The Subscription Service and the Tower's Second Floor

8:00 PM. My brother-in-law closed the restaurant early again today.

"If you close early two days in a row, won't it hurt your revenue?"

"We mostly focus on the lunch crowd anyway, so it's not a big problem. Besides, by 8:00, the dinner rush is practically over."

He hadn't been in the business for just a day or two; I figured he knew what he was doing. He moved quickly between the kitchen and the dining area, carrying side dishes. A bubbling pot of soybean paste stew, scallion salad, pickled garlic leaves, fresh garlic, salt, and ssamjang—all the perfect accompaniments for beef were laid out one by one. Soon, the five of us were gathered around a single table, with a grill heating up in the center.

"Beef! It's beef!" Jieun cheered, clapping her hands from her high chair. Daeun, meanwhile, stared at me intently. She must have found this sudden feast of beef a bit strange. That was when my older sister spoke up.

"You should tell your uncle thank you for the meal."

Following Jieun's lead, Daeun opened her mouth. "Thank you for the meal."

While they were talking, the first batch of tenderloin had cooked to perfection. My brother-in-law picked up the first piece with his tongs and placed it on my plate.

"You and Nuna should eat first."

"The person who bought it gets the first taste. That's the rule."

As I popped the tenderloin into my mouth, it melted away. The texture was definitely different, likely due to selective breeding. The beef I used to eat in Murim was tough and gamey, so it wasn't exactly a favorite. There was a reason I ate so much pork back then.

The atmosphere remained warm and cheerful, but I noticed my brother-in-law kept glancing at my sister. Probably the aftereffects of drinking too much last night. I chuckled and brought it up.

"Nuna."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to have a glass of soju."

"You drank yesterday, too."

"It's just good to see Maehyeong's face after so long."

My sister let out a small sigh and nodded. "Fine, go ahead."

I used Void Grab to pull a bottle of soju from the liquor fridge. Jieun clapped wildly, and Daeun just stared, her mouth agape in a daze. She might ask me to teach her martial arts soon.

"How did you know what I was craving?" My brother-in-law laughed brightly.

I filled our glasses and grabbed another piece of tenderloin. I decided I should make sure we had beef at least twice a week from now on. With the income from an EX-rank Tower, I could more than afford it. I wasn't sure exactly how much would come in, but 5% of the hunters' total income was bound to be a staggering amount. Maybe I could even build a mountain out of cash.

"Nuna, Maehyeong, you guys eat too."

My brother-in-law, who had been busy piling meat onto my plate and the girls' plates, nodded. He dipped a piece of tenderloin in salt, ate it, and let out an exclamation of delight. "It tastes even better because my brother-in-law bought it."

My sister nodded in agreement. "I really did a good job raising my little brother."

After the tenderloin, we moved on to the skirt steak and galbi. Both cuts had their own unique charms. We finished off with flower sirloin and a hearty soybean paste rice porridge.

"Maehyeong, your skills seem to have gotten even better."

My sister chuckled. "He's a hunter now."

"A hunter?"

"There are production-type hunters, too."

My brother-in-law's skill was Dexterity. It had the effect of making him proficient in everything involving his hands. That explained why his already great cooking had reached a new level. A sudden thought occurred to me. Since there were Murim practitioners among the hunters, perhaps my brother-in-law could learn martial arts, too.

"Maehyeong."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to learn some martial arts from me?"

"Even though I'm not climbing the Tower?"

"It's useful even if you don't climb. For starters, having better stamina never hurts, right?"

My brother-in-law nodded. "Should I start calling you Master now?"

I shook my head. "Forget it, Master my foot. I'll always be your brother-in-law."

After a hearty breakfast prepared by my sister, I headed down to the first floor, where a car was waiting in front of the shop.

"Good morning."

I opened the passenger door and climbed in, greeted by the same employee from yesterday. "Are we heading to the Tower again today?"

"Yes."

I had planned to meet Chae Sumin, but we hadn't set a specific time. I could clear the second floor of the Tower first. As I was checking my smartphone, the employee spoke up.

"Is there anything else you need for your climb?"

"I'd like a decent sword."

"I will relay that to the Association President."

We parked in the same lot as yesterday, and I followed him into the lobby. "I will wait here for you."

