<The Southern Man's Tower Strategy 3>
It has been twenty years since the obsidian Black Tower first appeared. With its sleek cylindrical form, pitch-black exterior, staggering height, and dimensions that rendered ordinary skyscrapers insignificant, it stood as a colossal enigma. Each nation hosted between one to three such towers. South Korea possessed a single tower nestled in the wild mountains of Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.
When these structures materialized without warning, global military forces, scientists, and journalists rushed to investigate. Yet all were barred from approaching—visible but physically inaccessible, as though rejecting human intrusion. Even aerial access proved futile. What is this? Why has it appeared? The mystery persisted until the emergence of the Players.
The Players revealed the tower’s purpose: it existed solely to be climbed. By whom? Those granted entry—Players—comprising 0.01% to 0.02% of humanity. Of Earth’s seven billion, roughly 700,000 to 1.5 million qualified. South Korea’s 50 million population yielded 5,000 to 10,000.
Players alone could transcend time and space to enter the tower at will. Inside, they faced perilous missions on each floor, ascending through sheer skill. Cooperation was forbidden; even those tackling identical missions operated in isolated phases. A single Player’s success or failure swayed national destinies.
Rewards—magic stones indispensable to modern industry—grew richer with each ascended floor. Yet the tower’s total height remained unknown. The U.S. led with two towers conquered to the 66th floor, while South Korea trailed by a single floor at 65th.
But why climb beyond rewards? Survival. Unconquered floors triggered collapse after six months. Warnings flashed:
[Notice: △△ Nation’s Black Tower progress has stalled.]
[Notice: Collapse countdown initiated.]
[Notice: Countdown halts upon conquering the next floor.]
Failure meant catastrophe: cities shattered by magma and sinkholes. Three years prior, India’s Mumbai Tower collapsed after stalling at the 43rd floor, killing millions. A new tower promptly emerged in Chennai, maintaining India’s trio.
Governments now managed "Elite Tower Climbing Units," offering gear, mental support, and intel. Players, ordinary citizens outside the tower, required protection. Those inactive for three months lost their资格—a risk nations couldn’t afford.
※ ※ ※
Bong Joo-hyuk trudged home after his meat restaurant shift. He’d notified his bosses: Tomorrow’s my break.
Time to try the tower. A taste test—spit it out if it’s bitter. Three months of inaction, and it’s someone else’s problem.
[General Skill: Tower Entry (1/day) / Tower Inventory]
He’d studied the first floor: exterminate resilient but harmless monsters. Just whack them till they drop.
“Alright, then—”
Wait. A thought struck. Summon that lunatic John Cosack? Or gamble for a Legend-grade ally?
[Random Summon unavailable.]
[Cooldown: 28 days 11:08:37.]
Of course there’s a cooldown. Cosack’s designated summon had a mere 3-hour wait. SR-tier’s still good. He’ll never know I hesitated.
“John Cosack—Designated Summon!”
A flash. A prompt:
[Rate satisfaction with John Cosack before summoning.]
Guiltily, he tapped 5/5.
“Summoner Bong!” Cosack materialized, bowing. “Your loyalty humbles me. Command freely!”
So… earnest. Joo-hyuk exhaled. “Decision’s made. We enter the tower.”
"Oooh! Already? How brave of you. ···Ah, no, take that back. You shouldn't be brave."
"Don't worry. I'll just sample the taste and retreat."
"As expected of your sharp mind. Once inside the tower, don't lift a finger. I'll ensure smooth and safe operations."
John Kosak rubbed his palms together, oozing flattery.
Juhyeok nodded in apparent satisfaction.
You have no idea, do you? That you tried summoning someone else moments ago. I'd feel guilty if you knew.
"Shall we go? Wait! Can we enter together from here?"
"Ugh, obviously we're going together. I'm your tool and hunting hound, Summoner Bong. Heh."
Really?
Well then,
Tower entry.
Current time: 11:00 PM.
Daily entry cooldown.
Meaning even if we enter now, we can re-enter at midnight in one hour.
But is such diligence necessary?
