Chapter 14: Friend of Lizardmen

“We are the Assassination Squad of the Shinhwa Guild. Tools used for dirty work that must never be revealed. We have operated under Chulwoo Shin’s orders to handle countless undisclosed corruptions.”  

The corruption within the Shinhwa Guild was being exposed.  

And it came from the mouth of a killing machine rendered numb to pain through brainwashing, hypnosis, and even drugs.  

The reason was simple.  

The needles bizarrely stuck densely in their head.  

Plunging in!  

“Ugh!”  

Their trembling body.  

It wasn’t just about inflicting pain—it targeted specific nerves to induce the actions I desired.  

Like parasite threads luring insects as hosts with water.  

Like flea flies whose hosts willingly tear off their own heads to make way for larvae to emerge.  

“Tell me everything you’ve done secretly until now.”  

After stimulating the nerves, I asked the question.  

“…An attack by the Sooho Guild disguised as a Dimensional Rift. The massacre of citizen groups opposing Shinhwa Guild’s monopoly……”  

Like pressing a button on a doll, confessions poured out easily.  

Not only the objective of this recent raid but every past crime committed under Chulwoo Shin’s command was thoroughly uncovered.  

Some time passed.  

Viewer count: 110,830  

I could see the notation of over 100,000 at the bottom of the smartphone screen.  

‘…That’s fast.’  

I was somewhat taken aback.  

I had expected some ripple effect, but never thought it would surpass 100,000 viewers so quickly.  

At this pace, reaching hundreds of thousands soon seemed inevitable.  

The stage was properly set.  

“As you can see, the Shinhwa Guild tried to assassinate me using their Assassination Squad.”  

I spoke softly toward the smartphone set up nearby.  

“My way is to respond to kindness with kindness, but to hostility with even greater hostility.”  

A belief that had allowed me to survive the brutal Gritia Continent.  

A belief unchanged even in the present day.  

“Therefore, I declare war. War against the Shinhwa Guild, Ha Yeon Lee, and all those associated with them who dared touch me.”  

Last time was a warning.  

But this time, it was different.  

An open declaration of enmity—a war that would not end until one of us died.  

Of course, most would dismiss my declaration as arrogance or a suicidal act.  

Because nothing is greater than an organization.  

Especially when that organization is Shinhwa, at the pinnacle of South Korea, along with its subordinate divisions.  

That’s why I must show them.  

The power I possess.  

How severe the consequences are for crossing me.  

“Swish.”  

I pulled something out from my pocket.  

A ticket, completely painted black.  

It was the reward obtained after clearing Floor 2 on Very Hard difficulty.  

Having acquired the Servant’s Sword on Floor 1, I had hoped to get the Servant’s Armor on Floor 2, but no.  

What I got was this Black Ticket, whose identity was:  

[Kim Si-won has used a Tower Expulsion Ticket (24 Hours).]  

[Applicable to all factions and personnel in trade or friendly relations with the Shinhwa Guild.]  

[Forcibly expels all applicable individuals currently inside the Tower.]  

[Expelled targets cannot enter the Tower for 24 hours from this moment.]  

[All progress in the Tower so far will be reset.]  

Tower Expulsion Ticket (24 Hours)  

A Tower Expulsion Ticket earned from clearing the second floor on Very Hard difficulty, moreover a Three Star objective.  

Using it, I forcibly expelled everyone related to the Shinhwa Guild from the Tower.  

This was an act even more threatening than it seemed.  

Some might have been in the middle of a crucial raid, others on the verge of completing their climb.  

But being forcibly expelled like this rendered all their efforts worthless.  

And if this happened more than once?  

No one could know when or where the Expulsion Ticket would be used, leaving the Shinhwa Guild and their affiliates in constant anxiety and fear.  

That was all.  

“I am different from you.”  

By now, everyone should have realized.  

I am not a mere Tower climber.  

I am an all-powerful entity who possesses authority over the Tower’s overall management, including restrictions on entry and expulsion.  

“There is only one way to evade my power.”  

Of course, there was a way to survive for those outside the Shinhwa Guild.  

