Undead Bone Dragon.

The first time it revealed itself, it looked utterly miserable.

It was in such bad shape that it would not have been surprising if it dropped dead at any moment.

Its torso and wings were relatively intact, but its head was nothing but a skull, its tail had been reduced to bare bone, and of its limbs, one side was fine while the other had rotted away and fallen off.

Even so, a dragon was still a dragon.

True to its nature as an undead, its entire body was wrapped in dark aura.

Even the dark aura of some pathetic zombie was hard enough to endure, so a dragon?

Because of that, he judged it too dangerous and even considered giving up and leaving.

But it took only a single hit.

Before the Undead Bone Dragon could even react, it was struck by a holy sub-light-speed projectile and came crashing down.

Bardin’s Lrssal Radiance.

Veronica Caliber’s attribute-absorbing sub-light-speed projectile.

A fantastic collaboration between the two.

“Collaboration, my ass!!!”

Bardin sprinted forward like a madman.

Undead did not show up on every floor,

and after such a long time, he had finally thought he had found a good catch.

That damn Veronica Caliber.

With her innate physical talent, she was already top-tier even if she did nothing at all.

What more did she need?

“Stealing the kill like that. How cheap.”

This was his first real combat since breaking through with Lrssal.

It was the perfect chance to show the summoner—no, his lord—how much he had changed.

And she was going to rack up achievements using somebody else’s Radiance?

That was too much. Absolutely too much.

At least there was one saving grace.

It had crashed to the ground after taking the hit, but the Undead Bone Dragon was still writhing.

PATPATPATPAT!

Bardin charged straight at it.

A finishing blow with impact.

One that would naturally draw cheers and applause.

“Do not die yet! You must not die!!!”

The Undead Bone Dragon also noticed Bardin charging toward it.

And beyond him, Juhyeok and the other summoned entities as well.

“Grrrk, grrrk, grrreeee....”

The Undead Bone Dragon staggered as it rose to its feet.

Yes. It was not dead yet.

“GRRRRK!”

Its throat bulged dramatically.

A dragon’s signature attack: Breath.

As an undead, it was a dark-attribute Breath.

Its target was Bardin—and Juhyeok’s group behind him as well.

A straight line.

All at once.

Its jaws opened wide.

And—

FWAAAAASH!!!

Pitch-black flames poured mercilessly from the Undead Bone Dragon’s mouth.

But before the Breath could fully sweep through, Bardin stopped in his tracks.

He planted the shield in his hand firmly in front of him.

“Light!!!”

SWOOOOOSH!

The shield grew massive.

It kept expanding.

And brilliant Radiance burst forth.

RUMBLE—

The dark Breath was completely blocked by the wall of Radiance.

Bardin advanced resolutely.

Pushing back the overwhelming dark Breath with his shield.

FWAAAAASH.

The dark Breath continued to pour out.

But it was stopped by the shield and dissipated powerlessly.

Ahhh!

The majestic figure of Bardin, Paladin of Lrssal Radiance, blocking that terrifying dark Breath all by himself.

That was what true Radiance looked like.

That was what a proper paladin should be.

“Light!!!”

A few moments later,

when the Breath attack ended—

TSHT!

Bardin hoisted the massive shield overhead and leapt up with all his might.

“Disappear! Be annihilated without leaving behind even a speck of dust! Filthy thing that defies the natural order!”

CRRRUNCH!

The shield, overflowing with Radiance, crashed down onto the Undead Bone Dragon’s head.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The dragon’s skull shattered.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

Was a shield only meant for defense?

Of course not.

Depending on how it was used, it was also an excellent offensive weapon.

The Breath had been nothing more than a final struggle.

The dark aura was erased in an instant.

The Undead Bone Dragon could not even put up any resistance.

CRUNCH! CRAAACK! CRACK! THUD! THUD!

As the Radiant shield crushed its skull and even smashed apart its torso—

Fssssss.

The rotting body of the Undead Bone Dragon began to crumble into dust and vanish.

[Defeated Undead Bone Dragon that has lost its True Name 1/1]

[You have succeeded in the 87th-floor mission.]

