Chapter 100

Chapter 99. The Gray Shrine (3)

The first reward, which granted the Luck stat and the Adaptive stat.

Following that, the second reward appeared.

‘Was it triggered by accepting the first-class job quest and entering the labyrinth?’

Jinhyuk swallowed hard.

Given that the first reward was so extraordinary, even surprising the veterans, he was eagerly anticipating what this one would be.

Yeah, pretending to be calm here would be a lie.

“I’ll check it out.”

He muttered in a low voice.

Ding!

[You have obtained ‘Moon’s Brand’.]

[This ability will take effect upon completing the first-class job quest.]

[Moon’s Brand]

Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable (Reward for the first person to ascend the tower)

Description: Reduces the activation time of all barriers by 25% and increases their performance by 30%. Additionally, if you learn all the ‘Lost Languages’ from the ancient tower, you can learn ‘Unnamed Barriers’. (Locations to learn the Lost Languages will be revealed upon first-class job quest completion.)

This is...

Insane.

Jinhyuk, who was reading the status window, gaped in astonishment.

At first, he had chosen an unfamiliar job just to chase a new interest.

It was a natural choice.

To Jinhyuk, a job was merely an additional word on the status window.

After all, he could obtain all skills and their advanced versions.

Thus, the first-class job quest was a light diversion to alleviate boredom, nothing more.

But now...

Everything has changed due to the status message that just appeared.

From a field that was merely a bit more interesting.

To a completely new domain that made every cell in his body tremble.

Jinhyuk’s gaze returned to the status window.

‘Lost Languages’ and ‘Unnamed Barriers’

These were things he had seen while ascending the tower.

‘I kept looking for clues but never found any.’

At the time, he thought it was just a mistake by the [Tower of Trials] developers, who were notorious for their poor game.

But now...

‘All of this was an Easter Egg for the first player to conquer the tower.’

It finally made sense.

At the same time, Jinhyuk’s heart began to race wildly.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The thrill of being the first to tread on untouched white snow.

And the anticipation that the end of this path would not be a mere game ending but a reality.

***

The raid party quickly cleared the monsters around the entrance and began to move inside.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Various spells and skills transformed the visible field of view.

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion occurred as multicolored mana converged.

The interior of the labyrinth resembled a battlefield.

“Tanks, brace yourselves and activate all provocation and survival skills! Remember, absolutely no aggro leakage!”

“DPS, focus your firepower on the enemies coming from the front, in sequence! If you can’t manage your mana and whine, be prepared to eat shit later! I’ll drink you dry.”

Indeed, they were the elite of a top-tier guild.

Not a single member was injured while fighting against giant venomous cobras and steel-crushing giant anacondas, which were over 4 meters long.

Jinhyuk watched the Samurai guild’s battle from a distance.

‘They have the basics down.’

The coordination among the raid members was good, and the balance between offense and defense was not bad.

They had the right to boast.

Let’s see.

With their level of skill...

‘They should be able to survive for about one to two hours.’

If they were very lucky, a few might survive for up to ten hours.

Jinhyuk considered various scenarios in his mind.

Now that he was thoroughly familiar with the game, he could predict the outcome just by observing the situation.

Then,

“Player Gang Jinhyuk, how do you see them?”

Lee Young-kwon, who had been standing silently beside him, spoke.

“Huh? How do I see them?”

“Exactly. How do you evaluate their skills?”

“Well, they’re not bad. They seem to have experience in multiple raids and have good coordination.”

“But... that’s not all, is it?”

Lee Young-kwon asked again, as if expecting more.

“Textbook. Not bad, but not outstanding either. They’re just lucky to have a good opponent. Of course, the Japanese raid style is specialized for group battles, which helps.”

“Does that mean there are flaws in their formation?”

Flaws.

There are too many. I can see at least five or six just by a quick glance. Can’t others see them?

“If the opponent were not a regular monster but a named one, the tank in the third row on the left would be immediately breached. See? The flow of mana through the shield is slightly unstable. Moreover, the amount of mana used by the supporters to cover the gap is increasing. About 0.7%... That’s critical.”

0.7%.

It might seem insignificant, but in a prolonged battle or a close fight, it can create a huge gap.

“...”

Lee Young-kwon tightly closed his mouth.

‘As expected...’

Just as he had anticipated.

While everyone else was amazed by the nearly perfect raid of the Samurai guild,

Jinhyuk alone had a nonchalant expression.

The players on the Fighting Father’s side were constantly exclaiming in admiration while watching the battle.

