Late night.
Seoul Ilseong Hotel suite.
Abdul Bin Salah, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, couldn’t sleep.
Only 15 days remained before the UAE tower collapse deadline.
Yet he had stayed here for 5 days.
He had anticipated that the temporary naturalization request would be rejected.
Would the Korean government willingly lend their top player?
But individual thoughts could be different.
Korea was known to guarantee players’ personal freedom to the fullest extent.
That’s what he had been counting on.
So he persistently tried to make personal contact with Player Nam Ga-eun… but was flatly rejected.
She refused even a single day of temporary naturalization, let alone 15 days.
Next.
He mobilized Korean media outlets.
To appeal to the S++ grade conquest record holder of the Korea’s Black Tower.
He spread articles stating he was offering the best conditions and requesting contact at the embassy.
But all the incoming calls were nothing but pranks.
With all attempts failing.
Only one choice remained.
Return to the UAE and beg the Saudi Arabian government.
But Saudi’s demands were too excessive.
Temporary naturalization was possible.
In exchange, they required the Characteristic Enhancement Rune.
They also demanded land near the border.
A region with gas fields.
Plus $1 billion in cash, 1 ton of mana stones, 1 ton of tower metals, 100 sheets of tower leather…
Such highway robbery.
But in return, they promised to conquer not only the 60th floor but also the 61st floor in six months.
‘I have no choice.’
Until the situation normalized, he’d have to accept this humiliating contract.
Other countries would make similar demands anyway.
Better a neighboring country than a distant one.
They couldn’t continue bad relations with Saudi indefinitely.
‘I should go back tomorrow.’
Suddenly!
Click! Clack!
The suite door opened.
‘Hmm?’
The security team?
He hadn’t called for them.
Scrape, scrape.
The sound of heavy objects being dragged across the floor.
Curious, he went toward the door.
“…”
A Western man was dragging two collapsed security guards into the room.
He even had a shield and an iron club strapped to his back.
He was clearly an intruder.
So Bin Salah tried to flee, but their eyes met.
‘Gasp!’
Bin Salah inhaled.
He kept inhaling.
He needed to exhale but couldn’t.
He couldn’t move his body either.
He just stood there, as if nailed to the spot.
The man was smiling.
That smile was spine-chilling.
Acting as if he owned the place, the man slowly walked over and sat on the sofa.
He gestured toward the opposite sofa.
A signal to sit down. Only then could Bin Salah move.
His breathing returned to normal too.
Bin Salah had no choice but to comply.
Thud, a paper placed on the table.
He glanced at it.
“Interpreter, Korean language” – two words written in English.
‘Is he Korean?’
He didn’t look Korean at all by appearance.
Anyway, he was being told to call people.
Bin Salah picked up the phone.
“May I make a call?”
Nod.
A gesture of permission.
Fine, I’ll call them.
Interpreter, and security guards too.
Bin Salah sent a message on his smartphone.
Explaining that an intruder had broken in and detailing the situation.
Then.
Rumble, rumble.
Security guards and attendants rushing into the suite.
Each pointing guns at the intruder.
“Don’t move!”
“Hands up! Unless you want a hole in your head.”
“You guys protect the Crown Prince.”
“Shoot him if he so much as twitches.”
Click! Click! Click!
More than ten gun barrels aimed at him.
But the man remained relaxed.
Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.
“Who are you! How dare you invade the Crown Prince’s—”
That’s when it happened.
Spot!
Slash, slash, slash, slashhh…
Flashes of light illuminating the dark suite from various places.
Thud, taptaptap, thud thud.
The front parts of the guns falling cleanly to the ground.
The intruder now held short daggers in both hands.
He had cut the guns with daggers.
Is that even possible?
With mere daggers?
Everyone was speechless at this absurd situation.
No, rather than surprise, they simply couldn’t move.
A terrifying aura constricting the bodies of the guards and attendants.
Their legs trembled.
Their faces turned deathly pale.
The feeling of a sharp blade pointed at their Adam’s apples.
Plus the intruder’s inscrutable face.
A terrifying blank expression where you couldn’t tell if he was smiling or angry.
