Chapter 1
One day, without any warning, gigantic towers suddenly rose all around the world.
Then came the people chosen by those towers, who gained strange powers. They were called Awakeners.
Since the Great Cataclysm, the world had been divided into two kinds of people:
Those who could climb the Tower…
And those who couldn’t.
And me, Kim Sihyun…
‘Obviously, I’m one of the ones who can’t.’
To be honest, I wasn’t even jealous anymore.
The things I didn’t have but everyone else seemed to take for granted…
Even feeling envy over them had become a luxury.
‘I got over that back when I was a little kid and realized everyone else had parents except me.’
It was unfortunate, but there was no point in sitting around feeling depressed.
All I could do was give my best with what I had.
Which meant…
Another early morning at work.
“Sharpening stone, check. Rust remover, oil cloth… needles and scissors… Okay, everything’s here.”
Repairing the damaged equipment of Awakeners using skills I had picked up just by watching others.
That was my job.
Honestly, calling myself a craftsman or a blacksmith would be an exaggeration.
More like a handyman.
‘I don’t even know if this counts as a real profession… but it pays the rent and keeps food on the table, so I guess it does.’
Awakeners were famous for making lots of money.
But just because a profession paid well didn’t mean everyone in it became rich.
My regular customers were proof of that.
They were Awakeners, but instead of chasing fame or fortune, they simply farmed the lower floors they had already cleared over and over, earning a stable living like office workers.
‘In a way, they’re the smart ones. At least they’re unlikely to die.’
Low risk.
Low reward.
Even people who chose that safe path supposedly earned annual salaries worth millions.
No wonder everyone wanted to Awaken.
‘It even beat actors, idols, doctors, prosecutors, and judges as the number one dream job among teenagers. That says everything.’
I wanted it too.
Who wouldn’t want to climb the Tower, make a fortune, and be praised as a hero?
‘Well… it’s not like I desperately wanted it anymore.’
Whenever I watched customers head into the Tower…
I simply thought,
“Lucky them.”
‘It’s like buying a lottery ticket every week. Ah… right. I forgot to buy one last week.’
About thirty minutes into my commute…
Just as I reminded myself to buy a lottery ticket this week, I arrived.
Near the Tower’s entrance stood a small plaza where Awakeners prepared their equipment.
Awakeners getting ready to climb mixed together with countless merchants, creating a noisy marketplace.
“Come take a look! Fresh healing potions just stocked today! Curse-removal scrolls good up to Floor 10! Even a Goblin Shaman’s curse disappears in one use!”
“Hey there, young man! First time climbing the Tower? How do I know? It says it all over your face! Then you absolutely need this Beginner Survival Kit! Antidotes, bandages, emergency rations! Potions? You trying to bankrupt your family? Those things aren’t cheap!”
Inside the Tower, you could eat, repair equipment, and recruit party members.
Still, markets like this existed for a reason.
‘Because the real professionals with production skills inside the Tower charged ridiculous prices.’
As always…
It all came down to money.
Leaving the familiar noise behind, I spread out my own small stall.
‘Alright. Time to start another day.’
“Oh, Sihyun! I was wondering when you’d get here.”
The moment I finished setting up, a familiar voice greeted me.
One of my regular customers, Mr. Kim, waved cheerfully.
“Oh, good morning, Hyung. You’re here early today.”
“Of course. Gotta earn every dollar I can. My second kid’s due in two days.”
Right.
It felt like only yesterday he had told me about the pregnancy.
“I can’t believe it’s already that time. No wonder you’ve been working so hard lately.”
“Man… another mouth to feed. We somehow managed with three people, but… I’m worried.”
He said that…
Yet couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
“Anyway, do you have any reservations today? If not, could you sharpen my sword first?”
“Sure. I can do it right away. Thanks for giving me my first customer of the day.”
“It’s a win-win. I’ve tried lots of places, but you’re still the best at sharpening. Seriously though… you’re unbelievable. You said you’ve never actually learned this stuff, right?”
“Oh, come on. You’re giving me too much credit. A real craftsman would do a much better job. But they’re expensive. I just offer reasonable service for a reasonable price.”
“That’s true… but sharpening swords isn’t the only thing you can do. You’re good with leatherwork and metalworking too. Last time I saw you sewing as well. Right?”
His unexpected praise made me scratch my head awkwardly.
“Well… after leaving the orphanage, I had to survive somehow. I just learned things by watching.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t understand. How do you watch someone and end up doing it yourself?”
“Haha… I guess…”
“I was just born talented?”
“I honestly don’t know how else to explain it.”
Mr. Kim laughed.
He clearly didn’t believe me.
“Sure. Let’s go with that.”
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
He patted my shoulder like he knew I was hiding something.
As if he thought I secretly trained every night.
‘But I really was born this way.’
Well…
What could I do?
No one believed me even when I told the truth.
“Go sit down and rest for a bit. I’ll use my best whetstone today and get your sword ready before work.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be over at the smoking area.”
