[Name: Libarintos (Clear)][Type: Labyrinth][Difficulty: B][Description: A labyrinth of Crete designed by Daedalus. It is characterized by its complex maze and various types of traps.]
[You have cleared the labyrinth on the first floor for the first time!][This event will be recorded in the "Hall of Fame" tomorrow.][Player Kang Jin-hyuk and Park Hana will receive 5,000 coins each!]
The sunlight was blinding as the fresh air washed over them, refreshing both mind and body.
"Phew…"
Jin-hyuk closed his eyes and savored the clean air.
"W-we're alive! We made it!"
Tears welled in Park Hana's eyes. It had been a hellish month.
Chased by a Minotaur day and night.Unable to sleep properly.Forced to prepare moss-and-mushroom meals for Jin-hyuk.
But she survived.
Against all odds, she survived.
Her relief was short-lived when Jin-hyuk patted her shoulder.
"Uh?"
"Coin."
"C-Coin… what?"
She looked up slowly.
'She's pretending she doesn't know?'
Well, who would want to give up 5,000 coins? With that amount, one could purchase a D-grade item outright.
"Are you pretending? Or will you give it to me?"
He held out his palm.All profits in this… "partnership" belonged to the CEO.
"… I will give it to you."
Park Hana handed the coins over with a gloomy expression.
'Nice.'
This pushed him past 10,000 coins.
Jin-hyuk's smile widened.
'The benefit of the first-clear reward really is worth it.'
At this stage, no one else had more coins than him.
"Bring me Braham's Ring in three days."
"That—! Three days is too short…!"
"Now you have two days."
Say one more word, and it'd become one day.Any more complaining, and she'd have to go get it right this second.
"… I will try."
Park Hana bowed deeply.Her face looked rotten—despite escaping the labyrinth—because she knew.
She wasn't freed.Her life under this tyrant of a CEO had just begun.
And somehow… this would be worse than the labyrinth.
"Don't make that face like you're about to die. I'll let you take the Hall of Fame entry alone."
Park Hana blinked, stunned.
"Is… that possible?"
"When two or more players clear it, only one gets listed."
"…!"
She bit her finger.
Libarintos had no previous clears.If she was credited as the first clear, she would receive massive attention.
Losing party members.Stagnating for a month.All of it would be forgiven.
She would be recognized as a rising star.The media would explode.The internet would praise her as a prodigy.
And Jin-hyuk…got to avoid all that attention.
"How many viewers know about you?" he asked.
"Uh… I'm not too sure…"
"We never know."
From her previous chat logs, her relationship with her viewers didn't seem… great.
But "we never know" was a very real factor.
"Then just do whatever's necessary to make them not say anything."
"You mean…?"
"I doubt the police will care about a few missing people. They won't have the manpower. Especially when it's just 'disappearances,' not murders."
Their attention was entirely on the Tower now.
"You know what to do."
And she did.This was her specialty.
After splitting up, Jin-hyuk returned to the starting point.
Passing through the gate, the familiar sight of Seoul came into view.
Ah… actually, still unfamiliar.A huge electronic billboard stood in front of the gate.
[Have you heard? The 'Dangun' Guild is rumored to be Korea's representative to challenge the 3rd-floor boss monster this week.][Oh! Dangun is Korea's #1 guild.][Yes. Europe and Japan failed after the US, so expectations are focused on Korea now.][It'd be ideal to cooperate with China, but they haven't responded.][Well, with national interests at play, each country is moving independently. Rather than waiting for cooperation, it's time to breakthrough with our own strength.][If it's the Dangun Guild, they might do it.]
News about the Tower filled the display.
A 3rd-floor boss raid attempt…Players had progressed far in just one month.
'Already reaching the 3rd floor? Humans really are something.'
Though not necessarily in a good way.
Players only needed to reach the floor within 90 days.
Meaning they didn't even need to be on the 2nd floor yet—much less the 3rd.
But now…
'They want to rush to the 4th floor.'
Because they were drooling over the Tower's resources.
Instead of growing steadily, they chose to skip steps.
'If they don't have the skills, they'll regret this later.'
