A neighborhood park near home.
"Over here!"
Se-yeon, who had arrived first, waved her hand.
As Jin-hyuk approached the bench, she handed him a can of beer as if she had been waiting for this exact moment. She had even thoughtfully grilled dried squid—the perfect snack to go with it.
"I called so suddenly, and you still came out. I don't know how to thank you."
"Oh, please. I should be saying that."
They traded polite bows for a moment.
Crack—hiss!
Se-yeon took a long gulp of beer and let out a satisfied sigh. "Ahh."
Only then did she glance at Jin-hyuk, looking slightly embarrassed. Not wanting her to feel awkward, he quickly popped his own can and took a deep swig.
"Whoa."
No wonder there had been a thin layer of frost on it. The icy chill sliding down his throat was unreal.
"Right? I even brought an icebox."
"Huh?"
He finally noticed the box sitting across from them.
That's right—she really loves her drinks.
"Another one?"
"Thanks."
As if they'd rehearsed it, both cracked open a second can and downed it in one go. Se-yeon crushed the empty can and burst into laughter.
"Doesn't even touch the sides, right? I've seen you pour down wine, whiskey, and soju without even turning red."
What could he say?
Intoxication and hangovers counted as status ailments for him now.
It wasn't that alcohol tasted bad—he just couldn't get drunk. So he could still enjoy the flavor, and his mood lifted all the same.
"Are you just naturally sturdy? You don't seem to feel the cold either. Don't tell me you even shower in cold water."
"Nope. Even in summer, I use hot water."
Extreme cold or unbearable heat didn't affect his body anymore. But sensation was a different story. He could still feel cold or hot on his skin, and that was reason enough not to give up hot showers.
"But Se-yeon, what's going on? You suddenly called for a quick beer. Judging by how many cans are in that box, this doesn't look very 'quick.'"
"Hey now. That's hurtful. There was a time we drank all the time together. Do we need a reason?"
"Fair point."
She smiled faintly and opened another can, leaning back against the bench.
"Honestly, I just wanted to vent. You even gave me the name Sugihara Industries, and I couldn't do a thing to them."
She let out a heavy sigh.
The frustration was still vivid—the helplessness of having the culprit right in front of her and being unable to act.
"But…"
She held out her phone.
Breaking news headlines from all over the world.
At some point, the title had changed to the downfall of Sugihara and the Gamin Party.
"It turned out like this. Didn't even get a chance to complain."
She looked at Jin-hyuk intently.
He casually turned his gaze toward the distant mountains.
Se-yeon smiled faintly.
"As the headlines suggest, it wasn't just one company that fell. Everyone tangled up with Sugihara like parasitic vines got dragged into the light. You saw the update, right? The Prime Minister from the Gamin Party stepped down."
"Yeah. It's a mess."
He shook his head.
From the lowest-ranking assemblymen to the Prime Minister himself—good luck finding anyone in the Gamin Party not tied to Sugihara.
It was such a train wreck it bordered on absurd.
"If—just hypothetically—there was someone who lit the spark that set all this off… I'd like to thank them. For smashing it all to pieces. And I'm sure I'm not the only one."
She changed the channel.
"From the families of the players who died in Chungnam to victims of long-buried cases—thanks to that person, the truth finally surfaced. Even if it's only surface-level, they're getting apologies and compensation. I bet even the Korean government would want to give that person a hug. Japan's been completely cornered because of this. All those endless disputes? They'll probably wrap them up now."
Jin-hyuk sipped his beer and nodded silently.
After watching him for a moment, Se-yeon checked the time.
"Time flies. It's almost midnight. You're climbing the Tower again, right?"
"Yeah. I finally matched my floor with yours, so I need to push higher."
"If this had happened before, I'd probably be punching a sandbag in rage. But there's no need now. I'm going to get my head straight and focus on my own runs. I'll send you any info I get. Not much on the Tower sites about the 90th floor range, right?"
"Pretty much a drought. Unless you count the trolls posting fake info for attention."
"Thought so. I'll organize everything neatly for you—even some solid tips. As long as I can clear it."
She gave a sheepish grin and finished her beer.
"Oh, right. This saved us." She pulled out a worn talisman. "The Hunters who went with me said to thank whoever drew this. The cursed monsters just dropped the moment they came close."
Jin-hyuk gave her a thumbs-up.
As expected of Great Shaman Carmela Sirin. No nameless exorcist could compare.
Se-yeon gathered the crushed cans and the icebox, then stood up.
"I shouldn't take any more of your time. Midnight's sacred to Tower lovers. And I'm aiming to become one too."
"I'll cheer you on."
"Me too. Well then—I'm off!"
She spun around energetically. Jin-hyuk waved a couple of times before heading toward home.
"Yoo Jin-hyuk!"
She called out before they were too far apart.
"Yeah?"
When he turned, she bowed deeply.
"Thank you. Truly."
A smile tugged at his lips.
"Anytime."
A cool breeze swept through the park.
It was a refreshing night.
Just before midnight.
