A Henam Man's Guide to Climbing the Tower /// Kkuchikkuchi
A Henam man—cautious, safety-first, and just your average Joe—climbs the tower.
#ModernFantasy #System #SupernaturalAbilities #Awakening
<A Henam Man's Guide to Climbing the Tower 1>
2004.
Massive black structures known as Black Towers emerged across the globe.
Simultaneously, humanity began to awaken.
Through this awakening, they gained a vague understanding:
Why the towers appeared, and how to respond.
Those who awakened were dubbed "Players"—
a fitting title.
Twenty years later in 2024, the Black Towers still loomed, and a tiny fraction of humanity continued to awaken.
※ ※ ※
This year, 25-year-old Bong Juhyuk awakened.
Against his will.
[Bong Juhyuk has awakened.]
“Holy shit! What the fuck?!”
It happened on a quiet Sunday evening in his studio apartment, just as he lifted a chopstickful of freshly cooked ramen to his mouth.
“A-awakening?”
No fucking way.
“What kinda bullshit is this?”
Maybe he’d misheard.
He prayed he’d misheard.
He sat frozen for minutes.
Why me?
Some called awakening a blessing—
better odds than the lottery, a chance to flip your life upside down…
if you survived.
But not for Bong Juhyuk.
He’d never fantasized about becoming a Player or entering the tower.
He wanted an ordinary life: no risks, no grand ambitions. Just stability.
Bong Juhyuk was a Henam man through and through.
He sidestepped conflict.
Avoided danger at all costs.
Entering the tower? A death wish.
No one even knew how many Players died daily from failed missions.
Torn apart by monsters. Frozen or burned alive. Poisoned. Crushed by traps. Starved.
“Ugh. Gives me goosebumps.”
Was this really an awakening?
Confirmation was simple:
Check the status window.
Accessible even outside the tower.
“St-status window!”
A shimmering screen materialized:
[Name]: Bong Juhyuk
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (South Korea)
[Level]: Lv. 1
[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 1)
[Catalog]: Empty
[Trait Skills]: Targeted Summon / Random Summon / Summon Release
[General Skills]: Tower Entry (1/day) / Tower Inventory
[Combat Skills]: None
“Shit.”
Definitely awakened.
“Tower Entry” meant exactly that.
The Tower Inventory only stored items from inside.
But his trait…
‘Summoning.’
Awakening granted unique traits:
[Pyrokinesis] [Cryomancy] [Electromancy] [Martial Arts] [Superhuman Strength] [Summoning] [Swordsmanship] [Spearmanship] [Archery] [Healing], and more.
Summoning was well-known—
Spirit Summoners, Beast Tamers, Golem Masters.
What type was he?
Time to test it.
“Random… Summon!”
Nothing happened.
“Ah, right!”
Skills didn’t work outside the tower.
Players’ abilities only activated inside. Out here, he was just a regular guy.
Status windows and system messages, though? Those worked anywhere.
Like living inside a game—hence “Players.”
Even a level 100 Player remained a fragile human in reality.
So why bother trying skills now? They’d never—
[Random Summoning activated.]
“Huh?!”
Fwoosh! A crackle of energy.
It… worked?
‘Since when?!’
A skill cast outside the tower.
A figure materialized in a burst of white light.
Blinking through the glare, Juhyuk gaped.
“A… person?”
No way.
A young Western man with rust-brown hair and a babyface.
“Yep. That’s me.”
“What the—”
A successful summon—
of a human—
outside the tower’s jurisdiction.
Sniff sniff. “Whoa! Ramen? Can I have a bite?”
And a shameless mooch, no less.
※ ※ ※
Juhyuk’s mind raced.
This was undeniably a person.
Appearance, mannerisms, even the way he vacuumed up ramen like a starved demon.
“Slurp—shit—slurp! Damn, it’s spicy!”
“Since when is fried udon spicy?”
“You always eat this hot? I’m a mild guy.”
A mooch and a spice wimp.
Slurp. Slurp.
Yet he kept eating.
Baffling.
Why did the skill work outside?
And why summon a human?
Juhyuk reopened his status window.
[Trait Details]:
[Summons humans and demi-humans.]
[Summonable Ranks: R (Rare), SR (Super Rare), SSR (Special Super Rare), LSSR (Legendary Special Super Rare).]
[Summoner and summoned share universal comprehension.]
Not a gacha system. But wait—
1. Protect the summoner’s life above all.
2. Obey the summoner’s commands absolutely.
3. If Laws 1 and 2 conflict, prioritize Law 1.
So who was this broth-chugging enigma?
Then, who is that person chugging broth straight from the pot—the summoned one?
Suddenly!
Ding!
Another status window opened.
Not his own, but the summoned one’s.
<Catalog: The Insane Assassin of the Cruel Assassins’ Guild>
Name: John Cosack
Grade: SR (Super Rare)
Type: Assassin (Human)
Manifestation Duration: 6 hours
Satisfaction Rating: None
Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applied after summon release)
As I stared silently, a background story appeared:
John Cosack was considered a nuisance within the Cruel Assassins’ Guild—in short, he was insane. Yet his mission success rate was 99%, even assassinating a 5th Circle Dark Mage. His downfall came from a single failure: dying miserably while attempting to kill the Empire’s strongest Sword Master.
