After finishing the S++-rank clear of the 68th floor Death Knights—and even completing repeated runs—
Juhyeok also heard the third world announcement.
Korea was included in the curse.
"Ugh… this leaves a bad taste."
When it was other countries, he could shrug it off.
But now that Korea itself had been selected, his mood soured instantly.
Was it because his family came to mind?
They must all be worried.
Kabalon's curse.
Its contents were extremely simple.
It merely caused the clear time limit to keep decreasing.
But the consequences were anything but simple.
Watching the remaining time shrink in real time—how agonizing must that be for those seeing it?
As Juhyeok's expression darkened, the summoned beings erupted in anger.
"That bastard Kabalon—just a copy, yet he's gotten so full of himself. Damn dog bastard."
"My lord, grant me the honor of burning that demon to ashes."
"I'll shove the magic rifle up his ass and pull the trigger on a large-caliber round."
"A warrior shall tear him in half."
"Seeing the young master's noble visage clouded with sorrow breaks this girl's heart."
"Hooeek!"
Hmm.
I feel a little better.
Is this what you call a mental massage?
"Let's kill Kabalon tomorrow. Is that possible?"
"If we clear the 69th floor and immediately enter the 70th, it should be feasible."
"…What about the 69th floor?"
"A lich—a wicked undead black mage—appears there."
Gyeon Dallae began to explain.
"A monster. A worm that sold its soul to a demon and willingly became a slave."
Can we beat it?
"This girl shall lend her strength. With exorcism rites, sacred straw ropes, and talismans, we can block the black magic the lich hurls."
Then it should be easy.
We've got the holy sword, too.
"However, preparations are required."
Preparations, huh…
"This girl has long studied how to maximize the effectiveness of rituals. And at last, I have found a method."
Maximized ritual effectiveness—
"All of this is possible thanks to servant Rajiks."
"…Huh?"
Rajiks's eyes went wide when his name was called.
Just looking at him was heartwarming.
These days, nearly every solution our team came up with came from Rajiks.
"We will also require a fair amount of money. Would that be acceptable…?"
"Oh, money? Spend as much as you like."
"We only need to purchase a few items."
Money wasn't a problem.
Funds that never seemed to run dry no matter how much he spent.
Should I check my account while I'm at it?
He opened his smartphone and launched his banking app.
"…Holy hell."
His eyes widened involuntarily.
What was this utterly unrealistic number?
One, two, three, four… ten, eleven—
"W-wait, over a hundred billion?"
When did it pile up this much?
All of it from holy sword rental fees.
And they'll keep coming to rent it, too.
Which meant the number would just keep growing.
"What do you need? I'll go buy it right away."
Gyeon Dallae listed the items she wanted.
Nothing particularly hard to obtain.
But they required going out and doing legwork.
Going out was a hassle.
Wasn't there someone who could buy them for me?
Hmm…
There was one person.
He might be busy, so better text him.
Tap tap, tap tap tap.
After carefully composing the message and sending it to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il—
About thirty seconds passed. Bzzzt! A reply came.
— I will prepare them immediately and contact you.
Oh! That was fast.
A heavyweight public official in Korea.
The power broker of the Awakened Management Agency.
Thus, the weak man Juhyeok had sent Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il on an errand.
Upon receiving the text, Jeon Gwang-il moved immediately.
He summoned his staff and read out the list of items Juhyeok wanted.
"Prepare them as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
Korea was also included in the third round.
They were busy managing Player Nam Gaeun's mental state and preparing for the 67th floor climb.
But Player Bong's request took absolute priority above all else.
As a result, it didn't take long for the items to be ready.
Jeon Gwang-il loaded the goods into his car and headed to Juhyeok's home in Cheongdam-dong.
He sent another message upon arrival.
— I'm in the apartment's underground parking lot. Shall I bring them up to your place?
Bzzzt.
— No. They must be heavy—I'll come down to get them.
After waiting a moment, Player Bong Juhyeok appeared via the penthouse-only elevator from the underground parking lot.
But he wasn't alone.
Clutching Player Bong's hand and toddling along was a hamster.
Ah… how could something be that cute?
But why was it with Rajiks?
With so much luggage?
He should've come with Karani or Gobang.
The reason soon became clear.
"Deputy Director, thank you so much. You even brought everything yourself."
