The next morning.
Day two as a French national.
Once again, Juhyeok would be clearing the French Black Tower instead of the Korean one.
Trying to act like a proper Frenchman, Juhyeok poured himself a glass of wine, spread thick cheese onto the baguette he'd bought the day before, and took a bite.
'…Huh.'
His tongue felt rough.
It didn't go down smoothly.
Wine in the morning wasn't helping either.
'What kind of bread is this.'
A Korean-descended Frenchman still runs on rice.
Having eaten properly, it was time to prepare for the tower.
Spot!
The summons appeared one by one.
"Bonjour, everyone!"
"Bonjoorimda."
"Summoner, strong and powerful morning."
"Young master, did you rest well through the night?"
"Cool."
"Hoe?"
Alright, everyone's here.
Starting today, the real climb of the French Black Tower.
There was one thing to settle first.
"How should we handle tower entry? We get two entries a day."
Yesterday's two runs—
Floor 61 didn't count as an S++ due to the level gap, but Floor 62 did.
There was even a global announcement.
So what about today?
Two S++ clears?
Juhyeok's question split the summoned ones into camps.
The speed faction argued they should start from Floor 67 and do two S++ clears per day to finish quickly.
The efficiency faction suggested one S++ clear and one repeat exploration run per day, gathering items while climbing steadily.
The debate was fierce.
Kosak and Veronica were speed faction, Gyeondallae and Rajiks were efficiency faction, and Gobang stayed neutral.
The so-called Tower Song Debate.
The leader of the speed faction, Lord Kosak, declared:
"The real Kabalon—that bastard put a copy up as a frontman and hid himself, throwing curses from the shadows."
"You all know how angry Summoner Bong is. From Floor 67, two floors per day means we reach Floor 70 tomorrow. We should catch him fast and let Summoner Bong feel relieved."
A solid argument.
Flawless logic. As expected of Kosak.
The sage of the efficiency faction, Gyeondallae, responded:
"This is the French Black Tower. And it's the high floors. How many treasures must be sleeping there? Runes and tickets are strategic resources."
"If we do one S++ clear and one repeated exploration run per day, gathering items efficiently while climbing to Floor 70, it will greatly help Young Master Bong."
Wise and thoughtful.
The Heavenly Empire's top shrine maiden—truly Gyeondallae.
Then the saint of the speed faction, Deputy Sergeant Veronica, countered:
"This is already a war. War is speed. We should climb fast so the bastard can't pull anything else, shove a gun barrel down his throat, and end it. That is proper tactics. Certain victory!"
The bravery of a special-ops sergeant.
Her spirit was as bold as her chest. As expected of Veronica.
The efficiency faction's space-farmer Rajiks added:
"Hoeeng! Items! Hoeee, explore. Hueee…"
Not particularly helpful.
There were limits to what cuteness could solve.
Then the neutral party, Gobang, spoke up:
"Speed is fine, but if we climb two floors a day from Floor 67 and reach Floor 70, the summoner's level will also be 70."
"At that point, floors more than five levels below will no longer grant Platinum Badges. For that reason, this warrior agrees with Gyeondallae."
A rebellion from neutrality.
That tipped the scales toward efficiency.
Was the speed faction about to be purged?
Sensing the mood, the speed faction's leader, Kosak, quickly adjusted:
"…Now that I think about it, there's no need to rush. How long is our Summoner Bong supposed to keep cleaning up after other countries? It's time each nation learned to manage its own crises."
Veronica followed up instantly.
"A commander who fails logistics is unforgivable. Advancing with ample supplies is the correct approach."
Exactly.
The goal of clearing the French Black Tower wasn't just one thing.
Tracking down the real Kabalon and collecting Platinum Badges.
The curse itself proved the point.
If countries panicked this badly over a mere Floor 70 boss curse, what would they do on higher floors?
They needed to overcome crises on their own.
So the French Black Tower would be handled the same way as the Korean one.
One S++ clear, one exploration run.
