So far, he had received a total of six special rewards.
Listing them one by one—
First, Trait Enhancement.
Second, Skill Copy: Shadow Step.
Third, the item Energy Barrier Kit.
Fourth, a Random Box containing the Honwon Byeokryeok Staff Technique and a Rune of Summoned Being Rank Upgrade.
Fifth, an Encore Special Reward, reselecting Trait Enhancement.
Sixth, the item Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket.
Aside from those, there had also been one more Rune of Summoned Being Rank Upgrade obtained as a Tower clear reward.
So this time—
What kind of special reward would it be?
The moment he opened his inventory and confirmed the accumulation of 35 Platinum Badges, he would be able to check it.
"Should I go to the water purifier and fetch some purified water? We need to offer some earnest prayers."
"I'll go get it."
At that, Gyeondallae shook her head back and forth.
"Water drawn from a purifier is not purified water. It is nothing more than tap water. Offering prayers with such water may instead invite misfortune."
It was tap water, technically, but—
"If the outcome turns out completely different from what you expect, that may be why. Simply cleanse your heart and proceed with checking the special reward."
Juhyeok looked at Gyeondallae with a subtle expression.
"Why do you ask? Is there something on this girl's face?"
"N-no. Of course not."
Misfortune, huh…
When he had done a random summon using tap water from the purifier before, who was it that got summoned?
Could it have been because of bad luck?
He should never mention it.
It'd hurt her feelings.
"All right! Then let's check it."
"Summoner Bong, fighting!"
"May you obtain the result you desire."
"I, Gobang, believe in the summoner's luck."
Thirty-five radiant Platinum Badges inside the inventory.
At that moment—
[With the accumulation of 35 Platinum Badges, a special reward is granted.]
"Are we getting Trait Enhancement?"
"Aaaah! This is it! We absolutely have to go for it!"
"Let's go!"
[Special Reward: The item Warm Dawnlight Golden Aegis has been granted to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
"…Huh?"
[Special Reward: The item Cold Dusk Golden Mace has been granted to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
"Eh?"
Two of them appeared.
"Items!"
"…Yes? Ah—items?"
"Items, you say?"
"Are they items?"
Effect: Upon equipping, increases the user's concentration, emits a dazzling flash, enhances physical and magical defense, and upon a successful defense, has a certain chance to reflect damage back to the enemy.
Special Trait: Maintains composure under any status ailment. Absolutely indestructible.
Effect: Increases attack speed during combat, freezes the target, expands attack range, and upon a successful hit, has a certain chance to activate Ice Field.
Special Trait: Guides enemies to the rest of twilight. Absolutely indestructible.
"Oooooh! The effects are great!"
Although the desired Trait Enhancement didn't appear…
Still, how could he complain?
Juhyeok smiled with satisfaction.
I love them.
Both were gold-colored.
A perfect mace-and-shield set.
He could already imagine himself bravely standing against monsters with these in hand.
Should I try swinging it once?
Oh—fits perfectly in his hand.
Lightweight, too.
Meanwhile, others watched him with worried expressions.
Kosak spoke to Gyeondallae.
"Just look at Summoner Bong. His grin's about to split his face."
"Haa… and those items are so flashy… they'll stand out terribly to enemies' eyes."
"Do you think he'll stay put? He'll start negotiating again. 'I'll just kill three,' then kills five. Says five, then shoots straight up into the air."
Gyeondallae nodded.
"I think the same. With such dazzling talent and item wings added, if this becomes the trigger and he starts actively engaging in battle…"
Kosak's face turned pale.
"Please don't say things like that. This is bad. What do we do? Princess, is there no way?"
Of course, there was.
"Even if it's disloyal, we'll have to cling to Young Master's pant leg. Cry buckets of tears."
"Will that work? We already used that once before."
"Young Master is a man of deep compassion. A second time, a third time—he will never turn away from this girl's desperate heart."
Would he really?
Kosak felt stifled.
Of all things, no Trait Enhancement—and instead, that?
Wasn't the summoner the type who just had to try out any item or skill that appeared?
"Seems like we should've offered prayers after all. I regret it."
"With that purifier water? It probably would've been worse. Something even more ominous might've come out."
At that moment, Gobang suddenly cut in.
"A warrior remembers. We offered prayers with purifier water and did a random summon. Princess Gyeondallae appeared."
"…What?"
Gyeondallae tilted her head, as if asking what nonsense that was.
"Gobang-nim, y-your jokes go too far. Truly! You've grown smart enough to joke."
