On his way out for the day shift at the convenience store, Juhyeok called his father.
"Dad, are you working hard on rehab? Has the hip bone healed up solid?"
-You think it heals that easily? I spend half the day lying down. Why'd you call? It's not like we live far apart. You should visit in person.
"I've been busy. Let's grab a meal outside sometime."
The family home was in Seoul too.
Two rooms, one kitchen, one bathroom.
The reason Juhyeok started living on his own was that the house was too cramped.
Two grown sons.
The brothers had shared a room as children, but as they grew up, it had been anything but comfortable.
-Nothing going on with you?
"What could possibly be going on? My only trouble is having no money. Hah, it'd be nice if I awakened at a time like this."
Testing the waters, he probed.-Awaken and do what? There's no way that 0.01% chance will come to you, and even if it did... you wouldn't do it anyway!
"Huh?"
-How would you even get into the Tower? A guy who looks exactly like me... "..."
His father was convinced Juhyeok would never work as a player.
It wasn't a wrong judgment.
No one knew each other better than they did.
"Well, it's not wrong."
-Quit with the useless daydreams and come home soon. Let me see your face.
The reason Bong Juhyeok was a petty commoner, a coward, with a safety-first mindset was a kind of family trait(?).
But what about the other guy who inherited the same genes?
He called his younger brother, Bong Minhyeok.
"...Anyway, Minhyeok, if you awakened, would you go into the Tower?"
-Are you crazy? Absolutely not. I'd quietly do three months and then just give up.
"That's what I thought. You coward."
-What about you? You're a coward too, hyung.
"Why you—"
Well, where else would the paternal genes go.
-Anyway, bear with it a little longer. I'll graduate soon and rebuild the family. I'll pay you back for what I owe you, hyung.
"...All talk, as usual."
-Sorry. And thank you.
"Yeah, just study hard."
He also called his mom.
"Mom."
-Yes, my son, what is it?
"Is everything going well?"
-It is. I'm doing fine. Except I got fired from my job yesterday.
Huh?
"I don't think that counts as 'fine'... Why, though?"
-That rotten customer. He said he'd give me a good satisfaction rating and asked me to clean up all the trash in his house, even the food waste. Was I just supposed to stand there? Whack! I slapped him. So I got fired.
"Ohhhh..."
-Don't worry. I'll find another job soon. Don't concern yourself with us. You just live your life. And don't even think about sending money.
Mom was bold and brave.
The type who couldn't stand injustice.
That's why his father had fallen head over heels for her—no wonder his father's greatest life achievement was asking Mom out on a date.'Ahem.'His pride was wounded.
The pathetic paternal genes.'...I must have gotten Mom's genes mixed in. Yes! Of course.'It was certain.
That's why he'd gone into the Tower in the first place.'Anyway, I'll have to keep climbing.'Mom had just lost her job too, so the family's money line had been cut off.
According to what he'd heard, floors 1 through 5 were very easy.'The mortality rate is 0%.'A kind of tutorial, a practice game.'Once I get past floor 5...'If it's fine, I keep going.
If not, I stop.※ ※ ※Convenience store job during the day, work at the charcoal-grilled meat restaurant at night, and back home to conquer the Tower with John Kosak.
The plan Juhyeok had laid out for each day.
The plan's success depended on Kosak.
Which is why he should always be grateful.
And always rate him 5 out of 5 stars.
"Chu! I-I don't know where to put myself. Giving a 5-star rating to someone as lacking as me."
"I'd give you a 10 if I could."
"Hehe, I'm glad you were satisfied."
"For floor 2, what do I need to—"
"What do you need to do? You won't even have the time. It'll be a 3-minute clear."
"Hahaha, nice."
"Hehehe, nice indeed."
Now then, before we begin.
"Can I ask a few questions?"
"Of course! Ask as many as you like."
"It's something I heard when we first met—you said you came from a place with lots of people?"
"That's right. There's a large space, and we wait inside it."
"How many of you?"
"Whew, a lot. Looks like over three hundred, roughly."
Over three hundred summonable gacha(?) characters.
That's a lot.
Though the grades would all be different.
"To get out of there...?"
"You only leave when you get called. Then you manifest into a physical body like this."
So a "call" is a summoning.
"Then what about the satisfaction rating?"
"The better the rating, the more benefits there are. For example, manifestation time, grade increases, and needless to say, more opportunities to get called."
