"That's for sure. Those bastards can't see me."

I watched the movement of the Goblins with bated breath.

Kie, kiee?

The Goblins couldn't find my location at all. They tilted their heads and looked around, but that was it.

'Didn't they say Stealth Skills were Trash?'

An ability with Ambiguous performance that only worked if you hid behind terrain like bushes or trees—at least, that’s what was written in the Community.

The reality was the complete opposite.

'This is basically the same as being an Invisible person.'

The effect of the Stealth I used wasn't Trash; it was a Cheating ability itself. I had a hunch as to why. The Stealth Skill must have combined with the 'Aptitude' within me to maximize its effect.

'To think having no presence would help like this...'

I wanted to be happy, but a sudden surge of anger washed over me.

'Because of that, the system couldn't find me and I got dragged into HELL Mode. This isn't exactly something to celebrate.'

Damn it. I don't know if I'm lucky or unlucky. Above all, it was too early to relax.

I hadn't cleared Tower Floor 1 yet. The Goblins' confusion didn't last long.

Kiee, kiee—!

The Goblin that had unleashed the sword aura shrieked loudly and gestured toward its subordinates. It seemed that guy was the Goblin Leader. At a single gesture from him, the other Goblins began to scatter in unison across the area.

'They move this systematically?'

I heard that Monsters in the lower floors of the Tower were no different from beasts. Apparently, that didn't apply to HELL Difficulty.

Kiee, kieee!

The Goblins began to approach, swinging their blades through the air. Thus, I had to make a decision.

Should I take a step and move? Or should I stay still?

'...If I move, the effect of Stealth might disappear.'

Stealth is inherently most effective when staying still. The state of being practically Invisible might be canceled the moment I take a step.

'When I was attacked earlier, the rising dust happened to cover my position by chance...'

There was no guarantee that Stealth would remain active if I moved again. My conclusion in that situation:

'Let's wait for now.'

It wouldn't be too late to move once a Goblin got close. After staying still for a few seconds...

Kiee—.

One Goblin let out a thick cry and walked straight toward me.

'Damn it. Already?'

Whoosh, whoosh. It swung its blade like a madman. I could feel the obsession in its eyes to find the me that had disappeared.

Sniff, sniff...

The creature, having reached my immediate vicinity, flared its nostrils. I grew uneasy. Could Stealth even mask my scent? I didn't know. It was only a Stealth Skill, after all.

"Kieee."

Suddenly, the Goblin lifted its head and swung its sword toward the right.

Swoosh—!

'Ugh!'

I moved. No, I had to move. If I had stayed there, I would have been sliced by the Goblin's blade. The edge narrowly grazed past me.

'Did it see me...?'

I stared at the Goblin, tense. My heart was pounding so wildly I felt faint.

Kie?

Its eyes turned toward where I was standing.

'Don't tell me I'm caught—.'

Just as I was about to panic—

Swish. The Goblin turned its head the other way. Then, it began walking in that direction as if nothing had happened.

'Phew...'

It was a coincidence. The Goblin swinging its sword was just luck. It hadn't caught my scent. This confirmed it.

'I can move.'

They wouldn't notice me as long as I tiptoed. Furthermore, this Stealth seemed to perfectly hide my body odor as well. Only now could I feel relieved as I maneuvered around them.

The overall area of the 1st floor was larger than I expected. For only about twenty Goblins, finding an invisible me was impossible. Even as I moved cautiously, I grit my teeth.

'Is there really someone who clears this kind of thing?'

If I were visible, I would have died long ago. Each Goblin had physical abilities comparable to a human's. Plus, that Goblin Leader using sword aura—he was a Monster in his own right. This wasn't a level an ordinary human just challenging Tower Floor 1 could endure.

'I saw a rumor that special forces were deployed to HELL Difficulty. I can see why they failed to Clear it.'

The Tower restricts the use of firearms and explosives. These were harsh conditions for 21st-century civilized people. To think they expect people to conquer this with just one Skill.

'Though, there are people who actually did it...'

There were indeed Players conquering HELL Mode. Exactly 13 people in the World. People called Hell Players. They were famous for being out of their minds.

'It's not over yet. Let's stay focused.'

I dodged the Goblins, careful with every breath. The overwhelming performance of the Stealth was even hiding my footprints on the ground. Thanks to that, hiding from them was effortless.

Kieeeeeek—!

At the one-minute mark, the Goblin Leader let out a scream and raised its sword.

Slash! In its frenzy, it cut down one of its subordinates. Lifting the head of the dead Goblin, the leader shrieked again.

'What the hell.'

Kiee, Kieeee!

Witnessing that, the subordinate Goblins began to move even more frantically. It felt like they were desperate to Survive. Of course, I was just as desperate. I kept as much distance as possible, looking for a safe spot.

30 seconds left.

Boom! Crash!

The Goblin Leader began swinging its sword like a lunatic, completely devastating the ground.

'Ugh!'

I'd be lethally wounded if I got caught in even a bit of that. I moved to the opposite side, trying to stay out of range. This was the overwhelming advantage of being invisible. Even if all I did was run, it was enough for now.

