Late at night.
A suite at Ilsung Hotel in Seoul.
Abdul Bin-Sala, Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, could not fall asleep.
There were only fifteen days left until the tower in the UAE collapsed.
And yet, the reason he had stayed here for five days.
He had expected that the request for temporary naturalization would be rejected.
Would the Korean government really lend out its top player so easily?
Still, individual choices could differ.
Korea was known for guaranteeing players' personal freedom to the greatest extent possible.
He had placed his hopes on that.
So he persistently tried to make personal contact with Player Nam Ga-eun…
Only to be flatly rejected.
Not even a single day of temporary naturalization, let alone fifteen.
Next.
He mobilized Korean media outlets.
To appeal to the S++-rank record holder of the Korean Black Tower.
He spread articles offering the best possible conditions and asking them to contact the embassy.
But every call that came in was nothing but prank calls.
All attempts had failed.
Only one option remained.
Return to the UAE and beg the Saudi Arabian government.
But Saudi Arabia's demands were excessive.
Temporary naturalization was possible.
In exchange, they demanded the Trait Enhancement Rune.
They also demanded land near the border.
An area with gas fields.
On top of that: one billion dollars in cash, one ton of magic stones, one ton of tower metal, one hundred pieces of tower leather…
Even thieves wouldn't steal like this.
But in return, they promised to clear not only the 60th floor, but also the 61st floor six months later.
There's no choice.
Until things stabilized, he had no option but to sign a humiliating contract.
Other countries would make similar demands anyway.
Better a neighboring country than a distant one.
He couldn't afford to keep relations with Saudi Arabia hostile forever.
I'll have to return tomorrow.
At that moment—
Beep!Clack!
The suite door opened.
Huh?
The security team?
He hadn't called them.
Scrrrrk.
The sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor.
Curious, he stepped toward the door.
"…."
A Western man was dragging two unconscious guards inside.
He even had a shield and an iron club strapped to his back.
An intruder, without a doubt.
Bin-Sala tried to move out of the way—
And their eyes met.
Gasp!
He sucked in a breath.
And kept sucking in.
He couldn't exhale.
He couldn't move his body.
He stood there, nailed to the spot.
The man was smiling.
That smile was unbearably chilling.
As if it were his own home, the man slowly walked over and sat down on the sofa.
He gestured toward the sofa across from him.
Sit.
Only then did Bin-Sala's body begin to move.
His breathing returned to normal.
He had no choice but to comply.
Thud.
A sheet of paper was placed on the table.
He glanced at it.
Two words written in English:
Interpreter, Korean.
A Korean?
Judging by appearances, he didn't look Korean at all.
Regardless, he was being told to call people.
Bin-Sala picked up the phone.
"May… may I make a call?"
A nod.
A gesture of permission.
Fine.
He'd call them.
An interpreter—and the guards too.
Bin-Sala sent a message on his smartphone.
Explaining that an intruder had broken in, detailing the situation.
Then—
Thunderrr.
Guards and aides flooded into the suite.
Each pointing a handgun at the intruder.
"Don't move!"
"Hands up! Unless you want a hole in your head!"
"Protect the Crown Prince!"
"Move a finger and we shoot!"
Click! Click! Click!
More than ten gun barrels were aimed at him.
Yet the man remained relaxed.
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa.
"Who are you! How dare you approach the Crown Prince—"
That was when—
Flash!
Slice, slice, slice, shrrrk—
Bursts of light illuminated the dark suite.
Thud, clatter, thud-thud.
The front halves of the pistols, cleanly severed, fell to the floor.
At some point, the intruder now held short daggers in both hands.
He had cut the pistols—with daggers.
Was that even possible?
With nothing but daggers?
Everyone was struck dumb.
Not just from shock—they simply couldn't move.
A terrifying pressure was constricting the bodies of the guards and aides.
Their legs trembled.
Their faces went pale.
It felt like a sharp blade was pressed against their throats.
And the intruder's face—
Impossible to read.
Was he smiling? Angry?
An eerie, blank expression.
The intruder pointed to the paper again.
