Path to the Tower Shop
On the short walk from the Hunter Association to Gwanghwamun, a man in a suit approached us.
The association staffer called out to Go Ji-ho.
"Captain, got a minute?"
"What's up?"
"I think it's about time we report that EX-rank hunter thing to the higher-ups."
"Report?"
It was about me.
Go Ji-ho scowled the moment he heard it.
"The association brass already knows, don't they?"
"You mean... the National Assembly."
"The Assembly? Hell no. Tell the politicians, and it'll be all over the news. They nag us every day for reports as it is. You want that?"
"N-no, of course not."
Go Ji-ho glanced at me and stated firmly.
"If any info leaks, Alpha Team goes dark on tower raids indefinitely."
"What?! No, but—"
"It's obvious. How do we run ops if our team's secrets are out? We lay low till it all blows over."
Very reasonable and slick excuse.
The staffer nodded anxiously.
"I'll make sure to relay that to the brass."
"Good. And add Kang Hyun as Alpha Team's new member, prep the support funds."
"Oh, Captain. I don't think I can sleep at home... because of the Perfect Sense skill..."
"Hear that? Get a dorm ready too. Somewhere clean and quiet."
Perfect timing on my part—got it handled right away.
Go Ji-ho and I passed the guard post at Gwanghwamun Tower.
"Entering the shop."
Shop entry.
The Tower's official shop.
Not the inter-floor goblin merchant I'd used inside.
A much larger, upscale space where goblins in suits greeted us.
Even their speech was way more polished.
Comparing it to that pawnshop-level inter-floor joint was an insult.
"Welcome. What are you looking for?"
"Newbie, what about your rifle? Gonna keep using that old one from last time?"
"Nah."
My beat-up Eastern Bloc AK had some sentimental value, but...
I didn't wanna keep dragging it around.
Go Ji-ho, who'd grabbed my gun from the armory next to the guard post, handed it to the goblin merchant.
"Sell this."
"AK-103 rifle. Some parts, including the stock, aren't Tower-made, so we can't buy those... Shall we dispose of them?"
"Yeah."
The Tower shop only buys Tower-made stuff by default.
Otherwise, people wouldn't risk their necks raiding—it'd just be trade runs.
"They dispose of it too?"
"Basic service."
A brilliant idea flashed in my head at his answer.
"So, we could just haul all the capital region's trash here, right? It's been a mess lately."
"Hah, you're sharp. Wheels turning like no one else."
"Haha, you're too kind."
He lowered his voice to the goblin merchant.
"Hey, pretend you didn't hear that. Kid doesn't know any better."
"Buyback: 665 gold."
Well-maintained and loaded with Tower parts—decent price.
"Now pick your main weapon. What you want?"
"Rifle's fine, right?"
"Safest bet."
"Got recommendations?"
Like he'd been waiting, he ordered one from the goblin merchant.
Seemed we could test-fire too.
"MCX Spear LT, 11.5-inch 5.56mm model."
Holding it, it was basically a longer version of Go Ji-ho's gun.
"Special forces worldwide use 'em now."
"No kidding?"
Click!
Brand new—smooth as butter.
Sighted in and test-fired: dead on every shot.
Bang, bang!
"Whoa... mine wasn't even a gun."
"Wait, dead on every one?"
"I use Perfect Sense for shooting too."
"It works like that?"
Apparently, data on upper skills was scarce.
"I'll take it."
"Show us some body armor. Perfect fit."
Got Tower-made vest and helmet too—spot on.
Scopes and accessories? Just standard mil-spec.
Replace when they break, I guess.
"How much?"
"Around 3,000 gold."
"Pricey."
"Cheap for life insurance. Got anything else to sell?"
"...Sell some snowfield troll hide?"
No way I'd sell Hell's Hood, the insta-kill dagger, or Eternally Burning Heart.
"Nah. Blocks cold like a champ. Save it for 6F."
Back at the association training grounds, real drills kicked off.
Go Ji-ho drilled team tactics, room clearing—thorough stuff.
"Grenade sealed rooms."
"No grenades?"
"Don't force it. You'll die for real."
I could sense enemies with Perfect Sense, but...
No telling what traps or skills lurked inside.
Alpha Team's doctrine was simple.
"Mission one: survive. Last one standing wins."
"Gotta pull 20k gold a month, right?"
"Gotta live first. Alpha's topped three years straight 'cause minimal deaths. Lose one, and it's hell."
"Whoa... how many in three years?"
"Three under me. Boot 'em before they croak."
Like Choi Il-hyeok.
