There’s no need to even say it twice—during the undead section, the holy sword is an essential requirement.

However, that only applies to other Players. In Juhyeok’s case, he’s the exception.

His power comes entirely from his summoned entities.

So rather than restoring the holy sword, Trait enhancement is the top priority.

The holy sword is just there to suck up rental fees.

And once they get past the undead section?

The holy sword’s usefulness plummets.

Besides, it’s not like restoring the holy sword is impossible forever.

Rajix said he’d handle it all once they gathered the repair materials.

So the <Restore Scroll> gets used on rune fragments.

But to do that, he has to identify what the rune fragments actually are first.

I need to find more fragments.

They’d just finished clearing Floor 64.

But it had been too fast.

Because of that, Rajix hadn’t had enough time to really put his ability to work.

So then?

Two Tower entries per day.

He still had one shot left.

“Let’s run Floor 64 again.”

“Ready, sir.”

“If we find rune fragments on a repeat clear, that’s a real jackpot.”

“Do we award a badge to whoever finds them?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If you find one, that’s automatically badge-worthy.”

Twitch.

Rajix’s hamster ears snapped straight up.

Badge, badge, badge....

Fumbling around,

Rajix pulled out the golden pickaxe from his Subspace Backpack and started polishing it with care.

A determined expression that said he’d do it no matter what.

“SQUEAK!”

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

“Meatshield.”

“Give orders. Summoner.”

“Gather as many ghouls as you can and drag it out. Buy time.”

“Understood. I will buy time.”

To Cossack and Veronica, too.

“Even if we fail the clear, it’s fine—deal damage slowly, and protect Rajix and Princess Gyeon Dallae.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Sergeant Veronica Caliber, you have acknowledged the instructions, yes, sir.”

A repeat clear.

Before he knew it, the ghouls had reset too, bursting out of the holes again.

“WOOOOOOO!!! COME ON! YOU FILTHY MONSTERS!”

The ghoul pack swarming Meatshield, Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism rite, and Rajix’s search starting at the same time—

RROOOLL. CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The golden pickaxe flashing as it caught the torchlight.

Everyone was working hard.

Except two of them.

Cossack, who didn’t even have any detection ability, kept sniffing around and poking the ground here and there with his dagger.

What is he, some kind of archaeologist?

Veronica kept nodding off, then occasionally jolting awake to fire her gun.

If she thinks she has nothing to do, she just sleeps.

He got it.

This °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° wasn’t a time when they needed ghoul clearing.

Still, she’s really just slacking, huh?

Juhyeok wrote in a notebook with a ballpoint pen he’d brought in advance.

“Hm.”

Cossack, strolling through the cave with his hands behind his back, seemed to find it strange that Juhyeok was writing, and approached.

“What’re you writing? A diary, sir?”

“No. A merit log.”

“Huh?”

“So I can reference it when I award badges. If I just hand out badges based on vibes, that’s an equity problem.”

“...”

It was time for a systematic badge-awarding system.

“Meatshield’s suffering by himself, so 20 points. Princess Gyeon Dallae, 20 points. Rajix gets 40 points...”

“Th-then how many points do I get, sir?”

“0 points. And Sergeant Veronica, too—you don’t really seem to be doing much....”

“...Yes, sir?”

“Good grief. Rajix, you’ve got dirt all over your face. You work so frantically. At this rate, even if a ghoul comes right up behind you, you won’t notice.”

SPOT!

Cossack vanished in an instant.

“Meatshield! I’ll help you!”

“Not needed. Assassin. You are not helpful.”

“You little—! I can tank too, you know. You don’t know dodge-tanking?”

“Go away. The ghouls are mine.”

“Shut up! Let me eat a little, too.”

STAB! STAB! STAB!

After peeling a few ghouls off Meatshield with dagger attacks,

Cossack cast Shadow Step in a frantic burst, luring them around here and there.

“Summoner Bong, look. Veteran dodge-tanking. Truly fantastic, sir.”

Veronica must’ve heard the conversation...

Because after dozing off, she snapped awake and pulled herself together.

PA-SHUT! PA-SHUT! PA-SHUT!

She began suppressive fire with small rounds.

