condensed magical power was released…
Not even a corpse would remain of the human body.
“There’s nowhere to hide.”
The entire dungeon was under the dominion of the breath.
And of course.
“There’s no need to hide.”
He didn’t come here to flee.
Certainly not to die.
But to win.
To survive and move on to the next floor.
And to see the end of this world.
[‘Reading the World’s Memory’.] Brilliant mist poured from behind the man.
An infinite library containing all skills.
The grand library holding the truths of the world.
This was the man’s power.
“I’ll summon ‘Hellfire’ and ‘Black Tears’.”
With those words.
Whoooosh!
A fireball about a meter in diameter appeared in his left hand.
Drip! Drip!
Black liquid dripped from the dagger he held in his right hand.
- Howl’s Moving Castle: That’s Hellfire, isn’t it? The signature skill of Maria, a European ranker!
- Veteran Detector: The liquid dripping from the dagger. That’s the skill the ‘Witch of Lament’ on the 15th floor had.
- Climber123: My god… there was a player with the skill to copy others.
- Font of Brothers: So what? Even if you spam S-rank skills, it won’t make a dent against that dragon.
- Front Vision Rear Blink: Thought there might be a chance but, as expected, it’s just as expected.
- Military High School Girl: Ugh, my precious time wasted.
Viewers rapidly left the channel.
Understandably so.
Whether it was Hellfire or the Witch’s Curse.
Neither could surpass the dragon’s breath.
A fact proven through countless trials and failures.
“Foolish human. Did you really think such trivial skills would make a difference?”
Destia sneered.
Right.
With just that level of skill, there was no chance.
So.
You create what’s needed.
‘With the skill manifested in the left hand.’
To counter the breath…
‘And the skill in the right hand combined.’
To create a higher-tier skill that could even cut through dragon scales!
The man dropped a black droplet onto the Hellfire.
At that moment.
[Skill ‘Hellfire(S)’ and ‘Black Tears(S)’ have fused.] The two disparate skills merged, sparking a crimson blaze.
[The fusion was successful!] [You have acquired ‘Breath of the Void Dragon (Etherion) (SSS)’.] Boom! Boom! Boom!
A black flame erupted, unlike any breath from the Red Dragon.
The quality of the magic.
The temperature of the flames.
All different.
“That, that is!”
Shock filled Destia’s eyes.
It couldn’t be unknown to it.
How could it not know?
Etherion, one of the ancient species.
And the supreme breath wielded by that dragon.
“You… How could a mere human possess such power…!”
Destia stammered.
Curiosity turned to fear.
Hence, it had to ask.
“Who, who are you!”
To Destia’s question, the man slowly opened his mouth.
“Kang Jinhyuk.”
I am a veteran.
Worn and worn out, eventually eroded away.
“And killing you isn’t a first for me.”
At the same time, I am the only player who has ever reached the summit of this tower.
