Tap! Tap!
"You need to eat."
Jin-hyuk tapped the tiger twice on its back.
And—
"Kuaaak!"
A massive monster slammed into the ground as the tiger closed the distance between itself and the jackals.
Tear!
Their bodies ripped apart like wet paper.Truly overwhelming force.
"Eik!"
"…!"
Like ants crawling over a dinosaur, all five Anubis incarnations were shredded before they even managed to resist.
Tremble—
Lee Yuri trembled uncontrollably.
"T-this cannot be. My summons… were helpless…"
It made no sense.
She had been sure she was the strongest here.That getting the map was guaranteed.
Why?
She didn't know where that certainty came from—only that the man in front of her surpassed anything she'd imagined.
"You… how many floors have you climbed in the Tower?"
"Well. How many do you think?"
"No way… you didn't go past 20, right?"
"…"
Jin-hyuk kept silent.
"21st? 22nd? Maybe… 23rd floor?"
Lee Yuri kept guessing, going up by one floor each time.
Adorable.
If she knew he'd reached the 50th floor, she might faint with foam at her mouth.
'Would be funny to see, though.'
Now wasn't the time.
"I don't think this is the moment to ask what floor I reached."
Jin-hyuk stepped toward her. She flinched.
"W-will you kill me?"
"I have no interest in killing scared newbies."
"No, you're a newbie too—I am—!"
"Right, right. I know."He cut her off."Among the relics you got from the Egypt exhibit, give me the 'Mask of Tutankhamun.'"
Her eyes widened.
"It's useless in Korea. Where would you even use it?"
"You don't need to know. If you don't want to end up inside that tiger's stomach, hand it over."
He glanced at the tiger beside him.
"Grrrr…"
Its jaws were stained with jackal blood.Nightmare fuel, especially for someone trembling like her.
"I—I'll give it to you! I'll give it!"
She hurriedly pulled a golden mask from her bag.
[You have acquired the relic (replica) 'Mask of Tutankhamun.']
'Nice.'
This was his second relic after the one he'd grabbed on the first floor.
"Are you also after the map?"
"Map?"
Right. That thing was here too.
He'd forgotten because he didn't care.
It only contained information up to the 10th floor.
"Well, sure."
He patted the tiger's back one last time.
"Guard this place. Don't let anyone follow me."
"Roar!"
The tiger positioned itself at the stairway entrance.
'Let's go.'
Jin-hyuk walked upward.
"This is truly… surprising."
Min Jung-woo was waiting on the next floor, looking stunned.
He hadn't expected anyone to break through Lee Yuri.
But Jin-hyuk also had his doubts.
"Why are you still out here? You didn't go in?"
"My goal was the map. But someone set a barrier on it."
Min Jung-woo placed his hand toward the air.
Tung!
It bounced back, unable to pass.
"Doesn't matter if I use physical or magical force. It won't budge. I've never seen a barrier like this."
Expected.
"It's a 1-Star Barrier."
"Oh? You know about it?"
"Well…"
This wasn't like the makeshift barrier Jin-hyuk set outside—it was a real skill-made barrier.
Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
'Right. It's here.'
He remembered a tower player who used this ability often.
Though in the future, too many people learned how.
"I know how to break it," Jin-hyuk said.
"But?"
"You'll need to use fire magic continuously. That'll weaken the barrier."
"For how long?"
"Until I collect all the relics I need and come back."
"Hahaha… so I cast fire outside while you go inside?"
Correct.
He wanted to praise him for understanding so fast.
"I know it sounds suspicious, but this is the only way. Daybreak's coming. We can't leave empty-handed."
He had a point.
Even worse than dying was leaving with nothing.
"Of course, I'll give you the map. I need something else."
"…"
Min Jung-woo's eyes flickered.
He thought for a long time.
In the end—
"You'll hand the map over?"
"Yes. I have no intention of staying enemies with a magic user with a unique ability."
"…I get it. I'll trust you."
He had no choice.
"Don't stop casting. If you do, I'll get stuck in there."
"I'll do my best."
Jin-hyuk located the weakest point of the barrier—where the magical flow wavered slightly.
'Here.'
…carpo.
