"Inject what is left. What we just inhaled was poison gas. Without this, we'll die."
Jin-hyuk handed Andrea the half-full syringe.
"Uh? Yes, yes."
Andrea took the syringe with wide eyes and carefully injected it into her arm.
'I-it cannot be…'
It really was the antidote.
Her body had begun to feel itchy little by little, but the sensation washed away as soon as she injected the syringe.
Andrea looked at Jin-hyuk with keen eyes.
'…what kind of person is he?'
At first, she had thought of him as terrifying since he had killed the agents of gods and their followers with overwhelming power.
However, as they talked, that fear disappeared and was replaced with curiosity—curiosity to find out more about the other person.
Moreover…
'This isn't just about being strong.'
Andrea had heard rumors about the Path of Choice. None who had entered it had come out alive.
They had simply died due to the overabundance of choice. Yet this man had broken through two gates instantly with a smile.
It all happened so fast that she didn't even understand what was going on.
There was a force of a different degree, as well as a sense of freedom that he refused to give up. He could also draw out the results he wanted from information he seemed to already know.
It was hard to believe, even while witnessing it.
'If it is this person…'
Perhaps he really could kill the professor and put an end to the hellish life here.
"What are you doing? We need to move."
"Uh? Yes!"
Andrea nodded immediately.
Kukung!
The third gate opened.
This room was relatively simple compared to the previous ones.
A chair stood in the center of the room, with a black lever in front of it. A pipe extended directly toward the lever.
[Phew, the third gate is…]
Smelly Feet began their explanation in a voice that lacked energy.
"Cheer up."
[What?]
"The best on the 5th floor is Smelly—ah, no—you, the manager. Don't be too depressed and explain it to us. This time, I'll make my choice after listening to the hints."
Even monsters of the Tower could feel pressure from such treatment. Wasn't this the attitude of a veteran?
Jin-hyuk nodded.
Of course, Smelly Feet was important—things were clearly starting to fall apart.
[Nice. The third gate is called 'Self Sacrifice'. As you can see, one person must sit on the chair and pull the lever for the door to open.]
"We just have to sit down and pull the lever?"
Andrea was momentarily relieved by how simple it sounded.
[Before you rush, remember this: when you pull the lever, flames will rise from the pipe in front of you. The hand that pulls the lever will burn.]
Due to the restraints on the chair, there was no way to avoid the flames.
A gate that opened only for those willing to burn themselves.
A gate worthy of the name Self Sacrifice.
"No…"
Andrea froze as she realized she might never leave this room.
At that moment—
Clap! Clap!
"Oh! Self Sacrifice! What a cool name. So, what's the hint?"
Jin-hyuk clapped enthusiastically.
[You… you don't have to sacrifice yourself. You should've noticed what I meant, right?]
"So, if I don't want to get hurt, I can force someone else to sit there and pull the lever?"
[Exactly.]
Although it was called Self Sacrifice, the room's structure made it easy to bypass if you brought another person.
Flinch.
Andrea stiffened. If someone had to die, it would be her.
However, Jin-hyuk stepped forward, sat down without hesitation, locked the restraints, and grabbed the lever.
[What? You're willing to sacrifice yourself? I didn't think you were that kind.]
Uh?
"What sacrifice?"
Jin-hyuk's magic book still had three minutes left on its duration.
In other words, he could still use skills.
[Lv8 Glacier Formation is activated!]
Cold air burst from his fingers, freezing the entire fire pipe.
Clack!
He pulled the lever.
Kukuku!
The gate opened with violent vibrations. Naturally, no flames appeared.
[…]
Smelly Feet was completely speechless. Anyone watching would think the screen had frozen.
"S-sorry."
Andrea apologized awkwardly and moved forward.
Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue. He should've hidden the fact that he could still use skills.
'We're bound to meet again.'
Don't be too upset over a failed test.
Just as the sun rises and sets, this outcome was inevitable.
There were seven total tests in the Path of Choice.
The 4th and 5th were cleared effortlessly.
It was absurd.
"Isn't there anything fresher? Something that makes my heart pound and forces me to sweat?"
