Juhyeok talked with Cossack until late at night.

Cossack insisted he’d made a satisfying negotiation where both sides won.

“Hehehe, he definitely said he was satisfied. I heard it real clear.”

Satisfied with what?

From what I heard, it was basically threats.

Well, for Cossack the Artist of the Red Ribbon, that probably counts as “negotiation.”

Anyway, the result was good.

It’s all good, but...

“The items were such a waste. We barely used them.”

“Which is exactly what I’m sayin’. It means there was never any problem even without using ’em.”

“...”

“Either way, non-holy items only matter up to Floor 60. Starting on Floor 61, they’re useless.”

That’s true.

From the undead section on Floor 61 onward, it’s holy-attribute.

And I’m not a Player who fights by leaning on items—I’m a Player who fights by leaning on summoned entities.

I know that.

I know, but it still feels like a waste.

Weren’t those special items?

“Then what about starting on Floor 71? We could use them there.”

That section where Mad Demon said Towers would start collapsing everywhere.

“Not a chance. Those crappy items won’t do anything. At minimum, you gotta secure legendary named-grade items before you can even think about contesting it.”

Useless?

“Why? What shows up?”

“If you go up to Floor 71, some scary bastard comes out, like, like, um..., monsters... um, huh? What was it again?”

Cossack tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

“This is weird. I can’t remember.”

“Did you even go up there? Or are you just forgetful?”

“I went up a few times. I heard a lot about it too. But... hmm. It’s all hazy in my head.”

“Try to remember.”

“Haah. Feels like there’s an eraser in my brain, or somebody erased it. It’s enough to make a ghost wail.”

He clawed at his hair and struggled, but in the end...

“All I remember is a feeling. Just a feeling. That it was hard.”

“Were the monsters insanely strong?”

“Hmm. More like... they were hard to deal with. Yeah. Hard to deal with.”

Hard to deal with.

What on earth could it be?

“I even remember a conversation we had back then. Like, ‘I didn’t know things like this would come out,’ and ‘Actually, it started back in the late sixties.’”

The late sixties.

Sounds like something starts changing around then.

But which floor?

Floor 67 was already known.

Phantom Reaper.

So that’s Floors 68, 69, and 70.

“Anything else?”

“Nothing. Not even this much.”

All of a sudden, I got curious.

Until now, I hadn’t even considered Floor 71 and above.

What comes out from there?

Why did Mad Demon say Towers would start collapsing like crazy in the seventies?

I wanted to know more, but if he couldn’t remember, what was I supposed to do?

And it didn’t seem like Cossack was lying.

Well, I’d find out when I got there.

*****

The next day.

Juhyeok woke up early in the morning.

He went to the bathroom to empty out, took a bath, brushed his teeth, trimmed his nails, changed into clean new clothes, and did a brief meditation.

After finishing his preparations, he took the Trait enhancement rune out of his inventory.

His first time attempting enhancement with an item. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

So he felt a little nervous.

‘Let’s do it.’

Using the rune was simple.

People commonly described it as “eating it,” and that was accurate.

You literally just ate it.

If you brought the small stone fragment with letters carved into it to your mouth, it melted smoothly and slid down your throat on its own.

[Your Awakened Trait will be enhanced.]

And with that—

‘Done.’

Now it was five.

First, he summoned everyone—Cossack, Meatshield, Gyeon Dallae, and Rajix—and told them the results of yesterday’s negotiation.

“Kya-kya-kya, who do you think I am? The master of negotiation—John Cossack, that’s who.”

“Excellent. Assassin.”

“I said negotiator, you punk!”

“SQUEAK? Can I keep being here?”

“You can chew carrots and play around.”

“Master, congratulations. And Cossack, you worked hard as well.”

“Ahem! It wasn’t that hard, hehehehe.”

Cossack kept bragging about his glorious deeds to the others. He repeated himself so much Juhyeok felt like his ears were going to bleed, but the atmosphere was still warm and lively.

“Mr. Cossack.”

“Yessir!”

“Starting on Floor 51, the monsters that come out—do you remember that?”

“Gryphons. Just imagine a huge-ass bird.”

Rajix shot his hand up.

“Peel hide?”

“Only feathers. You start peeling hides in the wyvern section on Floor 56 and above.”

“SQUEAK, what do I do?”

“In repeat clears, you can mine ore.”

Now all that remained was to keep their promise.

The time limit for clearing the Black Tower (United Arab Emirates) was fourteen days—two weeks left.

They had to climb at top speed up to Floor 60.

Of course, with one more pick.

“Alright, everyone gather up. Get ready to welcome a new person.”

“Yessir!”

He wanted a summoned entity who was good at combat.

“Here we go.”

But don’t get your hopes up.

Whoever it was, accept them happily.

Rank, class—none of that mattered.

“Random Summon!”

Hwaaaaah! The summoning began.

A cluster of light descended from the sky.

At the same time, it shifted into a human shape—

Papapap!

At last.

A new summoned entity appeared.

Fairly tall, a slim waist, big—huh?

“...A woman.”

“A woman.”

“SQUEEEAK?”

“She is the same sex as me.”

