Chapter 9
Magic Circuit
Magic Circuit
[You are challenging the 2nd Floor.]
[You have chosen the Trial of Summer.]
[Reach the True Oasis.]
Beneath the scorching sun, Seong Ah-young dragged her exhausted body forward.
The heat was so intense that it felt as though her organs were being boiled alive.
Yet she never stopped walking.
Despite possessing physical abilities inferior even to those of an average person, she refused to collapse.
Even when her legs trembled and her vision blurred, she kept moving.
There was only one reason for such determination.
Soldier… no, Jinhyeok oppa.
Yoo Jinhyeok.
The man who had thrown himself alone into a horde of goblins to save a complete stranger.
Without him, Seong Ah-young would have died on the first floor.
Thanks to him, she had survived.
But after clearing the first floor, Jinhyeok had suddenly disappeared.
She had seen it clearly.
In the final moments, he had vanished in a burst of brilliant light.
He hadn’t died.
He had simply disappeared before completing the floor.
When she questioned the fairy assigned to the second floor, all she received was a vague response.
“We cannot provide detailed information regarding Climber Yoo Jinhyeok.”
The fairy had spoken with a gloomy expression and refused to say more.
Jinhyeok oppa…
I’ll survive for both of us.
No matter what happens, I’ll leave this Tower alive.
Clenching her fists, Seong Ah-young took another step forward.
“…Seong Ah-young is holding up surprisingly well.”
Watching from the management room of the second floor, the fairy spoke with cautious optimism.
“At this rate, even if she doesn’t receive a contract from a Main God, perhaps one of the lesser gods who admire perseverance will take an interest.”
The second floor existed to test the fundamental qualities of climbers.
Spring tested poison.
Summer tested heat.
Autumn tested desire.
Winter tested cold.
Every climber was assigned one or more of these trials to determine how well they could endure extreme conditions.
The fairies’ role was to distribute suitable trials and guide promising climbers toward contracts with the gods.
“Phew…”
“There really aren’t many decent climbers this round.”
The fairy rubbed her forehead.
The 119th Recruitment Group was unusually lacking in talent.
Aside from Yoo Jinhyeok, not a single climber had earned even a Good Karma evaluation.
Most would be lucky to survive the second floor.
The survival rate was unlikely to exceed fifty percent.
And for the fairy, the situation was even worse.
This was her very first group of climbers.
Most couldn’t even complete a single trial properly.
Neither the Main Gods nor the Lesser Gods paid them any attention.
At this rate, the entire episode would be labeled a failure.
And what would happen to a fairy who had already caused a major accident involving Yoo Jinhyeok?
The answer was obvious.
She would be disposed of as well.
“I wonder if things would’ve been different if Jinhyeok had reached the second floor…”
If it were Yoo Jinhyeok—
The man who had been the first to stand against the goblins.
The man who had willingly risked his life to save strangers.
He would have cleared the trial quickly and attracted the attention of the gods.
To think I lost someone that talented because of an error…
It was my mistake.
The fairy let out another deep sigh.
“…Maybe I’ll check on him just once.”
Since Jinhyeok had used an Infinite Regression Ticket, she couldn’t directly observe what was happening on the ninety-ninth floor.
The only thing she could monitor was the number of times the ticket had been used.
Nothing more.
As compensation for the difficulty of obtaining such a ticket, the Tower applied a special correction.
No matter how much time passed inside the floor being challenged—
One death only counted as one second on every other floor.
The fairy opened the monitoring window.
[Climber Yoo Jinhyeok’s Infinite Regression Ticket Usage Count: 5]
A complicated expression crossed her face.
“Five times…”
“By now, he’s probably broken.”
The Infinite Regression Ticket truly meant infinite regression.
Historically, only two outcomes existed.
Either the climber’s mind collapsed completely and they became little more than a living corpse…
Or they took their own life.
The fairy was certain Jinhyeok would reach one of those outcomes before ten deaths.
Sadly, she prepared to close the window.
Then—
The number changed.
[Climber Yoo Jinhyeok’s Infinite Regression Ticket Usage Count: 6]
“Ah…”
“He died again.”
The fairy sighed pitifully.
Even without seeing the actual battle, she could easily imagine the horror taking place on the ninety-ninth floor.
