The next morning.
While heading out for his daytime convenience store shift, Juhyeok called his father.
"Dad, are you keeping up with your rehab? Has your hip bone healed properly?"
—You think bones knit together that easily? I'm lying down half the day. Why are you calling? Our place isn't that far—why not come by in person?
"I'm kind of busy. Let's eat out together sometime soon."
His parents' home was also in Seoul.
Two rooms, a kitchen, one bathroom.
The reason Juhyeok started living on his own was simply because the house was too small.
There were two grown sons.
They shared a room when they were young, but as they grew up, it became unbearably uncomfortable.
—Nothing wrong, right?
"What could be wrong? Just broke as usual. Haah… This would be a great time to awaken or something."
He casually tested the waters.
—Awaken and do what? There's no way that 0.01% chance would hit you, and even if it did… you wouldn't do it anyway!
"What?"
—You? Enter the tower? A guy who takes after me so perfectly?
"..."
His father was certain Juhyeok would never become a Player.
It wasn't exactly a wrong judgment.
They knew each other better than anyone.
"Well… you're not entirely wrong."
—Stop indulging in pointless fantasies and come home soon. Let me see your face.
The reason Bong Juhyeok lived like a small-time civilian, a bottom-tier loser obsessed with safety above all else—
was basically a kind of family trait(?).
Then what about the other guy who shared the same genes?
He called his younger brother, Bong Minhyuk.
"…Anyway, Minhyuk. If you awakened, would you enter the tower?"
—Are you crazy? Absolutely not. I'd quietly spend three months and then just give up.
"Figures. You bottom-tier bastard."
—Like you're any different. You're one too.
"You little—!"
Well, where would those paternal genes go?
—Anyway, just hang in there a bit longer. I'll graduate soon and revive the family. I'll pay you back for everything you've done for me too.
"…You talk a good game."
—I'm sorry. And thank you.
"Yeah. Just focus on studying."
He called his mother too.
"Mom."
—Yes, son. What is it?
"Everything going well?"
—Yeah. I'm doing fine. Except for getting fired from my job yesterday.
…Huh?
"That doesn't sound like 'doing fine'… Why?"
—Because of some awful customer. He said he'd give a good satisfaction rating if I cleaned up all the trash in his house—even food waste. How could I just let that slide? I snapped back at him. So I got fired.
"Aaaah…"
—Don't worry. I'll find another job soon. Don't worry about us—just live your own life. And don't even think about sending money again.
His mother was bold and courageous.
The kind of person who couldn't tolerate injustice.
That was why his father had fallen head over heels for her.
So much so that his father's greatest achievement in life was mustering the courage to ask her out.
'Hmm.'
His pride was hurt.
The sheer mediocrity of his paternal genes.
'…I must have inherited Mom's genes too. Yeah. Definitely.'
He was sure of it.
That was why he entered the tower.
'Anyway, I should keep climbing.'
His mother had just lost her job, so the household income had likely been cut off too.
From what he'd heard, Floors 1 through 5 were extremely easy.
'They say the death rate is 0%.'
Basically a tutorial. A practice game.
'Let's at least get to Floor 5…'
If it felt manageable, he'd keep going.
If not, he'd stop.
※ ※ ※
Daytime convenience store work, nighttime charcoal-grill restaurant shifts, and tower climbing at home with John Kosak.
That was the daily plan Juhyeok had set.
Whether it succeeded or not depended entirely on Kosak.
Which meant he should always be grateful.
And always give a perfect five-star rating.
"L-loyalty! I—I don't know where to put myself. To think you'd give a perfect score to someone as inadequate as me…"
"If I could give ten points, I'd give ten."
"Hehe, I'm glad you're satisfied."
"So on Floor 2, what exactly do I need to do—"
"Do? You won't even have time for that. Three-minute clear."
"Hahaha, sounds great."
"Hehehe, it does."
All right, before we start—
"Can I ask a few things?"
"Oh my! Ask as much as you like, sir."
"You mentioned when we first met that you came from a place with lots of people, right?"
"That's correct. There's a large space, and we wait inside it."
"How many people?"
"Oh man, a lot. Looks like well over three hundred."
Over three hundred summonable gacha(?) characters.
That's a lot.
The ranks probably vary widely, though.
