An energy called “magic power.”

A Player’s inherent power, and the foundation for the effects of all kinds of items.

A force that only Players can truly feel.

However, there was a way for ordinary people to confirm the existence of magic power too.

Through Magic Stones.

Because they didn’t have the “Tower-Only” modifier, Magic Stones still held magic power even in the real world.

It had been twenty years since Towers were created on Earth.

Which meant Magic Stone research had also been twenty years.

A fact uncovered after countless studies.

That Magic Stones could be applied to Earth’s scientific technology.

The most active field in Magic Stone research was room-temperature superconductors.

Experiments to see whether a superconducting phenomenon appeared by mixing Magic Stones into various metal compounds at a fixed ratio.

It was incomplete, but there were results.

Thanks to Magic Stones, electrical resistance decreased.

It was applied across fields.

Electrical products, semiconductor materials, CPUs, GPUs, batteries.

And follow-up research was ongoing. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

But then—high-grade Magic Stones.

There were grades to Magic Stones too?

You couldn’t not be curious.

Just how different were those high-grade Magic Stones from existing Magic Stones?

The Daejeon Science and Technology Tower Materials Research Institute in Korea obtained high-grade Magic Stones through the TOWER PLAYER AWAKENING ADMINISTRATION Player Shop and began research.

The result was...

“It’s the Meissner effect. The superconducting phenomenon is definite.”

“...No. Does it really work like this?”

The completion of a room-temperature superconductor.

Electrical resistance 0. Zero.

What did that mean?

Computer performance would rise revolutionarily.

Because there would be no heat.

And what about maglev trains?

A transportation method faster than airplanes would be commercialized at a very cheap price.

Fusion power. Power lines with 100% transmission efficiency. A dramatic improvement in battery performance.

What made all of that possible was high-grade Magic Stones.

And they could only be obtained from Black Tower (Republic of Korea).

“The world’s going to go insane again.”

“It’s room-temperature superconductors. A new industrial revolution is right in front of us.”

“...But listen.”

A senior researcher spoke carefully.

“If it’s high-grade Magic Stones, wouldn’t there be grades above that too?”

“Huh? Above that would mean...”

“For example, top-grade Magic Stones.”

“Come on, no way... Hm.”

It wasn’t baseless.

For twenty years, everyone thought regular Magic Stones were all there was.

Then high-grade Magic Stones appeared out of nowhere.

“Anyway, other countries won’t sit still.”

“Yeah. They’ll try to clear Floor 70 somehow and lift the restriction.”

Now, clearing the Tower was no longer only about avoiding collapse.

People might ignore clear deadlines and things like that.

To clear Floor 70 and secure high-grade Magic Stones.

******

High-grade Magic Stones weren’t only researched in Korea.

They were tested in countries worldwide.

Naturally, it was proven that the room-temperature superconductor phenomenon occurred.

But how did other countries obtain high-grade Magic Stones?

An item that could only be acquired from Black Tower (Republic of Korea).

There was another way to get them.

Even if the price was steep.

Commissioner Park Kyungsoo frowned deeply and spoke in a displeased tone.

“North Korea’s going to be grinning so hard their mouth hangs open.”

“They became the world’s number two producer of high-grade Magic Stones without meaning to.”

That was right.

North Korea, which shared the Tower together with Korea.

High-grade Magic Stones were produced there too.

An unexpected economic boom, you could say.

Countries around the world paid enormous sums through North Korea to secure high-grade Magic Stones.

In truth, it was no different from a parasite.

They didn’t have to suffer the stress of climbing uncleared upper floors, and they just sucked the sweetness out from the side.

Deputy Commissioner Jeon Gwangil wasn’t in a good mood either.

Sharing tips was one thing.

It couldn’t be helped.

That’s how it started from the beginning.

But—

“It’s only North Korean Players dying. They climb until they’re bone-tired and earn high-grade Magic Stone rewards, and then the North Korean regime steals everything and just exploits them.”

It was infuriating.

All it did was fatten a dictator’s belly.

“I wish a coup would happen in North Korea instead of Japan.”

“The National Intelligence Service is watching closely. They say the atmosphere among North Korean Players isn’t normal right now.”

Then Commissioner Park Kyungsoo looked like something had just occurred to him.

“What about Usuda, the acting prime minister?”

“Returned home today. I heard the Japan Self-Defense Force situation is getting more and more abnormal.”

“Tsk, tsk. Still hasn’t come to his senses. Is America staying quiet?”

“Looks like they’re not looking at America’s mood at all.”

“Well, they got betrayed once when the temporary naturalization request got rejected. Nothing’s going to be in their eyes.”

Originally, they were going to sign a temporary naturalization contract between Korea and Japan.

They’d reached the stage where all that was left was signing and announcing it.

Because Acting Prime Minister Usuda said he would accept all the conditions the Korean government demanded.

But in the middle of that, Japan Self-Defense Force carried out a unilateral joint land-sea-air military exercise, without even consulting Japan’s cabinet government.

They even went out to the drills with live rounds loaded.

What was the intention?

