93. Tower of Trials Floor 26 (2)
The goal is not simply to clear it.
It is to clear it as fast as possible and get back out.
It was not just about thinking of the rewards from the Tower of Trials; if he wanted to use those rewards to make equipment and enhance things as well, it would take quite a lot of time.
"Song Yeonhee."
"Yes, sir!"
"Thanks for lending them to me. I'll level them up a lot and give them back."
Baek Jinwoo took Song Yeonhee's dolls again and registered them to Team 2.
For ultra-speed running, nothing was better than these little guys.
"Oh, it's nothing to thank me for! I should be the grateful one!"
For Song Yeonhee, it was an offer with no downside at all.
He would use those dolls from Floor 21 to Floor 50 of the Tower of Trials?
That would mean an absolutely massive amount of EXP coming in.
Didn't it take a tremendous amount of time and money to level them up by fusing them with low-grade summons?
Sending them to study abroad in the Tower of Trials for one week might actually be much better.
There was just one dangerous point, though…..
'That would be if Guild Master can't come back.'
Ack!
Let's not think such negative thoughts.
"I'll just keep doing physical training, and the breathing method HunGyo taught me."
And actually, Song Yeonhee, whose Heavenly Heart Body was mixed with the Boundless Physique, could practice controlling the dolls sufficiently through mental training alone.
"And Hwang Jiwoo."
"Yes, Sir Jinwoo!"
"Sorry, but I think you'll have to stay in the Tower of Trials and set up camp."
"Of course I should! I'll think of it as a camping trip."
He asked headquarters for their understanding.
He asked them to provide temporary lodging for her to stay in with the staff.
To avoid resetting Explosive Dragon's sudden quest, each floor had to be cleared within one hour, no matter what.
And on any floor that looked like it would take longer than that?
He had to leave Explosive Dragon behind entirely.
Even in the meantime, it could not exceed five hours. If it did, Explosive Dragon would be reverse-summoned.
[You may deploy up to 3 parties in the Tower of Trials.]
[Please complete your settings.]
Team 1 was the elite core.
Lamba, HunGyo, Explosive Dragon, Gale Slayer, Rund.
Why did he include Rund?
Because there were no other summons to put in anyway, and he could not be bothered to keep going back to resummon him every five hours.
Rund would not be hunting separately.
Even after entering the dungeon, he would keep hammering away while consuming materials.
Team 2 was Song Yeonhee's dolls.
Team 3 was filled with the player's means of transportation or buffers, such as Wind Falcon, Sky Dolphin, Celestial Wyvern, and so on.
"Everybody ready?"
—Of course, Jinwoo!
—Yes, we're ready.
—My lord, I will wipe them all out.
As expected!
They were incredibly reliable!
Even as he entered that fearsome place called the graveyard of players, Baek Jinwoo did not feel tense even once.
"Player Baek Jinwoo, you're here!"
The staff greeted him with respectful expressions.
Normally, they would have had to check his registration card, but even that procedure was skipped.
Now, his face itself was both his ID and his certificate.
"As before, we've set your privacy settings!"
"No."
Now everything had already been exposed.
The whole world knew, and even the Five Emperors were certain that he was God Ji-nu, so what would be the point of hiding it now?
HunGyo had grown somewhat stronger anyway, and he was even in the middle of forming a guild.
"I won't worry about media exposure, so leave it open."
"A-are you serious?"
"Yes. Then I'm going in."
"Understood! Please clear it safely!"
Receiving the staff's deeply respectful farewell, Baek Jinwoo entered through the tower's main gate, into the black aurora-like gate that churned and rippled.
* * *
The boss on Floor 10 had been 'Cyclops' (S-grade), and the boss on Floor 20 had been 'Dracula' (S-grade).
Then what about Floor 30?
'Phantom.'
A type of ghost boss.
Each set of ten floors had a theme, and the theme of Floors 21–30 was ghosts!
—Ughhh, why is it so creepy here?
Lamba rubbed both arms and hid behind Baek Jinwoo's back.
It certainly did feel eerie.
A city where dark clouds covered the sky and almost no sunlight got through.
The buildings of the abandoned city, with not a trace of human presence, were old and worn down, and the windows were full of dust and cobwebs.
