Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Tower's Master (1)
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Kim Tae-woon glanced over as I gripped my sword.
“Since we're asking questions, let me ask one more. Have you ever been taught how to use a sword?”
Kim Tae-woon said it had been a year since he’d Awakened.
Most Awakened Ones receive training from their guilds after Awakening.
I’d heard that while it varied by guild, the training period averaged about six months to a year.
Awakened Ones were, quite literally, ordinary people who one day suddenly started seeing status windows and gained the qualification to enter dungeons and become Hunters.
Let's be realistic.
If you were suddenly told to kill someone, could you do it?
Unless you were a psychopath or some freak who fantasized about murder, most people would hesitate even if you handed them a knife and told them to kill a living creature, let alone a person.
The people of this world were no different.
Completing the formal training allowed one to officially work as a Hunter. But being able to work as a Hunter and actually being useful in a life-threatening dungeon were two entirely different matters.
Reality isn't a game.
That's what it meant to put your life on the line.
The reason the other four, excluding me, had moved with textbook precision in the 'Goblin Village' was because they had already received sufficient preliminary knowledge and training from their guilds before even completing the Association's training.
Having practiced dozens of times, their coordination was bound to be flawless, even in a team of strangers, no matter who their opponents were.
Kim Tae-woon was the same.
Having joined a guild, Kim Tae-woon had clearly received several months of sword training.
Watching his movements, it was obvious he'd been trained more meticulously than the others.
I answered nonchalantly, keeping an eye on the approaching goblins.
“Who knows. Let's just call it a survival skill. More importantly, is that really your last question?”
“I'm asking because it might be the last.”
“Let me be clear. I have no intention of dying.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then we’d better survive.”
The goblins charged. I smoothly parried a goblin's sword with one hand.
I twisted my body slightly and jumped back and to the side.
A goblin swinging an axe, aiming for my back, lost its balance and ended up striking the goblin in front of it.
The axe-wielding goblin ignored the one with the sword and snarled. It seemed the axe goblin was the superior.
‘This is so damn messed up.’
I barely escaped the gods, only to fall into a dimension that's similar to the reality I remember, yet different.
Just when I thought I was starting to adapt, I end up in this error-ridden Tower of Trials.
‘Alright, how should I handle this?’
I gave up on attacking and focused solely on dodging.
I did my best to evade, but my body couldn't keep up, and the wounds were slowly accumulating.
Suddenly, the goblins retreated. Seeing the main goblin troop, I quickly backed away.
Dozens of arrows rained down on Kim Tae-woon and me.
The tips of the incoming arrowheads glinted.
‘Poison arrows.’
Thankfully, it seemed my physical body and my kinetic vision were separate matters.
I gave up on deflecting the arrows and retreated as far as I could.
“Keoheuk!”
Unlike me, Kim Tae-woon, who had overexerted himself to block the arrows, fell to his knees.
Three or four goblins rushed toward Kim Tae-woon.
I wanted to help, but my own situation was just as dire.
Kim Tae-woon, who specialized in physical enhancement, used his remaining mana to block the goblins' attacks.
A relatively small goblin plunged a dagger into Kim Tae-woon's side.
As it pulled the dagger out, a massive amount of blood gushed from the wound. The goblin didn't stop, plunging the dagger in again.
The moment I saw a large axe being raised, I dodged a goblin's attack and briefly closed my eyes, then opened them again.
“Help… me…”
The sight of him tearing his clothes to bind his hand to his sword, trying to survive somehow, was truly pathetic.
Even after Kim Tae-woon was dead, the goblins continued to mutilate his corpse for quite some time.
Kim Tae-woon and I had survived the longest and killed the most goblins.
The goblins, blinded by vengeance, wouldn't let him die peacefully. I swung my sword. My whole body screamed.
I knew I was overdoing it, but I moved relentlessly. It had been a long time since I'd had a fight like this.
Rather than fear, I felt a laugh bubbling up.
One, two… the corpses around me multiplied. The goblins grew wary.
The area was stained with blood and chunks of flesh.
It was impossible to tell whether the blood was human or monster.
A goblin threw a crudely severed arm in front of me. It was Kim Tae-woon's arm.
I guess it meant I was next.
Or not? Whatever.
The goblins surrounded me.
I could see a goblin drawing a bowstring behind the others.
I'd been lucky to dodge all the poison arrows, but there was no guarantee I could do it again.
The goblin that had thrown the severed arm at me charged first.
I hurled the sword in my hand at the goblin as if it were a spear.
The sword I threw struck the goblin squarely in the eye.
