CH 15

tower's dead (2)

The introduction of each other followed with the sound of the ice crackling in the coffee.

The human bald man's real name is Lee Tae-min.

He was a student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Korea University.

'No, then what? Did you play games like that when you were in high school and then went to Korea University?'

A place where it is difficult for others to enter even if they study for 10 hours a day?

This guy is great too.

In many senses.

'Shall we take a look at what kind of abilities the smart Gongdol got?'

Jinhyuk, who was kicking his tongue, activated the 'eyes of truth'.

Name: Lee Taemin

Gender: Male

Age: 23

Level: 11

Strength 13 Dexterity 15 Stamina 16 mana 21

Stat Points you have: 0

Coins held: 2,500

Occupation: None

Unique Ability: Machine Lord

skill: Lv2 'Sandbox Mode', Lv2 'Direction', Lv2 'Hacking'

'Yeah, I got this.'

Jinhyuk's eyes narrowed.

machine lord.

It is a unique ability that is specialized for anti-military rather than anti-personnel.

In the past, even in the Tower of Trials, a human bald man, Lee Tae-min used this to enjoy wide-area hunting.

A well-balanced type of karate.

Except for the large mana consumption, it's an undeniable ability.

Then... .

Jinhyuk's gaze moved to the side.

I could see the face of a woman who had been active as a bulgwangdong nuclear fist.

My real name is Yoo Yeon-hwa.

I didn't know it when I first heard the name.

Which family does Yoo Yeon-hwa belong to?

However, it was only after the introductions that I knew who she was.

Yoo Cheon-young.

A living legend in the martial arts world that shocked the world with Taekwondo perfectly put into practice.

Yoo Yeon-hwa was that Eccentric granddaughter.

'It's the only granddaughter that doesn't hurt even if you put it in your eyes.'

Even in the Tower of Trials, I used to beat giants over 7m tall with my bare hands.

Seeing this, it was natural.

Because she had the same blood as Yoo Chun-young in her veins.

Jinhyuk once again activated the 'eyes of truth'.

Name: Flexibility

Gender: Female

Age: 25

Level: 12

Strength 25 Dexterity 22 Stamina 17 mana 5

Stat Points you have: 0

Coins held: 4,775

Occupation: None

Unique Ability: Geukjin Taekwondo (劇震跆拳道)

skill: Lv3 'Taecheong Hwarang's Mind Law', Lv2 'Immortal Warfare', Lv2 'Mana Enhancement'

'This is also quite interesting.'

Super close-range tanker and dealer.

The Fire Gwangdong Core Fist is a composition of unique abilities and skills that properly value the nick.

Seeing that the level was raised similarly, the two must have been hunting together.

Well, the two of us got along well in the past.

[Copy conditions: The two are longtime colleagues. When three people reach the 20th floor of the tower, players can copy Taemin Lee and Yoo Yeonhwa's abilities.]

Jinhyeok, who read the copy conditions, nodded his head.

Is it because of the abilities of the deceased among the deceased, it cannot be copied easily?

'It will be difficult for a while.'

But, it doesn't matter.

After all, the three of us here will somehow reach the 20th floor.

That was then.

Hyung. What are you doing? It's your turn.

Taemin Lee, who was in the front seat, tilted his head.

Jinhyeok, who nodded his head looking into the air, seemed strange because he did not know the existence of the 'eyes of truth'.

My name is Jinhyuk Kang. I am 27 years old and I used to be a BJ on Paprika TV.

Oh! hyung was BJ? If it's paprika, I've seen it sometimes too! Games? Mukbang? Ah, hyung is handsome, so it may have been a male cam.

Taemin smiled as he approached me.

No matter how much we worked together in the game, today was the first time we actually met.

But I didn't feel the slightest bit of caution.

Yeah, I've quit now.

A. Take it easy, hyung. We haven't seen each other in a game for a day or two.

That's right. We're more comfortable on that side.

Flexibility also helped a bit.

Both of them were not friendly.

'I was also living in BJ, so I thought that the affinity wouldn't be pushed anywhere.'

No, maybe it's because I've only been hanging out with people who want to hit the back of the head all this time, so I've built more walls.

weighing the profits.

A month of relentlessly sticking a knife in my neck according to need.

I took it for granted, so this kind of intimacy felt awkward.

'Comrade... . It's been a while since I've heard it.'

Jinhyuk smiled and nodded his head.

Okay. I'll make it easier for you.

As the awkwardness subsided, the three of them moved on.

This was the result of what Jinhyuk actively argued.

The fragrant coffee isn't bad either... .

What?

There were a lot more things I wanted to eat than that.

So I found a restaurant famous for pork belly and miso soup.

I felt like I was going to cry when I saw the stew filled with thick, golden meat and tofu.

'It's completely different from moss and mushrooms.'

in the novel.

Often, there are scenes where returnees who have returned from living in another world for hundreds or thousands of years cry while eating Korean food.

But in reality it doesn't take that long.

Because it was human nature to sell the soul with one Choco Pie if you put it in the mountains for a month and feed it grass.

Suddenly, I remembered the training camp.

Memories of Sunday when religion changed depending on whether it was Choco Pie or Monshell.

Oh! Come to think of it .

Another thing I wanted to eat came to mind.

There was Vera down here, how about getting some ice cream for dessert?

Ice Cream Call!

My brother and sister are here. I'll buy them. But, what kind of taste?

Taemin Lee got up halfway from his seat.

Mint chocolate.

Jinhyuk answered without hesitation.

Then the two frowned.

Ugh, that toothpaste flavored ice cream?

Oppa, likes and dislikes differed a lot. It's like brushing your teeth while eating.

These children... .

You don't know the combination of fresh mint and sweet chocolate.

