Floor 59.
A place called the "upper level" where practically every player dreams of becoming a ranker.
It's also where players' confidence begins to soar.
Players who reach this stage are referred to as "Reserve Rankers".
Reserve.
Sounds good.
But most players stay in the "reserve" and never advance.
It's not until you climb a little higher on the ladder that you realize it.
No wonder they say only the chosen ones can become "Rankers".
"Is that him?"
"Who?"
"Kim YuWon."
"Oh..."
Countless voices chattering about one person.
Players only had one thing in mind.
"A Ranker who's not even a Ranker?"
"He's also ranked very high."
"An almost High Ranker."
"High Ranker? The guy who hasn't even reached the top yet."
It's been a while since Kim YuWon received a ranking.
The Tower had become as tumultuous as the fall of the Celestial Realm. It was unprecedented for a non-Ranker player to receive a ranking.
And the Ranking Bureau's decision was met with resentment from both Rankers and players alike.
"He angered the Rankers in my Guild, who were overshadowed by a guy who's not even a Ranker."
For Rankers, Ranking was a matter of honor and power.
But now they were being pushed down by a player who didn't even have the qualifications to stand beside them.
For Rankers, Kim YuWon's presence was like a parachute that had dropped out of nowhere.
"What's different about us?"
The man in the center of the group of players looked at the lone player in the distance.
"Somebody is struggling to climb up, and he rides on the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and achieves a good record, and becomes a Ranked Player."
That was the derogatory evaluation the World made of Kim YuWon.
While some recognized his achievements, others criticized him for sharing the credit between the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, and the Great Sage, Who Pacifies Heaven.
"Is there anyone here who can't become a Ranker later?"
"There's no one."
"We shouldn't allow ourselves to be called 'Reserve Rankers' without reason."
Confident players turned their hostile faces toward YuWon.
But none approached him.
The reason was that the achievements and rankings YuWon had reached on each level were not insignificant.
But there was always someone who wasn't intimidated by those things.
"Let's show that kid how terrifying the Tower can be."
[The trial begins in one hour]
[Teams will consist of a maximum of 100 people and will be formed by physically touching another person]
[Each team will be assigned a flag]
[Teams can earn extra points by capturing another team's flag]
[Flag points are divided equally based on the number of team members]
[The team with the most flags wins]
[The trial ends after 24 hours]
[Form a team]
'The total number of players participating in the trial is 300.'
Ludor, a participant in the trial, quickly grasped the essence of the trial.
'Depending on the number of players participating in the trial, the score will be different, and so will the rewards. If passing the trial itself is the goal, one will need to find a large number of team members, but...'
But that would only take you to the top, and the rewards would be minimal.
'It's not good to be too greedy, but it's also not good to not be ambitious enough. A moderate number is better.'
There probably won't be any fools who fill 100 people in a single team in this trial.
Of course, there won't be fools forming a team alone either.
"What's the right number? Somewhere in the middle? 50? No, that's too much..."
And just when Ludor was thinking...
"What the hell!"
His eyes saw a large group of crowded players.
"One, two, three, four... and they keep coming, are we really going to have a hundred?"
A large number of them gathered and took all the flags from the other team.
It wasn't a bad strategy. But it also meant that the other players had no choice but to follow their lead.
"Hey, over there!"
"We should match the number of members too, right?"
"Don't you have a team yet?"
These were the players who had made it to the 59th floor.
They didn't panic, but once they saw the number of gathered players, they started doing their own count.
Up to 100.
And the number of players here was also 300.
That leaves a total of three teams.
And only three flags.
"And this trial probably..."
Look-.
Ludor's gaze turned to YuWon, who was standing on the side.
"The team that recruits him will win."
With an equal number, it was inevitable that the team with greater individual skill would win.
And the most skilled player in this trial was undoubtedly Kim YuWon.
That's right.
Reflecting, Ludor went straight to YuWon.
He couldn't afford to lose him to the other team.
"Are you still alone?"
Ludor's question made YuWon turn his head.
When he nodded, Ludor's face brightened.
"Then join my team."
"Sorry, but I refuse."
YuWon shook his head, cutting off Ludor's words.
"I'm not looking for a team."
"......?"
He wasn't looking for a team?
Ludor knew that he had climbed the Tower without a team. But this was a team trial.
A trial that was difficult to take alone.
However, YuWon was going to take the trial alone.
"Is there any chance of reconsideration?"
"No."
Helpless, Ludor nodded at the sharp denial.
With an answer like that, there was no point in trying to convince him.
At this moment, it was more important to recruit one more member for the team.
"Understood."
