I'd been introverted since I was young.
It was the same at daycare.
Daycare was a wild jungle too, a world where the strong preyed on the weak.
When a stronger kid took away a toy I was playing with, I would just quietly watch.
I could just play with another toy, after all.
Elementary school was the same.
It got a little worse.
Poverty was the problem.
Shabby clothes, worn-out shoes, a tattered backpack... and on top of that, rumors that I lived in the most run-down villa in the neighborhood.
At the time, terms like "villa pauper" and "rental pauper" were so popular among elementary schoolers that it became a trend.
Few kids wanted to pair up with me.
Middle school, I was a loner too.
Puberty had arrived, and my timid personality grew even worse.
Well, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable, though.
I had no particular desire to make friends anyway.
That atmosphere carried on into high school.
I ate lunch alone too.
Being ostracized was basically standard issue.
In short, the life of an outcast.
I was scared of even trying to change anything.
I just had to endure and get past it... living that way was enough.
I'd chosen the easy path.
Ordinary, without causing incidents, thin but long.
But after awakening.
Crisis came to Ju Hyeok's life.
Standing face to face against those terrifying tower monsters?
Fighting them, no less?
Him, who couldn't even make eye contact with the delinquent thugs?
It was something he couldn't even imagine.
A great upheaval that shook the direction of his life.
Who knew a day like this would come.
Monsters aren't people.
They can't even talk, can they?
There's no fear that comes from relationships.
They're no different from game quest mobs.
Just something to beat down and receive rewards from.
Swaeng! Swaeng-waeng!
At this moment, on the 20th floor battlefield, the most eye-catching one was Ju Hyeok.
Kwajik!
Goblins whose heads cracked under the Adamant Mace he swung.
The only problem was that without a weapon skill, they didn't die in one hit.
Doesn't matter.
If one hit doesn't kill them, just hit them one more time.
Kwajik! Swaeng! Kwok!
Korsak had said it.
The brave summoner dies quickly.
He was right.
There's also the proverb that the protruding stone gets hammered first, isn't there?
He wanted to stop himself too.
He should return to his roots and live cautiously.
Safety first, thorough self-preservation.
How had he lived all this time?
Could he change overnight like this?
But for this moment alone, he couldn't stop.
The satisfaction he could only feel when a skill landed properly.
The thrilling hand-feel delivered when smashing a goblin's skull.
Kill counts soared.
Korsak wasn't staying idle either.
To the barbarian, "Gobang! Protect Summoner Bong. If a Hop Goblin bastard shows up, he's the priority."
"Understood. I will protect the Summoner. Hop Goblin, I will kill."
Then Korsak also stuck close to Ju Hyeok.
It was a chaotic melee situation.
There was no knowing where blind attacks might fly in from.
Shadow Steps were doing their fair share of work, but not all attacks could be dodged.
If it weren't for the Energy Barrier, a few poison needles would have hit.
Titing, Ting-ting!
Having the barrier meant at least some peace of mind.
But as it blocked attacks flying in from all sides, the barrier's thickness was gradually thinning. 'Still, up to the 20th floor, it'll hold firm.' The problem was the shamans' curses.
Those had to be blocked.
When a shaman entered Korsak's sight, he took that one down first. 'Still far from 100?' It seemed like we'd caught plenty... when it happened.
"KRAAAAANG!"
A roar that shook the battlefield.
The goblin leader. 'It's here.' The towering idol of the goblins, sad for their short legs—the final evolution tier.
The Hop Goblin finally revealed itself on the 20th floor battlefield.
Time to end this.
"Gobang!!!"
The barbarian Gobang responded.
"KUOOOOOH!!!"
Thud-thud-thud-thud... The barbarian warrior Gobang charged madly toward the Hop Goblin.
Korsak also frantically cast Shadow Walker, Shadow Steps.
Ju Hyeok tried to move as well... KWA-KWANG!
Gobang's massive fist came down on the Hop Goblin's crown.
A sound like a bomb exploding.
"Kkehek!"
At the same time, Korsak's sharp dagger pierced the Hop Goblin's eye and stirred up its brain.
Puk! Pu-puk!
The Hop Goblin died the moment it appeared.
A cooperative attack by a barbarian and an assassin.
If it were a Two-Headed Ogre facing this kind of assault, it would never withstand it.
Let alone a mere Hop Goblin.
[All Types of Goblin 100/100, Hop Goblin 1/1]
[You have succeeded in the 20th Floor mission.]
[Level up!]
[Reward: 2kg of Magic Stones]
[Reward: Tower-exclusive Healing Potion (5)]
'Aw man, one step too late.' With a satisfied smile, Korsak said,
"Hehehe, good work."
