Tower of Trials Floor 40 (3)
[Defeated the Floor 40 boss, ‘Cronotaur’ (S-grade).]
[Congratulations!]
[You have conquered Floor 40 of the Tower of Trials!]
Nice!
Explosive Dragon had definitely grown stronger.
Even if it was Ruination, to send the Floor 40 boss away in a single hit....
In front of the Explosive Dragon’s breath, there was nothing Cronotaur could do.
Its ultimate move?
It could not even use it.
Before that overwhelming power, it burned away without even managing a single scream.
“Now it’s done, it’s done.”
Only now did he truly feel at ease.
No matter what player came with whatever summon, they would be dealt with at the level of Explosive Dragon.
As time passed, that gap would widen even more.
At the very least, there would no longer be any unfair situation where he got trampled simply because he lacked power.
“You all worked hard.”
It had been a full week of marching.
Eating, sleeping, fighting, enduring everything in that stinking labyrinth.
“I do have to go to Floor 50, but.”
He also needed to manage his summons’ stress.
For now, let’s get some real rest.
‘I also have to sort out the rewards, right?’
* * *
After returning to Yoobaek City, Baek Jinwoo exchanged a light greeting with Yoo Jia and then entered his home.
“Home really is the best.”
He was human too.
Compared to the labyrinth, a soft bed and a penthouse with a spectacular view were far better.
“Hwaaa.”
Flop!
Sitting down on the sofa and letting his summons out, Baek Jinwoo organized the rewards.
[Floor 31 - Omnipotent Polish x25]
[Floor 32 - Top-grade Rune Selection Ticket (Bound) x2]
[Floor 33 - Ultimate Detonation Scroll x1]
[Floor 34 - Top-grade Summoning Scroll x10]
[Floor 35 - Omnipotent Polish x25]
[Floor 36 - Ultimate Summoning Scroll x1]
[Floor 37 - Grotelling (A-grade) x1]
[Floor 38 - Essence of Light x25]
[Floor 39 - Essence of Darkness x25]
[Floor 40 - King’s Emblem(Bound) x1, Eternal Snow Ginseng x1]
Most of them were rewards that had appeared before, but there were three unusual ones.
The Ultimate Detonation Scroll from Floor 33.
The Grotelling (A-grade) from Floor 37.
And the Eternal Snow Ginseng from Floor 40.
They were all types of rewards even Baek Jinwoo was seeing for the first time.
‘What are these?’
He checked the catalyst first.
[Ultimate Detonation Scroll]
[Grade: S-grade]
[For 10 minutes, all summons’ stats are doubled.]
[After 10 minutes, all summons are forcibly unsummoned.]
“Huh.”
An S-grade consumable item?
The penalty was brutal, but it did seem useful if used in a moment of crisis.
‘I should keep it.’
If he ever used it, the most likely situation would probably be a Tower of Trials boss fight.
The higher he went, the more he would truly have to risk his life.
Next?
Grotelling?
[Summon: Grotelling]
[Race: Spirit]
[Grade: A-grade (Rare)]
A limited summon with only 50 individuals in the entire world.
[Level: 1]
[Owned Stats]
Strength: 1, Intelligence: 1, Stamina: 1, Agility: 1
HP: 1,000, MP: 100
Critical Hit Chance: 20%
Critical Hit Damage: 20%
[Owned Skills]
-Cooking: Boasts the world’s highest level of cooking skill, perfectly understands the properties of all ingredients, and finds the matching method of preparation.
-Freshness: Ingredients touched by a spirit’s hand boast the highest level of freshness.
‘What is this?’
Even for Baek Jinwoo, who was a complete veteran, this was a summon he had never seen in his life.
It looked like something like a Tree Spirit, but it cooks?
And it was also an A-grade rare, like Mind-Reading Eagle.
‘Hmm.’
Come to think of it, Yoobaek always hires a head chef on a short-term basis whenever there is an event.
Should he just hire an exclusive head chef this time?
