2004.
Giant black towers—Black Towers—appeared all over the Earth.
At the same time, humanity's awakening began.
Because of that, people came to vaguely understandwhy the towers had appeared, and how they should be dealt with.
Awakened humans were called "Players."
It was a very fitting name.
And even twenty years later, in 2024, the Black Towers still existed,and an extremely small portion of humanity was still undergoing the process of awakening.
※ ※ ※
This year, at the age of twenty-five, Bong Juhyeok awakened.
Even though he absolutely didn't want to.
[Bong Juhyeok, you have awakened.]
"…Ugh—fuck, you scared the hell out of me!"
It was early Sunday evening.He was in his studio apartment, just about to put a bite of freshly cooked ramyeon into his mouth.
"A-awakening?"
No way.
"What kind of bullshit is this?"
Maybe he misheard.
Please, let that be the case.
He stood there blankly for a long while.
Why me?
People sometimes call awakening a blessing.
It's luck better than winning the lottery—if things go well, you could hit the jackpot and completely turn your life around.
That is, if you survive.
But not for Bong Juhyeok.
He never once dreamed of becoming a Player and entering the Tower.
Even if life was a little tough, he just wanted to live an ordinary life,without excessive ambition.
Bong Juhyeok was a weakling—and a small-time civilian.
If he saw injustice, he avoided it whenever possible.
He tried his best not to create dangerous situations.
Entering the Tower was an extremely dangerous act.
No one even knew how many Players died every single day from mission failures.
You could be torn apart by monsters,freeze to death or burn alive in extreme environments,die from poison,be crushed by traps,or starve to death because you couldn't get out.
"Ugh… that gives me chills."
Is this really an awakening?
There was a simple way to confirm it.
Check the status window.
You could call it up even outside the Tower.
"S-status window!"
And then—
Shrrrk!
[Name] : Bong Juhyeok
[Affiliation] : Black Tower (Korea)
[Level] : Lv. 1
[Trait] : Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 1)
[Catalog] : Empty
[Trait Skills] : Designated Summon / Random Summon / Dismiss Summon
[General Skills] : Enter Tower (Once per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory
[Combat Skills] : None
"Haa…"
This was definitely an awakening.
Enter Tower meant exactly what it sounded like.
The Tower-exclusive inventory could only store and retrieve items obtained inside the Tower.
But the trait…
"So it's summoning."
Upon awakening, everyone received a trait.
There were many types.
[Fire Magic], [Ice Magic], [Lightning Magic], [Martial Arts], [Superhuman Strength], [Summoning], [Swordsmanship], [Spear Arts], [Archery], [Healing], and so on.
Summoning was a fairly well-known trait.
Spirit Summoners, Beast Summoners, Golem Summoners, Demon Beast Summoners, etc.
What kind of summoner was he?
Should he try using a skill?
"Random… summon."
Why isn't anything happening?
"Ah!"
He forgot.
There was no way skills would activate outside the Tower.
A Player's level, traits, and skills only functioned online—inside the Tower.
Offline, in the outside world, they were no different from ordinary people.
On the other hand, system messages and the status window could be viewed anytime, anywhere.
It was like a game—that's why awakened people were called Players.
Just like how someone could be level 100 in a game but still be a weak human in reality.
So no matter how much he tried to use a skill right now, it shouldn't activate—
At that moment!
[Initiating Random Summon.]
"Huh?"
Whoooosh! Crack!
It worked?
'W-why is it working?'
A skill had activated outside the Tower.
And together with a cluster of white light, something appeared.
Blinking in disbelief, he looked closer.
"A… a person?"
Is this real?
A Western man with reddish-brown hair, youthful-looking, completely ordinary in appearance.
"Yes, that's right. I'm a person."
"What the—"
The summon actually succeeded.
Outside the Tower—where skill activation was supposed to be impossible—and it summoned a human.
"Sniff sniff… what's that smell—oh! Ramyeon? Can I have a bite?"
And of all things, a shameless bite-stealer.
※ ※ ※
Bong Juhyeok's mind was a mess.