“Textbook, but not outstanding.”

The way he casually dismissed the nearly perfect raid.

“The tank in the third row on the left... the supporters’ mana...”

His ability to identify weaknesses in a single battle.

Yes.

‘His level of perception is different.’

Like the difference between an ant crawling on the ground and a hawk soaring in the sky.

Even when looking at the same scene, the perspective varies depending on the level.

‘The videos on the YouTube channel barely scratch the surface of Player Gang Jinhyuk’s true abilities.’

The limitations of edited highlights versus reality.

The gap between what was shown to attract subscribers and the actual game was vast.

As this thought crossed his mind, goosebumps ran down Lee Young-kwon’s body.

This man really could...

Crush the arrogant players of the Samurai guild.

And perhaps even defeat the divine creature, Medusa, which the Fighting Father’s guild had been helpless against.

‘It’s possible.’

Not just possible, but highly likely.

Although the labyrinth exploration had just begun, Lee Young-kwon could already see the end of this raid in his mind.

***

Intense battles and short breaks alternated.

How long had they been in the labyrinth?

The raid party, advancing without hesitation along the route previously cleared by players, came to a fork in the path.

From here, there was a gap in the information.

“Raid leader, we’ve arrived!”

At the scout’s report, everyone stopped.

There were two paths to choose from.

The left path was illuminated by flames rising from the ground.

The right path was shrouded in such deep darkness that an ambush would be unavoidable.

“Which way should we go?”

Sunglasses, no, Maeda Takeshi, the raid leader of the Samurai guild, looked around.

Fire and darkness.

It was obvious that the choice would completely change the course of the raid.

“...”

Takeshi slowly rolled his eyes.

Left.

Right.

And back to the left.

‘Damn. Wasn’t the future I saw different from this?’

The scene he had seen through future sight before coming here.

There was a fork, but it was different from the one in front of him.

Instead of fire and darkness, there were columns lined up in a row.

“Takeshi-sama?”

A voice urged him. The longer they hesitated, the more doubts would turn into certainty.

“That...”

Takeshi’s lips moved.

He couldn’t hesitate any longer.

A decision had to be made.

But right then,

“Of course. You chose the left path, didn’t you?”

A familiar voice interjected.

It was Jinhyuk.

“The left...?”

“Indeed. A true veteran’s insight. Given the tower’s difficulty, one might be tempted to choose the right path, which seems more dangerous. They might even pat themselves on the back for their reverse thinking. But you, of course, knew that this labyrinth sends such clever minds to hell.”

Jinhyuk genuinely expressed his admiration.

His eyes sparkled as he raised his thumb.

“Y-Yes. I also used this method to clear this place in the past. There are similar forks on the way to the 30th floor.”

Bullshit.

The Tower of Trials isn’t an IQ test.

There’s no way it would design traps with reverse thinking.

Let me reiterate, this game is a mess.

It wasn’t crafted with meticulous care but was hastily made to trick veterans worldwide.

Still, he confirmed one thing.

The level of future sight this guy possesses is much worse than he thought.

‘Even a tarot card reading at a CGV cinema would be more reliable.’

It’s truly absurd.

However, the words that came out of Jinhyuk’s mouth were far from his true thoughts.

“Indeed...! There must be many places similar to this higher up in the tower.”

“Haha. Player Gang Jinhyuk, you might reach there someday. Of course, we’ll be a step ahead.”

Of course.

You’ll be exactly one step ahead until you’re in your coffin.

“Shall we go again?”

“Understood. Everyone, let’s move.”

Takeshi nodded.

“Are you sure the left path is correct, Takeshi-sama?”

Maeda asked, just to be sure.

“Yes. As Player Gang Jinhyuk said, the Tower of Trials often sets traps within traps.”

“...I see. Understood.”

Although he felt like he was being led, Maeda couldn’t argue further.

The player who had accurately identified the location of the hidden dungeon on the 5th floor of the tower, which had never been publicly revealed, was the one he trusted most in the guild.

The raid party resumed their advance.

However, just as the last player entered the brightly lit path,

Whoosh!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, the flames began to dance wildly, completely surrounding the players in a red glow.

“What... what is this?”

“Didn’t you say the left path was safe?”

“I... I thought it was... but this is a common trap. Don’t worry! As long as we don’t move, the flames won’t pose any threat.”

Takeshi tried to reassure everyone.

Of course, it was futile.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

As if mocking the future sight, the red lines slowly began to close in.