Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 013
Chapter Title: Repayment
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Starting with the first lizard that leaped into the gravity field, thousands of the creatures that had filled the horizon surged toward him like a swollen river.
'Kill the human who invaded the tower.'
That single instinct dominated them all.
Even after watching their comrade get crushed into oblivion right before their eyes, the beasts charged at the human without a second thought.
Kwuduk! Kwudududuk!
Horrific sounds of bones shattering echoed continuously inside the dome. Guts burst forth, and dark red blood seeped into the cracks of the parched ground, turning the black earth into a muddy sludge.
"So this is auto-hunt mode, huh."
Han Jeong-woo stood there with his arms crossed, casually surveying the hellish scene.
The remains of monsters crushed and compressed into oblivion across their entire bodies.
Having witnessed this sight countless times since entering the 21st floor, it now felt almost routine.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Cleared the 21st floor!] [Achieved SSS-rank clear on the 21st floor.] [Obtained 400g of mana crystals as reward.] A purple stone chunk materialized in midair. It felt substantial in size.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Mana crystal chunk stored in inventory.] Han Jeong-woo stowed the mana crystals in his inventory and exited the tower with a satisfied expression.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bam! Bam! Bam!
Upon leaving the tower, Han Jeong-woo sensed the commotion outside the front door.
A rough knocking sound was accompanied by Park Jin-ho's urgent voice.
"Big Brother! Are you in there?!"
When he opened the door, there stood Park Jin-ho, drenched in sweat and fidgeting anxiously.
"What's up? Why'd you get here so fast?"
There was still plenty of time before their scheduled gravity training session.
"No, it's not that... You weren't picking up your phone, so I got worried something might've happened..."
"You're worried about me?"
Han Jeong-woo's eyes widened for a moment.
Aside from Lee Jong-su, who was like a father to him, this was the first time someone had genuinely fretted over him.
Park Jin-ho scanned him up and down with concerned eyes and asked,
"Anyway, nothing happened, right? Did you just come out of the tower?"
"Yeah, just now."
As Han Jeong-woo flopped onto the bed in his usual pose, Park Jin-ho finally relaxed and took his spot on the floor.
"You seem extra chipper today. Something good happen?"
Sure enough, as Han Jeong-woo had noted, Park Jin-ho's cheeks were lifted higher than usual.
"That obvious? Hehe. Big Brother, I finally broke through the 30th floor today!"
"Nice. Congrats. Good for you."
"It's all thanks to you. Seriously, thank you, Big Brother!"
Park Jin-ho bowed his head repeatedly from his seat on the floor, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
"You climbed the tower by fighting well yourself. Why thank me?"
"Big Brother, how can you say something so hurtful? Without your training, I'd never have made it past the 30th floor, even in a hundred lifetimes."
Park Jin-ho meant every word. He felt like he should buy the guy a proper apartment instead of this rundown studio.
'Wait, why not just buy him a house myself?'
In fact, thanks to Han Jeong-woo's training, the money he'd saved over the past two years for stat-boosting items was still intact.
He'd already covered Lee Min-joo's gate repair fees out of pocket, but that was chump change. He wanted to do something bigger and more meaningful as thanks.
"Big Brother! How about I buy you a house?!"
Park Jin-ho dropped to his knees on the floor without warning.
Han Jeong-woo, who had been lounging on the bed scrolling his phone, looked at him in bewilderment.
"Why would you buy me a house?"
Park Jin-ho couldn't fathom Han Jeong-woo's reaction.
A power that raised others' stats—like something out of a myth.
If word got out, awakeners would flock here offering hundreds of billions of won.
'And yet he sticks to this shabby studio. Not a shred of greed... What an incredible guy.'
Unaware that his revered big brother was meticulously comparing interior options for a top-tier residential complex, Park Jin-ho was in awe.
"Big Brother, then how about we hit up the Awakener Shop together?"
"Awakener Shop?"
Han Jeong-woo's eyes lit up with curiosity.
Catching that, Park Jin-ho quickly pressed on.
"Yeah! I want to buy you something you need!"
'Come to think of it, I've never been to one.'
He was curious, and it was free—who'd say no?
In the end, Han Jeong-woo rode with Park Jin-ho to the Awakener Shop.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After presenting their Awakener IDs at the entrance and passing identity verification, the two were allowed inside.
Park Jin-ho sneaked a glance at Han Jeong-woo's ID and asked,
"Big Brother, you're A-rank, huh?"
"Yeah? Pretty much."
Han Jeong-woo replied indifferently.
Having no idea the rank had been falsified at Han Jeong-woo's request, Park Jin-ho tilted his head.
'A-rank? That's it?'
He felt like at least S-rank based on what he'd seen.
But you couldn't fake the official registration anyway.
Putting aside his doubts, Park Jin-ho's eyes widened at the vast shop as he scanned for items fitting Han Jeong-woo.
"Big Brother! Check this out!"
Recalling the trident Han Jeong-woo had used during the gate raid, Park Jin-ho stopped at the spear section.
"Hmm... Not bad."
Han Jeong-woo skimmed the ornate spears Park Jin-ho pointed to and replied.
"Kinda underwhelming, honestly. I expected something insane."
"...Really?"
Seeing Han Jeong-woo's disappointment, Park Jin-ho felt oddly apologetic.
"Well... There is a VIP section, but it's not for just anyone. Only S-ranks or approved A-ranks can enter."
Park Jin-ho pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Oh? I wanna check that out."
"Sorry, we can't. It's strictly off-limits."
That was when it happened.
A staff member from the counter approached them with a tense expression.
Turning his back to Park Jin-ho, the employee addressed only Han Jeong-woo.
