Idiots. Do you think I don’t know the former administrators?]

But then—

[Designer, the Earth Summoner has entered Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 86th Floor.]

[What?]

That damned bastard.

He just keeps climbing endlessly.

At this rate, he’ll reach the 90th floor in no time.

Wait—

[If it’s the calamity beast on the 86th floor...]

What was it again?

[The Hellfire Cataclysm Phoenix.]

That one?

[Among the Summoner’s forces, is there an ice mage or a yin-cold Murim practitioner?]

[None. There is an alchemist, but at best that means cold potions.]

[Tsk.]

Then they won’t clear it.

The Hellfire Cataclysm Phoenix was a top-tier fire elemental spirit.

Comparable to an Elemental King.

How were they supposed to extinguish that fire?

[They’ll fail.]

[High probability.]

[Project a hologram of Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 86th Floor. I want to watch their failure with my own eyes.]

Perfect timing.

I’ll relieve some stress by watching the Summoner fail.

Just as Juhyeok’s group was about to begin the fire-truck Crane Wing strategy against the phoenix on the 86th floor,

an article broke outside.

<Breaking News: Top Player Makes Sudden 100 Billion Won Donation to the Korean Fire Agency>

It was short.

The headline was the entire content.

But the impact was enormous.

Because of the amount—100 billion won?

Of course that mattered.

But more importantly, the donor had been officially confirmed as the Top Player.

This was the first time.

Until now, everything believed to have been done by the Top Player had only ever been speculation.

From holy sword rentals to the mass production of mana-sealing scrolls,

not once had anyone come out and said, “This business was done by the Top Player!”

Still, everyone knew.

If not him, then who?

But this time, the Korean Awakening Administration released an official statement.

That was something new.

L Even his donations are S+++ rank.

L The way he spends money is pure alpha energy.

L I wish I had enough money to donate 100 billion won.

L Grandpa, how many bowls of meat soup is that?

L North Korea, is meat soup your unit of value?

L I grew up without meat, that’s why...

L But 100 billion feels cheap. It should be at least 1 trillion.

L Have you ever donated even 1 won?

L Damn it, no—but if I were the Top Player, I’d donate at least 1 trillion. Not some measly 100 billion.

L You bastard, you’ve got a loose mouth. Can you take responsibility for saying that?

L Whoa, calm down. That guy’s obviously trolling.

Most of the reactions were positive.

Especially toward the fact that the donation had gone through official channels.

L Is he getting ready to reveal himself?

L Reveal his identity? No way.

L We’ll find out who he is soon, then.

L That doesn’t sound good.

L Right. There are trolls all over even this place—imagine being known in real life. Terrifying.

Meanwhile, a video was uploaded to YouTube.

It contained information on the uncleared upper floor—Floor 86—released by the Korean Awakening Administration.

People watched in anticipation, wondering what kind of terrifying monster awaited them on the 86th floor.

And they were forced to gasp.

The backdrop of Floor 86.

A volcano spewing smoke.

And above it, a floating, blazing mass.

Looking closer, it was not just fire.

It had a shape.

What is that?

Only when the subtitle appeared did its identity become clear.

– Floor 86 Monster: Superheated Cataclysm Phoenix

– Extreme-Fever Infinite-Flame Phoenix

L What, a phoenix?

L Phoenix?

L Uh—Vermilion Bird?

L A creature from legend...

L Phoenix literally means it can’t die, right?

L No way it’s literally immortal. Just absurdly hard to kill, I guess.

L You can’t even approach it because of the flames.

L You’d have to put the fire out first—but how?

L Is that why he donated to the Fire Agency?

L What does a donation have to do with a phoenix?

L Maybe he hit an impossible floor, realized how important firefighting is, and donated out of respect for firefighters.

L So you’re saying even the Top Player can’t kill a phoenix?

L Can humans kill a mythological creature?

L I think it’s impossible too.

L Agreed. Uncleared.

L It’s called a phoenix for a reason—swords won’t pierce it, and half-baked magic won’t work.

L I guarantee it. Absolute failure.

