After sending off her teacher on Floor 74, and facing her old enemy again on Floor 75.

Poor Gyeon Dallae.

But she was still strict, solemn, and serious.

Just like the epithet registered in the Catalog.

When you thought about it, the outcome had been good too.

Her teacher had ascended, and her enemy had died one more time.

Of course, the wound left in one corner of her heart could not be washed away in an instant.

Now, the final gate.

Without resting, they immediately climbed to Floor 76.

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) Floor 76.]

SPOT!

The environment was a valley deep in the mountains.

A landscape that looked like something out of an ink painting.

No, more like someone had copied an ink painting and set it down whole.

“How strange.”

The Mad Demon said as he looked around.

“What is?”

“This place is one where the energy of nature has condensed. Shall I call it a sea where rivers of qi gather? Try circulating your qi. Then you will understand what this old man means.”

Circulating his qi.

Juhyeok activated the Heavenly-Earth One-Origin Art.

And then a thick, sticky current of energy came rushing in like a flood.

Oh!

It really was like that.

“But a place rich in qi is not always a good thing. Too much is as bad as too little. It is a place perfectly suited for qi deviation.”

He understood.

That anything had to be taken in moderation.

In any case, what was the mission here?

Juhyeok’s party started moving toward the upper reaches of the valley.

Then,

Srrrk!

The mission appeared.

[Floor 76 Basic Mission: Defeat 15 Human-Faced Birds.]

[Floor 76 Additional Optional Mission: Defeat 5 Duyoksinis.]

[Floor 76 High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Defeat Gangcheori.]

[Floor 76 Ultra-High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Defeat the wicked-spirit Nine-Tailed Fox + @]

Hmm.

Human-Faced Birds, Duyoksinis, Gangcheori, and the wicked-spirit Nine-Tailed Fox, plus alpha.

Traditional monsters from Korean legends.

That’s fresh.

Up to now, the tower monsters had all been things you saw in Western mythology or fantasy.

Goblins, orcs, trolls, minotaurs...

But why had they all been Western?

What was this, monster chauvinism?

Traditional Korean monsters ought to show up too.

That was the only fair way.

At that moment!

A sound came from the sky.

Flap, flap, flap.

Grrk, grrk, grrk,

A flock of Human-Faced Birds with human faces for heads.

Well, flying monsters could be left to our dependable Sergeant Ver.

“I’m counting on you.”

“CERTAIN VICTORY!”

No large rounds were even necessary.

Veronica, who had upgraded her magic-gun marksmanship skill to LSSR rank not long ago with 5 badges.

“Selector switch to automatic. Targets: Human-Faced Birds.”

Pajujuk! Pajujuk! Pajujujujuk!

The Human-Faced Birds were struck by the rapid-fire Magic Stone rounds and fell helplessly from the sky.

The ones that somehow made it down alive were finished off by Meatshield and Cossack.

And then,

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Ammunition resupply required.”

“Right. Our Supply Officer... hm?”

Where had Rajix gone?

He had been right beside them just a moment ago.

“Did anybody see our cosmic bald farmhand?”

“A little while ago, sir, he went ‘WAAH! WAAH!’ and rode off on Blood Wolf. With a pickaxe.”

“...Ah!”

Did he find something?

That made Juhyeok hopeful.

If the Supply Officer was not here, then he could do it himself.

Juhyeok’s Inventory also held quite a lot of Magic Stones by now.

Clatter!

After pouring Magic Stones into the magic gun,

Veronica resumed automatic fire.

Pajujuk! Pajujuk! Pajujujujuk!

[Human-Faced Birds defeated 15/15]

[You have succeeded in the Floor 76 Basic Mission.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Reward: Magic Stones 1.6kg / high-grade Magic Stones 6kg]

The Basic Mission ended quickly too.

This was really easy.

Though he did not know if other Players would feel the same.

The next mission was Duyoksinis.

Large-bodied walking monsters.

Their forms were like the yakshas of Buddhist tales.

Humanoid monsters wielding clubs lined with spikes.

