[The Yeti Unit has been completely annihilated!]
[Inuit Unit Injury Rate: 0%]
[Fortification Damage: 0%]
[The Yeti Unit failed to step even a foot past the defensive line! A flawless battle!]
[An overwhelmingly one-sided victory, ending before the enemy could even be properly seen! After witnessing this battle, the Inuit Supreme Commander, Noir, made a vow! He would turn everything he saw into a song and pass it down for generations! All Inuit will hum this melody!]
[An SSS+ Rating has been awarded for this astonishing battle!]
"Hm!"
Jinhyeok nodded with satisfaction.
But… a song?
What was that about?
"Captain!"
While he was still puzzled, Kancho's voice rang out.
Turning his head, he saw a stubby thumb sticking up proudly.
"That was totally amazing! Way better than in the anime!"
"Hey, you're exaggerating."
He said that, but still vigorously ruffled Kancho's head.
Praise always felt good, no matter how many times he heard it.
[You have cleared the Tower of Despair, Floor 63!]
[Unique Trait 'Level Synchronization' activated! The highest-level member, Seira Kincaiten, has been selected as the standard!]
[Additional EXP calculated based on acquired experience!]
[You have obtained a massive amount of bonus EXP!]
[Level Up! Current Level: 92]
[Level Up! Current Level: 93]
[Level Up! Current Level: 94]
[All stats have increased!]
[Maximum Mana has increased from 50,000 to 100,000! You can now summon more allies!]
Messages showing his teammates' level-ups followed.
[Seira Kincaiten / Level: 201 / EXP: 31%]
[Kancho / Level: 100 / EXP: 0%]
[Dark Castro / Level: 122 / EXP: 0%]
[Momo / Level: 122 / EXP: 0%]
[Elia Fossen / Level: 111 / EXP: 0%]
[Camella Sirin / Level: 112 / EXP: 0%]
Even with such a big level gap, they'd gained this much experience.
The Level Synchronization trait really was incredible.
[You have obtained monster materials from Floor 63!]
[You have obtained a large quantity of Snowfield Yeti Hide!]
[You have obtained a large quantity of Snowfield Yeti Teeth!]
An enormous number of materials poured into his inventory.
Jinhyeok couldn't help but clap.
Then, a moment later—
"All done! I'm way faster now!"
Momo suddenly reappeared.
"Already?"
He looked toward where the Yeti corpses had been piled up.
All that remained were scattered bones.
The mountain of bodies had been cleaned up completely by someone's skillful hands.
'That's insane…'
After reaching Epic rank, her processing speed had become even faster.
One quick sweep, and everything was done.
"Look! They're super firm!"
Momo opened Feltz's Infinite Storage Bag.
Compared to the materials the system had given, these were in perfect condition.
Jinhyeok could already imagine it.
Yoo Suyun's delighted face, grinning from ear to ear.
"And I picked this up too!"
Momo rummaged through her bag and pulled out a massive axe.
Noir rushed over in shock.
"That's Yerga's Axe!?"
"Who's Yerga? Why are you so surprised, Grandpa?"
"Among the Yeti warriors, only the strongest receive that title. Countless Inuit died by his hands. He must have been among them…"
Noir trailed off and looked at Jinhyeok.
It meant that the battle had been so overwhelming that even Yerga's presence hadn't stood out.
"Take a look. Yerga's Axe is crude, but it carries the chill of the snowfields."
"Oh, okay."
Jinhyeok took it and checked the stats.
[Yerga's Axe, Greatest Warrior of the Yeti Tribe
Grade: Unique
Level Requirement: 60]
Attack Power: 200
A rough axe forged from Snowfield Iron.
Unique Skill: Ice Wave
– 10% chance on hit to release a freezing shockwave.
– Enemies with low resistance will be frozen solid.
Usable Outside the Tower
"Oh, damn."
It could be used outside the Tower.
That alone meant it would sell for a fortune.
He swung it around a few times.
"Hmm. Not really my style."
It wasn't a sword, and the grip felt awkward.
A weapon was supposed to feel like it belonged to you the moment you held it.
This one didn't.
Rejected.
But—
[Yerga's Axe has been added to Weapon Collection!]
[Weapon Collection: 5/7]
– Ganjiang & Moye
– Salamanca
– Ferracan
– Camachi
– Yerga's Axe
It was useful for that.
Countless flying weapons, 5% lava eruptions, 10% ice waves…
Just imagining it made him smile.
He pulled the beaming Momo closer.
