It was a real Spirit.
A Fire Spirit—the kind I had only ever seen in videos!
And not just any ordinary Spirit, either. It had appeared with the title of King!
Perhaps it was thanks to the grade of my Trait, but something truly extraordinary had come out.
If there was one thing that felt slightly disappointing—
'I heard higher-grade Traits summon rarer Spirits, but its attribute is pretty ordinary.'
Still, that disappointment did not last long.
This was the very first Spirit I had awakened today.
Something unusual would probably appear later.
I extended a hand toward the King of Fire Spirits who would be accompanying me from now on.
"Yeah. Nice to meet you too. I'm Lee Chanyoung. I'm the person who contracted with you. Um... You understand what I'm saying, right?"
-Waaah!
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says not to worry because he understands you!] |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
He nodded his tiny head.
"Good. I'm glad you understand."
The more I looked at him, the more fascinating he seemed.
A Spirit shaped like a human.
He did not even fly.
"I thought Spirits normally didn't look like this."
-They all differ. This one simply happens to possess a particularly unusual humanoid form.
"Is that so? Fascinating."
Their colors apparently corresponded to their respective attributes.
Since this one was fire, he appeared to be red.
But his appearance was not what mattered.
The truly astonishing part was the designation attached to the Fire Spirit.
"This is insane. I'm not seeing things, am I? A Spirit King?"
-Your vision is perfectly normal, so there is no need to worry. You were merely excessively surprised.
"Ah, thanks. But can a Spirit King actually appear? Even if my Trait grade is beyond conventional standards, is that really possible? Normally, even with a high-grade Trait, the Spirit's rank should still be limited, right?"
Clone immediately answered.
-Lowest Rank -> Low Rank -> Intermediate Rank -> High Rank -> Highest Rank. There are five Spirit ranks in total. Normally, one of those ranks appears depending on the strength of the Trait, but this became possible because Human possesses a grade beyond conventional standards.
A being that could not ordinarily be bound by a contract.
And something like that had appeared for me.
-Waaah!
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says thank you for feeding him!] |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- |
"That was nothing."
Giving him both Spam and tuna had apparently been worth it.
He gave me a thumbs-up.
But only for a moment.
The King of Fire Spirits folded his arms and shook his head.
-Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says the taste was somewhat disappointing!]
[The King of Fire Spirits(EX) complains that the processed-food flavor was too strong!]
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says to give him Mana Stones instead from now on!] |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
For a Spirit King, he certainly had a picky palate.
Even Lowest-Rank Spirits insisted on eating Mana Stones, so I supposed it was only natural that he would be worse.
"S-Sorry."
I nearly smacked him on the back of the head immediately after meeting him.
I barely restrained myself through gritted teeth.
I had heard that Spirits were difficult to handle despite their excellent efficiency.
But I had not expected him to start complaining immediately after greeting me.
"You grow by eating Mana Stones too, right? They're your staple food?"
-Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says that is correct!]
| [The King of Fire Spirits(EX) says he also likes ordinary food, not just Mana Stones!] |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
"So you eat expensive things too."
Whether it was for the sake of my finances or raising this little guy, entering the Tower seemed unavoidable.
With enough money, Mana Stones could be purchased on the market.
Under the Association's strict supervision, they were widely used even among ordinary civilians.
Yes.
If you had money.
Even an F-Rank Mana Stone cost tens of thousands of won.
There was no way a job seeker like me had that kind of money to spare.
I was barely living from day to day.
Even if I did have the money, it would still be better to obtain them from the Trial Tower.
Why would I waste money buying them when I had a Spirit King?
I could just collect them myself.
Unless what I obtained was not enough, of course.
| [Please give the King of Fire Spirits(EX) a name!]
| [Intimacy will increase further!] |
| --------------------------------- |
"A name, huh."
I did not have to think for long.
"Fire is 'Fire.'"
| [The Fire Spirit(EX) has been named 'Fire'!]
[Intimacy increases!]
| [He will follow you more obediently!] |
| ------------------------------------- |
I had barely put any thought into the name, but he seemed to like it.
As long as you like it.
I was about to enter the Tower immediately, but first I checked the strategy guide.
Something as basic as the tutorial could easily be learned through Clone.
It was nothing particularly special.
"So even if I die, I'll be revived, and during the tutorial, I can leave whenever I want?"
-Yes. That is correct, Human.
That was why everyone entered the Tower after awakening.
The most frightening possibility—death—had been removed.
