Chapter 8

Park Joo-Hyuk scanned the boss with a sharp look. “Guys, don’t let your guards down.”

When the task force came in, the boss did not even get up from his seat. Instead, he stared at them blankly.

“Who… are… you…?” the boss spoke to them for the first time.

Park Joo-Hyuk did not respond to his question to figure out what was going on.

‘If this guy is the original boss, he will soon ask who he is.’

Park Joo-Hyuk thought about the boss’s next possible phrase.

However, contrary to Park Joo-Hyuk’s expectation, the boss did not say anything after that. Then suddenly, the boss raised his arms from the armrest.

“Watch out!” Park Joo-Hyuk cried.

Joo-Hyuk was nervous about the boss’s unexpected behavior, but the boss did not do anything beyond raising his arm. Park Joo-Hyuk frowned. His predictions were consistently off. This kind of situation was worse than an upfront threat.

Park Joo-Hyuk felt more and more nervous. At times like this, he knew he had to move rather than stay still. Only by taking charge of the situation, he could draw out the boss’s intentions.

At Joo-Hyuk’s signal, the team members ran up to the boss to make an attack.

Whooong—

Mana power was blooming from the tip of the boss’s finger. A poorly made Dark Arrow slowly flew towards them.

‘What is this?’

Park Joo-Hyuk, who was clenching his teeth, approached the boss and swung his sword.

Woosh—

Joo-Hyuk sliced the boss’s neck without much effort.

Splashhh—!

Blood gushed out of the boss’s neck as Joo-Hyuk withdrew his sword. Warm blood soaked his face and body.

‘Was this all there is?’?

It was an ending that made Joo-Hyuk feel stupid about what he had been worrying about.

In front of Joo-Hyuk, the boss collapsed, his eyes rolled over.

“Great work ever—” Park Joo-Hyuk’s eyes opened wide, looking around.

“Boss…”

A red-eyed Skeleton was slaughtering his teammates.

Woosh-

Splashhh-

The Skeleton stared at Park Joo-Hyuk after stabbing one of his team members with a bone knife. The Skeleton was exuding horrific mana. There was no expression on his face, but the Skeleton’s chin clattered as if he was laughing at Joo-Hyuk.

Crunch

Park Joo-Hyuk clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles tightened up.

- Boss…

- Run away. I’ll deal with—

- I’m sorry, boss…

His past flashed before his eyes. He thought of the teammates he had lost on the battlefield. This dark past, which remained in him as a trauma deep in his heart, began to bother him again.

- I… blame you… boss…

“Stop! Just stop!” Park Joo-Hyuk grabbed his head and dropped his Crude Sword.

Joo-Hyuk suffered from nightmares and trauma for a long time after returning to Korea. He had been trying to live his life to the fullest to forget about his past.

- You… abandoned us… boss.

“No! No, I didn't!” Joo-Hyuk, whose eyes had become pink and congested, shouted and picked up the sword that was on the floor to attack the Skeleton in front of him.

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

He swung his sword madly, his moves furious yet precise. The Skeleton was pushed behind a little, but still defended all of the attacks.

“Die! Just die!” Park Joo-Hyuk swung the sword with a scream.

Joo-Hyuk’s muscles were swollen and overworked, but he could not feel any pain. Perhaps it was due to an overproduction of adrenaline. He only thought of tearing apart the Skeleton that killed his teammate.

Kang! Kang! Kang!?

However, contrary to his wishes, Park Joo-Hyuk was gradually overwhelmed by the Skeleton. And soon after, the Skeleton’s bone knife left slashes in Joo-Hyuk’s body one after another. Having lost his mind, Joo-Hyuk could not defend himself from the Skeleton’s attacks.

Ting!

Joo-Hyuk’s Crude Sword bounced off the Skeleton’s sword because he had lost his grip.

“Keugh!” Joo-Hyuk was pushed against the wall.

When his head hit the wall, his brain zapped and blood dripped down his head. Eventually, he fell to his knees as his legs got weak and his head drooped low. Joo-Hyuk could see his teammates looking disappointed. Their wide-opened eyes seemed to resent him.

