It had been twenty years since the pitch-black tower was erected.
A smooth cylindrical shape, an exterior painted black, and not only towering in height but massive on a scale utterly incomparable to ordinary high-rise skyscrapers—it was truly enormous.
Each country in the world had one tower, or up to three.
The Republic of Korea had one.
Its location was in the low mountains of Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
When the towers first appeared overnight without warning,
militaries from every nation were deployed, and scientists and media outlets swarmed in to uncover what they were.
But no one could get close to the towers.
They were visible, yet physically blocked.
As if human entry was forbidden.
The same was true from the air.
What on earth were they?
Why had they appeared?
No one knew—until Players emerged.
What they learned after the Players appeared:
The towers existed to be climbed.
By whom?
Obviously, by Players.
Those who had earned the qualification to enter the towers.
The number of Players was estimated at 0.01%–0.02% of the total population.
Out of 7 billion people worldwide, roughly 700,000 to 1.5 million.
In South Korea, out of 50 million people, about 5,000 to 10,000.
Only Players could ignore the constraints of space and time and enter or exit the tower whenever and wherever they wished.
What happened when they entered the tower?
They carried out missions assigned on each floor.
Tower climbing was like a game.
Inside the tower, Players ascended while completing brutal missions using powerful abilities and skills.
Fundamentally, Players were independent.
Party play or cooperative climbing was impossible.
It was outright prohibited.
Even if they were on the same floor performing the same mission, their phases were separated.
They would never encounter each other inside the tower.
Alone.
Without anyone's help.
A single Player could determine the fate of an entire nation.
If a mission was cleared, rewards were granted.
In the real world.
The magic stones they brought back became an indispensable resource for modern industry.
The higher the floor, the greater the rewards.
But no one knew how many floors the towers actually had.
The country that climbed the highest was the United States.
They reached the 66th floor.
They had two towers, and both were successfully cleared up to the 66th floor.
Korea's climbing speed was also quite respectable.
They had reached the 65th floor.
Just one floor behind the U.S.
Then why keep climbing?
Was it really necessary to continue?
It wasn't just for the rewards.
If the uncleared upper floors were not climbed, the tower would collapse.
The time limit was roughly six months.
Within that time, some Player had to reach an uncleared upper floor.
If the upper floors were not updated—
[Notice: The Black Tower of △△ Country is stagnating.]
[Notice: Tower collapse countdown has begun.]
[Notice: The countdown will stop if an uncleared upper floor is successfully cleared.]
Eventually—
[Notice: The Black Tower of △△ Country is collapsing.]
The collapse of a tower.
An enormous catastrophe.
It wasn't just the tower that collapsed.
The entire ground of the city where the tower stood split apart, magma erupted, massive sinkholes formed everywhere, and the entire city vanished.
That was what happened to India three years ago.
India had three towers.
New Delhi, Calcutta, and Mumbai.
Among them, the Mumbai Black Tower stalled at the 43rd floor, and about 180 days later, the disaster struck.
Over ten million people died, and Mumbai became a city that no longer existed.
And it didn't end with just one disappearing.
A new tower rose up in Chennai, India.
So India still had three Black Towers.
Collapse, then regeneration.
Thus, tower climbing became an issue that national governments had to address directly.
Each nation formed and managed dedicated "Elite Tower Climbing Teams."
There wasn't much a country could do for tower climbing itself—
providing items that could be brought into the tower, taking care of a Player's mental health, or gathering and sharing information.
After all, only Players could enter the tower.
Outside the tower, they were ordinary civilians, so personal protection was also necessary.
Players themselves also had a climbing deadline.
If they didn't enter the tower for more than three months, their qualification was revoked.
That was why nations were desperate to secure and manage talented Players.
※ ※ ※
Bong Juhyeok returned home after finishing his shift at the barbecue restaurant.
He had already said he'd take tomorrow off.
He'd called the convenience store owner as well.
"Let's try entering the tower."
Just a quick taste.
If it was too much, he could spit it out.
If he did nothing for three months, it would all pass by anyway.
[General Skill]: Tower Entry (once per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory
Since he'd made up his mind, he decided to do it now.
He had already researched what the first floor was like.
The mission was monster subjugation.
