TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION, Korea.

Bong Juhyeok’s Floor 72 S+++ clear, announced through a World Notice.

Another 180 days stacked.

On the huge LED screen in the Administration lobby, the words “Tower Collapse time limit: 527 days” were floating there.

A year and a half left.

Just looking at it put my mind at ease.

The elite Players coming and going through the Administration seemed the same.

Because the burden of climbing the uncleared upper floors had eased a lot.

Nobody could complain even if they just climbed floors that matched their skill level and did nothing but farm high-grade Magic Stones or items.

High-grade Magic Stones.

The price set by the Administration was double that of normal Magic Stones.

The amount mined in the Tower wasn’t that large.

That was, until Summoner Bong started handing them over by the ton.

Now they’d secured an enormous supply.

Enough to use commercially.

As if that weren’t enough, inquiries were pouring in from all sorts of research institutes and companies.

Even from overseas.

Jeon Gwangil, called in by Park Kyungsoo, knocked on the Commissioner’s office door.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

“Commissioner, did everything wrap up well at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”

The French special envoy delegation still hadn’t left Korea.

Because the curse had been lifted and there was plenty of time.

Park Kyungsoo spoke with a sullen face.

“Those French bastards still haven’t come to their senses.”

“Did the negotiations not go well?”

“At first, it was going smoothly. The money, returning cultural artifacts, lowering export tariffs on wyvern-leather products—stuff like that.”

“And then?”

“Then, while they were the ones asking for help, they started demanding something ridiculous.”

Jeon Gwangil tilted his head and asked.

“What...?”

“The Liberation Rune Necklace and the Ring of Appearance Transformation.”

“...Pardon?”

“They told us to climb Floor 71 and hand them over.”

“Ha!”

What a joke.

“These arrogant pricks—like we’re holding their stuff for them. They should be grateful we’re clearing Floor 70 for them, but instead they want us to go up to Floor 71 and bring them a Liberation Rune Necklace?”

Commissioner Park took another sip of water and continued.

“Well, there’s a part of me that understands France’s position, too.”

“Which part?”

“The Liberation Rune Necklace, you know... it’s kind of like a nuclear weapon.”

A nuclear weapon?

What kind of nonsense was that?

“Let’s say two hostile countries are at war. If a Player frees their abilities with a Liberation Rune Necklace and infiltrates the enemy country to assassinate key government figures or military commanders... can you stop it?”

You couldn’t.

You’d get hit and there’d be nothing you could do.

Especially with the Ring of Appearance Transformation in the mix.

“It might be a forced analogy, but just like you can only deter nukes with nukes, the Liberation Rune Necklace works the same way.”

The purpose of wanting to possess a Liberation Rune Necklace:

If your country’s Player pulls something with it, then we’ll send a Player wearing a Liberation Rune Necklace, too.

Obviously, it was a ridiculous comparison.

How could you compare nuclear weapons to a rune necklace?

Still, Jeon Gwangil agreed there were similar parts.

Because you couldn’t deny it was a dangerous item.

“So they said if we just bring them the necklace and ring, they’ll give us anything we want. They even said we could keep the Rejuvenation Elixir and the Potion of Disease Treatment.”

“...What do you think, Commissioner?”

Commissioner Park shook his head hard.

“I’m against it. If Summoner Bong takes the necklace and hands it to France for them, we get tangled up in it. What if something happens because of that necklace?”

Right.

We should refuse, no matter what.

If they need it, they can climb themselves.

If they don’t have a Player who can climb, then they can use a Tower Jumping Ticket or something.

“Oh, right! When are we starting the item sales?”

“We should release them on the Player Shop as early as today.”

The massive quantity of Tower reward items Bong Juhyeok had entrusted to them—there was no comparison to what the workshops produced.

Where did he even get that many items?

That was just the kind of person he was.

Some little Rejuvenation Elixir? Potion of Disease Treatment?

Not even worth a glance.

He was a Player who casually got his hands on even a Liberation Rune Necklace.

The benefits he handed out started with domestic Players.

The number of Players active in the Republic of Korea was around ten thousand, even excluding North Korean Players.

Even if the item drop rate rose across all floors of Korea’s Black Tower, it still wasn’t enough to meet demand.

