Dmitry, the guildmaster of the Black Market Guild.

After being abducted in Prague, he had been dragged to North Korea.

In a state where he had nearly lost his mind from the constant drug injections.

When he woke up, he was in North Korea.

The most closed-off country on Earth.

Even so, he did not lose hope.

He would escape no matter what.

How could he get out of this place?

He had even considered trying to negotiate with Inventory items.

Handing over what they wanted and becoming a free man.

But they were not people he could trust.

If you get fooled once, then get fooled twice, you are an idiot.

They would not be able to kill him.

Was there any reason they needed to kill him?

His usefulness as a high-level Player was more than sufficient.

And if he died, his Inventory would be locked as well.

So he endured to the end.

Even through every kind of torture, he stubbornly protected his Inventory.

Because the items inside it would someday become the foundation for escaping North Korea and making a fresh start.

But then a change occurred.

Tower occupation?

The nationality of the North Korea Black Tower was changing?

Then what would happen to him?

In the end, that day finally came.

The nationality erasure of the temporarily naturalized Players announced through a Global Notice.

And at the same time, the system message that rang out.

[Please acquire a new nationality within 10 days.]

[If nationality acquisition is not completed, your Player qualification will be revoked.]

No nationality in the Status Window.

What the hell was this supposed to mean?

Fine, let us say nationality erasure was one thing.

But while restrained like this, how was he supposed to newly acquire a nationality?

If he had been free, all he would have had to do was run to any embassy and apply for Player naturalization.

But after 10 days, his Player qualification would be revoked.

And he would not be able to use the Tower-Only Inventory either.

While he was fretting like that, the atmosphere in the camp where Dmitry had been imprisoned also changed.

The North Korean Players who had been locked up became free and returned home.

Spring in Pyongyang.

Relations between South Korea and North Korea had shifted into reconciliation mode, and in South Korea, the Awakening Administration was planning to establish a branch for exchange purposes,

and he allowed himself a little hope.

That perhaps he, too, might be released.

But there was no news at all.

There was no more torture, but he was still imprisoned.

What should he do?

Should he try negotiating now, at least?

But there was no one willing to hear him out.

Time kept passing.

Now there were 5 days left.

He grew more and more anxious.

If his Player qualification was revoked, his usefulness would disappear too.

But then a single lifeline dropped down.

The appearance of North Korea’s new ruler.

Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Go Sageuk.

The man had come to see him with an interpreter in tow.

“So you’re the head of the black market, comrade?”

“Y-yes, that is correct.”

“And your Player Status Window nationality?”

“...At present, I am stateless.”

“Is that so? Then if you fail to get a nationality in 5 days, your qualification gets revoked.”

Dmitry watched the Minister of the People’s Armed Forces carefully.

The man had not come for nothing.

There was something he wanted.

“I can save you, you know. I can even arrange nationality acquisition for you.”

“...Really?”

“If the conditions are right.”

“Please, just tell me what you want.”

GLUG,

Dmitry swallowed his dry saliva.

At last, it had come.

A chance to escape North Korea.

He could hand over Inventory items, that much was fine.

As long as he kept the most expensive thing out of it.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

“What is it?”

“One little stone. Small enough to pop right into your mouth. When you eat it, it makes your Trait get all strengthened and such.”

“...”

“If you hand over just that, I can free you right away. I’m making you a promise.”

The Trait Enhancement Rune.

He actually did have one in his Inventory.

He had had three, but after selling two to the United States, one spare remained.

But he absolutely could not hand it over.

It was the most valuable item he possessed.

He needed it for a fresh start in the future, too.

“I do not have that. Could I give you something else instead? I have a 300 million dollar deposit in a Swiss bank—”

Cossack let out a snort of laughter.

“Are you messing with me right now? You think I wouldn’t know how much you sold that little stone to those American bastards for?”

“...Uh.”

“Listen carefully! If there’s no Trait Enhancement Rune, then the negotiation is over. And your Player qualification gets revoked too, comrade.”

“N-no, that...”

“If you’re not a Player, then you’re useless too, aren’t you? You’ll spend the rest of your life digging coal in a mine until you die.”

“B-but what am I supposed to do if I do not have it? I am telling you the truth.”

Dmitry denied it desperately.

The Trait Enhancement Rune must not become a bargaining chip.

“Well, if there’s no rune, then there’s no conversation. Rot away in the Republic for the rest of your life.”

Cossack rose to his feet.

“W-wait a moment!”

Without even pretending to listen, he left the solitary cell in the camp.

He was just leaving?

Not a chance. He would come back again.

Cossack was certain of it.

That guildmaster bastard had a rune in his Inventory.

But he could not rush in.

You had to give him time to think.

So that he would spit up the Trait Enhancement Rune from his Inventory himself.

The outcome was already decided anyway.

He planned to come back the day before the nationality erasure deadline.

By then, there would be a rune in his hand.

****

The northern tower had been cleared up through Floor 74.

Next was clearing the original Republic of Korea Black Tower, NO.1.

After taking a full day off.

And after summoning everyone except Mari.

“Summoner, good morning.”

“Loyalty! Summoner Bong, the Minister of the People’s Armed Forces is here, sir.”

“The warrior is here as well.”

“Master Bong, did you rest well?”

“My lord.”

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber.”

“WAAH!”

“Bark bark!”

There were so many of them now that even exchanging greetings took forever.

And there would only be more and more as time went on.

“Let’s finish this quickly. We have to build a house.”

Shall we enter?

To the uncleared upper floor,

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) Floor 75.]

SPOT!

Safe zone.

It was something like a barn.

But the atmosphere was eerie.

It did not seem like the weather was cold, but it felt as though a chill were digging into his entire body.

Hmm, feels like ghosts are going to pop out.

Making people tense as hell.

Let’s dope up first.

The potions Mari had given him.

Drug dependence was not good, but would potions made by an LSSR-rank sage really have side effects?

He gulped them down,

and Juhyeok pushed open the creaking barn door and stepped out.

Outside was a dark night without a speck of moonlight, and not even the sound of insects could be heard.

“Light!!!”

FWOOOOSH!

Quick-witted Bardin manifested Radiance.

Swoooosh!

Enlarged Meatshield snatched up Bardin, the human holy sword and human lamp, and lifted him.

Like a torch.

Behind him came the Mad Demon and Cossack, Juhyeok and Gyeon Dallae in the middle, and at the rear Rajix and Veronica riding Blood Wolf.

Only then did the scenery outside come into view.

Old-fashioned tiled buildings standing here and there.

But they were half-collapsed.

Broken roof tiles and weeds were overgrown beneath their feet.

At this point, it would have been the perfect place for streamers doing abandoned-house exploration content.

But Gyeon Dallae tilted her head.

After looking around for a long while, she spoke in a trembling voice.

“I believe I know where this is. This is...”

At that moment!

Ding!

The mission windows streamed up.

[Floor 75 Basic Mission: Defeat 30 bound spirits of the palace guard soldiers.]

[Floor 75 Additional Optional Mission: Defeat 15 bound spirits of the palace guard warriors.]

[Floor 75 High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Defeat Heuk Chisu, bound spirit of the captain of the palace guard.]

[Floor 75 Ultra-High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Defeat the hungry ghost Gyeonsul.]

A palace.

Defeat bound spirits.

Then that means?

This was the palace of the Cheon Empire.

And one that had fallen into ruin.

A desolate expression spread over Gyeon Dallae’s face.

Well, of course. Was this not the place where she had been born and raised?

“It is ruined. The imperial palace, the Empire...”

It certainly looked that way.

There was not a single living person in sight.

Instead,

Srrrk, srrk, srrrk,

whitish things drifted through the air as though swimming across empty space,

“...They really are ghosts.”

