Chapter 20

Chapter 19: Awakening Test (4)

A short while later, a new mana stone was prepared.

It was a massive intermediate mana stone that emitted a blue glow.

"Here, here... hah, hah. It's done."

The examiner was panting.

To finish the preparation in less than a minute...

He must have been really scared.

Good.

Shall we start then?

Jinhyuk took a dagger and got into position.

Whirr!

As mana was infused, the blade turned red once again.

'There’s no need to control the power.'

Earlier, he had held back a bit.

There was no point in going all out with a low-grade mana stone.

[Stat 'Gap' has been activated to its maximum.]

The dense mana transmitted through his fingertips.

The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth turned upward.

Yes, this is it.

'Strong-Strong-Weak-Strong (强强弱强).'

A cheat stat that is strong against both the strong and the weak.

Now, it's time to see the results of his efforts over the past month...

With his own eyes.

Crack!

Several sparks flew as the blade swept across the side of the mana stone.

***

"This... can't be."

The examiner's jaw trembled.

It had been a month since the Tower of Trials appeared.

During that time, countless Awakened individuals had come here to take the test.

Most of them didn't even possess the minimum required mana.

Below F-rank.

In other words, they were deemed unqualified.

Of course, a select few were given ranks.

They earned the right to ascend the tower.

However, no one, not even those who received S-rank, had ever completely sliced through a mana stone.

It was only natural.

This is...

An impossible story.

Boom!

The halved mana stone collapsed with a loud noise.

The cut surface glowed red.

It was proof that the speed, power, and mana were all perfect.

[1st place: Gang Jinhyuk. Measurement: 20,895. Rank: S]

The birth of a new S-rank.

Or rather, since all those with a mana measurement of 10,000 or more were included in the S-rank, his actual rank was much higher.

More than twice as much.

...A monster.

"Uh... uh. S-rank, c-congratulations. I'll report to the top, so please wait a moment. What was your number... again?"

The examiner fumbled for his phone.

'Korea isn't the problem.'

The appearance of a super rookie who would shake up the world rankings was at hand.

At the very least, a department head... no, this kind of incident needed to be reported directly to the Association President.

But then.

"Wait a moment."

Jinhyuk grabbed the examiner's arm.

"Yes?"

"Are you about to report to the top?"

"Yes, t-that's right."

"Could you delay it for about a week?"

"Delay? What do you mean?"

The examiner tilted his head, not understanding.

"It's a personal reason. After a week, you can inform the Association or post it online, I don't care."

"But, that's not something I can do."

Manipulating information...

If he got caught, he didn't know what kind of punishment he would face.

Even changing a lower rank was considered a serious crime, let alone hiding an S-rank for a week.

"I can't! Really, I can't, even if I die!"

The examiner firmly refused, waving his hands.

Indeed, this was the expected reaction.

Jinhyuk nodded as if he had anticipated it.

He wanted to receive various benefits as an S-rank, but he needed to keep his rank hidden until he finished a certain task.

To do that, he first needed to control the examiner's mouth.

"There are a few things I've learned in life."

"Learned... things?"

Thud.

Jinhyuk took a step forward.

At the same time, a faint light flickered from the dagger in his hand.

"First, 'nothing in human affairs is certain.'"

'Even with 'really, even if I die' as an adverb, it lacks credibility.'

It can't have credibility.

After all, the world can change depending on the situation.

"Second, 'a punch from someone close is more frightening than a law from afar.'"

'The Association President is in the top floor of the building, and I am right in front of you.'

So, it's better to make the right choice. Unless you want to suffer.

Swish.

Jinhyuk played with the dagger with a light hand movement.

Did the threat work?

The examiner's face visibly paled.

The other party was S-rank.

A superhuman, not even in the category of human.

If he wanted to, killing a person would be nothing.

"A week! A week will do, right?"

The examiner answered urgently.

Jinhyuk stopped.

"Yes. That's enough. After that, you can do as you please."

In fact, he would prefer if they actively promoted it then.

To ensure the attention was drawn.

That way, he could more smoothly carry out his plans.

"I understand. Mr. Gang Jinhyuk's rank will be announced exactly one week from now."

Finally, the examiner made the decision.

"Surely, you won't change your mind, right?"

"N-no, of course not. I promise on my name."

"Sorry, but I don't believe in empty promises."

The most unreliable thing in the world is a verbal promise.

While they say a promise can go to the grave, it often gets washed away with a drink.

Rather...

A more concrete sign was needed.

One that could result in death if broken.

Flames formed on Jinhyuk's fingertips.

[Lv1 'Flame Soul Brand' activated.]

The same mark he had branded on Park Hana.

"It won't hurt. Just bear with it for a moment."

Sizzle!

He branded the mark on the examiner's soul.

The examiner winced but only for a moment.

This bought him a week.

"Until then, please use the initial measurement."

"F-rank, right?"

"Yes."

Jinhyuk nodded.

The examiner then spoke cautiously.

"Um... then, how should the second test proceed?"

The first test measured mana to classify ranks.

Those who passed the first test took the second test.

The content was simple.

They just needed to clear one of the dungeons in the Tower of Trials.

