Juhyeok was still shopping at the Player Shop.
The adamant mace—purchased.
Now that I've got a weapon…
What about armor?
Honestly, he didn't really need it.
The bracelet-type energy barrier kit protected him from head to toe.
Still, he decided to at least buy shoes.
Sturdy combat walkers.
Since the clerk was a man, it was easier to talk.
"These are combat boots made from basilisk petrification leather. The soles are reinforced with sectonium steel plates that have self-repair capabilities."
"Do these go into the inventory too?"
"Haha, of course. They're all made from materials sourced in the Tower."
Perfect.
The design wasn't bad either.
"How much?"
"Hmm, three million won."
Yeah, right.
At minimum, they should cost over thirty million.
No reason to refuse.
They were selling them at this price.
So he'd buy them.
"I'll take a pair. Size 275."
"Yes, right here…"
Shoes—check.
Should I look around a bit more?
There was also a potion section.
It looked like they bought potions players obtained as rewards and resold them.
Other than that—armor, helmets, gloves, greaves, belts, knee and elbow guards…
They had everything.
But there was nothing else he wanted.
Ahh!
The energy barrier.
Just how good was it?
An integrated suit of armor that unified all defensive gear into one.
Definitely a special privilege.
Anyway, after browsing a bit more—
Let's call it a day.
If he needed something later, he could always come back.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok rested for about four more days.
Slowly, taking his time.
Even then, he continued repeatedly clearing the 15th floor.
After a while, the temptation to settle into this routine crept in.
But he wanted to know.
What kind of result he'd get when he stepped onto the 16th floor fully prepared.
If only the random summon cooldown resets…
The Platinum Badge.
What a dangerous little thing.
Not the badge itself, but the perks you got in sets of five.
He'd decided from the start not to be greedy while climbing the Tower—but badges were different.
If he cleared the 20th floor, he'd receive his fourth perk.
What would it be?
Another trait enhancement would be nice.
A skill or item usable in the real world would be even better.
In any case, only one day remained until the random summon.
By tomorrow evening, a new summoned being would appear.
The money had also arrived in his bank account.
The proceeds from selling magic stones.
After subtracting the five million won spent on equipment, he still had around thirteen million left.
What am I saving this money for?
Spend it now.
So he sent two million won to his father.
—What's this money for? Did you win the lottery or something?
"I cashed out a savings plan. Walking's uncomfortable for you, so buy some crutches. Or one of those walking aids seniors use."
—…You know, I've had my eye on a pretty decent fishing rod?
"You don't even know when rehab will end, and you want a fishing rod? You'll catch people instead of fish."
—If I buy one, maybe I'll recover faster. Because I'll want to go fishing.
"Use it however you want. I'm not responsible if Mom yells at you."
—…I'll just buy crutches.
He sent two million to his mother as well.
—You didn't take out loan sharks again, did you?
"I told you, I cashed out savings."
Loan sharks were in the past.
—If you're lying, you'll die by my hand. You know what your mother's like. Son or not, I won't care!
"Oh, come on! You've lived being fooled your whole life or what? Use it until you find a new job. Your living expenses must be tight."
—Fine. But I'll treat it as a loan. I'll write you an IOU.
He sent money to the guy with the same genes too.
"Sent you two million. Use it for tuition."
—H-hyung, this much money… Can I buy a laptop?
"Yeah. If you're buying one, get a good one. Permission granted."
—Loyalty! Thank you!
Six million won vanished in an instant—but it felt great.
But was it only for family?
Juhyeok had plans.
After summoning John Kosak—
"Look. Nice, right? When I make more money later, I'm buying this car."
He opened his laptop and showed a picture of the dream car he'd always wanted.
"I oppose this. If you crash in such a light car, it'll be a disaster. If a truck hits you, you'll be flattened."
"Then what kind of car do you think is good, Kosak?"
"Absolutely a big one! A vehicle with a sturdy frame, and even in a minor collision, the airbags explode without mercy. Choose a large vehicle."
What Kosak pointed to was a massive limousine—something only corporate chairmen rode around in.
"It makes me look too old."
"Is that a problem? Summoner Bong's safety is the most important thing."
"Oh! I never thought of that. Hahaha!"
"Hehehehe!"
In truth, he'd heard that if you signed with an elite raid team, they'd give you a house and a car.
But there's no such thing as free in this world.
It's all debt.
※ ※ ※
The time had come.
