Chapter 4

“Damn it, why isn’t he replying?”

Lee Woo-jae’s 90th-floor luxury room.

Most people would move after 10 years in an apartment, but he had been stuck on the 90th floor for 24 years.

It wasn’t because of a lack of skill.

The problem was the damn structure of this tower.

“This is just ridiculous, seriously.”

The lower and middle floors were solo play zones, but the upper and top floors required party play.

Of course, “party play” didn’t mean you had to be in a team of two or more.

The problem was that the difficulty didn’t adjust when you entered alone.

For example, if a floor was designed for a five-person party, going in alone meant you had to do the work of five people.

“What the hell is 100 people’s worth, 100 people!”

The trial on the 90th floor was war. And the maximum party size was 100 people.

Lee Woo-jae was convinced the tower’s difficulty had been set for aliens, not humans.

Hardly anyone had ever made it past the 60th floor, let alone the 90th, and now they expected him—the only survivor on the top floor—to gather a party of 100?

Utter nonsense.

Still, he had cleared that brutal challenge.

But in doing so, he had lost much.

“Cough!”

A heavy cough splattered blood onto the floor.

Not just a spit—but enough to form a small pool.

Even though clearing a floor healed all internal and external wounds, this one persisted.

Because it wasn’t physical.

“My soul is being consumed.”

He had passed the trial by using every possible method, sacrificing even parts of his soul.

Otherwise, there was no way to beat the trial.

He was barely surviving thanks to the mana crystals he got from monsters—but even that was reaching its limit.

“I need Soul Condensation Elixirs. A lot of them.”

Modern science and pharmacology had advanced rapidly thanks to gates and abilities.

There were now even pharmacists and ability users who specialized in crafting potions containing condensed soul energy.

Even with towers, gates, and magic, modern technology had reached nearly magical levels.

In certain fields like medicine, magical engineering surpassed even the tower’s power.

If he could get his hands on soul elixirs, perhaps even his damaged soul could be restored.

“If I really can bring external items in… I could get soul elixirs, or even more, and not have to worry about soul damage again.”

He had lived on the 90th floor for 24 years. He didn’t even remember how many times he had tried.

He finally cleared the floor after countless attempts—only to have his soul damaged.

He was driven mad with frustration.

In that sense, this guy—“Midas”—was his one hope.

Midas had the ability to save his life… and maybe even help him escape this godforsaken tower.

But it wasn’t easy.

He thought the guy was just a newbie who had barely awakened and wouldn’t know better. But this guy—he was crafty.

No matter what Lee offered, the kid ignored him and stuck to his own decisions.

Total power move. The kind of behavior only top-rankers could afford—when they had nothing to lose.

“Please… just reply. Or at least tell me if your ability is real or not. I’ll give you anything.”

At first, he climbed the tower for power, wealth, and prestige.

But now he knew none of that mattered.

The only thing that mattered was how to escape this prison.

If escape was possible, he’d give everything he had.

And maybe his prayer reached the heavens—or Midas—because suddenly, a system alert popped up:

[‘Midas’s items have been registered in the auction house.]

The items were cuts of beef by type, and eight cans of beer—all starting at 1,000 points each.

“As expected…!”

Just as he had guessed.

Midas had the insane ability to bring in items from the outside world.

“I must convince him. No matter what.”

Lee Woo-jae muttered to himself as he dove into the auction.

First things first—he needed to eat the beef and drink the beer.

Gulp.

As expected, the Tower Community exploded.

Everyone had speculated about bringing in outside goods—but now it was confirmed.

After all, I had looked up a post by “Majangdong Butcher” and brought in exactly what he wanted.

Of course, at a price he couldn’t afford.

“Quit the butcher shop, should’ve just kept going.”
“I really want beef… is there anything similar here?”
“Would kill for beef and beer right now.”
“Thinking of buying armor with mana crystals. What’s a good deal? I have 900 points.”

“How does it taste, Majangdong Butcher?”

These were old posts by Majangdong Butcher.

Before heading to my part-time job, I stopped by a pawn shop and exchanged some tower gold for a million won.

Then I ordered assorted beef cuts from Capang and grabbed some beer from the convenience store.

After work, I came home and uploaded photos of the beef and beer.

“Korea really is fast.”

Came back from my shift and the beef had already arrived.

Just seeing the glistening cuts—after months without beef—woke me right up.

“I bought beef, so of course I have to eat it.”

I put a frying pan on a gas burner I brought from home, sprinkled some salt and pepper on the chuck flap tail…

Framed the camera just right and hit record.

Ssssss— Sssss—

I showed the medium-rare beef sizzling in the pan.

No body parts shown—just tongs, meat, and the pan.

Then I uploaded it to the Tower Community with this caption:

“Chuck flap tail melts in your mouth~”
(Video)
“Bought it in Majangdong. What do you think?”

Obviously a jab at Majangdong Butcher.

