Climbing the Mythic Tower as a Cheating Administrator - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Cheating Administrator Climbing a Legendary Tower (Prologue)
I was born in a tower. Or more precisely, a Dungeon.
Two weeks earlier than the due date, caught by sudden labor pains en route to the hospital by ambulance, a tower appeared—or rather, a Dungeon did.
Back then, no one truly understood what Awakening was, what an Awakened One meant…
No one knew what this tower, piercing the sky like a spear, was. No one knew what all these Gates sprouting around it like bamboo shoots in spring really were.
Those were times of profound ignorance.
Twenty-eight years ago—you can imagine how chaotic that day must have been.
It was the day the order of the world shifted.
A tower that grants power to humanity.
Dungeons structured in correspondence with each floor of the tower.
Humans called Awakened Ones climbing the tower, Clearing quests.
Hunting monsters in Dungeons.
Fighting or loving one another.
That’s simply the world we became.
Now it’s nothing to marvel at.
So much time has passed that the fact I was called “history’s first child born in a tower or Dungeon,” “awakened the moment I was born”—has become little more than a footnote.
If a single emergency responder hadn’t picked me up and fled, I likely would have died like my parents, torn apart by monsters.
And then no such record would exist at all.
Sad? You ask if I’m sad?
I don’t know—grieving over things you don’t even remember feels like a luxury.
In any case, while the entire world was transforming, there were businesses that thrived rather than collapsed—the Orphanage, for one.
That’s where I met someone special.
Someone far too good for someone like me.
Eight years ago… damn it, if only Ye Rin had never Awakened.
“Just marry me, will you? Trust me?”
“Usually isn’t it the other way around? I’m the one who should be saying that.”
“What does it matter between people who love each other? Besides, what are you going to do with that Awakening Ability of yours?”
“What’s wrong with my Awakening Ability? Want me to show you? Huff…!”
“…Pffft, what are you—? I’ve used it thousands of times and nothing’s ever happened. With Transfer that can’t even send a text message—what exactly are you going to do with that?”
“Well, my heart definitely ‘transferred’ to you loud and clear, didn’t it? Ehehehe.”
“Ugh, so cheesy. Anyway, don’t worry—I’ll go climb the tower and feed us both.”
“…No, don’t. It’s too dangerous. I can make enough money running Dungeons to support us.”
“You’re the one in danger. Besides, how lucky—I’ve just Awakened. There’s nothing to worry about now.”
That was the last thing said.
If only my Awakening Ability—Transfer—had been anything at all.
If only even the heart I’d spoken as a joke could have transferred to her, it would have been better.
What good was being the first to Awaken at birth?
A blessing, born first in a Dungeon?
This pathetic ability? That’s why I told her not to go, how many times did I…
No, I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s not a story worth hearing anyway.
Ah, I didn’t just meet someone special.
I also met a brother—a bit clumsy, but dependable.
Park Hyun Gu. I grew up with him, and we started a business together.
At first, I was just a simple porter in Dungeons.
Then I moved through various odd jobs before finally becoming a professional guide.
There were so many things along the way.
From navigation to monster tactics, traps, stage characteristics—you had to memorize everything cold.
Ultimately, you had to prepare for everything so your clients could safely exit the Dungeon.
After that, people called me—called us—something.
Dungeon Sherpas.
Apparently, they used to hire them when climbing high mountains?
Now nobody really climbs mountains anymore. Not when the Tower exists.
Thrills, honor, power, wealth—and even the chance to transcend physical limits.
Every Awakened One can grow in the Tower.
But you cannot flee or retreat.
A battlefield with no retreat.
Failure means death.
That’s why you go to the Dungeon first—a place with an environment similar to the Tower.
To train for climbing the Tower and gather items at the same time.
That’s ultimately why Dungeon Sherpas are needed.
A person who knows the Dungeon like the back of his hand.
Someone who handles every detail—the procedures, safety, everything from entry to exit through the Gate, and even personal attendant duties.
I’ve been doing this job for thirteen years.
While others climb towers and grow stronger.
I earn money by guiding people through Dungeons.
A man born in a Dungeon now makes his living guiding others through one.
It’s too modest to call it fate, too pitiful to call it aptitude—but what else can I do? I’m just doing what I’m good at.
Living as a Dungeon Sherpa isn’t actually so bad.
Though I can’t say it’s all good, either.
Especially on days like today, when the client shows up forty minutes late without a care in the world—a wealthy conglomerate heir with money to burn.
