Chapter 123…
After leaving the Chief’s office, I paid Nam Woojin his taxi fare and sent him on his way first, then headed to Seo Gyeoul’s office.
She’d recently succeeded in getting promoted and become a secretary, hadn’t she?
If it weren’t for the current manpower shortage and the ongoing emergency, it would’ve been an unimaginably fast promotion.
Is this the place?
When I knocked, Seo Gyeoul’s voice came from inside, telling me to come in.
Creeeak—
As I opened the door, I was met with a familiar sight.
A neat suit, tidy hair.
Just like always, she was working with perfect posture.
“Oh, Mr. Siu, you’ve arrived. Let me just finish this up.”
“Take your time.”
There was no separate reception table, so I sat in the chair across from her desk.
And the moment the minute hand on the clock moved by exactly one tick, she finished organizing the desk.
Sharp as ever.
That crisp, decisive personality of Seo Gyeoul had been well known even before my regression.
Probably runs in the family.
I offered her my congratulations.
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
“……It doesn’t really feel like something to be congratulated for, but thank you anyway.”
Just looking at the pile of documents on her desk, I could understand why she said that.
In any case, that was her workload to deal with. I got straight to the reason I’d come.
“I heard you were looking for me?”
“Ah.”
Only then, as if she’d just remembered, did she let out a small exclamation and take a small box out of her drawer.
She handed it to me as she spoke.
“I heard you’re planning to enter the Tower.”
“Yes. I intend to go in as soon as possible.”
“Then that item will be of help. Please, open it.”
“…?”
At her prompting, I opened the carefully wrapped box.
Inside was a small vessel carved with the image of Kakan.
Judging by its antique elegance, it looked like something made by a master craftsman.
This time, it was my turn to let out an impressed sound.
“Ah, this is…”
“It’s a gift prepared by our Administration. It’s also a reward for the Busan Orange Gate.”
An item reminiscent of a chess piece.
Whether called a vessel, a token, or a piece, it came in many shapes and colors.
But they all shared one thing in common.
They’re made by grinding down relics.
Any player intending to enter the Tower had to possess one.
Otherwise, no one knew what might happen the moment they entered.
Back in the early days of the Tower, that sort of thing happened often…
Some vanished without a trace, some died instantly, and others reportedly turned into something no longer human.
Only those who overcame that probability obtained a “vessel,” and in the end, only those who possessed one were able to climb the Tower.
That was when people realized that this unassuming object was essential for Tower ascension.
And so, Earth conducted relentless research to create vessels.
As a result, one truth was discovered.
Vessels were made of the same substance as relics.
Once that was known, each nation, unwilling to lose its “assets,” began artificially producing vessels and lending them to players.
Ownership would transfer only after both principal and interest were repaid.
Before my regression, I entered the Tower with a rented one too.
Such rental items were usually cheap, made from ground-up low-grade relics.
Of course, even a cheap one prevented outright disaster compared to having none at all.
The difference was in how the Tower treated you.
I recalled my first entry into the Tower before my regression, carrying a low-grade vessel.
Even the goblins on the lower floors had looked at me with disdainful, unpleasant eyes.
I could barely get any proper information, let alone quests, and I had to endure all kinds of traps…
It was a horrific memory of struggling just to survive.
Back then, I’d thought that was simply how the Tower was.
In any case, the benefits you received inside the Tower varied dramatically depending on the grade of your vessel.
With a low-grade vessel, it was hard to receive quests, and the chance of encountering high-tier monsters increased.
On the other hand, with a high-grade vessel, it feels like the Tower itself “welcomes” you.
Before my regression, all the rankers I met on the upper floors of the Tower possessed vessels of unique grade or higher.
But this one… it looks like it was made from at least a mid-grade relic.
You could tell just by the material.
To make something like this, at least a legendary-grade relic would have been required.
Noticing my expression, Seo Gyeoul spoke again.
“It was made by grinding down an epic-grade relic.”
“…!?”
“I thought you’d be climbing the Tower someday, so I prepared it in advance. And as I said, this isn’t a loan—it’s a reward.”
Epic grade?
I carefully examined the vessel in my hand once more.
No matter how big the Busan Orange Gate incident had been, giving something like this so readily was unexpected.
Then again, considering Seo Gyeoul’s personality, maybe it wasn’t so surprising.
Did she persuade Director Seo Byeongcheol?
Logically proving that investing in me would be beneficial. That did sound like her.
I was planning to just grab a cheap one made from a low-grade relic and head in…
At this point, I had the ability to handle the Tower’s unfairness anyway. It didn’t scare me much.
If it became inconvenient, I could always switch to something better later.
But if she was offering something this valuable…
“Thank you.”
I’d be foolish to refuse.
As soon as I stored the item in my subspace—
“And these are for the Monster Guild members.”
Seo Gyeoul took out four more vessels, all carved with the same Kakan design.
At a glance, they were clearly lower in grade than the one I’d received.
But there weren’t just one or two—there were four of them.
Making all of those would’ve cost a considerable amount.
Wait…?
Why four?
