"N-no… no, please, please…!"
Jin-hyuk left the hall, leaving Alex to scream behind him. He had no reason to watch until the very end.
Crack!
Thud!
Debris fell from the ceiling and walls after the aftermath of the Magic Melting Furnace. It wasn't dangerous, but dust rose with each impact.
[Lv2 'Ice Formation' activated.]
Psss!
A film of ice spread over Jin-hyuk's body. A snowflake-patterned ice shield appeared, deflecting falling rocks.
Jin-hyuk's eyes scanned the other guests lying on the ground. A few had yet to regain consciousness after the extreme physical and mental pain they had suffered.
'Thanks to this, I'll gain even more.'
In a situation that had nearly turned into a disaster, no other side could collect the auction items.
Treasures from the 175th black market auction were buried beneath rubble. Whoever picked them up first would become their owner.
Jin-hyuk walked between the unconscious bodies.
'I saved your lives, so you should at least pay me this much.'
On the contrary, he could even say he was underpaid. The goods amounted to only a few million dollars. Some might even insist he open his subspace inventory to throw their items in, just because he saved them.
That didn't matter.
'Because I'll be on a plane to Korea when you all wake up.'
Almost everyone was completely out of it, so who would know who the culprit was? At best, they'd blame the demonic humans.
Lululala.
Jin-hyuk hummed as he dug through the wreckage. Quite a few treasures were damaged, but fortunately, the best items were intact.
'Feels like I'm inside a treasure dungeon.'
The most valuable items he recovered were the Heart of the Ichthyosaur, Unknown Iron Ore, and the Vault of Michelangelo.
The crown that Elise had used as payment was also recovered.
Nice.
This was enough.
Jin-hyuk pulled out an old piece of paper from his pocket.
It was the Subspace Inventory Combination he had obtained from the Corridor of the Fallen.
He could now store various items using materials such as Tower relic replicas. However, with these items, he still couldn't make platinum or diamond-grade subspace inventories.
'For now, just using it to reduce the inconvenience of carrying these items is fine.'
And that was more than enough.
[Heart of Ichthyosaur (A), Unknown Iron Ore (B), Vault of Michelangelo (C) used as materials!]
[Large-capacity Subspace Inventory created (Gold Grade +5000kg)!]
A dazzling yellow inventory appeared. Finally, he could clear his cumbersome items.
But at that moment—
Rrr!
He sensed movement among the people around him.
"…!?"
Jin-hyuk quickly turned.
'Is someone waking up already?'
A pair of small, teary eyes stared at him.
A little boy looked at him with admiration.
'… a kid?'
Jin-hyuk shook off any suspicion.
"I'll pull you out, so wait one second. Don't move."
"Uh? Yes."
The boy nodded as Jin-hyuk acted.
Slash!
A blue dagger cut through the rubble.
Since the angle had been arranged carefully, only the debris was cut—the boy was safe.
"T-thank you, hyung."
"Well, this much is easy."
Jin-hyuk smiled as if it were nothing.
"Hyung is the one who killed monsters and bad guys, right?"
"Uh?"
"I saw it before I fainted. Just like in Marvel movies… really, so cool."
Marvel movies?
Probably referring to the Avengers fighting Thanos. From a kid's perspective, Jin-hyuk wiping out the undead might have looked just like a movie scene.
"I want to become a strong player like hyung someday, rise to the top, and show up when bad guys hurt people… at least that's my dream."
Hearing it openly was strange. But because the boy was pure-hearted, his expression was genuine.
No hidden meaning. Just gratitude.
'Sometimes this isn't bad.'
Jin-hyuk smiled and patted the boy's head.
But he had to stop—just in case someone else woke up.
And one thing before that:
"Well, later, if people ask who did this, can you keep it a secret?"
Jin-hyuk put out his pinky.
"I will never tell anyone. A hero's identity must remain hidden!"
The boy smiled and linked his pinky to his.
On the 3rd floor of the Tower of Trials, two places remained unconquered by players.
One was the boss room blocking access to the 4th floor.
The other was this: the Cathedral of Hatred, a labyrinth that had destroyed countless challengers.
But—
Contrary to its notoriety, it had already been conquered by demonic humans.
"Damn, why is the security so tight here? This isn't good for us."
A slender woman grunted, her anger evident.
