Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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It was the 10th day since he started climbing the tower.

Clearing the 9th floor yesterday was easy as well.

Strictly speaking, it was easy for Cossack, not himself, though.

The 9th floor mission to eliminate 10 Jungle Cannibal Corpse Flowers.

Gigantic cannibal corpse flowers that spread their petals on the ground in the lush jungle forest and snapped shut to bite down on the feet of any human who passed by.

"What is this, sir? It is a hindrance, sir."

They had no teeth, the force of their petals closing was weak, and although digestive fluids seeped out, it was only at the level of a slight sting when it touched the skin.

John Cossack simply trampled all over them.

He crushed the corpse flowers into the ground, turning them into unrecognizable mush.

"Should I try stepping on one too......."

"Hey, please do not come close, sir. It smells bad and your shoes will get dirty, sir."

Wasn't he growing up too much like a greenhouse plant?

On the other hand, since he naturally didn't have any combat skills, it was also correct not to rush in.

Anyway, the 9th floor clear was also a success.

An S++ Rank was the default value.

The Platinum Badge was a bonus.

How reassuring it was.

The fact that he was an insane assassin who had brutally murdered three people wasn't even an issue.

'Honestly, he committed that act to protect me, too.'

Today was the 10th floor mission.

Starting with Cossack's designated summoning.

The satisfaction rating was unconditionally 5 points as well.

However?

[John Cossack's satisfaction rating has been recorded as 5 stars.]

[Due to the continuous accumulation of perfect scores, John Cossack's manifestation duration is increased by 1 hour.]

'...Huh?'

He hadn't even thought about that.

'Giving him perfect scores was worth it.'

John Cossack also had a joyful expression.

"Thank you, sir. I have become able to assist you for 1 more hour in the future, sir."

"I say this all the time, but please take good care of me."

"Just trust me, sir!"

Joo-hyuk and Cossack entered the 10th floor.

[Entering the 10th floor of the South Korea Black Tower.]

[Physical abilities have been enhanced according to your level.]

[Traits and combat skills can be used.]

His mood felt different now that he was around the 10th floor.

He could definitely feel it consciously now.

'I've gotten stronger.'

The readjustment of physical abilities inside the tower.

Vitality overflowed, and strength surged.

Furthermore, there was a faint trace of mana he could feel from his lower abdomen.

Although it was useless right now since he hadn't learned any skills.

Among the status window items, there was one called [Combat Skill].

Joo-hyuk had nothing since he had the Summoning trait, but other combat trait players usually acquired one from level 1.

Then did that mean summoners could never learn combat skills forever?

That wasn't true.

They could learn them when they leveled up, or through items received as rewards, for example, something like a Skill Rune.

At any rate, the 10th floor's mission.

[10th Floor Mission : Eliminate 1 Giant Horned Mantis.]

[Completion Time Limit : Within 2 hours.]

[Completion Condition : Giant Horned Mantis 0/1]

[Failure Condition : Death or Mission Abandonment]

"I'll help too."

"Uh-uh, you must not, sir. On the day Summoner Bong gets even a single scratch from a mistake, I will have to bang my head on the ground, sir."

"No, still, I feel bad just playing around, and if I get hurt, I can just drink a Healing Potion. Because I have the ones I got as a reward."

"Please save the potions and just shower me with praise from behind, sir."

He didn't want to be a greenhouse plant anymore.

He would do something, anything.

"No. This time, without fail! I'll definitely come along......."

In that instant!

Crackle, crunch!

A massive Giant Horned Mantis appeared, pushing through the forest.

"...Uh."

It was huge.

Just looking at it gave him goosebumps.

The compound eyes of a giant insect.

Well-developed large jaws and mouth.

Front legs curved like scythes.

A horn protruding from its triangular head in place of antennae.

That was the 10th floor's monster?

How did other players hunt that thing?

"...I-If I try to foolishly interfere saying I'll help from the side, I'll just be a nuisance to you, Mr. Cossack, right?"

"Well, there is nothing that would be particularly a nuisance, sir."

"No. It would be better for me to just cheer you on from the side rather than giving clumsy help."

"Is that so, sir?"

"Yes! Give it your all, Mr. Cossack."

"Yes, sir!"

Papapat!

Cossack charged forward at a frightening speed.

Stabstab!

Two thrusts destroyed the mantis's compound eyes.

Slash! Slash!

Two knife swings completely severed both of its front legs.

Stab! Riiiip!

The mantis's abdomen was sliced open by the deep blue Sword Aura, causing all its internal organs to spill out.

It was over in an instant, as expected.

The Giant Horned Mantis was defeated without even being able to counterattack.

[You have succeeded in the 10th Floor Mission.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Reward : 1kg of Mana Stone]

[Notice : You have achieved the clear rank S++ for the 10th floor of the Black Tower (South Korea).]

