<Tower Strategy of a Real Man 8>
14 consecutive S++ clears of the tower floors.
The grade is impressive, but the fact that he pushed through 14 straight days without a single break is equally astonishing.
Daily consecutive clears are notoriously difficult due to mental fatigue and injuries sustained in the tower—especially beyond the 10th floor.
Injuries pose another critical issue.
What happens if a player gets hurt in the tower?
The wounds carry over directly into real life.
This is why tower-exclusive healing potions are essential.
They aren’t restricted to tower use—they can be consumed outside as well.
"Tower-exclusive" simply means they only heal injuries acquired within the tower.
Internal trauma, external wounds, poisoning… all status ailments from missions are cured.
However, they have no effect on injuries or illnesses obtained outside the tower.
If they did, their value would be astronomical.
Juhyuk possesses five healing potions from mission rewards but hasn’t touched them in his inventory.
There was never a need.
First, I need to cash in the magic stones…
He’d already sold the 5.5kg of magic stones collected up to the 10th floor.
After clearing the 15th floor…
Selling magic stones is straightforward: call, and a designated agent collects them.
No, I should visit the management office first.
He’d been charging in barehanded until now.
At minimum, he needed basic combat gear.
The Awakening Management Office housed a specialized store for players—worth a visit when time allowed.
For now, the 15th floor awaited.
Juhyuk summoned John Cosack, his designated ally.
Though infuriatingly disobedient, Juhyuk still gave him 5 stars.
[John Cosack has been designated and summoned.]
“Chung!”
“You’ve been well?”
“You grant me perfect scores despite my crimes of insubordination. I’m… overwhelmed.”
“I understand. You had no choice.”
“My apologies weigh heavy. A wretch like me deserves no mercy.”
At least he recognized his faults.
“I won’t urge caution from the 15th floor onward. Clear it at your pace.”
“Eh? R-really? This is acceptable?”
“Don’t overthink it. The outcome won’t change.”
“I’ll strive relentlessly!”
The secret was already exposed—hiding it now was pointless.
Another motive existed: clearing the 15th floor with an S++ rating would grant his 15th platinum badge, likely unlocking another special reward.
5 badges: trait enhancement. 10 badges: skill replication. 15 badges: ?
Greed stirred. More rewards meant greater safety.
“Ah, Bong Summoner… a word, if I may.”
“Speak.”
“The 16th floor… complicates matters.”
“Increased difficulty?”
“Clearing it isn’t the issue. Achieving S++ may prove challenging—though S+ is feasible.”
In short: S++ was grueling, S+ manageable.
“Do S+ clears award platinum badges?”
“Never. Badges require peak records. Only S++ qualifies.”
“I see.”
No matter. After the 15th floor, he’d rest a few days. The tower’s dangers had faded from his mind amid Cosack’s reliability.
Complacency was lethal. Losing focus meant disaster. Survival demanded vigilance. Recklessness shortened lifespans. Move methodically, with flawless preparation.
The 16th floor threatened his platinum streak? Unacceptable. He needed badges up to the 20th floor. Safety justified greed.
Juhyuk’s plan leveraged his rewards:
Trait Enhancement (5 badges): Simultaneously summon two entities. Core to his strategy, with a two-week cooldown remaining.
Shadow Step (10 badges): Copied from Cosack. Required practice to master.
15-Badge Reward: Hoping for something potent.
Lastly, gear up at the player shop. His current near-naked state was untenable.
Safety first. Live prudently. That was the real man’s way.
First, the 15th floor.
[Entering South Korea’s Black Tower – 15th Floor.]
Floors 15–20: Goblin Worker Subjugation.
Humanoid green-skinned monsters emerged here. The 15th floor’s goblin laborers posed little threat—the true trials began at Floor 16:
16th Floor: Goblin Scouts (poison needle attacks).
17th Floor: Goblin Warriors (sword/shield).
18th Floor: Goblin Assassins (stealth).
19th Floor: Goblin Shamans (arcane spells).
And the 20th floor requires defeating all types of goblins encountered so far, including the boss, the hobgoblin.
In this section, numerous players die or suffer severe injuries.
Only those with skill can pass through this section and advance to the 20th floor.
Even with sufficient information, it's tricky to strategize.
Goblins possess intelligence.
They’re even extremely cunning.
Anyway, let’s begin.
John Cossack whispered to Juhyeok with a tense expression.
"Stay close and follow me slowly. Don’t get too far behind."
The 15th floor’s environment was a dark forest.
As we moved deeper, a mission notification appeared:
[15th Floor Mission: Eliminate 20 Goblin Workers.]
The targets came into view simultaneously.
Chop chop chop chop!
Goblin workers hacked at trees with small hand axes.
Five in total.
John Cossack murmured softly:
"We must kill them all at once. If even one escapes, it’ll bring reinforcements."
"Then I’ll—"
Juhyeok drew the kitchen knife from his belt.
"Ugh! Put that hideous thing away. You’ll slice your hand open."
He hastily sheathed the blade.
"R-right. Probably safer not to."
"Exactly! But stay ready to activate Shadow Step."
Swish!
Cossack’s figure began fading, blending seamlessly into the forest shadows.
So that’s stealth camouflage. I should learn that.
Moving soundlessly,
Cossack approached an axe-swinging goblin and—
Slash!
—cleanly severed its throat.
The worker collapsed without a scream, blood pooling at its neck.
Two more fell to swift strikes.
Slash! Slash!
Only then did the remaining goblins notice.
"Grk?!"
"Krek?!"
They scattered in panic, abandoning axes. Too late.
A fleeing goblin took a dagger through the heart. "Gack!"
