An energy called mana.
It is a player's innate power and the foundation for the effects of various items.
A force that cannot be perceived unless one is a player.
However, even ordinary people had a way to confirm the existence of mana.
Through mana stones.
Because they did not carry the "tower-exclusive" designation, mana stones still retained mana even in the real world.
It had been twenty years since Towers appeared on Earth.
Which meant there had been twenty years of research into mana stones as well.
After countless studies, an undeniable fact had emerged.
Mana stones could be applied to Earth's scientific technology.
The most active field of mana stone research was room-temperature superconductors.
Experiments were conducted to see whether superconductivity would appear when mana stones were mixed into various metal compounds at certain ratios.
The results were incomplete—but there were results.
Thanks to mana stones, electrical resistance was reduced.
They were applied across multiple fields.
Electrical appliances, semiconductor materials, CPUs, GPUs, batteries.
And follow-up research was still ongoing.
But now—high-grade mana stones?
There were grades even among mana stones?
Naturally, curiosity exploded.
Just how different were high-grade mana stones from existing mana stones?
The Materials Research Institute of the Korea Daejeon Science and Technology Tower acquired high-grade mana stones from the Awakening Administration's Player Shop and began research.
The result was—
"It's the Meissner effect. This is definitely superconductivity."
"…No, how is this even possible?"
The completion of a room-temperature superconductor.
Electrical resistance: zero.
Zero.
What did that mean?
A revolutionary leap in computer performance.
Because heat generation disappears.
What about maglev trains?
Transportation faster than airplanes could be commercialized at extremely low cost.
Nuclear fusion power generation, power lines with 100% transmission efficiency, dramatic improvements in battery performance.
All made possible by high-grade mana stones.
And these stones could only be obtained from the Korean Black Tower.
"The world's going to go crazy again."
"It is a room-temperature superconductor. A new industrial revolution is right in front of us."
"…But you know."
A senior researcher spoke cautiously.
"With high-grade mana stones… wouldn't there be something above that?"
"What? Above that would be—"
"For example, top-grade mana stones."
"Come on, no way… though."
It wasn't groundless speculation.
For twenty years, everyone believed regular mana stones were the limit.
And then, out of nowhere, high-grade mana stones appeared.
"In any case, other countries won't sit still."
"Right. They'll do whatever it takes to clear the 70th floor and lift the restriction."
Tower conquest was no longer just about preventing collapse.
Time limits for clearing floors might be ignored.
The goal was to clear the 70th floor and secure high-grade mana stones.
High-grade mana stones weren't researched only in Korea.
They were studied worldwide.
Naturally, it was confirmed everywhere that they produced room-temperature superconductivity.
But how did other countries obtain high-grade mana stones?
Items that could only be acquired from the Korean Black Tower.
There was another way to get them.
Expensive—but possible.
Director Park Gyeong-su frowned deeply and spoke with obvious displeasure.
"North Korea must be grinning from ear to ear."
"They've suddenly become the world's second-largest producer of high-grade mana stones."
That was right.
North Korea, which shared the Tower with South Korea.
High-grade mana stones were produced there as well.
An unexpected form of economic development, you could say.
Countries around the world paid enormous sums through North Korea to secure high-grade mana stones.
In truth, it was little different from parasitism.
They didn't have to suffer the stress of climbing uncleared upper floors, yet were sucking up the benefits right next door.
Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il was also displeased.
Sharing tips was fine.
It couldn't be helped.
That was how things had started from the beginning.
But—
"Only North Korean players are dying. They break their backs climbing, earn high-grade mana stone rewards, and then the regime confiscates everything and exploits them."
It was infuriating.
All it did was fatten a dictator's belly.
"I wish a coup would break out in North Korea instead of Japan."
"As a matter of fact, the National Intelligence Service is watching closely. They say the atmosphere among North Korean players is unusual."
Then Director Park Gyeong-su seemed to recall something.
"What about Acting Prime Minister Usuda?"
"He returned home today. Apparently the situation with the Self-Defense Forces is becoming unstable."
"Tsk. Still hasn't come to his senses. Is the U.S. staying quiet?"
"It seems they're not even bothering to watch America's reaction anymore."
"Well, after being betrayed once with the rejection of the temporary naturalization request, I suppose they've stopped caring."
Originally, South Korea and Japan were planning to sign a temporary naturalization agreement.
Everything was ready—just signatures and a public announcement remained.
Acting Prime Minister Usuda had agreed to all the conditions demanded by the Korean government.
But in the middle of that, the Self-Defense Forces unilaterally conducted joint land-sea-air military exercises—without consulting the Japanese cabinet.
They even deployed with live ammunition.
What were they plotting?
If the troops turned toward Tokyo during the exercise, that would be an immediate coup.
Acting Prime Minister Usuda rushed back to contain the situation.
"Haah… this is driving me insane. Why is there never a peaceful day in East Asia?"
