Chapter 96

Chapter 95. How a Veteran Builds Up (2)

Before Kim Jitae recruits players to go to the Labyrinth, he has five days to prepare.

During this period, Jinhyuk visited various concerts and Michelin-starred restaurants that Kim Hee-woong had prepared for him.

And his current location is the International Chopin Piano Competition.

Held once every five years, it is one of the world's top three music competitions, where contestants compete only with Chopin's compositions.

Using his S-rank status, Jinhyuk easily secured a seat and was completely absorbed in the performance of a male pianist in his early twenties.

How much time had passed?

The climax of the accompaniment subsided, and finally, the pianist's hands left the piano.

The performance had ended.

‘I don’t know much about music, but… this really gave me goosebumps.’

A completely different realm from combat.

The beautiful and splendid melodies could be described as another world, elevated to the level of art.

Jinhyuk, who had been trembling, swept his chest.

“Phew…”

It was incredible.

It felt like he had just watched a movie.

His entire body still seemed to be immersed in the afterglow.

‘It took quite a bit of time, but I’ve achieved all my goals.’

He had now visited all the possible competitions and concerts.

At the same time,

[You have appreciated a masterpiece that defined an era.]

[You have completed ‘Attend 7 Concerts’.]

[You have completed ‘Visit the Beethoven Museum’.]

Several status windows appeared before his eyes.

‘Good.’

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth turned upward.

[Conditions have been met.]

[You have successfully copied the skill ‘Absolute Pitch (F)’!]

[You have successfully copied the skill ‘Understanding of Instruments (F)’!]

The obtained skills are all F-rank.

However, Jinhyuk was not the type to be satisfied with just these.

By combining low-rank skills,

He could create a skill of a higher dimension.

That was the reason he chose the unique ability ‘Fusion’.

“I’ll fuse ‘Blessing of the Stars’ and ‘Understanding of Instruments’.”

Jinhyuk immediately used the ‘Fusion’ skill.

[The skills ‘Blessing of the Stars’ and ‘Understanding of Instruments’ are fusing.]

[The fusion has been successful.]

[You have obtained the skill ‘Heavenly Melody’.]

[Heavenly Melody]

Acquisition Difficulty: B

Description: The goddess of music, ‘Vestia,’ valued harmony and peace among all races. She believed that music could serve as a medium to break down even the most hostile barriers. This ability embodies her aspirations.

[The copied skills are stored in ‘World’s Memory’.]

He didn’t come here just to kill time.

To gather non-combat abilities.

To gain additional power needed to climb the tower in the future.

He was investing his precious time.

‘Next is cooking.’

The two tasks he needed to complete before going to the Elven Forest.

Now, all that’s left is to learn cooking.

Jinhyuk scanned the list of Michelin three-star restaurants he had reserved.

[To copy the skill ‘Royal Expert (熟手)’, you must meet the following conditions.]

[1. Eat a course meal at a Michelin three-star or higher restaurant (7/10 times)]

[2. Observe the chef’s cooking process (3/5 times)]

[3. Cook different types of dishes (25/30 times)]

He had been eating while watching the competition, so he was close to meeting the conditions.

‘I can finish everything today and return to Korea.’

In other words,

It was time to head to the 6th floor.

***

The CITIC Tower in Beijing, China.

In the penthouse of the skyscraper, which rises to a height that justifies the term ‘skyscraper,’ several men and women were gathered.

They were the rankers of the Chinese Guild, the largest guild in China.

“Damn it! To have the first clear taken away again. What the hell is this! We were confident that we would be the first to clear the 5th floor!”

A man with a hefty build and a scruffy beard shouted.

Indeed.

They were well-prepared.

They had gathered veterans and rankers who had cleared the 5th floor, or even completed time attacks on it.

They had even prepared a relic rated ‘orange’ within the guild.

It was only natural to be confident in their first clear.

However,

The Chinese Guild failed to be the first to clear the 5th floor.

Despite investing so many resources and efforts.

Worse still, more than half of them were still struggling to escape from the mines or the arena.

“It’s not that our preparation was lacking. It’s just that that bastard, Kang Jinhyuk, killed the boss at an abnormal speed.”

Kang Jinhyuk.

At the mention of his name, everyone’s faces turned red with anger.

“Even the lower ranks are talking about that guy. I overheard someone saying that he’s the only hope for humanity. Of course, I cut his head off right away.”

“We should also consider the possibility of defectors.”

“How long has that guy been rotting in the Tower of Trials to climb so quickly? They say he did it all alone, without any external support….”

“He must have been doing it for quite a while. He might have even climbed to the 20th floor or higher.”

20th floor.

An unknown realm that none of them had ever reached.

“Surely….”

“Is there a lunatic who has climbed that crazy game beyond the 20th floor?”

“Nonsense! Even China, with over 500 million users, has given up. How could such a guy come from a country with only 50 million people?”

Everyone raised their voices in denial.

The center of the world was China, and they believed only China could see the top of the tower.

