Tower of Trials – Floor 1 (3)
One week later.
The promised dungeon date with Explosive Dragon Sorcerer had ended.
In the end, Baek Jinwoo's judgment was correct. On the final day of fulfilling all their promises, that evening—
—Um… Jinwoo.
"Hm?"
—There's something I need to tell you.
"What is it?"
—I was actually able to learn the skill last time, but I deliberately chose not to because of my immature feelings. I'm truly sorry.
The Explosive Dragon Sorcerer confessed everything. She was perceptive enough to realize her mistake and had likely prepared herself to be scolded.
Instead, Jinwoo rewarded her and even went on a separate date with her, which must have made her feel even more uncomfortable.
—I was being selfish. The other summons must also want to spend time with you, Jinwoo.
"No, Explosive Dragon."
Baek Jinwoo smiled brightly. Though still young, he wondered if this was how it felt to raise a child.
"I'm actually grateful that you gathered the courage to tell me first."
—….
"You don't need to blame yourself too much. In the current situation, you're the one I need the most. It's only natural that I spend time on you."
—Really?
This wasn't an empty statement. The weekday dungeon rotation members were valuable too, of course—but they weren't on the same level as Explosive Dragon Sorcerer, HunGyo, or Lamba.
Baek Jinwoo had always preferred giving special treatment to high-performance summons rather than distributing his attention equally.
"Link proficiency is definitely maxed out now, right?"
—Yes, this should be more than enough! I don't think I'll make any mistakes anymore.
"Good. Then that's it for today."
Tomorrow—they would challenge the tower.
* * *
The next day.
Player Zone, in front of Jamsil Tower.
Staff members in black suits stood at the main entrance. As Baek Jinwoo approached—
"Ah!"
"Player Baek Jinwoo?"
The two staff members recognized him immediately. He was now quite a celebrity. Although not officially ranked yet, he was more famous than many rankers.
"You're not seriously planning to challenge the Tower of Trials, are you?"
Yes. Otherwise, why would he be here?
"May I enter?"
"Um… could we please see your registration card? We can confirm your identity, but it's required for procedure."
"Here it is."
The process was simple.
Once his entry was recorded in the system, that was it. If a player failed to return within a week, they were marked as missing; after a month, they were declared dead. The timeframe alone revealed how brutal the tower was.
"You won't expose this to the media, right?"
Public and journalist access to the Tower of Trials was strictly prohibited, and players' privacy was protected upon request.
"Yes, we'll set it so there's no media exposure!"
More than anything, he didn't want his family to know.
He had heard that his sibling and Yoo Jia had told their parents about him, but the Tower of Trials was a different matter.
'They'll worry.'
He planned to clear it quickly on his own and reveal it later.
"All set?"
"Yes, you may enter!"
"We wish you a safe clear!"
Receiving their greetings, Baek Jinwoo stepped into the tower's main gate, a gateway swirling with black aurora.
* * *
Inside the Tower.
[Entering the Tower of Trials.]
[The difficulty of the Tower of Trials is extremely high.]
[Proceed with caution.]
After the warning messages faded—
[Up to 3 teams can be deployed in the Tower of Trials.]
[Please complete your settings.]
The setup had already been prepared.
Team 1: Lamba, HunGyo, Explosive Dragon Sorcerer, Wind Fairy, Horn Fairy
Team 2: Sky Dolphin, Celestial Wyvern, and three Lava Drakes
Team 3: Battle Sheriff, Priest of Radiance, Spotted Komodo, Titanium Golem, Frost Cat
A neat total of 15 summons, all equipped with the best lower-tier runes available.
[You can now challenge Floor 1.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
[Y/N]
No need to think. He selected Y.
With a resonating hum, energy enveloped his body—
Flash!
His vision shifted.
* * *
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in an unfamiliar space: A ruined city filled with magnificent Gothic-style stone buildings.
As expected, a medieval setting.
-Graaaar!
-Grrrrraaaa!
The primary enemies were Ghouls (C-rank).
The Tower of Trials progressed in cycles of ten floors. Defeating the Floor 10 boss, the Ghoul King 'Cyclops' (S-rank), completed one cycle.
"Everyone, move."
—Yes!
—At your command, my lord!
—Understood, Jinwoo.
The fifteen summons began moving in perfect coordination.
Mission:
[Escape the ghoul-occupied ruined city 'Chrome.']
[Due to the powerful curse placed on 'Chrome,' the use of aerial summons is restricted.]
Avoid the overwhelming ghouls and get out of the city!
"Tsk."
