The fan meeting venue for Swordmaster Kim Taemin.

With his tall stature and warm features, Kim Taemin could safely be called the greatest celebrity in South Korea.

The highest floor climber of the Seoul Tower!

Korea’s greatest superhuman!

And the master of a wyvern!

Using the Summoning Stone he received as a 1st-floor special reward, Kim Taemin summoned a black wyvern, and together they conquered the Seoul Tower with an unstoppable momentum.

He even gave the wyvern the affectionate nickname Kkamangi, flying around on its back wherever he went.

He brought the wyvern to this fan meeting as well, and countless fans who adored him came to cheer for both Kim Taemin and Kkamangi.

Keureureureu-!

“Um… is it okay to touch him?”

Seeing a female fan looking nervous, Kim Taemin flashed a bright smile and answered.

“Haha, our Kkamangi won’t bite carelessly unless I give him a command. Please, feel free to pet him as much as you’d like.”

“Ah… y-yes!”

The woman cautiously reached out and stroked the wyvern’s wing.

“Wow… it’s so smooth…!”

At that moment, the wyvern vanished into thin air.

“Oh my god!”

“What?”

Kim Taemin wondered what on earth was happening.

There should still be plenty of summoning time left, wasn’t there?

The answer came immediately.

[Notice: User Mirinae has cleared the 1st floor of Tower 25 in the shortest time.]

…What kind of nonsense is this!

He had paid a steep price to clear the 1st floor of the Tower in under 10 minutes!

There were other superhumans in the fan meeting venue as well.

One such superhuman, having received the same notice, expressed his concern for Kim Taemin.

“Dear me! It seems the ownership of the 1st-floor Summoning Stone has shifted! This must be heartbreaking for you, Mr. Taemin!”

Kim Taemin managed his expression like a seasoned politician and offered a bitter smile.

“Haha… I was merely holding onto it temporarily. I just regret that I couldn’t… say a proper goodbye to Kkamangi.”

In truth, Kim Taemin had also inherited the Summoning Stone by breaking the previous record holder’s clear time.

So he had braced himself for a day like this, but now that it had happened so suddenly, he couldn’t suppress his bewilderment.

Well, still…

He had no intention of just taking this lying down.

The superhuman who had been worrying over Kim Taemin stared blankly into space before suddenly jumping in shock.

“Gasp! 8 seconds?”

“…What is it?”

“The 1st floor clear time! It says 8 seconds!”

For once, Kim Taemin failed to control his expression, his brow twitching as he asked:

“Are you sure you didn’t misread it?”

* * *

The posts flooding the chat room burned hotter with each passing minute.

└ I’m watching Soma’s fan meeting livestream right now, it’s chaos over there lmao Kkamangi just vanished out of nowhere lmaoooo

└ Damn, Soma didn’t snap?

└ “Haha… I was merely holding onto it temporarily.” Sure buddy lmao

└ Didn’t that bastard immediately request protection from the Superhuman Management Agency after getting the 1st-floor Summoning Stone?

└ Yeah, and he’s been coasting on it for half a year

└ Will Mirinae request protection too then?

└ Are you encouraging suicide? Soma practically owns the Superhuman Management Agency right now lmao

└ Honestly, staying in stealth mode for a year is probably the best move

└ He won’t even be able to sell his magic stones anywhere, what a headache lmao

└ Still better than losing your life

└ Soma heard the 8-second clear time and demanded proof lmao Then he saw it himself and freaked out lmaooooo

└ We freaked out too lmao 8 seconds is literally impossible. The fastest record in the world was Soma’s 9 minutes 38 seconds lmao

└ Seriously, what is Mirinae’s identity?

└ I’m calling it, it’s Hoi Binghwan. This post will become a shrine!

└ Lmao I know you’re joking, but I’m terrified it might actually be true ddd

Hmm… Hoi Binghwan, huh.

That might not be a bad cover tactic.

Anyway, reading the chat room makes it truly sink in.

