A Matter of Good Faith
Mu-saeng stared blankly into the empty air, his expression dead serious.
His demeanor was so grave that even the village chief approached with hesitant, timid steps, barely working up the nerve to speak.
"E-Excuse me, sir... Could you perhaps explain what on earth happened here—?"
"Ah. The real boy was probably done in by the werewolf a long time ago," Mu-saeng rattled off smoothly. "The beast just shapeshifted to pose as one of your villagers. Right, Wahsh? Yeah, he says I'm right. Anyway, don't worry about it. The werewolf is dead, so you folks can live safely and happily now. Well, it'll all reset once I leave anyway."
The werewolf's mangled corpse. The child before he had transformed into that corpse. The grieving parents. And the small village, tormented for so long by the werewolf and its relentless pack.
"P-Pardon? Ah, yes..."
There was no way the chief could digest Mu-saeng's rapid-fire explanation, but too intimidated to press any further, he simply bowed his head and backed away.
Besides, Mu-saeng had neither the time nor the inclination to explain every little detail.
Ignition. Water Ball. Spark. Wind Cutter. Slash Enhancement. Small Barrier. Focus. Slam...
Normally, an Awakener's skills branched out strictly from their innate awakened ability. But with 〈Transmit(X)〉 transformed into 〈Transmit(O)〉—an X flipped to an O—the rules had completely changed. In essence, he had been granted the freedom to select the first branching skill from any awakened ability in existence.
Which one is best for the long haul...?
Mu-saeng couldn't help agonizing over it. He had spent thirteen years as a dungeon sherpa, but that didn't mean he possessed encyclopedic knowledge of every skill in the world. Even pooling the dubious rumors from online forums with every scrap of trivia he had wheedled out of flattering high-paying clients, no one could possibly know all the foundational skills—let alone the dizzying web of advanced techniques branching off from them.
"Choosing one doesn't lock me out of the other routes down the line, right, Wahsh?"
"[State the obvious, why don't you.]"
"Haah, that makes it even harder. It means I have to calculate synergies and combinations ahead of time... Hey, couldn't you at least let me read the skill descriptions? Even if I haven't acquired them yet, give a guy a hint..."
Mu-saeng grumbled under his breath. Expecting someone to deduce the practical effects of one hundred and seventy-eight different skills from their names alone was absurd.
"[Under normal circumstances, candidates are automatically assigned a single skill and that's the end of it. There was never any reason to build in such a feature,]" Wahsh replied curtly.
There was good reason for the duck's dismissive attitude.
"[Just pick one at random. It's only a basic skill, what does it matter?]"
It truly was just an entry-level ability. Choosing one now wouldn't lock his progression tree into that single element forever. Why waste so much energy obsessing over it?
"Hey, is that any way for an Administrator to talk? Even if I tried to cut corners, you ought to be the one smacking sense into me."
Mu-saeng, however, saw things differently. Was it because he had lived his entire life without a single skill? Because he knew the bitter ache of lacking even the most basic magic?
"[Me? Why should I care?]"
No, that wasn't it at all.
"Because we agreed to act in good faith. That was our contract, wasn't it?"
For thirteen years, Mu-saeng had survived as a dungeon sherpa. Even before that, long before he had ever strapped on a heavy porter's frame, he had lived by the exact same code. Wholeheartedness. Diligence. Sincerity. If he wasn't going to commit, he wouldn't touch it; but once he gave his word, he trusted it through to the end and did the job right. Zero accidents, safe returns, and strict deadlines. His reputation as an 'Ace' sherpa hadn't come merely from his freakish resistance to mana pressure.
"[...Hmph. Hrmmm... Hmph.]"
The answer caught Wahsh completely off guard. As an Administrator, he could peer straight into the human's soul and see the absolute truth of it. Good faith. This mortal was genuinely living and breathing that principle.
"Am I wrong?"
"[No... You are right.]"
And so Wahsh conceded. To a contractual partner giving his all, he had to show equal sincerity.
"[I was in the wrong. You speak the truth, Kim Mu-saeng.]"
Wahsh's sudden, humble repentance almost made Mu-saeng feel embarrassed.
"Oh...? Didn't expect an actual apology. Well, seeing as you were in the wrong, how about throwing in some extra compensa—"
"[SILENCE!]"
When Mu-saeng cheekily pushed his luck, Wahsh let out a loud squawk and bobbed up into the air. He turned his horn-rimmed gaze toward the firmament of the Tower's 3rd floor—a vast, open sky whose ceiling remained nowhere in sight.
"[Hrmmm...]"
Wahsh exhaled a long breath as he watched the artificial clouds drift by, his yellow bill curling into a shape that looked remarkably proud. Of course, at that particular moment, Wahsh had no idea what was coming. No matter how crucial the choice, no matter how sincere the intent...
