Chapter 65: Let the game begin

Haeundae Station underground.

The subway tunnel, once meant for trains, had become half-submerged, transformed into an underwater passage.

All sorts of marine creatures swam through the pitch-black water.

The tunnel walls were completely covered in baseball-sized parasitic barnacles, leaving no place to even step.

At that moment, something began swimming toward us at high speed from the darkness beyond.

Splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash-splash—!

Soon, under the faint lights of the tunnel, a gigantic monstrosity revealed itself.

A massive body nearly 5–6 meters long.

Barnacles protruding in clumps all over its carapace.

And hundreds upon hundreds of legs.

Ding-dong!

<Phase 5 has begun!>

<Parasitic Barnacle Lugworm Variant has appeared!>

It was a barnacle variant resembling a lugworm.

Its mere appearance induced revulsion.

But the most horrifying part was the human face bulging like a tumor from the creature’s head.

A face so distorted that gender was impossible to tell.

It began spewing gray sludge from its mouth.

Patter— patter-patter-patter~!

The falling gray sludge instantly hardened, sealing the surroundings like concrete.

At that instant.

『Jeonju Yi Clan Seven Branches Three Forms: Twenty-One Consecutive Chain Slashes』

Countless slashes flew in from the opposite side of the passage.

SWHOOOOOSH—!

Twenty-one slashes charged forward with ferocious momentum.

In an instant, they shattered the gray wall into dozens of fragments.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG—! SHHHHHHK~! Patter-patter-patter-patter!

The lugworm variant behind the wall was torn into chunks of flesh and scattered.

Soon.

Step— step— step—

A man wearing a hahoe mask emerged from the darkness.

Lee Geuk.

South Korea’s strongest hunter.

“Hoho. They just keep coming without end.”

Thirty minutes after joining Lee Geuk.

Every single monster in the Haeundae Station underground passage had been completely wiped out.

Throughout it all, Lee Geuk hadn’t even broken a sweat, let alone disturbed his breathing.

Watching him slice through A-rank monsters like trash mobs made it hard to tell who the real monster was.

Lee Geuk looked around with his hands clasped behind his back.

Not a single speck of filth had splattered onto his white durumagi.

Meanwhile.

Ding-dong!

<Quest ‘Collect 5 Variant Barnacle Skin Samples’ completed!>

<Quest ‘Collect 100 Parasitic Barnacle Egg Samples’ completed!>

<Quest ‘Collect 222 Marine Mutant Bones’ completed!>

<Quest ‘Eliminate all monsters in Haeundae Station’ completed!>

Just by following Lee Geuk, I was clearing warehouse quests at a rate of one per minute.

As a result.

Ding-dong!

<All Warehouse Keeper stats increased by 30!>

<Stats>

– Strength: 200 <+30↑>  

– Stamina: 200 <+30↑>  

– Agility: 200 <+30↑>  

– Intelligence: 200 <+30↑>

– Mental Power: 370 <+30↑>

Every stat had reached 200 points.

Riding the bus driven by Korea’s No. 1 hunter… this is seriously comfortable.

Moreover, Lee Geuk showed no interest in the monsters’ drop items.

“…Take them if you want. Consider it payment for guiding the way.”

From mana stones to miscellaneous artifacts—everything went straight into my inventory.

Of course, there were no jaw-dropping treasures, but selling them at auction would easily net tens of millions of won.

At that moment, the lantern in my hand began to glow.

FWWWOOM!

Emerald light illuminated the darkness ahead.

Soon, a shimmering blue rift appeared on the wall.

HUM-HUM— HUM— HUM—

“That’s…”

A rift connected to subspace.

We had finally found the hidden gate leading to Maslow’s Tower.

Lee Geuk nodded in satisfaction.

“Hohoho— we’ve arrived at last.”

At the same time, he looked at me.

“Hasang, thank you for guiding me. Be careful on your way back.”

“Yes?”

“Hohoho— you’re still too young to die. There’s no need for you to follow me into the dungeon.”

Oh, right.

I had said I was heading to a shelter but got lost and ended up here.

…That’s what I had told him.

Lee Geuk walked toward the gate and said,

“The way back should be safe now. I’ve cleared out all the roaming monsters, after all.”

It seemed he had been so thorough because he was thinking of my return trip.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Lee Geuk added,

“Hasang-gun, may I ask one favor?”

“A favor?”

“If you happen to meet my disciple Cheok Junseong outside, could you pass on a message? Tell him his master has gone in first.”

With a hearty laugh, Lee Geuk vanished beyond the gate.

I also stepped toward the hidden gate.

Because of the powerful mana field, S-rank dungeon gates teleport entrants to random locations inside.

The chance of meeting Lee Geuk again right away was extremely slim.

Ding-dong!