The SKY guild members were always put through intense training.
Their muscular strength and cardiopulmonary endurance had already surpassed human limits.
To maintain such strong bodies, supplying nutrients was essential.
And not only that.
Delicious food also reduced stress.
‘I should make it try making cream bread too.’
A unique summon like this was not bad at all as a change of pace.
He decided to discuss this part with Yoo Jia later.
Lastly.
[Eternal Snow Ginseng]
[Grade: S-grade]
[If consumed by a summon, all stats permanently increase by 50.]
“Wow.”
A permanent increase of 50 stats?
This was a real hit.
Normally, rune stats increase by percentages, so the higher a summon’s base stats are, the more ridiculously efficient runes become.
Now that everyone was getting close to endgame rune territory, every single stat point had become precious, and now a miracle elixir like this!
‘But.’
Who should get it?
“......”
The dilemma was brief.
Aso would grow absurdly stronger on his own anyway, and the same was true for Explosive Dragon.
In that case?
From a combat standpoint, HunGyo’s balance fell slightly behind.
“HunGyo.”
—Yes, my lord.
“Eat this.”
—Yeah.
If he was going to support someone, he should support them properly.
Baek Jinwoo took the item out of the inventory and tossed it coolly.
HunGyo caught it, and his eyes widened.
With his vast knowledge of Murim, he instantly recognized the value of the elixir.
—S-such a precious thing....!
HunGyo was deeply moved.
Trinity, and also the energy of the Nine Yin Severed Veins.
Because he could feel that his lord was continuously helping him surpass his own limits.
“You’ve worked hard all this time.”
Baek Jinwoo stood up and patted HunGyo on the shoulder.
Then he looked around at the other summons.
“I’ll take care of the rest of you later too if something good comes out. Don’t feel too disappointed.”
—Mm-hm! Cream bread is enough for me.
Lamba laughed.
—If Lord HunGyo becomes stronger, that makes things easier and better for us too.
Explosive Dragon replied calmly.
Aso and Dampir only smiled brightly, without any particular expression.
No matter what, it meant they would respect Baek Jinwoo’s choice!
They’re my summons, but...
They really get along well.
‘I heard other summons get jealous of each other, but my kids don’t have that kind of thing.’
“Alright, starting today, we’ll rest for exactly one week, do some light training, and then head straight for Floor 50. Okay?”
—Sounds gooood! I love resting!
Lamba flew off and turned on the TV.
After offering his thanks once again, HunGyo went off to consume the elixir.
Aso and Dampir went up to the penthouse rooftop.
Jaggeo was sitting there, and the two seemed to enjoy sleeping together on Jaggeo’s shoulder.
Gale Slayer wandered outside and kept watch around the house, while Rund had gone into the workshop as usual, hammering away.
And then.
“And you?”
Baek Jinwoo, sitting on the sofa, looked at Explosive Dragon.
—Yes?
Explosive Dragon tilted his head slightly.
“You’re not resting?”
—I like it here, Jinwoo.
Explosive Dragon, who was sitting at the far left end of the sofa, closed her eyes while leaning back comfortably.
Pfft.
Baek Jinwoo smiled.
Explosive Dragon really did have a strong desire to be with someone.
‘Yeah.’
“I guess I’ll have to head in a little late today.”
On the day of the true revival of Explosive Dragon, staying by her side was the least he could do.
“Then shall we watch TV together?”
—Sounds good!
They watched movies, watched the news.
Baek Jinwoo enjoyed some leisure time for the first time in a while.
* * *
Early morning, Yoobaek headquarters.
In the meeting room, the SKY guild members Yoo Jia had called together were assembled.
From Hong Ari to Hwang Jiwoo.
All nine of them except Baek Jinwoo were chatting away with curious expressions.
“Why did she tell us to cancel morning training?”
“Seriously.”
“I mean, I’m happy to rest comfortably, but this almost never happens.”
“Hmm, could it be something serious?”
