Park Soyul had challenged the 60th floor of the Tower.

If she succeeded in clearing it in the fastest time, she could snatch away the special privilege that Kim Taemin held.

Her attempt had been covered competitively by major media outlets, and whether she would break the record was a matter of intense interest to every superhuman.

The time limit for clearing the 60th floor of the Tower was six hours.

Kim Taemin’s time on his first attempt had been 1 hour and 57 minutes.

Given that other towers’ times were all over 2 hours and 30 minutes, it was yet another testament to South Korea’s standing.

So what was Park Soyul’s clear time?

1 hour… 57 minutes.

However, while Kim Taemin’s seconds had been 13, Park Soyul’s were 43.

Despite breaking the same 57-minute mark, she had failed to break the record by a margin of 30 seconds.

“Waaaaah!”

Park Soyul burst into the Jeonjeon Cafe, yanked every curtain shut, locked the front door, and proceeded to cry her eyes out.

And Shin Jungho, forced to stand by and watch the whole spectacle, couldn’t help but feel thoroughly at a loss.

…My shift was already over.

…I needed to go clear the 2nd floor now.

But he couldn’t claim he didn’t understand how she felt, so he simply stood his ground in silence.

He even put on some calming classical music to soothe her body and soul.

After crying her heart out for a good while, Park Soyul looked up with puffy, swollen eyes and asked.

“I’m pathetic, aren’t I? Acting so confident and then losing by a lousy 30 seconds. Why am I such a failure?”

Jungho chose his words carefully before answering.

“There will be other opportunities, I’m sure.”

“Opportunities? What opportunities? The first-attempt clear is already over.”

“…There’s always the 80th floor.”

“Wow, you actually know about that, Jungho? I thought you had absolutely zero interest in any of this?”

“…My boss at my part-time job is a superhuman, after all.”

“Pfft! I liked that line! Wow, our Jungho, didn’t see it before, but turns out you secretly know how to push women’s buttons?”

“If you’re feeling better… may I go home now?”

“No! Overtime is confirmed today!”

Please just let me go…

I was planning to clear the 2nd floor today…

He was already racing against the clock thanks to what he’d heard that morning.

The 3rd-ranked superhuman, presumed to be Yoon Changdae, was searching for the Summoning Stone.

And apparently, he had a method to pinpoint its location within 30 days.

What should he do in the face of such a crisis?

He’d thought about it the entire time he was working.

There was only one conclusion.

Climb the tower like crazy!

If he raised his level as much as possible and diligently collected special rewards, wouldn’t some kind of breakthrough present itself?

That was the best strategy he could muster at the moment.

However anxious Jungho’s heart may have been.

Park Soyul had no intention of letting him go easily.

“How can you only think about running away instead of comforting a delicate beauty drowning in sorrow?”

“There was no overtime clause in my part-time contract, I believe.”

“Wow, cutting it that strictly! Seriously… you really won’t comfort me?”

When she came at him like this, he had nothing to say.

He knew all too well that once Park Soyul fixated on something, no one could stop her.

“Sigh… just one hour.”

“So stingy, stingy! Do you have something important to do after work?”

“That’s a privacy violation.”

“Whatever! Then spend that hour comforting me properly!”

“I’ve already put on calming music, though.”

“Forget the music. Jungho, won’t you sing me a sweet ballad?”

“I don’t sing, I’m afraid.”

“Wow, you’re no fun!”

Park Soyul glared at Jungho, but he remained as calm as ever.

And watching that ordinary demeanor of his, there was something that subtly settled her heart.

“…Well, dealing with you does make me feel a bit better, at least.”

Jungho smiled faintly, quite unlike himself.

“That’s a relief, then.”

Park Soyul, too, wasn’t unaware of his thoughtful gesture.

“…Still, the way you toss things out so casually — I’m telling you, you kind of seem like a player?”

“I’m a lifelong single, actually.”

“I don’t believe that. Isn’t the number of women you’ve made cry beyond what you can count on your fingers?”

Jungho thought it over carefully before answering.

“No matter how I think about it, I haven’t made a single woman cry.”

“…Wow, you’re probably the only person who’d say that so seriously.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“I apologize.”

