His awakened trait was Summoning.
Rather than fighting directly, the core combat style of a summoner trait was for the beings called forth through summoning to handle most of the player's combat power.
There was no real need to fight himself.
That was especially true for Ju Hyeok.
His wasn't an ordinary summoning trait, but an irregular one.
If he drew high-grade summons, or increased the number of simultaneous summons through trait-enhancing runes or perks, he could climb the Tower while taking it easy.‘Still, I have to clear floor 21.’ Floors 21 through 25 had orcs.
In the Tower's early days, this was a stretch where deaths piled up.
Back then, it had been pure chaos.
Unexplained disappearances suddenly skyrocketed.
Now, with high-performance items readily available and clear videos easy to find, almost no players die here anymore.‘I should still be careful, right?’ Even with newfound confidence, he had no intention of being reckless.‘Who do I think I am?’ That person from somewhere in a parallel universe who supposedly had the same trait and skills as him.
In other words, Cossack's former summoner.
Had he been overwhelmed simply because he lacked ability?
He must have been far stronger than Ju Hyeok.
He would have been loaded down with perks, too.
And yet he died.
The world he lived in was destroyed as well.
For that reason, Ju Hyeok understood well why Cossack was worried.
No wonder he kept heaving sighs.
But he was human too.
He'd only just started having fun as a real man.
And he'd just learned a new skill—he had to try it out at least once.‘I just need to persuade him. Still, Absolute Obedience is the default, after all.’ He summoned Gobang.
[The Barbarian Warrior Gogi Bangjae has been designated-summoned.]
Then Cossack.
[John Cossack has been designated-summoned.]
"…Choong! I-I'm hereaa."
Why so glum?
His shoulders drooped.
"Did something upset you?"
"…"
Is it because of the attack skill I got yesterday?
Cossack parted his lips and continued.
"…Acquiring an attack skill may be poison to you. Honestly, I was uneasy even back on floor 20. It's only because they were goblins that—"
He was right.
The attack skill was the cause.
Worried that Ju Hyeok would step forward again to try out his skill, and that this could put him in danger.
"They stopped at goblins, but from orcs on, it won't do. I apologize in advance. I will commit a capital offense. Summoned Being Principle Clause 3, activated."
"…Eh?"
What?
The damned Clause 3?
The one that said a summoned being's free will could manifest and defy obedience for the sake of the summoner's life?
"Uh…"
"There's no other way."
Calm down.
As he'd experienced before, Clause 3's scope of recognition was broad.
At this rate, he might not even get to swing his mace once.
The S++ clears were, when you thought about it, also related to Clause 3.
By finishing the clears before the summoner was ever in danger, and using accumulated Platinum Badges to draw out perks and strengthen the summoner.
Cossack apparently felt he'd overstepped.
His intent was to nip danger in the bud entirely.
"…Are you saying you're going to tie me up or something? With a butterfly knot?"
"How should we tie you? Gobang will simply hold the summoner Bong safely in place. Only I will do the clearing—"
He looked at Gobang to see if he'd really do it.
"…"
Gobang quietly looked away.
So these two had conspired together.
"Come on, don't do this. Just let it slide once. I'll take it easy from now on."
"I cannot trust you."
Sharp.
Did he have some kind of lie-detecting eye?
No choice, then.
Sincerity! He had to mean it for real.
Mind control.
He chanted to himself.
Be careful, careful, careful from now on.
No charging out recklessly.
Watch himself.
Safety first.
There.
"I swear! On everything I have! I will never step out front again!"
"…Truly?"
"In exchange—since I can't just slack off—I'll kill exactly one. Carefully, slowly. That much is fine, isn't it?"
Cossack deliberated.
"Trust me just this once! Safety first! Self-preservation!"
And then,"If you insist, then… BUT! I will safely escort you at your side. If a dangerous situation arises, I will intervene immediately."
"Deal!"
"Choong!"
Whew.
Thank goodness.
Cossack's voice was cheerful again.
The persuasion had worked.
Cossack had weighed his level, armor, skills, and so on, so this meant it was safe to some degree.
Ju Hyeok was relieved too.
"Shall we go, then?" To floor 21.[Entering the Black Tower of Korea, Floor 21.] From floor 21 onward, orcs appeared.
The kind was the ordinary greenskin orc living in forests.
Individually, they were stronger than goblins.
However, their slightly lacking intelligence was a weakness, if one could call it that.
"Orcs are stupid. Well, probably smarter than Gobang, though."
"I'm smarter than orcs."
"Yes, yes, shut it."
Dumb or not, look at their bodies.
All muscle.
If an orc ever got its hands on him, he'd be torn limb from limb and die before he could even use a healing potion.
Good thing he'd promised to kill only one.
"In any case, Summoner Bong, make good use of Shadow Footwork. It's perfect for fooling orcs. They'll tire themselves out chasing nothing but shadows."
