The attempted terrorist attack at the HG Hotel showcase.

Surprisingly, there were zero casualties.

Other than the terrorists, that is.

A massive incident that shook the foundations of the nation.

Because the targets of the attack were elite Players.

Until now, the Republic of Korea had been known as a safe zone from terrorism.

So the shock to the public could only be enormous.

Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil moved quickly to contain the aftermath.

The very first thing he did was delete every piece of CCTV footage from inside the venue.

He physically tore out the storage devices and destroyed them.

So they couldn’t be restored.

Soon, countless videos started getting uploaded like crazy.

A flood. An overflow.

Jeon Gwangil ordered the Administration staff to collect every video circulating online or on social media.

Were there any dangerous videos?

What if a smartphone camera had captured the process of Bong Juhyeok summoning those two men?

Thankfully, there were none.

Instead, most of them focused on the terrifying giant’s rampage, and the Western man saving Nam Gaeun.

Mostly short clips like that.

The only video that recorded everything from beginning to end in detail was the YouTuber Wildflower & Basili showcase footage.

It couldn’t be helped.

When armed thugs stormed in with guns, what kind of fearless people would pull out a phone and film?

They might get shot to death doing that.

Everyone must have been out of their minds.

Too busy flattening themselves to the floor and trembling.

Then, right after the situation flipped, they would’ve found the courage to raise their phones.

A thought struck him.

Were there really only two?

The people Bong Juhyeok could summon, that is.

If there were more than that...

A terrifying power beyond humanity.

Who in the world could handle them?

How fortunate it was.

That he was Korean.

That he wasn’t even considering naturalization.

And on top of that, he was a lifesaver.

He wasn’t afraid of his abilities being revealed—he still saved Jeon Gwangil and Player Nam Gaeun.

His character was excellent.

He wasn’t greedy, either.

Jeon Gwangil would do everything he could for Bong Juhyeok.

Starting with preventing his identity from being exposed.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The press was moving on its own.

Thankfully so.

*****

<Elite Players Exposed to Terrorism—What Measures Will Follow?>

<Who’s Behind It? Speculation Points to China.>

<A Giant Appeared and Took Out the Terrorists?>

<Ridiculous, But It Was Real. (Video Attached)>

<Player Nam Gaeun Survives by the Skin of Her Teeth in a Hostage Situation (Video Attached)>

<Who Were They? High Likelihood They’re the S++ Clear Rank Record Holders.>

<The Reason High-Speed Tower Clearing Was Possible. Not One Person, But Two?>

<Seems They Borrowed the Power of Items That Work Even Outside the Tower, Not Tower-Only.>

<Whoever They Are, One Fact Is Clear: They Saved the Republic of Korea.>

<They Didn’t Lay a Hand on Civilians—Only Eliminated the Terrorists.>

<Player Nam Gaeun Also Says They’re Her Lifesaver, Sheds Tears of Gratitude.>

Then came the decisive article.

<Crown Prince Abdul bin Sala, Finally Feels Relieved. Keeping It Secret Had Him on Edge the Whole Time.>

<I Will Never Forget Saving My Life from the Venue Terror Attack, Along with the Debt of Clearing the United Arab Emirates Black Tower.>

<I Am So Sorry I Accidentally Revealed the Name on Broadcast. Please Forgive Me.>

—It’s certain. They’re the S++ Clear Rank record holder.

—Bin Sala confirmed it too. One of those two was Meatshield.

—So it wasn’t one, it was two.

—When Floor 60 got cleared, Meatshield temporarily naturalized to the United Arab Emirates, and one stayed behind in the Republic of Korea.

—But which one is Meatshield?

—Bin Sala would know.

—Did you see the giant enter the Tower at the end? Cool as hell, like he’d done all his work.

—No matter how you look at it, he’s not Korean. Did they naturalize him?

—Don’t be biased based on skin color.

—If he has Korean nationality, he’s Korean. Affiliation: Black Tower (Republic of Korea).

—The Administration does good work. Even naturalized him.

—Just imagine what would’ve happened to Player Nam Gaeun.

—Jesus, just thinking about it makes me dizzy.

—Is this another nationalism high?

—Yeah, drink it. Chug it down.

—Long live Meatshield!

—I’m naming my daughter Meatshield. Kim Meatshield.

—Anyway, what kind of insane bastard committed terrorism?

—Either Japan or China. I’ll bet my balls on it.

—Oh? I don’t have any. Still true though.

—FUCK! What’s the government doing? Fire a Hyunmoo missile or something!

—And if that starts a war?

—Nam Gaeun’s at fault. Why the hell is she modeling? She should be climbing the Tower somewhere safe.

