**
A deranged crime—cutting off a victim's head and decorating it with a ribbon.
A whopping three victims.
'This is insane.'
A public wanted notice had even been issued.
The suspect's face was captured clearly on the CCTV footage.
'It's not John Kossack's face, though...'
He's an assassin, so there's a good chance he was disguised.
Or it was someone else entirely... or maybe it's just a coincidence.
But what are the odds that two murderers tie ribbon knots on severed heads?
'Did I summon a demon? He's a ghost, so like... an evil spirit? That must be it.'
After watching the morning TV news,
Juhyeok searched on the internet.
The Smile Cash murder case.
But the general public's view of the case was unexpected.
The community comment sections were mostly in the mood of "they died well."
└ Should we even call them a ribbon murderer?
└ Murderer, my ass! A righteous hero of ribbons.
└ I heard these guys were doing illegal stuff disguised as legal?
└ So satisfying. How much damage could they have suffered? I heard some people even had organs taken.
└ I borrowed 1 million won and had to pay back 5 million before they finally let me go.
└ That's nothing. My friend borrowed 8 million and the interest alone hit 10 million, principal untouched.
└ Who do you think killed them?
└ Well, obviously one of the victims.
└ Bastards. I don't know who did it, but isn't this basically self-defense?
Juhyeok let out a long sigh and closed his laptop.
'Wasn't it absolute obedience?'
He had never given an order to kill.
All he said was to watch some TV.
Then why?
Juhyeok summoned his status window and checked the catalog entry.
**
- Name: John Kossack
- Grade: SR (Super Rare)
- Type: Assassin (Human)
- Manifestation time limit: 6 hours
- Satisfaction rating: None.
- Resummon wait time: 3 hours (designated summon currently available)
Summoning is possible.
Should I call him and ask?
Whether he really killed people? And if so, why?
But...
'Scary.'
What if he turns on me, his own summoner?
'...No. He doesn't seem like the type.'
It might have actually been something he did to protect me.
Decision made.
Let's call him.
"...Designated summon: John Kossack!"
Just then—
Ding!
A holographic screen popped up before Juhyeok's eyes. Five colorless stars were displayed on it.
**[Please leave a satisfaction rating for John Kossack before designated summoning.]**
**[Please move your finger to assign a star rating.]**
Oh! So that's why there was a satisfaction rating in the catalog.
'A star rating, huh.'
I guess I should give one...
But how many stars?
Juhyeok was the type to give 5 stars every single time he had the chance to rate something.
His mother worked as a coordinator for a water purifier rental company, so he knew all too well how much it stings when a satisfaction rating comes back low.
But he couldn't exactly give 5 stars to a murder suspect either.
Then...
Tap!
**[John Kossack's satisfaction rating has been set to 3 stars.]**
A vague, middle-of-the-road score. Neither here nor there. Three stars.
There's dissatisfaction, but it's not 1 star.
This, right here, is the wimp's star rating.
In an instant!
**Whoosh! Whoosh!**
**[John Kossack has been designated summoned.]**
"At your service! Great to see you again, sir! Thank you for the 3 stars, sir! I'll work even harder from now on, sir!"
"...Right."
A bright, innocent face.
THIS person killed three people?
No way! Couldn't be!
"I have something to ask of you."
"Sir, yes sir! Ask away!"
"Those people who came to our house yesterday... did you kill them, Mr. Kossack?"
"That's correct, sir. I handled it last night. Right before I was unsummoned."
"..."
Ahhh!
So it WAS this guy.
He was standing face-to-face with a murderer right now.
The hair on his whole body stood on end.
Gather your courage.
*Gulp.*
He swallowed, afraid he might hiccup.
"...H-how did you do it? You wouldn't even know where the office was."
"I planted a Mark of Tracking when they stormed into your home, Summoner Bong. I know exactly where they are."
A Mark of Tracking?
Must be some kind of skill.
"W-why? Why would you go that far?"
