Today was the day to clear Floor 64.

Clear it, return the holy sword, and rest for a while.

I need to make money off the rental fees.

And I should swing by my parents’ place, too.

It’s been a while since I went over these past few days.

‘No idea if they’re even spending the money I gave them.’

I should go and tell them to spend it like crazy.

And if they don’t, I’ll threaten them—tell them I’ll gift them even more.

I’ve been running way too hard.

It’s about time I start enjoying the easy life.

What’s the point of getting happy just staring at the number in my bank account?

It only means something if you pull it out and spend it.

And the perk I’ll get after clearing Floor 64.

If I get a perk this clear, the next perk is Floor 69—could take over a year.

With normal Tower progression, getting perks has gotten difficult.

Sure, if I burn another Multinational Tower Access Ticket in the middle, I could get it faster than that.

But if I’m really dying of thirst for perks, it might be worth considering other methods.

For example—temporary naturalization.

If I temporarily naturalize to some country and then sweep their Tower from Floor 1 to the top?

Obviously at S++ clear rank the whole way.

At minimum, I’d easily rake in 55+ Platinum Badges.

But even that isn’t guaranteed.

Is the Tower really that easy?

It’s not going to just hand out perks like candy.

Even if I get “first clear” credit, if the level gap is too big, it might not 인정 S++ as a valid S++ clear.

And temporary naturalization has to be handled carefully.

Something I only consider if I have a reason I absolutely have to do it.

Either way, my expectations for this perk weren’t as high as before.

Maybe because Rajix is collecting fragments?

I can take it easy.

No point making Gyeon Dallae suffer with rites and all that.

Honestly, the problem right in front of me isn’t the perk.

It’s Random Summon.

Do I pull, or do I sit on it?

“Deck matters, sir. You need multiple usable cards so your combos are flexible and your clears get easier. Pull it, sir.”

True.

Tower clearing borrows the format of a game.

The more variety you have in your “cards,” the better—but still.

“I believe you should perform a Random Summon. This young lady shall follow Master’s decision in full. Please do not concern yourselves with us.”

“Reinforcing manpower is your authority, commander. I hope you recruit a good branch and strengthen our combat power.”

“A warrior thinks the same.”

“SQUEAK!”

The summoned entities are all leaning toward pulling.

They only want me to do well.

And because I understand that so well, I can’t help hesitating.

‘Makes me want to cry. Seriously.’

At this point, even the heavens should be moved and just hand over a Trait enhancement rune.

“Let’s get the perk first.”

“Yes, sir!”

“It won’t be hard, right?”

“Floor 64 should be manageable.”

Then let’s go.

*****

[Entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 64.]

Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 64 has ghouls.

The terrain is a huge cave with a high ceiling.

Holes punched through up, down, all directions—like a honeycomb.

Torches are mounted here and there along the walls, but the light is weak, so the cave is extremely dark.

Dark ghouls.

You could call them an upgraded version of zombies, but from what I’d heard, the difference was huge.

“Zombies were human originally, sir. They’re based on a human body, sir. Strip the aura off and they’re weak, sir. Same with mummies and skeletons, sir.”

“Ah.”

“And their brains «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» are rotten, sir. They’re stupid, only moving on instinct, sir.”

But ghouls?

“They were born like that from the start, sir. The whole species is ghouls, sir. Their movement is natural and strong, sir. They don’t creak around like zombies, sir. Their brains are fresh, so they’re smart, sir.”

“Their bodies are tough too, sir. Even blade energy doesn’t cut them clean, sir. If you don’t kill them properly, they revive with the power of darkness, sir. That’s how monster undead are, sir.”

Gyeon Dallae nodded along.

“And thus the rite must change as well. From here, it is not a cleansing rite, but an exorcism rite—one that drives out evil spirits.”

Then let’s go.

To hunt evil spirits.

[Floor 64 Mission: Kill 15 dark ghouls.]

Dark ghouls showed themselves from holes in the cave walls, all over the place.

They didn’t charge blindly.

Crouched low, crawling out inch by inch, they flashed yellow eyes while watching the summoned entities.

“Come on!”

Meatshield stepped forward alone.

“KYA-REK!”

“KAK?”

“KRRR...”

“KEKEK!”

SPOT! PA-PA-PA-SPOT!

The ghouls latched onto Meatshield at high speed.

They drove sharp claws into his back, shoulders, legs—

Meatshield’s body, covered in ghouls.

PA-SHUT!

Veronica’s magic gun roared.

Cossack closed in with Shadow Step.

At the same time, Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism rite began.

Rajix, too, rolled forward before anyone noticed.

Looks like he’s exploring the empty holes the ghouls crawled out of.

Probably fine to leave him alone.

Rajix is SSR, too.

He was smart—he never went somewhere dangerous.

Even when he dug, he kept looking around, tense, guarding in case a ghoul got close.

‘Alright, then...’

This time, I was planning to step in for sure.

