This time too, everyone heard it.

All seven billion people on Earth—hearing the World Notices translated into their own language.

Some screamed, some cheered, some double-checked with each other that they’d heard it right, and some shrugged and said it wasn’t their problem. Reactions varied wildly.

The fallout was enormous.

The Republic of Korea’s national prestige shot through the roof.

In fact, right after the President’s special address, Koreans were split over clearing Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 70.

ㄴI’m for it. If we can do it, we should.

ㄴYeah. Whoever does it, the curse has to be lifted.

ㄴIt’s saving the world.

ㄴIsn’t it worth the sacrifice?

But opposition was much louder than support.

ㄴI’m against it! Absolutely against it!

ㄴSacrifice my ass. Look at our “hero.” Are we suckers?

ㄴRight. We didn’t get anything, so why do we have to be the ones to clear Floor 70?

ㄴAnd how does the President get to decide that? At minimum it should go through a referendum.

ㄴThat aside, is the True Body really in the Korean Black Tower? What if it isn’t?

ㄴThen you just go, “Oops, wrong Tower,” and clear some other one.

Then the World Notices that went out to the entire planet.

Kabalan cleared, the curse lifted, and Korea-only benefits for the Korean Black Tower.

As if none of the arguing had ever happened, every message board and social media feed turned into one giant national-pride frenzy.

ㄴI’m drunk on it! DRUNK!

ㄴGuh—this is intoxicating.

ㄴWhere’s the bastard who was calling us suckers yesterday? Come out!

ㄴWhat? “It’s not this Tower”? It was, wasn’t it!

ㄴDid we trust the President? We trusted the top Player.

A full-blown, instantaneous reversal.

ㄴThis feels like a YouTube thumbnail.

ㄴWhat does?

ㄴAmerica is horrified,

ㄴOhhh,

ㄴJapan is shaking,

ㄴChina is sobbing,

ㄴEurope is jealous,

ㄴThe whole world is in awe,

ㄴHahahaha, got anything else?

It was a festival.

Players and ordinary people alike—everyone was having fun.

Pure national pride.

That’s what this World Notice was.

Up until now, World Notices had only brought bad news.

Tower progress is lagging, the Curse of the Average will be imposed, the first wave target countries are X and Y, the second wave includes these countries...

But this one was different.

If it were possible, people wanted to record it and listen again.

*****

The TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION was on fire too.

Staff and Players hugged each other and shouted cheers.

“WOOOOOO!!!”

“LONG LIVE!!!”

“FUCK! THIS IS SEX!”

“Are we going out for drinks?”

“Tonight we go all in!”

The building practically shook from the roaring celebration.

Sure, progress had leapt from Floor 67 all the way to Floor 70, but it was more than worth it.

The rewards alone were insane.

High-grade Magic Stones limited to the Korean Tower, all kinds of potions and elixirs, and even weapon and equipment item restrictions lifted.

Jeon Gwangil and Park Kyungsoo were drowning in congratulatory calls and inquiry calls.

“Ah! Yes, yes, thank you. You even called and everything—honestly I just put the spoon on the table, hahaha!”

“High-grade Magic Stones? The restriction was lifted ten minutes ago—when they start dropping as rewards, we’ll verify and contact you again.”

Calls were calls, but work didn’t stop.

Park Kyungsoo asked Jeon Gwangil.

“Alright. Deputy Commissioner, what’s the plan for the French special envoy delegation?”

“I don’t know. The situation’s completely changed, hasn’t it?”

“It has.”

“If Black Tower (France) also has its restrictions lifted after clearing Floor 70 the way Korea did...”

Money in the millions wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

The value of a Floor 70 clear had jumped into an entirely different universe.

Naturally, the contract terms they’d been operating under had to change too.

“Should we ask for the Mona Lisa?”

“Hahaha. If we push, we might even get it. More importantly—how about those Korean national treasures in the Louvre?”

“That’s the default. If they don’t give them up, we won’t negotiate at all.”

“Bong Juhyeok can receive them, and at the national level we can borrow them and display them in a museum.”

One more thing.

“Oh, right. We got a request from the American side.”

“They want to meet Summoner Bong again?”

“No. They want to borrow the holy sword again. Gerald says he’ll clear it this time.”

A Floor 68 reattempt in this situation...

“They want to see how much weaker it got.”

“What do you think? Approve it?”

Jeon Gwangil considered it.

Gerald had nearly died, but still brought the holy sword back until the end.

That deserved credit.

“Approve it. I’m curious too. How much weaker it got.”

*****

The countries staying in Korea moved frantically as well.

Kabalan’s curse was lifted, and the rapidly shrinking clear deadlines snapped back to normal.

Then what about Floor 68?

They said the Death Knights’ stats would be greatly reduced—was that really true?

America moved first.

The moment Gerald heard the World Notice, Gerald—who had been sprawled out in despair—shot up like a spring.