Tonight was the day of an important event.
So he went to the bathhouse.
After soaking his body thoroughly in the hot bath, he scrubbed himself hard with an exfoliating towel.
For his back—where his hands couldn't reach—he used an automatic scrubber machine.
He still didn't have the courage to ask strangers at the bathhouse to scrub his back.
He cleaned his body, washed away grime.
Kept both body and mind pure and orderly.
That way, he'd get a good pull.
The random summon cooldown was only a few hours away.
He'd summon one more reliable companion and challenge the 16th floor—then the 20th, no, straight on to the 30th.
After finishing his bath,
He trimmed his fingernails and toenails,
Changed into fresh underwear and everyday clothes he'd brought in his bag,
And Juhyeok returned home.
He was hungry, but he held back.
I'll eat after the random pull.
Who would come out, I wonder?
He had to draw well.
The higher the rank, the better.
The deranged assassin John Kosak was SR—Super Rare.
Thanks to him, Juhyeok had blitzed his way up to the 15th floor with flawless clears, earning S++ rankings.
Kosak had even said that clearing the 16th floor—no, even the 20s—wouldn't be a problem.
The only difficulty was achieving S++.
If just one more Super Rare shows up…
SSR—Special Super Rare—would be great too.
Even LSSR, Legendary Special Super Rare, was more than he dared to hope for.
Before the random summon, he decided to do a designated summon for John Kosak first.
What if I get someone weird?
[John Kosak has been designated-summoned.]
"Loyalty! Greetings, Summoner Bong! It's an honor to be summoned again today."
"Welcome."
"Are we doing repeated 15th-floor missions again?"
"No. Let's go up to the 16th floor."
"…Oh."
Kosak's expression stiffened with concern.
He'd said it before.
Clearing itself would be easy, but an S++ clear might be difficult.
Kosak also knew that Summoner Juhyeok had already tasted the Platinum Badge perks.
Because of that, he wanted to help him earn another badge.
After thinking for a long moment, he clenched his fist tightly.
"I'll do my absolute best. Even if this body dies in the Tower, I'll make sure we get an S++ record—"
"Don't worry. You won't be alone."
"…Huh?"
"The random summon cooldown is back. Let's summon one more."
"Ooooooh! How wise! Two are definitely better than one."
He gave a thumbs-up.
"So you had it all planned out, Summoner Bong. Did you perhaps graduate from Seoul National University?"
"I'm a high school grad."
"Say no more! How could a mere Seoul National University ever hope to claim Summoner Bong? Hehehe."
"…"
Instant stance shift.
Perfect, pleasant flattery.
It was clear.
Kosak must have been a sycophant in his previous life.
So what if he was?
Why do sycophants get loved?
Because they only say things that sound good—lifting your mood, relieving stress, and helping mental health.
"Alright, I'll try it."
"Yes, sir!"
He steadied his mind.
Amen, hallelujah, Amitabha, Om mani padme hum, spirits of heaven and earth, Infinite Life Buddha, abracadabra…
And then—
"Random Summon!"
Fwaaaaaaash!
Kosak provided drumroll-like sound effects from the side.
"Dugudugudugudu… and the result is?!"
In an instant—
A cluster of white light gathered and took the shape of a human.
The human-shaped light kept growing.
And growing.
More, more…
Isn't this getting a bit too big?
Its head was already touching the ceiling.
Then—
Pop!
At last, the figure fully revealed itself.
"…Huh?"
"Eek?!"
It was human.
But nearly three meters tall.
Bigger and bulkier than a bear.
Thick muscles.
Hair covering its entire body.
…Is this a human or a monster?
Juhyeok immediately checked the rank.
Well?
…R? Rare.
That was a bit disappointing.
Rare was the lowest rank.
If it had just one more S—
Should he wait another month and do another random summon?
No. Even Rare is better than nothing. And that build is no joke.
That was when—
Tsip!
"You idiot bastard!"
John Kosak suddenly leaped up and dropkicked the newly summoned giant.
Smack!
Then he started pummeling him relentlessly.
Thud thud thud thud!
"Why the hell did you have to come here? Who are you trying to screw over?!"
Kosak's sudden explosive rampage.
It couldn't be just because a Rare came out, right?
"Die! Drop dead! Huh?! Look at those eyes! Flatten him, you bastard!"
Juhyeok had no idea what was going on.
Why Kosak was acting like this.
He was going berserk as if he'd met a mortal enemy.