Mythic Tower Ascent Using an Administrator’s Cheat (1)
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…….
Moo Saeng sat in a chair outside the convenience store, tapping the ground relentlessly with his foot.
Four men in black suits watched him with obvious irritation, but Moo Saeng paid them no mind.
“He is coming, isn’t he?”
Rather, Moo Saeng tilted his head slightly and posed the question.
One of the men in black suits answered him.
“He’s almost here. Just wait.”
“I can wait, of course—but the client specifically demanded everything be finished by six o’clock. If we start this late, won’t I have a harder time inside the Dungeon?”
Moo Saeng tapped his wristwatch and grumbled.
The man in the black suit chuckled and countered.
“Is there anything an ace Sherpa can’t do? Guaranteed client safety. Strict adherence to the conquest timeline. That’s what I’ve heard is Kim Moo Saeng’s pride.”
Moo Saeng—a Dungeon Sherpa so capable he’d earned the nickname “ace.”
Moo Saeng shrugged his shoulders.
“Not that it’s impossible, but the thing is…… it seems like it’ll be harder work, so maybe a special bonus or something? Ah, do I really have to say this myself? Look, if you’d just give me some reassurance—tell me you’ll take care of it—then I can wait comfortably.”
That shameless expression, with a faint smile playing at his lips.
The man in black finally nodded as if he understood.
“Don’t worry. The executive will take care of it. Besides, we’re all climbers who’ve reached the 30th Floor range. Apart from protecting the executive, if time becomes an issue, we can step in ourselves—”
“No, no, that won’t do. This is practice for the young master’s—or rather, the ‘executive’s’—tower ascent. If guardians interfere too much, it defeats the purpose. As a professional Dungeon Sherpa, I’ll do my best with what I’ve been assigned. So please, only—”
Vroom……. A black limousine pulled up in front of the convenience store right on cue.
The four men in black suits quickly formed a line and stiffened their posture—a sight that told Moo Saeng everything.
Moo Saeng sprang from his chair and bowed as soon as the door opened.
“Welcome, sir! I’m Kim Moo Saeng, twenty-nine years old, and I’ll be your guide today—”
“Everything’s ready, right? Let’s go. No time to waste.”
The third-generation heir of Korea’s mid-tier guild, Korea Oneway Group.
Eighteen-year-old Lee Eun Woo spoke without so much as glancing at Moo Saeng.
An apology for being late?
A hint of regret at cutting him off?
There was none of that to be found.
Show any sign of displeasure?
“Yes, then let’s depart!”
Not a chance.
Moo Saeng smiled broadly and took the lead.
He then threw himself at the Gate, from which a thick, dark liquid flowed without end.
* * *
Ever since Dungeons matching the environment and structure of each tower floor were discovered,
people had begun calling specific Gates by the tower level they corresponded to.
This place, the 15th Dungeon, perfectly matched the desert terrain of the 15th Floor of the tower—it too was a desert.
“It’s hot.”
To Lee Eun Woo, who was fanning himself with a hand fan, Moo Saeng handed over a portable fan and an ion drink.
“That’s actually good for us. The 15th Floor Boss doesn’t hunt once the sun goes down. If you actually reach the 15th Floor and it’s night, well—I’d advise you not to waste stamina needlessly and just prep for camp right away. Of course, you’ll want plenty of warming supplies on hand too.”
Then he pressed forward without hesitation.
One of the men in black who had entered as Lee Eun Woo’s guard, in case of emergency, asked,
“Aren’t you using a Mana Compass?”
“No. Using a Mana Compass forces you to go through massive monster spawn zones. It’s convenient for finding your way, but when you need to clear on a schedule like today, it just means going the long way around.”
Moo Saeng didn’t break his stride.
That confident attitude was already enough to confound these 30th Floor climbers—those who had actually conquered the tower’s 15th Floor—but…….
“Wait, then how will you navigate? By defeating all the monsters and clearing away the mana interference first—?”
“I just need to read the grain of the sand, the sun’s position, and which way the wind’s blowing—no worries!”
Their confusion swiftly had to transform into sheer bewilderment.
The grain of sand? The sun’s position? The direction of the wind?
Could anyone divine something from things like that?
By the time his escorts had gathered enough bewilderment between them.
Lee Eun Woo followed Moo Saeng without hesitation.
“You know your way around? Kid who can’t climb the Tower properly.”
“Well, sir. I can’t climb the Tower, true, but I’ve wandered through Dungeons enough to know my way.”
