It had been ten days since he started climbing the Tower.
Yesterday's conquest of the 9th floor had been easy, too.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't easy for him—it was easy for kosak.
The 9th-floor mission was to eliminate ten Jungle Man-Eating Corpse Flowers.
Giant carnivorous corpse flowers that spread their petals flat on the ground in the dense jungle, then snap shut and bite down on a human's legs when someone passed by.
"Whass this? Jus' gettin' in the way,"
They had no teeth, the force of their closing petals was weak, and although digestive fluid dripped out, even when it touched the skin it only stung a little.
John kosak simply stepped on them as he walked.
He crushed the corpse flowers mercilessly until they were unrecognizable.
"Should I try stepping on one too…?"
"Ah, no, don't come near 'em, sir. They stink and'll dirty yer shoes."
Aren't these things growing way too pampered, like greenhouse plants?
Then again, since they didn't have any proper combat skills, it made sense they wouldn't aggressively attack.
Anyway, the 9th floor was cleared successfully as well.
An S++ rank was basically the default.
A Platinum Badge was just a bonus.
How reassuring it was.
The fact that he was a deranged assassin who had brutally killed three people wasn't even an issue.
'Honestly, he did that to protect me anyway.'
Today's mission was on the 10th floor.
First, the designated summoning of kosak.
The satisfaction rating was automatically set to five points.
And then—
[John kosak's satisfaction rating has been set to 5 points.]
[Due to the continued accumulation of top scores, John kosak's manifestation time has increased by 1 hour.]
'…Huh?'
He hadn't expected that.
'So there really is a reward for giving perfect scores.'
John kosak looked pleased as well.
"Thank ye. I can assist ye for one more hour now."
"I always say this, but I'm counting on you."
"Jus' trust me!"
Juhyeok and kosak entered the 10th floor.
[Entering the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea, 10th Floor.]
[Physical abilities have been enhanced to match your level.]
[Traits and combat skills are now available.]
By the 10th floor, the feeling was different.
He could clearly sense it now.
'I've gotten stronger.'
A recalibration of physical abilities inside the Tower.
Vitality overflowed through him, and strength surged up powerfully.
Along with that, a faint mana could be felt in his lower abdomen.
He still hadn't learned any skills, so it was useless for now, but still.
Among the status window entries was something called [Combat Skills].
Since Juhyeok's trait was summoning, it was empty, but players with other combat-oriented traits usually acquired one starting from Level 1.
So did that mean summoners could never learn combat skills?
Not at all.
They could learn them as their level increased or through rewards such as items—for example, skill runes.
Anyway, the mission on the 10th floor:
[10th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 Giant Horned Praying Mantis.]
[Time Limit: Within 2 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Giant Horned Praying Mantis 0/1]
[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment]
"I'll help too."
"Uh, no, sir. If ye end up with even a scratch, I'll have to smash my own head in."
"No, really, I don't want to just stand around. If I get hurt, I can drink a healing potion. I got one as a reward."
"Save yer potions and just praise me from behind."
He didn't want to remain a greenhouse flower anymore.
He would do something.
"No. This time, I absolutely have to! We'll do it together—"
At that moment!
Crunch, crunch!
A massive Giant Horned Praying Mantis burst out of the forest.
"…Whoa."
It was big.
Just looking at it sent chills down his spine.
The compound eyes of a giant insect.
A large, well-developed mouth and mandibles.
Front legs bent like scythes.
A triangular head with horns protruding where antennae should be.
That thing was a 10th-floor monster?
How did other players even kill this?
"…If I clumsily try to help from the side, I'll just get in your way, right, kosak?"
"Well, it ain't particularly bothersome."
"No. Cheering from the sidelines is probably better than half-baked help."
"Is that so?"
"Yes! You've got this, kosak!"
"Yessir!"
Papapat!
kosak charged forward at a terrifying speed.
Thud! Thud!
With two thrusts, the mantis's compound eyes were destroyed,
Slash! Slash!
With two swings, both front legs were severed,
Stab! Riiip!
With the bluish blade, the mantis's abdomen was split open, its entrails spilling out.
As expected, it was over in an instant.
The Giant Horned Praying Mantis was defeated without even managing a counterattack.
[You have successfully completed the 10th Floor mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Magic Crystal 1 kg]
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the 10th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge awarded.]
[You may challenge the 11th Floor.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.]
Spot!
