Jeon Gwangil loaded the ore onto a truck and tore over to the Player Shop workshop.

A metal workshop that repaired and crafted Players’ weapons.

“Deputy Commissioner, isn’t it? What brings you here in person...?”

“We discovered new Tower materials, so I came to ask whether they can be processed.”

“Yeah? Let’s see.”

At the words “new Tower materials,” the craftsmen came swarming in a rush.

When he showed them the ore in the truck—

“Th-this looks like ore.”

“That’s right. Adamant ore.”

“What?”

“O-ore?”

“It’s not Tower reward ingots?”

“Move, let me see too.”

Each of them grabbed a chunk of ore, unable to hide their shock.

They’d only ever seen it as metal ingots—who would’ve thought they’d see it as ore?

“To be sure, we’ll have to smelt it.”

“That’s what I’m here to ask.”

The craftsmen smashed several pieces of adamant ore into smaller bits with hammers, sorted them, then fed them into a small furnace and melted them down.

These were people with real chops when it came to smithing and smelting, so the process went smoothly.

They melted the ore to draw out the metal, filtered impurities from the molten slurry, poured it into pre-made molds, and let it cool.

“It’s real adamant ingots.”

“The content’s insane too. At least fifty percent.”

Done.

Smelting success.

“Can you make tools for leather crafting with this first?”

“Not Tower-clearing gear—tools leather craftsmen use? That’s easy, but... why?”

“It’s confidential... I’m sorry.”

“Hahaha. Of course it is. It’s government work. We’ll make it fast. Adamant is fine. How many sets do you need?”

“At least a hundred sets.”

“Got it. I’ll contact you when they’re done.”

That solved the leather crafting problem.

They had plenty of material.

How much could a set of leather-processing tools even take?

And he was going to bring more ore anyway.

Jeon Gwangil called Goyeonha.

“CEO Go, we secured the leather crafting tools. Let’s push commercialization quickly.”

Thank you. I’ll do my best to make a proper product.

*****

Juhyeok got the update from Jeon Gwangil too.

The ore smelting had ended in a huge success.

The quality was excellent as well.

They said the metal content was higher than expected, so they’d probably get over one ton of ingots.

When he told Rajix, Rajix wobbled his round body side to side and didn’t know what to do with himself, so happy.

With him that excited... yeah, they had to go mine more.

But he couldn’t keep mining ore forever.

That day was coming.

Just three days.

In three days, it would be time to welcome a new guest.

And clear Floor 50 to confirm the privilege, too.

But right then, the TV news happened to be on.

<United Arab Emirates officially requests a Player’s temporary naturalization from Korea’s Tower Player Awakening Administration.>

<If it goes through, all national infrastructure projects in the United Arab Emirates will be awarded to Korean companies.>

<Promises immediate restoration of nationality after the clear is complete.>

<Commissioner Park Kyungsoo of the Tower Player Awakening Administration: “Nothing has been decided yet.”>

<The Office of the President remains silent. Will Nam Gaeun’s temporary naturalization happen?>

<Public opposition is boiling over. Online sentiment warns that any politician supporting temporary naturalization won’t be able to run in the next election.>

ㄴFucking hell, why are these oil-country bastards coming here and starting shit? They’ve got Saudi right next door.

ㄴYou know the rumor that they stabbed each other in the back and fell out, right?

ㄴAh! Trait enhancement runes?

ㄴLOL Saudi’s probably loving this on the inside.

ㄴWhat about America?

ㄴIf you said “we’ll give you an oil field,” they’d sprint over.

ㄴNah, they’re contracted with Japan. And oil only mattered back in the day.

ㄴDoesn’t Russia have a temporary naturalization Player too?

ㄴYeah, contracted with China. And Russia’s Player isn’t some “temporary naturalization specialist.” They’re just the top Player.

ㄴWhoa! They just loan out their top Player?

ㄴIt’s a dictatorship. If you tell them to do it, they do it.

ㄴNam Gaeun is our top Player. They can’t shamelessly ask to borrow her.

ㄴIs she, though?

ㄴWhat?

ㄴIs our top Player really Nam Gaeun?

ㄴAhhh! Right. We’ve got another top Player.

ㄴStill only Floor 49, but whatever. They’ll hit Floor 60 within two months.

Crown Prince Abdul bin Sala’s desperate request continued the next day as well.