Thanks to Summoner Bong, Players would gear up with high-quality equipment and climb the Tower more safely.

They planned to supply these people first, then turn to overseas sales.

There was nothing dangerous about it.

Because Tower-Only items were just ordinary cold weapons with no option effects in the real world.

Then they’d move on to overseas sales.

They planned to use Rajix Trading.

And they’d charge more.

“Commissioner, did you look into the building Summoner Bong asked for?”

“Yeah. There’s a decent building on the market around Gangnam. Sixty-one floors. But the price is...”

“How much are they asking?”

“After negotiations, 1.3 trillion won.”

“...Hm.”

Was that too expensive?

Might have to take out a loan.

I should ask later.

*****

I took it easy for a few days with my summoned entities.

I lazed around at home, and when I got bored, I went out.

I kept pushing Floor 73 off.

Because it wasn’t urgent.

Sure, I did want to see what the mission would be... but even Meatshield didn’t seem all that desperate, either.

Right now, I was at the Namyangju villa.

I made a garden with Rajix.

Planted lettuce, potatoes and sweet potatoes, flowers and trees, too.

My versatile Rajix.

Like the farmhand he was, he was good at farming, too.

There was nothing he couldn’t do.

Gyeon Dallae was busy, too.

With help from Meatshield and Cossack, she stretched sacred straw rope with talismans around the perimeter of the land I owned, and set up totem poles.

“This is the sacred domain where Master Bong resides. I shall ensure no vulgar beasts or outsiders may enter freely.”

As expected, my Princess.

The barren land was gradually turning impressive.

I was also planning to have Jeon Gwangil arrange for a few more residential container prefab houses to be installed—complete with water, sewage, and electricity.

I learned a new skill, too.

A rune I received as the reward for defeating the superior magical beast Hydra on Floor 72.

<Random Skill Rune>

Effect: When consumed, grants the Player one random skill. Usable only in the Tower.

So what I learned was...

[Skill : You have learned Ice Spear.]

And on my Status Window,

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

A magic skill.

Could I use this in the real world, too?

Even Mad Demon probably couldn’t do this.

“Of course not. Shadow Step could be substituted with inner power, but magic is a completely different domain...”

I see.

‘Still, that means I picked up a ranged skill I can use inside the Tower, right?’

Perfect.

It could help with clearing.

That basically made two ranged dealers.

I added a skill,

and honestly, I hadn’t come to the Namyangju villa because I had nothing to do.

I had a clear purpose.

The thing I spent the most time on here was—

SPOT! SPAPAPOT!

Martial arts and skill training.

On the wide open lot in front of the villa, Shadow Step spread out.

Afterimages of me left behind here and there.

It was a space wide enough that I could move however I wanted.

I let loose with the skills I hadn’t been able to fully use inside the Tower, right here in the real world.

I ran in zigzags—

WHIRR!

—kicked off the ground and shot upward, then descended slowly.

BWOOOOONG!

The inner power of the Heaven-and-Earth Unity Art flowed without breaking, steady and unending.

TSSSSTSTSTSTST...

With the Thunderstorm Club of Destruction I’d gotten as a reward—

SWIIIISH!

—I struck a huge boulder at the edge of the lot like a bolt of lightning—

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

—shattering rock into fragments.

Even the falling pieces—

ZZZING!

—I sliced in midair with Blood Jade Steel Aura manifested in my left hand, leaving clean cut surfaces.

How about it?

Isn’t this applause-worthy?

But then...

‘Huh?’

My summoned entities were gathered in one spot, whispering to each other with serious expressions.

What now?

Didn’t they watch?

I was moving my body like crazy over here.

What kind of scheme were they planning this time?

There was a reason they were doing this.

They’d decided danger was right in front of us.

The Liberation Rune Necklace and the Ring of Appearance Transformation, and equipment items that applied even in the real world, plus all sorts of potions and elixirs.

Those things had started getting released into the world.

Real-world-applicable items would tempt Players.

“When the summoned entities’ summoning standby time limit hits, you must be cautious—cautious again. Always make sure at least one of us can be summoned immediately.”

“An energy barrier is essential. It must activate out of habit even for a falling leaf.”

“CERTAIN VICTORY! Try using the blink ring now and then, too. Considering the recharge time, once or twice every two hours—practice often, so it becomes easy to use.”