"And to go outside from there…?"
"You need to receive a call. Then you manifest like this, with a physical body."
So a "call" was basically a summon.
"Then why the satisfaction rating?"
"The higher the rating, the more benefits we get. For example, manifestation time, rank upgrades, and more chances to receive calls—those go without saying."
"Oh!"
He'd learn the details gradually.
For now, let's enter the tower.
The most important thing was safety first.
The more greedy you got, the shorter your lifespan.
[Entering the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea, Floor 2.]
What's the mission?
[Floor 2 Mission: Defeat 10 Cunning Fat Grubs.]
[Time Limit: Within 2 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Cunning Fat Grub 0/10]
[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment]
This time, faster grubs.
"I'll finish quickly and escort you home."
"How about chicken tonight? With beer too—"
"Much obliged, sir."
Spirit! Thunk! BOOM!Spirit! Thunk! BOOM!Spirit! Thunk! BOOM! …
[Floor 2 Mission cleared.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Magic Stone 200g]
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on Floor 2 of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
'This is insane. Absolutely insane.'
Every time I enter, it's an S++.
Is it really okay for this to be so easy?
It's not just fast—it's absurdly fast.
'I could even pop in and out before my morning shift.'
Tower re-entry wasn't on a 24-hour timer, but a daily reset, like a game's daily quest.
So the next morning—
[Floor 3 Mission: Defeat 10 Ice-Chill Fat Grubs.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Magic Stone 300g]
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on Floor 3 of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Floors 4 and 5 were the same.
Magic stone rewards of 400g and 500g.
And once again, Platinum Badges.
Five badges lined up neatly in one corner of the inventory.
'What on earth are these even used for—'
Suddenly!
[You have collected 5 S++-grade Platinum Badges.]
It popped up.
'Is there something?'
[Accumulating 5 Platinum Badges grants a special perk.]
[Perk: Awakening Trait Enhancement.]
"Oh!"
Trait enhancement.
"Status window."
[Name]: Bong Juhyeok
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Republic of Korea)
[Level]: 6 LV
[Catalog]: John Kosak
[Trait Skills]: Designated Summon / Random Summon / Summon Dismissal
[General Skills]: Tower Entry (once per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory
[Combat Skills]: None
It stood out immediately.
Simultaneous Summons: 2.
'So I can bring one more person along?'
I had no idea record-breaking was this rewarding.
This would make things even safer.
John Kosak alone was already wiping the floor with everything.
'If I random summon, that's one more— ah, right.'
Cooldown. Reuse timer.
There were still more than twenty days left before I could random summon again.
'Wait until then, summon one more, and the three of us together—'
No, wait.
'I'm not fighting anyway, so it'll just be the two of them.'
That's insanely good.
From now on, let's take it slow.
Until the random summon cooldown ends.
Tomorrow, I climb again.
No overthinking—just go up.
To Floor 6.
※ ※ ※
Hannam-dong, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Tower Player Awakening Management Agency.
Director Park Gyeongsu waited tensely, palms sweating, for the tower-wide announcement message.
When would it ring today?
Morning? Afternoon? Evening? Or late at night?
The timing varied, but one thing was certain.
It was the same person.
They were climbing in order.
A global message—an announcement.
Something only players affiliated with the same tower could hear.
That was why many players had gathered in the office.
After a short while—
"Gasp!"
"…My god!"
"Again?"
Director Park hurriedly asked,
"D-did it pop?"
"Yes. An S++ clear on Floor 6 of the Black Tower (Korea)."
"Haha…"
Six consecutive days of S++ clear announcements.
Just who was it?
'They must have awakened very recently.'
Clear ratings were only properly calculated if a player of the appropriate level cleared the floor.
In other words, only a Level 6 player could set a record on Floor 6.
'The highest known record so far was A-rank…'
This was the first time anyone realized there was something above that.
And that S++ triggered a global announcement.
Who on earth was it?
A prodigy of extraordinary talent.
If Floors 7, 8, 9, 10—and every floor after—were all cleared at S++…
They had to find them.
And manage them with utmost care.
Otherwise, another country might steal them away.
And if that happened?
Changing nationality meant changing tower affiliation.
