00:00 AM – Ha-jin's room.
While Ha-jin was deep in his sleep, something strange stirred him awake.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw something hovering in front of him.
[Congratulations!]
[You have been chosen to climb the Tower!]
[Conquer the Tower and become its god!]
It was nothing other than a message—an invitation from the Tower itself.
Ha-jin's eyes widened. As if all the exhaustion from the day before had vanished, he suddenly sprang out of bed.
He stared blankly at the message, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"A-a message?"
"From... the Tower? For me?"
"He-hehehe... What does this mean? Am I... a Climber now?" he said with a stunned look on his face, then continued muttering to himself.
"Alright. First, I need to calm down," he said, taking a deep breath.
"Let's see what this is all about..."
Soon after, the message on the screen changed.
[Gathering information about the Climber...]
[Information gathering: Successful]
[Creating Climber profile...]
[Profile creation: Successful]
[Climber Profile – Joo Ha-jin]
Name: Joo Ha-jin
Age: 20
Class: [Not Assigned]
Title: ????????
Level: 1
Stats:
• Strength: 2
• Agility: 3
• Endurance: 4
• Intelligence: 4
• Mana: 1
• Luck: 2
Skills:
• Active Skills: None
• Passive Skill: Cold-Blooded (B)
After calmly observing the process and reading his profile, Ha-jin began to think.
'Hmm... My class hasn't been assigned yet. No title either... I wonder why?'
'And since I've just become a Climber, I guess my level is naturally 1.'
As he read through his stats, a heavy silence fell over him.
He slowly lowered his head.
Dark shadows seemed to fall across his face.
His shoulders trembled—not from excitement, but despair.
'Strength: 2... Mana: 1... Luck: 2... Am I supposed to slay monsters with these stats or play snowball fights?'
His eyes stared blankly into the void, his expression like someone who had lost all hope.
You could almost imagine a sorrowful violin playing in the background.
"Ah... This is a joke, right? Huh? Tower, where's the camera? Are we playing hide and seek or something?"
Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and clutched his head with both hands.
"Am I... some weak side character now? I'm not even strong!"
It felt as if a dark cloud had gathered behind him.
But then...
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"No. No. Stay calm, Ha-jin. Stats are just numbers. Real strength comes from the heart... or something."
He paused. Then shook his head, clearly not believing his own words. But at least he was slowly pulling himself together.
"Well, at least I have a B-rank skill. Even if it's passive... B-rank is still B-rank!"
"Cold-Blooded, huh... Let's check its effect."
[Passive Skill: Cold-Blooded (B)]
[Effect: In critical situations or when adrenaline spikes, the Climber maintains logical thinking and can continue to make rational decisions.]
"I guess that's why I've been so calm this whole time."
"Even if I'm a little disappointed it's not an active skill, for someone like me, this might actually be perfect."
Right after that thought, another message popped up.
[You will be teleported to the 1st floor in 10 minutes.]
"What?" Ha-jin stared at the message with a dumbfounded smile.
Shaking his head to snap out of it, he mumbled:
"10 minutes... I'm being sent to the 1st floor in 10 minutes?"
"But I don't have any armor... or a weapon. How am I supposed to fight?"
"With my current condition, I couldn't even take down a single goblin!"
[Cold-Blooded (B) activated]
"Alright. Now's not the time to panic. I've got 10 minutes before I'm teleported. I need a plan," he thought, pacing back and forth in his room.
"Let's assess the situation."
"No armor, no weapon—if I fight like this, I'll die."
"At this point, finding armor is impossible. A weapon should be the priority."
"But how do I find one?"
"Maybe I could use a kitchen knife?"
"No. Normal weapons don't work in the Tower."
"Then what do I do? Where can I find a weapon? How do I survive the first floor? HOW??"
As his mind spiraled with questions, suddenly—like a lightbulb turning on over his head:
"I've got it!"
---
2:30 AM – Tower, First Floor
"Are you sure hunting at night is a good idea?" asked a young woman, clutching her staff tightly while nervously scanning her surroundings.
Her name was Seo Hana, a healer. Despite her gentle voice and delicate features, she was trembling inside.
"Don't worry," said a large-built young man, his confident smile visible beneath his heavy armor. "If anything happens, you'll just heal us, right? And as long as I'm here, nothing's going to happen."
His name was Kang Dae-jung, the team's tank. He spoke boldly, as if his armor made him invincible.
"Still, let's be cautious," said the third member, a man with broad shoulders and a massive greatsword on his back.
His name was Lee Min-ho, a two-handed sword specialist. His tone was calm, but serious and sharp.
This was their first time entering the Tower too.
No matter how strong a Climber was, caution was essential in the Tower. But this trio placed too much trust in their expensive gear—and even worse, they underestimated the first floor.
As they stepped into the forest, the night's eerie silence made them uneasy.
Rumor had it that some Tower floors were more dangerous at night than during the day—but the rewards were also greater. The first floor was one of those special cases. Some claimed you could even find magic stones from goblins at night.
That was enough for the trio to decide on a night hunt.
Soon, they'd realize that decision was a grave mistake.
"So," said Hana, still scanning the forest, "we're risking our lives just for the chance of getting a magic stone?"
"Look at it this way," Min-ho replied, his gaze fixed into the trees. "If we find even one purple-grade stone... we could upgrade all our gear."
"Exactly," Dae-jung added with a grin. "Besides, night hunting is a real Climber's trial. I live for challenges."
They were nearing the area where goblins were said to be concentrated. The sound of snapping branches and distant growls filled the air. Their senses sharpened.
Suddenly, a shadow lunged from the trees.
"Here comes one!" Min-ho shouted, swinging his blade in one swift motion.
The goblin hit the ground before it could even scream. Its green blood soaked into the soil.
"Hah! That's it? They're trying to scare us with this?" Dae-jung mocked.
"Stay sharp," warned Hana, stepping back cautiously. "It might not be alone."
Two more goblins appeared. This time, the trio stayed alert and coordinated.
Min-ho slashed one down, Dae-jung bashed the other with his shield, and Hana healed their light wounds from afar.
"This is getting easier," said Min-ho, wiping a cut on his shoulder.
"I bet we'll clear the floor in no time," Dae-jung added proudly.
But then... the forest fell silent. A cold wind blew.
From between the trees, dozens of glowing eyes emerged.
"Goblin horde!" Hana screamed.
Min-ho rushed forward. Dae-jung held the front line. Hana retreated, preparing healing spells.
Chaos broke loose.
Dae-jung blocked wave after wave with his shield. Min-ho weaved through the crowd, cutting them down one by one. But there were too many.
One goblin reached Hana—Min-ho saved her just in time but took a hook to the back. He groaned in pain.
Dae-jung's armor tore, his shield cracked—but he was still standing. He knocked a goblin out with a punch.
After a long, brutal fight... silence returned.
Goblin corpses littered the ground. Min-ho dropped to his knees, panting. Hana's arm was soaked in blood. Dae-jung could barely stand.
"We did it... I think..." Hana said, her voice trembling with a hint of hope.
But that hope was premature.
A low rumble echoed from deep within the forest, followed by a figure stepping out—a tall goblin, clad in iron armor and wielding a massive spiked club.
[Floor Boss – Goblin Chief has appeared.]
The trio froze in fear.
"No..." Min-ho muttered. "We're injured... We can't fight something like that..."
Hana looked at Dae-jung, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Is... is this the end for us?"
Dae-jung clenched his teeth and lifted his cracked shield, but for the first time, doubt flickered in his eyes.
"Are we… really going to die here?"