Just what kind of massive incident I caused!

I thought that if I got lucky, I’d wipe out about a dozen zombies and quickly dispatch the rest.

But imagine my surprise.

A single skill obliterated 50 zombies?

And I almost ascended to the afterlife along with them?

How on earth am I supposed to use such a monstrous skill safely?

That was the most pressing issue at hand.

The first agenda: purchasing items.

Buying and using items that could guarantee my safety.

Like an item that could deploy a barrier.

Or one that would let me float down as lightly as a butterfly even if I fell from 100 meters in the air.

Unfortunately, there were two major obstacles to this plan.

First, such items would be incredibly rare, if they even existed at all.

More importantly, I currently had no money, so even if they did exist, I couldn’t afford them.

Selling the Tower Return Ticket I obtained as a special reward was an option, but it carried the risk of exposing my identity.

So, that idea was immediately dismissed.

The second option was the most realistic alternative, one I could execute right away.

“I’ll just rely on pulling a summon…!”

If a decent summon came out using the Summoning Stone from the 1st floor, the problem would be solved instantly.

For instance, something like the wyvern Kim Taemin pulled, or perhaps a dragon, which hadn’t been summoned even once yet.

Was that really asking for too much?

Above all, I had even achieved the ‘Amazing Achievement’ that no one else had ever managed.

Examples from other countries showed that summoners got animal-type monsters, ranging from wolves to bears, turtles, rabbits, and even basilisks.

So, with an Amazing Achievement of 8 seconds, it was perfectly reasonable to expect a dragon!

“Right… nothing else but a dragon could come out of this.”

There’s no other possibility!

It has to be a dragon!

Shin Jungho spent 10 minutes coming up with the name Yongyong to call his dragon, then touched the Summoning Stone.

[Do you wish to use the Summoning Stone?]

Yes.

Please summon Yongyong.

[Beginning summon. A powerful blessing is granted for achieving an Amazing Achievement.]

Ooh?

Am I really going to see Yongyong?

A crimson light erupted from the red Summoning Stone.

Anticipating this, I had already closed all the doors and drawn blackout curtains over the windows.

As expected, having things prepared in advance saves you a lot of worry.

A moment later.

The red light faded, and the summoning was complete.

The figure revealed before Shin Jungho’s eyes was wearing gleaming knight armor.

It was a girl who looked to be in her mid-teens.

The female knight, sporting gorgeous blonde hair, stood at attention, thumped her chest with a fist, and bowed her head.

“Thank you for summoning me! My Lord!”

Shin Jungho had no choice but to ask:

“…Where is Yongyong?”

The female knight asked in return with an unwavering voice.

“What is Yongyong, my Lord?”

“…You aren’t a dragon, are you?”

“If you are referring to my race, I am a 100% pure-blooded human.”

What?

How could a human pop out of a Summoning Stone?

Ah, could the immense power of the blessing have expanded the summoning range?

She was a girl who looked to barely be over 150 centimeters tall.

I had no idea how she could defend herself with such a petite frame, but if she could use skills like a superhuman, that would be a different story.

“Shall we start with introductions? I’m Shin Jungho.”

“I shall never forget my Lord’s name, not until my bones turn to dust!”

She was strictly disciplined.

Then again, such an energetic demeanor would be far more advantageous when fighting monsters.

“Could you introduce yourself?”

“Yes, sir! I am the sword for my Lord! I am the shield for my Lord! Vanguards, rearguards—I am a knight capable of fulfilling any role perfectly!”

“…Right, then what should I call you?”

“I am a body reborn through my Lord! I beg of you to bestow a name upon me!”

Kugung!

She wants me to… name her?

Seriously.

Shouldn’t a name generation option be provided by default?

Shin Jungho casually suggested a name that popped into his head.

“How about Lilith?”

“Such an overwhelmingly honorable name!”

“…Elena?”

“I am deeply honored!”

“…Yuna?”

