Chapter 2

Episode 2: Prelude

With a throbbing headache and a hangover, Jinhyuk woke up from his bed.

"Ugh..."

Pressing his temples, he gulped down a liter of ice water from the fridge, quenching his burning thirst. The cold water slowly brought him back to his senses.

Feeling a bit better, he contemplated cooking some hangover soup, but something more important needed his attention.

'First, I need to edit and upload the video of yesterday's first-ever clear before someone else claims it.'

He was fairly certain no other players had reached around the 20th floor yet, but you never know with these things.

Whirring!

Jinhyuk quickly turned on his computer and started searching for suitable background music for his VTube editing.

But then.

"Huh?"

A popular channel he followed was live streaming with the title, 'The Tower of Trials has really appeared. OMG.'

Though clickbait titles were common, a live stream with over 300,000 viewers was an exception. Something was definitely going on.

His heart pounded uncontrollably as he moved his mouse cursor to click on the live stream. It felt as if everything was about to change.

Click!

He entered the broadcast.

"Wow! Guys, do you see that? You all are seeing it, right?"

On the screen was a Vtuber expressing amazement, and...

A giant tower.

It was real.

A massive tower had appeared in the middle of Seoul.

Familiar, yet surreal.

"The MelonWatermelon bro tipped me off. It's from the game 'Tower of Trials' released 11 years ago. Can you believe it? Wait a second."

Suddenly, the Vtuber looked up, and at that moment, the screen started to turn red.

It wasn't sunset; it was 10 AM.

'No way...'

Jinhyuk swallowed hard. He knew what this was.

The same phenomenon he had seen when he first played 'Tower of Trials'.

[The 'Tower of Trials' reboot version 1 update has been completed.]

The boundary between reality and virtual blurred.

Blue status windows flickered both in the live stream and in front of him in reality.

It had started.

[All players are advised to conquer the next floor of the tower within 90 days.]

The world everyone knew was crumbling...

[Failure to do so will result in the annihilation of humanity.]

And just like that, the game became reality.

***

Jinhyuk's mind was in disarray, but he quickly collected himself.

"Whew. Whew. Whew."

He calmed his breathing.

He needed to think clearly.

If 'Tower of Trials' had truly become reality, there was no time to waste.

'I need to hurry.'

He got up from his chair, which toppled over, but there was no time to set it right.

He needed to go out.

Specifically, to a location where he could obtain 'that item.'

Bursting through the front door, Jinhyuk sprinted down the road, crossing streets and climbing stairs, his breath catching in his throat.

But strangely, he didn't feel tired.

Instead...

The monotony of his life, enduring each day with just hope...

The prospect of breaking free from that routine filled him with exhilaration.

How long had he run?

Upon arriving at Central City, it was already crowded with people.

"What's the fastest way to Busan?"

"Damn it. Korea, Busan or whatever, we need to get out of the country. Abroad. That's where we can survive."

"Everywhere abroad has those cursed towers too, what are you talking about?"

"Then where should we go?"

"Anywhere but Seoul. Didn't you see the movies? Staying here means death!"

Most were trying to flee Seoul.

'Understandably frightened.'

It's instinctive for all creatures to fear the unknown.

But there's opportunity in crisis.

This wasn't a time to flee, but to advance.

'This place was selected as one of the [Outside Tower Areas] in the Korean server.'

About thirty nationwide, chosen for being the closest.

Looking down at the underground city, Jinhyuk took the escalator down.

[Entering the event area.]

The underground mall was quiet.

With the sudden appearance of the tower and talk of human extinction, no one would be at ease enough to shop.

Even fewer would be eating hamburgers.

Of course...

"..."

"..."

Not everyone was the same.

As expected...

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

Dozens of people were scattered around the fountain.

No need to ask; they were people who had played 'Tower of Trials' before.

In the silence, everyone watched each other, knowing what was at stake.

The upcoming item was limited in quantity.

At best, only about five would be available.

But there were over twenty people present.

Limited supply, high demand.

Someone would miss out.

Then.

"Hey, you're Kang Jinhyuk, right?"

A young man's voice came from behind Jinhyuk.

'Sounds familiar...'

Turning around, Jinhyuk saw a tall man, around 180 cm, with dyed yellow hair.

Lee Jongsoo.

To meet him here...

"Haha, yes, Kang Jinhyuk! You're here too. Well, you were always glued to your computer all day."

Lee Jongsoo approached with a smirk.

A partner BJ on PaprikaTV, with 500,000 subscribers on VTube and a substantial Instagram following.

'And, the CEO of the company I belonged to.'

"Aren't you usually busy with your broadcasts around this time?"

Jinhyuk asked.

"Eh, what broadcast at a time like this?"

Lee Jongsoo shrugged.

"What situation?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you played this game a lot. But tell me, how far did you get? Let's not hide it from each other, let's share the honey."

Colleague?

A colleague... really?

Jinhyuk felt a shock as if he had been hit by a hammer.

He still remembered what this trash had said.

'He conned the BJ's with unfair contracts in his company.'

Promising editor salaries and content costs, all lies.

Plus, taking 60% of the earnings, the more you broadcast, the bigger the deficit.

Complaints were futile.

He had the backing of one of Korea's top law firms.

If you don't like it, go through legal channels.

The contract was agreed upon by both parties.

In the end, the BJ's, like slaves, wept as they quit broadcasting.

Friends he was close with.

