Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Reward
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I had been introverted since I was a child.
It was the same even in daycare.
Daycare was also a wild jungle, a world of survival of the fittest.
Even if a stronger kid snatched away a toy I was playing with, I would just watch quietly.
I could just play with another toy.
It was the same in elementary school.
It got a bit worse.
Poverty was the problem.
Shabby clothes, worn-out shoes, a tattered backpack... and on top of that, the rumor that I lived in the oldest, most run-down villa in the neighborhood.
Back then, terms like "villa beggar" and "rental beggar" were popular enough among elementary schoolers.
Not many kids wanted to be partners with me.
I was a loner in middle school too.
Since it was puberty, my timid personality became even more pronounced.
Well, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable, though.
Because I didn't really have the desire to make friends anyway.
This atmosphere continued straight into high school.
I ate school lunches alone too.
Being ostracized was basically expected.
In a word, it was the life of an outsider.
I was afraid of trying to change something.
If I just endure and let it pass... living like that was enough.
I chose the comfortable path.
Smoothly, without causing trouble.
But after awakening...
A crisis arrived in Joo-hyuk's life.
Facing those terrifying Tower monsters head-on?
Even fighting them?
Me, who couldn't even make eye contact with school bullies?
It was something unimaginable.
A great upheaval that shook the direction of his life.
Who would have thought such a day would come.
Monsters aren't people.
They can't even talk, right?
There's no fear stemming from relationships.
They're no different from game quest mobs.
They're just something to beat up and get rewards from.
Swat! Swat-swap!
Now, at this moment, the most prominent figure on the 20th-floor battlefield was Joo-hyuk.
Crunch!
Goblins whose heads were smashed like clay pots by the Adamantite Mace he swung.
The only problem was that without a weapon skill, they didn't die in one hit.
It doesn't matter.
If they don't die after one hit, just hit them one more time.
Crunch! Swat! Thud!
Kosak said it.
A brave summoner dies quickly.
That's true.
Isn't there a proverb, "A protruding stone gets hit"?
He wanted to stop too.
Return to his original intent and live carefully.
Safety first, thorough self-preservation.
How had he lived until now?
Changing overnight like this?
But at this moment, he couldn't stop.
The satisfaction you can only feel when a skill lands properly.
The thrilling sensation in his hands transmitted when smashing a goblin's head.
The kill count rose frighteningly fast.
Kosak wasn't idle either.
He yelled to the Savage Warrior,
"Gobang! Protect Lord Summoner. But if a hobgoblin brat shows up, that guy is the priority."
"Understood. Summoner, will protect. Hobgoblin, kill."
And then Kosak also stuck close to Joo-hyuk.
It was a chaotic melee situation.
You never knew where a blind attack might fly from.
Shadow Step was doing its part splendidly, but it couldn't evade every attack.
If he didn't have the Energy Shield, he would have been hit by a few poison needles.
Ting-ting, ting-ting!
Having the shield was reassuring for now.
But blocking attacks flying from front, back, left, and right was gradually thinning the shield's thickness.
'Still, the 20th floor is nothing.'
The problem was the shamans' curses.
Those at least had to be blocked.
When a shaman entered Kosak's line of sight, he took that one out first.
'Is 100 still far away?'
It feels like he's killed enough...
That's when it happened.
"Groooaaar!"
A roar that shook the battlefield.
The leader of the goblins.
'It's here.'
The tall idol of the goblins with their sadly short legs, their final evolution.
The Hobgoblin finally revealed itself on the 20th-floor battlefield.
Time to finish it.
"Gobang!!!"
The Savage Gobang responded.
"Grrroooaaar!!!"
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump...
The Savage Warrior Gobang charged madly towards the Hobgoblin.
Kosak also frantically activated Shadow Walker, Shadow Step.
Joo-hyuk also tried to move, but...
Crash-boom!
Gobang's giant fist landed on the Hobgoblin's crown.
A sound like a bomb exploding.
"Gak!"
Simultaneously, Kosak's sharp dagger stabbed into the Hobgoblin's eye and scrambled its brain.
Plunge! Splurch-splurch!
The Hobgoblin, met its end the moment it appeared.
The coordinated attack of a Savage Warrior and an Assassin.
Even a Twin-Headed Ogre couldn't handle something like this.
Let alone a mere Hobgoblin?
