Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 20
The Tower's 3rd floor climbing test site.
Team Leader Park Tae-hyeon led the guides and set up a checkpoint at the entrance of the test site.
"Let everyone pass except mages. If they're mages, cross-check their name and face with what they registered when entering The Tower. Also check the date."
"Yes sir."
After giving orders to the guides, Team Leader Park crossed his arms and carefully observed the climbers coming and going through the checkpoint.
'To climb to The Tower's 4th floor, they have to take the test here.'
Although there are several other climbing methods besides the Immigration Management Office's test, if the goal is a 'new record', they'll definitely come here.
This is the only test site where the association recognizes records.
So if he guards in front of this test site, he'll definitely be able to meet the owner of the new record—that was his judgment.
It's a method that anyone other than Team Leader Park Tae-hyeon would have taken.
However, if there was a problem.
'There are damn so many of them.'
Team Leader Park sighed as he looked at the crowds flocking to the test site.
The number of people challenging the climb easily exceeds ten thousand per day.
Even at this very moment, climbers were gathering in front of the test site, forming long lines.
But he couldn't grab each and every one of them for interrogation.
Therefore, Team Leader Park Tae-hyeon chose the method of intensively picking out only the 'mages' among the climbing challengers.
Because there was testimony that the owner of the new record was a mage.
"Remember clearly. Mage, male, height over 180. Korean."
"Yes sir."
Team Leader Park Tae-hyeon repeatedly reminded the guides including Min-young.
At that moment, a man caught Team Leader Park Tae-hyeon's eye.
'......!'
An appearance that perfectly matched the requirements delivered by the management office.
He was tall and looked Korean, plus he was wearing a robe like mages do.
Team Leader Park grabbed him and began questioning.
"Excuse me. Is your profession by any chance a mage?"
"......"
At Team Leader Park's question, the man slowly shook his head and raised his hand.
A fist raised high into the sky.
SWOOSH-.
In an instant, energy gathered in his fist and he shot something like a palm strike into the air.
THUD-.
Team Leader Park sighed inwardly as he watched this.
'Damn, was he a martial artist?'
"I apologize. You may pass."
The man nodded and passed by Team Leader Park.
"Damn. Just how long do I have to keep doing this?"
While Team Leader Park sighed and grumbled after coming up empty-handed.
"......"
The guide standing beside him, Min-young, froze in place.
The sight of someone glancing at her and waving a small hand as if glad to see her.
It was definitely Lee Seo-jin.
Meanwhile, Seo-jin, who had put quite some distance between them, smiled slightly as he observed Min-young's reaction.
'Fortunately, it seems she hasn't told anyone.'
Min-young, who continues to keep quiet about Seo-jin's secret, whether due to the administrator's threat or not.
She must be suffering mentally. I should give her a gift later.
Seo-jin safely passed through the checkpoint and entered the test site.
The inside of the test site is an area managed by the AI BABEL, so the association's influence doesn't reach directly.
Having caught his breath, Seo-jin finished the test procedures and waited for his turn in the waiting room, blankly staring at the electronic board.
'What was the 3rd floor test again?'
TING- TING-.
[35/100]
[36/100]
Numbers going up one by one.
They're waiting for 100 people challenging the test to gather.
Only then did Seo-jin recall the content of the 3rd floor test.
'Survival...... it was survival.'
Seo-jin looked at the terminal assigned for the test.
The 3rd floor test was, if he remembered correctly, a test where they designate a certain section of The Tower as a test site and you survive there as long as possible.
Since only the top 5 out of 100 people could receive tickets to the next floor, it was quite a high-difficulty test.
The difficulty jumped drastically compared to the 2nd floor test, which was just about having decent stats and beating up scarecrows.
But it wasn't particularly strange.
'The recommended difficulty for the 3rd floor test is level 30.'
Since the required experience points increase as the level gets higher, to reach level 30, you'd need to roll around on the 3rd floor for at least several months.
