Chapter 13
Boom!
Sword and axe.
The two weapons clashed.
Sparks flew, dazzling with the eruption of flames.
“Rrrr…!”
A heavy groan escaped the Minotaur.
Not from exhaustion.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Head-on, it could have easily sliced the human along with the dagger into pieces.
But the moment the weapons made contact.
Crack!
The opponent cleverly shifted his center of gravity, letting the attack slide off.
Parrying.
And it was rotten to the core in skill.
＊＊＊
“This… can’t be.”
Park Hana’s mouth dropped open wider and wider.
She had no doubts it would be a one-sided affair.
A boss-level monster activating a skill beyond level 10.
Even if the entire Black Crow Guild came, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
So, her plan was to look for an opportunity to escape.
Because she couldn’t die here with him.
But.
Jinhyuk wasn’t just holding his own against the monster.
He was pushing it back.
Bang! Boom!
A small blade was overpowering a heavy mass of metal, a contradiction.
The exchange was so fast it was hard to follow with the eye, making her heart race.
‘A human can move like that.’
Unknowingly, Park Hana clenched her fists tight.
Moreover.
‘He’s smiling.’
In a situation where a single mistake could cost his life.
Yet, Jinhyuk seemed to be enjoying himself.
And then, in a moment.
Jinhyuk grabbed the Minotaur’s horn and spun his body around in a large circle.
By the time he lightly landed on his feet, the dagger had already disappeared from his hand.
Crunch!
Suddenly, the vertically positioned dagger was drilling into the Minotaur’s palate.
“…!”
She was speechless.
The dagger served as a pillar, firmly in place.
“5 minutes are up.”
Jinhyuk looked down at the Minotaur with a cold gaze.
Simultaneously.
Whoosh!
The manifested ‘Element of Fire’ aimed right into the beast’s maw.
The inner flesh, reddened beyond the tough exterior, was exposed.
No matter how tough the exterior, the inside was vulnerable.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames ravaged the esophagus, burning everything down to the intestines.
“ROOOOAR!”
A horrific scream echoed.
[The unique ability ‘Berserk’ has expired.] [The Guardian of the Labyrinth enters a ‘Comatose State’ for 24 hours!]
The Minotaur froze in place.
‘That should wrap it up nicely.’
Jinhyuk retrieved the dagger stuck in its mouth.
Though using Berserk increased the risk, it was worth it for the points earned.
[Total Gap Stat Points Gained: 57] A whopping 57 points!
That’s enough to bridge a gap equivalent to 19 levels.
‘Not much left to the target of 100 points.’
20 days remain.
At this pace, it’s manageable.
Now, what’s left is…
Jinhyuk glanced behind him.
Park Hana was trembling.
Having clearly shown the gap, even if the entire Black Crow Guild came, they’d realize they stood no chance.
Jinhyuk beckoned Park Hana with a flick of his finger.
“What are you doing?”
“Me?
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Yes!”
Park Hana hurried over, snapping out of her daze.
“Hah. Hah. Did you… call for me?”
“I’m going to start recruiting interns for the Veteran Company.”
“An intern?”
“Not very enthusiastic, are you? Not interested?”
If she’s not interested, well… It’d be hard for her to see the sunlight alive, wouldn’t it?
Jinhyuk casually spun the dagger twice in his hand.
The blade, imbued with a hint of blood, drew a smooth curve.
“I, I’m interested! Please, let me in! I’ve always wanted to join this company!”
Park Hana nodded so vigorously her hair flew about.
Good. I like the attitude.
A very passionate applicant.
“Now, a question. What can you do for the company? Make your pitch.”
Caught off guard by the question, Park Hana’s face went pale.
“I… I can…”
“You can?”
“Affinity! Yes! My unique ability is to get along with people. I can make more friends than enemies.”
Empathy ability.
Not a bad ability, but…
I’ve already acquired it.
“And?”
“And… I will never betray you.”
She wouldn’t be able to, even if she wanted to.
Once branded, betrayal becomes physically impossible.
“Is that all? Nothing more?”
Step.
Jinhyuk took a step closer, toying with the dagger in his fingers.
“No. That’s… um… Just give me a moment, please! I need to think of something!”
Park Hana stepped back, desperately trying to come up with a proposal that would make her indispensable.
“I’ll announce it then. The first round of Veteran Company’s intern recruitment results in… no hires.”
Jinhyuk raised the dagger high.
That was when it happened.
“Brahm’s Ring!”
Park Hana blurted out sharply.
“…”
Jinhyuk paused.
Brahm’s Ring? From the Black Crow Guild?
“Not yet, but we’ll have it soon.”
“Skepticism isn’t usually my style, but that’s a hard sell.”
Brahm’s Ring was one of the best items you could get on the first floor.
It boosted movement speed, magic resistance, and even dampened monsters’ magic powers.
A useful trio of attributes made it highly sought after.
The issue was the near impossibility of securing it.
The key to the dungeon where the ring was located could be obtained from the starting point in Korea.
While the dungeon itself was situated near the starting point in China.
In the very early stages of the tower’s emergence, when the two countries were in fierce competition, neither side would willingly give up such a prize.
Unless it was forcefully taken, that is.
Park Hana bit her lip slightly.
“My brother is dealing with the Chinese side. They agreed to exchange ‘Korean Ginseng’ for the ring.”
A consumable item renowned for its health and magic recovery benefits, ‘Korean Ginseng’.
Ah, that changes things.
To think Park Hana had connections even with China.
“Ginseng’s good, but to give up Brahm’s Ring? Is there more to the deal?”
