Chapter 11 : The Bully Returns

[Entered the 5th Floor of the Tower.]

Mission: Defeat 10 Steel Slimes

Time Limit: 12 hours

Once again, I entered the tower early in the morning.

As expected, the mission was completed the moment I entered.

No matter how I think about it, this is way too easy.

Danger?

Not a single trace of it.

[Announcement] You are the world’s first to achieve SSS rank on the Black Tower’s 5th floor.

[Reward] Received Golden Ticket.

[Reward] 10kg of Magic Stones.

[Reward] Six barely passable Potions of Mana Recovery.

This time, the basic rewards were plentiful.

Tsk, at least give me some Slime Lotion. What a shame.

At that moment.

[Announcement] Five Golden Tickets will be granted immediately.

[Reward] Acquired Free Access Pass to the Tower.

Free Access Pass.

Just hearing the name makes my heart race.

The rule is one entry to the tower per day.

But if you have a Free Access Pass?

[Free Access Pass] You can freely enter all floors you have climbed so far without restriction. Missions will not reset.

As expected.

The name lived up to its promise.

I could use the tower freely.

The only downside is that missions don’t reset.

Well, it’d be too OP to receive infinite rewards, right?

Whatever, no big deal.

Honestly, this is practically cheating.

Just sitting still, click.

No, not even clicking.

Just breathing, and the climb is completed.

This is cheating. What else could it be?

Since it’s come to this, why not roam the tower and collect some slimes?

Then, first, entering the 1st floor.

“Entered Tower 1st Floor.”

A vast plain stretched out.

Ordinary, ordinary green slimes bounced around.

“Somi, can you make Slime Lotion too?”

Bbiee—

Somi confidently replied.

She said she could make it if she had the materials.

Soon, as if to explain something, she headed over to Bbyak and started chatting back and forth.

Bbyak Bbyak?

Bbiee—

Bbyak!

Then, Bbyak suddenly spread its wings wide and began attacking the slimes.

In an instant, the slime group was wiped out.

Somi ran after them.

She had a Yuri Bottle, somehow obtained, and collected the fluids from the dead slimes.

Not only that.

Bbiee Bbiee.

“Let’s hurry to the 2nd floor?”

She even urged me on.

I probably shouldn’t have lit the fire of her will.

Compared to the cool Bbyak smashing enemies, I wonder if Bbyak thinks I’m useless.

If it’s something I can do, I’ll burn with determination.

I can’t lag behind at a time like this.

“Tower 2nd Floor.”

Upon entry, Bbyak flew off again.

It quickly defeated slimes of different colors.

And then?

Somi stuck out her soft little bottom and collected slime fluid into the Yuri Bottle.

The same went for the 3rd floor.

After going through the 4th and 5th floors, Somi finally wore a satisfied expression.

[Slime Lotion Special Edition made by Somi] Has the same effect as a fully nourishing Slime Lotion. Thanks to Rabbit’s Craft, its effectiveness increases by 20%.

Oh, she really made Slime Lotion.

It was a perfect combination—Bbyak swiftly defeating monsters and Somi quickly crafting items.

***

Ding—

After spending the whole morning running around the tower, I finally returned home.

As soon as I arrived, what greeted me was a text message on my phone.

Phones are useless inside the tower since signals don’t reach.

There was nowhere to call, so what could this contact be about?

Curious, I checked the message.

• Auction House Sales Payment Notification
• Auction House Commission Payment Notification
• 8,900,000,000 won deposited

The amount deposited was strange.

Did someone add an extra zero?

No.

8.9 billion won would be absurd, but the amount on the account was definitely 8.9 billion won with an extra zero—it was 8.9 billion times ten.

No, 8.9 billion won times ten?

No, it was clearly 8.9 billion times ten, so 89 billion won.

Considering the 11% commission, that’s a whopping 10 billion won total.

The value of the hair spray Somi made completely surpassed most tower items.

89 billion—how many zeros is that?

One, two, three.

I was breathless.

Now I understood why people say they could die from happiness.

Try having 8.9 billion won first thing in the morning.

Your heart would burst.

I fantasized happily, staring at the number on my account.

A dream car.

Luxury clothes and watches.

Even using my mental calculator, I hadn’t spent more than 1 billion yet.

I couldn’t just sit still.

Time to do what I haven’t been able to.

Filial piety.

With money.

Trrrr.

I called my mother immediately.

Click.

Today, the phone sounded more cheerful than usual.

– “Ah, Atle.”

Still energetic, my mother.

I heard she’s been obsessed with farming videos lately.

“Mom, how much would a modest detached house in the countryside cost?”

– “Hm? Let me see… about 500 million won, I guess?”

“Five hundred million? That’s reasonable. I’ll wait a bit.”

I need to send pocket money.

Lots of it.

Of course, I’m not telling her to buy a detached house in the countryside.

She probably wouldn’t buy one anyway.

Apartment life is miserable.

Not owning my own place is the problem.

Still, I need to lay the groundwork.

After building up a little, I wrote in my account.

Mom, your son is being filial.

“I sent you some pocket money.”

– “What’s the occasion? Thanks.”

“Hey, check it now. Just in case, take a blue pill too.”

– “Oh, what a fuss just because you sent some money after a long time. Alright, I’ll check.”

I heard some small rustling over the line, then my mother mumbling.

– “One, ten, hundred….”

She counted again.

– “One, ten, hundred….”