Since only climbers who had accumulated various experiences and understanding of skills through that process would challenge this test, it was natural that it was difficult.
Seo-jin examined the faces of the people gathered in the waiting room.
'They've all already finished their job change quests, and their equipment condition isn't too shabby either.'
Compared to Seo-jin, who hadn't even completed the Black Mage job change, let alone equipped a single crafted item, they had quite a serious appearance.
As Seo-jin was briefly looking around the waiting room, he heard Hyeon-wol's voice from beside him.
[It's bustling with people. It's been a while since I've felt this atmosphere.]
Hyeon-wol flew around Seo-jin's vicinity with a slightly excited face.
Seo-jin smiled slightly at the sight.
"Were you lonely all this time?"
[Well, yes. I was trapped in a book for a long time.]
"Do you remember anything by any chance? Like your hometown or old times."
At Seo-jin's question, Hyeon-wol shook her head with a dejected face.
[Not particularly. If I go to the place where I lived...... I might remember a little.]
"What floor is it?"
[60th floor. It's a romantic world dominated by martial arts and chivalry. At the same time, it's a cruel and sad world.]
"......"
Indeed, as she said.
The martial arts world is overflowing with dreams and romance while being utterly cruel.
It was while he was having such a conversation with Hyeon-wol.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"
A good-natured man cautiously approached Seo-jin.
A white man with a broadly smiling impression. His blonde hair slicked back with hair mousse and prominently exposed forehead were striking.
Seo-jin readily answered.
"Time? I have plenty of time."
Since they're waiting for 100 test participants to gather anyway.
"That's fortunate. My name is Vernon. I have a good proposal before the test, would you like to hear it?"
"A proposal. Let's hear it."
When Seo-jin agreed, Vernon showed his fingers and continued speaking.
"Yes, my proposal is to form a team to pass this test together. Five people. I've already found the other three."
"A team? What kind of team?"
When Seo-jin tilted his head, Vernon frowned as if disappointed.
"Ah...... did you perhaps not know?"
Forming teams in the 3rd floor test is basic knowledge among climbers.
There was a high probability he was either a lousy guy who didn't bother to gather information, or a country bumpkin who knew nothing.
Reading Vernon's reaction, Seo-jin pretended not to know and asked.
"A team? Isn't this test individual survival?"
Vernon forced a good-natured smile and answered.
"Ahaha, that's true. But ultimately, those who pass the test are the final 5 people. You don't necessarily need to be 1st place. That's why a team is necessary. Strong teammates to seize victory together."
"I see."
Although his intention to recruit had completely disappeared, Vernon decided to ask about his profession out of courtesy.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your profession?"
"Profession?"
After thinking for a moment, Seo-jin answered truthfully.
"Mage."
At Seo-jin's answer, Vernon suppressed his laughter internally.
'A mage? A mage, you say?'
Reaching level 30 with a high-difficulty profession like mage is certainly impressive.
But a mage of that level wouldn't be much help in this test.
Moreover, in survival combat taking place in the jungle, a slow mage would be nothing but a hindrance.
Having finished his calculations, Vernon withdrew the proposal he had made to Seo-jin.
"Haha, this is unfortunate. We already have a mage on our team."
Seo-jin snorted inwardly as he looked at Vernon's awkward smile.
'Like hell you do.'
He probably wants to filter him out since he seems like someone ignorant of the world and is a mage.
"I'm sorry it turned out this way after I approached you first. Well then, excuse me."
Vernon greeted Seo-jin and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and turned his head.
"Oh, if I may give you some meddlesome advice, it would be good to form a team as quickly as possible. If you leave it late, only 'trash' will remain."
Vernon's eyes glittered coldly, unlike his smiling mouth.
Probably, Seo-jin was also included in that 'trash'.
Reading Vernon's intention, Seo-jin lightly nodded and opened his mouth.
"I'll keep that in mind. Then may I also give you some advice?"
