There were only two possible outcomes for Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong.

Die while turned into a fiend.

Or cut off every last regret and ascend.

If she’d been an ordinary monster or an ordinary human, he would’ve just dealt with it easily.

But he absolutely couldn’t do that.

She was our Princess’s teacher.

He couldn’t treat her like a simple clear target.

And the result?

Haeryeong came to her senses.

The fiend’s energy began to disperse.

Time passed.

A subtle, auspicious energy blooming from her body.

SPOT!

Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong vanished in an instant.

“Master!!!”

“...Hm.”

“Phew.”

“...”

Ding—

[You have completed all missions on Floor 74.]

Clear success.

Honestly, he didn’t even care whether it was a success or not.

The only thing that mattered was Haeryeong’s current state.

Was it just a clear success?

Or was it ascension?

Then another message appeared, right after it.

[The soul of thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox Haeryeong has been freed from the tower’s bondage.]

Freed from bondage.

What did that mean?

“Yes!”

Juhyeok threw both hands up and cheered.

“It says soul freed. Then it’s ascension, right?”

“Without question. It is an escape from the tower.”

“Everyone, great work.”

“Hoho, a joyful occasion, a joyful occasion!”

“Light!”

“She overcame it. As expected of the Princess’s teacher.”

“WAAH!”

“Congratulations, Princess.”

Thud.

As if all the strength left her body, Gyeon Dallae collapsed to the floor and cried.

And yet a faint smile bloomed on her face.

How much had she been holding her breath?

Now she could feel safe.

Her teacher had been freed.

She’d found freedom.

It was the best possible outcome.

The messages kept coming.

[All ultra-high-difficulty optional missions on Floor 74 of Earth’s Black Towers will be changed.]

Ultra-high-difficulty optional mission changed.

The original mission had been: [Kill the thousand-year Nine-Tailed Fox, bound in knots and restrained.]

Of course it had to change.

Her soul had been freed—how could she still be a clear target?

‘It’d be nice if it changed into something easier...’

[The changed Floor 74 ultra-high-difficulty optional mission is ‘Destroy the thousand-year fox’s formation.’]

‘Hmm.’

It didn’t get easier.

Even changed, it was still impossible to clear.

Who was supposed to destroy that formation?

An ordinary Player couldn’t even dream of it.

Cossack had acted up and died—then lived—just from stepping on the line.

And then—

[Achievement: You have freed a soul bound to the tower for the first time.]

‘...An achievement?’

Of course. Honestly, he’d expected it.

An achievement had to show up.

The problem was the achievement reward.

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

‘This time too...?’

If it gave him another daily Enter Tower count reward, he was flipping the table.

He didn’t know what table, but he was flipping it anyway.

[All summoned entities’ manifestation time limits have been extended by 2 hours.]

‘Huh?’

That was good.

That was absolutely a jackpot.

“What pop up?”

“Two hours added across the board to all summoned entities’ manifestation time limits.”

“...GYEEK?”

“Oh!”

“Jackpot!”

“WAAH!”

“Hohohoho!”

The summoned entities lit up.

Everyone was happy.

Mad Demon in particular was grinning from ear to ear.

Looks like he really liked the achievement reward.

[Floor 74 clear rewards will be granted.]

Ah! Right.

There were clear rewards too.

[Reward: high-grade Magic Stones 740kg / Fox Orb]

‘...Fox Orb?’

What’s that?

He’d check it later.

And finally—

[Global Notice: You have achieved Clear Rank S+++ on Black Tower (Korea) Floor 74.]

[S+++ clear reward: 2 Platinum Badges will be granted.]

The rank judgment was S+++ too.

[You can challenge Floor 75.]

[Exiting the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]

SPOT!

It was an incredibly satisfying clear.

*****

Namyangju villa.

The Floor 74 clear was over.

And he could guess what the next mission would be.

Killing the bad Nine-Tailed Fox, for sure.

On Floor 75, or maybe 76.

Meatshield had a linked mission that ran three floors.

Gyeon Dallae wouldn’t be any different.

‘Still... our Princess...’

Was there any aftereffect?

Something like PTSD.

“Ay, the instant I stepped on that line, my whole body went ZZZZT, then I got shoved back—WHAM! I almost died. I almost got benched for a hundred days.”

Gyeon Dallae let out a small laugh.

“What a shame. It seems I was short by half a percent of strength. Perhaps it is because Master was weakened after being defeated by that damned Nine-Tailed Fox bitch... If so, I could have sent Cossack off in peace as well.”

Cossack tilted his head.

“But Princess, you really learned proper from your teacher?”

“Why?”

“Then you woulda learned shapeshifting art.”

“I did not. I am not a fox.”

“Aigo, what a shame. If you learned it, you could’ve made your chest as big as watermelons like a Seven-Tailed Fox—”

“Yes, yes, you little punk!!!”

She looked fine.

One thing he was curious about.

“...Mad Demon, don’t you want it?”

“Hm? Want what?”

“Being freed from the tower through ascension, like Haeryeong.”

“Hoho, ascension, my ass!”

Mad Demon didn’t even think about it.

“If it were possible, I would’ve done it too. But it’s impossible. If there is anyone on Earth with more regrets than me, bring them to me.”

Is that so?

Well, he was the martial world’s public enemy, the rivers-and-lakes’ most vicious, the one who made seas of corpses and rivers of blood.

“Tainted by the mortal world as much as one can be, and it won’t wash off. I am satisfied enough with the extended manifestation time limit.”

Alright.

If Mad Demon was satisfied, that was that.

Anyway, morning work was done.

He could Enter Tower three times a day, but...

He was tired.

He wanted to rest.

Was there anyone else living this busy?

He had to worry about tower climbing, and also keep an eye on domestic and international conditions.

No—when did a weak man become like this?

Juhyeok pulled out the Fox Orb he’d received as a reward from his Inventory.

Red.

About the size of a ping-pong ball.

<Fox Orb>

Effect: A material item.

A short description.

If it was a material...

Anyway, it might be connected to Haeryeong.

“So, Princess,”

“Please speak.”

“A Fox Orb dropped as a clear reward. Do you want it? I thought it might be a keepsake of Haeryeong.”

Gyeon Dallae smiled gently.

“You are far too kind. It is not mine. Please consider it a gift of gratitude from Master, for the grace ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) you have shown.”

Then, sure.

If it was a material, he should at least know what it was used for.

He went inside the camping car.

“Dismiss Summon: Blood Wolf.”

SPOT! Blood Wolf went in.

“Designated Summon: Aliamari.”

SPOT! Mari came out.

CLICK. Juhyeok shut the door and stepped outside.

Talking to their shut-in alchemist was always through a tablet.

It was a hassle, but what could he do?

A severe case of social anxiety wasn’t going to be cured overnight.

<alpha male> : Mari.

<Mari> : Summoner!!! Something amazing happened. My manifestation time limit increased by 2 hours.

<alpha male> : You happy?

<Mari> : I’m so happy. That’s 2 more hours to play with the tablet♡♡♡

Honestly, he was curious.

What did Mari—this shut-in loner and foul-mouthed keyboard warrior—actually do for fun on a tablet?

<alpha male> : I got this in the tower, and I’m curious what it’s used for.

He cracked the door open a bit and rolled the Fox Orb in—roll, roll.

<Mari> : Oh? That’s a high-grade material.

<alpha male> : Is it useful?

<Mari> : It’s like an essence. You can use it as a material for Elixir of Enhancement. As a substitute for a phoenix feather.

<alpha male> : Ah!

<Mari> : It normally doesn’t drop.

Meaning it was that valuable.

Since he’d achieved an achievement, maybe that affected the clear rewards too.

<Mari> : Please gather a bit more material. Then I can make Elixir of Enhancement.

<alpha male> : Yesm!

Should he head home soon?

After dropping Cossack off in North Korea.

Cossack started preparing for the trip.

“You ready?”

“Lo—! I will go on dispatch.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Yessir!”

*****

Pyongyang.

Chairman Kim Injung was still in a vegetative state.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t open his eyes, and couldn’t speak, but his mind was perfectly clear.

Right now, he was in an underground bunker somewhere in Pyongyang.

A facility that wouldn’t even flinch if a nuclear weapon detonated.

More heavily guarded than the residence.

If they sealed the entrance, even a ghost couldn’t get in—an absolute safe zone.

‘Phew.’

Once he thought he was safe, his mind settled.

‘Who the hell were they?’

From the South?

The most plausible guess was that a South Korean Player had used the Liberation Rune Necklace to infiltrate Pyongyang.

In truth, he was almost certain.

An old man and a young man.

Both spoke Korean.

The question was whether the South Korean government was involved,

Or whether the Player who obtained the necklace acted alone.

Either way, so what?

Even if it was one or the other, what sharp move did he have?

At most, he could protest to the South Korean government, or fire ballistic missiles or long-range artillery into the East Sea or West Sea.

That was it.

An actual war was impossible.

The military gap between South and North was practically an insurmountable wall.

If war broke out, the Republic would be annihilated.

They probably wouldn’t even be a match.

Ground forces, air force, navy, information warfare, even missile power—everything had flipped long ago.

They had nuclear weapons, but those were for threats and suicide.

Not a means for war.

Closer to a political tool.

If they actually launched a nuke, North Korea would be finished in that moment.

Pyongyang would become ashes.

No one would survive.

Well, either way—war or provocation—he needed to shake it off and stand up, to respond.

The supreme decision-maker—himself—wasn’t dead. He was alive and fine.

Who would decide war?

But more than that... when would this paralysis wear off?

Kim Injung couldn’t see, but he could hear.

They’d done CT and MRI scans.

