The 20th floor range was a section where various slimes appeared.

There were ones possessing all manner of magical attributes—flame, freeze, electric, earth, wind.

And there were also ones boasting unusual abilities or forms like thorns or poison.

Steel Slimes, armed with all magic resistances and physical resistance, also made appearances.

But so what?

Kwaaaaang!

…A single meteor ended them all anyway.

Shin Jungho, leading Lea and Maya, had completed two clears the previous day.

There were no additional rewards, and the Random Box yielded one Return Ticket and two Tower Entry Tickets.

Hmm….

Why no duds…?

It only kept handing out rewards, which made him a bit uneasy.

At this rate, what if the Platinum Random Box after clearing the 30th-floor boss turned out to be a dud?

Anyway.

Today as well, without fail, he began his climb only as evening approached.

[You have cleared the 28th floor of the Tower 25.]

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[One Random Box has been provided as a special reward for the Amazing Achievement.]

“Lea….”

“I’ll collect the Magic Stones!”

“Maya….”

“This humble maiden shall pray most fervently that Your Highness obtains fine loot.”

What was the point of saying more?

Right, it was about time Magic Stones showed up, wasn’t it?

Peong!

[You have acquired 1 Source Stone.]

A stone had appeared.

Not a Magic Stone, though.

The Source Stone—a mineral holding at least ten thousand times the value of a Magic Stone.

You… were this easy to get?

Purely in monetary terms, had he earned 20 billion won over two months?

Since he couldn’t sell it directly, it didn’t quite feel like money.

Selling it would inevitably invite tracking, making transactions difficult.

Besides, it was consumed as a material for the extraordinary Dimensional Room skill, so hoarding them was better than selling.

With just one more, he could add a new door.

Then he could travel from Seoul to New York in a mere 10 seconds—would he really sell this for a paltry(?) 20 billion won?

Once he began selling Tower rewards in earnest, money would lose much of its meaning.

What mattered more was how many such rare items he possessed.

The United Kingdom alone had secured Excalibur and was raking in fortunes from rental fees alone, wasn’t it?

Even if he couldn’t use it immediately, loot was loot.

“As expected, there is no one in this world fit to open Random Boxes but you, Lord!”

“This humble maiden also infinitely agrees with Sir Lea’s opinion.”

He couldn’t even bring it up now.

Shin Jungho gave Lea and Maya some time to rest until the next climb.

They had just returned from an intense battle against a horde of 157 monsters in the Tower, so they needed time to recover before tackling the 29th floor.

Meanwhile, he would gather information.

└ Look at Mirinae’s clear speed, holy shittttt

└ How is he clearing 2 floors a day? Can you enter the Tower twice a day or something?

└ I’d believe it if you told me Mirinae was a god. Mireluya!

└ For real, this makes no sense! Is he a one-man cheat or what? Is this fair?

└ The Tower itself isn’t normal, what fairness are you talking about lmaooo

└ Seriously, I don’t get those trash bastards. They became superhumans and live large compared to everyone else but still bitch about fairness

└ I’m just gonna live watching God Miri. Once God Miri reaches the 63rd floor, Seoul Tower will literally be the best in the world!

└ Yeah, no reason to be nosy about Mirinae. Mirinae doing well means we do well. Trying to guess and investigate Mirinae here is just shooting yourself in the foot

└ Facts, facts

└ Just praise him. Mireluya!

The perspective through which Seoul Tower superhumans viewed Mirinae had truly undergone a varied transformation.

At first, he was a chick who might die at any moment.

Then he became a rookie who had obtained a powerful divine skill.

Then they perceived him as a wealthy tycoon.

And now, he was gradually establishing himself as an untouchable figure of religious devotion?

Perhaps because of that.

He wanted all the more to keep his identity as Mirinae hidden for a long time.

If Mirinae’s identity were revealed amidst such fervent attention….

The thought alone made him dizzy.

Crowds would gather wherever he went.

He wouldn’t be able to enjoy any proper private life, like Park Soyul.

Hmm….

Was there really no way to keep his identity as Mirinae hidden while operating as a stealth superhuman?

He had a feeling that if he kept climbing the Tower, some ingenious solution might present itself.

After all, an unprecedented skill like the Dimensional Room had already appeared.

Might there not also be a special skill that would let him operate as Mirinae while concealing his identity?

For that reason, among others.

“Can we attempt the 29th floor now?”

“I am always in peak condition!”

“I shall follow Your Highness’s will.”

He needed to keep accelerating his Tower climbing pace.

To attempt three climbs a day, he’d need to fire three meteors as well—would a Skill Enhancement Ticket drop, perhaps?

“Well then….”

“Ah, Lord.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Lea closed her eyes as if sensing something, then tilted her head.

“…I thought I sensed something unpleasant, but upon checking again, it seems I was mistaken.”

“…Is that so?”

There shouldn’t be anyone targeting him anymore now, right?

No one currently knew Mirinae’s identity.

Which meant that anyone with business would be looking for Shin Jungho, the part-timer at Jeonjeon Cafe, not Mirinae.

But Lea, who had even detected Iron Heart Yoon Changdae’s presence, couldn’t possibly miss another uninvited guest.

Still, there was always the possibility, so Jungho asked Maya as well.

“Maya, could you take a look around?”

“As you wish.”