That’s why they called themselves ‘Chinese’ and took pride in it.

But no matter how hard they tried to hide it,

They began to realize.

There was a veteran in this tower that they didn’t fully understand.

And that veteran was more threatening than the entire guild.

Just as an awkward silence was setting in,

Creak!

The door opened, and a man appeared.

He had a handsome face and was dressed in luxurious silk.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

“It’s you, Namgung Cheon!”

“Have you finished the negotiations with the martial arts community?”

The master of the Chinese Guild and the strongest player in China.

Namgung Cheon.

That was the name of this man.

“Yes… I’ve wrapped it up for now.”

Namgung Cheon walked across the room with a dissatisfied look on his face.

One step. Another step.

Despite just walking, the room was filled with a deep chill, as if they were inside a freezer.

Thud.

The sound of people swallowing their saliva could be heard from all around.

Of course, no one was bold enough to ask why Namgung Cheon was in a bad mood.

Namgung Cheon, sitting in the empty seat at the head of the table, spoke again.

“I’ve received the report on the 5th floor. Who’s responsible?”

“It’s me… But, Namgung Cheon! This time….”

The man with the scruffy beard hurriedly tried to explain.

Of course, his pitiful excuse didn’t even finish.

“…Gag?”

Swish!

Blood spurted from the cleanly bisected upper body.

“A man who can’t even handle a simple task doesn’t deserve to go with me to the upper floors.”

Namgung Cheon’s sword, which he had somehow drawn, was now horizontally across the room.

A speed that was impossible to even perceive, let alone see.

Namgung Cheon wiped the blood from his sword and turned his gaze to the rankers.

“I have to go to the 5th floor to do a job for the martial arts community. The main attack team also has a job to do with me.”

Namgung Cheon called out the main attack team.

The team leaders who met his gaze bowed their heads.

“What about the 6th floor?”

“I will allow three S-rank members and one attack team to go to the Elven side. The selected members will go to the 6th floor, capture the elves, and burn the forest. The deadline is ten days.”

The order was to eliminate a floor.

There was no room for argument.

No room for questions.

Executing the order was the only way they could survive.

“Understood.”

“This time, we will not disappoint you.”

***

After finishing his business in Europe, Jinhyuk immediately headed to the Tower of Trials.

Since he still had one day before his appointment with Kim Jitae, he thought it would be a good idea to get acquainted with the elves.

‘They’re so well-hidden in the forest that it’s not easy to meet them.’

Elves, by nature, are like that.

A beautiful race that loves nature more than anyone else, but they have a rather introverted personality when it comes to other races.

In short, it’s not only hard to meet them, but it’s even harder to have a conversation.

But that’s for ordinary players.

‘I’m different.’

He knew where the elves lived.

He knew where their favorite fruit trees were.

He even knew what he needed to do to gain their favor.

Jinhyuk, who had been smiling, suddenly shuddered.

He was reminded of an old memory.

‘Come to think of it, when I first tried to befriend them, all sorts of things happened…’

The memory of being chased by the entire tribe after offering them chicken, which they only eat vegetables, was not easily forgotten.

Since dying meant being unable to reconnect for 48 hours, he spent 17 hours playing hide and seek in the forest.

‘Well, it was my fault.’

Offering meat to elves.

If he had given them sunflower seeds, they wouldn’t have been so angry.

But that wasn’t the worst.

The most terrifying memory dates back to October 17th, 11:43:15 PM.

‘I’ll never forget that day.’

How could he remember the date and time so clearly?

Jinhyuk bit his lower lip.

After numerous attempts, Jinhyuk finally got the chance to befriend the elves and was invited to their village.

Unfortunately, it happened to be the day of the elves’ annual festival.

A clearing adorned with the beautiful night sky and fireflies.

The fragrant fruits and drinks were like a paradise.

The atmosphere was very good.

‘Until they asked me if I could play an instrument.’

The only instrument he had ever played was a few times in elementary school, and he usually fell asleep during those classes.

In the end, he resorted to his last option and bought the only instrument he could play from the ‘Coin Exchange’.

It was a recorder.

Jinhyuk played the timeless classic ‘My Heart Will Go On,’ ignoring the pitch and rhythm.

He even used a sound amplification spell to make sure no elf missed it.

That was…

A fatal mistake.

“Gaaaah!”

“Stop, stop! Please, stop!”

“It’s a demon! A demon has descended upon us!”

“The forest… the forest is angry! The trees are dying!”

“The spirits are all leaving.”

The elves’ screams still echoed in his ears.

‘And the price I paid for my all-out performance was devastating.’

He thought he had channeled Leonardo DiCaprio to recreate the grandeur and emotion of Titanic.

But reality was a cesspool.

A permanent ban.

The charge was causing irreparable damage to the souls of the elves and the spirits in the forest.

‘This time… it will be different.’

He had prepared everything to redeem that humiliation.

Woo!

The view before him turned black, and Jinhyuk entered the 6th floor of the Tower of Trials.