The monthly rent is insane.
Watching my salary brush past my bank account before being withdrawn made me think that.
A hollow laugh escaped me on its own.
‘Are you a ghost?’
It was a magic escape act—my salary stepping swiftly right out of my bank account....
It was because of the vicious monthly rent.
And that was not all.
Once utilities, phone bills, heating, and electricity were deducted too?
“What? I’m broke on payday already?”
That was the conclusion, anyway.
The monthly rent was insane.
It was rising at a terrifying speed.
In truth, it was not just the monthly rent.
Lump-sum lease deposits were insane too.
“Uh. Am I actually the insane one?”
After work, I was shocked when I saw the listings posted at the neighborhood real estate agency.
Had I misread the numbers?
There was one extra zero attached to the prices I had expected.
Of course, my eyes were fine.
It was simply the brutal reality of Seoul housing prices.
“Oh-ho-ho. Young man. Are you looking for a house? Shall I make you a cup of coffee?”
“Ah, no.”
Startled by the real estate agent’s interest, I hurried out.
I’m sorry.
My bank account is empty.
“What is this...?”
I worked hard again this month, staying late at the office. I left for work at six in the morning, and when I got home, it was ten at night.
Work was one thing, but my commute took two hours each way. Four hours a day round trip!
This was what trying to find cheap monthly rent had gotten me.
The studio near the office cost an extra 500,000 won in rent, so I had no choice.
I was trying to save and save like this to buy my own home.
But this.
Was it possible?
“Ugh. Forget it.”
I bought 1+1 beer at the convenience store and put it in a plastic bag.
I strolled up the alley.
“Ha. Did I overspend? They say I should save on small purchases....”
I nervously did the math. This beer cost 1,500 won....
If I saved up the cost of 500,000 cans of this, I could buy my own home.
I was going to go crazy.
Following the winding alley, I finally reached my studio. After entering the password and collapsing face-first onto my bed, there was no luxury like it.
“Whew. Home really is nice.”
First, I got comfortable and cracked open a beer.
Then I turned on the TV.
A famous celebrity was showing off their home.
[The newest promising talent in Tower climbing! We’ve come to Kim Byeolbit’s penthouse, and it really is as amazing as I heard.]
[Oh dear. I’m embarrassed because I haven’t really set much up in my home!]
[Wow! You could play soccer in here! How many square feet is it?]
[Ho-ho. About 4,270 square feet!]
Over four thousand square feet... That was incredible....
Kim Byeolbit gave Ppoppi, their pet dog, a jerky treat.
A caption appeared, saying it cost a whopping 50,000 won each.
“I’m drinking 1+1 beer that costs 1,500 won....”
[Woof, woof!]
Always be humble, human.
It felt as though Ppoppi on the TV was saying that to me.
“Ghk. I concede defeat.”
These days, celebrities showing off their wealth was all the rage on TV. There was nothing quite like paying a viewing fee to be tortured.
When I changed the channel, a documentary about Tower climbing was on.
[Humanity is entering the Tower Age. Global economic growth has reached an annual average of fifteen percent.]
The Tower!
Towers had risen in cities all over the world, and the world had changed greatly a long time ago.
The Towers that appeared around the world had freely handed out all sorts of good things.
Magic Stones. Items. Summoned Beasts.
And even superpowers!
Simply by climbing the Tower, people could become far stronger than ordinary people and use extraordinary abilities.
Tower Climbers became a highly sought-after profession and objects of admiration.
In the past, the chance of Awakening had been low, but these days, the number of Awakened people was increasing like crazy.
Maybe it was the Tower’s plan to just Awaken everyone.
Even then, they said that without talent, you could not make it past the fifth floor.
No.
What fifth floor?
There were plenty of people who got cut on the first floor. Of course, I was an ordinary person who had not even Awakened.
“I’m worse off than Ppoppi the dog. Couldn’t I at least get that common Awakening?”
At that moment.
As if it were a lie, I Awakened.
\======
[Han Ja-in]
[Level: 1]
[Class: ■■]
\======
“Whaack!”
