[Why do you think that is~? Just so you know, there were absolutely no issues with the tower’s system. The changes occurred purely because of something you did. The tower always adheres to causality. Ahahaha!!!]
“Ugh, that annoying little punk…”
The fairy laughed mockingly, as if enjoying the sight of people who trusted the strategy only to be betrayed.
Kim Sooyeon gritted her teeth in disgust at the sight.
It was a well-known fact that the tower’s guides, the fairies, were never friendly.
In fact, they seemed to delight in messing with climbers.
While their behavior was nothing surprising, their laughter was infuriating nonetheless.
‘But at the same time, they’re the most faithful to the tower’s rules. After all, their essence is the system itself.’
While the exhausted and enraged people simmered with anger at the fairy’s actions, one person—Shin Jia—noticed something peculiar.
The fairy was taunting the people about the patrollers’ rampage, but it never mentioned the reason for their berserk behavior.
The fairy surely knew it was because she had lured and killed the alpha on the first day.
But that wasn’t all.
It likely also knew she could use dark magic and that her intact body housed a sinister soul.
Yet, the fairy neither revealed this nor gave any indication of it.
It strictly adhered to the grand principle that anything occurring within the clearly defined system of the tower was permissible.
[Though only a few hours remain, please enjoy your final rest. Soon, your achievements here will be tallied, and you’ll move on to the next world. Unlike those foolish enough to die, simply surviving the tower’s trials counts as an achievement.]
The fairy announced the end of the tutorial and disappeared.
Its replicas had already delivered the same message to those in other bases.
As the tension eased, people slumped to the ground, breathing sighs of relief.
Just as the fairy said, they had survived.
Despite the chaos of the first day and the disruptions it caused, they had managed to stay alive.
“Honestly, everything feels like a dream. Being dragged here, picking up a weapon to fight, watching people die—I still can’t believe it.”
Kim Sooyeon murmured in a somber voice, leaning her head against Shin Jia’s shoulder.
After fighting together since the first day and even clearing a hidden dungeon unknown to the rest of the world, the three had fearlessly achieved accomplishments while others, gripped by panic, holed up in the base.
The mid-tier attribute enhancement stone they received as a reward for clearing the hidden dungeon made their seemingly impossible feats achievable.
In the process, their bonds deepened rapidly.
After all, they had fought together in life-and-death moments during their most vulnerable time as beginners.
Even among ordinary people and the strongest climbers above, it wasn’t uncommon for connections formed in the lower levels to endure.
“I’ve never felt three days pass so quickly in my life. And yet, this is just the beginning…”
“For us, I think we’re off to a fantastic start.”
“True.”
At Han Sunghoon’s words, Kim Sooyeon smirked, and he nodded with a faint smile.
There’s no need to dwell on depressing thoughts like the distant prospect of returning to the outside world or stories of death and injuries.
While others cowered in fear, confined to their bases, they roamed around, achieving numerous feats thanks to their enhanced stats.
When combined with the hidden dungeon rewards, their achievements stood out as extraordinary among the otherwise generic accomplishments of other newcomers who followed the guide once it became widely known.
This meant they were more than qualified to dream of a hopeful future.
“Are we sticking together until the end? I heard that once we move up to the second floor, people from different countries—or rather, from entirely different worlds—get mixed in. Getting stabbed in the back becomes routine.”
“That would be nice, but as you know, it’s hard for us to stick together right away,” Shin Jia replied with a smile, shaking her head at Kim Sooyeon’s playful words.
Even after passing the first floor, beginners don’t dive into the tower’s trials immediately.
To the veterans who have spent considerable time in the tower, they were still fledglings, lacking in every way.
As time passed and climbers witnessed their comrades and juniors dying in droves, they realized the need for a more structured system.
One that was more climber-friendly and safer than the raw system provided by the tower—a system that could train beginners more easily and quickly.
Countless training centers, academies, and associations were established with this purpose in mind.
Ultimately, how quickly one passes through these systems depends on their individual abilities.
“It would be great if we ended up in the same place…” Han Sunghoon said with a bitter smile.
Depending on their strengths and talents, their paths might diverge.
It was clear that the day the three of them—who started the tutorial together—reunited to work as a team would come only after they had shed their novice status to some extent.
