Chapter 3
Chapter: 3
The towering structure before me boasted a grandeur too vast to take in at a glance.
Its majestic entrance, reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in France.
This awe-inspiring edifice was none other than the ‘Tower of Glory.’
As if proving the invitation’s promise of wealth and glory was no empty boast, it gleamed with resplendent splendor.
Six newcomers, having just set foot in the ‘Tower’s world,’ stood before this breathtaking spectacle.
All but me, Jincheol, were drawn toward the Tower as if entranced.
But their steps never reached it.
“Hey, who said you could waltz in without permission!”
“You six over there! How about a little chat with us? Heh heh heh!”
A group of eleven men and women blocked the Tower’s entrance, acting like hawkers at a tourist trap.
Their genders and nationalities varied, but I could understand their words thanks to the ‘Convenience Functions’ activated in the waiting room.
“Hmm, these guys…”
I scrutinized the eleven figures.
Menacing expressions, threatening tones, and tattered clothing, their appearance stood in stark contrast to the Tower’s noble majesty.
It didn’t take long to recall their identity.
‘Dropouts. Right, there were those rats too. Man, it’s been a while.’
The Tower’s dropouts.
Cowards who, too scared to challenge the Tower, lingered at its base, lording over others.
It wasn’t just a metaphor—they were literally called ‘sewer rats,’ a derogatory term given the moment one entered the bottom.
‘Right, that guy looked like that, didn’t he? Seeing him again brings back memories. Tsk tsk.’
Vivid recollections of those wretched days surfaced.
Meanwhile, the five other newcomers froze, holding their breath.
The sewer rats, sporting sly grins, got to the point.
“As we said, the Tower’s off-limits!”
“We’re gonna conduct a little ‘rookie check,’ so you’d better comply.”
“We don’t want to draw blood right off the bat, you know. Heh heh!”
Their coercive tone left the newcomers dumbfounded.
I, on the other hand, let out a wry chuckle, knowing their intentions all too well.
‘Well, playing king only works if you’ve got underlings to exploit.’
They planned to take clueless newcomers and enslave them.
I knew this firsthand, having lived as a sewer rat—both exploited and exploiting—for five years in my past life.
But the newcomers, unaware, protested with stiff expressions.
“What’s that nonsense! I came here with an invitation! Get out of my way!”
“Ho, looks like we’ve got a spirited rookie! Let’s see if your guts match your stamina!”
A sewer rat immediately raised a large hand.
“Eek!”
Faced with the threat, the newcomer hastily drew a sword.
But before the blade could be fully unsheathed, the sewer rat’s hand struck.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Under the merciless blows, the newcomer screamed and pleaded.
“Argh! S-stop! I-I’m sorry!”
“Tch, how boring.”
Only then did the sewer rat halt the assault.
The gap in strength was glaringly obvious.
That was why the newcomers couldn’t defy the sewer rats.
In the subdued atmosphere, the attacking sewer rat spoke.
“Now you’re ready to talk. I’ll ask once: name and trait?”
“J-Jacob! My trait is ‘Sensitive Touch’!”
“Damn, a sensory trait!”
The sewer rat, hearing the answer, scowled.
Meanwhile, the other rats burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Alex, you pulled a dud again?”
“Might as well use him as a punching bag! He looks like he’d feel good to hit!”
As if a ‘sensory trait’ were utterly useless, they mocked the sewer rat named Alex.
Their reaction made me sneer for a different reason.
‘Tch, that’s why they’re dropouts.’
Physical, supernatural, sensory among the three types of traits, sensory ones were mocked for a simple reason.
Sensory traits, tied to the five senses, offered no immediate combat utility, unlike ‘physical’ or ‘supernatural’ traits, which provided instant strength.
‘Sure, sensory traits are underwhelming at first.’
But that changed as their rank increased.
Sensory traits, in particular, revealed their true worth at higher stages.
I knew this well, as my own ‘Insightful Eye’ was a sensory trait.
Having experienced its power in my past life, I was certain.
That’s why their reaction was laughable.
Of course, the sewer rat Alex, oblivious to this, exploded in frustration.
“Damn it, shut up!”
Grumbling, he dragged the sensory-trait newcomer away, and the rookie check continued.
Likely due to the earlier example, most complied quietly.
As the checks proceeded swiftly, my turn approached.
I grinned and scanned the sewer rats.
‘Now, what to do.’
In my past life, I could’ve crushed all eleven sewer rats in a second.
But not now.
With no skills or even a shred of mana in my frail body, I could maybe handle two or three at most.
Even if I managed a forceful breakthrough, problems would remain.
‘I’d just get stuck on the first floor.’
In my current state, monsters—driven purely by killing instincts—were far trickier than humans, as psychological tactics didn’t work on them.
‘For now, playing along is the realistic choice. It’s not hard to go with the flow for a bit.’
I was confident.
In my past life, I endured five years biding my time for thorough preparation.
That experience and patience remained, even after regressing.
‘With my memories, reaching the minimum combat strength for the Tower is only a matter of time.’
So, I was willing to play along with the sewer rats for now.
But that didn’t mean I’d bow my head.
That was an entirely separate matter.
