Awakening Management Agency, Hannam-dong, Seoul.
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu was receiving a report from Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
"Player Bong went to the shop again?"
"Yes. It happened without my knowing—if I'd known in advance, I would've gone down to handle it myself."
"What did he buy?"
"A shield. A small hand shield, at that."
"Tsk tsk. If only he'd signed an elite contract, we could've outfitted him meticulously from head to toe…"
He had cleared up to the 18th floor with an S++ rating.
The 19th floor likely wouldn't be difficult either.
The problem was the 20th floor.
Every type of goblin encountered so far appeared all at once.
The mission time limit alone was ten hours.
No one expected an S++ clear on the 20th floor.
Just clearing it within the time limit would already be fortunate.
Some players wasted months trying to get past that floor.
"What on earth is Player Bong's trait?"
"Judging by his purchase of a mace and shield, we suspect a melee-oriented build."
"Haha. Even fully geared, that's still risky."
Melee combat.
Each strike is powerful, but defense is proportionally weaker, requiring full-body protection.
"Why didn't he buy armor and a helmet? Pants and greaves are one thing, but the head and heart should be protected as much as possible."
"That worries me too."
Injuries elsewhere still leave some leeway.
There are healing potions, after all.
But if the head or heart is struck, it's instant death.
There's no chance to use a potion.
"I'll find some excuse and get a full set of armor to Player Bong—"
Just then!
Bzzzzing!
A phone call came in.
Checking the caller ID, it was the police division dedicated to Players.
"I'll take this call for a moment. It's from the police."
"Go ahead."
"Hello. This is Jeon Gwang-il. What's the matter? Ah! An attempted item robbery… hmm, armed with a handgun and—"
Crimes between Players.
Probably someone blinded by greed for items.
It happened from time to time.
Kidnapping a Player with expensive items, torturing them, and emptying their Tower-exclusive inventory.
These crimes were vicious.
To cover their tracks, the victim Player was usually killed.
It wasn't public knowledge, but those in the know understood.
The fact that a Player's corpse goes into the Tower-exclusive inventory.
Because Players belong to the Tower.
That's why the odds of a perfect crime were relatively high.
At least outside the Tower, skills and levels didn't apply.
If Players could exert the same power in the real world as they did inside the Tower—
A disaster greater than the Tower itself would descend.
"You're saying the presumed victim gave my name? Who is it? A 25-year-old male… what? P-Player Bong Juhyeok?"
Like a bolt from the blue.
"W-what? The victim… is he—i-is he alright?"
Jeon Gwang-il's face turned pale.
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu, listening beside him, was equally startled.
"Oh no! Any injuries?"
"N-no, apparently not. But he did seem a little… shaken."
"Go there immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Jeon Gwang-il rushed out at once.
Left alone, Commissioner Park Gyeongsu bit his lip hard.
It was a mistake.
They shouldn't have only considered the danger inside the Tower.
Players didn't only die in the Tower.
They died outside too.
'We should've signed an elite contract from the start.'
Then the security issue would've been perfectly resolved.
He wanted to assign trained, official bodyguards.
But that wasn't something the Agency could do directly.
They'd have to request protection from the police or the National Intelligence Service.
And since they hadn't signed an elite contract with Bong Juhyeok—
The Agency was a state organization.
There were procedures.
To assign protection to a regular Player, there had to be sufficient grounds.
For example, the fact that he held an S++ clear record.
But that would inevitably be reported up the chain, and his existence would be exposed to the outside world.
Would scout brokers, like ravenous hyenas, sit still then?
Bong Juhyeok would clearly be put in even greater danger.
He could be forced into a contract—or kidnapped and dragged to another country.
They'd thought it safer to pretend ignorance and leave him alone rather than provide hasty protection.
And yet something like this had happened.
'We can't delay any longer.'
He'd bring him in—no matter what.
Into the elite team.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok tied Choi Hoseok up with rope and called the police.
He dismissed Kosak and sent him back.
Kosak looked somewhat regretful, but with the police on their way, there was no helping it.
The police arrived sooner than expected.
"Wow, you really smacked the back of his head good."
"H-he's not dead, right? …Does this count as self-defense?"
"Well, we'll have to investigate that. For now, it looks like a concussion. At least his heart's still beating."
"Uh, s-so he won't die, right?"
Seeing the police made him nervous for no reason.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Well, Kosak had done things in the past, sure.
But that was all in the past.
In truth, the moment Choi Hoseok showed up with a gun, it was basically over for him.
