Chapter: 45
Following Park Ji-hoo, even Lee Si-ah showed up.
Yu-jin had never expected everyone to gather here.
He had naturally assumed he would be acting alone, so the situation caught him completely off guard.
‘Well, it’s not exactly a bad thing.’
In fact, it made things even better.
Lee Gi-seok had believed Yu-jin’s story to a certain extent, but he hadn’t fully accepted it.
If they wanted help from outside the Tower, convincing Lee Gi-seok was absolutely essential.
And just when that wasn’t going as smoothly as hoped, two living pieces of evidence had appeared.
From Yu-jin’s perspective, there was no downside.
If there had only been one example, Lee Gi-seok would have remained skeptical.
But now there were three.
No matter how rational, analytical, and textbook “T-type” the science nerd was, he could no longer dismiss Yu-jin’s words lightly.
‘Look at that. Even his expression changed.’
Lee Gi-seok’s face had grown serious.
He hadn’t been treating it as a joke before, but now that the evidence had multiplied, he was clearly giving it much deeper thought.
“For now, I understand what you’re saying. I’ll have to investigate further, but it doesn’t appear you’re lying.”
“You’ll find out eventually anyway. In about a month, more players will start appearing.”
The players inside the Tower weren’t just sitting around doing nothing.
Though they were progressing far more slowly than Yu-jin’s group, they were still adapting little by little through hunting.
A whole month was a long time.
By then, some would have reached the Second Floor.
A few exceptional individuals might have even climbed to the Third.
Another month after that, people would begin reaching the Fifth Floor.
That was exactly how things had unfolded during the first playthrough.
Once those people appeared before the world, no one would be able to deny the truth any longer.
Yu-jin was merely speeding up the inevitable.
“So the support you’re asking for is…”
“As I said, support of every kind, regardless of type or quantity.”
Just because players had entered the Tower didn’t mean they had been cut off from reality.
A stable rear line made for a stronger front line.
For the players, reality was that rear line.
If things behind them were unstable, there was no way they could focus entirely on climbing.
Money was the most basic form of support.
Beyond that, ensuring the safety of their families and taking care of countless real-world concerns would give players a reason to keep climbing.
Concrete rewards were far more effective than vague appeals about preventing the apocalypse.
“I see.”
Lee Gi-seok nodded in understanding.
“Of course, that’s not all.”
If that had been his only request, Yu-jin would have gone straight to the President.
That would have been much faster.
The reason he’d come to Lee Gi-seok instead was something else entirely.
“I’d like you to make some items.”
“…Items?”
Lee Gi-seok tilted his head.
Lee Si-ah and Park Ji-hoo looked equally confused.
Weren’t items something that could only be obtained inside the Tower through hunting, quests, or rewards?
Lee Gi-seok wasn’t even a player.
He was just a theoretical physicist.
“Just a second.”
Ignoring their puzzled expressions, Yu-jin reached over and grabbed Chun-bae.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
Apparently bored, Chun-bae had been dozing off while hanging from Yu-jin’s arm.
The little bear immediately cried out.
“Hold still.”
Without paying any attention, Yu-jin shoved his hand straight into Chun-bae’s mouth.
“Ugh…”
Lee Si-ah frowned.
Lee Gi-seok’s eyes widened.
Only Yu-jin and Park Ji-hoo remained completely unfazed.
“Let’s see…”
After rummaging around inside Chun-bae for a moment, Yu-jin began pulling out piles of objects.
They were all material items he had collected while climbing to the Fifth Floor.
Since they had come from the lower floors, none of them were particularly valuable.
But there were an awful lot of them.
Everything Lee Si-ah and Park Ji-hoo had obtained while hunting had also been stored inside Chun-bae.
“…What are these?”
It was shocking enough that the teddy bear everyone thought was just a doll was actually alive.
Even more shocking was the mountain of objects pouring out of its body.
And every single item Yu-jin pulled out gave off an unusual aura.
Naturally, everyone’s curiosity was piqued.
“At first glance they just look like random junk, but that’s not all they are.”
Yu-jin picked up one of the materials.
“This is ăRed Goblin Hide [E]ă. Red Goblins drop these pretty often.”
There were hundreds of identical hides.
“This one’s ăDire Wolf Fang [E]ă. And this is ăTroll Bone Fragment [F]ă.”
He introduced several more.
“They’re nothing special. Hunt for a few days and you’ll end up with piles of them.”
As Yu-jin spoke, Lee Gi-seok reached out and picked up several pieces of hide.
“They all look exactly the same.”
As though they had been mass-produced in a factory.
Every ăRed Goblin Hide [E]ă had precisely the same size, shape, and even the same pattern.
“They’re items.”
Yu-jin merely shrugged as though it were nothing remarkable.
“Anyway, that’s not the important part.”
He selected several material items.
Then he stacked them together.
“If you combine them properly… you can do this.”
He didn’t do anything extraordinary.
He didn’t even use mana.
He merely piled several materials together.
Yet the result was anything but ordinary.
Bzzzzzâ
A faint vibration spread through the pile.
The materials began melting.
Thenâ
Flash!
A burst of light enveloped them.
The materials fused into one and transformed into an entirely new object.
â You have successfully combined items for the first time.
â Achievement Acquired: ăMixer [E]ă
â Achievement Reward: Trait ăLuck [E]ă has been granted.