Once the clear ends, the holy sword will be kept at the Administration for a while.

There are a ton of reservations stacked up.

If I just stand around again this clear, when am I ever going to kill one?

This is my chance to actually use the holy sword properly.

Of course I’m scared.

But one of the holy sword’s effects—

Steadfast Mind.

Maybe because of that, even a weak man’s tiny heart was sprouting courage.

And the summoned entities are all too busy clearing ghouls to notice me.

“KRAAAAH! COME AT ME!”

“Cossack, one ghoul has attached itself to this young lady. Deal with it.”

“Roger! Princess, step back a bit, sir. Even if it don’t stick close, the weakening debuff still goes in, sir.”

“Supply Officer! Requesting ammunition resupply!”

“SQUEEEEAK!”

Slowly, carefully.

I moved closer to the battlefield.

The Energy Barrier was already turned on from earlier.

And I was ready to use Blink, too.

‘That one should be good.’

A ghoul that crawled out late and was wandering around.

Target acquired.

I gripped the holy sword tight.

A picture of myself formed in my head.

‘Shadow Step—pop, pop, pop—make an illusion, then Blink—’

Right then—

SWISH!

“KYAaaAACK!”

“Ugh—fuck—Jesus!”

A ghoul shot out like a bullet from the hole to my right and pounced on me.

In the blink of an eye.

Its black, long claws slashed diagonally across my upper body.

SHRIP!

CLANG! BZZTZZT...

The Energy Barrier shattered into pieces.

At the same time, it lunged with sharp yellow fangs, going for my neck.

“You little shit!”

BWOOOONG! I instinctively backhanded the ghoul across the face.

“Get off!”

SHNK!

Its head got cut off at a slant. THUD.

“Holy—”

That scared the hell out of me.

This area had already been swept once by the party, but it must’ve stayed in Stealth and lay in ambush instead of fighting.

“If you’re gonna cut in, at least use your turn signal.”

If not for the Energy Barrier, I would’ve been fucked.

But more importantly—

‘Its head got cut off with one slap?’

I didn’t expect that.

Looks like Mad Demon’s Blood Jade Force triggered automatically.

And the holy sword’s Radiance on top of that.

Radiance neutralized the dark aura, and Blood Jade Force split the ghoul’s tough skull clean in half.

The core of the holy sword is Radiance.

If you carry it, your whole body is under Radiance’s influence.

It applies to skills, too.

You can tell just by looking at that Norwegian Player who rented it.

His Trait was a ranged archer type—he wasn’t melee.

He didn’t have a single sword skill. So how’d he kill things?

He held the bow grip and the holy sword hilt together in his left hand, and drew the bowstring with his right to kill.

A pain in the ass, but even those arrows carried Radiance and could damage specters.

Same for me.

Mad Demon’s skill plus the holy sword’s Radiance—

In that instant, the back of my head prickled. I glanced behind me.

‘Yeah.’

The summoned entities had stopped clearing and were staring at me blankly.

‘They saw it all.’

Subtle expressions.

Worry, pity, apology, shame, self-blame, regret—like a bunch of emotions tangled together.

“Don’t worry. I’m safe—”

That’s when it happened.

“KRAAAAAAAAH!”

Meatshield leapt high enough to nearly touch the cave ceiling and stomped down.

KABOOOOM!!!

Ghouls toppled from the shock, and Meatshield brutally crushed the ones on the ground.

Then he grabbed a ghoul in his hand and started slamming it down.

WHIP! CRACK! WHIP! CRACK! WHIP! CRACK...

“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU ALL!”

Cossack, too, with a frozen expression, wildly swung his dagger coated in deep-blue blade energy.

Defense? Evasion?

He didn’t do any of that.

Pure offense, nonstop.

SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!

Ghouls got sliced apart.

Veronica was in assault mode. No concealment, no cover.

“AAAH! DIE!”

She charged straight in, jammed her magic gun into the mouth of a shrieking ghoul—

THUNK!—and fired point-blank.

PA-SHUT!

The ghoul’s head burst like a watermelon.

THUD!

Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism rite changed, too.

The rhythm sped up more and more.

Talismans flew from her hands.

Yellow paper filled the cave.

The instant a talisman touched a ghoul’s skin, it flared up and burned.

And Rajix?

He grabbed the golden pickaxe he uses for Mining and mercilessly hammered the head of a fallen ghoul.

“SQUEEEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEEEAK!”

Everyone was losing their minds.

You filthy, disgusting dark ghouls. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

How dare you touch the Summoner!

Of course they would.

Up to Floor 64, that was the most dangerous moment Bong Juhyeok had faced.

The Energy Barrier shattered in one hit, and I almost got my neck bitten.

‘...I’m going to hear about this too.’

The summoned entities’ rage almost made me feel sorry for the ghouls. Thanks to that, the clear ended fast.

[You have succeeded in the Floor 64 mission.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Reward: Magic Stone 6.4kg]

Mission complete.

