Chapter 15

Chapter 14: The Stagnant Waters of the Tower (1)

[Name: Labyrinthos (Cleared)]

[Type: Maze]

[Difficulty: B]

[Description: This is the maze of Crete designed by Daedalus. It is characterized by an extremely complex labyrinth and various types of traps.]

[You have cleared the first floor of the maze for the first time!]

[This achievement will be recorded in the 'Hall of Fame' for one day.]

[5,000 coins will be awarded to players Jinho and Hana!]

The blinding sunlight and the refreshing air that felt like a breath of fresh air.

"Phew..."

Jinho closed his eyes and savored the taste and sensation.

"We're... We're alive! We are!"

Tears welled up in Hana's eyes.

How hellish had that month been?

Chased by the Minotaur all day, unable to get a proper night's sleep.

Surviving on disgusting moss and mushrooms.

But they had survived.

Yes, they had survived that hell.

But the joy was short-lived.

Jinho, standing beside her, poked her shoulder.

"What?"

"Coins."

"Coins? What about them?"

Hana slowly caught on.

'Pretending not to know, huh?'

Well, it was a lot to give up.

5,000 coins could buy a D-grade item.

"Do you want to split it or just give it?"

Jinho held out his palm.

According to the contract, all profits from joint work belonged to the boss.

"Fine, I'll give it to you."

Hana handed over the coins with a gloomy face.

'Good.'

This brought his total to over 10,000 coins.

Jinho's lips curled upward at the now much fatter balance.

'The first-cleared reward is definitely worth it.'

He had gathered much more than he had expected.

At this point, no player had more coins than he did.

"Bring me Braham's Ring within three days."

"Three days? That's too short...!"

"I'll give you two days."

One more word and it would be one day.

Any longer and he would have to bring it immediately.

"...I'll try my best to get it."

Hana bowed her head deeply.

Despite escaping the maze and gaining a new lease on life, her expression was completely miserable.

She had escaped the monsters, but her life as a slave was just beginning.

Especially with a ruthless boss like Jinho, her future would be more painful than hell.

"Don't look so dead. I'll make sure you're the only one in the Hall of Fame."

Hana's eyes widened at Jinho's words.

"Is that possible?"

"In cases with two or more players, only the representative player can be uploaded."

"..."

Hana bit her fingernails.

No one had cleared the maze yet.

If it became known that she had done it alone, she would receive tremendous attention.

Losing a teammate and not leveling up for a month could be forgiven.

No, more than that.

The media and internet would go wild, hailing her as a rising star.

For Hana, who loved attention fanatically, it was an irresistible reward.

For Jinho, it was a chance to escape annoying attention and scrutiny.

"What about the viewers who know about you?"

"Why? Do they bother you?"

"You never know."

From the last chat, it seemed likely that they were not in good shape.

But, as Hana said, there was always a 'what if.'

"Then just make sure they don't talk."

"You don't mean...?"

"A few keyboard warriors disappearing won't attract police attention. Just my opinion, of course."

The tower would require all available manpower.

A disappearance, not a murder, would be a low priority.

"Figure out a way."

He didn't need to spell it out for her.

That was her area of expertise.

***

After parting ways with Hana, Jinho headed straight to the starting point.

As he passed through the gate, the familiar scenery of Seoul appeared.

Ah, not entirely familiar.

A giant billboard had been installed right in front of the gate.

"Hey, did you hear? A week from now, the Korean guild 'Dangun' will tackle the third-floor boss monster."

"Wow! Dangun, the top Korean guild, huh?"

"Yes. With failures in the US, Europe, and Japan, hopes are high for Korea."

"It would be great if China could help, but they're still silent, right?"

"Yes. Due to various interests, each country is acting independently rather than collaborating. In this situation, we need to find a way to break through with our own strength."

"I believe Dangun can do it on their own."

The billboard was reporting on tower-related news.

Tackling the third-floor boss monster...

They had climbed so much in a month.

'Wow. Already down to the third-floor boss? Humanity, indeed!'

But not in a good way.

The condition was to reach the next floor within 90 days.

In other words, there was no need to go to the second floor, let alone the third, at this point.

But.

'They're already trying to go to the fourth floor.'

Enticed by the numerous resources in the tower.

They chose rapid ascent over steady growth.

'What a mess... How much will they regret it later without the skills?'

While rapid ascent was possible now, the time would become tighter as they climbed higher.

With a weak foundation and increasing difficulty?

The 90-day pressure would become more intense.

This wasn't a game where you could retry.

'Since I'll claim all the first-clears anyway, I can adjust the pace to my liking.'

Jinho's gaze returned to the billboard.

Tomorrow, it would be filled with stories about Hana.

He had given up the Hall of Fame for this reason.

