Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
Seeing the flickering status window, Jin-hyuk's heart pounded violently.
A single line of text describing a privilege.
Right.
He had always wondered—
Why he, the first person in the world to reach the top of the Tower, never received any reward.
Why the system had stayed silent for so long.
Everything suddenly made sense.
'Did they plan to give it out together with the reboot update…?'
Jin-hyuk looked around casually.
"This is good. So, how much do we get paid per day?"
"They pay in coins, not cash."
"Eh, Mr. Park, what do we even do with coins? Use them on tower climbs?"
"Porters like us need cash. Hard cash. Coins are useless to us."
Everyone continued talking about wages.
So…
This meant the reward was his alone.
"I'll check it now."
He murmured softly and focused.
[The first privilege is opened.][Passive ability 'Monopolize' is activated.]
[Monopolize]Description: If you take the final reward entirely alone—without sharing—you will always receive the best possible reward.
Luck +10 (Permanent)
Adaptive +10 (Permanent)
[Cold Heart is activated.]Cold Heart: Allows you to remain composed even in dire situations. Emotional response will be diluted.
'This…!'
Jin-hyuk clenched his fists.
Just reading the description made it clear—
He had been given a ridiculous reward.
Insane.
Absolutely insane.
Optional rewards in Tower of Trials were incredibly rare.Sometimes only one person out of thousands ever triggered one.
But this?
This was like ignoring the concept of probability altogether.
'Haha…'
After years of playing the Tower, Jin-hyuk had developed a personality that rarely reacted to anything.
But even he almost shouted in joy this time.
He was biting his lip to stop the grin.
'Luck stat… please let me abuse it.'
In Tower of Trials, Luck was the most broken stat.It bent probability.It overturned the impossible.
Point-for-point, nothing competed with it.
'And Adaptive… this is new.'
A stat category that didn't exist in the original game.
It clearly let him "adapt" to something—but how far, and how fast… remained to be seen.
Even without Cold Heart, this reward was already broken.
He reviewed the privileges one last time, then closed the window.
Meanwhile, the porters were wrapping up their conversation.
"300 coins a day isn't bad."
"Not bad? We're risking our lives. Our lives are worth 300 coins now?"
"Tch, since when did anyone here care? Anyway, Deputy Oh said some rich guilds are joining this time."
Everyone turned toward Oh Seung-hwan.
"Correct. This raid is a combined operation. Two top-10 guilds and several mid-tier guilds are participating."
Top guilds.
Considering there were over 10,000 guilds worldwide…
Having two top-10 guilds join meant big money.
"There are also many solo rankers joining. Nothing to worry about."
"Solo?"
"Puhahah! Then we just hide behind them and carry bags!"
"It'll take three weeks. After expenses, we should pocket around 5,000 each."
Cheers erupted.
"No need to drag this out. Let's wrap up."
"How about pork belly and soju with Mr. Park and Mr. Kim?"
"Ohhh! Soju sounds divine."
"Follow me. I know a place where the pork skin tastes like heaven."
Drinking party discussion instantly filled the air.
"You, kid—aren't you coming? You'll need the strength tomorrow! Grab a drink!"
"I'll pass."
Jin-hyuk shook his head.
Even if he rested properly and raised his condition to the peak, drinking before work was foolish.
Especially since the 1st-floor ruins were deadly.
'The idea that it can be cleared just because a top guild is coming… ridiculous.'
The outcome was predetermined.
Annihilation.Or near-annihilation.
One of the two. No exceptions.
And Jin-hyuk's goal?
To find the single narrow gap that only a veteran could see in a doomed scenario.
Kwang!
A large desk smashed into pieces—wood flying everywhere.
"Phew!"
The man's shoulders trembled with fury.
"That bastard… what kind of bastard is he!?"
The Master of the Black Crow Guild—
Shin Gunsu.
His face twisted with rage at the report he had received.
This had been his once-in-a-lifetime chance.A ladder straight to the top.A future worth billions.
Ruined.
By the mistake of the man he trusted most.
"All the coins and items we invested to draw in the Fathers of Fighting Guild… Do you know how much that cost?"
"I apologize."
Park Hajin knelt on the floor, head bowed.
