Chapter 3 …

Lee Hyun got off the bus.

An old apartment complex stood in front of him, one he hadn’t seen in a long time.

His home.

Even though it had been so long since he last came here, the only thing that had changed was the season.

“…Actually, now that I think about it, even the season doesn’t feel that different.”

Lee Hyun hadn’t come home for a year.

No—he couldn’t.

Whenever he thought about the other platoon members who couldn’t go home even if they wanted to, he believed the only thing he could do for them was endure and give his all at the unit.

Looking back now, it seemed foolish.

After all, his parents had been visiting him at the distant base every month, or at least once every few months, making time out of their busy schedules.

He didn’t know what they must have thought when they saw their son after his accident.

“They’ll be surprised when they see me.”

He had told Joonghwan that he called his parents, but in reality he hadn’t.

His parents didn’t know that he had been discharged.

Lee Hyun walked along familiar streets, through a familiar corridor, and opened a familiar door.

Fortunately, it was evening.

It was around the time when his parents took turns coming home for dinner.

Ding-dong—

When he rang the bell, a voice came from inside.

“Who is it?”

Click—

The door opened, and his mother, Minjung, stepped out.

“…Son?”

Even though she had no idea he was coming, Minjung didn’t seem very surprised.

It was as if she had been expecting him.

Lee Hyun smiled as brightly as he could.

“Mom, I’m home.”

It was much easier—and more meaningful—than smiling at the base.

“…”

Minjung was silent for a moment before answering with a similar expression.

“Yes. Welcome home, son.”

Lee Hyun followed her inside.

Nothing had changed much, but just like his bachelor’s quarters at the base, it seemed like there were fewer belongings than before.

“I just cleaned your room today. Go take a look.”

“Ah, okay.”

Minjung said it with a proud expression.

Lee Hyun entered his room as she suggested.

His room was exactly the same as before.

There wasn’t a speck of dust—clean enough that even the strictest duty officer wouldn’t find fault with it.

So she had just cleaned it today, huh.

Lee Hyun chuckled and started unpacking his luggage.

“So what brings you home? You were acting like you’d live in the military forever.”

Minjung asked from where she leaned against the doorframe.

Lee Hyun answered casually.

“I got discharged.”

“Really? Are you going to help your dad with his work now?”

His hands stopped.

The truth was, Lee Hyun hadn’t sorted out his thoughts yet.

After all, his awakening had happened so suddenly.

Should he tell his parents about it?
If he did, how much should he reveal?
If he kept it secret, how long could he hide it?

For now, it seemed better to hide it.

Even though he had been discharged, Lee Hyun had awakened while technically still a soldier.

If rumors spread, someone might find an excuse to drag him back.

He had no desire to serve another five years.

I need to endure until I get stronger. At the very least, I need enough standing to deny anything the military throws at me.

If he could avoid being discovered entirely, that would be ideal.

“No. I probably can’t help with Dad’s work for a while. I might help out occasionally.”

He was confident in this.

A sniper’s life depended on remaining undetected.

Minjung stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.

“Well, that’s fine. Resting is good too.”

But Lee Hyun shook his head seriously.

“I’m not going to rest. I’m going to work.”

“Hmm? Where?”

Thud!

Lee Hyun set his heavy magic stone rifle beside the bed.

Then he smiled.

“With this.”

“Huh?”

Minjung tilted her head.

Then her face brightened as if she understood.

There were far more military commendations in Lee Hyun’s room than school awards.

“Well, my son is good at shooting guns. You’ll probably do well in that field too.”

What field are you talking about, Mom…

It seemed Minjung had misunderstood something.

Did she think he would teach shooting?

Or become an Olympic shooter?

“Those things are popular these days. Steel Troops, right? Your dad and I enjoy watching it.”

“Ah.”

The scale was much bigger than that.

“It’s not like that.”

“Really? I thought my son might become famous.”

Minjung looked disappointed before turning toward the kitchen.

Mom, your son must not become famous yet.

Otherwise he’d get five more years in the military.

Later That Evening

After some time passed, Lee Hyun’s father, Dongho, returned home after switching shifts with Minjung.

“I heard from your mom. You got discharged?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve got something to do?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s good. I’m going to eat and rest.”

That’s it?