If they turned the military toward Tokyo during training, that was an immediate coup.

Acting Prime Minister Usuda rushed home to contain it.

“Haa... this is driving me crazy. How does East Asia never get a quiet day?”

Jeon Gwangil nodded too.

“How is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responding? There’s a coup risk—shouldn’t we designate Japan as a country under a travel advisory...?”

“There’s nothing certain yet. The acting prime minister went to handle it. What’s going to happen?”

Right.

Was a coup really going to happen?

*****

Honestly, the Blood Wolf was something he summoned for fun.

Why did he need another summon?

He already had reliable summoned entities.

Still, wasn’t it fine to take a break once?

He’d received a Summoning Attribute Change Ticket as a benefit too.

And anyway, the random summoning cooldown would come back in a month.

So he summoned.

But it was disappointing.

Abilities below expectations.

You could tell just by watching it get brutally beaten in a state where it couldn’t even resist Cossack.

Juhyeok could subdue it easily too.

Where was he supposed to use this thing?

After thinking, the conclusion he reached was—

[You are entering Black Tower (Republic of Korea) Floor 45.]

A basilisk boss section he entered for the first time in a while.

[Floor 45 Mission : Regardless of type, kill 60 basilisks and 1 Rainbow Basilisk.]

Since he was here, he should skin a bunch.

And before that, Rajix’s item farming.

“WAAH!”

Rajix was riding on Blood Wolf’s back.

The moment he lifted the golden pickaxe and pointed far away, SPOT! Blood Wolf sprinted at a dazzling speed.

“HURK?!”

Ah! Rajix runs.

He doesn’t roll around.

SPAPAPAPAT!

Riding comfortably on Blood Wolf’s blindingly fast back, he swept across the Floor 45 field.

The slow-as-dirt basilisks couldn’t even dare to keep up.

With one tiny hand gripping Blood Wolf’s mane tight, and the other holding the golden pickaxe, he huffed and puffed and skillfully controlled Blood Wolf.

As expected, the all-purpose worker Rajix.

He even rides a magical beast well.

Then when he smelled items, he immediately jumped down and started swinging the pickaxe—

CHOPCHOPCHOPCHOP!

Blood Wolf waited calmly beside Rajix.

If a basilisk even tried to approach, it would instantly puff up and growl.

After Rajix finished farming to a certain extent, he tapped Blood Wolf’s head with the pickaxe handle.

Blood Wolf flopped down flat.

Rajix toddled over on short legs, climbed onto Blood Wolf’s back—

“HURK!”

SPOT! and moved again.

“Our worker’s escort and mobility problems got solved at once, sir.”

“I’m proud.”

He pulled well.

A role that fit Blood Wolf perfectly.

So when the farming of high-grade Magic Stones, tickets, and rune shards was done, it was time to skin basilisks.

Skin, skin, skin again.

He shoved them into Rajix’s Subspace Backpack nonstop.

But then, a thought suddenly occurred.

‘...Is this right?’

He came to rest.

And even after coming to a villa to play, he’s skinning hides?

Did one of my ancestors die because they couldn’t work or something?

If he came to rest, he should rest.

Why is he doing this?

Honestly, camping was getting old too.

If you did fire-gazing often, your body smelled burnt.

Even after showering, it still did.

He needed to find some other slick way to have fun....

The person to trust was, as always, the scheming Cossack.

“Is there some kind of decent content?”

“Why wouldn’t there be, sir.”

Cossack grinned.

“You said before, didn’t you, sir—after we kill Kabalan, we should go on an overseas trip?”

“Ah!”

Right. He remembered.

It was even on his bucket list.

Since he became French, he planned to at least smell some France, but since the situation was the situation, he postponed it.

“Then sightseeing in France?”

“The Tower and the tourist spots are too far. It’s inconvenient to move around too.”

“Hm. Then where do you recommend, Cossack?”

“Japan, sir.”

Japan.

His ears perked up.

Before Awakening—back when he lived diligently, working two part-time jobs a day—

He’d even complained about his lot, saying he couldn’t even take one Japan trip like everyone else.

“Get international roaming set up on the smartphone in advance, exchange some yen, eat tasty stuff, and if you play around, stress melts away—KYAA! IRASSHAIMASE, sir.”

Should he do it?

But just like always, there was an opposing opinion.

“Cossack, do you have no guts? How can you spend Master Bong’s blood-earned money on those island bastards?”

“Huh? Because it’s blood-earned money, that’s exactly why, sir. Japan is the final boss of cost-efficiency for overseas trips. It’s cheaper than Jeju.”

Gyeon Dallae’s anti-Japan, Cossack’s practicality.

They clashed again.

The other summoned entities gathered around to watch who would win.

“Hoee...”

At some point, Rajix pulled popcorn from the Subspace Backpack and handed it to Juhyeok.

When did he even put this in?

He grabbed a piece of popcorn—

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

“A people who forget their history have no future.”

“What history over a little trip overseas? Are we going to sell the country or something, sir?”

CRUNCH, CRISP—

“A trip is not something you can dismiss lightly.”