Annoying as he was,
"You all worked hard too. Thank you so much for protecting me."
"Chut!"
"I will protect. Summoner."
[Notice: The Black Tower (Korea)'s 20th Floor conquest grade has achieved S++.]
[S++ Conquest Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
An S++ record this time as well.
Twenty Platinum Badges too.
What would the special perks be?
"I hope we get a Trait Enhancement Rune again."
"You think so?"
"Yes sir! Summoning randomly and pulling at least SSR grades—if we have three to lead us, the Bong shall be safer. The Bong shall become even safer. Just thinking about it puts me in a good mood."
"...Hmm."
If it really came out, could anything be better than that?
[You may now challenge Floor 21.]
[You will exit the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
※ ※ ※
At that moment, on every TV channel, captions flashed at the bottom of the screen.
Since it was something people desperately wanted to know, as soon as the full notice was confirmed, it immediately aired as breaking news on major networks.
Then it would spread across the nation—no, across the entire world.
The Management Agency wanted to avoid such situations, but how could they silence the mouths of the thousands of players who could hear the notice?
So Director Park Gyeong-su's worries deepened.
"Hah, a consecutive record through the 20th floor is great, but... it's troublesome if too much attention gathers."
"Indeed. We can't even control media coverage."
"No way! They might realize that we know who the record holder is."
His worries piled up like mountains.
And there had been that item theft incident recently, too.
There was no guarantee something like that wouldn't happen again.
"So... have you looked into the situation of Player Bong's family?"
"We discreetly made inquiries."
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il placed a thick binder of documents on the desk.
"This is Player Bong's father, Mr. Bong Cheol-su. A few months ago, he fractured his hip in an accident on an icy road, and is undergoing rehabilitation therapy after surgery."
"Oh dear, bones don't heal well at that age."
"Yes, so he still has difficulty moving and rarely leaves the house."
"What can we provide as support?"
"How about introducing him to the best rehabilitation center in the country? Free of charge, of course."
"Good! Proceed."
Next, Player Bong's sibling,
"This is the younger brother, Bong Min-hyeok, currently a university freshman. He's scheduled to enlist in the military soon."
"Perfect. Providing a scholarship benefit should take care of it."
"Agreed."
And lastly,
"This is Player Bong's mother, Madam Hong Geum-ja."
"What does she do?"
"She worked at a water purifier company called Cody, but is currently unemployed."
"Hmm, did she quit voluntarily? Or..."
"It appears she got into conflicts with abusive customers and had her contract forcibly terminated by the company."
"Oh my!"
Jeon Gwang-il spoke in a quiet voice.
"The person we need to be most careful with is Madam Hong Geum-ja."
"Hm? Why?"
"She has the strongest voice in the family. She has a fierce personality, so neither her husband nor her sons can do anything against her."
"Oh! Really?"
But there was a problem too.
If her personality was that fierce...
"If we approach too aggressively, it could backfire."
"I'm well aware. We must be careful."
"Have you made a plan?"
"Yes."
"Then execute it. We won't spare any support."
The Awakening Management Agency, which deals with Players.
The scope of authority they could exercise was broader than other national institutions.
Especially when it came to elite Players.
If direct approach didn't work, they went around.
And thus, they would secure the elite contract.
※ ※ ※
Knock-knock-knock,
The sound of knocking on the front door of Ju Hyeok's home.
Korsak's and Gobang's eyes gleamed.
"D-Delivery is here. I can smell it."
"Delivery."
"Shh! Go over there and hide where you can't be seen."
Ju Hyeok opened the front door and stepped out.
This time, instead of using a delivery app, he placed an order directly with the local Chinese restaurant.
Because the amount he needed to order was large.
"Twelve Sweet and Sour Pork, twelve bowls of Jajangmyeon, is that correct?"
"Th-that's right."
"You've ordered quite a lot. Are you having a party today?"
"Uh, yes, yes."
"Knowing this, I included one order of fried dumplings as a service."
One fried dumpling as service? Isn't that a bit much?
"...You really didn't have to."
"Hahaha, enjoy your meal and please order again. You know, right? Out of all the Chinese restaurants around here, our Shinshinru is the tastiest."
He'd never heard anything like that.
He received the food and set it down, then checked. 'My coupons... they're gone?'
Not a single one.
What is this?
He couldn't ask again what happened to them.
Because all his life, whenever complaints arose, he had always endured and moved on.
Actually, even having coupons was a problem.
He had never used one, not even once.
How difficult it was to call and say, "I'd like to order with a coupon."
So the drawer was full of unused coupons of all kinds.
Well, he wouldn't use them anyway... No, he couldn't use them.
What a laughable situation.
In the tower, a macho man smashing monsters.
In reality, a spineless weakling who couldn't even claim the rights he was rightfully owed.