What's more, he'd said he'd kill him—not just once, but several times.
If that wasn't suicide, then what was?
In any case, even if the gun had gone off, Juhyeok would've been safe.
He already had the energy barrier activated.
Seoul, Hannam-dong—Awakening Management Agency.
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu was receiving a report from Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
"Player Bong went to the shop again?"
"Yes. It happened without my knowing. If I'd known beforehand, I would've gone down to meet him myself."
"What did he buy?"
"A shield. A small hand shield, at that."
"Tsk, tsk. If only he'd signed an elite contract—we could've outfitted him thoroughly from head to toe…"
He had cleared up to the 18th floor with an S++ rating.
The 19th floor likely wouldn't be difficult either.
The real problem was the 20th floor.
Every type of goblin encountered so far appeared all at once.
The mission time limit alone was ten hours.
No one expected an S++ clear on the 20th floor.
Just clearing it within the time limit would be fortunate.
Some players wasted months trying to get past that floor.
"What exactly is Player Bong's trait?"
"Judging from his purchase of a mace and shield, we suspect a melee-oriented build."
"Haha. Even with full gear, that's still not enough."
A close-combat build.
Each strike hits hard, but defense is correspondingly weaker, requiring full-body protection.
"Why didn't he buy armor and a helmet? Pants and greaves aside, the head and heart need maximum protection."
"That worries me as well."
Injuries elsewhere still leave some leeway.
There are healing potions, after all.
But a hit to the head or heart means instant death.
There's no chance to use a potion.
"I'll make up some excuse and get a full armor set to Player Bong—"
Just then!
Bzzzzing!
A phone call came in.
Checking the caller ID, it was the police department assigned exclusively to Players.
"I'll take this call for a moment. It's from the police."
"Go ahead."
"Hello, this is Jeon Gwang-il. What's the matter? Ah! An attempted item robbery… hmm, armed with a handgun and—"
A crime between Players.
Probably someone blinded by greed for items.
It happened from time to time.
Kidnapping a Player with expensive items, torturing them, and emptying their Tower-exclusive inventory.
These crimes were vicious.
To erase evidence, the victim Player was usually killed.
It wasn't public knowledge, but those in the know understood.
The fact that a Player's corpse goes into the Tower-exclusive inventory.
Because Players belong to the Tower.
That was why the probability of a perfect crime was relatively high.
At least outside the Tower, skills and levels were suppressed.
If Players could exert the same power in the real world as they could inside the Tower—
A disaster greater than the Tower itself would descend.
"You're saying the presumed victim mentioned my name? Who is it? A 25-year-old male… what? P-Player Bong Juhyeok?"
Like a bolt from the blue.
"W-what? The victim… is he—i-is he alright?"
Jeon Gwang-il's face turned pale.
Commissioner Park Gyeongsu, listening beside him, was equally startled.
"This is bad! Any injuries?"
"N-no, apparently not. But he did seem a bit… shaken."
"Go there immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Jeon Gwang-il rushed out at once.
Left alone, Commissioner Park Gyeongsu clenched his lips tightly.
It was a mistake.
They shouldn't have considered only the danger inside the Tower.
Players didn't die only in the Tower.
They died outside too.
'We should've signed an elite contract from the beginning.'
Then the security issue would've been completely resolved.
He wanted to assign trained, official bodyguards.
But that wasn't something the Agency could do directly.
They'd have to request protection from the police or the National Intelligence Service.
And since they hadn't signed an elite contract with Bong Juhyeok—
The Agency was a state organization.
There were set procedures.
To assign protection to a regular Player, there had to be sufficient justification.
For example, proof that he was an S++ clear record holder.
But that would inevitably be reported up the chain, and his existence would be exposed externally.
Would scout brokers, like ravenous hyenas, stay idle then?
Bong Juhyeok would clearly be placed in even greater danger.
He could be forced into a contract—or kidnapped and dragged to another country.
They had thought it safer to leave him alone and pretend ignorance rather than provide hasty protection.
And yet something like this had happened.
'We can't delay any longer.'
No matter what, they would bring him in.
Into the elite team.
※ ※ ※
Juhyeok tied Choi Hoseok up with rope and called the police.
He dismissed Kosak and sent him back.
Kosak looked somewhat regretful, but with the police on their way, there was no helping it.
The police arrived sooner than expected.
"Wow, you really nailed the back of his head."
"H-he's not dead, right? …Does this count as self-defense?"
"Well, we'll have to investigate. For now, it looks like a concussion. At least his heart's still beating."
"Uh, s-so he won't die, right?"
