He had been introverted since childhood.
It was the same at daycare.
Daycare was a jungle too—a world of survival of the fittest.
Even when a stronger kid snatched away a toy he was playing with, he would just watch quietly.
There were other toys to play with, after all.
Elementary school was no different.
If anything, it got worse.
Poverty was the problem.
Grimy clothes, worn-out shoes, a bag falling apart… and on top of that, rumors that he lived in the oldest, most run-down villa in the neighborhood.
Back then, terms like "villa bum" or "rental bum" were actually popular among elementary school kids.
Not many kids wanted to be paired up with him.
Middle school—still a loner.
With puberty hitting, his timid personality only deepened.
Still, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable.
He didn't really feel the need to make friends.
That atmosphere carried straight into high school.
He ate lunch alone.
Being ostracized was basically a default setting.
In short, the life of an outsider.
Even trying to change something felt frightening.
As long as he endured quietly…
That kind of life was good enough.
He chose the easy path.
Ordinary. No trouble. Thin, but long.
But after awakening—
A crisis came to Juhyeok's life.
Facing those terrifying Tower monsters head-on?
Fighting them, no less?
Him—the guy who couldn't even make eye contact with school bullies?
It was unimaginable.
A seismic upheaval that shook the direction of his life.
Who could have guessed a day like this would come?
Monsters aren't people.
They can't even talk.
There's no fear born of relationships.
They're no different from quest mobs in a game.
Things you beat to death and collect rewards from.
Swat! Swat-swat!
Right now, at this very moment, the most striking presence on the 20th-floor battlefield was Juhyeok.
Crunch!
Goblins' skulls shattered under his swinging adamant mace.
The only issue was that without weapon skills, they didn't die in a single hit.
No problem.
If one hit didn't kill them, he'd just hit them again.
Crunch! Swat! Crack!
Kosak had said it before.
Brave summoners die young.
True enough.
There's even a saying—the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
He wanted to stop too.
Go back to his original mindset and live carefully.
Safety first. Thorough self-preservation.
How had he lived all this time?
Could he really change overnight like this?
Yet in this moment, he couldn't stop.
The satisfaction you could only feel when a skill landed perfectly.
The electric sensation transmitted through his hands when smashing a goblin's skull.
The kill count skyrocketed.
Kosak didn't stay idle either.
To the savage warrior, he shouted,
"Gobang! Protect Summoner Bong. And when that hobgoblin bastard shows up, he comes first."
"Understood. I will protect the summoner. Hobgoblin—kill."
Then Kosak stuck close to Juhyeok as well.
It was a chaotic melee.
A blind attack could come flying from anywhere.
Shadow Step was pulling its weight, but it couldn't evade everything.
Without the energy barrier, a few poison needles would have definitely landed.
Ttiting, ting-ting!
With the barrier up, he could breathe easier.
But blocking attacks from all directions caused the barrier's thickness to gradually thin.
'Still, the 20th floor won't be a problem.'
The real danger was the shamans' curses.
Those had to be stopped at all costs.
Whenever a shaman entered Kosak's sight, he took them out first.
'Still not at a hundred yet?'
It felt like he'd killed plenty already…
Then—
"KRAAAANG!"
A roar that shook the battlefield.
The goblins' chieftain.
'It's here.'
The long-legged idol of the short, tragic goblin race—the final evolution.
The hobgoblin finally appeared on the 20th-floor battlefield.
Time to finish this.
"Gobang!!!"
The savage Gobang answered.
"KUUUAAARGH!!!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—
The barbarian warrior Gobang charged like a madman toward the hobgoblin.
Kosak, too, pushed Shadow Step to the extreme.
Juhyeok tried to move as well, but—
BOOM!
Gobang's massive fist slammed down onto the hobgoblin's crown.
It sounded like a bomb exploding.
"Kegh!"
At the same time, Kosak's sharp dagger pierced the hobgoblin's eye, scrambling its brain.
Puuuk! Pu-pu-puk!
The hobgoblin died the instant it appeared.
A coordinated assault by a barbarian warrior and an assassin.
Even a Twin-Headed Ogre wouldn't be able to withstand that.
Let alone a mere hobgoblin.
[All types of goblins 100/100, Hobgoblin 1/1]
[You have successfully completed the 20th-floor mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Mana Stones 2 kg]
[Reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potions (5)]
'Damn, I was a split second late.'
