Tower.
As the trial of the gods begins and the Star Watchers appear, mysterious towers rise all over the world.
No one knows why these towers were created or what purpose they serve.
However, one thing is certain:
"Conquering a tower grants power."
Just as Han Yuseong conquered the Tower of Trials and received the "Blessing of the Trial,"
conquering a tower could grant blessings similar to those bestowed by monarchs.
Sometimes, even greater blessings than those directly granted by the Star Watchers.
[Congratulations, player Han Yuseong.]
[You have achieved the highest result in the Trial of the Gods and discovered and completed an epic quest that no one else could find.]
[As a reward, the
[You have been given the opportunity to choose the contents of the
The tower is now newly opening in South Korea.
And it will be exactly the way Han Yuseong wants it to be.
"An unbelievable advantage."
The fact that the tower is being unlocked as a reward for a trial wasn't all that surprising.
He had already seen it happen several times in his past life.
Such benefits were always given to the country that achieved the best results in the trials.
What was surprising was that he could choose its contents.
[Please state the contents of the tower you desire!]
[A tower themed accordingly will be opened in South Korea.]
What kind of tower does Han Yuseong want?
Put differently—what kind of tower suits his "taste"?
There was no need to say it aloud, and no need to think it over.
"A tower where I can fight powerful enemies."
That was the type of tower Han Yuseong enjoyed the most and preferred above all.
It was also the most effective way to take advantage of the Martial God's powers.
And the system responded to his wish.
[In 3 days, the
[You will be the first to challenge this tower.]
[Challenge it and reach the end.]
The Tower of the Blood Fiend.
What exactly this tower entails is still unknown.
But if it was created according to Han Yuseong's desire,
it's likely to be a tower where he can push forward simply by fighting and defeating powerful enemies.
"I really hate exploration-type stuff."
He couldn't stand traps or towers that required special gimmicks.
A tower that allowed him to fight through enemies was the one that best suited him.
"Kakasha, those benefits you got…"
[Heh, heheh… 600,000 coins… kuhuhuhu…]
"…You've lost it. We'll talk later."
Upon hearing Kakasha's voice, Han Yuseong let out a sigh.
When a Vowed One performs exceptionally well in the Trial of the Gods, the Star Watcher they are contracted with also receives great rewards.
Coins, of course—but also an enhancement to the Star Watcher's blessings.
And apparently, they're even given some rare choices, which Han Yuseong had planned to check out.
'Well, it's not urgent right now.'
Letting Kakasha fully enjoy his joy didn't seem like a bad idea.
After washing up at home, Han Yuseong dried his hair and stood by the window.
Outside, the sunset painted the sky.
"Things are going to get noisy for a while."
In this trial, Han Yuseong had revealed his presence to the world.
He had his reasons.
First, he had finally built up enough power to defend himself.
Second, from now on, it would be increasingly difficult to conceal his identity.
His name would be clearly listed on the ranking boards—how could he possibly hide?
And more importantly…
'With what's about to happen next, hiding is no longer an option.'
Before long, the
Once that happened, there would be no avoiding the exposure of his identity.
There was no point, or merit, in trying to stay hidden until then.
'People will eventually figure out that the masked player is me.'
Some might even deduce it based on the skills he had used.
Still, that would take some time—enough time for him to prepare.
And the soon-to-open
But before any of that, he had to prepare for the immediate issues at hand.
"All kinds of flies are going to swarm me…"
He had already experienced this in his previous life.
When an unknown player suddenly rose to prominence—especially by performing outstandingly in a Trial—the result was always the same.
Offers would pour in from every direction.
From countless guilds, and even from national governments.
'Players can change their nationality.'
Ever since the Trials began, the world had changed.
A strong and talented player was a weapon in themselves—an asset of national power.
Just like how Han Yuseong brought the Tower of the Blood Fiend to Korea,
a player who achieved great results in a trial could bring benefits to their country.
Not to mention the rewards given to the victors of the
Because of that, nations around the world were desperate to recruit players.
'Give it some time, and I'm sure I'll be swamped with offers for naturalization.'
To be honest, just receiving offers would be the mildest outcome.
Some would resort to more coercive means—
Kidnapping, threats, even blackmail.
Star Watchers, guilds—they weren't any better.
Not everyone played by the rules.
'The sane ones wouldn't go that far… but it's the insane ones that are the problem.'
Especially in a situation like this, where Han Yuseong had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The confusion alone would draw in opportunists like moths to a flame.
"Well, for now, I'll just keep an eye on things."
Han Yuseong let out a long yawn.
There were plenty of ways to deal with situations.
And sometimes, instead of complex strategies, simple, brute-force violence was the most effective solution—
Just like he had done in his previous life.
'The Dead Snake faction… they'll probably make a move.'
Maybe they'd be the first to bite,
or maybe someone from the Alliance's side would make a move first.
Either way, he'd know soon enough.
Han Yuseong shut the window.
Considering all the chaos that was about to unfold,
now was the time to rest.
[Heuheh… Heuhehehe… coins… coiiins…]
"Really comforting to have such a reliable Star Watcher."
Han Yuseong sighed and closed his eyes.
**
[The Dragon's Tomb has returned to nothingness.]
[You have successfully completed the Trial of the Gods.]
[The victorious faction in this trial is the Guardians. Those who met the conditions will be granted another chance at life.]
[Number of surviving Guardians: 205,388]
[Number of surviving Destroyers: 44,051]
The Trial of the Gods,
Originally, it was supposed to last a full day,
but it had concluded in just over 12 hours.
One by one, the survivors returned to Earth.
"What the… What's up with those people?"
"They survived, but they all look like they've lost their souls."
