Juhyeok was conquering Floor 25.
Any player who had made it past the final stretch of the Level 20 goblins could clear Floor 25 without much difficulty.
The patterns were similar.
The real problem was the Orc Great Chieftain.
How to deal with that thing—having the right strategy and tactics mattered more than anything.
Of course, for Juhyeok, it wasn't even worth worrying about.
Gobang and Kosak would handle it on their own anyway.
The weakest of the orcs was the Forest Orc.
Small in build, with attack power on par with a Hobgoblin.
The strongest was the Volcano Orc.
Not someone to take lightly.
Blood-red skin shrouded in a faint fiery aura, it burned everything it touched.
But to the Berserker Gobang, it was nothing more than a heating pad.
Walking around with heavy thudding steps, whenever he came across a Volcano Orc—chomp! He'd grab it, cradle it tenderly in his arms, and…
"Chururk?"
CRACK!
He snapped its spine with a bear hug.
"…Wouldn't that be hot?"
"Just look at Gobang's skin, mon. Not a single scorch mark. You could hold a gas torch to it and he'd go, 'Ah, how refreshing!'"
Well, he did have a body that had withstood the breath of a Demonic Beast Hydra…
"Uwooooooh!"
The moment he drew the aggro like that, every orc charged at Gobang.
With the assassin Kosak on the move, nothing could have been better.
"Me too, mon!"
"Fighting!"
Papet!
Papapapet!
SSR-grade Kosak.
His Shadow Steps.
So fast you could hear the wind being torn apart.
That wasn't all.
Endlessly detonating blade explosions, Shock Breaks, vicious sneak attacks, Poison Daggers—the dazzling array of skills Kosak unleashed.
"Keheheheh! This is what SSR looks like, mon."
Not even five minutes had passed since the mission started, and the Floor 25 battlefield was already covered in orc corpses.
'Nice. SSR.'
Juhyeok began to move too.
He'd decided to catch three. Gotta fill the quota.
Skill practice was a bonus.
'…Better to skip the Volcano Orcs, right?'
I'd get burned trying.
Easygoing Forest Orcs and Desert Orcs were the best targets.
Swaat! Swaaat!
Juhyeok activated Shadow Steps.
In an instant!
Papapet!
Like a flash of lightning, Kosak had closed the distance and stationed himself at Juhyeok's side.
"Hey! Why are you next to me?"
"Do not worry, mon. I will stay still."
Thorough. So thorough.
Well, no danger of getting hurt, at least.
"Hunyuan Thunderbolt Staff (混元霹靂棍): Falling Thunder Soul-Chase (落雷追魂)!"
Electric energy wreathed his mace.
Kwaek!
Pajik!
Chwak!
"Kyeng!"
A Forest Orc met its end on the spot.
Half its head scorched by lightning.
Even though he'd only used Falling Thunder Soul-Chase a few times, it was steadily becoming second nature.
"…One more?"
A nod.
Kosak nodded in agreement.
Pajik!
Chwak!
A Desert Orc down in one hit as well.
It wasn't entirely without danger, though.
An axe hurled by a Cave Orc came flying at Juhyeok at high speed—
Chaeng!
Before it could get close, the axe was knocked away by a dagger.
'Getting hit at that level wouldn't be so bad.'
As his level rose, the effects of his Energy Shield had increased too.
"Are you alright, mon?"
Honestly, this guy and his fussing.
Does he think I'm a child or something?
"It didn't even hit me."
"There may be psychological damage, mon. Post-traumatic stress disorder."
"Nope, none whatsoever."
"…Hmm. Why are you copying the way I talk, mon?"
"It's fun."
"Is that so? Heheheheh."
"Hahahaha."
Juhyeok knew perfectly well why Kosak made such a fuss.
If he didn't play along, he'd be an ungrateful bastard.
Still, it was a bit much.
What can I do?
He's got to grow up steadily.
So that Kosak can be at ease too.
Honestly, what made safety-first, self-preservation-mode Juhyeok able to go wild like this?
His reliable, dependable companions.
Alone, it would've been impossible.
He wouldn't even have attempted climbing the tower in the first place.
Honestly, it's scary even now.
It was nothing short of having bodyguards.
Like a bullied middle schooler with older brothers in his high school's judo and boxing clubs.
Even at the very bottom of the food chain, the delinquents can't touch you.
The moment you mention your brothers, they come running.
It was the same now.
The Cave Orcs who had thrown axes at Juhyeok were being sliced apart by Kosak.
'…I feel kind of bad for them, actually.'
Let's catch a few more.
That should do it.
It was almost over, so might as well scoop up the scraps.
Juhyeok played it safe, sticking strictly to the sidelines.
Picking off only isolated orcs, carefully.
Pajik!
One at a time.
Chwak!
His goal wasn't so much killing orcs as practicing Falling Thunder Soul-Chase.
Pajik! Chwak!
