—This is a restricted military area where civilian entry is prohibited. Turn your vessels around immediately.
At the sound blaring from the loudspeaker, Yunseok lowered his gaze.
Ten warships deployed around the Tower and dozens of civilian fishing boats were locked in a precarious standoff.
“Move, you bastards! Seoul ended up like that—do you think we’ll just sit still and trust you?”
It was the shout of a man aboard the fishing boat at the very front.
With murderous intent dripping from his voice, it didn’t look like he’d come all the way here just to snap a photo for social media.
“What’s going on? And what does he mean by that?”
At Yunseok’s question, Ashton answered with a bitter tone.
“They’re probably civilians who came here after hearing a rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. A rumor is spreading rapidly online that if you touch the Tower, you can become a Challenger.”
Ashton went on to explain that ever since the Great Fissure opened in Seoul, people who believed that rumor had been coming in droves.
Their thinking was that they should become Challengers themselves and gain the power to protect themselves.
Given the world was racing toward the end, it was only natural for people like that to appear.
The problem was…
“Is it really just a rumor?”
Yunseok asked while looking into Ashton’s eyes.
Since Ashton had hidden the truth from him once before, it was a necessary precaution.
“Yes. It’s a ridiculous falsehood. That rumor likely formed because people disappear when they come into contact with the Tower, but…”
“Wait. They disappear?”
“That’s right. But that doesn’t mean the rumor is true. Not a single person who touched the Tower has ever been found inside it.”
“Then you still haven’t properly figured out what that Tower is?”
“Yes. At least, not until this morning.”
This morning, the first survivor returned.
He was an agent—formerly a Challenger—sent by the US government, and his testimony allowed them to roughly identify what the Tower was.
“The Seeker’s Tower.”
“……”
“It’s different from the Tower of Heaven. Anyone from Earth can challenge it, the floors are shared, and if you clear a trial, the reward isn’t individual—it’s shared.”
“A shared reward?”
“Yes. At least, that’s what we believe. I don’t know about higher floors, but the 1st-floor reward was that invaders crossing through fissures became 10% weaker.”
Hearing the reward made it immediately clear.
What kind of purpose this Seeker’s Tower had.
And why Ashton had shoved him into a helicopter and rushed him here as if every second mattered.
“No time to go around giving lectures, then.”
“I already reported that you refused.”
Yunseok let out a short laugh.
It was obvious Ashton had never intended to send him to something like that in the first place.
“They’re all political schemers, the lot of them. They don’t understand what truly matters, or what a single day of yours is worth.”
He’d seemed like someone with a deep sense of patriotism before, so when had he changed like this?
The way he spoke made him sound like Yunseok’s loyal retainer.
It was burdensome, but having the person acting as the conduit between him and the government be like this wasn’t a bad thing.
‘His extreme mindset bothers me, but if I keep that part firmly in check, it should be fine to keep him close.’
Yunseok made the decision he’d been postponing.
“Ashton, if something like what happened in Seoul happens again, can you inform me immediately?”
“But…”
“Just pass the information along. I make the call.”
“…Understood. From now on, I will do exactly that.”
That settled the Ashton issue for now.
Of course, he might break his promise and prioritize his convictions…
But if that happened, there wouldn’t be a second chance.
Yunseok wasn’t that soft.
“Who was the Challenger who cleared the 1st floor?”
“Jovan Trosian. I believe you’ve met him once as well, Yunseok-ssi.”
“Ah. That 13th-floor mission Challenger…”
For reference, his measured combat power back then was 11 million.
But since the conversation they’d had in the helicopter that day, maybe he’d been relentlessly pushing himself.
“He’s reached the 15th floor now. It took about 46 hours to clear the 1st floor.”
Ashton was sharp.
Yunseok hadn’t even asked yet, but Ashton had already grasped what he meant by the question and added the information accordingly.
“Two days, huh…”
Muttering softly, Yunseok tilted his head.
He’d be able to confirm it soon enough.
“Then let’s go.”