You wouldn’t believe it.

Her son, who didn’t even have a proper job, just spent 1 billion won as pocket money.

There was no sound on the other end of the call.

“Damn.”

“Mom!!”

– “Ah, ah. Son, what is this? Did you get scammed somewhere? No, no. Our son may get scammed by someone, but he wouldn’t scam anyone.”

She knows me too well.

Well, she’s the one who’s seen me the most closely of anyone.

Still, it’s a bit worrying.

My son’s a little cautious but capable of something big.

“Why? Are you worried?”

– “Ah, worried is an understatement.”

That’s my mom for you.

With all that worry because she’s not a fool.

“I got some serious loot this time.”

– “Serious loot? What’s that, some kind of player term?”

“Yeah, I got lucky and sold a really good item, so I made a lot of money.”

Not just a lot.

A whopping 8.9 billion won.

But for now, keep it a secret.

I might really get robbed.

– “Really? Wow, this is something else. So you’re a celebrity in the game now?”

“I’m not a celebrity…”

Most of the famous players in Tower of 7 are almost celebrities in popularity.

Not me though.

To moms like mine who are a bit older, they seem like celebrities.

Sorry, Mom.

I’m no big shot to appear on Tower of 7.

– “Doesn’t matter. Then you’re going to climb the tower too, right?”

“I am a player, after all.”

– “First priority is safety, second is safety, son. What’s money good for if you get hurt or die? Understand? I don’t need a lot of money. As long as you’re healthy.”

Classic motherly worry.

I was raised to value safety above all else.

Thanks to that, I never even got a kiss from a girl.

Don’t worry.

I’m an SSS rank player.

Just entering the tower completes the mission.

Even if I wanted to get hurt, I couldn’t.

“Hey, who do you think I am? Of course, I can take care of myself.”

– “That’s my son. Of course, you’ll be careful.”

I heard her cheerful laughter.

Much more uplifted than when she first answered.

She said she didn’t need much money, but the more, the better.

How could she be in a bad mood?

“By the way, what about Dad?”

– “Ugh, don’t mention it. He just tweaked his back recently and went fishing again.”

Even though he says that, he’s actually quite sentimental.

And with the cold weather, if he gets hurt, he’ll take longer to heal.

Recently, he slipped on an icy patch and hurt his back.

Fortunately, it wasn’t serious.

Still, with age, even small accidents must be handled carefully.

“Okay. You be careful with your cold, too.”

– “You too.”

“Alright, I’m hanging up.”

Click.

Filial piety done with money is the best.

The satisfaction level beats anything else.

Massage chair?

Expensive cosmetics?

All useless.

Money is king.

If you have money, buy what you need when you need it.

For the first time in a while, I flexed with pride.

Next time I get some extra cash, I’ll send more pocket money.

The call ended, and I saw the call duration had already hit 30 minutes.

What did we even talk about to make it that long?

At that moment, a red icon appeared on the screen.

Missed call.

Someone must have tried contacting me while I was on the phone with Mom.

I pulled down the screen and saw the caller’s name saved as ‘Crazy Bastard.’

That guy.

The strange person who’s been calling relentlessly the last few days.

Then.

The phone rang again.

– Crazy Bastard.

Annoying. So annoying.

Who the hell is this guy to keep calling?

Normally, I’d never pick up, but today was different.

Seeing 8.9 billion won in my account gave me courage.

“Hello?”

I answered curtly, and a familiar voice came through.

– “Hey, it’s Taejin. Woo min.”

“Taejin?”

Completely unexpected.

Why would that guy bother calling me?

Is he asking for the money he lost when I beat him recently?

If so, I’d gladly give it.

But what he said next was completely different.

– “No, I think I was too harsh the other day, so I wanted to apologize.”

What?

He hit me that hard and now wants to apologize?

No way he’s that kind of guy.

“Apologize?”

– “Yeah. Man, it’s been a while, and I wanted to say sorry. We were close back in school.”

Look at this.

He doesn’t even remember who the hell I am.

We were close?

A passing dog would laugh.

“So?”

– “I heard you’re a player now. I want to apologize and invite you to enter the gate together.”

What the hell is he dreaming about?

Suddenly asking me to enter the gate with him.

Also, how did he know I’m a player?

Even within the Association, only Seo Rin and Dohyun know.

“How do you know I’m a player?”

– “Uh?”

I heard panic in his voice.

He got caught.

– “I saw you the other day.”

“Me?”

– “You came out of the gate.”

Hmm, even more suspicious.

Sure, if you live nearby, you might see me by chance.

But why stammer so much?

Clearly hiding something.

– “Anyway, do you have time?”

“Wait a sec.”

Phew, what to do?

Meet him?

No way.

I’m not crazy.

I don’t want to see that face again.

I already got beaten up enough last time.

“Sorry, I’m too busy.”

– “Wait.”

Click.

Hmph, he definitely wanted to say something else.

That felt good.

Oh, another call.

No mercy.

Blocked immediately.

Just in case, I’ll tell Dohyun at the Association.

Looks like he’s been tailing me. Let him try to get revenge.

Trrrr.

– “Yes, Woo min.”

I called Dohyun right away.

“Sir, I think someone’s been tailing me. Could I ask a small favor?”

– “What? Who dares?”

I heard anger on the other end.

Taejin’s in big trouble now.

He dared to poke the sleeping tiger, or rather, the immortal phoenix’s nostrils!