To My Master (1)
With every reward gathered and secured, Yu Jaewoo reached into his inventory and pulled out the fragments of the Pre-Opening Ticket.
“Combine!”
Pre-Opening Ticket has been completed.
Would you like to use it?
“Yep.”
Pre-opening Floor 49 of the Tower of Korea.
The deadline for clearing Floor 49 is December 31, Year 29.
“That should take a little weight off Team Superhuman's shoulders, don't you think?”
Team Superhuman. Its leader, Cho Sang-hyuk in particular, was someone every South Korean citizen looked up to with reverence.
Dad's a fan of Team Leader Cho Sang-hyuk too. Say no more.
That said, Yu Jaewoo had something far more important on his mind right now.
“Skill points.”
Current Skill Points: 1,000 SP
“Heh heh heh. Master, just you wait a little longer.”
Ever since Yu Jaewoo had begun climbing the Tower, the Korean awakener community had descended into absolute chaos.
It wasn't just the internet that was ablaze.
Cho Sang-hyuk, leader of Team Superhuman, was fixated on the notifications popping up one after another.
“Please. Show us what's possible.”
Of course, he knew perfectly well that things would get difficult from the Blue Orc on Floor 8 onward. Even a monster-class awakener couldn't escape the limits of low level. Why else would awakeners climb the Tower, hoard skill points, and acquire better equipment to grow their power? A good skill set might let someone blitz Floors 1 through 5, but the higher floors were another matter entirely.
And yet.
“It's fine.”
Things would change once the nation took this person under its wing.
Cho Sang-hyuk wanted it — wanted it desperately. He prayed the awakener who had extended Korea's lifeline was a wise one. Someone who would quickly recognize their own limits and reach out for help.
Then it came.
A Legendary-Rank achievement has occurred on Floor 7 of the Tower of Korea.
Cho Sang-hyuk let out a breath of relief. It was a good omen — proof the wall hadn't been reached yet.
“The later the limit arrives, the better. That just means the potential for growth is that much higher.”
But then—
A Legendary-Rank achievement has occurred on Floor 8 of the Tower of Korea.
“Wait, what—?”
For a moment, Cho Sang-hyuk doubted his own eyes. Had that person really killed the Blue Orc in ten seconds?
A Legendary-Rank achievement has occurred on Floor 9 of the Tower of Korea.
A Legendary-Rank achievement has occurred on Floor 10 of the Tower of Korea.
“You've got to be kidding me!!”
A curse burst from the mouth of a man who almost never swore.
“That blood-red Scorpion AND the Bone Golem!?”
The Tower showcased a boss monster every five floors. Floor 5 had the Goblin King; Floor 10, the Skeleton Warrior. And this person had shredded them all within ten seconds?
A rookie who hadn't even registered with the state?
How did that make any sense?
Cho Sang-hyuk was left speechless. The Tower of Korea had opened two floors ahead of schedule.
“That person is without a doubt S-class. Someone who will surpass not just me, but even Daniel of the United States.”
Fists clenched tight with elation, Cho Sang-hyuk felt a growing conviction that his retirement might truly not be far off after all.
“Team Leader. It's almost time for the Floor 48 survey.”
“Yeah. Let's head out.”
A smile spread across Cho Sang-hyuk's face, and he left a post on the awakener community.
Cho Sang-hyuk's steps were light, and the post he'd left behind set the community ablaze.
Yu Jaewoo snorted as he browsed the community.
“And here I wondered what all the fuss was about. Turns out I'm the cause.”
Not that it changed anything.
“Four hundred low-grade magic stones, huh.”
Ever since Towers had appeared across the world, magic stones had become the planet's foundational energy source. They had zero environmental impact, and a single small stone could yield tremendous energy — every energy industry on Earth had welcomed them with open arms.
What's more, awakeners with the Blacksmith class had been busy forging climbing gear — weapons, armor, and the like — from processed magic stones, and even building shelters that the wealthy would covet. Nobody was slacking on expanding magic-stone-based businesses.
Naturally, magic stones were in short supply everywhere on Earth.
Couldn't the awakeners just keep entering the Tower to get more?
One might think so, but it wasn't nearly that simple — because no awakener, regardless of who they were, could clear the same floor more than three times in a single day.
Would you like to exit the Tower?
“Yes.”
