Chapter 9: Long Time No See

A group approached the Tower.

“This is the Tower. Your first time seeing it in person, right?”

A man pointed to the Tower with a familiar smile.

He deliberately straightened his chest, and the intention behind it was clear.

[Myth]

The word ‘Myth’ was engraved within the crossed sword emblem on his right chest.

It proved that he belonged to South Korea’s strongest guild, the Myth Republic, a guild so famous it was often called the best in the nation.

“Yes, it’s my first time seeing it in person. It’s impressively grand, like it’s piercing the sky!”

The young man was tense, perhaps just recently of age.

“Haha. No need to be so stiff. Now that we’re under the same roof, this place isn’t as harsh as it seems.”

A blatant lie.

The Myth Guild—especially Team 10, where they belonged—was notorious for its brutal military discipline.

It was even called the graveyard of rookies.

Despite being a gathering place for elite Awakeners, looking inside revealed a filthy underbelly.

But the dropout rate from Myth was almost zero.

Why?

Because Myth was an incomparable top guild in South Korea.

If we were to compare it to the past, it would be like a giant conglomerate, a monopoly that swallowed up all the money.

Even if the harsh discipline caused some injustice, what choice was there?

Their signing bonuses, salaries, and benefits were unmatched, so you had to stick around no matter what.

Currently, the mentor responsible for rookies in Team 10 was Jung Daeyeob, infamous as a rookie killer—the worst of the worst.

To female rookies, he’d send flirtatious glances.

To male rookies, he’d impose strict military discipline.

He was always causing trouble involving people but had somehow managed to endure until now.

That was because he was the cousin of Team 10’s leader, Jung Seok-hwan.

So far, none of Jung Daeyeob’s misdeeds had reached the higher-ups.

Of course, he hadn’t caused anything serious enough to warrant reporting.

Now, that troublemaker was smiling at the male rookie.

“When you become famous later, don’t forget this senior’s name. Hahaha!”

He was mentoring Jeon Sunghoon, a promising rookie with a guaranteed future.

Jeon had graduated top of his class from Kakjeon High, an Awakening-specialized school, and was a rare, valuable tank prospect.

Though assigned to Team 10 for formality, with experience, he could aim for Team 3 or even Team 2.

Because this rookie was destined to do well, even Jung Daeyeob, with the backing of Team 10’s captain, couldn’t help but curry favor.

After all, this rookie might become a valuable contact in the future.

“I-I’ll remember once I get more comfortable. But for now…”

“Yeah, yeah. There’s plenty of time.”

There was plenty of time.

And that time was more than enough to coax a clueless rookie.

“So, how much do you know about the first floor?”

The time for pleasantries was over.

Now it was time to talk business—about the Tower.

“The main monsters are Goblins. They travel in groups of at least three and use powerful neurotoxic paralyzing venom on their spit.”

“Right. The difficulty level you’re challenging this time is…?”

“Normal.”

“For Normal, you have to hunt down ten. You’ve heard the Tower’s precautions, right?”

“Yes! Never enter dark places. If there’s only one monster, look around for others. No rushing in. Always let the monsters come to you first…”

Fifty years.

Even though Awakeners made up only one percent of the population, fifty years was more than enough time for strategies to evolve beyond simple know-how.

Especially for Myth Guild, South Korea’s best.

The detailed strategies and reference points were essentially a compendium of everything South Korea had gathered so far.

“Okay! You’ve got a sharp mind. As long as you follow those precautions carefully, you won’t die out there. Keep them in mind, over and over.”

“Yes!”

Jung Daeyeob patted his back, prompting a renewed sense of tension in Jeon’s voice.

“Haha. Don’t be so nervous. Now then, shall we start from over there?”

“Yes!”

An Awakener Department official was guarding inside the Tower’s border.

Since he’d be coming and going often, they watched him handle it alone.

It was honestly no big deal.

He was just a scarecrow, more or less irrelevant.

“P-Please enter!”

At the sight of the Myth Guild badge, the official stiffened into attention.

‘At least this one knows his place.’

Sometimes, officials acted stiff and awkward for no reason, but this one seemed pretty alert.

Thanks to that, the rookie passed the Tower entrance without any trouble.

But then.

Thunk!

It was as if he’d hit an invisible wall, bouncing back and collapsing pathetically.

“…What?”

Startled by the sight, they hurried over to check his condition.

“What’s wrong? Why won’t you enter?”

“I-I can’t enter.”

“What…?”

His face stiffened instantly.

There was no way the rookie was joking.

But was he aware of the gravity of saying he couldn’t enter the Tower?

“Any messages? No messages from the Tower?”

“Yes! There was one. The Tower clearly said…”

Something that had never happened before.

The Tower refused to let an Awakener ascend, and the message it sent Jeon Sunghoon was:

[…You do not have permission to enter the first floor. Please wait until the new Administrator’s entry conditions are applied…]

Administrator.

New entry conditions?

Before the shocking words finished spilling out from the rookie’s mouth

[Congratulations!]

[‘Unknown’ of South Korea has cleared the Very Hard difficulty first floor.]

[With the Very Hard difficulty cleared, South Korea’s cumulative rewards are activated.]

