Swordsmanship Training (1)
It was the same as before.
Woooong!
Space warped, and the rewards poured out.
2nd Floor clear rewards have arrived!
Strength, Agility, and Stamina had each risen by one.
100 TC acquired.
He had gained Tower Coins as well.
And more.
Privilege ability activates.
Save point has been set to the present moment.
The save point had been reset as well.
At the same time the scenery outside the Tower came into view. Where he had once tumbled hard onto the ground, experience let him stick a proper landing this time.
Huuuh.
It was pure agony.
The fight moments earlier had been anything but easy. Even with every movement mapped out perfectly in his head, actually driving the body through those motions demanded terrifying concentration. And because this still-feeble flesh refused to obey him the way he wanted, that concentration had to be doubled.
He still had almost no idea where to even begin fixing it.
Still.
This time Kang Si-a’s help had kept him alive. He had finished it in a single run without needing another regression.
The problem was—
“Hey.”
Yu Jae-jun rose, brushing dust from his clothes.
“You.”
He looked genuinely astonished. Even while thrashing in pain he had clearly seen it—the unreal sight of someone stepping onto a shield, launching upward, and piercing the Ghost Horse’s skull in one clean stroke.
“What the hell was that just now?”
“What?”
“That last move. Doesn’t look like anything a normal person can pull off.”
A quiet wariness bloomed in Yu Jae-jun’s eyes. He had been the one flopping around after taking a hit to the gut from the Ghost Horse, and then this guy had stolen the show… of course every teammate’s gaze was now locked on him.
So what?
This entire team could become a threat. The 3rd Floor ahead would be far harder, and the thought that the others might prefer sticking with this scrawny stranger over him flashed through his mind.
Yu Jae-jun swept a quick look around. Just as expected—every pair of eyes was already fixed on Hyun Si-woon.
This was dangerous.
“Mm, just…”
Hyun Si-woon shrugged.
“Got lucky.”
He glanced sideways at Kang Si-a standing beside him and smiled.
“No wonder she’s a gold medalist. If that arrow hadn’t clipped the spear shaft, I’d be dead too.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. You saved my life.”
Hyun Si-woon dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment of the thanks.
“Ha… hahahaha!”
Yu Jae-jun forced a laugh and tried to wrap things up.
“Right? Sometimes luck just hands you moments like that. Haha! Well, we all made it out alive thanks to that, so that’s enough, yeah? At this point we’ve all helped each other out—best we each go our own ways from here.”
The tone was smooth, but the meaning was plain as day.
A clear eviction notice. We’re a team. You’re a solo. Hit the road.
Whatever.
Hyun Si-woon gave a short snort of laughter. He had no interest in staying tangled up with Yu Jae-jun either.
“Same thought here.”
He said it flatly, then turned without further hesitation and started walking.
Baek Yeon-ho took a half-step forward as if to speak, hesitated, then closed his mouth again without a word. Kang Si-a watched Si-woon’s receding back with quiet regret and let out a small sigh.
No one said it aloud, but everyone knew.
Hyun Si-woon was no ordinary climber.
In a deserted park on the outskirts of the Tower, Hyun Si-woon first examined the sword he had obtained.
Name: Formless Sword
Type: Sword
Grade: Normal (Growth-type)
Traits: The soul of a deceased Sword God dwells within the blade.
Attack Power: 5
Durability: ∞ (Indestructible)
The soul of a Sword God, huh.
How skilled with a blade did you have to be to earn the title of “God”?
He gripped the cold hilt firmly and gave it a light swing.
Whish!
The sound of it cutting the air was clean, but nothing else stood out.
He swung a few more times.
Swish. Shook!
Still no special energy or reaction. It was as quiet as if it were asleep.
Nothing special.
Was the soul not going to awaken or anything?
“Formless Sword? Sword God?”
He tried speaking carefully, just in case. No answer came. Even tapping the blade’s surface with a fingertip only returned cold, absolute silence.
“Sword God-nim?”
Honorifics didn’t work either.
Not the right time yet, maybe.
It was a growth-type weapon. Its true usage might only appear once it developed.
Just use it for now.
He had no idea how to make it grow, but answers usually showed up if you kept swinging.
Growl.
I’m hungry.
In the past, finding food meant raiding convenience stores or abandoned buildings. Even that had only been possible in the early days after the world collapsed; later he had chewed through stockpiled dog food. Things had gotten so bad that people started eating filthy pigeons and rats.
But now?
Things were different. A look through the community free boards showed quite a few base camps springing up around the Tower.
I need to start taking nutrition seriously.
Climbing the Tower had taught Hyun Si-woon just how important the body was. Eat well, and muscle followed.
A quick search turned up a suitable place.
Codename: Blind Zone.
A base camp in Samjeon-dong. About a ten-minute walk from the Sports Complex.
