Episode 157. Faction Selection (1)
Murim and Empire.
The two great powers have long been at odds over supremacy in the middle of the tower.
They had similar strength, so they couldn’t carelessly bite each other’s nape.
They knew that in order to reach the top of the tower, they must inflate their size by absorbing each other’s forces.
It means that in order to rise, someone must perish.
and.
A middle-aged man from the ‘Kingdom of Caladium’, one of the members of the Empire.
Pennheimer felt his heart beat fast.
‘As expected, my eyes weren’t wrong.’
In the meantime, I was looking at countless players and trying to find someone who could help the empire.
However, finding the right talent was not an easy task.
It’s a natural story.
Although the eyes were high, the average level of the players was too low.
In the end, we had to pick out players with higher potential for growth than mature players.
‘The Chinese Guild was also coveted, but it was impossible to appease them because they share the same roots as Moorim.’
As a result, thick dark clouds hung over it.
In particular, isn’t Namgungcheon growing day by day based on his overwhelming talent and full support from Moorim?
When the balance that was so tight is broken.
A ray of hope appeared in the Empire as well.
Kang Jin-hyeok.
A player who was the first to attack the lower floors of the tower and showed overwhelming prominence among all players.
If you can catch interest…!
It may be possible to finally end the war against the dreaded Murim.
It is because Namgungcheon is great, but Jinhyeok has much greater potential and growth than him.
‘Other people may not know, but my eyes are sure.’
okay. Jinhyeok is at least a few steps above Namgungcheon.
Pennheimer clenched his fists.
A monster who manifested his Aura Blade at the age of 17 and proudly became one of the 100 Knights of the Empire.
That’s why I was able to be confident with my eyes to recognize talented geniuses.
‘Please make the right choice.’
The main event of the masquerade that is about to begin.
The numerous choices that will be made there and the resulting results.
will determine the future.
＊＊＊
A storm swept through.
The downfall of Kaman, a low-ranking manager, and the Chinese and Samurai suffered a major blow to their image.
On the other hand, Jinhyeok’s stock price, which received an invitation directly from a senior manager, skyrocketed.
Everything was as Jinhyeok had planned.
‘The atmosphere is ripe, so I’ll start soon.’
Even Namgung-cheon and Chun Yoo-seong arrived at the ballroom belatedly, and they ate and drank to some extent and got their first impressions of each other.
Now is the time for the curtain to rise on the stage in earnest.
Right then.
“Hmm. greatness!”
Rick cleared his voice.
Thanks to the use of amplification magic, the voice spread to every corner of the banquet hall.
Players who were having a decent amount of time stopped what they were doing.
All eyes were focused on Rick.
“I hope you all enjoyed it, let me tell you a little bit about why we invited you all. As you know, the masquerade is an event that brings together promising players among many players who are climbing the tower.”
In order to prevent a future that will perish if the next floor is not conquered for 90 days.
In anticipation of the rewards pouring down on the first player to see the top of the tower.
Or in order to covet something more than that…
Everyone came to this place.
Although their motives and tenacity may be slightly different, their purpose is still the same.
“Some of you seem to already know… but in fact, the real purpose of this prom is different.”
real purpose.
at that point. Everyone’s eyes narrowed.
“It is a place where players choose which faction they will be with while climbing the tower. Afterwards, the rest of the players who were not invited here will also choose their faction, but can you say that you have been able to step into a new territory one step ahead of that?”
To put it mildly, a pioneer.
To put it bluntly, he is an experimental beta tester.
Because there was no information, all he could do was trust his intuition.
After speaking, Rick snapped his fingers.
OK.
Tring!
[The main event of the Masquerade begins.]
[Prove your ‘worthiness’.]
Name: Faction Selection
Difficulty: Unmeasurable
Details: Dungeons, labyrinths, and ruins on floors 10-30 of the Tower of Trials Choose one to challenge yourself. Here, players who have received high achievement values can negotiate advantageously in choosing a faction. To select a floor, press the red button in the center of the ballroom and tell the floor you want to challenge. However, since the challenge cannot be overturned, please make a decision after sufficient discussion.
[100 points have been paid.]
[Ranking is displayed according to the public value, and you can purchase various items by investing the public value between raids.] [ The protection of the faction can
only be received once per player.]
status windows.
…It finally started.
The highlight of this prom was the ‘faction selection battle’.
＊＊＊
Some, including Jinhyeok and Namgungcheon, remained calm, but not all.
“Faction… selection battle?”
“What the hell is this? What kind of power is there in the tower? Weren’t we climbing together?”
“How are things going?”
An embarrassing response followed.
They simply gathered here knowing how to promote friendship with each other.
In other words, they came here to fully enjoy the fact that they are special and different from others.
But when I opened the lid, something completely different was waiting for me.
