Chapter 70

070. The Ordeal of the 10th Floor (1)

"The 10th Floor Ordeal begins."

"Remaining time – 3 hours"

"Condition to pass the ordeal – Cooperate to defeat the boss monster within the remaining time"

"Condition for failure – All team members are eliminated or the remaining time runs out"

"Reward for passing the ordeal – Skill Proficiency Boost Potion (B+)"

"Penalty for failing the ordeal – Death"

After seeing the messages floating in the air, I began to glance around.

The moonlight brightly illuminated a vast, empty field, reminiscent of a barren plain.

Despite it being a hunt ordeal, there were no enemies in sight, and I immediately realized that the enemies would only appear after the team members arrived.

And then...

"Team members are assigned based on the final ranking."

"After the team members are assigned, you will have a 30-minute grace period."

"During the grace period, the remaining time will not decrease, and you can freely interact with the other challengers."

"During this time, try to build as much cooperation as possible to defeat the boss monster."

"Things went as I thought they would."

The system messages seemed to confirm that my thoughts were correct.

Right at that moment,

"The assignment of team members is complete."

"The final rankings of the assigned team members are listed."

Rumble...!

Three portals appeared a short distance away, and the challengers emerged from them.

"Final ranking 1st, Kim Seung-hoon."

The first to appear was a challenger wearing a black mask and carrying a large sword on his shoulder.

"Another integrated ordeal... How troublesome."

"Final ranking 2nd, Oh Chun-seok."

The second to appear was a thin, meek-looking challenger.

"Hey? What, Seung-hoon hyung was also climbing the tower?"

"Final ranking 6th, Hedi Gongdu"

The last to appear was a challenger in a red suit with a bizarre appearance.

"Oh... Haha, everyone is a ranker. Nice to meet you."

No more portals appeared, and no more final rankings were listed, indicating that all team members had arrived.

"..."

I stared at them with a look of disbelief.

'Team members are assigned based on the final ranking...'

I never expected that the top-ranked challengers from the Korean server would all be here.

As I was feeling surprised, Kim Seung-hoon, fiddling with his black mask, spoke.

"There doesn't seem to be anything to talk about during the 30-minute grace period."

His attitude was slightly arrogant, but I immediately understood the various implications in his words.

Since we had all made it this far, there wasn't much we needed to know about each other, and the main goal was to clear the ordeal.

Indeed, being the top-ranked challenger, he quickly assessed the situation and knew how to draw the line.

Not only did he wear a black mask and carry a large sword, but he also gave the impression of being one of the top-ranked challengers in terms of combat power.

'Well, that's why he can confidently use his real name even as the top-ranked challenger.'

At that moment,

"Uh... I agree with Seung-hoon hyung. There's not much to talk about, I guess."

Oh Chun-seok, who had been silent, also agreed and subtly stepped back.

'He doesn't look like the 2nd-ranked challenger.'

He seemed a bit naive, unlike what I had expected.

He looked like someone who couldn't assert himself and had a more timid appearance, which didn't match his ranking.

I recalled seeing him being called the only ranker among the commoners in the chat window, which might explain his demeanor.

And then...

"Well, since everyone is a ranker, you can act on your own. I have no objections."

The challenger named Hedi Gongdu also readily accepted the situation.

'Surprisingly, there are many sensible people among the top-ranked challengers.'

I had thought there might be some who would fight like mad, as in the 6th floor integrated ordeal or in the common area.

But it seemed that none of them were that far gone, and they all had the mindset that clearing the ordeal was the only goal, which was quite a good situation for me.

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Overlord' tilts his head at the unexpectedly smooth situation."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' pouts at the unnecessary peace."

Of course, the two administrators, who had been observing me from the moment I entered the ordeal, were not pleased.

"Agreed..."

Just as I was about to agree, feeling relieved,

"But... Regardless of whether there are no objections, I have a question for everyone."

Hedi Gongdu suddenly interrupted me and started a different conversation.

"Do you really think everyone will just stay quiet because the ordeal theme is [Cooperation]?"

The first to react was Kim Seung-hoon, wearing the black mask.

"...What do you mean by that?"

Hedi Gongdu, as if being asked to explain, continued with a smirk.

"Exactly what I said. The ordeal theme is indeed [Cooperation]. We just need to team up and defeat the boss monster... It's a theme of cooperation, not competition. But do you think the next ordeal will be the same?"

Oh Chun-seok, stroking his chin, shook his head and replied.

"Hmm... I don't think so. The Tower of Ordeals changes the theme of each ordeal."

"Exactly. Did you see the message that just appeared?"

"..."

"The team members are assigned based on the final ranking. This means that from now on, even the integrated ordeals will vary in difficulty based on the final ranking. Don't you understand? It means that everyone is a potential competitor."

"What do you mean by that..."

As Oh Chun-seok furrowed his brow, Hedi Gongdu reassured him.

"Of course, that doesn't apply to you, Oh Chun-seok. Or to you, Kim Seung-hoon. You two seem to have a good relationship, so you won't need to fight each other. You'll probably cooperate to some extent in other ordeals as well. But..."

Hedi Gongdu then continued with a sly smile.