“This old man will finish them. I did nothing on Floor 75, and it has left me restless.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

WOOOONG!

A crescent-shaped blade of energy rose above the Mad Demon’s hand.

Tspt!

It flew toward the Duyoksinis.

Shhk, shhk, shhk...

The heads of the Duyoksinis were severed.

So were the clubs they had raised to block the attack.

Since the Mad Demon had stepped in personally, an additional optional mission was over in an instant.

The crescent blades of energy swept around in several passes and returned, and all that remained were the Duyoksinis’ bodies, cut into pieces.

The reward was a Healing Potion.

It would have been better if they had given high-grade Magic Stones instead.

In any case, the additional optional mission was over too.

They set off upstream once more.

The high-difficulty optional mission was to defeat Gangcheori.

A giant serpent that had failed to become a dragon.

At that moment!

Bubble, bubble.

Bubbles rose in a pool in the valley stream.

SPLAAASH!

A gigantic black armored serpent shot up from the pool.

It flicked its tongue and hissed.

“UOOOOOOOH!”

Meatshield, now huge, let out a taunting roar and splashed into the pool,

SNATCH!

Wrapping both arms around the creature’s body,

CRACK!

And squeezing with a bear hug.

“Grrrhhh?”

Gangcheori thrashed violently.

It coiled its thick body around Meatshield’s frame,

but could it overpower Meatshield’s strength?

He was LSSR.

Crrk, crrrk,

It writhed for a while, then went limp.

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

[Reward: Multinational Tower Use Ticket (2)]

“Oh! Jackpot!”

Two tickets at once.

He had a good feeling about this.

That aside,

“These missions in the seventies don’t really feel that hard. Same with the final ultra-high-difficulty mission.”

Gyeon Dallae nodded as if in agreement and said,

“I believe this floor was designed that way from the beginning. It feels like a floor meant for us, my lord.”

That was right.

Anyone who did not realize that was a fool.

Floors 71, 72, and 73 were for Meatshield.

Floors 74, 75, and 76 were for Gyeon Dallae.

And Floors 77, 78, and 79 would likely also be theme floors for one of the summoned entities.

In other words, they were summoned-entity rank breakthrough floors.

It was the same for the towers of other countries.

But who would know?

Who would know that they were summoned-entity theme floors?

Maybe because of that, the Basic Missions were very easy.

Easy enough that if you reached Floor 71 and only did the Basic Mission, you could climb at high speed.

Still, there was one thing bothering him...

“Do you happen to know anything about Floor 80?”

This time it was the Mad Demon who answered.

“I do not know exactly, but it will likely be difficult. And I suspect it will be somewhat peculiar. Like Kabalan on Floor 70.”

Peculiar?

Would it cast something like the Curse of the Average?

Then some incident might erupt the moment he stepped onto it.

And if that happened, the first person to go up would shoulder the blame.

That had happened to Guillaume in France.

Because of depression, he had jumped to Floor 70, met Kabalan first, and triggered the Curse of the Average.

Even after death, Guillaume had been cursed out.

A nuisance Player, from a nuisance country.

Ugh, even thinking about it is horrifying.

Remembering how France had been treated back then...

I should delay climbing Floor 80 if at all possible.

Anyway, the last ultra-high-difficulty optional mission.

Juhyeok and the party kept heading farther upstream.

The sound of water gradually grew louder.

Before long, a gigantic waterfall came into view in the distance.

Right.

A valley needed a waterfall.

KWAALLL!

Water poured down.

And beneath it stood a person.

...A Nine-Tailed Fox?

A beautiful woman was reclining sideways on a broad rock near the waterfall.

The spray from the falling water had soaked her clothes through.

Perhaps because of that, every curve of her body and her alluring figure were laid bare.

“...”

“...”

“Ahem!”

This was awkward.

Where was he even supposed to look?

So he subtly turned his head aside.

“Meatshield’s got flounder eyes, sir. He keeps stealing sideways glances.”

And what about you?

On the other hand, the Mad Demon did not even think of turning his eyes away.

