Juhyeok, Kosak, and the barbarian meat shield—three people climbing the Tower together.
Following yesterday's 16th floor, today was the 17th.
[Entering the 17th floor of the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
[Physical abilities have been enhanced to match your level.]
[Traits and combat skills are now available.]
"Whoa!"
Power surged through his body.
Muscles bulged, mana overflowed, and his senses sharpened.
If level 17 already felt like this, what would it feel like past level 30?
He stretched in the safe zone, pulled out the adamant mace from the Tower-only inventory, zzing! activated the energy shield, and placed healing potions in an easily reachable pocket.
"Mr. Kosak, Mr. Gobang, let's move."
"Yessir!"
"Gobang goes."
The 17th floor was a goblin warrior purge.
Intelligent monsters capable of strategic and tactical movement, armed with shields, swords, and armor.
As they went deeper inside—
[17th Floor Mission: Eliminate 30 Goblin Warriors.]
The mission appeared.
Thirty targets.
At that very moment—
Step, step. Clack-clack-clack!
From three directions—front, right, and left—goblin warrior units appeared in orderly ranks.
Thirty in each direction. Ninety in total.
Nearly a full company.
Their formation was disciplined.
Swords, shields, wicker armor, and helmets—these reeked of elite troops.
How did other players clear this?
As soon as the goblin warrior unit appeared, they would retreat to the safe zone.
After waiting a bit, returning to the spot would reveal that the company had dispersed, with goblin warriors patrolling in groups of three. Then you'd lure them out and kill them three at a time.
That process was extremely difficult.
If six got lured instead of three, you'd have to immediately abandon the mission.
For ranged-type players, it was relatively easier.
They could pick off one or two from afar with skills and retreat to the safe zone.
But summoner Juhyeok—
"Mr. Gobang!"
"Summoner, you called me."
"You can handle them, right?"
"I kill dem."
"Wipe them all out."
With just that order—
"Kuwaaaaah!!!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The barbarian warrior Gobang charged straight into the goblin warrior unit.
A goblin warrior stood under 1.5 meters tall at most.
Gobang, on the other hand, was over three meters tall.
His entire body was muscle, thick and massive.
And he possessed the monstrous strength to rip off a hydra's head barehanded.
Papapapapak!
Goblin warriors were smashed into bloody pulp and flung into the air.
Weapons?
They didn't even stick.
Armor?
Torn to shreds.
"Wow… that dumb Gobang bastard, I'm speechless."
"..."
It was like a single K2 Black Panther tank crushing ninety rental bicycles.
Strategy and tactics?
Those only work against something comparable.
Assassin Kosak joined in as well—
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the 17th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
They kept rolling.
Next up: the 18th floor.
The 18th floor featured goblin assassins.
Amazingly, monsters that used stealth.
It was a very low-level stealth skill—if you focused, you could vaguely see them moving.
In some ways, it was manageable.
Once you pierced the stealth, it was nothing.
But it was never easy.
Assassins were cunning.
Sometimes, one goblin assassin would pretend to drop stealth to lure a player, only for another hidden assassin to ambush from behind.
On the 18th floor, Kosak shined.
An assassin by trade, through and through.
"You must've had a rough time watching that dumb Gobang's brute-force clear. I'll show you what a refined clear looks like."
Small-fry goblin assassins were nothing to him—even with his eyes closed.
John Kosak demonstrated what true stealth was.
Ssssh!
"Assassin disappeared. Coward. Bad guy."
"...He's not that bad."
"Understood. Assassin good. I help."
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Gobang moved forward, scratching his head.
He couldn't do anything.
He couldn't see them.
Still, he swung his arms wildly in every direction—
Thud!
By sheer luck, a goblin assassin got caught in his hand and turned into a bloody mess.
"Kek!"
Meanwhile—
Slash, slash-slash!
The sound of Kosak's blades.
The kill count climbed rapidly.
[Completion Condition: Goblin Assassins 7/30]
Silent and fast.
The 17th floor was Gobang's stage.
The 18th floor was Kosak's.
'Then what am I doing?'
I mean, I paid two million won for this adamant mace, and I haven't even swung it once.
The 16th, 17th, and now the 18th floor.
There was no real need for me to fight, but…
'Should I give it a try?'
Trust the energy shield.
And Shadow Step, too.
The more I use it, the more fun it gets.
Juhyeok moved in the opposite direction from Kosak.
He was walking casually when—
Swish!
'Huh?'
Tspit!