"Hahaha, it's nothing at all."
"Oh, right! About the Korean Black Tower clear—should I help? I wouldn't even need to change nationality."
"Not at all. Player Nam Gaeun is preparing."
Player Nam Gaeun was reliable.
That aside—
"What about the items?"
"They're in the trunk."
"Ah, I'll take them now."
When Juhyeok pointed at the luggage in Jeon Gwang-il's trunk—
"Hooeeng."
Swish, swoosh, swoosh—
The items vanished without a trace.
Hmm, so that's how he takes them.
Nothing surprising about that.
Did anyone really think Player Bong kept Rajiks around just because he was cute?
"Well then, I'll be going. I have a lot to do."
As Juhyeok moved to board the elevator, Jeon Gwang-il stopped him.
"W-wait just a moment. There's something else I need to give you."
"Oh? Did we miss an item?"
"No, it's not that. Yesterday, a Saudi delegation came. The Saudi king wishes to compensate the holy sword's owner as an apology for the damage…"
As he spoke, Jeon Gwang-il took out a small jewel box.
What was it? A ring? A necklace?
Juhyeok opened the box.
Inside was a small stone.
Gasp!
Could it be…?
"Yes, it's a Rune of Trait Enhancement."
"N-no, this is far too valuable…"
"You may keep it. It's a rightful compensation."
Good grief—getting a Rune of Trait Enhancement here of all places.
This was completely unexpected.
"I really don't know how to thank you."
"I'm glad to see you so happy."
Of course I'm happy. As expected of the oil kingdom.
Breaking just one holy sword, and they compensate with a Rune of Trait Enhancement—what presence.
"Please register Saudi Arabia as a top-priority holy sword reservation customer. And convey my thanks."
"Yes."
Trait enhancement.
The day of random summoning was drawing near anyway.
This timing couldn't have been better.
Day 8 of French nationality.
Now, the 69th floor.
All preparations were complete.
Kill the lich, successfully clear the 69th floor, then immediately enter the 70th floor and take down Kabalon.
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Let's go wreck it."
[Entering the 69th floor of the French Black Tower.]
Juhyeok and the summoned beings left the safe zone and headed toward the battlefield.
"That's the lich?"
"Yes, it is."
"Hm, doesn't look that strong."
That was only in comparison to the Death Knights.
A small figure—
a mage wearing a black robe and holding a staff.
Floating slightly in the air, ghostlike.
Dark energy slowly seeped out of its body.
Slightly different from a dark aura—more like a protective barrier.
[69th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 Dark Lich.]
[Time Limit: Within 17 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Dark Lich 0/1]
Only one to kill.
Then—
"Mr. Rajiks."
"Hooe!"
The cosmic servant who could bring Earth items into his subspace backpack.
He pulled out the items prepared the day before.
Two high-capacity rechargeable power banks,
an MP3 player that played music via USB,
one large subwoofer speaker,
and four stand speakers with excellent sound quality.
Don't underestimate them.
Altogether, they were worth tens of millions of won.
All the cables were already connected.
Just flip the power on, and they were ready to go.
These weren't ordinary audio devices.
Every speaker and the MP3 player were plastered with talismans personally drawn by Gyeon Dallae, along with sacred straw ropes.
They had been prepared in advance to maximize the effects of an exorcism ritual.
Compared to the tiny portable speaker Gyeon Dallae usually carried,
this was a full-scale theater-grade Dolby stereo sound system.
At that moment, the lich raised its hand.
Swoosh! Swoosh—swoosh! Swoooosh!
Undead crawled up from the ground.
Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, dullahans, specters, phantom liches—and even Death Knights.
So this guy summons too.
Calling up trash-tier undead—
But it wasn't just undead.
Wooooooong!
The air sank heavily.
It felt as though the entire tower was trapped inside a dark aura.
At that, Gyeon Dallae slowly stepped forward.
The greatest head shaman of the Heavenly Empire.
"I shall unleash the exorcism rite."
With hands like polished jade, she pressed the button on the MP3 player—
And music thundered out of the Dolby surround speakers.
Boom!
A majestic sound that seemed to tear through the eardrums.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
The rhythm of the exorcism ritual echoed through the speakers.
The MP3 player cranked the volume to maximum.
