Chapter 30
“How about explaining yourself?”
“I don’t really have anything to explain. That congressman ordered the article, and then… it all went down just like the news said.”
“No, that’s exactly what you need to explain. Didn’t you say you don’t kill people?”
“I never said not to kill. It wasn’t in the contract either.”
“Uh…”
…Well, technically, he’s right.
Even when we first made our contract, I never explicitly said not to kill people. I only rejected the idea of killing the person who ordered the article, saying it didn’t make sense.
I’d only said not to kill for personal revenge.
While I stood speechless in disbelief, Lee Woojae opened his mouth again.
“So what was your plan then? Just post the article and call it a day? Then that bastard would’ve stabbed you in the back the moment he had a chance.”
“…That’s true.”
Neither I nor the Association President had known for sure who gave the order.
Lee Woojae had been the one to dig that out.
If I’d let it slide, that guy definitely would’ve targeted me again.
“…Alright. You cleaned it up without leaving any traces, right?”
“Of course.”
“Just… try not to kill next time if you can help it. I don’t know why, but it leaves a weird feeling.”
“I’ll try.”
I wasn’t a psychopath. I hated the idea of killing someone just because they were a nuisance.
If anything, I’d rather ignore them entirely.
Though, it was for my benefit, and the guy was a scumbag politician who probably deserved to die anyway…
“Well, enough of that gloomy talk. Let’s go wrap up the stuff we’ve been putting off. I miss Myangmyang.”
“Got it.”
Gate abnormalities were erupting all over the world, and every country wanted me on their side.
That meant my top priority now was getting stronger.
To protect myself.
“Enter Tower.”
I entered the tower with Lee Woojae.
When I arrived on the 10th floor of the cleared tower, Myangmyang greeted me enthusiastically.
The reason Myangmyang was here was because of the high mana density inside the tower.
He could live outside, technically, but it was clearly more comfortable for a dragon in here.
“Myangmyang! Myang!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. Daddy was working.”
“Myang!”
“You’re mad I didn’t take you with me? You’re still just a baby.”
“Myangmyang!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll take you with me next time.”
Even if he was just a hatchling, Myangmyang still had A-rank mana.
He didn’t know how to use it yet, but his mana reserves were significant.
Leaving a baby alone didn’t sit right with me, so I needed to hurry up and create a Myangmyang-only lair in my inventory.
“Let’s check the shop first.”
[Auction Earnings: 45,000 Points]
“Four hundred fifty million won, huh… That’s less than I expected.”
Normally, I’d make at least 500 million, sometimes even a billion, but this was a noticeable dip.
It was probably because of the global gate breaks and the emergence of S-rank gates.
Everyone had their own families and friends in their home countries, so they wouldn’t have spare cash to burn here.
Still, I was surprised it sold for 450 million.
“Well, money’s going to start pouring in soon anyway.”
“True that.”
Now that the global governments wanted me, they’d bring anything to the table—money, power, fame, you name it.
From now on, my main source of income wouldn’t be tower auctions, but negotiations between nations and Midas.
Not that I had any plans to let them push me around.
“I did want to keep exploiting this easy money, though. Shame.”
“Even at this price, it’s still easy money.”
“Fair enough. Selling a bowl of ramen at ten times the cost.”
Even with the chaos, ramen still sold at regular prices.
Not just Koreans, but foreigners too had fallen for its taste.
At this rate, I’d be recognized as the leader of Korean food globalization.
And at a relatively cheap 5 million won per bowl, it was still accessible.
“Now that we’ve got money, we can focus on getting stronger.”
“All thanks to you, boss. I’ve got most of the gear I need, but I’m still missing modern tech and the catalysts that go into them.”
“Hey, knowing how to refine is already amazing, Woojae.”
“Not even that hard.”
We exchanged compliments as we talked.
Today’s goal: refining Haemang Stone—a magical ore that could absorb and eliminate mana nearly limitlessly.
With additional processing, it could even store and absorb mana.
An almost ideal material.
I wanted to refine Dimensional Stone too, but I didn’t have enough money or access to the catalysts.
Even just refining Haemang Stone cost me 15 billion won.
Basically, everything I’d earned so far was gone. All I had left was debt.
Still, I’d pay it back soon enough.
“Tower 71F, Abandoned Blacksmith Tower (Lee Woojae) – Enter.”
Whoosh—
My vision flipped, and a new tower unfolded before my eyes.
It was the space Woojae had mentioned, where Haemang Stone could be refined.
But the sight was nothing like I’d imagined.
Smog blanketed everything. All I could see was scrap metal and junk.
“Damn. Every time I see your ability, it’s totally busted. Coming to a cleared floor at will? Ridiculous.”
“Wait, is this really the right place? It doesn’t look like a blacksmith’s tower at all.”
“It’s the right place.”
Really?
You’d think a blacksmith’s tower would look like something out of a medieval fantasy with dwarves, right?
