“My introduction’s a bit late! My name is Song Hana, and I was born in the Shibuya Magic Tower! I escaped a few months ago. Now I’m under the protection of the Korean government!”
“From Japan?”
“That’s right. I have a crazy brother named Susanoo. He’s hell-bent on catching me… but I’m absolutely, positively not going back.”
“Hmm.”
If Susanoo is her brother…
“Is your alias perhaps Amaterasu?”
“Oh! Yes! Wow… have you heard of me? Oh no! Should I run? What should I do? Let’s escape together, fellow fugitive!”
“You’re saying I’m a fugitive too?”
“Not exactly a fugitive… but, you know, you’ve got that being-chased vibe, don’t you?”
“Well, I can’t completely deny that.”
Her words were chaotic, but there was a strange clarity to her peculiar way of speaking.
“The Oracle from America, ‘Oracle the Seer,’ is keeping a close eye on you, Junseok. With the talisman I just put up, they won’t be able to see you anymore.”
What? That’s what it was for?
“That was a useful talisman. Thank you.”
“Well, whether it’s a good thing or not depends on how things play out! Whether the talisman brings fortune or misfortune isn’t my domain!”
Her way of speaking had the vague air of a true fortune-teller.
“At least it blocks surveillance, right?”
“It does, but… human affairs are complicated.”
Lee Nayeon chimed in with an interpretation.
“If long-range surveillance or intelligence gathering is blocked, the standard move is to conduct close-range reconnaissance.”
“Oh, exactly! That’s what I mean. That could make things more dangerous, you know?”
But Choi Junseok cut that possibility short.
They were allies, but hadn’t they already sent a bloody warning once?
“There won’t be any trouble like that. For now, come inside.”
The conversation wasn’t suitable for the hallway.
“Uh… then, excuse me!”
Before she even finished speaking, she had already slipped off her shoes and slid into the house.
Since there was no proper table for conversation, Song Hana plopped down on the sofa.
She was the first to speak.
“If you don’t believe my identity, want to try appraising me?”
“Are you trying to knock me out?”
Even without knowing details, he could sense she was no ordinary rank.
“Huh? Knock you out? Why?”
“They say if the rank difference is too high, you could pass out.”
“Oh, that only happens if you’re seen as hostile. I should be fine, no?”
“I’ll trust you and give it a try.”
Since he didn’t sense any hostility, he went along with her words.
As she said, appraising her didn’t cause any pain or aftereffects.
The problem was that the appraisal was practically useless.
Name: Song Hana
Affiliation: Restricted
Level: Restricted
Special Skills: Restricted
General Skills: Restricted
Classification: Restricted
Rank: S-rank
Description: Restricted
“It doesn’t tell me anything.”
“Probably because the gap between us is too wide.”
While he was at it, Choi Junseok tried to appraise Lee Nayeon’s status.
<Warning!>
Attempting to forcibly appraise a target with a significant level gap may result in death.
Does she hold some hostility toward me?
When Choi Junseok gave Lee Nayeon a suspicious glare, she flinched as if caught and looked away.
Only then did the appraisal skill finally take effect.
Name: Lee Nayeon
Affiliation: Korea
Level: LV.18
Special Skills: Unawakened
General Skills: Unawakened
Classification: Knight
Rank: S-rank
Description: Inherited the spirit of Richard Lionheart.
“You said the Player Management Office didn’t send you to move in downstairs.”
“That’s right! It was my own choice.”
“Why?”
“I saw it! The absolute being inside you. Heh.”
Choi Junseok played dumb, but she, with her divine power, knew everything.
She knew there was something immense within him.
If that potential were awakened, every Magic Tower in the world would kneel before him.
And at the same time, her own goals could be achieved.
“Of course, I’m not going to pry! But having someone like Richard Lionheart as a summoned being? That’s kind of a big deal, isn’t it?”
This time, Lee Nayeon’s eyes turned sharp.
“Heh, let’s change the subject. What were you planning to do if I hadn’t shown up?”
“Rest and then shopping? This friend’s clothes are worn out, and she doesn’t have spares, so I was going to buy some.”
She couldn’t keep wearing a hoodie and leggings riddled with holes from slime mucus.
