How the Regressed Munchkin Chews Up the Tower - H.R.M.C.U.T Chapter 5 (Part 1):
A heavy silence settled over the scene, so profound that even the fall of a needle would have resounded like thunder.
The players, unable to comprehend the current situation, trembled in fear, while Didaskalia, too shocked to speak, remained mute.
Only one person stood apart.
Yujin alone gazed into the void with an impassive expression.
He was reviewing the description of the trait he had just received as an achievement reward through the 【Akasha System】.
■ 『Divinely Blessed Body[S]』: The overall capabilities of the body are greatly enhanced.
‘Hah, this time it’s [greatly],’ Yujin thought.
In his first run, he had never even glimpsed such a modifier. Typically, rewards came with terms like [slightly] or [somewhat], and only the truly exceptional ones carried [considerably] or [fairly].
But [greatly]…
And with an S-rank to boot. He couldn’t even begin to imagine the magnitude of this trait’s effects.
‘Well, it’s bound to be good.’
A smile crept across Yujin’s face.
He had started this run at a point so far ahead of his first that comparisons were meaningless. What, then, would he become by the time he reached the 100th floor, the finish line?
‘Maybe strong enough that I won’t even need to raise those kids—wait, no.’
Yujin shook his head, dismissing the thought.
If he continued to monopolize resources and grow stronger like this, he might indeed become capable of averting the world’s destruction single-handedly.
But.
‘There’s always a chance it won’t be enough.’
What if, against all odds, things didn’t go according to plan? What if destruction came again?
‘That would be a problem.’
Could he really assume the 【Akasha System】 would grant him another skill like 『Hourglass of Chronos[EX]』? To avoid any unforeseen disasters, he had to stick to his original plan.
‘There don’t seem to be any talents worth picking up here, so I’ll start scouring from the first floor.’
With his thoughts organized, Yujin dismissed the trait description. As he did, he noticed the players staring at him with eyes like those of rotting fish.
“What are you looking at?”
*Sasasasak-.*
At his curt words, they all turned away, avoiding his gaze. They likely feared getting entangled with him and meeting the same fate as Jin Taeho or Darkness.
Frowning at their pathetic display, Yujin looked up at Didaskalia.
“Hey, come down here. My neck hurts.”
“Igh!”
The administrator ground its teeth but couldn’t act. Yujin, who had crushed Darkness like an ant, was a terrifying presence even to it. Gnashing its teeth, it flapped its wings and descended as ordered.
“Good. You listen well.”
Yujin was thoroughly pleased. The sight of the arrogant administrator obeying without protest was deeply satisfying.
“Player Sung Yujin, the power you’re currently wielding is highly abnormal.”
Of course, Yujin was well aware of that. But so what? 『Lantern of Life[S]』 was a skill granted by the 【Akasha System】 through a legitimate process.
“Once we assess the situation, if your actions are deemed illegitimate, sanctions will follow.”
The “sanctions” the administrator referred to meant death. In other words, if it found any pretext, it would kill him on the spot.
“Do whatever the hell you want,” Yujin replied with a bored expression, stepping closer to it. “Since the thing you summoned is dead, is it over now?”
Of course not.
The tutorial floor consisted of two stages before completion. The first was the appearance of Darkness or a comparable boss, meant to be a brief, brutal lesson on what the Tower truly was.
And the next…
“Surely, that can’t be all,” Didaskalia said, shaking its head. Its frozen expression thawed, and it flashed a repulsive smile.
“There’s still one more.”
Yujin saw the corners of its mouth tremble. It was trying to act composed, but its unease was evident.
Normally, about thirty players would have died by now, but only one had perished—and that was Jin Taeho, killed not by Darkness but by Yujin’s hand.
The players feared Yujin more than the administrator, which must have stung its pride.
“Now, for the next event!”
As if refusing to acknowledge its wounded ego, Didaskalia shouted energetically.
“It’s time for a treasure hunt!”
Ah, right.
The treasure hunt.
If this were a school trip or a workshop, cheers might have erupted, but sadly, no one was excited. Well, except for Yujin.
“Scattered across this Tutorial Floor are treasures galore for all you players!”
Yujin smirked at Didaskalia’s enthusiastic tone, as if it were a recreation instructor.
‘It’s not wrong, though.’
As Didaskalia claimed, the tutorial floor hid some decent rewards: skills, items, even rune fragments for acquiring traits. These were essentially rewards for those who survived Darkness.
But, naturally…
“Of course, if it were all good stuff, where’s the fun in that?”
Didaskalia’s smile turned cruel.
“Unfortunately, some treasures are duds. So, be very careful before you touch them!”
A dud was exactly that—a [dud]. There was no “better luck next time.” The moment you picked one up, it went *Boom!* with an explosion no level 1 player could withstand, guaranteeing death.
‘Back in the first run, about twenty people died here, didn’t they?’
In his first run, around fifty players died on the tutorial floor alone. Between Darkness and the treasure hunt, half the summoned players perished.
“You have just thirty minutes! Thanks to *someone*, there aren’t enough treasures to go around, so you’d better move fast!”
As Didaskalia subtly blamed Yujin, the players began to move, glancing at each other. Having witnessed the surreal and irrational spectacle moments ago, they decided they had to act.
‘Moving proactively isn’t bad,’ Yujin thought.
It was better than dithering and losing opportunities to others. But it was also dangerous. If Yujin simply watched, the floor would soon erupt in explosions, just like in his first run.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Not out of pity for these fools, but for a far more important reason.
‘Because the good stuff is mine.’
Honestly, how valuable could the treasures on the tutorial floor be? Even combined, they wouldn’t compare to the 『Divinely Blessed Body[S]』 he’d just acquired. But there were always pearls in the mud. Most were trash, but some would be useful to him.
‘About five minutes left?’
Roughly ten minutes had passed since he used 『Lantern of Life[S]』. Even after killing Darkness, checking his trait, and exchanging words with Didaskalia, that was the time remaining.
‘That should be enough.’
The tutorial floor was about the size of a small-to-medium city, wasn’t it? For an ordinary person to search it thoroughly, it would take months.
“But I’m not ordinary.”
Yujin kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
“『Detect[B]』.”
He activated a skill he’d mastered in his first run. His senses expanded, and a flood of information surged into his mind like a wave. The locations of the treasures Didaskalia had hidden were etched into his brain in real time.
‘Seventy-two in total?’
It took him just ten seconds to pinpoint every hidden treasure.
“Nice.”
He could collect them all within the time limit.