CHAPTER 70 - Wimp’s Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Today is the day to clear the 64th floor.

Clear it, return the holy sword, and then rest for a while.

I need to make money by collecting the rental fees.

I should also stop by my parents' place.

It's been a while since I last visited.

I wonder if they're using the money I gave them properly.

I'll tell them to spend it freely.

If they don't, I'll threaten to give them even more.

I've been running nonstop for far too long.

It's about time to enjoy the spoils.

What's the point of feeling happy just looking at the number in your bank account?

It only means something if you actually spend it.

And then there's the perk I'll receive after clearing the 64th floor.

If I get a perk this time, the next one will be on the 69th floor—it might take over a year.

With the normal tower-clearing route, perks have become hard to obtain.

Of course, if I use another Multinational Tower Access Ticket midway, it could be faster than that.

If I get really desperate for perks, I could consider other methods too.

For example, temporary naturalization.

Temporarily naturalize to a suitable country, then sweep their tower from the 1st floor to the top?

Naturally, all S++ clears.

I could easily get at least fifty-five Platinum Badges.

But even that isn't guaranteed.

Is the Tower really that easy?

There's no way it would hand out perks so freely.

Even if you get a "first clear" judgment, if the level gap is too large, the S++ rating might not be recognized.

And temporary naturalization has to be handled carefully.

It's something to consider only when there's a compelling reason.

Either way, my expectations for this perk aren't as high as before.

Maybe it's because of Rajiks collecting fragments?

I should just go in with an easy mind.

No need to overdo things and make Gyeon Dallae suffer with excessive rituals.

Honestly, the issue Juhyeok is facing right now isn't the perk.

It's the random summon.

Do I draw it, or do I save it?

"The deck's important. You need multiple usable cards so you can make combinations and clear more efficiently. You should draw."

That's true.

The Tower clear borrows the format of a game.

The more diverse the cards, the better—but still—

"I believe it would be best to perform the random summon. This maiden shall follow the Young Master's decision alone. Please do not concern yourself with us."

"Reinforcing the troops is the commander's authority. I hope you recruit good branches and strengthen our overall combat power."

"The warrior thinks the same."

"Ho-eng!"

The summoned ones are clearly leaning toward drawing.

Of course they are—they only want things to go well for him.

And because he understands that feeling so well, Juhyeok can't help but hesitate.

This makes me want to cry. Really.

At this point, even the heavens should be moved and toss out a Trait Enhancement Rune or something.

"All right, let's just get the perk first."

"Yes, sir!"

"It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"The 64th floor should be manageable."

Then let's go.

[Entering the 64th Floor of the Black Tower (Republic of Korea).]

The 64th floor of the Black Tower is infested with ghouls.

The terrain is a massive cave with a high ceiling.

Holes were bored through the walls in every direction—above, below, all around—like a honeycomb.

Torches were sparsely mounted on the walls, but the light was weak, making the cave extremely dark.

Dark Ghouls.

You could think of them as upgraded zombies, but from what he'd heard, the differences were significant.

"Zombies were originally humans. They're based on human bodies. Strip away the aura and they're weak. Same goes for mummies and skeletons."

"Ah."

"And their brains are rotten. They're stupid—just moving on instinct."

But ghouls?

"They were born that way. The entire species is ghouls. Their movements are natural and strong. They don't creak and stumble like zombies. Their brains are fresh, so they're smart."

"Their bodies are tough too. Even sword aura doesn't cut them easily. If you don't kill them properly, they revive using dark power. That's how monster undead are."

Gyeon Dallae nodded in agreement.

"That is why the type of ritual must also change. From here on, it is not a cleansing rite, but an exorcism to subdue evil spirits."

Then let's go.

Time to hunt evil spirits.

[64th Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Dark Ghouls.]

From here and there, dark ghouls revealed themselves from holes in the cave walls.

They didn't charge in recklessly.

Crouching low, they crawled out slowly, flashing their yellow eyes as they watched the summoned ones warily.

"Come!"

Gobang stepped forward alone.

"Kya-rk!"

"Kak?"

"Grrr…"

"Kekek!"

Spot! Papat!

The ghouls lunged at Gobang with startling speed.

