Chapter 84

Chapter 83. The Magic Grand Library (1)

[The main theme of the 5th floor is 'Escape'.]

A male player spoke up.

[By escape, do you mean we start by being trapped somewhere?]

[Yes. Due to all past videos and records being erased, there isn't much information left, but based on the memories of players who played the Tower of Trials in the past, we were able to reconstruct up to the 8th floor.]

[Oh, that many?]

[Hehe, thanks to all the veteran players.]

"Calling the 8th floor the limit for veterans is a joke. At the very least, you should have gone up to the 15th floor to be considered a veteran."

Lee Taemin, who was watching TV, clicked his tongue in disbelief.

"That's true. But what can we do? Most people quit before the 8th floor. It's impressive that we managed to uncover information up to the 8th floor."

Yoo Yeon-hwa also agreed.

"Indeed. By our standards, the hurdles for others are too high."

"Looking at it this way, having a head start on information really does make a big difference."

"Isn't that obvious?"

The others also chimed in.

Pride in having experienced floors above the 15th was evident on everyone's faces.

Hmm...

Jin-hyuk, watching this, scratched his cheek.

'I should be careful with my words here, right?'

He couldn't tell everyone that at least seeing the end of the tower was the standard for being a veteran.

But they were his dear teammates.

At the very least, he shouldn't hurt their feelings.

Especially that Cheon Yu-sung, if he teased him about the 20th floor, he'd lose his mind.

'Really, I need to consider my teammates' mental states. Even I think I'm a bit of a jerk.'

Just as Jin-hyuk was nodding, someone asked:

[...Then, can you tell us what kind of escape we need to perform?]

[The 5th floor involves choosing one of several life-threatening locations, such as a mental hospital, an arena, a mine, or a deserted island, and escaping from that location.]

[It doesn't seem as difficult as I thought. If we know the location in advance, can't we prepare our strategy accordingly?]

The most important thing in an escape is information.

Who will be inside.

What the terrain and objects are like.

What can be utilized, and so on.

If you know everything in advance, there are countless ways to prepare.

[Hehe, it's easy to think that, but no. The 5th floor changes its location and composition every time, so even the advantage of a second attempt fades, and your magic power is sealed. It will be the most difficult floor to clear so far.]

[Our magic power will be sealed?]

[Yes. It seems you are meant to clear it purely with your own strength.]

A new environment every time.

Sealing of unique abilities and skills.

Starting in the worst possible state is the premise of this floor.

"This floor is frustrating."

"Phew. I haven't been this tense in a while."

"Ah, I really didn't want to look at this floor again after clearing it once..."

Sighs could be heard from all around.

Everyone must be thinking they have to start from scratch.

But one person.

Jin-hyuk alone was smiling calmly.

He knew.

How to clear this floor as smoothly as possible.

And what preparations were needed for that.

***

The next afternoon.

Jin-hyuk, who had recovered from his fatigue at the hotel, listed the rewards he obtained from defeating Pendarial.

'A-grade Random Draw Box'.

'Advanced Skill Enhancement Scroll'.

'10% Discount on Exchange Fees'.

'Entrance Ticket to the Magic Grand Library'.

Four in total.

All valuable items that he couldn't afford to discard.

He wanted to check them immediately, but first.

"Status window."

Jin-hyuk activated his personal status window.

He needed to allocate the stat points he gained from leveling up.

——————————————————

Name: Kang Jin-hyuk

Gender: Male

Age: 27

Level: 34

Strength 16 Agility 16 Vitality 16 Magic 62 Gap 100 Luck 10 Adaptability 10

Available Stat Points: 21

Available Coins: 235,341

Occupation: None.

Unique Abilities: Fusion (融合), Tomb of Swords, Blessing of the Stars, Anubis' Judgment, Blood Demon Qi (血魔氣), Mandala (曼茶羅)

Skills: Lv6 'Fire Element', Lv4 'Eye of Greed', Lv3 'Empathy', Lv3 'Seal of Fiery Soul', Lv4 'Feast', Lv4 'Shallow Breath', Lv5 'Glacial Formation (氷河造形)', Lv4 'Daylight', Lv3 'Soul Chaser (追魂劍)', Lv1 'Double Spy', Lv1 'True Great Qinghua Heart Method (眞太淸花郞心法)', Lv2 'Sword Demon Emperor Step (劍魔帝王步)'

——————————————————

He had leveled up a total of 7 times, having been too busy hunting to check his status window.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Jin-hyuk's heart beat rapidly.

'I thought I was growing optimally in the past...'

It was an illusion.

He was growing much faster now than ever before.

'Ha. This is ridiculous.'

The real Tower of Trials was undoubtedly of a different dimension in difficulty compared to the game.

However, the growth in difficulty was nothing compared to...

'The extent of my growth is much greater.'

His past experiences and accumulated skills proved how much stronger he had become.

