Chapter 3
[Me : I'll take tomorrow off. Sorry ㅠㅠ]
[Old Man : Where. Does. It. Hurt?]
[Me : I have to go to Seoul to submit some paperwork because of my little sister.]
[Old Man : Okay. I'll. Tell. The. Foreman.]
[Me : Thank you! I'll work extra hard next time to make up for what I missed!!]
For starters, I kept my awakening hidden even from the old man.
If he found out I'd awakened, things would inevitably become awkward.
I didn't want to grow distant from my benefactor just because I'd become an Awakener.
'I should quit the construction site soon anyway… but first, I need to establish myself as an Awakener.'
"Then, shall I start with the Tower?"
And so, the place I headed after taking a day off work was.
Seoul.
[The next station is Jongno 3-ga, Jongno 3-ga Station.]
'A Tower near Tapgol Park—talk about fitting the name.'
The station I'd reached after an hour on the subway.
The moment I got off, I saw a Tower soaring all the way to the sky.
The Egen Man's Tower—the official name nobody used was the 'Beginner's Tower.'
Unlike its grandiose name, it was oddly spindly, so I could see why people made fun of it…
'It doesn't matter. The inside is a different story, anyway.'
The real Egen Man's Tower was elsewhere, and this thing's job was to warp Awakeners there.
It felt like a portal in a game.
They said its shabby exterior was because it also served as a mana transmission tower.
Even taking that into account, it looked incredibly pathetic.
Still, that worked out well for me. Mm-hmm.
It was perfect for hiding my traits.
'There aren't any suspicious people around, right?'
Glancing around—
I casually surveyed the area around the Tower.
I'd deliberately come all the way to Seoul so no one I knew would spot me, but I still planned to stay cautious to the very end.
Fortunately, there was nothing around except CCTV cameras.
"Phew…."
Well, there were more than a dozen of these in Korea alone.
Besides, even if you climbed all fifty floors, all you got was a little extra strength, and that was it.
Having employees monitor each one individually would be a waste of money. Obviously.
'For starters, the Egen Man's Tower is the only one you have to physically visit like this.'
As an aside, I'd heard you could teleport into the Normal or Hard Towers from anywhere, anytime.
There was a cute little catch, though: you could only leave again after clearing floors in five- or ten-floor increments.
The Egen Man's Tower, where you could return after clearing just one floor, suddenly seemed like heaven by comparison.
'The Tower of free wins really is the best.'
"…Well, shall we go?"
After thoroughly checking my surroundings.
I cautiously placed my hand on the Tower.
-Ding!
[Would you like to enter the Beginner's Tower?]
[Once you choose a Tower, you cannot change….]
"Let's gooooooo!!!"
Then, flash—!!
My vision turned white.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing inside a cave.
"Whoa!"
'So this is the Tower I'd only seen in videos!'
The air was refreshing despite being inside a cave.
The temperature was just right—not too hot or too cold.
And then,
"Oh, a new guy's here."
"Nice to meet you~ You just awakened, right?"
A pair of men came running toward me the moment they spotted me.
They weren't the Administration Bureau employees I'd been worried about.
They were bus drivers.
"Tsk."
'Let's ignore them.'
I had no intention of accepting their help.
One advantage of this Tower was that you could form a party and climb together. But wearing Mythic-grade traits and asking others to 'carry me' would be a bit much.
"Sorry, but I'm going to climb on my own without getting carried."
That was why I'd tried to ignore them.
But they were persistent.
"Don't be like that~ At least hear us out before you go."
"Exactly. You came here because you awakened a pretty lousy trait, right?"
Grab.
The two men grabbed my shoulders and started talking with smiles on their faces.
A sweet proposal came wrapped in a friendly tone.
"We have combat-type traits. We're not strong enough to make a name for ourselves in Gates, but we can clear the Beginner's Tower in no time, even while carrying dead weight."
"Follow us, and we'll let you breathe the air on the fiftieth floor in just one month."
"In exchange, 1 billion won! Isn't that cheap for clearing every floor from the first to the fiftieth?"
They'd carry me through the Tower, so I should give them 1 billion won.
At first glance, it was an extremely reasonable offer.
They got to earn 1 billion won in a month.
And from a newbie's perspective, after climbing the whole Tower, you could make that much back in two or three years.
If you lacked confidence, quietly accepting a carry was the better choice.
Of course, that didn't apply to me.
"I was doing hard labor until just now. I don't have that kind of money."
"You can take out an Awakener-only loan!! I'm telling you, invest just 1 billion won and life gets easy!"
