Solo Max-Level Newbie

Chapter 259

There had been several occasions where I had pondered over who the creators of the Tower of Trials game were and why they had chosen to release it for the public to play. What was the reason behind constructing such a supernatural and colossal structure? These curiosities had always lingered in my mind.

“Since the Tower first appeared, I wanted to know the reason behind it.”

Although I had been wholly focused on climbing and growing stronger in the Tower, I had never ignored these fundamental questions.

“Watch closely. With your own eyes.”

Jinhyuk summoned a status window.

It contained some of the comments New Legend Exchange had left in videos.

– Judging by their ignorance, it doesn’t seem like they’re from a lower floor area.

– It makes sense that an oil-grade veteran would know things others don’t.

– Isn’t there one? A veteran who walks alone, unaffiliated with anyone.

– I doubt a match between those two would happen easily, no matter what.

– Kang Jinhyuk is the only player who can stand a chance against him.

– There’s a rumor about a Hidden Piece that can surpass floors… Could it actually exist?

– Maybe Kang Jinhyuk has seen beyond that.

– Our Jinhyuk is indeed a cut above the rest. There’s something unique about that child from the start.

A series of comments flowed down the window.

“There’s no viewer who knows about the existence of the Boundary-Breaking Mirror.”

Not even a veteran knew the name.

It would be improbable for an ordinary viewer to be aware of the Mirror’s existence. Rumors were only plausible for those with access to such information.

“Moreover, the fact that people are clamoring to see me and Unknown together in one place, even knowing we are the same person, is utterly absurd.”

The likelihood of a match between the two was non-existent since Unknown and I were one and the same. Therefore, we could only be rivals against each other.

There were more than one or two comments that could serve as evidence.

So, piecing together all the clues I’d gathered, I was finally ready to ask the first question.

– New Legend Exchange: Keke. That’s amusing. I tried my best to adjust things, but perhaps I was a bit careless if someone as perceptive as Jinhyuk saw through me? I never planned to be caught this quickly.

An exclamation of admiration burst from New Legend Exchange.

Without any intention to deny, the status window suddenly lit up brightly.

[The broadcast system has been forcibly activated.]

What appeared was a giant ‘?’.

From the white question mark that filled the screen emanated an indescribable sense of unease.

Could it be…

Is this the so-called Administrator?

As improbable as it seemed, I was now facing the reality.

In the past, when clearing the Tower, there was a strong desire to meet them. But now that it was happening, my heart raced uncontrollably.

– New Legend Exchange: No need to be so nervous. Just because you know our identity doesn’t mean we plan to harm you. In fact, since you did something quite cute, we’re considering giving you an additional gift.

Wait…

“Us?”

Jinhyuk’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

Did that mean there were other operators?

– New Legend Exchange: There are several of us. We’ve been watching since the very beginning of the broadcast. Truth be told, you were the only one worth monitoring.

“I’m aware of that.”

I’ve been stalked to the brink of annoyance since the time of the Thousand Eyes Bodhisattva.

– New Legend Exchange: No.

The voice from the question mark changed in tone.

As if there was no face, but the corners of a mouth could be felt twisting—if one could even call it a feeling.

– New Legend Exchange: I’m not talking about the early days after the Tower became reality. I mean since you first started as a BJ. We’ve been with you the whole time.

“What… did you say?”

Jinhyuk’s pupils shook as if hit by a seismic event.

Despite being so jaded that hardly anything could surprise him anymore, this revelation left him unavoidably bewildered.

– New Legend Exchange: Jinhyuk the Tumbler, Coffin Song, 25 Years Still Dieting, etc. Why do you think those loyal viewers who always tuned into your broadcast are now nowhere to be seen? The BJ they were rooting for has grown this big, haven’t they?

The viewer count was 20.

It was a small number, but I had thought they were fans too generous for a newbie BJ like myself.

But they weren’t human… They were the operators who created the Tower?

“That’s a bit bitter. I thought the result was due to my efforts.”

– New Legend Exchange: Ah. It seems there’s been a slight misunderstanding. Your unpopularity wasn’t due to a lack of talent in broadcasting. In fact, you had too much talent—that was the problem. So much so that we had to intervene a bit, to prevent your gameplay in the Tower of Trials from being exposed outside. Additionally, we’ve been quite busy making sure you didn’t run into financial trouble, sending stars, ordering food deliveries to your home, even ensuring the gym owner gave you a discount. We put in quite a bit of effort.

The more I heard, the more astonishing it became.

At this point, it’s hard to grasp just how long they’ve been meddling with my life.

One thing was certain…

“Are you saying all this was arranged so I could focus solely on climbing the Tower?”

– New Legend Exchange: Exactly that.

The question mark vibrated ever so slightly.

As if it were proclaiming its utter delight.

Yet, the intrigue was mutual.

After all, I had met the ones behind the curtain of this staged play.

“What do you expect from me, given your interest in me?”

That was the crucial question.

There had to be a reason why they orchestrated all this.

– New Legend Exchange: Reach the top of the Tower once more. We hope that you will arrive at the very end of the Tower, a place that neither any deity nor resident has reached.

