Chapter 7
At the same time.
Seong-un was leisurely browsing the Community.
"As expected, the reaction is intense."
It would've been one thing if he could climb quietly.
But whenever someone achieved SS-rank or higher inside the Tower, or obtained a hidden opportunity of equivalent value, the System shared that information with every climber.
That was also how Seong-un had been able to gather information about hidden opportunities in his previous life.
"Everyone's probably desperate to find me by now."
A beginner who had just finished the Tutorial.
Normally, guilds calculated whether a rookie was worth recruiting before actually making an offer.
But Seong-un had finished with EX-rank.
That alone had already proven his potential.
Countless guilds would probably try to tempt him with sweet offers.
The truth was, Seong-un had no intention of joining any of them.
Normally, the standard route after finishing the Tutorial was to join a guild and accelerate one's growth.
But that would only get in the way of solo climbing.
Of course, with achievements like his, a guild would probably be willing to add special contract clauses allowing him to climb solo.
Even so, he had no interest in being tied down by one.
Guilds didn't discover and nurture talented people as a hobby.
Once a member reached a certain level of growth, they were expected to prioritize helping the guild grow.
Seong-un didn't want to waste precious time on guild business when even climbing the Tower alone wouldn't leave him enough time.
That doesn't mean I can avoid registering.
It was basically the equivalent of registering as a citizen.
The procedure was simple.
They verified one's identity, confirmed whether they had Awakened, and checked their qualifications to climb.
After that, registration was complete.
If Seong-un wanted to avoid troublesome attention, not registering at all might seem easier.
But in modern society, unregistered Awakened were treated almost the same as terrorists.
There were also countless actual cases of unregistered Awakened carrying out terrorist attacks.
The Awakened Association had been created to prevent such incidents as much as possible.
It was an organization responsible for managing Awakened who received invitations and climbed the Tower.
If guilds were groups that pursued profit, the Association was a group focused on maintaining order.
It registered Awakened.
Classified their abilities.
Assigned danger ratings.
And personally dealt with crimes committed by Awakened.
Those were only a few of the countless responsibilities handled by the Association.
I'll join the Association.
Seong-un currently possessed only one skill, Super Sense.
But if people learned that Super Sense could grow all the way to SS-rank, there was no doubt it would draw attention.
And whenever he achieved extraordinary results while climbing, every climber in the world would receive a notification.
Operating without being registered would carry a large number of risks.
On the other hand, joining the Association meant he wouldn't be tied down like he would be in a guild.
He could receive most of the same benefits.
And by activating the Lock card, the Association could even protect his information.
That'll let me focus on climbing.
The 80th Floor.
It wasn't enough to simply repay the Giant Soldiers for his previous defeat.
Floor 81.
Floor 82.
As he climbed higher, even more powerful Transcendent Races would be waiting for him.
If he wanted to slaughter them all, he needed to grow far beyond anything he'd achieved in his previous life.
Seong-un looked down at the book in his hand.
[Book of the Sword]
-Type: Skill Book
-Rank: ?
-A book containing the spirit of the sword.
-Upon use, the user randomly acquires a swordsmanship-related skill.
*The acquired skill's rank is determined by the user's proficiency and potential.
Super Sense alone would already cause a tremendous stir.
If he acquired a swordsmanship skill from the Book of the Sword as well, the reaction would be even greater.
"Even better."
If he had already decided to reveal himself, then he might as well go all the way.
[Would you like to use Book of the Sword?]
"Use it."
The book flashed brightly for an instant.
Then it disappeared.
[You have acquired Swordsmanship Mastery (SS).]
The Association had been crowded since early morning.
"Haah... I'm exhausted."
Standing in front of the Association building on his way to work, Lee Gi-cheol pressed his aching head and tried to control his emotions.
Why didn't that damned building just explode?
Why did he still have to come to work even though he qualified as a climber?
Ah, right.
He needed money.
He had neither the talent nor confidence to climb the upper floors, so he'd given up and joined the Association.
It irritated him enough to make him feel like he'd explode.
But he still had a family to feed.
So he had to work.
The problem was the EX-rank climber who had appeared in South Korea.
The person had finished the Tutorial with EX-rank and earned the qualifications of a climber.
That meant they would eventually have to visit the Association and register.
From what Lee Gi-cheol had heard, the monstrous rookie still hadn't joined a guild.
That's why all these people are gathered here.
The area in front of the Association was always crowded.
But right now, the crowd was on a completely different level.
It's already been four days, you crazy bastards!
Lee Gi-cheol cursed inwardly as he entered the building and sat at his desk.
Unfortunately, the team he worked for was the Inspection Team.
They used inspection equipment powered by mana from the Tower to conduct tests and transmit the results.
"Assistant Manager, you're here?"
A subordinate approached the exhausted Lee Gi-cheol and handed him a canned coffee.
It was Hwang Chan-hee, a junior employee who had been with the company for a little over a year.
Lee Gi-cheol accepted the coffee and sighed deeply.
"Haah, Chan-hee. I'm dying from exhaustion."
"Haha. Well, it is Monday."
"I went to Gangneung with my wife and kids."
"Wow, Gangneung? Driving must've been rough."
"Don't even get me started. The traffic was insane..."
They chatted for a while.
Soon, it became nine in the morning.
The people who had been waiting outside poured into the building and began pulling number tickets.
Inspections would begin according to those numbers.
"Assistant Manager, do you think he'll come today?"
Hwang Chan-hee asked with a curious expression.
"The monstrous rookie?"
"Yes. Finishing with EX-rank... What kind of person do you think he is?"
"Who knows? It's already been over a week, and he still hasn't appeared. Maybe he's waiting for things to calm down."
"That's interesting. If it were me, I'd come for an inspection immediately."
The inspection itself was only a formality.
Afterward, countless guilds would flood him with recruitment offers.
He would probably receive offers so incredible that employees like them couldn't even dream of seeing such numbers.
"Exactly. They say people who already have a lot always want even more."
If the guy was EX-rank, Lee Gi-cheol wished he'd just hurry up and get inspected so the people outside would finally disappear.
"Assistant Manager, they're coming."
