HRMCT 28

Chapter: 28

“Ugh… I’m dying.”

Yujin opened his eyes.

When he had lain down on the bed, it had been morning. Now, not even a sliver of light came through the window.

The sun had already set.

Still aching all over, Yujin forced himself upright and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I guess I’ll have to stay in bed for another day.”

Apparently, resting for a single day wasn’t enough for his body to recover.

Who would have thought he’d end up wasting time like this?

Compared to his first run, he was progressing at an unbelievably fast pace, but even so, Yujin had no intention of taking it easy.

His goal was to clear the Tower as quickly as possible.

So being forced to lose time like this made him laugh bitterly.

“Well, it was worth it.”

“Kyuaaaang!”

Chunbae, who was clinging to his arm, let out a cry as if agreeing.

“You think so too?”

Yujin patted Chunbae’s head before casually shoving his hand into its mouth.

“Still… after doing this a few times, I’m actually getting used to it.”

The unpleasant feeling had faded considerably.

If Chunbae had gagged or vomited every time, he never would have adapted, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

“As long as it doesn’t hurt, I guess it’s fine.”

Whatever the method, it was undeniably useful.

He decided it was best to simply ignore how strange it looked.

After staring at Chunbae’s mouth hanging wide open, Yujin finally pulled his hand out.

“Heh.”

A tiny purple gemstone, no bigger than a fingernail.

It was an Enhancement Stone.

“So… what should I use this on?”

First, the Fire Dragon Blade [E].

“No. That’d be like casting pearls before swine.”

It was no different from spending three hundred million won modifying a ten-million-won compact car.

In other words, completely insane.

Well, maybe some ridiculously rich Middle Eastern oil billionaire might actually consider it.

“But not me.”

Even if he enhanced the Fire Dragon Blade [E], it would only become a Fire Dragon Blade [D].

He’d rather sell it to that crazy woman from the Alchemist Guild instead.

At the very least, she’d pay around ten thousand Coins for it.

“And besides, I can enhance it later if I meet the requirements.”

So the Fire Dragon Blade was out.

“Hm… Grace [C] is a little questionable too.”

Enhancing it would raise it to Rank B.

Naturally, the amount of mana granted to Yujin would increase accordingly.

But was it worth spending an Enhancement Stone on?

“No.”

The Enhancement Stone was considered the equivalent of winning the lottery even inside the Tower.

Using something so valuable on a mere Rank C item felt wasteful.

Then what about his skills?

Yujin currently possessed three.

Moment [E], obtained in the Tutorial Floor.

Heavy Strike [E], earned upon reaching the First Floor.

And Moon Step [D], obtained after defeating the Earth Dragon.

The latter two were dismissed immediately, just like the Fire Dragon Blade.

The only real consideration was Moment [E].

“This one actually is worth enhancing.”

If it had already been Rank C instead of Rank E, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

The advantages the skill provided were enormous.

But now…

“Not yet.”

It was better to look at his traits instead.

“No… actually, these were the only real options from the start.”

King of All Weapons [S].

Body Blessed by the Gods [S].

He intentionally excluded Inner and Outer as One [E].

It was already more than sufficient in its current state, and he doubted enhancement would improve it much.

The remaining two, however, were both Rank S traits.

Things even the Yujin from his first life had never seen.

To be honest, he hadn’t even been sure Rank S really existed.

He had heard rumors a few times, but he had always assumed they were just myths.

“If I’m enhancing something, it has to be one of these two.”

What would happen if an S-Rank trait were enhanced?

“Would it become EX Rank?”

Like the Hourglass of Chronos [EX]?

Or would it simply become something like S+?

He had no idea.

It was completely unexplored territory.

But one thing was certain.

Whichever result occurred, it would become far stronger than it was now.

“If the Hourglass of Chronos [EX] or Flashback [S] had been active, I would’ve chosen one of those.”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.

So he had to choose between the two.

“Mmmmmmm…”

A headache began creeping in.

An indecisiveness he never even knew he possessed tormented him relentlessly.

King of All Weapons [S] allowed him to master every weapon with perfect proficiency.

It had already been powerful enough to raise the potential of Black Wing [C] all the way to Black Wing [A].

But what if it were enhanced?

“Maybe it could break past its limits.”

Beyond Black Wing [A].

To Black Wing [S].

Or perhaps even higher.

If that happened, King of All Weapons [S] would become the most broken ability imaginable.

How many incredible weapons had he been unable to use properly simply because he lacked the ability?

If he could wield them all at their absolute peak—or beyond?

He could become far stronger than he had ever been in his first life.

His heart raced.

Just imagining it filled him with excitement.

Simply obtaining a handful of the items that came to mind would make reaching the 100th Floor far easier.

Even so…

Yujin couldn’t choose King of All Weapons [S].

Because he understood all too well how incredible Body Blessed by the Gods [S] truly was.

Accelerated thought processing.

Combined with Inner and Outer as One [E].

