Prologue

Solo Max-Level Newbie Prologue

Prologue Top of the Tower

prologue

79 tries.

297 raid teams from various guilds that have been wiped out.

315,850 deaths.

All these numbers point to the ‘Tower of Trials’

This is the result of an unsuccessful attempt to climb to the 48th floor.

[Time limit: 0h : 58m : 33s]

The faded status window blinked.

time was getting shorter.

-Howl’s Moving Backcountry: Haha… . No more challengers.

-I don’t know: Because all the large guilds gave up. To be honest, I died too many times.

-My rhyme is an orange tree: The world will be destroyed in an hour. The countdown is also included in the news. s o.

– I’m feeling it after all: What are you doing here on the last day? There’s a party in Hongdae right now. Don’t you send money?

-Hyeonggung typeface: Haha, I’m excited about the jinta in every corner. I’ve never been able to talk to a woman in my entire life, and I’m sorry.

[Current number of connected users: 87]

Chat windows that once had millions of users now have fewer than 100 people left.

It’s a natural thing.

Due to numerous failures, various guilds have already collapsed.

Even those who challenged individually have long since disappeared.

Humanity will end up like this forever without conquering the next layer.

It was when everyone thought so.

huuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooo

A blue light began to appear in this place where people had been cut off for so long.

There’s only one thing this happens.

[A challenger has appeared in the realm of ‘Red Dragon Destia’ on the 48th floor.]

Only when a new challenger comes in.

A man appeared in the dungeon.

I couldn’t see his face because he had used facial distortion magic.

A 30 cm long dagger was held in one hand.

It’s definitely a player.

-Howl’s Moving Backcountry: Ooooh!

-Climer123: Still, there are people who challenge you!

-Hyeonggung typeface: Wow. is it real? Are you a challenger in this situation?

-Front vision and back blinking: Lee Si-guk is on the field. Keyboard confiscated for 1 hour.

The chat window became active due to the sudden change.

How long has it been since a new challenger appeared?

In the end, the viewers who remained without giving up hope burst into cheers.

[Currently connected viewers: 7,588]

In an instant, the news spread through the community and social media.

People who were waiting for death came in just in case.

Soon, all attention turned to the challenger.

-The disappearance of Raw Galchi No.1: But who is it? I don’t think it’s a ranker?

-My rhyme is an orange tree: I can’t see the status window because I keep all information private.

-Climer123: Surely it was the last time, wasn’t it because a newbee went in?

-Decedent identification center: ㅁch. Shut up and look at that dagger.

-My Lime Bitch Orange Tree: Looks good for picking coconuts. What do you mean by looking at the items you used when you were a beginner?

-Identification Center: Look at the colors! color!

At the words of one viewer, everyone’s eyes turned to the dagger.

A sword dyed black like obsidian.

And the tip of the handle… .

It’s ‘purple’.

Red, green, green, blue, nambo. 7 colors.

It is the highest grade among them, and the highest level relic that no one has ever been able to obtain.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The hearts of those who watched were beating wildly.

come.

Fossils that have rotted over and over again!

« Creep… »

As the intruder appeared, the Red Dragon in the nest roared low.

Huge body up to 30 m.

Just by facing each other, fluffy hairs came up all over his body.

« You humans don’t know about giving up. Did you come back after losing so many? »

Destia looked down at the intruder.

it’s arrogant eyes

As if all living things were under him.

Of course, that arrogance was supported by the evidence of overwhelming force.

However.

« I have some preparations to make to make grilled lizards. But I’m here on time. »

The man calmly accepted the gaze.

In response to the cheeky answer, Destia’s forehead wrinkled.

« Do you not know that human beings can die much more painfully even if they die the same? »

« Well. If you can, do it. Don’t just say it. »

« Okay. It doesn’t mean anything like talking to a microcosm anyway. »

Destia drew the air with her claws.

« …! »

Then the man’s body trembled.

A high-ranking bondage magic had been activated.

« It’s a silly ending. »

The raised front paws were directed over the man’s head.

The body was swallowed by the shadows.

And at that very moment.

The front foot fell down.

Aww!

The ground cracked and cracked.

