The Deliveryman's Harsh Welcome
[Tower of Trials 1st Floor Military Zone]
The military zone on the 1st floor of the Tower of Trials was the space responsible for the overall defense of the floor. It repelled threats from the outside and handled the training of Deliverymen preparing to venture out. It was also the place where Yeon Cheong and Jin Hong would undergo their qualification assessment as Deliverymen.
“Will this be okay?”
Jin Hong asked Yeon Cheong, her eyes carrying a trace of worry. Yeon Cheong nodded.
“It’ll be fine. We’ve trained this whole time, haven’t we?”
“But I still haven’t mastered the spirit of Yeongdeung…”
“You already know the feeling. Martial arts intuition is surprisingly simple. Once you have it, you can apply it anywhere.”
Yeon Cheong answered with an easy smile at Jin Hong’s concern. Though training had sharpened their skills, mastering martial arts was never easy. Still, knowing the feel of it meant there was clear room to grow.
“Quiet!”
A booming voice shook the training ground. The examiner was shouting at the prospective Deliverymen who had just entered.
‘Haven’t seen that guy in a while.’
Yeon Cheong watched the skinhead man step onto the platform, kicking up clouds of dust. The Deliveryman wore a fluttering coat and tight goggles.
“Chicks, welcome to this place.”
‘Chicks, welcome to this place.’
The exact same opening line. Yeon Cheong had heard those words until his ears were numb. Every time he passed through the 1st floor, the man would say the same thing to the kids hanging around the military zone.
“I’m Deliveryman Bryce, in charge of this batch’s assessment.”
‘Deliveryman Bryce.’
He was the dedicated Deliveryman responsible for security in the 1st floor military zone and an elite operative who occasionally went on external missions. Aside from his rather peculiar personality, he had made significant contributions to humanity inside the Tower. Perhaps that was why Yeon Cheong, a former Janitor, had rarely crossed paths with him.
“These are the Deliverymen assisting with the assessment. Everyone, step forward!”
At Bryce’s command, five Deliverymen appeared in formation. Among them were several faces Yeon Cheong had never seen or didn’t remember, but the one who stood out most was his senior, Janitor Lee Na-young.
‘So she was here at this time.’
Back then, Yeon Cheong had been too nervous to observe the five assistants in detail. Being chosen as an assessment aide was proof of exceptional strength. Only those who had mastered combat sense, judgment of people, and survival strategies could properly select prospective Deliverymen. Since Lee Na-young would later take on the role of Janitor, her strength had already been proven beyond doubt.
“I’ll start with questions.”
Bryce approached a man in the front row and asked sharply.
“What’s your name?”
“Kim Jo-hyun.”
“Why did you apply to become a Deliveryman?”
“…I was conscripted.”
Most of the training ground burst into laughter. Deliverymen were both recruited voluntarily and conscripted. To protect the Tower, Awakeners with outstanding physical specs were drafted into the role. The process considered background, physique, and overall information, but since the Tower itself selected those who would risk their lives, conscripted Deliverymen were universally considered to have rotten luck.
‘Kim Jo-hyun. Right, I remember. The shitter.’
In this batch, there was only one conscripted Deliveryman—the “clown” who had remained in Yeon Cheong’s memory.
“Who’s laughing?”
Bryce frowned and scanned the crowd. Everyone quickly wiped the smiles off their faces.
“Over there…”
“?”
Bryce looked down at Jo-hyun, who had grabbed his collar. The man’s face was turning the color of shit, and his stomach let out a loud gurgle.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to take care of something urgent!”
Bryce looked momentarily flustered. Jo-hyun, eyes brimming with tears, bolted toward a corner of the training ground. His figure vanished into the dust cloud, and everyone stared in shock at the empty space.
“What the hell is that bastard doing?”
Bryce scowled at the empty spot while Yeon Cheong finished his thought.
‘Tension-induced irritable bowel syndrome. Been a while since I’ve seen that. Almost nostalgic.’
Jo-hyun’s bowels activated whenever he got nervous. That was why he often disappeared during outings. He had a habit of charging into fights without even pulling his pants up if he was attacked mid-dump, making him one of the more memorable fellow trainees.
‘Memories, I suppose.’
There had been such fellow trainees. But the thought quickly faded. Most of their futures had been bleak. The survival rate for prospective Deliverymen was 70 percent—three out of ten would die. Most of Yeon Cheong’s batchmates had fallen in their very first outing. Jin Hong had been among them.
“What’s your name?”
Bryce slowly approached Yeon Cheong. A small, delicate-looking boy stood with his head bowed in the training ground, so Bryce singled him out first.
“Yeon Cheong.”
Yeon Cheong answered briefly. Bryce frowned and barked.
“Lift your head!”
Yeon Cheong raised his head. Bryce instinctively stepped back. He had seen eyes that carried a killing intent he had never felt before—eyes that embodied pure murderous will. Of course, that intent wasn’t aimed at him. It was directed at the higher-ups, the source of Yeon Cheong’s thirst for revenge.
