Chapter 7
Living Alone but Too Strong
Speedrun
To invite Venti to my apartment,
To climb the tower and expand my apartment,
I had been making all sorts of fuss for nearly a week.
And this…
Was a very, very, extremely, incredibly effective strategy.
Why such a commotion?
Crack! Crack!
“Hyahhh!”
“Kyuueeek!”
Right in front of me, Venti—no, Great Venti—was relentlessly smashing monsters.
Watching that, could I possibly stay calm?
[Player Ha Minho has leveled up from 12 to 13!]
[Player Ha Minho has leveled up from 13 to 14!]
[From 14 to 15…]
Every time he sliced through a neck, messages popped up.
Just hearing them warmed my heart and got me hyped.
And me? What was I doing?
“Hmmm… this one’s a bit strong.”
Since I was on the bus, I diligently assisted the driver.
Trailing behind Venti, I harvested mana crystals from the monsters’ bodies.
“Venti, here.”
“Yum!”
Sweet, sour, savory—various snacks I had prepared went straight into Venti’s mouth, my little way of giving him a buff.
My own little buff.
Being a polite bus passenger, in other words.
And another plus: this time, the situation was better than last time…
‘The second floor is less crowded.’
Compared to the first floor, which was basically a tutorial area, the second floor was several times larger.
Guild players who had claimed the hunting grounds mostly congregated near the dungeon entrances that appeared randomly.
(Apparently, hunting there was more efficient for the time spent.)
Because of these two factors, the field was relatively free.
So why not just stick to less efficient hunting grounds?
‘The bus driver is just that good.’
“Hyahhh!”
Shraaash!
“Kkyyeeek!”
When Venti swung his axe, three or four monsters were cut in half in a single blow.
Carnivorous plants like Florin,
‘Hob Goblins’—several times stronger than regular goblins,
Orc warriors, and so on…
Monsters that any newbie would flee from were being shredded.
Like leaves falling in a storm, they went down without concern for efficiency.
‘Ahhh, this feels so good. I love it.’
My lips curled into a smile, excitement rising.
About two hours into the tower, I had already picked up mana crystals worth roughly three million won.
The money I had “invested” to decorate my apartment was already fully recovered—and then some.
‘…This is life.’
All my life, I had struggled, scraped, and clawed just to make money.
Three million won?
It would take a month of grueling work just to earn that.
Yet here, trailing behind Venti, I made it in a few hours.
‘Sweet… so sweet it could rot my teeth.’
Of course, this wasn’t all I did.
To keep the bus running smoothly, I had to know the routes.
Between Venti’s hunting, if time permitted, I studied the tower.
“Let’s see…”
I pulled out my smartphone and checked the “World Tree Wiki,” accessible only to players.
Know thyself, know thy enemy, win every battle.
Since I needed to climb the tower diligently to expand my apartment, I crammed as much knowledge into my head as possible.
The first thing I learned:
‘The tower changes themes every 10 floors.’
The World Tree Tower had several thematic levels, like an amusement park.
Floors 1–10 were called “Fantasia,” a classic medieval fantasy world.
Floors 11–20 were “Apolad,” an apocalyptic world mixing fantasy and reality.
And the third level, currently floors 21–30 under Korea’s conquest, was…
‘Abyssrium, filled with void monsters.’
Just skimming it was terrifying.
Monsters spitting corrosive saliva,
monsters dragging humans underground to lay eggs in their bodies…
The wiki was full of horrifying details.
Most alarming:
[According to estimates by the Korean Player Association, approximately 4,900 players have died in the World Tree Tower.]
Nearly 5,000 deaths in the tower.
Player numbers were about 100,000 in total.
Excluding those who couldn’t climb due to low talent… that’s a horrifyingly high death rate.
‘So insanely dangerous.’
And I felt it anew.
“Hyahhh!”
Had Venti not been calmly cutting down monsters,
I wouldn’t have dared near the tower at all.
At least one thing went in my favor.
“Kyaaahhh!”
From behind, I spotted a Hob Goblin approaching, probably sneaking.
Glinting red eyes, saliva dripping from its maw.
Thwack!
Its twin axes aimed straight for my chest.
‘Well, that’s convenient.’
I tracked the axes’ trajectory and rolled aside.
Shraaash!
They grazed my shoulder, spraying blood into the air.
It hurt, but I didn’t panic.
“Hutcha!”
Thud!
I tripped it, breaking its balance.
“Huh!”
Crack!
From above, an axe thundered down, decapitating the Hob Goblin.
“You okay, Minho? Looks like you got hit.”
