Juhyeok summoned Mad Demon.

The moment it appeared, it seemed to sense something.

“Summoner. A new beginning, indeed.”

“Welcome. Has the inhibition been lifted?”

Mad Demon shook its head.

“Only slightly. It is still blocked. All that remains is the sense that Tower clearing will not look the same as it has until now.”

What would change?

“Um... even the exact mission for Floor 71?”

“Only a feeling remains. And the feeling I had then was...”

“What is it?”

Mad Demon continued after a moment’s thought.

“You will be very troubled, Summoner. You will need to make a decision.”

Why does everything keep coming back to “troubled”?

Come to think of it, Cossack mentioned it once, too.

That it was troublesome to deal with.

Well, I’d know once I went up, but—

To be honest, I hadn’t planned to climb Floor 71 anytime soon.

Because once you entered, you had to clear it no matter what.

If you left or abandoned the mission, you couldn’t get an S++ clear rank, you couldn’t get the badge, and you couldn’t get the perks.

And the biggest obstacle of all:

the six-month clear deadline.

Clearing fast meant losing out.

But Season 2 had started.

The restriction on clearing was gone.

They said clearing a new floor would add to the clear deadline, so it wasn’t like I couldn’t do it.

And then there were the items.

Juhyeok knew because the other summoned entities had already explained them.

The Ring of Appearance Transformation, the Potion of Disease Treatment, the Rejuvenation Elixir, and the Liberation Rune Necklace.

Juhyeok explained the items to Mad Demon.

“...The Liberation Rune Necklace?”

“Yes.”

“That has already appeared?”

“They said it’s given as a gift.”

“Heh.”

Mad Demon’s brow knotted hard.

“Crafty bastards.”

“Who?”

“Who else? The ones who made this situation.”

“...Right.” 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

So who the hell are they?

“I cannot explain the details.”

Ugh. Why are there so many things you can’t explain?

“However, I do know when these items are supposed to appear.”

When?

“Around the time the world is ending. Items that accelerate Tower Collapse. Items that become the cause of conflict between nations and Players, discord between civilians and Players, war between nations—items that become the source of all that turmoil.”

That sounded about right.

They make you younger, cure diseases, and let Players manifest Tower abilities in reality while staying hidden.

There’s no way greed wouldn’t flare up.

Players would do anything to get them.

And civilians would burn with desire, too.

“In the end, you won’t even need the Liberation Rune. The world becomes like the Tower.”

This keeps getting bigger.

What do I do?

“First, I’ll go to Floor 71 and—”

“Summoner.”

“Yeah?”

“Before that, let us go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“A floor with many monsters would be good. Preferably bipedal ones—and ones that are somewhat strong.”

Where fits?

Orcs or trolls... or ogres and minotaurs—

“A floor with minotaurs would be suitable.”

So Juhyeok and the summoned entities entered Floor 35.

The mission was—

[Floor 35 Mission: Kill 80 minotaurs of any kind and 1 Minotaur King.]

But why are we here?

“Now that the Liberation Rune Necklace has been released, there is much more this old man can do.”

Again?

Is that good?

“Summoner. What combat skills do you currently have? Excluding Blood Jade Steel Aura.”

What was it again?

[Combat Skills]: Shadow Step / Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod / Blood Jade Steel Aura

“Shadow Step and Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod.”

This pathetic Status Window.

People said others had dozens of combat skills at minimum—even before counting Trait skills.

“That is enough. Then you should catch minotaurs yourself.”

...What?

“...Me?”

“Use only Shadow Step and Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod. Take out your weapon as well.”

“Ah. Yes, yes.”

This was new.

Mad Demon was the first summoned entity to tell me to hunt monsters myself.

‘Hmm.’

But like anyone else, once the stage is set, you hesitate.

‘Why is it suddenly telling me to fight?’

Just a while ago, it was telling me to hide quietly in the back.

Did I come here for nothing?

I should’ve hunted orcs.

First off, I was overwhelmed by the size.

It had been a long time since I’d hunted monsters.

Even back when I cleared minotaurs, they were so huge I’d never even tried anything above Stage 3...

And that Minotaur King.

Over 19 feet tall—slightly smaller than Meatshield when enlarged.

