The first 「Breaker」was America's Jamie Adam.
He was a 1st-generation 「Breaker」 who awakened at the same time the 「Demon Lord's Tower」 appeared. A man once called America's hope and hero.
His 「Unique Trait」 was….「Weapon Master」
Adam was humanity's first S-rank 「Breaker」 and a 「Sword Master」.
After that, numerous S-rank ability users began to appear.
One who wields fire to its extreme limit.
One who commands the wind.
One who controls space.
…Even, a holy maiden who wields divine power.
Numerous S-rank 「Breakers」 emerged, and they protected humanity from the 「Demon Lord's Tower」 and the magic beasts.
…And,
now a single Awakened in South Korea has appeared.
A 「Breaker」 with a new and overwhelming 「Unique Trait」 never seen before has appeared.
「Absolute Command」
Of course, no one knows its true nature yet.
***
Ha-min's studio apartment.
Ding!
▶ Unique Trait
―Name: Absolute Command
―Level: Lv.2
―Command List: 2
―Uses Remaining: 1/2
"You can issue absolute commands to a target.
Command List:
― Annihilation
― Summon (Compendium)
"Ah~ So this is Hamin-nim's 「Absolute Command」, is it?"
Surprisingly, Bellamon could see Ha-min's status window.
Now this is something new.
"Can summoned creatures also see their summoner's status window?"
"Private Bel!la!mon! Of course they can, sir. The summoner and summoned creature are connected through magic power. This much is basic."
Huh? That's a bit strange...?
The Tower Era started ages ago, so why hasn't anyone known this until now?
Sure enough, Bellamon provided the answer. And the answer was surprisingly simple.
"That is because all summoned creatures summoned so far have been beings that cannot speak, sir."
"Th-That's right."
Wait... is this guy a genius?
Come to think of it, what existing summoners could summon were mostly animal types. A humanoid type like Bellamon, and a demon at that — there was no precedent to be found.
A summoned creature with high intellectual ability, following 「Absolute Command」….
At that moment,
"Ah! The ramyeon water is way too much!!"
Bellamon was already making a fuss in the kitchen.
Maybe he should take back that "high intellectual" comment.
Anyway,
"Bellamon, do you happen to know anything about this 「Absolute Command」?"
"I do not know."
Bellamon answered sharply. An answer with not a trace of hesitation...
"Come on, at least give it some thought before—"
"I already said I do not know, sir."
Ah, forget it. Let's just drop it.
At that moment,
"Actually…."
"Actually?"
"I have never seen such an incredible Unique Trait before, sir."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. Most previous summoners only went as far as demon summoning, but I have never seen a case like Hamin-nim's before, sir."
"R-Right."
This was something Ha-min agreed with as well.
"So for now, no one must know about this, sir."
"Yes, I think so too. Besides, I still don't know how to use it properly yet."
For now, he needed to get used to using the 「Absolute Command」 skill.
….
"By the way, Hamin-nim."
"Yes?"
"Are you really not going to enter the Tower?"
Bellamon asked again. It seemed he was quite shocked since he had never encountered a summoner who didn't enter the Tower.
"Well… that is…."
Ha-min hesitated. Truthfully, his feelings were split half and half. Half of him wanted to go in, half of him was scared of dying.
"But earlier you said you'd go alone… is that really possible?"
Ha-min asked carefully. If that were possible? The whole story would change completely.
"Of course it is, sir!"
"R-Really?"
"Private Bellamon! I do not tell lies, sir."
A voice tight with discipline. His eyes radiated strong confidence.
"A summoned creature is the summoner's proxy, sir. As long as you have the will, there is no problem with me entering the Tower alone."
"Th-Then… what about the rewards?"
Ha-min's eyes sparkled. This was the most important part. He didn't like danger, but he did like money.
"Of course, all rewards will belong to the summoner, sir. Items and magic stones will both be automatically deposited into Hamin-nim's inventory."
!!!!!!!!
No way. Is there such a sweet deal in this world?
He could just lie comfortably at home while his summoned creature cleared the Tower and earned items for him?
'Wait... isn't this just auto-hunting?'
An auto-hunting program that you only see in games had appeared in reality. And legally, at that.
"R-Really? You're saying I can earn money just by staying at home?"
"That is correct, sir."
"Good heavens…."
Ha-min's jaw dropped. This was the life he had always dreamed of. Becoming a wealthy bum who does nothing.
"Hamin-nim! I, Bellamon! Please trust me just this once, sir. Your wealth and honor! I will take responsibility for them, sir! Loyalty!"
Bellamon beat his chest and shouted. His figure was so gallant that Ha-min almost found himself nodding along without realizing it.
'There's... no reason not to do this, right?'
Zero risk. Infinite returns.
This was a gift from the heavens. There was no need to hesitate any longer.
"Alright! Let's go! To the Tower!"
"Loyalty! You've finally made up your mind, sir!"
Both Ha-min and Bellamon were extremely excited. Bellamon's face, in particular, was noticeably brightened. He seemed genuinely pleased. Like a private who had just received orders for a 100-day leave...
"Then let's depart right away, sir!"
"Ah, w-wait a moment."
No matter how excited he was, leaving like this wouldn't be like Ha-min. He calmed the excited Bellamon down.
"Still, we should prepare a bit first. Let's look up some information about the Tower first."
"Ah. Yes..."
Ha-min sat down in front of his computer. Know your enemy and you'll win a hundred battles. Charging in blindly wasn't Ha-min's style. Well, not that he'd ever done anything to have a "style" to speak of... but anyway, that was that.
