I Became the 1st Floor Boss of the Tower

“Did all of these things happen because of you?” Cha Yu-Min glared at Lee Shin.

“Umm… Who are you? I have no idea what you are talking about,” Lee Shin replied.

The fact that he could have a conversation with the boss was weird enough, but Cha Yu-Min doubted if Lee Shin was the actual first-floor boss when Lee Shin already seemed to know everything that was going on. Cha Yu-Min wondered if Lee Shin was a special character made by the tower. Or if this was some kind of a special event on the first floor.

“... I’m Cha Yu-Min. Who are you?” Cha Yu-Min asked.

The boss whom Cha Yu-Min encountered today was clearly different from the one he had met when he first climbed the tower. The boss seemed very relaxed and spoke in a clearly laid-back tone. Lee Shin’s eyes sparkled like water in a deep well. He had outstanding mana power.

Cha Yu-Min could not think of Lee Shin as the same boss he had encountered earlier. Other than his appearance, everything was different. Cha Yu-Min changed his attitude, because he realized that he should not treat Lee Shin like an ordinary monster. Only then did Lee Shin look satisfied.

“Finally you’re ready to have a conversation with me. I am Lee Shin,” Lee Shin introduced himself.

“Lee Shin?” Cha Yu-Min asked, trying to clarify.

Cha Yu-Min became more confused after hearing his name, because Lee Shin sounded like a Korean name.

“Then, shall we test out your skills since it has been a while?” Lee Shin asked.

It had been a while? Cha Yu-Min was shocked but could no longer remain in that state. This speed of mana casting this boss had was completely different from the Skeleton Mage. An explosion occurred in the air as soon as the mana was detected.

“Keugh—” Cha Yu-Min was surprised.

“Why are you so slow?” Lee Shin laughed at him.

He was not a boss from whom Cha Yu-Min could hide his skills. Cha Yu-Min used his skills immediately and brought out his shadow. His body was engulfed in the shadow that appeared on the dark floor.

“Haha! You are really trying hard, aren’t you? Do you need to use that much effort from the beginning?” Lee Shin laughed.

Cha Yu-Min did not answer. Now that he had decided to reveal all his power, he had to finish this fight as quickly as possible.

[Shadow Phantom Splitting]

The aura of the black sword appeared from the shadow and cut off Lee Shin’s vision, and he could not see in the shadows.

It had been a while since Lee Shin saw the skill of Shadow Phantom Splitting. At the sight of this skill, rather than being immersed in a sense of crisis, Lee Shin recalled his past memories with the Cha Yu-Min who climbed the tower with Lee Shin.

-Bro…

-Hey, Yu-Min…

In the pitch black darkness, Cha Yu-Min’s Phantom Splitting cut down the Devil while at the same time, the Devil’s fingernails penetrated Cha Yu-Min’s body. Cha Yu-Min lay on the floor, vomiting blood. And Lee Shin, who arrived a second too late, approached Cha Yu-Min. When Lee Shin saw Yu-Min’s gut coming out of his pierced abdomen, Lee Shin applied pressure to prevent it from spilling out. Despite all of these, Cha Yu-Min seemed unburdened, because he had done his best.

-Bro, please climb all the way up to the end of the tower.

-Yu-Min…

-Please make my dream come true.

-Yu-Min!

Cha Yu-Min closed his eyes and Lee Shin could no longer hear his voice. Lee Shin felt terribly sorry for Yu-Min. Lee Shin’s voice echoed in the harrowing battlefield.

# We don’t forget.

All the memories from his previous life flashed through Lee Shin’s mind, even the ones he wanted to forget about. The shadow that disturbed Lee Shin’s vision in the darkness was gradually clamping him down. The shadow was just like the ones that he had seen countless times in his previous life. He had no difficulty destroying those and making a counterattack, but he could not do that this time.

Cha Yu-Min had a disappointed look when he realized that Lee Shin could block all his attacks with his mana. It seemed as if Lee Shin could tell the future and foresee Yu-Min’s upcoming attack.

Lee Shin’s deep eyes showed no regard for the victory or defeat of this battle. Cha Yu-Min’s pride was hurt when Lee Shin seemed like he was enjoying himself with Yu-Min at his level. However, Lee Shin playing a fool allowed Yu-Min to regain his composure. At one point, the sword from the shadow stopped cutting Lee Shin.

