#1
The community forums.
The hottest news among Climbers generally fell into two categories.
One was overseas Climbing Clubs.
Groups setting out to climb Everest, stories about the world’s three largest associations, and all sorts of related news.
The second was news of Climbers emerging as rising stars in their own country.
<<Lord 93 Battle Footage—Filmed in Person>>
[http://…….]
[Just watch.]
-???
-Is this real?
-His summons can evolve too?
-That’s insane. lol He’s a future World Ranker for sure.
└fr lol
-God, this fucking game is all luck. ㅜㅜ
A single link had been posted.
The video spread like wildfire.
It showed Hwanung’s summons evolving and fighting, all caught on camera.
The battle against Saxen was all there.
The barrier separating the other crews from the fight had hurt the image quality, but every flashy effect and movement was visible.
This much power at Sobaeksan grade?
Considering he was still growing, it was insane.
“Unbelievable… How are we supposed to just sit on our hands?”
“Damn it, why couldn’t he be a hunter, huh? Or a gamer whose real name we know! Huh!?”
“It really is frustrating.”
This was the Korean Climber Association.
The new video had spread far and wide, and the Association had seen it too.
Kang Taejin kept watching it over and over.
These days were full of wonders—and bitter frustration.
According to their intelligence, the Baldhead Climbing Club, the American Association, and the European Union had all made contact with him.
They had sent emails, but there had been no response.
They hadn’t managed to meet him in a tower, either.
Why? Why was the Korean Association the only one that hadn’t made contact?
“Damn it… And we can’t go digging up his personal information.”
“Why don’t we just close our eyes and do it?”
“No. This is a matter of trust. What would Lord 93 think of us? We have to find him on our own.”
“All right, then. In that case, let’s be patient. From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t seem likely to jump at the first offer.”
That was Taejin’s secretary.
Yes, he knew.
He knew that.
But he couldn’t help feeling anxious.
The human heart was the one thing that refused to do as it was told.
“We still have plenty of time. If we take it slowly and keep sending emails, he’ll respond eventually.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. So pay attention to our public image, too. Improve the benefits for other Climbers while you’re at it. Understood?”
“Right… I see what you mean.”
The recruiting war was about to begin in earnest.
Lord 93 had made his email address public.
That meant he was ready to get his name out there, surely.
Someone who wanted to keep operating alone wouldn’t publish an email address.
“It’ll be a battle of public image. We need to win him over.”
“Yes. And, hmm… How about setting up a bit of a rivalry?”
“A rivalry. Good idea.”
Of course, they would first need an avatar capable of rivaling him.
Taejin’s head was beginning to hurt.
“What about the others?”
“I’ll find out.”
“Good.”
How were these “others” Taejin had mentioned reacting?
The American Association was doing little besides heaving sigh after sigh.
“You haven’t been able to contact him even once since then?”
“That’s correct. We haven’t been able to get near him.”
“Whew… That’s a problem. Have you tried emailing him?”
The person in charge nodded at the branch director’s question.
The head of the sales department.
Ever since Eric had been summoned back to headquarters, the department head had been working hard. But the nature of the towers made it extremely difficult to contact Lord 93.
If only they could at least get his phone number.
“Nothing for it. Keep sending emails. Leave comments on his channel, too. And don’t hold back on the donations.”
“Understood.”
Fame brought money.
That was only natural.
Recruiting a Climber had value on an entirely different scale from recruiting a gamer or a sports star.
It meant securing someone who could obtain the energy source that kept the world running.
How many people in the Association truly understood that value?
The branch director sighed quietly.
They had gotten off on the wrong foot. Spectacularly so.
If only he would give them one more chance…
‘Summons that evolve. I don’t know how far that evolution can go, but doesn’t that make him a one-man army?’
A summoner.
If he developed along the standard path for one, he would become someone no one could hope to match.
He wouldn’t have to split the profits, and labor costs would be low, too.
The director of C.C.A’s Korean branch let out a long, heavy sigh.
#2
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you! We hope you enjoy the products! Hehe.”
The two representatives from MM Company bowed.
They had distributed equipment to the three summons.
Its effects were as follows.
“Does it suit me, my lord?”
“Yes.”
Eyas had received a hwando that increased Agility and Strength and carried a buff to its cutting power.
[Phantom Hwando]
[Strength +3] [Agility +5]
[Greatly increases cutting power.]
[Repairs damage to the blade’s edge.]
With an effect that even restored its edge, it was an excellent weapon indeed.
She had received armor, too.
[Warrior’s Armor]
[Stamina +3] [Agility +2]
[Has a 20% chance to deflect enemy projectiles.]
Her equipment alone now gave her a whopping nine points of Agility.
Eyas’s combat power had increased exponentially.
What about Lucas and Jina, then?
“It will take some time to grow accustomed to this sword.”
“You’ll get the feel for it after a few training sessions.”
[Longsword of Fortitude]
[Strength +4]
[Reduces the effects of all status ailments by 20%.]
A weapon, and…
[Shining Hero’s Armor]
[Strength +5] [Stamina +3]
[Grants access to the skill ‘Shield of Light.’]
[Shield of Light: Summons a shield that reduces damage by 50%.]
[Duration: 5 minutes] [Disappears after sustaining damage beyond a certain threshold.]
Some seriously sturdy armor to go with it.
Jina had also gained a stat boost from some rather glittery new accessories.
“Have a safe trip back.”
“Thank you! The signing fee will be transferred right away!”
Hwanung saw them off, spent a little more time there, then left the tower.
The money arrived on his way home.
[MM Company, Ltd.]
[Deposit: 50,000,000 won]
[Balance: …]
“Ha.”
It was real.
Fifty million won had landed in his account in an instant.
