The one and only Black Tower rising over Berlin.

The administrators of Earth No. 675’s Black Tower had been on high alert as well.

The summoner from Earth No. 1,001.

That bastard would definitely show up to clear the Black Tower.

They had to stop the clear at all costs.

Assuming the summoner would be careless, they came up with a plan—

he would have to exit the White Tower before entering the Black Tower.

Since meteors had been summoned, he would assume Berlin was completely empty.

So if they struck at that moment?

They released monsters at the place where he would first appear—

the very spot where the meteor had been summoned.

They packed the area without leaving a single gap.

So that the moment he appeared, they could attack immediately.

If he carelessly came out alone and brushed past them, he’d die.

No matter how powerful he was outside, so what?

Before he could even shout his tower-entry skill, stab—crack—and it would be over.

But what happened?

When had that summoner bastard come out and entered the tower?

The 79th Floor clear had been absurd too.

A Magnus Gigant from the giant-monster tier?

Was that part of his summoning ability too?

There was no way a Gigant could be a summoned entity.

A machine without a soul—how could it be?

Did an error occur because the tower had only just been generated?

Why was a monster meant for the 85th Floor appearing on the 79th?

And slaughtering its own side, at that?

No matter how they thought about it, they couldn’t understand.

[Check. Is there a Magnus Gigant on the German Black Tower’s 85th Floor?]

[It exists.]

[The pilot?]

[None.]

[...None?]

[According to the logs, the Gigant was replaced. Recently, too.]

[What?]

Replaced?

[The 85th-Floor Gigant had already been replaced once before by the will of the tower. From an automatic Ego Gigant to a piloted type.]

[It changed again. It is automatic now.]

Tower monster replacement.

Of course, that could happen.

By the will of the tower, or when certain conditions were met.

But something that had already been replaced—again?

That was rare.

The most plausible guess—

A piloted type needed a pilot.

If so, something must have happened to that pilot—

At that very moment!

One conspicuous presence among the summoner player’s party.

[W-wait. That golem over there looks familiar. Where have I seen it before?]

[...Huh?]

[Hey! I told you not to say “huh.”]

[N-no, that golem—it’s Magitech Engineer L.]

[W-what?]

Magitech Engineer L.

The administrators knew her.

She had been the pilot of the 85th-Floor piloted Magnus Gigant.

A recycled soul chosen to compensate for the Gigant’s stupid Ego intelligence.

She had originally been a summoned entity.

But after losing her summoner and suffering severe soul damage beyond regeneration, she had been seated as the pilot.

And now she was standing beside that summoner?

Had she regained her summoned-entity qualification?

[S-surely not?]

They understood.

The departure of a tower soul.

Liberation, defection, restoration of qualification—whatever the case.

...

A system where, once the conditions were met, the souls of the Black Towers of all worlds—no, all parallel universes—could depart.

Whether the soul was an original or a copy.

That meant Magitech Engineer L’s soul had regained summoned-entity status, departed the tower, and been chosen by that summoner.

[Fine. Let’s say L’s soul departed. But then what about that Gigant?]

[Did L build it? She is a magitech engineer.]

[As if a Magnus Gigant is something you can just whip up. Not a chance.]

The culmination of magitech. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

There was no way a single engineer could pull that off.

[Even if it was built, how would they carry something like that around? You think that fits in a pocket?]

[But it’s right there.]

[Yeah, that’s what I’m asking—why is it there?]

[I don’t really know either...]

At that moment—

[...Huh?]

[...Huh?]

[...Huh?]

The forbidden word “huh?” spilled out repeatedly from the Earth No. 675 Black Tower administrators.

[T-this is insane!]

[Ha, hahaha......]

[Good heavens!]

Only now did they understand

how that giant-monster Gigant had entered the 79th Floor.

A shabby-looking hamster beastman.

A furry little laborer who usually rolled around near the summoner, digging at the ground whenever he got bored.

That thing was retrieving the Magnus Gigant the very moment the clear ended.

A subspace skill?

Even so—how could it handle something that huge?

[What is that thing?]