Since there were no difficulty restrictions, most chose dungeons with goblins or orcs.

It was a common and wise choice.

However.

"I will attack the ruins on the first floor."

Jinhyuk had already decided where to go.

From the moment the Tower of Trials appeared.

"The ruins on the first floor... you can't be serious!"

The examiner's pupils dilated.

There was only one ruin on the first floor.

The ruin 'Corridor of the Fallen.'

It was a forbidden area that, according to reports, no one had cleared since the Tower of Trials was first introduced 11 years ago, and even now that it had appeared in reality.

***

The test was over.

The received rank was F.

Jinhyuk showed the faint tattoo on his wrist to two people.

"Brother, you got F-rank?"

"How... How is that possible? I thought you would definitely be higher than us. Is something wrong?"

Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeon-hwa shouted in unison.

It was an unacceptable result.

Especially for them, who had seen Jinhyuk's skills in the Tower of Trials, the F-rank was unbelievable.

"It's a temporary rank. We agreed to re-measure in a week, so we'll have to wait and see."

He added a bit of seasoning to the truth.

There was no need to reveal the S-rank here.

"Ah..."

"If that's the case, then..."

Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeon-hwa nodded in agreement.

"Right. Brother, how will you proceed with the second test?"

"I'll check it out right away."

"If it's a low-level dungeon on the first floor, we have some resources. How about I look into it?"

"No. From now on, I can handle it alone."

It was too dangerous from here on.

No matter how skilled Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeon-hwa were.

Frankly, at this point, there was no player in the world, including himself, who could go all the way through the first-floor ruins using normal methods.

'So, I need to use abnormal methods.'

Cheating rather than the orthodox way.

The Tower of Trials was a place where you had to do that to survive.

"Don't worry about me. You two keep climbing the tower."

They had already agreed on this.

To meet again later.

So, until then.

They needed to focus on their own growth.

***

After parting ways with the two, Jinhyuk immediately logged into the [Tower of Trials] community.

'Should I look in the recruitment... board?'

Usually, high-ranked players were recruited by guilds.

D-rank and below were often formed by individual players matching numbers.

And for ruins, at least a few hundred people were needed.

[Recruitment for players to clear the 1st floor 'Corridor of the Fallen' ruins (000 people)]

He found it.

He thought there might be no one willing to challenge such a high difficulty.

'Fortunately.'

Jinhyuk immediately called the number listed.

-Ring...

The call was answered almost immediately.

-Hello?

-I saw the post on the community. I want to join the ruin raid. Is there still room?

-Of course! There's still room!

The man answered hastily.

He must have been desperate for more people.

After all, not many would want to go there unless they were extremely confident.

-But, what's your rank?

-F-rank.

-Ah... F. Hmm. I see.

-Is the rank a problem?

-Not at all. Even with a low rank, you can join as a porter or miner. However, you won't receive a share of the items obtained inside the ruins. Porters and miners are paid daily.

It meant less reward but also less risk.

It didn't matter.

His purpose for going to the ruins wasn't to share rewards.

-Daily pay is fine.

-Can you come to the entrance of the Tower of Trials right now? The porters are already gathered. We can discuss the details then.

-I'll be there in 20 minutes.

The call ended.

Jinhyuk called a taxi and headed straight to the meeting place.

After about 20 minutes of driving, he finally arrived.

'If it's the entrance... it should be around here.'

Jinhyuk pushed through the crowd, looking around.

Then.

He saw a group of men gathered.

They all looked strong...

'Those must be the porters he mentioned.'

As Jinhyuk approached, a man in a suit with glasses smiled brightly.

"Are you the one who called earlier?"

"Yes, I'm Gang Jinhyuk."

"Hello. I'm Oh Seung-hwan, a manager at Matching Management."

"Is this the last person you were waiting for?"

"Let's get started quickly now that everyone's here."

"Right. We've been waiting for an hour."

"Ha, I understand. First, please approve the raid team. Yes, just press that approval button."

Oh Seung-hwan showed a 30cm status window to each of the porters.

"Jinhyuk, you too."

Finally, Oh Seung-hwan showed the status window to Jinhyuk.

The content was simple.

Just a single sentence: 'Do you want to join the raid team?'

If he agreed, he would officially be part of the raid team.

Jinhyuk pressed the approval button.

Then.

[You have officially joined the raid team.]

[You have met the conditions.]

[The second update has been applied.]

[Language patches for 103 countries have been applied.]

[A raid team exclusive quest has started.]

"Wow, it worked. It really worked."

"Me too. This is amazing. A raid team exclusive quest."

"Hehe. Finally!"

Excited voices echoed around.

[#1 First Clear of the Ruins]

Difficulty: S

Objective: Defeat the boss monster and reclaim the throne at the deepest part of the ruins.

Reward: The right to choose one of the relics. (However, if the boss monster is not defeated, the choice of relics will be limited.)

Several status windows appeared in front of Jinhyuk.

The boss monster.

Reclaiming the throne.

And the choice of relics.

He already knew these details.

But.

'This... what is it?'

In front of Jinhyuk, there was a different status window.

[Special benefits for the 'first to conquer the tower' have arrived.]