Spot!
Juhyeok and Gwangma exited the Tower.
Even though he had experienced it firsthand, it was still hard to believe.
"So that's why they call it legend after legend."
Just an SSR alone was terrifying enough—
there was no way an LSSR-ranked being would be handed out for free.
"This is easily a five-star rating."
How could anyone give this just one star after seeing it?
That would be shameless.
Having cleared the Tower and come out, it was now time to go.
Gwangma looked at Juhyeok and spoke.
"Summoner."
"Yes."
"Do not overexert yourself. You do not have to climb. Even if you hide behind the others, no one will criticize you. In fact, they would applaud you."
"…"
He knew it was concern.
But being told to just hide behind everyone else was a bit…
"I will wait for the day when I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you, Summoner. And even if that day never comes, call for me anytime you feel like drinking."
Spot!
With that, Gwangma disappeared.
When they first met, Gwangma had been overflowing with madness.
The second time, he had reflected—yet the madness remained.
"The third time…"
The atmosphere had definitely been better.
Even if his way of thinking hadn't changed.
Still, Juhyeok had no intention of teaming up yet.
Above all, there was simply no open spot.
And in a few days, random summoning would become available again.
"Come to think of it… what about random summoning?"
A tank, melee dealer, ranged dealer, supporter, and an all-rounder.
The team was already well balanced.
Should he summon, or not?
"If there's one open slot, I'll try it."
The most important condition was having a free spot.
A summoned being wasn't some mindless spirit or golem that couldn't communicate.
They met as person to person.
He had experienced that before, when he summoned Rajiks.
Back then, he had apologized, said there was no room right now, promised to call again later, and sent him back.
Rajiks's sad eyes from that moment were still burned into his memory.
The rule of random summoning.
If a slot opened up through trait enhancement, then he would summon.
What if something unexpected happened later?
Wouldn't it be better to summon in advance?
Well…
It might sound unpleasant to hear, but he had a spare.
A reliable backup summoned being—Gwangma.
As the thought crossed his mind, Juhyeok opened the status window catalog.
After selecting Gwangma's name—
[Gwangma's satisfaction rating has been set to 5 points.]
He more than deserved five points.
He had even received an item reward.
"Oh! Right, I need to check the item."
From his inventory, he took out the freshly acquired, still-warm ring.
"Check information."
First of all, it was tower-exclusive.
An item usable only inside the Tower.
And it was another ring.
Two rings now.
"One on the left hand, one on the right—wear them as a pair."
Then what about the item description?
Effect:
By using the Tower's network, upon exiting, you can emerge near the Tower of a designated country.
Limitation:
You must designate the Tower you will exit from in advance. If not designated, you will exit at the location where you first entered.
Feature:
Upon exit, you will appear in an uninhabited area within a 10 km radius centered on the Tower.
"…"
What is this?
Did he read it wrong?
A Tower network?
No matter how much he rubbed his eyes, the description stayed the same.
Exiting near a Tower in a specific country meant—
"Was this a teleport ring?"
For example, you could enter the Tower in Korea and exit near the Tower in the United States.
"Like wormhole travel?"
Even the item name was wrong.
This wasn't an Exit Ring—it was a Movement Ring.
And for Juhyeok, who could enter the Tower twice a day, its utility was absurd.
On top of that, it wasn't a one-time ticket. It was permanent.
With this, there was nowhere on Earth he couldn't reach.
Enter the Tower, then go to Japan, Italy, the UK, Australia… China too—
Wait.
"China…"
Even if Kosak managed to find out where the players had been kidnapped, Juhyeok had thought rescue would be difficult.
Because of the physical distance. It was absurdly far.
But with this ring?
Going to China would take no time at all.
"This is ridiculous."
Of all things, an Exit Ring dropped on the floor Gwangma cleared.
Everything fit together perfectly.
"Are they telling me to conquer the world or something?"
No way.
Let's not even think about that.
This ring would be used for a different purpose.
The next morning.
Juhyeok summoned the summoned beings one by one.
Today was scheduled for the 62nd floor of the Black Tower of the Republic of Korea.
But the moment Kosak was summoned, he meticulously explained everything that had happened the night before.
Naturally, all hell broke loose.
"A kidnapping?! Alas! This young maiden may faint once more! How can one commit acts worse than beasts?"
"The warrior is enraged. This is something no human should ever do."
"The enemy of humans is humans, indeed."
"Staff Sergeant Veronica Caliber agrees with Kosak's statement. That is precisely why my magic rifle is optimized more for killing humans than monsters."
"Hoeeek!!!"
These guys were angry all the time lately.
Even cute Rajiks.
"What in the world are the rulers of this world doing?"
Gyeon Dallae's face flushed bright red.
