The next day, afternoon.
Juhyeok visited the Awakening Management Agency's Player Shop again.
He had agonized over it all night.
Should he give this a proper go or not?
Since he'd already dived in, he might as well check what talents he had.
Actually, he had a vague idea of why he was like this.
He was afraid of monsters.
Their appearance, of course, but also the fact that one wrong move could cost him his life.
But the more he encountered them, the more that fear had faded.
Also, his combat abilities rose with every level, there were special rewards, and he had dependable companions too.
Juhyeok's timidity stemmed from difficulties with interpersonal relationships.
The fear people give and the fear monsters give are fundamentally different in nature.
There's no need to read a monster's mind.
Who cares how a monster sees him?
He didn't have to act while watching a monster's mood.
Was he going to be friends with a monster?
It's not like he had to agonize over what it liked or disliked because he wanted to get close to it.
It's not like he had to consider special characters and emoticons, typing and deleting messages wondering how the other person would take them.
Or wonder why the "1" wouldn't disappear, or why the person was leaving him on read after the 1 vanished.
Monsters are simple.
Scary, yes, but the only relationship is one where you smash their heads in when you meet.
Is climbing the Tower social life?
No, it isn't!
For that reason, only in the Tower could he shake off his timidity.
He could do it.
The real man of the Black Tower.
To do this properly, an energy barrier alone wouldn't be enough.
Monsters' attack power would grow stronger with each floor, and if he foolhardily relied only on his barrier, he could end up badly hurt. 'Where was the shop that sells shields... Oh! Over there.' A perfect match to use alongside the energy barrier, and it would even provide a synergy effect. 'Wow, there sure are a lot of people today.' When he first came, there wasn't a single customer.
Players shopping for items here and there. 'Let's buy this quickly and go home.' On the way to the armor shop,
Juhyeok recalled Kosak's advice from yesterday.
- You will gradually find combat fun.
- Your confidence will grow.
- And accordingly, the danger will grow proportionally.
Every word of it true.
But what a contradiction it was.
He was afraid, yet he also wanted to fight.
Who knows.
Who could have known he would change like this?
His father would be horrified, and his younger sister's jaw would drop. 'I've really grown a lot.' Him, that pathetic excuse for a man.
Living thin and long had been his life philosophy.
Too late to turn back now.
Right now, Juhyeok's head was completely filled with the brief battle against the goblin assassin. 'I want to try it again.' He understood why Kosak worried about him.
Kosak had said he had a former Summoner.
But that Summoner had died.
Kosak must have witnessed his Summoner's death firsthand.
The guilt of failing to protect his former Summoner.
A firm resolve to protect this Summoner no matter what.
So maybe he overreacted whenever he saw something he deemed dangerous. 'I'd like to indulge him as much as possible, but...'
He was sick and tired of living timidly.
A chance to engineer a change. 'Why shouldn't I have confidence?'
Things would be different from now on.
Spreading his wings wide, from pathetic man to real man.
Yes!
Yesterday's Juhyeok no longer exists.
There is only today's Juhyeok.
Juhyeok stood before the armor shop with a brisk, confident stride.
"Welcome, Player. Please tell me what you're looking for."
"...Y-yes?"
A shop sales clerk.
Of course she had to be a woman.
"Umm, I, uh, w-well, that is..."
"Hohoho, if you don't know the equipment name, you can just point with your finger."
"A sh-shield..."
"Oh my? You're looking for a shield. Shall I pick one out for you?"
"...Y-yes, please."
Oh man, he couldn't meet her eyes.
So much for being a real man.
"How about this one? It's a large square shield made of an Orihalcon and Sectonium alloy. Big, right? It also has a self-repair function, so no repairs are needed."
"...H-how much is it?"
"Just 100 million. As you know, I'm only charging you the material cost."
"Umm, for, for me, it's too heavy and... ex-expensive, so if that's the only one, I guess I have no choice but—"
He was going to lose his mind.
Why couldn't he get the words out?
"Aha! This should be just right. A round hand shield made from Adamant and Sectonium alloy. It's small and light, and of course, it has a self-repair function too."
Oh!
That seemed about right.
Round, a little over 30 centimeters in diameter.
A small hand shield used by sliding one arm through the grip.
It was exactly to his liking.
It matched so well it could be considered a set with the mace.
"...How much is it?"
"40 million won."
"Can I, I pay in installments..."
"Of course. You can also deduct it from the proceeds of selling your magic stones."
"...I'll take it."
"Yes!"
The installment payment went through a palm-recognition device.
Beep!
He'd finally bought it.
At last, a well-matched combination.
Mace in the right hand.
Hand shield in the left. 'Paying off the installments will take a while, but...'
Well, he'd pay it off soon enough.
Come to think of it, talking to the clerk was far harder than dealing with goblins.
He quickly made his way to the entrance.
