IJSS 07

 Chapter 07

“Ugh, I feel like my stomach is going to burst.”

After finishing the dinner he had promised to eat with Mr. Kim, he was on his way home.

The night air was quite chilly.

After getting off the bus, he walked for a long time through winding alleys and steep stairs.

His house was located at the highest point of the hillside neighborhood, so even from the nearest bus stop, he still had to climb quite a distance.

‘It felt like I was too tired for meat to even go down… but I ate it just fine.’

Maybe because he had moved his body so much, the food actually went down better than usual despite his worries.

Since it was a rare chance to eat something greasy, and he was going to pay anyway, he ate as much as he wanted.

However, when he finally took out his card, he found that Mr. Kim had already finished paying.

‘No wonder it felt strange that he left his seat saying he had to answer a call when I had never even seen his phone ring.’

Originally, he had planned to get treated as compensation for Mr. Kim taking the arrow for him.

But Mr. Kim said that since he also owed him his life, they could just call it even.

— “Nah, forget it. Things like this are something adults pay for. When you get settled later, you can buy me a meal then. I’ll happily let you treat me at that time.”

‘Tch. I would rather just pay myself.’

Whether big or small, kindness was always uncomfortable.

Because he had to remember it and repay it.

If he forgot with an “Oops,” he immediately became someone who did not know gratitude.

And people would add that it was because he grew up poor.

“Whatever. Next time, I’ll just pay first.”

As he walked while thinking that, he eventually arrived home.

He opened the rattling door and immediately threw himself onto the bedding.

“Ughhh… I’m home.”

The blanket warmly embraced his exhausted body.

After being covered in mud, blood, and sweat while fighting inside the Tower, even the faint smell of mold in his room felt like a pleasant scent.

It was strange.

Once he came out of the Tower, the blood and mud that had covered him inside disappeared without a trace.

It seemed like some kind of system purification effect.

Unfortunately, it was not perfect.

It did not repair his damaged clothes.

‘There goes one perfectly good outfit. Well, I used it well, so I guess it’s fine.’

He lay down and blankly stared at the ceiling.

The dead insects beneath the light cover.

The wallpaper with traces where mold had grown and been wiped away.

The same scenery that had not changed even slightly from yesterday, the scenery he saw every day when he lay here.

“…It really feels like a dream.”

In front of such an ordinary scene, everything he experienced in the Tower felt like an illusion.

The person lying in this mold-smelling rooftop room had personally climbed the Tower, explored dense forests and swamps, and cut down monsters.

Not long ago.

Just a few hours ago.

It felt strange that he had killed something.

And the fact that he had almost died several times felt like a lie.

Everything was unrealistic.

But there was one thing that remained painfully vivid.

The sensation of cutting through flesh and bone.

‘It was thrilling.’

Without realizing it, he muttered while thinking about the Tower.

“Status Window.”

[Awakened Information]

Name: Kim Si-hyeon
Highest Floor Reached: 0
Owned Skills: Shadow Mimic (Unique), Island (Unique)

▶ Shadow Engraving
└ Main Slot: Healing Touch (C-/Kim Min-joo)
└ D▼ Slot: Unengraved

A message window appeared as if it had been waiting.

The information of Awakened Kim Si-hyeon still felt unfamiliar.

“Still, Healing Touch and Island are both there…”

“This is it. The D-rank slot I received as a reward.”

When Island was first activated, it clearly said “create.”

He had expected it, but seeing the word “Unique” attached to it confirmed that it had become completely his own ability separate from the engraving slots.

“This is nice.”

With the corners of his mouth raised, he closed the status window.

Then suddenly, the noise he had casually overheard earlier crossed his mind.

‘Come to think of it, the people at the table next to me were talking about some kind of total reward… Should I look it up?’

Even he thought the Tower’s overall reward at the end was quite extraordinary.

He took out his phone, thinking there would probably be some reaction.

But then…

[Main News at This Hour]

[Breaking News] Korean Tower, first-ever ‘EX Rank’ appearance! 72-hour ‘Festival of Abundance’ begins!

[Overseas] “What exactly happened in the Korean Tower?”… Global Awakened communities in chaos

[Column] ‘EX Rank’ becomes a new variable in the Tower… Changes in Tower strategies expected

“What? Don’t tell me this is all…”

Everything was about him.

From the portal main page to every newspaper, articles about his clear record were pouring out.

The reaction far exceeded his expectations.

It was almost confusing.

‘That was the world’s first EX Rank?’

He had vaguely thought it was only the first in that “unknown floor.”

But apparently, it was not.

It was the first in the entire world.

Realizing that things had become much bigger than expected, he roughly read a few articles and checked the comments.

— “I was just sitting around and money fell from the sky? Anyway, huge win lol”

— “K-Pop, K-Drama, K-Tower, let’s go.”

The comments on articles about the Festival of Abundance and overseas news were mostly people enjoying the blessing.

“The column…”

— “I don’t understand any of this. I’m just happy because the items are good.”

The moment he saw the top comment on the column, he let out a small laugh.

