One week later.

The promised dungeon date with Poryong was over.

In retrospect, Baek Jin-woo's decision was the right one.

On the last day of their trip, in the evening.

- Um... Jin-woo Nim.

"Hm?"

- I have to tell you something.

"What is it?"

- I could have learned the skill last time, but I didn't on purpose. I'm really sorry.

Poryong confessed the truth.

She had realised it herself, and knowing that she might be scolded, she must have braced herself before telling the truth.

After being rewarded and even taken out on a date, she probably felt guilty.

- It was selfish of me. I'm sure the other summoners want to spend time with you too, Jin-woo Nim.

"No, Poryong."

Baek Jin-woo smiled warmly.

Even though he was young, he thought this must be what it felt like to raise a child.

"I'm more grateful that you had the courage to tell me first."

- ...

"You don't have to blame yourself so much. Right now you're the one I need most. Spending time with you is only natural.

- Really?

These weren't just empty words.

The summons to the weekly dungeon grind?

They were important too, of course.

But they weren't on the same level as Poryong, Hun-gyo or Lamba.

Baek Jin-woo had always preferred strong summons to treating them all the same.

"You've improved your mastery of 'Linked Strike' by now, right?"

- Yes! I think I've got it down without any mistakes.

"Good. Then that's all for today."

Tomorrow.

The Tower trial would begin.

***

The next day.

In the Player Zone, in front of the Jamsil Tower.

An employee in a black suit stood at the entrance.

As Baek Jin-woo approached,

"Oh!"

"Player Baek Jin-woo?"

The two staff members recognised him immediately.

By now, Baek Jin-woo had become quite famous.

Even though he wasn't officially a ranked player yet, he was more famous than most ranked players.

"Could it be... you're going to try the Tower of Trials?"

Yes.

Why else would he be here?

"Can I go in?"

"Er... may I see your registration card? We know who you are, but it's part of the procedure."

"Here it is."

The process was simple.

They just had to log his entry into the system.

If someone didn't turn up within a week, they were marked as missing.

If they didn't return within a month, they were presumed dead.

Even the timelines reflected the gruelling nature of the Tower.

"The media won't be informed, will they?"

Access to the Tower of Trials, even for journalists, was strictly forbidden.

Players could also request complete privacy.

"Yes! We'll make sure there's no media exposure!"

At least he didn't want his family to know.

He had heard that his younger siblings and Yoo Ji-ah had told their parents about him.

But the Tower of Trials was another matter.

"They would worry too much."

He decided to clear it quickly on his own and tell them afterwards.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes, you may enter!"

"I wish you a safe and successful run!"

With the greetings of the staff behind him, Baek Jin-woo stepped through the gate at the entrance of the tower, where a black aurora shimmered ominously.

***

[Entering the Tower of Trials]

[The Tower of Trials is extremely difficult.]

[Proceed with caution.]

The environment turned pitch black.

After a brief warning,

[You can have up to three parties in the Tower of Trials.]

[Please configure your settings.]

The settings were already prepared.

In the first party, Baek Jin-woo sent Lamba, Hun-gyo, Poryong, Wind Falcon and Horned Fairy.

For the second party, he used Sky Dolphin, Sky Wyvern and three Lava Drakes.

For the third party, he chose Battle Sheriff, Priest of Radiance, Striped Komodo, Titan Golem, and Frost Cat.

A perfect line-up of 15 summons.

He had also equipped them with the best lower level runes available.

[You may now challenge the 1st floor]

[Do you wish to continue?]

[Y/N]

Was there even a choice?

He clicked 'Yes'.

As the energy engulfed his body, his vision shifted.

***

When he opened his eyes again, they were in an unfamiliar space.

An abandoned city filled with elaborate Gothic stone buildings.

"Right, medieval setting."

- Grrrr!

- Raaaaagh!

The main enemies here were ghouls (level C).

The Tower of Trials was built in cycles of ten floors.

Clearing the boss of the tenth floor, the Ghoul King "One-Eye" (Grade S), marked the end of a cycle.

"Let's move, everyone."

- Yes!

- Yes, my lord!

- I got it, Jin-woo Nim!

All 15 summons moved in perfect coordination.

The mission on the 1st floor was simple.

[Escape the abandoned city of Chrome, which is overrun by ghouls.]
[Airborne Summons are restricted in Chrome due to a powerful curse].

The goal was to avoid the ghouls and find a way out of the city!

"Click."

Baek Jin-woo clicked his tongue.

It sounded easy, but it wasn't.

He didn't know much about Chrome, but the city was huge.

The bigger the area, the more numerous the ghouls.

"Clear this alley first! Don't try to fight everything - concentrate on the weakest points!"

The ghouls in the Tower of Trials were different from normal ghouls.

They were slower and less aggressive, but had absurdly high defence and attack power.

Their claws were also laced with a powerful poison that even healing couldn't counteract.

Trying to kill every ghoul here was a recipe for disaster.

"First..."

He temporarily summoned the wyvern and the dolphin.

With air restrictions and no water, they were useless in the city.

Then.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Lava Drakes charged forward, spewing fire breath.

- Graah!

- Graaaaagh!

The ghouls shambled forward, twisting and writhing in the pain of the flames.

"Move!"

Baek Jin-woo and his summons moved quickly.

As they passed through the alleys, the horrible screams of the ghouls filled the city.

"They're gathering."

Still, the 1st floor was manageable.

If you navigated properly, finding the exit wasn't too difficult.