"...Um, sir? We're running our 5th anniversary event with VIP shop tours. Care to join?"
"What kinda nonsense..."
Park Jin-ho peeked around in confusion to check the employee's face.
'Doesn't look like he's lying...'
But an event like that? Hard to believe.
He'd been in and out of this shop dozens of times and never heard of it.
Yet moments later...
Park Jin-ho climbed the stairs to the second floor for the first time, looking dazed.
"Whoa, hanging with you is good luck, Big Brother? Getting to see places like this."
Leaving Park Jin-ho with his mix of suspicion and curiosity, Han Jeong-woo explored the second floor alone.
"...Yeah, this place has the good stuff."
Rare gear was displayed in glass cases and on walls under spotlights, like something out of a foreign gun shop he'd only seen on TV.
He knew zilch about awakener equipment, but even he could tell these items were leagues above the first floor's.
Among them, what caught Han Jeong-woo's eye was a dagger.
"Sharp eye, sir."
A second-floor attendant in a crisp tuxedo approached Han Jeong-woo.
"I heard you're a VIP."
"...Pardon?"
The attendant continued, face slightly flushed.
"We just got a direct call from the Korea Awakener Management Agency. They said to keep it confidential and provide top-tier service. First time for me, so I'm a bit flustered."
The attendant unlocked the glass case with gloved hands.
He then laid out several daggers on a black velvet cloth.
Han Jeong-woo examined the daggers, each emanating a distinct aura.
'A dagger, huh...'
Thinking back, there was no real reason to stick with spears.
He was just using the one from tower rewards—no special attachment.
If he was launching weapons with his gravitational pull skill anyway, wouldn't a sharp, agile dagger or throwing knife be more efficient than a long, cumbersome spear?
And in a worst-case close-quarters fight, a dagger might be the best choice.
"But... aren't you gonna show me that one?"
Han Jeong-woo pointed to a lone dagger still in the case.
A flicker of panic crossed the attendant's face.
"Ah, that's... a failed piece. Well, it's still a craftsman's work, but..."
According to the explanation, they'd tried mixing in adamantium for ultimate durability, but it ended up so heavy it couldn't be called a dagger anymore.
"Incredibly tough, but the weight made it unsellable."
The attendant sighed softly and retrieved the hefty dagger with his gloved hand.
Han Jeong-woo took it with eyes full of curiosity.
"Heavy, right?"
"...Yeah, definitely."
At least four or five times the weight of a normal dagger—unnaturally so.
That mass would ruin a dagger's quick-handling nature.
But the moment he gripped it, Han Jeong-woo decided.
"I'll take this one."
"...Pardon?"
The attendant's eyes widened.
"You sure? It can't be used as intended."
"It's fine."
Han Jeong-woo looked down at the heavy dagger and asked,
"You said it's tough?"
"...Yes. Tougher than any weapon—I guarantee it."
"Good enough."
As long as it's sharp and durable.
Weight meant nothing to someone who controlled gravity.
The heavier, the more destructive power.
"Big Brother, you going with that?"
As Han Jeong-woo swung the dagger around experimentally, Park Jin-ho approached from browsing other weapons.
"I'll buy it! I owe you so much. How much? Like 50 million won?"
The attendant smiled faintly at Park Jin-ho's confident question.
"1.2 billion."
Park Jin-ho's bold expression froze solid.
"...Pardon? 1.2 billion?"
The price of a decent apartment. He stammered,
"Um... uh, any 24-month installments...?"
With a world-crashing look, Park Jin-ho shakily pulled his wallet from his inner pocket.
Han Jeong-woo, watching quietly, shoved aside Park Jin-ho's card and handed over his own.
"...B-Big Brother? I-I'm buying it..."
"Forget it, man. How could I let my little bro foot this bill? Just buy me a meal sometime."
Park Jin-ho's face nearly crumpled into tears at Han Jeong-woo's casual warmth.
"Big Brother...! I'll follow you till I die!"
The attendant pretended to process payment before handing back the card.
Then, in a whisper only Han Jeong-woo could hear,
"No need to pay. The Agency already covered it fully."
Han Jeong-woo took the card back, stunned.
Gifting a 1.2 billion item just like that?
He'd pegged them as stingy for dodging gate fees, but they had deep pockets.
"Why the face, Big Brother? Limit exceeded?"
"Nah, nothing. Let's bounce."
He hustled Park Jin-ho out by the back.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Emergency Disaster Alert] Awakener Management Agency: A gate has appeared near Pangyo Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City around 3:17 PM. Nearby residents, evacuate to safety immediately and avoid the area. "...Another gate?"
Team Leader Choi Jin-il frowned at the disaster alert.
It was baffling. The third one in the past month.
Reading it again, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Near the Awakener Shop?"
The very place Han Jeong-woo had just visited, per the report...
Coincidence?
A creeping unease rose. The previous gate had been right by Han Jeong-woo's place too.
As flustered Choi Jin-il reached for his phone to call...
It buzzed loudly again.
[Emergency Disaster Alert] Awakener Management Agency: Gate incident near Pangyo Station in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City resolved around 3:20 PM. Area control lifted. Citizens may resume normal activities safely. '...No way? Him?'
The circumstances screamed it. That absurd speed too.
As Choi Jin-il grabbed his coat to head to the scene, the office phone rang shrilly.
A frantic voice burst from the receiver.
- Team Leader! Emergency executive meeting! Get to the conference room now!
"...What's going on? Emergency?!"
- It's an emergency, but unprecedented worldwide... Korea's Tower Climb Grace Period has been extended by one day!
For a moment, Choi Jin-il couldn't process what he'd heard.
The grace period extended?
Setting down the receiver, his gut screamed.
Everything that just happened was definitely tied to the Mutant.