The intruder pointed at the paper again.
Asking for interpretation.
Bin Salah glanced at an attendant who could interpret Korean and said,
“Wh-who are you?”
The attendant translated.
Kozak didn’t answer the question.
Instead,
“Bring the Characteristic Enhancement Rune.”
Flinch!
Crown Prince Bin Salah was startled.
The Characteristic Enhancement Rune?
He absolutely couldn’t comply.
Even if it meant dying here.
So he prepared to express his refusal, ready to die.
“Even if you kill me…”
“I’ll conquer the 60th floor within 15 days. Plus the 61st floor in six months.”
Twitch!
Bin Salah stopped mid-sentence.
“H-how? By you naturalizing?”
“No, no naturalization.”
“…Are you mocking me right now?”
Kozak continued with a cold smile.
“Is there a UAE-affiliated player here?”
“…”
Bin Salah kept his mouth firmly shut.
In fact, he had brought someone.
Omar Hassan, a promising player being fostered by the UAE.
They had fed him Characteristic Enhancement twice.
But still only level 27.
Far from ready to reach the 60th floor.
Bin Salah always kept Omar with him.
For security reasons.
Right beside him was safest.
Along with the Characteristic Enhancement Rune.
But now he was being told to summon him?
“There is one. Bring him now.”
“…”
“I won’t kill him. Those guys are just unconscious. But if you don’t listen, everyone dies.”
Then.
“Want to test me?”
The killing intent filling the suite intensified further.
It felt like his throat would be cut without anyone doing anything.
An attendant collapsed to his knees from extreme fear.
“Hurry up and call him.”
Bin Salah realized.
He had to obey this man.
Otherwise, everyone would really die.
Their necks would roll on the floor like the gun barrels.
With a glance, he instructed an attendant.
Shortly after.
Omar Hassan entered the room.
Kozak looked at him and asked,
“As a player, you can verify items, right?”
Omar glanced at Bin Salah once, then nodded.
Kozak took out a yellow card-like paper ticket from his pocket.
“Check it. You can read out the effect directly.”
The moment Omar took the paper with trembling hands,
‘Hmm?’
His eyes widened.
“…Multinational Tower Usage Ticket?”
Bin Salah looked curious.
“Omar, wh-what kind of ticket?”
“It’s a Multinational Tower Usage Ticket. It says you can enter any tower regardless of nationality…”
“What?”
“That’s what the system message told me.”
A Multinational Tower Usage Ticket.
The name is intuitive.
Of course, he’d never heard of it.
But Omar wouldn’t lie, and if the system confirmed it, it couldn’t be a forgery.
Kozak, taking back the ticket, emphasized,
“I promise. The UAE Black Tower’s 60th floor will be conquered within 15 days. The 61st floor too.”
A moment of silence passed.
The fear subsided slightly.
Because they now knew this man had come here to negotiate.
Crown Prince Bin Salah’s mind raced.
A promise to conquer the 60th floor within 15 days and the 61st floor in six months.
Incomparably better than Saudi’s conditions.
No need to hand over land, tower materials, money, nothing at all.
Just one Characteristic Enhancement Rune.
But would a contract like this be honored?
What if the promise wasn’t kept after giving the rune?
Meanwhile, Kozak pointed at Omar.
“You.”
“What now…?”
“I’ll give you a gift. As a gesture of goodwill.”
“A-a gift?”
Kozak unfastened the mace and shield he had brought and placed them on the table.
“Take them.”
Omar looked at Bin Salah, not understanding what was happening, then picked up the mace and shield.
At the same time, an exclamation burst from his lips.
“Ah!”
He was shocked.
He couldn’t help it.
‘What kind of items…’
<Tower-exclusive Golden Aegis of Warm Dawn Light.>
- Effect: When equipped, enhances user’s concentration, emits dazzling flashes, increases physical and magical defense, chance to reflect attacks back to enemies upon successful defense.
- Feature: Maintains composure against any status effects. Never breaks.
<Tower-exclusive Golden Mace of Cold Twilight.>
- Effect: Increases attack speed in combat, freezes target, expands attack range, chance to activate Ice Field upon successful strike.