“Commander! I will cover Supply Officer Rajix. I will ensure not a single one can approach.”

Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism rite grew even more violent.

“The greatest shamaness of the Heavenly Empire commands: you trash, get the hell out and rot in the searing hell!”

Meatshield, too—grabbing the charging ghouls, shoving them, throwing them—pulled aggro perfectly.

The ghouls got pushed back in a long line, all the way to the end of the cave passage.

This is going well.

And thanks to that, Rajix was freed up.

His detection range widened dramatically, too.

One moment here, one moment there, popping around as he swung the pickaxe.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

Time flew. Finally, Rajix’s pickaxe stopped.

Maybe he couldn’t smell anything anymore. Rolling, rolling, he came back over.

“SQUEEEAK... I’m done.”

Judging by how drenched in sweat he was, he must’ve searched every last inch.

“Okay! Alright—let’s wrap up and get out.”

And so, the repeat clear on Floor 64 was completed.

[You have succeeded in the Floor 64 mission.]

[Reward: Magic Stone 6.4kg]

*****

Back in the penthouse,

just how many rune fragments had Rajix found?

“Take them out.”

“SQUEAK.”

SHKRRR—

Rajix scattered the rune and ticket fragments he’d collected across the floor.

There were quite a lot.

6 rune fragments, 4 ticket fragments.

Along with broken wood splinters and metal scraps.

Just because there were a lot didn’t mean they were all useful.

More didn’t fit than did.

Juhyeok also pulled out the ticket fragments he already had fitted together from his inventory first. Would any of these match?

But then, one of the 4 fragments—

SLIDE...

It came over and attached itself.

“Oh!”

<Torn, but with its identity slightly revealed ???... Naturalization Ticket (4/7)>

...A naturalization ticket.

What else could it be?

Obviously, it was a Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket.

Even if it had extremely high utility—

I’m not using a Restore Scroll on this.

The other ticket fragments didn’t attach anywhere. They didn’t match.

Either duplicates, or too damaged.

Still, he had to keep them.

Next: runes.

There were 6 to test.

When he lightly touched them to <???... Rune With More Than Half Fallen Off (3/7)>—

“Mm.”

The rune fragments didn’t budge.

Same with the others.

Next.

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

“...”

It didn’t move either.

Not this one.

Now the last one.

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

Only one remained.

With a careful, deliberate attitude, Juhyeok tried fitting the tiny stone pieces on one by one.

“This one has to fit...”

No.

Not again.

Still no.

“Just stick, already!”

He’d found 6 rune fragments, and not a single one matched!

“It—It will definitely stick, sir.”

Even Cossack looked anxious.

“It’s because your desperation is lacking. Everyone, follow my lead! When I say HEAVE! you all say HO! HEAVE!”

“HO!”

“HEAVE!”

“...Ho, yes, sir.”

“HEAVE-HO!”

“HEAVE-HO!”

“HEAVE-CHANT! Ah—no, heave-ho!”

“SQUEEEAK... heave-hooo....”

Right then!

SLIDE—

As if pulled by a magnet, a fingernail-sized piece began creeping along—

“Huhhh?”

“Go!”

“It’s going! It’s going!”

“LET’S GOOOOO!!!”

CLICK!

It snapped in place like it had always been one body.

Juhyeok shot his hand up!

“It stuck!”

“It has stuck, yes, sir.”

“It slapped right on, sir! Princess, strike up the music.”

“Very good.”

“SQUEEEAK!!”

But it still wasn’t time to raise a toast.

There was one final step.

Check the item info.

To use the <Restore Scroll>, at least a minimal hint had to be visible.

Gulp.

Juhyeok swallowed dryly.

A tense moment. Would it show?

Check info.

<Damaged, but with letters revealed ??... Reinforcement Rune (4/8)>

“...Reinforcement Rune?”

As Juhyeok spoke,

“Reinforcement, yes, sir?”

“If it’s a Reinforcement Rune... T-Trait enhancement? Is that it, sir?”

He was sure.

A damaged Trait enhancement rune.

What else could it be?

“Th-The heave-ho worked, sir!”

“It did! Cossack, 10 points!”

