The Only One with Two Towers
Towers, dungeons, and dimensional gates.
In the chaotic year of 2035, thrown into disarray by all manner of supernatural upheavals, what was the number one career aspiration among teenagers?
There was no need to take a poll. Nine out of ten would give the exact same answer without a second thought:
“An Awakener!”
And what about people in their twenties? Well... pretty much the same.
Kim Haun, a twenty-something convenience store part-timer and a prime representative of his demographic, was no exception. The problem, however...
“Come on, seriously...?”
“Why the hell is everything so damn low?”
This test, which he had taken not long ago, was quite renowned across the country. It was the proud fruit of joint research between awakened analysis specialists and doctorates from every relevant scientific field. What was the tagline again? The culmination of modern science and awakened prowess, or something like that.
Developed with direct government funding and the full cooperation of top-tier guilds, its advertised accuracy was well over eighty percent.
[These figures represent the projected estimates of the examinee's potential attributes should awakening occur—]
“The national average is around C-rank. And if any individual metric hits A-rank or higher, you’re eligible to apply for the ongoing Awakening Induction Project...”
Yet his scorecard showed nothing but E’s and F’s.
“Which means I’m an absolute dud.”
Not just an ordinary dud, either. He was the undisputed king of duds.
No, really, does this make any sense? Did the machine glitch? Do they have any idea how diligently I hit the gym every single day...? Even if my magical talent is non-existent, how on earth is my Physical Aptitude an E?
[Test results are estimates only and may differ from the actual attributes manifested upon awakening.]
Sure, there was a disclaimer tacked onto the bottom, but... Come on. You just bragged about an eighty percent accuracy rate. That basically means this is carved in stone.
“I guess my chances of awakening are completely cooked.”
The standard age for awakening was roughly eighteen years old. Twenty was considered the upper limit of the average window. And how old was Kim Haun? Twenty-three this year. In other words, his prime season had already packed up and left.
True, you heard occasional rumors of people awakening in their late twenties, thirties, or even after turning forty. But those were miraculous outliers, about as common as hitting the grand jackpot on a lottery ticket. People always insisted someone out there won it, but you never actually met a winner in real life.
In any case, rather than pinning his hopes on microscopic odds...
“Wouldn’t it be smarter to look for another path in life?”
Plan 1: Wait around until I awaken.
Rejected.
Plan 2: Take the aptitude test and get scouted.
Yeah, total disaster.
Did he have a backup plan? Of course he did. With awakening practically off the table, only one realistic path remained:
Plan 3: Job hunting.
The vast majority of the world's population consisted of ordinary Non-Awakened mortals anyway. Awakening would have been fantastic, sure, but what was the point of crying over what you couldn't change? Better to ditch the useless daydreams, put his head down, and start filling out resumes—
Ding!
You have awakened.
...Wait, what?
He’d heard the stories time and time again. Awakening always struck without a whisper of warning. Still, wasn’t this a little too out of nowhere?
“Not that I’m complaining...”
Having fantasized about this moment for years, Kim Haun naturally had a rehearsed checklist ready for this exact contingency.
“First, check my class and figure out what role archetype I rolled...”
How do you check? Simple. All you had to do was picture it clearly in your mind.
And voila. A shimmering screen materialized right before his eyes.
“Damn... so this is the legendary status window.”
Seeing it in person made the reality hit home. He had truly, honestly awakened. Which meant he could finally ascend that monolithic black spire looming far past his window, its tip piercing the boundless sky—the Tower of Despair.
“Wait a second.”
Squinting at the screen, something didn’t match what the public knowledge manuals described.
— Tower of Despair
— Tower of Transcendence
Wasn't the Tower of Despair the only one that existed? What the heck is the Tower of Transcendence? I’ve never heard of it in my entire life. Better look it up online right now—
Ding!
Synchronization with the Tower of Transcendence complete.
Climber verified. (Region: Earth)
Transferring to the Tower of Transcendence.
Excuse me? Right this second?!
The glamorous Awakened life he’d envisioned in his sweetest dreams.
