NOVEL NEXT chapter 22
22 – 1st Floor, 3v3 Team Battle.
A day passed, and all Earthling players were summoned.
Joo Sohee called them and provided a mission.
“…Does this make sense?”
Someone complained.
The mission content was unreasonable.
“In the end, that man will win.”
“We’re just punching bags.”
People’s eyes turned to me.
There were no unpleasant glares like yesterday.
「If you don’t like it, don’t do it. You don’t have to.」
“……”
At first glance, it feels like Joo So-hee is giving us a choice.
「It’s only your loss. I have nothing to lose. I can just stay put and die when I go up.」
If you don’t want to die, you have to struggle.
Joo So-hee, an experienced senior, knew the reality of the tower all too well.
「It’s not like only the first place gets rewarded. I don’t know why you’re whining. I’m not your mother. I have no obligation to pamper you.」
“…….”
Joo So-hee was unrestrained in her speech.
Thanks to that, people shut their mouths.
The auditorium became quiet.
「Don’t worry too much. You won’t die. When your vitality reaches 1, you’re just eliminated. Forced to return here.」
I don’t know how she did it.
They say she used the soul system to create a field where you can’t die.
It seems to be usable only for missions, but it was quite fascinating.
「One week. We just spent yesterday, so we have 6 days left.」
Tournament mission.
First place gets 2 points, second and third place get 1 point each.
「I can’t do more than this. So take care of yourselves. If you keep messing around, I might just kill you, so keep that in mind.」
“…….”
A voice full of murderous intent.
The player who was about to protest shut their mouth.
Even those who couldn’t understand nice words knelt before blatant murderous intent.
They might not know it, but.
Joo So-hee was looking out for our convenience in her own way.
‘My hatchling breath is already incredibly strong, but those who have ascended above the 50th floor must be even stronger.’
We must not forget that she is a monster who can wipe out thousands of players with a flick of her finger.
We have to shove it into our heads and take it out periodically.
‘…A woman like that shows interest in me….’
A woman’s interest.
To be honest, it’s familiar.
This isn’t the first or second time.
At that time, I let it slide.
I thought I might become more famous later and get caught up in scandals with women.
I was careful since high school.
After quitting sports due to an accident, it ended up being meaningless.
‘It’s the first time I’ve decided to use someone like this.’
I gave artifacts, created missions to earn points.
I received a lot in many ways.
The things I got from the first floor will be a great help to my survival.
Thinking that way, the burdensome gifts feel welcome.
‘A mission made for me to eat. I should accept it well.’
I had no intention of going easy.
I would somehow scrape together 12 points.
* * *
After the first day ended, the administrators gathered in one place.
“Why did you call us all of a sudden?”
Dokgo-un, an administrator from the martial arts world, asked Blinky while looking at him.
“Because of the final test on the first floor.”
“…The final test?”
Dokgo-un clicked his tongue as if he expected it.
“Has the owner of the floor awakened?”
“No. He is still sleeping.”
Originally, the test is the authority of the floor owner.
It is conducted under his supervision.
If he adds a test, there will be more struggles.
If he removes a test, it will be easier to go up.
The administrators working on each floor can be said to be the agents of the floor owner.
As ascendants, they give up climbing the tower and nurture successors…
“Are you going to add a test? Even though the floor owner hasn’t awakened?”
“Yes. It seems a bit boring.”
Blinky is the administrator who has been granted the most authority by the owner of the first floor.
Adding a small test wasn’t an easy task, but it wasn’t impossible either.
‘Really?’
Why?
The question arose, but no one voiced it.
It wasn’t the first time Blinky had done things on a whim.
They were used to it.
“What kind of test?”
“Since we’ve formed a three-person team, why not use it? It would be good preparation for the second floor, don’t you think?”
“……”
Dokgo Un nodded.
‘Indeed. Things have been strange lately.’
The tests had lost their context.
‘Even if the master of the floor is in a deep sleep…’
If they were going to make a team with their lives on the line, it was only right to test that team.
Whatever it was.
But recently, teams had become meaningless on the first floor.
‘Training with a senior ascender for a week and then just moving up.’
Thinking back to Dokgo Un’s time, it was an absurd way to climb the tower.
It was ridiculous.
Dokgo Un knew nothing.
That it was all Joo Sohee’s doing.
Only Blinky knew that Joo Sohee and her sister had been parasitizing the floor master and interfering with the tests.
‘…What is she thinking?’
That’s why Joo Sohee was wary of Blinky’s schemes.
She resisted in her own way to prevent Blinky from getting what he wanted.
Blinky could see right through Joo Sohee’s mind.
It wasn’t through mind-reading or anything like that; it was just too obvious what Joo Sohee would do.
‘Everything is in the palm of my hand.’
Joo Sohee wasn’t the only one who didn’t want the floor master to wake up.
Blinky also wished for him to sleep forever.
Wouldn’t it be a mistake to wake up after causing trouble?
Busy trying to read the room.
But then, Joo Sohee rolls the dice with my life as the stake and brings back the prey?
Of course, it would look lovely.
‘To enjoy the game, you need some advantage!’
Secretly slipping in a bonus so that the divine dragon doesn’t notice.
The grace I bestowed will make his game even more enjoyable.
I give generously, but I expect nothing from Oruin.
‘We are dragons who love games!’
* * *
The mission proceeded unilaterally, making the word “mission” seem meaningless.
It means I took first place alone.
