As soon as they entered the 46th floor, Razix sniffed the air.
The intense scent of metal.
No doubt about it.
There was ore here.
The location was that large boulder over there.
‘Hoee!’
If he collects ore and gives it to the summoner, wouldn’t he be very happy?
Then he could earn recognition again.
When they first met, he thought he was going to be kicked out.
Even now, just thinking about that makes him feel like fainting.
He worked hard, determined never to be expelled again.
Thanks to that, he was able to secure his position.
And gradually, he came to like this place more and more.
Especially the summoner.
He smiled even when Razix didn’t fill his backpack completely, eliminated his competitor, and let him eat as many delicious carrots as he wanted.
Carrots.
Just the thought makes his mouth water.
He had tasted carrots in various worlds, but the carrots in this world were the best.
That’s not all.
The summoner and his companions always called him by his proper name.
Not “hey,” “you,” “Razix,” “Zix,” or “Ziki-Ziki”… but “Mr. Razix.”
It felt so good.
Being a worker who receives respect.
Now Razix couldn’t leave this place even if he wanted to.
His life’s goal was to stay with the summoner and his companions for a long, long time.
But a problem had arisen.
The leather they had been collecting wasn’t turning into money?
For that reason, basilisk hunting had been suspended.
This was serious.
The leather being useless?
He felt anxious.
He thought he had completely secured his position.
That was an illusion.
He was in danger of losing even his qualification to eat carrots.
What then?
He must offer something else.
Fortunately, he found the answer on the 46th floor.
Metal is precious everywhere.
Surely it would be no different here.
The summoner would praise him again, right?
Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!
He followed the smell of metal and hammered the rocks.
Stone fragments scattered in all directions.
Tudududuk, tuktuk!
Meanwhile,
Juhyeok silently watched.
The sight of the round furball wielding a pickaxe was quite an extraordinary spectacle.
Stone fragments bounced off the safety helmet Razix was wearing.
So that’s why he always wears a helmet.
Not to look cute.
That’s right, safety first, no matter what.
[You have succeeded in the 46th floor mission.]
“Huh?”
“Hoeng?”
[Notice: You have achieved S++ grade conquest on the 46th floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Conquest Reward: Platinum Badge awarded.]
[You can now challenge the 47th floor.]
[Exiting the Black Tower of Korea.]
‘When did it end?’
He was so absorbed in watching that he lost track of time.
Spot!
Juhyeok and his summoned beings returned to the spacious penthouse living room.
“Hueeng…”
Razix made a sad face.
The reason was obvious.
“You couldn’t fill your backpack again?”
“Yes, and I couldn’t skin the exoskeletons either.”
He took off his backpack and pulled out the ore, which seemed to be about five lumps.
Unable to make eye contact, Razix glanced nervously at Juhyeok,
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“If we go in one more time, I’ll work hard. I’ll fill the backpack completely.”
Suddenly, Juhyeok felt a pang in his heart.
There was a sense of shared suffering.
The other summoned beings, sensing the atmosphere, remained silent.
“No. Let’s stop for today and rest. Don’t even clean.”
At Juhyeok’s words, Razix appeared shocked, his eyes growing round as he tearfully asked,
“…Am I n-not needed anymore?”
What is he talking about?
“Who said you’re not needed?”
Kozak, Gobang, and Gyeon Dallae also hurriedly added their thoughts.
“Who would say a worker who even mines isn’t needed? I’d rather leave myself.”
“That’s right. Kozak may be dispensable, but without Mr. Razix, even this grand noble house would eventually fall into ruin.”
“The warrior respects Razix. He must stay here. If Razix disappeared, I would be sad. The assassin could disappear right now and no one would care.”
“H-hold on, th-that’s not what I meant…”
Razix’s expression brightened considerably at his companions’ encouragement.
“Did you hear that? Mr. Razix is the most needed person of all.”
