Fwip!
Juhyeok and Gwangma exited the Tower. Even having experienced it with his own two eyes, it was hard to believe.
So this is why they call him a legend.
I mean, SSR-ranks were already terrifying, so what did that make an LSSR-rank? They don’t just hand out a ‘Legendary’ rating for nothing.
This is definitely worth five stars.
How could anyone give that a one-star rating? That would just be shameless.
Having finished the Tower clear, it was time for him to leave. Gwangma looked at Juhyeok and spoke.
“Summoner.”
“Yes.”
“Do not overexert yourself. You do not have to climb. No one will say a word if you hide in the back. In fact, they will applaud you for it.”
“…”
He meant it as a word of concern, but telling me to just hide in the back is a bit…
“I shall await the day we can stand shoulder to shoulder. Even if that day does not come, please call for me whenever you crave a drink.”
Fwip!
And with that, Gwangma vanished.
The first time they met, Gwangma had been filled with madness. The second time, he had reflected on his actions, but the madness remained.
The third time…
The atmosphere was certainly better. Of course, his way of thinking hadn’t changed. Still, he had no intention of working with him just yet. More than anything, there was no open spot. Besides, in a few days, the random summon would become available.
Come to think of it, what should I do about the random summon?
A tanker, a melee dealer, a ranged dealer, a supporter, and an all-purpose worker. The team was already well-balanced. Should he summon someone new, or not?
Let’s do it if a spot opens up.
An open spot was the most important condition. His summons weren’t ordinary summoned beasts like spirits or golems who couldn’t communicate. He was meeting them as one person to another. He’d experienced it before when he summoned Razix. He had to send him back, telling him there was no room and that he was sorry, promising to call him again later. He could still remember the sad look in Razix’s eyes.
So, the principle for random summons was set. He would only pull when another spot was created through a trait enhancement.
What if something happened later? Wouldn’t it be better to have someone ready in advance?
Perhaps.
The person hearing it might be offended, but he did have a spare. A dependable backup summon: Gwangma.
While he was thinking about it, Juhyeok brought up the status window catalogue. After selecting Gwangma’s name…
[Gwangma’s satisfaction rating has been set to 5 stars.]
He fully deserved five stars. He even got him an item reward.
Oh, right! I need to check the item.
He took the brand-new ring out of his inventory.
‘Check Information.’
First off, it was Tower-exclusive. An item that could only be used in the Tower. It was another ring. Now he had two.
One for the left hand, one for the right. I can wear them as a pair.
So, what about the item description?
“…”
What is this? Did I read it wrong?
The Tower’s network?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the description was the same. The part about being able to exit near the Tower of a specific country meant…
It was a teleportation ring?
For example, he could enter Korea and come out near the Tower in the United States.
Like a wormhole?
The item’s name was all wrong. This wasn’t a Ring of Exit, but a Ring of Movement. Moreover, for Juhyeok, who could use the Tower twice a day, its utility was enormous. And it wasn’t a one-time use ticket, either. It was a permanent item.
With this, there was no place on Earth he couldn’t go. He could enter the Tower and go to Japan, Italy, England, Australia, even Chi— wait.
China.
Truthfully, even if Kozak found out where the kidnapped players were, he had thought a rescue would be difficult. Because of the physical distance. It was far, really far. But with this ring? Getting to China would be instantaneous.
That’s funny.
Of all things, for the Ring of Exit to drop from a floor cleared by Gwangma. Everything was falling into place perfectly.
Don’t tell me this is a sign to conquer the world.
Nah! Let’s not even think about it.
He just needed to put this ring to good use for other purposes.
***
The next morning, Juhyeok summoned his familiars one by one. Today was the day they were scheduled to tackle the 62nd floor of Korea’s Black Tower.
However, as soon as Kozak was summoned, he began explaining last night’s events to the others in painstaking detail. Naturally, all hell broke loose.
“Kidnapped, you say! Ah, this maiden shall faint once more! How could they commit an act lower than that of beasts?”
“The warrior is also enraged. This is not something humans should do.”
“Man’s enemy is man. It is a human enemy, sir.”
“Sergeant Veronica Caliber agrees with Sir Kozak’s statement. That is why my magic rifle is specialized in killing humans rather than monsters.”
“Hoeeek!!!”
These guys seem to get angry for a living these days. Even cute little Razix.
“What in the world are the leaders of this world doing?” Gyeon Dallae’s face was flushed red. “We must rescue them at once and reveal China’s atrocities to the entire world!”
“Calm yourself, Princess. Do not make a needless fuss, ma’am.”
“What did you say? A fuss?”
“You must know your place, ma’am. One who is not qualified…”
“Y-You punk!!!”