"Aaargh, who knows if this is the right answer! I'm done!"
"[...I had my suspicions, but this is madness. To think you spent thirty-three whole hours on it.]"
It had taken him nearly a day and a half just to settle on a single skill.
Mu-saeng stretched his arms overhead with a satisfied groan. "Well, now that it's chosen, let's head out. The tutorial is officially wrapped up, so it's time for some maintenance."
It wasn't just about catching his breath. He needed to restock his pack, refill his canteens, and take care of basic supplies.
"Kim Mu-saeng, requesting exit!"
Light flared, washing out his vision as he left the trial grounds behind.
The very instant his boots touched the polished marble of the Tower's Public Lobby, the noise hit him.
"S-Section Chief! Over there! It matches the description from the tip! The ball cap! The mask!"
"Kim Mu-saeng? It's Kim Mu-saeng!"
"Target spotted! Move in and secure him!"
Urgent shouts echoed across the vast hall. A dozen men dressed in sharp black suits broke into a run, converging on Mu-saeng from every direction.
"...Wahsh, you were right. I don't know what the current Administrator is doing with their time, but they really need to widen this lobby."
He had tried to conceal his profile, but in a congested public lobby teeming with climbers, staying completely hidden was an impossible task.
"[Tell those incompetent bastards yourself when you reach the top.]"
"Count on it."
Their banter cut off there as the agents of Korea One Way Group boxed Mu-saeng into a tight circle.
One Way Group's trackers sneered with smug confidence.
"Stupid bastard. Did you honestly think you could slip into the Tower and dodge our surveillance?"
"Managed to crawl through the 4th floor, did you? Seeing as you scurried right back out. Too terrified to face the 5th?"
"What did you expect an incompetent sherpa to accomplish in the Tower anyway?"
To Mu-saeng's ears, it was sheer, laughable nonsense. Major guilds stationed lookouts in the Tower Public Lobby around the clock—that was standard operating procedure.
The quest time limit on the 4th floor is twelve hours.
He had entered the Tower nearly forty hours ago. Their timeline was completely off, which meant One Way had only caught wind of his entry recently and rushed over in a panic. Yet here they were, acting like predators cornering prey, swaggering around like third-rate street thugs.
The only one among them who maintained even a shred of decorum was their leader.
"...How you managed to survive that place no longer matters. What you did to the Managing Director... No, what you did doesn't matter anymore either. Sherpa Kim Mu-saeng, will you hand over the antidote?"
Park Dohyun, Section Chief and guard squad leader who had accompanied Lee Eunwoo into the 15th Dungeon. Courtesy? Of course, that was only true when graded against the coarse thugs standing behind him.
"Don't you have something else to say first?" Mu-saeng asked coldly.
When Lee Eunwoo had slashed him from behind and left him to die, this very man had drawn his blade to block Mu-saeng from escaping. I'm sorry. We were wrong. Those were the words that should have come out of his mouth first. In truth, an apology couldn't undo an attempted murder, but Mu-saeng was in a surprisingly generous mood. For the first time in his life, he had achieved something monumental on his own terms. He had been willing to compromise—if only he received a single sincere apology from at least one of them.
Lee Eunwoo? I wouldn't expect decency from that spoiled trash.
He had even considered shaving off a sliver of Sraken's shed skin to negotiate. He could always bleed Lee Eunwoo dry for material compensation later anyway.
"...The circumstances were what they were. I thought you would understand," Park Dohyun murmured, his eyes hardening.
Mu-saeng nodded slowly, an exaggerated smirk playing on his lips. "Ahh, truly profound. You're so right."
"Good. Then the antidote—"
"Circumstances being what they are, you understand my position too, right?"
If that was their attitude, negotiation was dead. Over.
"This little bastard dares turn his back while Chief Park is speaking?!"
The moment Mu-saeng turned away, one of the One Way thugs cocked back a fist—only to freeze in midair. Within the Tower Public Lobby, an absolute system rule was enforced: no one could inflict physical harm upon another. The thug remained suspended in an awkward, trembling crouch.
"What's with the twitching? Busting out some dance moves? How did someone who doesn't even know the lobby's basic rules manage to climb at all?"
"W-Why, you little...! I didn't forget, you piece of shit!" Flustered and red-faced, the thug bellowed.
Park Dohyun held out a sharp arm to restrain him. "Enough. Drawing a crowd helps no one. Sherpa Kim Mu-saeng, if money is what you want... we can arrange it. I will connect you directly with the Managing Director's Chief of Staff, so let us talk—"
"Piss off."
Mu-saeng cut him down without breaking stride, walking straight toward the lobby's grand exit gates. The One Way contingent swallowed their curses and fell in behind him like a pack of wolves. For them, the most frustrating scenario would have been Mu-saeng squatting inside the safety zone of the Public Lobby, where they couldn't touch him or drag him away. But if he was walking outside of his own free will? There was no need to provoke him prematurely.