“My lord, do not trust the Ring of Appearance Transformation too much. A freed Player with a discernment skill may see through it.”

What was this, treating me like some kid they’d sent out near water.

I wasn’t clueless about how they felt, but still.

“This is not the time to relax. Danger can come anytime, anywhere. What if a sniper targets you from 1 km away? What if someone poisons your water?”

They kept trying to scare me.

“Correct. You can get attacked while taking a dump. Summon one of us and then go to the bathroom.”

Do I not even get to use the bathroom freely?

“Public bathhouses are out, too. In the shower, you bend down to pick up the soap and you can get taken.”

Hey. Don’t say something that horrifying.

Yeah, I should probably not go to public bathhouses.

It wasn’t just nagging, either.

We did actual training.

Me and Cossack faced each other in the wide lot.

In my right hand, the Thunderstorm Club of Destruction. In my left, Blood Jade Steel Aura.

Cossack held a metal round shield.

“Just hit once. I’ll block with the shield.”

He was looking down on me.

“If I only hit once and you admit it?”

Cossack snickered.

“You confident? You won’t even touch me.”

Ha!

Cossack really did have a talent for getting under people’s skin.

No wonder Gyeon Dallae kept yelling at this bastard and that bastard.

“Fine. Don’t cry when you get hit.”

“Heh-heh-heh. If I get hit, I’m Meatshield’s son. Call me Cossack.”

Then I suddenly turned my head to look at Mad Demon.

“...What? Mad Demon? What did you say?”

Cossack turned around too, like, what is it?

SPOT!

I shot forward like a ray of light—

but—

“Heh! I knew you’d do that.”

Failure.

“I figured it wouldn’t work on me.”

“Still, I compliment you. Nice move.”

Even if it was cheap, it was what it was.

Because I was a weak man.

Cossack casually backed off.

I stuck close and chased.

SPAPAPOT! SPAPOT!

Two men chasing and being chased.

The distance kept shrinking.

‘Got you.’

TSSST!

With a swing of my club, I unleashed Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod.

But—

“Hmph! That’s my afterimage.”

Cossack appeared behind me in an instant.

“Gonna be that slow?”

A face full of mockery, lips twitching.

That scheming—

“Yeah, I could tell when you drove. You still go 50 km/h on the expressway these days?”

“...Eighty!”

I really am going to hit him.

PAPAPOT! SPIPIT!

“Even Rajix’s worker Deguri would be faster than this.”

“WAAH?”

Hah. Fine. Keep scratching. Keep scratching.

My inner power swelled through my entire body.

Energy gathered in my lower body.

TSSSPIPIPIPIT!

I leaped, then dove.

Spinning and bursting out in an instant.

“Yikes! That was close.”

This time it was seriously close.

A hand’s breadth.

If I could overcome just that difference, I felt like I could grab him.

But Cossack was a genius.

A genius among geniuses.

So brilliant he’d even tried to assassinate a Swordmaster.

Of course, he’d died after getting cocky.

Could I land even one hit?

How long had I been learning martial arts in the real world?

And against Cossack, an SSR-rank summoned assassin.

Twenty-five years of living as a weak man.

If something looked impossible, giving up fast was basically one of my life mottos.

But not now.

I didn’t want to give up.

I wanted to confirm it.

Whether I had talent.

‘Just one clean hit.’

I moved like I was ready to collapse right here.

A sweet taste filled my mouth.

My heart pounded like it was going to burst.

I fell into it fast.

In my eyes, there was only Cossack.

Nothing else even registered.

TSSPIT!

A storm of Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod forms—

Thunderbolt Pursues the Soul, Thunderbolt Scatters.

Cossack slipped around and dodged.

It felt like I was just wasting inner power, but I wasn’t swinging meaninglessly.

I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) changed the board.

If I only chased, I’d never catch Cossack.

In martial arts terms, it was a kind of feint.

At the same time, I read Cossack’s patterns.

Fast—fast enough for an SSR assassin.

If I tried to catch him by sight, I’d never do it.

So?

I had to act one move earlier.

Prediction was the only answer.

I needed to know how he’d react when I attacked like this.

Cossack had to be where I expected.

So that—

TZZZT!