Ludor turned around.
Then, behind him, he heard YuWon's voice.
"If you can, give up too."
"......?"
Ludor turned his head, perplexed, and YuWon continued.
"The more people survive, the better."
Chilling.
The words sent a shiver down Ludor's spine.
They had one hour to form a team.
But the team was formed in an instant.
For the rest of the time, Ludor watched the other teams eyeing each other.
"The trial zone is large enough to accommodate three hundred people."
He had already had enough of these team formation trials.
He hoped that as many teams as possible would be created, but it wasn't the case.
It was due to the distrust towards YuWon.
'A perfect equity without any particular characteristics, everyone is too busy watching each other.'
Only one team could advance to the next level.
The one with the most flags.
[The Trial has begun]
After a long silence, the trial began.
There were three teams.
No, four, including YuWon.
Gulp-.
The players from the teams started to size each other up.
Of course, in this type of trial, those who moved first would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Exploration was the priority.
That's what they should have done originally.
But...
Someone started moving when the trial was announced.
'As expected.'
'I knew he would.'
It was YuWon.
People didn't find his behavior too strange. The fact that he didn't form a team for this trial in the first place showed that he trusted in his abilities.
The purpose of this fight was one: a dogfight. Multiple teams defended their flag while trying to steal the opposing team's flag. But this way, the sense of such a trial became insignificant.
'The fact that he starts moving alone means he has the confidence to face everyone together, isn't that right?'
YuWon's eyes first landed on the player who was at the center of the crowd.
'He must think he can take on everyone at the same time,' everyone thought unconsciously. But on the other hand, there were people who thought things were going well. Although they were not yet ranked players, there were 299 players called Reserve Rankers.
Even if YuWon was the strongest player in the world, he couldn't handle all of them.
"Until now, he's been trampling on the rookies, which has made him feel a little more proud of his skills." The man looked at the players around him.
"If he treats us like those guys..."
But at that moment...
Chuukagagang-.
Waves of blue ice spread before them.
"No... it can't be."
The man's eyes widened as he stuttered.
In the blink of an eye, his companions were frozen.
Not only that.
Chuukagagang-.
"Ah, aah, aaah!"
The ice rapidly expanded, freezing half of the man's body, including his arms, legs, and torso.
Jebak-.
The man looked at the player approaching him.
It wasn't YuWon.
"You, you, who are you?"
-Ah.
A pale-faced knight, his eyes shining blue.
-The First Knight of the Round Table.
"Oh, Arturo?"
"From the Round Table?"
"No way..."
There was a murmur around him.
Arturo.
The Knight of the Round Table.
The King of Camelot and the Leader of the Round Table Guild.
While Arturo may not be of high rank on his own, his name had become more and more prominent as the Round Table grew.
However, the one who was said to have died long ago appeared here.
"There's no way a dead man can be here, let alone a Ranker."
"Wait. Isn't that face that of an Undead?"
"Undead?"
"No way, Kim YuWon?"
"No. Don't be fooled! It's a trick!"
The surroundings quickly descended into chaos.
In an instant, dozens of Players were frozen. And judging by the way they didn't even blink, it seemed impossible for them to escape on their own.
-He said there's no need to kill them...
Woo, woo~
Arturo's sword, Excalibur, started to chill.
-But what if I need to freeze them all.
Shhhhh!
Zzzzzzzz-!
"Shhhhh!"
"Zzzzzzzz-!"
With a swing of his sword, the bodies of the Players froze once again.
And in the midst of it...
The players didn't stay idle either.
"Attack!"
"It can't be the real Arthur!"
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?"
Hundreds of players fought against Arthur.
YuWon watched the battle with his arms crossed.
"This is beyond his prime."
Clearly, Arthur was a Ranker, close to a High-Ranked Player.
But the Arthur he faced now was much more than that.
He had been draining YuWon's Arcane Power, but this proved that as YuWon's power increased, the power of the undead like Arthur would also surpass their prime.
"Zzzzzzzz-!"
"Aaah!"
"Fight in close combat!"
"The flag, we need to secure the flag first!"
"Who cares about the flag now, we're a team. Let's focus on that guy first...!"
The players fought back and forth against Arthur.
Each and every one of them fought to become a Ranker.
"Ranker..."
What the hell is a Ranker?
YuWon passed the troublesome battle to Arthur and looked at a name on his player's kit.
An officially recognized ranking website by the Ranking Administration.
His name had been registered on that site for a long time.
Furthermore...
[Kim YuWon: 418th (High Rank)]
He was ranked among the top 1000, which is called a High-Ranked Player.