Seeing the police made him nervous for no reason.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Well, Kosak had done things in the past.
But that was all behind him now.
In truth, the moment Choi Hoseok showed up with a gun, it was basically over.
What's more, he'd threatened to kill him—not once, but several times.
If that wasn't suicide, then what was?
In any case, even if the gun had gone off, Juhyeok would've been safe.
He already had the energy barrier activated.
But then—
"Gghh…"
Choi Hoseok cracked his eyes open and regained consciousness.
Juhyeok let out a breath of relief.
Thankfully, he wasn't dead.
As the police snapped handcuffs onto him—
"Mr. Choi Hoseok? You are under emergency arrest for trespassing and aggravated robbery."
Choi Hoseok's eyes darted around wildly.
"W-wait! This is a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding! I'm the victim. He's the attacker!"
Oh?
"He kidnapped me to his house and tried to steal my items."
"Then what is this suppressed handgun?"
"F-for self-defense! He tried to kill me, so I had no choice—Players are dangerous, you know! Ah! And he wasn't alone. He had an accomplice, an accomplice!"
Wow!
Is it because he's a social butterfly?
The lies just flowed right out.
The officer in charge then looked at Bong Juhyeok.
"Was there someone else here?"
"N-no? I was a-alone."
The officer studied Juhyeok with suspicious eyes.
"Then it seems both of you will need to come with us."
"No, he's the thief!"
Choi Hoseok thumped his chest in frustration.
"I'm level 34. I get over three kilograms of mana stones from clearing a single floor. Why would I need to rob anyone?"
…He should've let Kosak take him outside when he said he would.
Pulling this kind of stunt now?
"On the other hand, that guy is only clearing floors in the teens. He approached me himself and told me. If you check with the Awakening Management Agency for his registration date, it'll all come out."
Just then—
Bang!
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il burst through the front door of Juhyeok's apartment.
Seeing him, Choi Hoseok shouted brightly.
"Team Leader! It's me, Choi Hoseok. You know me, right? I'm the victim here, but I'm being framed—"
Smack!
A sharp slap echoed through the room.
"Huh? Why did you slap me—"
It didn't stop at one.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack—
Choi Hoseok's head whipped left and right.
His face quickly turned red, blood pooling at the corner of his mouth.
"You bastard! How dare you lie so blatantly!"
"Th-that's not—"
Grab!
Jeon Gwang-il seized Choi Hoseok by the hair and snarled.
"Choi Hoseok, you piece of shit! You're going to prison now. How dare you try to kill a fellow Player?"
"N-no, listen to me—"
"Your registration is revoked as of now. Whether you climb the Tower in prison or not, I don't give a damn. Release? Don't even dream of it. If you want out, go die in the Tower."
"W-wait… th-that's not—"
Choi Hoseok had no idea what was going on.
What the hell was this?
'You're not even listening to me?'
Jeon Gwang-il spoke to the police.
"Take him away. The NIS will be arriving shortly—hand him over when they do."
The NIS?
The state was extremely strict about crimes involving Players.
If things went badly, he might even be tortured.
'N-no!'
Choi Hoseok pleaded desperately.
"I was blinded by greed. P-please, show mercy—"
"Bullshit! We know you're a repeat offender. We'll dig up everything you've done. Get a lawyer, you bastard—though no one will want to defend you."
Then, to the police—
"Oh, and you know the Player arrest manual, right? This bastard might enter the Tower on the way to the station. If he disappears, wait on the spot—and if he reappears, arrest him again."
Then he turned to Juhyeok.
"Player Bong Juhyeok, I sincerely apologize. Are you injured anywhere?"
"…I was just a bit startled."
Jeon Gwang-il bowed deeply, as if about to smash his head into the floor.
"We will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
"Ah, y-yes."
Jeon Gwang-il's expression was grim.
"You should probably install a few more locks at home for the time being."
"…I will."
He wanted to take firmer measures, but there were too many eyes on them right now.
All he could do was ask the police to increase patrols.
It was frustrating.
In any case, it could no longer be postponed.
The elite contract.
※ ※ ※
Time passed.
The commotion finally settled.
The police offered to increase patrols around his home, but he declined.
They'd be knocking on his door constantly, asking if everything was okay.
'Is there really anyone safer than me in this world?'
Even when Choi Hoseok had broken in, he'd been more worried about the guy dying than himself.
Now, back to everyday life.
He gave five-star ratings to both Savage Gobang and Kosak.
[John Kosak has been designatedly summoned.]
