"You will… regret this! I will make you regret this!"
Min Jung-woo glared at Jin-hyuk, grinding his teeth with genuine murder in his eyes.
Well…
He still didn't fully grasp the situation.
Did he really not understand who held the upper hand here?
Jin-hyuk shrugged.
"I don't think you're getting it. Don't you know why I burned the map?"
It meant he didn't need the 10th-floor information at all.
"No…"
Realization dawned across Min Jung-woo's face like a slow sunrise.
"If you want to climb safely to the 10th floor, don't hesitate to follow whatever I say."
Move left if he said so.Move right if he told him to.
Who knew?If he behaved, maybe he'd toss him a rice cake as a reward.
"Seeing you burn the map, I was thinking… maybe you have a unique ability related to 'information searching'?"
He was guessing now — badly.
And still glaring with killing intent.
"But why should I listen to you? Once my magic recovers, I could burn you and force out whatever information you know."
He wasn't wrong.
Torture and intimidation could work.
"If you think you can win in a one-on-one fight…"
Jin-hyuk's eyes hardened.
Red flames burst from both his hands.
[Lv1 'Element of Fire' activated]
Wheik!
Massive flames roared to life.
"I—is that…?"
Min Jung-woo almost screamed at the sight.
"How… do you have the same ability as me…?"
No.
Not the same.
Stronger.Hotter.
At least one or two levels higher than his.The gap widened by stat difference alone.
Gulp.
Min Jung-woo swallowed hard.
Even if he had his magic…
'Can I win?'
He already knew the answer.
'Impossible.'
A smaller flame couldn't swallow a bigger one.
Now he finally understood how Lee Yuri lost so easily. Her stone statues wouldn't stand a chance.
But there was still one thing he couldn't understand.
"You had this power… so why did you hide it? You could've killed me easily from the start."
"What would be the reason for that?"
Jin-hyuk smiled.
He stepped through the barrier and closed in.
"Do I have to explain everything to you?"
"W-what…?"
"It's my job to ask questions and give orders. Yours is just to follow."
Min Jung-woo, who had been meeting Jin-hyuk's gaze, quickly looked away.
"You'll answer me?"
"I… will."
As expected.
Jin-hyuk let the flames die out.
"I'll contact you later. Until then, level up with the girl downstairs and work hard."
Using them right now would be a burden.But later…
'Until they become useful, I'll let them grow.'
He walked down the stairs, leaving his back completely open.
A perfect chance for a sneak attack.
"…"
But Min Jung-woo didn't move a muscle.
He couldn't.
Not after having his anger, fear, and pride all crushed at once.
The kind of psychological imprint that told him never to challenge Jin-hyuk again.
A perfect chess piece.
By sunrise, Jin-hyuk left the museum and finally returned home.
It had been a long day.
It felt like he had lived through a month in one night.
"Uhhh…"
He stretched, loosening his stiff body.
'The Tower of Trials opens in the evening. Until then… eat and rest.'
Food and rest mattered as much as training. Without a good condition, he wouldn't be able to do anything properly.
But before resting—
He needed to check something.
"Status Window."
Tring!
Name: Kang Jin-hyukGender: MaleAge: 27Level: 1
Strength: 8Agility: 8Stamina: 8Magic: 11
Stat Points: 0
Occupation: NoneUnique Ability:FusionSkills: Lv1 Element of Fire, Lv1 Eye of Truth
The window displayed new information.
Nice.
He couldn't help but exclaim.
He had acquired the most deceptively broken unique ability in existence. Just one step into this new world and he already felt his body tremble with anticipation.
'Calm down.'
He slowed his breathing.
'First priority is to collect as many unique abilities and skills as possible.'
There were over 50,000 abilities in this world.
A long journey ahead.
'I need to prioritize the important ones first.'
Copying Element of Fire was easy because it was only Lv1.
But the stronger the skill…
The harder the copy conditions.
He shouldn't rush.
History had countless stories of people and companies that collapsed because they moved too fast.
'I won't make the same mistake.'
… or rather, most people thought that.
In truth, only four people at the museum — including Jin-hyuk — were actually competent.
He understood.
People wanted to minimize risk…
And also wanted to get ahead while being cautious.
In contrast, Jin-hyuk had already secured two people who could be used later.
The world rewarded those who took risks.
No path existed for cowards who sought only safety.
Please, keep walking your safe paths.
'Meanwhile, I'll move ahead.'
He couldn't monopolize everything with one body.
But—
He could take the tastiest parts.
'And share crumbs with the rest.'
He smiled at his status window.
'But… I'm reaching my limit.'
His hunger, buried under adrenaline, finally resurfaced.
Grrrr.
His stomach growled loudly.
He hadn't eaten since last night.
'I need something like soup…'
Hot broth, meat, and a sweet-and-sour twisted donut.
All for just 7,000 won.
Who could resist?
'There has to be a place still open…'
There was.
A 24-hour sundae soup restaurant with a battered signboard.
He walked in.
Tring—
The doorbell rang.
But…
Something felt off.
"Oh…"
"Is this real…?"
Dozens of customers, staff, even the owner stared at the TV.
Breaking news.
—The government is investigating the unidentified building known as the Tower of Trials, and has established a special department called the Awakened Association…
"Hooh."
Jin-hyuk raised an eyebrow.
'Awakened Association…'
Faster government response than he expected.
And filled with awakened civil servants?
More impressive.
'Unexpected.'
He thought they'd take weeks.
—This was likely accelerated due to this morning's incident…
—At least 23 dead and 50 injured at the National Museum…
—Similar relic-targeting incidents reported in the US, Europe, China, and Japan…
The British Museum.The Louvre.The Museum of Natural History.
'As expected.'
Other nations' players had moved too.
Everyone was racing to secure relics.
—Now, let's view the CCTV footage.
The screen shifted.
Two men and a woman fighting.
The woman controlling Anubis statues stunned the viewers.
Kwang!
A man smacking away a steel spear with his bare hand.
Kwakwakwak!
A tiger tearing apart five Anubis incarnations.
The announcer fell silent.
—…this footage was not edited in any way.
The restaurant exploded with noise.
"What is that… can a human do that?!"
"Who is he?"
The older customers were confused.
The younger ones—
"I know him! He was on the Tower of Trials forum!"
"Yeah! The guy who killed the mangrove tree with a piece of wood!"
"His reflexes were insane!"
Speculation spread rapidly.
"I'm guessing he's the government's secret weapon."
"No, a famous BJ."
Conspiracy theories flew freely.
Jin-hyuk scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Hearing this felt weird.
Then—
A new figure appeared on screen.
A scarred middle-aged man.
Han Sang-jin, leader of the Awakened Association.
'Han Sang-jin…'
Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
He must have decent abilities.
Or—
He was a long-time Tower player.
Hopefully the former.That way, Jin-hyuk could copy his ability someday.
Han Sang-jin spoke.
—We are recruiting Awakened individuals. Depending on evaluation grade, the minimum treatment is equivalent to a Grade 7 civil servant.
Not bad, considering Korea's job market.
—And to the individual shown in the earlier footage… I will personally appeal to the President. We will support you by all means possible if you join us.
Ah.
There it was.
'I was the real target.'
One strong fighter > a hundred mediocre ones.
Han Sang-jin understood that.
But—
'He underestimates me.'
He wasn't joining anyone.He wasn't sharing anything he knew.
Jin-hyuk glanced at the wall clock.
12 hours left.
At precisely 7 PM…
When the minute hand reached that moment—
A new era would begin.
The door to the Tower of Trials would open again.