Chapter 14: The Tower's Veterans (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: The Tower's Veterans (1)
[Name: Libarintos (Cleared)
Type: Labyrinth
Difficulty: B
Description: The Cretan labyrinth designed by Daedalus. It features an incredibly complex maze and a wide variety of traps.]
[You are the first to clear a labyrinth on the 1st floor!]
[This achievement will be recorded in the 'Hall of Fame' for one day tomorrow.]
[5,000 Coins have been distributed to Player Kang Jinhyuk and Player Park Ha-na respectively!]
Dazzling sunlight.
Crisp, refreshing air that cleared his chest.
"Phew..."
Jinhyuk closed his eyes, savoring the taste and feel of the open air.
"W-we survived. We actually survived!"
Tears welled up in Park Ha-na's eyes.
What a hellish month it had been.
Chased by the Minotaur all day long, unable to sleep properly, and surviving on nauseating moss and mushrooms.
But they had survived.
Yes, they had survived that living hell.
However, her joy was short-lived.
Jinhyuk, standing beside her, poked her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"The Coins."
"C-Coins?"
Park Ha-na cautiously eyed him.
Look at her playing dumb.
To be fair, it was an amount anyone would hate to cough up. 5,000 Coins was enough to buy a D-rank item.
"Do you want to hand them over nicely, or do you want to get beaten up first?"
Jinhyuk held out his open palm.
According to their contract, all profits from joint operations belonged to the boss.
"...Fine, I'll give them to you."
With a sullen face, Park Ha-na transferred the Coins.
Nice.
With this, he had over 10,000 Coins.
Jinhyuk's lips curled upward at his newly fattened balance.
The first-clear bonus is definitely lucrative.
He had gathered far more than expected. At this point, there was likely no player with more Coins than him.
"Bring me Braham's Ring within three days."
"What?! Three days is way too short...!"
"Now you have two days."
If she opened her mouth one more time, it would become one day. Any more than that, and she'd have to bring it right now.
"...I'll find a way to get it."
Park Ha-na hung her head.
Even though she had escaped the labyrinth and gained a new lease on life, her expression was utterly miserable. She had escaped the monsters, but her life as a slave was only just beginning. Especially with a terrifying boss like Jinhyuk, her future was bound to be more painful than hell itself.
"Don't look so miserable. I'll let you be the only one listed in the Hall of Fame."
At Jinhyuk's words, Park Ha-na's eyes widened.
"Is that possible?"
"If it's a party of two or more, only the representative player can be uploaded."
"..."
Park Ha-na bit her fingernails.
A labyrinth that no one had cleared yet.
If it became known that she had conquered it alone, she would undoubtedly receive an immense amount of attention.
Losing her teammates, failing to level up for a month—all of it might be forgiven with this.
No, it wouldn't stop there.
The media and the internet would go wild, hailing her as a rising star.
For Park Ha-na, who was practically obsessed with attention, this was an incredibly tempting reward.
For Jinhyuk, it was a perfect opportunity to avoid annoying attention and unwanted scrutiny.
"What about the viewers who know about you, Boss?"
"Why? Are you worried about them?"
"You never know."
Judging by their last chat messages, there was a very high chance they weren't in any condition to talk. But as Park Ha-na said, there was always a "just in case."
"Then we just make sure they can't open their mouths."
"Does that mean...?"
"I doubt the police would care if a few keyboard warriors went missing. Well, that's just my personal opinion, of course."
Right now, the authorities would be short-staffed just trying to handle everything related to the Tower. A disappearance, rather than a murder, would be pushed way down the priority list.
"Figure out the details yourself."
He didn't need to spell everything out for her. That sort of thing was Park Ha-na's specialty, after all.
* * *
After parting ways with Park Ha-na, Jinhyuk headed straight for the starting point.
As he passed through the Gate, the familiar scenery of Seoul came into view.
Well, not entirely familiar.
A massive electronic billboard had been set up right in front of the Gate.
[Ah, have you heard? In a week, the 'Dangun' Guild will be representing Korea to raid the 3rd-floor boss monster.]
[Oh! Dangun, you mean Korea's number one guild?]
[Yes. Since the US, Europe, and even Japan have failed, all eyes are on Korea.]
[It would be great if China joined in, but they are still remaining silent, right?]
[That's correct. Since there are various conflicting interests, countries are moving individually rather than cooperating. Under these circumstances, instead of expecting help from other nations, we must find a way to break through on our own.]
[I believe the Dangun Guild is more than capable of doing it alone.]
The billboard was broadcasting news about the Tower.
Raiding the 3rd-floor boss monster...
They had climbed quite a bit in just one month.
But this wasn't a good thing, like, 'Wow, only the 3rd-floor boss is left? Humanity is amazing!'
The condition was to reach the next floor within 90 days. In other words, at this point, there was no need to even go to the 2nd floor, let alone the 3rd.
Yet.
They're already trying to go to the 4th floor.
Coveting the vast resources within the Tower, they had chosen to climb rapidly instead of leveling up and growing step-by-step.
Tsk tsk... They lack the skill, yet they're rushing. They're going to regret this so much later.
A fast climb was possible now, but the higher they went, the tighter the time limit would feel.
With a weak foundation and rising difficulty, the 90-day pressure would only grow heavier.
This wasn't a game where they could just retry.
Well, since I'll be taking all the first-clear rewards anyway, I can control the pace to my liking.
Jinhyuk's gaze drifted back to the billboard.