Their defense was fairly high, but their attack power was almost nonexistent.
Just beat them to death and it was over.
They were tough and didn't die easily, but still—
"All right, then…"
Wait a second!
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Should he summon that insane assassin, John Kosak?
Wasn't there a better option?
Calling someone else—someone actually sane—instead of John Kosak.
Who knew?
A Legendary Special Super Rare might pop out.
Good.
Let's try it once more and think afterward.
One more random summon.
But—
[Random Summoning is not possible.]
[Random Summoning cooldown remaining: 28 days, 11 hours, 08 minutes, 37 seconds.]
"…So there was a cooldown?"
Judging by it, roughly about a month.
Designated summoning for Kosak was only three hours, though.
Well, that made sense.
It didn't consume any particular resource, so if there were no cooldown, people would just spam pulls until they got a good rank.
Let's just summon Kosak.
SR—Super Rare—was already an excellent grade.
He wouldn't know that I was thinking about summoning someone else instead, right?
Hopefully not.
If he did, I'd feel bad.
"Then…"
"Designated Summon: John Kosak!"
Whooosh! Paht!
Once again, a message asking for satisfaction evaluation popped up.
[Before designated summoning, please leave a satisfaction rating for John Kosak.]
Feeling apologetic, I gave him a perfect 5 out of 5.
[John Kosak has been designated-summoned.]
"Summoner Bong, thanks for the 5 points! Loyalty! Just give the order!"
Aaaah!
To think he'd be this polite and eager.
"I've decided. Let's enter the tower."
"Oooooh! Already? How courageous— …ah, no, I take that back. You shouldn't be courageous."
"Don't worry. I'm just going to get a taste and pull out."
"As expected of you, very wise. Once inside the tower, don't move even a finger. I'll drive safely and comfortably."
John Kosak rubbed his palms together, fawning.
Juhyeok nodded, seemingly satisfied.
He doesn't know, right?
That just a moment ago, I was trying to summon someone else.
If he knew, I'd feel guilty.
"Shall we go? Oh, right! We can enter together from here, right?"
"Of course we go together. I'm Summoner Bong's tool and hunting dog. Hehe."
Really?
Well then—
Enter the tower.
Current time: 11 p.m.
The entry cooldown resets daily.
Meaning, even if I entered now, once an hour passed and it became midnight, I could enter again.
But was there really a need to be that diligent?
[Do you wish to enter the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea?]
[The currently accessible floor is Floor 1.]
Naturally—
"Floor 1."
Papaat!
From Bong Juhyeok's tiny studio apartment,
he and John Kosak vanished simultaneously.
※ ※ ※
[Entering the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea, Floor 1.]
Finally, entry.
At the same time, system messages began scrolling rapidly.
[Physical abilities have been adjusted to match your level.]
[Traits and combat skills are now available.]
Automatic physical enhancement, huh…
It was subtle, but he did feel stronger.
Even if he was only Level 1.
"I'll move out. Please follow me."
The entrance was a safe zone.
To receive a mission, they had to go further inside.
Once the mission appeared, the raid would begin.
Ding!
[Floor 1 Mission: Defeat 5 Tough-Hide Fat Grubs.]
[Time Limit: Within 2 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Tough-Hide Fat Grub 0/5]
[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment]
A simple monster subjugation mission.
But to Juhyeok, it was anything but simple.
'Haa…'
His worries piled up like mountains.
Catch grubs?
A barren wasteland with not a blade of grass in sight.
Fat grubs crawling sluggishly all over the place.
Each one was about the size of a pet dog.
You couldn't even tell which side was the front.
No limbs. No eyes, nose, or mouth.
Which meant no means of attack.
But instead—
'They said the hide is tough.'
Meaning they're hard to kill.
And that was true.
According to other players' experiences, at best you could kill one every thirty minutes.
Some players even failed the mission after fumbling around.
Well, failure didn't mean death, at least.
Floor 1 was a stage to test your own skills.
Those Tough-Hide Fat Grubs crawling over there were basically like training dummies.
But could Mr. Kosak really handle it?
Generally, summoner-type players shared levels with their summons(?).
If Juhyeok was Level 1, then John Kosak should also be Level 1.