Translate.
Bin-Sala glanced at the aide who could interpret Korean and spoke.
"A-alright. Who are you?"
The aide translated.
Kosak did not answer the question.
He simply said—
"Bring the Trait Enhancement Rune."
Flinch!
The Crown Prince's eyes widened.
The Trait Enhancement Rune?
Absolutely impossible.
Even if he died here.
So he steeled himself to refuse—
"I'd rather die than—"
"I'll clear the 60th floor within fifteen days. And the 61st floor six months later."
Startled, Bin-Sala stopped mid-sentence.
"H-how? By naturalizing yourself?"
"No. There will be no naturalization."
"…Are you mocking me right now?"
Kosak continued with a thin, unsettling smile.
"Do you have a player affiliated with the UAE here?"
"…."
Bin-Sala clamped his mouth shut.
In truth, he did have one with him.
Omar Hassan—a promising player being nurtured by the UAE.
He had already been given Trait Enhancement twice.
But he was still only level 27.
Far, far from reaching the 60th floor.
Bin-Sala always kept Omar close.
For security reasons.
His side was the safest place.
And the Trait Enhancement Rune was there as well.
And now he was being told to bring him?
"…So you do have one. Bring him here. Now."
"I'm not killing them. They're just unconscious. But if you don't listen, everyone dies."
Then—
"Want to test it?"
The killing intent filling the suite thickened even further.
He hadn't done anything, yet it felt like their throats would be cut at any moment.
Overwhelmed by terror, one of the aides collapsed to his knees.
"Bring him. Now."
Bin-Sala realized it then.
He had to obey this man.
If not, they would really all die.
Their heads would roll across the floor like the severed ends of those pistols.
He signaled to an aide with his eyes.
A moment later—
Omar Hassan entered the room.
Kosak looked at him and asked,
"If you're a player, you can check item information, right?"
Omar glanced at Bin-Sala once, then nodded.
Kosak pulled out a yellow, card-like paper ticket from his pocket.
"Check it. You can read the effect out loud."
The moment Omar took the paper with trembling hands—
"…Huh?"
His eyes went wide.
"…A Multinational Tower Access Ticket?"
Bin-Sala asked with a puzzled expression.
"Omar, w-what kind of ticket is that?"
"It's a Multinational Tower Access Ticket. It says you can enter any tower regardless of nationality…"
"What?"
"That's what the system message says."
A Multinational Tower Access Ticket.
The name was as straightforward as it got.
Of course, he'd never heard of such a thing.
But Omar had no reason to lie, and if the system itself said so, it couldn't be a forgery.
Taking the ticket back, Kosak spoke firmly.
"I promise you this. The UAE Black Tower's 60th floor will be cleared within fifteen days. The 61st floor as well."
A brief silence followed.
The fear eased little by little.
Because Bin-Sala now understood—the man had come here to make a deal.
The Crown Prince's mind raced.
A promise to clear the 60th floor within fifteen days, and the 61st floor six months later.
Compared to Saudi Arabia's conditions, this was unbelievably favorable.
No land to hand over. No tower materials. No money. Nothing.
Just one Trait Enhancement Rune.
But would a contract like this really be honored?
What if he handed over the rune and the promise wasn't kept?
As these thoughts churned, Kosak pointed at Omar.
"You."
"W-what now…?"
"I'll give you a gift. As a sign of goodwill."
"A g-gift?"
Kosak unstrapped the mace and shield he had brought and placed them on the table.
"Take them."
Not understanding what was happening, Omar glanced at Bin-Sala, then picked up the mace and shield.
At the same time, an exclamation burst from his mouth.
"Ah!"
He couldn't help it.
What kind of items are these…?
Effect: Increases the wearer's focus, emits dazzling flashes, greatly enhances physical and magical defense, and upon a successful block, reflects damage to the enemy with a certain probability.
Special: Maintains composure under any status ailment. Absolutely indestructible.
Effect: Increases attack speed in combat, freezes targets, expands attack range, and upon a successful hit, has a chance to activate an Ice Field.
