Chapter 55: The End of the 3rd Floor, The Heartless Army (Part 1)

Chapter 55: The End of the 3rd Floor, The Heartless Army (Part 1)

"Ah, no... please, please...!"

Leaving behind the wailing Alex, Jinhyuk turned back into the inner part of the circular theater.

There was no reason to witness the end.

The remnants fell irregularly due to the aftershocks of the mana dissolution.

Though not threatening, he didn't feel like getting covered in dust.

[Lv2 'Ice Sculpting' is activated.]

A circle of ice spread around Jinhyuk's body.

The ice shield, adorned with snowflake patterns, deflected the falling rocks.

Jinhyuk looked towards the people lying on the ground, still unconscious.

They were physically and mentally damaged, which was no small thing.

'This means I can collect a fair bit of additional income.'

In such a disastrous situation, there was no time to take care of the auctioned goods.

The treasures of the 175th round, buried under the rocks—finders keepers.

Strolling leisurely through the debris, Jinhyuk began to harvest his gains.

'Saving their lives entitles me to at least this much in return.'

It was like giving it away too cheap, considering he'd settled for a few hundred billion as the price for their lives.

Of course, there could be someone who would demand their bundle back after being rescued from drowning.

But it didn't matter.

'By the time they regain consciousness, I'll be on a plane back to Korea.'

After all, who could identify the perpetrator among the unconscious?

At best, they could only direct their blame at the Mine team that caused the disaster.

Lalalala.

Humming a tune, Jinhyuk rummaged through the rubble.

Many treasures had been damaged, but thankfully the best items were intact.

'It feels like entering a treasure dungeon.'

He acquired the highest-valued items from the auction—the 'Dragonheart,' 'Unknown Ore,' and 'Vault crafted by Michelangelo.' Along with Alice's crown that she had contributed.

Good.

That should suffice.

Jinhyuk pulled out an old piece of paper from his possession.

It was the 'Subspace Inventory Blueprint' obtained from the corridor.

Though not a replica or from the tower itself, the materials wouldn't yield a platinum or diamond-grade inventory capable of storing tens of tons.

'At least it'll eliminate the inconvenience of carrying things.'

That's good enough.

['Dragonheart (A)', 'Unknown Ore (B)', 'Vault crafted by Michelangelo (C)' have been used as ingredients!]

[You have successfully created a Large Subspace Inventory (Gold Grade +5000kg)!]

With a dazzling light, a yellow-tinted subspace inventory appeared.

Finally, he had somewhere to shove all the cumbersome items.

At that moment...

Rustle.

A sound came from amongst the people.

"...!?"

Jinhyuk quickly turned his head.

'Someone's already regained consciousness?'

Just as he thought that, he locked eyes with a pair of round, wide, rabbit-like eyes.

A young boy, filled with fear but also an inexplicable longing and admiration.

'...It's just a kid.'

Jinhyuk dropped his guard.

"I'll get you out, so just stay still for a minute. Don't move."

"Yes? Oh, okay."

The boy nodded his head.

At that instant.

Swoosh!

His dagger, imbued with blue light, neatly sliced through the debris.

Calculated even down to the angle of collapse, the boy was rescued without a scratch.

"Th-thank you, mister."

"It's nothing, just this much."

Jinhyuk grinned nonchalantly.

"You took down that monster and the bad guys, right?"

"Uh?"

"I saw it before I passed out. It was like something from a Marvel movie. It was really... really cool."

A Marvel movie.

Maybe he seemed like one of the Avengers fighting Thanos.

Well, to a kid, wiping out a dozen undead might look like a scene from a movie.

"I want to be a strong player like you and climb the tower someday. Like a hero, appearing to save others from the bad guys... That's my dream."

Hmm. Hearing it so bluntly, it was a bit embarrassing.

No filter in expressing emotions due to his innocence.

Still, it was a pleasantly genuine feeling.

There was no calculation or pretense in his gratitude.

'Sometimes, things like this aren't bad.'

Jinhyuk gave the boy's head a pat.

Knowing that anyone else could wake up at any moment, it was time to leave.

But there was one more thing.

"Um, can you keep a secret if people ask who did this?"

Jinhyuk extended his pinky finger.

"I won't tell. Heroes can't have their identity revealed!"

The boy smiled and locked pinkies with Jinhyuk's.

***

Two places in the Tower of Trials' 3rd floor remained untouched by players.

One was the boss room guarding the path to the 4th floor.

The other was this place—'the Cathedral of Hatred,' a labyrinth that had plunged countless raid teams into despair.

However,

Contrary to its infamy, this maze was conquered long ago.

By the Mines, to be precise.

"Damn, why are these security systems so complicated? At this rate, we'll be the ones getting caught."

Complaining, a slender woman named Melena couldn't hide her irritation.

The layers of wards and traps set up to thwart players...

And the numerous high-level undead monsters made even the Mine familiar with these grounds uneasy.

"Stop your incessant whining, Melena. I'm already in a foul mood thanks to that idiot doctor."

