Chapter 20

020. Return (4)

Thud.

The monstrous, corpulent body of the Goblin King, crowned on its head, staggered and fell.

"You have defeated the trial target, the Goblin King."

The Tower of Trials announced that the fourth floor trial objective had been achieved.

"Do you wish to absorb the command of the Goblin King?"

The black smoke emanating from the corpse also confirmed the Goblin King's death.

I panted heavily, calmly declaring my victory.

"We won."

It wasn't as difficult as facing all the competitors at once.

The Goblin King didn't have any unique traits to bind me.

Nor could he read the trajectory of my sword.

He swung his steel club, destroying everything around him, but that was all.

I was more agile, and with buffs, I drew all the aggro and dealt damage aggressively.

The only thing that could be called teamwork was that Lee Ha-yeon gave me buffs.

Of course, the process had become familiar as we progressed through the fourth floor, so it wasn't particularly burdensome or difficult.

And the result was a smooth victory.

"Congratulations, you have cleared the fourth floor of the Tower of Trials."

"As a reward for clearing, all your stats have increased by +4."

"As a reward for clearing, you have obtained '5,500 points.'"

"As an additional reward for clearing, you have obtained the skill 'Instant Acceleration (D).'"

"As an additional reward for clearing, you have obtained '2,000 points.'"

"Please move to the waiting room."

The effect of the stat increase was immediately applied, and I felt a surge of vitality.

The fatigue accumulated in my body was slightly alleviated.

While it might not be as good as skills or items in terms of utility, it was a good reward.

After all, the higher your base stats, the more you can do.

'Good, the rewards are.'

They were excellent, considering the amount of hardship I had endured.

Rumble!

A portal appeared in front of the massive throne where the Goblin King had sat.

Yes, this is the end.

The fourth floor, the trial of competition, has come to an end.

But.

"..."

My mood was still tangled like a ball of yarn, showing no sign of unraveling.

That's when it happened.

"Excuse me, can I go first?"

Lee Sung-hoon, who was uncharacteristically polite, quietly asked me.

Well, now that we've cleared the fourth floor, there's no reason why he can't go.

"Why are you asking me? Go ahead."

"..., then I'll go now."

Lee Sung-hoon hesitated for a moment before quickly darting through the portal.

Rumble.

Well, this should end the bad blood that started from the entrance of the fourth floor.

But the remaining one person didn't move from behind me.

The hunter, Lee Ha-yeon, who had supported me from the back.

"Do you have something to say?"

When I asked, Lee Ha-yeon immediately replied.

"..., it might be presumptuous, but you just did what had to be done."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, someone had to do it, and if you hadn't, I would have."

"I'm glad you think that way."

It was obvious what she was referring to.

The killings, the pressure on Lee Sung-hoon, and so on.

Reflecting on it, I acted like a heartless and ruthless person on the fourth floor.

I left a sliver of conscience, but that was the limit I set for myself.

I didn't want to kill people unless it was a task given by the trial.

"Seong-yun, you are strong. Even if you were a player, you must have been strong outside as well."

That comment stung a bit.

'No, that's not true.'

I had only become ridiculously strong after entering the tower.

Then, out of nowhere, Lee Ha-yeon tapped her fingers in the air.

"..."

At first, I didn't understand what she was doing, but then I realized.

"You have received a friend request from challenger Lee Ha-yeon."

It was the 'friend request' feature, one of the community functions.

I had ignored it because I had no use for it, but I didn't expect it to appear here.

"..."

I was momentarily speechless.

Lee Ha-yeon, interpreting my silence as discomfort, quickly spoke up.

"Um, if it's awkward, you can ignore it."

"No, that's not it. I'm just wondering why you're sending this to me."

"Just, since you cleared the fourth floor mostly by yourself, I thought it would be a bit awkward not to thank you."

"..."

"If you return to Earth, please look for Lee Ha-yeon of the White Guild."

"Um, if this is a guild invitation..."

"No, no, it's not that! I just thought you might need something, so I wanted you to come by."

I chuckled at her flustered response.