"Don't worry. I'll only kill one, so leave it to me."
"Yessir."
First, they geared up in the safe zone."Wait a moment. Let's practice exactly ten times before we go."
Practice first.
The clear would only begin once the mission popped up.
"Practice as many as a hundred times if you like."
Ju Hyeok held a shield in his left hand and an adamant mace in his right.
Skill: Hunyuan Piligun (混元霹靂棍), Form 1: Luolei Zhuihun (落雷追魂).
Vwooom!
Mana concentrated into the mace.The first form was a simple vertical strike.
But its speed and force were anything but simple.
Kwaaak!
Crack!
The mace fell like a bolt of lightning.‘Is this right?’ Once more.
Kwaaak!
Crack!
He swung it five or six times like that, but.
"Hmm."
Somehow it didn't satisfy him.
At that, John Cossack said,
"How can you practice properly with no target to attack?"
"Right? I suppose I'll just have to use it in actual combat—"
"Still, jumping straight into combat is unwise. Only sufficient practice will make it effective."
"Then what should I do?"
"Everything has a solution."
Cossack turned his head toward the Barbarian Gobang.
"Gobang."
"Speak, assassin."
"Hold still and kneel."
"A warrior kneels to no one."
"Not to me—to Summoner Bong,"
"I kneel."
Thud!
Ju Hyeok and the Barbarian Gobang were now nearly eye to eye.
And then, a thought struck him in that instant.
He could feel it coming.
"…Uh."
No way. It couldn't be.
"Behold! Here is practice-dummy Gobang. Swing away as hard as you like."
"…"
Haah.
Have they both lost their minds?
"You want me to hit Gobang?"
"Is that not good? Even if you strike with your full strength, not a scratch will show. Optimal for practice."
"…"
"I'm fragile, you see… hehehe."
Then the Barbarian Gobang said too,
"Summoner, you may hit me. It does not hurt."
"You heard him? He says it's fine, so hit him exactly ten times and let's begin."
"…"
I'm going to lose it.
Cossack telling him to hit, Gobang saying it was fine to hit.
They were exactly the same.
Ju Hyeok's choice?
Not even worth considering.
"Let's go receive the mission."
"A-ah, just ten hits, and—"
"Shh! Keep that up and I'll charge in alone, I swear!"
"Yessir! I'll shut up now."
A while after leaving the safe zone.[Floor 21 Mission: Slay 30 Forest Orcs.][Time Limit: Within 4 hours.]
"Shall we begin?"
"Moving out first!"
"I'm coming too."
Ju Hyeok stayed behind.
He'd said he'd kill only one, and a promise was a promise.
Grrk! Kuaek! Grrng!
Making strange noises, the forest orcs came pouring out in a line.
He remembered seeing it on a streaming site.
A video of a player with the same summoning trait clearing it by summoning a golem.‘Wasn't that player level 30 at the time?’ While he was recalling, the forest orcs were being swept away.
At this rate, it'd be over before he got to kill even one.
He needed to pick one, fast.
In that instant!
A single forest orc fell behind and was left alone.‘That one looks about right—’ Ju Hyeok met Cossack's eyes.
Can I take that one?
A nod.
Cossack nodded.
"Okay!"
Swawawat!
He closed in at full speed with Shadow Footwork,"Kuaek?"
Swat! Swat! Swat!
Several afterimages left it dizzy and disoriented, and he caught it from behind—Kwaaak!
He slammed the mace down on its crown.
Crack!
BOOM!
"Kyiiii…"
Electrocuted and skull caved in, it collapsed.
"Oh!"
Easy.
Too easy.‘One more?’ No.
He could feel a piercing gaze on the back of his head.
If Clause 3 triggered, it would be a disaster.[You have succeeded in the Floor 21 Mission.][Your level has risen.][Reward: 2.1kg of magic stones.][Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 21 of the Black Tower (Korea).][S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge is granted.]
The next day, on the wasteland terrain, he killed exactly one orc during the desert orc extermination mission.[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 22 of the Black Tower (Korea).] On Floor 23, in the pitch-black cave riddled with traps, he killed one during the cave orc extermination mission too.[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 23 of the Black Tower (Korea).] On Floor 24, on the land flowing with blood-red lava, he barely killed one volcano orc.[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 24 of the Black Tower (Korea).]‘Tch.’ Being limited to one kill each was frustrating.
But he had to earn their trust for the time being.
Now, the long-awaited Floor 25.
After resting for about a day.‘Maybe I should hand over a rune while I'm at it?’ Since Gobang and Cossack had always been present together, he hadn't been able to give out items.
So the next day, Ju Hyeok summoned Cossack alone.
"Choong! I have arrived."
"Welcome."
"Did you not say we were resting today?"
"That's true, but… oh! Right. I picked this up on the way here. Take it."