‘As long as they don’t overextend themselves, they shouldn’t die before then.’
Looking at the two, Shin Jia assessed that it wouldn’t be a difficult task.
Nowadays, like the tutorials, the training centers had evolved into similar, repetitive systems.
For those who managed to gather resources on the first floor and climbed up, there was no danger to their lives during training, provided they steadily progressed.
[Time’s up. Now get lost. We need to let the next group in.]
Finally, the moment arrived.
The fairy, its tone as abrasive as ever, waved its hand, and faint beams of light began to descend upon us like spotlights on a stage.
Then, almost simultaneously, my body began to float into the air and shift through space.
「Shin Jia: [Trial Initiation] Final Summary」
Left alone in the darkness, vivid text appeared before me.
It was time to evaluate the achievements I’d made in the tutorial and receive the rewards accordingly.
For anyone who has cleared a trial assigned by the tower, it was a familiar yet always thrilling moment to witness.
「Patroller Alpha Eliminated: S」
「Patroller Queen Eliminated: S」
「Single Patroller Eliminated: C」
「Five Patrollers Eliminated: B」
The accomplishments I’d achieved on the first floor were displayed before me, providing an exact breakdown of my actions.
Contrary to the initial plan of only clearing the hidden dungeon and observing the situation, I ended up achieving quite a lot. It was thanks to teaming up with Han Sunghoon and Kim Sooyeon.
「Reward Summary: Mana Regulation (P), Mid-Tier Enhancement Stone x2, Low-Tier Enhancement Stone x4, Basic Enhancement Stone x5」
‘Not bad to get a load of enhancement stones that don’t weigh me down.’
In the tutorial, most participants lacked high-grade items like subspace storage or even a basic bag.
Since it was impossible to lug around heavy items, most rewards were passive skills or enhancement stones that could be immediately absorbed into one’s stats.
While the lowest-tier and even low-tier enhancement stones were worthless to my past self—less valuable than pebbles on the ground—now that I had them, they didn’t seem so bad after all.
“New recruits are here!”
After the brief reward summary, the world brightened, and the noise began.
We had arrived on the second floor.
And waiting for us there were numerous people.
“Warriors! Come this way! Surely you’ve heard of our Paleos Guild…”
“Wait, aren’t you Earthlings? If so, you should join us!”
On the second floor—often called the City of Beginnings—a fierce recruitment war unfolded in the central plaza, where beams of light brought forth a new group of climbers.
Though I had little interest, this was said to be a common occurrence.
For the many factions, guilds, and alliances in the tower, the steady infusion of new blood was essential.
It was their path to dominance.
A single well-raised prospect was more valuable than ten average recruits, so larger factions established training centers and focused on recruiting promising talents.
Beginners received investments and guidance from their seniors, rapidly growing while undergoing a selection process to become reliable future allies.
It was a win-win strategy.
Even widely shared “strategies” often recommended training centers based on one’s talents, suggesting which faction’s facility to join.
“Hey, human girl. Are you interested in swordsmanship?”
But to me, these offers were of little value—even those from the so-called strongest factions.
Then, someone called out to me as I turned around.
It was a muscular orc warrior, towering so tall that I had to tilt my head back to look up at him.
“Sorry, I have no connection to swordsmanship,” I replied.
This was the first time I’d received a direct offer, and it was for swordsmanship training—a prospect I’d never imagined.
Even in my sturdy past, no one had sought me out like this.
But I declined.
From the beginning, I had already decided where I would go.
Leaving the orc, who seemed reluctant to part, I headed into the shadowy back alleys, where few ventured.
While most were embroiled in open recruitment wars, this place was for those who dared not show themselves in the light and only watched from the shadows.
“…Who are you?”
The alley was nearly deserted, a stark contrast to the vibrant, bustling city streets.
It was dark, desolate, and eerie, with only an old, run-down shop in sight.
When I opened the door and entered, a short, stubby old man reading a book looked up.
“Huh.”
His eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Of course, he wouldn’t recognize me—he was likely just surprised by my appearance.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Warlock Leoden.”
Swallowing the words “It’s been a while,” which almost escaped my lips,
I smiled brightly and greeted him as cheerfully as ever.
I already knew exactly how to fascinate this eccentric old man, a warlock scorned by others yet obsessed with raising a disciple, despite his profession.
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