"A warrior does not lie. Nor does he joke."
"That's true."
"…."
Her pupils shook violently.
Then—
"Ah-ha! Now that I look closely, th-that purifier wasn't ordinary. To turn tap water into purified water… judging by the fact that this girl was summoned, it must be an incredible purifier."
"It's an incredible purifier, yup. Just a normal purifier."
"…If this girl says so, then accept it as such."
"Yes, ma'am."
SSR Gobang suddenly spoke up.
"Anyway, since Trait Enhancement did not occur, for the time being, we remain a three-person formation."
"That's right."
"Indeed."
At the same time, he looked at Gyeondallae and Kosak.
"There isn't much time left until the random summoning. The summoner will soon call a new individual. When that happens, who should step out?"
"..."
"..."
Kosak's face turned deathly pale.
What he had feared had finally arrived.
Gobang, who could serve as both tanker and melee dealer.
Gyeondallae, who already had her position firmly secured as a buffer while also helping in daily life with talismans.
And then there was himself—nothing special, just a melee dealer.
The answer was obvious.
Beyond this place, in that realm where souls bound to the Tower swarmed—
Which type of class was most favored?
Buffers or holy healers like saintesses?
Royalty, regardless of rank.
And the rarest.
Body-shielding tankers?
Nobility.
Also few in number.
Then what about dealers?
They were the most numerous.
And had to be broken down further.
Magic-type dealers were middle-class commoners.
Relatively popular.
Plenty of job openings.
Ranged dealers were poor commoners.
Still, they were usually included.
And lastly—melee dealers.
The lowest of the low.
They were everywhere.
Once you climbed to higher floors, they were often excluded.
Kosak had experienced that himself.
So if the newly summoned being turned out to be a ranged dealer, or a magic-type with wide-area skills—
Gulp.
Kosak swallowed his dry saliva.
In contrast, Gobang and Gyeondallae looked completely at ease.
"A farmhand who seems unnecessary should step aside of his own accord. A useful farmhand must fill that position."
"Correct. That is the path that serves the summoner."
"..."
Those miserable bastards.
They were safe, so they could say that.
And yet, what they said was correct a hundred times over.
"…If that moment comes, I'll make up my mind."
Even if Summoner Bong pitied him and kept him until the end, that would be a problem.
For the sake of smooth Tower progression, he should remove himself voluntarily.
That was the proper attitude of a summoned being.
But how could he possibly do that?
"M-maybe when we reach the 40th floor, Trait Enhancement might appear? If we work hard and rush the 40th-floor clear before the random summon—"
At that moment—
"Kosak-nim!!!"
"…Yes?"
Gyeondallae's voice was sharp as a blade.
"Ascending to unchallenged upper floors is entirely Young Master's decision. How dare a lowly farmhand attempt to interfere with Young Master's sole authority!!!"
"N-no, that's not what I meant—"
He tried to explain, but—
"For the sake of a mere farmhand, should Lord Bong push himself beyond reason? Especially when he has just obtained weapons as a special reward—this girl's heart already feels as though it's being torn apart…"
"..."
Kosak could not even respond, merely bowing his head deeply.
"Whew, yes, yes. I'll step down gracefully. It's been fun all this time—"
That was when it happened.
"Who told you to leave, Kosak-nim?"
At some point, Juhyeok had approached, eyes blazing.
"Was it you, Gobang?"
"I-it wasn't me. I-I was just standing there."
"Princess Gyeondallae?"
"…No, it is a misunderstanding. W-we were merely considering a hypothetical situation."
He was angry.
Who was talking about kicking someone out all of a sudden?
When a timid person gets angry, they're the scariest.
Juhyeok spoke firmly, hammering the point home.
"Listen carefully. I'd rather stop climbing the Tower altogether than remove anyone. We go with this lineup as-is. Until the climb is over—especially…"
Juhyeok's eyes met Kosak's.
Kosak flinched, then tears welled up in his eyes.
Seeing that, Juhyeok nodded to him, as if to say not to worry.
Ahhh—
Do you feel it?
This is the burning camaraderie of comrades-in-arms.
…No, scratch the love part.
It could get weird.
Anyway—burning comradeship!
Unintentionally, Juhyeok had overheard their conversation.
So, there were about fifteen days left on the random summoning cooldown.
If Trait Enhancement didn't occur by then, only three slots would remain.
And if a highly capable dealer were summoned during random summoning?
They had already assumed someone would be removed.
