Chapter 4: You’re Doing It Alone?

#1

The Tower of Protection had one hidden rule.

Just as clearing blocks first in Tetris sent penalties to other players, the first team to clear a stage here summoned special monsters for the other teams.

Climbers called these “Objects.”

Who would send out the Objects first?

That was arguably the most important factor in climbing this tower.

‘They’re only coming from one direction. Good.’

The Tower of Protection’s map changed with every game and every stage.

This time, they would start by defending one entrance, with others gradually opening up.

Hwanung devised a strategy.

Not that there was much to devise.

“Monk, focus on Lucas. Everyone else, pace yourselves.”

“Understood.”

Unlike the summons who answered readily, Lucas seemed a little off.

Rage flickered in his normally steady eyes, and his body was trembling.

What was wrong with him?

“Lucas?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

“What’s wrong?”

Hwanung asked on reflex.

It was his instinct to treat his summons as people, not tools.

They looked human and showed every sign of intelligence.

Naturally, Hwanung treated him as a person, too.

“I was reminded of the past for a moment.”

“The past?”

Did each summon have a separate backstory?

Before he could ask anything more, the stage began.

[Enemies are approaching.]
[Protect the Guardian Stone.]

A horde of zombies came swarming in with the system alert.

The zombies looked entirely human.

Not just Lucas, but the other summons, too, grimaced in disgust.

Seeing reactions like that, they really were just like people.

Hwanung folded his arms and calmly gave his orders.

“What would you have me do?”

His newest summon was a type he hadn’t seen before.

A [Low-Level Druid], with pointed ears like an elf’s and pale skin.

The stats fell somewhere between a mage’s and a warrior’s.

The skills involved binding or attacking enemies with vines.

Hwanung spoke casually.

“Could you help keep the number of zombies Lucas has to face at once to a minimum?”

“Understood.”

[Grow!]
[Rapidly grows and controls plant roots and stems.]

The druid reached out, and enormous tree roots burst from the ground.

It was quite a spectacle. Hwanung stared, captivated.

‘With this…’

They could cut down the zombies as they came.

Grrrrrr…

The zombies charged with eerie moans.

Aura poured from Lucas’s body at the head of the formation, marking the start of the battle in earnest.

Slash!

Hwanung watched Lucas swing his sword furiously.

At least the terrain the druid had created made the fighting easier.

Strangely, Hwanung felt as though he could clearly see what his summon was feeling with every swing.

‘I’ve never felt this before.’

Lucas’s stamina was still holding up. Perhaps he should watch a little longer.

Why was Lucas swinging his sword with such emotion?

What had he meant about the past?

‘I guess each character really does have a backstory.’

For now, that was the only conclusion he could draw.

Once again, he was struck by the incredible attention to detail.

Maybe it was an ability of this avatar.

It was about time he started watching Lucas’s stamina.

Hwanung shouted sharply.

“Lucas! Keep your cool!”

“…”

Lucas’s excessive movements stopped short.

Grrrrrr!

A zombie lunged at the opening, but the shield bearer supporting him from the side shoved its hideous face back.

“We’re here too, Sir Knight.”

“…Thank you.”

Lucas let out a long breath, and his gaze became impassive once more.

He glanced back at his Master, Hwanung, watching from the rear, and composed himself.

His swordwork became direct and precise again.

‘They’re only…’

They were only ghosts of the past. Illusions.

Lucas calmed his turbulent emotions and swung his sword mechanically.

All he had to do now was bring his Master victory.

“Hup!”

He put his abilities to work, cutting down the zombies.

Solely for his Master’s victory.

[Stage 1 Clear]
[Calculating results.]
[Waiting for the other Climbers. Please stand by.]

After ten minutes, every zombie lay dead.

Hwanung added another summon and got ready for round two.

Objects would appear from Stage 2 onward. He had to stay sharp.

‘One when I entered, one after ten minutes, and another when Stage 2 starts.’

That would let him add three summons in no time.

Did he have five N-ranks now?

‘In that case…’

He concluded that he could add another R-rank summon in the final stage.

The more towers he cleared, the stronger his forces would become.

Thinking he would have to keep at it, he waited for the results.

[Stage 1 Results]
[1st: 10 minutes 21 seconds – Avatar No. 19930211]
[2nd: 10 minutes 34 seconds – Tete and 4 others]
[3rd: …]
[…]

“Huh?”

He’d gone and taken first place.

#2

The Baldhead Climbing Club’s [Tete Crew].

They had expected to take first place without question. Instead, they had come second.

The Tete Crew was livestreaming their climb, so the results were shown to every viewer.

—??

—????

—Why second? And 1993 is soloing?

—Oh, someone’s here to stomp noobs again;;

—Some Climbing Club must be sniping them. :’(

“Uh… Isn’t that the person?”

“1993? You’re right! From the Miner’s Tower.”

“Ah… Why did we have to end up in the same session?”

Avatar 1993.

The avatar who had broken the Miner’s Tower record.

The name had been spreading through the forums by word of mouth, and now they had wound up in the same session.

As a result, the Tete Crew would have to face a boss monster in Stage 2.

The thing was, that avatar had entered the tower alone.

Taking first place solo was no easy feat without incredible stats, equipment, and accessories.

