Rajix's live performance in Tokyo.

Once again, the entire world was shaken.

The reaction was even hotter than during the Pyongyang nuclear-backpack terror incident.

Back then, he had completed the mission and disappeared immediately.

But in Tokyo, he captured yakuza, saved the prime minister, took a lap around the city, and even waved—complete with fan service.

Who the hell is that guy?

A summoned entity?

Some kind of spirit or divine beast?

The media blasted out breaking news, TV stations put together special programs, and all day long, videos of Rajix spinning around Tokyo swallowed up SNS and YouTube.

Meanwhile, on White Tower Floor 17.

Juhyeok praised Rajix, who had returned after flawlessly completing the mission.

"Aw, our dimensional farmhand. Such a peaceful approach. I like it."

"WAAH!"

"But stripping them down to their underwear was a little too—"

"Waaah...!"

"Let's just burn the underwear."

"WAAH!"

Gyeon Dallae, who had clearly been waiting for this, immediately stepped in.

"This maiden suffered severe mental shock after witnessing a naked Japanese man. Take responsibility, Rajix the dimensional farmhand."

"WAAH?"

"Come into this maiden's arms. Healing is required."

"WAAH!"

"Where do you think you're going!!!"

Rajix fled in terror.

RUMBLE, BOUNCE, SPIN-SPIN-SPIN.

He froze for a moment.

Then, right in front of the magitech engineer El, he landed with a THUD.

SSSK.

He pulled out the items and clothes he had collected in Tokyo.

Hesitantly, El pinched the potion auto-injection belt lying among the loincloths and torn clothes with two fingers.

"Thank you, dimensional farmhand."

"WAAH!"

"I'll study this thoroughly. And..."

"WAAH?"

"I don't need the rest, so I'll burn it."

"WAAH!"

ZIIING!

A destruction beam shot from El's eyes.

CRACK!

FWOOSH!

The clothes turned to ashes.

Juhyeok saw it too.

Rajix had brought back the belt item Prime Minister Maeda had been wearing.

So ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) he brought that back too.

It couldn't be helped, since he had needed to disarm him at the time.

Once El finishes examining it, I'll have her return it.

Then Cossack spoke up with an unusually serious expression.

"Still, I think this crossed a line."

"What did?"

"The administrators. Those bastards have lost their minds. Going on and on about normalization."

Mad Demon chimed in.

"Indeed. If the Liberation Rune Necklace situation continues, the world will be drenched in blood."

Mackenzie added,

"Even with mana-sealing scrolls, it isn't a complete solution. Incidents like this will keep happening."

After all, just because there was a law didn't mean criminals stopped committing crimes.

It had to be stopped at the source.

But in the current situation, there was no clear solution.

"We need to put heavy pressure on the administrators. Let them know we won't just sit back and watch."

"How?"

"How about sending one of them on a business trip to the world of souls?"

"A business trip?"

"To the world of souls, to inform them of our situation. Isn't this a clear violation of causality?"

They had done something similar before.

When the Catalog expansion was blocked, Cossack and the other summoned entities had rallied the souls and even staged protests.

"Assassin, you see one thing and miss the next. We are all residents of the White Tower now. How exactly are we supposed to go to the world of souls?"

"R-random summoning?"

"It's been blocked for a hundred days. What, ninety left?"

"Tsk, tsk. I knew you'd say that. No alternative plan."

But Juhyeok stepped in.

"I think it might work."

"What?"

"How?"

He explained the method.

"Expulsion. Just leave the White Tower."

〈Expulsion〉

– Revokes registered resident status and expels the resident from the White Tower.

If their address changed like that, then after being unsummoned, they should return to the world of souls.

But there was a problem.

"It's not difficult, but the question is whether re-registration is possible. If it isn't, we can't expel someone lightly."

"No matter what, can we really expel one of our own? Let's drop it."

Cossack looked disappointed.

"At least try it as an experiment. If someone gets expelled, won't a message pop up explaining what happens?"

"Who? Want to try it yourself, Mr. Cossack?"

"You said we should expel someone?"

"T-that's..."

The risk was too high.

Sure, it was expulsion from the White Tower, not the Catalog, but was it really right to throw someone out just to spread the word?

Then, at that very moment!

Jepetto raised his hand high.

"Summoner."

"Yes?"

"Please expel me."

Huh?

Out of nowhere?

"Why...?"

"Ever since I was summoned, my presence has been nonexistent. I may as well not be here."

Hard to deny that.

"Everyone else earns achievements, but I have nothing. Please send me to the world of souls instead. I want to become a liaison between there and White Tower Floor 17, and help you, Summoner."

Jepetto's earnest plea.

Ahhh.

Tears welled up.

Juhyeok felt guilty too.

He hadn't taken proper care of Jepetto all this time.

"It's okay. You don't need to force yourself to earn achievements. Just resting on White Tower Floor 17 is enough for me. Once we gather runes and badges, I'll definitely help you break through your rank."

Still, Jepetto stood firm.

"Please send me. This is the mission given to me. Grant me the chance to fulfill it."

Sigh.

What should I do?

Jepetto's desperate expression.

The summoned entities were moved by his sacrifice.

...Should we try it once?

How exactly does expulsion work?

Juhyeok pulled up the Resident List.

When he tapped Jepetto's entry, a button appeared beside it.

〈Expel〉

It won't expel him immediately, right?

Tap.

[Do you wish to expel resident Jepetto? Upon expulsion, re-registration will be impossible for one month.]

"Oh!"

Then—

[After one month, re-registration requires the issuance of new Residency Rights. Re-registration also requires 1 kg of top-grade Magic Stones.]

One month without registration.

But re-registration was possible.

All it took was 1 kg of top-grade Magic Stones.

That penalty was acceptable.

And Jepetto wanted this so badly.

After explaining what would happen if he were expelled—

"I'll send you on a one-month assignment. I'll keep summoning you anyway. Instead of White Tower Floor 17, you'll stay at the penthouse."

"Thank you!"

Everyone applauded Jepetto's sacrifice.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Jepetto looked bashful.

And so—

[Resident Jepetto has been expelled. Exiting White Tower Floor 17.]

SPOT!

Jepetto accepted Juhyeok's mission and returned to the world of souls.

At least that was a relief.

He wasn't gone forever.

They could re-register him after a month.

Then Mackenzie seemed to have something to say.

He hesitated and fidgeted.

"Summoner, this alone won't be enough. I have an idea."

"Go ahead."

"It'll require gathering everyone's thoughts. I believe a briefing is in order."

A briefing, huh.

"If there's something to do, then we should do it."

"Hahaha, thank you. I'll prepare diligently."

At that moment!

Cossack narrowed his eyes at Mackenzie.

Mackenzie stared back without backing down.

A silent war.

At Mackenzie's briefing venue, Juhyeok and the summoned entities gathered in one place.

A monitor for communicating with Mari had also been set up.

Cossack looked deeply displeased.

He was unsettled.

Until now, he had served as the moderator for almost every briefing.

That role had given him special authority and pushed him into the number-two spot.

Now this old mage had snatched the moderator's seat.

Truly unsettling.

"Greetings, everyone. This humble mage considers it the greatest honor of his life to serve as today's briefing moderator."

Nine-circle mage Mackenzie stood at the podium.

Neatly arranged robes, a spotlight shining down from above—

like a CEO unveiling a new product at some item corporation.

"This humble mage is the Lord of Flame who conquered the 83rd Floor's Arakroid at S+++ rank, astonished the world with an enchantment bracelet for escaping obesity, first proposed scroll magic as an instant solution to the Summoner's worries, and also participated in bullet-attribute research—"

Suddenly!

Mad Demon cut him off.

"Too long. Stop. Even that assassin bastard doesn't ramble this much."

"...But I still have more—"

"Mackenzie, you're getting cocky over a few minor achievements? Pathetic."

"I-I was only stating facts."

"Did you make the scroll by yourself? El and the workshop did all the work. Bragging because you carved a few mold plates? Ridiculous."

Mackenzie froze in embarrassment.

Cossack smirked bitterly at the sight.

Tch, damn bastards...

No helping it.

Since his achievement-flex had failed, he went straight to the point.

"...As you can see from this incident, the administrators' schemes are crossing the line more and more."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Why do you think they scattered Liberation Rune Necklaces so recklessly? All of this is aimed at our Summoner."

Obvious to anyone.

Since they couldn't do anything inside the Tower, they were trying something outside—

and in China, which already had poor relations with Korea.

"We must also consider the possibility of war. Of course, if those idiots try anything, this mage will wipe them out with a meteor summon."

At that, Cossack raised his hand sharply.

Mackenzie hesitated for a moment.

"Hm."

What was that guy about to say when he raised his hand?

With no choice, Mackenzie called on him.

"Old mage, have you still not fixed that bad habit of yours? What's so great about summoning meteors? What are you going to do if they retaliate with nukes?"

"We can take refuge on White Tower Floor 17."

"And everyone else? What's the point if the whole world is destroyed and only we survive? Withdraw the meteor remark."

...

Juhyeok nodded too, agreeing with Cossack.

That's right.

What was the point of surviving alone?

Mackenzie stole a glance at Juhyeok's reaction.

"A-alright. I'll withdraw it."

"Think before you speak from now on."

"Ahem!!!"

After clearing his throat once,

"In any case, what we must prioritize now is—first, the Summoner's safety. Second, the Summoner's safety. Third, the Summoner's safety. For that, the Summoner must become stronger."

Mackenzie waved a hand through the air.

SHRRR—

Tiny, firefly-like lights gathered and formed words.

...

One said:

"Top-grade Nectar."

The other:

"Top-grade Elixir."

"The way to crush the administrators' ambitions before they can act is for the Summoner to grow stronger quickly."

But then—

FWOOSH!

Mackenzie activated blazing visual magic.

At the same time, two letters appeared right above his head.

"Rage."

Mackenzie shouted in a thunderous voice.

"And yet this mage cannot understand it! What on earth have you all been doing until now? You've already climbed into the 80s—shouldn't you have produced at least one Top-grade Nectar or Top-grade Elixir by now?!"

Nectar.

A potion that greatly extended a human's natural lifespan when consumed.

Elixir.

Depending on the type, it could strengthen the body, revive someone instantly upon death, or provide complete healing.

Juhyeok had heard of them before.

From Mari.

Now that I think about it, she said you start being able to gather the materials once you reach the 80s.

But she hadn't specified exactly which floor.

Probably because of restrictions.

"...For that reason, this mage, exercising the authority of the briefing moderator, will summon the shut-in alchemist, Aliamari!"

Is this a hearing or what?

At once, the chat screen appeared on the nearby monitor.

Ding!

<Mari>: I'm busy. Why the hell are you calling me, you $#&@& bastards...

Mari was within earshot, but the conversation was happening through chat.

"The Summoner is right beside you."

<Mari>: Yesss~ You called? ♡Hehe♡♡♡

Mackenzie interrogated Mari.

"As an alchemist, you should have been the first to manufacture elixirs and nectar. Yet none have been made. Why is that?"

...

<Mari>: Because of the materials. So far, we've only obtained three with high versatility: the Thousand-Year Fox Orb, top-grade Magic Stones, and the Demon Lord of Nightmares' eyeball.

"If the Thousand-Year Fox Orb has such high versatility, what can substitute for it?"

<Mari>: Phoenix feathers and the fruit of the World Tree.

"Then all we need is one more—either phoenix feathers or the fruit of the World Tree."

<Mari>: Right. But the more materials we have, the better. The more the merrier. If phoenix ash shows up, that'd be the cherry on top.

"And the Demon Lord of Nightmares' eyeball?"

<Mari>: That goes into everything too. It's part of the body of a top-grade demon race with a long lifespan, so it can be used as material for both nectar and elixir.

At that moment!

Cossack shot his hand up to ask a question.

"We just so happen to have a defector nightmare demon here. Diamat—if we pluck out her eyeballs, can we keep using them as material?"

...Gulp!

Diamat's body trembled.

Juhyeok remembered.

Back on the 80th Floor, a copy of her had been defeated, and the reward had been <Diamat's Eye>.

No way...

<Mari>: No.

"Why not?"

<Mari>: That nightmare demon is only SS-rank. She's not a lord. So even if you pull out her eyeballs, they'd be completely useless.

Phew.

Diamat let out a sigh of relief.

If she were an RSS-rank Succubus Queen, the Demon Lord of Nightmares, her eyes would have been plucked out on the spot.

They were absolutely capable of that.

Well, even if she died, they could just revive her.

I should never break through my rank.

If she became a Succubus Queen, she might get treated like livestock for eyeball harvesting.

"Anyway, if we can't make them because we're short on materials, then we just need to obtain the materials."

<Mari>: The real problem is the dragon heart. If we could secure a heart—even from a wyrm, or even a hatchling—

"I understand."

Briefing moderator Mackenzie turned his head toward Juhyeok.

Then—

"The answer has emerged. That answer is—"

SHRRR—

Once again, words appeared above his head.

"Ascending to uncleared upper floors."

"Summoner, now you must decide. We will follow, staking our lives. We ascend to the upper floors—"

"After resting."

"...Pardon?"

"Why?"

Mackenzie looked flustered.

"Let's take it easy. Is everything always about work? The Tower's collapse deadline is still far off."

"N-no, who knows what those administrators might do? We need countermeasures—"

"We already have them. Mana-sealing scrolls."

"If you consume nectar, you could live a thousand more years."

"Hey, what's the point of living that long by myself? Say I get married. Say I have kids. Then my children die before me—wouldn't that feel a little...?"

"Hmm..."

At that moment, Gyeon Dallae spoke up.

"Then perhaps we should shift our focus to elixirs."

Elixirs...

...

"With body-strengthening elixirs, Young Master will gain greater strength. And with Elixirs of Resurrection and Elixirs of Healing, we can prepare for any possible misfortune."

That was tempting.

Especially if they stocked several bottles of revival elixir that could even bring back the dead.

"...Should we go up?"

"You must go up."

"Ascending is the right call."

"There are nine RSS-ranks. What is there to fear?"

"Elemental Core Veronica Caliber! Combat ready!"

"WAAAH!!!"

Ugh, what a pain.

Why did those administrator bastards have to go and cause trouble like this?

Mackenzie looked at Cossack with a sly smile.

Briefing success.

He had finally taken a step forward.

His position as number two—

This was a critical matter.

When the entire Tower was conquered and the age of liberation arrived, who would stand at the Summoner's side?

Number one and number two. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

One spot was already decided.

Rajix would stand on the right.

Then who would stand on the left?

It had to be him.

Cossack seemed to realize that too.

He glared at Mackenzie with fierce eyes.

The battle for second-in-command was growing bloodier by the moment.

In any case, Juhyeok decided to challenge the 86th Floor.

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 86th Floor.]

They entered the 86th Floor.

The environment was a sweltering volcanic zone.

A massive volcano loomed in the distance.

And then—

[86th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 Superheated Cataclysm Phoenix.]

[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]

[Completion Condition: Superheated Cataclysm Phoenix 0/1]

"...A phoenix?"

"A phoenix, huh."

"It's a phoenix."

"A phoenix."

"A phoenix indeed."

"A phoenix, you say?"

"So it's the Vermilion Bird."

How are we supposed to kill that thing?

They might end up using another Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket.