Floor 72, Necromancer Norma’s workshop.

On top of an altar painted with a five-pointed star and a spell circle,

Player Gerald was writhing.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t speak.

Even though the clear deadline had already run out, he couldn’t leave the Tower.

Wasn’t it supposed to auto-exit once the time limit expired?

But a full day passed and he was still bound to the altar, just like this.

‘...Why did it end up like this?’

Floor 72 clear.

As expected, it was easy.

Just like the Floor 71 mission.

He completed the basic mission.

He took down the chimeras without much trouble.

But then came the additional optional clear.

That was where it happened.

Suddenly—

Ding!

A system message popped up.

[The mission has been changed.]

Changed?

What changed?

[From the additional optional mission onward, this is a conditional clear.]

A conditional clear.

[If you do not wish to proceed, you may exit the Tower here.]

[If you succeed, you will receive 10x high-grade Magic Stones and a 100% chance of an additional clear reward.]

He’d heard about this.

Information Director Antonio said he’d gotten from the TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION in Korea.

If “conditional clear” appears, give up no matter what and get out of the Tower.

He had to choose.

Do the basic mission only and leave, or continue the additional optional mission even if it was a conditional clear.

The answer was already obvious.

Did he come here just to do the basic mission?

From the start, he’d entered planning to do the additional mission—at minimum, up through high difficulty.

Even if he gave up on extreme difficulty.

And the rewards?

How was he supposed to resist that?

So he continued.

But—

[The conditional clear has been established.]

[Necromancer Kate and Necromancer Norma will join the additional mission.]

‘What?’

[The high-difficulty and extreme-difficulty optional missions will also proceed automatically.]

[Midway withdrawal is impossible.]

Midway withdrawal impossible.

Chimeras appeared at the same time.

And on top of that, a woman and an old man appeared with name tags floating above their heads.

“You’re the one, huh? I was just about to go catch you with my master, but you showed up on your own?”

So that was how it worked?

The result of letting Necromancer Kate get away on Floor 71 showed up on Floor 72?

He fought desperately.

He dumped every skill he had.

But it wasn’t enough.

And now he was like this.

Midway withdrawal is impossible.

That meant if you failed the clear, you got trapped in the Tower.

“How does it feel?”

Necromancer Kate whispered into Gerald’s ear.

“You’re curious, right? I’ll tell you what’s going to happen to you.”

She wore a face like she was mocking him.

“First, I’m going to pull out your soul. We’ll use that soul to strengthen our precious Hydra, and your body... I’ll generously turn you into a chimera.”

Pull out his soul?

Turn him into a chimera?

“Well, pure souls from little kids work best... but you made us fail. You have to pay the price. It’s a dirty soul, but I’ll make good use of it.”

A fake trying to do that to a real human?

Things made for the Tower’s missions.

If you compared it to a game, they were like NPC trash.

“Honestly, I liked you.”

What a joke.

Just kill me.

“We saw it in our village. That day you killed those mercenary-company guys without hesitation.”

So what?

“Even when village youths and old people died, even when the mom who was protecting her kids died, even when kids who were already pretty big got killed, you didn’t even blink?”

So what am I supposed to do?

It was a mission.

A mission the Tower gave.

“Normally, a proper adventurer saves people first. But you didn’t. If you needed to, you would’ve killed villagers too, right?”

...What?

“I like villains. The despicable, cruel, selfish kind. Maybe similar people are drawn to each other.”

What is this?

An NPC daring to lecture a human about morality?

‘If it were the real world, I would’ve saved the people first.’

How could you compare living, real humans to the Tower’s content targets...

‘...Huh.’

A question suddenly hit him.

Are these really “made” humans?

A being that talks like this, mocks like this, confesses(?) like this, argues good and evil—could that really be fake?

Gerald remembered what happened in the Floor 71 village.

The stench of blood the instant he opened the door, people’s screams.

Villagers were dying at the mercenaries’ hands, and children were being kidnapped.

A mercenary bastard raising a sword to kill a woman, a kid who died trying to protect the mother.

Looking back, it was a horrific scene.

What had he done then?

He’d only watched.

Because the mission was what mattered.

‘...Damn it!’

Even if they were fake, he shouldn’t have done that.

He should’ve saved the people first.

Guilt came flooding in.

Gerald’s mind was collapsing.

“Kate. Pull it out now. Looks like it’s ready.”

“Yes, Master.”

Kate shoved a round object into Gerald’s mouth.

It was a soul-extraction orb.

*****

[Intruding into America Black Tower (NO.1) Floor 72.]

Juhyeok appeared on Floor 72.

He immediately summoned his summoned entities.

The moment she came out, Gyeon Dallae said,

“Master, is this not Floor 72? Could it be you’ve come to loot another treasure vault?”

“We already cleaned it out once. There’s no way there’s any items left.”

But—

“WAAH... there is.”

“Huh? There is?”

Right. There had to be.

Juhyeok explained in detail to the summoned entities why he had come here.

“As expected, you’re flashing east and flashing west with style, sir. France, and now it’s America, sir. Summoner Bong is really playing globally, sir. Heh-heh-heh.”

Well, somehow—

“Welcome to the America Black Tower Seventy-Second Floor, sir.”

“...”

What the hell?

Why is he so good at English?

“First we check. If it’s really Gerald, if it is then whether he’s alive, and if he’s alive we have to get him out.”

“Yessir!”

“I will open the path.”

One slot left.

Then call Blood Wolf too.

“WAAAH!”

“Woof-woof!”

Rajix lit up.

Blood Wolf wagged its tail.

Looks like those two became soul buddies too, like Meatshield and Bardin.

Mad Demon pushed forward without hesitation.

So fast it was hard to even follow.

‘No mission is popping up.’

Of course.

This was a floor another Player was already clearing.

He was just intruding.

Before long, a massive open chamber in the dungeon came into view.

Necromancer Norma’s workshop.

But then—

“Oh my? Who are you people?” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It was Kate.

Juhyeok understood the situation immediately.

So they hadn’t caught her on Floor 71.

“Cossack.”

“Aim complete.”

ZZZZT!

PSHA-SHOT!

Sploosh!

“Wh-what is that?”

THUD!

To Cossack, on three towers, with three splooshes, Kate died three times.

“Mad Demon.”

SPOT!

Mad Demon was already grabbing Necromancer Norma’s head and dragging.

CRUNCHCRUNCHCRUNCH!

Even Hydra, the superior magical beast—

PSHA-SHOT! GRAK! Slice!

Slammed by a flail, sniped by a magic gun, carved up by Cossack, and finished by Mad Demon.

But at that very moment—

Something entered Juhyeok’s sight.

Someone who looked like a Player was laid out on top of the necromancer’s altar.

He walked closer.

“...Gerald.”

It was him.

And his face was pale.

Like a dead man.

Was he too late?

Juhyeok pressed an ear to Gerald’s chest—his heart was beating faintly.

“Whew...”

Thank god.

If he’d been even a little later—

Juhyeok shook Gerald.

“Hello? Mister Gerald? Or is it Watson?”

Gerald slowly opened his eyes.

‘...What?’

But he still couldn’t speak.

His tongue was stiff, locked up.

His mind still ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) wasn’t whole.

“Oh, right. You don’t know Korean.”

Even in his haze, Gerald was confused.

Who was this Asian man who suddenly appeared?

‘A hallucination?’

Anyway, he regained consciousness for a moment, but it was hard to hold on.

THUD!

Gerald passed out again.

“Huh? Why’d you faint again?”

Cossack ran over fast.

“I’ll wake him up, sir.”

SMACK SMACK!

Slapping Gerald’s cheeks as he said,

“Hey, Gerald, wake up! Wake up! Open your eyes! What’s the matter?”

“...”

This guy’s English is really good.

Either way, he wouldn’t wake up.

‘What do we do?’

And then—

“WAAH!”

“Woof!”

Rajix appeared riding Blood Wolf.

That expression—looks like he looted another treasure vault.

As expected, the cosmic bald farmhand bandit.

Anyway, they had to leave the Tower.

But nothing happened.

Kate was dead, Norma was dead, Hydra was dead.

If the clear succeeded, weren’t they supposed to exit?

‘Hmm.’

He could guess why.

This was a floor whose clear deadline had already run out.

Gerald charged in recklessly and ended up like this—there was no way the Tower would judge this as a “clear success.”

‘It became a closed floor.’

