Chapter 329: Chapter 327

Black pyramids, soaring high into the sky, astonished people all over the world with their mysterious and overwhelming presence.

In the middle of Manhattan, New York.

Near the River Thames in London.

On the Han River in Seoul.

Pyramids, piercing through the walls of dimensions, appeared in all the major cities of various countries around the world, including Paris, Beijing, and Tokyo, becoming the main topic in all conversations.

"...This actually worked."

Yoo Jinho, standing by the window and looking at the distant pyramid, smiled wryly amidst the busy movement of his secretaries.

"Tsk. As expected, he is 'His' son after all... That scale..." At first, he had worried whether there would be enough time to buy the land, but fortunately, it was not an issue.

'The Tower of Trials.'

The pyramid, given to Suho by Ammut, who had been reborn as the King of Monstrous Humanoids and the Monarch of Trials, was completely different from the typical Gates that occurred randomly like natural disasters. The timing and location of its appearance were entirely at Suho's discretion, with locations pre-selected using shadow soldiers he had spread across the world as markers, the method employing Harmakan's magic, and most importantly, the timing...

After Ahjin Soft had gone through the proper legal procedures, made urgent contacts with governments of various countries, and swiftly purchased suitable land, only then did they proceed, step by step. However, the fact that all of this was completed in just one day was entirely due to the global influence of Ahjin Soft, which Yoo Jinho had built up over the years. Virtual reality games were already a huge trend, established as a global culture long ago. And for virtual reality games to work, Game Capsules were needed in each country. In other words, Ahjin Soft, a global corporation, had already established local branches around the world for the purpose of distributing Game Capsules. So, using those local branches to purchase land locally was not a problem. Suddenly erecting buildings in a 'somewhat unusual way' on that land was dine too. Under the pretext of a 'new game,' everything could proceed smoothly.

"CEO, inquiries are pouring in."

A secretary entered, holding a tablet. The screen was filled with endless contact attempts from media outlets and inquiries from government officials of various countries.

"Of course. Everyone must be dying of curiosity."

Anticipating the response, Yoo Jinho, with a mischievous, prankster-like smile, tightened his tie. It had been a long time since he had personally appeared at an official event like this, or felt such excitement just before a presentation.

"Is the official press release ready?"

"Yes, it's been prepared. Please review it."

Yoo Jinho took the tablet handed to him by the secretary and scanned the document. Since it was content he had prepared after consulting with Suho, nothing special was added. However, every single detail was confidential. It was entirely up to him to decide how much of this to reveal to the public and in what way.

– I'll leave the rest to you, Uncle.

Surprisingly, Suho had entrusted all the important parts to Yoo Jinho, even after setting up this entire system. As if it were only natural.

– It's a game you made, Uncle.

'A game I made...' A faint smile formed on Yoo Jinho's lips as he recalled Suho's words. Yes, he was the one who started it. For the greater good, and at the same time, to pursue personal gain. It was his game that he had meticulously prepared, step by step. But many things have changed...

"...You're wrong, Suho."

Yoo Jinho, heading to the conference room, murmured confidently.

"It's not a game I made, it's a game we made..."

As he opened the door to the auditorium, the waiting reporters simultaneously held up their cameras.

Flash Flash Flash Flash Flash!

Yoo Jinho's eyes, basked in the numerous camera flashes pouring down on him, gleamed.

"It's a game that all of us here will build together."

At this very moment, a game for all mankind was announced.

– Ahjin Soft Unveils Innovative 'Solo Leveling : Ragnarok' Project

– Pyramids Appearing Worldwide! Revealed to be a Hyper-Realistic Training Ground for All Humanity!

– Now, even non-Awakened individuals can become Hunters? Ahjin Soft's Astonishing Technological Innovation!

News headlines around the world were all focused on the 'Tower of Trials'.

- Ahjin Soft's CEO, Yoo Jinho, held an emergency press conference today and revealed the purpose of the pyramids that have appeared around the world!

- These pyramids, called 'Towers of Trials,' are said to be hyper-realistic training grounds where all of humanity can develop combat abilities!

- He stated that by combining existing virtual reality technology with the newly unveiled avatar technology, they have built a system where even non-Awakened individuals can use the abilities of Hunters inside the Tower of Trials!

- Governments of various countries have stated that they will conduct urgent safety inspections and carefully review whether this system poses a threat to humanity!

– ...?!

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

With the sudden announcement, people around the world were astonished, and their jaws dropped. But then they cheered wildly. After the Cataclysm, in a world where only hunters could wield magic power, non-Awakened individuals had always felt a relative sense of deprivation. But now, they too had a chance to awaken; Through the Tower of Trials!

"That's nuts! Can I become a Hunter too?"

"Is that really possible? Can I become strong like an S-rank Hunter?"

"You idiot! Use some common sense. It's obviously a publicity stunt for a new game from Ahjin Soft! Do you really think you'll actually awaken just by playing a game?"

"Tsk, 'common sense'! Do you think Gates suddenly appearing and monsters showing up is common sense?"

