<The Strategy of the Han Namja's Tower 2>
A gruesome crime where the victim's head was severed and decorated with a ribbon.
Three fatalities in total.
‘This is insane.’
A public warrant had been issued.
The suspect’s face was clearly visible on CCTV footage.
‘That’s not John Cosack’s face…’
Likely disguised, given he’s an assassin.
Or perhaps a completely different person… or mere coincidence.
But two murderers who tie ribbon knots on heads? Unthinkable.
‘Did I summon a demon? A vengeful spirit, maybe?’
After watching the morning news,
Bong Juhyuk searched online.
The Smile Cash murders.
Public reaction to the case was unexpectedly sympathetic.
Forum comments overwhelmingly praised the killings:
└ Call him the Ribbon Killer?
└ Killer? More like the Ribbon Hero.
└ Weren’t they just criminals hiding behind legal loopholes?
└ Finally some justice. You know they harvested organs?
└ I borrowed ₩1M but had to repay ₩5M to escape.
└ That’s nothing. My friend owes ₩10M in interest on an ₩8M loan!
└ Who did it?
└ Probably a victim fighting back.
└ Whoever killed those bastards – wasn’t this self-defense?
Juhyuk exhaled heavily and shut his laptop.
‘Absolute obedience, my ass.’
He’d never ordered any killings.
Just told him to watch TV.
So why?
He pulled up the status window and reviewed the catalog:
<Catalog: The Mad Assassin of Cruel Guild>
Name: John Cosack
Grade: SR (Super Rare)
Type: Human Assassin
Manifestation: 6 hours
Satisfaction: Unrated
Cooldown: 3 hours (Available for summon)
Summonable.
Should he call and confront him?
Did you kill them? Why?
But…
‘What if he turns on me?’
‘No. He wouldn’t.’
Might’ve been protecting me.
Decision made.
“Designated Summon: John Cosack!”
Ding!
A hologram of five gray stars materialized.
[Rate satisfaction before summoning.]
[Slide finger to score.]
Right – the catalog’s rating system.
‘Stars, huh?’
Juhyuk always gave perfect scores.
His mom worked customer service – he knew low ratings hurt.
But five stars for a murderer?
Click
[Rating: 3 stars]
A lukewarm middle ground.
No one-star tantrums here – classic Han Namja compromise.
Flash!
[Summon complete.]
“Loyalty! Honored by your three stars, sir! I’ll improve!”
“…Right.”
That cheerful face killed three people?
Impossible.
“I need answers.”
“Of course!”
“Did you… kill those loan sharks from yesterday?”
“Affirmative. Handled them pre-unsummoning.”
Silence.
So it was him.
He sat facing a serial killer.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin.
Steeling himself, he swallowed hard.
“How? You didn’t know their location.”
“Planted tracking marks during their intrusion. Standard procedure.”
Tracking marks?
Assassin skills, presumably.
“Why go that far?”
“Eliminating threats proactively aligns with Principle Three.”
“The Three Principles?”
“1: Protect summoner’s life.
2: Absolute obedience.
3: Principle One supersedes conflicting orders.”
“Ah!”
So ordering “Kill me” would be ignored.
“But there was no immediate danger! That’s subjective!”
“Correct. But Principle Three allows… creative interpretation. Left alive, they’d eventually target you.”
“…”
Madness.
Cosack assumed the collectors would murder him.
With no way to protect Juhyuk while unsummoned, extermination became logical.
“You’re completely deranged– sorry!”
“Expected response.”
This loose-cannon logic…
How to handle it?
‘Can’t appreciate this. He’s a liability.’
A walking time bomb.
Imagine walking downtown:
Juhyuk bumps into a thug.
“Wanna die? I’ll gut you!”
Cosack would see a lethal threat.
Cue another ribbon-adorned head.
Unacceptable.
“These kills didn’t help me! They might backfire!”
"...Uh, no one will find out."
Despite Juhyuk's continued frown, John Cosack quietly knelt down.
