Chapter 2
Throb!
A vicious headache struck, accompanied by the aftermath of a hangover.
“Ugh…”
Jinhyuk pressed on his temples as he rose from the bed.
Compelled by a burning thirst, he downed a liter of ice water he had stashed in the fridge.
The cold water, chilly enough to freeze his throat, flowed down, gradually bringing him back to his senses.
Ah.
Finally feeling alive.
He craved a hangover-curing ramen, but there was something more pressing to do first.
“First things first, I need to edit and upload the video of yesterday’s first clear before anyone else beats me to it.”
It was unlikely since he hadn’t seen another player near the 20th floor, but…
Life’s unpredictable, after all.
Whirr!
Jinhyuk quickly powered on his computer, searching for some background music on ViewTube for his editing session.
But then.
“Huh?”
One of his frequently watched YouTubers was live streaming with the title, “The Tower of Trials has actually appeared. Seriously.”
Using clickbait titles was common in the industry, but a live stream with over 300,000 viewers was an exception.
Something was up.
Jinhyuk moved his mouse cursor.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart raced uncontrollably.
He didn’t know why, but it felt like clicking on it would change everything.
Click!
He entered the stream.
“Wow! Guys, look! Do you see that? You’re all seeing this, right?”
On the screen was a YouTuber exclaiming in amazement, and…
A gigantic tower was visible.
It was true.
A massive tower had appeared in the middle of Seoul.
So familiar.
- “MelonWatermelon said he found out about this, but this is from the game ‘Tower of Trials’ released 11 years ago. Can you believe it? Wait a sec.”
The YouTuber seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.
Just then.
The screen began to fill with a red hue.
It wasn’t the sunset.
It was 10 a.m., too early for the sun to set.
“This can’t be…”
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
He knew what this was.
The same phenomenon that appeared when he first played [Tower of Trials]. [The first update of the ‘Tower of Trials’ reboot version has been completed.] The boundary between reality and virtuality blurred.
In front of the YouTuber on the screen.
And in front of Jinhyuk in reality, a blue status window blinked.
It had begun.
[All players have 90 days to conquer the next floor of the tower.] The world as everyone knew it was crumbling…
[Failure will result in the extinction of humanity.] And so.
The game became reality.
＊＊＊
His mind was a mess, as if his computer hadn’t finished loading, but Jinhyuk quickly gathered his thoughts.
“Whew. Whew. Whew.”
He steadied his breathing.
He needed to cool his head.
If the [Tower of Trials] had indeed become a reality, now wasn’t the time to hesitate.
“I need to hurry.”
Jinhyuk got up from his chair.
The chair tipped and fell over.
But he couldn’t afford to pick it up.
He had to go.
Outside.
More precisely, to the place where he could get ‘that item.’
Bursting through the front door, Jinhyuk sprinted down the road.
He gasped for air as he crossed roads and climbed stairs.
But why?
Excitement and anticipation made the exertion seem trivial.
Instead…
The life he had endured, looking forward to just getting through each day.
The fact that he could escape that monotonous cycle made his heart race.
How long had he run?
By the time he reached Central City, it was swarming with people.
“What time is the fastest train to Busan?”
“Damn it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Busan or what. You can’t stay in Korea. Abroad. Yes, you have to go abroad to survive.”
“The whole world is filled with those damned towers, and you’re talking about going abroad?”
“Then where should we go?”
“Anywhere but Seoul. Haven’t you seen the movies? Staying stupidly will get you killed!”
Most were trying to escape Seoul.
“It must be scary.”
Fear of the unknown is an instinct in all living beings.
But opportunity lies within crisis.
Now wasn’t the time to flee; it was time to advance.
‘Central City was selected as one of the [Outer Areas] in the Korean server.’
About thirty across the whole country.
He chose this place because it was the closest.
Looking down into the subway, Jinhyuk took the escalator down.
[You are entering the event area.] The underground mall was quiet.
With the sudden appearance of the tower and the sky turning red, announcing the end of humanity, no one was in the mood for business.
And certainly, no customers were buying hamburgers.
