#3. Massacre of the Weak
After sleeping soundly and waking up, it was already close to 2 p.m.
In the Tower of Trials, there's no mom to bang on the door and tell you to eat breakfast, so I slept without noticing the passage of time.
The moment I opened my eyes, I opened the open community and the chat channel. The (1/1) next to the Tower of Trials #2661 chat window was unchanged.
I'd thought that after a day or so, another challenger might enter, but this meant I was still alone in the tower.
That was a good thing. It meant I could monopolize the resources for longer.
Yesterday, I'd been extremely anxious, obsessed with the idea that I had to clear all 100 floors by myself, but looking back on it now, that was a pretty stupid thought.
After all, as time passed, other challengers would enter besides me. I could just wait until there were more challengers and then clear it slowly.
It was a shame I couldn't ride the "ranker bus," but being able to monopolize resources early on and grow like this was an enormous advantage.
Even the other challengers in the open community had been shocked that I'd reached level 8 in just a single day.
Just becoming a low-tier hunter would've been a complete life turnaround, but at this rate, I might even become a high-tier hunter with ease.
Of course, if I wanted that, I'd need to move diligently while I could still maintain this monopoly.
Click!
I equipped the armor set I'd bought yesterday through my inventory and left the inn with a spring in my step.
The fields where horned rabbits spawn are usually areas you "graduate" from at level 3, or at the latest, level 5.
Apparently, beyond that level, there's nothing much to gain from hunting horned rabbits.
Of course, that only applies to newbies climbing other towers that have already been completely milked dry. I was already level 8 just from clearing the field-area quests.
In any case, I was done with the fields. It was finally time to enter the Labyrinth area, a proper hunting ground.
The Labyrinth is a place you must pass through to climb the Tower of Trials—basically the main content dungeon.
It contains powerful monsters you can't see outside, dangerous traps, and boss rooms that serve as gateways to the next floor.
Above all, treasure chests containing rare items are hidden throughout the area.
These treasure chests are also finite resources, so in other Towers of Trials conquered long ago, they're said to be extremely hard to find—but that had nothing to do with me.
Tomes of advancement that let you change into rare classes, unique items that only appear once per tower.
All kinds of priceless treasures were waiting for me.
[Challenger, the Tower of Trials calls to you.]
As I passed the NPC at the labyrinth entrance and went inside, the air around me grew ominous and an entry message appeared.
The mini map attached to the interface turned pitch-black, displaying the words [Exploration Progress: 0%].
The labyrinth map only reveals areas you've personally explored. That's why first-generation hunters were apparently busy running around to fill the progress meter on each floor.
But now, with strategies for all 100 floors neatly organized, challengers can view player-made maps from the open community with a single click.
And naturally, this complete map even includes the locations of all traps and treasures discovered so far.
It doesn't show the locations of treasures that were already exhausted long ago, but even that can be figured out with a few searches.
From this point on, I was going to loot every single treasure chest in this labyrinth.
The location of the first treasure chest wasn't very far from the entrance.
Its contents were said to be a few types of potions and simple material items, but they weren't things a second-day newbie could easily obtain.
Especially potions, which are directly tied to survival—you can never have enough of those, so they couldn't be ignored.
Besides, treasure chests near the entrance would definitely be looted quickly once other challengers entered, so it was best to grab them in advance while no one else was around.
As I slowly advanced while checking the map, something suddenly popped out before I reached the treasure chest.
—Kerrrk!
A child-sized monster with pointed ears, green skin, and an absurdly large nose.
It was a goblin—the most common and weakest monster in the first-floor labyrinth.
Treasure chests were nice and all, but I'd also been waiting for monsters to appear.
Why? Because I wanted to properly test the power of a level 8 character against something other than horned rabbits.
Shing.
I drew the [Steel Shorts word] I'd bought from the shop. My weapon was no longer a wooden sword.
To be honest, what I really wanted to test wasn't my level 8 strength, but this sword. It just looked so cool that I wanted to use it as soon as possible.
Holding the sleek, stylish longsword, I charged straight at the cackling goblin.
"Take this!"
—Thud!