“I… I’m sorry.” Seeing his team member coughing up blood, Joo-Hyuk felt pathetic that he collapsed without even getting revenge.

As Joo-Hyuk lifted up his head, the Skeleton approached him with his sword. When he turned slightly, he could see the face of the collapsed team member.

‘Okay, let’s do this. I’m not going to repeat my stupid past.’?

Joo-Hyuk’s congested eyes had returned to normal.

After calmly watching the Skeleton’s movements, he dug into the Skeleton.

‘I’ll give him my flesh and take his bones.’?

The bone knife pierced Joo-Hyuk’s shoulder.

Joo-Hyuk, who endured the pain by clenching his teeth, dug deeper and shoved the Skeleton. At the same time, with the arm that was not injured, Joo-Hyuk wrapped around the Skeleton who was holding a knife, and twisted his body.

Crunch!

With the sound of the Skeleton’s bone breaking, the arm that was holding the bone knife had bent backward. Park Joo-Hyuk was about to deal a good, finishing blow when the Skeleton’s left fist flew toward his face, which he barely avoided.

Crunch— Crunch—

“There’s no way…” Joo-Hyuk muttered.

The Skeleton calmly realigned his arm to its original state. On the other hand, Park Joo-Hyuk’s left shoulder was crushed and could not move. The pain that he could not feel for a while came all at once.

His whole body creaked and he could not control it. He was in severe pain. He wanted to give up; negative thoughts were bothering Park Joo-Hyuk.

The Skeleton’s red eyes were shaking as if they were laughing at him. As Joo-Hyuk’s head lowered to the ground, he could see his teammates on the floor.

Crunch—

Joo-Hyuk managed to move his squeaky body and lifted the sword from the floor. His arms were shaking and his grip did not have much strength left. However, he could not give up. He vowed to send that Skeleton to hell.

Kang!

“Gasp—!” Joo-Hyuk dropped his sword as he collapsed, vomiting blood, having been kicked in the abdomen by the Skeleton.

The Skeleton’s bone knife was about to strike his head, but Joo-Hyuk could not avoid it. He did not want to die like this; not without avenging his teammates. Was he ultimately unable to make a change in his life? He did not want to die; he wanted to change. He wanted to undo his past regrets and fight. His will was still alive. Blood and tears covered his face of madness.

Suddenly, a golden light came out of Joo-Hyuk’s body and wrapped around the Skeleton and him.

“W-w-what’s this?” Lee Shin was surprised.

Lee Shin had been watching the fight between Park Joo-Hyuk and the Skeleton the whole time. And he could not keep his mouth shut when he saw the light emitting from Joo-Hyuk’s body.

‘That light… Is that…?’ Lee Shin was curious.

[You have awakened a unique ability.]

[You have learned the power of resurgence.]

“The… power of…” Joo-Hyuk mumbled.

He saw the system message that suddenly appeared in his blurry vision. It felt as if the world had stopped at that moment. Joo-Hyuk did not know what that message was, but he knew it could be the comeback to this situation.

“... Transformation,” Joo-Hyuk mumbled again.

As soon as he finished saying the phrase, a golden energy obscured his view. The situation between Joo-Hyuk and the Skeleton reversed in an instant.

Park Joo-Hyuk, who had earlier collapsed, realized that he was about to hit the Skeleton with the sword from above. It did not matter how it happened. He first had to break the Skeleton that was in front of him.

“Die!” Park Joo-Hyuk shouted, as his sword went through from the top to bottom.

Clink—

Thud—

However, Park Joo-Hyuk lost all his strength to wield the sword. His sword fell on the floor and bounced off. Then, Joo-Hyuk fell over the Skeleton, helpless.

“Boss!”

“You damn Skeleton!”

His teammates, whom Joo-Hyuk thought were dead, were fine. They quickly carried Joo-Hyuk on their backs and took care of him. Fortunately, he collapsed due to lack of strength, not a mortal wound.

“Well done, Warrie,” said Lee Shin.

