Chapter 6
“You’ll regret this! I’ll remember this day!”
Minjeong Woo glared at Jinhyuk, grinding his teeth as if he could kill him.
Somehow, it seemed he hadn’t quite grasped the situation yet. Who was in control here, and who was not.
Jinhyuk shrugged his shoulders.
“It seems you don’t understand why I burned the map. Don’t you get it?”
Not needing the information up to the 10th floor means he already knows it all.
“Could it be…”
Only then did Minjeong Woo’s eyes widen in realization.
“If you want to safely climb to the 10th floor of the tower, better not mess with me and just do as I say.”
Stick to the left if I say left, stick to the right if I say right. Who knows? If you listen well, maybe you’ll get a reward.
“Seeing you burn the map… you must possess some unique ability related to ‘information search.’ I see why you’re so confident.”
Minjeong Woo made his own assumptions and stared at Jinhyuk with a murderous look.
“But why should I listen to such nonsense? I could just burn you to a crisp and extract the information I want.”
Right now, his magical powers were depleted, but once restored, burning a person to ashes wouldn’t be too hard.
He wasn’t wrong.
Torture and intimidation.
Indeed, they are effective means.
If only.
“If you think you can win a one-on-one fight…”
Jinhyuk’s eyes turned icy cold.
At the same time, red flames danced in his hands.
[Lv1 ‘Fire Element’ activated!] Whoosh!
Giant flames began to blaze.
“Could that be?”
Shock reverberated in Minjeong Woo’s eyes, facing a scene beyond belief, almost screaming out in astonishment.
“How… how do you possess the same ability as me?”
No, it wasn’t the same ability.
The flames were stronger, hotter.
Undoubtedly, the fire magic he wielded was at least a few levels higher, a gap born from a deeper understanding of stats and skills.
Gulp.
Saliva traveled down Minjeong Woo’s dry throat.
Even if his magical powers were at full strength,
“Could I win?”
Pondering, Minjeong Woo soon shook his head.
‘Impossible.’
A small flame can’t swallow a larger one.
Now he understood why Yuri was easily defeated. Her statues stood no chance.
But one thing didn’t add up.
“With such power, why did you hide it? If you had shown your strength from the start, you could’ve easily killed someone like me.”
“The reason?”
Jinhyuk smirked and stood in front of Minjeong Woo, breaking through the barrier.
“Do I really need to explain myself to you?”
“That, that is…”
“Asking questions and giving orders is my role. Elder, you just need to follow.”
Meeting Jinhyuk’s gaze, Minjeong Woo flinched and quickly looked away.
“Your answer?”
“Understood.”
As expected.
He completely backed down.
Jinhyuk extinguished the flames.
“I’ll contact you later. Until then, take the girl from downstairs and focus on leveling up.”
If too weak, they’re more of a burden than an asset.
‘At least grow strong enough to be of use.’
Jinhyuk turned, exposing his back as he headed downstairs, utterly defenseless to any sneak attack.
Thud.
However, Minjeong Woo didn’t lift a finger. Couldn’t, actually.
He had no choice.
‘An amateurish threat might just invite a counterattack.’
That’s how human psychology works. Angered, one seeks revenge.
Therefore, it must be ingrained deep within them that they should never dare to attack, no matter the situation.
Only then can one truly control them as pawns.
Jinhyuk returned to his neighborhood as dawn broke, concluding what felt like a very long day.
Stretching, he felt his stiff muscles loosen a bit.
‘The Tower of Trials opens in the evening. Maybe I’ll grab some food and catch some sleep till then.’
Resting well is just as important as being active. Bad condition means reduced performance.
But first, there was something he needed to check.
“Status window.”
Murmuring to the air,
Ding!
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 1
Strength 8, Agility 8, Stamina 8, Magic 11
Stat Points Available: 0
Occupation: None.
Unique Ability: Fusion
Skills: Lv1 ‘Fire Element’, Lv1 ‘Eye of Truth’
——————————————————
The status window had changed, newly filled with unique abilities and skills.
“Wow…”
He couldn’t help but marvel. Acquiring such a powerful unique ability was a big deal.
Though just starting out, the anticipation made him shiver.
‘Calm down.’
Jinhyuk steadied his racing heart.
‘The priority is to acquire as many unique abilities and skills as possible.’
There are over 50,000 abilities in this world. It’s a long journey ahead.
‘Need to prioritize and collect the most necessary abilities first.’
Obtaining ‘Fire Element’ from Minjeong Woo wasn’t too challenging, being a level 1. But higher ranks and levels would undoubtedly present tougher conditions.
Still, there’s no rush. Hasty actions can backfire, as history has shown with numerous failed precedents.
‘A lesson learned.’
‘I won’t repeat their mistakes. Never.’
……Likely what all veterans think.