"Other people borrow 1.5 billion won, too…."
"I'll climb it myself."
Was 1 billion won somebody's dog's name?
No, thanks. No way.
I shook my head and tried to brush their hands away.
-Squeeze.
"Don't be like that~ Just keep listening for now, okay?"
"…Haaah."
These persistent bastards were actually holding me there by force.
Even at their worst, they'd cleared all fifty floors, so it wouldn't be easy to shake them off by force.
'For now, anyway.'
"Do you have more to explain? I want to start climbing the Tower soon."
My voice had turned curt.
Maybe my reaction amused them.
The men smirked.
"First, here's a tip for a newbie. When you open your Status Window, there should be something called the 'Beginner's Public Channel.' Try pressing it."
"……?"
'There's something like that? I've never heard of it.'
For now, I silently did as I was told.
Only I could see my Status Window, so I didn't feel awkward opening it in front of other people.
Then, ding—
The Status Window changed completely with a clear sound.
[Beginner's Public Channel #KR]
Title : Stuck on Floor 39, please help [13]
Title : Rescue request on Floor 17ㅠㅠ [15]
Title : Recruiting a rapid-response rescue team for 3 billion won flat [99+]
"What is this…."
"You're seeing it for the first time, right? It's a communication space for us. Usually, it's just full of posts from people like you who boldly try to climb alone and then sob for help."
"This is my first time hearing about it."
"People who aren't Awakeners can't perceive it even if they hear about it. If you go back out and look up interviews with Awakeners, you'll understand what it means."
"Hmm."
A Tower-internal community that only Awakeners could perceive?
So something like this existed. I really had no idea.
My opinion of the duo in front of me rose slightly.
"Thank you…"
"If you don't want to end up like those guys, come with us. You can ask for help later like they did, but it'd be a pain if you died while we were on our way."
"And if you call us like that, we charge another 1 billion won as an emergency dispatch fee. That means you'll have to pay twice as much."
"You heard him, right? It's better to stick right behind us from the start."
"…Ah."
My favorable impression plummeted like a meme stock.
'Someone's life is in danger, and they won't rescue them until they get paid.'
Even tow trucks at least start by towing you, you pieces of trash.
"Still, I'm a man, so I should try it myself. Ah, if anything happens, I'll ask my seniors for help."
Of course, I didn't reveal what I was really thinking.
There was no need to make enemies for no reason.
Mythic-grade traits or not, I still needed to prepare for any eventuality.
The two men sighed at my gentle refusal.
"Well, what can we do… It isn't like we can force you."
"Still, you've got some spirit, bro. Unlike kids these days, you keep using honorifics, too. Not bad."
"Exactly. Ah, I'll lend you this."
Then, whoosh—
One of the men pulled something from his back and handed it to me.
It was a rusty sword.
"You didn't bring a weapon, did you?"
"Ah, no. They give you a dagger on every floor up to the tenth, and I figured I'd get arrested before even entering the Tower if I brought an axe for no reason."
"You'd be fine once you got your Awakener ID, but anyway. Daggers have short reach, so they're a disadvantage. Fight with this."
"Huh, really?"
"But once you break through Floor 10 and choose a new weapon, come back and return it. If you take it and run, you'll be in trouble."
"Thank you!"
So they weren't complete pieces of trash, after all.
I revised my opinion of them inwardly and took the sword.
And then, grab.
The instant my fingers wrapped around the hilt.
-Ding!
[The trait 'Sword God' activates.]
[Sword God (Mythic)]
You attain mastery over martial arts.
"…Oh."
After letting out a short exclamation.
I swung the sword slowly as if entranced.
This must have been the first time I'd ever held the weapon.
It moved as freely as if it were a part of my body.
Then I smoothly moved through several different stances.
They were basic movements that had come to mind the moment I gripped the sword.
'Is this how you do it?'
Clack.
I raised the sword over my head.
I could clearly picture the enemy being split open from the crown of its head.
Next, I lowered the hilt beside my face and pointed the tip of the sword forward.
I instinctively knew it was a stance for thrusting.
There were other options, too, like raising it to waist height or lowering it all the way down to draw out an opponent's attack.
Every time I changed stances, the blade traced an elegant arc.
Each and every movement felt as familiar as if I'd practiced it hundreds of thousands of times.
-Ding!
[The trait 'Dragon Eyes' appraises the item.]
[Rusty, Dull Longsword (Common)]
A rusty longsword.
It originally boasted fairly decent quality,
but its owner chipped the blade by striking it against a rock.