Razix was so happy his fur seemed to stand on end.
“Hoeng!”
Blowing steam from his nostrils, he put his hands on his hips and made his signature proud expression.
Oh my, how cute. So cute.
“Would you like to rest and eat some carrots? The refrigerator’s vegetable drawer is full of organic ones I ordered.”
But Razix shook his head from side to side.
“Don’t want to eat carrots.”
“Then what would you like to do?”
“I want to go in one more time. I want to fill my backpack.”
“I said you can rest….”
“Is that not okay?”
“Uh…”
Did he have an ancestor who died from not being able to work?
Gyeon Dallae subtly approached and whispered,
“Young Master, let him do as he wishes. Mr. Razix is already a servant to the bone.”
“…”
No choice.
“Alright, let’s go in one more time. Go and fill your backpack completely.”
“Hoeng!”
And so they began a repeated conquest of the 46th floor.
This time too, Juhyeok stood beside Razix, watching him work.
Kozak, Gobang, and Gyeon Dallae, to ensure Razix’s smooth operation, didn’t kill the scorpions but just lured them back and forth, stalling for time.
Kangkangkangkang!
When breaking rocks, occasionally shiny metallic ore would catch on the pickaxe and come out with a clunk.
Then he would pick it up and put it in his backpack.
How hard it must be.
Breaking rocks, collecting ore.
Having to do two jobs alone.
“I’ll help by picking up the ore for you.”
“Hoeh? No. It’s hard work.”
“I need to do at least this much to feel at ease.”
“Hoeng…”
Razix didn’t know what to do, but if the summoner insisted, he had to obey.
The method of putting ore in the backpack was simple.
Just hold it close to the backpack, and the ore would slide in automatically with a srureuk sound.
It kept going in.
It must be quite heavy.
Kangkangkangkang!
Razix concentrated solely on mining the ore.
He didn’t care whether scary scorpions came or not.
If it made the summoner happy, he’d gladly die mining ore.
On the other hand, Juhyeok was only worried about Razix.
‘He’s working too hard.’
He might get overworked at this rate.
Juhyeok continued to pick up the ore that Razix had mined and put it into the backpack.
There’s no alternative.
If he didn’t help Razix, who would?
During this,
Tak!
An ore chunk got caught at the backpack’s entrance and wouldn’t go in further.
The end?
Finally filled to capacity.
Somehow, Juhyeok looked even more pleased,
“Yes! It’s done. Finished! Now let’s go home and rest. What are you doing? Let’s quickly complete the conquest and leave.”
The other summoned beings also seemed to have been waiting for this moment.
“Yes, sir! It’s our turn now. Leave it to us.”
“I’ll finish it quickly.”
“I’ll ring my bell, so Kozak and Gobang, just earn your keep.”
“Princess, please use an allegro rhythm.”
Razix had such a bright expression.
Could working really be that enjoyable?
“Hehe,”
“Goodness, look at all that sweat.”
“Heeeh,”
As long as he’s happy, it doesn’t matter whether he’s working or playing.
Well, continuing like this for a while might be good.
Helping Razix.
The mission was also completed.
Spot!
They exited the tower.
The ores from the backpack.
Large and small lumps, more than 70 in total.
Much smaller in volume compared to the leather.
Unlike player inventory, Razix’s backpack seemed to be calculated by weight.
Though the ore chunks were small, each was quite heavy, perhaps due to the metal content.
‘What kind of metal is this?’
Looking closely, they had different colors.
The pitch-black metallic substance mixed in the stones looked like adamantite, the silver like orichalcon, and the yellow like sectonium.
‘Anyway, they all come out at once.’
Adamantite seems to be the most abundant among them.
They stored the mined ore in an empty room.
The quantity is still small.
It would be better to collect and hand them over all at once.
But it’s also not right to make him work every day…
Let’s climb the tower instead.
Up to the 49th floor.
That way, during the first conquest, Razix can rest.