Jeon Gwang-il nodded.
"What is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs doing in response? With the risk of a coup, shouldn't Japan be designated a travel-warning country…?"
"There's nothing certain yet. The acting prime minister went back to contain things, didn't he? What could possibly happen?"
Right.
Could a coup really break out?
To be honest, the Blood Wolf had been summoned just for fun.
Why would he need another summon?
He already had reliable summoned companions.
Still, wouldn't it be fine to take a breather once in a while?
He'd gotten a Summon Attribute Change Ticket as a perk anyway,
and the random summon cooldown would come back in a month regardless.
So he summoned it.
But it was disappointing.
Abilities that fell short of expectations.
You could tell just by how pathetically it got beaten down, unable to even resist Kosak.
Juhyeok himself could subdue it easily.
So where was he supposed to use this thing?
After some thought, he came to a conclusion.
[Entering the Republic of Korea Black Tower, 45th Floor.]
The Basilisk boss zone, entered after a long time.
[45th-Floor Mission: Defeat 60 Basilisks of any type and 1 Rainbow Basilisk.]
Since they were here, might as well skin a ton of hides.
But before that—Rajiks's item farming.
"Hoeng!"
Rajiks was riding on the Blood Wolf's back.
When he pointed into the distance with his golden pickaxe—spot!—the Blood Wolf sprinted off at dazzling speed.
"Hoeeek!"
Ahhh! Rajiks is running.
He's not tumbling around.
Spapapap!
Riding comfortably atop the blazing-fast Blood Wolf, he roamed freely across the 45th floor.
The sluggish Basilisks couldn't even dream of keeping up.
With one tiny hand gripping the Blood Wolf's mane tightly, and the other holding the golden pickaxe, Rajiks skillfully controlled the Blood Wolf while shouting "Hoek, hoek!"
As expected of the all-purpose laborer Rajiks.
He even rides demonic beasts with ease.
Whenever he caught the scent of items, he'd immediately hop down and start swinging the pickaxe.
Thunk thunk thunk thunk!
The Blood Wolf waited quietly beside him.
If a Basilisk even tried to approach, it instantly puffed up and growled.
Once Rajiks finished farming to a certain extent, he tapped the Blood Wolf's head lightly with the handle of his pickaxe.
The Blood Wolf immediately flattened itself to the ground.
Rajiks toddled over on his short legs, climbed onto its back, and—
"Hoek!"
Spapap! Off they went again.
"Our laborer's escort and transportation problems have been solved all at once."
"I feel proud."
Good pull.
A role perfectly suited for the Blood Wolf.
Once the farming of high-grade mana stones, tickets, and rune fragments was done, it was time to skin Basilisks.
Skin, skin, and skin some more.
They stuffed everything indiscriminately into Rajiks's subspace backpack.
Then suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
…Is this really right?
He'd come here to rest.
And even after coming all the way to a vacation villa, he was still skinning monsters?
Did one of his ancestors die from not working hard enough or something?
If you came to rest, then rest.
Why am I doing this?
To be honest, even camping was getting old.
Staring into the fire too often made him smell like smoke.
Even after showering, the smell lingered.
He needed to find some fresh, exciting entertainment…
The one person he could trust with schemes was, as always, crafty Kosak.
"Is there any decent content you'd recommend?"
"How could there not be?"
Kosak grinned slyly.
"Didn't you say we should go on an overseas trip after killing Kabalon?"
"Oh!"
Right. He remembered now.
It had even been on his bucket list.
Since he'd become French, he'd thought about at least taking in the scent of France—but given the circumstances, he'd postponed it.
"Then… sightseeing in France?"
"The Tower and tourist spots are too far apart. Travel would be inconvenient."
"Hm. Then where do you recommend, Mr. Kosak?"
"Japan."
Japan.
His ears perked up.
Before awakening—back when he was working two part-time jobs a day just to get by—
he'd even lamented how everyone else went on trips to Japan while he couldn't manage it even once.
"Set up overseas roaming on your smartphone, exchange some yen, eat delicious food, have fun, relieve stress—kyaaah! Irasshaimase, sir."
Should he do it?
But as always, there was an opposing opinion.
"Sir Kosak, do you have no sense of shame? How could you spend the Young Master's hard-earned blood money on those wretches?"
"Huh? Precisely because it's hard-earned money. Japan is the ultimate cost-performance overseas trip. Cheaper than Jeju."
Anti-Japan Gyeondallae versus pragmatic Kosak.
They clashed again.
The other summoned companions gathered around, watching to see who would win.
"Hoee…"
At some point, Rajiks pulled popcorn out of his subspace backpack and handed it to Juhyeok.
When did he even put that in there?
Juhyeok grabbed some popcorn—crunch, crunch.
"A people who forget their history have no future."
"What history for a mere overseas trip? Are we going there to sell the country?"
Crunch, crack.