Yu Jaewoo returned to his tiny studio apartment, then immediately hurried to the Awakener Association. He intended to sell off every last low-grade magic stone he'd acquired in the Tower.
He found the trading counter and pulled a number ticket.
Huh. There sure are a lot of Association staff in black suits today.
Just then, a woman with ash-brown dyed hair approached him. Tall and slender, she had the kind of face that drew any man's gaze.
“You're Yu Jaewoo, correct?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I'm Section Chief Jeon Sua of the Awakener Association. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise. Though, how did you know I was Yu Jaewoo?”
“All of our Association staff memorize the faces of every awakener, so we can give each and every one of them the finest possible treatment.”
What a load of bull.
Jeon Sua spoke with a pleasant, easy smile, but Yu Jaewoo knew better. No employee on Earth bothered memorizing the name of some F-class awakener like him.
I even watched one of them pull up my file while checking my face from way over there.
Yu Jaewoo's expanded senses missed nothing — not the smallest shifts around him. The staff's murmurs, their glances, their movements, the subtle currents in the air.
They're not just approaching me. They're walking up to most of the awakeners here and asking around.
“Ah, yes. Must be tough work. So, what can I do for you?”
“Are you by any chance aware of the awakener who's been clearing the Tower with Legendary-Rank achievements lately?”
“Of course. It's all the awakener communities have been talking about.”
“So you do know of them. Then, if you happen to find out who they are, would you let us know? The Association is quite desperate to find this person.”
“And what would you do once you found them?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked what you'd do once you found them.”
Jeon Sua was caught off guard by the question. What would we do once we found them? The man wasn't even a high-rank awakener — just a lowly F-class — and yet here he was with this attitude.
It might have come across as rather rude. But precisely because of that, Jeon Sua chose her words carefully.
There's a chance he's an acquaintance. Family, even. Or the person himself. I have to keep every possibility open.
“The Association's position is clear: we intend to recruit this awakener into Team Superhuman. Depending on their abilities, the starting salary would be no less than ten billion won annually.”
“...Ten billion won?”
“Yes. Furthermore, we'll provide the finest equipment Korea can muster to support their Tower climbing.”
“Oh-ho.”
“And that's not all. Office space, tax exemptions, secretarial and protocol support — practically speaking, we'll ensure the awakener never experiences a moment's inconvenience living in the Republic of Korea.”
“I see.”
Yu Jaewoo filed away Jeon Sua's pitch in the back of his mind.
It really is a bold offer. Honestly, having a secretary would cut down on so many headaches. That part's tempting. But joining under someone else's banner... that just doesn't sit right with me.
Just then, Jeon Sua asked, hope plain on her face.
“Do you, by any chance, know who the Legendary-Rank awakener is?”
“Nope. No idea.”
Yu Jaewoo shut it down cold.
“......”
Jeon Sua nearly flared up on the spot, but held it in. She hadn't expected to find the person in one try anyway.
Calm down. The Association's goal right now is to spread its position as widely as possible. Even if this man just relays what he heard here to others, that's a win.
Indeed, Cho Sang-hyuk and the Korean Awakener Association were hell-bent on tracking down the awakener behind the Legendary-Rank achievements.
And now, of all times, Daniel Jensen — America's absolute top-ranked awakener — was crossing the ocean. The tension had doubled overnight.
Jeon Sua feared Daniel Jensen's visit above all else.
Could it be... he's coming to take them?
The thought kept gnawing at her.
All the more reason to be careful.
Jeon Sua flashed Yu Jaewoo a bright smile.
“If you happen to learn anything, please contact us at this number.”
“Ah, sure. Whatever.”
Taking her business card, Yu Jaewoo mused to himself.
If they'd tried to detain me or force my hand, I was ready to grab the family and emigrate. Good thing that doesn't seem to be the plan.
Of course, even so, he had no intention of revealing himself right away. Organizations that wore one face in public and another in private were a dime a dozen, wherever you went.
My old company, for one.
Whatever the conversation, you had to talk to the head. And the closest thing to the head of the Republic of Korea right now was—
Cho Sang-hyuk, I suppose.
“Well then, excuse me.”
Yu Jaewoo gave a light nod, and Jeon Sua turned and walked away without another word.
Just then, his number was called.
“Yes~ coming through!”
Yu Jaewoo sprang up and hurried to the trading counter.
Screw the Association — right now, it's forty million won that matters!