“Ah, I’m fine. Just a scratch.”
I pulled out a low-tier potion bought in town and poured it over the wound.
Shiiish!
The smoke and liquid healed it instantly, washing away the blood.
This was minor; I’d gotten similar wounds from manual labor before.
Then Venti clapped his hands.
“Minho, you seem more talented than I thought!”
“What talent?”
“Combat talent! That move just now was amazing.”
“Eh… no, it’s just stats, not talent.”
I waved him off.
Thanks to riding the bus with Venti so diligently, my level was 17.
From this, I had 16 status points: 10 in health, 6 in agility.
Far from the balanced stat allocation recommended by the player community.
That’s why I dodged attacks and avoided fatal damage.
Why did I do it this way?
‘Survival comes first.’
I was an F-rank player certified by the association, with no combat skills.
Killing enemies was Venti’s job.
Mine was to survive without getting in the way, even if it meant dumping stats into survival.
Yet…
“No, Minho! This is incredible! That wasn’t just high stats!”
Venti, apparently, refused to accept that.
“Alright, alright.”
Why the overestimation?
Me, doing chores for ten years, having combat talent?
Ridiculous.
While we argued, my stomach growled.
“Ba… baaaarely… full…”
Venti’s stomach made a loud sound.
“Shall we eat first?”
“Good!”
He bounced in place, ears perked.
Even objectively, it was cute… though covered in blood.
A little later, under the shade of a tree.
“Mmm, mmm, so tasty… triangle kimbap! Cup ramen!”
Venti happily munched on snacks.
Even if ordinary, seeing him enjoy it made me want to feed him more.
Like a grandma during holidays, feeding her grandchildren until they’re stuffed…
I chuckled.
“Eat as much as you want. I brought plenty.”
“Mm! Are you eating, Minho?”
“I’m not that hungry. This is enough.”
I chewed an energy bar with one hand.
“Yummy, yummy.”
Venti continued devouring his food.
Meanwhile, I pulled out my phone to check the next tasks,
as carefully as adjusting a part-time work schedule.
Every minute with Venti had to be used wisely.
‘Status window… how much time left for Venti?’
[Guest Venti’s remaining time: 3 hours 12 minutes]
Already two and a half hours in.
Perhaps because I treated him better than last time,
his stay time had nearly doubled.
So I still had plenty of time.
My goal was to clear the second floor today.
But a slight problem:
‘The second floor can’t be cleared recklessly like the first.’
Unlike the first floor tutorial,
from the second floor onward, you can’t just rush the boss room.
There’s a scenario, and you need fame to reach the boss room.
As explained:
‘You must earn at least 3 fame points on the second floor to reach the boss room.’
I checked the player wiki.
Over ten second-floor scenarios were neatly summarized:
The Mad Lab, Aristocrat’s Game, etc.
Each scenario listed storylines and strategies.
‘Most give minor rewards and 1 fame.’
A few gave 2 fame, but were harder.
Low-talent players could do three 1-fame scenarios,
high-level players could do two 2-fame scenarios plus one 1-fame.
But I had no intention.
‘No time, let’s go all in.’
14. [Necromancer of the Black Sun]
-
Former priest of the Sun Cult, whose master was killed by Venti’s lord… turned to dark magic to resurrect him: Necromancer Clidian.
-
Residents of the city Venton are enslaved by dark magic, trapped between life and death.
-
Features: extremely difficult combat, essentially impossible to clear.
(Do not enter this scenario.) -
Difficulty: Unthinkable
-
Estimated fame: 3+
Estimated fame is 3+.
Clear condition is simple: just kill the boss.
Combat difficulty is extreme.
Community reactions:
[Sayilman: “Necromancer of the Black Sun? Not made to be beaten lol”]
[jangbob: “Recommended only if you want to commit suicide”]
[Cumtata: “Even S-rank with full gear can’t beat it”]
[GuiltyPleasure: “Undead respawn in 4s per second, numbers keep growing”]
In short: only attempt if you want to die.
Even S-ranks failed and ran.
But…
‘Even better.’
Simple fight?
Venti’s here, what’s the problem?
I had a strong feeling this scenario was made for me.
I grinned and asked:
“Hey, Venti.”
“Hmm? What is it, Minho?”
Venti chewed like a hamster and said:
“Back in your world… did you fight necromancers or summoners a lot?”
“Yeah! At least hundreds. Why do you ask?”
Hundreds, he said.
Creepy words, but…
‘Long live the Infinite Apartment, long live Venti.’
A smile tugged at my lips.
