Episode 14: Team Reinforcement (2)
The high school kid’s name was Go In-su.
Eighteen, a second-year student.
When I asked why he was selling summons on a weekday instead of attending school, he said he was the head of his household.
He’d already dropped out.
His father died in an accident during the Cataclysm, and his mother was unwell.
Only he and his ten-year-old brother remained, with no one else to earn money.
‘…Sounds familiar.’
Yeah, it’s my story too.
‘Not exactly rare, though. They still haven’t fully tallied the Cataclysm’s damages.’
In that grim situation, In-su lucked out and awakened as an adventurer.
He gained access to the marketplace and started trading with a small capital.
“At first, business was good. I made pocket money. But then I got scammed big time…”
Initially, he profited from buying and selling.
He even saved up a decent amount, enough to cover household expenses.
Still short on funds, he decided to scale up by trading expensive summons.
“So you tried to profit from high-end summons?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know those people were like that…”
A young couple bought his current Hero-rank summons at 5 million KRW each.
They didn’t sell, which seemed odd.
After checking their market prices, he realized he’d been scammed.
“No one to blame but myself. I should’ve checked carefully. Now I just think of it as paying tuition.”
In-su gave a bitter smile.
Some summons had no transaction records, making their value unclear.
Lured by promises of better markets elsewhere, he bought based on abilities alone—his mistake.
“But I thought their abilities looked solid. They didn’t seem flawed.”
He’s not wrong.
The summons’ abilities are fine.
The issue is that In-su judged them without understanding Legend Seven’s basics.
He evaluated their abilities in isolation, ignoring the current meta or team synergy.
That was his downfall.
“…I see. Your situation’s tough, but I can’t overpay.”
“Of course!”
“What’s your price?”
“Uh, 3 million each.”
In-su avoided my gaze, nervous, probably thinking he’d priced too high.
But it’s the opposite.
The two summons I picked were limited-time exclusives, unobtainable after their event.
He clearly lacks knowledge in this area.
“Wait! One question before I settle on a price.”
“Sure!”
“Flame Veil Temina. What made you think she’s good?”
“Oh! Her attack power rises each time an ally takes a turn, and when an ally-wide buff is active, she joins attacks. The joint attack damage seemed huge, so I thought she was great.”
As expected, he’s fixated on her ‘ceiling.’
But top summons prioritize their ‘floor’ over their peak.
Hertia and Caligo don’t need complex conditions—they dominate alone.
Temina’s attack is strong, but it requires allies to act first and an ally-wide buff.
Those two conditions are a problem.
Is she useless?
Not at all.
Paired with summons that meet those conditions, she’s a solid pure dealer.
‘His eye for summons isn’t bad.’
I nodded, and he panicked, quickly revising his price.
“Sorry! 2 million. I got greedy.”
“2 million?”
He must think I’m unhappy with the price.
“Is that really enough?”
“Huh? Yeah, 2 million feels right.”
I couldn’t help but smirk.
“No, it’s not.”
“What?”
“Both are limited-time summons. Did you know that?”
“Huh? There’s such a thing?”
“Yup.”
Knew he wouldn’t know.
“So the price goes up?”
Time to stop teasing this young, talented kid.
“At least 15 million each. Even if they’re hard to use, their abilities are solid.”
“What? Really?!”
“Yeah. Those two summons had no trade records, right? That couple’s probably regretting it now.”
***
“So, 30 million total, right? Payment sent.”
“Wow! WOW! Thank you, hyung! Thank you so much!”
In-su jumped up, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.
Not that I did this purely out of kindness.
“Your name’s Go In-su, right?”
“Yes, hyung! Oh, speak comfortably!”
“Alright. You said you’re an adventurer?”
“Yup!”
“No guild?”
“Nope! Haven’t even done the tutorial!”
Oh? Not even the tutorial?
A blank slate.
Even better.
This country’s filled with half-baked strategies that’d take ages to correct.
With him, I can skip that hassle.
“Planning to keep trading?”
“For now, yeah. I don’t know enough yet.”
“Any interest in adventuring?”
“I do, but I’ve got no money or talent for it.”
“I think you’ve got talent.”
“Really? Thanks for the kind words!”
As I climb the Tower and level up, I’ll eventually need a guild for exclusive rewards.
Joining an existing guild? Out of the question.
Soloing guild content is only feasible once I’ve got all the Seven Sins and full prep.
I’ll need a few reliable allies to act as my hands and feet.
In that sense, Go In-su’s a solid recruit.
“What if I ask you to work with me later? Interested?”
“Absolutely! I’m all in for you, hyung!”
“You don’t even know what kind of person I am.”
