WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ A Wimp’s Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Chapter 1

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2004.

Giant black towers appeared all over Earth.

At the same time, humanity's awakening began.

Through this, people vaguely came to understand why those towers appeared and how they should deal with them.

Those who awakened were called Players.

It was a very fitting name.

And 20 years later, in 2024, the black towers still existed, and a very small number of humans still went through the awakening process.

Bong Juhyuk, 25 years old this year, awakened.

Even though he didn't want it at all.

[Bong Juhyuk-nim, you have awakened.]

"...Uh, shit, you scared me!"

It was early Sunday evening, right when he was about to put a chopstick-full of freshly cooked ramen into his mouth in his one-room apartment.

"A-awakening?"

Good lord!

"What the hell?"

Maybe he heard wrong, hopefully he did, please let that be the case.

He stayed frozen for a long while.

Why me?

Some people called awakening a blessing.

It was better luck than winning the lottery, and if you did well, you could grab hold of a life-changing jackpot.

Of course, that was only if you survived.

But not for Juhyuk.

He never dreamed of becoming a Player and entering the Tower.

Even if it was a bit hard, he just wanted to live ordinarily, without greed.

Juhyuk was a wimp and an ordinary citizen.

Even if he saw injustice, he avoided it as much as possible.

He didn't create dangerous situations either.

Entering the Tower was an extremely dangerous thing.

No one even knew how many Players died every day from failing missions.

You could be torn apart by monsters, freeze to death in frigid environments or burn to death, die from poisoning, get crushed in traps, or starve to death if you couldn't escape.

"Ugh, gives me the chills."

Was it really awakening?

The way to check was simple.

You just had to look at your status window.

This could be called up even outside the Tower.

"S-status window!"

Then…

Whoosh!

[Name]: Bong Juhyuk

[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Korea)

[Level]: 1LV.

[Trait]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 1)

[Catalog]: Empty

[Trait Skills]: Designated Summon / Random Summon / Unsummon

[Universal Skills]: Tower Entry (Once per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory

[Combat Skills]: None

"Haa."

It was definitely awakening.

Tower Entry was self-explanatory.

Tower-Exclusive Inventory meant you could only put in and take out items obtained inside the Tower.

But his trait was...

'Summoning, huh.'

When you awakened, you were given a trait.

There were various types.

[Fire Magic] [Ice Magic] [Lightning Magic] [Martial Arts] [Superhuman Strength] [Summoning] [Swordsmanship] [Spearmanship] [Archery] [Healing] and so on.

The Summoning trait was pretty famous too.

Spirit Summoners, Beast Summoners, Golem Summoners, Demon Beast Summoners, and so on.

What kind of summoner was he?

Should he try using a skill?

"Random... Summon."

Why was nothing happening?

"Ah!"

He forgot.

Skills couldn't activate outside the Tower.

A Player's level, traits, and skills were only effective online, inside the Tower.

Offline, outside, you were no different from an ordinary person.

On the other hand, the system status window and messages could be viewed anytime, anywhere.

It was like a game, which was why awakened people were called Players.

Just like being level 100 in a game but being a weak human in reality.

Right now, no matter how much he tried using skills, they wouldn't execute...

Right then!

[Random Summon is starting.]

"Huh?"

Whoosh! Crackle!

It seemed to be working?

'W-why is this working?'

A skill was being cast outside the Tower.

And with a burst of white light, something appeared.

He blinked and looked.

"A-a human?"

Was this for real?

A Western man with reddish-brown hair who looked young and ordinary.

"That's right. I'm a human."

"What the..."

He succeeded in summoning?

Outside the Tower where skill manifestation was impossible, he summoned a human.

"Sniff sniff, what's this smell... Oh! Ramen? Can I have just one bite?"

And he summoned someone who wanted just one bite.

Juhyuk's mind was complicated.

Even looking again, it was a human.

In appearance and behavior.

Even now, watching him slurp down ramen like he was possessed.

"Slurp, ugh, slurp! Haa, it's spicy since I haven't had it in a while."

