So far, he had received a total of six perks.
Listing them one by one: the first was a trait enhancement, the second a skill copy, Shadow Steps.
The third was an item, the Energy Shield Kit.
The fourth was a random box containing the Hunyuan Piligun technique, along with a rune that raised the summoned being's rank.
The fifth was an encore perk: a re-selected trait enhancement.
The sixth was an item, the Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket.
On top of that, one more rank-up rune for the summoned being had come out as a tower clear reward.
So what would it be this time?
What kind of perk?
The moment he opened his inventory and confirmed the accumulation of 35 platinum badges, the perk would be revealed.
“Shall I go to the water purifier and fetch some purifying water? We ought to make an offering.”
“I'll go fetch it.”
At that, Gyeon Dallae shook her head side to side.
“Water received from a purifier is not purifying water. It is mere tap water. To make an offering with such water might instead invite misfortune.”
It was indeed tap water, but—
“An unexpected result, entirely apart from what was hoped for, may come to pass. So simply purify your heart and proceed with the perk check.”
Juhyeok looked at Gyeon Dallae's face with an odd expression.
“Why are you looking at this maiden's face so? Has something gotten upon it?”
“Ah, no. Of course not.”
Invites misfortune, huh...
When he had done a random summon with tap water from the purifier, who was it that got called out again?
Was that because of the taint?
I must never, ever tell her.
She'd be hurt.
“Alright! Then let us proceed with the check.”
“Summoner Bong, fighting!”
“May you achieve the result you so desire.”
“I, Go Bang, believe in the summoner's luck.”
35 brilliant platinum badges sitting in the inventory.
And in that instant—
[For the accumulation of 35 platinum badges, a perk will be granted.]
“Is it trait enhancement?”
“Waaah! Go! It's gotta be trait enhancement!”
“Let's gooo!”
[Perk: The item 'Warm Dawnlight Golden Aegis' will be delivered to the tower-exclusive inventory.]
“...Huh?”
[Perk: The item 'Cold Dusklight Golden Mace' will be delivered to the tower-exclusive inventory.]
“Eh?”
Two of them, no less.
“Items!”
“...Hm? Ah, items?”
“Items, you say?”
“Items, is it?”
Effect: Upon equipping, enhances the user's concentration, emits a dazzling flash, strengthens physical and magical defense, and with a certain probability upon successful defense, reflects the attack back at the enemy.
Trait: Maintains composure against any status ailment. Absolutely indestructible.
Effect: Increases attack speed in combat, freezes the target, increases attack range, and with a certain probability upon a successful strike, activates an Ice Field.
Trait: Guides the enemy into the rest of twilight. Absolutely indestructible.
“Ooooh! Great effects!”
He hadn't gotten the trait enhancement he wanted, but—still, look at this.
Juhyeok smiled contentedly.
'Love them.'
Both of them gold.
A perfect tank-and-shield set.
He could picture himself bravely standing against monsters with these in hand.
'Should I give it a swing?'
Ooh, it fits perfectly in my hand.
Nice and light, too.
Meanwhile, the others watched him with worried faces.
Kosak spoke to Gyeon Dallae.
“Just look at Summoner Bong. His grin's stretched from ear to ear.”
“Haah, such flashy items, too... The enemies are bound to spot him at a glance.”
“You think he'll just stand still? He'll come out to negotiate again. 'I'll only kill three,' and then he kills five. Then, 'I'll kill five,' and he comes charging up into the air.”
Gyeon Dallae nodded.
“This maiden shares the same thought. With his brilliant talent now given item wings, should this become the trigger for him to throw himself all the more aggressively into battle...”
Kosak's face went pale.
“Oh dear, don't say such things. We're done for. What are we to do? Princess, is there no way?”
Of course, there was.
“As disloyal as it is, we must cling to the young master's very sleeve. Shed a whole bowlful of tears as well.”
“Will that work? Did we not try that once before?”
“He is a young master of deep compassion. Twice, thrice, he will never turn away this maiden's sorrowful heart.”
Would he, really?
Kosak felt stifled.
The trait enhancement they wanted hadn't come, and of all things it had to be that?
Wasn't the Summoner the sort who couldn't rest until he'd tried out any item or skill he got?
“We should have made an offering after all. I regret it.”
“With that purifier water? It likely would have been worse. Something even more sinister might have come out.”
At that, Go Bang cut in abruptly.
“The warrior remembers. We made an offering with purifier water and performed a random summon, and Princess Gyeon Dallae came out.”
“...I beg your pardon?”
Gyeon Dallae tilted her head, as if to ask what nonsense this was.