But since summons were displayed by rank instead of level, maybe it was different.
"You know the Floor 1 mission, right?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then let's go."
"Loyalty! I will carry out the order!"
Spot!
Kosak vanished from where he stood.
"Huh?"
Where'd he go?
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of one grub.
"Blade Explosion."
He hurled a dagger glowing red-hot.
Spirit!
Thunk!
BOOM!
The Tough-Hide Fat Grub exploded.
"…Wow."
That easily?
One down already.
"I'll finish this quickly."
The skills John Kosak used—
Once they pierced the grub's body, it exploded instantly.
Spirit! Thunk! BOOM!
Spirit! Thunk! BOOM!
Spirit! Thunk! BOOM! …
Two, three, four… and the fifth and final one.
[Tough-Hide Fat Grub defeated 5/5]
[Floor 1 Mission cleared.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Magic Stone 100g]
Immediately after—
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on Floor 1 of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
"…What is this?"
It's an instant kill.
At the very least, he's not Level 1.
And an S++ clear rating.
So clears are graded too?
'Must be something good.'
I don't know what it is, but it's obviously a big deal.
That's probably why there are two rewards.
Normally you only get magic stones.
'A Platinum Badge…'
What are you even supposed to use this for?
Seems like it's given for achieving an S++ clear.
[You may challenge Floor 2.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
Spot!
The surroundings changed in an instant.
Juhyeok's studio apartment.
'I'm home.'
We already cleared the mission and came back?
'How much time passed?'
He entered at 11 p.m.
But now it was 11:03 p.m.
Only three minutes had passed.
About one minute spent reading messages on Floor 1.
About one minute moving to the mission area.
The actual time spent killing the grubs was… one minute—no, probably not even a full minute.
"Good work, sir. Hehe,"
John Kosak said with a bright smile.
"I didn't even do anything. I just stood there."
"That's exactly what you did right, sir."
"…."
Is this a dream?
Spirit! Thunk! Boom! Then spot!—and we were back.
'This is ridiculously easy?'
On the status window: [Level]: 2 LV
I'd heard that others ended up completely exhausted, beating grubs to death like maniacs.
Let's check if the rewards came in.
Tower-exclusive inventory.
It works outside as well.
Though you can only store and take out rewards obtained from the tower—nothing else goes in.
'…They're here.'
100g of magic stones.
And the Platinum Badge too.
It was an actual physical badge.
'Am I supposed to pin this on my chest?'
How embarrassing.
He took the magic stones out.
A fingernail-sized shard of stone, sparkling brilliantly.
At current market prices, 100g was worth about 50,000 won.
That was because magic stone prices kept dropping day by day.
They were pretty expensive in the beginning.
Back when humanity first got its hands on magic stones.
Now the market was flooded.
'The first person to clear must've made a fortune.'
He'd heard that each tower had a first-clear system.
The first player to clear a floor mission would receive ten times the reward—sometimes even fifty times.
And it wasn't just magic stones.
Clear a high-floor mission past Floor 30, and bizarre, incredible items would pour out one after another.
'Still, I made 50,000 won.'
In just three minutes.
Grinning widely, light practically shone off Kosak's face beside him.
"Shall we grab a late-night snack? What do you like?"
"I eat anything well, sir."
"How about jokbal?"
"…Sp-spicy jokbal, sir?"
"No, garlic jokbal."
"Garlic is also… sp-spicy…"
An extreme weakling when it came to spice.
"Then I'll order regular front-leg jokbal."
"Uhehehe, I'll eat well. Thank you for your great kindness."
Calling jokbal an act of grace—seriously.
"By the way, Mr. Kosak."
"Yes, sir!"
"Is that how you normally talk?"
"What part, sir?"
"No, you keep shortening your sentence endings—sseumda, imda, that kind of thing."
"Th-that's because I spent a long time with my previous summoner…"
Ah.
Like the lingering influence of an ex-boyfriend's work?
In this case, it'd be an ex-summoner's work.
"If it's uncomfortable to hear, I'll fix it, sir."
"No, it's kind of funny once you get used to it. Hahahaha!"
"Hehehehe!"
In any case, one thing was certain.
'This is doable.'
Not dangerous at all.
Even if it was only Floor 1.