The spirit tree and summon beasts within the Tower of Trials exist only as avatars, not their true bodies.

Their true bodies are bound to different dimensions, with only part of them living within the tower.

And theres a medium that allows them to exist in the tower.

It is the mana supplied by the contractor.

Ordinarily, once the contract is complete, spirits and summon beasts with severed energy sources refuse to manifest in the tower

However, even in such cases, there is one exception.

If the trust between the master and creature is deep enough, they might use their own mana to stay present in this realm.

As they would forcefully break through the constraints to do so.

Just like now.

[Ancient Species ??? has manifested!]

There was no need for any more flowery rhetoric.

Kukukukuku!

Its mere existence overwhelmed causality to a breaking point.

What appeared was not the small, toddling lizard with black scales.

The beasts head and upper torso barely squeezed through the twenty-meter-wide gate.

Its true body must be hundreds of meters long, at the very least.

Chrrrk!

Golden chains binding its entire body caused the head of the creature, half emerged, like a sweet potato, to come to a sudden halt.

Krooooooo!

Pumpkin-like yellow eyes turned toward Nameless.

H-How can an Ancient Species.

Nameless stood frozen in place.

It wouldnt have been a shock if it were merely an ancient species.

But what truly dismayed him now, was the fact that this Ancient Species had exhausted its own power in rage over the death of its contractor.

Ancient Species were beings promised eternal life, meaning contracting with humans was little more than a game for them.

Humans could be discarded and replaced at any time upon death.

Yet, this behavior implied something else

That it trusted them to this extent.

No other explanation made sense.

If you rampage here, youll only be gnawing away at your own lifespan, you know?

Nameless spoke slowly.

This was, essentially, the only threat he could manage.

However, as if the creature couldnt care less,

Woowooong!

A blinding light started gathering in the sweet potatos mouth.

The strongest skill exclusive to dragons.

Breath.

And now, even surpassing that, the Ancient Species Unique Holy Chant manifested.

[Ancient Species ??? summons Sword of Judgement.]

Whoosh!

The flames grew more intense.

Moisture in the air started to evaporate.

The mirages spreading across the ground felt like prophecies of what was soon to come.

Kugh!

Danger.

Recognizing this, Nameless brought out a black shield.

Thick with thorns, it clearly emanated extraordinary powerrightly so, since it held the Absolute Judgement effect from guarding the Royal Tomb.

And at that moment,

Sswaaaah

A gust of scorching wind swept between buildings.

The civilians had all evacuated while Jinhyuk bought time.

Meaning, flying into unrestrained rage wouldnt matter.

Patsutsutsu!

The concentrated flame grew fiercer still.

The red ball of fire soon turned azure blue.

It morphed into a blackish-red flame.

But, this was not the end.

White.

Pure white destruction flame, one that could turn everything into naught.

One of the mightiest fires known to exist.

Damn it who cares about lifespan at this point!

Nameless bellowed.

It was incomprehensible.

What was so special about that damned human?

Such a worthless, already dead human!

But right then,

As Nameless gazed towards where the body lay, his mouth dropped open.

A red mouth appeared on the black surface, wide open.

No, no way Could it be?

Without a doubt, he saw it.

Despite all eyes drawn elsewhere by the commotion,

An individual was rising gracefully, as if bathing in starlight.

Wait a moment!

Nameless desperately pointed towards Jinhyuks location.

Wait and see!

Cant you see the man flailing like a freshly caught flounder from a fish farm, munching on popcorn!

But it was too late.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

A compressed stream of fire split the ground.

Kuaaaaa!

Before Nameless could react, white flames engulfed him.

***

Steel and concrete evaporated.

Scars, like those from a wild beasts claws, marred the ground.

Kehugh.

The black shield had long since vanished.

Only the upper half of Nameless remained, uttering a heavy sigh.

Step.

Footsteps approached.

Thought you couldnt feel pain without a sense of touch, but seems like after taking human shape, you became capable of it?

It was Jinhyuk.

As if he was never affected, his face remained immaculate.

D-Did you purposely let it happen?

Thats right, shrugged Jinhyuk.

No matter how strong the three despairs were, would he really let himself be beaten by minions from the mid floors of the tower?

A bothersome task, yet had he truly fought, victory was inevitable without any variables.

But then. That wouldnt have provided the opportunity for Teresa to awaken.

One of the primary conditions for corruption is witnessing the death of someone precious.

Still, youre quite strong. Not many could hold their form after being hit by an Ancient Species Unique Holy Chant.

Sincerely.

His offensive and defensive abilities were astonishing.

Among the players, there would be probably no one who could win a head-on fight against this guy.

