<The Tower Strategy of the Hanam Man 27>
The day Nam Ga-eun's player was scheduled to conquer the 63rd floor of Korea's Black Tower.
Jeon Gwang-il rushed to an item crafting workshop near Seoul early in the morning.
Meeting a master blacksmith who had dedicated his life to the craft, he asked:
"Old master, is the repair complete?"
"The sword was made of orichalcum. There was enough material for repairs, but..."
"Is there a problem?"
"The blade was already worn and chipped from the beginning. The engravings were too faded to verify its origins, so I couldn't restore the original damage."
"What about the new damage from Nam Ga-eun's use?"
"That's been fully repaired."
"Ah! Wonderful. No issues then."
The original damage from when the item was acquired couldn't be helped.
At least the new wear could be fixed.
Better than nothing, right?
Jeon Gwang-il didn't forget to pay Bong Joo-hyuk's rental fee.
The first rental was free—this was the second.
'I need to transfer 1 billion won.'
In this urgent crisis, was 1 billion really significant?
A privilege of operating within South Korea.
Renting to other countries would cost ten times more.
Jeon Gwang-il raced to the Awakening Management Office with the repaired sword.
All staff crowded the auditorium.
He approached Nam Ga-eun, fully geared among them:
"Here you go."
"Is it fully repaired?"
"Not entirely. You see—"
Jeon Gwang-il relayed the blacksmith's explanation.
"Ah! As long as it's like before. I'll handle it carefully."
"You're really attempting the floor today?"
"I told you—if I endure the dark aura, skeletons are just bones."
After triple-checking her body camera:
"I'm off to the 63rd floor."
"We wish you victory."
"Everyone, cheer her on!"
The staff erupted:
"Fighting, Nam Ga-eun!"
"Return safely!"
"I'll hold my breath until you're back!"
"Show them the terror of a Hell Changer!"
Waving to each supporter:
"See you soon."
Poof!
She vanished.
The staff stood rooted.
Would their hopes be realized?
Two hours later:
Poof!
She reappeared.
"Well? How did it go?"
Nam Ga-eun flashed a V-sign with a radiant smile.
"Conquest complete!"
Then—
"Wahahaha!!!"
The office shook with deafening cheers.
Nam Ga-eun rubbed her tingling nose, squirming awkwardly.
She knew the truth—this wasn't her own achievement.
'Thank you, Bong-nim.'
Without his holy sword, the tower would've crumbled.
'I should give him a gift.'
Rentals were business, gifts personal.
What do men even like?
Jeon Gwang-il swelled with emotion.
With the holy sword, floors 66-67 were feasible.
Floor 68?
By then, Bong Joo-hyuk would reach the 60s himself—
A sturdier support than any blade.
"Nam Ga-eun, hand over the body cam."
"Releasing the footage already?"
"To calm public anxiety."
"Roger!"
The tables had decisively turned.
※ ※ ※
They'd rested long enough.
Floor 28 had been laughably easy—
Even Kosak didn't bother stopping his rampage.
Floor 30 featured Twin-Headed Trolls as bosses.
Maybe slightly more entertaining?
'How many should I kill?'
Gyeon Dal-rae's presence helped—Kosak couldn't move freely.
If he barked "Stay put, Summoner!" at himself...
'You brat! Know your place!' might be the retort.
'I'll play nice—maybe ten?'
[Entering Korea's Black Tower Floor 30.]
Drawing his mace and shield, activating energy barriers, stretching—
Joo-hyuk stole glances at Gyeon Dal-rae.
Beside him stood a delicate, willowy girl.
Her face showed resolve, but what could she do?
"Ready?"
"Chung! Battle after so long—energy overflows! Witness me sweep them clean!"
"I'll handle everything. Death before failing my summoner."
Kosak snorted:
"Hoh. Thought you were mere ruffians, but spirit remains."
"Hehe, I suppose...?"
"Strive utterly. Should Bong Summoner frown, divine retribution awaits."
"Yesss!"
Seriously—
What was that face?
The look of pride when praised by a fellow Ssusal.
A rolling stone dislodging a boulder.
Gobang charged ahead.
Kosak followed.
Gyeon Dal-rae stepped lightly.
[Floor 30 Mission: Eliminate 80 trolls (any type) + 1 Twin-Headed Troll.]
[Time Limit: 13 hours.]
[Progress: Trolls 0/80, Twin-Headed Troll 0/1]
Trolls emerged sporadically—
But wait.