Fragments of rock were scattered in all directions and bounced off.

By the way.

« Hmm? »

Of course, there was no feeling that should have been felt.

The feeling of breaking bones and crushing flesh.

« It’s a meat attack after bondage… Isn’t that a pretty obvious pattern? »

It was then that a man’s voice was heard behind Destia.

does not make sense.

« Before the skill was activated was it destroyed? »

in that brief moment?

« Well, you know what you’re trying to do just by looking at your hand gestures. »

« Don’t bullshit! »

Destia got up completely.

His head soared as if it was touching the ceiling of the cave.

« There will be no more coincidences. »

Flames began to burn from the wide open mouth.

kukukuku!

All the moisture in the atmosphere dried up.

The strongest power to turn the enemy into ashes.

Authority that only Dragon has.

« After all, is it Breath? »

the man muttered

The reason the raid has failed so far is because they couldn’t stop that stream of fire.

Kukuku!

A flame that burns more and more fiercely.

After a while, if mana condensing to the limit is released… .

The human body will not leave even a corpse.

« There is nowhere to escape. »

Because this whole dungeon was under the realm of Breath.

And of course.

« There is no reason to avoid it. »

I didn’t come here to run away.

I didn’t even come here to die.

came to win

To survive and go to the next floor.

And to see the end of this world.

[Read ‘Memories of the World’]

Brilliant mists poured down behind the man’s back.

An infinite library of all skills.

A great library that contains the truth of the world.

This is the ability of men.

« I’ll bring you ‘Hellfire’ and ‘Black Tears’. »

with short words.

Whoops!

A fireball about 1m in diameter appeared on his left hand.

Again! Again!

Black liquid dripped from the tip of the dagger he was holding in his right hand.

-Howl’s Moving Backcountry Castle: Hellfire, right? European ranker, Maria’s exclusive patent!

-Identification Station: Liquid dripping from the sword. That’s the skill that the 15th floor ‘Wailing Witch’ had.

-Climer123: Oh my god… . Was there a player with copy skill?

-Hyeonggung typeface: Then what are you doing? S-class skill You have to shoot for a hundred days to not even get the seeds?

-Front vision and rear flashing: Just in case. After all, after all.

– Military High School Girl: Oh, my precious time.

Viewers who were connected to the channel quickly left.

yea that’s the way it is

Hellfire or the witch’s curse.

Nothing beats Dragon’s Breath.

It was a proven fact after countless challenges and failures.

« Foolish human being. Did you just believe in that skill and shout out loud? »

Destia clicked her tongue.

Yes.

It wouldn’t be too hard at this level.

so.

just make it

‘The skill that was manifested in the left hand.’

Destroying Breath… .

‘Fuse the skill that was manifested in the right hand.’

A skill that is even higher than the Dragon scale!

A man dropped black water droplets on Hellfire.

That moment.

[Skill ‘Hellfire (S)’ and skill ‘Black Tears (S)’ are fused.]

Two disparate skills merged into one, and a dark red spark occurred.

[Fusion successful!]

[You have obtained ‘The Void Dragon, Etherion’s Breath (SSS)’!]

KwaKwaKwaKwaKwaKwaKwaKwaKwa!

Black flame, which is different from Red Dragon’s Breath, burned.

quality of mana.

The flame temperature is also different.

« That, that! »

An earthquake occurred in Destia’s eyes.

there’s no way you don’t know

How could you not know?

Etherion, one of the ancient species.

And the strongest breath that Ancient Dragon used.

« Yeah… bastard! How could someone like that have that ability…! »

Destia stuttered.

Fear beyond curiosity.

So I had no choice but to ask.

« Hey, who the hell are you! You guys! »

At Destia’s question, the man slowly opened his mouth.

« Kang Jinhyuk. »

I’m a dead person

Worn and worn out and eventually worn out.

« And this isn’t the first time I’ve killed you. »

At the same time, I am the only player to have climbed the top of this tower.

Top of the tower

Mangem.

Often it’s not fun or the balance between the characters is broken.

Or it means a game where the operation is shit.

However, there is another case.

Just if you have an absurd difficulty.

virtual reality game

[The Tower of Trials was exactly that.]

