The Day After the Tower Bug

The day after the bug appeared in the Tower.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At 7 a.m., the alarm blared as usual, pulling him from bed. Baek Seo-hu headed out to the comprehensive bus terminal.

In the end, he hadn't even played around—just slept. To enter the Tower, he had to make a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trip to Seoul first. Buses didn't run that often, so he had to hustle.

"One adult."

"Thank you."

He pulled his cap low over his eyes and added a mask for good measure. He dreaded the thought of every passerby whispering "Baek Seo-hu" in a creepy tone right by his ear.

But maybe he was overreacting? The articles Elise had spread were all properly censored—no personal details that could identify him. He had no idea how she'd pulled that off.

The post he'd made in the Cradle: Mage Gallery calling for recruits had vanished too, which showed just how massive an S-rank's influence was. The rumors had stopped at the perfect level: some ridiculously powerful guy showed up, and that was it.

Well, if word got out that I'd become a hunter, the orphanage kids would've contacted me first.

They'd never miss a chance to leech off him.

Thinking about how precisely she'd targeted his itch for attention made the prophet even scarier.

...Nah, no way.

He leaned back in his reserved seat. Outside the window, desolate landscapes drifted by—traces of places turned into inhuman wastelands where no one could live anymore.

Remnants of failed disaster prevention.

My neighborhood would've become an elf forest too, if things had gone differently.

Even from what he knew so far, there were dozens of disasters from the Tower's early days that no one could stop.

Gwanghwamun Street had sunk into the deep sea long ago. The IT buildings in Pangyo still had living flesh chunks clinging to them, making grotesque slurping sounds if you got too close. And it wasn't just the capital region.

From Gangwon-do turned into an ancient desert to Busan, where the concept of death had vanished entirely.

Land without people held no value, so not even civil servants were deployed there. It'd stay that way for decades—a warning to the living.

That's why hunters had to climb the Tower. For the nation and its people, at least.

The brainwashing I heard parroted at the orphanage wasn't wrong.

Everyone needed mana stones to survive.

Wonder what the world was like a hundred years ago.

Looking at old records of daily life, it seemed vaguely similar at first glance, but something felt fundamentally off. At the very least, people back then didn't have to worry about dying overnight.

Though they probably still fought each other plenty.

Lost in such idle thoughts, he arrived at his destination.

"Those here for hunter registration, please get off and head to the largest building."

Seoul soil under his feet after so long.

He followed the procedures he'd researched online beforehand and pushed open the door to the Hunter Association.

Beep!

He pulled a number ticket and waited; his turn came quickly.

"Customer 387, please come to window 3."

"Yes, that's me."

"What brings you here?"

"I awakened recently and came to start climbing."

"May I see your resident registration card?"

He handed over his entire wallet and rolled his neck. Next up: proof of his awakened trait.

He needed a decently high rank here. With the nationwide hunter shortage, A-rank would be too conspicuous, but C-rank hurt his pride.

Okay, B-rank it is.

He kinda wanted to show off his real power and bask in the attention, but he'd hold back. Then the female staffer's panicked voice rang out.

"You're already registered?"

"What? No way."

"One moment... Ah, my apologies, sir! I'll escort you to the VIP room right away!"

The woman, pale as a ghost, shot up from her seat and bowed deeply.

"What's her deal?"

"Some psycho?"

"What kinda retard pulls that shit at the Hunter Association?"

Whispers rippled around. Surprisingly, after all he'd been through, Baek Seo-hu didn't flinch.

"Did the foreigner pull some strings?"

"I wouldn't know, sir. That's above my pay grade..."

Fully within expectations. He couldn't keep getting shocked forever.

"Lead the way, then."

This routine was getting familiar. If you can't avoid it, might as well enjoy it.

"Thank you for your esteemed visit!"

Stepping through the inner door, a lineup of staff bowed in unison.

Elise, you crazy bitch.

He barely kept a straight face as he followed the guide into a small room.

"Seoul branch chief, Park Jin-su."

A waiting middle-aged man looked up.

"I've heard all the details from her."

