The night to select opponents.

Jo Seohui spoke.

─ "Earthlings are especially popular. This is something you’ll encounter often in the Tower of Struggle, so it’s best to adapt quickly."

Jo Seohui offered a solution to the superstars of the first floor. She suggested Earthlings choose each other as opponents.

─ "If you go up against players from other dimensions, nine times out of ten, you’ll lose. Honestly, nine times is a generous estimate. But if Earthlings compete among themselves, at least half of you can survive and move up."

The Earthlings had no other choice.
They picked the opponents who seemed easiest.

There was a lot of information to go on. They had spent the whole week in tournaments.

‘A lot of these bets have obvious answers. I can make some easy money.’

Maybe Jo Seohui had arranged this test with this situation in mind.

In the waiting room.

“Oh Daehyup, what are you planning to do?”

Eun Seoryeong asked, flipping a coin in her hand.

“…We should follow the administrator’s advice. She said the more we collect, the better.”

The matchup table was displayed. The order appeared random, with no clear pattern.

[BATTLE 62.] [TEAM Madokwang VS TEAM Eun Seoryeong]

It was displayed prominently.

“I wonder if it’s okay to use my name, given that Oh Daehyup is here.”

“What’s the point? It’s just a name.”

Being the team representative didn’t come with any bonus, so I had no interest in meaningless fame.

All I could think about was the coins. How I could multiply them as much as possible.

‘Maybe I should come up with an investment plan.’

Securing capital was essential. That way, I’d have a safety net for spreading out my bets.

[First Floor, Win and Prove Yourself] Prove to everyone that you are the one worthy of advancing.

The message from the Tower appeared, signaling the start.

"Shall we start with the first match?!"

With the administrator’s words, the television screen changed.

A dome-shaped arena. At the center stood the players.

In a blink, they were summoned for the battle. They glared at each other, tension evident on their faces.

"It’s an Earthling match! Now, place your bets! If it feels too difficult, you don’t have to bet!"

We’d seen enough by now. In an Earthling match, it was fairly easy to predict the winner.

“…”

Eun Seoryeong and Baeksong followed my lead, likely not wanting to waste valuable credits.

The battle ended more quickly than expected. Just because they were both Earthlings didn’t mean they were on the same level.

‘Even with the same stats, the skill level varies dramatically depending on the “pilot.”’

We had plenty of free time during the week of tournaments. Kim Min-seong had shared a lot of insights.

─ “It’s like a game. Even if two characters have the same specs, the skill level varies depending on the player's tier.”

Whether fully equipped, max level, or anything in between, if the character’s health hits zero, you’re staring at a gray screen. It’s just like a game.

─ “If we think like that, it explains why you’re so strong, hyung. You’ve got natural athletic instincts.”

Since the Earthlings’ specs were similar, the pilot’s skills were all the more important.

"My money doubled."

"We can follow Oh Daehyup’s bets for Earthling matches, and for Murim matches, we can guide you."

Eun Seoryeong and Baeksong smiled, satisfied as they collected their winnings. The results of the first bet seemed to please them.

‘…Aren’t they supposed to be ascetics?’

The Taoist monks I knew were more like monks. But here were these monks, acting as if they were steeped in materialism. Their reactions felt strange, making them seem unfamiliar.

"Next match! I’ll give you one minute to decide!"

My capital had doubled. From now on, I’ll invest only one coin per match and keep the other as a backup in case of a wrong bet.

"Oh!"

The accuracy rate was higher than expected. The coins were gradually accumulating.

A familiar urge crept in. If I bet two coins instead of one, I could double my return. The temptation to take a risk stirred within me.

‘Safety first.’

I shook my head. I managed to suppress the desire.

There was no need to take unnecessary risks. In this kind of betting, the most important thing is not to lose.

“I can’t hold back anymore.”

“…”

For an ascetic, does it make sense to be so impatient? Eun Seoryeong put all her coins on one side.

“Aah! Please!”

The result was a loss.

“…”

Eun Seoryeong lost all her coins. She was left with nothing.

Baeksong glanced at Eun Seoryeong. There was a faint hint of disdain in his eyes.

Meanwhile, my coins continued to grow. With a high success rate, they had to increase.

