The First Floor's Hidden Condition

Hyun-gu stared, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief as he listened to Mu-saeng's tale.

"Y-You really... cleared the 66th Dungeon? How in the world did you manage that?"

"Sheer luck. I swear, I thought I was a dead man. Technically speaking, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I died and crawled back to life."

Mu-saeng had shared only the broad strokes: that Lee Eunwoo's claim was partially true, that they had been swept into a 66th-floor dungeon, and that he had faced mortal peril before barely managing to escape alive.

[And here I thought you trusted him? Placing your faith in someone truly isn't easy, is it?]

Mu-saeng had said nothing about Wahsh.

The administrator had never demanded secrecy regarding his identity or existence. Mu-saeng was entirely free to blab to his heart's content, yet he hadn't uttered a syllable—a fact Wahsh seemed to find amusing, tossing out the remark as a deliberate provocation.

Mu-saeng ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply ignored it.

Had he kept silent because he didn't trust Hyun-gu? Not in the slightest.

"Haah... Hearing it now, I get why you punched the bastard. Hell, if it were me, I would've ground him into dust on the spot... But, damn it, that's One Way! What are you going to do now?! You publicly disgraced the official heir of Korea One Way Group—how do you plan to survive this?!"

It was precisely because of the grounded, practical worries eating away at Hyun-gu.

There was no chance One Way Group would let this slide.

They held One Way's official license in South Korea, a powerhouse guild whose reach dominated Southeast Asia. They would seek immediate retribution against Mu-saeng for striking Eunwoo, and they wouldn't hesitate to bend or break the law to dismantle everything connected to him.

"That's exactly why I came to see my dear CEO first. Eat this, hyung."

What Hyun-gu needed was a measured dose of the truth. Burdening him with anything beyond what was strictly necessary would only drag him deeper into the line of fire.

"What is this?"

"Insurance against poison. I carved it off a boss drop from the 66th Dungeon. Don't worry—I've already confirmed that even a piece this small grants permanent poison resistance."

Mu-saeng held out a small, dried fragment.

It was the exact piece Mu-saeng had swallowed while driving toward One Way Group's grand auditorium. It was also the sole reason he could coat his knuckles in the lethal neurotoxin flowing from Sraken's Poison Fang without suffering a scratch.

"You say 'insurance against poison' like you're talking about blocking a spam call," Hyun-gu muttered, shuddering. "Chilling, honestly. But knowing those One Way bastards, it's definitely something they'd pull."

As long as Awakeners were barred from deploying their combat abilities out in the mundane world, poison remained the most insidious threat. If that single variable could be eliminated from the board...

"Heh, exactly. So swallow that, and either request police protection or shut down the office for a while and go take an overseas vacation."

When it came to physical assaults or overt violence, modern law enforcement—fellow Awakeners dedicated to defending justice and civil order—would hold the line.

"Wait, is it really okay for me to eat this? This came from the 60s, didn't it? The late 60s! If this dropped from the 66th Dungeon, man, the market price on this must be astronomical... Especially if a scrap this tiny actually works."

"If you don't want it, give it ba—"

"Gulp!"

Terrified that even a crumb might drift away, Hyun-gu shoved the fragment into his mouth and began chewing frantically. His face contorted into every grimace imaginable, yet his jaws ground on with desperate resolve.

"What are you eating, thousand-year-old wild ginseng? Just chew a couple of times and swallow it."

"I's be'er 'an ginseng, *slurp*, way be'er 'an—"

"Agh! Watch the spit! You're spraying everywhere!"

From the day they first met in the orphanage to this very moment, that warmth hidden beneath Hyun-gu's lighthearted bickering had never failed to ground Mu-saeng. Only after taking another earful did Hyun-gu finally force the tough morsel down his throat.

"Alright, let's say the company and I manage to ride this out somehow. What about you?" Hyun-gu asked, his tone turning serious. "What's your plan now?"

"I have to go somewhere too," Mu-saeng answered smoothly. "Somewhere those bastards can never lay a finger on me."

There was no way he hadn't planned for this. How could he strike Lee Eunwoo and challenge the colossal One Way Group without a safe harbor? Was there any place in all of Korea that could guarantee his safety?

"Where?"

There was one.

"The Tower."

Unless individuals registered as a party under the Tower's systemic judgment to attempt a trial together, challengers never crossed paths, even on the exact ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠same floor. The Tower operated on strictly isolated instances, and once cleared, a floor could never be re-entered. It was structurally impossible for One Way Group's high-level enforcers to pursue the 'low-floor Mu-saeng.'

Even so, the worry lingering in Hyun-gu's eyes did not waver.

