Chapter 5: 0th Floor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: 0th Floor (3)
“Huh?”
Kang Jun-hyeok was taken aback. He squinted, wondering if he had misread the numbers. The figures were simply that absurd.
It wasn't because of his level, stats, or skills.
It was the gold.
[1,212 Gold has been distributed.]
He had truly received 1,212 gold.
“...Is this for real?”
Jun-hyeok was stunned. The amount was beyond belief.
Gold was the fundamental reward for clearing the Tower. It was the most basic currency that virtually anyone could obtain upon completion. And the things one could do with that gold were truly endless—buying equipment and skills, trading, triggering events, and more. It was no exaggeration to say one could do almost anything with it. It was a currency recognized across the entire universe.
Since gold could only be obtained by conquering the Tower, its value was incredibly high. Consequently, it was notoriously difficult to earn.
To put it simply, in his previous life, Jun-hyeok had earned a mere 20 gold for clearing the 0th Floor. He had just obtained over sixty times what he’d earned in the past.
“I thought I’d get 500 gold at most.”
This was a pleasant miscalculation. With this much capital, his options had expanded significantly.
More importantly, gold wasn't the only thing he had gained. Jun-hyeok spoke aloud.
“Status Window.”
* * *
[Kang Jun-hyeok]
• Level: 5
• Health: 160
• Strength: 14
• Speed: 14
• Attack Power: +0
• Defense: +0
* * *
“Well, look at this.”
Jun-hyeok let out a short laugh as he scanned the window.
He had only just cleared the 0th Floor, yet he was already Level 5. His Health had increased from the base of 60, and his stats had risen by 4 points each. The level was one thing, but the stat increase was even more striking.
In this world, the value of stats was exceptionally high. They were the foundation of everything. However, raising them was grueling. Surpassing 100 in a single stat was the benchmark that separated high-ranking Players from the low-ranking ones.
To have stats at 14 right after clearing the 0th Floor was an incredible start. In his previous life, he hadn't reached these numbers until after clearing at least the 3rd Floor.
“Still, only two stats: Strength and Speed.”
It looked quite barren. Having possessed over twenty different types of stats in his previous life made the current list feel even shorter.
I’ll just have to earn them as I climb, he thought. Jun-hyeok closed the Status Window and moved on to the next check.
“Skill Window.”
* * *
[Passive Skill: Dagger Technique]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• The art of handling daggers. You have become more proficient in the use of short blades.
* * *
I didn't expect to get a skill this early.
An F-rank passive skill. On its own, it didn't seem like much. In most games, this rank was treated as trivial. But the reality of the Tower was different.
Skills were notoriously difficult to obtain. The difficulty was so high that some people reached the 10th Floor without a single skill to their name.
Jun-hyeok drew his dagger and gave it a light swing. Its trajectory was much smoother than before. It felt as if his movements were being corrected by the System itself. Satisfied with the effect, he sheathed the weapon. It only worked when using a dagger, but there was no harm in having it.
The Tower was vast, and clearing it required a multitude of abilities. That was exactly how he had conquered it in his previous life.
“And to think I’d actually get this.”
Jun-hyeok checked a small pouch with a delighted expression.
* * *
[Infinite Inventory]
• An inventory of unknown, infinite capacity. Can store all items.
* * *
Every Player in the Tower had an inventory. Naturally, there were limits on the number of items and the total weight one could carry. One had to constantly spend gold to expand it, which was a significant financial burden.
But Jun-hyeok had obtained the Infinite Inventory right from the start as an MVP reward. This alone was equivalent to saving tens of thousands of gold. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the best possible reward. He was beyond satisfied.
He finished reviewing his gains. Now, it was time to put them to use. Jun-hyeok spoke with anticipation.
“Open Shop.”
[The Shop is available after clearing the 1st Floor.]
“...Ah. Right.”
The Shop only opened after the 1st Floor. It had been so long that he’d forgotten. Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Can’t use it yet, then.”
He wanted to jump straight into the 1st Floor, but that was impossible. Once you entered the Tower, there was a three-day cooldown before the next challenge. For now, he had no choice but to wait.
Three days left.
He could use that time to relax, prepare for the 1st Floor, and plan what to buy from the Shop. Jun-hyeok was about to start his happy calculations when a thought struck him.
By the way...
He paused to consider. He had caused an incident—an event that anyone climbing the Tower would find baffling.
I wonder when they’ll notice.
* * *
How does a collective known as a "nation" maintain itself?
How does it control its citizens? How does it enforce laws and create order?
The answer was simple: the state possessed the power to protect and control its people.
However, ten years ago, with the appearance of the Tower, that fundamental value was shattered. The Tower appeared suddenly and swallowed people whole. There was no room for public authority to intervene. No citizen wanted to follow a state that could no longer protect them. The nation, its very reason for existence denied, began to crumble instantly.
To make matters worse, those who climbed the Tower gained power—a power so great that mere guns and blades could no longer restrain them. Those who gain great power naturally desire to be kings. Guilds began to form around the strong all over the world.
South Korea was no different. The country existed in name only, while three major guilds held the actual power: The Baekdusan Guild, the Verdant Guild, and the Free Guild.