By tomorrow, that screen would be completely plastered with news about Park Ha-na.
This was the reason he had given up the Hall of Fame.
Excessive attention.
It was a double-edged sword.
If you gained recognition and secured a solid position, no one would mess with you, but...
It was highly likely to hinder the crucial early-stage growth.
For humanity.
For the country.
For others.
If individual effort was diluted under the guise of the public good, that was nothing but the tyranny of the majority and disgusting hypocrisy.
Vain suckers or idiots obsessed with playing hero might fall for it, but not him.
First, let's gather some information on what happened over the past month.
He could do it through the internet.
But to extract high-quality information from a place overflowing with rumors and fake news...
Well, it would take several times the time and effort.
There was a much better way.
Jinhyuk accessed the [Tower of Trials] community.
Countless categories and posts filled the screen.
He needed to find one specific person.
A player he had kept an eye on since his time in the labyrinth.
Where are you?
Jinhyuk's eyes scanned the screen rapidly.
Finding one person among so many was like playing Where's Waldo?
However, Jinhyuk began filtering by the most likely sections to search efficiently.
[Today's Popular Posts], [Hall of Fame], [Tips & Tricks Board]...
And finally.
Found you.
A familiar name caught his eye.
[Bald Human / Join Date: 2007. 8. 13 / Details: Private]
Looking at the join date, it was definitely him.
Bald Human.
So he really was here.
Jinhyuk logged in using the ID he had used back when he played the game [Tower of Trials].
'Colonel Teemo'.
It was an account created on July 1, 2007.
Logging in after so long felt nostalgic.
Nostalgic, yes, but...
Damn it, why did I make my ID like this eleven years ago? There were so many cool options.
Names like Pure, Sword Emperor, Martial God, and so on.
Names he could proudly say out loud anywhere.
But why?
Back then, he had been obsessed with Teemo—that fluffy little creature that drove opponents absolutely mad.
It was an irreversible mistake, but at least one thing was certain.
It was still better than 'Bald Human'.
– Colonel Teemo: Hello, Indaenam. Do you happen to remember me?
Will he reply?
They used to hang out, but that was in the past.
He could easily ignore it now. Or he might have forgotten entirely.
Just as he was thinking that...
– Bald Human: Ahahaha! Sal! Ute! Captain Colonel Teemo! It's been so long!
The reply came faster than expected.
He remembers.
It had been over seven years since they last spoke...
Jinhyuk felt a sudden warmth in his chest.
– Bald Human: Wow. But why haven't you replied to any of my whispers or messages until now? I've been messaging you constantly since the Day of Beginning to find you.
– Colonel Teemo: Ah, I've been a bit busy for the past month.
– Bald Human: Lol, still, busy enough to ignore me? Were you on a deserted island or something?
– Colonel Teemo: Well, somewhere similar.
A labyrinth, to be exact.
He had just spent a month working himself to the bone.
Naturally, he had a massive gap in information.
But this was a relief.
He now had someone who could catch him up on the latest news.
If it was Bald Human, he would know more about the Tower of Trials than anyone else by now.
He could just ask him for all the details.
– Colonel Teemo: It's a bit inconvenient to keep chatting via whispers. I'd like to meet up in person. Do you have some time?
– Bald Human: Oh, of course! But actually, I was planning to meet up with Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist too. Is it okay if the three of us meet together?
Another unexpected nickname popped up.
Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist.
He was meeting them too?
This is going to feel like the very first Tower of Trials offline meetup.
He was curious.
Meeting the veterans he had only ever seen in-game in real life.
He didn't hesitate for long.
– Colonel Teemo: Please come near the entrance of the Tower of Trials. I'll be waiting in a cafe nearby.
Jinhyuk replied briefly.
* * *
A quiet, private cafe with barely any foot traffic.
Jinhyuk took a seat in the furthest corner.
About thirty minutes passed as he sipped on a cold chocolate latte.
Clack.
The door opened, and a man and a woman walked in.
He didn't even need to check to know.
They were Bald Human and Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist.
As if they recognized him too, they headed straight toward his table.
"Hello! I'm Bald Human!"
Standing just over 170 centimeters tall, a fair-skinned man with curly, permed hair smiled brightly.
He was quite cute—a classic, likable face.
To think that in the game, he had customized his character as a bald Black man wearing leopard-print underwear, a bee tail, and butterfly wings...
Sigh. This is the guy who set fire to the insect labyrinth and ran around shouting 'beep beep, Cesco is here,' right?
[Your blood pressure has risen.]
[You are at risk of a status ailment.]
He couldn't agree more.
He felt a literal numbness in his cheeks.
Just then, the woman standing next to him introduced herself.
"I'm Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist."
Standing over 167 centimeters tall, she had a healthy, tanned complexion. Her long, straight hair and athletic wear formed a perfect harmony.
This person was definitely...
In the game, her character was a chubby white man wearing a floral swim tube around his waist and boxing gloves on his hands.
There was no mistake.
The image of Bulgwang-dong Nuclear Fist shouting, "There is no mercy in my fists!" was still vividly burned into his brain.
It was mind-boggling.
And for good reason.
He had naturally expected to meet some middle-aged, heavily bearded men.
But they're this normal? No, actually, in a different sense, both of them stand out way too much.
Jinhyuk stammered as he spoke.
"I'm... Colonel Teemo."
He had temporarily forgotten.
The crazier a veteran was in-game, the more perfectly normal they tended to be in reality.