“Go Bang-nim, y-your joke goes too far. My! How clever you've grown, that you can even joke.”
“The warrior does not lie. The warrior cannot joke either.”
“It's true.”
“...”
Her eyes wavered without mercy.
And then—
“Aha! Now I see. It was n-no ordinary purifier. A purifier that turns tap, tap water into purifying water—since this maiden was the one called forth, it must be a remarkable purifier.”
“It's not a remarkable purifier. It's an ordinary purifier.”
“...If this maiden says so, believe it so.”
“Yes.”
Just then, Go Bang spoke up again.
“In any case, since trait enhancement did not come to pass, it is our three-person formation for the time being.”
“That's right.”
“Indeed it is.”
And as he said it, he looked at both Gyeon Dallae and Kosak.
“Not much time remains until the random summon. The summoner will soon call forth a new person. Then, who is to drop out?”
“...”
“...”
Kosak's face turned deathly pale.
It had come, as it was bound to.
Go Bang, who could handle both tanking and melee DPS.
Gyeon Dallae, who lent everyday help with her talismans and had already secured her place as a buffer.
But he himself was nothing more than a melee dealer with nothing special about him.
A foregone conclusion.
Beyond there, in the depths where souls bound to the tower swarmed—which type of class was treated the most favorably?
Holy healers, buffers and saints?
Royalty, regardless of rank.
Their numbers were the smallest, too.
Meat-shield tanks?
Nobility.
Naturally, their numbers weren't large either.
Then what about dealers?
The most numerous of all.
One had to break it down further.
Magic types: middle-class commoners.
Relatively popular dealers.
A fair number of jobs available, too.
Ranged-type dealers: poor commoners.
Still, they'd throw you a bone.
And finally, melee dealers.
Untouchables.
Their numbers swarmed endlessly.
The higher the floor, the less they'd take you along.
Kosak himself had experienced it.
So if the newly summoned being turned out to be a ranged dealer, or a magic type with wide-area skills?
Gulp.
Kosak swallowed dryly.
Meanwhile, Go Bang and Gyeon Dallae remained perfectly at ease.
“A slave who is not needed must step aside of his own accord. For a useful slave must fill that place.”
“That is so. That is the way to serve the summoner.”
“...”
Sneaky bastards.
They get to breathe easy, is that it?
And yet what they said was a hundred times correct.
“...If such a moment comes, I will make up my mind.”
Even if Summoner Bong pitied him and kept him along to the very end, that too would be a problem.
For the sake of a smooth tower conquest, he would have to bow out on his own.
That was the proper attitude of a summoned being.
But how could he possibly?
“C-couldn't trait enhancement come out once we reach floor 40? If we work hard and rush the floor 40 clear before the random summon...”
In that instant—
“Kosak-nim!!!”
“...Yes?”
Gyeon Dallae's voice cracked like a thunderbolt.
“The climb of the yet-unconquered upper floors rests solely upon the young master's decision. How dare a lowly slave seek to interfere with the young master's exclusive prerogative!!!”
“N-no, that's not what I meant...”
He tried to explain himself, but—
“Would the young master Bong overexert himself for the sake of a slave like you, and would that ease your conscience? Even now, having obtained a weapon as a perk, this maiden's heart feels as though it will be torn asunder...”
“...”
Kosak, unable to reply, merely bowed his head low.
“Huuu, yes, yes. I shall descend gracefully. It has been pleasant while it lasted...”
But just then.
“Who told Kosak to drop out?”
Before anyone knew it, Juhyeok was standing close, eyes blazing.
“Go Bang?”
“N-not me. I, I kept quiet.”
“Princess Gyeon Dallae?”
“...No. It is a m-misunderstanding. It was merely a hypothetical situation, that is all.”
He was angry.
Out of nowhere, telling someone to drop out?
When a timid soul gets angry, that's when they're most frightening.
Juhyeok nailed it down in a resolute voice.
“Listen carefully. If I weren't going to climb the tower, I wouldn't, but I will never kick anyone out. We go with this exact lineup until the climb is over. Especially...”
Juhyeok's eyes met Kosak's.
Kosak flinched, tears welling up in his eyes.
And at the sight of him, Juhyeok gave a small nod, as if to say, don't worry.
Aaaah,
Can you feel it?
This is the burning camaraderie of comrades-in-arms (戰友愛)... no, let's drop the 'love' (愛).
One slip and this could drift into a strange atmosphere.
In any case, the burning friendship of comrades!
He had, quite unintentionally, overheard their conversation.
So—the random summon cooldown had about 15 days left.
If trait enhancement wasn't achieved by then, there would ultimately be three slots remaining.