"We must rescue them immediately. And expose China's atrocities to the entire world!"
"Calm yourself, Princess. Do not make a needless fuss."
"What did you say? A fuss?"
"You must know your place. Someone unqualified—"
"Y-you bastard!!!"
"Summoner Bong must give permission. The authority to decide lies with Summoner Bong."
"…Oh?"
Gyeon Dallae's expression changed instantly.
She turned toward Juhyeok and bowed deeply, as if about to fly toward him.
"Please forgive me. I beg you to scold this foolish girl for her reckless behavior, unbefitting of her station."
In truth, Juhyeok had been thinking hard since earlier.
Staring quietly at the Exit Ring on his finger—
What should I do?
The ones who clear the Tower are players.
The problem is that each Tower is assigned a nationality.
Because of that, the scope expands into an issue of national survival.
To prevent collapse, each country must mobilize all its resources and clear its Tower no matter what.
Nurturing players at the national level is the representative method.
No matter the cost, they buy items, potions, skill runes, and trait-enhancement runes, investing everything into their players.
If even that fails, they temporarily naturalize players from other countries and have them clear the Tower.
But China had crossed the line.
Forced naturalization through player kidnapping.
A selfish act of sacrificing others just to save themselves.
It was incomparably more despicable than the previous case of Yoo Cheol-min's secret defection and naturalization, which Japan had orchestrated through backroom schemes.
How did they plan to bear the karmic consequences of such evil deeds?
At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
Isn't this just meddling?
Who was he to interfere? Just a single player.
All he had was better awakening traits than others.
Was he the world police or something?
Besides, he had always lived by the principle of enduring injustice rather than confronting it—that was his personal philosophy and way of surviving.
But what if there was no risk, even if he failed?
Then maybe, just once, a little meddling wouldn't be so bad.
After serious deliberation, Juhyeok finally spoke.
"Then let's rescue as many as we can—safely, as much as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
As if he had been waiting for this, Kosak connected his laptop and displayed a map on the TV.
"Summoner Bong's right-hand man, creative strategist, tactical genius, and master of life-saving—Kosak—will now begin the briefing."
Another briefing?
"The kidnapped players are being detained in a place called Zhongnanhai, Beijing, the capital of China. This is where we live—Seoul—and this is Beijing."
Rajiks shot his hand up.
"Hoeeng?"
"Go ahead, Worker Rajiks."
"It's too far."
"Worker Rajiks, that is an accurate assessment."
"Hoe…"
"Properly allocating the seven-hour summoning time is crucial. The success or failure of this operation depends on it."
There was no need to overthink it.
"The most common way to get to China is by airplane."
Click.
An image of an airplane appeared on the screen.
Gyeon Dallae raised her hand and asked,
"How would we board a plane? We don't have passports, and we'd have to pass facial and identity checks."
"After infiltrating with stealth, we can use perception-disruption devices inside the cabin."
"Oh! Such a method exists?"
"As expected of the operations chief."
"Hoeee,"
Kosak smiled smugly, the corner of his lips twitching.
"All plans are already in my head. No matter what unexpected situation arises, I'll adapt on the fly."
Clap clap clap clap!
Applause broke out.
"Now, I'll explain the details. After taking a taxi to Incheon Airport—"
Juhyeok raised his hand high.
"Ah, Summoner Bong, you don't need to raise your hand—go ahead."
"Let's stop here and enter the Tower. Today we're scheduled to clear the 62nd floor, remember?"
"Huh? Ah, but the briefing isn't finished yet."
"That's enough. Just prepare for the clear."
"…Y-yes, sir!"
A plane, my ass.
So troublesome.
There was something much faster than that.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 62nd Floor.]
If the 61st floor had been a tutorial section for undead, this was the real starting point.
Mummies were fake undead.
They felt like they existed solely to demonstrate the power of dark aura.
Because of that, they were easily dealt with using light-attribute items alone.
But from the 62nd floor onward, it was different.
Dark zombies—sturdy, strong, and fast.
First, I should choose the Tower to exit from.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind—
[Using the Tower-Exclusive Exit Ring.]
[Please designate the nationality of the Tower you wish to exit.]
China.
[There are three Black Towers in China. Please select a number.]
He had looked it up in advance.
The one closest to Beijing was Tower No. 1.
So—
Number 1.
[Designation complete. Your next exit will be within a 10 km radius of China Black Tower No. 1.]
Enter in Korea, exit in China.
And how would they get back from China to Korea?
Just enter the Tower one more time and exit again.
Soon, the 62nd-floor clear began. Once they left the safe zone—
[62nd Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Dark Zombies.]
Zombies began spawning from all directions.
A darker aura than the mummies'.
And faster movement.
"Grrk?"
"Kk?"
"Keek!"
No need to pull.
The humanoid undead charged at them with eyes full of hostility the moment they saw the party.
Gyeon Dallae's cleansing ritual began.
Drumbeats of the gutgeori rhythm, bells, and a mournful chant.
The zombies' dark aura thinned, and their movements slowed at the same time.
Pierce! Pierce! Pierce!
Veronica, firing from a standing-shooting stance, began dealing damage.
Small-caliber rounds struck the dark aura.
Then pierced through it and burrowed into the bodies beneath.
"Keek!"
Gobang roared and charged into the horde of zombies.
Kosak followed closely behind him.
It was definitely harder than the mummies.
And it would only get harder as they went higher.
Would Gyeon Dallae's cleansing ritual still work in the late 60s?
With the holy sword, there wasn't much to worry about—but still.
Rajiks is… huh?
Thud—roll.
What?
What was he even looking for during the very first clear?
"Rajiks!"
"Hoeeeeng!"
What if he got caught by a zombie like that?
Spot! Spot! Spot!
Juhyeok chased after Rajiks using Shadow Step.
Thud—roll.
Rajiks rolled away quickly.
The moment he entered, he smelled it.
That same scent that had come from the holy sword.
Holy power.
Is it here?
Swinging the golden pickaxe, he dug into the ground with excitement.
"Hoeng!"
At last, something came out.
A very small piece of wood.
At a glance, it looked like trash, but—
"Hoeeeee."
There was no doubt.
A fragment of a holy relic, still retaining traces of holy power.
Its original form had probably been something like a statue.
A fragment of a holy-attribute item.
If he gathered a few more like this, repairing the holy sword would be possible.
The Summoner would be pleased.
Rajiks felt a bit relieved.
Before long, the Summoner might call forth a new person.
His own position could be threatened.
He had to prove his worth without rest.
And then, he would seize the position of the Summoner's right hand from that assassin.
That was Rajiks's grand ambition.
Just imagining himself confidently giving briefings in front of the Summoner made him feel incredibly good.
"Hoe."
He carefully placed the relic fragment into his backpack.
Juhyeok, who had chased after him a moment late, asked Rajiks,
"What did you find?"
"Hoeng, yes."
"Something good?"
"That's right. Hoee."
At that moment!
[You have successfully completed the 62nd-floor mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: 6.2 kg of magic stones.]
It's already over.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on the 62nd floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You have been awarded a Platinum Badge.]
"All right, good work, everyone. And don't be too shocked when we go outside."
The summoned beings tilted their heads, as if wondering what he meant.
[You may now challenge the 63rd floor.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
Spot!
Juhyeok and his party exited the Tower.
China has three Towers.
One near Shanghai, another east of Xi'an City, and the last one in the mountainous region west of Beijing.
Among them, the Shanghai Tower is the most dangerous.
It's too close to a major city—half of Shanghai would fall within the collapse zone.
Xi'an itself is an ancient historic city.
If it collapsed, the material damage would be enormous.
The Black Tower west of Beijing is comparatively better off.
It rises in the middle of rugged mountains and is about 40 km away from Beijing.
Considering that sinkholes usually have a radius of 10 km, Beijing lies outside the collapse range.
Spot!
Juhyeok and his party appeared on a mountainside with a clear view of the Beijing Black Tower.
"Huh?"
"Gasp!"
"Hm."
"Ah!"
"Hoeng?"
The summoned beings were stunned.
"W-whaaat?! This is the penthouse! We came to the mountains! What's going on?!"
"Hoeeeng!"
"Y-young master! Where in the world is this…?"
"The warrior is also bewildered."
Juhyeok spoke with a small grin.
"This is China."
"…What?"
"If you go about 40 kilometers east from here, that's Beijing."
"Oh my, Summoner Bong, you're quite the joker. Excellent sense of humor. Hehehehe."
"I'm serious."
"…What?"
After Juhyeok explained the effects of the Exit Ring in detail—
"Oh!"
"As expected."
"Incredible."
"Hoe!"
"Commander! Congratulations on securing strategic combat mobility."
Kosak looked extremely excited as well.
"So Beijing is east from here?"
"I'm not really sure which direction is east, west, north, or south…"
"I know."
He stared intently in one direction.
Then—
"Please grant me permission to make a quick trip to Beijing."
"You mean rescue them right away?"
"That's right! A preliminary reconnaissance is necessary. I'll just confirm things."
"Still, that'll take a lot of time."
"I'll be back from Beijing."
"Well then… go ahead."
Spot!
The moment he finished speaking, Kosak disappeared.
With his movement speed, an hour would be more than enough to reach Beijing.
Now what should I do?
Let's dive into the 40s and skin some basilisks.
Even without Kosak, it'll be fine.
And when exiting, I'll set it to the penthouse.