“Before that?”
“Before that? …Oh, opening a box.”
As if she were a shaman who could guess what he was doing without being told, Song Hana knew his plans better than he did.
As the tension eased, fatigue crept in.
He had been lounging around after waking up, and this was that moment.
The privilege earned from clearing the fifth floor with a consecutive record.
The Special Reward Random Draw Box.
He had postponed opening the box until he was mentally sharp after waking up.
According to Team Leader Kang’s information, this box could drop a Ring of Protection, something Choi Junseok desperately needed.
A defensive artifact.
It might be useful for countering shockwaves.
“The Special Reward Random Draw Box.”
The moment he sensed the box in his inventory, a prompt appeared in Choi Junseok’s vision.
[Would you like to use it? (Y/N)]
Just as he was about to press “Yes” without hesitation, Song Hana interrupted.
“Wait! You were just about to open it, weren’t you!”
“…And?”
“Box opening! Probability! The origin of gacha is Japanese, you know! And I’m an expert! Let me bless it!”
“Thanks, but is a shrine maiden allowed to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Use blessings for… personal gain?”
“Aren’t all blessings for personal gain? It’s all the same.”
Well, when she put it that way, she wasn’t wrong.
But the so-called blessing was quite unorthodox, and the process was simple.
She clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and spoke.
“May there be blessings upon this gacha.”
“Is this really going to work?”
“Who knows! Whether the blessing brings fortune or misfortune—”
“No, shouldn’t a blessing at least be fortunate?”
“It’s all about how you accept it! Come on, open it before the effect wears off! You’ll receive the item you need most!”
Well, good is good, right?
When he pressed the use button, an item emerged from the box with a pop effect.
It was a black card.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t resemble a Ring of Protection.
When he activated appraisal, Choi Junseok’s eyes widened.
Item Name: Magic Tower High-Pass Entry Ticket (Mythic)
Category: Equipment – Accessory
Description: Grants additional entry to the Magic Tower.
Grants one additional Magic Tower entry upon clearing a floor with the highest record (up to one per day).
Unused entries accumulate.
Remaining Entries: 1
Caution: Excessive Magic Tower entries are a leading cause of death.
“Whoa, that’s insane.”
“What came up?”
“An extra Magic Tower entry ticket…”
A Mythic-grade item. And it wasn’t a consumable.
That meant it could be reused indefinitely.
In other words, he could climb two floors in a single day.
“I could climb two floors a day?”
The possibilities were endless.
He could treat one floor as a bonus entry for leveling up.
Or set new records anonymously to create the smokescreen they wanted.
Or climb Magic Towers in other regions to snag their hidden rewards.
Simply put, it opened the door to twice the profits, experience, and rewards compared to others.
Of course, there was the condition of “clearing with the highest record.”
But based on the vague wording, it seemed to apply to either a solo record or a group record.
Honestly… if I can secure a safeguard for summoning the holy sword,
Every low and mid-tier floor could be cleared with a single summon for a guaranteed record.
“Your blessing really worked.”
“See? Heh, you’re welcome!”
She was definitely an S-rank summoned being.
It felt like a bundle of luck had rolled into his home.
“And you said you were going out? Before you go, I’ll give you a concealment talisman.”
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a notepad.
At a glance, it looked like a regular notepad.
The problem was that the paper was yellow, like a stack of blank talisman paper.
Instead of a pen, she drew with her finger, and as if writing in blood, red patterns and characters appeared, giving off an eerie vibe.
She tore off the talisman she had drawn with intense focus, like tearing a receipt, and handed it not to Choi Junseok but to Lee Nayeon beside him.
“Carry this talisman. It’ll block others from reading that you’re S-rank or a summoned being.”
Choi Junseok waited expectantly, but Song Hana tilted her head.
“Junseok, you don’t really have anything to hide, do you? You’re F-rank.”
It was the first time Choi Junseok had been treated so distinctly as an F-rank.
“Still, it’d be nice to have one… Being known as F-rank can be dangerous too.”
“Well, alright then.”
With far less care than before, she scribbled a talisman in about three seconds and tore it off to hand to him.