In that case, there was no reason not to go inside.
-Waaah?
| [Fire(EX) asks why you are not entering already!] |
| ------------------------------------------------- |
"Just a second. Let me check this first. The only monsters that appear are five Goblins."
The tutorial ended after defeating five Goblins.
But there was something else.
Apparently, the tutorial had a hidden strategy.
"So after killing all the Goblins in the designated area, if I leave that location, there's a Goblin Settlement. If I destroy that too, it counts as a hidden clear and gives better rewards. There's even a ranking."
-That is correct.
Even though Fire was a Spirit King, he was still at a very low level.
For now, I would simply keep the hidden strategy in mind.
If his skill proved overwhelmingly powerful, I could try it.
His skill was EX-Rank as well, so there was a good chance it would be extraordinary.
I picked up a frying pan.
Fire might not be capable of displaying his full power yet.
It was always best to prepare at least the bare minimum.
A frying pan in the Trial Tower?
It might not look impressive, but it was one of the classic beginner strategies.
For an ordinary person, a blunt weapon was more effective than a bladed one.
Entering the Trial Tower was simple.
"Trial Tower, begin tutorial."
| [Would you like to enter the Trial Tower Tutorial?]
| [Yes/No] |
| -------- |
You could enter from anywhere simply by saying the words.
All preparations were complete.
There was no reason to hesitate.
"Yes."
My bright field of vision was instantly swallowed by darkness.
Light gradually seeped in from the center, slowly illuminating my surroundings.
Once my vision cleared, I found myself somewhere completely different.
A moment ago, I had been standing inside my cramped sixteen-square-meter studio apartment.
"Wow! So this is how it works."
Now I stood in the middle of a vast clearing in a forest.
Teleportation.
I was actually experiencing something I had only ever seen on the internet.
When I had first heard about it, I had wondered how something like teleportation could possibly be real.
But it had all been true.
I swept my gaze around.
Lush green vegetation stretched in every direction.
And right in front of me stood some familiar monsters.
"Kieeeek."
"Kieeeek."
Goblins.
Just as I had heard, there were five in total.
Their skin was green, and the only thing they wore was a scrap of cloth barely covering their privates.
Their weapons were equally pathetic.
Rusty daggers and battered, half-broken shields.
My face twisted instinctively.
They looked exactly as people had described.
The sight alone provoked disgust.
Still, this was manageable.
Just as I was beginning to adjust, a System message appeared.
| [You have arrived at the Trial Tower Tutorial.]
[The Trial Tower Tutorial will begin in 5 minutes!]
| [00 : 04 : 54] |
| -------------- |
| [Defeat 5 Goblins.]
| [Goblin: 0/5] |
| ------------- |
Since this was the tutorial, entrants were given time to adapt.
From the next floor onward, there would be no such mercy. The trial would begin the instant you entered.
I had heard that five Goblins were easy enough to handle as long as you did not simply stand there doing nothing.
But I was only a job seeker.
The only exercise I had ever seriously done was working out at the gym.
'Maybe I should've brought some armor. I heard wrapping books around yourself works surprisingly well.'
I was considering leaving and coming back when I sensed a presence beside my shoulder.
-Waaah!
| [Fire(EX) repeatedly tries to draw your attention to himself!] |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- |
"You mean I've got you? Ah, right. You're here too. It's my first time entering the Tower, so I got nervous."
Fire had arrived safely as well.
He looked exactly as he had in my studio apartment.
Which somehow made me even more uneasy.
'I wonder if he can actually fight.'
I had heard that even the highest-ranking Spirits could not display much power in the beginning.
A Fire Spirit might, at best, set a monster's body on fire or launch a small fireball.
Even then, the destructive power was supposedly unimpressive.
'If he can't do it, I'll handle them myself.'
Judging by the way he kept crying "Waaah," he really was just a baby.
I should not expect too much from him.
Besides, I could handle the tutorial on my own anyway.
"Can you do it?"
-Waaah! Waaah!
| [Fire(EX) pounds his chest confidently!]
| [Fire(EX) says he will wipe them all out, so you should just make sure to feed him properly!] |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
"You certainly talk big. Fine, I'll feed you until your stomach bursts."
Hmm.
It looked like I would not be making much money for a while.
Even if I obtained Mana Stones, every last one of them would probably go straight into this guy's mouth.
Goblin byproducts were barely worth anything, either.
'I'll think of it as an investment.'
You had to look at the forest, not the trees.