L Guess we won’t be seeing any more world announcements.

But then—

[World Announcement: You have achieved clear grade S+++ on Black Tower NO.1 (Korea), Floor 86.]

L Huh?

L Cleared it?

L They did?

L They actually did?

L They did it!

L They really did!

L You idiots, why are you all so suspicious?

L Long live Comrade Top Player!

L Long live Comrade Top Player!

L With Juche revolutionary spirit, long live Comrade Top Player!

L Long live Comrade Top Player Juhyeok!

L Impossible my ass!

L Hahaha, same as always. You all scream “impossible,” and then it’s S+++ again.

L But how did they clear it?

L No idea.

Did they pour water on it or something?

The raid ended in an instant.

Among all the clears so far, it was easily one of the fastest.

The moment the phoenix was pulled in by Veronica Caliber and entered the fire-truck Crane Wing encirclement,

its fate was sealed.

From thirty chemical fire trucks came 3,000 liters of extinguishing agent per second—

three tons every second, 180 tons every minute—

And that wasn’t even counting the massive liquid-nitrogen drops from dimensional firefighter Rajix.

[You may now challenge the 87th Floor.]

[Exiting Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1).]

SPOT!

Juhyeok and the others returned to the penthouse.

The summoned entities rested in White Tower Floor 17.

All summons were dismissed.

Then—

“Designated Summon: Jepetto.”

FWOOSH!

“Master!”

“Welcome back, Jepetto. Was it hard staying in the world of souls?”

“Not at all. ...T-the raid?”

“Haha, of course it was a success.”

“Ah! I trusted you!”

Juhyeok explained in detail how they had defeated the phoenix on the 86th floor.

Jepetto looked deeply moved.

“P-please unsummon me quickly. I must deliver this joyous news to the souls.”

“Rest at home a little before going.”

“No, the brothers and sisters over there were very curious about the phoenix raid...”

“Even so, you can spend time here and go once your manifestation time runs out.”

“Ah... understood.”

After that, Juhyeok entered White Tower Floor 17 as well.

The summoned entities were gathered in the plaza, celebrating together.

“A perfect raid.”

“Indeed. We finished it before it could even respond.”

“That firefighting breath was incredible. Far superior to a Silver Dragon’s Ice Breath.”

“Choosing the Crane Wing Formation was decisive.”

“Veronica Caliber’s pull was flawless. Aggro was perfectly controlled.”

“This was all thanks to the logistics commander from start to finish.”

“Huh.”

They exchanged praise.

“The old mage worked hard too. Flying with the dimensional firefighter and dropping liquid nitrogen! Ha! Almost like a bomber. A phoenix bomber.”

“And it only worked because Mad Demon’s crescent sword aura never missed.”

“The magitech engineer and the homebody alchemist pulled their weight too.”

Ding!

<Mari>: I always do my job properly. But the rest of you did well too.

Then Gyeon Dallae looked at Juhyeok, who had just entered White Tower Floor 17.

“However, everyone must remember that this was all accomplished under Young Master’s command.”

“Does this old man not know that? Well done, Summoner.”

“Excellent leadership.”

“It is an honor to fight by your side.”

“Certain victory!”

“Hup!”

Why was everyone being so embarrassing?

Anyway, the items they had obtained this time—

Phoenix Ash and Phoenix Feathers.

What were they used for?

<Mari>: Phoenix ash is originally associated with revival and eternal life, and phoenix feathers are the essence of fire♥

Ah.

<Mari>: If phoenix ash is left alone for a long time, it revives into a phoenix again. Of course, we’ll use it as material for elixirs and nectar for you♡♡

Not interested in nectar.

What about the feathers?

<Mari>: They’re used in enhancement elixirs that strengthen the body and mind with the power of fire. Since we already have the fox orb, now all we need is the fruit of the World Tree and a dragon heart...

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

In the past, Mari had said that materials for nectar and elixirs would start appearing in the 80s.

Coincidentally, a phoenix had appeared on the 86th floor.

Then what about the 87th floor? The 88th, 89th, and 90th?

