Games that had gone to ruin.
Usually, it was because they weren't fun, or the balance between characters was broken.
Sometimes it was because the game's management was terrible.
But there were other reasons too.
Like when a game was absurdly hard to clear.
The virtual reality game [Tower of Trials] was exactly that.
A year after its release, Korean gaming veterans—people whose hobby was making game developers cry—challenged themselves to reach the ending.
They gave up eating and sleeping for 365 days.
But after three full years, the players finally realized something.
They realized the game could not be cleared.And that it wasn't even an exaggeration to say so.
A simple example?
The Gate Guardian protecting the 10th floor was invincible.
Invincible.
Even if 100 players used their strongest skills and best weapons, it did nothing.
Logically, something should work, right?
Then there was the 7th floor, where the arctic blizzard kept the temperature at -60°C. Your character froze solid within an hour.
And the 8th floor—a labyrinth with a path over 10,000 km long.
The game wasn't fun. It was torture.
Or… maybe it was secretly a masterpiece created to torment the people of Korea.
Because of that, the game's popularity plummeted.
It was basically dead.
Still, a handful of maniacs challenged this hellish nightmare.
And among them…
Was a young Korean man named Kang Jin-hyuk.
[You have conquered the 50th floor!][Congratulations! You are the first player to clear the Tower of Trials!]
"Is this… for real?"
The 50th floor of the Tower of Trials.
Jin-hyuk let out a long sigh as complicated emotions washed over him.
It was fun.
Unlike everyone else, he had never stopped climbing.
After repeating a floor so many times that you memorized everything, the sense of accomplishment was addictive.But to actually clear the final floor…
He first experienced VR games at age 17.Now he was 27.
Almost 11 years passed in the blink of an eye.
'Ha… should I just stop streaming now?'
He was a small-time streamer with decent viewers, but a BJ was still a BJ.
Even so, Jin-hyuk shook his head.
Honestly, no one would care if he shut down the stream. Even his loyal viewers had stopped showing up after he streamed the same content for three straight months.
Even if he titled his stream "Final Boss Attack" or "50th Floor Clear", nobody would come.
It was Tower of Trials, after all.
'Still… if I upload it to Viewtube, maybe a few people will watch?'
Ten minutes of editing later, he had a decent-looking video.
Then—
Tring!
[Thank you for playing our game all this time.][A reboot update will be launched in 12 hours. Please enjoy it.]
A message from an administrator.
He thought the devs had given up—no updates, no announcements—for 11 years.
'Wow. A reboot update? Did they discover an oil field or something?'
It didn't make sense. There was no profit in reviving it now.
'…Whatever. They must be up to something.'
Not that it mattered. Jin-hyuk had no intention of playing anymore, reboot or not.
Besides, today was going to be his final day as a BJ.
He didn't need to support a family, but he was nearly 27.He couldn't survive on $500 a month forever.
'I should tell the director I'm taking a break from training.'
He'd once been told he had talent to become a pro martial artist—but at this point, money mattered more than dreams.
-jjy77: Jin! Jin! Jin-hyuk, hi!-Eagle Owl: Oh? What's up? You're early today.
As he started the stream, his 20 loyal viewers logged in. Chicken, pizza, cream prawns, and two bottles of beer were ready on his desk.
-Been On to Die for 25 Years Now: Look at this guy!-Best Mukbang: As expected, bro's mukbang is the best.-Jin-hyuk on the Roll: Who do you think BJ Jin-hyuk is?-Coffindance: He'll eat the stable door after the horse.-Unemployed Viewer: Eat stones before leaping!-1person2chickens: Eat the lid and the pot after licking them clean!
Thanks to that small but lively group, the stream continued.
Dawn approached as they laughed, talked, drank, and ate together.
'I'll post a notice tomorrow… tell them it's over.'
He couldn't say it now.
Right.
He would say it tomorrow.
But…
Even Jin-hyuk didn't know.
When he opened his eyes tomorrow,the world he knew would no longer exist.