Episode 15: Tower of Strife (1)
Upon entering the Rune Dungeon, I restructured my team.
‘Hertia, Caligo, Temina, Iron.’
This is the best lineup I can assemble.
Time to introduce the new members.
I summoned Hertia and Caligo.
They greeted me brightly upon appearing.
“Master! Your elegance overflows as always!”
“Oh, Sage! It’s an honor to be called! What’s the mission today?”
“Say hello. These are our new comrades for the Tower climb.”
At the mention of new comrades, their faces soured.
Pandemonium summons like Hertia and Caligo bicker constantly but trust each other deeply as allies, respecting each other’s abilities.
Their attitude toward non-Pandemonium summons, however, is different.
When I recruit someone promising, they give them a hard time—sometimes so bad that new summons end up in tears.
‘With just the two of them, it should be milder.’
Hoping for a brighter future for Temina and Iron, I summoned them.
“Come forth, Temina, Iron.”
Temina appeared in a flowing bikini, wide-brimmed hat, and a red parasol with intricate patterns.
Cowardly Golem Iron, despite his massive frame, trembled with teary eyes.
“Adventurer! Thank you for summoning me, Temina!”
“I-I’m not happy… It’s scary!”
Crack.
Grind.
The veteran duo approached with menacing sounds.
Hertia leaned in to whisper to Temina.
“Lowly thing. Don’t flirt with Master in front of me. And cover up that outfit.”
“Uh…?”
“Or keep your eyes down and mouth shut. You seem to know who I am. Behave, or I’ll tear that scrap of cloth to shreds.”
“Y-Yes…”
Caligo approached Iron.
“Not happy? Scary? Did you just call our Sage scary?”
“N-No!?”
“Want to see what real scary looks like?”
Caligo opened a flask from his belt and dropped it to the floor.
Sssssss.
A foul chemical stench filled the air as the floor melted, sending up acrid smoke.
“Eek!”
“Unless you want to bathe in this, watch your disrespectful tongue. Or you’ll be my next test subject.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll be careful!”
The pecking order was set.
Now to entrust leveling to the veterans.
“Hertia, Caligo, I’m counting on you. Get these two up to a decent level.”
“As you wish, Master.”
“They don’t inspire confidence, but for you, Sage, I’ll do it!”
***
A day later, I entered the Tower of Strife.
《Welcome to the Tower of Strife.》
《You may choose to proceed at each floor.》
《Every 5th floor offers battles with special enemies for great rewards.》
《If a summon is defeated and unsummoned, you may replace it with another.》
《If no replacement summons remain, summoner protection is lifted.》
…
The Tower lists familiar rules, saving the critical question for last.
《All records in the Tower of Strife are saved. Would you like to disclose your adventurer information?》
As if.
《NO》
《All information except your record and rank score will be kept private.》
Privacy set. Time to call out my team.
【Team 1】
Witch of the Apocalypse, Hertia – Lv 18
Liberator of Death, Caligo – Lv 18
Flame Veil Temina – Lv 11
Cowardly Golem Iron – Lv 10
Yesterday’s dungeon grinding got their levels close enough.
Iron’s level is lower, though—not for any complex reason, just his cowardice.
Who knew he’d flee before earning full EXP?
Even placed in the back during grinding, he’s like this.
Now, in the Tower, he has to stand upfront.
I’m a bit worried whether this coward can handle it…
‘Well, he seems more scared of Caligo than the enemies, so it should be fine.’
As long as Caligo keeps him in line, there won’t be issues.
“Assemble.”
I summoned everyone except Hertia.
“Iron.”
“Y-Yes?! You called?!”
“You’ll protect our team from the front.”
“M-Me?! In front?!”
“Who else? You’re the knight.”
“B-But…”
A red-haired man with a twisted grin stepped forward.
Clink.
“Eek!”
Nice, Caligo.
He shook a flask from his belt in front of Iron, who immediately took the frontline without further protest.
Now for the final step…
《Hertia has sent you a message.》
- Mission complete. Hertia, returning now.
‘Good work, Hertia.’
Before entering the Tower, I set up a little diversion.
