Tower - Defense (1)

William smiled at my proposal. "It feels good to be highly evaluated by someone like you, Mr. Han Jiwoo. I respect people who possess a spirit of sacrifice and take the lead like you do. I, for one, cannot do that."

Is... is that so? Sacrifice? Taking the lead? Me?

Well, thinking about it, maybe I did act that way in the Tower. But that was only because my life could be resurrected like an arcade coin. If this body were my real one, I would be the most cautious person alive. After all, I was the guy who didn't even leave the first floor of the Tower for a long time because I was terrified of getting hurt.

"Aren't you planning to form a party with Miss Diana as well, Mr. Jiwoo?"

"Yes, that's right. Honestly, talents like Miss Diana are hard to come by."

A healer who could double as a tank? She was the ultimate recruit that anyone would want.

"Of course, that's assuming she accepts my offer."

There was always a chance she might turn me down. Being a top-tier talent meant everyone was looking for her, which made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her market value incredibly high. Right now, I felt like a scout who had spotted a world-class player on the transfer market before they hit their peak. I had a head start over the other climbers, but there was no guarantee I could recruit her into my party.

"In that case, I'm afraid I must decline your offer. Because Miss Diana certainly won't reject yours."

"Pardon? If Miss Diana won't refuse, why are you declining? Shouldn't we be even more eager to team up?"

I couldn't understand. If Diana joined, the party's value would skyrocket, so why refuse? He of all people should know the value of a reliable tank-healer. Seeing my confusion, William gave a bitter smile.

"If I didn't have a prior engagement, I would have gladly accepted your offer. However, I have family who entered the Tower before me and are currently waiting. We agreed to meet up on the 20th floor, and with a few acquaintances from back home, we'll have at least a four-person party."

The maximum party size on the lower floors is six. If William's group was already at four, there wouldn't be enough room for the three of us. If I hadn't planned on recruiting Diana, William might have invited Lee Suyeon and me to join his party instead.

"I see. It's a shame, but it's only natural to prioritize your family."

I would have done the same. My parents aside, even that hair-dyed gorilla of a brother was still my family.

"But I must say, you're quite lucky. To have multiple acquaintances from the outside world and even manage to get in touch with them... I'm envious. At least you have people you can truly trust and rely on."

Just looking at the community boards, betrayal and backstabbing were rampant. Lee Suyeon and Diana didn't seem like that type, but then again, no con artist walked around with 'scammer' written on their forehead. To put it coldly, everyone in the Tower was a stranger except for oneself. It was necessary to maintain a business-like distance. In that sense, losing William was a shame. From a business perspective, there was no partner quite like him.

At my words, William looked slightly conflicted before whispering to me as if sharing a deep secret.

"Actually, there is another way to enter the Tower besides receiving a direct invitation."

"...Excuse me?"

"To be precise, it's a method to induce the Tower's invitation. Only a very small number of high-ranking officials in the WPTO know about this. I suspect Miss Lee Suyeon also intentionally induced her invitation to enter. Is that not the case?"

Lee Suyeon induced the Tower's invitation?

Seeing my complete ignorance, William quickly covered his mouth as if he had made a slip of the tongue, then spoke cautiously.

"It's merely my personal speculation. The Tower fundamentally values a climber's independence. In that regard, minors are rarely found here, as they are at an age where they must inevitably rely on their parents. So, seeing that Miss Lee Suyeon is a minor, I simply assumed she had induced the invitation to enter, just like I did."

Lee Suyeon's mother was a WPTO employee, so she could have easily caught wind of such information.

"But I never heard anything about being able to induce an invitation when I was on the outside."

"Of course. If anyone could induce the Tower's invitation, the world would be flooded with supernatural ability users in an instant. Even now, crimes committed by ability users are a massive headache. Imagine if an overwhelming number of them suddenly appeared, regardless of whether they were good or evil."

It would throw the world into absolute chaos.

"So that's why national governments and the WPTO control the information."

Come to think of it, even during my military service, they taught us to leave immediately if we ever entered the Tower. Was that also to prevent too many ability users from flooding society?

"Exactly. At the same time, governments are secretly sending secret agents and soldiers into the Tower."

Does that mean William is also a secret agent or a soldier?

No, let's not pry. Curiosity killed the cat. Perhaps he was just a wealthy individual who sponsored the WPTO and happened to learn the method of inducing the invitation. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed closer to the latter than the former. If he were the former, he wouldn't have spoken so freely. Besides, William lacked the rigid stiffness typical of military men. Though, of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility that it was all an act.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

At my question, William smiled warmly.

"The higher we climb, the more the world of the Tower expands. Having an ally like you, Mr. Jiwoo, is beneficial to me. Furthermore, when we eventually become able to form or join guilds, I hope our parties can work together."

Guilds. It made sense that if there were parties, there would also be guilds or clans. After all, even the 17th floor required ten climbers. As we went higher, there might be floors that demanded even more people. Perhaps a day would come when hundreds or thousands of climbers would gather on a single floor to complete a quest.