And of course, the clear rank—

[Notice: You have achieved Clear Rank S++ on Black Tower (Korea) Floor 64.]

[S++ Clear Reward: Awarding a Platinum Badge.]

*****

Juhyeok’s penthouse.

The summoned entities all wore grave expressions.

“A warrior was still stupid. Hit me.”

“I’m a piece of shit, sir... I will return the right hand, sir.”

“It is due to this young lady’s paltry skill. Blame me.”

“My sight was narrow. I am unfit to be a Ranger. I deserve a dishonorable discharge.”

“SQUEEEENG...”

What is wrong with you people?

We didn’t fail the clear.

Sure, I get why, but—

“Alright, alright. It was a great clear. And I’m fine, aren’t I?”

I just killed one lightly.

“My carelessness put Summoner Bong in danger, sir. I’ve committed a sin worthy of death, sir. Boo-hoo...”

Cossack is crying.

“H-HUH... boo-hoo, I’m an assassin worth nothing, sir. Throw me away and summon one more capable dealer to fill my spot, sir...”

He’s really crying.

“A smart knight would be more stable than a stupid warrior.”

“A soldier who fails an operation cannot be forgiven. I will return my badge. V-victory!”

“This young lady’s heart is torn apart. Ah... take my head and make an example of me.”

Even Rajix—

“SQUEEENG... SQUEEEEENG... SQUEEENG...”

I’m going to lose my mind. Like I’m some kind of traitor to the nation.

‘This is way too dramatic.’

Are they doing this on purpose?

Because I joined the fight?

That’s extremely likely.

“Okay. From next time on, I won’t step in. I promise.”

And then—

“Yes, sir!”

Cossack stopped crying instantly.

“A true man’s word is worth a thousand gold pieces.”

Gyeon Dallae bowed so deeply she looked like she might take off.

“A warrior is hungry.”

Meatshield walked to the fridge.

“Kuul...”

Veronica, already knocked out asleep.

“SQUEEEENG...”

Rajix, quietly starting to clean the room.

Oh, really?

I knew it. This was all a plan.

“You people—seriously!”

I snapped.

“I’m level 64, okay? I’ve got an Energy Barrier, okay? I’ve got Blink, okay? I was holding the holy sword, okay? You saw Mad Demon’s Blood Jade Force, okay? I’m allowed to fight a little, so why are you making such a huge deal out of it?”

The summoned entities fell silent.

“Who are we? We’re comrades who crossed dimensional boundaries and united as one. Mutual trust—if that collapses, Tower climbing doesn’t mean anything!”

They bowed their heads so low they could’ve kissed the floor.

“If you overreact like this just because I fought once, how are we supposed to keep working together, huh?”

People need to know moderation.

The mood was set. So at this point—

“From now on, I’ll also participate in clears sometimes, so just—”

Suddenly, everyone’s faces went dead serious.

“That ain’t it, sir.”

“If you still do it?”

“We strike, sir. United struggle, sir.”

“This young lady may faint.”

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber! I will commit insubordination and accept confinement!”

“SQUEAK!”

Their expressions were rock-solid.

No backing down.

‘Doesn’t work.’

Fine.

“Alright. Okay. I’ll act like a weak man. Happy now?”

“Ah, weak man? Summoner Bong is an extreme alpha male, sir. Hehehehe.”

Whatever. Let’s check the perk.

I opened my inventory.

[Perk awarded for accumulating 65 Platinum Badges.]

I wish it would just give it outright.

Roulette and ladder stuff makes me dizzy.

...What is it?

[Perk: One Restore Scroll has been delivered to your Tower-Only Inventory.]

“Hm.”

First time I’ve seen this.

Info?

<Restore Scroll>

Restores a damaged item to its original condition.

Simple description.

But I can guess what it is.

“What’d you get, sir?”

“A Restore Scroll. It restores items.”

“Oh! That’s good, sir.”

“Congratulations.”

“SQUEAK?”

What do I use it on?

“Fix holy sword, sir. Become perfect, sir. Undead melt, sir.”

The holy sword...

‘Not a chance.’

The holy sword can be handed to Rajix.

The Restore Scroll has somewhere else to go.

I pulled out the unfinished rune fragments from my inventory.

<Fallen Off ???..., Rune (3/7)>

<Seriously Damaged ???..., Rune (3/8)>

<Broken and Hard to Read ???..., Rune (2/6)>

Alright.

Which of these three is the Trait enhancement rune?

No way to know yet.

Once I attach more than half, its identity will reveal itself.

If the letters become ‘up,’ then it’s <Rune of Level Up>... if they become ‘rank,’ then <Summoned Entity Rank-Up Rune>... if they become ‘trait,’ then <Trait enhancement rune>... something like that.”

The moment it’s confirmed, I’ll use it.

Holy sword, my ass.

Obviously the Restore Scroll is for the Trait enhancement rune.

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