Using ‘Star Guiding the Shepherd’, I had Hertia, who has a similar build, wear my coat and make a card transaction at a convenience store near the Tower.
Then, in a subway bathroom, she discarded the coat and was unsummoned.
If someone digs deep, they might catch on, but for now, I’ve secured an alibi.
Let’s move—
“Onward.”
“Yes, Sage!”
“Eek…”
《Entering Floor 1 of the Tower of Strife: ‘Shattered Forest’.》
***
《You have entered Floor 1 of the Tower of Strife: Shattered Forest.》
《Be warned! If all summons are unsummoned, the raid fails, and you die.》
Oh Hyun-woo didn’t bother reading the full message before issuing orders to Hertia.
“Hertia! Left!”
The goblins gathered where he pointed stood no chance against Hertia’s attack.
《You have cleared Floor 1 of the Tower of Strife: Shattered Forest.》
《Unbelievable record!》
《Clear time: 00:02》
He didn’t even glance at the record notification.
Only his past achievements lingered in his mind.
‘Back then, I took 15 minutes for 10 floors. This time, I’ll do it in 10.’
A thrill he hadn’t felt in ages.
His heart pounded, blood surged, veins pulsed.
The added tension of real stakes, unlike the game.
To be honest, Oh Hyun-woo was enjoying this moment.
Playing Lucifer, once awkward, now felt as natural as if he’d always been this way.
He hadn’t expected to adapt so well.
It likely started when he summoned Hertia.
Facing a life-threatening moment and overcoming it with quick thinking—what did he feel?
‘Joy.’
The thrill of danger, the chance to unleash his talent fully—it was exhilarating.
He was certain.
This Tower was his stage, built for Oh Hyun-woo, for Lucifer.
《You have entered Floor 2 of the Tower of Strife: Unusual Forest.》
Entering Floor 2, memories flooded back as he noted the structures rising from the forest.
Enemy positions, numbers—everything was vivid.
An unshakable confidence surged within him.
Not arrogance, but faith in the knowledge ‘Oh Hyun-woo’ had built.
“Hertia! Sprint 10 meters forward, then right. Six enemies there—don’t miss a single one.”
“As expected of Master!”
“Hah! Sage, show me miracles! More, more!”
Oh Hyun-woo’s climb through the Tower of Strife was relentless.
An achievement impossible with just villainous power.
His talent, meeting the perfect environment, began to spread its wings.
《You have cleared Floor 2 of the Tower of Strife: Unusual Forest.》
《You have cleared Floor 3 of the Tower of Strife: Keen Forest.》
…
On the first boss stage, Floor 5, Hertia’s Vortex of Death obliterated the Goblin Chieftain and ten goblins.
《You have cleared Floor 5 of the Tower of Strife: Twilight Forest.》
《Unbelievable record!》
《Clear time: 00:33》
‘Nice. 33 seconds. 30 seconds faster than before!’
Grinning widely, Oh Hyun-woo rushed to the next floor.
“Next: three Orc Archers 30 meters ahead, one Orc Spearman 20 meters right! Everyone, take note!”
“Yes!”
***
Lee Jung-yul started every morning depressed over the missing super rookie.
Jeon Myeong-il nagged about overdue reports, while teammate Park Tae-gyun half-assed his work.
But Lee Jung-yul was certain.
This wasn’t an error.
The rookie was likely Korean.
Her evidence? The recent Labyrinth anomaly.
Right after a minor update announcement, while an emergency raid team was forming, news came that the Labyrinth was cleared.
The odd part? No one claimed credit.
‘If it was foreign forces, they’d have demanded rewards first. A domestic adventurer has no reason to hide.’
Her best guess: the rookie cleared the Labyrinth.
The theory that they were a chaebol heir lost traction.
Instead, one fact became clear.
‘They’re skilled and extremely cautious.’
For some reason, this rookie avoided leaving records.
Several motives came to mind, but the most likely…
‘A designated dangerous summon. They must think the government would suppress them for having such a powerful one.’
In short, no money, no backing.
But overwhelming skill and sharp judgment.
That narrowed the target.
‘A former ranker, probably.’