He merely stared quietly at the waterfall and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

...Then maybe I should take a look too?

No ulterior motive.

It was for checking information.

Really.

<Wicked-Spirit Nine-Tailed Fox Yeochi>

Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)

Type: Nine-Tailed Fox (Divine Beast)

As expected, LSSR.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Yeochi could not resist her desire for human livers. Her sister, the Nine-Tailed Fox Yeopae, was the same. It was the easiest and fastest way to grow nine tails, so why would they refuse it?

Their ultimate goal was ten tails. Why should a Nine-Tailed Fox have only nine tails? Nine is a number lacking one. Only with ten tails can it finally become complete. But no Nine-Tailed Fox had ever surpassed nine. Not even through ascension.

Yeochi’s cherished desire was to become a monster god with ten tails. To do that, she had to blind the eyes of heaven. So she intervened in the struggle for imperial authority and tempted them into war. There is nothing better than war for deceiving heaven.

She consumed the livers of countless humans, but in the end she failed. Ordinary livers could not break through the wall. Just one more special liver, the liver of a human with a high-grade soul, and that would do it, but she could never find it. Just one. Just one! Something special!

The Nine-Tailed Fox Yeochi, who had been lying on the rock, rose to her feet with all nine tails swaying.

“My, what an extraordinary person has graced me with a visit. It seems my wish will finally come true today.”

A wish.

Ten tails?

“Since you have come all the way here in person to give me your liver, I should welcome you properly.”

Yeochi’s eyes were fixed on one person alone.

Juhyeok.

Her tails wagged like pinwheels.

Like a pet dog that had caught the smell of its favorite treat.

Surely not?

“...My liver?”

“Hohoho, naturally. Other than our handsome young master, who else could it be?”

Well, yes, he was handsome,

but why his liver?

And what did she mean, who else?

There were plenty of people here.

“The rest are all fakes, aren’t they? If I eat a counterfeit liver, all it will do is give me indigestion.”

“...”

Hmm.

That actually made sense.

Which made him uneasy.

“Um, I left my liver at home... so I don’t have it with me right now. What should I do? I can take my liver in and out, you see.”

At Juhyeok’s words, Cossack jolted in shock.

“Now come on, haven’t I told you over and over, sir? When you go out, always make sure you’ve packed your liver and taken it with you.”

“...I forgot.”

Cossack clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk. No wonder you’ve looked tired lately, sir. It’s all because you don’t have your liver. Can’t be helped. Make sure you put it back in when we get home.”

The Nine-Tailed Fox Yeochi clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.

“Kya-kya-kya, you are amusing. In any case, it seems you have no intention of giving it willingly, so I shall take it myself.”

At that moment!

CLICK!

Veronica had already loaded the magic gun.

“You crazy bitch, how dare you target our Commander...”

ZZZIIING!

Pajujujuk!

Swell!

The large round roared out.

It looked as though it would strike Yeochi’s body,

but then—

Tung!

It bounced off an invisible wall and flew aside.

KWAANG!

The large round slammed into the cliff.

And then,

“Keeeeeek!”

“Kkik!”

“Kyaak!”

“Kyaoh!”

Three-Tailed Foxes, Five-Tailed Foxes, and Seven-Tailed Foxes began dropping from above the waterfall, so many they could not even be counted.

I knew she wouldn’t be alone.

Were her underlings the plus alpha?

The battle began.

Meatshield moved first.

Bardin flew up and landed in Meatshield’s hand.

Cossack also shot forward with Shadow Step.

Veronica’s automatic magic-gun fire joined the fight, along with Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism ritual and talismans.

“Grrrrrk!”

Crrk, crrrk, CRACK!

Yeochi’s body, which had looked like a woman’s, suddenly transformed into the form of a wicked spirit.

A body as large as Meatshield’s.

Coarse fur bristled over her entire body.

Bright red eyes, saliva dripping from her mouth, a long hanging tongue.

Did she really have to transform?

Why not just fight in human form?

Then it happened.