So how do they get out?

[Would you like to exit the floor you intruded upon?]

“Oh!”

Of course. The system.

It has procedures for everything.

Juhyeok lifted Gerald into his arms.

“Exit!”

SPOT!

*****

Cheongdam-dong penthouse.

Gerald was laid neatly on the bed.

He still hadn’t come to his senses, but—

At this point, his color should be coming back and there should be some sign he might wake, but somehow he looked worse and worse.

His complexion was turning paler with time.

Was he going to die at this rate?

‘Do I take him to a hospital?’

No.

If it were an ordinary illness, he would’ve gone to the hospital immediately, but this was magical damage.

There was nothing a doctor could do.

‘I need to call an expert.’

First, send one back.

“Dismiss Summon, Blood Wolf.”

SPOT!

Blood Wolf went in,

and Juhyeok went into the room where Gerald was lying.

“Designated Summon, Aliamari.”

SPOT! Mari appeared.

Even though it was already the third summon, the alchemist Mari was still crouched in the corner with her head pressed into the wall.

“Mari?”

Flinch!

Looks like hearing a person’s voice was hard for her too.

Not just speaking—listening too.

Severe. Really severe.

The conversation started on a tablet.

Tap tap tap—typing on the keyboard.

<Mari> : Thank you for summoning me. And for the 5-star rating. I don’t know if I deserve it.

Ratings are five stars no matter what.

Even if she’s a foul-mouthed keyboard warrior.

<AlphaMale> : Oh, no, not at all. Our Mari is always a perfect score. Oh! I have a favor to ask.

<Mari> : Tell me.

<AlphaMale> : A Player got hit by a necromancer, and he still hasn’t come to his senses.

<Mari> : The man on the bed?

<AlphaMale> : Yes.

Mari scooted by pushing her hips along the floor.

Like she didn’t want to show her face even to her summoner.

With her back still turned, she sat on the bed and tilted her head to examine Gerald closely.

It seems social anxiety doesn’t apply to unconscious people.

<Mari> : It’s necromancy. He got hit with soul extraction. Open his mouth.

Sure enough, there was a single red orb inside Gerald’s mouth.

<AlphaMale> : What do we do?

<Mari> : Pull it out and break it.

Juhyeok did as told.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

The orb shattered.

<Mari> : It hasn’t been long since the extraction. The soul will find its way back.

<AlphaMale> : Then does he wake up right away?

<Mari> : His vitality is heavily damaged, and his mind is contaminated. If you give him a Purification Elixir and a Restoration Tonic, he’ll probably wake up soon.

Oh!

As expected—one look and she diagnosed it.

And she even wrote the prescription.

<Mari> : You just need to purify the mental contamination and refill his vitality. I can make the medicine. The herbs we need are...

Mari wrote the names of herbs in dense lines on paper.

Would they even have those herbs?

“Rajix.”

When he called the name,

the cosmic bald farmhand rolled into the room.

“WAAH?”

Juhyeok showed Rajix the herb list Mari wrote.

“Can you get these?”

“WAAH... I have them right now.”

“Oh!”

Looks like he’s been growing herbs on the side too.

Honestly, it was the least profitable kind of Tower material, so Juhyeok hadn’t cared.

Rajix took out the herbs and set them beside Mari.

As Mari accepted them—

<Mari> : He’s a capable worker.

<AlphaMale> : He’s a cosmic bald farmhand.

Now that she was LSSR, she really had an eye for things.

<Mari> : I’ll take out my alchemy shelf. It won’t take long.

Sliiiide!

A table appeared in front of Mari.

Maybe because she was a production-type, she carried subspace items too.

<AlphaMale> : Next time, let’s set aside time and have a deep talk about alchemy.

<Mari> : Yes♪♪

The elixirs were made quickly.

Now they just had to feed them to him.

And after that—

‘Should I call Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil now?’

Juhyeok called Jeon Gwangil on his smartphone.

*****

Jeon Gwangil ran like a madman through the penthouse’s underground parking garage.

His mind was half gone.

He was out of breath.

Not from running.

From shaking so hard.

Someone was at Player Bong’s home?

Gerald?

No—what kind of insane nonsense was that?

If it wasn’t Player Bong, he would’ve screamed exactly that.

But who said it?

How could he not believe it?

