Floor 1 Joint Trial (4)
“You fucking skull!”
Aah… so you're a special variant, huh? Reviving corpses and all that? Whoa, impressive. You really put in the effort! Alright, time to die.
The black mage who had been spectating the battlefield from atop that distant hill, like some proper necromancer. For the other climbers to take down that variant, they'd have to venture beyond the walls, fight through thousands of ferocious monsters, and duel it to the death in a blood-soaked brawl…
But not me. Distance? Super Special Very Easy Mode just ignores that shit.
Thwack! The skull's cranium—sparse bits of flesh still clinging to it—shatters like glass.
“Definitely dead now, right?”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a burst of multicolored lights flashed before his eyes like fireworks, and a message window popped up.
“Eight… eight hundred thousand?”
The first monster had given him 50,000 points. Did that mean this skeleton bastard was that strong? Sixteen times stronger than that house-sized beast? Wait, was it fourteen or sixteen? He got confused for a second.
Oh right, sixteen times… why'd I think fourteen?
Excitement surged at the absurdly huge sum, but he quickly made sense of it. The flower of the battlefield: a necromancer. One that could even create chimeras… Yeah, it probably could have revived that 50,000-point colossal reptile too.
Fuck yeah, good kill. Nailed it in five seconds flat. For all its powers, the main body wasn't that tough—easy pickings.
Ignoring the bewildered climbers and the monsters—whose red-glowing eyes had faded back to normal, now peering around awkwardly with docile gazes—he opened the shop window.
He was about to smash that button right away… but tilted his head instead.
“Should I buy this?”
The battlefield normalized the instant he killed the necromancer ruling the Doom Tower and Origin Tower. And the Tower's “difficulty increase”? All monsters going berserk, plus that necromancer just now.
He'd thought those were the penalties at first… but with the monsters snapping back to normal right after the skeleton dropped, the berserk effect must've been Lich Ham's power too.
Amazed by Sand Ham's ability to solo the entire Joint Trial, a question lingered. But wait—that special variant? I killed it. So what changed with the difficulty increase?
“Nothing?”
Meaning no need to blow 500,000 points on that. Better to save for something else. Scrolling down, there it was: an exact 800,000-point item.
“Sounds solid just from the name.”
Golden. Lion. Knight Order. They crammed in every cool word. Was this the efficient choice? He didn't bother with that tired old debate. It looked good, so it must be worth the price. How could he not buy it?
Slam. He jabbed the button before anyone could snag it, and the surviving soldiers atop the walls raised their arms in unison, roaring cheers.
Caught up in the sudden vibe, the other climbers awkwardly grinned and glanced back. A knight order appeared on warhorses, clad in gold-plated full plate armor that laughed at historical accuracy. The monsters chuckled nervously, sensing an impending group beatdown. As the 2-meter-tall knight captain bellowed something, the soldiers swung into action, opening the gates. Led by the captain, a small elite force charged out, grinding the monsters to dust.
Monsters were intimidating enough, but armored with weapons? A climber's nightmare. Compared to those overbuilt human tanks, though, the monsters' gear looked pathetic. They fled in terror without resistance, only to be slaughtered—almost pitiful.
Shifting his gaze back to the walls, knights who hadn't joined the main charge stood tall in place of the exhausted, collapsing soldiers. Others in white robes dismounted and approached the wounded.
“Healing skills. Knew it.”
Light glowed from their hands, regenerating the flesh of those awaiting death, easing their pained expressions. The Tower's gift alongside the nightmare: unreal magic. Until now, the market only stocked trash-tier passive skills—finally witnessing its glory.
The other climbers stared blankly at the priests' healing, mirroring his thoughts.
“Time to clear this shit.”
That Chinese climber had tackled his tower. In an unknown scenario, killing extra monsters was priority—but now that it was viable, no reason to delay. With Cycle Tower climbers already exiting, time passage alone wasn't the condition.
Problem was, he had zero clue how.
[Entrance to Lecatria's Dungeon]
“Thanks, System…!”
In a secluded corner by the walls, amid piled monster corpses near a mound of bodies, a blue message glowed. Without it, even he'd have missed it. Clearing those corpse mountains? No pulled-in climber would bother with that grunt work.
Hide a tree in the forest—under a corpse hill right by the walls. Issue: this was the Origin Tower. His difficulty perk only allowed interference per spire.
Doom Tower climbers cannot participate in Origin Tower trials.
Reaching out met a system block.
“Then tell me, damn it.”
Summons it atop the pile—boom! Corpses scatter into the air from the impact. Climbers and guards resting on the walls jolt and stare.