And then—
Ding!
[The 2nd form of Hunyuan Thunderbolt Staff (混元霹靂棍), 'Falling Thunder Shower (落雷紛紛),' has been unlocked.]
The 2nd of the 3 total forms was unlocked.
"…Whoa!"
Falling thunder, in abundance.
In other words, multiple bolts striking at once.
'So it's an AoE skill.'
Juhyeok raised his mace high.
He spotted a lone Desert Orc that had strayed off to the side.
Swaat! Swaat!
"Falling Thunder Shower."
Kwaeaaek!
Crackle-crackle-crackle—lightning splitting into five branches.
"Kkueeeek!"
This was fun.
He felt like Thor, god of thunder.
'Catch some more?'
Kosak shook his head firmly.
"You should not get too carried away just because a new skill unlocked, mon."
Ah, right.
He had to watch the mood of his absolutely obedient summoned being.
How long was he supposed to live like this?
It pissed him off.
Was the guy strong from the very beginning?
Did he come out of his mother's womb doing Shadow Steps?
"Kosak."
"Yes, mon?"
"Outside, I'm a loser. But inside the tower, I'm more of a man than anyone."
"Yes yes, but safety comes first, so—"
"Forget safety! Just wait till the Orc Great Chieftain shows up! I'll run right over and smash his skull—"
And right at that moment.
"KRURURURU!"
The big one had arrived.
A massive Great Chieftain Orc stormed onto the battlefield, hefting an axe as big as its own body.
THUD THUD THUD THUD!
Tattoos covering its body, tusks jutting out of its mouth, biceps thicker than Juhyeok's torso.
'…Is that even an orc?'
Why was it so huge?
An overwhelming physique.
Bigger than Gobang.
'Uh-oh…'
No matter how big his balls got, that was too much.
"Say, what was it you said about smashing the Great Chieftain's skull earlier?"
Kosak asked slyly, watching Juhyeok's reaction.
"Hmm, did I overdo it earlier and pull something? My back suddenly hurts. …I'll just watch."
"Oh dear! A man's strength comes from his back, mon. Please rest well."
"If only my back didn't hurt, a Great Chieftain would be a one-hit skull-smash."
"Of course, mon! You think I don't know that? Things like that, even just watching them is bad for your mental health."
Somehow, Kosak was infuriating.
As if Berserker Gobang had spotted the Great Chieftain Orc, he tilted his head back to the sky and let out a huge roar.
"KUOOOOOOH!"
Like a berserker.
The Great Chieftain and Gobang's eyes met.
Without either going first, they thudded toward each other.
KWAAANG!
A contest of strength began.
But they were never opponents to begin with.
"…Kkuk?"
Bbudeuk!
The Orc Great Chieftain's shoulders were crushed.
And then.
Papapet!
The finishing touch from SSR-grade Kosak.
Seogeok!
Its head went flying.
[You have successfully completed the Floor 25 mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: 2.5kg of Magic Stones]
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 25 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Floor 25, wrapped up cleanly.
"Good work out there."
"Heheh, thank you, mon."
Anyway, time to check the perk.
What came out this time would affect the Elite Team contract.
More perks, safer tower climbing.
"What will you have today?"
"…Tteokbokki, maybe?"
"Can you handle it? You can't eat spicy food."
"What's this, mon? I'm SSR, SSR! 'Weakling' is ancient history, mon."
"Really? Good luck with that."
Juhyeok ordered ten servings of tteokbokki.
Chilled drinks too.
"Eat as much as you like."
"Aren't you having any, Summoner Bong?"
"I'll eat later."
Gobang gulped down the tteokbokki.
Slurp, slurp.
"…It's not spicy?"
"Not spicy at all. It's just sweet."
"Is, is that so?"
Kosak glared at the tteokbokki, gulped! swallowed once, glared again, glared with resolute eyes, picked up one piece with his chopsticks and trembled while glaring and glaring…
'When exactly does he plan to eat?'
Let him be.
He'll get to it eventually.
Now, the perks.
He opened the tower-exclusive inventory and checked the badges.
[Perk granted for accumulating 25 Platinum Badges.]
Come on, something good.
Please!
[Perk: You may select an Encore Perk.]
"Come again?"
An encore, meaning…
[Selectable Encore Perks: Trait Enhancement, Skill Duplication, Random Item, Summoned Being Grade Enhancement.]
"Oh!"
So that's what it was.
It wasn't some omakase encore sushi—since when did windfalls like this exist?
An easy choice.
Only an idiot would pick anything else here.
'Trait Enhancement.'
[Your Awakening Trait will be enhanced.]
"Heheheh."
Laughter spilled out on its own.
Tower climbing?
Piece of cake.
Safety guaranteed, too.
Let's see.
Level first?
[Level]: Lv. 26
Skills too.
[Combat Skills]: Shadow Steps / Hunyuan Thunderbolt Staff (混元霹靂棍)
And the trait.