Time to go home.
Going home was resting.
But at that very moment!
"Hello there."
A man addressing Juhyeok.
Who was this?
"You're a Player, right? Haha, I'm a Player too."
That made sense.
Anyone who could come here would be a Player or a Management Agency employee.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Choi Hoseok."
The man suddenly extended his hand for a handshake.
Refusing would be rude, so Juhyeok took his hand as well.
"...I'm Bong Juhyeok."
"Hahaha, so it's Juhyeok. I come to the shop every day, and since this is the first time I'm seeing you, I wanted to at least get acquainted."
"Ah, yes, this is only my second time here."
"I see. If it's not too rude to ask, what floor are you on? I'm climbing the 30s."
A high-level player.
"...Umm, I'm in the 10s."
"Aha, you must be fairly new to being a Player. If you run into any difficulties while conquering the Tower, feel free to ask. I'll answer anything."
Quite a friendly attitude.
He had an easygoing face too, so he seemed kind.
He must be a natural extrovert.
That's why he was this warm even to someone he'd just met.
"Ah, nothing yet."
"Really? Well, ask me anytime. I'm here often. Hahaha."
"Sure, sure."
"Then, see you around!"
Choi Hoseok, waving as he disappeared.
An insider's bold social infiltration skills.
Witnessing it up close, he could only be amazed. 'Someone like that probably has a girlfriend, right?'
He was jealous.
※ ※ ※
Since he was already out of the house, he figured he'd grab dinner before heading back.
He planned to take a break from conquering today anyway.
For his usual solo dining, the options were set.
Fast food joints or gukbap restaurants.
He stopped by a gukbap place near his house.
After a steaming bowl of dwaeji gukbap, generously loaded with chives, salted shrimp paste, dadaegi sauce, and perilla seed powder, cleared without difficulty.
Juhyeok returned home around nightfall.
After a quick wash.
"Status window."
[Name]: Bong Juhyeok
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Republic of Korea)
[Level]: 19LV
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 2)
[Catalog]: John Kosak / Yaman Goji Shield
[Trait Skills]: Designated Summon / Random Summon / Summon Release
[Universal Skills]: Tower Entry (Once Per Day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory
[Combat Skills]: Shadow Steps
Satisfying.
When did it climb this high?
Level 19 meant he could challenge the 19th floor.
Now, time to begin the persuasion operation.
Juhyeok took the mace and round hand shield out of his Tower-exclusive inventory, holding one in each hand.
Then, awarding five stars each to John Kosak and Gobang in the catalog list,
"John Kosak, designated summon."
[John Kosak has been designated-summoned.]
"Chung! Thanks for the stars... Eeeeh."
Juhyeok standing proud with mace and shield in hand.
His eyes gleamed with resolve.
Kosak realized before Juhyeok could even say a word.
Sinking to the floor with a thud, "Hnnngh, in the end, you..."
Bong Summoner's appearance was an expression of conviction.
A declaration of his will to take the Tower seriously.
"M-must you really do this?"
"I'll be as careful as I can."
"My former Summoner said the same thing."
"Don't worry. I'm a pathetic man, so if it gets too hard on the way up, I'll give up immediately."
Kosak wiped his flowing tears with the back of his hand.
"Promise me. No charging ahead at the front."
So sorrowful, so utterly sorrowful.
Juhyeok put the mace and shield back into his inventory and clasped Kosak's hand firmly with both of his.
"...I promise."
"If it gets hard, escape by sacrificing me or Gobang instead."
"Umm, understood."
"It would probably be best to sacrifice that brat Gobang rather than me."
That would depend on the situation.
"Shall we go right now?"
"No, let's start tomorrow."
"Then I'll just watch some TV or... Hm?"
At that moment!
John Kosak suddenly tilted his head.
Then, with a frosty expression.
"Bong Summoner-nim."
"What is it?"
"Is there anyone who holds a grudge against you?"
"A grudge? Of course not. I've never done anything to earn anyone's grudge."
"Someone is outside. Killing intent is pouring off them."
Killing intent, he says.
Who?
In an instant!
Screeeech, screech.
The sound of the front door handle turning.
It sounded like it was being forced open.
"...Hide for now."
"Yes, sir!"
Whoosh.
Kosak vanished.
And then,
Vmmm!
A transparent energy barrier enveloped Juhyeok's body.
At last,
Clunk!
The door opened.
"Hello? Hehehehe."
"...What do you want? Why are you—no, how do you know where I—where our house is."
"Tailing you was quite the hassle."
Juhyeok clenched his fist.
※ ※ ※
Choi Hoseok, a level 33 Player, was more interested in other pursuits than climbing the Tower.
His other occupation, self-proclaimed, was item broker.
Finding useful items and selling them to buyers.
How did he get the items?
By conquering the Tower?
Heavens, no.
He took them from the fools who had them.
