There is a place called the Infinite Prison.
A place filled not with living people, but solely with souls.
Souls—literally just souls.
Like scraps of drawings, only their shapes remained; there was nothing else to them.
If you had to compare it to a game, they were like NPCs you see on a monitor.
Still, communication was possible.
Not through spoken words, but through resonance between souls.
However, bound by prohibitions, it was only allowed within certain limits.
The souls there were all beings who, after dying in their previous lives, had entered into contracts under some transcendent law. Because of that, escaping this place by their own power was impossible.
But there was a way out.
All it took was for someone to call their name.
A summoner.
If a summoner called them, they would manifest with a physical body.
It was no different from being given life again.
Being able to see things with one's eyes, smell scents with one's nose, taste delicious food, hear, touch, move…
How immense a blessing these trivial things were.
When souls—those who were summoned—were brought into the world, they were given the task of helping the summoner conquer the Tower.
Complete conquest of the Black Tower.
If they succeeded, they would gain complete freedom.
But it wasn't easy.
Because humans were weak beings.
In worlds as numerous as grains of sand on a beach, over tens of thousands of years, they failed again and again.
Inside the Tower, or outside it, summoners died one by one.
What happens when the summoner who gives a soul physical form dies?
Simple.
They can't go outside.
The hope of attaining complete freedom disappears as well.
This time, too, they didn't have high expectations.
As always, the summoned souls would lose their summoner, fall into despair, and wander the Infinite Prison like madmen, staggering about.
But this summoner was said to be a little different.
They'd safely overcome the Curse of Kabalon, apparently.
Only one tower had collapsed due to the curse.
No one knew how exaggerated the story was, but rumors full of hope were spreading through the Infinite Prison.
"『They say he's already summoned seven.』"
"『Really? Are you sure? Seven, and he's still fine?』"
"『I didn't hear it firsthand. I heard it secondhand too.』"
"『Hoho, I knew the slick assassin, the stupid meat shield, and the insolent shrine maiden had manifested, but—』"
"『You've got to add the beastman laborer and the lazy gunner too. They say they're all getting showered with the summoner's affection.』"
"『Even that crazy heretic inquisitor went out. Damn it, even someone like that gets summoned.』"
"『But then who's the last one? That's only six.』"
"『There's a rumor the Mad Demon manifested successfully.』"
"『Ah, so that's why this summoner's lasted so long. If you've got a Mad Demon with you, getting to at least the 60th or 70th floor isn't hard.』"
"『Doesn't seem like that's the case.』"
"『What do you mean?』"
"『They say the Mad Demon was treated poorly. He offended the summoner and got kicked out right after coming out. Satisfaction was rock bottom.』"
"『…The Mad Demon was treated poorly? Why?』"
"『There are rumors that this summoner's disposition is different from the others.』"
"『Different how?』"
"『How would I know? The souls who went with him would know.』"
"『I'm curious. Where are the ones who went out? I'd like to meet them.』"
"『No idea. This place is pretty huge, you know.』"
"『Anyway, isn't a random summon coming up soon? It's about time someone went out.』"
"『Whether it's a random summon or not is up to the summoner. If trait enhancement isn't ready, they can skip it.』"
"『That depends on the summoner. I've heard some just pull no matter what.』"
"『Yeah. A summoner I was with a long time ago was like that. Could only summon five at once, but the catalog had twenty-five. I was one of them.』"
"『Being summoned once and never called again is even harder to endure.』"
"『I suppose this time the random summon should be me. If the Earth summoner is bound to become an emperor, shouldn't someone teach him the basics?』"
"『Don't be ridiculous. An emperor? He should be the shadow ruler of the world, controlling even emperors from the shadows.』"
"『Shadow ruler my ass. Just smash everything. Drop a meteor on the countries that don't listen and they all quiet down.』"
"『Yeah, and because of you, that summoner got hit by ten nukes and died. You crazy mage bastard!』"
"『Hah, watch your mouth! You son of a bitch! Do you have any idea how many ages I suffered in agony because of that?!』"
"『Then you should've done better from the start instead of regretting it.』"
"『If I go out, I can replace that slick assassin. I can make sure no enemies remain around the summoner.』"
"『Rule by force doesn't last long. You must capture human hearts with holy power. Only I can make the summoner a god worshiped by humanity.』"
"『Wake up, all of you. Who knows who'll even get picked.』"
"『This time, I've got a good feeling. I think it'll be me.』"
"『Same here.』"
"『At this point, I'm curious how the administrators are reacting.』"
"『Why bring up those unlucky administrators?』"
"『Because those bastards won't stay still. Even during the Kabalon Curse event, only one tower collapsed.』"
"『Right. Saying it's boring, they'll start pulling crap like emergency patches and new content again.』"
"『Those vermin bastards.』"
"『Someday I'll definitely kill them. My final lingering regret is avenging my former summoner.』"
"『Me too.』"
Juhyeok's vacation villa in Namyangju.
