Boom
[Name] : Kang Seo-jin
[Nationality] : Republic of Korea
[Trait] : None
[Trait Skill] : None
[Stats]
-Strength : 3,250
-Agility : 3,600
-Stamina : 3,200
-Magic Power : 3,000
"Huu..."
I'm speechless.
These were numbers I'd never heard of, let alone seen.
When it was +50 to all stats, I could have been quite calm, but...
Since the x50 was unbelievable, I had opened my status window right away, but even seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe it.
And...
"Why... am I not dead?"
I clearly saw the message. The message saying 50 years of my lifespan would be deleted, and exactly twice at that.
Even calculating the increased stats in reverse, it was clearly +50 multiplied by 50.
In other words, it meant I had pressed the button twice and deleted 100 years of my lifespan.
"Does that mean my lifespan is over 130 years? Does that make any sense?"
I had a normal body, no different from anyone else's.
Of course, just awakening and becoming a player could be considered special...
However, I know there are nearly ten thousand players in this small country alone.
Furthermore, among those players, my stats were, to put it nicely, low-tier; strictly speaking, they were bottom-tier.
And I, such a person, had a special body with a lifespan of over 130 years?
It's unbelievable, but as of now, there was absolutely no way to know the reason.
"Then... how much life do I have left?"
Absurdly, I, who was ready to comfortably leave this world just a few minutes ago, am now curious about how much life I have left.
No,
Perhaps it's not strange, since I, who was in a hollow state with no reason to live, now have something that at least resembles a reason?
Watching the nonsensical numbers on the status window spread out before my eyes, the desire to enter the Tower surged strongly for the first time.
This was a first.
The Tower had always been a place I was forced into, like livestock being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
To make a living. To earn a lot of money and let Hyo-jeong live in luxury...
I had never once come out of the Tower, which I had crawled into with such difficulty, without being hurt.
It hurt too much.
It was too scary.
But now, the desire to enter that terrible Tower of my own volition is overflowing.
"With this much... how strong have I become?"
In reality, outside the Tower, I could only check my stats as numbers, so it was even more frustrating.
"Should I... try entering the Tower now?"
I suddenly couldn't hold back and almost entered the Tower.
Since players could freely enter the Tower once a day, anytime, anywhere,
I almost entered the Tower right away, unable to suppress my curiosity.
However,
"Kang Seo-jin, did you press the button properly?"
Section Chief Choi was already waltzing in, acting all chummy.
It seems I had spent quite a long time in this room, lost in my thoughts.
"Ah, you haven't pressed it yet? Did I interrupt you? I bet you have a lot of thoughts running through your head, right? Sorry, sorry, take your time and pres—"
"No, I pressed it."
"Oh? Oh, really? Oh... well, that's a good thing, right?"
It seemed Section Chief Choi had come in to check if I had pressed the button and died on the spot.
Considering the cases of players who had died before,
If someone came in here alone and, with less than 50 years of lifespan remaining, died immediately upon pressing the button,
there would be no reason for this room's door to open for a day or two,
so it was only natural for someone to come in and check after a certain amount of time had passed.
My brain understood, but I couldn't help but find his chummy attitude annoying.
"I'm leaving."
"Oh... oh, right, you should go. You should go... but, how are your stats? Did they improve a lot?"
"......"
"Is it not good? I've heard that there are individual differences in stat increases for each player, so I was just curious how it was for you, Kang Seo-jin."
"......"
Even with Section Chief Choi following me, pretending to be close and asking about my stats, I walked away without saying a word.
When I stepped outside, the gazes of Director Kim, who hadn't left his seat yet, and the staff members who were explaining the consent forms, were fixed on me.
"Thank you for... your hard work."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Ritualistic greetings poured out toward me, who had merely gone into a room and clicked a button, and I lightly bowed my head in return before trying to walk toward the elevator.
But just then, a female staff member with her hair neatly tied back blocked my path, holding an A4 paper filled with writing.
"Player Kang Seo-jin. First of all, I express my respect for overcoming such a difficult time."
It must be a ritualistic greeting, but it was better to hear than the nonsense spewed by Section Chief Choi.
"Could you spare a moment to fill out this survey? Since even we at the Management Bureau don't have a perfect grasp regarding the 50-Year Button, we are requesting surveys from players like you who have safely pressed the button and come out."