[S++ Clear Reward : A Platinum Badge is awarded.]

[You can challenge the 11th Floor.]

[Exiting the South Korea Black Tower.]

Spat!

Joo-hyuk returned to his studio apartment.

'...It's already over.'

Did this mean he escaped being a beginner?

He should check his rewards.

1kg of Mana Stone.

A total accumulation of 5.5kg.

What about the Platinum Badge?

He had received a special privilege of Awakening Trait Enhancement when he had 5, so.

[A special privilege is granted for accumulating 10 Platinum Badges.]

'...Again?'

A privilege had popped up.

What could it be?

[Privilege : You may copy 1 of the skills possessed by your summoned entity.]

[List : Blade Explosion, Shock Break, Despicable Ambush, Poison Dagger, Shadow Step, Disrupt, Stealth, Invisibility, Polymorph.......]

[Please state the desired skill.]

"...Wow."

Skill copy.

Did that mean he could learn one of John Cossack's techniques?

There were too many.

Which one should he choose?

"Summoner Bong, sir!"

"Yes?"

"Unconditionally choose Shadow Step, sir."

"What.......?"

"The skill you will copy from me, sir. Do not question it, just learn Shadow Step, sir."

Should he?

He should ask for the reason first.

"Why?"

"It is convenient for running away, sir. Even if something goes wrong with me, you can flee stealthily and quickly, sir."

"......."

Fleeing, huh.

What did he see him as!

Did he look like someone who would run away just to live by himself?

"...Acquire Shadow Step."

[You acquire the skill : Shadow Step.]

[The Shadow Step skill has been registered in the status window.]

Fast feet were extremely important in combat as well.

Speed was the lifeblood of a fight, wasn't it.

Of course, it was also useful when running away.

In any case, the method to use the skill smoothly flowed into his mind.

Skill : Shadow Step

Description : You flee quickly, leaving afterimages behind. The effect becomes better as the level increases.

Usage method.

You could use it by speaking the name out loud, or by manifesting the will internally while taking a step.

'I'm pleased.'

[Combat Skill] : Shadow Step

Now he had gained a skill to use inside the tower.

'Could it also work in reality.......?'

He just needed to try it.

"Shadow Step."

He manifested the skill, but.

"......."

There was no change whatsoever.

"It doesn't work."

He had secretly been looking forward to it.

"This is a total mess."

The summoning skill was possible outside.

But why didn't the combat skill work?

If they let him summon, they should let him do this too.

"There is no consistency. No consistency!"

"I do not know what it is, but what you say is correct, sir."

It was a shame.

It was an incredibly useful skill when running away.

If it was possible to use outside, there would have been a tremendous amount of places to use it.

Still, he could use it inside the tower, so he was becoming safer and safer.

It was a desirable direction.

* * *

The 11th day since he started climbing the tower.

It was his day off from his part-time job.

He specifically took a vacation day.

Because there was something he needed to do.

A sudden thought occurred to him.

Should he quit his part-time jobs?

'...I'll wait and see a little longer.'

Tower clearing was not difficult.

He just needed to call Mr. John Cossack, and it was over.

Since he said there would be no problems until at least the mid-10th floors.

He would need to add one more person for the late 10th floors.

Once the Random Summoning cooldown returned, that is.

Anyway, what he needed to do this morning was already decided.

Namely, selling the Mana Stones.

However, he had to go through a special procedure.

The most difficult and arduous moment for Joo-hyuk.

The stone that contained energy harmless to the human body, the Mana Stone.

It was used throughout the entire industry, and research was continuously ongoing.

He could sell it anywhere he wanted.

However, the moment he attempted to sell the Mana Stones.

His identity as a player would be exposed.

He would be placed in an extremely dangerous situation.

A player was a warrior who exerted their abilities inside the tower, but in reality, they were no different from normal civilians.

He might get kidnapped and confined by bad guys, becoming a Mana Stone shuttle.

Players died a lot inside the tower, but they also died a lot in reality.

Well, this was a case that didn't apply to Joo-hyuk.

Because he could summon John Cossack in reality like a loyal bodyguard.

Even so, he couldn't feel entirely relieved.

What if a tricky situation arose after John Cossack was unsummoned?

What if, coincidentally, he couldn't summon him immediately due to the designated summoning cooldown?

If he thought about safety, there was only one choice.

Contracting with the government.

In the past, players traded with large corporations and joined forces to create alliances like guilds, but those had mostly disappeared now.

There were rumors that black markets or secret player organizations still remained today, but their true nature was unclear.

Contracting with the national government was the safest option.

If requested directly, they provided personal protection.

The nation also acted as an agent to sell mission success reward items.

Truthfully, one could have preconceptions.

