The shopping trip was a success. The built-in closets in each penthouse room were now filled with the clothes and accessories the summons had bought. Well, they had spent that much money, after all.
Though he still hadn’t shaken off yesterday’s shame. His legs were sore from kicking his blankets all night.
The final, fourth-round after-party had also been spectacular. They ate and drank to their hearts’ content at the meat restaurant. He had spent tens of millions of won that day alone, but it barely made a dent in his bank account. It felt like the more he spent, the more it grew.
A few days ago, a Russian player had visited Korea, paid the rental fee, and borrowed the Holy Sword. Russia had two towers. The floors were at 63, but since their clear deadlines were different, they only cleared one. They made a reservation to come back in two months. Fortunately, there were no accidents. The clear was a success, and the Holy Sword was returned safely.
Ten million dollars were deposited into his account. For Russia, this was probably nothing. The money they must have received for clearing China’s three towers through temporary naturalization would have been enormous.
The money was multiplying like crazy. The Holy Sword rental fees, the Tower ores supplied directly to the Management Office… and he hadn’t even received the payment for the hides yet.
‘Should I buy a building?’
That was a good idea, too. Much better than just letting the money sit in his bank account.
In any case, it was time to clear the 65th floor. The original plan had been to park at the 64th floor. The perks ended there, so he hadn’t intended to push himself unnecessarily. He had been planning to build some camaraderie with the new summon, buy a car, and maybe go on a road trip across the country.
But his plans had changed. The biggest factor was that he could now use the Inquisitor, Lucius Vardin, as a Holy Sword, thanks to Kozak’s evil idea. Recalling the ghouls exploding before Vardin’s radiance, he even felt a strange sense of pleasure.
He wondered what the battle against the 65th-floor Dullahan would be like. It was an undead monster known as a mid-boss, after all.
There was another advantage to climbing to higher floors. The number of item fragments Razix could find through his exploration would increase. If he didn’t climb now, how could he call himself a top-tier man of the Tower?
Before climbing, Juhyeok called Deputy Chief Jeon Kwang-il.
— Ah! Player Bong, what a surprise. It’s not often you call first.
“It’s nothing much, but I was thinking of clearing the 65th and 66th floors… Is that alright?”
— Hahaha, of course, if you want to climb, you should. But please, hold off on the 67th floor. As you know, we need to use up the full clear period.
“Oof, of course I’m not going to the 67th floor.”
That would scare people. The media was already in a frenzy when he completed the 64th-floor S++ clear. They were clamoring about whether he should be stopped, that an uncontrolled genius was dangerous.
“Let’s just casually leak it while we’re at it.”
— Sir?
“That I won’t be climbing to the 67th floor. That the Awakened Management Office had a prior understanding with Gobang.”
— That’s…
“Well, everyone probably knows by now, anyway.”
The supply of the Holy Sword, hides, and ores. Unless you were a fool, most people would have noticed. That the Management Office and the S++ Rank Clear Holder had a close relationship.
— Understood. I’ll just subtly hint at it. Vaguely.
He had given them a heads-up. First, the 65th floor. Juhyeok summoned his familiars one by one, in order of seniority.
“Sir! Master Summoner Bong’s right arm, the brilliant schemer, the special secret agent, Kozak, has arrived!”
He appeared wearing a pair of luxury sunglasses he had bought at the department store. It was the last way he had seen him.
‘So they really do appear just as they were saved.’
Next, Gobang. He wore a top-of-the-line luxury suit. Designer shoes, a tie, and the glittering Platinum Badge on his chest.
“Summoner, Gobang has also arrived.”
He looked great. The fit was no joke.
“But you can’t go into the Tower wearing that. It’ll rip if you giantify.”
“It’s fine, Summoner. It won’t rip.”
“…Why not?”
“It was saved and authenticated as my possession. When I giantify, the clothes stretch.”
“Ah!”
So he would get to see a giant Gobang in a suit?
Gyeon Dallae, too.
“Thank you for calling me again today.”
Jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers. A perfect Korean teenager.
And Razix and Veronica?
“Hoeng!”
“Victory! Sergeant Veronica Caliber, reporting for duty at the Commander’s call!”
They had both bought a lot of miscellaneous things, but nothing about them had changed. Razix’s purchases were stored in his dimensional backpack, and Veronica’s things were in her closet.
