Nighttime in the Tower of Trials was a little special.
The warm temperature during the day dropped rapidly once night fell, which increased the ferocity and attack power of the monsters roaming about.
So at night, most players stopped hunting and went to find a safe place.
This was common sense.
For the average player, there was no need to take risks. An hour had passed since Jin-hyuk dealt with the named monster.
Jin-hyuk sat in front of the shrine, at the boundary between it and the expansive bamboo forest.
'Reminds me of old times.'
The place where he had spent the most time sleeping and broadcasting in the tower.
After hunting like a madman, he always looked for a place where he could see the night sky. And this spot wasn't a bad place for a break.
Especially since he could see meteors falling through the sky.
'It's also great here, since I can get bamboo shoots as well as other materials on this floor of the tower.'
After making a fire, Jin-hyuk placed bamboo shoots, rice, and rock salt inside a bamboo barrel and put it over the heat to boil. In addition, he added three iron-clad shrimp that could be caught in the valley.
Almost immediately, a fragrant and delicious smell filled his nose.
Grrrk.
His stomach growled.
He took a spoonful of the food and put it in his mouth. The soft, warm food made its way pleasantly down his throat.
The quality of the shrimp meat, plump in the middle, created a fantastic texture.
Kuak, what a fantastic taste.
'Next time, I need to start copying some cooking skills.'
As one climbed higher in the tower, a large variety of foods would appear.
Desert veal full of flavor, rainbow crabs from the sea.
The Thousand Apple was said to have a thousand unique scents—ingredients that couldn't be found outside the tower.
Such treasures existed here for him to enjoy once more.
"Oh, it smells good."
"Looks like a tasty meal."
A pair of people emerged from the bamboo forest. They were a Chinese man and an alluring Western beauty.
It was Melena and Li Qiao.
"Ah! We do not have any bad intentions. We just came here following the light."
"As long as we can avoid the night dew, we'll be fine…"
Melena and Li Qiao calmly approached the bonfire.
What was with these two…?
Were they planning on acting like regular players?
For real?
'This is ridiculous.'
At this point, he didn't even know what to think of them. They looked even more foolish than the ones before…
Would they even be able to win if they approached him after revealing their identity?
He really wished they would. That way, he could spend the long night without being bored.
"If it helps avoid the cold, sit down."
Jin-hyuk pointed to the bonfire.
"Thank you. I am Melena."
"I am Li Qiao. Excuse us for our actions."
The two of them sat down around the fire. At least their desire to avoid the dangers of the night wasn't a lie.
Their half-frozen arms and legs clearly showed how desperate they were for warmth.
"You must have suffered a lot."
"Don't say it. Masked oppa cannot understand how much we suffered around trees all day."
Right. It must have been difficult.
How much trouble must they have gone through, acting like mice peeping on others?
"The food is quite nice. Would you like some?"
Jin-hyuk handed them a bamboo bowl.
Inside, the appetizingly plump shrimp and white rice tempted them with their appearance.
Don't think too much.
He knew they were starving too.
"…"
Melena gulped, her expression conflicted, but she didn't reach out for the food.
This was suspicious.
She didn't know what he had done to it. Still, her appetite tempted her.
On the other hand, Li Qiao drew a firm line.
"We are fine. I am sorry for putting it like this, but I do not want to touch food from someone we do not know—especially if they have covered their face." R̃ÁƝỗᛒÊ𝒮
"You seem to care a lot about the mask?"
"Isn't it obvious? If you didn't have something to hide, you wouldn't be wearing a mask."
"Well. If it makes you uncomfortable, I can take it off."
"…What?"
"…Really?"
Both of them were shocked by Jin-hyuk's words. The person whose identity they were trying to uncover simply offered to reveal it.
"Of course, it wouldn't be fun to simply take it off, so let's play a simple game."
"A game…?"
"It seems we have things we're curious about, so let's take turns asking questions. If my questions are answered, I'll remove the mask once the game is over."
A game based on an exchange of information.
Li Qiao turned his head.
'There's no way to verify the truth of our words.'
It didn't matter if they lied.
On the other hand, an opponent who didn't know who they were might become careless.