If it was true, then with what method?

He did hear an explanation.

A ticket that intrudes into a Tower, went into America Tower Floor 72, and so on—

Detailed talk later.

First he needed to see it with his own eyes.

Jeon Gwangil rang the bell in front of the penthouse’s private elevator.

“I-I’m in front of the elevator.”

The door opened by itself.

Swoooosh! The elevator shot up fast.

Ding!

The moment it arrived and the doors opened, he rushed through the front door.

“Player Bong.”

“That room. He’s still asleep, but he’ll wake up soon.”

“Ah—yes, yes.”

He hurried over, yanked the door open, and went in.

“...Huh!”

It was really Gerald.

How could he not recognize him?

They’d talked a lot while lending out the holy sword.

Then, suddenly—

“Ugh.”

Gerald groaned and came to.

As he pushed himself upright, his eyes met Jeon Gwangil’s.

“Gerald?”

“...Deputy Commissioner?”

They just stared at each other blankly.

“Why are you here, Deputy Commissioner?”

“W-well... who knows.”

“This is inside the Tower— ...Huh?”

He wasn’t sure whether an explanation was even possible.

*****

America, Washington DC.

Gerald’s home living room.

It was full of people.

But the mood was heavy.

No one spoke.

Director Antonio wore a face of despair.

If only this were all a dream—

Gerald left a message saying he was going to clear Floor 72 and entered the Tower.

But he still hadn’t come out.

Even though far more than a day had passed.

America had lost its top Player.

The hero who had successfully cleared two Towers for the sake of the country.

“Pull yourself together. It’s something we can’t undo, so we have to prepare for what comes next.”

MacMillan was just as grim.

“This was beyond our control. How are we supposed to stop a Player from entering a Tower?”

“No. This is negligence. I was careless.”

Players who go into Towers and handle terrifying monsters with ease.

If you look only at the outside and think they’re strong, that’s a huge mistake.

If you look inside, they’re endlessly fragile beings.

That’s why it’s crucial to stay by their side and manage their self-esteem and mental state—

And Director Antonio believed he hadn’t done that.

“I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll step down.”

“Tch. If you step down, then I also—”

At that moment— ZZZZT!

A call came in on Antonio’s smartphone.

But this wasn’t the time to take calls.

If he left it, it would hang up on its own.

But—

ZZZZT! ZZZZT! ZZZZT...

It kept ringing.

It cut off and called again.

ZZZZT! ZZZZT!

‘...Who the hell is it?’

He checked the screen.

Jeon Gwangil from the TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION in Korea.

Maybe calling to offer condolences...

‘Even though he knows what the situation is.’

But—

ZZZZT! ZZZZT! ZZZZT! ZZZZT!

“...What the fuck!!!”

Rage surged up.

Is he out of his mind?

Why keep calling?

Antonio answered.

“What is it? Why are you calling?”

He snapped in an irritated voice.

“Do you have any idea what’s happening right now? You should know, so why— Who? Gerald? He’s in Korea? What kind of big deal is that— ...Huh? Ah—w-wait!”

Did he hear wrong?

“...W-who is in Korea?”

Everyone’s eyes focused on Antonio as he took the call.

“Gerald?”

Gerald?

“Our Player Gerald Watson? America’s top Player, that Gerald is in Korea? Are you sure?”

What kind of absurd nonsense was this?

They had CCTV footage.

Gerald entering the Tower.

And he still hadn’t come out after a full day.

“Antonio, what are you saying?”

MacMillan asked, and Antonio raised a hand like he was asking for silence.

“I-If this is a joke or a prank, I’ll kill you— Evidence? Yes, s-send it right now.”

Right then—

Ding!

A message notification sound.

It was a photo.

A man who looked extremely healthy.

Gerald.

No doubt.

And Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil was beside him.

Was it really Gerald?

“...My god!”

What is this?

Why is he in Korea?

But is that what matters right now?

Director Antonio shot his hand into the air.

“...Thank god! He was alive! He was alive!”

“Really? Let me see.”

“Wait a second. ...Deputy Commissioner Jeon? Can I speak with Gerald? Yes—put him on.”

“Speaker mode!”

And a moment later—

A roar of celebration shook Gerald’s mansion like it was going to lift off the ground.

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