"Hmm! The smell of jajangmyeon is incredible. Gobang, you've never had this, right?"
"Shluuurp!"
Drool cascading down like a waterfall from the barbarian Gobang's mouth.
"Here, you two eat first. I have something to check."
As if they'd been waiting, the two tore into the packaging.
Now! The moment of anticipation had arrived.
Ju Hyeok checked the Platinum Badges glittering in his tower-exclusive inventory.
[For accumulating 20 Platinum Badges, a special perk will be granted.]
'Let's see...?'
[Perk: One Random Box will be granted.]
'Huh?'
The perk is... a random box?
What kind is it?
Description: Randomly grants 3 items that can be obtained in the Tower.
Types: Magic Stones, about 10 types of Tower-native herbs, 3 types of Tower metals, about 50 types of Tower monster hides... Potions, Elixirs, Weapon items, Armor items, Accessory items... Combat skills, Rune of Level Up (up to 5LV), Tower Jump Ticket (up to 5LV, 5 floors), Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket, Trait Enhancement Rune, Rune of Summon Grade Increase, Multi-National Tower Access Ticket, Grade-Guaranteed Random Summon Ticket (one of SR, SSR, or LSSR)
'Why are there so many?'
Magic stones, herbs, and metals are whatever.
Weapons and armor too, and the 'Rune of Level Up' only raises levels regardless of the climbing floor.
The 'Tower Jump Ticket' supposedly lets you jump both climbing floors and levels together—who would want that?
The Rune of Level Up is far better.
The 'Multi-National Tower Access Ticket' means you could conquer towers of other countries?
The best among them is probably that one.
'Grade-Guaranteed Random Summon Ticket (one of SR, SSR, or LSSR)'
What if an LSSR-guaranteed ticket came out?
He'd conquer tower floors lying down.
Let's be realistic, though.
Accessory items, Elixirs, Combat skills, Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket, Trait Enhancement Rune, Rune of Summon Grade Increase.
'It said 3 would come out? There might be a chance.'
Ju Hyeok opened the box.
Open!
Dding!
[10kg of Magic Stones has been granted.]
'...Damn,'
Well, at least he earned 5 million won.
And the second?
[You have acquired the Skill: Hunwon Byeollyeokgon (Primordial Thundercrash Staff).]
[Hunwon Byeollyeokgon (Primordial Thundercrash Staff) has been registered in your Status Window.]
"Oh!"
This one's good.
And the last one?
[A Rune of Summon Grade Increase has been granted.]
'...Jackpot.'
If a bunch of useless things had come out, he was prepared to curse up a storm.
The Rune of Summon Grade Increase.
Does it need any explanation?
The problem was,
Would it be better for Gobang?
Or for Korsak?
Ah, no need to agonize over it.
How many shared meals have they had together?
Korsak, obviously.
'...Or wait, did Gobang actually eat more of the shared meals?'
Either way, since Gobang was here with them, he'd summon him alone later.
Gobang might get sulky, after all.
Then, the skill?
A considerably wuxia-flavored skill name.
Skill: Hunwon Byeollyeokgon (Primordial Thundercrash Staff)
Description: Infuses a blunt weapon with the power of lightning. Composed of three forms in total; it is a growth-type skill.
Nice.
Just the skill he needed.
And growth-type, no less.
[Hunwon Byeollyeokgon (Primordial Thundercrash Staff) Form 1, 'Nakroe Chuhon (Falling Thunder, Chasing Soul),' has been unlocked.]
In that instant, the usage instructions for the form unfolded in Ju Hyeok's mind. 'Should I try it?'
He took the mace out of his tower-exclusive inventory and swung it from above downward, but...
"Ah,"
Forget lightning, it didn't even make a whooshing sound.
Because skill and level applications were blocked outside the tower.
With no mana, too.
He had no complaints, though.
If players could use their powers in reality as they did in the tower, the world would become a mess.
A world where bastards like Choi Ho-seok ran wild—'Let's try it inside the tower.'
Korsak's eyes went wide at Ju Hyeok suddenly swinging his mace around.
"Summoner Bong, why are you suddenly swinging the mace?"
"Ah! I received a skill as a perk."
"...C-could it be an attack skill?"
"Yes, it's called Hunwon Byeollyeokgon, apparently a growth-type."
"Oh dear,"
Korsak fidgeted restlessly.
It couldn't be helped.
An attack skill, Hunwon Byeollyeokgon.
One look at Summoner Bong's face told him everything.
The expression of a man desperate to use his skill.
He would rush ahead toward the monsters.
Then it would become even more dangerous, and he would have to...
'Good grief...'
give him a defensive or escape-type skill.
Korsak's worries only deepened.