It is currently effective as a blunt weapon rather than a blade.
'Did these guys deliberately give me one they'd ruined?'
It was a shame that the first sword I'd ever held was a piece of junk, but…
Well, it probably didn't matter.
I had the 'Myriad Severance Sword' trait that could cut through anything, after all.
It was still better than a dagger, so I decided to borrow it gratefully.
"Thank you! I'll come back and return it soon!"
"…Huh? Ah, yes!!"
Leaving the two men behind, I ran toward the portal.
My heart pounded at the thought of experiencing the overpowered nature of Mythic-grade traits.
-Mutter.
"What was that just now?"
I thought someone muttered something under their breath.
But it didn't seem worth listening to.
* * *
In truth, the two men had been looking down on Hwi-min.
'Look at this clueless idiot.'
'Early twenties? He probably hasn't even done his military service.'
A young man, newly awakened and giddy, but utterly inexperienced.
That was the impression they shared of Hwi-min.
At least, until he performed his sword dance.
"……!!!?"
'What the hell is he doing?'
Even the two men, who knew nothing about swordsmanship, could recognize it.
Those extraordinary movements.
He looked like a master who had practiced nothing but the sword his entire life.
The intimidated man trembled all over.
-Gulp.
'If I fought him… I'd lose.'
The presence he gave off was clearly nothing special.
Their levels and stats were far superior, since they'd already conquered the Tower.
But when they imagined fighting Hwi-min.
They simply couldn't picture a future in which they won.
Certain defeat. Or death.
Only those two words circled through the men's minds.
"Thank you! I'll come back and return it soon!!"
"Yes!!!"
Perhaps that was why.
By the time the sword dance ended, one of the men instinctively spoke politely.
He even bowed at the waist, as if that weren't enough.
There wasn't the slightest trace of the way he'd been casually talking down to Hwi-min just moments before.
'…What the hell was that?'
'A swordsmanship-type trait? Wouldn't that be Legendary-grade at this level?'
They even went so far as to question the grade of his trait.
If he knew, he would have been horrified.
But fortunately.
They ultimately failed to realize that Hwi-min possessed ridiculously overpowered traits.
There was a reason for that.
"No way."
'Why would someone with something like that come to the Beginner's Tower?'
This was the Tower with the easiest difficulty.
Once you chose a Tower, you could never change it, so there was no way an Awakener who had awakened a Legendary-grade trait would deliberately come here.
"Is he a ranked kendo practitioner?"
"Maybe he was a physical education major, bro."
"Why would someone like that come here? His trait must've been complete garbage."
That was why they hadn't particularly suspected him, but…
That reasoning didn't apply to Hwi-min.
-Slice.
'…Should I have gone for Normal difficulty?'
On the Tower's first floor.
Hwi-min had smashed a wooden dummy to pieces in a single slash, then scratched the back of his head.
The first floor was a tutorial where clearing it meant leaving even a single scratch on a moving wooden dummy.
But for him, it was far too easy.
'No, if I had, it would've been a military truck, not a bus driver. I should be grateful for the free win.'
Step—
Hwi-min walked toward the next portal.
As he passed through it, warm air greeted him.
-Ding.
[You have entered a safe zone.]
[The system's 'Return' function has been activated.]
"Hmm."
'So this is the safe zone.'
A cave surrounded by rock walls. A bed and a table.
There was even a basket containing bread, jerky, and bottles of water.
-Munch munch.
"…Ptui."
'They said it tasted unbelievably bad, and they weren't kidding.'
After taking a bite, Hwi-min thought.
Ah, I couldn't eat this either.
The message came through loud and clear: don't linger in a place like this; hurry on to the next floor.
'Does that guy who got trapped in the Hard Tower survive by eating this stuff? Poor guy. Poor, poor guy.'
After clicking his tongue.
A sidelong glance—
Hwi-min's gaze turned toward the table.
More precisely, toward the wooden box on top of it.
-Ding.
[The trait 'Dragon Eyes' appraises the item.]
[Beginner's Tower Floor 1 Climbing Reward]
- Stat Points +3
'Well, this is just like the Awakener interviews said.'
Hwi-min reached for the box without much thought, but…
-Freeze.
"Huh?"
Just as his fingers were about to touch the box.
He abruptly stopped his hand.
Right in front of his widened eyes.
A notification emitted a luxurious brown glow.
-Ding.
[1 trait is currently available for use.]
[The Tower's Harmonizer (Mythic)]
Your soul is not bound to a single Tower.
You can move freely between Towers.
[Would you like to use it?]
"……No way?"