"Yes? Is it edible?"
"No. Check it out."
As if it were nothing, casually, Ju Hyeok tossed the Rune of Summoned Being Rank Ascension to Cossack.
The moment he caught it, Cossack's eyes wavered.
"Ahhh…"
He held it close to his eyes, bit it, and then—in that instant!
"Hoooowgh! What is—what is this? Th-this is a rank enhancement!"
"Nice, right? Do you like it?"
"Y-you're really giving—it to me?"
"Yes."
"…I am honored. A rank ascension. I am deeply moved."
Was he that happy?
"I am truly glad. Now I can protect Summoner Bong even better."
Well, he seemed happy, at least.
"Shall we start the rank ascension now?"
"Not yet. Rushing it is dangerous. I must also prepare my heart. I will do it back home."
So it wasn't something that just happened instantly.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, after your ascension?"
"Yes sir!"
He'd manage fine on his own.
"Since you're here, stay a while and relax."
"Then I'll just watch some TV—"
Cossack skillfully turned on the power with the remote.
Ju Hyeok, bored anyway, watched TV with him.
Zap zap zap zap!
The channels were turning far too fast.
"Let's watch just one. Just one!"
"Hmm, I was watching something, looking for a rerun."
"You can watch it on demand."
"Is that not expensive?"
"Save that money for what! On demand, right now—huh?"
That was when it happened.
"W-wait a moment!"
Ju Hyeok pointed a finger at the TV screen.
"What is it?"
"Turn the channel back."
"Yes."
"Back, further—stop there!"
It was a terrestrial news broadcast.
A woman wearing a red band around her head was being interviewed by a reporter.
A very familiar face.‘…Mom?’ It was Ju Hyeok's mother, Madam Hong Geumja.
But why was she on there?※ ※ ※ Hong Geumja was holding a one-person protest in front of the headquarters building of Jinsaemmul Water Purifier Co., Ltd.
Carrying a picket inscribed with slogans against unfair contract termination, for better treatment of water purifier maintenance workers, and against the company's abuse of power.
She'd told her family she was out job hunting, but the place she came to every single day was in front of the purifier company's headquarters.
She simply could not bear it.
Because her contract had been terminated unjustly.
She had visited a home to replace a water purifier filter, and they told her to take out the food waste and recycling on her way out? Was that a joke?
Hong Geumja was different in temperament from her husband or her son.
She confronted them head-on.
She was not some errand runner; she had come to perform water purifier maintenance.
Yet the company demanded she apologize to the customer.
Apologize, when she'd done nothing wrong?
What she got in return was contract termination.
And so she had taken up a one-person protest.
It had been over ten days since she started.
The broadcasters and press showed no intention of covering it.
The company had probably blocked them.
During all this time, the company's executives had passed by her, feigning indifference, their eyes full of mockery.
Hong Geumja bit her lip hard.
She would never submit.
At that very moment!
"Ms. Hong Geumja?"
A neat, well-dressed man in a suit appeared before her, mid-protest.
He handed her a business card.
"Who are you?"
"Thank you for your hard work. I am Lee Changseok, an attorney from the law firm Park & Kim."
An attorney?
And from Park & Kim, of all places.
The nation's top law firm.
Famous for handling not only corporate litigation but also national public enterprises—especially taking requests from the Awakened Management Agency to provide legal counsel and representation for players.
What did it mean for an attorney to appear here?
Hong Geumja's face hardened.
"Is the company planning to sue me or something? Go ahead and tell them to. I won't back down."
"Hahaha! Not at all. Quite the opposite."
"What?"
"You should formally sue Jinsaemmul Co., Ltd. Our law firm will represent you, Ms. Hong Geumja, free of charge."
"…Wh-what did you say?"
Completely unexpected words from the attorney.
Had she misheard?
It was absurd.
If this weren't a scam, this couldn't be happening.
"There's no need to worry. It's not a scam. It's part of a project for society's vulnerable. Most law firms do it… If you come to the office with me, you'll find out soon enough."
Hong Geumja thought blankly for a moment."Hmm, I don't really understand what—"
"Do you have your phone? You can record here. Let's conclude an oral agreement."
She couldn't make heads or tails of it.
No matter how she looked at it, it didn't seem like a scam, and yet—What should she do?
Should she accept?
"Please trust me. I stake my honor on it. And we will win, without fail."
She deliberated for a long while.
Right—she'd come this far; it was all or nothing.
"Fine. I'll entrust you with my case."
"As decisive as ever. Then—"
Attorney Lee Changseok snapped his fingers.
"Shall we start with the media work?"
"…What?"
In that instant!
Reporters and broadcast cameras swarming toward Hong Geumja.
"When answering the reporters' questions, take your time—go into detail. It'll be edited later, so don't leave out a single one of the injustices you've suffered."
Hong Geumja had no choice but to nod.────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────