Tower climbing began.
They quickly reached the 49th floor,
And then conducted repeated conquests over ten days.
Additionally, there wasn’t much time left.
Until the 50th floor special benefit check and the random summoning cooldown reset.
***
Korea was peaceful.
At least, there were no problems with tower climbing.
But the situation in neighboring countries was completely different.
Japan.
Yoo Cheol-min never recovered from his broken mental state.
He even refused to enter the tower, trembling in fear.
As a result, all the benefits he received upon naturalization were revoked, and he was driven out to a small town in Japan with his family.
In the end, the Japanese government opted to sign a temporary player naturalization contract with the U.S.
A U.S. government-affiliated player conquering the early 60th floors became Japanese for a month.
No one knows how much Japan paid the U.S. for this, but it must have been at least dozens of times the holy sword rental fee.
The situation in China, another neighboring country, was even worse.
They had a fire to put out immediately.
The 59th floor conquest was approaching.
But despite kidnapping so many players, they ultimately failed.
They were at risk of triggering the collapse countdown.
If one can’t be stopped, three will collapse in sequence.
In the end, China’s choice was also a temporary naturalization contract, like Japan’s.
Actually, the 59th floor is an ambiguous climbing level.
The current global average climbing floor is the 55th.
Countries that have conquered the 59th floor can be counted on one hand.
The United States, Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, and Saudi Arabia.
Only Korea and the United States had reached the late 60th floors.
In truth, both Korea and the United States should have regulated their floor progression.
One floor every six months.
Steadily, that is.
But how can you stop players from entering the tower and conquering at will?
Especially when you don’t know who, when, or which floor they’re conquering.
Having too many talented players was also a problem.
In the past, the U.S. experienced three unconquered upper floors being conquered at once within a month.
Korea had similar experiences.
Now, since they’re at quite high floors, such incidents don’t occur.
Also, with active government intervention, they’ve been able to regulate better.
But they can’t be complacent.
Because at any moment, an unidentified player might appear out of nowhere and recklessly attempt to climb unconquered upper floors without any regulation.
Anyway, from China’s perspective, there weren’t many suitable places to request temporary naturalization.
The U.S. already had a professional player temporarily naturalized to Japan, asking Korea would hurt their pride, and eventually, they had no choice but to beg Russia.
They had to pay an enormous price for a month of temporary naturalization.
They even had to cede land, with parts of Heilongjiang Province becoming Russian territory.
The border was redrawn.
It was a devastating humiliation for China.
Even if they managed to overcome this crisis.
Amid all this, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates entered Korea through Incheon Airport.
***
At the Awakened Management Office.
Director Park Kyung-soo and Deputy Chief Jeon Kwang-il were in conversation.
“Director, what about Crown Prince Abdul bin Salah? You said you would meet him today.”
“I’m going to meet him this evening, along with the President.”
“Do you know what his business is? It’s quite sudden for a Crown Prince to visit Korea.”
“Look at this first, a document from the National Intelligence Service.”
Director Park Kyung-soo placed the document on the table.
Perhaps the mastermind behind the elite player kidnapping attempt had been identified?
He opened the document, but… that wasn’t it.
“In Abu Dhabi…, a terrorist attack?”
“Yes, just three days ago.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. Hasn’t this incident been reported in the news?”
“The UAE government controlled the media coverage. About 10 players were killed in an explosion at once.”
“…What?”
Jeon Kwang-il read the document carefully.
“Holy shit! Karim Zahid died too?”
“It’s a tragic situation. Moreover, about 10 government-managed players above level 50 died with him.”
Karim Zahid.
A nationally cultivated player challenging the 60th floor of the UAE’s Black Tower.
How much effort had the UAE put into developing him?
They had bought up all the trait enhancement runes in the market to nurture him.
The UAE was the main culprit behind the disappearance of trait enhancement runes from the market.