The final escapee’s short legs pumped desperately until—
Thwip!
—a thrown dagger pierced its skull.
Whoa! All five eliminated in seconds.
"Let’s keep moving."
"Huh. No decorative ribbons on these goblin heads?"
"I reserve those for human enemies. And occasion."
"Got it! Let’s crush the rest!"
"Heh. Your enthusiasm’s appreciated."
The strategy proved simple—they were the goblin caste’s weakest laborers. Combat-class adventurers might’ve struggled, but we finished the full 20 in ten minutes.
[15th Floor Mission Complete.]
[Level Up.]
[Reward: 1.5kg Magic Stone]
[Reward: Tower Healing Potion x5]
Yes! 10 potions total now.
[Notice: S++ Rank Achieved on Korea’s Black Tower Floor 15.]
[Reward: Platinum Badge Granted.]
[Floor 16 Unlocked.]
[Exiting South Korea’s Black Tower.]
Fifteen consecutive S++ clears. Fifteen platinum badges.
"Fine work today."
"Work? I just stood here."
"Your presence matters more than you know."
"Ha... Let’s order pizza and binge dramas." "Perfect!"
Reward assessment:
Magic stones from Floors 11-15 totaled 6.5kg—₩3.25 million through the Awakening Agency. No wonder tower climbers never quit. Two weeks’ earnings surpassed two months of part-time wages. Reaching Floor 20 meant 2kg daily (₩1 million!), tax-free. ₩30 million monthly. A literal goldmine.
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il’s daily calls about "benefits without obligations" grated. As if anything’s free. While I’d help stabilize the tower as a citizen, Floor 15 remained far from critical floors. Let the elite teams handle Floor 66.
Now, the real prize:
[Special Privilege: 15 Platinum Badges]
[Reward: Energy Shield Kit added to inventory.]
A plain metallic bracelet materialized. It hummed faintly when clasped.
Effect: Damage-absorbing barrier.
Limit: Deactivates after sustaining critical damage. 5-hour recharge.
Scaling: Matches user’s level.
Holy—this is full-body armor! Exactly what I needed. Every badge collected now felt worth it.
Is that all?
It’s an item without any modifiers.
There’s a rule for tower items.
If labeled ‘Tower Exclusive,’ it can only be used within the tower. Items without this modifier can also be used in the real world.
For example, a Tower Exclusive Healing Potion only works on injuries sustained inside the tower.
In contrast, Magic Stones lack the ‘Tower Exclusive’ tag, making them usable outside the tower.
“Then… does this apply here too?”
Juhyuk murmured cautiously.
“Energy Shield.”
Instantly!
Zzzzzzt!
A transparent energy barrier encased Juhyuk’s entire body.
“…Hahaha.”
It worked.
He’d obtained an immensely valuable treasure as a special reward.
If he sold this on the market, how much would it fetch?
10 billion? 20 billion? 30 billion?
‘Sell it now and quit climbing the tower?’
No.
He could use it until things got too tough. Even then, selling it wouldn’t be too late.
‘Time to take a break.’
He paused his tower climbing temporarily.
During this period, he’d just repeat the 15th floor.
Juhyuk rested thoroughly.
Until his random summoning cooldown reset.
All while grinding the 15th floor.
Two weeks passed like this.
As a result, no S++ rank clear announcements rang out during that time.
※ ※ ※
Awakening Management Office, Hannam-dong, Seoul.
Director Park Kyung-soo, his expression grave, spoke with Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
“It’s been two weeks already, hasn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
Two weeks since the last S++ rank announcement for the 15th floor.
“What’s the issue? Why hasn’t he attempted the 16th floor? …Did he try but fail to achieve S++?”
The tower’s difficulty fluctuates unpredictably.
Some sections spike abruptly in challenge.
South Korea’s current target, the 66th floor, exemplifies this.
Two months in, no progress has been made.
The 16th floor follows this pattern.
The gap between the 15th floor’s Goblin Workers and the 16th’s Goblin Scouts is astronomical.
“That’s not it. When I casually asked Bong Juhyuk recently, he hadn’t even entered the 16th. Said he wasn’t prepared yet…”
“Prepared how?”
“He didn’t elaborate. Just mentioned repeating the 15th floor.”
“Repeating the 15th? Is he planning to park himself there forever?”
“Hard to say.”
It’s plausible.
Staying on the 15th floor alone could sustain him comfortably.
The concern grows.
An average player wouldn’t hesitate.
They’d abandon climbing and terminate their contract.
But Bong Juhyuk isn’t ordinary.
The consecutive S++ rank clearer of the 15th floor.
How could someone with such prodigious talent settle for this?
“What a disappointment. The heavens waste talent on the timid—”
Zzzzzzt!
Jeon Gwang-il’s phone vibrated.
“…Hm?”
“What is it?”
“A message from Bong Juhyuk.”
“What’s it say?”
“He’s coming to the office. Wants to use the Player Shop.”
The Player Shop?
“…Player Shop? Wait—could it be?”
A realization struck.
“Team Leader Jeon—Bong Juhyuk’s never used the shop before, correct?”
“True. During his awakening assessment, he had no gear whatsoever.”
“So his ‘preparation’ meant gathering climbing equipment.”
“Exactly. Equipment costs drove him to farm the 15th floor repeatedly.”
Director Park’s face reddened.
“How could I be so blind?!”
Shame washed over him.
He’d criticized Juhyuk without grasping his circumstances.
No announcements? Giving up? Wasted talent? Timidity? He’d ranted without considering the player’s reality.
“When Bong Juhyuk arrives, provide any item he needs at cost. No—give them freely.”
“Understood.”
Mistakes can be rectified.
If addressed before it’s too late.