"Was the trial really that harsh?"
Something about the survivors looked off.
All of them had expressions as if their spirits had been broken.
The players from the Destroyer faction looked like they'd seen a ghost.
Even those from the Guardian faction weren't much different.
Everyone wore the same haunted expression, like they'd been struck by something beyond comprehension.
"Hey, what's wrong? What happened in there? Explain it to us!"
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere…?"
People gathered around the players who had participated in the trial.
The players just stared blankly at those approaching them.
Then one of them muttered, almost as if in a trance—
"…Han Yuseong."
"What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Hey, snap out of it. You're not even making sense right now."
It was a name, from someone no one recognized.
But it wasn't just that one person. Other players began repeating the same name.
Even the Western players looked baffled by the sudden mention of it.
"Han Yuseong… Is that an Asian name?"
"But why bring it up now?"
The reason became clear shortly after.
[The player who made the greatest contribution in this trial, and who unlocked the Epic Quest, will be granted a special reward along with their country.]
[Congratulations, South Korea!]
[In 3 days, the
A sudden message appeared before everyone's eyes.
People were stunned by the out-of-the-blue announcement.
But among them, the sharpest individuals quickly realized—
Something had happened. Something big.
And soon enough, the events of the trial began to spread throughout the world.
"An unknown, nameless player swept through the Trial of the Gods!"
"They killed Wei Hamo, Suzuki Haruto, Inoue Semigo, and even Ludwig—famous top players from around the world—alone!"
"They even defeated divine beings!"
"On top of that, they discovered and cleared an Epic Quest!"
"They formed a contract with a unique dragon soul named 'Dreadbone Lord'…?"
Hearing the muttered accounts from participants, people's first reaction was the same:
"You expect me to believe that?"
And that response was only natural.
If it had been a well-known player, maybe it would've been more believable.
But an unknown player—someone no one had even heard of—had swept the entire trial?
The Trial of the Gods wasn't something that could be cleared so easily.
Just in the most recent one, tens of thousands had died.
Yet someone was claiming this nameless player had overcome it all alone, without any backing?
"…First, we need intel."
"Find out who this Han Yuseong is—that name from the East. Do whatever it takes to gather information."
"Bring me that Korean bastard who killed Wei Hamo! I don't care what it costs—hire Korean bounty hunters or whoever you have to!"
"…My head hurts. Haruto and Semigo, gone…?"
Nations, guilds, and powers from around the world—
All began to pursue Han Yuseong, each with their own motives.
As expected, it didn't take long for the news to hit the media.
[Player: Han Yuseong.]
[A Korean player who appeared like a comet out of nowhere.]
[What exactly is the "Epic Quest" that Han Yuseong unlocked?]
[Let's take a closer look at the mysterious being he contracted with—'Dreadbone Lord'.]
Almost as if they had been waiting for it, articles flooded in from every media outlet.
And all of them were about Han Yuseong.
[What really happened in the Dragon's Tomb?]
["Shock, terror, and surrender"—an interview with a Destroyer who faced Han Yuseong in the final battle.]
["The top-ranking Destroyers were hunted like cattle."]
[Leo Edelman: "We did nothing. That man ended everything—both the trial and the Epic Quest—on his own."]
International media weren't any different.
Outlets from around the world rushed to interview trial survivors—especially top-ranking ones.
And what they uncovered was pure shock.
Even the reporters conducting the interviews struggled to hide their disbelief.
As the avalanche of reports grew, they all began converging on one question:
[Who exactly is Han Yuseong?]
[Why couldn't the Korean Player Alliance keep him under control?]
[The incompetence of the Alliance…]
Thus, public curiosity about the mysterious player known as Han Yuseong,
and criticism of the Korean Player Alliance's failure to manage or anticipate his rise, began to mount.
A skyscraper towering in the heart of Seoul.
At the top floor of the Korean Player Alliance headquarters, Jain was reading through the latest news articles.
There was no need to guess who the articles were about—
Of course, they were all about Han Yuseong.
An expression of disbelief was plastered across Jain's face as she read.
"Hey, Park Yuha."
"Yes, Alliance Master?"
Was it the criticism being directed at the Alliance in the articles?
No. That was nothing new.
She had already anticipated that.
Sure, there were some exaggerations, but much of it wasn't wrong.
They really had failed to track him down.
But that wasn't what had her so rattled.
"…Didn't we classify him as a swordsman?"
"Yes. I, too, was confident in that assessment."
What had Jain bewildered was that part.
She had been certain the player who had conquered both the
And she had pegged him as a swordsman.
"But from these reports, it looks like he used swordsmanship, martial arts, and even magic. Since when do we call that kind of thing a swordsman?"
"…He's clearly not a standard swordsman."
"Obviously. There's no way someone like that would be."
Even with all their experience, neither Jain nor Park Yuha had ever seen a player quite like this.
Which meant only one thing.
"A hidden class… or some extremely unique innate ability."
That explained everything.
Jain leaned back in her chair, fingers interlocked behind her head.
Then, as if finding the whole thing absurd, Jain let out a short, bitter laugh.
"We were completely off the mark."
"…Yes, we were."
What on earth had they been chasing all this time?
She had gone around investigating every single swordsman among the rookies—
and now, all of that felt meaningless.
Time wasted in vain.
Jain sighed and shook her head.
"Well… what's done is done. For now, that one."
She gestured toward Park Yuha.
As if he'd been waiting for the cue, he opened the door—
and someone stepped inside.
"Let's hear directly from our warrior who took part in the trial."
A Destroyer.
A young woman, Misungma.
She instinctively flinched under Jain's beastlike, predatory gaze.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : http://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]