[Level up.]

Lrssal Paladin.

Attribute-absorption-type holy gun lancer.

Undead were easier than a phoenix.

Mission complete.

Level increased.

Not on Earth No. 1,001, but on Earth No. 675.

And the reward?

[Reward: Dragon Heart Corrupted by Darkness / 1 kg of top-grade Magic Stones.]

“...Hmm.”

A heart really had dropped as a reward, but—

‘This is not a proper dragon heart either.’

Well, of course.

It was an Undead Bone Dragon.

Naturally, the dragon heart it dropped would be rotten.

What was he supposed to use this for?

Just looking at it made it obvious that it was not edible.

Any other use?

“...Could this also be used to make a magic sword?”

Then Mari replied.

SSSK, SSSK.

The heart of a demonic dragon and the heart of an undead have different attributes. You cannot use them together, but you can make another sword with a different attribute.

Twin blades?

That did not sound bad.

But rather than a sword, if he made it into a shield—

Huh?

A shield?

A shield of dark aura. If a living being holds it, they will be corroded by the dark aura, but if a gigant holds it, there will be no effect at all.

Right.

No problem.

If that was the case—

It was a completely opposite attribute from the paladin’s shield.

A Radiant shield and a dark-aura shield.

However—

“I do not really like dark aura.”

Even if he did not hold the dark-aura shield directly, it would still be kept nearby.

Elle suggested an alternative.

“If you apply an on-off switch mana circuit diagram, you can keep the dark aura turned off normally, then switch it on during combat and manifest the dark aura...”

Ah-ha!

So it could be turned on and off?

“All right. Let’s go with that.”

And there was another reward.

1 kg of top-grade Magic Stones.

If this had been a while ago, he would have jumped for joy.

But—

What was 1 kg supposed to do?

Who was he even supposed to give that to?

‘Administrator, the reward’s stingy.’

Anyway.

“Paladin Bardin, that was magnificent. Everyone, applause!!!”

As Juhyeok applauded Bardin, the summoned entities followed suit.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.

They poured out generous praise and encouragement.

“A clean finish. Truly befitting a Paladin of Lrssal.”

“You have ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) made your presence known again after a long time. This lady grants you praise.”

“You need to keep working hard. Let your guard down, and you will get buried. You will vanish without anyone even noticing.”

“A paladin really is more about the shield than the flail. Yep, absolutely.”

“This warrior is proud of the paladin.”

“I graciously yielded the finishing blow.”

“WAAH!”

Mackenzie celebrated with magic.

A spotlight shone down over Bardin’s head, and brilliant fireworks exploded with BANG! BANG!

‘Yes. This is the feeling.’

Bardin’s chest swelled with emotion.

At last, he was receiving his lord’s praise in full.

And recognition from his comrades as well.

At first, because of his misguided beliefs, he had been criticized a great deal by the other summoned entities.

Thud.

He dropped to one knee.

“Knight Bardin has finally lived up to my lord’s expectations. It is all thanks to my lord. From here on, I will not grow arrogant and will remain a single ray of light that brightly illuminates my lord’s path.”

Oh my, how reliable.

What would they have done if they had not come to the 87th floor?

“For my lord, light!!!”

FWAAAAAAH!!!

Ah, my eyes.

However—

CRRRRZZZZT!

Snrk.

“....”

“...Ah, come on!!!”

Veronica Caliber shrugged and offered an excuse.

“It was just a reflex. Sorry.”

And then—

Ding!

[World Announcement: You have achieved clear grade S+++ on Black Tower (Germany), Floor 87.]

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

He obtained 2 Platinum Badges.

[Exiting the German Black Tower.]

SPOT!

Juhyeok and his group emerged outside.

A very satisfying clear with nothing lacking.

‘Since we are already here, should we try the 88th floor too?’

There was no reason not to.

What was there to be afraid of?

“Shall we call the 88th floor?”

“Let’s go. We are already here.”

“There is no real burden anyway, so let’s at least take a look.”

“This time as well, my convictions will open the way.”

“I hope something weak to fire shows up.”