It had been an ordinary complaint, but I had really Awakened. Collecting myself, I stared at the pitch-black Class field.
[Class: ■■]
“It’s incredibly black. Is it rock laver?”
I asked online about the Class called [■■], and comments appeared instantly.
― Your future is pitch-black, so it showed up as ■■ lol
― It’s a trash character. Give up lol
― You’ve become rock laver.
“...!!!”
As I despaired, new replies began appearing in real time.
― Did it really show up as ■■?
― If it’s ■■, there’s still potential!!!
― Oooh! The new newbie has ■■?
― Wow, I’m jealous.
― Jealous, my ass. Fuck lol.
My post instantly became popular as dozens of comments poured in. The attention was almost burdensome.
‘...Do Tower Climbers not climb the Tower and only hang around community forums?’
Anyway, the explanation went like this.
A very small number of Awakened people had ■■ as their Class.
These were people whose Classes had not yet been decided.
Their Class would be determined by their talents and choices.
― If you get ■■ properly, your life will flourish. Like the Blacklight Rogue or the Mythic Mage!
Ohh. Those Classes!
They were the Classes of Rankers who ruled the entire world, were they not?
I was suddenly getting excited.
― Lol, don’t be drinking the kimchi soup already, you bastard. You’ve heard of the Poverty Warrior, Mussel Mage, Stonehead Rogue, and Kleptomaniac Paladin, right?
Ah! I had heard of those too!
They were Classes that often appeared in online posts called <The Despairing Side of Tower Climbers>, were they not?
They said the government even gave subsidy payments to people who received those Classes!
Those had come from ■■ too?
‘So it’s either heaven or hell.’
Cold sweat broke out, but at the same time, so did my curiosity.
I felt as though I could not rest easy until I checked the identity of ■■ myself.
“Entering the first floor of the Tower!”
This was the fastest way to check. Before I knew it, I was inside the first floor of the Tower. Awakened Tower Climbers could enter the Tower anytime and anywhere.
How convenient.
Furthermore, there was no need to worry about meeting anyone else inside the Tower. Its interior was assigned individually, so the only people you could meet were party members.
It was the RPG game concept of an instance dungeon.
“It’s huge.”
The first floor of the Tower was a wasteland in every direction, and enormous bugs roamed through it.
The Tower’s logic was simple.
Kill the monsters on each floor, and you cleared it.
You would receive rewards and be permitted to pass to the upper floors.
Naturally, the higher the floor, the greater the rewards, but many Tower Climbers died after recklessly challenging high floors.
At least the lower floors were like tutorials.
On the first floor, you only had to beat bugs to death.
I had heard they were merely weak mobs that did not even retaliate.
“Uh. Why did I bring this?”
I had put the beer cans from the 1+1 offer into my inventory. But why was my inventory so empty?
“They said a basic weapon would be provided...?”
I had not received even a basic weapon.
WRIGGLE, WRIGGLE!
The first-floor bugs were the size of puppies, and blood vessels bulged all over their bodies.
“Are these gym-rat bugs?”
Looks like they had pumped some iron. Gathering my courage, I kicked the bugs.
CRACK!
The bugs did not even get scratched.
Only the tops of my feet hurt.
\======
<Lv.1 Hardened Bug>
[Health: Wild dog level]
[Defense: Hippopotamus level]
\======
I felt dizzy.
How was I supposed to break through that barehanded?
[First Floor Objective]
[Defeat 20 Hardened Bugs.]
Oh dear.
I had often heard that mediocre people got stuck on the first floor, but I never thought that story would become mine.
“Was even my Awakening a dud?”
The bleak wasteland reflected my state of mind.
Still, it was spacious.
Maybe I could quit climbing and come here occasionally to unwind.
“Yeah. It’s perfect.”
Even though I had no land in Seoul, I could look out over a vast wasteland inside the Tower.
At that moment.
Something the size of a coin glittered from a crack in the wasteland. Thinking it might be a weapon, I hurriedly picked it up.