"Let's enter."
[Entering the French Black Tower, Floor 63.]
A cave-type Dark Ghoul floor—already familiar territory.
They'd even done repeated runs here before.
'Tower Exit Ring settings…'
France, one of Europe's biggest tourist destinations.
Since he'd become French, Juhyeok had thought about at least catching a whiff of France—
'Tourism can wait.'
The world was in chaos.
Sightseeing was only fun when your mind was at ease.
He summoned the Holy Sword.
Spot!
"Summoner! Return to the bosom of Lord Nigel!!! I, Lucius Bardin, shall guide thee—"
"Shh!"
The Holy Sword really talked too much.
Swoosh! Giant Gobang grabbed Bardin by both ankles.
"Radiance."
"Light!!!"
Fwoooosh! Bardin blazed with light.
"Initiating attribute absorption."
Zzzzuuup!
Veronica's magic gun sucked in the holy attribute like a mosquito's proboscis.
The fight began.
Gobang swung Bardin around like a club while charging forward.
It would be over in an instant.
No one besides Gobang and Veronica even needed to fight.
"Light!!!"
Boooom! Riiip!
The Dark Ghouls were torn apart like paper.
Smashed by the Holy Sword and pierced by the holy-attribute magic gun.
"Hoaek!!!"
Roll roll roll! Rajiks tumbled forward.
Eyes blazing, he went after item exploration, but—
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on Floor 63 of the Black Tower (France).]
[S++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge awarded.]
It was over.
Spot!
Back to Juhyeok's penthouse. The repeat run would wait a bit.
They could've gone immediately, but the Holy Sword was exhausted.
Bardin dangled limply from Giant Gobang's hand, his face and hair soaked with sweat.
'Still, he looks lively.'
Naturally.
Passing judgment on the undead was a paladin's calling.
There was even a hint of satisfaction on his face.
He was clearly enjoying himself.
But then—
'Huh?'
Kosak picked up a towel, walked over to Bardin, and carefully wiped his face and armor.
'Oh…'
Looks like they'd gotten close without anyone noticing.
True enough—though he was a mad, frenzied paladin, wasn't Bardin someone who threw his entire body into battle, living out the spirit of self-sacrifice to the fullest?
"Kosak,"
"Yes sir?"
"Do you feel that sorry for Bardin?"
"Haa…"
Kosak let out a deep sigh.
"That's not it. His light feels weaker. The Holy Sword Rajiks repaired shines so brightly it nearly blinds you, but our Holy Sword's light feels comparatively dim."
"…"
"So I figured maybe polishing it would make the light stronger."
That was exactly what Juhyeok had expected.
Kosak wasn't the type to feel pity.
"You've got to wipe it down, tighten it up, oil it properly, and use it well."
He was really polishing it with care.
So much so that the armor gleamed.
"Our Holy Sword will be very necessary when we beat the hell out of the Floor 70 Kabalon copy. We can't do without it. You know its original class."
A merciless, brutal inquisitor of heresy.
Current rarity: Super Rare (SR).
Since it was a class meant to identify heretics, it surely had interrogation skills as well.
"If we want to extract information without killing Floor 70 Kabalon, we'll need Bardin's skills."
That was right.
They weren't planning to clear Floor 70 of the French Black Tower.
They planned to keep him alive and interrogate him.
Of course, they'd lose out on one badge—but as a Frenchman, Juhyeok had to consider France's circumstances too.
Reaching Floor 70 was already an issue. Clearing it would push things toward a Floor 71 challenge.
"Hm, come to think of it, our Holy Sword is only SR?"
"That's a shame. If it were an SSR Holy Sword, the performance would be insane."
That was obvious.
Could an SR Holy Sword even be compared to an SSR one?
If its rank went up, its light would blaze even brighter.
No need to polish it at all.
'Then we'd need runes…'
Well, maybe they'd come as a perk reward—or maybe Rajiks, whose exploration skill had reached LSSR rank, would find another big fragment.
