Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Cozy Chat
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Same time.
Iru Ri was tackling the 61st floor of the tower.
"Whish."
"Yeah, I'm freezing too."
From the 60th floor onward, the floors were themed around a northern highland mountain range.
They had to keep climbing toward the summit nonstop, encountering monsters like yetis, man-eating wolves, and man-eating rabbits along the way.
The 61st floor was a pure test of stamina and strength, with no particular gimmicks.
A special team was climbing alongside Iru Ri to get her to the 62nd floor.
"Arrrgh! Climbing this damn mountain again! Zelgana Mabsosa!"
"What are you babbling about? Shut up and keep up, Isu."
"......"
"Whish!"
"Monsters ahead!"
Keeping watch was Wisph and Iru Ri's job.
Soon, thudding footsteps echoed as a group of yetis and wolves charged from afar.
"Please! Show up on flat ground for once!"
Baek Isu, the first-string dealer and tank, hoisted a massive greatsword onto his back and stepped forward.
"I'll handle them with Wife Laser!"
"Save your mana, Saintess. Buffs are enough! Leave this to me."
Iru Ri had tried to zap the enemies with Wife Laser, but Baek Isu stopped her. Risk of an avalanche.
He drew his greatsword and swung. The head of a charging yeti flew into the sky.
It was a strike bordering on the divine, no matter how many times you saw it.
In the end, all Iru Ri had to do was cast support spells in moderation. This was basically a free ride from the first-stringers.
Baek Isu steadily swung his blade, cutting down foes, but there were just too many, and they closed in.
He shifted his stance, waiting for them to get closer. To create distance with a big swing.
"Hah!"
The moment he shouted and swung wide—
Time in the tower stopped.
"?"
The leaping yeti hung frozen in the air, the blizzard halted mid-blow.
The charging wolves froze in awkward poses, and even the fierce winds disrupting communication died down.
As the entire party stood speechless at this unprecedented event, a tower message appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Emergency Inspection: An error has occurred. The Korean Tower will undergo maintenance for 7 days. Tower Impact Count will also be suspended during maintenance.] [Returning in 30 seconds.] "......"
"What the hell is this...? We're right at the boss room. They kick us out like this?"
"It's not just me getting the inspection message, right?"
Everyone panicked at the unfamiliar message.
The difference with Iru Ri was that, unlike the others, she had a hunch about the cause.
An emergency tower inspection she'd never even heard of.
Probably due to someone's overwhelming power?
'What on earth are you doing in there, Moon Byul?'
"Arrrgh! Climbing this damn mountain again! Zelgana Mabsosa!"
The same line echoed through the 61st floor like déjà vu.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Same day.
The sudden emergency inspection of the Korean Tower set the community ablaze.
📰 Breaking News Title: The Three Great Famous Swords Have Arrived at the Tower Too. Author: Saintess Jo Ah Emergency inspection? What is this, a game? Shouldn't they at least give compensation, fuck? Kicking us out mid-boss fight. Tower operators are total noobs at this game. I'm as pissed as if they took ten top-tier artifacts. (GIF of a frog with a sword charging in) 💬 Comments — Anonymous That Gonic bastard isn't a NEET, he's a climber? Spill the deets. — Anonymous ↳ Reply Deets. — Saintess Jo Ah (OP) ↳ Reply Why line up when he couldn't even make money? Wanna die? — Anonymous Getting an actual inspection message means there really is an operator. — Anonymous ↳ Reply Tower operator is human? ↳ Reply Of course not. Think before you speak. — Anonymous A free week off? Huge W actually. — Anonymous I'm 1kg of magic stones worth of pissed. — Anonymous Open the gates!! I chuckled lightly at the post. Even after all this time, the internet hadn't changed a bit.
Our guild master's expression looked sour from across the laptop, so I schooled my face.
"So you're saying this is my fault?"
"Isn't it?"
"You're right, it is."
Our red-haired guild master wasn't great at hiding her feelings. Was she mad?
I'd only climbed the tower because she asked me to as a guild member.
Moon Byul had expected her to be pleased.
"Wh-what the hell did you do up there?"
So Seori had rushed to me the moment she heard about the tower inspection.
It was frustrating that she assumed I was the culprit without evidence, but since I actually was, I had nothing to say.
No reason to hide it, so I told the truth.
"The tower has shortcuts."
"Short...cuts?"
I was probably the first to discover it. I explained proudly.
You could just punch through the ceiling and drop straight to the next floor.
Climbing one floor a day was inefficient, and tough floors could be skipped by going up directly.
Of course, the tower treated it like a bug and was patching it, so it wouldn't work anymore...
Still, buying time until collapse was a win for humanity, right?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ So Seori was at a loss for words in front of Moon Byul.
He proudly described the glitch he'd found.
Of course, humans had tried that before.
But since punching through the ceiling was impossible, no one had used it.
Thanks to Moon Byul, it was proven possible—but now no one could use the tower for seven days.
'Good or bad?'
It bought time before collapse, so not purely bad, but...
'Is this okay?'
"Could you... maybe tackle it a bit slower...?"
"Understood. What our guild master fears won't happen."
He said it reassuringly.
'Well, he's right. Nothing's ever happened within what I could predict.'
