This year’s blockbuster movies were dead.

A Tower Collapse, and then the creation of a new Tower right after.

How could any film possibly capture something that spectacular?

The TV news broadcast what happened in reality exactly as it was, but it felt too unreal.

Even while you were watching it with your own eyes, it felt wrong somehow.

In the middle of Tokyo.

A gigantic pitch-black Black Tower that made Tokyo Tower look like a toy.

Quite a few countries had their Towers in suburbs or outlying areas.

But was there any other Tower on Earth that stood so completely alone between a dense forest of skyscrapers like that?

How many victims were there?

Rumor said even the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo had collapsed.

“Hoo...”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH,

“Hm.”

CRISP, CRUNCH.

“Hah...”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

“...”

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

“Hey! Cossack! Seriously!”

“...Yes, sir?”

“My head’s such a mess I feel like I’m going to lose it, and you’re just chewing popcorn?”

“S-sorry, sir. Want some popcorn, sir?”

“...Give it. And the soda too.”

“Yes, sir!”

No loyalty. Eating alone like that.

This wasn’t the mood for popcorn... but when I kept hearing that chewing next to me, I couldn’t stand it.

Tower Collapse leading straight into a new Tower’s creation.

But it formed in a really bad place.

And if Kabalan’s third curse triggered on Japan’s Black Tower in that situation, that would be adding fuel to a fire already in hell—worst of the worst.

‘Why did they make that choice?’

To add tension back into Tower climbing that had gotten too loose?

If that was the goal, it succeeded.

The world got flipped upside down.

Japan’s Tower Collapse raised alarm bells across the globe.

Governments moved in lockstep.

Through dialogue and compromise, concessions and negotiations, diplomacy—countries that had no breathing room for clearing got temporary-naturalization Players supported, and the countries providing support received enough compensation to be satisfied.

‘Is it a blessing in a disaster?’

Because everyone was working together, taking Japan’s Black Tower Collapse as a lesson.

Right then—ZZZZT! My smartphone buzzed.

Who is it.

Deputy Commissioner? No—an unfamiliar number.

‘Who’s calling at a time like this?’

It’s not voice phishing, right?

“Hello?”

Oh! Mister Bong, hello. Korean not good. But I practice lots. I am America Home Security minister MacMillan—

Click.

Juhyeok hung up.

Why is a foreigner calling me. And what the hell is “Home Security”?

If it was voice phishing, that was a problem. If it wasn’t voice phishing, it was still a problem.

What would I even talk about?

But then—

ZZZZT! Another call.

I answered.

Bonjour, hello, I am Michel Audrian, Embassy of Fr—

Click.

Did my personal information leak?

‘I’m already stressed enough.’

I should just turn the phone off.

Juhyeok turned his head.

And in one corner of the living room, he saw Lucius Bardin—the holy sword—sitting there with a blank expression.

Normally he would have dismissed the Summon and sent him back...

“Bardin?”

“...”

“You can talk now.”

“Summoner! Repent. Please return to the embrace of the god Nigel—”

“No mention of Nigel. No urging repentance.”

“Mm! Mmmmmm!”

Tsk. When are you going to change.

“Bardin, it’s Nigel every other word. Did you get some divine revelation or something?”

“...”

“You didn’t, right? No—you couldn’t have. The god is gone. Looks like you know that too.”

“...”

A fact-bomb.

Maybe because of that, Bardin couldn’t answer.

Nigel—the supreme god.

The god he had believed in his entire life.

He had thought it was an absolute supreme god with eternal, indestructible authority—

But the summoner was right. The god was gone.

The authority vanished and only the attribute remained.

So he was discarded.

How could he not know?

He just didn’t want to admit it.

“Bardin, forget conversion and repentance and all that. Try fitting in with us. Honestly, it hurt watching you get swung around like a sword all that time.”

“S-summoner...”

“A person is a sword? Huh? If you’re a person, live like a person. Huh?”

Bardin’s face went bleak.

Juhyeok patted his shoulder.

Pitiful. Miserable.

It didn’t matter how vicious Bardin had been as an inquisitor.

Was he an evil person?

By Earth’s ethics, yes—he was evil.

He killed countless people because their religion was different.