"This is not an issue to be taken lightly as mere travel."
"On the contrary, I think it should be taken lightly. Don't inflate its significance. We go, we have fun, we come back—that's all."
Crshh, crunch.
"Do you not care about how others will look at you?"
"Yes, sir! If you live constantly worrying about others' eyes, how do you even live?"
Crunch.
"Could it be that you, Sir Kosak, are a pro-Japanese collaborator?"
"Shall I take the Japanese acting prime minister's head?"
Crunch.
"If we go there and spend money, those bastards will be thrilled."
"Didn't you know? Young people in Japan really like Korea these days."
Ah!
It felt like watching a televised debate.
Are these guys Korean or Japanese?
"All right, let's settle it by vote. To stay neutral, I'll abstain."
"Sounds good! I'm confident."
"This girl votes in favor as well."
"Right hand for supporting the trip, left hand for opposing it. Please raise your hands."
Hands went up.
"Hmm."
Exactly split down the middle—three to three.
Kosak, along with Gobang and Bardin, raised their right hands: pro-travel.
Gyeondallae, Rajiks, and Veronica raised their left hands: anti-travel.
What do I do about this?
Honestly, if Juhyeok decided, that would be the end of it.
No one would complain.
But he had declared neutrality…
And besides, this was the survival strategy of a true loser.
When things get sensitive, back away.
That was when—
The Blood Wolf, which had been lying flat and quiet, let out a soft sound.
"Kiiing…"
It slowly raised its right paw.
What the—? Does this thing count too?
"Yes! The Blood Wolf votes in favor. We win!"
Gyeondallae bristled.
"That's foul play. Absolutely."
"What is?"
"It's obvious that the scheming Kosak threatened the Blood Wolf."
Kosak smirked with a sly smile.
"Got any proof?"
"Y-you—!"
"Bet an arm. If you're scared, then just die."
"…Y-you bastard!!!"
In truth, Juhyeok had seen it.
Bardin, after receiving a subtle signal from Kosak, stepping firmly on the Blood Wolf's tail.
The Blood Wolf was smart enough to read the room and side with Kosak.
Anyway, a decision had been made.
Well, might as well get some fresh air and take this chance to visit Japan.
One of the biggest reasons Kabalon's Curse descended upon Black Towers worldwide—
aside from the depression of the French player Guillaume—
was undeniably the Tower Jumping Ticket.
The item description of the Tower Jumping Ticket was as follows:
< Tower Jumping Ticket (up to 5 LV / 5 floors) >
Effect: Skips up to five floors of the Tower. Your level increases accordingly. Skipped floors are considered cleared.
You enter the Tower and choose the floor.
If you choose Floor 1, you jump to 1 LV / Floor 1;
Floor 3 gives 3 LV / Floor 3;
Floor 5 gives 5 LV / Floor 5.
It wasn't a particularly great item.
It was merely useful for skipping difficult or annoying floors.
However, there existed a similar item with an entirely different effect.
The Level-Up Rune.
Yes.
Not a ticket—a rune.
Its item description was:
< Level-Up Rune (up to 5 LV) >
Effect: Increases only your level, regardless of Tower floor. Upon use, your level increases randomly by at least 1 LV and up to 5 LV.
Though the increase was random, even a single level meant an immediate increase in power.
For example, suppose a player currently challenging the 30th floor used a Level-Up Rune and gained +3 levels.
That player would then challenge the 30th floor with the abilities of a level 33.
It was incomparably better than a Jumping Ticket.
An item that could become the decisive card enabling ascension of uncleared upper floors.
The Japanese player who used this item was Tetsuo Hongo, a First-Class Lieutenant of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
The Level-Up Rune had been purchased on the dark web by Junichi Matsumoto, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, for an enormous sum.
"Tetsuo. The results?"
"The gods have aided Japan."
"Oh!"
After consuming the Level-Up Rune, First-Class Lieutenant Tetsuo Hongo's status window changed as follows:
[Name]: Tetsuo Hongo
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Japan)
[Level]: 57 LV + 5 LV
"Further testing is required. I'll clear the 57th floor immediately."
"Go."
Some time passed.
"Success."
After leveling up again, Tetsuo Hongo's status window updated:
[Level]: 58 LV + 5 LV
Level 58—meaning he could challenge the 58th floor.
With the power equivalent to a total of level 63.
The 58th floor.
The uncleared floor that had caused the collapse of Japan's Black Tower.
With this, Chief of Staff Junichi Matsumoto made his decision.
"Proceed with the coup."
The justification was sufficient.
The Japanese cabinet had failed to clear the 58th floor and caused the Tower's collapse.
Worse, it had triggered the Tower's reappearance in the heart of Tokyo.
An incompetent government would be replaced.
And with the power of the Self-Defense Forces, Tokyo—the capital of Japan—would be protected.
It would be the opening signal announcing the revival of Japan's military rule.