C297

YuWon's question left Lee Sung-yoon speechless.

He rewound in his mind the years he had spent climbing the tower up to that point.

The tutorial was difficult.

On the other hand, it seemed that it hadn't been particularly difficult since they entered the Tower.

"You are a shark trapped in a small aquarium. You don't know how vast the ocean is or how far you can swim."

YuWon's gaze slid towards Harggan.

"Let alone it's difficult to mistake that aquarium for the ocean when there's another shark living there as well."

In Lee Sung-yoon's team was Harggan.

His talent was so outstanding that Zeus recognized him over Heracles. If it were based solely on talent, he could be considered one of the best in the Tower.

With Harggan by his side, his own talent might not seem as impressive.

There hadn't been any dangers.

What Lee Sung-yoon needed was simple.

"You need an obstacle."

A crisis that would endanger his life.

And a tall, solid wall in front of him.

That was what Lee Sung-yoon really needed to grow.

And there was an ideal environment for that.

"Leave this team."

YuWon dropped the bomb.

The trial on the 80th floor consisted of ten teams.

Only three selected teams could pass the trial and move to the next floor, and it was practically impossible to pass the trial as an individual.

That's why those players who climbed the Tower without forming a team encountered an obstacle and formed teams.

They realized that there was a wall they couldn't overcome alone with their talent.

But now... Even so, there were two teams that had entered the trial as lone individuals.

[Lee Sung-yoon: Is this really a good idea?]

A message came from Lee Sung-yoon.

Ewon looked towards the distant horizon, where an endless meadow stretched out. The meadow, all green, had a refreshing effect on the eyes just by looking at it.

It was a landscape he wanted to keep looking at without thinking about anything else.

But he had to respond to the message.

[Good luck]

He seemed to hear a curse from Lee Sung-yoon at the unanswered response.

Although Harggan strongly objected, YuWon thought that this trial was something Lee Sung-yoon had to overcome alone.

Otherwise, he would just be going around in circles.

"Castle Defense Battle."

Defense and offense. Each team faced off in a siege battle for a total of five castles.

How many castles have been captured.

How long it took to capture the castles.

Progress was evaluated numerically, and the three teams with the highest scores would advance to the next level.

[Trial begins]

The opposing teams gathered outside the castles.

Anyway, the outcome of this trial was not of great interest.

Around twenty players.

YuWon had already gone through a similar trial and climbed up. He even had to deal with over ten thousand opponents at that time.

There was no excitement.

The problem lay on the other side.

"Harggan shouldn't have any problems..."

Harggan's team had failed the 80th floor trial last time.

It wasn't due to lack of skill.

Zeus's sudden intervention had forced them to abandon the trial.

If problems arose, Zeus would have been sanctioned by the Administrators as well, but Harggan hadn't.

This trial was the first time for them. Obviously, they would face the trial with determination and not fail.

But Lee Sung-yoon was different.

"If he can overcome himself, then I'll acknowledge his worth."

He was facing the trial alone, not forming a team with YuWon.

It meant he had to do the work of ten or twenty people alone.

And that was something impossible for the Lee Sung-yoon until now.

"First, before that..."

Fajijik-.

YuWon shot a lightning bolt through the Uranus Heart.

A golden spear formed in his hand.

"I have to pass my own trial first."

And in that moment.

"I surrender."

The trial had ended.

"Huff, huff-."

Lee Sung-yoon climbed up the castle, breathing heavily.

Around him, the players attacking him were scattered.

They were formidable competitors too, as they had all reached the 80th floor.

He had fought against those opponents.

And he had done it alone.

This was the first time he had such an experience since he started climbing the Tower.

Puh-.

He planted a flag in a designated spot.

Then.

[You have captured the first castle]

[You have gained 1,000 contribution points]

[27 minutes and 14 seconds]

[Additional contribution will be granted based on capture time]

[You have acquired 510 contribution points]

A message appeared stating that the siege of the second castle had ended.

It was a reassuring message, but now was not the time to celebrate.

Now he had to think about the next step.

Woosh-.

He put a fruit in his mouth taken from the inventory. It was to help replenish his magical energy and hydrate himself a little.

They had succeeded in recapturing the castle.

Now came the defensive phase.

"Only one left now?"

He had already succeeded in two sieges and one defense.

Thanks to that, his stamina was quite depleted, but still, if he succeeded in one more defense, he would pass the trial.

This challenging trial was something new to him.

Originally, he should have had solid teammates to protect him and Harggan, the ultimate spear and shield, to face the trial.

But now he was alone. There was no one to protect him from the front or the back.

'I've been lucky not to encounter the team leader.'

He closed his eyes and rested while recalling the previous trials.

'The match-up isn't bad. I just have to pass the next trial.'

If he had to face Harggan's team, he wouldn't stand a chance. Even if only one member of that team came out, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

'Please, let another team be chosen.'

As he prayed, Lee Sung-yoon awaited the next trial.

However...

"...Oh, seriously."

Thud-.

Lee Sung-yoon lost his enthusiasm upon seeing the opponent that appeared before him.

"Is it necessary to do that?"