The Latin word glowed as he wrote it in blood.
"Now!"
Wheik!
Min Jung-woo unleashed fire.
Moments later, the barrier began heating.
Jjjk!
A crack formed.
'Good.'
Jin-hyuk slipped through.
"H-hurry…"Min Jung-woo was sweating buckets.
"Sure."
He needed to hurry anyway.
'Honestly, I planned to do this alone.'
Unlike the chaos below, this floor was untouched.
No—one thing had changed.
'They came here already.'
The display case was empty.
Just moments ago, it held an iron sword engraved with "Qianlong."
Someone had grabbed it while the others were fighting downstairs.
'Still avoiding risk. As always.'
But even that person didn't know—
That sword was only a second-rate relic.
What he needed was—
'I remember it being here…'
Jin-hyuk stopped before a particular glass case.
Inside:
A round, rusted iron coin.
Sangpyeong Tongbo, currency from the Joseon era.
Ordinary once.Not anymore.
'I finally found it.'
His smile widened.
This was the last piece of the puzzle.
Then—
"W-what are you doing!?"
Min Jung-woo yelled from outside.
"What does it look like?"
"Why aren't you grabbing the map first?!"
"It doesn't have legs. I'll take it after I get what I want."
He sat down.
The relics from the museum were laid out before him.
'Mask of Tutankhamun (B).'
He placed his finger on the right-eye section and inserted it into the—
'Persian Ceremonial Mold (E).'
[Two relics are reacting.]
Good.
Time for the final piece.
Tap.
He dropped in all fifteen Sangpyeong Tongbo (D) coins.
Woong!
Energy surged.
[Three relics are reacting!][Fusion successful!][You have acquired the relic 'Eye of Truth (SS)'!]
Eye of TruthDifficulty: SSEffect: View others' status windows.Determine truth or falsehood of their statements (3 uses/day).
'Success!'
His heart pounded.
Among the five Eyes in this world, this was the most prized.
But the relic wasn't the main reward.
This was:
[You have successfully fused through the worst probability.][You achieved a remarkable result.][You have acquired the unique ability 'Fusion (Overrank)'!]
Fusion.
The ability to combine relics, skills, and abilities into higher-tier ones.
Of all relic combinations, only this trio created an SS item and unlocked Fusion.
He read the description:
Unique Ability: Fusion (Overrank)Difficulty: UnmeasurableYou can store others' unique abilities and skills within 'Memory of the World' and combine them into high-level abilities.More difficult conditions may apply for each copy.
This was why he came here.
"Phew."
He sighed in satisfaction.
Everything he prepared all evening paid off.
Then—
"HEY! Whatever you're doing—do it faster! I can't hold out!"
Min Jung-woo's voice cracked—his face pale from magic depletion.
'Alright… time to copy the old man's ability.'
[Copy Condition:Min Jung-woo hides his emotions behind a mask.Reveal his true intentions.]
So—
Make him angry.
Easy.
Especially now.
Jin-hyuk grabbed the Great Map of the East Island.
"The skill—stop using it."
"What?! What are you saying?!"
"Actually, you didn't need to use it."
Min Jung-woo froze.
He said nothing, confused.
It would have been easier to inscribe the Latin word Pafe over the magic distortion.
The barrier-maker was only level 1.
"T-Then why did you tell me to use… magic…?"
"Because I needed to drain every drop of your mana."
The man was pale, exhausted, half-dead from magic exhaustion.
And—
What if the map he desperately wanted was suddenly—
Wheik!
Jin-hyuk lit it on fire.
The parchment ignited instantly.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WHY ARE YOU BURNING THE MAP?!"
"I said I don't need it."
He already knew everything.
The map was useless to him—but too valuable to hand to someone else.
Burning it was the correct choice.
"Y-You bastard! I will kill you! I'll burn you alive, you son of—!"
Min Jung-woo erupted, cursing wildly.
'Wow. He really has a mouth on him.'
People shouldn't be judged by appearance.
[Condition met.][Skill 'Element of Fire (B)' copied!][Skill stored in 'Memory of the World.']
Element of Fire (B)Allows the user to handle flames and increases fire affinity.
'Not bad for a first copy.'