Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Failed Talent Show
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Time rewound to the present.
It had been one day since Han Yu Seong met Moon Byul, and two days since the article announcing that the owner of the Cosmic Grimoire had appeared in the Meteor Guild.
Han Yu Seong was holed up in his guild master's office all day, clutching financial statements, his phone, and his computer as he worked.
"I'm telling you, we have to use every last bit of the budget we'd saved for hiring mercenaries—even that—and snag it with top-grade magistones, no matter what."
He needed money. A lot of it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Guild Master, we have no budget left in the guild. Are you sure this is okay?"
"If we borrow any more, there's no turning back."
The Meteor Guild's secretary, vice-guild master, HR team leader, and others had all come by to voice their concerns.
All day. For two straight days, they rotated through.
"I said it's fine. Think of it as a long-term investment."
He could no longer hold back his irritation. How many times did he have to repeat the same conversation?
"No one else come up here."
"But—"
"You just don't get it."
With a wave of his hand, a massive gash appeared in the wall of the guild master's office.
It looked just like the work of a master swordsman unleashing a sword strike on the wall.
"This isn't an order or a request—it's a warning. My patience has limits. Next visit, bring magistones. Over and out."
After that, no one disturbed Han Yu Seong.
'How is there not a single normal person among them?'
Was money such a big deal? You could always earn more.
But the tower?
Exactly one month until collapse.
He had liquidated everything—not just the guild's assets, but his personal cars, stocks, everything—to scrape together magistones.
Finally, 130 top-grade magistones.
'Yes, this is an investment.'
He didn't waver.
Even if it meant massive debt and ending up a street-bound S-rank in case of failure, he hadn't even considered that.
This was for the 'greater good'.
The world was slowly marching toward destruction because of the tower.
What value did money have in a doomed world?
To Han Yu Seong, everyone else seemed to treat the tower like some minor incident.
Why wasn't anyone pushing to conquer it?
Why wasn't anyone anxious?
If left alone, the tower would definitely collapse.
How could they live so carefree without knowing how many floors it even had?
Why were they pouring even more effort into economic activities after the tower and magistones appeared?
"This is frustrating."
He had been chosen.
He realized it when he awakened as an S-rank sorcerer.
His destiny was to conquer the tower and save the world from destruction as its savior.
He founded the guild to conquer the tower, not to hoard wealth.
Even now, with over 60 floors conquered, people still idiotically saw the tower as just a magistone factory.
When they should be begging for help.
When would this damn complacency end?
They acted like climbers would keep conquering the tower forever.
He knew the truth.
Even the other S-ranks were starting to hit their limits.
The grimoire was his chance.
A god-given opportunity to end this precarious life and rise as a hero.
A grimoire dramatically enhanced its user's abilities. Only sorcerer classes could reawaken through a grimoire.
The rest?
They could grow through blood, sweat, and tears, but the tower wouldn't wait.
If he, an S-rank, got a grimoire, conquering the tower would be trivial.
For a half-baked sorcerer like Iru Ri to have one was a disaster for humanity.
He couldn't understand why no one grasped this simple truth.
It was the same when she first got hers.
Sensational headlines about the "Little Saintess" and hyenas sniffing around for money.
Of course, a grimoire appearing in Korea was good. The problem was it going to a halfwit sorcerer.
He thought it should have come to him, not her.
He couldn't fathom why people were thrilled over a net loss for humanity's forces.
If the grimoire had chosen him, he wouldn't have to live in fear anymore.
But now, the opportunity had arrived.
He would prove his worth. He would become the hero who saved the world using the Cosmic Grimoire.
'Yes, it has to be me.'
No one else could break this damned tower's chain.
Now was the time, with the 'Cosmic Grimoire' responding.
The fools who saw his actions as a loss wouldn't understand.
But in the future, humanity would remember him as a hero. The hero who protected the world from the tower.
'If the grimoire doesn't acknowledge me as its master, I'll tame it and force it to climb the tower.'
A grimoire was just a tool, after all.
Conquering the 62nd floor was something only he could do in Korea. He had even used the money set aside to hire foreign S-rank mercenaries for his party.
Other guilds, the association, even the S-ranks had no clue. He alone cared about humanity's safety.
Because he was superior to them.
What could be done? He had to protect humanity.
"Like a lone wolf."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tap, tap.
He tapped the cover of the 'Cosmic Grimoire' with his finger.
The grimoire reacted, and the being inside, 'Moon Byul', appeared.
"It's been a while, Mr. Moon Byul."
"It's been a while for me too, Mr. Han Yu Seong."
He showed Moon Byul the magistones prepared behind the curtain.
Moon Byul reached out and absorbed them all.
Han Yu Seong had kept his promises. Now it was Moon Byul's turn.
"What is the 62nd floor like?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Han Yu Seong questioned the intent behind the question.
"I'm thinking of creating a spell that will help."
Han Yu Seong didn't regret pouring his entire fortune into this for a second.
Look at that—creating magic?
'Ridiculous.'
What human could create magic? His choice had been right after all.
"The 62nd floor is a frigid high mountain range. Bone-chilling cold makes movement difficult, and blizzards obscure visibility."
He explained the 62nd floor in as much detail as possible.
Hoping Moon Byul would create magic maximally helpful to humanity.
"Understood. Then, just knock on the cover in the tower like this time. With that, I'll be off."
Having taken the magistones, Moon Byul gave a brief farewell and vanished back into the grimoire.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Four days later.
Unlike usual, a swarm of reporters had set up camp in front of the Meteor Guild.
The Meteor Guild had leaked that they found the 'Cosmic Grimoire's owner, but hadn't revealed who it was.
But they had announced a press conference today.
No one needed to ask what it was about.
