I Became The 1st Floor Boss of The Tower - 01

탑의 층 보스가 되었다
– STORY –
Lee Shin was the first ever human to climb the 100th floor
of the tower refused to accept the god’s offer to become
their apostle and died while fighting them. As
punishment, the gods reversed time, erased his existence,
and made him a helpless boss of the tower’s 1st floor, Jean
Ebrium, whose only goal was to die. However, after dying
countless times, Lee Shin obtained a strange sphere that
restored his memories. Lee Shin’s story to take revenge on
the gods and free humanity has just begun!
– GENRE –
Action Fantasy
I climbed the tower.
I had thought I could find the answer as to why they had put us in such despair upon
reaching the 100th floor.
I hadn’t stopped to rest nor taken my eyes off the end goal. I hadn’t had the chance to
relax even for a second. I had to keep climbing, as I was the only hope for mankind.
That was how I became the first man to reach the 100th floor.
[You’ve finally made it here.]
"What do I have to do now?" I asked.
[ You do not have to do anything, except take our baptism.]
"Get baptized? What difference does it make whether I get baptized?" I asked.
[You will get our recognition and we will make you an apostle.]
I clenched my teeth and stared at the gods. Even though I had reached the 100th
floor, I could not see their physical form. All I saw were some blurred shapes and felt
some form of energy.
"Did you call me into this tower just to be your minion!?" I cried out in pain and
despair.
As I climbed the tower, I lost friends, colleagues, and even my family. I was too naive
to think that I could leave the tower if I climbed to the 100th floor. I climbed the
tower thinking that I would be able to save people once I got to the top.
[Don't call it a minion, man. Whoever can climb up to the 100th floor deserves the
recognition of the gods. Those who reach the 100th floor are entitled to join us.
[They are big fish in a small pond. They will get out of this small tower and look after
the world.]
“…Does that mean I cannot go back to Earth?" I asked.
[That's right.]
I couldn’t help but fall into despair at God’s firm tone. I was finally able to rise to the
position of a great wizard after climbing to the 100th floor through constant training
filled with sweat and tears. I did not come all the way up here just to be their minion.
"If that's the case, then I will kill you and leave the tower," I declared, shaping my
magic into a shiny wand.
[What a stupid decision.]
There was a series of immensely powerful clashes, and the force was enough to
easily engulf the entire world. The aftermath of the battle was disastrous, turning the
surroundings into a huge catastrophe.
Kul-luk!
The wand that used to emit brilliant light was now broken, and the enchanted robe
was torn into many pieces. My body began to disintegrate. I felt the blood coming up
in my throat and was about to vomit it out.
[I'll forgive this rudeness if you change your mind now.]
Those words made me grind my teeth in anger. The gods seemed regretful after
having witnessed my power.
I could faintly make out their silhouettes as I looked up in pain. Their figures
resembled those I had seen when I first encountered them, but they appeared less
threatening as their presence faded.
‘You are not different from humans after all.’
We had overestimated the gods. There was a possibility for humans to defeat them if
they went through sufficient training. If only I had had a little more time… If only I
had known a little more about these powers, I could have done something about it.
[Still so foolish. This is why human beings are imperfect.]
I did not even bother to answer. Everything was over.
[Do you think this is the end? I will make you pay for going against the gods. Live the
rest of your life in despair and realize how simple-minded you are.]
The unknown powers started to bind me. My presence was fading out like I was
being swept away by a huge torrent.
[Be suppressed by humans forever, live feeling helpless without remembering

anything. Get tortured to death mercilessly by your old colleagues, friends, and
family, forever.]
With that, my existence as Lee Shin disappeared.
***
In the waiting area on the first floor, there was a vast land, high mountains, some
rocky terrain on the opposite side, and a blue sea in the far distance. Other than the
landscape, nothing else could be seen in the area.
"Hello! I'm Toeing, the manager of this place!" Toeing greeted in a cheerful voice, his
cute bunny ears fluttering as the challengers entered the waiting area.
"Will you be challenging the first floor?" Toeing asked.
Two challengers were summoned into the cave on the first floor.
"Is this the first floor?" asked a challenger.
The cave entrance was considerably large. Behind them seemed to be a steep cliff,
and in front of them what appeared to be a passageway leading into the darkness.
Kaaaaak-
The shrill sound of a bird caused the two challengers to move closer to the cliff.
"Eek! What's that?" one challenger asked in a terrified voice.

Taking a closer peek at the cliff, it was a high steep face of rock with a long drop
down. There was a huge bird made of ice flying around the cliff. The appearance of
the bird was enough to give the two challengers goosebumps. The flying bird emitted
what appeared to be cold breath.
The two challengers scrambled into the cave, trying not to be noticed by it.
"Man, I think the cold breath of this bird would be enough to kill us both. Let's get
inside quick!" the challenger shouted in an urgent tone.
"Y—yeah, we’d better," replied the other challenger.
Ordinary monsters on the first floor were not that difficult to deal with. The low-
class Skeleton, Dwarf Goblins, and Gutter Rats could be easily defeated even with just
a simple sword in hand.
"Is this where the boss is?" the challenger asked.
"I'm still a little nervous, even though we just started and we’re facing the first-floor
boss," replied the other challenger.
"What do you mean? We already know that this is a weak one. Let's just go in
already," the challenger said confidently.
The two opened the door forcibly as they stood before the door of the boss' room.
Then they heard a choppy voice say, "Who… are… you…?"
"Who… am I…?" He seemed like he was having a hard time keeping a clear mind.
"I am… God…” The crazy man was calling himself a God.
The boss on the first floor was a necromancer who had been weakened by a curse.
Living in the polar regions, he studied to solve his curse but ended up failing.
Because of the frequent failures, his mind was divided.
The research materials and reagents that he had used were scattered all over the
place. The challengers could not recognize the writing, nor were they interested in
taking a closer look.
"Is he even a god? He's just a crazy guy," said the challenger.
"Let's kill him and move on," replied the other challenger.
"Yeah, we should do that," said the challenger.
The necromancer scanned the two challengers with an annoyed look as they talked.
The challengers flinched when they noticed his gaze.
[Dark Arrow]
A magical dark purple arrow appeared in the air and was aimed at the challengers. It
would hurt quite a bit if one was hit, but it was relatively easy to dodge the slow
arrow.
"Die!" the challengers cried out.
Killing a necromancer who could not even move and could only use magic was a
piece of cake. Besides, the only spell he could use was the Dark Arrow.
The necromancer fell with a gasp.
The challengers frowned as they watched the necromancer cough up blood, as the
necromancer’s reaction made them feel as if they had killed a real human being.
"I feel nasty," one challenger said as he stared at the necromancer.
"It's all fake, so don't bother," said the other challenger.
Just like that, the boss on the first floor, the deranged necromancer, was dead.
"Welcome, challengers! I'm Toeing!" Toeing said in a cheerful voice.
Toeing welcomed new challengers heading to the first floor.
"Is this the room of the first floor boss?" the new challengers asked. They had
reached the first-floor boss's room.
"Who… are… you…?" the first-floor boss asked in a choppy voice.
"Who do you think we are? We're challengers!" the challengers replied in a

determined voice.
"Who am—gasp!" The necromancer on the first floor died that way again.
"Welcome! I'm Toe—" said Toeing, but he got interrupted in the middle of the
sentence.
"Who… are… y—" The necromancer, once again, failed to finish his question.
"You don't need to know!" said the challengers.
"Gasp!" The necromancer died without even being able to say his lines.
"Welcome—" said Toeing, but he got interrupted once again.
“Who—” The necromancer tried to speak. "Gasp!"
However, he died again.
"Gasp!" Before he even realized it, he was killed.
"Ga-" And again, before he could even scream.
"…” And again, without being able to say a word.
He was killed again and again. He kept dying.

As usual, new challengers arrived on the first floor.
“Hello! My name is Toe—” greeted Toeing, but he was interrupted by the challengers.
“Shut up and give me a rope and the low-rank potion,” said a challenger.
The challengers demanded these items out of the blue. However, since people were
usually rude to Toeing, he accepted the points and handed them items as a matter of
course.
“I’m going to head off to the first floor,” demanded the challenger.
The first-floor boss’s room was in a cave. As soon as the two challengers entered the
boss’s room, they pulled out their rope.
“Who… are… you?” asked the boss in his usual choppy voice.
The two challengers smirked at the boss’s appearance because he looked exactly like
what they had heard about him.
“How come this bastard repeats the same line all the time? Is our artificial
intelligence only at this level?” sneered the first challenger.
“That’s why he’s so dumb and weak,” said the other challenger.
“Did you start recording?” asked the first challenger.
“Yup, but we won’t be able to use the community until we reach the second floor. I
bet we are the only ones to attack the boss this way,” replied the second.
“We are sure to collect some points, right?” asked the first with a proud look on his
face.
The challengers in this tower were able to film their trip by exchanging the points at
the store. Accumulating views on their clip could earn them points in return.
“I… am… God…” said the boss.
“You wish! Just shut up and come with us!” yelled the first challenger as they
knocked down the boss and tied him up.
“What… are… you… doing?" asked the boss in pain.
“Watch out! Be extra careful with him, so he doesn’t die while we are dragging him.
He is so weak that we can easily kill him on the way,” nagged the first challenger.
“I know! I’m well aware of that!” yelled the other one.
The boss was unable to fight back, having lost all his strength. Unable to resist, the
boss was dragged by the challengers.
“Kuh-huh… Where… are… you… taking… me…?” asked the boss in a frightened voice.
“Wow! Did you hear that? He just said a new line!” yelled the first challenger in
amazement.
“That’s so cool! And why do you ask dude? You’re going to hell,” sneered the second.
To prevent him from dying, the two challengers gave the boss the lowest recovery
potion before smacking his head.
“Why… are… you… doing… th—” asked the boss, but he was interrupted by the other
challenger.
“Just shut up!”
Puck!
Before the boss could even finish his sentence, the challenger smacked the boss’s
head and burst into laughter as they dragged him to the cliff.
“Listen up, everyone! Do you guys think this stage will be marked as cleared even if
we push the boss off the cliff? We’ll give it a try!” said a challenger in excitement.
Soon after, the challengers pulled the rope and pushed the boss off the cliff.
“Uahhhh-”
While the fading scream of the boss echoed, the two just giggled and continued
talking.
Kaaak-
Just then, they heard a creepy scream coming from the foot of the cliff. Although
nothing could be seen because of the thick fog, they could tell that the screech was
coming from the ice bird that was flying around near the cliff.
“No way! Is he being eaten by the ice bird?” asked the first challenger.
“We didn’t expect this at all, hahaha!” shouted the other one.
While they were giggling, the boss’s limp body was caught by the ice bird. While the
recovery potion had helped him to some extent, he slowly approached the foot of the
cliff.
As his vision was blurred, the boss saw a faint figure waving at him. It seemed as if it
was inviting him over.
Kaaak-
The ice bird threw him into the sea and flew to where the figure was standing.
Splash-
Kek Kek
The boss couldn’t breathe and he was about to freeze to death. He lost his energy
rapidly because of the freezing water. Slowly, he was sinking, struggling in pain. The
sea was not as deep as he thought. Soon, he turned toward a sound that tickled his
ear.
Whoooong-
At that moment, he saw a dark, ominous sphere that would normally be invisible in
such a deep sea without light. The sphere that emitted purple light seemed to be
calling for him. His strength had already reached its limit, and he could drown at any
second.
Whether out of instinct or exhaustion, the boss reached out his hand to grab the
spherical object. Suddenly, the sphere started to melt and the purple energy from the
sphere diffused into his hands.
He then lost all his strength, and finally met his death.
***
“Welcome! I’m Toeing, the manager of the waiting area on the first floor!” greeted
Toeing who was hopping and fluttering his rabbit ears.
“Oh my gosh! He’s so cute!” said a woman as she hugged Toeing very tightly.
“Ouch! It hurts,” said Toeing in pain, so the woman let him go.
“Do you five want to challenge the first floor together?” asked Toeing.
“Is there a limit to the number of people who can enter at a time?” asked the woman,
bending her knees to reply to Toeing at his eye level.
“Nope!” replied Toeing.
“I see. Will I be able to see you on other floors?” asked the woman.
“Nope, you won’t see me there. I only stay on this floor, because I’m the manager of
the waiting area on the first floor!” replied Toeing.
The woman and her companions looked disappointed at Toeing’s response. Others
also thought that he was such a cutie.
“Hey Toeing, do you know if the challengers can decide to live here instead of trying
to climb the tower?” asked a man who was standing at the back.
“Of course! This space is for all the challengers to rest before they start climbing the
tower!” replied Toeing.
“Aha, I see,” said the man.
“You don’t want to climb the tower?” asked another person in the group.
“I will. I just wanted to ask,” replied the man.
Only Park Hye-Won and Ji Eun-Ju knew each other, and the other three were new to
each other. They all introduced themselves and became close very quickly because
they were of a similar age.
“Okay, let’s climb the tower now,” said one person.
“Sounds good! Lead us in, Toeing!” replied another one.
“Sure thing!” said Toeing. As soon as Toeing waved, they arrived at a cave located in
the polar region.
“Wow, this is amazing!” said one person.
“Eun-Ju, didn’t you say that you’ll be a magus?” asked another.
“Well, I thought it would be better to have a weapon as well…” explained Eun-Ju in a

quiet voice with a small dagger in her hand.
“It would have been enough to use basic hitting skills,” countered the man, Baek
Hyun, as he thought that it was a waste of points to purchase one.
Eun-Ju, who felt very awkward, scratched her head and replied, “It wasn’t that
expensive anyway. Let’s get going!”
The ordinary monsters on the first floor were easy to deal with. The first skill given
to the challengers was called Mana Attack, and it used magic to increase the power of
the fist. This skill was sufficient to kill these ordinary monsters.
“Wow, there are quite a lot of ordinary monsters because we’re going as a group of
five people,” said Kang Ji-Hoon.
“Of course, that’s how we don’t lose out on the XP earned. Don’t you play games?”
teased Hye-Won as she was making fun of Kang Ji-Hoon.
“Good for you. Mind your own business,” replied Ji-Hoon.
“Well, I’m already done with everything I needed to do!” laughed Hye-Won.
Standing before the boss’s room, they didn’t seem nervous at all, not even a tiny bit.
“Let’s go in already,” said Kim Kang-Chun as he opened the door.
Then they tilted their heads in confusion because what they saw inside was
completely different from what they had expected. Strangely enough, the research
materials were neatly organized and the boss spoke in an unbroken, yet, soft voice.
“Who are you?” asked the boss.
“We are challengers!” said the group.
“What brings you to my lab? Are you guys here to kill me?” laughed the boss.
Something was wrong, because he seemed very relaxed. It was completely different
from the information they got. His vibe was also very different from what they were
expecting.
“You’re bluffing. We know you’re weak,” said Hye-Won, who didn’t want to appear
weak in front of the boss.
“A weakling…? Sure, I’m a weakling,” said the boss.
The boss called himself a weakling, but his attitude was definitely not that of a
weakling. None of the five people dared to step up, because the boss was much
different from the sloppy one they had heard of before. All five of them knew
instinctively that they should not act recklessly.
‘This is nothing like what I’ve heard!’ thought Kang Ji-Hoon as he tried to relax by
clenching and unclenching his fist again and again.
‘How can this be the boss on the first floor? Is he really the weakest one in the tower? Is
he really the boss who’s easier to attack than the Goblins?’
Kang-Chun was confused by what he was seeing. This boss was clearly not as weak
as he had assumed.
‘I need to stay calm. The boss may look strong but be weak in reality,’ thought Kang-
Chun. However, this was just his way of comforting himself. He knew something was
definitely wrong, because they were seeing something totally different from the
information they got.
“Damn it! I’ll go first!” Ji-Hoon took the lead and ran toward the boss.
Kang-Chun and Baek Hyun followed after. Ji Eun-Ju and Park Hye-Won stayed behind
and prepared a backup plan.
The intrigued boss shot out a Dark Arrow from his fingertips. The arrow’s direction
was terrifyingly accurate. If Ji-Hoon avoided it, the incoming attack would break
Baek Hyun and Kang-Chun’s formation.
‘No way! This is a coincidence. I’ll just use Mana Attack and duck,” thought Ji-Hoon.
The Dark Arrow of the first-floor boss was known for its insignificant power and
speed. It was the unrivaled number one in the trash magic of all necromancers.
However, when Ji-Hoon saw the clear curve the arrow made, he could not shake off
this ominous feeling.
Woooosh-
The arrow approached him at such high speed that he didn’t have the time to duck.
Kang Ji-Hoon was thrown helplessly against the wall.
“Ji-Hoon!” yelled Kang-Chun, who had a terrified look on his face.
“Watch out, Kang-Chun!” cried out Baek Hyun, but he was too late.
Kang-Chun tried to turn away quickly, but the Dark Arrow was too fast. It had
already pierced his body.
Kang-Chun gasped, unable to breathe. He felt as if a boxing champion had just

delivered him a body hook. He felt dizzy and was on the verge of passing out.
‘What the hell is going on…?’
Kang-Chun couldn’t believe that the difficulty level of the first floor had suddenly
increased. None of this information was available on Earth.
While Kang-Chun was lost in his thoughts, Eun-Ju and Hae-Won fell to their knees in
fear, and Baek Hyun was thrown to the other side of the wall by another Dark Arrow.
It was interesting that no one was thrown into the area where the various research
materials and reagents were.
‘Fxxk… Are we dying on the first floor?’ thought Kang-Chun.
The boss laughed at this group of challengers who were lying on the floor. He said,
“Go back. You’re still too weak to break through the first floor.”
“Are you not going to kill us?” asked Eun-Ju, surprised.
“Well, let me know if you want to die,” replied the boss.
“Oh, n-no! I want to go back!” stuttered Eun-Ju, shaking her hands in a hurry.
“Okay, hurry up and go,” said the boss.
At the boss’s hand signal, the women cautiously approached the men to help them
get out of the room. There was a portal that took them back to the waiting area at the
entrance of the cave.
“Come back when you get stronger,” said the boss, smiling as they left.
***
[The Immortal Sphere]
This is a marble that contains a speck of the forgotten gods.[1]
# We don’t forget.
The necromancer opened his eyes in the cave as usual. There was a message in front
of his eyes and he had a throbbing headache.
“My… memories…” said the necromancer.

- This is the 100th floor.
[…will be our minion.]
[What a stupid decision.]
[Do you think this is the end? I will make you pay for going against the gods.]
[Live in despair for the rest of your life and realize how simple-minded you are.]
[Be suppressed by humans forever, live feeling helpless without remembering

anything.]
[Get tortured to death mercilessly by your old colleagues, friends, and family, forever.]
Keugh–
One by one, his memories came back to mind, and blood began to flow around his
mouth. His tightly bitten lips were torn and his jaw muscles were swollen and were
about to burst.
“Who… are… you? Who… am… I? I… am… God…” said the necromancer whose mind
was divided. He repeated the same lines over and over again just like a robot.
Keukkkkk-
He was punched.
Kul-luk
He was stabbed by a knife.
Keugh–
He was trampled.
Uahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-
He was thrown off the cliff.
Brrr-
His whole body trembled in spite of his will. It wasn’t always good to remember. He
had been killed by humans dozens, hundreds, and thousands of times. He could not
forget this pain. Among them were his old colleagues, friends and even family.
Blech-
He had not eaten anything, but the stomach acid and saliva dripped down his lip. He
felt dizzy and was on the verge of fainting. Numerous deaths lingered in his head.
That’s right. The one who had challenged God, returned to the time when the tower
was first created and became the boss of the first floor of the tower. If that was the
case, then how much time had passed?
[Your understanding of death has increased significantly.]
[You have acquired the title: He Who Knows Death.]
Suddenly, there was a system message saying that he had acquired a title.
“He… who knows death…?” He repeated.
Was it because he had experienced so many deaths? He was distracted. Although the
system was telling him something through the message, he didn’t have the time to
look at it carefully. That didn’t matter.
“The Immortal Sphere…” He mumbled.
He wondered what the ‘speck of the forgotten gods’ was.
Why did he have this all of the sudden? When he had been bound and thrown off the
cliff, he had found the dark sphere in the cold, dark sea. Was this really a
coincidence? He didn’t know anything yet.
“Hmmm… We don’t forget what…?” He asked.
Although it was a simple sentence, the effect was beyond one’s imagination. This
became a skill that surpassed the curse of the gods and the system of the tower that
belonged to him.
Eventually, he regained his memory from his previous life by finding this Immortal
Sphere. And that’s thanks to the two challengers who threw him off the cliff.
“Is this a blessing in disguise…?” he asked.
The results were good, but that didn’t erase the malice they harbored toward him.
‘I will have to pay back for what I’ve suffered. If I climbed the tower, I would run into
them someday. I will think about it then. That’s not what’s important right now.’
Crunch-
He gnashed my teeth in range. He was more furious toward the ones standing at the
top of the tower, not just the humans beneath.
‘Wait for it, I’ll climb the tower again. And I will pull you down from there and make
you suffer just like I did.’
1. The raws used the word “편린 (PyunLin)” which refers to a single piece of a fish
scale. It represents a very small portion of the whole. ☜
The challengers appeared as streaks of light flashed in the waiting room on the first
floor.
"Huh?" Toeing was surprised to see that the challengers he had sent a while ago had
returned already.
"Why are you back?" asked Toeing curiously.
"Are you sure you sent us to the first floor?" Hye-Won asked back.
"Huh? What do you mean? Of course, I sent you to the first floor!" replied Toeing.
"Then how come…” mumbled Hye-Won, but soon decided not to ask.
"We were defeated by the first-floor boss," muttered Ji-Hoon.
"What? Really?" Surprised by Ji-Hoon's words, Toeing stared at them while flapping
his ears.
The five people seemed very depressed, and it was very apparent from their
expressions.
"That can't be true…” said Toeing in a confused voice.
The five became even more suspicious at Toeing's response.
"Are you sure that nothing changed?"
"Has the first-floor boss always been this difficult? How do beginners survive there?"
"Toeing would have known if something had gone wrong on the first floor. But it
seems like he doesn't know anything about this change," replied Ji-Hoon.
The four looked at Toeing who seemed to have no idea what was going on.
"Is this really happening? Then what's the problem? Are we all idiots who can't even
get past the first-floor boss?" Hye-Won couldn't believe what was going on.
"Something is definitely wrong. Why don't we wait until the next group of
challengers arrives?" asked Kang-Chun.
With no other choice, the four agreed with Kang-Chun.
"This can't be true. What if we get stuck here? I don't want to live here forever."
"Could it be a bug or an error just like any other game?"
"Hmm… This is not a game though. I think there could be a possibility that the
situation inside the tower has changed."
"Could this be a special event?" Ji-Hoon raised a doubt.
"I don't know, man.”
The five of them kept thinking about this situation, but they could not come to a
conclusion.
"Why don't we try again?"
"Yeah, that might be better. We can't stay here forever!"
"That's right! It would be embarrassing to see the next group of people."
"At least I don't think the boss is killing the challengers right now. It could be a new
rule that came up as they increased the difficulty level."
"Maybe… But if we're going to try again, we have to be more strategic this time. Let's
plan out everything in advance," Kang-Chun said. He started plotting a detailed plan
to defeat the boss.
After some time had passed, they went to challenge the first floor again. The
ordinary monsters were still weak, and since they had already caught these
monsters in the past, they advanced very quickly to the boss's room.
"Guys, let's focus. Don't let your guard down until the end."
"Of course."
"Ugh… I'm so nervous."
Unlike in their previous attempt, they were armed this time. Eun-Ju and Hye-Won
had a [Low-Rank Magical Wand], while Kang-Chun, Ji-Hoon, and Hyun all held a
[Crude Sword].
Creakkk-
The door opened, and the boss unfortunately looked exactly the same as the one he
had faced previously. He was sitting in his chair waiting for the challengers.
"So you’re here again, suckers… I mean, challengers," Lee Shin sneered at the
challengers.
The boss's lines were different from the previous time. He seemed very relaxed in his
chair.
"Dang it…” muttered Kang Ji-Hoon as he stared at the boss in front of him.
It was the same as the last time. He had a strong feeling that they would fail to break
through once again.
"Do you guys want to come in all at once? It’s kinda tiresome," teased Lee Shin.
"That's what we were going to do!" yelled the challengers in the group.
Kang-Chun quickly signaled to the rest of the group and ran toward the boss. The
boss didn't seem to be bothered at all. The next moment, a Dark Arrow appeared in
front of Kang-Chun.
Puck!
Following a dull sound, Kang-Chun felt like he was losing his vision. When he opened
his eyes, he was already in the waiting area on the first floor.
"Fuck…” Kang-Chun murmured. It was the first time he swore after entering the
tower.
***
[You have defeated the challenger.]
[Your Mana Points have increased by 50 points.]
"Man… only 50 points this time? It’ll take forever like this…” muttered Lee Shin.
'Oh well, if I get more challengers, it will build up pretty fast,' thought Lee Shin as he
recalled the system message.
[Gene Ebrium]
# Occupation: Necromancer
# Status: Sealed (Details*)
# Title: Details*
# Health Point (HP): 280/280
# Mana Point (MP): 210/400
# Strength (STR): 5(+2)
# Agility (AGI): 6(+2)
# Intelligence (INT): 10(+12)
# Skills: Details*
His stats were very disappointing. However, thanks to the title, his intelligence points
had risen a lot.
"Hmm… Gene Ebrium…” Lee Shin murmured.
It was the name of the first-floor boss, the owner of this body. How had he ended up
as the boss in such an abandoned place?
Then, he looked at the list of titles.
[The One Who First Created Skills on the First Floor]
How did you create magic on the first floor? That is Amazing! Are you a Great
Wizard?
# Intelligence +10
[The One Who Guards the Tower]
How did you block the challengers on the first floor? You are the true guardian of the
tower!
# Default Stats +2
[The One Who Knows Death]
How did you understand death so well? It seems like you have been through
countless deaths.
# You can see through death.
# You can see the dead.
"Hahaha…” laughed Lee Shin.
Lee Shin couldn't believe that the system would still work for him, especially when
he was being treated like a puppet to block the challengers.
"The one who knows death…” he muttered.

This title was given to him as he had experienced death thousands of times and
deepened his understanding of it. He did not know what it meant to see through
death. However, he could immediately understand that the ability allowed him to see
the dead.
Ughhh-
He could see the spirits floating in the air, making a strange noise. The problem was
that no matter how many times he talked to them or approached them, he never
received a response. He could not tell from their appearance, but he had a strong gut
feeling that their souls and characters were destroyed.
Then he pondered. Who had made them like that? What exactly were they? And why
were they wandering aimlessly in such a place? He could not come to a conclusion.
"Tsk."
He tried to use mana. However, the necromancer’s unique, sticky mana channels
seemed to be blocked. In his past life, he had simply thought that this destruction
was due to having a divided mind. However, he had been mistaken.
Both the mana blood and the path where the magical power flowed inside his body
were clogged and destroyed.
'Is it because I'm sealed?' he wondered as he read the details of the seal.
[Your body is sealed.]
[The seal will be lifted if certain conditions are met.]
# Unlock Level 1: Mana Power Level: 1
He could finally understand why the boss only used the Dark Arrow all the time.
Since the body was sealed by a curse, the boss could only use an inefficient trashy
skill. Besides, he had a divided consciousness.
Although he had rearranged the Dark Arrow technique formation and maximized its
efficiency to suit the current state of his body, he could clearly see the limitations of
this skill.
The first thing he had to do was to unseal his body. To do this, he had to increase the
level of his Mana Power by getting 5000 Mana Points, which was the threshold
required to attain [Mana Power Lv. 1]. Until then, the only magic that he could use
was [Dark Arrow], the most basic black magic spell, and [Magic Missile] which was a
basic spell with no elemental attributes.
At the moment, he could easily deal with the challengers even if he used these
limited skills. However, over time, if the challengers increased in number and
attacked him all at once, he wasn’t so sure that he would be able to defeat them
easily. Therefore, he needed to widen the skill gap even more by raising his Mana
Power to Level 1.
Fortunately, he could increase the Mana Power by defeating the challengers. In order
for him to gain this power, he needed a lot of challengers to attempt beating him so
he could defeat them. He would be in danger if the challengers cooperated and
collected points together to purchase high-performance items.
"Sigh…”
Barely swallowing his sigh, he saw the skill that had pulled him out of the abyss.
[Immortal Sphere]
The only effect of this skill was that his memory was perfectly preserved, nothing
else. However, it was the effect that he needed more than anything.
His memory of being the first human to reach the 100th floor, the knowledge he had
gained along the way, and the magic that had made him a Great Wizard came back to
his mind. And that was not all. Even his memories before entering the tower were
still fresh in his mind. He could clearly remember picking up a coin on the street
when he was four years old.
"Hahaha…” He laughed at the futility of this. In the status window, the name Gene
Ebrium was written in place of his name, Lee Shin.
Among the challengers who had killed him as the boss on the first floor, his past self
could not be found. Originally, a man named Lee Shin should have climbed the tower.
Did that mean that Lee Shin’s existence was no longer a thing of this world? Or was it
a different world in which Lee Shin had never existed in the first place?
He could not tell. He was confused.
When he looked around, he saw a bunch of research data and various reagents. This
was probably the research data that Gene Ebrium had used to study when he had a
clear mind.
The necromancer was just like an old man with dementia. How long had he had this
condition? At least, he had been in a very serious condition when the tower was first
built.
Judging from the research data, Gene Ebrium did not seem to have been in this
severe condition from the beginning. Although he hadn't finished looking through all
the research data, he had noticed that data consistency had vanished after a certain
point in time.
He could tell that the data was very limited, in addition to having lost consistency
over time, but it was nevertheless the research data of a necromancer who had
achieved transcendence. It was priceless. He decided to collect all of Gene Ebrium's
research data and keep it in a safe place.
As of now, he was the first-floor boss. He was the boss who appeared in a tutorial
meant for the challengers to adapt to the system and get to know what to expect in
the tower before they climbed it. He was the one who had to die repeatedly and be
sacrificed for them. However, he was determined to climb the tower again.
Technically, he could not be in the same position as the other challengers at this
moment. Since all the challengers had to kill the first-floor boss to climb the tower,
he had to throw off his shackles and obtain the qualification to be a challenger once
more.
He was determined to find a way out using his death-related ability, the research
data left by Gene Ebrium, and his knowledge as a Great Wizard in his previous life.
In the worst-case scenario, his stay on the first floor would be prolonged. However,
he was motivated to reach the top no matter how long it took him. He was
determined to reach the 100th floor, challenge the gods, and kill them all to save
those who would otherwise fall into despair.
Until now, the challengers had an opportunity to return to Earth once they reached
the 50th floor of the tower. Therefore, the connection between the tower and the
Earth had motivated people to climb the tower. However, at some point, this
opportunity could vanish unexpectedly.
People were being fooled by the tow—no, by the gods.
***
With five streaks of light, the five challengers were summoned to the waiting area on
the first floor.
"Huh? You guys are back again?" asked Toeing.
As soon as Toeing asked, the challengers exploded in rage.
"Hey, bunny! Did you intend to make us fail!?" Baek Hyun shouted as he grabbed
Toeing by the collar and shook him.
"Owieee-" cried Toeing.
It was thanks to Eun-Ju and Hye-Won, who stopped Baek Hyun, that Toeing could get
away from Baek Hyun.
"Why are you doing this to me? I have no idea what's going on," said Toeing.
"Ha…” sighed Baek Hyun as he fell to his knees.
It was hopeless. No one ever thought that they would be stuck on the first floor for so
long. They could not even leave the tower, since they had already entered.
Baek Hyun looked up and saw the wide field on the opposite side. There was
nothing. There was nothing apart from the sea, mountains, trees, rocks, grass, and
forests. The ridiculous difficulty of the first-floor boss and the barren land seemed to
go well together.
The challengers were devastated.
"Hey, Hyun! Don't worry! We will make it to the top," Ji-Hoon reassured Baek Hyun
as he helped him up.
"Yeah, Hyun! It's too early to be depressed. We have a long way to go," another
challenger said.
Thanks to the other challengers who reassured him, Baek Hyun cheered up a little.
"Alright guys, I guess I was hoping for too much," Baek Hyun grumbled.
"Let's stay here until the next group of challengers come. If we attack the boss with
the other challengers, we'll definitely defeat him!"
"The boss can't deal with many people at once."
"We will eventually get there. We can do it!"
Toeing approached them while the five were chatting.
"Challengers will not get hungry or tired in the waiting area. So, feel free to take a
rest. I'll call you guys when the next group of challengers arrives," said Toeing.
"Thanks. That would be great," the group replied.
Everyone sat down to take a rest.
"Wait… is there something we can do until the other challengers arrive?" muttered
Baek Hyun. He was staring at the sky hoping that a streak of light would fall with
another challenger.
"Should we do some training?"
"Yeah, we should increase our stats by doing some exercises," Baek Hyun replied,
and got up to run.
Meanwhile, Kang-Chun and Ji-Hoon swung their swords in the air.
"Should we meditate?" asked Hye-Won.
"Let's go to the store and see if there's something useful!" claimed Eun-Ju.
Hye-Won and Eun-Ju also started to prepare for the next attack.
A week later, several streaks of light fell from the sky.

"They're here! They're here!" someone from the group shouted.
For a week, the five eagerly waited for the challengers to arrive. This time, fifteen
streaks of light came down from the sky, and numerous people appeared in the
waiting area.
"Welcome! My name is Toeing, and I'm the manager of the waiting area on the first
floor!" Toeing greeted.
The new challengers stared at Toeing with amazement. The women loved Toeing
because he was so cute.
"Hello!" They greeted him in response.
"They are the challengers who arrived before you." Toeing introduced them, and the
twenty people got close really fast.
Their unity came easily because they shared a common goal. The five challengers
who had come earlier taught the newbies a lot of things, since they had experience.
"Nah, you're lying, aren't you?"
"How can the first-floor boss be so strong? We've heard everything!"
"I'm telling you it's real. We thought the boss would be weak too, and that got us into
trouble!" Baek Hyun shouted in frustration.
"You guys need to believe us! It’s a waste of my breath to explain it to you, so just go
and check it out yourself," said another from the group of five.
Seeing was believing. The five didn't say anything else and instead allowed the new
group to challenge the first-floor boss on their own first. The newbies headed
straight in, since it looked like there wasn’t anything else special in the waiting area.
And soon after, a few streaks of light fell onto the waiting area on the first floor again.
"Fuck!"
That was the first thing they said as they returned.
***
[You have defeated…]
[…]
Thud.
"Ha…” Lee Shin lay on the floor, breathing heavily, after defeating the twenty
challengers that had come in unexpectedly. It was the first fight since the first five
challengers had stormed into the boss' room a week ago.
Over the past week, Lee Shin easily collected quite a lot of Mana Points, thanks to the
group of five challengers who entered and exited the room to kill the ordinary
monsters. Even if they didn’t come into the boss' room itself, leaving it midway
meant that the boss won.
"It could have been a little hard for them if they hadn't prepared for this in advance,"
Lee Shin said.
He had been expecting new challengers to arrive in his room soon, and he had been
right. It was still difficult for him to use magic other than [Dark Arrow] and [Magic
Missile] because of his sealed status. However, these two skills were enough to deal
with challengers whose power was similar to that of average citizens.
The problem was his mana power, but thanks to the challengers who didn’t know
that the boss’ mana power increased every time they failed the challenge, Lee Shin
was able to collect quite a lot of Mana Points.
“Wow, I’ve already earned over 1,000 Mana Points?” Lee Shin was surprised.
His points would have risen faster if there had been no time limit to rematches for
the first floor. It was disappointing for Lee Shin that there was a limit set for the
challengers.
However, everything was going smoothly so far.
“The real problem was…” Lee Shin said.
The biggest problem was having twenty challengers. When the challengers entered
the tower for the first time, 1,000 points were given to each of them. Normally, no
one liked to use their points on the first floor, because the first floor was almost like
a tutorial stage.
‘But things were different now,’ Lee Shin thought.
If there were twenty people, each with 1,000 points, there would be 20,000 points in
total. If they gave 20,000 points to one person, they could easily buy an item that
could potentially defeat him.
“[Low-Rank Mana Blocking Shield], [Low-Rank Agility Leap], [The Slaughter’s

Sword]…” Lee Shin muttered.
There were dozens of items that came to his mind right away. These were sufficient
to pose a threat to him. The disposable items targeted at conquering the first floor
were the most dangerous, because they were very effective in achieving goals in a
short period of time.
Yet, Lee Shin did not think that the challengers would cooperate at the expense of
their points for just one person. Humans were naturally selfish, and it would not be
easy to give up what they owned for others who did not have their trust.
Besides, they had a backup plan. They assumed that new challengers would continue
to come in, and that the challengers would be able to defeat the boss someday with
the help of others. Therefore, Lee Shin’s goal was to adjust his skill level properly so
that he would not betray their faith. He had to make sure that the challengers did not
realize that they had fallen into a trap for the longest time possible.
Nevertheless, he did not know what variables might come up. In this tower,
unpredictable situations occurred all the time. He had to be prepared.
While the challengers were focused on defeating the boss monster that just got
tougher to kill, Lee Shin was aware that his life and the future all depended on this
fight. He had no time to relax.
It was necessary to raise one’s mana level in order to raise its class. However, there
was also another way, which was to raise one’s intelligence stats.
Lee Shin activated his mana and used techniques that he had created in his past life.
With this skill, it allowed him to eliminate the low-purity mana as much as possible,
extracting only the high-purity mana and converting them into magic power. This
skill required a very precise control of mana power. This skill broke down the mana
that was in the air, blocking it before it got absorbed into the body, and created a
filter.
Drip. Drip.
Sweat trickled down his cheeks. There was a war going on inside his body, but no
one could tell from his appearance.
[Your intelligence has increased by 1 point.]
Lee Shin smiled contentedly as he saw the system message. An increase in the
intelligence point was like a trophy obtained after a fierce war.
“Ha… ha…” Lee Shin was out of breath and dripping with sweat after that brief mana
manipulation.
Passive challengers had no chance in this tower. Individuals had to work constantly
to get stronger. It required significant mana power to control the purity of the
accumulated mana when using the technique. He could not take a break while his
mana power was getting restored.
“Oh god,” Lee Shin rose from his seat. His thin limbs stood out from his creaking
body.
Even if one could use mana, it was hard to survive this cruel tower if one was
inactive, weak and clumsy.
“Whoa!” With a loud shout, Lee Shin started running along the border of the boss
room.
***
[You have defeated…]
[…]
[Gene Ebrium]
# Status: Sealed - Unlock Level 1 (Details*)
# Title: Details*
# Mana Point (MP): 2080/5140
# Skills: Details*
[Your Mana Power is now Level 1.]
[A portion of your body’s seal is lifted.]
# Unlock Level 2: Mana Level 2
[Seal - Unlock Level 1]
# Default Stats +15

A month had passed.
As expected, the challengers did not give all their points to one person just to buy an
item that could potentially kill him. They bought their own items and came back
countless times trying to defeat him. The result was the same.
It became obvious that his mana class rose as his mana level rose. His mana blood
recovered, and the veins that carried it became stronger as the seal on his body was
lifting.
Shwoop-
Mana began to agglomerate on his fingertips.
Whoosh-
With a mana burst, a sphere of fire flared up on his hand. Finally, he could use
elemental mana.
“Finally, I can take it easy now.” Lee Shin said confidently.
He knew that it was time for the next group of challengers to come in, as it had been
a while since the number of challengers had increased.
‘They will come anytime soon.’ Lee Shin thought.
***
[A challenger has appeared.]
[A challenger has…]
[A challenger…]
The sudden influx of system messages made it hard for him to keep count.
“Is it already time to greet them?” Lee Shin was surprised, because it was not easy
for him to predict how much time had passed when he was in the boss’ room. He
assumed that a week had already passed since the last challenge, seeing the increase
in the number of challengers.
‘What kind of strategy will they use this time?’ Lee Shin wondered. As he counted, he
realized that fifty challengers had arrived this time.
Thump thump.
His heart began to beat faster.
‘What’s going on?’ Lee Shin had this strange feeling that he hasn’t felt in a long time.
Was he pressured by the large number of challengers? This strange feeling had set
his nerves on edge. After his seal got partially lifted and his mana class rose, he was
not afraid of the fifty challengers. But what was this strange feeling?
He couldn’t put his finger to it. The challengers had not even entered the boss’ room
yet. However, it felt like his sense of death was coming back to life. It was that same
sense of crisis that he felt when he was on the brink of death.
“No way…” Lee Shin muttered.
There was no other way to explain how he got this strange feeling besides that
ability he gained from being the [One Who Knows Death]. He couldn’t see anything
yet. However, his intuition was telling him that it would be a dangerous match this
time.
‘They are coming.’ Lee Shin could hear the voices of a crowd of people outside.
The ground vibrated as the fifty challengers walked to the boss’ room. This vibration
was gradually tightening Lee Shin’s breath. What could that be?
Now that his mana class had risen, the first-floor challengers could not pose any risk
to him. While he was deep in thought, the challengers entered Lee Shin’s room.
“Is he the boss?”
“Wow, it was true.”
“I didn’t believe it…”

The new challengers gulped as they felt Lee Shin’s aura. Compared to before, his aura
had changed significantly and was savage to the point that they thought they could
really die this time.
‘What’s with him this time?’
‘What’s wrong with him all of a sudden? Did he notice something?’
‘Damn it, I can’t move.’
Those who had previously seen Lee Shin noticed the huge change and stood frozen
to the spot.
“Focus, everyone! We’re going just as we have planned!” Kim Kang-Chun shouted.
At his cry, the others finally came back to their senses. Clenching their teeth, they
began to move into formation as planned.
“We must defeat the boss this time. Don’t let your guard dow—” Kim Kang-Chun
could not finish his sentence. The room had descended into chaos.
“Keuhhh-”
“Ahhh-”
“W-what is it? Why is he making a preemptive attack all of the sudden…?”
So far, the boss had only responded to the challengers’ attacks and never launched a
preemptive strike. However, the boss made his moves first as soon as they faced him.
‘Damn it… Something has really changed.’ Kim Kang-Chun clenched his teeth and
stepped forward with his shield to counter the situation.
“Move up, defense team! Get as close to the boss as you can! Necromancers only use
basic skills! Even if you get hit, you won’t die. So, don’t be afraid and move forward!”
Kang-Chun shouted.
It was impossible to avoid the boss’ magic in the first place. So they just had to get as
close to him as possible with their shields in hand.
The challengers might not survive the [Dark Arrow], but they could still withstand
the [Magic Missile] since they had been building up their stamina and strength. The
challengers gradually narrowed their distance from Lee Shin, just like a group of
zombies.
Lee Shin was still pretty calm. Although he did not have to use second-tier magic
during this battle, his body was signaling a crisis.
‘What is it that they prepared?’ Lee Shin could not see anything that could potentially
defeat him. It was clear that they were saving a move for the perfect time, but he
could not figure out what that was. The attacks that the challengers could perform at
this stage were very limited.
“Die!” a challenger cried out.
At that moment, the challengers came quite close to where Lee Shin was standing.
They tried to maintain an effective attacking distance.
‘If you’re hiding your secret weapon, I will make you reveal it.’ Lee Shin started playing
with the mana that emanated from his fingertips.
“What’s going on?”
“Is that fire?”
“R-run!”
The challengers were flustered when they saw flames coming out from the boss’
hand.
“Stay close!” Kim Kang-Chun shouted.
Boom!
A sudden explosion occurred in the center of the room. The sound was so loud that
everyone stopped moving for a moment.
The flames from Lee Shin’s fingertips suddenly disappeared into smoke, as if it had
never happened. His face stiffened instantly.
‘Anti-Mana Bomb… ’ The mana that always supported Lee Shin’s body did not move,
as if it had been frozen. At the same time, he saw the challengers gnash their teeth
and approach him once more.
The Anti-Mana Bomb was an item that froze the mana of all living things within a
hundred-meter radius for five seconds. Lee Shin felt all the mana inside him freeze
instantaneously. Challengers threw swords and spears toward him.
Crunch—
Lee Shin clenched his teeth and threw himself to the ground, frowning. Lee Shin had
to wait for just five seconds until the Anti-Mana returned to normal. However, those
short five seconds felt like five hours to him.
Just as he was about to re-activate his mana, Lee Shin’s body turned stiff due to the
rebound from the freezing effect. He was not sure if the challengers had intended
this. It could have been a coincidence, but this was the worst case possible for him.
Swoosh— Swoosh—
Lee Shin flinched and broke out in cold sweat as he watched a spear pass by his neck
and a sword make a slight cut on his side. He was able to move quickly and avoid
them as he had heightened his senses right from the start. Otherwise, he could have
been skewered by that spear.
‘Damn it!’ In his blurred vision, Lee Shin could see an arrowhead approaching his
nose.
Before firing the arrows, the challengers had accurately predicted the direction
where Lee Shin would turn in order to avoid their attack.
Kwak—
“Ugh!” Lee Shin gritted his teeth as he tried to hold his groan.
If he had not blocked the arrow by raising his arms using his superhuman reflexes, it
would have been stuck in his heart.
‘How many seconds have passed? Two seconds? Three seconds?’ Lee Shin was worried.
He rolled again during the time that felt like an eternity. The enemy’s attack was not
over yet. It was unbelievable how thoroughly the challengers had prepared. Another
arrow flew toward Lee Shin, and the weapons of those who had just failed to hit him
came charging toward him again. The joy of victory began to appear on the
challengers’ faces as they thought they could finally defeat Lee Shin.
However, at the same time, Lee Shin sneered at them.
While Lee Shin was rolling over to avoid their attacks, he bumped into a stone
pagoda. As he crashed into it, making it collapse, a cylindrical light formed around it,
inside which an intangible film emerged.
Tang! Tang! Tang! Tang!
All of the arrows, swords and spears were blocked in the air and fell to the ground.
“What? What’s happening?”
“I thought his mana was frozen.”
“What just blocked them?”
“Don’t stop! Don’t give up yet!” Park Hye-Won shouted.
The challengers hesitated to move forward when they saw the sudden outburst of
mana. The challengers tried to continue with their attack after hearing Hye-Won’s
cry, but soon realized that their plan would not work out.
Lee Shin’s sensation of mana was slowly returning back to normal. His mana had
been frozen for only five seconds, but the sense of freedom he was feeling now was
indescribable. The mana that was sleeping at his fingertips was released recklessly
as if it was enjoying its freedom too.
[Air Bomb]
Boom! Boosh Boosh Bam!
The compressed air burst out. The challengers who had come close to Lee Shin to
attack were flung backward back, vomiting blood.
Crack!
Lee Shin broke the arrow stuck in his arm with his mana and stared at the
challengers with a relaxed smile.
“Is this all you’ve prepared?” Lee Shin sneered.
***
Several streaks of light fell onto the waiting area on the first floor.
“Oh, fuck!”
“We failed again! Our plan was perfect though!”
“How are we supposed to defeat the boss if he gets stronger each time?”
“I thought we would be able to defeat him for the first time…”
“Hey, we’ve been hit so many times that my HP has already increased by 300 points.
Guess how much my stats have increased?” Baek Hyun laughed.
After returning to the waiting room, the challengers sat on the floor with looks of
devastation.
“Who cares if the stats go up and the health points and mana points increase… Ha…”
Kim Kang-Chun sighed with frustration.
Two days ago, ten more challengers had arrived, and with fifty challengers now, they
thought they would be able to defeat the boss. They had been so ready to defeat him,
but now they were hopeless again. The challengers who had arrived first persuaded
the newcomers to gather their points to purchase a [Anti-Mana Bomb]. Although
they were taking a big risk, they thought that they had a good chance of defeating the
boss with this item.
‘Was he hiding his power the whole time?’ Kim Kang-Chun shook his head.
It did not make sense that the boss had been hiding his power, because his aura was
completely different from before. It seemed like the boss had upgraded to another
level mid-battle.
‘Can the boss also level up?’ Kang-Chun pondered. It was unbelievable.
“Has he been going easy on us until now?”
“It felt like the boss got stronger. Can the boss also level up as he defeats the
challengers or something?”
“But then, why wouldn’t he kill us?”
“How did he get so strong? Why is he using elemental mana all of a sudden?”
“Wait, but that makes no sense. How… how was he able to use mana if we froze
everything? Isn’t that crazy?”
“Ha… I don’t know man. I’m gonna get some rest.” Baek Hyun shook his head and
walked towards the tree house at a distance.
They had already built their homes because they were close to giving up. They
needed personal spaces to live in while staying at the waiting area on the first floor
anyway.
“It’s going to be chaotic to recover all the points that we’ve put into this attack…”
“Ha… I know, right?”
Park Hye-Won, Kang Ji-Hoon and several others went back to the portal after their
cooldown time had passed. Others trudged to their homes to get some rest. Toeing
had created a portal to go up to the first floor, because more challengers showed up
and there were repeated requests to move between floors.
“Ha… It was too tiring,” complained Toeing, who was lying on a flat stone.
“Then what do you do now?” Baek Hyun asked, because he thought Toeing’s
statement was ridiculous.
“I take care of this place,” Toeing replied.

“Can you be more specific?” Baek Hyun asked.
“Um… oops! I think I forgot to turn off the gas. I’ll have to get going. Call me when
you need me!” Toeing replied and quickly left the place.
“What kind of rabbit uses gas?” Baek Hyun muttered as he looked around.
A small village was built on the vast land.
***
“Ha… Ha…” Lee Shin sighed.
Cough Cough—
Blood came up from inside his body and spilled out of his mouth.
“What a great group of challengers…” Lee Shin muttered.
His head throbbed and his whole body was a mess. The fifty challengers who had
just come up had a new strategy prepared with the arrival of a large number of new
challengers.
‘I never thought I would have to face this kind of attack this early.’ Lee Shin thought
about the new item the challengers had used.
Anti-Mana Bomb was an item that required 50,000 points. Since each challenger
received 1,000 points when they first entered the tower, fifty people had to combine
all of their points to purchase it.
It would not have been easy for those who had just entered the tower for the first
time to use their 1,000 points on someone whom they were meeting for the first
time, to purchase a single-use item. Moreover, it was not easy to earn points on the
first floor. If they did it and failed to clear this floor, all of their efforts would be
meaningless.
‘I thought it would take at least a hundred people to use an item like that.’ Lee Shin
thought that he could have died if he had not prepared a mana circle in advance.
His mana was barely enough to work on the high-purity mana manipulation that
increased his intelligence stat, much less to create a mana circle.
Yet, having a safety device as a backup plan had really helped him out in the last
battle. Besides, it was lucky that a portion of his body’s seal had been lifted and that
he had been building up his body during this time. He could have died if he didn’t
have any of these three factors.
“Whoa…” Lee Shin sighed.
He needed time to focus on recovering his body from the injuries sustained from this
battle, as there was no potion nor medicine available for him in the boss room. Time
was tight. Even a month or two was insufficient for him to devise another strategy to
deal with the challengers while working on his recovery.
***
The challengers had never made any attempts to challenge the boss since the last try.
While Lee Shin was going through Gene’s research data as usual, he noticed a small
crack on the wall.
“A barrier?” Lee Shin was surprised.
If it were a simple barrier, Lee Shin would have noticed it earlier. He slowly added
mana to explore the composition of this barrier.
“Hmm… This is…” Lee Shin muttered.
The level of the barrier was too high for Lee Shin to analyze at the moment. It looked
complex because several types of mana of different compositions were combined.
Lee Shin knew that there was a barrier, but yet another spell seemed to be covering
it.
“So… A double barrier…?” Lee Shin wrestled with this for a long time, and he finally
figured out what it was.
Lee Shin found it difficult to figure out the principles of the mana circle, but he could
tell that someone had made a barrier and put it into the subspace so that it could not
be easily found. It was clear that the mana circle was a work by Gene Ebrium.
Lee Shin poked through the cracks using his mana and he could feel that the barrier
inside the crack and his mana mingled well. All magi had their distinct magical
characteristics. Just like how each person had unique fingerprints, each magus had
different characteristics to their mana. And this mana circle was designed to respond
to Gene’s mana pattern only.
As Lee Shin continued to inject mana into the crack, he could easily break the double
spell on the barrier.
Rumble—
The space inside the crack appeared as the stone wall crackled.
“Wow…” Lee Shin had never thought that there would be a place like this.
On one side, there were huge shelves and tightly packed books. Also, there was a
chair that looked quite comfortable, a spacious desk, and a nicely organized study.
The desk was clean and dust-free.
‘Hmm… There is a semi-permanent preservation spell on this.’ Lee Shin noticed the
powerful mana that connected everything in this space.
This mana proved how talented Gene Ebrium was, because it was very challenging to
preserve this kind of mana semi-permanently by connecting it to different types of
mana. Lee Shin was aware that he could not have done this in his previous life.
As he opened another door on the other side and went in, he saw various magical
experimental apparatus and other related materials. There were several piles of
books that were also dust-free.
Unfortunately, there were barely any ingredients left. Lee Shin thought that Gene had
burnt them because he found traces of something burnt. However, Lee Shin was not
too sure.
On the bright side, the experimental apparatuses were fine. Thankfully, he could
conduct research to treat his crippled body. All he had done so far was to prevent the
deterioration of his mana blood and restore it a bit. He needed a special way to cure
his mana blood.
“This is…” Lee Shin mumbled as he saw another door inside the room.
He tried to open it, but there was another barrier over it. He thought that it would
open naturally if he injected Gene’s mana power, but instead, there was an
instantaneous repulsion when the mana reached the barrier. It seemed to have been
designed to open only when a specific type of mana was injected.
‘What did he hide in there…? I can’t force it to open… ’ Lee Shin knew that he could not
do anything about it.
He left that room and picked up a book that was on the desk. It was a diary of Gene
Ebrium.
-I was defeated. Gene Ebrium, necromancer and Great Dark Wizard, no longer exists.
This was the first page of his diary. Even though there was ample space, Gene Ebrium
had not written anything else on the first page. It seemed as if his hand had been
shaking when he wrote this. There were tear marks on the page as well.
Lee Shin closed the diary without reading it entirely. It could have been because the
original owner of his body was Gene. Reading just one line from Gene’s diary was
enough to make Lee Shin feel overwhelmed.
Suddenly, a series of system messages appeared in the air. Lee Shin had to leave the
room, and he did, with a frown. Normally, Lee Shin did not care when the challengers
came in to challenge him. However, now that he wanted to spend more time in the
study and the laboratory, he did not want these distractions.
‘It would be nice if I had an agent for myself,’ thought Lee Shin.
He soon realized that there were no materials left in the laboratory for him to even
consider what he wanted. He needed intermediate-level materials at least, to be able
to create a useful guy, and above all, a medium to inject a personality into it.
He thought of a possibility, but while he was still thinking, the challengers who had
entered the first floor arrived in the boss’ room. It was Kim Kang-Chun and the four
others in his group.
Lee Shin frowned. He looked annoyed because he was constantly being interrupted
while he was trying to think. Lee Shin’s annoyed look surprised the five challengers,
and they stood frozen to the spot.
“W… why do you look so angry today…?” Kang Ji-Hoon asked in a nervous voice.
“You came as a group of five to defeat me? You really want to die, don’t you?” Lee
Shin said with an unpleasant look.
“You never kill us, anyways…” Baek Hyun muttered.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so s-sorry. He didn’t mean that. Are you crazy? What are you
saying?” Hye-Won quickly stopped Baek Hyun.
“Why? What’s wrong with what I said?” Baek Hyun complained.
“You need to shut up!” Kang Ji-Hoon clamped his hand over Baek Hyun’s mouth.
“Eupp!” Baek Hyun gasped.
“We are here to talk.” Kim Kang-Chun stepped forward.
“Do you really think we are in the kind of relationship that allows for casual
conversation?” Lee Shin replied with a question, but he seemed intrigued by Kang-
Chun’s words.
The five challengers were hopeful when they saw Lee Shin’s facial expression. The
challengers had never tried this before, but they were glad to be able to have a
proper conversation with Lee Shin.
Gulping, Kim Kang-Chun knelt in front of Lee Shin and looked at him earnestly. The
others knelt behind Kim Kang-Chun.
“We must climb the tower, so please help us!” Kim Kang-Chun begged Lee Shin.
“Are you telling me to die?” Lee Shin asked.
“No, we’re not saying that. There should be another way to climb the tower. We
thought you would know the answer,” Kim Kang-Chun replied.
Lee Shin was briefly lost in his thoughts after hearing Kim Kang-Chun’s words, but
he soon smiled. He had thought that it was time to develop their relationship in a
more constructive way.
“…Of course, there’s a way.” Lee Shin lied, because he thought some lies could be
good occasionally.
“For real?”
“Oh my gosh! It was real! There was another way!”
That was not true. There were no alternatives.
“What do we have to do?” The five challengers looked at Lee Shin with expectant
eyes and asked.
“Actually… There’s a secret boss. If you manage to kill him, then you get to go up.” Lee
Shin lied again.
“That makes sense! I didn’t think the difficulty level of the first floor would be this
high.”
“Hey, you were right!”
“See? I told you so!”
It was quite touching to see how they hugged each other in excitement, but in fact,
there was no such boss.
“Where is he?” Kim Kang-Chun asked.
“It’s too early for you guys to deal with him. If you want to kill him, you have to be
stronger.” Lee Shin replied.
“Wait, what? How?”
Their faces fell in an instant when they were told that they had to be stronger.
“But, don’t worry. I’ll teach you how to get stronger. But… there is a condition.” Lee
Shin said.
“What? Really? Are you really going to teach us?”
“What’s the condition?”
They seemed very nervous, but in fact, the conditions were not that difficult.
“You guys will have to give me points in return. If you bring me the things that I ask
you to buy, then I’ll make you guys stronger than anyone else.” Lee Shin suggested.
The five challengers engaged in a serious discussion. They were whispering to one
another in a corner, but Lee Shin could hear everything. It was pointless.
“Okay, we will do that. But can you tell us where the boss is? We want to see him…”
They accepted Lee Shin’s conditions.
“Not yet. I’ll tell you when I think you can defeat him.” Lee Shin replied.
They were a bit skeptical at Lee Shin’s words, but they could not show any
dissatisfaction when such a strong boss was about to be their master. They also
knew that there were no other ways to climb the tower. In fact, they had stopped
thinking about defeating Lee Shin altogether.
“Okay.” The five challengers replied in disappointment.
Lee Shin nodded in satisfaction.
“Then, can we call you our teacher?” Park Hye-Won asked.
“No, just call me master.” Lee Shin replied.
“Okay, master!”
“Nice to meet you!”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, idi… juniors.” Lee Shin sneered in satisfaction as he watched the
children bow down and thank him profusely.
Several months had passed since Lee Shin possessed the Immortal Sphere.
Numerous system messages appeared in the air one after another. Once again, the
challengers had come up to collect some points. Most of the challengers had already
given up on killing the boss and climbing the tower.
It had been a while since Lee Shin began to teach Kim Kang-Chun and his group at a
price. There had been other challengers who wanted Lee Shin’s teaching, but there
was just not enough time.
Sooner or later, Lee Shin could create a guy who could teach others. And when that
happens, Lee Shin could receive different things from everyone in exchange for
making them stronger.
Lee Shin roughly cleared up the system messages and started focusing on the
research he was doing. He was still having difficulty interpreting the research data
that Gene Ebrium had left behind. These data required more knowledge and
superior insight compared to what Lee Shin had thought.
Lee Shin was sitting on a fluffy chair that he had received, looking through the
materials in depth.
“God and mana, soul and passing, life and death, and boundaries.” Lee Shin
summarized the content of the data into a sentence.
There was too much content in the data. The amount was comparable to dozens of
books. The data consisted of studies from multiple fields. And yet, Lee Shin could not
understand the material properly. He understood less than a quarter of what was
written.
“Soul and passing, passing…” Lee Shin muttered.
After finding the Immortal Sphere, Lee Shin recalled thousands of deaths.
[Your understanding of death has increased drastically.]
At the same time, he saw this system message. He could not tell the exact difference
at that time; however, after reading Gene’s research data on death, he could now
understand the difference between soul and passing.
Not only was Lee Shin able to understand Gene’s data, but he was able to notice what
was wrong and lacking. Lee Shin cleared his head and organized his thoughts.
Looking at the contents, Gene seemed to have done studies on the power to fight
against God. It seemed like Gene Ebrium also had some conflict with God.
In addition to that, there was an odd-looking bundle of old paper. This paper must
have turned yellow even before the preservation spell took place. Since the text had
been written in ancient script, Lee Shin’s understanding of the content was
extremely limited. He could only recognize the words that he had seen a few times as
he climbed the tower.
“Faith, war, debris…” Lee Shin read from the book.
For now, he was not sure of most of the things he had read, but he could tell that he
would be able to figure things out as he climbed the tower.
What was the relationship between God and the tower? Was it true that gods have
built this tower? From what the gods had said to Lee Shin on the 100th floor when
he climbed up last time, it was clear that their intentions had something to do with
the tower. However, if gods had built this tower, why would there be this Immortal
Sphere?
[Immortal Sphere]
The Immortal Sphere had an ability that denied the power of the gods. Moreover,
considering how it allowed Lee Shin to access his memories before entering the
tower, it was not necessarily an ability only available inside the tower.
Lee Shin had no idea. There were so many things he had to think about. He had so
many things to do, but he did not have enough time.
It was necessary for Lee Shin to finish the production of Skeleton Mage, which was
currently in progress.
“Finally! I just need the soul beads to complete this project.” Lee Shin said excitedly.
The Skeleton Mage’s body was completed. There were some things to be tweaked,
but since he had been planning on making modifications along the way, that was not
a concern.
Suddenly, numerous system messages appeared in the air. These messages were
from those challengers who were returning after collecting points.
[Your mana power has increased by 60 points.]
When the challengers finished their attempt like this and returned to the waiting
area, Lee Shin could accumulate mana points without effort. Thanks to the
challengers, Lee Shin’s mana points exceeded five digits.
# Mana points: 13,400/13,400
“I still have a long way to go…” Lee Shin muttered.
Now that his mana blood flow was disrupted, healing the mana blood was the most
urgent thing for Lee Shin.
# Unlock Level 2: Mana Level 2
In order to lift the seal on Lee Shin’s body, it was required to achieve Unlock Level 2
by raising the mana power.
[Mana power Level 2]
# Required MP: 50,000
# Required INT: 100
Fifty thousand mana points was a significant number. If it could restore a portion of
Gene’s body that was at the level of transcendence, it would result in a tremendous
increase in power.
Lee Shin had become a little impatient after looking at the numbers with his own
eyes, but he soon decided to relax and wait for the challengers patiently. The number
of challengers had been increasing steadily, and that meant the rate of increase in
mana power would increase accordingly. Lee Shin would soon be released from the
seal.
***
└ We are looking for Korean challengers.
└ Where did everyone go? Did all the Koreans get killed in a war that broke out while
I was in the tower?
└ Oh freak, how come no one has shown up for months?
└ What are we gonna do about the national round? It’s hard to even maintain our
position right now because Korea was the only one that did not show up!
└ All the challengers in Isocia are dying out now!!!
└ Wow, if you’re at Isocia, you went up pretty high! I’m still on the 10th floor… I
really miss Koreans!
The community for Korean challengers was now on fire. At some point, it seemed
like the newly joined challengers kept failing to come up from the first floor. It was a
strange situation. Eventually, the upper-floor challengers had to struggle even more.
In many cases, the tower was not a place where one could climb alone. It was
necessary to form a team and challenge as a team. However, the challengers on the
upper floor panicked when the manpower got cut off at the lower floors. This
situation had not affected the challengers at the top for the most part, but it was
about to be a big problem for them as well. The heat was on.
Every year on December 1st, something called the Dimension Gate opened on the
50th floor. Since the challengers could move freely between the 50th and the 100th
floor, the ones who managed to at least climb to the 50th floor could use this gate on
December 1st.
The Dimension Gate had been the only means of connection between Earth and the
tower. Since it was only accessible for a month, most remaining challengers had
waited desperately for this opportunity. They had an opportunity to go back to Earth
and get a handle on the situation there.
However, there was still a long way to go before the Dimension Gate opened. And
before then, the challengers in the tower could not get any information from outside.
└ Please don’t tell me Korea is ruined already. It can’t be.
└ Why would it be ruined, dummy? Korea is one of the few countries that have many
challengers who are already close to the top.
└ Yeah, which also means that there would be many countries keeping an eye on us.
└ Korea has Cha Yu-Min. The top ranker, Cha Yu-Min! How dare they try to defeat us?
└ Did the government go crazy and impose restrictions on entering the tower, just
like 10 years ago?
└ That’s nonsense.
└ Then how come there aren’t any newbies coming up?
└ Why do you think people didn't enter the tower? It could be that they are
constantly failing at the first floor.
└ Oh yeah? Do you really think so? Because the first-floor boss is freakin’ strong?
└ That makes no freaking sense!
Occasionally, when the hypothesis came up that the first-floor boss is strong, it got
criticized by others and was dismissed eventually. The challengers could get access
to the community when they reached the second floor.
Because of this, people on the upper floors were completely unaware of the situation
on the first floor, and that amplified the upper-floor challengers’ anxiety.
In addition, it was impossible for the challengers to move between floors if they had
not reached the 50th floor. Once they went up, they could not return to the lower
floors. Therefore, the upper-floor challengers had to wait for the opening of the
Dimension Gate to get a sense of what was happening on the first floor. That was the
only way they could know if there was a problem outside.
***
Several streaks of light fell onto the central square of the village in the waiting area
on the first floor.
“Hello! My name is Toeing, the manager of the waiting area on the first floor!” Toeing
welcomed the newly joined challengers.
More than ten challengers had arrived this time. Six of them had fit bodies and sharp
eyes as if they had just returned from a battlefield. Showing no interest in Toeing, the
newly joined challengers twitched their eyebrows and looked around the village that
was built in the waiting area.
“What happened here?” mumbled a guy.
“What?” Toeing tilted his head and replied.

“Why is there a village here? This area should not have anything,” the guy continued.
“Aha! The village was built by the challengers who came here before you!” Toeing
replied.
“Why?” asked the guy.
“Um… because, there’s no place to sleep?” Toeing replied, having gotten used to
answering a lot of questions like this.
The man frowned at Toeing. “What did you say?”
“Huh?” Toeing was surprised.
The man reached out to Toeing, who was greeting the challengers on top of a stone
chair.
Tak-
At that moment, Baek Hyun appeared and grabbed the man’s hand that was going
for Toeing.
“Who are you?” the man asked with a frown.
“Haha, this guy is the manager, but he’s a bit of a fool. So, let me answer your
questions instead,” Baek Hyun replied.
The man wiggled his eyebrows when Baek Hyun grabbed his hand. As Baek Hyun
released his grip, the man also lowered his hand and looked at Baek Hyun.
‘That grip was… ’ The man looked at Baek Hyun with a sharp gaze.
Baek Hyun appeared to be an ordinary man in his 20s, a typical sight in Korea.
Although his body looked quite firm, he had nothing more, nothing less.
“Again, who are you?” the man asked.
“My name is Baek Hyun,” Baek Hyun replied.
“I’m sure you know that’s not what I’m asking about,” the man said.
“Then what are you asking?” Baek Hyun asked the man.
“I am Park Joo-Hyuk, the head of the task force of the Korean Challengers
Association. Our team was formed by the government to clear the tower more
quickly,” Joo-Hyuk introduced himself.
“So what?” Baek Hyun asked.
Park Joo-Hyuk seemed embarrassed at Baek Hyun’s unenthusiastic response. Even

after hearing about Joo-Hyuk’s identity, Baek Hyun couldn’t care less. It was an
attitude consistent with those who took pride and had full confidence in their own
skills. In that case, they had to nip this attitude in the bud so that they wouldn't show
such arrogance the next time.
Like a bolt of lightning, Park Joo-Hyuk tried to grab Baek Hyun’s collar. However,
Baek Hyun’s fast reflexes allowed him to respond immediately, pushing Joo-Hyuk’s
hand with his left and twisting his body to avoid the attack. Baek Hyun was startled.
Joo-Hyuk was surprised that his attack was so easily blocked.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Baek Hyun asked Joo-Hyuk in an irritated tone.
Park Joo-Hyuk frowned as he saw the crowd gathering around him, but he knew that
it would do no good to pick a fight here. It was not clear why there was a village
there, but it was clear that something had changed.
‘These people here are no different from the ordinary people who have not yet climbed
a single floor,’ Joo-Hyuk thought.
Nevertheless, Baek Hyun was skillful enough to equal Joo-Hyuk, which made Joo-
Hyuk question why someone like Baek Hyun was still in the waiting room on the first
floor. Joo-Hyuk realized that it was better to have a good relationship with someone
he might encounter again on higher floors. Therefore, Park Joo-Hyuk decided to
apologize first.
“I’m sorry for the surprise. I think there was a misunderstanding.” Joo-Hyuk
apologized to Baek Hyun.
“Okay, I’ll let this one slide,” Baek Hyun replied.
“But… I don’t understand why someone who’s talented like you is still on the first
floor. And why is there a village built here?” Joo-Hyuk had several questions he
wanted to ask.
There had been more challengers than Joo-Hyuk had expected. The size of the village
was quite large, so he assumed that all the challengers who had entered during the
last several months had failed to climb up and just started living in the village.
Baek Hyun smiled at Park Joo-Hyuk’s question. “Go challenge the first floor. That’s
my answer to your questions. Then, you’ll understand.”
Joo-Hyuk could not understand why Baek Hyun was saying this. If they challenged
the boss and cleared the stage, they would not be able to come back down here. In
that case, he would not be able to know about this secret.
“So, I guess you just don't want to tell me the secret?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
“Oh well… Think whatever you want,” Baek Hyun replied.
“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. We’ll figure it out on our own.” Park Joo-
Hyuk, who thought that he would not get a clear answer from Baek Hyun, turned
around and went back to his team.
“Oh, and also, don’t go around picking fights with people!” Baek Hyun yelled from
behind.
“Okay, I won't,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
Park Hye-Won and Kang Ji-Hoon approached Baek Hyun after the task force had left
to look around in the village.
“Why is he so rude?” Park Hye-Won asked in an annoyed tone.
“It’s quite understandable. His team is well supported by the association and the
government,” Kang Ji-Hoon replied with a smile.
“So what?” Park Hye-Won muttered.
“Life is all about pulling strings,” Kang Ji-Hoon replied.
“Ugh…” Park Hye-Won sighed and shook her head, looking at Kang Ji-Hoon who was
joking around.
Baek Hyun stared at Park Joo-Hyuk with a look of pity, until he disappeared from
sight.
“What’s wrong?” Park Hye-Won asked, suspicious.
“He seems like a person who has never lost a fight, but how embarrassed would he
feel if he gets beaten by people here who don’t seem to know how to fight?” Baek
Hyun replied.
“But then, why did you tell him to go challenge the first floor? Sir would—” Hye-Won
was interrupted by Baek Hyun.
“Newbies should get a welcome ceremony,” Baek Hyun sneered.

“Okay, I think this is good enough for the bone-strengthening process. Now… I want
to have another mana circle on the skull. But wait… it might explode due to an
overload…” Lee Shin muttered while designing his agent.
While Lee Shin was focused on adding the mana circle, he heard the system message
and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was time for Kim Kang-Chun and his group
to give him the Soul Beads.
Time had gone by so fast, as Lee Shin was immersed in mana research these days. He
slowly got up and moved from the lab to the boss’ room. After a few minutes, Kim
Kang-Chun, Park Hye-Won, and Ji Eun-Ju came into the boss’ room.
“Did you guys bring me the Soul Beads?” Lee Shin asked.
“Yes, they’re here,” Kim Kang-Chun replied and handed over two, palm-sized beads
to Lee Shin.
The two large, transparent beads had white smoke moving inside them. Apart from
that, there was nothing unique about these beads. However, Lee Shin knew exactly
what these beads were for.
“Thank you,” Lee Shin replied, as he put the Soul Beads aside.
The challengers on the first floor were stuck in the waiting area, unable to climb the
tower. On the other hand, they were being taught by Lee Shin. They used their points
to buy the items from the point store that Lee Shin had asked for, and in exchange,
they were trained by Lee Shin.
Today was the day for Park Hye-Won and Ji Eun-Ju to learn magic in exchange for the
Soul Beads.
“Oh, by the way, there will be a new group of challengers coming in soon. Apparently,
they are members of the task force that’s created and supported by the association
and the government to target this tower,” a challenger from the group notified him.
“Time has gone by so fast…” Lee Shin mumbled.
“Sorry?” a challenger asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin was aware of the task force that the association and the government of
Korea assembled. He had seen them in his past life. This team was composed of
highly-skilled people, so as to support the understaffed teams on the upper floors.
However, they disappeared when they could not achieve as much as expected.
Among them, the team leader, Park Joo-Hyuk, was quite outstanding. The other team
members were not bad, but the tower was not such an easy place. No matter how
skillful they were outside the tower, that was not always the case inside.
Lee Shin smiled at the thought of meeting Park Joo-Hyuk. Hye-Won and Eun-Ju were
wrapped in fear, thinking Lee Shin was planning to make them suffer.
“Hey, Kang-Chun, you can get going. And, you two, shall we get started?” Lee Shin
asked.
Kim Kang-Chun looked at the two and went back with a sad face.
***
The Soul Bead was an item that could capture and absorb a soul that was floating
around. And interestingly, there were so many outstanding souls that amazed Lee
Shin on the first floor. He could sense their power in the atmosphere.
He was surprised to see such exceptional souls on the first floor, which was
considered a tutorial stage with a cursed necromancer as the boss. However, Lee
Shin could roughly guess the reason after figuring Gene Ebrium out a bit more.
‘Maybe, the first floor was used as a prison for heroes who had protested against gods.’
Lee Shin was not too sure, but he thought that seemed reasonable.
He had gone through countless deaths and could recall all of them clearly. And as a
result, death was very familiar to him. Lee Shin could understand the sensation the
souls were experiencing.
[The one who knows death]
How did you understand death so well? It seems like you have been through
countless deaths.
# You can see the dead.
Lee Shin obtained this title after he gained the Immortal Sphere and suffered
thousands of deaths. From that point, he could see many souls around him.
“Why are you following me around?” Lee Shin muttered, but there was no response.
“Hey there! Yes you, the blond knight with an arm off,” Lee Shin called out to the
blond man in front whom he could clearly see.
It appeared as if that handsome knight had been at war, because his armor was all
messed up and he was also missing an arm. Also, there was no expression on his
face. The soul of the knight was wandering around in the air expressionlessly, but
unlike other souls, he kept hovering around Lee Shin.
Lee Shin tried to get his attention. All the other spirits were floating aimlessly doing
nothing, as if they had lost their sanity.
‘Is this soul also the same…?’ He stared at the knight.
Then, his eyes met with the knight’s.
-… Did you… call me…? No, that can’t be true…
“Yes, that’s right. I called you,” Lee Shin replied.
-… Now I’m starting to hear hallucinations.
“It’s not,” said Lee Shin.
- Really…? Can you really see me?

“Yes, I can,” Lee Shin replied.
The knight shoved his face in front of Lee Shin’s nose and stared at Lee Shin with his
eyes wide open. When the knight realized that Lee Shin was staring right into his
eyes, he began to shed bloody red tears.
- My death… Set me free!
“Ughhh-” Lee Shin tried to cover his ears, but it did not help.
That strange high-pitched voice pierced his ears and resonated in his head.
“Do you want to be released from death?” Lee Shin asked, gritting his teeth and
enduring the pain.
- Death! It’s unfair!
The handsome knight had disappeared. Instead, he turned into an evil spirit which
gave Lee Shin goosebumps.
Swoosh-
Suddenly, in Lee Shin’s field of vision was a flash, and the background changed as if
he had traveled back in time. In the new scene, that handsome man was standing
ready for battle, neatly dressed in his armor.
‘Is this his past?’ Lee Shin wondered.
‘Is this what they meant by seeing through death?’ Lee Shin did not know what
conditions triggered his ability. However, this was the first time that this skill had
been activated.
The background changed once again. This time, the knight was standing in front of a
beautiful woman. Lee Shin could not hear all the details of the conversation, but it
seemed like the two were in a special relationship.
The scene changed once more. This time, the knight displayed his courage and
impressive might on the battlefield. His attacks upon thousands of enemies brought
him enormous prestige. With his outstanding performance, the war seemed
manageable.
At that time, to fulfill an order from a superior, the knight had formed a separate
squad to attack the enemy’s rearguard. His strategy was successful and victory was
just around the corner.
‘No way… ’ Lee Shin realized that his skill was showing how one came to the end of
their life, rather than its trajectory.
Those scenes had no reason to be shown if they were not related to one’s death. And
as Lee Shin had expected, suddenly, something unfortunate happened to the knight.
The woman he saw earlier was captured by the knight’s enemies.
The knight lost his temper, ran out to save his woman and ignored all the other
knights who tried to stop him. His comrades had no other choice but to launch an
attack to save him. However, the knight was only focused on his woman. He did not
care about other knights.
The knight had lost his prestige. The sight of his enemies drawing a sword at his
woman was sufficient to stop his fierce attack. He could survive for a while with the
sacrifice of his fellow knights, but they died one after another.
Eventually, the wounded knight knelt in front of the woman, surrounded by his
enemies. The woman laughed at him and cut off his right arm. She then threw him on
the ground and left him. Due to the knight’s folly, the outcome reversed in an instant.
The knight who had lost everything died alone on the cold ground.
After showing the knight’s tragic death, the background disappeared and Lee Shin
was back to the usual surroundings on the first floor. Lee Shin did not feel sorry for
this knight. He just had a smirk on his face.
“That was pathetic,” Lee Shin muttered.
- Pathetic…? What the hell are you saying?
“You made your team sacrifice themselves just for a woman?” Lee Shin said in an
amused tone.
- This is not fa–

“Just shut up! I shouldn’t bring back a jerk like you no matter how skilled you are,”
Lee Shin shouted.
- What did you say…? Bring back…? How?? How are you going to do that?
“I said, I’m not going to,” Lee Shin replied in a firm voice.
- No, please. Please help me. Before someone else comes!
“No way. I’m sure you will be bewitched by another woman and abandon your team,”
Lee Shin explained.
- No! Never! Please trust me.
The screechy, malicious knight from before was no more; only a desperate and
subservient one stands in front of Lee Shin. There was only a desperate and
subservient knight in front of Lee Shin.
Lee Shin looked around. There were not many souls that were in sight. Even the ones
passing nearby did not seem to care, as if they could not hear the noise.
“Alright, then. Do you want to sign a contract with me?” Lee Shin asked.
- Of course! I’ll do anything you want if you bring me back to life.
The knight had been tricked. Lee Shin tried hard not to smirk and showed a friendly
smile instead.
***
“Warrie! May!” Lee Shin called out two names.
Two Skeleton guys stood in front of Lee Shin. Lee Shin had created a Skeleton
Warrior and Skeleton Mage after receiving two Soul Beads from Kim Kang-Chun and
his team. Warrie was the knight who got betrayed by his woman and May was a
mage who died after several failures in mana research. Both had become Lee Shin’s
skeletons after signing a contract.
Lee Shin had made Warrie just the way the knight wanted, similar to how his body
looked when he was alive. Lee Shin had imprinted mana on Warrie’s bones and put
extra emphasis on the arms to make them as strong as he could.
May did not have a strong bone structure. However, his stats were generally higher
than that of Warrie, because several mana circles were added onto his bone
structure which drove his mana circuit more actively than Warrie’s.
[Warrie]
# STR: 27(+13)
# AGI: 21(+10)
# INT: 10(+7)
[May]
# STR: 7(+15)
# AGI: 10(+14)
# INT: 38(+20)
It took Lee Shin several months to make these Undeads. He paid more attention to
imprinting the mana circuit on May, who was going to help Lee Shin a lot more in his
research.
Lee Shin was confident that the challengers on the first floor would not be able to
defeat either of these guys. The Skeletons’ souls were contracted to Lee Shin, and
though they wouldn’t consume his mana while being summoned, they couldn’t be
healed using his mana if they were destroyed.
There were several pros and cons to connecting the Skeletons’ souls to Lee Shin, but
since there was no one to threaten these two, Lee Shin thought it would be better for
them to maintain their current states.
“Hey May, did you organize all the documents that I asked for?” Lee Shin asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ve created a special pile for the results of Gene Ebrium’s mana research,”
May replied.
“Sounds great! How about you, Warrie? How are your arms?” Lee Shin asked.
“The bone itself is not bad, but the mana power connection is not as good as before.
It’s hard for me to make the most of the bone’s function while making the mana flow
smoothly,” Warrie replied.
“Oh really… Hmm… I’ll take a look into that. You guys are good to go,” said Lee Shin.
As soon as Warrie and May had left the room, Lee Shin looked at the clock on the
wall. It was time for Park Joo-Hyuk to come up.
‘Shall we get ready?’ Lee Shin smirked.
***
“Hey, boss, based on the information that we’ve gathered, the boss on the first floor
is too strong for people to climb the tower.”
“I agree with that.”
“Yeah, me too.”
The members of the task force had gathered outside of the waiting area in the
village. They were having a serious conversation, and Park Joo-Hyuk nodded stiffly
as he listened to their reports. He originally thought the scuffle that took place when
he first came to the tower had caused antipathy and that people were lying.
However, he soon realized that was not the case.
Eventually, the members of the task force collected information by maintaining a

fairly good relationship with other challengers. And they came to the conclusion that
there had been a change in the first-floor boss’ difficulty level.
“I think it’s time for us to challenge the boss,” one of the members of the task force
said in a determined voice.
If the challengers were right, they would fail the challenge and return to this place
again. If they were lying, they would move up to the next floor. However, everyone
was already aware that the latter was impossible.
Fortunately, they knew the first-floor boss did not kill people. Even if they went for
the challenge, the challengers did not have to risk dying, because they heard that the
boss returned the challengers without doing more harm.
Late that night, Park Joo-Hyuk and other members of the task force headed to the
portal located in the Central Square.
“Huh? Are you guys going up to the first floor?” Toeing looked at them and asked.
“Yes,” they replied, and entered the portal.
As the team entered a large cave, deep inside, they found low-class Skeletons, Gutter
Rats, and Dwarf Goblins, which they had heard about from Earth. These were easy to
defeat as they had expected.
With the system messages that announced the challengers’ increasing stats, they
headed to the boss’ room. The anxiety they had when they first entered this place
had gradually faded.
The members of the task force were not planning to be careless in their encounter
with the boss, but their confidence level increased a little when they defeated the
monsters.
There was nothing special about the entrance to the boss’ room. When they opened
the door, the boss was slouching in his chair. His eyes were unfocused, his body had
no strength, and he looked very pale. He appeared very much different from what
the team had heard from other challengers.
‘Huh? What’s going on?’