“Shall we go to the 65th floor, then?”
Time to hunt a Dullahan. He would summon the weapon once they were inside.
***
[Entering the 65th Floor of the Republic of Korea’s Black Tower.]
The environment of the 65th floor was a plain. So even from the safe zone, the mission area was clearly visible. It was like an ocean. A real wave was coming. A wave of undead.
‘That’s terrifying.’
A legion-sized force of undead. Every type of undead that had appeared up to the 64th floor filled the vast plain. And in the middle of the plain, on a high ground, was a headless knight on a skeletal horse.
The mission for the 65th floor was that very guy. Kill the Dullahan, and the game was over. But it was extremely difficult. To reach the Dullahan, you had to break through the massive undead army. How was that even possible?
Of course, there was a relatively easy way. The Dullahan didn’t just stay put on the high ground. It would start moving soon. As if trying to imitate a commander, it would circle the plain on its skeletal horse, as if on patrol. It usually took about five hours from the start of its patrol to reach the entrance of the mission area. So if you just waited quietly without doing anything, it would appear right in front of the players.
“It will be easy if we wait for about five hours, my lord. Although the Dullahan is a knight and thus the size and range of its dark aura are wide, it also has the disadvantage of having no head, so it is not difficult to face.”
Meaning, they could just kill it after five hours.
“Then what about an S++ clear?”
“Would that not be difficult, my lord?”
“Is it completely impossible?”
“It is possible with a direct assault. If we break through the undead army and kill the Dullahan directly…”
“Hmm.”
Break through that?
‘That would be dangerous.’
Especially for the non-combat summons, Gyeon Dallae and Razix.
Still, there was a way. A direct assault. He had the Holy Sword, after all.
“Mr. Razix and the Princess, please move with Gobang. Ride on his shoulders.”
Gobang had done it a few times, so he would be used to it. However…
“Huh? No can do, sir. The princess is one thing, but our Worker Razix, when he gets rolling, he’s faster than Sergeant Bae. You should ride, Master Summoner Bong.”
“Hoe!”
He couldn’t do that. Children and adolescents first. It was embarrassing; even as a wimp man, he couldn’t yield on this.
“What am I, a slug? Who taught you Shadow Steps? Huh? Did you forget about Air Walking?”
“Uwah, th-that’s not what I meant, sir.”
“My lord, please climb up with this maiden. A scholar does not run even when it rains…”
“Enough. Just do as I say. I’ll run, so you all just get ready to run.”
“…Sir.”
Break through the undead army and kill the Dullahan directly. A clear that no one had ever attempted before. Then again, all of his clears had been like that so far.
“Let’s begin.”
Swooooosh! Gobang’s body grew until it seemed to touch the sky. The suit stretched with him, and it looked so cool. He couldn’t call him a barbarian warrior anymore. Gobang, the cold city warrior. But endlessly warm to his comrades.
“Designated Summon: Lucius Vardin.”
Fwip!
“Summoner! You are being deceiv—”
“Shh! All skills other than manifesting radiance are forbidden. All speech other than ‘Let there be light!’ is forbidden. All struggling is forbidden.”
“…”
Gobang lifted the powerless Vardin.
“Vardin, manifest radiance.”
“Let there be light!!!”
FWOOOOSH! A brilliant radiance, so bright it was blinding. At the same time, Juhyeok and his party moved carefully forward. Ready to run as soon as the mission began.
In the distance, he could see the headless knight, the Dullahan, standing tall on his horse. It was an all-out charge. Break everything that stands in the way.
[65th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 Dark Knight Dullahan.]
[Time Limit: Within 16 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Dark Knight Dullahan 0/1]
The time limit was long. That meant the time to judge for an S++ Rank would also be long.
“Run!”
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Gobang led the way with his giant strides.
“Kyaaak!”
“Kak!”
“Kraaa!”
The horde of undead swarmed towards them like a school of piranhas that had found its prey.
SWOOSH! SWING! SWING!
As the human Holy Sword, Vardin, was swung, the undead crumbled.
“Assault mode, buckshot small-caliber rounds loaded, selector on full auto, commencing tactical fire.”
Psh-shat! Psh-shat! Psh-shat!