‘Me, who reached the pinnacle, bowing to these nobodies? Absurd.’
It was an arrogant thought, but I was the War God.
I was the one who looked down on even the other Sovereigns.
Even 30 years in the past, that identity hadn’t changed.
Naturally, I had the ability to uphold it.
So, instead of being dragged along like the other newcomers, I decided to choose which sewer rats to join.
‘Who can stop me, the War God? Tsk tsk.’
Grinning, I scanned the rats’ faces.
‘…Right, those two were decent enough.’
Soon, I found sewer rats suitable to align with.
As I made my choice, my turn arrived.
The sewer rat approaching me was a scrawny man, thin as a stick.
I remembered him.
A bad memory, which made it all the clearer.
‘Hah, this insolent rat. Seeing him after so long feels nostalgic.’
In my past life, I was forcibly dragged under this scrawny rat, Anchovy.
But this time, I planned to pass him over.
Unaware of my thoughts, Anchovy barked.
“What’re you smirking at?! Name and trait!”
Instead of answering, I let out a chuckle.
At my cryptic response, Anchovy’s face contorted.
“Still haven’t come to your senses, huh?”
He swung his fist without hesitation.
But I didn’t flinch, calmly assessing the situation.
‘Just strength and agility enhancement skills? Then…’
Having sized him up, a golden light flashed in my eyes.
Flash-
I activated my sensory trait, Insightful Eye.
In that instant, the world before me subtly shifted.
Information I needed etched itself into my golden eyes.
Immediately, I twisted my upper body and stepped toward Anchovy.
One step forward, not back.
That single move produced an astonishing result.
I deftly dodged Anchovy’s strike.
“W-what?!”
Not only the other sewer rats but even the watching newcomers widened their eyes.
At that moment, I closed in on Anchovy and yanked his waistband with all my strength.
As a result, he toppled over without time to regain his balance.
Thud-!
“Hahaha! That Anchovy can’t even land a proper punch!”
“A guy who can’t even keep his balance wants to be a crew leader? Pfft!”
Amid the jeers, I leisurely stepped forward.
By the time Anchovy scrambled up, I’d already put enough distance between us.
“You, you bastard!”
Fuming, Anchovy drew a dagger from his coat.
Just as he seemed ready to charge, he froze.
An unexpected remark had come from me.
“That guy’s too scrawny, not quite to my taste.”
“What, what’d you say?!”
“I’ll go with these two.”
Smirking, I pointed to two people nearby.
The sewer rats I’d already chosen.
The two burly men, intrigued, spoke up.
“You’re choosing us? For real?”
“What’s the reason?”
Bald heads, hulking builds, and menacing appearances looked far more threatening than Anchovy.
Yet I responded with utter nonchalance.
“You guys just look stronger than him, that’s all.”
At my answer.
“Pfft! Hahaha!”
“This is rich!”
The two giants shook their bald heads and roared with laughter.
Unable to bear the humiliation, Anchovy shouted.
“Josh! Johnson! You haven’t forgotten it’s my turn, have you?!”
Even at the bottom, they had their own rules.
By those, I was supposed to belong to Anchovy’s crew.
But the two giants, Josh and Johnson, ignored him.
“Hey, Anchovy, the guy ‘chose’ us!”
“Forcing things isn’t cool these days, you know? Gotta respect choices!”
They mocked Anchovy with sly attitudes.
“Damn bald brothers! I won’t forget this!”
Anchovy stormed off, fuming.
“Keep that failure in mind and practice your punches!”
“Or maybe work on your looks so you can get ‘chosen’ like us!”
As the jeers capped off the scene, laughter erupted among the others.
The giants’ gazes turned to me.
“So, buddy, what’s your name?”
“What’s your trait?”
I grinned and answered.
“Jincheol. My trait is this.”
Pointing to my eyes, I added.
“My eyes are good. Really good.”
Perhaps caught off guard by my response, the brothers blinked.
Meanwhile, the other sewer rats burst into laughter again.
“Sensory? Thought he was something special, but another dud?”
They mocked the brothers, just as they had Alex earlier.
I found their reactions laughable.
They had no idea.
The foundation of the War God’s dominance across the Tower stemmed from these eyes.
“Tch, the trait’s a bit of a letdown, but I like your guts.”
“Yeah! That’s better than some half-baked trait!”
Unlike the other rats, the brothers merely clicked their tongues, brushing it off as no big deal.
Seeming to take a liking to me, they grinned and said.
“I’m Josh, and this is Johnson! Welcome to the JJ Crew!”
“Looking forward to it, rookie?”
That was the end of the introductions.
“Alright, time to head back to the sewers! Follow us!”
Having divided the newcomers, the sewer rats moved toward the Tower’s entrance.
When they reached it.
“This way!”
Instead of entering the Tower, they abruptly turned.
They walked along the Tower’s perimeter to the left.
After some time, a mysterious pit appeared.
Despite its appearance, the pit was deep and led underground.
This was it.
‘The sewers…’
The damned first gateway, the entrance to the ‘sewers.’
The starting point I faced again after 30 years.
With a sly grin, I slowly recalled old memories.
‘Let’s see, the things I can take advantage of here…’