Its compatibility with Body Blessed by the Gods [S] was simply perfect.

There was a reason Yujin called Inner and Outer as One “godly” and Body Blessed by the Gods “invincible.”

The synergy between his own unique ability and those two traits surpassed imagination.

That was exactly why he couldn’t decide.

“Ah, damn it. Screw it.”

Scratching his head furiously, Yujin closed his eyes.

“I’ll just leave it to luck.”

No matter which one he picked, it would be an incredible boost.

So he decided to trust fate and choose at random.

His luck had been absurdly good lately.

Maybe this method would produce an even better result than carefully thinking it through.

Keeping his eyes shut, he opened the Akasha System status window.

To avoid accidentally selecting something else, he displayed only those two traits.

Nothing else.

Just the two choices.

Taking a deep breath, Yujin finally steeled himself.

He activated the Enhancement Stone and extended a finger.

Ting.

A faint sensation reached his fingertip.

He had touched the status window.

Swallowing nervously, he slowly opened his eyes.

“So… what did I get?”

Half anxious, half excited, Yujin fully opened his eyes—

Then tilted his head.

“Huh?”

Contrary to what he expected, his finger wasn’t touching either of the two S-Rank traits.

“What…?”

He was certain he had touched something.

That meant the Enhancement Stone had selected a target.

Yet his finger pointed at empty space instead of either trait.

Unable to understand what was happening, he blinked several times.

Suddenly—

A brilliant light erupted.

“W-What the hell?!”

Startled, Yujin fell backward onto the bed, eyes wide.

At the same time, text appeared before him.

■ Enhancement target selected.

■ Target: [Akasha System].

■ Estimated enhancement time: 32 hours.

■ Beginning enhancement.

His mouth hung open.

He had intended to enhance a trait…

But the system was enhancing the Akasha System itself?

No…

Was something like that even possible?

No one had ever even considered the idea.

Which meant no one had ever attempted it.

“H-Holy shit…”

The only words Yujin could manage were curses.

It felt like hoping to win the lottery…

Only to hit a Super Lotto jackpot that had rolled over for two months.

“They’re dead?”

Isia froze in shock.

Park Jihoo looked just as stunned.

Those people had been alive only yesterday.

Sure, they had run for their lives in terror.

But they had still been alive then.

They had screamed, talked, and fought monsters together.

And now…

They were dead?

The terror of the Tower suddenly felt much closer.

“It’s okay… I already experienced this in the Tutorial.”

Dozens of people had died there.

Isia had witnessed those deaths with her own eyes.

She believed she could handle it.

But…

She was wrong.

The death of complete strangers…

And the death of people you had actually spoken to…

Carried entirely different weights.

Even watching someone die of old age was heartbreaking.

These people had been murdered.

By monsters.

By the monster known as the Tower of Light.

Without reason.

Simply because they had been unlucky.

Their lives had ended in this unfamiliar, alien world.

“I’ll never see my family again. My friends either. No one will even know I died.”

Because no one back on Earth would know what had happened.

That realization magnified her fear many times over.

She wanted to run.

She wanted to escape this damned Tower.

Whether it was Sung Yujin, monsters, or the Administrator—

She didn’t care.

She just wanted to leave.

To return to the real world where her life belonged.

“Noona.”

But it was impossible.

There was only one way to escape the Tower completely.

Reach the very top.

Defeat the final boss.

Clear the Tower.

There was no other way.

That truth descended upon her like endless despair.

“Noona!”

Park Jihoo’s shout pulled Isia back.

The fear and darkness consuming her mind vanished in an instant.

“Are you okay?”

His face was filled with concern.

It was hard to believe this innocent-looking boy was the same person who had fought monsters so fearlessly.

“Even a kid like him is holding on.”

Isia bit her lip.

Blood seeped from the torn skin.

The metallic taste.

Exactly the same taste she had experienced countless times while fighting the Red Goblins yesterday.

Her muddled thoughts cleared.

She regained her composure.

“Yeah. I’m okay.”

Forcing a smile, she gently patted Park Jihoo’s head.

That’s right.

Even a boy who wasn’t yet twenty fought desperately to survive.

Then so could she.

After all, she had met the crazy man named Sung Yujin.

Thanks to him, she was leveling up at a speed that couldn’t even be compared to the other players.

If she kept following him…

Someday.

Someday, she might truly reach the top of the Tower.

She had spent her entire life drifting aimlessly, without any real purpose.

But at this very moment—

Isia made a vow.

“I’m going to clear the Tower.”

And then…

She would return to the family waiting for her.

Alive.

No matter what.

“Let’s go back.”

Park Jihoo hesitated for a moment before nodding.

He was clearly worried about the man who seemed to have completely lost his mind.

Isia felt the same.

“Mister, come with us.”

She might not be able to help much.

But at the very least, she could offer him a warm meal.

Of course, she would need Sung Yujin’s permission first.

Supporting the half-broken man between them, Isia and Park Jihoo began making their way back to Starlight Wanderer.