With a satisfied grin, Kosak said,
"Hehehe, good work."
Annoying as he was,
"Everyone did great. Thank you so much for protecting me."
"Chu!"
"Protect. Summoner."
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on the 20th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Another S++ record.
Twenty Platinum Badges now.
Just what kind of perk would this unlock?
"I hope it's trait enhancement again."
"Oh? You do?"
"Yes! If I can randomly summon and pull at least an SSR rank, then with three of us, we'll march on together. Way safer. Just thinking about it makes me feel good."
"…Hmm."
If that really happened, could anything be better?
[You may now challenge the 21st floor.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
※ ※ ※
At that same moment, a breaking-news banner appeared at the bottom of every TV channel.
It was something everyone wanted to know, so the moment the global notice was confirmed, it went straight to terrestrial breaking news.
From there, it would spread nationwide—no, worldwide.
The Agency wanted to avoid this situation, but how could they possibly silence the thousands of Players who received the notice?
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu's worries only deepened.
"Haa… consecutive 20th-floor clears are impressive, but… too much attention is a problem."
"Indeed. There's no way to suppress the press."
"We can't! If they realize we know who the record holder is—"
His concerns piled up endlessly.
And there had recently been an attempted item robbery incident.
There was no guarantee something like that wouldn't happen again.
"So… did you look into Player Bong's family situation?"
"We discreetly asked around."
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il placed a thick file on the desk.
"This is Player Bong's father, Bong Cheolsu. A few months ago, he suffered a hip fracture due to an icy-road accident. He's currently undergoing rehabilitation after surgery."
"Oh dear. At that age, bones don't heal easily."
"Yes. He still has difficulty moving and rarely leaves the house."
"What support options do we have?"
"How about referring him to the country's top hospital rehabilitation center? Of course, free of charge."
"Good. Proceed."
Next, Player Bong's sibling.
"His younger brother, Bong Minhyuk. Currently a first-year university student. He's scheduled to enlist soon."
"That works out. Offering a scholarship would be simple."
"Exactly."
Lastly—
"Player Bong's mother, Madam Hong Geumja."
"What does she do?"
"She worked as a coordinator for a water purifier company but is currently unemployed."
"Hmm. Did she quit voluntarily? Or—"
"It seems she had a conflict with an abusive customer and the company forcibly terminated her contract."
"That's terrible!"
Jeon Gwang-il spoke in a low, deliberate voice.
"The person we need to be most careful with is Madam Hong Geumja."
"Hm? Why is that?"
"She has the strongest voice in the family. She's very forceful—her husband and sons can't oppose her at all."
"Oh? Really?"
But there was a problem.
If her personality was that strong…
"If we approach her too aggressively, it could backfire."
"I'm well aware. We need to be careful."
"Do you have a plan?"
"Yes."
"Then carry it out. Spare no support."
The Awakening Management Agency, which dealt with Players.
Its authority was broader than that of most other state institutions.
Especially when elite Players were involved.
If a direct approach didn't work, they'd go around it.
One way or another, they would secure the elite contract.
※ ※ ※
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at Juhyeok's front door.
Kosak and Gobang's eyes gleamed.
"D-delivery. Smells like food."
"Delivery."
"Shh! Go hide over there, out of sight."
Juhyeok opened the front door and stepped outside.
This time, he hadn't used a delivery app—he'd ordered directly from a nearby Chinese restaurant.
He needed a lot of food.
"Twelve sweet-and-sour porks, twelve bowls of jjajangmyeon. Is that right?"
"Y-yes."
"That's quite a lot. Is there a celebration today?"
"Uh, y-yes."
"I figured as much, so I added one serving of fried dumplings on the house."
One serving of fried dumplings as service—wasn't that a bit stingy?
"…You didn't have to."
"Hahaha. Enjoy your meal and order again. You know, right? Among nearby Chinese places, our Shinshinru is the best."
He'd never heard that before.
He checked the bags after setting them down.
'The coupons… aren't there?'
Not a single one.
What the hell?
He couldn't exactly call back to ask what happened.
All his life, whenever there was something to complain about, he'd always just let it slide.
Honestly, even having coupons would be a problem.
He'd never once used one.
Calling and saying, "I'd like to use a coupon," was incredibly difficult.
That's why his drawer was full of unused coupons.
Well, it's not like he'd use them anyway.
…No, not wouldn't—couldn't.
