Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Savage Meat Shield
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Joo-hyuk was still shopping in the Player Shop.
The Adamant Mace was purchased.
'Now that I have a weapon,'
What about armor?
Honestly, he didn't need to buy any.
The bracelet-type Energy Shield Kit protected him from head to toe.
Still, he should buy at least one pair of shoes.
A sturdy pair of combat walkers.
It was easier to talk to the male clerk.
"These are combat boots made from Basilisk Petrified Leather. The sole is made of Secktonium steel plates, which are hard and have a self-repair function."
"Will these also go into the inventory?"
"Haha, of course. Everything is made from materials obtained inside the Tower."
He liked them.
The design was good too.
"How much?"
"Hmm, 3 million won."
That's ridiculous.
It should be at least 30 million won.
But there was no need to refuse.
If they were selling at this price?
He had to buy them.
"One, please. Size 275."
"Yes, here you go..."
He bought the shoes.
'Should I look around a bit more?'
There was also a place selling potions.
It seemed they bought items players received as rewards and resold them.
Besides that, armor, helmets, gloves, greaves, belts, knee and elbow guards... they had everything, but there was nothing else he needed to buy.
Ah!
The Energy Shield.
How great was it.
A unified, all-in-one armor that combined all defensive gear.
'It really is a special perk.'
Anyway, he was about to look around some more, but...
'I should go now.'
If he needed something else later, he could always come back.
Joo-hyuk rested for about four more days.
Slowly, taking his time.
Even during that period, he kept repeatedly clearing the 15th floor.
Doing that, he even felt like settling down there.
But he wanted to see.
What result he could achieve when he entered the 16th floor after completing all his preparations.
'Once the Random Summon cooldown is over...'
The Platinum Badge.
This thing was truly a marvel.
Not the badge itself, but the perk of granting them in batches of five.
He had decided not to be greedy when he started climbing the Tower, but the badges were a different story.
If he cleared the 20th floor, he would receive the fourth perk. What would it be?
Another trait enhancement would be nice, and a skill or item usable in the real world would be good too.
Anyway, there was barely a day left until the Random Summon.
By tomorrow evening, a new Summoned Being would appear.
Money also arrived in his bank account.
The money from selling the Magic Stone.
Subtracting the 5 million won spent on equipment, the remaining balance was over 13 million won.
'What should I do with this money?'
Use it now.
So, he gave 2 million won to his father.
- What is this money? Did you win the lottery?
"I cashed in a savings account. It must be hard to walk, so buy some crutches. Or a walking aid like the elderly use."
- ...You know, I've had my eye on a decent fishing rod?
"Who knows when your rehab will end, and you want a fishing rod? You'll catch people, not fish."
- If I buy one, I might recover faster. Because I want to go fishing.
"Use it as you see fit. If Mom scolds you, I don't know anything."
- ...I guess I'll buy crutches.
He also gave 2 million won to his mother.
- You didn't borrow from loan sharks, did you?
"I told you, I cashed in a savings account."
He had used loan sharks in the past.
- If you're lying, you'll die by my hand. You know my personality, right? I don't care if you're my son!
"Goodness! Have you been deceived your whole life? Use it until you find a new job. Your living expenses must be tight."
- Alright. But consider it a loan. I'll write you an IOU.
He also gave some to the guy with the same genes.
"I deposited 2 million. Use it for tuition."
- B-brother, this huge amount... Can I buy a laptop?
"Sure, if you're going to buy one, get a good one. Permission granted."
- Woo! Thank you!
Six million won disappeared in an instant, but he felt refreshed after the flex.
But only to family?
Joo-hyuk had a plan too.
He summoned John Kosak and,
"Look. Nice, right? When I make money later, I'm going to buy this car."
He opened his laptop and showed Kosak a photo of his dream car he had always fantasized about.
"Objection, sir. Such a light car is dangerous in an accident. If it collides with a truck, it'll be flattened."
"Then what kind of car does Mr. Kosak think is good?"
"A big car, without question! Choose a large vehicle with a sturdy frame, where the airbags deploy mercilessly even in a minor collision."
And what Kosak pointed to was a large limousine that a company chairman would ride in.
"That makes me look too old."
"Is that a problem, sir? Your safety, Summoner Bong, is the most important."