How much time had the clear taken in total?

Exit White Tower Floor 1, look at the Black Tower, check its progress, enter the tower.

Deactivate the concealment shroud and summon the summoned entities.

Conversation with them—about 1 minute.

Taking out the Gigant—about 1 minute.

Standing it up and equipping the H-beam—about 1 minute.

Moving to the mission area—about 1 minute.

Clearing the Cerberuses—about 3 minutes.

And then—

Immediately after the clear.

[Hell Gatekeeper Cerberus defeated 80/80]

[79th Floor mission cleared.]

[Reward: 2.9 kg of Magic Stones / 7 kg of high-grade Magic Stones]

L issued commands to the Gigant.

Activation command, input operation mode, execute prone crawl.

At the same time—

“WAAH!”

SSSSSS—

Rajix quickly began stuffing the Gigant back into subspace.

Since it wasn’t a summoned entity, the Gigant absolutely had to be taken with them.

After doing it about three times, Rajix had grown skilled, and the entrance had widened too.

Normally, when the mission-completion message, S+++ clear judgment, and exit message appeared, the intervals between them were fairly long.

That was why, back during the Rainbow Basilisk hide-harvesting clear, even after the completion message appeared, they still skinned it, stored everything away, cheered, applauded—did all of that.

The Gigant steadily disappeared.

It was going in very smoothly.

It caught once for a moment in the middle, but—

“Hup!”

FWOOSH!

“Oh! It all went in.”

“It’s getting faster.”

“Soon we’ll be able to go zip, fwoosh.”

Now it was time to exit.

Was the concealment shroud’s cooldown back up?

Well, whether they used it or not, it didn’t matter.

What was there to fear outside?

It was only scary when you went out alone—this time they were all going together.

“The S+++ clear judgment didn’t pop up.”

Probably because of the level difference.

[Exiting the German Black Tower.]

SPOT!

Instantly—

“Grrr!”

“Kyaaak!”

“Kuooooh!”

“KRRK!”

Monsters «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» surged toward Juhyeok’s party like a tidal wave.

ZIIING! The energy defense barrier activated.

FWOOOONG! Mackenzie’s barrier shield.

PATPATPATPAT! Gyeon Dallae’s talismans fluttered.

FWOOOOSH!

Meatshield strode forward boldly.

His body enlarged, and the Massacre Earthquake Giant Hammer slung over his shoulder grew massive with him.

WHIRRR—!

He raised the hammer high overhead and smashed it straight into the ground.

BOOM!

All kinds of monsters shattered apart.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

The ground split open in front of him.

An artificial earthquake created by the hammer.

RUMBLEEEEE!

The earth collapsed, burying the monsters along with it.

Using the Massacre Earthquake Giant Hammer Juhyeok had given him for the first time, Meatshield wore a deeply satisfied smile.

How was it?

It was a good weapon, right?

There was no need to drag Bardin into this anymore, right?

Let’s stop with the whole “human holy sword” thing.

You couldn’t exactly grab the Holy Knight of Lerssal and swing him around.

Elsewhere, Mackenzie unleashed wide-area flame magic, Cossack swept through the battlefield with his speed, and Veronica Caliber and the Mad Demon shot down every flying monster they saw.

And Rajix?

Roll, bounce! Spin—!

He roamed freely across the battlefield, vacuuming up Magic Stones and skinning hides as he went.

Reassuring.

Alone, maybe—but together, there was nothing to fear.

Still, that was enough of a warm-up outside the tower.

Time to stop, right?

[Entering German Black Tower, 80th Floor.]

SPOT!

The administrators of Earth No. 675’s Black Tower could only watch.

There was nothing they could do.

The trash mobs they’d released were no match.

They were just warm-up exercise equipment at this point.

So how were they supposed to kill them?

Of course, there was a way.

The original free-contract souls of overwhelming power from the 90th Floors and above.

They could do it.

They would tear them to pieces.

But for now, even that was impossible.

Why?

Because the tower had regenerated.

So the original free-contract souls that had been in the real world were forced back into the Black Tower and bound there again.

Inside a single tower.

