CH 2

prelude

Throb!

A hangover came along with a terrible headache.

Ugh...

Jinhyuk squeezed his temples and got up from the bed.

With a burning thirst, I drank 1L of ice water stored in the refrigerator.

As the cold water gulps down my throat, I wake up little by little.

ha.

I'll live for a while now.

Haejang Ramen is very spicy, but there is something to be done first.

'First of all, I have to edit and upload the first video I cleared yesterday before it gets stolen by anyone.'

I haven't seen the shadows of other players since around the 20th floor, so it won't happen... .

Because I didn't know it was a human thing.

uuung!

Jinhyuk quickly turned on the computer.

And I tried to find music that suited me when I was working on Viewtube.

By the way.

uh?

A view tuber of a frequently watched channel was broadcasting live.

'The Tower of Trials is real. With the title 'It's ㅇㅇㅇ.'

Title aggression was common in this industry, except when there were over 300,000 viewers watching the live broadcast.

there is something

Jinhyuk moved the mouse cursor.

pounding! pounding! pounding!

My heart was beating uncontrollably fast.

I don't know why.

The moment I just clicked on it, everything seemed to change.

Click!

entered the show.

-Wow! HyungNims. that! that! do you see Everyone is watching, right?

On the screen, a view tuber bursting with exclamation... .

A huge tower was visible.

It really is.

A huge tower appeared in the middle of Seoul.

too familiar.

-Melon flavored watermelon HyungNim reported it, so I thought it was released 11 years ago.

[It's from a game called Tower of Trials. Can you believe it? uh? Wait.]

The view tuber suddenly lifted his head as if he felt something.

Just then.

The screen in the video started to turn red.

It wasn't sunset.

The sun never set at 10 am.

'Unbelievable .'

Jinhyuk swallowed dry saliva.

I know what this is.

[The omen that appeared when I first played Tower of Trials.]

[['Tower of Trials']

The first update of the reboot version has been completed.]

The boundaries between reality and virtual have blurred.

Even in front of the view tuber on the screen.

And in reality, the blue status window flickered in front of his eyes.

It started.

[All players must conquer the next floor of the tower within 90 days.]

The world we all knew is falling apart... .

[If you fail, humanity will perish.]

like that.

The game has become a reality.

His mind was confused like a computer with less loading, but Jinhyuk quickly made up his mind.

Whew. Whoo. Whoo.

I cleared my breath.

The head should be cooled.

really

[If the Tower of Trials has become a reality, now is not the time to be hesitating here.]

'You must hurry.'

Jinhyuk got up from his chair.

The chair rattled and fell.

But there was no time to get it back up again.

have to go

outside.

To be precise, to a place where you can get 'that item'.

Jinhyuk came out of the front door and sprinted straight down the road.

I was out of breath as I crossed the road and climbed the stairs.

But why?

The excitement and anticipation didn't make me feel the slightest bit of difficulty.

rather .

A life I endured for just one day.

My heart warmed to the fact that I could get out of that treadmill.

How many minutes did you run?

When we arrived, Central City was already crowded with people.

Boo, what time is the fastest to go to Busan?

Damn. I'm from Busan and Nabal, so I can't stay in Korea. Foreign. Yeah. I have to go abroad to live.

Now, all those damn towers appear in foreign countries, what foreign country is that?

Then where are you going?

No matter what happens, as long as it's not in Seoul. Don't you know if you watch the movie? If you stay stupid for nothing, you'll die!

Most of them were people trying to escape from Seoul.

'You must be anxious.'

Because it was the natural instinct of all living things to fear the unknown.

However, in crisis there is opportunity.

Now is not the time to run, but the time to move forward.

'In the Korean server, this is

[Area outside the tower]

One of them was chosen.'

If you add up the whole country, there are about thirty.

The reason I chose this place among them was because it was the closest.

Jinhyuk, who was looking down at the basement, immediately went down the escalator.

[Enter the event area.]

The underground mall was quiet.

Suddenly, a tower appeared, the sky was dyed red, and the destruction of mankind was said, but no one was doing business comfortably.

There were even fewer customers who were eating hamburgers.

sure.