Lee Jung-yul’s heart raced again.
Her only regret was not being able to tell the rookie they were misunderstood.
‘Things have changed. We had to follow foreign demands before, but we’re fighting to stand on our own!’
Where was this super rookie now, and what were they doing?
The question sparked a daily mental war.
Endless theories kept her up at night, leaving her exhausted.
‘Ugh, what do I even write for today’s report…’
While stretching her neck and shoulders during a break, Lee Jung-yul’s monitor flashed with mysterious numbers.
《An unidentified adventurer cleared Floor 1 of the Tower of Strife in 00:04.》
《An unidentified adventurer cleared Floor 2 of the Tower of Strife in 00:12.》
…
《An unidentified adventurer cleared Floor 5 of the Tower of Strife in 00:33.》
Jung-yul rubbed her eyes.
The numbers felt unreal.
‘Floor 1 cleared in… 4 seconds?! The previous record was… 48 seconds…’
The world record for Floor 5 was 6:20.
Yet this ‘unidentified adventurer’ did it in 33 seconds.
Thump.
“Tae-gyun!”
“Y-Yes, Team Leader!”
“Pull the Tower entry records! Everyone who entered in the last 15 minutes!”
“Now? All of a sudden?”
“Just do it! Hurry!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Jung-yul was certain.
The one climbing the Tower now was the super rookie from the tutorial.
‘No way this is a coincidence! Just wait—I’ll secure every bit of support to nurture you once I find you!’
***
《You have cleared Floor 10 of the Tower of Strife: Orc Encampment.》
《Unbelievable record!》
《Clear time: 00:58》
‘Nailed it!’
No obstacles up to Floor 10.
With my mastery of every strategy, it’s only natural.
I can see monster placements just by glancing at the map.
“Hah! This thrill! It’s electrifying, Sage!”
Caligo’s dramatics.
He’s tearing up, deeply moved by my pinpoint enemy briefings.
“Caligo, maintain some dignity.”
“Hertia, don’t you feel it? How great our Sage is!”
“As if. Those vermin would already be dead by my hand.”
“Exactly! We’re on the same page! I’m too excited to hold back! Inspiration’s flowing—if I had test subjects, I’d experiment with everything!”
…Talking about test subjects again. I’ll need to toss him something soon.
If I don’t sate that urge, it could cause trouble later.
Powerful summons require serious maintenance, but seeing the rewards piling up in my inventory makes it worth indulging them a hundred times over.
‘Look at this haul!’
Thanks to the insane records, rewards from Floor 1 are overflowing.
【Accumulated Rewards】
Common Summon Voucher x400
Advanced Summon Voucher x200
Rare Summon Voucher x100
Hero Summon Voucher x50
Legendary Summon Voucher x1
Common Artifact Voucher x30
Advanced Artifact Voucher x10
Rare Artifact Voucher x2
This alone is worth over a billion KRW.
And that’s just from 10 floors.
There’s more—crafting materials too.
Goblin Shaman’s Staff
Goblin Chieftain’s Necklace
Orc’s Broken Fang
Orc’s Tainted Blood
…
And there’s still more.
The highlight?
Items from Floors 5 and 10.
The Hero Skill Unlock Scroll is a massive gain.
I could use it on Temina or Iron, but it’s not urgent.
Resources like these are best saved—using them recklessly yields no benefit.
Maybe one, but no rush.
“Phew…”
I’ve reached Floor 10, but I’m nowhere near satisfied.
Today’s goal: Floor 15. All at once!
Floors 11 to 15 feature werewolves—fast, evasion-buffed enemies.
They’re the first wall new adventurers face, as speed gear is hard to come by early on.
Me? I’ve got Hertia, so no issue.
Plus, my current party is tailored to counter werewolves.
“Gather. Here’s the plan.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Next up are werewolves. We’ll blaze through to Floor 14, then deal with the boss on Floor 15. But we’ll take some time there.”
“Some time, you say?”
“Until their manes turn red.”
When the white moon turns red.
That’s when I’ll take down the Floor 15 boss.
“No time to waste. Move out.”
“Yes!”