Jin-ho's Resolve
Yoo Ji-sung had unilaterally decided to become close friends with Jin-ho Lee, yet he kept watching the man anyway.
“He’ll reach the tenth floor in no time. Damn it, is that guy even human? He’s climbed all the way to the ninth floor without showing a single sign of fatigue.”
Yoo Ji-sung glared at Jin-ho Lee in irritation. The swordsman had already reached the final stretch of the ninth floor, arriving at the altar guarded by the goblin shaman and his tribe. He would surely smash the altar to prove his worth and move on to the final stage. A mountain of gifts already waited for him on the tenth floor, but Yoo Ji-sung wasn’t satisfied.
“Roa, dose the goblins with enhancers. Slap every buff you can on them.”
Buffs are restricted for tenth-floor monsters.
“Who doesn’t know that? Push them right up to the limit.”
Yoo Ji-sung ground his teeth, face twisted with frustration. He had worked so hard to see Jin-ho Lee broken, yet even this failed to faze the man. There were restrictions because it was still the tutorial, but Yoo Ji-sung had ten years of experience running the Tower. Having all of it ignored left a bitter taste.
‘When he collapsed that building and set it on fire in the eighth floor, I thought he was insane. Crazy bastard. I put so much effort into designing that course just for you, my friend.’
The eighth floor was built around infiltrating a massive abandoned building and quietly eliminating monsters. Any loud noise would bring hordes down on the intruder. It would have been difficult for ordinary Conquerors, but for Jin-ho Lee it should have been certain death. Instead the man had smashed the building from the outside without ever stepping inside. It was infuriating. Almost disappointing.
Still, the ninth floor would only take time; he would clear it without issue. “The real surprise is waiting on the tenth floor, so look forward to it. Roa, you’re recording everything until Jin-ho Lee finishes the tutorial, right?”
Affirmative.
“Good. I’ll fill in whatever gaps I still have about him later. Time to get back to work.”
Yoo Ji-sung scanned the entire tutorial with a sour expression. Aside from Jin-ho Lee, the highest anyone else had reached was the fifth floor; most were still stuck on the third or had only just entered the fourth. Seeing their disheveled, broken states finally eased his mood. Kairas, however, did not seem pleased.
Do not forget your purpose. Your goal is to raise Conquerors.
“I know. That’s exactly what I’m doing. Jin-ho Lee is already past the tutorial stage. The others? Not many have died yet. You know how much hell people normally go through just to reach the fourth floor.”
Yoo Ji-sung focused on the figure currently on the fifth floor. ‘Who the hell is that?’
The climber wasn’t on Jin-ho Lee’s level, but the speed was still impressive. Yet no matter how hard he searched his memory, Yoo Ji-sung couldn’t recall this person.
“Kairas. Who is that?”
Jane Miller.
“Jane Miller?”
A blonde woman with blue eyes wielding two daggers. Yoo Ji-sung frowned as he repeated the name. “She doesn’t look like someone I wouldn’t remember. She fights well.”
She was also a promising candidate. She died tragically before clearing the third floor in the past, but she is highly capable.
“Third floor.”
Yoo Ji-sung’s gaze turned serious. Using his ten years of memories, Kairas had already selected and sent in every promising individual he could. If Kairas had been given more time, far more talented newcomers would have arrived. Yoo Ji-sung studied Jane Miller closely. With her current skill, she should never have died on the third floor. He leaned back against his chair.
“She probably tried to do something beyond her abilities and got herself killed, right?”
Kairas gave no answer. All floors were shared among the Conquerors; they fought together. In a Tower filled with every kind of person, political maneuvering and scheming were inevitable. Many had also burned themselves out playing the hero. Yoo Ji-sung nodded in understanding and chuckled.
“I’m actually doing pretty well, aren’t I? Even someone who should have died before blooming got to live.”
She would surely reach the eleventh floor and beyond. Convinced of that, Yoo Ji-sung continued surveying the tutorial. People he had known and people he hadn’t were all climbing. Most of those he remembered had become rankers in the Tower. Yet among the unknowns, some were already surpassing even those future rankers.
“Interesting. The future really has changed.”
The moment he became master of the Tower and expelled Markrun, the changes had begun. The Tower had been remade and now worked with the resistance. The final standout talents were climbing right now. Everything deviated from the future he knew, yet Yoo Ji-sung felt excitement rather than fear.
“Doesn’t matter. They’re all still in the palm of my hand. The big picture hasn’t changed.”
Marknus would invade eventually. As long as he prepared for that one certain future, everything would be fine. Unlike Jin-ho Lee, who had bulldozed through everything, the other Conquerors were struggling. After ordering Roa to remember several of them, Yoo Ji-sung turned back to Jin-ho Lee.
“Oh! He finally reached the tenth floor?”