Then Cossack looked Gyeon Dallae up and down, side to side, and—

“Same sex, but very different.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“...Acting like you don’t know, when you do. Tsk, tsk.”

“Y-you bastard!!!”

She definitely looked like a woman.

Her figure said so.

A black full-body suit like a skin-tight bodysuit, revealing every curve to the point it was embarrassing if you stared too long.

And the most striking part—

Something caught his eye before her face did.

A very familiar object held in both her hands.

Made of metal, long and thick, with a hefty body, a stock meant to brace against the shoulder, and a trigger underneath.

‘A rifle?’

Yeah.

It was a firearm.

But it differed from an ordinary gun in a lot of ways.

First of all, it was huge.

Bigger and thicker than the standard personal weapon you’d get issued in the military.

So big you wondered how anyone carried it around.

Overall, it had the old-fashioned feel of an early rifle, but some parts looked sleek and modern.

There was a faintly blue glass panel on the top, and like an LED panel, unknown letters and symbols appeared and vanished.

If you had to describe it, it felt like a steampunk, large-caliber antique rifle fused with a cyberpunk electronic assault rifle.

After noticing the gun, his eyes moved to her appearance.

Black hair, black brows.

If you had to categorize, she looked closer to Latin heritage.

Her long hair was tied tightly back, her face small and slender, her lips red.

And her eyes were so narrow you couldn’t even see her pupils—

‘...No, they’re not narrow.’

He thought they were narrow, but actually, she just had her eyes half-closed.

Swaying forward and back.

‘Is she... sleeping?’

No way. Right then—

Drrriiiip.

Sticky drool stretched down from the new summoned entity’s lips.

What?

She really was sleeping?

“A woman is sleeping.”

“She likely does not even realize she has been summoned.”

“SQUEEENG...”

“Th-that’s disgusting. If she keeps doing that, it’s gonna get sucked in—”

Slurp!

“Eek! It got sucked in.”

The moment the dangling drool vanished back into her mouth, the new summoned entity snapped her eyes open.

“Oh my! Wh-where am I—”

Only then did she seem to grasp the situation. She stared blankly at Juhyeok’s face.

Snap!

She clicked her feet into attention, flattened her right hand tight to the end of her brow, and shouted,

“Victory! Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Captain, thank you for summoning me!”

“...Ah! Yes, yes.”

Her name was Veronica Caliber.

And she called Juhyeok “Captain.”

<Catalog: The only woman in the Ranger Unit of the Magic Empire, a peerlessly accurate beautiful magic gunner.>

Name: Veronica Caliber

Rank: SR (Super Rare)

Type: magic gunner (human)

Manifestation Time Limit: 6 hours

Satisfaction Rating: None.

Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after Dismiss Summon)

A beautiful magic gunner in the Magic Empire’s Ranger Unit.

But could she even use that firearm in the Tower?

Well, she was carrying it, so she must be able to.

“Welcome.”

But instead of answering—

Tilt, sway. What?

“...”

She saluted and fell asleep again?

Grrrrk, grrrrk—

This is ridiculous.

She was snoring.

“SQUEAK.”

“Hmm.”

“She is a peculiar summoned entity.”

Even Cossack looked displeased.

“I don’t like that woman.”

“Why?”

“The saluting and shouting slogans.”

“Why is that—”

“Character overlap. Salutes and slogans were my thing first. Look! ATTENTION! That’s mine.”

He wasn’t wrong, but...

“She’s a soldier, though?”

“...Yeah?”

“She said Magic Empire Ranger Unit. And the rank was Staff Sergeant.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Mr. Cossack, did you serve in the military?”

Cossack’s eyes darted around.

“I-I got exempted... flat feet.”

“Uh-huh.”

“If my feet weren’t flat, I would’ve quit being an assassin and gone to the army.”

Flat feet, my ass.

He’d been flying around when he used Shadow Step.

Anyway, he was a strange guy.

Getting summoned while half-asleep.

Was she always sleepy?

Or did she die without sleep in her previous life?

Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber is a veteran sniper in the Northern Ranger Unit of the Magic Empire. In brutal cold where battles with demonic beasts erupted daily, she became famous as a peerlessly accurate magic gunner. Then came an unexpected large-scale wave of demonic beasts—an overwhelming number surged toward the border fortress.

If the northern fortress fell, the empire was finished. A desperate battle began. They had to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Day and night, endless attacks by many kinds of demonic beasts—there was no time to sleep. To fight off the sleepiness, she stabbed her thigh with a greatsword and endured to the end. Her eyes were so bloodshot that bloody tears ran down. She had long since surpassed the limits a human could endure. In the end, after fighting for one hundred days and nights, Veronica confirmed reinforcements had arrived—and only then could she finally enter peaceful rest.

So it was real.

She died because she couldn’t sleep.

Of course, the final blow came from a demonic beast, but she accepted that death gladly.

Because she could sleep in peace.

‘If possible, I shouldn’t bother her when she’s sleeping.’

Still, the dealer he’d hoped for showed up.

The rank was decent—SR, Super Rare—and the class was magic gunner.

He wanted to enter the Tower immediately and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° see what she could do, but... she was asleep like that, and he couldn’t exactly wake her.