He had already forgotten that he was supposed to test 「Absolute Command」. He began checking information about the Tower's 1st floor online.
Just then,
"Why don't I just brief you, sir?"
"Pardon?"
Huh? What is this now?
Bellamon stepped forward in front of Ha-min.
"Loyalty! Private Bellamon! I will now begin the briefing on the Tower's 1st floor."
….
"Ah... Yes... Okay"
And so, Ha-min's studio apartment unexpectedly entered briefing mode.
"First, I will explain the mission on the 1st floor."
Bellamon's tone suddenly shifted.
"Actually, the 1st floor is referred to as the 「Tutorial」, sir. There is only one type of monster that appears — the 「Big-Tooth Rabbit」."
Bellamon's briefing began. Like a seasoned instructor, he continued his explanation without hesitation.
"The mission objective is simple. Hunt 10 「Big-Tooth Rabbits」 located somewhere in the forest area. The time limit is 24 hours."
"Monster hunting... is that it?"
"Yes, that is correct, sir. If you hunt 10 「Big-Tooth Rabbits」, clearing the 1st floor will be considered a success. However, it is not as easy as it sounds."
This part matched what Ha-min had seen on internet communities. But Bellamon's following explanation was far more detailed.
"The 「Big-Tooth Rabbit」 is not very threatening, but due to its thick fur, most normal attacks are not very effective. Therefore, they can only be hunted with attacks infused with an Awakened's magic power — in other words, with magic alone."
"Then what about Awakened without skills?"
"There are no such Awakened, sir. Every Awakened possesses at least one skill."
That was true. Every Awakened could start with at least one basic skill.
"If you land a certain amount of magic power on the 「Big-Tooth Rabbit」, the creature will be destroyed from that stress."
"Ah. S-Stress, huh."
That's an odd way to put it.
"Yes, sir. It doesn't have to be an attack skill. As I mentioned earlier, this is a tutorial. Usually, it can be completed with about 10 to 20 skill uses, sir."
10 to 20 uses — considering mana recovery time, that would take quite a while.
Certainly, even for a new 「Breaker」, that many uses would be enough to get accustomed to their skill. In other words, the 24-hour cooldown was no coincidence.
And according to what Ha-min had looked up, the real problem lay elsewhere.
That was….
"Just leave it all to me, and I'll take care of it in an instant, sir."
???
"Pardon?"
In that instant, Bellamon's eyes sharpened.
"This is where it gets real, sir. In fact, these rabbits have their own unique skill — they share their senses with one another."
"Senses?"
This was information Ha-min had never seen anywhere online. Bellamon's explanation continued….
Ha-min began to focus intently on his explanation.
And after hearing it all, his reaction was….
"Whoa!"
Ha-min's eyes went wide. This was truly astounding information.
Bellamon's explanation was different from the rumors floating around online. He spoke without hesitation, as if he had cleared the 1st floor dozens of times before.
"Bellamon! You really are an expert!!"
At this point, he couldn't deny it. So this was what it meant when people said someone looked completely different? He had only thought of Bellamon as a stiff private, but when it came to the Tower, he was more knowledgeable than an S-rank strategy team leader.
Listening to his explanation, the fear of clearing the Tower melted away like snow, and confidence began to swell.
"Bellamon, your explanation is truly the best."
"Loyalty! This much is basic, sir!"
Bellamon puffed out his chest triumphantly.
Ha-min felt there was no need to hesitate any longer. With an expert like this by his side — no, even if Bellamon went alone — the 1st floor would be a piece of cake.
"Alright. Let's try entering right away."
"Haha! You've finally made up your mind, sir!"
A bright smile spread across Bellamon's face.
The method to enter the Tower was simple. Any Awakened could enter the Tower once a day, regardless of location.
Of course, clearing had to be done in order from the 1st floor. Only after successfully clearing the 1st floor would one be granted the qualification to challenge the 2nd floor.
As Ha-min mentally called out "Tower Entry," a familiar system window appeared before his eyes.
Ding!
【Would you like to enter the Demon Lord's Tower 1st Floor? (Y/N)】
Ha-min chose 'YES' without hesitation.
Immediately, the next message appeared.
【Please select the entrant(s).】
―Kang Ha-min ㅁ
―Bellamon ㅁ
"Oh! This is it!"
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Ha-min's face. As expected, he could select the entrant.
He immediately checked only Bellamon's name.
―Kang Ha-min ㅁ
―Bellamon √
It was a bit shameless, but so what!
Now Bellamon would be transported to the Tower, and he could just wait comfortably at home for the clear to be completed.
It was the perfect auto-hunt.
But….
That was when it happened.
Ding!
【Entry to the Demon Lord's Tower requires both the summoner and the summoned creature to enter.】
"......Huh?"
"Huh?"
What did it just say?
Ha-min's face stiffened at the unexpected message. Bellamon beside him also looked visibly flustered.
"U-um, Bellamon? It says both the summoner and the summoned creature have to enter together?"
When Ha-min asked, Bellamon suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and averted his gaze.
"Ah... well... you see... it seems the system has been updated, sir! It definitely wasn't like this before! Haha…."
Bellamon stammered out excuses in a fluster. But there was no time to mull over his words.
【You will be forcibly moved to the 1st Floor of the Tower in 5 seconds.】
【5…】
【4…】
"Wait! Hey! Hold on! Cancel! Isn't there a cancel?!"
But as they say, in all ages and all countries — there is such a thing as "no takebacks."
【3…】
【2…】
【1…】
Whoosh!
Ha-min's cry faded into an empty echo in the room. His body was enveloped in a red light and vanished in an instant.
Oh, come on….