Chapter 6: The Trial No One Can Ever Pass

The Tower.

A mysterious structure that appeared fifty years ago.

Amazingly, there wasn’t just one.

In the center of each country, a white tower pierced the sky.

No one knew the exact name of this tower, nor who had built it.

But one thing was clear.

This white tower was one of the blessings humanity received alongside the Cataclysm.

Humanity suddenly gained Traits—abilities that once belonged only in fantasies.

But these were not powers earned through effort.

They were forces bestowed by pure luck, chosen at random.

Power, however, comes with responsibility.

What if these powers were given recklessly, indiscriminately, to anyone?

What if the recipient was a criminal?

Or worse, a psychopathic sociopath?

Without proper outlets for such power, an unpredictable era of chaos was inevitable.

The white towers served as the release valve for these Awakeners.

But how?

“There are incredible treasures hidden inside the Tower. Overcome the trials, seize those treasures, and you can transcend humanity to become a Demigod.”

Ann Cornelson.

An Awakener from the Netherlands who awakened the Giantification Trait and was the first to successfully climb the Tower in Amsterdam.

Amid widespread concern, he entered the Tower and passed the trial on the first floor.

He became the pioneer who claimed the Tower’s first clear reward.

After his story spread, everyone began climbing the Tower.

Naturally.

Humanity had always been plagued by scarce resources.

Worried that resources might vanish, they flocked to the Tower in fierce competition.

But just being an Awakener or entering the Tower did not guarantee rewards.

Neither in the past nor in this Cataclysm-ravaged world did free rewards exist.

To earn rewards, one had to accept commensurate risks or pay the price.

Furthermore, the rewards inside the Tower were unlike anything previously seen on Earth.

To obtain them, Awakeners had to endure deadly traps, cunning gimmicks, and attacks by monsters intent on killing them.

Only by safely passing the Tower’s trials—commonly called the ‘Trials’—could one obtain the dreamt-of rewards.

Initially, only about 50% of challengers succeeded.

Half cleared the trials and gained rewards; the other half died.

Back then, failure meant death.

Of course, over the decades, various strategies and tools emerged, easing the fatal consequences somewhat.

But failure rates remained high even after fifty years.

Why?

Because of reckless challenges.

Awakeners entering the Tower could choose the difficulty level of the floor’s trial.

Four options: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Very Hard.

The reason difficulties existed was obvious.

Reward differentiation.

The harder the difficulty, the greater the rewards upon completion.

Human desire is foolish and greedy.

Ignoring Easy or Normal, many chose Hard or Very Hard, only to meet failure without exception.

This was a consequence of pride as much as greed.

They fancied themselves special, clinging to slim hopes and miracles.

But miracles don’t happen often; that’s why they are miracles.

Without preparation, no one could pass Hard or Very Hard trials.

Moreover, where was this happening?

In South Korea, a backward Awakening nation.

Even ten years ago, no one from South Korea had passed the Hard difficulty, which other countries had already overcome.

Then came Chulwoo Shin, an unprecedented Awakener who changed the game.

He boldly chose Hard difficulty from the very first floor—a choice nobody else dared make—and earned ridicule from the public.

But astonishingly, he dispelled all doubts and mockery within a single day.

Pass, pass, and pass again.

He cleared every floor up to the ninth, all at Hard difficulty.

In ten years, South Korea gained its greatest Awakener and built a powerful force worthy of the title Myth Republic.

Yet there remained a mountain he could not climb.

Both ten years ago and now.

That mountain was Very Hard difficulty.

At some point, someone asked him why he never challenged Very Hard.

His serious answer remains recorded in numerous sources.

“Very Hard? That’s Hell. Not a difficulty a human should dare attempt.”

In fact, most knew this.

Even Awakening powerhouses like the United States, China, Russia, and Japan had never cleared Very Hard.

No matter how exceptional Chulwoo Shin was, it was impossible for a backward Awakening nation to succeed.

But another question arises.

Why do people relentlessly raise difficulty levels despite repeated failure?

It’s because of the Tower’s unique system: first clear and cumulative rewards.

No matter the difficulty, the first clear of a floor grants a first clear reward.

This reward far surpasses normal clear rewards.

The reason the United States, China, Russia, and Japan became Awakening powerhouses was their monopoly on these first clear rewards.

At the start, the Tower was a blue ocean where no Awakener had cleared trials.

Now, that is no longer the case.

Most countries have reached saturation.

Considering the increasing difficulty of floors and trials, each floor is a formidable challenge.

First clear rewards have long become the exclusive domain of certain ‘teams’ fully backed by their governments.

What about cumulative rewards?

Cumulative rewards reflect the progress of Tower clears.

When an Awakener clears floors, they receive ratings: one star (★), two stars (★★), or three stars (★★★).

One star is for mere clearance.

Two stars require completion of special conditions.

Three stars are awarded for fulfilling hidden conditions marked as ‘???’.

Accumulating stars on Easy difficulty reduces the physical capabilities of monsters inhabiting the enemy Towers and simultaneously boosts Awakeners’ physical abilities.

Not by much—ranging from 1% to 10%, as far as is known.

Stars from Normal difficulty strengthen Traits.