“Yes!”

He’d restore it immediately.

Juhyeok pulled out the <Restore Scroll>.

The usage method was simple: bring the <Restore Scroll> into contact with the item you wanted to restore.

With a trembling hand, he moved the scroll toward <Damaged, but with letters revealed ??... Reinforcement Rune (4/8)>—

Then stopped short.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

Reinforcement Rune, huh.

Is this really a Trait enhancement rune? There’s a chance it’s a new item.

Cossack had also said that as the floors rose, more varied items appeared.

Even the <Restore Scroll> itself was an item he’d never seen before.

It wouldn’t be only Traits that could be reinforced.

For example, what if it was a weapon reinforcement rune, or an equipment reinforcement rune, or a skill reinforcement rune?

And it might not even be “reinforcement” in that sense.

Harmony. Purification. Conversation. Film. Fairy tale. Flowers. Chrysanthemum. Boots. Beautification. Gold coins. Silver coins. Sneakers. Indoor shoes....

Ah, his weak man disease was acting up again.

Negative thoughts chained endlessly after one another. But—

“FUCK!”

What is life, anyway?

It’s either a jackpot or bankruptcy.

[You have used the <Restore Scroll>.]

[Restoring the item to its original state.]

FWAAASH!

A dazzling radiance burst up from the rune fragments.

And in that instant—

[Beginning restoration of <Damaged, but with letters revealed ??... Reinforcement Rune (4/8)>.]

[Time remaining until restoration complete: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]

“...Damn it.”

It wasn’t instant.

He’d only be able to confirm it tomorrow.

Scaring the hell out of a person.

*****

The Prime Minister’s Official Residence in Japan.

Officials, including the Director of the Cabinet Intelligence Research Office, gathered in the conference room.

“Bong Juhyeok, age 25. We understand he signed an ELITE TOWER CLIMBING TEAM contract with the Tower Player Awakening Administration relatively recently.”

Prime Minister Kawaguchi frowned at the photo on the screen.

“You’re saying there’s a high chance this man is the true owner of the holy sword?”

“Yes.”

“He looks completely different.”

Meatshield revealed in the HG Hotel terror incident, and the giant.

Compared to them, this was an ordinary face with not a single similar feature.

“What about the reliability of the material?”

“The source is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. We believe it’s credible information.”

“Are you certain?”

“I have an acquaintance in a senior position at the Department of Homeland Security. They handed me this information.”

“Hm...”

Until now, Japan had assumed that the S++ record holder, the true owner of the holy sword, and even the basilisk leather and Tower ore supplier were all one person.

That was the only way it made sense.

Multiple people with different abilities all popping up at once?

Impossible.

“Has the U.S. made contact with this Bong Juhyeok?”

“At present, there are no signs of that.”

“I see.”

Prime Minister Kawaguchi snorted.

It’s an obvious little trick.

The U.S. isn’t sure.

This information was probably discarded as well.

That’s why it was leaked to Japan.

They want us to verify it for them?

There was a very high chance of that.

Considering relations with Korea, it would be risky for the U.S. to step in directly.

And the information isn’t even confirmed.

Same for Japan.

For now, they had to restrain themselves.

Approaching another country’s Player rashly was forbidden.

There was precedent.

Other nations wouldn’t look kindly on Japan.

And on top of that, there was the exposure of China’s Player kidnapping incident.

Still, they couldn’t exactly throw away information they’d gathered.

At least some confirmation was necessary, wasn’t it?

“Which company has the exclusive supply of basilisk leather?”

“HG Fashion, under the Wildflower & Basili brand.”

“HG Fashion’s biggest competitor?”

“The company that used to lead Korea’s fashion market is Ilseong Apparel.”

“Ilseong...”

A Korean conglomerate.

Kawaguchi had ties with Ilseong’s chairman.

“You go to Korea in person and leak the information to Ilseong. Tell them the holy sword—no, the basilisk leather supplier—might be Bong Juhyeok.”

“Yes! Understood.”

Let’s see what happens. Who knows?

In the process, a clue about the S++ record holder might pop out.

*****

The next morning.

