Juhyeok was still shopping at the Player Shop.
The Adamant Mace was purchased complete. ‘Now that I have a weapon…’ What about armor?
Honestly, he didn't need to buy any.
The bracelet-style energy shield kit protected him from head to toe.
Still, he might as well grab a pair of shoes.
Sturdy combat walkers, at that.
Being a male employee, he was easy to talk to.
"These are combat boots made from Basilisk petrification hide. The soles are built from sectonium steel plates—hard and self-repairing."
"Can these go into the inventory too?"
"Haha, of course. They're crafted entirely from materials pulled out of the Tower."
He liked them a lot.
The design wasn't bad either.
"How much?"
"Hmm, 3 million won."
You're joking, right?
They were worth at least 30 million.
No reason to refuse.
If that's what he was asking?
He should buy them.
"One pair, please. Size 275."
"Right away, here you—"
Shoes bought. ‘Shall I look around a bit more?’ There was a section selling potions.
It seemed they bought up rewards other players earned and resold them.
Beyond that: armor, helmets, gauntlets, greaves, belts, knee and elbow guards… nothing was missing, but there was nothing he needed either.
Ah!
The energy shield.
How good it was.
An integrated armor that unified all defensive gear into one. ‘Perks really are the best.’ Anyway, he'd meant to browse a little longer, but ‘let's head out.’ If he needed something later, he could always come back.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok rested for about four more days.
Slowly, at his own pace.
Even so, he kept repeating the run on Floor 15.
And that made him want to settle in and stay.
But he wanted to know.
When he stepped onto Floor 16 with every preparation complete, what kind of results he could achieve. ‘Once the Random Summon cooldown comes back…’
The Platinum Badge.
This thing was truly something.
Not the badge itself, but the perk that granted five at a time.
When he started climbing the Tower, he'd resolved not to be greedy, but badges were a different matter. Clearing Floor 20 would earn him his fourth perk—what would it be?
Another trait enhancement would be nice, or a skill or item usable in the real world too.
Either way, the Random Summon cooldown had just one day left.
By tomorrow evening, a new summon would appear.
Money had also come into his account.
The money from selling the magic stones.
Subtracting the 5 million won spent on equipment, the balance was a whopping 13 million or so. ‘What am I saving this money for?’
Spend it now.
So, 2 million won to his father.
— What is this money? Did you win the lottery?
"I cashed out my savings. Your legs must be uncomfortable, so buy some crutches. Or a walker, like the elderly folks use."
— …Now that you mention it, there's a nice fishing rod I've had my eye on.
"You don't know when rehab will end, and you want a fishing rod? You'll catch people, not fish."
"Having one might help you recover faster. I just want to go fishing."
"Spend it however you like. Don't come crying to me if Mom yells at you."
— …Crutches it is, then.
And 2 million won to his mother.
— Don't tell me you took out a loan shark loan?
"I told you, I cashed out my savings."
He'd done the loan shark thing before.
— If you're lying, I'll kill you with my own hands. You know how I am? Son or no son, forget it!
"Goodness! Have you only ever been deceived? Use it until you find a new job. Your living expenses must be razor-thin."
— All right. But consider it a loan. I'll write you an IOU.
Even to the guy sharing his genes.
"Sent you 2 million. Put it toward your tuition."
— H-hyungnim, this is so much… Can I buy a laptop?
"Sure, if you're buying one, buy a good one. Permission granted."
— Chu! Thank you!
6 million won vanished in an instant, but it felt great to flex.
But only for his family?
Juhyeok had plans of his own too.
He summoned John Korsak and said, "Look at this. Nice, right? When I make money, I'm buying this car."
He turned on his laptop and showed him a photo of the dream car Juhyeok had always fantasized about.
"I oppose it. A flimsy car like that is trouble if you crash it. Get hit by a truck and you're flattened."
"What kind of car do you like, Mr. Korsak?"
"A big car, no question! Pick a large vehicle with a sturdy frame—one where the airbags deploy without hesitation even in a minor fender-bender."
And what Korsak pointed to was one of those massive limousines that company chairmen ride around in.
"That looks way too old-fashioned."
"Is that a problem? Summoner Bong's safety is what matters most."
"Oh! I hadn't thought of that. Hahahaha!"
"Heheheheh!"
Honestly, if he signed with an elite strike team, they'd provide both a house and a car.
But nothing in this world is free.
It would all be debt.
※ ※ ※
The time had come.
Tonight was the day of an important event.