After he left, I pulled out my whetstones and began sharpening.
Shhhk… Shhhk… Shhhk…
‘Is it really that unbelievable?’
I had been abandoned in front of an orphanage as a baby.
I only finished high school.
I’d never properly studied any trade.
Instead, I’d done every job imaginable just to survive.
‘PC café, convenience store, restaurant… I worked almost every common part-time job after leaving the orphanage. Then I started taking unusual, higher-paying work. I think it was after the frozen warehouse job…’
And through all those experiences…
I discovered my talent.
‘I’m ridiculously good at copying things.’
I’d noticed it since childhood.
I was terrible at studying…
But when it came to physical skills, I could imitate almost anything.
At first I thought I simply learned quickly.
It wasn’t that.
It wasn’t just copying well.
It was a talent.
After realizing that, I intentionally experienced as many jobs as possible.
To make full use of it.
At a blacksmith’s shop…
I learned hammering just by watching.
“You’ll get hurt. Stay over there.”
At a junkyard…
I learned how to disassemble and assemble machines.
“Watching won’t teach you anything.”
After hearing things like that a few times…
I could usually tell.
Whether I could do it or not.
“Can I try now? I think I’ve got it.”
Then I’d prove it.
The reactions always varied.
“…What the hell? You learned this in only a few days? Are you seriously saying this is your first time?”
“First time? Stop lying. I’ve done this for decades. Why would anyone lie about something like this?”
“You’ve got clever hands. Still just imitation, though.”
Shock.
Suspicion.
Jealousy.
Occasionally admiration.
It couldn’t have been pleasant seeing a newcomer imitate, in only a few days, something they’d spent years mastering.
So I always held back.
Just enough skill to make a living.
A quick learner.
A smart kid with good hands.
That reputation was enough.
Once I’d learned everything useful…
I’d quietly move on.
That was the safest way.
Little by little…
I built up every skill I could.
With no family, no connections…
This talent was the only thing I truly owned.
It was how I’d survived until today.
And the result…
“Oh… this came out really well.”
The freshly sharpened blade reflected sunlight brilliantly.
“Heh. This whetstone worked wonders today.”
This might actually be the best sharpening job I’d ever done.
Carrying the sword, I walked toward Mr. Kim.
“Hyung! The whetstone was amazing today! Come take a look!”
“Oh? Really? Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Smiling, he crushed out his cigarette.
Then…
The smile instantly vanished from his face.
“Watch out!”
“…Huh?”
What?
Before I could understand…
Mr. Kim threw himself toward me.
Crash!
He truly was an Awakener.
In the blink of an eye, his huge hand had shoved me flying across the plaza.
“Ow…”
Groaning, I stood up while rubbing my scraped arm.
“Hyung, what was that all about—”
A strong smell of wet soil and fresh vegetation filled my lungs.
The air felt hot.
Humid.
Then I noticed…
Even the scenery had changed.
“…What?”
Just moments ago…
I had been standing in the middle of downtown Korea.
Now…
The gray city had completely disappeared.
Instead…
A dense green rainforest stretched before my eyes.
Then I realized.
A New Entrant Event.
One of the Tower’s unpredictable events that happened without warning.
No…
It was more accurate to call it…
A kidnapping event.
The scorching heat…
The thick vegetation blocking my view…
‘I heard Floor One was just an open wasteland with a few goblins…’
This looked nothing like the stories.
‘Definitely a kidnapping event.’
People always said these special events were completely unpredictable.
They were right.
“…Ugh…”
A faint groan echoed nearby.
“…!”
Startled, I pushed through the grass.
There…
Mr. Kim was lying face down.
“Hyung! There’s an arrow—!”
An arrow had pierced deeply into his shoulder.
So that was why he pushed me away.
“Oh… Sihyun… you’re okay.”
He was worrying about me.
I helped him sit up before examining the wound.
“You should’ve just let me get hit…”
“Kid… this is nothing. I’ll be fine.”
He laughed foolishly.
“If I’d let you take it, you’d be dead. That arrow was aimed straight at your heart. You’d better prepare a proper thank-you gift.”
“Of course! I don’t own much, but if I use my apartment deposit and—”
Smack.
He lightly slapped my back before I could finish.
“Idiot. What kind of person do you think I am? I’m an adult. An Awakener. You think I’d rob some hardworking kid’s rent money? Forget it. Just buy me dinner after we get out. Pork belly and soju.”
“…Hyung.”
“Deal?”
His eyes left no room for argument.
“…Okay. Real pork, not frozen. Just… please stay alive.”
“You think I’ll die? I’ve got a wife, kids, and another baby coming. I don’t have permission to die.”
He laughed.
But…
His face told a different story.
“Hyung… your complexion…”
He had turned deathly pale.
“Looks like… it’s a poisoned arrow. Goblins shouldn’t even be using bows on Floor One… let alone poison. So this is what those kidnapping events are like…”
“We need to find somewhere safe!”
