Kwang!
The dagger and axe collided, sparks bursting in all directions.
"Grrr…!"
A groan leaked from the Minotaur's mouth.
It wasn't being overpowered—if anything, the opposite.
It was clashing head-on with a human who should've been crushed instantly.
The moment the dagger touched the axe—
Kaka!
Jin-hyuk shifted his center of gravity, letting the strike flow past him with ease.
A technique the Minotaur couldn't comprehend.
"This… cannot be."
Park Hana watched, stunned.
She had been certain Jin-hyuk would lose.He was fighting a boss monster that had activated an Lv10 skill.
Even if the entire Black Crow Guild were here, they would be unable to face it properly.
Her first instinct was to run.Dying here was not an option.
But…
Jin-hyuk wasn't being pushed back.
He was pushing it back.
Bang! Bang!
The small dagger was overpowering a massive iron axe.
A contradiction.A fight no human should survive.
'Humans… can move like that?'
Park Hana clenched her fist.
And then—
'He's smiling.'
A single mistake would mean instant death, yet Jin-hyuk was smiling.
In that moment, he grabbed the Minotaur's horn, twisted his body, and—
With a graceful landing on its head, his dagger reappeared in his hand.
Crack!
Then, in one swift motion, he drove it up through the roof of the Minotaur's mouth.
"…!"
Its jaws locked as the blade jammed its mouth shut.
"Five minutes are done."
Jin-hyuk looked down coldly.
And then—
Puak!
The 'Element of Fire' burst directly into the Minotaur's mouth.
Crimson, roiling flesh became visible inside its throat.
No matter how tough the hide, the insides were soft.
Kwakwakwang!
The flames burned through its exposed throat and scorched its internal organs.
"Goooooo!"
A guttural scream tore from the beast.
[The use time of the unique ability 'Berserker' has expired.]
[The Guardian of the Labyrinth is in a "suspended state" for 24 hours.]
The Minotaur froze.
'I'll finish this neatly.'
Jin-hyuk pulled out the dagger.
During those intense moments of enraged combat, he had gained a massive amount of Rift stat.
[Rift Status Points: 57]
Fifty-seven!
Enough to erase a 19-level difference.
'Not far now. My goal is 100 points.'
With 20 days left, everything was on track.
Now—
He turned.
Park Hana trembled violently.
Now that she had witnessed the truth, she understood:Even the entire Black Crow Guild couldn't stop him.
Jin-hyuk pointed at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh?"
"You're not coming?"
"Yes!"
Park Hana stumbled to her feet and rushed over.
"Haa… ha… you called?"
"From now on," Jin-hyuk announced,"I will be recruiting interns for the Veteran Company."
"I-Intern…?"
"You don't seem very ambitious. Why? Don't want the job?"
If she answered wrong, she would never see sunlight again.
He traced the dagger through the air in a leisurely arc.
"I-I am interested! Please accept me! I've always wanted to join a company!"
She nodded so desperately her hair shook.
Good.A properly motivated applicant.
"Then answer this. What can you do for our company?"
Her face went pale.
"I… I…"
"You?"
"Communion! R-Right! My unique ability is Communion. It lets people get close to me. Even enemies can become allies!"
A good ability.
But he already had it.
"And?"
"And… I'll never betray you!"
As if she had a choice.
With a stigma engraved, betrayal would be impossible.
"That's it? Nothing else?"
Step.
Jin-hyuk moved forward, casually stroking his dagger.
"N-No… wait… give me a moment to think…"
She staggered back, trying to come up with something—anything—useful.
"I'll tell you something," Jin-hyuk continued."Until now, nobody has passed the Veteran Company internship…"
He raised the dagger high—
"Braham's Ring!"
Park Hana screamed.
"…"
Jin-hyuk froze.
Braham's Ring?
"You have it? From the Black Crow Guild?"
"Not yet! But I—I will get it!"
"That sounds… doubtful."
Braham's Ring was one of the best items on the 1st floor.Movement speed, magic resistance, monster suppression.
A dream item.
And nearly impossible to acquire.
The key was on the Korean server—but the dungeon itself was located at the Chinese starting point.
Two nations would never share such a thing, especially after the Tower appeared.