A year after its release, Korean veterans whose hobby is playing tricks on the creators have clashed to conquer the game.

Giving up eating and sleeping, 365 days a year.

However, by the time three years have passed. people realized

The fact is that this game is impossible to clear.

Not exaggerating, really.

For example?

The Gate Guardian who protects the 10th floor is invincible.

invincibility.

It means that there is no use in defeating 100 people by shooting skills and beating them with all kinds of weapons.

No, as a human being, shouldn’t it be sweetened at least by one?

Besides, the 7th floor was a polar region with a temperature of minus 60 degrees, freezing to death in an hour.

On the 8th floor, a labyrinth of more than 10,000 km was waiting.

This was not for fun, it was for torture.

Or it’s an Excellent grade to **** up the dead in Korea.

Because of that, the game crashed.

Exactly ‘almost’

ruined

Still, there were very few dead who challenged this damn Hell difficulty.

And among them .

Korean youth. Jinhyuk Kang was also included.

[You have conquered the 50th floor!]

[Congratulations! You have cleared the Tower of Trials for the first time!]

Actually…is this mad?

The 50th floor of the Tower of Trials.

Jinhyuk let out a sigh filled with all kinds of emotions.

It was just fun.

Unlike others, you attack the tower in a novel way.

The sense of accomplishment you get after repeating enough to memorize everything.

But, I think I’ll clear the last floor in the end.

When I was 17, when I first encountered virtual reality games, until I was 27 when I became an adult.

Wow, 11 years passed by like a lantern.

‘haha. Did you mean to kill the broadcast?’

Although it is a BJ with 20 to 30 viewers, BJ is a BJ anyway.

However, Jinhyuk shook his head immediately.

Seriously, if I turned on the broadcast, no one would have seen it.

Because even the fixed viewers left after seeing the same thing over and over for three months.

Now, even if you drag aggro under the titles of ‘Boss Attack’ or ’50th Floor’, no one saw you playing Tower of Trials.

‘Still, if you upload it to View Tube, won’t it get quite a few views?’

If the results were edited within 10 minutes, it seemed to come out quite nicely.

That was then.

T-tiring!

[Thank you very much for playing our game so far.]

[The reboot update will be done after 12 hours, so please use it a lot.]

It was an administrator-only message.

I thought I had given up because I didn’t communicate or manage for 11 years.

‘It’s surprising. Besides, it’s a reboot update. Did you find any oil fields in the desert?’

I didn’t understand it intuitively.

There would be no profitability in this game at all… .

‘ done. Something, he must have an idea.’

It has nothing to do with me anyway.

Because I had no intention of playing this game any more, whether it was a reboot update or anything.

Besides, broadcasting, which I had been doing as a profession, was also going to end today.

Even though I don’t have any family to support, I’m now 27 years old.

Because I couldn’t live on 500,000 won a month until when.

‘I have to tell the director that I should take a break from exercising for a while.’

I was once told that I should aim for a martial arts pro, but now money is more important than exercise.

-jjy77: Jinha! Jinha! Jinhyuk means Hi!

– Eagle Owl: Oh, what’s wrong? Did you wake up early today?

When the broadcast was turned on, 20 fixed viewers immediately came in.

Chicken and pizza, cream prawns and sheep skin, and two bottles of beer and soju were prepared on the desk.

-I’ve been on a diet for 25 years: Wow, look at the broken upper leg.

-Mukbang is Ziyang: As expected, hyung is perfect for eating shows. I’m not sure about the game.

-Jinhyuk must roll, what do you mean when you say BJ Jinhyuk?

-Gwanjjaksong: Eat cows and eat stalls!

-Bangguseoksu: Eat by tapping the stone bridge!

– 2 chickens per person: I was surprised to eat it, so eat the lid of the pot too!

Still, thanks to a small number of viewers, the broadcast was able to continue.

As we laughed and chatted together and ate soju and various snacks, dawn was approaching.

‘I’ll have to tell you about the folding tomorrow through a notice.’

Right now, my mouth didn’t come out.

Yes.

Talking is tomorrow.

However .

Even Jinhyuk himself didn’t know.

When you open your eyes, you know that the world has already changed.

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.