Chapter 16

 

The Tower of Trials.

Commonly known as a ‘hunting ground’, it was a publicly managed gate maintained by the government to allow players under level 20 to grow freely.

Among the reasons Suho came here was, as he had told Jo Jin-hwi, to conquer the tower, but a more fundamental reason was, of course, rapid growth.

After all, his current state was essentially a reset to level one.

In addition to that…

‘I need to get my hands on that item here.’

A hidden piece that could only be found in the Tower of Trials in Pangyo. That was one of Suho’s primary objectives.

Suho checked his status window.

 

 

He had deliberately left the sensory stat low. Unlike other stats, sensory, which enhanced dynamic vision and magic detection, wasn’t immediately necessary.

With his preparations complete, Suho took his newly minted hunter license and headed to the entrance of the Tower of Trials.

“Tanker needed!”

“Looking for a melee DPS!”

“We need one more supporter!”

As he approached the tower’s entrance, he saw many people.

They were all there to form parties for hunting in the tower.

Party hunting in the Tower of Trials was far more efficient than going solo.

‘Though each individual’s experience points would decrease with more people, it’s still better in the long run.’

However, Suho intended to climb alone, just as he had told Jo Jin-hwi.

He knew enough about the Tower of Trials to do so.

He approached the entrance, handed his license to the staff, and requested entry.

The staff, alternating their gaze between Suho and his license, asked,

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Judging by your license number, you passed just yesterday… If this is your first time, wouldn’t it be better to join a party?”

The Tower of Trials was a public gate, so all the managing staff were civil servants, specifically part of the Korean Hunter Association.

This was why they offered such advice.

Despite being a beginner’s hunting ground for those under level 20, accidents could still happen.

“I’ll be fine. I prefer being alone.”

“Well… alright then.”

They couldn’t force someone to join a party if they insisted on going alone. There was no such law. After paying a small usage fee, Suho entered the door that the staff opened for him. Beyond the door, a portal appeared, and without hesitation, Suho stepped inside.

 

 

As he entered the tower, informational messages appeared.

He remembered them all and quickly skipped through them. There wasn’t much to worry about in the Tower of Trials since he could always abandon the challenge at any time.

‘Shouting “I give up” would forcibly return me to the entrance of the first floor.’

This is why the Tower of Trials was relatively safe as long as one didn’t overdo it, making it a prime choice for novice hunters.

As he entered the first floor, a field about the size of a small playground unfolded before him.

 

 

The tower’s notification rang out. Simultaneously, slimes started appearing in his view.

‘Right, the first floor is slimes.’

Suho drew his sword from his inventory.

It was the beginner’s sword he had received from the system upon choosing his class.

Although he had purchased other weapons at Dongdaemun Market, he opted to use the beginner’s sword for now.

It was still sufficient for the time being.

Suho began swinging his sword, preparing for the climb.

 

***

 

‘Is this guy insane?’

Jo Jin-hwi stared at Suho’s phone number for a while after their call ended.

At first, he thought Suho was crazy.

However, considering the claim about being the top scorer and the way he spoke, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

‘What’s his agenda?’

Despite Suho’s outlandish proposition, Jo Jin-hwi’s instincts still pointed towards Suho, which bothered him the most.

Eventually, after much deliberation, he made a decision.

“Ah, screw it. If it works, great. If not, so be it.”

Jo Jin-hwi started drafting an article about Ahn Suho.

 

***

 

According to Suho’s memory, the official highest record for the Tower of Trials was the 49th floor.

This was based on the standards from his previous life. Currently, the highest known record was the 29th floor.

But even that record was achieved through a party of players.

‘Of course it has to be done in a party.’

The reason was simple: as the floors of the Tower of Trials increased, so did the monsters’ levels.

For instance, monsters on the 19th floor were level 19. Therefore, those attempting to break records formed parties with hunters at the tower’s level cap of level 20.

This was the most efficient method.

However, a player who broke this conventional method once emerged: a player named Jang Pyeong-ho, known as the ‘Fortress King’.