Though SKY’s vice guild master was Hong Ari and its advisor was Hwang Juwon, Yoo Jia held greater practical authority.
Yoobaek owned 100% of SKY’s shares, and in reality, the one running Yoobaek was Yoo Jia.
Actually.
Even without that, they followed her well enough. Because they all knew she was someone Baek Jinwoo trusted.
“Is everyone here?”
Click.
The door opened.
Yoo Jia entered the meeting room wearing a neat white shirt and well-fitted slacks.
At the sound of her footsteps, the guild members’ chatter stopped, and all eyes turned to Yoo Jia.
“The reason I gathered you today is to talk about recruiting the second class of guild members, which the Guild Master mentioned before.”
Second class recruitment!
At those words, the guild members’ expressions changed. Some grew tense, while others looked on with curiosity.
During the World League, Baek Jinwoo had said it.
Stay sharp.
They would recruit new guild members, and if anyone fell behind in the competition, there would be no place for them on the national team.
As a subtle tension spread through the meeting room, Hong Ari raised her hand.
“Will the second class recruitment be different from the first?”
During the first round, aside from Baekho among the existing national team members, they had absorbed people and selected them purely based on talent.
She had thought it would be the same this time, so why call them here?
There was a high chance they would be recruiting in a different way.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yoo Jia nodded.
She and Baek Jinwoo had already discussed the plan thoroughly, and the preparations had progressed quite a bit.
“Last time, we recruited in a hurry, but starting with the second class, we plan to be much more careful. Of course we’ll judge talent and personality, but we’re also going to recruit over a longer period.”
“Over a period of time?”
“Yes, we’ll first select around one hundred people, and then have them go through a one-month internship process.”
Oooh, an internship!
The guild members stirred.
“This is pretty novel, isn’t it?”
“An internship process.... That means you’re planning to screen them pretty seriously.”
“Heh heh, that means you’re going to look at effort and passion too, not just talent.”
An internship!
The guild members felt excited.
Competition was one thing, but the thought that they would soon see the juniors who would be joining them made them look forward to it.
“Then after the internship, how many people will be selected in the end?”
Resting his chin lightly on his left hand, Hwang Juwon asked with a serious gaze.
“The best ten.”
Yoo Jia smiled and continued.
“And all of you will also participate in the process as judges and help with the training.”
Oooh.
Another murmur rose among the guild members.
“This definitely sounds fun. Judges, huh?”
“.....Right. We’ve done nothing but train all this time, so we need events like this too.”
“When does it start? What do we need to prepare?”
“The new ones coming in will obviously be our juniors, right? If we’re doing this, let’s make it a clean class-based system! Hahaha!”
Everyone was overflowing with motivation.
If until now they had been suppressed by the guild master’s skill....
From here on, they could show themselves off to the rookies!
They could strut around!
It was the perfect chance to prove to others the abilities they had honed all this time.
Somehow.
It felt like only now they were truly securing their place as official guild members.
Hwang Jiwoo also clenched her fist tightly.
Just a few months ago, she had been just another ordinary player....
And now she was supposed to judge players selected from among the greatest talents in the country.
‘It doesn’t feel real.’
That she herself was a core member of SKY.
“We’ve got to teach our rookies how terrifying world rankers are.”
“We’ve got to show them something.”
“I’ve always wanted to try that. Like, ‘This is the difference in control!’ while crushing everything with some weird summon.”
“.....That only works because the Guild Master is doing it. You couldn’t pull that off.”
“What? Want to bet?”
The guild members’ voices grew louder with excitement.
Feeling that passion, Yoo Jia nodded.
“Recruitment will begin soon. I’ll work out the detailed plan with HunGyo, and when that’s done, we’ll clearly organize each person’s role.”
“Sounds good!”
“Great!”
And then the next day.
A post appeared on the newly opened official SKY community.
[Notice for SKY Guild Second Class Recruitment - We Are Looking for Talented People to Take On a New Challenge Together!]
It was the sound of reigniting the heat across South Korea, which had briefly cooled down.
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