Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: 5화
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Tower Never Gives Impossible Trials
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The tower never gives impossible trials.
That was Lee Soo-hyuk's long-held belief from conquering the tower over many years, and the conclusion proven by countless players.
It was the same this time.
There was some way to fight and win against several goblins. Their necks were much thinner and softer than a human's, so slicing them wasn't difficult.
Dodging that many awls and poison needles was nearly impossible, but theoretically, it was somehow doable.
However.
The Orc King was a different story.
'An opponent impossible to take down in a frontal clash.'
Watching Lee Soo-hyuk tackle the Orc King, Hueger felt a chill run down his spine.
'Was that the answer?'
The moment he confirmed the final trial's opponent, Lee Soo-hyuk scanned the goblin corpses strewn across the floor.
In that brief interval, he had uncovered the solution to this trial.
'The goblin corpses don't vanish until the trial ends. The answer was hidden in that system we took for granted.'
The poison-coated awls and needles wielded by the goblins.
Lee Soo-hyuk had the broad vision to think of using them to hunt the Orc King.
And moreover.
'He targeted the legs right from the start.'
Two poison needles embedded in the Orc King's legs.
Afterward, he relentlessly hurled awls and poison needles at the Orc King's legs.
Instinctively determining that stripping its mobility was key to this final trial.
And furthermore.
"......A genius."
His talents extended far beyond mere sword mastery.
Whoosh-.
Thud, thud-.
The goblin awls he casually snatched up and flung embedded directly into both of the Orc King's eyes.
"Wow."
An exclamation burst from Hueger's lips.
Forgetting his knightly dignity, he glanced around and cleared his throat awkwardly at his own childlike awe.
But what Lee Soo-hyuk had just demonstrated was that astonishing.
'He precisely struck a moving target's eyes from that range.'
Had he trained intensively in throwing arts with some assassin guild?
No, even that didn't explain it.
Not a single awl he'd thrown so far had missed.
Sizzle-!
The Orc King clutched its eyes with both hands, shrieking in agony.
Legs first, then eyes. Lee Soo-hyuk aimed to rob its mobility before its vision, leaving it helpless.
Swift judgment.
Above all, that pinpoint throwing skill on a moving target's legs and eyes bordered on the divine.
'Genius? No, is that enough to explain it?'
Swordplay that felled goblins effortlessly, combined with throwing awls dead-on target.
Mind-boggling.
He had encountered countless participants in this place.
Even Isaac, who joined today's trial, and others hailed as geniuses among them.
But what was this guy?
'Is he really Lee Soo-hyuk reincarnated?'
Groooaaarrr-!
The bellowing Orc King.
But with poison coursing through its legs and its eyes lost, it posed no further threat.
"It's over."
Swing, whoosh-.
It swung its massive club, but to no avail.
A limping, blinded Orc King could never catch the agile Lee Soo-hyuk, who masterfully controlled the distance.
Step-.
Expertly widening the gap, Lee Soo-hyuk wedged another poison needle scavenged from the goblin corpses between his fingers.
Mobility and vision stripped—now there was only one task left.
Psh, psh, psh-!
'Turn it into a pincushion.'
Simply cook that hulking prey nice and slow.
"That's not how you throw it."
Kim Ye-ryeong, one of Blue Eyes' members, had been spectating Lee Soo-hyuk's throwing practice before approaching.
"Want your big sis to show you?"
She was a throwing specialist.
Her skills outshone even the famed rankers of the Sacheon Tang Clan, letting her dispatch countless foes without a trace.
At first, it bruised his pride.
But in the end, Lee Soo-hyuk nodded at her words.
"Yes, sis."
Her crumpled expression at those words was still fresh in his mind.
Shuddering in disgust, Kim Ye-ryeong assumed her stance and picked up a pen.
The pen she tossed lightly pierced straight through a steel plate, and she remarked.
'Any weapon can become a throwing knife if you know its center of gravity.'
Thud, thud, thud-!
The poison needles stabbing into the Orc King's body.
True to his initial goal, Lee Soo-hyuk methodically embedded them across its frame.
'Power scales with spin. Accuracy drops in proportion to hesitation.'
That was Ye-ryeong's creed.
Thanks to her, Lee Soo-hyuk had awakened to the art of throwing.
Pook-.
Landing poison needles on the immobilized Orc King was no challenge.
No major wounds required.
The myriad tiny punctures mattered little; it was the massive dose of goblin poison that would snuff its life.
Thud-.
At last, the Orc King's knees buckled, its tenacious vitality waning.
No matter its vaunted life force, hundreds of poison needles spelled doom.
