Chapter 14: The Veterans of the Tower (1)

Chapter 14: The Veterans of the Tower (1)

[Name: Labyrinth of Ribrinthos (Cleared)

Type: Labyrinth

Difficulty: B

Description: This is the labyrinth designed by Daedalus in Crete. It is known for its extremely complex maze and various types of traps.]

[You are the first one to clear the labyrinth on the 1st floor!]

[This achievement will be recorded in the 'Hall of Honor' for the entire day tomorrow.]

[Players Kang Jinhyuk and Park Hana are each rewarded with 5,000 coins!]

Blinding sunlight and a blast of refreshing air filled their senses.

"Whew..."

Jinhyuk closed his eyes, savoring the feeling and the sensation.

"We're alive. We survived! Both of us!"

Tears welled up in Park Hana's eyes.

What a hellish month it had been.

Chased by minotaurs all day long, hardly getting proper sleep, sustaining life on repulsive moss and mushrooms.

But they had survived...

Yes, they had survived that hell.

But their moment of joy was brief.

Jinhyuk nudged Park Hana's shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Coins."

"Coins, what about them?"

Park Hana glanced around hesitantly.

'Does she think I don't know she's pretending to be clueless?'

Well, it was an understandable response; 5,000 coins was nothing to scoff at.

With that amount, they could purchase items on the level of Grade D.

"Do you want to get hit before you give them? Or will you just hand them over?"

Jinhyuk spread out his palm.

By their contract terms, all profits from joint operations belonged to the boss.

"...I just have to give it to you, right?"

Park Hana handed over the coins with a sullen look.

'Perfect.'

Now he had over 10,000 coins.

Jinhyuk's lips curled up, pleased with the hefty balance.

'The first-time reward benefits are definitely substantial.'

He had gathered far more than he had anticipated.

At this point, there were no other players with more coins than him.

"Bring me Brahm's ring within three days."

"So harsh! Three days is too short...!"

"Make it two days."

If she protested even a little more, it would be down to one day.

And any further, she'd have to produce it immediately.

"...I'll find a way to get it."

Park Hana bowed her head deeply.

Despite having just escaped the labyrinth with a new lease on life, her expression was utterly dismal.

While she might have escaped monsters, her life as a slave was only just beginning.

And with a ruthless superior like Jinhyuk, her future seemed to promise even more suffering than hell.

"Don't look like you're about to die. I'll ensure only you get in the Hall of Honor."

Park Hana's eyes widened at Jinhyuk's words.

"Is that possible?"

"In cases involving more than one player, only the representative player gets uploaded."

Park Hana bit her fingernail, thinking.

An uncharted labyrinth, cleared alone by her - this news would definitely attract immense attention.

The loss of her teammates and a month without leveling up could all be forgiven if this worked out.

No, that's not all.

The media and internet would go wild over a new promising talent.

For Park Hana, someone who relished in attention, this was an irresistible reward.

For Jinhyuk, it was an opportunity to escape unnecessary attention and rivalry.

"What about the viewers who already know about you?"

"Why? Are you worried about those guys?"

"Who knows what might happen."

The final messages from those people didn't seem promising; it looked like they could be in bad shape.

But as Park Hana said, there was always a 'what if.'

"Then make sure they can't talk carelessly."

"You mean...?"

"I doubt the police would take interest if a couple of keyboard warriors disappeared. But of course, that's just my opinion."

Considering the lack of manpower even to focus on the tower, a case of disappearance would be much less prioritized than a murder.

"Figure out the method yourself."

He didn't need to explain everything.

That was Park Hana's area of expertise.

***

After parting ways with Park Hana, Jinhyuk headed straight to the starting point.

Passing through the gate, the familiar scenery of Seoul unfolded before him.

Ah, but it wasn't entirely familiar.

A giant LED screen had been installed right in front of the gate.

[Have you heard? In one week, the 'Dangun' guild will represent Korea in the assault on the 3rd-floor boss monster.]

[Oh! Dangun, that's the top-ranked guild in Korea, right?]

[Yes. After failures from America, Europe, and Japan, the expectations for Korea are quite high.]

[Wouldn't it be great if China would cooperate as well? But they're still silent?]

[That's right. Unfortunately, due to various interests, each country is moving independently rather than cooperating. At this point, we must find a way to break through with our own strength.]

[I think the Dangun guild can handle it on their own.]

The screen was broadcasting news related to the tower.

Assaulting the 3rd-floor boss monster, huh...

A lot has happened in a month.

It wasn't good news like 'Wow. Humanity has only the 3rd-floor boss left to conquer? Impressive!' It was grim.

The condition was to reach the next floor within 90 days.

Meaning, at this stage, they didn't even need to consider tackling the 2nd floor, let alone the 3rd.

But...

'They're already aiming for the 4th floor.'

Because the tower contained so many resources.

People chose faster ascension rather than leveling up and progressing steadily.

'So impatient... Without the skills, they'll only regret it later on.'

Currently, fast ascent is feasible, but as they climb higher, time will become more critical.

Shaky fundamentals, but the difficulty increases?

The 90-day pressure will grow tremendously.

This wasn't like a game where you could just retry.

'In the end, I will claim all the first-time clear rewards. I'll just control the pace to my liking.'

