Hidden Stage
Just before Choi Junseok’s body fully entered the portal, Yu Junhyeok sensed something and spoke sharply.
“Stop!”
The usually quiet sword spirit issued a strong warning.
“Turn back! There’s no need to court unnecessary danger. That fool has a return scroll, unlike you.”
Choi Junseok did not halt his steps.
“Are you saying whatever’s inside is dangerous?”
“Indeed. It may be far beyond an appropriate level. Park Suho will likely need to escape immediately.”
“Even so, I can’t just stand by and watch.”
If things go wrong, he could actually die.
No one knew which floor the hidden area connected to. A monster from the 90th floor could appear at any moment. Or perhaps something entirely alien to the Magic Tower. Normally, avoiding such terrain was the wisest course. The greedy died first—that was an old adage of tower climbing, and Park Suho surely knew it. He simply overestimated himself as an A-grade player and had no idea where his limits truly lay.
“Still, he’s family. If I can save him, I should.”
His cousin would have done the same if their positions were reversed.
The moment he stepped through the portal, a massive maw greeted him. Upon closer inspection, it was not a dragon but a colossal Balrog. The fact that it walked on two legs made the difference clear.
“KRRRRRRRRRR!”
The protective barrier activated as Choi Junseok was hurled backward.
Just its roar was enough to trigger the barrier?
A warning window appeared before he could even use Emotion.
Warning!
Attempting to sense a target with a significant level difference may result in death.
“Suho hyung!”
His right arm had been severed. The shield was long since crumpled. He lay sprawled on the ground, consciousness uncertain. The moment he realized the Balrog was not an opponent he could handle, he had tried to use a scroll, only to have his arm cut off and collapse from the shock.
While the Balrog’s flaming sword swung toward Choi Junseok in succession—
BOOOOOOM!!
The Holy Sword he had summoned earlier pierced straight through the creature’s skull and drove into the floor.
“Balrog skewer, you bastard!”
The vertically embedded blade tore through the massive jaw and pinned it down. The Balrog lost its balance instantly and began to topple forward. It was the first enemy that had not died from a single strike of the Holy Sword. It was on the verge of death—the blade had run in a straight line from skull through the upper spine. Yet because even the aftershock had failed to rupture its tough hide and flesh, the creature’s enormous sword swept across the floor toward Choi Junseok as it collapsed unconscious.
The blazing greatsword rushed closer—
Two beams of light shot down in front of Choi Junseok. Song Hana and Lee Nayeon materialized.
Song Hana spread both hands and concentrated her mana forward. Lee Nayeon drew her sword against the Balrog’s approaching blade at point-blank range.
CRAAAAASH!
Flames erupted as the two swords and the barrier collided. That was the end of the monster’s final struggle.
Congratulations!
You have cleared the hidden floor.
The additional effect of the Recovery Fairy Dragon has activated.
You have obtained a massive amount of experience points.
You have reached the maximum experience limit obtainable in a single instance!
While being pushed back by the impact, Choi Junseok checked on Park Suho from his new position. He was not dead. As Choi Junseok prepared to use a high-grade potion, Song Hana dashed over.
“Hooey! Should I heal him?!”
“You can do that too?”
“Of course!”
“Please do it right away. And… can I ask for one more thing?”
Automatic return in 10 minutes. Return now? (Y/N)
Everything Song Hana was asked to do was accomplished at once—reattaching the severed arm, restoring vitality, even altering memories. Lee Nayeon watched with admiration and quiet joy, yet felt a strange blockage in one corner of her heart. She wanted to be as helpful to the tower climb as Song Hana was.
Meanwhile, during the roughly two hours Choi Junseok and Park Suho had spent inside the tower, Lee Nayeon recalled the conversation Lee Jiyu had come to have.
Approximately two hours earlier.
“Hooey… He’s coming home late today.”
Lee Nayeon nodded while wrestling Kkamdori over a dog treat.
“It seems so. Since he isn’t climbing alone, he must be slowing down for the sake of appearances.”
“Kyarr…”
As Lee Nayeon shook the treat side to side without letting go, Kkamdori flapped his tiny wings and tried to pull away. Just then, the doorbell rang.
“It’s Player Lee Jiyu.”
“Hek! What do we do?”
“…She isn’t the type to leave just because we tell her to.”
“A-are you going to kill her?!”
“No.”
Lee Nayeon stood at the door and asked, “What brings you here? Junseok-nim is currently out.”
“Oh, really? That’s perfect. I didn’t come for Junseok-ssi anyway. I have something to say to Nayeon-ssi.”
“…To me?”
“Yes. So, could you open the door?”
“…I refuse.”
“Don’t be so cold. It’s better than going to the house across the street where your mother lives, isn’t it?”
Lee Nayeon lightly bit her lip. As expected of an S-grade player—she knew how to mix negotiation with subtle threats.
She knows how to negotiate.
Lee Jiyu, aware of the protective device on the doorknob, did not touch it. Considering how Choi Junseok would react, Lee Nayeon quietly opened the door.
“…Please come in.”
“Great.”
Lee Jiyu stepped inside casually and removed her shoes, then froze.
“Oh my…! What is that adorable creature?”
Kkamdori, who had been rolling on the floor in a tug-of-war over the treat, tilted his head at her.
“Junseok-ssi wants to operate freely without being tied to the five major guilds or the government, right?”
