Tower of Trials, Floor 10
The existence of the Light-Speed Rune was extraordinary. According to HunGyo, it was enough to bring forward the challenge of the 10th floor of the Tower of Trials.
'Honestly, if HunGyo alone grows properly… even the 20th floor wouldn't be impossible.'
However, there wasn't enough leeway right now to fully optimize HunGyo's runes.
'For now, I should be satisfied with the 10th floor.'
Even that wasn't bad. No, rather, it was an unbelievably fast growth rate.
'If I get any greedier here, that would just be shameless.'
About two weeks passed like that.
During that time, Yoo Jia kept her promise. She really came out to the open lot every morning.
After working out diligently for exactly one hour, she would head to the office.
"Doesn't it get tiring every time?"
"Not at all."
When he had asked her once, Yoo Jia had actually said she wished she had started much earlier and was very satisfied.
"You know that summon named HunGyo?"
"Yes."
"It's unbelievable. I've received all kinds of top-tier training across the country, but someone… no, a summon, who teaches this cleanly and efficiently—I've never seen one before."
Even without speaking, just through gestures, he explained everything so clearly and understandably.
"After exercising here for just one hour, my whole body feels refreshed, and it feels like my muscles are just packing on!"
"Haha, really?"
That made sense. As his name implied, he was a summon specialized in training. Baek Jinwoo himself was experiencing tremendous benefits.
Anyway—
"Today, I plan to challenge the 10th floor."
"The 10th floor… the Tower of Trials? Huh? Already…?"
"Yes."
The preparations were already complete. In fact, he could have started climbing when Lamba was equipped with the Light-Speed Rune, but he wanted to be perfectly prepared, which led to this timing.
"It'll be over quickly this time as well. About 10 minutes?"
"R-Really?"
Ten minutes? Was that even possible?
About two years ago, even Rachel, the world's number one ranked player, had taken over 30 minutes to defeat the boss.
'Well…'
Who was the man standing before her?
Wasn't he God Ji-nu, the very person whom even Rachel admired?
'I keep forgetting.'
"Have you ever seen me lie?"
"That's true. It's definitely possible, uh, then!"
It was at that moment that Yoo Jia's eyes sparkled.
"Would it be possible for you to wear your equipment this time?"
"Equipment? I won't be selling any information related to the Tower of Trials…"
"Yes, I know."
Yoo Jia nodded, then pointed in turn at Lamba, HunGyo, and Explosive Dragon Sorcerer.
"You want to keep information about those summons hidden for now, right?"
Baek Jinwoo flinched in surprise.
'How did she know?'
But then again…
"Don't look at me like that. Of course I could figure it out. Those three are summons I've never seen before. They don't show up even when I search for them. And every piece of information you sold through the weekday dungeon texts included those summons."
Truly perceptive, Yoo Jia.
She had simply deduced that those summons were the reason Baek Jinwoo had opened numerous low-grade summoning scrolls in the early days.
"Ahem."
As Baek Jinwoo cleared his throat, she continued:
"I'm not trying to sell the information. I just want to use it later for promotional purposes—when you've grown tremendously and can proudly reveal everything."
"For promotional purposes, huh."
Well, that made sense.
Recording things always proved useful. Even beyond promotion, there was nothing better than video footage for objectively analyzing oneself from a third-person perspective.
"As for any information leaks you're worried about, we can bind that securely through a contract. What do you think? If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to do it."
"Hoo… really?"
Baek Jinwoo stared at her intently.
Yoo Jia.
Was she someone he could truly trust? Someone he could grow closer to?
Based on everything he had seen so far…
'Yes.'
That was the answer.
She treated his family well, did her best for him, and above all, had been a tremendous help.
'Just looking at the Light-Speed Rune alone.'
Would he have been able to obtain it immediately just because he wanted it?
A rune limited to the entire world?
Even if he could buy it, he might have had to pay far more than its original price.
But Yoo Jia?
With Daeseong behind her and her familiarity with such transactions, it had been possible.
"…."
After a brief moment of thought, Baek Jinwoo nodded.