And how did it kick off?
Flash!
A mere ten seconds after awakening, blinding brilliance consumed his vision. And when the light cleared...
“<Welcome. I am Cassius, manager of the Arcana Market’s Tower of Transcendence branch... Hm?>”
The shopkeeper paused mid-welcome, its greeting grinding to an abrupt halt. Or rather, not a clerk—a monster.
“A... golem?”
Kim Haun: Day 1 as an Awakener. More specifically, a fresh-out-of-the-wrapper newbie of roughly thirty to forty seconds. He had never laid eyes on a live monster before, yet there was no mistaking the entity standing before him.
Hummm—
A towering frame chiseled entirely from sparkling, prismatic diamond, its eyes glowing with an ambient turquoise luminescence. Anyone with functioning eyesight could tell that was a golem. And not just any run-of-the-mill stone construct, but a Diamond Golem, famously documented as one of the highest tiers of its species. On top of that, it possessed advanced sapience? Shouldn’t a monster like this only dwell at the bottom of an S-rank dungeon?
“”Uh... Mr. Golem, sir? I’m about ten times more bewildered than you are...
To briefly summarize the explanation provided by the esteemed golem—who introduced himself as Cassius, the keeper of the Tower of Transcendence branch:
“So basically... this place is a specialized shop attached directly to the Tower of Transcendence?”
“<Correct. You may consider it an establishment prepared to facilitate Climbers in their ascent of the Tower of Transcendence.>”
Right, a Climber. That was his class. He’d clearly seen it on his status window moments ago.
[Class: Climber (Lv. 1)]
See? He was a Climber fair and square.
“<Yes, your Climber qualifications were verified from the outset. What confounds me is how a baseline mortal—someone who is neither a Transcendent nor even a Pre-Transcendent—could possibly end up here...>”
Man, you really did live long enough to see everything. Even a diamond golem letting out an exhausted sigh. Cassius kept asking how this had happened, but how was Haun supposed to answer? He’d awakened, and the system had unceremoniously drop-kicked him across dimensions into the Tower of Transcendence. He was completely in the dark.
“<...I suppose you would be.>”
At least the entity didn’t exude any hostile intent, which was a massive relief. If that crystalline juggernaut had been hostile... yeah, Haun probably would have been atomized the instant their eyes met.
Still, what kind of merchandise could they possibly be peddling here that requires a monster like that to watch the register?
Curiosity won out. Keeping his head politely aimed in Cassius’s general direction, Haun let his eyes dart swiftly across the surrounding interior.
Ornate tomes sat neatly stacked upon the antique shelves:
— You Too Can Overturn Mountains and Pluck Up the World! Advanced Edition by Xiang Yu
— What Is Magic? by Solomon
— Wisdom Surpasses Might by Zhuge Liang
······
Wait, what’s with these titles?
Xiang Yu, Solomon, Zhuge Liang... Every single one was a legendary historical titan or mythological sovereign. Could it be...?
“Are those actual originals?”
“<Every item stocked within Arcana Market is a thoroughly authenticated, bona fide artifact. We neither deal in nor tolerate fraudulent merchandise.>”
Figures. A Diamond Golem wouldn't be standing guard over cheap counterfeit paperbacks.
Wait, if that was true...
“What about those elixirs over there?”
The bookshelf was staggering enough, but the glass display case beside it had been radiating an intoxicating, otherworldly glow from the moment he arrived.
“<Likewise authentic. Dragon’s Blood, Abyssal Spirit Wine, Tears of Lakmor... Every single draft was curated with painstaking care.>”
Holy crap.
To be completely honest, Haun had no idea what any of those concoctions actually did—he’d never heard of them in his life. But one look at the shimmering liquid swirling inside those crystalline phials was enough to tell him everything. The precious elixirs regular Awakeners guarded with their lives, like a Lowest-Grade Health Elixir, weren’t even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath.
Which led straight to the most important question. This place was a merchant store, wasn't it?
“Excuse me, but... can I buy anything here?”