Veronica’s full-auto buckshot fire. The purpose was to prevent the enemy from approaching, rather than for penetration. The undead hit by the bullets flinched and took a step back. Kozak followed behind, guarding Juhyeok.
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
They were both using the same skill: Shadow Steps.
“Vardin, radiance.”
“Let there be light!!!”
SWOOOOSH! Fss-ss-ss-sa!
There was nothing to stop them. Gobang charged forward, sweeping away the undead as if he were a military unit clearing snow. They couldn’t stop for even a moment. A single misstep and they would be swept away by the wave of undead.
How long would it take? No one knew, as this was a path they had never taken before. In any case, this was the fastest way to clear.
“Radiance.”
“Let there be light!!!”
Who could stop Gobang? He strode forward, swinging the Vardin in his hand back and forth.
Fssss-ssss-ssss-sa…
Still, the horde of undead charged relentlessly. When they got close, Veronica would provide suppressive fire.
Psh-shat! Psh-shat!
And Kozak’s Shock Breaker, which momentarily stopped the target.
Fzzt!
Jingle, jingle.
Gyeon Dallae, riding on his shoulder, shook her bell, and Razix also swung his golden pickaxe, cheering Gobang on.
“Huu-eh-ehk!”
But there were too many. An endless sea of them. The undead came crashing down on them in waves.
“Let there be light!!!”
Fssss-ssss-sak.
“Let there be light!!!”
But this was strange. He hadn’t ordered Vardin to manifest radiance.
“Let there be light!!!”
He’s doing it on his own?
It was true. Lucius Vardin was shouting it himself.
“Let there be light!!!”
Vardin’s eyes were bloodshot. His voice was filled with madness. His expression was also crazed. Was he evolving from a fake madman to a real one? He wasn’t even staying still while being swung by Gobang. He was swinging the flail in his hand, smashing the undead.
“Th-th-that guy’s a pervert, sir! He added an auto-radiance function himself! He’s enjoying it! Uwah, that gives me the creeps.”
He’s enjoying it in this situation?
“Look at his face, sir! Isn’t he smiling? He’s gone nuts. His preferences are suspect.”
Says the one who made him that way. Two of a kind.
When on earth would he meet a proper summon?
‘No, there is one. Our dependable Worker Razix.’
Juhyeok looked up at Razix, who was riding on Gobang’s shoulder.
“Huu-eh-ehk!!!”
Razix raised his golden pickaxe high on his shoulder and let out a roar at the horde of undead.
“…”
Is he starting to go crazy, too? It would be troublesome if even Razix became like that.
The remaining distance was just over 100 meters. Gobang charged forward.
“Let there be light!!!”
Fssss-ssss-sak!
80 meters.
“My lord, we are almost there. Please be careful until the very end.”
60 meters.
“Commander! Large-caliber round ready!”
50 meters.
“Fire!”
Zzzing!
Fwoooosh! Paaaaat!
The large-caliber round hit the Dullahan. Its dark aura weakened noticeably.
Remaining distance, about 30 meters.
It was at that very moment! Razix, on Gobang’s shoulder, tensed up, his fur standing on end.
“Hoe-eh-eh-eh?”
Sniff, sniff.
He could smell it. The smell. There was something. Right over there. But it was a little deep. It would take time to dig it out. The 65th-floor clear seemed to be ending soon. Could he dig it out before then? It would be tight. If he was going to dig, he had to do it now. There was no guarantee it would still be there if they came back for a repeat clear. The floor resets when the mission is completed.
“Hoe-eh-ehk!!!”
Leap!
Razix finally leaped from Gobang’s shoulder. Simultaneously, tumble-tumble-tumble-tumble…
Razix dodged and weaved through the undead, rolling away.
“Foremost Servant! Are you mad? Come back here at once!!!”
Gyeon Dallae screamed in terror. Juhyeok saw it, too. It was a crisis.
“Mr. Razix!”
Fwip!
Juhyeok chased after Razix with Shadow Steps. The undead swarmed towards them.
Vwoooom!
A thick, bloody Blood Jade Aura enveloped his arms up to his elbows.
Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip!
Juhyeok’s form moved, leaving afterimages.
Slice! Crack! Slice-slice-slice! Fssss-ssss-sak!
He shouted as he lopped off the heads of the approaching undead with his Blood Jade Aura.
