Chapter 18

 

It wasn’t just Kim Soo-ae who was surprised.

Jeong Cheol-min was equally taken aback.

‘S-Suho is challenging the Tower?’

He pinched his cheek, thinking it might be a dream.

But it wasn’t.

For some reason though, his lips involuntarily curved into a wide smile.

After all, Jeong Cheol-min had also seen the exclusive report by Jo Jin-hwi.

‘Could it be that we might get an unprecedented talent in our Association…?’

The thought alone was thrilling.

Not just anyone, but Ahn Suho.

If he joined the Association, it would be like having a triple SSS-grade rookie.

However, as Suho’s success grew, so did Jeong Cheol-min’s concerns.

The Association’s benefits were too meager to attract such a colossal talent.

Just then, Jeong Cheol-min’s phone rang.

The caller was the vice chairman.

Jeong Cheol-min’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the caller ID.

The vice chairman, along with the chairman, was one of the people he disliked the most.

However, personal feelings aside, it was a call from a superior, so he answered promptly.

“Yes, Vice Chairman.”

The vice chairman preferred being called “Vice Chairman” rather than “Deputy Chairman.”

He felt it sounded better.

While it was a trivial reason, everyone called him that out of respect, including Jeong Cheol-min.

Upon hearing Jeong Cheol-min’s response, the vice chairman spoke.

– Where are you now?

“I’m in Pangyo.”

– Did you go there because of the Tower?

“Yes, sir.”

– I heard you know Ahn Suho personally?

How did he find that out?

Jeong Cheol-min hesitated for a moment before answering.

“We are acquainted, but not close.”

– Anyway, you know him, right? Good. Make sure you bring Ahn Suho over.”

Jeong Cheol-min’s ears perked up at that.

“What?! You want to recruit him for our Association…?”

– What are you talking about? Just bring him over so the chairman can take a picture with him.

“Oh…”

Of course.

Jeong Cheol-min’s face scrunched up.

But the vice chairman continued speaking, unbothered.

– Arrange it so he can take a picture with the chairman. Use any excuse you can think of to bring him over.

“…Yes, sir.”

The vice chairman hung up after giving his orders.

Jeong Cheol-min felt an urge to throw his phone but managed to calm himself.

‘This is why the Association’s executives should all be former hunters…’

The Korean Hunter Association, being a government department, had key positions—such as the chairman and vice chairman—held by influential former congressmen.

The chairman was a five-term congressman, and the vice chairman had served four terms.

While Jeong Cheol-min didn’t mind having congressmen as executives, the issue was that they were non-awakened, ordinary people with little understanding of the industry.

As a result, all their actions were just desk jobs, leading to much dissatisfaction.

The association’s inability to recruit good hunters also stemmed from this.

 

– I understand that hunters are great! But what? We should pay so much for public officials?

– Is this a corporation?

– Do you think taxpayer money exists to give you big salaries?!

– Do you think the country will collapse without hunters? Is that why we haven’t collapsed yet? Because we haven’t recruited public hunter officials?

 

It was always like this.

Jeong Cheol-min shook his head as he made his way back to the Tower of Trials.

Orders had been given, so he needed to come up with a suitable excuse.

 

***

 

 

How much time had passed?

Finally, Suho stood in front of the portal leading to the 49th floor, known as the final floor.

Before challenging the 49th floor, Suho checked his status window.

“Status window.”

 

 

Level 39.

And now, his stats were exceptionally high in comparison to where he had started.

While his stats increased with each level up and the 5 bonus stats granted every 10 levels were significant, the most substantial contributions came from the bonus stats awarded for breaking the Tower’s highest records.

‘It was these stat rewards that enabled Jang Pyeong-ho to become a major player.’

Would Jang Pyeong-ho have become a big name with just the Subspace House alone?

Not a chance.

His smuggling business started much later.

Initially, with only the subspace ability, he lacked the qualifications to play in the big leagues.

So, he steadily built his career as a hunter using the stats he gained from the Tower of Trials.

After establishing a certain level of fame, he then dove into the smuggling business.

Suho allocated all his bonus stats to Magic and then stepped towards the portal leading to the 49th floor, where Jang Pyeong-ho had failed.

 

 

The scenery changed.

And then,

“Grrrrraaah!!”

 

 

The Tower Dragon, gatekeeper of the 49th floor and the boss that Jang Pyeong-ho couldn’t defeat, appeared.