<Crown Prince bin Sala: “Korea has many talented Players.” As a major Tower-climbing power, he asks for generous mercy.>

<Contact the embassy anytime. I’ll be waiting. Blank check prepared. Freedom of religion guaranteed...>

ㄴLOL called it. Now he’s not even pretending—he singled it out.

ㄴHe’s basically saying, “S++ record-holder, please watch the news.” Like, I’ll give you money you can’t refuse.

ㄴBut when are they leaving? I’m nervous.

ㄴWhat’s the government doing? Kick them out already.

ㄴSounds like they’re planning to stay a while.

*****

Juhyeok saw the news too, but he wasn’t particularly interested.

If they were going to do it, they should put a Trait enhancement rune on the table.

Then he might consider it.

Did they think money solved everything?

Who did they think the richest man in the future world was?

He tuned it out and kept going to mine ore.

And that day drew closer.

One day before the Random Summon cooldown reset.

Juhyeok handed over the ore he’d stored at the Administration and returned to the penthouse.

Beep-beep—he opened the door and stepped inside.

“ATTENTION! Welcome back, sir!”

Today as well, Cossack was diligently polishing the living room glass with a clean microfiber towel.

“Loyal Cossack, cleaning while helping Rajix, sir. Hehehe.”

“Hahaha. Take it easy. Your body can’t be feeling all that great.”

“I’m SSR, sir. SSR. A little forehead flick can’t do anything to me, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He’d watched Cossack take that murderous forehead flick and almost die.

It was his own fault.

Cossack was the one who’d lured Meatshield into betting first.

Juhyeok had business with Gyeon Dallae.

She was a shamaness—she could do fortune-telling too, right?

He usually didn’t believe in things like this, but after seeing the effects of rituals and talismans with his own eyes... how could he not?

“I shall interpret a rice fortune. I cannot declare the detailed future, but at the very least I can glimpse fortune and misfortune.”

Gyeon Dallae grabbed a handful of rice from the container by the sink.

Then she scattered it across the dining table in a soft cascade.

“Hmm.”

She watched the scattered grains, sometimes touching and nudging them.

Did it show?

Was it good fortune or bad?

Misfortune, or blessing?

“The omen has appeared.”

“Oh! How is it?”

“An ill event rises, yet in the end it is great fortune. A root of trouble forms, yet it is covered over by blessing.”

Huh?

That was... maddeningly vague.

“So, it’s good, basically?”

“In the end, yes.”

“Okay. Thanks for the fortune.”

One down.

“Princess.”

“Speak.”

“Let’s get the ritual started.”

“I will prepare.”

*****

The next day.

Juhyeok took a taxi.

As they’d discussed before, the site for the ritual was Mani Mountain on Ganghwa Island.

He summoned Cossack again, bought supplies, then summoned Gyeon Dallae and Meatshield near Mani Mountain.

Since it was a place with lots of foot traffic, Gyeon Dallae strung a taboo rope around the area where they’d perform the ritual.

Then, lastly, he summoned Rajix too.

“SQUEAK?”

She said if the taboo rope was up, people wouldn’t show any interest.

Even if the drum thundered.

They set out the ritual table and held the ritual.

Solemn, serious, grave.

Rajix pressed his round body flat against the ground too, participating while squeaking and squeaking.

After that, they returned to the penthouse.

“Let’s enter Floor 50.”

[Entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 50.]

A mission appeared.

[Floor 50 Mission: Kill 60 scorpions of any type and 1 King Scorpion.]

They began the clear.

Jaw clenched, as fast as possible—if he let his guard down, he could miss the Platinum Badge.

Juhyeok stayed back with Rajix so the summoned entities wouldn’t get snagged, waiting in the rear.

Rajix wore a serious expression too.

He knew his fate would be decided by whether a Trait enhancement rune appeared or not.

If he did a Random Summon, the Catalog list had six people.

Let’s treat Mad Demon as someone who doesn’t exist.

Then it was five.

If Trait enhancement didn’t happen, he could only summon four at a time.

That left one.

He could rotate them, sure—but in this situation, who would be the one rotated out?

There was only one answer.

Not a fighter.

A worker.

The King Scorpion appeared.

It wasn’t an easy one.

Its enormous pincers clamped down on Meatshield’s waist—Meatshield in his enlarged form.

CRUNCH!