A goblin suddenly revealed itself behind him, lunging forward with a dagger aimed at his back.
"Shit—fuck!"
It was a crisis.
He had to dodge.
Swish! Swish-swat!
The moment he became aware of it, his body moved on its own.
Shadow Step.
He didn't just want to run away.
He'd come here to swing the mace at least once.
So what was the most effective response?
A route formed clearly in his mind.
Swish! Swa-wa-wa-swish!
In an instant, he slipped in behind the goblin assassin—
And with the sturdy adamant mace—
Screeech!
Crack!
Right to the head.
"Gk—?"
Struck in a vital spot, the goblin was flattened like a pancake.
At the same time, the kill count went up.
'…I—I killed it?'
With a mace?
'…Uh.'
It was his first time, so he felt dazed.
But on the 18th floor—only now—he had finally succeeded in killing a monster with his own hands.
A truly monumental moment.
But this was no time to savor it.
Another goblin assassin appeared out of nowhere.
"Kikik!"
Hop!
The roughly 1.5-meter-tall goblin assassin leaped into the air, aiming straight for Juhyeok's neck.
'…You little bastard.'
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Juhyeok's figure vanished and reappeared as if blinking in and out of existence.
He whirled around the goblin, completely disorienting it—
Screeech!
Crack!
Headshot!
"Kek!"
Another kill.
'Ah…'
His hands trembled violently.
His heart pounded.
Adrenaline surged through him.
Strangely enough—
It wasn't bad.
'One more?'
Another goblin assassin appeared right on cue.
Swish! Swish-swat!
His body reacted before his mind.
Ah—
The world slowed down.
The goblin's knife swings looked like slow motion.
Swish!
He got behind it—
Headshot!
Crunch!
"Gk—"
Didn't die in one hit?
Probably because he lacked a proper attack skill.
Then—
Screeech!
Crack!
One more blow.
Next?
No more?
Then—
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the 18th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Looks like he landed the finishing blow.
He had personally completed the mission.
'…This is better than I expected.'
Way better.
'How the hell did I…'
He couldn't believe it, even though he'd done it himself.
When he tried to get behind the goblin assassin using Shadow Step, his body moved exactly along the path he'd envisioned.
Lowering his stance, slipping into blind spots, rotating his body smoothly to end up behind the enemy.
Each change in direction left behind thick, lingering shadows.
Fluid, seamless movements.
And he'd only been practicing Shadow Step for how long?
'Did I really do that?'
He noticed Gobang the barbarian and Kosak standing there, dumbfounded.
One of them stared at him blankly.
The other shook his head slowly, letting out a deep sigh.
[You may now challenge the 19th floor.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
※ ※ ※
Hannam-dong, Seoul. Commissioner Park Gyeongsu's office.
Lee Min-a, a section chief at the Administration and a player herself, clenched her fist and shouted,
"The global notice just went out. 18th floor—S++ clear success!"
"Excellent!"
"He's unstoppable. Looks like his preparation was rock solid."
Commissioner Park's face flushed red with excitement.
"Honestly, part of me wants to shout it from the rooftops. That Korea's consecutive S++ clear record holder up to the 18th floor is this man!"
"Please don't joke like that. We need to support him generously so he can climb quietly and discreetly into the 60s."
"That just means I'm proud of him."
At this point, Bong Juhyeok was no longer just an ordinary contractor.
He was a top-tier player who needed even more careful attention than the elite team.
"Tomorrow, the 19th floor?"
"That's likely, but personally, I hope he takes it a bit slower. His pace is too fast."
"Hm, you're not wrong."
It wasn't just the Administration.
All of South Korea was buzzing.
The notice went out to all players affiliated with the Korean Black Tower, and word quickly spread to the general public as well.
It even made the 9 p.m. primetime news.
— A new wind is blowing through Korea's Black Tower ascent. After a 20-day lull, we've now seen an unprecedented record: eighteen consecutive S++ clears. Tower-climbing history is being rewritten.
— Players and ordinary citizens alike are stunned, and attention is focused on how far this record will continue. The mysterious player is estimated to be around level 19…
— Speculation is also growing regarding the identity of the S++ player. The prevailing opinion is that they are a newly recruited elite player of the Awakener Administration, but the Administration has remained silent…
Both ordinary and elite players were fired up.
Suddenly, Korea's magic stone production was skyrocketing.
Ordinary players who had considered giving up climbing resumed their attempts, while those who had stagnated on lower floors began challenging new ones.