‘Am I really going to kill that?’

I glanced back.

The summoned entities were watching me with awkward, anxious eyes.

‘...Come on. At least try to stop me.’

Then, in the next instant—

Swoosh. Mad Demon caught my left wrist.

“Do not worry. I will always be at your side. Let us begin with Shadow Step.”

Right. My big brother’s beside me—what am I afraid of?

It’s not like I’ll die.

And it’s even holding my wrist like this.

Juhyeok pulled an adamant metal mace from the Inventory.

A weapon bought from the Player Shop.

No option effects, but sturdy.

‘Let’s go.’

Shadow Step toward the minotaur.

SWAT! SPOT! SWA-SWAT!

Juhyeok closed in, leaving afterimages.

Mad Demon moved with him, still holding his wrist.

‘...Huh.’

Running while holding hands with another man feels a little weird.

SPAPAPOT!

“Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod.”

“Yessir!”

Three forms in Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod—Form 1, Thunderbolt Pursues the Soul.

PACHICHICH...

Lightning power coiled around the mace.

He leapt and smashed the back of a Stage 1 minotaur’s head—

CRACK!

“Ummmoo...”

It toppled.

Oh yeah! Nothing to it. I panicked for no reason.

Mad Demon nodded.

“Well done. Let us do a few more.”

“Yessir!”

I’ll take as many as you want.

My confidence came back.

The alpha male instinct twitched.

SPOT! SPAPAPOT!

Even Shadow Step grew faster—cleaner.

Juhyeok moved in a blur.

And Mad Demon matched his steps while holding his hand.

Hand in hand.

SPOT! SPAPOT!

Dancing with Mad Demon.

SPOT! SPAPOT!

A Shadow Step waltz together.

The forms of Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod bloomed from the mace.

PACHIT! PACHIT!

Thunderbolt Pursues the Soul, Thunderbolt Scatters—and the cooldown finisher, Thunderbolt Flash.

CRACK!

Stage 1 and Stage 2 minotaurs—he hopped and cracked their skulls.

“Umm...”

Stage 3 and Stage 4 minotaurs—he launched himself hard—

CRAAACK!

“Moaaa...”

He fell into hyper-focus, smashing through them without pause—

“Enough. Let us go outside.”

“...Huh? We just started. I can kill more.”

“It is enough.”

What can you do? Abandon the mission and leave.

SPOT!

Juhyeok and the group appeared in the penthouse.

Mad Demon was still holding his wrist.

Then it said—

“Skills learned in the Tower are best understood as a kind of automatic macro. The system is built that way.”

A martial artist of the rivers and lakes even knows macros.

“For that reason, when a Player simply calls the name, it fires automatically. Even without conscious effort, magic power moves on its own.”

“But no matter how much it is a macro, for a skill to truly fire, magic power must still transform and move within your body.”

I got it.

Blood Jade Steel Aura inside the Tower and Blood Jade Steel Aura in reality had different activation principles.

In reality, Blood Jade Steel Aura required operating internal formulas, transforming qi, and emitting it outward in a formed sequence.

“So this old man observed how your magic power transforms in the Tower—what routes it takes, and how you operate it.”

Was that why it held my wrist?

“Now you must unfold it with true internal power, Summoner—based on the Heaven-and-Earth Unity Art you learned in reality.”

“...Ah!”

But can I unfold Shadow Step with internal power?

Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod, maybe—but Shadow Step?

“There is a saying: all streams return to one source. No matter how many paths there are, they eventually merge into one.”

In that instant—

SWOOOONG!

Mad Demon’s vast internal power flowed into Juhyeok through the pulse gate.

“Walk.”

That power moved into his lower body.

Energy gathered into the Yongcheon point in his soles—

He moved one foot without thinking.

SWAT! SWA-SWAT!

Shadow Step unfolded in the penthouse living room.

SWA-SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!

It works. I did it.

“Remember the flow of qi. Learn the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) operating method with your body.”

SWA-WA-SWAT! SWA-SWAT!

Afterimages formed with each step.

Even if it felt like dancing with Mad Demon, I could use Shadow Step outside the Tower.

Applause burst out.

“Awesome! You can run away great even outside!”