—Stop hiding and swing your staff, Lamba.
Srrng!
At HunGyo's rebuke as he drew his sword, Lamba stuck out her lips in a pout.
—Tch, fine. Aren't you just amazing!
—My lord, shall I wipe them out right away?
In truth, the ghost theme could be quite burdensome and tricky for ordinary players.
'It looks deserted, but actually, every single one of those things is a ghost.'
The faintly flickering streetlights. A motel with a broken signboard. A shop with its shutter slightly raised.
Each and every one of those things was set up to beguile players and trap them through cunning tricks.
But?
"Uh, wipe them out."
Kuwaaaaaa!
Before HunGyo's firepower, fully geared with endgame runes, none of that had any meaning.
—Yes, my lord. I will destroy them all.
Paaat!
HunGyo shot up into the sky, then once more brought his sword down from above.
With that simple swing, the city exploded as if it had been carpet-bombed.
Kwagagagagagagaga!
HunGyo was reckless and unstoppable.
Kiaaaaaah!
Kieeeeeek!
As the buildings they were inhabiting collapsed, ghosts flew up screaming.
But.
Slash!
Gale Slayer, buffed by Lamba, spun his scythe and split their bodies apart.
The Reaper of Death, the Gale Slayer!
Gale Slayer's movements were even more ghostlike than the ghosts themselves.
—Alriiiight! This is it!
Lamba shouted excitedly as though she had never been trembling in fear to begin with.
Baek Jinwoo did not stay idle either.
Chwarrrrk!
Scattering dolls in all directions, he launched elemental attacks.
'These are pretty useful, actually?'
Later, if he could get even better dolls than these, he should get them.
At least A-grade or higher.
—My lord, we have dealt with the surroundings. We will continue advancing.
"Okay."
Normally, the standard route for Floor 21 was to find the 'Head Ghost' (B-grade) located in the center of the city.
But Baek Jinwoo did not do that.
That was because later on, this entire city would become one giant 'City Ghost' (A-grade) and threaten the player.
He would fight the City Ghost on Floor 25.
'I should weaken it in advance before that.'
If he destroyed everything?
Then later, he could take Floor 25 for free.
'And.'
The Imperial Ghost formed by ten City Ghosts merging together was precisely 'Phantom' (S-grade).
The theme here was simple.
If you just destroyed everything, it became easy to clear.
"Let's move fast."
—Yes, my lord!
[You have finally encountered the 'Head Ghost' (B-grade).]
Nice!
He had finally found the one in the center of the city.
The problem was,
-Krrrk?
With the Head Ghost staring in bewilderment at the surroundings, now all collapsed into ruins, Floor 21 came to an end.
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered Floor 21 of the Tower of Trials!]
Woohoo.
[Your reward has arrived.]
[You have obtained x20 Omnipotent Polish!]
Oh.
Omnipotent Polish?
Not bad.
There were still many endgame runes left to complete, and Omnipotent Polish was one of the most popular rune enhancement materials, one that rarely appeared on the market.
"Now then, let's catch it right away. Head Ghost."
—Yes.
* * *
Kuwaaaaaa!
Floor 22 was simple.
Catch the Head Ghost.
Of course, it was only simple for Baek Jinwoo; the power of a single Head Ghost was actually on a level more brutal than the 'Cyclops' (S-grade) he had met on Floor 10.
Isn't that only natural?
Whatever the case, it was something that could be dealt with easily at the level of HunGyo and Explosive Dragon.
Fwoooosh!
Kieeeeeeeek!
The Head Ghost melted away with a tearful expression.
[You have defeated the 'Head Ghost' (B-grade).]
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered Floor 22 of the Tower of Trials!]
And the reward?
[Your reward has arrived.]
[You have obtained x2 Top-grade Rune Selection Tickets (Bound)!]
"Wow, damn!"
This was good.
Something far more valuable and precious than polish had dropped!
[Floor 18 - Top-grade Rune Selection Ticket (Bound)]
[Floor 20 - King's Emblem (Bound) x1, Top-grade Rune Selection Ticket (Bound) x2]
He still had the ones that had dropped back on Floors 18 and 20, so now he had gathered a total of five Rune Selection Tickets.
