Lucius Bardin.
I thought he was a holy knight, but it turns out he was a heavenly holy sword.
What a joke.
No—do you really like getting grabbed and swung around that much?
Still, it's quite a spectacle.
With both ankles seized by the giant guard, shouting "Light!" as he plows through the undead with his own body—
the human holy sword, Bardin.
It is efficient, I'll give him that.
The reach is longer, the full-body spiked armor gives him considerable inherent destructive power, and on top of that there's the secondary flail attack.
Is he a pervert, or an extremist efficiency junkie?
Either way, Bardin is a key combat asset to the team.
So, in commemoration, an immediate badge-awarding ceremony.
"In recognition of your noble spirit of self-sacrifice—
fearlessly throwing your entire body into battle and greatly contributing to the tower conquest—
we hereby award you this badge."
The badge was pinned to the underwear beneath his armor.
"My lord! Give the command at once.
I am the sovereign's sword!"
Bardin trembled with tears of emotion.
Tsk, tsk. What's so great about being a human holy sword anyway?
"Anyway, tonight we're having a team dinner. Let's raid the fridge."
"Yessir!"
It's been quite a while since Bardin was summoned, but he's basically a new family member now.
We need to build camaraderie, too.
One of these days I should catch the Mad Demon Lord and include him as well.
The conquest of the French Black Tower continued.
The promised temporary naturalization period was fifteen days.
Let's finish this quickly and restore the original nationality.
Thus—
Day 5 of French nationality.
66th floor: Specter.
Cleared without difficulty.
S++ rank completion.
Day 6 of French nationality.
67th floor: Phantom Reaper.
An undead monster Juhyeok was encountering for the first time.
Well, it had the peculiarity of using a long-range dark aura, but—
"Light!!!"
What's hard about this?
At least the Specter was big.
Cleared without difficulty.
S++ rank completion.
The level went up, too.
Day 7 of French nationality.
68th floor.
We've finally made it this far.
A floor technically cleared using Tower Jumping Tickets, but one no player had ever truly conquered.
According to Kosak,
The 67th floor was the limit you could reach with a holy sword that lacked durability before repairs.
From the 68th floor onward, it got difficult.
Because the Death Knight appears.
Death Knight.
Just hearing the name made it sound ominous.
Sure, the Dullahan had been a knight too—but it didn't have a head.
The Death Knight, on the other hand, had a perfectly intact one.
[68th Floor Mission: Defeat 4 Dark Death Knights.]
[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]
"Four? The number suddenly dropped a lot."
"That means they're that much more troublesome."
Exactly.
You shouldn't feel relieved just because there are fewer enemies.
A small number means they're individually that powerful.
Soon, all four Death Knights appeared at once.
Maintaining distance from each other at the front.
"Look at that armor. Even if you break through the dark aura, its inherent defense makes it hard to land an effective hit."
"…Hmm."
On top of that, black flames rising from their entire bodies.
The densest dark aura we'd encountered so far.
"Their swordsmanship skills are no joke either. That's why they're tricky for melee players.
Well, that doesn't mean ranged combat is particularly easy either."
Honestly, I'm a little intimidated.
Jet-black armor, a body as large as the giant guard's, an enormous greatsword, eyes gleaming like a beast's.
Compared to that, what am I?
Ah—this cowardly timidity of a weak man, utterly impossible to overcome.
At least inside the tower, I wanted to be a real man…
but the Death Knights block the way.
"…Can you step on the Death Knights?"
"Yessir!"
"You said they were difficult?"
"That applies to ordinary players."
"Haa… I was thinking it was about time to show my Blood Jade Steel Energy in actual combat."
Kosak jumped in shock.
"Oh! Master Summoner, you don't need to move at all.
If you personally deal with trash like that armor-wearing bastards, your dignity will suffer."
"I-is that so? It's just that I'm naturally a real man, so I'm itching to step in."
"Of course, of course. How could I not know you're a real man?
Still, please hold back. Hehehehe."
Not to be outdone—
"Young master, please protect your noble body.
Crude physical combat is the servants' duty."
"Hoeee!"
"Summoner, rest. I'll handle everything."
Well, if you insist, there's nothing I can do.
What a shame.
I wanted to show off Blood Jade Steel Energy just once.
Right at that moment—
"Senior Veronica Caliber!"
"Yes?"
"Please leave this operation to me. I will finish the Death Knights in one stroke."
"Hm."
As expected of Veronica.
Eyes flashing.
Her confidence was palpable—just as full as her chest.
"Yes! I'll trust you, Senior Veronica."
"Guaranteed victory!"
Veronica thought her opportunity had finally come.
A moment to meet the commander's expectations.
She was a veteran sniper from the Mage Empire's Northern Ranger Unit.
The Ranger Unit was the Empire's elite even among elites.
But after joining the new commander's team, she'd never had the chance to properly display a sniper's true power.
She'd only played backup roles or pulled monsters.
She endured it, patiently waiting.
Waiting for the moment to show the true skill of a Mage Empire ranger sniper.
