Juhyeok summoned all the previously summoned entities who had briefly gone back to the Infinite Prison just for bragging rights and granted them Residency Rights as well.

Then he immediately used Dismiss Summon.

Straight back to White Tower Floor 17.

Counting the summoned entities, the dog, and the defectors, there were now eleven people hanging around here.

Including Juhyeok, that made twelve.

This place was not affected by the simultaneous summon limit.

It was basically a waiting room.

Whether they were random summons or converted defectors, he could accept whoever came and just send them to Floor 17.

They waited inside, and when Juhyeok summoned them from outside Floor 17, they would manifest, act during the manifestation period, then return.

Outside the White Tower, however, the simultaneous summon limit still applied.

Exactly ten at most.

Anyway, inside the waiting room, anything was possible.

External communication and even electronic devices worked with no restrictions.

There was a residential complex, paved roads, a parking lot, and even a swimming pool.

So with physical bodies, they could eat and drink, play games, loaf around, watch TV, sleep—basically do whatever they wanted.

Buildings, roads, and other infrastructure had been copied and pasted.

Everything else was brought in from outside through subspace backpacks by Rajix.

Home appliances, food, even cars.

“What would I have done without Rajix?”

Rajix, the all-purpose handyman.

The cosmic farmhand.

The very foundation keeping Juhyeok’s party running.

“WAAH!”

Rajix started cleaning house after house together with Blood Wolf, arranging furniture and household goods as well.

With his absurd cleaning skill, every place he passed through gleamed brilliantly.

Thanks to that, they spent their days playing around happily.

They barely even noticed time passing.

Ah, peace itself.

Another peaceful day on White Tower Floor 17.

Everyone was entertaining themselves just fine.

SPOT!

Cossack, who had apparently been fooling around too much and provoked Mad Demon again, fled in a panic.

PATPATPATPAT!

Mad Demon charged after Cossack with terrifying momentum.

Under the warm sunlight, Veronica Caliber lay on a sunbed in a bikini, sunbathing.

Next to her, Diamat lounged on another sunbed, sipping a mojito.

Beside them was Gyeon Dallae.

With books piled high around her, she read with elegant composure.

Meatshield, Bardin, and Jepetto had gone out long ago, saying they were going to explore Floor 17.

And Mari?

She had claimed one house as her own and buried herself in the internet with a laptop and tablet, occasionally brewing potions to supply to the Player Shop.

For the summoned entities, this was heaven—a utopia.

Juhyeok felt deeply satisfied.

But it still was not enough.

He needed to copy more, paste more.

And for that, securing high-grade Magic Stones was essential.

Even the top-grade Magic Stones required for resident registration came from refining high-grade ones.

“Summoner Bong.”

“Can’t we refine normal Magic Stones into high-grade Magic Stones?”

“Normal Magic Stones? High-grade Magic Stones?”

“Short for normal Magic Stones and high-grade Magic Stones.”

“Ah.”

Then top-grade ones would naturally be top-grade Magic Stones.

“I already asked Mari. The ratio is one to one thousand. You need to refine one ton of normal Magic Stones to get one kilogram of high-grade Magic Stones.”

Time was not exactly abundant.

“Yikes, that’s insanely inefficient.”

“You only need to refine high-grade Magic Stones into top-grade Magic Stones.”

“Agreed.”

In that case, how about going to mine more high-grade Magic Stones?

One advantage of White Tower Floor 17 being a waiting room—

“Recruiting personnel for high-grade Magic Stone mining! One tanker, one laborer, multiple DPS!”

The summoned entities all raised their hands, shouting, “Me! Me!”

“Uh... thief classes are a little...”

“I-I’ll work hard! I can bandage myself! Please let me join!”

“Well, alright.”

White Tower Floor 17 had turned into a labor market.

“Noble tanker Mr. Meatshield, sub-tank Mr. Bardin, commoner DPS Cossack and Jepetto, and the cosmic high noble Lord Rajix with Blood Wolf—get ready.”