Of course…
“…”
“…”
Not everyone was like that.
As expected…
Jinhyuk squinted his eyes.
Dozens of people were scattered around the fountain.
No need to ask; these people had played the early stages of [Tower of Trials].
In a silent standoff, everyone was wary of each other.
It was inevitable.
The item soon to appear here was limited in quantity.
Lucky if there were five.
Meanwhile, there were more than twenty people.
Supply was scarce, but demand was high.
Someone would be left without an item.
Then.
“You… You’re Kang Jinhyuk, right?”
A young man’s voice came from behind Jinhyuk.
‘That voice sounds familiar…’
Turning around, Jinhyuk saw a man about 180cm tall, with blond-dyed hair.
Lee Jong-soo.
To think he’d see this guy here.
“Ha, right. Kang Jinhyuk! Wow, you’re here too. Makes sense, you’ve always been glued to your computer all day.”
Lee Jong-soo approached with a sneer.
A partner BJ at PaprikaTV.
He boasted 500,000 subscribers on ViewTube and a significant number of Instagram followers.
A so-called ‘popular figure.’
‘And also, he was the CEO of the company I was signed with.’
“Aren’t you supposed to be busy streaming right now?”
Jinhyuk opened his mouth.
“Ah. With everything going on, who cares about streaming?”
Lee Jong-soo shrugged.
“What’s going on?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you were pretty into this game. So, tell me, how far did you get? Let’s not hide it among colleagues and share the honey.”
Colleagues?
Colleagues… right?
Jinhyuk felt as if he’d been hit by a hammer.
He still remembered the shit this guy had pulled.
‘He scammed the BJs in his company with unfair contracts.’
He promised to cover the editor’s salary and various content expenses, all lies.
Moreover, he took 60% of the total revenue, leading to a bizarre situation where the more BJs worked, the more debt they accumulated.
Complaints were futile.
He had one of Korea’s top law firms behind him.
If it’s unfair, take it to court.
The contract was made with mutual consent.
Eventually, BJs who had been acting like slaves left the industry in tears.
The colleagues he had been close with.
Friends with whom he had started from the bottom.
One by one, they left the industry.
“You’re good at games and make delicious mukbangs. I’ll give you a special contract offer. How about it?”
Lee Jong-soo placed his hand on Jinhyuk’s shoulder.
Disgusting. Every word he uttered was revolting.
“…Lee Jong-soo.”
“Hey, hey. Even in private, call me CEO. Tsk.”
Ah. Right. The CEO… indeed.
Throughout his life, Jinhyuk had realized two things.
Bad guys continue to thrive and live well.
And to not be victimized by them, you have to become more vicious and cruel.
Those two things.
“Act like a CEO if you want to be called one.”
“What?”
Lee Jong-soo’s expression changed.
But Jinhyuk didn’t care and continued.
“Remember? You hit on a female BJ by giving her your business card and made a scene when she rejected you?”
It’s a pity I was the only witness.
Should have recorded it.
“And that’s not all, right? After being rejected, you found out her address and stalked her. Got reported and ended up at the police station. Ha, really, if I were you, I would’ve bitten my tongue and died. Died, I tell you.”
“You, you! Are, are you crazy? There’s a way to bury you so you can never stream again!”
Lee Jong-soo grabbed Jinhyuk by the collar.
“Sorry, but I quit streaming yesterday.”
And then.
“Watch your mouth, asshole. I’m older than you.”
Bang!
Jinhyuk’s head collided with Lee Jong-soo’s face.
“Aaagh!”
Lee Jong-soo’s head snapped back.
Broken teeth and blood spilled onto the floor.
‘Feels refreshing.’
It was like getting rid of a decade-long toothache.
“Ugh…”
Looking at Lee Jong-soo, writhing in pain and clutching his face, Jinhyuk only glanced briefly.
‘It should be about time.’
Just as he thought that.
Rumble!
Water erupted from the direction of the fountain.
The calm surface stirred and then…
Boom!
A 4m tall tree burst forth.
‘Finally appeared.’
“Wow!”
“It’s a mangrove!”
