Inside the vehicle heading toward the tower.
Do-yoon couldn't help but speak up out of curiosity at their outfits, which looked far more comfortable than he'd expected.
"Don't you bring any gear?"
"Gear? Oh, that's for inside the tower."
Han Ji-hyeok explained.
The skill systems, gear, and inventory systems that hunters usually used were concepts that only applied inside the tower.
He hadn't known that.
If all this was like a game happening inside the tower, then why did horrific events like gate breaks occur?
He wanted to ask more, but he didn't feel the need to.
Do-yoon quietly surrendered to the smooth ride.
"Do-yoon."
"Yes?"
This time, the voice came from the back seat.
When he turned to look, Jo Ha-rin's face was right there up close.
"What do you know about the tower?"
"Uh... that once you go in, you experience something like mental strain."
"Yes. To put it simply, the longer you stay in the tower... the crazier you go."
You go crazy.
It was probably literal.
"The longer that period drags on, the greater the burden on the challenger. And if it's severe enough—"
"That's when you lose your mind, right?"
"Exactly."
From the additional info, the limit on how long one could endure varied from person to person.
And by race, too.
"Inside the tower, there aren't just people like us—there are hunters from entirely different worlds, made up of other races."
"Ah..."
"Yeah. Those things... er, guys you see in fantasy worlds."
Elves were a prime example.
And countless other races were said to be active in the tower, pushing to clear it.
Meeting other races in his lifetime for the first time made Do-yoon's heart race.
'Are elves really that pretty?'
There was one in the gallery, too.
Of course, it had been a boss mob.
"Don't get your hopes up too much."
Han Ji-hyeok, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.
"Huh? Why not?"
"Other races don't like humans much."
This time, the woman next to him spoke up.
Cha Yun-ha.
She had wavy hair and continued the explanation.
"Anything goes inside the tower. It's a lawless zone. And we're among the slowest-growing races out there."
"So that means..."
"We're easy prey."
That explained instantly why there were so few hunters in South Korea.
"So once we're inside the tower, you have to stick with us no matter what. Even though we're heading to the first floor, the tutorial zone."
"Got it."
Do-yoon swallowed hard involuntarily.
In his mind's drive, his perception of other races dropped two levels.
'Other races are bastards.'
He decided to go in with that mindset for now.
"And Do-yoon, you don't know much about the types of towers yet, do you?"
"There are types of towers?"
"Yes. This is something the industry keeps under wraps. But now that you're on our team..."
It was something civilians couldn't know.
"Right now, there are six towers standing across the world."
"Ah, I knew that."
"Yes. But they're not all the same—they have differences like attributes."
This was something he'd never heard in his life.
'Six of them?'
Were they connected to the gallery moderators somehow?
As a total newbie, Do-yoon had so much to learn.
"Don't worry about it too much since it's your first time. We'll explain everything step by step."
"That's reassuring."
"Compared to hunters from other countries, we're nothing special, but we're veterans all the same."
Cha Yun-ha said with a bright smile.
-Screeech...
Soon after, the vehicle came to a stop, signaling their arrival.
They naturally opened the doors and stepped out, coming face-to-face with the massive tower.
"...Whoa."
"First time seeing it this close, right?"
Han Ji-hyeok approached and asked.
Of course.
The area around the tower was blocked off by guards, a scary zone where monsters might burst out.
Maybe the fact that such a tower had sprouted so close to the capital was South Korea's crisis.
"It's insane."
"No photos. The government's strict about it. Would be a hassle."
"Got it."
He hadn't planned to take any anyway.
What was he going to do, brag about snapping a pic of that monstrous architecture?
"Are you hunters?"
A man in military uniform approached from afar.
"Yes."
Han Ji-hyeok casually held out the card hanging from his neck.
-Beep!
"Identity confirmed. Entering right away?"
"Yes. Goal is clearing the first floor."
"Understood."
The soldier stepped aside without fuss.
"Shall we go?"
Cha Yun-ha asked from the side.
He nodded, finally beginning his official hunter duties.
