[The 8th episode of Climbing the Tower of Trials will be delayed for one week due to circumstances at the broadcasting company.]
A letter requesting final approval for the delay and the final broadcast volume was placed on the table.
"Phew."
Director Kang Byung-chan rubbed his forehead after reviewing the letter. If he signed this, the program—which was supposed to breathe life back into their station—would be released in a week. Logically, their sales and reputation should also soar.
But…
'It can't be helped.'
A new kind of disaster would erupt if this footage were released to the public.
A video featuring a veteran who shouted under every circumstance, a female host who looked like she was about to cry, and PDs who were actually crying.
It was as if all his nightmares had been compressed into a single video.
'Right. I can understand it.'
He nearly swore, but forced himself to stay calm.
The problem was—
The person responsible for orchestrating this hell had proudly appeared to claim his payment.
'Is his conscience made of reinforced concrete or something?'
Even the devil would have felt guilty.
"Pay your appearance fee. That's what you're saying?"
Kang Byung-chan asked.
"Of course. That's what the contract states."
"We… sigh. I don't know if you're aware, but we're taking leave because of the damage this broadcast caused us. Frankly, this is a situation where we should be claiming damages from you, Player Kang Jin-hyuk!"
Kang Byung-chan protested, but Jin-hyuk didn't even blink.
"I don't know. I only did exactly what was written in the contract."
He received an invitation and did what he was asked.
Now it was time to get paid. He didn't see any issue.
"Do you think that attitude will work?"
"Yes. I do. Honestly—"
Jin-hyuk took a deep breath.
Then he calmly dropped his pressure point.
"After working with the CEO of BJ Entertainment, Lee Jong-soo—who exploited BJs—you said, 'It's written in the contract. What's unfair about it? Do you want to involve the law?' Director Kang Byung-chan, you were behind that, weren't you?"
This was a widely known fact.
Director Kang Byung-chan had secretly contacted major BJs to offset the company's deficit. Promised high payments, they agreed to cooperate.
One of those agencies was run by Lee Jong-soo—where Jin-hyuk had once belonged.
'That bastard died at the mangrove tree and paid for his sins. You didn't.'
This wasn't revenge.
It was simply because Jin-hyuk could no longer tolerate watching this man exploit others.
And he wanted his payment—in magic stones.
"Ah! Don't try to deny it. You know I'm not making this up. I was one of the contractors back then."
"…!"
Gulp.
Kang Byung-chan swallowed hard.
If the other party had personally signed that slave contract, there was no way to deceive him.
And this wasn't just any former BJ.
He was now an S-rank.
The most talked-about player in the world.
If he lied—
'My head will roll.'
Kang Byung-chan fanned his face as a headache set in.
No solution came to mind.
"…Fine. The magic stones—we'll pay immediately. But could you come after I make a phone call?"
A call?
He was probably trying to get advice.
It didn't matter.
Whatever he planned would only tighten the noose.
"Sure."
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Thirty minutes later, Kang Byung-chan and Jin-hyuk headed to a massive warehouse in the basement of the broadcasting station.
Originally an underground parking lot, it had been converted after the Tower appeared into a storage facility for Tower-related items.
'More accurately, it's probably used for tax evasion.'
Jin-hyuk observed with curiosity.
The facility was state-of-the-art. Iris scans, fingerprints, and layered security were required.
They passed through multiple checkpoints.
[Director Kang Byung-chan. Access granted.]
Finally, the warehouse door opened.
A mountain of magic stones filled the space.
"Oh."
Jin-hyuk was genuinely impressed.
Another ten centimeters and the pile would have touched the ceiling.
There were so many stones that his eyes hurt just looking at them.
At that moment, Kang Byung-chan spoke stiffly.
"After speaking with PD Choi, I learned you're planning to absorb magic from the stones. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's how I intend to use them."
"Then… may I make a suggestion?"
His voice trembled. It clearly took him thirty minutes to muster the courage.
Like a troubled dog.
Jin-hyuk nodded with a smile.
"I'll listen."
"As you know, the number of magic stones we possess is… immense. We have about 35,000 low-grade stones. We'll provide access until tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. That means you can absorb as much as you want until then."
The intention was obvious.
'They're measuring my absorption rate.'
Even with top-tier techniques, absorbing a low-grade stone took over five minutes.
With a time limit, no player could absorb 500 million won worth.
This was bait.
Even overnight, he wouldn't absorb more than 100 million won.
Kang Byung-chan waited, hoping to cut his losses by nearly 80%.
A desperate gambler's face.
Fine.
'If that's what you want—let's end this cleanly.'
"Alright. Until 7 a.m., I'll absorb as much as possible."
"H-huh! Really?"
"Why so surprised? Did you think you set good bait?"
"Haha… right. It's good when an agreement benefits both sides."
"Yes, yes. You're making this awkward."
Jin-hyuk waved dismissively.
Afraid Jin-hyuk might change his mind, Kang Byung-chan hurried toward the exit.
"One more thing—there's an anti-theft spell on the stones. They can't be stored in subspace inventories."
"Don't worry. We'll meet in the morning."
Thud!
The door shut.
[Time Remaining: 11h 59m 59s]
Twelve hours remained.
Yet Jin-hyuk didn't move.
Instead, he opened his subspace inventory.
'He said I can't put them in—not that I can't take something out.'
No violation.
"My Sweet Potato. Come out."
He extended his palm.
Thud!
A reptile with black skin and yellow eyes emerged.
The Ancient Species—Sweet Potato.
"Bug?!"
"That's right. You were lonely, weren't you?"
Jin-hyuk hugged it tightly as it licked his cheek.
Cold, tilting its head—absurdly cute.
"I didn't call you for nothing. You might be hungry."
35,000 magic stones.
Impossible for a normal player.
But for a freshly hatched ancient species?
It might not even be enough.
"Bug?"
Sweet Potato tilted its head, tail fluttering.
"Right. You can eat everything here."
That's right—
"Eat them all."
Jin-hyuk gave the order.
No hesitation.
'They thought I didn't know my own limits…'
A half-hearted apology to escape responsibility.
People always assume others are dumber.
The next morning—
Kang Byung-chan arrived at work humming.
He was in high spirits.
Thanks to PD Choi's suggestion, losses had been minimized.
And outsmarting that cheeky kid felt satisfying.
'Money aside, this feels refreshing.'
He greeted staff kindly.
"Good morning, sir."
"Yes, Park. Take it easy this morning. Grab some coffee."
The notorious tiger was unusually gentle.
After receiving his report, he headed to the warehouse.
Ba-dump!
His heart raced with anticipation.
'Let's see how much he absorbed.'
He opened the door—
"H-how did this happen…?"
Kang Byung-chan gasped.
"W-where did they all go?!"
It was empty.
All 35,000 stones—gone.
Only dried fragments remained.
"Ate!"
A reptile rolled on the floor, clutching its belly.
And—
"Ah, Director. You're here? Sorry, but do you have any more magic stones? It seems my child needs a little more."
Only Jin-hyuk was smiling.
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