Chapter 98

Chapter 97. The Gray Shrine (1)

The 'Gray Shrine' located on the third floor.

At the entrance of this place, there are priests who manage the shrine, and they are responsible for helping players with their first-class job change.

It could be called the most popular 'job introduction office' within the tower.

Most players receive a quest for their first-class job change from the priests here and then wander around other parts of the tower to complete the quest.

This means that most people come here not for the shrine's labyrinth itself, but to meet the priests.

However.

The story changes completely once you enter the shrine.

Inside the labyrinth, one of the most terrifying monsters from the Greek era is imprisoned.

A place of extreme difficulty, having wiped out over twenty raid parties so far.

[Medusa's Hideout]

This was the labyrinth that Saularabi and Jinhyuk had decided to tackle.

Right at that moment.

Rumble!

A dazzling light accompanied a white flash from the sky.

The spatial teleportation magic had been activated.

"Phew. We've arrived."

A magic-type player announced their arrival at the destination.

"Thank you. I appreciate the smooth journey."

Jinhyuk briefly expressed his gratitude.

He meant it.

If they had moved normally, it would have taken 12 hours, but the teleportation had moved them in just a few seconds.

Looking at it this way, it made sense why some players specialized in magic and changed jobs.

Of course, that didn't mean he wanted to become a mage.

'After all, I can copy skills.'

Why would he need to learn magic through a first-class job change when he could fuse all skills and their advanced versions?

Why not just copy the skills from the mage in front of him?

But after checking the copy conditions, Jinhyuk had to let out a sigh.

[Copy Conditions: Height 160cm, Weight 107kg. A man with severe baldness has been a lifelong singleton for 38 years. The only thing that greets him after work is a single female carp in his aquarium. Find him a lifelong companion. If successful, you can copy one of his unique abilities or skills.]

Swallowing hard,

Jinhyuk's throat made a dry sound.

"......"

Instantly, several candidates came to mind, but none of them seemed like a suitable choice.

'Might as well just bring back Balrog's head.'

Or maybe surviving a dragon's breath would be easier.

Without a doubt, this could be considered the most difficult copy condition in history.

Jinhyuk pinched the bridge of his nose.

If he introduced the wrong person, he would turn everyone, including Yoo Cheonyeong and all his subordinates, into enemies.

Not to mention, he might get an uppercut from Yoo Yeonhwa.

Thinking of her monstrous strength, which could knock down an armored gorilla with one hit, sent a cold sweat down Jinhyuk's spine.

Teresa might accept it, but he felt he would suffer from guilt for the rest of his life.

As for Ellis... let's not even talk about it. There was no need to risk his life for a single skill.

If it can't be done, it can't be done.

'I'll give up on this one.'

Jinhyuk decided to let it go.

At that moment.

"You've arrived."

Kim Gitaek and a dozen men and women approached, having detected the teleportation.

All of them had well-controlled mana.

They were the second attack team players of the Saularabi guild.

'Sure enough, it seems Saularabi has come prepared this time.'

The guild has a total of 11 attack teams.

It was quite unusual for one of the main teams, the 1st or 2nd, to be mobilized.

They were far from being expendable.

"Haha. It's an honor to meet you, Player Gang Jinhyuk. I'm Lee Youngkwon, the leader of the 2nd attack team."

A tall man with brown hair approached.

The rectangular shield on his back and the heavy-looking axe suggested he could handle both tanking and dealing damage.

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

Lee Youngkwon...

He had heard that name before.

'The guy who appeared on TV when Ellis and I were eating tripe.'

A player who had recently made a significant impact in the 'Colosseum' on the 5th floor.

Although the top players from world-class guilds won the championship and gained 'freedom,' Lee Youngkwon had also reached the highest level of the seed.

His skills, which didn't falter even against strong enemies, and his leadership in team battles, where he made quick and calm judgments to save many, were notable.

Lee Youngkwon, who was previously the leader of the 5th attack team, quickly rose to the position of the main attack team leader.

And this was his first opportunity to prove his abilities.

"I'm Gang Jinhyuk. Nice to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is ours. Personally, I've watched all of Player Gang Jinhyuk's YouTube videos."

Lee Youngkwon smiled brightly, his face flushed.

The other players behind him also eagerly chimed in.

"I'm Ha Yeonsu, a sub-dealer. This labyrinth has been really tough, but I feel much more confident with Player Gang Jinhyuk here."

"Having Player Gang here, a labyrinth is nothing. It's a breeze."

"I'm the main healer of the attack team. Could I take a picture with you? My friends don't believe I'm on this raid with Player Gang Jinhyuk..."

"Cough! Actually, I'd like one too..."

"Can I take a picture with you, arms crossed?"

It was as if they had met their favorite celebrity.

Everyone tried their best to talk to Jinhyuk, and some even asked for friend requests or personal numbers.