Kid?
Moo Saeng smiled despite the irritation that pricked at him.
“Your Awakening Ability was Transfer, wasn’t it? X Grade?”
Then, tossed out almost carelessly.
Moo Saeng’s footsteps faltered for an instant.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The unique ability granted with Awakening.
The current international standard for Awakening Abilities ranged from F Grade to SSR Grade.
“I saw it on the internet a while back and thought it was hilarious. The first person ever born in a Dungeon, and somehow they end up with this impossible X Grade? That’s not an ability, that’s garbage, right? You’re the only one with X Grade—there’s nobody else like it.”
X Grade did not exist.
Even under the Awakened Ones Association’s rigorous investigation, no ability whatsoever could be confirmed—a grade of unknown meaning and utterly unique in all the world.
“Still, my heart toward you, sir, is like Transfer.”
Not an offensive ability.
Not a defensive one either.
He had no power to climb the Tower alone.
He couldn’t carry his own weight.
Naturally, no party would have him.
He had no opportunity to climb the Tower.
The reason Moo Saeng could even work as a Dungeon sherpa, having started as nothing more than a porter?
“Hah, so the Tower really stopped at the third floor for you? But this—the 15th Dungeon, here—how are you enduring its Mana Pressure?”
The ability to withstand Mana Pressure, which grew stronger at each higher tier.
“I endure it through my body, sir. No Skill, but a strong body and a stronger spirit!”
Moo Saeng struck a bodybuilder’s pose, speaking with playful bravado.
“Ha-haha! Now this is a funny one.”
Lee Eun Woo burst into laughter.
But the atmosphere around them was altogether different.
Park Do Hyun, the escort commander with a record of climbing thirty-seven floors, understood at once.
‘There’s been no sign he’s drunk a Mana Pressure Resistance Potion the whole time. How is this possible? His Tower climbing record can’t be a lie.’
Someone who’d only climbed three floors enduring the Mana Pressure of the 15th Dungeon? Through his body alone?
Mana Pressure didn’t work that way.
‘That said, 137 clear runs through the 15th Dungeon, zero accidents…… taking sherpas up to Fifty-Tier Dungeons—maybe that’s not just rumor, but……’
The nickname “Ace Sherpa” hadn’t been pinned on him for nothing.
Contrary to Park Do Hyun’s growing unease, Lee Eun Woo simply laughed.
“Right, Park? Park really made a good choice. Look at that—Ace Sherpa, and he’s practically a comedian.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Of course, Park Do Hyun couldn’t voice such opinions freely—he simply offered agreeable acknowledgment.
Watching him, Moo Saeng understood something.
‘Oneway. Yeah, these people—they’re tougher than they look, aren’t they?’
Korea Oneway Group: a mid-tier guild of South Korea.
How its internal hierarchy was structured.
That became clearer around three hours after entering the 15th Dungeon.
* * *
In the past, power had always been money and authority.
Money and authority created and shaped secondary byproducts: power.
But now? Raw power itself.
Unrefined, the most primal and direct form of first-order violence.
How value flowed from it, how relationships formed from it—
Lee Eun Woo, grandson of the chairman of Korea Oneway Group, a mid-tier guild of South Korea, understood this very well.
“No drinks?”
“That was the last one you had, sir.”
“Damn it, what kind of sherpa doesn’t come prepared?”
To grow climbing the Tower, one had to ultimately climb on one’s own strength.
Forming a party to challenge raised both difficulty and rewards, true enough—but rewards were distributed according to contribution.
The problem was that only the Tower knew the standard by which contribution was measured.
Established families loathe that kind of uncertainty.
So their logic was simple: prove your mettle through solo play and break through the body’s limits with certainty.
Of course, they don’t just charge in recklessly.
First comes the meticulous stockpiling of consumables and equipment.
Then comes “practice”—building skill while acclimating to the environment.
In the Dungeon.
Which meant, inevitably, you needed a Sherpa.
“I have water—would you like some?”
Someone who knew the Dungeon’s layout inside out, memorized monster behavior patterns.
Navigation, hazard management, pacing strategy, customer service—the Sherpa handled it all.
“Christ, you moron. If you had water, you should’ve offered it right away. A real Sherpa brings things before he’s asked.”
Lee Eun Woo understood this world perfectly.
One of two spare water containers—he drained it in greedy gulps and hurled the empty vessel to the ground without the slightest hesitation.
Moo Saeng’s eyebrow twitched for just an instant.