That being affiliated with the government meant being unfree, or being unfairly exploited.

However, that was only true in dictatorial governments.

A normal government, particularly the South Korean government, granted extensive freedom to players.

Because players weren't dangerous in reality, because they were strong inside the tower but weak existences outside, and because without them, a tower collapse might occur.

Actually, the state had to step forward and protect them as a top priority.

'The sweet embrace of public power is indeed nice.'

The players currently managed by the nation fell into two categories.

There was the 'Elite' and the 'General'.

The Elites were professional tower climbing teams specially managed by the nation.

They moved with the goal of clearing the uncleared upper floors.

On the other hand, the General or scrub teams were players who had lost their will to climb the tower and only fooled around on the lower floors.

He just had to avoid entering the Elite team.

Because duties and responsibilities would arise.

What Joo-hyuk wanted was the scrub team.

More than 90% of players contracted with the nation belonged here.

Those who just parked on a suitable floor and performed repeating missions.

How great was it?

A goal perfectly fitted to the identity of the timid man Bong Joo-hyuk.

However, there were also sources of anxiety.

The notices he had been hearing recently while clearing up to the 10th floor.

[Notice : You have achieved the clear rank S++ for the �� floor of the Black Tower (South Korea).]

He only recently learned what this was.

After finishing the 10th floor clear yesterday, he logged onto an internet message board called the Tower Climbing Gallery, which players supposedly visited sometimes, to search for information about the 11th floor.

- Are those rumors true?

- Yeah. The Management Agency is keeping it hush-hush right now, but there must be plenty of people who heard the notice.

- Achieving S++ Rank 10 consecutive times, is this Korean patriotism speaking?

- Then what could it be if not Korean patriotism? Do you know what the highest record for a Japanese player is? I heard it was just A Rank. The server-wide notice didn't even go off.

- Even looking globally, A++ Rank is the highest. And there was no server-wide notice then either.

- Do server-wide notices only pop up for S Rank and above?

- Seems like it. But since it's S++ and not just S, it's definitely massive Korean patriotism at play.

- It's obvious they awakened recently..., but who in the world is it?

A server-wide notice that popped up for all players.

Everyone knew.

It was a topic currently heating up various internet message boards.

Naturally, the government would be aware of it too.

'If it's revealed that the main character of the S++ Rank clear is me.......'

He could be forcibly dragged into the Elite Climbing Team.

What did it matter, you ask?

Wouldn't it be better to just casually reveal it was him and step forward proudly?

Wasn't it a golden opportunity to gain honor and wealth all at once?

'That absolutely won't do!'

A single moment of boldness could completely alter the direction of his future life by 180 degrees.

Let's bear this in mind once more.

He didn't receive an S++ Rank because he was outstanding.

He received it because John Cossack was outstanding.

He couldn't guarantee what would happen to Cossack once they crossed the 20th or 30th floors either.

What if he got unlucky with Random Summoning and someone with a lower rank than Mr. Cossack popped out?

'I'll unconditionally join the scrub team.'

What was wrong with being a scrub?

Industry developed, the environment was protected, and the world grew richer thanks to the Mana Stones they acquired.

Alright! Now he just needed to dial the phone number.

And just tell the designated public official, 'I awakened. I want to sell my Mana Stones.', and it would be over.

However, he needed to muster his courage.

It wasn't easy.

Would this truly be right?

It would be irreversible once he called.

Couldn't he just live keeping it a secret like this?

But then what would he do with his future tower climbing rewards.

He wouldn't even be able to sell things like the Mana Stones.

'5.5kg, it's 2.75 million won.'

He picked up his smartphone, then put it down.

He dialed the whole number, then erased it again.

Even now, a myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind.

Ahhh!

The embodiment of indecisiveness.

The pinnacle of pettiness.

It was the curse of his paternal genes.

Father, why did you give birth to me like this?

Wait, no.

Let's trust his maternal genes.

Just as he was agonizing over it dozens of times.

'Right! I just have to hide it somehow.'

He had cleared up to the 10th floor with an S++ Rank, but starting from the 11th floor, he just needed to instruct Mr. Cossack to play around and take it easy.

"Phew......."

Finally, Joo-hyuk picked up his smartphone and dialed 1111.

Beeeep......,

As soon as the signal went through,

Click!

- Hello? Please speak.

"H-Hello, I'm Bong Joo-hyuk. Umm, I, I... contacted you because I a-awakened."

He really went and did it.

- Congratulations. Might it be alright if our government-affiliated assistants visited your home?

"Yes, that's fine. But I'm living independently away from my family home. The address is......."

- Understood. We will rush over as quickly as possible.

The ordinary citizen, Bong Joo-hyuk.

It was the most courageous decision he had made in his twenty-five years of life.

Even more than entering the tower for the first time.