Chapter 6: National Museum of Korea (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: National Museum of Korea (3)
"You'll... regret this! I will definitely remember this!"
Min Jung-woo glared at Jinhyuk as if he wanted to kill him, gnashing his teeth.
How should he put it?
It seemed the man still hadn't grasped the situation.
Specifically, who held the upper hand and who was at their mercy.
Jinhyuk shrugged.
"I don't think you understand. Do you really not know why I burned the map?"
Not needing information up to the 10th floor...
Meant he already knew everything up to the 10th floor.
"No way..."
Only then did Min Jung-woo's eyes widen.
"If you want to safely climb to the 10th floor of the Tower, stop acting up and do exactly as I say."
If he told him to stick to the left, he had better stick to the left. If he told him to stick to the right, he had better stick to the right.
Who knows?
If the old man behaved well enough, maybe Jinhyuk would throw him a bone.
"Seeing how you even burned the map... you must have a unique ability related to 'Information Scouting'. No wonder you're so confident."
Min Jung-woo made his own assumption.
Then, he glared at Jinhyuk with murderous eyes.
"But why should I listen to a word you say? I could just burn you to a crisp and extract only the information I want."
His mana was depleted right now, but...
Once his mana recovered, burning a single person to ashes would be child's play.
He wasn't wrong.
Torture and threats.
They were certainly efficient methods.
If...
"Well, that's assuming you think you can beat me in a one-on-one fight..."
Jinhyuk's eyes turned ice-cold.
At the same time, red flames erupted from both of his hands.
[Lv1 'Fire Element' has been activated!]
Whoosh!
A massive blaze roared to life.
"T-That... could it be?"
Min Jung-woo's eyes shook with shock.
Faced with an utterly unbelievable sight, he almost screamed.
"How... how do you have the same ability as me...?"
No.
It wasn't the same ability.
This flame was stronger, hotter.
Without a doubt, it was fire magic at least one or two tiers higher. It was a gap born from a difference in stats and their respective understanding of the skill.
Gulp.
Min Jung-woo swallowed hard.
Even if his mana were fully restored...
Could I win?
After a brief hesitation, Min Jung-woo shook his head.
No, it's impossible.
There was no way a smaller flame could swallow a larger one.
Now he finally understood how Lee Yu-ri had been defeated.
The statue she possessed wouldn't have stood a chance.
But there was just one thing.
One thing that didn't add up.
"Why did you hide it when you possessed such power? If you had shown your strength from the start, you could have easily killed someone like me."
"My reason?"
Jinhyuk smirked.
Then, he stepped through the barrier and stood right in front of Min Jung-woo.
"Do I really need to explain my every move to you?"
"T-That's..."
"I'm the one asking the questions and giving the orders here, old man. All you have to do is follow them."
Meeting Jinhyuk's gaze, Min Jung-woo flinched and quickly looked away.
"Your answer?"
"I... understand."
Just as expected.
He had completely tucked his tail between his legs.
Jinhyuk extinguished the flames.
"I'll contact you later. Until then, take that girl downstairs and focus on leveling up."
Even if he wanted to use them, they would only be a burden if they were too weak.
At least grow strong enough to be useful on your own.
Jinhyuk turned his back completely exposed and headed down the stairs.
Step.
He looked completely defenseless, as if a surprise attack would land cleanly.
"..."
However, Min Jung-woo didn't lift a single finger. No, he couldn't.
He had no choice.
If you threaten someone half-heartedly, they'll just look for a chance to strike back.
That was human nature.
If people got worked up, they'd want revenge.
So, you had to engrave it into their very bones.
Make them believe they must never, under any circumstances, dare to challenge you.
Only then would a chess piece you could manipulate completely at your whim be born.
* * *
It was around sunrise when Jinhyuk finally left the museum and returned to his neighborhood.
It had been an incredibly long day.
It felt as if several months had been compressed and crammed into a single day.
"Ughhh!"
Jinhyuk stretched.
As he slowly loosened his arms and legs, he felt the stiffness in his body ease up a bit.
The Tower of Trials opens in the evening, so I should grab some food and catch some shut-eye until then.
Getting plenty of rest and eating well was just as important as being active.
Above all, it was hard to perform at your best if you weren't in top condition.
But before he could truly rest, there was...
Something he had to check first.
"Status window."
Jinhyuk muttered to the empty air.
Then,
Ring!
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Level: 1
Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Stamina: 8 Mana: 11
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Class: None
Unique Ability: Fusion
Skills: Lv1 'Fire Element', Lv1 'Eye of Truth'
——————————————————
The status window had changed.
New words now occupied the previously empty unique ability and skill slots.
"Ha..."
An exclamation of awe escaped his lips involuntarily.
It was only natural, considering he had acquired a unique ability widely considered the most broken of all.
Though he had only just crossed the starting line, he couldn't help but tremble with anticipation.
Calm down.
Jinhyuk barely managed to soothe his racing heart.
My top priority is to acquire as many unique abilities and skills as possible.
There were over fifty thousand different types of abilities in this world.
Which meant he had a long way to go.
I need to set priorities and gather the most necessary abilities first.
When he obtained 'Fire Element' from Min Jung-woo, the copying conditions hadn't been very strict.
But that was only because it was Level 1.
As the rank and level of the skills grew higher, the copying conditions would undoubtedly become much more demanding.
Of course, he shouldn't rush.
Trying to force things too quickly would only lead to complications.
History was full of countless examples of people who ruined themselves by rushing.
A lesson to be learned from others' failures.
I will not repeat their mistakes. Never.
...Is probably what most of those veterans were thinking right now.
In fact, the number of veterans who had shown up at the National Museum of Korea was only four, including Jinhyuk.
He understood.