Ryuchao, walking next to Melena, clicked his tongue.

Though not large in stature, the cold aura exuding from his body was not inferior to that of large monsters.

"Do I really have to care about your temper, Ryuchao?"

"That might be wise if you don't want to die."

"Oh, you're funny. As if you're stronger than me."

Melena met Ryuchao's gaze head-on.

It looked like they could draw their weapons at any moment.

"Both of you, enough."

A low, heavy voice intervened—a man in a black hood.

Unlike Melena and Ryuchao, there was a red inverted cross emblazoned on his right shoulder, adorned with the Roman numeral VII.

"...Understood."

"Tch!"

Unable to defy the order, the two grudgingly agreed.

Melena and Ryuchao had been completing missions together for over a decade, but were always at each other's throats.

Though, it was a contradiction to expect friendship among Mines.

Doomsday cultists, pleasure-killing mercenaries, monsters willing to abandon humanity for money—all disliked being bound by law and order.

"It's hard to understand how Alex, even with diminished skills, lost in such a wealthy situation," Ryuchao said.

"Well, it must be because Kang Jinhyuk is no newbie. At best, he'll just be one of those common high-rankers."

"Stay alert. He may have climbed even higher than us."

The man in the hood spoke, a tension lining the faces of the others.

"Don't overthink it. Even our higher ups, who've reached the 20th floor of the tower, are considered lunatics. Could he really have climbed higher than that?"

"I, too, think it's an exaggeration. We chose the virtual world of [Tower of Trials] mainly to escape the eyes of INTERPOL and CIA. We know more about the tower than most..."

"Right. The other chumps don't have a reason to dive into virtual reality to dodge the eyes of the law."

It had been 11 years since [Tower of Trials] launched. Yet most people abandoned the game within three years.

A predictable outcome.

Even hardcore gamers give up when challenges become ridiculously difficult.

They need the taste of progress and advancement to endure the monotony.

Not many are foolish enough to waste their lives on endless dullness.

But then, why this uneasy tension?

The same instinct that had propelled the man to the executive ranks of the Mine Association was sending warning signals.

Kang Jinhyuk was not to be underestimated.

No heedlessness allowed.

Such negligence was reserved for the most foolish.

In which case...

"Melena, Ryuchao, go with Cedric."

For any unlikely possibility, it's best to crush it.

***

The final gate of the 3rd floor of the Tower of Trials.

Standing before the only path to the 4th floor, Jinhyuk took a deep breath.

'All preparations are complete.'

The items requested from Yuri were all stored in the subspace inventory, and his body's condition and mana were at their peak.

All that remained was to establish his own broadcasting channel before the boss battle.

'Considering the future, I need to gather as many coins as possible.'

With a rule that only the first view in 24 hours counts towards the view count, this industry would soon be fiercely competitive.

Popular individuals could rake in coins, but unnamed players would struggle to reach double-digit views.

He needed to secure his spot before that happened.

And then remove the ladder.

So that his competitors couldn't climb up.

'Let's endure just for today.'

Jinhyuk had initiated the broadcast for the boss raid to grab viewers' attention, but he planned to avoid live broadcasting as much as possible in the future.

Uncut real-time exposure was dangerous in many ways.

'If I can make a strong impression with the first broadcast, I can switch to uploading videos later.'

A strong foundation now would ease the future.

But at that moment, a painful, bitter memory surfaced in Jinhyuk's mind.

'Timo Colonel is a no-go.'

Absolutely not.

He wanted to escape that nightmare once and for all.

Jinhyuk bit his finger slightly.

Despite boasting an unparalleled knowledge of the Tower of Trials, his sense of naming remained unimproved, no matter the effort.

After some time of pondering...

A name flashed through Jinhyuk's mind like lightning.

"...Unknown."

Muttering, an interface appeared asking for confirmation.

"Yeah. Let's go with that."

When clearing the Rebirth Labyrinth, the system recommended the codename 'Unknown' for privacy protection.

A word meaning 'unidentified.'

Although indifferent at the time, the name now seemed fitting.

'It aligns with the concept of hiding one's identity behind a mask.'

[Your personal channel has been created!]

[Channel Name 'Unknown'!]

[Broadcasting function has been activated.]

[Real-time streaming can only be used during battles with each floor's boss monster.]

Current BJ Rank: Normal (90% fee applied)

Viewer count: 0/1,000

Subscribers: 0

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Jinhyuk's heart raced as he realized the gravity of the moment.

"This is just for show, yet I'm nervous."

Live streaming was a concept that didn't truly exist before. The number of [Tower of Trials] players was too few to make it prominent.

This was essentially his first live broadcast.

Of course, it would be a lie to say he was not trembling.

<Tower of Trials 3rd Floor Boss Battle: Watch how a seasoned pro handles their first live raid today!>

This title should hook enough viewers.

'Well then, it's time to go.'

Jinhyuk checked one last time whether the geometric-patterned mask was properly in place.

Step.

He moved towards the flickering gate that led beyond.