Feeling a pleasant sense of excitement, Jin-hyuk quickly allocated the 21 stat points.

[Strength increased from 16 to 19.]

[Agility increased from 16 to 19.]

[Vitality increased from 16 to 19.]

[Magic increased from 62 to 74.]

As always, magic was the most important.

After increasing 12 stat points at once, he could feel the flow of magic power throughout his body becoming much smoother.

Good.

Next...

Jin-hyuk picked up the 'Advanced Skill Enhancement Scroll'.

An item that raises a skill by one level if it's above level 10, and by three levels if it's below level 10.

Considering that raising skill levels becomes increasingly difficult, the value of this scroll was immeasurable.

And of course, he had already decided which skill to enhance.

'For the 5th floor and the future, the most important skill to develop is Glacial Formation.'

A versatile skill useful for both attack and defense, and in various situations.

If he had to choose one, this was the top priority.

Whirr!

The scroll disappeared in a bright light.

At the same time.

[Glacial Formation (氷河造形) has been upgraded to level 8.]

Sssss!

A cold aura spread throughout the hotel room.

"What's going on? It suddenly got cold. Did someone turn on the air conditioning?"

"In late autumn? What air conditioning? Damn, this is almost like a freezer."

"Looks like there's a problem with the central cooling system..."

"Fix it quickly so the guests don't get cold. If someone catches a cold and complains, we're all in trouble!"

While the hotel staff scrambled to find the cause, Jin-hyuk, unaware, picked up the golden box on the bed.

A-grade Random Draw Box.

As the name suggests, a gacha item that allows you to draw from A-rank items.

Whirr!

A giant golden roulette wheel appeared in the room.

The roulette wheel, about 2 meters in size, was engraved with numerous A-rank items.

'Shall I start?'

Pulling the lever, the roulette wheel began to spin at an incredible speed.

Once, twice.

Ding!

[Please press the red button in the center.]

Pressing the button selects the item and allows you to use it.

However,

Jin-hyuk calmly crossed his arms and waited.

Looking at the button as if it didn't matter.

[Time limit exceeded.]

[Please spin the roulette wheel again.]

A red status window with a warning message appeared.

It seemed that if he didn't choose this time, he would lose the opportunity altogether.

'Cheesy threat.'

After checking the status window, Jin-hyuk pulled the lever again.

But, he didn't make a selection this time either.

Of course, there was a reason for this.

A kind of bug, or perhaps a probability manipulation.

Jin-hyuk had accidentally discovered a loophole in the system designed to trick players.

'If you give up spinning the roulette wheel 36 times in a row, the 37th time it will spin 99.99% slower.'

As if it were playing in slow motion.

Then, all he had to do was wait for the roulette wheel to reach the desired item.

He had used this method to help Cheon Yu-sung get the desired item last night.

One thing.

The item he got this way had a one-week usage limit.

A mischievous smile appeared on Jin-hyuk's lips.

He could clearly imagine Cheon Yu-sung going berserk when his attribute sword broke a week later.

'I feel a bit sorry, but I didn't lie to him.'

I clearly said I would give him the materials to complete the attribute sword. I didn't promise it would last forever.

Most importantly, he could enjoy the new attribute sword for at least a week, so it wasn't a complete scam.

Yeah, that's it.

While nodding, the 37th turn he had been waiting for arrived.

The roulette wheel slowed down to the point where it was clear what it was pointing at.

Now.

Jin-hyuk pressed the red button for the first time.

[A-rank, 'Tri-color Pill' selected!]

Red, white, and black.

Three pills with different abilities appeared.

If he could use them within a week and they would help in clearing the next floor, this was the best choice.

Jin-hyuk stored the pills in a pocket dimension inventory.

'The discount coupon for exchange fees can be used when I upload a video with many views later.'

The last remaining item was one.

The Magic Grand Library.

A library in another dimension where you can learn a magic skill that others can't easily access, such as a higher-level skill, an ancient forbidden technique, or a boundary that only appears in the upper floors of the tower.

However, Jin-hyuk's face showed unexpected tension.

The librarian he was about to meet was a rather troublesome opponent.

'Finally, I'll see that old man again.'

The librarian, 'Rick Hennessy'.

A cunning old fox who had seen it all, and the owner of the largest pawnshop in the tower.

Jin-hyuk had occasionally done business with him in the past and gave him the nickname 'Thanos'.

Because he always slashed the price of items brought by others in half and sold his own items at twice the price.

A miraculous trading method.

Only someone with immense capital, an endless supply of items, and a thick face could afford such luxury.

However,

This time would be different.

'This will be the first time you meet me.'

'But it won't be the first time I meet you.'

Unlike the past when he was taken advantage of without knowing anything, this time he knew everything about his opponent.

Jin-hyuk bought a few items from the 'Coin Exchange'.

And he infused the most important ticket of this reward with magic power.

[The Magic Grand Library has opened.]

Creak!

A gate with a green surface appeared.