Vengeful spirits full of resentment.

Bound spirits who had failed to ascend to the afterlife and instead anchored their earthly coordinates to a specific place in this world.

“I-I’m scared of ghosts.”

“It’s only Sergeant Ver who’s scared. You kill undead just fine, so what’s so scary about ghosts, ma’am?”

“Are undead and ghosts the same thing?”

“Honestly, if you think about it, ain’t we ghosts too?”

“Shut up! You principal-enemy bastard, want me to turn you into a real ghost?”

It was not only Sergeant Ver who was frightened.

Rajix was also clinging to Blood Wolf’s neck, trembling all over.

Hmm.

Juhyeok’s mouth had gone dry as well.

Sergeant Ver was right.

Were ghosts and undead really the same thing?

Traditional Korean ghosts were especially terrifying.

He could still vividly remember watching TV horror dramas as a child from under the blanket.

Ugh, my heart’s pounding.

He took out the Sage-Brewed Mental Fortification Elixir mango juice from his Inventory and drank it.

“Princess.”

“Please speak.”

“In the end, we have to catch the hungry ghost Gyeonsul. Do you know who that is?”

“If it is Gyeonsul, that would be my uncle.”

He had figured as much.

Gyeon Dallae’s uncle.

The man who had staged a rebellion, killed her younger brother, ascended the throne, and then was struck by Gyeon Dallae’s killing curse.

“My lord, I have one request.”

“Just say it. I’ll grant anything.”

“Please grant this girl the chance to ease the resentment and bitterness of the dead.”

“Ah...”

Right.

That would be better than charging ahead and clearing it blindly.

These bound spirits had lived in the same palace as Gyeon Dallae. Some of them may even have known her.

“I would like to perform a guiding ritual, to lead them to the afterlife and pray for their peaceful rebirth.”

Not a bad idea.

When it came to driving out ghosts, nothing beat a ritual.

It was not as though performing a guiding ritual would actually send them to the afterlife,

but well, this was a tower world.

There was probably a tower afterlife too.

“WAAH!”

SSSST—

Rajix pulled out a handcart loaded with a power bank, a large speaker and amp, and an MP3 player.

“I’ll pull this, sir.”

“If Comrade Minister of the People’s Armed Forces goes around pulling a handcart like this...”

“Aw, don’t tease me. There’s only one person I’m loyal to.”

“Who? Chairman Kim?”

“Aw, you know who, hehehe.”

“Hahaha.”

Exchanging joking remarks like that seemed to ease the fear a little too,

and Cossack flipped on Player mode.

Boom-boom! Boom-boom-boom!

Clang! Clang-clang!

A guiding-ritual melody resounded together with the drums.

Cha-rng! Cha-rng-rng!

Gyeon Dallae, holding bells and a ritual blade, stepped forward.

In truth, back in the undead section of the 60th floors, Gyeon Dallae’s rituals and talismans had had their limits.

She had been able to weaken dark aura just a little, but she could not inflict meaningful damage or apply a critical debuff.

The ones who had played the decisive role had been the holy sword and the summoned holy knight, Lucius Bardin.

But now the situation was different.

Bound spirits were not undead.

And this was the palace where Princess Gyeon Dallae had lived.

Gyeon Dallae, the highest shaman of the Cheon Empire’s imperial shrine, Princess Baridegi who guided the dead to the underworld.

That being so, the bound spirits of the palace were little more than petty ghosts to her.

Cha-rng-rng-rng-rng!

As the bells rang, the bound spirits of the soldier guards began to flee in a panic.

Thudududud!

Yellow talismans fluttered down like flower petals.

POP! POP! POPPOPPOP!

The ghosts vanished the instant they were touched.

It had been a matter of compatibility from the start.

What bound spirit of some palace could possibly withstand the highest shaman, Gyeon Dallae?

