Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Price of a Penthouse and the Return of Gobang
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Take it for free.
Or pay a fair price and draw a line.
Every choice comes with an opportunity cost.
That's something you learn in middle school social studies.
If the opportunity cost is greater than the choice, it's not the right decision.
But calculating that opportunity cost is difficult.
Let's say I take it for free.
What if later, the Awakening Management Bureau asked me for a serious favor?
It might be hard to refuse.
Because I received something.
On the other hand, if I payed the full price?
That's spending money I don't need to spend.
With the money to buy a penthouse, I could buy land near Gyeonggi-do, invest in stocks, there are so many places to use it... thinking about cash going out makes it feel wasteful.
If I just keep worrying, I'll waste the whole day.
Let's go with the option that gives me peace of mind.
Joo-hyuk slammed his fist on the table and spoke.
"I've decided. I won't take it for free."
"Then?"
"Let's buy it. Getting it for free will give me indigestion. That apartment, I'll just buy it. My money, my purchase! Right? That way my mind will be at ease."
Clap, clap, clap.
Kosak applauded in admiration.
"Truly decisive. I've never seen someone with such resolve before."
Gyun- Dal rae nodded.
"A wise judgment, my lord. Clearly drawing a line between each other will likely be helpful for the future."
The two of them supported Joo-hyuk's bold decision.
Alright! Now let's check the price.
Well, I have 3 billion won in my account, no, soon 1 billion more will come in, making it 4 billion... this measly apartment should be fine.
He typed the search term into a real estate information site and clicked the mouse, but...
'What's this?'
Did I misread the numbers?
He leaned forward a bit more for a closer look.
One circle, two, three, four...
"Hmm."
"What's the matter? Your complexion doesn't look good."
"Ah, no, it's nothing."
Nothing? The price per 3.3 square meters, that is, per pyeong, was...
'...200 million?'
The area was 100 pyeong (3560 square feet).
Therefore, the current market price was 20 billion won.
The hand holding the mouse trembled.
'Insane!'
Is this wrong information?
Even for a Han River view apartment, this is too much.
But it was certain.
It was actually a cheap price.
A news article below mentioned that a top online lecturer recently bought a similar house for 23 billion won.
With 4 billion, I'm not even close?
Apartment prices really vary wildly.
As Joo-hyuk pondered, Kosak tilted his head and asked.
"How much is it? Can you buy it for about 2 billion?"
"Sir Kosak, do you really know so little of the world? 2 billion is a huge sum that the average office worker in this world couldn't save even in 100 years. To say a mere house costs 2 billion..."
"R-really? Uh, 1 billion?"
"It's still expensive, but a house of this caliber would probably be around that much."
Joo-hyuk said nothing.
He just closed the laptop and then...
"On second thought, I wonder if I really need such a big apartment."
"Huh? Just a moment ago, you were saying the officetel was cramped and you'd move to a bigger house..."
Gyun-dalrae and Kosak were puzzled by Joo-hyuk's sudden 180-degree change of heart.
"Phew, that house is too big, it'd be hard to clean. How many rooms are there? How much dust would there be in such a big house? Cleaning the living room once would take half a day. There are also heating and cooling costs."
Then the quick-witted Kosak swiftly agreed.
"Oh my, foolish me didn't think of that. Of course. Who would clean such a big house?"
"And it has a garden, right? If there's grass, bugs gather, they can come inside, it's not good for hygiene either."
"Aiyo! Hearing you say that, it seems we almost had a disaster if we bought it. Your foresight is so brilliant, this Kosak is impressed, truly impressed. Hehehe."
"Hahaha, foresight, what are you talking about."
Gyun-dalrae also chimed in.
"To maintain the house temperature, ordinary heating and cooling likely won't suffice. Also, the electricity bill can't be ignored, and for the sake of the environment, one shouldn't live in a large house."
"That's right, when it comes to the environment, who else but Bong Joo-hyuk?"
"Between climbing the Tower and considering the environment, this maiden is only worried about Lord Bong's devoted hardships."
He felt pleased.
As expected, his summoned beings understood his heart well.
Is that the only big house in the world?
Well, I can just buy another one for 4 billion instead of 20 billion.
I should call after clearing the 66th floor.
To say I won't take it for free.
But he couldn't help the penthouse continuing to linger in his mind.
If only 20 billion would just drop from the sky.
The next day.
Seoul, Hannam-dong, Awakening Management Bureau Training Room
Nam Ga-eun, who had pumped her muscles with her pre-raid routine of morning gym, was sitting on the floor meditating calmly.