“I’m starting to wonder whether things like the World Tree or dragons might appear as monsters.”

...

Silence fell.

The summoned entities seemed to have been thinking the same thing.

“If a dragon shows up... can we really kill it?”

No one answered right away.

Eventually, Mackenzie stepped forward.

“...Anyone who has ever participated in a successful dragon raid is granted the title of Dragon Slayer.”

Then—

“In my former world, thanks to excellent comrades, this mage also holds the title of Dragon Slayer.”

Oh! As expected of a 9th-circle archmage.

“I would not call it easy, but considering our RSS-rank companions, plus the technical-class magitech engineer and alchemist, and Rajix’s abilities... we can kill one.”

Cossack added,

“Dragons are smarter than humans. Cheap tricks don’t work well on them. But if we give up on S+++ rank, we can kill one.”

So what if they missed out on S+++?

Two badges were not that important.

The real problem was—

“It won’t be dangerous, right? No one gets hurt?”

Silence again.

Then—

“This old man knows very well how dangerous dragons are. I can’t promise zero casualties. But so what if someone dies? Even if they die, they’ll appear in the White Tower as a soul. And we even have resurrection runes.”

So... someone could die.

“That’s a bit...”

Ever since the White Tower appeared, the deaths of summoned entities had no longer been an unbearable burden.

But how could he calmly watch his companions die inside the Tower?

“I think we should restock extinguishing agents, clear No.2 Tower’s 86th floor, and then decide whether to move on to the 87th.”

They had plenty of time anyway.

There was no need to rush upward.

Besides, this was usually when problems started to appear.

An insurmountable wall, or enormous sacrifices.

Now was the time to reorganize the party.

First goal: rank breakthroughs for the summoned entities still stuck at SS-rank—achieve an all-RSS lineup.

Second goal: fully utilize magitech engineer El.

They had not been together long, yet she had already built a mass item-production system and devised strategies for giant-monster floors beyond the 81st floor.

If she were given enough time...

couldn’t she even come up with a way to kill dragons?

So for the time being, upper-floor progression was put on hold.

Then what should they do?

“Should we just do repeat clears?”

“Aren’t repeat clears boring?”

“Is climbing uncleared upper floors any different? You climb, raid, get rewards, climb again... it’s the same pattern.”

What difference was there?

“Let’s just relax and rest without thinking.”

“Even resting gets boring.”

“Look at Mari. She entertains herself just fine.”

“...Y-yes!”

Cossack had a point.

Rest only lasted a day or two.

At this rate, they would soon start suggesting climbing the upper floors again.

They needed something new—something that would redirect their attention.

Wait.

Come to think of it, there was that.

“How much refined mana metal do we have stored in the warehouse? Over 1,000 tons?”

“I’m not sure of the exact amount, but it should be more than enough.”

We have plenty of refined mana metal.

Then—

“Should we try building an elevator?”

“What kind of—”

“A White Tower Floor 17 elevator.”

“Oh!”

That was not a bad idea.

It certainly sounded better than climbing uncleared upper floors and running into terrifying things like dragons.

“But even if we install an elevator, I’m not sure there’s any actual benefit.”

“I’m not sure either...”

“We won’t know unless we install it.”

Wouldn’t it be a waste of 1,000 tons of refined mana metal?

There were so many other things it could be used for.

But would the White Tower menu really include an elevator-installation option for no reason?

There had to be a reason it existed.

Maybe we should try building it once.

Should we make it?

If it was possible, then why not?

But what if it was useless?

Or worse, dangerous?

Decision paralysis again.

What did you need at times like this?

Something to help you decide.

For example—

“Fairy Princess.”

“Speak, Young Master.”

“Shall we do a divination for once? To see whether installing the elevator will bring gain or loss.”

Relying on fortune-telling instead of rational judgment might seem foolish.

People would probably call it superstition.

But wasn’t Gyeon Dallae a genuine shaman?

An RSS-rank fairy maiden standing right in front of him.

Trusting her divination was actually quite rational.

“Very well. I shall read the omen.”