He couldn't imagine how they would get it.
Park Hana bit her lip.
"My… my oppa is in China. He said he'll handle things there. He'll get the ring in exchange for 'Korean Ginseng.'"
Korean Ginseng—a top-tier edible item for stamina and magic recovery.
If that was true…
Then he could secure both the Ring and the Ginseng.
"Ginseng is valuable, but does it really match Braham's Ring? Are you hiding something?"
"I don't know the details! I swear! It's because of the viewers—"
[Lv1 'Eye of Truth' has been activated.]
[Park Hana's words are 'True'.]
No deception.
Good.
Jin-hyuk's mind began spinning through possibilities.
Ultimately—
'Looks like I'll have to turn hostile with them again.'
China had as many awakened as Korea.And the massive guild, People's Republic, would certainly form there.
A giant among giants.
And at its head…
'Namgung Chun.'
A gifted warrior.A genius.A tyrant who monopolized every valuable secret in the Tower.
Of course it would be him.
As Jin-hyuk finished his thoughts, Park Hana called softly:
"Um… excuse me…"
Right. He needed to finish her matter first.
She looked like she was waiting anxiously for his verdict.
"Congratulations."
Jin-hyuk grinned.
"You're accepted as an intern at the Veteran Company! Woooo! Clap!"
"…"
Her expression twisted.
"Intern. Clap."
When the boss claps, interns clap too.
"W-Woahhhh!"
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
She clapped with ridiculous sincerity.
He cleared his throat.
"Now. Our company does not pay interns. Living expenses come from a separate part-time job. Also—most important—anytime, anywhere, when I call, you must come. Whether it's 3 a.m., or from Jeju Island. Understand clearly."
If she refused?
She would leave behind both body and soul.
"I understand…"
She bowed deeply.
Then—
"Shouldn't we write a contract?"
"We should."
Proof was important.
But…
It wouldn't be a usual one.
Woong.
Jin-hyuk raised his hand.
His index finger glowed blue.
"T-That's the contract?"
"Of course. Did you think we would use paper in here?"
That was for the outside world.
In the Tower—
Certainty mattered more.
He pressed the glowing finger to her shoulder.
[Engraving Lv1 Stigma of the Soul on Park Hana!]
Chii!
"Ugh…"
She winced, but didn't scream.
It didn't hurt now.It would if she betrayed him.
Time passed quickly.
A simple routine:
Raise Rift stat → restRaise Rift stat → rest
Like running on a treadmill—but far from boring.
'I'm getting stronger.'
He could feel it.
Kwaang!
The Minotaur's fist flew at his face.
But it stopped.
Because—
Jin-hyuk grabbed it… with one hand.
"Why do you seem to be getting weaker?"
He even threw in a taunt.
"Kwaaa!"
The Minotaur's arm bulged in effort.
Nothing happened.
Jin-hyuk's stats had climbed too far.The gap was unbridgeable.
Puak! Puak!
Jin-hyuk's fists slammed into its ribs.
A human—breaking a Minotaur.
"Kuak! Kuak!"
It fainted in under 5 minutes.
'I've done this over a hundred times.'
After a month of repetition, even the Minotaur felt familiar.
At first, he wasn't sure this would work.
Now?
It felt like daily exercise.
'If this is daily work… maybe doing it for a year wouldn't be bad.'
Then—
"You worked hard, CEO!"
Park Hana arrived with the same moss-and-mushroom dish.
Ah…
He took that thought back.The food? He could never get used to.
Kimchi stew.Crispy chicken and cold beer.Sizzling pork belly with soju.Mint chocolate ice cream that tasted like toothpaste but wasn't for brushing…
He wanted all of it.
Desperately.
"…Let's go out."
Finally—the signal that their stay here was ending.
[Rift Stat increased by 0.015 points]
He dodged one last attack.
Then—
Kwang!
He kicked back, spinning the Minotaur 90 degrees.
No more chatter.He finished it instantly.
And at last—
[Current Rift Stat: 100]
One hundred points.
The maximum.
Gulp.
Something deep inside him felt like it was rising.
At the same time—
"I-I see light over there!"
Park Hana shouted.
The exit of the labyrinth.
At long last—the end of their ordeal.