Maya used the 1st-circle Whisper of Wind to check for any discordant sounds in the vicinity.

A moment later.

“I could not find any sounds that might pose a threat to Your Highness.”

“I also still sense no hostile presence. I apologize, Lord! My mistake has caused you undue concern!”

Was it just unfounded worry after all?

“There’s no harm in being careful. Well then, let’s head out.”

Even if a thief were to break in, he could rest easy now.

With no superhuman-related items anywhere, what was there to be caught with?

Supat!

* * *

Sergei was positioned in a building a few blocks away from Shin Jungho’s studio apartment.

After observing from morning to evening.

This individual named Shin Jungho was quite the hardcore shut-in.

How could someone not step outside even once on a day off?

Still, one thing was certain—he was home.

Through the Unidirectional Mana Microphone.

This magic engineering device powered by Magic Stones could capture sounds from up to 100 meters away.

However, there was one curious thing.

When he aimed the microphone at the window, most sounds should have been audible, but from Shin Jungho’s apartment, only a muffled hum came through, as if soundproofing material had been installed.

Occasionally, sharp voices could be heard—female voices, suggesting he was watching videos or something.

Curiously, not a sliver of light escaped through the window either.

For an ordinary person… there was something inexplicably secretive about him.

“I’ll know once I go inside.”

The time was dusk.

In the early morning hours, it would be too quiet, risking unwanted noise.

So now, when people were unwinding from a long day’s work, lazily watching TV or browsing their smartphones, was the perfect time.

Sergei crossed over the rooftops and made his way stealthily to Shin Jungho’s studio.

After descending to the corridor and standing before the front door, he used the mana microphone to assess the situation inside.

….

Noise had been detected just moments ago.

Now, the interior was dead silent without a trace of ambient sound.

Sergei took a moment to organize his thoughts.

Then used Blink to enter the apartment.

Pat.

The apartment was brightly lit.

Yet strangely, there was no sign of anyone.

…The bathroom?

The bathroom was the only place in this studio where someone could hide.

Sergei silenced his footsteps and stood quietly beside the bathroom door.

….

No presence could be felt from inside the bathroom either.

An ordinary person could never maintain this kind of composure.

At the very least, breathing should have been audible.

Beolkeok.

When he opened the door, the bathroom was empty as expected.

Sergei quickly pieced things together.

Thick blackout curtains that let not a ray of light escape.

A barren interior with no furniture to speak of beyond a bed and a wardrobe.

Something.

This was a person with many secrets.

“…A stealth superhuman?”

Sounds had definitely been detected, yet there was no one inside.

No one had been seen leaving either, which meant there was a high probability he was a superhuman.

Since the name Shin Jungho wasn’t officially registered with the Korean Superhuman Management Agency, he must be operating as a stealth superhuman.

But that raised its own peculiar questions.

A stealth superhuman should have had various items, at the very least a Magic Stone or two, yet the apartment was spotlessly clean.

As if he were an ordinary person.

…What the hell was going on?

Sergei, engulfed in questions, repeatedly chewed over this baffling, unsolvable situation.

That was the moment.

Supat!

“I’ll collect the Magic Sto—”

A person had appeared.

His target, Shin Jungho.

A blonde girl who appeared to be a knight.

And a purple-haired girl who appeared to be a mage—three people in total.

One person might have been manageable.

But three people appearing simultaneously was impossible.

Superhumans were strictly solo players.

This was a scenario he hadn’t anticipated.

If his opponent had been just Shin Jungho alone, perhaps.

Facing three superhumans at once?

In a split second, Sergei debated whether to attack or flee.

And that single moment of hesitation.

Was what drove him into this situation.

Puhk!

“Guhhk!”

All he saw with his two eyes was the beast-like figure of the blonde girl who had appeared suddenly right in front of him.

Sergei felt extreme pain in his abdomen.

Puhk!

And lost consciousness just like that.

* * *

“I’ll collect the Magic Sto—”

At the appearance of the unfamiliar man.

A scene straight out of a manga unfolded.

Lea appeared before the man in an instant, folding his body into an L-shape with her fist.

Then struck the back of his neck with her sword hilt, knocking him out cold.

Maya then approached the bathroom slowly and opened a dimensional door.

Lea tossed the man through the open Dimensional Room.

And Maya shut the door.

…What was this situation?

“Lord, he was an intruder!”

Act first, report later?

“Your Highness, please entrust the interrogation of the intruder to myself and Sir Lea.”

Interrogation…?

Why were the corners of her mouth curling up so eerily?

“Uh… what exactly… is going on here?”

An intruder in his own home, out of nowhere?

And from a glance, a Westerner at that.

He couldn’t fathom any connection between them, leaving his mind in pure chaos.

“Lord! Do not worry! I shall extract everything from the intruder and make him spill all he knows!”

Extract… everything?

“Sir Lea. Assassins endure that level of pain without flinching. We need to break their mental fortitude first.”

Break their… mental fortitude?

“Then please wait a moment, Lord!”

“I shall identify the intruder’s personal details as swiftly as possible.”

The two girls, brimming with fierce determination, opened the dimensional door once more.

Stepped inside.

And closed the door.

All that remained in the room now.

Were 29 Magic Stones that Lea hadn’t finished picking up.

And a single Random Box floating in midair.

How to put it.

The situation had ended before he even had time to be surprised.