" "

" "

Not everyone is like that.

also .

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

Dozens of people were scattered around the fountain.

I know without even asking.

the people here

[Tower of Trials]

These are the ones who played the first part.

In the silence without any conversation, they looked at each other.

yea that's the way it is

Items that will appear here soon are in limited quantities.

If you're lucky, you'll probably have 5 or so.

On the other hand, the number of people exceeded 20.

Supply is low but demand is high.

It means that someone can't get the item.

That was then.

"You are you Jinhyuk Kang?"

A young man's voice was heard behind Jinhyuk.

'It's a voice I've heard before... ?'

When Jinhyuk turned his head, he saw a 180cm tall man with his hair dyed yellow.

Jongsoo Lee.

Seeing this child here.

Haha, that's right. Jinhyuk Kang! Hey. You're here too. In fact, you've been holding on to the computer all day in the corner of your room.

Jongsu Lee approached me with a grin.

Paprika TV partner BJ.

He has 500,000 subscribers on Viewtube and has a significant number of Instagram followers.

The so-called 'good job'

is a popular

'At the same time, I was also the representative of the company I belonged to.'

Isn't it right now when it's in full swing?

Jinhyuk opened his mouth.

Ah. The situation is like this now, what kind of show is it?

Jongsoo Lee shrugged.

What's the situation now?

Don't pretend you don't know. I know you've worked really hard on this game. Tell me more than that. What floor did you go up to? Don't hide it from fellow industry associates, let's suck some honey together.

colleague?

colleague Called?

Jinhyuk felt a shock as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.

I still remember what this trash said.

'The company he founded deceived the BJs with an unfair contract.'

They said they would provide editor salaries and various content fees, but they were all lies.

In addition, 60% of the total revenue was ripped off, so the harder the broadcast, the more a loss occurred.

I protested, but to no avail.

Because he was carrying the most famous law firm in Korea on his back.

If you are upset, do it legally.

The contract was written with mutual consent.

In the end, the BJs who acted like slaves ended the broadcast crying.

close colleagues.

Friends from the bottom up.

One by one, they left the industry.

You're good at games. I know you're good at mukbang. I'll make the contract terms a little bit better, huh?

Jongsoo Lee placed his hand on Jinhyuk's shoulder.

disgusting Not even a single word from this guy.

" Lee Jong-soo."

Hey, hey. Even if it's private, call me the CEO. Ttt.

Oh. right. CEO it was

I have realized something in my life so far.

The bad guys continue to do well and live well.

In addition.

In order not to be attacked by them, you have to become more vicious and cruel.

Those are the two.

If you're a representative, act like a representative. That's how you call him representative.

what?

Lee Jong-soo's complexion changed.

or not.

Jinhyuk continued to speak.

Don't you remember? You handed a business card to a female BJ, and you were kicking and crying and screaming and arguing, didn't you?

It's a pity that I'm the only one who's seen it.

I should have left a video.

"Is that all? He said he would never give up, so he found the address of that woman's BJ's house and stalked him. Then he was reported and went to the police station. Ha, a real bastard. If it were me, he bit his tongue and died. He died."

You, you! Mi, are you crazy? You can bury them so they can't be broadcast forever!

Lee Jong-soo grabbed Jin-hyuk by the neck.

I'm sorry, but I hit the broadcast since yesterday.

And.

Don't be rude, bastard. I'm older than you.

kwaang!

Jinhyuk's head poked into Lee Jongsoo's face.

Aww!

Lee Jong-soo's head tilted back.

Broken teeth and blood splattered on the floor.

'It's cool inside.'

It felt like a tooth I had been sick with for 10 years was missing.

Ugh...

Jinhyuk grabbed his face and looked at Lee Jongsoo, who was suffering.

But it was only for a short time.

'The time has come to slowly appear.'

The very moment I thought so.

kukukuku!

Violent drops of water rose from the fountain.

I wondered if the calm water would shake.

Whoops!

A 4 m tall tree rose.

'You have finally appeared.'

Oooh!

It's a mangrove!

Yeah, my memory was right!

