0th Floor (3)
“Hm?”
Kang Junhyeok was taken aback. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if he had seen it wrong. The number was that absurd.
The reason was not his level, stats, or skill.
It was the Gold.
[1,212 Gold has been awarded.]
He had truly received 1,212 Gold.
“......Really?”
Kang Junhyeok was stunned. That was how absurd the amount was.
The fundamental reward for clearing the Tower was Gold. It was effectively the most basic currency that anyone could receive for a clear.
And the things one could do with that Gold were practically limitless.
Purchasing equipment and skills. Trading, handling events, and more. It would not be an exaggeration to say it could be used for almost anything. It was a currency accepted throughout the entire universe.
Since Gold could only be obtained by clearing the Tower, it was immensely valuable. Accordingly, it was extremely difficult to acquire.
To put it plainly, Kang Junhyeok had obtained a mere 20 Gold for clearing the 0th Floor in his previous life.
He had received more than sixty times as much Gold as before.
“I expected around 500 Gold at most.”
What was this? It was a delightful miscalculation. He could do far more than he had anticipated.
More importantly, Gold was not the only thing he had obtained. Kang Junhyeok opened his mouth.
“Status Window.”
[Kang Junhyeok]
[Level : 5]
[Health : 160]
[Strength : 14]
[Speed : 14]
[Attack + 0]
[Defense + 0]
“Well, now.”
Kang Junhyeok let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the Status Window.
He had only just cleared the 0th Floor, yet he was already Level 5. His Health had increased by the base reward of 60, while his other stats had each risen by 4.
His level was impressive, but the increase in his stats stood out even more.
Stats were extremely—truly extremely—valuable in this world.
It was no exaggeration to call them the foundation of everything.
But raising one's stats was exceedingly difficult.
Surpassing 100 in a stat was the dividing line between top-tier and lower-tier players.
And his stats were already at 14 immediately after clearing the 0th Floor. It was an outstanding start. In his previous life, he had only reached numbers like these after clearing at least the 3rd Floor.
“Still, do I really have only two stats: Strength and Speed?”
It could hardly have been more barren. In his previous life, he had possessed over twenty types of stats, which made the contrast feel even starker.
He would acquire more as he cleared the Tower. Kang Junhyeok closed the Status Window and began his next check.
“Skill Window.”
[Passive Skill : Dagger Arts]
[Grade : Lowest]
[Proficiency : F]
[A technique for handling daggers. You have become somewhat more proficient at wielding a dagger.]
‘I didn’t expect to obtain a skill this early.’
An F-Grade Passive Skill. On its own, it did not look especially impressive. In most games, it would be treated as a grade of little consequence.
But in reality, that was not the case.
Skills were extremely difficult to acquire in the Tower.
The difficulty was so high that some people cleared the 10th Floor without obtaining a single skill.
Kang Junhyeok lightly drew his dagger and swung it. Its path was far smoother than before. It moved as though guided by the system's corrections.
Having confirmed the effect, Kang Junhyeok put the dagger away in satisfaction. The skill only worked when he used a dagger, but there was no downside to having it.
The Tower was extraordinarily tall, and clearing it demanded a great many abilities. Kang Junhyeok himself had conquered it that way in his previous life.
“And I can’t believe I obtained this.”
Kang Junhyeok examined the small pouch with delight.
[Infinite Inventory]
[An inventory of limitless, unknowable capacity. It can store any item.]
Every player in the Tower possessed an inventory.
Naturally, there were limits to the number and weight of the equipment and items it could hold.
Players had to continuously spend Gold to expand their inventory, which placed a considerable burden on them.
Yet as his MVP reward, Kang Junhyeok had obtained the Infinite Inventory from the very beginning.
It was effectively the same as saving tens of thousands of Gold with this one reward. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the best possible prize. He was extremely satisfied.
He had finished checking everything he obtained.
Now it was time to put his rewards to use.
Kang Junhyeok spoke with excitement.
“Open Shop.”
[The Shop will become available after you clear the 1st Floor.]
“......Ah. Right.”
The Shop could only be used after clearing the 1st Floor. It had happened so long ago that he had forgotten. Kang Junhyeok smacked his lips regretfully.
“So I can’t use it yet?”
He wanted to enter the 1st Floor immediately, but that was impossible. After entering the Tower once, there was a three-day cooldown before the next challenge. He had no choice but to wait.
Three days remained.
In the meantime, he could leisurely plan how to clear the 1st Floor and what to purchase from the Shop. Kang Junhyeok was about to begin calculating cheerfully.
‘Come to think of it.’
Before that, Kang Junhyeok paused to think.
He had caused an incident.
An incident that anyone who cleared the 0th Floor and climbed the Tower would find strange.
‘When will they notice?’
***
How is a nation maintained as a collective?
How does it control its citizens? How does it enforce laws and create order?
It is extremely simple.
It possesses the power to protect and control its people.
But ten years ago, the arrival of the Tower shattered that fundamental value. The Tower appeared without warning and swallowed people. State power had no opportunity to intervene.
No citizen wished to obey a nation that could not protect them. Nations whose very reason for existence had been denied began to shake in an instant.
To make matters worse, those who climbed the Tower gained power.
Enough power that mere guns and blades could not stop them.
