Chapter 5 : The 28th Floor and Haran’s Awakening

[The grade of White Fang White Tiger has increased.]

Haran, who grew after eating meat.

With a bright light, its size grew larger.

That wasn’t all.

Its sharp fangs doubled in length, and its fur gleamed with luster.

There was no trace left of its previous appearance.

From C-Grade to C Grade.

Even though it was just a single rank up, it had completely changed from before.

“W-What is this…”

Of course, the person truly shocked was Seo Rin.

She stared at the completely transformed Haran.

Even the aura it gave off was different.

Its size, its fur.

Every part of its body had changed, and even its muscle mass seemed to have increased.

Is this the true power of a proper C Grade beast?

It wouldn’t even lose to an average A Grade ranker.

KRAOOO—

As Haran roared, the ground shook.

A powerful force could be felt from afar.

“Uh, how did you do it? Did you really feed it meat?”

“Yes, but it won’t keep growing just by being fed all the time.”

Seo Rin, unable to believe the situation, grabbed Woo min’s sleeve and asked.

How did I do it?

It was just luck.

Seo Rin and Haran already had quite a bit of accumulated experience together.

The small gap left before a rank up was filled by giving its favorite food.

A kind of growth stimulant.

Just like humans can’t gain or lose weight with exercise alone, the same went for beasts.

Eating was as important as hunting monsters.

“Th-thank you. I think I can climb to the 28th floor now.”

Seo Rin spoke with an excited expression.

She could finally ascend to the 28th floor.

She’d always been blocked there.

She lacked the strength to pierce the tough surface of the plant-type monster.

No matter how many Mana Arrows she shot, or how fiercely Haran pounced with its forepaws, all they could do was scratch it. Within the limited time, they couldn’t bring the monsters down.

But now?

Haran had become stronger.

At least twice as strong as before.

The wall that had blocked them until now had been completely broken through.

“Haran can get even stronger. Probably up to B+ Grade.”

“R-really?”

I casually mentioned Haran’s remaining potential.

The highest grade shown in the Status Window was clearly B+ Grade.

Of course, she wouldn’t just rest on her laurels.

But sometimes, it’s much better to have a clear goal than endless uncertainty.

Naturally, Seo Rin wasn’t the type to sit still.

If you receive help, you should return the favor.

“Do you have time tomorrow? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

“Huh?”

A meal invitation, taking the initiative. Was this the so-called ‘after’ people talk about?

Could it be… a confession?

Well, I must admit, I was pretty cool just now.

It wouldn’t be strange if she fell for the reliable image of me helping Haran grow.

One son, one daughter.

A year of dating, then a spring wedding would be nice, right?

“Thanks to you, I think I’ll be able to conquer the 28th floor.”

“Ah,”

The mood quickly cooled down.

We were thinking different things.

I got ahead of myself.

Now I just feel awkward.

“Uh, I think I’m free in the afternoon.”

“Contact me with your card. I want to climb the Tower with the newly grown Haran as soon as possible, so I’ll head out first.”

Waving her hand, Seo Rin quickly left the Gate.

Now that we’d parted after being together, I felt a bit regretful.

Should we wander around a little more, Bbyak?

There still seemed to be some rewards hidden in the Gate.

Bbyak!

But Bbyak didn’t look pleased.

It pecked my thigh with its beak.

Don’t do that, Bbyak.

Why are you so angry?

Of course, there was one thing that bothered me.

“Is it because I called you Fire Chicken?”

Bbyak Bbyak!

Of course.

Calling the Phoenix a Fire Chicken would make anyone upset.

I guess I went too far.

But what else could I do?

If Bbyak had said, “I’m a Phoenix,” people would have found out about the SSS-Grade in no time.

To live quietly, there was no choice.

“Sorry, let’s have something really tasty for dinner tonight.”

But Bbyak was already thoroughly sulking.

Looks like I’ll have to work hard to cheer it up.

***

[You have entered the 28th floor of the Tower]

Mission: Defeat 5 Steel Elderwoods

Time limit: 12 hours

As soon as she got home, Seo Rin immediately entered the Tower.

A blue forest spread out before her.

From the 20th floor onward, the main stage changed from plains to forest.

This was the section where the difficulty of the Tower climb truly increased.

You can’t underestimate something just because it’s a plant.

Huge bodies, greatly increased stamina, and on top of that, a tough outer bark that doesn’t yield to most attacks.

It’s a section where most Players become discouraged.

Seo Rin was no different.

Even though she was an A Grade Player, her main strengths were her outstanding mobility and combination attacks with Haran, but the Steel Elderwood trees weren’t a good match for her.

No matter how many arrows she fired in 12 hours, she could barely bring down one.

She was already swamped with Association work, and now her Tower progress was blocked, making her even more frustrated.

But now, things were different.

Thanks to Woo min, Haran’s limits had been pushed.

This time, she felt she could do it.

“Let’s go, Haran.”

She reached forward and activated her skill.

The gigantic Haran appeared.

Without hesitation, Haran threw itself forward.

Seo Rin also drew her bow and followed.

GUAARR!

The Steel Elderwood monster, using its branches like arms, let out a monstrous shriek.

It had a tough bark and lots of stamina, but its speed was slow.

There was no way they’d get hit by such attacks.

The key was, could they inflict meaningful damage?

KRAANG!

Haran nimbly dodged the attack and raised its forepaw.

Then—

CRACK—

It struck the Steel Elderwood’s side.

The bark shattered and scattered everywhere.

She couldn’t miss this chance.

She aimed her arrow at the exposed spot.