It was round and soft.
And transparent.
It glittered in the light.
‘A water droplet?’
It was not just an ordinary water droplet.
‘It’s alive?’
An actual living water droplet!
[Aqua.... Tremble, tremble.... ( ´\_ﾉ\` )]
For some reason, the water droplet was afraid of me.
It had eyes, a nose, and a mouth despite being a water droplet, so I could tell its expression.
It was like a slime from an online game, except it was as small as a coin.
After trembling hard, the water droplet seemed to make up its mind and began threatening me!
[Aqua.... Terrifying! ( ⚆ ⚆)o✧]
[Aqua.... Hiss! Hisss!]
Would you look at that?
It could hiss too.
Of course, it was not threatening. It had grown so weak that I only felt sorry for it.
POP!
Its status window appeared.
\=======
<The Critically Weakened Water Spirit Aqua>
[Health: Dust level]
Status: [Dehydrated] [Severely Dehydrated]
[Critically Dehydrated]
[So saddd!] [Fear] [Fading] [Resignation]
This tiny being is a spirit that wandered without a home and fell completely into ruin.
On the verge of fading from dehydration, its presence is faint.
\=======
The water droplet was a spirit.
And it was dying. No, with its Health at <Dust level>, it would not be wrong to say it was already dead.
[Aqua.... Flicker, flicker.... (っ´―\`c)]
Perhaps exhausted from all that hissing, the spirit went limp.
“Uh. Hey. Wake up.”
Whether I called, shook, or tried to wake it, there was no response. I decided to try saving it.
I did not even know what a spirit was, but after seeing its pitiful circumstances in the status window, I could not just ignore it.
「A spirit that wandered without a home and fell completely into ruin.」
You too?
Spirits suffered too when they had no home.
That damned house was the enemy.
“First, I need to give it water....”
The surroundings were desolate. If water had been easy to find here in the first place, this thing would not have been dying of dehydration.
[Aqua.... Gulp....]
Every minute and second mattered.
I opened my inventory and pulled out the 1+1 beer.
“Let’s save a spirit by giving it beer!”
Even I thought it was ridiculous, but it was the best method for now!
PSSSH―!
Beer foam trickled out. This was water too. It just had an extra six percent alcohol!
Here comes hydration!
“Ah, whatever.”
This was no time to be picky between white rice and hot rice, spring water and beer water. A refreshing liquid poured out, and the spirit absorbed the moisture like a sponge.
SLURRRRRP ꉂꉂ (ˆoˆ )
Ohh.
It was drinking eagerly.
But was its face getting a little red?
[Aqua.... Alcoholqua! (@ˍ@)]
“Uh.”
[Aqua.... Charge! ᕦ(@ ͜ʖ@)ᕤ]
The spirit that had been at death’s door began radiating energy as it charged toward the bugs!
BOING, BOING, BOING!
It hopped along in an extremely cute manner.
[Aqua.... Confident! ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭]
Did it have confidence that it could defeat the bugs? The spirit leaped high into the air.
[Aqua.... Heaven-Shattering Emperor’s Descending Deluge.]
The spirit suddenly spoke in an extremely grave voice.
KRAAAASH!
The next moment, twenty bugs exploded. They had been finished off by the spirit’s stream of water.
“...Wow.”
This was a spirit?
It was more frightening than cool.
If I got hit by that stream of water, it meant I would go down in one blow too, did it not?
[Aqua.... I’m pretty strong when it comes to alcohol!]
The spirit declared boldly, but it was staggering.
That was something I often said when I was in university....
[Aqua.... I’m not drunk! ꉂꉂ (ˆoˆ )]
Ah. I said that often too!
Then the spirit’s next action was!!!
[Aqua.... BLAAARGH. ԅ(◜¬◝ ԅ)]
Of course it was that.
Patting the spirit’s back, I examined the new messages that appeared.
[First Floor Conquered]
[The first floor has become your territory.]
[You have obtained a Class.]
[You have become the Lord of the First Floor.]