Juhyeok's ambitious journey to receive a special privilege and succeed in trait enhancement no matter what.
And the three summoned beings' desperate resolve to create one more open slot so none of them loses their job.
It all began at Floor 36.
The large humanoid monster, the Ogre.
Though smaller than the Minotaur, the Ogre's strength was its speed. On Stage 1 of Floor 36, it was only moderately fast, but from Stage 2 onward, that massive body moved as quickly as an orc. Stage 3?
Nearly rabbit-level.
Worse still, it was clever and cunning—once it sensed danger, it bolted without hesitation. In Stage 4, it used some kind of movement skill, hopping high above the players' heads while tormenting them.
Restraint techniques were crucial.
Players each had action-control skills suited to their traits, but using them at the right place and right time was a difficult feat—that's exactly what made talent so valuable. Juhyeok, however, had no action-control skills at all.
Only his summoned beings.
Sssal Gobang—far larger, stronger, and faster than any Ogre.
Skkk! Crunch! Shuuuk!
"KUOOOOOH!"
And the Sssal Shaman, Gyeondallae, who bound the Ogres in a wide-area debuff.
"Let the wicked ones not stir!"
Then there was the assassin John Kosak, bloodshot eyes raging into a frenzy.
"RAAAAAAH!"
Truthfully, Kosak wasn't the only one anxious.
Who knew which summoned being would be called next?
One slip and it was dismissal.
He would no longer get to enjoy the after-work dinner his boss treated him to after working hard at the office.
Of course he had to be desperate.
Juhyeok kept his promise.
He stood idly in the rear.
But his thoughts were complicated.
He had boldly declared, "Go forth!"—but 'what if no special privilege drops by Floor 50?' If luck was bad, it would be a total disaster. 'No, it has to drop.' There was, admittedly, one other way to achieve trait enhancement besides the special privilege.
The Trait Enhancement Rune.
But with an extremely, extremely slim probability. It could only be obtained as a reward item from Floor 45 or higher, and these days it didn't even appear on the market. 'Should I beg the Management Bureau? Ask them to get me one?' But that had a drawback too.
He'd owe them an even bigger favor than receiving a penthouse. 'This is a mess.' Let's head to Floor 40 first, check the special privilege, then decide.
And so Floor 36 fell too.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ conquest rating for Floor 36 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
Then Floor 37,
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ conquest rating for Floor 37 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
Then even Floors 38 and 39,
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ conquest rating for Floor 38 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ conquest rating for Floor 39 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
It was a mad pace.
Once a day—always in the morning—the full-server announcement rang out without fail.
Citizens watching their morning dramas had to see the caption
It had become routine; no one found it astonishing anymore.
└ Nam Gaeun VS the 39-Consecutive S++ Conquest Record Holder
└ I'm Team Nam Gaeun.
└ Me too.
└ Eh, if you're a civilian, maybe, but any player would pick Nam Gaeun.
└ Right? You've gotta pick the S++ record holder, no question.
└ How does Nam Gaeun even compare to 39 consecutive S++ clears?
└ But isn't he overdoing it these days? He's cleared four floors in a row.
39 consecutive S++ conquests.
And four days in a row at that.
The national pride showed no sign of dwindling.
Amid it all, the nation's largest supplier of national pride quietly slipped out of his secret hideaway.
※ ※ ※
Every time he used it, Juhyeok marveled—the Perception Inhibition Ring's effect was phenomenal.
It went beyond simply preventing facial recognition; it even dissolved wariness.
Even brushing right past someone, he registered as a person they'd always seen around, someone posing no threat whatsoever.
In fact, security around the officetel where Juhyeok lived had been heavily reinforced recently.
The number of interior guards had increased, and so had the personnel monitoring the entire building from outside.
But before the Perception Inhibition Ring, it was all useless.
Even when Juhyeok walked out of the officetel at 4 a.m., a sparse hour, they merely thought, 'Oh, some dog passing by.'
Once he'd walked a fair distance from the building, the late-night taxis came into view.
He shyly raised a hand and hailed one.
"Excuse me, driver... I'm thinking of going to the Gongju Traditional Market in South Chungcheong."
"Sorry? Where was that?"
"Gongju Traditional Market. Is that a problem?"
"That's really far..."
"Ah, hmm... five hundred thousand won? In cash..."
"Buckle up, please."
The taxi shot off like an arrow.
It took an hour and a half to reach Gongju Traditional Market.
It was still early dawn.
Yet quite a few people were already around.
Checking his watch: before six.
Juhyeok entered the market's public restroom and summoned Kosak.
"CHUNG! Kosak has arrived!"
"You're ready?"
"Steeled and ready, sir!"
"Good. Let's go."
The reason they'd come to the market was... obviously, to shop.
"Shall we start with fruit?"
"There's a lot more to buy besides that. It'll be really heavy."
"Aiya, I shall carry it all. Summoner, you need only handle the payment."
And indeed, they bought an enormous amount.
After finishing their shopping, they moved on.
They hailed another taxi.
"Georyongsan National Park, please."
"Of course, of course. Going hiking? Hop in."