“You paid fair price for my summons. No way you’re a bad guy!”
“Thanks for the trust. Let’s exchange numbers. I’ll call you later.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll study Legend Seven like crazy until then!”
“That much? Still, I hope you do some schoolwork, even if you dropped out.”
“I’ll do it all!”
Wow, this kid’s got more fire than I expected.
“Alright, see you later.”
“Yes!”
I left the café after finalizing the summon deal with In-su.
***
With equipment and summons sorted, only the final step remains.
I paused to organize my plan.
Climbing the Tower.
Honestly, I don’t see it as a big challenge.
Breaking records and sweeping rewards is a done deal.
‘The issue is… the Tower of Records.’
Once I start climbing, even if I hide my identity, the fact that someone broke a record can’t be concealed.
If that keeps happening, I’ll get caught eventually.
They’ll narrow down the list of adventurers entering at those times and pin me down.
I can’t stay hidden forever.
‘But I can delay that moment as long as possible.’
At least until I’m strong enough to be a negotiation asset.
Here’s the breakdown:
1. My summons are powerful but dangerous.
2. Revealing my identity now risks suppression, exploitation, or elimination.
3. Slowing down my raids to stay unnoticed? Not a chance.
4. So?
“I’ll climb the Tower. Faster and flashier than anyone.”
Before the Tower of Records identifies me, I’ll make myself an adventurer too enticing to ignore.
Threatening? Risky?
I’ll be a poisoned apple they can’t resist biting.
‘Time limit: one week.’
This deadline comes from the average time it took to identify suspects in past ‘major adventurer crimes.’
South Korea’s unmatched at tracking domestic adventurers, with the Tower of Records and near-China-level CCTV coverage.
They could dig up my distant relatives if they wanted.
So, before that—
‘Floor 50. I’ll conquer it in a week.’
Clearing Floor 50 is symbolic.
Globally, it marks a veteran adventurer.
Domestically, it’s roughly the bottom of the top 100 rankings.
Promising mid-tier guild members take about two years to reach it.
‘Two years for others, but I’ll do it in a week. Gotta prepare thoroughly.’
First step: check the new recruits’ stats.
I opened the status windows for Flame Veil Temina and Cowardly Golem Iron.
【Flame Veil Temina】
Attribute: Fire
Level: 1
Rank: Hero
Class: Archer
[Stats]
Attack: 6
Defense: 5
Health: 20
Speed: 10
Crit Chance: 15%
Crit Damage: 15
Effect Hit: 0
Effect Resistance: 0
[Unique Skill]
Skill 1: I’m Really Hot, You Know?
Description: When allies act first, warms up to increase attack by 20%. If three or more allies are buffed, joins attacks on ally hits, penetrating 30% of enemy defense.
Her skill’s solid.
The 20% attack boost on initiative can grow to 100% with development.
Her other stats are lackluster, but she’s decent.
Next, Iron, my tank.
【Cowardly Golem Iron】
Attribute: Grass
Level: 1
Rank: Hero
Class: Knight
[Stats]
Attack: 3
Defense: 10
Health: 25
Speed: 11
Crit Chance: 15%
Crit Damage: 15
Effect Hit: 0
Effect Resistance: 0
[Unique Skill]
Skill 1: I’m Scared, But!
Description: When placed in the backline, increases own defense by 40% and allies’ defense by 20%. When in the frontline, gains ‘Trauma’ effect.
Trauma: All stats except health and defense drop to 1, with reduced stats added to health and defense. Attacks deal health-scaling damage.
Look at this guy.
The ultimate trash-tier, right?
A knight meant to protect allies, but he only boosts defense in the backline.
Force him to the front, and he curls up in survival mode.
No wonder no one wants a limited summon like this.
Why was he designed?
For ‘lie-down decks,’ meant to boost ally defense as a part.
Problem is, other summons can do the same job.
But I’m not putting him in the back.
I’ll place him upfront.
He pairs perfectly with Hertia’s ‘Heart of the Bloodied Covenant Tainted by Nightmares’.
When Hertia attacks with it equipped, Iron has no choice but to join in.
In the frontline, all his stats pour into health and defense, plus health-scaling damage!
What’s that? A decent summon?
Sorry, he’s tough to use for anyone but me.
When Iron’s ‘Trauma’ triggers, his speed drops to 1.
A summon with 1 speed?
Who’d use that?
No matter how high the damage, he’d rarely get a turn.
‘First… gotta level them up.’
Even with a perfect lineup, Level 1 summons won’t shine due to stat gaps.
I headed out to the Attribute Rune Dungeon.
‘Hope Hertia and Caligo don’t start any nonsense.’