Only four veterans, including Jinhyuk, appeared at the National Museum.
Understandable. They wanted to minimize risk.
But hoping to advance while only seeking safety?
As if the world has promised to wait for their cautious steps?
The world favors those who dare to take risks, not cowards searching for a safe path.
‘Please, keep acting that way. Meanwhile, I’ll move forward.’
One can’t monopolize every opportunity with just one body. However, the tastiest and most crucial pieces? Those will be mine alone.
‘Let the others squabble over the crumbs.’
Jinhyuk chuckled to himself and closed the status window.
‘But now, I’m hitting my limit.’
As his thoughts settled, a surge of hunger he had been ignoring bubbled up.
Grrrr!
His stomach growled, a reminder of the night’s activities leaving it empty.
‘At times like this, only hot soup will do.’
Steamy broth, chunks of meat, and tangy kimchi. For 7,000 won, there’s no better deal.
‘There’s a reason people say to just get a bowl of hot soup instead of anything else.’
And there it was.
A soup restaurant exuding the aura of having been around for at least three generations.
Jinhyuk made his way into the 24-hour sundae soup restaurant without hesitation.
Clang! Ding-dong!
The door swung open, heralded by a loud bell.
But the atmosphere inside was odd.
“Oh my…”
“This is real…”
Customers, staff, and even the owner were all captivated by an emergency news broadcast.
- The government has initiated an investigation into the mysterious structure named ‘The Tower of Trials’ and has established a special department called ‘The Awakened Association’ for civil servants who can now use supernatural abilities.
“Huh.”
Jinhyuk murmured, intrigued.
‘The Awakened Association, huh…’
The government’s response was quicker than expected, and forming a department with those who have awakened abilities suggested a flexible approach to the situation.
‘This is unexpected.’
He had thought it would take weeks.
- The government’s swift action is likely due to the incident that happened early this morning, right?
- Yes, exactly. At the National Museum, at least 23 people were killed and more than 50 injured in an incident. The number of fatalities is expected to rise as some injuries are severe.
- Why would someone do that…
- It seems they were after the relics stored in the museum. Similar incidents have occurred worldwide, in the US, Europe, China, Japan, etc.
The British Museum, the Louvre in France, the Natural History Museum in the US.
‘As expected.’
Players from other countries had also made their move, seeking replicas and preparing to climb the tower.
- Let’s take a look at the CCTV footage inside.
The screen changed, showing a man and woman in battle.
The woman enlarging an Anubis statue was impressive, but when…
Boom!
A spear was deflected with bare hands, and…
Crash!
Summoning a tiger from a painting was outright shocking.
When the tiger tore through the five statues, even the announcer seemed lost for words.
It was beyond all conventional understanding.
- …It’s hard to believe, but this is not an exaggeration.
After a brief silence, the announcer stuttered his response.
The restaurant buzzed louder.
“Unbelievable. Is this what people can do?”
“Unimaginable.”
“Who could it be?”
Older customers were mostly puzzled, while…
“That’s the guy from the Tower of Trials community a while back!”
“Right, the one who dealt with the mangrove tree using wood splinters?”
“Yeah, that’s the veteran!”
Younger ones recognized him immediately. He was the hot topic across all online platforms and communities.
“Really curious about his identity.”
“Some secret government weapon in development?”
“Or maybe a famous BJ.”
Speculations flew around.
Jinhyuk awkwardly scratched his cheek, feeling ticklish hearing such direct conversations.
Then, a new figure appeared on TV.
A man in his early to mid-40s with a sharp demeanor.
- …I’ve been appointed to lead The Awakened Association, my name is Han Sangjin.
With a scar across his face and cold eyes, he stood out.
‘Han Sangjin…’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed. Leading the association likely meant he possessed a formidable ability. Or perhaps he had extensive experience with the Tower of Trials. He hoped for the former, so he could copy that ability someday.
As Jinhyuk pondered, Han Sangjin continued.
- My appearance today is to recruit those who have awakened. The salary starts at a minimum of 60 million won annually, equivalent to a 7th-grade civil servant, depending on your grade.
Given Korea’s job market, it was an eye-popping offer.
It seemed there was an effort to gather awakened individuals, but whether many would forsake the land of opportunity for a civil servant position remained to be seen.
- Of course, the person on the broadcast is an exception. I make this offer on behalf of the association’s chairman: join us, and the government will support whatever you desire.
So the ruckus was about recruiting him.
A skilled player was far more valuable than a hundred average ones. Han Sangjin, aware of this, was extending a blank check to entice him.
But,
‘They really think I’m an easy mark.’
He had no intention of joining any organization or sharing his knowledge.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Jinhyuk noted there were 12 hours left.
Exactly 7 p.m.
When the hour hand points to the new time, the Tower of Trials will open.