Layers of barriers and traps were everywhere to prevent intruders. The labyrinth was filled with high-ranking undead monsters that could unsettle even demonic humans.
"Stop complaining, Melena. I'm already not feeling too well thanks to that stupid doctor."
The Asian man beside her clicked his tongue.
Not much, but the cold energy emanating from him rivaled a giant monster's.
"Li Qiao… should I pay attention to your mood now?"
"That would be wise. If you don't want to die."
"Interesting. You speak as if you're stronger than me?"
Melena met his gaze directly. It wouldn't be strange if weapons were drawn at any moment.
"Both of you, let it go."
A man in a black hood interrupted them with a low, heavy voice.
Unlike Melena and Li Qiao's outfits, the hood bore an inverted red cross on its shoulder and the Roman numeral VII.
"… I understand."
"Tch!"
They nodded, obeying the command.
Melena and Li Qiao had operated outside the Tower for over a decade but still didn't get along.
Truthfully, it was contradictory to expect demonic humans to cooperate. They were an apocalyptic cult indulging in pseudo-religion, composed of killers who thrived on murder and mercenary work. Monsters who had discarded their humanity.
A group that hated all laws.
"But no matter how poor Alex's skills are, I don't understand how he lost despite having so many resources."
Li Qiao spoke.
"Well, a guy named Kang Jin-hyuk was one of the Tower veterans. His rank might even be similar to ours."
"Do not be careless. Maybe he's ranked higher than us."
At the hooded man's words, a nervous exhale escaped them.
"Ah, please… even executives reaching the 20th floor were insane. You think he went beyond that?"
"I also think we're putting him on a pedestal he doesn't deserve. We chose Tower of Trials, a VR world, to avoid external eyes. We know more about the Tower than others…"
"Right. Other players don't have a special reason to move like us. No need to hide in the Tower to avoid others."
The game had been released 11 years ago, but most players quit within three years. Natural.
Even those who enjoyed extreme difficulty wouldn't waste time. Average players endure only as long as it's fun.
Was there a fool throwing their life away in this tedious game?
Why would anyone?
But a strange tension lingered on the man's face.
His intuition had brought him to an executive position. Beyond that, fear kept sending warnings.
Never underestimate Kang Jin-hyuk. Only fools do.
Then…
"You two, go with Cadrick."
If there was a chance to take down Kang Jin-hyuk, they would seize it.
At the last gate of the 3rd floor, Jin-hyuk stood before the only path to the 4th floor.
"Phew…"
He took a deep breath.
'All preparations complete.'
All items Lee Yuri had prepared were safely in his subspace inventory. His physical and magical conditions were optimized.
All that remained was to start his broadcast channel before the boss battle.
'If I'm thinking about the future, I need to collect as many coins as possible.'
The first video would gain massive views within 24 hours.
Good players naturally got coins. Unknown players barely got ten views in a hundred days.
He needed to rise in rank and secure the top spot.
'Let's work hard today.'
He planned to use the broadcast to attract attention. But even then, no live streaming.
Uploading without editing was too risky.
'If I impress everyone on the first broadcast, editing will be easier for the next one.'
At that moment, a painful memory struck him:
'Not Captain Timo!'
He'd never use that name again. A nightmare he wanted to forget.
Jin-hyuk bit his fingers.
He prided himself on knowing more than anyone about the Tower, but naming channels was still his weakness.
Minutes passed.
A name flashed in his mind.
"…Unknown."
He mumbled.
[Do you want to name this channel 'Unknown'?]
A system prompt appeared.
"Yes. I will."
Having cleared the Labyrinth, the system recommended Unknown to protect his identity.
The meaning of Unknown: hide behind the mask.
[Personal channel created!]
[Channel name: 'Unknown']
[Broadcast function activated!]
[Real-time streaming only available during boss battles on each floor.]
Current BJ Rating General: (90% commission taken)
Viewers: 0/1,000
Subscribers: 0
Ba-dump!
Jin-hyuk's heart raced.
"What am I so nervous about?"
In the past, live streaming in the game was rare. Few players played Tower of Trials.
This was practically his first live broadcast. Exciting.
[The Tower of Trials 3rd Floor Boss Battle: Watch a veteran raid for the first time.]
A title like this should attract viewers.
'Now, let's move.'
One last time, Jin-hyuk checked his mask and placed it on his face.
Step.
He walked toward the other side of the swaying gate.
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