Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Sudden Quest
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To enter the Tower, he first needed a safe spot where no one would see him.
Awakener could ignore the laws of physics and enter the Tower at any time, but vanishing right in the middle of the street was out of the question. Hiding in a public restroom stall felt too awkward, too.
Fortunately, Han Jeong-woo had checked out a few decent studio apartments on a real estate app before bed last night.
"Hello, I'm the one who called yesterday."
"Ah, yes! You're early! Shall we go see the place right away? Or would you like some tea first...?"
"Let's go straight there."
It was early morning, just past rush hour, but Han Jeong-woo hurried off with the real estate agent to check out the apartment.
The daily quest had a time limit.
"This place is really nice. The previous tenant had good luck here and moved out. Bought an apartment or something."
In truth, the idea of "home" held special meaning for Han Jeong-woo.
Maybe because he'd moved countless times since childhood.
To him, home wasn't just a place to sleep—it felt like a sturdy root, a sanctuary.
It might not be his forever "own home," but he'd be staying at least a few months to a year. Han Jeong-woo inspected the studio meticulously.
Deposit 3 million won, monthly rent 600,000. Size and location were perfect.
He checked the bathroom water pressure, flushed the toilet. No mold in the corners? Boiler and AC working? Even tested the induction hood fan.
"I've never seen a young person check a place out this thoroughly."
The agent let out an awkward chuckle.
"Gotta be thorough. It's where I'll be living."
"Haha, true enough. Take your time deciding. Plenty of time."
In the end, after viewing two more studios, Han Jeong-woo settled on the first one.
"I'll take this one. Can I move in right away?"
"Of course. Please sign here."
The contract went smoothly.
"Thanks, then. I'll be off."
"Call anytime if you need anything."
With the agent and landlord gone, Han Jeong-woo was alone in the empty studio.
"...Hoo."
He slowly scanned the bare room—few furnishings made it feel hollow.
"Starting over, huh."
Compared to the villa he'd scraped together over ten years since dropping out of high school, this place was pathetically humble. A pang hit his chest.
Back to square one, everything lost.
But he shook his head. He'd grasped an opportunity beyond anything lost.
He'd just work hard again. Grind like before.
Not a villa—an apartment, or better.
Shaking off the bitterness, Han Jeong-woo checked the quest window.
About two hours left.
Considering he'd cleared floors 1 and 2 in under a minute combined, plenty of time.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have entered the 3rd floor of the Korean Tower. Mission: Defeat three Hobgoblins. Everything in his vision shifted, revealing the familiar circular arena.
Moments later, three Hobgoblins appeared in the arena's center.
Hobgoblins were an upgraded goblin breed. They wielded knives or axes instead of stones, with far higher intelligence than regular goblins.
Proving it, as combat began, they spread out, encircling Han Jeong-woo.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Target's gravity increased by 10x. Target's gravity increased by 10x. Target's gravity increased by 10x. No matter how smart the elite goblins were, goblins were goblins.
Crushed under ten times normal gravity, they flattened against the ground.
No death cries—just instant death. Like floors 1 and 2, floor 3 ended absurdly quick.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 3rd floor cleared! 3rd floor clear rank: SSS Reward: Acquired 100g of mana stones. A purple stone dropped from the air.
Mana stone. Key resource that advanced human civilization—worth a fortune.
"Market price... 100g for 100,000 won?"
That meant he'd earned 100,000 won in under ten seconds. Realizing it, Han Jeong-woo's lips curled up.
The Tower allowed two entries per day, excluding uncleared floors. Even without climbing, minimum 200,000 won daily.
Higher floors meant more mana stones—higher income.
Way better than grunt work, any angle.
As he calculated, the awaited message appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Daily quest complete! Reward: Acquired 3 stat points. "Nice. Time to use these..."
Han Jeong-woo opened his status window and dumped all 3 points into Magic Power.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: 10 💨 Agility: 11 ✨ Magic Power: 8 💪 Stamina: 10 "...Hm."
Unlike boosting Strength and Agility before, this felt distinctly different.
Thinking of his mana reservoir as a small cup, it had just upgraded to a mug.
Not a huge visual change, but just 3 points invested.
Han Jeong-woo smiled, pleased even at the subtle shift.
He could repeat this growth daily via simple quests.
His greatest strengths: persistence and diligence. Daily quests suited him perfectly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At the same time, in the Strategic Talent Management Team of the Korea Awakener Management Agency.
Baek Yoon-seok, two years into quitting Tower climbs to join the agency, stared blankly into space.
Not real space—a translucent hologram only he could see.
"Huh...?"
His gaze locked on one Awakener's climb record.
Unbelievable. He recounted the S's on the hologram with his finger.
"One... two... three S's?!"
Clear rank SSS.
Korea's fourth SSS clear.
Baek Yoon-seok shoved his chair back and bolted to the team leader.