I nodded and stepped onto the magic circle.

I nodded, and the scenery shifted rapidly. Unlike yesterday's wasteland, I now found myself in front of a castle gate. The background was identical to the 2nd floor I'd seen on YouTube. Of course, true to the EX-rank difficulty, the goblins guarding the gate were different. Normally, it would be two guys holding spears, but now, two goblins clad in full armor stood guard.

I drew my sword and approached the gate. The goblin knight who spotted me drew his own blade. I pushed off the ground, closed the distance in an instant, and swung my sword. Both of them were cut down, armor and all. The moment I sliced the gate in half and entered, archer goblins appeared from all sides. There was no reason to wait for them to fire.

I charged into the goblins and swung my sword wildly. There were over ten of them, but they became corpses after a few slashes. Just as I was wondering where to go, I felt the ground tremble.

"What's this now?"

A goblin was riding atop a monster that looked at least two meters tall. A troll rider, I suppose. The goblin tried to say something when he saw me, but I didn't bother listening and cut him down. I was the type of person who skipped cutscenes in games, after all.

Seeing that the 2nd floor also granted a national buff, it seemed like every floor would offer one. I didn't bother searching the castle since I didn't expect to find anything worthwhile. I exited the 2nd floor immediately.

"You're back already?" The employee looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Goblins are basically beggars, anyway."

"That's true. You usually need to reach Orcs before you find any real loot. Still, this is incredibly fast."

"How long has it been?"

"Thirty seconds. That has to be the record, even for the normal Tower."

"No reason to take my time."

"I suppose that's true."

As I headed toward the parking lot, the employee hurried after me. Once we were in the car, he asked, "Shall we head straight to the Association?"

"No, let's go shopping first." It was time to buy some clothes. It felt wrong to keep borrowing my brother-in-law's.

"Understood."

I mentioned a few brands. "Any of those gone out of business?"

"No, they're all doing fine. I think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it would be best to head to a nearby outlet mall."

"Whatever's convenient."

We drove to the outlet, bought some clothes, and grabbed grilled eel for lunch at a nearby restaurant. For some reason, the employee insisted on paying for everything.

"I could have paid for it myself, you know."

"Not at all. You've brought buffs not just to the Association, but to all the hunters in South Korea. We should at least provide this much convenience."

If they were offering benefits, I wasn't about to refuse. I'd have to tell them I'd wear the clothes well when I saw them later. After eating ten servings of eel, I climbed back into the car.

"Shall I take you to the Association?"

"Yeah, let's go."

We arrived at the Association building in no time. I went up to the 50th floor with the employee. Following the long hallway, I reached the Association President's office. As I opened the door and walked in, Chae Sumin, who had been sitting at her desk, turned to look at me.

"You're here. I heard the news about the 2nd floor."

"It wasn't particularly difficult."

I sat on the same sofa I'd used on the first day, and Chae Sumin sat across from me.

"Did you have a good time shopping?"

The employee who accompanied me must have reported back. "I suppose?"

"If you need anything in the future, please feel free to buy it. The card I gave the employee has no limit."

As I was eating the chocolates from the basket on the table, Chae Sumin asked cautiously, "Do you plan on climbing one floor every day?"

"As long as there are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no special restrictions."

According to my research on YouTube, from the 11th floor onwards, where two people could enter, there were cases with special conditions. The 12th floor, which required two mechanisms to be activated simultaneously, was a prime example. I could probably clear it alone if I struggled a bit, but if I could bring someone along, why bother? I could just take ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyone with me.

I wasn't sure what the 12th floor would offer, but considering the rewards, taking Chae Sumin along wouldn't be a bad idea. It was better to give the rewards to someone who wanted to stay in my good graces.

"About the 12th floor."

"Yes?"

"Let's go in together."

Chae Sumin stared at me blankly before reacting. "Oh, that sounds great. Yes, let's."

"There won't be anything particularly dangerous, so don't worry."

Chae Sumin shook her head. "I'm not worried about safety at all."

"Oh?"

"The fact that you're the only one who can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enter the EX-rank is proof from the Tower itself that you are the strongest hunter in the world."

She knew how to flatter. Since it didn't feel bad, I just grinned.