🎯 Reward: Magic Stone 2kg
🎯 Reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potion (5)
'Ah, damn, I was a step too late.'
With a satisfied smile, Kosak said,
"Hehehe, good work."
Annoyed as he was,
"You all worked hard. Thank you so much for protecting me."
"Chung!"
"Protect. Summoner."
Another S++ record this time too.
Twenty Platinum Badges as well.
I wonder what the special privilege is?
"I hope another Trait Enhancement comes out."
"Really?"
"Yep! If I do a Random Summon and get at least an SSR-grade and have three of them, then leading them around would be nice. It would become safer. Just thinking about it feels good."
"...Hmm."
If that really came out, could there be anything better?
[You may challenge the 21st floor.]
[Exiting the Korean Black Tower.]
At that moment, subtitles appeared at the bottom of every TV channel.
Breaking News! S++ conquest grade record achieved for the Korean Black Tower 20th floor.
Since it was an issue people desperately wanted to know about, as soon as the global announcement was confirmed, it immediately became breaking news on broadcast channels.
Then it would spread nationwide, no, worldwide.
The Management Bureau also wanted to avoid this situation, but how could they possibly stop the mouths of the thousands of players who could hear the announcement.
So Chief Park Kyung-su's worries increased.
"Haa, consecutive 20th-floor records are good but... if too much attention focuses, it could be troublesome."
"That's right. We can't control the reports either."
"No! They might even suspect that we know the record-setter."
A mountain of worries.
Moreover, there was the item theft incident not long ago.
And there's no guarantee something like that won't happen again.
"Did you check on Player Bong's family situation?"
"I discreetly asked around."
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il placed a thick file on the desk.
"This is Player Bong's father, Mr. Bong Cheol-su. A few months ago, he suffered a hip fracture from a slip on icy pavement and is currently undergoing rehabilitation after surgery."
"Oh my, when you get older, bones don't heal well."
"Yes, so he still has difficulty moving and rarely goes outside."
"What method can we support with?"
"How about introducing him to the best rehabilitation center in the country? Of course, free of charge."
"Good! Proceed with that."
Next, Player Bong's sibling,
"This is the younger brother. Named Bong Min-hyuk, currently a freshman in university. Scheduled to enlist in the military soon."
"Well done. Giving him a scholarship support benefit would be simple."
"Exactly."
Finally,
"Player Bong's mother, Mrs. Hong Geum-ja."
"What does she do?"
"She worked as a coordinator for a water purifier company and is currently unemployed."
"Hmm, did she quit voluntarily? Or..."
"It seems she had a conflict with a demanding client and was forced into a contract termination by the company."
"That's awful!"
Jeon Gwang-il spoke in a subtle voice.
"The person we need to pay the most attention to is precisely Mrs. Hong Geum-ja."
"Huh? Why?"
"She has the strongest voice among the family. She has a strong personality, so her husband and sons can't even budge."
"Oh! Really?"
But there's also a problem.
If her personality is strong...
"If we approach forcefully, it might have the opposite effect."
"I'm well aware of that too. We must be careful."
"Do you have a plan laid out?"
"Yes."
"Then execute it. We won't spare any kind of support."
The Awakening Management Bureau dealing with players.
The breadth of authority they can exercise is wider than any other state institution.
Especially if it's related to elite players.
If they can't get in directly, they go around.
And thus secure an elite contract.
Knock, knock, knock,
The sound of knocking on Joo-hyuk's house front door.
Kosak and Gobang's eyes sparkled.
"Del, delivery came. The smell is distinct."
"Delivery."
"Shh! Go over there and hide where you can't be seen."
Joo-hyuk went out and opened the front door.
This time, he didn't use a delivery app but placed an order directly with the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.
Because the amount he needed to order was large.
"Sweet and sour pork 12 servings, black bean noodles 12 bowls, is that correct?"
"Y-yes."
"You ordered a lot. Having a feast today?"
"Uh, yes, yes."
"I figured as much, so I put in one serving of fried dumplings as a service."
Isn't one serving of fried dumplings as a service too stingy?
"...You didn't have to."
"Hahaha, enjoy your meal and please order again. You know, right? That among the nearby Chinese restaurants, our Xin Xin Lu is the most delicious."
Never heard that before.
He took the food, set it down, and checked,
'Coupons... none?'
Not a single one.
What's this!