“Umm… W-why aren’t you attacking?” Cha Yu-Min asked.

“...” Lee Shin did not reply.

“Umm… W-w-why are you making that face?” Cha Yu-Min asked again.

“...” Again, there was no response from Lee Shin.

Lee Shin could not come up with an answer. He was not sure what was happening to him, because the relationship he once had with Cha Yu-Min was not the same as what it was now.

“Are you happy right now?” Lee Shin asked him a random question, and Cha Yu-Min could not figure out what the intention was.

“Y-y-yes, of course. I’m h-h-happy,” Cha Yu-Min replied.

“Aha, I see.” Lee Shin nodded at the satisfactory answer.

A dark spell was lingering at Lee Shin’s fingertips, because it was time to end this battle that he had been dragging out. He used Deep Flare, a skill that combined darkness and flame.

The fire was blazing, but the light was still. The place became even darker than the shadow, and the flame exploded onto Cha Yu-Min.

Kwa-Kwang!

Suddenly, the cave and the ground shook fiercely. A pile of stones fell from the ceiling and the blackened pieces of stones scattered in all directions. Cha Yu-Min's whole body turned black after getting burnt as if he was under a curse, and collapsed in front of Lee Shin.

"Take him with you," Lee Shin demanded.

"Huh? Okay!" a challenger replied.

It took the three people a while to realize what was going on, because what they were seeing was beyond their imagination. When they finally figured out what was going on, Cha Yu-Min had lost consciousness and was already on the floor. The necromancer, the first-floor boss, was looking at Yu-Min with a sad face.

*** 𝐛𝗲𝐝𝗻𝗼𝘃𝐞𝗹．𝗻𝐞𝘁

Cha Yu-Min came to his senses as soon as he returned to the waiting area on the first floor. The waiting area on the first floor restored all abnormal conditions. As soon as he regained consciousness, he quickly figured out what was going on. Cha Yu-Min was defeated by the necromancer on the first floor and was kicked out to the waiting area on the first floor.

Just like what the other people had said, the first-floor boss did not kill him. After regaining consciousness, Cha Yu-Min could not do anything else, still lost in his thoughts because of the shock.

After reaching the 80th floor, Cha Yu-Min had received a skill called [Inter-Floor Traveler]. There was a restriction on this skill which gave that challenger the average of the abilities the other challengers on that specific floor possessed. Nevertheless, Cha Yu-Min thought that he would be able to defeat the boss, no matter how strong he was, because he had numerous excellent skills and items. However, he was defeated. He was totally defeated.

Originally, Cha Yu-Min expected that the challengers in the waiting area on the first floor would be a little better than the general public. Since he had expected normal-skilled people on the first floor, Yu-Min thought that the abilities he would receive from his [Inter-Floor Traveler] skill would not be significant.

However, the average skill of the challengers at the first floor was far above what Cha Yu-Min had expected. He questioned how their skills still could not get them out of the waiting area on the first floor.

Cha Yu-Min's ability had also increased that much, and with these stats, he could easily defeat the boss.

"Ha..."

Cha Yu-Min sighed.

When was the last time Cha Yu-Min had lost so helplessly? The boss predicted all his attacks and used mana to block all of them, as if his attacks were obvious. How could that be? It would certainly be this way, if his attacks were straightforward, obvious attacks used by newbies. Yet, the shadow sword was a secretive sword that had a strong anomalous nature. As such, Cha Yu-Min had no choice but to admit that the boss was superior.

‘Who is this guy?'?thought Cha Yu-Min.

The boss's eyes were filled with regret throughout the entire fight. What was he thinking about? Why was the boss lost in his thoughts when he was fighting Cha Yu-Min? Cha Yu-Min wanted to hear his story. He wanted to know what kind of backstory caused the boss such hesitation. Cha Yu-Min was aware that the boss hesitated to hurt him.

"I guess my stay here will be longer than I expected," Cha Yu-Min muttered.

***

"Are you back again?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, I am," Cha Yu-Min replied.

"Stop coming here," Lee Shin said in an annoyed tone.

"I can't stay long anyway. Just be patient for a couple of days," Cha Yu-Min replied in a firm voice.

"Ha... I can't let May or Warrie deal with you... Tsk." Lee Shin shook his head.