‘The column is the same.’

He was about to scroll past, but a sharper comment below caught his attention.

— “So basically, clearing hidden floors and hidden pieces is important. The old veterans who only grind the same floors over and over should start getting nervous.”

— “A new variable? Not really. The highest floor will still be cleared by Shin Yoo-seong, and everyone below that is just receiving leftovers. No need to overinterpret it. Once someone clears the floor, the countdown starts again, so he probably intentionally delayed the clear. Floors keep getting harder. Every day matters.”

“…Hmm. Is that so?”

“I did put some thought into it. Was I just interfering?”

This total reward for the Korean Tower…

He had actually been able to choose it.

It happened after all his teammates left and he remained alone inside the Tower.

More precisely, the three-day blessing period was fixed.

For the remaining choice, he could either extend the blessing by two more days or increase the deadline for clearing the highest floor by seven days.

He chose the latter.

‘Because in the end, the Tower is something you climb.’

That was his decision.

The blessing that all Korean Awakeners could enjoy was nice.

But he thought three days would probably be enough.

‘The one who worked hard was me. What’s wrong with choosing what I want? The Tower itself told me to choose.’

Right now, Shin Yoo-seong, the national hero carrying Korea’s fate alone, was still fighting desperately to clear the highest floor.

He only wanted to help him, even if it was just a little.

Even if Shin Yoo-seong did not need his help.

That was simply how he felt.

He had been given the chance to row the oars on the Turtle Ship.

It would be strange to refuse.

‘If the seven extra days help, that’s good. If not, then it’s unfortunate. I can’t undo my choice anyway.’

Enjoying watching the reactions, he entered the anonymous Awakened community “The Lobby” for the first time in a while.

Since he made a living targeting Awakeners, he occasionally checked the place.

‘Most other Awakened communities require verification, so this was the only place I could visit.’

The expressions were rough, but they were not bad people.

Probably…

He saw one post immediately.

【Verification】 Thanks to the Abundance Lord, I got a high-grade weapon lol

▼ Comments

Anonymous1: Damn jealous. So who the hell is this Abundance Lord or EX Lord? Shin Yoo-seong? Kang Yoo-jin? Choi Soo-hyun? Or some hidden successor of the White Night Guild?

└ Anonymous (Writer): I don’t know, damn it, but from today onward he’s my god.

【Discussion】 Isn’t the 7-day extension actually more important than the items?

Everyone is busy getting items, but this might not just be about getting better drops.

It might have saved an entire country.

There was that rumor going around that this time’s clear would fail.

Apparently, the rumor came from Tower records?

▼ Comments

Anonymous1: Rumor my ass lol. It probably happens every time the highest floor deadline gets close.

Anonymous2: Don’t you know “God of Clearing”? The clear is Shin Yoo-seong anyway. Thanks for the seven-day extension, but Shin Yoo-seong would have cleared it regardless. That’s the truth.

└ Anonymous3: Simple fact) EX Lord is above Shin Yoo-seong. Shin Yoo-seong is like an immortal playing alone above the clouds, while EX Lord is literally shoveling money to us right now. How can you compare them? lol

All recent posts and popular posts had the same atmosphere.

Countless anonymous Awakeners were praising him…

No, almost worshiping him.

It was a strange sight.

“…It was this big?”

At that moment, a notification appeared on his phone.

[Knock knock! You didn’t forget, right? Tomorrow is the day your rent payment goes out!]

“Tch, it’s already rent day?”

“A month really passes quickly.”

Seeing that notification made his mood even stranger.

He was just an ordinary citizen living in a rooftop room in a poor neighborhood, trembling every month over his 500,000 won rent.

Yet Awakeners who earned hundreds of millions of won were all praising him.

‘Come to think of it, the crafting materials I got from the Tower seem like they’re worth quite a bit…’

He opened his inventory and checked the stored items.

“If I sell a few, maybe the rent…”

It was different from an ordinary first floor because of the kidnapping event.

But fundamentally, it was still the first floor.

Aside from the boss, there were only goblins.

Still, he checked the Awakened item trading site and searched for “Sawtooth Fang.”

It seemed like it would be the most expensive crafting material he had.

But…

‘What? Why is this so expensive?’

His eyes widened at the search result.

[Huge Sawtooth Fang: 2,450,000 won]
[Recent transaction price: 2.5 million won]

It was not even equipment.

It was just a crafting material.

And it was worth almost five months of rent.

He expected boss drops to be different, but this exceeded his expectations.

His heart started pounding.

‘Crazy. No wonder everyone is desperate to become Awakened.’

He calmed himself down and checked the prices of the remaining items one by one.

‘Green Leather Fragment is 10,000 won each. Fangs are 20,000 won… This sap bottle costs 80,000 won?’

The sap bottle containing the poison used by goblins was also worth quite a bit.

However, the real thing was something else.

“Four… four million won?”

The recent transaction price of the giant leather was 3.85 million won.

And it was a transaction from today.