Thats supposed to be

Nameless looked down at his disintegrating half.

Particles crumbled to dust.

Regeneration refused to happen, signaling the sweet potatos strength was for real.

Am I, to end sovainly?

Namelesss mouth gaped, thrashing in agony.

Of course, his fate remained unchanged.

[The third despair has been extinguished.]

Since summons share experience when they kill, unlike the second despair, this time, he would receive a considerable boost.

Sure enough.

Immediately, multiple status windows appeared in front of Jinhyuk.

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

[]

A whopping eight levels!

Having already gone up by four levels after taking down Black Scorpion, this single raid earned a total of twelve levels.

There would, of course, be no players to compare, and among the residents, his level would be quite significant.

However, what elicited most anticipation wasnt the level up.

The true excitement came from the reward for dispatching the pestilent despair.

Thump, thump, thump!

Jinhyuks heart raced.

After all the troubles faced, a reward befitting the efforts was in ordersomething so impressive it would turn heads.

What could it be?

It was now time to find out.

Just as he thought this,

Ding!

[For defeating the third despair Nameless, a reward relating to the players unique ability will be given.]

[Copy Free Pass has been awarded.]

[Copy Free Pass]

Acquisition Difficulty: Unknown (No precedent exists for obtaining this item. Thus, you will be its first user.)

Details: You can now copy one unique ability and skill youve encountered in the tower. Note, this only applies if youve directly observed the skill in action.

No absurdly ridiculous or arduous copy conditions.

Just having seen it once fulfills the criteria.

Swallowing dryly, Jinhyuk felt the enormity of the moment.

This was

A jackpot.

From when he last played in the Tower of Trials to now, in reality, he had come across countless opportunities.

But never before had he experienced a reward quite so overwhelming.

***

[The Faction Selection has concluded.]

[All players in the labyrinth will be forcibly transferred to the masquerade hall.]

Exposed as corrupt, the Faction Selection came to a close with the interference of the Martial Realm and the Central China Guild.

Woowooong!

Flashes of bright lights flickered.

One by one, players appeared in the masquerade hall.

Khh

We survived.

Im never doing this again, damn it. Feels like Ive aged a decade in one go.

Everyone looked completely drained.

Their highest achievement was barely ascending the towers tenth floor, yet they found themselves abruptly in the 25th-floor labyrinth.

While survival was guaranteed from the labyrinths monsters and traps, the pressure still far exceeded their imaginations.

Nevertheless,

A day well spent.

Jinhyuk stretched out contentedly.

Having dealt one blow to the Central China Guild and secured the Five Elements spirits, the true victor of this Faction Selection was clear.

Especially after defeating the three despairs in China, the levels gained and the various bonuses received were astonishing even by his standards.

To attest to that fact,

Ding!

[Your merits will now be updated.]

[Current Merit Ranking]

1st Place: Kang Jinhyuk (7,565,100P)

2nd Place: Liao Wei (4,450P)

3rd Place: Namgoong Cheon (3,190P)

A staggering 7.5 million points.

Having thoroughly decoded the secret abilities of the Horn that Calls Despair and demonstrated the ability to manipulate the overall situation

It was only logical for the merits to break through the roof.

Above all, the sight of him saving China from the three despairs that could sweep the entire Central China Guild, it was enough to set the tired hearts of the towers inhabitants racing.

Can feel the excitement bubbling up already.

Jinhyuk held his head high.

Could he feel the excited mana jumping about as if it were tangible skin sensations?

The factions eagerly waiting on the second floor were evident even with the managers blocking the way. Without interference, no doubt they wouldve rushed down to abduct him from the first floor.

Then,

Hm?

Something caught Jinhyuks senses.

It was the first floor, not the second.

There sat a player, injured just like the rest.

He was the master of the Samurai Guild, the top ranked samurai of Japan, Yoshihito.

Ah right. I havent gotten around to copying his ability yet.

There was hardly a moment to breathe between movements, no time to meet.

He had already obtained the Free Pass, but more abilities were always better.

Missing the chance to copy a rankers skill was simply unthinkable.

Jinhyuk recalled Yoshihitos copy conditions.

1. Overcome Yoshihito by using someone else, not yourself. Note that someone else refers to a player.

2. If you fail, you may step in personally, but youll be unable to use any of your weapons. Instead, you must use either a fork, chopsticks, a spoon, or a pencil to subdue him.

With selection about to begin, theres no time for a personal clash.

Besides, starting a fight now wouldnt be justifiable.

Lets see

Whats the easiest and most foolproof way to fulfill these copy conditions?

Oh!

A particularly devilish plan just came to mind.