Park Joo-Hyuk scanned the boss with a sharp look. “Guys, don’t let your guards
down.”
When the task force came in, the boss did not even get up from his seat. Instead, he
stared at them blankly.
“Who… are… you…?” the boss spoke to them for the first time.
Park Joo-Hyuk did not respond to his question to figure out what was going on.
‘If this guy is the original boss, he will soon ask who he is.’ Park Joo-Hyuk thought
about the boss’s next possible phrase.
However, contrary to Park Joo-Hyuk’s expectation, the boss did not say anything
after that. Then suddenly, the boss raised his arms from the armrest.
“Watch out!” Park Joo-Hyuk cried.
Joo-Hyuk was nervous about the boss’s unexpected behavior, but the boss did not do
anything beyond raising his arm. Park Joo-Hyuk frowned. His predictions were
consistently off. This kind of situation was worse than an upfront threat.
Park Joo-Hyuk felt more and more nervous. At times like this, he knew he had to
move rather than stay still. Only by taking charge of the situation, he could draw out
the boss’s intentions.
At Joo-Hyuk’s signal, the team members ran up to the boss to make an attack.
Whooong—
Mana power was blooming from the tip of the boss’s finger. A poorly made Dark
Arrow slowly flew towards them.
‘What is this?’ Park Joo-Hyuk, who was clenching his teeth, approached the boss and
swung his sword.
Woosh—
Joo-Hyuk sliced the boss’s neck without much effort.
Splashhh—!
Blood gushed out of the boss’s neck as Joo-Hyuk withdrew his sword. Warm blood
soaked his face and body.
‘Was this all there is?’ It was an ending that made Joo-Hyuk feel stupid about what he
had been worrying about.
In front of Joo-Hyuk, the boss collapsed, his eyes rolled over.
“Great work ever—” Park Joo-Hyuk’s eyes opened wide, looking around.
“Boss…”
A red-eyed Skeleton was slaughtering his teammates.
Woosh-
Splashhh-
The Skeleton stared at Park Joo-Hyuk after stabbing one of his team members with a
bone knife. The Skeleton was exuding horrific mana. There was no expression on his
face, but the Skeleton’s chin clattered as if he was laughing at Joo-Hyuk.
Crunch
Park Joo-Hyuk clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles tightened up.
- Boss…
- Run away. I’ll deal with—
- I’m sorry, boss…
His past flashed before his eyes. He thought of the teammates he had lost on the
battlefield. This dark past, which remained in him as a trauma deep in his heart,
began to bother him again.
- I… blame you… boss…
“Stop! Just stop!” Park Joo-Hyuk grabbed his head and dropped his Crude Sword.
Joo-Hyuk suffered from nightmares and trauma for a long time after returning to
Korea. He had been trying to live his life to the fullest to forget about his past.
- You… abandoned us… boss.
“No! No, I didn't!” Joo-Hyuk, whose eyes had become pink and congested, shouted
and picked up the sword that was on the floor to attack the Skeleton in front of him.
Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!
He swung his sword madly, his moves furious yet precise. The Skeleton was pushed
behind a little, but still defended all of the attacks.
“Die! Just die!” Park Joo-Hyuk swung the sword with a scream.
Joo-Hyuk’s muscles were swollen and overworked, but he could not feel any pain.
Perhaps it was due to an overproduction of adrenaline. He only thought of tearing
apart the Skeleton that killed his teammate.
Kang! Kang! Kang!
However, contrary to his wishes, Park Joo-Hyuk was gradually overwhelmed by the
Skeleton. And soon after, the Skeleton’s bone knife left slashes in Joo-Hyuk’s body
one after another. Having lost his mind, Joo-Hyuk could not defend himself from the
Skeleton’s attacks.
Ting!
Joo-Hyuk’s Crude Sword bounced off the Skeleton’s sword because he had lost his
grip.
“Keugh!” Joo-Hyuk was pushed against the wall.
When his head hit the wall, his brain zapped and blood dripped down his head.
Eventually, he fell to his knees as his legs got weak and his head drooped low. Joo-
Hyuk could see his teammates looking disappointed. Their wide-opened eyes
seemed to resent him.
“I… I’m sorry.” Seeing his team member coughing up blood, Joo-Hyuk felt pathetic
that he collapsed without even getting revenge.
As Joo-Hyuk lifted up his head, the Skeleton approached him with his sword. When
he turned slightly, he could see the face of the collapsed team member.
‘Okay, let’s do this. I’m not going to repeat my stupid past.’ Joo-Hyuk’s congested eyes
had returned to normal.
After calmly watching the Skeleton’s movements, he dug into the Skeleton.
‘I’ll give him my flesh and take his bones.’ The bone knife pierced Joo-Hyuk’s shoulder.
Joo-Hyuk, who endured the pain by clenching his teeth, dug deeper and shoved the
Skeleton. At the same time, with the arm that was not injured, Joo-Hyuk wrapped
around the Skeleton who was holding a knife, and twisted his body.
Crunch!
With the sound of the Skeleton’s bone breaking, the arm that was holding the bone
knife had bent backward. Park Joo-Hyuk was about to deal a good, finishing blow
when the Skeleton’s left fist flew toward his face, which he barely avoided.
Crunch— Crunch—
“There’s no way…” Joo-Hyuk muttered.
The Skeleton calmly realigned his arm to its original state. On the other hand, Park
Joo-Hyuk’s left shoulder was crushed and could not move. The pain that he could not
feel for a while came all at once.
His whole body creaked and he could not control it. He was in severe pain. He
wanted to give up; negative thoughts were bothering Park Joo-Hyuk.
The Skeleton’s red eyes were shaking as if they were laughing at him. As Joo-Hyuk’s
head lowered to the ground, he could see his teammates on the floor.
Crunch—
Joo-Hyuk managed to move his squeaky body and lifted the sword from the floor. His
arms were shaking and his grip did not have much strength left. However, he could
not give up. He vowed to send that Skeleton to hell.
Kang!
“Gasp—!” Joo-Hyuk dropped his sword as he collapsed, vomiting blood, having been
kicked in the abdomen by the Skeleton.
The Skeleton’s bone knife was about to strike his head, but Joo-Hyuk could not avoid
it. He did not want to die like this; not without avenging his teammates. Was he
ultimately unable to make a change in his life? He did not want to die; he wanted to
change. He wanted to undo his past regrets and fight. His will was still alive. Blood
and tears covered his face of madness.
Suddenly, a golden light came out of Joo-Hyuk’s body and wrapped around the
Skeleton and him.
“W-w-what’s this?” Lee Shin was surprised.
Lee Shin had been watching the fight between Park Joo-Hyuk and the Skeleton the
whole time. And he could not keep his mouth shut when he saw the light emitting
from Joo-Hyuk’s body.
‘That light… Is that…?’ Lee Shin was curious.
[You have awakened a unique ability.]
[You have learned the power of resurgence.]
“The… power of…” Joo-Hyuk mumbled.
He saw the system message that suddenly appeared in his blurry vision. It felt as if
the world had stopped at that moment. Joo-Hyuk did not know what that message
was, but he knew it could be the comeback to this situation.
“…Transformation,” Joo-Hyuk mumbled again.

As soon as he finished saying the phrase, a golden energy obscured his view. The
situation between Joo-Hyuk and the Skeleton reversed in an instant.
Park Joo-Hyuk, who had earlier collapsed, realized that he was about to hit the
Skeleton with the sword from above. It did not matter how it happened. He first had
to break the Skeleton that was in front of him.
“Die!” Park Joo-Hyuk shouted, as his sword went through from the top to bottom.
Clink—
Thud—
However, Park Joo-Hyuk lost all his strength to wield the sword. His sword fell on the
floor and bounced off. Then, Joo-Hyuk fell over the Skeleton, helpless.
“Boss!”
“You damn Skeleton!”
His teammates, whom Joo-Hyuk thought were dead, were fine. They quickly carried
Joo-Hyuk on their backs and took care of him. Fortunately, he collapsed due to lack of
strength, not a mortal wound.
“Well done, Warrie,” said Lee Shin.
“Thank you, master,” Warrie replied.
Warrie got up and moved behind Lee Shin. Lee Shin saw Joo-Hyuk’s injured
teammates, who were supporting him.
What Park Joo-Hyuk had seen was a small trap that was made using a pre-purchased
hallucinogenic plant which created a trauma-stimulating vision for the person who
sniffed it.
In reality, the team members were only knocked down by Warrie and Lee Shin; none
of them actually died.
“Go back now. And when your boss wakes up, tell him to come back.”
“Why aren’t you killing us…?” the woman who was taking care of Park Joo-Hyuk
stared at Lee Shin and asked.
“You can hear the answer from your boss. So, go back,” Lee Shin said in a firm voice.
“…” She shut her mouth and left with an annoyed look.
Lee Shin sneered at the woman. It did not matter if they did not tell Park Joo-Hyuk to
come back, because in the end, he would have no choice but to come back because he
was curious.
[You have defeated a challenger.]
[Your Mana Points have increased by 80 points.]
When the challengers left, Lee Shin recalled the fight between Warrie and Park Joo-
Hyuk with a serious face.
“It said he obtained the power of resurgence,” Lee Shin reminded himself.
The power of resurgence was not an ability that Park Joo-Hyuk had used in his
previous life. Lee Shin had never seen anyone who used that ability in the first place.
Obviously, the fight was over as Park Joo-Hyuk collapsed after getting kicked by
Warrie. However, with the appearance of the golden light, the situation was
completely reversed.
Lee Shin would be able to know exactly what that kind of ability was only when Park
Joo-Hyuk returned. However, just from how it looked then, that ability did not make
any sense. An ability that counteracts the situation. It was more suitable to describe
it as an ability that counteracts causality.
This was an awakening of a unique ability, because the sudden appearance of the
golden light showed an ability that was beyond common sense.
“Hmm… The awakening of a unique ability…” Lee Shin smiled. Things were getting
interesting.
***
Park Joo-Hyuk, who had recovered to some extent, came to Lee Shin’s boss room. Lee
Shin had built a drawing room inside the boss’s room and the two sat there, face to
face.
“So… You’re finally awake?” Lee Shin started the conversation.
“…”
Lee Shin looked at Park Joo-Hyuk, sipping his tea, and Joo-Hyuk seemed to have
mixed feelings. Joo-Hyuk could not easily formulate what he wanted to say.
“…Thank… you…” Park Joo-Hyuk said in a quiet voice.
Sip–
Upon hearing the appreciation, Lee Shin drank his tea in silence. However, Park Joo-
Hyuk was uncomfortable with this silence. He wondered what Lee Shin was thinking.
Joo-Hyuk wanted to know more about the boss’s identity. He was not sure if it was
right to have a conversation with the boss of a tower.
Park Joo-Hyuk had tried to organize his thoughts before he came to Lee Shin, but no
matter how much time he took, he could not organize his thoughts. Eventually, he
decided to meet him, coming in recklessly with a desire to solve the problem.
“I guess you’re very virtuous,” Lee Shin broke the silence.
“Why did you do that to me?” Park Joo-Hyuk started asking questions.
He was most curious about this. He could see that he was quite different from other
challengers in the tower, but aside from that, he wanted to know why the boss dealt
with him differently from how he did with the others in the tower.
“Just cause…” Lee Shin replied.
“I’m sorry?” Park Joo-Hyuk frowned.
“I don’t have any reason for that,” Lee Shin explained.
Park Joo-Hyuk wondered if Lee Shin was joking. Lee Shin did not show any sign of
mischief, but he could have been keeping a poker face. It seemed like he would not
tell Joo-Hyuk anything more.
“I have heard the encounters of other challengers in the village; you’ve dealt with me
differently. It’s as if you know something about me,” said Park Joo-Hyuk.
“I was just messing with you,” Lee Shin replied.
“…Is that so?” Park Joo-Hyuk did not believe him, but he decided to stop questioning
further, because there would be no point.
“But because of me, you obtained a unique ability didn’t you?” Lee Shin asked.
“Did you plan that, too?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked in order to get a grasp of Lee Shin’s
intention.
“…that, too?” Lee Shin smirked at Joo-Hyuk’s question and sipped his tea.
“No way,” said Lee Shin.
“Is that so…?” Park Joo-Hyuk thought that he should not provoke Lee Shin anymore.
“Why are you hesitating?” Lee Shin stared at Joo-Hyuk and asked.
“What?” Joo-Hyuk was surprised at Lee Shin’s impudence.
“Share your information,” Lee Shin demanded.
“Ah, I will,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
Park Joo-Hyuk had planned on showing his ability to Lee Shin, but he was a little
surprised at Lee Shin’s demand. At the same time, Lee Shin was also surprised to see
that Joo-Hyuk was more obedient than he thought.
With a ringing sound, an information screen popped up in front of Lee Shin. There
were detailed descriptions on Joo-Hyuk’s unique ability.
[The power of resurgence]
# You can change what has happened.
# Resurgence energy can be generated
# Resurgence energy is consumed depending on the amount of power required to

change the result.
Lee Shin stared blankly at the screen for a moment despite having a rough sense of
what it was supposed to be.
Lee Shin thought this was a ridiculous ability. In fights, wins and losses could be
easily reversed by a single match point. This ability could easily change the result if
one had lost a fight or even died due to a mistake.
When Warrie struck out Park Joo-Hyuk’s sword and kicked him down, the result was
completely reversed.
“Ha. Hahaha. Hahahaha!” Lee Shin was dumbfounded and burst out into laughter.
Lee Shin did not expect to find such a treasure here. There used to be no Park Joo-
Hyuk in his plan. Lee Shin thought it would be enough if Joo-Hyuk could be a little
help to boost his power, but Joo-Hyuk was actually a hidden gem.
“Starting from today, come to my room every morning,” Lee Shin demanded.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?” Park Joo-Hyuk was surprised.
“Don’t you want to get stronger?” Lee Shin asked.
Park Joo-Hyuk’s face instantly stiffened at the question. The memory of his
helplessness as he lost his teammates became his strongest driving force as he
entered the tower.
He wanted to be strong, so that it would not happen again.
“Yes, I want to be strong,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied in a determined voice.
“Okay then, come see me every morning. I’ll make you strong,” said Lee Shin.
“Can I also bring my team members?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
‘Should I spend a little time just for this guy…?’ For Lee Shin, Joo-Hyuk’s team
members were not valuable enough to devote his time and energy on.
“You’re my main focus. I’ll let your teammates come here to train, but I won’t be
teaching them in detail,” said Lee Shin.
“Yes, thank you. That would be enough,” Park Joo-Hyuk’s face brightened at Lee
Shin’s words.
After Park Joo-Hyuk left, Lee Shin took a sip of the tea and wondered to himself. He
remembered that it was almost time for the Dimension Gate to open. Since there
were no additional people coming up from the first floor, people on the upper floor
were going crazy. Lee Shin did not have much time, because only the tower in Korea
was in such a situation. Things could get more difficult for Korea if other countries
learned about this.
A national exhibition would be held in the World Center which occupied the 21st to
the 29th floors. It was a war on the Isocian continent. Korea was one of the top five
counties in Isocia. However, it had been almost a year since the manpower supply
was cut off. There was a high possibility for the pattern of the national exhibition to
change significantly.
When the Dimension Gate opened, Korea’s weakness would be known to the Earth
and each country may put more pressure on Korea unlike any other before. In this
world, the power of the challengers equated to the power of a nation.
Slurp–
The warm, fragrant tea calmed Lee Shin’s mind and body.
“Mmm… It smells good.” Lee Shin did not worry too much.
No matter how difficult it was for Korea and the upper-floor challengers, the
moment these guys in the waiting area on the first floor were released, they would
put an end to America, China, and England.
Lee Shin’s plan was progressing steadily. These will be sharp weapons that will
threaten the gods.
“Sir, what do you mean… This isn’t fair! You know it takes forever to collect points by
killing those worthless monsters. Please, don’t take them for granted!” Baek Hyun
cried out.
“Hey, Baek Hyun, I’m giving this to you at this price because it’s you. You know I’m
Hwang Kang-Woong, who’s also called Antoni Gaudi of this place!” Hwang Kang-
Woong replied.
“But still, I think it’s too much to ask for 10,000 points. Killing one Skeleton only
gives me 5 points! I only get 50 points for going around the entire first floor! That
means I need to go around the floor two hundred times!” Baek Hyun yelled.
“Ha… Alright, alright! I’ll give you a discount because it’s you. Just give me 8,000
points then,” Hwang Kang-Woong offered.
Hwang Kang-Woong and Baek Hyun were having a scuffle in a large room on the
10th floor—the top floor. There were models and frameworks of various kinds of
buildings installed in the large room. Besides, there were large maps and topography
simulations all over the place.
“Mr. Hwang Kang-Woong, I’m Baek Hyun, the best sword mage on the first floor. Are
you sure you won’t regret it later?” Baek Hyun asked.
“Keum!” Hwang Kang-Woong cleared his throat and thought for a bit.
“Do you really think you can get out of the first floor?” Hwang Kang-Woong had to
consider the future, rather than just looking at what was there right now.
“Yes, of course. That’s what master told me,” Baek Hyun replied in a serious tone.
“To be honest, I think it might never be possible for you to leave the first floor,”
Hwang Kang-Woong said in a subdued voice.
Baek Hyun nodded at his words because he also thought that Hwang Kang-Woong
was quite reasonable. The challengers had thought that Lee Shin was so strong that
no matter how much stronger the challengers became, Lee Shin would still be out of
their league.
The tower had chosen Lee Shin as the boss of the first floor. Therefore, he could not
leave the first floor. That meant the challengers could never get out of there too.
Baek Hyun did not want to lose his last hope. “But… The boss said it would be
possible.”
“Yeah… But you also have to consider that he is a subordinate of the tower,” Hwang
Kang-Woong argued.
“Isn’t that the same for us? We are stuck here in this first-floor waiting area too,”
Baek Hyun countered.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Hwang Kang-Woong.
Baek Hyun decided to stop arguing with him. He knew that Hwang Kang-Woong’s
point was perfectly logical. Lee Shin was a human made by the system of the tower;
and in fact, whatever he said could have already been formulated according to the
character rules set by the tower.
However, Baek Hyun, who had faced him several times, could not believe that Lee
Shin was an artificial human being made by the tower. He was as human as any of the
challengers there.
“But, even if you get to leave the first floor just like he said, that doesn’t mean you’ll
become a ranker in the future,” Hwang Kang-Woong argued.
“You're right, but none of the challengers on the first floor have become as strong as
us. I know we can break the record for every floor with an outstanding
performance.” Baek Hyun’s words were also reasonable.
Countless people had already entered the waiting area on the first floor, and the
number had already reached hundreds. And among them, Baek Hyun, who was
standing in front of him, was undoubtedly one of the best.
“Okay, fine. Just give me 5,000 points, but no less than that,” Hwang Kang-Woong
asked for a lower amount.
“Wow, thanks! I agree that you’re Antoni Gaudi of Korea! Please take good care of it!
When the training ground is complete and I get stronger, I’ll support you on my way
to the top. Haha!” Baek Hyun replied in an excited voice.
“That’s enough. You should get going,” said Hwang Kang-Woong
“Well, have a great day!” Baek Hyun left the room.
Hwang Kang-Woong stood up from his seat and approached the window to take a
look at the village that was created in the waiting area on the first floor. It could no
longer even be called a village. It got much bigger and received more residents, so it
was considered a small town now.
The vast land had no owner, but there was everything in the Points Store. Moreover,
the prices of ordinary furniture materials, food, or other products were not very
high. In addition, the mountains, trees, and numerous types of stones in the rocky
areas a distance away supplemented the building materials.
Hwang Kang-Woong, who never got tired, accelerated the construction process.
When he first entered the tower, he was shocked that he could not climb it because
the boss on the first floor was too strong. However, he got used to that fact quickly.
He was more interested in the vast land and the odd-looking wooden houses and the
furniture in several places. The open land where more people could live had caught
his attention.
The people who lived there were modern people, and they wanted to recreate the
environment in which they used to live. Hwang Kang-Woong could satisfy their
needs.
Seeing his creations fill this place one by one made him more excited than climbing
the tower. And after building many structures, he got the title ‘Architect of the
Wilderness.’ By now, he had become the city’s richest and most outstanding architect
in this village.
“Kang-Woong, did you really want to climb the tower, or did you just want to run
away?” Hwang Kang-Woong muttered, his tone a bit resentful.
***
December was approaching and it had been almost a year since Lee Shin got his
memory back. People on Earth, who were unaware of the situation inside the tower,
had been waiting for the information on the tower from challengers who would
come out of the Dimension Gate.
[The Dimension Gate opens 3 days from today.]
[On which floor would the challengers be right now?]
[Experts expect Cha Yu-Min to be on the 75th floor by now…]
[Even for Cha Yu-Min, people are thinking it would be difficult to reach the 80th
floor.]
[How high did the challengers, who went in this year, climb?]
[Who is this year’s supernova?]
[The public transportation is already congested because everyone is gathering at

Gwanghwamun.]
South Korea had already begun releasing all kinds of news articles on the Internet
while waiting for the challengers to come out of the tower. Most of the articles were
on how high South Korea's No. 1 challenger Cha Yu-Min had climbed. In addition,
they were interested in what new items the challengers would bring from the tower.
Among them, there were quite a few people who wondered how high the new
challengers who entered this year went, and whether a new supernova would come
out this year. People on Earth could never guess what kind of news the challengers
would bring.
It was a dangerous gamble to climb the tower. However, it could also be an

opportunity to reverse one’s fate. The moment a person who reached the 50th floor
came back to Earth, he or she would become the top predator on Earth and the
hottest topic in the world as well.
However, there were countless people who had died in the process of going up to the
50th floor. In addition, there were quite a few people who could not progress further
inside the tower and simply stayed there.
It had become normal for the challengers inside the tower to feel devastated and
frustrated on hearing the news that their families had passed away. For the
challengers inside the tower, the ones who could emerge from the tower were the
messengers and witnesses of their legacy to their families outside. So, upon hearing
such news, some tried to escape reality. However, there were others who decided to
continue climbing the tower so that they could return to Earth to find their family, to
confirm the news with their own eyes, or to get their revenge on the tower.
Nevertheless, people were willing to throw themselves into the gamble of climbing
the tower. The prospect of gaining that absurd power after reaching the 50h floor
was more attractive than anything else.
[Only one day left until the opening of the Dimension Gate!]
[What kind of miracle will the challengers bring this time?]
[How high did Cha Yu-Min, Shin Chang-Ho, and Shin Ji-Won get to?]
[The entire world is paying attention to Korea! Has the top ranker changed?]
[Shedding new light on Jonathan’s remark from last year in the U.S.! ‘Mr. Cha will not
make it to the 80th floor.’]
[Would Vergo, England’s supernova, reach the 50th floor within 3 years?]
The opening of Dimension Gate was a significant event for every country around the
world. The heat reached its peak when there was only one day left before the
opening of the Dimension Gate. The whole world was on fire when the gates of each
country opened. Among them, Korea was the most passionate.
***
[Exclusive! All of Korea’s challengers from this year are missing!]
[No news from any challengers on the first floor!]
[Is there a change in the tower? Did the difficulty level of the first floor change?]
[What is the truth behind the tower? Is it a bug or an error in the Korean tower?]
Korea was literally in chaos. The number of people who entered the tower in the past
year was 978. However, not even a single person managed to climb up from the first
floor. It meant more than just the disappearance or death of a person.
[Why did so many Korean challengers go missing?]
[Other countries around the world say, ‘There is no problem.’]
[The stagnation in Korea’s top rankers and challengers in the tower.]
[Korea, which was one of the top five countries in the 20th-floor national war, is
falling off a cliff.]
[Will Korea collapse like this?]
[Is it just Korea? Or is this the beginning of the chaos?]
All the world’s attention was on Korea. Not only did Korean reporters gather, but
reporters from other countries also began to assemble.
Gwanghwamun was literally swarming with people. The government was paralyzed,
unable to deal with the situation and create order. People from all over the world
contacted the government. However, the government was overwhelmed just trying
to understand what was going on.
└ What is happening? Is this for real?
└ Shit! Korea is messed up now. It’s all ruined!
└ Then, what’s happening to the people who went in this year? There’s no way they
could not break through the first floor!
└ The first floor is just a tutorial though. It does not make sense that they couldn’t
break it… But I mean, considering that no one out of the 978 people came out, there
could really be a problem in the tower. I guess the tower game is over now.
└ I think this is just the beginning. It started in Korea, but it will soon happen in
other countries starting next year.
└ It’s the end!

***
It had been a week since the Dimension Gate opened. Normally, it was a time when
the heat should have subsided a little. However, the interest had grown even more.
That was because Cha Yu-Min returned to Earth a week after the Dimension Gate
had opened. Besides, he was severely injured.
Those who waited for Cha Yu-Min, the top ranker, to come out of the Gwanghwamun
spread the news all over the world as soon as he appeared.
Every word spoken by Cha Yu-Min was a scoop. In a situation where rumors were
rampant, Cha Yu-Min’s words were the only oasis in the desert.
Click! Click! Click! Click!
The Gwanghwamun resounded with the clicks of camera shutters. A lot of questions
were asked of Cha Yu-Min, but he did not give any answers.
“I will hold a press conference in 2 days,” Cha Yu-Min started his speech.
At Cha Yu-Min’s words, the noisy crowd became quiet in an instant.
“I am aware that Korea is in a mess right now. But, it’s not only Korea. The whole
world is going crazy.” Every word that came out of his mouth was very calm.
His words were delivered very clearly even though he did not shout.
“I went to the first floor.” Cha Yu-Min’s words rippled through the crowd in a way
that was beyond one’s imagination.
After hearing about the missing challengers in the tower, people started to think if
there would be another change in the tower in the future. In the earlier days, there
had been a change in the tower; people were forced to adapt to it and survive in that
new condition.
Those people who were inside the tower had a different reaction compared to the
ones outside. The challengers were suspecting a problem in Korea, but they were
glad that it was not the case.
The problem now was that they had to make a decision to enter the tower before the
Dimension Gate closed or remain on Earth. There could potentially be a problem on
the upper floor. Therefore, the ones who came out of the tower were at a crossroads.
They had to wrap their heads around this problem and make the best decisions for
themselves.
They had expected that if there were a change, it would happen all over the world.
However, this time was unique in that it only happened in Korea. Therefore, the
Koreans were even more confused.
“What a headache!”
“Ha… what should we do now?”
“Let’s think for a bit. We still have some time.”
“I’m going to see my family first.”
“Sure.”
After having a rough idea about the current situation on Earth, the challengers
dispersed. Hiding away from the reporters was not a problem for them.
“Mom, I’m here!” Baek Kang-Woo shouted.
“Hey, son! You must be so tired. I missed you so much. Come in and have a seat,” his
mom greeted.
“Okay, and umm… This time—” Baek Kang-Woo tried to explain his situation but did
not manage to finish his sentence.
“Son, do you have to go back to the tower?” his mom asked in a worried voice.
“Huh? Why…?” Baek Kang-Woo asked.
His mom seemed very anxious. “I recently saw an article that said all the people who
entered last year went missing. What if that happens to you? I’m really worried this
time.”
To his mother who was very worried, Baek Kang-Woo could not easily give an
answer. He had already become inseparable from the tower. He had defeated
countless enemies, trained consistently to become stronger, and defeated enemies
who were stronger still. He could not abandon the tower in which he could run
around and enjoy the vast land.
Having spent a lot of time inside, the tower was like his second home. He had
comrades, friends and loved ones living there. However, what was his reason for
entering the tower? It was to rebuild his poor household. He wanted to repay his
mother who had raised him alone after his father passed away when he was a child.
He wanted to live a happy life with his mother. As a result, he fought desperately on
the tower and was able to reach the 50th floor.
Now, he had enough ability to support his mother so that she could do everything
she wanted and not have to do any hard work. He did not need to re-enter the tower.
He knew he should not be doing this.
He knew it was wrong.
“I’m… really… sorry…” Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Drip. Drip. Drip.
Baek Kang-Woo’s tears fell one after another onto the back of his hand that was
clutching at his pants tightly. He could not bear to look at his mother. He could not
raise his head.
Baek Kang-Woo thought that his mother would feel betrayed. He was basically
abandoning his mother, who had lived her entire life for him, and choosing the tower
instead. He felt his mother’s warm touch on his shaking shoulders. Without a word,
she hugged and comforted him.
Baek Kang-Woo was sobbing.
“I’m sorry, son. I think I have put too much burden on you.”
Baek Kang-Woo had wanted to tell his mom that she was asking too much of him. He
had wanted to tell her that he understood her, to tell her not to feel bad for him.
However, his voice did not come out as he was swept away by the flood of emotions.
“Heuk—” Baek Kang-Woo shed tears.
“It’s alright, so let it all out.” His mom comforted him.
Baek Kang-Woo could not do anything that day.
***
On the other hand, among those who did not enter the tower, the story about Cha Yu-
Min was something interesting.
“Hey, did you hear that?”
“Hear what? The one about Cha Yu-Min? But did he even clear the 80th floor? I heard
that he was a mess.”
“No, it’s not that. He said he went to the first floor.”
“Seriously? How did he go to the first floor?”
“Obviously I don’t know. I heard that Cha Yu-Min will be holding a press conference
soon. People from all over the world are lobbying to go see it.”
“That’s crazy! When is it? I’m so ready for it!”
Even on the internet, everyone talked about Cha Yu-Min, all day long.
└ Yu-Min! You look so handsome!
└ LET’S GO, CHA YU-MIN! I LOVE YOU CHA YU-MIN!
└ Stop it, you idiots. That’s not what’s important right now.
└ Wow, he definitely is the No. 1 ranker… How did he get to the first floor?”
└ Didn’t he clear up to the 71st floor last year? Since the reward increases every 10th
floor, he probably received it after clearing the 80th floor.
└ He probably could have gone to the first floor, because beyond the 50th floor,
challengers can move between floors.
└ That’s awesome! Jonathan was only able to go to the 76th floor. I wonder how high
our hope, Cha Yu-Min, went!
***
The press conference was held two days after Cha Yu-Min had returned. The press
conference was filled with reporters, dignitaries and rankers from all over the world,
even before Cha Yu-Min showed up. This was because the disappearance of Korean
challengers on the first floor was a great concern all over the world. Everyone was
worried, since they could be the next person missing.
“Please welcome our ranker Cha Yu-Min.”
Cha Yu-Min opened the door and entered the room. He looked calm today. He was
dressed neatly and appeared very different from how he had looked two days ago.
“Hello everyone, this is Cha Yu-Min.”
As soon as he started speaking, the shutters of the cameras clicked from all corners
of the room.
Reporters raised their hands here and there to express their interest in asking him
questions, but Jun Jae-Yong, the president of the Korean Challengers Association,
stopped them.
“We will have a separate time for you to ask questions. Please listen to Cha Yu-Min
for now.” The chaos settled down a bit with Jun Jae-Yong’s words.
Everyone at the press conference was just like baby birds waiting for their mothers
to feed them. They were all waiting for Cha Yu-Min to speak and give valuable
information.
“First of all, I am not a hundred percent sure, but it’s been almost a year since any
challenger came up from the first floor. Most of the people in the tower already knew
about this and I climbed the tower to get to the bottom of it.” Cha Yu-Min took his
time to explain things to the crowd.
“As you all know, there’s a maxim regarding the tower: if you have the desire to get
something, climb the tower—it will make your wish come true. I originally thought
that the answer was on the 80th floor and I reached there a week ago.”
At Cha Yu-Min’s last words, the sound of the camera shutters filled the room.
Besides the issue of the disappearance of the first-floor challengers, Cha Yu-Min’s
raid on the 80th floor was another big topic that everyone was interested in.
However, people were eager to know about that after hearing Yu-Min had been
successful.
Now, rankers from all over the world would do anything to get this strategy from
him. And Korea’s national power and pride increased, thanks to Cha Yu-Min.
“The higher you climb, the more power and authority you get. The tower also
provides you with greater rewards, along with wealth. And I gained the ability to go
to the first floor as my reward for reaching the 80th floor,” Cha Yu-Min explained.
The sounds of the camera shutters from the reporters did not seem to fade out from
the conference room. Every word that came out of Yu-Min was a scoop.
***
“Whoa… Even I’m getting nervous…”
“I can’t believe I’m at such a historic moment. I’m so glad that I didn’t advance to the
next floor!”
“What are you saying… Don’t make it sound like we chose not to go up.”
“Be quiet, what are you saying in front of Cha Yu-Min?” Kim Kang-Chun stopped Baek
Hyun and Kang Ji-Hoon from fooling around.
“That’s alright. By the way… I can sense an unusual mana power in front of the boss’s
room. Do you happen to know what it is?” Cha Yu-Min asked.
“Oh, um… You’ll see when you get there. Haha…” Kim Kang-Chun replied.
Cha Yu-Min went closer to the boss’s room with a look of suspicion. And May was
standing there with a high-handed attitude. The Skeleton was blocking the entrance.
He was wearing a dark black robe and held a staff that seemed to create an eerie
atmosphere.
“Is he the boss that you were talking about?” Cha Yu-Min asked.
“No… He’s not it,” the challengers replied.
Cha Yu-Min knew it already, because the Skeleton looked so different from what
other challengers had told him earlier. However, the Skeleton’s aura was sufficient to
say he was a boss.
“He’s a doorkeeper as well as a secretary made by Mr. Necromancer here,” Kim Kang-
Chun explained with an awkward look.
“What do you mean by his secretary? A doorkeeper is just a doorkeeper…” Cha Yu-
Min asked with an incredulous look.
“Umm…” As Kim Kang-Chun was scratching his head at Cha Yu-Min’s questions, May
had noticed them.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!” asked May.
“I have something to settle with the boss here, so get out of my way if you don’t want
to die,” Cha Yu-Min replied in a firm voice.
“Gasp!” Baek Hyun, who was standing behind Cha Yu-Min, quickly covered Kang Ji-
Hoon’s mouth when he got startled and was about to scream.
Cha Yu-Min did not care what was going on at the back. He only focused on May who
was in front of him. He could not let his guard down even if it were only a Skeleton.
‘No way… Can the first-floor boss have made this? Really…?’ Cha Yu-Min could not
believe what he was seeing.
May stopped Cha Yu-Min from going through. “Haha! What a funny guy. Well… If you
want to go see the master, you will have to go through me first.”
Cha Yu-Min was ready to defeat the Skeleton. “I have no time to waste on a
doorkeeper. But I’ll do it as you wish.”
“Keugh—!” Baek Hyun screamed at Cha Yu-Min’s words.
“Hey, be quiet!” Kang Ji-Hoon quickly stopped Baek Hyun.
For the challengers who were aware of May’s power, Cha Yu-Min’s remarks had been
unimaginable. However, at the same time, Yu-Min was the No. 1 ranker. Surely there
was no way he would be defeated on the first floor. But they also had a strong feeling
that Cha Yu-Min would not be able to defeat their master, Lee Shin. May was not the
problem.
In fact, the other challengers were more afraid that May would get injured and cause
Lee Shin to be angry. However, Cha Yu-Min pulled out his sword immediately and ran
up to May.
Tang!
The Mana Shield created in the air had blocked the sword. However, Yu-Min
continued with his attack which eventually led to a battle between May and Cha Yu-
Min. The Mana attack and sword fight made the battle fierce.
“Keugh!”
“Hahaha! Is that all you can do? You don’t deserve to see the master with that kind of
skill!” May laughed at Cha Yu-Min.
The Skeleton Mage was able to use all four elements, fire, water, earth and wind. He
exceeded Cha Yu-Min’s expectations.
With the ice elemental magic, May froze the floor to reduce Yu-Min’s mobility. By
combining wind and fire, the Skeleton attacked Cha Yu-Min’s weak points to keep
him at bay and find a window of opportunity. If Cha Yu-Min forced his way into the
Skeleton’s range, the Skeleton would counter with earth-based magic. The Skeleton
was indeed tricky to deal with.
It was not possible to simply explain this entire fight away with the superior ability
the Skeleton seemed to have in both combat experience and mana power. How could
a Skeleton Mage be so skilled and powerful?
“I agree! You are amazing,” Cha Yu-Min admitted that this place was a long way out of
his common sense.
“Now, I’ll show you what I can do.” Cha Yu-Min’s sword was dyed black.
Shadow Splitting
Cha Yu-Min’s sword split May’s stone wall.
“Keugh—” Instead, he could hear May’s painful voice behind the stone wall.
In the place where the stone wall had collapsed, May was there, in a robe that was
torn apart. And his arm that was holding the staff was on the floor.
“It’s been a long time since I lost to someone other than my master…” May was on his
knees.
The three men standing behind Cha Yu-Min watched the scene with their mouths
open. They could not believe that May was on his knees, without an arm. They
realized that the No. 1 ranker was indeed outstanding as they watched the battle in
awe.
“Go in, the master is waiting for you.” May let them enter the room.
“Good. I’m not killing you because of their request,” said Cha Yu-Min.
“Keugh… Thanks a lot,” May answered.
The three men had desperately asked Cha Yu-Min not to kill May, and their request
was successful. Since May was the boss’s pet, they could not imagine what would
happen if the boss got angry. Potentially Cha Yu-Min could kill Lee Shin and release
everyone from the first floor, but they also had to consider the possibility of his
failure. If Cha Yu-Min failed, then there could only be despair.
The three were worried that Lee Shin would be irritated to see May’s injuries.
However, the indifferent look they saw on Lee Shin’s face upon entering the boss’
room made them heave an inward sigh of relief. Cha Yu-Min looked at Lee Shin
calmly.
Everyone all over the world, other than the challengers in the first-floor waiting area,
had thought the first-floor boss was weak, lethargic and insane. However, the one
before Cha Yu-Min clearly was not a tutorial-level boss. He could sense that the boss
was far beyond all the descriptions he had heard before.
Lee Shin sneered at the sight of Cha Yu-Min.

“Did all of these things happen because of you?” Cha Yu-Min glared at Lee Shin.
“Umm… Who are you? I have no idea what you are talking about,” Lee Shin replied.
The fact that he could have a conversation with the boss was weird enough, but Cha
Yu-Min doubted if Lee Shin was the actual first-floor boss when Lee Shin already
seemed to know everything that was going on. Cha Yu-Min wondered if Lee Shin was
a special character made by the tower. Or if this was some kind of a special event on
the first floor.
“…I’m Cha Yu-Min. Who are you?” Cha Yu-Min asked.
The boss whom Cha Yu-Min encountered today was clearly different from the one he
had met when he first climbed the tower. The boss seemed very relaxed and spoke in
a clearly laid-back tone. Lee Shin’s eyes sparkled like water in a deep well. He had
outstanding mana power.
Cha Yu-Min could not think of Lee Shin as the same boss he had encountered earlier.
Other than his appearance, everything was different. Cha Yu-Min changed his
attitude, because he realized that he should not treat Lee Shin like an ordinary
monster. Only then did Lee Shin look satisfied.
“Finally you’re ready to have a conversation with me. I am Lee Shin,” Lee Shin
introduced himself.
“Lee Shin?” Cha Yu-Min asked, trying to clarify.
Cha Yu-Min became more confused after hearing his name, because Lee Shin
sounded like a Korean name.
“Then, shall we test out your skills since it has been a while?” Lee Shin asked.
It had been a while? Cha Yu-Min was shocked but could no longer remain in that
state. This speed of mana casting this boss had was completely different from the
Skeleton Mage. An explosion occurred in the air as soon as the mana was detected.
“Keugh—” Cha Yu-Min was surprised.
“Why are you so slow?” Lee Shin laughed at him.
He was not a boss from whom Cha Yu-Min could hide his skills. Cha Yu-Min used his
skills immediately and brought out his shadow. His body was engulfed in the shadow
that appeared on the dark floor.
“Haha! You are really trying hard, aren’t you? Do you need to use that much effort
from the beginning?” Lee Shin laughed.
Cha Yu-Min did not answer. Now that he had decided to reveal all his power, he had
to finish this fight as quickly as possible.
[Shadow Phantom Splitting]
The aura of the black sword appeared from the shadow and cut off Lee Shin’s vision,
and he could not see in the shadows.
It had been a while since Lee Shin saw the skill of Shadow Phantom Splitting. At the
sight of this skill, rather than being immersed in a sense of crisis, Lee Shin recalled
his past memories with the Cha Yu-Min who climbed the tower with Lee Shin.
-Bro…
-Hey, Yu-Min…
In the pitch black darkness, Cha Yu-Min’s Phantom Splitting cut down the Devil while
at the same time, the Devil’s fingernails penetrated Cha Yu-Min’s body. Cha Yu-Min
lay on the floor, vomiting blood. And Lee Shin, who arrived a second too late,
approached Cha Yu-Min. When Lee Shin saw Yu-Min’s gut coming out of his pierced
abdomen, Lee Shin applied pressure to prevent it from spilling out. Despite all of
these, Cha Yu-Min seemed unburdened, because he had done his best.
-Bro, please climb all the way up to the end of the tower.
-Yu-Min…
-Please make my dream come true.

-Yu-Min!
Cha Yu-Min closed his eyes and Lee Shin could no longer hear his voice. Lee Shin felt
terribly sorry for Yu-Min. Lee Shin’s voice echoed in the harrowing battlefield.
All the memories from his previous life flashed through Lee Shin’s mind, even the
ones he wanted to forget about. The shadow that disturbed Lee Shin’s vision in the
darkness was gradually clamping him down. The shadow was just like the ones that
he had seen countless times in his previous life. He had no difficulty destroying those
and making a counterattack, but he could not do that this time.
Cha Yu-Min had a disappointed look when he realized that Lee Shin could block all
his attacks with his mana. It seemed as if Lee Shin could tell the future and foresee
Yu-Min’s upcoming attack.
Lee Shin’s deep eyes showed no regard for the victory or defeat of this battle. Cha Yu-
Min’s pride was hurt when Lee Shin seemed like he was enjoying himself with Yu-
Min at his level. However, Lee Shin playing a fool allowed Yu-Min to regain his
composure. At one point, the sword from the shadow stopped cutting Lee Shin.
“Umm… W-why aren’t you attacking?” Cha Yu-Min asked.
“…” Lee Shin did not reply.
“Umm… W-w-why are you making that face?” Cha Yu-Min asked again.
“…” Again, there was no response from Lee Shin.
Lee Shin could not come up with an answer. He was not sure what was happening to
him, because the relationship he once had with Cha Yu-Min was not the same as
what it was now.
“Are you happy right now?” Lee Shin asked him a random question, and Cha Yu-Min
could not figure out what the intention was.
“Y-y-yes, of course. I’m h-h-happy,” Cha Yu-Min replied.
“Aha, I see.” Lee Shin nodded at the satisfactory answer.

A dark spell was lingering at Lee Shin’s fingertips, because it was time to end this
battle that he had been dragging out. He used Deep Flare, a skill that combined
darkness and flame.
The fire was blazing, but the light was still. The place became even darker than the
shadow, and the flame exploded onto Cha Yu-Min.
Kwa-Kwang!
Suddenly, the cave and the ground shook fiercely. A pile of stones fell from the ceiling
and the blackened pieces of stones scattered in all directions. Cha Yu-Min's whole
body turned black after getting burnt as if he was under a curse, and collapsed in
front of Lee Shin.
"Take him with you," Lee Shin demanded.
"Huh? Okay!" a challenger replied.
It took the three people a while to realize what was going on, because what they
were seeing was beyond their imagination. When they finally figured out what was
going on, Cha Yu-Min had lost consciousness and was already on the floor. The
necromancer, the first-floor boss, was looking at Yu-Min with a sad face.
***
Cha Yu-Min came to his senses as soon as he returned to the waiting area on the first
floor. The waiting area on the first floor restored all abnormal conditions. As soon as
he regained consciousness, he quickly figured out what was going on. Cha Yu-Min
was defeated by the necromancer on the first floor and was kicked out to the waiting
area on the first floor.
Just like what the other people had said, the first-floor boss did not kill him. After
regaining consciousness, Cha Yu-Min could not do anything else, still lost in his
thoughts because of the shock.
After reaching the 80th floor, Cha Yu-Min had received a skill called [Inter-Floor
Traveler]. There was a restriction on this skill which gave that challenger the average
of the abilities the other challengers on that specific floor possessed. Nevertheless,
Cha Yu-Min thought that he would be able to defeat the boss, no matter how strong
he was, because he had numerous excellent skills and items. However, he was
defeated. He was totally defeated.
Originally, Cha Yu-Min expected that the challengers in the waiting area on the first
floor would be a little better than the general public. Since he had expected normal-
skilled people on the first floor, Yu-Min thought that the abilities he would receive
from his [Inter-Floor Traveler] skill would not be significant.
However, the average skill of the challengers at the first floor was far above what Cha
Yu-Min had expected. He questioned how their skills still could not get them out of
the waiting area on the first floor.
Cha Yu-Min's ability had also increased that much, and with these stats, he could
easily defeat the boss.
"Ha…”
Cha Yu-Min sighed.
When was the last time Cha Yu-Min had lost so helplessly? The boss predicted all his
attacks and used mana to block all of them, as if his attacks were obvious. How could
that be? It would certainly be this way, if his attacks were straightforward, obvious
attacks used by newbies. Yet, the shadow sword was a secretive sword that had a
strong anomalous nature. As such, Cha Yu-Min had no choice but to admit that the
boss was superior.
‘Who is this guy?' thought Cha Yu-Min.
The boss's eyes were filled with regret throughout the entire fight. What was he
thinking about? Why was the boss lost in his thoughts when he was fighting Cha Yu-
Min? Cha Yu-Min wanted to hear his story. He wanted to know what kind of
backstory caused the boss such hesitation. Cha Yu-Min was aware that the boss
hesitated to hurt him.
"I guess my stay here will be longer than I expected," Cha Yu-Min muttered.
***
"Are you back again?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, I am," Cha Yu-Min replied.

"Stop coming here," Lee Shin said in an annoyed tone.
"I can't stay long anyway. Just be patient for a couple of days," Cha Yu-Min replied in a
firm voice.
"Ha… I can't let May or Warrie deal with you… Tsk." Lee Shin shook his head.
"Please don't use level two mana skills or higher this time," Cha Yu-Min demanded.
"You're funny. So, you're telling me to just use level one mana skills?" Lee Shin
laughed at his ridiculous command.
"Yes," Cha Yu-Min answered.
"Why should I?" Lee Shin asked.
"Originally, the boss on the first floor only used the Dark Arrow," Cha Yu-Min
explained.
"Ha… Are you serious? Do I look the same as that guy to you?" Lee Shin asked.
"Umm… You, kind of, are," Cha Yu-Min replied.
That was true to some extent. Lee Shin was supposed to be that guy. Cha Yu-Min
made a great point.
"Do people know that you're this kind of person?" Lee Shin asked.
"No, they don’t," Cha Yu-Min replied.
"It's insane how the number one ranker is a crazy guy… The world is coming to an
end. I hope the people outside get to know about this soon," said Lee Shin.
"That's not going to happen," Cha Yu-Min replied. Lee Shin knew that it would be as
he had said, because he knew Cha Yu-Min was that kind of a guy.
"Oh well… So, you think you can beat me if I only use the basic skills?" Lee Shin
asked.
"No, but at least I won't get totally beaten up this time," Cha Yu-Min replied.
"Tsk… So, you reached the 80th floor this time?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, I did. Do you know anything about the next floor?" Cha Yu-Min was delighted
and asked right away when Lee Shin asked about the floor.
"Of course, didn't I say that I was the one who went through all of what you guys are
experiencing right now?" Lee Shin asked.
"Ah… I mean……” Cha Yu-Min mumbled.
Lee Shin always emphasized that he was a great senior who had already reached the
100th floor. He wanted the other challengers to show him some respect. Cha Yu-Min
was aware that Lee Shin's power was outstanding, but he thought that he could
defeat Lee Shin if these restrictions were lifted.
Cha Yu-Min had thought that what Lee Shin had been saying was just a bluff, but
after encountering Lee Shin several times, he soon realized that it was not.
Lee Shin's insight and knowledge of the tower were significant. According to the
other challengers, Lee Shin was more knowledgeable than what Cha Yu-Min had
expected, because Lee Shin knew some things that Cha Yu-Min did not.
"Do you want to know more about the next floor?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes!" Cha Yu-Min replied with excitement.
If a challenger could gather some information on the next floor in advance, they
would have a great advantage. Therefore, the information was invaluable. Cha Yu-
Min wondered if this was the reason why he was given the skill of [Inter-Floor
Traveler].
He wanted to find the strategy to attack the next floor, as well as to find out more
about the disappearance of the first-floor challengers. In return, he was awarded the
skill of [Inter-Floor Traveler]. Cha Yu-Min had only thought that this skill had
something to do with the disappearance on the first floor, but he did not think he
could get information on the next floor too.
"I'll let you know if you can defeat me," said Lee Shin.
"What?" Cha Yu-Min asked.

"Did your ears get clogged up in the meantime? I said to try to defeat me. I'll only use
the basic mana for you." Lee Shin gave Cha Yu-Min a chance.
Cha Yu-Min's fighting spirit rose sharply at that moment. However, he got defeated,
again.
***
The reporters were giving their full attention to Cha Yu-Min in an attempt to catch
every single word that came out of Cha Yu-Min's mouth. They tried to capture every
single feeling or inflection in Cha Yu-Min’s words.
Cha Yu-Min started his speech again. "I won't be able to tell you all the details of the
skill, but I used that skill to head to the waiting area on the first floor."
As soon as Cha Yu-Min finished speaking a sentence, the sound of the reporters
tapping on their keyboards filled the entire place.
"Over there were all the challengers who entered the tower. Every single one of
them," Cha Yu-Min continued on.
Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!
"What I saw on the first-floor waiting area this time was nothing like the original
first-floor waiting area that I had seen before. There was a small village on what was
normally a vast land. The challengers had built a village in the waiting area. There
were houses, restaurants, and clothing stores. In addition, there were parks and
lakes where people could take a walk,” Cha Yu-Min explained.
At those words, people started having doubtful looks.
"I asked those people why they were not climbing up. Also, I asked them what was
going on. And they told me that it's not like they didn't want to go up, but in fact, they
could not go up. The first-floor challengers told me that they had built a village for
this reason," Cha Yu-Min continued.
As soon as Cha Yu-Min finished speaking, the reporters raised their hands here and
there. Yet, when someone tried to open their mouth to speak, it was as if they were
having a seizure—they could not. Someone had stopped them from doing so. No one
could talk.
'It was the president of the association!' People immediately noticed whose power it
was.
It was Jeon Jae-Yong, a man very skillful in psychokinesis, the president of the Korean
Challengers Association. He had stopped the reporters from asking questions.
"I wanted to kill the first-floor boss and liberate the people there. And so, I went
down to the first floor and faced the boss."
Gulp—
The press conference room was so quiet that even the faintest sounds could be heard
very well. One could hear people gulping. It was real now. If Cha Yu-Min was telling
the truth, then it was not the disappearances on the first floor that mattered.
The real problem was that the difficulty level of the first-floor boss had increased
significantly in a short amount of time. If this happened to the Korean server, it was
possible that other servers from other countries could potentially experience the
same change.
Could Cha Yu-Min have defeated the boss and freed the challengers who were tied up
in the waiting area on the first floor? How strong was the boss? What kind of abilities
did he have? People were full of questions and curiosity.
"I lost to the boss," Cha Yu-Min announced the big news.
A burst of shutter sounds filled the room at the end of his speech.
Cha Yu-Min's statement was shocking. He was the number one ranker in Korea and
the challenger who had reached the highest floor of the tower in the world. And he
was defeated by just an ordinary first-floor boss.
"Hi! This is Reina, a reporter for ACN. So does that mean the first floor of Korea can
never be cleared?" a reporter asked.
Everyone's eyes turned to her when the reporter's sudden question was heard. Jeon
Jae-Yong stared at the American ranker standing in one corner. He ignored Jeon Jae-
Yong's gaze and only stared at Cha Yu-Min. He had reversed the spell that was cast on
that reporter.
"There's no need to answe–"
"That's all right. So, reporter Reina, you asked if we will never be able to clear it. The
answer to your question is yes, that's right. No one in the world can beat the boss
there," Cha Yu-Min explained.
The sound from the typing reporters filled the air as Cha Yu-Min finished his
sentence. Reporter Reina, who asked the question, was also typing hard with a smile
as if she was satisfied.
"Hi! This is John from Reynolds! Then, do you think there is no future for the Korean
tower anymore?" another reporter asked.
"Hi! This is Hague from Hestige. Are you thinking of moving to another country
now?" More reporters were asking questions.
Starting with Reina, the reporters' questions poured out. Jeon Jae-Yong tried to stop
the reporters, but Cha Yu-Min signaled to let them ask.
Reporters took this opportunity to belittle Korea and started pouring out malicious
articles. According to Cha Yu-Min, there was no future for Korea and there was a
downhill road ahead of them. However, Cha Yu-Min, who should be depressed,
continued talking in a relaxed tone.
"At this moment, some people could be writing an article about the fall of Korea and
the end of Korea's tower," Cha Yu-Min started to explain.
His words drew the eyes of the reporters back to him. Perhaps a lot of journalists
and reporters were writing their articles in a malicious way, especially the ones from
countries that wanted to bring down Korea. They would have written these articles
with their eyes lit up.
"I'm sure that many of you are thinking that you should not enter the Korean tower
from next year. But, I will tell you now, all fellow Koreans, to enter the tower."
People looked at Cha Yu-Min, their faces cast with doubt.
"People may think that Korea, with its current power, is barely within the top ten of
the world. And with the thought that Korea will soon fall below the top ten, people
are laughing at Korea. But I tell you now, that I guarantee that it will just take three
years. In the next three years, Korea will rank at the top and no one will ever be able
to steal that place," Cha Yu-Min declared.
At his words, not only the reporters, but also Jeon Jae-Yong, who was next to him,
looked at Cha Yu-Min with surprise. Cha Yu-Min had never spoken like this before.
Even when he climbed the tower, when he cleared the 50th, 60th or even the 70th
floor, he had never made such a bold statement in public.
He was always humble and didn't reveal much about himself.
"Also, the first floor will be cleared within a year. So, we just have a year left," Cha Yu-
Min continued on.
"What do you mean there's a year left?" a reporter shouted as if he was frustrated.
Jeon Jae-Yong had already withdrawn all the mana that were holding back the
reporters.
“Please think carefully about your last opportunity to build good relationships with
Korea. You only have a year left.” Cha Yu-Min finished his speech.
[Your Mana Power is now Level 2.]
[Part of your body’s seal is lifted.]
[Your unique ability is released.]
[You have acquired the Black Mana.]
[You have acquired 『Stat – Dominance』.]
[You have acquired 『Skill – Shadow Space』.]
Before Cha Yu-Min arrived, Lee Shin’s mana power had exceeded 50,000 points and
his mana power level had risen by one notch. At the same time, the seal on his body
was lifted to Unlock Level 2, and he acquired unique abilities like dominance and a
skill called Shadow Space.
Dominance was an indispensable stat for necromancers. The higher the dominance,
the more power they could exercise over other people.
[Shadow Space]
The number of undead that one could keep in space depended on the level of one’s
dominance.
Lee Shin had found a way to take May and Warrie when he left the first floor. His
current dominance was at Level 1, but he could raise it further.
[Black Mana]
# This skill has death properties.
# You will have a strong dominance over the undead species.

Compared to anything else, this was the most important ability.
“It still doesn’t make sense even if I look at it again,” Lee Shin muttered.
The Black Mana allowed strong dominance over the undead species and had death
attributes, which were abilities that any necromancer would dream of having. Lee
Shin could finally understand how Gene Ebrium had risen to the level of
transcendence.
‘Everything is starting to make more sense. It’s because he had such incredible unique
abilities… ’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin had never thought that he would get his unique ability here, but it was a
huge harvest. Perhaps if May had received this Black Mana, he would not have lost so
helplessly to Cha Yu-Min.
‘I wonder if he is doing well.’ Lee Shin had asked Cha Yu-Min to do many things, so
that was now beyond his control. No difference could be made even if he worried
about it more.
“Hoo.”
After taking a deep breath, Lee Shin sat on his desk and opened Gene’s diary.
-My life as a necromancer is over. The increasingly blurred mind is not the only
problem.
Gene Ebrium had an accurate sense of his physical condition. He was aware that he
was becoming crazy.
-There is not much time left. I searched for countless ways, but there was no way to
restore this broken body. Just like this, my existence will fade away forever. I cannot
let this happen.
Lee Shin flipped to the next page.
-I am not sure how much time has passed. I do not have the luxury of time to
calculate that. Today, I have finally found a clue to restoring this body.
Lee Shin could sense Gene’s nervousness from his writing in the diary.
-A month had passed since I found the clue. The study was all ruined, and I cannot
remember what had happened during the last month. What could have happened so
far? Fortunately, this diary and the note that had mana protection were safe.
Gene Ebrium’s mind was falling apart.
-The only way I can recover from this condition is by raising my mana class. Only
when I reach the class of God can I lift this painful curse.
-When I raise the mana level, my class as a mage will rise. Although I can restore
some of the contaminated mana blood right now, there is still no way for me to raise
the mana level.
-I will not write anything in my diary until I find another way.
Lee Shin smiled in bitterness, and closed the diary. There were more diary entries
written on the following page, but there was nothing on how to recover the mana
blood.
‘Gene, I will continue on with your will.’ Lee Shin made up his mind.
The last part of Gene’s diary was not very helpful. He seemed to have written them
when he was losing his mind; he was frustrated. Just by looking at Gene’s diary, Lee
Shin could understand how much pain Gene Ebrium was in at the end of his life.
Lee Shin was in a completely different situation compared to Gene. When Gene was
locked up here, it seemed like no challengers showed up. Or maybe, this place itself
was not a part of the tower before.
Anyways, Lee Shin was getting help from the system, and the Immortal Sphere gave
him a strong advantage. Just as it was written in Gene’s diary, Lee Shin had to climb
the tower first in order for his class to rise. Only a part of his body’s seal had been
lifted. Raising his mana level wasn’t sufficient to regain his skills.
He had to reach the class of Deity.
“Maybe in here…” Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin went inside the lab and stood in front of a door that he could not open until
now. He had not been able to enter, no matter how hard he had tried. What he had
figured out so far was that the door opens only when specific mana was injected.
After acquiring Black Mana, Lee Shin was sure that the specific mana required to
open this door was it.
Wouldn’t there be something special that Gene had left behind in this room?
The Black Mana swirled. A deep scent of death could be picked up from this Black
Mana and Lee Shin injected it into another mana that was blocking the door.
Coo-gu-gu-gu-gung–
Just as Lee Shin had expected, the tightly closed door began to open when the Black
Mana was injected. There was a small space behind. In the room, there was a coffin
that seemed roughly made yet elegant in design. Even if Lee Shin swept his finger
over the coffin, there was not a speck of dust.
‘Hmm… There’s another semi-permanent preservation spell on this as well,’ Lee Shin
thought.
Lee Shin wondered what could be in the coffin. Taking a deep breath, Lee Shin slowly
opened the lid. He tried to soothe his pounding heart.
“Is that… a person…?” Lee Shin was shocked.
There was a pale-skinned woman with violet hair, wearing an antique dress made
with black and red silk. The beautiful woman lay so modestly that Lee Shin
wondered if he had ever seen anyone prettier than her in his life.
‘This mana wave seems… ’ Lee Shin could feel the mana wave that was entirely
different from that of humans.
At that time, while Lee Shin was investigating the mana wave, the Black Mana
suddenly reached out to the woman who was sleeping. He had not used the Black
Mana, but it was as if the Black Mana was attracted to her by instinct.
The Black Mana began to surround her soul as if it was trying to bind to it. Then,
suddenly, the woman opened her eyes wide and looked at Lee Shin blankly. Her
beautiful eyes were just like two red jewels. And just by looking into those eyes, Lee
Shin felt as if he would be absorbed into her.
When his body unconsciously moved towards her, Lee Shin grabbed the coffin
urgently and pulled up his mana power to stay focused.
“She’s a vampire…” Lee Shin muttered.
[The Vampire Queen’s soul is waking up from a long sleep.]
[Black Mana is trying to dominate the soul of the Vampire Queen.]
[The Vampire Queen’s powerful soul refuses to be dominated.]
“Ugh!”
Lee Shin suffered a rebound when he failed to dominate her soul.
“Is it you Gene…?” The woman's expression changed in an instant, from emptiness to
excitement. She got up and hugged him.
[The Vampire Queen’s soul accepted your Black Mana.]
[Lilian, the Vampire Queen, became your subordinate.]
[A powerful being has joined you.]
[Your dominance has increased.]
[Your dominance has increased.]
[Your dominance has…]
“Gene! You’re finally back!” Lilian shouted in excitement.
Lee Shin could not think of how to react to this situation. He had expected Gene
Ebrium to leave behind some sort of legacy, but Lee Shin had never anticipated that
it would be the Vampire Queen.
The Vampire Queen was not someone to be mentioned casually. She belonged to the
top class, so no one in the tower could ignore her.
The Vampire Queen was a monster that ranked among other beings that belonged to
the King-class.
“Wait… Hold on a second…” Lee Shin thought that he should first clear up this
misunderstanding.
As Lee Shin loosened Lilian’s hand and freed himself from her, he sighed and looked
at her.
“Why don’t you let go of that charm first?” Lee Shin asked.
“Huh? What do you mean? Oh! I guess you’re not fully recovered yet. All right,” Lilian
replied.
She did not do it on purpose, but the charm of vampires, especially that of the
Vampire Queen, consumed a tremendous amount of mind power just from looking at
it.
Now that she belonged to him, the amount consumed was less. However, it was still a
burden for Lee Shin to face her for a long time.
“Thanks. I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding, but I’m not Gene Ebrium,”
Lee Shin explained.
“What? What kind of joke is…” There was a sudden change in Lilian’s expression.
After Lilian realized that Lee Shin was different from Gene Ebrium, she soon caused
an atmosphere of heaviness.
“So, w-w-who are you? How dare you do that… to Gene…!” The atmosphere became
even heavier in an instant.
The pressure from her rage began to crush Lee Shin. Lee Shin clenched his teeth and
barely managed to resist it by pulling up his mana power.
“Stop!” Lee Shin shouted.
Lilian was subordinate to Lee Shin’s mana. As the Black Mana pressed against her,
her aura diminished considerably.
‘Shit! One-third of my mana disappeared in an instant.’ Lee Shin was anxious.

Since Lilian was Lee Shin’s subordinate, it made sense that the more she used her
power, the more his mana power got reduced. Lee Shin had to stop her quickly.
“Just calm down and look carefully! Look where Gene Ebrium is!” Lee Shin tried to
explain.
“You’re trying to exterminate me until the end. I don’t know how you took Gene’s
place, but it won’t work anymore.” Lilian was upset.
Lee Shin was covered with cold sweat for the first time in a while. Although she had
accepted the Black Mana, it was a great deal of pressure to overcome her with his
sealed body and limited power.
“Pay attention and take a close look! If you can’t see him, feel him. Gene Ebrium is
here,” Lee Shin shouted.
“What…?” She breathed rapidly and her eyes grew bigger.
Lilian’s blurry vision was now focused and she gazed in wonder over Lee Shin’s
shoulder.
“No way…” Her pupils began to shake like an earthquake.
‘Gene is here.’ Lee Shin knew that there was a soul that was more seriously broken
than any other soul on the first floor.
The almost erasable existence of Gene had certainly existed here. Gin’s presence was
clearly visible to Lee Shin who had gained the ability [He Who Knows Death].
‘I didn’t know at first.’ However, as Lee Shin began merging with Gene’s body and
studying Gene’s research materials, he also began to see and feel Gene more clearly.
Lee Shin was not sure if Lilian had the ability to see the souls of the dead. However,
with her high class, Lee Shin thought that she might be able to feel Gene. That was
why Lee Shin explained it like that. And it worked out as he had expected.
“…Gene is really there. But how…? How did this happen to him…?” Lilian started to
sob.
After recognizing Gene’s presence, Lilian frowned as if her world had collapsed.
“But… How are you connected to Gene?” Lilian was curious.
“There’s a diary that Gene left behind,” Lee Shin replied.
“…May I take a look at it?” Lilian asked.
“Sure,” Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin handed Gene’s diary to Lilian who was sitting helplessly. She looked
through the diary for a long time without saying a word, and she started trembling.
Lee Shin held her trembling arm.
“This is Gene’s handwriting…” When Lilian read what Gene had gone through, she
was furious.
“How did you end up in Gene’s body?” Lilian asked.
“I…” Lee Shin decided to show his past to Lilian for the first time.
Lee Shin had never done this for anyone before, but he could feel her sincerity
toward Gene. He thought that Lilian could be his companion to ease the weight of his
heavy task.
“It can’t be…” After hearing Lee Shin’s story, Lilian’s eyes shook like a candlelight in
the wind.
They could share emotions now with their new relationship. She knew that there
was not a single lie in what Lee Shin had said.
“Please help me… so that I can avenge Gene,” Lilian asked in a desperate voice.
“That’s what I want to ask you. I’m planning on bringing down the gods on the top of
this tower. So please support me with your strength,” Lee Shin replied.
“Okay, I will risk everything that I have,” Lilian added on with a determined voice.
“I appreciate it,” said Lee Shin.
[Lilian, the Vampire Queen, declared her complete submission.]

“I will call you my lord from now on,” Lilian suggested.
“Nah, there’s no need to do that. Just call me Lee Shin. I don’t need all those
honorifics,” said Lee Shin.
“…Okay, I’ll just call you master,” Lilian replied.
“By the way, I’m consuming too much mana power trying to keep you summoned like
this. Is there another way?” Lee Shin asked.
There was still a little room to spare, but it was still a burden for Lee Shin to keep
Lilian in a summoned state.
“I have the ability to go back to the bloodline at any time. Alternatively, I can change
my body into a different form. Both would ease the burden a little bit,” Lilian
suggested.
“Would we still be able to communicate?” Lee Shin asked.
“We won’t be able to communicate if I’m in the bloodline, but if the master wants to
call me, that’s still possible,” Lilian explained.
“Oh, for real? Then let’s change you into a different form right now,” Lee Shin said.
“All right.” Lilian’s body turned into blood and in an instant, she turned into a small
bat.
At the same time, the pressure that came from her existence was reduced, and so did
the mana consumption.
“Just letting you know, I won’t be able to use my strength properly when I’m in this
form. Be aware of that,” Lilian explained.
“Okay, thanks for letting me know,” Lee Shin smirked at Lilian who landed on his
shoulder.
“I look forward to working with you,” said Lee Shin.
***
“Master, the documents that you have mentioned… Wait, what’s that?” May tilted his
head at the sight of a bat that was attached to Lee Shin’s shoulder.
May was confused. “There’s no way we have a bat here.”
“Say hi. It’s our new teammate,” Lee Shin explained.
May looked at the bat with a surprised look. “A teammate…? That little guy is our
teammate?”
May did not like the arrogant look on that little face.
‘What can that little thing even do anyways… ’ May did not notice her power at first,
because he was unhappy with the situation. However, when he took a closer look at
the bat, the mana that flowed through her body was unusual. The level of her mana
power was contrary to her small and cute appearance.
“What is this?” May asked.
“She’s the Vampire Queen,” Lee Shin said.
“A v-v-v-vampire? And she’s also a queen?” May stuttered.
“Yes, she is,” Lee Shin answered.
May believed that the little bat was the Vampire Queen, because he knew that his
master would never lie about this. May breathed a sigh of relief that he did not act
rude to that bat yet.
Squeeekkk—
“Master, the Undermost People have… What is that bat? Hahaha! She’s so cute.”
Warrie, who suddenly opened the door, approached the bat and tapped its head.
Lee Shin laughed at the sight, and May, frozen and startled, watched the scene
blankly.
“How dare you, petty Skeleton!” The bat’s body turned into blood and red waves hit
Warrie.
“Huh? What is this…!” Warrie was shocked.
“I will never let you do that again,” Lilian spoke in an annoyed voice.
“H-h-h-help me… S-s-s-save me, master…!” Warrie cried out for help.
Lee Shin shook his head and stopped Lilian, putting an end to this incident.
Fortunately, it was a minor one.
“Are you sure, Baek Kang-Woo? Will you be alright?” Cha Yu-Min asked him again
with a worried look.
“Yes, I think I’m going to settle down in Korea now. I’ve had enough with the tower.”
Unlike his words which sounded determined, his expression was not like that at all.
“Hey! You can be the top ranker eventually! But why are you hesitating all of a
sudden? You don’t trust Yu-Min?” Shin Ji-Won argued as if she was frustrated.
Compared to the top rankers Shin Ji-Won and Cha Yu-Min, Baek Kang-Woo, who
ranked slightly lower. He could not climb the tower together with them. There was
still a considerable number of floors between him and Shin Ji-Won and Cha Yu-Min,
and it was hard to consider Kang-Woo as a top ranker yet.
However, due to the nature of the tower, challengers would eventually get to the
same floor. The quality and number of achievements they accumulated in the
process could differ from challenger to challenger, but their target floor would be the
same.
Baek Kang-Woo was one of Korea's most important members. He was talented
enough to reach the 80th floor, and Cha Yu-Min and Shin Ji-Won were willing to
support him until he reached that point. And they had been doing that so far.
“What the hell is wrong with you, smarty? What’s more important than the tower? If
you had graduated from the top Law School but still gave up on everything to climb
the tower, shouldn’t you do it all the way?” Shin Ji-Won was frustrated at Baek Kang-
Woo’s hesitation.
“Stop it, Ji-Won,” Cha Yu-Min tried to stop her.
“But still!” Shin Ji-Won could not understand.
“Kang-Woo must have had a reason for it, right?” Cha Yu-Min attempted.
“I’m so sorry. You’ve helped me so much,” Baek Kang-Woo replied, dispirited.
Cha Yu-Min was also frustrated and disappointed at Kang-Woo’s decision. It was a
huge loss for the team for a promising player like Baek Kang-Woo to leave.
However, Cha Yu-Min himself had to give up on the tower for a year and stay in
Korea. It could be a good thing for her too. He thought that Kang-Woo would be a
great support for him in the activities he was planning to do on Earth. And later, he
could persuade Kang-Woo to climb the tower again.
The Dimension Gate was closing soon. The confusion on Earth had not abated yet. In
fact, the confusion had increased much more, thanks to Cha Yu-Min. Still, the
confusion was likely to subside to some extent when the Dimension Gate closed and
the challengers started entering the tower as usual. However, yet another
controversy was to come, when people figured out that Cha Yu-Min had not entered
the tower.
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” Shin Ji-Won asked after seeing Cha Yu-Min’s firm
expression.
“Nothing, but more importantly, do you still remember what I said before?” Cha Yu-
Min asked.
“Yeah, of course. I still remember, but…” Shin Ji-Won thought about what Yu-Min had
told her before.
“Remember, never ever challenge the floors beyond the 80th. Do you understand?
Also, go spread the word to the guys who didn’t come out of the tower,” Cha Yu-Min
reminded her.
“Okay, I will,” Shin Ji-Won replied.
Now all the changes were about to start. Actually, the wind of change had already
started a year ago; people would start to feel it, finally.
***
The Dimension Gate was closed and the tower’s challenge began again. The Earth
and the challengers on the upper floor were in chaos. However, to the challengers in
the first-floor waiting room, it was just another typical month. They were living their
peaceful lives as usual.
Whoong— Whoong— Whoong—
Three streaks of light descended upon the Central Square.
“Hello! My name is Toeing, and I’m the manager of this waiting area on the first floor!
You have arrived at the Undermost, the city located on the lowest floor!”
“Wow—” The new challengers looked around the city with amazement.
The city looked just as Cha Yu-Min had described. This place was no longer a vast
land. The three people greeted each other and followed Toeing’s guidance. Toeing
was more of a guide for the Undermost rather than a manager of the first floor.
When the challengers first entered the Undermost, Toeing showed them around.
Under his guidance, the challengers climbed to the first floor.
“This is the entrance to the first floor! If you go past this point, you’ll find the
specialty of… I mean, you’ll find the necromancer there!” Toeing introduced them to
the next step.
“Is that the boss monster that Cha Yu-Min had lost to?” a challenger asked.
“Yes! That’s right. How did you know that?” Toeing replied.
When the manager of the waiting area on the first floor confirmed their doubt, they
could not argue and had to accept that it was true.
“Can I go there?” a challenger asked.
“Of course! You’ll have to go there every day!” Toeing replied.
The challengers were puzzled at Toeing’s words.
“Why?” they asked.
“Because you have to do some Points work,” Toeing replied.
“Points work? What’s that?” The challengers were full of questions.

“Yes, that’s right! The currency here is in points. So, if you want to earn points, you
have to go up to the first floor and earn those points by killing monsters!” Toeing
explained.
The challengers nodded as if they understood. They wondered how the city was
built, but after hearing Toeing’s introduction, they could infer that the people had
purchased all their necessities from the Points Store that Toeing had mentioned just
now. They realized that the challengers could go up to the first floor to earn points as
they needed.
“Also, if you come over here–” Toeing continued to explain.
“Hey, I saw some streaks of light. You must be newbies!” Kim Kang-Chun, who was
passing by, approached them.
“Hello, Kang-Chun!” Toeing greeted.
“Are you guys planning on going up to the first floor?” Kang-Chun asked.
“Yes.” the challengers replied.
“Do you want me to take you there? Toeing can’t go beyond this point anyways.”
Kang-Chun offered to give them a tour.
Upon Kang Chun’s words, the challengers looked at Toeing. He responded by

nodding and then introduced Kang-Chun to them. After the short introduction, they
followed Kang-Chun to the portal that led them to the first floor.
As they approached the first floor, the sight of a huge entrance greeted them. At the
back, there was a large door that blocked the exit of the cave. Kang-Chun kindly
explained that it led to the outside world, but they would die if they went out. The
three challengers followed Kang-Chun, and went inside the cave.
“Wow… All I’ve heard was that it was just a shabby cave, but this is…”
“I feel like I’m in some kind of temple.”
Inside, the cave no longer looked like an ordinary cave. Lee Shin, who did not like the
shabby appearance, had changed its appearance bit by bit. He called in Hwang Kang-
Woong to redesign the cave starting from its entrance, all the way to its interior.
It was a grand effort, and thanks to that, the first floor could boast of its dignified
title as the Temple of the Goddess of Light, the goddess who was located on the
upper floor.
The three challengers walked behind Kang-Chun, admiring the patterns carved all
over the wall. They were very impressed with the overall ambiance of the cave. An
entrance that split into three routes came into view, and Kang-Chun explained what
each one led to.
“The far left is a place called a workshop. This is where people do Points work,” Kim
Kang-Chun started to explain.
“How do you do the Points work exactly?” a challenger asked.
“There’s really nothing much to it. You just have to kill the monster and get the
assigned points,” Kim Kang-Chun explained.
They nodded as if they understood.
“That place on your far right is the training ground. It’s, as its name suggests, a place
where people train themselves,” Kim Kang-Chun continued.
“What? Do you get trained on the first floor?” the challengers were shocked.
“Yes, May and Warrie are in charge of training the challengers. Most people are
taught and get trained here,” Kim Kang-Chun explained in an excited voice.
They were curious. “Who’s May and Warrie…? They don’t sound like Korean
names…”
“Hahaha… You will find out when you get there later,” Kim Kang-Chun laughed.
The three challengers looked a little confused over how the first floor looked,
because it was very much different from what they had expected.
“In the middle is the entrance to the boss’s room. But I’m telling you in advance that
you cannot go there as and when you wish,” Kim Kang-Chun warned them.
Kim Kang-Chun, who had been smiling and looking friendly all this time, became
serious when he started explaining about the boss’s room. The three challengers
looked at the entrance to the boss’s room nervously. There was a door at the end of a
long corridor, and the door looked simple yet dignified.
“Mr. Necromancer hates it when someone comes into his room without his
permission. So please make sure you get his permission before entering,” Kim Kang-
Chun emphasized.
“Who should I ask for permission?” a challenger asked.
“You can ask Warrie for that,” Kim Kang-Chun replied.
The challengers were terribly confused. They wondered who May and Warrie were.
Also, they could not believe that they had to get the boss's permission to enter the
boss’s room. What kind of floor was this? The three muttered among themselves, but
soon decided to stay still at the sight of Kim Kang-Chun’s serious face.
“Would you like to go take a look at the workshop?” Kim Kang-Chun asked.
“Yes, please,” they replied.
There was nothing much in the workshop. It was just a large room where the
challengers could kill the low-level Skeleton, Gutter Rats, and Dwarf Goblins to earn
points. After killing the monsters and increasing their stats, the three entered the
training ground on the far right.
Once again, the training ground was divided into several rooms. The three shook
their heads after looking at the complexity of the first floor.
“Mr. Necromancer worked hard on this place with the CEO, Mr. Hwang,” A look of
confusion remained on the newcomers’ faces as they wondered who this ‘Mr. Hwang’
was.
“Let’s go this way first.” Kim Kang-Chun took them to the room in the middle, where
May was located.
The challengers took a deep breath at the sight of May. “What’s that?”
This Skeleton felt different from the other Skeletons they had seen earlier at the
workshop. They wondered if he was the boss on the first floor. They knew they could
not defeat this guy, May, even if they did not battle.
“Hey May, we got newbies.” Kim Kang-Chun introduced the new challengers to May.
May took a look at them. “Is that so?”
They were shocked. “M-M-May?”
The challengers remembered what Kim Kang-Chun had told them earlier about
receiving training from May. They thought it was crazy to be trained under a guy
whose existence was fearful enough to make them wet their pants. His red glaring
eyes were threatening. All of them, who were just ordinary people until a few hours
ago, were terrified by their experience so far.
“So… What brings you here? Are you here to get trained?” At May’s words, they
desperately looked at Kang-Chun signaling to him not to say yes.
“No, not yet. I am just giving them a tour. I brought them here to introduce you.” Kim
Kang-Chun was a little embarrassed by their reaction, and so he replied to May with
an awkward smile.
“Thank goodness! I have a lot to get done. First, I need to organize the research
materials that my master gave me, and then I need to organize the mana theories for
you guys to learn. And then, I have to train you guys again… Although I don’t get tired
physically, my brain gets tired. I really hope you don’t send any more of these new
people.” May’s husky voice and shady demeanor seemed calm, but Kang-Chun could
sense a lot of fatigue.
“Okay… Take care.” Kim Kang-Chun left the room feeling sorry for May.
Next up was the training ground. The training ground was usually used as a place
where May and Warrie would teach other challengers or compete with each other.
The three had entered the training ground with looks of apprehension. There was a
Skeleton lying spread-eagled on the ground; but shortly after, the Skeleton got up
with a clatter.
Instead of having nothing in hand like the Skeleton they had encountered in the
workshop, this one was holding a knife that was made up of bones. However, he did
not seem very strong. The three challengers thought that they could easily defeat
this guy who was simply lying there helplessly, making rattling sounds and awkward
movements.
“Can I try fighting him?” a challenger asked.
“Hahaha, of course. You can give it a try, but if I feel like you’re going to get hurt, I’ll
protect you. And as a side note, most of our Undermost residents can easily win the
lowest level here.” Kim Kang-Chun explained.
Even if they had just entered the tower, the challengers thought that they could win
this game if most of the Undermost residents had easily won too.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Yeah, me too!”
“Well… If you can protect me, I want to try.”
The three decided to give it a try and was about to decide who should go first.
“Why don’t you try all at once?” Kim Kang-Chun quickly stopped them.
“Huh?” They were curious why Kim Kang-Chun had said that.
Kim Kang-Chun just smiled in response to their curiosity. They realized that it would
be better and safer for them to go together anyway, since it was their first attempt.
“Will it hurt if I get stabbed?” Even though they were ready to fight, the challengers
were frightened as they imagined themselves being cut by the sharp bone knife.
“Didn’t you prepare for it?” The woman among the trio threw a sharp look at the
other two. They felt the pressure, and only then did the two focus on the fight.
“Ha!” She ran toward the Skeleton first and blue energy built up in her fist.
[Mana Attack]
This was an accumulation of mana power used to hit the enemy. It was a simple skill
but an effective attack. However, it was useless if one could not aim properly.
The Skeleton easily avoided her attack, blocked the attack from the two men, and
followed up with his knife, striking the three challengers’ wrists with the back end.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
“Argh!”
“Keug!”
“Ughhh!”
‘If that was a knife blade, our wrists would have been cut off… ’ All three of them
looked at their throbbing wrists and gave up.
Apparently, this level of Skeleton was not particularly difficult to defeat. When Kim
Kang-Chun said that most of the Undermost residents could easily win this level, the
three challengers were even more discouraged.
“Ha… Is this how it is in the tower?”
“I mean, the workshop on the first floor was literally for Points work, so I didn’t care
that much… But I’m embarrassed that I can only do this much at the training center.”
“People probably got stronger because they have been training here consistently,
right?”
The three challengers glanced across the training ground once again and returned to
the Undermost. Kim Kang-Chun did not go out with them, but remained on the
training ground. At that time, the Skeleton that had lightly beat the trio walked out of
the training ground.
“How long do we have to do this for?” the Skeleton asked in an annoyed voice.
“Umm… until our master gets out of this place?” Kim Kang-Chun replied.
“Do we really have to do this? Training should be done willingly,” the Skeleton said
discontentedly.
“But it’s always nice to have some kind of motivation. And Warrie, you’re the least
busy one here,” Kim Kang-Chun made his point.
“I’m not free all the time. I train repeated–” Warrie tried to explain.
“How is your bone matching game a training?” Kim Kang-Chun argued.
“It’s not a game! It’s for perfect body compositi–”
“Who cares. Why don’t we play a game since it’s been a while since we had a battle?
I’ve come a long way,” Kim Kang-Chun interrupted.
At Kim Kang-Chun’s suggestion, Warrie moved his bone pieces here and there to get
them into the right positions.
“Fine! I’ll show you why this isn’t a game,” Warrie replied in a firm voice.
“In fact, since the bones are set to low-level ones without mana imprints, our skills
would be roughly balanced. I’m going to beat you this time,” Kim Kang-Chun said
determinedly.
“Bring it on, kiddo. I will never bring shame on my master.”
“Haha! Bring shame? That’s funny. You’re just trying your best because your bones
shatter when you lose,” Kim Kang-Chun laughed.
“Ugh! You talk too much. Just get started already!” Warrie said in an annoyed voice.
“Okay, here I go!” Kim Kang-Chun was about to start the attack.
“Wait a minute.” Warrie suddenly placed his bone knife on the ground.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Kim Kang-Chun asked with a puzzled look.
“…Can I actually go change my leg bones before we start?” Warrie asked urgently.
“…” Kim Kang-Chun was speechless.
Warrie was a little worried about fighting Kang-Chun, whose skills had improved
significantly these days.
Whooong—
A streak of light fell from the sky onto the Undermost Square in the first-floor
waiting area. Shin Ha-Neul appeared. He was over six feet tall and had a very strong
physique. Shin Ha-Neul, who had just entered puberty, moved his body with
amazement.
“Wow, so it was real.” Shin Ha-Neul, who had given up his dream of becoming a
professional mixed martial arts athlete due to his injury, gave a hollow smile in
response to how his unfixed body could return to its original state so rapidly.
Whip— Whip— Whip—
As Shin Ha-Neul was practicing his weaving skill at an imaginary opponent by

punching in the air, he saw a rabbit approaching him.
“Hello! My name is Toeing!” Toeing introduced himself.
“Who’s the best fighter here?” Shin Ha-Neul smirked and lifted Toeing up by his ear.
“Ouch! I don’t know!” Toeing cried out in the air.
Shin Ha-Neul seemed as if he did not believe Toeing’s words at all. Toeing’s short
arms and legs swung in the air.
“This is your last chance! Say it properly!” Shin Ha-Neul shook Toeing.
“Ahhh— I really don’t k-k-know who it i-i-is,” Toeing cried out in fear.
“Oh my!” At that moment, Hwang Kang-Woong, who was passing by, stumbled and
fell on Shin Ha-Neul.
Shin Ha-Neul, startled, accidentally let Toeing go and grabbed Hwang Kang-Woong.
“Oh dear, I’m sorry…” Hwang Kang-Woong apologized.
“Jeez! You gotta look up, mister!” Shin Ha-Neul pushed Hwang Kang-Woong away.
Toeing had already gone out of his sight.
“Mister, do you know who’s the best fighter here?” Shin Ha-Neul asked arrogantly.
“The best fighter? Why do you care?” Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
“Because I want to fight them and see how good they are. People on Earth were
saying that there are some guys out here who will soon be the tower’s ranker.” Shin
Ha-Neul was full of confidence.
“Hmm… Interesting… Did people really say that?” Hwang Kang-Woong stroked his
beard, looking as if Shin Ha-Neul’s words had piqued his interest.
“So, do you know? Stop wasting my time,” Shin Ha-Neul asked in an annoyed voice.
“I’m not so sure…” Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
“Tsk, you’re not helping.” Shin Ha-Neul entered the village, leaving Hwang Kang-
Woong behind.
The village, Undermost, looked very neat. It was as if people had brought the city in
from Earth. While Shin Ha-Neul was wandering around, he found a pile of dummies
that seemed to be used for training. Near the pile, Shin Ha-Neul could easily spot
people who were training and exercising using those.
‘I wonder if that rising star is here.’ Shin Ha-Neul kept thinking about it as he walked
around.
“Who’s the strongest one here?” Shin Ha-Neul approached every single person out
there and asked the same question.
The attention of all those around Shin Ha-Neul was drawn to him, because he
approached people out of nowhere and talked in an unfriendly way.
‘Is he the new challenger? I saw a streak of light earlier.’

‘What is he doing here?’
‘Why is he looking for the strongest one? Is he trying to pick a fight or something?’
‘The strongest one here is… ’
People’s eyes went to Park Joo-Hyuk, who was hitting a dummy with his sword in a
corner of the training ground. Park Joo-Hyuk was so focused that he was not aware
of Shin Ha-Neul’s presence. He was training to raise his Strength and Health Points.
“Is he the strongest one out here?” Shin Ha-Neul muttered.
Park Joo-Hyuk left a strong first impression on Shin Ha-Neul. He seemed to have a
strong physique. Shin Ha-Neul flinched for a moment, but he convinced himself that
people don’t fight using their appearances.
Shin Ha-Neul was sure that if had not been injured, he would be unrivaled among
amateurs. Since he used to be a rising star in the field of Mixed Martial Arts, Shin Ha-
Neul was confident that he would not lose against such ordinary people.
“Hey, mister!” Shin Ha-Neul called out.
Park Joo-Hyuk frowned when he noticed Shin Ha-Neul approaching him.
“What is it?” Park Joo-Hyuk was annoyed that Ha-Neul broke his concentration.
“Are you the strongest one here?” Shin Ha-Neul asked.
“…” Park Joo-Hyuk did not have anything to say.
“What do you want?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked after a pause.
“Let’s battle,” said Shin Ha-Neul.
At Shin Ha-Neul’s sudden request, Park Joo-Hyuk looked up to see his face. Shin Ha-
Neul was a child. He looked so young that if he hit him, it would only look bad on
him.
“I’m in training. Plus, I don’t battle,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.