As she pulled back the string tightly and released, the arrow sliced through the air.

And then—

THUNK.

A huge hole appeared in the creature’s wound.

It was possible.

It was only one, but it was completely different from before.

Twelve hours?

At this rate, two hours would be enough.

“Get ready again, Haran!”

Seo Rin and Haran prepared for battle again.

The two of them hunted the Elderwoods without rest.

In the end—

[You have completed the mission of the 28th floor of the Tower]

[Grade B]

[Reward] You have obtained 28kg of Monster Core.

[Reward] 5 Stamina Recovery Potions

[Reward] Steel Elderwood Branch

She had finally conquered the 28th floor that she thought she’d never be able to climb!

***

A karaoke bar located in a dark alley.

It was obvious at a glance that this was no ordinary place.

Just like a scene from a noir film.

Men with intimidating appearances stood guard at the entrance.

Inside, a red light illuminated the interior.

Drugs, kidnapping, rape, human trafficking.

Amidst the shadows of all sorts of crimes, a familiar-faced man was sitting on the ground, hands behind his back, staring at the floor.

It was Cheon Taejin.

He was the youngest member of the Blue Dragon Clan.

In the hands of the white-haired man was a golf club.

He was in a very foul mood.

Why?

Because the youngest in front of him had tarnished the organization’s image.

A member of the organization beaten up by a convenience store part-timer.

And not just any member.

An Awakened Player.

He couldn’t hold back his anger at the fact that the future of the organization had been humiliated.

“S-sorry, Boss.”

“Our youngest. I guess you think you’re above it all now that you’ve awakened your ability.”

“Th-that’s not…”

The boss of the Blue Dragon Clan, Kang Cheongryong, let out a deep sigh.

Of all places, it had to happen near the Association’s convenience store.

Too many people witnessed the scene.

He couldn’t get the image of the rival organization’s boss mocking him out of his head.

—Hey, didn’t your Player rookie join recently? He’s getting beaten up at the convenience store near the Association, you know?

Unbearable.

The prideful Kang Cheongryong, who lived and died by his pride, had never suffered such humiliation.

Just yesterday, he’d bragged about his rookie Player’s awakening, but now he couldn’t even show his face in public.

“Enough. Hey, you have some potions you got from the Tower, right?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Bring them all out.”

At Cheongryong’s single word, Taejin emptied out his inventory.

He had about 10 potions left.

The red liquid sloshed in the transparent glass bottles.

“Good. Let’s keep going until these are all used up.”

Truthfully, he wanted to stab him in the gut and dump him at an unknown beach, but he had to hold back.

There’s no benefit to touching a Player registered with the Association.

Missing person, whatever, it’d just be a hassle.

For now, it was best to keep him close and use him thoroughly.

“U-understood.”

Taejin’s body responded reflexively to the boss’s command.

Cheongryong slowly walked over.

WHACK—

He swung the golf club.

His hair may be white, but his strength was undiminished.

He wasn’t the boss of the Blue Dragon Clan for nothing.

Age is just a number.

He could still go toe-to-toe with active fighters.

WHACK—

With the beating continuing, Taejin collapsed.

His buttocks were bruised and oozing blood.

But—

“Get up. Quickly.”

Thanks to the potion, new flesh grew in an instant.

That was just one bottle.

There were still nine left.

WHACK—

“Anything you want to say, youngest?”

“S-sorry.”

WHACK—

“That’s not what I want to hear. Don’t you know what I want you to say?”

“I-I’ll bring that guy here. I know him well from school. I wasn’t in good condition that day, but if I fight him again, I’ll definitely win.”

Taejin gritted his teeth in pain as he spoke.

“Our youngest, I thought you were clever, but you’re just a fool.”

Beating someone was hard, but Cheongryong was just as exhausted.

He let out a deep sigh and lit a cigarette.

“Listen carefully, you fool. Don’t just get beaten up again, bring him to a Gate. Got it? You can use your precious ability there, right? Understand?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Go. You have exactly one week. If he doesn’t die, you’ll be the one getting buried.”

That wasn’t a threat.

It was the truth.

Cheongryong pressed his cigarette into Taejin’s side as he spoke.

Taejin endured the pain and hurriedly left.

His face was filled with humiliation.

He was ashamed.

He couldn’t stand it even for a moment unless he did something.

He scrolled through the numbers saved on his phone, looking for someone who could help.

After going through the contact list for a while, he finally found one.

If it’s this guy, he’s an expert in this field.

Ring, ring.

Without hesitation, he made the call.

And soon—

Click.

—Yeah, what?

The voice came through the speaker.

“Hey, you know Kim Woo min, right?”

—Who? Kim Woo min?

“You know, the guy who always got beaten up by us in school.”

—There were a lot of those, you know.

“The guy I used to hang around with because he was an ordinary kid.”

—Ah, I remember. So what about him?

“Get me some info on him.”

—Cheon Taejin, you must be desperate. You’re not asking for this for free, are you?

“Damn it, fine. I’ll give you the item you asked for. Okay? So get it as soon as you can.”

—Okay, got it.

Click.

Taejin hung up and lit a cigarette.

Thanks to this, he’d been beaten by the boss and had to give away his precious item.

Back when he awakened his ability, he thought he had nothing to fear.

This was all Kim Woo min’s fault.

If he’d just taken a few hits like before, he could’ve gotten some hospital money. How dare he fight back?

I’ll make him pay.

I’ll show him exactly who he messed with.

In the darkness, Taejin’s eyes burned with vengeance, glaring toward Woo min.

He had no idea his opponent was the master of SSS Grade.