The clear was over in an instant.

[Palace guard soldier bound spirits of the Cheon Empire Palace defeated 30/30]

[You have succeeded in the Floor 75 Basic Mission.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Reward: Magic Stones 1.5kg / high-grade Magic Stones 6kg]

Basic Mission complete.

[Would you like to continue the additional optional mission?]

[If you refuse, you will exit the tower with a mission success judgment.]

Continue.

The next targets were the bound spirits of the palace guard warriors.

Even though they were martial ghosts of a higher rank than soldiers, they were helpless before Gyeon Dallae’s guiding ritual and talismans.

In fact, the moment they faced her, it was over.

What had the palace guard warriors’ role in life been?

To protect the imperial family.

And now the very being they had been meant to protect was standing right before their eyes.

Princess...

Princess.

We are ashamed.

Please kill those disloyal subjects.

Some of the bound warrior spirits even recognized Gyeon Dallae and bowed.

POP! POP! POPPOPPOP!

The bound spirits stepped aside on their own.

[You have completed the additional optional mission.]

[Reward: high-grade Magic Stones 20kg]

Next came the high-difficulty optional mission: the malevolent bound spirit of the guard captain, Heuk Chisu.

A named enemy whose information could be checked.

<Heuk Chisu, bound spirit of the captain of the palace guard>

Rank: SSR (Special Super Rare)

Type: General (Ghost)

Heuk Chisu was a low-ranking commander who guarded the Cheon Empire Palace. However, he sided with Gyeonsul and became one of the leading forces of the rebellion, betraying his young liege.

“You bastard!!! Heuk Chisu!”

Gyeon Dallae’s thunderous rebuke.

The bound spirit of the guard captain, Heuk Chisu, trembled violently in place.

Princess? Is it truly the Princess?

“I knew it would come to this. The end of a traitor is truly wretched. You have become a lowly wandering ghost, adrift through the nine heavens.”

Kehehe, what do you mean traitor? When wealth and glory are right in front of you, only a fool would fail to seize the chance.

“And are you enjoying your glory now?”

You little bitch! It is because of you, because of you! Was it not you who hurled the killing curse at the Emperor? Because of you, the Empire was destroyed!

“If a world collapses because a single Emperor dies, then it was right for it to end quickly.”

You damned bitch!!!

Heuk Chisu charged at her with terrifying momentum.

But then again, this place was Gyeon Dallae’s world.

“There will be no underworld for you. Die once more, traitor!”

Tspt!

A talisman flew.

FWOOOOSH!

The bronze mirror shone.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Struck by the talisman and exposed to the mirror’s light, Heuk Chisu melted away.

[You have completed the high-difficulty optional mission.]

[Reward: Tower-Only Cursed General’s Blade of the Guard]

“So it’s not marines who catch ghosts. It’s shamans.”

“So when they called her the highest shaman, it was no empty boast.”

“She’s got spirit, sir. Reminds me of when she scolded me for slurping noodles.”

“The warrior does not make noise while eating noodles.”

Gyeon Dallae had died at a young age and had never fully shed the air of a girl, but in the palace, she was invincible.

The natural enemy of bound spirits.

Who would dare stand against her?

Now only the last one remained.

Gyeon Dallae already knew where Gyeonsul, the target of the ultra-high-difficulty optional mission, was.

She walked off alone with slow, wavering steps.

The largest hall in the palace.

Creak, she opened the door and stepped inside.

“...Uncle.”

A ghost in the shape of a gaunt skeleton, crawling across the great hall on all fours like a dog.

Clack, clack.

The pitiful figure of a hungry ghost.

<Hungry Ghost Gyeonsul>

Rank: SSR++ (High Special Super Rare)

Type: Emperor (Ghost)

Gyeonsul was the man who killed his nephew Gyeon Uk and became Emperor, but not long after taking the throne, he too was struck by a killing curse from yet another nephew and died. He had put forward a proxy and even performed a counter-curse ritual to block the killing curse, but the killing curse of the highest shaman of the Cheon Empire still came flying straight into him.

