The Magnificent Tower
Tutorial start? What the hell is this all of a sudden…
While that thought was still spinning through my head, a big, burly man who looked like the bandit leader spoke up from below.
He had a nasty scar across his face and the kind of rough, vicious look that made you want to keep your distance.
“Leave everything you’ve got—and the woman—and get lost. Unless you want to die.”
At that, I wanted a better look, so I crawled toward the rock in front of me. It wasn’t a particularly high hill, but the size of the boulder and the slope hid my body perfectly.
At the leader’s words, the man in the robe shrugged it off. What emerged underneath left my mouth hanging open.
Copper-toned skin, long black hair cascading down his back, exotic features, and a body packed with thick muscle like a personal trainer’s. A massive greatsword was strapped across his back.
I knew his class at a glance.
A warrior, huh?!
The muscular man answered the bandit’s demand without missing a beat.
“Don’t feel like it.”
The scarred man burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Look at the guts on this one. Let’s see if you can still stand there looking so full of yourself once you’re a corpse. Kill them all—except the woman!”
“Yes, Boss!”
The bandits charged. The muscular man stepped forward, muttering under his breath.
“Iron Skin.”
His skin, which had carried a warm brown tone, turned a dull gray. He drew the enormous greatsword from his back and met the attack head-on.
Clang—
A heavy, dull impact rang out as he locked blades with the bandits. He was alone, yet he caught every strike from the group with that huge sword. Even the occasional hit that got through failed to cut his skin.
A skill that hardens skin like steel?
After several exchanges he carved a deep slash through one of them.
Slash—
Blood sprayed as the bandit’s body was cut open. The others flinched and stumbled back in shock. The scarred leader watched, then spoke.
“So the bastard can actually fight. I’ll handle him myself.”
He swung his sword. The clash that followed was on a completely different level—a deep, resonant boom that shook the air. They traded blows again and again, but the leader still had his men at his side. The muscular warrior was being pushed back little by little.
Then the other robed figure, the one holding a staff, began to chant. From the build and the voice, it was clearly a woman.
“Grant me the seed of fire. Fireball.”
Flames gathered at the tip of her staff and, at the word “Fireball,” shot straight at the leader.
“Ugh!”
He let out a short cry. The muscular man didn’t waste the opening—he swung hard.
Clang—
The leader caught the blade with both hands, barely holding it. Blood ran from his palms where the edge bit into them. Charred black skin showed across his chest, and the easy confidence was gone from his face.
“Fuck! Kill the woman first!”
Two underlings who had been frozen by the front-line warrior’s strength snapped back to their senses at the boss’s shout and charged the woman supporting from the rear.
That was when a system window appeared.
Think of your inventory to equip a new weapon from within it.
Equip a weapon and fight? Even if this was another world and I somehow had a weapon, there was nothing I could do. Not with my ankle the way it was…
Wait. Hurt?
I checked my foot on pure reflex. Back home, walking had been mostly fine, but any real movement of the ankle still sent little twinges of pain. Here, that pain was gone. It had been gone while I stood up, while I crawled all the way behind this rock.
I rolled the ankle carefully. No pain at all.
No way.
I swallowed hard. It was healed. I just sat there, stunned.
My ankle… my ankle!
Hot tears started to well up—then the muscular man’s shout cut through everything.
“Young lady!!”
The bandits were right in front of her. Her scream followed immediately.
“Kyaaah!!”
The moment I heard her voice, my body was already moving out from behind the rock. I called up the inventory in my mind. Inside sat a single Common Dagger. The instant I pictured equipping it, the blade settled into my hand.
An ankle that didn’t hurt. The best physical condition I’d had in nearly eight years. I drove my foot into the ground harder and ran.
A system chime rang out.
You have acquired a skill.
I drew a deep breath and shouted the skill I hadn’t even looked at yet.
Acceleration.
My steps grew lighter. The world slowed—just a fraction. No. I had gotten faster.
I roared,
“Stop right there!!!”
The bandit lunging at her flinched and turned his head toward me. That tiny window of time was all I needed. I closed the distance in a blur.
When his neck had turned thirty degrees, I was still five meters out. At sixty degrees, three meters. When he had fully faced me at ninety degrees, I was already right in front of his eyes.
I’ll start by cutting that filthy hand!
I sliced across the wrist holding the sword in one clean motion.
“Argh!”
He screamed, dropped his blade, and clutched the spurting wrist. I had meant to take the hand clean off, but I couldn’t quite go through with it. Maybe the idea of cutting a person still sat wrong.
Then I saw the civilians nearby, trembling, unarmed. These bastards had attacked them intending to kill. That settled it.
I would kill them.
I slipped inside the guard of the man still gripping his wrist and drove the dagger into his side.
Shhk—
He poured blood and crumpled to the ground. Another bandit who had been right behind him charged me with a yell.
“My friend… Die!!”
I sucked in another deep breath.
Acceleration.
