Chapter 8
A land where humanity’s enemy—one that could destroy Earth at any moment—and at the same time a revolutionary new material lies dormant.
The so-called Tower.
However, the world has yet to uncover even 1% of the Tower’s secrets.
How many floors it has, whether the inside of the Tower is truly part of Earth, and who exactly created it…
One of the keys to those secrets—and a place believed to be capable of further drawing out the latent abilities of Awakeners—is the 0th floor of the Tower.
But so far, not a single person has succeeded in exploring the 0th floor.
“If we could just uncover that secret…”
Lee Kang-yeon let out a sigh tinged with regret.
New resources, Tower research.
In truth, none of those things mattered to Lee Kang-yeon.
What mattered far more was the safety of Awakeners.
More and more people were awakening and climbing the Tower, dreaming of wealth and glory.
But the Tower was not so forgiving.
Of those who climbed it, 30% lost their lives there.
Another 40% either witnessed the deaths of their companions or barely escaped, never to set foot in the Tower again.
Lee Kang-yeon firmly believed that the solution lay in the library on the Tower’s 0th floor.
“And that’s not all. If we could learn their training methods, or whether additional skills exist, conquering the Tower would be no problem at all.”
For some reason, the scar on the left side of his face throbbed today.
That was why he considered the 0th floor expedition so important—
to find even the slightest clue to reduce casualties.
“The 0th floor must be conquered. No matter what.”
As he clenched his fist, burning with determination—
Ring, ring, ring.
A loud phone rang throughout the room.
The caller was Assistant Manager Lee Ha-min.
An association employee who had witnessed a Tower resident together with an Awakener.
“I’ve picked up.”
As Lee Kang-yeon answered, a tense voice came from the other side.
—We’ve found a candidate suitable for the Tower’s 0th floor!
“Is that true?”
—Yes. We’ve attached a tracking skill and are observing them. However, even with the tracking skill, we can’t follow them outside the Tower unless we meet them in person.
“Hmm… I see. Contact me anytime if you need anything.”
—Understood!
After ending the call, Lee Kang-yeon pondered for a moment before dialing another number.
After a few rings, a languid, slightly drawn-out female voice answered.
—Yeees…
“Are you still staying up all night doing that Awakener community thing?”
—Why do you care what I do?
“……”
Lee Kang-yeon’s right eyebrow twitched, but he calmed himself with a deep breath.
—Why are you calling? You never contact me normally.
“…We’ve found it.”
—What? A hospital for your senility?
“……”
Suppressing the anger rising from within, he spoke calmly.
“We’ve found a clue to a suitable candidate for the Tower’s 0th floor.”
Crash!
Something fell loudly on the other end of the line.
—Is that true?
“…Are you alright?”
—Forget that! Just answer me!
“Yes. It’s true.”
—…Who is it? What nationality? American? Russian?
“We don’t know yet. But it’s only a matter of time before we find them—if you help.”
—…I’ll head over right now. Wait for me.
“It’s nice to see you so motiv—”
Click.
The call ended before he could finish.
“Haa…”
Letting out a sigh, Lee Kang-yeon stared at his phone.
“It’d be nice if her personality matched her skills.”
On the screen was the name of Korea’s number one-ranked Awakener:
Lee So-ah.
“Hmm…”
“What is it?”
“This leather… did you skin it yourself?”
Kal examined the leather Jong-hyuk had brought and asked.
“No?”
The Tower had given it to him.
“I’ve never seen leather skinned this perfectly.”
Jong-hyuk had nothing to say.
He didn’t know how it was made or how to skin it.
He had simply received it because the Tower gave it to him.
“Goblin leather may not be top-grade, but it’s in high demand. I’ll sell this for you. There’ll be a fee—are you okay with that?”
“Huh? You can sell it, Mister Kal?”
“…? Didn’t you bring it to sell?”
“It’s a gift.”
The two stared at each other, blinking.
“A gift for me?”
“Yes. You gave me a sword and armor.”
“I appreciate it, but I don’t need it.”
“That’s a bit cold.”
“A sword and armor are a cheap price to pay for rediscovering my passion. Don’t worry about it.”
“If you say so… By the way, you can really sell this?”
“Of course. I have my own trade routes. It’s easy. If you can get more, bring them. Items of this quality aren’t easy to find—there’ll be plenty of buyers.”
“About how much would it go for?”