So he'd gone to the bathhouse.
After soaking his body thoroughly in the hot water, he scrubbed himself down head to toe with a wash towel.
For his back, which his hands couldn't reach, he used the automatic scrubbing machine.
He didn't yet have the courage to ask a stranger at the bathhouse to scrub his back for him.
Cleanse the body, ward off the unclean.
Keep body and mind pure.
That was how you pulled a good one.
Just a few hours until the Random Summon cooldown.
Pull one more dependable figure to conquer Floor 16—and from there, climb all the way to Floor 20, no, Floor 30.
After finishing his bath, trimming his fingernails and toenails, changing into the fresh underwear he'd packed separately and comfortable clothes, Juhyeok returned home.
He was hungry, but he held out.
He'd eat after the Random Summon.
Who would appear, he wondered?
He had to pull well.
The higher the grade, the better.
The deranged assassin John Korsak was an SR—Super Rare. He'd achieved an S++ clear of Floor 15 with a blitz, perfect conquest.
In fact, Korsak had said Floors 16, even 20, would be no problem.
The only difficulty was recording an S++.
‘If just one more Super Rare would come to me…’
SSR, even Special Super Rare, would be fine.
He wouldn't dare hope for LSSR—Legend Special Super Rare.
Before the Random Summon, a designated summon of John Korsak first.
What if something strange came out?
[John Korsak has been designated-summoned.]
"Chu! Summoner Bong, good day to you! It is an honor to be called again today."
"Welcome."
"Shall we repeat the Floor 15 mission again this time?"
"No. Let's go up to Floor 16."
"…Eh."
Korsak's face stiffened with discomfort.
He'd said it before.
The clear itself would be easy, but an S++ clear might be difficult.
Korsak also knew that his summoner Juhyeok had already tasted the Platinum Badge perks.
Which was why he wanted to earn those badges for him.
After agonizing for a while, he clenched his fist.
"I will do my utmost. This body, even if I must die in the Tower, will surely record an S++—"
"Don't worry. You won't be alone."
"Pardon?"
"The Random Summon cooldown is up. Let's summon one more."
"Ooooooh! How wise, sir. Two is definitely better than one."
Raising his thumb, "Summoner Bong always has a plan. Were you perhaps a Seoul National University man?"
"I'm a high school graduate."
"Exactly so, exactly so. Hehehe, a mere SNU grad could never claim Summoner Bong."
"…"
A rapid pivot.
Adequate, pleasant flattery.
It was certain.
Korsak had been a treacherous courtier in his past life.
So what if he was a treacherous courtier?
Why shouldn't treacherous courtiers be loved?
Hearing only pleasant words lifted his mood, relieved stress, and benefited his mental health.
"Then, let's do this."
"Yes sir!"
He steadied his mind.
Amen, Hallelujah, Amitabha, Om Mani Padme Hum, spirits of heaven and earth, Buddha of Infinite Life, Abracadabra…
And then.
"Random Summon!"
Whoooooosh!
Korsak keeping rhythm beside him.
"Drumroll drumroll drumroll… and the result?"
In that instant!
A wisp of white light gathered and transformed into a human shape.
A human of light, sprouting and growing.
It kept getting bigger.
Kept going, and going… ‘A-aren't you growing too big?’
Its head had already touched the ceiling.
And then—
Fwah-fwah-fwah!
The figure at last revealed its full form.
"Huh?"
"Hiiik?"
It was human, all right.
But it stood a good 3 meters tall.
A bulk bigger and thicker than a bear.
Dense muscle.
Hair all over its body. ‘…Is this a human or a monster?’
Juhyeok first checked the grade.
Well then? ‘…R? A Rare.’
A bit disappointing.
Rare was the lowest grade.
If only it had one more S attached.
Would he have to wait another month for another Random Summon? ‘No. Even a Rare is something. And that physique is nothing ordinary, either.’
That was when it happened.
Tsuweet!
"You, you blockheaded fool!"
John Korsak suddenly launched himself and delivered a dropkick to the newly summoned giant.
KA-BOOM!
Then he rained down punch after punch.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
"Why the hell did YOU have to show up here? Whose fortune are you trying to ruin?"
Korsak's sudden acceleration.
Surely he wasn't doing this just because a Rare came out?
"Die! Drop dead! What's the matter? Look at me? I'll flatten you! You fool!"
He couldn't make heads or tails of it.
Why Korsak was acting like this.
He was rampaging as if he'd met his mortal enemy.