“Mr. Gobang, get the Dullahan first!”
“R-right. Summoner.”
Razix already had tunnel vision. He, too, was in a state of madness. Item, item… badge, badge.
A golden pickaxe in each hand.
“Hwek! Hwek! Hwek!”
Dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig!
He dug down into the ground like a madman. Juhyeok, Veronica, and Kozak were busy protecting him.
Gobang faced the Dullahan alone. No, with the Holy Sword, Vardin.
SWOOOSH!
The Dullahan charged on its horse, wielding a long lance.
GRAB!
Gobang caught the Dullahan’s lance with one hand, raised Vardin high, and brought him down.
“Let there be light!!!”
A brilliant radiance. Vardin’s spiked armor. And the combined attack of the flail.
SWISH! POW! One hit.
“Let there be light!!!”
SWISH! POW! Two hits.
“Let there be light!!!”
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH…
POW! POW! POW…
Gobang crushed the Dullahan with the Holy Sword, Vardin, as if he were threshing grain.
CRACK! The Dullahan was crushed.
CRACK! The skeletal horse did not survive either.
The Dark Knight Dullahan scattered into dust.
[Dark Knight Dullahan Defeated 1/1]
[You have successfully completed the 65th Floor Mission.]
[Your level has gone up.]
[Reward: 6.5kg of Mana Stones]
And…
“Hueng!”
Covered in dirt, Razix triumphantly held up a large rune fragment from the hole he had dug.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ Rank Clear for the 65th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
[You can now challenge the 66th Floor.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea’s Black Tower.]
Fwip!
Juhyeok’s Penthouse.
“Haaah.”
“Hooo.”
“…”
“Mmm.”
“Hoeh…”
Who knew it would be this hard? Everyone was exhausted. Juhyeok, his summons, and even the Holy Sword dangling from Gobang’s hand.
Sway, sway.
Vardin’s pale face, his unfocused eyes, his dented spiked armor. Drip, drip. Beads of sweat rolled down.
“Kk-eu-uh…”
He looked like he was about to die. He had to let him go.
“Lucius Vardin, dismiss summon.”
Fwip!
After collecting himself for a moment, Juhyeok looked at Razix and asked.
“…Why did you do that?”
“Hueh, this.”
Razix handed a rune fragment to Juhyeok.
“No, for just one rune fragment? Huh? What was so urgent about this!”
He could have died. He could have just dug it up slowly during a repeat clear. Still, he had to check the information…
“Huk!”
The information of the rune fragment appeared in his head.
“I-is it a good one, sir?”
“…It’s a jackpot.”
No wonder the piece was so big. Just one more fragment and it would be complete. And in Juhyeok’s inventory were countless rune fragments.
‘If just one of them fits…’
He opened his inventory and poured out the fragments. Clatter-clatter.
Gulp. He swallowed dryly and tried to fit the fragments one by one.
Slide, slide, slide…
It was then. Slide, click!
A single rune fragment snapped into place like a magnet.
[You have acquired a Rune of Summon Rank Up.]
“Hee-eeyah!!!”
“It clicked, sir!”
“Congratulations.”
“How many is that now? That’s amazing, my lord.”
Puff!
Razix puffed out his chest. The angle for a badge seemed sharp. This would make four?
“Mr. Razix.”
“Hoe!”
“Good job.”
“Hoe-eh-eh.”
“But there is no badge.”
“Hoek?”
Razix’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t just praise him unconditionally. His impulsive action had been so dangerous. If he praised him here, he might do it again next time.
“Who told you to run out on your own without an order? Do you want to be unable to be summoned for 100 days?”
“…Hoeh, I’m sorry.”
“I was originally going to ban you from being summoned for three days, but I’ll forgive you with this.”
“Hueh.”
It hurt his heart, but rewards and punishments had to be strict. That aside.
“Ms. Veronica?”
“Sergeant Veronica Caliber!”
“Congratulations in advance on your promotion.”
“Ah!”
“It’s thanks to Mr. Razix, so…”
Suddenly!
“Q-Quartermaster!”
Veronica threw her arms around Razix in a tight embrace. Razix was buried deep in her enormous chest.
Is he going to suffocate and die in there?
‘…Hmm.’
‘…Hmm.’
‘…Hmm.’
Anyway, what would her changed appearance be like?