"There's a lot of luggage—could you open the trunk..."
Juhyeok and Kosak rode together in silence.
Not a single word was exchanged during the ride.
Georyongsan National Park, arrival.
They went to an area free of people and summoned Gobang and Gyeondallae as well.
"We have awaited you, Young Master."
"I shall carry the luggage. Give it to me."
Gyeondallae took the lead.
"Though this is a different world, the mountain's features look similar—so I believe that place still remains. Follow me."
She took the hiking trail up for a while, then veered off the path.
A rugged valley appeared.
They kept walking, and then—
"Here we are."
"Where shall we set the items?"
"Hmm, around here should... Ah!"
As if remembering something, she looked at Gobang.
"Would you move that boulder aside, please."
"Understood, my lady."
A boulder that looked enormously heavy from sight alone was lifted effortlessly in Gobang's hands.
Beneath it appeared a flat slab of stone.
"It must be cleaned thoroughly. Take the pine branch we brought, dipped in valley water, and scrub it hard."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Without a word of complaint, they did as they were told.
Gobang and Kosak diligently scrubbed the moss-caked, grimy boulder clean.
And Gyeondallae?
She had her own task to attend to.
Hanji paper held in her mouth, in a reverent posture—swish, swish—she sharpened her blade.
'Hmm.'
A woman in white mourning garb, sharpening a knife.
A little chilling, honestly.
Upon the now-spotless slab, the food offerings were laid out.
A pig's head at the center, with fruits and various ritual foods arranged on either side.
"We shall now begin."
Fwap fwap!
Juhyeok, Gobang, and Kosak all knelt before the offering table.
At the same time, Gyeondallae set down the speaker they'd brought and pressed play.
Jjaeng, jjaengjaejaejaeng, jjaengjaengjjae jaengjaejaeng.
Dung! Dungdeokung, deodeong deongdeo deodeokung!
The gut began to the rhythm of the jajinmori.
Gyeondallae, holding her bells and blade, began to shake her body wildly.
"Ohhhh, oh-hee, to the spirits of Heaven and Earth we make our plea—look upon the Young Master with favor, and grant him nothing but great fortune in the days to come."
Not a single person laughed.
It was solemn, serious, and dignified.
"We pray, we pray—grant us trait enhancement, we pray."
When Juhyeok called out, everyone chimed in with one voice.
"We pray, we pray—grant us trait enhancement, we pray."
It was a proper gut ritual.
A prayer ceremony for the special privilege to be granted from accumulating 40 Platinum Badges.
Would it work?
'Believing in superstition—isn't that just cringe?'
So what if it doesn't?
What matters is making the effort to try something.
Besides, performing a gut isn't all that unusual.
People do it when founding a company, when shooting their first film, when politicians run for office.
All to find peace of mind.
We have to pull it off this time.
He didn't want to disappoint his summoned beings.
At this rate, he might end up groveling before the Management Bureau.
Better a gut ritual than that.
The ritual reached its climax.
Gyeondallae's dance grew ever more furious.
Fweee!
The gleaming blue blade was flung skyward.
Kosak snatched it and passed it to Gobang.
Kneeling, Gobang gripped the blade's spine firmly with both hands, then raised it edge-up.
Before anyone noticed, Gyeondallae—socks removed—stepped barefoot onto the blade.
Light as a feather.
Gyeondallae, treading the blade.
The omens were good.
Surely it would go well.
※ ※ ※
As expected, Juhyeok took a taxi back to his Seoul officetel, alone.
He tapped his key card and entered.
Having returned home after his same-day journey, Juhyeok began meditation with a reverent heart.
He had unsummoned his beings the moment the ritual ended, so he could call them back soon.
Honestly, the S++ clear of Floor 40 wasn't the issue.
The conquest's success was already a given.
But what if, once again, he failed to achieve trait enhancement?
Truthfully, he had no intention of discarding even one of them.
Even if it meant losing out on a Legend.
He'd sooner give up the S++ clear.
This was all for the sake of Kosak and the other summoned beings trembling at the thought of losing their jobs.
Alright! It's time.
Summon—all of them.
"Is everyone ready?"
They all nodded with grave expressions.
"Let's go."
[You are entering Floor 40 of South Korea's Black Tower.]
They'd reached Floor 40 before they knew it.
They received their mission.
[Floor 40 Mission: Defeat 80 Ogres of any kind and 1 Twinhead Ogre.]
[Time Limit: Within 13 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Ogres of all kinds 0/80, Twinhead Ogre 0/1]
Was killing monsters the problem?
No—the real problem was checking the special privilege afterward.
Ogres weren't even a blip on his radar.
His mind was only on killing them fast and checking the reward.
Wuuuuuuuu—
An aura erupted from Gobang and Kosak.
The Ogres must have sensed the danger too, for they couldn't charge in boldly and instead crept backward, step by step.
But could they even escape?
The Ogres were torn apart, and the moment the Twinhead Ogre appeared—
"Gkk!"
And thus—
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ conquest rating for Floor 40 of the Black Tower (South Korea).]
