Chapter 71 – Dweller Of The Tower (2)

Seeing Yoo Chun-young’s reaction, Jin-hyuk bit his lip.

‘I was right.’

No matter how strong the magic coming out from the Tower of Trials was, it wasn’t enough to send a man like this into a mana-induced coma.

Just by looking through the Eye of Gluttony, he was confident this old man was a ranker.

Then…

‘It means that something pushed the old man to the edge.’

Of course, not a single non-player could even touch him. Even if you searched the entire world, only those who lived in the Tower would have the strength.

Jin-hyuk was thinking of something huge based on these assumptions.

Yoo Chun-young had confirmed the premise that someone was there.

“Haha. You really have a knack for surprising people. How far do you plan to lift and release an old man’s heart?”

Yoo Chun-young sighed.

“Can I take it as my prediction being correct?”

“You are right. The day the Tower first appeared someone caught me.”

Jin-hyuk frowned.

This was a story about the dweller.

The main question, however, was what floor this dweller lived on.

“Can you tell me something like specific characteristics? Appearance, fighting style, statues. Anything works.”

“He is an Asian with long black hair and white clothes. The weapon is a sword… and it was scary. I’ve never seen anyone wielding a sword that quickly.”

An Asian person who used a sword?

He knew who it was.

‘… a Murim person.’

A large force from the 21st floor of the Tower, a denizen of Murim.

As that faction dominated the entire 21st floor, they were known to move aggressively to climb higher in the Tower.

‘Even when I was playing Tower of Trials, I had a lot of trouble because of them.’

Anyone who posed any threat to them they would mercilessly kill. They would use any means and methods necessary to do so.

A group of people akin to leeches.

Jin-hyuk frowned.

As expected, the most troublesome one had appeared.

“Someone you know?”

“Something like that.”

“Hehe. I see. I expected you to know.”

Yoo Chun-young nodded his head and said.

“Can I ask you something now?”

“Sure.”

“I know about all the high-ranking guilds in Korea and their members, but you seem to know more than even them. Even the best in Korea didn’t know who that person was.”

Right.

Since Murim was on the 21st floor, it was natural for people to not know.

Except for one person.

‘Who is me…’

Jin-hyuk remained silent without affirming or denying the statement.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to put my hopes onto someone who could help us out of this darkness.”

“And that is me?”

“Even though I know nothing about you, I have met so many people till this age, and even though I might not look like this, there is something I like which I hate equally.”

Yoo Chun-young smiled.

“The eye of truth sees behind a human.”

As one accumulates time and experience, the ability to discern people would be improved.

“You must be overestimating me, sir.”

“You think so? In my eyes, the players in the world are now being overestimated. It has just been two months, but they classify people based on magic and unique abilities. That is the most ridiculous thing for me.”

It was said that it would take 10,000 hours to become a master of anything. Even Rome wasn’t built in a day.

But the world had changed, and people began to assume that they had become strong because of a single ability. This was something that Yoo Chun-young didn’t like.

“But you are different. What is it? It feels like you have been through things countless times? You have tasted the bitter taste of defeat and victory too many times as if it was as simple as sleeping. And you also showed the skills to overcome such slumps.”

“It isn’t that much.”

“Hahaha! And the humble nature. However, it is impossible to hide it from me.”

Yoo Chun-young burst into laughter. Of course, he didn’t forget to add.

“Don’t worry. I will not tell this to anyone.”

That was the truth.

Yoo Chun-young wasn’t the kind of person who would recklessly speak about things. Besides, no one would believe it.

“But. You saved my life using something precious like an elixir, so I want to give something back… is there something you wish for?”

At those words, Jin-hyuk fell into deep thought. This man was the most prestigious martial artist in Korea.

Not just medals, but the man must have also learned hundreds of martial forms.

And, of course, his money would be enough to fill multiple rooms.

“Actually, there is something I need. Can I ask for anything?”

“Do not worry, and tell me.”

He did say anything, right?

Jin-hyuk smiled.

No matter how polite he had been, he wasn’t the type to stay humble when it involved rewards.

You’re supposed to say you want to eat when you are hungry. Otherwise, you would die while thinking about your fame and position.

“I would like to receive the ‘Twin Dragon Swords’ the elder owns.”

They were Admiral Yi Sun-yi’s swords which had been recovered after being considered lost for a long time.

The legendary weapons that even the Tower couldn’t replicate.

“T-twin Dragon Swords?”

This time it was Yoo Chun-young’s turn to be shocked. He clearly didn’t expect this request.

“Did I ask for something impossible?”

Jin-hyuk smiled, an innocent and bright smile spread on his face.

“Hmm. It is difficult. But I am not someone who says two different things with the same mouth.”

Yoo Chun-young calmed his expression, he was a bit shocked, but this man had saved his life.

He was willing to give him all his assets if he asked.

“I will make them clean and send them to you tomorrow. Do you need anything more?”

“No. That is fine.”

He was getting what he needed, and it was time to leave, but as he turned around…

“This is only a story I heard through an unofficial source.”