Fried udon was spicy?

"Do you normally eat spicy food? I prefer mild flavors,"

Someone who wanted just one bite, couldn't handle spice,

Slurp, slurp!

And yet he was eating it just fine.

How strange.

He didn't understand at all.

Why did the summon skill succeed outside the Tower?

And a human at that?

Juhyuk checked his status window.

First, his trait.

Then a message appeared.

[Summons humans and demihumans.]

[Summonable range is from R-rank (Rare), SR-rank (Super Rare), SSR-rank (Special Super Rare), to LSSR (Legendary Special Super Rare).]

[The summoner and the summoned can communicate smoothly in any situation.]

From Rare to Legendary Special Super Rare.

It wasn't like pulling random game characters.

And that wasn't all.

[The summoned follow three principles.]

'Three principles?'

[1. The summoned prioritizes protecting the summoner's life above all else.]

[2. The summoned absolutely obeys the summoner's commands.]

[3. If Principle 1 and Principle 2 conflict, Principle 1 takes priority.]

'Hmm.'

Then what was the identity of that human holding the pot and gulping down the broth, the summoned one?

Ding!

Another status window opened.

Not his, but the summoned person's status window.

<Catalog: The Insane Assassin of the Cruel Assassination Guild>

- Name: John Kozak

- Rank: SR (Super Rare)

- Type: Assassin (Human)

- Manifestation Period: 6 hours

- Satisfaction Rating: None.

- Resummon Waiting Time: 3 hours (applied after unsummoning)

When he stared at it quietly, a background story appeared too.

- John Kozak was considered a burden within the Cruel Assassination Guild. In other words, he was insane. However, his mission success rate was 99%, and he even achieved the feat of assassinating a 5th Circle Dark Mage. His end came from a single failure. He died miserably trying to assassinate the Empire's strongest Sword Master.

At the same time, scenes flashed through his mind.

It was like watching his past as a movie.

Brief but vivid.

John Kozak hiding his body with stealth, ambushing from behind, and cutting off the target's head.

'Crazy!'

He was definitely an assassin.

There wasn't a shred of hesitation in killing people.

He cut and severed necks without pause.

But…

'...'

He could see why they called him insane.

The image of him tying a ribbon-like thing around the head of the person he just cut off.

'Like a present?'

He decorated the severed head with a pretty ribbon bow.

'...Or maybe to make it easier to carry.'

And his end.

The image of a white-haired knight cutting his upper and lower body in half with a sword.

In the end, John Kozak died.

'So I summoned a dead ghost?'

His appearance was exactly like a person.

First, let's have a conversation.

"Kozak-ssi?"

"Yes!"

"Where did you come from?"

"I don't know… It was a place with tons of people."

Not people, but ghosts probably.

Heaven? Or hell?

"Can you stand up for a moment?"

"Okay."

The assassin John Kozak stood up abruptly.

He listened well.

Was it really absolute obedience?

"If you're done eating the ramen, clean up the pot and bowl. Wipe the table too."

"Yes sir!"

Not a single complaint.

Where exactly was the limit?

"Kozak-ssi."

"Tell me."

"Will you really obey my words?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then... e-even if I told you to pull down your pants?"

John Kozak, who had been sitting and wiping the table with tissue, stood up abruptly.

"I'll pull them down."

And he took off his pants just like that.

Dingle dingle.

As expected of a Westerner.

Pretty big.

"...Please put them back on."

"Yes sir!"

It seemed the summoner's command took priority over shame.

"Um, Kozak-ssi, do you know about the Tower?"

"Of course I do! Are you thinking of starting to climb the Tower?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Just give the order anytime. I'll do my best to assist you."

This was driving him crazy.

Why was this happening?

Right then…

Bang bang bang bang!

Someone knocked on his apartment door.

"Bong Juhyuk! You're in there, right? Open the door quickly."

Damn it!

Someone came.

And he knew who.

Debt collectors.

Come to think of it, he forgot about the interest payment date.