[We need to prepare. They might come again tomorrow. Who was guarding the 80th Floor?]

[The Lord of Deception, Gremory.]

Gremory.

[Can Gremory handle them?]

But no one could answer.

What did it mean that Magitech Engineer L had joined them?

It meant that bastard had climbed at least to the 85th Floor of Earth No. 1,001’s Black Tower.

This was bad.

Extremely unsettling.

At this rate, the road to the 85th Floor was practically a highway.

With someone hauling around a Gigant—could they really not stop him?

[For now, summon Gremory on the 80th Floor. We’ll put our heads together—]

[Huh?]

[Damn it! Why “huh?” again?!]

[He just entered the 80th Floor.]

What?

Two tower entries in one day?

[What kind of insane bastard is that?!]

Just how many Floors was he planning to climb?

[Entering German Black Tower, 80th Floor.]

The 80th Floor had a boss.

This one did too.

The monster on the 80th Floor in Juhyeok’s world?

It was the defector hero—

the Nightmare Lord, Diamat.

“Master? Why are you staring at me?”

“Just because.”

“Hehehe.”

Diamat twisted her body and grinned foolishly.

“T-there. You’re using your skill again.”

“I didn’t use anything?”

“If that smile and those movements that enchant people aren’t a skill, then what are they?”

“T-that just happens instinctively, without me realizing it.”

“Don’t make excuses, you sly thing.”

“Then what about Veronica Caliber?”

“I didn’t use a skill.”

“Your whole existence is basically a skill, though.”

“That, I admit.”

They were bickering again. Again.

Anyway—

“Diamat, the 80th Floor here is also a free-contract soul, right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m not sure if it’s an original, but it’s probably a lord.”

What kind of bastard would it be?

If it was similar to Diamat, would a defection contract be possible here too?

In any case, it would be better not to bring out the Gigant.

That would just waste fuel.

The 80th-Floor environment was ordinary.

Kindly enough, a stone-paved road had been laid out, and if they followed it, it led to a small cabin.

Ding!

[80th Floor Mission: Defeat Monster Lord Gremory (Original).]

[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]

Just like Diamat—a Monster Lord.

But—

“It’s an original.”

“An original?”

“Yes, an original.”

“If it’s an original...”

“Should we bring out the Gigant?”

“No, rather than that...”

At that moment—

Creak.

The cabin door opened, and someone stepped out.

“Oh? At last...”

It was a young woman.

Was she Gremory?

She looked very innocent.

Not exactly beautiful so much as cute.

Warm.

A textbook gentle face.

Just looking at her made a smile rise naturally.

You even felt fondness.

You wanted to protect her.

Because of that, Juhyeok understood

the type of the 80th-Floor lords.

“So that’s how it is.”

Not much physical power, but specialized in other areas.

Lords equipped by default with mental-attack skills like fascination or charm.

Diamat had been the same.

In fact, Juhyeok was nearly immune to charm-type mental attacks.

Why?

Just like a moment ago—

How many times had Diamat subtly tried to use her skills to win Juhyeok’s favor?

Only to get caught and scolded by the summoned entities.

He didn’t really blame her.

Wasn’t it a Nightmare’s instinct?

Skills that leaked out unconsciously toward the opposite sex.

Thanks to that, he had experienced so many charm effects that he had built up resistance.

Not perfect—his heart still wavered like a reed—but still.

“You’re the one who’s finally come to free me.”

“...Free you?”

“Yes. Free me from the tower.”

Gremory continued with a sorrowful smile.

“Sigh... I truly didn’t want to become a tower monster. I was tricked into this by the Administrators.”

Tsk.

“It was a flawed contract from the start. I foolishly signed without even reading the terms properly. As a result, I was bound to the tower for countless, endless years.”

Contracts really did need to be handled carefully.

“Please, free me.”

Pitiful.

Gremory’s face was full of desperation.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Well, he should help.

If you thought about it, Gremory was a victim too, wasn’t she?

Helping her was only natural.

“How would I free you? Would you defect?”

“...Defect?”

“Yes. Come to me.”