"First time might make you dizzy."
As they pushed into the pitch-black entrance, Han Ji-hyeok's voice was the last thing—
Do-yoon's consciousness cut out completely.
"Whew."
When he came to, an entirely different world had unfolded.
-Tweet tweet!
The clear chirping of birds from somewhere.
-Rustle.
Feeling the grass brush against his shoes, he looked around.
"Doesn't feel like anything?"
"Whoa! How is there zero side effects?!"
"We saw it in the simulation room yesterday. He can handle this easy."
In order: Cha Yun-ha, Jeong A-hyeon, and Jo Ha-rin all looked at Do-yoon with amazement and brief comments.
"This place."
"It's a rest area before entering the stage proper."
Jo Ha-rin said.
"Do-yoon."
"Yes?"
"Try thinking 'settings window' or 'status window' in your head."
As instructed, he called up the status window, and text appeared before his eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Welcome to the Tower of the Forgotten Banquet. Defeat the tower's master, 'Progenitor', to pass the trial!
"Oh."
"Does the tower name and stuff show up?"
"Yeah, it just popped up."
"That's the name of the tower we're in now, and its theme."
Theme.
It tied into the 'six towers' he'd heard about earlier.
⚔ STATUS ⚔⚡ Strength: 14💨 Agility: 7✨ Magic Power: 10💪 Stamina: 13
Followed by body specs like something out of a game.
"Since you're totally new, you should be level 1."
"Yeah, that's exactly it."
"What about the other stats?"
Do-yoon recited the numbers after each stat in turn.
The hunters' reactions to the values were mixed.
"You were a civilian not long ago... but that stamina's pretty solid. Did some tough work?"
"Strength's good too! Feels like you could tank up front no problem!"
"Magic power? How do you already have a magic power stat?"
"Huh? Yeah, weird."
Their discussion gazes turned back to Do-yoon.
"Must be that 'Benefactor' unique skill..."
"Still can't gauge what it does..."
"Well, we'll figure it out step by step."
Do-yoon felt oddly embarrassed and clamped his mouth shut.
'Skills.'
Come to think of it, there was another element he couldn't skip.
Would you like to check your possessed skills?
'Yeah.'
Responding to the timely prompt, a new window appeared.
⚔ SKILLS ⚔▶ Boss Mob Gallery (???) ▶ Mana Resistance (C)
'What the.'
The stuff after the skills was obviously rarity rank, and the Boss Mob Gallery's was suspiciously missing.
What surprised Do-yoon was the skill below it.
Mana Resistance? When did he get that?
One thing came to mind.
After grinding the gallery endlessly, he'd gotten good results in the simulation room.
This skill must have helped a ton in that process.
'Nice.'
He'd doubted it at first, but handing out skills like this openly—
Yeah, he could trust it.
"Skills... you only have the one, right?"
"No. Besides Benefactor, there's 'Mana Resistance' too."
"...You already have that?"
"No way. You must've had it from the start to pass the test!"
Jeong A-hyeon nudged the flustered Han Ji-hyeok.
"Ah... right."
"See? Right?"
"Yeah. Seems like it."
"Told you!"
"Anyway, this is a great situation for us."
Did the others come here without Mana Resistance?
Or maybe the Association forced mana adaptation through special training.
"Where we are now is the tower's first floor, like I said... easy enough you could solo it."
"Really?"
"Yes. But since other hunters might be around, we should stick together."
What state were these otherworldly hunters in that they were this cautious?
A pure question arose, but he didn't dwell on it.
"Since you're level 1..."
Jo Ha-rin said, closing her eyes briefly before thrusting her hand into thin air.
"Whoa."
"Inventory. You don't have one yet, but you get it after certain floors."
The line between reality and game was blurring.
His immediate thought: that permission looked insanely convenient.
'Anyway.'
Better to ask the gallery about the tower's name.
"Do-yoon."
Jo Ha-rin pulled something from her inventory and handed it to him.
A crude one-handed shield and a single sword.
It felt heavy and reassuringly solid.