“Miss, only now does my heart feel at ease. Who could ever chase Master Bong?”

“Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber. Efficient tactical maneuver.”

“Light! Bless my lord!!!”

Rajix got excited too and followed Juhyeok’s movements.

Rolling this way—roll roll—rolling that way—roll roll.

At some point, Mad Demon released Juhyeok’s wrist.

Juhyeok was using Shadow Step alone.

This is fun.

Shadow Step unfolded with internal power.

A different feeling than inside the Tower.

No matter how wide the penthouse living room was, moving like this made it feel too small.

I wanted to use it freely somewhere open.

Juhyeok sank deeper into a trance.

And then—

Cossack shouted, frantic.

“HURK!!! It’s the Minotaur King!”

“...What?”

In the next instant—

SSSSS!

A huge shadow approached from behind Juhyeok.

“W-what! Holy shit, you scared me!”

Pure instinct.

Energy gathered into the mace.

PACHIT! Thunderbolt Pursues the Soul—

SWOOOSH! WHAM! RING!

“...Huh?”

It was Meatshield.

“...”

Juhyeok’s mace had smashed Meatshield’s head.

Meatshield stared back, blank-faced.

Maybe because we’d just been killing minotaurs, and something big appeared, so my body swung on its own—

“Why are you there?”

“...The assassin pushed me.”

That evil Cossack.

“Oops! It was Meatshield. It’s so big I thought it was the Minotaur King. Hehehehe.”

“...”

Should I hit him?

“...Doesn’t it hurt?”

“A warrior does not hurt. Hit me as much as you want.”

That felt... strange.

That was my best shot.

So it’s not even cool?

“Kyah! As expected, it’s Meatshield. Summoner Bong, hit him a few more times to test if it works well.”

“Should I?”

“Yessir!”

Juhyeok closed in on Cossack fast.

SWA-SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!

“Eek? Why me?”

“You said to test if it works well.”

“H-hit Meatshield.”

“No.”

“AAAH! N-no, then Bardin at least—he likes getting hit too!”

SWA-SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!

Juhyeok chased. Cossack fled.

“Freeze!”

“So what?”

Are we playing freeze tag?

Rajix rolled in too, rolling along.

“WAAH! Tag!”

We are not playing freeze tag.

The penthouse living room filled with the shadows of Juhyeok and Cossack.

Liberation Rune Necklace?

Juhyeok was already liberated.

‘Still... I can’t hit Cossack.’

Shadow Step is whose skill?

But Cossack’s fate was already decided.

SNATCH!

Meatshield grabbed Cossack by the collar in a flash.

“...Eek?”

Then a thick finger to the forehead—

Flick.

WHAAAM!

Meatshield’s flick came with an explosion.

Cossack’s head snapped back.

“Ghk!”

THUD!

He sprawled out flat on the living room floor.

The summoned entities watched with satisfied expressions.

Mad Demon let out a short laugh and said to Juhyeok—

“Summoner. Clear Floor 71 without me.”

“Why?”

“Because they are enough.”

“Then Mad Demon—”

Wouldn’t it be easier together?

“In the martial world, there is a proverb. A warrior must always hide three-tenths of their strength. Whether inside the Tower or outside it, you must pierce the enemy’s blind spot at the decisive moment.”

“Ah.”

“I am your hidden card, Summoner. Three-tenths of your strength.”

No, you’re not.

To me, you’re closer to seven-tenths.

Anyway, you did great. I should pin a badge on you.

“Hrm. My chest grows heavy.”

Mad Demon’s manifestation limit of three hours was up.

With a satisfied smile, it returned to the other world.

Now it’s time to prepare for Floor 71.

First, a call with Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.

I had to notify him I intended to clear Floor 71.

The TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION was probably in chaos already.

With World Notices going off like that.

In that instant—

ZZZIIIING!

My phone rang.

It was Jeon Gwangil.

‘Huh? I was about to call first.’

I answered.

“Hello?”

Player Bong, I have a request.

“Huh? What—”

Go up to Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 71 immediately and secure the four items.

“Oh, I was going to climb anyway. And while I’m at it, I’ll try clearing too. That’s fine, right?”

