Roommate (1)
Haetaesik crossed his arms, looking utterly incredulous.
“You really think the Magic Tower will let items I crafted be tradable?”
“Probably not.”
“…And you’re still planning to sell them? You sound like some greenhorn stuck in the teens…”
“Thirtieth floor.”
“……?”
“That corpse came from the thirtieth floor.”
Haetaesik’s brow furrowed.
That was impossible.
He knew enough about the Magic Tower’s system to be certain.
How could anyone manage more than one floor a day?
Choi Junseok’s words left him genuinely flustered. At the same time, Haetaesik let out a short laugh. He wondered if the man actually believed he knew nothing about the tower’s rules simply because his soul was trapped inside this pocket dimension.
Even if the Yu Junhyeok sleeping inside him were to wake and clear floors, there was one law even the Sword God had never been able to twist: the tower’s entry limit.
“Nonsense. Has that much time passed outside while I wasn’t looking?”
“No. It hasn’t even been two weeks.”
“……”
Haetaesik stared at the evidence before him—the massive chimera-type monster that looked nothing like anything that should appear in the teens.
“Seems you’re using some kind of trick to climb. But tricks like that never last long. Keep that in mind.”
“You sound like someone who’s actually climbed the tower.”
“I’ve watched plenty of people try.”
As if it were anyone besides me and Yu Junhyeok.
Choi Junseok assumed he was just boasting.
“Well, at least it gave you something to do while you were bored.”
Haetaesik nodded as he examined the enormous pile of raw materials in front of him.
“What’s your level now?”
“Over a hundred. One hundred two.”
“……Already?”
Haetaesik pursed his lips, genuinely impressed by both the climbing speed and the overwhelming rate of level-ups. The man was progressing far more steadily than he had expected, securing experience and rewards instead of simply rushing upward with the Holy Sword.
He has SS-grade and S-grade summons, but still…
Throwing oneself into the Magic Tower with this level of recklessness was something ordinary people could never do. No matter how strong you were, no matter how well you memorized the next floor’s information, actually ascending was an entirely different matter.
In the end, it came down to endurance rather than raw power—navigating pitch-black tunnels while holding your breath for dozens of minutes as zombies and ghouls crawled along the walls. That was not easy.
He’s tougher than he looks.
Hephaestus quietly revised his earlier assessment. He had assumed Choi Junseok was just some freeloader who had gotten lucky with Yu Junhyeok’s inventory, but apparently that wasn’t the whole story.
“If you’re still thinking about what to make, want me to start dismantling first? Should I just cut it into parts?”
Choi Junseok approached the monster’s corpse holding a sharp dismantling saw. Having already carved up countless monsters and pulled out their organs, he could now feel exactly how to follow the natural lines of the body to slice through stiffened muscle.
Haetaesik suddenly found himself overlaying Yu Junhyeok’s back onto Choi Junseok’s as the man began sawing through thick hide with the serrated blade.
So that’s how it is. The tower’s law at work.
Yu Junhyeok had fused with the Holy Sword, and that sword—stored inside an inventory—had somehow found its way to Choi Junseok without any deliberate intent. Even though Incheon Magic Tower and Suseo Magic Tower were separate spires, some unknown force had bridged space and time.
Having lived inside the tower for so long, Haetaesik understood at least this much: the tower’s power was not merely mysterious or random.
“Hey, you’re going to ruin the scales doing it like that. Go take care of your own business.”
“……”
“Whatever the case, it means there’s a way to sell them. Some item that breaks the tower’s binding rules. I’ll make whatever comes to mind. Just wait and see—I’ll turn you into a filthy rich man.”
Back in reality, Choi Junseok headed straight for the shower, organizing his thoughts under the running water.
If he used Kkamdori to collect as many monster corpses as possible while climbing, he would gain a significant additional source of income. The key was to avoid unnecessary suspicion about the items’ origins. Selling through the government might be the safest route. He could auction off a small number of high-value pieces to drive up prices through competition, then quietly release the rest for the sake of national and player growth.
While Choi Junseok had been gone, the three women—fresh from their showers, cheeks flushed—sat in the living room drinking beer and watching TV. From a distance, he quietly observed them laughing and chatting, then paused to consider something.
Maybe Lee Nayeon and Song Hana would actually be happier living with Lee Jiyu.
Whenever he entered the tower, summoned them, and then dismissed the summons, they naturally returned to the space around him in reality. Yet he rarely saw them looking this genuinely happy.
“Oh! Come here quickly! Where did you and Kkamdori go?”
Song Hana had been looking for both him and Kkamdori at the same time, so he summoned the little dragon. The moment it appeared, Kkamdori flopped flat on the floor, panting heavily.
Apparently, swallowing and then regurgitating a massive griffin was not an easy task.
“What did you do to our Kkamdori?! How could you be so cruel…!”
For once, Choi Junseok couldn’t bring himself to claim he had done nothing in response to Song Hana’s scolding. It felt wrong to pretend that making the dragon swallow and spit out a griffin was no big deal.
