Trial of Fang and Steel
“The examination consists of several stages. In the distant past, candidates were tested inside dungeons on the first floor...”
Brice said, furrowing his brow.
The trials held within the first-floor dungeons were notoriously brutal. The aspiring deliverymen’s skills were pitiful when pitted against goblins that burst from the darkness. Even worse, the monsters inside those dungeons lacked any real combat value, offering no meaningful preparation for the dangers beyond the Tower.
“These days we’re changing the trend, along with a certain experiment.”
The deliveryman training facility on the first floor housed something unusual: Hellhounds, also known as the Hounds of Hell. They were among the most commonly encountered monsters and served as the Tower’s representative beasts from the outside world. The facility bred and raised them in captivity. Of course, the Hellhounds confined here were significantly weakened; even if they rampaged, the deliverymen would subdue them quickly.
“Scared?”
Brice asked, pointing at the monster locked inside its iron cage.
“...”
The creature perfectly matched the description of something straight out of hell. Its skin was crimson, its fur glossy, and its fangs as thick as a man’s forearm. Its claws looked sharp enough to tear a person apart.
“It might be one of the ones who will shoulder the Tower’s future. We’re attempting domestication.”
“Domestication?”
At Brice’s words, Kim Jo-hyun met the hound’s gaze and asked. Though they stood at a distance, the beast’s surging killing intent kept everyone from approaching carelessly.
“That’s right, domestication. Our Tower of Trials suffers from a chronic food shortage. Monsters found inside dungeons are all toxic and inedible, but this one is different.”
The idea of domesticating monsters for food had existed for a long time. Yet controlling their ferocious nature was practically impossible. Still, by continuously capturing the weakest specimens—the Hellhounds—they were exploring the possibility of true domestication.
“The meat is quite tough, but it’s not completely inedible.”
Lee Na-young gazed at the Hellhound with a nostalgic expression. Yeon Cheong knew exactly why she wore that look. Because Hellhounds were relatively common, they had become an important source of nutrition for deliverymen. Their flesh was disgustingly tough and tasteless, yet it provided the calories and protein needed to keep moving. In that sense, they could be considered the people’s monster that deliverymen hunted most often.
‘As the most well-known specimen, its weaknesses are well documented too.’
Yeon Cheong stared at the caged beast alongside Jin Hong. At that moment, his vision blurred and a white window materialized before his eyes.
Hellhound
Time Remaining: 48 minutes
Yeon Cheong frowned at the incomprehensible text.
‘48 minutes?’
The combination of a creature’s name and a unit of time was strangely cryptic. He couldn’t even begin to guess its meaning. The fact that the artifact itself was displaying this text made no sense either.
“Cheong, what’s wrong?”
When Jin Hong asked worriedly, Yeon Cheong relaxed his expression and shook his head.
“It’s nothing, just...”
The text window vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. As if on cue, Brice waved his hand.
“Then let’s keep moving.”
Brice led the candidates toward the next location. It was time to conduct the most important part of this examination.
‘Next is weapons.’
Yeon Cheong followed Brice, recalling what would come next.
*
[Tower of Trials, 1st Floor Military Zone — Internal Training Facility Armory]
“We’re short on time, and we don’t have the luxury of training you properly.”
Brice pointed to the deliveryman standing beside him.
“Therefore, we’ll focus exclusively on live combat.”
Training and experience gained through real battles. That was the only way to survive as a deliveryman and grow stronger.
“The man beside me, Kang Tae-wan, is a veteran who has survived three consecutive outings.”
‘Three consecutive outings.’
The number carried weight. Most deliverymen either died on their first excursion or suffered permanent, crippling injuries. Surviving three times in a row meant both exceptional skill and remarkable luck. The fact that he had been thrown back into the field without rest only highlighted how valuable an asset he was.
“Three? That’s nothing special.”
The candidates clicked their tongues and dismissed him. Even though none of them had ever set foot outside the Tower, they still looked down on Kang Tae-wan.
“You’ll understand when you see it.”
Brice ran a hand through his dust-covered hair. Kang Tae-wan let out a sigh.
“Any of you know how to handle bladed weapons? Though it’d be strange if you did.”
Tae-wan gestured toward the weapons displayed beside him. Swords, small knives, hammers, and spears lined the walls or sat in barrels—various cold weapons of every shape and size.
“Pick whichever one catches your eye. There are rare-grade weapons hidden among them.”
“That weapon might be the one you carry for the rest of your life, so choose carefully!”
Lee Na-young added. At her words, the candidates began examining the weapons one by one, running their hands over each. Of course, they were all in similar condition, so touching them offered little real insight.
‘An eye for weapons, the ability to recognize true value.’
The artifact that imitated divine power took the form of some kind of “object.” To find it, one needed a discerning eye for items. Weapons were also crucial for efficiently hunting monsters. Ancient weapons—those forged by the Tower’s master smiths—were still hidden beyond its walls. Grades ranged from Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, Ancient, to Artifact. Artifact-grade weapons were said to carry the power of gods themselves.
‘Finding one is like searching for a needle in a desert.’
Even during his time as a deliveryman, Yeon Cheong had only encountered an Artifact-grade weapon once—and that had been while clashing with a hostile faction of the Tower. The fight had ended in a draw, but if he had pressed the battle to the end, he might have died right there instead of becoming a janitor.
“This one? Or maybe this?”