Of course, I didn’t actually buy it in Majangdong. But who knows, maybe it was sourced from there?

Probably not.

[Comments]

Whoa;;;; that looks insanely good.
So the rumors were true. He even brought a gas burner and pan.
LOL this guy totally dunked on Majangdong Butcher for running his mouth. So satisfying.

┗ Who cares if you’re broke~ even ramen sells for 5 million here LOL
┗ Haha, even Tim Cook couldn’t get that kind of margin
┗ Why do people still bring up that has-been Tim Cook? Midas’s golden chariot obliterates everything
┗ Midas is a god. The golden chariot is invincible…

Please, sir, can I have just one piece of beef…? Just one bite…

┗ LOL Majangdong flatlined
┗ Have some pride! Midas himself bought you that beef—be grateful
┗ If you’re jealous, buy it yourself. That’s what you get for struggling through mid-tier floors without any guts LOL

“Ah~ that felt good.”

The most satisfying day I’d had in a year.

Sure, I had a moment of self-reflection for sinking to this level, but the umami of the beef chased that right away.

So what if I’m petty? I’ve got chuck flap tail in my mouth.

Now that I’d tasted real money, pride didn’t matter anymore.

“But I really need to figure out a way…”

No matter how many points I had, they meant nothing if I couldn’t convert them to cash.

Right now I had maybe a million won, and with my next paycheck in two weeks, maybe two million.

Not a small amount—but it’d be gone in a few months.

And if I started selling tower goods in large volumes outside, people would start asking questions.

So I had to find a safe way to cash out.

“Haven’t come up with a good solution yet…”

It’s not that I had no ideas.

They were just risky.

First option: become state property.

From the government’s point of view, my ability was a national treasure. A rational country would offer major benefits.

“But I’ll pass.”

Who knew if the country would treat me right?

Plenty of countries exploited valuable talent with dog-like working conditions.

Not saying it’s our country, but… you get the idea.

And I’d become a target for other nations too.

Politics and diplomacy? No thanks.

Second option: join a guild.

Guilds are businesses. They chase profit.

The more useful my ability, the more money I’d make.

And since I’m the only one in the world with this ability, the profits would be insane.

But again, I’d become a target for rival guilds.

Especially in capitalism—when money’s on the line, nothing is sacred.

Even if I hid my identity, it would leak eventually.

Third option…

“Get stronger myself.”

Climb the tower and gain power.

Become strong enough to protect myself, even as a target.

With effectively infinite points, I could gear up with layers of S-rank weapons and armor.

That could put me on par with the top hunters, making assassination nearly impossible.

But… I hate pain and effort.

And high-level towers take years to clear—7 at minimum, up to 20.

With no talent, I might never cash out my points.

No way I’m doing that.

“Maybe a guild really is the best path…”

Compared to being a government asset, guilds offered more freedom—and more money.

Sure, moving overseas could make me richer, but I was a safety-first homebody who didn’t speak English.

Maybe I could join a guild, keep my identity hidden, and sell my services in moderation.

If I joined, that guild would rise to #1—but other guilds would profit too.

Just as I was starting to seriously consider joining one, a voice rang out in the air.

[Ah, ah. Can you hear me? It’s Lee Woo-jae.]

“Whoa! What the hell?!”

[You weren’t replying, so I used in-tower voice chat. FYI, it costs 100 points per use.]

Did I hear that right? 100 points per call? That’s like… a hundred thousand won?

If he’s that rich, he should just give me money.

Well, he was my top customer, after all.

He spent 3,000 points out of the 7,500 ramen pack just by himself.

A true 1st-place tower elder.

My VIP.

[Hello? Hello? You’re not ignoring me again, are you?]

His voice sounded anxious while I sat there in a daze.

[You’re seriously ignoring me after I spent a hundred thousand won?!]

“N-no, I was just caught off guard.”

I did think about ignoring him—but the idea of offending someone who spent that much scared me. I replied instinctively.

He didn’t earn the nickname “psychopath” for nothing.

[Phew, thank god.]

“By the way… what’s with your tone?”

[Ah, I’ve been browsing Tower Comm for 29 years. It kinda rubbed off. Hope that’s okay.]

“Uh… sure.”

[Anyway, I’ve got a proposition. You’re wondering how to cash out your earnings, right?]

“How do you—”

[Obvious. You made thousands, maybe millions, in the tower. Of course you’re wondering how to turn it into real money.]

…Yeah, fair.

[Let’s skip to the point. You’re probably thinking about the state or a guild. Don’t. Why go under someone? Just climb the tower.]

“Because I’m weak.”

[Exactly why I’m here. I’ll make you strong. I’ll support you fully—gear, items, mana stones, potions—you name it. Just help me get out of this tower.]

Help from the tower’s top ranker, by far the strongest player alive?

With his support, I could climb the tower easily.

Anyone would’ve said yes.

“…Nah, I’ll pass.”