Descent into Hell
A sensation beyond words brushed past Ji-hyun, accompanied by an eerie sense of weightlessness enveloping his entire body.
Was this what it felt like for time to rewind? The searing agony in his abdomen gradually dulled.
How much time had passed?
Ji-hyun's blurred vision caught sight of the Tower.
'Did it really happen? Did I really go back?'
He had accepted the Tower's offer, but even then, he had harbored doubts about whether such a thing was truly possible.
His body descended gently toward the ground, as if in zero gravity. Far below, the earth came into view—a vast expanse covered in white sand like a pristine beach, glittering brilliantly under the starlight.
Countless pillars of light rose and vanished repeatedly across that broad terrain.
They were undoubtedly connected to the Great Summoning.
Ji-hyun reaffirmed his resolve once more and took slow steps forward.
The Tower.
Numerous towers dotted the white desert, but he couldn't approach them. A translucent barrier, like glass, separated him from the outside space.
There was only one path permitted to him.
'Was it like this in the past too, when I first reached the Tower?''The fact that I can "remember" this moment might itself be one of the privileges.'
Yet with each step, a strange sensation seeped into his body.
It wasn't unpleasant.
The crunching ground beneath his feet, the sky twinkling like the Milky Way. Something in this dreamlike landscape permeated him.
A mystical, overwhelmingly immense power. It brought a crushing pressure that made him feel infinitesimally small, yet at the same time, a welcoming embrace for his very existence.
Thanks to that radiant light, this solitary walk felt neither lonely nor frightening.
Finally, he reached the Tower—a colossal structure soaring endlessly into the heavens. And at its base, impossibly small for such an overwhelming scale, stood a door.
A new beginning.
Without hesitation, steeling his resolve, Ji-hyun pushed open the door.
Ji-hyun caught his breath and surveyed his surroundings.
'It's the same.'
From here on, it matched his previous memories perfectly.
This was the first scene etched in the collective memory of the Great Summoning, the one everyone talked about.
He didn't turn his head, but his eyes took in the surroundings.
The door swung open, and the dreamlike space vanished. Inside was a dimly lit room heavy with the musty smell of mold, grounding him in reality.
Before him lay a space perfectly suited to be called a "dungeon."
Faintly flickering candles pierced the oppressive gloom. At the iron door ahead sat a single golden book glowing with luster.
He had truly returned.
Even Ji-hyun, a veteran adventurer, had never heard of such a phenomenon. But this was reality.
His near-death body was perfectly restored—not healed, but rewound through time itself.
Consequently, the physique enhanced by countless battles and items had vanished, reverting to that of an ordinary man in his twenties.
It didn't matter.
Ji-hyun possessed knowledge of the Tower and the wisdom honed surviving crises up to the 70th floor.
He wore jeans, a loose boxy t-shirt, and battered sneakers once used for running.
Time to organize his goals.
The top priority remained conquering the Tower. That never changed.
And another goal to achieve.
Revenge.
With time rewound, Jo Myeong-hun remembered nothing. But it didn't matter.
He knew exactly what that bastard would do anyway.
Killing intent flickered in Ji-hyun's eyes. That man would make the same choice as before. He would strip away that unbreakable shell and bring him crashing down.
The traitor's downfall—that was what Ji-hyun craved.
His teeth ground together with a crunch. Those who had stood with Jo Myeong-hun wore similar expressions. Among them were members of the First Assault Team that Ji-hyun had painstakingly nurtured.
Even those he had raised with utmost care and trusted unwaveringly in any situation had betrayed him.
Then,
he simply wouldn't trust anyone.
He would do it alone. He would never be betrayed again. And he would conquer the Tower. No emotional drain, no political entanglements.
But to achieve that, he needed power.
The Tower was no gentle place. Climbing its floors inevitably required cooperation. Especially against boss monsters or those classified as dragonkin—their strength was so absurd it made one question if they shared the same life force.
Winning alone by normal means was impossible, at least.
So he needed an abnormal approach.
Ji-hyun gazed at the blazing golden book with eyes full of longing.
The key lay within that book.
Floors 1 through 10 of the Tower formed the Tutorial—a space to learn the skills needed for climbing and steel the spirit befitting an adventurer.
Structured as dungeons, it imposed various missions and trials to foster growth and adaptation.
Yet for those climbing the Tower, the Tutorial was a bitter memory.
Just recalling the first floor could trigger seizures; men called it their worst experience since military service; countless suffered nightmares from it.
The Tutorial was that horrific.
In truth, it was almost inevitable. Most modern people had lived lives untouched by combat, and the weapons here were unfamiliar to humanity.
Wielding such arms on death's doorstep—that was the Tutorial.
As Ji-hyun approached the golden book, its cover—like solid gold—fluttered open, beginning its guidance on the Tutorial.