But Bardin wasn’t from Earth.

He was from another world.

A world where gods existed.

He was a faithful holy knight, followed revelations, and was strict with doctrine.

He fulfilled his duty.

Because that was the righteous life in his world.

So you couldn’t judge him by Earth’s standards.

“Here.”

Juhyeok handed Bardin the Summoned Entity Rank-Up Rune he’d received as the bonus benefit.

“Hah! Th-this is...”

“Rank up and start over.”

“...”

Tears welled in Bardin’s eyes.

“L-light!!!”

FWOOOOSH!

Was this... moving Radiance?

“Summoner...”

Ahhh, this was what an alpha male was.

You speak sincerely, move someone’s heart, and then you give a gift filled with intent.

Who could resist?

Even Cossack looked moved.

He took out a towel, wiped away Bardin’s Radiance-lit tears, then—

“Hoo... Light too weak, sir. Thought if moved, maybe change, but light get weaker, sir. When become proper holy sword, sir.”

That wicked destroyer of emotion.

“Summoner.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, Lucius Bardin is your servant.”

“...What?”

“My lord! Not absolute obedience by principle—loyalty that rises from my heart. I swear it in the name of Bardin.”

I wasn’t even hoping for that much.

“May the blessing of light be upon my lord!!!”

FWAAAAH!

“...Then rank up and we’ll see you again.”

“L-light!!!”

“Dismiss Summon—Lucius Bardin.”

SPOT!

The summoned entities who had been watching quietly—

broke into applause all at once.

“Kyaa! So cool. My lord, feels like fantasy novel, sir. So romantic, sir.”

“Huh.”

“Even this warrior feels his loyalty.”

“I, your humble servant, am in awe. A man who rules not by force but by virtue is called a noble gentleman. Truly, the bearing of a supreme noble gentleman.”

“Commander, I, Veronica Caliber, my heart has grown hot.”

“Seems like it, sir. Near Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber, I also feel hot, sir.”

Embarrassing.

Making a fuss over that.

Well... it does feel good, though.

*****

TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION.

The atmosphere was unsettled.

No matter how bad relations were with Japan, watching a Black Tower collapse in real time was painfully hard.

And then the creation of a new Tower on top of it.

The damage was worse than the collapse.

Because the Tower had erupted in the middle of the city.

“We should’ve just cleared it without any conditions.”

“Hmph! Don’t say nonsense. Has there ever been temporary naturalization without conditions?”

“We could’ve cleared it first, then—”

“You’re good in every way, but your heart is too soft. Are we suckers? Honestly, if they’d said one apology, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) it wouldn’t have come to this.”

Commissioner Park Kyungsoo’s tone was firm.

“And that won’t change. Even if Japan’s islands get torn to pieces from Tower Collapse, we can’t accept a request for temporary naturalization without compensation.”

Jeon Gwangil agreed.

“...That’s right. It’s because innocent people get hurt due to insane politicians that I said it.”

“I feel the same way about how unfortunate it is.”

That aside—

“What’s France’s reaction?”

“They’ll move soon.”

“And America?”

“Of course.”

Now that Bong Juhyeok had been identified, would they sit still?

“Since we’re talking about it—what if France doesn’t restore the nationality?”

“Would they do anything? They’d only make Bong Player resent them.”

“I’m saying it because there’s precedent.”

“I understand exactly what you mean, but that doesn’t apply to Bong Player.”

What Commissioner Park meant was the temporary-naturalization backstab.

You sign a temporary naturalization contract for a fixed period, then they refuse to approve renunciation and try to force complete naturalization.

Temporary naturalization.

Honestly, it was a ridiculous term.

If it’s naturalization, it’s naturalization—what do you mean “temporary”?

Naturalization means naturalization.

Permanently switching nationality.

Residence changes, immigration happens.

That’s how it works for ordinary people.

But Players were different.

For Players, the system intervenes in naturalization.

And so the Status Window Affiliation changes.

That was temporary naturalization.

In truth, who cared what a Player’s “real” nationality was?

What mattered was the Status Window Affiliation.

Whether the Player lived in America or Korea, the Player could only enter the Tower tied to their Status Window Affiliation.