"T-Team Leader!!"
At his urgent shout, the leader waved dismissively, annoyed.
"What! I'm busy. Get your own coffee."
"No, it's not that! Seen the climber rankings?"
"Rankings? SSS popped? What's the morning fuss?"
Team Leader Choi Jin-il shot back curtly, half-joking.
But at Baek Yoon-seok's pale nod, he summoned his own hologram in shock. He was an Awakener too.
"...It's real."
Choi Jin-il gaped at the hologram.
The long-awaited SSS to revitalize Korea's stagnant climbs.
Korean Tower 3rd Floor Ranking: Mutant (SSS) / 2 seconds A whopping 2 seconds.
Existing S-rank records hovered around 5 seconds—overwhelming.
One fatal issue, though.
"Why register with a nickname instead of real name?"
Rankings tied directly to value. Most Awakeners used real names for fame.
But this "Mutant" ignored publicity, using a nickname boldly.
"Maybe their name really is Mutant?"
"Officer Baek. Time for jokes?"
"...Sorry."
Choi Jin-il pressed his throbbing temple. Headache incoming.
The team's job: scout and manage A-rank+ talents.
Awakeners entered the Tower unbound by time or space.
With nicknames on rankings, no moves possible.
Just wait for "Mutant" to reach out.
But giving up? No.
They had to find them. That was the team's purpose.
"Officer Baek, first... contact the Awakener Registry—"
He stopped, shaking his head. If an S-rank appeared there, the agency would already be chaos.
"No—all channels! TV, papers, internet, banners! Blast ads everywhere: 'Seeking Mutant!' Alert the registry too! If a presumed S-rank shows, hold them at any cost!"
Choi Jin-il snatched his coat and stormed out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 5th floor clear rank: SSS Reward: Acquired 100g of mana stones. The fire-breathing Red Goblin pack on floor 5 crumbled helplessly under tenfold gravity too.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Acquired reward for 5th floor of the Tower. "...Reward? Oh, right. Special rewards."
The Tower gave special rewards on multiples of 5.
Han Jeong-woo knew but forgot amid the rush.
"Wonder what it'll be."
Lucky: new skill or enhancement ticket. Otherwise, stats or items.
He didn't hope for the first two—his luck-starved life wouldn't allow it.
Most realistic: stats.
Boost mana pool via stats, climb faster and safer.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Reward: Acquired 2 stat points. "Not bad."
He invested the 2 points into Magic Power.
"Tumbler-sized now, maybe."
Grinning satisfied, he headed to the next floor.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have entered the 6th floor of the Korean Tower. Mission: Defeat two Swamp Lizardmen. Floor 6: humid swamp. Fishy water scent invaded his nostrils, green alien landscape. Han Jeong-woo swallowed dryly.
Before him, a still dark-blue lake.
Then, ripples stirred the surface.
Splash!
Two grotesque human-reptile hybrids burst from the water in a spray.
Gripping rusty tridents, reptilian eyes locked on him like prey, tongues flicking.
As the Lizardmen charged, Han Jeong-woo activated his skill.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Target's gravity increased by 10x. Target's gravity increased by 10x. Thud! The Lizardmen's bodies stiffened instantly.
Definitely higher-tier than goblins. For about a second, they struggled against the weight.
But that was the limit. Crunch—bones shattered, slamming into the swamp floor.
A bit tougher than goblins, same result.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 6th floor clear rank: SSS Reward: Acquired 200g of mana stones. Reward: Acquired 1 Rusty Lizardman Trident. With slightly fatigued eyes, Han Jeong-woo checked rewards.
"...Regrettable, but that's it for today?"
Mana depletion signs hit. Energy draining from his body. No more.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Exiting the Tower. Flash—vision shifted back to the empty studio.
Rusty Lizardman Trident in his right hand, pockets bulging with mana stones.
"Hm... Should bring a bag next time. Pockets aren't cutting it."
Boosted Magic Power let him clear from 3 to 6 in one day.
Huge leap from yesterday's floor 2.
"...What's with this trident, though."
He examined the rusty trident, then searched on his phone.
Not rare, but Tower-exclusive material. Each fetched nearly 500,000 won.
Too crude as a weapon—usually melted for other gear.
"Mana stones 500,000 won, trident 500,000... "
One million won today.
Money that took a full non-stop week at grunt sites.
At this unbelievable reality, Han Jeong-woo burst into uncontrollable laughter, collapsing onto the empty bed.
Right then.
Ding!
📜 SUDDEN QUEST 📜 Endure 3x gravity for 6 hours.
📍 Note: Failing by losing consciousness counts as failure.
🎁 Success: Acquire Inventory
⚠️ Failure: Permanent physical damage from gravity
Han Jeong-woo closed his eyes blissfully, then snapped them open at the absurd quest.
"What... the hell is this?!"
Endure triple gravity? Some new torture method?