"Aha!"
He'd learn the details later.
Into the Tower.
The important thing was safety first.
The more greedy you got, the sooner you died.[Entering the Black Tower of South Korea, Floor 2.]
The mission?[Floor 2 Mission: Defeat 10 Nimble Fat Maggots.][Deadline: Within 2 hours.][Completion Condition: Nimble Fat Maggots 0/10][Failure Condition: Death or abandoning the mission.]
This time, speedy maggots.
"We'll finish quickly and get you home."
"Should we have chicken tonight? And some beer too..."
"Thank you, sir!"
Swish! Thwack! Pow! Swish! Thwack! Pow! Swish! Thwack! Pow...[You have succeeded in the Floor 2 mission.][You have leveled up.][Reward: 200g of Mana Stones][Notice: You have achieved an S++ rating in conquering Floor 2 of the Black Tower (South Korea).][S++ Conquest Reward: A Platinum Badge is awarded.]'Insane, this is insane.'S++ the moment he entered.
Wait, is it really okay for this to be this easy?
Fast—too fast.'I could pop in and out before my morning shift.'Tower re-entry wasn't based on a 24-hour clock, but a daily cycle, like a game's daily quests.
And so, the next morning.[Floor 3 Mission: Defeat 10 Frost-Chill Fat Maggots.][You have leveled up.][Reward: 300g of Mana Stones][Notice: You have achieved an S++ rating in conquering Floor 3 of the Black Tower (South Korea).][S++ Conquest Reward: A Platinum Badge is awarded.]Floors 4 and 5 were the same.
The Mana Stone rewards were 400g and 500g.
And he received a Platinum Badge each time.
A total of five badges lined up neatly in a corner of his inventory.'What on earth are these used for...'Suddenly![You have collected 5 S++-grade Platinum Badges.]There it was.'What've we got?'[A cumulative reward of 5 Platinum Badges grants a special benefit.][Benefit: Awakening Trait Enhancement.]
"Oh!"
Trait enhancement, no less.
"Status window."[Name]: Bong Juhyeok[Affiliation]: Black Tower (South Korea)[Level]: LV 6[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 2)[Catalog]: John Kosak[Trait Skills]: Designated Summon / Random Summon / Dismiss Summon[Universal Skills]: Tower Entry (Once per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory[Combat Skills]: NoneOne line jumped out at him.
Simultaneous summons: 2.'So I can bring along one more?'Who knew breaking records would be this rewarding.
He'd be even safer.
And Kosak was already cutting through everything solo as it was.'One more with a Random Summon... oh, right.'Cooldown, waiting time.
He still had over 20 days before he could use Random Summon again.'I'll wait until then, summon one more, and the three of us together...'No, wait.'Since I won't participate in combat, it'll be two.'What a sweet deal.
Let's take it slow from here on out.
Until the Random Summon cooldown ends.
Climbing again tomorrow, too.
No need to overthink—just keep going up.
To Floor 6.※ ※ ※Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.
The Tower Player Awakening Management Agency.
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu waited with clammy hands and a tense heart for a tower-wide announcement message.
When would it ring today?
Morning, noon? Evening? Or late at night?
The timing might vary, but it was definitely one person.
The climber was progressing through the floors in order.
A full message, in other words, a broadcast announcement.
Something only players affiliated with each tower could hear.
Which is why numerous players were gathered in the office.
After some time passed,"Gasp!"
"...Good heavens."
"Again?"
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu rushed over.
"D-did an announcement come up?"
"Yes. An S++ rating for Floor 6 of the Black Tower (South Korea)."
"Hahah..."An S++ conquest announcement appearing six days in a row.
Who on earth was it?'It's clearly someone who just awakened.'Ratings are properly calculated only when a player at the level matching the floor conquers it.
In other words, only a Level 6 player could set a record on Floor 6.'The highest record we know of is A-grade,'This was the first he'd heard that anything higher existed.
Or that an S++ triggered a full broadcast.
Who on earth was it?
A possessor of tremendous talent.
If floors 7, 8, 9, 10—every floor conquered from here on—were all S++...He had to find this person.
Find them and manage them with the utmost care.
If they were careless, another country could snatch them away.
And what happens if they're snatched?
Change your nationality, and your tower affiliation changes.
