Chapter 35
Chapter 35:
The Poison Demon and The Dog (1)
The Brothers rushed straight to my call.
"What's wrong, Senior?"
I pointed to the Samgeuk Yeonokro.
"Buy this for me."
"This? It's just a ceramic piece?"
"Hurry! I'll give you the money."
It was a request, but not a servile one. A natural command radiating from one's spirit.
Choi Jae-jun asked the clerk to purchase it, but—
Beep—.
"Ah, I'm sorry, but you've exhausted your climber purchase limit for this month, so the purchase is not possible."
What, a climber purchase limit?
It was a system that capped the amount of items climbers could buy from the exchange.
A policy introduced to curb the harm caused by a few wealthy climbers sweeping up all the items.
It also served a function to compel climbers to climb.
Upon entering the Murim Tower, the purchase limit would reset.
Climbers ascend the tower, and the nation controls climbers through the tower.
Damn! Why does such a ridiculous policy even exist?
I resented the brother who had plenty of bows yet bought another.
The brothers hastily offered to refund the bow, but—
"As you know, there are no refunds at the Item Exchange."
The clerk looked troubled.
Unbelievable. It needs to be reformed at once—.
No, that's not what matters right now. I need to find a way out.
"Brothers. You have climber friends, don't you? Call them over and have them buy this for me."
"Ah…… About that."
The brothers looked uncomfortable.
"When we became elders of the Goryeo Sword Sect, some disputes arose…… All our close comrades turned their backs on us."
"Even so, surely there's at least one."
The brothers made calls.
And then they shook their heads.
"They say they've used up their purchase limits too."
Ugh.
I looked back at the Samgeuk Yeonokro. The thing was beckoning to me.
‘Master, hurry up and take me!’
I grabbed the climber standing nearby.
"Excuse me, sir. You still have purchase limit left, don't you? Please buy that for me."
"What?"
"That! The black, pretty one!"
"What's gotten into you?"
"I'll pay you double the price, just please buy it for me."
If he refused, I was planning to feed him some Loneliness.
This time, the Item Exchange employee stepped in to stop me.
"Excuse me. You can't do this here. Proxy purchasing is illegal."
Illegal? How many things are far closer than the law!
"I've been watching and watching, and enough is enough! You can't do this. Please leave!"
I ended up getting kicked out.
After fuming for a moment, I realized I had gotten too worked up and steadied my breath.
This wasn't like me.
I asked the brothers again.
"Jae-jun, Jae-hwa. How many days until your next floor assault?"
"Eight days."
Eight days.
Long if you look at it one way, short if you look at it another.
My whole body itched with the urge to get it in my hands right now.
I'll put on the Dark Moon Mask, and tonight I'll infiltrate the National Martial Affairs Headquarters.
It must be a treasure the Murim Tower gave me, telling me to become a righteous thief.
Wait! I caused all this commotion today, and if you narrow down the likely suspects—
It's me?
"Damn it!"
As I vented my frustration, my eyes caught something.
People were pitching tents in the building grounds and the garden out front.
Ah! There's a way!
[This is the Murim Tower Qualification Examination Division of the National Martial Affairs Headquarters for Mr. Kim Tae-yang. Your examination date has been designated, so please appear by the specified time.]
The date written in the message from the National Martial Affairs Headquarters was—
……Tomorrow.
This is it.
Wait for me, Samgeuk Yeonokro.
Daddy's coming.
* * *
The next day, 9 o'clock sharp in the morning.
I entered the National Martial Affairs Headquarters together with the other applicants who had been assigned the same qualification examination date.
How many months has it been.
"Over here."
I finished filling out the paperwork quickly.
A National Martial Affairs Headquarters employee came out and gave a brief briefing to me and the other applicants.
"First, on behalf of the Republic of Korea, I extend our deepest gratitude to all of you who applied—."
For some reason, the employee's words felt unusually slow.
"The examination is broadly divided into three types."
First, the document screening.
They verify nationality, martial arts certification in Taekwondo or other disciplines, and criminal records.
Second, the aptitude assessment.
It's a procedure to check whether you're out of your mind or not.
Even without an artificial energy center, ascending the Murim Tower naturally accumulates internal energy.
The higher you climb, the more superhuman you become—though calling it superhuman is being generous, since you effectively turn into a walking human weapon.
Third, the talent assessment.
This is divided into two parts.
First, talent is evaluated through a special device that measures energy compatibility.
Next, you engage in a sparring match with a registered climber of the National Martial Affairs Headquarters.
Through this process, a final grade is assigned—
The classifications people threw around on the internet, like S-rank and A-rank, referred to this.
The higher the grade, the more special management is provided by the National Martial Affairs Headquarters, and organizations like the National Martial Affairs Headquarters and various sects would offer high salaries to recruit you.
The employee finished the briefing.
"Now, since you all likely know this information already, please proceed according to your number."
The first document screening took place.
"Mr. Kim Tae-yang. Nationality checks out, and I see you have no Taekwondo certification?"
The examiner looked at me.
"That's correct."
