Chapter 1

000. Prologue

The world is cruel.

Some people are easily chosen and achieve their desires without much effort.

Others struggle desperately but fail to achieve their goals.

This was no different in the world of Hunters.

In the world where monsters emerging from gates scattered everywhere are hunted, talent determined everything.

Geniuses easily acquire all kinds of skills and rapidly boost their stats, becoming famous Hunters in no time.

They become heroes, receiving the attention of everyone.

However, those without talent cannot acquire skills or boost their stats no matter what they do.

This was the unchanging law of this world.

But...

At the moment when I was about to give up everything and abandon my dream of becoming a Hunter,

"‘The Tower of Trials’ has selected all suitable candidates from the Earth dimension."

The eternal law of the world changed...

"Please choose the difficulty level."

Finally, an opportunity came to me, who had been a perpetual Hunter aspirant.

001. The Tower of Trials (1)

"Let me be straightforward, sir. You don't need to come to the gym anymore."

Stunned by the sudden expulsion, I looked at the gym manager and spoke.

"Exactly what is the reason for my expulsion?"

"Because you know very well, Mr. Han Seung-yun."

"..."

"We can no longer afford to keep you as a member."

"I've been paying my dues on time and meeting the gym's usage conditions."

"Of course, you're a Player and preparing to become a Hunter. But the problem is that you've been preparing for seven years."

The gym manager narrowed his eyes and scanned me.

"Despite systematic training, over the seven years, you haven't unlocked any skills or unique traits, nor have you managed to boost your stats at all."

His cold words stabbed my heart like daggers.

Indeed, as he said, I had accomplished nothing over the long years.

I hadn't unlocked any skills, nor had I boosted my stats.

'Damn it.'

And this was in a gym that specializes in training Players.

Anyone who awakens as a Player typically completes a few months of training at a Player-exclusive gym and debuts as a Hunter.

However...

'Even after several years, I haven't achieved anything.'

In reality, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that I couldn't become a Hunter.

I didn't possess any of the basic qualities required of a Hunter.

But I didn't show my agitation and calmly asked,

"Is that the reason for my expulsion?"

"More precisely, the fact that you've been here for seven years without becoming a Hunter is damaging my gym's image, quite significantly."

Only then did I understand what the gym manager was saying.

"You're worried that this gym will be seen as problematic because I've been here for seven years without becoming a Hunter."

The gym manager nodded with a smirk, saying no more.

Yes, I knew this would happen eventually.

Damn it.

"To be honest, you're nothing, sir."

"..."

"Without any aptitude, how do you plan to pass the Hunter exam?"

"..."

"Do you think that effort will change anything? No, it's futile effort."

"..."

His malicious words pierced my heart like needles.

But I couldn't lash out or argue.

Would my slightly superior-to-an-ordinary-person's punch even work on the gym manager, a former Hunter?

And as he said, I was someone who could be considered completely unsuited to be a Hunter.

I didn't want to endure it, but I had to.

Why?

'Because I'm weak, and I have nothing.'

I had managed to endure it cleverly so far, but now there was no need to endure any longer.

Yes, let's end it here; I'm tired now.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to leave empty-handed. I'll refund about 50% of the membership fees you've paid so far..."

He talked at length, trying to soften the blow.

In the end, he was trying to gently push me out.

"Let's skip the long talk. Just give me the 50% refund properly. That's all."

With that, I walked past the gym manager and headed for the gym's main entrance.

"..."

The gym manager seemed to want to say something but didn't.

He had nothing to say to stop me, and he wouldn't suffer any loss by making me angry.

Then,

"Wow, you've been coming to this gym longer than me, and you're getting expelled like this."

As someone watching the scene commented, uncomfortable gazes started to fall on me.

"At least you showed great perseverance by coming here every morning for training... It's a shame."

"Shame? More like stubbornness. Not knowing your limits and acting like this is just foolish."

"Oh, is that so? Well, if you're that bad, I guess it's understandable."

"But I just found out that you've been training for seven years without any stat increase."

Sympathy, contempt, and ridicule followed...

For seven years, they had looked down on me, both in plain sight and behind my back.

They always mocked me for being incompetent, not living up to the standards of a Player.

Each time, my efforts, which literally made me bleed, were seen as foolish.

But...

"Now it's really over, damn it."

Outside the gym, I looked up at the snow falling from the sky and muttered gloomily.

The training I had done without a break for seven years to become a Hunter.

"Ha..."

It ended in a way that was absurdly futile.