“Cut ties with the Shinhwa Guild and Ha Yeon Lee. Then, you will automatically be freed from all restrictions on entry and expulsion in the Tower, and all future threats.”  

This was strangulation by suffocation.  

Not just the Shinhwa Guild, but all who maintained relations with them were pressured to break away voluntarily.  

A suffocating squeeze.  

Indeed.  

The live stream broadcast on a certain 19+ website had an enormous impact.  

“Direct challenge to the Shinhwa Guild? Like an egg hitting a rock!”  

“Kim Si-won succeeded in clearing Very Hard difficulty. Turns out it was a revenge drama for his ex-wife.”  

“Not a public interest cause, just a simple revenge. Is this the right direction?”  

Yet, the media spared no sharp criticism for Kim Si-won.  

The corruption of the Shinhwa Guild and the incidents caused by their Assassination Squad that I revealed—  

The exposed corruption was declared false.  

Brushed off with mere claims of lies and without substance.  

Instead, they focused on:  

Assassination Squad?

The videos were manipulated.

The manipulated footage seriously damaged the Shinhwa Guild’s honor, and strict punishment for Kim Si-won was demanded.  

They even staged petitions calling for severe punishment against me.  

That was the power the Shinhwa Guild held.  

At least in South Korea, their authority was absolute.  

No one dared publish articles criticizing them.  

Even my demand for severing relations was useless.  

‘Mountain Lord Guild, Iron Wall Guild, Immortal Guild. They’ve signed mutual defense pacts to strengthen their alliance with the Shinhwa Guild…’  

They openly released articles boasting of a solid alliance.  

Shinhwa was an immovable mountain.  

Still showing unwavering influence, they released their response to my sudden live exposure.  

All of it.    

I closed the smartphone I had been watching.  

The shocking live broadcast exposing Shinhwa Guild’s corruption and my declaration of war had changed nothing.  

The Shinhwa Guild remained as unshakable as a mountain, and their influence had buried the momentary storm.  

Urgent sirens blared.  

I spotted police cars surrounding the boarding house where I had been staying just moments ago.  

Naturally, this was the result of the Shinhwa Guild’s influence.  

“We accuse Kim Si-won of killing innocent civilians! We cannot allow his blatant defiance of South Korean public authority!”  

The people I had dealt with were no longer the Assassination Squad of Shinhwa Guild.  

They had transformed into innocent victims.  

My broadcast had become the sadistic acts of a mad serial killer harming the innocent.  

Special Forces dispatched to suppress Awakener activity arrived one after another, alongside the police.  

I pulled my hat down low.  

Knowing they would come, I avoided them.  

But it was only temporary.  

In this small South Korea, evading them was impossible.  

With CCTV cameras installed on every street corner, my movements would be exposed in an instant.  

‘They’ve given a definitive answer.’  

This was Shinhwa Guild’s reply to me.  

“If you can, try it. What can you do alone?”  

Such a blatant response.  

‘I suppose I should respond in kind.’  

Despite repeated warnings and declarations, nothing had changed.  

I was only one person.  

No matter how much of the Tower I controlled, no matter the Expulsion Tickets I possessed, once I was dealt with, everything would end.  

‘Surely they’re guarding the Tower’s entrance.’  

They probably thought if they simply blocked me from entering the Tower, they could stop my interference.  

But that was a misconception.  

They didn’t know.  

Very Hard difficulty grants special rewards to those who cleared it.  

I took a white ticket out of my pocket.  

Awakeners had access to an extra-dimensional space like an inventory, but I, being a non-Awakener, lacked that benefit.  

Still, this was:  

Tower Entrance Ticket  

A special tool that allowed entry to the Tower anywhere and anytime just by tearing it.  

Like the Expulsion Ticket, it was one of the rewards gained from clearing Floor 2.  

Thanks to it, I could enter the Tower regardless of the interference from the Shinhwa Guild guarding it.  

Right now.  

Just like this.  

“Flash!”  

Light spilled from the torn ticket, coloring the surroundings.  

And the next moment:  

[Tower Entrance Ticket used.]  