"Alright. Then come over here for a moment."
"Huh?"
He beckoned her with a gesture.
"I'll reveal one of my secrets."
"A secret?"
Yoo Jia's pupils widened.
'Could it be…?'
Her heart began to pound. Was he about to reveal that he was God Ji-nu?
Unfortunately, the secret Baek Jinwoo was about to reveal was not that.
"HunGyo, come here for a moment."
—…!
HunGyo approached silently, pausing his training.
"You can speak in front of Yoo Jia from now on."
"Huh?"
Yoo Jia looked puzzled.
Speak? A summon?
She had always been interested in players and summons.
A talking summon? She had never seen anything like it anywhere in the world.
"Mr. Jinwoo, what do you mean by that—"
—Yes, my lord.
At that moment, HunGyo bowed his head and answered concisely.
—It was quite frustrating having to train silently every morning. Now I won't have to do that anymore.
"…?"
Yoo Jia's eyes widened slightly at the sudden speech.
"G-Gasp?!"
So shocked that she made a strange sound, she collapsed backward.
No, this wasn't just speaking—it was perfectly fluent!
—Jinwoo! Jinwoo! Then can I speak too?
Hearing this, Lamba fluttered over excitedly.
"Yeah, go ahead, Lamba. Your mouth must have been itching to talk, right?"
—Rich lady! Don't come empty-handed next time—bring some cream bread! Honestly, it was too much that you always came empty-handed!
"…!"
At Lamba's playful remark, Yoo Jia was on the verge of fainting.
Moreover—
—Nice to meet you, Ms. Yoo Jia. I've always been grateful for your help to Mr. Jinwoo.
Even the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer spoke.
Yoo Jia stared at them with her mouth wide open.
Was this how it would feel if a well-raised pet dog suddenly started talking?
"Actually…"
Baek Jinwoo said with a smile, watching her reaction.
"This is the reason I don't want to disclose information. My summons can speak."
Ah.
I see. That could certainly be the case…
'Yeah, right!'
How could that possibly make sense?
A short while later, after regaining her composure, Yoo Jia bombarded him with questions, but Baek Jinwoo remained tight-lipped.
* * *
Samsung-dong Player Zone.
In front of Jamsil Tower, four figures gathered.
Baek Jinwoo and members of Yoobaek.
"Please make sure to clear it safely!"
"Bosses that appear every 10 floors have the highest player mortality rate. Be careful first and foremost—be careful again!"
Kim Byungjin and Hwang Taeseop sent their words of encouragement one after the other.
The recording equipment had already been fully set up.
The expressions of everyone present, including Yoo Jia, were filled with tension.
It was only natural.
Three years ago, the majority of Korea's top-ranked players had lost their lives here.
The King of Monsters, 'Cyclops' (S-rank).
On a global scale, even at this very moment, countless players were likely being torn apart by that creature.
But—
"I'll be done quickly, so how about the four of us go out for a company dinner afterward? It's been a while."
As Baek Jinwoo stretched, his expression was more relaxed than anyone else's.
"How about galbitang for lunch?"
"Not galbitang—I'll take you to a premium Korean beef omakase if needed, so please just come back alive."
Yoo Jia spoke with a worried voice.
Naturally so.
The moment Baek Jinwoo died, "Yoobaek" would be finished—completely bankrupt.
"Don't worry."
At that moment, Baek Jinwoo's gaze turned chillingly cold. Even if his expression appeared relaxed, he always approached the Tower of Trials with complete seriousness.
Even though he had experience clearing up to the 100th floor, every single floor demanded full concentration.
But no matter what—
"There is no chance I'll die on the 10th floor."
Absolutely not.
* * *
[Entering the Tower of Trials.]
[You may now challenge Floor 10.]
[Would you like to proceed?]
[Y/N]
"Yes."
He had already advanced to the location right before 'Cyclops' (S-rank) on the 9th floor. That meant the battle would begin the moment he entered!
Flash!
His vision shifted, and a concise mission appeared.
[Tower of Trials – Floor 10]
[Defeat the Floor 10 Boss, 'Cyclops' (S-rank).]