First, he scouted for prey at the Player Shop.
He didn't just pick anyone.
Guys who looked easy at a glance.
The type of losers who probably served as errand boys for the school bullies back in the day.
And today, he'd found a suitable mark.
The kind who would panic at the mere sight of a blade.
And as a bonus, it was a jackpot.
The bracelet on the guy's wrist.
That was an item.
One look told him it was no ordinary thing.
He'd approached pretending to be friendly, even shaking hands.
While shaking hands, he studied the wrist closely—just as expected, it was an item.
And what if that bracelet didn't carry the "Tower-exclusive" tag?
Sky's the limit on the price.
Even with the tag, no matter.
The guy had said with his own mouth he was conquering the 10s—so barely level 10-something.
Really, what if he'd been level 50 or 60?
Outside, he was just an ordinary civilian.
So the moment Bong Juhyeok stepped outside, Hoseok had discreetly tailed him on a motorcycle.
Following the taxi the guy took, watching him eat at the restaurant, he eventually learned where he lived.
As long as he wasn't with the Elite Team.
If he were, messing with him would bring national pursuit.
Then he'd be well and truly screwed.
But he wasn't.
An Elite Team member would hardly live in such a shabby place.
Seizing a moment when no one was around,
Click. He picked the lock with a universal key,
then entered, holding the pistol he'd pulled from his coat.
In a world like this, getting a gun wasn't difficult.
It was fitted with a suppressor, so even if fired, no one would know.
"Hehehehe."
Laughter bubbled up on its own.
The guy was still wearing the bracelet.
His inventory probably had equipment in it too.
First, torture and threats to make him cough it up.
Killing him came after.
Dumping the body inside the Tower and that was that.
Amusingly, a Player's corpse went into the Tower-exclusive inventory.
Because Players belonged to the Tower.
"Don't make a sound! Make even the slightest peep and a bullet goes into your head."
At Choi Hoseok's threat, Juhyeok's eyes went wide.
"Take off the bracelet and open your inventory. See this gun? It's got a suppressor, so it won't even be that loud. If you don't like the gun, I've got a knife too. I'll slice you up like sashimi."
No!
Why was this happening...
This was as good as suicide.
"Decide. Are you going to try to endure the torture? Or take out your items and live?"
Please!
Juhyeok's hands and feet trembled violently.
His heart pounded.
An extremely dangerous situation.
Himself, in danger?
As if!
He had an energy barrier, after all.
The one in danger was that man, Choi Hoseok.
And so,
"Mr. Hoseok."
"Shh! No pointless talk—I said open your inventory! And take off that bracelet."
"...It's not too late even now. Put the gun away and go home, and I won't kill you. I promise."
"What nonsense is this? Want me to put a bullet in your knee for real?"
Ahhh!
It was as good as over.
Choi Hoseok was already a dead man.
His head would be severed and tied up with a ribbon in a butterfly knot.
Come to think of it, what to do with the corpse?
What excuse would he give the police?
That was when it happened.
Swoosh.
Something pale flashed across his vision. '...Huh?'
Suddenly, the pistol vanished from Choi Hoseok's hand.
"Wh-what the?"
Choi Hoseok was dumbfounded.
Where had the gun gone?
It had been in his hand just now—
In that instant!
KRAK!
A searing pain shot through the back of his head.
"Ugh!"
What the—? '...F-fuck, there was another one?'
There had definitely been only that one guy in the room.
His consciousness was fading.
Choi Hoseok crumpled forward where he stood.
Thud!
Juhyeok stared in astonishment.
What a plot twist. 'He didn't kill him?'
Whoosh. Kosak appeared.
Ahhh!
What a trustworthy assassin!
He had honored Juhyeok's request not to kill people, and so thoroughly at that.
"You did wonderfully! Magnificent, Mr. Kosak! You subdued him without killing him!"
"...Yes?"
"Hahaha! Knocking him out—I applaud you wholeheartedly. Five stars is far too stingy a score. I want to give you 50. No, 500."
"Hehehe, d-do you really mean it?"
Kosak discreetly slipped the throat-slitting dagger and the ribbon for the butterfly knot back inside his coat, out of Juhyeok's sight.
Originally, he'd planned to knock the man unconscious so blood wouldn't splatter in Bong Summoner-nim's room, then lay down plastic sheeting or newspaper on the floor before getting to work.
"I-I'll take this one outside and dispose of—"
"Leave him. We can just report it to the police."
"No need for that, sir. If I carry him out and leave him far away—"
"It's fine. Reporting it is the easiest."
Kosak cast a wistful glance at the fallen Choi Hoseok.
The bastard who had dared attempt to murder Bong Summoner-nim.
He should be killed.
He should have his head severed and prettily decorated with a ribbon.
A pity.
So what if a little blood splattered?
He should have just cut him down instead of knocking him out.
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