Jin-hyuk didn't hide his boredom.
Clearing fast was nice, but… maybe he wanted more stimulation.
The DNA of a veteran who had survived countless impossible trials craved hell.
'This is a bad habit I should fix…'
But what could he do?
This instinct had been forged over eleven years.
[More than now… what do you mean?]
"Why? You don't have anything better? A passage designed by a Named of the 5th floor can't be this easy, right?"
Jin-hyuk tilted his head, then clapped as if realizing something.
"Ah! Did you deliberately place easy ones first to distract us?"
[R-right! The 6th gate is my masterpiece!]
Smelly Feet declared proudly.
Three seconds later, the 6th gate was cleared.
"…"
"…"
[…]
The silence was unbearable.
[Fuck.]
Smelly Feet swore out loud.
This was…
Jin-hyuk scratched his head.
'In the end, I really did make him angry.'
Looking at the Tower as a whole, such a test would never appear again—and Jin-hyuk had been looking forward to it.
'If this video goes up, how many views will it get?'
Jin-hyuk smiled.
For now, he was certain that the top spot in the Hall of Fame was his.
At that moment—
The imaginary barrier forming the Path of Choice began to crumble.
Kukuku…
The real game was about to begin.
[You have entered the professor's hideout.]
The scenery changed.
A stone chamber filled with bizarre statues and blood-stained symbols appeared.
At the center, the professor was performing unholy acts on what looked like a corpse.
"Hey. I thought professors gave sermons—are you practicing anatomy?"
Was he a science student?
Seeing this, he must've studied hard in medical school.
In a way, he might be similar to Chun Yuseong.
"It can't be… Valsetter was broken?"
"Don't be rude. Despite being timid, Smelly Feet is a good friend of mine."
Jin-hyuk replied calmly.
"As expected, his warning was right. We shouldn't have underestimated you."
The professor looked shaken.
The Jin-hyuk who babbled nonsense in prison didn't seem like a threat.
He should've been crushed and sacrificed.
Yet everything had gone wrong.
"But Lancelot—no, I don't see Hosenveld."
"He left earlier."
Left…
That made sense.
"Still, he's smart."
"Smart? How so?"
"He must've realized he'd die if he stayed. So he ran."
"Kuahaha! You think too highly of yourself."
The professor laughed, but his smile faded.
"You broke the rules of the Tower and used sealed abilities. I didn't think a human could defy such an absolute law."
"I'm pretty good at that."
He hadn't always been—but experience changes things.
"It's said you should hide thirty percent of your power to win."
He praised himself only slightly.
"I look forward to hearing your desperate screams."
The professor reached for a black jar.
"Are you going to use a divine relic?"
"…!"
His hand froze.
"You know about relics?"
"Something like that."
He had collected them before—though they were hard to obtain.
"You really are shocking."
But admiration turned into killing intent.
"If you know relics, then you know their power."
The cursed relic used in the Demon King's resurrection radiated immense magic.
The Filth Eating Jar—a Blue-grade relic among the Seven Colors.
"The cooldown is long. Planning to use it on me?"
"I don't plan to meet someone as annoying as you twice. I'll end this decisively."
He wasn't wrong.
[The divine relic 'Filth Eating Jar' is activated!]
Cursed energy erupted from the jar.
A black wave surged toward Jin-hyuk alone.
Kwakwakwang!
It could kill anything with a single command.
Jin-hyuk tried to evade—but it was unavoidable.
Puak!
The wave pierced his chest.
Choke.
Black blood spilled from his mouth. The pain nearly knocked him unconscious.
"Kuak… Ack!"
"No!"
Andrea screamed.
"Die for your arrogance."
The professor smiled as Jin-hyuk collapsed.
This was the end.
[Due to the death of the target who received the 'Demon King's Curse', 'Corrupting Heart' vanishes.]
Confirmation of death appeared.
Then—
[Condition met.]
[Unique Ability 'Blessing of the Stars' is activated!]
Beyond the sealed ceiling, a night sky appeared.
Woong!
Starlight poured down.
And—
His heart began to beat again.
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