Juhyeok visited his family home.
He had called ahead to let them know he was coming.
Click.
As he opened the door and entered,
‘Hmm.’
His father, mother, and younger brother were sitting quietly in the living room.
But the atmosphere was cold.
A heavy air permeated the entire house.
Staying calm for now,
“…I’m home.”
“Come over here and sit down.”
“Yes.”
His mother’s voice was low and subdued.
Though he wasn’t sure what this was about… should he run away?
Anyway, as he sat down,
Thud, a bankbook thrown onto the living room floor.
‘So this is what it’s about.’
At the very bottom, an amount was written.
A full 10 billion won, deposited by Bong Juhyeok.
“What is this money?”
“It’s, um, just pocket money. The gift tax has been fully taken care of, so you can rest assured…”
“I know you earn well as an elite player. I’ve always been proud of you.”
That’s right.
I do earn well.
I can make 10 billion won just by mining ore for a few days.
“But you expect us to live in luxury on money your earned putting your life at risk? Are you trying to turn your parents into shameless, brazen people?”
“I-it’s not really money earned by risking my life.”
I don’t even move.
I’d like to hunt monsters, but they won’t let me.
There are people who do everything for me, along with a cute worker.
“Use the money you earned for yourself, you’ve worked hard enough. We don’t need it. Take it back. We already feel guilty about accepting the large house.”
“It’s, um, not really a large house.”
The penthouse where I live is at least three times larger than this house.
Do you know how many rooms it has?
Nothing to be done about it. Time to reveal the truth.
“Mom, have you heard of the holy sword?”
“…Huh?”
My father and brother also reacted.
“I know about it. There’s even a saying that above being a building owner is being a holy sword owner.”
“They say it costs 10 billion won just to borrow it.”
To be precise, it’s ten million dollars.
Over 13 billion won.
“I’m the holy sword owner. I found it in the tower. Quite a jackpot.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
They all looked at me as if I was talking nonsense.
“Brother, if you keep lying, it becomes a habit. Even if fraud isn’t legally applicable between parents and children, morally…”
“Here, look!”
Juhyeok launched his banking app on his smartphone and showed them his account.
“See this? 26.8 billion won, holy sword rental fee, deposited by the Management Office.”
Min-hyuk stared at the phone screen with wide eyes.
Father also pressed his face close to see.
“Huh? It’s real. H-hold on, the number of zeroes is, whoa?”
“Let me see too, where? One, two, three, four…. Gasp! Y-you rascal! You were rich all along.”
With a slight smile,
“You only realized that now? Even if I didn’t climb the tower and just rented out the holy sword, I’d live well.”
“Oh my, son, in this humble place…”
“I, Bong Min-hyuk! I pledge my complete loyalty to my elder brother.”
“…”
Mother also seemed quite surprised.
She alternated staring at the smartphone account and Juhyeok’s face for a long time.
“Oh my goodness, you sucker! Does it make you happy to give away money you earned with such hardship?”
“Yes!”
What’s wrong with being a sucker?
That’s what real men are like.
Much better than being a psychopath.
What’s the fun in earning money and spending it alone?
It’s also enjoyable when loved ones make good use of hard-earned money.
***
At an undisclosed location in Seoul.
Deputy Director-General Xiao Jun reviewed the operation plan.
Initially driven to South Korea almost against his will, Xiao Jun had no idea what to do.
Bring back South Korea’s S++ grade conquest record holder?
How?
Even knowing who it was would make this a difficult task.
The Chinese government knew it was impossible.
Yet they sent him anyway?
‘I suppose they want me to try something, anything.’
He needed to demonstrate something.
His loyalty to China.
Korea’s arrogance was at its peak.
Even now, anger welled up inside him at the sight of the country’s smugness as a tower climbing powerhouse.
‘How dare such a small country.’
China couldn’t even conquer the 59th floor and had to practically beg Russia for help.
Moreover, there seemed to be no possibility of conquering the 60th floor.
Yet Korea was guaranteed to conquer the 67th floor.
No, they’d probably have no trouble even with the 70th floor.
The gap would only continue to widen.
While China would fret anxiously about tower collapse, Korea would hold its head high and boast as a tower climbing powerhouse.
Xiao Jun couldn’t bear to see that.
Punishment was necessary.
Like the player terrorist incident that had occurred in the UAE.
But an opportunity presented itself.
He received information that a fashion company’s showcase would be held at the HG Hotel in a few days.
And rumors suggested elite players would attend.
How could he just sit still?
He would kill them all.
Make Korea taste the despair of tower collapse too.
If China’s tower were to collapse, Korea should rightfully suffer the same fate.
Wasn’t he underestimating the National Intelligence Service and the Korean government?
Well, are they gods?
Even the CIA, supposedly the world’s best intelligence agency, makes mistakes.
Just entering keywords like CIA intelligence agency humiliation, failure, mistake into an internet search engine would bring up numerous related anecdotes.
