<Tower Strategy for the Han Namja 14>
Awakening Management Office, Hannam-dong, Seoul.
Director Park Kyung-soo received a report from Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
“Player Bong Joo-hyuk visited the shop again?”
“Yes, sir. Without my knowledge. Had I known earlier, I would’ve personally gone to assist him.”
“What did he purchase?”
“A shield. A small hand shield, no less.”
“Tsk tsk. Had he signed an elite contract, we’d have equipped him from head to toe…”
He’d cleared up to the 18th floor with an S++ rating.
The 19th floor wouldn’t be too challenging either.
The real issue was the 20th floor.
Every type of goblin encountered so far would swarm at once.
The mission alone had a 10-hour time limit.
An S++ rating here was out of the question—clearing it within the timeframe would be a miracle.
Some players wasted months struggling to pass this floor.
“What is Player Bong’s specialty?”
“Given his purchase of a mace and shield, we suspect he’s a close-combat type.”
“Hah! Even full gear wouldn’t be enough for that.”
Close-combat fighters relied on powerful strikes but sacrificed defense, requiring full-body protection.
“Why isn’t he buying armor or a helmet? Even if he skips leg guards, his head and heart should be prioritized!”
“That’s precisely what concerns me.”
Injuries elsewhere allowed time for healing potions.
But a hit to the head or heart meant instant death—no chance for recovery.
“I’ll fabricate some excuse to get him a full armor set—”
Bzzzt!
A call interrupted. The caller ID flashed “Player-Dedicated Police Unit.”
“I need to take this. It’s the police.”
“Go ahead.”
“Jeon Gwang-il speaking. What’s the—? An attempted item theft? Armed with a pistol…?”
Crimes between players weren’t uncommon—usually greed-driven kidnappings to loot tower inventories.
The brutality lay in the aftermath: victims were often killed to hide evidence.
A player’s corpse could be stored in their tower inventory, enabling near-perfect crimes.
At least outside the tower, skill restrictions limited the chaos.
If players wielded their tower abilities in reality? Catastrophe.
“The victim mentioned my name? 25-year-old male… Bong Joo-hyuk?!”
Jeon Gwang-il paled. Director Park, listening nearby, jolted upright.
“Is he injured?!”
“N-no physical wounds, but shaken.”
“Get there. Now.”
As Jeon sprinted out, Director Park bit his lip.
A miscalculation. They’d focused too much on tower dangers.
Players died outside too.
We should’ve pushed for that elite contract. Trained guards could’ve been arranged through police or intelligence agencies.
But without the contract, protocol bound them. Assigning protection required justification—like his S++ record—which would expose him to scout brokers.
Better to stay silent than risk him being trafficked abroad.
But now…
No more delays.
They’d recruit him into the elite team.
※ ※ ※
Joo-hyuk bound Choi Ho-seok with rope and called the police.
He’d dismissed Cossack, though the spirit seemed reluctant to leave.
Officers arrived faster than expected.
“Damn, you clocked him good,” one remarked, examining Choi’s head.
“H-he’s alive, right? This counts as self-defense…?”
“Needs investigation, but likely a concussion. Pulse is steady.”
“He… won’t die?” Joo-hyuk stammered, unnerved despite his innocence.
Truthfully, Choi had signed his death warrant the moment he’d drawn a gun.
Joo-hyuk’s energy shield would’ve blocked bullets, but—
“Ugh…”
Choi groaned awake, sparing Joo-hyuk a murder charge.
“Choi Ho-seok? You’re under arrest for home invasion and armed robbery.”
“Wait! I’m the victim!” Choi writhed, blood trickling from his mouth. “He kidnapped me! Stole my items!”
“Then explain the silencer.”
“S-self-defense! Players are dangerous! He’s got an accomplice too!”
The officer eyed Joo-hyuk. “Any accomplice?”
“N-none! I was alone!”
Choi slammed his chest. “I’m level 34! Why would I rob some 10th-floor rookie? Check his registration date—!”
Crash!
Jeon Gwang-il burst in. Choi brightened.
“Team Leader! Tell them I’m—!”
Slap!
The crack echoed.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Choi’s head snapped side to side, cheeks blooming red.
“Lying to my face?!” Jeon roared.
“It’s n-not—!”
Thud!
A final blow silenced him.
Jeon Gwang-il grabbed Choi Ho-seok by the scruff of his neck and snarled.
"Choi Ho-seok, you son of a bitch! You’re going straight to jail. How dare you try to kill a fellow player?"
"Wait—no, let me explain!"
"Your registration is revoked effective immediately. Climb the tower from your cell for all I care. Release? Don’t even dream of it. Want freedom? Die in the tower."
"B-but that’s not what happened!"
Choi Ho-seok was utterly bewildered.
What’s going on?
‘Aren’t they even listening?’
Jeon Gwang-il addressed the dispatched officers:
"Take him. The NIS will handle him soon—just transfer custody."
The NIS?
The government showed zero tolerance for crimes against players.