"Where's the exit?"

Since the spawn location was random, you couldn't memorise it.

However, there were maps all over the city.

These were the only clues to solve the 1st floor.

- My Lord, I found it!

Hun-gyo, who had been moving nimbly through the ghouls, approached.

Her coordination was impeccable from past experience.

- Here's the map!

Rustle!

Hun-gyo brushed the dirt off an old map, revealing a detailed layout.

"Use the highest cathedral as a reference point."

Baek Jin-woo estimated the distance from the towering spire of the cathedral.

Climbing the tower in the past had taught him orienteering, so it was easy to determine their position at a glance.

"Here."

Baek Jin-woo tapped a spot on the map with his finger.

This was their current position.

- Good. The exit isn't too far away.

"Yes, but we have to pass a Giant Ghoul (Grade B) to get there."

In the middle of the city were sub-bosses like the Giant Ghoul.

Much bigger and stronger than normal ghouls, they posed a significant threat.

- I'll take care of it. Lamba kept buffing me.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lamba waved her staff, steadily stacking Hun-gyo's attack speed buffs.

"Normally."

The typical strategy was to sacrifice two parties to distract the sub-boss while sprinting for the exit.

Most rankers would probably have done it this way.

But?

With three EX-level summons, Baek Jin-woo didn't need to.

"Poryong."

- Yes.

"You're still stacking?"

- I'm at five now.

Poryong had used the Explosive Dragon Technique Linked Strike to accumulate explosive power.

As time went by, her damage output only increased.

And Hun-gyo too.

"Okay, let's go. Keep stacking as we go."

- Yes, Jin-woo Nim!

Exactly.

Why avoid the giant ghoul when you can just overpower it?

***

Soon.

- Graaaaaaagh!

The party encountered the roaring

Giant Ghoul.

It was massive.

Its sheer presence screamed danger.

Even a graze from those sharp, huge claws could mean instant death.

But Baek Jin-woo was undaunted.

"Hun-gyo."

- Yes, my lord!

"You can handle it, right?"

- Easily.

Hearing Hun-gyo's confident answer, Baek Jin-woo wasn't too tense either.

After all, it was only the 1st floor.

Whoosh!

Hun-gyo moved quickly.

- Hyah!

Lamba followed close behind, waving her staff furiously.

Swoosh!

The giant ghoul's massive arm sliced through the air, but..,

- Too slow.

It appeared to Hun-gyo in slow motion.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Climbing onto the ghoul's body, Hun-gyo unleashed a flurry of slashes.

- Grah! Graaaaaaaagh!

The panicked ghoul swung its claws in all directions.

But Hun-gyo dodged each attack.

And then.

"Poryong!"

Hun-gyo jumped off the ghoul's head.

- On my way!

At that moment.

Poryong's staff ignited, releasing scorching red flames.

Explosive Dragon Technique.

Ultimate Skill.

Linked Strike.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

A barrage of flaming dragons erupted from her staff, overwhelming the giant ghoul.

Its formidable defences?

Useless against such overwhelming firepower.

And.

Hun-gyo, spinning in midair, struck with a decisive blow.

Thunk!

His blade plunged into the ghoul's scorched neck.

A clean finish.

- Graaaaaaaagh!

With a final, terrible scream,

Thud!

The massive creature collapsed.

"Nice. Keep moving."

With the giant ghoul defeated, the end was near.

"How long has it been? Ten minutes?"

It would have been great if the Tower of Trials had a time attack system.

Unfortunately, it didn't.

The only goal was to clear it.

Baek Jin-woo and his summons moved steadily towards the map's indicated exit, killing ghouls on the way.

After some time, they reached an open side gate of the city.

[You have escaped the abandoned city of Chrome.]

[Congratulations!]

[You have cleared the 1st floor of the Tower of Trials!]

He has cleared the 1st floor.

[Your rewards have arrived.]

[You have obtained a "Random Synthesis Blueprint Box" (Level B)!

After receiving the reward with satisfaction,

***

Baek Jin-woo's actions that day became yet another legend.

"P-Player Baek Jin-woo?"

The guards of the Tower of Trials were stunned.

They watched as Baek Jin-woo walked out of the gate with a refreshed look on his face.

"How long has it been since he went in?"

The fact that he had come out alive meant only one thing.

"He cleared the 1st floor."

That would now be recorded in the headquarters system.

"He's insane."

"Is that even possible?"

The staff couldn't believe it.

"Has anyone ever cleared the Tower of Trials and come out in less than 20 minutes?"

No one.

Not in Korea and probably not anywhere else.

"What is he?"

A man who effortlessly swept through the weekly dungeons and cleared the Tower of Trials with ease.

But the staff couldn't divulge this information.

Having requested privacy, Baek Jin-woo was protected by strict confidentiality agreements.

"H-how did you... get out so quickly?"

They asked, unable to contain their curiosity.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-No! No problem at all!"

"Well then, see you tomorrow."

With a slight smile, Baek Jin-woo nodded and left.

"Hey."

The two employees exchanged glances.

"What did I just witness?"

"I can't believe it either."

"He said he'd be back tomorrow? Straight to the 2nd floor?"

"This is crazy. I have a feeling..."

One of the staff squinted and murmured.

"This guy's about to make some serious waves."

"Waves?"

"Yeah, like he's about to explode in popularity and go way beyond where he is now."

The employee stared at Baek Jin-woo's retreating figure.

Maybe,

They were witnessing the beginning of the story of a legendary hero.