“Why? Are you scared to lose?” Shin Ha-Neul laughed.
Ugh—
Park Joo-Hyuk could tell for the first time that his temper had toned down a lot. In
the old days, Park Joo-Hyuk would have beaten people up if they had annoyed him
like this.
However, Park Joo-Hyuk decided to let him off. “Stop distracting me and get going.”
“Haha dumbass, I know you’re scared,” Shin Ha-Neul smirked.
“Whoa… Fine, let’s d—.” Park Joo-Hyuk could not hold it in anymore.
“D-d-don’t Joo-Hyuk!” One of the team members, who was nervously watching the
situation from the side, grabbed Park Joo-Hyuk.
“He’s just a kid. Just ignore him,” the team member whispered in his ear.
At the team member’s words, Park Joo-Hyuk tried to hold in his anger. When Shin
Ha-Neul saw that Park Joo-Hyuk was ignoring him completely, not giving any
response, he moved to another place. Shin Ha-Neul could not start attacking a
person who didn’t even respond.
No matter where Shin Ha-Neul went, they all had a similar reaction.
‘How come this place is full of dumbasses.’ Shin Ha-Neul was disappointed with what
he was seeing.
Shin Ha-Neul questioned how these people could make Korea a leading country. He
moved to the Central Square.
“Are you heading to the first floor?” Toeing, standing near the portal, asked.
“Yes,” Shin Ha-Neul replied.
Shin Ha-Neul was aware that the first-floor boss didn’t kill people. The boss was
what he was most curious about, ever since he was on Earth, especially because Cha
Yu-Min could not defeat him either.
People had thought that there would be a penalty for Cha Yu-Min, and that his ability
would have dropped to a level similar to the other challengers on the first floor as a
result.
‘Oh well, if we had similar abilities, I could potentially win.’ Shin Ha-Neul entered the
portal.
“Wow…” Shin Ha-Neul was amazed by the grandeur of the first floor.
The first floor looked a lot different from what he had expected. As he walked, he
found the three-way intersection and decided to take the leftmost route. Soon after,
he encountered the monsters that he had heard a lot about on Earth. Though he was
only encountering them for the first time in real life, he had already simulated
defeating them countless times in his head.
Squeak— Squeak— Squeak—
The Gutter Rat ran up to Shin Ha-Neul.
Puck! Puck! Puck!
It was not difficult to avoid the Gutter Rat’s attack and counter. When Shin Ha-Neul
hit the Gutter Rat about three times, it died.
“Huh? That’s it? This is easy.” Shin Ha-Neul then broke the Skeleton and trampled the
Goblin to death.
He was getting more confident. When Shin Ha-Neul first entered the first floor, he
was not sure that he could beat the boss. He just wanted to confront him once to
understand where he stood compared to Cha Yu-Min.
However, as he increased his stats and gained more physical strength, he thought he
might be able to defeat the boss. Shin Ha-Neul ended up thinking that the boss would
not be that strong anyways.
Shin Ha-Neul left the room on the left and walked down the hallway. When he
reached the end, there was a large door.
“Is this the boss’s room?” Shin Ha-Neul muttered.

Shin Ha-Neul wondered if he would be able to defeat the boss when Cha Yu-Min
could not. What if the boss changed his mind and tried to kill him? However, his
worries only lasted for a short moment.
Instead, Shin Ha-Neul imagined becoming the first—a supernova—who defeated the
first-floor boss, after he had changed his difficulty level. He imagined everyone
praising his talents and referring to him as the great challenger, more outstanding
than Cha Yu-Min.
“It’s not impossible.” Shin Ha-Neul thought he was more talented than anyone else.
Shin Ha-Neul opened the door aggressively. As soon as he opened the door, he could
see the boss staring at him with a blank look.
“Finally, you came,” said Lee Shin as if he had been waiting for Shin Ha-Neul.
Shin Ha-Neul thought it was a weird greeting, but that was not the important part.
“Haha, so you’re the boss?” Shin Ha-Neul said crudely, laughing.
“Haha?” Lee Shin frowned as Shin Ha-Neul started the conversation in a rude
manner.
“Are you offended? You’re just a monster though,” Shin Ha-Neul continued. He
maintained his rude and bold stance.
“Haha…” Lee Shin was speechless.
Shin Ha-Neul decided to be bold in front of the boss, because people told him that
the boss had never killed a single person so far. He thought there was a system
change that resulted from increasing the level of difficulty.
If the boss had killed the challengers every time he got annoyed, it would not be
strange to hear that several people had died earlier. So far, there had been zero
deaths and no exceptions.
“You impudent little thing!” Lee Shin commented on Shin Ha-Neul’s mannerisms.
“I don’t show respect to someone unless they are stronger than me,” Shin Ha-Neul
explained.
“Do you think you’re strong?” Lee Shin asked.
“Of course! And why should I be polite to monsters?” Shin Ha-Neul argued.
Lee Shin smiled bitterly. He was planning on letting Shin Ha-Neul go after lightly
demonstrating the differences in their skills. However, Lee Shin realized that it
would not work out for Shin Ha-Neul.
Lee Shin’s mana scattered all over the place.
Swoosh—
In an instant, the appearance of the boss’s room had changed dramatically. Their
surroundings were covered with lava and the floor where the two stood had
collapsed, leaving almost no place for them to stand.
“Huh? What’s happening?” Shin Ha-Neul panicked.
“Let’s see how long you stay this arrogant,” Lee Shin smirked.
Shin Ha-Neul could feel the heat so intensely all over his body. He was very close to
falling off, so he could not move even a little bit. In the distance, the lava was flowing
like a waterfall and the height of the lava was rising.
Everything was happening so quickly that, in about five minutes, lava was about to
reach his feet.
“This c-c-can’t be real. You’re faking it, aren’t you? Do you think I’ll be fooled by this?”
Shin Ha-Neul couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Ha!” Lee Shin only laughed and did not answer.
Shin Ha-Neul slightly bent his legs and moved them closer to the lava. He wanted to
check the heat to see if it was real.
Splash— Pzzz—
The splashed lava got on Shin Ha-Neul’s shoes. He hurriedly raised his legs to take
off his shoes because they were melting right away.
‘No way, is this happening for real?’
His shoes started to melt. The heat convinced him that there was nothing fake in this
place. His whole body was soaked with sweat. Then he saw the boss on the other
side. Lee Shin was experiencing the same heat.
“If you continue with this, you’re also going to die, you bastard!” Shin Ha-Neul cried
out.
“Do you know why I didn’t kill the challengers? It’s because I also have to die to kill
them. But I don’t like you that much,” Lee Shin explained.
“You’re crazy… You want to die together just because you don’t like me?” Shin Ha-
Neul could not believe the situation he was in.
“Well, there will be pain when I die, but I will come back to life. So, it doesn’t really
matter.” Lee Shin seemed very calm.
Splash— Swoosh—
His shoes were beginning to come into contact with the lava little by little.
“Ahhh, you crazy bastard! Stop this! Stop it right now!” Shin Ha-Neul cried in panic.
“Nah, let’s die together.” Lee Shin didn’t seem bothered.
“No, I’m sorry. I apologize! It’s all my fault! So please…!” Shin Ha-Neul cried in pain.
“It’s too late,” Lee Shin replied in a firm voice.
Pzzz—
“Keughhh— It hurts! Please! Please, stop this! Please…” Shin Ha-Neul had never felt
this kind of pain in his life.
Shin Ha-Neul cried out in burning pain. He had to wait for his impending death in a
space where he could not escape.
“I’m so sorry… Please, please forgive me. Please!” Shin Ha-Neul begged him.
“What happened to your pride and arrogance?” Lee Shin sneered.
“I’m sorry. I have nothing else to say,” Shin Ha-Neul apologized.
“Repeat after me, three times. I will never mess with you again,” Lee Shin demanded.
“Can you let me get out of this fir—” Shin Ha-Neul asked.
“Just die,” Lee Shin replied in a firm voice.
Swoosh— Splash—
“Ahhh— I will never mess with you again! I will never mess with you again! I will
never mess with you again!” Shin Ha-Neul shouted, his eyes shut, face covered with
tears and mucus.
Shin Ha-Neul opened his eyes when he sensed a slight change in the environment.
“Huh…?” As soon as Shin Ha-Neul opened his eyes, he could see the faces of other
challengers gathered around him.
“You are…” Among them, Shin Ha-Neul could see the faces of some people that he
saw in the city earlier.
“Who’s this kid?” Park Hye-Won asked.
“He is a foolish kid,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
“Just go to the corner, over there,” Lee Shin demanded.
“Huh? O-o-okay!” Shin Ha-Neul flinched when he saw Lee Shin’s face.
Shin Ha-Neul hurried to the corner so he would not suffer from such pain again.
Then, he looked blankly at the other challengers who were training with the boss.
Besides the boss, the man he had a quarrel with earlier and everyone else were
much more talented than him. His face flushed as he recalled his careless actions.
‘Ha… ’ Shin Ha-Neul sighed.

***
[Gene Ebrium]
# Title: Details*
# Mana Point (MP): 63720/63720
# Dominance: 11
# Skills: Details*
“Hmm… I’ve improved a lot. But still, to be honest…” Lee Shin had a long way to go.
In particular, the Strength and Agility stats could not be raised just as he wanted. He
tried his best to raise them by doing more physical exercise, but there was a clear
limit. Lee Shin had no choice but to acquire a special skill or title to raise them.
Another option was to climb the tower and receive it as a reward.
‘What an imbalance between the Health Point and Mana Point stats… ’ thought Lee
Shin.
As of now, his Mana Point exceeded 50,000 points and his intelligence was close to
150 points. As the seal on his body was lifted, the overall stat rose significantly.
Nevertheless, Lee Shin needed higher stats. “This is not enough.”
The entire tower was under the supervision of the gods, except for just one place, the
first floor.
“You must be frustrated,” Lee Shin looked to the sky and laughed at the gods. He did
not know why, but the first floor was outside the realm of the gods. That was why the
voices of the gods had not been heard so far. Lee Shin thought that could be the
reason why they sent him to the first floor.
‘I was reincarnated and they were not,’ thought Lee Shin.
The timeline was clearly different; the world over there and the world over here
were two totally different places. Lee Shin assumed that they sent him back to the
first floor to avoid the eyes of the gods in this world. However, he could not
understand everything.
“Hmm…” Lee Shin was full of questions.
Lee Shin knew that he had to climb the tower quickly in order to solve these
questions. Once he left the first floor, he could be under the influence of the gods in
some way. Therefore, he wanted to be properly prepared before he went up.
“List of titles,” read Lee Shin.
[The Huge Wall of the Tower]
I can’t believe you stopped 100 people from challenging you! You must be a huge
wall to the challengers!
# Default Stats +5
[Invincible Defender]
I can’t believe you stopped 1000 people from challenging you! You are legendary!
Your name will go down in history.
# Default stats +10
The next title would be obtained when he stopped 10,000 people, but he did not
want to be here until then. He had acquired almost all the titles that were available. It
was time to focus on climbing the tower.
Once Lee Shin started to climb the tower, the gods’ attention would be focused on
him. From then on, the gods could possibly sense that something had gone wrong
and actions could be taken. On the other hand, they could also be cheering for a large
number of talented people, trying to flatter and make them their apostles.
The gods were obsessed with apostles and had a great desire for outstanding
challengers. That was because the higher the class of believers or apostles who
follow them, the higher their own classes would become.
Lee Shin sighed with a stiff face and slowly walked to the entrance of the first floor.
He then opened the door that was blocking the exit of the cave. The door opened
smoothly. Lee Shin walked through the doorway and caught sight of the polar region
in the distance. This place, covered with snow and ice, was a place where Lee Shin
could not escape with his basic mana skills.
One of the reasons was because of the bird, the Ice Bird. It was a bird that could be
seen not only on the first floor, but also when one passed the 80th floor. The name
Ice Bird was given by people in the tower who saw it.
Martas was his real name. Lee Shin could see Martas flying around as he stood there.
The cool air Martas created made Lee Shin shiver. He knew that a single breath from
Martas would freeze his body completely.
“…” Lee Shin looked at Martas with a complex feeling.
Martas had thrown Lee Shin into the sea previously, before Lee Shin found the
Immortal Sphere. And then, he had flown over to someone unknown.
Wouldn’t Martas know something about the Immortal Sphere? Maybe he knew the
identity of the person who called.
When Lee Shin looked at Martas, it seemed as if he was saying Lee Shin was not good
enough to know the secrets yet. Lee Shin smiled bitterly and went back into the cave.
Ughhh—
Keughhh—
The ghosts wandering in the air continued to get on Lee Shin’s nerves. It would have
been fine if they had only moved, but they screamed too. Those intrusive screams
broke his concentration.
Although it had been a long time since Lee Shin had gained the title of He Who
Knows Death, Lee Shin still could not easily get used to the sound, especially when
he was focused on his research.
"Hey, you old man!" Stop fooling around!" Lee Shin shouted, because that ghost was
especially on his nerves today.
However, Lee Shin knew that those souls would not care.
There were not many souls here, but still, it was quite enough. And most souls
floated in the air with such cries. Not only were they unable to hear Lee Shin, but
they also seemed to be unaware of Lee Shin’s existence. They seemed to have a split
mind, just like Gene Ebrium.
There were a small few of them who were in a better condition—Warrie and May.
Since they did not go to a state of schizophrenia, they were given a chance to become
Lee Shin’s subordinates.
Lee Shin had asked May and Warrie, but neither knew why the souls were behaving
in this way. They could not remember their past, nor how they ended up in this
place.
If this was a place to trap those who were defeated by God, May and Warrie would
have been fine because their classes were low.
According to May and Warrie, they had no memory of the gods, but they instinctively
felt revulsion towards them.
Lee Shin could not be certain yet. However, if his assumptions were true, he thought
he would be able to make strong allies out of them, by restoring their broken souls.
The next question was, how could he possibly restore them? Something had just
come to his mind, but Lee Shin decided to study about that a little more.
‘Huh?’ When Lee Shin looked up after a moment of thought, there was the soul of an
old man staring at him.
It was the same soul that was floating in the air a few seconds ago. When Lee Shin’s
eyes widened in surprise, the old man's facial expression changed bizarrely.
- Can… you… see me…?
The old man’s speech was very slow. It almost seemed like he had forgotten how to
speak, because it had been so long since he had talked. It seemed like he was trying
to remember how he had spoken in the old days.
"I can see ghosts," Lee Shin tried to hide his surprise and replied calmly.
- Oh… I see…
The old man was nonchalant, unlike Warrie and May.
- A lot of… people… can see… ghosts…
"Oh really? Is there a lot?” Lee Shin asked.
- Yeah, there were… a lot… I just… cannot… remember… so well.
"What happened to you?" Lee Shin asked again.
- I… can’t… remember…
Lee Shin frowned at the old man's words. His ability, He Who Knows Death, did not
work. Lee Shin had originally thought that this skill would work on anyone who
could communicate with him. However, that was not the case.
‘Hmm… What's the difference?’ Lee Shin could not figure out what conditions had to
be met.
At least, he could tell that this old man was a completely different soul compared to
Warrie and May. Sometimes, this old ghost seemed like he was from a high class, but
other times he seemed insignificant.
"Do you know anything about this place?" Lee Shin asked.
- This place… This place is…
Ahhh—
Suddenly, the old man stopped talking and groaned in pain. He grabbed his head. He
seemed to know something about this place, but he just could not say it.
"That's all right! You don't have to say it!” Lee Shin calmed him down and the old
man's groan gradually faded.
-… There is… a guide… in this… place…
“There’s a guide here?” Lee Shin asked.
It was a sudden remark. The old man struggled to continue his words.
-… To… get… to… the… next… ah…
He frowned in pain. It seemed like the old man was holding in his pain somehow to
spit out words.
"You can stop now," said Lee Shin.
The old man did not care what Lee Shin said. The old man’s eyes looked different for
a moment. There was anger, loss, and determination. Besides, numerous emotions
seemed to be intertwined intricately.
- A… place… where… the mana… gets… dissipated…
Ahhh—
The old man uttering the last word, disappeared through the floor with a distorted
face before Lee Shin could do anything about it.
Lee Shin wondered, perhaps there was a limit to how much information the old man
could reveal.
Lee Shin had similar experiences several times in his previous life, so he could
somewhat predict why the old man's soul became like that. Now, the question was
why the old man had that look on his face.
Lee Shin could not stop thinking about the look he saw on the old man’s face. It
seemed like he was outraged by something. It could potentially be rage toward the
gods.
Lee Shin thought about the words the old man had mentioned. He wondered what
the old man wanted to say about the guide, about moving on, and about the place
where mana got dissipated. Was the old man suggesting a way up to the next floor?
Or, was he trying to tell Lee Shin about something else? Lee Shin was curious about
whether the old man knew something about him. It seemed like the old man wanted
to give Lee Shin some useful information.
When talking to the challengers from the Undermost, Lee Shin made it sound like he
knew the way to proceed to the next floor. However, he did not know anything. It was
just his way of motivating them to get strong and collect points from them in return.
‘The place where mana dissipates… ’ Lee Shin had not found such a place on the first
floor yet.
In fact, there was no way for him to go beyond the cliff in the first place.
***
Time flew by, and the first floor and the people at the Undermost were having
peaceful days.
"I know! So you’re saying that you got defeated by Kim Kang-Chun. Did I hear this
right?” Lee Shin rebuked Warrie.
"It wasn't… I didn't really lose…” Warrie rubbed his head continuously as if he was
perspiring, albeit from a skull with no sweat glands.
Warrie was desperately making excuses to Lee Shin.
"I mean… I changed my bones to the lowest… I mean… there was a request from the
Undermost… Kim Kang-Chun knew about that, so he used a trick on…” Warrie
explained.
“…And so you lost in the end?” Lee Shin scolded him.
“…Yes." Warrie lowered his head and his thick bones trembled.
"Tsk. I can’t believe you got defeated by those kids. This is embarrassing,” Lee Shin
continued.
"You’re pathetic! How can you call yourself master's subordinate?” Lillian climbed
above Warrie's head from Lee Shin’s shoulder and hit Warrie’s skull with his foot.
"I’m sorry, I’m still not good enough…” Warrie replied in a quiet voice.
"No, it’s my problem. I was too complacent. I thought you wouldn’t be beaten
anywhere. But I guess that was not the case. I was stupid."
Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck!
Suddenly, Lee Shin reproached himself and started to hit himself on the head. And
when Warrie saw that, his eyes twitched as if he had encountered a typhoon.
Warrie’s teeth chattered as he did not know what he had to do. He was engulfed in
deep fear.
His master was hurting himself before his eyes. Warrie wondered if Lee Shin was
hitting himself because he really thought that this was his fault.
No matter how insensitive Warrie was, he could understand what Lee Shin tried to
communicate through his actions. Warrie’s body trembled like an aspen tree and he
put his head down as if it was going to dig into the ground.
"S-s-s-sorry master! It's all my fault! So please…!" Warrie stuttered in fear.
"No, this is not your fault. It’s because I'm stupid. What a fool!” Lee Shin continued
hitting himself.
Puck!
"How can you call yourself a Great Mage?" Lee Shin was getting angry at himself.
Puck!
"Is your head just a decoration or what?" Lee Shin shouted in an angry voice.
Puck!
"Master, p-p-please stop…” Warrie trembled in fear.
"How weak did you make Warrie that he got defeated by the newbies who didn't
even make it to the first floor?" Lee Shin hit himself again.
Puck! Puck! Puck!
"Please…” Warrie was almost crying.
Creak—
"Master, here are the documents that you…” When May opened the door with the
documents that Lee Shin had asked for, he could not believe what he was seeing.
Whoosh—
May’s hands lost strength, and he unwittingly dropped all the documents on the
ground. He was so shocked that he did not even realize he had dropped them.
May, with his intelligence, tried to understand what was going on. The next moment,
he noticed Warrie bowing down as if he was about to dig into the floor.
‘Ugh, that crazy guy… What the hell did he do?’ May noticed Warrie had done
something wrong.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin was blaming himself by hitting his head.
"What a fool!" Lee Shin hit himself.
Puck! Puck! Puck!

"M-m-master!” May called Lee Shin hurriedly, and only then, Lee Shin stopped
hurting himself and looked at May.
"The d-d-d-documents are…!" Lee Shin stuttered.
May had called Lee Shin hoping to make things better, but after realizing that the
papers were all over the floor, May felt a sharp pain in his skull.
"Uh… Uh… I mean…” May knew something was wrong.
"Oh, I see… Since you brought the documents, you want me to pick them up myself
and read them? Well, is that so?" Lee Shin asked in an annoyed voice.
"No, that’s not it…” May replied.
"Okay well, how can a master who can't even educate their subordinate properly
argue about that? I’ll just pick them myself if you say so. I'm sorry that you have a
master like me." Lee Shin’s voice was calm and relaxed.
Despite Lee Shin’s calmness, the Skeletons could infer from his words that he was
being cold, even colder than the icy breath of the Ice Bird. May’s body was frozen and
Warrie’s body stiffened as he lifted up his head and saw how bad things were
becoming.
Warrie’s mouth opened slightly in shock. Warrie looked as the documents were
picked up. He turned to look at May and it felt like lasers would come out of Warrie's
eyes. May finally felt Warrie's gaze and stared back at him.
‘You dumbass! Why would you make things even worse?’ said Warrie.
‘You started it, you idiot,’ replied May.
‘Oh yeah? You want to go for a round? The only thing you can do is to swing your wand
from behind,’ Warrie asked.
‘You’re so ignorant. You have big muscles, but a small brain!’ May continued.
‘And you’re so weak that you can’t even lift a piece of paper properly. Look what you’ve
done,’ said Warrie.
"Ha! How dumb is your head that you put the lowest-rank skeleton bones in your body
and get defeated by those Undermost kids?’ replied May.
‘What did you say?’ Warrie asked.
The two were not talking to each other, only conversing with their eyes.
"Just go to hell, both of you!” The sudden sound of Lee Shin's angry voice made the
two of them jump.
"Squeeak!"
"Keugh!”
"What are you two doing?” Lee Shin asked.
"N-n-n-nothing!"
"Nothing!"
"What do you mean ‘nothing’? I can clearly see the two of you talking behind your
master’s back just using your eyes." Lillian suddenly returned to her true self and
laughed in her chair as if this situation was entertaining for her.
"W-w-what are you talking about? There’s no way!”
"No, it’s just that this guy—”
"Okay, I guess I was not paying much attention to you guys lately. I’ll change your
mind so that you don’t get beaten up or spill papers somewhere,” said Lee Shin.
Wary and May glared at each other, recalling the nightmares of their recent past. And
they lowered their heads at Lee Shin's words.
"Okay."
"I'll do my best."
Just like that, the gate to hell opened for May and Warrie.
***
Ever since the Dimension Gate had opened, the tower's community had been more
active than ever. The challengers who went out of the tower heard news from the
Earth and delivered them to the challengers inside the tower when they came back.
└ Was it true that the challengers on the first floor were blocked by the boss?
└ Wait, how did that weakling get so strong all of a sudden?
└ How do you expect those kids who recently came up to the first floor to win if even
Cha Yu-min got defeated?
└ Cha Yu-min must have been penalized. Do you really think that they would let the
80th-floor challenger use his full power on the first floor?
└ That's true, too. By the way, will the first floor really break in a year?
└ If Cha Yu-min said so, I think he's right. It's Cha Yu-min.
└ That’s fine, but does that mean we won’t be getting any new recruits for a while?
Ha… I think I’ll just focus on training this year.
└ But I also heard Cha Yu-min say that Korea will become the top rank soon. Is this
for real?
└ Why did he say that? What's the reason? He usually doesn’t say anything like that.
He doesn’t have that kind of personality.
└ Who knows? He didn't tell anyone the reason. The academia claimed that it is
probably related to the first floor.
└ Who cares about the academia! We know the tower better. How would they know
anything by studying on Earth?
└ I don't need them all! Someone please do something about the national game!
Korea is ruined!
└ Damn, the Japanese keep picking a fight because they think this is the best time.
They're going crazy! Those guys were below us until last year!
└ Cha Yu-Min! Are you here? Please come out and say something!
└ Cha Yu-Min is known for not being active in the community. If you have time, just
climb the tower.
The challengers on each floor threw out their own ideas about the first floor and
made all sorts of speculations. And it took them months to confirm these.
***
Lee Shin stayed in his laboratory for nearly a month. Only necessities were delivered
through May, and everyone else was prohibited from entering.
"Is master okay?" Warrie asked.
"If I were you, I would worry about myself before I worry about the master. If you
don't have a clear achievement before he comes out, you will have to continue the
hellish training again." May explained.
"Don't say that ever again! I don’t want to live through the pain of being on the
master’s operating tab—” Warrie was interrupted.
Thud!
At that moment, Lee Shin’s laboratory door opened as if it exploded, and Lee Shin,
looking like a mess, popped out.
"I found it! I found it!" Lee Shin cried out.
Surprised at the scene, May and Warrie asked him.
"What do you mean?"
"No way…”
"Yes, I found it. I found a way to escape from the first floor." Lee Shin looked at the
two, smiling triumphantly.
Lee Shin had spent most of his time doing research on death and souls during his
last research period. The power Lee Shin had acquired through experiencing
countless deaths, and the research materials left behind by necromancer and Great
Dark Wizard Gene Ebrium had saved Lee Shin some time. Without these, Lee Shin
would have had to spend at least twice the amount of time he did.
A Soul Scavenger was a mythical monster that gained a divine status by plundering
and eating countless souls. However, he collapsed when the gods took away his
heart. Lee Shin knew that if he had this monster’s heart, he could complete what he
had planned. He needed the power to hold and subordinate the soul.
Lee Shin had decided to use that power. It was necessary for him to find someone
who could replace him and assign them here in order to throw off the shackle that
had been placed on him.
Fortunately, the Heart of a Soul Scavenger was sold in the Points Store. Even though
it was a replica, that was enough. However, the problem was how he was going to get
the Heart of the Soul Scavenger. Even though it was a replica, it was the heart of one
who was once a mythical creature. He needed 3 million points to purchase that.
Considering the class of this mythical creature, 3 million points was not an
unreasonable amount. However, this replica of a heart was of no use to the ordinary
challenger.
‘I’m the only one who would need this for this kind of project,’ thought Lee Shin.
Typically, it was an absurd task to collect 3 million points here. However, now, there
were poor people who had their way blocked. In the Undermost alone, there were
more than a thousand challengers; if they paid just 3,000 points each, 3 million
points would be collected pretty fast.
Of course, it would still take them some time to each obtain 3,000 points, but it was
not something they couldn’t do. And honestly, considering what they had learned
from Lee Shin, it was not a waste to give him the points.
How often would challengers get an opportunity to be trained by a former Great
Mage? Lee Shin thought it was now the time to collect points legally.
***
Hwang Kang-Woong entered the room a moment after the system message
appeared.
“Did you call me?” Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
“Please have a seat,” Lee Shin replied.
After Lee Shin and Hwang Kang-Woong sat down, face to face, May came in and
offered them tea.
"We will have to start building a fort in the Undermost," Lee Shin started the
conversation.
"What? Why? There's nothing in the waiting area on the first floor except us, no?”
Hwang Kang-Woong was surprised.
“There is. It's just that people don't notice,” Lee Shin explained.
Hwang Kang-Woong became serious upon hearing Lee Shin’s words. Wouldn't it be
dangerous if there was something else in the waiting area? People considered the
waiting area a safe zone. Hwang Kang-Woong was lost in his thoughts for a second.
"But, Toeing said there was nothing else other than us," said Hwang Kang-Woong.
"Toeing does not know either," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin thought Toeing knew, but he was just pretending he didn’t know anything. A
regretful smile creased the corners of Lee Shin’s mouth.
"No way… But then, how do you know something that the manager doesn’t?” Hwang
Kang-Woong asked.
“…You'll find out later," Lee Shin replied.

“Okay, I see." Hwang Kang-Woong did not ask any more questions.
"It won't be easy to build the fort. No matter how skillful people got in terms of
construction, the quality should not be compromised. You got it?” Lee Shin stressed.
"Of course, if the quality was going to be reduced just because it’s hard for the
workers, we would not have even come this far,” Hwang Kang-Woong reassured.
"Thank you so much," Lee Shin replied.
"Would that be enough?" Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
Hwang Kang-Woong could tell that this was not what Lee Shin really wanted to ask
him.
"Well, I think it would be time to get out of this place once the fort is finished,” Lee
Shin continued.
“…For real?" Hwang Kang-Woong looked at Lee Shin with a blank expression, just
like a person who heard something unbelievable.
"Yes, and aren’t you one of the top ten strongest people in the Undermost?" Lee Shin
asked.
"Sorry? I'm just an architect though," Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
"But you’re the Architect of the Wilderness," Lee Shin explained.
"Man… you already know," Hwang Kang-Woong, who had a blank look, now
hardened his expression at Lee Shin's words.
"If you start climbing the tower, you will easily be a ranker," Lee Shin said confidently.
“No way, you overestimate me. Being a ranker is not that easy for me,” Hwang Kang-
Woong smiled.
"I’m not overestimating you.” Lee Shin made it clear.
Hwang Kang-Woong would not be chosen as the strongest person in the Undermost,
because his main focus was on architecture. However, if people were to choose the
person whose growth was the fastest, they would definitely pick Hwang Kang-
Woong.
This man was talented enough. Hwang Kang-Woong was never interested in
becoming stronger. However, his skills improved rapidly ever since he asked Lee Shin
how he could get stronger.
Moreover, every time he constructed a building, his title, Architect of the Wilderness,
helped increase his abilities very quickly. The potential of this title was not
something that one could belittle. If he were to build the fort, he would also become
stronger.
On top of that, he was the richest man in the Undermost. From Lee Shin’s point of
view, Hwang Kang-Woong’s potential for growth was outstanding, compared to the
rest in the Undermost.
"We are not in Korea. You have to know when to hide yourself, but also show
yourself properly when necessary," Lee Shin encouraged him.
"Alright, I will," Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
Hwang Kang-Woong was hiding his true abilities as the Architect of the Wilderness
from people, but Lee Shin knew well about his skills. In Lee Shin’s previous life,
another challenger had acquired this title. Since they used to be colleagues, Lee Shin
knew about this skill better than anyone else.
"The reason why I said this is because I have to find a hidden place in the waiting
area on the first floor," said Lee Shin.
"There is a hidden place?" Hwang Kang-Woong was surprised.
“Yes, there is. In fact, you are the only one who I can trust. Since it might be
dangerous, strength is a basic prerequisite and it would be helpful if one knows the
terrain well and has sharp senses," Lee Shin explained.
"Oh, so that place can be dangerous?" Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
"Yes, because the tower is a place where you can't let your guard down. You should
never think it’s a safe place,” Lee Shin replied.
Since Lee Shin looked very serious, Hwang Kang-Woong committed his warning to
memory.
"Potentially, it could be a place where there's a secret escape from the first floor," Lee
Shin continued. Hwang Kang-Woong nodded as he listened to Lee Shin's words.
"Please find a place where the mana gets dissipated. If you manage to find even the
smallest clue, please tell me right away. Even if you find it, you should never go there
alone," Lee Shin explained.
"Okay, I got it," Hwang Kang-Woong answered.
"First of all, make it your priority to build the fort, and then take a look around the
waiting area on the first floor while gathering the materials. Also, if you want to find
the place where the mana gets dissipated, you will need to use mana actively," Lee
Shin made it very clear for Hwang Kang-Woong.
"I'm still not very used to dealing with mana,” Hwang Kang-Woong replied in a quiet
voice.
"I think you will be quite busy for a while. But don’t worry! I'll teach you well," Lee
Shin encouraged him.
"Hahaha… I can’t even refuse it because it's such an important matter…” Although
Hwang Kang-Woong spoke reluctantly, his eyes were more serious than ever.
"And lastly, I have one more favor to ask of you," said Lee Shin.
"Wow, you have a lot of things you want from this old man. What is it?" Hwang Kang-
Woong asked.
"Please lend me some of your points," Lee Shin asked.
Hwang Kang-Woong looked puzzled at Lee Shin's words. Lee Shin had never asked to
borrow points because he could not use points. He usually asked for items instead.
"Huh? You can't even use the points though, can you?" Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
"Well, the item that I want to purchase this time is quite expensive. I will have to
borrow some points from each resident of Undermost,” Lee Shin explained his plan.
“You’re going to ask everyone?” Hwang Kang-Woong’s curiosity about the expensive
item that Lee Shin was trying to buy grew.
"Yes, I think it will be too much to borrow all from you,” Lee Shin replied.
"How much is it? I'm Hwang Kang-Woong. I'll just lend you the whole amount. Just
say it!" Hwang Kang-Woong said in confidence.
Lee Shin hesitated to ask him to borrow the whole sum. He did not think Hwang
Kang-Woong would have that many points. Even if he did, it was too big of an amount
to borrow all from one person.
"No, I don't think… That's a little too muc—" Lee Shin was interrupted.
"Hey! Just tell me how much!" Hwang Kang-Woong, the richest man in the
Undermost, wondered how much Lee Shin was trying to borrow.
"I need three…” Lee Shin replied quietly.
"Three… Three…? Wait, you need 3 million points?” Hwang Kang-Woong could not
keep his mouth shut upon hearing such a ridiculous number.
“…Is it really 3 million points?" Hwang Kang-Woong asked again to clarify.
"Yes, it’s really 3 million points," Lee Shin replied.
"Are you sure?" Hwang Kang-Woong was skeptical.
"Yes, I’m sure," Lee Shin answered.
“…” Hwang Kang-Woong was speechless.
“…I don't need them right now," said Lee Shin after a long pause.
Hwang Kang-Woong smiled awkwardly at Lee Shin. It seemed like Lee Shin was
thinking that he had asked too much from Hwang Kang-Woong.
"What on earth are you going to use it for?" Hwang Kang-Woong was curious.
"This is also a clue that will help us escape from the first floor. This one will bring
more certainty than the one I mentioned previously," Lee Shin explained.
Hwang Kang-Woong felt his heart pounding while hearing Lee Shin's words. Looking
at the figure alone, three million points seemed like a huge amount. However, the
residents of the Undermost could possibly collect them if they worked together.
"I will contribute as much as I can,” Hwang Kang-Woong suggested.
"Thank you so much. I am not going to take it for free. I'll give you something in
return." Lee Shin replied.
"Okay,” said Hwang Kang-Woong.
***
[Exclusive! Cha Yu-Min had reached the 80th floor! He is still maintaining his
position as the world's top challenger.]
[Jonathan's absurd remarks on Cha Yu-Min achievement on the 80th floor were re-
examined. The public is criticizing him.]
[The gap between Cha Yu-Min and Jonathan from the US had widened by four floors.]
[The president of the American Challengers Association is visiting the Korea

Challengers Association to have a secret negotiation on how to attack the tower.]
[Korea will soon become the world's best.]
[Korea will be able to clear the first floor in a year! What is the reason behind that?]
The ripple effect of Cha Yu-Min’s achievement on the 80th floor was enormous, and
countless articles and praise for him poured out. Previously, there were no malicious
articles for Cha Yu-Min because of his character and abilities. However, it was
different this time.
[Cha Yu-Min’s arrogant remark ‘Other countries should look up to Korea’ became an
issue.]
[Cha Yu-Min did not answer properly to any of the questions regarding the
disappearance of challengers on the first floor in Korea.]
[Is the Korea Challengers Association hiding the truth?]
[Cha Yu-Min got defeated by the boss on the first floor. Would it be the downfall of
the top ranker?]
[‘Korea's first floor can never be broken through.’ Is Korea going to fail like this?]
[Challenger A's interview, ‘Cha Yu-Min cannot be called a humble person.’]
[The issue on Dokdo with Japan reignites, will Japan take away Dokdo from Korea?]
Chaos ensued in all the countries, and many of them tried to analyze Cha Yu-Min’s
remarks. Were all of his words true indeed? Would it really be possible for Korea to
be ranked as the top place?
Aside from whether that was true, the media had to undermine Korea. They could
not praise Korea's potential, which had not been proven, just because of Cha Yu-
Min's words. If the first floor was going to be liberated and Korea would eventually
take the top spot, people had to weigh Korea down before that happened.
Meanwhile, Jonathan, who had been called Cha Yu-Min's rival, gradually became
jealous of him.
"Is Cha Yu-Min finally crazy? He really thinks Korea can be at the top?” Jonathan
asked.
"Well, if it’s Cha Yu-Min, I think he can say that. He is still the top ranker," Jenny
laughed at Jonathan.
"Well, we are only four floors apart. And I will be catching up soon," Jonathan said
confidently.
"You're just jealous. You’re still getting criticized because you said something similar
last year,” Jenny, leaning against the table with a wine glass, laughed at Jonathan.
Jonathan threw the wine glass on the floor at Jenny’s words.
"What the hell are you doing?” Jenny was surprised.
"Shut up! Cha Yu-Min! Cha Yu-Min! How many times are you saying his name? If you
like him that much, why don’t you just migrate to Korea?"
"I’m actually considering that, but the association won't let me go,” replied Jenny.
"What? Are you crazy?” Jonathan glared at her.
"Get out of my way! I don’t understand why the top ranker in the US feels so inferior
to just one Korean. That's why you're not attractive." Jenny pushed past him despite
his threats.
She looked back at him once, opened the door, and left. Jonathan was shaking in
anger.
"Cha Yu-Min…!" He stared at the door where she left and smashed the table he was
holding onto.
***
In the president's office of the Korea Challengers Association, the president, the vice-
president, as well as Cha Yu-Min, were talking about the press conference.
"Mr. Yu-Min, will you be alright?" Jeon Jae-Yong asked.
"Yes, I’m fine. I'm sorry I put you in too much trouble," Cha Yu-Min apologized.
Cha Yu-Min truly felt sorry about what he had said in the press conference.
"If what you said is true, this year would be the hardest year of all,” Jeon Jae-Yong
answered.
"Mr. Jeon, I think we will need to contact the United States or the United Kingdom to
strengthen our cooperation," Cha Yu-Min suggested.
"Hmm… But will they want to maintain their cooperation with us now?” Jeon Jae-
Yong was skeptical.
The United States, the world's top contender, China, the world's second, and other
countries such as the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, and Japan were
cooperating countries but also competitors at the same time.
So far, they had recognized each other's strengths, cooperating for mutual benefit.
However, as of now, Korea was soon to either be eliminated from the alliance or
emerge on top. Whether they forged ahead or fell behind, Korea could not be in the
same group anymore.
"I’m just worried that you withheld too much information,” Shin Hyun-Woo, the vice
president of the association, said anxiously.
Cha Yu-Min did not reveal what kind of boss was on the first floor. He did not say
anything exact about what conditions the first-floor challengers were in, or why he
believed Korea was soon to be the best.
"The reason I didn't reveal any of the information was to catch them this time," Cha
Yu-Min explained.
There was an organization that believed the challengers were now the mainstream
group, the people who should rule the world.
"Are you talking about ‘Reverse’?" He asked.
"Yes." Cha Yu-Min replied.
Reverse was a group of radicals who wanted to overturn the current rules and
establish a new world order. They thought that non-challengers should submit to the
challengers, because they were now the mainstream group, and make sure the world
is centered around the challengers.
The problem was that there were many challengers who agreed to such ideas; and
moreover, there were many ordinary people who worked under the challengers and
behaved like servants. With Cha Yu-Min’s remarks, it was clear that they would come
to Korea to launch their next move.
"Not only that, but I think it’s time to make a solid ally in Korea," Cha Yu-Min
suggested.
"A solid ally?" He asked.

"Yes, we need to strengthen our system of cooperation in order to deal with our
enemies in the future," Cha Yu-Min explained.
"Wait, what do you mean?" He was confused.
Cha Yu-Min became more serious.
"I don’t think I can tell you exactly yet. However, we have to get ready for the disaster
that will soon come.” Cha Yu-Min was being very vague.
"A disaster? Can you be a little more specific?” The president and the vice-president
were frustrated by Cha Yu-Min only speaking nonsense, but they could not rush him
because of what he said next.
"And I will not be returning to the tower before the Dimension Gate closes," Cha Yu-
Min declared.
"What?"
"Are you sure you can do that?”
Cha Yu-Min was the man who had climbed to the highest floor on Earth. He was the
top ranker as well as an idol for challengers around the world.
He never spent more than a year on Earth ever since he had entered the tower. For
the top ranker, time was as valuable as gold. One year was enough for one’s
achievements to disappear.
While he was wasting time on Earth, other competitors were climbing the tower and
continued to be strong. There were countless ways to become stronger while inside
the tower without having to climb it. Therefore, it was very unlikely that people who
started climbing the tower would remain on Earth.
"We need to clearly distinguish ourselves from our enemies and build trust to
establish a cooperative system in advance. It’s all because of one crucial issue. And
that is why I’m not going into the tower," Cha Yu-Min explained.
"What’s that?" They asked.
What on earth could happen in the future that would make Cha Yu-Min do such
things?
"Everyone is being deceived by the tower right now. I'm staying here to prevent that
from happening," Cha Yu-Min explained.
"We’re being fooled…? What is that supposed to…”
"Don't beat about the bush and just tell us what’s going on!"
Jeon Jae-Yong and Shin Hyun-Woo were very frustrated.
"In the next five years, the tower will shut down the Dimension Gate. And…” Cha Yu-
Min continued on.
***
“…At the same time, they will start distributing new gates onto Earth. To be honest,
there were clues about this from the past,” Lee Shin recalled his old memories while
drinking his tea.
One thing that the tower—or, rather the gods, have been fooling the people about
was the fact that the tower and Earth would be connected forever.
In the early days of the tower, many people did not enter the tower recklessly. The
system of the tower was unknown to people, and many of them were confused about
it. Moreover, people went missing.
A year later, the tower began spreading new videos to people on Earth. These videos
showed the challengers who were climbing the tower.
As if in a fantasy world, they could use magical superpowers to defeat their enemies
and develop themselves. These videos stimulated the desire of people to escape from
this frustrating and weary life.
The world inside the tower was just like what people could see in the movies or
cartoons. It reflected people’s imagination and fantasy. And the challengers who
entered to challenge the tower were the main characters of that world.
People who were once fifty-fifty on entering the tower began to enter, one after
another, and soon learned that the videos that they had seen were all true.
And when the first challenger to reach the 50th floor appeared on Earth, it became a
catalyst for people’s desire to climb the tower.
The challenger was able to use the abilities they got from the tower on Earth as well.
They also brought some mysterious items from the tower back to Earth.
It was the beginning of a cataclysmic event on Earth.
Since then, the Earth had been flooded with people trying to get into the tower. Soon
after, the video that showed the interior of the tower was no longer available for
viewing. Nevertheless, the number of people trying to enter the tower had not
decreased; it only slowed down, for a moment.
Still, those people who reached the 50th floor released information about the tower,
proving there was a connection between the tower and the Earth. However, the
Dimension Gate on the 50th floor could have caused a problem.
There were only a few people who wanted to climb to the top. The drastic increase in
difficulty between floors and the low rate of survival had reduced people’s
determination and motivation.
And in the end, most of the challengers gave up on climbing the tower. That was why
many people returned to Earth.
The gods who made the tower shut down the Dimension Gate, because they did not
like what they were seeing. They wanted to force people to go all the way up to the
100th floor.
And they opened up a communication network where challengers could see what
was happening on Earth from the tower. They released some of the monsters from
the tower into Earth as well.
“Fuck,” on second thought, a curse popped out of Lee Shin’s mouth again.
The challengers who entered the tower had no choice but to helplessly watch people
being slaughtered on Earth. They had to endure the sight of their country, colleagues,
friends, and family struggling to fight against the monsters.
Ordinary people on Earth were helpless even against the weakest monsters such as
the Goblin and Kobold.
At the very beginning when the Dimension Gate had closed, a small gate appeared in
a small neighborhood where old grandfathers and grandmothers lived. It was in the
countryside far from the city center.
An Orc walked out of the small gate as an elderly couple passed by. Lee Shin could
still remember the scene vividly as if he could picture it in front of him. He could not
forget the insanity the Orc displayed when it brutally killed the old couple. Almost all
the challengers of the tower, as well as Lee Shin, witnessed that scene.
At that time, a piece of writing by a challenger from the 55th floor circulated in the
community. He said he was the son of the old couple. He climbed the tower for his
parents, reached the 50th floor, gave them enough goods, and went back into the
tower.
There was greed inside every challenger in the tower. They all wanted to go up one
more floor, and get a little stronger. The greed accumulated and kept the challengers
from leaving the tower. And eventually, he spent two more years in the tower.
Then, when he was ready to go back, the Dimension Gate got shut down. Because of
his greed, his parents were killed by the Orc, and he had no choice but to watch them
helplessly.
He lamented about why they didn't go to a bigger city with the money that he had
sent. He was upset to see his parents living like that in reality, when they had
thanked him and told him that they were living comfortably with the money. People
could sense his tears in his lament.
Numerous challengers sympathized with him. All those who entered the tower were
someone's sons and daughters. The challengers could not think of the situation
unfolding the screen as simply someone else’s matter.
They wished they were on Earth. They had left behind their families, friends, and
colleagues. They gave up on many things to enter the tower, but they had never
regretted it because the tower was such an attractive place.
But not now. Some had come into the tower to protect someone on Earth at their
own expense. For them, the current situation was like hell. They came in wishing to
protect, but they could not.
Lee Shin associated the madness of the Orc with the images of the gods. It was the
gods who were truly mad, not the Orc.
From that point on, Lee Shin no longer looked at the screen. He did not even look at
the community. He just didn’t want to see anything at all.
Lee Shin questioned why the tower had to show such a scene to all the challengers.
The death of a human was no entertainment for the gods. They only wanted
challengers to reach the top of the tower.
They carried out these massacres in order to instill anger and motivation in human
beings. They knew anger was a big driving force for humans.
They took advantage of this and aroused the anger of all the Korean challengers with
a single video. And it was only the beginning. Numerous situations that were
happening on Earth were broadcasted live ever since. And from that point on, all the
challengers started climbing the tower like crazy.
After seeing the video, that challenger, the son of the old couple, began climbing the
tower in anger. However, such anger only made it impossible for him to see his
surroundings. News of the challenger was lost after they reached the 70th floor.
"Fucking bastards," Lee Shin was full of rage just by recalling his past memories.
The gods gave many favors to the outstanding challengers to make them their
apostles. After the closure of the Dimension Gate, when all the challengers were
enraged, some of the gods approached the challengers casually.
They were crazy people who thought that even if humans were so angry and climbed
to the top of the tower, they would eventually feel the power of the gods and submit
to the gods. Those gods could not understand humans nor did they try to understand
them.
Lee Shin was determined not to repeat the same mistake. Lee Shin would never
forget, so there was no way he would forget their evil deeds.
- Hwang Kang-Woong is here. He wanted me to tell you that he had found it.
May received a message a moment after the system message had popped up.
"Tell him to come in," Lee Shin replied.
***
Hwang Kang-Woong sat down and handed the documents to Lee Shin.
"Look over here," Hwang Kang-Woong pointed out.
There was a square monument in the place where Hwang Kang-Woong was pointing.
"This monument is…” Lee Shin was lost in his thoughts.
The monument resembled a tombstone that was built on an altar dedicated to the
gods.
"This monument was disrupting the mana around it,” Hwang Kang-Woong explained.
"Where did you find this?” Lee Shin asked.
Hwang Kang-Woong raised his index finger and pointed downwards.
"Did you find it under the ground?” Lee Shin was shocked.
"Yes, I found it while digging up some white limestone in the Rockies," Hwang Kang-
Woong replied.
"How did you find it?” Lee Shin asked again.
"One of the men who was digging for the white limestone had a strange feeling at the
end of the Rockies. So I went to that place and dug deeper. But the deeper I dug, the
more I felt like I was losing strength. That's when your words came to mind," Hwang
Kang-Woong explained.
"The place where the mana gets dissipated," Lee Shin remembered.
"That's right, it was impossible to dig it to the monument with just one person's
power. It was not easy because the mana got dissipated. So, I gathered people and
carried out the work," Hwang Kang-Woong said proudly.
"It seems like it took you a long time. Then how come you are telling me this now?”
Lee Shin asked.
"Hahaha, actually, I thought of telling you right away but you seemed a bit busy. Also,
I wanted to tell you after I confirmed it. I wasn’t sure about it until then,” Hwang
Kang-Woong continued.
It was understandable if it was Hwang Kang-Woong’s personality. He liked to be

meticulous and precise all the time.
Lee Shin nodded and took a sip of tea.

"You must have had a hard time," Lee Shin acknowledged his effort.
"Don't even get me started. I felt like I was going back to being an ordinary person
after a long time. I really thought I was going to die," Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
"Have you tried digging deeper underneath?" Lee Shin asked.
"I've tried it, but it was a failure. It was too hard. I don't think it would have worked
even if we could use our mana. It seemed like there was something solid that
connected to the monument,” Hwang Kang-Woong explained.
Lee Shin nodded as if he could sympathize with Hwang Kang-Woong’s words.
Maybe they would never find out more than that, because that was the altar of the
gods. The altar of the gods was always like that.
Lee Shin kept looking at the pictures in his hand, but that monument was clearly a
tombstone that was placed on the altar. The inscription on the tombstone was very
similar to the ancient language in the old bundle of papers that Gene Ebrium had.
"Thank you for your hard work. It seems necessary to interpret the inscription on
the monument. I'll take over from here," Lee Shin appreciated Hwang Kang-Woong’s
effort.
"Alright, is there anything else I can help with?” Hwang Kang-Woong asked.
"Just keep training hard. It won't take too long,” Lee Shin answered.
Hwang Kang-Woong left the room and Lee Shin looked at the ceiling with a complex
expression. The ceiling made up of just stones contained images of the gods, the ones
he had encountered on the 100th floor.
Lee Shin smiled bitterly. He knew there really wasn't much time left now. Since the
first floor was out of sight for the gods, it was a perfect place to prepare the blades of
a dagger that would be used on them.
"You would never even know that the knife is being forged behind your backs,” Lee
Shin smirked.
Not just Lee Shin, but countless humans were ready to bring the gods down. The
humans, whom they thought were just tools, would trample over them, and bring
them down from their height to the bottom. Lee Shin and others were ready to make
them feel like they were bitten by their dogs.
Hwang Kang-Woong left and May came in. There were huge bags under May’s eyes.
"What's going on?" Lee Shin asked.
Skeletons could not get bags under their eyes. May had made something that looked
similar using mana.
"Haha… I've collected as many ancient language books as I could find. I tried to sort
them by the strokes of the characters in the text, so you can use these for
interpretation for the time being," May explained.
"Thanks, you've worked hard. I know everything already, so you didn’t have to do
that,” Lee Shin answered.
“…No, it's all right. I can do it," May replied.
Lee Shin thought it was absurd how May protested and said he was fine.
"No, I can do it from now on. So you can just train the people from Undermost and
take a rest when you can," said Lee Shin.
“Alright, thank you," May replied.
May left the room and Lee Shin looked at the data in the ancient script. Staying up all
night for a day or two was not enough to do this work. It was something that would
take him at least a few months of hard work. It was possible to complete this in a few
months, because May was a Skeleton.
‘I can’t believe they decided to use ancient words on the tombstone.’ When Lee Shin
looked at the data set, he was convinced that the characters he saw earlier were
ancient words.
The timing was very good. Lee Shin thought he could focus on this work for a while.
***
"Hey, man! If you go up the tower with that skill, you will barely be able to climb a
few floors. You'll be beaten to death!"
"Yeah, come on! He doesn't have the grit. Are you sure you were a mixed martial arts
professional athlete?"
"Dammit! How can I do more her— Argh!”
While Shin Ha-Neul was distracted by Baek Hyun and Kang Ji-Hoon, Warrie hit Shin
Ha-Neul's wrist with a blade.
"Oh, you must have a lot of spare time to look away. I was complacent. I guess I made
it too easy for you.” Warrie was ready to raise the level of difficulty for Shin Ha-Neul.
"No, it's not that!" Shin Ha-Neul cried out.
To his excuses, there was no reply, besides a tougher attack from Warrie.
Swoosh— Swoosh— Swoosh—
Shin Ha-Neul's body moved like a mollusk and he continued to avoid Warrie's sword
marginally. His whole body was soaked with cold sweat and he could not relax for a
split second. Shin Ha-Neul was aware that a slight slip would allow Warrie to pierce
him with his sword.
There was no hesitation on Warrie’s end. He did not seem to care that he might
pierce his opponent. Shin Ha-Neul, facing his attack, was frightened.
"Keugh!"
A sharp blade skimmed Shin Ha-Neul’s flesh, and his butt almost separated from his
body; but to only protect his behind would have meant paying the price of certain
death, because the next moment, a sword came rushing toward his neck. Shin Ha-
Neul screamed when he saw the sword and a million thoughts raced through his
mind.
"Ahhh!” He shouted convulsively, but there was nothing wrong with his body.
Only then did Shin Ha-Neul realize that Warrie's sword had stopped in front of his
neck. He sighed in relief.
"Ugh, he's going to cry again. He will cry soon.”
"Don’t call yourself a man. How is he going to climb the tower if he whines and cries
so easily!”
"Stop! I didn't cry!" Shin Ha-Neul shouted.
The door hinge squeaked when Shin Ha-Neul cried out in frustration.
Squeak—
Lee Shin opened the door and entered the training ground.
"Is he crying again?” Lee Shin asked, looking at Shin Ha-Neul.
"I didn't cry!" Shin Ha-Neul replied angrily.
"Are you guys aware that you will soon have to climb the first floor and go beyond?"
Lee Shin clearly ignored Shin Ha-Neul.
"Yes, we are aware of that.”
"That's why we are here to be trained by Warrie."
"Let’s see how well you guys are doing. You two, come at me.” Lee Shin was here to
train the challengers.
The two people were surprised by Lee Shin's words and quickly got up from their
seats. Lee Shin had been working so hard on his research that he did not train them
for the past few months. Since it had been a while, the two wanted to show him how
hard they had trained.
"It will be different from before."
"Be prepared for it."
Their eyes were burning with determination. The next moment, another person
opened the door and entered the training ground. It was Park Joo-Hyuk with his
sharp gaze, wielding a sword around his waist. He bowed to Lee Shin.
"Join them," Lee Shin demanded.
“Okay, master," Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
When Park Joo-Hyuk joined, it made the two more determined to fight. Baek Hyun
was more concerned with Park Joo-Hyuk than Kang Ji-Hoon, because the best rival
for him was none other than Park Joo-Hyuk.
"Show me what you got." Lee Shin signaled with his fingers.
Lee Shin flapped his index finger and middle finger. As soon as Baek Hyun's sword
was drawn from the scabbard, the sword aura was revealed and flew directly at Lee
Shin. In fact, it was more accurate to call it an expedient use of mana, instead of a
sword aura; nevertheless, it was quite threatening. At the same time, a spear slipped
from Kang Ji-Hoon's back, swirled around and rushed to Lee Shin.
"Oh, that is pretty good," Lee Shin was amazed.
Lee Shin’s mana flowed and was absorbed into the ground. In the next moment, a
stone wall protruded from the ground, blocked the sword and twisted the trajectory
of the spear. The two, who naturally expected Lee Shin to block their attack,
continued on to the next skill with a smooth connection just like flowing water.
Lee Shin smiled at the two in satisfaction, but the two had no time to see his
expression.
Bang! Kwakwang!
The two of them who had been in control of the attack for a moment, quickly lost
control and were forced to defend against Lee Shin's attack several times. Dozens of
Ice Spears fell from the ceiling.
Kagagagak—
Lee Shin continued to be conscious of Park Joo-Hyuk while attacking the two. His
swordplay was different from those of Baek Hyun and Kang Ji-Hoon. It was very
practical and efficient. There was no useless movement at all, just like an assassin.
Nevertheless, it was overwhelming.
Ice spears fell from above, stones rose from the ground, and explosions of air went
off.
He used Triple Casting. All the attacks were just the basic mana of the second and
third level, but the casting speed and the range of use made them different from an
ordinary skill.
Lee Shin seemed relaxed, but that was not how he felt on the inside.
‘With Mana Power Level 2, I can use up to the third level mana, but I can’t use mana
from higher levels… ’ Lee Shin knew he could not clear them in one shot.
It was frustrating for Lee Shin because he had to link two to three mana skills to deal
with the three simultaneously, when one fourth-level mana could easily defeat them
all at once. Still, it was not difficult, just frustrating. Dozens of Ice Spears plummeted
over Baek Hyun's head.
“Why is a swordmage only using his sword? Don’t forget to use your mana! Use your
left hand to draw a mana technique and swing your sword to find a way out!" Lee
Shin gave him instructions.
On one side, a wide-range flame radiation wrapped around Kang Ji-Hoon.
"It’s a good idea to rotate the spears to block the flame. But, are you just going to
cover the front? What about the back? What about the sides? How about the top! The
flame will come from all directions, so how are you going to block them like that?
How many times have I told you to use the wind to deal with flames? Huh? Find a
way to use your mana effectively!” Lee Shin shouted.
The two people had clenched their teeth. Shin Ha-Neul’s laughter from behind
annoyed them.
‘I can’t be humiliated in front of that guy!’
‘If I keep going like this, I can't make fun of him anymore! I have to protect my dignity!’
Park Joo-Hyuk seemed to be dancing around in accordance with Lee Shin’s mana, as
if he was a stringed doll, with the Air Bomb that burst without warning.
"I told you to use mana power, didn't I? The only thing in your head right now is the
[Power of Transformation]! Do well in combat before you think about using it at all!
Your mastery of mana power is still lacking by so much!" Lee Shin shouted.
Park Joo-Hyuk clenched his teeth at Lee Shin's words. Although he had trained like
crazy, he still had a long way to go. That necromancer did not even use his best
power, black magic, and yet the three’s concentration had reached its peak. The
confrontation with Lee Shin was coming to an end.
Lee Shin was admiring three people in his mind. The skills of the two people who
stayed on the first floor for the longest time were outstanding within the Undermost.
Lee Shin had not been able to oversee their training, but they had achieved
considerable growth without the help of the tower.
This was important. When challengers eventually started climbing the tower, they
relied on the rewards given by the tower, and their own honing of skills slowed
down. In the end, they would reach a plateau in their skills while climbing the tower,
and they would die due to the sudden increase in difficulty and numerous other
variables.
"This is it. You guys did a great job. You have improved quite a lot," Lee Shin said,
looking at the three people, lying on the floor with satisfied looks.
"Don't be so conceited. In the end, it's just that you've become stronger as you
wasted your time on the first floor. Even if you guys break the record on the earlier
floors of the tower, the higher up you go, the more likely people like Cha Yu-Min will
catch up with you. The top rankers are not the rankers for no reason. So keep going,"
Lee Shin reminded them.
"Okay, I will."
"I will keep that in mind."
Lee Shin paused and was about to leave the room.
"Oh, and you, Shin Ha-Neul," Lee Shin called out.
"Ah, yes?" Shin Ha-Neul answered in surprise.
"I'm afraid you'll be beaten up if you leave the first floor. When you start climbing the
tower, don't draw attention to yourself and climb quietly. I think you might be sent to
the afterlife sooner by other challengers or the monsters of the tower rather than
later as you climb,” Lee Shin reminded him.
"Okay…” Shin Ha-Neul replied.
Shin Ha-Neul lowered his head in despondency. When he first climbed the tower, he
thought of becoming a supernova and ruling the tower, but he got less and less
confident when he realized that he was insignificant compared to the people of the
Undermost. There even was a time when he briefly struggled with Mrs. Kang's son.
'Wow, I’m tearing up already.’ Shin Ha-Neul became a little scared to climb the tower
after hearing Lee Shin's words.
***
[2,136,320/3,000,000]
A large system window was launched in the Central Square of the Undermost. Toeing
sat in front of it and collected points from people.
"Thank you!" Toeing replied.
"Wow! You brought 5,000 points? Mr. Jang, you must have worked hard!" said Toeing.
"Wow! We have collected so many points!" Toeing was excited.
Three million points were needed. This was a fundraiser to buy the Heart of the Soul
Scavenger. And they were almost at the end. People looked at the rising numbers and
were more motivated to collect points. The fort of the Undermost was almost
finished. Upon hearing the news of the fundraising process, Lee Shin stepped up the
plans for creating a boss to replace him.
"Hmm… I think this is good enough. He probably wouldn’t need brains as much as
May,” Lee Shin muttered.
"Master, but isn’t the boss too strong compared to the previous first-floor boss?" May
asked anxiously.
"That's right, the previous boss on the first floor is not even close to what I'm making
right now," Lee Shin answered.
"But then why are you making him so strong? If that's the case, the new challengers
would not be able to clear the first floor again.”
"That’s exactly what I want to do. Because even if I get out of here, I need a boss who
can challenge the Undermost challengers on the first floor for the sake of their
growth. It's very stupid to clear the first floor without any growth. So shouldn’t we
force them to get trained?“ Lee Shin suggested.
"I see, but won't people protest?" May asked.
"You still don't understand the Korean challengers. People want others to suffer as
much as they did. What would the current Undermost people do to the newcomers if
they couldn’t clear the first floor?” Lee Shin asked.
"Aha, they will teach the newcomers a lesson, just like how they went through
training,” May replied.
"Exactly! And even if we leave, there is no need for those who are here to occupy this
place. They will know that they can return from the upper floors later," Lee Shin
explained.
"You are brilliant, master!" May shouted.
"Hahaha! We will be able to get out of the first floor before the Dimension Gate
closes,” Lee Shin was excited.
During this period of the Dimension Gate, the shock people would experience was
not a joke, because the ranking would change completely.
Undermost was livelier than ever. The news that they could finally leave the first-
floor spread.
"Hey, Mr. Sung! Is that all you can do? Bring more every time!" Hwang Kang-Woong
shouted.
"Mr. Hwang! There's a crack here!" a worker called out.
"What? What kind of punk applied it like that? If you don't build the wall properly,
you will not be going out even if we collect all the points! Got it?" Hwang Kang-
Woong shouted.
"What are you guys doing? Hurry up and go to the Rockies and dig for more white
limestone!" Hwang Kang-Woong yelled.
The work on the wall surrounding Undermost was a tremendous construction, and it
would not have been strange for it to take years to be completed if it were on Earth.
However, the work was being done at an incredibly fast speed here. Hwang Kang-
Woong ran around and oversaw the project.
At that time, there was a young man running from the Rockies, carrying lumps of
white limestone. He was carrying a forklift that was two or three times his size.
"Shin Ha-Neul! When are you going to finish your work if you move like a
slowpoke!?" On-site, Hwang Kang-Woong was the scariest one. Shin Ha-Neul's eyes
shook and he began to run right away.
"Okay, okay!" Shin Ha-Neul rushed a little.
"Hey, you punk! You’re dropping all the white limestone!” Hwang Kang-Woong
shouted.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Shin Ha-Neul apologized.
Shin Ha-Neul suddenly remembered the day he first came here.

‘I can't believe I broke it with a man like that… ’ Shin Ha-Neul realized how lucky he
was at that time.
"Can’t you see the men next to you who are twice as old as you are, but still carrying
twice the amount you’re carrying!" Hwang Kang-Woong yelled.
Shin Ha-Neul turned and looked to his side. Next to him, there were three old men,
who certainly looked twice as old as he was, running while carrying a large forklift.
At first glance, he could tell that twice as much white limestone was in their forklift.
"Phew… Kids these days… tsk, tsk."
"I know, I used to carry these in both hands when I was young."
"Kids are lazy these days. We have to understand.”
Shin Ha-Neul's cheeks trembled at the words of the three old men, but he could not
refute. He had already been scolded and taught a lesson by those men.
"Okay! I'll do better!" Shin Ha-Neul was in high spirits after coming to Undermost.
There was madness in their eyes as they built the wall and moved back and forth in
the Rockies. Life at Undermost was not so bad, because they had everything. They
did not get tired, and there was enough training for them.
A few people explicitly complained about not being able to climb the tower; but in
their hearts, everyone wanted to climb the tower. They came here, after all.
They were curious what was coming next. There were many people on Earth waiting
for them. They had already wasted enough time. Numerous people had lined up to
enter not only the wall but also the portal to the first floor in the center of
Undermost.
"Ouch! Wait! Huh? No! Please wait!" Toeing shouted.
"Can we go in now?"
"No, please wait! There could be a problem on the first floor because too many
people already went in!" Toeing explained.
"What happens if there is a problem?” a little kid asked, hugging Toeing.
"I get in trouble!" Toeing answered.
"What happens when you get in trouble?" the little kid asked again.
"Ah… um… I don't know! Anyway, I can’t do that! Lee Shin told me not to let anyone
in anymore!" Toeing explained.
The little kid, disappointed by Toeing's words, shook Toeing wildly and turned mean.
"Ouch—that hurts!" Toeing yelled in pain.
"Oh my! I told you not to do that to Toeing!” Kang Jung-Won, the kid’s mom, ran
urgently to the front, and hurriedly saved Toeing from her kid.
“Ugh…” the kid was depressed.
"I'm sorry, Toeing. Are you alright?" Kang Jung-Won asked.
"It's all right," Toeing replied.
"Visit my store later, I'll give you free tteokbokki[1].” Kang Jung-Won offered.
"Really? Wow! Thank you so much!" Toeing hopped around in excitement.
***
Time flew by in an instant. It was less than three months until the Dimension Gate
opened. Toeing stood in the Central Square of Undermost and collected points from
people. The display of the number of points already collected was floating in the sky
above the square.
[2,922,100/3,000,000]
People gathered in the Central Square cheered as they saw the rising numbers.
[2,988,100/3,000,000]
When they were close to reaching 3 million points, people's faces flushed.
[2,999,010/3,000,000]
They only needed 990 points more to make 3 million points. Baek Hyun was the last
one to hand in the points.
"Here you go," said Baek Hyun.
"Thank you!" Toeing replied.
Baek Hyun could barely steady his trembling heart. He looked up at the sky. When
his 990 points went in, he could see that they had reached 3 million points together.
[3,000,000/3,000,000]
Each challenger living in Undermost was filled with emotions. It had been more than
a year for someone and less than a month for another. The longer they stayed here,
the more extraordinary they felt.
[0/3,000,000]
The huge number turned to zero in an instant. Toeing was very carefully holding the
Heart of the Soul Scavenger with his little hands. The heart did not look anything like
what people had expected. It had a hazy, translucent form like a ghost. It came in a
cylindrical container.
"Here!" Toeing handed over the Heart to Hwang Kang-Woong.
Hwang Kang-Woong had contributed the most to buy the Heart of the Soul
Scavenger. He contributed nearly 200,000 points by himself. All over his face was a
mix of emotions.
"Let's go!" Kim Kang-Chun shouted.
"Okay," Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
Hwang Kang-Woong, Kim Kang-Chun, and his four members climbed to the first floor
as representatives. Hwang Kang-Woong moved extra carefully so that he would not
drop the Heart of the Soul Scavenger.
"You're here," Lee Shin greeted them. He looked very calm.

Was Lee Shin really helping them break through the first floor? What if they were
being fooled now? The thought crossed their minds for a moment, but they knew it
was meaningless.
Hwang Kang-Woong smiled and handed him the Heart.
"Thank you all for your hard work," Lee Shin's gentle words touched the six people's
hearts.
After saying that, Lee Shin entered his laboratory. The rest of the people could not
stood rooted for a while to the spot and looked at the door where Lee Shin entered.
***
After Lee Shin had entered the lab, he carefully picked up the Heart of the Soul
Scavenger.
[Heart of the Soul Scavenger (replica)]
This is a replica of the Heart of the Soul Scavenger who once held the class of
divinity. His trace remains. Be careful not to touch it hastily, because if you do, your
soul may be eaten.
The explanation was sloppy compared to how expensive it was. However, Lee Shin,
who knew the ability was this item, began to pour mana into the heart. Instinctively,
he felt like he knew what this heart is used for. There were countless deaths
contained in the heart.
Woong— Woong— Woong—
The heart began to respond to the nature of the mana that was related to the death
of Gene.
‘Good.’ Lee Shin had studied the Heart of the Soul Scavenger for several days without
leaving the lab.
'This is good enough.’ Lee Shin began implanting the Heart into the body of the newly
made boss.
Very thin threads of mana intertwined here and there, and thousands of threads
connected the body and the heart.
Before he knew it, Lee Shin's whole body was soaked with cold sweat. Nevertheless,
there was not a tremble in his fingertips, and the movement of mana was very
steady.
It was a task that required ultra-high concentration and technology. Not even a slight
waver was allowed. He had asked May and Warrie in advance to prevent any
vibration or sound from occurring in the laboratory. There should be no external
interference since Lee Shin had added an extra mana protection as well.
The decisive reason for the use of the Heart of the Soul Scavenger was due to his title
of [He Who Knows Death.] The Heart itself contained a trace of the spirit, even
though it was only a small amount. On top of that, the nature of the Heart itself was
violent and chaotic, so it was impossible to handle this work without a proper
understanding of this guy.
Lee Shin had to put a doll's soul in it. And that soul could also be found using his
ability as He Who Knows Death.
"Whoa…” Lee Shin could not tell how much time had passed.
He had no sense of time because he was concentrating on his work. After all the
work was done, his whole body creaked and his muscles trembled as if he had been
overexerting himself.
"It's all completed, finally," Lee Shin said proudly.
[Legendary Doll Maker]
You have created a doll that embraces the class of divinity. It is an incredible
achievement! Then the producer should not lag behind the doll, right?
# Divine Quality +1
# Doll Making Level +4
[He Who Has the Qualities of God]
You have divine qualities, don't you? You have the potential to become a god. He Who
has the Qualities of God does not die easily.
# Immune to death for 3 seconds (24 hours cooldown time)
"I never thought that I would get a divine quality here," Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin was barely able to acquire a divine quality when he reached the 90th floor
in his previous life. He never thought he would get it in return for making a doll on
the first floor. Of course, this work was that difficult to do.
"Ha…” Lee Shin sighed.
Lee Shin was not sure if this was a good thing. He was sure he would attract the
attention of the gods thanks to his divine quality, the moment he went up to the
second floor. Since they would never imagine someone could gain this status from
the first floor, they would probably think he was a man who had acquired this status
outside the tower in the first place.
"Coffee… I need coffee…” Lee Shin muttered.
It was not the end of the crisis. He got up, poured a cup of coffee, and took a sip. The
strong scent of coffee seemed to energize the body. After the short coffee break, he
started working again. It was time to really use the power of [He Who Knows Death].
Through numerous studies, Lee Shin had developed the ability to apply [He Who
Knows Death] by combining mana and soul. It was the result of looking at Gene
Ebrium’s research journal and it was quite successful.
Lee Shin’s mana was released and covered the entire space, eventually becoming his
eyes to detect the souls around the area. There were numerous souls throughout this
place. However, there was one that felt particularly special. It was the soul of Gene
Ebrium.
He appeared before Lee Shin’s eyes. Lee Shin had encountered many souls here, but
Gene Ebrium’s felt more powerful than anyone else.
The essence of Gene’s broken soul was faintly scattered like water leaking from a
bottomless jar.
A dejected smile hung around his mouth. "It's so immense that it is disappearing
faster."
Another thing that his soul was different from the others was that there was a link
between him and Lee Shin’s body. The very link that Lee Shin could not break even
after trying to do everything he could—he was finally going to cut it off now.
"Wake up," Lee Shin commanded.
His mana flowed into the lying doll and stimulated the Heart of the Soul Scavenger.
As if the mana had become a catalyst, the doll's eyes shone blue and raised himself.
The doll, which still did not have any sense of self, stared blankly at Gene Ebrium’s
soul.
"Eat it," Lee Shin demanded.
An unknown force spread from the doll's heart and covered Gene Ebrium’s body.
There was no change in Gene’s expression until the force covered him all. However, it
seemed to Lee Shin that Gene’s mouth was slightly raised.
"You've worked hard, Gene," Lee Shin muttered.
***
A streak of light fell from the sky above Undermost. It was the light that appeared
when someone entered Undermost. Since no one had gone up to the second floor,
there was a high possibility that this was a new challenger.
"Oh my… I can't believe there’s a new challenger at this time."
"Shall we go check them out? We got nothing to do anyways.”
"Yeah, if we play with a newbie, time will fly and it will be all good."
Many people from Undermost gathered in the Central Square with this idea.
Now, the residents of Undermost were all waiting for Lee Shin who took away the
Heart of the Soul Scavenger. They waited for several days without any news and they
were getting frustrated and crazy.
A new challenger came in during this time when they were nervous and anxious that
they could not even go up the first floor.
"Hello! My name is Toeing! I'm the manager of the waiting area on the first floor and
Undermost here!" Toeing introduced himself.
A man wearing a white mask and a white robe appeared. No one went up to the
second floor, so he was definitely a new challenger. People did not think it was
strange because, occasionally, there were people who dressed up as if they were
entering a fantasy world.
The objects from Earth were soon discarded because they are useless in the tower
due to their lack of mana. However, when people first entered, some wore clothes
like those.
"Hey newbie! Are you from the medieval fantasy era?”
"Hahaha! Don't you know how to use mana?"
"Do you use Fire Balls?"
People jokingly teased the new challenger as if he was a new recruit in the army.
The new challenger ignored people’s words and looked around curiously. And other
challengers found that cute to watch.
"Hello Mr. Challenger, this is a place called Undermost. It is a city founded by

challengers! Do you have any questions?" Toeing asked.
He stared at Toeing without answering, and suddenly lifted Toeing up to his face.
"Ah— You can't do this," said Toeing, picking his ears as if he was annoyed.
People enjoyed watching the scene, because this kind of situation happened quite a
lot.
"Long time no see, Toeing." His voice was calm but contained a lot of emotion.
"Huh? Do you know me?" Toeing tilted his head at the voice he heard for the first
time.
However, that voice sounded familiar to others.
"What?"
"No way…”
"Really…?"
Toeing looked at the people around him and wondered what was going on. It was
because their faces, which seemed happy sitting in the square, all changed instantly.
He carefully put Toeing down. "Yes, I know you very well."
Only then did Toeing hopped and stepped back. The man in the white robe slowly
looked around the crowd gathered in the Square.
"Nice to meet you all."
1. Spicy rice cakes ☜

Lee Shin remembered the time when he first found the Immortal Sphere here and
regained his memory.
'They came when I was in a daze,’ Lee Shin remembered.
For some reason, Lee Shin felt more attached to Kim Kang-Chun, Baek Hyun, Kang Ji-
Hoon, Ji Eun-Ju, and Park Hye-Won, compared to the other challengers. Was it
because they were the first ones he had encountered? Or was it because of the guilt
of preventing them from climbing the tower? That did not matter anymore.
In addition to them, there were Hwang Kang-Woong, who made the biggest
contribution to establishing Undermost; Kang Jung-Won, who made Undermost's
specialty tteokbokki; and Park Joo-Hyuk, who overcame his trauma and acquired a
unique ability in the Square.
All of these people could not climb the tower, because of Lee Shin, and stayed here
for a long time.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Lee Shin apologized.
People began wailing when they heard Lee Shin’s voice, remembering the hardships
they had suffered.
It started out as one or two people crying, and soon the whole crowd was crying.
Everyone in the Square was in floods of tears.
"Heugh…”
"Is this happening for real…?"
Some people cried and sobbed, and others flopped on the floor because they lost
their strength. Some people thanked Lee Shin, and most of the people were thrilled
that they jumped and hugged each other to express their joy.
"You are all free now," Lee Shin threw off his mask and pulled back his robe.
His smile shone brightly.
"Yayyy!"
"We are finally free!"
"Yay! We’re free!"
"Mom, dad! Your little jerk is finally going up!"
"I'm going up too! Young-Mi! Wait for me!"
People expressed their joy.
"Master!"
"You did it!"
"Ahhh!"
"You condescending master! How can you scare people like this?”
"Thank you so much for all this time."
The five initial members of Undermost rushed to Lee Shin and hugged him.
Normally, Lee Shin would have blown them away with his mana, but he decided to
accept them at this moment.
"Thank you very much," Hwang Kang-Woong approached Lee Shin.
"Thank you," Lee Shin replied.
"You didn't forget that you'll help me when I start climbing the tower, right?” Hwang
Kang-Woong asked.
"Of course, I didn’t," Lee Shin smiled.

It was strange to see them happy.
Hwang Kang-Woong handed Lee Shin a map. "Here is the map with the location of
the tombstone."
"Thank you so much," Lee Shin thanked him.
"I can go along and guide you if you want," Hwang Kang-Woong offered.
"That's all right. You should go and catch up with them for a bit,” Lee Shin replied.
"I think it would be nice if you could come with us," Hwang Kang-Woong suggested.
"I'm the villain who stopped you guys, aren't I? The villain needs to stay clear, haha,"
Lee Shin replied with a playful smile.
"I wish you the best of luck,” Hwang Kang-Woong answered.
Lee Shin, who smiled faintly, moved to the center of the Square. All the eyes of the
people gathered in the Square turned to Lee Shin.
"Hello everyone, as I've already mentioned many times, your growth on the first
floor will give you a tremendous advantage in climbing the tower forward. So, if
anyone thinks they are lacking in growth, don't go up to the first floor right away.
Train more here and then climb up." Lee Shin looked at the people’s faces.
Everyone had different facial expressions.
‘Well… There's nothing I can do about it… ’
Some people could understand what he meant, but others did not. Lee Shin just
hoped that they wouldn't die before they reached the 50th floor.
The tower was not a place where one could climb by the help of another. It was a
place where one had to overcome entirely by their own will and effort. Therefore,
Lee Shin thought that their growth at the first floor, which was the starting point,
was important.
Not to mention that beyond the 50th floor was where the real ordeal of the tower
began. Lee Shin just wanted them to get to the 50th floor so they could return to
Earth. The growth here was a source of power that would help them reach the 50th
floor.
"The difficulty level of the boss on the first floor was set randomly. People who lack
skills may not be good enough to clear it, so it is important that you focus on
improving your skills here,” said Lee Shin.
There were a few people who wanted to vent their dissatisfaction, but they couldn't
make it obvious because they were conscious of the others around them. Lee Shin
did not want to care about every single one of those people. He knew that they
would be able to understand his words later on.
"So, from now on, I won’t be on the first floor. Feel free to challenge yourself," Lee
Shin said.
However, no one was willing to step up after hearing Lee Shin’s words. The idea of
clearing the first floor was already unfamiliar to the challengers.
They cringed unconsciously at the thought of 'Can I really clear the first floor?'
"Oh, one other thing! Even if it’s not me, the boss on the first floor will not kill you. So
don't worry, and give it a try,” Lee Shin clarified.
After the clarification, there were people who stepped forward. A young man
stepped forward with confidence.
"Hey! Why are you guys so scared? Our master said that we can challenge the first
floor. I'll go first!" He walked into the first-floor portal confidently.
Even after seeing him enter the portal, none of the challengers followed the young
man. For some reason, they thought a light streak would come down in a moment
and the young man who had just entered would come back.
However, there was no news after a minute, five minutes, and then ten minutes. The
young man did not come back.
Did he really clear the first floor? Shouldn’t there be fireworks that go off, or some
kind of change that happens if someone clears the first floor? People thought about
all sorts of things.
That was how big of an obstacle the first floor was to everybody. However, seeing
that nothing happened, people started to step forward, one by one by one.
"I'm going to try!"
"Yeah, me too!"
"Huh? Why are we getting so scared? We lived longer than these young people here.
I’ll just die if I have to.”
"Okay! Let's go!"
A large crowd of people began to enter the portal on the first floor. Nevertheless,
most people were still hesitant. And as more time passed, people began to believe
that the first floor could be cleared.
"Hey, shall we go up now?" Park Hye-Won asked.
"Wait, we don't know when we'll get together next once we start climbing the tower.
I want to catch up with you guys first,” Kang Ji-Hoon replied.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" Shin Ha-Neul interjected in the conversation
between Park Hye-Won and Kang Ji-Hoon.
"Why are you here?" Baek Hyun looked at Shin Ha-Neul as if he were looking at a
stranger.
"Hey, don’t treat me like that," Shin Ha-Neul replied.
"Treat you like what?" Baek Hyun asked.
"How can you be so negligent to the future ranker?" Shin Ha-Neul was disappointed.
"Pfft!" Ji Eun-Ju laughed at Shin Ha-Neul's words.
"Wow, even you’re laughing, Eun-Ju?" Shin Ha-Neul looked at Ji Eun-Ju with a
surprised face.
"Who cares. Master, please join us," Kim Kang-Chun approached Lee Shin.
"I'm good. Have a great time," Lee Shin answered.
"Still…” Kim Kang-Chun was disappointed.
"It’s fine," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin started to walk away without looking at them.
He thought he would feel bad toward them and regret his choice to not join them if
he saw their faces. Lee Shin thought that if he hung out with them, the gods might
hate them too. Therefore, he did not want to get attached to them.
Lee Shin left the Central Square and decided to look around Undermost in disguise. It
was his first time taking a look around the village. It was quite spacious from the
Central Square to the outer wall. Lee Shin tapped the fortified wall.
"It’s quite strong," Lee Shin muttered.
The wall seemed stronger than what Lee Shin had expected. He could see clearly
how hard they must have worked in that short time.
After a slow walk around the tower wall, he visited different places inside
Undermost. The house of the five challengers was built near the Central Square. The
entrance of the house was enchanted and firmly locked, making it difficult to break
in or open. It seemed like they cared a lot about security, but…
Click—
Lee Shin could open the door very easily using his mana power. He skimmed through
the house of the five people. Now that they were leaving this place, it was neatly
organized, but the memories of their past remained all over it.
Lee Shin locked the door and walked down the street. He could see Hwang Kang-
Woong's building, which was the largest building in Undermost.
The interior design was neat and simple. There were only one or two people left
inside. As he climbed to the top of the building, he could see a panoramic view of
Undermost. The Undermost village was so developed that it felt like an actual place
where people could live.
‘Mr. Hwang did contribute a lot,’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin thought this would be enough for the next challengers to adapt well to the
environment.
As he walked down the street, he saw Mrs. Kang's shop. He couldn’t see Mrs. Kang
there. Another person was selling food inside.
"Can I please get the most delicious tteokbokki from this place?” Lee Shin asked.
"Sure! Kang's special tteokbokki is the main menu here. I'll be right back with your
tteokbokki," she replied.
Lee Shin didn’t have to wait for that long as his tteokbokki came out pretty quickly.
Hwang Kang-Woong lent his points to Lee Shin, who could finally collect points after
changing his status to a challenger. Lee Shin bought tteokbokki with those points.
The tteokbokki was delicious, more so than any other tteokbokki that he had eaten
in his past life.
"I see why this place is so popular,” Lee Shin muttered.
After he finished eating, he walked on the street again. He went to the park and out
of Undermost. The sun had set and it was already dark.
When Lee Shin came back to the Central Square, he could barely see any people.
When he called Toeing, he appeared from the back of the building.
"Are you finally going to the first floor?" Toeing asked.
"Yes," Lee Shin replied.
"No…” Toeing whimpered.
For some reason, Toeing did not seem to be in a good mood. Lee Shin bent down and
hugged Toeing. When Lee Shin stroked Toeing’s soft fur slowly and gently, Toeing
remained still as if he was enjoying it. Soon after, Lee Shin noticed Toeing snoring. He
carefully put Toeing down on the ground and covered him with his robe.
"I still have things to do before I go, so you can sleep a little," Lee Shin said quietly.
***
The ancient words written on the monument were not easy to translate. After
Hwang Kang-Woong showed it to Lee Shin, he worked on the translation every day.
However, he could only understand a part of it. And one thing Lee Shin learned was
that this monument was built on the altar of God just as he expected. However, it was
not known which God the temple belonged to.
If it was a temple of a strange God, Lee Shin might be tied up there.
However, Lee Shin had no choice but to go. The waiting area, as well as the whole
first floor, were not influenced by the gods in the first place.
Nevertheless, it was necessary to check it out, because there was an altar of God not
on the first floor, but in the waiting area on the first floor. There was one God whom
Lee Shin was expecting.
[The Immortal Sphere]
This is a marble that contains a speck of the forgotten gods.
The first floor was the place where Lee Shin had found the Immortal Sphere. Perhaps
the monument here was also built on the altar of the forgotten God.
Before Lee Shin had noticed it, he arrived at the place drawn on the map. There was
a huge monument embedded deep into the ground. Lee Shin read the inscription on
the monument.
"Go against… the mana spell…” Lee Shin muttered.
The reason why the mana here was dissipated was that the flow here was against the
flow of mana from nature. And on this tombstone, it said to go against the flow. Just
like what it instructed, Lee Shin forced the mana to reverse.
Opposing nature and going against the flow was a mana control that even fifth and
sixth-level wizards couldn't do, especially not on the first floor. Lee Shin suppressed
his laughter and focused on mana control.
His body, which had been in its best condition, changed to its worst.
His mana blood vessels began to weaken more and more, and mana control became
harder and harder.
"Keugh!" Blood came up from his esophagus and escaped through his tightly-pressed
lips. His health points dropped at a rapid pace. Mana power swirled around him and
his mana blood vessels were bursting.
"Gasp!" Blood filled his mouth and splattered out. Seeing all that blood, Lee Shin
thought he could die of excessive bleeding.
# Health Points: 500/8,750
Lee Shin did not have many health points left.
"Ahhh!" He squeezed out all his strength and controlled his mana power.
The capillaries in his eyes burst one after another.
For the first time since he had gained his memory, his health points dropped to zero.
[He Who has the Qualities of God]
You have divine qualities, don't you? You have the potential to become a god. He who
has the qualities of God does not die easily.
# Immune to death for 3 seconds (24 hours cool time)
[Those with Qualities of God don't die easily]
[You are immune to death for 3 seconds]
Lee Shin did not even have the time to look at the system window that floated in the
air. He controlled the mana by drawing from the last of his mental power, and then
the mana that had resisted nature naturally assimilated into the flow of nature.
Coo-gu-gu-gu-gung—
The ground where the monument was located cracked, and the entrance to the
basement appeared.
***
└Guys, it's a scoop! This is crazy!
└What is it? Why are you making a fuss all of a sudden?
└The ranking on the second floor has been updated!
└What? Seriously?
The activity in the Korea tower’s community increased. And that was just the
beginning.
Lee Shin felt like the mana blood vessels in his entire body were about to burst.
All his muscles were throbbing and Lee Shin’s condition was so severe that he had to
recuperate quietly for a while.
Lee Shin forced his weak legs to move and went down the stairs that took him to the
deep underground. He became so weak that he could barely use basic level one
mana. Nevertheless, he mustered all his strength and walked down the stairs.
'I can't feel death,’ Lee Shin thought.
If this place was truly dangerous, Lee Shin could have felt death coming near.
However, that was not the case. Rather, he felt like he had to go down here to survive.
After some time, he saw a small altar at the end of the stairs.
"Wait, this is…” Lee Shin muttered.
In front of the altar, there was a monument similar to the one he had seen above
ground. Lee Shin approached the monument and read the writing there. It was an
ancient language, just as he expected.
"Only those who are qualified can climb," Lee Shin read the inscription aloud.
What kind of qualification were they talking about? This was the only sentence he
could read among several. Lee Shin passed the monument and stood on top of the
altar. There stood an indecipherable gargoyle, a mysterious figure with such intricate
details it was hard to make sense of what it was.
‘Hmmm… This is… ’ Lee Shin thought.
Below it, there was a pattern and an ancient language written on the altar.
- Those who are qualified, engrave your mana here.