—I could feed him the final third form of Primordial-Unity Thunder Rod.

The ultimate technique of extreme speed, a single strike for the kill.

Thunderbolt Flash.

TZZT! SWIIIISH!

“...Huh?”

Cossack’s eyes went wide, like he’d panicked.

Lightning dropping from above at a moment he hadn’t predicted at all.

This was dangerous.

Even if he moved, he was still inside the attack range.

The shield hand was already rising.

KRAK! CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

A violent impact that cracked the shield.

Cossack wobbled and fell on his ass.

“Whoops!”

“Got you!”

I stood proudly in front of the fallen Cossack.

Right then!

“Ahhh...”

Still down, Cossack twisted his body in a bizarre way and sent me pitiful eyes.

“A-are you gonna... hit me?”

What is he doing now?

“I’ve got a wife and kids. Spare me. Please!”

“...”

“Just let me off once and I’ll live honest!”

Like he had any wife and kids.

Then my summoned entities shouted in unison.

“Finish him. I do not mind becoming his father.”

“You must strike. Correct the habit.”

“Commander, the vital point. Precisely between the legs.”

“My lord! Smash him. He won’t die!”

“Hm... wouldn’t it be better if he did die. Then this old man would at least secure a stable position.”

“WAAH?”

No matter what, come on.

How do you beat up a summoned entity?

That was when—

Cossack sprang up.

Like he was frustrated, he pounded his chest.

“Summoner Bong, this ain’t right. You got me down and then why aren’t you finishing?”

“...”

“A person’s gotta have a cruel streak. Haven’t you watched movies? You show off and you get countered.”

“...”

“Half-assed sympathy is a hundred sweet potatoes.”

God damn it!

WHOOOSH!

KRAK!

“KGH!”

One smack to the forehead with my club, and Cossack flipped backward—

sprawled out flat on his back and passed out cold.

Clapclapclapclapclap!

Only then did my summoned entities burst into applause.

“A splendid strike.”

“It’s a shame you did not use a skill, but well done.”

“If you were just a little stronger, it would have been perfect.”

“Should have hit between the legs, not the head.”

“HURK!”

Now I get why they pulled this stunt.

It was to steel my resolve.

To make sure I didn’t hesitate when facing an enemy.

“...Get up. Quit pretending to be unconscious.”

Cossack opened his eyes and got up with a grin.

“Heh-heh-heh. You were excellent, Summoner Bong.”

“You weren’t even hurt.”

“HURK? What do you mean? Don’t you see the lump right here? It’s a tenth of Meatshield’s flick strength.”

That much?

‘If I mess up, I could kill someone.’

I had confidence.

At this level, even if a level-70-something Player freed their abilities and rushed me, I could handle it.

As long as they didn’t rush me while I was taking a dump—

But!

If something like that really happened, could I kill someone?

If not killing meant I’d die.

‘...That’s not easy.’

Should I try it once in the Tower?

“Let’s clear Floor 73.”

“We shall prepare.”

“CERTAIN VICTORY!”

“Cossack, you ready?”

“It’s Cossack.”

“Weren’t you adopted as Meatshield’s son?”

“...Yes?”

“WAAH!”

Anyway, in any case—

I’m counting on you again, Rajix.

*****

[You are entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 73.]

SPOT!

What kind of place would Floor 73 be?

A royal palace?

‘Doesn’t feel like it.’

It seemed like an underground space.

But torches hung on the walls, so it wasn’t dark.

‘A prison?’

Probably.

Cells with iron bars lined up on the left and right.

“Let’s go.”

Meatshield moved out front.

Right then! Ding!

A mission appeared.

[Floor 73 Basic Mission : Defeat 20 Dungeon Battle Chimera Hounds.]

The Basic Mission popped up.

Defeat Battle Chimera Hounds.

What about the Choice Missions?

[Floor 73 Additional Choice Mission : Defeat 15 Norton Kingdom Royal Guards.]

[Floor 73 High-Difficulty Choice Mission : Defeat Jornthe, Captain of the Norton Kingdom Royal Guards (conditional clear)]

[Floor 73 Extreme-Difficulty Choice Mission : Defeat the Norton Kingdom King (conditional clear)]

‘So it is a royal palace.’

The moment of reckoning had arrived.

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