Chapter 9 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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He exclusively performed the 15th floor repeating mission for half a month.

Waiting for the Random Summoning cooldown to return, he also gained proficiency in his Shadow Step skill, experimented with the Energy Shield, and piled up Mana Stones to fund combat equipment purchases.

Ahhh!

Killing four birds with one stone.

What a substantial plan.

It was perfection itself.

"Energy Shield."

Ziiiing!

A transparent glass membrane enveloped his entire body.

"Shadow Step."

Swat! Swawawat!

Joo-hyuk's figure moved in a zigzag pattern.

Afterimages were left behind every time.

It truly painted quite the picture.

If anyone saw him, they would likely think he was a remarkably high-leveled player.

Joo-hyuk felt it too.

'Do I have talent?'

No way.

Just messing around on the 15th floor like this.......

[You have succeeded in the 15th Floor Mission.]

[Reward : 1.5kg of Mana Stone]

[Exiting the South Korea Black Tower.]

The repeating clear was accomplished.

The problem was that the time taken was less than 10 minutes.

It ended before he could try doing anything.

He could let Shadow Step slide, but.

What about the Energy Shield?

He had to experiment with it somehow.

Should he ask Cossack to stab him lightly with a dagger?

"Yes, sir?"

"Please stab me. With a dagger."

"...Uhhhh."

Upon hearing the request, Cossack covered his mouth with his hand and backed away.

"Wh-Why are you doing this to me, sir? If you are displeased with me, please just beat me to death instead, sir. I, I will never do it again, sir."

"No, I was trying to check if the Energy Shield works properly. Just stab me lightly."

"Gyaaaaaaaaah! I did not hear anything, sir. I can't hear, I can't hear......."

"......."

No, what's wrong with him?

He's making such a huge fuss.

It's not like he asked him to kill him, just to lightly stab him.

There was nothing he could do.

He had to figure it out himself.

Time passed quickly.

Continuous repeating missions on the 15th floor.

The patterns were different every time, but they were Goblin Workers, so it wasn't difficult.

Joo-hyuk practiced his skills.

On the other side, Cossack was beheading the Goblin Workers.

He had to try doing something at least.

Just as he was thinking that.

"Huh?"

Between the tall bushes, he saw a terrified Goblin Worker creeping away stealthily to flee.

'...One bastard?'

Moreover, it had nothing in its hands either.

A loner, unarmed, trivial worker.

"Hmm."

It was a golden opportunity to experiment with the Energy Shield.

What should he do?

He needed to make a decision quickly.

The mission would be completed soon, and he would have to exit.

'Screw it, whatever.'

Swawawat!

Using Shadow Step, Joo-hyuk blocked the crawling Goblin Worker's path.

Thud!

Joo-hyuk's ankle and the Goblin Worker's head collided.

Perhaps thinking it had gotten caught on a tree, the goblin twisted its head and moved to the other side, but thwack! He blocked it again, so.

Flinch.

Only then did the goblin slowly lift its head.

Joo-hyuk looking down, the goblin looking up.

The eyes of the two met each other.

Silence flowed for a moment.

Right at that time!

"Kiyaaaak!"

The goblin bit down on Joo-hyuk's ankle exactly as it was with its yellow, sharp teeth.

Chomp! Crunch!

"Uh, fuck! You scared me?!"

It bit his leg?

Smack!

Joo-hyuk swiftly kicked the goblin's head with a soccer kick.

"Keck!"

Shooooom!

The kicked goblin flew towards Cossack, who was excitedly performing a sword dance.

Then Cossack took care of the flying bastard mid-air with a slash!

"Nice pass, sir! Did you use to play.... gasp!"

As if something came to mind, John Cossack quickly ran towards Joo-hyuk with an astounded expression.

"Summoner Boong, siiiiir!!"

With flustered and frantic gestures.

"N-No, d-did you f, fight a goblin, sir? What were you thinking, a-are you hurt anywhere, sir?"

"I'm fine, though?"

It was true.

He too hadn't expected his strength to be at this level.

No matter if it was a worker, to think he'd send a goblin flying with a single soccer kick.

Even though he couldn't kill it.

'Well, I am level 16, after all.'

It also showcased the Energy Shield's power.

His ankle was definitely bitten, but let alone hurting, not even his trouser leg was torn.

Only the broken tooth fragments of the Goblin Worker were left on the ground.

"Haven't I told you repeatedly, sir? You must not be too brave, sir."

"It's just a mere one."

"One becomes two, two becomes three, and three becomes four, sir."

"It's a weak, weak worker."

"A worker becomes a scout, a scout becomes a warrior, and a warrior becomes a shaman, sir."