“Exactly as I remembered!”
The waiting crowd exclaimed in unison.
[The ‘Greedy Mangrove Tree’ has sprouted.] [Each player may consume one fruit only.] This was one of the opportunities to gain an advantage before entering the Tower of Trials.
Jinhyuk eyed the multicolored fruits hanging from the mangrove tree.
Each ripe fruit promised to enhance one’s strength, agility, stamina, or magical power.
It was a good item.
Undeniably.
But the problem was.
Its quantity.
‘There are only four…’
With twenty-four people waiting, the competition ratio was 5:1.
Jinhyuk wet his lower lip with his tongue.
‘It’s going to be fierce.’
The merit of boosting one’s stats in the early stages was too significant to give up.
“Mine, mine!”
“Don’t joke! I was first!”
“Screams erupted as everyone lunged for the fruits.
By any means necessary.
At all costs, they had to secure a fruit first.
Soon, Central City’s underground mall turned into chaos with people climbing the tree and shoving each other.
＊＊＊
“Damn it! It’s too late for the fruits. I’ve missed it!”
Lee Jong-soo gasped for air.
As he said, it was too late to head towards the fountain now.
“Got it, got it!”
The first person who grabbed and ate a fruit emerged.
Soon, the remaining fruits would find their way into someone else’s mouth.
“If you’d teamed up with me to split the fruits, we both could have benefited!”
Lee Jong-soo continued to yell, but Jinhyuk didn’t bother to respond.
There was no need.
After all, the fruits of the four types weren’t his target.
‘It’s not time yet.’
Ordinary people wouldn’t even know there were tree fruits to be had.
Those who had played a few times were solely focused on consuming the fruits.
And the veterans…
They prefer more perverse and sadistic trials.
For a simple reason.
Greater rewards awaited those who endured.
Finally, the fruits on the tree were all gone.
That moment.
Screech!
The tree howled.
Enraged by having its fruits taken, it was about to lash out.
“Right, right. Once all the fruits are gone, it gets dangerous.”
“Damn it. I forgot because it’s been so long since I played.”
“Ah, ah! Run now! I’ve died here at least fifty times!”
People belatedly realized the severity of the situation and hesitated, ready to flee.
It was time to escape.
For level 1 players without weapons, there was no chance against this tree.
“Uh…”
Lee Jong-soo staggered to his feet.
“Going to give up?”
Jinhyuk spoke up.
“Of course! I refuse to die a pointless death here.”
“Oh? That’s a shame. The real reward of this event is obtained after all the fruits are taken.”
Lee Jong-soo paused mid-turn towards the escalator.
“Is that true?”
“Why else would I stay?”
“…”
Lee Jong-soo pondered rapidly.
He had ignored the fruits for a reason.
A bigger prize was plausible.
‘He wouldn’t lie, not about a game he’s played day in, day out.’
One thing was clear: something sweet was in the air.
“So, assuming what you say is true. What do we do?”
“Dive in.”
Jinhyuk pointed to the inside of the tree.
“Moving one at a time makes us easy targets. We must approach from both sides.”
“To distract its attention.”
“Exactly.”
Everyone else had retreated upstairs.
Only Jinhyuk and Lee Jong-soo remained below.
“Remember, if either of us hesitates, it’s the worst-case scenario.”
Jinhyuk crouched, slowly moving to the right.
“Don’t worry. I haven’t played this game just a day or two.”
Lee Jong-soo moved to the left.
They took their positions.
Then.
“Now!”
Jinhyuk sprinted.
Tree limbs swiftly reached out towards him.
But…
Lee Jong-soo hadn’t moved.
Standing still, he flashed a grin.
“Idiot. Who listens to you? Go be the bait. I’ll aim for the so-called treasure in the meantime.”
And he dashed towards the tree’s center.
Within crossing glances.
Jinhyuk thought…
…Fortunately, he hasn’t changed.
‘Had he somehow turned over a new leaf, I might have felt sorry.’
With a thunderous noise.
Boom!
Suddenly, a tree limb hidden beneath the fountain surged upwards.