 

 

After hunting all the monsters on the 18th floor, a portal to the next floor appeared. Without hesitation, Suho entered the portal, and as soon as he stepped inside, the challenge began.

 

 

The 19th-floor monster was alone.

Its name was Red Gain, a creature with red skin, white hair, and a single horn on its head, more commonly known as the Red Goblin.

As soon as the creature spotted Suho, it charged at him. In response, Suho drew his sword with explosive speed.

Slash!

Before the Red Gain even entered his striking range, a massive wound appeared on its neck, spraying a fountain of blood. The creature fell to the ground, dead, unable to even approach Suho.

 

 

After defeating the Red Gain, a portal to the 20th floor appeared.

However, Suho ignored it for now and approached the Red Gain’s corpse, flipping it over.

Typically, tower monsters would slowly disintegrate upon death, but Red Gain was an exception.

This was because the hidden piece Suho sought was within this monster.

Suho tore off the necklace hanging from its neck.

It was a typical bone necklace, seemingly made from various animal fangs.

Of course, he couldn’t equip it, as it wasn’t obtained through the system.

However, what Suho wanted was not the necklace itself but a small key hidden among the bone pieces.

‘There it is.’

The key was made of bone and looked similar to the other bone decorations, making it difficult to distinguish without careful inspection.

But Suho knew it was a key because it was the alpha and omega that made Jang Pyeong-ho once famous as the ‘Fortress King’.

After obtaining the key, Suho used Mana Detection to scan the surroundings.

He soon found a peculiar indentation not far away, which matched the keyhole described by Jang Pyeong-ho.

When he inserted the key, it fit perfectly.

And as he turned the key, there was a click, and the key slid into the hole.

 

 

Rumble!

The system notification indicated that Suho had found Red Gain’s hideout. Simultaneously, a new rectangular portal appeared in front of him, shimmering.

‘So this is the entrance to the famous fortress of the Fortress King.’

Jang Pyeong-ho, the Fortress King, was originally an exceedingly ordinary hunter.

One day, he discovered Red Gain’s key in the Tower of Challenge and acquired a special skill called ‘Subspace House’.

Although subspace skills were relatively common, including items equipped with subspace functions, what set Jang Pyeong-ho’s Subspace House apart was the critical difference that made him the Fortress King.

‘Jang Pyeong-ho’s Subspace House can accommodate living beings.’

Ordinary inventories or subspaces couldn’t hold living creatures, such as people or animals. However, Jang Pyeong-ho’s Subspace House could accommodate all living beings, including humans.

This unique ability allowed him to become the renowned Fortress King because once he entrenched himself inside his Subspace House, no one could force him out.

For this reason, he had many other nicknames besides Fortress King, such as “The King of Submersion” and “The King of Endurance.”

As Suho stepped into the Subspace House, the scenery changed once again, revealing the interior of the Subspace House.

‘So this is the Subspace House…’

This was Suho’s first time seeing the interior. Back then, only those whom Jang Pyeong-ho permitted could enter this space. And unlike a typical subspace that was completely empty, Jang Pyeon-ho’s subspace was furnished like an ordinary house.

Currently, it was tailored to Red Gain’s tastes, but Suho could redecorate it later.

At that moment—

 

 

As expected, the Subspace House was a skill bound to its user. Since the previous owner had died, the Subspace House was now up for grabs.

Suho nodded without hesitation.

 

 

The S-rank designation next to Subspace House was a clear mark of its high rank. However, no bonus stats were awarded this time because this was not an achievement earned through skill but rather a discovery.

As soon as the skill was bound to Suho, changes began to occur within the house.

The structure expanded with a gentle rumble, growing larger as Suho’s mana surpassed that of Red Gain.

The interior, once decorated to suit Red Gain’s tastes, transformed to reflect Suho’s preference for a clean and simple design, resembling a typical living room of a Korean apartment.

‘It truly adapts to the user’s mana.’

At that moment, the small key Suho had been holding crumbled and vanished.