Gerald’s mental strength was tougher than steel.

There was a reason Gerald was America’s top Player.

“Director, book the holy sword for me right now.”

“...Are you sure?”

“They said it got weaker. We have to confirm it.”

“Alright. I’ll book it right now.”

So Gerald returned to the holy sword lending office at the TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION.

Director Antonio requested a re-loan for Gerald, and the Administration approved it.

“However! There is a condition.”

“Name it.”

Jeon Gwangil’s condition was simple.

“Release Gerald’s body-cam clear footage. Both the dangerous footage from last time, and the new footage you record this time.”

And, as a bonus, it would serve as holy sword advertising.

“A before-and-after comparison?”

“Yes. Releasing it should be fine, shouldn’t it?”

Director Antonio honestly didn’t want to release the before footage.

Wasn’t it just a record of failure?

But if the Death Knights were definitely weaker, and Gerald performed well...

“Well, if the results are good... fine. Let’s do it.”

And so Gerald entered America’s Black Tower again, holy sword in hand.

SPOT!

About an hour passed.

SPOT!

Gerald exited the Tower and reappeared in the lending office with a flushed face.

At least there were no visible injuries.

“Gerald, how—”

“If it were up to me, I wanted to kill all four. But I held back and came out after killing three.”

“Then?”

“Do I really need to say it? Check the body-cam.”

Right. You could just play it.

First, the before footage.

That is, before the True Body Kabalan was cleared.

It was brutal.

The Death Knights’ terrifying presence.

Fast, powerful, and charging in with expert swordsmanship.

With the first-person camera, you could feel Gerald’s danger directly.

Footage of nothing but desperate retreat.

And even that didn’t work.

So what about after?

After the True Body Kabalan vanished and its influence disappeared?

The Death Knight looked like something had come loose inside it.

Slow, dull, and pathetic beyond words.

Gerald killed it without much trouble.

Then the body-cam clear footage was uploaded to YouTube.

Edited into a single before-and-after video.

People who watched the before footage said—

ㄴMy god! How do you even fight that thing?

ㄴRadiance beats the dark aura, but the real problem is physical ability.

ㄴDefense, evasion, attack power—no wonder nobody can kill it.

ㄴOnly Gerald could’ve survived and come back.

On the after footage—

ㄴIs that the same thing?

ㄴWhat if Korea hadn’t killed the True Body Kabalan?

ㄴWe should thank Korea’s top Player.

ㄴWell, Korea got paid too.

The before-and-after video hit fifty million views in just a few hours—but the real top video was something else.

A video uploaded by a Korean Player on YouTube.

Holding a stone with a deep blue tint—

Yes. This is a high-grade Magic Stone. The color’s different, right? The moment the World Notice popped, I cleared Floor 28 and got it as a reward.

High-grade Magic Stones were already showing up.

Maybe because they said reward probability would greatly increase—either way, it was fast.

It’s not just me. A lot of Players got rewards too. Of course, in the Korean Black Tower.

It’s definitely better than regular Magic Stones, but we don’t know how much better yet. Don’t we need research?

Price? The Administration says they’ll buy them at double, but I’m going to check the Player shop today.

And it wasn’t just high-grade Magic Stones.

Another video went up.

A person with dark skin who looked like an African indigenous resident.

But Affiliation was Black Tower (Republic of Korea).

A naturalized Player, most likely.

I naturalized two years ago. I’m Korean. Don’t get it twisted.

You know what this is? A healing potion? No. It’s a Strength Enhancement Elixir. Tower-only. According to the item description, it boosts strength by at least fifty percent for five hours.

I’m not selling this. I’m climbing. I’ll use it in the 50s and tell you how it goes afterward.

As things escalated, Players worldwide started stirring.

ㄴShould I naturalize to Korea while I’m at it?

ㄴA lot of Players are already moving.

ㄴWhat are the naturalization requirements?

ㄴI heard it’s possible as long as you don’t have a criminal record.

ㄴGo to the Korean embassy.

ㄴUgh. I don’t want to immigrate, but would they accept a temporary naturalization application?

ㄴIf you were them, would you?

ㄴThen what about North Korea instead of South Korea?

ㄴNorth Korea? Oh. Same Tower, yeah.

ㄴYou insane bastard! You’re volunteering to get kidnapped?

A change had begun.

A change in how people viewed Tower climbing.

Governments were thinking seriously too.

If it came to it, maybe a Floor 70 clear like Korea’s was worth considering.

The Death Knights, the lich, and the Copy’s stats were weakened, and with a holy sword, climbing felt possible...

*****

After dealing with the True Body Kabalan.

I drove the camper van out.

I did what I needed to do—now I should enjoy myself.

I’d been cooped up inside for so long I hadn’t even gotten any sunlight.

No wonder my body wasn’t producing any vitamin D.

