Chapter 10: The Labyrinth of Labyrinthos (4)

With trembling hands, Jinhyuk confirmed the item that had appeared before him.

[Luck Goddess Fortuna’s Wheel of Fortune (Incomplete)]

Acquisition Difficulty: S

Description: Increases luck to its maximum for 10 minutes (one-time use). However, its range of use is limited due to its incomplete state.]

The Roman goddess of fortune.

And this was her wheel of fortune.

Despite it being a one-time use and incomplete item synthesized from F-rank junk items,

It was more than enough.

At least on floors lower than five, he could create something more powerful than any weapon.

‘Now, let’s see…’

Jinhyuk grabbed the handle of the wheel.

It was hot.

Warm magical power spread from his fingertips.

‘So a relic is still a relic, huh?’

It had a somewhat spicy taste.

‘That’s right, this is what I call appealing.’

Breaking into a grin, Jinhyuk turned the handle 360 degrees.

Click!

[The divine artifact ‘Wheel of Fortune’ has been activated!]

[Your luck has been maximized for 10 minutes!]

Heavenly luck.

He didn’t know the exact figure, but he was sure that his current luck was off the charts.

If he scratched a lottery ticket, he’d win everything.

He might as well nap in a bullet-ridden battlefield.

Of course, there was a catch.

The range within which it could be used was limited.

A terrifying condition…

Using luck in the wrong place meant it was all for naught.

Moreover, there was not one line describing just how limited the range was.

Hard-earned luck could potentially be wasted, thus its use had to be careful.

But.

Such concerns were for the unskilled.

Jinhyuk knew exactly the range of the boundary.

‘Information learned by paying a hefty tuition fee.’

At the time, he had cursed thousands of times.

But now, he would make no more mistakes.

It was time to get started.

Jinhyuk took out 10 ‘Lottery Enhancement Scrolls’.

Enhancement success probability: 0.000012%.

1 in 8.14 million.

Literally, the same odds as winning the lottery.

Using these on a dagger would mean…

[Enhancement successful!]

[You have acquired Old Dagger(+1)!]

The faintly red dagger.

As expected!

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth rose.

Despite the atrocious odds of the enhancement scroll, with his luck now maxed, the probability of success was as good as 100%.

From now on, it was a matter of repetition.

Use up all 10 scrolls, over and over again.

Jinhyuk used the second enhancement scroll.

[Enhancement successful!]

[You have acquired Old Dagger(+2)!]

[…]

With each successful enhancement, the dagger changed color slightly.

The blade soaked deeper into a red hue.

And finally.

[Enhancement successful!]

[You have acquired Old Dagger(+10)!]

[As it has reached the maximum level of enhancement, it is no longer possible to enhance further.]

[You are the first in the Korean server to succeed in making a +10 power item!]

[You have earned 5,000 coins!]

[This feat will be displayed in the ‘Hall of Honor’ for one day!]

+10.

He had reached the maximum enhancement level possible for an F-rank item.

Moreover, he secured coins as a reward.

Vrrrm!

Jinhyuk smoothly rotated the dagger in the opposite direction of the clock.

A smooth curve sliced through the air.

Light and clean to the grip.

‘I like how this feels.’

[Old Dagger(+10 power)]

Acquisition Difficulty: F(→A)

Attack Power: 280

Durability: 110/110

Effect: Bleeding damage 3%, Lightness 50%

Decent attack power.

With bleeding damage and lightweight magic included.

‘I finally have something worth using.’

He wouldn’t have to worry about weapons for a while.

***

A day had passed since the Tower of Trials opened.

On the first day, numerous players explored and grew within the tower, capturing their progress in videos and uploading them.

They strove to secure subscribers in unique ways, showcasing their individuality.

And the public living outside of the Tower…

They watched those players’ videos for one reason.

To identify the most outstanding and promising players.

Because that was the only way to conquer the next floor in 90 days and prevent humanity’s extinction.

Right then, while browsing through the [Tower of Trials] community, Jinhyuk paused.

He had stumbled upon something interesting.

[#Player Haemosu #Korean_server #Incredible_personality #The Tower of Trials 1st Floor, Goblin Dungeon Record Clear Video!]

‘There’s always someone showing off with something like this.’

The video, claiming a 15-hour clear of the goblin dungeon, had over 1 million views.

Convert that at a 10,000 to 100 ratio, that’s about 10,000 coins.

With a 90% handling fee, that’s 1,000 coins in earnings.

‘Haemosu, I seem to remember that guy making a name for himself for a while in the lower levels…’

The name rang a bell.

A rookie player that had briefly shone before vanishing.

‘15 hours, huh…’

Jinhyuk clicked on the video with an indifferent expression.

A close-combat dealer hunting goblins en masse.

Not a bad pace.

For the average player, that is.

Of course, it was nothing compared to Jinhyuk’s 3-hour and 40-minute clear.

However, the reaction in the comment section was completely different.

– HomoNasaekSang: Seriously amazing. Solo play with a 15-hour clear, is this real life?

– TaeJeongTaeSeBiYonSe: Legit. Came back with new underwear.

– KalTuiYoJeong: Wow. I’m subscribing and only going to watch this person’s videos from now on.

– Maltese Society President: 22222222

– 3-Day Bench Press 500 Kg: 3333333

The comment section was filled with amazement and exclamation.

People believed this player could climb the tower and save humanity.

Then, someone left a comment that scattered ashes on the festivities.