If he liquidated all his hard-earned part-time savings... he could probably scrape together about ten million won.
“<Money...? Mortal currency holds zero value here.>”
Tsk. Out of luck right from the gate.
“<The sole recognized tender within the Tower of Transcendence is mana stones. Even then, those particular goods cannot be purchased regardless of your coin until your customer rank has risen through countless verified transactions.>”
Wait. Mana stones? The shiny crystals that dropped from tower floors and raid dungeons? In that case, couldn't he buy something after all?
Because right at that exact moment:
That exact prompt had just popped into his vision.
“Do you mean these things?” Haun asked, casually producing the pouch of stones.
“<......?>”
Oh-ho. Who knew a face carved of solid diamond could show so much emotion? The golem’s eyes widened so far they looked ready to pop clean out of their sockets. He clearly hadn't expected the penniless mortal to possess a single shred of currency. The moment the mana stones manifested, Cassius froze stiff.
And then:
“<Welcome, esteemed customer. Is there a particular merchandise you seek today?>”
The instant pivot to lavish, utmost politeness was nothing short of miraculous.
Damn, this golem’s a true retail professional.
As a fellow veteran of the service industry, Haun felt a surge of professional respect. Still, what should he buy?
“Hmm...”
Ah! Right!
“Can I learn combat skills here? You see, I just awakened, but I don’t have a single way to fight.”
Skimming his status window earlier had highlighted a glaring problem: Wait, how am I supposed to attack anything?
Normal Awakeners usually awakened with at least one basic combat or offensive skill attached. But Kim Haun the Climber? Nothing. A complete blank slate. If you can’t fight, your awakening is basically useless. He desperately needed a means of offense.
“<What is your available budget?>”
Budget? Why ask when the merchandise is sitting right in front of you?
“I’ve only got these hundred...”
“<Tsk.>”
Wait. Did you just click your tongue at me? I heard that clear as day, you overgrown rock!
“<The motto of Arcana Market is to furnish whatever merchandise the customer seeks. Wait here a moment. If I rummage through the back shelves, something ought to turn up.>”
Wow, look at how fast his tone snapped right back to informal the second he saw the size of my wallet.
Sigh... The cold cruelty of capitalism truly transcended dimensions. Being broke meant getting treated like dirt wherever you went. Well, whatever. As long as he pulled something useful out of the inventory, Haun wasn't going to complain.
“<Here. Take what you seek. Combat skills, one hundred mana stones each. Pick one.>”
And he was lightning fast, too. How could anyone possibly complain about service this effici—
“...Huh?”
Never mind, there was plenty to complain about.
“Are you seriously selling these?”
Didn’t this guy just swear on his life that they only dealt in verified, premium treasures? What in the world was with these ancient, dog-eared booklets that looked ready to disintegrate into ash at a stiff breeze?
At least the titles on the covers were barely legible.
“<Showing up with low-grade mana stones instead of supreme-grade—and a paltry hundred of them at that—you certainly harbor grandiose expectations. If none of these satisfy you, I can gladly return them to the vault.>”
Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, impatient golem.
“Wait a second, let me think for a minute.”
If he walked away empty-handed, he’d literally be forced to wrestle monsters with his bare, unenhanced fists. He needed to weigh his options with laser precision so he wouldn't regret it later.
First...
[Basics of the Fist]
Rejected without a second thought. Punching things? Absolutely not. Anyone who browsed hunter forums knew the harsh truth: melee brawlers, especially those who relied on bare fists or kicking, had the worst casualty rates and the most agonizing hospital bills.
[Basics of the Sword]
Hmm... Honestly, this was tempting. Swords? Swords were undeniably badass. What guy could resist the romance of a blade?
“Ah.”
Wait. Swords are wildly expensive, aren't they?
A halfway decent enchanted blade cost millions, if not tens of millions of won. Looking at it again, swords weren't cool at all. Forget cutting things. Magic was the true apex path. Pew-pewing safely from half a kilometer away—how practical and comfortable was that?
Therefore:
“I’ll take Energy Bolt.”