“Thank you, master,” Warrie replied.

Warrie got up and moved behind Lee Shin. Lee Shin saw Joo-Hyuk’s injured teammates, who were supporting him.

What Park Joo-Hyuk had seen was a small trap that was made using a pre-purchased hallucinogenic plant which created a trauma-stimulating vision for the person who sniffed it.

In reality, the team members were only knocked down by Warrie and Lee Shin; none of them actually died.

“Go back now. And when your boss wakes up, tell him to come back.”

“Why aren’t you killing us…?” the woman who was taking care of Park Joo-Hyuk stared at Lee Shin and asked.

“You can hear the answer from your boss. So, go back,” Lee Shin said in a firm voice.

“...” She shut her mouth and left with an annoyed look.

Lee Shin sneered at the woman. It did not matter if they did not tell Park Joo-Hyuk to come back, because in the end, he would have no choice but to come back because he was curious.

[You have defeated a challenger.]

[You have defeated a challenger.]

[You have defeated a challenger.]

.

.

.

[Your Mana Points have increased by 80 points.]

When the challengers left, Lee Shin recalled the fight between Warrie and Park Joo-Hyuk with a serious face.

“It said he obtained the power of resurgence,” Lee Shin reminded himself.

The power of resurgence was not an ability that Park Joo-Hyuk had used in his previous life. Lee Shin had never seen anyone who used that ability in the first place. Obviously, the fight was over as Park Joo-Hyuk collapsed after getting kicked by Warrie. However, with the appearance of the golden light, the situation was completely reversed.

Lee Shin would be able to know exactly what that kind of ability was only when Park Joo-Hyuk returned. However, just from how it looked then, that ability did not make any sense. An ability that counteracts the situation. It was more suitable to describe it as an ability that counteracts causality.

This was an awakening of a unique ability, because the sudden appearance of the golden light showed an ability that was beyond common sense.

“Hmm… The awakening of a unique ability….” Lee Shin smiled. Things were getting interesting.

***

Park Joo-Hyuk, who had recovered to some extent, came to Lee Shin’s boss room. Lee Shin had built a drawing room inside the boss’s room and the two sat there, face to face.

“So… You’re finally awake?” Lee Shin started the conversation.

“...”

Lee Shin looked at Park Joo-Hyuk, sipping his tea, and Joo-Hyuk seemed to have mixed feelings. Joo-Hyuk could not easily formulate what he wanted to say.

“...Thank… you…” Park Joo-Hyuk said in a quiet voice.

Sip–

Upon hearing the appreciation, Lee Shin drank his tea in silence. However, Park Joo-Hyuk was uncomfortable with this silence. He wondered what Lee Shin was thinking. Joo-Hyuk wanted to know more about the boss’s identity. He was not sure if it was right to have a conversation with the boss of a tower.

Park Joo-Hyuk had tried to organize his thoughts before he came to Lee Shin, but no matter how much time he took, he could not organize his thoughts. Eventually, he decided to meet him, coming in recklessly with a desire to solve the problem.

“I guess you’re very virtuous,” Lee Shin broke the silence.

“Why did you do that to me?” Park Joo-Hyuk started asking questions.

He was most curious about this. He could see that he was quite different from other challengers in the tower, but aside from that, he wanted to know why the boss dealt with him differently from how he did with the others in the tower.

“Just cause…” Lee Shin replied.

“I’m sorry?” Park Joo-Hyuk frowned.

“I don’t have any reason for that,” Lee Shin explained.

Park Joo-Hyuk wondered if Lee Shin was joking. Lee Shin did not show any sign of mischief, but he could have been keeping a poker face. It seemed like he would not tell Joo-Hyuk anything more.

“I have heard the encounters of other challengers in the village; you’ve dealt with me differently. It’s as if you know something about me,” said Park Joo-Hyuk.

“I was just messing with you,” Lee Shin replied.

“...Is that so?” Park Joo-Hyuk did not believe him, but he decided to stop questioning further, because there would be no point.