Fire climbed from my shoulder onto the top of my head.
Apparently, that position made it easier for him to use his skills.
He claimed he could maintain his balance on his own even if I moved violently.
Then it should not interfere with combat.
| [00 : 00 : 07] |
| -------------- |
The time was almost up.
I awkwardly assumed a fighting stance.
Momentum was important at the beginning.
'The first strike wins.'
I was preparing to charge when something strange happened to my surroundings.
The ordinary world gradually became stained dark crimson.
Even the air, which had carried the fresh scent of the lush forest, began to heat up.
Wondering what was happening, I looked toward the sky.
My mouth slowly fell open.
The previously brilliant blue sky—
"What the hell is this?!"
—had turned dark crimson.
It was as though hell itself were unfolding overhead.
And precisely as the timer reached zero, that hell came crashing down.
| [Fire(EX)'s possessed skill, 'Hellfire(EX),' activates.]
| [00 : 00 : 00] |
| -------------- |
KABOOOOOOOM!
ROAR—BEEEEEP!
The deafening explosion rendered my ears useless.
It did not matter.
My eyes showed me the result clearly enough.
The entire tutorial floor, which had once been a vast forest, had burned to the ground.
The Goblins were no exception.
Not even traces remained to prove they had ever existed.
The flames were so powerful that even their weapons had vanished within the inferno.
The only thing left in the tutorial was the roaring sound of flames that seemed ready to devour the entire world.
Faced with that overwhelming sight, I quietly lowered the frying pan I had been ready to swing at any moment.
As though telling me to come back to my senses, System messages appeared.
| [You have cleared the Trial Tower Tutorial!]
[Goblin: 1,000/5]
| [Goblin Leader: 1/1] |
| -------------------- |
| [You have completely annihilated the entire Goblin Settlement in the Trial Tower Tutorial!]
[A new record has been achieved!]
[The Trial Tower Tutorial World Ranking has been updated to Rank 1!]
| [Clear Time: 1 second] |
| ---------------------- |
| [You have succeeded in overwhelmingly clearing the Trial Tower Tutorial!]
[Goblin Claw × 33 has been awarded!]
[Goblin Hide × 45 has been awarded!]
[Goblin Heart × 11 has been awarded!]
[Goblin Leader's Club × 1 has been awarded!]
[Lowest-Rank Mana Stone(F) × 105 acquired!]
| [Low-Rank Mana Stone(E) × 2 acquired!] |
| -------------------------------------- |
I looked at Fire, who had somehow already returned to my shoulder.
He rubbed beneath his nose with one finger and puffed out his chest proudly.
"So you're not called a Spirit King for nothing, huh?"
-Waaah!
| [Fire(EX) asks why you are questioning something so obvious.] |
| ------------------------------------------------------------- |
Back in my studio apartment—
I took every Mana Stone out of the Inventory I had received upon awakening.
-Waaah?
| [Fire(EX) tilts his head.]
| [Fire(EX) asks what all of this is.] |
| ------------------------------------ |
"What do you think? Eat as much as you want!"
-Waaah!
| [Fire(EX) lets out a cheer.] |
| ---------------------------- |
He immediately threw himself at the Mana Stones, crunching through them whole before swallowing them.
They must have tasted good.
His face broke into a blissful grin.
But I was not about to let him be the only one who got to eat something delicious.
I checked my bank account.
50,000 won.
It was money I should have saved as carefully as possible.
But—
"Let's get jokbal!"
I had awakened, and on top of that, I had obtained an absurdly powerful Spirit.
I had not eaten a proper meal in the past few days either.
It was time to fill my stomach.
Just thinking about eating jokbal brought a satisfied smile to my face.
The Awakened Community.
A place where information about everything related to the Trial Tower and Gates could be found.
As always, it was filled with ordinary posts today.
Small talk, strategy guides, items, monster byproducts, and more.
Then, into that quietly flowing community, a nuclear bomb suddenly dropped.
| [Trial Tower Tutorial World Ranking: Rank 1 Achieved!]
| [Rank 1: 1 second] |
| ------------------ |
Once a Tower floor had been cleared, it could be entered again.
However, it was impossible to set a new ranking record through re-entry.
Additional time was added in proportion to the highest floor a person had already reached.
On top of that, all stats and skills were reverted to the state they had been in on the first floor.
Under those rules—
Someone had just taken first place with a clear time of one second.
That could mean only one thing.
The appearance of an extraordinary newcomer.
The entire world erupted into a frenzy.