“…You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

Chatting about this and that with a light heart, the hour flew by before they knew it.

“The one-hour overtime period is up, ma’am.”

“Ugh! I know, I know! I’m a busy person myself, you know?”

“I’ll clean up before I leave.”

“When you put it like that, I have nothing to say. I’ll calculate your overtime pay for a full day’s worth.”

“Thank you.”

“Honestly, you don’t even show a hint of happiness when I do something nice for you! But… that said, I think you’re right about there being another opportunity.”

“Pardon?”

Park Soyul flashed a fierce, viper-like smile.

“Anyway, I’m ranked 2nd, right? So if 1st place disappears, I naturally become 1st, don’t I?”

“…That’s true, I suppose.”

“Oh, why are you getting so stiff! It’s just talk, just talk!”

“…Right.”

“Pfft! Jungho, at times like this, you seem really innocent, you know? Oh, and did you know something?”

“…What now?”

“Mirinae.”

“…Pardon?”

As if sharing a secret, Park Soyul leaned close to Jungho’s ear, cupped her hand, and whispered.

“Actually, I was the 2nd place holder for the fastest 1st floor clear. I’ve dropped to 3rd now, but! So if Mirinae dies too, and the 1st place on the 60th floor disappears… I get to monopolize both the 1st floor and 60th floor special privileges!”

When Jungho froze and couldn’t produce a single response, Park Soyul chuckled with amusement.

“Just kidding, KIDDING! Jungho, why do you take everything so seriously? You don’t actually think I’m the kind of woman who would secretly eliminate a fellow superhuman just to get one special privilege, do you?”

…Your vocabulary is a bit too professional for a joke, though.

“Ah, right…”

“Anyway, I’m sorry about today!”

“Oh, not at all. Well then, have a safe trip home.”

“Yes, good luck finishing up, Jungho!”

Stepping out of the Jeonjeon Cafe, Park Soyul got into a vehicle waiting outside.

Her face, so different from how it had been inside the cafe, had transformed into a cold-blooded expression — as though not a single drop of blood would surface even if pricked with a needle.

However, her secretary, Baek Jihoon, who could read her mood, casually asked about what had happened inside.

“It seems your mood has improved a bit.”

Park Soyul suddenly shot him a murderous glare.

“What are you babbling about, acting like you know something you shouldn’t?”

They had been together for a little over two years.

But dealing with Park Soyul remained an unpredictable challenge.

“I apologize.”

Park Soyul clicked her tongue.

“Stop wasting your attention on useless things and figure out Mirinae’s whereabouts. Before that gorilla-like rat finds him first.”

“…I’ve investigated everyone who quit their job in Seoul within the past month, but none were connected to Mirinae.”

“If you can’t find him in a month, extend it to two months, three months! No, up to half a year!”

The older the records, the harder they were to dig through.

But when ordered to dig, he had no choice but to dig — that was his lot — so no matter how much legwork it took, he had to mobilize every available resource to find out.

Baek Jihoon replied and cautiously voiced his concern.

“That aside… shouldn’t we look into Shin Jungho once more?”

When Shin Jungho had been hired as a part-timer at the Jeonjeon Cafe.

He hadn’t known it at the time, but they had secretly investigated everything — his personal background, even the apartment he lived in.

The conclusion: an ordinary civilian with no connection to superhumans whatsoever.

Not only that, but someone with absolutely zero interest in the Tower or superhumans — a remarkably boring person by modern standards.

However, that very ordinariness had struck Baek Jihoon as suspicious, and he frequently harbored doubts about Jungho.

Did he truly have no interest in the Tower or superhumans?

Could such a person exist among Seoul’s population?

Wasn’t he some scumbag harboring dark intentions toward Ms. Park Soyul?

But Park Soyul, who had personally taken a liking to Jungho, had at some point begun keeping him under her wing.

She dismissed Baek Jihoon’s counsel every time, and now she had resorted to outright force.

Like this.

Pajijik!

“Kkeu-eup!”

An intense electric current surged from Park Soyul’s hand into his shoulder, making his body thrash like a freshly caught fish.

The electric torture that seared his entire body only stopped when he was on the verge of passing out.