How ridiculous.
In the Tower, he was a real man smashing monsters.
In reality, he was a loser with social anxiety who couldn't even assert rights he was entitled to.
"Sniff! The smell of jjajang—this is incredible. Gobang, you've never had this, right?"
"Slurrrp!"
Drool poured from Savage Gobang's mouth like a waterfall.
"Go ahead and eat first. I need to check something."
The two of them tore into the packaging as if they'd been waiting for permission.
Now—this was the moment he'd been looking forward to.
Juhyeok took out the gleaming Platinum Badge from his Tower-exclusive inventory.
[You have accumulated 20 Platinum Badges. A perk will be granted.]
'So…?'
[Perk: One Random Box has been granted.]
'Huh?'
The perk is… a random box?
What kind is it?
Feature: Three items that can appear in the Tower are awarded at random.
Possible Contents: Mana stones; about 10 kinds of Tower-native herbs; 3 types of Tower metals; over 50 kinds of Tower monster hides; potions; elixirs; weapon items; armor items; accessory items; combat skills; Level-Up Runes (up to 5 LV); Tower Jumping Tickets (up to 5 LV / 5 floors); Skill Cooldown Reset Tickets; Trait Enhancement Runes; Summoned Being Rank-Up Runes; Multinational Tower Access Tickets; Guaranteed-Rank Random Summon Tickets (one of SR, SSR, or LSSR).
'Why are there so many?'
Mana stones, herbs, and metals are whatever.
Weapons and armor too.
'Level-Up Runes' raise only the level regardless of climbing progress.
'Tower Jumping Tickets' skip floors and raise levels together—who would even want that?
Level-Up Runes are way better.
'Multinational Tower Access Tickets' must let you clear Towers in other countries.
Among them all, the best is probably this:
'Guaranteed-Rank Random Summon Ticket (SR, SSR, or LSSR).'
If an LSSR guaranteed ticket pops?
Tower climbing would be a joke.
Let's be realistic.
Accessory items, elixirs, combat skills, skill cooldown reset tickets, trait enhancement runes, summoned-being rank-up runes.
'It said three items, right? There might be a chance.'
Juhyeok opened the box.
Open!
Ding!
[10 kg of Mana Stones have been awarded.]
'…Damn it.'
Still, that's five million won.
Next?
[You have learned the skill: Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff .]
[Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff has been registered in the status window.]
"Oh!"
This is good.
Last one?
[A Summoned Being Rank-Up Rune has been awarded.]
'…Jackpot.'
He'd been ready to curse if nothing but junk came out.
A Summoned Being Rank-Up Rune.
Does that even need explaining?
The question is—
Gobang, or Kosak?
Come on, there's nothing to think about.
How many meals had they shared together?
Of course, Kosak.
'…Or wait, did Mr. Gobang eat more?'
Either way, since Gobang is here, he'll summon him separately later.
Mr. Gobang might sulk otherwise.
So then—what about the skill?
A very wuxia-novel-sounding name.
Skill: Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff
Description: Imbues a blunt weapon with the power of lightning. Consists of three forms in total. Growth-type.
Nice.
Exactly the kind of skill he needed.
And it's growth-type.
[Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff — First Form, Falling Thunder, Soul-Chasing has been unlocked.]
In an instant, the method of using the form unfolded in Juhyeok's mind.
'Should I try it?'
He took out the mace from the Tower-exclusive inventory and swung it downward—but…
"Eh."
No lightning. Not even a whoosh.
Outside the Tower, skills and levels didn't apply.
And he didn't even have mana.
No complaints.
If Players could use their Tower powers in the real world, the world would turn into total chaos.
A world where guys like Choi Hoseok ran rampant—
'I'll try it inside the Tower.'
Seeing Juhyeok suddenly swing his mace, Kosak's eyes went wide.
"Summoner Bong, why are you suddenly swinging your mace?"
"Oh! I got a skill as a perk."
"…I-is it an attack skill?"
"Yes, it's called Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff. Apparently it's growth-type."
"Oh dear…"
Kosak fidgeted uneasily.
Of course he would.
An attack skill—Honyuan Thunderstrike Staff.
Just looking at Summoner Bong's face told him everything.
That eager expression—itching to use the skill.
He'd charge straight at monsters.
That would mean more danger.
'Oh no…'
They should've given him a defensive or escape skill.
Kosak's worries only deepened.