—GROOOOOOOOOOAR!
A monstrous roar filled his entire field of vision, shaking the heavens and earth.
"Whoa…"
Thanks to the protective barrier, there was no physical impact, but the sheer sound alone was enough to make one shrink back.
The creature stood over 10 meters tall, with drool dripping from its mouth, elongated arms, and terrifying claws.
'Focus. Don't lose yourself.'
"Lamba!"
—Got it!
Whirrrrr!
With the Light-Speed Rune equipped, Lamba immediately began swinging her staff toward HunGyo.
Explosive Dragon Sorcerer started gathering magic, while all other summons charged forward.
Their role was simple: endure with their bodies until HunGyo's stacks were fully built!
—GROOOOOOOAR!
The monster raised its arm high into the air—
Whoooosh!
—and slammed it downward.
BOOOOOOM!
With a single blow, the largest Titanium Golem was crushed. The ground was deeply gouged, and summons with lower durability, such as the Combat Sheriff and Radiant Priest, were instantly unsummoned.
Truly terrifying power.
'It's fine.'
The meat shields could all fall. Only two needed to survive: Lamba and HunGyo.
The enraged monster continued clashing with Baek Jinwoo's summons.
—Kiiiii!
A Wind Hawk soared through the sky, applying a movement speed buff to HunGyo.
—My lord, I will begin moving now!
Thud!
After buying time and preparing, HunGyo kicked off the ground and launched forward.
CRASH!
At that moment, the monster's attack split the Spotted Komodo in half. Blood gushed out and entrails spilled, but it wasn't dead.
Summons do not die. When their HP reaches zero, they are simply unsummoned and can be summoned again after sufficient time.
—Haaap!
Moving at incredible speed, HunGyo ran up the monster's arm and reached its head, thrusting his sword forward.
Stab!
However, compared to the massive monster, HunGyo's sword was like a mere toothpick.
—This won't do.
BOOOOM!
The monster began using both arms, ignoring HunGyo entirely and sweeping away the other summons, unsummoning them one by one.
Truly the might of an S-rank boss. It was astonishing that other rankers had managed to defeat it at all.
'Well, whatever.'
Baek Jinwoo simply watched calmly.
No matter how destructive and powerful it was, it was useless if it couldn't land a precise hit on HunGyo.
Whoosh, swish!
HunGyo moved with agility, dodging Cyclops' attacks and relentlessly targeting its head—specifically, the single eye at its center.
Stabstabstabstabstab!
His speed gradually increased until he became nearly invisible.
Even if it was just a toothpick, stabbing more than 100 times per second changed everything.
—G-GROOOOAR?
As pain accumulated, Cyclops raised both hands to cover its eye.
—Hmph, what do you think covering your eye will do? You couldn't catch me with it open—do you think you can with it closed?
—Wooooow! As expected of HunGyo! So cool!
It was over.
The stacks had exceeded their limit. To HunGyo now, the monster likely appeared frozen in place. He could strike anywhere at will.
'Yes.'
This was the true power of an EX-rank summon—the overwhelming strength of Lamba, once judged to be a bug.
—What do you think? I feel like I can stop swinging now! Or should I keep going? Hyahhyahhyahhyah!
—GROAR! GROAR! GROOOOOOAR!
In the end, Cyclops could not endure even 10 minutes and collapsed to its knees.
Toward the fallen monster—
Explosive Dragon Technique -Link.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
From Explosive Dragon Sorcerer's staff beside him, a blazing red dragon burst forth repeatedly.
—GROOOOOOOOOOAR!
With a final roar, Cyclops was consumed by flames.
Baek Jinwoo felt a surge of nostalgia.
'There was a time…'
Back during Battle of Summoners, this had been an overwhelming boss he had only cleared after countless deaths and attempts.
Now, he had defeated it with such ease. This was the difference that information made.
[You have defeated the Floor 10 Boss, 'Cyclops' (S-rank).]
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered Floor 10 of the Tower of Trials!]
It was also the power of an EX-rank summon and fully optimized runes.
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