Gyeon Dallae set out a low table and sat on the floor.

Rattle—she scattered rice grains across the tabletop and shook a bell.

“Heaven and Earth spirits, please illuminate the path our Young Master walks.”

Jingle, jingle.

She shook the bell.

Shuffle, shuffle.

She felt the rice grains on the table.

Clatter, clatter.

She drew a divination stick from the container.

Then—

“The omen has been revealed.”

Oh!

Anticipation filled the air.

“It is Great Fortune.”

Great Fortune?

Not just fortune—Great Fortune.

“Yes!”

“Nice!”

“Huh!”

“Excellent. Install it immediately.”

“Sounds safe to install.”

“If it’s Great Fortune, why hesitate?”

Right!

Compared to Great Fortune, 1,000 tons of refined mana metal was nothing.

Install the elevator immediately.

Now—where should it go?

This was the plaza on White Tower Floor 17, so the center would be best.

He opened the administrator menu and tapped the elevator-installation option.

[Do you wish to install a White Tower Floor 17 elevator? Cost: 1,000 tons of refined mana metal.]

“Install.”

[Installing White Tower Floor 17 elevator.]

Wooooong!

The entirety of White Tower Floor 17 began to shake.

CLANK! CLACK!

A radiant ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) light formed in the center of the plaza.

And what appeared was—

“Huh? It’s a real elevator?”

It was not metaphorical.

It was an actual elevator.

A rectangular, one-story structure, with sliding doors on both sides and even buttons. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The summoned entities rushed toward it.

“This is it?”

“It looks exactly like one.”

“Is this the open button?”

“Hey! Why are you pressing it? The commander hasn’t even touched it yet.”

“It’s fine. Press it. We should test whether it’s dangerous or not first.”

Meanwhile, Juhyeok heard—

Ding!

[Achievement: You have installed the first elevator on White Tower Floor 17.]

I was wondering why nothing had popped up.

[Achievement reward granted.]

The reward?

[For one time only, elevator round-trip operation cost is waived.]

Free was nice, but—

only once?

Wait, there was an operating cost? Installation was not the end of it?

[Elevator round-trip operation cost per use: 10 kg of top-grade Magic Stones.]

“Are you kidding me?!”

This was daylight robbery!

So they got you to install it, then bled top-grade Magic Stones out of you little by little?

Ugh!

One ride was free, so they might as well use it once.

After that, they could think carefully.

The world of souls.

『Jepetto reporting! Greetings, brothers and sisters!』

『He’s here.』

『Why are you so late?』

『We were waiting!』

『How did the 86th floor go? Success or failure?』

『It was a success, right? Right? You killed the phoenix, didn’t you?』

『Did the firefighting strategy work?』

Jepetto paused for effect.

『I shall explain slowly, so listen carefully. First, Veronica Caliber drew in the phoenix hovering over the volcano with special ammunition created by magitech engineer El. With its aggro secured, we lured it into the fire-truck Crane Wing Formation—』

The souls listened with bated breath.

When Jepetto reached the part where it was finished off with a shower of liquid nitrogen and ash and feathers were obtained—

『Hooray!』

『They did it!』

『Phoenix Ash dropped! Ash, the material for nectar!』

『If Mari makes nectar, the Summoner will easily live another thousand years.』

『We can breathe easy now. Time is on the Summoner’s side.』

『Longevity is important, but enhancement elixirs must be made too.』

『That is only a matter of time—once we get a dragon heart.』

『Dragon? Is that some child’s name?』

『I should go out there... I was a Dragon Slayer back in the day.』

『Doesn’t everyone have some kind of Slayer title? What is so special about that?』

『Yeah. It’s not like you killed one solo.』

『Anyway, if I want to go out, I just need to wait about 80 days, right?』

『I wish random summoning would resume soon.』

『Next time it will be me. I am definitely going.』

『I will join for sure and leave my name in the history of the Tower.』

A Summoner who cleared everything with ease.

Hardship and adversity were almost nonexistent.

Wasn’t this the ultimate team?

Just being summoned into that team would be an honor in itself.