“Push a little harder, sir. With your skill, the Boss should be a one-shot, so in under an hour and a half—”
“Hey, what’s that?”
Moo Saeng’s carefully courteous briefing was cut short.
Lee Eun Woo pointed at something.
A structure, standing stark against the direction they’d been heading—off to one side.
This time, Moo Saeng’s brow creased visibly.
“……I’ve never seen that before.”
Stone construction. A shrine?
Moo Saeng turned his gaze to the others.
Park Do Hyun and all the escorts shook their heads.
“……There’s nothing like that in the survey data for the 15th Dungeon.”
“I’ve cleared this level myself and never saw that building, sir.”
Yet Lee Eun Woo’s eyes lit up at these words.
“Nobody knows about it? Then we have to check it out! There’s definitely a hidden Artifact in there!?”
An unknown place no one had found.
Treasure—surely.
Moo Saeng immediately shut down this painfully simple logic.
“No, sir. That’s dangerous.”
“How would you know if it’s dangerous?”
Lee Eun Woo pushed back.
Moo Saeng answered calmly.
“I started carrying loads at sixteen, and I’ve been to the 15th Dungeon over a hundred times since. I’ve never seen anything like this, sir.”
He drove the point home: this wasn’t his first or second visit.
The implication was clear—this kind of anomaly was not normal, and therefore dangerous.
“Which is exactly why we need to go! Park, back me up here. We’ve got four people who’ve climbed past the 30th level—what could possibly go wrong in the 15th?”
Lee Eun Woo had no intention of listening.
With four escort employees in tow, his arrogance had no limits.
Moo Saeng barely suppressed a sigh before issuing his warning.
“My principle is never to approach unknown structures. If you insist on going, then from this point forward, you assume full responsibility—”
“Jesus, you’re reading the room wrong. Look, I’ll pay you extra. Just keep quiet and guide us. What are you doing turning down easy money? You’re just a Sherpa, for—”
In one fluid motion, Moo Saeng spun and blocked Lee Eun Woo’s path.
“—What, what are you doing!? Trying to pick a fight!?”
Lee Eun Woo jerked back in shock, raising his weapon.
Moo Saeng met his gaze and spoke with perfect composure.
“Don’t move.”
“……What?”
“There’s a monster nearby that reacts to sand vibrations. Five steps ahead and to your left from where you’re standing. If you step there, it surfaces immediately.”
A low voice. Brief explanation.
Yet in that single sentence, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
Lee Eun Woo, Park Do Hyun, and all the escorts immediately lowered their eyes to the ground.
Moo Saeng pointed at the sand.
“Look closely. The surface appears fine, but see how the grain is subtly different in that spot? In an actual exploration, the moment you notice a pattern like that, you stop immediately.”
“……Right. Understood.”
The atmosphere had shifted in an instant.
Moo Saeng looked past Lee Eun Woo at Park Do Hyun and the other escorts.
“And that place over there……. It breaks my principle, but I’ll do my best to guide you safely.”
It’s a request from your superiors.
Park Do Hyun had nothing to say but to nod in agreement.
“Y-yes, let’s go, quickly!
Lee Eun Woo was already running ahead.
The structure of a temple.
Massive serpents carved in relief flanked the entrance on both sides.
Thud, thud, thud…….
A cool, silent air entirely unlike the desert swallowed the six of them whole.
“Park! Shine your flashlight over there.”
“Ah, yes.”
Even so, Lee Eun Woo sounded as thrilled as if he were on a picnic.
He had his subordinates aim their lights at whatever caught his eye.
Meanwhile, he recorded video on his own smartphone.
“These days, even tycoons have to know how to use social media. You know? I didn’t become head of marketing and PR for nothing.”
Lee Eun Woo added a comment to justify himself, as if to insist he wasn’t just fooling around.
Park Do Hyun replied with affirmations, playing along.
The escort team pressed deeper while maintaining sharp vigilance.
Moo Saeng did the same, naturally.
But even they should have understood.
That there were things no amount of caution could reveal.
Ssssshhhhh.
“Eh!? Did you see it? Did you? That snake pattern on the wall just moved! How can carved stone move—”
“Don’t touch it!”
The instant Lee Eun Woo’s hand brushed the relief serpent on the wall.
Rummmmmmmble─────…….
A deafening roar accompanied the closing of the door.
What little natural light had been seeping in vanished entirely.
And in that moment.
[The serpent’s master demands a blood offering.]
An identical holographic window appeared before all six of them.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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