Of course, Mu-saeng wasn't walking out blindly.
Chief Park cleared up to the 37th floor, mostly carried by party play.
He had already gauged the man's combat ceiling. The rest were even less impressive. Outside the lobby, awakened abilities and skills were locked down anyway. Stats still enhanced physical traits, but out in the streets, it came down to raw physical brawling.
Brace yourselves. Someone from One Way is crying tears of blood today.
Just as Mu-saeng steeled his resolve, steps away from the threshold leading into the outside world, a crisp, resonant voice sliced through the murmurs.
"Sherpa Kim Mu-saeng!"
"—Hm?"
"What? Who's that?"
"Who the hell—wait, what?"
The One Way squad snapped their heads around, instincts flaring. Their arrogant smirks instantly crumbled. Striding through the crowd was a woman in a pristine white suit, followed by three escorts in sharp black tailoring. While her sharp white attire and the striking beauty that outshone it drew every eye, what truly paralyzed the Awakeners in the lobby was the emblem pinned to her lapel.
"...Geumseong."
A polished gold badge caught the light.
Her long, softly curled hair swayed gracefully as she halted directly in front of him, offering a bright, composed smile.
"Pleased to meet you, Sherpa Kim Mu-saeng. I am Geum Soo-ah, Vice Head of the Raid Department at Geumseong Group."
She extended a slender hand for a handshake, and Mu-saeng's eyes widened.
"I-It's Geum Soo-ah!"
"The Vice Commander of the 66th Floor Raid Team?!"
"Chairman Geum Byeong-cheol's daughter!"
The surrounding climbers gasped, voicing Mu-saeng's exact thoughts. A figure of this magnitude, coming here in person...?
"Ah, yes... How did you...?" Mu-saeng took her hand in a daze.
Her eyes narrowed into pleasant crescent moons as she spoke. "I spoke with Mr. Park Hyun-gu over the phone. We received word a short while ago that One Way's people were mobilizing, so we were waiting just outside the lobby... but I decided it would be better to introduce myself inside."
It was delivered as a light, polite greeting, yet the sheer tactical judgment and initiative demonstrated by Geumseong—no, by Geum Soo-ah herself—left Mu-saeng deeply impressed. She had successfully persuaded Park Hyun-gu, who had been on maximum alert regarding One Way's movements; Hyun-gu wasn't the kind of man to trust an outsider easily, even someone from Geumseong. Furthermore, deducing that One Way was hunting Mu-saeng, she hadn't wasted time searching for him blindly; she had shadowed One Way's movements instead. And while waiting outside because violence was barred within the lobby, the moment she realized Mu-saeng's 'talks' with One Way had broken down, she had marched straight in to intercept them.
As Mu-saeng marveled at her quick thinking, the One Way agents pushed forward, rattled by the growing spectacle.
"Excuse us, folks from Geumseong. I'm afraid we had a prior appointment with him..."
"Let's wait our turn, shall we?"
Geum Soo-ah didn't flinch. She understood precisely why they couldn't afford to back down.
"Managing Director Lee Eunwoo is not going to die," she said coolly. "If the venom from the 66th floor boss were fatal to him, he would have succumbed long ago."
"W-What?"
"How could you possibly know that...?"
If they returned empty-handed without any intelligence on Lee Eunwoo's condition, their own careers—and possibly their lives—would be on the line. Knowing this, Geum Soo-ah laid it out plainly.
"Right now, he is likely suffering from paralysis... and acute respiratory distress. Inside the Tower or a dungeon, that would certainly prove fatal, but with your group's elite medical team attending to him, he will merely endure excruciating pain for a while. It should run its course in two weeks at most."
Her message was unmistakable: Stop barking and leave.
One Way had twelve men present. Geumseong had only four. The numerical disparity was obvious, and after a fleeting moment of panic, the One Way thugs tried to lean on their numbers to bluff their way through.
"And how are we supposed to believe—"
"And what will you do if you don't? Care to step outside the lobby together? Or perhaps... would you prefer heading to a nearby dungeon?"
The threat shattered their posturing instantly. Numerical superiority meant nothing. It wasn't even the collective might of Geumseong Group backing her—it was the overwhelming presence of Geum Soo-ah alone. An elite Awakener who commanded the front lines of the 66th floor, wielding the SR-rank ability 〈Luminous〉. The sheer weight of her aura sent a collective chill down the spines of the One Way agents, forcing them to stagger back step by step.
Turning her back on them as though they were beneath notice, Geum Soo-ah looked toward Mu-saeng once more.
"Could you spare a little of your time, Sherpa Park Mu—I mean, Sherpa Kim Mu-saeng?"
Catching her slip of the tongue with a charming blush, she flashed a bright, disarming smile.