The body of Yeochi, who had been facing off against Meatshield, vanished in an instant.

Huh?

A chill.

The crown of his head prickled.

Before he knew it, Yeochi had appeared directly above Juhyeok.

“No chance!!!”

Like a spear, Meatshield hurled Bardin at Yeochi.

WHIIISH!

Bardin shot forward like a superhero, one arm thrust straight out.

“Light!!!”

Prrrraaaat!

Gyeon Dallae’s talismans blanketed the sky.

Pajuk, pajuk, pajuk!

Veronica’s magic gun spat fire.

Cossack snapped right up beside Juhyeok as well.

The Bardin spear-throw worked.

Struck in the side, the Nine-Tailed Fox ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) twisted in midair.

“Krung!”

And at the same time,

“UOOOOOOOO!”

LSSR-rank Taunting Roar.

Every fox rushed toward Meatshield.

Yeochi also flinched and shuddered, changing her attack target from Juhyeok to Meatshield.

And Juhyeok?

SPOT, SPOT, POP! POP! POP!

He had already slipped out of the attack range with Shadow Step and blink magic.

Whew.

This was the first enemy like this.

The first tower monster that had singled him out and attacked him directly.

In any case, he absolutely had to survive.

If he died, everything would end in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Mad Demon?

Even in this chaotic melee, he did not move.

He was worried about the summoner, yes, but he had decided to trust the other summoned entities.

They were handling things well even now.

The summoner had also avoided danger on his own.

He could leave that to them.

The reason he did not move—

there was something inside the cave behind the waterfall.

Something just as strong and dangerous as that Nine-Tailed Fox.

It could not be ignored.

If he left it alone and it launched a surprise attack later, that would be disastrous.

But he could not just enter the cave himself, either.

For now, watching was the best option.

At least until the other summoned entities gained the upper hand in the fight.

Then, right at that moment!

Tspppppt!

“Kiaaaak!!!”

A gigantic beast burst out from behind the cave, slicing through the falling curtain of water.

“You bastard!!!”

Tspt!

The Mad Demon’s crescent blade of energy shot toward the beast.

Taeng!

The beast blocked the blade of energy with its claws.

As if he had expected that already, the Mad Demon, cloaked in Blood Jade Energy, charged in a single bound and threw a punch at the beast.

KWAAANG!

A storm of energy swept across the battlefield.

Juhyeok saw it too.

The true nature of the beast that had emerged from behind the cave.

That one also had nine tails.

A fox.

What is that?

Another Nine-Tailed Fox?

Was that the + alpha?

Not a subordinate fox?

<Crazed Wicked-Spirit Nine-Tailed Fox Yeopae>

Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)

Type: Nine-Tailed Fox (Divine Beast)

Yeopae is Yeochi’s sister. She went mad after overdosing on human livers. Only the instinct for slaughter remains.

Yeochi and Yeopae.

Twin Nine-Tailed Foxes.

Was this not cheating?

One alone was hard enough already.

KWAANG!

The Mad Demon and the crazed Nine-Tailed Fox Yeopae collided.

Meatshield and Bardin faced off against Yeochi.

Veronica and Cossack dealt with the Three-Tailed, Five-Tailed, and Seven-Tailed Foxes.

Gyeon Dallae supported from the rear.

As for Rajix and Blood Wolf, they were nowhere to be seen.

“Do not let even one slip through.”

“Mad Demon sir, just hold on a bit, sir. We’ll wipe these bastards out and join you.”

“Worry about yourselves. If even a scratch lands on the summoner, all of you are dead.”

“Yes, sir!”

“KUUOOOHHH! Everyone look at me! Come at me!”

“Light!!!”

Tspt! KWAANG!

THUD! Pajujuk!

It was a chaotic melee.

There had never been a battle this fierce before.

And that was why he did not like it.

He hated it.

...Hoo.

The reason a weak man had decided to climb the tower in the first place.

Because it was easy.

Because it was safe.

No matter how strong the enemy was, if he left it to the summoned entities, they always put on the perfect clear.

