The morning air was crisp as the group gathered outside Kang Woo's house.
He stood there in a fresh outfit, sword lazily slung across his back, as if they were going on a picnic instead of storming a divine structure.
> "Oi, Ji Hoon."
> "Yes?"
Kang Woo pointed at him with his thumb.
> "Tell your mother we'll be back in two days."
> "And…"
He smirked.
> "Tell her we're bringing a guest."
Ji Hoon blinked.
> "...A guest? From the tower?"
Kang Woo just grinned.
---
One Hour Later — At the Base of Tutorial Tower
The black spire loomed in the distance like a dagger stabbed into the earth.
Winds twisted unnaturally around its base. Birds didn't fly near it. Even the clouds above curved away, unnerved by its mere existence.
Kang Woo, Ji Hoon, Min Seok, and Claire arrived at the restricted entrance.
Claire sniffled, hugging her tablet.
> "Why… why am I here…?"
> "I'm just a receptionist…"
> "I didn't sign up for sky gods and dimensional kidnapping…"
Min Seok patted her shoulder without looking.
> "You're here because if something goes wrong, we need someone smart to file complaints."
Claire cried louder.
---
Security Checkpoint
As they approached, a squad of elite armed guards stood at the front gate.
One immediately held up his hand.
> "This area is restricted. Turn back or—"
The second the guard saw Min Seok, he froze mid-sentence.
Then saluted.
> "C-Chairman Min Seok! Apologies, sir! We didn't recognize you—!"
The other guards quickly straightened up.
One of them whispered:
> "Wait… who's that guy beside the Chairman?"
> "Looks like some tourist…"
> "Why is he carrying a sword?"
The moment Kang Woo turned to glance at them, his aura leaked just a bit.
The guards went dead silent.
> "...Permission granted. Please proceed."
Claire whispered to herself:
> "Oh god, even the wind is backing away from him…"
---
The Base of the Tower
The group reached the base.
The tower stretched endlessly above, its outer surface pulsing faintly with ancient runes. From here, floor 77 looked like a dream barely touching the edge of space.
Min Seok looked up and exhaled.
> "Still want to do this?"
Kang Woo stepped forward, hand on his sword.
> "I'm not climbing it."
> "I'm piercing it."
Ji Hoon looked both proud and slightly terrified.
Claire closed her eyes.
> "I hope we don't break international laws."
The base of the Tutorial Tower hummed faintly as Kang Woo stepped forward.
The winds had died. The world was watching.
Even nature knew something terrifying was about to happen.
He raised his hand.
Claire covered her eyes.
> "No, please don't—don't touch it!"
> "Kang Woo—!" Min Seok tried to call out, but it was too late.
---
The First Touch
Kang Woo's finger gently brushed the surface of the tower.
WoooooooOOOOOOOO!!!
A deafening alarm erupted.
The entire tower — all 100 floors — began to flash with crimson lines running up its black surface like burning veins.
Sirens blared.
Winds howled.
All over the world, satellites locked onto the tower and began sending priority warnings to major governments.
Inside the tower, from floor 1 to floor 99, warriors, hunters, beasts, and ancient entities all froze.
Even in the deepest floors, terrifying bosses halted mid-battle.
> "What… is this pressure?!"
> "Is the Tower under attack?!"
> "W-Who dares?!"
Kang Woo looked around casually.
> "Tch. So loud."
Then, with a bored expression, he raised the same finger… and gave the tower a light flick.
---
Silence
BOOM.
The alarm… stopped.
Just like that.
The glowing veins vanished.
The winds stilled.
The tower stood… frozen.
Inside, confusion turned to terror.
Even the Floor Guardians couldn't move.
Every entity that could sense power felt a presence greater than a calamity—an absolute being had arrived.
---
System Panic
And then, in front of everyone outside — Kang Woo, Ji Hoon, Min Seok, Claire, the guards — a giant blue window appeared in the sky.
This wasn't just for them.
Every human in a 10-kilometer radius could see it.
> [Tutorial Tower Emergency System Alert]
Entity: Heavenly Demon
Classification: Beyond-Godhood
Security Rating: ∞
"Why is the Heavenly Demon here?"
"Please state your purpose..."
Everyone gawked.
Even Min Seok couldn't breathe.
Ji Hoon muttered:
> "The tower… is asking him questions like a scared intern…"
Kang Woo tilted his head.
> "How do you know me?"
There was a pause.
Then the window updated:
> "You… broke fate."
"You ascended past all known systems."
"You were never supposed to return."
Kang Woo chuckled.
> "Well."
> "I hate rules."
> "Now open the 77th floor. I'm here for someone."
The giant blue status window hovered in the air, flickering nervously like it was… sweating.
> "You were never supposed to return."
Kang Woo narrowed his eyes.
> "Then let me in."
The window glitched.
> "...I-I can't. It's... against Tower Protocol... entry from outside the system is forbidden..."
A long pause.
Min Seok quietly whispered:
> "...That's the dumbest thing it could've said."
Kang Woo cracked his knuckles and tilted his head slightly.
> "You're teaching me about rules?"
> "Do you want me…"
He raised one hand casually, his aura spiking like a tidal wave.
The entire tower shuddered.
> "...to destroy you?"
---
The Tower Panics
The window trembled.
> "AH! I-I'm sorry!! Please don't erase me!"
Claire almost fainted.
Ji Hoon whispered:
> "The Tower is apologizing... to my dad."
> "This is the greatest day of my life."
Then the message updated:
> "Perhaps... we can offer an alternate solution?"
Kang Woo raised an eyebrow.
> "Go on."
> "If you specify the individual you're seeking, I can teleport them out to you directly..."
Kang Woo blinked.
> "Oh? That's even better."
> "Is there anyone named Hajin Wu inside?"
The entire system paused.
Suddenly, a heavy pulse echoed in the air.
Even the sky dimmed for a moment.
> "Searching..."
> "Match found: Hajin Wu, Floor 77."
> "Status: Critical Condition — Engaged with Floor Boss."
Kang Woo's voice sharpened.
> "What?"
> "He's about to die…"
> "Would you like me to teleport him now?"
Kang Woo didn't hesitate.
> "Now."