Jin Hong stared at the weapons with a troubled expression. The visual difference between Common and Rare grades was almost nonexistent, making them nearly impossible to distinguish without a keen eye.
Yeon Cheong picked up a knife caked in sand and dust.
‘This one’s Common...’
Even Yeon Cheong didn’t possess exceptional discernment. Still, his accumulated experience let him roughly gauge quality.
“Cheong! Did you find one?”
“...Not yet.”
Among the scattered weapons, there was definitely one Rare-grade blade. The moment someone claimed it, it would become theirs. This test evaluated both their eye for quality and their choice of personal weapon.
‘There was only one Rare-grade weapon, and the one who took it was...’
Yeon Cheong looked at Jin Hong. The person who had found the Rare weapon was none other than her. Truthfully, it had been pure luck, but she had still managed to locate it.
“Is it this one?”
Jin Hong picked up a single-edged sword with an uncertain gaze. Despite the thick layer of dust, its edge remained sharp. It didn’t look bad at all.
“That’s it.”
Yeon Cheong examined the sword Jin Hong had chosen in detail. At that moment, the same kind of text window he had seen with the Hellhound appeared before his eyes.
Rare-Grade Sword
Time Remaining: 12 hours
‘...?’
This window displayed both grade and time—different from the Hellhound’s, yet fundamentally similar in the information it contained.
‘It even shows grade information...’
When Yeon Cheong looked around, the grades of every weapon in the armory became visible at a glance.
‘Common-grade weapons have far more time remaining than Rare-grade ones. What does it mean?’
He now understood the information, but without knowing how to properly use the time artifact, he still couldn’t decipher what the numbers represented.
“And... this one...”
When Yeon Cheong pulled a dagger buried in the sandy floor, Tae-wan chuckled and stared at him intently.
Epic Grade
A rare Epic-grade knife had been hidden beneath the dust. It looked old and worn, yet the text clearly labeled it Epic.
“Why is this...”
The moment Yeon Cheong picked up the knife, Brice shouted loudly.
“That’s enough! I assume everyone has chosen their weapon?”
At his words, the candidates stopped what they were doing. Jin Hong sheathed the sword she had selected and turned to Yeon Cheong.
“Did you get one?”
“Y-yeah.”
An Epic-grade weapon inside the first-floor training facility? He had never heard of such a thing.
“Kang Tae-wan, speak.”
At Brice’s command, Kang Tae-wan slowly approached Jin Hong, raised her hand, and announced:
“Congratulations on obtaining a Rare-grade weapon.”
“Huh?”
Jin Hong beamed with joy and flashed Yeon Cheong a bright smile.
“Cheong! I got a Rare-grade weapon!”
Her happiness was met with cold, envious stares from the others. Rather than celebration, jealousy and the desire to take it for themselves filled their eyes. The harsher life became, the less room there was for generosity; trust grew scarce. When someone succeeded, others didn’t rejoice—they plotted to steal that success. This was especially common in the impoverished first floor. Jin Hong noticed the hostile gazes and quietly lowered her head.
“What about this bastard? Is that even a weapon?”
When the others saw the old knife Yeon Cheong had chosen, they burst into mocking laughter. Kang Tae-wan stepped in to mediate.
“Everyone, calm down. There’s still another examination ahead.”
“Right. Shut up and follow me. We need to move to the next stage instead of wasting time laughing.”
Brice frowned at the worsening atmosphere and pressed forward. He didn’t have much time. Deliverymen were always in short supply, and he needed fresh recruits as quickly as possible. His goal was to finish the examination swiftly and send them straight into real combat.
“By the way...”
Kang Tae-wan looked at Yeon Cheong. He hadn’t expected anyone to actually find the Epic-grade weapon.
‘That kid’s got a good eye.’
They had deliberately buried it in the sand to make it difficult to find, yet Yeon Cheong had ignored the intact weapons and chosen the hidden one. That choice was unexpected.
“I hope you survive your first outing.”
*
Yeon Cheong turned the Epic-grade knife over in his hands. It was light, perfectly balanced, and its fundamentals felt solid. He liked it immediately.
“Does everyone like their weapon?”
Brice stopped at the edge of the training facility and looked back. Some were satisfied with what they had chosen; others were not. At the very least, Yeon Cheong and Jin Hong were content with theirs.
“If you don’t like it, we can swap them, but...”
At Brice’s words, Lee Na-young coughed and spoke up.
“Not right now. We have to proceed directly to the combat examination.”
At her words, Yeon Cheong realized what the next test would be. It was the combat examination—the flower of the entire selection process. From the moment they applied to become deliverymen, this was the inevitable hurdle they had to face: confronting monsters and emerging victorious.
“Still, we can’t have anyone dying, so we’ll be using weakened Hellhounds. Of course, if their claws catch you properly, you might still die.”
‘Nothing’s changed since then, Senior Na-young.’
Yeon Cheong smiled faintly at her words. Jin Hong stared at his expression for a moment, then pouted.
“Cheong... do you like that unnie?”
“No, it’s just a misunderstanding...”
As Jin Hong continued to pout, Yeon Cheong waved his hands frantically to deny it. Watching them, Brice muttered with satisfaction.
“They say babies are born even in wartime... I wish I had a girlfriend too.”
“You already have a wife, sir.”
“...”
At Lee Na-young’s remark, Brice flinched and scratched his scalp.
“Haha, my head itches all of a sudden.”