It was another nationwide announcement.
A Floor 65 clear, S++ rank.
As expected, the media openly expressed their anxiety.
But then follow-up articles came out.
ㄴ So the Agency already knew about Gobang's existence. Was I the only one surprised?
ㄴ Then they're not clearing Floor 67, I guess.
ㄴ Those two might be people meticulously trained by the Awakened Management Agency.
ㄴ We call people like that elite players.
ㄴ No, not just elite—more like special forces soldiers, completed through harsh training from childhood.
ㄴ Hmm, like super soldiers?
ㄴ Using magic stones or herbs obtained from the Tower to make drugs and inject them—wouldn't they have that level of scientific technology?
ㄴ LOL, drug-enhanced superhumans? Is this a movie script? Captain Korean?
ㄴ Well, it's plausible. The giant is the Korean Hulk.
Jeon Gwang-il of the Awakened Management Agency carefully read through the articles and comments, checking them one by one.
Just as expected, the public's anxiety was settling down.
"Perfect."
Let it slip that they knew something, then vaguely gloss it over.
He cut it off at an appropriate point.
Still, it was too early to feel relieved.
For now, thanks to Gobang and the white male summoned creature, the existence of Player Bong Juhyeok was being obscured—but there was always the risk of exposure.
They had to remain prepared at all times for the various dangerous situations that might occur if Player Bong were exposed.
The Awakened Management Agency existed to protect players, after all.
Especially when it came to the nation's top player—there was no need for further explanation.
That aside,
Jeon Gwang-il read the documents lying on his desk.
HG Fashion's monthly settlement report for leather products.
The report was precise.
The amount of leather used in the products, production costs, marketing expenses, and sales revenue.
But the sales volume was small.
It felt as though production was being deliberately limited.
He understood the intention—to raise the product's value.
But—
"I don't like it."
At present, Wildflower & Basil's products were selling out instantly.
They were people's ultimate wish-list items.
Yet HG Fashion seemed more interested in something other than selling bags.
The leather products were, in short, bait.
And bait meant only for a specific class.
In reality, ordinary citizens couldn't even get a look at the bags.
Not even the cheapest Light-quality products.
"They're definitely messing around with the bags."
They pre-sold bags to global powerholders, entrepreneurs, and politicians, or placed them on top-priority reservation lists—while behind the scenes securing other interests.
Buy our company's other products too.
Change the supply contract you had with another company to an HG Group affiliate.
Then we'll specially sell you the bag.
As a result, HG Group's prestige and overall revenue skyrocketed without limit.
The stock price followed suit.
Of course, there was no legal problem on paper.
And the leather sales payment would be coming in soon enough.
It was simply displeasing.
They should have been focusing on bag sales to maximize the profits going to Player Bong—yet they were greedy for side income?
And that wasn't all.
They had already decided in advance that the wyvern leather supply would go to HG Fashion.
HG Fashion had even finished registering the trademark "Wildflower & Wy."
As if the person who would give them the rice cake hadn't even thought about it.
"President Goyeon Ha… I didn't take you for this kind of person."
People change once they're on the inside, they say.
He needed to wake them up.
At this rate, they might lose not only the wyvern leather, but even the basilisk leather supply.
In any case, the full authority over the wyvern leather supply had been granted by Player Bong Juhyeok.
Monopolies had many harmful effects.
It was more reasonable to sign supply contracts with companies other than HG Fashion.
That way, a competitive structure would form.
"Would Daehyeon be better… or Ilsung?"
Honestly, there was another solution.
Player Bong Juhyeok could just start his own company.
How simple would that be?
But due to circumstances, that wasn't possible.
"It'd be good to at least ask each company about their intentions."
Jeon Gwang-il picked up the phone and pressed the call button.
A staff member knocked and entered the office.
"Is Ilsung Apparel CEO Jeong Dong-hun available? Call his secretariat and ask if a brief call would be okay."
"Yes, I'll do it right away."
Soon after,
With another knock, the door opened again.