"Just get out of here! Get out! You good-for-nothing fool!"
Korsak raged and pummeled away.
The giant, while being hit, merely scratched his head, standing awkwardly hunched.
"Doesn't hurt. Tickles."
"Oh yeah! Let's see you say that after your head comes off. I'll tie the ribbon nicely for you."
So Juhyeok looked over the catalog.
— Name: Unknown
— Grade: R (Rare)
— Type: Barbarian Warrior (Human)
— Manifestation Limit: 10 hours
— Satisfaction Rating: None.
— Re-summon Wait Time: 3 hours (applies after dismissal)
A barbarian meat shield.
He didn't even have a name. ‘A "meat shield," huh. What kind of story led to that?’
But dim-witted?
Didn't that mean he wasn't smart?
He certainly looked the part.
A massive, scar-covered torso, yet eyes that seemed impossibly gentle in contrast.
Even after being beaten by Korsak, he didn't resist once.
An extremely cowed demeanor.
Korsak, panting, perhaps tired from hitting him.
"Mr. Korsak?"
"…Huff huff, speak, sir."
"Step aside for a moment. I'd like a word with him."
"No need to know anything about him. That one is famous. Renowned as the dumbest creature in this trade. Alone, he can do nothing. He doesn't even know what the Three Principles are, I wager."
At that—
"Th-that thing, I know the Three Principles. Studied hard, I did."
"Then recite them."
"Uh, uh, Article 1 is obedience to the summoner's… uh, absolute life. Article 2, the summoner's, um… p-priority, understood above all value in conflict. Article 3 is…"
What is this nonsense?
"You see? That's what he is. You pulled a dud! We should kill him outright and put him in a 100-day summon lockout."
If he dies, he can't be summoned for 100 days?
First he'd heard of it.
"…I'll handle this."
"Yes sir."
Juhyeok tilted his head and asked the barbarian warrior standing there blankly.
"Your name?"
"Don't know. Forgot it."
"Do you know why you're here?"
"D-don't know."
"About the Tower?"
"…Don't know. Can't remember."
How exasperating.
Looking at the detailed description—
— The barbarian meat shield of the Great Plain Tribe. His physical stats are top-class, with strength enough to put a Giant Ogre's waist in a bear hug and snap it. But he was hopelessly dim-witted. So much so that he forgot even his own name.
— In the end, he fell for the fake hero's deception and was chosen as the meat shield for a showdown against the super-monster Hydra. Facing the nine-headed super-monster Hydra, he was caught in its acid breath, but he did not die. Instead, he grabbed its jaw and tore it. Even as the breath struck him, he seized the neck, ripped it out, ripped it out again, and again—until the accumulated acid damage melted his body, and he died.
Aaaaaah…
How could anyone be so ill-fated? ‘So THAT'S why he was a meat shield.’
Scenes flashed through his mind like a movie.
A barbarian warrior snapping a humanoid monster's waist with an innocent expression on his face.
Receiving nothing but a moldy lump of bread from the people as reward for slaying the beast, and beaming with delight.
Falling for the enticements of a slick-looking thug, and meeting his destiny as a meat shield…
Tears flowed unbidden.
How kind must he have been, to live his life being taken advantage of by everyone?
So what if he was a Rare?
So what if he was dumb?
Juhyeok took the barbarian warrior's hand—a hand the size of a pot lid—and said,
"Welcome. Let's climb the Tower together."
"I do absolutely what you tell me."
What should he call him?
Let's pull it from the catalog.
"Let's start with a name. Do you like Yaman? Or Gobang?"
"…Don't know."
"Pick one. Yaman? Gobang?"
"Gobang."
"We'll make you happy, Mr. Gobang. You trust me, right?"
"I, Gobang, trust summoner. Do what told."
And then—
"Mr. Korsak, Mr. Gobang, and me. The three of us are comrades from now on. Let's do well together."
Korsak, who'd been rolling his eyes with all his might, said, "Well, well, now that you mention it. He IS a solid meat shield, I see now. I'll train him well and make a proper man of him."
"Good. Then let's enter Floor 16 right away."
"Yes sir! …Hey, Gobang! Why are you just standing there? Answer me!"
"Yes sir!"
"Don't copy me! You fool!"
A timid bottom-feeder player, a deranged assassin, and a barbarian Gobang who was dumber than dumb.
A full-blown circus.
He felt a little uneasy, but ‘…still, this will work out somehow, right?’
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────