[Trial begins]

YuWon walked towards the castle.

Clearly, here, he was taking the same trial on equal terms as him.

But since yesterday's training, Lee Sung-yoon had realized that YuWon was a player who lived in a completely different dimension from his own.

Of course.

Although everyone in this tower surely knew that.

"Consider yourself unlucky."

YuWon's voice, already inside the castle, made Lee Sung-yoon turn his head.

Flutter-.

He was already standing in front of the flag.

When did he arrive?

If YuWon took the flag, the trial would end. Still, he had won three sieges and three defenses, so there would be another chance.

But...

"What are you doing? Don't stop."

YuWon urged Lee Sung-yoon.

Lee Sung-yoon, who had halfway given up and was about to surrender the flag, asked confusedly.

"What?"

"This is a trial. Besides, I'm not even on your team."

Tsutsutsuts-.

Mana Cannons appeared around YuWon.

He didn't need to count them to know.

A total of 101.

That was exactly the number Lee Sung-yoon couldn't block.

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

"Just because you don't stop them, doesn't mean you'll stop, right?"

Zzzzz-.

Lee Sung-yoon also created mana in the form of projectiles (Mana Cannons).

The mana projectiles condensed a large amount of Arcane Power. There was more quantity than when he first encountered YuWon, and the quality of Arcane Power imbued in each of them had also increased.

"Let's go again."

Lee Sung-yoon's eyes gleamed.

And in that moment...

Vwoooosh-!

Mana shot out from the over hundred projectiles.

Pwoooosh-!

The walls of the castle they were standing on shook violently.

Kwagwagwagwagwag-.

The colorless mana poured out like a waterfall.

The walls creaked as if they were about to collapse at any moment.

Lee Sung-yoon broke into a cold sweat as he saw the waves crashing in front of him.

However, he didn't seem as exhausted as before.

'I've adapted.'

He had adapted to handling over 100 Mana Cannons/Projectiles.

It's hard to believe he did it in just one day; it's a mystery that can't be explained by talent alone.

Which means...

'He has always had the ability to control this much.'

The real deal starts now.

In the midst of it all, Lee Sung-yoon shone brighter and brighter.

Lee Sung-yoon pondered a way to break through YuWon's magic.

If he created another mana cannon/projectile here, would it make any difference?

No, it wouldn't change anything.

Nothing would change. YuWon had enough mana to create any number of mana projectiles and the control to use them. (Note: Mana Cannon changed to Mana Projectile)

There must be another way, then.

Concentration.

The best he could do.

Lee Sung-yoon closed his eyes. YuWon's words resonated in his mind.

"Imagine drawing a circle with your left hand and a triangle with your right. Each object is handled by a completely different person."

The difference between knowing the principle and not knowing it was enormous.

Now he could find a way to develop it, whereas before it was just a hunch.

Tut, tut, tut-.

Over a hundred mana projectiles merged into one. Such a large number of them should have increased in size, but Lee Sung-yoon's didn't.

But that made it even more intimidating.

'This should work.'

Confidence filled his chest.

At least it seemed like he could inflict some damage.

Imagination.

Lee Sung-yoon thought of the most powerful and simple weapon he could imagine.

And yes, it was...

'A handgun.'

He extended his hand forward.

A small and seemingly weak mana projectile.

Lee Sung-yoon aimed at it with his outstretched hand.

In that moment...

'This is the trigger.'

Vwoooosh-!

The mana projectile emitted a bright light.

A single shot.

Only one, but the power unleashed from the mana projectile was considerable. Lee Sung-yoon believed that it would be different this time and had no doubt about it.

But...

"Not bad."

Shwoooosh-!

Despite his effort, Lee Sung-yoon's attack was easily dispelled.

"!"

The sharpness of the sword swiftly approached his face.

In an instant, Lee Sung-yoon felt as if his body was cut in half and his breath was extinguished.

Instinctively, Lee Sung-yoon covered his neck with one hand.

But fortunately, only the mana projectile floating beside him was cut.

"You've just crossed the threshold."

YuWon sheathed the sword in his hand.

The sword he unsheathed reflexively. Even if he were to receive a blow, the Blessing of the Sea would activate, and he wouldn't suffer significant damage. Nonetheless, Lee Sung-yoon had managed to make YuWon unsheathe the sword.

And that meant his previous attack was better than the abilities of most rankers.

'With this... can I consider it approved?'

Lee Sung-yoon had the potential and skills to fully demonstrate this ability.

The growth in such a short time made no sense, and what YuWon had given him was simply bringing out his abilities that hadn't manifested until now.

"Now the problem is me."

Phaash-.

YuWon loosened the grip of his hand holding the sword and looked at his black gauntlet.

The Uranus Heart.

An item that allowed him to wield mana of three attributes: Lightning, Darkness, and Water.

"Is that the item made with the Lightning you stole from me?" (Zeus)

When YuWon encountered Zeus again, Zeus noticed how YuWon wielded the Uranus Heart.

"You've been wasting my treasure."

Zeus, who had wielded Lightning for thousands of years.

Perhaps he knew.

How to wield the power of Uranus.