A Generous Offer
"W-what?!"
The grandfather clutched the back of his neck.
I watched him, my expression completely unchanged.
...I knew it would be like this.
Even though I had expected it, my mouth still tasted bitter.
Did I actually harbor some lingering hope because they were family?
Thanks to that, my mind became even clearer.
"Just how bad were your financial struggles?"
I asked, looking at the grandfather who was groaning while clutching his neck.
"Was it so bad that you had to leave a five-year-old behind and enter the tower?"
"T-that was...!"
"And it turns out that debt wasn't even my father's."
Indeed.
The one who had borrowed money here, there, and everywhere wasn't my father.
It was the man standing right in front of me. The father of my father, who had survived by selling out his own son.
"The insurance payout after my parents died..."
"..."
"...you two pocketed it all."
"..."
"And despite that, you sent your grandson straight to an orphanage."
"We... we had our reasons! Reasons!"
"I know."
Reasons?
Of course they did.
"Did you think I'd throw a tantrum and demand the insurance money back after all this time?"
"T-then why..."
A smirk escaped my lips. For some reason, I couldn't stop laughing.
"After leeching off them like that..."
"...!!"
"...I was just curious to see what kind of shameless faces you two would have to come looking for your grandson."
"..."
"That's why I wanted to meet you."
Well, I did have a sliver of hope.
A normal grandmother and grandfather. Some hidden circumstance I didn't know about. I hoped those things might exist.
Perhaps, without realizing it, I had wanted a normal family.
But the fragmented pieces of my past that Kang Mina had dug up were nothing like a movie or a drama.
Just like everything else in my life, it was the kind of truth that would have been better left unfound.
A father who entered the tower to pay off his parents' debts and went missing.
Struggling to make ends meet as a result, my mother had also entered the tower, only to die there.
The insurance payout went straight into my grandparents' bank account, while their five-year-old grandson was sent straight to an orphanage.
They didn't look for me even once over the next twenty years, and now they show up calling themselves "family"?
There was no way they were decent human beings.
Which meant, from the very beginning, I hadn't expected a touching reunion.
"Taepyeong, family shouldn't keep score like that. We also..."
"Had our reasons?"
"...Y-yes, exactly!"
"Don't tell me those reasons involve alcohol and gambling?"
"H-how did you...?!"
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out before coming here?"
Tsk, tsk.
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the elderly couple.
They looked well-dressed, but the stench of alcohol clinging to their bodies and their constantly trembling hands were impossible to hide.
I smiled brightly and tapped the table.
"The reason I invited you both here today..."
"..."
"...is to express my gratitude."
"R-right?"
A ray of hope flashed across their faces once more.
Of course! There's no way our grandson would abandon us! He must be making a fortune! Surely he wouldn't be stingy with his own flesh and blood?!
...I could read their thoughts as clearly as day.
"What we want isn't even that grand. Just a place to rest our old bones, and some money to live on..."
"Let's be honest. You can easily afford it, can't you? We heard you've made so much money that you couldn't spend it all in a lifetime..."
The two old folks began to chatter excitedly.
I let them indulge in their wild fantasies for a moment. Then, I spoke.
"Thank you for abandoning me."
"...?"
"...?!"
"If you two had taken me in..."
"..."
"..."
"...how miserable would my life have been?"
"W-what did you say...?"
"What is the meaning of...!"
"Grandmother, Grandfather."
"...!"
"...!"
"Thank you for throwing me away."
I smiled broadly as I looked at them.
The grandfather's face turned a dark, explosive red, while the grandmother's face drained of all color, turning deathly pale.
"W-what do you mean by that...?"
"A-anyway, you're still going to repay us, aren't you?"
I nodded.
Of course. I fully intended to repay them.
No matter what, they were my "flesh and blood," after all.
"...S-see? I knew it."
"That's my grandson!!"
Their expressions brightened in an instant.
I smiled at them and slowly opened my mouth.
"Of course I should repay you."
"Y-yes. Like we said, a house and some money..."
"However, there is a condition."
"...A condition?"
Perhaps they hadn't expected this. They stared at me with bewildered faces.
Come on. Did they think I dug up money from the ground?
"Neither of you has entered the tower yet, right?"
"..."
"..."
Gulp. I heard them swallow hard.
"The tutorial."
"...Tu?"
"Tu-what...?"
"If you just clear the tutorial, I will take care of you for the rest of your lives."
"..."
"..."
"A house, money—whatever you want, I'll give it all to you."
The two old folks couldn't say a word.
Why? I just said I'd give them a house and money.
"What are you talking about? Who in their right mind enters the tower at our age..."
"Exactly! How are we old folks supposed to enter the tower?"
I quietly listened to their grumbling.
In short: We won't do the tutorial, but give us the money. Is that it?
"Do you know what my trait is?"
"The Heavenly Slaughter Star. The Heavenly Slaughter Star! We saw it on the news."
"That's right. The Heavenly Slaughter Star."
"They said it's terrifyingly strong."
"Yes. It is indeed strong."
I gestured to Kang Mina.