“Seriously. Are they actually sniping us?”

“Come on, we don’t know that. It could just be luck.”

“Maybe they’re practicing to be a Driver? Who knows… Anyway, looks like we’ll have a boss monster to deal with, too.”

—Even better.

—Lord 93 just handed them some sweet video material lmao

—Tete Crew hunting an Object? Can’t miss this.

—Lord 93 knows how streaming works.

—For real lol

The Tete Crew’s viewers took it in stride.

Climbing a tower alone was impressive in itself, so the viewers saw it as more content to enjoy.

The Tete Crew’s leader, [Tete], also assumed some unknown expert had come to snipe them and prepared for the next stage.

“But how high would your stats have to be to pull that off alone?”

Someone asked the question.

Speculation immediately flooded the chat.

—At least two of the four main stats would have to be over 40.

—You’d need a stacked skill set, too.

—Wouldn’t you need decent equipment and accessories as well?

—If even one stat is over 60, you could do it wearing whatever.

—Lmao why would someone like that even come here?

An avatar with one stat at 60 or higher, or two at 40 or higher.

With enough stamina, player skill, equipment, and skills to round things out, they concluded it was possible.

Since Hwanung’s Mana was 100, they weren’t wrong.

[Stage 2 begins.]
[Eliminate all enemies.]
[Number of Waves: 8]
[Object Appearing!]
[Boss – Degenerated Ogre appears.]

Meanwhile, Stage 2 began.

#3

The easy hunting continued.

The teams that hadn’t placed first had to fight a boss, making their clear times longer. Once they fell behind, they would keep losing out on first place.

The Tower of Protection was structured so that whoever seized the advantage could keep pressing it.

With Lucas at the front, Hwanung continued hunting at a comfortable pace.

The burden on his summons kept easing.

He could draw another summon every ten minutes, so his forces would grow stronger no matter what he got.

“Hmm. Still looking good.”

Stage 1 had ended without incident.

He had gathered six N-rank summons to use as evolution fodder.

He could definitely secure another two. What should he do about the last one?

‘Waiting carries a big risk with those Objects.’

He had a choice to make.

Build up ten summons, or give up one summon to chase a record.

After a moment’s thought, Hwanung chose the former.

“Now’s not the time to obsess over records.”

He didn’t mind coming second.

He would still receive a certain amount in rewards, and he would have more summons.

For now, strengthening his forces was the right choice.

3 × 8 = 24.

Add the time for the final round, and that made twenty-seven minutes.

If he held out for just twenty more minutes, he could get another R-rank summon as soon as the final stage began.

Then he absolutely had to draw.

“We’re going to hold out for twenty minutes from now. Everyone, stay sharp.”

“Understood!”

The summons answered in unison.

There was nothing special about Stage 2, either.

The question was whether the Tete Crew could kill the Object and overtake him within twenty minutes.

Wasn’t dragging things out actually good for him?

Hwanung relaxed.

He only had to pass the time while making sure his summons weren’t wiped out.

Twenty minutes sounded simple enough, but it was a very long time.

“Whew… I’m starting to tire.”

“Please step back for a moment. I’ll hold them off.”

“All right.”

The problem was the zombies pouring in from two directions at once.

His forces naturally had to split up.

But this was where the druid played a vital role.

[Nature’s Wrath]
[Punishes those who destroy nature.]
[Entangles enemies with enormous tree roots, then constricts them to deal damage.]
[Those caught in the roots suffer ‘Status Effect: Bind.’]

CRRRAAACK!

Enormous tree roots ensnared the zombies’ entire front line.

Ranged attacks from the mage and archer followed.

With their weak attacks, the zombies took quite a while to break through the roots. It was a perfect defense.

“Good work.”

“I’ll need a little rest now, though.”

After using the skill, the druid was left unable to do anything for a while.

Still, the druid was more than pulling their weight.

One side was completely blocked off, while on the other, the summons took turns holding the front line.

And then… the long-awaited ten-minute mark arrived.

“Come forth.”

By now, he could activate Draw through will alone.

That made eight.

With another summon, defending became even easier, and the strain on the others eased further.

Then came the last ten minutes.

“Now nine.”

At the same time, the last of Stage 2’s zombies fell.

[You have cleared Stage 2.]
[Calculating results.]
[Waiting for the other Climbers. Please stand by.]

Soon, the results appeared.

[Stage 2 Results]
[1st: 19 minutes 55 seconds – Tete and 4 others]
[2nd: 20 minutes 4 seconds – Avatar No. 19930211]
[3rd: …]

“So close.”

A narrow second this time.

He didn’t know what avatars the other team had, but sheer numbers clearly counted for a lot.

The Tete Crew had five members, while he had nearly twice that many bodies on his side.

They must be delighted.

[Stage 3 begins.]
[Eliminate all enemies.]
[Number of Waves: 10]
[Warning! A boss will appear in Wave 10.]
[Object Appearing!]
[Boss – Degenerated Ogre ×2 appears.]
[Time Limit: 20 minutes]

Stage 3 began.

At the same time, Draw’s cooldown reset, and Hwanung spoke.

“Let’s get our second R-rank.”

[Drawing a summon.]
[Evolution in progress.]

A brilliant light flared, and a new summon appeared.