Chapter 24
12. Third Floor Trial (6)
A storm of poison.
And within it, a spiraling storm of flames.
A blow so powerful it blanketed the entire Colosseum—unbelievable for a battle between a Ranker and a Novice.
“This is impossible!”
The Lizardman Lord, Kukokawik, shot up from his seat.
“What… is this?”
Who was Rakuowak?
He was the only Ranker among all Lizardmen in the <Lava Ocean>, their pride, their Grand General.
And that being was evenly matched with a mere Novice?
‘How is this happening…?’
Before he could even worry about Rakuowak’s honor or strength being doubted, before thinking of how this would affect control over his people—this was something that just shouldn’t happen.
‘A Novice going toe-to-toe with a Ranker?’
‘Even with penalties, a Ranker should be able to crush a Novice instantly!’
‘How is this even remotely possible?’
Calling it a miracle would be too generous.
And it wasn’t just the Lizardman Lord, his people, or the spectators who were shaken.
[The Constellation <King of Muspel> is watching the Granite Colosseum.]
[The Constellation <Serpent That Encompasses the World> is deeply interested in both players.]
Even the Constellations were paying close attention to this final fight.
‘This is insane…!’
Clench—!
‘Am I… being pushed back?’
Penalty or not. Even if the opponent possessed the power of an Imoogi (lesser dragon), the idea that he was being pushed back?
Even as it unfolded before him, Rakuowak couldn’t accept it.
Shhhhkk—!
This wasn’t about pride.
This shouldn’t be happening.
‘I can’t lose like this!’
Rakuowak poured every ounce of mana into his <Venom Storm Blade>.
CRACK—!
His mana and poison converged into a single point, and the whirlwind of fire began to fizzle.
Shhhk.
As if it had never existed, the swirling flames faded away in an instant.
Seeing that, Rakuowak charged toward Lee Jinhyuk.
“To think you’ve cornered me like this…”
Crack!
“That alone makes you worthy of being called a legendary Novice. I acknowledge y—”
But something felt off.
Shhhk?
All that remained were the broken fragments of a sword and gloves that had been held in both hands.
‘Did he form scales on the gloves?’
He had cloaked the <Adaptive Gloves (Fire)> with Imoogi scales, forming a humanoid shape to deceive.
‘He sacrificed the sword as bait? Then could it be—?’
Flash!
‘It was all a feint from the start?’
By the time he realized, it was already too late.
Lee Jinhyuk, who had hidden himself within the poisonous and fiery smoke, swung the <Scale Breaker>.
[Mana is consumed.]
[Item <Scale Breaker> begins to howl.]
WHRRRRR—!
<Scale Breaker> rotated violently.
“Shhhhkk!”
Rakuowak instinctively leaned back to dodge, but it didn’t work this time.
Anticipating this, Jinhyuk didn’t slash—he brought the blade crashing down vertically.
‘This bastard… used the gloves and sword as bait?!’
In that brief moment, Rakuowak saw it—
Lee Jinhyuk’s condition wasn’t normal either.
His armor and the Imoogi scales he wore were mostly destroyed, and his body was covered in wounds. He looked like he could collapse at any moment.
His mana and stamina were nearly depleted, and blood trickled from his lips.
‘The… scales… are connected to the end!’
Jinhyuk had endured Rakuowak’s skills with his bare body—just to draw attention.
‘I didn’t let my guard down, yet…’
He hadn’t.
He’d accounted for the penalty and the fact that Jinhyuk had Imoogi powers.
He did everything he could—but still couldn’t win.
‘Was I… outmatched in pure skill?’
Choosing the Ranker.
Wielding a dagger specialized for cutting scales.
That bizarre swordsmanship that completely deflected his own techniques.
Using every available method, Jinhyuk had overwhelmed a Ranker.
He had no choice but to admit it.
“…I lost.”
The moment Rakuowak admitted defeat—
STOP.
Jinhyuk’s sword halted just before his face.
“……”
“……”
A Ranker admitting defeat to a Novice.
The shocking scene left the entire Colosseum in stunned silence.
[Time Remaining: 0 seconds]
[<3rd Floor Trial> has ended!]
Right on cue, the time limit expired.
Without any words or regret, Jinhyuk simply returned the <Scale Breaker> to his waist.
“That was a good fight.”
“It truly was.”
Jinhyuk held out his hand, and Rakuowak took it and stood up.
“You’re truly impressive.”
“If not for the penalty, I would’ve lost.”
“Shhhhhk.”
Rakuowak made a strange sound—
perhaps a Lizardman’s version of laughter.
[Main Quest <Challenger of Flame> Cleared.]
[All Lizardmen are now expelled from the Granite Colosseum.]
Flash—!
A white light enveloped the area, and the Lizardmen vanished.
[You may now freely enter and exit the 3rd floor!]
[You’ve fulfilled the goal of <Sacred Words>.]
[You receive 100,000 points.]
[You acquire the skill <Scale Skin>.]
[You acquire the skill <Flame Sword>.]
Fulfilling the Sacred Words earned him a flood of rewards.
[Some Constellations are showing interest in you!]
[You may choose one as a Patron.]
Perhaps due to his record-breaking performance, countless Constellations were now interested in Jinhyuk.
[Presenting list of interested Constellations:]
▶ <King of Rising China>: Offers position of “First Apostle.”
▶ <Flame That Killed the Mother Goddess>: Offers position of “First Apostle.”