It wasn’t a fight.
It was a one-sided slaughter.
A massacre.
“How agonizing must it be…?”
“Perhaps he’s already trying to end his own life…”
Then suddenly—
The number jumped.
[Climber Yoo Jinhyeok’s Infinite Regression Ticket Usage Count: 8]
“Huh?”
“W-Wait a second!”
Her eyes widened.
“I’m sure it was six just a moment ago…”
Then the count continued climbing.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
The number rose explosively.
The fairy stared at the screen in disbelief.
“W-What in the world is happening?!”
* * *
[Regeneration Complete.]
[You are challenging the 99th Floor.]
[Defeat the Demon King.]
The sixth round began.
Jinhyeok inhaled deeply and examined himself.
“Phew…”
His body was perfectly fine.
Since he had died from a harpoon strike, the regeneration process had been painless.
“Hehe.”
“That worked perfectly.”
His grin looked more fitting for a Demon King than a hero.
For the first time, he could clearly feel the magical energy inside his body.
[Your Magic Power has awakened.]
[Acquired Skill: Magic Power Perception.]
The skill had appeared just before his death.
“…Wow.”
The effect was astonishing.
It felt as though a blind man had opened his eyes for the first time.
Now he could sense magical energy throughout the world.
A force that had always existed but remained invisible to him.
And because of that, he finally understood something.
The power inside him was absurd.
So that’s what it means when it says my magic power level is too high.
More accurately—
The density of the magic power was too high.
The demonic energy injected into him by the Demon King had already been refined and compressed inside the Demon King’s body.
It wasn’t ordinary magical energy.
Compared to the faint mana drifting naturally through the world, the energy inside Jinhyeok was unimaginably concentrated.
Which only made the reality more terrifying.
The thing inside me is a monster.
Jinhyeok slowly turned toward the Demon King’s castle.
“Having that power inside me is frightening enough…”
“But that place is even worse.”
The saying you only see what you know proved true.
Until now, he had merely felt his body become heavy whenever he entered the castle.
But after gaining Magic Power Perception—
The pressure was incomparably greater.
I really was insane.
I actually thought I could casually walk into a place like that.
The demonic energy pouring from the castle was overwhelming.
His legs refused to move.
His entire body trembled.
Still—
I have to go.
Now that he possessed Magic Power Perception, there was no reason to die to harpoons that provided no magical gain.
As soon as he saw the Demon King—
Jinhyeok immediately dropped to one knee.
“Lord Demon King!”
“It is an honor to stand before you!”
The Demon King tilted his head.
“Hm?”
“Hero, what game are you playing now?”
Looking up respectfully, Jinhyeok delivered the speech he had prepared.
“The reputation of your Dragon Slayer Fist is legendary.”
The Demon King nodded immediately.
“…So you’ve heard of it.”
“Perhaps from the Demon Sword or the Diamond Monster.”
“Even they witnessed only fragments.”
“Everyone who saw the true Dragon Slayer Fist died.”
Just as expected.
The Demon King loved battle.
He took immense pride in his martial arts.
Appealing to that pride seemed to be the correct approach.
“Even their descriptions fail to capture your greatness, Lord Demon King.”
…Was that too much?
As Jinhyeok wondered if he had overdone it, the Demon King suddenly stood.
“Good.”
“Then this conversation will be brief.”
“Let us fight.”
“I grant you the honor of facing me personally.”
“…However.”
Jinhyeok quickly improvised.
“I’m worried my abilities may fail to meet your expectations.”
The Demon King narrowed his eyes.
“So?”
Jinhyeok carefully continued.
“If possible…”
“Could you refrain from using the Dragon Slayer Fist?”
“For the sake of a more enjoyable match.”
In other words—
Please go easy on me.
The Demon King remained silent for several moments.
Then he slowly rose from his throne.
“Stand, Hero.”
“Yes.”
The moment Jinhyeok stood—
The entire castle transformed.
The throne vanished.
A massive training ground appeared in its place.
Jinhyeok swallowed hard.
Through Magic Power Perception, the Demon King’s presence was even more terrifying than before.
Can a living being truly possess this much power?
Simply meeting the Demon King’s gaze felt enough to make him lose consciousness.