Instead, this was dystopian, almost modern.
I kept coughing without realizing it.
“It’s more like the Industrial Revolution…”
“Exactly. Not the Industrial Revolution, but something like it.”
He was right.
Kids slept on the ground. Miners with soot-covered faces ate things that definitely weren’t food.
Children who still had energy were using scrap metal as toys.
Women on the street couldn’t breathe properly; some had deformed jaws.
“This is awful.”
“It is. And it actually happened in real life.”
I’d heard before: the Industrial Revolution was a time of glory, but also of horror.
But seeing it with my own eyes was worse.
“This… is Earth’s past?”
“Nope. Completely different world. If I had to explain… it’s like a medieval fantasy world that evolved alongside engineering. If you look closely, you’ll see traces of magic too.”
Just as he said, the factories spewed not just smoke but mana, and magic leaked from the guns nobles carried.
“Are all upper-tier towers like this? Each with its own world?”
“No. Only the highest-tier towers. The first 10 floors are tutorials, and from 11 onward, each 10 floors has its own storyline.”
That explained why no one knew.
Initially, information about the towers was shared, but when people started dying en masse, it was locked down.
Knowing the strategy gave people false confidence, so they restricted all info to keep people out.
In other towers, I’d heard NPCs might give quests.
“You lazy brat! You’re running away because of a little hard work? You worthless piece of trash!”
I turned toward the shouting.
A middle-aged man in a suit was kicking a boy who had apparently run away from grueling labor.
The man was likely a factory owner or manager.
This was normal in the Industrial Revolution era—but I couldn’t just stand and watch.
I instinctively moved to protect the boy, but Lee Woojae’s words stopped me.
“You’re really going to stop that?”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
Isn’t it obvious? The kid’s getting beat.
But Woojae looked at me expressionlessly.
“If you stop him, I won’t interfere. Once I reveal my identity, everyone here will grovel. And you’re already strong enough now.”
“Then why aren’t you stopping it?”
“Because it’s meaningless. These people… they’re not real.”
“…”
“Just a tip—everyone who got emotionally attached to the people in the tower? They all went insane.”
I’d heard something like that.
That the beings inside the tower weren’t real.
That no matter how you cleared a tower, it didn’t change anything for others who entered.
No need to care about the people inside. No guilt even if you kill them.
After all, the tower I entered was the same as Woojae’s—same monsters, same patterns.
To him, they were like parallel universe NPCs.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The boy was still being beaten.
Was he really fake?
I used to live by the mantra: “Mind your business. Just survive alone.”
So why had that belief been shaken lately?
“Stop it!”
Before I knew it, I had stepped between the boy and the man.
I let out a sigh.
Idiot.
I’m still an amateur.
Everyone says these people are fake, and here I am, stepping in to protect one.
‘But hey, I am a rookie. So what?’
It hasn’t even been a month since my awakening. How could I become a cold-hearted pro like Woojae?
Without him, I’d never have survived a high-tier tower.
I was just lucky. Take that away, and I was nothing.
“Who the hell are you? Move aside! That brat is my property!”
“Property? If it’s property, shouldn’t you treat it with care instead of stomping it like a cigarette butt?”
“I’ll do what I want with what’s mine! What business is it of yours?”
“True. What’s the point in talking to someone who treats people like objects?”
“What did you say?!”
“Just leave. I’ll pay.”
“…!”
As the man raised his fist, Lee Woojae stepped forward.
The man froze, recognizing him instantly.
“Ack, you’re the Mayor’s acquaintance! I—I’m terribly sorry. No payment needed! That worthless brat’s yours. Take him!”
“Then get lost.”
“Yes, yes! Right away! Thank you, sir!”
The man bolted as soon as he saw Woojae’s face.
The boy bowed to both of us.
“Th-thank you.”
“It’s okay. Anyone would’ve done the same.”
I replied, but Woojae only gave a small nod.
As if looking at an object, not a person.
And then I remembered the man calling him “Mayor.”
If Woojae had cleared the tower to the 90th floor, that meant he’d conquered this world.
So why was it still so filthy?
As if reading my mind, Woojae spoke.
“This world is fake. Before, after—there will always be people like this.”
“But… even if they’re fake… saving them feels…”
“Feels better? It’s the opposite. Even if I save them, the next climber’s tower will be just as tragic. And if I save those? Then the next, and the next…”
“…”
“That’s not even the worst. Later on, you’ll be forced to become the enemy of innocent people. You’ll have to kill them. But in someone else’s tower, they’ll be alive and happy.”
I was speechless.
I had no idea what it would feel like to save someone, only to know they’re doomed elsewhere.
To know the happy ones would die by another’s hand, in a parallel world.
“It’s meaningless. The tower is just a parallel world. These people are just data. If you pour emotion into data, clearing the tower only gets harder.”
It was as cold and hard as the world I lived in.