Excessive attention.

It's a double-edged sword.

If it solidified his position, no one would dare to challenge him...

But it could also be a significant obstacle to early growth.

For humanity.

For the country.

For others.

If personal efforts were overshadowed under the guise of public good...

That would be the tyranny of the majority and disgusting hypocrisy.

Fools with vanity or those obsessed with hero play might fall for it.

But not him.

'First, I'll gather information on what happened in the past month.'

It was possible through the internet.

But to get quality information from a place overflowing with rumors and false information...

It would take several times more time and effort.

There was a better way.

Jinho logged into the [Tower of Trials] community.

Numerous categories and posts filled the screen.

He needed to find one person.

A player he had been keeping an eye on since the maze.

'Where are you?'

Jinho's eyes moved quickly.

Finding one person among so many was as difficult as 'Find Waldo.'

But he started by focusing on the most likely places.

[Today's Popular Posts], [Hall of Fame], [Tips Board]...

And finally.

'Found it.'

A familiar name caught his eye.

[HumanBaldGuy / Join Date: 2007.08.13 / Detailed Info: Private]

The join date confirmed it was him.

HumanBaldGuy.

Sure enough, he was there.

Jinho logged in with the ID he used when playing [Tower of Trials].

'TimoCaptain'.

An ID he had registered on 2007.07.01.

It felt good to log in after so long.

Good, but...

'Damn, why did I choose such an ID 11 years ago?

There were so many better options.'

Chunsoo (淸楚), SwordEmperor (劍皇), MartialGod (武神), etc.

Decent names to use in public.

But why?

Back then, he was hooked on Timo, who was fluffy and annoying.

It was an irreversible mistake, but one thing was clear.

HumanBaldGuy.

Better than that guy.

-TimoCaptain: Hello, HumanBaldGuy. Do you remember me?

'Will he reply?'

They had played together once, but that was in the past.

He might ignore it.

Or forget completely.

Just as he was thinking this...

-HumanBaldGuy: Ahaha, Captain TimoCaptain! It's been so long!

The reply came faster than expected.

'So he does remember.'

It had been over seven years since they last met...

Jinho felt a lump in his chest.

-HumanBaldGuy: Wow, but why didn't you reply to my whispers or messages? I've been sending them since the start day, trying to find you.

-TimoCaptain: I was busy for a month.

-HumanBaldGuy: Haha, no matter how busy, you couldn't even reply? Were you on a deserted island?

-TimoCaptain: Something like that.

In the maze.

He had suffered for a month.

Naturally, there would be an information gap.

But it was fortunate.

Now he had someone to provide the latest information.

HumanBaldGuy would know more about the Tower of Trials than anyone else.

He could ask him everything.

-TimoCaptain: It's a bit awkward to keep whispering. I'd like to meet you in person. Is your schedule free?

-HumanBaldGuy: Of course! But I also have a meeting with BulgwangNuclearPunch. Can we meet as a group?

Another unexpected nickname popped up.

BulgwangNuclearPunch.

He was also meeting.

'It feels like a first meetup for the [Tower of Trials].'

It was intriguing.

Meeting veterans he had only seen in-game.

He didn't hesitate for long.

-TimoCaptain: Come to the entrance of the Tower of Trials. I'll be in a cafe.

Jinho replied briefly.

***

A private cafe where few people came and went.

Jinho chose the farthest seat.

After sipping a cold chocolate latte for about 30 minutes...

Creak.

The door opened, and two people entered.

He didn't need to confirm.

They were HumanBaldGuy and BulgwangNuclearPunch.

They recognized him and approached.

"Hello, I'm HumanBaldGuy!"

A man just over 170cm tall, with curly permed hair and fair skin, smiled brightly.

He was quite cute, a typical likable face.

In-game, he had a bald black character with leopard print pants, a bee tail, and butterfly wings, but in real life...

'Ha. This is the guy who set fire to the bug maze and shouted 'Sesco' like a maniac, right?'

[Your blood pressure has risen.]

[There is a risk of abnormal status.]

Agreed.

His cheeks felt numb.

Then, the woman on the other side introduced herself.

"I'm BulgwangNuclearPunch."

Over 167cm tall, with a healthy, tanned complexion.

Her long straight hair and sportswear were a perfect match.

This person was definitely...

A plump white woman with floral tube socks on her waist and boxing gloves on her fists.

No doubt.

The image of BulgwangNuclearPunch shouting 'There is no mercy in my fists' was still vivid in his mind.

It was mind-blowing.

Of course, he had expected to meet older, bearded uncles.

'But, normal people? No, they both stand out in a different way?'

Jinho stammered.

"T...TimoCaptain."

He had forgotten.

The more insane a veteran in-game, the more normal they were in real life.