One by one, non-lethal—but that volume of venom changed everything.
Gurgle, grrr-.
Collapsed forward, the Orc King convulsed violently.
Clang-.
Lee Soo-hyuk retrieved the sword he'd first dropped to the floor.
Sensing the intruder's closing presence, the Orc King lurched upright, only to stagger.
And toward that near-corpse's neck.
Psh-.
Lee Soo-hyuk plunged the blade in.
Gack-.
Emitting a death-rattle as its body spasmed wildly, the Orc King.
Thud-.
Finally toppled fully sideways.
Half-dead from poison, the throat-pierced Orc King met its end instantly.
Lee Soo-hyuk struggled to yank the sword free from the Orc King's neck, muttering.
"Damn thing won't budge."
Its hide was so tough that extracting the embedded blade took real effort.
To toss a beast like this into the tutorial.
Without the goblins' poison, ending it would've been a nightmare, he thought.
"......Wow."
A string of messages flooded in, drawing an exclamation from Lee Soo-hyuk.
Nine levels.
Three stats per level meant a total of 27 stats gained.
A more generous reward than expected.
He could accept that much.
But the final 1,000 achievement points were truly unforeseen.
'A thousand goblin points.'
Totaling 2,425 achievement points.
Even clearing up to stage 20 yielded only about 210 points—this was well over ten times that.
'What can I even buy with this?'
The Tutorial shop.
It only displayed items matching the points a participant had earned.
The cheapest listings started at 5 points. Thus, those who cleared just stage 1 left empty-handed.
2,400 achievement points.
Lee Soo-hyuk had never dreamed of amassing this much in the Tutorial.
Shwooo-.
A long shop interface unfurled.
Items listed as long as Lee Soo-hyuk was tall, with additional pages beyond.
The system showed pricier rewards lower down and on subsequent pages.
'Cheapest at 5 points. Way at the bottom... around 200 points.'
From normal-grade items to F-rank skills and mysterious materials.
The Tutorial shop brimmed with diverse rewards.
The Tutorial's record stood at 28 stages. Naturally, Lee Soo-hyuk was viewing a shop no one had ever seen.
"Crazy... they sell this?"
Flipping to the page past 1,000 points, he finally voiced his shock.
# Grade:Rare# Type:Weapon
An item crafted by the demon swordsmith Kindre. Kindre never names his failures. Consumes the user's stamina and mental power to enhance the blade's cutting power and physical abilities.
- Price: 1,000 achievement points
'To think I'd see a Kindre piece here.'
Kindre.
A renowned demon sword craftsman among players.
One of the tower's top three blacksmiths, though even his real name was unknown.
Demon swords carried the risk of draining stamina and mental power, but their power drew many seekers.
However.
'Handling this right now would be too much.'
Regrettably, demon swords didn't suit Lee Soo-hyuk.
'Considering the Lightning I'll get later, what I need isn't a demon sword—it's a holy sword.'
Demon swords offered immense power at the cost of stamina, while holy swords sacrificed power to protect the user.
Due to Lightning, he had no choice but holy swords. Boosting stamina even slightly was essential, not optional.
# Grade:Rare# Type:Weapon
A mithril sword blessed by the temple. Reduces the user's stamina consumption.
- Price: 1,300 achievement points
The second item to catch his eye.
Forged from precious mithril, it promised ample durability and cutting power, with an effect that fit him perfectly.
But.
'It's good, but... something's off.'
Oddly unsatisfying.
Both the demon sword earlier and this holy sword felt excessively premium for the Tutorial.
Perhaps because his past gear had been superior.
He felt strangely un drawn to this Miranda.
'How I spend these points sets the course. Must choose wisely—.'
And then.
One skill caught Lee Soo-hyuk's eye.
'F-rank?'
Pages should escalate in price.
Yet the very first on the next page was an F-rank skill.
# Type:Skill# Grade:F# LV:1
Suppresses backlash from self-damaging skills and items used by the user.
Can upgrade skill grade and level using points.
Required points: 10,000p
- Price: 1,400 achievement points
"......Huh?"
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
A mere F-grade skill.
And the points needed to level it up were exorbitant.
But.
'This effect...'
A skill that suppresses self-harm backlash.
Low grade notwithstanding, its point-hungry nature was welcome for Lee Soo-hyuk.
Infinite points meant overcoming any skill's drawbacks.
'Maybe even Lightning.'
His eyes gleamed.
The sole flaw in the Lightning he'd coveted so long.
Selfish Sacrifice held the potential to fix it.
No hesitation once the possibility dawned.
His hand moved.
"Purchase."
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