Yoo Chun-young spoke to him again.

“There is information that people who had come down from the Tower had made contact with players on the Chinese side.”

“…!”

“Be careful.”

Then it might not just be humanity that needed to worry about the Tower.

Yoo Chun-young warned him of the worst-case scenario.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Jin-hyuk nodded.

After finishing his conversation, Jin-hyuk immediately headed toward Lotte.

Many things had happened, but they were all according to plan. He had borrowed a large amount of money, received information, and was about to get a new weapon too.

He should eat the tastiest foods.

‘I have everything filling the pocket, so I should rest now.’

Normally, luxury was only for those who could afford it. Suite rooms that cost more than 2 million a night were something he used to need a whole month to earn.

But he was no longer bound by money since he had gotten billions from those crooked healers.

He took the membership as well as the benefits that were offered by Signiel.

Clack!

As the door opened, he observed the hotel suite which came into view.

Marble floors and chandeliers. Furniture imported from Italy and Germany filled the room.

And, of course, a glass window covering one wall gave him a unique nighttime view of Seoul.

“Ahem!”

Jin-hyuk liked this. This is why money is nice.

Sitting on the soft bed with a welcome drink in hand, he felt the accumulated fatigue from all the years rushing in.

To be honest, he just wanted to sleep like this. The warm goose quilt below him was so soft.

However, he would regret it later if he had spent the long vacation just sleeping.

‘I need to take a shower and then eat.’

Jin-hyuk called for room service and headed to the shower room. Had twenty minutes passed just like that?

Jin-hyuk, who came out of the living room, was shocked again.

Top quality steak with truffle, thick salmon sashimi, lobsters, caviar, and European cheeses was all on the table.

There was so much food that even five people couldn’t easily finish it all.

Jin-hyuk cut the steak with his knife and fork and revealed the pink flesh underneath the caramelized exterior.

The meat juices and gravy that entered his mouth were fulfilling.

And this wine, the Chateau la Fleurdo, was called the Water Drops of the Gods.

“Wow…!”

… insane.

This was a completely different taste from old and damp rice, fresh kimchi, and soybean paste.

Happiness came after hard work. Because there was a difficult past, the present joy would shine brighter.

But as he continued to enjoy his dinner, a familiar type of content came out of the TV that had been turned on.

[Mr. Eun-seol, what do you think is the most effective way to climb a tower?]
A special feature related to the Tower of Trials. A female announcer and a man with an impressionable smile were talking.

It was Jang Eun-seo, a ranker belonging to the ‘Dangun Guild,’ considered the strongest in Korea.

[Well, there are two ways to get stronger in the Tower. The first way is to hone your unique abilities and skills or raise your level.]
[Like a game?]
[Right. As you get stronger, you can clear more dungeons.]
[Then what about the second method?]
[Using coins.]
[This is the currency that can be used within the Tower.]
[Yes. I think the power to purchase better items is the best way to become a ranker. Until now, the dollar was the key currency moving the world, but in the future, the coins will be what drives the world. I am also looking forward to the future and investing all the coins I have collected to upgrade the broadcasting system.]
Jin-hyuk, who listened to this, snorted.

‘Investing coins in broadcasting…’

There is currently a trend among the players to upgrade their broadcasting systems to gain more subscribers.

Of course, this was a stupid thing to do. What would they do by promoting colorful thumbnails for a hundred days?

Wasn’t the Tower the most important thing?

‘Even if they show hours of the Tower, would anyone care?’

Quality.

The overwhelming performance that came with clearing out places in the Tower was what captivated the viewers.

[The 4th floor is open, but no one has entered the 4th floor yet. Can you please explain this?]
The announcer changed the topic.

[That is because the 4th floor is structured so that the rest of the players can enter only when the player who opened the gate declares that he will attack. Of course, if the person doesn’t do it for 10 days, others can enter normally.]
[Ah. Was there such a rule? Then why didn’t he go up?]
[Haha. Naturally. The 4th floor is an area that has a large number of zombies, and one can only clear it by defending the base. Besides, there is only one chance to challenge the 4th floor.]
[And one failure is the end of it all? No second chance?]
[In the game, if we fail, we end up being reset to level 1, but in reality, humanity will perish right away, in that sense, we have only one chance.]
[No way…]
[Yes. It takes at least a month or two as the Unknown player cannot attack without working with the large guilds. We need at least that much time to prepare for it and get the items and resources needed.]
[Are you saying that attempting it before that is tough?]
[I will bet my name on it. If one goes there without proper preparation, the difficulty of zombie waves will start to jump up. People might think about going early and getting rewards, but what if they cannot stand it and we fall? No man with common sense would do such a thing.]
But just one second after.

[Player ‘Unknown’ announces the attack on the 4th floor.]
The announcer who saw this spoke happily.

[All players who will challenge the 4th floor, please prepare]
Jang Eun-seok smiled.

[In the next 8 hours, the first wave begins]
And all of the viewers who were watching.

[If the 100 waves cannot be blocked, humanity will perish]
Were at a loss for words.