Temporary naturalization was proven by the Status Window.

Their real nationality stayed the same.

In reality, it was basically dual citizenship.

Even though the system didn’t allow dual citizenship.

So how was this possible?

Because temporary naturalization for Players was also part of the system’s functions.

Whether under threat or by personal choice, when the Player’s will manifested, the system intervened.

In that way, under the system’s administration, it functioned like a contract made through the Player’s will and the target country’s approval.

A Player couldn’t change nationality through will alone, and a country couldn’t forcibly assign a Player’s nationality at will.

The will and procedures of both contracting parties had to align.

Then what about the home country?

The original country the Player belonged to before temporary naturalization.

Was the home country’s approval not needed?

In Bong Juhyeok’s case, during the temporary naturalization process to France, approval from the Republic of Korea wasn’t required.

Why?

Because Juhyeok’s original nationality—Republic of Korea—was naturally decided the moment he was born.

Meaning it wasn’t a nationality changed through a contract administered by the system.

It was just registered automatically in his Status Window when he awakened.

Unless something special happened, Players climbed by clearing the Tower of the country they were born in.

But if you temporarily naturalized even once?

The situation changed.

You became bound by a contract.

Because the system had intervened and changed Juhyeok’s nationality to France.

A temporary nationality change allowed by the system.

But if you tried to change nationality again, the contract that had been administered by the system had to be invalidated.

In other words—

Without the approval of the French government, one of the contracting parties, Juhyeok’s Status Window Affiliation would not return to its original state.

Well, if both sides were fine with it and neither wanted to change back, he would simply live on as a French national.

And while you were already under contract, you couldn’t form another contract.

You couldn’t sign a temporary naturalization contract with a third country while still bound by the existing one.

Even America’s temporary-naturalization specialist Players—only one country at a time.

To dispatch them elsewhere, the existing contract had to end first.

And the reason the Player kidnapped by China recovered original nationality was because the Chinese government erased the temporary Chinese nationality in order to eliminate evidence.

“That’s why you can’t do temporary naturalization casually. A country needs power so it can’t be backstabbed.”

“Or the Player has power.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

The reason the ADMINISTRATION hadn’t stopped Juhyeok’s temporary naturalization.

He was freer than any other Player.

Because he possessed real force.

“But Bong Juhyeok himself isn’t a hard person. If anything, he’s closer to timid. I’m worried he’s getting dragged around.”

Dragged around?

Jeon Gwangil’s mouth itched to speak.

Commissioner Park didn’t know because Jeon had kept it secret.

How Chairman Lin Chaoming had died.

Whether it was an accident or deliberate murder, two national leaders had already died.

Please, let France not make the wrong decision.

If they did, France’s President could end up on the death list too.

*****

Day 4 as a French national.

The day to clear Floor 65.

‘Come to think of it, this is Dullahan the Headless Knight.’

It was a pretty hard floor.

Dullahan itself wasn’t difficult, but breaking through a massive undead army while sprinting made my mouth taste like sugar from overexertion.

‘Ugh... just thinking about it...’

A tsunami-like wave of undead.

And Rajix’s sudden action.

Of course, this time would be different.

Very different.

What had changed since then:

Veronica’s promotion to SSR.

With attribute absorption, she could use a holy-attribute magic gun.

And Bardin’s promotion to SSR.

It was only one step up, so one day was enough.

How would he be different?

“People don’t change, sir. A black-haired beast can’t be fixed, sir. Soon as show up, he gonna scream repent, sir.”

“Even this warrior does not think so. His sincerity was visible.”

“He will change. It is certain he was moved by the great grace of the supreme noble gentleman.”

“Huhhh!”

The way to confirm it was simple.

Just summon him.

“Designated Summon—Lucius Bardin.”

Then—

FWAAAAH!

SPOT!

A holy knight in heavy armor appeared in the penthouse living room.

A gentle Radiance wrapped around his body.

“Oh.”

A softer impression.

But eyes with depth.

Holy knight and inquisitor—Lucius Bardin—saw Juhyeok and immediately knelt on one knee in proper courtesy.

“My lord, Sir Bardin, reporting.”

Definitely different.

Something had become solemn.

The catalog?

