#1
The surprise for his family was a resounding success.
Inyeong’s reaction was the highlight. She kept asking whether Hwanung really was Lord 93, even insisting that he put her to work as a Sherpa someday.
“Oppa, is this your first autograph?”
“No. I’m afraid it’s my second.”
“Aww, so close. So are your videos just starting to come out now?”
“I guess so? Don’t go telling people about me.”
Inyeong nodded furiously.
Exposing a Climber’s personal information was the greatest taboo of all.
Several violent crimes had actually happened because of it.
After making Inyeong promise over and over, he showed her part of his Avatar Card, too.
Of course, he thought it was still too early to reveal things like his stats and skills.
“No way! It really is you.”
“Study hard. Your big brother will cover everything you need.”
“…Okay. I’m counting on you, Oppa.”
The two had often stuck together since she was little.
Hwanung felt more like an uncle than an older brother to her, so their relationship was certainly different from that of siblings who were always at each other’s throats.
Meanwhile, his parents were more interested in his finances than his avatar.
His father, who had already spent fifteen years at his job, offered some advice.
Hwanung might be all grown up now, but there was still plenty he didn’t know about money.
“Making a lot of money matters, but making it grow and keeping it safe matter, too. Don’t get too greedy.”
“That’s right. Don’t throw it around. Spend sensibly, and put some aside.”
“I will.”
He took his parents’ words to heart.
They were words that would serve him well.
They carried the weight of his parents’ experiences, their pride, their regrets.
No one could call his parents’ lives successful, even to be polite.
“We won’t worry about you. Just look after your health.”
“I’ll make lots of money, Dad. Mom.”
“You don’t have to push yourself. All right?”
It must have been this warmth that had kept them going despite their poverty.
Hwanung took the time to recharge, then headed back to Seoul the next day.
With such a dependable cheering squad behind him, he had to give those towers his all.
The scenery outside the train looked especially beautiful today.
#2
[Hello, Lord 93! I’ve emailed you the edited video! I also have contact details for some editors I know. Try getting in touch with them! And that footage… It was seriously incredible. ㅜㅜ]
The good news kept coming.
Tete’s editor had finished editing his video.
Following her instructions, Hwanung checked the rough cut as soon as he got home.
Dun-dun!
The video opened with shots of the summons’ faces.
His own voice had been kept to a minimum, with the editing focused on the summons walking around, encountering monsters, and fighting.
Spectacular battle scenes featuring Eyas, Jina, and all sorts of other summons.
Large-scale battles you never saw at the lower grades made for a feast for the eyes and ears.
Countless Climbers were posting videos.
But even in the fiercely competitive YouTube market, a video of this quality should have more than enough of an edge.
“Nice.”
He could upload it right away without giving any further feedback.
It was six in the evening.
The perfect time to watch a video on the commute home.
What was there to think about?
‘Let’s upload it.’
Smiling, Hwanung pressed the upload button.
Six in the evening.
There was still some time left in the day, so he intended to return to the towers after his day off.
He now had two SR-rank summons.
Jina was still R-rank, but she could grow, too. He needed to work on that.
For Hwanung, time was both money and strength.
“Let’s go.”
Even rest was a luxury.
Now was the time to get stronger.
Hwanung put on his jacket and headed out for the tower.
This time, he was moving beyond Sobaeksan grade to [Taebaeksan].
[Magitech Tower]
[Grade: Taebaeksan] [Stages: 5]
[A tower where you must contend with various traps and golems left behind by mages.]
[This is a time-attack tower. Mage-class equipment and skills are available as rewards.]
If Hwanung’s hunch was right, he would get to see more of Jina’s story here.
And help her grow along the way.
Would she recognize this tower, too?
Who knew?
He would find out when he got there.
It wasn’t far away, either.
Once he cleared every tower in Seoul, perhaps he could head to Incheon or Busan next.
‘If I include all the towers outside the capital… How many SSRs could I draw in Korea alone?’
He pondered that as he boarded the bus during rush hour.
His future was looking very bright.
#3
[Entering the tower lobby.]
[Magitech Tower]
[Stages: 5]
[Time limit: 30 minutes per floor]
[Once the time limit expires, the stage will collapse and you will be eliminated.]
Hwanung entered the tower.
People glanced his way, then returned to their own business.
Taebaeksan-grade towers were frequented by people whose average stats hovered around forty.
The grade was also known as the newbie shredder, so it was rare for anyone here to make a fuss over a celebrity.
Hwanung quietly went to a corner to prepare for his climb.
He checked his drone and made sure his summons were wearing their equipment properly.
Once he confirmed that everything was ready, he entered the tower without delay.
[Stage 1]
[Time limit: 30 minutes]
[Proceed to the next floor.]
The entrance to an enormous tower.
Hwanung called forth his summons.
A pocket dimension opened, and they emerged.
Looking even more radiant in their splendid equipment, the summons greeted him warmly.
“Master, you called?”
Now a Knight of Light, Lucas shone with a mysterious radiance.
Jina and Eyas also greeted their Master as they looked around.
Just as Hwanung had expected, Jina tilted her head as she gazed up at the enormous tower.
“This place…?”
“Do you know it?”
“I think I’ll have to go inside to tell… There are an awful lot of different kinds of towers.”
“Then let’s go.”
The stage would begin the moment they opened the door and went inside.
Now that the stage had begun, it was time to start building up his summons again.
“Draw.”
[A Monk has been summoned.]