“Hmm.”

Gremory hesitated for a moment.

“All right. I’ll defect. Do I just go to you, Player?”

She walked lightly toward Juhyeok.

“Please take my hand. Together, we—”

But at that moment!

“Cut the bullshit, you lying sack of crap.”

“...Huh?”

Diamat, who had been hiding behind Meatshield, stepped forward.

Gremory’s eyes widened in shock.

“Ah! Um... Diamat. Why are you here?”

“Am I not allowed to be?”

Diamat sneered.

“Summoner, don’t believe him. He lies the moment he opens his mouth.”

Is that so?

“And actually, he’s not even a woman.”

Huh?

“He’s a man. Hanging and all.”

That was unexpected.

“I knew it. Look at those trapezius muscles. Do those look like a woman’s?”

“...True.”

“A trickster demon. There’s no reason to accept something like that as a defector.”

“Indeed. Compared to that thing, Diamat is a fairy.”

Gyeon Dallae added,

“This girl shall reveal the true form of that demon with the Immortal Mirror.”

In an instant—

FLASH!

The bronze mirror emitted light.

At the same time, Gremory’s true form was revealed.

There was no trace of that innocent face anymore.

A jutting jaw. Eyes split wide.

A long tongue flicked out from thin red lips.

“It is false. A cunning demon rotten to the core.”

Yikes.

Disgusting.

Gremory panicked.

“N-no! That’s not true! I’m not lying! The player is being deceived by that nightmare bitch! I truly—”

But Gyeon Dallae was merciless.

“It is false.”

Diamat too.

“A lie.”

Veronica Caliber as well.

“Veronica Caliber. Deception tactic.”

So that was it.

“U-unfair! Please spare me! Please... ahhh, please, I—I beg you, believe me—”

Well then.

“Defect right now.”

“...Huh?”

“If you defect, you become one of us. Your stats will drop a lot, though.”

Gremory’s face lit up.

“...!”

“I’ll do it! Defection! I’ll defect to the player! Defection! That’s fine, right?”

But the system said nothing.

With Diamat, it had been different.

‘The original 80th-Floor boss Diamat has requested defection to the player based on the free will granted to her.’

That message had appeared.

But for Gremory’s request—nothing.

There was no response at all.

“Gremory, please speak sincerely.”

“O-okay. I’ll defect. I swear loyalty.”

Silence.

“One last time. Don’t lie.”

“Yes, yes. I, Gremory, sincerely swear loyalty to the player. I desire defection. Please accept me.”

Still silence.

Amazing. Truly amazing.

All lies.

Diamat snorted.

“You see? He lies as easily as he breathes. His whole existence is a lie. He’s beyond saving.”

Gremory’s face twisted.

SHRRRK!

Wings burst from his back, his mouth split to his ears, sharp fangs sprouted, and a crimson tongue shot out.

“Damn it! If that’s how it is, I’ll fight you fair and square! I’ll kill all of you right here! Come on, bastards!”

TSHHT!

Gremory shot up into the air.

Wow.

Even the escape was a lie?

“...Veronica Caliber?”

“Veronica Caliber!”

Click!

The magic gun was chambered.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

The barrel glowed white-hot.

With a tremendous backblast—

BOOM!

Gremory’s fleeing body exploded in midair.

PSHYUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!

The near-light-speed gunshot came afterward.

[Monster Lord Gremory (Original) defeated 1/1]

[80th Floor mission completed.]

[Reward: 80 kg of Magic Stones / Gremory’s Tongue.]

“...Hmm.”

Why give me the tongue?

Gross.

I’ll hand it over to Mari, the shut-in alchemist.

Ding!

[The original Monster Lord, Gremory of Deception, has been destroyed.]

[From now on, the German Black Tower’s 80th-Floor boss Gremory will be replaced with a copy.]

[Achievement: You are the first to defeat the original Monster Lord Gremory of Deception.]

[Achievement rewards granted.]

[You may now enter the tower up to 5 times per day.]

Hey!

The number of entries increased again.

Why do they keep giving me this?

At this rate, won’t it hit ten?