Special: Guides enemies to the rest of twilight. Absolutely indestructible.
Seeing his reaction, Kosak smirked.
You could tell just by his expression.
He was stunned by the item effects.
As Omar stood there dumbfounded, clutching the mace and shield, Bin-Sala asked,
"Omar, what is it?"
"Both of these are items that came directly from the tower. They're not crafted equipment."
"Not crafted?"
"I-I've never seen items like this before. There's no way to obtain them on the market."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. The option effects are incredible. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the strongest weapons. Honestly, I want to enter the tower and use them right now."
Bin-Sala looked at Kosak with a strange gaze.
"These items… did you come to sell them?"
"I told you. They're a gift of goodwill."
"Even if I don't give you the Trait Enhancement Rune?"
"I won't take it back. Everyone here will just die instead."
That sounded like the same thing.
A gift, huh…
Omar clearly loved the equipment.
Just looking at him hugging the weapons in rapture—
"If I give you the rune, will the tower really be cleared?"
"I stake my name on it."
"And what name is that?"
"Gobang."
Gobang.
A peculiar name.
Not that it mattered.
"Crown Prince, let me ask you one thing. Is the Trait Enhancement Rune in this room right now?"
"No. Surely you don't think I'd carry something that important around—"
"It's here."
Kosak said, scanning the room.
"The living room? No. Then that room? Not there either. How about the bedroom?"
There was a reaction.
"Found it. It was in the bedroom."
Gulp.
Bin-Sala swallowed hard.
"Be honest."
"…"
"I'm not just good at killing people. I'm very good at torture too."
What couldn't he do?
With just his gaze, he was already immobilizing everyone.
"If I torture you, I can make you personally offer up the Trait Enhancement Rune with your own hands in under a minute."
"…Hmm."
"But listen carefully. Don't miss this opportunity."
He had no choice but to believe him.
This was someone who clearly could—and would—do exactly that.
Yet so far, he hadn't killed anyone.
He'd even given gifts.
Countless thoughts flashed through Bin-Sala's mind.
Gobang claimed he could clear the tower without naturalization.
He'd even proven it with the ticket.
Who was he? An S++-rank record holder, perhaps?
At that level, could someone exert power even outside the tower?
No—his identity didn't matter.
What mattered was whether he would keep his promise, or take the rune and feign ignorance.
If he could be sure of that alone—
His hesitation dragged on.
Even so, the intruder called Gobang continued to wait patiently.
Despite looking like someone who might resort to torture at any moment.
Even now, his heart was pounding with fear—
Yet his trust was slowly growing.
A moment later—
Bin-Sala made his decision.
He would stake his fate on Gobang.
"Wait here."
He went into the bedroom and returned with a small aluminum case.
A case with fingerprint authentication, designed to explode if the password was entered incorrectly.
Click!
Opening it, he caressed the rune for a long moment.
"Here it is. Take it."
Kosak grinned.
"Congratulations. You live. And the UAE will be safe too."
At last—the Enhancement Rune was secured.
He also stowed away the ominous weapons.
"Let's keep tonight a secret. No good comes from others knowing, right?"
Bin-Sala's body trembled.
Somehow, he felt relieved.
Because even after achieving his goal, the intruder was still letting him live.
"A-alright. I'll keep it secret…"
"Oh, one more thing. Are you satisfied with the deal?"
"What do you mean?"
"The deal we made. You have to be satisfied. Both of us do. It's an important matter."
"…Y-yes. I'm satisfied."
"Good. You'll be even more satisfied in fifteen days. And again in six months."
And then—
Whoosh.
Kosak vanished into the darkness.
Bin-Sala felt as if he'd woken from a dream.
Had he really done the right thing?
He'd know in fifteen days.
Juhyeok was alone in the penthouse.
After sending Kosak off to negotiate, he had dismissed Gyeon-dallae, Gobang, and Rajiks.
Honestly, he was worried.
Kosak had left full of confidence, talking big…
An assassin negotiating?
It was hard to believe.
Still, he'd checked the privileges already, and all that remained was random summoning.