The goal for the 1st floor was solely survival.

Kieeeeeek——!

The Goblin Leader screamed in a fit of rage.

And 0.

When time ran out, I finally understood why the Goblins had been searching for me so frantically.

Pop, pop, pop—.

The Goblins began to explode one by one. They were blown to pieces, their red blood painting the ground as they perished.

"..."

Starting with the Goblin Leader, who stood frozen in place...

Spurt...

All the Goblins were annihilated.

"I... I survived."

I exhaled a deep breath. I really thought I was going to die. If not for Stealth, I would be dead, 100% Confirmed.

I stared at the floating message. I lived. I survived, anyway. That was enough.

The flood of messages was impressive, but regardless, I never wanted to set foot in HELL Difficulty again. This time was pure luck. If the objective had been "defeat" instead of "survive," I wouldn't have made it.

A message appeared before my exhausted self. Right. You get to choose a Nickname after clearing the 1st floor. This would be the Nickname used in the Community.

What should I pick? I hadn't thought of one. After a moment of deliberation, I spoke.

"Cheonha."

It didn't have a grand meaning. My name is Baek Yeongha.

100 (Baek) + 0 (Yeong) + Ha.

Combine them: 1000 + Ha.

If you read it as it is: Cheonha.

I wondered if the Nickname was already taken.

Surprisingly, it was registered easily. I thought someone would be using it.

The subsequent rewards were quite substantial.

Flash—.

A white ticket appeared.

'They said a Skill acquisition ticket is always given as a reward for the 1st floor.'

Floor 1, 5, 10, 15... The rule of the Tower was to receive a Skill ticket every multiple of five. However, a Platinum-grade ticket was incredibly rare. In other difficulties, you'd have to pass Floor 40 just for a chance to see one.

'The rewards for HELL Difficulty really are something else.'

I put the ticket into my Inventory. As I pushed the ticket into the air, a soft ripple spread, and the space swallowed it. Next were the Tower Clear points.

This was the common currency used in the Tower. Humans aren't the only ones climbing. Races from other dimensions climb too. These points were used when trading with them.

However, in HELL Difficulty...

Basically, it's self-sufficiency mode. It meant you had to conquer it using only Items obtained directly by the Player in the Tower.

'They said you can't use Items obtained through trade or transfer.'

In short, I was in a position where I couldn't even use points freely. I let out a deep sigh. Why on earth was I dragged into HELL Difficulty?

"..."

As I lamented, a glittering purple gem caught my eye.

Thump, thump.

I walked over and picked up the gem fallen on the ground.

Only now did the corners of my mouth lift slightly.

"Right, this is why people conquer the Tower."

This was a Magic Stone. Modern industry couldn't function without Magic Stones. Item crafting, high-tech technology, energy generation, and so on. Because they were so expensive, they became the main source of income for Players.

'If it's an Elite Magic Stone... one of these should be worth five million won.'

I straightened my back and looked around.

I saw gems scattered everywhere. There seemed to be as many as there were Goblins. I picked them all up and counted: 22 in total. Including the leader's, that's 23.

The total amount would be roughly... 30 million won. It was almost an annual salary's worth.

"Hahaha."

Laughter escaped me. Yeah, it's fine. I lived. I made money.

HELL Difficulty? Honestly, I thought I was a goner at first, but since it turned out well, it's okay. Once I get out, I'm never even going to look at Tower conquest again.

...Or maybe I'll come back occasionally just to Clear Floor 1.

Flash—.

The black plains vanished, and my familiar room appeared.

"Phew..."

I staggered toward the bathroom. I looked like a mess from rolling around on the ground. My whole body was aching. First, I wanted to take a shower with hot water.

Ding—!

As I walked, a message popped up in my field of vision.

"What the..."

At first, I thought I misread it. I reread the message several times. The content was the same.

It meant I'd be forcibly dragged back into HELL Difficulty after a day.

"Are... are you serious..."

What kind of forced labor is this?

"System, administrator. Is there no administrator?"

Of course not. The system didn't budge. Forgetting about the shower, I turned on the Community.

The board was full of talk about Cheonha. It was clearly about me. Come to think of it, when I left the Tower:

A message like that had appeared. It seemed every Player in the World had seen it. No, that's not the problem right now. I hurriedly typed into the system's search bar.

Administrator, operator, bug, penalty, etc.

I searched for information about the problem I was facing, but...

There was nothing helpful.

"..."

It was no use. At this rate, it was Confirmed I'd be dragged back to the Tower. If so, I had no choice. I had to prepare. Just as I was about to search the Community again—

"Wait."

A glowing red notification appeared on the right side of the Community window. The bell icon was red. I was too busy searching to notice, but this was the feature for sending messages between Players.

The moment I touched the icon:

A massive wave of messages poured in.

The HL mark on the left—it meant both people who sent me notes were conquerors of HELL Difficulty. Two of the 13 Hell Players in the World had sent me notes.

I finally felt like I could breathe. It felt like a lifeline had dropped from the sky. Of course, I'd have to check if it was a sturdy rope or a rotten one.

"..."

The problem was, who should I message?