After a few moments, a new magic stone was brought out.
A large mid-grade stone, glowing a deep blue.
"H-here… haa… here it is."
The examiner was panting.He really had managed to bring it out in under a minute.
Maybe fear was an incredible motivator.
Fine.
Time to begin.
Jin-hyuk tightened his grip on the dagger and took his stance.
Woong—
Mana flowed along the blade, dyeing it crimson.
'I don't need to hold back this time.'
He had intentionally restrained his strength earlier—There was no point exerting himself on a cheap, low-grade stone.
[The 'Rift' stat has been activated to the maximum.]
A torrent of pure magic surged through his fingertips.
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Right—this was the result of a month of hellish effort.
'The Law of the Strong.'
Now he could confirm the fruits of his work with his own eyes.
Pssss!
Sparks sprayed as the dagger swept across the magic stone's surface.
"Th… this cannot be."
The examiner's jaw trembled uncontrollably.
Ever since the Tower appeared, thousands had come to be tested.Almost all were below F-rank—unqualified, unable to climb.
Even the few who earned higher ranks…
Not a single one—not even S-rankers—had ever cut a magic stone.
That was natural.
This—
This wasn't natural.
Kukuku!
The entire magic stone split cleanly in half and collapsed.
The cut surface burned bright red.
Speed.Strength.Magic.
Perfection.
[1st place — Kang Jin-hyukMeasurement: 20,895Rank: S]
A new S-rank had been born.
No—20,895 meant he was far beyond typical S-rank.He had doubled the minimum requirement.
"…a monster."
"C-congratulations on your S-rank. I—I will report to the higher-ups immediately. Your notification number… ah, right—"
The examiner fumbled with his phone.
'This won't just shake Korea.'
This was the birth of a global-tier super rookie—one who would instantly rank near the top worldwide.
He needed to report this to the President of the Association immediately.
But then—
"Wait."
Jin-hyuk grabbed his arm.
"Yes?"
"Are you planning to report this right now?"
"Yes… yes, of course."
"Postpone it. A week."
"Huh? Delay it? Why?"
The examiner blinked in confusion.
"For personal reasons. In one week, I won't care how loudly you announce it."
"Ha—but I can't do that!"
Suppressing or manipulating awakened data…
If discovered, he would be arrested immediately.
Covering up an S-rank result?
Forget fines—this was a straight ticket to prison.
"For a whole week? Impossible! Even if I die, I can't!"
He shook his head violently.
Expected.
Jin-hyuk nodded calmly.
He needed S-rank perks eventually—but until he finished one important task, he couldn't afford the attention.
So he needed the examiner silent.
"There are a few things I've learned in life."
"L-learned…?"
Step.
Jin-hyuk stepped forward, twirling his dagger lightly.
"First—there is no such thing as 'I'd rather die.'People change their tune when death is in front of them."
The examiner paled.
"And second—"
The dagger's tip glinted.
"—'The fist in front of you is scarier than the law far away.'"
The president he feared was on the top floor of the building.
Jin-hyuk was standing right here.
He slowly twirled his dagger.
The examiner trembled like a leaf.
No normal human could resist an S-ranker standing this close.A single flick could kill him.
"One week. Will that work?"
The examiner swallowed hard.
"…Y-Yes. One week is possible."
Jin-hyuk stopped advancing.
"Good. After that, do whatever you want."
In fact, Jin-hyuk fully intended to publicize it himself.The attention would help his later plans.
"Alright. Kang Jin-hyuk's rank will be reported in one week."
"…And you won't change your mind?"
"As if I would. I promise."
"I'm sorry, but I don't trust verbal promises."
Words were the easiest thing to betray.
He needed insurance.
Deadly insurance.
Jin-hyuk's fingers lit with blue flame.
[Lv1 'Stigma of the Soul' is activated.]
The same brand he engraved on Park Hana.
"Stay still. This won't hurt."
Chiik!
The stigma burned into the examiner's shoulder.
He winced—but only barely.
This bought Jin-hyuk a week.