"Apologize? Apologize!? Is that what someone says after screwing everything up?"
Shin Gunsu picked up a golf club.
And swung it mercilessly.
Crack!Puak!Thud!
"Aagh! Ack!"
"I fed your sister the finest Korean Ginseng—refined above 50%!"
A miracle.A priceless treasure.
Given to Park Hana.
"You just had to smile and clap when she got her A-rank! That's it!"
More blows rained down.
Puak! Puak! Puak!
Back, shoulders, ribs—
Wherever the club could land.
"But you couldn't even do THAT, right? Huh!?"
Woong!
Kwang!
The metal club struck Park Hajin's head—blood dripping onto the floor.
"Kuaaa…"
Only when Park Hajin collapsed did Shin Gunsu toss the club aside.
"The one who interfered. Who is he? What's his background?"
"H-His name is Kang Jin-hyuk…"
Kang Jin-hyuk?
A name he had never heard.
"His rank?"
"…"
Park Hajin didn't answer.
"Did you not hear me?"
Shin Gunsu grabbed another club.
"…F."
"…F? F!?"
For a moment he thought he misheard.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha—so you were beaten by an F-rank rookie?"
He couldn't even get angry.
This was humiliating beyond measure.
"Enough. He's taking the second test, right? Take our men. Clean him up. If it happens inside a dungeon, there'll be no evidence."
A kill order.
"I understand."
Park Hajin clenched his teeth.
He had been careless once.
But not again.
And with B-rank combatants backing him…
'I'll enjoy it slowly. Make him beg. Then kill him.'
He already pictured Jin-hyuk's face twisted in despair.
The next morning—4:30 a.m.
Jin-hyuk arrived at the Tower entrance.
"You're here, Mr. Kang!"
"This way!"
Even before sunrise, the porters and miners had gathered.
Combatants needed to conserve their energy, so logistics moved early.
Oh Seung-hwan was nowhere to be seen.
He was just the broker.
There were even more porters today.
About ten minutes later—
"Ahem! Ahem! Kim Kyung-yeol, in charge of food. Call me Captain Kim."
A man in his early 50s introduced himself.
"Our job is to deliver food and supplies for 300 raiders for one week. Each person will carry 70–80 kilograms. It will be hard. But at 300 coins a day, when else will you get this kind of money?"
Grumbling filled the crowd.
"Damn… that's heavy."
"I thought we'd take it easy!"
"It'll get lighter later, so…"
"Stop whining! Get your packs and gather by noon!"
The porters signed the contract—grumbling, but compliant.
Heavy backpacks were handed out.
"F…fuck."
"Ahem."
Everyone's faces twisted in agony.
"Now, take it. No exceptions for F-ranks."
Captain Kim handed Jin-hyuk a pack as well.
But—
"…Hm?"
Jin-hyuk tilted his head.
The backpack was—
Light.
Way too light.
'Almost like… I'm not wearing anything.'
That made no sense.
His level hadn't changed since clearing the labyrinth.
He hadn't raised his stats even once.
A 70 kg pack shouldn't feel like air.
No—
Then something clicked.
He immediately opened his status window.
Name: Kang Jin-hyukLevel: 1Strength: 8Agility: 8Stamina: 8Magic: 11Rift: 100Luck: 10Adaptive: 10Skills: Element of Fire (Lv2), Eye of Truth (Lv2), Communion (Lv1), Stigma of the Soul (Lv2), Manipulation (Lv1), Shallow Breath (Lv1)
Only one thing had changed.
The three perks from the First Conqueror's privilege.
And the final one—the unknown stat:
[Adaptive +10]
Right.
That had to be it.
'As a porter… I'm adapting instantly. That's why the weight feels light.'
Assuming that—everything fit perfectly.
And if the effect triggered in combat?
This was a stat far above Rift—or even Luck.
Then another realization struck him.
Wait.
Wait—
'Isn't this… a stat that only someone who reached the Tower's top can obtain?'
Luck could be raised in rare ways.
Rift had special methods.
But Adaptive?
This was exclusive.
'There's no one else who can get this.'
Only one person on Earth.
Only him.
And as the thought settled, goosebumps ran across his skin.
He really had received—
the best prize of his entire life.
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