Getting caught while wiretapping, having assassination attempts on foreign government officials exposed, and even having their own intelligence agent lists leaked, resulting in arrests or mass expulsions.
The Russian intelligence agency?
It had long been a laughingstock of the world.
When such incidents occur, some people usually say:
They’re too sloppy.
How can a country’s top intelligence agency not prepare for such things? Even a novel with this level of plausibility would fail.
Pathetic nonsense.
What in this world is perfect?
The actual reality is chaotically miserable.
Worse than movies or novels.
No matter how thorough the security, holes inevitably appear.
Because humans are involved.
Even now, they didn’t know that his team had entered South Korea.
Special Intelligence Department team members had infiltrated South Korea from Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
“This is war. We absolutely cannot hesitate.”
“Yes!”
In truth, no matter how meticulously a plan is crafted, it rarely goes as intended, since variables in unexpected situations can never be predicted.
What matters is bold execution.
Doing without hesitation what others would think is going too far.
That’s the key to success.
This time would be no different.
***
Juhyeok finally made his decision.
Climbing the unconquered upper floor, level 61.
After visiting his family, he had continued searching for fragments through repeated tower missions.
Along the way, he’d also skinned basilisks, skinned wyverns, and mined ore.
He’d mostly explored the 50s floors, and also the 40s floors for basilisk hide, but with little success.
The items that did appear were practically worthless, and there weren’t even any rune or ticket fragments.
“It’s because the floors are too low. We need to go above the 61st floor.”
Kozak’s opinion.
“Besides, even if we found items on lower floors, they’d be of little use. I’m sorry for the deceased, but would items carried by low-level players be of any value?”
A valid point.
Climbing the unconquered upper floors was essential.
However, he planned to stop at the 66th floor.
Reckless conquering wasn’t an option.
What would happen if some talented, crazy player randomly conquered floors 67, 68, 69… in just a few days?
The world would end.
The government cannot know when, where, or which floor a player will conquer.
They cannot prevent entry either.
And when the limit of tower climbing arrives, the nation must bear the full consequences.
From the 67th floor onward, one must adhere to the collapse timeline.
In step with the government’s plans.
Juhyeok went down to the underground parking lot.
There was something he needed to pick up.
In the ever-changing car, this time was Team Leader Lee Min-ah,
“The Norwegian player just conquered the 66th floor and left the country.”
“Oh, really?”
“He asked me to convey his gratitude to the true owner…”
“Yes, yes, that’s fortunate.”
What gratitude?
Just deposit the rental fee on time.
“Here…”
Swoosh!
The holy sword emerged from Team Leader Lee Min-ah’s inventory.
As he received it, he also checked the item information.
<Tower-exclusive Rolandian Paladin Commander’s Holy Sword>
“I’ll return it before the next reservation…I’ll give it back.”
“Player Bong.”
“Yes?”
“Please conquer the 61st floor safely without a single hair being harmed! Fighting!”
What the?
How embarrassing.
Lee Min-ah seemed to have something more to say.
“Oh! Will you be attending the showcase event tomorrow?”
“…Nothing’s been decided yet.”
“I see, please call anytime. A security officer will escort you. That’s how other elite players move around too.”
Since the event is co-hosted by HG Fashion and the Awakening Management Office, other elite players would be there too.
Should I go or not?
Honestly, I am curious.
How such events are conducted.
In my 25 years, I haven’t even been to a single concert.
People should occasionally engage in social activities.
It’s not every day you get to see celebrities in person.
Juhyeok returned to the penthouse.
The summonees were waiting for him.
“Ta-da!”
When he took out the holy sword from his inventory and showed it,
“Is that the holy sword? Somehow it looks more worn than before. At this rate, the engravings will completely fade.”
Tsk,
Making mood-killing comments as soon as it’s taken out.
“Why? Want to see it?”
“Hoeng!”
When he gently placed the holy sword on the floor.
Swoosh!
Razix took out a large magnifying glass from his subspace backpack,
‘There was even a magnifying glass in there?’
Razix carefully examined the engravings on the holy sword with the magnifying glass.
“Hoeee…”
Then swoosh, he took out something else from his backpack.
‘A book?’
It was a thick book almost half his size.
‘Amazing backpack.’
Cleaning tools, pickaxes, tongs, magnifying glasses, books, and more.
Flip, flip, flip, flip.
Rapidly turning the pages,
“Hueng? Hueeeee…”
Razix deep in thought.
He made sounds to himself, closed his eyes intently, and rolled around here and there.
“Hoeng! This can be fixed.”
What?
“…You can fix it?”
“Materials are needed. If found, can fix. Hoeee.”
“Wh-what kind of materials?”
“Hueng, need to look for them.”
“And without the materials, you can’t fix it?”
“Hoe, yes.”
“Can the materials be found in the tower?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a certainty.
It might be fixable, or it might not be.