As expected, the Akasha System 2.0 loved rewarding firsts.
Even though this had happened outside the Tower, it still diligently handed out a reward.
‘Oh? Luck [E]?’
Yu-jin’s expression brightened slightly.
It wasn’t a high-grade trait.
Its effects weren’t particularly impressive either.
Still, it was better than nothing.
Very occasionally…
Very, very, very occasionally…
It would hand you an unbelievable stroke of good fortune.
To obtain something like this already…
The second playthrough really was going his way.
Still, the reward wasn’t what mattered right now.
He reached for the newly created object.
“This item is called ăRed Parchment [E]ă.”
It had an entirely new form and name.
Like its rank suggested, it wasn’t especially useful by itself.
“But if you combine things like this properly, you can make some truly excellent items. More importantly… even non-players can do it.”
“Don’t tell me…”
Lee Gi-seok immediately understood what Yu-jin meant.
“That’s right. I want you to discover crafting recipes for useful items… and make them.”
The players would provide the materials.
Lee Gi-seok and his research team would figure out the most efficient combinations.
Together, they’d support each other and climb the Tower faster and more safely.
This had never happened during the first playthrough.
Players had monopolized crafting recipes and used them solely to make money.
After all, they had received no support from any nation or government.
‘But this time will be different.’
If Yu-jin’s plan succeeded…
Players would no longer have to worry about money.
They could devote themselves entirely to climbing the Tower.
“Can you do it?”
Yu-jin asked.
Lee Gi-seok accepted the ăRed Parchment [E]ă and examined it carefully, but he couldn’t answer immediately.
The responsibility was simply too enormous to make a careless promise.
“I’m nothing more than a physicist.”
“I know.”
“Wouldn’t it be far more efficient to discuss this with politicians or government officials instead?”
“It probably would.”
“Then why come to me with a request like this?”
“Oh, that?”
Yu-jin chuckled.
Without even a second’s hesitation, he answered.
“I just figured… you’d be really good at it.”
“Whew… finally done.”
Stretching lazily, Yu-jin stepped out of the research building.
“Talking people into things really isn’t my style. I’d rather fight Heukam one more time.”
“Heukam?”
Lee Si-ah blinked.
“Wait… you mean that dragon from the tutorial floor?”
“Yeah. Originally, it was supposed to appear on the Ninetieth Floor… Never mind. You don’t need to know that yet.”
Yu-jin cut himself off.
If he kept talking, she’d only ask how he knew all that, and explaining it would be a hassle.
“You’d rather fight a monster like that? Anyone listening would think you’d actually fought it.”
Lee Si-ah snorted.
It was only natural.
No matter how strong Yu-jin was, Heukam existed on an entirely different level.
Someone like them would die from a single flap of its wings.
In fact, they already had.
“Sure. Think whatever you want.”
Yu-jin wondered for a moment how she’d react if she ever learned that he had actually killed Heukam during the tutorial.
But he had no intention of telling her.
He simply picked at his ear and ignored her.
“What an unbelievable show-off.”
She muttered under her breath before turning toward Park Ji-hoo.
“And why do you still look like that? Haven’t you gone home yet?”
“Ah… well…”
Park Ji-hoo hesitated, unable to answer.
“Leave him alone. He probably has his reasons. Why are you interrogating him?”
Yu-jin stepped in.
“When was I interrogating him?”
“Just because we’re climbing the Tower together doesn’t mean we need to know every detail of each other’s personal lives. Right?”
“…Yeah.”
Park Ji-hoo nodded quietly.
It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about his past.
Realizing that, Lee Si-ah closed her mouth.
“Forget that. Tell us why you came here. I heard you even beat up all those soldiers.”
“Yeah, yeah! That’s why I came too.”
As Yu-jin deliberately changed the subject, Lee Si-ah eagerly followed along.
“Well…”
Park Ji-hoo hesitated for another moment before finally making up his mind.
“It’s because of money.”
“Money?”
“What about it? Don’t tell me you borrowed from loan sharks.”
“No… it’s not like that.”
As they walked, Park Ji-hoo calmly explained his situation.
A violent father.
An indifferent mother.
Crippling poverty.
And a younger sibling lying in the hospital.
It was the kind of tragic story that had become a clichĂŠ.
But clichĂŠs became clichĂŠs because they happened so often.
Anyone would have pitied him.
“So? Be specific. Do you need money… or do you need someone trustworthy to protect your little sibling?”
“…Someone to protect them.”
After all, that had been the reason he needed money in the first place.
“Hmm… someone trustworthy…”
Yu-jin scratched his head with an annoyed look.
No matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn’t think of anyone suitable.
Then again, Yu-jin didn’t even have a single friend or family member.
It wasn’t surprising.
“Hey… how about I just kill anyone who’s threatening your sibling? Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
“Kill them? You freaking psychopath! Don’t say things like that to the poor kid.”
Lee Si-ah immediately smacked down Yu-jin’s sincere suggestion.
But Park Ji-hoo’s reaction was strange.
“No… that’s okay.”
“Hm?”
Yu-jin stared quietly into his eyes.
Thenâ
Grin.
A smile spread across his face.
“You little bastard… you’ve got more guts than I thought.”
Despite his timid expression, there was unmistakable killing intent hidden in his eyes.
Which meant only one thing.
Park Ji-hoo had already dealt with those people himself.
For some reason…
Yu-jin found himself liking the kid even more.