Juhyeok returned to his one-room apartment.
'…It's already over.'
Does this mean I've graduated from being a beginner?
Let's check the rewards.
Magic Crystal: 1 kg.
Total accumulated: 5.5 kg.
What about the Platinum Badges?
He had already received a perk at five badges—trait awakening enhancement—
[Special perk granted upon accumulating 10 Platinum Badges.]
'…Again?'
Another perk popped up.
What is it?
[Perk: You may copy 1 skill possessed by a summoned entity.]
[List: Blade Explosion, Shock Break, Sneaky Ambush, Poison Dagger, Shadow Step, Disruption, Stealth, Invisibility, Polymorph…,]
[Please state the skill you desire.]
"…Wow."
Skill copying.
So that meant he could learn one of John kosak's skills?
There were too many.
Which one should he choose?
"Mr. Bong Summoner!"
"Yes?"
"Shadow Step, no question about it."
"What…?"
"The skill you're gonna copy from me. Don't ask, don't think—just learn Shadow Step."
Should he?
At least ask for the reason first.
"Why?"
"It's great for runnin' away. Even if somethin' happens to me, you can slip away fast and quiet-like."
"…"
Running away?
What did he take him for!
Did he really look like the type who'd abandon someone just to save himself?
"…Learn Shadow Step."
[Skill acquired: Shadow Step.]
[Shadow Step has been registered in your status window.]
Fast footwork was extremely important in combat.
Wasn't speed the lifeblood of a fight?
Of course, it was also useful for escaping.
In any case, the method of using the skill flowed smoothly into his mind.
Skill: Shadow Step
Description: Leave behind a shadow and retreat at high speed. The effect improves as the skill level increases.
How to use it:
You could activate it either by speaking the skill's name aloud or by focusing your will inward and moving your feet.
'Nice.'
[Combat Skill]: Shadow Step
Now he finally had a skill he could use inside the Tower.
'What about in the real world…?'
No harm in trying.
"Shadow Step."
He activated the skill, but—
"…."
Nothing happened.
"Doesn't work."
He'd secretly been hoping.
"What a mess."
Summoning skills worked outside.
So why not combat skills?
If summoning worked, this should too.
"There's no consistency. No consistency at all!"
"I dunno what it is, but yer absolutely right."
What a shame.
It was an incredibly useful skill for running away.
If it worked outside too, there'd be countless situations where it could be used.
Still, being able to use it inside the Tower meant he was becoming safer by the day.
That was a good direction.
※ ※ ※
Day eleven since starting the Tower climb.
It was also his day off from his part-time job.
He'd taken a special leave.
Because there was something he needed to do.
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
Should he quit his part-time job?
'…I'll wait a bit longer.'
Clearing the Tower wasn't difficult.
Just summon John kosak and it was over.
At least until the mid–upper floors of the 10th floor, there shouldn't be any issues, according to him.
For the later part of the 10th floor, he'd need to add one more person.
Once the random summoning cooldown reset, that is.
Anyway, what he had to do this morning was already decided.
Sell the magic crystals.
But that required going through a special procedure.
For Juhyeok, it was the most difficult and stressful moment of all.
Magic crystals—stones containing energy harmless to the human body.
They were used across various industries, with ongoing research still underway.
You could sell them pretty much anywhere.
However, the moment you tried to sell magic crystals,
your identity as a player would be exposed.
You'd be placed in an extremely dangerous situation.
A warrior who could display power inside the Tower, but no different from an ordinary civilian in the real world.
He could be kidnapped, imprisoned, and turned into a magic crystal shuttle by bad actors.
Players died frequently inside the Tower—but many also died in the real world.
Well, strictly speaking, that didn't really apply to Juhyeok.
Because he could summon John kosak into reality as well, like a loyal bodyguard.
Even so, he couldn't fully relax.
What if something happened after John kosak was unsummoned?
What if, by cruel coincidence, he couldn't call him again immediately due to the designated summoning cooldown?
If safety was the priority, there was only one choice.
Sign a contract with the government.
In the past, players had traded with major corporations or banded together into guild-like alliances, but those had mostly disappeared by now.
There were rumors that black markets and secret player organizations still existed, but their reality was unclear.
Contracting with the national government was the safest option.
If you applied directly, they provided personal protection.
They also handled the sale of mission reward items on your behalf.
Of course, there were common preconceptions.