It seemed like Lee Shin had to engrave his mana here. There was no reason for him
to hesitate here. His intuition was telling him to follow the instruction, and he
decided to go with his intuition.
‘I am disqualified as a magus,’ Lee Shin thought.
A magus was supposed to calculate everything in advance and move as planned, but
Lee Shin was relying on his intuition.
Lee Shin laughed at this thought and put his hand on the gargoyle to engrave his
mana. It was not difficult for Lee Shin to engrave the mana following the patterns.
The patterns quickly absorbed the Dark Mana. As the Dark Mana outlined the
patterns, the gargoyle began to move as it shone. The gargoyle was filled with
ominous energy.
- Those who endure endless chaos will prove their qualifications.
‘What’s endless chaos?’ Lee Shin wondered, but there was no time to think.
The ominous energy emanating from the gargoyle pressed down on Lee Shin.
[Chaos is seeping in.]
[You become immune to it.]
.
The ominous energy entered Lee Shin’s body, but nothing changed. Only the message
rising in the air was repeated.
‘Is this energy what they meant by chaos?’ Lee Shin wondered.
It was Lee Shin’s first time seeing this chaos, even though he had climbed to the
100th floor before. And he did not know why he was immune to it.
‘Huh?’ Lee Shin was so distracted by the sudden chaos that he did not notice but
there was a faint spirit watching him near the gargoyle.
It seemed as if the spirit was laughing at Lee Shin as he was being eroded by chaos.
Unlike other human souls, that spirit did not have any shape. However, Lee Shin
could vaguely feel the emotions it contained.
‘I think it’s waiting for me to be eroded by chaos,’ Lee Shin thought.
Lee Shin did not know what that was, but he decided to act just as the spirit wished.
Lee Shin performed with all his might as if he was eroding away.
“Keugh—” Lee Shin groaned.
Flop—
Pretending like he had lost all his strength, Lee Shin fell down to the floor, grabbed
his head, and continued to groan. Occasionally, he glanced at the spirit, but the spirit
was still floating in the air watching Lee Shin.
Well, Lee Shin was not even sure if the spirit was looking at him. He just continued to
pretend to be eroded by chaos just in case, looking as if he was in severe pain, pain
that gradually increased in intensity.
[You became immune to it.]
"Ahhh!” Lee Shin fell to the ground.
As soon as that happened, the spirit that had been still all this time rushed toward
Lee Shin.
- I am the leader of chaos. You who don't deserve it will be in chaos.
The voice of the spirit rang in Lee Shin’s head.
"Keugh… What does it mean to be in chaos?" Lee Shin asked with a struggling voice.
- You must have the power to speak. It will naturally be known to you after it has
been done.
- What? How is this possible!
The spirit came near Lee Shin, and when it contacted him and realized that he was
not actually eroded by chaos, it shouted in surprise.
Lee Shin, who no longer had to pretend, rose again and slowly moved his mana.
- Oh my God! No way! The chaos is—
[『Stat – Chaos』 is created.]
Huh? A new stat is created? Lee Shin never knew there was a stat called Chaos.
‘Stat [Chaos]’ Lee Shin repeated in his head.
[Chaos]
The power created by the failure of all forces to harmonize and eventually
disintegrate. Deny everything and accept it all at the same time.
# Resistance to all elements +10%
# Random amount of stat extortion at a very low chance from the stat in the
opponent’s possession when hit.
# Random amount of stat extortion at a very low chance from the stat in the
opponent’s possession when attacking.
‘I can’t believe this… ’
Lee Shin’s jaw dropped in amazement when he saw the effect of the stat, Chaos.
Having 10% of resistance to all properties was an unprecedented defense capability.
Lee Shin knew, for the first time, that a resistance to all elements existed.
And the most amazing thing was the stat extortion.
It was of course amazing to rob stats such as strength, agility, and intelligence.
However, they were nothing compared to the divine status.
# Divine Status: 1
Not long ago, Lee Shin had acquired the title of [Legendary Doll Maker] and now
acquired this divine status.
With this divine status, one could rob the opponent’s divine status. Lee Shin did not
know how slight the probability was, but he thought it would not be lower than the
probability of acquiring divine status.
[Divine Status]
You are considered divine.

# All stats are increased by 10% when you encounter those who have a lower level
of the divine status.
This ability was very simple, but was an outstanding one. It was incredible to get a
10% increase in all of his stats. How many people could possibly have divine status?
With the exception of encountering the few who have divine status, Lee Shin could
get additional power most of the time.
Moreover, due to having the ability Chaos, it was no longer burdensome for him to
meet someone who was stronger than him. Lee Shin thought it would be a good
opportunity, because he could take away their divine status.
- No way… What is so special about you?
"I guess you’re still alive," Lee Shin answered.
- I don’t die… I mean… Oh, I see… That’s how it was…
The spirit murmured to itself as if it had realized something.
"Sorry? What do you mean by that’s how it was?” Lee Shin asked.
- So… was this part of the revelation…? Then there's one thing I have to do.
"A revelation?" Lee Shin asked.
- That's right, a revelation. Ignore what I’m saying and just continue walking your
way.
The spirit continued to say mysterious things.
- Your body… is destroyed… by a very strong curse…
"Wait… can you help me recover it?” Lee Shin asked.
- It's impossible for me to fix it entirely. But I can feel your divine status, even though
it’s quite weak right now. Since you have divine status, I can help you out a bit.
Lee Shin could feel the force of the spirit permeating his body and spreading
abnormally. Some of the broken mana vessels were restored to their original state. In
the process, the power in the spirit which he had felt gradually died down.
"Umm… What would happen to you?” Lee Shin asked.
- I’m the one who doesn't die. My body may disappear, but my existence will not
disappear.
"Is that so?" Lee Shin asked.
- I raised the class of your body a little bit with my Spiritual Power. The curse on you
is too strong; this is all I can do for you.
The mana of Lee Shin’s whole body became smoother as if a part of the blocked
sewer had been cleared. His body which was destroyed at the entrance to the altar
recovered to its best condition.
[Mana Power Level 3]
Lee Shin tried circulating the mana in his body. His mana was moving faster and
smoother than before.
'With this power, if I try really hard, I can probably use up to the fifth level mana,’ Lee
Shin thought.
Even so, he would barely make it to the top of the wizard’s list. He would only qualify
as a magus when he is able to control at least the sixth-level mana. As of now, Lee
Shin was considered to be just like a normal human.
- Keep on… getting stronger…
With these last words, the voice of the spirit could no longer be heard. Lee Shin
turned around and returned to Undermost.
***
As people from Undermost climbed the first floor, the ranking on the second floor
was finally updated for the first time in nearly two years.
The people on the second floor who were looking at the rankings, waiting for the
challengers on the first floor to come up, were the first ones to notice the dramatic
change in the ranking. And an uproar began inside the tower.
└ This is a scoop! This is an exclusive!
└ Why? What is it? Why are you making a fuss all of a sudden?
└The ranking on the second floor has been updated! Go check it out!
└ The challengers are starting to clear the first floor just like Cha Yu-Min said! And
that’s not all!
└ That can’t be real? How is this possible? No way, I can’t even believe that people
managed to come up to the second floor, but now you’re telling me that the first
ranker on the second floor has changed?
In an instant, the small disturbance in the community spread like wildfire. And after
hearing the news about the change, people hurriedly returned to the village to check
the ranking.
# First. Shin Young-Woo – 11,200 points
# Second. Cha Yu-Min – 10,700 points
# Third. Han Sang-Won – 8,960 points
# Fourth. Baek Kang-Woo - 8,120 points
└ That's crazy, isn't it? They already defeated the Lizardman the Great Warrior?
└ Seeing that they have scored above 10,000 points, it seems like they defeated the
Lizardman even faster than Cha Yu-Min. But how?
└ Bro, who cares about that right now? The first-floor people are finally liberated!
Finally, we will get new recruits, too!
└ Wait a second… Is it because of that guy, Shin Young-Woo, that Korea will soon
become the highest rank?
It was not just that the ranking had been updated, but the top ranker position had
changed as well. The change in the top ranker caused even more confusion to the
challengers.
└ Shit! The ranking changed again!
└ It’s probably because there were more new recruits who came up. But who cares!
└ Look at the ranking! The first place changed again!
└ What?
# First. Kang Hyun-Woo – 14,110 points
# Second. Park Ji-Min – 13,400 points
# Third. Shin Young-Woo – 11,200 points
# Fourth. Cha Yu-Min - 10,700 points
# Fifth. Han Sang-Won – 8,960 points
# Sixth. Baek Kang-Woo - 8,120 points
└W-w-what’s going on? How can this be possible?
└That score doesn't even make sense.
└ Cha Yu-Min barely managed to defeat the Lizardman the Great Warrior!
└ No way, that can’t be true. A second-floor challenger can already defeat the
Lizardman hunter?
└ It’s not just one, but there were more than three people who already defeated him?
└ It’s not just three, look at the ranking!
└ Shit! Did it change again?
└ What happened on the first floor?
***
Whooong— Whooong— Whooong— Whooong— Whooong—
Five streaks of light fell on the waiting area on the second floor. It was Kim Kang-
Chun and his friends.
"Is this the waiting area on the second floor?"
"Wow… This place is fascinating."
"I think this place is totally different from the waiting area on the first floor."
The waiting area on the second floor was a swamp with mud puddles everywhere.
And there was a lizard.
"Finally the challengers are rushing in all of a sudden,” the Lizard said.
"Are you the manager here?” Baek Hyun asked.
"Yes, I am. Are you going to challenge the second floor?" the Lizard asked.
The waiting area on the second floor was not a place where people could stay for a
long time. It was so humid and muddy that they did not want to stay there for a long
time. All five of them accepted the manager’s offer and went to challenge the second
floor.
[You have entered the second floor.]
With the message, the challengers arrived at a swamp. The area was damp and
humid, and every step they took sent mud splattering onto their feet. The
challengers were all separated. Each challenger was on their own; because unlike the
first floor, the second floor was a stage where each individual had to clear
independently.
[Defeat the Lizardman the Great Warrior.]
Baek Hyun saw the Lizardman Warrior holding a shabby sword in front of him.
“Keughhh—” the Lizardman roared.
However, Baek Hyun did not feel particularly scared or afraid. With the Lizardman
Warrior in front of him, Baek Hyun did not feel the pressure like what he had felt
encountering May and Warrie.
Baek Hyun rushed to the Lizardman Warrior. He was still a little bit nervous, because
it was his first attempt. However, that nervousness was only for a moment. When the
Lizardman Warrior raised his arm to make a counterattack, Baek Hyun’s sword was
about to slice the Lizardman Warrior’s neck.
Chop!
His sword cut off the Lizardman Warrior's head in an instant.
"Is that it?"
Baek Hyun could not believe it was this easy. Was it because it was the first stage? He
had expected it to be easy, but not this simple. Baek Hyun tilted his head in confusion
and wrapped up his sword.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Warrior.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman Archer.]
"Yes," Baek Hyun replied.
Baek Hyun disappeared with a streak of light.

Lee Shin returned from the altar and arrived at Undermost. There was silence.
Was it because many people left Undermost to go to the second floor?
The place where the festival was held was all clean and looked organized. Most of the
people who remained seemed to be sleeping in their own homes.
It was not yet a day since Lee Shin had left. However, there was a sense of
strangeness in the appearance of Undermost now and before they had left.
‘Hmm… Something’s wrong,’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin saw a man running near the park. It was his first time seeing this man. Lee
Shin frowned.
"Excuse me, sir," Lee Shin approached the man.
The man stopped and looked at Lee Shin as he called him.
"How many days has it been since the first floor was liberated?” Lee Shin asked.
"The liberation on the first floor? Ah… I heard it's been about a week, why?" the man
asked, tilting his head.
"Oh, nothing. Thank you." Lee Shin turned around to leave after a short greeting.
The man looked at Lee Shin, then began to run again. Lee Shin went straight to the
Central Square and went into the portal, up to the first floor. It had not been that long
since he entered the altar, but a week had already passed here.
‘The altar and Undermost were following a different timeline,’ thought Lee Shin.
This meant that it had already been a while since others had started climbing the
tower. Lee Shin laughed at the thought of how the tower would become a mess.
‘I wonder if they are doing well.’ Lee Shin laughed to himself.
When he came out of the portal, he noticed that the first floor did not look like it had
changed much. Lee Shin headed boldly toward the boss room on the first floor. There
was already a path created by many people who had gone through.
When Lee Shin opened the door of the boss's room, the boss he had created was
there. The boss looked surprised at the sight of Lee Shin, but then he smiled again.
"I've been waiting for you. Are you finally going up?” the boss asked.
In response to Lee Shin’s warm appearance, the boss fixed his glasses and closed the
book he was reading.
"I've already died countless times and my memory has been reset, but I still
remember you, master," the boss said.
"Yes, that’s because I made you like that," Lee Shin replied.
"Why did you do that?" the boss asked.
Lee Shin smiled bitterly at his question.
"Well… it's really sad to be forgotten," Lee Shin replied.
"I see." The boss nodded.
"Is Gene doing well?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, he is still unconscious but he is doing fine inside me," the boss replied.
"Please take good care of him," said Lee Shin.
"I will,” the boss answered.
Lee Shin smiled and moved his mana.
"Alright then, let's have our final showdown.” Lee Shin suggested.
"Sounds good," the boss replied.
***
Chop—
Thud
The Lizardman Archer’s neck fell off very easily. His body, which remained on the
tree until the end, also fell to the ground.
“Is this really it?" Kang Ji-Hoon looked at the Lizardman Archer lying on the floor
with a puzzled face.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Archer.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman Sorcerer.]
"I will go for it!" Immediately after those words, Kang Ji-Hoon’s body disappeared
with the streak of light.
***
Swoosh— Swoosh—
The flames spread over the trees. From the tip of the Lizardman Sorcerer’s magic
branch, a fireball was created and sent directly toward Ji Eun-Ju.
However, Ji Eun-Ju avoided it with ease while wondering about the difficulty of the
fight.
Then the fireball flew past her and hit the tree behind. Ji Eun-Ju was shocked by such
a slow casting.
"Stone Ball." Ji Eun-Ju used merely a second-level elemental mana.
She gently tossed it to the opponent.
Puck!
"Keugh—" The Lizardman Sorcerer collapsed.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Sorcerer.]
"What the hell…” Ji Eun-Ju scratched her head in confusion.
[The level of difficulty will increase dramatically starting from the next stage.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is Lizardman the Great
Warrior.]
Ji Eun-Ju thought she could manage it even if the level of difficulty rose rapidly. In
addition, she thought it was worth a challenge because she could give up at any
point.
"I'll give it a try," Ji Eun-Ju replied confidently.
Her body disappeared with a streak of light.
***
Clang—
The mighty sword of the Great Warrior clashed with Kim Kang-Chun’s sword.
Swish— Schwing—
As the blades scratched against each other, the friction caused a sound.
"Crrr! You're amazing," the Great Warrior complimented Kim Kang-Chun.
"Oh yeah?" Kim Kang-Chun replied.
Unlike the Lizardman the Great Warrior, who was excited to meet an outstanding
warrior, Kim Kang-Chun was expressionless.
"Crrr!" Lizardman the Great Warrior became fierce and struck his dull sword.
Kook—
However, the sword of the Great Warrior got stuck on the ground. Due to his
dramatic attacking motion, his path of attack was obvious.
Kim Kang-Chun, who avoided the attack easily, swung his sword.
"That’s amazing! You have avoided my sword.” The Great Warrior was amazed.
"What’s amazing; just die." Kim Kang-Chun's sword pierced the neck of the
Lizardman the Great Warrior.
[You have defeated the Lizardman the Great Warrior.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman Hunter.]
"I’ll go for it," Kim Kang-Chun replied.
***
Whip— Whip— Whip—
Because of the swamp, there were considerable restrictions on the challenger’s

mobility. Park Hye-Won, who was a wizard, could barely move. She had to deal with
the opponent while being stuck in one place. The Lizardman Hunter, who moved
sharply and fired arrows from afar, was an annoying one to deal with.
"This guy's pretty annoying," Park Hye-Won muttered.
Unlike her, the Lizardman Hunter seemed to have no restrictions on movement even
in the swamp. This place was his battlefield. Her skill was effective against
opponents who were not wizards.
"Wind Cutter!" Park Hye-Won shouted.
This skill was a third-level mana. The blade of the wind swept across the wide area
before her. All the trees that the Lizardman Hunter utilized to run around and hide
were cut down. And at the same time, his arm fell after getting struck by the wind
cutter.
"Oh my gosh, what are you going to do now? Can you shoot an arrow with just one
arm?” Park Hye-Won made fun of the Lizardman Hunter.
"What a despicable human being!” the Lizardman Hunter shouted.
"Who are you to say that?" Park Hye-Won replied.
Park Hye-Won gave him an absurd look and used her mana. The Lizardman Hunter
pulled out a dagger with his remaining arm and rushed towards Park Hye-Won.
However, it was futile.
"Air Bomb!” Park Hye-Won shouted.
The air exploded in front of the Lizardman Hunter's head and he collapsed.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Hunter.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman the Great
Sorcerer.]
"Sounds good! A mana battle is my speciality,” Park Hye-Won replied confidently.
Her body disappeared with a streak of light.
***
The difficulty level of the second floor was not too high for those who came up from
Undermost. However, at stage 4 and stage 7, the level of difficulty increased sharply
compared to the previous stages. And these stages were not easy for the people of
Undermost either.
Those who came up from the first floor without sufficient growth struggled with the
Lizardman the Great Warrior; but very few actually lost to him. Their struggle was
not because of their lack of competence. They made mistakes because they were
scared of their first real game.
Such an outstanding performance was possible because the minimum requirement

to clear the first floor, set by Lee Shin, was enough to beat the Lizardman the Great
Warrior.
Shin Young-Woo, who was the first to challenge the second floor, was shocked
looking at the ranking. His ranking continued to drop in real-time, leaving him no
time to be pleased with the fact that he had ranked first originally. In an instant, his
ranking fell to a three-digit.
What was comforting was that Cha Yu-Min still ranked below him.
He had expected that his ranking would drop, but it was surprising to see that his
ranking was not much different from the famous Cha Yu-Min.
"Is this the difference in talent… Ha…” Shin Young-Woo sighed.
Cha Yu-Min had come up to the second floor without having done much on the first
floor. And still, Cha Yu-Min had defeated the Lizardman the Great Warrior.
Shin Young-Woo had gone through several training sessions to increase his ability at
Undermost before climbing up. And yet, there was only a slight difference between
him and Cha Yu-Min.
"What an idiot I am." Shin Young-Woo regretted not doing more training at
Undermost before coming up to the second floor.
***
[You have defeated the Lizardman the Great Sorcerer.]
[From the next stage, the level of difficulty increases very rapidly! You cannot give up
in the middle.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman
Berserker.]
Many of those who came up to the second floor were troubled when they saw the
system message. Considering how the difficulty increased when moving from the
third stage to the fourth stage, it seemed that the difficulty would increase even
more drastically this time.
Most had a hard time just dealing with the Lizardman the Great Sorcerer. However,
from this stage on, they could not even give up in the middle of the fight.
If they made a wrong move, they could potentially die as soon as they start. Most
people thought that they had already made enough achievements just by coming this
far, the second floor. There was no need to strain.
Very few people from Undermost had challenged the seventh stage.
"Master once said that when we try to look for stability, our growth will eventually
stop. So, I'll challenge myself." Kim Kang-Chun decided to proceed to the next stage.
"Eh, if I’m already getting scared at this level, I don’t deserve to be a ranker! So, I’m
going to try!" Baek Hyun decided to challenge the next stage.
"Even if I can't make it, I’m still going to try! I will challenge myself to the next stage!"
Kang Ji-Hoon decided to challenge the next stage.
"What should I do… The Great Sorcerer was somewhat doable… I wonder if all my
other friends have decided to challenge themselves to the next stage. Oh well, the
master said that we should be able to manage up to stage seven, so I’ll give it a try!”
Park Hye-Won decided to proceed to the next stage.
"Umm… I'll stop here." Ji Eun-Ju decided to give up the challenge.
She was fully capable of defeating the Great Sorcerer, but she did not want to risk her
life to challenge a stage. At first, she was going for the challenge, but when the time
came to finally choose, she was scared.
***
[Defeat the Lizardman Berserker.]
The Lizardman Berserker was twice as big as all the other Lizardmen, and had
armor all over his body as well as an ax that looked threatening. His red eyes gave
him a look of a battle-crazy warrior.
"Well… This guy definitely has a different aura compared to the ones I’ve
encountered before.” Park Joo-Hyuk shot a cold look at the Lizardman Berserker.
"You decided to challenge me? I'll see how good you are!" the Lizardman Berserker
shouted.
The Lizardman Berserker charged toward Park Joo-Hyuk. He moved deftly, in

contrast to his body size. However, the moves were all too obvious to Park Joo-Hyuk.
Clomp— Clomp— Clomp—

Park Joo-Hyuk calmly aimed for the Lizardman Berserker’s weak spots, and the
damage accumulated.
Park Joo-Hyuk strengthened his body using mana. Then, with his effective mana
manipulation, he inflicted damage on the opponent and used mana only when he had
to block the opponent’s attack.
The Berserker’s entire body had already become bloody, but Park Joo-Hyuk was not
injured in any way. Also, he still had enough mana.
"I guess it’s not that bad,” Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.
"Hahaha! You arrogant human being. The real game starts now!” The Lizardman
Berserker laughed at him.
Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!
Park Joo-Hyuk blocked the Lizardman Berserker’s ax with his sword, but he also
knew he was gradually reaching his limit. He felt that something was going wrong.
He thought the more damage he inflicted, the more tired and weak the enemy should
have gotten. However, the opponent was getting stronger.
"Keugh!" Park Joo-Hyuk had momentarily missed the Berserker’s ax, and flew
backward due to the opposing force against the blade he tried to block the ax with.
It seemed like the durability of the sword that blocked the ax was gradually reaching
its limit. Park Joo-Hyuk had applied his mana on the sword a little late and that had
caused a serious damage to its durability.
‘I should have inflicted enough damage. But why is his speed and power still
increasing?’ Park Joo-Hyuk was confused.
Across the globe, there was not a single challenger who could defeat the Berserker
on the second floor. As a result, there was no information on the Berserker. And Park
Joo-Hyuk was in panic.
The more damage the enemy suffered, the stronger it became. So what did he have to
do? Should he knock down the Berserker at once with a powerful blow? Or should
he continue to inflict damage on him? While he was thinking, the battle continued.
The Beserker was gradually catching up with Park Joo-Hyuk’s speed, which was
much more advanced at the start.
‘Damn it, is this all I can do?’ Park Joo-Hyuk thought.
Park Joo-Hyuk was hoping to clear at least this stage without using his unique
ability… However, if his opponent was already this strong, he thought it would be
impossible to clear the next stage even with the help of his unique ability.
In that case, Park Joo-Hyuk thought it would be better to use his unique ability now
instead of saving it for later and focus on reducing the clear time.
"Die!" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
The Lizardman Berserker’s red mana power lingered around his ax and then the
Berserker swung his ax toward Park Joo-Hyuk.
Kwang! Chang—!
The sword that blocked the ax broke, and the ax swung forward at a speed that could
potentially decapitate Park Joo-Hyuk’s head.
At that moment, a golden light emerged from Park Joo-Hyuk's body. And then, the
world, including the Lizardman Berserker, stopped momentarily. Then their bodies
went back to the conditions before Park Joo-Hyuk’s sword broke. Park Joo-Hyuk's
unique ability was in effect.
[Power of resurgence.]
Unlike what was happening a while ago, the ax held by the Lizardman Berserker was
now broken by Park Joo-Hyuk's sword instead.
[300 resurgence energy has been consumed.]
"Keugh! There’s no way…!" the Lizardman Berserker groaned in pain.
"Die!" Not giving the Lizard Berserker a moment to rest, Park Joo-Hyuk got closer to
him and plunged the sword right into his neck.
Thwack—!
"That’s awesome…” Park Joo-Hyuk was surprised.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Berserker.]
[This is an amazing achievement!]
[There is a sharp increase in the difficulty level. You cannot give up mid-way.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman the
Guardian Warrior.]
Park Joo-hyuk looked at the system message window with a heavy breath.
# Resurgence Energy: 200/500
Park Joo-hyuk had seen a crack in the Berserker’s ax, and he thought that he could
break the ax easily if he put enough mana onto it. Even so, he had spent 300
resurgence energy.
‘Was it something too challenging for me?’ Park Joo-Hyuk looked at the system
message window with his teeth clenched.
"I give up," Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
[You will be moving to the waiting area on the third floor.]
***
The community was still very active and it showed no sign of becoming quiet. All of
the people were paying close attention to the challengers who just came up from the
first floor. And the rankings were updated from time to time as more than a
thousand challengers climbed at once. People enjoyed just watching the changes and
talking about them.
└ Is the first place almost fixed?
└ Well… We don't know yet. It's only the third day.

└ But the first place already has 20,300 points. So is it even possible to get a score
that’s higher than this? It's already been more than a day since the top three
rankings were fixed.
└ I think it will be renewed once or twice more.
└ Do you want to bet whether the ranking will be renewed or not?
└ Sure, let’s make a bet. How can someone get a score that’s even higher than this?
Open a betting room!
└ Okay! Let’s do it!
└ Wait a second! The ranking has been updated again!
└ What?
# First. Park Joo-Hyuk – 38,420 points
# Second. Baek Hyun – 37,180 points
# Third. Kim Kang-Chun – 34,750 points
# Fourth. Hwang Kang-Woong – 34,380 points
# Fifth. Kang Ji-Hoon - 33,010 points
# Sixth. Park Hye-Won – 31,830 points
└ What the hell… Is this happening for real?
└ Their scores are above 30,000 points? Wow, the first ranking’s score is close to
40,000 points!
└ What? How far did they get to?
└ What’s happening? Are they the same Koreans as us?
The shocking ranking, which was refreshed once again, had drawn people’s attention
to the community one more time. Now, those who reached the second floor were
able to tap on the community to connect with the other people in the tower.
They thought it was amazing and fun to communicate with people on the upper floor
of the tower.
└ Hey! Excuse me! Please join the community! Please!
└ What the hell happened on the first floor? Please give us some information!
└ What's the secret to your strength!
People started to get some information from the challengers of Undermost and only
then did they know exactly what happened on the first floor. Everyone in the
community could finally understand the reason why the newcomers were getting
such a high-performance score.
The boss on the first floor was a necromancer who had climbed the tower before.
And because the boss came to his senses, all the challengers on the first floor could
not climb to the second floor. The challengers were then trained by the necromancer
who offered to help them to become stronger. Everyone who was hearing this
account had no choice but to take their word for it since all the stories from the
newcomers were the same.
The important part was that the necromancer was still on the first floor. There were
many rumors that he would probably climb the tower, too. Many people did not
know how the boss of a floor could climb the tower. All they knew was that the boss
had used the Heart of the Soul Scavenger.
With their limited knowledge, they could not infer the method that Lee Shin had
used. People just wondered how the frail first-floor boss could change and how he
would advance to the next floor. Over time, not only the second floor but also the
third and fourth floors saw dramatic changes in their rankings. And those who took
the top places were already fixed.
# First. Baek Hyun – 53,100 points
# Second. Park Hye-Won – 52,380 points
# Third. Park Joo-Hyuk – 46,300 points
# Fifth. Kim Kang-Chun – 42,830 points
Within the top places, their rankings continued to change according to the concept of
the stage. Those people who had been ranked below the median or were in the
three-digit placings, began to be pushed out of the top 1,000, one after another.
└ I guess the top ranks are almost fixed now.
└ Wow, is Cha Yu-Min gone now?
└ Well, we don’t know yet. Can't you see that there are people on the third floor who
are scoring lower than Cha Yu-Min?
└ But don’t you think it would be impossible for Cha Yu-Min to be at the top now?
Cha Yu-Min, who had always been ranked at the top of each floor, was pushed out of
the top 1,000 on the second floor now. He had become an ordinary challenger.
Nevertheless, on the third and fourth floors, his ranking was in the three-digit range.
Now the challengers' attention was on the fifth floor. It was the first floor where
challengers could set the level of difficulty. There were countless challengers who
died on this floor having been fooling around.
└ I'm pretty sure the top rankers will go for the difficulty level of Hell, don’t you
think so?
└ No way, Hell level is crazy… What if they die?

└ The Extreme level is enough, guys! So please don't be too greedy!
└ What are you guys saying! Those challengers who have achieved that high of a
score deserve to challenge the Hell level.
└ You are saying that after you’ve been through at least the Hard level, right? It's not
human territory starting from the Extreme level.
All the challengers who reached the fifth floor were in agony. There was a lot of
information about the level of difficulty. And there was a lot of information from the
challengers of the tower who had already experienced this floor. However, starting
from the Extreme level, it was very difficult to find any information. And one could
only make assumptions for the Hell level.
When the top rankers gathered and exchanged their opinions on the difficulty level
of the fifth floor, the community was on fire, once again.
"Oh my gosh! Guys, take a look at this!" Everyone's attention was drawn to Park Hye-
Won, looking at the community.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Did the master come up or something…?… Wait, really?”
"Hurry up and look at the ranking!" Park Hye-Won shouted.
At Park Hye-Won's words, everyone hurriedly checked the ranking with serious
faces.
# First. Lee Shin – 108,320 points
# Second. Park Joo-Hyuk – 38,420 points
# Third. Baek Hyun – 37,180 points
# Fourth. Kim Kang-Chun – 34,750 points
# Fifth. Hwang Kang-Woong – 34,380 points
.
.
"No way… Is this happening for real?"
"How far did he get to?"
"What an initiation ceremony…”
They shook their heads as they watched the ranking. Meanwhile, within the
community, the hot topic of the day was the name Lee Shin.
The community was on the verge of imploding into chaos when Lee Shin's ranking
was updated. People tried to find out about Lee Shin, but the things they could find
were very limited. Even the challengers, except for a couple of them, who had just
progressed up the floors knew nothing about Lee Shin in detail. Even those who
knew the most about him had only fragments of information.
They did not know why his name was Lee Shin. Also, they did not know what his
former tower was, and how he became a boss and then a challenger to climb the
tower. There was nothing they could claim they knew for sure.
And these were the same questions that the people of the Undermost had been
curious about in the past.
Kang Ji-Hoon had been looking at the posts on the community, thinking it was great
entertainment. "Haha! It's a mess, a mess."
"Why do they care? They can just accept that there is someone like him.”
"Do you think all people are as simple as you?" Park Hye-Won asked.
"Do you think I wanted to be like this? It’s because he doesn’t tell us even if we ask
him!” Baek Hyun shouted in frustration, furious at Park Hye-Won's words.
"Well, that's true. We don't even know that much about him," Park Joo-Hyuk
intervened as he watched the two bickering.
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
"Have you decided on which difficulty level you’re going to choose?"
"Oh," Park Joo-Hyuk mumbled.
Park Joo-Hyuk had already been thinking about it. There was a skill gap between him
and the members of the special team created by the Korean government and the
Korean Challengers Association. And even though it was small, the gap was
widening.
There had already been a difference in the floor numbers between Park Joo-Hyuk
and his team members. At this rate, it was clear that the team members would only
be a burden to Park Joo-Hyuk.
Of course, Park Joo-Hyuk did not think that way. However, the problem was that the
team members were starting to feel it themselves. To make matters even worse, the
fifth floor allowed challengers to adjust the difficulty level themselves. The widening
gap the other team members had observed while on this floor was enough to make
them feel like they were worse off.
‘To be honest, I want to challenge the Hell level,’ thought Park Joo-Hyuk.
However, besides the risk of dying, he felt bad for his team members. He did not
want to abandon his comrades. And if Park Joo-Hyuk challenged the Hell level, his
team members would definitely raise their difficulty level at least by one to catch up
with him. If that happened, it was obvious that there would be a series of people who
would die.
“I will go with the Extreme level.” People nodded as if they sympathized with Park
Joo-Hyuk’s words.
"I knew it. What about the CEO, Mr. Hwang?"
"Mr. Hwang also said that he would go with the Extreme level."
"Is Extreme level the way to go?"
"I think so. I mean, we're the first to even challenge the Extreme level. Choosing the
Hell level is too much of a risk," Park Hye-Won answered.
Everyone agreed with Park Hye-Won, except for Baek Hyun.
‘We should not limit ourselves… ’ Baek Hyun was not listening to the others.
He was mulling over Lee Shin’s words after seeing Lee Shin’s newly updated ranking.
***
"Are you a challenger?" The Lizardman, sitting against a block of wood in a wet and
damp swamp, looked at Lee Shin.
"Yes, I am," Lee Shin replied.
"You are… Hmm…” The Lizardman looked at Lee Shin with an interesting expression.
"Are you of divine blood?" the Lizardman asked again.
"That’s nonsense,” Lee Shin replied.
"You’re not? Oh well, it's been a long time since I've met a person who acquired a
divine status, whether they are of divine blood or not,” the Lizardman muttered.
As soon as the Lizardman saw Lee Shin, he recognized Lee Shin’s divine status.
‘Does this guy also have a divine status?’ Lee Shin wondered.
This Lizardman was a manager of the second-floor waiting area. These managers
were specially elected by the gods. It was not strange for them to have a divine
status.
‘If I attack this guy… Can I take away his divine status?’ Lee Shin suddenly thought
about his stat, Chaos.
There was greed in his eyes.
"You are giving a greedy look there. Unlike you, I'm just an ordinary manager, so just
go on your way,” the Lizardman said.
Lee Shin seemed a bit remorseful hearing the Lizardman’s words. In fact, even if he
had a divine status, he would not have attacked the manager, because it was stupid
to mess with a manager.
"I will challenge the second floor," said Lee Shin.
"Okay," the Lizardman replied.

Lee Shin’s body was wrapped in light and he was transported with a streak of light.
When he arrived, he looked at the surroundings, which was a swamp similar to the
waiting area on the second floor.
Lee Shin could see a Lizardman slapping his long tail against the floor in front of him.
A dark purple arrow made of mana appeared at the tip of Lee Shin’s finger. And that
penetrated the Lizardman’s forehead. He died just like that.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Warrior.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman Archer.]
"Yeah, sure," Lee Shin replied.
[Defeat the Lizardman Berserker.]
"Crrr… I can tell that you have great energy," the Lizardman Berserker started.
"Don't talk to me and just bring it on,” Lee Shin replied.
"Alright! A confrontation with a strong warrior always excites me!" The Lizardman
Berserker’s muscles swelled to the fullest.
Kwang—!
Lee Shin’s intangible mana shield blocked the Berserker’s ax.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The more damage Lee Shin’s counterattacks inflicted, the more ferocious the
Berserker’s attacks became.
"Crrr!" the Lizardman Berserker roared.

In his previous life, Lee Shin had not encountered the Berserker on the second floor.
He had only dealt with the Great Shaman. Even so, he gave up and ran away while
fighting with the Great Shaman.
However, Lee Shin had some information about this guy. As he climbed up the floors,
he heard briefly about the Lizardman Berserker. Normally, he would have forgotten
about information like that, but due to the Immortal Sphere, Lee Shin could not
forget about it.
"Crrr! Do more! Try harder!" The Lizardman’s whole body was covered with blood,
but he came at Lee Shin even more madly.
‘What an idiot,’ thought Lee Shin.
The Lizardman’s physical ability was gradually strengthened. However, his judgment
was significantly blurred as he lost his rationality to the point where he even stepped
into a trap so openly laid out for him.
"Just die now,” said Lee Shin.
Lee Shin made an obvious mana circle on the floor. When Lee Shin lured him onto it,
the Lizardman jumped on it without any hesitation.
Swoosh-!
As the mana circle lit up, the ground distorted and soared. A drill made out of stone
penetrated his groin, then his entire torso, and finally his head.
[You have taken away the power of the Lizardman Berserker.]
[Your Strength has gone up by a level.]
It was the power to extort the opponent's stats, Chaos. When Lee Shin looked at the
stat window, his strength was increased by a level.
‘Good.’ Lee Shin was satisfied.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Berserker.]
[From the next stage, the level of difficulty increases very rapidly! You cannot give up
in the middle.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman the
Guardian Warrior.]
"Yes, I’ll go for it,” Lee Shin answered.
Light flashed and he was transported to a new place. The field was wider than ever
before and there stood a Lizardman the Guardian Warrior who was one foot taller
than the Lizardman Berserker.
"Are you an apostle?" the Lizardman the Guardian Warrior asked.
Lee Shin frowned as soon as the Guardian Warrior had said that.
"Do not ever say that disgusting thing again," Lee Shin replied in an annoyed voice.
"Does that mean you’re not?” the Guardian Warrior asked.
"I’m not," Lee Shin replied.
"All the apostles that I've encountered had the same power as you," the Guardian
Warrior explained.
"It might look the same but it’s different. This is my power." Lee Shin scoffed. "Do not
ever associate me with such bloody gods."
“Amazing,” the Guardian Warrior looked at Lee Shin with a startled look.
Boom!
The huge spear that the Guardian Warrior was holding fell and stuck to the ground.
"My name is Gundo, Lizardman the Guardian Warrior. I request you, [The Sacred
Battle of the Warriors]!” the Guardian Warrior shouted.
Lee Shin looked at him with surprise. He did not expect to have to do this here.
"Ha… You're too greedy. Do you think you can defeat me?" Lee Shin asked.
"I never think about losing. You can't move forward if you don’t struggle. I will beat
you and get stronger once again!” the Guardian Warrior replied in a determined
voice.
[Hidden Stage - The Sacred Battle of the Warriors.]
[Gundo has requested you to the Sacred Battle of the Warriors. This competition will
not end until the opponent dies. This battle is done in the presence of the God of
Judgment. The loser will lose everything to the opponent.]
The Sacred Battle of the Warriors was not something a challenger would normally
face on the second-floor stage. Once the battle began, either one had to die in order
for the battle to end. Plus, the winner took everything from the loser, whether it was
the opponent's stats, abilities, or class. The winner got to take all of those.
However, not everyone could participate in this battle. The participants had to be
qualified and the God of Judgment had to qualify the battle for it to be possible.
The strong could not ridiculously call for a battle against one who was weak. And in
most cases, the two sides were either similar in strength, or the weaker was the one
who called for a battle against the stronger. However, even this was at the discretion
of the referee.
Was it his divine status that led to this situation? Or was it because of his stat, Chaos?
Anyway, having this battle was not a bad situation for Lee Shin.
[Begin the battle.]
There was a familiar voice in Lee Shin’s ear. It was phenomenal, mysterious, cold,
and hard. It was the voice of the God of Judgment.
"Crraaack!" Gundo’s spear rushed toward Lee Shin in a split second.
At the same time, the mana circle that had already been set up was activated at once.
[Soul Chain]
The translucent chains of mana from the mana circle bound Gundo’s head, body,
arms, and legs. And one red chain popped out and entered his heart.
"Keughhh-!" Gundo groaned.
His body was not pierced. It was just that a translucent red chain was embedded in
his heart like a ghost. The spear, which looked as if it had pierced through Lee Shin
and turned him bloody, stopped moving.
"What… have… you… done… to me…?" Gundo asked.
Lee Shin walked slowly in front of him, ignoring his words. Because Gundo’s size was
several times larger than Lee Shin, he raised the ground he stood on using mana to
come eye-to-eye with Gundo.
"Do you want to know? I just bound your soul," Lee Shin laughed.
At Lee Shin’s words, Gundo’s eyes were filled with rage.
"That's ridiculous…! Undo it right now! How can you do that during the Sacred Battle
of the Warriors-!" Gundo shouted.
"That is why I did it! Because it's the Sacred Battle of the Warriors," Lee Shin replied.
"What do you mean?" Gundo asked.
"The Sacred Battle of the Warriors is a battle where you can take away everything
from the other person. And so, I'm just trying to take everything from you perfectly,"
Lee Shin explained.
"I asked you what that meant!" Gundo shouted.
Even when Gundo’s whole body was constrained, his violent voice resounded.
"The soul is the existence itself. Can’t you understand what it means when your soul
is bound?” Lee Shin laughed.
“…What are you talking about!" Gundo shouted.
Lee Shin had a mean smile on his face. For the first time, there was fear on Gundo’s
face.
"I will erase your existence as a whole, because that's what The Sacred Battle of the
Warriors should look like,” Lee Shin explained.
With Lee Shin’s final word, the mana in the [Soul Chain] became stronger.
"Keughhh—!" Gundo screamed.
Gundo’s great presence started to fade slowly, little by little.
"No… I can't disappear like this…!" Gundo shouted.
"You don’t want to disappear?” Lee Shin asked.
"It doesn't matter whether I die or not, because that's what a warrior is! But I won't
allow my existence and everything that I’ve accumulated so far to disappear!” Gundo
cried out.
"Who cares if you don’t allow it?" Lee Shin put more mana on the Soul Chain.
Gundo, struggling in pain, gasped and looked at Lee Shin.
"What… can I do?” His eyes were still ferocious, but his voice was calmer than before.
"There is one way that you will not be erased from the world," Lee Shin explained.
"What is it?" Gundo asked.
"You can be my subordinate by handing over your soul to me,” Lee Shin replied.
"What happens when I pass you my soul?" Gundo asked.
"You will belong to me and you will live for me. When I die, your soul will be
released," Lee Shin explained.
"Alright, I will hand over my soul to you," Gundo replied.
Lee Shin still retained his blank expression, but he was thrilled on the inside. Lee
Shin had won the gamble. It was not a bad deal to take away his ability, but taking
away his soul was a much greater accomplishment. Lee Shin could easily develop his
skills.
Also, Gundo’s stats, such as strength, was of no particular use to Lee Shin in the first
place.
Even if Gundo had a 100 strength stat, Lee Shin wouldn’t be able to receive it entirely.
He could take away everything, but he could not receive everything. That was the
condition of this battle. Moreover, Lee Shin could make up for the lack of ability with
his stat, Chaos.
The fact that Lee Shin could participate in the Sacred Battle of the Warriors meant
that he was recognized by the God of Judgment. That was enough to make Gundo
part of his clan.
"God of Judgment! I will make Gundo my soul’s subordinate! With this, the Sacred
Battle of the Warriors ends with my victory!” Lee Shin shouted.
[Lizardman the Guardian Warrior, do you agree with this?]
"Yes, I agree!" the Guardian Warrior shouted.
[Alright! The Sacred Battle of the Warriors ends here. Victory goes to the challenger
Lee Shin.]
When the statement was made, Gundo was engulfed in mana and his body turned
into a green bracelet. It was then placed on Lee Shin’s wrist.
[The Bracelet of Archipelagoes[1]]
# You can use your mana to summon the Lizardman the Guardian Warrior.
[You have defeated the Lizardman the Guardian Warrior.]
[Do you want to challenge the next stage? The next stage is the Lizardman Chief.]
"Wait a minute," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin sat down and began to meditate.
The [Soul Chain] that he had used just now consumed a tremendous amount of
mana. Although he had been increasing his mana power, it was not sufficient. The
Soul Chain was a miraculous mana that was created by combining the mana realm
and the realm of the spirit.
It was the product of his tremendous understanding of death, in synergy with his
title [He Who Knows Death]. His mana consumption was too great, because he
forced mana that was impossible at his current level. Lee Shin felt that he
desperately needed an increase in the amount of mana power and the efficiency of
his mana power recovery.
[The God of Recovery wants to give you the power to restore your mana power.
Would you like to receive it?]
Lee Shin frowned at the system message that suddenly appeared while he was
meditating.
‘Is that God trying to lure me after looking at my lacking mana power?’ Lee Shin
sneered.
"Get lost," said Lee Shin.
1. Archipelagoes here refers to Gundo. ☜

The system message disappeared before Lee Shin’s eyes. Lee Shin was sure that the
God of Recovery was angry, because the gods were always like that.
Nevertheless, it was obvious that the gods would suggest raising their class again. If
the suggestion did not work…
‘They would threaten me,’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin thought those damn gods would try to talk to him one by one, after the God
of Recovery. However, surprisingly, not a single message appeared on the screen. It
was a mystery why the God of death did not approach him, but the gods in general
were hard to understand based on human logic.
Was it because Lee Shin flatly rejected the power of the God of Recovery? Or did they
think it was too early to judge his potential? After Lee Shin’s mana had recovered to
some extent, he got up and moved on to the next stage.
In the misty swamp, Lee Shin could see the Lizardman Chief. He had many wrinkles
around his eyes and was holding a crooked wooden cane. He was not as big as the
Guardian Warrior, but he was as big as the Lizardman Berserker.
[Defeat the Lizardman Chief.]
"Kekeke… a man with divine status,” the Chief laughed.
"I guess it's cool, huh?" Lee Shin asked.
"There's nothing cool about it. This world is full of people like you… Except, I did not
expect to encounter a man with divine status at this point,” the Chief explained.
Lee Shin's expression hardened when he heard his husky voice.
"Have you ever seen a man with divine status?" Lee Shin asked.
"Kekeke… of course. The one who was more powerful than you,” the Chief answered.
"Really?" Lee Shin was surprised.
"If I defeat you, I might be able to gain divine status as well.” The Chief's eyes were
filled with greed.
Lee Shin could feel the Chief’s desire, as if he did not want to miss the good prey in
front of him.
"Come, my children!" the Chief shouted.
As he struck the floor with his cane, several Lizardmen popped out from the swampy
ground. There were the Lizardman Warrior, Lizardman Archer, Sorcerer, and
Hunter…
Keughhh—
A large Lizardman popped out among the weak ordinary monsters.
It was the Lizardman Guardian Warrior. And, even more startlingly, there were two
Berserkers who appeared in front of the Guardian Warrior. In an instant, Lee Shin
was surrounded by Lizardmen.
"Kekeke… Go! My children." As the Chief's cane stretched out toward Lee Shin, the
surrounding Lizardmen rushed toward Lee Shin at once.
"The minority ends up losing to the majority,” the Lizardman Chief laughed.
"Well… I don't quite agree with that… but I can't say that’s wrong," Lee Shin
muttered.
"Let’s see how long you can be so relaxed," replied the Chief.
Seeing Lee Shin, who did not lose his calm until the end, the Chief frowned.
[Shadow Space]
As Lee Shin’s shadow grew, the Skeleton Mage and Skeleton Warrior rose. Previously,
they were in a contractual relationship; but now, they were May and Warrie, newly
born as part of Lee Shin’s clan.
Exerting dominance over May and Warrie consumed 19 points in total. Thanks to
that, Lee Shin could not even bring other Undeads around. This was one of the
reasons why Lee Shin tried to lure Gundo.
"Did you call me, master?”
"I will protect you."
The two Skeletons quickly understood the situation and swept the Lizardmen that
were approaching Lee Shin away.
Swoosh—
The mana from the end of May's wand created a wall of fire, and all the Lizardmen
who tried to enter it were burned down. Warrie stood by Lee Shin and protected him
by cutting off the necks of those who came close.
"Were you a necromancer?” the Chief asked.
"No, I'm a mage. And so, I can also do this. Come out, Gundo.” The green bracelet on
Lee Shin's wrist shone and Gundo was summoned.
Crrr—
Gundo’s burning red eyes sent shivers down the surrounding Lizardmen.
"Wait, is that a Guardian Warrior? How did you manage to do that?” the Chief asked.
"I took away his soul," Lee Shin answered.
At Lee Shin’s calm voice, the Chief's cane shook for the first time. It was natural for
him to be angry, because the Guardian Warrior had submitted to a human, when in
fact he was the proudest warrior of the Lizardman’s tribe.
"How dare you do that to my…!" the Chief shouted.
Around the Chief's staff, a red mana power lingered. Then, it was fired at Lee Shin.
Was it a type of curse? Based on the composition of the flowing mana, it was clear
that this was a type of curse. It was difficult to accurately grasp what it was because
it was more of a curse spell, rather than mana.
However, in the end, it was not much different when one looked at it from a broader
point of view. Lee Shin could tell because he had experienced quite a lot of those on
the upper floors.
Lee Shin spread his mana to create a shield. The shield blocked the spell sent by the
Chief.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Kurumtara Oumtaa," the Chief muttered.
The Chief's unknown spell sent the red mana power roaring again.
"Kurumalia Uamta Dormaru!" the Chief shouted.
When the cane hit the ground three times in a row, the red mana soared from the
ground and enveloped the Lizardmen.
Keoughhh—!
The eyes of the Lizardmen changed. They began to scream with ferocity.
"Go, my children! Tear that man to death and liberate our own people!" shouted the
Chief.
Keuahhh—!
The Lizardmen were quite different from before. With more ferocity, they rushed
toward Warrie, May, and Gundo. Warrie and Gundo were in charge of dealing with
the two Berserkers and one Guardian Warrior. May used mana to defend against
other Lizardmen. With the help of the three, Lee Shin, who became a little more
relaxed, started accumulating mana.
‘I'll finish them in one go,’ thought Lee Shin.
Mana swirled at his fingertips. Lee Shin could see that there were many souls in the
swamp here. Those souls wanted to kill the Chief who was in front of them. They
were ghosts filled with anger. And these ghosts had become demons.
Lee Shin would not have succeeded in this field without his title [He Who Knows
Death]. Thanks to his title, he could attempt to solve the curse spells. In an instant, as
the mana spread, there emerged a mana circle that covered the entire surrounding
area.
Several complicated and difficult formulas unfolded in a disorderly manner. Lee

Shin’s head throbbed like it was going to explode.
"You must have built up a lot of resentment,” Lee Shin muttered.
"What… are you talking about!" the Chief shouted.
Demons from all corners began to respond to Lee Shin’s mana. Mana gathered in the
spirits of these demons and started to surround the Lizardman Chief.
"W-w-w-what are you doing! What kind of power is this!" the Chief shouted.
"I tried combining mana and curse spells," Lee Shin replied.
"That’s nonsense…!" the Chief was surprised.
Lee Shin had used the increase in the class of mana and the understanding of death
that he gained from the altar. Lee Shin had used mana that was based on the demons’
wills. It was the first time that someone besides the Demon Warlock had created and
tested out a spell using his mana, although Lee Shin had cut corners. Lee Shin quickly
named this skill.
"Demon Explosion."
Baam—
There was a huge explosion near the Chief. Red waves hit the Chief, and traces of the
demons were scattered in all directions.
It was visible to Lee Shin, but not to others. All they could see was the Lizardman
Chief standing there blankly and Lee Shin trembling where he stood.
Keugh—
All the Lizardmen around him stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The madness
and vitality in their eyes were lost. All the Lizardmen who were alive and breathing a
moment ago died on the spot. Well, it was actually never alive in the first place,
because they were originally dead.
Keughahhh—!
The demons that were filled with resentment against the Chief had clung to the
Chief's soul and exploded together with him. The soul of the Lizardman Chief, who
had been manipulating the demons with mana, was on the verge of breaking thanks
to their sacrifice. His existence was slowly fading away.
[You have taken away the Intelligence of the Lizardman Chief.]
[Your Intelligence has increased by 1.]
[You have taken away the Dominance of the Lizardman Chief.]
[Your Dominance has increased by 1.]
There was an extortion due to Chaos. However, Lee Shin did not pay attention to this
message. That aside, Lee Shin could see the Lizardman Chief filled with anger.
"Even when I die, I will—" said the Lizardman Chief.
"You're pathetic," Lee Shin interrupted him.
Ba Baam—
A series of explosions from the nearby demons erased the last remaining bit of the
Chief’s existence.
The Lizardman Chief’s corpse stood where he was, but all the vitality in his eyes was
gone.
"Well done," Lee Shin commented.
May, Warrie and Gundo were all unsummoned. Because their classes were so high, it
was difficult to keep them summoned for a long time. And if they had gone into a
long-drawn battle, Lee Shin would have run out of mana.
[You have defeated the Lizardman Chief.]

[This is an amazing achievement! Many gods are paying attention to you!]
[You have cleared the final stage on the second floor.]
[Your achievements will be recorded.]
[You have scored 108,320 points.]
[You have received 108,320 points.]
[Your Health Point has increased by 2,530 points.]
[Your Mana Power has increased by 8,302 points.]
[Your Strength has increased by 5.]
[Your Agility has increased by 6.]
[You have acquired the 『Skill - Necromancy』.]
[You have acquired the 『Skill - Demon Explosion』.]
[Do you wish to move to the waiting area on the third floor?]
The Lizardman Chief stood in front of his eyes, lifeless. Lee Shin ignored the system
messages and approached the Chief. There were still demons hovering around the
Chief. And the demons were disappearing one by one, fading in color, as they had
received closure for their resentment.
- Thank you, master. My fellow brothers are grateful to you.
The voice of Gundo came from the bracelet.
"What the hell did the Lizardman Chief do?" Lee Shin asked.
- The Chief…
Before Gundo even finished speaking, the scene suddenly changed, and the
Lizardman Chief appeared in the center.
[He Who Knows Death.]
The power of He Who Knows Death was invoked.
The Lizardman Chief was holding a festival with numerous Lizardmen. Everyone was
enjoying the festive atmosphere, sharing meat, drinking—for some, water; and
others, an alcohol that was light green in color.
‘What is this?’ Lee Shin wondered.
The title, He Who Knows Death, showed how the subject died and the moment he
died. And since the Chief had died due to Lee Shin, there was no reason for this
ability to be exercised.
‘No way… ’ thought Lee Shin.
The appearance of the Lizardman Chief at the festival was in perfect contrast to the
brutal disposition Lee Shin saw in the Chief a while ago. The past Chief looked very
happy with the tribesmen.
How did he change like that? Once again, the background changed. They were inside
a cave. The Chief was exploring a newly discovered cave with his tribesmen. At first,
the tribesmen searched inside the cave. However, there was a curse spell inside that
they could not handle. And the Chief went in to solve it. He had enough spell power
to lift the spell.
"This is…” the Chief muttered.
When he entered the place after lifting the spell, there was a cane. And there was
another powerful spell, which the Chief also lifted in order to get the cane.
"Is this a demon… why is there a mighty soul…” The Chief felt that something was
amiss.
This cane should not have been released from the seal.
"Put this— Keugh!” The Chief could not finish his sentence.
Ahhh!
Holding the cane, which he intended to return to its original state, the Chief began to
groan in pain as he grabbed his head.
"No…” The Chief’s red eyes looked at the tribesmen near him.
"Ahhh!" the Lizardmen screamed.
"Kararak!" the Chief roared.
The red mana that was released from the cane started to strangle the Lizardmen.
"My tribesmen… Be my faithful servant…” There was no intellect nor wisdom left in
the Chief’s eyes.
"I became a more powerful sorcerer," the Chief smirked.
The scene changed once again. This time, it was a place that looked very similar to
the field where Lee Shin was fighting with the Chief a while ago. The tribesmen were
gathered in swampy areas, mud puddles everywhere. Hundreds of Lizardmen
gathered in front of the Chief, who was showing off his red mana power to the fullest.
The tribesmen lost their intellect. And in front of the Lizardmen, there was a large
army of other races standing in line ready to fight.
"My children… Kill them all!" the Chief shouted.
War began. In an instant, hundreds of monsters died. The Lizardmen, who lost their
intellect and grew more powerful in their spells, slaughtered their enemies despite
their small numbers. Another monster appeared at a time when the Lizardman tribe
was gradually leaning toward victory.
It was a Lizardman with a black spear. With the presence of the Lizardman with
small wings on his back, the tables were quickly turned. His ability alone had
strengthened his people, restored the wounded, and slaughtered the Chief's
Lizardmen.
"Are you… the apostle…?" the Chief asked.

Apostles were God's servants who had received power from God.
"Yes, you have invaded the sanctuary. So you must die," the Lizardman, whom the
Chief believed to be an apostle, replied, wielding a spear.
"This place is not yours. This is my—" The Chief could not finish his sentence.
The black spear of the apostle rushed at the speed of light and penetrated the Chief's
heart.
“Keugh…” The Lizardman Chief fell on his knees, grabbing his spear.
Blood flowed out of his mouth profusely.
"This will be called the Sanctuary of the Beginning," the apostle declared.
"What… does… that… mean…” the Chief questioned.
"You don't need to know. Just be their dog," said the apostle.
Swoosh—
The replay of the past ended when the apostle of God stood up holding the cane that
fell on the floor after it pierced through the Chief’s head. Lee Shin frowned and saw
the dead Lizardman Chief. There was something Lee Shin could tell by looking at the
past.
The Chief was a real Lizardman; and the apostle of God had killed the Chief and
turned him into a puppet of the tower. Also, the gods were involved in the Chief’s
death. Even if they did not intervene directly, Lee Shin could assume that from the
appearance of the apostle.
"There must be something you find unfair,” Lee Shin looked at the Chief.
What was the nature of the cane and why was it attractive to this guy? Lee Shin did
not think that the Lizardman Chief just happened to go to the cave. It was clear that
the intentions of the gods were at play.
"I knew it…” Lee Shin muttered.

Lee Shin pulled out the cane that the Chief was holding onto. Interestingly enough, it
was just an ordinary cane. If the Chief had that cane from his past, Lee Shin would
not have been able to win.
"I will head to the waiting area on the third floor,” said Lee Shin.
The moment the words were said, he was wrapped in light and transported. Upon
arrival, Lee Shin immediately hid himself and moved to a quiet place.
When he looked around, there were quite a lot of people who had not yet climbed
the tower. It was not the time to lose time due to these people. Lee Shin looked at the
things he received as a reward.
"Huh…?" When Lee Shin checked his skills, he could not keep his mouth shut.
[Necromancy]
Necromancy can contaminate the spirit of the sorcerer, so be careful!
# Depending on the level of your Dominance, you can handle demons more easily.
# You can communicate with demons.
# You can absorb demons.
# You can summon the absorbed demons.
[Demon Explosion]
I cannot believe you are thinking of exploding an already dead soul. You are truly…
amazing!
# By exploding the demon, you will inflict great damage on the opponent's soul. The
demon that gets exploded will be extinguished.
# The impact and mana power consumption will be directly proportional to the level
of the evil spirit in the demon.
Lee Shin had never expected he would acquire Necromancy here, because what he
did was just an expedient trick. Moreover, it was so difficult to work with this skill,
Necromancy. Lee Shin had encountered only one person in his previous life who
could use this skill properly. It was a different matter than just seeing and interacting
with the soul.
It was much more difficult to deal with them, because they were evil demons. In fact,
many sorcerers had said that the more they handled the demons, the more
contaminated their minds became. The side-effects of this skill were clear; they were
written in the skill description in the first place.
Nevertheless, the skill, Necromancy, had its merit such that no one would be willing
to give up this skill. Lee Shin also did not think of giving up this skill.
‘Status window,’ thought Lee Shin.
[Lee Shin]
# Title: Details*
# Mana Point (MP): 114852/114852
# Dominance: 26
# Divine Status: 1
# Chaos: 1
# Skills: Details*
His stats increased significantly in comparison to when he had first regained his
memory. However, that was not the most noticeable difference.
‘Lee Shin… ’ Lee Shin smiled.
He was no longer referred to as Gene Ebrium, but Lee Shin. The system now
recognized him as Lee Shin. It took him almost a year and a half to find his name.
‘Finally it feels like I’m getting a fresh start.’ Satisfied, Lee Shin smiled and moved to
where the manager was.
When Lee Shin looked around, he saw an Orc with a black body—unlike other Orcs
seen everywhere, which were blue. He assumed that the Black Orc was the manager
here. Lee Shin walked to the Orc without hesitation.
"Send me to the third floor," Lee Shin demanded.
The manager stared blankly at Lee Shin. To him, Lee Shin had suddenly appeared out
of nowhere and made demands.
"Sheesh! You have a short temper. Alright, I'll let you go." The manager sent Lee Shin
to the third floor with a gesture, annoyed.
[Stop the Orcs.]
[Make as many contributions as possible to the Battle to protect Urtein.]
Lee Shin moved over to a huge wall. There was a large piece of land in front of his
eyes, and millions of Orcs were approaching the wall.
Booo—!
The sound of a horn signaled the start of the war.
The citadel was full of soldiers, enough to stop the Orcs, and the place was fully
prepared for protection. Also, the Orcs, who did not have any siege equipment, could
never access this place because the citadel was placed on high terrain.
The challengers on the third floor had to focus on how much they could contribute to
this war. It did not matter whether they won or lost the war, because the Urtein
people would win anyway.
"Hey, are you a recruit?” Lee Shin was staring blankly at the Orcs when a soldier
standing near him called out.
"Then stay alert! Even though those Orcs cannot get through this place, your attitude
should not be like that!” the soldier shouted.
“Okay, I will,” Lee Shin answered indifferently and watched as the Orcs approached.
The soldier called out to Lee Shin again, as if he still did not like Lee Shin’s attitude.
"Hey! What's your specialty? Can you even shoot an arrow properly? Huh? How did
you get in here? You look like a jerk. I think you’ll probably run away if an Orc gets
close to you,” the soldier laughed at Lee Shin.
"I can shoot arrows well," Lee Shin replied.
"Really? Ha… Alright, let's see how good you are." The soldier was surprised at Lee
Shin’s calm voice.
"Alright," Lee Shin replied.
The soldier who just spoke to Lee Shin, as well as all the other soldiers around him,
thought that they would definitely win this battle. Nevertheless, the soldiers seemed
nervous.
Booo—!
Meanwhile, the Orcs approached the citadel and arrived within range of the attack.
As soon as the signal was given, people attacked the Orcs from the citadel.
In an instant, the bodies of countless dead Orcs piled up in front of the walls. At the
same time, the nerves of the soldiers were gradually easing.
"Hey newbie! Stop spacing out and shoot an arrow! Is that arrow on your back just a
decoration?" the soldier yelled at Lee Shin.
"I will," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin took the bow and arrow from over his shoulder and started pulling the
arrow into position while invisible mana covered the arrow. At the same time, his
mana pumped up his muscle as it increased his physical strength.
Squeak—
There was no need to aim, because the Orcs were everywhere no matter where Lee
Shin shot the arrow.
Twang—!
The arrow pierced through the air and sonic waves reverberated.
"Huh? What’s going on?"
The arrow, which had fallen at a strange angle, changed its direction once again
along the hilltop.
Pupuck! Pupupuk!
The penetration of the arrow was maximized, and it finally came to a stop only after
piercing through dozens of Orcs. Was this what it would feel like if bow masters shot
their bow?
The soldier who saw the arrow shot by Lee Shin looked stunned and looked at where
the arrow had passed through a while ago. With a single shot, the Orcs who were
standing in a straight line lost their formation and collapsed. The soldiers could not
believe his mana skills.
‘Was he really the Bow Master the Castellan secretly hired?’ The soldier was worried.
He remembered all the crazy things that he had said to Lee Shin.
‘I’m dead,’ thought the soldier.
However, Lee Shin pulled his arrow once again, not caring about the soldier. Lee Shin
embedded mana into the arrow once more, but fused the fire and wind properties
this time.
Twang—!
The sound of the arrow flying echoed through the air again, making the soldier's ears
tingle. The arrow flew in a stunning curve toward the Orcs. At lightning speed it flew,
falling in the middle of the formation of the Orcs.
Kwa-kwa-kwang!
When the arrow hit the ground, it caused a fire that swept away everything within a
few hundred yards’ radius. With a single arrow, devastation ensued. And the blazing
flames showed that one arrow was sufficient to kill dozens, even hundreds.
However, that was just the beginning. Another arrow was fired, emitting a strong
piercing sound.
Kwang—!
There was an unidentified roar on the battlefield which made people wonder if it
had been a cannon or an arrow. After the third arrow was shot, even the soldiers
who had been defending against the Orcs on top of the walls stopped fighting for a
moment and looked at Lee Shin. The citadel went silent for a moment.
"H-hey you, I mean… Bow Master, is that really you…?” the soldier asked.
There were only three Bow Masters on this continent, and the soldier thought one of
them had to be this man, Lee Shin. Although Lee Shin appeared too young to be one,
those heavenly humans were not ordinary. Therefore, common sense would not
work. The soldier who was scolding Lee Shin just a while ago was covered in cold
sweat.
‘Man, he’s making it sound like I’m about to kill him,’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin ignored people’s looks and focused on calculating what mana to use next.
He thought that he had shown enough archery skills. However, he knew that archery
was not his strong suit just as he had expected.
Lee Shin threw his bow on the ground and built a mana circle in the air. In an instant,
a humongous mana circle covered the sky. Not only did the Orcs collapse from Lee
Shin’s arrow, but the soldiers also flinched when they felt the sonic wave of Lee
Shin’s mana.
At that moment, Lee Shin could see a group of people rushing to the wall. Unlike
other soldiers, those soldiers were dressed in colorful armor and it seemed like they
were escorting someone. One of the escorts came up to the wall, but Lee Shin
pretended like he did not see him and continued planning his next mana attack.
Lee Shin thought that the escort was coming to make a lame suggestion. In that case,
it was more advantageous to kill at least one more enemy.
"Good morning, Mr. Wizard. I am Belia DeHarut, Knight Commander of the County in
Urtein," Belia DeHarut introduced himself.
“…” Lee Shin did not reply, because he was already too focused on working with his
mana.
When the Knight Commander saw how focused Lee Shin was, he did not mind that
he had been ignored by Lee Shin. The Knight Commander turned his gaze to the
battlefield in anticipation of the grand appearance of Lee Shin’s mana.
In an instant, the blue sky was covered with dark clouds and the battlefield which
had been bright became dark as if it was night. Not only the Orcs trembled, but even
the humans were wrapped in unknown fear due to the change in atmosphere.
There was a very tense and heavy atmosphere on the battlefield. Lee Shin’s mana
replaced whatever horror and fear that permeated the battlefield a while ago and
cast an additional sense of heaviness on the atmosphere.
‘Yeah… this is the death element,’ thought Lee Shin.
It was something that Lee Shin had learned from the [Black Mana] when he reached
Unlock Level 2.
‘Death elements feed on everything related to death,’ thought Lee Shin.
And this huge battlefield was practically death manifested.
[Dark Thunder]
Koo goo goo goo goong!
A dark thunderbolt struck the area where the Orcs were gathered. In the soldiers'
eyes, that dark thunderbolt seemed as if it divided the world in half.
The dark thunderbolt spread through the ground and electrocuted the Orcs.
Normally, the Orcs would shake off the electric shock pretty quickly, but all of the
electrocuted Orcs were rolling on the ground, wrapping their heads.
"W-w-what’s going on?"

"What's wrong with them?"
"They are not the ones near where the mana fell… Why are those ones also suffering
if they are so far away…?"
The soldiers could not understand these mysterious phenomena.
‘Death element amplifies fear,’ thought Lee Shin.
The ones who touched that dark thunderbolt were in such pain because of the fear of
death. The dark thunderbolt that struck them from a pitch-black sky looked like
divine punishment; like God’s punishment for the Orcs who dared to confront men.
At least, the soldiers who saw Lee Shin’s mana thought of it like this.
"No way…” Belia looked at Lee Shin with admiration after witnessing the incredible
sight in front of him.
Lee Shin’s mana was something he had never seen or heard of. Lee Shin had wiped
out many of those Orcs with just a single shot. Of course, the Orcs were not
completely dead, but at least they were unable to fight. The Earl could not keep his
mouth shut, because he was amazed.
The Earl looked at the battlefield once again. So many of the Orcs on the battlefield
had already fallen. They did not seem to have any more motivation to continue the
war.
"A magus…” Belia was cautious to say that because he was not even sure if Lee Shin
was a magus.
Even after he finished using his mana, Lee Shin did not sound like he was catching
his breath. He seemed relaxed the whole time. The Earl thought that maybe Lee Shin
was the Great Wizard.
'Wait no, that doesn’t make sense. There's only one Great Wizard in the Empire. So,
there’s no way this man is the Great Wizard,’ Belia thought.
Lee Shin gave Belia a cold look.
Kwuooo—!
At this moment, a frenzied roar rose from the camp of the Orcs all the way to the
wall—a monster huge enough to be visible from this distance. It had never moved
from its position while it was on the third floor, not even until the very moment
when all the Orcs were annihilated. It would disappear when the war was over.
However, it suddenly roared now and it was weird.
"I can't believe that this monster is this intimidating…” Belia looked at the Black Orc
and was terrified. "Dear magus, do you happen to be the Great Wizard…?” Belia
asked as cautiously as he could.
"No, sir,” Lee Shin replied.
"Oh… I see. Let me introduce myself again. I am Belia DeHarut, the Knight
Commander of the Earl of Urtein," Belia introduced himself.
"Okay," Lee Shin replied.
"I don’t understand why a person like you, a magus, is defending against the Orcs
here. Are you here to kill that Black Orc?” Belia asked.
“…I'm just here to check," Lee Shin answered.
"Oh, then we will ask you formally. Please stop that Orc,” Belia bowed and asked Lee
Shin politely.
[Hidden Stage - Black Orc Geren]
[Born among the Orcs with blue skin, the Black Orc Geren had been rejected by the
Orcs as it was seen as an omen. Despite that, Geren could not abandon the Orcs, and
eventually killed the Orc Lord, the king of the Orcs, and became the Orc Lord himself.
He had gone ahead with his attacks on the citadel of Urtein to vent his anger. Geren,
who did not feel much emotion even after the Orcs died, is enthralled by your
greatness and wants to fight you. Kill Geren and protect the Orcs and the Urtein
citadel.]
"The soldiers do not know the power of that Orc. I thought our citadel would be
enough to stop them, but now that I see him, our citadel would not be enough to
protect ourselves. Please stop that Orc. I will do whatever you want if you can stop
them for us,” the Earl explained.
"Are you telling me to stop him all by myself?” Lee Shin asked.
"We consider it a sign of God that you, a magus, are here just in time. So please help
us," the Earl asked Lee Shin.
Lee Shin did not like how the Earl said the "sign of God,” but he could not ignore their
request.
Lee Shin turned his head and saw the Black Orc, Geren, in the distance. Geren raised
the ax he was holding and gave a strong roar. Then, the low morale of the Orcs began
to rise like crazy.
"Stop them! The Orcs are approaching!"
"Shoot them! Don't let them come near us!"
"Wizards, cast the most powerful spells you know! More than half of the Orcs' power
is already gone! We can win this battle!"
"We have a magus with us! He and the Knights of Urtein will block the Black Orc, so
don’t be afraid!”
Wowww!
Whoaaa!
"We will win!"
"For victory!"
"For Urtein!"
The morale of the soldiers rose sharply once more. There were also many competent
commanders in Urtein.
"There’s something the Knights have to do," Lee Shin mentioned.
"What is it! If you just tell me, I'll do anything you say! If I have to risk my life to draw
his attention—" The Earl was interrupted.
"Just bring me the mana recovery potion," Lee Shin asked.
"Sorry?” The Earl asked again.
"Bring everything you have. Right now!" Lee Shin shouted.
"Ah, okay, I will!" Belia answered.
Lee Shin could hear Belia shouting at the soldiers below hurriedly. Lee Shin could
see the horrors of war before his eyes. The Orcs ignored the scene of death before
them and tried to climb the walls, trampling upon the dead bodies of their
colleagues. At the bottom of the walls, countless Orcs lay dead. The corpses and
bloody flesh became a stepping stone for other Orcs to climb the walls.
"Here are the potions—” When Belia brought the potions to Lee Shin, Geren moved.
Thud!
When Geren hit the ground, it vibrated as if there was an earthquake.
Kuang—!
Geren's fist and Lee Shin's defense spell collided in the air, sending a loud roar.
Kwoooahhh!
In an instant, the Black Orc came near the wall and roared; and at the roar, the
soldiers covered their ears and collapsed to their knees. They could feel the pressure
just by looking at him. Most of the soldiers on the wall could not overcome the fear
and fell on the spot.
They felt a sense of helplessness. Was it because it felt like the walls could have
collapsed in one shot if it wasn't for Lee Shin’s defense mana?
"Keugh!" the Knight Commander groaned as he handed over the potions to Lee Shin.
The Knight Commander had pulled out his sword and stood staring at Geren, but his
body was shaking. He was somewhat resisting Geren's Fear skill in his own way, but
it was clear that he would not last long.
"Just go and take care of your soldiers,” told Lee Shin.
“…Alright," the Knight Commander replied.
Belia clenched his teeth in frustration at his helplessness and ran to the soldiers. Lee
Shin looked at Geren again. Geren was also looking at Lee Shin, smirking at him.
Their eyes met.
"Oh, are you laughing at me?” Lee Shin threw a cold look at it.
The Black Orc was not using the ax he was holding. Was he thinking that he would
not even need a weapon to deal with Lee Shin?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every time Geren’s fist collided with Lee Shin’s defense mana, the entire citadel
vibrated. Every time Lee Shin blocked Geren’s punch, his mana power diminished
drastically. And the soldiers screamed with horror when they saw this situation.
"This is crazy," Lee Shin muttered.
Geren smirked at Lee Shin. A huge molar protruding from between his lips could be
seen the whole time. Was he excited to see humans shaking in fear? Or was he
finding it fun to have somebody to fight him?
If that was not the case, was he happy to find someone who could kill him?
Keuahhh!
Geren’s eyes were already filled with madness.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Oh well, who cares about that.”
Gulp— Gulp—
Lee Shin gulped down the mana recovery potion given by Belia and spread his mana
in all directions.
"That’s not the important part anyways,” Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin could see that the huge battlefield was turning red with blood. With their
heightened morale, the demons were floating everywhere. There were almost a
million of them.
[Necromancy]
Lee Shin could feel the grudge coming from the Orcs’ souls who had now become
demons. Some had grudges against Lee Shin, and others against human beings. Most
Orcs had this feeling towards the Orc Lord, Geren. All the resentment and grudges of
these demons were now passed on to Lee Shin.
[Demon Explosion]
A huge explosion swept the battlefield, but it was not visible to everyone. An inferno
struck Geren.
Keuaaahhh!!
Geren’s screams of pain echoed across the battlefield. Lee Shin did not have enough
mana power to explode all one million demons. However, it was enough to destroy a
small group of them. Orcs, by nature, were weak to necromancy. They just had a
strong physicality, rather than a strong mentality.
"Keuk…” After Lee Shin had cast the Demon Explosion spell, he grabbed his head.
Lee Shin could not tell how many demons had exploded.
The demons were filled with malice and a desire to murder. Lee Shin could clearly
sense the kind of danger associated with the use of the skill Necromancy. It felt like
his mind was becoming increasingly contaminated with their malice. It felt like even
the sorcerer would be infected with these emotions of the demons and become
demons themselves.
Lee Shin, who prided himself on being mentally strong, also felt that this amount of
malice invading his mind was dangerous.
Crunch—
Lee Shin was forced to commune with the demons.

Lee Shin clenched his teeth in order to escape from the malice that was about to
engulf him, but only barely managed.
When the souls became demons, only evil was left behind. No matter who the target
used to be, it became insignificant from the moment it turned into a demon.
Therefore, the sorcerer took advantage of the demons by making use of their malice.
Lee Shin felt nauseous. He was afraid that he would be stained with malice and kill
all the humans around him. Despite all the mana he had poured out, there were still
countless demons on the battlefield.
[You have taken away the Strength of Geren.]
[You have taken away the Agility of Geren.]
[You have taken away the Dominance of Geren.]
Stat extortion was activated once again due to Chaos, just as it did when Lee Shin had
killed the Orcs. It was good to rob the Strength and Agility; but above all, the great
achievement was robbing the Dominance.
Dominance was essential in order to use most of the necromancer’s power.

Moreover, Necromancy was a branch of the Necromancer’s sect. Therefore, it was
now crucial to raise the Dominance stat for Necromancy, as it was one of Lee Shin's
strongest suite.
"Kreukkk—" Geren’s voice of pain was heard in the flames of the invisible but intense
inferno.
Geren was a monstrous fellow. Lee Shin could not believe that Geren endured the
flames that struck him.
His soul was almost in danger of being destroyed if someone touched it. And yet he
did not give in. The soldiers and the Knight Commander who were standing near Lee
Shin did not know what was happening, because they could not see anything.
Those who could not see souls could not see anything that was going on. Only the
Knight Commander was vaguely aware that something had happened. With great
effort, Geren picked up the axe that fell on the floor.
"Just give up, Geren,” Lee Shin muttered.
He was about to die. The shadow of death hung over him.
It was one of the powers of He Who Knows Death. Not only could they see the past of
the dead, but they could also see death approaching the living. The shadow of death,
which did not exist at first, wrapped around him. And it became thicker and thicker
as time passed.
"Shshhh— how do you know my name…?" Geren asked.
"Geren, your people did not reject you,” Lee Shin explained.
"Shish! What do you even know about us…!" Geren continued.
"Trust me, I know. I lived the same life as you,” Lee Shin answered.
Geren stared at Lee Shin after hearing his words.
"Do you really think you were so ostracized just because your skin color was
different from others? You’re wrong! You were rejected not because of your skin
color, but because of your strong power,” Lee Shin explained.
"Shish! That can't be true! Our clan worships the strong. Nevertheless, I was still
ostracized. How dare they ostracize me when I was the strongest one of the clan!”
Geren shouted.
As Geren spoke, his motivation soared. Death, which had been getting thicker, faded
at that moment.
‘Is he overcoming the approaching death on his own?’ Lee Shin wondered and etched
the strange phenomenon that he had witnessed at that moment in his memory.
"It's the same for humans. Humans worship those who are strong and brilliant. But it
becomes different if their strength is beyond the norm. Both humans and Orcs get
afraid if someone possesses a power that they could not have imagined. Then they
start to deny that those outstanding ones are not of his kind, and they are more like
monsters…” Lee Shin explained.
"Monsters…” Geren mumbled.
"Yes, monsters. You were a monster that could easily beat the Orc Lord. That's why
your clan was afraid of you. So… stop it. Don't indulge in madness," Lee Shin told
Geren.
"Madness… I am… I am… Keuaahhh—!”
Geren's eyes, which were filled with madness, began to slowly return to their
original state. Then he grabbed his heart and roared. The soul, which was already
almost broken, was forcibly held by his will and madness. Death, which had been
fading, began to intensify rapidly again.
"Shish, what is… your name…?” Geren asked.
"It’s Lee Shin," Lee Shin answered.
"I will remember you… Thank you," Geren muttered.
Geren's huge body collapsed. In his eyes, there was sorrow and remorse. He seemed
to have more lingering feelings about his life now than when he was filled with
madness.
How strong was his willpower? The reason why his soul was still holding on was
because of his willpower. It would not have been strange for his soul to have broken
and disappeared a long time ago. What if this place was not a tower, and he was not
made in the tower? What would he be like if he was the original Geren? This guy
probably deserved to acquire divine status.
[You have defeated Geren.]
[You have cleared the hidden stage.]
[That was an amazing achievement! Many gods are paying attention to you!]
[Many gods are wanting to talk to you. Do you want to accept them?]
"No," Lee Shin answered.
Lee Shin did not feel happy to see Geren's cold corpse.
"Mr. Magus." Belia approached Lee Shin before he even noticed. "The Lord wants to
see you.”
As Lee Shin followed Belia down the wall, there was the Lord.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Hamel Urtein, the Lord of Urtein," the Lord introduced
himself.
"Hello, this is Lee Shin," Lee Shin also introduced himself.
"Thanks to you Mr. Magus, we could win the battle. Thank you very much.” Hamel
bowed his head and thanked him. "I would like to show you our appreciation. Will
you please come with us?"
Lee Shin and the Lord both got on the carriage and entered the castle of Urtein.
Hamel wanted to serve him food, but Lee Shin refused and went directly to the
underground warehouse.
"This is the underground warehouse where we have been storing the treasures that
have been collected from generation to generation by our Urtein family," Hamel said
with a proud face. "Please, follow me."
When Lee Shin entered the underground warehouse, there was another staircase to
go deeper underground. And after going down two more flights of stairs, he finally
arrived at the actual destination.
"The items above are rare and valuable enough, but these ones here are the most
precious ones," Hamel explained.
"They truly are,” Lee Shin replied.