“Gahk! Hahk! Hahk!”

Drooling and barely clinging to consciousness, Baek Jihoon caught sight of Park Soyul through the rearview mirror, smiling sweetly.

“Secretary Baek… if you lay hands on my favorite toy without permission… the rest of your life is going to be quite… electrifying… understand?”

Park Soyul’s smile.

was horrifyingly innocent.

* * *

└ Electric Empress must’ve been so bummed this time lol 30 seconds lol

└ Right?? If she’d finished just 31 seconds faster she could’ve claimed the Skill Reset Ring lmao

└ Still, the record itself is impressive. Other countries take at minimum 2 hours 30 minutes, but South Korea has TWO people who hit 1 hour 57 minutes damn

└ Honestly wondering if Tower 25 is gonna become the world’s #1 in Tower clearing within a year lol

The special reward for the fastest 60th floor clear was none other than the Skill Reset Ring.

Even if a superhuman’s initial skills weren’t particularly impressive, they naturally grew more powerful as they climbed to higher levels.

And once they acquired several new skills on top of that, the utility of the Skill Reset Ring was maximized to its fullest potential.

└ By the way, has nobody caught up to the Three Emperors yet?

└ Three Emperors? Three Emperors lol so childish lmaooo I wanna be one too T_T_T_T

└ I heard Lee Seoah broke through the 48th floor recently

└ Now on the 49th T_T Still can’t even touch the Three Emperors’ heels T_T

Lee Seoah had been a talent cultivated by the Superhuman Management Agency from the very beginning.

Having been badly burned by the Kim Taemin incident, the Superhuman Management Agency had secretly raised awakeners with high growth potential.

And once she broke through the 30th floor, they unveiled her to the public as the agency’s representative model.

The mere fact that Kim Taemin had been completely unaware of her existence was telling evidence of just how deeply at odds the Superhuman Management Agency and the Swordmaster truly were.

On the surface, he had claimed to be disappointed and expressed respect for the agency’s decision.

But superhumans who knew his true nature had been busy mocking him in the Chat Room for some time.

“Information gathering… that’s enough for now.”

Jungho checked his watch.

11:00 PM sharp.

As planned, he summoned Lea through the Summoning Stone.

“Have you been well, my Lord?”

“I saw you yesterday, though.”

“Even so, your safety is my most sacred duty, my Lord.”

“Thank you. I’m planning to clear the 2nd floor today.”

“Oh! Finally!”

“Shh. It’s 11 PM.”

“Ah, my apologies, my Lord.”

Over the two weeks spent in Lea’s company, a minor change had taken place.

For one, her spirited enthusiasm was to be confined to inside the Tower only.

Having a young girl’s voice coming from a single man’s apartment was far from an ideal situation.

Because of that, he had her maintain strict discipline at home.

They’d had plenty of conversations about this and that, but there was no particularly useful information to glean.

Who she was, where she came from, what the Tower was, what kinds of monsters existed.

Her sole guiding principle was to serve her summoner as her Lord, enter the Tower alongside him, and sweep away any monsters in sight.

The sight of a girl who looked barely middle or high school age slaughtering zombies was somewhat surreal.

In a way, it felt like something out of a comic or a game.

In another way, it carried a cold, ruthless edge.

So whenever they weren’t entering the Tower, Shin Jungho granted Lea free time.

Even so, he could never let her venture outside the apartment, which made him feel somewhat guilty about the arrangement.

“It is fine, my Lord! Serving you is both my greatest purpose and my happiness!”

That was what she said in words.

From where he stood, he simply couldn’t feel at ease about it.

“I’ll start the clear in 50 minutes, so feel free to do as you please until then.”

Faced with unexpected free time, Lea hesitated, unlike her usual self, and asked.

“I apologize for the presumptuous remark before such an important clear, but…”

Jungho smiled gently, as if he already knew, and answered.

“Go watch that drama you were in the middle of last time.”

“Thank you! Ah, th-thank you, my Lord. I-I was really curious about what happens after the male lead gets slapped…”

Lea murmured, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.

The summoned being, Lea.

As it turned out.

She had become a Korean drama addict.