He understood why they thought that way.
Compared to Kosak, who could theoretically be replaced at any time—
Gobang and Gyeondallae held absolutely irreplaceable positions.
But not a chance.
The possibility of Kosak being removed—was nonexistent.
Who did he think had brought him this far?
Kosak had paved the way.
He had climbed by stepping on Kosak's back.
Because of that, he had been able to function as a proper human being inside the Tower.
"What if a perfectly equipped shield knight comes out of random summoning? Would you step out, Gobang?"
"..."
"If a saintess or priest shows up, does that mean Princess Gyeondallae is out?"
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Whether an imperial princess or a barbarian warrior—
The authority of a summoner who dominated with words.
Was that cool?
It probably was.
He could tell just by looking at Kosak's eyes, filled to the brim with gratitude and trust.
Ahh,
why am I so good with words?
In any case, Juhyeok also grew desperate for Trait Enhancement.
He had to get it.
No matter what.
"Mr. Kosak."
"Yes, sir!"
"Do you want Trait Enhancement? Should we push straight to the 50th floor?"
At that, Kosak replied while shedding chicken-dropping-like tears again.
"I understand Summoner Bong's feelings toward me, sir. But I'm fine. If you were to push yourself too hard, I'd never be able to forgive myself."
"Then let's just go for it!"
"N-no, sir. Please don't. Absolutely not."
"Then how about this?"
Juhyeok stuck out his pinky finger in a gesture of making a firm promise.
"Until we get Trait Enhancement, I won't hunt monsters and I'll stay in the back. I won't kill even a single one. I won't even take my weapons out of the inventory."
Kosak's eyes went wide.
Gyeondallae brightened.
Gobang nodded as well.
"So? Anyone against pushing forward until we get Trait Enhancement?"
Gyeondallae answered immediately.
"If Young Master will not participate in combat, how could we possibly refuse? This girl will shake her bell until it shatters."
"Do not worry. I, Gobang, will protect the summoner. I will achieve even an S++ clear."
And then—
"Mr. Kosak, you in?"
Overcome with emotion, Kosak shot his hand straight into the air and shouted desperately,
"I-I'm in! I'm in! Call! Call! Caaaall!!!"
"Perfect! Let's move out! Starting from the 36th floor!"
And so began the ascent to the unchallenged upper floors—
an ascent of Kosak, for Kosak, by Kosak.
※ ※ ※
Park Gyeong-su, Director of the Awakened Management Administration, and Park Il-jun, Director of the National Intelligence Service, held an emergency meeting.
The two had grown noticeably closer after recent national audits.
This meeting was to share the investigation process of the 'Imperial Traditional Massage Mass Murder Incident.'
This was no simple murder case.
It had been an attempted kidnapping of an elite team.
Of course, the perpetrators were all dead.
"All the dead men are highly likely to have been soldiers. And extremely well-trained ones at that."
"These sons of bitches… Do we have clear evidence of who orchestrated this?"
"Sigh. No concrete evidence. If even one of them had survived, we could've extracted the truth through interrogation. But they're all dead."
Still, circumstantial suspicion pointed to China.
Only China.
It was already widely rumored—quietly but persistently—
that China had been enticing or kidnapping talented players from weaker nations.
But for Korea to be included as a target—
It made Korea feel like a weak nation overnight.
"Among their targets was also the actual owner of the Holy Sword."
"Ggh…"
At the NIS Director's words, Park Gyeong-su's face flushed red with rage.
They might have narrowly avoided a national catastrophe.
"It's unlikely they knew that beforehand. It was probably a coincidence."
Currently, Player Bong Juhyeok was only publicly known as the owner of the Holy Sword.
Only three people knew that he was also an S++ clear record holder.
Even the NIS Director was unaware.
"I shouldn't say this, but I'm almost grateful to that murderer."
"In any case, we must conduct a thorough investigation. How they entered Korea, whether there are remaining operatives, and also the identity of the murder suspect."
"One more thing! The NIS needs to pay extra attention to protection."
"Yes, we'll take that to heart. We've already issued a full mobilization order to both domestic and overseas organizations. We should see results soon."
Once they found definitive proof that China was behind it, they would not let it slide.
"By the way, isn't Gerald Watson entering the country from the U.S. in a week?"
"Yes. We received an official diplomatic notice."
"And what do we need to do?"
"Nothing. They said they'll handle everything themselves—movement, security, all of it."
"Figures."
After all, they were bringing in America's top player.