I don't know anything else, but I can't let this go.

Don't curse mint chocolate again.

Because it was grassroots that had a concrete support layer that was harder than any other flavor.

While eating, Jinhyuk heard from the two of them about what had happened during the month.

Interests surrounding the birth of various guilds and the tower's resources.

Each country's policies and coin trends, etc.

It was an important piece of information not to be missed.

You know, brother.

[ When I played Tower of Trials, most of the guilds regrouped. ]

Taemin moved his fingers lightly.

OK.

huuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooo

[Lee Tae-min activates Lv2 'Sandbox Mode'.]

Seven patterns appeared in the air.

Everything you've seen

America's 'Titan', Europe's 'Olympus', China's 'Chinese'

And 'Samurai' in Japan and 'Gandara' in India.

Finally, Korea's 'Dangun' and 'Father of Fighting'.

It was the symbol of the guilds that represented the world.

Yoo Yeon-hwa also looked at the pattern and nodded slightly.

Everyone must know. It is advantageous to monopolize information among existing members.

That's right. At least the players in that guild weren't stupid.

We will not accept additional members, nor will we release advanced information that we know of.

How about the BJs? There must be some people who collect coins while working as a freelancer?

Taemin's face darkened slightly at Jinhyuk's question.

Yes. Celebrities who have been active in the past are plundering the number of views from the viewers with their names in front. Besides, this is only a rumor, but it seems that there are some guys who are trying to operate the coin factory we did.

They say it's a group called 'Main'. It's all the rage in the news these days.

...that's crazy.

That's right. If caught, it's life imprisonment.

coin factory.

In a word, it is a studio that forces people to watch a specific person's video in order to get the number of views.

In the past, it didn't matter because NPCs took over that role in games.

Not now.

If people were locked up in a factory or something and only coins were pulled out every month, the government wouldn't stand still.

However, Jinhyuk was sure that Lee Taemin's words were not just rumors.

The world has changed.

Common sense previously known has been shattered.

This means that the future should never be judged by the standards of the past.

In that sense, I should warn you.

About that guy, both of you should know.

If the two of you go together, the chances of getting beaten up are low, but let's talk about it for now.

Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.

I met a knife-man about a month ago.

Ugh!?

That leech?

This time, both answered at the same time.

hey, tell me a little bit

Everyone in the restaurant is staring at you.

But the barrage of questions continued as if he didn't even care about such a thing.

Where, where?

Oppa. That person, even in real life, take out a knife?

Swordseong (劍成).

He is a ranker who uses barriers to his swordsmanship that is said to be terrifying.

[We used to meet often when we were doing Tower of Trials.]

There was no dialogue at all, and they started attacking and watching.

Of course, every time I took a picture and pressed it. So desperate that I will never be able to fight again.

Have you killed more than a hundred times?

Ordinary people would give up.

The question is whether this guy has a sense of purpose or a sense of rivalry... .

He fell into a strange delusion and followed us to death.

'Behind me to be exact.'

It's not a joke, it was aimed at eating or sleeping, as well as going to the bathroom, so of course you can't help but tremble.

It wasn't face-to-face. When I went, it was after he disappeared from the National Museum of Korea with the 'Iron Sword with Qianlong (乾隆)'.

That guy was also looking for a replica... No, wait. So, did you go there too? Heard it was a total hell?

I've felt it for a long time, but you have a really strong heart. How did you get all the thoughts of going there?

I went because I had something to bring. Anyway, be careful, you too. You won't be able to tell just by your appearance, but you'll recognize it right away if you look at your unique abilities and skills.

This is why it is a double-edged sword to bring back the abilities that were used in the past.

While it has the advantage of being familiar with it, at the same time, it was like a fingerprint representing the player.

Yes. Thanks for letting me know.

Uh-huh. You should be careful. I don't know about you, but we're both a little scared to be honest...

Lee Tae-min and Yoo Yeon-hwa let out a small sigh.

It seemed that the terrible memories of the past were flashing back and forth.

At this point, it seems that the information exchange is almost complete,

Are you going to wake up slowly today?

Jinhyuk tilted his chair back.

One minute and one second is a disappointment.

Eating and drinking should be enough.

Huh? Already?

Not already, it's nine o'clock now.

From tomorrow, you will have to climb the tower again.

Besides, after a month, I wanted to take a hot bath and sleep in a proper bed.

The two reluctantly got up from their seats.

Brother, but. Didn't you say you've been away for a month?

Yes it was.

So, you haven't been tested, have you?

test?

what test?

In response to Jinhyuk's reaction, the two of them put on an expression that they knew it would be the same.

That's because from the second floor, the death toll increases, so only those who have passed the test in the Awakening Association can climb up.

"It's a way to give an authentication code , something like this."

Yoo Yeon-hwa showed her wrist.

It has a very faint barcode-like tattoo.

hoo. look at this

So, I'm going to stop the idiots from coming in. What, is this what you mean?

If you put such a justification on the outside, you can definitely reduce your reluctance to take the test.

To reduce the number of victims.

What purpose could be higher than this?

But that's not the real purpose of the above.

There is only one reason to take the test.

To identify the hidden talents.

'Exactly, it must be to bring those talented people to their side.'

Suddenly, I remembered the day the Tower of Trials first appeared.

'Was it Han Sang-jin? What was the name of the man who introduced himself as president of the Awakened Society?'

I couldn't forget the shallow excellent grade quality that was trying to gather players awakened through TV.

Where is the test. Where is it?

It was a good opportunity to see how much he has grown over the years.

no.

'The sea I was hoping for.'

pounding! pounding!

Jinhyuk's heart began to beat faster, little by little.

This system was created by the Awoken Association.

There was a way to use it.

'In my favor.'