The first reward had given him luck and the Adaptive stat.
And now came the second reward.
'Is entering the labyrinth after taking the first job quest the trigger?'
Jin-hyuk gulped.
The first reward had been so out of the norm that it had surprised even his veteran self. Now, he couldn't help but anticipate how good the second reward would be.
It would be a lie to say he could stay calm.
"I'll check."
He muttered softly.
Tring!
[You have acquired 'Moon Imprint']
[This ability takes effect when the first job quest is completed.]
[Moon Imprint]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
(A reward only for those who climbed to the end of the Tower for the first time)
Description:
Reduces the activation time of all barriers by 25% and increases their effectiveness by 30%.
In addition, if you acquire all of the 'Lost Languages' that disappeared from the Tower long ago, you will be able to learn the 'Nameless Barrier'.
This…
Was insane.
Jin-hyuk stared at the status window in shock. He had chosen an unfamiliar job on a whim.
For Jin-hyuk, a job was usually just a word added to the status window. He already earned skills and rewards at a much higher level.
The first job had merely been a way to soothe his boredom.
But…
That assumption shattered the moment this message appeared.
This unfamiliar field was no longer just interesting—it was electrifying.
A completely new domain that made every cell in his body react.
Jin-hyuk's gaze dropped to the final lines of the description.
Lost Languages.
Nameless Barrier.
These were terms he had encountered before while climbing the Tower.
'They were things I kept searching for but never found any clues about.'
At the time, he'd assumed they were mistakes left behind by the developers.
'Just Easter eggs meant for the first person to conquer the Tower.'
Only now did he understand.
At the same time, Jin-hyuk's heart began to pound.
He was walking on untouched white snow—territory no one else had ever stepped on.
And this time, the end of that path wasn't a game.
It was reality.
The raid team cleared the monsters near the entrance and began advancing.
Kwakwakwang!
Magic and skills exploded throughout the corridor.
Kwang!
A massive blast erupted as colorful spells collided.
The inside of the labyrinth resembled a battlefield.
"Tanks! Stop attacking and focus on defense on both sides! Maintain formation—do not take damage!"
"Dealers, start with the front targets! Anyone low on mana, wait and follow up after the main dealers!"
As expected of top-tier elite guilds.
Not a single injured player could be seen as they fought venomous cobras over four meters long and anacondas capable of crushing steel.
Watching from a distance, Jin-hyuk nodded.
'They're fairly competent.'
The captain organized the team well, and their balance wasn't bad.
Their reputation wasn't undeserved.
With this level of skill…
'They'd survive about two hours.'
If luck favored them, maybe one or two might last ten.
Jin-hyuk mentally compared this to similar past cases and could already foresee the outcome.
At that moment—
"How do they look to you, Mr. Kang Jin-hyuk?"
Lee Young-kwon asked beside him.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"How skilled do they look, objectively?"
"Well… not bad. They clearly have experience."
"But that's not all, is it?"
Lee Young-kwon pressed, expecting more.
"They fight like a textbook. Clean, but not outstanding. They're holding on now only because the opponent is weak. Japan's raid system being specialized for group battles helps as well."
"Then… does that mean there's a flaw?"
A flaw?
There were many.
Only five or six players were truly contributing. The rest barely mattered.
"If the enemy were a Named monster, the tank in the third row on the left would already be dead. Do you see the instability in the magic flow through his shield? And the support's mana usage is inefficient. Roughly a 0.7% fatal flaw."
0.7%.
It sounded insignificant, but in prolonged combat—or when victory hinged on a single moment—a single breath or misstep could decide everything.
"…."
Lee Young-kwon fell silent.
'As expected.'
Everyone else admired the Samurai Guild's precise movements.
Only Jin-hyuk watched them with pity.
Even the Fathers of Fighting were impressed.
Textbook. Nothing special.
That was his conclusion.
Tank, left side, third row… support mana flow…
An eye that could pinpoint weakness after a single battle.
'We're not seeing the same fight.'
Like an ant on the ground versus a hawk in the sky.
The Viewtube videos Jin-hyuk uploaded had never revealed even a fraction of his true skill.
Only fragments—carefully chosen highlights.
Lee Young-kwon felt goosebumps.
This man…
Could annihilate the entire Samurai Guild.
Maybe even decapitate Medusa herself.
'If he wanted to.'
And he could.
The raid had barely begun, yet Lee Young-kwon could already see the end.
After repeated cycles of combat and brief rest—
A fork appeared ahead.
"Commander. We've reached it."
The scout's report made everyone halt.
Two paths lay ahead.
The left glowed brightly with flames rising from the floor.
The right was shrouded in suffocating darkness.
"Which way do we go?"
Maeda—the Samurai Guild's raid captain—asked.
Fire or darkness.
The future of the raid depended on this choice.
"…."
Takeshi's eyes drifted left.
Then right.
Then left again.
'Shit… this wasn't the future I saw.'
He had seen a fork before coming here.
But it had columns—not fire and darkness.
"Mr. Takeshi?"
A voice called out.
His doubts were becoming impossible to hide.
"That…"
Takeshi wet his lips.
He had no choice but to answer.
"As expected, the left path."
A familiar voice cut in.
It was Jin-hyuk.
"Left…?"
"Indeed. A true veteran would choose it. Given the Tower's difficulty, most would instinctively avoid danger and choose the dark path. That's the counter-intuitive trap—and this labyrinth is designed to punish clever minds. You saw through that."
Jin-hyuk spoke with admiration.
Takeshi quickly raised his thumb.
"R-right. I used this method before as well. Even on the way to the 30th floor, such forks appear often."
Complete nonsense.
The Tower of Trials wasn't an IQ puzzle.
Paths didn't work like this.
This wasn't a polished game—it was a chaotic system built to torment humanity.
Jin-hyuk understood one thing clearly.
This man's lies were worse than he'd imagined.
'I'd trust tarot cards more than this.'
Absurd.
But his expression said otherwise.
"Indeed… many places like that exist near the top."
"Haha! Player Kang Jin-hyuk, you'll reach it one day too—step by step."
Yes.
One more step—straight into the coffin.
"Shall we proceed?"
"Yes. Everyone, move."
Takeshi nodded.
"Are you certain, Mr. Takeshi?"
Maeda double-checked.
"Yes. As Player Kang Jin-hyuk said, traps like this are common."
"…Understood."
Maeda hesitated, but obeyed.
Takeshi had once identified a hidden dungeon on the 5th floor.
He was the guild's most trusted player.
The raid advanced.
But as the final member entered the brightly lit path—
Wheik!
Kukuku!
Flames surged and sealed them in.
"W-What?!"
"You said the left side was safe!"
"I—I did! This is common! Don't panic! As long as we don't move, the flames won't—"
Takeshi tried to reassure them.
It was useless.
Kwakwakwang!
As if mocking their supposed future—
The red lines of fire began creeping closer.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789