—Fuck off, what a load of shit. Players are supposed to only climb the Tower?

—What, did she commit a crime? Players can’t do outside activities?

—This is why I’m not becoming a Player.

Originally, it was supposed to be a showcase event where the leather and bags got all the attention.

But of all times, a terrorist incident had to happen.

Was CEO Goyeonha disappointed?

Not a chance.

It exploded.

Thanks to the videos, even people who didn’t care about fashion learned about the Wildflower & Basili brand.

Reservation inquiries poured in.

But they didn’t take them by phone.

Only at Wildflower stores—the existing HG Fashion brand—and with limited quantities, the first round of reservations was already sold out.

Especially the Rainbow bag—interest was explosive, people begging them to sell it no matter the price.

So from the second round onward, they planned to raise prices drastically.

Even so, buyers lined up anyway.

*****

The Department of Homeland Security’s Tower Clearing Division.

A conference room with a large monitor connected to a laptop.

Secretary McMillan and Director Antonio were analyzing several videos.

“Who the hell are they? How can they use power like that?”

“How would I know that?”

It was absurd.

It was beyond movies.

“Let’s assume Gerald can manifest Player abilities in the real world. Could he do that?”

Antonio thought carefully.

“I don’t think so. The giant blocked bullets without using any shield-like barrier. And that red-brown-haired white man—sure, you can call it dagger technique, but he’s too fast. Even with slow-motion replay, we couldn’t track his movement.”

Right.

Power that surpassed even what Players showed inside the Tower.

“At the very least, he doesn’t look Korean. If he’s Meatshield, is his surname Go?”

“Korean names put the surname first. He likely naturalized and acquired a Korean surname.”

“Which of the two?”

“How would I know?”

That made it certain.

“They were the Republic of Korea’s S++ Clear Rank record holders. And not one—two.”

“Bin Sala confirmed it. That’s decisive. The Korean media is treating it as established fact too.”

“Using power like that in the real world—”

“It has to be items. It’s a hypothesis, but there’s no other way to explain it...”

An extremely rare item without the modifier “Tower-Only.”

Usable in the real world.

Even by ordinary people.

“Even if it’s an item effect, it’s still insane.”

“It’s sixty-one consecutive S++ clears. Do you think they only got Magic Stones in the process?”

It really was a different dimension of clearing.

So the rewards must’ve been huge as well.

“The giant disappearing at the end—entering the Tower?”

“Yes. That’s what it looks like.”

“Then he’ll appear again in the same place. Should we send one of our people?”

“It’ll be difficult. The Korean Administration and National Intelligence Service are strictly controlling the site right now.”

“Then they might’ve already exited. The Administration would’ve moved them out without anyone knowing.”

“Yes.”

It also seemed clear they were on familiar terms with the National Intelligence Service.

They didn’t even kill the last guy.

Almost like they were saying, Arrest him.

McMillan shook his head like he couldn’t make sense of it.

“What a strange country. Sixty-one consecutive S++ clears, a holy sword, a full basilisk hide, massive quantities of Tower ore...”

Director Antonio moved the laptop mouse.

“At this point, there’s a high chance the holy sword’s ‘true owner’ is also a smokescreen.”

Click.

A man appeared on the screen.

Bong Juhyeok.

“Name: Bong Juhyeok. Age: 25. He has been active as an elite Player for less than six months.”

Would the United States have just sat still after renting the holy sword twice?

They dug through multiple channels to find information.

And the person they found was Bong Juhyeok.

Most likely.

They traced the flow of money. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

They also frequently spotted him alone with Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.

And after Yoo Cheolmin, the Republic of Korea’s top Player, naturalized to Japan, they even uncovered that Bong Juhyeok had purchased the penthouse Yoo Cheolmin used to live in.

So they’d thought he was the most likely person.

But—

“Bong Juhyeok was the Administration’s front man. To deceive public attention.”

“There’s no definitive proof, but circumstantially...”

“Hah. Talking to you makes my head feel like it’s going to explode.”

“Mine too.”

There was a limit to what they could uncover through video alone.

Other than asking the Korean Administration directly.

“Their disposition?”

“I don’t think they’re villains, at minimum. They saved people.”

“Can we bring them to our side?”

“I can’t promise it. And the Korean government won’t just sit still.”

“Heh. If they don’t sit still, what are they going to do about it?”

International relations still ran on the logic of power.

Since the Tower appeared, that tendency had only grown stronger.

“You compiled the report?”

“It’s right here.”

“Good work. Let’s ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ go to the White House and then look again.”

“Yes.”

The meeting ended.

Either way, the final decision would be made at the White House.