"Entering the Tower is fine, but... don't push yourself too hard. Walking out of the 66th Dungeon alive was a miracle from the heavens... No, think of it as Yerin watching over you—"

"Hyung."

"—*Ahem*. Well, you know what I mean. It's not like I don't know your baseline ability. I'm just worried, that's all..."

They were words born of deep familiarity, spoken by someone who knew every limitation Mu-saeng had carried for years. Understanding that, Mu-saeng offered a quiet smirk.

"Don't worry. This time will be completely different."

To Hyun-gu, it seemed as though Mu-saeng was merely glancing into empty air. But right where his gaze landed, a bright yellow rubber duck hovered lazily in space.

[Hmph. Looking at that primitive, hopelessly incompetent frame of yours, I find myself slightly worried as well,] Wahsh chimed in.

He wasn't entirely wrong. Mu-saeng had slain the boss of the 66th Dungeon. He had claimed an S-rank artifact. But what of his raw foundation?

'Status Window.'

None of Mu-saeng's core attributes had received a sudden boost. Solo climbing record: None. Party climbing record: Floors 1 to 3. Skills: None. That was the entirety of his profile.

Going purely by the numbers, he remained a bottom-barrel Awakener.

[Though perhaps this works in our favor. Since you've cleared nothing beyond the tutorial floors... tweaking you once shouldn't draw those bastards' attention.]

Leaving Wahsh's mutterings unanswered, Mu-saeng raised his water glass. What did he mean by that?

*Bzzzt, bzzzt...*

Wahsh's duck form rippled with static for a brief moment.

[From the first floor straight to the peak, we must extract the absolute maximum efficiency for your growth, Kim Mu-saeng. Only then will you be of even the slightest use to me.]

The meaning behind those words dawned on Mu-saeng an instant later.

"*Cough! Hack—!*"

"Agh! Hey! Are you trying to give me a shower or what?!"

"*Pffft!* What the... What is this?!"

Paying no mind to Hyun-gu's outraged sputtering as he wiped the spray of water from his face, Mu-saeng kept his eyes glued to his status screen. His attributes hadn't climbed or plummeted. But one crucial line had been completely rewritten.

His climbing history had been wiped clean.

Such a thing was possible? A feat completely unheard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of in the history of the Tower?!

[What are you gaping at? Primitive creatures, all of you...]

The rubber duck scoffed with supreme arrogance, yet a smug pride was unmistakable behind those black-rimmed spectacles as it basked in Mu-saeng's astonishment.

Mu-saeng bolted up from his chair.

"Hyung, I'm heading out."

"Right! Hey, watch your back! If anything happens, call me immediately, got it? Don't worry about the company!"

"Man, hearing you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tell me not to worry makes me sweat even more... Understood. Just take care of yourself, hyung. I'm going!"

He could challenge the Tower from the very first floor, and he could do it entirely solo. The prospect of the rapid growth awaiting him set Mu-saeng's pulse racing against his ribs.

The 1st floor of the Tower housed the communal lobby.

It was an open plaza where challengers gathered before embarking on their respective floor trials—a vast staging ground shared by Awakeners across the globe. Above all, it was a sanctuary governed by the Tower's absolute decree: [No entity may inflict harm upon another.]

'If I really wanted to, I could hole up here indefinitely...'

In the past, he might have considered hiding here to escape the reach of One Way Group. But that was no true solution. While safe from assault inside the perimeter, he would eventually need to step outside to eat, sleep, and survive. The moment he set foot beyond the threshold, their hounds would tear him apart.

Lurking in the lobby was a dead end. He needed power—enough power to dismiss One Way Group's threats like annoying gnats.

"All I have to do is initiate the challenge, right? Nothing else to prepare?"

Pulling his ballcap down low and tugging his mask up right below his eyes, Mu-saeng murmured the question under his breath.

[Indeed. Though, isn't this place rather cramped?] Wahsh grumbled, surveying the expansive marble hall. [Did they lower the spatial auto-expansion ratio? I had it finely calibrated to dynamically scale with challenger density... Incompetent fools meddling where they don't belong always makes things tedious.]

Wahsh was taking in the sights. This was the Tower itself, not an auxiliary dungeon. Perhaps arriving here for the first time since being Transmitted stirred up some sentimental resonance within him.

To Mu-saeng, however, such musings were irrelevant.

"Whatever the case, it's packed. We need to move."

[Then proceed. Do you expect me to hold your hand through that as well?]

"*Ahem!* Punk, I only asked to be polite... Kim Mu-saeng. Requesting entry to the Tower."

Mu-saeng whispered the formal phrase.