“Hmm… For leather of this quality, about 10 shillings each. After fees, you’ll get around 8.”
8 shillings.
‘So roughly 8,000 won.’
Based on the prices he had seen in the streets, Jong-hyuk estimated the currency.
He had brought 15 pieces of leather.
Just as he was pleased with earning around 120,000 won, something crossed his mind.
“Then what about hobgoblin leather or wild boar tusks? Similar price?”
“They’re more expensive. Hobgoblin leather depends on condition, but at this quality, you could get at least 20 shillings each. Wild boar tusks go for about 50.”
20 and 50 shillings.
Gulp.
Jong-hyuk swallowed.
Hobgoblins and wild boars were monsters from the 2nd and 3rd floors.
The higher he climbed, the more money he could make.
‘This might be better than magic stones.’
He even thought he might become richer in the Kingdom of Polaris than in the real world.
‘Should I try the next floor?’
The thought of earning money made him eager to proceed.
Repeat runs had no limit, but uncleared floors could only be attempted once per day.
‘The 2nd floor is supposed to be similar in difficulty to the 1st.’
The quest: defeat 10 hobgoblins.
‘Let’s try it. If it gets dangerous, I’ll just leave.’
With that resolve, Jong-hyuk entered the 2nd floor.
Hobgoblins.
Unlike ordinary goblins—green-skinned and about 1.5 meters tall—hobgoblins had reddish-brown skin and grew to around 2.5 meters, sometimes even 3.
They were about five times stronger than regular goblins, catching many Awakeners off guard.
Boom!
Graaagh!
“My ears are going to burst.”
Jong-hyuk covered his ears as a hobgoblin roared, revealing yellowed teeth with rotting flesh stuck between them.
Holding his nose, he briefly considered abandoning the quest.
“I don’t want to get close.”
Goblins already smelled bad, but hobgoblins were on another level.
Like the difference between ordinary trash and rotting fish left out for days.
Pinching his nose with one hand, Jong-hyuk began moving.
His sword, glowing with blue aura like heat haze, left a long trail as he advanced.
“Grrk?”
In an instant, he appeared right before a hobgoblin and leapt.
Slash!
Blood spurted like a fountain.
Thud!
The massive body collapsed.
Jump.
Slash!
Thud!
Jump.
Slash!
Thud!
…
Four hobgoblins fell in an instant.
The remaining six charged at him.
“Not so fast.”
Still holding his nose, Jong-hyuk reversed his grip on the sword and leapt again.
Stab!
He quickly thrust a dagger into its neck and withdrew it.
Landing again, he flexed his free hand.
‘My body feels light.’
Thanks to the Tower’s blessing, his physical abilities were enhanced on each floor.
‘This is fun.’
Enjoying the responsiveness of his body, he charged again.
After defeating the rest, a clear chime rang out.
[Quest completed.]
[Achieved SSS rank.]
[Rewards granted.]
[30g of magic stones, 5 hobgoblin leathers, experience gained.]
[Obtained Hobgoblin Token.]
“Token…?”
Taking it out of his inventory, a heavy chunk of ore appeared in his hand.
“Looks like a mineral… I’m sure it’ll be useful someday.”
If not, he could always sell it.
After checking his rewards, Jong-hyuk left the Tower without visiting the 0th floor.
He had sold goblin leather to Kal, but was still considering what to do with the hobgoblin leather.
Life in Polaris mattered—but so did life on Earth.
If anything, Earth mattered more.
Not because he had attachments—he didn’t.
No parents, no close friends.
If someone offered him a fortune to never return to Korea, he’d accept without hesitation.
Still, there was one reason he preferred Earth over Polaris—
“The internet.”
Even a week in Polaris would bore him to death.
There was no internet or communication devices in the Tower.
And no crispy fried chicken, either.
After exiting the Tower and showering, Jong-hyuk flopped onto his bed and opened the Awakener community on his phone.
There were tips—not just casual posts, but advice on selling items from the Tower and things to watch out for.
While browsing, he found a post saying hobgoblin leather sold for 50,000 won each.
His mouth fell open as he calculated his earnings.
“How much is this…?”
Each floor took him about 20 minutes.
And he was already earning hundreds of thousands of won in that time.
If he sold the goblin leather too, he’d easily surpass a million won.
While imagining his growing bank account, he noticed a familiar username.
Babylon.
Babylon:
“Hey, have you ever wondered if there are monsters on the Tower’s 0th floor?”