Lee Hyun stared blankly at Dongho’s back as he casually headed to the bathroom.

Of course, it might be burdensome if someone made too big a fuss, but still—his son had just been discharged.

Wasn’t that reaction too mild?

He hadn’t just served his mandatory term either; he had been a professional soldier.

Maybe Dongho didn’t want to provoke him.

But actually, Dongho had always been that kind of person.

Someone who assumed there was a reason if others didn’t talk about something.

Lee Hyun watched him eat before returning to his room.

“Tomorrow I’m going to the first floor… I should study ahead.”

The Tower had appeared twenty years ago.

There were two types.

Main Towers:
If the highest floor wasn’t cleared every 100 days, the “gate opens.”

Instant Towers:
If the tower wasn’t fully conquered within 100 days, the “gate opens.”

There were also random gates, but those weren’t towers.

The United States had reached the 95th floor of the Main Tower.

Korea was close behind at the 84th.

That meant hunters had accumulated enormous experience, especially on lower floors.

Of course, that knowledge hadn’t come easily.

It had cost countless lives and disasters that would forever remain in human history.

Korea itself had once failed to break through the 55th floor.

Seven years ago.

The main tower gate had opened.

Even now, people said the damage from that event hadn’t fully recovered.

Preventing the main tower from opening again was absolutely essential.

Some countries that experienced consecutive gate openings had been completely destroyed.

The tower disappeared afterward—small comfort.

Thinking about this, Lee Hyun logged into Hunter Now, the largest hunter community.

It combined forums with video streaming.

He searched for information about the first floor.

The description was simple.

A wide plain with six goblins and one goblin warrior.

Defeat the goblin warrior and the mission ends.

But it wasn’t easy to kill only the goblin warrior.

The goblins attacked first, and the warrior wore iron armor.

High-level hunters could slice through them easily, but beginners couldn’t.

An archer hunter he once met complained that even archers had to use daggers on that floor.

The community opinion was similar:

• Don’t underestimate it just because it’s the first floor.

• Kill them one by one.

• Safety is more important than clear rank.

“…The highest clear rank on the first floor was S, right?”

Lee Hyun recalled.

Each floor awarded a clear rank.

F → F+ → … → A → A+ → S.

You could challenge floors again, but the first clear rank was permanent.

If someone beat the record—for example, clearing a B-rated floor with A—the system announced it globally.

But records from reattempts didn’t count.

Most hunters prioritized safety on the first floor.

Getting B rank or higher made you a promising talent and helped you join a guild.

Of course, monsters who cleared the first floor with S rank also existed.

Most of them later became S-rank hunters, even reaching the level of “superhumans.”

So the first clear rank was proof of talent.

Also:

• Magic stone rewards: once per floor.

• Monster materials: once per day.

Entering the tower multiple times daily was mostly for experience and practice.

Lee Hyun watched a terrain simulation someone had uploaded.

“The start is a hill… The battle only begins if you attack first or go down the hill.”

His strategy was simple.

End it with one shot.

A sniper speaks only through bullets.

The fewer words, the better.

Even though the mission was simple, Lee Hyun planned it like a real military operation.

In the 2nd platoon, his nickname had been unusual:

“The guy crazy about sniping.”

For someone obsessed with perfecting every single shot, it was the highest praise.

Meanwhile, Dongho wandered near Lee Hyun’s closed door and overheard him muttering.

He sent Minjung a text.

—Honey… I think Hyun is about to start playing games…—

…From the sound of it, it was an easy misunderstanding.

Lee Hyun studied the first floor for a long time.

Only after Minjung returned from closing the shop did he go to bed.

“Ah.”

Actually, he got up again.

“I need to distribute my stats.”

He had almost forgotten the most important thing.

The Next Morning

Lee Hyun woke up feeling fresher than he had in the past year.

No more damp air from military quarters.

His room felt clean and refreshing.

“Ahhh!”

He stretched.

A new morning, a new life!

Until yesterday he had technically been a soldier, so he had to be careful.

But starting today—

He was completely free.

Still lying down, he turned his head toward the rifle beside his bed.

No longer just a sniper rifle.

Now it was an Awakened Gun.

He spoke brightly.

“Status window.”

