The Giving Tree

You always read about it in comic books and novels—characters rubbing their eyes in utter disbelief.

Up until now, I thought it was complete nonsense. I'd never found myself in a situation bizarre enough to warrant it. But now that it was happening to me firsthand, I finally understood.

"Wait... is this for real?"

Rubbing my eyes wasn't enough. I blinked once, twice, squeezed them shut, and forced them wide open again.

The figure didn't budge.

"Whoa... Over five hundred million won? That's insane."

I didn't even know a bank balance could hold that many digits in one place. Perhaps because it was a sum I had never laid eyes on in my entire life, staring at it simply refused to feel real.

Granted, people had floated estimates of at least two hundred million. Even so, five hundred million? And according to the screen, the auction was still underway. Which meant...

"It could go even higher."

Man... talk about hitting the jackpot.

This was what being an Awakened was all about. One massive strike, and you rake in hundreds of millions in a single breath. People always raved about how addictive the profession was, and now I could see why. Better yet, I hadn't faced an ounce of genuine danger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to earn it. It was pure, unadulterated gravy.

And what made it even sweeter was the identity of my top patron.

Right there, staring back at me.

"A Chinese bidder."

To put it bluntly, I had never harbored fond feelings toward China. In fact, intense dislike would be a far more accurate description. The country grated on my nerves in more ways than one.

Before awakening, it was because of Luo Qin's infuriating, arrogant television interviews. After awakening as a Climber, it was because of all the dread circulating online.

Threads like that flooded the forums every single day. Some commenters claimed people were overreacting, but were they, really?

Just look at how they operated. All I did was clear a dungeon that existed to be cleared, and they immediately lashed out with political retaliation on a government-to-government scale. Seeing nonsense like that made it pretty clear the internet wasn't exaggerating at all. My goodwill toward them had been at an absolute zero percent, but...

"Hmm... maybe they're actually nicer folks than I thought?"

When I stopped to tally it up, just how much had China handed over to me so far?

The Floor 5 blessing, Seal of Amplification.

The Floor 10 blessing, With Explosive Power.

The nationwide buff, Song of Victory.

After so generously relinquishing all those magnificent prizes without putting up a fuss, now they were topping it off with a tidy five hundred million won in cold, hard cash!

"Man... how did they even know I was strapped for funds?"

Five hundred million won translated to roughly fourteen thousand mana stones at current market rates. With a stash like that, I could gorge myself on premium elixirs until my meridians burst. What an absolute giving tree of a nation. Thank you, people of China! I promise to repay this heartfelt generosity with an EX-rank speedrun on the next floors of the Tower of Despair.

Beijing.

Inside the strategic war room of the Heavenly Martial Alliance Headquarters, every senior executive had gathered alongside their supreme leader, Alliance Leader Luo Qin.

"Is everyone present?"

"Yes, sir!"

The atmosphere inside the alliance over the past week had resembled a funeral home. Having world-first blessings snatched right out from under their noses was bad enough, but failing to secure the quarterly national buff was a humiliating geopolitical disaster. On top of that, the astronomical financial losses incurred from their failed preparations were enough to make one's head spin.

With such a string of catastrophes, how could morale survive? The executives had spent the past few days monitoring their own breathing, terrified of making a sound in Luo Qin's presence.

"Good."

Fortunately, that suffocating terror would come to an end today. Today was finally the day.

"Liu Wei, how much time remains?"

At the inquiry from the 'Heavenly Emperor' Luo Qin, Liu Wei glanced at the data feed streaming from his subordinate, Tang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jun, and answered without hesitation.

"Approximately two minutes remain before the auction concludes, after which the transaction will execute immediately. The moment the trade finalizes between both parties, I will seize the bastard's tail."

"Excellent. We will finally rid ourselves of that little rat."

The response clearly pleased Luo Qin, whose tense expression softened slightly.

"Have you all eaten?"

"We have, Alliance Leader!"

"I intend to dine after reviewing the outcome of this operation, sir."

"Indeed, a wise thought."

The fact that he was casually asking after their meals was proof enough of his shifting mood. Had it been yesterday, such pleasantries would have been unthinkable; only a murderous chill would have filled the room.

"Ah, and regarding the Red Stream Spear—I shall bestow it upon you, Liu Wei, as a reward for your diligent efforts. Dispose of it however you see fit."

"Thank you deeply, Alliance Leader."

Liu Wei maintained a grateful expression, though his inner thoughts told a very different story. The Red Stream Spear? As if I'd ever use such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a thing. Frankly, he wouldn't touch it even if it were offered free of charge. While Liu Wei was a sensory scout rather than a frontline combatant, he still had to conquer tower floors to raise his level. The weapon currently resting in his personal inventory was worth 1.3 billion KRW on its own. The Red Stream Spear? Its fair market value was two hundred million at best.

To think they were dumping seven hundred million won worth of mana stones into a piece of junk like that.

Damn Korean bastards.

They were an utter nuisance in every conceivable way. The South Korea Awakener Management Bureau, the Muguk Guild... puny insects whose entire collective might couldn't fill a single legion had dared to jump into the bidding war. Their motives were obvious enough—they were desperate to establish a connection with the mysterious seller. But when the price soared past half a billion, they chickened out and dropped the bid, driving up the cost for no good reason.

Even worse was the seller's arrogant transaction clause.

Just reading it made a vein throb in Liu Wei's temple. Why demand cumbersome mana stones when clean currency existed? Mana stones were primarily used for heavy industrial manufacturing; ordinary Awakened had little use for them in bulk. Occasionally, certain rare skills consumed them, but fourteen thousand? Nobody in their right mind possessed a skill that devoured that kind of volume. Still, it didn't matter. Luo Qin had placed no limit on the operational budget.