"Because they were a threat, sir. It's best to eliminate them in advance."
"Hmm, but I didn't order you to."
"...W-well, that's because of Principle 3, Clause 3."
Principles? You mean—
Clause 1: Prioritize the summoner's life.
Clause 2: Absolutely obey orders.
Clause 3 is...
"Clause 3 states that when Clause 1 and Clause 2 come into conflict, Clause 1 shall take priority as the highest value, sir."
"Oh!"
I think I get it.
For example, if Juhyeok ordered Kossack to kill him, Kossack would disobey.
Because Clause 1 takes precedence.
"But there was no actual threat. Isn't that your own arbitrary judgment?"
"That's true, sir. However, Clause 3 can be interpreted broadly, sir. If I left them be, they would surely threaten the summoner's life sooner or later, sir."
"..."
This is insane.
A guess that illegal loan sharks might kill him.
Before being summoned, Kossack probably figured he couldn't protect Juhyeok from up close, and decided killing them was the best option.
"Wow! You're seriously out of your— Oh! Sorry."
"No need to apologize, sir. I've heard that a lot."
An unexpected outburst born of arbitrary judgment.
It's ambiguous.
How is he supposed to take this?
'...I shouldn't be thanking him, but this is really dangerous.'
He was essentially a ticking time bomb.
He might be difficult to control.
For example, say Juhyeok walks down a crowded street together with John Kossack.
By accident, some thuggish-looking guy bumps shoulders with Juhyeok.
The guy who got shoulder-checked would say something like:
— You wanna die? I'll gouge those eyes right out of your head!
Then John Kossack would perceive that person as a threat to his life.
And as a result, another bow-ribboned severed head might be created.
This can't go on.
He didn't even know if he'd keep summoning this guy in the future.
"Murder isn't for my sake. Because of it, I could end up in serious trouble."
"...No one will ever find out, sir."
But when Juhyeok kept frowning, John Kossack quietly bent his knees and knelt down.
"I have done wrong, sir."
"...Don't kneel."
"Sir, yes sir!"
"You won't do it again, right?"
"I... cannot promise that, sir."
The way his eyes darted around was less than reassuring.
Still, he didn't seem to be lying.
"If my life were in clear and present danger, fine. But killing people over a mere guess—"
"Old news, sir! I'll judge situations properly from now on."
The answer was certainly spirited.
"Fine. Go back now."
"B-but, will you not climb the Tower?"
The Tower climb.
Since it came up, he might as well be honest.
Embarrassing as it is.
"I haven't decided yet. ...I'm a coward. It's scary. And I don't want to die."
"Aha! Understood, sir. In my experience, that's exactly how summoners who call us should be, sir."
Huh? Summoners should be cowards?
And "in your experience"?
"Have there been other summoners? People who summoned you, Mr. Kossack, like I did?"
"There were, sir."
There were?
There are more people like me?
"...People from the same Earth?"
"No, sir. A world similar to Earth's civilization, but different. There are quite a few such worlds, sir."
"Hmm."
A world similar to Earth's civilization...
A parallel universe?
"Then people over there could summon you too, Mr. Kossack."
"They cannot, sir."
"Why not?"
John Kossack answered with a gloomy, sorrowful expression.
"They passed away, sir."
"Oh..."
"That world was destroyed as well."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
"They were a truly brave person, sir."
"I see."
"They charged out ahead of me to fight the monsters. A truly powerful summoner."
"You must miss them a lot."
"I wouldn't know, sir. I don't remember them now."
A strange feeling washes over him.
A slight sense of humiliation, his face flushing with embarrassment.
Other summoners were brave, so why is he such a coward?
"I must look pathetic by comparison, don't I?"
"Sir?"
"Being a coward who's afraid to even enter the Tower."
John Kossack frantically waved his hands in denial.
"No, sir! Absolutely not, sir! Quite the opposite, sir. I really like it, sir!"
"...What?"
What is he talking about now?