"Pardon? What details?"

"The Korean government secretly bringing in an overseas VIP. You're the only one in the Association who knows, so rest easy."

I'm a native Korean, though. What kinda concept is this?

"I'm her underling too, so no need to worry. No need to play dumb here."

Park Jin-su whispered conspiratorially. Baek Seo-hu couldn't even gauge the extent of Elise's reach.

"You'll operate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠under the alias 'Baek Seo-hu' for now, right? I've arranged everything so all related business stays anonymous."

With a slick move like a drug deal, he slid a key across the table.

"Registered you as B-rank for now. Haha, must bruise the ego a bit—bear with it."

Too tired to respond. He just stared at the table.

A standard artifact issued by the Tower Management Bureau to hunters. A blue key symbolizing B-rank.

Stick it in any door, turn it, and you could enter the Tower.

As long as it's not blocked by a barrier.

No more schlepping to Seoul. Feigning a low voice, he asked curtly,

"Anything else ready?"

"Yes, sir. I hear you hate handouts and plan to climb on your own power from the start. Truly admirable. I'm honored."

What bullshit is that? Just give me the freebies.

A bit bewildering, sure, but this VIP treatment wasn't half bad. Hiding his identity during the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠climb had been his biggest headache anyway.

Was gonna earn cash for a disguise artifact first.

Mana elements were more urgent for learning magic right now.

"The fate of Korea rests on you. Best of luck."

The man showed zero doubt. The expectations were burdensome, but it wasn't his lie to begin with.

A hunter hiding their power? If it benefited him, he could play along.

"Gonna check the Tower first."

Using the fitting tone, he stood.

Click!

Inserted the blue key into the incoming door and turned. Beyond lay pure darkness.

"...!"

He stepped in without hesitation, and his mind reeled for an instant. He felt some high-tier magic enveloping his body.

Moments later.

"Looking for a tank for 20th floor challenge! Meet at the exchange!"

"Newbie guild settlement support! Gallery folks, hit the cafe!"

Noises assaulted his ears.

Blinking away the dizziness, he found himself in a luxury hotel lobby.

Ornate chandeliers adorned the cabinets.

Staring at the overly bright lights, his mind naturally translated it.

Not electricity.

Everything ran on mana, so this whole space was magic. High-level stuff, too.

This is Tower 0 floor—the unknown hub just for hunters.

Just like the info he'd dug up.

To start climbing... Ah, that must be it.

Ignoring the crowd, he headed straight for the central elevator and hit the button.

Ding!

The doors parted, and a man inside poked his handsome face out.

"Solo?"

"Yes."

"Target floor?"

"1st floor. First time."

"I'll escort you."

With permission granted, he stepped into the spacious interior. A glance revealed a mana badge on the man's belt.

Silver rose emblem. Real Management Bureau staff.

Even the criminals nailed the details.

The exotic looks and mysterious vibe matched perfectly. But the polite speech was a far cry from before. His heart, which reacted to malice, stayed quiet—good.

Whirr.

The elevator hummed to life, followed by the arrival chime.

The doors opened.

"Have a great climb."

With the obligatory greeting, he stepped out. The 1st floor was just flat terrain—nothing special.

Grrr...

The enemy? A single wolf. Easy pickings for a fresh awakener.

Tower floors 1-10 are tutorial level.

Only one floor per day. He'd blast through fast, every day.

Crackle!

He went with lightning magic. No incantation—a forked bolt shot straight, dropping the wolf.

He nodded.

All info he'd already known.

Almost no one challenged floor 1 already accustomed to their abilities like him, so topping low floors was a breeze.

Gonna snag every bonus reward up to 30.

While waiting, he pulled out his grimoire.

Lightning was tough to practice outside, for sure.

Stick to lightning one-trick for now.

But then.

The moment he opened the grimoire, the system window warped grotesquely.

What the hell now? He held his breath, tensing as his body trembled.

Ding!

A barrage of cheerful chimes.

Did he see that right? 20th floor? He'd cleared up to 20?

Unheard-of events were unfolding.