Even with a short glance, Lee Shin could tell that these items were of another level
compared to the ones above.
"I knew you would be able to recognize that at once,” said Hamel.
"That's what it feels like," Lee Shin answered.
"Hahaha, you don't have to be modest. Anyway, I’ll give you anything you want from
here. But, I can't give you more than one because they are ‘national’ treasures that
have been handed down from generation to generation." Hamel looked really sorry,
but Lee Shin did not expect any more than one.
Just one item was enough for Lee Shin.
"Okay. Can I choose?" Lee Shin asked.
"Please take your time to look around and choose. We'll be upstairs," Hamel replied.
"Really? What if I steal more than one?" Lee Shin smiled.
"Hahaha, I know you won’t do that. You're the one who killed that horrible Black Orc
for us, so I will trust you. And also, if you want to, aren’t you capable of destroying all
of us and taking all of them?” Hamel laughed.
However, Hamel was wrong. Urtein’s strength was not something to be made fun of.
First of all, Lee Shin did not have enough mana power to deal with all of them; and
even if he did, a complete takeover was impossible. It was a different matter from
dealing with one Geren.
"Thank you for trusting me," Lee Shin muttered.
"We will be outside then," Hamel replied.
"Alright," Lee Shin answered.
After the Lord and the Knights had gone upstairs, Lee Shin slowly checked the items
around him. Compared to the items above, there were not many items here; but Lee
Shin knew that each one here was worth more.
There were many swords, axes, arrows, gloves, and armor; but there were only two
items that drew Lee Shin’s attention.
[Enchanted Silver Tree Wand]
A wand made of Silver Trees grown in the Ertel Mountains, where ordinary plants
cannot survive due to their high mana concentration.
# You can store mana power.
# Mana Storage: 0/300,000
# At a low probability, it will increase the user's mana power when one’s mana
power is saturated.
# Contracts with a low-rank spirit.
[Subspace Wand]
It is a masterpiece made by Ashrell, the magus of space, a brilliant blacksmith.
# Creates a skill [Subspace]
# Creates a skill [Mana Power Force Field]
# Creates a skill [Blink]
Lee Shin had a wand that he had purchased from the Points Store, but he only
carried it because his hands were empty. That wand was not necessarily a good one.
If there was a decent wand available, it was best to prepare the wand first.
After checking various artifacts, Lee Shin carefully selected two wands. The
Enchanted Silver Tree Wand could fill the lack of mana power, something that Lee
Shin needed most at the moment. Also, Lee Shin could sign a contract with a low-
rank spirit. Moreover, the wand with full mana storage could increase the maximum
amount of mana power just by holding it.
On the other hand, the Subspace Wand allowed him to use some of the convenient
manas, including Subspace and Blink.
‘Hmmm… Which one should I choose?’ Lee Shin thought for a moment.
As of now, with his current skill, it was impossible for him to create Spatial Mana.
Spatial Mana was a type of mana that could be used only if someone had their own
speciality, not merely talent. That would be possible if Lee Shin regained the level he
had in his previous life, but for now, he was far behind.
‘Oh well, I should pick this one then.’ Lee Shin decided on the item.
Lee Shin picked up the wand emitting silver light. Although it was a pity that he
couldn’t get the Subspace Wand as well, what Lee Shin needed the most was growth,
not convenience. It was right to choose the silver wand that could be an engine of
growth for him. When Lee Shin went up with the wand, a system message appeared.
[You have cleared the third floor.]
[You have achieved 123,820 points.]
[Your Health Point has gone up by 2,300.]
[Your Mana Power has gone up by 10,082.]
[Your Strength has gone up by 7.]
[Your Agility has gone up by 5.]
[Your Intelligence has gone up by 15.]
[Your Dominance has gone up by 6.]
[Your understanding of Necromancy has increased significantly.]
[You have acquired the Enchanted Silver Tree Wand.]
[You have acquired the Fragment of Divine Status.]
Lee Shin did not leave the third floor immediately. He returned to the wall where he
had fought the war. The soldiers were busy cleaning up the war, and the soldiers who
encountered Lee Shin greeted him politely.
"Dear magus, my lord!” the soldier greeted Lee Shin.
The soldier standing in front of the gate recognized Lee Shin and raised his hand in
salute.
"Where is the dead body of Geren?" Lee Shin asked.
"It’s still there at the same place!" the soldier replied.
"Can I go take a look at it?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, yes, of course! There was an order to listen to everything you say!" the soldier
explained.
Lee Shin passed through the gate and moved to the place where Geren's body was.
Along the outer side of the wall, countless remains of Orcs lay. And the reddish-
brown colored land was covered with greenish blood. Amongst the large group of
Blue Orcs, Lee Shin could see Geren's dead body, which was pitch black.
"Geren…” Lee Shin remembered him.
Geren was several times bigger than other Orcs. He had a sharp protruding molar,
and muscles that look stronger than most metals. However, in contrast to his
ferocious appearance, the dead body looked pitiful and lonely.
‘Why is the power of He Who Knows Death not working?’ Lee Shin wondered.
Lee Shin thought that he would know Geren's backstory once he killed him, just like
the time he had killed the Lizardman Chief on the second floor. The moment Lee Shin
faced Geren, he was sure that the story of each floor must have something to do with
the gods. And the Fragment of Divine Status confirmed that belief.
[Fragment of Divine Status]
This is a fragment of Divine Status that was split into several pieces. If you collect all
the fragments, you will be able to get one proper divine status.
Geren could have had a divine status. Maybe that was why the gods took away his
divine status and left the fragment behind.
Lee Shin thought that the reason why the power of He Who Knows Death did not
work on Geren was that Geren had a higher class than Lee Shin. That meant all the
ghosts upon whom Lee Shin could not use the power of He Who Knows Death were
of a higher class than Lee Shin.
‘That’s possible,’ Lee Shin thought.
There was a way back to the first floor. And by the time he returned, he would be
able to relieve the ghosts of their resentment.
"Take me to the waiting area on the fourth floor," said Lee Shin.
[You are moving to the waiting area on the fourth floor.]
***
There was a plain, barren land with a dull atmosphere. There were numerous people
here and there, but they would soon leave. People did not stay long in the waiting
area on the fourth floor, which had nothing to do or see; but there were still a lot of
people here because it was a special occasion right now.
"Grooka!" A troll approached Lee Shin.
It was a huge troll that looked three meters tall. He had big, dark eye bags that made
him appear very tired.
"Huh?" Lee Shin asked when the troll suddenly approached him and talked to Lee
Shin.
"Are you the Messenger of God?” the troll asked.
"No," Lee Shin replied.
"Oh, I see. Alright.” The troll had suddenly appeared, asked questions, nodded to
himself, and ended the conversation.
Lee Shin frowned.

"Be careful, Grooka," the troll told him.
"What am I supposed to be careful about?” Lee Shin asked.
"I can't just tell you," the troll replied.
The troll was implying that Lee Shin should give him points if he wanted to hear the
information.
“…How much is it?” Lee Shin asked.
Lee Shin thought there was a high chance that this information would be really
important because the manager approached him and talked to him first.
“It will be 10,000 points,” the troll demanded.
"What?" Lee Shin was shocked.
"It has to be that much, or else you don’t get anything," the troll replied.
Lee Shin could not believe that information regarding merely the third floor was
worth that much.
[You have paid 10,000 points.]
Lee Shin could pay this much because he had enough points.
"Watch out for the altar, and don't believe it," the troll left a short sentence.
"Is that it?" Lee Shin was shocked.
"Yes, Grook!" the troll replied.
‘The altar… ’ Lee Shin thought for a moment.
Lee Shin was disappointed because that information was not very helpful.
It would have been helpful if this was Lee Shin’s first attempt to clear the third floor.
However, it was Lee Shin’s second attempt, and he already knew about the altar’s
existence.
"If I pay more points, can I get the next piece of information?" Lee Shin asked.
"The next one is expensive. It will be 50,000 points…” said the troll.
[You have paid 50,000 points.]
"Just give me the next one," said Lee Shin.

After hearing the information from the manager, Lee Shin looked at the Enchanted
Silver Tree Wand that he had acquired from the third floor. Lee Shin could store a
total of 300,000 mana power inside. And he had to fill that entire amount of mana
power up on his own. Lee Shin spent a long time in the waiting area on the fourth
floor to accomplish that.
"Contracting with a low-rank spirit…” Lee Shin muttered.
Honestly, there was a spirit that Lee Shin had wanted, but it was questionable
whether he could summon it. He was deeply concerned about the spirit because it
had not been easy for him to find the one he wanted. After completing all the
preparations, Lee Shin went back to the manager.
"Send me to the fourth floor," Lee Shin asked the manager.
"Grooka! I'll let you go," the manager replied.
As soon as the wand of the giant troll hit the ground, Lee Shin disappeared. The troll
looked at the space into which Lee Shin vanished and smirked.
"This world will be noisy for a while,” the troll muttered.
***
The sky was the red of a sunset, and the land was very dry. It seemed as if not even a
single drop of rain had fallen in recent years.
'Nothing much has changed,’ Lee Shin thought.
At that moment, as dark blood gathered in the air, the space opened, and a cute bat
popped out of it. The bat then sat on Lee Shin's shoulder. It was Lilian.
"This world is completely ruined,” Lilian muttered.

"Well yeah, because this place is abandoned,” Lee Shin explained.
"Wait really? This place is abandoned?" Lilian asked.
Lee Shin did not give an answer to Lillian's question, because she would soon find
out herself.
At the end of the barren land, thin trees and dark grass came together, forming a
forest.
‘The Dark Forest,’ Lee Shin thought.
[Save the Dark Frost Troll Tribe]
[The Dark Frost Trolls have been plagued, and they are waiting for someone to save
them, even if it is death.]
[Kill the Dark Frost Troll (0/100)]
When Lee Shin's feet touched the place called the "Dark Forest," the red sky turned
black, as if the world was in darkness.
Eughhh—
Keughhhaaa—
A strange voice echoed throughout the dark forest. Lee Shin could not determine
whether it was a cry of a troll or a scream in pain. There were dark reddish berries
hanging between the branches of the blackened tree.
"What kind of fruit is this?" Lilian flapped her wings and picked the fruit from the
tree and tried to eat it out of curiosity.
"Don't eat that. That fruit would have been affected by the plague," Lee Shin
explained.
"The plague? I don’t think it will have an effect—" Lilian got interrupted.
"No, don’t." Lee Shin stopped her.

If Lilian could still use all of her original strength, it would have been fine. However,
she had been sleeping for a long time, and her strength had weakened a lot.
Moreover, after being made subordinate to Lee Shin, a limitation on her power had
been imposed.
If this plague were just an ordinary one, it would not have mattered how weakened
Lilian was. However, the plague contained in this fruit was not an ordinary one.
“Keughhh—” a troll cried out.
He had a thin body, and his eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle and wit. He was
larger in size compared to Lee Shin, but the sense of dignity he exuded was
completely different from the troll Lee Shin had seen in the waiting area earlier.
The next moment, three Dark Frost Trolls appeared in front of Lee Shin and rushed
towards him, releasing a cold breath. No matter how frail the troll was, a troll was a
troll.
In fact, they were Dark Frost Trolls.
The troll’s sharp nails almost reached him and it looked as if he was trying to rip Lee
Shin's skin off. However, Lee Shin, who nimbly avoided his attack, grabbed the troll's
wrist.
"Keughhhaaa!” Lee Shin did not put much force, but the troll still struggled in pain.
Crunch—
Lee Shin clenched his teeth and let go of the troll’s wrist.
How could they be the Dark Frost Trolls? They were always filled with pride and
dignity!
[Kill the Dark Frost Troll (0/100)]
The system was telling Lee Shin to kill these Dark Frost Trolls. It was telling him that
killing them would be saving them.
"How can death mean salvation? Since when was it the same thing?” Lee Shin
wondered.
Lee Shin suppressed the rising disgust and went further into the Dark Forest. As he
went deeper and deeper in, he saw a tombstone made by the trolls. On that large
stone, there were some unknown characters and a picture.
‘A hero… ’ Lee Shin thought.
He was quite certain that the engraving on the tombstone was saying that a hero was
asleep there. Lee Shin smiled bitterly and left the Dark Forest.
***
Kim Kang-Chun, Park Hye-Won, Ji Eun-Ju, and Park Joo-Hyuk were gathered in the
waiting area on the sixth floor. They had cleared the fifth floor and were now in a
serious conversation.
"Why isn't he coming out?"
"It's already been a week."
"Ji-Hoon oppa!"
At that moment, Ji-Hoon was transported to the waiting area on the sixth floor.
When people saw him arrive, they rushed to greet him. His clothes were tattered,
and he looked pale. Ji-Hoon collapsed as if he was about to die.
"Ha… I almost died," Ji-Hoon sighed.
"Stop overreacting dude," Park Hye-Won replied.
At Park Hye-Won's words, Kang Ji-Hoon shouted that it was true, but not many
people believed him. He had a tendency to exaggerate a lot, so the four of them were
often misled by his behavior. As a result, now they could tell whether he was being
serious or not by looking at his reaction.
"I’m being serious! I almost died!" Kang Ji-Hoon shouted.
"We know. You did Extreme Level too, right?”
"Yeah, but after going into this level, I can understand why this is called Extreme. To
be honest, I don't know if I will be able to go for the Extreme Level next time, on the
fifteenth floor,” Kang Ji-Hoon muttered.
At Kang Ji-Hoon’s words, the rest also nodded in agreement.
They were only on the fifth floor. Considering the amount of time they had spent on
the first floor, they should not have already reached a bottleneck. Despite how much
they had trained on the first floor, the Extreme Level on the fifth floor raised people’s
awareness; they thought this level of difficulty could potentially kill them.
When they encountered the Lizardman Berserker on the second floor, the sense of
crisis was not this extreme. However, all five of them felt that they could really die on
the fifth floor.
"Eun-Ju said that she entered the Hard Level.”
"What? Really?"
"Yeah…” Eun-Ju could not look them in the eye.
Ji Eun-Ju looked depressed because she was feeling anxious that she was already
starting to fall behind among the five people who were called the first five members.
Of course, she was not bold enough to take risks and follow them. However, it was
not easy for her to get rid of that nervousness. She was worried that she would soon
be separated from them.
Ji Eun-Ju looked up. Everyone had a similar expression on their faces. So far, they
were all surviving well, but they all felt nervous thinking about when or how they
would fail. It was not just Ji Eun-Ju. It was only then she felt a little relieved.
"But what about Baek Hyun?" Kang Ji-Hoon asked.
When Kang Ji-Hoon asked, the other four people looked worried.
"I don't know. We haven't heard anything from him yet."
"Huh? But, I thought he went in first, no? If it's Baek Hyun, even coming out first
wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
"I was the first to arrive, but I didn’t see Baek Hyun then. Plus, the ranking did not
get updated,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.
At Park Joo-Hyuk's words, Kang Ji-Hoon looked serious, all of a sudden.
"No way…”
"Well, he could just be taking a long time. Let's not worry too much about it. There is
no way something is going to happen to him on the fifth floor.”
"Of course! There's no way something is going to happen with his talents and skills!"
Hye-Won and Eun-Ju spoke with a more carefree tone, as if they were trying to get
rid of the anxiety in their hearts. The four people who had cleared the Extreme Level
thought that no matter how difficult this level was, things could not have gone awry
for Baek Hyun, considering his skills.
However, those who knew Baek Hyun's personality too well, could not easily erase
their anxiety, because there was another possibility that could be holding him back.
‘The Hell Level… ’
Momentarily, the four recalled Baek Hyun's expression when he was looking at Lee
Shin's score.
‘No way… ’
***
As Lee Shin left the Dark Forest, the barren land appeared again and the red sky
greeted Lee Shin. He walked endlessly on this piece of land where he could see
nothing else. A while later, another old altar came into view.
[You have found the altar of the God of Blessings.]
Lee Shin ignored the message and walked to the altar. There were fifty bottles of
small elixirs there.
[Pitying the Dark Frost Troll tribe that was infected with the unknown plague, the
God of Blessings asked his apostles to take fifty elixirs, which could help them
recover, and built an altar there.]
[Save the Dark Frost Troll tribe by using the elixirs from the God of Blessings.]
It was the second method of clearing the fourth floor. It was the hidden altar of the
God of Blessings and his elixirs.
Searching for the faraway altar of the God of Blessings was not a secret method to
clear this stage; many had already cleared the fourth floor using this method.
In the early days of climbing the tower, the challengers often considered the God of
Blessings to be a good God judging from his appearance.
"This is disgusting," Lee Shin muttered.
If the God of Blessings felt sorry for the Dark Frost Trolls, why did he bring only fifty?
The first condition to clear the fourth floor was to kill a hundred Dark Frost Trolls to
save them, but there were only fifty elixirs from the God of Blessings.
Why were there only fifty instead of a hundred? Did the God not care that only fifty
could recover while the other fifty continued to suffer?
Lee Shin brought out his Enchanted Silver Tree Wand and held it in front of the
center of the altar.
"Are you going to break this altar?" Lilian asked.
"Hahaha! I really want to see the face of the owner of this altar," Lilian laughed as she
perched on Lee Shin’s shoulder as if she was having fun.
While Lilian was laughing, Lee Shin focused on his mana manipulation. At the end of
his silver wand, Lee Shin’s mana began to swirl as they were gathered.
Wooong— Woong—
A threatening wave of mana was about to pour out.
Then suddenly, a system message popped up.

[The God of Blessings has requested to have a conversation.]
Lee Shin did not bother at all, as if he had expected it.
Paaang—!
As the wave of strong mana flew toward the altar, the entire space vibrated.
"Keugh!"
Lee Shin groaned at the rebound of the wave, but no damage was done to him. Lee
Shin, who took a few steps back, frowned as he looked at the altar. There was no
damage done to the altar either.
"This is how much of a shield they have placed on such a remote, shabby altar…?"
Lee Shin could not believe that.
- Watch out for the altar, and don't believe it.
Lee Shin laughed as he recalled the manager’s advice.
It was ridiculous. There was no one in charge of the altar, and it was just an altar that
had been quickly built after the apostles brought the elixirs.
There would have been more than one altar like this.
The destruction of several altars like this would not cause any disturbance to the
gods whose classes were as high as that of the God of Blessings, since they were not
placed at an important location.
[The God of Blessings tries to intervene.]
[The God of Blessings warns you not to cross the line.]
The voices of the gods were being forcibly transmitted to Lee Shin through the
system. Even though Lee Shin did not even accept the request to have a conservation,
having the message conveyed like this meant that the God had wanted to forcefully
express his intentions even if it consumed a lot of power.
That was how urgent the situation was. Lee Shin could not believe that God was
being led by the nose with the actions of a challenger on the fourth floor. Back when
Lee Shin was climbing the tower for the first time, he could never imagine this.
Lee Shin simply thought the gods were almighty and out of reach.
However, thinking back now, Lee Shin believed the gods were really insignificant.
"What are you going to do if I cross the line?” Lee Shin lifted his wand once again.
The attack he made a while ago was just a test round. The altar was still fine, but he
could clearly feel a wave of instability from the shield.
[God of Blessings says that he will give you a reward if you stop now.]
Lee Shin ignored the words and gathered his mana power again. This time, the wave
of mana power was completely different from before. Gin’s unique ability, the [Black
Mana], began to swirl around Lee Shin.
[God of Blessings is…]
[God of Blessings…]
[God of…]
Seeing a series of messages appear, Lee Shin could feel the sense of urgency in God of
Blessings. Why was he so impatient? Lee Shin intuitively felt that there was a bigger
secret hidden here as he saw the reaction of God of Blessings.
- Break down the altar, then the secret will be revealed.
Lee Shin obtained this information by paying 50,000 points. And this information
was extremely valuable at this moment.
"Fuck you,” Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin had shown outstanding talent in the field of mana. Now his mana
aggregated to one place and began to sway just like the heat haze. It was the fourth
level, the best wave mana. Wave mana was the best option to break these shields.
Because he had the Enchanted Silver Tree Wand, Lee Shin could use this mana
without hesitation.
[Shock Wave]
Blue waves poured out from the tip of the wand and hit the shield of the altar.
Khwaaahhh!!
The whole space vibrated with the piercing sound of the sonic wave. And the
intangible membrane that protected the altar broke apart and the altar collapsed.
[The altar of the God of Blessings has collapsed!]
[The invisible shield placed on the Dark Forest that was formed due to the altar has
now disappeared.]
[The hero of the Dark Frost Troll tribe has woken up!]
[…]
Lee Shin smiled at the system messages that appeared one after another.
[The God of Blessings is furious!]
[The God of Blessings is…]
[…]
Ignoring the messages from the God of Blessings, Lee Shin looked up at the sky. The
red sky seemed to represent the emotional state of the God of Blessings.
[Hidden Stage…]
Lee Shin smiled once again after seeing the contents of the hidden stage that
emerged suddenly. Was that the secret? Since he was getting all the attention from
different gods, maybe Lee Shin’s actions were being seen by most of the gods. And
how would those other gods react to this now?
"This is fun," Lee Shin muttered.
Leaving the collapsed altar behind, Lee Shin took another step forward into the Dark
Forest.
Arriving at the Dark Forest, Lee Shin could sense that the atmosphere of the forest
had changed a little.
Eughhh—
Keuahhh—
The cry of pain could still be heard. However, it was slightly different from what he
had heard earlier.
‘Loneliness… Chagrin… ’
The trolls, who had lost their intelligence, howled. Through intuition, they noticed
that their hero had woken up, and they roared even louder.
[Hidden Stage - Shakhan, the Great Warrior of the Dark Frost Troll]
[The Great Warrior of the Dark Frost Troll, Shakhan, who had been sealed for a long
time, woke up from a long sleep. The chagrin and rage that he had been holding back
exploded all at once. Help him control his anger.]
Lee Shin was not told to kill Shakhan.
Keughaaa!!
The roar from deep inside the Dark Forest reverberated through the entire forest.
Lee Shin could feel his rage through the sound of his cries.
Although the cry was unsteady, the ferocity within suggested that greater danger
was to come. The souls of the Dark Frost Trolls were spread throughout the Dark
Forest. These irritated souls that were hiding in different places began to wake up.
"Your hero has woken up,” Lee Shin muttered.
‘You shouldn’t be angry or upset anymore.’

The souls of the Dark Frost Trolls, which already had become demons, appealed to
Lee Shin for justice.
The power behind Lee Shin’s words were bolstered by his Dominance stat. The
demons flinched because they were influenced by Lee Shin’s Necromancy command.
‘My commands would not last very long, because I am not skilled yet. Plus, I don’t have
the best Dominance stat.’
However, his commands were good enough to buy him a little time. It was Lee Shin
who had to struggle when the demons became active, because he had to sense the
emotions of the demons, who were everywhere. The lack of control over such
demons greatly hindered his concentration on the battle.
***
Shakhan was placed deep in the Dark Forest where the large tombstone was. The
stone wall behind it had collapsed. His dark eyes stared at Lee Shin. He was seized
with anger and hostility that he could not think straight. In Shakhan’s eyes, Lee Shin
was just an enemy.
"How dare you… do that to… my tribe…!" Shakhan’s raspy voice came out with
difficulty because he had not talked for so long.
Shakhan's ferocious skill, Fear, made the atmosphere heavy in an instant. Shakhan
swung a huge curved sword that was the size of Lee Shin.
Kaaang!
Lee Shin avoided Shakhan’s curved sword with a move that could not have come
from a wizard of the lower floors. The curved sword struck the ground, causing it to
tremble.
"Collapse!" With Lee Shin’s call, the land that was underneath him collapsed.
Shakhan momentarily lost his balance. Nevertheless, he quickly gained back his
balance and tried to get out of the area. However, he was thrown back onto the
ground by an explosion.
Kaboom!
As soon as the battle began, the mana circle engraved on the ground was activated,
and it tied Shakhan's feet together when he fell to the ground. And the series of
explosions blasted at his head.
“Keughhaaa!” Shakhan cried out.
There was no way that this level of attack would explode Shakhan’s head, but it made
Shakhan lose his sense of balance.
"Keuahhh…!" Shakhan shouted.
As the vibrations kept coming at his head, Shakhan struggled to escape from the
sunken ground. Lee Shin did not give him a break. Despite the constant attacks made
by Lee Shin, Shakhan’s body was recovering at the same time.
It was time to put an end to Lee Shin’s relentless attacks.
[Dark Thunder]
A black lightning bolt struck Shakhan's head, which was unable to move properly as
he was stuck in the ground.
"Keughaaa!” Shakhan cried out.
The screechy roar resonated throughout the Dark Forest for a while, and then it
faded.
"I… I am… Why do I…” Shakhan's eyes, which had earlier seemed black and
unfocused, turned blue.
[The spirit of the Great Warrior of the Dark Frost Troll has awakened.]
[You have cleared the hidden stage.]
"Shakhan, are you alright?" Lee Shin asked.
"Sha… Khan… Who… are you? How do you know that my name is…” Shakhan's voice
became clearer, as if his consciousness was gradually restored.
"My name is Lee Shin, and I'm here to wake you up," Lee Shin answered.
"To wake me up? Oh, I see. Are you the apostle of the God of Death? The smell of
death is strong on you," Shakhan said.
“…” Lee Shin did not respond to that.
The word apostle was disgusting to hear, but he decided to let it go this time.
"Is the God of Death finally paying attention to us?" Shakhan asked.
The Dark Frost Troll was a tribe that believed in the God of Death. However, it was
highly likely that the God of Death, who was not very interested in its believers, was
not aware of their existence.
"What happened?" Lee Shin asked.
“Kreuk… One day, an apostle came to us… And he was the apostle of the God of
Blessings,” Shakhan explained.
Shakhan was moving his body with great difficulty. His body had been torn apart by
Lee Shin. He shoved the curved sword into the ground and sat. He looked at Lee Shin
and talked continuously.
"Spray this all over the Dark Forest…” With Shakhan's words, the background had
changed.
Shakhan's former appearance was overlaid with his current appearance. And the
apostle of the God of Blessings who was standing in front of him opened his mouth.
“…then your tribe will also be looked after by the God of Death,” said the apostle.
The Dark Forest used to be a forest with fresh greenery. That forest had changed
completely in an instant after the apostle of the God of Blessings came.
Shakhan began to spray the liquid brought by the apostle of the God of Blessings
throughout the forest to receive favor from the God of Death, which he had wanted
for so long.
Shakhan had no doubt because he was an apostle of the same god. However, the
forest became increasingly polluted, and the Dark Frost Trolls who lived there
became plagued with infections. When Shakhan had realized something was wrong,
it was already too late. The sickness had already infected his body.
It was also too late to leave this forest and go elsewhere. The trolls would not last
long if they went anywhere else. They could not survive without eating the fruit,
even if it was stained with plague. Meanwhile, the apostle of the God of Blessings
reappeared.
"This is the work of the God of Plague. The holy water of the God of Blessings would
not have done that," said Shakhan.
"How dare you doubt the God of Blessings!" The apostle was brazen and Shakhan
was enraged.
The apostle scolded Shakhan and began to attack him. Shakhan, who was already
devastated, was unable to handle the apostle’s attack and simply collapsed.
"Kreuk!" Shakhan thought that he would not have lost so helplessly if he had been in
good shape, but it was all useless.
"Believe in the God of Blessings. If you do so, your tribe’s sins will be forgiven and he
will bless your tribe," the apostle explained.
Shakhan was angry and resentful of his situation. How could this happen? Why
should his tribe abandon the God of Death and believe in the God of Blessings?
"We are… the believers of the God of Death…” Shakhan refused.
"Then go to sleep. He will not be killing you, because blessed is the God of Blessings.”
The apostle sealed Shakhan in a stone wall.
"Your tribe will suffer forever, because of your stupid stubbornness.” After the
apostle’s declaration, the scene changed.
"This is all I can remember… I can't remember anything from this point on because I
was sealed,” Shakhan explained.
"Oh, really?" Lee Shin asked.

Lee Shin thought it was ridiculous. God of Blessings did not kill Shakhan because he
was merciful? Did God of Blessings really leave the Dark Frost Tribe alone? What
kind of nonsense was that? They were just suffering from the plague and the God of
Blessings would have left the Dark Frost Troll tribe unattended until they eventually
pleaded for him to accept them.
And the reason why the power of He Who Knows Death had been invoked was that
‘that was how Shakhan had ended up.’ Lee Shin thought.
This place was inside the tower. It was a world created by the gods. No, wait, was it
really made by the gods? If so, who would have created these stages? Was it the God
of Blessings? God of Death? Or was it another third party? Nothing was clear yet.
[God of Death has intervened in this world.]
In the Dark Forest, the black curtain lifted. Past the blackened trees, and a red sky
appeared. There was a black light falling from the sky. A blurry black mist loomed in
the dark forest. There was an interesting figure. Lee Shin could not make out
whether it had a shape or not. Confused, Lee Shin frowned at this strange feeling.
- Whoa…
It was a cold, gloomy, yet elegant voice. It felt like the voice itself was created in Lee
Shin’s head, rather than it coming from the fog. There was no eye on the astral body
of the God of Death, but Lee Shin felt as if the God was staring at him.
- Are you the one who caused all the uproar in the world these days?
The God of Death spoke to Lee Shin first. Shakhan was on the floor, kneeling. He
could not face the astral body of the God of Death, even though it was not even the
actual God—just his astral body, which was only an avatar.
- I see that you have Divine Status… And you’re taking care of a vampire? That’s
interesting.
“…” Lilian dared not answer in front of the God of Death who spoke of her as if she
was a pet.
Her body trembled before a God of such a tremendous class. It was best to just calm
her down.
"Where were you and what were you doing while your believer became like this?”
Lee Shin asked.
Each god was different in the way they sought things, thought about things, and
reacted to things. To the God of Death, the death of a believer was inevitable and
natural.
Therefore, the God of Death neglected his believers. If they died, they died. And if
they lived, they lived. The God of Death thought that he was too great to care about
the one low-class tribe of trolls. Nevertheless, Lee Shin still asked why he decided to
do that. The God of Death did not bother to answer Lee Shin’s questions, as if it was
not worth answering.
- Dear believer of mine!
“Y-y-yes, my Lord…” Shakhan stuttered.
- A believer is not that great of a thing to me.
The reason why he could intervene on stage like this, and talk to the challengers was
all because he was the God of Death. All living things eventually died, therefore, the
God of Death did not need a believer.
- It is not because of you guys that I present myself here.
Shakhan did not seem to care, even though what God had said was very cold. It was a
natural thing for him.
- Still, I see it as a challenge if you bother my apostle.
The energy that stretched from the hazy figure covered Shakhan.
“Keughhh!” Shakhan cried out.
- You are my apostle from now on.
A black energy started to flow through Shakhan's body. And Shakhan's eyes had
turned even darker than when he was inflicted by the plague. A black door,
symbolizing the God of Death, was drawn on his body. Shakhan's weak muscles had
swelled again and his faltering class was revived.
[A new apostle is created by the God of Death!]
[A huge force, which will affect the world, is involved!]
"I, Shakhan, the Great Warrior of the Dark Frost Tribe, swear that I am subordinate
to you by giving my soul to the God of Death," said Shakhan.
- I will give you your first mission. Find the apostle who made you like that and kill
him.
"I will do that, even at the cost of my life,” Shakhan replied.
[A new timeline has been created.]
[The world line on the fourth floor has changed.]
Shakhan got up by shoving the curved sword that lingered with black mana into the
ground.
Keuaaahhh—!
He was completely different from when he first woke up from the seal. The sound he
made was a majestic high-pitched voice that was completely different from the roar
that was only ferocious, angry, and hostile. Shakhan's Fear echoed throughout the
Black Forest.
- I declare this place my territory.
[The Black Forest is now declared to be the territory of the God of Death.]
[Some gods are complaining about the excessive intervention by the God of Death.]
- Nothing in my territory can choose to die without my permission.
[All the Dark Frost Troll tribe has been delivered from the plague.]
Keughhhaaa—!
A sense of liberation from pain could be heard from the cries of the trolls echoing
throughout the place. The existence of the Death God, which was clearly felt when he
first appeared in the Black Forest, began to fade out.
The God of Death made a sudden expansion of the world line and accomplished
things that consumed a great deal of karma without much effort and thought. Lee
Shin looked at the God of Death, who was about to disappear.
"Are you leaving?” Lee Shin asked.
- It was a pleasure to meet you, who knows death.
With that word, the existence of the God of Death had disappeared completely.
[You have made a great achievement!]
[With the expansion of the world line, the stage on the fourth floor has changed!]
[Many gods are requesting to have a conversation with you.]
[Your achievements are being tallied, so please wait a moment.]
The tally of achievements was done when one had achieved such enormous
achievements that it was impossible for the system to determine it at once. Lee Shin
ignored the system messages as if he had expected it.
Once again, there were thousands of requests from gods who wanted to have a
conversation with him, but Lee Shin did not bother to communicate with them.
There was one exception though.
"Is the God of Death among them?” Lee Shin asked.
[The God of Death has requested to have a conversation with you. Do you want to
accept it?]
There was a big difference in communication when the God forcibly presented
himself in front of a challenger and when there was a mutual agreement between
them using the system. The gods preferred a mutual agreement system because they
did not have to consume karma with the permission of the challenger.
[You are now connecting to the God of Death.]

[This is unexpected.]
God's voice was the same cold voice that Lee Shin had heard before.
"I have a way of signing a contract with a low-rank spirit."
[So… I’m assuming you want a Spirit of Death… This is getting interesting.]
The best option he had ever hoped for was now in front of his eyes. It was the spirit
that no one could deal with unless it was the current Lee Shin.
[I wish you the best of luck.]
The air began to darken as if it was sucked into space, and a breathtaking energy
appeared.
"I think I said I wanted a low rank… Keugh!” Lee Shin had lost the connection with
God.
[The connection with the God of Death has been lost.]
How could he ask for a conversation first, and then disappear like this? He was given
a spirit that was beyond his control at the moment. It was an intermediate rank
spirit, Harpness. Harpness, the spirit that sculpted the fear of death, had appeared
before Lee Shin.
The Spirit of Death which could change the surrounding air just by its presence, tore
up the space and appeared in front of Lee Shin. It was made up of black smock and
had a ghostly appearance. An eye beam emitted from the ghost to Lee Shin.
‘This is… the Spirit of Death… ’ thought Lee Shin.
Lee Shin gulped, because the Spirit of Death was difficult to handle. People often said
that no one could deal with them. Even the God of Death, which was their role model,
was a God from the master class.
Lee Shin had seen a Spirit of Death that was of a low rank. The low-rank one was not
as intimidating as this one, but they had a similar aura. All those who dealt with the
Spirit of Death were said to be high-ranking believers or the apostles of the God of
Death. There was a saying that if an ordinary person handled the Spirit of Death
carelessly, it would put them closer to death.
Despite such a terrifying rumor, Lee Shin was confident. Therefore, he made such a
request to the God of Death. Lee Shin could vaguely feel that this God thought well of
him. This favor was not to the point of getting him locked up in a contract with the
God of Death. However, the God of Death had brought an intermediate-rank spirit,
not a low-rank one.
# Contract with a low-rank spirit
This was the function of the silver wand, but the Spirit of Death would make the
silver wand work a little differently. If it was the intermediate rank spirit, Lee Shin
could not use the function of this wand. Would the God of Death have sent Harpness
without knowing this?
- It was a pleasure to meet you, He Who Knows Death.
God knew that Lee Shin was He Who Knows Death. Lee Shin had decided to be
confident. There was no need to be scared anymore.
"Harpness," Lee Shin muttered.
- He Who Observes Death… No… Nevermind.
Harpness’s voice was cold.
- You are… the one who knows death. A man who had experienced countless deaths
and realized…
Was Harpness seeing something? Lee Shin wondered if Harpness was looking at Lee
Shin’s past life when he had died. At that time, Harpness, who stopped talking,
approached Lee Shin.
- Dear, He Who Knows Death… I will spread the word of death.
Lee Shin could instinctively realize what these words meant. It implied he wanted to
make a contract. Lee Shin then used his mana to cover Harpness. As Lee Shin’s black
mana and Harpness began to unite, he could feel that there was an invisible
connection between each other.
[You now have a contract with Harpness, the intermediate rank Spirit of Death.]
[Your Dominance has increased.]
[Your Dominance has…]
[Harpness]
He is a death sentencer. Those who have died from Harpness cannot be free from
death.
# Intermediate rank Spirit of Death
# A death sentence
# The chain of death

# A path between life and death
[Death Sentence]
Harpness’s scythe of judgment takes away the rest in death.
# Creates the undead
# The undead becomes a subordinate to the contractor of Harpness. However, if

one’s Dominance is low, they may escape from subordination.
# Sends the undead back to rest.
[Chain of Death]
He who is bound by the chain of Harpness must wait for the coming death sentence.
# It binds the living, and they cannot resist this as long as they are alive.
# The binding time is determined by the contractor's Dominance.
[Path Between Life and Death]
It connects the path between the world of life and death.
Lee Shin was astonished by Harpness's abilities. He could not believe the Death
Sentence, Death Chain, and the Path Between Life and Death were all the powers of
an intermediate-rank spirit.
The Death Sentence deprived a creature of its rest in death. This applied to anything
that was alive; meaning, any creature that Lee Shin could kill could be turned into an
undead.
Of course, depending on his Dominance stat, overly powerful ones could not be
turned into a part of his clan. However, this skill was already great in itself.
Considering what the existing necromancers had, this was a ridiculous ability. Even a
necromancer from the middle floors could not turn all life into the undead, especially
the ones that were more powerful. It just did not make sense that one could make an
undead unconditionally, whether it could be subordinated or not.
What was special about the Chain of Death? It forcibly restraints targets, and they
wouldn’t be able to resist as long as they were alive. This, too, was an outstanding
power, although the binding time was determined by one’s Dominance stats. In
fights between top players, any restraint of even a fraction of a second could be fatal.
And the most ridiculous power was the ‘Path Between Life and Death.’
Lee Shin could not stop being amazed by the world of death.
The dead were creating a connection, a path to the world of the living. Of course,
whether or not it was possible to cross this path, it was amazing enough to be able to
connect. Lee Shin wondered if he had been too hasty in signing the contract with
Harpness? Wouldn’t the God of Death have known about these advantages?
The reason for not receiving the power from the gods was that the moment they
received it, they were likely to become trapped in a contract with the God of Death.
Seeing the Spirit's ability, Lee Shin could not erase the discomfort that he had
become more intertwined with the God of Death.
The more one received, the more one had to give back. Even if the other party did not
want anything in return, that was how the world worked.
There is a saying in the human world that there is no such thing as a free lunch.
There is no favor without a price.
‘This must be just a price for helping one of his believers.’ Lee Shin knew nothing
would change even if he thought about it further.
He just had to accept it and move on. Lee Shin only thought more about how to use
this ability in the future.
"Shakhan…” Lee Shin called him.
"Thank you, He Who Knows Death. Thanks to you, our tribe could be saved,"
Shakhan thanked Lee Shin.
[We have finished tallying your achievements.]
[The reward is calculated.]

"Are you leaving now?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, my tribe is in the realm of the God of Death, so I won’t have to worry. If you
come back here from your missions, please drop by again," Shakhan asked.
"Alright," Lee Shin answered.
[You have cleared the fourth floor.]
[You have reached 200,100 points.]
[Your Health Point has increased by 5,010.]
[Your Mana Power has increased by 15,000.]
[Your Strength has…]
[Your Agility has…]
His rewards were endless. Lee Shin could tell that the achievements on this stage
would be better than any other achievements to be accomplished on the 20th and
30th floors. The satisfying part about this stage’s reward was the increase in
Dominance.
In addition to the Dominance he had gained after signing a contract with Harpness,
his Dominance has increased by 15 as a reward for clearing the stage. Currently, this
was the stat that Lee Shin needed most. With the exception of Divine Status and
Chaos, the increase in Dominance was the most effective one.
[Your close friendship with the Dark Frost Troll tribe is at its peak.]
[Your reputation has greatly increased.]
[Your name is occasionally heard in the conversation of the apostles.]
[You have acquired the 『Title - Pioneer of the World』.]

"Take me to the waiting area on the fifth floor," Lee Shin asked.
After checking all the messages that popped up, Lee Shin headed to the waiting area
on the fifth floor.
***
The village of Goblins was spread out over a large mountain range. There were crude
houses built here and there. And there were the occasional high-quality buildings.
Lee Shin clicked his tongue at this sight.
"Hmm…” He did not check the ranking while he was climbing up to the fifth floor.
He could roughly assume the scores of the Undermost challengers. And there was no
way that they would already get eliminated or anything like that. However, it was
different from the fifth floor. This floor allowed the challengers to choose the level of
difficulty, and this had dramatically reduced people’s chances of survival.
Unlike the second floor, they could not give up in the middle after realizing how
difficult it was. They had to set the difficulty level from the beginning. There was no
giving up midway. If they failed, they died.
Lee Shin frowned at the odd ranking.
# First. Park Joo-Hyuk – 83,010 points
# Third. Kim Kang-Chun – 73,820 points
As expected, the names that he had expected to see were on there. However, the
problem was that one name was missing from the rankings.
‘What is this kid doing?’
Lee Shin could not find Baek Hyun’s name. He was one of the top three challengers in
Undermost. Even when he scrolled to the very bottom, Baek Hyun’s name was not
there. He could still be clearing the fifth floor as he might be delayed by something
else, but that was not what Lee Shin’s intuition was saying.
"Tsk." Lee Shin clicked his tongue. Knowing Baek Hyun's personality, he must have
challenged the Hell Level.
Sometimes there were stars who showed great talent. Those were the guys who
made others around them feel inferior just by being their friend. And one of them
was Cha Yu-Min. However, such people were usually more dangerous because they
knew they were special.
Being able to choose the difficulty level on the fifth floor was a trap for such people.
Lee Shin had seen too many cases where the stars that used to shine brightly
disappeared helplessly. The fifth floor was a solo stage. Lee Shin felt bitter, because
there was nothing he could do.
Lee Shin had joined the community for the first time in a long time. His community
was already full of messages from numerous people, but Lee Shin erased all of them
except a few. And he had asked some people about Baek Hyun's whereabouts.
# Park Hye-Won - Master! You're finally answering! Baek Hyun oppa is…
# Park Joo-Hyuk - Baek Hyun is missing from the fifth floor.
# Kim Kang-Chun - Master, please help us.
Messages from these people were delivered one after another. After leaving a short
response, Lee Shin had deactivated his status in the community, and closed the
window.
Lee Shin approached the manager in the waiting area on the fifth floor, the Chief of
the Goblin Village.
"Klekle… Are you going to challenge yourself?" the Chief asked.
"Send me to the Hell Level," Lee Shin nodded and replied to the Chief.
***
The news of Lee Shin's climb was posted in the community almost every second.
Ever since the moment he cleared the second floor, followed by the third and fourth
floor, every step he took drew people’s attention as he climbed the tower.
└ The ranking of Lee Shin appeared on the fourth floor.
└ What? What's the score this time?
└ This is crazy… He scored 200,000?
└ What the hell did he do to get 200,000 points?
└ There was literally nothing on the fourth floor though. I think 200,000 is too
much?
└ I mean… If we think that he caught the Black Orc on the third floor, he could have
scored that point on the third floor. But what was even on the fourth floor?
People were confused by the news of Lee Shin's fourth-floor ranking update. Baek
Hyun going missing was also one of the topics of the community, but the news of Lee
Shin took the attention away.
# First. Lee Shin – 200,100 points
# Third. Park Joo-Hyuk – 41,350 points
# Fourth. Kang Ji-Hoon – 40,015 points
.
.
People were speechless when it came to performance scores that were so absurdly
different. It was even greater than the difference they saw for the second and third
floors.
Since the fourth-floor challenge was quite straightforward, the achievement scores
of other top challengers were not that different. Their high scores on the second and
third floors were understandable, but the difference on the fourth floor was an
incomprehensible gap.
Now, there were many people who wanted to give up on trying to understand Lee
Shin. Another interesting topic in the community had been Cha Yu-Min's ranking. His
journey, which had started a long time ago, was now attracting attention again.
Cha Yu-Min’s ranking was pushed down to four digits as the Undermost challengers
started climbing the tower. It was such a shock that there were people who even said
Cha Yu-Min was now old and gone. However, he stood out once again as many
challengers reached the fourth and fifth floors.
Cha Yu-Min, who used to be first on the second floor, was quickly pushed back to the
middle of the top 1000. On the third floor, he was 985th. And on the 4th floor, he was
in the 803rd place. On the fifth floor, he was 189th.
└ Wow… Isn't Cha Yu-Min amazing?
└ I know. How can he be up there in just the five floors?
└ You're watching Cha Yu-Min's ranking make a comeback.
└ Is it because the 5th floor was a special case?
# 189th. Cha Yu-Min – 30,400 points.
Cha Yu-Min’s ranking was already in the hundreds, on the fifth floor.
└ Looking at it like this, he is amazing. How was he able to break the Hard Level on
the fifth floor without much training?
└ I know… We gotta re-evaluate Cha Yu-min.
└ We have people clearing the Extreme Level too. Aren't they more amazing?
└ If Cha Yu-Min had learned from Lee Shin like they did, wouldn't he be able to
master the Hell Level?
└ Agree.
└ That’s so freakin’ true.
└ What are you saying? Do you think the Hell Level is that easy?
└ I know. Are Cha Yu-Min's followers still alive?
└ Why don't you say that Cha Yu-Min will win against Lee Shin?
└ That's a little…
└ But Lee Shin is on another level.
└ I'm a regular member of Cha Yu-Min's fan club, but I don't agree with that either.
└ Forget it, please come up quickly and help with Merteng!
└ Yeah guys! Please hurry and come up!
The community was on fire today as well.

[You have entered the fifth floor.]
[The Goblins drove out the natives who used to live here and built a hextech citadel
there. Goblins were so obsessed with hextech that they hated people who were
ignorant of it. Take down the citadel of the Goblins, the Gerpain citadel.]
Lee Shin could see a large citadel in the distance. The citadel contained the essence
of hextech, the pride of the Goblins. Since the sun had long set and it was now deep
in the night, Lee Shin could not see clearly what was ahead. However, there were
lights surrounding the Gerpain citadel that illuminated the area and made the place
look more splendid.
To doo— To doo— To doo—
Lee Shin, who was hiding among the trees, raised his head up at the sound of a
machine coming from the sky. The reconnaissance aircraft of the Goblin seemed to
have a problem, because it was passing at a low altitude with the sounds of a poor
engine.
"Tsk." Lee Shin thought it was not a great start.
He clicked his tongue when he saw the reconnaissance aircraft falling toward him.
Then he used his mana to prevent it from crashing on the ground.
[Feather Fall]
Kugook— Kugook— Kugook—
The intrusive sound of the gear wheels inside the reconnaissance aircraft grew
louder and sounded as if they were caught in something. Lee Shin slowed its fall
down with his skill, and the reconnaissance aircraft was able to land safely in an
open space, instead of crashing into the ground.
"Kieeek! I don't know who you are, but thank you so mu— Wait, are you human?" A
Goblin who came out of the reconnaissance aircraft frowned when he saw Lee Shin.
‘Do the Goblins here hate humans?’ Lee Shin thought it was strange.
There was no reason for Goblins to be hostile to humans if they enjoyed hextech. Lee
Shin had thought that they would prefer to interact with humans. Lee Shin was
curious, but he did not make it obvious.
"Tsk, why did it have to be him… Well, no. Wouldn’t he be a decent human being,
considering that he had helped me?” The Goblin mumbled as if he was lost in
thought.
Lee Shin slowly approached the Goblin.
"I just helped you because you were about to crash in front of me,” Lee Shin
explained.
"Oh, is that why? Thanks anyways! Kieeek, but are you the one who knows death?
The person who had rescued the Troll tribe?” the Goblin asked.
"He Who Knows Death?” Lee Shin tried to remember.
Those unexpected words from the Goblin reminded Lee Shin of the title he had
acquired from the fourth floor.
[Pioneer of the World]
Words about you pioneering a new world will spread everywhere.
‘I didn't expect the words to be spread even to the Goblins who live in these mountain
ranges,’ Lee Shin thought.
After hearing the title He Who Knows Death from the Goblin, it was clear to Lee Shin
that the title he already possessed had an impact.
“Are you not?” the Goblin asked.
"You’re right. I did not expect that word would spread all the way here,” Lee Shin
explained.
"Wow, I guess I encountered a famous person, kieeek! Where were you going?" the
Goblin asked.
"I was on my way to Gerpain," Lee Shin replied.
"Oh, I see. I feel like humans are starting to come here all of a sudden! Kieeek! There
hasn't been any human around for a while,” the Goblin explained.
"Human? Was there another person here?” Lee Shin asked.
Lee Shin was intrigued by the word human. If someone like him had come to this
place where no one usually would come, there could be a hint about this stage at this
place.
"Well yeah… There was a weird person. Kieeek, you don’t need to know. It’s not good
to be interested in him,” the Goblin muttered.
For some reason, Lee Shin felt like the Goblin had a hostile attitude toward that
person. The Goblin's attitude toward Lee Shin seemed a little more relaxed,
compared to the initial moment they met. Lee Shin realized that the Goblin first
acted that way because of the person who had come to Gerpain before Lee Shin.
"If you're planning on going to Gerpain, can you please tell someone that 'Durgin' has
asked you to send the transportation equipment for the reconnaissance aircraft to
the forest? Kieeek! If you give my name when you enter the Gerpain, people will treat
you more friendly,” Durgin asked.
"Okay, I will," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin left Durgin there and headed for Gerpain. Lee Shin expanded the scope of
detection, just in case, by spreading his mana power. He had a feeling that he would
not fit in with others. Why did he have to land in such a forest?
The Hell level was not easy. Lee Shin moved cautiously, so he did not miss a single
clue.
'There's something here.’ Lee Shin had a feeling that something had been caught by
his mana.
Someone had been watching, but Lee Shin did not know whether they were looking
at himself or Durgin. It seemed like they were not interested in having a
conversation, so Lee Shin decided to go to Gerpain regardless.
"Kieeek! Stop, right there! Are you human?" A gatekeeper guarding the entrance to
the Gerpain citadel blocked Lee Shin. "Why are you here?"
The gatekeeper seemed very cautious, just like Durgin when he first encountered
Lee Shin. Although exercising caution was the duty of a gatekeeper, the emotion
contained in his words was clearly a little more than that.
"I came here because I heard that I can learn about hextech here," Lee Shin replied.
“Hextech? Are you also interested in hextech? Hmmm… but wait for a second, do you
happen to be… He Who Knows—” The gatekeeper was interrupted.
"That's right, He Who Knows Death,” Lee Shin replied.
"Kieeek! Kikk! I knew it! My eyes were not wrong. It is exciting that such a great
wizard is interested in hextech!” the gatekeeper replied.
"Yes, and I also met Durgin on my way here, and he seemed to need help because the
reconnaissance aircraft broke,” Lee Shin explained.
"You know Durgin, too? Huh, all right, you may enter.” The gatekeeper let Lee Shin in.
When the gatekeeper granted permission, a small door opened under a large door.
The interior of their citadel was not much different from other citadels in general,
other than the fact that it belonged to the Goblins. The most outstanding difference
was just that there were numerous small buildings because the Goblins were about
1m tall.
Lee Shin slowly walked through the citadel to gather information. Most of the
residential areas had their lights turned off. And the only bright place, even at this
time, was the area where blacksmiths were gathered.
Lee Shin took his time, checking out other places as well. He went around the entire
citadel. Time flew by quickly and it was almost dawn. Lee Shin moved toward a
building that was still lit.
"Is there anyone here?" Lee Shin asked.

There was no response, but Lee Shin opened the slightly opened door and entered.
Lee Shin could see designs scattered all over the place. He picked up a design that
was on the floor and took a closer look at it.
The design looked quite complex. It was not a simple design drawn to make some
kind of device. Lee Shin could see math formulas on it, explaining some kind of
mana. These formulas were written all over, and there were scribbles that were
crossed out as if the writer was angry while calculating these formulas.
‘Whoa… The level of hextech is quite high.’ What Lee Shin was seeing was beyond his
expectation.
People thought that Goblins were stupid, but they had a solid understanding of the
mana theory. Of course, that also depended on the tribe in question.
Chang! Chang! Chang! Chang!
Lee Shin put down the design and moved where the faint hammering sound was
coming from. There was a staircase to the basement, where the sound was coming
from. As Lee Shin took careful steps down, he saw a Goblin pounding iron.
"Who is it?" a Goblin shouted, sensing Lee Shin’s presence.
"Oh, I came in because this was the only place where the lights were turned on." Lee
Shin decided to act shamelessly.
"Tsk, humans have no manners,” the Goblin muttered.
"Then why didn't you lock the door?" Lee Shin asked.
"Aeeing! Can’t I decide what I want to do with my door? Kieeek!” The Goblin seemed
more calm than Lee Shin had expected.
Lee Shin thought the Goblin would burst into anger, but the Goblin did not seem
particularly wary of humans. He just seemed a little annoyed that someone had
entered their home, but he did not seem angry.
"Are you not going to kick me out?" Lee Shin asked.
"Will you go out if I tell you to?" the Goblin asked.

"Well…” Lee Shin muttered.
"Tsk, stop pretending. Why are you here anyways? It seems like it’s your first time
here," the Goblin said, looking as if he was about to throw his hammer at Lee Shin if
he bothered him.
Lee Shin smiled and picked up a design from the ones scattered all over the place.
The mana formulas were scratched out and the design crumpled, as if this one was
also ruined.
"I think you're having trouble keeping the mana storage device from overheating as
the running time increases. I see that the device is quite large… Are you making
some kind of siege weapon?” Lee Shin asked.
"Kieeek! How do you know that? Are you a hextech engineer?" the Goblin asked.
"No, I'm a wizard," Lee Shin replied.
The Goblin's facial expression changed immediately at Lee Shin's words. The
annoyance on his face vanished, and was replaced by curiosity and anticipation. It
was absurd how drastic the change was.
"Well, do you know anything? What did I do wrong? If I run the engine for more than
10 hours, I cannot prevent other parts from getting out of order! Plus, I can’t lower
the output—” The Goblin was disrupted.
"There is something wrong with the heat dissipation method. We will have to find a
way to cool it down or fix the way we dissipate it,” Lee Shin explained.
"Kieeek! What? Then what do I do now?” The Goblin was already too excited even
though they did not have much conversation.
The Goblin came up to Lee Shin and was holding his clothes.
"You can turn this heat into a different power. For example, you can replace the
intense heat with mana power and use it as mana…” Lee Shin explained.
"What? Kieeek! Kieek! Is that even possible?" The Goblin was surprised.
"Well… it's possible," Lee Shin muttered.

Lee Shin grinned at Goblin, who was about to lose his mind in excitement.
***
In less than a day, Lee Shin became close with the Goblin, Borgin the blacksmith. And
Lee Shin heard a lot of stories from him.
"Before you came, a person came and made a fuss. That person could also handle a
little bit of mana. That was why many Goblins in Gerpain were interested in him,”
Borgin explained.
"Was he also a wizard?" Lee Shin asked.
"No, I don't know all the details, but he said he uses a sword," Borgin replied.
That person had some understanding of mana, and usually used a sword. Was he a
swordmage? Or was he a swordsman who knew a little bit of mana theory?
"I heard that he attacked the Lord of our citadel and is now locked in an
underground prison. What a stupid man. Kieeek," Borgin explained.
"Is the Lord that strong?" Lee Shin asked.
"That's right. He's an amazing person," Borgin replied.
Lee Shin knew intuitively that this stage would be tough.
"Oh right, I will have to visit the Lord in a few days, and I'm going to talk about the
hextech design I made with you. I’m sure that the Lord will like you,” said Borgin.
"I did not do much though. I just gave you a few words of advice," Lee Shin muttered.
"It was a tremendous help. Anyway, let’s keep it that way. The Lord may invite you
sooner or later.” Borgin smiled.
Lee Shin had spent several days in Borgin's workshop. During this time, he helped
Borgin and gave him some advice on making hextech machines. At the same time,
Lee Shin was able to learn quite a lot from Borgin.
[You have acquired the 『Skill - Hextech Level 1』.]

Perhaps because of his excellent knowledge on mana, it was not difficult for Lee Shin
to understand the field of hextech. There were quite a few things that Lee Shin had
already known, but Borgin, who had a good knowledge of this field, taught Lee Shin a
lot.
After Borgin returned from meeting the Lord, Lee Shin received the Lord’s invitation.
He had heard that the previous human was also invited by the Lord to enter the
castle thanks to his knowledge of mana. And then he was imprisoned in the
underground jail for attacking the Lord. Lee Shin thought he should go to the
underground prison and look at the man if he had a chance.
A day after receiving the invitation, a Convertible arrived in front of Borgin’s

workshop. It was a car made with hextech. It was an open-type hextech machine that
did not have a ceiling. A driver from the castle had come to pick Lee Shin up to head
to the castle.
The outstanding technical skills of hextech could be seen all over the place. And the
Lord’s castle was the most prominent of them all, especially with the huge robots
that stood around the castle. The four- to five-meter-tall Titans guarding the castle
were a tremendous sight to behold, a picture of majesty to boast of.
Lee Shin entered the castle, sat in the drawing room, and waited for the Lord. After a
while, the Lord appeared in his thin armor.
"Kieeek! Kieek! Nice to meet you, I'm Gorgin, the Lord of Gerpain," Gorgin introduced
himself.
"Hello, this is Lee Shin,” he replied.
Lee Shin used his mana and read the mana wave of what Gorgin was wearing. Just a
rough estimate was enough to tell that each of his items, including his clothes and
accessories, was an excellent mana tool. Lee Shin could understand why that person
had difficulty attacking the Lord.
"I heard that you are He Who Knows Death,” said Gorgin.
“…That’s right." Hearing that title over and over again, Lee Shin felt as if he had
become an apostle of the God of Death, which did not feel good.
"Kieeek, it's an honor to have a conversation with such a wizard. Will you tell me
about your knowledge on mana?" Gorgin asked.
"Sure, as much as you like," Lee Shin replied.
***
At Gorgin's request, Lee Shin decided to stay here for the time being and talk with
him about his knowledge on hextech. Gorgin kept urging Lee Shin to stay in the
castle, as if he was not worried about the fact that he had once been attacked by
humans. Lee Shin could clearly see how obsessed the Goblins were with hextech.
Maybe Gorgin was confident that he would not be defeated no matter who came at
him.
First of all, Lee Shin had to gather the information as much as he could.
'The place where Titans are stored, the location of the underground prison… ’ thought
Lee Shin.
And most importantly, Lee Shin had to find where the Titans of Gorgin was located.
He still had not figured that out yet.
- My Titan is truly outstanding! Even if all the Titans in this place attack him, they
won’t be able to defeat my Titan.
Gorgin bragged about his Titan every day.
‘There is no way that it will be a Titan of the transcendental class… Will it be from a
castle lead class?’ Lee Shin thought.
No matter how difficult the Hell level was, it did not make sense to have a fight
against a transcendental level. The Titan of the transcendental class had enough
power to crush a nation on its own. To be honest, it was too much for a Titan of the
castle lead class to appear on the fifth floor. It practically had the same level of
strength as an entire castle. It was a ridiculously harsh opponent for challengers who
had just begun climbing.
‘Well… there is a possibility that it will not be at the castle lead class, but it would be
better for me to overestimate,’ Lee Shin thought.
There was nothing wrong with being careful. The tower, especially a tower of this
level of difficulty, was a place where a person did not know when they would die
even if they tried to be careful.
"I'll be out for a while," Lee Shin said.
"Where are you going?" Gorgin asked.
"I have to discuss something with Borgin, and it's time for me to take a look at what
we've been working on," Lee Shin explained.
"Oh, I see. Alright," Gorgin replied.
Lee Shin's relationship with Gorgin had grown so close that Gorgin gave Lee Shin
much freedom. However, since there was a precedent for things going awry with
humans, it was too early to drop all the vigilance. Lee Shin not only went out of
Gorgin's castle but also out of the citadel.
"I'm going to get the ingredients that Borgin had asked for," Lee Shin said.
“Okay," the gatekeeper replied.
If Lee Shin reported to the gatekeeper, it would go into the ears of the Lord, but it did
not matter. He could easily get around it. It was time for Lee Shin to go outside for
once.
Lee Shin left the citadel and went deep into a forest. It had been a while since Lee
Shin felt this piercing sensation of a thirst for blood.
"How long are you going to be hiding? Let's talk it out. There's no Goblin here,” Lee
Shin said.
Nothing moved at Lee Shin’s words. Lee Shin had a bitter smile on his face, and
stared into a spot.
"Not only are you hiding from the Goblins, but are you also going to run away from
me now? How far are you going to run away?” Lee Shin provoked him.
The air around Lee Shin began to vibrate at Lee Shin’s provocation.
The raw emotions of bloodthirst, hatred, enmity, and anger approached Lee Shin.
Only then, Lee Shin smiled.
"Yeah, this is what Ogre is like,” Lee Shin said.
A huge silhouette slowly emerged in front of Lee Shin.

The bloodthirst that Lee Shin had sensed when he first came here was not directed
at himself.
"Kreughhh…” There was a sense of vigilance in the low cry.
It was a dark night. The moonlight that filtered through the leaves illuminated the
ground, but all the other spaces were completely dark, making everything invisible.
An Ogre was in Lee Shin’s face, looking at him with his red eyes. There was no reason
for Ogre to be in a place like this.
Ogres were usually known as kings of the mountain range. There was definitely a
mountain range around here, but this entrance was not where an Ogre would
normally be. As if he had sensed Lee Shin’s strong mana, he could not move but he
had his guard up.
"I think all the Ogres I know are dead," Lee Shin made fun of him.
“What an arrogant human being…” the Ogre replied.
Whooong— Boom!
The Ogre rushed towards Lee Shin as if he had bounced off from the ground. His
agility was unexpected for his large size, and he was strong enough to dent the
ground. And again, an Ogre was an Ogre.
Lee Shin avoided the Ogre’s attack; but as if he had expected it, the Ogre’s club came
at Lee Shin the second time. At that moment, a sword appeared right in front of Lee
Shin's nose; it blocked the Ogre’s club.
"You are as strong as a horse." There was a slight excitement in his hoarse voice.
"What are you?" the Ogre asked.
"I am the loyal knight of my master here and a Red-Eyed Swordsman.” Warrie's red
eyes burned a brighter red.
The red aura passed from Warrie’s body down to his sword.
"Ugh! You annoying Skeleton!" The Ogre’s attack became even more powerful as if
his ego was hurt from the Skeleton’s block.
When the two clashed, a wave of mana spread in all directions. Warrie's body was
pushed back little by little, as if it was difficult to defeat the Ogre with strength even
if he had pulled up his mana power.
Whooong—
Kwang! Swoosh—
"Keughaaa!" In the midst of a series of strong attacks by the Ogre, a flame ball that
was aimed at his weak point flew from somewhere and hit the Ogre’s head.
"Don't interfere!" In anger, Warrie turned his head toward the direction from which
the flame ball came.
May was standing there in his robe with his wand. He was laughing at Warrie.
"Says you who was losing,” May laughed at Warrie.
"I was not losing!” Warrie shouted.
"Keuahhh! How dare you!" the Ogre shouted.
The Ogre’s mana spewed out more strongly, and the surrounding air quickly became
heavy.
"I will kill you al—” The Ogre was interrupted.
"Stop!" Lee Shin shouted.
At that time, everyone’s eyes turned to Lee Shin when he interrupted the Ogre.
"That's enough. I'm not here to fight," Lee Shin explained.
"You don’t get to decide that!" the Ogre shouted.

"Does that mean you don't care if all the other guys die?" Lee Shin asked.
The Ogre, who had finally calmed down after listening to Lee Shin's words, had
noticed that Lee Shin's mana had spread throughout the forest. Black Mana had
spread like fog in the dark forest. The ferocity contained in the mana was terrifying
to the Ogre himself.
In the forest, there were other tribes who were secretly watching them in the dark.
They were waiting for the Ogre to signal. However, at the same time, they had
become the hostage of the wizard. The Ogre’s soaring mana power had subsided.
"That was pretty good, man," the Ogre said.
The Black Mana was a subtle yet powerful spell. The Black Mana, full of death, had a
bloodthirst that could sweep away the enemies any time. No matter how outraged he
was, the Ogre was a little surprised that he did not immediately notice Black Mana.
"Are you ready to have a conversation?" Lee Shin asked.
***
In the middle of the forest, Lee Shin and the Ogre sat facing each other. Lee Shin, who
was much smaller than the Ogre, had to build a tall stone tower and sit on it to meet
the Ogre at eye level.
"So, you're saying that you came here to make an alliance with us?" the Ogre asked.
"But I saw you enter the citadel of the Goblins. Also, you even saved a Goblin last
time." The Ogre did not believe Lee Shin.
"It was inevitable. The citadel of the Goblin will not fall down easily. Unless someone
from the inside attacks it, your power is nowhere close to defeating them."
"Kreughhh…” The Ogre frowned at Lee Shin's words and let out an angry cry.
There were different species living in this forest. One day, they were robbed of their
home and land by the invading Goblins. The Goblins refused to accept them and did
not try to coexist.
"Why are you here? Are you the only Ogre here?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes… all my people were killed by the Goblins," the Ogre replied.
"Why did the Goblins come in all of a sudden? What good is there about becoming
enemies with you guys? You’re an Ogre and you would not easily get defeated by the
Goblins anyway,” Lee Shin asked.
"I’m sure that they wanted to take over all the resources in this mountain range. The
Goblins are crazy about metal," the Ogre explained.
Only then did Lee Shin could have a clearer understanding of their relationship. The
Goblins had wiped out all the tribes of this mountain range and pushed the
mountains away with their excellent hextech skills. And they were trying to
monopolize all the resources around here.
"Who are you? What kind of wizard deals with the dead?” the Ogre asked.
"You don't need to know that,” Lee Shin replied.
It seemed that his reputation had not spread to the people here.
"Why are you trying to defeat the Goblins?" The Ogre was still suspicious.
"Why did you lose your home to the Goblins?" Lee Shin did not answer Ogre and
asked a random question instead.
"Because of that damn scrap metal! They can never defeat us with their own
strength! So answer my question!" The Ogre, who got worked up by Lee Shin's
words, shouted as if he was having a seizure.
Even though Lee Shin was facing such a ferocious creature, he did not budge. He
spoke, staring at the Ogre.
"They are weapons called Titan. It's not just any scrap metal," Lee Shin explained.
"Is that important though?” the Ogre asked.

"It is important. That's the reason why I want to defeat the Goblins,” Lee Shin said.
Ogres were quite intelligent but they were simple. Lee Shin continued on with his
explanation, seeing that the Ogre seemed interested in his words.
"Titan is such a great weapon that it can beat you Ogres. Among them, the
performance of Titan, the one used by the Lord of the Goblins, is unbelievably
strong," Lee Shin explained.
"Yeah, I’m aware. That huge scrap metal… No, I mean the Black Titan killed my
people," the Ogre replied.
"That outstanding Titan consumes a lot of energy. And the source of energy is not
readily available. I'm trying to take that away from them," Lee Shin muttered.
When Lee Shin finished speaking, he looked around and pointed at something.
"What's that?" Lee Shin asked.
There were old-looking columns and stone slabs. And a familiar pattern was
engraved on them.
"It is the altar of God that we serve," the Ogre explained.
“…Not again," Lee Shin mumbled.
"Again? What do you mean?” the Ogre asked.
"No, nothing," Lee Shin replied.
***
"Oh! You’re finally back! Did everything go well?” Gorgin asked.
"Yes. I'll show you a decent piece of work soon," Lee Shin said.
"I'm looking forward to that,” Gorgin replied.
Lee Shin had returned to the castle and had dinner with Gorgin just like any other
day.
"I encountered another tribe outside," Lee Shin muttered.
"What? Did something happen?" Gorgin asked, surprised at the sudden story.
"They attacked me, but I'm not that weak to be beaten. Anyway, they asked me if I'm
with the Goblins, so I just ignored them and killed them all. But what happened
between the Goblins and the tribe which lives near the mountain ranges?” Lee Shin
asked.
“…Well, many tribes know about this rumor, not just the Goblins. They say that we
drove them out and took this place, but that is not true. The premise was wrong in
the first place," Gorgin explained.
"Is there a backstory?" Lee Shin asked.
"Yes, that's right. It was us Goblins who have been deprived of our daily lives. They
took us and offered us to the God they believed in. We were victimized," Gorgin
explained.
After listening to Gorgin's long lament, Lee Shin returned to his room and was lost in
thought. The perspectives of both sides were completely different. Who was telling
the truth and who was lying? Or were they both lying to Lee Shin?
Two more days had passed since then. Gorgin seemed to have opened up quite a lot
to Lee Shin, but Lee Shin could still sense that Gorgin was still hiding something deep
inside.
Lee Shin could figure out where the underground prison was and what kind of guys
were locked up there, but Gorgin never let Lee Shin visit that place. Lee Shin had
even seen Gorgin's Titan, but that was it. The guards watched out for strangers, and
Lee Shin could not figure out where the Titans were stored.
The best possibility was to kill Gorgin before he got on the Titan or to destroy the
Titan, so it could not operate. However, the latter seemed impossible. Moreover, it
seemed like something could be resolved if Lee Shin were to see the man who was
imprisoned underground. However, that also was not possible. Lee Shin knew that
he had to make Gorgin open up to him entirely.
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—

Suddenly, there was a warning sound that rang inside the castle. Chaos erupted
inside the castle in an instant.
"What's the matter!" Gorgin asked.
A soldier approached Gorgin and informed him of the situation.
"The Ogres are approaching in large numbers! There’s an invasion into the citadel!"
the soldier shouted.
"What?" Gorgin exclaimed.
Gorgin started to look more serious. Nevertheless, there was no fear of defeat on
Gorgin's face.
"Put the Titan troops on standby. Get ready to defend the citadel! We're going to
protect it! Kieeek!” Gorgin shouted.
"What's wrong with them all of a sudden?” Lee Shin approached Gorgin and asked.
"I don't know either, but don't worry. They won't even get through the gates,” Gorgin
replied.
"Is that so? Will you be fighting as well?” Lee Shin asked.
Gorgin stared at Lee Shin with suspicion when Lee Shin asked that question. It
seemed like Gorgin was trying to examine Lee Shin. In fact, Gorgin was suspicious of
Lee Shin about the situation.
"I don't think it will be so big a battle that I need to step up. How about you?" Gorgin
asked.
"I will help them. I'll wipe them out," Lee Shin answered.
Gorgin's suspicion on Lee Shin eased slightly at the unexpected answer.
"There’s no need for you to do that,” said Gorgin.
"No sir, please send me to the wall," Lee Shin asked.

"I should not be doing that to my guests. Why don’t you just watch the power of our
hextech?” Gorgin suggested.
The Goblins were busy outside, trying to protect the castle. Gorgin and Lee Shin
rushed to the wall. As Lee Shin got to the wall, he could see a huge number of Ogres
that gathered.
‘That's quite a lot,’ thought Lee Shin.
Eeughhaaa—!
The Ogre that was in the lead let out a strong roar. That single roar raised the morale
of the other Ogres to its maximum.
"They are approaching!"
"Shoot them!"
"Just kill them all!"
The hextech citadel was a place where various hextech were combined, starting from
the walls. No matter how numerous and strong the Ogres were, they were not
enough to handle them.
"Ha… the inferior ones are struggling," Lilian muttered.
The bat, which was not properly visible because it was behind the Ogre, now sat on
the Ogre’s head, flapping its small wings. The Ogre momentarily flinched at the
sensation of something landing on his head, but did not respond much. The Ogre just
maintained a serious look. The Ogre moved around more carefully.
"What are those?”
"Are those Skeletons?"
Behind the Ogre and the bat, there appeared two Skeletons. The Goblins seemed a
little surprised by the appearance of these unexpected enemies, but that was it.
Their hextech cannons were still aiming at the Ogres.
"Kieeek! Who cares about those Skeletons? Just shoot them already! Shatter the
bones and grind them to dust!”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Kwaaang—!
There were huge explosions and dust scattered where the cannonball hit. It turned
the Ogres into bloody flesh, yet those Ogres still pushed through even if they were
hit. There were tribes that flocked to climb the high wall, but they could not cross
and just died helplessly.
"Lilian! It’s your turn now!" May cried because he could not wait any longer.
"See how powerful the blood is on the battlefield," Lilian muttered.
Shortly after the siege had begun, blood had already been scattered everywhere. All
that blood rose into the air and turned into different types of missiles.
"Blood brings more blood…” Lilian muttered.
Dozens of missiles made up of blood flew and detonated the hextech cannons that
were installed throughout the walls.
Kwa-kwa-kaw-kwang!
"Kieeek! Kik! No way! Our cannons got destroyed!”
"Run away! The enemy is casting spells!”
"B-b-blood! Blood is coming! Kieek!”
Lilian looked at the Ogre with an arrogant face as she looked at the Goblins, who
were terrified by a single blood spell.
"Did you see that?" Lilian asked arrogantly.
"Keurek… t-t-that’s amazing,” replied the Ogre.
"Now, take care of rest," Lilian muttered.

Lilian got off the Ogre’s head and climbed onto May's back. The next moment, the
Ogre, as if the shackles had been loosened, suddenly started to strike the walls.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Due to the Ogre’s club that was striking at every instant it could, the gate shook as if
it was about to collapse at any moment.
"Kiek! Kieeek!”
"The gates are falling down!"
"Stop the Ogre!"
As the Ogre's mana got more intense, the gate started to crack and it finally
collapsed. The tribes were thrilled and rushed to the wall, twisting and folding their
bodies to squeeze into the castle.
"Stop them!"
"Defend properly!"
The war situation had changed in an instant. It was not a hard thing for a strong
player to turn the game around.
"I don’t think there’s a need for us to join," May said.
"The Ogres are fired up!" Warrie replied.
May and Warrie had a conversation as they watched the Ogres’ siege.
"Kreahhh! The gates have collapsed! Kill the Goblins!" The Ogre laughed, satisfied,
and roared again.
Since the gates had collapsed, it was now only a matter of time before the Goblins
were defeated.
***
Gorgin had seemed relaxed, even when he went up the wall and saw the tribe
approaching. However, he could not get rid of the momentary anxiety that he had felt
when he saw the Ogre in the lead and the Skeletons behind him. And he was right.
“I can’t believe the Skeletons are capable of using those spells. I never knew that
there were such guys like that,” Gorgin said, gritting his teeth.
"Get the Titan troops on the line!" Gorgin's voice was filled with anger.
"And have the Destroyer on standby. I am going to kill them all!” Gorgin shouted.
Gorgin's castle lead class Titan, Destroyer, was finally making an appearance. And
Lee Shin’s mouth turned into a smile as he watched everything from the side.
Leaving Lee Shin behind, Gorgin left to get his Titan.
"Follow him," Lee Shin commanded a demon that was filled with hatred for Goblins.
Lee Shin then turned his attention to the battlefield again. The Goblins were in a
panic as some parts of the walls had collapsed. The Ogre tribes had spared no effort
trying to break through those destroyed areas. However, even if some of the walls
had collapsed, the odds of winning were still significantly lower for the Ogres.
Wooong—
Lee Shin could already hear the sound of the machines. And soon after, he could see
the Titans flying out of the castle. There were a total of twelve Titans.
Some tribes had already managed to get past the walls; but as soon as the Titans got
involved and blocked the tribes, the Goblins dominated over them. The Goblins could
turn the tables on their enemies.
‘It is your turn to show me what you’ve got, Gundo.’ Lee Shin had moved secretly to a
corner under the wall.
The next moment, mana slipped out from Lee Shin’s bracelet. He summoned Gundo.
The tribes that were already inside made a mess of the citadel.
"Show them what you got,” Lee Shin said.
"Leave it to me!” Gundo got himself ready and headed toward the ruined gates.
"Ki-kik!" A goblin screamed.
Lee Shin turned his head toward where the scream came from. A Goblin who passed
by was pointing his finger at Lee Shin.
"Human… You, you betrayed us—" the Goblin said.

"Shhh," Lee Shin hushed him.
Swoosh!
"Ki… eeek…” the Goblin gasped.
The Dark Arrow, sent from the tip of Lee Shin’s finger, penetrated the Goblin's neck.
The Goblin died on the spot, silenced. Lee Shin climbed the wall again, leaving the
Goblin behind.
Kwang—! Thud!
"Keughaaa!" Gundo appeared.
"Who is this guy! Kieeek!"
"There's another monster inside! Block him!"
"Titan! Titan! Get over here!"
The situation at the gate became even more heated due to the appearance of Gundo.
While observing the situation, Lee Shin turned his head to look toward the far
distance when he sensed a wave of mana. Over there, energy had begun to form,
making the atmosphere even heavier.
"I should get going,” Lee Shin muttered.
***
Kwaaang—! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The Ogre's huge club hit Titan's body mercilessly.
"Krarak! Do you think you can beat me with this lump of scrap metal?" the Ogre
shouted.
"Kieeek!" The Titan, which was a little smaller than Ogre, was pushed back a little by
the Ogre’s power.
Swoosh— Kwa-kwa-kwang!
The cannonballs that flew in from the sides hit the Ogre. Through the smoke from
the explosions, the Ogre's arm appeared, grabbing the Titan and breaking its arm off
its body.
"You can go in now!” the Ogre said.
"Thank you!" Warrie replied.
Warrie chopped off a Goblin and the small machine he was riding. Warrie then went
in through a hole in the gate that the Titan had been blocking. Inside, it was a mess.
And suddenly, Warrie recognized a familiar face in that chaos.
"Gundo!" Warrie shouted.
Gundo was surrounded by three Titans and he was struggling to fight. Blood was all
over his body.
Kagakak—!
Warrie made a sudden attack from behind, and swung his sword down from a
height. The Titan’s Barrier broke off and his inner arm fell off.
‘Tsk.’
Warrie had cut off the Titan’s arm, but he was not satisfied with this. He knew that if
it were not for the barrier, he would have broken the Titan’s body in half at once. He
was disappointed that he could not accomplish that.
"Bring it on, you scrap metal!" Gundo shouted and showed off its toughness.
Warrie had joined Gundo to help him, but another Titan also joined the fight.
"Cowards… Can you really call yourselves warriors when we are fighting four to
two?” Warrie shouted.
"Kieeek! We're not warriors! You stupid skull head," a Titan shouted.
"What? What did you just say? Stupid skull head?" Warrie was outraged.
"Kieeek! Kik! Just die!” Another Titan shouted.