***

I didn't always want to become a Hunter from the beginning.

It only became this way after the Great Cataclysm, when my parents were devoured by the monsters overflowing from the Dungeon Break.

This wasn't just my case; others who experienced the disaster also became like this.

However, only a very few awakened as Players.

Still, I desperately wished to become a Player, hoping to awaken.

Was that why?

"I did awaken as a Player. I did awaken."

But the problem started after that.

My stats didn't increase no matter what I did, and my 'Unique Trait' remained unopened.

Still, I didn't stop my efforts, considering my awakening as a stroke of luck.

Believing that abilities are given to those who are prepared...

I endured seven years of training that made me bleed.

I didn't even hope for the opening of a Unique Trait.

I just wanted to have stats that surpassed those of ordinary people.

If I had that, I might have consoled myself by saying that I had avenged my parents by slaying the monsters.

But the world didn't even allow that.

I ended up in this miserable state.

Sitting on a snow-covered park bench, I took a sip of beer and muttered,

"Really, I was foolish. Seven years, huh."

People who lost their families to the Dungeon Break didn't end up like me.

To be precise, they couldn't.

Most people realized the harsh reality after about two years and gave up.

Or they discovered their talent and climbed to the top.

I was someone who didn't fit into either category.

'I didn't expect that even after seven years of effort, my stats wouldn't increase.'

I chuckled.

The result was so pitiful that I laughed at the thought.

"Still, I did work hard."

I wondered if I had realized the harsh reality too late.

Others would have realized the truth and taken a different path long ago, but not me.

My future was bleak.

But the mental strength I had built over these seven years prevented me from feeling too much despair.

'At least I'm not so weak that I would give up on life.'

Thud!

I placed the empty beer can on the bench and looked up at the sky.

I used this moment to clear my mind and talk to my deceased parents.

"I really did work hard. I wanted to avenge you and kill those monsters. But I couldn't. I'm sorry, for being such a son."

I felt a bit down but not to the point of tears.

The seven years had dulled even my anger and sadness.

The intense pain had gradually faded over time, and now I felt nothing.

'Back then, I couldn't sleep from anger and sadness, training every day.'

At 27, I no longer had the desire to train.

Without any hope of becoming a Hunter, it was natural.

That's why I left the Player-exclusive gym without resistance.

I wanted to end it here rather than cling to it pathetically...

At least, I wanted to stop when I could end it on my own terms, rather than being forced to by others.

After finishing my lament, I leaned back on the bench and looked at the darkening sky.

I decided not to dwell on becoming a Hunter anymore, but I still had regrets.

I didn't want to give up, but I had to, which made it even harder.

'If I had even a little talent... or at least a Unique Trait.'

If that were the case...

If I had even a little hope, I would never have given up.

With those futile thoughts, my eyelids gradually closed.

***

A blurry holographic message, like a computer screen in a dream, flickered in my vision.

"Your unwavering will is praised by the 'Tower of Trials.'"

The first thing I saw in my hazy consciousness was someone's praise.

'Who is it?'

I had this thought, but there was no time for further contemplation.

"The 'Tower of Trials' has selected all suitable candidates from the Earth dimension."

"Please choose the difficulty level."

"The rewards will be greater depending on the difficulty level you choose."

Three options appeared after the message.

"Easy" "Normal" "Hard"

Looking at the holographic options, I didn't feel any sense of strangeness.

A peculiar sensation, as if I were on the boundary between reality and a dream.

The thought of 'choosing' dominated my mind, and my body moved.

Come this way.

If you extend your hand, you won't regret your decision.

Driven by this temptation, I reached out to the options.

And then,

"You have chosen the 'Hard' difficulty level."

"May the trials you endure lead to a satisfactory result."

Whoosh...

The message disappeared like a candle, and my hazy consciousness began to rise to the surface.

I was fully awake.

"In a moment, you will enter the first floor of the Tower of Trials."

"..."

"Please prepare for the upcoming trials."

Only then did I realize that something extraordinary was happening.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

"You are now entering the first floor of the Tower of Trials."

The scenery around me changed from a park bench to a desert.

"The trials on the first floor of the Tower of Trials will begin shortly."

"These trials are special and serve as a tutorial."

"The theme of these trials is 'Survival.'"

"May the trials you endure lead to a satisfactory result."

At that moment, I had a premonition.

"Trial Completion Reward - Unique Trait Unlocked"

"Trial Failure Penalty - Death"

"...I'm going crazy."

I realized that this was the turning point in my life.