Among them, the leader of the Baekdusan Guild, Baekdusan, was currently kicking his desk with a distorted face.
“Dammit!”
Crash!
The kicked desk flew across the room, half-crushed. The wall it struck cracked with a thunderous boom. It was a display of monstrous, bear-like strength.
There goes more money on repairs, the secretary standing nearby thought with a sigh.
“Guild Leader. Please calm down.”
“Calm down?! Do I look like I’m in a position to be calm right now?!” Baekdusan shouted, his face flushed with rage. “We lost the struggle against that damn Verdant Guild! We lost an entire territory! Do you have any idea how much capital comes out of there?!”
“What’s lost is lost. And besides, why are you the one getting angry? Losing that territory was entirely due to your poor judgment, Guild Leader.” The secretary spoke in a cold, detached voice. “I told you clearly: it was a trap, so you shouldn't go. But while I was away at the Tower, you charged right in. Did you at least satisfy your curiosity? If you’re going to ignore everything I say, may I ask why you hired me in the first place?”
At the secretary’s frost-cold voice, the rampaging Baekdusan flinched.
“Are... are you mad?”
“I am. Extremely. So stop creating more reasons to spend public funds and sit down.”
“O-Okay.”
Baekdusan sat back down in his uprighted chair with a dejected look. Seeing him look like an abandoned large dog, the secretary felt a flicker of pity.
“The territory we lost was Ansan, correct? It’s not a small loss... but it’s not enough to collapse our overall position. Get a grip.”
“Yeah. I got it.”
Having calmed Baekdusan down, the secretary began organizing documents.
“...Two 14th Floor Players and one 16th Floor Player are injured. We’ll have a hole in our combat power for a while.”
“It’s fine! I’m stronger than dozens of those punks combined!”
“A loss in overall strength is a separate issue from your personal power, sir.”
The secretary sighed but didn't deny Baekdusan’s words. It was factually correct.
Baekdusan. He was one of the top ten Players in South Korea, having cleared the 24th Floor. In terms of pure individual strength, he was superior even to the leader of the Verdant Guild. He was only losing ground because he was dim-witted.
If only his intelligence were even half as high as his strength, the secretary thought, keeping the comment to himself.
“Since we have a gap in our forces, we’ll need to recruit new people.”
“That sounds good, but... as you know, most of the guys who can actually fight are already signed somewhere.”
“That is true.” The secretary clicked his tongue in regret, acknowledging the difficulty. Then, remembering something, he asked in a suggestive tone, “Speaking of which, didn't you say you were going to ask Sword Saint Yoo Jin-ha about joining the guild? How did that go?”
The strongest Player in South Korea, Sword Saint Yoo Jin-ha. He currently belonged to no guild. If they could recruit him, the power struggle with the Verdant Guild would be over in an instant.
However, Baekdusan shook his head.
“He said he’s not interested in power struggles. Said his goal is to climb the Tower and save Earth.”
“Still as heroic as ever, I see. Well, it can’t be helped.” There was no sarcasm in the secretary’s voice; he looked genuinely respectful of Yoo Jin-ha. “If only our Guild Leader moved for the greater good like Mr. Yoo Jin-ha.”
“You want to die?”
“Just a joke. Then we’ll have to look for some rookies.”
At that, Baekdusan made an uncertain face. “Does recruiting latecomers even matter at this point?”
It had already been ten years since the Tower appeared. It was highly unlikely that those entering the Tower now could ever catch up to them. The secretary didn't deny it.
“It might not mean much, but it’s better than nothing. Let me check the data.”
“Do whatever you want.”
The secretary began skimming through the latest reports. Baekdusan, bored, started tearing the edges of a piece of paper. Suddenly, the secretary’s brow furrowed.
“Huh?”
“What? Something there?”
“There is... but this is strange.”
“Don't be vague, just spit it out. You want a smack?”
“Just yesterday, there was an invitation to the Tower. There was one team from Korea among them.”
“So? That happens every day.”
“80 out of 100 survived.”
“...Huh?”
Baekdusan, who had been lazily tearing paper, froze. “Is that even possible?”
“As far as I know, it’s absolutely impossible.”
The 0th Floor Quest they knew was 'Tag.' It involved running away from three Mantises. The participants had no means of resistance; the most they could do was throw someone else as a sacrificial lamb. They couldn't change the nature of the quest.
Because there were no variables, the number of survivors rarely fluctuated. It usually hovered between 40 and 60, and that average had never deviated in ten years.
But suddenly, 80 people survived?
“Did the quest change?”
“It doesn't seem like it... but since it happened just yesterday, we don't have detailed information yet.”
“Hmm.”
A spark of interest appeared in Baekdusan’s eyes. He was dim-witted, but that didn't mean his instincts were dull. On the contrary, he possessed instincts sharp enough to compensate for his low intelligence. And those instincts were telling him something: this information was not to be ignored.
“Do you think those Verdant Guild bastards noticed too?”
“Most likely.”
“Before they make a move, find out exactly what happened and who the survivors are. Get everything.”
Baekdusan commanded. The secretary nodded.