The mana power emanating from Warrie’s sword cut down the cannonball.
"I will show you why I was called the Red-Eyed Swordsman," Warrie muttered.
There was a red glow in Warrie’s eyes. The trajectory of the cannonballs which were
flying from all directions were drawn out for Warrie’s eyes. Following those
trajectories, Warrie made smooth cuts. The cannonballs that had been flying toward
Warrie did not detonate. The Titans were hesitant at the unbelievable sight.
"Alright, so who’s up nex—” Warrie could not finish his sentence.
Whooonggg— Kwaaang!!
An energy cannonball flew in from far away at a tremendous speed. Warrie’s body
was thrown into the wall, and the sword he had been holding was crushed. The
surrounding Gundo and Titans also recoiled due to the impact of the cannonball
striking Warrie. There was a large pit left on the ground.
"Keughhh…” Warrie’s eyes glared.
Warrie had not felt this kind of helplessness for a long time. He could not move his
body well. His bones were about to turn into powder.
‘This doesn’t make sense… I saw the trajectory though… ’ Warrie thought.
Warrie was able to read the trajectory, but he could not respond to it since it was too
fast. Warrie looked at the monster that had incapacitated him in an instant. It was
the Black Titan that was much larger than the Ogres that were standing outside.
The appearance of the Black Titan had changed the atmosphere of the battlefield.
The Ogres and other tribes tried to run away, freaked out as if they had seen a
dragon. And the Goblins cheered and mocked their enemies.
Clank! Kooong— Baaam—!
The energy cannonball was released again from the back of the Titan's left glove.
This time it was thrown to the spot where all the enemy tribes were gathered.
"Keuaaahhh!"
"Run away everyone!"
"We’re all going to die! I'm dying!"
Flesh scattered in all directions. Most of the bodies turned into powder and simply
disappeared. It was amazing how Warrie survived the hit from the energy
cannonball.
"Hmmm… So… this Titan is from the castle lead class… but is he from the lowest
rank?” Perched on top of the walls, Lee Shin devoted his time to analyzing the
Destroyer's power and strategy.
"Huh?" Lee Shin looked surprised.
A red spirit approached Lee Shin from afar. Since this spirit had already been
transformed into a demon, it had no figure. And the spirit communicated with Lee
Shin.
"Oh, really?"
After talking to the demon, Lee Shin absorbed that demon.
Then he focused on the battlefield again. Before Lee Shin could realize, the Ogre had
managed to fight past the Titan and came inside. The Ogre was drawing his mana
power to the maximum to deal with the Destroyer. Lee Shin climbed down from the
wall, thinking it was time for him to step up. Then Lee Shin, who was watching the
whole situation on the battlefield on top of the wall, spread his mana out in all
directions.
[Enchanted Silver Tree Wand]
A wand made of Silver Trees grown in the Ertel Mountains, where ordinary plants
cannot survive due to their high mana concentration.
# You can store mana power.
# Mana Storage: 0/300,000
# At a low probability, it will increase the user's mana power when one’s mana
power is saturated.
# Contracts with a low-rank spirit.
Thanks to Lilian's large-scale blood spell and that he had summoned May and
Warrie, Lee Shin’s mana power was significantly reduced. However, as he had a mana
storage of 300,000 in the Enchanted Silver Tree Wand, Lee Shin had enough mana
power.
Lee Shin knew it was now time to end the battle before Gorgin stepped up.
[Gust of Wind]
[Ice Spear]
[Acceleration]
[Torque]
[Penetration]
The blood that scattered all over place throughout this war between the Goblins and
the other tribes with the Ogre in lead, had dried up. Those tribes could detect a
change in the rapidly decreasing temperature. And the Destroyer was the first one to
detect this change. It then moved toward Lee Shin quickly.
"What are you doing!" Gorgin panicked and asked.
Gorgin was clueless at Lee Shin’s sudden intrusion. Behind his question, Gorgin was
really asking, ‘Are you trying to help those people?’
"Well… I told you," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin smirked and made eye contact with Gorgin who was inside the Destroyer.
"That I will kill them all,” Lee Shin finished his sentence.
As Lee Shin’s wand pointed upward, hundreds of Ice Spears were created in a huge
mana circle that covered the battlefield.
Blizzard was an inferior edition of the seventh-level mana used by the Great Wizards.
This spell was insignificant compared to the Blizzard, which was one of the main
mana used by Lee Shin in his last life. However, it was still powerful enough to go
against the Ogre and the tribes on the fifth floor.
Kagagagaak!
Pababaabak!
Every time the Ice Spears that fell from a height stuck into the ground, those tribes
were moribund.
"Harpness!" Lee Shin called out.
As the sky was torn apart, a ghost holding a black sickle appeared in the dark void.
- Did you call me?
"Now, it's time for judgment," Lee Shin declared.
- I got it.
Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop!
Harpness’s sickle permeated the darkness and was split into hundreds, striking
down on the Ogres and the other monsters that were hit by the Ice Spears.
Lee Shin looked at the Shadow of Death that hung over the battlefield. The shadow
Lee Shin had created appeared like a bolt of lightning out of the blue. But for him, it
was not a sudden, unplanned move. It was the natural result of his determination.
There was no mercy left in the cold eyes of Lee Shin.
"Humaaan—!" The Ogre shouted as he watched the Ice Spears pouring from above.
The Goblins that were nearby collapsed one after another because they could not
handle the Fear that came with the loud roar that was filled with anger.
"I’m going to kill you!" The Ogre shouted.
Crunch—!
The Ogre jumped up. Its jump was strong enough that it created a big crater on the
ground
“Well, I won’t let you do that. Kieeek!” Gorgin shouted.
Swoosh—!
The Ogre flew at a great speed, but was hit by Destroyer's fist and was sent flying out
beyond the castle wall. The Destroyer climbed onto the wall after flinging the Ogre
away.
"You're amazing.” Gorgin looked at Lee Shin with trustful eyes.
"No sir, this is nothing compared to what the Destroyer can do," Lee Shin replied.
"I'm sorry," Gorgin said.
"What do you mean?" Lee Shin asked at the sudden apology.
"Nothing, I'll just finish him off,” Gorgin replied.
At those words, the Destroyer disappeared. Lee Shin starred in the direction where
the Destroyer had gone.
Kwaaang!
The Ogre and the Destroyer confronted each other. Their powers clashed. When
their fists met, a shock wave spread in all directions. Lee Shin saw that scene and
shook his head. An Ogre was an Ogre. He did not seem weak in front of that mighty
Destroyer.
Kwaaang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The fierce battle between the two ended earlier than expected. The Ogre that was in
a rage, was helplessly beaten up by the Destroyer, which had seemed pretty relaxed.
And the battle ended with Gorgin's victory.
"Kieeek! Kill the rest of them! There is no surrender!" Gorgin shouted.
With Gorgin's declaration, the genocide of the Ogres and other tribes began.
***
"Here! Have a drink!" Gorgin offered a drink to Lee Shin.
Lee Shin and Gorgin clinked their glasses.
"Thanks to you, we could handle those enemy tribes easily,” Gorgin thanked Lee Shin.
"No, I just did what I needed to do," Lee Shin replied humbly.
"No, I knew you would be great, but… all your reputation was true. Kik!" Gorgin said.
Gorgin drank heavily as if he was in a very good mood, and Lee Shin used his mana
power so he did not get drunk.
“I’m just disappointed that I could not catch the Skeleton that was casting spells.
Where did he go?” Gorgin asked.
“I know, I wish I knew,” Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin acted calmly as if he did not know anything about the Skeletons. It was not
Warrie nor May who used blood spells, but Lee Shin did not plan on clearing up the
misunderstanding.
"By the way, almost all the dead bodies of those Ogres and other tribes have
disappeared. I'm pretty sure the Skeleton did it. How the hell did he take all those
bodies away?" Gorgin asked Lee Shin as if he was frustrated.
However, Gorgin did not seem to have said it expecting an answer from Lee Shin.
"I've heard that even the imprisoned man has some knowledge of mana," Lee Shin
started talking about a topic of his own interest.
"Yes, he did, but not as much as you. This, I can guarantee," Gorgin replied.
"But there is something to learn from everyone. I would like to meet them if you
allow me. Would it be possible?” Lee Shin asked politely.
"Hmm… Normally, it is not a place to let outside people in…” Gorgin muttered.
Gorgin seemed to think for a bit. Then, with a slightly red face, he took another sip of
alcohol and gave Lee Shin permission to enter the underground prison.
"Thank you," Lee Shin said.
"I will let Chamberlain know,” Gorgin replied.
The drinking party between Lee Shin and Gorgin ended pleasantly.
The next day, Lee Shin entered the underground prison under the guidance of
Chamberlain. Lee Shin had already spent more than ten days here on the fifth floor.
He thought he had already spent too much time. Lee Shin was planning on attacking
Gorgin if he did not get anything significant by this time. And this idea was put on
hold for a while as he entered the underground prison.
"We have registered your mana pattern here. If you stand on the footstool in front of
the door, it will read your mana pattern and the system will let you in,” Chamberlain
explained.
"Alright, thank you," Lee Shin replied.
When the servant had returned, Lee Shin walked along the hallway of the
underground prison. At the bottom, in the underground prison of the lowest floor,
there was a human.
Clomp— Clomp— Clomp—
This was a place where only the worst offenders were locked up. It had been a long
time since these prisoners had heard human footsteps.
"Give me food…”
Lee Shin stopped walking for a moment when he heard a dying voice.
‘Food?’ Lee Shin thought.
It was a familiar voice that Lee Shin had heard before. Lee Shin walked faster. And
when he got there, there was a human hanging on the wall with both his hands and
feet tied. It seemed like he had been like this for days. His face was haggard and his
muscles were all shriveled up. He had no strength left, such that he could not even
raise his head. And he kept asking for food in a small voice.
"Wait… Are you…?"
The human being flinched and stopped muttering when he heard Lee Shin’s voice.
He then lifted his head with difficulty.
"Is… that you…? M-m-m-master…?"
Baek Hyun, who had been missing for a while, was trapped in the Gerpain
underground prison.
"How on earth did you…” Lee Shin stopped talking and hurriedly spread his mana.
Lee Shin’s mana power detected a mana tool that was monitoring this place, so he
used his mana to cast the Silence spell on the surrounding area. Then, he turned
around to cover his mouth so that he would not be captured by that mana tool.
"Just listen, and don't even nod. We are being monitored right now,” Lee Shin said.
Baek Hyun's head stopped right after moving slightly.
"I don't think you are in a condition to have a conversation with me right now, so just
stay still. Don’t say a word. I’ll come up with a way to save you.” Lee Shin said to Baek
Hyun. Then he revoked the Silence spell.
"Hello sir, I have heard that you know a lot about magic." Lee Shin pretended to have
a conversation with Baek Hyun.
Baek Hyun flinched at Lee Shin's sudden honorifics and unexpected words, but he
just stayed still as Lee Shin said before.
"Looking at the situation, it seems like you are not in the condition to have a
conversation with me. I'll be back later and I'll have them send you something to
eat." After saying that, Lee Shin turned and left the place.
***
The Hell level was so unimaginably difficult that no one in Lee Shin’s previous life
had cleared it. Lee Shin could not clear it back then either. That was why there was
no information on the Hell level at all.
It was known that all the single-digit floors were solo stages except for the first floor.
This meant that cooperation with other challengers was impossible. Therefore, it
was difficult for Lee Shin to imagine Baek Hyun being here in this place. Lee Shin
never knew that Baek Hyun would be the first person to enter Gerpain and get into
trouble.
Lee Shin thought that Baek Hyun might have challenged the Hell level when he had
heard that Baek Hyun was missing. However, Lee Shin never imagined this scenario.
This was a much bigger finding than what he had expected. This was something Lee
Shin would never have noticed if he had challenged this level by himself.
‘Should I let people know about this… ’
People had said that it was a solo stage up to the Extreme level. However, if the Hell
level was a multi-stage, that meant multiple challengers could join to challenge.
However, would having more challengers allow them to clear this stage? Even Baek
Hyun was helplessly defeated. He was nowhere near clearing the stage, and he was
at the brink of death. Therefore it was a reasonable question to ask. Lee Shin
wondered if he would only be causing meaningless death by trying to raise their
morale.
‘I’ll first have to give Baek Hyun something to eat.’
It must have been a long time since he had entered this stage. If it had not been for
the stats that he had gained through his previous training and climbing the tower, he
would have died of hunger a long time ago. Lee Shin did not know whether to laugh
or cry at the unexpected discovery of power.
***
At the dinner table with Gorgin, Lee Shin explained the situation he encountered in
the underground prison and suggested that Gorgin give some food to the criminal.
After a long time of consideration, Gorgin accepted the request.
"Even if he cannot do anything, I don't feel like giving him food. But since it’s your
request, I will accept it. But once your conversation is over, I am going to starve him,”
Gorgin explained.
In the evening, Lee Shin went back to the underground prison. The two parted again,
exchanging only formalities.
‘If you come inside, the security is a lot weaker than you think,’ thought Lee Shin.
It could be seen as a harmful effect of the development of hextech. There were
problems that arose from trying to solve everything using technology rather than
manpower. The security of the underground prison was almost totally concentrated
at the entrance. That meant when someone passed through the entrance and came
inside, there was a fairly big gap in security.
The security was sloppy. Surveillance cameras were practically the only thing they
had to monitor what was going on inside. Of course, that could also mean they were
confident that the prisoners would not be able to escape.
Lee Shin waited for night to fall. And then, there came a series of beeping noises.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The sound of a warning echoed through the castle again.
"What's going on!"
"The enemies have invaded!"
"This time, it’s the Undeads!"
There was a much greater disturbance than when the Ogres and other tribes had
previously invaded.
"How the hell did they get in here?” Gorgin shouted.
"The Undeads are attacking the castle! We have to get Titan on the move!"
This time, it was not an attack outside the walls, but an attack inside the Gerpain
citadel. The Goblins started to panic because the chaos was inside this time.
Lee Shin took advantage of the ruckus and entered the underground prison. His
mana pattern was still registered, and upon entering, Lee Shin unfolded his
previously laid mana field. The surveillance devices were disrupted by Lee Shin’s
mana power and he went straight to the lowest floor of the underground prison to
meet Baek Hyun.
[Frozen]
Crack— Crack—
Lee Shin’s mana penetrated through the prison bars. At the same time, a white frost
spread over them. Lee Shin kicked the frozen bars with all his might.
Baaam!
Baek Hyun, who saw the bar shatter, looked at Lee Shin emotionally.
"You can speak now,” Lee Shin said.
"Master!" Baek Hyun shouted in excitement.
Baek Hyun was so relieved now that he cried out to Lee Shin. It was so frustrating for
Baek Hyun that he could not say anything to Lee Shin who was standing right in
front of his eyes; it was like the pain of being in shackles.
Tuk— Tutuk—
The shackles that tied up Baek Hyun fell to the ground. They were cut off by Lee
Shin’s mana. Baek Hyun could not move his body immediately because he did not
have enough strength in his body.
"Take this." Lee Shin handed over Baek Hyun’s weapons and a map that was stored in
the warehouse of the citadel.
"Oh! What is this?” Baek Hyun asked.
"This is where the Titans are stored. All of them may have already been dispatched,
but there might be some under repair or waiting to be called. So finish them up and
join me,” Lee Shin explained.
"Wait, what about you?" Baek Hyun asked.
"I'm going to destroy the Destroyer," Lee Shin said.
The plan was set in motion, and Lee Shin had no time to lose. After delivering his
instructions to Baek Hyun, Lee Shin immediately began to leave the place. In
addition to the map and his sword, Baek Hyun received a lower-rank recovery
potion. He hurriedly drank the potion and followed Lee Shin out of the underground
prison.
‘Uh… ’
Lee Shin had disappeared, and Baek Hyun scratched his head while looking at the
map.
‘I can’t really tell even if I’m looking at the map… Is it here?’
Baek Hyun decided to trust his intuition and started walking.
***
There was a cellar that was located not too far from the underground prison. Gorgin
rushed there and put his bracelet on the wall in front of the door to the cellar.
Beep—
A red laser scanned his bracelet and the door opened for Gorgin to enter.
Thud!
There was a huge chamber in the cellar, and a huge, overbearing Destroyer hidden
there. Gorgin looked at the Destroyer that was standing beyond the transparent glass
wall and smiled as he stood on the footstool.
Beep— Beep—
[Scanning.]
[Searching for the mana wave.]
[Checking.]
Beep— Beep— Beep—
[An abnormal mana wave has been detected.]
[The security level will be enhanced. The mana blockade will be activated
throughout the cellar.]
"Huh? What’s going on?" The frustrated Gorgin looked around urgently.
"Hey you!" Gorgin called out.
When Gorgin turned around, there was a very familiar face. Lee Shin had been
standing behind Gorgin.
"Hmm… a mana blockade…? That’s a little annoying…” Lee Shin murmured, looking
at the ceiling where the sound of the machine was coming from.
At that moment, Gorgin's sword rushed toward Lee Shin.
"Kieeek! How dare you follow me? Did you try to locate the Destroyer?" Gorgin
shouted in anger.
"What if I did?" Lee Shin asked back.
Chang—
Lee Shin and Gorgin’s swords clashed and bounced off. Gorgin paused momentarily
because he was surprised by Lee Shin’s power.
"It is a prejudice to think that wizards are weak,” Lee Shin said.
# Strength: 55 (+47)
The strength of Lee Shin was already over 100. And he was stronger than any of the
challengers on the lower floors. Gorgin, who was one of the strongest Goblins, could
not beat Lee Shin with his strength.
"Kieeek! Kik! But still, you’re just a wizard. There's nothing you can do since mana is
blocked.” Gorgin laughed at Lee Shin.
Despite the fact that he was thrown out by physical force, Gorgin still seemed quite
relaxed.
Tick!
Suddenly, a Barrier sprang up between the two. It was triggered by Gorgin's signal as
if he had been prepared for this kind of situation.
"Kiekik! Try breaking it through with that superior power," Gorgin mocked Lee Shin
and stood on the footstool again.
"Tsk, you are mistaken that hextech is greater than mana……” Lee Shin said.
The mana in Lee Shin’s body was loosed at once and attracted all the mana power
that was around him.
"You can't stop mana with this crappy technology,” Lee Shin muttered.
The surrounding atmosphere had become turbulent, and the mana field that
separated the two started to fluctuate. The mana waves in that scene suddenly began
to change rapidly and hit the entire chamber as if there was a typhoon.
Kwa—
Kwaaang—!
Lee Shin's mana wave broke the Barrier and burst the mana blockade that stopped
the flow of mana in the space. If he could not move his own mana, he could simply
move the mana that remained in the atmosphere.
Originally, it was something that could only be done by a magus. However, Lee Shin
was a Great Wizard. In addition, Lee Shin’s enlightenment and knowledge were
deeper than before. However, one unfortunate thing was that his body was not
prepared for a rebound.
“Keugh…”
For the first time in a long time, Lee Shin felt all his mana blood vessels twitching.
His mana class had risen to level three, and he even acquired the divine status and
chaos. Overall, his basic stats had increased considerably. Fortunately, Lee Shin could
withstand a very brief rebound of the transcendental stage.
"Tsk."
There were multiple layers of security. During the last invasion, Lee Shin had sent a
demon to find out about the location of this place. However, since the demon could
not enter due to security, Lee Shin tried to sneak in this time to disable the Destroyer
by following Gorgin.
If there had not been the warp portal, Lee Shin could have succeeded… Lee Shin
could see Gorgin boarding the Destroyer in the warp. He felt bitter. Now that things
had already gone down the wrong path, Lee Shin had no other option but to confront
the Destroyer face to face.
Lee Shin thought for a moment that he should have raided Gorgin; but he soon
realized that it was meaningless. Gorgin had an artifact that protected him. If the raid
had failed, Lee Shin might have had to face an all-out war with the entire population
in the Gerpain.
‘I mean, I don’t think it will be that difficult anyway… ’
If they just cleared the stage so ignorantly, they would end up missing something.
"Amazing, I did not expect you to break through the mana blockade,” Gorgin said.
Lee Shin could hear Gorgin's voice in the Destroyer.
"Bring it on," Lee Shin said.
***
“Kieeek! Kieeek! The undeads are constantly coming!”
"Don't die! Kieek! If you die, that devil will turn us into undeads!"
"Who are you calling the devil!” May cried, offended.
"Haha. Hey, devil. Summon more of the undeads,” Warrie laughed next to him.
"Ah! Hurry up and do something with these guys!" Gundo shouted, blocking the
attack of the two Titans.
"What's that Skeleton? He’s so strong," Baek Hyun asked.
Baek Hyun had failed to find the Titan's location, and so he just came onto the
battlefield. There was an undead showing tremendous dignity, wielding a huge club
on one side. It was a Skeleton Ogre.
"What are you doing here? Why are you bothering the master?”
"I know, why did the weak guy come all the way here?”
May and Warrie, who had already heard about Baek Hyun from Lee Shin, stared at
Baek Hyun.
"Hey! I've already regretted it a lot. I am never going to challenge the Hell level
again!!"
Even though Baek Hyun said that he would never come back to such a place because
he was sick and tired of it, he was completely slaughtering his enemies. He could
handle them pretty well, perhaps because he had already dealt with the Titans once
before. Baek Hyun was successfully disabling them one at a time.
"But wasn't May a wizard? Were you a necromancer?” Baek Hyun asked.
“…These undeads are master’s undeads. I'm just temporarily controlling them." May
did not like how he was constantly misunderstood as a necromancer.
Whoo-whoong—
Kwaaang—!
"W-w-what’s that?"
"Keugh!"
Something huge came flying and smashed into the floor. The ground shook as if there
was an earthquake. A cloud of dust sprung up in an instant, obscuring the view of the
battlefield.
"Master!"
Lee Shin landed as if he was falling from the air. The situation on the battlefield was
more impressive than he thought. Lee Shin thought it would be difficult for the
undeads here because there were many mechanized soldiers. However, that was not
true. These Goblins could not stop them with only Titans and not the Destroyer.
"Keugh…” The Destroyer, buried in the ground, groaned and rose slowly.
That once-extraordinary sight of the Destroyer was nowhere to be seen now that its
body was broken all over.
"It's… not over yet…” Gorgin said.
"No, it's over,” Lee Shin replied.
There was already the shadow of death hanging over Gorgin. Death came close to
him. Gorgin was also fairly injured, because even the steering room inside the Black
Titan’s body had been affected by the damage.
Swoosh—
Hwaaak—
In Lee Shin’s eyes, everyone on the battlefield had disappeared and only Gorgin
remained. A young Gorgin appeared, hammering in his work clothes.
"Hurry up, Gorgin!” A soldier demanded.
"Kieeek, this won’t work better just because you're in a hurry!" Gorgin replied.
"Even if it doesn't, make it work. We don’t have much time.” The soldier rushed him.
"Kieeek… Okay, okay…” Gorgin answered.
After that soldier left, Gorgin stopped working and took out something he had been
hiding and started working on that instead.
"I don’t have much time left…” Gorgin muttered.
Days passed and the deadline that the soldier had mentioned was approaching.
"It’s finally done! Kieeek!” Gorgin began to connect the parts that had been separated
into several pieces.
This machine looked somewhat familiar to Lee Shin. The black machine looked very
much like the Destroyer. However, the size was only a little larger than humans.
Gorgin had entered the machine and tried to escape. Gorgin's mini Titan, which
presented an outstanding power, succeeded in escaping past the enemies. Gorgin
fled to a mountain path that no one had ever reached. There, by chance, Gorgin
discovered the Mountain Vital Force (MVF), which contained a lot of energy.
The Goblins lived a short distance away. With their help, Gorgin had created the
Destroyer of his dreams, powered by the MVF. Meanwhile, Gorgin heard that the
Goblin tribes were kidnapped by other tribes and they were sacrificed as offerings to
the gods. Gorgin went with the Destroyer, saving the Goblins and built them a village
where the MVF had been.
Time passed by very fast. The village grew to become the Gerpain citadel, and Gorgin
became the Lord. However, other tribes had invaded Gerpain and so their village
collapsed. In front of Gorgin was the Ogre who led those tribes and a familiar-looking
soldier standing next to the Ogre.
"So, this is where you were hiding, Gorgin,” the soldier said.
"Did you… chase me all this way…? That’s annoying,” Gorgin replied.
The soldier took Gorgin out of the half-destroyed Destroyer, locking him up, and
made him invent a hextech machine,
"You can't run away," the soldier said.
Hwaaak—
The scene changed again at the end of the soldier’s words. There was a half-
destroyed Destroyer in front of Lee Shin's eyes, similar to the one he had seen a
while ago. And Lee Shin could see Gorgin, looking helpless.
Crunch—
As He Who Knows Death, Lee Shin was able to see the past of those who were dying.
He saw the atrocities of the gods through these lives. Lee Shin gnashed his teeth. The
behaviors of gods who thought they were acting in justice and truth made Lee Shin
shake in anger.
Lee Shin thought of his own past, those unforgettable experiences of the past. Lee
Shin, who could no longer forget anything, recalled his old misfortunes. And on top
of these misfortunes, Gorgin's figure overlapped.
Until the end, Gorgin was trying to move the Destroyer in defiance, as if he had not
given up yet. When Lee Shin tried to terminate Gorgin, Lee Shin felt dirty, as if he had
become a pawn of the gods.
Nevertheless, Lee Shin decided to finish everything.
[Thunderbolt]
Coo-Goo-Gung—!
A huge thunderbolt fell over the Destroyer in the dark cloudy sky.
"Someday… I will relieve your sorrow," Lee Shin muttered.
The Thunderbolt struck the Destroyer’s body. It was struggling to stand, but it finally
collapsed on the ground, motionless.
[The Destroyer has been completely defeated.]
[Gorgin has been defeated.]
[97% of Gerpain’s power has been disabled.]
[Gerpain has collapsed.]
[You have cleared the fifth floor.]

[You have acquired the Mountain Vital Force (MVF).]
[You have acquired the structural blueprints of the castle lead class Titan, 『
Destroyer』.]
Lee Shin arrived at the waiting area on the sixth floor. He looked around the quiet
place. There were definitely far fewer people here compared to the fifth floor. That
was because many people have already gone up. The sixth floor was not particularly
difficult. At that time, Baek Hyun appeared in front of Lee Shin. He was just
teleported to the waiting area.
"Huh?" Baek Hyun looked puzzled when he encountered Lee Shin.
"Master…” Baek Hyun said.
"Shhh, just follow me," Lee Shin said quietly.
Lee Shin cautioned Baek Hyun by putting his index finger to his mouth. He brought
Baek Hyun to a quiet place because Lee Shin did not want to make a fuss or attract
other people's attention.
"Tell me what happened," Lee Shin said.
"Well…” Baek Hyun explained what had happened at Lee Shin’s interrogation.
As Lee Shin listened to Baek Hyun’s story, he also briefly told him how he came to
rescue Baek Hyun.
"Thanks to you, I’m alive.” Baek Hyun thanked him.
Baek Hyun drooped his shoulders in despair. What Lee Shin had warned the
challengers about was not to be so conceited that they wound up helpless and dead.
However, Baek Hyun had nothing to say because he did exactly that, not long after he
went up.
"I'm sorry…” Baek Hyun said quietly.
"Why would you do that then? And it's not that you don’t have what it takes. It’s just
that you’re being too reckless. If you had been a little more careful and strategized
with other tribes, it would not have been something impossible for you to handle.”
Lee Shin paused, then continued his explanation, “And if I had made a good strategy
with the heterogeneous group of tribes, it wasn't impossible."
That was what Lee Shin really thought. In the first place, no other challenger had the
overwhelming power he had, and thus would not be able to use the same strategy as
he did. It was obvious that the other tribes were introduced so the challengers could
persuade them to combine their power and defeat Gerpain together. However, the
moment Lee Shin saw the altar, he could not make them his allies.
‘A god who sucks the life out of creatures.’
The altar had a mark of that damn god. From the moment he saw it, Lee Shin did not
trust those tribes.
"What did you get as your reward?” Lee Shin asked.
"Reward? Oh! I got a blueprint for building the Titans," Baek Hyun replied.
Baek Hyun showed Lee Shin the blueprint that he received.
"Hmm…” Lee Shin pondered.
This was not even comparable to the blueprint of the Destroyer, but the blueprint of
these basic Titans was, in its own way, more useful than the blueprint of the
Destroyer.
The Destroyer could not be made without the Mountain Vital Force, and even if the
MVF were available, it would have been more of a pain, because he needed a hextech
engineer. However, it was much easier to obtain materials and builders to build
Titans than the Destroyer.
"Did you also acquire hextech skills?” Lee Shin asked.
"No? Did they give you that skill as well?” Baek Hyun asked.
"Hmm… Then I’ll take this from you.” Lee Shin took away the blueprint. "What? But
why m-m-master?” Baek Hyun looked surprised.
Baek Hyun never thought that Lee Shin would take away his reward like this.
"Are you being serious…?" Baek Hyun asked.
To be honest, Baek Hyun was not entitled to claim this reward. Lee Shin was the one
who defeated Gerpain and dealt with the Destroyer. And he even saved Baek Hyun.
However, Baek Hyun, who experienced Titan's power, really wanted the blueprint.
That was why Baek Hyun could not easily give up the blueprint.
"You can't even use it anyway," Lee Shin said.
"I mean… I can sell…” Baek Hyun muttered.
"How much were you going to sell it for?" Lee Shin asked.
Baek Hyun’s eyes widened when he thought Lee Shin was trying to buy it with his
points.
"Well, since you’re my master, I'll give you a discount—" Baek Hyun was interrupted.
“No, the price for your life," Lee Shin said.
"What?" Baek Hyun asked.
"I paid for it by saving your life. Is this more expensive than your life?" Lee Shin
asked.
Baek Hyun was speechless at Lee Shin's words.
"Take it…” Baek Hyun muttered.
"I’ll use it well," Lee Shin replied.
Baek Hyun's shoulders dropped again as he saw the blueprint disappearing into Lee
Shin's arms.
***
The news about the two people’s ranking update became a hot topic in the
community and naturally reached the ears of Kim Kang-Chun and his group.
# Kang Ji-Hoon - Hey! What happened? Did you really clear the Hell level?
# Baek Hyun - Yeah… that's what happened.
# Kang Ji-Hoon - That's awesome! Did you really clear the Hell level? I heard that
your ranking was updated at the same time as the master. How did that happen?
# Baek Hyun - Master saved me.
# Kang Ji Hoon - What do you mean he saved you? The fifth floor is a solo stage.
# Baek Hyun - Well…
# Park Hye-Won - Hey, you idiot! I was so worried! Did you really challenge the Hell
level?
# Baek Hyun - Yes! Well I mean…
# Ji Eun-Ju - Oppaaa, I thought something happened to you… sob
# Baek Hyun - Ah, I’m sorry Eun-Ju. Don't cry…
Baek Hyun was not able to keep up with the flood of messages from his friends.
Others were already in the process of climbing the tower, so they could not send him
a message. And since Lee Shin did not usually check his messages, Baek Hyun had to
deliver his news to them as well.
"Ha…” Baek Hyun, who had been struggling with the messages for a long time,
slumped to his seat.
Lee Shin had already gone up to the next floor.
"But I've gained a lot this time," Baek Hyun muttered.
Aside from the blueprint of Titan, the rest of the rewards that he received were good
enough. Lee Shin had said that it did not matter even if a challenger took more time
to clear a floor. Baek Hyun clenched his fist and went into the community to check
the date.
11/03 03:20
They had less than a month before the Dimension Gate opened. He had to climb as
many floors as he could before that date.
"I shall get going,” Baek Hyun muttered.
***
[You have entered the tenth floor.]
[Advance to the top 32 at Gret Ciel to be qualified to go to the next world.]
The Gret Ciel was a tower so tall that it seemed to have no end, penetrating the
clouds. There was also a huge stadium complex that was built around the tower. Gret
Ciel was both the name of the tower and the name of the entire stadium.
Additionally, the competition that was held in this location was also called Gret Ciel.
It was a gateway that a challenger had to pass through to move on to the next world.
Thousands of people gathered to watch this competition.
- Hello! My name is Felix, the host of this episode of Gret Ciel. Now that the finals are
finally underway, we can see a lot of really great contestants this time! The audience
can look forward to a great spectacle!
With the circular tower in the center, there were four stadiums located facing four
directions: north, south, east, and west. Felix appeared on the screen inside each
stadium and began the process.
- So, we had many talented people participate in this episode. Do you know how
many participants we had? We had 5,327 participants! It was much more than…
Before the game started, Felix tried to warm the audience up. The audience already
knew that this episode was different from the previous episodes.
"I heard Bex, the dragon knight, will be coming out this time."
"Who cares if there’s a dragon knight this time? Zarqan, the descendant of Dragon
Slayer, is coming out this time. Aren't they natural enemies?"
"Hey, kid. Who did you come to cheer for this time?”
"I'm cheering for Damon, the Flame Wizard! It’s so cool when the fire explodes!”
"Hmm… I see. Damon is pretty strong, too. Isn't Damon the best wizard out of all the
ones who have participated this time?"
"Tsk tsk, you don't know anything man. There's a rumor that there's a wizard who
saved the Dark Frost Troll tribe.”
"Really? The wizard who deals with death?"
"Yes! There is a rumor that he is the apostle of the God of Death.”
"What? He’s an apostle? Why is such a great person still here?”
"Well, we don’t know yet. It could just be a rumor."
Only 64 out of more than 5,000 participants progressed to the finals. Many of the
finalists already had quite a reputation. Or they had gained fame by catching the
audience's eyes with their outstanding performance in the preliminary round.
- The reason why so many outstanding participants have participated in this Gret
Ciel, and the reason why 5,327 participants gathered this time, will be revealed now!
On the screen, Felix was presenting a long wooden case. Felix lifted the wooden case
and brought it close to the camera.
- This contains the prize that the winner of this episode of Gret Ciel will receive. And
that is…!
When Felix, who seemed ready to open it at any moment, hesitated; the audience
booed him.
"What are you doing? Here we go again!"
"I'm sick of that trick! Just open it already! Are you kidding me?”
"I can't wait to see that brilliant figure!"
Despite the boos of the audience, Felix seemed to be already used to it. Therefore he
seemed very relaxed, having no care for their reactions. Felix opened the wooden
case very slowly.
As the lid of the wooden case opened, people could see a pure, beautiful white
sword. Its elegance was palpable, capturing the attention of everyone who saw it.
Most of the audience wondered how much more amazing it would be if they saw it in
person.
- You're all dumbfounded! That's right! This sword is the holy sword of a saintess!
This sword is not used to kill people, but a life-giving sword[1] that saves the dead.
This is Martyr!
Whoaaa—
With Felix's introduction, the cheers of the audience rang throughout the entire huge
Gret Ciel stadium. It was a sword made by a saintess at the cost of her whole life.
Martyr was a bow sword that got its name from the saintess’s sacrifice. This sword
could not cut or stab any living creature. Only the dead could be brought back to life
with this sword.
- Now! We are presenting the greatest prize ever won at Gret Ciel! And that’s how
competitive this round will be. However, there will be only one contestant who can
take the Martyr! Who will it be? Soon, the long-awaited competition will begin!
Whoaaa—!
There were loud shouts, and countless people gathered. It was a brilliant opening
ceremony and the crowd was fired up. The best prize. The most number of
contestants recorded in history. This time, Gret Ciel drew people’s attention more
than ever.
***
Clomp— Clomp— Clomp— Clomp—
The sound of footsteps filled the quiet corridor.
Squeak—
The door opened, and a person wearing a black robe came in and sat down in the
waiting room for the contestants. The man gave off a dull aura, and the cold
atmosphere in the room became even colder.
"Hey there, Mister Wizard." A man with sharp eyes, lightly dressed, suddenly stood
up, and approached the man who was wearing the black robe.
"What's that?" A cold voice came. A man in the robe pulled out his wand and pointed.
"You’re so sensitive. Why don't you put down that wand? Are you confident you can
handle it?" the man with sharp eyes asked.
"You must want to die already,” the man in the robe replied.
"Whoa, I'm finally in the finals, but I don't want to die yet. Let's stop," the voice
answered.
Despite the man's willingness to surrender, the wand of the man in the robe
remained the same.
"You’re He Who Knows Death, aren’t you?” asked the sharp-eyed man, Dexter.
At Dexter’s words, everyone else in the room stared at the two. Small quarrels were
commonly seen here, but the quarrels between those two were different. Dexter was
one of the contestants with a high chance of winning this competition, and He Who
Knows Death was in no way inferior. These two were heavyweights. Dexter smirked
with a confident look.
The man in the robe did not answer, but Dexter nodded as if that alone had been an
answer.
Dexter laughed. "I guess I’m right.”
"If you say one more word, you’ll die," the man in the robe replied.
The black mana that gathered to the tip of the man in the robe’s wand seemed to
match death well. The other contestants glanced sharply at the two. There seemed to
be a competition between the wizard who was said to deal with death and Dexter
who did not look discouraged at all. It was beneficial for others to know even a little
of their abilities in advance.
"One… wo—" Dexter opened his mouth.
Whoong—
As soon as Dexter's mouth opened, the black mana spun violently and sprang from
the tip of the wand.
Kwang!
“…rd!" Dexter, who was smiling and talking with a playful face, disappeared from his
seat with a frightened face.
As a result, the mana fired by the man in the robe flew toward another participant.
However, the contestants’ attention was turned to Dexter, who had disappeared and
now popped out. He disappeared into the shadows as if he went underground, and
appeared among other participants a little farther from where he was originally.
"No one knows death as well as I do," the man in the robe spoke to Dexter who had
just fled.
"I see that death is attached to your shadow,” the man in the robe said.
"Oh really? That’s so scary,” Dexter replied.
The wand of the man in the robe was filled with deadlier mana than before. An
energy of pure determination to kill the enemy gathered in the air. The other
participants who saw that were convinced that the man in the robe was He Who
Knows Death.
"Die," the man in the robe muttered.
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—
Suddenly, a warning sound came from the waiting room.
- Both contestants should stop fighting immediately. The competition will start soon.
Please refrain from battling outside of the stadium. You may be eliminated at the
referee’s discretion.
At Felix’s words, the bloodthirst in the man in the robe’s wand disappeared in an
instant. Dexter shrugged, as he breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"I guess I’m not dead yet?” Dexter laughed at the man in the robe.
"You will die out there,” the man in the robe replied, pointing to the stadium on the
screen.
"Oh, I'm so scared. Ah, and I'm the first one. Let's see if I’m going to die. Later!"
Dexter left the waiting room.
Dexter continued to speak playfully. The man in the robe, who was perhaps angry,
moved away from the waiting room to another place. And the once-tense waiting
room eased in an instant.
The man who got hit by the black mana a while back looked at his blackened palm
and muttered.
“This is interesting.”
1. The life-giving sword (活人劍) and life-taking sword (殺人劍) are a dual concept
in some styles of swordsmanship. Their meaning is commonly related to choosing
between killing and letting live, or between attacking and counter-attacking. ☜
- There seem to be many unknown strong contestants in the finals this time! They
caused a lot of variables in the preliminary round! Thanks to the wails of those who
lost their points, I could not sleep well these days. Hahaha!
The 17th game of the round of 64 was about to start at the North Stadium. Two men
had come up to the field. One was a lightly dressed swordsman, and another one was
a knight in armor.
- Now! The 17th game will soon begin! We have already finished more than half of
the round of 64! We have Tugot, a lucky swordsman here with us today having
miraculously advanced from the preliminary round!
Boo— Boo— Boo—
"You’re just lucky!"
"You're going to fail this time!"
"The knight I was cheering for had failed to advance because of you!”
The audience booed and criticized Tugot, who was on the field. How could a man
with no fame or skills get to the finals in such an episode that had drawn so much
attention?
In the preliminary round, several people who were major contenders for the finals
had fought against each other and destroyed themselves. And Tugot, who took that
chance to knock them down when they were weak, advanced to the finals. Tugot was
not a particularly appealing contestant to an audience who wanted to see a fun
game. However, even among such an audience, there were people cheering for Tugot.
"Mas… Tugot! Let’s go! Let’s go, Tugot! Hey, what are you doing? Why aren’t you
cheering?”
"Tsk, what are you cheering for? Whether you cheer or not, the result will be the
same. Is your head for decoration?”
"What did you say? Do you really want a fight, you Bighead?"
"What did you just say? Do you really want to die?"
"Hey! It's noisy, so if you're going to fight, go outside and fight!"
"Who cares about Tugot… Are they cheering for the guy who’s gonna die next
because they’re Skeletons? Hahaha, that’s a new way of cheering.”
When the audience near them got mad at them, the two who were cheering for
Tugot closed their mouths, glared at each other and then turned to the field. At that
time, the opponent was coming up to the field.
- The opponent of Tugot is Hoppen, a strong man who’s also referred to as the Knight
of the Iron Wall!
Whoa—!
"Ho-ppen! Ho-ppen! Ho-ppen!"
"Just kill him, Hoppen!"
"Are you going to let that fool stay in the finals? Show him what you got, Hoppen!”
Unlike Tugot, Hoppen received a lot of cheers.
"I guess I’m lucky this time. I can't believe I get to face someone like you in the
finals,” Hoppen muttered.
"Hey mister, don’t let your guard down, that’s how you’re going to lose,” Tugot
replied.
"Hahaha! Do you think an Ogre will die from being careless in front of a Goblin?"
Hoppen laughed at Tugot.
"I have seen a Goblin win against an Ogre," Tugot said.
"I have never heard such a funny thing before. You are a funny guy,” Hoppen replied.
"If you don't want to believe me, you don’t have to. But remember, that stereotype is
blinding you,” Tugot warned him.
"Haha, I was wondering how you came up all the way here, but you must have come
up with your mouth. I will let you know that this is a place where you compete with
your skills,” Hoppen replied.
Hoppen, the knight with a helmet, drew his sword. At the same time, Tugot raised his
sword in a slightly clumsy position.
- Well! Since both of our contestants seem to be ready, should we get started? Alright
then! Let's begin the 17th game of the round of 64!
Da-dum—!
A harsh drum sound signaled the start of the game. Hoppen, the contestant referred
to as Iron Knight, rushed towards Tugot and struck his sword. Tugot avoided
Hoppen’s attack by a hair’s breadth and then made a counterattack that brushed
past Hoppen’s helmet.
"Keugh—" Hoppen flinched and fixed his posture because he was surprised by
Tugot’s reaction speed. Tugot was faster than expected.
"You’re pretty good. So it wasn’t just luck that brought you all the way here?” Hoppen
asked.
"Bring it on,” Tugot said.
"I will," Hoppen replied.
Hoppen’s sword rushed towards Tugot again.
Chaeng—! Chaeng! Chaeng!
There was a series of clashes between the two contestants. And the audience's
enthusiasm heated up in the fierce battle between the two.
"What’s going on? Tugot is fighting better than I thought."
"Wait, was it not by luck then?”

"No way, is Tugot going to win? Will he win again?”
"Shut up! You guys don't know anything about the sword. Look at the difference in
the skill level between the two. Look at how Tugot wields his sword! He seems to
have good physical ability, but his swordsmanship is lacking. He will never be able to
beat Hoppen with such swordplay."
Before the start of the game, almost all of the audience predicted Hoppen's victory.
However, now that the game was at its peak, people had changed their minds about
the odds, from 10:0 to 8.5:1.5. Most audiences still thought that Hoppen would
eventually win.
"You’re pretty good! But you still have a long way to go!”
Hoppen was able to block all of Tugot's attacks as if he could expect what was
coming, except for the first move. It was difficult for Tugot to break through
Hoppen’s weak points, because Hoppen was known for his defensive
swordsmanship. On the other hand, Hoppen’s sword was gradually closing in,
creating wounds on Tugot's body little by little.
"Keugh!” Tugot's left arm was cut a little deep, and a groan came out of his mouth.
Tugot’s arm almost flew away after being struck by Hoppen's attack, but he managed
to escape with excellent reflexes and strong physical ability, stepping back. There
was a sigh of regret in the audience as people were watching the scene. And the two
Skeletons who were cheering for Tugot uttered a rough shout.
"That bastard!"
"I'll tear his limbs apart right now!"
"Then your skull will break down first. You stupid bonehead.”
"Whoa… I was just too into it for a moment. What I just said was unseemly of
chivalry."
"What the fuck are you saying.”
"Shut up. But I told him several times that he has to keep his center of gravity low in
that situation… Huh? What is he doing? If you go in like that— Oh, man… No! Put
your right foot back! And have your upper body turn diagonally! Ah!" The Skeleton
shouted and hit his abdominal bone out of frustration.
"You're really fucked up.” The Skeleton next to him shook his head.
In proportion to the soaring enthusiasm of the audience, the confrontation between

the two in the stadium was also getting fiercer. It would have been normal if the two
men fell down in exhaustion by this point. However, the two were on fire, and far
from exhaustion.
"Hey mister, it must be hard because you're old. Why don’t you just give up,” Tugot
suggested.
"No way, I'm still fine!" Hoppen replied.
It was a situation in which the tension between the two men was at its peak. The
fight looked fierce on the outside, but Tugot's entire body was already far from
normal because he was battered.
Tugot's right arm, which was blocking Hoppen’s sword, instantly stiffened. After
seeing Tugot’s trembling arms, Hoppen thought Tugot was already at his limit. And
Hoppen’s calculated move worked out. His mana flowed through his sword, and
stimulated Tugot's muscles. The small gap between the sword and Tugot was the
crux to determining the winner of this fight.
‘I won!’ Hoppen thought he won.
"Oh my!" However, right before his sword could reach Tugot’s heart, Hoppen slipped
on the small stones on the ground and lost his balance.
Parts of the field were smashed and fragments of rock were formed during the fight
between the two. The stones reversed the crucial moment. Hoppen’s sword passed
between Tugot’s neck and shoulders, not his heart. And Tugot, who did not miss the
opportunity, penetrated Hoppen’s abdomen with his sword.
Keugha—!
Hoppen, who had never been hit by a valid hit, collapsed and vomited blood, due to
this single, successful attack. In the face of such an unexpected situation, the
audience looked at the field with blank expressions, and soon the sound of drums
announced the end of the game.
Whoa—!
"That was crazy! How did he win?”
"What happened to Hoppen all of a sudden?"
"I think he slipped when he stepped on the stones."
"Ugh you idiot! How can you lose to Togot!"
"What the hell are you doing? What are you going to do with my points? How can
you call yourself the Knight of the Iron Wall!”
Most of the audience at the gambling house placed their bets on Hoppen, and they
did not think there would be any surprise this time. The fight was one-on-one and
the opponent was the Knight of the Iron Wall. However, in yet another unexpected
twist, the winner was Tugot.
"Oh no! My points!"
"Ahhh! This doesn't count! How can you step on the stones and slip at this very
important moment!"
"Tugot—! I love you, Tugot! I love you so much!”
"Yay! He won! Tugot won! I’m rich now!”
There were people who gambled with reverse bets wherever they went. Tugot's
dividend payout was incredibly high compared to Hoppen and people could sweep
home points if he won. And very few people in the audience have succeeded in
gambling.
"Hahaha! I'm rich now."
"Lol, are you really? Anyway, let's hurry up and go."
"Alright."
The two Skeletons, who had been cheering for Tugot since the beginning of the
game, left the stadium and headed to the gambling house. The gambling house was
in a state of chaos. After Tugot's victory, many people were crying on the floor
because they had lost their money.
"Tsk, idiots. Of course Tugot would win. Can't they see that?”
"Shut up. Let’s just hurry up and get our points.”
The two Skeletons exchanged points.
"Wow, how did you guys think of putting so many points on Tugot? Did you guys
gamble?"
"What do you mean? Tugot is much stronger even at first glance!”
"You think Tugot is much stronger?”
"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and give us the points."
"Okay, I'll check your identity first. May, Warrie… Okay, that's right. Here, take these.”
May and Warrie received a currency that could be exchanged for points. They put
them in their arms and returned.
"Ugh it’s too bad that the maximum is to bet 3,000p at once. If we could put more in,
we would have swept all the points.”
"Was the dividend rate 21 times this time? It's much less than I thought. Was Tugot
overrated in the preliminary round?"
As the two left the gambling house muttering, there was a moment of silence in the
gambling house. And some of the people who were sitting on the floor exchanged
glances, got up and left the gambling house.
***
"Are you okay?" Tugot asked, helping the fallen Hoppen.
It was not something the guy who just stabbed him in the stomach would normally
say, but unless he had done a fatal wound that could cripple the opponent in the
combat, the referee did not consider him as the winner. It was because of that…
"Thank you…” Hoppen replied.
"Please go and get treated," Tugot said.
"Alright, I will. And now I can take your word for it,” Hoppen muttered.
"What do you mean?" Tugot asked.
"The fact that a Goblin… can also beat an Ogre," Hoppen explained.
Tugot could not believe that Hoppen was saying that in this situation. Tugot laughed
and whispered in his ear.
"It's not a Goblin…” Tugot whispered.
“…What?" Hoppen looked at Tugot with surprise when he heard what Tugot said.
- The game is over! The winner is Tugot! What a surprise! It is happening again in
the finals! Maybe Tugot is a strong man?
"Dear contestants, please step aside,” said Felix.
The officials came up and escorted Hoppen away. And Tugot went down and left the
stadium to the cheers of the audience.
- Now, the next game will be played soon. The next contestant is Kalen, one of the
most talked-about people in this competition! Many people think of him as a wizard
who knows death…
Tugot went inside and saw Kalen waiting for the next game.
"You are a lucky guy," Kalen said to Tugot as he passed by.
"Well, you're not lucky," Tugot replied.
"What are you talking about? Do you think I'm gonna lose this game?” Kalen asked.
"Good luck," Tugot replied.
Kalen frowned at Tugot's words. Kalen wanted to grab him and question him, but he
could not do that because the game was about to start.
***
May and Warrie came out of Gret Ciel to use the points they just won.
"With this amount of points, I can finally buy a mana book that I have been wanting
for so long.”
"Tsk, don't do that. You should buy a weapon instead! Since ancient times, weapon
wielders have been one with their weapon—”
"Hey there! You must have earned a lot of points."
"There's no place for those who only have bones to use points. Why don’t you share
some of your points?”
Most of the audience was in Gret Ciel because the game was still on. Therefore, it was
very quiet outside. However, suddenly, a group of people appeared and surrounded
the two. The two Skeletons looked at them calmly even though they were in a
dangerous situation.
"Let's share the points. Are these yours?"
"Sharing is caring.”
"That's right, what’s good is good. But I don't do that with weak people." May
smirked at the ridiculous words.
"Did you call us weak? You Skeletons must be crazy. Says you who earned points
because that idiot Tugot was lucky enough to win the battle." The strongest-looking
man in the group came forward and laughed at the two.
The Skeletons looked weak in the eyes of the man. It was ridiculous for them to have
won so many points from a single round. In a twenty to two situation, he knew to
consider what his next steps are after the fight instead of just fighting them.
‘I will have to deal with these two first in order to take the biggest portion of their
points. Running away with the points would be my worst move. It will be tough if I have
to deal with the other guys after.’
Greg, who was eliminated from the preliminary round of the tournament, took out
his sword, trying to think through the situation in advance.
"What did you just say?" Suddenly, the Skeleton’s voice got low and serious.
The aura of the Skeleton in a robe changed in an instant.
"You idiot, there are things you can say and others that you cannot," said a horned
Skeleton as he stared at Greg.
"What? For someone who would have been overthrown by humans if it weren't for
Gret Ciel… You guys have a lot to say.” Greg thought they were angry because he
insulted them, but that was not it.
Swoosh—
Warrie's sword slipped out smoothly and when Greg saw that, he gave him a cold
stare. A swordsman could tell how capable the swordsman is just by looking at the
way the individual drew one’s sword. Greg could tell that this Skeleton was no doubt
a swordsman with a decent level of competency.
"You will not be able to escape death easily." May's eyes were blackened.
The dark, dull mana from May stretched out in all directions and eroded the
surrounding space. The group of people surrounding the two could feel the
bloodthirst, hostility, and malice just by being in the same space as them.
"How dare you say that to my mas… Tugot. I'll make you regret swearing at him,"
May said.
There was an instantaneous reversal in the atmosphere. The gamblers could feel
themselves getting suffocated. This bloodthirst of the undead was unfamiliar to
them.
"Shit!" Greg’s face twisted in agony.

Greg just could not understand how a Skeleton could handle this level of mana. Even
Greg himself, who thought he got eliminated in the preliminary round because of
bad luck, was finding this situation very uncomfortable.
"How pathetic," May muttered, looking down on them all.
May could not believe how these people would decide to pick up a fight if they were
going to lose their fighting spirit so easily.
"Is it my turn now?" Warrie walked toward Greg with the sword on his shoulder.
"If you want to survive, you better answer our questions sincerely,” Warrie warned
them.
"Keugh…”
"Do not try to run away, and you'll have to think carefully. If you hesitate for a
moment and answer late, I'll cut your throat right away," Warrie said.
***
- Now, it’s time for the round of 32! It’s already been a week since the round of 64
ended. We had a hard time preparing for the next rounds. Hahaha! There are
numerous strong contestants in the round of 32…
More spectators came to watch the game than before. And equally many people were
gambling with their points, predicting the winners and losers of the game.
"Here you go! It’s 3,000 points."
"Oh! It's you again. Are we betting on Tugot again?” The man in the gambling house
asked.
"Of course! Tugot is the bes— ouch.” Warrie was interrupted by May.
"Be quiet," May muttered.
May pushed Warrie's head back, because he kept talking nonsense. May then
received a slip.
"Why did the dividend decrease this time? The opponent is Bex, the dragon knight.”
"Hahaha, of course, because Tugot showed his potential last time. Moreover, the
dragon knight cannot bring the dragon to Gret Ciel, so he will not be able to do his
best. Tugot might find it easier to deal with him than Hoppen.”
"Hmm…”
May grabbed Warrie by the back and left the gambling house.
"Something is weird," May muttered.
"What do you mean?" Warrie asked.
"That guy, he seemed to want other guys to bet more on Tugot,” May explained.
"Isn't it because he thinks Tugot will lose?" Warrie asked again.
Warrie thought May was overthinking it.
‘Does he have any information about the dragon knight?’
May and Warrie joined the audience, and the round of 32 began.
Tugot was going to play in the ninth game, and so until then, the two of them decided
to watch the game to see how skilled the other contestants were.
"Ugh, that guy. How did he make it to the finals?"
"If you’re so great, then why didn’t you join?"
"Why would I participate? There are monsters there. If I can’t get first place, it's
better not to do it."
"Well, it’s good that you know your place.”

"What did you say? Do you want to fight me?"
***
- Finally, we will be having the ninth game of the round of 32! It's already halfway
through and it's already the ninth game! In this round, we have Bex the dragon
knight versus the lucky swordsman, Tugot! Everyone is paying attention and
wondering if he will be lucky against Bex again!
Tugot and Bex came up onto the field with cheers from the audience that filled the
stadium.
"A lucky swordsman? That's funny," Bex laughed at Tugot.
"What's so funny?" Tugot asked.
"Don't mess with me, because it won't work for me," Bex replied, pointing his spear
at Tugot.
- The tension between Tugot and Bex is no joke! Who will be the winner? Let's get
started!
Bex's spear swiveled brilliantly and rushed toward Tugot. The burning mana
gathered at the tip of the spear. Tugot's sword barely managed to block the spear
and Tugot tried to counterattack. However, Tugot's sword bounced off when it was
hit by the swinging spear.
"Ahhh!" With a shout, Bex swung his spear as if he was going to cut Tugot in half.
The strong wind swirled as if it was going to crush Tugot, and Bex’s mana flame was
heating up the air.
"Keugh!" Tugot gasped.
Tugot tried to block Bex’s spear with his sword, but with his clumsy and limited
skills, Tugot failed to block it completely. Bex’s spear slightly brushed Tugot’s face.
While the blood was dripping down his face, Tugot rotated his body at a strange
angle and punched Bex's waist.
"You’re too obvious," Bex muttered.

As if Bex had forced this attack, Bex smirked. Tugot's fist had struck Bex exactly on
the waist, but Bex had no reaction. It was as if Tugot had punched a solid rock.
"Wait, this is…” Tugot clenched his teeth, pulling out his throbbing fist.
It was a dragonian. It was a special ability of a dragon knight to possess the physical
ability of a dragon. Tugot seemed nervous when he saw Bex’s spear approach him,
because he did not expect a man on the 10th floor to be able to use the skill.
"Goodbye, you fool," Bex muttered.
The very moment when the tip of Bex’s spear was about to touch Tugot’s neck along
with the rippling mana power, Bex could sense something was going wrong.
‘What’s going on?’
In that brief moment, everything felt like it was slow motion to Bex, like he was
watching a slow video. Tugot did not seem nervous at all, even though he was about
to die. It seemed like Tugot did not think he was going to die. When Bex saw Tugot's
calmness, Bex realized at that moment that something was going wrong.
"Keugh!"
Swoosh—
"Keu… ugh…”
The sword that was struck at a strange angle touched Bex’s neck before Bex's spear
touched Tugot’s. Bex kneeled on the floor with his neck pierced by Tugot's sword
and looked blankly at Tugot. Bex did not even know what was going on in this
situation.
"Oh no? You were trying to mess with me, but you could not even try it properly,"
Tugot laughed at him.
"You assh…” Bex could not continue his speech due to the blood that was coming up.
The next moment, Bex collapsed on the floor.
Whoaaa—!
Wow—!
There was a loud cheer for Tugot. One by one, there became fans for Tugot, who
created unexpected twists in such a fierce battle.
- What's going on here? Tugot! Tugot did it again!
"Wait, how is this possible? Wasn't Bex about to slash Tugot?”
"What is happening?”
"Why did Bex collapse and not Tugot?”
The audience was puzzled about the outcome of the game. There was no way that
the audience could understand the situation when even Bex did not.
"Ah, he is so mean. Isn’t he playing too harsh on the kids?”
"Well, it’s their fault that they are weak.”
Again, May and Warrie collected 13 times the points they bet on Tugot.
"You guys are making quite a profit this time,” said the broker at the gambling house.
"Here you go.” May handed back all the points he had received.
"What's this?" the broker asked.
"Is this enough to get the information on the guys who infiltrated here?"
The broker’s face turned white. May thought that the informant at the Gret Ciel was
this information broker.
"I have no idea what you are talking about,” the broker replied.
"Then, how about this?" May offered more points.
[80,000p]
The broker stiffened when May offered an enormous amount of points.

“…You're quick-witted," the broker said.
"People say I’m smart," May replied.
“…Take it." The broker handed them a sheet of paper.
May and Warrie hid the paper in their arms, and left the gambling house.
***
Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—
The place was filled with the footsteps of countless people. The unidentified men in
robes gathered around Tugot, who was training with his sword outside of Gret Ciel.
"What's going on?" Tugot's calm voice provoked the men in robes who were
surrounding him.
"He got something just as we had expected.” An old man, who stepped forward
among the men in robes, looked at Tugot sharply, as if he was examining Tugot for
his identity.
Tugot had poor swordsmanship and limited ability. He was a swordsman who
reached the round of 16 purely because of repeated luck.
‘If your identity is uncertain, I will erase you.’
Just as the old man was observing Tugot, Tugot was doing the same thing on them.
‘They came just as I expected.’
The group was a secret organization on the tenth floor. When he tried to proceed to
the round of 16 after finishing the round of 32 in his past life, these people had
appeared in front of him before.
"Aren't you afraid? All of these people are here to catch you,” the old man said.
"What's scary about having hundreds of puppets?" Tugot asked.
"Haha… You have great confidence.” The old man laughed at Tugot.
Boom!
When the old man's cane hit the ground, his mana tied Tugot up.
"Tell me, what are you?" the old man asked.
"I’ll ask you first. Who are you guys?" Tugot asked.
Swoosh—
All of a sudden, the black mana covered the entire space. The old man’s mana power
that had tied up Tugot was released and dismissed in an instant.
"Is this b-b-b-black mana…?” The old man looked panicky.
Tuk— Tu-tu-tuk— Tuk—
At the same time, there were thin bones popping out of the ground.
Keuaaahhh—
The strange screams coming from the ground started to fill the whole place.
"You… keugh, how dare you…” Even before anyone noticed, a black chain appeared
and choked the old man.
The old man could not resist at all.
"Didn’t you say you were great in number?" Tugot asked.
Ziiiiing—
Black mana hit the air and created a large portal in the shape of an oval.
"Kreugh…”
Dozens of undeads walked out of the portal. Among the undeads, which exuded
black energy, there was a particularly large Skeleton that was roaring.
Keuraaak—!
It was a monster that was 5 meters tall. His hideous figure was in full display.
"Is that an O-o-ogre…?”
"Damn it! Tugot was a necromancer!”
"Oh man… How many… do we have…?”
"It's a monster… There’s no way…”
Malice was all over the place. And the eagerness to kill filled the entire space.
The old man had a completely different expression than when he first came. The old
man was staring directly at Tugot.
"You are… no way… Are you He Who Knows Death?” the old man asked.
"I really don’t want to hear that cheesy title anymore," Tugot replied.
"Why though… Why did you hide your identity?" the old man asked.
"Because I wanted you to approach me like this,” Tugot explained.
Lee Shin, who was disguised as Tugot, released the hidden mana he had.
"Oh my…” The old man gasped.
"Now let's talk again. Tell me who you are.” Lee Shin’s black mana pressed the old
man.
***
[You have advanced to the round of 16. You can give up and go up to the next floor.
Will you give up?]
"No," Lee Shin replied.
[You will challenge the round of 16. The higher you rank, the more achievements you
will gain.]
It was the same phrase that Lee Shin had seen in his last life.
"Hmmm… So it’s a black star…” Lee Shin muttered.
There was a soul hovering around Lee Shin. It was Xenon, a Dark Wizard who now
became a demon because he was filled with resentment. Although the old man did
not talk about his organization until the end, Lee Shin did not have to borrow the
mouth of a living person.
"So they are going after Martyr?" Lee Shin asked the demons.
A demon, which looked like a lump of red fog, floated near Lee Shin. Lee Shin
pressured Xenon with his ability to communicate with demons and his Dominance
stat that was now considerably high. The hostility and malice of this demon were
now weighed down, and its fear came to the surface.
"Hmmm… A life-giving sword," Lee Shin muttered.
It was ridiculous that this type of sword could be gotten on the 10th floor. This
sword was capable of saving the dead. There would be limitations, but even so, it
was something one could only covet. Moreover, it was a sword with the power that
could perfectly oppose the Dark Wizards who lived close to death.
Lee Shin could understand why they wanted to win this tournament so desperately.
"Master!" May and Warrie came to Lee Shin and handed him a piece of paper.
"We have found their location, as well as their future plans," said May and Warrie.
"Great job. Do whatever you want with the rest of the points," Lee Shin said.
"Alright, sir," they replied.
After May and Warrie had left, Lee Shin was lost in his thoughts. The tenth floor was
more important than any of the previous floors. Until the round of 32, Lee Shin had
pretended to be a swordsman by deceiving his enemies with his overwhelming
abilities and mana control. However, Lee Shin was slowly reaching his limit.
Recalling his earlier conversation, Bex the dragon knight had to have noticed
something was up with Lee Shin.
Lee Shin had already earned enough points at the gambling house anyway. In
addition, since the contact with the Dark Wizards sent from the Black Star had been
lost, those from the Black Star would now doubt the identity of Tugot. Lee Shin did
not have to carry this false identity now that he no longer needed to hide.
***
- We are finally starting the round of 16! Now only the strongest ones are left! Who
will be the winner of Martyr?
Gret Ciel was heating up with excitement and thrill as they approached the round of
16. Tugot, one of the contestants who received enthusiastic cheers, climbed onto the
field.
- The rising star of this competition, Tugot! And against him, the Flame Wizard,
Damon!
Damon came up to the field as well. There was a look of arrogance and confidence in
his eyes, on top of cautiousness. There was a reason for that.
"I don't know what kind of trick you are going to play, but none of that will work on
me, Tugot,” Damon said.
"I'm tired of hearing the same thing," Tugot replied in an annoyed voice.
"Do you think it's the same? I'm different from those fakes you encountered earlier,
because I’m the real deal,” Damon explained.
The Flame Wizard, Damon, was one of the contestants who was a hot favorite and
expected to be the winner. There were several contestants who had melted because
of his flames.
- There seems to be tension between the two! Will Tugot be able to show a miracle
again? Or will Damon win this time without any surprises? Let the game begin!
"There will be no unexpected event. I will finish you with just one move!" Damon
shouted.
A huge ball of flame formed in the sky. If that fell onto the stadium, Tugot would not
only fail to block it, but the entire stadium would turn into ash.
"Yeah, of course. There won't be any unexpected events," Tugot replied.
Lee Shin scattered his mana all over the place. And the mana particles rapidly
changed their properties.
"Huh? What’s this?" Damon looked surprised.
Lee Shin's mana clung to the flames that were gathered in the air. The air that was
heated because of the flame began to cool down rapidly.
"Are you using mana? Ha! Where did you even learn mana? Are you trying to have a
mana battle with me?" Damon shouted.
"A mana battle? With you?" There was a sneer on Tugot's face.
Damon frowned when he saw Tugot sneer at him. However, under the increasing
pressure of Tugot’s mana, Damon had no choice but to realize that Tugot’s words
were not a bluff.
Wooong—
A cool mist began to form over the flames. Then, the sphere of flame, which was
gradually getting smaller, exploded in the air.
"Keughaa… Kue-ack!"
With the rebound, Damon’s mana blood burst. He collapsed, vomiting blood. The
audience could not understand what was going on even while watching the game. It
was a situation in which their cognition could not keep up with the scene unfolding
before their eyes. However, it did not take long for the cold air that fell on the
stadium at Gret Ciel to heat up again with the audience's enthusiasm.
The cheers from the audience filled the entire North Stadium. The scene when Tugot,
who was thought to have progressed to the round of 16 by luck, crushed Damon, the
contestant many believed would be the winner, was a huge shock to the audience.
- Something u-u-unexpected had oc— I mean, no, there's been a ridiculous twist!
Tugot, who was considered the lucky swordsman, was in fact, a skillful wizard! He is
so talented that he was able to corner Damon, the flame wizard! The audience is
filled with thrill and excitement!
Lee Shin left the field with loud cheering in the background. And the match schedule
appeared on the screen.
[Tugot vs. Kalen]
Kalen was the Dark Wizard who was sent from the Black Star to get the Martyr. Lee
Shin could figure this out from the information that May and Warrie had given him.
Moreover, Lee Shin knew that there would be an ambush before the quarterfinals
began.
***
The West Stadium of Gret Ciel had only been used in the preliminary round and was
now closed. Still, Lee Shin entered. He sat on the field, his eyes closed.
Clomp— Clomp!
It seemed as if there were other people around Lee Shin. The atmosphere got
heavier and made Lee Shin feel uncomfortable.
"Were you waiting for us?” a rough voice asked.
There was a sense of confidence and calm in the low-pitched voice. When he heard
the voice, Lee Shin opened his eyes. Before he even knew it, the Dark Wizards had
gathered around him.
"You’re a little late," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin slowly stood up from his seat. Lee Shin’s confident attitude did not bother
the Dark Wizard at all.
"I enjoyed watching your game in the round of 16. You hid your skills. Who are you?"
the voice asked.
"Who am I…?" Instead of answering, Lee Shin released his mana from the Enchanted
Silver Tree Wand.
"Harpness!" Lee Shin shouted.
The Grim Reaper came out of the black portal in the air and when the Dark Wizard
saw that, he was agitated.
"No way… This mana is…” the Dark Wizard muttered.
Lee Shin did not care how they reacted to his mana.
[The Chain of Death]
Harpness’s body dissipated like a mist and disappeared, as if it had been sucked into
the dark ground.
Swooosh—
Kwaaack—! Crunch!
Then, chains appeared from the darkness and began to choke the Dark Wizards.
"Keugh!"
"Keuahhh!"
"Keuaaahhh!"
Lee Shin could hear the screams of the Dark Wizards everywhere.
"This element is… keugh!” The Dark Wizard gasped.

The Dark Wizard, who had just been talking to Lee Shin very casually, collapsed on
the ground because he could not stop the Chain of Death that approached him.
‘Wait, I can’t stop this?’
Before the Dark Wizard could figure out what the hell was going on, he started
hearing strange voices echoing in his ears.
Eaughhhh—
He was hearing the pained cries of the dead. Since the undead had died unjustly, they
were considered neither dead nor alive. These feelings of resentment were
transferred to the Dark Wizards.
"Heughhh"
"Please help me… What the hell…”
Bound by the Chain of Death, they were helplessly attacked by the undead. And the
Dark Wizard, who sat on the floor chained, looked at Lee Shin with bloody eyes.
“…So, are you He Who Knows Death?” the Dark Wizard asked.
"Yes, I am," Lee Shin replied.
The place was filled with death. One could fall into the world of death suddenly, at
any time, in any spot. The Dark Wizards were shaking in fear of death. With them,
the stadium had become a mess. In the midst of this chaos, the Dark Wizard gritted
his teeth and gathered all his mana power.
"I really did not expect He Who Knows Death would be this strong.”
The time limit of the effect of the Chain of Death was up and the Dark Wizard rose
from his seat with his teeth clenched.
"My name is Burego. I assume Tugot is not your real name, is it? What’s your actual
name?” Burego asked.
"My name is Lee Shin,” Lee Shin replied.

"Well yeah… You’re great. I can't believe you are already this strong at such a young
age. As a show of respect, I will give you my best mana. Take a look at this. This is a
fifth-level mana.” Burego’s mana power flickered.
His mana seemed to have just one goal.
"This is too simple," Lee Shin muttered. Burego’s confidence quickly faded away.
"What did you say…?" Burego asked.
Burego's mana, which was being engraved in the air, was broken and ruined by the
intervention of something else.
"What the hell…” Burego panicked.
"You still don’t understand what black mana is,” Lee Shin explained.
"What do you mean I don't know black mana?" Burego asked.
Burego seemed as if he had heard something ridiculous. At that moment, Lee Shin’s
mana gathered over Burego’s hardened face.
"The origin of Black Mana began with bullying the enemy. It is not just any mana that
is used to win over the enemy or to show off your power,” Lee Shin explained.
"What the hell are you talking about!" Burego shouted.
After his mana was left helplessly broken, Burego, who vomited blood due to the
backflow of mana, shouted in frustration.
"You need pure malice or hostility. You need tenacity to torment the opponent and
bring the other person to despair at all costs. That is what real Black Mana is," Lee
Shin explained.
The Black Mana that appeared from the tip of Lee Shin’s wand crushed the space.
"Can you hear them? Can you hear the cries and screams of your colleagues?” Lee
Shin asked.
Keuaaahhh!
Save me!
Please!
"What on earth is this…” the Dark Wizard muttered.
The intense fear and horror that spread throughout the stadium was adding strength
to Lee Shin's mana power.
"This is real Black Mana,” Lee Shin said.
Boom—
Crr— Craaack—
A black thunderbolt fell from the sky.
"Keu… ugh…” Burego gasped.
Burego collapsed because he had been burned all over by it. His soul slowly crept up
over his burnt body. The soul quickly became filled with anger, then became a ghost,
and soon, turned into a demon.
"Come to me," Lee Shin demanded.
Lee Shin's strong Dominance had controlled Burego, who turned into a demon.
"Now, tell me. Where is your main body?"
***
- Finally, we will begin the quarterfinals! We have the contestant you have been
waiting for! He is the man of twists! He is not a man of luck, but a talented man who
has been hiding his power. Let me introduce Tugot!
Whoa—!
Go Tugot! Go Tugot! Go Tugot! Go Tugot!
- And a contestant against him, we have Kalen! The wizard who knows death!
Whoa—!
Go Kalen! Go Kalen!
As Kalen got on the field, he observed Lee Shin with his eyes gleaming. Kalen had lost
contact with all members of the Black Star, who had gone to attack Tugot.
Kalen could not even find their dead bodies. There were dozens of people who went
to kill Tugot, and among them there were Xenon and Burego.
Kalen had thought Tugot was just a talented man with hidden skills, up until the
point when he had lost contact with Xenon. However, it was a whole different story
when he had lost contact with Burego.
Burego was a talented man who could use the fifth-level mana. A man with this level
of skill could not be easily found in the Black Star. Kalen could never imagine losing
contact with Burego. He wondered if Tugot was that talented after all.
"You are very quiet, unlike the others,” Lee Shin muttered.
Kalen's confidence at the beginning of the tournament had disappeared. He seemed

to be on full alert. There was a sudden flicker of mana. A type of mana, something
that resembled death but was lesser than that, shot out from the tip of Kalen's wand.
"Die!" Kalen shouted.
Kalen's mana, the [Hand of Death] unfolded. Hundreds of black hands appeared and
attacked Lee Shin. It seemed as if one would not be able to avoid the hands no matter
where they were in the stadium.
"This is a poor imitation of… This is similar to Burego’s… No wait, is this a little
better?" Lee Shin spoke quietly.
When the name Burego was brought up by Lee Shin, Kalen was sure that Burego had
been killed by Lee Shin.
Whooong— Boom!
Kalen's black hands pressed against Lee Shin, but none of them hit the mark.
"This mana… Is it coming from his wand…?" Lee Shin wondered.
The [Black Mana] was Gene's unique ability. This type of mana power with the
attribute of death was something that Lee Shin had never seen before in his previous
life while he was climbing the tower. However, Kalen’s mana was definitely related to
death somehow.
"Be quiet!" Kalen yelled.
Babam—!
The stadium floor started to break and debris scattered. Lee Shin, who had been
quiet the whole time, started to unleash his mana.
[Dark Thunder]
Baaamm—!
A thin black bolt of thunder and lightning struck Kalen. And Kalen could not even
respond because it happened so quickly. Kalen stared blankly at the invocation of
defensive artifacts in his body. When the black thunderbolt and the black shield
collided in the air, the shield disappeared, and the black thunderbolt split into
several branches and disappeared.
- What kind of mana is this! Tugot, who was thought to be an ice wizard, used mana
with dark and lightning elements this time! He is a wizard who can deal with three
attributes! Plus, the mana we just saw had a combination of two attributes! The
audience is cheering so loud that I can't even hear my voice!
‘Wait, was that mana with the dark element? No way, that’s…!'
Kalen was shocked to see the mana used by Lee Shin, and so he could not process
what was happening for a moment. The best artifact of the Black Star was [Gondala's
wand], and the attributes of death engraved in it could be felt from Lee Shin’s mana.
"What are you doing, Kalen! Are you just having fun staring at him?”
"What was that black thunderbolt? How can someone combine two attributes
together?”
"This is crazy! Look over there! The ground is becoming black because of the dark
element!"
"Yes, Tugot! I knew you could do it!”
The audience was in chaos. People loved heroes, especially those who had overcome
adversity and hardship. Tugot was pretending to have gone through adversity and
hardships, but such things did not matter to him. He was already deeply embedded
in people’s minds.
"You… are… He… Who Knows… Death…? Please forgive m—” Kalen was dying.
"Do you want me to save you? Even after impersonating me?" Tugot asked.
The audience began to make a fuss again at Tugot's words.
- Oh! What is going on? What does he mean by Kalen impersonating him? No way…!
The pitch-black mana was released from the fingertips of Tugot. It was the type of
mana that gave people goosebumps just by looking at it.
"I am He Who Knows Death," Lee Shin declared.
A black portal had been created under Kalen. And the game ended with a black mist
enveloping Kalen.
***
- Oh, my gosh! This happened once again! Tugot, also called He Who Knows Death,
has won the game again! He defeated Derek, a strong contestant for the tournament,
who is a descendant of Dragon Slayer! Tugot will be advancing to the final match!
Starting from the semifinals, the battles took place on the main stage in the South
Stadium. The southern stadium was larger than all the stadiums in the east, west and
north combined. And at the same time, the background of the stadium changed
randomly from match to match.
The battle with Derek took place on a battlefield that was filled with cliffs all around.
As a descendant of Dragon Slayer, Derek had been confident in his mid-air combat.
After a long fierce battle, Lee Shin beat him and advanced to the final match.
- There had been a series of unexpected events in Gret Ciel during this episode. Was
there any other episode that was filled with this much excitement? The competition
is heating up especially because the prize is Martyr this time. The two people who
are the talk of the town are now ready on the field!
"Tugot… He Who Knows Death.” Dexter looked at Tugot.
That nonchalant look he first wore in the finals was now long gone.
"You are amazing. I guess the rumors were not false,” Dexter muttered.
"Black Star," said Lee Shin.
Dexter seemed shocked for a split second when he heard Lee Shin say the words
Black Star.
"I killed them all, including Xenon, Burego, and Kalen," Lee Shin said.
"I have no idea what you are talking about,” Dexter replied.
That momentary panic in his eyes vanished as if it had never happened. And it would
not have been caught if his opponent was not Lee Shin.
- The game is about to begin. This stadium… Oh, my God! This next match will be
done in the World of the Night, Obscarit! It is a world of darkness, where the only
source of light is the moonlight! Although it is a randomly chosen setting, this is just
too favorable for Dexter!
Boo— Boo— Boo—
As soon as the background was unveiled, there was an outpouring of jeers from the
audience.
Considering the abilities that Dexter had shown so far, it was a battlefield in Dexter's
favor. The audience wanted to see the winner after a fierce battle, not a one-sided
game that would end without resistance.
"How can Tugot beat him in this setting!"
"You guys planned it out, didn’t you?”

"No way! This doesn’t make sense! How can they get Obscarit? Do it again!"
- Let’s calm down a little bit. Don't you all know that we, Gret Ciel, never manipulate
things? This is pure luck! Luck is also a skill! You guys all know that, right? The game
had started. And the two contestants are entering the arena!
Whopping—
When the two came out of the portal, darkness enveloped them.
It was a quiet world. Their eyes which had been adapted to light were in pain
because of the sudden darkness.
Swoosh—! Crack!
There was a horrific explosive sound near Lee Shin. It was the sound of something
sharp and thick crunching through something and crushing it. Lee Shin could not see
anything, but it was not difficult for Lee Shin to find signs that revealed the
surrounding creatures. There were monsters living in this completely dark world.
The monsters could pop out and attack anytime.
[Light]
A sphere of light that extended from Lee Shin’s fingertip lit up his surroundings.
However, the darkness of the night repelled the light strongly. The light could not
extend to the ends of the field, only illuminating Lee Shin’s surroundings.
"Ugh, this is annoying,” Lee Shin muttered.
There were monsters waiting for a chance to defeat Lee Shin even though there was
light. They knew instinctively that they could not attack and kill Lee Shin easily.
However, they still roamed around him.
"May, Warrie," Lee Shin called out.
Lee Shin’s shadow was connected to the darkness. May and Warrie, who appeared in
the darkness, stood in front of Lee Shin.
"Did you call us?"

"We are here, master.”
"Kill them all," Lee Shin ordered.
"Yes, sir."
"I'll take care of them right away!"
May and Warrie immediately began to brutally slaughter the guys that were hiding
around Lee Shin.
Swoosh— Crack— Chop—
Lee Shin did not have to look around, but he could tell their presence by the sound of
Shadow Monsters being slashed in the surroundings.
Lee Shin had his eyes fixed on one spot.
"Shouldn’t you be having a fight with me?” Lee Shin smirked.
Lee Shin stretched out his index finger and gathered all his mana. The black arrow
made at the tip of the index finger pierced the dark ground.
Ting!
A shadow that protruded from the ground blocked Lee Shin’s Dark Arrow and
turned into a human figure.
"How did you know I was here?" The shadow that had turned into Dexter glared at
Lee Shin.
"What do you mean?" Lee Shin asked.
"You know what I’m talking about," Dexter said.
A shadow that spread around Dexter created a shield around the two.
- Ah! Dexter’s shadow is making it hard to see the two of them on camera! What's
going on inside! It's so frustrating!
The host, Felix, shouted. The audience sighed from their seats. Dexter was not
interested at all in whether people outside were curious or not. He glared at Lee
Shin.
"How the hell did you know?" Dexter asked.
"I heard it from your subordinates," Lee Shin replied.
“…Is it Burego?" Dexter asked again.
"Haha, you don’t think I’m lying?” Lee Shin asked.
"Well, that’s not the important part. If I kill you here, nothing will get revealed
anyways,” said Dexter.
"Do you think you can beat me?” Lee Shin asked.
"The reason why I set up Kalen as a shield was to find variables like you. I've already
done my research on you. The Black Star is more than you think.” Dexter asked.
The true, secret head of the Black Star was Dexter, who was now in front of Lee Shin.
Lee Shin was able to get this information from Burego, who became demonized.
When creatures became demons, they would descend into pure malice. Therefore,
they would lose much of their memory from when they were alive. That was why Lee
Shin could not hear this from Xenon, who was killed first.
‘I'm sorry, but I'll have to take Martyr.’
Lee Shin warmed up his mana power in preparation for the upcoming attack.
Dexter's sticky mana eroded the space. The sphere of light that was created by Lee
Shin was also disappearing under the shadow. New shadows began to appear one by
one in the wide shadow space.
"It is harder for you to recognize the shadow because there is no light," Dexter said
confidently.
Dexter's confident voice made Lee Shin sneer.
"Come out," Lee Shin demanded.
Upon his call, the undead appeared within Lee Shin’s shadow. The confrontation
between the shadow and the undead began.
"This is my world, my almighty space. Do you think the undead can stop my
immortal army?” Dexter started to laugh.
The Shadow Soldiers recovered no matter how many times the Skeletons cut them
with their swords. On the other hand, the crushed undead were not able to rise
again.
"I guess the original is a bit different?” Lee Shin muttered.
"The original?" Dexter asked.
"Yes, I wanted to meet you," Lee Shin replied.
Dexter's eyes flinched.
"Did you already know about me?” Dexter asked.
"Yes, I heard about you from your student," Lee Shin replied.
"My… student?" Dexter asked.

"Yes, your student," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin looked at him as if he was looking at a friend he was familiar with.
"I have no students," Dexter muttered.
"Yes, you do. You have an awesome one,” Lee Shin explained.
Dexter was the King of the Shadows, the head of the Black Star which was an
organization for a group of Dark Wizards. Dexter was a Shadow Swordsman. He was
Cha Yu-Min's teacher.
"Well, I guess you were somewhat humane in the past," Lee Shin muttered.
"What the… Ugh!" Dexter gasped.
Unbeknownst to Dexter, several mana circles had been created and they covered the
entire space. The shadow space started to collapse at the banquet of mana laid out
explosively, all at once.
"No! My world of fantasy…!" Dexter cried out.
"Sloppy work," Lee Shin muttered.
Dexter’s body slowly collapsed under Lee Shin’s swirling mana.
- T-t-the game is over! And the winner is Tugot!
***
[You have become the winner of Gret Ciel.]
[You have found out the secret of the secret group, Black Star.]
[Your achievement is being calculated. Please wait a moment.]
Lee Shin had made so many achievements by expanding the new timeline on the
fourth floor that the system, for the first time, failed to calculate his achievements on
the spot.
- The winner of this competition is Tugot! He is walking out of the stadium.
Tugot walked out of the portal of the World of the Night, Obscarit. Tugot carried
Dexter on his side because he had lost his consciousness.
- What a shock! Dexter, who was fighting on a battlefield in his overwhelming favor,
is limp and being carried out by Tugot!
"Yes, Tugot! I believed in you!"
"The greatest star of Gret Ciel is Tugot this time!"
"Tugot! Tugot! Tugot!"
With enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Tugot climbed to the podium in front of
the portal. There was Martyr, the prize for the winner of Gret Ciel. The Martyr looked
holy and sacred. Not only was the audience attracted to its appearance, but so was
Lee Shin.
"Dear Tugot, He Who Knows Death, here is the winning prize, Martyr."
It was a bow sword. Its pure white blade and golden decoration accentuated its
value. Lee Shin held the sword very carefully.
Wooosh—
There was a sudden change in the background and the scenes appeared one after
another. At the World of Night, Obscarit, Belle was the only saintess who was shining.
Her brilliant light shone upon a world full of darkness, revealing its ugly side. The
world shook for a moment. The Great Devil, the essence of Obscarit, appeared.
- This is not a place for the living to step up.
"I want to save those who are struggling in pain here!" Belle declared.
- Do not try to go against the law. They have already thrown themselves into the
darkness.
"It is my duty to save the living, and to bring them back to life. This is my duty, even if
they have already been thrown into the darkness.
- How foolish.
The scene changed every time the darkness and light collided. When Belle returned
to her original world, she collapsed and countless people returned with her. Many
humans were drawn into the World of Night by the temptations of the devil. Belle
was able to rescue them, but it was at the cost of her life. People tried everything to
save Belle, but with their power, they could not save her.
"I don't have much time left to live… Please help me save more people…” Belle cried
in despair.
"Please say no more, saintess."
"Please… make me a vessel… that can hold my ability.”
Out of all those whom Belle had rescued, there was an old man. He was the best
blacksmith ever known. He worked hard day and night to grant her wish. Gradually,
the vessel, Martyr, took shape. The beautiful and noble features resembled Saintess
Belle. And Belle poured her everything into Martyr.
The Martyr was a life-giving sword that saved lives. It was a sword that cut down the
dead. When Lee Shin saw the backstory, his heart started to beat faster.
[You have uncovered the secret of Martyr. Martyr's true power awakens.]
[Martyr's Ego discerns the owner.]
[There is a power conflict between your mana power and the power of Martyr!]
The power that could save people and the power of death began to clash violently.
Lee Shin pulled out all his strength in order not to be swept away by the sudden
clash of power. His sweat dripped and his mana blood vessel, which had recovered a
lot, swelled as if they were going to burst.
The power of Saintess Belle in Martyr could be felt by Lee Shin. It was of a high class.
Martyr’s will to destroy evil was so great that it would have been impossible to
withstand its power if the class of Gene Ebrium, the owner of Lee Shin’s body, was
not similar to her.
"Keugh…” Lee Shin gasped.

If Lee Shin gave up the power of death, it would have been easier for him to use this
power contained in Martyr. However, did that make sense? Death had become such
an important source of power for Lee Shin that he could not give it up easily. Lee
Shin could figure out the secrets of the tower and the secret story behind Martyr, the
Holy Sword, thanks to the power of death.
Even if the power of death were something Lee Shin could give up easily, he still
would not have given it up. If Lee Shin were going to give up this easily, he would not
have even thought of standing up to the gods. The power of the gods was at a
different level than this.
Crunch—
Lee Shin clenched his teeth so strongly that they could break. He had a severe
headache, as if his head was going to explode. It had been a very long time since he
felt this kind of pain. This was the second time, after the time when he acquired the
skill Chaos. It was the first time since then that Lee Shin was on the verge of death.
Lee Shin thought of using his skill, Chaos.
[Chaos]
The power created by the failure of all forces to harmonize and eventually
disintegrate. Deny everything and accept it all at the same time.
‘Oh right, I had the power of Chaos.’
Lee Shin had the power that was created by the failure of all forces to harmonize.
The power could deny everything but accept everything at the same time. Lee Shin
had a source of power that could be greater than the confrontation between the
power of life and death.
[Chaos]
The turbid energy began to bubble up in Lee Shin’s body. This power covered the
fierce confrontation of light and darkness, as well as life and death. A powerful
source of power that overwhelmed both light and darkness cleared the battlefield.
[You have gained Martyr's approval.]

[You have become the owner of Martyr.]
[Martyr]
A sword with all the power of Saintess Belle who had a transcendent level of talent.
# You cannot attack the living.
# You can save the dead.
# You can see souls.
# You can kill demons.
# You can destroy evil.
[Martyr's Ego has woken up.]
"Ugh…” Lee Shin grabbed his throbbing head and collapsed on the ground.
- You… You must be my master.
The voice was transmitted to Lee Shin's head as the Holy Sword vibrated. It was the
same as the voice of the saintess that Lee Shin had heard through his ability as He
Who Knows Death.
"Are you… Saintess Belle?” Lee Shin asked.
- No, I'm not Saintess Belle. I have just been given a little bit of her essence. My name
is Martyr.
"I see," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin rose from his seat. Throughout the exchange, the time at Gret Ciel had
continued to pass and the audience around him was still cheering for him. Now, Lee
Shin, holding the pure white Martyr in his right hand and the Silver Tree Wand in his
left hand, appeared like a hero. He looked like the ideal hero that people heard only
in tales.
[Due to your title, the [Pioneer of the World], your achievements have spread to all
dimensions, once again.]
"Hey Martyr," Lee Shin called out.
- Yes, my lord.
"I know you can save the dead. Does that mean we can save all the dead?" Lee Shin
asked.
- Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There are some restrictions.
"Can you tell me more about them?" Lee Shin asked.
- First of all, the soul of the dead cannot be separated from the vessel.
"If it's a vessel… Do you mean that?" Lee Shin asked.
Lee Shin saw Dexter's dead body as he slowly descended from the podium. Lee Shin
did not kill Dexter. He had been breathing until Lee Shin brought Dexter out from
Obscarit. Now his body was still. And when Lee Shin examined closely, there was a
faint trace of mana on Dexter's neck. In a short amount of time, someone had
assassinated Dexter.
‘Are there still any remnants of the Black Star?’
It happened while Lee Shin was focused on Martyr. Lee Shin seemed disappointed.
He tried to find the source of the mana by spreading his mana power hurriedly.
However, it was too late to go search through the entire stadium. Lee Shin searched,
but he could not sense anything.
- When a creature dies, the connection with the soul is cut off. The longer the
connection is broken, the more the vessel begins to break down. If the vessel and the
soul are at a high level, the grace period will be longer. On the contrary, if the
creature’s level is low, the vessel will break quickly.
"Then what’s the second restriction?” Lee Shin asked.
- Secondly, the vessel and its soul must be close together.
Lee Shin approached Dexter's dead body and stared into an empty spot. There was a
vengeful soul that floated near the audience. The soul was vengeful, filled with
resentment and bitterness. This vengeful soul continued to spit out its resentment
towards something. If this resentment were not resolved, the vengeful soul would
eventually become a demon. Lee Shin’s mana stretched out toward the vengeful soul.
[The Chain of Soul]
Lee Shin’s mana, which could forcibly bind the soul, flew toward it.
Keugh—
Lee Shin could feel Dexter's bitterness.
When the soul was brought to Lee Shin, it poured its anger on Lee Shin. However, Lee
Shin did not care, because this level of anger was like nothing to him. Lee Shin had
already been through countless emotions from the demons. And compared to those,
this anger was as good as a joke.
"Is there another condition?" Lee Shin asked.
- Last but not least, the soul must have the will to revive.
After hearing Martyr’s words, Lee Shin nodded and looked at Dexter’s soul that he
had brought close.
"Do you think it’s unfair? If so, deal with it by yourself,” said Lee Shin.
Lee Shin lifted up Martyr all the way to his head, so that the sword blocked the
sunlight. The honorable Martyr cut Dexter's soul and created a beautiful trajectory.
- Keughhh…
“…Uh…”
The pure white lines outlining the trajectory of Martyr's sword connected the soul
and the vessel. And Dexter's cold body started to regain its warmth.
"Am I back… alive?” Dexter asked.
"Yes, you are," Lee Shin answered.

"Why? Why… did you… save me…?" Dexter asked.
"Because the one I care about likes you," Lee Shin explained.
"What?" Dexter asked.
[We have finished calculating your achievement.]
Then, suddenly, a system message appeared. Lee Shin tried to remember Dexter’s
pale, hardened face.
"Farewell." Lee Shin bade goodbye.
[You have cleared the tenth floor.]
[Your achievements have been recorded.]
[The episode of Great Ciel's has changed. The stage on the tenth floor has changed.]
[Amazing achievement! Many gods are paying attention to you!]
[You have acquired Martyr.]
[You have acquired the 『Title - The Winner of Gret Ciel』]

[We are determining your class by calculating the achievements you have made so
far.]
[Your class has changed from a 『Necromancer』 to a 『Death Ruler』.]
[You have learned the 『Class Skill - Summoning of the World of Death』.]
A lot of system messages appeared.
"Death… Ruler?" Lee Shin's eyes trembled slightly when he saw his new title.
"Hello, this is reporter Cha Eun-Joo from BBC News. We are at Gwanghwamun where
the Dimension Gate will soon open. There's already a huge crowd, so the government
and the association are working hard on crowd control…” said the reporter, Cha Eun-
Joo.
Time had passed, and it was time for the Dimension Gate to be opened again after
the incident in which the challengers of the tower had disappeared. More people
gathered at the Gwanghwamun compared to last time.
Wooong—
It was midnight on December 1st. A huge gate appeared in Gwanghwamun, and the
challengers poured out of the tower.
"They are out! They are coming out!"
"Hello, this is reporter Kim Young-Hyun from 'I like challengers.' May I please
interview you for a sec—”
"Hello, this is reporter Song Kyung-Joon from SBC! Did the challengers on the first
floor come up?"
"Hello, I am a reporter from Hanyang…”
The challengers who were walking through the bustling crowd had serious looks on
their faces. Some of them even seemed to be angry. Seeing those expressions, the
reporters found it hard to shove their microphones in their faces to interview them.
"Hey!" Baek Kang-Woo called out.
"Hey Kang-Woo!" Shin Ji-Won greeted him.
Shin Ji-Won, who came out through the Dimension Gate, waved at Baek Kang-Woo,
who was waiting for her.
"Why does everyone look so depressed? Has no one come out of the first floor yet?"
Baek Kang-Woo asked.
Shin Ji-Won became serious when she heard Baek Kang-Woo's question.
"No, it's the other way around actually. There was a problem because people broke
through the first floor so well,” Shin Ji-Won muttered.
"What? What does that mean?" Baek Kang-Woo asked.
"Where is Yu-Min? We really need him now,” Shin Ji-Won asked.
"Uh, well…” Baek Kang-Woo seemed hesitant.
***
Not only was this happening in Korea, but there was an uproar at the Dimension
Gates in other countries as well. The news about South Korea's challengers had
spread around the world and the stories of their unconventional behaviors were
heard everywhere. And there were countless articles about Lee Shin.
[The wall that was blocking the first floor of the Korean tower had collapsed. All the
challengers on the first floor started to climb the tower.]
[The ranking innovation took place from the second floor. New challengers have
ranked from first to the thousandth place.]
[The number one ranker Cha Yu-Min, was pushed back to the 1,000th place in the
second-floor ranking…]
[New supernovas have appeared in large numbers. Will there be new trouble in the
tower?]
[The name of the boss who was blocking the first floor is Lee Shin? Who is Lee Shin?
Is he really Korean?]
[He had broken all the records from the second to the tenth floor! Is Lee Shin a real
person? Or was he a person made by the tower?]
That the challengers climbed beyond the first floor where they used to be stuck had
caused an upheaval on Earth so tremendous that it was beyond their imagination.
People on Earth were shocked to hear this story, as expected by many of those in the
tower.
└ What? All the rankings had been changed from the first place to the thousandth
place?
└ No way, Cha Yu-Min got pushed to a rank in the thousands? What the hell is going
on? You're lying, right?
└ Lee Shin? Who is Lee Shin? He’s the top ranker right now?
└ Hey guys! This is all true. Someone I know came out of the tower this time, and he
told me all of this was true.
└ Can you believe that Lee Shin’s achievement score is 140,000? How can he achieve
this amount of points on the second floor?
└ Hey, take a look at the fourth floor! Look at the gap between Lee Shin’s score and
the score of the second place! Does this even make sense?
└ Is he really Korean? I heard that this guy named Lee Shin was the boss of the first
floor! What’s happening?
Curiosity about Lee Shin rose exponentially all over the world. He was the master
teacher of the challengers who was now dominating the top rankings of the lower
floors. People found it strange because he had stopped the challengers from
climbing, but now he was like a monster, crushing each floor with his ranking.
The challengers who returned to Earth through the Dimension Gate were those who
had not yet met Lee Shin and never came into contact with the people from the
Undermost—those who had encountered Lee Shin. Their information on him was
limited. However, that was not the only news they brought.
"What did you say? Merteng had collapsed?" Baek Kang-Woo asked.
"Yeah! Well, to be exact, it could be considered collapsed," Shin Ji-Won explained.
"What about other countries? You have allies! Did they not help you?” Baek Kang-
Woo asked again.
"They did not bother to help us. In fact, they betrayed us. Those sons of a bitch!” Shin
Ji-Won explained in anger.
Baek Kang-Woo was stunned by the unbelievable news. Isocia was a new world on
the 21st floor, and the country where Korean challengers belonged was called
Merteng. It was one of the top five strongest regions in the entire continent up until
last year. However, that place was now on the verge of collapse.
"What about the other challengers? What happened to those people?”
“…I don't know. I’ve lost contact with all of them.”
"What…?"
Like Shin Ji-Won, the other Korean challengers returned depressed, and began
spreading the same news in anger.
[Merteng in the Isocia continent is about to come to an end!]
[Challengers from all over the world had started to kill Merteng.]
[After the liberation of the first floor, Merteng’s power suddenly nosedived. Is this a
coincidence?]
[The whereabouts of Korean challengers who were active in Merteng are

unknown…]
[England’s supernova, Vergo: "England has no idea."]
[The U.S., China, and Japan are all silent. Some challengers say, "We don’t know
anything about that. It all happened on the lower floors."]
The Korean people expressed their anger about the fact that all the other countries
were ignorant about the crisis in Korea.
└ Don’t tell me that they betrayed us because they thought our country would
become stronger.
└ How can they betray us though? How many times did Korea help them?
└ Are they out of their minds? How can they pretend they don't know? They used to
talk about the continent Isocia to get what they wanted, but now they are saying they
don’t know anything all of the sudden?
└ You motherfuckers!
└ What the hell is going on? How can the strong Merteng collapse like this overnight!
Does this even make sense?
└ Damn it! How far did the people who were released from the first floor go?
└ Did they attack Merteng to keep Korea under control? Is that what really
happened?
From the first floor to the 49th floor, the largest number of challengers were in
Isocia, where the 21st to 29th floors had been integrated. Isocia was the only section
in the lower floors where nine floors were classified into one world. The Isocia
continent was now a big deal all over the world.
***
[You have entered the 21st floor.]
[Save the world that is drowning in hell.]
[You need to obtain a ‘Pattern’ to get a ‘qualification.’]
[You can get additional skills depending on the type of ‘Pattern.’]
[Revitalize the country ‘Merteng.’]
"What the hell is this place…”
In the far distance, clouds of black fog covered the entire city which was now in
ruins.
"No way… Is that really Merteng?"

