Chapter 252
The Core connected to every existing planet, spreading its Encroachment across them. When a planet was fully Encroached, the lifeforms on those planets were forcibly transported to the tutorial zone.
This tutorial was a system designed to help lives survive in the Core—kind of like a “consideration.” However, despite this intent, very few adventurers survived. Many died during the tutorial itself, and the further they went, the fewer survivors remained—exponentially so.
Hidden Pieces were extraordinary, almost unfair artifacts and skills scattered throughout the Core, designed to aid adventurers in survival. However, finding a Hidden Piece was like finding a needle in a haystack, and the challenges that one had to overcome in order to acquire them were overwhelmingly difficult.
“What’s the point of Hidden Pieces if they’re nearly impossible to find?” the adventurers would say.
Some adventurers discovered the traps hidden among the Hidden Pieces.
“These bastards have such a twisted sense of humor. If there’s something genuinely useful for us, they make sure to mess with it. Sometimes, a Hidden Piece comes with a trap, and if that’s the case, you’re as good as dead, really.”
Some adventurers, even after discovering trials leading to a Hidden Piece, deliberately avoided attempting them.
In the worst-case scenario, the traps could summon monsters or other beings impossible to defeat at the level of an average adventurer.
***
Early Friday morning, Do-Jun was reading the morning newspaper when he suddenly remembered that Behemoth would soon move to the fifth floor of the Core. He pulled out his smartphone and reviewed the materials he had provided Behemoth about the fifth floor’s Hidden Piece trials.
There were three trials on the fifth floor. The first was the “Ancient Dragon’s Resting Place,” the second was the “Inverted Tree,” and the last was the “Sealed Chest.”
The first two trials were manageable, suitable for Behemoth to challenge if they had enough resources and time. However, he had advised against even touching the third trial. Do-Jun was aware of the trap concealed within the Sealed Chest but had chosen not to remove it.