Gyeon Dal-rae acted oddly, retrieving something from her sleeves.
...A portable speaker?
And a USB drive?
"Why does a shrine maiden have these?" Joo-hyuk wondered aloud.
"Forgive me," she flushed. "Proper rituals require drummers, but alone... improvisation was needed."
"Ah. Right."
No time for questions.
The assault began.
"Uwooooh!" Gobang roared forward.
Kosak flowed through shadows.
Gyeon Dal-rae—?
Boom! Boom! Badump!
Speaker drums thundered.
She shook ritual bells—
Tring-tring-tring!
An eerie fusion of drumbeats and chimes.
Shiiiing!
Her blade joined the cacophony—not for slaying, but resonance.
"May heaven's blessings accompany Bong Gongja! Evil begone!"
'So that's why the speaker...'
A shamanic ritual inside the Black Tower?
Suddenly—
Fwoosh!
Her bronze necklace mirror blazed LED-bright.
Warm energy waves radiated outward.
"Ah!"
Mana surged through Joo-hyuk.
Strength erupted.
Senses sharpened.
'A buff!'
Gobang's frame expanded, skin darkening.
Troll claws scraped his hide—
Clang!
The attackers' nails shattered.
Kosak went berserk—dagger aura lengthening, shadow-steps blurring.
"Marvelous! Slaughter! Madness!"
Trolls faltered under drumbeats and mirror-light.
Regeneration nullified.
Panic-stricken, weaker than orcs—
Shredded by Gobang, diced by Kosak.
The tempo accelerated—
Boomboomboom! Tringtring! Shiiing!
Joo-hyuk's chest swelled with valor.
Trolls? Child's play.
Here comes the man—
As he lunged:
Yank!
A hand gripped his collar.
Gyeon Dal-rae shook her head:
"Leave fighting to underlings. Gongja-nim should observe comfortably."
"Uh... I'll just kill a few—"
"A gentleman doesn't dash in rain. Why mingle with lowlifes?"
"But I'm lowly too—a Hanam man!"
"Blasphemy! Noble Gongja-nim mustn't demean himself."
There's no time for this.
If this keeps up, Cossack and Gobang will end up handling everything.
I tried to break free with force and leave, but—
Thud!
She grabbed my sleeve and wouldn’t let go.
“Sigh, I’ll just go catch one and come back.”
“Your safety is the most important, Your Highness.”
This is driving me crazy.
The kill count is rising,
the girl is holding me back,
so I had no choice but to say,
“This is an order. Let go of my hand. Now!”
I put on a stern voice,
“Ah, that cannot be allowed.”
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going, so whether you yell at me or not, it’s up to you.”
“Ah, ah, no…”
All of a sudden, Gyeondalrae’s face went completely pale.
And then—
“Waaah…”
Huh?
‘Is she crying?’
Tears welled up in Gyeondalrae’s large eyes.
‘Why…?’
Juhyeok was utterly flustered.
She used to yell at me for slurping noodles too loudly.
‘Is she acting?’
It didn’t seem like it.
Real tears were falling.
Is this how Gyeondalrae reacts when Absolute Obedience conflicts with the Summoned’s Three Principles?
But isn’t it overkill for an SSR rank to cry like this?
In that moment!
Juhyeok locked eyes with Gyeondalrae.
And he realized it at the same time.
The sorrow and fear reflected in her eyes.
‘…Damn it! What the hell!’
Why was I so blind? Why didn’t I realize this sooner?
Summoned beings aren’t just evaluated by their rank.
They’re people.
Real humans with emotions and reason.
Is there a reason the summoned beings’ backstories are in the catalog?
What’s the point of a backstory for a mere summon?
Cossack died trying to assassinate a Sword Master,
and Gobang, though deceived, bravely faced a Hydra and died.
Both fought fiercely and met their end.
Any regrets about life?
It didn’t seem like it.
But what about Gyeondalrae?
She lost her father, was betrayed by her trusted uncle, saw her younger brother killed, and even as she sought revenge, knowing she might die, she pushed forward. How did she feel then?
She must have been scared.
Lonely.
Desperate.
Even after death, she must have felt the same.
She’s not a strong girl.
In fact, she’s incredibly weak.
She puts on a tough front just to mask how fragile she really is.
Like a tiny Chihuahua that barks loudly to compensate for its size.
It reminds me of my younger brother, Minhyuk.