"Which sect did you receive training from?"
"Excuse me?"
"A sect. Like the Goryeo Sword Sect, the Changbai Sect, the Red Dragon Gate, things like that. Ah, not that we give bonus points for being from a major sect or anything."
……So there are bonus points.
I shook my head.
"None."
"You've never received training?"
"None."
"My goodness……. What are you relying on."
The examiner looked at me.
"Oh? There's a record here of a poor decision in your past?"
Does something like that show up in the search too?
"There are no issues now. My mental state is perfectly normal. Here's a diagnosis letter."
I presented the written opinion from a psychiatrist I'd prepared in advance knowing this might come up.
"Hmm……. Understood. You may proceed."
The examiner looked me up and down and let out a sigh.
As I rose from my seat, I noticed the examiner writing something in the comments section of the document evaluation form.
[Applicant Kim Tae-yang: Rejection recommended.]
……Should I kill him?
Next was the aptitude test.
[Q. You have reached a crossroads during your ascent of the Murim Tower. If you abandon an injured comrade, you will succeed in clearing the floor. However, the moment you abandon them, the comrade will die. What is your choice?]
① The comrade comes first. I save the comrade.
② Clearing the floor comes first. I abandon the comrade.
A difficult question. I was at an impasse.
But, who am I.
I already have the experience gained from the driver's license exam.
Opposite of what I actually think.
Option 1.
There were also some entertaining questions.
[Q. During your ascent of the tower, you obtained an item that could be of great benefit to national interests. The Republic of Korea asks you to donate the item free of charge. However, upon hearing the news, a foreign sect offers 10 billion won and urges you to sell the item to them. What is your choice?]
① As a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I donate it as a matter of course.
② 10 billion is a large sum. I sell it to the foreigners.
This question must have been created because of the incident where Jang Masayoshi defected to Japan.
To think they'd include such an obvious question.
The shock that Jang Masayoshi's naturalization incident gave the National Martial Affairs Headquarters must have been quite severe. Easy.
Option 1.
I finished the test.
The results of the aptitude test came out immediately.
Beep-beek. An employee printed the results and distributed them.
[Applicant Kim Tae-yang: May differ between appearance and true nature. Caution advised.]
What is this?
"……Why is it so accurate?"
No matter.
As long as I pass the final talent assessment.
According to information I'd found online—
They said that even if you wet your pants and danced naked in the middle of the qualification exam, as long as you have talent, you'll receive certification.
The current Republic of Korea, whose absolute goal is to conquer the 37th floor.
"The most important part is apparently the energy compatibility assessment."
Based on what's commonly known—
The sparring match against a National Martial Affairs Headquarters climber can never be won, so you just need to put on a decent showing—
And the real thing that matters is the energy compatibility assessment.
Although the bar for passing has reportedly been raised—
A rumor circulated that with the recent appearance of the Golden Tower, the National Martial Affairs Headquarters planned to produce as many certified climbers as possible.
"Now, last up is Mr. Kim Tae-yang!"
[Energy Compatibility Examination Room]
I entered a room packed with all kinds of machinery.
"Please grab that X-6 over there. Then just swing it toward the dummy here."
"The X-6?"
"That measuring sword."
A person who looked like a professor in a white lab coat pointed to the measuring sword.
The sword had various wires attached to it—
And the professor plastered those wires all over my arms, head, heart, and energy center to connect them.
So this is the X-6, the measuring sword.
I had seen it on the news before.
I'd heard there was a sword that only dropped in the British Murim Tower, and that sword responded to climbers' internal energy.
It was preserved as a national treasure by the British Royal Family.
It was unmistakably a sword of the martial world, yet they gave it an unfitting and grandiose name on top of that.
Excalibur.
The legendary sword of British mythology.
Every country paid enormous royalties to replicate the technology of Excalibur and created measuring swords.
It began as the X-1, and kept advancing—now the X-6.
The current X-6 reportedly boasts accuracy approaching that of the original Excalibur.
I asked the professor.
"Do I just swing it?"
"Yes, when a red indicator appears on the screen, swing it down toward the dummy. The measurement score will also appear on the screen within a three-digit range."
1 to 999.
The energy compatibility score.
Naturally, the higher the better—and scoring above 900 qualifies as S-rank.
S-rank 900, A-rank 700, B-rank 500, C-rank 300, D-rank 100.
Below that is a fail.
The all-time record high score is 988 points.
A score recorded by an S-rank climber from China, said to be the reincarnation of Zhang Sanfeng.
Being from China, no one actually believed that score was genuine—
But after that came an American S-rank climber's score of 913 points.
For reference, Jang Masayoshi's score is 861 points.
A score nearly reaching S-rank.
No wonder the Republic of Korea ached over losing Jang Masayoshi.
Chief Han's score is classified, but the rumor is it falls short of S-rank yet exceeds Masayoshi.
And rumor has it there are two more S-rank individuals in Korea as well, though nothing is certain.
I carefully asked the professor.
"Is it possible to exceed 999 points?"
"Ha-ha! What a funny joke."