[You do not possess the Blessing of the Tower, so the ‘Tower Revisit’ debuff will not be applied.]  

The reason I could enter without the commonly known 10-day cooldown.  

Because I was a non-Awakener.  

The Tower placed a special debuff called Tower Revisit on those with traits, requiring 10 days to re-enter.  

This absolute rule, however, did not apply to me, who lacked any traits.  

Simply put, non-Awakeners could enter freely without any 10-day restriction.  

But this fact was never made public.  

Ordinary people had no business climbing the Tower in the first place.  

And even if they did, survival was nearly impossible.  

Thanks to this, I could come and go through the Tower, defying everyone’s expectations.  

[Entering Floor 3, planned for conquest.]  

[Please select the difficulty.]  

The different difficulties shimmered before my eyes.  

Without hesitation:  

[Very Hard difficulty selected.]  

[The Very Hard trial on Floor 3 begins now.]  

“Ts-ts-ts!”  

The surroundings rapidly changed.  

Soon, the trial on Floor 3 would materialize before me.  

‘Floor 2 was just a warm-up.’  

Floor 1 was the Goblins’ Cave.  

Floor 2 was the Gnoll Village.  

The objectives were similar.  

Escape within the time limit.  

The Three Star objective left as a question mark was to eliminate the hidden Gnoll chief.  

And another commonality:  

‘The monsters inhabiting the Tower are identical in appearance and habits to those that lived on the Gritia Continent.’  

This raised questions about the connection between the Tower and the Gritia Continent.  

Why had I been dimensionally transported specifically to the Gritia Continent?  

And why did monsters native to the Gritia Continent appear in the Tower?  

What did all this point toward?  

‘I can’t conclude anything yet.’  

But there was no need to be discouraged.  

For some reason, I was confident that the higher I climbed, the closer I would get to the answer.  

So, what I needed to focus on now was to somehow achieve Three Stars and earn the rewards and also gain past powers and various rewards to torment the Shinhwa Guild and Ha Yeon Lee.  

Lost in thought at that moment.  

“Swoooosh. ” 

The process of change finally ceased, and my blurry vision cleared.  

And the next moment:  

“Hm?”  

I couldn’t help but be a little surprised.    

The ground was made of thick mud that sank underfoot.  

And all around me were:  

“□□□!”  

“000”  

Dozens of lizardmen muttering in a strange language.  

‘…Lizardmen.’  

Lizardmen.  

One of the intelligent, sentient species with their own language and culture.  

Dozens of lizardmen armed with their respective weapons surrounded me in multiple layers.  

And at that moment:  

[While adventuring through the swamp, you suffered an accident and lost consciousness.]  

[But what a surprise! Upon regaining consciousness, you find yourself surrounded by a group of lizardmen!]  

[The lizardmen are not attacking you immediately. But only for a short time.]  

[If you don’t comply with their demands, these intelligent lizardmen will kill you.]  

[May the Blessing of Survival be with the endangered adventurer.]  

Monsters surrounded me the moment I arrived.  

Now I understand why this was a Very Hard difficulty.  

A normal Awakener would likely have their mind collapse and be unable to assess the situation properly.  

But I was different.  

Trial objectives:  

★☆☆ Escape the Lizardman Village alive!  

★★☆ Eliminate 10 Elite Lizardman Warriors!  

★: ???  

I calmly and carefully checked the trial objectives without panic.  

The Three Star objective was still unknown, marked with question marks.  

But I was certain.  

‘This time, they’re giving a clue from the start.’  

The question-marked Three Star objective was to comply with the Lizardmen’s demands.  

But could it really be that easy?  

“□□□!!”  

It was impossible to understand the lizardmen’s demands spoken in an unknown language…  

“Greetings, friends.”  

…It was not.  

I was once called Goblin Slayer.  

Then Gnoll Slayer.  

You might think the next would be Lizardman Slayer, but no.  

What came next was Friend of Lizardmen.  

“So. What is it that you want from me?”  

Since I could speak the language of the Lizardmen, that nickname inevitably followed me.