Isn’t just having the possibility good enough?
‘If the holy sword’s effect improves… I should charge a higher rental fee, right?’
We need to search diligently.
Starting from the 61st floor.
“Let’s go in.”
***
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, floor 61.]
The beginning of the undead section.
Juhyeok held the holy sword.
That was the safest approach.
‘Come to think of it, though I’m the holy sword’s owner, this is the first time I’m using it inside the tower.’
Woooooo…
A soft white radiance enveloped his entire body.
Confidence welled up inside him.
It felt as if the radiance was protecting him.
[61st Floor Mission: Defeat 20 Dark Mummies.]
[Completion Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Dark Mummies 0/20]
[Failure Condition: Death or mission abandonment]
The mission appeared.
Dark Mummies.
The weakest of the undead.
Therefore, their dark aura was very faint.
“Grrr…”
“Kaaark!”
“Krrrrrr”
They approached slowly.
Corpses dressed in rags so rotten they seemed about to slide off.
Bodies so emaciated they looked like they would crumble if poked, if not for the dark aura.
But underestimating them would be a grave mistake.
Just touching the dark aura would corrupt a player’s mind.
Actually, more than the holy sword’s effect, what he was curious about was:
How could the priestess Gyeon Dallae neutralize this dark aura?
“The dark aura, one might say, is the tangible accumulation of grudges, hatred, and malice that humans held during their lifetimes.”
Gyeon Dallae stepped forward gracefully.
“If the holy sword’s efficacy lies in suppressing and subduing the dark aura through powerful divine force, this maiden’s method follows a different path.”
She placed a portable speaker in her arms.
“Master, do you know what was the first ritual I learned from my teacher?”
How would I know.
And she wasn’t expecting an answer anyway.
“It was the cleansing ritual.”
The cleansing ritual?
“A ritual for the dead, also called the Ogu ritual. It’s a shamanic song that soothes and comforts the pitiful souls wandering through the nine rivers because they couldn’t resolve their grudges in this world, and prays for their rebirth in paradise.”
Gyeon Dallae, gently holding her skirt with both hands, lifted her socked foot and took a step forward.
Soon, the sound of drums was heard,
Doom, doo-doong, doo-doo-doong, doong, doo-doong, doo-doo-doong.
A very slow rhythm.
Following the rhythm, Gyeon Dallae wove through the dark mummies with ethereal dance movements.
Her demeanor was noble, solemn, and so sublime it was unapproachable.
Gently shaking her bells with a jingle-jangle, a mournful melody flowed from her lips.
“In this turbid and painful world of samsara, life has already ended with only the soul remaining, but there’s nowhere to go. Resolve your grudges and cross the Samdo River to the Western Flower Garden. Let us go quickly, let us go.”
The dark mummies, seemingly affected by Gyeon Dallae’s song and dance movements, cowered visibly.
Ah!
It was beautiful.
It was sacred.
The cleansing ritual of the foremost priestess of the Heavenly Empire, warmly comforting the dead.
Juhyeok was speechless.
All the summonees were.
The dance movements of the cleansing ritual.
And the song that pierced the heart.
The dark aura emanating from the mummies’ bodies was visibly weakening.
Suddenly!
Swoooosh!
Gobang, who had grown his body through gigantification,
Stepped forward.
Whack!
As he swung his fist.
Crumble!
The dark mummy scattered into powder.
Only then did Kozak and Veronica regain their senses and leap into the battlefield following Gobang.
Juhyeok moved too.
This time, no one stopped him.
Crumble! Cru-cru-crumble! Crumble!
Skills weren’t even necessary.
Just swinging the sword was enough to crumble and vanish the dark mummies.
Did he even need the holy sword at this rate?
It seemed like there would be no problem even without repairing it.
But since it wasn’t a holy sword for his own use,
‘Repairing it would probably be better, right?’
And so, the first conquest:
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ grade conquest of the Black Tower (Korea), floor 61.]
[Dark Mummies defeated 20/20]
[You have succeeded in the 61st floor mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: Magic stone 6.1kg]
[S++ Conquest Reward: A Platinum badge is awarded.]
[You can now challenge the 62nd floor.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
It ended much faster than expected.
Followed by the second conquest.
They left just one dark mummy.
Now it was Razix’s time.
Under Gobang’s protection.
“Hoeng!”
Roll roll, dig dig dig dig!
“Huee?”
Roll roll, dig dig dig dig!
“Hoeeeee!”
The search results.
<Fallen-off???…, ‘s Rune(2/7)>
One rune fragment had been combined.
And two ticket fragments had been combined.
<Hard-to-read-letters???…. Ticket(2/8)>
<Half-torn??…Usage Ticket(3/5)>
It exceeded expectations.
It was clear that the higher floors yielded better results.
‘Hmm.’
But one of the tickets seemed familiar.
‘It’s a Multinational Tower Usage Ticket.’
That would be good too if completed.