When Har opened his eyes, he was already in an unfamiliar place. Everything was covered in white light that seemed to stretch infinitely. Around him stood about twenty-nine other people.
Among them, two stood out from the rest. One was a young man clad in golden armor. The other was an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in an elegant white suit. He wore a golden cross hanging from his right ear and held an iron sword in his hands.
Har couldn't help but look at the old man — not because of his white hair (he was already used to old men with hair like that; his own family had gone through their share of hardships).
It was just that, according to the information he had, people could enter the Tower starting at age eighteen. Even so, some joined much later for one reason or another.
This old man was a clear example. Judging by his appearance, he could have entered the Tower when it first appeared, yet he waited five years, even if it meant falling behind.
As for the young man in golden armor, Har didn't pay him much attention.
[Welcome to the waiting room for the first world of the Tower: Minecraft. You will be transported in 5 minutes.]
The majestic voice of the Tower echoed in everyone's mind.
'This will be a piece of cake.'
Har smiled at the message. He already knew it from his brothers, but it was nice to have the Tower confirm it.
He had played Minecraft plenty in his previous life and was confident he'd get a high score.
From what he'd heard, most Runners didn't understand how crafting tables worked; they only searched for tools in chests or stole them from others.
Har figured that after five years of countless Runners passing through the first floor, at least one must have found a crafting table.
'Surely some guild keeps that information tightly guarded.'
At that moment, a young man raised his voice, drawing everyone's attention.
"Listen up, everyone! You can call me Dearly Knight. My father is a member of the Deluxe Guild..."
Only a few paid attention at first, but the moment he mentioned Deluxe Guild, all the Runners turned to look at him, making the young man smile proudly.
The Deluxe Guild ranked second in the country — known for their greed and arrogance. There was even a sarcastic saying on the streets: 'Your humility is as great as the leader of Deluxe Guild.'
Har looked at the boy, who seemed about his age. He had short blonde hair cut in a military style and wore a golden armor that covered his entire body. His helmet was off, resting under his arm.
"I'll be kind enough to let you join me. My father shared some crucial information about the first floor..."
He closed his eyes, lifted his free hand dramatically, and continued talking.
"Listen carefully! You get 10 TP for killing a zombie, 20 TP for a skeleton archer, and 30 TP for killing a creeper alien. That's the most I can share with our current relationship."
'Because that's all my father told me… Ugh, I hope that's enough to impress them.'
"…"
Everyone — even Har — stared at the golden boy with blank expressions. They all seemed to share the same thought:
'Why would you tell us something like that so easily?'
Cough, cough.
The old man with the iron sword cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.
"Young man, thank you for the information. Allow me to offer something in return for your goodwill — you can only bring Tower equipment into the Tower."
The elder spoke respectfully but gave a pointed look at the boy's armor.
The other Runners nodded in agreement — it seemed to be common knowledge. Har, however, listened closely, treating every word as if it were worth a fortune.
"I already know that, old man. This armor is actually from the first floor. As you know, items can be taken out of the Tower."
The Runners weren't surprised; that was public information you could easily find online.
"Young man," the elder asked cautiously, "what do you intend to gain by giving away information for free?"
He was suspicious — it wasn't normal for a Runner to do something out of charity, especially not one affiliated with the Deluxe Guild.
"We'll be working together, won't we? It's only natural to share information with my teammates."
"...?"
The Runners were speechless. None of them had agreed to join him, yet he had suddenly roped them in with his words.
[Attention. You will be transported to the customization area before the first floor in one minute.]
The Tower's voice echoed again. Some Runners began considering his offer and gradually moved closer to the golden boy.
"Your mission will be to attract the monsters' attention and weaken them enough for me to deliver the final blow. Don't worry, we'll do the same for you."
Seeing the crowd inch closer, the boy grew excited and dropped another bit of information — which might have been useful if he'd known how to use it.
"You're not joining because you're afraid I'll reject you, right? Don't worry, you can follow me like the others."
He noticed a few Runners still holding back, so he approached them — and Har, with his white streaks of hair, caught his eye the most.
"I don't know if you're clever or just naive. Do you really think I'll be your meat shield just because you shared some random info?"
Har replied mockingly, amused by the golden boy's arrogance.
[Attention. You will be transported to the customization room in 10 seconds.]
"Hmph. Fool. You don't know what's good for you."
The boy snorted coldly, though a hint of regret flashed across his face for failing to recruit Har.
"Relax, Goldie. Thanks for the info — I'll make sure to repay you later, dear knight."
Har emphasized the name Dearly Knight. If that was his Tower alias, Har could easily send him a "gift" later.
"Are you mocking my nickname?"
The boy seemed to misunderstand, glaring at Har with fiery anger — if looks could kill, there'd be nothing left but ashes.
'Is this guy stupid, or is he just pretending?'
Not wanting to drag things out, Har waved his hand in farewell just as they were transported away.