She pulled out a tablet and showed them some data.
"W-what is this?"
"Manager Kang, please explain."
"...Yes."
Kang Mina began to explain as she swiped through the documents.
It was information regarding the correlation of traits between parents and children.
The research showed that traits generally run in the family: if the parents have offensive traits, the children will likely have offensive traits. The same went for magic, defense, and healing.
"Although there are no precise records, Hunter Lee Taepyeong's parents likely had similar..."
"But those two are dead!"
The grandfather shouted, perhaps sensing where this conversation was heading.
"Twenty years ago, during the early days of the tower's appearance, there wasn't as much information or support as there is now," Kang Mina calmly continued.
"But things are different now. There is plenty of information and support, and above all, you two..."
She glanced at me nervously before looking back at the elderly couple.
"You two have a high probability of possessing traits similar to Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
It wasn't a lie.
The correlation of traits among family members was a real phenomenon.
Even if they didn't know the specifics, once they awakened, they were highly likely to obtain offensive traits.
And obtaining an offensive trait naturally increased their chances of surviving the tutorial.
Again, it wasn't a lie.
"...Then, does that mean I can become strong like this kid?"
"Yes. Theoretically, yes."
"But at my age, how could I..."
"Physical age doesn't matter inside the tower."
"...Is that so?"
The grandfather stroked his chin, clearly intrigued.
Meanwhile, the grandmother...
"I-I can't! No matter what, I can't do it!"
"..."
"Taepyeong, how could you tell your own grandmother to enter the tower! That's basically telling me to die!"
The grandmother practically wailed. I watched her blankly before letting out a deep sigh.
"Then I guess it can't be helped."
"Y-yes. Right, it can't be helped!"
"We'll just act like the house, the money, and everything else never happened."
"W-what?"
"What I want is certainty."
"..."
"Whether you two 'sincerely' think of me as family."
"Of course we do...!"
"Anyone can say that."
"What...?!"
"You have to show me your sincerity."
I shrugged as if I had no choice.
"It's not like I'm asking you to clear up to the tenth floor."
"...!!"
"I'm just telling you to clear the tutorial."
Then I'd take care of the house, the money, everything. Isn't that a massive win for them?
"If you really can't do it..."
"..."
"...then please leave."
"..."
"Just pretend you never had a grandson."
Just like you've done until now. Isn't that a clean way to handle things?
If they just proved their sincerity, their grandson would support them for the rest of their lives. And they couldn't even do that?
"..."
"..."
Cold sweat dripped down the faces of the two elderly people as they stared at me. Their eyes wavered.
They realized that no matter what they did, I wouldn't be swayed by cheap sentimentality.
Yet, entering the tower meant risking the few years they had left.
"Just in case."
I pulled two Elven swords from my inventory. They were weapons I had picked up during my promotion match.
I had kept them thinking they might come in handy somewhere, but I never expected to use them like this.
"I'll at least give you these."
"Hunter Lee, that's...!"
If anything, it was Kang Mina who turned pale and tried to stop me.
"You could make billions of won just by selling these swords."
In that instant, the eyes of the two old folks shook violently.
"It's a good deal, isn't it?"
"I-is that true...?"
"Yes. Did you really think I wouldn't even do this much for my own grandparents?"
Snatch! The grandfather grabbed a sword first.
Hesitate... The grandmother hesitated before grabbing the other sword.
"T-then, as long as we return from the tower..."
"Yes. Just come back, and I'll give you whatever you want."
Gulp. The grandfather swallowed hard.
Everyone in the country knew how to enter the tower. All they had to do was say, "Enter Babel Tower."
Of course, these days, most people entered the Babel Tower through the Hunter Administration Office.
"If I can just get a trait..."
But did that matter to someone already blinded by greed?
"D-dear! Are you really going to do this?!"
"Yes! This one trip will set us up for life!"
"B-but...!"
"Let go of me, woman!"
Shaking off the grandmother's grip, the grandfather adjusted his hold on the Elven sword.
His cold sweat vanished as the corners of his mouth curled up, imagining the wealth that awaited him.
"Alright, we'll be right back!"
He had become quite confident. I suppose holding an Elven sword and hearing about traits did that to a person.
"Enter Babel Tower!!!"
Well, if they were lucky, they might actually make it out alive. If they did, I intended to keep my promise.
"D-dear! Wait for me!"
In a panic, she grabbed the Elven sword she had almost dropped.
"Enter Babel Tower!!!"
The grandmother hurriedly followed the grandfather, entering the Babel Tower.
"..."
"..."
The restaurant, now occupied only by Kang Mina and me, fell into a terrifying silence.
"...You sent them in knowing they wouldn't return, didn't you?"
At Kang Mina's question, I shrugged.
"Of course not. They're my 'family,' after all."
"Then why did you give them the Elven swords?"
"Because it's a small price to pay."
"I see..."
"Let me know if they actually make it back."
Kang Mina stared at me with a look that asked, Are you serious?
Instead of answering, I simply smiled.
Man, family really is a terrifying thing.