"Oh! I didn't think of that. Hahahaha!"
"Hehehehe!"
Actually, if he just signed the Elite Raid Team contract, they promised to provide both a house and a car.
But nothing in the world is free.
It's all debt.
The time had now come.
Tonight was the day of an important event.
So, he went to the public bathhouse.
After soaking his body in the hot tub, he scrubbed his entire body vigorously with a scrub cloth.
For his back where his hands couldn't reach, he used an automatic scrubbing machine.
He still didn't have the courage to ask a stranger at the bathhouse to scrub his back.
He cleansed his body and avoided unclean things.
He maintained purity in both body and mind.
That way, he could get a good pull.
The Random Summon cooldown, was now only a few hours away.
The moment to pull one more reliable person to conquer the 16th floor, and further, to climb to the 20th, no, the 30th floor.
After finishing his bath,
he trimmed his fingernails and toenails,
changed into the new underwear and casual clothes he had brought separately in his bag,
and returned home.
He was hungry but decided to endure it.
He would eat after the random pull.
Who would appear?
He needed a good pull.
The higher the grade, the better.
The mad assassin John Kosak's grade was SR, Super Rare.
He achieved an S++ clear with ultra-fast, perfect clears up to the 15th floor.
Actually, he said clearing the 16th, no, even the 20th floor wouldn't be a problem.
It was just that recording an S++ would be difficult.
'If just one more Super Rare comes...'
SSR, Special Super Rare, would be good too.
He didn't even dare hope for LSSR, Legend Special Super Rare.
Before the Random Summon, he first used the Designated Summon for John Kosak.
What if he got a weird person?
"Woo! Greetings, Summoner Bong! It's an honor to be called again today."
"Welcome."
"Are we doing the 15th floor repeat mission again today, sir?"
"No. Let's go up to the 16th floor."
"...Huh."
Kosak's expression hardened, seeming troubled.
He had mentioned it before.
Clearing it itself might be easy, but getting an S++ clear might be difficult.
Kosak also knew that Summoner Joo-hyuk had already tasted the perk of the Platinum Badge.
So, he wanted to get the badge for him.
After pondering for a while, he clenched his fist.
"I'll do my best, sir. Even if this body dies in the Tower, I will definitely achieve an S++ record..."
"Don't worry. You won't be alone."
"Hmm?"
"The Random Summon cooldown is over. Let's summon one more person."
"Ooooh! Brilliant, sir. Two are definitely better than one."
Thumbs up,
"Summoner Bong, you had it all planned out. Did you perhaps graduate from Seoul National University, sir?"
"I'm a high school graduate."
"Of course, sir. Hehehe, how dare Seoul National University think it could have someone like Summoner Bong."
"..."
Quick adaptation.
Appropriate and pleasant flattery.
It was certain.
Kosak must have been a sycophant in his past life.
So what if he was a sycophant?
Why are sycophants loved?
They only say pleasant things, so your mood improves, and it helps relieve stress and maintain mental health.
"Then, here I go."
"Yes, sir!"
He steadied his mind.
Amen, Hallelujah, Amitabha, Om Mani Padme Hum, Heavenly Spirits, Infinite Life Buddha, Abracadabra...
And then.
"Random Summon!"
Fwoooosh!
Kosak clapped along from the side.
"Dugudugudugudugu... The result is?"
At that moment!
A cluster of white light gathered and transformed into a human form.
The human-shaped cluster of light grew robustly.
It kept getting bigger.
Kept growing, growing...
'Hey, aren't you getting too big?'
Its head already touched the ceiling.
And then,
Pop-pop-pop!
The form finally revealed its complete self.
"Huh?"
"Eeek!"
It was indeed human.
But with a height likely around 3 meters.
A build thicker and larger than a bear.
Thick muscles.
Hair covering its entire body.
'...Is it a human or a monster?'
Joo-hyuk first checked the grade.
And?
'...R? It's Rare.'
Slightly disappointing.
Rare was the lowest grade.
If it had just one more 'S'.
Should he wait another month to do one more Random Summon?
'No. So what if it's Rare? And its size is extraordinary.'
That's when it happened.
Whoosh!
"Hey, you dumbass!"
Suddenly leaping into the air and delivering a dropkick to the newly summoned giant human, John Kosak.