"......."

"Please preserve your precious body, sir. Summoner Bong, sir!"

What was this guy's true identity?

He understood that he was highly loyal, but this was too much of a treacherous vassal concept.

If he had been a eunuch in the Joseon Dynasty, he probably would have received an abundance of the king's love.

"I got it, I'll be careful."

He just exclusively performed repeating missions for half a month like that.

His skill proficiency increased, and Mana Stones kept piling up.

A whopping 22.5kg, which would be 11.25 million won if sold at market value.

'Shall I slowly head over to the player shop in the Management Agency?'

To visit the Management Agency, he first had to notify an employee.

Either an employee he met during the contracting process, or the employee in charge of Mana Stone collection.

Joo-hyuk knew two people.

Team Leader Jeon Kwang-il and Manager Lee Min-ah.

The choice was obviously Jeon Kwang-il.

It was easier to meet a man than a woman.

So he sent a message saying he would go to the player shop.

A call came shortly after.

"Hello?"

- Ah! Player Bong. You mentioned you wanted to visit the player shop.

"Yes, that's correct. May I visit right now?"

- I will send an employee immediately.

"There's no need to go that far, I'll just take a taxi."

- Absolutely not. It is a benefit received by all General contractors. You may also sell your Mana Stones at the shop.

"Hmm, yes, I'll wait then."

What? They even sent cars for General clients?

Really?

He coolly accepted this level of special treatment.

* * *

The number of players in South Korea was estimated to be around 7,000.

It could be even less than that.

The reason why an exact number couldn't be stated even though the government contracted with almost all players.

Due to unregistered players, disqualified players, and players who had already died, it was difficult to grasp exactly, so it always fluctuated.

They didn't even know the unregistered ones, so let's pass on that.

For disqualifications, the system itself was deleted if the tower wasn't cleared for 3 months.

The government would only find out a few months later too.

Because they were players who engaged in no Mana Stone production activities.

The government would terminate the player contract and revoke their subsidies or special privileges.

Furthermore, player deaths.

The greatest number occurred during uncleared climbing missions.

Since the higher the floor, the more dangerous it naturally was.

Then were repeating climb missions safe?

Not a chance!

Even if it was the same mission, the patterns weren't identically the same.

The locations and numbers of monsters during subjugation missions could vary.

The locations and types of trap mechanisms during breakthrough missions also changed every time.

He had experienced it while repeatedly clearing the 15th floor too.

If one rushed in carelessly thinking, 'I've done it once so it'll be easy,' they could die just like that.

Mission abandonment also required running all the way to the tower's entrance, the safe zone, to declare it.

You would die while trying to flee.

The number of players who died in South Korea over 20 years just like that numbered in the thousands.

What happened when players died?

They were processed as missing persons.

Because their corpses couldn't be found.

Due to this situation, the nation was also making efforts to ensure the safety of players and encourage Mana Stone production.

One of them was precisely the specialized player shop.

The shop was located in the basement of the Awakening Management Agency in Hannam-dong.

They sold equipment and weapons at bargain prices, charging only the material costs, but they were still expensive regardless.

Joo-hyuk arrived at the Awakening Management Agency in a car with an employee.

Team Leader Jeon Kwang-il was waiting for him at the main gate.

"Welcome, Player Bong."

"I am sorry for causing you trouble."

"Not at all. Please follow me."

The player shop was located in the agency's basement.

However, this wasn't a place just anyone could enter casually either.

"Let's register you first. There is a separate procedure to enter the player shop."

It wasn't a particularly special procedure.

It was a recognition technique proving your identity via your palm veins.

He just had to place it on a glass plate and scan it, and that was it.

Beep!

"From now on, you may come and use the shop at any time without calling in advance."

"Yes. Thank you."

"...Shall I guide you around the inside of the shop?"

"No. I'll take a look around quietly on my own."

"Hahaha, yes, understood. Delivery via courier is also possible after purchase, so please use it freely."

Come to think of it, it had been an extremely long time since he came to an offline store like this too.

He could count it on one hand.

He had only ever done online shopping.

Talking to an employee.

It wasn't easy.

But since he had mustered up the courage anyway.

Joo-hyuk placed his hand on the vein recognition glass situated in front of the shop's entrance door.

Beep-beep!

"Ooh......."

The shop's interior was decorated quite splendidly.

Employees selling the goods, but no customers could be seen anywhere.

Even if the number of players was small, this was still.

Why wasn't there anyone?

'Is it really because it's expensive?'

The Elite Team was great at times like this.

Because equipment items were provided for free to them.

'First, to the Mana Stone selling booth.'

Mana Stone selling.