“You need Master Summoner Bong’s permission, ma’am. The decision rests with Master Summoner Bong.”
“…Oh my?”
Gyeon Dallae’s expression changed in a flash. She bowed so deeply to Juhyeok it looked like she might fly away.
“I am ashamed. Please rebuke this maiden for her rash actions, for not knowing her place.”
In fact, Juhyeok had been contemplating it for a while now. He stared blankly at the Ring of Exit on his finger.
What should I do?
The main agents of Tower conquest were the Players. The problem was that each Tower had a nationality. Therefore, the scope of the issue expanded to a matter of national survival. To prevent a collapse, each nation had to mobilize all its resources to conquer its Tower at all costs. Fostering Players at the national level was a typical method. They would invest in Players by buying items, potions, skill runes, and trait enhancement runes, regardless of the cost. If that wasn’t enough, they would even have players from other countries temporarily naturalized to clear the Tower.
However, China had crossed the line. Forced naturalization through player kidnapping. It was a selfish act, killing others to save themselves. It was an act of shamelessness far beyond what Japan had done with their backdoor dealings to make Yu Cheol-min defect in the middle of the night. How did they plan to handle the karma from such an evil deed?
On the other hand, he wondered if he was just being meddlesome. Who am I? Just a single Player. The only difference is that I received a better awakening trait than others. Am I the world police or something? Besides, my motto and survival strategy has always been to turn a blind eye to injustice.
But what if there was no risk, even if he failed? Maybe it was okay to be meddlesome just this once.
After a moment of serious deliberation, Juhyeok spoke.
“Alright, let’s save as many as we can, as safely as possible.”
“Yeahp!”
As if he’d been waiting for it, Kozak connected his laptop and displayed a map on the TV screen.
“Master Summoner Bong’s right-hand man, a creative strategist, a genius of tactics, a master of lifesaving, Kozak, will now begin the briefing, sir!”
Another briefing?
“The kidnapped players are imprisoned in a place called Zhongnanhai¹ in Beijing, the capital of China. This is Seoul, where we live, and this is Beijing, sir.”
Razix shot his hand up.
“Hoeng?”
“Please speak, Worker Razix.”
“It’s too far.”
“Worker Razix, that is a precise observation, sir.”
“Hoeh.”
“It is critical to properly allocate our seven hours of summon time. The success or failure of this operation depends on it, sir.”
There’s no need to worry about that.
“The most common way to get to China is by aircraft, sir.”
Click.
An image of an airplane appeared on the screen. Gyeon Dallae raised her hand and asked.
“How do you plan to get on a plane? We don’t have passports, and we have to pass through identity checks.”
“We can sneak on using stealth, and once inside the cabin, we can use a perception-disrupting talisman, ma’am.”
“Oh! There’s such a method?”
“As expected of our chief strategist.”
“Hoe-eh.”
Kozak’s lips twitched into a smile.
“I have the entire plan in this head of mine, sir. No matter what unexpected situation arises, I will overcome it with my quick wits.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
A round of applause broke out.
“Now for the details, sir. We will take a taxi to Incheon Airport and then…”
Juhyeok raised his hand.
“Aigoo, Master Summoner Bong, you don’t have to raise your hand. Please speak, sir.”
“That’s enough of that. Let’s just go to the Tower. We were supposed to clear the 62nd floor today, remember?”
“Sir? Ah, but the briefing isn’t over yet, sir.”
“It’s fine. Just get ready to clear.”
“…Yes, yeahp!”
A plane? What a hassle. We have something much faster.
***
[Entering the 61st Floor of the Republic of Korea’s Black Tower.]
If the 61st floor was the tutorial for the undead section, this place was the real starting point. The mummies had been fakes. It felt like they were only there to explain the power of the dark aura. As such, they could be easily cleared with just light-attribute items.
But from the 62nd floor onward, it was different. Dark zombies were sturdy, strong, and nimble dark zombies.
First, I should pick the exit Tower.
As soon as he thought it:
[Using the Ring of Tower-Exclusive Exit.]
[Please designate the nationality of the Tower you wish to exit from.]
‘China.’
[There are three Black Towers in China. Please select a number.]
He already knew. Tower #1 was the closest to Beijing. So…
‘1.’
[Designated. Your next exit will be within a 10km radius of China’s Tower #1.]
Enter in Korea, exit in China. How would he get back to Korea from China? He’d just have to enter the Tower one more time and exit.
Soon, the 62nd-floor clear began. As they left the safe zone…
[62nd Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Dark Zombies.]
Zombies appeared from all over. They had a darker aura than the mummies. And they were fast.
“Grrruk?”
“Krrk?”
“Kegh!”
There was no need for pulling. The moment they saw the party, the humanoid undead charged with eyes full of hostility.
Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism ritual began. The rhythm of the ritual drums and bells, along with a mournful song. The zombies’ dark aura weakened, and their movements slowed.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Veronica began dealing damage from a kneeling firing position. The small bullets struck the dark auras, then pierced through to burrow into the bodies.
“Kegh!”
Gobang let out a roar and charged into the horde of zombies, with Kozak following close behind. It was definitely harder than the mummies. It would only get more difficult from here on out. Would Gyeon Dallae’s exorcism ritual even work in the late 60s floors? He had the Holy Sword, so he wasn’t too worried.
Razix is… huh?
Tumble, tumble, tumble.
What is he doing? This is the first clear, what could he possibly be looking for?
“Mr. Razix!”
“Hoeeeng!”
What if he gets caught by a zombie?
Fwip! Fwip! Fwip!
Juhyeok chased after Razix using Shadow Steps.
Tumble.
Razix rolled quickly. He had smelled it the moment they entered. The same scent that came from the Holy Sword. It was divine power.
Is it here?
He began digging excitedly with his golden pickaxe.
“Hoeng!”
Finally, an object emerged. It was a very small piece of wood. It looked like garbage on the outside, but…
“Hoeee-eh.”
There was no doubt. It was a fragment of a holy relic that still retained its divine power. Its original form was probably a statue of some kind. A fragment of a holy-attribute item. Now, if he just collected a few more, he could repair the Holy Sword.
The Summoner would be pleased.
Razix felt a small sense of relief. Soon, the Summoner might call a new person. His own position could be threatened. He had to prove his worth without rest. He would snatch the position of the Summoner’s right-hand man from that assassin. This was Razix’s grand ambition.
He felt wonderful imagining himself confidently giving a briefing in front of the Summoner.
‘Hoeh.’
He carefully placed the relic fragment in his backpack. Juhyeok, who had finally caught up, asked Razix,
“Did you find something?”
“Hoeng, yes.”
“Something good?”
“That’s right. Hoe-eh.”
Suddenly!
[You have successfully completed the 62nd Floor Mission.]
[Your level has gone up.]
[Reward: 6.2kg of Mana Stones]
It’s already over?
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ Rank Clear for the 62nd Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
“Alright, good work, everyone. And don’t be too surprised when we go outside.”
The summons tilted their heads, wondering what he meant.
[You can now challenge the 63rd Floor.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea’s Black Tower.]
Fwip!
Juhyeok and his party exited the Tower.
***
There were three Towers in China. One was near Shanghai, another to the east of Xi’an, and the last was in the mountains west of Beijing. Among these, the Shanghai Tower was the most dangerous. Being close to a major city, half of Shanghai was within its collapse range. The city of Xi’an was itself an ancient relic; a collapse would cause considerable material damage.
The Black Tower west of Beijing was in a relatively better situation. It had risen in the middle of a rugged mountain range and was about 40km away from Beijing. Therefore, considering that sinkholes were usually 10km in diameter, Beijing was outside the collapse range.
Fwip!
Juhyeok’s party appeared on a mountainside with a clear view of the Beijing Black Tower.
“Huh?”
“Huk!”
“Hmm.”
“Ah!”
“Hoeng?”
The summons were startled.
“Uwaaaah… This isn’t the penthouse, sir! We’re on a mountain! What happened, sir!”
“Hoeeeng!”
“M-My lord! Where on earth is this…?”
“The warrior is also confused.”
Juhyeok chuckled and opened his mouth.
“This is China.”
“…Sir?”
“Beijing is about 40km east of here.”
“Aigoo, our Master Summoner Bong sure knows how to joke, sir. Your sense of humor is outstanding. Hehehehe.”
“I’m serious, though.”
“…Sir?”
He explained the effect of the Ring of Exit in detail.
“Oh!”
“As expected.”
“Amazing.”
“Hoe!”
“Commander! Congratulations on securing combat mobility!”
Kozak seemed incredibly excited.
“Is Beijing to the east from here, sir?”
“I don’t really know which way is east, west, south, or north, but…”
“I know the way, sir.”
He stared intently in one direction.
“Please permit me to make a quick trip to Beijing, sir.”
“You’re going to rescue them right now?”
“No, sir! A preliminary reconnaissance is necessary. I’ll just confirm things, sir.”
“But that will still take a lot of time.”
“I will clock out from Beijing, sir.”
“Well then… go ahead.”
Fwip!
The moment he finished speaking, Kozak vanished. With his speed, he could probably reach Beijing in about an hour.
Now, what should I do?
I guess I’ll just go to a floor in the 40s and skin some basilisks. We can manage without Kozak. I’ll set the exit to the penthouse.