After a brief hesitation, Lee Nayeon nodded. Choi Junseok was nominally her lord through their summoning contract; his happiness and honor were her own.
“That is correct.”
“Then this is perfect!”
She held out the document envelope she had brought.
“What is this?”
“The modeling contract we discussed last time, of course.”
Lee Nayeon furrowed her brow, wondering how this could possibly help her or Choi Junseok.
“I know what a model is from watching TV. Someone who promotes and advertises products. However, how does this assist Junseok-nim’s activities?”
“Oh dear… Why are you acting like this when you clearly understand? Think it through slowly. Junseok-ssi is ultimately aiming for a grand debut in the player world—‘Ta-da! I was Function all along!’ He’ll probably wipe out the middle floors by himself soon. Judging by how the government is even providing entry tickets to make him clear two floors a day…”
From a distance, Song Hana hugged a blanket and Kkamdori, listening to their conversation with a hint of fear. Lee Nayeon remained seated properly and nodded.
“Then Junseok’s flashy debut is probably less than a month away. It looks like the government is supporting him with entry tickets to clear two floors per day.”
Lee Nayeon simply nodded without revealing that the two-floor clears were due to special items.
“So when the time comes for him to say ‘Ta-da! I was actually Function,’ wouldn’t it be more impressive if the people supporting him were dazzling as well?”
“…”
Lee Jiyu continued her explanation.
“And when that happens, even without the country assigning escorts or guards, you’ll need a considerable sum to secure a residence with proper protection. That requires financial leeway. I hate to say this myself, but modeling for a brand like Super Sonic pays quite well. If Nayeon-ssi starts gaining fame through this… in the short term, you might even earn more than Junseok-ssi?”
“…Is it really that much?”
“There’s some wishful thinking mixed in, but there was quite a debate over who would become the next main image of Super Sonic after me.”
That much was true. A large part of Super Sonic’s popularity came from the S-grade ranker known as Supersonic Bunny personally modeling for the brand. Her outstanding looks, excellent figure, and self-made success as an S-grade player had attracted not only male fans but female fans as well, steadily driving the brand forward. While S-grade female celebrities with both health and physical appeal were often mentioned as the next generation of Super Sonic models, the consensus was that none could match her image.
“Of course, there will probably be some backlash at first. But… in my opinion, you’re not just talk. Visually, you’re already complete.”
It was not mere flattery. She was not saying this simply because of Choi Junseok. Lee Nayeon was beautiful and graceful to the point of inspiring jealousy. If Lee Jiyu’s own image was built on fresh vitality, healthy charm, and a physique that stirred men’s hearts, then Lee Nayeon added a touch of Western elegance and subtle mystery to all of that, giving her an air of refined luxury.
“I’m a player, but I was a businesswoman before I became one. In matters like this, I don’t let personal feelings interfere. It means I don’t bet on things that won’t work out.”
She took a document from the envelope and showed it to her. It was a genuine contract clearly stating the modeling photoshoot agreement, the draft advertising images to be produced from the shoot, and the exact usage period for the advertisements.
The person who could bring about a reversal of fortune for the brand’s fallen value.
In Lee Jiyu’s eyes, that person was Lee Nayeon.
“How about it? Want to think it over—”
At that moment, Lee Nayeon and Song Hana scattered into particles of light. Lee Jiyu immediately understood what the phenomenon meant.
“What… so ‘out’ meant they were climbing the tower?”
Park Suho opened his eyes in reality. It was an underground parking lot. An unpleasant, tingling sensation brushed his mind and he staggered, but his cousin supported him from the side.
“Whoa, hyung. The gear’s heavy, right?”
“Uh… the shield’s all dented?”
What? There’s no reason for the shield to be dented on the 11th floor.
Flustered, he soon remembered.
“Ah, damn… I must’ve used my charge skill while falling onto the shield.”
Choi Junseok thought, How exactly did they tamper with his memory? but simply nodded in silence. Park Suho was already making a fuss, claiming it was his own mistake as he removed his gear.
“Anyway, you need to practice more. Your skills are still lacking for an A-grade. But! It’s not bad. Your level seems to be building up steadily. You should be fine up to the 14th floor.”
“Right. Thanks to you today, I learned a lot, hyung.”
“Yeah. Good work. I’ll head in first. If I want to join one of the five major guilds, I’ll need more practice.”
Choi Junseok smirked inwardly and saw him off. As Park Suho’s car left the lot, a pink sports car parked in the corner came into view.
As expected.
Lee Jiyu, wearing a hat and mask, stood in front of the elevator in the underground parking lot and waved casually at Choi Junseok.
“What is it? Why are you here again?”
“Ah, today’s a real business visit. I came for business, not to see you, so if your ego’s inflating, that’s a disease too, you know?”
“…If you’re done talking, leave. I have somewhere to stop by.”
Haetaesik’s forge. He had an item worth showing the blacksmith—the Balrog’s flaming sword, an unheard-of “miscellaneous material” drop that had ended up inside Kkamdori’s body.
“I was planning to go anyway~ Well then. Make sure to talk to Nayeon-ssi properly.”
“…Nayeon?”
She smiled brightly, brushed past Choi Junseok, and spun playfully on her heel.
“I guess we’ll be seeing each other often now. Take care of me, okay?”
With a beep, the car door opened upward. She climbed in casually, and the vehicle sped out of the parking lot without hesitation.