"Chu! Was everything quiet yesterday?"
"Thanks to you. He was taken away by the police."
"Death sentence?"
"Of course not. He'll probably serve a few years and get out."
"…Hmm. Do you know where the detention center is?"
"I don't. And don't try to find out."
"Yes."
Next.
[Savage Meat Shield has been designatedly summoned.]
"…First time."
"What is?"
Gobang folded his fingers one by one.
"F-five stars."
At least he could count.
Today was the 19th floor.
"Let's go."
[Entering the 19th floor of the Black Tower (Republic of Korea).]
The mission was to eliminate Goblin Shamans.
[19th Floor Mission: Kill 30 Goblin Shamans.]
They weren't particularly threatening.
What, were goblins going to cast Ice Spear or Chain Lightning?
At most, curses, restraints, or some pitiful fire arrows.
Among them, the most dangerous were curses.
They were extremely harmful to mental health.
Hallucinations, weakness, loss of motivation, induced depression—effects like these piled on endlessly.
Curses also stacked, so you had to kill them quickly.
However, that only applied to Players of the same level.
It meant nothing to an assassin whose mind was already broken, or to a meat shield that had endured countless attacks with nothing but his body.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gobang charged forward.
The size difference between him and the goblins was that of an infant and an adult.
Ignoring curses and restraints, he simply rushed in and smashed them—end of story.
Kosak hid behind Gobang to avoid curses, then moved like lightning whenever an opening appeared, slaughtering the shamans.
Slash! Riiip—
Blood and flesh scattered across the 19th-floor battlefield.
'Then I should—'
Juhyeok raised his mace and shield.
Bzzzing!
Energy barrier on by default.
Now, to join the fight and check his talent with flashy skills—
[You have successfully completed the 19th-floor mission.]
'Huh?'
What?
Already?
In the distance, John Kosak stood drenched in blood, grinning.
'You've got to be kidding me!'
Did he end it early on purpose?
'So I couldn't even participate in the fight?'
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on the 19th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Good.
I'll let it slide today.
And then the next day.
The long-awaited 20th-floor attempt.
[Entering the 20th floor of the Black Tower (Republic of Korea).]
Known as the first talent assessment, a floor infamous for its brutal difficulty.
It's said that the 21st floor is actually easier.
"This place is extremely dangerous. Every kind of goblin shows up. Scout poison needles, tactically skilled warriors, stealth assassins, shaman curses, and a huge hobgoblin—whew, it's terrifying."
"…"
John Kosak made a big fuss, trying to scare him with how dreadful the 20th floor was.
"If it were me, I'd stay in a safe spot and wait."
As he said that, he poked Gobang in the side.
"Summoner, you don't need to do anything. I'll kill them all."
Even Gobang joined in.
[20th Floor Mission: Defeat 100 goblins of any type and 1 hobgoblin.]
[Time Limit: 10 hours.]
[Completion Condition: All goblin types 0/100, Hobgoblin 0/1]
[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment]
"Gobang, you go first. Block everything with your body. Once you've pulled enough aggro, I'll go out too. Got it?"
"I'll draw all the aggro."
"Okay! Perfect!"
After that, Kosak subtly stepped in front of Juhyeok.
As if trying to block him from going forward.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Savage Gobang charged like a tank.
Poison needles flew.
A unit of warriors blocked the front.
Assassins aimed from behind.
Curses and fire arrows poured down.
At that very moment—
Bzzzing.
Juhyeok dashed out.
Energy barrier, Basilisk Petrification Leather Combat Boots, mace and hand shield.
"Huh?"
John Kosak, who had been standing around idly, was startled and screamed desperately.
"S-Summoner Booooong! Don't!!!"
Swat! Swat-swat!
Juhyeok advanced in a zigzag.
Swat! Swash-swash—
Shadow Step unfolded brilliantly.
Afterimages left behind each time he changed direction.
One, two, four, eight…
The surroundings filled entirely with Juhyeok's shadows.
'Am I insane?'
Seems like it.
At least in this moment, he wasn't a timid loser.
He was freer than ever.
Swat!
He got behind a shaman and smashed down with the mace.
Crunch!
Swat!
A mace straight into a warrior's skull.
Crack!
Incoming poison needles met the hand shield—
Clink! Clink!
Swat! Swat! Swat!
So fast the eye couldn't follow.
Kosak let out a sigh.
A perfect shadow walker—even he would have trouble imitating it.
He'd thought this summoner knew how to value his own life, and felt relieved.
He must protect him.
Even if it meant burning up his soul.