Baek Jinwoo clicked his tongue. It sounded easy when you just heard it, but it was actually quite difficult. He didn't know what kind of city Chrome had been, but it was enormous. And with that size came countless ghouls.
"Break through that alley first! Don't try to fight them all—focus your attacks on the vulnerable side only!"
The ghouls inside the Tower of Trials were different from ordinary ones. Their movement and attack speeds were slow, but their defense and attack power were absurdly high. Moreover, their claws were coated with a potent poison—once scratched, even healing couldn't resolve it. The moment one thought about clearing all the ghouls before moving on, they would be overwhelmed.
"First…"
The Wyvern and the Dolphin were temporarily unsummoned. Aerial movement was restricted within the city, and the Dolphin was unusable without water.
And then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Lava Drakes charged forward first, unleashing fiery breaths.
-Grrraaah!
-Grrrrraaaaaah!
The ghouls, who had been shuffling forward, twisted their bodies in agony.
"Move past them!"
Baek Jinwoo and his summons quickly advanced. As they passed through alley after alley, the horrifying cries of the ghouls filled the entire city.
'They're gathering more and more.'
Still, Floor 1 was manageable. If they could just find the right path, escaping was easy.
'Where's the exit?'
Since the initial respawn location was random, there was no way to know. However, maps were placed throughout the city—these were the only clues to clearing the first floor.
—My lord, I've found it!
HunGyo approached, having swiftly navigated between the ghouls. Having fought together before, their coordination was seamless.
—Here is the map!
Fwoosh!
As HunGyo dusted off the old, dirt-covered map, a detailed layout appeared.
'We just need to orient ourselves using the tallest cathedral in the city.'
Baek Jinwoo gauged the distance using the cross atop the towering cathedral spire. After repeatedly climbing towers, one naturally became adept at navigation; determining their position at a glance was not difficult.
'Here it is.'
Nodding, Baek Jinwoo pointed to a corner of the map—their current location.
—Fortunately, the exit isn't too far.
"Right, but to get there, we'll have to pass a Giant Ghoul (B-rank)."
Throughout the city stood mid-boss monsters known as Giant Ghouls—far larger and stronger than regular ghouls.
—I'll handle it. Lamba has been continuously buffing me, after all.
Whoosh, whoosh!
From the very beginning, Lamba had been swinging her staff nonstop, stacking HunGyo's attack speed buffs.
Normally, the standard strategy was to throw about two parties at high-grade ghouls to distract them and then sprint madly toward the exit. Most rankers likely cleared it this way.
But with three EX-grade summons, Baek Jinwoo didn't need to rely on such tactics.
"Explosive Dragon."
"Yes."
"You're still stacking, right?"
"I'm at five stacks now."
Explosive Dragon Sorcerer was also accumulating power for Explosive Dragon Wave through Link. As time passed, her damage output would only grow stronger—just like HunGyo's.
"Okay, let's move. Everyone keep stacking."
—Yes, Jinwoo.
That's right. A mere Giant Ghoul—they would simply overpower it with sheer strength.
* * *
Soon, they encountered the roaring Giant Ghoul. Massive and intimidating, its claws alone seemed capable of instant death.
"HunGyo."
—Yes, my lord!
"Can you handle it?"
—Easily.
HunGyo dashed forward, his speed enhanced by Lamba's buffs. The Giant Ghoul's attacks appeared in slow motion to him. He slashed relentlessly, evading every strike.
"Explosive Dragon!"
—Coming!
HunGyo leapt off the ghoul's head as Explosive Dragon Sorcerer unleashed her technique:
Explosive Dragon Sorcery – Secret Art – Link.
A barrage of crimson dragons erupted from her staff—one, two, three, four, five, six!
The Giant Ghoul was overwhelmed by the relentless bombardment.
With a final leap, HunGyo drove his blade into the monster's neck.
Thud!
With a horrifying roar, the Giant Ghoul collapsed.
"Nice. Let's keep moving."
Ten minutes after entry, they reached the city's side gate.
[You have escaped the ghoul-occupied ruined city 'Chrome'.]
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered Floor 1 of the Tower of Trials!]
Reward Received: Random Synthesis Blueprint Box (B-rank)
* **
Baek Jinwoo's achievement was recorded as another legend.
"P-Player Baek Jinwoo?"
The tower staff were stunned to see him emerge so soon after entering.
How long has it even been?
His survival meant only one thing: Floor 1 cleared.
No player—domestically or internationally—had ever exited the tower in under 20 minutes.
"See you tomorrow."
Jinwoo said with a faint smile before leaving.
The staff exchanged glances.
"I think we just witnessed the beginning of a great hero."
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