And even if a slightly difficult situation came up, summoning the Mad Demon ended it.

But what was this?

The battle was balanced.

Fighting was breaking out everywhere.

Of course they would still win.

These were not ordinary summoned entities.

Time would resolve it.

Once Veronica and Cossack finished off the underling foxes and joined either the Mad Demon or Meatshield, those twin Nine-Tailed Foxes would be cleaned up in an instant.

Still, he hated this.

The result had to be set from the start.

An overwhelming victory.

Not this kind of troublesome fight.

I need help.

But if he jumped in personally, he would only get in the way instead of helping.

Then?

The message Mari had left on K-Talk before.

If a difficult situation came up during clearing, call her, because she could help too.

Aliamari, the LSSR-rank alchemist.

What kind of help could a noncombat summoned entity offer on this battlefield right now?

He would call her and find out directly.

“Dismiss Blood Wolf.”

And then.

“Designated Summon, Aliamari.”

FWAAAH!

A brilliant mass of light appeared on the fierce battlefield.

Spapapat!

A flashy special effect.

And as if by prior agreement, the battle abruptly stopped.

The Nine-Tailed Foxes, the summoned entities, everyone wore expressions that said, What is this?

Mari had appeared.

The shut-in alchemist with severe social anxiety appeared crouched on a broad rock in the valley, head bowed low.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Silence flowed across the battlefield.

At that moment!

A round metal sphere slipped from Mari’s arms, dropped with a thud, and rolled away.

And it was not just one.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, rrrrrroll...

A total of 5 metal spheres bounced and rolled in every direction.

They were red.

Then, in an instant!

Those metal spheres collapsed.

Into tiny fragments.

Into red granules.

Tststst!

At the same time, the red granules began to swirl and move.

Tststststststst...

They rushed across the entire battlefield like a flood current.

They were homunculi.

Tiny humans made of blood-red metal.

Looking closely, they were not flowing at all.

They were running on their own legs.

Dadadadak!

And they were incredibly fast.

Running, jumping, rolling, even flying.

They started with the Three-Tailed, Five-Tailed, and Seven-Tailed Foxes, the underling foxes first.

Pit! Pit! Pit! Pit! Pit!

The red homunculi began clinging to the foxes one by one.

The foxes tried to avoid them, but they could not.

They were too small and too fast.

And there were too many to count.

They even burrowed into every opening—ears, noses, mouths, all of them.

“Kkik?”

“...Kehk?”

“Kekek!”

The foxes panicked.

Homunculi plastered themselves all over their bodies.

The foxes quickly turned red all over.

And then,

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

They exploded.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

The homunculi exploded all at once.

They exploded outside and inside.

The foxes’ bodies exploded with them.

KWAANG! Puh-puk!

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—! Puh-puh-puh-puk!

Blood and flesh splattered all over the battlefield.

The valley water turned crimson.

Next came the turn of the crazed Nine-Tailed Fox Yeopae, who was fighting the Mad Demon.

The homunculi clung to her the same way.

“...Kik?”

Yeopae could not stop them either.

She unleashed energy across her whole body, trying to push the homunculi away with a protective aura barrier,

but—

KWAANG-KWAANG, KRAK-KRAK-KRAAASH!

Crack, craaack!

After only a few explosions, the barrier of energy shattered pitifully, and the other homunculi took advantage of the gap to burrow in.

Tap, tap, tadadak.

Clinging to her hands, to her feet, to her stomach, to her face,

going into her mouth, into her nose, into her ears,

...and then exploding.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAAASH!

It was a massive explosion.

The body of the Nine-Tailed Fox Yeopae scattered into fragments.

Even the Mad Demon was pushed backward by the blast.

Mari was commanding all those homunculi by herself.

She did not even look at the battlefield.

She remained crouched down, staring only at the ground.

Like a bullied little kid playing alone by drawing in the dirt at the edge of a schoolyard,

the shut-in alchemist.

A severe case of social anxiety.

A keyboard warrior in cyberspace.

And she was also a bomber.

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