Now I’m a pretty decent driver too.

Driving the proper way.

Yellow light? Stop first.

Lane changes? Signal, mandatory.

Isn’t this the alpha-male driving style?

Mad Demon was busy touring Seoul too.

“It is a peaceful world.”

“Is it?”

“The skyscrapers do not collapse. They stand, intact.”

What kind of ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) ruined world had Mad Demon lived in?

“At this rate, what say we go to the Blue House? If you wish to pacify the realm, begin with the household. Let us seize Korea first.”

“...”

Mad Demon—always sliding in when you let your guard down.

The best response was no response.

After driving around Seoul once, it was already time for Mad Demon to return.

An LSSR summon’s manifestation time was three hours.

“I’ll call you again later.”

“Summoner. Watch your body.”

SPOT!

To the other summoned entities as well—

“See you later.”

SPOT, SPOT, SPOT....

Should I do groceries first?

Most things fit in Rajix’s Subspace Backpack anyway.

I just needed snacks—beer, soda, chips, that kind of thing.

At the big supermarket, I could hear people talking in low voices everywhere.

All about the World Notices.

It was a huge topic for ordinary people too. Of course it was.

They all heard it directly, so their mouths were itching to talk.

Hey, I’m the one who cleared Kabalan.

Oh, you didn’t know? I’m not lying.

I’m even acquainted with the Commissioner at the Administration.

The French envoy delegation is coming to meet me, and I got a call from the American minister too.

I’m the S++ record holder.

I smashed it in one hit. Hahahaha.

Just imagining it felt satisfying.

Anyway, after shopping properly,

I headed to the Namyangju villa.

The approach road had changed.

It used to be a dirt road—now it was clean asphalt.

I parked the car.

Alright. Time to call everyone again.

Mad Demon later, when the timing fits.

“...A villa, sir?”

Cossack liked lying on a couch watching TV more than going outside.

“There’s a TV in the camper van. Watch that.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Gyeon Dallae too.

“The air is good. For Master Bong’s health, staying here for a few days may be wise.”

Veronica said—

“A field operation. I’ll start by digging trenches.”

“Sleep wherever you want.”

“Y-yes, ma’am—understood.”

Meatshield, and Bardin—his soulmate.

“I will grill meat.”

“I will light the charcoal. LIGHT!!!”

And Rajix—immediately after being summoned—

“HURK?!”

He trembled and yelped.

“...Why?”

“HURK!”

Then he suddenly rolled over that way, pulled out a broom from his Subspace Backpack, and—

SCRITCHSCRITCH—

Started sweeping fallen leaves like his life depended on it.

This guy cleaned whenever he got even a second.

And since he loved it, I couldn’t exactly stop him.

“...Mm.”

After being left alone for days, it really was dirty.

The grass had grown a lot too.

But under the hands of Rajix, the cosmic farmhand, the area around the villa steadily became neat.

I put on sunglasses, sat back in a comfortable lounge chair, and chugged a can of beer.

“Ahhh! This is living.”

I’m going to rest properly for a while.

Of course, starting tomorrow I’ll do repeated clearing at least,

And Jeon Gwangil said something earlier.

Ilseong Apparel split off and became an independent company, I ended up owning ninety percent of the shares, and they’d begin production soon.

That means I’ll have to work hard skinning Wyverns and delivering the materials.

And while I’m at it, I’ll farm the newly unlocked items too.

I’m not climbing Floor 71.

The moment you enter, you have to clear it no matter what.

And it has to be S++.

A new start.

Things have definitely changed.

The monsters, the missions, the method.

But even the summoned entities don’t know anything about Floor 71 yet.

Because the inhibition only lifts once someone does the first climb.

Now that the curse is gone, there’s plenty of time.

And random summoning.

A new family member is coming soon.

One thing I’m stuck on.

<Summoning Attribute Change Ticket>

Effect: When using random summoning, you will summon an ally outside your existing Summoning Trait. You may randomly summon one of the following: golem, spirit, magical beast, divine beast, sacred beast.

Limit: This is affected by your simultaneous summon capacity.

Should I use it or not?

If I use it, I can randomly summon one of the following: golem, spirit, magical beast, divine beast, sacred beast.

It’s a ticket I got as a benefit.

Using it feels fine.

But...

“I heard summoned beasts and spirits are hard to control.”

That was one of the Summoning Trait Players’ weaknesses too.

“Eh. I’ll think about it when the time comes.”

Meat sizzled over the charcoal.

Rajix pulled out a wide table and chairs from his Subspace Backpack.

Veronica—who’d been passed out asleep—was drawn by the smell of meat and crawled over inch by inch.

Alright.

Shall we get started?

“Designated Summon: Mad Demon.”

SPOT!

“Summoner.”

“Mad Demon.”

My drinking buddy is here.

Let’s have some real fun.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────