"When are you organizing the storage? Want to do it together outside?"
Feltz's bag wasn't like a normal inventory.
Its space and structure were completely different.
If you dumped things in carelessly, it would become total chaos.
"It's okay! Momo will do it alone!"
She wiggled her chubby hands.
True enough—she was meticulous.
Having someone else organize things probably wouldn't satisfy her.
"Alright. I'll look forward to the next battle, then."
After shaking hands with Commander Noir—
[Exiting Floor 63 of the Tower of Despair.]
They left the Tower.
A few hours after Jinhyeok finished climbing…
Strange rumors began spreading on the Tower forums.
Supposedly, Inuit NPCs on every floor had started singing.
@ Fake news. People lie like crazy when they're anonymous.
@ I cleared the snow area. What nonsense lol. They're too busy fighting to sing.
Most people dismissed it as nonsense.
No one had ever heard an Inuit sing before.
But before long, a video appeared on NewTube.
It was uploaded by a famous Korean creator with over a million subscribers.
At the same time—
"Ugh, SSS+ again. Doesn't he get tired of that?"
After work, Cheon Seyun sprawled on her bed and clicked her tongue.
Yoo Jinhyeok had earned SSS+ on every single floor.
Something that should've been nearly impossible now felt routine.
'…No. I wouldn't get tired of it.'
She corrected herself.
Seeing SSS+ always felt thrilling.
'I'm jealous.'
The Tower system rewarded players differently based on rank.
Boxes that normal players needed dozens of floors to earn—
Jinhyeok had already received several.
'Huh? What's this?'
A hot post caught her eye.
"Inuit singing?"
She assumed it was fake.
She'd met hundreds of Inuit while climbing.
Not one of them had ever hummed.
She clicked anyway.
The video started with soft ukulele music and a gravelly voice.
It was a gentle, storytelling song.
"In the snowy battlefield where Yetis surged forward,
Under the cold moonlight, hundreds of swords rose high.
Their reflected waves were breathtaking.
We felt the ground tremble beneath our feet,
Fearing they would steal what we held dear.
But we never faced them.
Before they crossed the line,
Hundreds of blades rained down upon them.
Like a fast melody,
Beautiful arcs of steel began a massacre.
And the one who caused it,
The outsiders call him—
The Tower Butcher, the Runner."
Seyun bolted upright.
She replayed the last part.
She hadn't misheard.
"Runner."
She scrolled down.
The comments were in chaos.
@ Wait, this wasn't fake??
@ LOL someone was raging earlier saying it was fake, now they're quiet.
@ Go to Floor 6 and ask that badger driver, Konu or whatever. He's humming it too.
@ He said he was so shocked he couldn't sleep. Dude usually naps during missions.
@ The whole world is a Runner.
@ We live in the age of the Runner.
"Holy crap…"
Seyun ran a hand through her hair.
More and more videos were appearing.
Even news sites were picking it up.
Why such a fuss over one song?
Because it had never happened before.
Not once, since the Tower appeared, had an NPC praised a player like this.
She quickly opened CocoaTalk and messaged Jinhyeok.
—What is this?! World-first achievement?! What did you even dooooo?!
After sending it, she worried she'd overreacted.
But editing it now felt even more embarrassing.
'Ugh, he's not replying again.'
Probably too busy to chat.
Still…
Hundreds of swords in the moonlight?
Jinhyeok didn't even have a skill like that.
She refreshed the forum.
A new skeptical comment appeared.
@ Fake. Edited video.
She immediately replied.
@ Next skeptic gets slapped.
She smiled, satisfied.
@ Slap first, no warning?
@ Shouldn't you warn them first?
@ Would Runner even praise you for that? Cringe fan behavior.
'Yeah, but he's my friend.'
A strange sense of superiority bubbled up.
'…Wait.'
She put her phone down.
Bragging through connections was the worst.
And she'd just done it.
Still, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
Seriously.
Yoo Jinhyeok was amazing.
"Ahh… that feels great."
"The water temperature was perfect!"
After the snowfield battle, they enjoyed a hot bath.
Paradise wasn't far away, after all.
"Close your eyes. The towel might whip you again."
"Okay!"
Jinhyeok wrung out Kancho's fur with a rolled towel.
With that fluffy body, water just wouldn't come out easily.
Ring, ring.
Dark tossed him a phone from the sofa.
"Huh?"
Jinhyeok checked the message.
It was from Team Leader Jin Yunho.
Marked: Urgent.
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T/N:
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