I hadn't realized she could make such expressions.

"You can introduce me to guilds, merchants, hunters, dungeons, and so on. Our guild is good at that. Of course, I'll do anything for free. I have that much discretion."

I nodded at her sales pitch.

Honestly, it was tempting, and it would be awkward to refuse when she offered to thank me.

'If she's trying to use me, I can investigate and decide later.'

I could distinguish between kindness and malice.

"Alright, if I safely leave the tower, I'll contact you."

"Challenger Lee Ha-yeon's friend request has been accepted."

The message that appeared made Lee Ha-yeon smile genuinely.

It wasn't the distant smile from before, but a real, happy smile.

"Then I'll go now. I hope you reach the eighth floor safely."

"Yes, go ahead. I hope you return safely, Lee Ha-yeon."

Rumble!

As Lee Ha-yeon disappeared through the portal with a smile, a silence settled in.

"..."

Honestly, I felt a sense of gratitude towards the tower.

It had given me a second chance when I had nothing, when I was a failure.

But the tower pushed people to their limits under the guise of a challenge.

Battles that threatened our lives, and even killings.

'The battles with the monsters weren't that difficult.'

It seemed to push us to our limits just enough to keep us alive and send us up.

That's why I found joy in climbing the tower and was intoxicated by the sense of growth.

But now, I could face reality calmly, free from all those emotions.

I had been blinded by the tower's rewards, hungry for growth.

The Tower of Trials didn't make people stronger in a normal way.

However.

"..."

After experiencing that ruthlessness, I didn't want to stop.

A new desire sprouted within me, beyond the wish to become a hunter.

I wanted to climb the Tower of Trials.

There was a desire to become stronger, but more importantly, the Tower of Trials was a phenomenon close to a 'Great Cataclysm.'

Where the monsters came from, why the gates appeared.

I had a hunch that I might learn something as I climbed the tower.

Most importantly, I knew that in a world facing a cataclysm, the person who adapts the fastest to the current situation would have an advantage.

Of course.

'Even if not, there's something to gain.'

There was the benefit of becoming stronger.

Regardless, the Tower of Trials had given me an opportunity, and I decided to seize it.

Even if we had to compete, I wanted to become stronger, and the Tower of Trials could make that happen.

Even if I had to harm others and step on them to climb...

It would be less hesitant for those who had made a firm resolution.

After the eighth floor, only those who chose to climb the tower of their own will would remain.

So, I decided to absorb all the commands in the tower.

"You have absorbed the command of the Goblin King."

"You have absorbed the command of player Lee Jin-ho."

"You have absorbed the command of player Lee Si-yeon."

"You have absorbed the command of player Im Sang-yun."

Swish...

All the symbols swirled together and were absorbed into my palm.

'If I have to absorb commands, I will.'

I won't kill people to become stronger, but if it's a situation where I have to, I will.

It's too late to be bound by such ethics.

I will maintain what I can, and if not, I will achieve the optimal efficiency.

'Absorbing commands, I'll stop here for now.'

After absorbing all the commands, I approached the portal without absorbing them all.

Checking the rewards can wait.

"Moving to the waiting room."

Right now, I needed to deal with the fatigue and injuries accumulated in my body.

***

"You have entered the waiting room of the fifth floor."

"All status abnormalities and injuries have been perfectly recovered."

"The recovery effect is constantly applied in the waiting room."

As expected, the familiar messages and recovery effects greeted me.

But the next message was unfamiliar.

"The number of people who have cleared the fifth floor trial has exceeded 1,000."

"The system expansion has begun."

"A system for grading the trial clearances of challengers, 'Trial Settlement,' has been created."

"The categories in the shop have increased."

"New items have been added to the item shop."

"Nickname changes are now possible."

"System expansion, huh."

As I had heard before, the system was starting a full-scale expansion.

Of course, I knew this, but it still gave me a strange feeling.

It felt like just yesterday I was fighting a sand golem on the first floor, prepared to die...

'Wow, I've become strong, and quickly at that.'