Reporters had been jockeying for position since morning to learn the identity of the new grimoire's owner.
"Move it! Who do you think you are, shoving cameras when you got here late?"
The chaotic scene in front of the guild.
Up front were heaps of cameras marked with major broadcasters.
"NNN will be broadcasting this announcement live..."
"NNN? Isn't that the U.S. network?"
"Quick, check the equipment!"
"Hey, we're live right now! Too many people!"
Behind them, civilians were streaming with their phones.
Even police had come out to control traffic.
Though guild members were collateral damage, they felt proud to be part of the Meteor Guild.
"Whoa! Here he comes!"
Amid the chaos, one reporter's voice boomed over the noise.
Then came only shutter clicks and cheers toward the guild entrance.
Finally, Han Yu Seong appeared with his elite guild members, standing before the reporters and raising a finger to his lips in a hush gesture.
The noisy Seoul street fell silent as if by magic at his single gesture.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat and slowly raised his hand, hidden in his cape, for all to see.
"The grimoire is with me."
"Wooooaaah!"
It was a shocking declaration.
Cheers erupted like in 2002, shaking the ground in front of the Meteor Guild and echoing across Seoul.
Not only had the grimoire's owner appeared, but it was the famous S-rank guild master?
It was like Admiral Yi Sun-sin reincarnated in turbulent times and pulling Excalibur.
"This is huge! Write the article now!"
"Yes, Editor—the grimoire's owner is Han Yu Seong! We need to post first..."
"Why isn't anyone picking up at a time like this?!"
The reporters went wild on the spot.
The civilians watching the live broadcast were the same.
Comments flooded in like crazy, posts hit communities, and SNS lit up.
"That, that, that fucking bastard..."
"Byul..."
"Sniff..."
Of course, the Wolverine Guild's reaction was a bit different.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In truth, Han Yu Seong had subtly hidden the facts in front of the reporters.
Strictly speaking, he wasn't the grimoire's owner yet. But it didn't matter. A grimoire was like a sorcerer's ID.
In others' eyes, Han Yu Seong was clearly the Cosmic Sorcerer.
Han Yu Seong stepped up to the prepared podium and scanned the reporters.
"How does it feel to become a sorcerer?"
"Please tell us about the Cosmic Grimoire's abilities!"
"You've gone from S-rank to grimoire owner—how does it compare? One word, please!"
Everything was going according to plan. Now the world would learn who the real hero was.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I have a major announcement today."
He adjusted his tie and pushed up his glasses with the hand holding the grimoire.
"Isn't this already major?"
Han Yu Seong slowly scanned the murmuring reporters.
As an innate S-rank, he was a popular climber with unshakable poise and charisma that captivated audiences.
And now, the mysterious grimoire in his hand.
People were already high on the thrill.
That this man was Korea's top S-rank climber!
That the untouchable grimoire was now in his grasp!
Not just Korea—famous foreign climbers and organizations were watching the broadcast.
Han Yu Seong gazed at the cameras, feeling liberated.
Now they would all know exactly who would protect them from the tower.
"My team and I will begin conquering the 62nd floor—Korea's highest—the right here, right now."
Cheers erupted once more.
Posts defending the Meteor Guild and Han Yu Seong poured in like a waterfall.
Everyone thought the same.
Korea was forever free from the terror of the tower's collapse.
Han Yu Seong answered a few satisfying questions, stepped down, and set up a temporary safe zone for tower entry.
"Then, fellow citizens, I'll bring back good news."
"Reporters, please step back a bit. We're entering the tower."
His secretary warned from the podium, and guards blocked the reporters.
Descending, Han Yu Seong joined hands with his party members for the climb.
"Entering the 62nd floor."
It seemed like a perfect ending.
When he returned, he'd be a national hero, and the world would tremble at the emergence of the strongest sorcerer.
His and his guild's reputation would skyrocket, capped by being the first to conquer Korea's 62nd floor with the grimoire's help.
Just stick to the plan afterward.
No hitches in his plan. He even had the association's official permission.
Moon Byul had promised cooperation via speech magic. Whether he was the owner or not didn't matter. His goal was tower conquest anyway.
But Han Yu Seong had overlooked a crucial fact.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Entry denied. Party maximum is 4 people. "?"
The four, including Han Yu Seong, glanced around at the floating message window.
"R-reporters, please step back. We're entering the tower."
The secretary repeated herself, but of course, no one was around them.
Just the three party members besides Han Yu Seong and the one grimoire.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Entry denied. Party maximum is 4 people. Even retrying yielded the same result.
"This can't be..."
Only then did Han Yu Seong realize something was off and glanced nervously at the reporters.
"Chan-ho, step back for a moment."
Shoving aside one party member he'd been holding hands with, Han Yu Seong tried entering again with the remaining two.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Entry denied. A party member does not meet 62nd floor qualifications. "This... this is impossible!"
The fact Han Yu Seong had overlooked.
That Moon Byul was also an awakened climber.
And that he was a sorcerer who hadn't conquered even a single floor of the tower.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Today was the day to keep his promise to that man named Han Yu Seong.
Ding.
"Hmm..."
Moon Byul sat by Etoile's window, waiting for the summons.
Ding.
"Lately, all sorts of new things keep happening."
He could sense the commotion outside the window.
Something must have gone wrong for that guy Han Yu Seong.
"Should I go out?"
There seemed to be a lot of people, so it might cause issues. He'd knock on the window if needed.
Ding.
More than that, those things popping up in the air were starting to grate on Moon Byul's nerves.
Ding.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You do not have permission to enter the 62nd floor of the tower. "I've already used quite a few magistones."
Looks like he'd have to spit them back out.
They weren't valuable anyway, so helping in another way should fix it.