Chapter 19: Awakening Test (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Awakening Test (4)
A moment later, a new magic crystal was prepared.
It was a massive, blue-tinted intermediate magic crystal.
"H-here... pant, pant. It's ready."
The examiner panted heavily.
He had actually gotten it ready in less than a minute.
He must have been utterly terrified.
Good.
Then, shall we begin?
Jinhyuk took his stance, gripping his dagger.
Hummmmm!
As mana poured into it, the blade dyed red once more.
'No need to hold back this time.'
Earlier, he had held back. There was no point in going all out against a lowest-grade magic crystal.
[The stat 'Gap' is activated to its maximum.]
Thick mana surged through his fingertips.
The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth curled upward.
Yes, this was it.
'Strong against the strong, strong against the weak.'
An absurdly broken stat that made him strong against the strong, and even stronger against the weak.
Just how much had his month of hard work paid off...?
It was time to see it with his own eyes.
Crackle!
Sparks erupted in multiple arcs as the blade swept through the side of the magic crystal.
* * *
"T-this... can't be."
The examiner's jaw trembled.
It had been a month since the Tower of Trials appeared. In that time, countless Awakened had come here to take the test.
Most of them didn't even possess the minimum amount of mana required by the magic crystal.
Below F-rank.
In other words, they were deemed unqualified.
Of course, a select few among them were assigned ranks, proudly earning the right to climb the Tower.
But no one.
Not even the rankers who had received an S-rank.
None of them had ever sliced a magic crystal clean in half.
And for good reason.
Because this...
...was utterly impossible.
Rumble!
The halved magic crystal collapsed with a loud crash.
The cut surface glowed red-hot. It was proof that his speed, power, and mana had all been absolutely perfect.
[1st Place: Kang Jinhyuk. Measured Value: 20,895. Rank: S]
The birth of a new S-rank.
Actually, since anyone with a mana measurement of 10,000 or higher was classified as S-rank, his actual rank was far higher.
More than double the threshold.
...He was a monster.
"C-C-Congratulations on your S-rank. I-I need to report this to my superiors, so please wait a moment. What... what was the number again?"
The examiner stammered, pulling out his phone.
'This isn't just a big deal for Korea.'
This was the debut of a colossal rookie who would completely rewrite the global rankings.
At the very least, a department head... No, an incident of this magnitude had to be reported directly to the Association President.
But just then...
"Hold on a second."
Jinhyuk grabbed the examiner's arm.
"Yes?"
"Are you about to report this to your superiors right now?"
"Y-yes, that is correct."
"Delay it for about a week."
"Delay it? What do you mean by that?"
The examiner tilted his head in confusion.
"It's for personal reasons. After a week, I don't care if you notify the Association or leak it all over the internet."
"B-but that's not something I can just decide on my own."
Manipulating information? If he got caught, there was no telling what kind of punishment he would face.
Even altering a low rank was treated as a serious crime, let alone hiding an S-rank.
And for a whole week, no less.
"I can't! Seriously, absolutely not!"
He shook his head vigorously, refusing flat out.
Just as expected.
Jinhyuk nodded, having anticipated this reaction.
While he wanted to enjoy the perks of being an S-rank, he needed to keep his rank hidden until he finished a certain task.
To do that, he first had to silence this examiner.
"I've learned a few things in my life."
"L-learned things?"
Step.
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
At the same time, a faint light flickered on the dagger in his hand.
"First, 'nothing in life is guaranteed.'"
There was no credibility in hypothetical statements attached to phrases like "absolutely" or "even if I die." There couldn't be.
Because things in this world could change at any moment depending on the circumstances.
"Second, 'a fist close by is far scarier than the law far away.'"
'The Association President is on the top floor of some building, but I am right in front of your eyes.'
So you'd better make the right choice if you don't want to get hurt.
Whoosh.
Jinhyuk casually twirled the dagger with a light flick of his wrist.
Did the threat work?
The examiner's face turned visibly pale.
His opponent was an S-rank. A superhuman who couldn't even be categorized as a normal human.
If he wanted to, killing a single person would be child's play.
"A week! Just one week is enough?"
The examiner blurted out in a panic.
Jinhyuk stopped in his tracks.
"Yes. That's plenty. After that, do whatever you want."
In fact, once that time came, he wanted them to promote it as aggressively as possible. To make sure it drew maximum aggro.
Only then could he smoothly carry out the plans he had lined up next.
"Understood. I will announce your rank, Mr. Kang Jinhyuk, in exactly one week."
Ultimately, the examiner yielded.
"You won't go back on your word, will you?"
"O-of course not. I swear on my name."
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe in verbal promises."
A verbal promise was the single most untrustworthy thing in the world. People swore to take secrets to their graves, only to spill them over a single drink.
Instead of that...
...he needed a much more reliable guarantee. A guarantee that could kill him if he broke it.
A flame flickered at the tip of Jinhyuk's finger.
[Lv.1 'Brand of the Flame Soul' is activated.]
It was the exact same mark he had engraved on Park Ha-na.
"It doesn't hurt. Just bear with it for a second."
Sizzle!
He branded the examiner's soul.
The examiner grimaced, but only for a brief moment.
With this, he had bought himself a week.
"In the meantime, please register my initial measurement."
"You mean F-rank?"
"Yes."
Jinhyuk nodded.
The examiner then spoke up cautiously.
"Um... then, how would you like to proceed with the second test?"
The first test measured mana to determine one's rank. Those who passed would move on to the second test.
The objective was simple. They just had to clear one of the dungeons in the Tower of Trials.
Since there were no restrictions on difficulty, most chose dungeons populated by goblins or orcs. That was the common and sensible choice.
However...
"I'm going to raid the 1st-floor ruins."