▶ <King of Muspel>: Offers position of “Second Apostle.”
▶ <Eternal Flame>: Offers position of “First Apostle.”
▶ <Serpent That Encompasses the World>: Offers position of “First Apostle.”
Also promises to grant one of its own scales.
Jörmungandr, convinced that Jinhyuk was an Imoogi, offered to give him one of its own scales.
A Constellation sharing its power or body part was unprecedented.
‘If I accept Jörmungandr’s offer now, the Imoogi’s power would increase…’
But he refused.
The Constellations didn’t know—Jinhyuk wasn’t content with just the power of an Imoogi.
That was only one of the many powers he sought.
It wasn’t his final goal.
‘I will…’
Clench.
‘I’ll take the powers of all the Constellations.’
So no matter how tempting, he couldn’t accept the offer.
“I won’t make a contract. Not yet.”
[Constellation <Serpent That Encompasses the World> urges you strongly.]
[Constellation <King of Muspel> snorts in amusement.]
“When I face the next trial…”
Grin.
“I’ll see you then.”
[No contract established with any Constellation.]
[You are now entering <Lava Ocean> on the 3rd floor.]
Bubbling… bubbling…
FLASH—!
The white light faded, revealing a bright red sky before Jinhyuk.
“Huff… huff…”
“Over here!”
“You won’t survive here unless you get used to it quickly!”
Humans, dwarves, elves—regardless of race, everyone was struggling to breathe in the intense heat.
For players newly arrived on the 3rd floor, the superheated environment was unbearable—especially for those who had only cleared the 1st stage.
“Urgh…!”
“Come quickly!”
Most players were led to safety by Lizardmen—into buildings with some degree of cooling.
‘This isn’t a sauna, seriously.’
Jinhyuk calmly walked as he always had.
‘I should repair my items first.’
Even though he didn’t show it, Jinhyuk’s condition was far from fine.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed right then and there.
He’d just beaten a Ranker—it made sense.
‘My mana’s gone. My items are nearly destroyed.’
He looked at the <Adaptive Gloves (Fire)> that Eike had worked so hard to craft, now on the verge of breaking—and gave a bitter smile.
“What’s with that player?”
“He looks like he’s about to collapse.”
“Did something happen during the trial?”
Ignoring the stares, Jinhyuk headed toward the lodging—until—
“Shhhk!”
“We greet the Lord!”
“We greet the Lord!”
At someone’s arrival, all the Lizardmen bowed their heads.
The ruler of the <Lava Ocean>.
Lizardman Lord, Kukokawik.
“…Are you alright?”
“I can still keep my eyes open.”
Wobble.
His vision swayed.
“Just as I thought. You’re in bad shape.”
The nearby generals quickly supported Jinhyuk.
“You’re not going to stab me now, are you?”
“Don’t worry.”
Kukokawik smiled.
“Just get some good sleep.”
“…Then I’ll count on you.”
Jinhyuk smiled.
“Help me walk, please.”
-Did you hear? Someone cleared all 5 stages this time.
└“Bullsh*t lol.”
└“No, seriously. I saw it myself. I’m a Lizardman. Shhhk.”
└“He’s even doing that ‘shhhk’ sound here… must be legit.”
A function only available to players above the 5th floor: the <Community>.
Right now, it was on fire.
-What’s with all the lies these days? Someone cleared the 2nd floor in under a second? Now 5 stages on the 3rd floor?
└“Surprise. But it’s all true.”
└“Not just any 3rd floor. It was one set to max difficulty by <Serpent That Encompasses the World>.”
└“That’s BS. Even high Rankers only cleared up to stage 4.”
└“Final opponent was Ranker Rakuowak, ranked in the 8000s.”
Most players didn’t believe it.
Only three had cleared 4 stages—no one could possibly clear 5.
-Fact is, it’s already in the <Archive> rankings.
<3rd Floor Trial Rankings>
1st: Lee Jinhyuk (Stage 5: Success)
2nd: Russell Mighty (Stage 5: Failed)
3rd: Chun Hyangwoon (Stage 4: Success)
3rd: Melidus (Stage 4: Success)
Once someone shared solid proof, there was no denying it.
The rankings had changed—something not seen in ages.
And the <Tower Archive> confirmed it.
-Lee Jinhyuk? Who the heck is that?
└“No way. Did he cheat?”
└“How would you cheat when the Constellations are watching? If that were possible, everyone would do it.”
Tutorial, 1st floor, 2nd floor… now the 3rd.
With each level, Jinhyuk broke records—sending the community into chaos.
-From the name, sounds like he’s from <Murim>.
└“There are a lot of people with similar names over there.”
As people tried to uncover his identity, stories began to spread.
-Did you hear? During the tutorial, he let a goblin injure him on purpose so others could pass safely.
└“That’s not all. In the 1st floor trial, he held off dozens of monsters and pushed people to the altar.”
-In the 2nd floor trial, he brought back all the stragglers too.
└“Then how did he place 1st?”
└“He killed the Janitor and flung himself straight into the next trial.”
└“BS lol.”
└“Nope. Even the prince of <Gigantic Punk> vouched for it.”
└“Lol. What, does the prince have delusions?”
└“All of it’s recorded in the <Archive>.”
Overwhelming strength.
Humble demeanor.
Selfless acts.
Unintentionally, Lee Jinhyuk was becoming a legendary figure in the Tower.