That belonging to the state meant losing freedom, or being unfairly exploited.
But that only applied to dictatorships.
A normal government—especially the Republic of Korea—granted players broad freedom.
Players weren't dangerous in the real world. They were strong only inside the Tower, weak outside. And without them, Tower collapses might occur.
Rather than restrain them, the state had every reason to protect them as a top priority.
'Being wrapped up in sweet public authority isn't so bad.'
Currently, players managed by the state fell into two categories.
'Elite' and 'General.'
Elites were specially managed Tower-climbing teams backed by the government.
They aimed for the unexplored upper floors.
General—or, bluntly put, bottom-tier—teams were players who had lost the will to climb and just lingered on the lower floors.
As long as he didn't end up in the elite teams, it was fine.
Those came with obligations and responsibilities.
What Juhyeok wanted was the bottom-tier team.
Over 90% of government-contracted players fell into this category.
They simply parked themselves on a suitable floor and repeatedly ran the same missions.
How great was that?
A goal that fit the identity of the loser Bong Juhyeok perfectly.
Still, there was something that made him uneasy.
The notices that had appeared as he cleared up to the 10th floor recently.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the △△th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
He had only recently learned what that meant.
After finishing the 10th-floor clear yesterday, he went to an internet forum called the Tower Climbing Gallery—a place players occasionally visited to gather information about the 11th floor.
└ So that rumor was real?
└ Yeah. The Administration's been trying to keep it quiet, but too many people heard the announcement.
└ Ten consecutive S++ ranks—this some hardcore national pride bait or what?
└ If that's not national pride bait, then what is? You know what Japan's best record is? Apparently just an A-rank. Didn't even trigger a global notice.
└ Even worldwide, A++ is supposedly the highest ever. And even then, there was no global announcement.
└ So only S-rank and above trigger a global notice?
└ Seems like it. But this isn't even S—it's S++. That's some insane national pride for sure.
└ Someone definitely awakened recently… but seriously, who the hell is it?
A global announcement shown to all players.
Everyone knew.
It was a hot topic across various internet communities lately.
Naturally, the government must have been aware as well.
'If it's revealed that I'm the one behind those S++ clears…'
He could be forcibly dragged into an elite climbing team.
So what if he was?
Wouldn't it be better to reveal himself and step forward proudly?
It was a golden opportunity to gain both fame and fortune at once.
'No way!'
One moment of boldness could change the direction of his entire life by 180 degrees.
Let's remind ourselves again.
He didn't earn those S++ ranks because he was amazing.
He earned them because John kosak was amazing.
And even kosak couldn't guarantee what would happen beyond the 20th or 30th floors.
What if random summoning went poorly and he ended up with someone lower-tier than kosak?
'Bottom-tier team. No matter what.'
What was wrong with being bottom-tier?
Thanks to the magic crystals they earned, industries developed, the environment was protected, and the world grew more prosperous.
Alright! All that was left was to dial the number.
And then just tell the official in charge, "I've awakened. I'd like to sell magic crystals."
That was it.
But he needed courage.
It wasn't easy.
Was this really the right choice?
Once he made the call, there would be no going back.
Couldn't he just keep hiding like this?
Then what about future Tower rewards?
He wouldn't even be able to sell things like magic crystals.
'5.5 kilograms… that's 2.75 million won.'
He picked up his smartphone, then put it down.
Entered the number, then erased it again.
Even now, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Aaah!
The embodiment of indecisiveness.
The pinnacle of pettiness.
The curse of inherited paternal genes.
Father, why did you give birth to me like this?
No—believe in the maternal genes.
After agonizing like that dozens of times.
'Fine! I'll just hide it somehow.'
He'd cleared up to the 10th floor with S++ ranks, but starting from the 11th floor, he could tell kosak to take it easy and slack off.
"Whew…"
At last, Juhyeok picked up his smartphone and dialed 1111.
Beeep…
As soon as the signal connected—
Click!
—Hello? Please speak.
"I-I'm Bong Juhyeok. Um, I… I c-called because I, uh… awakened."
He'd finally done it.
—Congratulations. May our government support staff visit your residence?
"Yes, that's fine. But I don't live with my parents—I live alone. The address is—"
—Understood. We'll head over as quickly as possible.
Ordinary citizen Bong Juhyeok.
At twenty-five years old, this was the bravest decision of his entire life.
Even more so than his first entry into the Tower.