The goblin, not expecting me to throw my sword, shrieked in surprise.
Seeing my hands were now empty, the other goblins charged. They probably thought it was my last-ditch effort.
“This is driving me crazy!”
I can't use that sword anymore. It wasn't a great sword to begin with, and it was on the verge of breaking.
Ignoring the goblins, I ran headlong deeper inside.
The rest of the party was dead. There was no need to even confirm it.
‘Run for the gate!’
I didn't know if it was a gate, but I was certain it was the entrance to the tower.
There was a reason I was desperately running toward the tower.
It was because of the message I'd seen when the goblins first appeared.
‘The tower's master? Me?’
At the time, I was too preoccupied to give it much thought, but as the situation grew more desperate, my mind started racing.
Let me be clear, I've never owned anything like a tower.
So where in the world did this tower and this unknown space come from?
Question: Of the four people who entered the dungeon, pick the one who's the most out of place.
‘It's obviously me!! I thought I was running from the damned gods. What the hell is this?!’
Lamenting my fate in a thousand different ways, I dodged the goblins' attacks and barely reached the gate.
I placed my hand on the gate and, just as I did when the goblins appeared, I infused it with mana.
A part of the massive gate flashed and began to glow.
[The Tower of Trials recognizes its master.]
[This dimension has been neglected for too long and requires restoration.]
The goblins recoiled from the sudden light. In that gap, notification windows popped up relentlessly.
Among the dizzying notifications, the one that stood out the most was a skill called [Advent].
[You can use 'Advent'.]
‘Advent?’
Who in the world am I supposed to summon?
I had no idea what was happening, but I couldn't think of any other way out.
It was far better to try something and die than to just die like this.
[Summoning ???.]
[This vessel recognizes the master of the soul.]
[You are ……]
“Huh? What did it say?”
I saw the words flash by and doubted my eyes.
I glanced up at the seemingly endless tower. At the same time, dozens of arrows rained down on me.
“What the hell!”
Dodge first, think later.
[You are currently in the 'Advent' state.]
[You can temporarily use the power of a god.]
[The connection is unstable.]
[Power is limited.]
The moment the arrows fell, I leaped high into the air and swiped away the status windows obscuring my vision.
‘Never thought I'd see the day I'd have to use Advent on myself.’
My soul had once ascended to godhood. But this body wasn't my own, so I couldn't wield the full extent of a god's power.
The dust settled, and a goblin looked up as if it had spotted me high in the air. A look of bewilderment crossed the goblins' faces.
I landed on one foot and picked up a sword from the ground. My body felt frighteningly good. But feeling good didn't mean my body was in a normal state.
I could figure out what the tower behind me was later.
“First, let's deal with this.”
My mind became incredibly clear, and my field of vision widened.
As I took a stance, the goblins snorted as if to say I was pathetic.
* * *
After beheading the last remaining goblin, I threw the sword to the ground.
[The effect of 'Advent' has worn off.]
I collapsed to the ground, unable to go on. No joke, that was a really close call.
Lying down at the entrance, which was piled with goblin corpses, I stared up at the sky.
The endless tower soaring into the black sky. Unluckily, I was reminded of the dream I had right before entering the dungeon.
I passed out.
I wondered if it was even possible to lose consciousness in that situation, but it just showed how much I had pushed myself.
The sky was still pitch-black.
Even though I had lost consciousness and woken up, there was no sign that any time had passed.
It felt like I'd been thrown into the middle of space.
It was a relief that I hadn't died, but surviving definitely didn't mean it was all over.
The large gate was still glowing.
When I placed my hand on the gate, text appeared before my eyes.
[You are currently the master of the tower.]
“So, since when, exactly?”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
I swear, I've never owned a tower.
I had a feeling I'd forgotten something, but that was it.
Since I couldn't remember, there was no way to know what I'd forgotten.
I felt the need to find out more about the tower.
At that moment, another notification rang out.
[You have acquired the qualification to challenge for the position of Dimensional Ruler.]
“What's this now?”
[Secure a large amount of Contribution Points before the day of the decisive battle.]
[The 'Dimensional Ruler' becomes the master of all gods.]
[Location: Dimension R-1354]
When I pressed the (View) button, a part of that dimension became visible, like watching a security camera.
It was a scene from inside a pub in a bustling district, with familiar Hangul signs.
In the crowded pub, a group of people was drinking together.
I could see Choi Soo-hyun among the drunken people. I wasn't sure, but it looked like a team dinner.
“What's that guy doing over there?”
I muttered to myself, completely dumbfounded.