"Oppa…”
"So our master was right?”
"Really… Did other countries betray us?"
When the challengers climbed up to the 21st floor together according to Lee Shin’s
advice, they were shocked at the current state of the city.
***
[The new timeline will be expanded.]
[You have entered the 11th floor.]
[There are no more waiting areas on each floor.]
[Examinations will be held every 15 days.]
Lee Shin stepped into the new world. It was a big city, and there was a large clock
tower standing tall in the center. There were numbers from 1 to 15 written on it and
the large second hand was on 14.
"I’m just in time," Lee Shin muttered.
That clock represented the time when the stage started. The fact that the second
hand was on 14 meant that 14 days had passed since the last stage had begun. The
next stage was about to begin.
Lee Shin opened the community window and saw the time. It was December 29th
and it was already time for the Dimension Gate to close. For Lee Shin, who was on
the 11th floor, this date was not a very meaningful marker for time. However, this
date would have been meaningful for others. The earth would have been in chaos
because of the two big news, the Isocian continent and the liberation of the ground
floor.
There would be an awful lot of people who wanted to get out now and spread the
news right now.

Lee Shin’s climbing speed was much slower than what he had expected. It took more
time to clear each floor because there was a lot of work for him to do on each.
In particular, Lee Shin was unintentionally delayed on the 10th floor for a few days,
because there were several days from the round of 64 to the next game. However,
Lee Shin could not give up the prize. Now that the unfortunate situation in Isocia had
occurred, the most important item was Martyr.
Lee Shin opened the community window and saw numerous posts that were coming
up in real-time. Among them, Lee Shin saw a post that caught his attention.
* Is Cha Yu-Min really gone missing or what! Are other countries really determined
to kill Korea?
└ I think so, because Cha Yu-Min has the skill [Inter-Floor Traveler].
└ No way… Are they afraid that Cha Yu-Min will come down to the 21st floor? So they
decided to kidnap Cha Yu-Min or something?
└ Are you kidding? They would have killed him. They won’t just stop at kidnapping
him. People say that Cha Yu-Min cannot be reached even on Earth. He didn't even
enter the tower during the last Dimension Gate.
└ No way… You think Cha Yu-Min is dead?
└ I don’t think so… The challengers ghosts sometimes. Why would Cha Yu-Min die?
Who would be able to kill Cha Yu-Min? There's no one stronger than him.
└ Well, I don't know that. Cha Yu-Miin could have died if he had been careless.
When there was news that Cha Yu-Min had disappeared, most people were
convinced he was already dead. The look on Lee Shin’s face stiffened. He checked all
the messages that were sent to him. Lee Shin had told Cha Yu-Min to enter the tower
when the Dimension Gate opened this time. However, there was no reply from Cha
Yu-Min. Was he really gone missing? Was Cha Yu-Min really dead?
It was foolish to judge hastily. As someone had already mentioned, the challengers of
the tower were out of touch with one another for months. And that happened many
times. This was the case, even if the challengers were not in the tower, but on Earth.
Lee Shin checked all the other messages.
# Kim Kang-Chun - Master, we are going back in.
# Park Hye-Won - We'll do our best to do something about it. Please come up quickly.
# Ji Eun-Ju - Master… You have to hurry up and come…!
# Kang Ji-Hoon - Just trust me, Master!
# Hwang Kang-Woong – Hey, come up quickly. Don't let this old man suffer.
# Park Joo-Hyuk - Hi Master, I might kill them all. I'm sorry.
There was a huge pile of messages. If all the information provided so far were true, it
would be difficult for them no matter how much they tried. Potentially, some of them
could die. Since Lee Shin had told them to gather on the 20th floor and go up
together, they could challenge the floors together, but that was still not enough.
If killing the Demons were their task on the 21st floor, Lee Shin would not have to
worry about anything. However, there could be fights with other enemies, and he did
not know how many there were. Also, there could be betrayal of those whom they
thought were allies. The challengers had to overcome the loneliness of being
surrounded by enemies and being attacked on all sides, and win.
"I’m counting on you guys," Lee Shin muttered.
Tick.
The big second hand of the clock tower moved to 15.
[The stage on the 11th floor has begun.]
[If you want to participate, please enter the portal.]

A message popped up in front of Lee Shin. When he looked at the status window,
there was a new class, Death Ruler. His class had changed to the Death Ruler, and he
could use the class skill, Summoning of the World of Death. After seeing the
descriptions of the two, Lee Shin smiled unconsciously.
"This really…” Lee Shin was speechless.
Then, the next moment, Lee Shin saw a large portal that was created in front of the
clock tower.
“…doesn't make sense." Lee Shin laughed and walked slowly to the portal.
***
"Oh, my God, you bastards!"
"Damn it! We’re all gonna die if we don’t get through this!”
"Oppa! Behind you!"
"Ugh!"
The place was covered with black fog, and so the surroundings were all covered in
darkness. Every step they took, the demons were only looking for opportunities to
bite the challengers. And the long darkness had made them increasingly exhausted.
Chop—!
"Ugh, huh… Why are there so many traps?”
"We're almost there. Hang in there," said Hwang Kang-Woong.
"Ha… Do you have any more potions, Mr. Hwang?"
"We have to save them for later. If I had known this, I would have bought a bigger
Subspace Pocket."
[You have discovered the Nucleus of the Demon Realm. Break the Nucleus.]
"There it is!" Park Hye-Won found the Nucleus of the Demon Realm and shouted.
The other five who were fighting fiercely moved quickly in the direction of her voice.
"It's Keros! Kang-Chun oppa!"
"Alright, I’ll take care of the front. Ji-Hoon, you help me! Hye-Won and Eun-Ju, you
cover us and take care of the monsters on the sides with Mr. Hwang! And Joo-Hyuk
can—keugh!” Kang-Chun gasped.
A flying dagger that emerged from the dark scratched Kang-Chun’s side. He had
tried, but he could not manage to dodge it properly, because it was such a sudden
surprise.
"Whoa… You have good reflexes. Are you the challengers who were achieving top
ranks recently?” The man who popped out of the darkness looked down at them
with a sneer.
"What the hell? Why are you guys here…?
"Haha, why do you care? You’re all going to die tod—”
Chang! Kang!
Park Joo-Hyuk approached him before he even realized and stabbed him several
times. The man blocked all his attacks with a response speed like no other, despite it
being a surprise attack from Park Joo-Hyuk. However, he did seem a bit surprised. He
then stared at Park Joo-Hyuk. He had keen eyes with a sharp, tough look.
"You must be Park Joo-Hyuk.”
"How can you betray fellow human beings? Are you afraid that we will be stronger
than you guys? You sons of a bitch!" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted with anger.
"Well, to be exact, we didn't betray humans. We betrayed Korea. Right?” The man
laughed.
Behind him appeared other people. Enemies had gathered to kill the challengers. It
was hard to see clearly because it was dark; but with a quick glance, one could tell
that these people were not from one country—they were a mixture of different
races.
The challengers’ facial expressions started to harden because they only barely
managed to break through the demon realm and finally found the nucleus.
"Kill them all."
Chang! Kang! Swoosh—
In the demon realm that was covered with complete darkness, the challengers and
enemies had a fierce battle in order to survive.
[Protect the Fire Crystal by preventing the Blizzard Army from destroying the
village.]
It was a simple goal. Lee Shin looked at the other challengers who were being
teleported.
"Kik! There are a lot of humans here!"
"Kik! It's a t-t-troll!"
"Grrr!" a Troll roared.
Two Goblins freaked out when they saw the Troll next to them. How did they manage
to climb the tower with that courage? Lee Shin laughed at them and turned his
attention to the side.
‘Is that… Harpy?’
It had feathers on both arms, as well as sharp nails and claws. It looked like a
combination of a human and a bird. In addition, Lee Shin saw three other human
challengers. This meant that the new timeline was linked not just to the challengers
on Earth, but to the challengers from other dimensions.
However, that did not mean the challengers could meet each other if they were from
the same dimension. From the 11th to 20th floors, the challengers could not climb
the tower with challengers from other countries. Maybe the system wanted the
challengers to interact with challengers from a different dimension.
"Damn it, I'm screwed… We got two Goblins and a Troll.”
"What's that? I've never seen that before."

"That's the Harpies. It's a race that can fly in the sky and handle the wind."
All three of the human challengers who entered the stage like Lee Shin were
Koreans. One of them was a challenger whom Lee Shin had met before.
"The Harpies would be helpful at least. And I guess the Troll too, because they are
good at fighting… Hmmm… the Goblin is the problem."
"No, the Harpies are a problem, too. They are quick-witted and have no qualms about
abandoning their colleagues. Since they can fly, we never know when they will
abandon us and run away to other villages."
"Ha…”
The three challengers, unlike Lee Shin, were grabbing their throbbing heads as they
watched the composition of the members. They were in a very small town with only
a few shoddy fences and four shabbily built wooden houses. They had to stop the
Blizzard Army there.
[The one-hour countdown to the first wave of attacks begins now. Protect the Fire
Crystal in the village.]
[You may use the Fire Crystal to access the store.]
[The challenger who wants to give up can do so by touching the Fire Crystal and
declaring their intention to give up.]
There was a red stone that looked like a tombstone. It was stuck in the middle of the
village. The challengers’ eyes were focused on the Fire Crystal after hearing the
messages.
"Now, let's all gather up. We need to come up with a strategy first.” The man with
glasses, who was explaining about the Harpies a second ago, gathered the
challengers.
"Let's introduce ourselves first, because we have to spend the next few days together.
My name is Kang Young-Hoon."
"Kik! My name is Bebagin!"

"And I'm Jorgin!"
At Kang Young-Hoon's words, the Goblins raised their hands first and introduced
themselves.
"My name is Shin Ha-Yul."
"And I’m Park Han."
"Grook, I am Belkhan!"
"And my name is Happy."
After everyone introduced themselves to each other, they looked at Lee Shin who
was standing quietly on the side. When Lee Shin noticed that they were looking at
him, he slowly examined their reactions. It was hard for other challengers to know
how Lee Shin looked if they were not at Undermost.
Lee Shin did not allow people to film videos around him to prevent information
about him from spreading. Information about Lee Shin might have spread through
text, but only a few people would have seen his face.
‘Hmm… great, they probably don’t recognize me.’
Lee Shin carefully examined their reactions and introduced himself with a different
name.
"I’m Lee Si-Hoon."
"Oh, it's Si-Hoon. First of all, I don't think we have a ranker here," Kang Young-Hoon
said in disappointment.
"We must stop a total of ten waves of the Blizzard Army. And…” Kang Young-Hoon
noticed that the voices of other challengers were gradually growing louder.
The team was trying to identify the power each challenger had and implement the
strategy to protect the village under the leadership of Kang Young-Hoon. However, it
did not work out well.
"No, we need to build a stronger fence and stronger barrier! If you want to defend,
we have to defend properly!"
"Grook! Warriors don't fight like cowards. We must advance and attack them first!”
Belkhan shouted.
"No guys, ha…” Young-Hoon sighed.
"Kik! I'll help you make the fence. Just go cut down some trees," said the Goblin.
"Kik! That's right. Why don’t you go to the woods, because I'm scared to go into that
forest!" another Goblin shouted.
"Wait, what are you afraid of? The wave hasn't even started yet!" Park Han shouted.
"I can't do that either. How am I supposed to carry those heavy logs all the way up
here? I might be able to do it once, but definitely not more than that,” Happy replied.
The Goblins and even Happy were being uncooperative. Park Han pounded his chest
as if he was frustrated by their uncooperative behaviors.
"If we don't cooperate, we won’t be able to protect ourselves!" Park Han shouted.
"Grook! We can just go out and fight!" Belkhan shouted.
"Hey, you punk! We can't just go out and fight!"
"Can I scout the area for a second?" Happy tried to run away.
"What are you saying? Why would you do that right now? I'm not even done talking
yet," Young-Hoon said.
"I mean… We’re going to have to do some scouting at some point," Happy argued.
"No, you can't go anywhere until the conversation is over."
"You're trying to run away, aren't you?
"No, I’m not," Happy replied.
The Goblins simply asked the others to do everything they were tasked to do
because they were scared, and the Troll was not only strong but also stubborn and
stupid. And lastly, Happy was always thinking of running away. Aside from Lee Shin,
the three human challengers were frustrated and were about to go crazy as they
started raising their voices louder and louder.
"Si-Hoon, say something to them! Ha… This is killing me!”
"There’s not much time left," said Lee Shin.
At Lee Shin’s words, they urgently checked the system.
[00:21:38]
39 minutes had passed since the stage had begun. They had not prepared anything
yet.
"Si-Hoon, can you please come here for a second?”
Young-Hoon and Ha-Yul, who were sighing in frustration, called Lee Shin out
separately. Park Han remained with the other guys to prevent them from causing
trouble.
"This is not going to work out. Why don't we move to another village?"
"That Troll won't follow our instructions anyway, and the Goblins won't help. We’re
anxious about Happy because we don’t know when he will betray us. Why don’t the
four of us leave?"
Even if they left behind the Fire Crystal, that did not mean they failed the stage. Since
this stage was kind of a game of defense, where randomly assigned challengers
gathered to protect the village, there had to be other villages somewhere on this
stage. It might be better for them to abandon this place and join another village and
try to work together there.
"Are you aware that if the Fire Crystal breaks, the Blizzard Army gets stronger?" Lee
Shin asked.
"Yes, I know. But there's nothing we can do, right? With this kind of teamwork, we
will never be able to withstand the tenth wave."
"That's right."
"If we fail to find another village on the way, we may encounter the Blizzard Army in
the forest. On top of that, it is unclear whether other villages will accept us," Lee Shin
argued.
Lee Shin had no intention of going to another village.
"Wouldn’t it be better for them as well? They are getting more people to defen—”
"That's what we think. They don't know why we left our village and decided to move,
do they? Plus, it’s not all eight of us going, but only the four of us. Why would they
trust us and accept us when there’s also a chance that we might sabotage them?" Lee
Shin interrupted.
"But if we explain it well—"
"Are you going to say that you got rid of the Goblins because they were weak, and the
Troll because he was stupid?” Lee Shin argued.
“…”
Shin Ha-Yul closed his mouth, speechless at Lee Shin's harsh objections. And Kang
Young-Hoon seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he wore a serious look on his face.
In fact, in a way, Lee Shin's words were almost unreasonable.
If the challengers did not see any hope of clearing the stage, it was natural to
abandon the village and find another way. There were risks, but choosing another
path was definitely better than going for a challenge where they stood no chance.
Kang Young-Hoon refuted Lee Shin's words as if he was aware of the fact.
"But there’s nothing we can do. I know it’s unclear whether other villages will accept
us or not, but staying here would kill us all. It will be impossible to beat them,” Kang
Young-Hoon argued.
"How do you know it's impossible?" Lee Shin asked.
"What? I told you about that before," said Kang Young-Hoon.
"Don't give up without even trying. I'm going to stay here. If the three of you want to
leave, then you may leave," Lee Shin said resolutely.
As if Lee Shin had no lingering feelings for them, Lee Shin turned and left the scene.
And the two of them stood there with looks of surprise.
"Do you think the five of you can stop them if we leave?" Kang Young-Hoon shouted.
Despite Kang Young-Hoon's cry, Lee Shin did not answer and walked toward where
the rest were gathered. Lee Shin felt sorry for his harsh words, but if not for those,
they would have left.
"What are we going to do? It's too dangerous for the three of us to move without
him," Shin Ha-Yul asked.
“…Let's just wait until the first wave. There might be something we missed, just like
that guy said,” Kang Young-Hoon suggested.
"What if there's nothing special? It might be too late to run away then!" Shin Ha-Yul
cried out.
"Then what is it that you want to do? You tell me. What do you want to do!" Kang
Young-Hoon shouted.
Kang Young-Hoon was frustrated. He wanted to persuade the others, clear the 11th
floor properly and proceed to the next floor. However, as soon as the stage started,
nothing was going as he planned.
“…I'm sorry I yelled at you. Let's get going.”
***
[00:00:00]
[The first wave has begun. You have 3:00:00 left until the next wave.]
"We will be okay up to the first wave. It will be easy to stop them if we use the
formation that we have planned."
Following Kang Young-Hoon's instructions, the team went into formation and
blocked the Blizzard Army. The first wave was not particularly difficult because it
was almost like a practice round.
"I think we’re okay?" Park Han was glad.
"I know right? They are pretty good at fighting," Shin Ha-Yul replied.
“…No guys, this is not enough. We have to be much stronger," Kang Young-Hoon
muttered.
After they saw the two Goblins, Belkhan and Happy fight, Park Han and Shin Ha-Yul
thought it would be doable, because they fought better than expected. However,
Kang Young-Hoon thought differently.
‘We’re not in sync. The fundamental problem has not been solved.’
All of them were challengers who had passed through the stages from the first floor
to the tenth floor. It was expected of them to have a certain level of skill. The reason
why Kang Young-Hoon decided to wait for the first wave was not only because there
was not much time left, but mostly because of Lee Si-Hoon's attitude.
Lee Si-Hoon seemed confident. He was not talkative, but something about him was
different from others; it was something that Young-Hoon wanted to gamble on. That
was why Kang Young-Hoon looked forward to the first wave.
‘So his confidence came from being able to manage three Skeletons?’
The power of the three Skeletons was quite good, but it was nothing more than that.
Kang Young-Hoon thought that Lee Si-Hoon might not have revealed all of his power,
but even considering that, Lee Si-Hoon did not seem to have the ability to overturn
the situation.
‘Oh shit, what am I going to do now?’
The challengers only had about two hours remaining. Should they go look for
another town now? While wondering about that, Kang Young-Hoon kept thinking
about what Lee Si-Hood had said earlier. If the people did not accept them, they
would just be abandoned and isolated from a group of people. Kang Young-Hoon
ended up thinking that it would be better to protect this place where there was some
food, a house and some fences.
"Sigh… I don't know what I should do," Kang Young-Hoon muttered.
***
[The fourth wave has ended.]
[You have 2:52:51 until the 5th wave.]
"Ha… ha…” Belkhan was out of breath.
"Hey, you stupid Troll! I told you not to go there!" Park Han could not control his
anger and shouted at Belkhan.
"Grook! What are you talking about? How can I not go when the enemy commander
is right there!" Belkhan shouted.
"You bastard! If you go forward, our formation gets ruined!”
"I win if I kill the enemy commander, so why does that matter?” Belkhan asked.
"Ugh!"
Kang Young-Hoon went to the Goblins who were resting at one side.
"Hey Bebagin and Jorgin, we don't have time to rest now. We need to repair the fence
quickly and come up with a defense plan," Kang Young-Hoon explained.
"Kik, I'm tired,” Bebagin muttered.
"Same, I'm tired, too. Let's do it later," said Jorgin.
"No, we cannot push it to later. Starting from the fifth wave, the enemy commander
will change. So we must respond accordingly," Kang Young-Hoon explained.
"Kik, you talk too much," said Bebagin.
"That's right! Stop bothering us! Kik!” Jorgin shouted.
"No, I'm not trying to bother you… Ha…” Kang Young-Hoon sighed.
While Kang Young-Hoon was grabbing his head and clenching his teeth, Shin Ha-Yul
was busy on the other side.
"Happy! Happy! I know you're there! Come out here!" Shin Ha-Yul shouted, facing a
tree.
When Shin Ha-Yul still got no response even though she was screaming, she lifted her
wand.
"If you don't come down now, I’m going to burn down the tree. One, two–-." Shin Ha-
Yul started counting.
"Ugh, why are you so fussy? I’ve been busy, too," Happy replied.
"What were you busy with?" Shin Ha-Yul asked.
"Some of them ran away, so I was busy catching them here,” Happy muttered.
"You cannot just run away like this! We need to work together!" Shin Ha-Yul shouted.
"What are you saying? I said I was busy!” Happy shouted.
Seeing Happy lying shamelessly, Shin Ha-Yul barely suppressed her urge to set his
wings on fire. The three people, tired of these creatures from another dimension,
gathered in front of the Fire Crystal in the village. And they called Lee Shin along as
well.
"Hey Si-Hoon, can you still say the same thing when you see such behavior?"
"Look at how much trouble we are going through because of you! I'm really going
crazy!"
"Hey bro, let's just get out of here on our own. We can look for another village."
"It's too late to find one now! The Blizzard Army could be in the forest somewhere.
And if we want to find another village, we have to get through them first!”
"That's right. It will be impossible for us to wander around in the forest in this state
because we haven't even been able to rest properly."
The three people spoke and looked to Lee Shin, the cause of their problem. When Lee
Shin saw how frustrated they were, he felt sorry for them. Lee Shin did not know
that those creatures would bother them this much.
"I'm sorry," Lee Shin apologized.
Lee Shin meant it. Lee Shin thought they could easily stop the army until the fifth
wave. However, Lee Shin was also disappointed when he realized that those
creatures were much worse than what he had expected.
"What difference does it make if you apol… ha… Well, you wouldn’t have known…”
Shin Ha-Yul seemed depressed.
"Should we just give up?"
"But isn’t it a pity to give up like this?"
“…”
When Lee Shin saw how depressed they were, he thought it was time for him to step
up. He was sure that they would have experienced something. He knew that the
tower rewarded those who had gone through the ordeal and overcame it. Lee Shin
did not want them to only rely on him to climb the tower.
"Why don’t we try until the next wave?” Lee Shin asked.
"Well, that's possible, but… is there really any hope? Unless there's a miracle," Shin
Ha-Yul replied with a face as if she had given up.
"Miracles only come to those who don't give up," Lee Shin muttered.
[00:00:00]
[The 5th wave will now begin.]
[The main force of the Blizzard Army has arrived in the forest.]
"They are coming."
"Damn it, it's on again.”

"Pay attention, everyone!"
Everyone seemed nervous. They could feel the vibration on the ground as the army
approached them.
Wooong— Wooong—
All of a sudden, several black portals were created everywhere.
"What are these? What’s going on?"
The Goblins, Belkhan, Happy and the three challengers started to panic when they
felt the mana flowing from the portals.
“I-I-I never heard about the portals though.”
A giant Skeleton stopped out of the black portal. It had a vicious-looking skull and its
black eyes stared at the challengers.
"Is that an O-o-ogre?”
"Shoot! Shoot that! Stop that thing!"
Crrraaak!
The Skeleton Ogre, who was named Bark by Lee Shin, let out a scream that
threatened to burst the challengers’ eardrums. The Goblins were about to attack, but
they dropped their poison needles because they were too nervous. Happy turned
pale and started to scream. Besides the humans, Belkhan was the only one who
endured the fear the Ogre set in them, because the fear of the Ogre became stronger
having received Lee Shin’s black mana.
"Wow… It’s… amazing…” Belkhan clenched his teeth and tightly grabbed his curved
sword.
Bam!
All of the sudden, Bark got on his knees and gazed somewhere with his flashing eyes.
"Did you call me… Master…” said Bark.

Everyone turned their heads along the gaze. The subject of Bark's gaze was a calm
Lee Shin.
"Did he say master…?”
"What's going on? He’s the owner of that monster?”
"Si-Hoon, is that right?”
"Grook! So he was our comrade?" Belkhan asked.
Everyone looked at Lee Shin with surprise. Lee Shin ignored all of their responses,
looked past the undead and lifted his wand.
"Stop them all. Block all those slabs of ice,” Lee Shin commanded.
His gaze was fixed on the Blizzard Army who were running towards the challengers.
Bam!
When the Ogre’s fist of mana hit the ground, the battle formation of the Blizzard
Army collapsed in an instant.
"Kieek! Kik! T-t-that’s scary.”
"H-h-he must be an excellent warrior… This is amazing!"
"Kik! Wait… that thing is on our side… right?”
The undead fought against the Blizzard Army on the front line. And the Skeleton
Ogre leading the undead was scary but trustworthy.
"Kaaak!" Skeleton Wolf roared.
"Argh!" Shin Ha-Yul screamed, surprised by the roar and the Skeleton Wolf that
popped out from the side.
"Does this… make sense though?”
Dozens of the undead dominated the battlefield. The other challengers who saw the
undead flinched at the killing intent and pure malice they emanated. This was an
army of immortals who were unafraid of death. Therefore, more fear arose among
the living.
"Who is he? Maybe he is Lee Shin?"
"He went up to the 10th floor a long time ago and people haven’t heard about him
since… Would he be Lee Shin?"
"But then, is there any reason for him to hide himself?"
"I know… Ha… By the way, why did he have to disappear… leaving things like that
with us…”
"Well, at least, I don't think they're going to attack us. So let's just try our best.”
***
"Is it here?”
Countless soldiers of the Blizzard Army gathered deep inside the forest. The main
contingent of the Blizzard Army appeared only when the fifth wave had begun.
All the troops assigned to invade other villages were gathered here as well.
"Master, there are too many troops."
"All you have to do is chop off the head of the army, no?"
"How are you going to get through so many troops, you idiot?"
"Well, of course it’s possible with our Master’s mana. Don’t tell me you think our
master is weak.”
"When did I say that!”
"Stop it. I have a plan,” said Lee Shin.
Lee Shin saw a troop of soldiers in the distance. His Dominance was currently 94.
Considering the number of Skeleton Ogres, including Bark, that were summoned to
the other villages, there were not many undead here that Lee Shin could dominate.
There were too few of them to fight the thousands of soldiers in the corps.
Lee Shin was planning on killing the soldiers all at once because these soldiers
would typically scatter to different places. However, even with all the challengers in
this stage combined, it would be difficult to deal with those soldiers at once.
‘There has to be a way.’
Did the undead need to be dominated by Lee Shin?
"Harpness!" Lee Shin called out.

At the call of Lee Shin, the Grim Reaper popped out of the black portal.
- Did you call me?
"Release all the undead that were put into the World of Death," Lee Shin
commanded.
- I got it.
[The Path between Life and Death]
It connects the path between the World of Life and the World of Death.
All the undead made by Harpness were in the World of Death. That was the world
where the dead lived.
Woong—
Black portals were formed over the main contingent of the Blizzard Army. The eyes
of the soldiers in the corps were drawn to the black portal. A great sense of morale
was oozing out from the hundreds of undead who came out of the portal.
Geughhh—
Geuahhh—
Their roars resonated on the battlefield. And the Blizzard Army seemed to be
panicking because of the sudden attack of their enemies.
"How dare the undead come to this place!" Beltiar shouted.
Within the Blizzard Army, Beltiar was the head. Beltiar, who had a powerful presence
amidst those numerous soldiers, shouted as he was staring at a particular spot.
Among the undead that were emerging from the black portal, the Skeleton exuded a
different kind of mana. The Skeleton was wearing a black robe and holding a wand.
He stared at Beltiar with his stirring blue eyes.
"Where… am I…? Why is that asshole staring at me?” Lich asked as if he was
annoyed.
"What an arrogant Skeleton you are. I'm Beltiar, the head of the Blizzard Army! I will
crush every one of you who invaded this place," Beltiar shouted.
"You’re funny… I could have been threatened if this was before I died, but that’s no
more threat to me now that I’ve become Lich after death…” Lich explained.
The undead under Lee Shin, which identified itself as a Lich, was named Kalen.
Lifting its wand, Kalen yelled, “The Hand of Death!”
The Hand of Death was Kalen's main mana. And it had become more powerful as an
undead. With this skill, his black hand extended in all directions toward the corps of
the Blizzard Army.
"That won’t be enough! Kill them all, my soldiers!" Beltiar shouted.
The undead clashed with the Blizzard Army. The crudely assembled bones were
scattered and broken. Kalen's gaze began to waver, which was unlike his confident
stance and attacks at the beginning.
"It's nice to see you panic!" Beltiar laughed at him.
"Don't mess with me! Fight, you damn undead!" Lich shouted.
Kalen's mana extended out to the undead and he began to control them. His skills
were much better than what Lee Shin had expected. It really seemed like Kalen had
increased his capabilities quite a bit within the World of Death.
Perhaps because he was a Dark Wizard before he died, his power had increased,
rather than decreased even though he became an undead. The World of Death was
literally the world of the dead. The undead who entered were beyond Lee Shin’s
control.
Still, they could be summoned anytime through Harpness.
Lich was now brought into the World of Life, no longer bound, and was allowed to
run amok. The undead in the World of Death did not all belong to Lee Shin.
Because of that, it was impossible for Lee Shin to know if one of them were beaten by
the other undead and had their bodies broken. Therefore, it was not a surprise that
the number of undead that came out through the portal was significantly fewer than
the number that Lee Shin had put into the World of Death. However, the power of
each individual was much stronger than they were before entering.
"If we leave him like this, I feel like he’s going to die soon.”
"He's a good fighter. Shouldn't we save him?"
Warrie and May spoke as if they were worried about Kalen after they saw how well
he fought in the battle just now. Of course, the concerns were all about improving
Lee Shin’s power. The next moment, Lee Shin took out a scroll.
Sheek—
The scroll was unrolled. There were unknown characters and formulas written on it.
Lee Shin's mana began to unfold on top of it.
Wooong—
The mana that extended from the scroll created a large portal in the air.
"Titan!" Lee Shin called out.
Lee Shin could not use this level of mana, even though he used to be a Great Wizard
in his previous life.
[Dimensional Warehouse]
Dozens of Titans walked out when Lee Shin used the Great Mana, which Lee Shin
purchased with 50,000 points.
Thud Thud Thump Thump
The number was insignificant compared to the corps of the Blizzard Army, but when
nearly thirty unmanned Titans gathered, their presence was no less than that of the
corps of the Blizzard Army.
These titans were made in a large factory on the 9th floor using Artificial
Intelligence. They did not perform as well as the original Titans, because they were
slightly modified from the original design. However, their advantages were that there
was no need for a Titan pilot and they could be easily built. And most importantly,
their skills and abilities were not too bad.
"You guys go over there and support them," Lee Shin commanded.
“Yes, sir," replied a Titan.
"Alright," replied another Titan.
"You go too, Gundo," Lee Shin ordered.
Lee Shin summoned Gundo from the bracelet using his mana.
"It's been a long time since I got a chance to fight.” Gundo seemed pretty excited.
During Lee Shin’s last battle on the 10th floor, he did not call out Gundo because
Gundo would draw too much attention. However, this time, his presence would be
significant in such a great battle.
"Kerarak!" Gundo roared.
As Lee Shin watched the battlefield, he decided to use another mana of his.
Swoosh—
A pool of blood appeared in the air. And from there, a creature of the noble class
appeared.
"I almost died of boredom while waiting for you to call me, Master," Lilian muttered.
"We are going to kill Beltiar,” Lee Shin explained.
"Hmm… I think I can easily kill him on my own,” said Lilian.
"You're right, but that’s only if you could use your original power. But, you can’t do
that right now. They are not for you to deal with, because they don't bleed," Lee Shin
explained.
"Ugh." Lillian frowned as if her pride was hurt by the fact that she could not even
handle those guys on her own.
"We are going to get this done as fast as we can," said Lee Shin.
It was necessary for him to advance quickly and reduce the time needed to defeat the
army. He had to go up to the 21st floor quickly.
***
"Ha… ha…” One of the human challengers was out of breath.
"This is crazy. Why are they disappearing like this all of a sudden?"
"This can’t be happening…”
A group of undead who were slaughtering the Blizzard Army on the front line of the
battlefield, suddenly disappeared into the black portal. And the challengers started
to panic at the sudden disappearance. They knew that their side was winning, but
they were not so happy when the undead left them saying, “Take care of the rest on
your own.”
Kang Young-Hoon sat on the ground and grumbled. He wiped his cold sweat with his
sleeve. He thought their biggest problem was the collapse of the battle formation.
They had to save Belkhan who was suddenly isolated from the group, and they also
had to go get Happy who was trying to run away from the battlefield. It was chaotic.
"Ha…”
"Wait, what happened to him? Do you think Lee Si-Hoon got killed?”
"No way…”
"Otherwise, there's no reason for the undead to suddenly disappear."
"I don't think so, because if the shaman was dead, the undead would collapse
helplessly on the spot. But as you guys saw, the undead disappeared through the
portal."
[The head of the Blizzard Army has fallen down.]
[The remaining waves will disappear.]

[You have cleared the 11th floor.]
[Your achievement is being…]
[…]
A whole bunch of system messages appeared in front of the challengers. Those who
were defending against the fifth wave were puzzled by the sudden sound.
"The head of the army had collapsed?”
"What are they talking about? What's going on here?”
"No way… Did Lee Si-Hoon leave the group to get the head of the army?"
"I was wondering where he went. And he had gone to kill the head of the army? Can
he do that all by himself?”
"This has made it clear. Lee Si-Hoon must be Lee Shin."
"Is this for real?"
"Who else would have this level of skills other than Lee Shin?”
"Oh well… That’s true.'
"We’ll find out when we go out. Let's check it out!"
***
[You have defeated Beltiar, the head of the army.]
[You have defeated the Blizzard Army.]
[You have cleared the 11th floor in the shortest amount of time.]
[Your achievement is being recorded.]
[You have achieved 242,200 points]

[You have acquired the 『Title - The Cruel Slayer』]
"Beltiar… was a demon?”
His ability as He Who Knows Death was invoked as he killed Beltiar. The background
was showing a devildom that was filled with coldness everywhere. And Beltiar, who
lived there, was killed by the apostle of God who suddenly appeared.
"I can’t believe the gods mess with demons even.”
"I can't believe it, because there must be a Demon God in the demon realm."
"Well, we don’t know that for sure. Maybe the Demon God allowed it.”
Lee Shin stood before Beltiar’s corpse.
"Harpness, get him up."
- Alright…
Harpness's sickle slashed the soul of Beltiar.
Swoosh—
With the support from the Power of Death, the bones and flesh were separated, and
a huge undead rose from it.
"I… I am…” Beltiar opened his mouth.
"Beltiar, be my clan," Lee Shin commanded.
[The Black Mana tried to dominate Beltiar, the head of the Blizzard Army.]
"Keugh… Ahhhh… Keuaaakk!" Beltiar began to struggle in pain due to the Black Mana
that flowed from the tip of Lee Shin’s wand.
[Beltiar has failed to resist the Black Mana.]
[Beltiar has become your clan.]
[Your Dominance has…]
Thump!
Beltiar was almost as large as the Skeleton Ogre, Bark. He knelt down in front of Lee
Shin.
"I, Beltiar, swear to obey your commands," Beltiar declared.
"All right, stay inside for now,” Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin put Beltiar in the Shadow Space with a look of satisfaction. Beltiar had
shown extreme hostility to Lee Shin until a while ago, but he now vowed obedience
to Lee Shin. Considering the class of Beltiar’s soul, Lee Shin thought that he could
escape from the Dominance of his Black Mana. However, Lee Shin’s new class helped
this process.
[Death Ruler]
# The dead are easily afraid of you.
# Your Dominance over the dead is strengthened.

# You are easily acknowledged by the dead.
Recently, Lee Shin’s class had changed from a Necromancer to a Death Ruler. This
result was given because of this new title. Lee Shin felt like his identity was gradually
being cast this way as time went by.
"Martyr." Lee Shin called out.
- Yes, my lord.
Lee Shin took out Martyr, which he was wearing around his waist. It was a beautiful
sword that was pure white. Compared to the class contained in Martyr, Lee Shin
realized that Beltiar was nothing.
"No wait, nevermind,” Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin thought Martyr would be a counterweight to balance this tilt.
"Master, the damage is quite significant this time," May said anxiously as he
approached Lee Shin.
There were dead soldiers who were slashed and broken bones all over the place
where the battle took place. Also, many half-destroyed Titans and ruined ground
could be seen here and there.
"The battle has destroyed 23 Titans, and 7 of them need to be repaired immediately.
About 75 percent of the undead we've collected so far have disappeared," May said
anxiously.
"There's still more left than I thought,” Lee Shin muttered.
Lee Shin’s team had an overwhelming disadvantage in terms of military might.

Typically, the soldiers would have been scattered in all directions and the
challengers had to defeat them one after another instead of fighting with the entire
army in one place. Lee Shin had expected this amount of damage.
"But since we got Beltiar instead, it's not a loss for us," Lee Shin explained.
The number of undead that could be stored in the Shadow Space was extremely
limited. Therefore, only those who had the potential to grow ought to be gathered.
Additionally, Lee Shin had saved some time, which was his biggest goal. He had saved
a week's time.
"I'm going to the 12th floor," Lee Shin said.
[You are moving to the 12th floor.]
***
"Keu… ugh…”
Swish—
Park Joo-Hyuk's sword was pulled out with the enemy's flesh. The ten challengers
who attacked them were now cold, dead bodies.
"Blech… Ugh!" Eun-Ju started throwing up.
"Eun-Ju! Are you okay?" Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
"Ha… ha…” Eun-Ju sighed.
"Focus! It's only the beginning," Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
Park Joo-Hyuk seemed to be fully energized and eager to fight.
Crack!
Park Joo-Hyuk's sword pierced through the Nucleus of Hell.
[The Nucleus of Demon Realm has been broken.]
[The Demon Realm in some areas has disappeared.]
"Time is on our side. Soon, a large number of reinforcements will come up from
lower floors," Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.
The black fog lifted from the green landscape. The people, tired of the neverending
fight, sighed and sat down.
"The community is down for real."
"How on earth did they do that?"
"What happened to all the existing Korean challengers? Are they really all dead?” Ji
Eun-Ju asked.
Everyone became more serious after hearing Ji Eun-Ju's words.
"No way… Would they really do that to each other? We’re not some kind of monsters;
we are all humans,” Kang Ji-Hoon muttered.
"Oppa, it has been more than 70 years since World War II ended. It's time for that
terrible tragedy to happen again.”
"Yes, Ji-Hoon. Can’t you understand after being attacked like this? We're enemies to
them now. Look at that," Park Joo-Hyuk explained.
Park Joo-Hyuk's sword pointed to the dead body that lay on the ground.
"To them, we are just a species that disturbs the ecosystem. They probably believe
they must kill and exterminate us,” Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.
"First of all, we should quickly set up a base where we can all rest. We don't know
when the enemy will invade again, and soon, the challengers will come up from the
lower floors,” Hwang Kang-Woong explained.
"Yeah, that's right. Plus, we are the advance party, aren’t we? So, we need to revive
Merteng before then."
Among the challengers at Undermost, these seven people were the fastest to climb
the tower. They could choose to wait for other challengers and climb up together, but
the safety of the Korean challengers who were already active in Isocia was a
problem.
This was why Lee Shin had allowed them to go up first. These seven people had
clinched the top ranks of Korea all the way to the 20th floor. They were more than
capable to recapture Merteng if they could just break through the enemies who were
not expecting them this quickly and had let their guard down. If they could reclaim
Merteng, they would buy enough time for the other challengers from Undermost to
come up.
"Let’s go guys. We’re almost there at Merteng.”
Merteng was like a second home for the Korean Challengers. In the far distance, they
could see a city that was shrouded by darkness.
***
Swoosh— Thud!
When Kim Kang-Chun struck with his sword, the head of a medium-sized beast fell
to the ground.
"No way… Does this even make sense? How can a medium-sized beast appear
already?" Kang Ji-Hoon grumbled looking at the dead body of the beast as if it was
ridiculous.
"Did they do something to make it harder for us?”
"Well, the collapse of Merteng did not make any sense in the first place. All the
problems started with that. I wouldn’t find it strange even if they had put some tricks
and traps in front of us.”
“We need to think straight and be clear about this. Otherwise, there might be a
setback in our plan,” Hwang Kang-Woong explained.
"That's right, maybe those challengers have found a way to manipulate the demons,"
Kim Kang-Chun argued.
Kim Kang-Chun was right. This place was the starting point for challengers on the
21st floor, who have yet to get any [Pattern], reside. It was the place where the first
stage of restoration of the country took place. The emergence of a medium-sized
beast could not have appeared without the intervention of other challengers.
"First of all, we have to break through the castle wall. Fortunately, there aren't that
many soldiers out there, but only a few demonic beasts and demonized humans. Use
CEO Hwang's [Structure Identification] to identify the weakened parts of the wall
and Kang-Chun can then make a hole accordingly. After that, we will advance quickly
as planned," Park Joo-Hyuk commanded.
The five challengers nodded in response to Park Joo-Hyuk's instructions and ran
toward the wall.
“Khaaak!” The beasts, who were wandering around the wall, rushed towards them.
[Ground Digging]
As soon as Hwang Kang-Woong's shovel hit the ground, the ground on which the
beast was running turned over, causing it to stumble.
"Ha!" Kang Ji-Hoon shouted.
Kang Ji-Hoon struck with his sword right after, cutting off the beast’s leg, weakening
its mobility. Park Joo-Hyuk then followed through with a stab into its neck.
Swoosh! Splat!
They easily defeated the beast with their teamwork. The challengers eventually
eliminated the beasts and closed in on the castle wall.
Hwang Kang-Woong's skill [Structure Identification] gave him the ability to find out
the overall structure at once just by looking at a building. Hwang Kang-Woong
moved quickly, touching and checking the walls. And he stopped right away when he
noticed something.
"Hit over here!" Hwang Kang-Woong shouted.
At Hwang Kang-Woong's order, Kim Kang-Chun hit the area that Kang-Woong was
pointing at without hesitation.
Bam!
One side of the wall was easily demolished by a blow from Kim Kang-Chun, who had
the highest Strength stat here. A hole was created, barely allowing an adult to enter.
"All right, let's go in,” Kim Kang-Chun muttered.
When the challengers entered through the wall, they were shocked to see the state of
the place that was enveloped in the demon realm. They had expected some hardship
ahead of them, but they started to think that it would be a lot harder to reach their
destination.
Fortunately, they had already obtained a map on Merteng's structure in advance.

Despite the current environment, they would still be able to find their way there,
thanks to the unique structures built all around.
"It is here. Our goal is to get to the Throne Room. The Nucleus is here.”
"Alright, let’s go. It's going to be a tough game to move inside the castle. Be prepared
guys, especially you Eun-Ju,” Park Joo-Hyuk said while looking at Ji Eun-Ju.
Ji Eun-Ju was already filled with worry. If she continued to behave this way, there
was a good chance that she would only hinder the rest, instead of helping them.
In the previous fight, Kang Ji-Hoon was seriously injured because Ji Eun-Ju hesitated
to deal with the enemies at a critical moment.
She was performing fine when fighting the demonic beasts, but she still had not
gotten used to attacking humans, even if they were enemies. From now on, they
could be in real mortal danger; if they took Ji Eun-Ju who was always hesitant and
worried along with them, someone might be sacrificed.
"Listen, Ji Eun-Ju. If you hesitate again, like you did before, there's a high chance that
we'll get hurt, okay? If you don't kill the enemies, we will die," Park Joo-Hyuk spoke
firmly and held Ji Eun-Ju’s shoulders.
They could not baby her anymore.
"Y-yeah Eun-Ju, you can do it. Don't cry…” Hye-Won tried to comfort Eun-Ju because
she was sniffling.
Ji Eun-Ju cried not because of Joo-Hyuk's scolding, but because she was frustrated
with herself.
"Oh shit, the beasts have noticed our presence,” Kim Kang-Chun said urgently as he
looked at the beasts approaching from far away.
"Ji Eun-Ju, we’re not going to say this again. If you don't want to harm us like this,
just don't join the attack in the first place. Just assist us from behind. And when
Merteng gets reclaimed, stay there quietly until we clear the way,” Joo-Hyuk told
Eun-Ju.
After he finished speaking, Joo-Hyuk did not pay any more attention to Eun-Ju who
was still crying. He brandished his sword and ran toward the beast.
"It’s alright Eun-Ju. Don't be so hard on yourself. Joo-Hyuk is just saying this because
he's worried…” Hye-Won tried to comfort her.
"No… I don't want to be a burden anymore,” Ji Eun-Ju replied.
Eun-Ju took a deep breath and stared at the approaching beasts and witches.
"I'll kill those witches, leave them to me," Ji Eun-Ju said in a determined voice.
They were not simply humans; these were creatures that were similar with and
familiar to humans. Witches were human beings, just charged with demon power.
Their appearance was not much different from that of regular humans. Therefore,
their presence was enough to make Ji Eun-Ju hesitate. It was not as hard as killing a
regular human, but it required Eun-Ju to muster her determination to kill them by
herself.
"Ha…” Ji Eun-Ju barely calmed her thumping heart with a deep breath and held up
her wand.
Two witches, whose bodies were black, approached her. The two leapt and clawed at
Ji Eun-Ju with their sharp fingernails.
[Stone Wall]
A stone wall jutted out and pushed the witches up in the air.
[Stone Edge]
Then a sharp stone pike protruding from the ground penetrated the stomachs of the
witches falling from the air.
"Khhaaak!" The witches cried in pain.
The witches’ black blood splattered out from their body and splashed onto Ji Eun-
Ju’s face.
Just as she flinched and tried to close her eyes, Park Joo-Hyuk shouted, "Just look!
Don't take your eyes off them!"
Park Joo-Hyuk had finished dealing with the beast nearby and was watching Eun-Ju’s
fight. Eun-Ju kept her eyes wide open and looked at them, while trying her best to
keep her head fixated and not look away. Due to her mana, blood was pouring out
from the witches’ guts, as if they were skewered. Except for their dark skin and long
nails on both their hands and feet, they looked just like human beings. Ji Eun-Ju tried
to confront them head-on, summoning all the determination she had tried to muster.
"This is the world you have to live in from now on. You need to get used to it. Try
harder to get used to it. Why did you come into the tower if you couldn’t even
manage this? Think carefully! Why did you enter the tower in the first place?” Joo-
Hyuk explained.
Eun-Ju held her trembling right hand with her left hand and did not take her eyes off
until the end. Joo-Hyuk was right.
"The reason I came into the tower…” Ji Eun-Ju muttered.
Ji Eun-Ju had entered the tower just to escape from reality. She had done it on
impulse. She thought that she would never run away again, because there was no
place to run away to in the tower. Ji Eun-Ju's quickened breathing gradually began to
stabilize.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," Ji Eun-Ju said quietly.
When Park Joo-Hyuk saw how hard she tried to overcome her fear, he smiled slightly
and turned around.
"Let's get going. It's late," said Park Joo-Hyuk.
***
The gates to the castle had been broken, and the bodies of the demonic beasts were
scattered all over the place. The fishy smell of beast blood stinked up the place.
"Ha… ha… ha…”
"This is crazy. We’ve just entered, and I can't believe we’re already so exhausted.”
"Ha… How many days did it take us?"
"Mr. Hwang, can you please give me a potion? I'm about to run out of mana power.”
"Here you go. Try to save your mana power from now on. We don't have much potion
left,” Hwang Kang-Woong muttered.
Each of the six exhausted men sat down on the ground and rested against the dead
bodies of the beasts. These six challengers were the ones who had swept the top
ranks up to the 20th floor. That was why they could survive until this point. If it were
others, they would have already died at the starting point.
Wooong—
"Heads!" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
Sheeek— Bam! Boom!
Balls of fire started to fall on them as they were resting. Thanks to Park Joo-Hyuk, all
six of them immediately jumped into their defensive stances. Fortunately, none of
them were hurt as they had quick reflexes. However, the entrance caught fire due to
the corpses strewn all around. The temperature on the battlefield increased rapidly
and the challengers’ stamina took an additional toll.
"You all look quite exhausted." A man in a robe walked up to them.
"Were you waiting for us to get tired?”
"Yeah, of course. I was too scared of your fighting spirit," the man replied.
However, contrary to what he had been saying, the man in the robe looked relaxed.
"Why on earth are you doing this to us!" Park Hye-Won shouted and expressed her
frustration.
"Why are you asking? Is it because you really don't know? I think the Koreans should
know better than the foreigners. Aren't you the ones who are forced to compete the
most?” the man asked again.
"But this is too much! Killing fellow humans by such reasoning is…!" Ji Eun-Ju
shouted in a tearful voice.
These situations were painful for Ji Eun-Jun who was kind and tender-hearted. Even
though it had been almost two years since she had entered the tower, she still found
it hard to get used to the fact that challengers would kill their opponent out of
jealousy.
"You're still young,” said the man.
"You wouldn't have come alone." Kim Kang-Chun made a sudden attack.
In a blink of an eye, Kim Kang-Chun stood in front of the man in the robe, and
slashed vertically with his greatsword.
Chang—!
A pair of daggers suddenly appeared in the air and blocked the path of the
greatsword. However, Kang-Chun had gently stepped back as if he had anticipated it.
The next moment, Kang-Chun saw a masked man who appeared in front of him.
"Now they are showing up. Why don’t you all come out?” Kang-Chun shouted.
"Haha. Stop pretending to be calm," the man replied.
Suddenly, numerous masked men in dark clothes appeared and surrounded them.
These people were hiding themselves as if they merged with the black fog around
them.
"I don't think they're challengers."

Their vibes were very different from other challengers. All of them who were
surrounding Kang-Chun and his group were emitting the same wave of mana, except
for the one guy who stopped Kang-Chun’s attack a while ago.
"You're quick to read the room! I heard that you learned from Lee Shin. You must be
very skilled in sensing mana in your environment,” the man said.
"You're making a mistake right now. Do you think this shit will work if our master
comes up here?” Kang-Chun replied.
"I admit it. Lee Shin is out of our league. But you know what? You guys are not.” The
man laughed at them.
A moment ago, as the greatsword and two daggers clashed, a gust of wind arose. As a
result, the robe fluttered and the face of the man in the robe was revealed. He was a
sharp-looking man with black bangs that covered his eyes. He sneered at the Korean
challengers.
"Maybe I will just cut off your hands and feet before Lee Shin comes, so that he
cannot do anything about it even if he comes,” the man said.
Flame burned fiercely at the tip of his wand.
"And he will soon be just like you guys." Inyuu[1] Kogo looked down at Korean
challengers with an arrogant expression.
"Wait, is he Inyuu Kogo?”
"What? That’s Inyuu Kogo?”
Among all the Asian challengers, Inyuu Kogo was the only flame wizard with slanted
eyes and intense flame mana. And his slanted eyes were visible through his long
drooping bangs.
"I saw him on the video."
"Oh, I see. This is him," Hwang Kang-Woong replied.
Hwang Kang-Woong had also seen him in a video that was posted on the community.
Now, all of the videos were down, so it was hard to find, but they could watch the
video not long after they went up to the second floor.
Inyuu Kogo was a ranker of the lower floors in Japan. He was a challenger who was
famous for his powerful fire spells.
"Don't worry, he is just…” Kim Kang-Chun looked surprised.
"Well, take a look at this," said Inyuu Kogo.
Kim Kang-Chun turned serious all of the sudden when he saw the Blue Pattern
appear on Inyuu Kogo’s face. The Pattern was a system that ran through the entire
Isocia here. One could upgrade the Pattern they bore in the order of red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, navy, purple, black, and finally white by accumulating merit
points. As the challenger’s Pattern upgrades, their stats increases as well, and their
scope of activity in Isocia widens at the same time.
"You guys don’t even have the [Qualification]… No matter how good you are, it will
be hard to catch up, because of the gap between our colors." Inyuu Kogo laughed at
them.
In Isocia, an individual with a Pattern was called a ‘Qualified.’
"I can’t believe that he has the Blue Pattern…”
"Damn it, why did he come all the way here with the Blue Pattern…!"
"It’s time for you guys to die," Inyuu Kogo muttered.
Inyuu Kogo’s mana power began to burn with flame. At the same time, the Blue
Pattern shone, adding power to the flame.
"Get out of this place right now!"
1. In'yuu (印融) is a Buddhist priest of the 15th century whose manuscripts are now
classified as national treasures of Japan. ☜
"[Moving Flame]!" Inyuu Kogo shouted.
The place was up in flames all over. The flames moved to the mana of Inyuu Kogo. His
specialty was to manipulate the situation on the battlefield with his flames. Before
anyone could realize, the battlefield was changing as he had intended.
"Keugh! Stay together!"
"Ahhh!” Eun-Ju screamed.
"Eun-Ju! Damn it!"
As if conducting an orchestra, the flames stirred according to the direction of Inyuu

Kogo’s wand. While trying to avoid the flames, the challengers split into three pairs.
Due to the wall of fire that rose nearly three meters high, the Korean challengers
could not easily reassemble.
"Everyone, be careful! Remember, Inyuu Kogo is not the only opponent!" Park Joo-
Hyuk shouted.
"Watch out for the assassins!" Kim Kang-Chun shouted as well.
At the cries of Park Joo-Hyuk and Kim Kang-Chun, the others also began to watch out
for the assassins.
"It will be difficult for them to move through the fire, too.”
"Well, it's harder to figure out because of Inyuu Kogo’s mana.”
Park Joo-Hyuk clenched his teeth and looked beyond the flames. He could not see
anything, but he was sure that Inyuu Kogo was controlling the flames with his wand
over there.
"I'm just worried about Eun-Ju,” Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.

"What should we do?" Park Hye-Won asked.
"It's too late to go help. We're going to focus on catching Inyuu Kogo," Park Joo-Hyuk
replied.
While Park Joo-Hyuk and Park Hye-Won searched for Inyuu Kogo in the flames, Ji
Eun-Ju and Hwang Kang-Woong were dealing with three other assassins.
Swoosh— Chang!
"Eun-Ju! Try to read their mana wave!" Hwang Kang-Woong shouted.
"I can't do it, Mr. Hwang!" Ji Eun-Ju cried in fear.
"You can do it! Just stay calm. I'll protect you," Hwang Kang-Woong tried to
encourage her.
After hearing his words, Ji Eun-Ju closed her eyes and tried to calm down as she
activated her mana.
‘Master has told me many times that I practiced enough and that I can do it.’
- Don’t feel the mana wave; read it. Try to think of its characteristics.
‘What are the characteristics of assassins… ’
- The assassin’s innate mana wave is very different from that of their stealth skill.
Unlike the usual sharp and sensitive wave of the assassins, the mana wave for stealth
is very static.
Mana power could be felt from the bright flames. There was one exceptionally slow
mana wave that ran along the intense flow of mana. When Ji Eun-Ju sensed a strange
wave that was close to her, she pulled up her mana power.
Swoosh— Gagagak!
A rock that protruded from the ground blocked the assassin's sword.
"Mr. Hwang!" Ji Eun-Ju shouted.

Hwang Kang-Woong had been watching the situation even before Ji Eun-Ju called
him. He had already taken out his weapon.
Puck!
His pickaxe struck and pierced through the assassin's chest, and the assassin was
thrown over the shroud of fire.
"Nice… Argh!" Ji Eun-Ju gasped.
Right at the moment when Ji Eun-Ju exclaimed in delight, the assassin's dagger
struck her arm. If her reaction had been a little slower, her arm would have been
broken.
"Hmmm… I see that you have a good reflex.” An assassin who had appeared in the air
laughed at her and pulled out a dagger that was stuck in the ground.
"You annoying bitch, die first," the assassin muttered.
***
"Keugh!"
Chaeng! Chaaaeng—! Chaeng!
Kang Ji-Hoon withstood the assassins’ attacks. Kim Kang-Chun was still fighting
fiercely with the assassin who blocked his attack earlier.
Chang—!
The assassin sent Kim Kang-Chun flying all the way to the other side as he tried
holding his ground with the greatsword,
Kim Kang-Chun, gritting his teeth and keeping his eyes wide open, dug into the
ground with the greatsword as he was driven back all the way to the other side. An
assassin strong enough to push Kim Kang-Chun with his greatsword was not any
normal guy.
‘What the hell? My strength is not enough to deal with the assassin? But my strength is
over 200 though… ’
Kim Kang-Chun tried to look calm, but he was very embarrassed. Up until this point,
he had accumulated his stats by accomplishing the highest level of achievements in
most of the stages.
Among the challengers, he had invested the most time and effort in building up his
strength. Therefore, it made no sense for the assassin, his opponent, to be neck and
neck with him. Then suddenly, the assassin's dagger began to glow green.
"He is a Qualified of the [Green Pattern]… So was he a challenger, just as I had

expected?” Kim Kang-Chun mumbled.
"Well if you figured it out, just give up and die.”
As if he was teleporting, the masked challenger continued to attack him, aiming for
his vital spots.
‘Damn it. Do you also have high agility?’
He hoped not. Kim Kang-Chun was weaker in both speed and response time. As long
as the opponent had a Pattern, it was impossible for him to defeat the opponent by
just relying on his stats.
‘It would have been possible if it was Master… ’
Suddenly, Kim Kang-Chun felt as if he could hear Lee Shin’s voice ringing in his ears
at this moment.
- The two little ones are playing well.
"Haha…” Kim Kang-Chun laughed.
The assassin frowned at Kim Kang-Chun’s sudden outburst of laughter.
"What's so funny?" the assassin asked.
"Oh no, nothing. I just think it was quite intense between the little ones,” Kim Kang-
Chun explained.
"What?" the assassin asked.

"Well…” Kim Kang-Chun was preparing for the next step.
Kim Kang-Chun’s mana began to envelop his greatsword.
"I should win even among the little ones, so that I won’t be ashamed to see my
master’s face," Kim Kang-Chun shouted.
"You arrogant bastard,” the assassin muttered.
"Bring it on." Kim Kang-Chun began his strike.
There was a huge clash as Kim Kang-Chun’s greatsword and the masked man's
dagger collided. Meanwhile, Inyuu Kogo was in a difficult situation as he faced Park
Joo-Hyuk and Park Hye-Won's attacks, which were stronger than he had expected.
‘How do the ones that don't even have a Pattern… have such a high level of stats?’
When Inyuu Kogo saw that Park Hye-Won was holding out quite well against his
flames, he was annoyed. It was proof that their intelligence was comparable to that
of his.
'This is actually crazy. He's more problematic than her.'
Kim Kang-Chun used his swords like a ghost. Two of the assassins whom he had
hired by paying quite a lot of money were killed in a short period of time. These
assassins were capable of killing those who had just come up to the 21st floor in a
blink of an eye. However, even though there were five people against one Inyuu Kogo,
when faced with his flames, two of them had already collapsed.
"[Exploding Flame]" Inyuu Kogo shouted.
Boom! Pawowow!
Suddenly, the flames that surrounded the challengers exploded as if they were
bombs. And Park Hye-Won, who was dealing with the flames, was swept away by an
explosion and collapsed.
"Park Hye-Won!" Hwang Kang-Woong shouted.
"Keugh… I'm fine!" Park Hye-Won replied.

Fortunately, Hye-Won noticed the change in the mana wave and escaped death by
using her defensive mana. However, she suffered serious injuries.
"Ha… ha…” Park Hye-Won was out of breath.
Park Hye-Won had no idea how much mana power Inyuu Kogo had. Inyuu Kogo
stood unscathed even though he was engaging in a mana confrontation with them
and at the same time controlling the flames that were spread throughout the
battlefield.
The difference in the level of Pattern was too big. No matter how great their
achievements were coming up to the 20th floor, their stats were nothing compared
to the power of that Pattern. It would not have been a surprise to be killed earlier if
they had not learned mana control from Lee Shin. However, although Inyuu Kogo's
ability was excellent, he did not seem to know how to handle fundamental mana.
[Quick Gun]
Bang! Pew! Bang!
Park Hye-Won, who had collapsed to the floor, pointed with her index finger in the
air and created wind mana. Park Hye-Won sent three bullets of wind near Park Joo-
Hyuk. The bullets flew exactly where the three assassins were attacking Park Joo-
Hyuk.
They were able to avoid the bullets, but failed to avoid a series of attacks from Park
Joo-Hyuk immediately after. Using his sword fight skills, Park Joo-Hyuk attacked
their vital points. He did not miss any opportunities to attack them. Within a single
breath, the three assassins were killed.
Crunch—
When Inyuu Kogo saw the scene, he frowned and gritted his teeth. The [Exploding
Flame] skill that he had used a moment ago was a bit of a gamble. If a single, sudden
explosion did not manage to kill the opponent, he would not have been able to
continue either. He would not be able to use mana for a while due to the backlash
caused by the de-energizing effect of the mana.
Inyuu Kogo did not know how Park Hye-Won noticed. Even at the brink of death,
having been injured by Inyuu Kogo’s mana a while ago, she turned the situation
around with her mana. Therefore, it became a fight where someone could win if they
endured a little longer than the other person.
"What the… How did you know?" Inyuu Kogo asked.
"It's too obvious."
"Says you who’s about to die… That’s funny.” Inyuu Kogo laughed at the challengers.
"Now it’s your turn, Inyuu Kogo,” said Park Joo-Hyuk.
Drip—
Park Joo-Hyuk hit his sword once on the floor, shook the blood off, and ran toward
Inyuu Kogo.
"Just die! Keugh!” Park Joo-Hyuk gasped.
Just before Park Joo-Hyuk's sword could pierce the neck of Inyuu Kogo, an incoming
sword, impossible to avoid due to the incredibly high speed, struck Park Joo-Hyuk.
"Keaugh……” Park Joo-Hyuk gasped.
Park Joo-Hyuk, held tightly onto his side that was bleeding and stared at the
opponent who appeared out of nowhere.
"I came here just in case… but there’s only six of you here… That’s great," a man
muttered.
Twenty challengers had surrounded the battlefield. They each had a Pattern that was
glowing on their bodies.
"Damn it…” Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.
"Joo-Hyuk oppa!"
"Joo-Hyuk!"
"Hye-Won!"
Park Hye-Won and Park Joo-Hyuk were not the only ones who got injured. The other
four were exhausted and injured as well, though not as much as the two.
"Do you think you can beat us? You look very exhausted.” The man who fatally
wounded Park Joo-Hyuk a moment ago started laughing.
‘I should have killed at least Inyuu Kogo.’
Park Joo-Hyuk was thinking about using the [Power of Transformation] just before
he suffered that fatal injury, but he ended up not using it. Even if he had reversed the
situation, nothing would have changed. This had to be used when he stood a better
chance.
"Six people are enough to deal with you guys,” Park Joo-Hyuk muttered.
As much as Park Joo-Hyuk put it that way, it was a really bad situation for them,
hopeless even. The six were already exhausted and they were injured.
‘In the worst case scenario… I will have to sacrifice myself with the Power of
Transformation and let these guys run away.’
Park Joo-Hyuk began to postulate various situations.
"I can see that you’re trying to figure out a way out of here, but you better not think
about running away. More reinforcements are on the way." The man started laughing.
"Aren’t you embarrassed, Cui Qian? You're going to attack us by helping the Japanese
that you hate so much?" Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
"Wow, you recognize me. Don't worry, after I kill you all, I’m going to kill that guy
over there,” Cui Qian replied.
Cui Qian pointed to Inyuu Kogo and Kodo Tomotatsu, an assassin who fought with
Kim Kang-Chun. They were resting in the back with a smirk on their faces.
"Ugh… Fucking bastard,” Park Hye-Won muttered.
Park Hye-Won looked at him contemptuously. However, on the bright side, only Cui
Qian had the [Blue Pattern] and the rest had either Orange or Yellow Patterns. Even
so, in this kind of situation, it was difficult to deal with Cui Qian alone. The
challengers started to think that they might really die here.
"Listen, I'll run to Cui Qian first and take care of him, so you guys go inside the castle
and break the Nucleus of Demon Realm. That's the only way we will survive." Park
Joo-Hyuk spoke quietly so that others could not hear him.
"Then what about you oppa…”
"No way, I'll deal with Cui Qia—” Kim Kang-Chun was interrupted.
"Kim Kang-Chun. Keep a cool head. If it can’t be me, you are the only one who can
lead the group. And even looking at his mana characteristics, Cui Qian is the most
suitable for me.” Park Joo-Hyuk explained.
"But still…” Kim Kang-Chun mumbled.
"Stop trying to come up with some kind of plan. You know it’s meaningless,” said Cui
Qian.
Cui Qian threw his sword fiercely, and it flew in between them.
"Kill them all!" Cui Qian shouted.
As soon as Cui Qian ordered, the twenty challengers began to move.
"Just listen to me everyone!" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
With Park Joo-Hyuk's last command, Park Joo-Hyuk went for Cui Qian, and the other
four ran in the opposite direction.
"Mr. Hwang!"
"I'll go with Joo-Hyuk! Go on!" Hwang Kang-Woong shouted.
Then, Hwang Kang-Woong fought the challengers who were blocking Park Joo-Hyuk.
"Mr. Hwang! Why did you—" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
"It's too late to go back anyways,” Hwang Kang-Woong replied.

Park Joo-Hyuk frowned and then kicked the challenger with the Orange Pattern who
blocked him and ran toward Cui Qian. Cui Qian’s sword and Park Joo-Hyuk's sword
clashed and dozens of fights took place in an instant. Although his body was getting
more and more wounded, Park Joo-Hyuk was targeting the most critical moment.
'Damn it, my body won’t listen.’
Park Joo-Hyuk's muscles stiffened as their swords clashed aggressively. Cui Qian
took advantage of that moment and his sword dug into Park Joo-Hyuk like a snake.
Swoosh—!
"Keuugh…” Park Joo-Hyuk gasped.
At Park Joo-Hyuk's scream, Cui Qian smirked. Cui Qian thought he clearly saw his
sword stab Park Joo-Hyuk in the heart. He definitely saw that.
"What the hell…?” Cui Qian was shocked.
Before he even realized it, Park Joo-Hyuk's sword had aimed at his heart and his
sword pointed upward. Before he fully grasped the situation, Cui Qian twisted his
body to escape fatality and managed to change the position of the sword from the
heart to the direction of his right rib.
Kwad-deuk!
"Keuaaah!" Cui Qian screamed.
Cui Qian cried out in the pain of breaking ribs and splitting flesh. When Cui Qian hit
Park Joo-Hyuk with his sword while being stabbed, Park Joo-Hyuk loosened his grip
and lost his sword. He then collapsed to the floor.
"Ha… Ha… What kind of ability is this?" Cui Qian ground his teeth and exhaled a
rough breath.
Park Joo-Hyuk could not easily stand up, perhaps because he had already used up all
his strength.
"Ah…” Cui Qian groaned.

Cui Qian had pulled out the sword stuck in his ribs and threw it back. He then
approached Park Joo-Hyuk with a frown. He never thought Park Joo-Hyuk would hit
him like this just before he was about to die. He found Park Joo-Hyuk to be more
dangerous than expected.
Park Joo-Hyuk was a challenger who had only recently come up to the 21st floor.
However, he had an instinct for battle, and a cool-headedness that was never
discouraged, even if he was close to dying. Also, he had made the greatest
achievements as he climbed from the second to the 20th floor.
It was obvious that if Park Joo-Hyuk and his group had obtained the Pattern, not only
Cui Qian and his group who turned them into enemies but also other countries
would be in danger.
‘I must kill him here.’
Cui Qian did not want to take more time. Park Joo-Hyuk and his group members
were too strong. Hwang Kang-Woong, who was dealing with other challengers next
to him, was skillful as Park Joo-Hyuk, and so were the four other challengers who ran
into the castle.
‘Well, since ‘that guy’ is with the other four… I’ll just deal with these two.’
Cui Qian’s sword started to fill with his mana.
‘Goodbye.’
Whoosh— Pao!
A strong gust of pressure cut through the wind as if there was an explosion, and a
powerful blow came and hit Cui Qian. As Cui Qian was pushed back, he clenched his
teeth and saw where the attack came from.
"Who are you…?" Cui Qian asked.
He was a challenger with black hair and knuckle dusters. If the challenger who just
came up showed this much power, there was only one person to expect.
"What’s going on? You've been acting so proud all the time, and what's up with you
now?” the challenger asked.
Park Joo-Hyuk turned his head to the familiar voice. In a blurred vision due to blood
loss from his head, Park Joo-Hyuk could still see a familiar figure who stood in front
of him, as if protecting him.
"You’re a little late." Park Joo-Hyuk smiled.
"What do you mean I’m late. I’m just in time. Isn't this the timing for the main
character to appear?" the man replied.
He had a fit body and his voice was light. Shin Ha-Neul got into his fighting position.
He wore a yellowish-brown knuckle duster on each hand and started bumping his
fists.
"I have been so stressed these days, so why don’t I just beat you up?” Shin Ha-Neul
glanced at Cui Qian.
"Here comes a madman.” Cui Qian frowned again and grabbed his sword more
tightly.
"That was pretty fierce," Cui Qian muttered as he got up.
A few moments ago, Cui Qian had been pushed back by Shin Ha-Neul's wind. He got
up and shook his clothes.
"Stop pretending to be fine," Shin Ha-Neul muttered.
"Do I look fine?” Cui Qian began to laugh at Shin Ha-Neul.
The Blue Pattern on the back of his hand glowed and he drew his sword out. A blue
sword aura formed along the tip of the sword and flew toward Shin Ha-Neul.
"Huh…? Ugh!" Shin Ha-Neul quickly pulled up his mana to block the sword aura, and
looked at Cui Qian with a surprised face.
He could not believe that Cui Qian was okay even after his sudden attack.
‘No way, how is this possible? He is not even from Undermost.’
When Shin Ha-Neul had been at Undermost, he used to be ignored by many people.
However, in terms of talent, Shin Ha-Neul had been one of the top challengers at
Undermost. As he had started climbing the tower, he had been in close pursuit of the
top rankers and had attained great achievements. It was unimaginable for him to be
losing to other challengers who climbed up without having gone through proper
training on the first floor.
"This guy has the Blue Pattern. It will be impossible to defeat him just with our stats,”
Park Joo-Hyuk explained.
"Oh… I just realized that…” At Park Joo-Hyuk's words, Shin Ha-Neul noticed the blue
light radiating from Cui Qian's body.
Shin Ha-Neul was frightened seeing the Blue Pattern.
"What the hell! You should have told me that earl— Keaugh!" Shin Ha-Neul gasped.
"You think this is some kind of a joke?!” Cui Qian shouted.
Cui Qian got offended when he saw Shin Ha-Neul being so calm and relaxed in front
of him. Therefore, he started to attack Shin Ha-Neul.
Shin Ha-Neul blocked the attacks in a hurry. However, when the merciless attacks
continued on, he began to panic and everything started to go wrong.
Chang—!
Park Joo-Hyuk pulled himself together while Shin Ha-Neul was fighting Cui Qian. He
then jumped in to block Cui Qian's sword and pushed him away from Shin Ha-Neul.
"Ha… You guys are pretty good," Cui Qian muttered.
"Damn it… it feels like there's one more burden to carry,” said Park Joo-Hyuk.
"Jeez, what do you mean a burden? Did you forget that I saved you—" Shin Ha-Neul
got offended.
"Heads!" Park Joo-Hyuk shouted.
Clang clang clang!
Park Joo-Hyuk avoided Cui Qian's sword and looked back because, for a moment, he
thought that something was amiss. It was because the other challengers on Cui
Qian’s team did not show up. Park Joo-Hyuk had thought that they would soon come
this way after defeating Hwang Kang-Woong. However, that did not happen.
‘No way… ’
Bam—! Crash—!
Suddenly, there was a loud sound coming from behind. Park Joo-Hyuk looked back
with a look of surprise.
"See? I didn’t come here alone!" Shin Ha-Neul grumbled.
Behind the offended Shin Ha-Neul, Park Joo-Hyuk could see several familiar faces.
"Boss!"
"What’s going on with you? You abandoned us, went up ahead, and got into a
situation like this?"
"We would not have sent you ahead if we’d known you were going to struggle this
much.”
"You guys!" Park Joo-Hyuk seemed relieved.
They were Park Joo-Hyuk’s colleagues from Undermost. The group included Park
Joo-Hyuk's special team members and other Korean challengers who had joined
them.
"Just stay here and rest for a bit. We will deal with the rest.”
"Hey, I'm the one who saved Joo-Hyuk," Shin Ha-Neul muttered.
"Everyone, get ready for battle! Protect our boss and Mr. Hwang. After that, we will
enter the inner city!” Baek Hyun-Ah commanded.
She did not even bother to listen to Shin Ha-Neul's words and gave instructions to
the team.
"Ugh… You, annoying bastards!" Cui Qian shouted.
"I'll join you," said Inyou Kogo.
Flames soared in the midst of the Korean challengers. When Park Joo-Hyuk and
Hwang Kang-Woong saw the flames, their faces stiffened.
"Inyou Kogo…” Cui Qian muttered.
"Let's wipe out these guys first, and then we will have our battle after," Inyou Kogo
explained.
Cui Qian did not like how things were going, but he nodded because he did not have
any other choice. Unlike the first time, the situation had changed. Cui Qian and Inyou
Kogo became the minority, whereas Park Joo-Hyuk and his team were the majority.
And the next moment, a bloodied Hwang Kang-Woong slowly walked out from
among the special team members.
"Now the tables have turned. How do you feel now? Do you think you two can handle
it?"
***
In the inner city, other challengers kept looking for the four members of Park Joo-
Hyuk’s team. The four people were already riddled with wounds. They had barely
managed to elude their pursuers, and they sighed in relief.
"Ha… Do you think Joo-Hyuk and Mr. Hwang are doing alright on their own?”
"They will be fine. Let's think about how we are going to get through this situation
first." Kim Kang-Chun took out a map of Merteng’s inner city from his arms and put it
down on the floor.
"If we keep pushing forward like this, we will arrive at the Throne Room. I know that
the challengers are a problem, but we also have to deal with the demons who are in
the inner city,” Kim Kang-Chun explained.
"What do you think, Eun-Ju?"
"Give me a minute," Ji Eun-Ju replied.
Ji Eun-Ju placed her palm on the floor and sent her mana through the ground. The
wave of mana that was flowing through the ground detected several disparate waves.
"I think we will encounter more enemy challengers while dealing with the demons if
we take this route,” Ji Eun-Ju explained.
"Then should we go back the other way?"
"No, we don't have time for that. We have to deal with them quickly in order to save
the two people who are still outside.”
"How's the enemies’ strength? How many people have they got?"
"There are three small demonic beasts and two demonized humans who are
blocking the entrance. But I can't figure out where the challengers are right now," Ji
Eun-Ju explained.
Was it better to go ahead without finding out where the enemy challengers were? Or
was it better for them to consider all the possibilities and advance cautiously, just in
case? Kim Kang-Chun was in agony. He was the only one who could take the
leadership role here. However, he was not sure if it was right to risk the lives of his
colleagues. His head was telling him that the former was right, but he was still
hesitant.
"Let's just go in." Park Hye-Won gave her opinion first. "There is no guarantee that it
will be safe to go back, and above all, the two people outside are sacrificing
themselves for us. I think it’s better to just break through.”
"Yes, I think so too. Let’s just break through it.”
After hearing the opinions of the two people, Kim Kang-Chun looked at Ji Eun-Ju.
"What about you?" Kim Kang-Chun asked.
“…I agree," Ji Eun-Ju muttered.
"Will you be okay?" Kim Kang-Chun asked.
"Yes," Ji Eun-Ju replied.
Kim Kang-Chun realized that he had been thinking of them as weak.
"Let's go then." Kim Kang-Chun led the group.
The four challengers opened the door carefully and moved cautiously along the
corridor. Soon, they could see a demonic beast and a demonized human who were
walking slowly down the corridor.
"Thank God, they're not together."
"I think we will be able to handle them quietly.” Kim Kang-Chun exchanged glances
with the other three.
They had already worked together countless times. Kim Kang-Chun considered the
demons’ appearance and characteristics.
‘Okay, so the Qurett is an agile demonic beast, but weak in defense. And on the other
hand, these demonized humans have reinforced gloves? I'll be in trouble if I make a
mistake.’
The next moment, Park Hye-Won and Kim Kang-Chun’s eyes met. The two nodded
lightly, and Kim Kang-Chun ran out first. At the same time, Kang Ji-Hoon also moved
and Park Hye-Won's mana buffed Kim Kang-Chun’s sword.
"Kirik?" The Qurett was surprised.
As the demonic beast and the demonized human realized the presence of the
attackers, Kang Ji-Hoon’s sword had already struck the Qurett while Kim Kang-
Chun’s greatsword had struck the demonized human. A rock that protruded from the
ground caught the Qurett’s feet, and Kang Ji-Hoon's sword penetrated the Qurett's
neck immediately after. The demonized human could not even scream as its head
rolled off to the ground following Kim Kang-Chun’s attack.
"Let's go." Kim Kang-Chun led the group.
Fortunately, the challengers dealt with the remaining three demons smoothly, and
safely arrived at the Throne Room without being caught by the enemy challengers.
"This is going too well."
“…Do you think this is a trap?”
"I think there’s a good chance of that. So let’s be careful.”
The four challengers opened the door of the Throne Room with stiff expressions on
their faces. The Throne Room was filled with black fog. The Throne was located in
the middle of the room. And on top of the throne, there was a dark red Nucleus of
Demon Realm.
As soon as they opened the door, Park Hye-Won noticed the Nucleus of Demon
Realm. She then released the mana that she had been warming up before entering
the Throne Room.
[Wind Cutter]
Craaack—!
Park Hye-Won was able to display her fast casting speed right there and then, but it
did not leave even a tiny scratch on the surface of the pair of strong claws that had
appeared and blocked the Wind Cutter’s attack.
"You sure have a short temper,” said a voice.
A creature with a heap of fur emerged from the black mist. Even at a quick glance,
the challengers could see that he had a muscular body along with ferocious claws on
both his hands and feet.
"Beastman?"
Considering the Navy Pattern that was glowing on his chest, he was definitely a
challenger. From the 10th floor to the 19th floor, the challengers could only
encounter other challengers from different dimensions. However, it had changed
again from the 21st floor, because now the challengers could encounter only the
challengers who came from the Earth's dimension, not from any other dimensions.
Therefore, this Beastman was definitely a challenger who came from the Earth.
"Nice to meet you, Korean challengers and rising super rookies." The Beastman
seemed relaxed and calm.
On the other hand, the four felt nothing but hopelessness. The power and stats of
those with Patterns increased relatively. In addition, the Beastman had maximized
physicality. Therefore, if he had a Pattern, the increase in stats made him impossible
to deal with even for those who had outstanding achievements.
Moreover, earlier, they had been struggling to deal with the Qualifiers who acquired
a Blue Pattern. However, this time, the opponent had a Navy Pattern, which was one
level higher than the Blue Pattern. The challengers thought that there was no chance
for them to win this battle.
‘Damn it.’
Even if the challengers had been at their best, the Beastman was a tough opponent to
deal with. Besides, it was even harder for them to deal with the Beastman because
their Health Points and Mana Power were very low at the moment. Also, behind
Beastman were other challengers trying to defeat them.
"You guys look worried. But, don't worry. If you four beat me, I'll hand you the
Nucleus. Also, I won't let the other guys get in our fight," said the Beastman.
"What?"
"I wonder how good the super rookies are. So why don’t I quickly introduce myself
before we start fighting. My name is Ethan. Since I already know all of your names,
you don't have to tell me, ha ha ha!” Ethan started laughing.
It was difficult for the four challengers to figure out whether Ethan was telling the
truth or not.
"Alright, then let’s begin!” Ethan shouted.
Ethan charged toward Kim Kang-Chun. A tremendous gripping force that seemed to
be enough to crush the greatsword was delivered to Kim Kang-Chun through his
sword.
Wooong—!
Along with his greatsword, Kim Kang-Chun was thrown into the wall by Ethan,
because he lacked strength. Kang Ji-Hoon, who ran in a little late, was smashed into
the ground by Ethan's foot, his head pressing against the floor.
"Ahhh—!” Ji Eun-Ju screamed.
Even though she was a little late, Ji Eun-Ju tried to cast a spell. However, she
screamed as she was hit by Ethan. She flew away without being able to properly use
her mana, due to fear. In the meantime, Park Hye-Won's Spear of Cool Wind thrust at
Ethan's neck, but Ethan slightly tilted his head and easily avoided the last attack.
"Did I expect too much from you?" Ethan asked.
Ethan could not hide his disappointment and looked at the four people who fell
down. He did not expect them to beat him, but since they were the talk of the town,
he thought they would be able to show him something better.
"If this is all you’ve got, I don't have to wait and see. Lee Shin must be nothing, too,”
Ethan muttered.
Just as Ethan was about to leave with a sneer, there was a series of sword aura
clashing.
Boom-boom!
"Ugh…!" Ethan gasped.
He panicked when the swords caused an explosion, as he had thought that they were
just simple swords.
"It's way too early for you to judge our master." Kim Kang-Chun approached from the
side.
Kim Kang-Chun seemed to be out of breath.
"You have a strong ego— Keugh!" Ethan gasped.
Whoosh!
The Spear of Cool Wind that was shot from the black mist spun at a high speed and
dug into Ethan's nails.
"Keuaaahhh!" With a voice full of irritation, Ethan canceled his spell, grabbed Kang
Ji-Hoon's head and smashed it into the ground several times.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Keuahhh!" Kang Ji-Hoon screamed.
"Ji-Hoon Oppa!"
Kang Ji-Hoon's Health Points which had been slowly recovering fell drastically. And
due to Ethan’s overwhelming strength, his mental state started to slowly fall apart.
Kim Kang-Chun hurriedly swung his sword to save him, but the sword was not able
to reach the target in time, and Ethan threw Kang Ji-Hoon in front of the attack. Kim
Kang-Chun swept across the ground and caught Kang Ji-Hoon mid-air, but Ethan
kicked them down from above.
Clang!
There was a loud sound in the Throne Room as if something was hit by a cannonball.
"Ha… ha…” Ethan sighed.
Ethan's eyes began to return to their normal state. He had been too excited for a
second. He had found it really exciting to allow the challengers to attack him when
he thought that they would not be able to touch even a single hair of his. The side
effects of becoming a Beastman appeared occasionally, and now was the time.
"I see that you have some capability,” Ethan muttered.
Ethan looked at the four people lying on the floor. They were too talented to be killed
like this here. If it weren't for his situation, Ethan would not have joined in this kind
of activity.
Just then, other challengers flocked to the Throne Room.
"Ethan? You've already taken care of them all.”
"Yes, I did," Ethan replied.
The four challengers, who had already become unable to fight, were dragged by the
other challengers, tied up, and thrown in one place.
"Shall we kill them?"
"They told us to capture these guys alive if we can, so just take them with you," said
Ethan.
"Alright."
As the four challengers were about to be taken away in mana-blocking handcuffs, the
challengers who had been dragging them suddenly collapsed with a sharp metallic
sound.
"What's going on?"
"Is it Joo-Hyuk and Mr. Hwang?”
Except for Kang Ji-Hoon, who had lost consciousness, the others looked at the fallen
challengers with puzzled faces, surprised by this sudden development.
Wooong— Clang!
A heavy sword aura struck Ethan from above. Ethan blocked the sword aura and
observed the silhouette of the attacker through the cloud of dust.
"Who are you?” Ethan asked.
Ethan was confident in himself, no matter who his opponent was. If anything, this
sudden attack aroused his excitement.
"What are you doing here? You abandoned me, and you’re struggling with a bearlike
human now?"
On the battlefield, visibility was impeded by the black fog and the floating dust. The
silhouettes of several people slowly appeared through the fog and the three people
lying on the floor could hear familiar voices.
"Is that you, Hyun Oppa…?" Ji Eun-Ju asked in a trembling voice.
Ji Eun-Ju was truly desperate. When Hye-Won heard the voice, she could not resist
crying for a moment.
"I'll take care of this guy, so please take care of the rest." Baek Hyun appeared
through the scattered dust.
Kim Kang-Chun clenched his teeth and Park Hye-Won closed her eyes. On the side, Ji
Eun-Ju began to cry.
"Bring it on, you beast." Baek Hyun got into his position.
There was a Beastman, a bear man, with a Navy Pattern. Baek Hyun pretended to be
calm on the outside, but in fact, he had started to panic. His first sword attack was a
well-thought one, but the Beastman blocked his attack, no problem. When Baek
Hyun saw that, he could tell how great the Beastman’s strength and mana power
were.
‘I could never beat him face-to-face, that means… ’
After organizing his thoughts, Baek Hyun moved closer to Ethan, and in the
meantime, other challengers who came with him rescued the four challengers who
were captured.
"Madam?" Park Hye-Won looked surprised.
"Sorry, I'm late. Are you alright?" Kang Jung-Won asked.
"Whoa… I thought I was going to die. By the way, I still thought about your
tteokbokki even when I was in such danger.” Park Hye-Won smiled.
The nervous faces of the challengers who came to save them were a little relieved by
Park Hye-Won's joke.
"I don’t think Baek Hyun can manage on his own.” Kim Kang-Chun tried to step
forward.
"What can you do with a body like this? Just leave it to us," Kang Jung-Won replied.
Kim Kang-Chun tried to get up and step forward, but Kang Jung-Won pushed him
back. The challengers surrounded the four people who looked devastated. They were
all challengers from Undermost.
"I am relieved,” Kim Kang-Chun replied.

