The Heavenly Demon's Method for Conquering the Tower (1)
Honestly, Cho Sanghyuk had never believed that Yu Jaewoo's master could be stronger than Yu Jaewoo himself.
And why would he? If such a powerhouse truly existed, why had he never set a legendary record until now? Why had the 48th floor of the Tower never been cleared?
And yet.
Someone stronger than Jaewoo-nim? Impossible.
But then.
The moment he laid eyes on the Heavenly Demon.
He thought—maybe it really was possible.
If he were an elder with that kind of presence, nothing that happened around him would surprise me.
That was what Cho Sanghyuk and the staff all thought.
And now, in the Strategic Headquarters conference room—
"Then let's begin the briefing."
With a grave expression, Cho Sanghyuk switched on the projector. The environment of the 48th floor and information on its monsters appeared on the massive screen.
"This 48th floor is a boundless open sea, its entire expanse composed of deep ocean. The monster is the Mega Sea Serpent—a colossal beast exceeding one hundred meters in length, with underwater mobility beyond imagination."
Cho Sanghyuk gripped his pointer and delivered an impassioned lecture.
"The greatest challenges are water pressure and oxygen supply. To that end, the Strategic Headquarters has prepared specially manufactured underwater suits..."
Through the thick report he'd stayed up all night preparing and dozens of slides, he tried to explain just how dangerous this assault would be and how meticulous the preparation needed to be.
But the reaction of the very VVIPs who were supposed to be listening was lukewarm at best.
Tak-tak— tak-tak—
The Heavenly Demon idly toyed with his teacup, eyes narrowed in boredom.
"...!"
Cho Sanghyuk felt as if the darkness of some deep, bottomless abyss were whispering to him: Enough.
Flustered, he began to stammer.
"Ah, so, anyway, if you supply magic power to the Water Dragon Armor, underwater respiration becomes possible, and..."
Just as his rambling explanation threatened to continue—
The Heavenly Demon spoke.
"From what I hear, this is nothing more than catching a few loach in the water."
"Excuse me? ...Loach, sir? Those creatures are Mega Sea Serpents..."
"Whether they're hand-sized or the size of a house, a loach is still a loach."
Yu Jaewoo seized his chance and raised his hand.
"Team Leader, just give me the report and skip the explanation."
"But Jaewoo-nim, this assault has far too many variables. If we don't establish a proper strategy..."
"Don't worry about it."
Yu Jaewoo shrugged and flashed a bright smile.
"The strategy is just one thing: Master."
"..."
Cho Sanghyuk stared blankly, his mouth hanging open.
This was the 48th floor assault—unprecedented in human history. And yet these two were as relaxed as people heading off to the local fishing pond to catch crucian carp.
Reckless. Insane. Out of their minds.
Those were the words that surfaced first.
Under normal circumstances, he would have blown up at them.
But he couldn't.
If what Yu Jaewoo said was true, then the two of them were powerhouses who left South Korea's top Awakener—himself—far, far behind.
No matter how loudly he shouted, 'The conditions on the 48th floor's deep sea are far more treacherous than you imagine!' they clearly wouldn't listen.
Right. This is what a true powerhouse looks like.
Cho Sanghyuk glanced toward Section Chief Jeon Sua outside the strategy room, and she nodded and sent him a message.
Cho Sanghyuk nodded.
But his expression was far from good.
The 48th floor is the deep sea. That's a different dimension entirely from snowfields, sheer cliffs, or volcanic zones.
It was the environment that had given Team Superhuman the most trouble, the place that had demanded endless training. If he couldn't train alongside them, then at the very least he should be listening carefully to the briefing...
And yet, in the end—
Cho Sanghyuk set down his pointer.
"Understood. Let's head in."
Seeing is believing. Better to experience it firsthand.
My master and I put on the Water Dragon Armor that Team Leader Cho had provided. Not that our appearance changed—the nano-suit reshaped its exterior to match our usual clothes automatically.
"Then, shall we go?"
We followed Team Leader Cho to the Tower Assault Strategy Center.
