Seoul Station.
The train stopped, and the doors opened.
Park Do-yoon stepped onto the platform with indifferent footsteps.
A wave of people flowing through the crowd, and gazes parting toward him.
Such reactions were already familiar to him.
No, they were rather tiresome.
"What's with that fashion terrorist...?"
"His outfit is really avant-garde..."
"Wow... his shoes don't even match..."
Passersby began whispering about his attire.
Certainly, his outfit was enough to make anyone stop and stare.
A purple robe on the right side, iron armor on the left arm.
Military pants with twelve pockets of unknown origin, and mismatched shoes.
His hair had a two-tone dyed front—a strange combination of purple and white.
He even carried a massive shield on his back, far from ordinary.
People avoided him or even secretly took photos.
Park Do-yoon didn't mind such attention at all.
Rather, he looked up at the electronic display board and smiled.
"So this is Seoul, there really are a lot of people."
In his eyes, everyone here was merely a piece of information.
---
A budget hotel near Seoul Station.
One night including breakfast, good soundproofing, stable Wi-Fi.
It passed Park Do-yoon's standards.
After checking in, he threw himself onto the bed without unpacking, after removing his equipment.
"I came fully equipped just in case, but I should've just packed everything in my luggage."
Lying on a soft bed instead of an old one after a long time, he felt his stiffened body relaxing a bit.
Park Do-yoon took out an old smartphone and opened a news app.
Before entering the tower tomorrow, he would gather as much information as possible.
"Tower Coin prices surge. Government purchase price 15% higher than market value"
"Government plans to secure holy water and key resources once Tower Coins are secured"
"Overseas holy water trade requests continue... formal routes between countries under discussion"
It was as expected.
The government moved quickly, and the market was already overheated.
Tower Coins were increasing in value due to holy water.
Park Do-yoon collected information by checking various articles related to "My Home Tower."
The diverse information became puzzle pieces, restructured in his mind.
Analysis took priority over action for now.
---
The next morning.
Park Do-yoon stretched his body, readjusted his equipment, and left the hotel.
The path leading to "My Home Tower" already had a strict atmosphere.
Numerous security personnel, police, drone surveillance, and Climber control staff were deployed.
Barricades were set up at every entrance, with identity verification for all visitors.
"Please show your ID before entering! Bring your Climber registration card too!"
He approached the barricade and quietly took out his wallet to present his card.
As the electronic terminal flashed and read the information, a security guard raised his voice in surprise.
"[Seeker] Park Do-yoon... World Climber Ranking 35th?!"
As soon as those words fell, the surrounding silence broke.
Police officers, security guards, even waiting Climbers—
All turned their heads toward him at once.
A single ranking completely changed the atmosphere.
Since the ordinary ID photo differed from the Climber registration card, the inspectors conducted cross-verification just to be sure.
"Just to confirm... are you really Park Do-yoon, sir?"
He simply nodded and answered with a single phrase.
"May I pass through?"
"...Yes, of course! You may proceed immediately!"
The sudden change in tone, careful attitude, and hurriedly moving inspector.
This too was a familiar sight to him.
"All this fuss over just 35th place."
Park Do-yoon chuckled to himself at people's overreaction.
And as if nothing had happened, he quietly stepped inside the barricade.
---
The area near "My Home Tower" was already a furnace of information.
Reporters filming the tower, government agents monitoring suspicious people, and numerous Climbers.
Their conversations flowed endlessly.
"Man, I've already died and come back three times."
"Still, this tower refilling the resurrection buff every time you enter the first floor is really amazing, isn't it?"
"Right. And while dungeon-type towers only let you warp to floors you've cleared, here you can register for warping just by entering once."
"That's why I marked the 5th floor coordinates and try every day! Going to try again today!"
"By the way, I heard the 5th floor trial got easier since yesterday evening, is that true?"
Park Do-yoon listened carefully to the Climbers' words.
He quickly distinguished who had real experience and who was bluffing.
"Indeed, it seems to have a completely different structure from existing towers."
He organized the information in his mind piece by piece.
This was not just a simple tower.
It was a space imbued with will, system, and some kind of philosophy.
---
Before officially entering the tower, Park Do-yoon thought it would be good to fill his stomach and stopped by a nearby soup restaurant.
The name on the sign was impressive.
《Ppeokppeokhaeyu Pork Soup》
"That's a strong name."
Despite the somewhat intense name, the place was packed with customers.
Just being near the tower seemed to have made it a "hot place" among Climbers.
The restaurant owner's smile was so wide it reached his ears, so business must be good.
Park Do-yoon sat down and ordered regular pork soup.
Rich broth, plentiful meat, and perfect accompaniments of radish kimchi and chive salad.
While tasting the soup, he simultaneously listened to the surrounding chatter.
"Did someone reach the 8th floor yesterday?"
"I heard there are giant hairy snakes living on the 8th floor."
"Hairy giant snakes? How big are they?"
"They're as thick as a person and about 8-9 meters long, I heard."
"That's basically an anaconda..."
Park Do-yoon smiled at the new information.
Giant hairy snakes, and the tower's trial related to them.
The tower's composition hid real danger within its playfulness.
He didn't miss a single word of even these casual conversations.
For a [Seeker], every piece of information was a clue.
---
After finishing his meal, he headed back to the tower entrance.
A massive tower rising exactly 100 floors high, alien in its enormity.
A strange yet familiar sensation filled his vision.
Park Do-yoon slowly adjusted his gloves and quietly looked up at the tower.
What unknown logic, what incomprehensible rules and variables might be hiding inside?
"Well then... shall we go in?"
Having completed all preparations,
He finally stepped into the 1st floor of [My Home Tower].