They drove their sharp claws into his back, shoulders, and legs.

Gobang's body was quickly covered in ghouls.

Pa-shut!

Veronica's magical gun roared.

Kosak approached with shadow footsteps.

At the same time, Gyeon Dallae's exorcism ritual began.

Rajiks, too, had already rolled his way to the front lines.

He seemed to be exploring the empty holes left behind by the ghouls.

Probably fine to leave him alone.

Rajiks was clever in his own way.

He never went near truly dangerous places.

Even while digging, he kept looking around, fully alert in case a ghoul approached.

All right, then…

This time, Juhyeok fully intended to step in himself.

Once the clear is over, the holy sword will be stored by the Administration for a while.

There are so many reservations lined up.

If I just sit around during this clear, when am I ever going to kill even one monster with it?

This is my chance to really use the holy sword.

Of course, it's scary.

But one of the holy sword's effects—

Steadfast Mind.

Maybe because of that, courage welled up even in the wimp's chicken heart.

Just then, the summoned ones were all too busy dealing with the ghouls.

"Kraaaah! Come at me!"

"Sir Kosak, a ghoul has latched onto me. Please take care of it."

"Roger! Princess, please step back a bit. Even without getting close, the weakening debuff will apply."

"Quartermaster! Requesting ammunition resupply!"

"Ho-eek!"

Step by step.

Juhyeok moved closer to the battlefield.

He had already activated his energy barrier earlier.

And he was fully prepared to use Blink magic as well.

That one should be just right.

A ghoul that had emerged late from a hole and was wandering around.

Target acquired.

He gripped the holy sword tightly.

An image of himself formed in his mind.

Shadow Steps—pop pop pop—create afterimages, then Blink—

At that moment—

Shashat!

"Kyaaah!"

"Wha—shit, you scared the hell out of me."

From the hole immediately to his right, a ghoul burst out like lightning and pounced on Juhyeok.

In the blink of an eye.

The ghoul's black, long claws slashed diagonally across Juhyeok's upper body.

Tssspirit!

Chaaang! Pachee-jjik—

The energy barrier shattered into pieces.

At the same time, sharp yellow fangs lunged for Juhyeok's neck.

"You bastard!"

Whooom!

Acting on instinct, Juhyeok slapped the ghoul across the face.

"Get lost!"

Slash!

The creature's head was cut cleanly at an angle. Thud.

"Whew…"

That startled me.

This was an area the party had already swept through—looks like it had stayed hidden in stealth instead of fighting.

"Who cuts in without even using a turn signal?"

If not for the energy barrier, that could've been disastrous.

That aside—

Its head got cut off with a single slap?

He hadn't expected that.

Looks like the Berserker's Blood Jade Steel Qi had activated automatically.

On top of that, the holy sword's radiance.

The radiance neutralized the dark aura, and the Blood Jade Steel Qi split the ghoul's tough head clean in half.

The true core of the holy sword is its radiance.

When you wield the holy sword, your entire body is affected by that radiance.

It even applies to skills.

You can tell just by looking at the Norwegian player who previously rented this sword.

His trait was a long-range archer—not melee.

He didn't have a single sword-related skill. So how did he kill things?

He held the bow grip and the holy sword's hilt together in his left hand, and drew the bowstring with his right to kill enemies.

It was extremely cumbersome, but even those arrows carried radiance, allowing them to damage specters.

It was the same for Juhyeok.

A collaboration between the Berserker skill and the holy sword's radiance—

Suddenly, the back of his head prickled.

He glanced behind him.

Hmm.

The summoned ones had stopped fighting and were staring at him blankly.

They saw everything.

Subtle expressions.

Worry, pity, guilt, shame, self-blame, regret—emotions all tangled together.

"Don't worry. I'm fin—"

That was when it happened.

"Kraaaaaaah!"

Gobang leapt so high he nearly touched the cave ceiling and slammed his feet down.

Kuuuuung!!!

The impact sent ghouls flying, and Gobang mercilessly stomped on the ones pinned to the ground.

Then he grabbed a ghoul with his hands and began smashing it repeatedly.

Whirr! Crunch! Whirr! Crunch! Whirr! Crunch!

"I'll kill them! I'll kill every last one!"