Still, they said they didn’t know what it was.

No external injury or internal injury, no organ problems, brain was clean.

So they brought in a masseur and kneaded his whole body, did oxygen therapy, injected narcotic drugs.

But no matter what they did, it didn’t improve.

He couldn’t even twitch a toe or a finger.

He was furious.

All because of a security failure.

How could the chairman’s residence—the safest place in the Republic—be breached like that?

Once he recovered, the security chiefs would all be purged.

Still... would that bastard really come?

He’d said they couldn’t talk today and he’d come again tomorrow, but...

There was no way he could.

No matter how liberated a Player was, it was impossible.

This underground bunker was a thoroughly concealed fortress.

He wouldn’t even know Kim Injung had been moved here.

And there were armed troops layered through the entire bunker.

In the room, outside the room, in the corridors.

Even a ghost couldn’t get in.

Even if it took time, he would recover here, and then—

Then?

SPOT! THUD! THUMP!

‘What?’

THUD! THUMP!

Thud-thud-thud, thump, thump, thump...

The sound of impacts.

The sound of someone being hit and collapsing.

‘What the—?’

And then—

“Not dead. Knocked out.”

‘Gasp!’

“That today I almost die, so I learn preciousness of life. Now I know how dangerous stepping on line is.”

It was that man.

‘How does he know I’m here? Is there a traitor?’

“Underground bunker, you feel safe? Chairman comrade, wherever you are, you never escape me.”

Ah.

“If you don’t believe, then experiment. You can lay troops all around, I don’t care.”

‘What the hell...?’

Then—

“Chairman comrade!!!”

“An intruder!”

“You sons of bitches, what you doing? Hurry and hit the alarm!”

WEEEEE-OOOONG!

The underground bunker went into emergency lockdown.

Kim Injung was moved somewhere again.

But—

“See? Nobody find me, right?”

‘...’

It was true.

He was right next to the bed.

But no one noticed.

After upgrading his stealth skill to LSSR rank with 5 Platinum Badges, Cossack kept staying beside Chairman Kim Injung.

For quite a long time.

Sometimes he even talked.

Then—

“Maybe you become my boss later, so first I make your body move.”

‘Boss?’

“Don’t worry. I learned how to undo blood points from the old man.”

Poke, poke—poke, poke.

After jabbing Chairman Kim Injung’s body here and there with his fingers—

“I come again tomorrow.”

SPOT!

Cossack vanished.

A little later—

‘Huh...’

Chairman Kim Injung realized his condition had changed.

Wiggle, wiggle.

His body moved.

His mouth was free too.

He sprang up.

“H-Hey, you...! ...No one here?”

“Ch-Chairman comrade!!! You up now?”

Guards came rushing in.

“Immediately bring the car.”

“...Yes?”

“We leaving Pyongyang! Keep it secret so nobody know!”

And a day passed.

He was now in Wonsan, on North Korea’s east coast.

Would he really find him all the way here?

But late at night—

“Chairman comrade, you come Wonsan, what you doin’? You think Wonsan safe?”

“...”

“My legs hurt so much I almost die coming here.”

He was going insane.

“...What do you want from me?”

“I come again tomorrow.”

“W-Wait!”

SPOT!

The next day—

“Wow! This time Sinuiju? You running to China?”

“This damn—!”

“I come again tomorrow.”

SPOT!

“You filthy bastard! I’ll rip out your tongue—”

SPOT!

“What you say?”

“...N-No, n-nothing.”

“Be careful. I gonna bring our bouncy Supervisor Veronica. Maybe red dot get 찍 on your forehead.”

Bouncy Supervisor Veronica?

SPOT!

Another day passed.

Kim Injung gave up.

No matter where he moved, the man found him.

Where he was now was Pyongyang.

Alone in the chairman’s residence.

All guards had been withdrawn.

What could he do?

No matter what he did, he couldn’t escape.

SSSST!

Cossack appeared.

“Good. Now you ready to talk?”

Chairman Kim Injung nodded.

“Good. Let’s start.”

“Why did you do this—”

“To live better. Our Republic people also need eat white rice and meat soup, right?”

Cossack grinned and continued.

“Our Chairman comrade eat too much. Look at belly. At this rate, you die of adult disease before you even put ribbon.”

“...”

Then swallowed it.

Kim Injung swallowed hard.

“First, hand over the tower. Republic also need restart high-grade Magic Stone production, right?”

“How am I supposed to hand over the tower... D-Don’t tell me unification?”

“Tsk, tsk. Big dream.”

Cossack clicked his tongue.

“Even unification need equal footing.”

“Then what do I do.”

“Do nothing.”

“What?”

“Joke. No matter what happen, do nothing. After that, do exactly as I tell.”

At last—the final day of Cossack’s plan.

[Global Notice: A Player affiliated with the Republic of Korea Black Tower declares Tower occupation against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.]

The Global Notice rang out.

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