Did Lee Shin tell them to stay behind for longer because he knew something like this
would happen? The Korean challengers who got trained in the Undermost seemed
more reliable than anyone else.
"Haha, says the ones who don’t even have a Pattern… Just kill them all!"
Challengers from other countries who formed Cartels in Isocia and the Korean
challengers from the Undermost started a battle.
Thud—!
"Keugh!" Baek Hyun gasped.
Baek Hyun was in a fierce battle with Ethan, but soon, he was held by Ethan and
thrown into the wall. Baek Hyun was helpless. He was losing because he could not
overcome the Beastman’s overwhelming physicality.
"Hahaha! Is that all you’ve got?" Ethan laughed at Baek Hyun.
Baek Hyun clicked his tongue and ran towards Ethan once again. As if walking on a
blade, Baek Hyun could barely block Ethan’s attacks. However, the next moment, a
mana circle was shining bright under Baek Hyun’s feet. When Ethan noticed that, he
quickly retreated to avoid it.
However, contrary to Ethan's expectations, the strong mana that was felt in the mana
circle disappeared the next moment, as if that was the true intention There was no
sign of attack from the mana circle; rather, Baek Hyun’s sword emerged in a
powerful stabbing motion.
[Wind Drill]
Baek Hyun's mana gathered in the sword, rotated at a high speed, and then fired at
the opponent. The sword, now with maximum penetration power, came at Ethan's
heart with precision. Even only a quick glance would reveal that it was a powerful
technique that Baek Hyun had put in all his power.
While Ethan was pulling back, his body twisted strangely. His tail pressed against the
ground and caused him to bounce up like a spring. Ethan smiled when he saw Baek
Hyun's sword brush past his body by a slight gap. However, the next moment, Ethan’s
head hurriedly turned to the system message that appeared.
Boom!
[The Nucleus of Demon Realm has been broken.]
What Baek Hyun's technology had been aiming for a while ago was not Ethan, but
the Nucleus of Demon Realm that was placed on top of the throne.
"Ugh! How dare you!” Ethan shouted.
Ethan, whose eyes were bloodshot, as if he was about to have another seizure,
clenched his teeth as he watched the demon realm around him disappear.
"See you next time, kid," said Ethan.
Thump! Bang!
A crater was formed under Ethan's feet as he landed on the floor. And his body
disappeared through the wall like a cannonball. Other challengers rushed out of the
castle trying to follow him. Baek Hyun wanted to chase all of them, but he could not
do that because of his fatigue.
[Merteng has been reclaimed.]
[Your merit points are being calculated.]
[The top three challengers will obtain the 『Red Pattern』.]
First. Kim Kang-Chun - 13,200 points.
Second. Park Joo-Hyuk - 10,800 points.
Third. Baek Hyun - 8,400 points.
[You have acquired the 『Red Pattern』.]
A Pattern symbolizing Merteng had been engraved on the back of Baek Hyun's hand
and red mana power had filled it.
[Red Pattern]
You have received a qualification to go to the next stage.
# The Health Point and Mana Power increases by 3%.
# The overall stats increase by 5%.
The effects of the Pattern raised stats by percentages. The power from the Pattern
gave wings to the three people who had collected more stats than anyone else on the
lower floors.
"Wait! What happened to Joo-Hyuk! Is he okay?" Kim Kang-Chun remembered his

comrade when he saw the merit point ranking.
"He will be okay. People have gone over there, too.”
Only then did Kim Kang-Chun, Park Hye-Won, and Ji Eun-Ju seem relieved. After the
Nucleus of the Demon Realm had been broken, the demon realm that covered the
entire Merteng slowly began to disappear. The collapsed buildings were restored to
their original state, and the owner of the empty throne came back.
"Dear Qualified, was it you guys who reclaimed Merteng?" the King asked.
When the challengers heard the graceful and dignified voice, everyone turned to the
throne. The king was sitting on the throne, and the royal knights lined up on both
sides. The magnificent appearance of the king made the challengers feel small
somehow.
"Let them all out, except those people who are qualified as Red Patterns," the king
demanded.
All of them worked hard together to defeat the enemies and destroy the demon
realm, but the only ones who were recognized were those with the Pattern. Some
people thought of protesting, but they were dragged out by the majestic knights, not
able to shout a word.
The king introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you all! My name is Adolf Gin de Merteis, the King of Merteng."
"My name is Baek Hyun."

"I'm Park Joo-Hyuk."
Since Baek Hyun and Park Joo-Hyuk did not know any royal etiquette, they just
bowed to him like they would normally do in Korea. And the king nodded.
"Is this how you greet people in your hometown?” King Merteis asked.
"That's right."
"There’s no need to make that face. It’s not the first day that people from other
dimensions have come. By the way, are there only two Qualified with red patterns?"
King Merteis looked at one of the royal knights.
"There's one more person down there," the royal knight replied.
"Go and get that person," King Merteis demanded.
"Yes sir!" the royal knight replied.
The royal knight responded to the king's order and left the Throne Room. Unlike the
two challengers who were very nervous, the king seemed very relaxed.
"There's nothing to be nervous about. You are the distinguished guests of our
country.” King Merteis smiled.
***
[Please select the city you want to begin with.]
The names of various cities appeared in the air. Among them, Lee Shin already knew
which city he wanted to choose.
[You have selected Seia, the city of magic.]
[Now, please select the Magic Tower.]
The names of various Magic Towers had appeared in the air. There was a Red Magic
Tower, a Blue Magic Tower, and a Yellow Magic Tower… Although Lee Shin was
somewhat struggling to make a decision, Lee Shin eventually decided to go with his
initial choice.
[You have selected the Black Magic Tower.]
[The Black Magic Tower is a Magic Tower that has never produced a ‘Deleaguer’ in
the Deleague for the past 300 years. Win the Deleague and produce a Deleaguer.]
[Or, kill all the masters of the Magic Towers, except the master of the Black Magic
Tower.]
There were a total of seven Magic Towers in Seia, the city of magic. And these Magic
Towers held a competition called Deleague, every seven years. This competition was
done to elect a Deleaguer, the leader representing all seven Magic Towers. Lee Shin
had to make the Black Magic Tower win at that competition.
‘I remember from before that when I selected the Extreme level, I was told to knock
down four Magic Towers in Deleague.’
This time, Lee Shin had to knock down all six Magic Towers and become the winner
of the Deleague. Or else, he had to kill all the masters of the Magic Towers.
"I had expected it to be hard… but this is giving me a headache," Lee Shin mumbled.
The only Magic Tower that had never produced a Deleaguer in 300 years was the
Black Magic Tower. Before starting anything, it was necessary for Lee Shin to
understand why that happened.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you going to take the test?” a man in the robe with
a black sheep pattern yelled at Lee Shin angrily.
The black sheep was a pattern that symbolized the Black Magic Tower.
"If you're not going to take the test, get lost. Don’t mess around here!” the man
shouted.
The way they greeted new wizards was completely contrary to other Magic Towers.
Others would have been annoyed by this attitude of the wizard and went to another
tower, but Lee Shin did not.
"I'll take the test," Lee Shin said.
"Really?" the man asked.
A moment’s curiosity was just about the amount of attention the man gave to Lee
Shin when he signed up for the test. The wizard of the Black Magic Tower only
flicked his fingers and signaled Lee Shin to follow him, but he did not even bother to
turn his head to look at Lee Shin.
"Here it is. Shoot a Dark Arrow on this dummy. If you manage to put a curse on him,
you'll pass,” the wizard explained.
Dark Arrow was the most basic mana of black mana. However, it was also a mana
that could show a huge difference in the wizards’ skills. Dark Arrow was
characterized by not simply hitting the enemy, but being able to put a curse on the
enemy.
The wizard, who had vaguely explained the rules to Lee Shin, did not even take a few
steps back and started picking his ears. He frowned as if he wanted Lee Shin to finish
the test quickly. He then pointed to the dummy with his chin. It was obvious from his
expression that he was thinking of Lee Shin as no different from the others.
Lee Shin slowly warmed up his mana. Since becoming the boss of the first floor, Lee
Shin had used the Dark Arrow hundreds and thousands of times. This skill, Dark
Arrow, was poor and undeveloped so it seemed like a meaningless repetition.
However, those experiences were no longer meaningless to Lee Shin who regained
his memory.
A black arrow appeared at the tip of Lee Shin’s index finger. Such a simple Dark
Arrow that was not outstanding in any way struck the dummy's heart. Only the area
where the Dark Arrow had touched was blackened, and the dummy did not even
shake.
"Oh, that's not bad.” The wizard, who did not expect much from Lee Shin, had a
surprised look for the first time, seeing Lee Shin's clean shot of Dark Arrow.
The look he had thrown at Lee Shin as if he was a troublesome leech now
disappeared. However, his annoyance did not turn into favor.
"You’re lucky, it's a pass," said the wizard.

"You can bring this certificate of acceptance to the staff on the first floor," the wizard
explained.
Even though Lee Shin had passed the test, the wizard did not look excited. The
wizard just slightly nodded as if it was a natural thing to pass the test.
"What's your name?" the wizard asked.
"It’s Lee Shin,” Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin saw the wizard’s facial expression harden when the wizard heard his name.
‘Has my name spread here as well?’
Unlike what Lee Shin had expected, the wizard did not ask more questions about
him.
The wizard introduced himself.
"I am Raymond, first-class wizard of the Black Magic Tower."
"Huh, are you not surprised? Anyway, do your best. I think your skills aren’t too bad,”
said Raymond.
After saying that, Raymond left the test room without a moment of hesitation, as if
he had no interest in giving more attention to Lee Shin. And Lee Shin went to the
lobby on the first floor as Raymond had told him.
"I see that you have a certificate of acceptance. Please wait a moment,” said the
employee.
The employee who received the certificate of acceptance went inside for a while and
came out with a piece of clothing.
"This is what third-class wizards wear. This is given to the learners who passed the
test."
It was a gray costume with a black sheep pattern on it. It was a piece of clothing the
Black Magic Tower used to symbolize the third-class wizard.
"Here's a brochure about the Black Magic Tower. The third-class wizards can use the
public training room, and you can find out the schedule for mana classes by looking
at the timetable written there. It’s optional to attend the classes," the employee
explained.
"When can I take the test for the second class?" Lee Shin asked.
"The test for second-class happens once a week and the next one is… Oh, it’s
happening in three days," the employee replied.
"All right, thank you," Lee Shin replied.
"The accommodation for the third-class wizards is located on the second floor. And
Lee Shin… you are in room 215,” said the employee.
After thanking the employee, Lee Shin exited the Black Magic Tower, but did not
head to the accommodation.
***
"Ha… why did they put preservatives in the test room for the runners?" A woman,
looking very annoyed, opened the test room door with anger.
There was a dummy placed in the middle of the field. And behind it were the things
that she was trying to take back, but her eyes were on the dummy.
"What's going on?" The woman looked surprised.
Two hours ago, the woman heard that a learner had finally taken a test in this test
room after a very long time. And that was why she came to pick up the stuff that she
had left in the test room, which had been left unused for a while.
"This is…” the woman muttered.
There were black traces on the dummy’s heart. It showed that the Dark Arrow had
hit the mark, and the curse had been put on it.
Normally, the traces that were left behind after being in contact with the Dark Arrow
had spread. That was because there was no need to have so much control over the
curse that was applied with the Dark Arrow.
For them, the skill, Dark Arrow, was nothing more than a quick skill that was used to
keep their enemy in check in the first place. However, the traces left on the dummy
remained exactly as a round shape and did not spread around.
These traces revealed a kind of curse that amplified the penetration damage that the
victim received. It was one of the more difficult curses to master, but the important
thing here was not the fact that a penetration curse had been applied to the arrow.
"Dark Arrow.” The woman casted a spell.
A faint black arrow that extended from the tip of her finger hit exactly the traces of
the curse left in the dummy.
Crunch—!
The heart of the dummy had been pierced. And when she saw that, her expression
stiffened immediately.
"Who exactly is this bastard?”

"Your name is Lee Shin? That's an interesting name.”
"It’s Lee Shin again? People from the Black Magic Tower sure are funny…”
"Is Lee Shin your real name? Are you sure you didn’t copy someone else’s name?”
Lee Shin spoke with the wizards he met outside of the Black Magic Tower, and when
people heard the name Lee Shin, they all gave the same response.
"Well, I’ve heard rumors about Lee Shin being He Who Knows Death or something,
but I’m not sure if that’s true because there have been a lot of people impersonating
him. Also the rumors don’t make much sense, so there aren't many people who
actually believe it."
"What good is there to impersonate?" Lee Shin asked.
"It's for the reputation. And there were some scammers going around, claiming to be
Lee Shin. Well, I was thinking that I haven’t seen them in a while…” The wizard
glanced at Lee Shin after saying that.
"Please don't look at me like that. I have no intention to scam," Lee Shin said.
"Are you sure? But then what brings you here? What is a wizard from the Black
Magic Tower doing here?" The wizard of the Blue Magic Tower looked at Lee Shin
suspiciously.
"I'm here for a field trip," Lee Shin replied.
"A field trip?" The wizard was surprised to hear such an unexpected response from
Lee Shin.
The wizard gave an interested look and nodded.
"Hmm… I mean if you've just become a third-class wizard, then it's understandable.
All right, come with me," the wizard said.
Unlike the Black Magic Tower, there were a lot of people on the Blue Magic Tower
starting from the first floor. Those people were learning to become the wizards of
the Blue Magic Tower. When these wizards saw Lee Shin’s black robe, they began to
whisper to each other, glancing at Lee Shin.
"Is that a wizard from the Black Magic Tower?"
"What is he doing here?”
"He probably realized that the Black Magic Tower had no potential when he went in.”
"But I feel sorry for the Black Magic Tower. That guy must have been the first wizard
they had gotten in a while, and they are already losing him.”
Those whispering were students who could not even be called wizards yet. Even
though they knew that Lee Shin was a third-class wizard, they refused to admit that
Lee Shin was better than themselves.
‘If I were in the Black Magic Tower, I would have passed the exam already.’
‘I would rather not get a wizard’s title if my only option was to get one from the Black
Magic Tower.’
They thought their opponents from the Black Magic Tower were inferior to
themselves.
"You are here just in time. Today is the day for the learners to learn about spells. You
should pay attention.”
The blue wizard led Lee Shin to the classroom and then left. Lee Shin could see the
students who were gathered to listen to the lecture. Since they were not recognized
as wizards yet, they did not even have their uniforms. The fact that a third-class
wizard joined the students in the same lecture was, in itself, an act that demeaned
the wizard. Even though he was aware of that, the blue wizard had put Lee Shin in
this classroom.
'Well… I had expected it, but it still doesn’t feel good to be treated this way.’
Lee Shin had expected such unpleasant treatment, because he knew how poorly
people thought of those from the Black Magic Tower. Originally, if a third-class
wizard came on a field trip, it would have been normal to be brought to the lectures
third-class wizards attend.
However, the wizard led Lee Shin to a students’ lecture. Lee Shin tried to endure the
frustration and sat down. A blue wizard had come into the classroom to give the
lecture, amid whispers louder than what Lee Shin had experienced in the lobby.
"Nice to meet you all! My name is Lauren, a first-class wizard. I see that we have an
unexpected student here today." Lauren looked at Lee Shin and gave a mysterious
smile.
"Well, let's begin the lecture," said Lauren.
The lectures that the students took were on the fundamentals of magic. They were
learning the basic knowledge to become a wizard of the Blue Magic Tower, which
was to generate mana and create water.
"When you become a wizard, creating mana is a very basic skill. Even if you are not a
wizard yet, it is possible to create mana. However, a wizard should know how to
change the nature of that mana power," Lauren explained.
The next moment, Lauren approached the student who was sitting at the front of the
classroom. She then picked up a tissue from a student’s desk, and soon the tissue
that she held using her index finger and thumb began to get wet little by little.
"Those who can't even change the nature of the mana power should not be called
wizards. The nature of water is said to be very fluid; it can change into anything and
it has the best balance among various elements of nature. Now, you don't have to
worry about turning water into some other form. All you have to do is successfully
change the nature of the mana. It's considered a success if you can just make the
tissue wet like I just did," Lauren explained.
After Lauren's explanation, the learners tried hard to create water by generating
mana.
"What do I have to do?”
"A nature that is fluid…?”
"Water… water…”
In the classroom, there were voices filled with frustration everywhere. When Lauren
demonstrated, she made it seem very easy to create water, but creating water was
not that easy for the students.
"Umm… why aren’t you doing it?” Lauren approached and asked Lee Shin, who was
not doing anything but just staring at others around him.
Lee Shin barely managed to hold back his laughter because he could see the
intention of the wizard who was standing in front of him. Her half-closed eyes and
raised eyebrows made her curiosity and contempt about him simultaneously visible.
"I was looking at how the other learners were doing it," Lee Shin replied.
"Why is that? Is it because you cannot do it without watching other learners? So did I
incorrectly see the clothes that you are wearing right now?” Lauren tried to
humiliate Lee Shin.
Lauren had a disgusted expression on her face, one side of her mouth raised. As if
Lee Shin was considered pathetic to anyone in the classroom, her derogatory tone
was far from being polite.
"So… do I just have to make water…?” Lee Shin asked.
"Yes," Lauren replied.
The disdain of a first-class wizard, who could not even manage to become a Clarte
did not bother Lee Shin, not even a bit.
"Hah." Lee Shin laughed for a second.
‘Are you laughing?’
Lauren, who had been looking at Lee Shin for a moment, frowned momentarily. She
was furious that only a third-class wizard of the Black Magic Tower laughed at her.
When she was about to generate mana to humiliate Lee Shin, Lauren felt a
momentary surge of mana power from Lee Shin and could not move as if she was
frozen on the spot.
‘W-w-what’s going on…?’

The amount of mana that she had felt could not have been felt in a third-class wizard.
She had felt it only for a moment, but then it soon disappeared.
‘Was I… mistaken…?’
The moment her eyes met Lee Shin’s, Lauren felt as if she had encountered the
master of the Blue Magic Tower.
"It’s done," Lee Shin muttered.
"What?" Lauren asked.
Lee Shin had pushed his chair to get up from his seat.
"W-w-what are you doing!" Lauren shouted.
When Lauren noticed that Lee Shin was suddenly at a higher eye level, she started to
panic. Then, when Lee Shin raised his arm, Lauren got shocked and warmed up her
mana thinking that there would be a surprise attack.
"You punk! How dare you—" Lauren shouted in anger.
“I did it,” said Lee Shin.
"What?" Lauren asked.
When Lee Shin replied with some unexpected words, Lauren turned to the direction
that his finger was pointing at. When she looked, there was a clock and she could see
that the hour hand of the clock had just crossed the hour mark.
"Why is your hand shaking so much?" Lee Shin asked innocently as if he did not
know anything.
Lauren’s hands were shaking, subconsciously.
"Uh, I-I-I’m not feeling well. Our lecture is over! Everyone get out and go practice!"
Lauren shouted.
After saying that, Lauren turned around and left the classroom. She was frowning
with humiliation.
‘How dare that bastard… humiliate me?’
He was only a guy from the Black Magic Tower! How dare a guy who had only just
become a third-class wizard do that! Lee Shin had done nothing to her, and neither
did any of the students think Lee Shin had done something strange. However, Lauren
was ashamed at how she could not control her emotions.
"Hey, Lauren! Where are you going? Your face is so red!” another wizard coming
from the other side asked Lauren.
"Mind your own business!” Lauren replied.
"Weren’t you just giving a lecture? What made you so angry?” the wizard asked.
"A bastard from the Black Magic Tower was in my lecture, that’s why!” Lauren
replied.
"Well, that’s not even a big deal. By the way, it's suddenly raining outside, so bring an
umbrella with you," the wizard said.
"What? It's raining? Tsk," Lauren muttered.
Lauren was trying to go outside to cool her head, but once again, she had to try to
calm her soaring irritation indoors. She entered her room.
Bang!
She slammed the door and looked out of her window, listening to the sound of rain.
‘Rain… ’
- I did it.
The voice of the wizard from the Black Magic Tower suddenly came to her mind.
After Lauren shook her head because of a ridiculous thought that was hovering in
her head, she laid on the bed and closed her eyes.
***
"I’m here to sit in a class,” Lee Shin said.

"Oh! I see. Then are you planning on taking the test?”
"Umm… I still want to think about that. Can I have a brochure please?" Lee Shin
asked.
"Yes, we are handing it out to those who are sitting in. Here you go."
When Lee Shin tried to leave after receiving the brochure, he could sense the obvious
stares from his surroundings. In their view, Lee Shin was a wizard who gave up
because he was not confident of passing the third-class test even after listening to
the students’ lectures.
"Ugh, I knew he would do that."
"But I still thought he would at least take the test because he is a third-class wizard…
Is he giving up already?”
"The reputation of Black Magic Tower is much worse than I thought.”
"This is just as I’ve expected. I'm glad I didn't go to the Black Magic Tower even if I
had to stay in this tower much longer as a student.”
Like hyenas waiting to pounce on a weak lion, as soon as Lee Shin had left the Blue
Magic Tower, all kinds of ridicule poured out. They were people who could not
manage to pass the third-class test when it was an easy test for one who had some
talent.
The fact that one had passed the third-class test made him or her the subject of envy
and jealousy. The level of hatred increased if the wizard was from the Black Magic
Tower. These people just needed someone to relieve their own sense of inferiority.
"Hmm… is the brochure all about the lecture times of the third-class wizards?" Lee
Shin muttered.
It was showing occasional lectures that were held for the third-class wizards of the
Blue Magic Tower. While Lee Shin was looking through the list, he saw a very familiar
name.
‘Shun Grammys.’
He was a Clarte of the Blue Magic Tower, and many people had predicted he would
soon be a Head Clarte. He was a genius who could possibly even become the master
of the mana tower in the future. Lee Shin noticed that the lecture by the Clarte Shun
Grammys was scheduled for tomorrow.
‘Great.’
***
The next day, Lee Shin had visited the Blue Magic Tower once again, and when the
wizards of the Blue Magic Tower saw him, they began to gossip about him again.
"You're back again?"
"Didn't you give up already?"
"Take it easy… You guys from the Black Magic Tower don't seem to get embarrassed.”
Some people said it explicitly so Lee Shin would get humiliated, but Lee Shin did not
bother much. When they saw that Lee Shin did not react to their mockery, more and
more people began to gossip and laughed at him. Lee Shin ignored them all and
headed to see the receptionist.
"I'd like to take a lecture from Shun Grammys," Lee Shin said.
"Sorry? Umm… well…” The receptionist hesitated.
The receptionist seemed to be stunned. Lee Shin could clearly see what she had to
say, but he still asked.
"As far as I know, if you are a third-class wizard, you are allowed to sit in the lecture
prepared for the third-class wizards,” Lee Shin explained.
"Well… Shun Grammys’ lecture is so popular that all the seats are…” The receptionist
tried to explain.
"The seats are all taken?" Lee Shin asked.

"Huh? Well…” The receptionist did not give a clear answer.
"It’s still open, so go sit in it,” a voice replied.
When Lee Shin had turned around to look at the person who suddenly interrupted
them from behind, there was Lauren.
"You know there are places left for the sit-ins. Let him sit in,” Lauren said.
"Sorry? Oh… I see," the receptionist said.
Until a while ago, when Lee Shin asked, the receptionist seemed to hesitate and did
not seem comfortable giving him a seat. However, at Lauren’s instruction, she
immediately handed Lee Shin an attendance card.
"He is a third-class wizard, so of course he should be able to attend the class. Don't
you think so?" Lauren smirked.
When Lee Shin saw Lauren’s smirk, he laughed at her for a split second.
‘Are you laughing at me again, you son of a bitch?’
Pretending that she had not noticed anything, Lauren patted Lee Shin on the
shoulder with a smile, because she was ashamed to be angry at a mere third-class
wizard.
"Well, good luck with that. Although I’m not sure if you will be able to understand
the material,” said Lauren.
When Lee Shin answered half-heartedly and walked towards the classroom, she
gritted her teeth, but managed to hold back her anger.
‘Let's see if you can keep that attitude even in that class.’
Lee Shin left Lauren and arrived at the classroom. This classroom was much bigger
and cleaner than the one the students were in. There were numerous third-class
wizards in the classroom.
"What the hell? Is he from the Black Magic Tower?"
"Why is he here?"
"Isn't he the one who couldn’t even keep up with the students’ lecture the other
day?"
"What made him come here?"
"Come on, he’s going to hurt our reputation. Why would someone let him in?”
Smirks, taunts, rebukes, and snubs abounded; and yet, Lee Shin walked in proudly
and sat down. When it was time for the lecture, Shun Grammys entered. His eyes
scanned the entire classroom, past Lee Shin. He gave no particular reaction, just like
when Lee Shin had attended Lauren’s lecture.
"Let's begin. Today's lecture is on spears and shields. You will get to choose your
opponent, choose either a spear and a shield, and then proceed to battle," Shun
explained.
This course was on battling, with the focus on spear and shield. It was difficult for
Lee Shin to even participate in this class because it was his first day.
“I will announce the results of our last mana power control test, starting from the
first place to the last," said Shun.
When Shun flicked his finger, their rankings appeared on the big screen.
"I see that there are three students who are sitting in this time, and it would be
boring to just watch others do it, right? Would you guys like to participate?" Shun
asked.
‘Were there two other people besides me?’
Lee Shin's gaze moved along with Shun's, and there sat two wizards dressed in red
and gold uniform.
‘Well, I don't know about gold, but… red is kind of unexpected.’
"I will."
"Same here."
When the two answered, Shun’s eyes turned to Lee Shin.
"Sounds good.”
When Lee Shin answered, hostility toward him soared around him.
"Well then, I'll give you guys a chance to step forward. Who wants to go first? By the
way, the spell you use must be of the water element,” Shun said.
At Shun's words, all eyes in the classroom were focused on the three attendees,
including Lee Shin.
"I'll go first." The wizard from the Gold Magic Tower was the first to volunteer.
The Gold Magic Tower was considered one of the best Magic Towers out there. As he
got up from his seat, his haughty expression revealed his pride.
"I will choose Seika, who got first place on the earlier test," Verren, the wizard from
the Gold Magic Tower, said.
"Alright, come forward both of you," Shun said.
The wizard of the Gold Magic Tower seemed relaxed, but Seika got up from his seat
with a sullen expression. Even if the opponent was from the Gold Magic Tower, this
competition was a battle where they had to fight using the water element. Both
being third-class wizards, it was more likely for the wizard of the Blue Magic Tower
to win. However, the arrogant wizard from the Gold Magic Tower had called out the
top ranker Seika, with confidence that he could easily win.
‘I will prove you wrong.’
This was a battle in which both of the wizards were sure of their victory. As he
watched the two, Lee Shin could already predict who would actually win the battle.
"The only rule you have is to use water element mana. As you’ve learned, water is an
element that can change into anything. So then, Verren, what will you choose?” Shun
asked.
"I'll take the spear role," Verren replied.
“Alright then, Seika you will automatically be the shield. You two may begin." With
that, Shun announced the start of the battle.
Verren, the wizard of the Gold Magic Tower, was a guy who had given Lee Shin a hard
time in his previous life. Lee Shin thought the outcome of this match was obvious.
The battle began, and Seika started his skillful control of water. The clump of water
created in the air had not yet taken any form, but this was intentional. He wanted to
be able to respond immediately to the opponent's attack.
On the contrary, Verren cast his mana effortlessly and turned the clump of water into
a pointed spear. His spear had a sharp blade and a straight, long shaft. His mana
control was so outstanding that people could be led into thinking he was a wizard of
the Blue Magic Tower. Even the wizards who were watching were amazed by him.
"Wow… that’s crazy.”
"Don’t you think he’s as good as Seika?"
"Wouldn’t Seika lose?"
"Hey, Seika is our No.1 player! Why would he lose to the wizard from the Gold Magic
Tower?”
"Well yeah, that's true. Oh, look! Seika has already responded to Verren’s attack."
Seika's mana had changed accordingly in response to Verren's attack. A thick, long
water shield blocked Verren’s line of attack.
"Ha! That’s cute." Verren commented on Seika’s shield.
"What did you say? Enough of your arrogance. I know you're great… but no matter
how skillful you are, you can’t beat me at using water element mana,” Seika said with
confidence.
"Well then, prove it." Verren smirked.
There was contempt in Verren’s smirk and Lee Shin could see through the intentions
behind that smile.
Whoosh!
The water spear flew sharply through the wind, and another spell was cast over it.
Crack—! Boom!
The lightning that was discharged over the surface of the water spear accelerated its
speed even more.
Splash—!
Seika's shield and Verren’s spear collided and caused an explosion of water.
"Argh!"
"Alright, that's enough," Shun called an end to the battle.
Slap! Splash!
The shield burst and the spear Verren threw was blocked by something and broke as
well.
"Ahhh… Haaa…” Seika was out of breath.
Seika breathed heavily as if he was in great shock. He then knelt on the floor,
trembling. On the contrary, Verren was still standing, looking fine. Although he could
sense a sharp stare from Shun, he pretended to not notice it.
"It is prohibited to harm the other person. If you've pierced the shield, stop there."
Shun ordered.
"Well, I could not control my power," Verren explained.
Shun did not impose any more restrictions on him, despite knowing he was lying
blatantly.
Just a moment ago, Verren had used a skill called double casting where he had
combined water and lightning at the same time. He made the skill seem simple. He
possessed a level of mana control that was hard to discern as a third-class wizard. It
was more appropriate to call this a difference in talent than a difference in the mana
level.
When those wizards in the classroom saw Verren’s mana, they were astonished and
there was a hushed silence in the classroom. Their surprise soon turned into
admiration.
"That was crazy!"
"Is this how strong the Gold Magic Tower is? Are all the wizards of the Gold Magic
Tower like him?”
"No way, I think Verren’s just great. I don’t think there are that many second-class
wizards who know how to use double casting.”
"Damn! Do we not have anyone like him in our Magic Tower?”
Shun hit his desk to get people’s attention.
"Stop now and go down. Who wants to go next?” Shun asked.
"I'll do it," Lee Shin replied.
Unexpectedly, the next person to raise their hand up was not the wizard of the Red
Magic Tower, but Lee Shin from the Black Magic Tower. When Lee Shin opened his
mouth to volunteer, he heard sighs around him.
Everyone had assumed that Lee Shin would not raise his hand, so they were going to
raise their hands and call him out as an opponent. Since other wizards believed that
Lee Shin would not be able to beat anyone and advance further, they thought there
was only one chance to compete against Lee Shin.
However, since Lee Shin had already volunteered, they had no choice but to wait and
see if their names would be called out. Lee Shin walked past numerous third-class
wizards of the Blue Magic Tower. His mana power spread around stealthily.
"So, did you think of who you want as your opponent?" Shun asked.
"I don’t have anyone in mind, so I'll take any volunteer," Lee Shin replied.
"Whoa… if you say so,” Shun muttered.
Lee Shin's remarks made the classroom heat up rapidly. There were a number of
people who wanted to battle with him.
"Hmm… I think we’ve got more than enough volunteers, so would you like to choose
one?” Shun asked.
Shun watched this situation with interest and Lee Shin had looked around at
numerous volunteers.
"And you said the only rule was to use the water element mana, am I right?” Lee Shin
asked.
"Yes, that’s right," Shun replied.
There was a faint smile on Lee Shin’s face. Just like Verren did, as long as Lee Shin
used the water element, there were no other conditions he had to follow.
"Then I guess it wouldn’t really matter even if there are multiple shields,” Lee Shin
muttered.
"Of course it doesn't matter, but a student who is at the level of making several
shields—" Shun was interrupted.
"All of them," Lee Shin muttered.
"What did you say?" Shun asked.
"I'll fight against everyone who is interested," Lee Shin replied.
Even when Verren had chosen Seika, and when Verren had easily managed to use
double casting and blocked Seika’s attack, Shun had not been surprised or flustered.
However, Shun was now hearing nonsense coming from a wizard of the Black Magic
Tower who was only a third-class wizard. Additionally, there were rumors that this
wizard had recently taken Lauren’s lecture and ran away when he had failed the task.
It was that same guy who was talking nonsense right now.
‘Is he playing a trick because he already knows he can't win?’
However, when Shun watched Lee Shin from the side, there was no sign of
nervousness.
"Are you saying you want to compete with all these volunteers?" Shun asked.
"That’s right, because you said a while ago that it doesn't matter if there are multiple
shields," Lee Shin replied.
"Haha… I did." Shun started laughing.
Even though Shun had been called a genius his whole life, he had never expected to
encounter such a situation like this. However, the question—should I accept his
ridiculous proposal–quickly disappeared.
"Fine, everybody come forward," Shun ordered.
All the wizards in the classroom frowned as they heard Shun’s decision, because they
had expected Shun to reject this ridiculous suggestion. Their pride was hurt, but they
could not refuse him. This was not the situation they wanted. Their goal was to
humiliate Lee Shin by bringing him down in a one-on-one battle. However, the
situation had become strange because of Lee Shin’s strategy.
"Is he playing some kind of a trick because he thinks he will not be able to win?”
Verren, watching the situation from behind, spoke to the wizard from the Red Magic
Tower who sat next to him.
"If I'm right… this will be an interesting battle,” the wizard from the Red Magic Tower
replied.
"What?" Verren asked.
When Verren could no longer hear the red wizard's answer, he turned to look at Lee
Shin, having low expectations. Facing Lee Shin, the blue third-class wizards had
gathered. Even though it was a fairly large space, so many people had come forward
that the space seemed small.
"Damn it, I can’t believe he’s playing such a trick.”
"Ugh, since things have turned out this way, I will just be the first one to knock him
down."
"The attacker will be attacked… I’ll show you!"

Each of the twenty wizards standing in front of Lee Shin had stood there with some
kind of a plan.
"This is a battle between a spear and a shield. If you fail to pierce the shields, you will
have to block twenty spears in the next round. Do you understand?” Shun asked.
"Alright, since I think both sides are ready, let's get started," Shun announced the
start of a battle.
The water shields created by the twenty wizards were made one after another and
formed a wall. The blue wizards cared so much about the competition amongst
themselves that they did not realize they were allowing Lee Shin a chance to break
through. On the other hand, Lee Shin, who was watching the scene, secretly moved
his mana. A chain of black mana soared under the twenty wizards and disrupted
their mana flow.
Plop! P-p-plop—!
Splash! Wooosh—! Splash!
The water shields, which seemed impenetrable, burst one after another and
scattered on the floor, and the wizards began to panic.
"Huh? What’s going on?"
"What the fuck! Who’s doing this?"
"Argh!"
"What's wrong with my mana!"
A small spear appeared in front of Lee Shin and the wizards still could not figure out
what was going on.
Woong—
Lee Shin made only one shot. Contrary to the big, sharp-looking water spear that
Verren had demonstrated earlier, the seemingly insignificant water spear had hit the
blue wizard in front of Lee Shin.
Plop! Splash—
At the same time, the water droplets that had spread, fell upon all the wizards and
then exploded.
P-p-p-plop!
"Keugh!"
"Argh!"
"Keaaughhh!"
The stage became a mess in an instant, and as soon as the water droplets started to
explode, an unfamiliar mana power intervened with Lee Shin’s.
‘Ha! Is Shun helping them because they are from the same Magic Tower?’
Shun made a surprise attack. The shallow mist in the air surrounded Lee Shin’s
water bombs and acted like a membrane.
‘That was a great skill and mana control.’
Lee Shin was astonished by Shun's ability, and so was Shun when he saw Lee Shin’s
ability.
‘Lee Shin has almost the same level of talent as me. But… it will still take him a long
time to become like me!'
Shun's mana moved vigorously and blocked Lee Shin’s mana, and at the same time, it
disturbed Lee Shin’s mana flow. Then, the next moment, Lee Shin could no longer
control the water droplets. The droplets gathered in one place and disappeared
under Shun’s control.
"Wow…”
"What did I just see?”

That whole fight took place in a short amount of time. Although Lee Shin’s mana was
interrupted, the skills that he had shown previously were enough to astonish the
blue wizards.
"Shit…”
"Is he really from the Black Magic Tower?"
"I guess the rumor that had been going around so far must have been false."
"You're kidding…”
At the incredible sight, everyone in the classroom gasped and their faces stiffened.
"Ugh, what a mess," Shun muttered.
Those wizards who had been hit by the water droplet bomb were knocked down
unconscious, while others sat down, stunned by the attack. Seeing this ridiculous
situation, Shun had a headache thinking about how to deal with it.
"Wake up, everyone! The winner is Lee Shin, the wizard of the Black Magic Tower,"
Shun said.
"This is unacceptable! He played a trick on us!"
"That's right! He must have cast a spell on us before the competition even started."
"I’ve heard that the wizards of the Black Magic Tower knew how to use dirty mana
tricks, but I can’t believe he di—”
"Enough! Are you guys trying to brag that you were so stupid that you were fooled by
your opponent?" Shun shouted.
The wizards who had protested, flinched when they heard Shun's angry voice.
"Everyone go back to your seats. And you too, Lee Shin,” Shun said.
Lee Shin and the blue wizards went back to their seats.
"Alright, we’ll continue with our lesson,” said Shun.

***
When the lecture was over, Verren and the red wizard followed Lee Shin who was
leaving the blue tower.
"Did you say your name was Lee Shin?" Verren asked.
"Why do you ask?" Lee Shin replied.
"What are you up to?" Verren asked.
The first thing he wanted to ask was what Lee Shin was up to. Lee Shin laughed while
thinking about what to do with this arrogant guy.
"What's that laugh about?" Verren asked.
"I’m just a wizard from the Black Magic Tower,” Lee Shin replied.
"Are you sure a third-class wizard can use such mana? Plus, you're from the Black
Magic Tower," said Verren.
"Why can't a wizard from the Black Magic Tower do that?" Lee Shin asked back.
"Well, I mean it’s possible. But don't be so proud, I could have won even if there were
a hundred of them,” Verren said.
"Good for you,” Lee Shin replied.
Verren’s eyes were blazing as if he had encountered the rival of the century. Lee Shin
could not believe that was what Verren first wanted to say to Lee Shin. Lee Shin
laughed it off and left.
That night, Shun Grammys was gazing at the lake on the outskirts of Seia, the city of
magic. He would sometimes enjoy the tranquility of looking at a calm lake.
'There’s a distraction today.’
Shun noticed a mana wave from behind the tree. He turned around to look and
mumbled, "What the hell? Did someone follow me here?"
There was no one around in front of that lake, and Lee Shin slowly made his
appearance from behind the tree. When Shun saw him, the atmosphere became
heavy momentarily and the mana power in the atmosphere started to linger. Also,
there were ripples in the calm lake.
"I knew something was wrong… How did you know where I was?” Shun asked.
"Well, there's a way to know," Lee Shin replied.
Lee Shin's eyes turned to the back of Shun Grammys. The souls were invisible to
Shun but they were visible to Lee Shin. Lee Shin could find out Shun’s location by
attaching a demon soul to Shun to track him.
"So, what brings you here?" Shun asked.
Lee Shin scanned Shun's posture and noticed that Shun was on guard, but he did not
seem nervous. That came from his confidence because Shun was sure that the
opponent would never be able to do any harm to him. Lee Shin's cold eyes scanned
Shun Grammys, and then he spread his mana around him.
‘This is just as I expected.’
Nothing was detected. Lee Shin's idea was right that Shun would not ask for help
even though he knew there was someone going after him. Lee Shin slowly warmed
up his mana.
"You’ll need to die here for me,” Lee Shin muttered.
In order for Lee Shin to kill all the masters of the Magic Towers, Shun Grammys had
to fall here, as the seed for war.
When the vortex of water that rose from the lake was swallowed up by a huge flame
and evaporated, the lake that used to be full, became an empty pit.
Shun Grammys, the Clarte of the Blue Magic Tower, was so outstanding that people
had said he would soon become the Head of Clarte. However, he was now on the
ground, shaking, with a look of disbelief. When Lee Shin saw that, he gave a
disdainful look.
The only way Lee Shin could clear this stage was either by winning at the Deleague
or by killing all the masters of Magic Towers besides the master of Black Magic
Tower. Thinking it would take too long to win at the Deleague, Lee Shin had decided
to kill all the masters of the Magic Towers since that was the only way to quickly
move on from this hell-level stage. However, there were numerous wizards in every
tower, and the masters were talented people who Lee Shin could not afford to
underestimate.
‘It would have been easy if it was just two or three of them, but… ’
It was burdensome even for Lee Shin to deal with all six masters of the Magic
Towers, because if he were to knock one down, the wizards from the other Magic
Towers would come for him. Therefore, Lee Shin had to come up with a strategy to
bring down all the towers step by step.
‘If possible, I should get the Black Magic Tower on my side.’
If Lee Shin were to suddenly attack and kill the masters of the other towers, there
was a high chance that even the black tower would turn their back on him.
‘It’s unfortunate, but Shun will have to be the trigger for the self-destruction of all the
Magic Towers.’
“I… can’t… believe… it…” Shun frowned and stared at Lee Shin.
"I'm sorry, but I think I’ll have to play the villain here," Lee Shin replied.
When Lee Shin replied, he did not feel happy, but it was not because he had to kill
Shun Grammys who was innocent.
‘Hmm… It doesn’t feel that bad actually… ’
Although the people Lee Shin encountered on this stage were simply made in the
tower by the gods, Lee Shin still felt weird about his own lack of guilt.
‘Death… ’
Ever since Lee Shin’s understanding and familiarity with death had increased, death
started to mean less to Lee Shin, little by little.
"Sigh…” Lee Shin sighed heavily. He escaped from his contemplative mood for a
moment and looked at Shun Grammys.
Whoosh—
A burning flame was created over Lee Shin’s hands.
"If I have to be the villain here… I’d better be the best one,” Lee Shin muttered.
"You’re making it sound so easy…” said Shun Grammys.
The blazing flame on Lee Shin’s hand fell on Shun Grammys.
"Goodbye," said Lee Shin.
"You… son of a bitch… keaugh!” Shun Grammys screamed.
Lee Shin walked away from that scene and disappeared from the spot as if he was
absorbed into the darkness. The flame that he had left behind was a small one,
incomparable to the size of the one that swallowed the water vortex. Even that large
flame did not continue burning for long, and was extinguished in just a few minutes.
There was nothing left on the scene, other than smoking rubble and traces of water,
signs of a great confrontation between water and fire.
***
"Hey, you punk! Where have you been? Why are you running around like a headless
chicken in the Blue Magic Tower when you said you wanted to join the black one?”
Raymond asked.
Lee Shin encountered Raymond on the way back and wondered what he was up to
until this late.
"Oh, did you hear about me?" Lee Shin asked.
"Of course I did, especially if you’re causing so much trouble there!” Raymond
replied.
Contrary to his raised voice, Raymond did not look angry.
"Well, I heard that even if I’m learning about black magic, I shouldn’t be lazy about
studying the other elemental spells,” Lee Shin replied.
"But still, you brat! It hasn't even been long since you came… Ugh, never mind. At
least you knocked down some of those blue guys. I'll give you credit for not getting
beaten by such stupid people," Raymond complimented.
Raymond looked relieved, though it was just a few that Lee Shin had knocked down.
Since Raymond knew that the wizards of the Black Magic Tower had been mistreated
and looked down upon by the wizards from other Magic Towers, he did not want to
scold Lee Shin.
"May I come in?” Lee Shin asked.
"Take it easy! Also, is it true that you're planning on taking the test for the second-
class right away? Do you feel ready?" Raymond asked.
"Well, it’s not like I don’t feel ready,” Lee Shin replied.
"Ha, you are too cocky. How on earth did this guy get here? Here, take it." Raymond
handed a palm-sized book to Lee Shin.
"What's this?" Lee Shin asked.
"This is a notebook that has instructions on how to make curses. I used it when I was
studying back in the day," Raymond explained.
"But why are you giving this to me…?" Lee Shin looked surprised.
“The second test is all about cursing with objects, not magic. Of course, you may use
mana, but since you haven't learned anything about it yet, this notebook will help
prepare you for the test,” Raymond explained.
"Are you allowed to give this to me?” Lee Shin asked.
"It doesn't matter, because we can’t even guarantee that the stuff written in there
would get tested. Plus, most of the other guys have already studied that part, so I'm
giving it to you because I'm afraid without help, you’ll fail and leave our tower,”
Raymond explained.
Although Raymond was grumbling, when Lee Shin saw him handing over his
notebook, he could tell that Raymond had a lot of affection for the Magic Tower.
"Thank you,” Lee Shin said.
"No need to thank me now, but if you pass, do errands for me then, since I helped
you," said Raymond.
"Okay,” Lee Shin replied.
The next day, Seia was in chaos because of the confrontation between the Blue Magic
Tower and the Red Magic Tower in the lake on the outskirts. The dispute between
the two towers that began in the early morning had spread to the nearby Magic
Towers so that, eventually, people in the Black Magic Tower could hear about this
news.
"Did you hear that Shun Grammys of the Blue Magic Tower is dead?”
"Shit… that lake became a mess."
"Did you see that? People from the Blue Magic Tower are restricting entry so that no
outsider gets in."
"Well, I saw that at night because I happened to be near there. When I went there
after hearing an explosion, everything was completely burned… Ugh, I ran away from
that scene with goosebumps."
"Do you really think someone from the Red Magic Tower killed Shun Grammys?”
"Then who else would have killed him? People from the Blue Magic Tower went
under investigation, but all they could find were the traces of fire spells.”
The death of Shun Grammys was more serious than just any death of the Clarte,
because he was one of the important figures in the Blue Magic Tower, and most of its
wizards had trusted and respected him. Killing him was like starting a fight with the
whole Blue Magic Tower, especially if the opponent was a long-time rival, the Red
Magic Tower.
Lee Shin left his tower immediately and went to the lake. There was a barrier
surrounding the entire lake. Many wizards gathered outside of the barrier, but there
were only a few inside.
‘Well, the barrier magic doesn’t seem that great, just as I expected.’
Looking at the barrier, it was a piece of cake for Lee Shin to break through. He easily
entered the barrier by making a slight twist in the mana flow.
"Are you telling me to believe that right now?”
As soon as Lee Shin entered the barrier, he could hear an angry voice. As he turned
to look at where the sound was coming from, Lee Shin saw wizards of the Blue and
Red Magic Tower. Among them, there was a wizard with a long beard wearing a robe
that had a blue dragon design that symbolized the blue tower.
‘Is he the master of the Blue Magic Tower?’
On the other side, there was a woman with short red hair and dark eyebrows,
wearing clothes that had a red bird design.
‘Okay, so those are the masters of the Magic Towers, and the Head Clarte and Clartes
are on the side.’
Lee Shin realized he had already met them all in his previous life. Typically,
insignificant people like them should not have remained in his memories so vividly.
"Someone’s playing a trick! Why would we kill Shun at this moment? This is so
obvious!" Helen shouted.
"Then who did it? Who else could handle such a high level of fire spells to kill Shun!"
Shane shouted.
"Shane, you need to calm down. The Deleague begins in three months, and you really
think we would kill Shun so openly in this situation? Do you think this makes sense?
If we fight like this, we’re only doing good for the real murderer,” Helen explained.
The master of the Red Magic Tower, Helen, was busy trying to calm Shane down.
After listening to her argument, Shane did not get violent nor act recklessly, because
he probably thought her argument made sense.
‘No way… I thought Helen would fight back considering her character… Was I wrong?’
Lee Shin had planned for a conflict to happen after killing Shun, as he knew that if
the hot-headed Shane picked a fight, Helen’s fiery personality would not allow her to
back down. However, contrary to his expectations, Helen was composed and was
stopping Shane.
"Then what do you want me to do? We have this evidence and we have no choice but
to suspect you. And you are telling us to hold it in?" Shane asked.
"That's not it, I’m just saying we should take some time. If the two of us end up
fighting, we’re only doing good for the other Magic Towers. Listen, I have an idea,”
said Helen.
"What? You'd better think carefully before you say it. If it's nonsense, I’ll kill you guys
all even if that means our tower will get destroyed," Shane said.
The atmosphere was tense. The breaths of the Blue Magic Tower wizards quickened
though they were doing nothing in particular; whilst the Red Magic Tower wizards
kept their guard up in case of an unexpected development.
"We have a way to analyze the mana pattern of this fire spell. I'll send you the
registration list of all the wizards of our tower and check them all out one by one.
First, I’ll show you mine,” Helen said.
"Oh, so you’re going to show me the entire registration list? Is that right?" Shane
asked.
"Yes, that’s right," Helen replied.

It seemed like Shane liked Helen’s suggestion, and Lee Shin did not feel good about
the unexpected twist in the situation.
‘Shit, if it continues on like this, all my hard work will be wasted.’
While Lee Shin was at a loss for what to do or say, the tension between the two
masters continued to ease.
‘At least, I'm glad I came here.’
The next moment, Lee Shin came out of the barrier and headed to another place. Lee
Shin was aware that it was not a simple job to compare the mana pattern one by one.
Not only were there a lot of people, but it also took a long time to do so accurately.
Lee Shin knew that he had to make good use of that time.
After returning to the Black Magic Tower, Lee Shin looked through the notebook that
Raymond gave him. There were numerous instructions in there–most of them very
basic, but there were still some pretty good ones.
‘Well, I guess this is pretty much it.’
The instructions were not particularly useful for Lee Shin considering his level, but
they were enough to reveal the general skill level of second-class wizards.
"Welcome," the shop owner greeted him.
Since Seia was a city of magic, there were many stores that sold magic ingredients.
Lee Shin could easily go around and collect the ingredients he needed.
"The Eyeball of the Retinal is 500 points, and the Red Lizard's Tail is 350 points.
Lastly, the Stem of the Cultivated Black Striped Flower is 900 points," said the shop
owner.
Lee Shin had prepared a total of eight ingredients after looking at the instructions
from Raymond’s notebook about making a curse with a decent level of difficulty. This
step was not difficult for Lee Shin, who studied black magic with the research data
left behind by Gene Ebrium.
"Okay, this brings me to the end of preparation for the second test," Lee Shin
muttered.
Day turned to night and the sky was dark. Time passed by quickly because Lee Shin
had been to several places to work during the day. That night, Lee Shin did not return
to the Black Magic Tower, but waited around the Red Magic Tower for someone to
come out. Since the Red and Blue Magic Towers were in a state of emergency, those
with qualifications below first-class wizards were prohibited from going out of the
tower. Then the lowest ranked wizards who could come out of the tower were the
Clarte…
‘He’s out.’
A wizard wearing a red robe carefully came out of the tower, but not realizing that
someone was after him.
[Deep Flare]
A black flame that burst in the dark began to burn the red wizard who was qualified
as a Clarte. He immediately lit a flame and tried to drive out Lee Shin's black flame,
but his flame was swallowed up by Lee Shin's black flame and it added to Lee Shin’s
power.
"Keugh! What the hell?" The red wizard started to panic.
The red wizard caved in so helplessly to Lee Shin’s magic because he had never
experienced it before. The next moment, Lee Shin took off the red wizard’s clothes
and wore them.
"Wow, the flame protection is great,” Lee Shin muttered.
Thinking that he would burn the robes, Lee Shin had tried hard to adjust his level of
mana when fighting the red wizard, so as to prevent the clothes from being ruined as
much as possible. However, other than a slight trace of burn marks, the robe looked
fine. Lee Shin called out Harpness to make the wizard’s corpse into an undead, put it
in the shadow space and immediately headed to his next destination.
There was a mine belonging to the Red Magic Tower outside of Seia where black
fossils were mined. This place was steaming hot, because the black fossils that
emitted heat had filled the entire place. The wizard of the Blue Magic Tower, who
was frowning from the discomfort of just being in such a place, looked around
nervously as if he was waiting for someone.
"You're here," the blue wizard muttered.
As soon as his voice was heard, a shroud of water was produced but it could not
exert its power due to the surrounding heat. The shroud of water soon disappeared
after being swept away by the flames.
"Take it easy! I guess you're not worried about your son's safety?" Lee Shin asked.
The wizard of the Blue Magic Tower clenched his teeth when he saw the relaxed
appearance of his opponent. The Head of Clarte, Hemingway, came all the way here
because of a mysterious note.
- If you're worried about your son, Gal Leadway’s safety, come to the black fossil
mine alone by midnight. I can't guarantee your son's life if you report this to
someone or bring an escort.
As soon as Hemingway received this note, he ran to his son’s grocery store, but the
store had already closed. After realizing that his son was not even at his usual place,
he subconsciously ran to the mine. Hemingway knew that it was a trap but there was
no other way. Also, he was confident that he would, at least, be able to escape the
attack.
"Of course it was you, reds. How did you know my son?" Hemingway shouted with
anger.
Lee Shin, wearing Clarte’s robe with a red bird pattern on it, hid in the dark and
laughed at Hemingway without showing his face.
"If you're curious, then beat me," Lee Shin said.
On a field that was much more advantageous for the red wizard, Lee Shin’s flames
and Hemingway’s waves clashed.
***
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shane opened the door when he heard the loud banging noise on the door.
"M-m-master…” Hemingway said.
"Hemingway!" Shane was shocked to see his appearance.
Hemingway was standing there almost dying with burns all over his body and half of
his clothes burned.
"What happened to you…?” Shane asked.
"It was… a red… bastard…” Hemingway replied.
"What? Why did you leave without reporting?” Shane asked.
"My son… He was held hostage…” Hemingway replied.
"What? How dare they!" Shane was furious to hear that.
Bang!
When Shane pressed the button on his table, sirens rang throughout the Blue Magic
Tower and he declared, “it's war, you reds."
"Master!" cried the deputy master.
“What’s going on?” Helen asked, surprised by the deputy master who suddenly
hurried into the room.
"The blue ones! They are storming in!" shouted the deputy master.
"What? Are they nuts? I explained it to them so many times!” Helen shouted.
Furious to hear the news, Helen opened the window and saw a crowd of blue
wizards gathered outside of their Magic Tower.
"Summon everyone! We are going out, too," Helen ordered.
The alarm went off and when the wizards heard this loud noise that rang throughout
the tower, they got on their feet to find out what was going on.
"What's happening?” Cigarate frowned.
Cigarate had been meditating and circulating his mana when he noticed the wave of
mana from outside. When he opened the window, the wizards of the Blue Magic
Tower were approaching.
"Shit, it hasn’t even been a day yet… ugh!” Cigarate sighed.
The Red Magic Tower was considered a suspect behind Shun's sudden death. In
order to turn the situation around, Cigarate had no choice but to reveal his hidden
skills in front of Helen to prevent her from acting irrationally.
'I thought it was all settled… '
Cigarate knew that if this continued, there would be a war between the Red and the
Blue Magic Towers. As a challenger of the hell level just like Lee Shin, Cigarate had to
make the Red Magic Tower win at the Deleague. However, he knew if the power of
the Red Magic Tower was weakened due to a battle with the Blue Magic Tower, it
would be more challenging to clear the stage.
‘We have to stop them!’
***
‘There should be no twist this time.’
Lee Shin had sneaked into the vicinity of the Red Magic Tower to watch the situation
up close, because it could get really difficult for him if things went wrong again this
time.
"Shane! What do you think you’re doing?” Helen shouted.
Bang!
Shane's response to Helen's question was a spell that was filled with anger. Although
it was not a spell strong enough to hurt Helen, she could not stop the aftermath of his
spell which hurt the surrounding second-class wizards and those at a lower rank.
When Helen saw her people injured, she started activating her mana in such
infuriation that it made the surrounding air heat up.
"You better not mess with me," said Helen.
"Oh yeah? I guess it irritates you seeing your wizards get hurt,” Shane said.
"Isn’t that obvi—” Helen replied.
"Well, the same goes for me! How dare you do that to our Head Clarte, especially on
the very night we agreed to cooperate? You used his family to threaten him!" Shane
shouted.
When she heard what Shane said, Helen was so shocked that her mana flow became
unstable for a moment.
"What are you talking about?!" said Helen.
"Come out," Shane called out to Hemingway.
When Shane called out, the Head Clarte of the Blue Magic Tower who had been
hiding among the wizards presented himself in front of the crowd. His entire body
was burned, and due to the burn, one of his eyes was blinded. Half of his hair was
also singed, so he had to shave them all off to look less miserable.
"Are you still going to pretend like you don't know anything even after seeing him?"
Shane asked.
Similar to the death of Shun Grammys, anyone could tell that Hemingway was
attacked by a fire spell. Since the opponent was the Head Clarte of the Blue Magic
Tower, people knew that no ordinary wizard could hurt Hemingway with their skills
unless they belonged to the Red Magic Tower.
‘Is it really someone from our Magic Tower?’
At this point, even Helen was suspecting that there could be a spy in her tower.
However, she knew it was too late to figure that out right now. Looking at how things
were going, it seemed difficult to resolve the misunderstanding of the Blue Magic
Tower, and war was inevitable.
'Well, two of their most powerful fighters are already down.’
Normally, there was a slight power difference between the Blue and the Red Magic
Towers—the Blue Magic Tower being slightly superior. However, currently, the Red
Magic Tower was at a great advantage, and they thought they could finally end the
long-standing rivalry between blue and red.
'Only if I can kill Shane here… '
If Helen could defeat Shane, the rest of the blue wizards could be dealt with by the
Clartes of the Red Magic Tower. As soon as Helen made up her mind, she seemed to
be a totally different person.
"What if we did? What are you going to do about it?" Helen smirked.
"Ha! Finally, you're showing your true colors!" Shane shouted.
Shane was so outraged that his veins were protruding to the point where his eyes
had become bloodshot, and he rapidly activated his mana. Similarly, Helen's mana
was activating, and the most nervous person in that scene was Cigarate.
‘As a challenger who just became a second-class wizard, there's nothing I can do about
it.’
Cigarate had revealed his skill to some extent, but that did not mean he had shown
all of his skills. Besides, he knew that if he revealed all his skills at this moment, he
could easily become a strong suspect behind these tragedies. Helen already seemed
determined to have a battle with the Blue Magic Tower, and the tension between the
two was at its peak.
‘Since it has come to this point, we’ll trample on the people of the Blue Magic Tower
and win.’
Cigarate was convinced that if he joined the battle, he could at least prevent any
damage done to the most powerful fighters of the Red Magic Tower. However, that
was only if there had not been someone watching the situation from afar.
‘The Blue Magic Tower would collapse here, and the Red… ’
Lee Shin tried to get away from the scene because he thought the fight would soon
begin. However, when he noticed the shadow of death that was cast on Helen now
fading, Lee Shin changed his mind. Lee Shin thought there could be an unknown
variable introduced to the current situation, just like Helen’s unexpected behavior.
The war between the two towers began when Shane and Helen cast a magic spell on
each other. It was a war between fire and water. At first, the strengths of the two
towers on the battlefield seemed quite similar, but soon after, there seemed to be a
gap.
‘Wait, that guy is… ’
Lee Shin noticed the guy from the Red Magic Tower whom he saw earlier at Shun
Grammys’ lecture. That guy stood among them and used his magic at the right
moment, bringing down the power of the blue wizards and even turning the game
around.
"Was it him?” Lee Shin wondered.
In Lee Shin’s memory of his previous life, there was nothing about that wizard in this
magic city. Since there was no way he would have missed such a skillful person…
‘He must be a challenger.’
There was nothing strange about encountering a challenger in the hell level
difficulty, because occasionally there were challengers who appeared in these stages.
Cigarate did not seem to be a challenger of the Earth, and it was clear that if he was a
challenger from another dimension, Lee Shin could not afford to underestimate him.
In the next moment, Lee Shin secretly moved to the back of the battlefield, and
knocked down a wizard of the Blue Magic Tower who was waiting at the back. After
taking his clothes, Lee Shin entered the battlefield where there were dozens of magic
spells firing. The temperature on the battlefield kept changing ever so often.
Shane and Helen were at the center of the change. It seemed to be a neck-and-neck
situation, but the difference between having a Head Clarte and not having one on the
team was pretty significant. Shane's concentration had weakened little by little due
to the incoming attacks, and Helen continued to plow through the gap.
[Ice Spear]
[Water Ball]
These magic spells were not great, because they were just the basic ones. However,
what mattered more was who was using these spells. Strangely, when the Head
Clarte of the Red Magic Tower directed her magic spell toward Shane, those basic
magic spells appeared and cut off the flow.
"Shit! Stop them! You guys should at least block these basic spells!” Helen shouted.
Helen screamed in frustration, but there was clearly a gap between the second and
third-class wizards’ and Lee Shin's magic spells. Thanks to Lee Shin's assistance, the
atmosphere of the battlefield, which had been leaning more and more in favor of the
Red Mana Tower, had reverted to its original state of balance. By then, Cigarate, who
had hidden himself amongst the red wizards to use magic, also realized that there
was someone on the side of the blue wizards.
‘Who is that? Is there another person in the Blue Magic Tower that I don't know yet?’
Soon, the heat in the battlefield cooled down rapidly, and the power of magic on the
red side had weakened, resulting in a series of damage inflicted.
‘Is this field magic? It wasn't the Clarte who used it. It was cast among the second- and
third-class wizards.’
Cigarate was not the only one who noticed Lee Shin's field magic, because everyone
above the rank of Clarte had noticed it.
‘Who’s doing that? Was there another wizard who could use this magic?’
‘Is it Hemingway? No way… that can't be true.’
‘The master and the deputy master are busy dealing with the opposing master and the
deputy master. Then who’s doing this?’
However, that was the end of their question. Wizards of the Blue Magic Tower had to
take advantage of this favorable situation and the Red Magic Tower had to minimize
the damage.
"Shane! So there was a reason you dared to attack!" Helen shouted.
"Shut up!" Shane shouted.
Helen clenched her teeth at this unexpected situation, and Shane was also shocked to
see what was happening, but he did not make it obvious.
‘Well, I think the balance is pretty good now.’
It was time for Lee Shin to retreat. He knew that others could not afford to look for
him because they were busy fighting. But if he were to stay longer, he was more
likely to be caught. Lee Shin sneaked out, pretending to be one of the injured second
and third-class wizards, and moved to the outskirts of the city. The inner part of the
city was already in chaos, and to return to the Black Magic Tower, he had to go back
through the outskirts of the city.
Wooosh—!
Bang! Sheee—
Suddenly, there was a flame ball directed toward Lee Shin, so he quickly created a
shroud of water. The flame ball disappeared in a cloud of steam upon coming into
contact with the water.
"Are you a challenger?" Cigarate asked.
Cigarate, wearing the Red Magic Tower uniform, had gone after Lee Shin. Since Lee
Shin had hidden his face in the robe, Cigarate did not know that the opponent was
Lee Shin yet.
"Challenger? What's that?" Lee Shin slightly altered his voice and pretended not to
know.
“…I guess you don't want to tell me. Then I'll force you to open your mouth,” Cigarate
muttered.
At the outskirts of the city, the flames soared over the fields where there was no one
else around. The temperature rose in an instant. Suddenly, a chain made of fire
extended out from the flames that had spread everywhere.
[Ice Fog]
[Water]
[Expansion]
A series of spells were casted. Ice fog surrounded the area and the magic that was
broken down into particles turned into water and expanded. Under Lee Shin’s magic,
the chains of fire disappeared as if they had exploded, and Cigarate, who kept the
onslaught of magic going, urgently cut off his source of mana.
"Keugh!” Cigarate gasped.
Cigarate groaned because of the mana reflux due to a rebound, and clenched his
teeth because what Lee Shin had used was a completely unexpected combination of
magic. Cigarate became more vigilant and protected himself by creating a barrier of
fire around him.
Swoosh—
The flame that had spread through the grass in the field was extinguished in an
instant, and the humidity rose rapidly with the steam surrounding them. On these
kinds of battlefields, cryomancers were more dangerous than assassins because one
never knew when the steam around them would turn into a sharp dagger.
‘Show yourself!’
Since his field of vision was blocked due to a thick fog of water vapor, Cigarate
activated his mana to stay alert to the surroundings. However, it was not until five
seconds later that he realized he had lost track of Lee Shin. Although Cigarate
hurriedly spread his mana power and looked around, traces of the wizard had
disappeared.
"Fuck!" Cigarate uttered a series of curses and was forced to return to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin, who ran away from Cigarate, arrived at the Black Magic Tower
with a sigh of relief.
"What have you been up to!" Raymond shouted.
Lee Shin found it interesting how Raymond was the one he kept running into. Lee
Shin wondered if Raymond had nothing else to do.
"I was busy preparing for the test tomorrow," Lee Shin replied.
"Oh, yes. Did you get a chance to see what I gave you?" Raymond asked.
"Yes, it's been very helpful," Lee Shin replied.
"Ha! Of course, it should be! All right, I won’t bother you, so go get ready," said
Raymond.
The Black Magic Tower had also been affected due to the fight between the Red and
Blue Magic Towers, but the Black Magic Tower was considered the least troubled
because it was so far away from those towers. Besides, the Black Magic Tower had
been ostracized by the other towers in the first place.
"Hmm… Cigarate…” Lee Shin pondered.
When Lee Shin first saw him in Shun's lecture, he did not find anything special about
Cigarate. Even the ability he revealed on the battlefield and in the confrontation just
now was not that surprising.
"Work harder,” Lee Shin muttered thinking about Cigarate.
Lee Shin thought that things could go a lot faster than he thought.
***
"Hi everyone, my name is Reina and I am the supervisor in charge of overseeing the
second-class test. Your test is to create an object that can be cursed with materials,
but not magic," Reina explained.
There were only ten wizards in the test room, and Lee Shin was one of them.
"You’ve only got three hours to complete the test. You may submit it to me once
you’re done. Then, let’s begin,” Reina announced the start of the test.
Having an understanding of the curses was very important for the Black Magic
Tower, because the source of black magic was cursing. This test required one to build
up knowledge and study different curses, but it seemed to be lacking. Nevertheless,
this test was still able to assess the candidates on how they wield the true essence of
the Black Magic Power.
"Lee Shin… Wait, Lee Shin…?” Reina muttered with a surprised look. She had been
taking note of the wizards. "I've been searching for him everywhere, and I finally get
to see him.”
From a distance, Reina could see that Lee Shin was attempting the test calmly. After
Reina had noticed the curse left on the dummy a few days ago when Lee Shin took
the third-class test, she tried searching for him whenever she had time. However, she
could not find him since he was so busy every day. Besides, she could not take time
out of her busy schedule.
‘I'm curious to see what he will bring.’

[You have made a 『Liquid that Flows in Reverse When Exposed to Light』.]
[You have learned 『Skill - Curse Casting Lv. 1』.]
Lee Shin put the black liquid in a bottle. There was not a lot of it, but it seemed
enough.
"Are you done with your test already?" Reina asked.
When Lee Shin handed in his test, Reina did a double take. She looked at the time. It
was amazing how Lee Shin could make his cursed liquid in just an hour. Reina had
been looking closely at how Lee Shin created it–he had used a kind of recipe that she
had never seen before, even though she knew many recipes.
"What kind of cursed liquid is this?" Reina asked.
"If you drink this liquid and are exposed to light, there will be a backflow the
moment you activate your mana," Lee Shin explained.
"What?" Reina asked.
Reina could not believe what Lee Shin had accomplished when he said he had
created a curse that made mana flow in reverse just by looking at the light. Reina had
dealt with quite a lot of black magic for a long time along the way of rising through
the ranks to be a Clarte, but she had never seen this kind of curse before. Besides,
she was astonished to see that Lee Shin could make this cursed liquid in only an
hour.
"Alright, you’re good to go for now. I’ll give you the result after I check the quality of
this liquid,” Reina explained.
"Oh, and come to my room when the test is over,” Reina said.
As Lee Shin left the test room, Reina fiddled with the bottle containing the black
liquid with mixed feelings.
‘Lee Shin… ’
***
After the test was over, Lee Shin went to Reina's room which was located on the
seventh floor. Lee Shin knocked on the door and Reina let him in.
"Come in and sit over there," said Reina.
Unlike the image of a dark wizard, her room was very neatly arranged with white
wallpaper. And by looking at her room, Lee Shin could roughly tell the personality of
this wizard, Reina.
"Lee Shin, a wizard of our Black Magic Tower… Is it true that you got into trouble in
the Blue Magic Tower as soon as you came in?” Reina asked.
"Well, it wasn’t really ‘trouble’," Lee Shin replied.
"Well, I guess it’s nothing compared to what’s going on right now,” Reina said.
Reina put some drinks on the table and sat opposite Lee Shin.
"You seem very much at peace though it looks like the two Magic Towers are about to
disappear right now. Am I right?" Lee Shin asked.
"They’re not going to disappear that easily. Well, I guess they won't be able to
participate in this coming Deleague though," Reina replied.
"Why did you call me?" Lee Shin asked.
"You’ve learned black magic before, didn’t you?” Reina asked.
"Yes, I did. I learned it only for a short time," Lee Shin replied.
Reina laughed when she saw Lee Shin respond to her question without even
changing his facial expression.
"I saw the traces of the curse left on the dummy after your third-class test.” After
saying that, Reina checked Lee Shin's expression once again but he still looked calm.
‘You are as bold as brass.’
Reina knew that Lee Shin was not a guy who would easily reveal himself, so after
warming up her voice, she asked again.
"Be honest with me here. That curse was not something you could have done with a
short amount of training," Reina said.
"Well… I guess it wasn’t that short then. But, it's not like I've learned it for a long
time. Though, I had an amazing person as my teacher," Lee Shin explained.
"An amazing person? Who is that?" Reina asked.
The unexpected words from Lee Shin made Reina curious, but Lee Shin did not plan
on giving in to her curiosity.
"It's a secret," Lee Shin replied.
“Tsk, then you shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place," said Reina.
"But you asked me,” said Lee Shin.
"Forget it. I don't think you’ll tell me anything even if I ask more,” Reina said.
Slurp—
After taking a sip of her tea, Reina glanced at Lee Shin.
"You know… You're not going to tell me how you figured out the recipe for the cursed
liquid that you made this time, are you?" Reina asked.
"I learned it from my teacher," Lee Shin replied.
"Ugh, you’re basically saying that you’re not going to tell me. Alright fine, you may
leave,” Reina said.
After exchanging a conversation that seemed meaningless, Lee Shin got up from his
seat.
"By the way, is your name Lee Shin?" Reina asked just as Lee Shin grabbed the
doorknob to get out of the room.
"Yes, that’s right," Lee Shin replied.
Reina was about to say something, but she soon shook her head and waved her hand
telling Lee Shin to get out. "Are you… oh wait, nevermind. You’re good to go," said
Reina.
***
"What the hell is going on all of a sudden?" Terian looked confused.
Terian could not understand why the Red and Blue Magic Towers suddenly got
themselves into this chaos. In fact, the Deleague was also only a few months away
and so it did not seem reasonable to Terian, the master of the Yellow Magic Tower,
that those two towers were fighting like mad at this juncture.
"Master… this is our chance. It’s the chance for our Yellow Magic Tower to step up,"
said the deputy master.
"That’s right… Due to this incident, the Blue and Red Magic Towers will suffer
damage that cannot be easily reversed, and they will have to give up on participating
in Deleague,” Terian explained.
"That's right, so we'll be able to take the top place in the Deleague and regain our
reputation," said the deputy master.
Just like the deputy master had said, this Deleague was a great opportunity for the
Yellow Magic Tower to recover from the disgrace they had suffered in the last
Deleague.
"I'll be out for a while,” said Terian.
"Are you going there…?” the deputy master asked.

"Yes," replied Terian.
The two mysterious men parted and the master headed to a desert that was located
a little farther south from the area where the Yellow Magic Tower was. It was a large,
uninhabited desert where no one would go, but Terian headed towards there
without hesitation.
After walking for a long time, he stopped and looked around. When he activated his
mana and lifted the ground up to a single spot, the sand flowed down and a door
with a strange pattern began to appear from the sand.
"The ruins of Estania…” When Terian mumbled a long phrase, the door opened and
he went in.
Someone was watching the door that remained open for a while even after Terian
had entered, and soon new footprints appeared in the sand again, heading towards
the door. Terian went through the door and headed deep underground, walking
through a long passage. His footsteps were without hesitation, as if he had already
been here many times. Terian soon stopped in front of a room.
"Estania, I will use your relics properly," Terian muttered.
There was a picture of a beautiful woman carved on the door. Estania was the most
outstanding hextech engineer of the ancient times, the authority in the field of
Golem. Her relics were just beyond this room.
Thud—
The door opened as if a huge mechanical fort was moving. As it moved, the space
shook with a huge noise. Inside the room, there were huge Golems in it. Terian then
took out a bead from his arms and breathed mana into it. In the next moment, the
Golems, which had been piled up with dust, began to move.
"Oooh… you guys are still great, my Golems." Terian was astonished.
Terian admired the majesty of the hundred Golems. Among those hundred yellow
Golems which were dozens of times bigger than Terian, there was a Golem that stood
out. It was a silver one that was about 1.5 times the size of the other Golems.
"If only I had you, it wouldn’t be too hard for our Yellow Magic Tower to win the
Deleague and for me to become a Deleaguer," Terian muttered.
The battle between the Red and the Blue Magic Towers toward their self-destruction
was a great opportunity the Yellow Magic Tower had to seize.
"So, this was what you were hiding at the back?” Lee Shin asked.
Terian heard a voice behind. Surprised, Terian turned around. There stood a guy
with purple hair wearing a uniform worn by third-class wizards of the Black Magic
Tower. Moreover, Terian could sense the black mana from the wizard.
"You… you must be the one who recently entered the Black Magic Tower,” Terian
muttered.
Terian could recognize Lee Shin at once, because there were rumors that a rising star
had entered the Black Magic Tower and that he had fooled all the third-class wizards
of the Blue Magic Tower.
"How did you… come after me?" Terian asked.
Terian made sure he thoroughly checked his surroundings even before he came out
of the Yellow Magic Tower. He believed that there were no talented people here in
Seia who would be able to get past his mana detection, which also meant that Lee
Shin was either a wizard who was way above himself or…
‘Or he was playing some trick.’
Since Terian thought it could not be the former, he was sure that Lee Shin had played
some trick on him. Then, he wondered why Lee Shin showed up and what kind of
trick he played. Terian did not even stop to consider that Lee Shin was a wizard who
was far above him in skills. That was how strong the pride of the masters of each
Magic Tower in Seia was.
"When there’s a will, there’s a way," Lee Shin muttered.
"You must be the one who made the Blue and Red Magic Towers fight this time,"
Terian said.
"Yes, that’s right," Lee Shin replied.

Terian’s expression stiffened at Lee Shin's response, because he admitted it so
readily.
Terian had expected such guts from the moment the opponent appeared. When Lee
Shin had appeared in front of him so confidently, that meant that he was also
confident that he would win.
"You must have killed Shun, as well," Terian muttered.
"That’s right," Lee Shin replied.
"Then are you going to kill me here, too?” Terian asked.
"That’s right," Lee Shin replied.
"Is ‘that’s right,’ the only thing you can say? Why are you doing this?” Terian asked.
"I want the Black Magic Tower to win the Deleague,” Lee Shin replied.
Terian had somewhat expected such a response, but he could not believe that such
an obvious reason was Lee Shin’s motivation for all the actions he had taken so far.
With a stiff expression, Terian carefully activated his mana.
"You're talking nonsense. Can't you see the Golem corps here? Do you think you can
beat me on your own when I have these guys with me?” Terian shouted.
As Terian breathed mana into the beads in his arms, the hundred Golems started
moving in unison.
"Can't you see my uniform?" Lee Shin asked.
"What about your uniform?” Terian asked.
At Terian’s words, Lee Shin laughed at him with one corner of his mouth raised. At
the same time, the shadow of Lee Shin had spread out in all directions. From that
shadow, Lee Shin's army of the undead, who were asleep in the shadow space,
appeared and roared in frustration.
"Harpness," Lee Shin called out.

The space tore, and a black ghost-like figure with a sickle, the Grim Reaper, appeared
from within.
- Did you call me, He Who Knows Death…?
"Bring out Kalen and other undead out of there."
- Alright.
When Harpness’ sickle cut through the air, a black portal opened up, and the undead
with overflowing morale walked out of it.
“…did you call me sir?" Kalen asked.
Kalen, who looked completely different from when he was last seen on the eleventh
floor, gripped his wand with his rattling bones. Fortunately, he had been doing well
in the World of Death.
"W-w-what the hell…?” Terian was shocked.
Terian watched the scene incredulously, because the number of the undead that
appeared through the torn space was many times more than the number of Golems.
"Who are you…? How can you do this all alone? How can you dominate so many
undead? Even the master of the Black Magic Tower cannot do—” Terian could not
believe what he was seeing.
"Shut up. Come out, Gundo," Lee Shin called out.
The Lizardman Guardian Warrior Gundo, which appeared through the bracelet,
stood in front of Lee Shin.
"Master," May and Warrie appeared in front of Lee Shin as well.
"May and Warrie, you are in charge of that silver Golem with Gundo," Lee Shin
ordered.
The aura emanating from the silver Golem was much different from the other yellow
Golems. Even after seeing so many undead appear, Terian did not seem nervous. And
Lee Shin was sure that it was because Terian believed in his silver Golem.
"Go on, break it all," Lee Shin ordered.
The two forces clashed in the huge underground space that was filled with the
undead and Golems.
Boom! Bam! Thud—!
Every time the Golems, under Terian's spell, swung their fists at the Skeletons, the
bones of the smaller Skeletons broke without fuss, and all their joints disconnected.
On the other hand, the attacks that Skeletons made did not have much effect on the
Golems. Terian smiled when he saw that the Skeletons could not do much damage
after all.
"Hahaha! They're just Skeletons. Do you think they can beat my Golems?" Terian
laughed at Lee Shin.
The strength of the undead were their high death aura and the relentless murderous
intent. Against living creatures, that alone would reduce their combat power, but the
Golem was just a combat weapon with no will. Moreover, the Golems, which boast a
strong body, were natural enemies to Skeletons.
[Summoning of the World of Death]
Inside the ruins, which used to be a hollow space in an ordinary basement, the space
was covered with dark red sky, and devastated black land appeared.
"W-what’s going on!" Terian shouted.
Terian panicked and fell while he was retreating. The death aura coming from the
World of Death was vastly different from the death aura emitted by the undead. It
weighed down the space. It felt like the space itself was dead. Due to the unpleasant
air that filled the surroundings, Terian was hesitant even to breathe.
[Summoning of the World of Death]
Summon the world where the dead live.
# The ability of all living creatures except the undead species falls by 10%.
# The ability of the undead species increases by 10%.

# The ferocity of the undead species increases by 50%.
# Cool-down time: 72 hours
This was a class skill that Lee Shin had acquired after becoming the class of the
Death Ruler. The World of Death that was summoned by Lee Shin had changed the
atmosphere of the battlefield in an instant.
Woong— Puck! Crunch!
"Keaugh!"
Despite losing one arm when the Golem punched him, the Skeleton Warrior used its
legs to hang on to the Golem and stabbed it with a knife. On the side, there was a
Skeleton Orc, who smacked things with his head as if his skull would never get
smashed. Also, there was a Skeleton Ogre named Bark who continued to hit the
fallen Golem with his club, because he was so thrilled by the bloodshed that he was
unable to judge the situation.
Terian got more and more frightened. This was a place where it was hard to retain
one’s sanity.
"W-w-what the hell is going on?”

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I Became The 1st Floor Boss of The Tower - 01

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탑의 층 보스가 되었다

[You’ve finally made it here.]

"What do I have to do now?" I asked.

[ You do not have to do anything, except take our baptism.]

“…Does that mean I cannot go back to Earth?" I asked.

[What a stupid decision.]

[I'll forgive this rudeness if you change your mind now.]

‘You are not different from humans after all.’

I did not even bother to answer. Everything was over.

[Be suppressed by humans forever, live feeling helpless without remembering

With that, my existence as Lee Shin disappeared.

"Will you be challenging the first floor?" Toeing asked.

"Is this the first floor?" asked a challenger.

"Eek! What's that?" one challenger asked in a terrified voice.

"Y—yeah, we’d better," replied the other challenger.

"Is this where the boss is?" the challenger asked.

Then they heard a choppy voice say, "Who… are… you…?"

"Yeah, we should do that," said the challenger.

"Die!" the challengers cried out.

The necromancer fell with a gasp.

"I feel nasty," one challenger said as he stared at the necromancer.

"It's all fake, so don't bother," said the other challenger.

"Welcome, challengers! I'm Toeing!" Toeing said in a cheerful voice.

Toeing welcomed new challengers heading to the first floor.

"Who do you think we are? We're challengers!" the challengers replied in a

"You don't need to know!" said the challengers.

"Welcome—" said Toeing, but he got interrupted once again.

“Who—” The necromancer tried to speak. "Gasp!"

However, he died again.

"Gasp!" Before he even realized it, he was killed.

"Ga-" And again, before he could even scream.

"…” And again, without being able to say a word.

He was killed again and again. He kept dying.

“Did you start recording?” asked the first challenger.

“I… am… God…” said the boss.

“What… are… you… doing?" asked the boss in pain.

“I know! I’m well aware of that!” yelled the other one.

“Just shut up!”

“Nope!” replied Toeing.

“I will. I just wanted to ask,” replied the man.

“Okay, let’s climb the tower now,” said one person.

“Sounds good! Lead us in, Toeing!” replied another one.

“Wow, this is amazing!” said one person.

“Eun-Ju, didn’t you say that you’ll be a magus?” asked another.

“Well, I thought it would be better to have a weapon as well…” explained Eun-Ju in a

“Let’s go in already,” said Kim Kang-Chun as he opened the door.

“Who are you?” asked the boss.

“We are challengers!” said the group.

“A weakling…? Sure, I’m a weakling,” said the boss.

“Ji-Hoon!” yelled Kang-Chun, who had a terrified look on his face.

Kang-Chun gasped, unable to breathe. He felt as if a boxing champion had just

‘What the hell is going on…?’

‘Fxxk… Are we dying on the first floor?’ thought Kang-Chun.

“Are you not going to kill us?” asked Eun-Ju, surprised.

“Well, let me know if you want to die,” replied the boss.

“Okay, hurry up and go,” said the boss.

[The Immortal Sphere]

This is a marble that contains a speck of the forgotten gods.[1]