Kosak, his expression frozen, wildly swung his dagger, its blade glowing with blue sword aura.

Defense? Evasion?

He didn't do any of that.

Pure, relentless offense.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Ghouls were carved apart.

Veronica switched to assault mode. No cover, no concealment.

"Aaaah! Die!"

She charged straight in, shoved the magical gun into a shrieking ghoul's mouth—

Crunch!—and fired.

Pashushushut!

The ghoul's head burst like a watermelon.

Boom!

Gyeon Dallae's exorcism ritual changed as well.

The rhythm grew faster and faster.

Talismans flew from her hands.

Yellow paper filled the cave.

The moment a talisman touched a ghoul's flesh, it burst into flames.

And Rajiks?

Holding the golden pickaxe he used for mining, he mercilessly smashed the heads of fallen ghouls.

"Ho-ek! Ho-e! Ho-eek!"

Everyone had gone berserk.

Those filthy, wretched dark ghouls—

How dare they lay a hand on the Summoner!

Of course it turned out like this.

That moment had been the most dangerous one Bong Juhyeok had faced all the way up to the 64th floor.

His energy barrier shattered in a single hit, and he had nearly been bitten on the neck.

…I'm going to hear about this too.

The summoned ones' fury was so intense that you almost felt sorry for the ghouls.

Thanks to that, the clear ended quickly.

[You have successfully completed the 64th Floor mission.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Reward: 6.4 kg of Mana Stones]

Mission complete.

And of course, the clear rating—

[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on the 64th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]

[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge has been awarded.]

Juhyeok's penthouse.

The summoned ones wore grave expressions.

"The warrior was foolish again. Strike me."

"I'm a worthless bastard… I'll give up my right arm."

"This is due to this maiden's meager abilities. Blame me."

"My situational awareness was lacking. I am unfit to be a ranger. I deserve dishonorable discharge."

"Ho-eeeh…"

What's wrong with you all?

It's not like we failed the clear.

Of course, I know why, but—

"All right, all right. It was a great clear. And look—I'm perfectly fine."

I just lightly took down one.

"My carelessness put you in danger, Bom Summoner-nim. I've committed a sin worthy of death. Sob, sob."

Kosak cries.

"H-hic, sob… someone like me is a useless assassin. Please abandon me and summon one more capable DPS to fill my spot."

He's really crying.

"Choosing a smart knight instead of a stupid warrior would be more stable."

"A soldier who fails the mission cannot be forgiven. I will return my badge. V-victory at all costs!"

"A maiden's heart is torn asunder. Ah, please take my head and make an example of me."

Even Rajiks joins in.

"Hueh… hueeeee… hue."

This is driving me crazy. A grand criminal has appeared.

'They're making way too big a deal out of this.'

Did they do this on purpose?

Because I joined the fight?

There's a very high chance of that.

"Alright. From next time, I won't step in. I promise."

Then—

"Yap!"

Snap! Kosak stops crying.

"A man's word is worth its weight in gold."

Gyeondallae bows so deeply she looks like she might take flight.

"A warrior is hungry."

Gobank walks toward the refrigerator.

"Kuuul…"

Veronica has already fallen fast asleep.

"Hoeh…"

Rajiks starts tidying the room little by little.

Oh?

I knew it. It was all a coordinated act.

"You people, seriously!"

Juhyeok snaps.

"I mean—what? I'm level 64, okay? I've got an energy barrier, Blink, and I'm even wielding a holy sword. You saw the Blood Jade Mad Demon Aura, right? I'm allowed to fight a bit—what's with all the complaints?"

The blood summons fall silent.

"Who are we? We're comrades who crossed the boundary of dimensions and united as one. If mutual trust collapses, then climbing the tower means nothing."

The blood summons bow their heads so low they almost touch the ground.

"If I fight once and you overreact like this, huh? Can we even keep working together going forward, huh?"

People really need to know moderation.

The mood was set. So at this point…

"From now on, I'll also participate in strategies from time to time, so just know that—"

Suddenly, everyone stiffens.

"That's not right, sir."

"And if you still participate?"

"We'll go on strike. United struggle."

"This maiden may faint."

"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! I will commit insubordination and report myself for confinement!"

"Hoek!"