Just as physical abilities rise in Easy difficulty, Traits improve by 1% to 10%.

Hard difficulty increases the quantity of rewards.

Though South Korea, with few hard clears, hasn’t felt this difference, the four Awakening powerhouses experience a clearly noticeable reward gap.

And Very Hard?

No one knows.

No one has cleared even a single floor at Very Hard difficulty.

The cumulative rewards of Very Hard remain a mystery.

The world watches keenly for whoever will break this seal.

Because whoever claims these cumulative rewards at Very Hard difficulty is highly likely to become the next Awakening powerhouse.

***

“Haah—”

A man stretched widely, yawning with a satisfying crack.

“Ugh. Why is this place so boring every time I come here?”

He stretched hard to shake off his drowsiness.

But it lasted only briefly.

Nodding off repeatedly.

The clear autumn sky was perfect, yet drowsiness tugged his head downward.

“Tsseup!”

He jerked his head up sharply, narrowly escaping a doze.

South Korea Awakening Bureau.

The mark emblazoned on his chest read ‘South Korea Awakening Bureau’.

This meant he was a civil servant working for the Awakening Bureau, the government agency managing Awakeners.

At first glance, this sounded impressive, but in reality, it was not.

The Awakening Bureau was a facade—just a formality.

Unlike other countries, South Korea’s Awakening Bureau held little real control over Awakeners.

This was because South Korean Awakeners had early on formed Guilds, gaining power beyond government control.

Of course, this didn’t mean they disregarded the government.

It was a cooperative relationship.

Similar to companies that once controlled national economies, South Korean Guilds wielded enormous power.

Though the government lacked effective control, a formal command structure still had to exist.

That was how South Korea’s Awakening Bureau came into being.

They weren’t entirely powerless, either.

As a government agency, they managed various public facilities.

One of the key facilities under their jurisdiction was the Tower.

“Damn, it’s ridiculously tall. Just how high is this thing?”

Trying to wake himself, the man looked up at the soaring white Tower.

He was Minjae Shin, a low-ranking official at the Awakening Bureau.

Though the Tower was an important facility, as a junior employee, his role was mostly supervisory.

Well, ‘supervisory’ was a generous word.

His job was simply to identify ordinary people who were unqualified—those without Traits.

‘Sometimes, there are crazy people,’ he thought.

Those who claimed they had Awakened and tried to enter the Tower recklessly.

He wanted to just let them die.

But after the Cataclysm, the population plummeted.

So the government had no choice but to focus on preventing accidents.

The Tower was the site of the most frequent incidents.

Stopping ordinary people from climbing the Tower blindly in pursuit of rewards and money was his crucial duty today.

But today was unusually quiet.

Usually, he would encounter one or two Awakeners, but today, only flies buzzed around.

‘With no one around, maybe I should just sleep…’

Just as he was about to give in to drowsiness.

Step—step—

Within the Tower’s boundary, he finally heard footsteps approaching.

“If you belong to a Guild, show your Guild badge. If not, present your Awakener ID.”

He extended his hand with the familiar phrase.

But no response came on his palm.

Confirming the lack of reaction, he stared at the person.

“…Who are you?”

A face that looked to be in his mid-thirties.

Someone he had never seen before.

Three years into his Awakening Bureau career, he knew every Awakener passing through.

The stranger’s sudden appearance was unwelcome.

“I want to enter the Tower.”

‘Ha!’

He had been glad the flies weren’t bothering him lately.

But the moment he thought that, trouble found him.

“Sir, you’d better leave while I’m still being nice.”

The man looked like a family man desperate enough to climb the Tower for money.

But that was suicide.

How could an ordinary person succeed in climbing a place where even Awakeners die if they let their guard down?

He didn’t stop suicides, but he couldn’t allow anyone through without qualification.

If he did and people died, only he would be blamed.

“If you want to die, just go light a coal brazier alone. Don’t make others suffer.”

“I heard there’s a way for non-Awakeners to climb the Tower.”

He didn’t know where the man got this idea.

There was a way, but it was extremely difficult.

Coming to the Tower knowing death was likely meant desperation.

Desperate people tend to cause trouble.

So there was a method to at least persuade them.

Perfect timing.

He had been contemplating whether to use the ‘weapon’ at his waist.

Now that the man was volunteering the method, persuading him would be easy.

“Yes, yes. See here?”

He pointed to a square metal plate near the Tower’s entrance.

“If you leave any mark here by any means except firearms, you can pass.”

The plate was made of Black Iron Plate—one of the rare materials only found inside the Tower.

It had outstanding durability but was hard to deform or process into other objects.

The government had researched ways to use it.

One method was the climbing test.

If someone left a trace on the Black Iron Plate, they were judged to be on par with Awakeners and qualified to ascend the Tower.

‘No one has ever passed it.’

Because this Black Iron was so hard even Awakeners often failed to leave marks on it.

If some Awakeners couldn’t do it, there was no chance for ordinary people.

“I see.”

He nodded and stepped toward the plate.

“Be careful. If you hit it too hard…”

His warning was cut off.

“Crack!”

A tremendous explosion sounded like a bomb.

“Crash—crash—crash—”

The Black Iron Plate, boasting absolute hardness, shattered into pieces and collapsed pitifully.