No matter how he looked at him—he was human.
His appearance, his behavior.
Even now, the way he was slurping ramyeon like a starving man—
"Hff—kh, hff! Whew… it's been a while since I ate this. It's spicy."
Spicy?Tempura udon?
"Do you usually eat it spicy? I prefer mild flavors."
A shameless bite-stealer and a spice wimp—
Slurp, slurp!
Yet he eats it just fine.
Strange.
He really couldn't understand.
Why did a summoning skill work outside the Tower?
And why summon a human?
Juhyeok checked his status window again.
First, the trait.
A message appeared.
[You summon humans and demi-humans.][Summonable ranks range from R (Rare), SR (Super Rare), SSR (Special Super Rare), up to LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare).][The summoner and the summoned can communicate smoothly under any circumstances.]
From Rare… to Legend Special Super Rare.
This wasn't some game character gacha, either.
And that wasn't all.
[The summoned adheres to the Three Principles.]
"Three principles?"
[1. The summoned prioritizes the summoner's life above all else.]
[2. The summoned obeys the summoner's commands without exception.]
[3. If Principles 1 and 2 come into conflict, Principle 1 takes absolute priority.]
"Hmmm."
Then just what was that summoned being—the one currently lifting the pot itself and slurping down the broth?
At that moment—
Ding!
Another status window opened.
Not his own, but the summoned one's.
Name: John Kosak
Rank: SR (Super Rare)
Type: Assassin (Human)
Manifestation Duration: 6 hours
Satisfaction Rating: None
Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after dismissal)
When he stared at it, background lore appeared as well.
John Kosak was considered a burden within the Cruel Assassination Guild. In short, he was insane. However, his mission success rate was 99%, and he even accomplished the feat of assassinating a 5-circle dark mage. His end came with a single failure. He died miserably while attempting to assassinate the Empire's strongest Sword Master.
At the same time, images flashed through Juhyeok's mind.
As if watching a movie.
Brief, but vivid.
John Kosak hiding himself through stealth, ambushing from behind, and slicing off his target's head.
"Crazy…"
He was unmistakably an assassin.
He killed people without the slightest hesitation.
Cleanly severing necks, over and over.
And yet—
"…"
Now he understood why they called him insane.
The sight of him tying ribbons—like gift bows—around the heads he'd severed.
"Was it a present or something?"
He decorated the heads he cut off with pretty butterfly ribbons.
"…Or maybe it was just easier to carry."
And then, his end.
His upper and lower body being split apart by the sword of a white-haired knight.
In the end, John Kosak died.
"So I summoned a dead ghost?"
He looked exactly like a living human.
First things first—try talking to him.
"Mr. Kosak?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Where are you from?"
"I dunno, sir… but there were a lot of people there."
Not people—ghosts, probably.
Heaven? Or hell?
"Could you stand up for a moment?"
"Understood."
The assassin John Kosak sprang to his feet.
He followed orders well.
Was it really absolute obedience?
"Since you're done eating, clean up the pot and bowl. Wipe the table too."
"Yes, sir!"
Not a single complaint.
Just how far did this go?
"Mr. Kosak."
"Yes?"
"Do you really obey everything I say?"
"Absolutely!"
"Th-then… if I told you to take your pants off?"
John Kosak, who had been wiping the table with tissues, suddenly stood up.
"I will comply."
He immediately took his pants off.
Dangling freely.
Definitely Western.
Pretty big, too.
"…Please put them back on."
"Yes, sir!"
It seemed the summoner's command mattered more than shame.
"Um… Mr. Kosak, do you know about the Tower?"
"Of course I do! Are you planning to start climbing it?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"Just give the order anytime. I'll support you with everything I have."
This was insane.
Why was this happening?
Just then—
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Someone pounded on the door of his studio apartment.
"Bong Juhyeok! You in there? Open up, now."
Damn it.
Someone was here.
And he knew exactly who.
Debt collectors.
Come to think of it, he'd forgotten the interest payment date.
Even on a Sunday—how diligent.
Yeah, he'd borrowed money.