Currently, he had 7 million won earned from clearing up to the 15th floor.

On top of that, what if he used them as an agent to sell the 22.5kg of Mana Stones he acquired by repeating the 15th floor clear for half a month?

"I have confirmed the 22.5kg. It is 11.25 million won at market value. It will be deposited into the player's account within 3 days after connecting with a buyer and completing the sale."

"U-Uh, c-can I not use it here right away?"

"Of course you can. It exists. Please be advised that your purchases will be deducted from the money you're scheduled to receive later."

"Yes, yes."

Now it was time for shopping.

However, it wasn't a very enjoyable time.

He wanted to buy things quickly and go home.

'Weapons are......."

The corner where weapons were displayed.

Swords with deep blue, sharpened blades, longswords, short daggers, staves, spears, bows, and even handguns.

"Is there a particular item you are looking for?"

"...N-No. I'm not looking for anything specific, but I'll take a look around first."

"Please let me know anytime if you have any questions."

It was definitely hard to initiate a conversation with an employee he was meeting for the first time.

It was still a relief that it was a male employee.

Because he had to ask if he was curious.

"Can all these be taken inside the tower?"

"If you bear them on your person. Furthermore, they can also be placed inside your inventory."

The tower-exclusive inventory only took items that originated from the tower.

But the reason why these could go into the inventory?

'It's because they are made from Mana Stones and tower metal.'

Metals produced in the tower.

Starting from the 30th floors, rewards became more abundant.

Metals that didn't exist on Earth emerged in the form of ingots.

A base of 3kg, and up to 10kg if the clear was excellent.

The types of metals were Adamant, Orichalcum, Sectonium, and so on.

If equipment was crafted from these metals and Mana Stones, it could also enter the tower-exclusive inventory.

That was why it was extremely expensive.

The cheapest weapon cost 20 million won for a single piece.

There were plenty that were even more expensive than that.

These were also items sold to players charging solely for the material costs.

If they brought only the materials, they would sometimes craft them for free, without any labor costs.

"Players are also exempt from needing permission to possess swords. Handguns, however, can only be rented. Entrance must also be done at designated locations."

Naturally.

No matter if they were players, they couldn't just scatter firearms around.

However, guns had limits.

They could occasionally be useful in the 20th floors, but bullets wouldn't penetrate in the 30th floors.

Bows or crossbows, which were the same ranged weapons, were possible.

Because there were skills utilized with bows.

Whereas guns had no skills that could be utilized.

Which one would be good?

He needed to have at least one weapon.

For self-defense purposes rather than the intention of using it to attack monsters.

To at least be able to crack open a monster's skull and flee when faced with a crisis.

'Huh?'

One item caught his eye.

A dull, dark metallic club.

A weapon generally referred to as a mace.

'That looks usable.'

When he asked the employee and actually grasped its handle, the center of gravity was suitable and it wasn't heavy either.

'I like it.'

In truth, bladed weapons felt burdensome.

How was he supposed to cut and stab something moving?

He couldn't even prepare a live fish for cooking.

Good.

A club was perfect.

"How much is this?"

"Ah, it is a mace made from Adamant metal. The price is... umm, 2 million won."

"Yes?"

2 million won?

Did he mishear?

"I-It is an item returned due to a customer's change of mind."

"......."

Suspicious.

The base price was 20 million won.

'Perhaps?'

Team Leader Jeon Kwang-il's face suddenly crossed his mind.

From sending a car when he mentioned he was going to the player shop, to finding absolutely no customers upon arrival, to the claim that an Adamant weapon was utterly merely 2 million won.

A word to the wise is sufficient.

He always prided himself on possessing incredible perceptiveness, all thanks to his timid personality.

'What should I do?'

Should he summon him and request that they sell it to him at the proper price?

Or.......

'I'll just buy it.'

Acting innocent, as if he knew nothing at all.

Since he didn't know, he had no responsibility to bear.

"Wow! It's incredibly cheap. Please give it to me. I'll buy it."

"Shall I wrap it up for you?"

"No. I will place it in my inventory."

Alright, he got a weapon, so what should he buy now?

But looking around now that he was here, there wasn't all that much to buy.

* * *

Management Agency Director Park Kyung-soo asked Jeon Kwang-il.

"How is it? Did Player Bong start his shopping smoothly?"

"Yes, he is currently doing so."

"There are no other customers, right?"

"None. We sent text messages to all the other players that the shop is closed today."

One more thing.

"What about the price?"

"I instructed the employees beforehand to offer him a 90% discount. Because I thought he might not accept it if it was completely free."

"Well done."

He truly hoped it would be a fruitful shopping trip.

Because then he would initiate his climb to the 16th floor.