A knight dashes bravely to the blast site, checks it out, and shouts. All eyes turn. The Origin Tower climbers would handle it from there. With 800,000-point knight orders holding both Doom Tower and Origin Tower, plenty of time for the Joint Trial clear.
Finally, he could breathe and rest. As attention fixed on that creepy tunnel mouth, a few brave climbers approached the entrance, probing with their hands.
……!!
“Hm?”
Sparks flew from the man's hand; his skin burned red like a scald. Alarmed climbers recoiled as a message appeared.
===
[Lecatria's Dungeon]
Entry Requirement: Survival Difficulty Climbers ===
The Tower's final clear rule: Survival difficulty only. Applied to the Joint Trial too.
“You're late.”
Worldwide Survival difficulty climbers: six including him. Three from Cycle Tower, two from Origin Tower. Government-backed perks kept them alive here too.
One woman, one man at the entrance. Cheers and prayers erupted from the crowd.
“Name was… shit, what was it?”
Names fuzzy, but nationalities stuck. Pre-him, only five Survival climbers—their faces plastered on TV, phones, even convenience store flyers.
The woman: British white noble, Westminster Grace. Blonde beauty, greenhouse flower vibe—how'd she pick Survival and clear it?
The man: cheerful, friendly Hispanic, Raphael. Protagonist vibes; they matched perfectly. Ignoring the praise—they were used to it—they talked seriously.
“They can enter together…”
Towers forced solo, but Joint Trials loosened up. Final trial party play? Or just co-entry, solo inside? Unclear. Irrelevant to him anyway. Looked like both entered the box at once.
Cycle Tower cleared. Origin Tower now entering…
“Doom Tower…”
Doom Tower Survival? Just him.
“Wait, I gotta go in there?”
Booted here sans difficulty—would perks apply inside? No overprotection? Too harsh for a fragile everyman like him.
Super Special Very Easy Mode cannot be applied to Joint Trials.
Yup. Flicker of hope turned to ice in his veins.
“No way I can…”
Couldn't even guarantee victory over a wimpy goblin. Solo a Survival-only dungeon? Dread prickled his skin—something was off.
Bailing meant Joint Trial failure, reset from scratch. Clearable without him? Never, per difficulty.
Then a sudden doubt.
“Hold up, was the Cycle Tower Survival climber Chinese?”
One was definitely Chinese… so why the unease?
“……”
Oh yeah. Different guy.
The Chinese Survival dude: orange Shaolin robes, middle-aged uncle vibe. But the flag-waver on the ramparts? Younger, different outfit.
How? Wanted to ask, but Cycle Tower climbers were long gone. No way to chat anyway.
Then I'll find it myself.
If a normie climber found it, he could too. Eyes off Cycle Tower, scanning Doom Tower area.
“Gonna sweep every inch.”
Eyes burning, he scoured countless boxes, surveying the world.
Westminster Grace
The Origin Tower Survival climber entering [Lecatria's Dungeon] scowled at the dark tunnel. Narrower than expected—had to hunch. A cold droplet splashed her nape, raising goosebumps.
Behind her, the man—Raphael—glanced nervously back.
“Hey, Lady Noble, wanna switch spots? C'mon, doesn't it make sense for me to take point?”
“Quiet.”
She shot him a pitying look at his Spanish-Hispanic chatter. Her tone chilled to gooseflesh, but he got it. That godawful spire—and a dungeon! Game-loving kid at heart, he knew: tougher than hunts, bigger rewards.
“Sigh… fine, just don't block with that huge ass then.”
“Are you insane?”
Joking fell flat; anxiety gnawed. Dragged into this “Joint Trial” wall defense—monstrous difficulty. Ruined his fave medieval games forever. War was way uglier than imagined.
“……Didn't peg Cycle Tower guys for that.”
“…Can't you shut up?”
Snapping yet replying fueled his confidence.
“Towers ramp difficulty post-clear, right? This time… spires glitched soft. Remember that skeleton?”
“……How could I forget?”
The hype of Survival status shattered by mere eye contact—hiding behind others instinctively. Death incarnate, the lich, dropped in seconds.
“That's what worries me, Grace. Clear this dungeon, Doom Tower gets harder. And they've got oneSurvival climber!”
“So?”
“C'mon, too cold? Thought your bark hid a beauty's warm heart.”
“Not what I meant! Pause the clear like the agency said? Got that luxury?”
No. Absolutely not.
“……”
“……”
The chamber ahead in this cramped passage. [Lecatria's Dungeon]—that creepy giant woman's face rolling around.