Slap!
The professor gave my shoulder a light smack.
"All done. A small electric signal will pass through, so it might tingle a little. Don't be startled."
The process of connecting me to the X-6 was complete.
Time for the measurement.
I suppressed my energy as much as possible.
I can't let it show.
If I unleash my true power, it won't just be the dummy in front of me—this entire room could be split in two.
Lightly, as lightly as possible.
"We'll begin. Please grip the X-6. Swing it down as hard as you can. The dummy won't break, so don't worry. Focus."
The moment I gripped the sword—
Wuuuung—.
The X-6 began to cry out.
A sword cry!
The professor was greatly flustered.
This appeared to be a first.
"What? Why is it doing this? Just a, just a moment!"
Ding! The red indicator appeared.
Suppressing my energy, I swung.
Swish.
……Bang!
The sword swung, and the sound spread a beat later.
The startled professor leaped to his feet.
"Wh, what?"
Beep beep beep—.
A loud alarm blared.
What?
I looked dumbfounded and held the sword out toward the professor.
The X-6—broken.
……This is a problem.
I told you to make it properly.
Built so shoddily it ends up breaking. Goodness.
It's not my fault.
The professor made a fuss.
"Oh goodness! What do we do!"
Other researchers came in, operated the machinery, and turned off the alarm.
And they all stared at me.
"……"
Beep-beek!
The measurement score appeared on the screen.
[Applicant Kim Tae-yang: 295 points]
Phew, what a relief. Nearly took ten years off my life.
Almost accidentally hit 999 points.
295 points means D-rank, but I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.
All I needed was the climber certification, not to get scouted by a sect.
Getting unnecessarily noticed would only make climbing the tower harder.
"……Shall we redo it?"
There was no other option. It was already broken.
The professors made grim faces and talked among themselves.
Please just let this slide.
If the score gets voided, who knows how long it'll take until the X-6 is fixed.
I strained my ears to listen.
"What do we do? It's broken."
"It's just a malfunction, that's all."
"This has never happened before……"
"That's exactly why it should have been maintained properly!"
"I maintained it like my own life. It's worth tens of billions."
The man who appeared to be the senior professor scratched his forehead and answered.
"Keep it quiet."
"Excuse me?"
"Then are you going to report it? You could face disciplinary action for negligent maintenance! At this level, it's not just suspension—it's immediate termination."
"Haaah……"
"I'll help you, so let's fix it. From the looks of it, only the blade came loose, and if we fit it back in it should be repairable. Chief Han is already making a fuss about insufficient budget as it is."
"What about the applicant over there?"
"Just send him off! Make sure he keeps his mouth shut. Can't have him going around saying it broke, alright? Got it? Ugh……. Thank goodness he was the last one. Tsk, I won't sleep a wink tonight."
"Yes……"
With a disgruntled expression, I received the result sheet reading 295 points and walked out.
Either way, passed.
That's all that matters.
I put the 300,000-won gift voucher the professors gave me as hush money into my pocket. Just then—
"Aaaah! The dummy is broken too!"
A scream rang out from the room.
Yikes, better run! They'll take the gift voucher away.
* * *
[The same time, London, England]
John Stilton, who managed the X Series at the British Murim Tower Headquarters, set down the black tea he'd been sipping as he stared at the number on the screen.
"What is this? 7,295 points?"
An unbelievable score had just appeared in the X Management Program.
In truth, the British Murim Tower Headquarters had been secretly monitoring the energy compatibility scores of climbers from around the world through a backdoor program planted in every X Series unit worldwide.
"999 is the maximum, so a score of 7,295 is impossible!"
John Stilton adjusted his glasses and checked the result several more times.
"Republic of Korea? A score like this from the Republic of Korea's National Martial Affairs Headquarters?"
He immediately called the X-6 team at the Republic of Korea's National Martial Affairs Headquarters Qualification Examination Division.
"This is John Stilton from the British X Program Management Division. Are you currently experiencing any issues there?"
A slightly flustered Korean professor's voice came through.
"No. There's no issue here at all."
"Well, the score just seemed unusual……"
"What? The score? There's nothing unusual. By the way, how do you know our scores in England?"
"……"
John Stilton's face turned red.
If it were discovered that Britain was secretly checking overseas climbers' scores, it would amount to a serious diplomatic incident.
He immediately began making excuses.
"No, no, it's just that an error showed up in the management program."
"An error? Ahhh……. Actually, there was just a minor issue with the X-6 here."
"An issue? Did it malfunction?"
"It didn't quite malfunction but…… we're fixing it anyway. More importantly, what kind of error appeared? It was definitely an error, right? I knew it would be an error."
"Hmm……"
"Make things properly. Whether it's cars or the X-6, why do they break down so often!"
The Korean employee snapped loudly.
John Stilton hastily hung up the phone.
"So it was a malfunction. I thought as much."
He picked up the black tea he'd set down and took a sip.
And so, the unprecedented and unrepeatable score of 7,295—
Was buried without a trace, known only to a single person: John Stilton.