He shared survival rules too...
But no way this was air traffic controller knowledge.
Even as a vet hunter, it felt worlds apart.
This guy's special forces for sure...
"Captain, weren't you ATC?"
"Yep. ATC in the heart of enemy territory."
"Ah..."
Turned out CCT—Air Force special ops.
"Tower Escape game's fidelity that good? Use it for training?"
"Trash game. We'd die of stress before training stuck."
"Fair. No streaming lately?"
"Not now. Can't film drills."
"Obviously. Good you know."
Last stream blew up—two vids and three shorts from it.
Thanks to Kim Yu-na collab.
Official hunter now—time for new content.
Item/skill demos maybe.
Not basics or insta-kill dagger, though.
As training dragged, teammates trickled in.
Kim Yu-na welcomed me first.
"Hey, Kang Hyun! Joined us for real?"
"Hi."
Thought she was all play, no work.
But she trained hard.
Collab made her friendly.
"Why stream under your real name?"
"Used a nick at first, but kept slipping up... real name everywhere."
"Merged 'em? Bold."
She started kneading my shoulders.
"Uh."
"Hold still. Knotted up."
Did mine, then plopped down in front.
"My turn."
She wanted it first?
Pretty bold personality.
But this bold? Fine by me.
"Martial Arts level 4 power, incoming."
"Ow, thanks. I'm still 3."
Vet at level 3.
EXP grind's brutal.
Probably not much heavy lifting before.
Mid-massage, a staffer approached.
"...Pardon. Captain Go Ji-ho?"
"Yeah?"
"Police here. Questions for new Alpha member Kang Hyun... about that guy who died with him in the Tower."
Escape Life, huh.
Fans or family reported it probably.
Gotta investigate deaths.
Go Ji-ho pondered, then said.
"Pull CCTV and dashcam from when Kang Hyun entered. They'll see they went in together."
"Got it. Kang Hyun, mind bank records? Searching near that last eatery..."
"Opening the app now."
Association efficiency? Top-notch.
"Newbie, they found it."
"Really?"
Rushed over, peeked at the footage...
Me and Escape Life, arm-in-arm, blackout drunk, vanishing into the Tower.
"..."
Police case closed.
Trained pistol with the team sniper.
German model from the shop.
Sang Ha-jun: stoic type.
"Draw and fire."
"Got it."
Phut!
Suppressor made it heavy, but fit nice.
Dead on, but he wasn't thrilled.
"Draw, no aim, fire. Pistol range? First hit wins."
"Again."
Phut, phut!
Missed a few, no scolding.
"...Good. Even spec ops miss 2-3 of 10 on quickdraw."
"Noted."
Tons to learn.
Break time, asked Go Ji-ho.
"What floor after a month?"
"Love the fire. But first run, sync up—start at 5F."
"5th Floor?"
"Yeah. Enter 5F, escape from 3F route."
Three floors: solid.
"Heavy inter-floor merchant use?"
"Ooh, vet talks fast."
Go Ji-ho grinned.
Didn't seem the grinning type before.
Alpha quota: ~20k gold.
Factor consumables—aim 30k safe.
Surplus for gear.
Loot's plentiful in hot farms.
Last time I stuck to crap spots on purpose.
But carry limits suck.
So hoard loot, dump low value/weight stuff to inter-floor merchants.
Gold's light and compact.
Recalled his old words.
"North Korea, Somalia hunters real?"
"Duh. No tech, no cash, too many people—what else? Gold for your gear? Some NK-sourced."
"For real? They sell us gold?"
"Indirect market buys. They skip monster spawns."
"Gasp! How do folks there live?"
"Exploited forever, then chomped if a gate pops nearby."
Third world: living hell.
Dictators won't splurge on gates.
Maybe their backyard.
Hunters can't topple 'em anyway...
Might just crown another.
"Glad I was born in Korea. Been a while since that hit."
"Captain, dinner?"
Training wrapping; Kim Yu-na asked.
Hunters take food dead serious.
Never seen 'em skimp at restaurants.
"Kang Hyun, bossam? Know a spot with killer meat and wraps."
"Sounds good!"
Sniper Sang Ha-jun packed up quick.
Saw him, thought popped up.
"Hunters mostly ex-military?"
"Not always. Lots military/police, but all jobs represented."
"Huh."
"Civil servants want stability, but Tower's chaos. Hardest part: finding folks who stick."
A month flew: ate, heard, learned tons.
Exactly one month later.
We re-entered the Tower.
Entered Tower 5th Floor. Gold bonus and skill EXP on successful escape.