The people who were waiting also screamed.

[The 'Mangrove Tree of Greed' grows.]

[You can consume 1 fruit per person.]

One of the skills you can get before entering the Tower of Trials.

Jinhyuk looked at the colorful fruits hanging from the mangrove tree.

Those fruits that were ripe enough to eat had the effect of raising strength, agility, stamina, and mana stats, respectively.

It is a good item.

That is an undeniable fact.

the problem is.

that number

'All in all, it's 4 pills... .'

There were 24 people waiting, so the competition ratio was 5:1.

Jinhyuk wet his lower lip with his tongue.

'It must be quite intense.'

The advantage of being able to raise stats in the early stages was a factor that could never be compromised.

My, mine!

Don't be funny. I'm first!

Ahhhhhhh!

Everyone flew away to eat the fruit.

somehow.

no matter what number you use.

You have to get it before everyone else.

Soon, the Central City underground shopping mall was turned into a chaos with people climbing and pushing trees.

Rain, damn it! That's why the fruit is wrong. It's late!

Lee Jong-soo took a deep breath.

As he said, it was too late to come and go to the fountain now.

rain!

All right, all right!

Someone had already picked the first fruit and put it in their mouth.

Sooner or later, the rest of the fruit will go into someone's mouth.

"It would have been a win-win if we had shared the fruit in half with me!"

Jong-su Lee kept yelling, but Jin-hyuk did not respond.

There was no need to respond.

In the first place, this wasn't the four types of fruits they were aiming for.

'yet. It's not time yet.'

Ordinary people would not even know that there was a tree fruit.

Those who have played the game a few times will focus on eating the fruit.

And the deceased .

Rather than that, he enjoys a more perverted and sadistic process.

The reason is simple.

Because there is a bigger reward waiting for that side.

Finally, all the fruit on the tree disappeared.

right then

hey hey hey!

The tree howled.

Since all the fruits have been taken away, the body full of anger is about to start running rampant.

No, that's right. If you eat all the fruit, it becomes terribly dangerous.

Damn it. I forgot I did it a long time ago.

Ugh, ahhh! Jump right now! I've died 50 times here!

People who realized the seriousness of the situation later hesitated and withdrew.

You must run away now.

There was no chance that a level 1 player without a weapon could win a fight against this tree.

Uh...

Jong-su Lee staggered and got up from his seat.

Are you going to give up?

Jinhyuk opened his mouth.

It's all, of course! It's the norm to be killed in a place like this.

Yeah? That's a pity. The real reward of this event is to get it when all the fruits are eaten.

Jong-soo Lee, who was turning towards the escalator, stopped.

Is that word true?

If it's fake, then why am I here?

" "

Lee Jong-soo's head turned quickly.

I asked him why he didn't show much interest in the fruit.

Was it for that reason?

Assuming there's a bigger reward, you're right.

'There's no way it's a lie because the guy who only played that game said it.'

Not knowing anything else, it certainly smelled sweet.

Assuming what you said is true. So what are we going to do?

You have to dig.

Jinhyuk pointed his finger at the inside of the tree.

If you move one by one, it's easy to get targeted. So you have to approach it from both sides.

You mean to distract your gaze.

That's it.

People all went up.

There are only two people left in this basement, Jinhyuk and Lee Jongsu.

Keep in mind. If either of you hesitates, the worst will happen.

Jinhyuk lowered his posture and slowly moved to the right.

Don't worry. I didn't even play this game for a day or two.

Jongsu Lee moved to the left.

The two sat down.

That moment.

Now!

Jinhyuk took his seat.

In an instant, tree trunks stretched toward Jinhyuk.

By the way.

Lee Jong-soo did not move from his seat.

He stood still, showing his white teeth.

You bastard. Who listens to you? Go and become the bait. I'll be aiming for treasure in the meantime.

percussion!

Then he started running towards the center of the tree.

in the intersecting gaze.

Jinhyuk thought.

thank God. That personality hasn't changed.

'I would have been sorry if I had done anything in the past, right?'

with a roar.

kwaaang!

Suddenly, a tree trunk that had been hiding under the fountain jumped up.