'Should I take this chance to upgrade our Holy Sword?'
For now, he'd watch and see.
First—repeat missions.
And there was someone steeling himself more than anyone else.
"Hoeee…"
The space-farmer, dead set on item acquisition.
If he could find even a single rune fragment, that would be perfect.
Tomorrow, an event was scheduled.
One more badge would bring the total to seventy.
That's right.
It was perk day.
The Élysée Palace in France.
President Macheron was in a meeting with his aides in his office.
France—the world's nuisance nation.
No matter how things were spun, Guillaume Loiret, the one who had triggered Kabalon's curse, was a French player.
There were excuses.
There was no physical way to stop a player from entering the tower, and no way to know what items were in their inventory once they went up.
Who could have predicted that Player Guillaume would enter the tower and use a tower-jumping ticket?
And reaching Floor 70—
Each nation's tower climbs were decided by that nation itself.
Any country would have reached Floor 70 eventually.
So what if France did it a little earlier?
And no one knew in advance that the Floor 70 boss would be that kind of monster.
Of course, hiding his depression was wrong—but there were records showing they had advised him to refrain from tower climbing for a while due to his condition.
Even so, condemnation poured in from every country.
Approval ratings fell.
Every day felt like walking on thin ice.
The biggest problem was Guillaume Loiret's death.
Even if he had depression, he was France's top player.
Six months remained until the deadline, but there wasn't a single player capable of clearing Floor 70.
Not in France—nor anywhere in the world.
And if France were hit by Kabalon's curse in that situation?
France had been spared in the first and second selections—but what about the third?
President Macheron's greatest worry:
There was no one who could handle Floor 70.
In six months—or perhaps even sooner—
Tower collapse was inevitable.
But then—what was this?
The global announcement French players had heard yesterday.
An S++ clear on Floor 62.
Why was this coming from France?
This wasn't Korea.
What reason could there be?
What was the cause?
The Élysée Palace went on high alert.
And finally, they found it.
"Bong Juhyeok. A player whose fifteen-day temporary naturalization was approved yesterday at the request of the Korean Awakened Management Agency."
Documents and a photograph lay on the desk.
"He has also long been suspected of being the true owner of the Holy Sword. Taken together, there's a very high chance he's the S++ clear record holder."
President Macheron stared intently at the photograph, then spoke.
"But his face is different. From the ones seen during the hotel terror incident."
"Couldn't it be an item that alters appearance?"
"Hmm."
In any case, that wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was that he was currently French.
"Can we keep Bong Juhyeok in France permanently?"
"…That depends on the player's will."
"What if we simply refuse to process the nationality cancellation on paper?"
"There would be severe backlash. Korea might even declare war immediately."
Was war the issue?
The Black Tower was on the verge of collapse.
"What's the stance of the Korean Awakened Management Agency?"
"We asked whether he was truly the S++ clear holder, and they categorically denied it. They also said he wouldn't clear Floor 70, so there was nothing to worry about…"
What a joke.
Everyone already knew the truth.
Still, temptation crept in.
'We might be able to win over Bong Juhyeok.'
In the past, this sort of thing had happened all the time.
When players were brought in via temporary naturalization, they usually visited the country in person.
Because the reception was extravagant.
Naturally so.
They were saviors who had come to help clear that nation's tower.
They'd be showered with hospitality, drowned in luxury and pleasure—
And then gently encouraged.
To permanently naturalize.
To completely transfer their nationality.
Betrayal. Backstabbing. Taking what wasn't yours.
Of course, no one dared try this when there was a massive gap in national power.
'Korea…'
It wasn't the U.S. or China.
Korea might just be manageable.
At that moment—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Smartphone notifications rang out in the president's office.
"It's up."
"…What is?"
"An S++ clear record for Floor 63 of the French Black Tower."
President Macheron made his decision.
"Contact the French Embassy in Korea. Tell them to attempt contact with Player Bong Juhyeok."
It was a chance to save France from the brink.