"Just get the hell out of here! Get lost! You useless piece of shit!"
Kosak kept throwing punches in a frenzy.
The giant, meanwhile, just scratched his head awkwardly while taking the blows.
"It doesn't hurt. It tickles."
"Oh yeah?! Let's see if you can say that after I rip your head off. I'll even tie you a pretty ribbon."
So Juhyeok checked the catalog.
Name: Unknown
Rank: R (Rare)
Type: Barbarian Warrior (Human)
Manifestation Duration: 10 hours
Satisfaction Rating: None
Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applied after dismissal)
Barbarian meat shield.
He didn't even have a name.
Meat shield… what kind of story leads to a title like that?
And "dim-witted"?
That basically meant he was stupid, didn't it?
He certainly looked the part.
A massive upper body covered in scars, yet eyes that looked far too innocent.
Despite being beaten by Kosak, he didn't resist even once.
His posture was utterly cowed.
Kosak, finally exhausted from hitting him, panted heavily.
"Kosak?"
"…Huff, huff. Go ahead."
"Please step aside for a moment. I'd like to talk to him."
"There's no need to know. That guy's famous. Known in this line of work for being stupid. Can't do anything on his own. Doesn't even know the Three Principles."
At that—
"I-I do know the Three Principles. I memorized them really hard."
"Then recite them."
"Uh, um… Article One is obedience to the summoner… uh, absolute life. Article Two is the summoner's, um… v-value being prioritized and resolved. Article Three is…"
What was he even saying?
"See? That's the kind of guy he is. You pulled a dud! You should just kill him and lock him into a 100-day unsummonable state."
If he dies, he can't be summoned for 100 days?
That was news to him.
"…I'll handle this myself."
"Yes, sir."
Tilting his head, Juhyeok looked at the barbarian warrior standing there blankly and asked.
"What's your name?"
"I don't know. I forgot."
"Do you know why you came here?"
"I… don't know."
"What about the Tower?"
"…I don't know. I can't remember."
It was frustrating.
Reading the detailed description didn't help much either.
Barbarian Meat Shield of the Great Plains Tribe. His physical abilities are top-tier, possessing the strength to seize a giant ogre by the waist and snap it in half with a bear-hug technique. However, he was exceedingly dim-witted—so much so that he even forgot his own name.
In the end, he fell for the deception of a fake hero and was chosen as a meat shield for a duel against the ultra-class magical beast Hydra. Fighting the nine-headed ultra-class Hydra, he was struck by its acidic breath but did not die. Instead, he grabbed its jaws and tore them apart. Even while taking the breath head-on, he ripped out necks—one after another. However, the accumulated damage from the acidic breath eventually melted his body, and he died.
Aaaaah…
How could a life be this tragic?
So that's why he was a meat shield.
Scenes flashed through Juhyeok's mind like a movie.
A barbarian warrior snapping the waist of a humanoid monster with an innocent smile.
After slaying the beast, laughing happily as he accepted nothing more than a moldy loaf of bread as payment.
Then being tricked by a slick-looking scoundrel and meeting his end as a meat shield…
Tears welled up on their own.
He must have been so kind—living his life being taken advantage of by others.
So what if he was Rare?
So what if he was stupid?
Juhyeok took the barbarian's pot-lid-sized hand and said,
"Welcome. Let's climb the Tower together."
"I will do whatever I am told."
What should I call him?
Let's pick from the catalog.
"Let's start with a name. Do you like 'Barbarian,' or do you like 'Meat Shield'?"
"…I don't know."
"Just pick one. Barbarian? Meat Shield?"
"Meat Shield."
"Alright, Mr. Gobang. I'll make you happy. You trust me, right?"
"I am Gobang. I trust the summoner. I will do whatever I am told."
Then—
"Mr. Kosak, Mr. Gobang and I—starting now, the three of us are comrades. Let's do well together."
Kosak, who had been rolling his eyes like crazy, said,
"Oh, say no more. Now that I look at him, he's a reassuring meat shield. I'll train him properly and make a real man out of him."
"Great. Then let's enter the 16th floor right away."
"Yes, sir! …Hey, Gobang! Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to respond?"
"Yes, sir."
"Don't copy me, you bastard!"
A timid loser-type player, a deranged assassin, and a severely dim-witted barbarian named Gobang.
A total clusterfuck of a party.
He felt a little uneasy, but—
…Still, it'll probably work out, right?