After Gyeonsul died, his three sons were seduced {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} by the wicked-spirit Nine-Tailed Fox and fought among themselves over imperial authority. In the end, during the chaos, Japanese raiders and northern nomadic tribes invaded, and through that war, the Empire was destroyed.

The hungry ghost Gyeonsul looked at Gyeon Dallae.

Oh! My niece has come. Just like before, plump and delicious-looking.

“You are truly pitiful. Even in death, bound to the tower and unable to leave. How can you still cling to so much?”

Shut up! Before killing your brother, I should have killed you first. That is the one lingering regret I still possess.

“Have you still not realized the vanity of power? Even after making the Empire into this?”

Hehehe, power is not something even father and son can share.

“There is something I wish to ask... Was it you who killed Father as well?”

Heh-heh, did you not already know? Yes, I killed him. Your weak father was never a man fit to become Emperor in the first place.

Stagger.

Gyeon Dallae’s body swayed.

Her eyes trembled.

The blood drained from her pale face.

Even Juhyeok, watching, felt his chest tighten.

How could he not understand that feeling?

The enemy who had killed her father and younger brother.

A bastard like that deserved to be struck by a killing curse a hundred times over.

Juhyeok walked up to Gyeon Dallae and took hold of her frail shoulders with both hands.

“Princess.”

“...Ah!”

“Leave that bastard to us.”

“T-that...”

“Don’t bear it alone.”

Gyeon Dallae stepped back.

Rajix toddled over and threw himself into her arms.

“WAAH.”

“Rajix farmhand... I-I am all right.”

“WAAAH!”

It was heartbreaking.

On Floor 74, she had sent off her teacher.

And on Floor 75, she had been forced to face once again the enemy who had killed her father and younger brother.

Juhyeok gave Veronica an order.

“Sergeant Ver.”

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber!”

“Feed him one large round.”

“CERTAIN VICTORY! Initiating attribute absorption.”

Veronica approached Gyeon Dallae and asked carefully,

“Princess, please excuse me for a moment.”

“...Yes, Sergeant Ver. I shall attach a talisman for you.”

An exorcism talisman was affixed to the magic gun.

The power of the talisman was absorbed into the magic gun.

“Hungry ghost locked on!”

CLICK!

The ammunition for Sergeant Ver’s magic gun was Magic Stones.

Attack power that possessed physical force, magic, and through attribute absorption, even the holy power of the talisman at the same time.

Dadadadak!

The hungry ghost Gyeonsul came charging on all fours like a dog.

I’ll devour you yet!!!

The hell you will.

Eat a large round instead.

The magic gun glowed white-hot.

ZZZING!

Pajujujuk!

Sergeant Ver’s whole body shook violently.

Swell!

The large round slammed directly into the charging hungry ghost Gyeonsul’s body.

Paaaat!

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

The aftershock of the explosion rushed outward, but the Mad Demon and Meatshield blocked it.

The hungry ghost Gyeonsul lay there with all four limbs pointed toward the sky, trembling after the impact of the large round.

“Kiiiiii...”

Still not dead, huh.

“One more shot.”

“Yes, sir!”

ZZZING!

Pajujujuk!

Swell!

Paaaat!

KRAAASH!!!

The hungry ghost Gyeonsul was obliterated in an instant.

Well, he would come back again if they reset it.

[You have completed all missions on Floor 75.]

[Reward: Ring of Appearance Transformation / Restore Scroll]

It had not even been difficult.

Since Gyeon Dallae had practically done everything by herself.

Then?

Obviously, they had to go straight into Floor 76.

Why waste time?

[Calculating Clear Rank.]

[Global Notice: You have achieved Clear Rank S+++ on Black Tower NO.1 (Korea) Floor 75.]

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

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