'This isn't even a fan meeting.'

Jinhyuk looked uncomfortable with the excessive attention.

He had expected the main attack team of the second-ranked guild in Korea to be more prideful.

But it seemed they were willing to do anything to form connections with top-tier players.

At that moment, Kim Gitaek added a word.

"Technically, Lee Youngkwon is the team leader, but all decision-making authority will be given to Player Gang Jinhyuk. All the spoils from inside are also yours. Just one thing: please ensure the successful clearance of the labyrinth."

In short, they were willing to give everything in exchange for the title of the Saularabi guild successfully clearing the labyrinth.

Not all of it, but just a spot next to Gang Jinhyuk's name.

It meant that even if they had to sacrifice their pride and benefits, the guild's honor was more important.

Being the second-ranked guild in Korea was no small matter.

'I was planning to take advantage and give them a good beating, but...'

With such a clear understanding of the situation, things would be different.

"Understood. Let's go with those conditions."

Jinhyuk nodded.

"Then, we'll enter the labyrinth as soon as we're ready. If you have anything to do, please finish it now, Player Gang Jinhyuk."

"Roughly, how long will it take?"

"About 30 minutes."

30 minutes.

That should be enough.

***

Another purpose for coming here: the first-class job change.

Inside the shrine, priests in white robes were seen in the stone structures.

Jinhyuk quickly approached.

"Welcome, stranger. I haven't seen your face here before."

An elderly-looking priest spoke.

"I'm here for the first-class job change. I heard I need to come here to receive the related quest."

"If that's the case, you've come to the right place. To become stronger, you need a job that suits you. So, let me ask you. What direction do you want to pursue? A swordsman if you want to master sword skills, a mage if you want to use magic, a tank or healer if you want to protect your allies."

The priest snapped his fingers.

Then,

[Jobs are revealed.]

An incredibly long list appeared.

'The world really is vast.'

The number of jobs in the Tower of Trials is countless.

The examples the priest gave were just the most common, and there were many other unpopular or hidden jobs to choose from.

Of course, certain conditions had to be met.

However,

"Hmm. They all seem so boring."

Jinhyuk muttered, sounding uninterested.

Swordsman, mage, healer, archer, etc.

He had already tried or fought with these jobs and monsters to the point of exhaustion.

He knew exactly how their unique abilities and skills worked, their strengths and weaknesses.

'Climbing the tower is good too.'

The conquest of the 50th floor, which determines the future of humanity, is important, but saying it would just hurt his mouth.

But, perhaps equally important, or even more so, is the thrill and fun.

'Nothing is as boring as everything being the same.'

The stale DNA needed a bit of new stimulation to reignite interest in this world.

In that sense,

Jinhyuk wanted to choose a new job.

"Sort by unpopularity."

The list rearranged in reverse order.

Painter

Fisherman

3. Novelist

4. Barrier Mage

5. Sculptor

Jobs unsuitable for combat or difficult to grow in.

Naturally, they were unpopular among players, and thus, these jobs were almost forgotten.

'Hmm...'

Jinhyuk stroked his chin.

He needed to find one that matched his taste.

'Except for two, they're all in the arts.'

Being a painter or novelist wasn't bad, but it took too long to grow.

A beautiful painting or a masterpiece novel that would go down in history.

Certainly, they are excellent.

But what's the point of investing ten years to complete it? Humanity might have already perished or the tower conquered by then.

For the same reason, the fisherman, who spent time fishing, didn't match his taste.

And the sculptor... for various reasons, he didn't want to choose it.

It felt like a great sculptor would appear from another dimension.

The deliberation didn't take long.

"Barrier Mage. I'll go with this."

Jinhyuk made his decision.

"Barrier Mage? As your first-class job? Are you serious?"

The priest was surprised and asked again.

Until now, many players had stuck around to ask about the conditions for hidden job quests.

But this was the first time a player had chosen an unpopular job.

Naturally, it was bewildering.

But Jinhyuk nodded confidently.

"Yes. An unpopular and difficult job. That's exactly what I want."

The field of barriers is indeed complex, but that's a general statement.

'With my knowledge of ancient runes and High Elvish, it's a challenge that can ignite my fighting spirit a little.'

Most importantly, while it was fun to toy with Cheonyeong using sword skills,

It would be even more fun to toy with him using barriers.

'He was quite skilled in barriers, after all.'

Yes.

This is the biggest reason.

"......I see. The choice is yours."

The priest reluctantly handed over a black scroll.

It contained the requirements for becoming a Barrier Mage.

But just as Jinhyuk received the scroll,

Rumble!

A loud noise came from the shrine.

It was undoubtedly a clash of mana, a tense confrontation between strong opponents.

'What is it?'

Jinhyuk turned his head.

There, he saw not only members of the Saularabi guild but also other figures.