For three or four days, he ate and played around without thinking about anything.
Mostly with the existing summoned companions.
The Mad Demon was called occasionally—just as a drinking buddy.
Honestly, the Mad Demon could be a bit much.
While chatting and joking around, he'd suddenly sink into thoughts like, "Hey, world domination doesn't sound so bad?"
The Mad Demon was eloquent.
Unbelievably good with words.
Be careful.
If you let your guard down for even a moment, you might one day experience a scene where the U.S. president has been subdued by the Mad Demon, kneeling before you and declaring, "I offer you America!"
Absolutely not.
Just thinking about it made him sick.
In truth, Juhyeok had his own values and goals in life.
They just weren't very firm.
Shallow values that could change at any time.
Ah yes—like a reed swaying in the wind, a weak-willed loser whose heart flutters easily.
So, sorry to say, but he only called the Mad Demon now and then.
He spent much more time with the comfortable, familiar summoned companions.
He cleaned alongside Rajiks, exchanged bland jokes with Kosak, lay in a hammock and took naps, and when he got bored, went into the Tower.
He'd heard the item restrictions were lifted, and that reward rates had increased significantly.
He was curious whether it was really true.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 59th Floor.]
Among wyverns, the one said to have the most beautiful hide was the Lightning Wyvern. As flying monsters, they wouldn't come down unless you pulled them.
"Hoek!"
Thunk thunk thunk thunk!
First, Rajiks farming.
Rajiks dug into the ground with fierce momentum.
Whenever he poked rocks or hardened ground with his golden pickaxe—jab, jab—clunk! A blue-glowing stone would get caught on the tip of the pickaxe each time.
"…What is this?"
Kosak picked one up and examined it.
"High-grade mana stone."
Oh! You can get high-grade mana stones from gathering too?
So things really had changed.
"As expected! Cosmic farmhand Rajiks the laborer! A round of applause!"
Clap clap clap clap!
"Hoeeeh…"
The beautiful glow of a high-grade mana stone, about the size of a fist, suffused with deep blue light.
"Supervisor Bea."
"Supervisor, Veronica Caliber!"
"If it's a high-grade mana stone, does the magic gun get stronger?"
"Of course. The power of a magic gun is determined by the quality of the mana stone."
"Oh!"
But there was no need to use it as magic-gun ammunition.
Regular mana stones were sufficient.
So, in a single run, the amount of high-grade mana stones mined came to about 30 kg.
He'd sell those all at once later.
Now then, should I start hunting wyverns?
The mission was to kill fifteen.
Killing them one by one, skinning them on the spot and stuffing the hides away, and after taking down the last one—
[You have successfully completed the 59th-floor mission.]
The rewards?
[Reward: Mana Stones 2.9 kg / High-Grade Mana Stones 3 kg]
[Reward: Tower-Exclusive Healing Potion (4) / Healing Potion (1)]
Hmm.
Even the mana stone rewards had changed.
Both regular and high-grade mana stones at the same time.
About half and half.
But then—
…Huh?
What's this healing potion?
Four labeled as tower-exclusive, and one healing potion without the "tower-exclusive" tag.
Don't tell me…
Effect: Heals external and internal injuries sustained not only inside the Tower, but also outside it.
Limitation: Unlike tower-exclusive healing potions, it has no effect on poison or disease.
"..."
Unbelievable!