Ten million won, no less.
For his father's surgery after he slipped on ice and fractured his hip,for his younger sibling's university tuition,and for the deposit on this very apartment.
Since regular banks wouldn't lend to him, he'd gone to a loan shark company—the easiest to access.
He thought he could just work hard and pay it back quickly.
But he'd already paid over five million won in interest alone.
The principal hadn't budged.
Honestly, he knew it had been a stupid decision.
But what else was he supposed to do?
Even if he went back in time, he would've made the same choice.
"Juhyeok! Let's see your face. We just want to check that you're doing fine, okay?"
There was no choice.
"Mr. Kosak."
"Just give the order. I'll cut off that bastard's head."
This guy was a walking disaster.
"That's not it. Go hide somewhere out of sight and don't move. Keep your mouth shut. Don't make a sound."
"…C-can I breathe?"
"Yes."
"Whew. That's a relief."
Juhyeok opened the door.
Three loan company employees stepped inside the entryway.
"Well look at you—perfectly fine? When the interest didn't come in, I thought maybe you were sick."
"I'm not sick. I just forgot. I'm sorry. I'll transfer it right now."
Juhyeok opened his banking app and sent the money.
"Good boy. And remember—don't get sick without permission. You've got to work hard and make money."
"Yes, yes."
"If you're desperate, why not sell an organ? How about a kidney? Want me to hook you up with a broker?"
Haah… fuck.
Should I just snap?
I've awakened already, after all.
"What's with that look? You want to get hit?"
"…"
"Watch yourself. Unless you want to die without a trace."
Even if you're a Player, outside the Tower you're just an ordinary person.
"…I'll do my best to repay it. The principal too."
"Heh heh. The principal can wait. Let's get along, yeah?"
With satisfied smiles, the debt collectors left and closed the door behind them.
"Haah…"
Life was hard.
That aside—
"You really stayed hidden quietly."
"That was your order, sir."
"…"
Absolute obedience really was something.
Still, if they had posed a real threat, would he have helped?
Sudden exhaustion washed over him.
An awakening.Summoning a human.Debt collectors showing up.
His head was a mess.
Too many things had happened all at once—far more than he could handle.
And he had to make a decision.
Should he climb the Tower,or should he live quietly as if none of this had ever happened?
Weakling Juhyeok would normally choose the latter, but…
This wasn't something he had to decide right now.
He still had to go to work tomorrow.
"Then… what should I do now?"
What should he do?
Dismiss the summon and send him back?
"Well, I'm not sure. What would you like to do? If you're going back, I can dismiss y—"
"Then would it be alright if I watched some TV? It's been a while since I've seen it."
He seemed to know what TV was—and ramyeon too.
Were those things that existed when Kosak was alive?
Either way, there was no real reason to say no.
"Sure, go ahead."
Juhyeok turned on the TV with the remote.
"Thank you! I'll watch a few episodes of a drama."
Kosak flopped down onto the mattress.
Tired.So tired.
His eyes closed on their own.
The fact that he had awakened was undeniable.
Any remaining questions could be answered by using the summoning skill again later.
Right now, even thinking felt exhausting.
Bong Juhyeok quickly fell asleep.
How much time had passed?
A voice drifted into his half-asleep consciousness.
[John Kosak has been dismissed.]
He left.
Let's just keep sleeping.
※ ※ ※
Bong Juhyeok woke up on the mattress to the sound of his alarm.
It was early morning.
'Mr. Kosak was dismissed, right?'
He was nowhere to be seen.
The TV was still on.
Time to wash up and brush his teeth.
Just then—
The morning news playing on the TV.
— Last night, a gruesome murder occurred at the office of the illegal private loan company Smile Cash. Three victims were found dead, all decapitated. What shocked investigators even more was that the severed heads had been decorated with red ribbon butterfly knots—
He froze.
Stopping mid-brush, Bong Juhyeok hurried over to the TV.
Smile Cash was the loan company he had borrowed money from.
A murder?
'What? Did I hear that wrong?'
Ribbons.
Butterfly knots.
'No way…?'