"Spare no expense. Track him down by any means necessary. Once you do, everything will return to its rightful place."

Luo Qin's initial command had been absolute, and entirely correct. Once they located and eliminated that nameless '???', the nightmare would be over.

"The Intelligence Division and Assassination Squad have already been positioned across South Korea," an executive chimed in. "The moment his identity is verified, the strike will commence immediately."

"Well done."

The leadership was functioning like a well-oiled machine. No matter how talented this rat might be, could he possibly evade operatives who made a living out of slaughter? Impossible. These were veterans who had quietly liquidated high-floor foreign rankers without leaving behind a shred of evidence.

"Your blessings will soon return to your grasp, Heavenly Emperor."

"Allow us to offer our early congratulations, Alliance Leader."

The mana stones about to be transferred and the precious elixirs consumed during their Special Dungeon preparations were gone forever. But the tower's blessings were different. The moment '???' drew his final breath, the stolen blessings would revert to Luo Qin. From that perspective alone, this operation was a massive net profit.

"Looking back, it is truly regrettable that we failed to eliminate him before the Special Dungeon commenced," another executive murmured.

Liu Wei mentally agreed. Had they dealt with him sooner, those Korean worms would never have laid their hands on the national buff.

"What is done is done," someone countered. "Let them revel in it for three months. Once that window closes, they will never sniff such glory again for the rest of their miserable lives."

"Indeed. Three months."

When that grace period expired, the buff would return to China's rightful custody, seized through overwhelming, undisputed dominance. The mana stones were a non-issue as well; Luo Qin's territory generated them at a rate equivalent to printing money.

Liu Wei exhaled slowly, focusing his inner energy. The only variable that matters is whether I can grab hold of his tail.

Locate him, execute him, and cosmic order would be restored. Koreans were insignificant vermin who possessed nothing of their own anyway.

All right. It's time.

"Heavenly Emperor, the auction is closing. I am preparing to reverse-trace the dimensional flow immediately."

Go ahead and take the bait, little insect, Liu Wei sneered inwardly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠An S-rank Detection Awakened will drag you into the light within seconds.

Ten seconds... five seconds... and then.

The mana stones vanished from Tang Jun's linked inventory, replaced instantaneously by the crimson gleam of the Red Stream Spear. It was the typical magic of the marketplace, utilized by Awakened cloaked in anonymous skills. Ordinarily, this was where the transaction ended. But Liu Wei had been waiting for this exact millisecond. He unleashed his specialized sensory authority, casting his perception along the residual ether to track the destination—

"...Huh?"

Liu Wei's breath hitched. What was this?

"Liu Wei? What is the matter?" Luo Qin demanded, his gaze sharpening.

"That... there is no trace to follow, sir."

"Did you lose him?"

"No! It is not that I lost him—there were no residual traces to begin with...!"

Liu Wei stammered, unable to comprehend the readout of his own senses. How could this be? No matter how sophisticated an anonymity skill was, it was never infallible; an S-rank detection specialist of his caliber could always latch onto the microscopic ripples left behind by a spatial transfer. Yet right now, there was nothing. It was as if the transaction had never occurred in reality at all.

What did that imply? There was only one conceivable explanation.

"The skill concealing him... its conceptual rank far surpasses my own."

Whether it was the man known as EX-jwa or the nature of his technique, one terrifying truth stood clear: his power operated on a tier entirely out of reach for an S-rank Awakened.

"Whew..."

Fourteen thousand medium mana stones? Absolutely wild.

"Man, I feel so full I don't even need to eat dinner tonight."

And these weren't just any mana stones—they were a heartfelt donation courtesy of the Chinese elite. Then, another prompt flashed across my vision.

Wait, Liu Wei?

I recognized that name. He was a famous national-tier Awakened, China's premier S-rank sensory specialist. Which meant...

"Whoa... Those petty bastards were actually trying to hunt me down?"

What on earth had I done wrong? I was just an honest citizen quietly conquering dungeons and towers! If they had a problem with me taking the clear, they should have conquered it faster. Truly, my feelings were hurt. But if that was how they wanted to play it, I had no choice.

"I'll just have to use the mana stones they so kindly gifted me to chug elixirs like water and snatch every last one of their remaining blessings."

Were they tracking me down to buy me a congratulatory meal? Obviously not. They were looking to assassinate me. Brrr, terrifying folks...

Knowing that danger lurked on the horizon, sitting idly by was out of the question. What was the solution? Grow stronger, step by step, and acquire more skills to keep myself safe.

Hmm. With this kind of capital...

I could afford just about anything in the market. First on the agenda was fulfilling a long-held ambition: marching into the Arcana Market and flaunting my wealth right in the face of that perpetually grumbling golem, Cassius. With fourteen thousand stones in my pocket, I was practically royalty. Decision made.

Time to stride in there and shout, "Make way for the big spender!"

Ding-dong!

"Make way for the VIP!"

A man had to follow through on his plans. The moment I kicked the doors open, I belted it out at the top of my lungs—only to freeze in my tracks.

"You're finally here."

Wait. That deep, shadowy hood draped over an intensely disheveled, slacker-like figure...

"Senior Merlin?"

What was going on? Why was he still lounging around in the market? Had he moved in or something?

"I have been waiting for you, boy."

"Huh? For me?"

"Indeed."

Why on earth was an ancient Archmage camping out in a convenience store waiting for me?

"Tell me, young man... how would you like to properly climb the Tower for once?"