Seo-jin slowly reached out his hand and pointed at Vernon's mouth, which was making a fake smile.
"It would be good not to run your mouth carelessly. It's always light and false tongues that bring disaster."
"......"
Instead of answering, Vernon smiled coldly.
He left for where the other climbers were.
Hyeon-wol crossed her arms with displeasure as she watched his retreating figure.
[What an unpleasant fellow. He seems to be hiding something.]
Seo-jin lay down on the waiting room chair as if it didn't matter.
"Whatever he's hiding doesn't matter. And truly strong people don't huddle together like that. Like me. Only losers like him flock together because they're scared."
[......Isn't it just that there are no people around you because of that bad personality of yours?]
"Shut up, you ghost."
What a loose tongue.
While bickering with Hyeon-wol, time gradually passed and all 100 test participants were filled.
During that time, the climbers gathered among themselves in groups of five to form teams.
Like the unsettling man's advice earlier, the strong ones formed teams with other strong ones to increase their probability of passing the test.
On the other hand, the weak ones who weren't chosen naturally remained, and they too inevitably formed teams or faced the test alone.
Although Seo-jin chose to be alone by himself, coincidentally many others ended up alone as well.
Seo-jin smiled slightly as he looked at those gathered in groups of three or five.
'Anyway, forming teams doesn't have much meaning in this test.'
The locations where you're transported within the test site are random.
Even if you verbally agree to accompany each other, there's no guarantee you'll be able to stick together.
Also, it's common to be attacked and eliminated before grouping up, and betrayal is also a common occurrence.
If possible, it might be better to move alone like Seo-jin.
Seo-jin spent time looking around at the test participants for a while, and the test start time was gradually approaching.
'Shall I get going?'
Just as Seo-jin got up from his seat.
BUMP-.
Someone hit Seo-jin's shoulder and passed by.
"What? Don't block the way and get lost."
A man with a build as large as a sumo wrestler was looking down at Seo-jin with scary eyes.
And beside him.
"Oh my, it's regrettable that you still haven't formed a team."
Vernon, who had just proposed forming a team, was standing there grinning.
Seo-jin looked up at Vernon and the big guy standing next to him and asked.
"Is this lard lump one of the strong people you mentioned?"
"Yes, at least he's more reliable than those trash or you."
Along with those words, Vernon pointed to people gathered in one corner of the waiting room.
Four people who couldn't form teams until the very end and were left behind.
They were dropouts consisting of siblings who looked young at first glance, an old man with gray hair, and a small man with a limp.
They seemed to have gathered with firm resolve, but the anxiety in their trembling eyes couldn't be hidden.
Vernon said.
"If the dropouts who weren't chosen and remained until the very end aren't trash, then what would they be?"
Hyeon-wol glared at Vernon and said to Seo-jin.
[What a fellow with a rag in his mouth. You can't find any chivalry (俠) in him. Are you going to just stay still after hearing such talk?]
"......"
Seo-jin closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
He's not a good enough person to be moved by Hyeon-wol's words and help those people.
Also, he doesn't act without benefit, and he doesn't have the vessel of a great hero to help dropouts who deserve to fail the test.
But.
He's also not saint enough to just leave alone a bastard who's showing off without knowing how scary the world is.
"Whew."
Seo-jin swept back his drooping bangs.
Then he threw his test terminal to the boy in the dropout group.
"Hey. Enter mine too."
"What? Ah. Yes, y-yes."
The boy who caught Seo-jin's thrown terminal in bewilderment.
He shared communication numbers and location information with Seo-jin.
Seo-jin took back the terminal and approached Vernon, speaking quietly.
"Wash your neck and wait. Butter head."
Seo-jin's chilly gaze.
Vernon leisurely received this with a smile.
"Huhu. Let's see you try."
FLASH-.
In an instant, along with the announcement, bright light enveloped their vision.
[The test begins. Transporting to the test site.]