Challenging the 1st floor. His climbing log hadn't merely glitched on his personal screen; the Tower itself had accepted the reset.

The corners of Mu-saeng's lips curled upward.

"Challenge."

A blinding column of light engulfed him.

When his vision cleared, the marble sanctuary was gone, replaced by a horrifying scene straight out of a medieval nightmare.

"Kyaaaah!"

"R-Run! It's the goblins! The goblins have broken through!"

Villagers were fleeing in utter pandemonium between timber houses engulfed in crackling flames.

Fifteen years ago, when his Awakened trait had failed to register, he had tackled this very stage in a massive raid party of twenty-seven people.

'I remember it all. The goblins' patrol paths, their convergence vectors. The opening fifteen minutes are the bottleneck, but if you dig in behind that half-collapsed house on the eastern edge, the stage is practically won.'

Even after a decade and a half, the standard textbook strategy remained sharp in his mind. But the moment Mu-saeng shifted his weight to move toward the defensive position, Wahsh scoffed.

[At that leisurely pace, when do you plan on wiping them out?]

"What? Wiping them out?"

[Are you not going for a hidden clear? You must satisfy the hidden condition.]

Mu-saeng paused, taken aback.

He knew that unlocking hidden conditions yielded exponentially greater rewards. But on the *first* floor? In thirteen years working as a dungeon sherpa, guiding countless Awakeners across every tier of society, he had never once heard of anyone triggering a hidden clear here.

Noticing Mu-saeng's silence, Wahsh continued with casual arrogance.

[While they respawn dynamically, the total spawn limit is precisely two hundred and seventy-one. Six of them are stashed at the absolute outer boundaries of the map—north, south, east, and west. Places no ordinary human would ever stumble upon.]

The pieces immediately clicked in Mu-saeng's mind.

The monsters were deliberately hidden at the extreme edges of a burning zone during an active raid. Naturally, virtually no Awakener had ever fulfilled the criteria. Furthermore, the Tower forbade re-entry. Once cleared, there was neither reason nor opportunity for anyone to investigate further.

[Ah, though considering that pitiful body of yours, exterminating every last one within the time limit might be impossible anyway. Once those vermin enter full alert, their coordination tightens... If you've decided to abandon the attempt, I certainly understand.]

Wahsh nodded sagely, playing both devil's advocate and instigator.

Mu-saeng's lips tugged into a fierce smirk.

"No. It's not impossible."

He slipped his hand into his coat, his fingers wrapping around the cold grip of Sraken's Poison Fang.

"I just have to eliminate them before they can enter an alert state."

[...What? How could you possibly—]

"Their patrol routes, their spawn distribution, even the exact locations of the ones wielding high-threat weapons... I have all of it memorized right here."

Mu-saeng tapped his temple. Dungeon 1 was a layout he had guided clients through hundreds of times. Every hillock, every piece of burning masonry, every hidden shortcut was etched into his brain. He knew the exact perches required to butcher them before they could sound an alarm or scatter—blind spots, rears, optimal ambush angles.

"The only blind spot is those six hidden units at the map edges. If you can at least ping their directions—"

[Hmph. 〈Executing with Administrator Authority〉.]

A translucent compass reticle materialized in the lower periphery of Mu-saeng's vision. Across a full 360-degree sweep, six crimson beacons pulsed brightly against the outer perimeter.

[There are your six. I cannot project a complete topographical map overlay. Wielding that much authority at this stage would trigger detection protocols.]

Wahsh sounded grave, almost solemn.

Mu-saeng couldn't help but let out an incredulous laugh.

"And *this* doesn't trigger detection protocols?"

This was blatant cheating. Outright, shameless hacks!

[Kkwak? A minor sensory ping like this is trivial. Besides, this is merely the tutorial.]

If you can pull stunts like this going forward...!

A thrill shot down Mu-saeng's spine. He forcefully swallowed the exclamations bubbling in his throat.

Observing his reaction, Wahsh muttered another haughty warning.

[Regardless, consider yourself warned. With your current stats, finishing this within an hour remains an insurmountable task.]

"Just sit back and watch, Wahsh."

Strength, Agility, Magic Power, Precision... his numeric stats might be pathetic at present.

Yet he was a dungeon sherpa with thirteen years of battlefield experience.

"You provided the condition. Now it's my turn to deliver."

The veteran sherpa, who knew every grain of soil and crumbling beam in the village, launched forward along an immaculate vector.

'Wait for me, Yerin.'

Weaving effortlessly through thick plumes of smoke, using broken stone walls for flawless concealment, he closed in on the unsuspecting goblins from their blind flanks.

With Sraken's Poison Fang glinting in the dark, the assassin began his harvest.