"That's how summoners should be, sir. Bravery is poison, sir. Cowardice is the greatest virtue, sir."
"Uhh..."
"Brave summoners are dangerous, sir. You never know when they might die. And if the summoner dies, we can't come out into the world either, sir."
So that's how it connects?
"May you keep looking out for yourself and live a long, long life, Summoner Bong. I'll handle all the dirty work, sir."
"Yes, well... sure."
Easy for him to say.
Even if he told him not to, Kossack probably would anyway.
"Anyway, I'll think about climbing the Tower."
"Take your time deciding, sir. There's no problem if you don't."
"Well then..."
"Sir, yes sir! Please summon me again sometime!"
Juhyeok used the unsummoning skill.
*Pop!* John Kossack vanished.
'He's gone.'
His mind goes numb.
Too many high-impact events yesterday and today.
Back to everyday life now.
He has to go to work.
Juhyeok works two jobs.
A convenience store job during the day.
A restaurant job at night.
There are a lot of places his money needs to go.
His father's rehabilitation to a full recovery is far off, and his mother is a water purifier company coordinator.
He needs to contribute to the household however he can.
So working two part-time jobs is far better than committing to a single employer.
He sends money home with what he earns, saves, pays off debt.
'...Do I even need to pay the debt anymore?'
Well, the person he owed money to is gone.
It's late. Better head out.
---
※ ※ ※
The convenience store where Juhyeok works.
Even though it's the day shift, he can't get any work done.
A 0.01% Awakening.
And a summoner-type trait player.
No matter how good his trait is, it's clearly dangerous.
Would summoning really be a free ride?
'Better not to.'
But Juhyeok is young too.
The desire to try at least once wells up inside him.
'Damn it! Why can't I do it too?'
Besides, the future is uncertain.
He can't work part-time jobs his whole life.
Do it, or don't.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Classic wimp trait!
Indecisiveness. Decision paralysis.
At this rate, his Awakening might get revoked.
If you don't climb the Tower within 3 months of Awakening, you lose your player qualification.
Existing players get revoked too if they stop climbing.
'It'd be a waste to just let it get canceled, though...'
Then again, from a certain point of view, maybe letting it all pass by without incident wouldn't be so bad.
'Should I at least look into what it's like?'
When you become a player, the state steps in and provides full support.
Legal counsel, protection of identity upon request, even purchasing at premium prices the rewards obtained from Tower climbing—plus endless other benefits.
At first, players hid their identities, but nowadays many players are active while openly revealing their status.
Practically celebrity-level entertainers.
Some even carry recording devices into the Tower and livestream their climbing process.
If you look, there are a few videos out there.
'Any summoner-trait player climbing videos?'
There are.
A video by a player with a trait that summons golems.
'...Whoa!'
Waves of monsters surging in.
The summoner-trait player gesturing toward them.
**THUD THUD THUD THUD!**
A golem about 3 meters tall tore the monsters apart.
The numbers were so overwhelming that he got pushed back a bit, but...
'This trait is a cakewalk, isn't it?'
The summoner barely seems to do anything.
Totally doable.
'Should I try it?'
But then, the comments on the video.
└ Why is a LV 30 doing the 21st floor? Climb to the 31st.
└ Bet he got scared after trying once. That place has a trap zone with tons of monster spawns.
└ Just go back to Floor 1, dude.
└ So farming the 21st floor on repeat is enough to live on?
└ Little coward.
└ Hey, hey, don't be too harsh. If you die inside the Tower, they can't even find your body. Cut him some slack.
Players who stop climbing altogether.
There are quite a few.
It's only natural that each floor gets harder as you go up.
If it's merely hard, you're lucky.
One slip, and you die.
So they park on an easy floor and just reap the rewards.
Floor missions can be repeated multiple times, after all.
'I like this guy.'
Even better, honestly.
What's wrong with coasting on an easy floor?
And with that, the story changes.
In a corner of Juhyeok's heart, the thought—Maybe I'll give it a try?—began to quietly bloom.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────