Seeing the Tower Dragon, Suho couldn’t help but smile.

He had always wanted to see the Tower Dragon personally.

‘Finally, I get to see it.’

Suho looked at the information displayed above the Tower Dragon’s head.

 

 

A level 49 Tower Dragon.

The Tower Dragon was the only entity in the Tower of Trials, which only allowed entry to those below level 20, encountered solely by Jang Pyeong-ho.

Hence, for Suho, who once pursued martial arts relentlessly, his blood couldn’t help but boil.

Of course, he knew how to defeat the Tower Dragon.

Jang Pyeong-ho had shared more than expected while imprisoned.

Having had his fill of admiration, Suho immediately used Cure to break free from the fear state.

 

 

Fortunately, Cure dispelled the fear state.

This was likely due to the skill level rising with his increased level.

Currently, Suho’s Cure was at C level.

Basic class skills rise by one level every 10 levels, and a new class skill is given.

Suho began to move around the edges of the floor.

With the change in the floor, the battlefield also changed.

The 49th floor was open like a coliseum, with a massive stone tower in the middle, and the western-style Tower Dragon was clinging to it like a lizard.

As Suho moved around without any sign of harm, the enraged Tower Dragon roared once more.

“Grrrrraaah!!”

This time, however, the fear effect of the roar did not apply.

After experiencing Fear once, a slight resistance to the fear effect is developed, lowering its probability of working.

‘Let’s see just how strong you are, to have bested even Jang Pyeong-ho.’

Suho started to walk slowly, then broke into a run towards the Tower Dragon.

At that moment, the Tower Dragon swung its foreclaw, striking the stone tower. As soon as Suho heard the thud, he leaped high.

Immediately, sharp stone spikes shot up from where Suho had been standing.

It was the Tower Dragon’s ‘Earth Claw’ technique, which Suho had heard about from Jang Pyeong-ho.

‘As expected.’

The Tower Dragon used Earth Claw several more times, but knowing the evasion conditions, Suho easily dodged the Earth Claws.

He quickly closed the distance between them and then leaped again.

Tatat— Paah!

Suho stepped on the rough surface of the stone tower, using it to spring into the air.

As his Strength stat surpassed 90, Suho’s jumping ability became incredible.

In one leap, Suho reached eye level with the Tower Dragon.

The excited Tower Dragon lunged its jaws at Suho, but he skillfully twisted his body, narrowly avoiding its jaws by a paper-thin margin.

Snap!

The dragon’s jaws clashed with each other, missing Suho and chomping on air.

Taking advantage of the moment, Suho stepped on one of the dragon’s side teeth and leaped again.

Then it happened.

 

 

He had acquired the Jump skill.

Suho wasn’t particularly surprised.

Such occurrences were quite natural for him.

What was surprising was that he hadn’t acquired Jump until now.

No matter. Better late than never.

With the Jump skill now in effect, Suho’s jumping power significantly increased.

He stepped on the stone tower once more and leaped higher, finally reaching a height where he could look down on the Tower Dragon.

‘That guy said there was an inverse scale on the top of its head, right?’

The reason he had climbed up without attacking was to find the ‘inverse scale’, the most basic weak point of dragon-type monsters.

This was something Jang Pyeong-ho had told him about the Tower Dragon’s weak point, but it was also common knowledge for Suho.

Then, among the dark blue scales, he spotted a single turquoise scale.

‘That’s it.’

He had found the inverse scale.

Now he just needed to attack that spot.

Hovering in the air for a few seconds, Suho felt gravity starting to pull him down and turned his body upside down, beginning a vertical dive.

He aimed directly at the Tower Dragon in this position.

Crunch!

The accelerated blade struck the dragon’s scale.

But it was a Tower Dragon after all.

The durability of its scales was formidable.

Realizing that even the novice sword could not penetrate, Suho immediately retreated.

The blade was already too damaged to use further.

Then,

 

 

“Grrrrraaah!!”

The Tower Dragon, enraged by the attack on its reverse scale, let out a frenzied roar.

There was no way to avoid the roar, and the consequences were immediate.

Dragon Fear was on a different level than the fear effect emitted by regular monsters.

 

 

A cascade of debuff effects.

As his vision blurred and a ringing sound filled his ears, Suho quickly raised his hand and shouted.

“Enter!”

 

 

Shwaa!

With the system notification, Suho’s left hand glowed, and he vanished without a trace.

Left alone, the Tower Dragon continued its frenzied rampage.