He searched why it was so expensive and found out it was a key crafting material for a cloak item called “Swamp Veil,” popular among classes that cared about stealth performance, such as assassins and archers.

‘If I sell all of this…’

Escaping this moldy rooftop room was no longer just a dream.

He swallowed.

There was still one thing left to search.

“Endless Hunger.”

The Tower had separately rewarded him for achieving the highest score, so naturally…

[No search results found.]

“Huh?”

No matter how many times he entered it again, the result was the same.

Not only the trading site, but everywhere he searched.

There was no related information.

No speculation posts.

Not even eyewitness accounts.

‘The Tower wouldn’t give me trash and wrap it nicely…’

‘It must be much rarer than I thought. What exactly is this?’

Unable to hold back his curiosity, he took out the item he had carefully stored in his inventory.

He knew it probably had no effect outside the Tower.

Still, maybe looking at it directly would reveal something.

“Ugh… It’s kind of creepy.”

A black sphere that fit perfectly in one hand, about the size of a ping-pong ball.

When he saw its image in the inventory, he thought it was just a black ball.

But holding it now, it felt closer to an oil droplet or a lump of ink.

The liquid forming the sphere continued to move slowly.

It looked almost like a living creature.

“Item Information.”

[Endless Hunger]

Description: A hunger that cannot be filled no matter how much it consumes.

“…That’s it?”

“What kind of explanation is this?”

There was no information.

Its appearance, form, and description.

Nothing about it was normal.

“I don’t know. I’ll think about this later.”

Even if he sold everything else, this one would be kept for now.

If it was rare enough that no market price existed, he could easily get tricked.

Until he learned more information, he would keep it in his inventory.

Carefully holding the precious item so it would not break, he placed his right hand over his left hand holding the item.

At that moment.

Sssslip.

His shadow moved like a snake.

It happened exactly when the shadow of his right hand fell over his left hand.

“…!”

He clearly saw it.

His shadow moved.

Of course, shadows could move.

But this was different.

It had moved on its own, like a living creature.

Then a message appeared before his eyes.

[Contact with ‘Endless Hunger’ detected.]

[You can consume ‘Endless Hunger’ to strengthen Unique Ability ‘Shadow Mimic’.]

Only then did he understand the purpose of the item.

‘A strengthening item…’

But it said consume.

That meant the item would disappear.

This treasure might be the only one in the entire world.

Something whose price could be whatever people were willing to pay.

‘…Should I just sell it?’

Strengthening his ability.

He did not know how much it would improve, but it definitely would not be cheap.

If things went well, he could end his poverty completely.

Maybe he could live comfortably in a warm house without lifting a finger for the rest of his life.

A future he could not even dream of yesterday.

‘Is that really what I want?’

A sudden thought made him turn his head.

Through the small window of his rooftop room, he could see the Tower standing tall in the middle of Seoul.

‘It was dangerous.’

‘I almost died.’

‘But why…’

For some reason, he could not take his eyes away from the Tower.

The few hours he spent inside the Tower today were clearer than all the memories of his previous life.

Different from the colorless days he spent struggling just to survive.

Those moments were full of brilliant colors.

Just remembering them made his heart race.

‘This is certain.’

‘I have talent.’

‘Talent for climbing the Tower.’

Not because of the outside reactions calling him the world’s first or anything like that.

He felt it himself.

He had a talent for this.

And he enjoyed it.

‘…Then should I really try?’

It would be dangerous.

But it was worth the risk.

For the wealth and fame waiting after survival.

And for this strange emotion he had never felt before.

All hesitation disappeared.

A small smile appeared.

“Yeah. I can’t just eat one golden egg and stop.”

“There should be countless things like this inside that Tower.”

His decision was made.

He quietly declared.

“Strengthen.”

He decided to use this golden egg as his own nourishment.

[Consuming ‘Endless Hunger’ to strengthen Unique Ability ‘Shadow Mimic’.]

As if it had been waiting for his choice, the shadow on his hand moved violently like a living creature and swallowed the item.

“…I still can’t get used to this.”

Earlier, it had seemed like the shadow waited for darkness.

But this time, the shadow beneath his left hand flowed upward and covered his hand.

Sssslip.

Soon, the black sphere disappeared into the shadow.

The shadow, having filled its stomach, returned to normal as if satisfied.

Then new messages appeared, announcing the results.

[Unique Ability ‘Shadow Mimic’ has been strengthened.]

[Sub-trait ‘Shadow Devour’ has been unlocked.]

[Delicious Scent: The hungry instinct pursues prey.]

※ The stronger or rarer the skills possessed by an existence are, the stronger and more attractive the scent becomes.

[Bite: Consumes the shadow of a defeated target and temporarily engraves one representative skill.]

※ A temporarily engraved skill disappears after one use.

※ Only one shadow can be ‘bitten’ per floor.

[???: This ability is still sealed. It will unlock when certain conditions are met.]

On the first day he was kidnapped by the Tower, struggled desperately to survive, and became an Awakened.

He made his decision.

To live as an Awakened.

No.

As a climber.