Relentless Tower Grind and Endless Penalty
Mu-hyuk bought raw meat.
Why, you ask?
Because he had a use for it, of course.
"Thank you! Come again!"
He left the general store amid the shopkeeper's farewell and got back in line to wait.
"Man, this is getting really tedious."
"Almost there. Once we get past that point, we can power-level."
"Yeah, that's the only reason I'm sticking it out."
Overhearing the users' chatter was actually pretty entertaining.
All sorts—some like this, some like that.
Everyone was different, so it never got boring.
"I see it! Finally!"
"Whoa, for real!"
As the user ahead announced, they finally reached the spot where the Red Tower came into view.
Users were visible in the distance, entering the tower.
"Let's hurry in!"
"Move it, people."
They all rushed into the Red Tower at breakneck speed. One group entered, and the next from the back immediately followed.
And then the next, and the next.
The long line shrank in an instant, but with so many users, it barely made a dent.
Still, it meant enduring a long wait.
About 30 more minutes passed.
Finally, it was Mu-hyuk's turn.
Time to go.
He entered the tower alone, of course.
You have entered the Red Tower.
Remaining EXP Buff Time: 13 days, 23 hours, 51 minutes
The EXP buff timer had shrunk quite a bit.
Still plenty of time.
His goal was to hit level 60 before it ran out completely.
First things first—head out.
It was nearly 3 a.m., and exhaustion was setting in.
He'd hunt tomorrow.
Logout.
Mu-hyuk emerged from the capsule and crashed straight into bed, seeking sleep.
Maybe because he was so wiped out.
The moment his eyes closed, he was out.
The next day.
Mu-hyuk woke in the morning, finished his workout at the gym, and on the way home, pulled up the Illusion homepage on his phone.
He first checked how many views his tip post had racked up, then slowly scanned the other boards to gauge public interest, focal points, and anything noteworthy.
Mu-hyuk's brow furrowed involuntarily.
This was all Red Tower spam.
He grabbed some food midway home and nursed a leisurely can of beer while scrolling, but nothing useful.
Over 50% of the posts were about the Red Tower.
He got that fresh content sparked curiosity, but not to this extent.
Eh, it'll blow over in a few days.
The Red Tower's difficulty was sky-high.
Once people got a taste, everyone but the rankers would bail.
Of course, once strategies leaked, that'd change.
Mu-hyuk pocketed his phone.
First, test how far he could solo.
He hurried home and logged into Illusion.
Welcome to the new world.
He breezed through the 1st floor.
He knew the path—no hitches.
Here it is.
Two hours later, he reached his destination.
The brick that felt different to the touch.
He grabbed the slightly protruding one and pulled.
Grrrind.
A secret passage appeared.
It was no longer blocked by the shield.
Alright, let's go.
He entered the 2nd floor.
"Hoo."
Exhaling deeply, he stepped forward slowly.
2nd floor monster: Variant Mad Dog.
There was a strategy for it.
Before, knights were too strong, so he'd brute-forced it. But now Mu-hyuk was beyond that level, so he chose the slow, safe, sure path.
Krrrr…
A Variant Mad Dog appeared in the distance.
Swish.
Mu-hyuk pulled raw meat from his inventory.
"Summon."
He called up skeletons, sending Bone Sword and Enhanced Bone forward.
Archers up front, mages on the flanks. Then wait.
Distance closing.
Clear view now.
Kraaaang!
It barked and charged.
Mu-hyuk tossed the raw meat chunk to the right.
Thud.
Sound reaction? Scent lure?
Either way, it veered sharply toward the meat, hurling itself there.
Kwoooong!
Crunch crunch.
The Mad Dog tore into the meat.
Bone arrows flew at it, joined by four elemental spells slicing through the air.
Massive explosion—and as it recovered and charged Mu-hyuk again, another meat toss sent it flailing.
Bone Sword and Enhanced Bone encircled.
They surrounded it, swords thrusting relentlessly.
Powerful Arrow Shot.
Rapid Fire.
Mu-hyuk and Bone Bows didn't let up.
EXP has increased.
Piece of cake.
He grinned at the EXP gain.
The buff's clutch.
"Corpse Dissection."
Materials acquired, then forward for more Variant Mad Dogs the same way.
Knowing the strat made even high-level monsters a breeze.
Nice, nice.
Got so immersed in the hunt he lost track of time.
Alarm blared—back to reality.
Already?
Mu-hyuk paused, then turned back.
Got to be thorough.
That's how you survive in Illusion.
*
Yonghu, slain by Mu-hyuk.