And if, amid all that, a skilled dealer were summoned in the random summon?
They seemed to have already concluded that someone would have to drop out.
He understood why they thought that way.
Compared to Kosak, who was replaceable at any time.
Go Bang and Gyeon Dallae occupied rock-solid positions that could never be removed.
But fat chance.
The possibility of Kosak dropping out—not even a speck of it.
Who did he owe for having climbed this far?
Because Kosak had paved the way.
He had climbed this far stepping on the man's back.
Thanks to that, he could pass for a human being, at least within the tower.
“And what if a perfectly equipped shield knight comes out of the random summon? Should Go Bang drop out?”
“...”
“And if a saint or a priest comes out, is Princess Gyeon Dallae out?”
“...”
Everyone was struck dumb.
Whether royal princess or barbarian warrior—the dignity of a summoner who subdues all with words alone.
'Was that cool?'
It was probably cool.
He could tell just from Kosak's eyes, brimming with gratitude and trust.
Ahh, why am I so good with words?
In any case, Juhyeok had also grown desperate for trait enhancement.
He would definitely do it.
He would absolutely secure it.
“Kosak.”
“Yes sir!”
“Do you want trait enhancement? Shall we sprint all the way to floor 50?”
Then Kosak answered, once again shedding tears at the drop of a hat.
“I know full well the young master's heart for my sake, but I am quite all right. The day you strain yourself on my account, I could never forgive myself.”
“Screw it, let's sprint!”
“N-no. Please, absolutely do not.”
“Then how about this?”
Juhyeok stretched out his pinky in a gesture of solemn promise.
“Until trait enhancement, I'll stay back without hunting monsters. Not a single one. I won't even take the weapon out of my inventory.”
Kosak's eyes went round as saucers.
Gyeon Dallae's face brightened as well.
Go Bang nodded too.
“How about it? Anyone opposed to sprinting until trait enhancement comes out?”
Gyeon Dallae answered without missing a beat.
“If the young master will not join the battle, how could we possibly refuse? We shall serve so devotedly our sleeves will wear through.”
“Fear not, any of you. I, Go Bang, will protect the summoner. I shall also achieve an S++ rank clear.”
And then—
“Kosak, you in?”
Overcome with emotion, Kosak thrust his hand high into the air and cried out desperately.
“C-call! Yes, call! Call! Caaall!!!”
“Alright! Let's move! Starting from floor 36!”
And thus began the unconquered upper-floor climb, of Kosak, for Kosak, by Kosak.
※ ※ ※
Park Gyeongsu, Director of the Awakening Management Agency, and Park Iljun, Director of the National Intelligence Service, held an emergency meeting.
The two had grown suddenly close through the recent government audit.
It was to share the investigation into the 'Royal Traditional Massage Mass Murder Case' that had recently broken.
It was no simple murder case.
It was an attempted abduction of the Elite Team.
Though, of course, the perpetrators themselves had all ended up dead.
“The dead are all highly likely to be soldiers. And very well-trained ones, at that.”
“These sons of bitches... Who was behind it? Is there any clear evidence?”
“Haah, there is no evidence. If even one of them had survived, we would have extracted it through interrogation. But they're all dead already.”
Still, the suspicion pointed to China.
It could only be China.
In fact, it had been spreading far and wide, quietly.
Rumors that China was wooing—or abducting—talented players from small nations.
And now that target had come to include Korea.
Out of nowhere, it felt as though Korea had become one of those small nations.
“Among their targets was the actual owner of the holy sword as well.”
“Hmm.”
At the NIS director's words, Park Gyeongsu's face flushed crimson with fury.
It was an incident that might well have brought about a national catastrophe.
“They could not have known. It was most likely a coincidence of circumstances.”
At present, the player Bong Juhyeok was known only as the owner of the holy sword.
Only three people in the world knew he was an S++ rank clear record holder.
Even the NIS director did not know.
“I shouldn't say this, but I'm almost grateful to those murderers.”
“In any case, we must investigate thoroughly. How these bastards entered the country, whether any remnants remain, and the identities of the murder suspects as well.”
“One more thing! The NIS needs to pay closer attention to his protection.”
“Yes, I will bear it in mind. We have issued a general mobilization of our organizations both domestic and abroad. There will be results soon enough.”
Once they found definite proof that it was China's doing, they would certainly not sit still.
“By the way, you said Gerald Watson would be entering the country from America in a week?”
“Yes. We have officially received the diplomatic correspondence.”
“What is it we have to do?”
“Nothing. They say they will handle everything themselves, transport and security alike.”
“Of course they would.”
Not when they were bringing over America's very best player.