"I'll think about it positively."

It was always good to be on friendly terms with sizable organizations. Of course, it would be a different story if joining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them restricted my freedom of action.

"I'm satisfied with that answer for now. I hope we can continue to maintain a good relationship."

"Likewise."

After shaking hands with William, I discussed it with Lee Suyeon and Diana, and we immediately ascended to the 18th floor. If we were lucky, we would meet Diana on the 18th floor again.

Upon arriving at the 18th floor, I immediately scanned our surroundings. Fortunately, Diana had arrived in the same location as us. Lee Suyeon looked around and said, "There are so many people."

This time, the number of climbers was even greater than on the 17th floor. "Twenty-five? Just what kind of monstrous beast is going to appear this time to warrant twenty-five climbers?"

As I looked around in bewilderment, I spotted some familiar faces. There was Bogard, the werewolf we had seen on the previous floor, Jonathan, the heavily armored tank, and the Black druid—I believe her name was Camilla.

That alchemist bastard naturally wasn't here, as he probably wouldn't wake up today. William, the metal man, and the tamer were also missing. Did we get split up? Or did they choose to return to the 10th floor to rest and restock instead of climbing straight up like us? Well, the metal man had a broken arm, and the tamer's main wolves were practically wiped out, so they needed to replenish their forces.

Outside the 10th-floor city, there were monsters from the 11th to the 19th floors, so while finding new beasts would require some grinding, it wouldn't be impossible. Unlike summoners, tamers had to deal with this kind of inconvenience. Of course, they had the advantage of being able to handle various types of monsters, unlike summoners who were restricted to a single category.

As I was lost in thought, another familiar face caught my eye. "Oh! Fancy meeting you here again."

When I called out to Le Thi Hoa, who was silently observing her surroundings, a faint smile played on her lips. She usually maintained a poker face, making her emotions hard to read.

"Good to see you. I'm glad there are at least two people I can trust."

The way she spoke made it sound like she had been burned by other climbers before while scaling the Tower. Well, we had also been burned once on the 17th floor when that alchemist tried to use sleeping pills on us to rob us. It was only an attempted theft, but if he had succeeded, it would have been a massive headache.

"I met William on the 17th floor. He mentioned that you completed a quest together on the 16th."

Le Thi Hoa nodded at my words. She then quietly drifted over to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠where Lee Suyeon and I were standing.

"Is she also someone you met while climbing the Tower?"

At Diana's question, I introduced Le Thi Hoa. "This is Miss Le Thi Hoa. She cleared a quest on the 14th floor with William. And this is Miss Diana, who has been climbing with us since the 16th floor."

The two exchanged polite nods. Unlike when she met William, Diana didn't seem overwhelmed, likely because Le Thi Hoa was a woman of few words who rarely spoke unless necessary.

As Lee Suyeon, Diana, and I gathered, Bogard the werewolf, Jonathan in his heavy armor, and Camilla the druid—who had fought alongside us on the 17th floor—naturally gravitated toward us. It was a logical move; people you had fought with once were far more trustworthy than complete strangers. We hadn't known each other long enough to grasp their exact personalities, but we at least knew their abilities and combat styles.

With twenty-five climbers gathered, people naturally began to cluster in small groups based on familiarity. They broadly split into three major factions. Our group of seven, which included me. A group of six, highlighted by a massive climber who looked to be well over 2.3 meters tall. A group of seven, consisting of a four-person party and three others who seemed to have some connection to them. Aside from those, there were three individuals standing awkwardly by themselves, seemingly knowing no one, and two women who appeared to be a pair.

We were standing atop a relatively low city wall. The quest that appeared on the crystal was simple.

"So instead of one powerful monster, it's a horde coming at us."

Just then, a man who appeared to be a guard finally noticed our arrival and rushed toward us. "My goodness! Are you climbers? To think I'd live to see climbers again in my lifetime. Oh, Great Tower! Thank you!"

The heavily bearded guard, who seemed to have encountered climbers before, stared at us in awe and offered a prayer to the Tower. The guards standing beside him, who had never met climbers, whispered excitedly among themselves.

A moment later, another guard wearing a distinct helmet climbed up the wall and shouted, "I am Hans, the Guard Captain of this city! Who is the representative among you?"

At the captain's question, the climbers looked at one another. Then, someone spoke up. "All the climbers here are meeting for the first time, so we don't have a representative. Just speak to all of us."

The voice was in Korean. Looking closely, it belonged to a young man around my age who had been waiting alone, keeping to himself. He looked to be in his mid-20s, perhaps three or four years older than me.

When none of the climbers disputed the Korean climber's words, the Guard Captain's expression stiffened slightly. It was only natural; if everyone was meeting for the first time, he couldn't expect any real coordination. However, twenty-five individuals capable of using supernatural abilities were an invaluable force, so his face showed he was willing to make do.

"Then gather here immediately!"

However, the Guard Captain seemed unaware of one crucial fact: climbers could always just give up and return to the 10th floor at any moment.