As she gently handed me the A4 paper she was holding, I took it without realizing it.
The whole process was so natural and swift that I even felt like I was obligated to respond to this survey.
'She's a pro...'
Sometimes, among the people handing out flyers on the street, there are pros who put them in your hand before you even have a chance to refuse.
Could this staff member have been street-cast after doing that kind of work?
Thinking such ridiculous thoughts, I lifted the survey I had received and read the contents.
Asking how I felt when I pressed the button, whether I had any physical abnormalities like dizziness after pressing it,
there were all sorts of questions.
I picked up a pen and carefully read the items, checking off the survey.
Looking slightly to the side, I could clearly see the staff members exchanging glances and sighing in relief as I picked up the pen.
"Here you go."
"Ah, thank you, Player Kang Seo-jin! Then you may go now... Ah! Um..."
"Yes? Is there a problem?"
"Ah, there are items here that you haven't filled out..."
Of course, that would be the case.
I had diligently answered the useless items like my feelings or physical condition, but I had naturally left the stat increase figures or acquired skill sections blank.
Isn't that obvious? What do I trust the Management Bureau with to write down my actual stat figures?
Also, should I tell the Management Bureau that I pressed the button twice and survived, experiencing abnormal stat increases?
Don't be ridiculous.
"Haha, Player Kang, we have data from the past, so we roughly know how much it increases, so why leave it blank? Just fill it out quickly and go. We've worked together for a while, so I should buy you a meal, right? Hurry up and fill it out, and let's go eat something delicious."
"Yes, give it back to me."
As Section Chief Choi showed signs of being persistently annoying, I took the survey back and filled in the blank items.
Acquired Skills : None
Increased Stats : All stats +50
A strange smile spread across the faces of the staff members and Section Chief Choi who received the survey.
"Hahaha. Right, well, it increased similarly to other people. Anyway, we'll add it to our data. Ah, how about we eat that meal next time? I just remembered I had an urgent appointment."
Snort
I let out a laugh.
How can a person be so transparently cheap?
Of course, I had no intention of eating with Section Chief Choi, the ultimate miser and calculator, even if he actually bought the meal.
I was in quite a hurry to check what my current state was.
"Yes, yes. Well then, I'll be going. See you again."
After finishing my farewells appropriately, I got on the elevator, hurried out of the Management Bureau, and returned home.
"It should be fine."
Once I returned home and tried to enter the Tower, I realized it had been 5 years since I entered the Tower without a medical team.
The medical team that was always waiting whenever I came out of the Tower with major injuries every single day.
The fact that there was no medical team, which was the biggest benefit of the Management Bureau, made me realize once again my situation of being abandoned by the Bureau.
"Well, it shouldn't matter. It'll be different now."
However,
This time, confidence outweighed fear.
The stats in the status window, which I had checked several times on the way home because I couldn't believe it.
I didn't hesitate any longer and entered the Tower.
<You have entered the 24th floor of the Tower of Trials.>
Huu
The familiar scent of grass.
A sky so clear that it was hard to believe this was a place facing a bloody battle.
It was a floor I hadn't been able to clear even after dedicating nearly 4 months to it.
"Hmm... Is something a little different...?"
I don't really feel a big difference between now and before my stats went up.
If something is a little different... maybe it's just that my body feels a little lighter?
I was lost in thought for a moment, but I could see a green body running toward me, unable to wait any longer.
Haa
<Eliminate the regular Goblins 0/20>
They were a head shorter than me, and their attack patterns were relatively simple.
However, because of their terrifying speed and their fighting spirit to keep rushing at me no matter how many times they were hit, I had almost died several times over the past 4 months.
Most recently, my left arm had been tattered, almost to the point of becoming crippled.
"Ugh..."
Before I could even remember that I had entered the Tower to check my increased stats, PTSD rushed in at the sound of their roars.
"Kieeeeeek!!"
In an instant, one goblin had already reached right in front of me.
Before I could even get into a combat stance, I was startled and kicked the guy.
I should get back into a combat stance and deal with them calmly—
Poof
"...Huh?"
The goblin that was hit by my kick, which I had intended to use to push it away and create distance, literally exploded with a poof sound.
"...What is this..."
They were such spirited guys, but as one of their comrades turned into flesh and blood in an instant before their eyes, doubt and fear began to dwell in their pupils.