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 3)
Three simultaneous summons.
Counting himself as a combat participant, he could climb with a total of four.
What a privilege.
Of course, this applied to all players with the Summoning trait.
Team play instead of solo, and enhancing the trait increased the number of simultaneous summons.
But they had their own limitations.
Was it easy to control summons?
Their strength was tied to the player's level and never particularly great, they had no free will so commands had to be given individually, and the mental strain was extreme.
Was that all?
Lose control of your summons and there was a risk of them going berserk.
If they went berserk, you'd have to forcibly dismiss them.
At worst, you could end up attacked by your own summons.
Not every player with the Summoning trait lived a honey-dripping life.
The drawbacks were fairly clear.
Juhyeok's summons, on the other hand, were on a whole different level.
Real people, endowed with tremendous power and abilities beyond any known limit.
One word—"Mission start, everyone"—to Kosak and Gobang, and done.
'What's my Random Summon cooldown…?'
About 18 days.
Time would pass soon enough.
'I can sign the Elite Team contract.'
At the very least, I won't be letting anyone down.
'Now…'
All that remained was discussing it with the family.
But at that very moment!
"Kkeeeok! Hururup! Hurup!"
Kosak was writhing on the floor, his whole body contorting.
His long, bright-red tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"Assassin about to die."
"Kkeok, kkeuk!"
"I should toss this one and summon someone else."
"Sh, shut up! W, water…"
Juhyeok flipped a bottle of drink upside down and pressed it into his hand.
"Tsk tsk. I knew this would happen."
So upgrading your grade turns a weakling into a spice-bragging showoff?
'Hold on!'
Every time Kosak pulls something annoying… should I feed him spicy food?
It wouldn't violate Article 3, so he'd have to obey.
But still…
'Come on! What kind of person does that?'
He wasn't a psychopath.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok's family home.
The whole family had gathered for the first time in a while.
He'd bought premium hanwoo beef especially and went home.
Though poor, it was a harmonious household—even after finishing the meal, the family sat around chatting noisily.
"Anyway, once I hired the lawyer, the company started calling too. All those guys who used to stall and dodge me."
"What happened to them? Those customers who had the gall to push around your mother. I saw on the news the reporters swarmed them."
"Ugh, don't get me started. Turns out the household head is a high-ranking civil servant. It's a whole scandal. He keeps calling and calling, saying he wants to apologize."
"Honey, absolutely do not accept that apology. If we fix their bad habits now, they won't push around anyone else either."
The first topic was Mom's lawsuit.
The conversation then moved on.
"I'm being admitted to the hospital tomorrow. And apparently my room is a VIP suite."
"Gasp! Dad, can I sleep there? I'll take care of you. It's close to school anyway."
"No. Your mother needs to stay by my side for my comfort."
"Wow! A VIP suite is probably nicer than our house."
Minhyeok's news came up too.
"The scholarship is great, but it's only for one semester."
"Because of your grades?"
"Hyung! I'm good at school. I couldn't get a full scholarship, but I've been getting a half one."
"Then why?"
"I'm taking next semester off for the military, remember?"
"Oh right!"
Come to think of it, he was at that age.
"Oh! And how are things with you, hyung? …Still doing part-time jobs? I wish you'd find something stable."
"That's right, Minhyeok's right. Once my rehab is done I'll look for work too, so you should focus on job hunting while you're at it."
"Our eldest son has worked so hard. From now on, live for yourself. Once the lawsuit settles and we get compensation, our family will be pretty well off."
Juhyeok deliberated for a moment.
How should he bring it up?
It was practically a bombshell statement.
In moments like this, the direct approach was best.
"I've hinted at it before, remember?"
He paused briefly.
"I've Awakened. I'm active as a Player."
The family blinked wide-eyed, as if to say, what nonsense is this?
"You're joking without even turning on the blinker."
"You mean like a video game player?"
"Hyung. Just eat your fruit."
He planned to hide the S++ clear.
He trusted his family, but the fewer people who knew, the better.
Juhyeok pulled out a chunk of magic stones from his inventory. Tuck!
The adamantium metal mace too. Tuck!
The alloy round shield. Tuck!
All the while, he kept talking.
"See? Magic stones, and the weapons I use. I've made some decent money clearing the tower."
How could they not be shocked?
Things were literally popping out of thin air.
"Whoa."
"Is, is this…?"
"…"
The decisive line.
"The Awakening Management Bureau wants to sign me to an Elite contract… Ahh, this cursed talent of mine—it really does make life exhausting."
It was a shock.
His father's jaw simply hung open.
Minhyeok covered his mouth with both hands.
His mother gazed at Juhyeok with a peculiar expression.
"I'm a full-blown manly man now. From now on, please refrain as much as possible from saying I'm timid, or a loser, in front of me."
Juhyeok's expression was dead serious.