One misstep could mean torture.
‘No!’
Choi Ho-seok begged desperately:
"I was blind! Please, have mercy—"
"Spare me the act! You’re a repeat offender. We’ll expose every rotten thing you’ve done. Get a lawyer, you bastard—not that anyone’ll take your case."
Turning back to the police:
"Remember the Player Arrest Protocol. This trash might enter the tower en route. If he vanishes, wait at the spot. Reappears? Arrest him again."
Then to Joo-hyuk:
"Player Bong Joo-hyuk, our deepest apologies. Are you injured?"
"...Just shaken."
Jeon Gwang-il bowed so deeply his forehead nearly touched the ground.
"We’ll implement strict measures to prevent future incidents."
"Right, sure."
Jeon Gwang-il’s face darkened.
"I’ll need to install extra locks at home for now."
"...Do what you must."
He wanted harsher measures, but prying eyes limited him to requesting increased patrols.
Frustration simmered.
No more delays—the elite contract demanded attention.
※ ※ ※
Time passed.
The chaos subsided.
He declined the police’s offer for heightened patrols.
Constant door-knocking to "check on his safety" would’ve been intolerable.
‘Who could possibly rival my security?’
Even during Choi Ho-seok’s intrusion, he’d worried more about the intruder’s survival than his own.
Back to routine.
He gave Yaman Gobang and Kosak 5-star ratings.
[John Kosak has been designated for summoning.]
"Chung! Any trouble yesterday?"
"Thanks to you. The police took him."
"Execution?"
"Unlikely. A few years in prison, maybe."
"...Hmm. Know where he’s held?"
"No. Don’t ask."
"Fine."
Next:
[Yaman Gobang has been designated for summoning.]
"...First time."
"What is?"
Gobang counted on his fingers.
"F-five stars."
At least he could count.
Today’s goal: Conquer the 19th floor.
"Let’s move."
[Entering Floor 19 of Korea’s Black Tower.]
Mission: Eliminate Goblin Shamans.
[Floor 19 Mission: Defeat 30 Goblin Shamans.]
Hardly a threat.
Goblins casting ice spears? Chain lightning? Please.
Their worst were curses, binds, or pitiful fire arrows.
Curses were the real menace—
Mental erosion through hallucinations, weakness, apathy, depression...
All stacking until you broke.
But this only mattered to same-level players. A deranged assassin or a battle-hardened tank? Irrelevant.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Gobang charged.
The size gap between him and goblins? Infant versus adult.
He bulldozed through curses, crushing everything in his path.
Kosak lurked behind, dodging hexes before shredding shamans in lightning strikes.
SLASH! SLASH!
The 19th floor became a slaughterhouse.
‘My turn.’ Joo-hyuk gripped his mace and shield.
ZZZT!
Energy shield activated.
Time to showcase his skills—
[Floor 19 Mission Complete.]
‘Huh?!’
Already?!
John Kosak grinned in the distance, blood-smeared.
‘Did they speedrun this to exclude me?!’
[Notice: S++ Rank Achieved on Floor 19.]
[Reward: Platinum Badge.]
Fine. He’d allow it today.
Tomorrow: The awaited Floor 20.
[Entering Floor 20 of Korea’s Black Tower.]
Infamous as the "First Talent Filter," its brutality made Floor 21 seem tame.
"Dis place is death!" Kosak warned theatrically.
"Scouts wit’ poison, tacticians, assassins, shamans—plus a giant hobgoblin! Scary, scary!"
"..."
"If I were you, I’d hide!"
He prodded Gobang:
"Summoner, relax! We’ll handle it."
Gobang nodded.
[Floor 20 Mission: Defeat 100 goblins (any type) + 1 Hobgoblin.]
[Time Limit: 10 hours.]
"Gobang, frontline tanking. Draw aggro, then I’ll strike. Clear?"
"I tank all."
"Perfect!"
Kosak subtly blocked Joo-hyuk’s path.
THUD! THUD!
Gobang charged like a siege engine.
Poison darts flew. Warriors advanced. Assassins flanked. Curses rained.
ZZIIING!
Joo-hyuk erupted forward—
Energy shield, Basilisk Leather Boots, mace, and buckler.
"Eh?!"
Kosak dropped his casual act, screaming:
"Bong Summoner-nim! NO!!!"
SWISH! SWISH!
Joo-hyuk zigzagged, leaving afterimages—
1, 2, 4, 8... clones surrounding him.
‘Am I hallucinating?’
Perhaps. But now—no trace of his timid self remained.
SWISH!
A mace crushed a shaman’s skull. CRACK!
SWISH!
A warrior’s head shattered. CRUNCH!
TING! TING!
Darts deflected off his buckler.
SWISH! SWISH!
Movements too fast to track.
Kosak sighed.
A flawless Shadow Walker—surpassing even his own skill.
This summoner had seemed cautious, but now?
Protecting him was non-negotiable.
Even at the cost of his soul.
