Chapter 166  

When Yu-Seong and Kim Woo-Gon returned to the lounge on the Tower’s second floor peacefully, Jin Yu-Ri quickly approached and asked, “What happened?”

"We just decided to be friendly," replied Yu-Seong.

"Uh, what?"

Yu-Ri was surprised by the unexpected answer, but Yu-Seong walked away to join the rest of the group. He then announced, "When the next meal arrives, we'll fill our stomachs and head to the third floor.”

"Did they agree to give us food?" asked Yoo Jin-Hyuk.

"I made them an offer they couldn't refuse," Yu-Seong said, quoting a famous line from the classic movie 'The Godfather.'

Yu-Ri rolled her eyes, but there was nothing else that Yu-Seong could say.

‘Well, I suppose I could elaborate further if necessary.’

There was no doubt that Yu-Seong would get an earful since it had been a dangerous situation in a way. However, he couldn't completely ignore his companions' glances.

"I'll tell you later when we have a chance."

"You know that there are already so many things piled up to talk about, right? You have to keep your promise," Yu-Ri said with a strangely scary smile.

Yu-Seong nodded with a smile.

"Oh, three people from that group over there entered a different passage earlier. It seemed odd, but did you…?"

“No, I didn’t see them. Maybe they just went up to the next floor.”

Yu-Seong had already coordinated the story with Kim Woo-Gon on this matter since it would be easier to just say that the three missing individuals had gone on ahead.

While there may be some doubts, there was little to gain from pressing the issue right now. As expected, everyone fell for Yu-Seong’s rather shameless lie, and soon it was time for the next food distribution.

Kim Woo-Gon quickly grabbed a lot of food and approached the group. While doing so, he exchanged glances with Yu-Seong.

'Well done. Don't forget what you have to do and keep it going smoothly.'?

Kim Woo-Gon, who appeared to be grinding his teeth in frustration, forced a nod and returned to his place.

‘I suppose there's not much else he can do, especially since death is the only way to avoid the pledge made by the Magic Total Pill.’

In fact, villains were known for sparing nothing but their own lives, which they preserved remarkably well. Yu-Seong thought of Kim Woo-Gon as such a villain, and he was not mistaken.

‘The moment I escape from the Magic Total Pill’s curse, Choi Yu-Seong will die at my hand.’

But how? Despite inwardly devising plans, Kim Woo-Gon couldn't shake the feeling that his future was grim.

Putting those thoughts aside, Woo-Gon saw Yu-Seong and his companions rise from the table after a short mealtime.

"Let's head straight to the third floor," said Yu-Seong.

Soon, the entire Tower of Heaven would be bustling with numerous players. There was too much to be done before that.

At Yu-Seong’s call, the group moved. Soon, Kim Woo-Gon was left alone. He rolled his eyes while waiting in the lounge.

Suddenly, light flowed into the center of the waiting room before the appearance of another figure.

"Huh?"

Startled by the sudden change in the situation, the figure reflexively smiled when he met Kim Woo-Gon’s gaze. In fact, Kim Woo-Gon also welcomed the figure. He was looking at an A-rank villain, one of the executives of the Demon King Worshipers’ local branch. Recognizing the man, he gave a smile.

However, he was definitely cursing inwardly due to a promise he had made Yu-Seong.

‘...I was told to eliminate any Demon King Worshipers I know if I encounter them in the Tower of Heaven.’

Indeed, Yu-Seong had no mercy for villains. Moreover, if Woo-Gon violated the order, the curse of the Magic Total Pill would devour him. Therefore, despite knowing that his actions would be shackles around his ankles, Kim Woo-Gon had no choice but to obey Yu-Seong's orders.

Soon, Woo-Gon left his group and approached his colleague from the Demon King Worshipers, Tae-Sik. He whispered into the man’s ear, “Mr. Park Tae-Sik, long time no see. Can we talk alone for a moment?"

"You seem to have a plan? Hoho. Since it’s the Trickster asking, then I’ll be sure to follow it.”

Without knowing the situation, Park Tae-Sik followed Kim Woo-Gon into a dark passage. He was unaware that it would become his tomb.

***

As he entered the passageway to the Tower's second floor, Yu-Seong suddenly turned back with a strange feeling.

‘Something feels pretty good...?’

Kim Woo-Gon, who was left alone, seemed to have done something good. With that in mind, Yu-Seong quickly put aside his interest in the path behind him and walked ahead.

"There are fewer monsters than I expected," Chae Ye-Ryeong said.

Yu-Seong simply smiled.

During their journey here, Yu-Seong had given them a brief explanation of the Tower of Heaven’s second floor.

‘The primary feature of the second floor is the breakthrough.’

If the first floor was a combination of traps, mazes, and battles for adapting to the Tower, then the second floor was relatively simple. It was about breaking through relatively narrow passages guarded by monsters. Therefore, for hunters who were used to battles, it would be a relatively easy process in a way. However, the distance was quite long.

"It hasn't even started yet. I bet you'll soon get sick of the monsters,” said Yu-Seong.

"That many?"

"Yeah, that's why I decided for all five of us to go together as a group for the second floor."

Of course, there was also a hidden reward here.

‘We’ll have to break through within three hours.’?

Among the doors that could be chosen on the first floor, the most difficult and time-consuming path was the red door. Knowing this, Yu-Seong had everyone choose the red door. However, he didn't mention the hidden reward that could be obtained by breaking through within three hours.

‘Whether it works out or not, it's all good.’

If one chose the red door in the original novel, the average time to break through the second floor was eight hours. No matter how many people were grouped together, the narrow paths ultimately limited the number of people who could participate in battle. That made it difficult to reduce the time spent.

