Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Tower Lord's Ordeal #8
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⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ "The Tower's Ordeal begins." -Saaah...
A chilling sensation brushed against his skin.
The energy infiltrating his mind soon morphed into terror, making him acutely aware that this was a place he had no business being.
Do-yoon gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the ordeal to come.
First came a hill bathed in pale moonlight.
A landscape somewhat similar to the one he'd seen before.
'Does she like places like this?'
Do-yoon cautiously gauged the Tower Lord's tastes.
-Rustle, rustle.
Stepping over the brown, withered grass as he climbed, the white table from before welcomed him.
Naturally, a guest was already seated there.
"You've come."
"Nice to see you again."
"This isn't exactly good news. Facing me repeatedly like this."
"It's the reward—what can you do."
At those words, the 'black silhouette' tilted its head as it regarded Do-yoon.
"You're not trembling this time, either."
"It's not like I'm going to die."
"Heh, fair point."
The black silhouette found Do-yoon's demeanor in this situation utterly fascinating.
Anyone else would be foaming at the mouth or passing out.
Even if it wasn't the Tower Lord's exact form.
A mere fragmentary presence could inflict fatal damage on Hunters by itself.
'Just where does this courage come from?'
Thus, the black silhouette—the true Jinjo hiding its identity—was deeply curious about Do-yoon's attitude.
"Are you prepared?"
"We're jumping right in?"
"...What, did you have some request?"
"Plenty."
Do-yoon sat down in the seat opposite Jinjo with natural poise.
"Hah."
Jinjo let out a hollow laugh, the whole exchange striking him as ridiculous.
A brief silence followed in that state.
"....?"
Nothing happened, so Do-yoon shot the black silhouette a puzzled look.
'Looks like.'
Jinjo came to a judgment.
In this current dynamic, it would foster a relationship unfavorable to him down the line.
'Gotta set the tone properly.'
With that decided, Jinjo stirred his mana ever so faintly.
"Hunter, it seems I've been taken far too lightly by you."
Thus, he had to make it clear.
What manner of being he was facing one-on-one right now.
-Rumble...!
"....."
And that with a single gesture, he could unleash any phenomenon.
"Far too arrogant, far too nonchalant. You should be on your knees already."
A colossal presence bore down on Do-yoon's shoulders.
-Gurgle.
In an instant, his entire body went numb, circulation cut off.
"You are a Hunter, and I am the Tower's Lord. One day, you must face me—and I must do everything in my power to stop you then."
'What the—why the sudden mood shift.'
Feeling wronged, Do-yoon silently waited for the being to finish speaking.
A magnificent torrent of mana crushing his body.
He'd anticipated it, but it truly made a low-tier Hunter like him feel like a bug.
The vast gulf in their levels hung heavy in the air.
For a split second, he felt like a single mote of cosmic dust.
An overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
Before an indescribable phenomenon, nothing but a pathetic speck that could only take it.
Had he really come here with such a carefree attitude?
'Bullshit.'
If anything, that might be overselling it.
Do-yoon had steeled himself time and again, in his own way.
"...You got time for this right now?"
"What?"
"What the Hunters outside are up to, what schemes they're cooking. You don't know a damn thing about it."
"Insolent fool."
The being's aura thickened even further.
"Urk."
Do-yoon choked out a stifled groan, forcing the words anyway.
"That's why everyone's pinning their hopes on me, yeah? You, the other Tower Lords—hell, you're all just sitting ducks."
"Utterly arrogant. You think yourself some indispensable savior?"
"Nah."
"Then what?"
"It's a waste to squander this shot. You're the Tower Lord—you can do anything in this space. Basically a god, right? So."
-Hoo.
Beyond his blurring vision, Do-yoon drew a ragged breath and pressed on.
"Just one tiny favor. That's it. In exchange, I'll help you mop up those thorns in your side—the ones stirring shit in the Tower. And."
Do-yoon addressed the Gallery's presence—and the Wine Lord, who no longer bothered hiding her identity.
"Everything I've done so far has helped you. Never anything shady."
"...."
-Tap tap tap.
Amid the unrelenting pressure.
Jinjo drummed his index finger, lost in thought.