So this is what they meant by 'restrictions being lifted'? It's not just more variety?
It worked on injuries sustained outside the Tower.
Which meant even non-players could use it.
The world was going to get noisy again.
That aside, this healing potion…
I should give it to Dad.
His hip fracture from before had supposedly healed completely, but just in case.
Another day passed.
Juhyeok still hadn't gone home.
Because today was a special occasion.
The random summon event.
The day a new family member would join.
Just a moment ago, the random summon cooldown had ended.
Before summoning—
"Should we use a Summon Attribute Change Ticket or not?"
If used, one of the following would appear: a golem, spirit, demonic beast, phantom beast, or spirit beast. If not used, it would summon a summoned person like before.
"I'm in favor of using the ticket. Our holy sword has gotten his head on straight for now, but if another weirdo comes out—"
A weirdo?
You mean you?
Anyway, Kosak was in favor of using the ticket.
"I concur. How much have Sir Kosak and Bardin troubled Young Master's temper thus far? Though they may be lowly creatures, everything has its use. Please use the ticket."
Gyeondallae also urged him to use it.
"It'll allow for a greater diversity of tactical options. In our magic empire, we tamed demonic beasts and deployed them on the battlefield."
Veronica and the other summoned companions had no objections either.
Then he might as well use it.
What would be good to get?
Juhyeok had done some research beforehand too.
Through internet galleries frequented by players with summoning traits.
They all said there were pros and cons.
But they shared one thing in common: they were all hard to manage.
And the higher the level, the more pronounced that tendency became.
Why couldn't summoning-type players reap easy benefits?
Even summoners in the level-50 range were rare.
Because properly handling summons required an enormous amount of time.
— Golems sound good, right? They're dumb enough to make you lose your mind. If you don't give precise instructions, they're no different from broken robots. Even when I'm about to die in a crisis, they just stand there staring.
Humanoid, bipedal golems.
But with extremely low intelligence.
— When I first summoned a spirit, I was really happy. Thought the game was basically over. But they're sly. They don't have any affection for their master. Arrogant little shits, hahaha.
Spirits had high utility.
But building loyalty was difficult.
— Demonic beasts? They're good, crazy strong. Stuff like basilisks, they just grab and slam them around. But once they start fighting, they lose all reason. Isn't that berserk mode? That's their trait. Sometimes they even come after me. Nasty tempers, seriously.
Demonic beasts were excessively violent.
Sometimes uncontrollable.
— Phantom beasts are fascinating. They even use magic. But they're unpredictable. Sometimes they listen well, and sometimes they don't listen at all.
Phantom beasts tended to act on their own whims.
— Spirit beasts—literally sacred beasts. They're noble summons, so they look down on their master. Sometimes I can't even tell if I'm taking one around, or serving it.
Spirit beasts had fierce pride.
In extreme cases, the master–summon relationship even got reversed.
Like this, all summons required loyalty and affinity.
So at first, you'd just get acquainted, build rapport with simple commands, then eventually send them hunting.
They said that if loyalty was measured out of 100, you needed at least 80 to hunt properly.
Well, so what?
It didn't matter what came out.
Kabalon was dead, the Curse of the Average was over, and it was fine to take it easy once in a while.
"Let's do it."
The summoning location was the Namyangju villa.
It was evening, but not yet dark.
By the blazing campfire, he tore the Summon Attribute Change Ticket.
Riiip!
"Random summon."
Fwoooosh! Paaat!
Something scarlet appeared.
Neither a golem nor a spirit.
A wolf?
About the size of a large dog.
On the smaller side for a summon.
But an overwhelming aura poured off it.
Enough to make his skin prickle.
What type was it?
Demonic beast? Phantom beast? Spirit beast?
Rank: Stage 1 (Level 71)Type: Demonic BeastManifestation Duration: 10 hoursResummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after dismissal)
It was a demonic beast.
At last, Juhyeok had summoned something that wasn't human.
Pointed ears, a mane of coarse fur bristling in all directions, colored deep blood-red, jet-black eyes with no whites, and large paws with sharp claws protruding from the gaps.
"Grrrr…"
The Blood Wolf growled warily at its changed surroundings.
Hmm, big dogs are scary.