Jinhyuk had already decided on his destination. From the very moment the Tower of Trials first appeared.
"The ruins on the 1st floor? Don't tell me...!"
The examiner's eyes shook with shock.
There was only one ruin on the 1st floor.
The ruin, 'Corridor of the Fallen'.
Even eleven years ago when [Tower of Trials] was first released, and even now, when the Tower of Trials had manifested in reality, it was a forbidden zone that no one had ever managed to clear.
* * *
The test was over.
His assigned rank was F.
Jinhyuk showed the faint tattoo engraved on his wrist to the other two.
"You got an F-rank, Hyung?"
"No way... I was sure you'd be ranked higher than us. Is there some kind of mistake?"
Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa cried out in unison.
It was a completely unbelievable result. Especially for the two of them, who had witnessed Jinhyuk's skills firsthand inside the Tower of Trials, an F-rank was simply impossible to accept.
"It's just a temporary rank. We agreed to do a re-evaluation in a week, so I'll just have to wait and see."
He bent the truth a little. There was no need to reveal his S-rank here.
"Ah..."
"Well, if that's the case."
Hearing that it was a temporary rank, the two nodded in understanding.
"Oh, right. Oppa, what are you going to do for the second test?"
"I'll have to look for a raid group right away."
"If it's a low-grade dungeon on the 1st floor, our side actually owns a few. Do you want me to look into it for you?"
"No. From here on out, I'll be fine on my own."
The path ahead was far too dangerous. No matter how skilled Lee Tae-min and Yu Yeon-hwa were.
No, to put it bluntly, at this point in time, there wasn't a single player in the entire world—myself included—who could enter the 1st-floor ruins and make it to the end.
At least, not through normal means.
'Which is why I have to use an abnormal method.'
Exploits over standard play. The Tower of Trials was a place where you had to play dirty to survive.
"Don't worry about me. You two should keep climbing the Tower."
They had already promised to do so. To meet again later.
So until then, they needed to focus on their own growth.
* * *
After parting ways with the two, Jinhyuk immediately logged onto the [Tower of Trials] community forum.
'Should I look in the... recruitment board?'
Usually, high-rank raids were organized by guilds recruiting attack teams. For D-rank and below, individual players often banded together to fill up the numbers.
And a ruin raid would require at least several hundred people.
[Recruiting players for the 1st-floor ruin 'Corridor of the Fallen'. (000 players)]
Found it.
He had worried that no one would dare challenge it due to the extreme difficulty.
'What a relief.'
Jinhyuk immediately dialed the number listed.
Ring...
The other party picked up almost instantly.
-Hello?
-I'm calling after seeing your post on the community forum. I'd like to join the ruin raid. You still have spots open, right?
-Oh, of course! We have plenty of room!
The man answered eagerly. He must have been desperate for recruits.
Then again, unless someone had a death wish, not many would willingly go there.
-Um... by the way, what is your rank?
-I'm F-rank.
-Ah... F-rank. I see.
-Is my rank going to be an issue?
-No, not at all. Even with a low rank, you can still join the porter or mining team. It's just that if you join us, you won't get a share of the items found inside the ruins. Porters and miners are paid a flat daily rate.
It meant that since the risk was low, the rewards were also limited.
It didn't matter. His goal in going to the ruins wasn't the loot distribution anyway.
-A daily rate is fine with me.
-In that case, could you come to the entrance of the Tower of Trials right now? The other porters are already gathered here. We can discuss the details then.
-I'll be there in twenty minutes.
The call ended.
Jinhyuk called a taxi and headed straight to the meeting point.
After about a twenty-minute ride, he finally arrived at his destination.
'The entrance... should be around here.'
Jinhyuk looked around as he pushed through the crowd.
Just then, he spotted a group of men gathered together.
Judging by their burly builds...
'Are these the porters he mentioned earlier?'
As Jinhyuk approached, a man in a suit wearing glasses smiled warmly.
"Are you the one who called earlier?"
"Yes. I'm Kang Jinhyuk."
"Hello. I'm Assistant Manager Oh Seung-hwan from Matching Management."
Oh Seung-hwan welcomed Jinhyuk warmly.
"Is he the last guy we were waiting for?"
"Hey, if everyone's here, let's get this show on the road."
"Yeah. We've been waiting for an hour already."
"Haha, understood. First, please approve your entry into the raid team. Yes, that's right. Just press the accept button right there."
Oh Seung-hwan showed a 30cm status window to each of the porter applicants.
"Here, you too, Jinhyuk."
Finally, Oh Seung-hwan showed the status window to Jinhyuk.
The content was simple. Just a single sentence: 'Would you like to join the raid team as a member?'
Once he agreed, he would officially become a member of the raid team.
Jinhyuk pressed the accept button.
Then,
[You have officially joined the raid team.]
[Conditions met.]
[The 2nd update is being applied.]
[Language patches for 103 countries worldwide are being applied.]
[The raid-exclusive quest is beginning.]
"Oh, it popped up! It's here!"
"Me too. Wow, this is amazing. A raid-exclusive quest."
"Heh. Finally!"
Excited voices echoed from all around.
[#1 First Ruin Conquest]
Difficulty: S
Objective: Defeat the boss monster and reclaim the throne at the deepest part of the ruins.
Reward: You will be granted the right to choose one sacred relic. (However, if the boss monster is not defeated, the selection of sacred relics will be restricted.)
Several status windows cascaded down in front of Jinhyuk as well.
The boss monster.
Reclaiming the throne.
And even choosing a sacred relic.
These were all things he already knew.
But...
'What is... this?'
In front of Jinhyuk's eyes, unlike the others,
[A special reward for 'The First to Conquer the Tower' has arrived.]
another status window was floating.