Transaction concluded in the blink of an eye.
Just you wait, golem. I’m gonna farm a mountain of mana stones and come back here rolling like an oil baron. For today, let me just browse around a bit mor—
“<Business hours are concluded. Begone.>”
“Huh?”
Arcana Market’s business hours for today have ended.
Ejecting from the Tower of Transcendence.
“<Bring far more mana stones next time, customer. Fail to do so, and you shall be ejected once again.>”
“Wait, what?! Hey, that’s straight-up customer abuse!”
Yelling at the top of his lungs achieved nothing once the eviction protocol kicked in.
Flash!
True to form, brilliant light flared before his retinas, and when he opened his eyes again...
He had returned safe and sound to his cramped studio apartment, warmly welcomed by the pathetic aptitude report resting on his laminate desk.
What? E? F?
Yeah, keep your grades. Your big brother here has already awakened!
Weee-wooo—! Weee-wooo—!
“Huh?”
Why were civil defense sirens suddenly wailing across the district?
Bzzzzz— Bzzzzz—
At the exact same time, his smartphone rattled aggressively against the table.
“Did an incident break out?”
Eunhasu Park? That was literally right outside his front entrance. A stone's throw away!
“Kwoooaaar—!”
Holy crap, it broke out already?!
If this were the old Kim Haun—the powerless non-awakened civilian—hesitation would have been a lethal luxury. He would have snatched his wallet and phone and sprinted down the fire escape for dear life.
Now, however...
“Maybe I should get a tap in.”
The greatest charm of an open-world raid gate was contribution distribution. Dealing even a single point of damage guaranteed a proportional share of the raid rewards. He was an Awakener now! Why shouldn't he participate in a local raid?
Of course, he had to master his skill first.
[Energy Bolt]
Looking at the weathered booklet again, it was practically flaking apart. How do you use it? Dead simple.
Tap.
The moment his fingertips brushed the cover, the parchment dissolved into shimmering, starlike motes that sank smoothly into his chest.
Checking his status window now...
Oh yeah, baby! Now we're in business!
Preparations were complete. What next?
Squeeeak—
Carefully sliding his window half-open, Haun poked just his eyes past the sill.
“Kwoooaaar—!”
There it was. A towering, bull-headed colossus with muscles like iron boulders, bellowing furiously as it crushed the park’s steel streetlamps and concrete benches like dry twigs.
And around the perimeter...
Are those Awakeners?
At a glance, there were over ten individuals hovering around the outside of the park gates. The context was immediately obvious: They’re here to leach free contribution, too.
If that was the case, who was driving the raid bus? Who was holding the aggro?
“Wait, isn't that guy Choi Minjun?”
“You’re right, it’s Choi Minjun from the Muguk Guild!”
Perfect. The B-rank tanker known as Iron Wall had stepped up to tank the beast. That meant it was prime time to drop a quick hit and cash in on the rewards!
Energy Bolt
His one and only attack skill. It was his first time casting a spell with his own hands, but he’d watched countless video clips of entry-level mages practicing on the forums.
Energy Bolt.
Lock on to the target, channel your intent, and trigger the skill. A modest dart of sparkling light was supposed to condense right before his fingertip—
“...Huh?”
Wait a second. Something felt horribly wrong.
BZZZZZZ-CRACKLE!
Why wasn't the spell gathering before his eyes, but hundreds of meters in the sky directly above the Minotaur’s skull...?
And why was it so damn massive?
This wasn't a dart of light—it was a blazing, incandescent meteor the size of an apartment complex!
“Kwoo...?” The Elite Minotaur raised its massive bovine snout toward the heavens in utter bewilderment.
In the fraction of a heartbeat, the falling star—no, a cataclysmic pillar of blinding raw power—slammed straight into the earth.
The result?
KABOOOOOOOOOM—!
A deafening roar obliterated the soundscape as an apocalyptic shockwave detonated across the park grounds, scouring the terrain clean.
And right before Haun's stunned, frozen gaze, a golden prompt illuminated the air: