CLACK! CLACK-CLACK!!!

It rose—building after building.

Up, up, up!

Across from the residential complex, a 61-story skyscraper appeared.

Even after doing it, he could hardly believe it.

Honestly, he'd doubted it would work.

This wasn't a single-story house, or even a five- or ten-story building.

But it worked.

A building identical to the real one stood right before his eyes.

And then—

"Ugh."

The alcohol wore off instantly.

Regret came crashing in.

'...Can I get a refund?'

Why on earth did I do that?

Fifty tons of high-grade Magic Stones.

In an instant, about 25% of the high-grade Magic Stones stored in the warehouse must have vanished.

I've lost my mind.

Bong Juhyeok, you've completely lost it.

More than 100 billion won—gone.

Sigh.

What if the summoned entities start complaining?

The cost of installing an elevator on White Tower Floor 17 had been 1,000 tons of high-grade Magic Stones.

To gather that much, they'd bought Magic Stones in North Korea, mined veins, and used Item Additional Acquisition Tickets, going through absolute hell.

'And I blew 50 tons while drunk.'

No way they'd react kindly to this.

Why paste a useless building here?

Do you have any sense at all?

You wasted 50 tons of hard-earned Magic Stones. How does that feel?

Juhyeok had seen it himself.

Mackenzie and Cossack being publicly torn apart over a single mistake.

Of course, they wouldn't be that harsh with him, but still—

—Summoner, that was a mistake.

—Young Master, that was reckless.

—Uh... Bong Summoner, you went too far.

—The warrior finds the summoner's lack of restraint regrettable.

—That's excessive spending. I'm disappointed.

He could already hear it.

'Is it my turn to get roasted now?'

Probably.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Footsteps came rushing toward him.

Alright.

Let's get it over with.

I deserve it.

"Bong Summoner!!!"

Cossack called out.

Bracing himself, Juhyeok slowly turned around with an innocent, carefree expression.

"...Yes?"

Cossack's face was flushed red.

"I-It's amazing. Truly visionary. Our 17th floor isn't some backwater anymore. It's a city now."

Ah.

Founding hero Cossack.

How does he always manage to pick the nicest possible words?

"I can already hear the property values skyrocketing. From now on, daily and monthly passes should cost double. As expected of Bong Summoner."

The others chimed in.

"It's astonishing. I never imagined something like this was possible."

"Summoner, this surpasses magic. Even calling it divine authority wouldn't be enough."

"The maiden nearly fainted."

"Congratulations on the building's completion, Commander."

"Um... may we go inside and take a look?"

"Cleaning... WAAH!"

"It's amazing. You're wonderful ♥"

Phew.

At least nobody's yelling at me.

But then—

Ding!

Something chimed.

No way.

[Achievement: You have pasted a landmark-grade large structure on White Tower Floor 17.]

Oh! An achievement!

[Achievement reward granted.]

What now?

Another White Tower reward?

[A new option has been added to the White Tower Floor 17 placement menu.]

The placement menu meant copy and paste.

What had changed?

He checked.

Copies all structures within an area of up to 1 km² at once.

This function can also be used outside.

No cost required.

Pastes copied structures in bulk.

Costs high-grade Magic Stones proportional to area, size, and value.

Unwanted structures can be excluded.

You could move an entire district at once.

1 km² was about the size of a small neighborhood, something like Daechi-dong or Haengun-dong.

Well... it wasn't a total loss.

He'd done something reckless while drunk, but at least it had earned an achievement.

"Let's go inside. See what it looks like."

Everyone rushed toward the building.

"There's even an underground parking garage."

Naturally.

The original had six basement levels and sixty-one floors above ground.

The surroundings were barren, but the interior was pristine.

It looked exactly like a newly completed building.

Only the basic infrastructure and essential interior features had been copied.

"There are elevators too."

Not the White Tower elevator. Just the building's own elevators.

"Check the bathrooms. Everything's spotless. The water pressure is great, and it drains perfectly."

Full plumbing.

Where did the water come from? Where did it go?

Nothing about it felt strange.

The copy-and-paste itself was already beyond comprehension.

Still—how would this place be used?

'Whatever.'

Leave it for now.

It would come in handy someday.

The next day.

Korean Awakening Administration.

Jeon Gwangil arrived at his office.

He'd drunk far too much the night before.

And yet he felt fine.

Better than before he'd started drinking, even.

Thanks to an incredible hangover cure.

A potion given to him by the alchemist on White Tower Floor 17.

The moment he drank it, the hangover disappeared.

"Whew."

He leaned back in his chair and recalled what had happened yesterday.

He had been completely stunned.

It still felt like a dream.

Watching such a massive building take shape as if by magic.

'So this is how he's been decorating Floor 17.'

It was like a city-building simulation game.

If he told anyone, would they even believe him?

Not that he had any intention of telling anyone.

Bong Juhyeok, the Player.

At least within White Tower Floor 17, he was no different from a god.

'Calling it "pasting" is an understatement.'

This was creation itself.

No wonder the summoned entities had been shocked.

'Now I understand why Player Bong needs so many high-grade Magic Stones.'

What kind of place was Floor 17, anyway?

Another self-sustaining world, capable of surviving even if the real world collapsed?

Knock knock.

"Director, may I come in?"

"Sure."

Team Leader Lee Min-ah entered.

"What's up?"

"We've delivered the twin-leather materials to the Tower warehouse, Rajix Trading, and HG Fashion."

"Any complaints?"

"HG Fashion's CEO, Ko Yeon-ha, was unhappy. Said their allocation was smaller than Rajix Trading's."

Jeon Gwangil scoffed.

"Tell them they should be grateful they're getting anything at all. Honestly, I'd rather cut them off entirely."

"Yes. I'll make that clear."

Serves them right.

They should have behaved from the beginning.

Going forward, HG Fashion's allocation would be reduced even further.

Since Min-ah was here—

Jeon Gwangil pulled out his phone.

"Come here. I'll show you something."

"What is it?"

"Footage of the Floor 83 clear."

"Oh! It was cleared twice yesterday, right?"

She watched the video.

A tropical jungle environment, spider silk everywhere, spiders appearing.

"Ughhhh."

"Gross, right?"

"It is, but they're kind of small. Weren't they supposed to be giant monsters?"

"Keep watching."

Then the giant spider appeared.

It was too big to fit properly in the video frame.

One leg was longer than a towering tree.

"...That's insane."

"Right?"

"How do you even kill something like that?"

"They did."

"...Huh? Oh—right. It's Player Bong's video."

As the giant spider emerged and the baby spiders swarmed—

The clear began.

Fire rained from the sky.

"Oh my. My goodness."

A firestorm followed, and molten flames erupted from the ground.

The spider burned.

It melted.

Until now, Player Bong's footage had only shown monster appearances and sizes.

"This time, the clear itself was recorded. But isn't Player Bong a summoner? Or maybe a magic-type?"

As far as anyone knew, he was a summoner.

"He is a summoner."

"...Then? Oh!"

Min-ah nodded as if she understood.

"Elemental summoning—fire spirits, right?"

Completely wrong, but there was no reason to correct her.

"Close enough."

"What rank? High-tier? Top-tier? A Fire Spirit King?"

"No idea."

Either way—

"Edit out the latter half and send it to tower-climbing divisions worldwide."

"Yes."

"Add a note saying it seems weak to fire."

"Understood."

They would cut the later portion.

There was no need to share the entire clear. Information on Arachroid alone was enough.

What's the point of showing them the full thing?

It's not as if they can copy it.

There wouldn't even be anything useful for them to reference for their own clears.

"Oh! Team Leader Lee?"

"Yes?"

"Are you still dieting these days?"

"Of course! Dieting is a lifelong pursuit. ...Do I look like I've gained weight?"

"No, it's not that..."

She's already that slim, yet she's always talking about dieting.

But is Lee Min-ah the only one?

Player Nam Ga-eun practically lives at the gym.

"Team Leader Lee, what would you do if there were an item that made you lose weight even if you just stayed still?"

"Oh my? Something like that exists?"

"Let's say it does."

"I'd buy it. No question."

"What if it's a Tower item and really expensive?"

"I'd take out a loan. If that didn't work, I'd even go to loan sharks."

"Really? Got it."

"I'll get ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) going now. I need to edit the video."

After Lee Min-ah left, Jeon Gwangil took a round bracelet out of his pocket.

The Weight-Loss Bracelet.

The item he'd received from Player Bong the previous day.

But he wasn't planning to use it himself.

He had someone else in mind.

He picked up his phone and tapped in a number.

Ring... ring...

"Hello, CEO Jung Dong-hoon?"

—Ah! Director.

"You received the leather without any problems, right?"

—Yes, thanks to you. The Apophis leather as well. Please convey my thanks to Player Bong.

"Of course, I will."

—I'll transfer the payment for the leather immediately.

Then—

"By the way, Player Bong sent you a gift."

—What? A gift? I should be the one giving him something.

"Hahaha, we'll sort that out later. Anyway, the gift is a health bracelet..."

—A health bracelet?

"Yes. A health bracelet. Try wearing it first, and if you notice any changes, give me feedback right away. For example, changes in your weight."

—Is it a Tower reward item?

"Hmm, half right and half wrong. It's made from Tower materials, but it's not a Tower reward."

—Ah, I see.

"Should I bring it to you personally?"

—No need. I'll head to the Korean Awakening Administration right away.

The test subject was Jung Dong-hoon, CEO of Rajix Trading, who was mildly overweight.

If the bracelet really worked—

'This will make a fortune.'

The diet market was unimaginably vast.

Medical, food, exercise—

If a weight-loss bracelet hit the market, the impact would be enormous.

Erectile dysfunction drugs or hair-growth products wouldn't even compare.

Just look around.

Are there more overweight people, or more bald people?

And even people who aren't overweight still want to lose weight.

Like Team Leader Lee Min-ah.

Juhyeok's penthouse.

Another day, another tower clear.

He recruited people at the Floor 17 labor market.

Well, he brought everyone except Mari.

"Let's go climbing."

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) Floor 83.]

Now that Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) had been cleared, Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) had to be cleared as well.

The mission was the same.

[83rd Floor Mission: Defeat 1 giant monster Arachroid.]

Sticky spider silk, swarms of baby spiders, the massive queen spider—

That meant the clear itself went the same way too.

FWAAAAASH! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The wide-area fire magic of the 9-circle Grand Archmage Mackenzie Dronak.

It was flashy, but—

'He's overdoing it again.'

THUD!

Mackenzie collapsed again.

He really should have paced himself.

He was too greedy.

It seemed the attention and praise he'd received last time were still lingering in his mind.

So he had probably expected the same reaction again.

But this time, the summoned entities were cold.

They weren't impressed twice by the same performance.

There wasn't even any applause.

Mackenzie, who had clearly been expecting it, looked sharply disappointed when no reaction came.

"Tch!"

POP!

The spotlight vanished.

[World Announcement: You have achieved clear grade S+++ on Black Tower NO.2 (Korea), Floor 83.]

[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges have been granted.]

"Good work."

The summoned entities dispersed.

They each had plenty to do.

Their top priority was setting up facilities to manufacture the bodies of the Weight-Loss Bracelets.

'By the way...'

Both Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) and Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) had now been cleared on Floor 83 at grade S+++.

That meant 4 Platinum Badges in total.

So now he had 136 cumulative Platinum Badges and 14 physical badges.

He could claim another cumulative reward.

'Check.'

[Reward granted for accumulating 135 Platinum Badges.]

'It's probably nothing special.'

[Reward: New Lucky Random Box has been delivered to your inventory.]

"...Huh?"

A Lucky Random Box.

He'd received something like that once before.

That must be why "New" had been attached to it.

"Oh!"

If it was "lucky," then something good had to come out of it.

He opened his inventory.

There was a wooden box about the size of a cake box,

with a lid on top that could be opened.

He checked the info.

<Lucky Random Box> Effect: When opened, 1 item is randomly selected from 5 predetermined options. Possible Items: – Multinational Tower Access Ticket – Trait Enhancement Rune – High-grade Magic Stones (200 tons) Exchange Voucher – Top-grade Magic Stones (20 kg) Exchange Voucher – Platinum Badge ×50 Exchange Voucher (Not added to cumulative count; no additional perks)

"Holy crap!"

What is this?

The previous Random Box had given him three Tower reward items.

This one only gave one—

but every option was insane.

200 tons of high-grade Magic Stones,

20 kg of top-grade Magic Stones,

a Trait Enhancement Rune,

a Multinational Tower Access Ticket, and—

'Platinum Badge ×50 Exchange Voucher?'

Fifty badges meant clearing 25 uncleared Black Tower floors at grade S+++.

It wouldn't count toward cumulative perks, which was a limitation,

but still—so what?

'This is incredible.'

He could freely distribute badges to his summoned entities.

He'd been worried because he only had 14 physical badges left.

'If I get this, Veronica Caliber could break through a rank too.'

The "lucky" label was well deserved.

No matter what came out, it would be good stuff.

Well—almost.

There was one landmine: the Multinational Tower Access Ticket.

If he pulled that, it was over.

'So there's a 1-in-5 chance of stepping on shit?'

He just had to avoid that one.

The other four were all wins.

'Luck? Please...'

When it came to luck, who was he if not Bong Juhyeok?

This time too, he'd get the best possible result.

He grabbed the lid, about to open it boldly—

But strangely, his hand wouldn't move.

A bad feeling.

A feeling of total failure.

'This... feels like I'll get the Multinational Tower Access Ticket.'

It was ominous.

Different from usual.

Up until now, he'd been absurdly lucky.

Everything he tried had paid off.

But there was no guarantee it would always stay that way.

Luck was like that.

Things went well for a long time, and then, sooner or later, it slipped.

And this felt like that moment.

'...Should I make someone else do it?'

Then, even if it went badly, the blame wouldn't fall on him.

If his own luck wouldn't work, he'd borrow someone else's.

Yes.

'Let's do it.'

Raising his voice dramatically—

"Emergency! Emergency! Everyone gather!"

At Juhyeok's shout, the summoned entities came running.

"Cossack reporting! What's going on?"

"Veronica Caliber! Fully armed!"

"What is it, Summoner?"

"Young Master, the maiden is present."

"The warrior is here."

Juhyeok took out the box, held it in both hands, and thrust it toward Cossack.

"Open this. Hurry!"

Cossack's face lit up.

"Oh! A gift? Ah, you really shouldn't have..."

Cossack grabbed the lid of the wooden box.

Just as he was about to open it—

He froze.

"...Is this some kind of random box? One of those perk items?"

How did he know?

"Uh... I don't want to. ...Can't you make Meatshield do it instead?"

Sharp bastard.

Way too sharp.