Chapter 8
Infinite Towers appeared in the capital cities of every nation.
At first, when the towers appeared, people didn’t feel the need to become players or climb the towers. There was no reason to fight while risking the pain of death.
[Notice: Earn score by acting as a player.]
[Notice: If the required score is not met, the Infinite Towers in each country will multiply.]
Even when these messages appeared, not a single country initially met the required score.
But after one month of the tower’s existence…
[Notice: The monthly score has not been met.]
[Notice: Infinite Towers will multiply.]
Just as the notice said, a second tower began to appear in each country. And it always appeared directly inside the residences of national leaders—like a warning.
[Notice: If the monthly score is not met, the next multiplication will exceed the current number of towers.]
[Notice: If over 100 towers appear in a country, a Tower of Light will form.]
[Notice: If over 1,000 towers appear in a country, the Tower of Light will explode.]
When these messages appeared to all humanity, people finally realized this wasn’t just something to ignore.
At first, it was just one building—easy to overlook. But the warning about 100, 1,000 towers wasn’t something to brush off.
Every country tried to respond to the crisis. But despite efforts, the number of towers reached 100 very quickly.
Then…
Rumble!
One of the 100 towers suddenly expanded in size, destroying nearby buildings and growing to an overwhelming height. It became taller than any structure mankind had ever built, striking fear into everyone.
-What happens if that explodes?
-We have to stop it from reaching 1,000 towers!
But not every country could meet the required score.
Some were in the middle of civil war. Some didn’t function properly as nations. These failed states still existed.
And finally, the first incident occurred in an African country.
=We are currently in front of the tower in Somalia.
=This country has never once met the tower’s score due to severe civil conflict. Now that over 1,000 towers have appeared, a Tower of Light has formed, completely engulfed in white light.
=Let’s take a look.
In Somalia, where the system had collapsed due to civil war, over 1,000 towers eventually formed.
And just like in the warning, the Tower of Light was now completely consumed in light.
As reporters from around the world rushed to film from afar—
[Notice: The tower will explode for the first time.]
BOOM!
The capital of Somalia, Mogadishu, was swallowed by light.
And what followed was a catastrophe.
Even reporters filming from a distance, thinking they were safe, were all swept away by the sheer power of the explosion.
This first tower explosion left humanity in shock.
=Mogadishu has been completely incinerated…
=It’s like the city was erased from the map.
=There are no survivors!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the international community moved quickly.
The Fédération Internationale de Player Association (FIPA) was established.
And nations declared they would jointly respond to the threat of the Infinite Towers.
The top priority was now scoring.
To do that, players had to be trained and developed.
So countries began to encourage becoming a player, supporting them on a national level.
Even South Korea had done that a few years ago.
But…
-We’re scoring fine now, aren’t we?
-How long do we have to keep stuffing the pockets of those rich players?
-Feels like a total waste of taxpayer money!
-We should tax them like everyone else!
Once the initial chaos settled and Korea had maintained stable scores for years, jealousy and criticism toward well-paid players began to grow.
And politicians, seeking public favor, were quick to jump on the bandwagon.
“The tax benefits were scrapped, and the Player Bureau’s support got slashed… The treatment of players here has really gone downhill.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. That’s why most of them left.”
In just a few years, Korea’s treatment of players became terrible.
Neighboring countries used this opportunity to poach Korean players.
So, in recent statistics, Korea ranked as the country with the highest number of player emigrants.
“But after everyone left, the required score suddenly shot up about a year ago.”
“The score?”
“Yeah. Even the U.S.—ranked number one—couldn’t meet the quota, so more towers appeared there too.”
Korea, which had taken scoring for granted, lost its players due to poor treatment. Then a year ago, the required score jumped. Only then did the government realize how serious the situation was and started treating players better again.
“Classic case of fixing the barn after the horse is gone.”
“Exactly. But considering how Phoenix Guild just left, our country’s treatment still must be bad. That was a big guild.”
True.
Other countries were also in a panic with rising score demands.
So if Korea improved its treatment, it was likely that foreign offers became even more attractive.
Kim Juyoung poured another drink with a sigh.
“Man… I’m getting worried something might blow up.”
“You mean the Tower of Light?”
“Yeah. That damn thing wrecked my family. We pulled everything together to buy an apartment in Gangnam—and a tower popped up right in front of it.”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“If it was just an ugly tower, fine. But then the thing started glowing and swelling up???”
Once a country has over 100 towers, the Tower of Light appears.
The number of towers varies by country size and population—between one and four.
Korea, being small, only had one.
But it had to appear… right in Kim Juyoung’s apartment complex.
“It’s not glowing like the one in Mogadishu though, right?”
“Not completely…”
The Tower of Light in Gangnam wasn’t fully glowing like the one in the explosion incident. Only about half its surface shimmered with light.
“Still, that means our neighborhood could be ground zero.”
“True.”
“God damn it… My family lost everything. That tower turned the park in our apartment complex into a death trap. Even at a quarter the price, no one wants to buy.”
Kim Juyoung sighed and kept drinking.
So that’s why he dropped out of college.
No wonder he cursed so much lately.
“Anyway, it’s good you became a player now. Korea’s trying to fix things, so you’ll get treated better. Or just go abroad. You’ll get paid way more.”
“Hmm…”
“Oh, and if you’d signed with a guild, they’d be throwing insane offers at you by now… But maybe a country will try to recruit you instead. If they do, hold out for a good deal.”
“They’ll want me to change citizenship?”
Kanghan chuckled.
“No thanks. I need to stay and protect my home.”
“Because of your mom?”
“Yeah.”
Kanghan raised his glass, thinking of his family.
10 years ago.
After developing Tower Syndrome, Kanghan began screaming in his sleep.
The family moved into a detached house, but still, their bond remained strong.
Everyone did their best to help him recover.
But…
-Other Tower Syndrome patients have all recovered…
-Why is our son the only one still sick?
As his condition lingered, his parents’ worry grew worse.
Especially his mother.
-Honey, I got this from a very famous healer.
-Try it. They say it helps.
She went everywhere trying to find a cure.
She started giving Kanghan strange medicines.
Out of love, he took them all.
-I found a truly amazing place this time.
-I’ll be gone a few days. When I get back, you’ll be cured!
But his mom never came back.
-We filed a missing person’s report.
-Let us know if the police contact you.
His dad quit his job and searched for her for years.
-Son, I got into a little debt while looking for mom.
-I might have to go abroad for work to pay it off. Think you can manage alone?
And just like that, his dad left too.
Contact became rare.
“I should’ve said something back then. Told her not to give me those strange meds and to take care of herself.”
“How could you say that to your own mom…”
“Still… I’m not leaving Korea until I find her.”
With a bitter smile, Kanghan raised his glass.
Whether she’s alive or dead—
He needed to know.
Only after learning her fate could he ever think about leaving this home.
“…Well, I’m glad. If you don’t leave, I’ll still have a drinking buddy.”
Juyoung drained his glass and poured another.
Then—
“Hey… I just had a genius idea.”
“What?”
“Become a super name.”
“…A what?”
“You hit 50k viewers last time, right? You’ve got huge potential. You should go full-in on TowerTube. If you become a big name, won’t it be easier to find your mom?”
Becoming famous, huh?
That’s not a bad idea.
“Alright. Want me to use the channel creation ticket?”
“Yeah, let’s do it now—before we get too drunk.”
“Drunk? From this?”
Kanghan looked completely sober.
Juyoung clicked his tongue.
“How are you this fine after drinking so much? Do Heaven Demon Lords not get drunk?”
“Feels like I’m even more clear-headed than usual.”
“Damn, I’m jealous. I’d love to outdrink my boss too…”
That was the most sincere “jealous” he’d said all night.
Together, they set up Kanghan’s TowerTube channel.
“You should keep your Heaven Demon identity. You already revealed your real name to 50k people.”
“So… go with ‘Heaven Demon Kanghan’?”
“Yeah, keep it simple. You’ve got real talent—no need to bait people with a flashy name.”
“Alright.”
With the name “Heaven Demon Kanghan,” the channel was born.
But there was a problem.
“…There’s no content to upload.”
“You didn’t record your last climb, right?”
“I didn’t know I could.”
“Oh yeah… that was on the official channel since you were one of the top 10 rookies. You didn’t record it yourself. You’d better start recording everything from tomorrow.”
So now they had a channel but no videos.
Kanghan looked at the empty channel, then calmly spoke.
“When can I re-enter the tower?”
“Uh… 24 hours after the last climb ends, I think? It should show in the system window. Why?”
“Then I can enter at 7. I’ll make content then.”
“Wait, drunk?”
He was really going to climb the tower drunk?
“Yeah. Not having content bugs me. I’ll make it quick. Want to stay here and eat chicken?”
“Oh… then half-and-half, extra radish.”
“Got it.”
Tap. Tap.
He ordered the chicken.
Before the chicken even arrived—
“Oh, it’s time. I’m heading in.”
Kanghan entered the tower.
“…Seriously. What kind of madman climbs the tower leaving a guest alone at home?”
Scratching his head, Juyoung accepted the chicken delivery in Kanghan’s place.
Then he opened tower.zz on his phone.
Already, Kanghan’s channel had 124 subscribers.
“…What the hell, who are these people?”
Thinking he’d be in the top 10, he was surprised.
He became subscriber #125.
And as he started eating chicken while watching Kanghan’s content creation…
“…Holy crap. This guy’s insane…”
Praise came tumbling out of his mouth.
