The basic mission on the 73rd floor was to defeat the Battle Chimera Hounds.
On top of that, there were optional missions to eliminate royal guards, the knight commander, and even the king himself.
What stood out was that the high-difficulty and ultra-high-difficulty optional missions both had the note "conditional clear."
What kind of condition could that be?
Well, we'd find out as we went.
"Mr. Gobang,"
"I am listening, Summoner."
"Do you know someone named Jornthe?"
"I do."
"…Who is he?"
"He was once my comrade."
I knew it.
One of the people who had become part of Gobang's trauma.
Would he be okay?
"He's someone you know—if it's uncomfortable…"
"It is not uncomfortable. I want to meet him quickly and snap his spine."
Ah. He's fine.
Let's start with the basic mission.
Battle Chimera Hounds.
We didn't even have to search for them.
"Sniff sniff… grrr…"
"Woof! Woof!"
"Grrrrr!"
The hounds appeared, drawn by scent.
Each body was as large as a Siberian tiger.
Blood-red eyes.
Drool dripping constantly from their jaws.
Their jaws had been modified with steel—gleaming metal mandibles lined with teeth as sharp as blades.
Their claws were the same.
It was as if sharp daggers had been driven in where claws should be.
A bite or a slash would tear chunks of flesh clean off.
Their torsos bulged with exposed muscle, as if pumped full of steroids.
Yet the hounds didn't rush in blindly.
They sniffed the air, advancing, retreating, repeating—approaching with extreme caution.
That's different.
The chimera packs on the 72nd floor had nothing but pure aggression.
They'd charged straight in without thinking.
"They are perfected chimera."
"…Perfected?"
"When synthesizing chimera, the most important core element is intelligence. High intelligence allows autonomous situational judgment."
As expected—Gobang really was an expert on chimera.
"If they are stupid, no matter how strong they are, they are useless. Just like I was in the past."
"..."
His tone was strangely bitter.
"When enhancing intelligence, the essential material is the soul—most often, a human soul. Because humans are intelligent."
Then that meant these chimera hounds were also created using human souls.
An unforgivable act.
Whoever made them…
Obviously necromancers like Kate or Norma, and the one who gave the orders—the King of the Norton Kingdom.
"Still, dogs are dogs."
"That's true."
Kosak pointed at the Blood Wolf carrying Rajiks on its back.
"Dogs should be handled by dogs. It's time for Blood Wolf to earn its keep."
"But Blood Wolf is our farmhand's mount?"
"Rajiks the worker has gotten fat. He needs exercise. Look at that flabby belly."
"…Ho, hoe?"
Rajiks looked shocked by the merciless body-shaming.
Hmm.
To be honest, Juhyeok agreed.
Rajiks had put on weight.
He looked nice and round—he'd probably roll well—but what if he got lifestyle diseases?
Should I install a giant hamster wheel at home for exercise?
And Blood Wolf couldn't just be a mount forever.
Letting it participate in battles was a good idea too.
Rank: Stage 1 (Level 71)Type: Demonic Beast
Although it was level 71, it was still only Stage 1.
A summoned creature's level synced with the player, but real growth came through stage evolution.
Blood Wolf had never fought a proper battle, so it was still stuck at Stage 1.
"Alright. Let's deploy it."
"Hoeee…"
The moment Rajiks climbed down—
"Earn your keep!"
Kosak kicked Blood Wolf square in the rear—bam!—sending it flying toward the chimera hounds.
"Yelp!"
Hey, you can't just—
"You've got to raise them tough."
Blood Wolf landed right in the middle of the pack.
"Grr-woof!"
"Grrrr!"
"Kyah!"
"Kyahhh!"
The Battle Chimera Hounds rushed in as if they'd been waiting, steel fangs bared.
"Y-yelp!"
Blood Wolf was instantly focused down.
It was only Stage 1.
Outnumbered, too.
Its neck was bitten, its legs were bitten, even its rear—
Soon it was covered in blood, tail tucked as it fled.