'Even if we accept, we have nothing to lose.'
Melena nodded and whispered to him.
"There are five minutes left for the relic to activate. It should be fine if we use the time."
Any doubts they had quickly faded.
"…Interesting. It wouldn't be bad to pass the time like this."
Li Qiao answered first, and at that moment—
[Anubis' Judgment has been activated.]
A transparent wave spread out from Jin-hyuk.
…Caught them.
Jin-hyuk smiled. He knew they would accept. They needed time.
Psss!
He felt a unique energy wave emanating from the woman called Melena.
This was magic he had sensed many times before while playing Tower of Trials.
'The Coin of Caligula…'
A coin bearing the image of the Roman tyrant Caligula. What kind of tricks had they prepared?
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This relic wasn't a bad choice.
Its main drawback was the time it took to activate. But once fully activated, it could completely break down its target.
A relic that forced its target to confess everything without torture was incredibly useful.
'They know my body hasn't fully recovered yet and want to secure victory.'
Their intent to avoid direct confrontation was obvious.
Amazing. Truly amazing.
But—
'Don't they know there's always someone ahead?'
Jin-hyuk smiled.
"I won't ask the first question. You may go first."
"There should be questions about name or affiliation…"
"If you want me to reveal my identity immediately, then the game is meaningless. The mask comes off only after it ends."
"Then I'll change the question. Do you have any companions here besides yourself?"
Hmm.
He expected something else, but this was realistic.
It must have been hard to believe someone came alone for a boss raid.
"I came alone, and I'll leave alone."
"…I see."
"My turn. From the looks of it, you came to hunt the boss. Why did you only watch?"
"We were waiting for the right timing to enter the temple. It's a notorious place—we had to be careful."
The answer sounded overly cautious, but it was still an answer.
Two left.
Li Qiao asked the second question.
"If you're climbing the tower, there must be something you desire—power, women, fame. What motivates you?"
Oh.
Jin-hyuk raised an eyebrow.
'I thought they were here to kill me…'
If conditions allowed, they still hoped to ally with him.
"I do want something. But if I say it, do you have the ability to make it happen?"
Both of them were still shivering from the cold.
"Well, we might not look convincing now, but don't worry—we have enough power."
One answer left.
Jin-hyuk's polite tone turned cold.
"If that's the case… can you give me a seat at the 'Round Table'?"
"W-what?"
"How do you know about the Round Table?!"
They shouted at the same time.
The Round Table was the highest executive council of the Demonic Human Association.
They never imagined hearing it from an outsider.
"I haven't heard your answer yet."
"Of course we can't answer that!"
Li Qiao grit his teeth.
"How could you even think we could do that?"
Melena suddenly stood up.
"Actually, I wouldn't take the position even if you offered it."
Even without conditions, he had no intention of joining them.
[Conditions have been met.]
Anubis' Judgment had begun.
Kukuku!
The ground shook.
"Kuak!"
Li Qiao instinctively leapt back after sensing abnormal magic.
"Five minutes have passed!"
Melena shouted.
Once the Coin of Caligula activated, even someone this strong could be defeated.
No one could defend their thoughts.
But—
"No. The relic won't activate."
Jin-hyuk smiled.
"What?"
Li Qiao drew his dagger.
"That coin is useless right now. I delayed its activation by five minutes."
"Don't bullshit us! How could you—"
"Wait. It's real!"
Melena's face darkened instantly.
"The coin hasn't been sufficiently infused with magic. He suppressed it."
"What do you mean?! We didn't even eat the food!"
"The smell alone is enough."
They had guarded against eating—but not inhaling.
"When bamboo sap reacts with armored shrimp, it creates a magic-suppressing poison. Chewing grass neutralizes it."
Jin-hyuk showed the eucalyptus leaf in his mouth.
"N-no… You knew who we were, how the relic works, and how to counter it?"
"The time… we weren't trapping you?"
Their voices trembled.
They thought they had prepared a perfect trap.
But time was never on their side.
"From now on, I'll be the one asking questions."
Jin-hyuk snapped his fingers.
And then—
[Anubis summons a 'Great Warrior'!]
Something began to move.
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