Difficulty: Easy / Normal / Hard / Hell
Straightforward categories seemingly tailored for Earthlings. Naturally, higher difficulties offered greater rewards. Confident challengers were urged to pick hard modes for clears.
Those strong in physicality or tempted by rewards often chose high difficulties, but 99% soon tucked tail and fled. Kindly, each stage allowed "trials."
Even Ji-hyun had dipped into Hell mode once, only to freak out and bolt.
One reason.
'Too hard.'
It didn't feel designed for humans to clear. Plus, the Tutorial had a time limit.
Time Limit: 1 Week
* Failure to clear within the time limit results in automatic transfer to the 11th floor. Rewards from uncleared floors are forfeited.
Getting stuck in Hell meant missing proper rewards, hindering future climbs. For Ji-hyun, obsessed with returning to Earth, it was the worst scenario.
But that was the past.
Now, Ji-hyun knew what Hell offered.
'A contract with a Constellation.'
This contract granted sponsorship from so-called "Constellations."
Before regression, he saw them as mere Tower lore. Their nature didn't matter. What counted was the special power gained: a Blessing.
A unique force beyond experience or items. With a Blessing, even solo prowess was possible.
Ji-hyun knew Blessings well. Inevitably so—the one who stabbed him, Jo Myeong-hun, had one.
One of the few who cleared Hell.
His Blessing came from the God of Wind, granting extreme speed. Despite the Knights Order's heavy plate armor and shields, he moved like a rogue surpassing norms.
Power transcending common sense.
That was what Ji-hyun needed. And to get it, he had no choice but Hell.
Hell difficulty offers special rewards unavailable in other modes.
Obvious text, but "special rewards" weren't hype. Among rewards Ji-hyun saw, heard of, or earned up to 70, nothing rivaled a Blessing.
He knew it intellectually, yet his hand hesitated—not for other reasons.
To reiterate: Hell was brutally hard.
Not ordinarily so, but insanely hard.
From rumors Ji-hyun gathered, Hell seemed designed more for torment than clearing. The Blessing was compensation for that hellish suffering.
No matter.
Ji-hyun gritted his teeth. He could endure such pain.
For breaking past the 70th floor, for revenge, he needed a Blessing.
Hesitation burned away in his will's fire. Eyes darkening with resolve, he reached out.
Floor 1: Hell
Ignoring the Tower's message, Ji-hyun moved forward, heightening his senses to adapt to this unfamiliar body.
The dark, narrow corridor stirred chilling memories.
Hell was hellish, but lower difficulties weren't easy either. For untrained civilians facing bloodthirsty monsters, it was no simple task.
Even handed a sword, they lacked swing experience or skill.
A straight path to death. A clean kill was lucky; otherwise, devoured or toyed with while riddled with wounds.
Endless dying, dying again.
'Is that immortality truly a "blessing"?'
The Tutorial's brutality ground teeth everywhere. Far from preparation, it bred trauma—"mental asylum" in jest.
So what of Hell? What made it grant Blessings?
Its reality loomed before Ji-hyun.
Krrrr.
A growl like a carnivore's.
Green skin, bulging muscles and tendons, bloodshot red eyes, fetid breath.
Ji-hyun barely suppressed his nausea.
A familiar monster. He'd fought them endlessly from floors 5 to 60.
Yes—at least from the 50th floor onward.
◈ Head taller than standard orcs — giant by human standards
◈ Armed with massive axe capable of cleaving heads
◈ Leather armor reinforced with iron plates
A frame a head taller than average orcs—a giant even by human measure. Well-equipped too: a massive axe in one hand that could easily decapitate him, and leather armor studded with iron plates.
Ji-hyun had no weapon.
Kraaaargh!
Emitting an unintelligible roar or war cry, it charged in one stride.
His reaction was slow!
Ji-hyun gritted his teeth and rolled aside, barely dodging the first strike. He quickly scanned the floor's layout.
The first floor was a single room bisected by a corridor: the one he'd entered, and another behind the Orc Warrior—likely the path forward.
Room props: a rickety desk-like thing, an empty wooden bookshelf. Rundown ruins, nothing more.
Ji-hyun's true strength lay in reading the battlefield itself. But this one was too barren, offering no strategic elements.
His mind raced, calculating first-floor strategies.
But the orc gave no time. Its red eyes fixed on him.
Instead of roaring, it barreled forward with its massive bulk.
No room to dodge.
Then he wouldn't.
Ji-hyun's eyes pierced the orc as if dissecting it.
Analyzing motions, frame by frame.
Of course, proper response was impossible. Basic physical specs differed too vastly—like a pup boasting agility before a leopard.
The desk behind him splintered to pieces, and his ribcage caved in like rubber.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
Yet Ji-hyun's eyes burned fiercely. Displeased, the Orc Warrior swung its axe—
And his consciousness snapped.
[Someone is watching you.]
[The God of Magic plugs their nose at the bloody stench!]