[Enter the Black Tower of Korea?]
[Currently accessible floor: 1st]
Naturally,
"To the 1st floor."
Poof!
From Bong Juhyeok's studio apartment,
both he and John Kosak vanished simultaneously.
※ ※ ※
[Entering Floor 1 of Korea's Black Tower.]
Finally inside. System messages cascaded upward:
[Physical abilities enhanced to match level.]
[Trait and combat skill usage unlocked.]
Automatic physical upgrades...
I did feel marginally stronger. Despite being only level 1.
"We'll proceed now. Follow me."
The entrance was a safe zone.
Missions required venturing deeper inward.
The strategy would begin once objectives appeared.
Ding!
[1F Mission: Eliminate 5 Tough-Hide Corpulent Maggots.]
[Time Limit: 2 hours]
[Progress: 0/5]
[Failure Conditions: Death or mission abandonment]
Simple monster slaying—but nothing simple for Juhyeok.
Sigh...
An avalanche of concerns.
Maggots? In this barren wasteland without a single plant?
The squirming creatures everywhere
were the size of toy poodles.
No distinguishable front/back.
No limbs, eyes, or mouth.
No obvious attack points.
But then—
Their hides are tough.
Meaning hard to kill.
True to rumors:
Veterans took thirty minutes per maggot.
Some even failed by dawdling.
(Failure didn't mean death—
Floor 1 was skill orientation.
These maggots were glorified training dummies.)
Could Kosak manage this?
Typically, summoners shared levels with their summons.
Juhyeok being Lv1 meant Kosak was too—
though displayed as separate grades.
"You know the mission?"
"Yessir!"
"Then proceed."
"Loyalty! Your will be done."
Poof!
Kosak disappeared.
"Huh?"
He materialized before a maggot—
"Blade Detonation."
A crimson-glowing dagger flashed.
Whoosh!
Thunk!
BOOM!
The Tough-Hide Corpulent Maggot exploded.
"...Wow."
Effortless.
One eliminated.
"Completion imminent."
Kosak's skill repeated:
Whoosh! Thunk! BOOM!
Two... three... four... finally the fifth.
[Eliminated: 5/5]
[1F Mission Complete]
[Level Increased]
[Reward: Magic Stone (100g)]
Then—
[Announcement: S++ Rank Achieved on Korea's Black Tower 1F]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge Granted]
...What's this?
A cakewalk.
Clearly above level 1.
S++ strategy ranking?
Do clear grades exist?
Must be valuable.
Uncertain of specifics, but undoubtedly exceptional.
Two rewards total.
Usually, I only receive Magic Stones.
‘A Platinum Badge—what’s this used for?’
Seems like it’s given for achieving an S++ clear rank.
[You may now challenge the 2nd floor.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of South Korea.]
Whoosh!
The surroundings changed instantly.
Juhyeok’s studio apartment—my home.
‘Home sweet home.’
Am I back already after finishing the mission?
‘How much time passed?’
I entered at 11:00.
Now it’s 11:03.
Only three minutes.
Reading the 1st-floor message took about a minute.
Moving to the mission zone took another minute.
The actual maggot extermination? Less than a minute, probably.
“Well done. Hehe,”
John Cosack beamed.
“I just stood there doing nothing,”
“That’s why you did well.”
“...”
Am I dreaming?
Spirit! Poof! Bang! Then whoosh—I was back.
‘Was that seriously so easy?’
My status window showed: [Level] 2.
Others supposedly collapse from exhaustion after killing those maggots.
Let’s check the rewards.
A tower-exclusive inventory.
Works outside too.
But only stores tower rewards—can’t add other items.
‘...Got it.’
100g of Magic Stones.
Plus a Platinum Badge.
An actual physical badge.
‘Do I pin this on my chest?’
How cringey.
I pulled.
They were pricey initially—
Back when humanity first obtained and you get wild items.
‘Still, ₩50,000 style.”
“Garlic’s... still kinda spicy...”
Sever. Cosack,”
“Yes?”
“Do you always talk like that influence?
More like former-summoner contamination.
“
