Chapter 19. The First Trial (3)

Overwhelming destructive power.

The Value Proof skill attached to the Epic Weapon had pushed the weapon to the brink of destruction. The force didn't just crater the floor—it carved out a seemingly bottomless cliff.

Under that power, the two began to plummet.

"Uwaaack!"

Philip flailed in the air as he fell, while Jeonghyeon, having overexerted himself, blacked out and tumbled straight toward the endless abyss below.

"Jeonghyeon-nim! Are you okay? Jeonghyeon-nim!!"

Even as they fell, Philip snatched the unconscious Jeonghyeon and twisted his body, positioning his own back toward the ground to act as a cushion.

"Hup!"

He'd hoped that copying Philip's ability via Attribute Domination might let him endure a little, but...

"Wha...! What the hell!"

Once Jeonghyeon lost consciousness, Philip's temporarily enhanced body reverted to normal.

At this distance, death was certain.

Their backs were moments from slamming into the ground.

"Damn it...! Dying like this?!"

A blinding light erupted, vaporizing the surrounding earth.

Thud!

"Huh?"

Philip had braced for a massive impact, but it felt like nothing more than rolling off a bed onto the floor. Bewildered, he looked around.

"The entrance...?"

Philip and Jeonghyeon had arrived in the tower's corridor.

The tower's voice echoed.

Then, five Complete Recovery ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Potions were added to each of their inventories.

"No! Absolutely not!"

With those final words from the tower, Philip too succumbed to a sudden wave of dizziness and lost consciousness.

***

"Ugh... my eyes...!"

"Are you alright?"

Jeonghyeon awoke on the sofa in Philip's house—the same spot where they'd first entered the tower.

Philip was in the kitchen, preparing food. He'd figured Jeonghyeon would demand a meal upon waking, so he got a head start.

"Yeah... anyway, let's eat. Gotta fuel up before hitting the next floor. I'm starving."

Dodging the topic, Jeonghyeon glanced at Philip and activated his Demon King's Eye. It barely drained his mana, suggesting major consumption only occurred when copying an opponent's power.

Philip's loyalty, viewed via Attribute Analysis, had risen another level.

"Al-already? Shouldn't you rest a bit?"

"No rest until we hit the 10th floor."

"Pardon...? Why?"

'Why? With a power like this, would you wanna slack off?'

Jeonghyeon itched to snag a necromancer's power right now, zombify the bastard, and storm the tower like a maniac.

"Anyway, food."

"Ah... yes, sir. It was almost ready anyway."

Philip smiled inwardly with relief as he spoke.

Seeing Philip focused on cooking, Jeonghyeon checked his own status window.

'Quite a few additions.'

The status window held no major surprises—just things he'd already experienced.

Next, Jeonghyeon opened the Demon King Shop.

"3488, huh..."

3000 points from completing Attribute Domination, plus that cheeky 1-point "advice" prompt—meaning he'd only earned 487 from actual monster kills.

Not bad for the number he'd slain, but barely enough for nine stats or zilch toward the comprehension buff. With purchase limits, Jeonghyeon had to spend sparingly, leaving a bitter taste.

"Gotta climb at least one more floor."

'Stats on hold for now.'

Stats scaled with current physical prowess.

Awakener could infinitely stack them for explosive growth via stronger bodies. But Jeonghyeon's limits changed everything—premature boosts could backfire fatally later.

'Especially against balrogs or Bahamuts...'

Even maxed-out awakeners got ripped apart by their brute force. Jeonghyeon turned from stats.

"First things first..."

He bought the comprehension rate buff.

Subordinate comprehension boost—an unexpected boon.

Philip needed to grow for Jeonghyeon to benefit, after all.

Next, the quest.

'A reward I could do without.'

Forcing him to see that nauseating face as "bonus." He'd prefer skipping it altogether.

"Here! Food's served!"

Right on cue, Philip brought out a feast of meats and stews. Jeonghyeon shelved his thoughts and wolfed it down to bulk up.

"Ugh, stuffed!"

Finished, he flopped onto ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sofa.

"By the way, anything from Uldran?"