Jin-hyuk rubbed his chin as he watched his friends devour jokbal.
"Who's taking all the soft collagen parts?!"
"Me!"
"Why are you so proud of that, Momo?!"
"They say collagen makes your skin better!"
"Oh? That's an interesting claim, Chubby."
Carmela reached over with her chopsticks toward the collagen.
Does it really work?
Jin-hyuk shook his head. That didn't matter right now.
Blank Cards. Three of them.
'Where should I use them so people would say I used them well?'
At first, he'd thought about going all-in on Seira. After reaching Legendary rank, she had a bunch of tempting traits and skills he couldn't yet engrave—but even her existing abilities were attractive.
Still, this time he wanted a more strategic approach.
He reviewed the weapons in his possession.
Most of them he used well—but the Engraved Sword Kamachi and Buried Windsor's Perakan saw little action.
Kamachi required striking the exact same spot repeatedly to stack damage. Against a moving enemy, that was both difficult and inefficient.
Perakan would likely shine in prolonged battles—but Tower climbs were always done with his friends. Fights rarely dragged on long enough for it to fully stack.
"Hmmm."
He scrunched his nose in deep thought.
He wanted to wield hundreds of weapons at once like in a manga.
If only there were a way—
Tap tap tap.
Carmela's puppet caught his eye.
The so-called Fool.
It had no life or consciousness, but through the power of a talisman, it could execute simple commands.
He sidled closer to her.
"Carmela. The Fool's main body is the talisman, right?"
She nodded and tore off the talisman attached to the puppet.
It collapsed instantly, reverting to a pile of straw.
"Something like that. Though it doesn't absolutely need a talisman. The energy infused at creation can keep it moving for about a minute. If you want to work it longer, you need one."
"Hmm."
He committed that to memory and grabbed a kitchen knife from the kitchen.
"Can you have the Fool hold this?"
She attached a fresh talisman to the straw. It gathered itself and stood up awkwardly.
The puppet gripped the knife.
Then he casually tore off the talisman.
[The Mark of Iron is engraved on the kitchen knife. You can now control the knife.]
"Oh."
He clenched his fist.
So it works.
No more hesitation.
These Blank Cards were going to Carmela.
Sitting cross-legged, Jin-hyuk clasped his hands.
'Please let it be Fool Creation. Please, please let it come within three cards!'
You couldn't just slap a talisman on anything and make a Fool. There was prior preparation involved.
[This is a standard Blank Card. It will randomly acquire one of the selected Hero's skills.]
[Target: Carmela Sirin, Reader of the Heavens. Proceed?]
He tore the first card.
Various sigils spun rapidly before his eyes.
Ding!
[The unique skill "Fool Creation" of Carmela Sirin has been engraved onto the Blank Card!]
"…What? First try?"
He stared blankly for a moment, then threw an uppercut into the air.
It was one of those days.
He browsed Carmela's status window further.
With his primary goal achieved, his mind felt lighter—and perhaps because of that, he noticed something else he'd overlooked.
'Spirit Eyes… and Four-In Sign Sword.'
From the 71st floor onward, undead, necromancers, and banshees—dark-attribute monsters—appeared.
Among them, certain banshee types were especially troublesome because some couldn't be seen with the naked eye.
But with Spirit Eyes?
Problem solved.
And the Four-In Sign Sword dealt massive bonus damage to incorporeal beings.
With both, floors 71 through 80 would be a breeze.
'Let's go.'
Without hesitation, he tore the next card.
Today was his lucky day.
He had a feeling.
Ding!
[The unique Noble Phantasm "Iscariot's Cross" of Carmela Sirin has been engraved onto the Blank Card!]
"…Excuse me?"
Instead of the sword, a necklace materialized.
But the cross looked… off.
Wasn't it upside down?
"Be careful, Commander. That cross looks extremely ominous. And the owner's a cultist? Definitely going to explode."
Kancho chimed in just as another message appeared.
[The Cross of Judas Iscariot, the ultimate betrayer. Deals horrific additional damage to enemies with the Holy attribute.]
A cross that crushed holy power.
Fitting for a betrayer.
It would be very useful from the 81st floor onward.
'Last one.'
He tore the final card cleanly.
Whatever he got would be useful—but ideally something for the 71st-floor range.
Ding!
[The unique trait "Spirit Eyes" of Carmela Sirin has been engraved onto the Blank Card!]
His eyes turned blue instantly.
The world shifted.
He could see things he hadn't before.
"…Phew."
He let out a relieved sigh.
At least there were no ghosts in his house.
Carmela smiled when she saw his eyes.
"You now share my world, young master. Welcome."
He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
Still… what if he saw ghosts while walking outside?
After a brief bout of basement-born cowardly anxiety, he checked the time.
11:30 p.m.
He pulled out the seed Hanamori Saburo had given him.
A resilient seed capable of blooming in any environment.
He took a deep breath.
At last, the time had come.
Time to make a flower bloom in the frozen lands of Frostheim.
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T/N:
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