“This warrior wants to shine too.”

“My magic gun is disabled, but I will throw myself into it with everything I have.”

“Throw yourself at me.”

“Hooah!”

Good.

If the mission looked doable, they would clear it.

If not, they would pull back.

So, gripping the Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket tightly in his hand—

SPOT!

[Entering the 88th floor of the German Black Tower.]

The ascent into the uncharted upper floors began again.

The environment was a desert.

A flat sea of sand without a single rise or dip.

Things were most fun when they were easy.

Not just tower climbing—work, studying, games, everything.

So-called one-click clears.

If the strategy had been difficult, they would never have made it this far.

Could the 88th floor also be a one-click clear?

A moment later—

Ding!

The mission appeared.

[88th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 sub-dragon Sand Dragon.]

[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]

[Completion Condition: sub-dragon Sand Dragon 0/1]

“Huh?”

What?

“Another dragon.”

“Another dragon, huh.”

“Is it another dragon?”

“It is another dragon.”

“It is another one. Another drag—”

“A Sand Dragon...”

“That thing does not have a True Name either.”

In that instant—

Confirmed!

From far away, a massive body burst through the sandy ground and shot up into the air.

It was a Sand Dragon.

A torso covered in scales, a long tail, and short limbs.

Its wings were degenerated—just two small ones attached to its back.

At least its head looked somewhat dragon-like.

“Ugh....”

It was truly grotesque.

That thing was a dragon?

A sub-dragon.

Something similar to a dragon, but incomplete.

“A Sand Dragon... this mage has heard of it before.”

“What kind of creature is it?”

Mackenzie explained to Juhyeok.

“It has no True Name, no proper wings, so it cannot fly, and it cannot use magic either—basically a half-baked creature. But its physical body is much tougher than that of most dragons. In terms of raw physical power, it is the strongest.”

Ah!

In other words, it was insanely tough.

“Let this old man test it once.”

ZIIING!

A crescent-shaped blade of qi rose into the Mad Demon’s hand.

It shot toward the sub-dragon Sand Dragon at terrifying speed.

But—

CLANG!

With a sharp sound, the crescent qi bounced right off.

“Tch.”

“Seriously...?”

“How disappointing.”

“Not even a scratch.”

“WAAH.”

“So the Mad Demon is not that special after all.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You little—!!!”

It dealt absolutely no damage.

All it did was draw the Sand Dragon’s aggro.

“GUUUEEEK!”

In an instant—

the creature plunged straight into the sand.

Then it burst back out.

WHOOSH!

Dive! WHOOSH! Dive! WHOOSH! Dive! WHOOSH!

Was this the ocean or the desert?

It was like a dolphin.

Swimming through the sand, it charged toward Juhyeok’s group at terrifying speed.

“We cannot catch it, can we?”

“...Not right now.”

“The sub-light-speed projectile is still on cooldown.”

“Even if we could fire it, it would probably still be difficult.”

It certainly looked that way.

Even the Mad Demon’s qi had not worked at all.

“With a magic sword, it might be possible.”

Right.

There was the magic sword.

Then—

“Let’s pull out for now.”

Juhyeok grabbed the Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket in both hands.

[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.]

SCREEEECH!

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

SPOT!

Juhyeok and the summoned entities emerged outside.

Just wait a little longer.

They would come back with the magic sword.

In every parallel universe that had a Black Tower, did a player with the summoning trait exist?

There were dimensions with summoners—and dimensions without them.

Like Earth No. 1,001 and Earth No. 675.

In truth, Earth No. 675 might once have had a summoner.

Because every dimension was guaranteed to produce at least one human with the potential for the summoning trait.

The Administrators destroyed worlds through tower collapse.

By erasing the boundary between the world and the tower, they terraformed it into a world of their choosing.

On the other hand, worlds invaded by the Black Tower were also granted the power to prevent its collapse.

That power was causality.

When the Black Tower appeared, players awakened.

And because players existed, the Black Tower could be conquered.

Where there was yin, there had to be yang.

Where there was darkness, there had to be light.

For that reason, summoner players were the natural enemies of the Black Tower.