“A truly valiant name!”

“…Gaeideuk?”

“A remarkably noble name!”

No matter what name he suggested, the female knight accepted it with a sincere gaze, deeply moved with gratitude.

…50 minutes had passed.

“Lea… let’s go with Lea!”

“I am truly sorry for causing my noble Lord to agonize for so long due to my lowly self! I shall never forget the precious name Lea, bestowed upon me by my gracious Lord, even in death!”

Didn’t it mean ‘lion’ in Hebrew?

Whatever it was, a decision had been made.

However, perhaps because he had exhausted so much mental energy over a long period.

Seeing the female knight—no, Lea’s—unwavering loyalty somehow rubbed him the wrong way.

He had done all the agonizing by himself, while she just sat back and received the name.

So he spat out in a somewhat gruff voice:

“You can’t even remember your own name right now, aren’t you going to forget everything when you die?”

Lea appeared profoundly shocked, her voice trembling.

“For displeasing my noble Lord! I shall atone with this lowly life!”

Chaeng!

Lea drew the sword she was carrying.

And placed its tip against her own pale neck.

“Though our meeting was brief, it was an overwhelming honor for me! Please stay healthy!”

“S-stop! Stop it!”

Red blood trickled from where the sword dug into Lea’s neck.

Fortunately, he stopped her in time, avoiding a gruesome outcome.

“It… it was a joke. A joke, haha.”

As Shin Jungho forced a laugh, Lea apologized once more.

“Please severely punish this disloyal servant for failing to understand my noble Lord’s joke! If you wish, I will sacrifice this life…!”

“Stop! Suicide is forbidden from now on. No matter what happens, absolutely!”

“Understood! My Lord!”

Lea immediately retrieved her sword and sheathed it.

He was starting to get a rough idea of what kind of character she was.

Simply put, he just needed to apply strict military command and obedience.

“Lea, please tell me everything you remember about yourself.”

“Yes, my Lord!”

Lea’s self-introduction was quite simple.

She had been summoned while in a soul state, with all memories from before that point erased.

She possessed no skills, but her swordsmanship was at the upper level of Sword Expert.

Since the level above upper-level was the realm of a Swordmaster, she was presumed to be a considerable swordsmanship prodigy.

She was an all-around knight type who primarily wielded a one-handed sword and a shield.

And the summoning could be done once a day, lasting for 1 hour.

“That is all!”

Shin Jungho first asked the most important question.

“Can you survive a free fall from 100 meters in the air?”

“I will absolutely die no matter what posture I fall in!”

“If you were floating up there with me, could you save me?”

“…I apologize, my Lord! I cannot think of any way to save you in such a situation! Please punish this servant for her virtueless crime!”

“From now on, talking about punishing yourself for committing a crime is also forbidden.”

“Understood, my Lord!”

Hmm…

100 meters in the air is too much after all?

I wondered if wearing a parachute inside would work, but unfortunately, parachutes made from materials dropped in the tower weren’t sold.

Because superhumans had absolutely no reason to use them.

But thinking about it, the problem could also be solved by simply not floating in the air.

So, he decided to ask a more fundamental question.

“Lea.”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Could you survive a small island falling on your head?”

“I would certainly die!”

…I figured.

Even a Swordmaster might not survive that.

“Then, if such a massive meteor… fell 500 meters ahead, could you protect me from the shockwave?”

“…If it is something like that, it might be possible!”

…Huh? Really?

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have any skills?”

“I apologize, my Lord! However, even without skills, I believe I can protect you by sacrificing my lowly body!”

“Is that so? Then could you show me how?”

“Yes, my Lord!”

Lea moved her body swiftly.

Shin Jungho’s jaw dropped watching that series of movements.

…Is it really okay to do that?

Still, after conducting his own little test.

…It seems it is possible?

Whether she could actually block the shockwave of a meteor collision or not.

He would be able to confirm it himself during tomorrow’s Tower climb, where entries reset once a day.