Kim Gitae was given five days to recruit players for the labyrinth raid.
During that time, Jin-hyuk visited various concerts and restaurants that had been prepared by Kim Hee-wong.
His current location was the Chopin International Piano Competition.
It was a piano competition held once every five years and one of the world's three major music competitions, where participants competed using Chopin's compositions.
Jin-hyuk, who took advantage of his S-rank status, fell in love with the performance of a male pianist in his early twenties.
How long had it been?
The accompaniment that had reached its climax subsided, and the pianist's hands finally left the piano.
The performance was over.
'I don't know much about music… but it was strange.'
So different from combat.
The beautiful and splendid melody felt like art from another world.
Jin-hyuk, still trembling, touched his chest.
"Phew…"
It was astonishing.
Was it like watching a movie?
It felt as if his entire body had been immersed in the performance.
'It took a lot of time, but my purpose was achieved.'
He had visited all possible competitions and concerts in the area.
At the same time—
[You have appreciated the masterpieces of an era.]
[You have completed 'Go to Concert No.7'.]
[You have completed the tour of the Beethoven Museum.]
Several status windows appeared, and Jin-hyuk smiled.
[The condition has been met.]
[Successfully copied the skill 'Absolute Pitch (F)'!]
[Successfully copied the skill 'Understanding Instruments (F)'!]
However, Jin-hyuk wasn't satisfied with just that. He wanted to combine the two low-level skills.
They were materials to create a higher-level skill. This was precisely why he had chosen the Fusion ability.
"I will fuse the Blessing of the Stars with Understanding Instruments."
Jin-hyuk immediately activated Fusion.
[The skills 'Blessing of the Stars' and 'Understanding Instruments' are fused.]
[Fusion successful.]
[You have acquired the skill 'Heavenly Melody'.]
[Heavenly Melody
Acquisition Difficulty: B
Description: Bestia, the Goddess of music, valued harmony and peace for all, transcending race. She believed that no matter how harsh the world may be, music could serve as a medium to break down walls. This ability is imbued with the wind of the Goddess.]
[The copied skill is saved in 'Memory of the World'.]
He hadn't come just to waste time.
Everything he had done was for the additional power needed to climb the Tower.
It was like investing time to gain gold.
'Now it's your turn.'
Before heading to the Forest of the Elves, there were still two tasks left.
The only thing remaining was to learn how to cook.
Jin-hyuk looked through the list of Michelin-starred restaurants that had been booked.
[To copy the Imperial Chef skill, the following conditions must be met.]
[1. Eat a course meal at a 3-star Michelin or higher restaurant (7/10).]
[2. Watch the chef cook dishes (3.5/5).]
[3. Try making different kinds of dishes (25/30).]
Whenever there were no musical competitions, he went out to eat, so the conditions were nearly fulfilled.
'I can finish everything here and return to Korea.'
In other words, it meant it was time to return to the 5th floor.
Citic Tower, Beijing, China.
Several men and women had gathered in the penthouse at the top of the skyscraper.
They were rankers belonging to the People's Republic Guild.
"Damn it! Again, the first clear was stolen! What kind of messed-up situation is this? We were confident we could clear the 5th floor!"
A large, bearded man shouted.
Right.
Their preparations had been perfect.
Had they cleared the 5th floor before? No.
But they had gathered veterans and rankers capable of clearing it in one attempt.
On top of that, the guild possessed a relic classified as orange grade.
It was only natural they believed they would succeed.
But—
China failed to clear the 5th floor.
After investing so much effort, they had nothing to show for it.
Even now, half of them were struggling on the 6th floor.
Kang Jin-hyuk.
A name that ignited anger in all of them.
"Everyone's talking about him. Some even call him humanity's hope."
"And those words are burned into people's minds."
"I think we can't leave him alone anymore."
"How did he climb the Tower so fast? I heard he did it alone, without support…"
"He must have been playing for a long time. He might have reached the 20th floor."
The 20th floor.
A place no human had ever reached.
"No…"
"Who would play such a crazy game all the way to the 20th floor?"
"That's nonsense! Even in China, over 500 million users quit. There's no way someone from a country with only 30 million people could do it."
Everyone wanted to deny it.
China was the center of the world.
They believed only China could see the end of the Tower.
That was why they called themselves neutral—out of pride.
But no matter how much they denied it, they were beginning to realize the truth.
There was a veteran out there who knew the Tower better than anyone.
And one such veteran was more dangerous than an entire guild.
Silence filled the room.
Clack!
The doors opened, and a man entered.
A striking man with a beautiful face, dressed in luxurious silk.
All eyes turned to him.
"N-Namgung Cheon!"
"Have you finished talking with the murim side?"
The guild master and China's greatest player.
Namgung Cheon.
"That… for now, yes."
Namgung Cheon walked forward with a disappointed expression.
One step.
Then another.
Even his walk alone sent chills down their spines.
Gulp.
No one dared speak.
"I received the report on the 5th floor. Who was in charge?"
"I-it was me, Mr. Cheon! This time—"
"…Kuak!"
Slash!
Blood sprayed as the man's upper body was cleanly severed.
"Anyone who fails the one task I give doesn't deserve a second chance."
Blood dripped from the sword.
No one had even seen it drawn.
Namgung Cheon turned to the remaining rankers.
"Go to the 5th floor and do what the murim requested. That man must also be brought to me."
Those who met his gaze bowed deeply.
"What about the 6th floor?"
"The elves will allow three S-rank players and one team. Capture the elves and burn the forest. Deadline: ten days."
No objections.
No questions.
That was how survival worked here.
"Understood."
"Do not disappoint me again."
After finishing everything in Europe, Jin-hyuk headed straight to the Tower of Trials.
One day remained before Kim Gitae's raid deadline.
Meanwhile, Jin-hyuk planned to open the Forest of the Elves.
'They're hidden deep in the forest. Meeting them isn't easy.'
Elves loved nature and beauty more than any race.
Strangely, their personalities were more passive than expected.
They were difficult to meet—and even harder to talk to.
But—
'I'm different.'
Where they lived.
What fruits they liked.
He knew everything.
Old memories surfaced, and Jin-hyuk smiled.
'At first, I tried to befriend them… but nothing good came of it.'
He would never forget being chased by an entire tribe after giving chicken to elves who only ate vegetables.
Seventeen hours of nonstop pursuit.
If he had died, he wouldn't have been able to reconnect for forty-eight hours.
'That one was on me.'
Meat to elves?
It was like feeding sunflower seeds to a carnivore.
But that wasn't even the worst.
The worst memory—
October 17th, 11:43:15 PM.
A date he would never forget.
Jin-hyuk bit his lower lip.
After many attempts, he was finally invited into the elven village.
It was their annual festival.
Stars filled the sky. Fireflies glowed.
Rare fruits and fragrant drinks filled the night.
Everything was perfect—
'Until they asked me to play an instrument.'
He had only heard instruments in school.
Usually while sleeping.
In desperation, he bought something from the coin exchange.
A recorder.
Jin-hyuk played My Heart Will Go On.
He even used voice amplification.
That—
Was a fatal mistake.
"Ack!"
"Stop him!"
"A devil has descended!"
"The forest is dying!"
"The spirits are abandoning us!"
Their screams still echoed in his head.
'Playing an instrument with full sincerity… was disastrous.'
Permanent deportation.
Charge: inflicting irreparable trauma on the souls of the elves.
'This time… it'll be different.'
Because he had prepared everything to atone for that disgrace.
Woong!
The world turned black as Jin-hyuk entered the 6th floor of the Tower of Trials.
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