[S++ Conquest Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Poof!
The party returned to the officetel.
"I can't wait, sir!"
"Shh! It's bad luck to say. Mind your words."
"Yessir."
Juhyeok took a deep breath for a moment, then checked his inventory.
[For accumulating 40 Platinum Badges, a special privilege will be granted.]
Let's go! He'd waited long enough.
If nothing came out this time, tower climbing would be suspended indefinitely.
So—trait enhancement...
[Special Privilege: Roulette Spin Ticket (One-Time Use) has been delivered to your inventory.]
"...Huh? What's this?"
Juhyeok's expression turned dumbfounded.
"Wh-what is it? Did it appear, sir?"
"Is it trait enhancement, my lady?"
"Summoner, I am curious. Tell me."
Juhyeok didn't answer.
He simply stared blankly at the image floating before his eyes.
[Tear the Ticket (One-Time Use) to spin the roulette. If not torn within 1 hour, the opportunity will vanish.]
It was a round spinning wheel.
A single needle sat atop it.
Colored wedge-shaped segments of varying sizes packed it tight.
Similar to the random box he'd received before, but the method was different.
The words written on the segments.
Magic stones, herbs, items, potions, skills, various tickets...
'And trait enhancement?'
It was there.
But in the narrowest segment of all.
'First random boxes, now a spin-the-wheel game? Can the needle even land in there?'
"...Is it a bust?"
At Kosak's question—
"We have to spin the roulette."
"Eh? A ro-roulette, sir? The spinning kind?"
"That's right. There's a trait enhancement segment too, but... it's a bit narrow."
"How narrow, sir?"
"This much."
"AIYGOH!"
Let's not get worked up.
Even now, the summoned beings were staring at his face like a row of baby owls.
"Wait a moment. I'll shower and come back out."
Juhyeok grabbed a change of clean clothes and headed into the bathroom.
First, brushing his teeth—in reflection of the swearing earlier.
He washed his ears out thoroughly too.
He dried every crevice, changed his underwear and his clothes, then stepped out of the bathroom.
"..."
Every gaze converged on him.
Everyone was counting on him, and the crushing pressure of having to spin the roulette bore down.
Wow. This is seriously heavy.
"...C-could someone tear the ticket for me instead?"
The gathered gazes withdrew at once.
The summoned beings abruptly looked away, feigning distraction.
They turned their eyes aside as if gazing at distant mountains.
To avoid meeting Juhyeok's eyes.
"...Ugh."
Cowards.
They just didn't want to take responsibility, did they?
'It was better back when it was "anything goes, come what may."'
Regardless, he had no choice.
He'd even gone through a whole gut ritual.
Juhyeok pulled the Roulette Spin Ticket (One-Time Use) from his inventory.
Tremble, tremble—his hands shook.
After several deep breaths—
"If it doesn't show up, am I allowed to swear or not?"
"Not allowed!"
"Not allowed, sir!"
"As if my lady would ever allow it!"
Shraaak!
Without hesitation, he tore the ticket.
Chararararararak!
The roulette spun.
Spinning, spinning, and spinning again.
The mouse-dung-tiny trait enhancement segment.
Chararararararak!
It spins, it spins.
Not just the roulette—his eyeballs spun too.
His head spun too.
The endlessly turning wheel.
When would it stop?
It really spun for a long time.
It spun like mad.
At some point—
Chararara, chararak, charak.
The speed began to fall.
Sreeeereee.
The wheel turned slowly, right to left.
"Come on, go! We even did the gut ritual!"
Sreeeee...
So very slowly.
Nearly at a stop.
Just a little farther, just a little more.
Juhyeok's body twisted.
He followed the direction of the wheel's rotation.
To the left, to the left—
The summoned beings, watching his every move with bated breath, twisted their bodies along with him.
To the left, to the left—
'Ooooh! It's getting closer. Just a little more.'
Had the prayer ritual actually worked?
The trait enhancement segment and the needle were drawing closer and closer.
It was going to happen.
No—it was practically done.
The nearly-stopped wheel.
Now the needle was on the trait enhancement segment.
"Sto-Stop!"
Just stop right there and it's done—but still it crept leftward, little by little.
At this rate, it would pass over.
"You damn rotten rouleeeette—"
Juhyeok twisted his body the other way.
The summoned beings twisted theirs to match—
"DO NOT GO PAST!!!"
If it passed over, it would land on some nameless herb segment.
A special privilege, and he was supposed to celebrate getting an herb?
Go the other way!
Spin right! RIGHT!
Jjit! Juhyeok curled his right toes with all his might.
In that instant—
- CLICK!
Huh?
What was that sound?
'A click?'
At the same moment, the wheel stopped completely.
The needle's position was—
"Aaaaah."
Trait enhancement.
"CLICK!"
[Your Awakening Trait will be enhanced.]
"CLICK!!"
Juhyeok thrust both hands into the air.
"CLICK!!!"
The summoned beings all cheered together.
They leapt and jumped.
"It clicked, sir!"
"It has clicked, my lady!"
"CLICK!"
And thus, the status window displayed—
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 4)────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────