Game 6: The Greedy Bamboo Tree
The celebrity CEO Kim Lee-soo was spitting blood on the floor. His teeth rattled like pearls on marble, and were immaculately white. A loud clatter, too loud to be in the great hall, of the dice of a drunken gambler. His blood dripped down his chin and mixed with his spit and stained the expensive silk scarf at his neck. The man was trying to save face, but his trembling hands told him off.
Han Tae-yang (한태양) only tilted his head, staring at him with the kind of bored expression you'd give a dog that kept barking in the distance. Inside, he thought, Oh… about now… if this world is really working with the same broken mechanics as the Tower of Gods Challenge, then...He clicked his fingers in his head. The item drop must have occurred. Jackpot time.
He did not give another look at the pathetic CEO. Tae-yang, instead, turned on his heel, his sneakers squeaking softly against the polished floor, and ran toward the fountain, which stood like a centerpiece in the concourse. The broad marble basin was glistening in the sun, and the water was trembling, as though the breath of air had swept over it, but there was none.
The people grumbled.Then water changed.It was but a ripple at first. Then the ripple swelled into rings, and those rings wound and writhed into a whirlpool. The smooth surface of the fountain boiled like something beneath it was holding its breath. And then.
SPLASH.
The water shot upwards. A long shadow swam under the surface and was moving swiftly. Gasps were heard in all throats around.
"What is that?"
"Something's climbing out!"
The surface tore open, and slowly, eerily, an object rose. At first, it looked like a crooked stick forcing its way into daylight. But as more of it emerged, the thing kept stretching, thickening, sprouting… until it was clear this wasn't just an object.
It was a tree.
No, to be precise, a strange bamboo-like tree, its trunk slender but unyielding, its segments gleaming like polished jade. The roots weren't touching soil at all; they were drinking directly from the fountain water. Droplets ran down its glossy green surface, sparkling like crystals under the lights of the concourse.
And the weirdest part?
The bamboo wasn't just a tree. It had grown in the perfect shape of a staff, a long, smooth handle with natural grooves where hands could grip it, topped by a crooked crown of leafy branches.
Han Tae-yang squinted. Then, without meaning to, he grinned like a fool.
"Pfft… hahaha. Oh my god. Is this for real?" he muttered to himself, shoulders shaking. "A bamboo stick… in the shape of a staff? Straight out of the Divine Tower of God's Challenge, huh? So I wasn't hallucinating. I did remember right."
The crowd's awe quickly turned into frenzy.
Someone screamed, "Look! Look at the top, fruit!"
And they weren't wrong.
From between the narrow leaves, four glowing fruits dangled. Each one was plump golden-orange and exuded a sweet, dizzying aroma that spread instantly across the concourse. Even the marble smelled faintly sugared now, like festival candy. The fruits weren't normal. They had veins of faint silver light running under their skin, pulsing like a heartbeat.
The System voice chimed in Tae-yang's head, dry as ever:
[System Notice: The Greedy Bamboo Staff has appeared.]
[Attached resource: Bamboo Fruits (4). Effects: Permanent increase to Strength, Agility, and Magic stats upon consumption. Warning: Greed breeds blood.]
Han Tae-yang slapped his forehead. "Oh, System, you dramatic bastard. 'Greed breeds blood'? Bro, you couldn't be more on point if you tattooed it on their foreheads."
Already, the air turned heavy. Everyone in the hall had their eyes locked on the fruits. Their pupils dilated, their breathing quickened, and their voices broke into a storm.
"Those fruits are mine!"
"Back off! I saw them first!"
"Climb faster, idiot, they're gonna be gone in seconds!"
Feet pounded the marble as dozens of players charged the fountain. Some kicked off the side, others tried to scale the slick trunk directly. Elbows jammed into ribs, shoulders slammed into jaws. The air filled with cursing, yelling, and the sound of bodies scraping against one another in desperation.
One guy got kneed in the gut so hard he folded in half and dropped like laundry. Another had his cheek raked by fingernails as someone clawed for their hair to drag him down.
"Stop clowning around! That fruit is mine!"
"Your mom's mine!" someone shouted back, climbing with both legs wrapped tight around the trunk.
The bamboo shuddered under the weight, leaves rattling like mock applause.
Han Tae-yang, meanwhile, only crossed his arms and leaned against a marble column, watching like he was streaming a sitcom. His lips curled into that sly grin again.
Classic. They're all drooling over the obvious reward. Just like noobs in the game version. Grab the fruit, eat it, boom, +3 stats. Simple math. But that's all they see. Most of them never learned what comes next.
Beside him, Kim Lee-soo, still clutching his bloody mouth, spat into his handkerchief and barked hoarsely.
"Han Tae-yang! Listen to me! If we work together and split those fruits, we can both rise! Don't throw away this chance!"
Tae-yang turned his head slowly, giving him a long, flat stare. It was the kind of look that said, You already lost, clown. Why are you still talking?
He clicked his tongue.
"Oi. If you know the trick, then talk. If not? Do yourself a favor, shut your damn mouth. It's not feeding time yet."
The CEO froze. Then his face twisted in rage.
Back at the fountain, the chaos peaked. A tall, muscular man finally wrestled his way to the crown of the bamboo. His hands clawed at one of the fruits, and with a loud snap, he ripped it free. He shouted in triumph, his face red with effort, then shoved it into his mouth before anyone could stop him.
The fruit burst with juice, golden liquid running down his chin. His eyes widened as his veins lit faintly under the skin. His body jerked as if struck by lightning. Then the system message echoed:
[Stat Gain: +3 Strength, +3 Agility.]
"Woahhh! It works! It's real." the crowd howled.
That only made the frenzy worse. People fought harder, nails and fists flying. Someone got shoved face-first into the fountain. Another slipped off the trunk, slamming onto the marble with a scream that echoed through the concourse.
Han Tae-yang exhaled through his nose, calm in the chaos, his hands shoved into his hoodie pocket.
He muttered, "Yep. As expected. Greedy fools. All chasing the shiny fruit, never once asking themselves… why is a tree like this even spawning here? Heh. Let them dance. Let them bleed."
But then.
The fountain trembled again.
This time, it wasn't the bamboo tree shaking. The water below rippled in unnatural patterns, deeper than before, as if something else, something bigger, was stirring.
Tae-yang's smirk froze. His sharp eyes narrowed.
"… And here comes the anomaly."