Because they fed them liberally to their talented players.
“As far as I know, the UAE Black Tower’s 60th floor conquest deadline is in about 20 days. But with Karim Zahid and all the level 50+ players killed in an explosion….”
“It’s a terrible situation.”
Indeed.
Not only the tower player but also the mid-level players who could support him were gone.
“How was their security so inadequate?”
“Security was the issue. One of the guards was an Islamic extremist. This was revealed right after the incident.”
It sends chills down the spine.
Thinking about it, this isn’t someone else’s problem.
Since players are no different from ordinary people outside the tower, such incidents could easily happen in Korea too.
A similar incident nearly occurred recently.
“They must have come to Korea for a temporary naturalization request. But Player Nam Ga-eun is out of the question. Absolutely not.”
“Of course. But the UAE seems desperate. They’re pleading for permission, saying they’ll restore citizenship immediately after the conquest.”
Top players from each country are not eligible for temporary naturalization.
The U.S. separately trains and operates players specifically for naturalization.
This is because dual citizenship is not allowed.
Players can only enter the tower of a single country.
There’s even a theory that ordinary people with dual citizenship cannot awaken at all.
What if after temporary naturalization, they pretend to be crazy and don’t restore the original citizenship?
How many such cases have there been?
Only countries with power can engage in temporary naturalization business.
“U.S. naturalization specialists are in Japan, Russia has a contract with China, and the UK, France, Saudi Arabia, and Norway don’t have players dedicated to temporary naturalization, so it must be difficult for them. I understand why they came to Korea.”
“They probably judged that we have some leeway after successfully conquering the 66th floor most recently.”
The UAE’s Black Tower is located near oil fields.
If the tower collapses, the oil fields won’t survive either.
Although magic stones are serving well as alternative energy, oil remains a precious resource.
Director Park Kyung-soo looked around briefly, then whispered quietly,
“Actually, there’s one more target the UAE wants besides Player Nam Ga-eun.”
“Are you referring to Manager Lee Min-a? Absolutely impossible. Manager Lee is also currently climbing the 60th floor, and even if she were qualified, we can’t send her.”
Manager Lee Min-ah is also ineligible for temporary naturalization.
She is the Management Office’s Plan B.
You could say she inherited the role previously held by Player Nam Ga-eun.
“It’s not Manager Lee Min-ah.”
“Then who?”
“The player who recently recorded consecutive S++ grade conquests up to the 49th floor.”
“Ha!”
Has the UAE gone mad?
“They don’t even know who it is…”
Of course, Park Kyung-soo and Jeon Kwang-il do know, but,
“The UAE side seems to believe that Korea has identified the S++ player.”
“Even if we knew, temporary naturalization is out of the question.”
Player Bong Juhyeok’s current floor is 49.
He would need to climb 11 floors in 20 days,
Which wouldn’t be difficult for him at all; he would probably climb them in 11 days.
“We must deny it completely. We shouldn’t give them even the slightest opportunity to probe.”
“Why are you like this? Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“Hahaha, of course I always trust you, Director.”
Director Park Kyung-soo smiled mischievously and continued.
“Still, do hint to Bong Juhyeok that such an incident occurred. It will break in the media soon anyway.”
“Yes, I’m scheduled to meet him today anyway.”
“Oh! How’s the leather business going?”
“Well…, there have been some issues.”
“What is it?”
“We’re short on leather cutting and crafting tools.”
Basilisk leather must be cut with knives made of tower metal.
If you force-cut it with equipment, it’s possible, but the leather gets damaged.
Above all, delicate craftsmanship becomes impossible.
You can’t even sew it.
“Is the workshop short on metal?”
“They barely have enough for making weapons,”
“Is importing difficult too?”
“Yes, they’re already short for their own equipment.”
Jeon Kwang-il was worried too.
This was a business that Player Bong Juhyeok had entrusted to them, and it was starting to falter from the beginning.