The desire to minimize risk.
But wanting to stay ahead of everyone else while acting so cautiously and prudently?
Did they get a promise that everyone else would just sit on their hands in the meantime?
The world always smiles upon those who take risks and challenge themselves.
It does not exist for cowards who only seek the safe path.
Please, keep acting like that.
Because while you do, I'll be moving forward.
Since he only had one body, he couldn't monopolize every single hidden piece...
But instead, he would solely monopolize the most delicious and important ones for himself.
You guys can fight over the leftovers.
Jinhyuk smirked and closed the status window.
Anyway, I'm reaching my limit.
Once his thoughts were organized, the physical urges he had been suppressing surged up.
Growl!
His stomach rumbled violently.
It was empty after moving around all night.
In times like this, nothing beats a hot bowl of gukbap.
Hot, milky broth. Generous portions of meat. Sweet and sour radish kimchi.
There was no better menu to get a hearty, satisfying meal for just 7,000 won.
There was a reason people said, "Why buy anything else when you can get a steaming bowl of gukbap for that price?"
Let's see, at least one place should be open...
Found it.
A gukbap restaurant whose sign alone exuded the aura of a place that had been in business for at least three generations.
Jinhyuk immediately walked into the 24-hour sundae gukbap restaurant.
Clatter! Ring-a-ling!
The door opened with a loud chime.
However,
The atmosphere inside the restaurant was somewhat strange.
"Oh my god..."
"So this was actually real."
Dozens of customers, the employees, and even the owner...
Everyone's eyes were glued to the breaking news on the TV.
– The government is currently conducting an investigation into the mysterious structure dubbed the 'Tower of Trials' and has established a special department called the 'Awakened Association', primarily composed of public servants who have awakened supernatural abilities.
"Oh?"
Jinhyuk muttered, looking intrigued.
The Awakened Association...
The government's response was faster than he had expected.
Furthermore, seeing that they had staffed the department with those who had awakened unique abilities, they had clearly decided to handle this situation with a fair amount of flexibility.
This is unexpected.
He had thought it would take at least a few weeks.
– The government's rapid response is undoubtedly due to the incident that occurred early this morning, correct?
– Yes, that is correct. An incident occurred at the National Museum of Korea, leaving at least 23 dead and over 50 injured. With several individuals in critical condition, the death toll is expected to rise.
– Oh dear. Why on earth would they do such a thing...?
– It appears they were targeting the relics stored in the museum. Similar incidents have occurred not only in South Korea but also in various parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, China, and Japan.
The British Museum in the UK, the Louvre Museum in France, the Museum of Natural History in the US.
Just as I thought.
Players in other countries had made their moves as well.
To obtain replicas.
And to prepare for climbing the Tower.
– First, let's take a look at the internal CCTV footage.
The screen changed.
What appeared was a scene of a man and a woman engaged in battle.
The woman who had enlarged the Anubis statue was shocking enough, but...
Crash!
Deflecting a flying spear with bare hands.
Roar!
And summoning a tiger from a painting was nothing short of mind-blowing.
When the tiger tore five statues to shreds, even the news anchor seemed temporarily lost for words.
It was only natural.
Everything about it completely transcended common sense.
– ...I-It may be hard to believe, but this is the reality, without any exaggeration.
Only after a few seconds of silence did the anchor stammer out a response.
The restaurant grew even noisier.
"No way. Is that... something a human can actually do?"
"Oh my god."
"Who on earth is that?"
Most of the older customers tilted their heads in confusion.
On the other hand...
"H-Hey, that's the person who appeared on the Tower of Trials community board the other day!"
"Ah, the video where they dealt with the mangrove tree using wood splinters?"
"That's right! Those reflexes, those movements! It's that veteran!"
The younger crowd recognized him instantly.
It was only natural, given that he was currently the hottest topic on every portal site and online community.
"I'm so curious. Who could it be?"
"Maybe an ultimate weapon the government was secretly developing."
"There's also a rumor that they're a famous streamer."
Speculations ran wild.
Standing nearby, Jinhyuk scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Hearing people talk about him so openly made his ears itch.
Right then,
A new face appeared on the TV.
It was a man in his early to mid-forties with a sharp impression.
– ...My name is Han Sang-jin, and I have been appointed to lead the Awakened Association.
He was a man distinguished by a sword scar running across his face and cold, piercing eyes.
Han Sang-jin...
Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.
Was he appointed as the association president because he possessed a fairly good ability?
Or was it because he had played the Tower of Trials for a long time?
He hoped it was the former.
That way, he could copy his ability when they eventually crossed paths.
While Jinhyuk smacked his lips in anticipation, Han Sang-jin continued speaking.
– The reason I am appearing before you today is to recruit those who have awakened. While there will be differences depending on your rank, we promise a starting salary of at least 60 million won and treatment equivalent to a Grade 7 civil servant.
Considering the harsh reality of the job market in South Korea, this was an offer so extraordinary it would make anyone's head spin.
They seemed to be trying their best to gather Awakened, but... well.
It remained to be seen how many people would choose to become civil servants instead of exploring a land of endless opportunity.
– Of course, the individual who appeared in the broadcast is an exception. I make this proposal on my name as the president of the association. If you join us, the government will support you with whatever you desire.
So that was why they were making such a massive fuss.
Their target was me.
A single skilled player held far more value than a hundred mediocre ones.
Han Sang-jin knew this, which was why he was offering a blank check to win him over.
However,
He really thinks I'm a pushover.
No matter what they offered, he had no intention of joining any organization.
Nor did he have any intention of sharing the information he possessed.
Jinhyuk glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
There were 12 hours left.
At exactly 7:00 PM.
When the hour hand pointed to that new time...
The Tower of Trials would open.