“The weight classes are completely different.”
“Even without the Dragon Slayer Fist, there’s no way I can win.”
The Demon King stared at him.
Then clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
“That anti-demon aura is disgusting no matter how many times I see it.”
“It feels as though a goddess herself has descended.”
“…Really?”
The Blessing of Light.
An SSS+ trait.
Until now, Jinhyeok had never fully understood its value.
Yet if even the Demon King reacted this strongly—
Its power must be extraordinary.
Maybe this blessing is my key to victory.
The Demon King’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Hero.”
“I’ll allow you the first move.”
“Thank you.”
Any attack I launch will fail.
In that case…
Jinhyeok focused on the demonic energy within his body.
Compared to the Demon King’s own power, it was tiny.
But it still originated from the same source.
If he could control it—
His strength would increase dramatically.
“Ughhh!”
The Demon King frowned.
“…What exactly are you doing?”
Embarrassed, Jinhyeok replied:
“A ritual before battle.”
Still impossible?
The demonic energy refused to obey.
Just as he prepared to try again—
The Demon King suddenly appeared in front of him.
“I believe I’ve given you enough time.”
BOOM!
A fist slammed into Jinhyeok’s abdomen.
He didn’t even see it move.
“If you’ve heard of the Dragon Slayer Fist, then you should know.”
“It specializes in bypassing defenses and injecting demonic energy directly.”
The Demon King laughed mockingly.
“Did you think I wouldn’t realize you were preparing magic?”
“If I had touched that protection surrounding you, some sort of trap would’ve activated.”
CRASH!
Jinhyeok was sent flying.
The Demon King stepped on him arrogantly.
“Trying tricks in front of me.”
“What insolence.”
“So I hit you a little harder than usual.”
“Now stop playing around and stand.”
The Demon King naturally expected him to rise.
But Jinhyeok was already dead.
[You have died.]
[Infinite Regression Right Activated.]
[A certain energy is interfering with regeneration.]
[Climber Trait: Blessing of Light applied.]
[Resuming regeneration process…]
“…Hero?”
The Demon King’s expression finally changed.
“Why aren’t you getting up?”
As darkness consumed him, Jinhyeok smiled weakly.
“…See you again, Lord Demon King.”
The last thing he saw was the Demon King’s bewildered face.
Then everything faded.
* * *
[Regeneration Complete.]
[You are challenging the 99th Floor.]
[Defeat the Demon King.]
Seventh Round.
“…Damn.”
For the first time in a while, regeneration was agonizing.
Sweat poured from Jinhyeok’s body.
The demonic energy injected by the Demon King rampaged wildly inside him.
So that’s why he said he hit me harder.
This energy was denser and far more violent than anything he had absorbed before.
Instead of fear—
Jinhyeok smiled.
Perfect.
This time, for sure…
At the very moment regeneration occurred, he tried controlling the wild demonic energy.
Normally, once regeneration ended, the energy settled inside his body like hardened glue.
At that point, it became impossible to manipulate.
But now things were different.
I have Magic Power Perception.
I can try.
Controlling magic power while enduring unbearable pain required incredible willpower.
“Move…”
“Please move!”
Jinhyeok gritted his teeth.
His molars cracked.
His jaw nearly broke.
Still he continued.
The effort wasn’t meaningless.
Even amidst pain that made him dizzy, he never screamed.
Instead, he succeeded in provoking the demonic energy.
Had the gods witnessed this feat, every major deity in the Tower would have offered him a contract instantly.
But Jinhyeok had overlooked one crucial detail.
Magic Power Perception only allowed him to see magical energy.
It did not grant control over it.
“Cough!”
Dark blood sprayed from his mouth.
He collapsed to one knee.
The consequences were severe.
His internal organs had already been twisted and burned by the rampaging energy.
Am I going to die again…?
His vision darkened.
Strength left his body.
Then—
Everything went black.
How much time passed?
Jinhyeok didn’t know.
What awakened him wasn’t a status window.
It was a gentle voice.
“Have you awakened, Hero?”
“…Huh?”
Jinhyeok slowly opened his eyes.
And froze.
Standing before him—
Was the Demon King.
For a moment, his thoughts completely stopped.