– HumanHairlessMan: 15 hours isn’t particularly fast. I know someone who cleared it in less than 5 hours.

A backlash followed.

– TaeJeongTaeSeBiYonSe: What’s a no-proof claim? Spouting your own delusions, it’s really gross.

– LooseGownConfucian: Disgusting just from the way you talk. Who said you have to use honorifics on the internet?

– BeefTripeSoju: Look at me. I cleared up to the 50th floor in 1 minute. Of course, there’s no proof. Just believe it without question.

Comments flooded in with insults and mockery.

All because of a keyboard warrior making noise from the corner of the room, as they say.

But Jinhyuk wasn’t laughing amidst the ridicule.

HumanHairlessMan…

‘He was at the tower too.’

How could he forget?

A guy he occasionally played with up to the 20th floor of the tower.

After the 20th floor, he never saw him again, but he was different from the likes of flashy Haemosu.

It was different right from the foundation.

‘The crane among chickens is mingling here.’

HumanHairlessMan was one of the few true veterans Jinhyuk acknowledged.

***

“Hahaha! That’s it! That’s the one!”

A man browsing the community erupted into laughter.

This man was Haemosu.

No, more accurately, Lee Myunghwan, who used the ID Haemosu.

“Look, I told you this would work.”

“Heh, just look at the comments coming in.”

“The forums are all about you. You’ve earned it after battling it out with those goblins. Keke!”

Lee Myunghwan and the men and women around him exchanged high-fives and raised their voices in excitement.

“Thanks everyone, it was a team effort. I appreciate it, guys.”

Lee Myunghwan scraped his nose with his finger.

“Heh, do people think you did it all on your own?”

“With that editing, and since we expertly assisted without getting caught on camera?”

“Right, look at this. A truckload of people got hooked and they’re saying they’ll donate.”

The solo play video he posted was in fact…

A scam.

Besides Lee Myunghwan, four others had also contributed.

Of course, they didn’t make it obvious.

Stepping back and out of the camera frame, they layered buffs and debuffs to assist Lee Myunghwan.

They made him appear stronger and more spectacular, captivating the viewers at a glance.

‘Heh.’

Lee Myunghwan’s mouth curled into a smile.

[Views: 1,235,095]

Those were the views reached in just six hours after posting.

Gathering viewers this way would ensure a hefty coin collection in the future. Even after the 90% fee.

‘No hard feelings.’

Life always favors those pioneers who rise to the top first.

As Lee Myunghwan reveled in his dreams, an alert sounded.

[Ding! A new video has been updated in the Hall of Honor.]

Suddenly, a new video was uploaded, at the very top no less.

“What the, what’s this?”

Lee Myunghwan stood up abruptly from his chair.

Startled, he almost bit his tongue, but he had no time to worry about that.

“Someone has a higher honor score than me?”

Impossible.

There was no way to achieve a greater achievement on the first day…

It was unthinkable.

“…Myunghwan-ah.”

“Just play it, hurry up and let’s see.”

“It must be a scam. It can’t be anything else… it just can’t be.”

“Shut up and play it now!”

Lee Myunghwan shouted even louder.

“Okay, got it.”

Eventually, the video played.

Unlike the one posted by Lee Myunghwan, it was a short video of just over 5 minutes.

Unedited, but the content was beyond imagination.

“Cra… crazy.”

Lee Myunghwan’s jaw dropped open.

It couldn’t be helped.

This was…

‘This is impossible.’

[The world’s first successful enhancement of a +10 power item!]

The emergence of a +10 power item.

No further explanation was necessary.

Nor was there a point in calculating odds.

“Views are… No, what about the comments? Explain the situation right now, dammit!”

Lee Myunghwan’s voice trembled.

The plea filled with desperation…

“In just 15 minutes, it surpassed a million views. The word of mouth is spreading fast.”

The response shattered with the answer.

– TaeJeongTaeSeBiYonSe: A real life +10 power level? No way, really?

– HomoNasaekSang: Insane. Was that even possible? I’ve seen up to +5 before.

– KalTuiYoJeong: What the hell is the chance of a +10 power level? It was a low-grade enhancement scroll.

– SpeedWagon: Here, just multiply 1 in 8.14 million by ten times.

– KalTuiYoJeong: And what does that amount to?

– SpeedWagon: You figure it out. Are your hands or feet missing?

– KalTuiYoJeong: Hey, you bastard!

– LooseGownConfucian: How can they secure fixed subscribers without revealing information? Why all the private settings?

– BeefTripeSoju: Exactly.

– RealVeteranConnoisseur: Who else could it be, logically? The player who fought Mangrove Trees, right?

– LooseGownConfucian: Maybe, huh? Seriously, no one else but that guy.

– BeefTripeSoju: Wow, I agree. If it’s that ultimate veteran, maybe it’s possible.

– KalTuiYoJeong: I just got goosebumps all over. From now on, I’m only watching that person’s broadcasts.

– Harvard5thYear3rdGrade: I’m planning on donating everything I have, right down to my underwear.

The heat in the comments was boiling, too hot to handle.

The story of the clear goblin dungeon vanished in an instant.

The internet was swamped with the chatter of the newly emerged veteran.

“Uh… what?”

Lee Myunghwan collapsed back into his seat.

Considering he’d never managed past the 6th floor, gathering viewers early on was his main strategy.

‘It’s ruined.’

Completely.

“Which bastard… AHHHHHH!”

Lee Myunghwan’s screams of frustration echoed pathetically.