I had no idea where that was.
But staying here clearly wasn’t an option.
Just as I helped him stand…
Rustle.
Three figures emerged from the bushes.
Green skin.
Small bodies.
Sharp claws.
Greedy eyes.
Crude weapons.
Exactly like the goblins I’d seen in Awakener videos.
“Krreee…”
Seeing two wounded prey…
They grinned and slowly approached.
“Three of them? Easy enough.”
Despite his injuries…
Mr. Kim stepped in front of me.
A sword had somehow appeared in his hand.
“I’ve made a career out of killing goblins since I Awakened. You little monsters think you can bare your teeth at me?”
He charged.
Though he looked ready to collapse…
His blade remained sharp.
Slash!
The sword flashed.
One goblin’s head flew clean off.
“Told you.”
Three became two.
‘Thank goodness… maybe he’s not as bad as he looks.’
Then…
“Wait… my body…”
His expression suddenly changed.
His sword slipped from his fingers.
Then…
He collapsed face-first.
“Hyung!”
Had the poison spread faster because he exerted himself?
The remaining goblins grinned wickedly.
As if mocking us.
“Hehehe!”
The situation reversed instantly.
Lying on the ground, Mr. Kim shouted,
“Sihyun! Run! Find the other Awakeners! There have to be others somewhere!”
“What about you?!”
“Look at me! I’m finished! Go! At least one of us has to live!”
Meanwhile…
The goblins cautiously advanced.
Having just watched their companion die…
They weren’t rushing in.
‘Think. Think! How do we survive?’
Run?
Abandon the man who took an arrow for me?
That had never been an option.
Then…
There was only one choice.
‘Fight.’
But how?
Then…
I remembered.
The one thing I was best at.
No…
The only thing I truly knew how to do.
‘Copy him. Copy the movement he just used.’
Could I?
I didn’t know.
Everything had happened too fast.
But I had to.
I picked up his fallen sword.
“I’ll borrow this, Hyung.”
Realizing my intention, he shouted,
“No! They’re stronger than they look! They fight Awakeners! Two of them is impossible!”
“I can’t just sit here and die.”
“Who said you’re dying?! Leave me! I’m already done for!”
“I heard you.”
“Then why aren’t you running?! You’re young! You don’t have to die for some old man you barely know!”
His desperate eyes…
His fear of death…
Even then…
He sincerely wanted me to survive.
‘Even now… he’s thinking about me.’
That was exactly why I couldn’t leave.
“No.”
“We’re both getting out alive.”
“And don’t call yourself some old man I barely know.”
“You’re Customer Number One at Sihyun Workshop.”
“I can’t let you die here.”
There was no evidence.
No guarantee.
Only confidence.
Yet saying those words somehow gave me strength.
‘I’ve always lived like this.’
I had survived with nothing.
Nothing except this body…
And my own confidence.
‘This isn’t any different.’
I’d always lived on the edge.
Whether I starved or died by a blade…
It made little difference.
Honestly…
Even facing these goblins…
The monthly rent and utility bills scared me more than their rusty sickles.
That was enough thinking.
One goblin finally stepped forward.
Thump.
My heart pounded violently.
Sweat soaked the sword in my hand.
Then…
Fear disappeared.
Instinct took over.
Only survival remained.
‘Here it comes.’
“Kreee!”
The goblin swung its rusted sickle.
Its filthy saliva sprayed from yellow teeth.
“Hah!”
I didn’t think.
My body simply reacted.
Whoosh!
The sickle sliced through empty air.
Right where my stomach had been a moment earlier.
Now…
It was my turn.
‘An opening!’
Its green neck was completely exposed.
I aimed for it.
Then…
Something flashed through my mind.
“…!”
The sword technique Mr. Kim had used.
No…
His skill.
‘I can see it.’
A path.
I could do it.
The talent that had allowed me to survive alone…
Was screaming at me.
Cut along this path.
‘Then…!’
Without hesitation…
I followed that trajectory.
Flash—!
Slash!
Bone.
Flesh.
Everything split apart.
The goblin’s head flew through the air.
Thud.
Its head landed on the ground…
Eyes still open.
I stared blankly.
‘…One strike?’
The sensation lingering in my hand…
Oddly…
It didn’t feel much different from cutting meat.
“…Maybe it’s just a really good sword?”
“K-Kieeek!”
The last goblin fled in terror.
Behind me…
I heard Mr. Kim’s stunned voice.
“W-What was that, Sihyun? You just used… my skill…”
“I… don’t know…”
As I turned to answer—
[New Awakener Registered: Kim Sihyun]
[Unique Ability Acquired: Shadow Mimic]
※ You can engrave a target’s skills into your shadow, record them, and reproduce them.
▶ Shadow Engraved: Flash Slash (Rank D- / Source: Kim Jincheol)
The lottery ticket…
The one I had carried in my heart without expecting anything…
Finally hit the jackpot.
At last.