For example—
If a player affiliated with the Black Tower (Korea) moved to Japan and changed nationality, their affiliation would become Black Tower (Japan).
'…Absolutely not!'
Just imagining it made him sick.
'I'll need to shut everyone up first—make sure no leaks.'
Whether that would work was another question.
'I really hope a call comes in soon.'
To properly operate as a player, registration with the Agency was mandatory.
The call would probably come any time now.
※ ※ ※
The tower climb proceeded smoothly, step by step.
"Today is Floor 8, right?"
"Yes, sir!"
Floors 1–5 were the tutorial. Floors 6–10 were where beginners shed their training wheels.
"Let's do well. I'll start joining in too—"
"No, sir! Not together—I'll handle it alone!"
"Hmm. But if you end up in a dangerous situation, Mr. Kosak—"
"Oh come on, that won't happen. But if it does, just curse me from behind. It'll be because I was stupid."
Is this really okay?
Yesterday was Floor 7.
The mission was to break through a group of monsters and retrieve a flag planted atop a high hill.
It was ridiculously simple.
The monsters couldn't keep up with Kosak's lightning-fast speed.
As expected—S++ rating and another Platinum Badge.
Floor 8?
Upon entering the tower—
[Mission: Defeat 10 Red-Spined Frog Warriors.]
A marshland terrain where your feet sank deep with every step.
And frog warriors.
They were small, but frightening.
Unlike the grubs and larvae so far, they had mouths and long tongues.
Thankfully, they didn't have teeth, but—
In truth, there wasn't even time to take a good look.
Papapapat!
John Kosak sprinted forward at terrifying speed, weaving in a zigzag.
Whip!
Whirrr!
A Red-Spined Frog Warrior's tongue shot toward Kosak.
Slash!
The long tongue was severed midair.
Ziiiiing!
Kosak's dagger extended as black energy surged from it.
Slash! Slash-slash! Slashslashslash!
Chunks of frog flesh flew in all directions.
They couldn't withstand John Kosak's blade energy.
Puh-puh-puk! Puk-puk-puk-puk!
"Gyagul, gyaaagul…"
Squish!
Thud!
[You have cleared the Floor 8 mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
Having cleared Floor 8, he was now Level 9.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on Floor 8 of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[Reward: Platinum Badge granted for S++-grade record.]
[Reward: Magic Stone 800g]
[Reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potion (5)]
Spot!
Back in Juhyeok's studio apartment.
"Great work today as well, sir!"
"I didn't do anything. What work?"
"Entering the tower itself is the hardest part. Once you're inside, I do everything."
So the only real "effort" was entering the tower.
"Still, it really is easy. It ends so quickly."
Of course, it wasn't him—it was Kosak.
"Still, you mustn't let your guard down. The higher you go, the harder it gets. Especially from the latter half of Floor 10 onward—it's no joke."
Right.
He absolutely couldn't get complacent.
Juhyeok knew that well.
Was it because he was strong?
No—it was all thanks to Kosak.
A person had to know their place.
That's how you live long.
Anyway, another sub–three-minute clear today.
Maybe he should give Kosak a gift for his hard work?
He took out 50,000 won in cash from his wallet.
"There's still plenty of time left, so go out and have some fun before coming back. Eat something good—just don't cause trouble."
"That's not allowed!"
"Why not?"
"I cannot leave Summoner Bong's side. I'll just watch TV at home."
"Hmmm."
This, too, wasn't governed by absolute obedience.
It was probably because of Rule No. 1.
Prioritize the summoner's life above all else.
"Should we order some chicken?"
"Oooo! That sounds great!"
He opened the delivery app and ordered chicken.
'Let's check the rewards.'
First, the new reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potions.
Just like the name said, tower-exclusive.
They couldn't be used in the real world—and he himself had no use for them anyway.
'I'll just give them to Mr. Kosak.'
But what about all these magic stones?
The accumulated amount so far was 3.6 kilograms.
Even so, it was just a handful.
They were stones, but extremely dense, so their volume was small for their weight.
'That's 1.8 million won.'
If he sold them, that is.
What was the point of just leaving them in the inventory?
He had to cash them out.
But selling magic stones—
That was something he needed to think very carefully about.
In fact, a problem far more difficult than tower climbing itself was now waiting for Bong Juhyeok.