Chapter 73

Chapter 23. 1st Floor (5)

A portion of the cliff crumbled, sending a cloud of dust soaring into the sky. Broken rocks cascaded down like snowflakes.

Pant, who had been watching the scene, gaped in astonishment.

The power was much stronger than what he had seen in the Tutorial G sector.

Had Edo been secretly training all this time, or was it just hammering?

But Edo nodded with a smile, as if she had expected this.

The other players on the Blue team were trembling. This was definitely not the skill level of a beginner.

Even Pant's performance in the previous round had been overwhelming, capable of taking down two teams single-handedly.

Yeonwoo's strength, however, surpassed even that.

But the ones who suffered the greatest disaster were elsewhere.

The Red team players, who were rapidly crossing three cloud bridges, had been about to launch an attack on the Blue team, having noticed Pant.

First strike, certain victory.

While the Blue team was in turmoil due to the previous round's incident, the Red team planned to swiftly crush the Blue Crystal and hide the Red Crystal in the chaos.

Each of the three groups crossing the cloud bridges had their own tasks.

One was to confront Pant, another to pressure the Blue team, and the last to quickly locate the Blue Crystal.

But their strategy was shattered before they could even fully cross the cloud bridges.

In fact, they were now struggling just to save their own lives.

Debris from the broken cloud bridges rained down, and the players' screams echoed through the deep gorge.

Effects burst out everywhere.

Players with floating magic, flight skills, or artifacts were desperately trying to survive.

But novices couldn't easily possess such things.

As a result, most of the Red team players plummeted into the gorge.

"The escape route is cut off."

But this was the world of the tower, where the law of the strong prevails.

Yeonwoo, as always, was indifferent to those unrelated to him.

They must have been well-prepared for such a situation when they entered this world.

And as he had wished, the connection between the cliffs was now completely severed.

With no attack route from the other side, they could now move freely.

*Pop!*

Yeonwoo increased the rotation of his mana circuit and threw himself off the cliff.

It was a dash.

*Whoosh—*

Yeonwoo moved as if weightless.

Using the falling debris from the broken cloud bridges as stepping stones, he crossed the space at high speed.

"Crazy...!"

"What is that thing!"

The Red team, still in shock from the broken cloud bridges, belatedly noticed Yeonwoo's approach.

The remaining players hastily drew their weapons and began to activate their skills.

They needed to buy time, as they hadn't properly hidden the Red Crystal yet.

But the blessing of Beigrid, embedded in his sword, shone once again.

An option that made the power of the ghostly aura stronger the more enemies it faced.

Yeonwoo swung Beigrid horizontally once more.

The ghostly aura, which had gathered on the blade, burst out with a strong wind.

It swept across the ground like a tidal wave.

*Boom—*

"Ah—!"

"Ah—!"

Those who directly confronted Yeonwoo exploded without leaving a trace.

The players behind them fell like dominoes.

The effects of the skills they were about to activate vanished into thin air, appearing and disappearing repeatedly.

It looked like a cluster of fireflies.

*Thud!*

Meanwhile, Yeonwoo landed softly on the cliff.

*Swish—*

He pulled Beigrid inward and then drew it vertically.

*Boom—*

While a horizontal swing created a tidal wave, a vertical draw created a pillar of light.

The difference between spreading power widely and concentrating it in a narrow point.

Naturally, the power was much stronger.

Everything blocking Yeonwoo's path was erased.

A path leading from Yeonwoo to the Red team's forest area was now open.

There, players who had been fleeing toward the forest area were visible. They were the group responsible for transporting or carrying the Red Crystal.

Yeonwoo lightly waved his right hand.

The black bracelet wrapped around his wrist emitted a sinister light.

The dead souls visible everywhere were absorbed and transformed into black blades. Yeonwoo added a fire skill to them.

*Boom!*

The players moving toward the forest area were thrown back by the sudden explosion.

Those with skill were only broken ribs, but others were killed instantly.

*Crash!*

Yeonwoo passed through the path and infused his magic armor with mana.

*Zzzt.*

Dozens of eyes along the lines drawn on the magic armor suddenly opened.

The sight was eerie, but thanks to his expanded senses, Yeonwoo could accurately pinpoint the location of the Red Crystal.

All he needed to do was find the unique mana waves of the crystal.

Yeonwoo recovered all five Red Crystals from the fallen players.

No one tried to stop him during the process.

No, they couldn't.

The various curses and fears spread through the blessing infection had already paralyzed them.

Moreover, most of them were already injured and couldn't do anything.

They might not be able to rechallenge for a while after this round, given the severity of their injuries and the psychological impact.

A team of 100 players couldn't withstand a single person, Yeonwoo.

And.

The Blue team, watching from the opposite cliff, were all in shock.