Choi Lee Hyun’s Sniper Rifle
Lv.1

Firepower: 5
Range: 0
Precision: 2
Stability: 2
Stealth: 0
Rapid Fire: 1
Mana: 5

He had distributed the stats based on his analysis of the first floor.

Naturally, the biggest investment went to Firepower and Mana.

Mana especially needs to be increased.

He had always been limited to two shots before.

But he didn’t know how much difference one point of mana would make.

“Well, time to head out.”

He prepared quickly, grabbed his rifle, and left his room.

His mother, Minjung, who was already awake, noticed him.

“Oh? Where are you going?”

“I have somewhere to go.”

He tried to leave, but she stopped him.

“Wait a moment.”

“Mother.”

Lee Hyun said in a deep voice.

Minjung looked startled.

“Huh? Why so formal?”

He usually called her “Mom.”

“There comes a moment in every man’s life when he must accomplish something great.”

Seeing his serious expression, Minjung reluctantly let go of his wrist.

“Well… I guess I can’t stop you.”

Then she added:

“I made kimchi stew. Your dad and I will just eat it ourselves.”

“But before accomplishing great things, one must eat well.”

Lee Hyun turned immediately toward the kitchen.

Even Mount Geumgang—or the Tower—comes after a meal.

After eating, Lee Hyun went to an empty lot near his house.

Only delinquent teenagers ever came here.

Not that a special forces soldier had to worry about getting mugged.

If I want to enter the tower secretly, this is perfect.

He was fully prepared.

A system window appeared.

“Do you wish to enter the Main Tower, Floor 1 of the Republic of Korea?”

“Yes.”

Another window appeared.

“You are a normal awakened individual. Entry is restricted.”

He hadn’t expected that.

Was he really getting rejected at the entrance after all that preparation?

“…You’re serious?”

Another window appeared immediately.

“Awakened item confirmed. Synchronization confirmed. Entering.”

Scared me for nothing.

His body was instantly teleported.

A vast plain.

The inside of the tower consisted of huge maps like this.

Lee Hyun opened his eyes atop a hill.

Just like in the simulation.

Six goblins and one goblin warrior.

The warrior’s armor looked similar to the ones outside the tower.

Strong enough to deflect rifle bullets.

But—

“That doesn’t apply to me.”

Lee Hyun lay prone on the hill.

He crawled forward stealthily.

Even without stealth stats, the goblins wouldn’t notice him at that distance.

I snuck around fine even before the gun awakened.

He moved to the optimal sniping location he had found in the simulation.

Some small details differed, but nothing important.

Perfect position.

Wide view.

Higher ground.

Great visibility. No wind. Perfect distance.

It almost looked like a place designed for comfortable sniping.

For Lee Hyun, who had sniped in hellish environments, it felt like lying in bed.

The magic stone rifle worked simply.

Inject mana → fire.

His low mana had always been a fatal flaw.

But if mana was sufficient, the rifle had many advantages over regular guns.

He placed his finger near the mana injection port.

“Oh?”

Something felt different.

Actually—

It’s already loaded?!

The gun was already charged.

Which made sense.

The mana stat belonged to the gun, not Lee Hyun.

Meaning the rifle could fire using its own mana pool.

At that point it was practically like a normal gun.

But excitement was dangerous.

A sniper’s worst enemy.

Nothing had changed.

Goblin warriors were familiar enemies to him.

Inside the tower or outside—it was the same.

“…”

He took a deep breath and looked through the scope.

Seven goblins.

The warrior showing off in the center.

The crosshair aligned perfectly.

This was only the first floor.

He only needed—

One shot.

He held his breath.

Fired.

BOOOOOOM—!!!!

The gunshot was far louder than expected.

The recoil was enormous too.

Lee Hyun instinctively lifted his cheek from the rifle.

Probably because of Firepower 5.

Magic stone rifles sounded similar to normal guns since they used mana crudely instead of refined skills.

But he didn’t expect this much difference.

So that’s why there’s a Stealth stat.

He looked back through the scope.

Then tilted his head.

“…Where did it go?”

The goblin warrior he had been aiming at was gone.

Did it dodge the shot—

Goblin Warrior eliminated.
Floor 1 cleared.

Rank: S+

Apparently not.

Item “Choi Lee Hyun’s Sniper Rifle” leveled up.
Please check the status window.