“But because of me, you obtained a unique ability didn’t you?” Lee Shin asked.

“Did you plan that, too?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked in order to get a grasp of Lee Shin’s intention.

“... that, too?” Lee Shin smirked at Joo-Hyuk’s question and sipped his tea.

“No way,” said Lee Shin.

“Is that so…?” Park Joo-Hyuk thought that he should not provoke Lee Shin anymore.

“Why are you hesitating?” Lee Shin stared at Joo-Hyuk and asked.

“What?” Joo-Hyuk was surprised at Lee Shin’s impudence.

“Share your information,” Lee Shin demanded.

“Ah, I will,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied.

Park Joo-Hyuk had planned on showing his ability to Lee Shin, but he was a little surprised at Lee Shin’s demand. At the same time, Lee Shin was also surprised to see that Joo-Hyuk was more obedient than he thought.

With a ringing sound, an information screen popped up in front of Lee Shin. There were detailed descriptions on Joo-Hyuk’s unique ability.

[The power of resurgence]

# You can change what has happened.

# Resurgence energy can be generated

# Resurgence energy is consumed depending on the amount of power required to change the result.

Lee Shin stared blankly at the screen for a moment despite having a rough sense of what it was supposed to be.

# You can change what has happened.

Lee Shin thought this was a ridiculous ability. In fights, wins and losses could be easily reversed by a single match point. This ability could easily change the result if one had lost a fight or even died due to a mistake.

When Warrie struck out Park Joo-Hyuk’s sword and kicked him down, the result was completely reversed.

“Ha. Hahaha. Hahahaha!” Lee Shin was dumbfounded and burst out into laughter.

Lee Shin did not expect to find such a treasure here. There used to be no Park Joo-Hyuk in his plan. Lee Shin thought it would be enough if Joo-Hyuk could be a little help to boost his power, but Joo-Hyuk was actually a hidden gem.

“Starting from today, come to my room every morning,” Lee Shin demanded.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?” Park Joo-Hyuk was surprised.

“Don’t you want to get stronger?” Lee Shin asked.

Park Joo-Hyuk’s face instantly stiffened at the question. The memory of his helplessness as he lost his teammates became his strongest driving force as he entered the tower.

He wanted to be strong, so that it would not happen again.

“Yes, I want to be strong,” Park Joo-Hyuk replied in a determined voice.

“Okay then, come see me every morning. I’ll make you strong,” said Lee Shin.

“Can I also bring my team members?” Park Joo-Hyuk asked.

‘Should I spend a little time just for this guy…?’?

For Lee Shin, Joo-Hyuk’s team members were not valuable enough to devote his time and energy on.

“You’re my main focus. I’ll let your teammates come here to train, but I won’t be teaching them in detail,” said Lee Shin.

“Yes, thank you. That would be enough,” Park Joo-Hyuk’s face brightened at Lee Shin’s words.

After Park Joo-Hyuk left, Lee Shin took a sip of the tea and wondered to himself. He remembered that it was almost time for the Dimension Gate to open. Since there were no additional people coming up from the first floor, people on the upper floor were going crazy. Lee Shin did not have much time, because only the tower in Korea was in such a situation. Things could get more difficult for Korea if other countries learned about this.

A national exhibition would be held in the World Center which occupied the 21st to the 29th floors. It was a war on the Isocian continent. Korea was one of the top five counties in Isocia. However, it had been almost a year since the manpower supply was cut off. There was a high possibility for the pattern of the national exhibition to change significantly.

When the Dimension Gate opened, Korea’s weakness would be known to the Earth and each country may put more pressure on Korea unlike any other before. In this world, the power of the challengers equated to the power of a nation.

Slurp–

The warm, fragrant tea calmed Lee Shin’s mind and body.

“Mmm… It smells good.” Lee Shin did not worry too much.

No matter how difficult it was for Korea and the upper-floor challengers, the moment these guys in the waiting area on the first floor were released, they would put an end to America, China, and England.

Lee Shin’s plan was progressing steadily. These will be sharp weapons that will threaten the gods.