The instant his thrust came at me I slid sideways, just enough, and buried the dagger in his gut.
“Guh—”
He let out a short cry and went down.
Bandit defeated.
Level increased.
Done. But right after, a searing pain tore through my throat.
Cough—cough—
I couldn’t get enough air. Coughing hard, I turned toward the muscular man just as he cut down the bandit leader. The big scarred bastard toppled over right in front of my eyes.
You have cleared the tutorial.
Bandit Group Defeated: 8/8
He came running toward us.
“Lady Eira!!”
He shook her gently. A moment later her eyes opened.
“I’m… fine… What about you?”
“I’m all right, my lady. Thank the heavens you’re safe.”
Breath finally returning, I looked around at the fallen bandits. The scene was brutal. My stomach lurched. I pressed a hand to my chest.
First time seeing anything like this. Movies didn’t come close. The thick smell of blood. The sticky feel still on my hand. This was real. I had just killed people. And I could have died myself.
Once he was sure she was safe, the man approached me.
“Thank you… truly. For protecting Lady Eira. I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt.”
“It was nothing. I was just passing by and it looked dangerous, so I… acted without thinking.”
“We were incredibly lucky… If you hadn’t been here, who knows what would have happened to the young lady…”
She rose, pushed back her hood, and walked over. What appeared underneath made me stare all over again.
Silver hair, green eyes, skin like white jade, lips that looked soft and full—an absolutely stunning young woman. The white dress with its blue ribbon only heightened that pure, delicate beauty.
She gathered a fold of the dress in one hand and bowed her head.
“Traveler, I am Eira Medici. Thank you for saving me and the others.”
The muscular man stepped up beside her.
“I’m Aiham. Once again, you have my deepest thanks.”
Their sincere gratitude left me a little embarrassed.
“Haha, of course. Helping people in trouble is just… My name is Kim Ki-seok.”
“What a unique name… Ah! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
Haha. In a world like this, I supposed the name would sound unusual. She looked flustered at her own slip, so I waved it off.
“It’s fine. I hear that a lot.”
Eira relaxed and smiled.
“Where were you headed, Traveler?”
The question caught me flat-footed. I knew nothing about this world. Then another system message floated up.
Nearest city: Tebe
Pretty helpful system. I answered,
“I was on my way to Tebe.”
“Really?! We’re headed there too~ Are you an adventurer?”
“An adventurer?”
In fantasy stories that usually meant people who hunted monsters. Did that mean monsters existed here too?
“Huh? You’re not?”
“N-no, I am. An adventurer! Well… more like an aspiring one, hahaha…”
Eira’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“So you’re about to become a full adventurer~ Then ride with us in our carriage!”
“For free?”
She puffed out her cheeks and answered in a mildly offended tone.
“You think I’d charge my savior money?!”
Hahaha. I’d only asked just in case, but free was a relief.
Aiham’s voice cut in.
“We should move quickly. There may be more of their kind nearby.”
So we boarded the carriage and set off. Inside I received thanks from everyone—husbands and wives, an old couple, even the children. All the gratitude I’d ever heard in my life probably didn’t add up to what I received that single day.
Eira, still shaken from earlier, said she was tired and fell asleep. I talked with Aiham instead. This was the Tebe Kingdom, and we were heading for its capital, also called Tebe. Eira was the daughter of one of the most prominent merchant families in the city. They normally traveled with more guards, but this time the destination was close and the roads quiet, so they had let their guard down. That had been the problem.
While we chatted about this and that, the coachman’s voice called out.
“We’re almost there.”
I pulled the curtain aside and looked out.
“What… in the world is that?”
The sight left me speechless. A long stretch of city walls, and rising above them an impossibly massive structure. A tower. Its height and breadth made Korea’s 63 Building look like a toy. It climbed straight into the clouds, and looked solid enough that even a missile strike wouldn’t scratch it.
That isn’t something humans built. That was built by a god.
The sheer grandeur of the tower forced the thought into my head. At the sound of my voice Eira rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“What is it…?”
“That thing outside!”
She glanced out, then explained,
“You’ve never seen it before? That’s the Tower. It appeared suddenly in the Tebe royal capital twenty-two years ago.”
A man’s shout came from outside the carriage.
“Halt the carriage!”
A wall guard. The wheels squealed to a stop. Eira and Aiham stepped out.
“Present your identification.”
Identification? I had nothing. Was I not getting in?
“Here’s my guild card. I’m Eira.”
“Lady Eira, welcome. Did something happen? Aiham looks injured.”
The guard’s tone turned polite at once.
“We ran into bandits… Bad luck, really.”
“I’m glad you’re safe. Please go on in.”
Apparently they all knew one another. Frequent trading trips had made the family familiar with the guards, but rules were rules—they still had to show ID. Lately the number of heretic cultists had risen, so security checks had been tightened. Tebe was a neutral kingdom and generally tolerant of religion, but any faith that harmed its citizens was cracked down on hard.
If I’d come alone they would have grilled me for ages. Lucky break.