Climbing was easy now—but the higher floors would tighten the time limits.
Weak fundamentals + rising difficulty + time pressure = disaster.
Unlike a game, there were no retries.
'Anyway, I'll take all the first clears. Speed control. I'll move at my pace.'
He looked back at the billboard.
Tomorrow, Park Hana's name would flood the news.That's why he let her take the Hall of Fame slot.
Excessive attention was a double-edged sword.
If you secured fame, no one could touch you…
But it also ruined early growth.
For humanity.For the nation.And for everyone else.
If individual effort was crushed under "public interest," it was simply tyranny of the majority.
People obsessed with fame would fall into that trap.
He wasn't one of them.
'First, let's gather information about the past month.'
The internet was an option.
But collecting quality information among the noise…too time-consuming.
There was a better source.
He entered the Tower of Trials Community Forum.
Pages and categories filled the screen.
He searched for one particular player—someone he had kept an eye on since before entering the labyrinth.
'Where are you…?'
He scanned through:
[Today's Popular Posts][Hall of Fame][Hot Tips Board]…
And finally—
'Found you.'
A familiar name.
[MrBaldHumanMember Since: August 13, 2007Details: Undisclosed]
He was still active.
Jin-hyuk logged in with his old ID.
'Captain Teemo.'
The ID he created on July 1, 2007.
'Man… why did I choose that stupid name back then?'
IronMan.SwordKing.WarGod.
Anything would've been cooler than…
Teemo.
A fluffy, yordle sniper.
Regret was eternal.
Still—
It wasn't as bad as MrBaldHuman.
CaptainTimo: Hello! Do you remember me?
Would he reply?
They had fought together years ago…
But maybe he wouldn't remember.
And then—
MrBaldHuman: Hahaha! Salute, Captain Teemo! It's been forever!
A reply came instantly.
'He remembers.'
It had been seven years since they last played together.
Jin-hyuk felt unexpectedly touched.
MrBaldHuman: Why didn't you reply till now? I kept messaging you since day one.
CaptainTimo: I've been a bit busy this last month.
MrBaldHuman: Hahah, what? Were you on a deserted island?
CaptainTimo: Well… something similar.
Called a labyrinth.
A month-long struggle between life and death.Naturally, there'd be an information gap.
But good news:
He had a reliable source.
One of the most knowledgeable players about the Tower.He only needed information from him.
CaptainTimo: Instead of chatting, let's meet in person. Do you have time?
MrBaldHuman: Of course! But I'm supposed to meet the Nuclear Fist of Bulkwang District. Can we all meet together?
An unexpected name.
Nuclear Fist of Bulkwang District.
He was meeting her too?
'Is this what it feels like to enter reality after leaving the Tower?'
He was curious.
To meet people he had only known as avatars.
Any hesitation didn't last long.
CaptainTimo: Let's meet at the entrance of the Tower. We can go to a regular café from there. ---
It was a moderately popular café.He sat in the back with a cold chocolate latte.
Thirty minutes passed.
Clack!
The door opened.
A man and woman walked in.
He knew instantly.
MrBaldHuman.Nuclear Fist.
"Hello. I am Mr. Bald Human."
Around 170 cm.Curly permed hair.Fair skin.Cheerful smile.
Cute, gentle-looking.
Yet in the game, his avatar had been:
A bald black manwearing leopard-print pantiesbee tailsand butterfly wings.
This guy…
'Ah. The same psycho who shouted while setting the worm on fire in the labyrinth.'
[Your blood pressure has risen.][There is a risk.]
He agreed.
A tingling sensation hit his cheeks.
Next, the woman introduced herself.
"I am Nuclear Fist of Bulkwang District."
Around 167 cm.Tanned, healthy skin.Long straight hair.Workout clothes.
Her in-game avatar?
A fat man wearing boxing gloves and a floral tube.
Forever burned into his memory.
So amazing.
In another sense.
'They look normal? No… they stand out in their own way.'
Jin-hyuk exhaled once and said:
"Captain… Timo."
He had forgotten.
The crazier a veteran acts in-game…the more normal they tend to be in real life.