"Please don't use level two mana skills or higher this time," Cha Yu-Min demanded.

"You're funny. So, you're telling me to just use level one mana skills?" Lee Shin laughed at his ridiculous command.

"Yes," Cha Yu-Min answered.

"Why should I?" Lee Shin asked.

"Originally, the boss on the first floor only used the Dark Arrow," Cha Yu-Min explained.

"Ha... Are you serious? Do I look the same as that guy to you?" Lee Shin asked.

"Umm... You, kind of, are," Cha Yu-Min replied.

That was true to some extent. Lee Shin was supposed to be that guy. Cha Yu-Min made a great point.

"Do people know that you're this kind of person?" Lee Shin asked.

"No, they don’t," Cha Yu-Min replied.

"It's insane how the number one ranker is a crazy guy… The world is coming to an end. I hope the people outside get to know about this soon," said Lee Shin.

"That's not going to happen," Cha Yu-Min replied. Lee Shin knew that it would be as he had said, because he knew Cha Yu-Min was that kind of a guy.

"Oh well… So, you think you can beat me if I only use the basic skills?" Lee Shin asked.

"No, but at least I won't get totally beaten up this time," Cha Yu-Min replied.

"Tsk... So, you reached the 80th floor this time?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes, I did. Do you know anything about the next floor?" Cha Yu-Min was delighted and asked right away when Lee Shin asked about the floor.

.

"Of course, didn't I say that I was the one who went through all of what you guys are experiencing right now?" Lee Shin asked.

"Ah... I mean...." Cha Yu-Min mumbled.

Lee Shin always emphasized that he was a great senior who had already reached the 100th floor. He wanted the other challengers to show him some respect. Cha Yu-Min was aware that Lee Shin's power was outstanding, but he thought that he could defeat Lee Shin if these restrictions were lifted.

Cha Yu-Min had thought that what Lee Shin had been saying was just a bluff, but after encountering Lee Shin several times, he soon realized that it was not.

Lee Shin's insight and knowledge of the tower were significant. According to the other challengers, Lee Shin was more knowledgeable than what Cha Yu-Min had expected, because Lee Shin knew some things that Cha Yu-Min did not.

"Do you want to know more about the next floor?" Lee Shin asked.

"Yes!" Cha Yu-Min replied with excitement.

If a challenger could gather some information on the next floor in advance, they would have a great advantage. Therefore, the information was invaluable. Cha Yu-Min wondered if this was the reason why he was given the skill of [Inter-Floor Traveler].

He wanted to find the strategy to attack the next floor, as well as to find out more about the disappearance of the first-floor challengers. In return, he was awarded the skill of [Inter-Floor Traveler]. Cha Yu-Min had only thought that this skill had something to do with the disappearance on the first floor, but he did not think he could get information on the next floor too.

"I'll let you know if you can defeat me," said Lee Shin.

"What?" Cha Yu-Min asked.

"Did your ears get clogged up in the meantime? I said to try to defeat me. I'll only use the basic mana for you." Lee Shin gave Cha Yu-Min a chance.

Cha Yu-Min's fighting spirit rose sharply at that moment. However, he got defeated, again.

***

The reporters were giving their full attention to Cha Yu-Min in an attempt to catch every single word that came out of Cha Yu-Min's mouth. They tried to capture every single feeling or inflection in Cha Yu-Min’s words.

Cha Yu-Min started his speech again. "I won't be able to tell you all the details of the skill, but I used that skill to head to the waiting area on the first floor."

As soon as Cha Yu-Min finished speaking a sentence, the sound of the reporters tapping on their keyboards filled the entire place.

"Over there were all the challengers who entered the tower. Every single one of them," Cha Yu-Min continued on.

Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!

"What I saw on the first-floor waiting area this time was nothing like the original first-floor waiting area that I had seen before. There was a small village on what was normally a vast land. The challengers had built a village in the waiting area. There were houses, restaurants, and clothing stores. In addition, there were parks and lakes where people could take a walk,” Cha Yu-Min explained.

At those words, people started having doubtful looks.

"I asked those people why they were not climbing up. Also, I asked them what was going on. And they told me that it's not like they didn't want to go up, but in fact, they could not go up. The first-floor challengers told me that they had built a village for this reason," Cha Yu-Min continued.