Still, Moon Byul's actions hadn't just caused problems.
Humanity had learned something new.
'Inspections mean...'
Someone was maintaining the tower.
Little was known about the tower. It appeared worldwide out of nowhere, and a select few awakened as climbers.
This event would surely help researchers.
'Maybe...'
Moon Byul might unravel all the tower's mysteries.
To So Seori, no one else could do it.
"Moon Byul? You there?"
Iru Ri's voice came from outside. Forced back by the reset, she must've guessed Moon Byul was behind it too.
Snap.
He flicked his fingers, and the door opened. Magic that never ceased to amaze. And so efficient.
"I'll leave you two to chat then."
So Seori tactfully excused herself for Iru Ri and Moon Byul. They probably had catching up to do.
And sure enough, Iru Ri dove right into conversation with Moon Byul. Good to ask her later if I got curious.
Closing Moon Byul's door, So Seori realized one more thing.
"Ah."
Guilds were businesses run on tower climbs. A blocked tower meant...
Korean guilds were forced into a shutdown.
"Guess we're closed for a week... Might as well handle other stuff."
Knowing the full story, So Seori wasn't upset, but other guilds were.
"No issues with foreign towers? We need to find the cause!"
"Golden week holiday just dropped."
"Guild master my ass, gotta run Coupang deliveries or something."
Some celebrated the break, small guilds fretted over lost income, others hunted the reason. Reactions varied.
Moon Byul didn't know. Climbers' livelihoods hung on his every whim.
Great power comes with great responsibility, they say.
Too bad Moon Byul had no uncle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Moon Byul caught up with Iru Ri on everything. First up was the tower inspection, but So Seori had explained.
"Thank you so much for the healing! No aftereffects at all."
"Glad to hear it. One of my favorite spells."
His healing was technically growth magic. It exponentially accelerated cell regeneration.
Great for recovery, but made plants taste oddly off.
"The magic was amazing too. Actually, trying it out..."
She proudly explained the spell Moon Byul had given her.
But his reaction was lukewarm.
"What's wrong...?"
'Did I mess up somehow?'
She worried she'd used it wrong, but no.
"No, the spell I gave you isn't that type, so I was thinking. Seems like you're using it a bit off."
"What do you...?"
"Whish?"
"Reduce the size and focus on one point for penetration without noise. Otherwise, it's weak and loud—try shrinking the magic circle."
Even more penetration?
'What the hell did you give me, Moon Byul?'
Moon Byul analogized it to water pressure. Only then did Iru Ri grasp the spell's true value.
'I randomly got a top-tier spell and I'm Korea's peak now?'
She felt like a webnovel protagonist.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Afterward, Moon Byul asked about Aka Sik, but she knew little. It was her first meeting too.
"I see... So no way to the 90th floor?"
"Sadly, no way past what you've cleared."
"Whish."
Trouble. He'd really have to climb to 90.
But rumor had it Aka Sik would return, maybe with a method.
"One thing— is Moon Byul your real name?"
"Why would I use a fake one?"
"I-I thought maybe you had a true name or something..."
"Normal people don't, right?"
Moon Byul didn't know, but Iru Ri still couldn't tell if he was human or a mimic like Meramong.
Seo In Ah had said it: name, culture, manners—all faked.
Great actor? Real? Thinks he's real?
"When'd you pick the name?"
"Over 140 years ago."
Definitely not human...
Seo In Ah with her PhD was right after all.
"Moon Byul, if I may ask... your age?"
Moon Byul pondered, then smiled brightly.
"28."
"...?"
Not a lie. Earth years, he was 28. Moon Byul preferred being a young 28-year-old man over a 140+ geezer.
"But you said you named it 140 years ago...?"
"Complicated circumstances. I'm 28."
Age concept different or total BS.
Iru Ri pushed past embarrassment to confirm.
"Th-then... oppa?"
"...Uncomfortable."
Mortified.
"Ahem, so... family?"
"Orphan."
"Ah."
"Whi...ng."
After shaming herself worse than Talula, she wanted to die.
"Sorry..."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Doesn't bother me."
Moon Byul read the room and comforted her.
They talked for a while. Mostly Moon Byul asking about the world, Iru Ri answering.
"Not much has changed."
"Really?"
Moon Byul stood, donning the coat the guild prepared.
"Shall we head out?"
"Where to?"
"Whish?"
"The people you mentioned last time. And Han Yu Seong—I owe him."
"Ah!"
Those who'd touched the Cosmic Grimoire before he fixed it, and Han Yu Seong.
"Wait a sec."
Iru Ri handed him a small prepared box. A gift.
"What's this?"
"A gift. Your look stands out too much, thought you might need it."
Inside: a sleek black hair tie with the guild emblem.
Adult men with waist-length hair were rare, so she'd picked something modern.
His bangs made him look stuffy, vaguely mad scientist-ish.
"Thank you."
Who hates gifts? But to Moon Byul, it meant more. First gift from a friend, no strings.
He tied his hair back. Impression changed completely. Long ponytail, small face, sharp features, lean build.
Passed for a tall woman at a glance. Height... a bit shorter? Anyway.
In summary.
'Kinda handsome?'
Kinda handsome.