Chapter 18
The next morning.
I waited in front of the motel where Sogoe had stayed, and she stepped out hesitantly.
Actually, it wasn’t her first time coming out.
She first appeared looking like a Water Rat again, so I sent her back to shower and change into the clothes I’d bought earlier. Then I saw her again.
“No need to be embarrassed. It’s normal.”
Sogoe fidgeted, twisting nervously.
“People shower. There’s no reason to feel ashamed just because you’re clean.”
“Yes…”
Watching her, I remembered my own past.
The first time I got a motel room, I couldn’t even lie down properly because I felt too dirty. After eight rejections, the motel owner told me to wash up before he’d let me stay. That was how I ended up in a sauna for the first time.
Looking back, it was ridiculous. But back then, that first shower, the clean body on the stained bed, the cigarette-smelling ceiling—everything felt indescribably happy.
The next morning, it had taken me forever to step outside. I’d peek out, hide whenever someone passed, and burn with embarrassment whenever someone glanced my way—as if being clean meant being naked.
“You’re pretty.”
“Yes?”
She was probably feeling the same way I once had.
I knew exactly how to fix it.
Just like the person who helped me back then.
—You look cool. A hundred times more than yesterday.
“You’re pretty, a hundred times more than yesterday.”
—Let’s go eat.
“Let’s go eat.”
Simple words that gave more confidence than anything else.
And then acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
—Don’t fuss! Le… let’s just go together!
“Can I walk next to you?”
Different personalities, same reaction.
She ran up and stuck close to my side.
Even the faint smile on her face reminded me of that day.
= = =
After feeding her sundae soup, we went to run the Tower.
Since it was her first time, I formed a party and cleared the tutorial floors—1 through 5—as fast as possible.
Then we reached the 6th floor.
The Newbie Cutter.
Bang! Bang, bang!
People really do fight better when they’re financially secure.
With 100 million won in her pocket, a roof over her head, and clean clothes, Sogoe’s marksmanship grew sharper and faster by the minute.
“She’s definitely a genius.”
The 6th floor was designed to instill fear. Many first-timers failed and quit here.
But Sogoe handled the Forest Goblins alone—without my help.
Her combat sense was excellent. Using the gun’s range, she kept distance and prioritized the fastest enemies, shooting each in the forehead.
She cleared the 6th floor solo.
“Haa… haa…”
Sweaty but uninjured, she approached me.
“Good job.”
“It’s strange… I feel like my body keeps getting lighter.”
“That’s because you’re Level 5.”
“Yes?”
“You were too busy fighting to notice? You got all the kills yourself. If we weren’t in a party, you’d be Level 6 or 7.”
“Then…”
“Your Stats went up. Doesn’t the pistol feel lighter?”
She swung it around, eyes sparkling.
“Wow.”
I kept thinking about the Sogoe from my past life, and my lips itched to blurt it out—
You were a monster who could sprint silently with a rifle bigger than your body!
But I held back and only nodded.
Looking around at the corpses, I noticed something.
Most Goblins had been shot in the head, though not always the forehead. Her real-combat adaptation was fast.
A genius was still a newbie. Mistakes were visible.
“Hyun-jung.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think your weaknesses are?”
“There were a few times I almost got in danger. It was always when I reloaded.”
Exactly what I saw.
Reloading took too long.
“If you fix that, it’ll get safer.”
“Yes, I’ll practice.”
“And you have another bad habit.”
“What is it?”
“You assume a headshot means death. That’s the biggest problem.”
She tilted her head.
Of course she did. That habit came from her own perceptive combat sense.
She watched Goblins fall when shot in the head, so she simply assumed they were dead.
Very wrong.
“Watch.”
I kicked a Goblin corpse shot through the skull.
Its hand shot up to grab my leg.
Crack.
I stepped aside and crushed the hand.
“If they grab you, who gets hurt?”
“M-me…”
“Remember this. Dungeons and Towers are real battles. If you don’t kill them, they’ll kill you.”
“I understand.”
Her cheerful expression vanished. She became serious—but only for a moment.
When her lips slowly pushed outward in embarrassment, I chuckled and stroked her head.
“Still, you did well. I really did pick a genius.”
“Really…?”
“You’re the best. Fix what I told you, and you’ll be even cooler.”
“I’ll try! I can do it!”
Suddenly, she whipped out a magazine, swapped it with lightning speed, and reloaded.
One second.
“How is it? Hehe.”
Had she been doing mental simulations this whole time?
I couldn’t hide my surprise.
She absorbed everything instantly.
A true monster genius.
“Good. Keep it up.”
“Yes!”
“Today’s goal—reach the 10th floor. Hit Level 10. And upgrade Gun Mastery to Level 2. Can you do it?”
“Yes!”
“If you succeed, I’ll buy you anything you want.”
“Really!?”
“10th floor, Level 10, Gun Mastery Level 2.”
“Yes! I’ll definitely do it! I’ll protect Uncle’s back!”
I smiled, pulled out the Immortal Demon Sword, and said,
“Then let’s make some money. Who knows what you’ll want to buy—I’d better gather more Magic Stones.”
“Hahahaha!”
Hearing that bright, hearty laugh for the first time, I began collecting Magic Stones.
= = =
5th floor.
6th floor.
7th floor.
By lunchtime, we were only two floors away from our goal.
As Sogoe’s Level rose, her Stats soared.
Click. Click.
She played with the pistol like a toy, pulling the bolt, spinning it lightly.
Bang!
Without warning, she fired into the air.
She wasn’t just calculating recoil anymore—she was overcoming it.
Thud.
A Forest Goblin lurking nearby collapsed instantly.
“It doesn’t die from one shot anymore.”
There was a bullet hole in its head, but Tower difficulty had increased. A single shot wasn’t always lethal now.
“You can’t assume a headshot kills anymore. It’s getting tricky.”
“It’s not that hard. If one shot doesn’t kill them, two or three will.”
She wasn’t scared at all. She was enjoying herself.
“Any difficulty shooting now?”
“No. Thanks to you. Hehe.”
A little monster deserving every bit of her nickname.
“Test time?”
“You don’t have to draw a circle. Just tell me what to hit.”
In under 5 seconds, she assembled the pistol.
Click! Clack!
Another 5 seconds to load it.
Satisfied, she picked up a stone and tossed it at the wall.
Bang!
The stone shattered.
Then—
Bang! Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Ten rapid shots in perfect rhythm.
Every bullet pierced the center of the shattered mark.
“Looks fun?”
“It’s so much fun.”
Her face was glowing.
Then—
Ting.
[Gun Mastery Skill Level has increased.]
[Gun Mastery LV 1 → LV 2]
Not even a day had passed.
She had cleared the day’s goal before noon.
I turned to her.
Her eyes changed.
Ting.
She flicked a bullet into the air with her thumb.
It danced midair—
And slid perfectly into the pistol.
Bang!
She fired.
The bullet pierced straight through a Forest Goblin corpse—through the skull—and embedded itself deep in the ground.
I walked over and lifted the corpse.
The bullet had punched through cleanly.
“Uncle?”
That was Gun Mastery Level 2.
Increased penetration.
Increased destructive power.
I couldn’t help but imagine—
What happens at Level 10?
What was her Gun Mastery in my past life?
“Now it penetrates!”
She beamed.
I smiled back and pulled her into a hug.
“Good job.”
At that moment, the future felt real.
Chung-ho.
The number one guild that swallowed the entire Republic of Korea.
Facing them wouldn’t be just a dream.
It felt possible.