As soon as Cha Yu-Min finished speaking, the reporters raised their hands here and there. Yet, when someone tried to open their mouth to speak, it was as if they were having a seizure—they could not. Someone had stopped them from doing so. No one could talk.

'It was the president of the association!' People immediately noticed whose power it was.

It was Jeon Jae-Yong, a man very skillful in psychokinesis, the president of the Korean Challengers Association. He had stopped the reporters from asking questions.

"I wanted to kill the first-floor boss and liberate the people there. And so, I went down to the first floor and faced the boss."

Gulp—

The press conference room was so quiet that even the faintest sounds could be heard very well. One could hear people gulping. It was real now. If Cha Yu-Min was telling the truth, then it was not the disappearances on the first floor that mattered.

The real problem was that the difficulty level of the first-floor boss had increased significantly in a short amount of time. If this happened to the Korean server, it was possible that other servers from other countries could potentially experience the same change.

Could Cha Yu-Min have defeated the boss and freed the challengers who were tied up in the waiting area on the first floor? How strong was the boss? What kind of abilities did he have? People were full of questions and curiosity.

"I lost to the boss," Cha Yu-Min announced the big news.

Click! Click! Click! Click!

A burst of shutter sounds filled the room at the end of his speech.

Cha Yu-Min's statement was shocking. He was the number one ranker in Korea and the challenger who had reached the highest floor of the tower in the world. And he was defeated by just an ordinary first-floor boss.

"Hi! This is Reina, a reporter for ACN. So does that mean the first floor of Korea can never be cleared?" a reporter asked.

Everyone's eyes turned to her when the reporter's sudden question was heard. Jeon Jae-Yong stared at the American ranker standing in one corner. He ignored Jeon Jae-Yong's gaze and only stared at Cha Yu-Min. He had reversed the spell that was cast on that reporter.

"There's no need to answe–"

"That's all right. So, reporter Reina, you asked if we will never be able to clear it. The answer to your question is yes, that's right. No one in the world can beat the boss there," Cha Yu-Min explained.

The sound from the typing reporters filled the air as Cha Yu-Min finished his sentence. Reporter Reina, who asked the question, was also typing hard with a smile as if she was satisfied.

"Hi! This is John from Reynolds! Then, do you think there is no future for the Korean tower anymore?" another reporter asked.

"Hi! This is Hague from Hestige. Are you thinking of moving to another country now?" More reporters were asking questions.

Starting with Reina, the reporters' questions poured out. Jeon Jae-Yong tried to stop the reporters, but Cha Yu-Min signaled to let them ask.

Reporters took this opportunity to belittle Korea and started pouring out malicious articles. According to Cha Yu-Min, there was no future for Korea and there was a downhill road ahead of them. However, Cha Yu-Min, who should be depressed, continued talking in a relaxed tone.

"At this moment, some people could be writing an article about the fall of Korea and the end of Korea's tower," Cha Yu-Min started to explain.

His words drew the eyes of the reporters back to him. Perhaps a lot of journalists and reporters were writing their articles in a malicious way, especially the ones from countries that wanted to bring down Korea. They would have written these articles with their eyes lit up.

"I'm sure that many of you are thinking that you should not enter the Korean tower from next year. But, I will tell you now, all fellow Koreans, to enter the tower."

People looked at Cha Yu-Min, their faces cast with doubt.

"People may think that Korea, with its current power, is barely within the top ten of the world. And with the thought that Korea will soon fall below the top ten, people are laughing at Korea. But I tell you now, that I guarantee that it will just take three years. In the next three years, Korea will rank at the top and no one will ever be able to steal that place," Cha Yu-Min declared.

At his words, not only the reporters, but also Jeon Jae-Yong, who was next to him, looked at Cha Yu-Min with surprise. Cha Yu-Min had never spoken like this before. Even when he climbed the tower, when he cleared the 50th, 60th or even the 70th floor, he had never made such a bold statement in public.

He was always humble and didn't reveal much about himself.

"Also, the first floor will be cleared within a year. So, we just have a year left," Cha Yu-Min continued on.

"What do you mean there's a year left?" a reporter shouted as if he was frustrated.

Jeon Jae-Yong had already withdrawn all the mana that were holding back the reporters.

“Please think carefully about your last opportunity to build good relationships with Korea. You only have a year left.” Cha Yu-Min finished his speech.