*****

The Cheongdam-dong penthouse.

Juhyeok and the summoned entities gathered in one place.

Everyone was furious to the point of boiling over.

“Heh-heh-heh, don’t you worry, sir. Your right hand, Cossack, handled it all.”

“The warrior contributed too.”

Gyeon Dallae snorted like it was ridiculous.

“You handled it? Wasn’t that too easy? Those were unforgivable bastards who dared threaten Master. Slowly. Dry them out and kill them, burn them to death, cut them to death, slice them thin and kill them and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Veronica, also seething, said,

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have killed them right away. I’m so angry I can’t even sleep. If the commander is compromised, that army is basically wiped out. You must carry out retaliation with shock and terror.”

Gyeon Dallae and Veronica were far more fired up than he’d expected.

Even Rajix was like that.

His fluffy, round body trembled as he raged.

“SQUEAK! SQUEEEAK! Kill them. I’m going to kill them.”

Even Rajix was like this.

So Juhyeok stepped in.

“Uh, hey. The result was good, so let’s just let it go. No one got hurt.”

Did he tattle for nothing?

He thought they’d just curse together and be done.

But the mood wasn’t normal.

Gyeon Dallae sprang up, then bowed so deeply it looked like she might launch herself at him.

“Master, I apologize, but this cannot be let go. Punishment is required.”

“...What are you trying to do?”

“I will cast a killing curse.”

“To whom?”

“The Chinese Chairman shall be the target of the killing curse. The master must bear the sins of their underlings.”

Where would she even find the Chinese Chairman?

She meant the top leader, obviously, but—

“Say you cast a killing curse. Wouldn’t there be any backlash for Princess?”

“This girl has already died once. Would I die twice? I would merely become Summon Unavailable for one hundred days.”

That was the same thing.

Sometimes Gyeon Dallae seemed like a screw was loose.

“Then let’s just cast karma instead. If we ask Cossack, he can go to China and bring back a sacrifice to use for karma.”

“Please grant your permission. Karma will be utterly insufficient.”

Cossack shot his hand up.

“I’ll go, sir. I, Cossack—the assassination genius and red-ribbon artist—will create one masterpiece and return, sir.”

Veronica too.

“If it’s sniping, I’m confident as well. One shot is enough.”

Even Rajix.

“SQUEAK! I go.”

“What are you going to do, Rajix?”

SHHNK!

Rajix pulled out a glittering golden pickaxe from the Subspace Backpack and made a resolute face.

Like he was going to drive the pickaxe into someone’s skull.

WHIP!

“SQUEAK!”

“...”

WHIP-WHIP!

“SQUEEENG...”

“...”

He was going insane.

Even Meatshield raised his hand.

What was he going to say now—

“Summoner, use Mad Demon.”

“Mad Demon?”

“Drop him in China. Three hours is enough.”

This guy had lost it too.

Letting Mad Demon loose in China was no different than dropping a nuclear warhead.

He’d be pressing the nuke launch button himself.

Mad Demon would kill indiscriminately.

Guilty or not, he’d tear apart anyone he saw.

And then he’d say this.

Summoner, I handled it all. You should take China.

“Mad Demon? Do you not know I’ve been giving him a one-star Satisfaction Rating and not summoning him because I don’t want to do that? You want me to let him loose here?”

“...”

He needed to draw a firm line.

“If you do something behind my back, I’ll Dismiss Summon immediately. Got it? And I’ll never summon you again. Random Summon is coming soon, and I’ll build a new team and just do repeat clears with Rajix.”

“SQUEEEAK...”

The room went cold.

“Instead, I can tolerate casting karma. Can you do it, Cossack?”

Cossack sprang to his feet.

He scurried over and pressed in close to Juhyeok’s side.

“Ahhh, I, Cossack, am in awe—pure awe, sir. To serve a Summoner so benevolent and broad-minded... what luck. Just tell me what to do, sir. Heh-heh-heh.”

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber! I solemnly vow absolute obedience to the commander’s words. Certain victory!”

“The warrior also supports the Summoner’s decision.”

Gyeon Dallae hesitated a moment, then—

“This girl shall follow Master’s solemn command.”

Juhyeok smiled, satisfied.

“Good. Then let’s just prepare to cast karma.”

“YES, SIR!”

But what if the effect of karma was weak?

They’d definitely riot again.

Gyeon Dallae would insist on casting a killing curse, Cossack would talk about ribbons, Rajix would wave a pickaxe...

‘Mad Demon...’

If he were even slightly normal, he wouldn’t be a painful finger—he’d be the most reliable finger of all.

‘I should summon him later and ask.’

Had his thinking changed at all?

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