- Feature: Guides enemies to twilight’s rest. Never breaks.
Kozak smiled at the sight.
He could tell from the expression.
Omar must be shocked by the item effects.
As Omar stood dazed, holding the mace and shield, Bin Salah asked,
“Omar, what are they?”
“They’re both items from the tower. Not crafted products.”
“Not crafted?”
“I-I’ve never seen items like these. They’re definitely not something you can acquire on the market.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The option effects are incredible too. It’s no exaggeration to call them the strongest weapons. I feel like going into the tower right now to use them.”
Bin Salah looked at Kozak with a strange gaze.
“These items… did you come to sell them?”
“I told you. They’re gifts of goodwill.”
“Even if I don’t give you the Characteristic Enhancement Rune?”
“I don’t take back gifts once given. But everyone here will die.”
That sounds like the same thing.
‘A gift, huh.’
Omar seemed thoroughly pleased with the equipment.
Seeing him clutching the weapons and shield in ecstasy.
“If I hand over the rune, will the tower really be conquered?”
“I stake my name on it.”
“What is your name?”
“Gobang.”
Gobang.
What a strange name.
Not that it matters.
“Crown Prince, let me ask you something. Is the Characteristic Enhancement Rune in this room right now?”
“No. As if I’d carry something so important…”
“It is here.”
Kozak looked around the room as he spoke.
“Living room? No. Then that room? Not there either. Perhaps the bedroom?”
There was a reaction.
“That’s it. It’s in the bedroom.”
Gulp.
Bin Salah swallowed dryly.
“Just be honest.”
“…”
“Besides killing people, I’m also very good at torture.”
What couldn’t he do?
When he could immobilize people with just a glance.
“If I tortured you, I could make you offer the Characteristic Enhancement Rune with your own hands within a minute.”
“Hmm.”
“But I’m not doing that. Don’t miss this opportunity.”
He had no choice but to believe him.
A person fully capable of doing so.
Yet he hadn’t killed anyone so far, and even gave gifts.
A thousand thoughts raced through Bin Salah’s mind.
Gobang, promising to conquer the tower without naturalization.
He proved it with the ticket.
Who could he be? Perhaps the S++ grade conquest record holder?
At that level, could he use abilities outside the tower too?
No, his identity doesn’t matter.
Will he keep his promise, or take the rune and make excuses?
If only he could confirm that.
The deliberation was taking time.
Nevertheless, the intruder named Gobang continued to wait patiently.
He could have resorted to torture out of impatience.
Even now, his heart was pounding with fear, but he gradually felt more confident.
After a while.
Bin Salah made his decision.
He would stake his fate on this Gobang.
“Wait.”
Bin Salah went to the bedroom and returned with a small aluminum case.
A case with fingerprint recognition that would explode if the wrong password was entered.
Click!
After opening the case and caressing the rune for a while,
“Here it is. Take it.”
Kozak smiled broadly and said,
“Congratulations. With this, you’ll live. The UAE will be safe too.”
He finally obtained the Enhancement Rune.
And put away the grotesque weapons.
“Keep today’s events secret. It wouldn’t be good if others found out, right?”
Bin Salah’s body trembled.
Somehow, he felt reassured.
Because the intruder was still keeping him alive even after achieving his goal.
“I-I understand. It’s a secret…”
“Ah! Are you satisfied with the deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“The deal we made. You must be satisfied. Both of us. It’s a crucial matter.”
“…I-I am satisfied.”
“Good. You’ll be even more satisfied in 15 days. And in six months too.”
Then, swish!
Kozak vanished into the darkness.
Bin Salah felt like he had been dreaming.
Did he do the right thing?
He’d know in 15 days.
***
Juhyeok was alone in the penthouse.
After sending Kozak for negotiation, he had dismissed Gyeon Dallae, Gobang, and Razix.
Honestly, he was worried.
Kozak had left so confidently…
An assassin negotiating? It’s hardly believable.
Anyway, he had checked the special reward, and all that remained was the random summon.
But he had no intention of summoning now.