“Ki-seok, this is Tebe—the City of the Tower.”
The capital of the Tebe Kingdom was far larger than I had imagined. Beneath the enormous tower, buildings stood packed tight, most of them two stories or higher. The streets thronged with people—pale-skinned folk with pointed ears, unusually short people, people with animal ears and tails.
Eira watched me gawk at the city and smiled.
“Bigger than you expected, right? It’s all thanks to that tower that the place thrived like this.”
“Because of the tower? I’d think something that huge so close would be terrifying…”
“Haha, not at all. Monsters keep coming out of it, so adventurers flock here. That makes it safer, and the city prospers.”
She gave me a quick rundown. At first everyone had thought the tower was a disaster. But inside it swarmed with monsters, and monsters meant money—magic stones dropped from them. The flood of adventurers eager to challenge the tower was what had turned the city into this booming hub.
“Thank you for the ride. But I don’t have any identification. Could you tell me where I can get some made?”
“You can get one at the Adventurers’ Guild. Ki-seok, it’s already late today—stay at our trading company tonight and go tomorrow.”
“Is that really all right?”
“You saved me. Of course it is!”
Truthfully I had been protected just as much as she had, but tonight I decided to accept the girl’s kindness. Pretty face, pretty heart… Eira. She looked young, but she said she was already an adult.
Safe…!!
After about fifteen minutes by carriage a cluster of large buildings came into view. More than ten horses in the stables, at least fifteen workers visible. Just as Aiham had said—a major trading house.
“Lady Eira, welcome home.”
A neatly dressed elderly man with a thorny rose pinned to his breast pocket—clearly a butler—greeted her. I thought only nobles kept butlers.
“Yes, Grandpa Lu, I’m back. Where’s Father?”
“He is inside. But what happened? Aiham is injured. And who is the gentleman beside you?”
“We ran into bandits. This is the man who protected me.”
“May I ask your name, sir?”
“Ki-seok.”
The butler placed one hand on his stomach and bowed.
“Sir Ki-seok, thank you for protecting our young lady. Please, this way.”
He opened the door and led us in. The building he guided us through looked residential and was kept immaculately clean.
A house with its own butler really is different.
I followed him up the stairs. He knocked twice, received permission from the man inside, and opened the door. A middle-aged man in his mid-forties with brown hair and a brown mustache stood waiting.
“Dad!!”
The moment the door opened Eira ran and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back with open relief.
“Why so late? I was worried.”
“Guildmaster, we encountered a bandit group on the way. They were stronger than expected. Sir Ki-seok here helped us, so we made it back safely.”
Aiham reported. The middle-aged man looked startled, then strode over and offered his hand.
“I am Simon Medici, master of this trading company. Thank you for saving my daughter.”
“Hello. I’m Kim Ki-seok.”
We exchanged a brief greeting and sat. A maid brought tea, and Simon launched into conversation—how adorable his daughter was, how proud he was of her. Every other sentence was pure fatherly boasting.
While we talked, Grandpa Lu returned with a small pouch and handed it to Simon. Simon held it out to me.
“Once again, thank you for protecting my daughter. Please accept this small token of gratitude.”
Inside the pouch ten gleaming gold coins shone brilliantly. I had never seen real gold coins in my life and was taken aback.
“Oh no… You really don’t have to go this far… I didn’t help because I expected anything…”
“I know that. But you risked your life for my daughter. Please take at least this much.”
At those words I accepted the pouch with a show of reluctance.
“Then… I’ll gratefully accept.”
That night I was treated to a delicious dinner and given a private room.
Thud—
I collapsed straight onto the bed.
What a hell of a day.
My entire world had flipped overnight. Monsters, bandits, a tower… But I felt no regret. This was the world I had always dreamed of—and more than anything, my leg was back.
“I can… run again.”
It wasn’t the perfect body of my eighteen-year-old self, but it was more than enough. With a healthy leg and a few years of hard work I could get close to that peak again. And earlier, when I used Acceleration, my body had moved at my prime speed—even with this scrawny frame.
Wait. Earlier, just thinking about the inventory had opened it. Then maybe…
Skills.
A new window appeared.
“I knew it!! It’s a game system!”
I shouted without thinking. It was late at night. A knock came at the door—the butler.
“Sir Ki-seok, is everything all right?”
“Sorry, Butler… A moth startled me.”
“Haha, no trouble at all. Have a good night, sir.”
His footsteps faded down the stairs. I let out a long breath of relief.
Whew… Gotta keep it quiet.
I scrolled down the skill window. Two skills were listed:
◈ Beginner Dagger Arts
◈ Acceleration
◈ [Locked]
Still locked, huh?
I scrolled farther. A glittering skill icon sat at the bottom, labeled Tutorial Clear Reward.
What’s this?
I tapped the icon. Light flared, and the skill revealed itself. My eyes went wide. A sword with a water-drop mark, and beneath it the name:
Poison Coating
…Poison Coating.