In her mind, she went over the attack patterns and characteristics of the 66th-floor undead monster, the Specter.
Even though the Holy Sword was an essential item that neutralized the undead's dark aura, she couldn't rely on it alone.
How to create a 1-on-1 situation.
Which skill to use in which situation.
If it comes out like this, do that; if it comes out like that, do this.
Finally, Nam Ga-eun opened her eyes.
She got up and left the training room.
Entering the room specially prepared for Tower entry, Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su and Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il were waiting for her.
"Player Nam Ga-eun. Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Then we wish you good luck."
Entry to the 66th floor.
The fierce battle with the undead magical beast Specter began.
And 10 hours later.
The status window for South Korea's Tower conquest progress changed as follows.
It was a splendid achievement accomplished by Player Nam Ga-eun and the Holy Sword.
It was a festival.
Player Nam Ga-eun and the Holy Sword had done it.
The media and broadcasters poured out articles in special features.
From the top 1 to 10 most-viewed news, all had similar content.
Edited footage of the 66th-floor conquest also played on TV all day.
The public's reaction was also enthusiastic.
When Yu Cheol-min naturalized, we thought it was over, but to turn it around so dramatically like this...
Korean companies also simultaneously released advertisements as if they had been waiting.
They probably had them pre-produced; seeing them all come out at once after the success news.
66th-floor conquest commemorative sale: 66% discount on select items.
If your birthday is June 6th, an additional 6.6% discount.
Online shopping malls: buy one get one free on select items for 1 minute at 6:06.
Large corporations had employees work only in the morning and sent everyone home in the afternoon.
Thus, bars and restaurants were also packed with people.
That night, there were no rooms available at motels.
Completely full.
Wait, they conquered the 66th floor, so why are motel rooms unavailable?
Won't it be hard to get an obstetrics and gynecology appointment in a month or two?
Truthfully, conquering an un-cleared upper floor of the Tower is a great achievement, but it's not something for the entire nation to get so excited about.
But why?
The reason was the neighboring country.
Because they had turned the Tower climb into a Japan vs Korea competition first.
Of course, not a single line of news about South Korea's Black Tower 66th-floor conquest success appeared in the Japanese media.
Joo-hyuk also enjoyed the situation with a more relieved mind.
He had lightened his mental burden.
Honestly, wasn't he also a person living in this land?
If there was a risk of the Tower collapsing, he had to do something.
But he had bought six months of time.
Even if he went slowly, by then he should be able to reach the 60s.
By the way, watching TV was making me antsy.
Have I rested too much?
It's about time to enter the 35th floor, but...
The problem was Gobang.
The party's tank was missing, how can we enter?
Speaking of which, was our Mr. Gobang still far away?
Could something have gone wrong?
I should check the status window.
But what?
"Oh!"
The words "Summon Unavailable" next to the catalog entry for Savage Meat Shield had disappeared.
Does that mean I can summon him?
Great.
I should try right away.
Call Mr. Gobang first, the others later.
"Savage Meat Shield Designated Summon."
He felt nervous.
Did the grade enhancement succeed?
Fwoosh!
Spot!
Gobang revealed himself.
"Welcome. Gobang... huh!"
Gobang...
No, wait?
"Wh-who are you?"
"I am the Meat Shield, Gobang, who dedicates his loyalty to Summoner Bong."
"..."
Joo-hyuk just stood there with his mouth agape.
What nonsense is this!
How is this person Mr. Gobang?
He was a clean-cut young man.
Of course, his upper body was still bare.
But his height, build, head size... it was a completely different person.
'His face... hmm, does it resemble him a little?'
It seemed like some error had occurred.
"I thought I might not be able to return. I am always grateful that you called me."
He seemed to be facing an utterly ridiculous situation.
Joo-hyuk forgot to speak for a while and just stared blankly at the man who claimed to be Gobang.
His face, once full of beard, was now smooth, so it wasn't certain, but looking closely, it did seem like Gobang.
'At the very least, the look in his eyes is Gobang's.'
Joo-hyuk stood next to Gobang and gauged his height.
About 190cm. His build had also drastically shrunk.
The surest way to know was still the catalog information.
What could be more certain than that?
"..."
It was correct.
It was definitely Mr. Gobang.
His grade was even SSR. He had succeeded in grade enhancement.
Instead, the modifier "Dumb" had been removed and "Ordinary (?)" had been attached.
"You're really Mr. Gobang?"