By the time we reached 30 matches, I had accumulated 100 coins. It helped that I’d made big bets on certain Earthling matches.

“A-amazing, Oh Daehyup.”

Baeksong had also been fighting hard, while Eun Seoryeong sat empty-handed. Despite her mature appearance, she couldn’t hide her pitiful look.

Eun Seoryeong looked at me. There was a sort of pleading in her eyes. Her gaze soon shifted to the pile of coins.

“…Do you want some of these?”

“I do have some pride.”

Eun Seoryeong firmly declined.

“But if you were to offer one… out of your kindness, I wouldn’t refuse.”

“…”

Looking at Eun Seoryeong’s shameless expression, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Could this work?’

I could receive a race-specific bonus by using the Tome of the Void. I wasn’t sure how this was possible…

‘What if I change my race to Murim?’

I made an offer in exchange for one coin.

“Could you teach me some martial arts?”

I wasn’t expecting anything grand. Even a basic martial art that a commoner might buy from the market would be fine.

‘I just want to see if it works.’

In the Tower of Struggle, there are two ways to acquire skills.

The first is through rewards. Items like the random box I got from Chirak, the one from the Skill Competition, and so on.

The second is through training. Earthlings can’t choose this method. That’s why they’re treated like weaklings.

“I can’t teach you Jeomchang’s techniques as an outsider, but I can show you the basics like the Three Talents Sword Technique or Six Harmonies Fist.”

Eun Seoryeong nodded, agreeing readily.

【Race – Murim】

I quickly manipulated my status screen. I changed my race from Black Dragon to Murim.

“Pick up a sword.”

Eun Seoryeong demonstrated the moves while chanting short mantras. I clumsily mimicked her movements.

Horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust. It wasn’t difficult.

Ding.

[Three Talents Sword Technique (Samjaegeombeop) [Lv.1][E]] [Increases physical damage of Three Talents Sword moves by 20%.]

Skill acquired. And there was a skill level, something Earthlings’ Soul System didn’t have.

‘It works.’

If I change my race with the Tome of the Void, I can acquire that race’s skills. Realizing the limitless potential, I couldn’t help but smirk.

That one coin was absolutely worth it.

Before the start of Match 62. Six players were summoned to the arena.

I saw a familiar face.

“It’s Ryuin hyung.”

As soon as Kim Min-seong spotted the Error Player, he bet all his coins on that team. All twelve of the coins he had saved up, on a razor’s edge.

He had no doubt that Ryuin hyung would win. Lee Soo-jung, who had been watching, cringed and tried to stop him.

“Are you really going all in? What if you lose? You saved those with such effort. Why not just bet one?”

Kim Min-seong replied firmly.

“No. Ryuin hyung will never lose. He’ll definitely win.”

His voice was full of conviction.

‘What’s gotten into him?’

The two of them were childhood friends. Their mothers had become friends at a postpartum care center, and the bond had carried over to them.

They had known each other for a long time. So this was even harder to understand.

‘How long has it been since they met that guy?’

To trust someone this much? What if he gets betrayed?

Besides, the Error Player is still an Earthling. He’d been gathering points through tournaments with the rest of them.

It’s expected that he would’ve grown quite strong by now, but… Even so, it’s unlikely he’ll dominate against a Murim warrior.

No matter how I look at it, Kim Min-seong’s judgment is a mistake. He’s bound to regret it.

“Soo-jung, I told you. The Tower of Struggle is like a novel’s world.”

The tower is filled with all kinds of monstrous species. Not figuratively but literally—many players look like real monsters.

Those monsters looked at Earthlings like insects. In fact, many Earthlings had been trampled by monster players, some even devoured.

“This structure doesn’t make sense. It’s way too unfair. There has to be something for Earth too, for it to be fair.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t make sense? What you’re saying is the real nonsense.”

Lee Soo-jung glanced at the new member sitting behind them and whispered.

“…Wait, what? Are you saying the Error Player is a regressor?”

“I’m certain. Trust me.”

“He goes back to the past when he dies? How could that be possible? That makes no sense.”

“Go all in too. All twenty of your coins. It’ll double, guaranteed.”