That moment was now.
The formation was set.
Veronica in the center, Rajiks on the right, and the holy sword Bardin on the left.
Prone firing position.
First—
"Light!!!"
Fwoooosh!
Blazing flames of radiant brilliance.
"Aiming simultaneously.
A magic rifle upgraded to S-rank, now equipped with a guidance function.
Senior Veronica's magic rifle, having absorbed Bardin's holy attribute, blazed with flames of radiant brilliance.
Ziiiiiiing!
Pajujuk—!
"Wow!"
It felt like watching a spaceship fire a super-photon cannon.
True to its power, the recoil was tremendous.
Lurch!
The moment it fired, Veronica's entire body—wrapped in a full-body tights suit—rocked violently.
Hm.
Mm.
Kh.
The large-caliber round pierced straight through the Death Knight's dark aura and struck squarely in its chest.
A round powerful enough to demolish buildings.
And now packed full of holy energy thanks to attribute absorption.
That single shot completely consumed every mana stone loaded into the weapon.
Back when Veronica had been deployed to defend the northern fortress in her living days,
large-caliber rounds were reserved exclusively as single-strike finishers for gigantic monsters.
For example, ultra-colossal beasts like Jormungandr.
Even then, she hadn't been able to use them freely.
The mana stone consumption was simply too high.
But now, things were different.
Thanks to Quartermaster Rajiks's infinite mana stone supply.
The result?
Paaang! The Death Knight just exploded.
Shattered to pieces along with its armor.
No way anyone could hold back after seeing that.
Juhyeok burst into praise.
"Ap—applause!"
Clap clap clap clap!
One down.
"Light!!!"
"Hooeeng!"
Bardin radiated brilliance, charging the attribute.
Rajiks opened his subspace backpack and fully reloaded the magic rifle with mana stones.
Another shot.
Ziiiiiiing! Pajujuk—!
Lurch!
Hm.
Mm.
Kh.
After upgrading to S-rank, the number of large-caliber rounds Senior Veronica could fire was three in total.
Ziiiiiiing! Pajujuk—!
Lurch!
Three large-caliber shots.
Three lurches.
Three direct hits.
The last remaining one?
"Light!!!"
Puh-puk! Puk-puk-puk-puk!
It ended up getting thrashed by the flail.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the 68th floor of the Black Tower (France).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
There was no hesitation at all.
Just how fortunate it was to have a proper ranged damage dealer.
Juhyeok couldn't help but marvel.
"Dead-on, every shot, Senior Veronica!"
Kosak added,
"Lurch-lurch, Senior Veronica!"
The other summoned beings joined in.
"So reliable. A sniper."
"Truly the embodiment of a heroic woman."
"Light!!!"
"Hooeeng!"
With her chin lifted, magic rifle slung over her shoulder, and one leg cocked at an angle,
Veronica's pose was nothing short of artistic.
The second Kabalon Curse and the collapse of the Japanese Black Tower.
Nations could not help but tense up.
Saudi Arabia was in an especially urgent situation.
King Ibn bin al-Wahid of Saudi Arabia personally appeared on a U.S. news channel to issue a public apology.
— The destruction of the holy sword was a disaster caused by the foolish actions of the player Nasser.
The Saudi government also bears responsibility for this mistake.
We extend our sincere apologies to the true owner of the holy sword in Korea.
We promise to prevent recurrence and provide sufficient compensation…
Immediately after the apology broadcast, Minister Majed visited the Korean Awakened Management Agency together with Saudi players.
"I'm sorry. We were foolish. Once again, please accept our sincere apology. And this…"
Swish.
Majed presented a lavishly decorated jewel box to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
To an outsider, it might have looked like a bribe.
"This is compensation for the damage to the holy sword.
Please deliver it on our behalf to the true owner. We ask you."
Even if it was partly an act, Minister Majed bowed with an abject expression.
"You really didn't have to go this far."
Jeon Gwang-il opened the jewel box.
Inside was a small stone engraved with letters.
"Team Leader Lee Mina?"
"Yes."
Item information check.
Lee Mina nodded.
A signal confirming it was indeed a Rune of Trait Enhancement.
Right—this is how you apologize.
As expected of Saudi Arabia. Straightforward and bold.
"Yes, I'll deliver it on your behalf."
"Then the holy sword…"
"You may begin the rental immediately."
"Th-thank you."
The one actually doing the clearing would be Nasser's backup player, Saudi Arabia's next candidate—Akram.
Akram was still level 62.
Starting from the 62nd floor and clearing up to the 67th meant he had to move fast.
Hence the rental fee: fifty million dollars.
Still… was this really happening?
Mana stones were affecting the energy industry, sure—but oil was still immensely valuable.
The king of the world's largest oil-producing nation was apologizing, and a minister was offering up a Rune of Trait Enhancement.
Even Jeon Gwang-il couldn't help but puff up with pride.
If it's a Rune of Trait Enhancement plus a fifty-million-dollar rental fee…
There would be no permanent naturalization for Player Bong.
There must not be.