He couldn't contain his raging fury, unleashing a guttural scream.
"Uwaaaak! You fucking bastard!"
Out of the capsule, he screamed, punched walls, hurled pillows—every outburst of rage poured out.
"I'll kill him. I'll definitely kill him!"
He rampaged for over an hour.
Finally calming.
"Haa, haa."
Panting roughly, he slumped into his seat.
Damn it, fucking hell.
Sobering up, boredom hit.
23 hours left.
How to kill time?
Call friends for a party?
Hit the casino after ages?
Or just bang some chick?
Nothing appealed.
Before, the thought alone excited him to action.
Not now. Zero thrill.
Only one thing.
Illusion.
That word filled his mind.
That guy again.
The one who screwed him over.
Kicked from the guild, death penalty too.
The losses—what were they even worth?
"Bastard."
Log in, hire mercs, kill him dozens, hundreds of times.
But now?
Nothing he could do.
Ended up sprawled on the bed idly.
Haa…
Just killing time blankly.
"…."
Enduring the tedious penalty, at 5 p.m., Yonghu logged back in pronto.
Alright, first hire mercs…
That thought as he exited the temple.
"He's here."
Spotted the waiting necromancer user—and got surrounded by his skeletons.
"You, right now…"
"Yeah, been waiting. Gonna kill you again."
"This fucker!"
Struggled desperately to escape, but futile.
Kwaaang!
Barrage of spells and arrows.
Followed by Bone Sword strikes.
"Y-You bast…!"
Died pathetically again.
You have died.
You cannot log in for 24 hours.
Capsule hissed open.
Chiiiik.
Yonghu bolted up, screaming.
"Uwaaaaaak!"
Screaming, he smashed and threw everything around.
His rage-fueled frenzy showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Meanwhile.
Mu-hyuk, having offed Yonghu, set his next alarm.
23 hours 40 minutes from now.
Grinning, he headed back to the Weibra Empire.
Lucky break.
Two days since the tower opened—most eager users had entered.
User traffic in Weibra was noticeably thinner than at dawn.
Most of that crowd was lost on Red Tower 1F or fodder for 2F Mad Dogs.
Rankers probably farming smoothly.
Anyway, Mu-hyuk entered without waiting.
Up to 2F, resumed Variant Mad Dog hunts, stacking EXP.
"This is fast."
He muttered it without thinking.
EXP already over 90%—no wonder.
Few hours to level.
Grinning, he pushed harder.
Krrrr.
Two appeared.
EXP has increased. ×2
Next, three.
Kwaaaang!
No fear at all.
Thud.
One raw meat solved everything.
And soon.
One level up.
He kept hunting nonstop.
By day's end, about 40% EXP gained.
Without buff? Barely 20%. Five straight days for one level.
Despite farming monsters way above his level this fast and easy.
Still, not bad.
Solid pace—satisfying.
Then.
Ding.
Alarm.
Mu-hyuk quit hunting, warped to the remote village where Yonghu—that Black Guild vice leader—would respawn.
Five minutes left.
Waited at the temple entrance.
Five minutes passed—no show.
Hmm, logging in late?
Made sense after two deaths.
But Mu-hyuk waited.
Would delay his leveling, but couldn't let him slide.
Leave him be, and he'd harass or PK Mu-hyuk somehow.
Last time, five guys—he barely won. Ten?
Twenty, thirty, forty mobbing for PK?
Mu-hyuk couldn't hold.
Would he quit after one death? No. He'd hunt Mu-hyuk forever—ruining days of play.
Even Mu-hyuk couldn't endure that.
Quit Illusion or reroll from scratch.
So, nip it in the bud. No matter the time.
Even if leveling slowed way down—this was non-negotiable.
Wait it out.
"…."
Long silence.
Creeeak.
About two hours later, temple door opened.
But the opener hadn't fully emerged.
Not sure if Yonghu, Mu-hyuk hid, waiting for full reveal.
Swish.
Once fully out.
Yup.
Confirmed, Mu-hyuk summoned skeletons to block the entrance.
Surrounded him simultaneously.
"Hup…!"
Yonghu's shocked face.
Didn't expect the wait.
Rapid Fire, spell barrage.
Ignored his fluster, unleashed hell.
Kwaaang!
Used a skill to block once, he yelled.
"W-Wait a sec!"
Mu-hyuk ignored.
Attack, attack.
"T-Talk…!"
Didn't stop till he dropped.
"You fucking…!"
Last words, forced logout again.
Mu-hyuk set the next alarm there, then headed to Weibra Empire.