A much bigger and more important event like that.
I was quite embarrassed because the situation went differently than expected, but that feeling did not last long.
Even if you panic or complain, nothing will change.
The important thing is to create the best results for the future based on the information that exists today.
Most quickly accepted reality.
“I guess you could call it a hidden quest.”
“okay. If the middle layer of the tower has to be with the forces in the tower anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to preoccupy that position in advance.”
“I’d rather take it as a big opportunity.”
Calmly weighing the gains.
Not everyone is called a prospect for nothing.
Twenty players gathered by the stairs.
The first to speak was Maria from Europe’s super-large guild, ‘Olympos’.
“Suddenly, the situation has turned into this, but I think we should all work together to clear the quest.”
The currently selectable floors are from the 10th to the 30th floor.
It is a level that can barely be challenged only by mobilizing a large-scale raid of at least hundreds of people.
But the number of players here is only 27.
It would be impossible for even the best rankers to attack the dungeons there on this scale.
In the end, everyone must work together to succeed in this quest.
“hmm. Public value is important, but it won’t mean anything if you play alone and fail.”
The master of the Dangun Guild. Moon Kyu-ho also reflected the positive meaning.
“Cooperation…”
“I can’t.”
“Okay, we should work together this time.”
Then you both nodded.
“It seems that opinions have gathered, so what do we do? Of the dungeons on the 10th floor, we should choose a nearby one, right?”
The risk increases exponentially as you go up the ladder.
Rewards were important, but not as important as life.
“I think the 10th floor will be fine.”
“There is a dungeon that I know of on that floor, but since I know the weaknesses of named monsters, it should be relatively easy to attack.”
“It would be best to compete fairly for public value.”
It was a time when everyone was reinforcing their opinions and looking for optimal results.
Beep beep!
Suddenly, a sharp alarm pierced my eardrum.
[Choose a floor.]
[The place you chose is the Labyrinth ‘Valley of the Kings’ on the 25th floor.]
[All players here will move to that area after 30 seconds.] A
blinking red status window.
The players who looked as if they had lost their country contrasted.
“What crazy! What kind of guy chose a labyrinth without consulting it!?”
“That too… It’s a labyrinth on the 25th floor of the tower. A place no one has ever been to!”
“The average level is less than 50, but I have to go that way…”
A scream close to a scream rang out.
Even the rankers who had regained their composure could not maintain their composure this time around.
Didn’t he choose a labyrinth that wasn’t even a dungeon?
I can’t even imagine how dangerous it could be.
Of course, the arrow of resentment was directed towards the player who was pressing the button in the center of the banquet hall.
Then there…
“Huh? why? No one chose, so you chose first?”
There was Jinhyeok shrugging his shoulders with an innocent face.
And right at that moment.
Pats Cheats…!
Blue light magic shimmered around the players.
Space movement has begun to activate.
“Really, what are you doing without stopping that bastard…”
“Everyone, get ready! It begins!”
“Damn it! Gangjin… ha!”
Leaving behind everyone’s insults.
The surroundings were dyed black.
＊＊＊
When my vision returned a moment later, everything had changed.
[You have entered the ‘Valley of the Kings’ on the 25th floor of the Tower of Trials.]
A place reminiscent of an ancient temple unfolded.
A number of spiers towering pointedly as if reaching the sun.
A pair of statues hewn out of stone stood with crossed swords over each other’s heads.
and.
Between them, there was a passage just big enough for one person to enter.
That is the entrance to the labyrinth.
“Big. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this place, and the scale is so grand.”
Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation.
sincerely.
I could see why travelers go to great lengths to explore remote areas while leaving comfortable hotels behind.
This kind of spectacle was something you would never see at a resort.
Right then.
“Player Kang Jin-hyuk! What were you thinking when you did this!”
Maria, who was teleported together, screamed.
The whitened face… How can I say it?
Like a frightened hamster?
Who could have predicted that the Great Mage, who was so praised by everyone and was on a winning streak, would be so intimidated?
“hmm. You don’t like it here, do you?”
“Of course! Who would pick such a ridiculous floor! It would be a miracle if not even half… or even one could survive…”
Maria murmured.
This is what it means to have dead eyes.
“…”
“…Whoa.”
Several players who were teleported with Maria also had expressions full of despair.
Of course, not everyone was like that.
“lol.”
“I am Kang Jin-hyuk. brother.”
Pleasure fighting brother and sister.
Jude Law and Casey.
The eyes looking at this side are unusual.
‘Hasting said there were guys who smelled dangerous, but were these guys?’
I’ve been told many times that I’m insane, but this… It looks pretty dangerous.
But at that very moment.
Whoa!
Another figure appeared with a group of blue lights.
‘Ohh. Did this guy come here too?’
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