Elite team players were no different.
Jealousy, rivalry, and pride.
We receive full national support—so why can't we do it?
Online forums exploded.
Nothing but S++ talk.
└ It's 18. Freaking 18.
└ Honestly thought it was over when there were no notices for two weeks. Figured he died or quit.
└ How far do you think he'll go? Might hit 20, but 30 seems rough.
└ I'll bet my balls he stops at 20.
└ I'm a woman. And I think he'll keep going into the 30s.
└ But seriously, who is he? He's elite, right?
└ Who else could it be if not elite? That's why they're hiding him—so other countries don't steal him.
Player BJs who streamed on video platforms also joined in.
Usually level-30-ish general contractors who showed their faces on stream.
— Alright, this is the 18th floor. The most recent S++ record was set right here. See that faint shape moving past that tree? Yes, that's an assassin. I'll try taking one down.
└ Bro, you're level 35—what are you doing on the 18th floor?
└ Do you even remember what the 18th floor is like?
└ Why not try the 35th floor again? I'll throw a donation if you do.
└ Like hell I will. Last time I barely made it back to the safe zone before giving up.
The reaction was explosive.
Now, everyone had only one question.
What about the mentally brutal 19th floor?
What about the 20th floor—nicknamed the First Talent Litmus Test?
Could he really clear that notoriously difficult stretch with yet another S++ record?
※ ※ ※
Meanwhile—
The atmosphere in Juhyeok's tiny studio apartment was not very good.
The assassin John Kosak stared off into space with wistful eyes.
"Huuuuuuh…"
He let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground might cave in.
"Haaaaaah…"
What's with him?
'Did I do something wrong?'
Whether Kosak sighed or not,
the barbarian Gobang was peeling open large-size pizza boxes like candy wrappers and dumping slice after slice into his mouth.
Ten pizzas, disappearing one by one.
"Tell me—what did I do wrong, exactly?"
"Uh, ah, w-well, that is…"
Kosak hesitated, fumbling, then finally opened his mouth.
"…You're too fast."
"Too fast at what?"
"At realizing your talent."
"Huh?"
Did I hear that wrong?
What kind of bullshit is that?
"Realizing my talent? Who? Don't tell me—me?"
"Who else could it be but you, Summoner Bong?"
This was absurd.
"Me… having talent?"
"Yes."
A timid loser like me?
"Come on, that's a joke!"
"If you don't have talent, then who does?"
"I-I think you're mistaken…"
"You felt it yourself just now when you used your skill, didn't you? Even for me, that was a beautiful Shadow Walker—no, Shadow Step."
Was it really that good?
It was hard to accept.
But even Gobang the barbarian of the great plains chimed in.
"Our summoner flashy, flashy, hits good."
Even with the praise, it still didn't feel real.
Kosak continued in a heartfelt voice.
"It's a problem if you awaken your talent this early, in the lower floors. You'll start to enjoy combat more and more. You'll gain confidence. And the danger will rise in proportion. Being brave is dangerous."
"T-that, I know too…"
"If you'd wrapped yourself in ten special perks from the start, maybe—but haaah, this is way too fast."
"…."
"We promised from the beginning, didn't we? Safety first. Survivalism!"
Right.
We did.
But why did we decide that in the first place?
This was heading in a completely different direction from his original resolve.
Maybe he'd lost his mind.
And yet—
'Talent…'
The memories were still vivid.
The thrill of a successful skill activation.
The feel of his first kill.
'That's strange.'
Kosak had always insisted—
A brave summoner is poison.
Juhyeok had understood and agreed.
That was why he'd always been so cautious.
'But…'
Now his thoughts had shifted, just a little.
The exhilaration of climbing the Tower had already taken root.
If he'd never tasted it, maybe it would be different.
But now that he had—
With an uneasy look, John Kosak spoke again.
"Summoner Bong. From now on, please don't move an inch. Just hide behind Gobang back there. Promise me."
"…."
"You'll level up even if you just stand still. Just wait until you get ten special perks."
"…."
"H-huh? Why—why aren't you answering?"
"…."
"A-at least say something?"
"…."
"D-don't tell me?"
"…."
"Oh no, oh no! W-what do we do? You've gotten a taste for it. You've gotten hooked—this is bad."
The barbarian Gobang snorted with a grin.
"Assassin crying. Looks stupid."
"Shut up! You brainless lump of meat! I'll boil you in a pot, I swear!"
His head was a mess.
Let's rest tomorrow.
Think things through first.