How much value did the day Ashton rated so highly really have?
—
[You have entered the Seeker’s Tower.]
When he jumped out of the helicopter and placed his hand on the Tower, his vision flashed.
A void filled with nothing but black.
Yunseok read the message that appeared without a trace of emotion.
[Please set the nickname you will use.]
He didn’t know why that was necessary, but…
Since it told him to, he wrote the nickname he’d used in the Tower: Predator.
Then the Seeker’s Tower challenge status appeared.
– Floor 1, ‘Outpost Defense’ Completed (Jovan Trosian) 46:21:31.
It seemed Jovan had used his real name.
In any case, maybe just touching the Tower was treated as agreeing to challenge it…
[The Floor 2 trial is ‘Breakthrough’.]
[Push through the traps and reach the destination.]
Before long, his vision went dark, and the surroundings changed.
A labyrinth similar in shape to the ‘Grand Labyrinth’ he’d once visited during an exploration trial.
The difference was that not only monsters but countless traps were active throughout the corridors.
Whummm! Clack! Clack! Shrrk, shrrk—!
Spikes thrusting up from the floor at regular intervals. Arrows firing from the walls. Double-bladed axes hanging from the ceiling, swinging left and right.
That alone was brutal enough, but wraith-like monsters were roaming everywhere inside it.
‘If I just stood still over there, my durability would probably go up.’
The thought crossed his mind, but he had no intention of acting on it.
Unlike the Arena, time here flowed at a 1:1 ratio with reality.
[Traps and terrain cannot be destroyed.]
At the additional alert, Yunseok grinned and drew his sword.
Cannot be destroyed?
He’d find out by checking.
Sliiide.
Yunseok softly extended his sword forward.
Walls, monsters, traps—none of it mattered. That single motion was enough.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOM—!
A vortex erupted from his blade tip, tearing through and obliterating everything in a straight line, and when the storm finally died down…
A glowing portal was visible at the far end.
‘Looks like that’s the destination.’
Yunseok sprinted forward, crossing over dozens upon dozens of breached walls.
[Cleared Floor 2 trial ‘Breakthrough’.]
[A fissure will be generated, and for 1 hour, invaders cannot pass through the passage.]
‘The reward’s better than I expected.’
Yunseok smiled.
For one hour, invaders can’t come out.
Which meant that from the moment a fissure formed, the military would have time to respond…
If Seoul’s fissure had come with this, civilian casualties would have been far lower.
[Would you like to challenge the next floor?]
There was nothing to think about.
Yunseok had already steeled himself all over again.
‘Let’s do as much as I can today.’
It was still too early to say how many floors he could clear, but…
The recorded clear time for Floor 2 was 17 seconds.
—
Twelve hours after Yunseok entered the Seeker’s Tower.
A portal opened outside the Tower, and the long-awaited Yunseok emerged.
Even while trusting him without question, Ashton had been quietly worried something might have happened. Only now did he finally let out a breath of relief.
“Good work. Did you clear it?”
“Yes. And take this.”
As soon as Yunseok stepped onto the ship, he casually tossed a pebble. Assuming there had to be a reason, Ashton immediately used [Appraisal].
-Sealstone (Rank EX) – Forcibly closes an open fissure. Can be used up to 3 times.
An item that allowed fissures to be closed without killing every invader.
Even if it was consumable, Ashton wasn’t ignorant enough to miss the value of that pebble.
“An incredible item. Was this the reward for Floor 2?”
“Yes. Not Floor 2—it was Floor 3, though…”
“…Pardon?”
Ashton flinched.
Cleared Floor 3 in just twelve hours?
It wasn’t unbelievable.
This was someone whose strength couldn’t be judged by common sense. While Ashton stared in renewed awe, Yunseok said flatly,
“More importantly, can you gather five Challengers for me? To challenge the next floor, it says the headcount has to be met.”
“There are only 11 hours left until you must return. Will you be alright?”
“I don’t know what the trial will be, but based on what I’ve seen so far, that should be more than enough time.”