'If I can just get one more…..'
He would be able to immediately draw a full endgame rune set.
He would not be able to draw a unique one, only a rare one…. But still, that was already huge!
'Rund, just wait a little longer.'
Baek Jinwoo was planning to use them to draw the 'Master Craftsman' (Rare) rune.
[Rune]
[Grade: Top-grade (Rare)]
One of 100 limited runes in the entire world.
[Set Effect: Master Craftsman]
When 6 are equipped, crafting success rate increases by 25%.
[Level: 1]
[Stat Increase]
Strength +50%, Intelligence +50%
This was truly incredible.
At max crafting level, the success rate was 25%, and this would raise it all the way to 50%.
That meant an enormous reduction in material consumption.
"This is a good start. Let's run Floor 23 right away."
A smile bloomed across Baek Jinwoo's lips.
* * *
Song Yeonhee and Hwang Jiwoo became close at a rapid pace.
Song Yeonhee was twenty-three, and Hwang Jiwoo was twenty-two.
The age gap was small, and since they kept staying together in front of the Tower of Trials, they naturally grew close!
Munch, munch.
Having finished her physical training and while eating a hamburger, Hwang Jiwoo suddenly grew curious.
"Unni Yeonhee."
"Hm?"
"But why are you staying here on purpose?"
Hwang Jiwoo was staying outside to prevent Explosive Dragon from resetting, but Song Yeonhee had no real need to stay here.
"Just because."
She smiled softly.
"It's comfortable being with you, and I'm curious about Guild Master too."
"About Sir Jinwoo?"
"Mmm, to be exact, I'm curious about the dolls Sir Guild Master is using. It's nice being able to check on them whenever he comes and goes. How much will they level up? Just thinking about it is exciting."
"Come on, I don't think that's the only reason."
"You little brat."
Thump!
Song Yeonhee laughed as she lightly flicked Hwang Jiwoo on the forehead.
"To be honest, that's true."
Then she admitted it.
"Our Guild Master. Just looking at him is a feast for the eyes, isn't it? That's part of why I'm here too."
"Wow, are you interested in him?"
"Is there even a woman in this world who isn't interested in Lord Guild Master?"
"Well, true."
Hwang Jiwoo nodded as if she agreed.
His abilities were one thing, but first of all, he was handsome. And on top of that, he was built well too.
The first time she saw him, she had been so nervous she could barely even speak properly.
Still, she knew her place, so she simply did not show it.
As they were chatting away like that,
"My goodness, you all are working hard! National team ladies!"
One of the headquarters staff cautiously approached carrying two iced Americanos.
"It looks like you're eating, so I bought these for you as dessert."
"Ah."
"Thank you."
When the two women bowed slightly and accepted them,
"It's nothing! We're the ones who should be thankful! It looks like you've both been working incredibly hard because of this world league since earlier….."
The staff member clicked his tongue as if he had never seen such insane training in his life.
Those two slender women had tires tied around their waists and were sprinting at full speed in front of the tower, so he could not tell whether they were players or athletes from a national training center.
He probably could not even imagine it in his wildest dreams.
That Hwang Jiwoo and Song Yeonhee were actually among the lower ranks of the national team in physical stamina.
"If it wouldn't be too rude, could I please get an autograph?"
"Ah, yes…. I'll give you one."
"Thank you so much!"
The staff member, having obtained national team autographs in exchange for two cups of coffee, looked as though he had gained the whole world.
Right at that moment.
Rrrk!
"Oh!"
Seeing the main gate of Jamsil Tower open, the staff member cried out in surprise.
"Again?"
How many times had it been already?
From Floors 21 to 25.
He had come out every single time in less than an hour.
If he went in and came back out, that meant he had cleared it.
"Sir Jinwoo!"
"Sir Guild Master!"
Hwang Jiwoo and Song Yeonhee also jumped to their feet.
Baek Jinwoo came out looking slightly tired and summoned Explosive Dragon.
"From Floor 26 onward, it might take a bit longer."
"Uh, how long?"
"I'll definitely be out within five hours, so look after Explosive Dragon for me."
Leaving Explosive Dragon behind, Baek Jinwoo went back through the gate.
"...."
The staff member and the two women could only stare at him in admiration.
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