But he had no intention of doing that yet.
He had to assume the negotiation might fail.
Even if it meant removing Rajiks, he'd aim for an opportunity on the 55th floor.
Or maybe push all the way to the 60th floor.
If the negotiation succeeded, they'd still have to climb to the 60th floor.
If it failed, they'd have to climb anyway for the privileges.
But in this situation, what if yet another non-combat summon appeared?
"…Sigh."
Only a sigh came out.
He didn't even want to imagine it.
Still, even in the worst-case scenario, he had a card to turn things around.
The Berserk Demon.
The strongest summoned being of LSSR rank.
Just thinking about him was oddly reassuring.
If only he were a little less crazy, they might have worked together.
If he hadn't talked about killing those in power, starting wars, and the like—
What if I try summoning him once more?
Things might turn out differently.
If so, he could be used as a hidden card.
The thought grew stronger.
He wanted to try.
At least check what he was thinking now.
"Ah, whatever. What's the harm in summoning him once?"
Let's do it.
Juhyeok opened the status window's catalog list.
"Designated summon: Berserk Demon!"
[The Berserk Demon has been designated and summoned.]
Flash!
Once again, the Berserk Demon appeared.
As always, his bearing alone was that of an immortal.
"Summoner, I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you again."
"…Yes. Me too."
Actually, not really.
"After being forcibly dismissed by the summoner, I spent much time reflecting. On what exactly I did wrong."
Oh?
Something felt different.
"I realized that such extreme methods are not suited to this world. Even killing people has its limits. It takes too much time, and the side effects would be severe."
"That's right."
Unbelievable.
Our Berserk Demon has changed.
"…Would you like a drink?"
"I won't refuse. If it's given by the summoner, I would drink even poison."
Juhyeok took a chilled can of soda from the fridge, psst! popped it open, and handed it over.
After drinking deeply—
"It has been nearly a thousand years since I last tasted the food of the world."
He really liked it.
The smile on his lips proved it.
"Killing all those in power was a foolish idea to begin with."
"Well, I wouldn't call it foolish—just a bit extreme."
"Hahaha! Indeed."
Then—
"I wonder which nation in this world possesses the greatest national power."
The strongest country?
"That would be the United States."
"The United States… is it ruled by a king?"
"No. By a president."
"Ah! I see. Then all we need to do is turn the president of the United States into a Silhonin and make him obey."
"…What?"
What's a Silhonin now?
"There exists a great art called the Silhon Grand Law. It destroys a human's mind and turns them into an obedient puppet. It consumes immense mental power, so even I can only create one Silhonin per use."
Why does this feel like it's getting worse?
"If I use the Silhon Grand Law on the U.S. president and make him follow orders, we can replace wars of conquest, pacify the world, and unify it later. Such a simple solution, yet I failed to think of it and foolishly—"
Haaah…
This is driving me insane.
"The summoner and I wouldn't need to stain our hands with blood. Of course, wars would still cause great damage, but that is a small sacrifice for the greater good."
"…"
"Let us act quickly. Where is the president of the United States? If we are to make him wage wars of conquest, we must begin at once."
He hadn't changed at all.
"Berserk Demon."
"Speak. You will surely like it as well. This plan was devised through deep reflection."
"Your reflection is insufficient. The direction is completely wrong. Very wrong."
"…Huh?"
The Berserk Demon blinked.
At the same time, Juhyeok's lips parted.
"Dismiss."
"Wait, why do you always—"
Flash! And then—
[The Berserk Demon's satisfaction rating has been set to 1 point.]
Summoning him just to ask was a mistake.
He should forget it and just proceed with random summoning.
At that very moment—
Beep! The front door opened.
"L-loyal! Your right-hand man, dependable aide, master of negotiations—Kosak has returned, sir!"
Huh?
Already?
"…How did it go? The Trait Enhancement Rune?"
"Hehehe. Hehehehehe. Hehehehehehehe."
Kosak laughed loudly, unable to contain himself.
Juhyeok didn't even need to hear the answer.
He already knew.