"Deputy Director, I'm connected to CEO Jeong Dong-hun's secretariat. Shall I put you through now?"
"Yes, thanks. Connect me."
The ringing tone sounded. Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il lifted the receiver.
"Hello. This is Jeon Gwang-il. Am I speaking with CEO Jeong Dong-hun?"
—Uh, yes, yes. Th-this is Jeong Dong-hun.
Jeon Gwang-il tilted his head.
Strange.
CEO Jeong Dong-hun's voice was shaking uncontrollably. Was something wrong?
And shortly after,
In the middle of the phone call, Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il stormed out of his office with a flushed face.
"Get a car ready immediately! We're going to Ilsung Apparel."
Ten minutes before the call came in from Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
Ilsung Apparel's CEO Jeong Dong-hun was sighing as if the ground might collapse beneath him.
It was all there in the documents.
Elite player Bong Juhyeok, suspected to be the supplier of basilisk leather—even allegations that he was the true owner of a holy sword.
And there was evidence.
A sudden surge in cash flow, the purchase of a luxury penthouse in Cheongdam-dong entirely in cash.
"Why did Uncle hand these documents to me?"
He could have contacted him directly.
What kind of person was his uncle, after all?
A conglomerate chairman.
A towering figure with connections deeply entangled across politics, prosecutors, the legal world, and even the National Intelligence Service.
You might not know the president's name, but there was no one who didn't know the name of the Ilsung Group chairman.
His uncle was someone who could get away with almost anything.
But there was one thing even he found troublesome to provoke.
The Awakened Management Agency.
The elite players they managed.
Of course, it wouldn't necessarily lead to disaster—but falling out of favor with the Agency would cause inconveniences in many ways.
At the same time, letting go of such lucrative, money-scented information also felt wrong.
And just then, there happened to be a convenient candidate.
The child of his younger sibling, not even a direct son, yet comfortably holding onto a subsidiary company.
So he tossed the documents over.
Told him to make contact instead.
If it succeeded, great.
If it failed, there would be no burden on his uncle at all.
"I'll just pretend I don't know anything.
I'll say I knew nothing at all.
That I'm seeing these documents for the first time.
I'll apologize, bow my head once, say I failed to properly manage my nephew—and it'll pass without incident.
In the end, I'll be the only one punished.
That might be what they're aiming for."
This is a poisoned apple.
No—this isn't even an apple.
It's pure poison.
Touch it carelessly and you die.
Even if it costs him his position as CEO of Ilsung Apparel.
Jeong Dong-hun closed the file folder.
Something that should never go outside.
"Should I seal it away?"
He was already out of his uncle's favor.
All that remained was to be kicked out.
"Either way, it seems like it's time to start wrapping things up."
He'd accumulated a lot of stress taking on a CEO position far beyond his station. Maybe this was a good chance to settle down somewhere in the countryside.
That was when—
Knock, knock.
His secretary knocked on the office door.
"Come in. What is it?"
"Sir, there's a call from the Awakened Management Agency."
Freeze!
Jeong Dong-hun's face turned deathly pale.
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
His heart pounded violently—thump, thump, thump.
"F-for what reason?"
"Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il says he'd like to speak with you."
Suddenly? Don't tell me they already know everything?
"…Tell them I'm not available. Say I'm out of the office."
"Ah—um—that is, I already told them you were in the office…"
There was no choice.
"…C-connect me."
"Yes! Understood."
Jeong Dong-hun took the call.
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Uh—yes, yes, th-this is Jeong Dong-hun."
Please let it be nothing.
"B-but what is this regarding?"
—It's nothing major. I just have a few questions about the supply of Tower-material leather…
Tower-material leather?
Damn it…
It's over. They know everything.
But he couldn't just die like this.
Jeong Dong-hun blurted out reflexively.
"I-I haven't met him yet! I only received some materials regarding Player Bong Juhyeok!"
—...
Silence flowed through the receiver. After quite some time—
—Where are you right now?