“…”
“Don’t you have something to ask?”
Yeon Cheong already knew what Bryce would ask: his motivation for applying and his mindset.
“Why did you apply to become a Deliveryman?”
Bryce asked cautiously. Yeon Cheong slowly opened his mouth.
“To change the Tower.”
[Tower of Trials 1st Floor Military Zone – Internal Training Facility]
“I thought he was insane, you know?”
“He’s young. That’s all.”
At their conversation, Jin Hong, perhaps thirsty, brought a single drop of water from the small canteen at her waist to her tongue.
“Drink slowly. You’re already trying to finish all the water they gave us today?”
“…”
When Yeon Cheong waved his hand in concern, Jin Hong lowered her head.
“Why did you say that?”
“I couldn’t think of any other reason.”
“Everyone was laughing at you. They’re saying there’s a ridiculous idiot in this batch.”
Jin Hong was deeply upset that Yeon Cheong had been mocked. No one would enjoy watching their childhood friend endure personal attacks right in front of them. Still, Yeon Cheong’s answer had been absurd enough to invite ridicule. Bryce hadn’t pressed for details on what “changing the Tower” meant, but the statement itself was dangerous. Perhaps that was why he hadn’t dug deeper.
“Break’s over. Everyone back to your positions.”
One of the assistant Deliverymen frowned as he spoke. Everyone returned to their spots. Yeon Cheong and Jin Hong found their places in the training facility as well.
Thud. Thud.
Bryce stomped loudly and climbed back onto the platform. The Deliverymen nodded at him.
“Everyone’s finished introductions, right?”
“…”
“No need to answer. The ones who’ll die will be dead soon anyway.”
The applicants stirred uneasily. Bryce struck the platform once.
“I mean get close after you finish your first outing.”
Yeon Cheong could never forget those words. They fit this world perfectly. The number of new Deliverymen who died on their first outing was overwhelmingly high. Getting attached now would be pointless—they’d die soon anyway. It was a strangely considerate remark.
‘Jin Hong…’
Jin Hong had also died miserably on her first outing. Yeon Cheong had tried to recover her body, but the only thing he brought back was the small canteen she used to carry. He had been furious—at his own powerlessness and weakness. Compared to the monsters outside, he had been nothing more than a frail boy. That despair had been crushing.
The moment he first lost a friend, and the moment he realized how cruel this ruined world truly was, Yeon Cheong’s heart had hardened like steel.
“Remember these words.”
Bryce caught his breath and continued.
“Going outside is always accompanied by death.”
‘Going outside is always accompanied by death.’
“If everyone returns safely, that in itself is something to celebrate.”
‘If everyone returns safely, that in itself is something to celebrate.’
“You’ll suffer major and minor injuries, and you may lose precious comrades.”
‘You’ll suffer major and minor injuries, and you may lose precious comrades.’
Yeon Cheong repeated the words inwardly. They were the absolute law and truth of this world, carved deep into his heart.
“Nevertheless, we fight for humanity.”
‘Nevertheless, we fight for humanity…’
Yeon Cheong paused. Fighting for humanity. Those words caught in his chest.
‘No. That’s not it.’
He rejected them. The last line was wrong.
‘It’s not for humanity. It’s for the higher-ups.’
For their power. For the power of this Tower. Deliverymen would fight and die under the grand banner of protecting humanity—only to be used and discarded. Having experienced that firsthand, Yeon Cheong could not accept those final words.
“If you survive, this batch might produce a Raid Party.”
Bryce smiled. Jin Hong’s eyes sparkled. Through the swirling dust, the shining emblem of a Deliveryman caught her gaze.
‘A Tower Raid Party… something I once dreamed of.’
By surviving countless hardships as a Deliveryman and earning recognition from the higher-ups, one could join a Raid Party. Raid Party members lived on the upper floors without worrying about starvation or others’ opinions—just like the higher-ups themselves.
But Yeon Cheong no longer believed those words. More precisely, he had abandoned his illusions about the Raid Party. When he had finally become a veteran Deliveryman after overcoming every hardship, he had become a Janitor instead.
“A Raid Party, huh… Just thinking about it feels thrilling, doesn’t it, Cheong?”
Young Jin Hong quietly approached and spoke. Yeon Cheong gave her a bitter smile.
“Yeah.”
He wanted to say no. There was no Raid Party. Throw away that illusion. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Shattering that child’s longing would be too cruel, even in this ruined world. It was her last remaining hope in a miserable place, and he refused to trample on it.
“Me too.”
At Yeon Cheong’s answer, Jin Hong beamed with pure joy, her face flushed with excitement.
‘If only I could change it.’
Yeon Cheong fiddled with the time Artifact hidden in his robes and thought. If he could truly change this Tower, perhaps he could fulfill both his and her longing.