He had to assume the negotiation would fail.
They’d have to aim for an opportunity at the 55th floor, even if it meant removing Razix.
Or push all the way to the 60th floor.
Whether the negotiation ended well or not, they’d need to climb to the 60th floor, and even if the negotiation failed, they’d need to climb for the special reward.
But what if another non-combat personnel appeared in this situation?
“Sigh.”
He couldn’t help but sigh.
It was too awful to imagine.
But even in the worst case, he had a card to play.
Gwangma.
The strongest LSSR grade summonee.
Thinking about it, he was quite a powerful existence.
If he were a little less crazy, they could have worked together.
If he hadn’t talked about killing rulers and waging wars…
‘Maybe I should summon him once?’
His thoughts might have changed.
Then he could be sufficiently utilized as a hidden card.
He was increasingly inclined.
He wanted to summon him.
He wanted to see what his thoughts were now.
‘Oh well! Might as well summon him once.’
Let’s do it.
Juhyeok opened the catalog list in his status window.
“Designated Summon: Gwangma!”
[Gwangma has been designated summoned.]
Spot!
Gwangma appeared again at last.
His appearance was still as dignified as an immortal.
“Summoner, I can’t express how delighted I am to see you again.”
“…Yes. Me too.”
In truth, he wasn’t that happy.
“After being forcefully dismissed by you, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what I did wrong.”
Oh!
Something was different.
“I realized that such extreme methods don’t suit this world. There are limits to killing people, it takes too long, and there would be serious side effects.”
“That’s right.”
Goodness!
Our Gwangma has changed!
“…Would you like a drink?”
“I won’t decline. If it’s from you, Summoner, I should drink it even if it’s poison.”
Juhyeok took a cold carbonated drink can from the refrigerator, opened it with a pop!, and handed it to Gwangma.
After drinking it refreshingly.
“It’s been almost 1,000 years since I tasted the food of this world.”
He seems to really enjoy it.
The smile on his lips proves it.
“The idea of killing all those in power was stupid from the beginning.”
“Oh, it wasn’t stupid, just a bit extreme.”
“Hahaha! Exactly.”
Then.
“I’m curious about which country in this world has the strongest national power.”
The strongest country would be,
“The United States.”
“The United States, is it ruled by a king?”
“No. A president.”
“Aha! I see. Then I need to turn the US president into a ‘Soul Puppet’ to make him follow orders.”
“…Pardon?”
What’s a ‘Soul Puppet’?
“There’s a technique called the ‘Soul Puppetry Arts.’ It destroys a human’s mind to create an obedient puppet. It’s an operation that consumes a lot of mental energy, so even I can only create one person per technique.”
Why is this getting worse?
“The solution was to use the Soul Puppetry Arts on the US president to make him obey orders, have him wage conquest wars, pacify the world, then unify it later. It would have been simple, but I stupidly didn’t think of it…”
Sigh.
This is maddening.
“Neither you nor I would need to get blood on our hands directly. Of course, wars would cause major damage, but it’s a small sacrifice for the greater good.”
“…”
“Let’s act quickly. Where is the US president? If we want to make him wage conquest wars, we need to move now.”
He hasn’t changed at all.
“Gwangma?”
“Speak. You’ll like this too. It’s a plan I devised while deeply reflecting.”
“Your reflection is insufficient. Your direction is completely wrong. Very wrong.”
“…Huh?”
Gwangma blinked his eyes.
Simultaneously, Juhyeok’s lips parted.
“Dismiss summon.”
“No, why do you keep—”
Spot! And,
[Gwangma’s satisfaction rating has been set at 1 point.]
It was a mistake to summon and ask him.
I should forget about it and just do the random summon.
Right at that moment!
Click! The front door opened.
“Chung! Kozak, the right-hand man of Summoner Bong, his stalwart vassal, master of negotiation, has arrived!”
Huh?
Already?
“…How did it go? The Characteristic Enhancement Rune?”
“Hehehe, hehehehe, hehehehehe.”
Kozak laughed uncontrollably, as if he couldn’t contain himself.
Juhyeok felt he knew the answer without being told.