Crash!
And then, throwing punches continuously,
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
"Why did you, of all people, have to come here? Trying to ruin someone's life?"
Kosak's sudden outburst.
Surely he wasn't acting like this just because a Rare showed up?
"Die! Drop dead! What? You looking at me? I'll crush you! You bastard!"
He couldn't understand at all.
The reason Kosak was acting like this.
He was going berserk as if he had met his nemesis.
"Just get out of here! Get out, I said! You useless bastard!"
Kosak, going berserk and throwing punches.
The giant man just stood there awkwardly, scratching his head while being hit.
"Doesn't hurt. Tickles."
"Oh yeah! Let's see if you can say that after getting your neck wrung. I'll tie a pretty ribbon on it."
So Joo-hyuk checked the catalog.
The Great Plains Tribe's Dumb Savage Meat Shield
Name: Unknown
Grade: R (Rare)
Type: Barbarian Warrior (Human)
Manifestation Period: 10 Hours
Satisfaction Rating: None
Re-summon Cooldown: 3 Hours (Applies after Summon Release)
Savage Meat Shield.
He didn't even have a name.
'Meat Shield... What kind of story lies behind that?'
And it says he's dumb?
Doesn't that mean he's not smart?
He really seemed that way.
A massive, scar-covered upper body, but with eyes that looked incredibly simple and honest.
Even while being hit by Kosak, he didn't resist once.
A very cowed attitude.
Perhaps tired from hitting, Kosak was panting heavily.
"Mr. Kosak?"
"...Huff huff, yes, sir?"
"Please step aside for a moment. Let me talk to him."
"No need to know, sir. That guy is famous. He's notorious in these circles for being stupid. He can't do anything on his own. He probably doesn't even know what the 3 Principles are, the idiot."
Then,
"Th-that, I know the 3 Principles. I memorized them hard."
"Then recite them."
"Uh, uh, Article 1 is obedience to the Summoner... uh, absolute life. Article 2, the Summoner's, um... v-value takes priority in understanding conflicts. Article 3 is..."
What is he saying?
"See, sir? That's the kind of guy he is. You got a dud, sir! We should just kill him and make him unsummonable for 100 days."
If he dies, he can't be summoned for 100 days?
He hadn't known that.
"...I'll handle it."
"Yes, sir."
Joo-hyuk asked the barbarian warrior, who was standing there blankly, tilting his head.
"Your name?"
"Don't know. Forgot."
"Do you know why you came here?"
"D-don't know."
"About the Tower?"
"...Don't know. Can't remember."
It was frustrating.
Looking at the detailed description:
Aaaaah...
How could fate be so cruel?
'So that's why he was a meat shield.'
Scenes flashed through his mind like a movie.
A barbarian warrior snapping the waist of a humanoid monster with an innocent expression.
The joyful figure receiving only a moldy lump of bread from people as a reward for defeating the monster.
Being tricked by a sleazy punk into serving as a meat shield and meeting his end...
Tears flowed automatically.
How kind-hearted must he have been to live his life being taken advantage of by people?
So what if he's Rare?
So what if he's dumb.
Joo-hyuk held the barbarian warrior's hand, which was as large as a pot lid, and spoke.
"Welcome. Let's climb the Tower together."
"I'll do whatever you say."
What should he call him?
Let's pick from the catalog.
"Let's start with a name. Do you like 'Savage'? Or 'Gobang'?"
"...Don't really know."
"Pick one. Savage? Gobang?"
"Gobang."
"Our Mr. Gobang, I'll make you happy. Trust me, okay?"
"I, Gobang, trust Summoner. I'll do whatever you say."
And then,
"Mr. Kosak, Mr. Gobang, and I, the three of us are comrades from now on. Let's do well together."
Kosak, who had been rolling his eyes furiously,
"Ah, yes, of course, sir. Now that I look, he is a reliable meat shield. I'll teach him well and make a proper person out of him."
"Good. Then let's enter the 16th floor right away."
"Yes, sir! ...Hey, Gobang! Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to answer?"
"Yes, sir."
"Don't copy me! You bastard!"
A timid ordinary guy player, a mad assassin, and a severely dim-witted savage Gobang.
A chaotic party.
He felt slightly uneasy, but...
'...Still, it'll work out, right?'