He couldn't ask what happened.
Because whenever a complaint arose throughout his life, he always endured and let it pass.
Actually, having coupons would also be a problem.
He had never used them even once.
How difficult it was to say, "I'll order using a coupon," over the phone.
So inside the drawer were piles of various unused coupons.
Well, he wasn't going to use them anyway.
...No, he couldn't use them.
A truly laughable thing.
In the Tower, a manly man beating up monsters.
In reality, a timid ordinary guy who couldn't even assert himself over what he rightfully deserved.
"Huff! That black bean noodle smell, it's amazing. Gobang, you've never had it before, right?"
"Gulp!"
A waterfall of drool flowing from Savage Gobang's mouth.
"Here, have some first. I have something to check."
The two people, as if they had been waiting, started unwrapping the packaging.
Now! The moment he had been waiting for had come.
Joo-hyuk checked the sparkling Platinum Badges in his Tower-exclusive inventory.
[Due to the accumulation of 20 Platinum Badges, a special privilege is granted.]
'I wonder?'
[Privilege: One Random Box is granted.]
'Huh?'
The privilege is... a Random Box?
What kind is it?
'Why are there so many?'
Magic stones, herbs, and metals aside.
Weapons and armor are one thing,
'Level-Up Runes' only increase level, unrelated to climbing floors.
'Tower Jumping Tickets' make you jump floors and increase level together, but who would want that?
Level-Up Runes are much better.
'Multinational Tower Use Tickets' seem to allow you to conquer Towers in other countries.
Among them, the best is probably that one.
'Grade-Guaranteed Random Summon Ticket (one of SR, SSR, LSSR)'
What if an LSSR-guaranteed ticket comes out?
He could even climb the Tower lying down.
Let's hope for something realistic.
Accessory items, elixirs, combat skills, skill cooldown reset tickets, trait enhancement runes, summoned being grade-up runes.
'It said three come out, right? There might be a possibility.'
Joo-hyuk opened the box.
Open!
Ding!
[Magic Stone 10kg has been granted.]
'...Damn,'
Still, he earned 5 million won.
The second one?
[Skill: Primordial Thunderbolt Staff has been acquired]
[Primordial Thunderbolt Staff has been registered in the status window.]
"Oh!"
This is good.
The last one?
[A Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune has been granted.]
'...Jackpot.'
If a bunch of useless stuff had come out, he was planning to curse up a storm.
Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune.
Does it need explanation?
The problem is,
Should Gobang have it?
Or should Kosak have it?
Ah, no need to agonize over it.
How many rice bowls have they shared?
Of course, Kosak.
'...Or not, did Gobang eat more rice?'
Anyway, since Gobang is here too, he should call him alone later.
Gobang might get upset otherwise.
Then the skill?
A very martial arts novel-esque skill name.
Skill: Hunyuan Pili Gun
Description: Imbues a blunt weapon with the power of lightning. Consists of a total of 3 stances and is growth-type.
Good.
Just the skill he needed.
Moreover, a growth-type.
[Primordial Thunderbolt Staff 1st stance 'Falling Thunder Soul Chaser' has been unlocked.]
Instantly, the method of using the stance unfolded in Joo-hyuk's mind.
'Shall I try?'
He took out the mace from his Tower-exclusive inventory, held it, and swung it from top to bottom, but...
"Aish,"
Not even a whoosh sound, let alone lightning.
Because skill and level application were blocked outside.
On top of that, he had no mana.
He had no complaints.
If players could use their powers in reality like in the Tower, the world would become a mess.
A world where bastards like Choi Ho-seok run rampant,
'Let's try it inside the Tower.'
Kosak's eyes widened at Joo-hyuk suddenly swinging the mace for no reason.
"Lord Summoner, why suddenly swinging the mace?"
"Ah! I received a skill as a privilege."
"...Ho, could it be an offensive skill?"
"Yes, it's called Primordial Thunderbolt Staff, and it's growth-type, they say."
"Oh dear,"
Kosak, was unable to sit still.
He couldn't help it.
The offensive skill Primordial Thunderbolt Staff.
Just looking at his Lord Summoner's face, he knew.
That was the expression of someone itching to use the skill.
He would charge at monsters at the forefront.
Then it would become more dangerous,
'Ugh...'
They should have given a defensive or escape skill.
Kosak's worries only deepened.