After passing through strict security procedures, we arrived at a domed steel cage that looked like it was about to spit out a transforming robot. According to what I'd heard, it was a device for activating Team Leader Cho Sanghyuk's skill, One Existence.
The three of us—my master, Team Leader Cho, and I—stepped inside together.
"Then, we'll be entering the Tower now."
"Is there anything we need to do?"
"From this moment, I'll be using the skill One Existence. When the notification window appears, simply accept it."
"Understood."
I answered, and my master nodded as well.
And then—
Vvvvvmmm—
Team Leader Cho activated the skill, and the interior of the steel cage was flooded with golden magic power.
Would you like to accept One Existence?
"Yes."
"I accept."
You have accepted One Existence.
Setting beings—Cho Sanghyuk, Yu Jaewoo, and Cheon Mujin—as a single existence.
Oh—Cheon Mujin, huh.
Come to think of it, I never even knew my master's full name.
Team Leader Cho spoke.
"Entering the Tower."
Entering the 48th Floor of the Tower of Korea.
Fweeng—
Cho Sanghyuk opened his eyes in the deep sea.
Water pressure that crushed down like an entire mountain. A field of vision black as spilled ink. A chill that burrowed into his very bones.
"Hah!"
The instant he arrived, Cho Sanghyuk held his breath and released his magic power.
Vmmm—
Clank, clank.
The Water Dragon Armor he wore came alive with a blue glow.
In an instant it regulated the crushing pressure, drove out the cold seeping into his body, and made underwater breathing possible.
Haaaa—
Whoooo—
Back again.
Floor 48 of the Tower. The deep sea.
It was a safe zone, so there were no monsters—but the environment alone was enough to kill a man.
Cho Sanghyuk hurriedly turned his head to check on the others beside him.
"Are you two all right, then—?"
In that instant, Cho Sanghyuk's words died in his throat.
They're too fine. No—it's beyond that.
Yu Jaewoo and the Heavenly Demon were simply floating there, serene as still water.
The deep sea is the place I struggled through hundreds of training sessions with my team just to adapt to. And they've adjusted this fast?
Cho Sanghyuk was dumbfounded.
He himself had been fighting the deep sea for two whole years. Floors 46, 47, and now 48. That was the only reason he could collect himself as quickly as he had. But Yu Jaewoo and his master had adapted faster than him, and had already begun surveying their surroundings.
As if even the raging currents of the deep sea parted to flow around them—beings who didn't merely adapt to the environment, but dominated it.
Even I, the strongest in the team, took four months to adapt!
Just then, the Heavenly Demon spoke to Yu Jaewoo.
"From this moment on, raise your spirit-sight and watch closely."
Yu Jaewoo bowed his head respectfully.
Master's real combat. Just watching will benefit my martial path.
Meanwhile—
Cho Sanghyuk swallowed dryly at the tension pressing down on him.
Even I, an S-Class at level 48, find this floor dangerous! This is not some local fishing forum!
While those worries circled in his head—
The Heavenly Demon stepped out of the safe zone.
No—"stepped out" was the wrong way to put it.
To Cho Sanghyuk's eyes, it simply looked as though the Heavenly Demon had vanished.
In the depths of the 48th floor lived a Mega Sea Serpent endowed with intelligence. It was a monster granted sentience by the Tower, one that led its kin and hunted the climbers who dared descend.
But it was bored.
No matter what manner of being the climbers of this world may be, they cannot defeat my kin.
It genuinely believed that—and who could blame it?
A Mega Sea Serpent over a hundred meters long.
Its scales were harder than diamond, and underwater it moved faster than a bullet. It sprayed its scales in every direction to impale its enemies and fired beams from its maw to vaporize them. These were the predators of the deep—creatures with nothing to fear.
And so it had assumed there would be no need for an intelligent being like itself to intervene. But then—
KWAAAAAANG—!
Like bursting water balloons, the heads of its kin scattered helplessly through the water.
Not just one or two. More than a dozen.
What in the world is that thing?!