"There are better ones, but your level probably won't let you equip them."
"Ah."
"We'll clear the first floor with that gear for now."
"Want to warm up a bit?"
Cha Yun-ha approached with the suggestion.
Perfect timing for gallery time.
Do-yoon nodded right away, equipped the gear, and opened the gallery.
📰 My PostTitle: Newbie entered the tower -Is this the tower? My heart's pounding so hard... Great air, great weather. Should I just live here?💬 Comments— AnonymousNewbie tower entry ㄷㄷ— AnonymousWelcome!!!— AnonymousTower name quick pls I was waiting for this so bad I almost pissed myself glad you came newbie coming here is everything— AnonymousWtf is wrong with this guy— AnonymousNewbie waited so long went crazy lololol— Paper Enthusiast*Tower name found out?— My PostYeah— AnonymousWhat is it?— My PostTower of the Forgotten Banquet.
That moment.
The gallery seemed to freeze; no replies for a while.
— Aged Wine is...*Huh...?— My Post?? Why'd everyone freeze?— AnonymousEmergency— My Post?— AnonymousSuuuuperrr suuuuper noooobiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!— AnonymousFuck we're screwed— AnonymousWine Lord's tower entry ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ— AnonymousI'm scared— Anonymouslololololol why of all the towers did it have to be Wine Lord's
He was stunned for a second.
Not letting the momentum beat him, Do-yoon quickly typed back.
📰 My PostTitle: Wtf why is everyone talking about stuff I don't know -Tell me too!!! What got screwed?— Aged Wine is...*Huh, huuuuuuh...! Newbieeeee...!— Paper Enthusiast*That's the tower Wine Lord manages— AnonymousTower lord ain't right in the head— Aged Wine is...*This lady is perfectly normal! Newbie! I'm coming down to meet you now!— AnonymousCrazy bitch where you going down to— AnonymousTower lord comes down = gate break straight up— My PostPardon?
His head started spinning.
This was Wine Lord's tower?
And she was the tower's master?
Did that mean he'd already gotten familiar with the final boss?
— My PostNo wtf hold up teachers. Pace is too fast— AnonymousDon't understand if you understand you die— AnonymousStare into the abyss and...— My PostI'm a newbie who hasn't even licked floor 1 yet!!!📰 Pinned Post: Stop the spam postsNickname: Paper Enthusiast* -Cut the weird talk Newbie. Not that screwed yet Even if it's someone else's tower we know how it works lol You're on floor 1 now?— My PostYeah;— AnonymousMod favoritism toward newbie!!!— Short-Eared Goblin*Hmm... what a waste. I wanted to dote on him— AnonymousMy eyes are always ready— AnonymousGet lost;— Paper Enthusiast*Your gear's probably basic lowbie set anyway— Paper Enthusiast*Clearing's the goal so no big crisis— AnonymousFloor 1 is trash anyway;— AnonymousNothing to help with?— AnonymousWho's floor 1 boss again?📰 That guy's got no personality so he's not here lol-King Slime probably Isn't that the shared boss with other towers? Just go beat it up not even a gallery user lol— AnonymousFr it's super easy— AnonymousEasy ways for you and me to eat slime— AnonymousFuck ways ㄷㄷ— AnonymousHey hey hey— My PostWeak point! Tell me the weak point!— AnonymousNewbie looks desperate lololol— Paper Enthusiast*Weak point? Core target core. Oh and that bastard pauses while digesting whatever so hit then it's insta chicken ㅇㅇ;— AnonymousLmao fr— AnonymousMakes me wanna eat chicken now— AnonymousCan't tho— AnonymousHow's a boss mob gonna eat outside food lol
"...I see."
King Slime. And the core.
He had a rough idea now. The gallery was useful as always.
'But.'
One piece of info still nagging uncomfortably in his head.
Why the freakout over it being Wine Lord's tower?
He hadn't gotten a clear answer yet.
'Gotta ask again when I log out.'
For now, he'd put out the urgent fire. Do-yoon stood and headed to the waiting hunter group.