"Yeah, man! Since when do we live in a world where common sense is worth anything"

"Is it so impossible for a game that lets you awaken as a Hunter to exist, when Gates are appearing everyday?"

"Yeah! I always believed in them! I knew Ahjin Soft would do something!"

"W-wait, you don't mean... Do you still have Ahjin stock?"

"Hahaha! HODLing wins!"

Ahjin Soft's stock price went to the moon. But people already knew from experience, investing in Ahjin Soft's stock early was no less of a jackpot than actually awakening.

* * *

However amidst the explosive expectations and excitement around the world. Not everyone reacted enthusiastically.

[World Hunter Association]

"Just what were you thinking, doing something so insane!"

Right now, Woo Jinchul, the president of the Korean Hunter Association, was standing before the presidents of Hunter Associations from all over the world, facing intense protests.

Of course, there was no way for these incredibly busy and important people to gather in one place. Ironically, they were holding an emergency meeting in virtual reality right now. The reason: gathering here eliminated the need to travel long distances, and above all, the automatic translation system allowed for smoother communication. As such, virtual reality was already being used in various fields beyond just simple game content, establishing itself as a metaverse system. Of course, this was also a product developed by Ahjin Soft. Despide that the heated debates going on right now were mainly focused on condemning their actions.

"How is this even possible? Your irresponsible remarks have gone too far!"

"To say that ordinary people can all become Awakened?!"

"Even as a promotional event for a game, this is crossing the line!"

"Are you ignoring the impact Ahjin Soft has on the world?!"

"..."

Woo Jinchul had been silently listening to the complaints of the association presidents targeting him. He was sitting in a relaxed position, arms crossed, telegraphing that he would listen to whatever they had to say. Although it was called a meeting, in reality, this place was no different from an interrogation of Woo Jinchul.

A project to create Awakened people, launched solely by a mere game company, was that impactful. It would have been one thing if it was only operating in Korea, but Towers of Trials had appeared simultaneously all over the world, so people around the globe were in an uproar.

"Towers of Trials!"

"No matter what they are, explain how did you..."

"To artificially create Gates just to construct buildings! And that too, on other countries' land, without permission!"

"What sort of dangerous experiments are you conducting in Korea!"

"...Hmm." After listening for a long time, Woo Jinchul finally opened his mouth. A faint smile hanging on his lips.

"Well, everyone, please calm down first."

"Now, that's...!"

"First of all, we bought the land through legal procedures, and THEN we constructed the buildings. Is there any legal problem with buying long-term lease rights in places where the land owners refused to sell?"

"You didn't construct the buildings in a normal way!" At that shameless response, the Brazilian Association president in front of him burst into anger. But Woo Jinchul just shrugged, looking even more relaxed.

"So what? Is how a building is constructed on land they own a problem?"

"Come on! Is that what you should be saying? You opened Gates in other countries without permission?"

"Ah, we should address that first. Didn't you hear CEO Yoo Jinho's statement? He didn't open the Gates without permission; he chose the areas where Gates occurred and bought the land there."

"Are we really supposed to believe that!? It's as if this was all planned, buying land simultaneously, all over the world!"

"Oh, so you're saying that Ahjin Soft may have developed a way to arbitrarily create Gates? Don't you think that's even more shocking? Well, I'm not an engineering student, so I have no idea if Ahjin Soft, which developed this virtual reality, might be capable of such a thing."

"Now... that's not what I meant...!"

"If it's not that, then please get to the point. Don't beat around the bush, we're all busy."

"I apologize for attending without permission. I thought it would be rude to interrupt since you were talking about me."

At that moment, the chilling voice was suddenly heard from above, all the hunter associations presidents who had been arguing couldn't help but flinch simultaneously. They all looked up, as if by prior agreement. And there, an intruder, who had not been invited to this meeting, was slowly descending.

"...!"

The association presidents were taken aback when they recognized the uninvited guest's identity. For reference, this virtual reality space was a private server that only hunter associations presidents registered with the World Association could access. In other words, it was a virtual space that could never be entered without an invitation. But as far as they knew, if there existed someone who could enter this place without permission it would be the one who designed this virtual reality.

'Yoo Jinho'

Thud!

Yoo Jinho looked at the faces of the association presidents, one by one, with a most arrogant gaze. Numerous S-rank Hunters. The representative figures of superhumans all over the world, exuding an aura that he wouldn't dare to even look at outside, were glaring at him. But no matter how great those figures were, in this virtual reality, they couldn't harm him in any way. The proof of that was right there. The association presidents of the world couldn't even complain about his unauthorized intrusion into the meeting room.

He smirked. "It's in the terms and conditions. It says that for the smooth creation of a virtual reality environment, the CEO is allowed to do whatever he wants." It was a clause he had just added for fun at first, but he could abuse it a little in cases like this.

At Yoo Jinho's intrusion, Thomas Andre, who had been sitting back and watching with his arms crossed from the beginning, grinned.

"It's been a long time. It seems the kid from back then is now the strongest one here."