"…Uh."
"Why is it so weak?"
Yeah. It couldn't compete at all.
Thud.
Rajiks collapsed to the ground, wailing in despair.
"Hoeeeee…!"
He must've grown attached.
Juhyeok shouted urgently.
"Hurry—let's clear them!"
Boom boom boom!
Gobang charged forward.
Bardin climbed onto his shoulders, ready to be swung naturally.
"O light!!!"
At that moment, one chimera hound leapt toward Gobang's head.
"Woof!"
Simultaneously, another lunged for his ankle.
"Grr!"
And another went for his flank.
A well-coordinated joint attack.
Crunch!
A chimera hound latched onto Gobang's arm.
Steel teeth sank into flesh, blood spilling—
But it was pointless.
He regenerated instantly.
Crack!
Instead, the hound's teeth shattered.
"O light!!!"
Gobang swung Bardin.
Bam! Bam! Thud!
Simultaneous blows from body and flail.
Slash! Slash-slaaash!
Then came Veronica's concentrated fire.
Spat! Spat! Spat! Spat!
Kosak rushed in and rescued the Blood Wolf, now barely alive.
"Whiiine…"
Rajiks ran over, sobbing at the pitiful sight of Blood Wolf.
"Hoeeeeng…"
At this rate, it would die.
Before that—
"Unsummon Blood Wolf."
Spot!
Did it survive?
Checking the status catalog, it wasn't in an unsummonable state.
He'd saved it just in time.
"Phew."
At least that was a relief.
"S-sorry, Rajiks the worker."
"Hoek!"
"I won't do that again—"
"Hoeek!"
"No, what did I even do wro—"
"Hoeeng!"
Tsk, tsk.
He'd been wondering why there hadn't been any incidents lately.
You don't just kick someone's summon straight into battle.
Anyway, to fill the gap left by Blood Wolf—
"Summon designated: Mad Demon."
Fwoosh! The Mad Demon took its place.
"Summoner."
"Welcome."
"You called me sooner than expected."
"It looks like we'll have plenty of time… come with me."
The battle continued.
"Hehehe, this old man is honored."
Just having him here was reassuring.
Royal guards? A knight commander? The king?
They were already dead men walking.
This was someone who could wipe out an entire country.
Sending away Blood Wolf and getting the Mad Demon instead—what a profit.
Still, it wouldn't be easy.
Those hounds had managed to bite into Gobang's rock-solid arm and even draw blood.
And with coordinated attacks like that, the 73rd floor's basic mission alone would be difficult for ordinary players.
Of course, that doesn't apply to us.
[Battle Chimera Hounds defeated: 20/20]
[You have completed the 73rd floor basic mission.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Reward: Magic Stones 1.3 kg / High-Grade Magic Stones 6 kg]
The basic mission was nothing more than a warm-up.
[Would you like to continue with the additional optional mission?]
[If you decline, you will exit the Tower with a mission success rating.]
Now came the real deal—the optional missions.
Of course we'd proceed.
But then—
"Um, Summoner Bong."
Kosak, who'd been bickering with Rajiks, crept over and whispered, as if something had happened.
"What is it?"
"Rajiks the worker keeps asking me to go somewhere with him…"
Where?
Don't tell me—
"You're not planning to beat up our worker somewhere nobody can see, are you? I saw you two arguing earlier."
Kosak recoiled in horror.
"Eek? Why would I ever hit our worker? No, absolutely not!"
I still didn't trust him.
Better ask Rajiks directly.
"Do you really have something to do?"
"Hoe."
"Really?"
"Hoeng!"
Did he smell items or something?
Then I should let him go.
"Take good care of our worker. If even a single hair is harmed—"
"Oh come on! I'd rather bash my own head in. I will absolutely protect the cosmic super-farmhand."
Well then.
When Juhyeok nodded, Kosak and Rajiks disappeared somewhere.
It was fine even without them.
The Mad Demon was here.
"Proceed."