"I-I'm at the company office."
—Don't move. Stay right there. I'm coming immediately.
Click! The call ended without waiting for a reply.
Jeong Dong-hun leaned back in his chair and wiped his face as if washing it.
Should I run?
Though he didn't know if there was anywhere to run to.
Juhyeok's penthouse.
All the summoned ones had returned.
They didn't attempt a re-clear of Floor 65.
It wasn't a good environment for Rajiks to scout anyway.
Besides, they'd obtained a rune for increasing summoned ranks—that was good enough.
Veronica was on the verge of promotion.
Once she ranked up, everyone would be SSR or higher.
The first summoned being, Kosak.
At the time of summoning, his rank had been Super Rare (SR).
Then he consumed a rank-up rune and became SSR.
Gobang had been Rare (R).
At one point, his nickname had been Al-Gobang.
With a blessing effect, he jumped two ranks straight to SSR.
Gyeondallae had been SSR from the very start.
In some ways, she'd been the best pull of all.
Rajiks was the same as Gobang.
From an egg-tending laborer to an SSR laborer—the world's best top-tier worker, Rajiks.
Lucius Bardin was… well.
Let's exclude him.
He was a holy sword, after all.
Now all that remained was to wait.
To wait for Veronica to return.
It usually took about a day, so calling her back tomorrow evening should be fine.
Anyway, something good had happened—no way he could just sit still.
They had to share the joy with a drink.
Alone?
He had a new drinking buddy.
A summoned being who constantly proclaimed world domination like a verbal tic, holding unwavering convictions—none other than a Legend Special Super Rare (LSSR)-ranked…
"Designated summon: Mad Demon."
Whoooosh! Pop-pop!
"Oh! You've summoned me again!"
"You said to call you anytime I felt like having a drink."
"Hahaha, thank you. You're the first summoner who's ever thought of me like this. Everyone else avoided me."
So it wasn't just him.
Apparently, others had found the Mad Demon uncomfortable as well.
"I prepared some Chinese liquor today. Not sure if it'll suit your taste."
"…Chinese?"
The Mad Demon's expression shifted strangely.
Then—
"Is China a troublesome country in this world as well?"
"…Uh, j-just a little."
"As expected. Full of problems. Tsk tsk. Even in another world, I wonder where that country went wrong."
It seemed that even in the multiverse—parallel-world Chinas—there were many problems.
"Summoner, if you plan to conquer the world, you should strike China first. The population's large—killing a few tens of millions won't matter."
"…"
"Especially those who hold political power. Best to kill every last one. Leave them alive and they'll come back to haunt you."
"…"
The Mad Demon truly lived up to his reputation.
In a way, China was the place most similar to the jianghu he'd lived in.
Then again—had people not died in the jianghu?
He'd even killed emperors.
The Mad Demon's epithets:
Public enemy of the martial world. The most vicious under heaven. Seas of corpses and rivers of blood.
"…Let's just have a drink."
"Hahaha, I'll accept it gratefully."
Damn—even his smile was intimidating.
Glug, glug—thus began their second drinking session.
Most Chinese liquors were strong spirits.
Nearly all of them had alcohol contents exceeding 40%.
They talked about this and that.
From how a fanatic had appeared in a random summon and was now being used as a holy sword—
"You did very well. It's perfectly suited to its use. That Kosak fellow—he's smarter than I expected."
"I do feel a little guilty."
"No. Those types are the most dangerous. The kind who try to impose their values on their summoner… hm… ahem!"
A sudden silence fell.
It seemed the Mad Demon had been pricked by something.
Was this what they called spitting in one's own face?
"W-well, of course, this old man isn't much different from Bardin either."
If you grabbed the Mad Demon and swung him around, would he turn into a demonic sword?
Not that there was any chance of that happening.
Trying to change the mood, Juhyeok mentioned that he had used the system's power to learn one of the Mad Demon's skills.