Saudi Arabia entered their conquest as well.
The other second-round selected nations also began climbing their towers at full speed.
A tower collapse was absolutely unacceptable.
Having witnessed the collapse and regeneration of Japan's tower, nations were desperate.
If our tower collapsed—
If a regenerated tower were to appear in the middle of a city—
This wasn't a hypothetical. It was something that could very realistically happen.
That realization only amplified the anxiety.
But the curse was not over yet.
What you desperately hope won't happen
inevitably does.
Another world announcement appeared.
Commencing attribute absorption."
[World Notice: The average cleared floor has still not reached Floor 70.
Struggling nations in tower climbing are urged to step up.]
[World Notice: A third round will select 30 countries.
The selection method is random.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the Korean Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the Chinese Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the Mexican Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the Nigerian Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the Japanese Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
[World Notice: The time limit for clearing the French Black Tower is steadily decreasing.]
.
.
.
Kabalon's Third Curse.
The selected countries were driven to the brink of madness.
Some nations had been selected in the first and second rounds, barely managed to clear their towers, only to be dragged back in again for the third selection.
These were mostly countries stuck below the 60th floor.
The Japanese archipelago fell into despair once more.
If it collapsed again this time, Tokyo itself could disappear.
On the other hand, even countries that had reached the highest floors—
France, which had unsealed Kabalon—
was also struck by the curse.
The curse that demanded a clear of the 70th floor.
China was thrown into emergency mode.
They were included in the third curse.
The Black Tower floor China had to clear was the 60th floor.
A floor known to be even more difficult than the 61st—home to the Wyvern Lord and Venom Wyverns.
Yet China's top player was only level 58.
Even the 59th floor had been cleared through the temporary naturalization of a Russian player.
Despite buying time that way, Chinese players still hadn't surpassed the 59th floor.
Once again, it looked like they would have to rely on Russian players' temporary naturalization.
Chairman Wang Yuan convened a Standing Committee meeting.
After Chairman Lin Qiaoming died from acute cerebral infarction, Wang Yuan had taken over power.
His succession was practically inevitable.
He'd even earned the nickname Lin Qiaoming's adopted son.
"Let's clear the 60th floor."
"…Are you planning to send another special envoy to Russia?"
"I won't. They'll just demand land or border adjustments again.
The juice isn't worth the squeeze."
"Then where will we seek temporary naturalization… Don't tell me—Korea?"
"Hah! Bowing our heads to such a minor country?"
Then what was the plan?
A greasy smile crept across Wang Yuan's face.
"There will be no temporary naturalization."
"Then how?"
"How do you think France made it to the 70th floor?"
"Well, that's—ah!"
"Tower Jumping Tickets. They let you skip up to five floors.
China currently has four of them."
In the early days of tower climbing—when items were pouring out—Tower Jumping Tickets had been distributed in fairly large quantities to each country.
They weren't hard to obtain.
And they were far cheaper than the price of temporary naturalization.
"They say the 61st floor is actually easier than the 60th.
Apparently, you can clear it with just light-attribute items…"
Wang Yuan paused briefly before continuing.
"I plan to select three among our Chinese players who show at least some talent."
Tower Jumping Tickets raised level as well.
"With three tickets, China would have three level-61 players."
Murmurs spread through the room.
The Standing Committee members' faces lit up.
"If things really go south, we can always pressure the Korean government into lending us the holy sword.
It's only ten million dollars."
That was true. That option existed.
"There will never be a tower collapse in China.
I will make sure of it."
Confidence overflowed from Wang Yuan's face.
U.S. Secretary McMillan, Director Antonio, and Player Gerald were still staying at a Seoul hotel.
They hadn't been able to get in touch with Player Bong Juhyeok, and then another world notice had appeared on top of that.
The White House had contacted them as well.
They advised staying in Korea until the curse ended—or at least until the undead section was cleared.
It wasn't just the U.S.
Every country tackling the undead floors had settled in Korea.
"This is insane. A third curse? And thirty countries this time."
"I'm worried about China. They have three towers."
"You know what's funny about China?"
"How would I know? That's coming out of nowhere."
McMillan smiled faintly, clearly amused by something.
"I just got a call from the CIA Director.
China is buying up Tower Jumping Tickets."
"What?"
Antonio looked dumbfounded.
Tower Jumping Tickets?
"They're seriously planning to clear it with those?"
Well… depending on how you looked at it, it might seem better than temporary naturalization.
"It's like baseball.
Intentionally walking the slugger and choosing to face the next batter instead."
"So they'll reach the 61st floor."
But these were players who hadn't even cleared the 59th.
"They think the 61st floor is easy?"
"Well, if they borrow the holy sword, they might somehow brute-force it."
"…Lend the holy sword to players who boosted their level by jumping floors?
Is the Korean government insane?
I'll oppose it before that happens."
"Mind the order. I'll oppose it first."
Lending the holy sword to players who raised their level through loopholes?
Not a chance.
They wouldn't even be allowed into Korea.
At least not until the U.S. finished its own conquest.
McMillan made that vow.