<Catalog: A loyal holy knight who abandoned a forgotten god and sought a new lord.>

Name: Lucius Bardin

Rank: SSR (Special Super Rare)

Type: holy knight (human)

Manifestation Duration: 7 hours

Satisfaction Evaluation: None.

Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after Dismiss Summon)

“Welcome. You feel reliable.”

“Seeing my lord satisfied puts my heart at ease as well.”

Who said people don’t change?

Bardin turned over a new leaf.

“Kyaa! Like I said, sir. If there’s enough of a trigger, people change, sir.”

“You were just saying a black-haired beast can’t be fixed...”

“Our holy sword not black-haired, sir. Blond, sir.”

Anyway, let’s enter the Tower.

I’m glad we followed the practical approach.

Don’t rush upward—go step by step, farming items and getting Platinum Badges as we climb.

Bardin promoted too, so all summoned entities were promoted to SSR.

[Entering Black Tower (France) Floor 65.]

Even from the safe zone, you could see the distant undead.

The clearing method was the same.

Break through the undead army and kill Dullahan directly.

But the party had changed.

Before, Meatshield fell back.

Now the tank was Lucius Bardin.

Rajix and Gyeon Dallae climbed onto the shoulder of giant-sized Meatshield.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Reliable Bardin led the party.

“L-light!!!”

FWAAAAAAH!

Ahhh! Brilliant SSR Radiance.

Just that alone made the undead take damage and stagger back.

Bardin’s flail swung like lightning.

BAAANG!

A holy-attribute shockwave swept across the battlefield.

SHHHHHK!

Undead exposed to the shockwave crumbled without even a chance to resist.

And that wasn’t all.

“Assault mode. Holy-attribute buckshot loaded. Execute attribute firing.”

PSHA-SHOT! PSHA-SHOT! PSHA-SHOT!

Veronica’s holy-attribute buckshot.

Before, it was used to drive undead back.

Now, the purpose was annihilation.

Undead that took the holy-attribute buckshot simply turned to dust.

Veronica aside, Bardin was demonstrating exactly why holy knights were the undead’s natural enemy.

BAAAANG!

The Radiance-lit flail danced.

Even that flail looked far better than the repaired holy sword.

CLINKCLINK.

Shining plate spiked armor.

Undead that attacked took damage instead.

Step, step.

Bardin walked forward.

Where he passed became a road. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Dullahan?

It rode in on a skeletal horse and attempted a mounted charge.

“L-light!!!”

WHAM!

With a single strike from Bardin’s flail—SPLAT—Dullahan and the skeletal horse were crushed.

[Notice: You have achieved a Floor 65 Clear Rank of S++ in Black Tower (France).]

[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge will be bestowed.]

Juhyeok was genuinely impressed.

Bardin, reborn not as a holy sword but as a holy knight.

Grand and valiant.

He didn’t even look tired.

“One more run?”

“My lord, simply give the order.”

So they immediately did a repeated clearing run.

Sweeping the undead army, dealing with Dullahan slowly, and letting Rajix farm items.

“L-light!!!”

The flail danced.

“L-light!!!”

On Floor 65, Bardin was invincible.

“L-li—”

But then?

Bardin tilted his head.

Something wasn’t satisfying him.

In the end, he stopped dead, looked at Meatshield, and—

“Heretical barbarian.”

“Why?”

“Lift me. And swing me.”

“...”

“That is more efficient.”

“Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”

There was no time to stop it.

Meatshield grabbed Bardin by both ankles with his huge hands.

And just like always, he swung him with brutal force.

BWOOOOONG!

“L-light!!!”

SHHHHHK! Bardin whipped through the air.

“This is it!!!”

WHAMWHAMWHAM!

His flail, too, hammered along with it.

“L-light!!!”

Juhyeok witnessed it.

“Yeah—this feeling!!!”

Bardin’s satisfied smile.

“L-light!!!”

Eyes full of madness—

“I am my lord’s holy sword!!!”

That was it.

Bardin finally understood his purpose.

Even Cossack looked pleased.

“Told you, sir. Pervert, sir.”

“...”

“People don’t change, sir.”

I’m going crazy.

What can I do?

He chose it himself.

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