Coming even on Sunday, how diligent.

Yeah, he borrowed some money.

A full 10 million won at that.

For his father's hip fracture surgery after slipping on ice, his younger sibling's university tuition, and the deposit for his current apartment.

Regular financial institutions wouldn't lend him money, so he went to a loan company that was easier to access.

He thought if he worked hard and paid it back quickly, it would be fine.

But he had already paid back over 5 million won in interest alone.

The principal was still the same.

Honestly, he knew it was a stupid thing to do.

But what could he do?

Even if he went back to that time, he would have made the same choice.

"Juhyuk! Let's at least see your face. I just need to confirm you're doing well, okay?"

He had no choice.

"Kozak-ssi."

"Just give the order. I'll go cut off that bastard's head."

This guy was going to cause big trouble.

"That's not it, hide somewhere out of sight and don't move. Keep your mouth shut too, don't make a sound."

"...C-can I breathe?"

"Yes."

"Phew, thank goodness."

Juhyuk opened the door.

Then three loan company employees entered the doorway.

"Bong Juhyuk, you look fine? Since the payment didn't come in, I thought you might be sick somewhere."

"I'm not sick. I forgot. I'm sorry. I'll transfer it right now."

Juhyuk executed the bank app on his smartphone and sent the money.

"Good job. Anyway, you can't get sick without my permission. Work hard and earn money, got it?"

"Yes, yes."

"If you're desperate, you could sell an organ or something. How about a kidney? Want me to connect you with a broker?"

Haa, shit!

Should he just go for it?

Now that he had even awakened.

"What? What's with those eyes? Think you'll hit me?"

"..."

"Be careful. Unless you want to die without anyone knowing."

Even if you were a Player, outside you were just an ordinary person.

"...I'll do my best to pay it back. The principal too."

"Hehe, you can pay back the principal slowly. Let's do well together, okay?"

The loan company collectors closed the door and left with satisfied smiles.

"Haa,"

Life was hard.

But anyway.

"You really did hide quietly."

"That's what you ordered."

"..."

Absolute obedience was really intense.

Still, if those guys had made a real threat, he would have helped, right?

Suddenly, exhaustion hit him hard.

Awakening, summoning a human, debt collectors visiting.

His head was complicated.

So many things suddenly rushed at him all at once that he couldn't handle it.

He had to make a decision too.

Should he climb the Tower, or live quietly as if nothing happened?

The wimp Juhyuk would choose the latter, but...

It wasn't something to decide right now.

He had to go to work tomorrow anyway.

"So what should I do now?"

What should he do?

Should he unsummon him and send him back?

"Well. What do you want to do? If you want to go back, I'll send you..."

"Then can I watch TV? It's been a while for this too,"

He seemed to know what TV was, and ramen too.

Did these things exist during Kozak's lifetime?

Anyway, there was no reason not to.

"Sure, watch it."

Juhyuk turned on the TV with the remote.

"Thank you! I'll watch a few dramas."

He flopped down on the mattress.

He was tired, so tired.

His eyes closed on their own.

Anyway, awakening was a clear fact.

He could find out the rest by trying the summon skill again.

Right now, even thinking was hard.

Juhyuk fell asleep quickly.

How much time had passed?

A sound heard in his sleep.

[John Kozak has been unsummoned.]

He's gone.

Let's keep sleeping.

Juhyuk woke up on his mattress to the alarm sound.

It was early morning.

'Did Kozak-ssi get unsummoned?'

He wasn't visible anywhere.

The TV was still on.

He should wash up and brush his teeth.

Right then…

The morning news flowing from the TV.

- Last night, a bizarre murder case occurred at the office of illegal private loan company Smile Cash. Three people died, all found with their necks cut. The shocking fact is that the victims' severed heads were decorated with red ribbon bow knots...

He froze.

Juhyuk rushed to the TV, stopping mid-brush.

Smile Cash was the loan company he borrowed money from.

But a murder case?

'What? Did I hear wrong?'

Ribbon.

And bow knots.

'No way?'

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