“I’ll wake her.”

“She seems to be sleeping so deeply. Let’s just let her sleep.”

“No! If she came out, she needs to do her duty. I can’t stand looking at her sleeping.”

Cossack walked up to Veronica, who was nodding off while standing, and poked her side repeatedly.

In an instant—

She sprang upright.

“Staff Sergeant! Veronica Cali—”

Then she saw Cossack standing right in front of her.

“What are you? You wanna die?”

“D-did you just say that to me?”

“Who else is here besides you? You bastard, you look like a kept man.”

“...I’m SSR.”

“So? Bullets don’t go into an SSR belly?”

Click!

Bzzzzing!

“Or do you want me to shove something hot up your ass?”

“...”

Cossack froze, flustered, not knowing what to do.

Ah... why is Cossack like this with every woman he meets?

Juhyeok had no choice. He stepped in.

“Ms. Veronica?”

“Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber, reporting!”

“I was thinking we should go into the Tower—”

“Is it an operration?”

“Yes. We’re going to hunt a few scorpions.”

“Scorpion extermination operation—executing perfectly. Victory!”

Oh!

She was forceful.

And so Juhyeok’s party took their new summoned entity and started the Floor 50 King repeat-clear mission.

Then they exited thirty minutes later.

Everyone’s expressions were extremely satisfied.

Now that they’d confirmed Veronica’s capabilities, it was time to push forward into the uncleared upper floors in earnest.

*****

[Entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 51.]

From Floor 51 to Floor 55 was the section where flying demonic beasts—gryphons—appeared.

Juhyeok’s party was ready to head for the mission area.

But then—

Nod, wobble,

Even while walking, Veronica was dozing off.

“Summoner Bong, she’s sleeping again.”

“SQUEAK.”

“This is constant. Is it an illness?”

“At this point, it seems like an illness. She has no time to build camaraderie by talking with us.”

But there was no need to worry.

Once combat started, her eyes changed.

Juhyeok poked her upper arm.

“Huh! Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber!”

“Staff Sergeant, time to get ready, right?”

“Ah! Understood. Victory!”

[Floor 51 Mission: Kill 15 Shrieking-Claw Gryphons.]

[Completion Time Limit: Within 14 hours.]

[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment.]

The mission appeared.

A flock of massive birds in the high sky.

“We will begin the operation.”

In the Floor 50 repeat clear, they’d enjoyed the power of her magic gun.

A large mana round that put the King Scorpion into a near-death state with a single shot, and small mana rounds that easily pierced ordinary scorpion exoskeletons.

In truth, her physical ability was unimpressive.

Stronger than a normal person, but far weaker than the other summoned entities.

Even considering her rank.

Instead, her equipment was anything but ordinary.

Not just the magic gun—there was also her suit, the tights called an enhancement suit, combat boots that let her move quickly by releasing mana, and mana-defense gloves that protected her hands and fingers.

High-performance combat gear made by the Magic Empire.

That seemed to be Veronica’s true strength.

So how would she do in a true S++ time-attack mission?

Jjae-jae-jae-jaeng! Du-du-du-dung!

A drumbeat and bells that stirred the fighting spirit.

Gyeon Dallae’s rhythm shifted slightly.

A maximization of the senses.

And along with increased strength came a rise in speed.

Adrenaline surged.

With more people now, Gyeon Dallae focused her mind and shook her bells like mad.

“Excellent, Princess. Thanks to you, my morale is soaring.”

Veronica moved forward quickly.

She raised her barrel toward the sky, took a standing firing stance, and aimed at one Shrieking-Claw Gryphon—

Bzzing, pah-juk!

A milky-white mana bullet struck the gryphon’s body.

“Kyaaak!”

The gryphon flew toward Veronica at terrifying speed.

But she didn’t run.

She continuously fired small rounds, shaving down its stamina.

Pah-juk! Pah-juk! Pah-juk! Pah-juk! Pah-juk...

While firing her magic gun, she backed up slowly toward Meatshield.

“Handover.”

“I take it.”

The Shrieking-Claw Gryphon’s leg got caught in Meatshield’s hand.

A perfect aggro transfer.

With Meatshield holding the gryphon in place, Cossack rushed in and minced its head.

Even then, Veronica kept moving.

The moment she handed one off, she pulled another.

Pah-juk! Pah-juk! Pah-juk...

She dealt damage with small rounds, then handed it off to Meatshield again.

The battle never stopped for even a moment. It flowed continuously.

Kill one, and another got delivered.

Delivered, and delivered again.

She wasn’t a magic gunner—she was a delivery driver.

Meatshield and Cossack didn’t have to move from their spot at all.

All they did was finish off gryphons that were already wounded and ragged.

The clear was fast, but more than that, it was extremely stable.

A tank, a melee dealer, a ranged dealer, and Gyeon Dallae’s buffs.

‘At this point, you could call it a complete party.’

It felt satisfying.

He’d recruited well.

As a Summoner, he couldn’t have been more satisfied.

[Notice: You have achieved Clear Rank S++ on Black Tower (Korea) Floor 51.]

[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge has been awarded.]

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