"No matter who says what, I am Gobang."
The vocabulary he used also increased.
His way of speaking didn't seem to have changed much, though.
"Um, can you recite the Summoned Being Three Principles?"
"I can say them. Principle 1: The summoned being prioritizes protecting the summoner's life above all else. Principle 2: The summoned being is the summoner's, um, the summoner's... uh, the summoner's..."
"That's enough."
He still couldn't memorize them completely, but it was much better than before.
'He traded size for intelligence.'
That seemed to be the case.
'But isn't this a loss?'
While intelligence increased just a tiny bit, his physique had become drastically smaller.
Is this the result of a 2-grade enhancement?
Are they just brushing it off with him being a little smarter?
That's too disappointing.
He definitely felt unfamiliar.
Anyway, since he's a new person, let's start with introductions.
Summon Gyeon dal-rae, summon Kosak.
Fwooosh! Spot! Spot!
"Thank you for summoning m... huh?"
"Loyal! SSR Kosak reporting for... eek?"
Seeing a stranger standing in the room, the two were startled.
Kosak, with a flustered expression, hurried over to Joo-hyuk.
"Summoner B-Bong, have you decided to reveal our existence to others?"
"No."
"Th-then who on earth is that man? He was watching us get summoned."
"Mr. Gobang."
"...Pardon?"
"This gentleman here is Mr. Gobang."
Silence flowed.
Gyeon dal-rae, Kosak, Joo-hyuk, even Gobang didn't open their mouths.
After a while,
"Hey, you're good at joking. How does that look like him?"
"It's true. Mr. Gobang has been promoted to SSR."
"...Uh-uh-uh."
They still looked unconvinced.
He understood.
He felt the same.
"R-really Gobang?"
"That's right, assassin."
"Who killed you when you died?"
"The Super Magical Beast Hydra."
"The most recent monster you killed?"
"Tier 4 Minotaur."
He answered fluently and well.
Joo-hyuk also looked at Gobang and asked.
"Hey, Mr. Gobang?"
"This warrior always listens to and trusts the summoner's words."
"Do you know why your name is Gobang?"
"I know."
"Should we change your name now? I'm worried the name Gobang might be a bit uncomfortable."
"Gobang is the name the summoner gave me. I like it."
"I'll give you a new one."
"It's fine. I am Gobang. I am the meat shield that blocks the front for Summoner Bong like an iron wall."
"..."
His vocabulary had definitely increased a lot.
Silence again.
This won't do.
To break the awkward atmosphere, let's climb the Tower.
"Let's climb the Tower after a long time."
"Th-that sounds good."
"...This maiden also thinks so."
However, seeing Gobang's current state didn't inspire much confidence.
Would he not be able to see that powerful strength from before again?
He had planned to climb the 35th floor once Gobang returned as an SSR, but...
Now it seemed like it would be too much.
An S++ grade conquest, after all.
So, we'd safely perform the 34th-floor repeat mission.
"Shall we go?"
Whoosh! Gobang stepped forward to the front.
"I'll lead. The rest come with Summoner Bong."
Why is he acting so reliable?
With such a small body.
While only 190cm tall.
"...I think it would be better for Mr. Kosak to take the lead first, Mr. Gobang should fall back to the rear."
"Summoner, don't worry. Trust SSR Gobang."
"Hmm."
Alright, let's trust him once.
If he's that confident, he must have something up his sleeve.
The Tier 4 Minotaur appeared upon receiving the mission.
Compared to Gobang, it was almost three times bigger.
'The Minotaur could probably pick up Gobang with one hand and slam him down.'
Worry piled up like a mountain.
Joo-hyuk whispered instructions to Kosak.
'If anything happens, be ready to intervene immediately.'
'Understood.'
Suddenly!
"KUUOOOOOOOOH!"
The small Gobang roared.
What a scare.
Even though his body was small, his voice was still booming.
That was the moment.
Simultaneously, a change occurred in Gobang's body.
Brup, bruddddddup!
With bizarre sounds, bulging muscles sprouted all over his body.
Urrddup! Udup!
His size also grew.
Like the old Gobang.
"Wow!"
"Incredible!"
"Oh my?"
He kept growing.
4m? 5m?
Almost comparable to the Minotaur.
With every step he took, whoosh, whoosh.
Sideways, and upwards.
Grow, Gobang Gobang.
If you just painted his body green, he'd be exactly that.
Only now, finally,
"It's Mr. Gobang."
"It's Gobang."
"It is Gobang."