“I think you should dismiss it lightly, sir. Don’t inflate the meaning. We go have fun and come back, that’s it, sir.”

CRUNCHCRUNCH.

“Don’t you care about other people’s eyes?”

“Yes, sir! How do you {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} live if you’re always worrying about other people’s eyes over every little thing, sir?”

CRUNCH.

“Could it be you are a collaborator, Cossack?”

“Should I take the acting prime minister’s head, sir?”

CRUNCH.

“If you spend money there, those island bastards will love it.”

“Did you not know, sir? Japan’s younger generation really likes Korea, sir.”

Ah!

It felt like watching a hundred-minute debate.

Are they Korean? Are they Japanese?

“All right, all right. Let’s decide by vote. For neutrality, I’ll sit this out.”

“Good, sir! I’m confident, sir.”

“This one agrees as well.”

“Right hand for pro-travel, left hand for anti-travel—raise your hand.”

Hands went up.

“Mm.”

It split exactly down the middle. Three to three.

Cossack, Meatshield, and Bardin raised their right hands—pro-travel.

Gyeon Dallae, Rajix, and Veronica raised their left hands—anti-travel.

‘What do I do with this?’

Honestly, if Juhyeok decided, it would be over.

No one would complain.

But he said he’d be neutral...

And also, the weak man’s survival method.

On sensitive issues, he backs off.

That was when.

Blood Wolf, which had been lying still—

“Whiiine....”

—slowly lifted its right paw.

What? Does this thing count too?

“Oh yeah! Blood Wolf is pro-travel too, sir. We won, sir.”

Gyeon Dallae flared up.

“That is cheating. It is certain.”

“What’s cheating, sir?”

“It is obvious that the cunning Cossack threatened Blood Wolf.”

Then Cossack let out a snort with a greasy smile.

“Got proof, sir?”

“Y-You...!”

“Bet your wrist, sir. If you’re scared, then die, sir.”

“...Y-You bastard!!!”

In truth, Juhyeok saw it too.

Bardin, taking a signal from Cossack’s eyes, stepping firmly on Blood Wolf’s tail.

Blood Wolf was smart enough to read the room and stick to Cossack’s side.

Anyway, the decision was made.

Well, to get some air—he’d take this chance to go to Japan once.

*****

The biggest cause behind Kabalan’s curse descending upon Black Towers worldwide.

Guillaume Loiret’s depression was part of it, but it couldn’t be denied that Tower Jumping Tickets also played a role.

The item info for a Tower Jumping Ticket was this.

<Tower Jumping Ticket (Up to 5LV, up to 5 floors)>

Effect : Skips up to 5 floors of the Tower. Your level also rises. Skipped floors are recognized as successful clears.

The Player enters the Tower and sets the number of floors, that kind of thing.

If it’s 1 floor, up to 1LV and 1 floor. If it’s 3 floors, up to 3LV and 3 floors. If it’s 5 floors, up to 5LV and 5 floors.

It isn’t that great an item.

It’s only for skipping difficult and annoying floors.

But there was one item similar to this, yet with a completely different effect.

The Level-Up Rune.

That’s right.

Not a ticket—a rune.

The item info?

<Level-Up Rune (Up to 5LV)>

Effect : Regardless of Tower floors, only your level rises. Upon consumption, it rises randomly by a minimum of 1LV and a maximum of 5LV.

It was a random increase, but even if you gained just one level, you could wield the strength of whatever you gained.

For example, assume a Player challenging Floor 30 consumed a Level-Up Rune and gained 3LV.

Then that Player would clear Floor 30 with the abilities of Level 33.

It was so good you couldn’t even compare it to a Tower Jumping Ticket.

An item that could become the decisive card enabling the climb of uncleared upper floors.

The item consumed by Japan’s Player and Japan Self-Defense Force lieutenant commander Hongo Tetsuo was this Level-Up Rune.

It was an item bought on the dark web by Japan Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Matsumoto Junichi, paying a broker an enormous amount of money.

“Tetsuo. The result?”

“God helped Japan.”

“Oh!”

Hongo Tetsuo’s Status Window changed like this after consuming the Level-Up Rune.

[Name] : Hongo Tetsuo

[Affiliation] : Black Tower (Japan)

[Level] : 57LV + 5LV

“We need a test. I’ll clear Floor 57 right away and come back.”

“Go.”

Time passed.

“Success.”

Hongo Tetsuo’s Status Window, changed again after leveling up.

[Level] : 58LV + 5LV

At Level 58, he could clear Floor 58.

With the abilities of a total Level 63.

Floor 58.

The uncleared floor that caused Japan’s Black Tower to collapse.

With this, Japan Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Matsumoto Junichi decided.

“We’ll carry out the coup.”

The justification was sufficient.

Japan’s cabinet failed to clear Floor 58 and caused the Tower to collapse.

And it triggered the creation of a new Tower in the center of Tokyo.

Replace an incompetent government.

Then, with the power of the Japan Self-Defense Force, defend Japan’s capital, Tokyo.

It would be the signal flare announcing the revival of Japan’s military establishment.

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