“This one will make you appear as E-rank instead of F-rank.”
***
At a nearby department store, Choi Junseok and Lee Nayeon arrived.
As soon as they got out of the taxi, Lee Nayeon spoke.
“No matter how capable she is, it’s better to stay cautious. Spies don’t announce themselves as spies.”
Her nagging stopped abruptly as they entered the department store.
“The scale is impressive. Modern logistics capabilities… they’re remarkable.”
“It’s just normal in modern times.”
To avoid unnecessary attention, they wore masks and hats.
But Lee Nayeon’s astonished eyes sparkled as she looked around.
“There are so many people.”
“So be careful. Stay close to me. If you get lost here, it’ll be hard to find you.”
“A valid point. It’d be wise to set a secondary rally point in case of a disorderly retreat.”
“…No, forget it. Let’s go.”
They weren’t heading to a battlefield; why would they need a retreat rally point?
In the main hall of the department store, a sportswear event was underway.
‘Super Sonic’
The fashion brand of the ranker Lee Jiyu, also known as the Supersonic Bunny.
They were holding a rare discount event.
A famous brand that had captured 30% of Korea’s outdoor fashion market.
Known for sportswear, including sneakers, it rarely held discounts.
“Super Sonic? I heard it’s famous for functional clothing.”
Many climbers, regardless of gender, wore Super Sonic clothing.
Player-exclusive training gear used Magic Tower materials, offering performance surpassing most beginner protective gear.
A discount?
That’s a rare opportunity.
Choi Junseok didn’t realize that this discount event was happening because Lee Jiyu’s brand had taken a sales hit because of him.
As he casually headed toward the event, he noticed that Lee Jiyu, the Supersonic Bunny, was holding a rare signing event.
Her gaze landed on the two of them.
Among the crowd, Lee Jiyu pinpointed the woman in a hat and mask and the man beside her with uncanny precision.
Her eyes, barely concealing dark circles under makeup, sharpened instantly.
A woman’s intuition told her something.
There’s something about that person, even if I don’t know what.
Lee Jiyu spoke to the manager guarding her back.
“That woman in the hat and the man next to her. Appraise them.”
A moment later, the man who had appraised them returned and spoke quietly.
As if he had seen the future, the effect of Song Hana’s talisman was immediately proven.
“The woman is D-rank, level 18. The man is E-rank, level 18.”
E-rank and D-rank? That’s not it…
Junseok’s rank was F-rank.
But her inexplicable intuition screamed that these two were suspicious.
Lee Jiyu nodded, signed a fan’s item, and responded to the manager’s report.
“Give the woman my card. Tell her it’s about a brand model offer.”
“What?”
“Don’t make me explain. Go.”
“Track where they live and look into their identities. I’ll return alone.”
“Understood.”
Lee Nayeon noticed a man in a suit approaching and whispered to Choi Junseok.
She had already warned him that someone suspicious was watching them.
The same guy who had appraised them earlier was coming back.
“Should I kill him?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Understood. Is medieval dueling allowed?”
“Medieval dueling?”
“Throwing a gauntlet at their chest. A challenge to a duel. I don’t have a glove, but I have the War God Lionheart King’s Gauntlet.”
Throwing Richard Lionheart’s gauntlet?
That’d kill someone.
It seemed Lee Nayeon didn’t yet grasp the impact her power could have in this world.
“Absolutely not. No combat or hostile actions whatsoever.”
“Understood.”
But when Lee Jiyu’s manager approached and tried to speak, locking eyes with her, Lee Nayeon immediately glared at him fiercely and said,
“Kneel. Your eye level and mine are not the same.”
Choi Junseok shut his eyes tightly, wondering if she had even heard his instructions.
***
Around the same time, in the southern part of Kaesong, Pyongyang, North Korea, about 20 kilometers northwest of Paju, a massive earthquake struck.
Following the repeated earthquakes and aftershocks previously detected in South Korea, the true cause—a Magic Tower—began to rise.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The forest shook, and the nearby Pyongyang-Kaesong highway started to collapse.
A massive Magic Tower shot up toward the sky in an instant.
Finally, for the first time in history, a Magic Tower appeared in North Korea.