He only needed to call the required personnel.

Before, he had summoned everyone indiscriminately and let them fool around at home, but that was no longer necessary.

The numbers were still small, so calling it a market felt a little shabby, but what if more people gathered later?

Juhyeok left White Tower Floor 17.

Then he used Designated Summon.

SPOT! SPOT! SPOT!

Today’s objective was mining high-grade Magic Stones.

They had been rotating between Tower No. 1, Tower No. 2, and Floor 76, but the veins were gradually drying up.

Unlike item vaults, ore veins did not reset.

They would eventually be depleted.

Before that happened, they needed to secure another tower.

Anyway, let’s go in.

Today’s mining site was—

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) 76th Floor.]

SPOT!

A valley like the backdrop of an ink-wash landscape painting.

A place where natural energies and flowing currents of harmony converged.

That was why high-grade Magic Stones formed here in veins.

“Is there another floor like this?”

That was when—

“Huh?”

Someone was there.

Not a monster.

He had experienced something like this before.

“Hmm?”

“Hmm.”

“Again?”

“That bastard!”

“Looks like he’s having fun.”

A single person stood before them.

Like a hologram.

“...Administrator?”

That was right.

But he felt subtly different from before.

Ah.

[That is correct. Nice to meet you for the first time.]

For the first time?

[I am the new administrator. All previous administrators have been dismissed.]

*****

I knew it.

They deserved to be fired.

[The former administrators greatly exceeded their authority. Upper management was aware of it. Whew... the Infinite Prison—the world of souls—is extremely angry.]

Of course it was angry.

Random summoning had been suspended because of probability manipulation.

It seemed the earlier protest and Cossack’s bragging had actually worked.

By the way, what happened to dismissed administrators?

[They will pay an appropriate price. The Black Tower will be normalized.]

Oh. That was great.

[So before reward probabilities are restored, we would like to compensate you for the harm you suffered.]

“Compensate me?”

No way—what a jackpot.

[First, I apologize on behalf of the former administrators for their misconduct.]

No, no need to apologize.

But what was the compensation?

[A special reward. You will receive it upon clearing Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 82nd Floor.]

What?

Cossack immediately flew into a rage.

“Hey, you bastard! You’re pulling that ‘equivalent exchange’ nonsense again, aren’t you? Trying to secretly jack up the difficulty!”

[Trickery? What do you take me for? I swear there will be absolutely no change in difficulty.]

“And if you’re lying?”

[I am a pure and flawless soul incapable of lying. I was born that way.]

Pure and flawless?

Did he think he was some kind of angel?

[...]

“Really?”

[In any case, the difficulty of the 82nd floor will remain unchanged. Well, it is slightly harder than the 81st floor, since it is part of the giant monster zone, and the higher you go, the stronger the enemies become. That is simply the rule of the tower.]

The floors in the 80s were the giant monster zone.

No wonder Behemoth had appeared right away.

But if they got bigger the higher they went—

“By the way, there was a World Announcement earlier saying that explosions based on Earth science—gunpowder, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion—do not occur, right?”

[Yes, that is correct.]

“Is there any chance that restriction gets lifted during normalization?”

[That is not possible. It is a legitimate restriction that does not violate causality. Gunpowder, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion will remain prohibited.]

Tch.

They could have lifted at least that much.

[Instead, we have prepared rewards you will find satisfactory. The guaranteed rewards are an enormous quantity of high-grade Magic Stones, a Catalog Expansion Ticket, and one Random Skill Rune.]

Oh.

Three rewards at once.

Just hearing that sounded good.

And finally, a Catalog Expansion Ticket.

That meant random summoning would resume soon.

“How enormous is ‘enormous’ for high-grade Magic Stones?”

[So much that they will not even fit in your inventory. At least ten tons, I would say. Since you acquired the White Tower, you probably need them more than ever these days.]

Of course he did.

And what about the random rune?

“Is it possible to get a Trait Enhancement Rune?”

[If you are lucky.]