Those who gained tremendous power naturally wished to become kings. Guilds centered around the strong emerged one after another across the world.
The Republic of Korea was no different. Korea barely persisted as a nation, while three guilds wielded the real power.
The Baekdusan Guild.
The Azure Guild.
And the Freedom Guild.
Among them, Baekdusan, the leader of the Baekdusan Guild, was kicking a desk with a twisted expression.
“Goddamn it!”
CRASH!
The kicked desk crumpled halfway and went flying. Cracks spread across the wall it struck with a thunderous boom. It was monstrous strength, like that of a bear.
‘There goes the repair budget again.’
The secretary standing beside him spoke with a sigh.
“Guild Master. Please calm down.”
“Right now! How am I supposed to calm down?!”
Baekdusan shouted, his face flushed red.
“We got pushed back in the conflict with the goddamn Azure Guild! We lost a district! Do you have any idea how much capital it generated?!”
“There is nothing we can do about territory we have already lost, is there? More importantly, what good will it do for you to get angry? We lost the district because you made the wrong decision, did we not, Guild Master?”
The secretary continued in an icy voice.
“I told you clearly. It was a trap, so you must not go. But while I was away in the Tower, you charged straight in with gusto. Has your curiosity been satisfied? If you intend to ignore everything I say, may I ask why you hired me?”
Baekdusan, who had been raging, flinched at the ice-cold voice.
“A-are you angry?”
“I am. Extremely. So please calm down and stop creating reasons to spend guild funds.”
“O-okay.”
Looking dejected, Baekdusan righted the fallen chair and sat. The secretary felt a little sorry for him when he looked like an abandoned giant dog.
“The district we lost was Ansan, correct? It is no small loss...... but it is not enough to collapse the entire war effort. Please remain calm.”
“Mm. All right.”
After calming Baekdusan, the secretary organized the documents.
“......Two players on the 14th Floor and one on the 16th Floor were injured. Our fighting strength will be diminished for a while.”
“It’s fine. I’m stronger than dozens of bastards like them!”
“A loss of fighting strength is a separate issue from your individual power.”
The secretary sighed but did not deny Baekdusan's statement itself. That was because it was true.
Baekdusan.
He had cleared the 24th Floor and was one of the ten strongest players in the Republic of Korea. In terms of individual strength alone, he surpassed even the leader of the Azure Guild. He was only losing because he was shortsighted.
‘If only his intelligence were a little closer to his strength.’
The secretary kept the thought inside and spoke.
“Given the damage to our forces, it seems we will need to recruit new people.”
“That sounds good, but...... as you know, most bastards who can hold their own already belong somewhere.”
“That is true.”
The secretary smacked her lips in disappointment, seemingly aware of the problem. As though something had occurred to her, she asked discreetly.
“Come to think of it, did you not say you would ask Sword Saint Yoo Jinha about joining the guild? What happened?”
The strongest player in the Republic of Korea. Sword Saint Yoo Jinha.
He did not belong to any guild. Recruiting him would instantly overturn the balance of the conflict with the Azure Guild. But Baekdusan shook his head.
“He said he had no interest in power struggles like that. His goal is to climb the Tower and save Earth.”
“As heroic as ever. Well. There is nothing we can do.”
There was no sarcasm in the secretary's voice. Her expression showed pure respect for Yoo Jinha.
“Would it not be wonderful if our Guild Master acted for the greater good like Yoo Jinha?”
“Do you want to die?”
“It was a joke. Then we have no choice but to look among the newcomers.”
Baekdusan wore a doubtful expression at those words.
“Would latecomers even matter at this point?”
It had already been ten years since the Tower appeared. It would be exceedingly difficult for people entering the Tower now to catch up with them. The secretary did not deny it either.
“They will not matter much, but something is better than nothing. I will check the information.”
“Do as you please.”
The secretary reviewed the recently received documents one by one. Baekdusan idly tore little pieces from the edge of a sheet of paper. As the secretary silently read, she frowned.
“Huh?”
“Why? Is there something?”
“There is, but...... something is strange.”
“Stop dragging it out and tell me. Do you want a beating?”
“There was an invitation to the Tower just yesterday. One of the groups was from Korea.”
“So what? That happens every day.”
“Eighty people out of a hundred survived.”
“......What?”
Baekdusan, who had been tearing the paper indifferently, paused.
“Is that even possible?”
“As far as I remember, it is absolutely impossible.”
The 0th Floor Quest, as they knew it, was a game of tag. One had to flee from three mantises.
There was no way to resist them. All one could do was throw out a sacrifice. There was no way to change the outcome.
With no variables in play, the number of survivors almost never changed.
It fluctuated between forty and sixty, and for the past ten years had never once strayed beyond that range.
And yet eighty people had suddenly survived?
“Did the quest change?”
“It does not appear so...... but it only happened yesterday, so we do not have detailed information yet.”
“Hmm.”
Interest appeared in Baekdusan's eyes. He was stupid. But that did not mean his instincts were dull. On the contrary, his instincts were sharp enough to compensate for his low intelligence.
And those instincts were telling Baekdusan something.
He could not ignore this information.
“Do you think those bastards in the Azure Guild have noticed?”
“They probably have.”
“Before those bastards make a move, find out what happened and get me the identities of every survivor.”
Baekdusan gave the secretary an order. The secretary nodded.