The space changed.
He arrived in a lobby glowing with golden light.
It was much more ordinary than he had imagined.
No, rather than ordinary, it was alien in its closeness to modernity.
The ceiling was high, and the walls were painted gold.
The floor was covered with glossy marble tiles, and in the distance, he could see an information desk, warp points, and a portal leading to the 2nd floor.
A huge screen hung on the central wall.
"Your challenge, your sanctuary—Welcome to [My Home Tower]!"
"Tower Coins are accepted everywhere! How about visiting the 'Emerald Beach' on the 48th floor today, where you can enjoy a vacation?"
"The 'Squishy Soft Restaurant' on the 11th floor is finally open! Enjoy food and desserts with supreme squishiness! Highly recommended for dates!"
The screen continuously played advertisements.
Sometimes showing a beach with sea and sand, sometimes a cozy hot spring resort, and even scenes of a restaurant run by slime-like beings.
He had clearly entered a tower, but the strangely modern sensibility of the advertisements caught his attention.
Too focused on the ads, he belatedly noticed the system window.
「Clear Condition - Breathing」
「You have cleared the 1st floor!」
「You have been granted the [Angel's Protection (Small)] buff as a clear reward.」
"Oh, so this is the resurrection buff I've heard about?"
The buff's effect was exactly as he had read online.
25% damage reduction, cure and immunity to weak diseases, and one resurrection outside the tower upon death.
Park Do-yoon immediately wanted to test the resurrection effect, but committing suicide(?) right away seemed inappropriate, so he decided to hold off.
"Welcome, Climber!"
A soft voice came from the desk.
Three maids were stationed in the center of the lobby.
They had different appearances but all wore identical black and white frilled uniforms.
One had neat red hair and a polite demeanor.
Another was a beautiful woman with blonde twin-tails and a cheerful, friendly tone.
The last was a small, expressionless robot-like type with white hair and glasses.
They were continuously conversing with Climbers.
"Yes, you can move to trial floors anytime! However, if you wish to give up midway, please use the nearby warp points!"
"Many Climbers are using the Sparkling Water Hot Spring today, so how about going to the 48th floor to enjoy the sea?"
"Holy water can be purchased on the 12th floor. If theft is detected, you will be immediately sanctioned and expelled from the tower."
One by one, Climbers disappeared into warp points or portals following the maids' guidance.
Whether challenging trials or taking a rest.
Their purposes seemed clear.
Park Do-yoon quietly observed his surroundings.
People's movements, types of questions, maids' response speeds, even the structure and arrangement of the lobby's decorations—
Everything in his sight was a subject for "exploration" and information to collect.
And he slowly walked toward the blonde twin-tailed maid.
"Welcome, Climber! How may I help you?"
"A few questions. Answer only within your allowed range."
"Yes, I'll check what I can tell you."
"First, I'd like to know your name, if that's okay to ask?"
"Yes! My name is Lemon Madeleine! The red-haired maid next to me is Red Velvet! And this white, cute friend is Cream Waffle!"
"Easy names to remember."
For unknown reasons, all three had names derived from "bread."
"Next question. I heard this tower is divided into trial floors and rest floors, but what happens if a Climber in the middle of a trial reaches a rest floor like the 11th floor?"
"Yes! Even during trials, rest floors continue the trial in a peaceful way! Most take the form of satisfying specific conditions rather than combat!"
"Then is it possible to talk or negotiate with monsters or other races that appear on each floor?"
"It varies by floor, but it's possible in most cases! However, some floors proceed only through combat with no negotiation, making non-combat clearing impossible!"
"Which floors would those be?"
"Mainly floors that are multiples of 10, like 10, 20, 30. These are floors where powerful boss monsters appear!"
Lemon Madeleine showed her palm with a bright smile.
"No Climber has cleared a boss floor yet! Due to the high difficulty, I recommend cooperating with other Climbers!"
Incidentally, the trial on the 95th floor that Crow broke through isn't classified as a boss floor because it had a "peaceful option."
"Is solo clearing possible then?"
"Of course! However, please note that the risk is very high, and the probability of death is quite significant!"
Park Do-yoon fell into thought for a moment.
It seemed to follow the typical "tower system," but the detailed structure was slightly twisted.
While some floors could be cleared through non-combat methods, others required combat and cooperation.
This tower was designed to encompass not just simple combat, but both "challenge" and "experience."
"I can freely move to floors I've already cleared, right?"
"Yes! You can re-enter any floor you've already visited anytime! Plus, since individual clear records are saved, you don't need to repeat trials!"
"Clear records are kept... So this tower records Climbers' actions?"
"That interpretation... is correct!"
She said with a smile, but Park Do-yoon caught another clue in it.
The tower is watching.
It's recording.
That means, even at this moment, his actions are—being monitored by the tower.
He nodded as if he had nothing more to ask or hear.
"Good, I've heard enough. Thanks for the information."
"Oh, are you heading to a trial floor?"
"Yes. I'm planning to go to the 2nd floor."
"Yes! Please use this portal. You're the seventh person to enter the 2nd floor today!"
She raised her hand to point at the portal.
An entrance with red light swirling like a vortex.
There were no other Climbers on the path leading there yet.
Park Do-yoon stood before the portal.
And suddenly—
He realized that everything since his arrival had felt like "hospitality."
Too kind, too comfortable.
For a tower's attitude toward Climbers, it was too gentle.
Even at this moment, numerous Climbers were consuming the "tower" as simple entertainment.
But—what this tower holds is not simple entertainment.
Something is hidden.
Definitely.
"This tower is interesting already."
Light completely fills his vision.
The time for exploring the unknown begins.