I was momentarily lost in thought but didn't forget to check the new system.

"Trial Settlement."

As I said that, a beautifully designed hologram appeared before my eyes.

"Fourth Floor Trial Settlement Board"

-1st, Kim Seung-hoon (SS+)

-2nd, Lee Jung-hoon (SS)

-3rd, WhatIsNicknameChange (SS)

-4th, Hye-seon (SS-)

-5th, BrainCutMaster (SS-)

-6th, SwordLoverMax (S+)

...

...

"Intuitive."

Just like the commands on the first floor, the settlement board was straightforward.

When I pressed the name of the top challenger, a detailed description appeared.

-1st, Kim Seung-hoon (SS+)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Time (00:34:21)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Process (SSS)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Result (SS-)

-4th Floor Trial Total Settlement (SS+)

"..."

No, can a human achieve such a record?

'What, no, how did he clear the fifth floor trial in 34 minutes?'

It was a name I had seen in the community chat, but he was stronger than I thought.

It was too awkward to be a coincidence.

"This must be the real power of true hunters."

They were beings that lower-level hunters like C or D rank could only dream of.

I had guessed he was a high-ranking hunter from his speech, but...

'I didn't expect it to be this level.'

As I was about to look through the settlement board, something strange caught my eye.

-3rd, WhatIsNicknameChange (S)

Originally, only real names could be used in the Tower of Trials.

Seeing a name that looked like someone had made it up made me flinch.

'Oh, right...'

There was a message saying that nickname changes were now possible.

I quickly put the settlement board aside and accessed the community to check the name section.

"Name Change"

When I pressed the newly added message, an input box appeared.

"Please enter the nickname you wish to use."

If I could change my name, I needed to do it immediately.

In a situation where information was leaked like in the fourth floor trial, revealing my name could cause damage.

'People like Lee Sung-hoon might do background checks.'

That would be problematic.

I thought about what to write but decided to write something randomly after a brief consideration.

"Your nickname is now 'Hunter.'"

It was a nickname I made without much thought, but it wasn't bad.

As 'Hunter,' no one would be able to trace me.

It was a perfect disguise.

"Phew."

With that, I could relax a bit and now it was time to look at the settlement board again.

'Am I in the top ranks of the settlement board?'

It was the part I was most curious about, so I carefully read through the board.

I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything.

And soon, I found it.

-16th, Hunter (A-)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Time (11:14:51)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Process (SS+)

-4th Floor Trial Clear Result (B+)

-4th Floor Trial Total Settlement (A-)

I was surprised to see a higher rank than I expected, but what surprised me more was the message that followed.

"Challengers listed in the top 50 are designated as 'Pioneers.'"

"If you are continuously designated as a 'Pioneer' until the eighth floor, you can receive a special privilege of obtaining an aura."

"Additionally, even if you are not continuously designated as a 'Pioneer,' you can still receive benefits on the eighth floor."

"Aura?"

It seemed to mean a light that shines behind you.

Unlike the straightforward language the Tower of Trials usually used, this was a metaphorical form.

'Is it giving me a skill, or...?'

Is it giving me a background that makes something stand out more?

If it's a metaphorical expression, that's the only way to interpret it.

'Well, I'll find out later.'

Now that I've checked the settlement ranks and changed my nickname, it's time to look at the shop.

I knew what I needed to find.

The Return Stone.

I needed to know how much the item that would allow me to return to Earth cost.

Using the shop's search function, I found it quickly.

"..."

But when I saw the price of the Return Stone, I couldn't help but flinch.

"Return Stone (F+)"

"Price - 500 points"

"Description - An item that allows you to return to your original location for 3 days after leaving the Tower of Trials."

'...Isn't this too cheap?'

Even for a temporary return, the Return Stone was shockingly cheap, leaving me speechless.

"This is ridiculous, no need to look further."

If I could go to Earth for 3 days, there was no reason not to.

Considering the amount of time I had been away, there was a mountain of things to take care of.

"You have purchased the Return Stone (F+)."

It seemed I would return to Earth sooner than I thought.