Hyun Si-woon headed there at once. He didn’t run into any monsters along the way. Killing monsters gave a chance at TC or items, so most of the beasts around Jamsil had already been cleaned out by other climbers.
“This it?”
A nearby abandoned house. A five-story multi-family unit. Weeds choked the old walls, and the front door was sealed with Danger — No Entry tape.
He lifted the tape carefully and stepped past. In the only clean windowed guard booth sat a middle-aged man.
“What brings you here?”
He looked ordinary enough… yet his face was far too clean for this ruined world. Meaning he washed regularly. The gatekeeper the community posts had mentioned, no doubt.
“Came to fix a window.”
“Repair tools?”
“Here.”
Hyun Si-woon casually drew the low-grade climber’s sword and showed it. Proof of status.
“Solid. Head down to the basement.”
“Thank you.”
Guided toward the underground stairs, he descended until a thick iron door appeared at the bottom.
And then—
Krrrng!
The door opened.
“Whoa.”
The space that unfolded was so vast the word “basement” felt ridiculous. An entirely different world. The layout was a strange hybrid of underground parking garage and bomb shelter. Soft radio music drifted from deeper inside, occasionally mixed with laughter.
And the most shocking part…
The smell.
Ah.
Hyun Si-woon’s fists trembled.
That smell.
Ramen boiling. Meat roasting… precious fragments of ordinary life still existed down here.
He swallowed hard. Saliva flooded his mouth.
When was the last time he had eaten real food? After the world fell he had wandered for half a year, so… around then, probably.
He stayed still and waited a little longer.
Footsteps approached from farther in. A man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, dressed exactly like a guide for the place.
“Are you the manager?”
“I am, climber. I’m the management team leader for Blind Zone. Feel free to call me Kane.”
“Kane…”
“First time here?”
“Yes.”
The community posts only explained how to find the place; they stayed completely silent about the interior layout.
Kane freely explained the structure in detail. It was divided into three large zones.
Zone 1: residential facilities.
Zone 2: convenience facilities.
Zone 3: marketplace.
Zones 1 and 2 could be used for a reasonable fee paid to the managers. Zone 3 allowed unrestricted trade and exchange among climbers.
“People are clever. The world’s only been broken this long and camps like this are already popping up solid.”
“It does more than just serve as a simple shelter. I hope you like it here.”
“Thanks for the explanation.”
“Not at all—it’s my job. Also, arguments or violence between climbers are banned inside. If something like that comes up, settle it outside.”
“What happens if someone breaks the rule?”
“Well… heh.”
Kane looked oddly relaxed.
“I’ve seen a few cases while working. Next day both of them were gone.”
“…”
What did that mean? Dead? Or simply expelled?
Either way.
Clearly a group with real force was running the place. Controlling this many climbers without strength wouldn’t be easy.
I’ll use this place for a while.
Make it a base, handle food and lodging, train the body. And while he was at it, slowly prepare for the 3rd Floor.
Hyun Si-woon rented the cheapest room they had. A 1 TC-per-day capsule room—literally just enough space to lie down, with a pillow and blanket. No washroom or toilet. Larger rooms with those amenities went for 10 TC a day.
Payment was simple: climbers bumped fists. A trade window opened, and Hyun Si-woon transferred 10 TC to Kane.
“Ten days paid in full, customer. Press the call button anytime if you need anything else.”
Kane bowed politely, handed over the room key, and left.
Next he moved to Zone 2, the convenience facilities. Several restaurants were visible. He had originally planned to grill some meat, but that desire evaporated instantly.
What the hell—samgyeopsal is 50 TC per serving?
The value of simply renting space versus the value of food existed on completely different levels. In a world like this, the price of anything “tasty” shot into the stratosphere.
“One bowl of ramen, please.”
“5 TC.”
“…Okay.”
Even ramen was absurdly expensive. He suddenly understood why every monster in the area had been hunted to extinction.
Still have to eat, though.
He paid and waited. A plain bowl of ramen arrived—no green onions, no egg, nothing. Just the basics.
Slurp!
It was still delicious. How long had it been since he properly chewed and swallowed real food?
The noodles vanished down his throat before they could even cool.
Ahh.
Warmth spread through his stomach.
If he wanted to keep eating like this going forward?
He needed to earn a lot more TC. That meant getting stronger, and nothing was more certain for that than climbing the Tower.
But…
In his current state it was too much. He needed to polish his swordsmanship a bit first…
Suddenly something in his pocket brushed his fingertips. A business card he had pocketed just in case.
Tae Min-seok
● Full Member of ARMA
● President of the Western Swordsmanship Association
● 2-time HEMA Tournament Champion
● Gladiator Trainer
(Address of current residence noted on reverse)
Should I go check this place out?
Clink.
Hyun Si-woon finished the last drop of broth, set the empty bowl down, and quietly stood up.