"In the meantime, use the first result."
"The… F-rank one?"
"Yes."
The examiner nodded quickly.
"Then—how do we proceed to the second test?"
The first test measured raw potential.
The second was simple:
Clear a dungeon.
Most picked goblin or orc dungeons—the safest option.
But Jin-hyuk?
"I'll attack the ruins on the 1st floor."
The examiner stumbled.
"The ruins…!? The Corridor of the Fallen!?"
There was only one ruin on the 1st floor.
A cursed place no one had ever conquered—not in the game's eleven years, nor in reality.
The exam was over.
He had his temporary F-rank.
Leaving the building, he met Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeon-hwa.
He showed them the faint tattoo on his wrist.
"Hyung is… F-rank?"
"No way… that's strange. Something must've gone wrong!"
Both were shocked.
Naturally.
"No. It's temporary. I'll retake the test in a week."
A lie with truth mixed in.He had no reason to reveal his S-rank yet.
"Ah, that makes sense."
"If it's temporary, then okay."
They accepted it.
"What about the second test?"
"I'll handle it soon."
"If it's a 1st-floor dungeon, we can join you. Want help?"
"No. I'll go alone."
This wasn't a place even the strongest players could survive.
More than that—
There wasn't a single person in the world who could finish it.Not even Jin-hyuk—under normal conditions.
He needed to use an unconventional method.A shortcut.
"Don't worry about me. You two should keep climbing."
They agreed to meet again later.
And for that, he had no choice but to grow faster.
After the farewell, Jin-hyuk opened the Tower community forums.
'A veteran raid group… are there any posted?'
Guilds recruited top-tier players.
But for ruins?
They needed hundreds of bodies.
He searched.
[Looking for players for 1F Ruins — 'Corridor of the Fallen' Raid (000 members)]
Found it.
He expected no one to try such madness, but—
'Thank God.'
Jin-hyuk called the number.
—Ring…
-Hello?
-I saw your post on the community. I want to join the ruins raid. Are there vacancies?
-Yes, yes, of course! We still have spots!
The man sounded desperate.
Naturally—no sane person wanted to die in the ruins.
-Your rank?
-F-rank.
-Ah… F, I see.
-Is that a problem?
-No, no. Porters and miners can join regardless of rank. However, you won't receive any relic distribution. You'll be paid daily.
Low risk.No reward.
Fine.
He wasn't here for the loot.
-That's fine.
-Then can you come to the Tower entrance? The porters are gathering, so I'll explain everything at once.
-I'll be there in 20 minutes.
Call ended.
Jin-hyuk hailed a taxi and arrived soon.
'This is the entrance.'
He scanned the area and found a group of bulky men.
'Porters.'
As he approached, a man wearing glasses and a suit smiled.
"You must be the one who called?"
"Yes. Kang Jin-hyuk."
"I'm Oh Seung-hwan, assistant manager of Matching Management. Welcome."
He shook Jin-hyuk's hand warmly.
"Is this the last arrival?"
"Yes. Everyone has gathered."
"We've been waiting for an hour."
"Haha, thank you. Please press approve to join the raid."
He showed a status window to each porter.
Then, finally—
"Your turn, Mr. Jin-hyuk."
A simple prompt:
[Would you like to join the raid?]
Jin-hyuk pressed Yes.
[You have officially joined the raid.][Condition fulfilled.][Second update applied.][Language patches for 103 countries installed.][Raid-only quest activated.]
"Oh! It popped!"
"Same here!"
"Wow! A raid quest!"
Excited voices everywhere.
[#1 — First Attack on the RuinsDifficulty: SObjective: Defeat the boss monster and reclaim the throne deep inside the ruin.Reward: Choice of one relic. (If the boss survives, relic selection will be restricted.)]
Multiple status windows appeared.
Boss monster.Throne.Relics.
All things Jin-hyuk already knew.
Except—
'What's this?'
A unique window appeared just for him.
[A privilege for the 'First Conqueror of the Tower' has arrived.]
Another window opened.
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