Kim Pyeongon, Rebecca, and Nam Woojin—that was three people…
Or maybe she’d originally prepared a full set including mine, then later made another when she obtained a better relic.
Perhaps my confusion showed on my face, because Seo Gyeoul replied with a faint smile.
“I’m going as well. To the Tower.”
“…Pardon?”
Did I hear that right?
Is something wrong with my ears?
What is she saying?
“I’ve been assigned on-site duty.”
I seriously doubted my hearing.
Seo Gyeoul, climbing the Tower? A core talent of the Gate Administration personally entering the Tower at a time like this?
It was completely unexpected.
Even though I thought I knew her fairly well from before my regression, I hadn’t anticipated this at all.
Which meant—
The way they view the Tower now must be different from before my regression…
Perhaps it was the result of all the incidents I’d caused up to now.
Fine. Let’s say I accept that much.
Still, there was a subtle nuance in her words that caught my attention.
“Don’t tell me… you’re coming with us?”
Nod.
As I trailed off, Seo Gyeoul nodded.
She seemed to have already made up her mind.
“Do you really need to? With us? You could join the Goblin Guild, which has already cleared up to the 200th floor.”
“You know my personality. I’m shy around strangers, and…”
“And?”
“I thought that if it were you, Mr. Siu, you’d make it not just to the 200th floor, but to the 300th with ease.”
“……”
That guess was correct.
I’d already been through all of it once, so I’d break through quickly.
But how did she know?
If she figured it out purely on intuition, that was frankly terrifying.
“So… will you allow it?”
“Well, I can’t exactly stop you if you insist. And with your skills, Ms. Gyeoul, you’d be a help to us.”
“Then I’ll report it that way.”
Just like that, another companion was added to our climb up the Tower.
As she stood up from her seat, she brought up a new topic.
“Are you heading to the Tower right away?”
“No. I plan to stop by the Ark Academy first. There are a few things I need to take care of.”
“…I see.”
She seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
After putting on her coat, she even changed her shoes.
“Coincidentally, a few academy classes are scheduled to go on a Tower field trip. You can head there first and return with them.”
“A field trip?”
“Yes. Normally, there aren’t many opportunities to see the Tower up close. This would usually be the Strategy Administration’s job, but as you know…”
That task had fallen to the Gate Administration.
And judging by how Seo Gyeoul was getting ready to head out, it seemed she was personally in charge of it.
That was when it happened.
“…?”
Riiiing—
My phone rang in my pocket.
There was no reason anyone should be calling me right now, so I quickly took it out.
[Caller ID: Restricted]
A message that looked like it might be spam appeared on the screen.
Normally, I would’ve ignored it.
…But something feels off. Who is it?
With a bad feeling, I answered.
“I’m listening.”
—Kgh… Hurry. Go to the Tower!
“…!?”
Click—
The call ended immediately.
Because it was a restricted number, I couldn’t call back.
What was that?
I replayed it in my mind.
A desperate voice that felt like it would tear my eardrums.
An insolent tone.
As I calmed myself, the owner of the voice came to mind.
Krader…!
The guy I’d sent as a spy into the False Spera cult.
For him to contact me in such haste could only mean something had gone wrong.
The fact that he openly called on a line that could be tapped already means an incident has occurred.
I moved before thinking further.
Using Flash Step, I instantly teleported to the conference room window.
“Mr. Siu—?!”
“We’ll have to visit the academy later. I’m heading to the Tower first!”
I heard Seo Gyeoul’s startled voice behind me, but there was no time to explain.
Maintaining my speed, I kicked the window open and jumped out.
Whoooosh—
Cold wind slapped against my face.
Given the height of the Gate Administration building, any awakened individual could jump down without issue.
And for me, who had grown rapidly stronger lately, it was no different from going down the stairs.
Thud—!
“Phew…”
Fine cracks formed beneath my feet, but my body was unharmed.
I immediately ran toward the parking lot.
The Ark Academy can wait…
Right now, I had to get to the Tower.
The desperation in Krader’s voice kept echoing in my ears.
What could’ve made him that frantic?
Worst-case scenarios flashed through my mind, but I forcibly pushed them aside.
I’ll go and judge for myself.
As I recalled the route to the secret passage and was about to change direction, I suddenly stopped.
By car is too slow.
Though not as much as the Strategy Administration, the Gate Administration was still a key government facility, so it was located near the Tower.
Even so, time was of the essence.
I didn’t have the patience to obey traffic signals.
I needed another method.
There’s only one way.
Quietly, I spoke the name of the one who would be resting in his nest.
Rumble—
Space tore open as a massive figure emerged.
“Haha! So, which bastard do you want me to kill? Just give the order!”
The Roar of the Red Spear.
A gigantic centaur appeared, stamping the ground with overwhelming presence.
“To the Tower over there. As fast as possible.”
“Oh, sprinting is my specialty! Mount up, my lord!”
Neigh—!
The Red Spear’s Roar began charging at full speed.
The surrounding scenery blurred as it rushed past.
Cold wind lashed at my face, but I didn’t close my eyes.
I ran forward, eyes fixed ahead.
Toward the Tower.