"Isn't the 3rd-ranked 'Hunter' a different story?"

After he finished speaking, I couldn't help but stiffen.

***

For Kim Seung-joon, deceiving others was a daily routine.

Deceiving others and inciting fights with false information was his best survival strategy.

This way of life didn't change from his childhood to when he was a C-class Hunter.

He would split the team with lies to prevent others from sharing the rewards, thus securing a larger share for himself.

When there was an opportunity to join a good guild, he would drive his teammates away and join alone.

Isn't it said that people are more easily swayed by lies they hear from others than by the truth right in front of them?

The fights among others always brought him benefits.

And this strategy also worked in the Tower of Ordeals, a unique place.

Using the nickname Hedi Gongdu, he used the community function to incite discord among the challengers, preventing information sharing.

Thanks to this, Kim Seung-joon benefited greatly from the lack of communication among the challengers in both integrated and individual ordeals.

And it was the same in the 10th floor integrated ordeal.

"Administrator 'False Clown' grins widely at the contractor's deceit."

Hedi Gongdu, or rather, Kim Seung-joon, enjoyed the tense atmosphere and chuckled to himself.

'Of course, this is why I can't stop doing this.'

Seeing everyone's rigid, unthinking expressions gave him a sense of pleasure.

"Administrator 'Duel Master' frowns deeply at your eloquence."

"Administrator 'Deception Seeker' enjoys your cowardly actions."

"Administrator 'Dark Observer' calls your actions a unique survival method."

Even the administrators watching him began to take an interest in him, though not necessarily in a positive way.

However, seeing the 'False Clown' administrator, whom Kim Seung-joon had contracted, enjoying the situation, it wasn't a bad reaction.

'If I can make the situation more interesting, I might even receive a power.'

With this thought, Kim Seung-joon's mood lifted, and his words became lighter.

He glanced at the floating messages and then turned to look at 'Hunter Han Seong-yun' on the other side.

'Seeing his stiff face, he seems flustered.'

Having witnessed Han Seong-yun's numerous duels in the common area to acquire skills, Kim Seung-joon knew him well.

Han Seong-yun had openly challenged others in the common area, using powers as bait to acquire numerous skills.

Having seen this in the chat room and in real-time in the common area, Kim Seung-joon felt a strong sense of rivalry.

'This guy will become insanely strong if left alone...'

If Han Seong-yun continued to climb the tower, he could become a significant threat to Kim Seung-joon in future integrated ordeals.

Therefore, Kim Seung-joon thought it was best to eliminate Han Seong-yun in this 10th floor integrated ordeal.

Of course, if he were alone, he would have avoided provoking Han Seong-yun and tried to stay out of his way.

"Always hiding and not chatting, 'Hunter' has become quite famous recently. He has acquired many skills through duels in the arena and has consistently ranked high in the final rankings, so I've been closely watching him."

In this integrated ordeal, the 1st-ranked 'Kim Seung-hoon' and the 2nd-ranked 'Oh Chun-seok' were also present.

This meant that...

Kim Seung-joon could manipulate the situation to eliminate Han Seong-yun.

"By now, you must have acquired quite a few skills... In a cooperative ordeal, it might not matter, but in another ordeal, can you guarantee that he won't be a threat to Seung-hoon and Chun-seok? Can you?"

Kim Seung-joon exaggerated his gestures, trying to make it seem urgent to exclude Han Seong-yun.

However...

"You were the one who caused trouble in the 4th floor integrated ordeal."

Kim Seung-hoon, who had been listening quietly, said this with a tone of disbelief.

"Wasn't it Kim Seung-joon or someone like that who said competition was essential in the 4th floor integrated ordeal?"

"..."

"I recommend you look at yourself in a mirror before spouting off."

"Ha ha, what do you mean by that..."

"I don't care if you kill other challengers, but don't drag me into it."

Kim Seung-hoon finished speaking, and Oh Chun-seok added,

"Uh, yeah... I agree with Seung-hoon hyung. I don't really want to fight that much."

"What are you saying? If we can definitely exclude the Hunter here..."

"But that ultimately doesn't concern me."

"..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ultimately, if you can't be sure, you shouldn't climb the tower, right?"

"..."

Kim Seung-joon began to sweat, sensing that something was wrong.

"Administrator 'False Clown' tuts at the contractor's clumsiness."

The administrators, sensing this, mostly sent negative messages.

"Administrator 'Duel Master' mocks your eloquence."

"Administrator 'Deception Seeker' enjoys the results of your cowardice."

"Administrator 'Dark Observer' sneers at the results of your unique survival method."

'Fucking... This feels like a disaster.'

However, he tried to maintain his composure and continued,

"I have a special skill. I can definitely kill him easily. I'll give you all the remaining equipment. What do you think? I'll also share all the information I've acquired through the question rights."

He was trying to get them to agree to eliminate Han Seong-yun.

But everyone remained still, silently staring at Kim Seung-joon.

And then...

"Is that all you have to say?"

In the silent field, a man who had been silent until now spoke.

"That's quite an interesting story... How do you plan to take responsibility for your words?"

It was Han Seong-yun.