Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Raid
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Seoul, Hannam-dong, Awakening Management Bureau.
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su was receiving a report from Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
"Player Bong visited the shop again, you say?"
"Yes. He did so without my knowledge. Had I known in advance, I would have gone down to greet him personally."
"What did he buy?"
"A shield. A small buckler, at that."
"Tsk, tsk. If only he had signed the elite contract, we could have outfitted him from head to toe..."
He had achieved an S++ clear up to the 18th floor.
The 19th floor likely wouldn't be too difficult for him either.
The problem was the 20th floor.
Every type of goblin encountered so far would appear all at once.
The mission time limit alone was 10 hours.
An S++ clear of the 20th floor wasn't even a consideration.
Simply clearing it within the time limit would be fortunate enough. Some players wasted months just trying to get past this floor.
"What on earth is Player Bong's trait?"
"Given his purchase of a mace and shield, we suspect he's a close-combat type."
"Hah. Even decked out in full gear, it wouldn't be enough."
Close combat type.
He could unleash powerful skills with each strike, but was equally vulnerable in defense, requiring protection for his entire body.
"Why isn't he buying armor and a helmet? Leggings or greaves are one thing, but the head and heart need maximum protection."
"I'm worried about that too."
Wounds elsewhere allowed some time to spare.
There were healing potions, after all.
But a hit to the head or heart meant instant death.
No chance to even use a potion.
"I'll find some pretext to provide Player Bong with a full set of armor..."
Right then—
Riiiiing!
A call came in.
Checking the caller ID, it was the police department dedicated to player affairs.
"Excuse me, I need to take this. It's the police."
"Go ahead."
"Hello, Jeon Gwang-il speaking. What's the matter? Ah! An attempted item robbery, hmm, armed with a pistol, and..."
A crime between players.
Probably committed by someone whose eyes were clouded by greed for items.
It happened from time to time.
Kidnapping a player with valuable items, torturing them, and looting their Tower-exclusive inventory.
These crimes were vicious.
To hide the evidence, they usually killed the robbed player afterward.
It was a secret, but those in the know knew.
The fact that a player's corpse could be stored in a Tower-exclusive inventory.
Thus, the probability of a perfect crime was quite high.
At least outside the Tower, skills and levels were restricted, so it was only this bad.
What if players could wield the same power in reality as they did inside the Tower?
A calamity greater than the Tower itself would befall them.
"The player presumed to be the victim gave my name, you say? Who is it? 25 years old, male, ...Yes? player Bo, Bong Joo-hyuk?"
This was a bolt from the blue.
"Wh, what did you say? The victim is..., is he al, alright?"
Jeon Gwang-il's face turned pale.
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su, listening beside him, was also startled.
"Good heavens! Is he hurt?"
"Uh, no injuries reported. But he seemed a bit sh, shaken, they said."
"Go see him at once."
"Understood."
Jeon Gwang-il hurriedly rushed off.
Left alone, Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su bit his lip hard.
It was a mistake.
They shouldn't have only considered the dangers inside the Tower.
Did players only die inside the Tower?
Many died outside as well.
'I should have made an elite contract from the start.'
Then the security issue would have been perfectly resolved.
He wanted to attach formally trained security personnel.
But that wasn't something the Bureau did directly.
They had to request protection from the police or the National Intelligence Service.
But since they hadn't even made an elite contract with Bong Joo-hyuk...
The Bureau was a national organization.
There were established procedures.
To attach security to a general player, proper justification was needed.
For example, the fact that he held S++ clear records.
That would inevitably lead to reports moving up the chain, and ultimately, his existence would be exposed to the outside.
Would scout brokers, like hyenas, just sit still?
Bong Joo-hyuk would clearly be placed in an even more dangerous situation.
He might be forced into a contract or kidnapped and taken to another country.
They thought leaving him alone and feigning ignorance was safer than hasty protection.
But then this happened.
'I can't buy time anymore.'
Somehow, they had to bring him in.
Into the elite team.
※ ※ ※
Joo-hyuk tied Choi Ho-seok up with rope and called the police to report.
He released Kosak's summoning and sent him back.
Kosak seemed somewhat regretful, but with the police about to arrive, there was nothing to be done.
The police arrived sooner than expected.
"Whoa, you really clocked him on the back of the head."
"He, he's not dead, is he? ...Does self-defense apply?"
"Hard to say. That's for the investigation to determine. It looks like a concussion for now. At least his heart's beating."
"Uh, um, he won't die, right?"
Seeing the police made him inexplicably nervous.
He hadn't done anything wrong.
Well, Kosak had done some things in the past.
That was all in the past.