“You want me to repeat something I’ve already done? Isn’t that too much effort for just that?”

– New Legend Exchange: The creatures on the 50th floor… all… Uh-oh, direct communication seems impossible. Systems can really be a headache. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say for now. But remember this last point: the peak of the Tower… it is completely different from what you knew.

[‘New Legend Exchange’ has left the chat.]

[The broadcast has ended.]

With that, the conversation was over.

The screen flickered.

And the chat went dark once again.

Despite encountering such a mysterious being and engaging in numerous discussions, the mystery was not completely resolved.

‘The peak has… changed?’

It left behind more questions than answers.

However…

[A message has arrived from New Legend Exchange.]

The ensuing reward proved that this Q&A was anything but a waste of time.

＊＊＊

It was about 30 minutes later when Jinhyuk joined Lee Taemin and Yoo Yeonhwa.

Unable to disclose the conversation with New Legend Exchange, I loosely explained that we were just chatting with the viewers about the broadcast.

“What now? What’s the plan?”

“Bro, even though everything’s going well, it’s not easy to solely reap the benefits among the guilds, right?”

The two looked at me with eager eyes, clearly amused by how smoothly things were unfolding. They seemed even more expectant about what would come next.

“For starters, I’ll release some information to them.”

While I had agreed to work with the guilds, trust between us had not been fully established. It was necessary to gain some level of confidence by sharing a few valuable pieces of information with them.

And using the substantial manpower and resources of a large guild coalition, this raid should be comfortably manageable.

‘Things concerning the Tower can be thought over later when I have more time.’

Right now, the priority was to copy skills from the rankers and successfully conquer the relic. Several opportunities within this place wouldn’t come easy, especially the ‘Black Tears’ skill, which was one of the few skills that could be enhanced in the Tower of Trials. I absolutely needed to secure it for future use in the 40s floors.

“Oh, right. Yeonhwa, did you get to work on that thing I asked you about?”

“Hmm? Oh… that thing? It’s a bit tricky to say for sure, but it looks promising. I did lay it on thick to play my part.”

Yoo Yeonhwa flashed a mischievous smile.

Good.

If Yeonhwa spoke this confidently, it meant we could likely rely on this card she referred to.

“Then let’s get going.”

Jinhyuk rose from his seat.

Nirasha and the other players were preparing to enter deeper into the relic, so that’s where we were headed next.

＊＊＊

The area was swarming with countless players. With the Gate Guardian out of the way, the plan was to dive deeper into the relic.

Tankers, damage dealers, and healers—all were busy forming well-rounded raid parties.

“Make sure everyone is stocked up on supplies. We need to be prepared to stay inside for at least a week.”

“Spare no expense on magic potions. All expenses will be tallied up with the accounting team. Tell everyone to invest all their coins!”

“Remember to focus the aggro on the tank before dealing damage. If you act rashly like before, we’ll suffer unnecessary casualties.”

Rankers in the main raid were educating the newer recruits.

“Tch. I’m heading in first.”

Nirasha, spotting Jinhyuk, sneered coldly before going about her business.

In contrast, Maria seemed relieved that Jinhyuk had arrived.

“Why is she so grumpy? Still upset about losing her rice bowl?”

“Please understand her. The Gandara Guild had sent some advanced parties into the relic before you arrived, but none have returned.”

It seemed they were impatient and had moved ahead.

‘No wonder her mood was sour.’

It was common knowledge that Gandara Guild wouldn’t be able to gather information from the relic’s interior alone. The second gateway accessed via this route was much trickier than the first.

The second gatekeeper was fashioned after one of the Seven Deadly Sins: ‘Sloth.’

There, only those who ‘remained silent’ could survive and proceed to the next step.

‘After killing the Reaper and acquiring the key… are six more to come.’

If I could defeat all the apostles created by the Wailing Witch and obtain their keys, I would then earn the right to enter the Witch’s chamber.

Jinhyuk glanced at Maria. Before starting, I needed to…

‘The Eyes of Gluttony’ peered into her status window with a ding!

——————————————————

Name: Maria

Sex: Female

Age: 26

Level: 61

Strength 23 Agility 35 Stamina 26 Magic Power 112

Owned Stat Points: 0

Owned Coins: 1,132,500

Job: Magic Scholar

Innate Ability: 5 Elemental Magic

Skill: Lv7 ‘Hellfire’ Lv15 ‘Blizzard’ Lv15 ‘Lightning Spear’ Lv14 ‘Energy Shield’…… Too many skills to display, shown as ‘Folded.’

——————————————————

[Copying Condition: Deceiving and exploiting rivals is one way to climb the Tower, but there’s no need to antagonize everyone. Cooperation and unity are the best paths to conquer the Tower. If you form an alliance with Maria and refrain from betraying her until the end, you will be able to copy one of her skills.]

‘No need to antagonize everyone…’

That’s not entirely wrong. I’ve had connections with Maria since the European Invasion and the Battle of Bayrodum.

At that moment, though…

[Since you keep getting calls, could you spare some time now? If I don’t say this now, it might become quite problematic.]

A familiar voice intruded through a whisper.