Friends he started with from the bottom.

One by one, they left the industry.

"You're good at gaming and eating shows. I'll offer you a better contract. How about it?"

Lee Jongsoo put his hand on Jinhyuk's shoulder.

Disgusting. Every word he uttered.

"...Lee Jongsoo."

"Hey, hey. Even in private, call me the CEO. Tsk."

Ah, right. The CEO...

He had realized something in life.

Bad people continue to thrive and live well.

And.

To not be victimized by them, you have to become more brutal and cruel.

Those two things.

"Act like a CEO if you want to be called one."

"What?"

Lee Jongsoo's expression changed.

But Jinhyuk continued.

"Remember? You hit on that female BJ, got rejected, then made a scene crying?"

If only he had recorded it.

"That's not all, is it? You said you couldn't give her up, stalked her, got reported, and even went to the police station. Man, if I were you, I would've bitten my tongue and died."

"You, you! You're crazy! I'll bury you so you can never broadcast again!"

Lee Jongsoo grabbed Jinhyuk's collar.

"Sorry, but I quit broadcasting yesterday."

And.

"Don't talk nonsense, bastard. I'm older than you."

Bang!

Jinhyuk's head smashed into Lee Jongsoo's face.

"Aargh!"

Lee Jongsoo's head snapped back, his broken teeth and blood spattering the floor.

'Feels so satisfying.'

Like a decade-old toothache finally gone.

"Ugh..."

Lee Jongsoo, holding his face and writhing in pain, was ignored by Jinhyuk.

'Should be appearing about now.'

Right at that moment.

Rumble!

Water splashed around the fountain.

The calm surface began to ripple, and then...

Boom!

A 4-meter-tall tree shot up.

'Finally appeared.'

"Wow!"

"Mangrove!"

"I knew it!"

Those waiting exclaimed.

[The 'Greed Mangrove Tree' is growing.]

[Each person can consume only one fruit.]

One of the pre-Tower opportunities.

Jinhyuk eyed the colorful fruits on the tree.

Each ripe fruit increased stats like strength, agility, health, and mana.

A valuable item.

But the problem was...

'There are only four...'

With over twenty people waiting, the odds were 5:1.

Jinhyuk moistened his lower lip.

'This will be fierce.'

The merit of increasing stats in the early stages was too important to pass up.

"Mine, mine!"

"Don't joke, I'm first!"

"Aaaaah!"

Everyone lunged for the fruits.

By any means necessary.

To grab it before others.

Soon, the Central City underground mall became a battleground.

***

"Damn it! That's it, the fruits are gone. Too late!" Lee Jong-su gasped for breath. He was right; it was too late to head for the fountain now.

Splash!

"There, it's done!" Someone had already plucked and eaten the first fruit. Soon, the remaining fruits would also find their way into someone's mouth.

"If only you had teamed up with me, we could have shared the fruits. It would have been a win-win!" Lee Jong-su continued to shout, but Jinhyuk didn't respond. He didn't need to.

The fruits were not what he was after.

'Not yet. The time isn't right.' Ordinary people wouldn't even know about the tree's fruits. Those who had played a few times were focused solely on consuming the fruits.

And the veterans...

They preferred a more perverse and sadistic process. It promised greater rewards.

Finally, all the fruits on the tree were gone. That's when it happened.

Screeeech!

The tree howled. Having lost all its fruits, the tree's main body began to rage in fury.

"Right, this tree becomes incredibly dangerous once all its fruits are eaten."

"Damn it, I'd forgotten. It's been so long since I played."

"Aaaah! Run now! I've died here like 50 times!"

People who realized the seriousness of the situation belatedly started to back off. They had to escape. Level 1 players without weapons had no chance of defeating this tree.

"Ugh..." Even Lee Jong-su staggered to his feet.

"Going to give up?" Jinhyuk asked.

"Of course! I refuse to die a pointless death here."

"Really? That's too bad. The real reward of this event can be obtained only after all the fruits are gone."

Lee Jong-su, who was about to head towards the escalator, hesitated.

"Are you serious?"

"Why else would I still be here?"

Lee Jong-su pondered. It made sense why Jinhyuk had shown little interest in the fruits. There was a bigger reward.

'I suppose he's telling the truth. He played that game non-stop.'

Lee Jong-su was certain he smelled an opportunity.

"Assuming you're telling the truth, what do we do?"

"We dive in," Jinhyuk pointed to the inside of the tree. "If we move one at a time, it's easy to get targeted. We must approach from both sides."

"Divert its attention, then."

"Exactly."

Everyone else had gone up. Only Jinhyuk and Lee Jong-su remained in the underground area.

"Remember, if even one of us hesitates, it could lead to the worst situation."

Jinhyuk crouched and slowly moved to the right.

"Don't worry. I'm not new to this game."

Lee Jong-su moved to the left. Once they were in position,

"Now!" Jinhyuk sprang into action.

Immediately, the tree's branches lunged towards him. But Lee Jong-su stood still, revealing a sinister smile.

"Idiot. Who would listen to your nonsense? Go be the bait. I'll aim for the treasure in the meantime."

Then he dashed towards the center of the tree.

Within their crossing glances, Jinhyuk thought,

...Good. He hasn't changed. 'Had he suddenly turned over a new leaf, I would have felt sorry.'

With a loud crash,

Boom!

Suddenly, branches hidden beneath the fountain burst out.