<Please enter Maslow’s Tower without delay.>

<Carry out His Majesty the Sorcerer Emperor ‘T’’s imperial decree at once.>

“Yeah, yeah, stop nagging. And please, let me spawn in a decent starting point.”

I leapt into the hidden gate.

At the same moment.

KUGUGUGUGUGUGU—

An intense pressure began crushing my entire body.

It felt like being thrown into the abyss 2,000 meters beneath the sea.

Flesh, muscle, bone, and blood vessels—all felt like they were being pulverized.

“!……!……! ……!”

I couldn’t even move, let alone breathe properly.

But it only lasted a moment.

“Phew— phew— phew—”

I circulated mana throughout my body and steadied my breathing.

Like a fish slowly adapting to new water after being tossed into a different tank.

Perhaps because I had repeatedly endured the aura of the warehouse, I had developed considerable resistance to powerful mana fields.

Then came the sensation of falling from a great height.

Now the mana field storm is going to hit me full force.

I had experienced this once before in the Lethe Tower.

I wrapped mana around my entire body and braced for the impact.

Ding-dong!

<You have entered the dungeon ‘Maslow’s Tower’!>

At that moment, something appeared before my eyes.

…Parchment?

A yellowish parchment slowly unfurled in front of me.

—Shaaaa—!

But it felt familiar.

The texture, shape, size—everything resembled the warehouse’s system windows.

I read the text written on the parchment.

<Guidebook for Climbers>

– Storage Number: MSL-001

– Storage Grade: Safe

“The format is exactly the same.”

I continued reading.

<Guidebook for Climbers>

– Storage Number: AHM-001

– Storage Grade: Safe

First. 

Humans are deficient beings. 

They always desire something, and once a desire is fulfilled, they seek to fulfill a new one.

Second. Human desires can be classified into five categories.

Third. 

Maslow’s Tower is structured into five tiers based on human desires.

Fourth. 

Discover your desires, resolve them, and develop them to be reborn as a better human being.

Fifth. 

Tower Lord Maslow awaits you on the top floor, Annex 6.

“I invite those capable of equal and bold conversation to the annex. I eagerly await someone strong, wise, courageous, and blessed with fortune. May all climbers have a meaningful time.”  

—A.H. Maslow—

“Have a pleasant climb? What kind of bullshit…”

At that moment.

THWACK!

A violent blow to the back of my head knocked me unconscious.

***

Ding-dong!

<Entering the Physiological Needs Tier, Section 1!>

The familiar notification sound brought me back to consciousness.

“Ugh, that fucking hurt.”

From the back of my head to my back and hips—my whole body felt like it had been pummeled with a hammer.

I sat up and looked around.

The first thing I noticed was the luxurious carpet covering the floor.

“This place is…”

Crystal chandeliers on the ceiling emitted dazzling multicolored light, and round tables draped in pure white tablecloths were placed here and there.

Balloons and colorful pamphlets were plastered all over the walls and ceiling.

[—Welcome, dear visitors!]

It felt like stepping into a grand banquet hall prepared for a lavish party.

And I was not alone in the hall.

Soon, I spotted about thirty other people.

“…”

“C… C… C…”

“…”

All of them were trembling silently, faces pale with fear.

Judging by their wet hair and swimsuits, they were vacationers who had been swept in by the gate.

Then a tall, handsome man stepped forward in front of the crowd.

“Everyone! It’s all right! Please pay attention!”

At his single shout, all eyes turned to him.

“I am Sonic Fist, ranked 11th among A-rank hunters and affiliated with the Hunter Association! Numerous hunters are currently working together to rescue you all! So please do not panic and calmly follow my instructions!”

Sonic Fist.

A name I had heard a few times on the news.

If I recall, a veteran hunter famous for his supersonic punches.

The vacationers let out sighs of relief.

They began gathering around Sonic Fist.

“Where are the other hunters?”

“Please get us out of here quickly.”

“More importantly, where are we?”

“What do we have to do to leave?”

Questions poured in from all sides.

At that moment.

Bam-baba-bam~! Bam-bam-bam~! Bam-baba-ba-bam~!

A loud fanfare drowned out everyone’s voices.

Soon.

Roll-roll-roll-roll—

A large object rolled out from the darkness.

A red ball at least three meters in diameter.

Standing atop it was a pierrot dressed in flamboyant clothing.

An orange curly wig with a pointed hat on top. 

Jet-black eyes that sparkled like beads, a flour-white face, and a mouth torn all the way to the ears.

The eerie pierrot began scanning the people in the hall one by one.

[Welcome, climbers, to Maslow’s Tower!

Everyone in the Physiological Needs Tier sincerely welcomes you!

Now then…]

A chilling smile spread across the pierrot’s lips.

[…let the game begin.]