Ashton swallowed any needless questions.
It was Yunseok’s judgment—someone who’d experienced that Tower firsthand.
So it had to be the most correct judgment there was.
“Understood. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
Ashton contacted the upper ranks right away and explained the situation.
It was essentially sending people into a dangerous mission where life and death were uncertain, but it didn’t take long to find volunteers.
After the Seoul incident, plenty of Challengers had become cautious…
But there were also many who, in contrast, felt an even greater sense of crisis and took on a solemn sense of mission.
“They’re all secured. One of them specializes in spatial movement, so they say everyone can arrive within 30 minutes.”
While they waited, Ashton gave Yunseok a brief briefing on the Challengers who would be joining.
Jovan Trosian, who had grown rapidly since meeting Yunseok last time and whose very personality had changed, becoming the first pioneer of the Seeker’s Tower.
Maria Hopkins, better known for wielding high-level magic than for her unusual Unique Skill that measures combat power.
And two more promising up-and-comers who had recently been drawing attention.
“Who’s the last one?”
“…Me. I can’t promise I won’t hold you back, but within the available manpower we can secure right now, I’m among the best options.”
Yunseok silently nodded in acceptance.
For Ashton, who had prepared several arguments in case Yunseok objected, that was a relief.
Time passed, and the gathered team arrived.
“Good to see you again. It’s an honor.”
“Uh, hello…!”
Jovan, with eyes so obedient it was almost excessive, and Maria Hopkins, who had once fainted after muttering, “Two hundred million….”
“Chen Shaohua.”
“Taro Kitamura.”
And two more—a man and a woman—staring at Yunseok with curious eyes, like they were facing a celebrity.
They looked like they wanted to exchange a few pointless pleasantries, but…
There was no time.
“I’m Choi Yunseok. Let’s go in.”
Yunseok led them and immediately entered the Seeker’s Tower.
—
[Please set the nickname you will use.]
“Since this may end up in textbooks someday, please refrain from using strange nicknames.”
At Ashton’s advice, all the Challengers used their real names as their nicknames.
Then they froze at what came next.
-Challenge Status
* Floor 1 ‘Outpost Defense’ Completed (Jovan Trosian) 46:21:31.
* Floor 2 ‘Breakthrough’ Completed (Predator) 00:00:17.
* Floor 3 ‘Seal’ Completed (Predator) 02:00:00.
* Floor 4 ‘Gate of Courage’ Completed (Predator) 00:00:12.
* Floor 5 ‘Counterattack’ Completed (Predator) 00:03:12.
* Floor 6 ‘Sacred Site Defense’ Completed (Predator) 06:00:00.
* Floor 7 ‘Fountain of Life’ Completed (Predator) 03:00:00.
* Floor 8 ‘Assassination’ Completed (Predator) 00:00:03.
* Floor 9 ‘Liberation Army’ Completed (Predator) 00:47:24.
“The 9th floor is… already done?”
The first to recover was Maria.
“Um… didn’t you say we were challenging the 4th floor?”
Her voice sounded like she might burst into tears if someone so much as poked her, but it was too late to back out now.
[The Floor 10 trial is ‘One Goal’.]
[Work together with your teammates and kill the target.]
His vision flickered, and the space around them changed.
A massive stone chamber with a gigantic magic circle drawn across the floor.
Jovan Trosian, forgetting the trial had even begun, muttered blankly.
“How…?”
The clear times he’d glimpsed just a moment ago still shimmered vividly in his mind.
There were trials that took hours, sure…
But seeing how many times were cleanly measured down to minutes and seconds, it didn’t seem like they’d taken long due to lack of ability.
There were many floors that took less than a minute, and the fastest among them was three seconds.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
‘Three seconds? What kind of trial would let you finish in three seconds?’
He couldn’t even imagine it.
But there was no need to force himself to imagine.
How Yunseok could complete a trial in three seconds…
[In 5 minutes, the target will be summoned.]
Even if he didn’t want to know, he would soon find out.