But Meatshield pried the pincers apart, escaped, and twisted them the other way as he broke the angle.

Cossack’s blade aura severed the tail stinger, then he slipped under the comparatively softer underside and stabbed without mercy with his daggers.

Still, the bastard’s exoskeleton was so thick, and it resisted so desperately, that it didn’t end quickly.

It was a fairly fierce fight.

Of course, the King Scorpion was still getting completely crushed by SSR Meatshield and SSR Cossack.

But still.

To keep hunting smoothly, it really did look like they needed one more damage dealer.

From Floor 51 onward it was a flying-monster section, so ideally someone who could do ranged damage.

But honestly—did he really need to find one?

A damage dealer?

He already had one.

A damage dealer that was already prepared.

A Level 50 damage dealer with dazzling talent, carrying an Energy Barrier, wielding a mace and an Aegis, freely unleashing Shadow Step and the Mixed-Origin Thunderclap Staff.

Ranged?

All he had to do was make them come down, wasn’t it?

He’d even been given a pistol.

Get it approved as a carried item, bring it in, and just shoot.

Or buy a crossbow from the Player Shop and tug a flying one down with a rough pull.

Right.

He didn’t need Trait enhancement that badly.

What if he even skipped Random Summon?

If he joined as the damage dealer, everything got solved.

But the summoned entities only got more agitated.

Even Rajix stood beside him, clutching his own collar with both hands.

They’d keep doing this.

As the floors rose, danger rose with them—that was common sense.

All of a sudden, he remembered what Mad Demon had said.

That when Earth’s Black Tower reached the 70s, things would start collapsing all over.

It wasn’t wrong.

Even now, wasn’t it true people couldn’t clear the late 60s without the holy sword?

And one more thing.

How had Cossack’s previous Summoner died?

If he compared it to his own situation, it wasn’t hard to guess.

The floors climbed, but Trait enhancement didn’t appear, and with limited numbers they kept pushing forward.

Eventually, the Summoner himself would have to take the damage-dealer role.

If he died, that was the end.

The summoned entities couldn’t come outside, and the world would be ruined by Tower Collapse.

Putting it all together—

It was obvious why the summoned entities were so desperate for Trait enhancement.

Fine. He’d do what they wanted.

‘How strong can I even get on my own? “Talent,” my ass.’

Juhyeok’s class was Summoner.

And what were the proper virtues of a Summoner?

‘Pull good summoned entities, increase simultaneous summons, raise their ranks... that’s my job.’

He had plenty of time.

Except for a handful of countries, the climbing floors across the world were still in the 50s.

‘Don’t rush.’

Slowly.

Enjoy everything there was to enjoy.

Collect Platinum Badges and grab every privilege without missing one.

And if a situation came where this roster couldn’t handle it?

‘I’ll just unseal Mad Demon.’

At least inside the Tower, he’d follow orders.

Bit by bit, the worry drained away.

Juhyeok finally reached calm.

[Notice: You have achieved a Black Tower (Korea) Floor 50 clear rank of S++.]

[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]

Back to the penthouse again.

The summoned entities stood in [N O V E L I G H T] the living room with exhausted faces.

Now it was time to open the inventory.

So they were extremely on edge.

Juhyeok, on the other hand, was unbelievably peaceful.

“...A-are you checking now, sir?”

To Cossack, he nodded with a willful look that said it would be fine.

“Summoner, warriors always...”

To Meatshield too, he nodded—eyes saying not to worry.

“Sir, no matter what the result may be, only Master...”

He met Gyeon Dallae’s eyes and nodded with a gentle expression.

“SQUEEEAK....”

He patted Rajix’s head and nodded with a smile that said: trust me.

If he didn’t hold the center, who would?

‘Open it.’

Fifty Platinum Badges, shining brilliantly.

[You have accumulated 50 Platinum Badges. A privilege will be granted.]

It began.

No matter how cold it is, the plum tree breaks through adversity and blooms.

The flower of privilege would be the same.

It would bloom in full and soothe Juhyeok’s and the summoned entities’ hearts.

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

[Privilege: 1 Multinational Tower Access Ticket (One-Time Use) has been added to your inventory.]

‘Hm.’

A Multinational Tower Access Ticket.

‘Hm.’

That ticket again.

‘Hm.’

Two total.

“Mm... you fucking—forget it! Screw this!”

Isn’t this too much?