Yoo Ji-sung cheered as he watched Jin-ho Lee smash the altar. The moment the ninth floor cleared, the man had headed straight for the tenth. It was almost sickening how relentless he was. But now he would finally receive the gift Yoo Ji-sung had poured his heart into preparing. He couldn’t wait to see how shocked Jin-ho Lee would be.
‘So this is the tenth floor. The final stage of the tutorial.’
The moment Jin-ho Lee stepped onto the tenth floor, a quest window appeared.
Tutorial: Final Chapter
📍 Objective: Slay the Goblin Warrior and Shaman, rulers and tyrants of the tenth floor.
🎁 Description: You have successfully completed the tutorial and reached the final gate. Defeat the Goblin Warrior and Shaman to end the tutorial.
Standing in the coliseum, Jin-ho Lee surveyed his surroundings. Totems of every kind stood packed across the barren sand. The sound of chains rang out from the front, followed by an ear-splitting roar. Jin-ho Lee tightened the straps on his shield and gripped his sword firmly. The iron bars ahead slid open. The monsters had not yet shown themselves, but from their cries he could tell there were two. Their presence felt different from anything he had faced before; he could not afford to relax.
“So these are the boss monsters.”
The creatures that emerged beneath the blue sky looked ferocious. Their muscles bulged like balloons, veins stood out starkly, and saliva dripped from their mouths. Their bloodshot eyes held nothing but hostility. They were still only waist-high goblins—the same creatures Jin-ho Lee had slaughtered countless times to reach this point. Yet these two were different.
‘This might actually be tough.’
As the thought crossed his mind, the Goblin Warrior, wielding a sword as long as its own body, charged. The ground shook with a single leap, sand exploding outward like a wall. Jin-ho Lee clenched his teeth at the sight. ‘Stronger than I expected!’
He stepped forward, sword held steady. The warrior closed the distance in an instant and brought its massive blade down. Jin-ho Lee met the strike with his shield at an angle. The impact forced his knees to buckle, but he redirected the force along the shield’s surface and thrust his own blade toward the goblin’s neck. The warrior dodged with a mocking laugh and reached for his throat. Jin-ho Lee spun and slammed his shield into its face.
The enhanced goblin still screamed from the blow. Just as the buffs and drugs had strengthened it, his own levels had strengthened him. The warrior was hurled backward. ‘Manageable. Its physical abilities are superior, but it’s simple.’
Flames erupted from the shaman’s staff, skulls dangling from it. A fireball hurtled toward him. Jin-ho Lee sprinted straight at the shaman, ducking low. The projectile missed, but the heat from its detonation still scorched his hair. A direct hit would have left nothing behind. The shaman’s physical strength was weak, so Jin-ho Lee charged straight for it—only to find the creature already preparing its next spell.
‘Already finished casting?’
He had believed he knew every weakness of goblins after climbing this far. No shaman he remembered could prepare magic this quickly. Clicking his tongue, Jin-ho Lee swung his sword, accepting that he would take damage. He barely twisted his neck aside and avoided the hastily thrown fireball. Certain of victory, he thrust toward the shaman’s neck—only for his blade to be blocked by the staff. The shaman sneered. Jin-ho Lee’s assumption that the shaman was physically weak shattered. The warrior’s return forced him to retreat.
‘Is this really a boss meant to be cleared?’
His mind raced. Sweating coldly, he scanned the arena and spotted the totems lining the walls. The warrior’s broken nose straightened and the shaman’s chipped staff repaired itself. When the shaman began casting again, Jin-ho Lee caught a faint shimmer. ‘The totems are the key!’
A nearly invisible haze spread from the totems, linking to the goblins and granting them regeneration and strength. Destroying the totems would guarantee his win. But he didn’t want that. ‘Breaking them would make the fight easy. Is that really the answer?’
He knew the Tower only grew harsher the higher one climbed. Up to the ninth floor the difficulty had come from the environment and hidden elements. Monsters like these would become common. Stronger ones would appear. Jin-ho Lee exhaled. He unstrapped his shield and dropped it, gripping his sword with both hands. The sword style passed down through his family. He had not needed it until now. That had changed.
“Come.”
The warrior lunged the instant the words left his mouth. Without the shield, its movements were far more fluid. The family technique required both hands. Power surged through the blade as he swung. Air tore. Fireballs flew. Jin-ho Lee stepped aside, letting the warrior’s sword strike empty sand, then twisted away from the shaman’s spell. He poured strength into his two-handed grip and slashed diagonally.
The warrior’s chest split open. Even as the wound began closing rapidly, Jin-ho Lee calmly raised his sword again. “Sea Cleaver.”
The warrior tried to block the descending blade, but it was too late. Its body split cleanly in two and collapsed. The shaman shrieked. Jin-ho Lee’s cold gaze never wavered. For a moment he thought he heard someone’s furious roar echoing in his ears.