From the Administrators’ perspective, if no summoner player existed, the job became extremely easy.

Even if they did nothing, the world would collapse around the 60th-floor undead zone—or by the 70th floor at the latest.

So why was there no summoner on Earth No. 675?

The reason was simple.

There might have been one in the past who died early.

Or someone who gave up climbing and lost player status.

The reasons for death could vary.

They could have died outside the tower or inside it.

They might have died before awakening, or awakened as a summoner only to recklessly charge at monsters and die.

Maybe they suffered an accident in the real world.

Or became the victim of a crime.

The reasons for giving up were also many.

Tower climbing did not suit them.

They saw no reason to remain a player.

Or external circumstances forced them to quit.

For reasons like these, Earth No. 675 had no summoner.

Which made tower management extremely easy.

And then—

out of nowhere, a summoner who had never existed there suddenly appeared.

From another dimension, no less.

And not just any summoner—

one who possessed the strongest power across all dimensions.

There was no summoner anywhere who had grown this much.

The same was true for his summoned entities.

At first, they thought only a single laborer might pose a threat.

How had he managed to gather monsters like those?

Now they understood.

How the Administrators of Earth No. 1,001 must have felt after dealing with him.

[In short, he’s a disaster.]

[Fortunately, he stopped at the 88th floor.]

[...Hmm.]

True—but it was still unsettling.

[We have to assume the 88th floor will be cleared too.]

[Then what do we do?]

[Focus on the 89th floor. The one where a real dragon appears. Find a dragon that can replace Karatos as soon as possible.]

[Understood. I am already negotiating with a suitable candidate.]

Everything had become tangled.

Clearing the 87th floor had stacked another 48 months onto the tower-collapse deadline.

That meant the project had been delayed by four years.

Well, four years was still an extremely short time, all things considered.

[How about trying another equal-exchange deal?]

[No. If that fails, everything will spiral completely out of control. It is better to leave it alone.]

The Administrators functioned as observers.

Directly confronting or interfering with players was forbidden by causality.

If they broke the rules, the backlash would only make the player stronger.

Just like that one.

[Fine. The 90th floor will be difficult anyway.]

Would it really?

Juhyeok and the summoned entities returned together to White Tower Floor 17.

A fruitful conquest of Earth No. 675’s tower.

Even though they had stopped at the 88th floor.

All that remained now was to craft the magic sword.

And the shield as well.

Sword and shield as one.

Weaken monsters with the dark-aura shield, then cut them down with the magic sword.

Just thinking about it made his heart race.

“What should we make Unit No. 2 look like?”

“Doesn’t it all end up looking the same anyway? Just pick anything.”

“Still, let’s decorate it a little. Paint it too.”

“Yes, sir!”

At that moment—

SPOT!

Right on cue, Commissioner Jeon Gwangil entered the White Tower.

“Player Bong.”

“Oh! Commissioner, perfect timing. I actually had something I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“While we are making the sword, I was thinking of making a shield too.”

Gulp.

Commissioner Jeon Gwangil swallowed dryly.

He had actually come to announce that the Baekdu Mountain border agreement with China had been finalized.

“...A shield, you say?”

“Yes.”

“For a gigant to use?”

“Yes.”

“Then it will have to be large.”

“Yes.”

“Made from tower metal...?”

“Yes.”

Supplying tower metal was not an issue.

They could dismantle a gigant with Rajix, or mine ore and bring it over.

“Understood. I will have it made as quickly as possible.”

SPOT!

Commissioner Jeon Gwangil vanished again.

With the shield commissioned—

What now?

Simple.

Let’s rest.

We worked hard, did we not?

Casually repeat tower floors, gather hides, collect alchemy herbs, mine ore.

And when bored, maybe clear the 87th floor of the Republic of Korea Black Tower again.

By the way, when would random summoning resume?

The penalty incurred from accepting the magitech engineer Elle.

Random summoning suspended for 100 days.

No regrets.

Look at how much Elle had accomplished.

‘About a month left now.’

Get new summoned entities, then go back and clear the 88th floor.

Perfect timing.