He used to do that a lot when he was young.
“Are you afraid I might die?”
“Y-yes, Your Highness.”
“Should I not go?”
Nods repeatedly.
“Alright, I won’t go. You can relax now.”
“I am truly grateful.”
What does it matter if I miss out on killing one or two monsters?
Let’s face it—I’m no hero.
I’d been mistaken for a hero for a moment because of the buff.
I need to return to my true self.
The fight ended quickly.
Even faster than when we took down the Orc Chieftain.
The Twin-Headed Troll was dead before it even had a chance to attack.
One head was ripped off by Gobang, and the other was cut off by Cossack.
As soon as the mission success message appeared,
Cossack came running over, panting.
He whispered to Juhyeok,
“So, why is the princess crying?”
“…Something happened.”
“Did the summoner scold her because she was rude to me earlier?”
“Yeah, like I would ever do that. And you deserved to be scolded, so why would I?”
“That hurts my feelings. Maybe I should cry too.”
“Cry if you want.”
Then!
“You!!! How dare you approach Your Highness with your monster-bloodied body! Get back now!”
“…Yes, yes, understood.”
Chuckle.
Nowadays, her scolding doesn’t even bother me.
Anyway, I’ll treat them well.
So they can live happily here.
But on the other hand,
both Cossack and Gyeondalrae are trying their best to keep me out of danger. Their efforts are genuinely moving—almost heartbreaking.
And for the first time in a while, a nationwide announcement rang out for all Korean players:
[Announcement: [Player Name] has achieved an S++ rank in clearing the 30th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge has been awarded.]
Well, that makes 30 badges now!
What’s the next perk?
※ ※ ※
During a National Assembly audit, Director Park Kyung-soo made a surprise announcement: South Korea had successfully cleared the 62nd floor of the Black Tower, with plans to tackle the 63rd floor the very next day and aims to clear the 66th floor within a month.
The reaction was so explosive that it completely overshadowed Yoo Cheol-min’s naturalization news.
All day, TV channels aired footage of player Nam Ga-eun clearing the 62nd floor. Despite her sword appearing ancient and battered, she wielded it with ease, cutting down zombies as a faint glow repelled the dark aura.
└ Are zombies really that weak? That holy power is on a whole different level compared to light attributes.
└ The clear time is ridiculously fast. It looks rigged.
└ Why would they do that?
└ With public opinion at rock bottom, they might be trying to save face by fabricating footage.
└ Would they really lie so blatantly? Is the management office stupid?
└ Right. Even if the management office is questionable, I trust Nam Ga-eun. Don’t you know how good her reputation is?
└ Anyway, it’s coming out today. The 63rd floor clear results will tell us everything.
The public was tense.
They would soon find out.
Could Nam Ga-eun really clear the 63rd floor back-to-back?
And then, breaking news flooded in:
<Breaking News! 63rd Floor Skeleton Mission Cleared in Record Time!>
<The holy sword’s power shines in the footage, proving to be the undead’s natural enemy.>
<Nam Ga-eun’s fluid movements with the massive sword stood out.>
<She’s always shown potential. Some say her talent surpasses even Yoo Cheol-min’s.>
<64th Floor Dark Ghoul mission announced in 3 days. She vows to clear it.>
<66th Floor? Might take less than a month if this pace continues.>
└ She did it!!!
└ Cheers! 66th Floor!
└ All you fraud accusers—come out now!
└ Only took 2 hours!
└ Remember the American clear? That took 7 hours!
└ That holy sword’s totally OP.
└ Yoo Cheol-min got what he deserved. Could’ve cleared 66F himself if he’d kept quiet.
The reaction was explosive.
Every Korean internet forum became a celebration hub.
One-minute clips of Nam Ga-eun’s 62nd and 63rd floor clears spread like wildfire across SNS, YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and other platforms.
And the final cherry on top—
A message exclusive to Korean players:
[Announcement: [Player Name] has achieved an S++ rank in clearing the 30th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
└ Huh?
└ Wow…
└ Insane!
└ What’s happening?
└ First nationwide announcement in ages.
└ Wait—nationwide notice means…?
└ Someone got S++ on Floor 30!
└ This is straight-up national pride overdose overload!
Nam Ga-eun’s 2-hour 63rd floor clear was already monumental.
But now, an unknown Korean player’s S++ clear on Floor 30 had been added to the mix.
Could the patriots even handle this euphoria?