He was confident.

If it came down to luck, was Bong Juhyeok not unbeatable?

Had he gotten this far through skill?

No. He had gotten here through insane pulls.

[Ah! There is also a hidden mission. It offers the same enormous quantity of high-grade Magic Stones and one random rune as rewards.]

Huh?

A hidden mission?

And the rewards were great too.

[As it happens, someone here has a connection to the giant monster guarding the 82nd floor.]

A connection?

Who could that be?

[Of course, you do not have to clear the hidden mission.]

What did he mean, do not have to?

He was going to clear everything—main mission and hidden mission alike.

Wait.

Could it be—

“Do 82nd floors in other towers get the same rewards? For example Tower No. 2, or towers in other countries...”

[That is not possible. Only Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 82nd Floor. And the special reward is limited to one time only.]

Tch.

If you’re going to give, then give ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) generously.

Though honestly, he had not expected that much to begin with.

[I will be going now. From now on, I will never appear before you again. I wish you good fortune.]

Juhyeok cautiously waved a hand.

Goodbye.

Don’t go too far.

The new administrator chuckled at the sight.

[Do not relax. I may be responsible for operating the tower, but I am also an existence that gives trials to Players.]

Trials were just life itself.

[I will do my best within the authority I have. You should do your best as well. Though you will despair anyway once you reach the 90th floor.]

*****

If you’re leaving, then just leave.

Why curse people on the way out and ruin the mood?

Compensation for the former administrators’ abuse of authority.

And normalization of the probabilities.

All of it would be granted upon clearing the 82nd floor.

When Juhyeok returned to White Tower Floor 17 and told the summoned entities about his conversation with the new administrator—

“Ohh, a random rune—that sounds like a fine reward.”

“The guaranteed Catalog Expansion Ticket is also truly welcome.”

“They said it’s the giant monster zone. Won’t it be difficult?”

“It’ll be harder than Behemoth, but they said they won’t touch the difficulty.”

“The real issue is the hidden mission.”

“Yep. They said one of us has a connection to the 82nd-floor monster. It must be related to that.”

“If it’s the giant monster zone, then maybe...?”

Gyeon Dallae glanced sideways at Meatshield.

“Could it be a fully matured super demonic beast Hydra?”

That was possible.

Meatshield’s themed floor.

The one they had met during the ultra-high-difficulty mission on the 72nd floor had been an incomplete necromantic Hydra.

A fully grown Hydra would also count as a giant monster.

That thing could appear.

“A warrior does not mind. In fact, that is what I hope for. I will tear off all nine heads.”

Unshakable confidence.

As expected of Meatshield, the barbarian warrior.

Let’s go first.

Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 82nd Floor.

The place where a one-time special reward awaited.

The random rune was tempting, but the guaranteed rewards were also something to look forward to.

An enormous quantity of high-grade Magic Stones.

Twice over, no less.

At least ten tons, they said.

That meant there was a chance to use it—

the item he had stored in his inventory after receiving it as a privilege.

<Item Additional Acquisition Ticket> Effect: If used before clearing a tower mission, item rewards increase from a minimum of 2x to a maximum of 10x. Limitation: Does not apply to tickets or rune items.

Ten times the high-grade Magic Stone reward.

Hitting the jackpot.

That would be insane.

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 82nd Floor.]

A mission with no difficulty adjustment.

That meant a freebie.

[This floor grants a special reward.]

[Limited to one time only.]

Yes, yes. Sounds great.

If he cleared both the main mission and the hidden mission—

Two chances at enormous quantities of high-grade Magic Stones,

two chances at random runes,

and a Catalog Expansion Ticket.

He would get the expansion ticket, expand the Catalog, and immediately summon new entities.

Anyway, what was the environment like on the 82nd floor?

First impression—it was dark.

It felt like stepping into a massive cave.

Probably underground.

“Didn’t we meet the Hydra in a cave too?”

So what if it was fully grown?

There were four powerhouse summoned entities here.

Game over.