Claaang! Cla-cla-claaang! Claang-claang-claang!
Boom! Boom-boooom! Boom-boom-boom!
Even the sound waves alone caused weaker undead to stagger and take damage.
Gyeon Dallae grabbed a microphone wrapped tightly in talismans.
With a voice as hip as a rapper's, she shouted—
"Evil spirits, begone at once!
The power of heaven and earth shall punish the impure!"
The lich seemed to sense the threat.
Ominous darkness surged from its hand and shot toward Juhyeok's group.
At that instant—
Flaaash!
The bronze mirror hanging around Gyeon Dallae's neck shone brightly.
The dark energy was pushed back.
Papapapap!
Hundreds of exorcism talismans scattered into the air at once.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The lich's dark magic—already weakened by the ritual—was blocked by the talismans.
"Light!!!"
"Commencing attribute absorption. Large-caliber round loaded.
Guidance system activated. Suppressive fire."
Ziiiiiiing! Pajujuk—!
Lurch!
A large-caliber round fired straight at the lich.
Spit!
The lich vanished instantly.
Blink?
Not a chance.
Senior Veronica's magic rifle had a guidance system.
The round sharply curved toward the lich, who had blinked away.
Paaang!
The round struck the dark barrier.
Crack!
A fracture spread across the barrier.
Another shot.
Ziiiiiiing! Pajujuk—!
Lurch!
Gobang lifted the holy sword Bardin and charged forward.
Talismans swirled around them like a protective escort.
"Light!!!"
Crunch! Crack! Craaack! Krrk!
Bardin was swung together with the flail.
"Swing harder! You heretical barbarian!!!"
Woooooong!
"Light!!!"
Gobang swung Bardin.
Bardin was swung by Gobang.
They plowed forward, wiping out the undead blocking their path to the lich.
Their coordination was flawless.
Gobang angled his body in the direction Bardin was swung, adding acceleration.
What was Juhyeok doing?
Standing there with his arms crossed.
There was nothing for him to do.
Kosak was the same.
"My hips are twitching. Feels like I'm at a club."
"Why don't you go dance?"
"If I dance, it's heresy. The princess will scold me."
Fair point. Who could bear to watch Kosak dance?
"Can you even dance properly?"
"Divine wave master, street b-boy, king of folk dances, vibrating twerking—
this dancer is Kosak."
"…"
Anyway, the exorcism orchestra thundered on.
The shamanic arts of the supreme shrine maiden Gyeon Dallae, fused with Earth's sound technology.
Even Juhyeok's ears were ringing.
What must it feel like for the lich listening to this?
It must be absolute agony.
Talismans fluttered everywhere like cherry blossom petals.
Falling, rising, swirling.
The lich's black magic couldn't penetrate the wall of talismans.
If Veronica was the star of the 68th floor—
Then the star of the 69th floor was Gyeon Dallae.
The lich's specialty was black magic.
Curses, decay, poison, disease, and dark-element spells that tormented players—
But if all of that was blocked in advance?
It was weaker than even a specter.
"Light!!!"
Crack! Craaack!
The lich turned out to be nothing special.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rank on the 69th floor of the Black Tower (France).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
At last, it was time to face Kabalon's copy.
Let's see your face.
We're going in today.
After all, there was no plan to repeatedly farm the French Black Tower's 70th floor.
Straight in—no repeats.
Spot!
Juhyeok and the group returned to the penthouse.
First, give me the reward.
What is this?
[A special benefit has been granted for accumulating 75 Platinum Badges.]
Hurry it up. I'm in a rush.
[Benefit: A Summon Attribute Change Ticket has been delivered to your Tower-exclusive inventory.]
"…?"
What is this now?
Effect:
When performing a random summon, you will summon an ally outside your existing summon traits.
You may randomly summon one of the following:
Golem, Elemental, Demonic Beast, Phantom Beast, or Sacred Beast.
Limit: Affected by the maximum number of simultaneous summons.
Is that good?
I don't know.
Right now the random summon's cooldown is active too.
Then let's end it here.
How much trouble did I go through because of that damn Kabalon curse?
Running around clearing the French Tower under a makeshift, completely unearned naturalization.
What am I, some kind of tower-clearing machine?
Even factory machines get powered down and allowed to rest once in a while.