For example, a player with [Affiliation]: Black Tower (South Korea) who moves to Japan and changes citizenship becomes [Affiliation]: Black Tower (Japan). Like that.'...Absolutely not!'He didn't even want to imagine it.'I need to rein in the players affiliated with Korea first.'Though he wasn't sure it would do any good.'I hope they call us soon.'To work properly as a player, you had to register with the Management Agency.
The call would probably come soon.※ ※ ※The tower climbing was proceeding smoothly, step by step.
"Floor 8 today, right?"
"Yes, sir!"Floors 1 through 5 were the tutorial; floors 6 through 10, the section where you shed your rookie tag.
"Let's do this well. I'll join in a bit too..."
"No need, sir! It's not together—I'll do it alone!"
"Hmm, but if you run into a dangerous situation, Kosak..."
"Aigoo, that won't happen, but if it does, just curse me from the sidelines. It'll be because I'm foolish."
I don't know if this is okay.
Yesterday had been Floor 7.
The mission was to push through a horde of monsters and retrieve a flag planted atop a tall hill.
Far too simple.
The monsters couldn't handle Kosak's lightning-fast speed.
Truly worthy of S++ and a Platinum Badge.Floor 8?
He entered the Tower.[Mission: Defeat 10 Red Thorn Frog Warriors.]
Marshland terrain that swallowed your feet with every step.
And frog warriors.
Small as they were, they were frightening.
Unlike the maggots and caterpillars so far, these had mouths and long tongues.
Fortunately, no teeth... In truth, he hadn't even had the chance to get a good look.
Papapapat!
Zigzag-stepping across the marsh at terrifying speed, John Kosak.
Thwip!
Whirrr!
The long tongue of a Red Thorn Frog Warrior flying toward Kosak.
Swish!
The long tongue was severed mid-air.
Vmmmm!
Kosak's dagger, extended by sword qi.
Swish! Swish-shwick! Swish-shwick-shwick!
Frog flesh fragments scattering in all directions.
They couldn't withstand John Kosak's sword qi.
Pupupuk! Pukpukpukpuk!
"Gyagul, gyaaagul..."
Stab!
Splat![You have succeeded in the Floor 8 mission.][You have leveled up.]Floor 8 conquered, so Level 9.[Notice: You have achieved an S++ rating in conquering Floor 8 of the Black Tower (South Korea).][Reward: A Platinum Badge awarded for the S++-grade record.][Reward: 800g of Mana Stones][Reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potion (5)]Snap!
Back in Juhyeok's one-room apartment once more.
"Thank you for your hard work today, sir!"
"I didn't do anything. What hard work?"
"Entering the Tower is the hardest part of all, sir. Once we're inside, I do everything."
The "hard work," in the end, amounted to nothing more than entering the Tower.
"Well, it is easy, I'll admit. Over this quickly."
Of course, it wasn't him but Kosak who'd done it.
"Still, you mustn't let your guard down, sir. The higher we climb, the harder it will get. Especially from the latter part of Floor 10 onward, they're not to be taken lightly."
That's right.
Never let your guard down.
Juhyeok knew it well.
Was it because he was strong?
No—it was thanks to Kosak's abilities.
A man must know his own place.
That's how you live a long, long life.
In any case, another clear in under 3 minutes today.
Should he give the hardworking Kosak a gift?
He pulled 50,000 won out of his wallet."There's plenty of time left, so go out and have some fun before coming back. Eat something delicious—as long as you don't cause trouble, that's fine."
"I cannot!"
"Why not?"
"I cannot leave Summoner Bong's side. I'll just watch TV at home."
"Hmm."
The principle of absolute submission didn't apply here either. Probably because of Principle One.
Prioritize the summoner's life above all else.
"Should we order some chicken?"
"Ohhhh! Wonderful, sir!"
He opened a delivery app and ordered a chicken.'Let's look over the rewards, shall we?'First, the new reward: the Tower-Exclusive Healing Potion.
True to its name, exclusive to the Tower.
Unusable in reality—and he had no use for it himself anyway.'I can give it to Kosak.'Incidentally, what was he supposed to do with these Mana Stones?
The total accumulated so far: 3.6kg.
Barely a handful.
They were stones, but dense, so small in volume relative to their weight.'I've earned 1.8 million won.'If he sold them, that is.
What good were they sitting in his inventory?
He needed to turn them into cash.
But selling Mana Stones.
That was a problem requiring a great deal of thought.
In fact, something far more difficult than tower climbing was waiting for Juhyeok.────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────