Fear gripped the Mega Sea Serpents.
Some small creature was hunting its kin through the dark deep sea, and it moved so fast it couldn't even be seen.
FWOOOOOM—!
Another dozen exploded.
It couldn't make out the details—but one thing was certain.
Our kin are being slaughtered.
Blood spread through the deep sea, and shreds of flesh drifted through the water.
ZZIP!
Black lightning tore through the darkness.
Lightning, yet black. Light, yet black.
The surroundings brightened with black radiance, and every time the light faded, an explosion followed without fail.
KUAAAAK!
The intelligent being roared.
"My kin! Spray your scales!"
Realizing nothing else would work, it barked out commands indiscriminately, and the serpents fired their scales in unison.
No matter where the small creature was, they would shred it to pieces.
But—
ZZIP! KWARURURUNG!
Another dozen Mega Sea Serpents died.
ZZIP! KURURUNG!
And again, and again, and again, and again!
Before long, only a single Mega Sea Serpent remained. The intelligent being. The last predator of the deep sea now faced the creature that had dealt death to its kin.
And its body froze solid.
Frozen like a dog before the low rumble of a great beast. It simply locked in place.
This was a being the deep sea's predator had never laid eyes on before.
A dragon wreathed in absolute black.
A Demon God who heralded annihilation.
If there existed a pyramid dividing predator from prey, it would stand at the very apex.
Terror incarnate. A calamity given form.
And now—
That being reached out its hand toward the Mega Sea Serpent.
ZZIP!
Cho Sanghyuk couldn't hide his bewilderment.
"Jaewoo-nim. What on earth is—"
"This is my first time watching Master fight, too."
After the Heavenly Demon left the safe zone—
Black lightning flashed through the deep sea.
And then, the notifications rang out.
You have slain all 100 Mega Sea Serpents.
You have cleared the 48th Floor of the Tower of Korea.
Level increased.
1,000 Skill Points have been granted.
Floors 1 through 20 granted 50 skill points each. Floors 21 through 40 granted 500 each. And from floor 40 onward, 1,000 each.
All of it was flowing to Cho Sanghyuk.
But everything that came next—
An SSS-Grade Random Box has been granted.
You have cleared a floor matching your level within 10 seconds.
You have achieved a Legendary Achievement.
Additional rewards will be granted.
An additional ?-Grade Random Box has been granted.
All of it was meant to be yielded to Yu Jaewoo.
Cho Sanghyuk couldn't process it.
The 48th-floor assault items sitting in his inventory? Never used.
The specially crafted torpedoes? Never used.
Not even he himself—nor even the Legendary Awakener Yu Jaewoo—had left the safe zone. That one old gentleman named Cheon Mujin had walked out alone and handled everything by himself. And in under ten seconds, no less!
Just then, Yu Jaewoo spoke to Cho Sanghyuk.
"I told you, didn't I? That he's stronger than me."
Cho Sanghyuk let out a hollow laugh.
"You said stronger, sure—but you never said this strong."
"That surprised?"
"I thought my heart was going to drop out of my chest."
Just then, another notification window rang out.
Congratulations! You are the first in the world to clear the 48th floor.
Additional rewards will be granted.
Reward: A Random Skill Book has been granted.
Finally—the reward. A random skill book.
This too would be handed over to Yu Jaewoo.
A short while later, the Heavenly Demon returned to the safe zone.
Internal energy swirled around him, parting the water in rippling waves, while top-grade magic stones rained down like shooting stars.
And of course—
The magic stones were all Yu Jaewoo's as well.
Cho Sanghyuk bowed his head to the Heavenly Demon with the utmost formality.
"Thank you for your hard work."
At that, the Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow.
"What are you doing."
Even the slightest shift in the Heavenly Demon's mood sent Cho Sanghyuk's heart racing.
Did I do something wrong? Is it because I didn't trust him at first?
Cho Sanghyuk trembled with fear. But the words that came out of the Heavenly Demon's mouth were nothing like what he'd expected.
"Why aren't you guiding us to the next floor at once."
"...!"