Frankly, the moment Choi Ho-seok showed up with a gun, he was as good as dead.
Moreover, he didn't just say he'd kill him once, but multiple times.
If that's not suicide, what is?
Anyway, even if the gun had been fired, he would have been safe.
Because he had already activated the energy shield.
But then?
"Uuugh..."
Choi Ho-seok opened his eyes blearily and came to.
Joo-hyuk patted his chest in relief.
Fortunately, he wasn't dead.
As the police handcuffed him, they said,
"Mr. Choi Ho-seok? You are under emergency arrest on charges of trespassing and special robbery."
At that, Choi Ho-seok rolled his eyes wildly.
"...W, wait! It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! I'm the victim here. The perpetrator is this guy."
What?
"That bastard kidnapped me to my own home and tried to steal my items."
"Then what's this silenced pistol?"
"Se, self-defense! That guy was trying to kill me, so I had no choice... You know how dangerous players are. Ah! And he wasn't alone. He has an accomplice, an accomplice!"
Wow!
Was he a natural-born liar or something?
His words flowed smoothly like a clear stream.
The officer in charge then asked, looking at Bong Joo-hyuk,
"Was there someone else?"
"No? I was al, alone..."
The officer scrutinized Joo-hyuk with a suspicious gaze.
"It seems both of you will need to come to the station."
"No, I'm telling you, the thief is that bastard," Choi Ho-seok said, pounding his chest in frustration.
"My level is 34. Clearing one Tower floor yields over 3kg of magic stones. What would I lack that I'd need to rob someone?"
...I should have let Kosak take him out when he offered.
To try and weasel out in this situation?
"On the other hand, this guy is just a lowly player clearing floors in the 10s. He approached me and said it himself. If you inquire with the Awakening Management Bureau and check the registration date, it'll all come out."
Just then—
Bang!
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il from the Management Bureau burst through the front door of Joo-hyuk's house.
Seeing him, Choi Ho-seok's face lit up and he shouted,
"Team Leader! It's me, Choi Ho-seok! You know me, right? I'm the victim here, I'm being framed right now..."
Slap!
A crisp sound of a slap echoed through the room.
"Huh? Why are you hitting my..."
It wasn't just once.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap...
Choi Ho-seok's head whipped back and forth uncontrollably.
His face was already red, and blood gathered at the corner of his mouth.
"You son of a bitch! Daring to tell such an obvious lie right in front of me!"
"...Th, that's not it."
Wham!
Jeon Gwang-il grabbed Choi Ho-seok by the hair and growled.
"Choi Ho-seok, you fucking bastard! You're going to prison from now on. You dared to try and kill a fellow player?"
"N, no, please listen to me."
"Your registration is revoked as of now. I don't care if you climb the Tower from prison or not. Release? Don't even dream of it. If you want out, die in the Tower."
"Uh... I, I'm telling you, it's not like that."
Choi Ho-seok couldn't understand what was happening at all.
What was going on?
'He won't even listen to me?'
Jeon Gwang-il spoke to the dispatched officers.
"Take him away. The NIS will be out soon, so just hand him over when they arrive."
The NIS?
The state was extremely strict about crimes targeting players.
He might even be tortured.
'Ah, no!'
Choi Ho-seok pleaded desperately.
"I was blind! Please, show mercy..."
"Cut the crap! I know you're a repeat offender. We'll uncover everything you've done. Get a lawyer, you bastard—not that anyone would defend you."
Then, to the police,
"Oh! You know the player arrest manual, right? This bastard might enter the Tower on the way to the station, so if he disappears, wait at the spot, and when he reappears, arrest him again."
Then, looking at Joo-hyuk,
"Player Bong Joo-hyuk, I apologize. Are you injured anywhere?"
"...Just a bit startled, that's all."
Jeon Gwang-il bowed his head so deeply it seemed he might bury it in the ground.
"We will thoroughly prepare to ensure such an incident never occurs again."
"Ah, yes, yes."
With a deeply troubled expression, Jeon Gwang-il said,
"For the time being, you should probably add a few more locks to your house."
"...I'll do that."
He wanted to take more definitive measures, but there were too many eyes on them now.
Other than requesting the police to increase patrols, there wasn't much else.
A frustrating feeling.
Anyway, he could delay no longer.
The elite contract.
※ ※ ※
Time passed.
The commotion subsided.
The police offered to provide house patrols, but he declined.
They'd probably knock on the door every time to ask if everything was okay.
'Who in the world is as safe as I am?'
Even when Choi Ho-seok broke in, he was more worried the guy might die than about himself.
Now, back to daily life.