News of the French Black Tower's S++ clear spread across the world.
Naturally, Korea heard as well.
The public began to grow anxious.
After the UAE—now France too?
And with global announcements warning that the risk of tower collapse was increasing by the day.
Jeon Gwang-il was worried sick.
He trusted Bong Juhyeok, but anxiety was unavoidable.
"This feels like getting dumped."
"Don't worry. Love always comes back."
After all—
It was only a temporary naturalization with an expiration date.
As long as Player Bong Juhyeok's will remains firm, there is no risk of losing him.
And there is something to give him as well.
Soon, Minister Majed of Saudi Arabia's Tower Climbing Management Bureau will personally crawl his way over carrying a Trait Enhancement Rune.
On top of that, the Holy Sword rental will be handled by a level-62 player.
Considering that Bong Juhyeok will be clearing up to the 67th floor, that means a Holy Sword rental fee of 50 million dollars plus a Trait Enhancement Rune.
One can say with absolute certainty that Player Bong Juhyeok will never permanently naturalize.
That aside, among the ten countries selected in the first round, there was still one country completely at a loss.
A country with the shortest remaining collapse deadline, no less.
"Japan must be helpless. It looks like even the U.S. has turned its back on them."
"The late-50s floors are an awkward range to be stuck in."
"What if they ask us for help?"
"Well, from a humanitarian standpoint, we could temporarily naturalize one elite player to Japan."
"Team Leader Lee Min-ah?"
"Yes."
Team Leader Lee Min-ah was both a division chief at the Agency and a player.
Her level was an astonishing 61.
Not long ago, she had successfully cleared the 60th floor.
"Of course, there has to be a price."
"Right. Negotiations with Japan shouldn't be viewed only in terms of money."
There would be plenty to extract in exchange for helping them clear the tower.
For instance, the recent incident involving forced equity transfer demands against Korean companies.
Japan's most popular social media platform was, in fact, created by a Korean company.
Ownership of the platform was split fifty-fifty between Korean and Japanese firms.
Yet the Japanese government had demanded that the Korean portal service company hand over its shares.
Shameless bastards.
By what right did they think they could tell Korean companies to give up their shares?
If Japan requested temporary naturalization, this issue would be the first thing brought to the table.
"But they still haven't contacted us. I heard they can't handle the collapsing deadline."
"They'll come soon enough. If even the U.S. can't help them, who else is there to beg?"
"I don't know. I get the feeling Japan is about to make a terrible decision."
Park Gyeong-su tilted his head.
"What decision?"
"The Kawaguchi cabinet's approval rating has dropped a lot. The right-wing base is barely propping them up. Asking Korea for help at a time like this? If they do that…"
"It would fall even further."
"Yes. They might be prepared for collapse. They might even think that's the better option."
Park Gyeong-su agreed with Jeon Gwang-il.
In some ways, Japan was crazier than China.
In truth, Japan was facing an existential crisis.
Collapse was right in front of them.
Japan's Black Tower, located west of Mount Fuji.
World announcements were ringing out for players of Japanese nationality.
[Notice: Progress in climbing the Japanese Black Tower is insufficient.]
[Notice: Tower collapse countdown has been activated.]
[Notice: The countdown will stop upon successful ascent of an uncleared upper floor.]
And then—
[Notice: Time remaining until tower collapse: 23:59:59.]
Japan had just one day left.
A tragedy was unfolding.
Author's Note
This novel is a nationalist power-fantasy.
It was always meant to be that way, ever since I assigned players to towers by country.
I also deliberately made the Awakened Management Agency highly competent.
Korean politicians don't appear.
Neither ruling nor opposition parties show up.
The president rarely appears as well.
This was intentional.
Instead, everyone except Korea gets roasted.
China gets roasted, Saudi Arabia gets roasted, Japan gets roasted, France gets roasted—and later, even the United States will get roasted.
There was a correction regarding the rune fragment item.
This item had already been used earlier.
It has been deleted.
Sorry for the confusion.