He had earned a well-paid office worker’s annual salary in one go. It hardly felt real.
They had even thrown in an extra twenty million won, saying they looked forward to working with him.
What should he do with it?
〈Saving up is important, of course, but you should spend some of it so you don’t regret it. Otherwise, they’ll take it all in taxes.〉
He remembered what Mincheol, MM Company’s president, had told him.
Now that he was earning good money, he should spend sensibly and wisely.
Spending was a virtue of the wealthy, too, he’d said.
‘Good advice.’
Sensible spending.
What would qualify?
On his way home, something caught Hwanung’s eye.
Mom, Dad, and his younger sibling.
His family, working so hard to make ends meet.
He wanted to give them something, however modest.
Why not start with some premium Korean beef?
“If I don’t spend money at a time like this, when will I?”
He should pay off the family’s remaining debts, too.
There was a new spring in Hwanung’s step.
It looked like he would finally see his family again after far too long.
#3
He took the Gyeongchun Line to Gapyeong.
His parents lived there. So was the shop his mother ran, where his father helped out from time to time.
A small grocery store came into view, just outside a cluster of holiday rentals.
These days, having things delivered directly to the rentals was all the rage, so fewer customers stopped by the store.
Sales had fallen as a result. His mother was always saying how worried she was.
Hwanung opened the door and stepped into the quiet shop.
“Welcome!”
“Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, Hwanung! You should have told me you were coming.”
The lady watching a YouTube video got to her feet.
A woman with quite a few more wrinkles now—Hwanung’s mother.
“Something good happened, so I thought I’d surprise you. Here.”
“What’s all this? Where did you get the money?”
He held out a gift set.
He didn’t know much about luxury brands or anything like that yet, so he had mainly brought food.
He had splurged on the expensive stuff so his younger sibling, who was studying for the college entrance exam, could eat something nourishing, too.
Hwanung grinned at his mother’s surprise.
“I hit the jackpot. You can stay here without worrying about retirement, Mom.”
“Oh my goodness, really? Really?”
“I mean it. I’ll tell you all about it when Inyeong and Dad get here.”
“You said you were climbing towers. Sounds like you’ve made something of it, son?”
Something like that.
Hwanung nodded.
It had been so long since he’d seen his mother smile. The sight warmed his heart, too.
Evening came.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome back, Inyeong.”
“Wow! What’s that smell? Are we grilling meat?”
“Your brother’s here. He brought Korean beef.”
“Huh? Seriously!?”
Yeo Inyeong, nineteen this year.
Hwanung’s younger sister, born so much later that he had practically raised her, carrying her on his back.
With their parents always busy running the shop and going to work, Hwanung had been the one to take her everywhere.
They were quite close as a result.
Sitting in the living room, Hwanung raised a hand high.
Perhaps because she was studying for her exams, his sister wasn’t wearing a trace of makeup. Her face looked just as it had back then.
“Long time no see.”
“Where’d you get the money? Did you join a good Climbing Club or something?”
“Something like that.”
“Whoa… That’s amazing. You’ll be making loads now. Write me a recommendation when I get to college.”
“Planning to create an avatar?”
It was an innocent question.
Drawing an avatar had become something of a coming-of-age ritual.
But, surprisingly, Inyeong shook her head.
“An avatar? That matters too, but I want to put what I learn in college to use.”
“What are you going to major in?”
“Business administration. I want to manage Climbing Clubs professionally.”
Oh!
Hwanung let out a quiet sound of admiration.
Who knew his little sister had such admirable plans?
He stroked his chin and thought it over.
Instead of entrusting things to a stranger, hiring his sister might not be a bad idea. He could help cover her tuition and spending money while he was at it.
“I’ll think about it. Focus on studying for now.”
“Look out for your own flesh and blood, okay? You know I’m counting on you, right!?”
“We’ll see how you do.”
She was already a gifted student who ranked among the best in the country whenever she took a mock exam, so he wasn’t particularly worried.
He was only being noncommittal to keep her from getting a big head.
“Oh, right! Have you heard about that summoner avatar that showed up recently?”
Ah, so word had already reached here.
Hwanung didn’t bother hiding the smile her words brought to his face.
Should he wait until Dad arrived to tell them?
It sounded like fun to tease her, so he decided to keep it to himself a little longer.
“Yeah. I know him. We’re close.”
“Seriously!? Can you get me his autograph!?”
“We’ll see how you do.”
“Ugh, seriously!”
While the two bickered, their mother called from the kitchen.
“Hurry up and wash your hands for dinner! Your dad says he’s almost here.”
“Okaaay!”
Inyeong cheerfully headed to her room to change, and Hwanung quietly got up.
He was always making do with cup noodles and convenience-store food. It had been ages since he’d sat down to a meal like this.
Just then, the last member of the family arrived.
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home, Dad.”
“Oh, what brings you here?”
The man looked tired, but his kindly smile never left his face. Hwanung’s father.
Hwanung looked around.
The old apartment, the cheap furniture, the bare surroundings…
Yes. Spending money on himself and his family would certainly feel right.
He picked up a pen and a piece of paper lying nearby.
Then, scrawling his signature, he said,
“I wanted to surprise everyone.”
“Dad, you’re home? Guess what? My brother’s made friends with this new Climber—”
Inyeong came out chattering away, and their father kept smiling.
Their mother bustled about, carrying meat to the table. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
Whatever else they lacked, the close bond they shared was their family’s pride.
Hwanung held out the signed paper to Inyeong as she chatted with their father.
“Here. Your autograph.”
“Huh? What autograph?”
“Didn’t you want Lord 93’s autograph?”
“Yeah. Oh, but you… Whaaat!?”
“Surprised, huh?”
It looked like the surprise had been a resounding success.
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