Giant-sized Meatshield lifted Bardin of Radiance high overhead like a torch.

“Light!!!”

FWAAAAASH!

The surroundings lit up so brightly it hurt the eyes.

Juhyeok and the summoned entities advanced deeper into the underground cave.

A massive cavern opened up ahead.

A wide, towering space where a giant monster could move freely.

Then—Ding!

A mission appeared.

[82nd Floor Mission: Defeat 1 giant monster Apophis.]

[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]

[Completion Condition: giant monster Apophis 0/1]

“...So it’s not a Hydra?”

Apophis.

That name sounded familiar.

And then—

SHASHASHASHASH.

From one side of the dark cavern, a giant serpent slithered out.

Apophis.

It was so enormous that even a KTX train would have looked pitiful beside it in length and thickness.

TSRRP, TSRRP.

Even its tongue was the size of an Amazonian boa constrictor.

“...It’s huge.”

“Still about on par with Behemoth.”

“Indeed. A warrior can handle it.”

“Doesn’t look too difficult.”

At that moment—Ding!

[82nd Floor Hidden Mission: Summoned Entity Rajix’s Revenge Against Apophis.]

[Completion Condition: Rajix deals at least 10% of Apophis’s total HP in damage 0/10%]

“...What?”

It was Rajix?

“Ah!”

Now it all made sense.

The cause of Rajix’s death.

He had been swallowed by Apophis in an underground labyrinth.

That was why the hidden mission required revenge.

Rajix had to deal at least 10% of Apophis’s total HP.

Of all people, Rajix.

A noncombat laborer class.

“Is that even possible?”

Juhyeok looked toward Rajix.

But—

“Huh? Where did he go?”

He had been standing right beside him only moments ago.

Then Gyeon Dallae pointed with a finger.

“Over there...”

Rajix was crouched in a corner.

His forehead was pressed to the ground, and his whole body was trembling violently.

He seemed too terrified even to look at Apophis.

He could not meet its gaze.

It looked like severe trauma.

PTSD.

And in that state, he had to deal 10% of Apophis’s total HP?

Rodents’ natural enemy was reptiles—snakes.

And this was the very creature that had swallowed him whole.

It hurt to watch.

Was he really supposed to force him to fight in this condition?

Juhyeok wrestled with it for a long time.

Then he made his decision.

I’ll give up on the hidden mission.

This was not something that should be forced.

It was far too heavy a burden for Rajix.

He would use Dismiss Summon and let him rest on Floor 17—

“No.”

Would avoiding it really solve anything?

Rajix’s trauma would remain forever.

This was not about clearing the mission or the reward.

“We’re resetting this 82nd-floor mission too.”

“...Pardon?”

He still had one Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket left. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“That’s a good call. The reward’s a shame, though—it’s a one-time chance.”

“What matters isn’t the reward. That stuff is take it or leave it.”

A pathetic oversized snake daring to become trauma for our cosmic farmhand?

Unacceptable.

Absolutely intolerable.

Even skinning it for bags would not be enough—

or maybe turning it into snake liquor.

Top priority:

Helping Rajix overcome his trauma.

“We’re doing it.”

“That’s right. Rajix the laborer is not weak.”

“This young lady believes as well. The title of ‘cosmic farmhand’ is not bestowed lightly.”

“Senior Veronica Caliber agrees. The experience our quartermaster has built up will not disappear.”

“This old man shall help as well. The summoner is right. The reward is not the issue—we must overcome the ghosts of the past.”

Everyone believed in Rajix.

“Apophis should appear in Tower No. 2 as well. We’ll train against that one first, then clear Tower No. 1, where the special reward is.”

Juhyeok took a ticket out of his inventory.

[Do you wish to use a Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket?]

[Upon use, you will automatically exit, the mission of this floor will be reset, and your entry record will be deleted.]

CRRRRZZZZT!

[You have used a Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket. Exiting the tower.]

And thus, the Rajix Trauma Recovery Project began.

The training ground was Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) 82nd Floor.