He had needed a healer. Perfect timing.
All right. Let’s go.
“It’s called the Magitech Tower. There’ll be golems.”
“Have you been here before, my lord?”
Eyas asked.
Hwanung shook his head.
The Major Climbing Club was the last club he had been with.
Sobaeksan was as high as he had climbed with Changsu hyung.
From here on, he only knew these places through videos and other media.
“I did look up some information before coming, though. It said there’d be golems.”
“Your world must be well versed in gathering intelligence, my lord.”
“You could say that. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The word “world” gave Hwanung a strange sense of déjà vu.
It seemed to echo something he had heard in his earlier dream.
Still, he probably couldn’t get close to the truth just yet.
He was no fool.
‘All I can do is keep preparing and steadily get stronger.’
Unlike people who had gone back in time or taken over someone else’s body, he had no information to go on.
Rrrrrumble.
The door opened.
[Intruders detected.]
[Security protocol activated.]
[The tower will be destroyed in 30 minutes.]
The race against time had begun.
At Hwanung’s direction, Lucas took the lead, releasing his aura.
Clank!
Golems—defensive weapons—began emerging along the long corridor.
Masses of iron that looked three meters tall.
Hiss! They vented steam, their solid bodies creaking ominously.
Jina scowled at the sight.
As a mage, how could she not recognize those golems?
“Magical weapons… They’re Gigantes.”
“Gigantes. The name fits.”
“Their joints are their weak points, and the Lux in the center is their power source. Remove the Lux and they lose power.”
“Understood, esteemed Jina.”
Lucas advanced to clear a path.
Eyas also drew her sword, wrapping herself in Inner Energy to slip behind them.
Jina waved her staff and warned them.
“Be careful. They’re slow, but they’re tough and pack a punch.”
“Understood.”
The clash began.
Their numbers had shrunk, but their overall strength should have increased considerably.
Could these golems really beat two fully geared SR-rank summons?
Hwanung watched the battle with keen interest.
They certainly lived up to their rank.
Despite Jina’s concerns, the SR-rank summons were overwhelmingly strong.
[In the Name of the Light]
[Attack power adjusted by the sum of Strength + Agility + Stamina]
[All stats +3]
[Can cut through incorporeal beings.]
Lucas’s passive skill activated.
On top of that, a skill attached to his equipment activated as well.
[Shield of Light]
[Reduces damage taken by 50%.]
KABOOM!
Showing none of the fear one might expect from a human facing such a hulking opponent, Lucas caught the enormous golem’s blow without a flicker of expression.
His firmly planted legs absorbed the impact, and his powerful arms moved fluidly.
CRRUNCH!
His aura of light slashed into the golem again and again. It toppled, spraying steam in every direction.
Eyas was also casually dodging the slow attacks and thoroughly smashing the golems’ joints.
“These aren’t as tough as I expected.”
“Those two are just too strong.”
Jina sighed and cast a spell.
A long spear of light pierced a golem’s shoulder and knee, leaving it completely disabled.
They could keep pushing ahead like this.
It was a good thing Jina knew the weaknesses of these golems, these [Gigantes], so well.
Hwanung had done some basic research himself, but that was worlds apart from firsthand experience.
His unchallenged run had begun.
#4
Hwanung’s party had already reached Stage 5—the boss fight.
He had even drawn an R-rank summon, a [Longbowman], along the way, but his expression was far from cheerful.
He had certainly earned a tidy sum from all the Lux they had collected, but something else mattered more.
[Investigate other ‘Mage Towers’ somewhere out there: 1/2]
Despite reaching the boss stage, Jina’s growth objective hadn’t budged.
Was this not a Mage Tower?
[Eliminate the intruders.]
[Remove the intruders.]
BOOOOM!
While Hwanung stood with his arms folded, turning the problem over in his mind, the boss fight began.
True to its name, an ancient Greek word for “giant,” a truly enormous heap of scrap metal threatened the summons.
But the summons had mastered the strategy by now and were handling the fight smoothly, even without Hwanung’s direction.
“Attack patterns first!”
“We shall do as my lord has shown us.”
Hwanung’s summons calmly worked out the enemy’s patterns and proceeded with the raid, step by step.
Their stats weren’t the only things that had grown over the course of their battles.
They had learned how to gain the advantage in a fight, how to handle an unfamiliar, powerful enemy efficiently, and how to minimize the damage they took.
They, too, were learning and growing to meet the challenges of the towers.
BOOOOM!
And so, even the gigantic Gigantes fell in no time.
[New record set.]
[1st Place: Avatar No.19930211 – 94 minutes, 23 seconds]
Creeeeak.
The Gigantes lay in ruins.
Thinking, ‘Maybe?’ Hwanung examined the incapacitated Gigantes.
At least his earlier orders seemed to have ensured that Jina had dealt the most damage to the boss.
Seeing the count rise to 2/5 was certainly a relief.
“Looks like this one was a bust.”
He smacked his lips in disappointment.
Just then, Hwanung spotted something lodged inside the Gigantes.
The moment he picked it up, something unexpected happened.
[You have discovered someone’s legacy.]
[Unlocking a hidden stage.]
[Clear the stage to obtain ‘Exclusive Equipment.’]
[Would you like to proceed?]
“Oh, holy shit.”
Exclusive Equipment, still shrouded in mystery.
He had found a lead to his very first piece.
Yes.
Life always had a way of taking an unexpected turn.
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