The moment he woke up, Juhyeok pulled the rune out of his inventory to check the restoration progress.

[<...Reinforcement Rune with letters becoming clearer> is currently being restored.]

[Time remaining until restoration complete: 3 hours 17 minutes 32 seconds]

Whew. Reinforcement.

He’d cleared one hurdle.

A Reinforcement Rune was certain.

All he needed now was to confirm whether the letter in front of it was Trait, item, or skill.

If even one character shows up, and it’s ...Trait Enhancement Rune, it’s basically confirmed.

Today was the day he’d planned to go shopping with the summoned entities.

In the evening.

The rune’s identity would be decided within a few hours, so he’d check that first.

He used the bathroom, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, threw together a simple breakfast—

I should return the holy sword.

Juhyeok contacted the Tower Player Awakening Administration.

He said he’d return the holy sword.

A little later—

Ding! A message arrived.

So he went down to the underground parking garage.

As always, it was a different car—different model, and the plate changed every time.

But the person was always the same.

Jeon Gwangil, or Lee Mina.

Today’s driver was Section Chief Lee Mina.

“I’m... returning the holy sword.”

“Yes! Received. We will store it safely so there are no issues with rental. Ah! The Deputy Commissioner requested to see you briefly—do you have time?”

“...Ah, yes, yes.”

“We will take you to the Administration.”

Juhyeok got into the car driven by Section Chief Lee Mina and headed to the Tower Player Awakening Administration.

Soon, the car arrived at the Tower materials storage warehouse.

“Player Bong.”

“Have you been well?”

“Hahaha, I’m fine. This way.”

Jeon Gwangil was waiting at the location where they stored basilisk leather.

The stock was dropping fast. Business must be good.

“The leather payment will be settled soon. I think you can look forward to it.”

Money was pouring in. When was he even supposed to spend all this?

“And the land near Gyeonggi Province you mentioned—we looked into it.”

Jeon Gwangil unfolded a map and pointed to a section marked in red.

“It’s a plot on the outskirts of Namyangju—about 3,000 units, roughly 106,750 square feet. It’s a quiet area. No villages nearby. There’s also a road, so access is convenient.”

There were photos, too.

A flat open lot with an assembled container on it. But it looked way too nice.

“This is a container?”

“These days, residential containers come like this.”

“What about the price? Land plus the container.”

“It’s state-owned land. The registration transfer is already completed. And the container is included as a service.”

“Uh, I said I’d buy it with my money.”

“Please, just this once—bear with us. It’s not expensive land.”

“...”

Well, then he didn’t have a choice.

They were asking like that.

“Um... if you’ll forgive me, I have a proposal.”

“What is it?”

“Those people.”

If he meant “those people,” that would be Cossack and Meatshield.

“Why? Is there some problem—”

“The Tower Player Awakening Administration can register them as Players.”

“...What?”

Registering as Players in Korea?

“Strictly speaking, they’d be naturalized Players. Their past would be completely laundered, and they’d become Players with the Republic of Korea nationality, like you.”

“Ah!”

Something he’d never even considered.

Cossack and Meatshield becoming Korean, just like him.

But—

“I don’t know.”

It didn’t sit right.

Was having a nationality a good thing?

That meant responsibilities.

And he’d have to ask the parties involved what they thought, too.

“There will be no obligations of any kind tied to acquiring nationality. The intention is only to provide conveniences so they can live in Korea without issues.” 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Jeon Gwangil continued carefully.

“And our government doesn’t have the power to do anything to them, either.”

That was true.

It was the opposite.

Who in this world could possibly handle them?

“Even if it falls through, that’s fine. If you feel inclined, contact us anytime.”

“Yes. Let’s discuss the nationality issue slowly...”

That was when it happened.

A system message sounded inside Juhyeok’s head.

[Item restoration has been completed.]

Huh?

What is it?

[You have obtained a Trait enhancement rune.]

“...Hahaha!”

“Mm, did something good happen?”

“Yes. Something very good.”

“Hahaha, I don’t know what it is, but now I’m in a good mood too.”

In the end, the choice had been right.

Now I can pull one more person.

Let’s do a Random Summon today.

And go shopping together in the evening.

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