As much as you want. The clear deadline has lost its meaning now. In any case, once you secure the items, do not hand them over to anyone. Keep them in your Inventory.

“Hm.”

Especially the Liberation Rune Necklace...

Huh. He sounded like he knew what it was.

“Hey. Do you know what the Liberation Rune Necklace is used for?”

I’m not certain, but I have a strong suspicion.

“How?”

There hadn’t been any explanation.

Have you watched YouTube recently?

“No.”

Check it. It has as many views as the video of you disciplining Japan’s anti-Korea protesters. Search for ‘China Beijing Tiananmen.’

What is this?

“I’ll look now.”

Juhyeok opened the YouTube app on his tablet.

As soon as he typed it in, several videos popped up with tens of millions of views.

Tiananmen Square in China.

It looked like an ordinary video.

A Chinese streamer introducing the square.

Then someone suddenly appeared behind—

SWOOOOSH!

A figure crossed the plaza at a terrifying speed.

How can a person be that fast?

Is it edited?

But there were too many similar videos.

From the side, from behind, from rooftops, from other places—

It’s not edited. They were all captured by chance. The running man has been confirmed as the Chinese Player Bai Long.

“...A Player?”

Yes. Bai Long’s Trait is [Rapid Dash]. He is presumed to have climbed to Floor 71 using Tower Jumping Tickets and obtained the four items.

So he used the Liberation Rune Necklace.

There are also rumors that something happened to Chairman Wang Yuan, China’s new Chairman. Public security and the People’s Liberation Army have designated Bai Long as a dangerous person and are currently pursuing.

I understood.

The conflict had begun.

A dispute between nations and Players.

*****

Juhyeok understood why Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil told him to secure the four items.

If someone was going to take them anyway, he must have decided it was better if Juhyeok did.

So Juhyeok waited about three hours, then entered Floor 71.

With Blood Wolf included—Cossack, Meatshield, Gyeon Dallae, Rajix, Veronica Caliber, and Lucius Bardin.

Mad Demon was the hidden card.

Let’s clear it and come back.

Would a World Notice ring out again...?

[You are entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 71.]

At last—my first entry.

[You have reached Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 71 for the first time.]

So?

[A congratulatory gift set of four items will be granted to your Inventory.]

‘Oh.’

[Ring of Appearance Transformation will be granted to your Inventory.]

[Potion of Disease Treatment will be granted to your Inventory.]

[Rejuvenation Elixir will be granted to your Inventory.]

[Liberation Rune Necklace will be granted to your Inventory.]

No World Notice.

No Global Notice, either.

But that was even scarier.

No one would know who obtained them.

‘Should I go get the mission?’

What is the Floor 71 mission?

What if an S++ clear rank is hard?

There is a way.

A start-pack item received from accumulating 70 Platinum Badges.

<Tower Clear Mission Reset Ticket>

This is an item tied to S++ clear rank and Platinum Badges.

A ticket that grants one more chance when failure is expected.

If it comes to it, I’ll reset.

‘But... where am I?’

They said “a new beginning,” and the entry location is strange too.

‘Inside a house?’

It looked like a log cabin.

There was a door leading out in front.

Inside seemed like a safe zone.

‘Do I have to go outside?’

Juhyeok grabbed the doorknob.

Then—DING! The mission appeared.

[Floor 71 Basic Mission: Kill 20 members of the Pommelle Mercenary Company.]

[Floor 71 Additional Optional Mission: Kill Vice-Captain James of the Pommelle Mercenary Company.]

[Floor 71 High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Kill Captain Pommelle of the Pommelle Mercenary Company.]

[Floor 71 Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission: Kill Necromancer Kate.]

[Completion Condition: Pommelle Mercenary Company members 0/20]

[Completion Time Limit: Within 10 hours.]

What is this?

Even if the mission assignment method changed, fine—

“...They’re people?”

Really?

“They are people.”

“Humans.”

“Easy. Just give the order. I do it all.”

“It is an easy mission. Do not worry.”

“Sniping is ready.”

“WAAH...”

No, you idiots.

It’s not about easy or hard.

It’s telling me to kill people.

‘This is troublesome.’

I suddenly want to abandon the mission.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────