“I don’t know the details of the agreement. Ah! Truly! I only heard about it from viewers…”
[Lv1 ‘Eyes of Truth’ activates!] [Park Hana’s words are ‘True’.]
It seemed she wasn’t trying to deceive or play tricks.
This was getting interesting.
Perhaps, not just Brahm’s Ring, but Korean Ginseng might be within reach too.
Jinhyuk’s mind raced, calculating the possibilities.
Only one thing concerned him.
‘Will we end up as enemies with them again?’
China had as many veterans as Korea.
In fact, the giant guild ‘Zhonghua’ formed by Chinese veterans was one of the world’s largest.
‘They must have completed their organization and systematization by now.’
He had thought it would take at least a month.
Real life had many more variables than games, so he estimated that much time.
But they had compressed all those steps to the extreme.
Through peaceful negotiations?
Hardly.
Such idealism couldn’t possibly be effective here.
No doubt, it was the result of strong leadership and charisma.
And he could guess who was at the top.
‘…Namgoong Cheon.’
A genius, educated as a martial artist from a young age.
In ‘The Tower of Trials’, he monopolized all kinds of secret techniques and elixirs, a top-ranking player.
Yes, it had to be him.
Park Hana called out to Jinhyuk, lost in thought.
“Um…”
Ah. Time to focus here.
Park Hana was likely on edge, waiting for her internship results.
“Congratulations.”
Jinhyuk smiled broadly.
“You’ve just been accepted as an intern at Veteran Company! Wow! Applause!”
“…”
Caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor, Park Hana wore a stunned expression.
“Intern. Applause.”
Jinhyuk muttered lowly.
Where’s the intern who doesn’t clap when the boss does?
“Woahhhhh!”
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Park Hana clapped her hands vigorously, her enthusiasm palpable.
It felt like kowtowing, but it didn’t matter.
She was used to it from her days as a BJ.
“Hmm!”
Clearing his throat, Jinhyuk continued.
“Alright, our company doesn’t pay interns. You’ll need to cover your living expenses with part-time jobs or whatever. And most importantly, whenever and wherever I call you, you must come. Whether it’s 3 AM or you’re in Jeju Island. Not my problem, remember that.”
Naturally, being late or absent without notice would mean dismissal.
And here, dismissal meant leaving your body behind while your soul moved on.
“Understood.”
Park Hana nodded, resigned to her fate, and added one more thing.
“Do we need to sign a contract or something?”
“Of course, we do.”
Evidence of the agreement was necessary.
But.
It would be a bit different from ordinary contracts.
Whir!
Jinhyuk activated a newly acquired skill from fusion.
His index finger glowed blue, ablaze with energy.
“Is that… the contract?”
“Yes. Did you think we were going to sign some piece of paper?”
That might work outside the tower.
But not here.
Let’s say…
A more definitive and fiery approach suited Jinhyuk’s style better.
He placed his glowing index finger on Park Hana’s right shoulder.
[Lv1 ‘Soulfire Brand’ is inscribed on Park Hana!] Sssss!
“Ah…”
Park Hana winced, but didn’t scream out.
Truthfully, it probably didn’t hurt much.
If she were to betray him, however, she would experience pain beyond imagination.
＊＊＊
Time flew by.
Fighting the Minotaur to raise the ‘Gap’ stat, then resting; it was a simple daily routine.
Though it felt like running on a treadmill, Jinhyuk never found it tedious.
‘I’m getting stronger.’
He could feel himself growing stronger every day.
With such continuous progress, boredom was an impossibility.
Boom!
The Minotaur aimed a punch at Jinhyuk’s face.
But the fist never reached him.
A few centimeters from his face,
That’s where Jinhyuk caught the beast’s fist with one hand.
“Why do you seem to get weaker each time?”
He teased, adding insult to injury.
“ROAR!”
The Minotaur’s arm muscles swelled rapidly.
Even so, nothing changed.
Jinhyuk had raised his stats to the point where the gap didn’t just close; it reversed.
Thump! Thwack!
Instead, Jinhyuk’s punches landed in the Minotaur’s ribs.
The massive body of the Minotaur bent like a bow.
“Cough! Cough!”
Foaming at the mouth, it didn’t take long for it to lose consciousness.
‘I must have done this over a hundred times by now.’
After a month of continuous fighting, the Minotaur’s face felt almost familiar.
Seeing it knocked out had become so routine it was part of his daily life.
‘With a routine like this, I could live here for a year, not just a month.’
Just as he was entertaining that thought.
“You’ve worked hard, Director!”
Park Hana came over with a plate of moss and mushroom dishes.
Ah…
He took back what he said earlier.
This food. He could never get used to it.
A spicy kimchi stew.
Crispy chicken paired with ice-cold beer.
Juicy grilled pork belly with soju.
The mint chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins that felt like brushing your teeth without actually doing so!
That’s what he craved.
…Desperately.
“Let’s go. Outside.”
Jinhyuk clenched his teeth.
He was almost there.
＊＊＊
[Your ‘Gap’ stat has increased by 0.015 points.]
Immediately after dodging the attack,
Jinhyuk’s roundhouse kick made an impact.
Boom!
The Minotaur’s neck twisted nearly 90 degrees.
He no longer engaged in conversation with the beast.
As soon as he gained the stat, the fight was over.
And finally.
[You now possess a total of 100 ‘Gap’ stat points.]
100 stat points…
He had reached the point where he could maximize his output in the given time.
A surge of something welled up from within.
And at that moment.
“There! I see the light!”
The end of the labyrinth came into view.
They had finally arrived.
At the long-awaited end of their journey.