Therefore, the ideal number of people to obtain a hidden reward in the Tower of Heaven's second floor was determined to be a minimum of three and a maximum of eight.

‘Our team consists of five members, including myself.’

They were all reliable companions who had trained since the first floor and had earned recognition for their abilities in the original novel. However, the world was full of uncertainties. It was wiser to ascend safely, without jeopardizing the team because of needless greed, even if it meant forfeiting the hidden reward. That was why Yu-Seong didn't tell the team about it.

‘Anyway, I’ve already obtained the most important one, the Green Wind Spirit Cat.’

Whether they knew about Yu-Seong's thought or whether it was their desire to become stronger in the Tower, the team's footsteps quickened little by little.

"Oh… Finally..." Chae Ye-Ryeong's eyes twinkled as she saw the group of skeletons that soon appeared. "They’re undead—skeletons?"

"As you know, they're not that strong..." However, the number of skeletons was incredibly large. It also felt somewhat grotesque to see the road filled with white skeletons with clattering bones gazing at the party with empty eyes. Moreover, they held at least one weapon each that could cause fatal wounds. They were distinctly different from the Shadow Slimes, which only looked threatening on the outside.

"Those can really kill you if they hit you. You know that, right?" Yu-Seong said.

"I'll take the vanguard, young master," said Do-Yoon.

If judged solely by physical abilities, Jin Do-Yoon was the most outstanding among the group. There was no reason for Yu-Seong to oppose him taking the lead.

"As I mentioned before, there are just too many of them. Trying to defeat them all will be pointless. That's why our goal is just to get past them. However, we also need to allocate our stamina properly and..."

"Right, we need to keep an eye on the others so that they don't fall behind. You've already reminded us of that five times, Yu-Seong oppa," Yu-Ri said.

"Am I that naggy?" asked Yu-Seong.

"I used to be in charge of nagging, but lately, you’ve been doing it more often," Jin Yu-Ri said with a giggle from his right. "Don't worry too much and trust us. We're all professionals.”

Professionals… Were there any other words that suited the hunters, who were more accustomed to battle than anyone else? This was especially true for Jin Yu-Ri and Jin Do-Yoon, both of whom had even participated in battles up to the A-rank that had exhausted their mental energy to the extreme.

"That's right. I said something unnecessary."

“Now, shall we start smashing these skull heads?”

When Jin Yu-Ri reached her arm out with a serious expression on her face, the black energy shapeshifted into the shape of a mace.

"I'll go first!" shouted Chae Ye-Ryeong. She conjured numerous thick water droplets that resembled a mace, similar to what Yu-Ri had formed earlier.

The skeleton soldiers were observing Yu-Seong’s party, but they did not make the first move. They were only meant to guard the passage. In this situation, Chae Ye-Ryeong's long-distance attack would serve as a good start to the battle.

Just as Yu-Seong thought that all preparations were complete, Yoo Jin-Hyuk raised his hand carefully and stepped forward. He asked, "Um… If you don’t mind, may I take the vanguard position?"

"Huh?"

At that moment, Yu-Seong questioned Jin-Hyuk’s request. He thought that a middle or rear position might be more suitable for Jin-Hyuk, who was a Demonic Beast Tamer.

Yoo Jin-Hyuk took out his grimoire, the Book of Faust, and chanted a short incantation to summon the demonic beast, which resembled a giant gorilla. The chosen beast let out a deafening roar as it appeared in front of the party.

"Krrrr..."

The gorilla-like demonic beast seemed annoyed as it bent its massive body to fit in the narrow passage. Itlooked straight ahead with a fierce gaze and let out a short cry but as soon as it made eye contact with Yoo Jin-Hyuk, it flashed an awkward smile.

Seeing the surprising sight, Yu-Seong stifled a hollow laugh.

‘I’m sure that’s a monster from a rank 5 dungeon…’

Within the Tower of Heaven, Yoo Jin-Hyuk, who was only at level 10 at best, should not be capable of summoning such a strong demonic beast.

"Relax, Kong. You can walk, right?"

As Yoo Jin-Hyuk approached and gently stroked Kong's thick hands, the overwhelming ferocity of the creature began to subside. Kong started to reveal a gentler side.

Clearly, Yoo Jin-Hyuk's mana was completely controlling Kong.

.

‘Even though he’s only level 10.’

Thinking that Yoo Jin-Hyuk was indeed a genius Demonic Beast Tamer, Yu-Seong felt a chill run down his back. He was witnessing Jin-Hyuk's potential firsthand.

"What the..." Yu-Ri also gasped in amazement.

"I guess there's no need for me to step up," Jin Do-Yoon said as he willingly stepped back.

Yoo Jin-Hyuk's demonic beast, Kong, had a thick hide and incredible strength.

"Just running through this narrow passage would destroy all those skeletons in front of us, wouldn't it?" said Yu-Ri.

Indeed, her statement was indisputable.

"And we'll just have to follow behind," remarked Yu-Seong.

With his eyes sparkling with renewed determination to obtain the hidden reward that he had nearly given up on, he then exclaimed, "Incredible, Jin-Hyuk. You're truly amazing!"

Jin-Hyuk merely shrugged in response. With a broad smile on his face, he replied humbly, "No need to thank me. I'm just glad I could be of help, hyung!"

As he spoke, Jin-Hyuk glanced over at Chae Ye-Ryeong, whose expression was now somewhat angry. He then commented casually, "I just operate on a different level than some short kid. Haha..."

“You’ll see!” Ye-Ryeong responded with a vengeful glare. She was now strongly determined to get revenge on Yoo Jin-Hyuk.