Small dogs are fine, but still.
Even so, he should uphold his duties as a master.
Juhyeok met the Blood Wolf's gaze.
Since it was their first meeting, he figured he should at least say hello.
"H-hi, Blood Wolf."
But then—
Swish!
The Blood Wolf turned its head away as if utterly uninterested.
What's with it?
Is it sulking?
Should I try petting its head?
If you want to get close quickly, physical contact is the best.
So just as he stepped closer and reached out a hand toward its head—
"Grrrrrr…"
The Blood Wolf bared its white teeth and glared at Juhyeok with eyes full of aggression.
Its expression clearly said, How dare you touch my head?
"Uh…"
"Grrng!"
Chomp!
The Blood Wolf opened its mouth wide, sharp fangs exposed.
What the hell? This bastard's going to bite its summoner?
That was when—
"You little shit mutt! Where do you get off baring your teeth?!"
Whoooosh!
Kosak sent a Shaker Kick straight into the Blood Wolf's face.
Sensing danger, the Blood Wolf tried to turn its head to dodge, but—
Pow!
As if that would work.
Who do you think Kosak is?
"Yipe!"
One solid hit snapped the Blood Wolf's head sideways.
At the same time, Gobang transformed with Gigantification and grabbed its tail.
Grab!
"A beast that lunges at its master needs to be beaten."
He lifted it up—whoooong!—spun it around once—
Boooom!
—and slammed it straight into the ground.
"Yip-yip-yip-yelp!"
There was no time to stop them.
Rajiks also pulled out his pickaxe, snorting angrily.
"Hoaeeek!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
It even got stabbed with a pickaxe.
The summoned companions were going berserk.
Veronica already had her magic gun loaded, and Gyeondallae's gaze had gone ice-cold.
…At this rate, it's going to die.
Then the Holy Sword, Bardin, stepped in.
"Light!!!"
He manifested holy radiance and placed his hand on the Blood Wolf's body.
"Whine…"
Its wounds began to heal.
The Blood Wolf's unfocused eyes regained clarity.
Hmm.
Our Bardin has really changed lately.
Seems like he's reclaiming the true duty of a holy knight.
Yeah, that's how a holy attribute should be.
The Blood Wolf, seemingly moved, softened its gaze.
As if to express gratitude for the healing, it got up and tried to lick Bardin's hand—
"You wretch! Where do you think you're putting that filthy mouth?!"
Bardin yanked his hand back and smacked the Blood Wolf on the head.
"Begone, you ill-mannered beast!"
Pow!
"Yelp!"
Then he turned to Kosak.
"When it's about to die, I will heal it. Until then, train it thoroughly. Make sure it never bares its teeth at the Lord again."
"OKAY!!!"
The training resumed.
There was no mercy.
Veronica joined in as well, grinding the butt of her magic gun into the Blood Wolf's body again and again.
Gyeondallae even started smearing soybean paste all over it.
"Yip! Yip-yip-yelp! Yeeeelp!"
Juhyeok felt bad for the demonic beast—but endured it.
Because it wasn't the kind of dog people usually imagine.
Not a cute puppy that wags its tail at humans, loves and wants to be loved.
It was completely different.
It was a demonic beast.
A terrifying creature that would tear into even its summoner if it went berserk.
It almost had, just now.
"Yip-yip-yelp!"
And so the "training" continued.
After some time—
"Loyalty! Demonic beasts are wonderful. There are no bad demonic beasts in the world. This lonely demonic-beast trainer, Beast President Kosak, has trained it to perfection, sir."
Since when does beating count as training?
"Lord Summoner, please issue a command."
Hmm. What to start with?
Something simple.
"Sit."
Plop!
The moment the word left his mouth, the Blood Wolf dropped its rear to the ground.
"Lie down."
Plop-plop!
"Oh!"
It listens well?
"Roll left."
Whiiirl!
"Roll right."
Whiiirl!
"Bang!"
At his finger-gun gesture—
"Keck!"
It played dead.
Finally, he tossed a stick.
"Fetch."
Dash!
When even a grotesque demonic beast follows commands, it's kind of cute.
What berserk rampage?
This thing doesn't seem like it at all.