[By clearing Very Hard difficulty on the first floor, ‘Unknown’ has acquired dominion over South Korea’s Tower first floor.]

***

[‘Unknown’ has been appointed as the Administrator of the Tower’s first floor.]

[According to Administrator’s authority, entry conditions are enforced and no one may enter South Korea’s Tower first floor until applied.]

A shocking message began to resonate, confirming the gravity of the situation.

‘Dominion?’

He expected a great reward.

Naturally.

It was a reward for clearing the Very Hard difficulty that no one else in the world had achieved.

But this was beyond his expectations.

[You have been appointed as the first floor Administrator.]

[You may now apply entry conditions for the first floor.]

[Until conditions are applied, entry to South Korea’s Tower first floor is restricted.]

[If no conditions are applied within 24 hours, entry will be set to none automatically.]

[Setting new conditions will trigger a 30-day cooldown.]

Only then did he realize what dominion meant, what an Administrator’s role entailed.

He could charge an entry fee for the first floor.

Originally a public floor, the first floor had now become his personal domain.

And to enter personal property, one must pay a price like an admission fee.

This might cause bigger repercussions than he expected.

The reward was greater than anticipated.

But that wasn’t the end of what he received.

[You have perfectly cleared Very Hard difficulty on the first floor.]

[Calculating rewards for extraordinary achievement…]

“Ah!”

It dawned on him—the cumulative rewards were shared among those who obtained the castle.

The personal rewards for clearing the trial came separately.

But.

[Calculating…]

Like a broken record, the calculation kept repeating.

He guessed, ‘There must be quite a few rewards to tally.’

Otherwise, it wouldn’t take so long.

And this guess proved correct.

[Additional bonus criteria detected.]

[Clear time: 47 minutes 51 seconds; Hits taken: 0; Hidden Named Hobgoblin defeated…]

Because there were so many bonus criteria, the calculation took time.

[In honor of your extraordinary achievement, you have received the ‘Forgotten Knight’s Bundle.’]

After a long list of bonuses ended, “Thunk.”

The Forgotten Knight’s Bundle dropped at his feet.

Nothing grand.

An old, worn leather pouch.

But the texture felt strangely familiar.

He bent down to pick it up.

At that moment, he understood.

It was a common leather pouch used across the Gritia Continent.

Could this be the answer mentioned in the note?

With mixed anticipation and apprehension, he untied the string sealing the pouch.

Then—

Fwaaah!

A brilliant light burst forth.

At first, it was so bright it blinded him, but the glow gradually dimmed, and he opened his eyes to see.

“This is…?”

The light condensed into a single object.

It was a sword.

The broadsword-shaped blade was etched with geometric patterns.

Hum.

A faint light flowed from the engravings.

“…My goodness!”

Having lived for hundreds of years, he had learned emotional restraint.

He wouldn’t usually be shocked by much, but this was startling.

The familiar shape, the way it fit perfectly in his hand.

Amazingly, it was the mass-produced Knight Sword he received when he first passed as a Knight’s squire.

An incomplete Knight Sword made not by a master craftsman, but by an apprentice or a master’s disciple.

That alone was surprising.

“Reinhardt.”

The name engraved on the hilt stirred his heart with overwhelming emotion.

It was certainly the name he had when he worked as a Knight’s squire.

‘Why is this here?’

But his wonder was brief.

“Wuuuuh!”

The Knight Sword trembled as if delighted to meet its master, sending a surge of energy.

“Hup!”

A flash like being struck by lightning.

It didn’t feel unpleasant or painful.

Because—

“…I’ve returned.”

Energy surged.

It was as if he’d regained the power he had lost.

‘About one percent, huh?’

As mentioned before, his current strength was only about one-hundredth of what it had been when he was active in the Gritia Continent.

But about one percent of that had returned.

Together with the mass-produced Knight Sword he’d used as a squire.

‘Now I understand why the note said the answer was here.’

He finally grasped what the note had meant.

To regain the power he held at the peak of the Gritia Continent Knights, he had to climb the Tower.

Though forced to ascend the Tower, it wasn’t such a bad situation.

He gained the lost rewards and dominion over a floor.

Of course, he hadn’t set the floor’s entry conditions yet.

‘Something will come to me soon.’

With 24 hours remaining, he had plenty of time to consider favorable conditions.

[The Tower entrance has been unlocked.]

With the trial completed, the entrance opened to allow exit.

He stepped through the dark door at the center, just like when he entered.

“Ziiing!”

A ringing in his ears.

The scenery around him rapidly changed.

Like looking out a car window speeding by, the surroundings transformed in an instant before settling.

“I’m… out!”

“Is that him?!” Unlike when he entered, a crowd greeted him.

They all bore the crossed sword emblem on their right chests.

“Hel… hello…”

Cutting through the crowd, someone stepped forward and greeted him politely.

But then they stopped, as if suddenly remembering something, staring intently.

Their eyes widened in surprise, and their face froze.

“That’s the same for me.”

The neatly dressed man was someone he knew very well.

Or rather, he was more familiar with the woman standing beside him.

“B-Brother…?”

Her fake smile from moments ago vanished.

Her face twisted like a demon’s.

She was Ha Yeon Lee—his former wife.