He struck a contemplative pose, but truthfully, the Wine Lord had intended to help Do-yoon from the start.
He'd entered the ordeal via Hidden Piece reward anyway—the outcome wouldn't have changed.
Still.
'Didn't plan to squeeze him this hard.'
The gaze concealed in the black veil read the resolve burning in Do-yoon's eyes.
Only ever seen his unhinged side in the Gallery—this level of focus was a first.
It chipped away at the Wine Lord's sense of normalcy.
"Truly bold."
-Pop.
As if time resumed from its pause, the crushing pressure lifted from Do-yoon.
"Hah!"
Do-yoon gulped down sweet relief in deep gasps.
'What a vicious bitch.'
Compared to Eira slumbering within him, her temperament was downright poisonous.
"You just thought something rude, didn't you?"
"...Huh? No?"
"Hmph."
Do-yoon desperately pivoted the conversation.
"Anyway, I've had my worries about you, but it's good to see some depth there."
"Thanks for the high marks..."
"But the real ordeal starts now."
"Ah."
"You didn't think you'd snag my precious gift and just waltz off, did you?"
"Pardon?"
Precious gift?
Precious, sure—but part of an embarrassing black mark he couldn't casually mention.
Typical of a notorious armband thug, dropping lines loaded with weird implications.
"Did you organize the tale I shared?"
"Yeah, took notes in my..."
"...You wrote it down?"
"Kidding."
In the instantly frigid air, Do-yoon backpedaled frantically.
"Phew, dodged a bullet. Nearly wiped your memory on the spot."
"That'd be rough."
A chill ran down his spine, goosebumps rising.
With that, onto the next phase.
Time to probe the ordeal itself.
He'd passed the psych eval(?), so now for the main event.
"Well then..."
"That 'thing' on the 15th floor won't coddle you like I have. Key point is..."
"Yes."
"Minimize variables as much as possible."
To avoid instant wipeout from some absurd strike, basic Hunter fundamentals needed resetting first.
"No need for a close scan—I sense it roughly. You've improved since last time."
"Thanks to your expert guidance."
"...Ahem. Natural, with my support."
-Whoosh.
Jinjo's mana seized the space once more.
A different flavor this time, a different vibe.
Do-yoon sensed the moment and rose from his seat.
"But balance isn't perfect. New... er, Hunter. You're stronger than your peers, sure—but that highlights the shaky spots."
"Shaky spots?"
"Indeed."
Jinjo's gaze swept over Do-yoon's frame.
The mana flow had visibly bulked up, but the circuits riddling his body remained unstable.
"Overload is the fix here."
"....?"
"Trust me. Summon that child."
Do-yoon complied, calling forth Eira without hesitation.
A wave of draining fatigue hit, but he had leeway for another use or two.
"Oppa!"
The manifested Eira lunged into Do-yoon's arms.
Or tried to.
"Clinging to instinct alone makes you no better than a beast."
With Jinjo's casual flick, Eira froze in place, shooting him a resentful glare.
"Hey, what gives!"
"No time for cuddles. How long will you play spoiled? Right now, you're just dead weight on the Hu... er, New Hunter."
"What?!"
Eira whipped around to Do-yoon, face wounded.
He shook his head—no malice intended—but the damage stuck, rebounding right back to her.
"Hunter. You won't stall out here, will you?"
"Of course not."
"Then bear it gladly. Pain or no."
"Eek...!"
Do-yoon and Eira settled into stances.
The tension ratcheting up.
They could feel the mana aura pouring from the black silhouette—Jinjo—growing fiercer by the second.
"This is the ordeal arena, forged to spur Hunter growth."
Jinjo extended his right hand.
-Pop.
"Come at me. I'll match your level."
Jinjo took on Do-yoon's training personally.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Ugh, damn."
Once the grueling session wrapped, Do-yoon vented amid bone-deep exhaustion.
No stamina left, no mana reserves.
Jinjo had wrung him dry, limit after merciless limit.
"No mercy."
He'd known he couldn't touch her littlest toe.
The real shock? Her control—reading him better than he read himself, down to the finest detail.
Perfectly, masterfully led by the nose.
Do-yoon had been utterly dismantled, tailored precisely to Jinjo's whims.