Players who had participated in the G sector swallowed their saliva at his consistent skill, while others felt the stark gap between what they had heard and what they saw.

But Yeonwoo was completely unmoved by this.

No matter how harsh the tower was, the beginner's area was still a beginner's area.

For someone who had passed the harshest tutorial round in history in first place, this trial was too easy.

Moreover, his mind was solely focused on creating Hera's key.

Yeonwoo placed all the crystals on one hand.

Five Blue Crystals and five Red Crystals. A total of ten crystals, though they had minor scratches, were still intact.

*Whoosh!*

At that moment, the crystals were enveloped in a burst of light.

They merged into one, forming a key.

A key that shone with a milky light.

[You have obtained the Hidden Piece 'Hera's Key'.]

While Zeus's key, which was polished like a topaz, shone yellow, Hera's key, polished like a diamond, sparkled transparently.

[Hera's Key]

Category: Miscellaneous

Grade: C+

Description: A key to open the treasury of Hera, the goddess of the sky and chastity. The method of use is unknown.

Yeonwoo clenched his fist.

This was the acquisition of the second key.

And.

[All trials have ended.]

A message floated in the sky.

The trial had lasted only 30 minutes.

The moment the shortest round record was set.

* * *

[You have achieved a feat that no one could easily accomplish. Additional merit points are provided.]

[You have obtained 5,000 merit points.]

[You have obtained an additional 3,000 merit points.]

[Your health and mana are restored.]

[All abnormal statuses are restored.]

...

[All players are being summoned to the waiting area. Be prepared for the shock.]

...

[Your merit points are being combined.]

[Merit Points Result]

1st Place. Anonymous (50,000 Points)

2nd Place. None

3rd Place. None

...

[You have achieved a great record. Would you like to be listed in the Hall of Fame?]

[You have refused registration.]

[However, even if it is not public, your achievement is deeply engraved in the tower, and you can change the registration status at any time if you wish.]

"Remarkable. Even though it's the 1st floor, I've never seen anyone clear the trial so quickly. Truly a glutton... You've set a new record. A new record."

Aaron appeared where all the players had gathered and whistled.

It had been only a few minutes since he entered the manager's room and bet with Evilke.

He hadn't expected it to end so quickly.

While he was worried about what he had to give Evilke, he was certain of one thing.

Yeonwoo's performance in the tutorial was not just luck.

And.

'He even knows about the Hidden Pieces.'

And that he was trying to create the keys of the 12 Olympian gods.

He decided that for a while, he would always bet on what Evilke suggested.

"Then, the reward for the trial..."

"Wait."

Aaron, who was about to open his palm, tilted his head.

Yeonwoo had interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Why?"

"I want to receive all the rewards at once after passing through all the beginner's areas."

Aaron's eyes widened slightly before he smiled, as if he had expected this.

Receiving the rewards given at each floor would make the next floor's strategy much easier, but Yeonwoo wanted to delay it until the end.

He meant to obtain the much better reward that would be given for delaying.

This wasn't entirely unprecedented, so it wasn't surprising.

However.

'If he continues to set records like this on each floor, what kind of reward will he receive at the end?'

Aaron wondered if the manager's room would become so noisy that his head would explode.

No, not just the manager, but the tower itself would shake.

Just how absurd would his actions be?

He chuckled.

He also vaguely understood why Evilke was so interested in this person.

Aaron nodded and withdrew his hand.

"Very well. Then."

A massive curtain of light appeared above Aaron's head.

[The gate has ended. Would you like to go to the 2nd floor?]

A common message appeared above the heads of the Blue team players.

They all swallowed their saliva.

Most of them had attempted the 1st floor over several rounds.

They should have been happy to pass the tedious 1st floor and move to the 2nd floor.

But they couldn't.

No one except Yeonwoo had earned any merit points.

Normally, they would have to obtain merit points to get rewards and buy artifacts and potions for the next floor's strategy.

But this round, Yeonwoo had monopolized everything.

They received nothing.

Even though they had won by riding on Yeonwoo's success, they had done nothing. Naturally, they had no achievements.

The tower, which boasted a fair system, gave them no rewards or merit points.

If they moved to the 2nd floor like this, they would only face a more difficult future.

In the end, most players declared their retirement, voluntarily giving up their qualification to pass.

As the players disappeared one by one through the red portal,

Only Yeonwoo, the Pant siblings, and Aaron remained.

"Would you like to go up?"

Aaron looked at the three with a smiling gaze.

Yeonwoo, of course, nodded, and Pant, after a moment's thought, answered with a snort. Edo smiled calmly in response.

"Then, I will guide you to the next floor."

A portal opened under Yeonwoo's feet.

A blue portal, completely different from the red one for the retired players.

Yeonwoo moved to the next floor.

There were still nine floors left to reach his goal.

*Whoosh!*