He gave both Savage Gobang and Kosak 5-star ratings each.
"Summoner! Nothin' happen yesterday?"
"Thanks to you. That guy was taken away by the police."
"Death penalty?"
"Unlikely. He'll probably serve a few years and get out."
"...Hmm, by any chance, do ya know where the detention center is?"
"I don't. And don't try to find out."
"Yes, sir."
Next.
"...First time."
"What is?"
Gobang counted on his fingers one by one.
"Fi, five stars."
He knew how to count numbers.
Today was the 19th-floor raid.
"Let's go,"
The mission was to kill Goblin Shamans.
[19th Floor Mission]
📍 Objective: Eliminate 30 Goblin Shamans.
They weren't actually that threatening.
What could a mere goblin do? Cast Ice Spear? Chain Lightning?
At best, curses, binds, or feeble fire arrows.
Among those, the one to watch out for was, of course, curses.
They were extremely harmful to mental health.
Causing hallucinations, weakness, loss of motivation, depression... these would pour down relentlessly.
Especially since curses could stack, they needed to be dealt with quickly.
However, that only applied to players of similar level. For an assassin already out of his mind, or a meat shield who had endured all sorts of attacks with pure physical toughness, it didn't apply.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Gobang charged forward.
The size difference between him and the goblins was like a newborn baby versus an adult.
Ignoring curses and binds, he rushed in and smashed them to pieces. That was all.
Kosak hid behind Gobang to avoid curses, and when an opportunity arose, he moved like lightning, ravaging the shamans.
Slash! Slash-slash-slash...
Blood and flesh were scattered across the 19th-floor battlefield.
'Then I'll join in too.'
Joo-hyuk picked up his mace and shield.
Bzzzt!
Energy shield activated as a baseline.
Now to participate in combat and confirm his talent with flashy skills...
'Huh?'
What?
Already?
In the distance, John Kosak, covered in red blood, grinned widely.
'Damn it!'
Did he finish it quickly on purpose?
'So I couldn't join the fight?'
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank for the 19th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge is awarded.]
Good.
I'll let it slide for today.
And the next day.
The long-awaited 20th-floor raid.
Known as the first talent filter, boasting extreme difficulty.
It was said that the 21st floor was actually easier.
"It's super dangerous here. All kinds of goblins come out. The scouts use poison darts, warriors are tactically skilled, there are hidden assassins, shaman curses, and then the big, fat Hobgoblins. Whew, scary."
"..."
John Kosak made a fuss, trying to scare him about how terrifying the 20th floor was.
"If it were me, I'd wait in a safe spot."
Then, poking Gobang's side, he added,
"Summoner, ya don't have to do anythin'. I'll kill 'em all."
Gobang joined in the agreement.
[20th Floor Mission]
📍 Objective: Eliminate 100 goblins of any type and 1 Hobgoblin.
⏰ Time Limit: Within 10 hours.
📊 Progress: All Goblins 0/100, Hobgoblin 0/1
❌ Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment.
"Gobang, you go out first. Block with your body unconditionally. Once you've drawn enough aggro, I'll come out too. Got it?"
"I draw all aggro."
"Okay! Good!"
After that, Kosak subtly stepped in front of Joo-hyuk.
As if trying to prevent him from going forward.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud.
Savage Gobang charged like a tank.
Poison darts flew.
Warrior squads blocked the front.
Assassins aimed for the rear.
Curses and fire arrows poured down.
Right at that moment—
Swish!
Joo-hyuk dashed out.
Energy shield, Basilisk Petrified Hide combat boots, mace and buckler.
"Huh?"
John Kosak, who had been leisurely picking his nose, jumped in surprise and cried out desperately.
"Summoner, Bo-Bong ! No!!!"
Swat! Swat-swat!
Joo-hyuk advanced in a zigzag pattern.
Swat! Swat-swata-swata...
Shadow Step unfolded spectacularly.
Every time he changed direction, an afterimage remained.
One, two, four, eight...
The surroundings were filled with Joo-hyuk's shadows.
'Am I crazy?'
Maybe so.
At least for this moment, he wasn't a timid ordinary guy.
He felt utterly free.
Swat!
He caught a shaman from behind and struck with the mace.
Crunch!
Swat!
A mace strike to a warrior's head.
Crack!
Flying poison darts were blocked with the buckler.
Ting! Ting!
Swat! Swat! Swat!
Speed too fast for the eye to follow.
Kosak let out a sigh.
A perfect Shadow Walker, to a degree even he would struggle to match.
He had thought this Summoner knew how to take care of himself, which was fortunate.
He had to protect him unconditionally.
Even if it meant burning his own soul.