“I’m not doing it! I’m not doing it! I don’t need it! Tower climbing? Tell it to go play soccer!”

No matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t it.

“I’m done with all of it!!! What kind of joke is this privilege?”

“Exactly, damn it! They think we’re idiots or what?”

“I’m going straight to Floor 51, abandoning the mission, and coming out. Don’t you stop me! Platinum? Give it to a dog.”

“P-please calm yourself. It is all this girl’s fault. For disturbing Master’s heart with a shallow omen and a ritual, I shall accept punishment.”

“SQUEEENG!”

The penthouse turned into absolute chaos.

*****

Juhyeok took a deep breath.

He’d gotten too worked up.

Moments like this, he needed to be calm.

“Seriously... the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”

Cossack watched his face and spoke.

“If it’s come to this, we gotta aim for the Floor 55 privilege, sir.”

Honestly, there wasn’t another way.

“...Can we even clear S++ with this roster?”

“Proceed with Random Summon, sir.”

“There are four slots.”

“W-well... we have no choice, sir. Until Floor 55, we gotta bench one.”

Who?

Everyone’s eyes gathered in one place.

“SQUEEENG...”

Obviously. The non-combat summoned entity.

The worker.

“Mr. Rajix... you want us to cut you?”

“With the heart of cutting off one’s own arm...”

What do you mean “cutting off one’s own arm”? Is Tower climbing a Three Kingdoms epic now?

“If that’s the case, we can bench you too, Mr. Cossack. We’ve got Mad Demon...”

Cossack’s mouth snapped shut.

“Huh? Come to think of it, that’s perfect. If it’s Mr. Rajix and Mad Demon and me—just the three of us can climb Floor 51 with no problem. Hahahaha. We should’ve done this ages ago.”

The mood sank.

“...I... I was wrong, sir.”

“The warrior apologizes to the Summoner. And to the worker, too.”

“T-that is true. Privilege strengthening is not only obtainable through Tower-climbing privileges. For example, items also...”

Wait.

Right.

There was another way.

“Come to think of it... there is one person who might have a Trait enhancement rune...”

“Gasp!”

Cossack sprang to his feet.

“Who is it, sir? Just tell me. Loyal Cossack will bring it right away, sir.”

“Well...”

Juhyeok explained it to them.

About the United Arab Emirates’ situation.

Why the Crown Prince came to Korea in the first place.

And the uncomfortable relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The cause: competition over Trait enhancement runes.

The United Arab Emirates had monopolized them, and Saudi Arabia was furious.

It wasn’t certain, but they might be holding a rune.

When Juhyeok finished, Cossack—who’d listened quietly—smiled.

“Summoner Bong, leave it to me, sir.”

“...Leave what to you? Don’t tell me you’re going to steal it.”

“Hey, I don’t steal, sir. Unless it’s tied up with a ribbon.”

Honestly, stealing would be better at this point.

“There’s one thing I’m truly good at besides assassination.”

“What?”

“Negotiation, sir. I’ll meet them in person and negotiate. In a way that satisfies both sides.”

He looked very confident.

Juhyeok could guess what kind of “negotiation” he meant, but whether they’d hand it over willingly was another question.

“...You’re really not going to take it by force?”

“Yes, sir!”

“You’re not going to kill anyone or hurt anyone?”

“Yes, sir!”

“You’ll make it a win-win where both sides are satisfied?”

“Yes, sir!”

Should he trust him?

When he searched the news, Crown Prince bin Sala was still staying at a Korean hotel.

He’d rented out an entire floor.

“But! I need something, sir.”

“Say it.”

“First, Summoner Bong, give me the shield and mace you received before, sir.”

The items he’d gotten as privileges.

The golden Aegis with the warmth of dawn light, and the golden mace with the chill of twilight.

That’s what he meant.

“They’re basically new.”

“Exactly, sir.”

“You’re going to negotiate with these?”

“No, sir. They’re gifts, sir. Before negotiations, it helps to make a good impression, doesn’t it?”

Hmm.

Now he was even taking his weapons.

He had no choice.

He had to grab even a straw.

“Fine. I’ll trust you once. But! This is negotiation, no matter what. Violence is banned. And even if you fail, I won’t blame you.”

“Yes, sir!”

Suddenly, Gyeon Dallae’s omen came back to him.

Misfortune, then fortune. Trouble, then blessing.

Please let it be that way.

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