[The central theme of the 5th floor is 'Escape.']
The male announcer on TV spoke.
[Escape? Are you saying it's about being trapped?]
[Yes. There isn't much information because all videos and records from the past have disappeared. We were able to reconstruct up to the 8th floor based on the memories of players who played the game.]
[Ah. That much?]
[Haha. It's all thanks to the veterans.]
"It's funny that people who only managed to reach the 8th floor are being treated like legends when they were actually stagnant. We had people who reached the 15th floor and still quit."
Lee Taemin clicked his tongue while watching TV.
"I know. But what can we do? Most people quit before the 8th floor. It's amazing they even gathered information up to that point."
Yoo Yeon-hwa chimed in.
"But by our standards, the hurdles are way too much for other people."
"If we look at it that way, information itself is already a huge advantage."
"Isn't that obvious?"
Everyone joined the conversation.
On their faces was the pride of having reached at least the 15th floor.
Um…
Jin-hyuk, watching them, scratched his cheek.
'Should I just stay quiet?'
If he told them that he had seen the end of the Tower, the shock alone might kill them.
And these people were his companions. He couldn't hurt them.
Especially Chun Yuseong—he'd probably walk out immediately if he found out he stopped just short of the 20th floor.
'Seriously. I need to be careful about my teammates' mental states. Even thinking about myself, I feel like a bastard.'
As Jin-hyuk nodded to himself—
[…If that's the case, what kind of escape is it?]
[The goal of the 5th floor is to survive one of the deadliest environments: a mental hospital, a gladiator arena, a mine, or an uninhabited island—and then escape from it.]
[It doesn't sound as difficult as I imagined. If the location is known in advance, can't players prepare an escape?]
Information was essential for any escape plan.
Characters present, terrain, environmental hazards—everything had to be anticipated.
[Haha, it sounds easy in theory. But no. On the 5th floor, the environment and internal structure change every time. Any advantage gained from prior information fades quickly. On top of that, severe nerfs are applied, including magic being sealed. This will be the most difficult floor so far.]
[Magic is sealed?]
[Yes. Players must clear it using only their physical abilities.]
A nerf that sealed unique abilities and skills.
The 5th floor already sounded miserable.
"This floor is seriously annoying."
"Phew. I need a longer break."
"Yeah… I hated even thinking about this floor."
Sighs filled the room.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
But—
Jin-hyuk was smiling.
He knew.
Exactly how to clear this floor.
And exactly what preparations were needed.
The next afternoon.
After recovering from fatigue at the hotel, Jin-hyuk laid out the rewards he had obtained.
'A-rank random box.'
'Advanced Skill Enhancement Book.'
'10% discount coupon for coin exchange.'
'Magic Library Admission Ticket.'
Four items.
He wanted to check them immediately, but—
"Status window."
Jin-hyuk opened his personal status instead.
He needed to allocate his newly gained stat points first.
—
Name: Kang Jin-hyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 34
Strength: 16
Agility: 16
Stamina: 16
Magic: 62
Rift: 100
Luck: 10
Adaptive: 10
Stat Points: 21
Coins: 235,341
Unique Abilities: Fusion, Sword Grave, Blessing of the Stars…
Skills: Lv6 'Element of Fire', Lv4 'Eye of Gluttony', Lv3 'Communion', Lv3 'Stigma on Soul', Lv4 'Shallow Breath', Lv5 'Glacier Formation'…
—
He had gained seven levels in one go.
His status window looked absurd.
Ba-dump!
His heart pounded.
'Back then, I thought I had to grow carefully with perfect balance…'
That was an illusion.
His current growth speed was incomparable to the past.
'Haha. This is insane.'
The real Tower of Trials was far harsher than the game.
But that difficulty also meant—
'I have far more room to grow.'
All his past experience and accumulated skills proved how strong he had become.
Feeling satisfied, Jin-hyuk allocated his stat points.
[Strength increased from 16 to 19]
[Agility increased from 16 to 19]
[Stamina increased from 16 to 19]
[Magic increased from 62 to 74]
Magic was always essential.
As his magic increased sharply, the flow of mana around his body became noticeably smoother.
Nice.
Next—
Jin-hyuk picked up the Advanced Skill Enhancement Book.
An item that increased skills below Lv10 by 3 levels, and skills above Lv10 by 1 level.
Given how difficult skill leveling was, this book was priceless.
And he already knew exactly where to use it.
'Glacier Formation is the priority—not just for the 5th floor, but for the future.'
It was a versatile skill, invaluable for both offense and defense.
Woong.
The book dissolved into light.
[Glacier Formation has been upgraded to Lv8]
Psss…!
A chill swept through the hotel.
"What? Did it suddenly get cold?"
"Who the hell turns on the AC in late autumn? This isn't air conditioning—it's freezing!"
"There's something wrong with the central system!"
"Fix it fast! If guests complain about catching a cold, we're dead!"
Unaware of the staff scrambling in panic, Jin-hyuk calmly picked up the golden box resting on the bed.
An A-rank random box.
Wooong!
A massive golden roulette materialized, engraved with countless A-rank items.
'Let's see.'
He pulled the lever.
The wheel spun.
Tring!
[Please press the red button in the center.]
But—
Jin-hyuk didn't press it.
He crossed his arms and waited.
[Time has been exceeded]
[Time has been exceeded]
Warnings flashed, but the roulette didn't disappear.
'Cheap threats.'
He lowered the lever again.
Still, he didn't press the button.
There was a reason.
A loophole.
A system exploit designed to mess with players.
'If the roulette is abandoned 36 times, the spin speed drops by 99.99% on the 37th.'
Like slow motion.
After that, he could choose freely.
He had already used this method last night to get Chun Yuseong's desired item.
There was only one drawback.
Any item obtained this way would only last one week.
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Chun Yuseong's new elemental sword would crumble in seven days.
'I feel a little bad… but I didn't lie.'
He had promised the item—not eternal durability.
And one week was more than enough to enjoy it.
On the 37th spin, the roulette slowed to a crawl.
Now.
Jin-hyuk pressed the red button.
[You have obtained the A-rank 'Three Colored Orbs'!]
Red.
White.
Black.
Three pills with different effects appeared.
If he wanted to use them, he'd need to challenge the next floor soon.
Jin-hyuk stored them in subspace.
'The discount coupon can wait until view counts explode.'
One last reward remained.
The Magic Library.
A repository of advanced skills, ancient spells, and barrier magic—knowledge unavailable on lower floors.
Any ambitious player would be thrilled.
But Jin-hyuk felt tension instead.
The librarian was… troublesome.
'Looks like I'll be meeting him again.'
Rick Hennessy.
The librarian.
And owner of the Tower's largest pawn shop.
Jin-hyuk had traded there many times in the past and nicknamed him Thanos.
Anything sold was bought at half price and resold at double.
A miracle of exploitation.
Luxury reserved for the obscenely wealthy.
But—
This time would be different.
'This is your first time meeting me.'
'But not my first time meeting you.'
This time, Jin-hyuk knew everything.
He bought a few items from the Coin Exchange.
Then, holding the most important ticket—
[Magic Library is opening]
Kukuku!
A green gate appeared.
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