“…It doesn’t make sense.”
“Didn’t you normalize the stats to 10 in the tutorial? Why is Oruin the only one so fast?”
“The administrator gave 10 points. That’s why he’s stronger.”
On the third day, there were complaints about unfairness.
“The Tower of Struggle is inherently unfair.”
A single sentence dismissing the bursting complaints.
“Are you going to demand special treatment while saying that when you go up to the upper floors? The middle-worlders have Mana Lords! Circles too! Martial artists break their dantian! Fight fairly! Are you going to bark like that?”
Joo Sohee clicked her tongue and said.
“The only thing you can enjoy equally in the Tower of Struggle is elimination. Other than that, it’s not fair, so shut up.”
“……”
On the fourth day, a new mission was announced.
“Simply! It’s a 3-on-3 team battle!”
I already knew from Joo Sohee on the first day, but the other players didn’t.
It suddenly got noisy.
“Are we going to die again?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll protect you.”
Many people had become quite close over the three days.
We met in this hellish place called the Tower of Struggle, and the only place to lean on was each other.
We couldn’t help but become close rapidly.
Especially in relationships between men and women.
There were many who exuded a strange atmosphere at a glance.
The men gained courage.
They tried to earn even 1 point somehow.
They had to do their best to increase their chances in the final test.
I watched the competition for 2nd and 3rd place while securing the 1st place reward.
And on the fifth day, I met my team members.
The administrators had blocked communication, but now they had finally allowed it.
Eun Seoryeong of the Jeomchang faction, who had become Shanks.
Baeksong of the Hwasan faction.
“Have you been well, Oh Daehyeop?”
Eun Seoryeong could no longer perform the bow.
The bow was the right of a normal person with both arms intact.
Instead of the bow, Eun Seoryeong bowed her head briefly and looked me up and down.
She spoke in admiration.
“You seem to have changed a lot.”
“…Can you feel it?”
“I don’t know if I am in a position to evaluate you, Oh Daehyeop… but yes, your aura has become sharper.”
I suddenly became curious.
“Compared to yourself, how much?”
“Hmm….”
My agility stat is currently about 33.
I wondered how much difference there was with a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle.
“Are you hiding your strength, Oh Daehyeop?”
“……”
The Black Dragon concept remained unchanged.
Eun Seoryeong took that into account and wrapped the truth appropriately.
“Upon reaching the pinnacle, my strength, agility, and stamina stats became 50.”
“……”
A dizzying sense of shame.
“And I have mastered the Cheongmyeong Heart Technique and started learning the Yuseong Heart Technique.”
“……”
It was roughly similar to what I had heard from Joo Sohee during the tournament mission.
‘Damn it. Does this even make sense?’
Earthlings have nothing.
But beings from other dimensions not only have their own powers, but they also grow.
The important thing here is not the stats.
Stats were secondary.
The real problem is the skills they acquire.
‘…The more they train the techniques they are learning, the stronger the skills become….’
Mastering the Cheongmyeong Heart Technique.
That means, in other words, reaching Lv.10 and mastering it.
Starting to learn the Yuseong Heart Technique.
That means, in other words, acquiring Yuseong Heart Technique Lv.1.
The phrase ‘breaking through the wall’ includes an absurd upgrade.
‘This is why Earthlings stab each other in the back.’
It’s not because I’m an Earthling that I’m defending Earthlings.
‘Isn’t it the fault of the Tower of Struggle that made Earthlings have no choice but to backstab?’
If a parasite kills its host, is it the parasite’s fault?
Or is it the fault of the creator who made the parasite that way?
No one would say it’s the parasite’s fault.
Likewise.
Earthlings are not at fault.
I am not a sinner either.
“How is the Baeksong Dojang? Have you made any progress?”
Baeksong shook his head.
It seemed that breaking through the wall was not as easy as it seemed.
“Training is frustrating, isn’t it?”
Eun Seoryeong whispered as if she had expected it.
With a similar expression to the one during the battle for the course ticket, he continued speaking.
“Real combat is the best. Your senses get sharpened to survive.”
“……”
“Baek Dojang has talent. You’ll reach the top in no time.”
At that moment.
Someone walked over with heavy steps.
“Hehe. Eun Seoryeong.”
A burly man approached and acted familiar with Eun Seoryeong.
“…Flash Blade Demon Madogwang.”
Eun Seoryeong didn’t seem particularly welcoming.
Her reaction was as if she had encountered someone she didn’t want to see.
“You’ve heard the news, right? That you have to defeat at least one team to get to the second floor?”
“I’ve heard.”
“Then you also know that you can designate the opposing team?”
Madogwang licked his lips and looked Eun Seoryeong up and down.
His gaze lingered especially long on her chest.
It wasn’t just a glance; it was a blatant ogle.
“……”
Eun Seoryeong frowned as if she was displeased, but he didn’t care.
“Flash Sword Princess Eun Seoryeong. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of breaking someone.”
“……”
“If you want to live, just say the word. Then I won’t designate your team.”
His gaze turned to me.
He sneered.
“Just do me one favor. I won’t ask for anything too difficult for your age, so don’t worry too much. Hahaha!”
“……”
Madogwang patted Eun Seoryeong’s shoulder and walked past.
I stared at his back and asked.
“Do you know him?”
“No. I met him in the Tower of Struggle.”
“…….”
“Since the first day we saw his face, he’s been like that. He must really want to die.”