Jinhyuk's gaze returned to the LED screen.

Tomorrow, it would be plastered with news about Park Hana.

He had conceded the Hall of Honor for this very reason.

Excessive attention was a double-edged sword.

If that solidified one's position and deterred hasslers, it would be fine...

However, it might become an obstacle to crucial early growth.

For the sake of humanity.

For the nation.

For others.

If public service overshadowed individual effort, it would be tyranny in numbers and a distasteful façade.

Naïve fools trapped by vanity and idiots obsessed with the hero's play might fall for it. Not me.

'I should gather information about what happened over the past month.'

He could do it on the internet, but amidst the hearsay and misinformation, finding quality intel would take much more time and effort.

There was a better way, though.

Jinhyuk accessed the [Tower of Trials] community.

Numerous categories and posts filled the screen.

He had to find one person.

A player he had noticed even while in the labyrinth.

'Where are you?'

Finding someone amidst this crowd was as difficult as playing 'Where's Waldo?'.

However, Jinhyuk efficiently searched through likely places.

[Today's Popular Posts], [Hall of Honor], [Tips Board]...

And finally.

'Found you.'

A familiar name caught his eye.

[HumanBaldMan / Join Date: 2007. 8. 13 / Details: Private]

The join date confirmed it was the right person.

HumanBaldMan.

He was indeed here.

Jinhyuk logged in with the ID he used during his time playing the Tower of Trials.

'TimoBrigadier.'

An ID joined on 2007. 7. 1.

It was nostalgic to log in after such a long time.

But there was a catch...

'Damn, why did I choose a name like this 11 years ago?

There are so many cooler names.'

Names like 'Chungcho' (Pure), 'Geomhwang' (Sword Emperor), 'Mushin' (Martial God) sounded so dignified.

But why did I choose one after 'Teemo', the overfed character that mercilessly shreds opponents?

It was an irreversible mistake, but one thing was certain.

Compared to HumanBaldMan, his ID was better.

-TimoBrigadier: Hello, HumanBaldy. Do you remember me?

'Will I get a reply?'

They were once teammates, but that was all in the past.

He could easily be ignored or forgotten now.

While he was thinking this, a response came quickly.

-HumanBaldMan: Lmao, loyalty! Captain TimoBrigadier! It's been so long!

'He remembers.'

The last time they talked was over seven years ago...

Jinhyuk felt oddly touched.

-HumanBaldMan: Wow. Why haven't you responded to my whispers and messages? I've been sending them since the Day of Beginnings.

-TimoBrigadier: Ah, I was a bit busy for a month.

-HumanBaldMan: Lol, that's extreme. Were you stranded on a deserted island?

-TimoBrigadier: Something like that.

Labyrinths.

He'd spent a month struggling to stay alive.

Naturally, that led to a gap in information.

Fortunately, he found someone who could fill in the blanks.

HumanBaldMan probably knew more about the Tower of Trials than anyone else during this period.

Jinhyuk would get the details from him.

-TimoBrigadier: It's quite awkward to chat through whispers. I'd like to meet you in person, are you available?

-HumanBaldMan: Of course! But I've also agreed to meet with FierceFistFromBulgwangDong, is it okay if we all meet together?

An unexpected nickname emerged.

FierceFistFromBulgwangDong.

He was also meeting with him.

'Feels like the first official gathering of Tower of Trials veterans.'

He was curious.

Meeting real-life veterans whose in-game personas he only knew.

He didn't ponder long.

-TimoBrigadier: Please come near the entrance of the Tower of Trials. I'll be at a café.

Jinhyuk sent a brief response.

***

In a personal café where few people came and went, Jinhyuk chose the most remote seat.

As he sipped a cold chocolate latte and passed the time, about 30 minutes later, the door creaked open.

A man and a woman entered.

No need to confirm - Jinhyuk knew they were HumanBaldMan and FierceFistFromBulgwangDong.

They also recognized him and quickly approached.

"Hello, I'm HumanBaldMan!"

Just over 170cm in height.

A man with curly permed hair and pale skin smiled brightly.

Quite a cute appearance, the likable sort.

In the game, he'd styled himself as a bald black man with leopard-print underwear, a bee's tail, and butterfly wings - truly...

'Ugh, this is the guy who ignited the bug labyrinth and then called for pest control, shouting like a madman, right?'

[Blood pressure is rising.]

[Potential for health risks is detected.]

Agreed.

Jinhyuk felt his cheeks tingle with irritation.

Then, the woman on the opposite side introduced herself.

"And I'm FierceFistFromBulgwangDong."

Tall, over 167cm with athletic, slightly tanned skin, and long hair perfectly matched with her gym clothes.

Certainly...

With generous curves, a white character sporting a flowery tube around the waist and boxing gloves on the fists.

It had to be.

The image of FierceFistFromBulgwangDong shouting 'No mercy in my fist!' was still vivid in his memory.

It was a shocking revelation.

Of course, he had expected to meet some older, unkempt middle-aged men.

'But they're this normal-looking? No. In another sense, they're both too conspicuous.'

Jinhyuk stuttered as he spoke.

"Te... TimoBrigadier."

He had forgotten.

In reality, those insane veterans in the game were perfectly ordinary.