Simultaneously, fragmented scenes flashed through my mind like a vivid movie.
John Cosack hiding with stealth, ambushing from behind to sever a target’s head.
‘Crazy!’
A true assassin. No hesitation in killing.
But then—
‘…’
I realized why he was called insane.
He tied ribbon-like knots around the decapitated heads.
‘A gift? Or just easier to carry?’
He even decorated them with butterfly ribbons.
And his end: sliced in half by a white-haired knight’s blade.
‘So I summoned a dead ghost?’
Yet he looked utterly human. Time for questions.
“Mr. Cosack?”
“Yep!”
“Where are you from?”
“Dunno. …Someplace crowded.”
Probably ghosts, not people. Heaven? Hell?
“Can you stand up?”
“Got it.”
He sprang upright—obedient, almost mechanical.
“Clean the ramen pot and wipe the table.”
“Yes, sir!”
No complaints. How far did this obedience stretch?
“Mr. Cosack.”
“Speak.”
“Do you truly obey every order?”
“Absolutely!”
“…What if I told you to drop your pants?”
He stood abruptly, pants already sliding down.
Swinging loosely. Typical Westerner. Well-endowed.
“…Put them back on.”
“Yes, sir!”
Commands overrode shame, it seemed.
“Do you know about the Tower?”
“Of course! Starting your climb?”
“Not yet.”
“Just say the word. I’ll assist!”
This is insane—
Bang bang bang!
Someone hammered the studio apartment door.
“Bong Joo-hyuk! Open up!”
Damn. Debt collectors.
I’d forgotten the interest payment—even on a Sunday.
The loan was 10 million won: Dad’s hip surgery, sibling’s tuition, apartment deposit. Banks refused, so I’d gone to a loan shark.
Paid 5 million in interest already, yet the principal remained. A stupid choice, but what else could I have done?
“Joo-hyuk! Show your face!”
No escape.
“Mr. Cosack.”
“Orders? I’ll behead them.”
Troublemaker.
“Hide. Don’t move, speak, or make noise.”
“…Can I breathe?”
“Yes.”
“Phew.”
I opened the door. Three collectors barged in.
“Look who’s alive! Thought you croaked.”
“Just forgot. Transferring now.”
I sent the payment via banking app.
“Good boy. Don’t die without permission. Keep earning.”
They left.
If only they’d seen the assassin hiding in the corner.
"Yes, yes."
"If you're desperate, sell an organ or something. How about a kidney? Want me to hook you up with a broker?"
Ugh, damn it!
You’re really going to go that far?
And right in the middle of my awakening, too.
"What’s with that look? Think you can take me?"
"..."
"Watch your back. Unless you wanna vanish without a trace."
Even Players are just ordinary people out here.
"...I’ll do everything I can to repay it. The principal too."
"Heh, take your time with the principal. Let’s keep this friendly, yeah?"
The loan sharks shut the door with smug grins and left.
"Ugh."
Life’s tough.
Anyway.
"You were really laying low."
"You told me to, didn’t you?"
"..."
Total obedience, huh.
Still, if they’d actually threatened me, he would’ve helped... right?
Exhaustion crashed over me all at once.
Awakening. Summoning a person. The loan sharks’ visit.
My head’s a mess.
Too much happening too fast—I can’t handle it.
And I need to decide.
Climb the Tower or keep living like nothing’s changed?
Bong Juhyeok would choose the latter...
But that’s not a choice I need to make right now.
I’ve got work tomorrow anyway.
"So what should I do now?"
What should I do?
Send him back by canceling the summon?
"Up to you. Wanna go back? I can send you—"
"Mind if I watch TV instead? Been ages."
He knows about TV? And ramen?
Did those even exist when Cossack was alive?
Whatever. No harm in it.
"Sure, go ahead."
Juhyeok turned on the TV with the remote.
"Thanks! Gonna catch up on dramas."
He collapsed onto the mattress.
I’m drained—completely spent.
My eyes keep closing on their own.
No denying I’ve awakened now.
I’ll test the summon skill again later for answers.
Can’t even think straight anymore.
Bong Juhyeok fell asleep instantly.
How much time passed?
A voice murmured through my sleep:
[John Cossack has been unsummoned.]
He’s gone.
Back to sleep.
※ ※ ※
Bong Juhyeok woke to his alarm blaring from the mattress.
Early morning.
‘Is Mr. Cossack gone?’
No sign of him.
The TV still droned on.
Time to wash up and brush my teeth.
Right then—
The morning news on TV:
—Last night, a grisly murder occurred at illegal lender Smile Cash’s office. Three victims found decapitated. Most shockingly, the severed heads were adorned with red ribbon bow ties—
Wait.
Juhyeok froze mid-brush, rushing to the TV.
Smile Cash—the loan sharks he’d borrowed from.
A murder?
Did I hear that right?
Ribbons.
Bow ties.
No way...