Song Hana’s steps toward Kkamdori suddenly halted. The reason was simple—the strong smell of blood clinging to the dragon.
Lee Jiyu narrowed her eyes as if the beer had suddenly lost its taste and glanced between the dragon and Choi Junseok.
“……How about washing off that blood smell first? You and the dragon.”
Unable to disobey the homeowner, Choi Junseok nodded.
“Kkamdori’s bath?! I want to join!”
Song Hana latched onto him, clearly unwilling to miss such entertaining content, but Lee Jiyu grabbed her shoulder.
“No… you can bathe with Kkamdori next time.”
“I told you not to look at me like that. I wasn’t planning to get in with him anyway.”
“Who said anything?”
Lee Nayeon’s face inexplicably flushed as she turned her gaze toward the oversized TV.
What Lee Jiyu was watching wasn’t a regular broadcast but a YouTube video.
Kkamdori had simply been thirsty. While being scrubbed all over, the dragon let out a pleased rumble, then opened its mouth wide the moment the water was turned on and drank for a full three minutes without spilling a drop. It looked like it had gulped down nearly five liters in one go.
Well, after swallowing a monster that huge, thirst was only natural.
Choi Junseok washed Kkamdori while eyeing the luxurious bathroom and swallowing dryly. The apartment had a top-tier spa facility. Even the high-end apartment he had seen earlier that day hadn’t possessed a bathroom of this caliber.
Gyarrr!
Kkamdori inflated its body with air and began swimming around the wide tub. The bath was large enough that even a small dragon could swim comfortably.
“Kkamdori, do you like it here too?”
The dragon let out a rumbling laugh, then dove underwater and spat a mouthful of the natural aroma bathwater straight at Choi Junseok, as if to say, What do you think?
“Okay. I’ve decided.”
Before he could even wrap Kkamdori in a towel, the dragon shook its body vigorously from side to side, spraying water everywhere. Even so, the bathroom’s natural drying system activated without issue, blowing air and heating the floor to evaporate the moisture.
When Choi Junseok emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and walked into the living room with determined steps, all three women naturally turned to look at him.
He spoke with complete confidence.
“I’ve decided to live here.”
Lee Nayeon and Song Hana both tilted their heads, clearly wondering what he was talking about.
Only Lee Jiyu blinked, replaying the words she had just heard as if she couldn’t quite believe them.
“As expected, it appears Function has cleared the thirtieth floor without issue.”
“So it seems.”
“What about the players who left the Player Management Agency?”
“Because of the appearance of the national players affiliated with the Agency, it seems some have begun to admire them in secret. Additionally… quite a few players have expressed through the Agency hotline that they also wish to become national players.”
“……Why?”
“Various reasons, but it seems they believe the treatment would be better than what guilds offer. More than anything… they probably want to look impressive.”
“Look impressive?”
“Yes.”
“……Why?”
Most top-ranked players already moved primarily for honor and recognition. If they became national players, they would gain anonymity in both areas.
“Perhaps… they feel a sense of admiration after seeing the performance and appearance of Choi Junseok, Lee Nayeon, and Song Hana’s trio. And if I had to name one more reason, they might want the sense of self-efficacy that comes with being a talent protected by the country.”
Mun Gwon-su let out a short hum.
“Hmm……”
Tapping his index finger on the desk, he nodded.
“It might be possible. Let’s bring it up as an official agenda item at the next unofficial security meeting.”
“Understood.”
When Team Leader Kang made no move to leave, Mun Gwon-su looked up at him steadily.
It was a silent question: was there more?
“Um… Function has expressed willingness to regularly supply items.”
“……Items? You mean equipment that players wear?”
“That’s correct. I don’t know how, but he plans to supply tradable equipment items… all of Rare grade or higher, enough to reduce casualties among players climbing the middle and upper floors.”
“Is that true?!”
Mun Gwon-su’s eyes widened. This was no ordinary report.
Strengthening players’ combat power was always the highest priority. Moreover, one of the biggest reasons players hesitated to attempt the highest floors was the lack of stable item farming and the resulting boost to combat effectiveness. The Agency, which approached tower climbing through thorough data analysis, knew better than anyone that equipping just two or three items on certain damage-dealer positions could completely change the difficulty of the same floor.
“Proceed immediately. Contact me anytime if related discussions are needed. If you require additional personnel for the work, report it. Also, make sure the fact that items are coming through Function remains unknown—route them through two or three shell companies before purchasing. If necessary, create five or six disguised corporations or player guilds.”
Encouraged by Director Mun Gwon-su’s positive response, Team Leader Kang immediately continued with Choi Junseok’s next plan.
“On that note, it seems Function is planning to create a guild.”
After the bombshell declaration about living together, Lee Jiyu, who had only just processed it, looked at Choi Junseok and asked,
“You want to live here?”
Choi Junseok’s answer was concise.
“Yeah.”