I watched the crowd scatter in confusion after Mistral disappeared, leaving them in disarray. The people were unsure if they could survive in this zone for 48 hours, it is fairly easy, right? But on the side, people who seemed prepared or had enough time to think started creating groups. Smart move. The more the people in a team, the safer they’ll feel. But the panic was real as I heard people smashing down car windows in the parking lot, they had to stock up before the barrier went down. They rummaged through the parked vehicles, desperate for anything they could get their hands on.

There were approximately a hundred people, resulting in 21-23 groups from this safety zone. I sighed, sensing the people around me they all seemed to be rushing, and no team looked like I would be a good fit for it. But then I remembered I could gain experience by manipulating people to do the smallest things, such as convincing someone to share resources or trust him. Larger manipulations like tricking or creating conflicts would yield higher experience. The timing was perfect; this was going to be interesting.

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a sudden call breaking through the noise. “Prioritizing people with C or higher ranked skills,” a man said, gathering people for his team.

Looks like they all have checked their new skills. I don’t think I would’ve gotten one since I already acquired skills before even entering the Tower. But I still wanted to check my [Status], I haven’t glanced at it since I started Shade hunting.

As expected, I reached level 8, and the other stats also ended up increasing as I leveled up. The luck stat, though, didn’t seem to budge, I didn’t bother with it since it was stated in the novel that the luck stat could only be increased by equipment or elixirs. But something else caught my eye.

A new skill.

[Favorability – Passive

Rank: C

Enables the user to view another person’s favorability towards them]

It's not too bad for my eighth skill. But I couldn’t help but wonder if the Tower was not aware of me having these skills or if something else was going on. I shrugged it off, either way, I would find out later, but for now, I had to focus on the situation. Just then, I sensed the husband and wife from earlier walking toward a group where people were gathering.

I didn’t know why, but I felt like I should talk to that man. He seemed tough enough to handle the situation. It would be easy to form a team with those two for now. Deciding, I approached the duo, who had their eyes set on another team. “Excuse me”, I called out to them.

The husband and wife turned to face me; I could see the fear in their eyes. They were quite unsettled from the incident just now. “Excuse me,” I said in a soft tone.

The husband glanced at me, covering his wife protectively, his brows furrowed. “Yes?” he asked cautiously.

“I’m Jun,” I said with a small smile.

They exchanged a glance with each other and responded firmly. “Uh…hello. I’m Ha-joon, and this is my wife, Yoon-ah.”

I smiled slightly, nodding at them. “I noticed you two earlier. It seems like most people are planning on joining big teams, but I was wondering if maybe we could form a smaller team, just the three of us. It’s a bit more efficient that way, and well…I couldn’t help but sympathize with you both after what you went through as parents.” I kept my tone friendly since I needed them to trust me.

Ha-joon, unsure, frowned a little. He looked at Yoon-ah, who gave him a nod. “What skills do you have?” he asked bluntly. “I have a B rank, and Yoon-ah has a D rank skill.”

I expected this question since everyone here was on edge and would want to join a team with a high survivable rate. “I have two skills,” I said, holding up my two fingers. “One is ranked A, and the other is ranked C.”

Ha-joon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? An A rank?” he asked.

I could feel the slight change in his expression as I mentioned rank A. I smiled in reply.

Ha-joon nodded, becoming more confident in this team. He shrugged, glancing at his wife, “Alright, we’ll join with you.”

“Nice to meet you. Let’s make a great team”, Yoon-ah said with a shy smile, relief washing over her.

“No problem. It’s safer in smaller groups. We can move faster”. I didn’t need to convince them too hard. These people seemed like I could control them.

We walked over to a quieter corner away from the chaos of teams forming. As we sat down on the sidewalk, I couldn’t help but notice how many people were from the 21^st century. But there were others too—people dressed in armor, some in robes like they were from another world. They looked more experienced and more wary of people. I had a feeling they knew more about this place than they let on. They created their small teams amongst themselves.

I remembered something from the novel—the Tower Inhabitants. In the Murim world, they had a home in the Training Towers I wonder if they escaped here using the elevators. There was a chance some of these participants would end up being a representative like the Jinn said. They were going to be an obstacle for me, and I had to be careful.

Ha-joon cleared his throat. “We’re from Korea. The 21^st century…what about you?”.

I nodded. “I’m from another world”. They probably figured it out from my clothing. This identity doesn’t seem too complicated. “I’m a samurai”.

Ha-joon’s eyes narrowed for a bit, studying me, then nodded.

I sighed internally he didn’t ask too many questions. The cloth covering my eyes and having two skills was extremely suspicious, but it probably confirmed that I was from another world, not like them.

We had a lot of work to do before the barrier went down, and I had to stay focused. I needed this team to be useful.

In another safe zone, E, a clearing in the middle of a dense forest. A mist hovered over the ground, and the towering trees shook as the wind passed through the leaves. The two Jinn’s in the air turned back to their headquarters, done explaining the rules of the tutorial.

The people panicked as teams went deeper inside the forest, scavenging for resources. They were worth more than money right now. Yu Daewon blinked slowly, sitting up with a deep breath, his golden amber eyes scanning the familiar surroundings. His black and silver hair fell messily over his face, but he remained calm. He had seen death and lived through it during hell in the upper levels.

And here he was again, back to the start.

“Back to square one, huh?” he muttered deeply, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. He was burdened by the lives of the people lost in all those regressions, but he still kept a smile on his face, fighting every second, thinking it was worth it. The Tower had torn him apart time and time again, forcing him to watch his companions fall apart. Nineteen regressions. He climbed, fought, and bled only to find himself sitting here again, at the beginning. He had reached the 80^th floor at the last but died at the last moment. He felt something heavy pressed down on him in his chest.

Sighing, he opened his [Status] screen, and several notification screens unfolded before him.

His heart tightened. The Murim world was…gone?

Daewon clenched his fists. His mind raced with the memories of his 10^th regression, where he was the leader of the sect. They were strong, loyal warriors who had followed him through countless battles. They trusted him through war and believed in his strength. And now, before he even started the Tutorial, they were dead—again. His people. His comrades.

But now him. He always lived.

It was the guilt. He remembered their voices, faces, and the way they guided his swordsmanship. Yet why couldn’t he die when everyone else passed away in front of him?

But this destruction? It wasn’t his doing. Who had made such a big impact? He could sense that this time was different, and it gave him hope to finally stop the Tower, which had taken the lives of many throughout their play.

He did nothing? This destruction of Murim world—someone had caused it. Someone had changed things. Hope ignited within him for this regression.

Maybe this time…he could end it all.

His fingers twitched at the thought. Maybe this time. He could kill the creator of the Tower.

“Looks like. I’ve got some work to do”, he whispered to himself. He had to focus on his goal again no matter what…he had no choice. He had to conquer the Tower for humanity. For salvation. For himself.

There was no room for guilt, he thought. A grim smile appeared on his lips. He was alone, as always. No one would ever understand him. No one could ever carry the same pain as him. Watching everything crumble away again and again. This was his curse.

He had to survive.