"Oh! To think you learned this old man's skill—it is nothing but an honor. Blood Jade Gangqi is a fine martial art. Once your proficiency reaches a certain level, it will become quite usable."
"I sent a few undead back to hell just yesterday. Haha."
"A pity. I'd like to witness it with my own eyes, but this is reality."
"We can check it once we enter the Tower."
"Is that so? Hahaha."
They also talked about the HG Hotel terror incident.
About how they used a Tower Exit Ring to cross over to China and rescue the kidnapped players.
And then—
"These damned bastards! I knew this would happen! How dare they touch the summoner!"
The reaction was far more intense than expected.
"I'm fine, though. Thanks to our summoned ones—"
"Idiots, the lot of them. You went all that way and only rescued the players before coming back? You don't even know the basic principle of eradicating the roots and branches alike. And they expect me to trust them?"
The Mad Demon was furious.
"You should have wiped them out completely. What a perfect opportunity it was. This won't do. Let's go together just once more."
"…No thanks."
"Hmmm."
He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.
"Soon, your true identity may become known."
"Well, someday. There's no such thing as an eternal secret."
"Tsk tsk, this is serious."
Serious, my foot.
Maybe if he were alone—but he had reliable summoned companions.
The Mad Demon's expression gradually turned sorrowful.
"Summoner."
"Yes?"
"Do you know when players die the most? People say the Tower is dangerous, but in truth it isn't at all. It's actually…"
"Yes, yes—outside the Tower, right? Even if a nuclear bomb goes off, the inside of the Tower is safe."
"…"
The Mad Demon, who had been building up the mood, looked awkward.
Still, he didn't seem ready to give up.
"Then let us at least take over China and Japan first. They're close, aren't they? I'll kill as few as possible—use the Tower Exit Ring to cross over and—"
"Oh dear, Elder, here you go again. Just drink."
"…"
The moment you showed even a tiny opening, he pressed in.
Not a chance.
It seemed the Mad Demon was offended.
His face was deeply furrowed.
"Do you truly have no intention of taking the world into your hands?"
"No."
"Very well. Then—"
In an instant!
The Mad Demon sprang to his feet.
Why all of a sudden?
"Regrettably, I must activate Clause Three of the Three Principles of Summoned Beings."
What? Activate what?
Why Clause Three, here of all places—
The Mad Demon tapped Juhyeok's entire body with his finger.
Tap tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap tap!
He couldn't move.
He couldn't even part his lips.
His entire body stiffened and froze.
"At the legend rank, one can do things other summoned beings couldn't even dream of."
Gulp.
The Mad Demon moved behind Juhyeok.
He didn't know what was about to happen, but he didn't resist.
What choice did he have?
It was Clause Three of the Summoned Being Principles, after all.
The ultimate purpose of Clause Three was to protect the summoner's life and safety.
So he shouldn't be in danger—but still…
"It's fine. Relax."
The Mad Demon placed both hands on Juhyeok's back.
"Some madmen talk about transferring inner energy, giving the cultivation they've built up to another person. There's nothing more dangerous than that. Carelessly ingesting such things is a shortcut to inner demons."
Wooooong.
A warm current poured in through his back.
"However, I can at least perform cleansing the marrow and washing the bones. Enough to make your body suitable for learning martial arts."
Cleansing the marrow? Martial arts?
"I intend to have you learn inner energy, not the Tower's power. With inner energy, you'll be able to use strength even in reality."
Hey—could you at least ask for my consent first—
"I'll teach you how to cultivate inner energy. And how to operate Blood Jade Gangqi as well."
I don't really want to train, though?
That stuff's exhausting, isn't it?
"Once you complete the Grand Circulation, even breathing will count as training. That is the defining trait of Heaven-and-Earth One-Origin Art."
Hmm. Just breathing?
That was perfect for a weak man. Then, sure—
"Breathe. Observe. Realize the paths along which the energy flows."
The energy pouring from the Mad Demon's palms surged violently through Juhyeok's entire body.
"With this, summoner, may you become even a little safer."
Yes. I will.