I didn't know how to properly use a sword, and I hadn't learned any skills yet, so it felt less like slashing and more like chopping down with an axe.
The sword I swung with all my strength split through the goblin's collarbone with a red effect and buried itself deep. It went in more violently than I'd expected, which surprised me.
—Keeehk…
The blow must've been fatal, because the goblin couldn't do anything and immediately collapsed, dissolving into light.
That red effect earlier was probably a critical hit—a system where extra damage is dealt when you strike a vital point.
Even so, killing it in one hit just from a crit… the power of level and equipment really was amazing.
"Damn… this is it."
How should I put it? The feeling in my hands was insane. Honestly, I'd been a bit worried about whether I could fight properly.
But the thrill of taking down a grotesque monster in a single blow was far more exhilarating than I'd imagined. Adrenaline? Endorphins? It felt like something like that was pumping hard.
In some manga I'd read before, they talked about overwhelming strength being boring or something—but how could this possibly be boring?
"Alright, time for some insane power leveling."
I moved forward and claimed the treasure chest I'd been aiming for, then immediately hunted the three goblins I ran into afterward.
I ended up facing all three at once, but their club attacks barely scratched my HP thanks to my armor.
At most, one or two damage. With the system's protection applied, it felt like getting hit with a ball of cotton.
"Hyah!"
It was a complete massacre of the weak. Feeling the intoxicating thrill of overwhelming strength, I roamed the labyrinth all day long.
My first labyrinth exploration ended in complete success.
While other challengers would strike it rich by finding just one, I'd looted six medium treasure chests all by myself.
I'd also taken down a significant number of goblins along the way, so my level shot up, and after selling the loot to the shop, I ended up with an absurd amount of gold.
I'd already gathered as much gold on day one as other newbies would need ten days of grinding to earn, but today it was on an entirely different scale.
On top of that, I obtained a ridiculous amount of materials for equipment enhancement—enough that it would normally take nearly two weeks of hunting and quests to collect.
Just how incredible this was could be explained not by me, but by the ghosts haunting the open community.
[Author: Seo Jin-hyeok #2661][Title: Tower of Trials, Day 2 newbie profits—how is it?]
(Image)
TL;DR
"Day 2 my ass, more like two months in."
"This is the same guy from yesterday who was baiting saying he was a day-one newbie."
"What the hell, day 2??? lol Did you use hacks?"
"Bro, does this really look like a game to you…?"
"Stop flexing, damn it. You got support through connections and now you're talking about profits. Profits are what you earn yourself."
"But the poster's server is 2661—who would even support him?"
"What country's server is 2661? It's not Korea."
Watching the community ghosts react so violently to such obvious bait, the corners of my mouth naturally curled upward.
They seemed to think I was a Korean living overseas because of my server tag, #2661. I wondered when they'd finally realize the truth.
This monopoly system wouldn't last forever—but until then, I planned to enjoy it to my heart's content.
"Khuh, this is nice."
I rented the same inn I had used yesterday once again, threw myself onto the spacious bed, and continued lurking through the community.
Unlike yesterday, I wasn't just killing time—I had something I wanted to look into.
[organize of Trial Tower Class Types]
I opened a post written by some ranker who said he was staying in the Tower while aiming to become a high-grade hunter.
Challengers of the Tower of Trials can choose a class starting at level 10, changing professions and learning skills.
You know, the usual RPG classes—warriors, archers, rogues, and the like. Depending on which class you choose, your fighting style changes drastically.
Seo Jin-hyeok Lv.14 (Unassigned)
Having reached level 14 today, I had already met all the requirements to advance into a normal class.
Even so, I couldn't just recklessly change into any class. Eventually, I'd need to form a party with challengers who joined later.
Alternatively, there was also the option of staying unassigned and aiming for a Unique or Epic class.
"Hmm… I don't know."
I agonized over it again and again, but even late into the night, the answer didn't come easily.
In the end, I decided to postpone changing classes until another challenger arrived or my progress got blocked, and I fell into a late sleep.
[Trial Tower #2661 (1/1)]
And the next day, no other challengers showed up either.