A sword slashed across a face with a sharp sound.
Players with Japanese swords strapped to their waists and colorful tattoos covering their bodies came into view.
What was this?
He didn't even need to check. It was obvious where they were from.
'The Samurai Guild…'
Jin-hyuk frowned.
He could guess why they had come and why Kim Gitae looked so tense.
At that moment, voices from the two groups overlapped.
"This is a dungeon we own. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"
"I know. But as Captain Kim also knows, you fail every time you challenge it, right? Wouldn't it be better to hand it over to those who can actually attack it instead of holding onto it so stubbornly?"
The man with a beard and sunglasses replied calmly.
The words were polite, but the meaning behind them was unmistakable.
Grind.
Kim Gitae clenched his teeth, unable to refute the claim.
They had failed this raid repeatedly, while the Samurai Guild had been experiencing rapid growth.
But then—
"Um… that's strange."
Jin-hyuk scratched his head and interrupted, drawing everyone's attention.
"He… is?"
"Ah, Kang Jin-hyuk. The ranker from Korea!"
"Does he have something to do with the Fathers of Fighting?"
"This isn't good…"
Whispers spread as the man in sunglasses stepped forward.
"This is unexpected. But what exactly is strange?"
"I heard you saying they failed repeatedly due to a lack of power."
"I did say that. I feel bad saying it, but that's reality."
He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
Even so, he didn't believe Medusa could be defeated with this Japanese guild's strength.
Even combined, they wouldn't match Chun Yuseong or Teresa.
"Ah, I see. So your dream is to become a beautiful stone statue? Do you know what's inside there? Medusa would love to add you to her collection."
Jin-hyuk smiled brightly.
"A-are you saying we lack skill? Is that what you mean?"
"It's not that you lack skill. You're just… not that impressive."
What they truly lacked was common sense.
"No—not impressive?"
"Damn it. Did he really just say that?"
The Samurai Guild members were visibly shaken.
On the other side—
"As expected!"
"Serves them right."
The Fathers of Fighting were clearly pleased.
"You'll regret those words. No matter how confident you are, there's a player in Japan who climbed to the 30th floor. And unlike you, he's a real veteran."
The man in sunglasses spoke coldly.
"He's been to the 30th floor?"
"That's right. The middle section of the Tower—no one else has reached it. With his knowledge and experience, we will be the first to conquer the Tower. No one but Japan!"
He spread his arms wide, pride evident on his face.
He couldn't hide his excitement.
But Jin-hyuk merely clicked his tongue.
'Nonsense.'
After passing the 20th floor in the past, Jin-hyuk hadn't seen a single other player.
A veteran who had climbed to the 30th floor suddenly appearing in Japan?
Impossible.
'Still… he believes it.'
Which meant someone was feeding him false information.
Jin-hyuk smiled faintly.
'Lying in front of me, of all people.'
He didn't know how the Samurai Guild got dragged into this—
But—
'You chose the wrong opponent.'
Jin-hyuk activated the Eye of Gluttony.
Several status windows appeared.
'Not him… not this one either…'
None of them stood out—
Until his gaze stopped.
Name: Yamamoto Takeshi
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Level: 27
Stats:
Strength 16 / Agility 26 / Stamina 23 / Magic 32
Occupation: Onmyoji
Unique Ability: Half Vision of the Future
Skills:
Lv6 False Prophecy
Lv5 Insignificant Sympathy
Lv5 Yin and Yang Changes
Lv5 Devour
This one.
Now everything made sense.
A power that allowed him to glimpse part of the future.
Though incomplete, it was enough to mislead others.
Even fragmented foresight was valuable to those who knew nothing.
But that only applied to people who didn't know what lay ahead.
Seeing the Tower and experiencing it were entirely different things.
'This will be fun.'
Jin-hyuk smiled at Takeshi.
The Hope of Japan.
A hidden card recruited by the Samurai Guild.
A future Top 100 player.
'They don't know the flaws of foresight.'
By providing believable lies, Takeshi gained the trust of the guild.
And it worked.
He joined the strongest guild in Japan.
He claimed to have reached the 30th floor.
He told stories no one could verify.
Even if parts were wrong, his ability made them seem convincing.
'Even if they realize I lied, it'll be too late to abandon me.'
And if he got caught?
He would simply make the lie real.
With guild-level support, his power would grow quickly.
'Rankers were weak once too.'
With items, experience, and manpower—
He could have everything.
But his momentum faltered.
Because of Kang Jin-hyuk.
'…What?'
Takeshi swallowed.
Dozens of players stood around him.
Yet Jin-hyuk ignored them all and smiled—as if he knew everything.
That terrified him.
At that moment—
"Oh. A veteran who climbed to the 30th floor? Amazing. Even global media only has information up to around the 10th floor."
Jin-hyuk spoke calmly.
"Now do you understand the situation?"
Sunglasses smiled proudly.
"It makes sense now. Someone like that should be promoted globally."
"Puahaha! Right. Is there anyone in Korea worth talking to?"
"Enough. Let's move. We'll follow."
Jin-hyuk stepped back.
"That makes things easy."
"They say he's a ranker, but a real veteran makes anyone piss their pants."
"Korea really is just Japan's shadow."
Thirty Samurai Guild players moved ahead.
Only one lagged behind.
"..."
Takeshi froze.
But only for a moment.
Soon, all Samurai Guild members entered the labyrinth.
The Fathers of Fighting were stunned.
"K-Kang Jin-hyuk?"
"You're… going with them?"
Kim Gitae and Lee Young-kwon stared in shock as Jin-hyuk nodded.
He asked calmly,
"If we had stopped them earlier, could you have prevented them from entering?"
"O-of course. We would have."
"Then they'd still be alive. That can't be allowed."
"W-What…?"
They finally understood.
"As I said, they won't survive with those skills."
Trusting a fake veteran against Medusa?
They didn't even have a proper plan.
They believed in Takeshi.
Takeshi believed in the guild.
They would cling to each other as they fell into hell.
Watching was enough.
Pride blinded them.
"At first, I tried to push them away politely."
He wasn't trying to kill them.
But—
"If you don't understand your place and dip your spoon into someone else's rice bowl…"
The smile vanished.
"…you have to pay the price."
A total of 62 raiders entered the labyrinth.
[You have entered the labyrinth: Gray Temple (Medusa's Hideout)]
Their vision darkened, then returned.
Flames burst from cracked stone.
Ancient Greek-style columns lined the ruins.
Stone statues of former challengers stood everywhere.
"These… were players."
"Damn. Is there no way to reverse it?"
"No. Petrification is permanent."
A top-tier curse.
"That's why they became decorations."
"Relax. I already have a plan."
Sunglasses raised his shield.
The relic—
Shield of Perseus.
A mythical item.
That was why he was confident.
But Jin-hyuk nearly laughed.
'That's what you trusted?'
Relics alone didn't win raids.
Not in high-difficulty labyrinths.
They were tools—not solutions.
'Go ahead and work hard up front.'
'I'll relax behind you.'
Jin-hyuk was enjoying himself—
Until—
Woong!
His subspace trembled.
'This…?'
The black scroll from the priest reacted.
At the same time—
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