"I was wrong."
"...Don’t kneel."
"Yes, sir!"
"You won’t do it again, right?"
"Well, I can’t promise anything."
The way he rolled his eyes wasn’t reassuring.
Still, he didn’t seem to be lying.
"If my life were on the line, maybe... But killing someone over a guess..."
"Understood! I’ll judge the situation properly!"
His reply was spirited.
"Alright. You can go back now."
"But... What about climbing the Tower?"
Climbing the Tower.
Since it came up, let’s be honest.
It’s embarrassing, but...
"I haven’t decided yet. ...I’m a coward. I’m scared. I don’t want to die."
"Aha! Makes sense. In my experience, summoners like you should be like that."
Huh? Summoners are supposed to be cowards?
And "experience"?
"Were there others? People like me who summoned you, Mr. Cosack?"
"There were."
There were?
Others like me?
"...From the same Earth?"
"No. Worlds similar to Earth’s civilization, but different. There are quite a few."
"Hmm."
Parallel universes, then?
"So others from those worlds could summon you too?"
"They can’t."
"Why not?"
John Cosack’s expression darkened.
"They’re dead."
"Ah!"
"Their worlds were destroyed too."
The mood turned somber.
"They were brave."
"I see."
"They charged ahead of me to fight monsters. Truly strong summoners."
"You must miss them."
"Not sure. I don’t remember anymore."
An odd feeling crept in—shame burning my cheeks.
If others were brave, why am I so scared?
"Do I look pathetic compared to them?"
"Huh?"
"Being a coward too scared to enter the Tower."
John Cosack frantically waved his hands.
"No! Absolutely not! It’s perfect! I like it!"
"...What?"
What’s that supposed to mean?
"Summoners should be cowards. Courage is poison. Cowardice is the greatest virtue!"
"Uh..."
"Brave summoners die fast. If they die, we can’t come out either. Stay safe, live long, and leave the dirty work to me!"
"Right... Easy for you to say."
"Anyway, I’ll think about climbing the Tower."
"Take your time. No pressure."
"Then I’ll..."
"Yes, sir! Call me again!"
Juhyuk dismissed the summon.
Poof. John Cosack vanished.
He’s gone.
My mind felt foggy. Everything lately had been too intense.
Back to reality.
Time for work.
Juhyuk juggled two jobs: convenience store by day, barbecue restaurant by night. Money was tight—his father’s rehab dragged on, his mother worked at a water purifier company. Two jobs paid better than one. He sent money home, saved, paid debts...
...Do I even need to pay debts now?
Well, the lender was gone.
Late again. Hurry.
※ ※ ※
At the convenience store, Juhyuk couldn’t focus.
The 0.01% awakening. A summoner-class player. Dangerous, even with good traits.
Summoning can’t be that easy. Better not.
But he was young. Restless.
Damn it! Why can’t I do it?!
His future was a blur. He couldn’t work part-time forever.
To climb or not? Back and forth.
Indecisive. Typical.
His awakening would expire if he didn’t climb within three months. Existing players lost status if inactive.
Wasting this feels wrong... But maybe letting it go is better.
Still...
Should I at least look into it?
Players got government support: legal aid, identity protection, high rewards for Tower loot. Many now flaunted their status like celebrities. Some even streamed their climbs.
Any summoner攻略 videos?
Yes. A golem summoner’s clip.
...Wow.
Monsters swarmed as the player gestured. A 3-meter golem tore through them, faltering briefly under the horde.
This trait’s OP. Summoner just chills? Manageable.
But the comments:
└ Lv30 camping Floor 21? Climb higher.
└ Probly chickened out. Traps + mobs there suck.
└ Just rot on Floor1.
└ U think grinding 21 pays bills?
└ Coward.
└ Cut him slack—die in Tower, no body recovery.
Many players stalled on lower floors. Higher floors meant death risk. Repeating easy floors for rewards?
Smart. Why not milk it?
The thought took root.
Maybe... Just once.