"Uh... not really. Just a level-up after clearing the tower...?"

Stoic as ever. A chatty one like Solgaleh might've dropped hints for raising Philip...

Slightly disappointing, but Uldran wouldn't question Jeonghyeon's existence.

"Sleep it off, stockpile stamina, then back to the tower."

"Yes, sir. Sounds good."

After a solid half-day nap, Jeonghyeon felt recharged. Philip, rested too, swung Soul of the Mountain energetically.

"Too hectic earlier, but that was an amazing power! Copying abilities...!"

"...Yeah. Pretty much."

Philip saw it that way, sure. Jeonghyeon nodded ambiguously, then eyed him.

"Plans canceled."

"Pardon? Somewhere else to go?"

"Nah. Blindly climbing the tower ain't the answer."

To the confused Philip, Jeonghyeon opened the portal to the tower.

"Follow me. Time you learned my power—and your role."

"...Yes, sir!"

***

"Floor 2. Max density."

"Heh. Tower master's getting picky now?"

With words echoing from the corridor, a faint breeze blew, transforming it into a vast plain.

A lone orb—likely the trial trigger—sat between Jeonghyeon and Philip.

"Whoa...?"

Having cleared Floor 1 just yesterday, Philip was stunned by the shifting terrain per floor.

"Floor 2's way better than 1. No ranged invincible harpies, and even max density's a joke. Just kill spawning monsters till you smash the core."

"You make it sound so easy."

"It is."

"Of course it is for you, sir! Haha! What's the battle plan this time?"

"You fight solo this floor."

"...Just me?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yeah. First, lemme show you my power."

Jeonghyeon drew his harvesting knife.

"Attribute Domination."

He infused mana into his Demon King's Eye again.

Not dumping it all at once like yesterday—less pain this time.

"Ngh!"

Linked by mana, Philip merely winced—tolerable now.

"Feel it?"

"Yeah... I feel stronger."

"Right. That's my power. I temporarily make you my subordinate and share my strength. Or take yours."

"Such a cheat ability exists...?"

"Tell me about it."

Not that he'd asked for it.

Jeonghyeon explained slowly. As shared fate, perfect synergy was key.

"Sadly, it caps my growth. But not yours."

"The stats...?"

"Yeah. You're sharp for a dull brute—handy."

"Should I... thank you?"

"Shut it. Point is, I'm raising you."

"Great! What training first?!"

Jeonghyeon's puzzled look met Philip's enthusiasm.

"Training? This is live combat."

He swung the harvesting knife at the orb.

"Pardon?!"

Before Philip could ready his mace, the shattered orb spilled mana, spawning monsters around them.

"Goblins, dracos, gnomes, orcs. Quite the variety."

Monsters of different types spawned in droves.

"Alright, let's sync up."

"Yes, sir!"

"Orc up front first."

Philip gripped Soul of the Mountain and charged.

"On it!!"

He smashed the orc's knee joint.

Crack!

With a dull thud, the orc crumpled. Philip caved in its skull, then turned to the terrified goblins—two hits, instant kill.

'Long road ahead.'

Individual takedowns ill-suited for 1vMany. Testing with charge over shout confirmed it—Philip prioritized closest foes.

"Focus, Philip! Low-entity monsters instinctively fear predators!"

True to his words, no monster neared the idle Jeonghyeon—all swarmed Philip.

"P-predator?!"

"Hit the strongest-looking one first!"

"Yes, sir!"

Philip scanned frantically.

Dodging feeble goblin and gnome weapons, he spotted the nearest threat: a draco. He lunged.

"Kieek!"

The draco charged head-on. Philip roared, swinging at its head.

"Die!!!"

Mace shattered skull—goblins flinched again.

Philip exploited the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gap, closing on the nearest orc.

Crack! Bam!

Orc down in strikes. But a bold draco stabbed his flank with its spear.

Agony pierced deep—Philip staggered.

Seizing the moment, monsters rallied and piled on.

Like zombies homing on a lone human.

Jeonghyeon watched silently, inwardly repeating one line.

'Show me where to start the surgery. Your true skill...!'