[Entering the 70th floor of the French Black Tower.]
At last, the final stop.
…No, maybe a midway station?
"It's eerie."
"Trying too hard to set the mood. There's jack shit here."
A narrow trail stretching straight ahead.
At the end of the path stood a massive mansion.
[70th Floor Mission: Defeat the high-ranking demon Kabalon, Duke (Replica).]
[Time Limit: Within 20 hours.]
[Completion Condition: High-ranking demon Kabalon, Duke (Replica) 0/1]
The mission popped up, and the six blood-summoned ones gathered around Juhyeok.
As they reached the mansion, they saw an iron gate leading inside.
Hmm.
Do we knock?
It's not like we're door-to-door salesmen—why knock?
"Gobang?"
The gigantic Gobang nodded.
He lifted his foot—KWAANG!
He kicked the door, blasting it wide open.
Where'd our Kabalon go? Let's see his face.
A huge grand hall came into view.
The kind with a red carpet laid out.
And at the end of the carpet—on an ornately decorated chair—
"Welcome."
Replica Kabalon was sitting there. He looked almost human.
But as if to prove he was a demon, massive wings spread from his back, and goat horns rose from his forehead.
"Dimension Summoner. Dimensional Summoner."
"…Huh?"
Is he talking about me?
"In a tower you're supposed to enter alone, who else but you—a Dimension Summoner—could come barging in dragging a whole pack of mutts?"
Dimension Summoner. Dimensional Summoner.
It rolls off the tongue nicely.
"Kosak, please call me Dimension Summoner from now on."
"Hmm, Baron Dimension Summoner, ain't that a bit long?"
Is it? Well, anyway.
He speaks Korean pretty well.
I thought he'd speak French since this is the French Black Tower.
Good. We can actually talk.
Juhyeok poked Kosak in the side.
A signal to do something.
Kosak, in turn, poked Bardin in the side.
Bardin bravely stepped forward.
"Wretched demon! Where is your true body? Speak the truth!"
"So, a paladin of a forgotten god. An empty shell."
"Hmph! You're no different. Wasn't the demon god you served reduced to the same state?"
"How dare you!"
WOOOOONG!
The mansion shook as if struck by an earthquake.
But Bardin didn't budge.
"Impudent. You fabricated lie, nothing more than a fragment of a soul. Did you truly think a fake like you could withstand the blade of my lord?"
Kabalon smirked.
"Full of confidence. But do you know this?"
"What?"
"You're trapped. In other words…"
Kabalon spread his wings and sprang to his feet.
"You've fallen into a trap."
In an instant—
TATATATATAK!
The thick iron doors slammed shut, and a deep gray mist billowed through the grand hall.
"Dimension Summoner, you will die here today."
[The soul of the true demon duke Kabalon descends upon the body of the replica Kabalon.]
"Uh…"
He's here. The real one.
So that was his trump card.
The dark aura thickened even further.
The dense fog surged violently.
"Light!!!"
FWAAASH!
With the roar of the holy sword, Bardin—
The gigantic Gobang stepped in front of Juhyeok.
Kosak drew his twin daggers.
Click! Veronica chambered her magic gun.
Gyeondallae clutched a handful of bronze bells and talismans.
Rajiks trembled, gripping a golden pickaxe.
"Hehehe. This is my home. A space built of barriers. Dimensional Summoner, you will die here."
I mean, saying something that scary—
Juhyeok asked Kosak,
"If we kill that thing, is it all over?"
"That's right. The body's a replica anyway. Only the soul is real."
"Then?"
"I'll mark it. When the soul escapes, we'll know where it goes."
Ah! I see.
That's a shame.
Would've been nice to settle it all right here.
"How arrogant. Do you really think you can escape this place? The moment you set foot here—"
That was when it happened.
The flow of energy went berserk.
PAPAPAPAT! Something shattered.
"W-why… why is the barrier—"
Spot!Papapat! And someone appeared.
Already standing behind Kabalon.
Grab!
He seized Kabalon's wing—
"HUH!"
RIIIP!
Tearing it apart without hesitation.
"GRAAAAGH!"
In a chilling voice—
"Go on. Keep running your mouth. What were you saying you'd do to my summoner?"
He's here!
My brother.
The descent of the Mad Demon.