The time had come.
Juhyeok opened his inventory and took out a Potion of Courage.
A potion that maintained an unyielding mind for ten minutes, preventing mental disturbance from external influences.
Gulp.
Doping complete.
Is it working?
It felt like courage was welling up.
At that moment—
Clank, clatter, click, click!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The iron doors of the prison cells opened one by one.
From inside emerged knights in heavy armor, carrying swords and shields.
…Huh?
Something was off about them.
Their faces and builds were identical.
An oversized right arm as thick as their torso, lower bodies shaped like a horse's legs, and a massive single eye taking up half their face.
They weren't undead.
It looked as if their bodies had been modified—or forcibly altered.
"Human chimera," Gyeondallae said.
"….."
"They've grafted troll arms. The eye is from a cyclops, the lower body from a warhorse."
They modified their own bodies?
Why?
"To gain power, of course. If one enters the heretical path instead of proper training, a price must be paid."
That was horrific.
Could they even be called human anymore?
Their eyes looked hollow.
"Hey?"
No response.
They only drew their swords—
Shrrrk, shrrrk—
And leveled them forward with their monstrous arms.
Hwaaaah!
Aura flared along the blades.
They could at least wield aura.
Even the additional optional mission is high difficulty.
Fifteen knights using aura.
And they moved with disciplined coordination.
No need for orders.
The summoned beings clashed head-on with the chimera guards.
Kwaaang!Spapapat!
Juhyeok gripped the Thunderstorm Destruction Staff.
He had to join the fight.
What did conquest mean here?
It meant killing the knights.
But—
He hesitated.
His body wouldn't move.
They were human.
Even if they were souls that had already died once, they had real bodies now.
That made them human.
Even after drinking the Potion of Courage, it was like this.
His mind was fortified—yet it didn't help.
In a way, that was natural.
Courage and murder were never truly related.
Does killing people well make you courageous?
Does being unable to kill make you a coward?
"That is correct. Courage has nothing to do with it."
The Mad Demon, now beside him, spoke quietly.
He must have seen Juhyeok drink the potion.
"Courage is needed to uphold one's convictions, to resist power, to possess an unbroken will. As for killing—"
The Mad Demon extended a finger toward a royal guard knight.
"It only requires experience. Once you pass the initial rite—"
Tspit!
A mass of energy shot from his hand, piercing straight through the knight's single eye.
"—the next killing becomes very easy. Like slapping a buzzing mosquito on a summer night."
The one-eyed knight collapsed.
Thud.
"Summoner."
The Mad Demon placed a hand on Juhyeok's shoulder.
"…Yes."
A warm energy flowed into him.
"Do not rush. There is no need to force yourself to be stained. Is a person weak because they cannot kill? Sometimes, the opposite is true."
He was right.
But it was already too late.
Juhyeok had already stepped onto this path.
Was direct killing the only killing?
Indirect killing was still killing.
Letting only summoned beings do the dirty work while pretending to stay noble in the back was shameless.
A rite of passage?
So what.
It's not like I can't do it.
Juhyeok gathered his magic power—
And was about to charge forward—
[You have completed the additional optional mission.]
[Reward: Multinational Tower Access Ticket]
…Tsk.
The optional mission was already over.
He'd hesitated too long and missed his chance.
Next time, for sure.
Still, the ticket drop rate was great.
How many was this already?
At that moment—
Ding!
[Would you like to continue with the high-difficulty optional mission?]
[From high-difficulty missions onward, conditional clears apply.]
[If you do not wish to proceed, you may exit the Tower here.]
[Upon successful completion, you will receive 10× High-Grade Magic Stones and a 100% chance of an additional clear reward.]
Ten times the reward?
But there were conditions attached.
Guess we'll find out once we try.
"Proceed!"
At that very moment—
Kiiiik—!
A single ray of light pierced down from the ceiling.
What?
Kiiiiiiii—
It was opening.
The ceiling was opening, like the dome roof of a nightclub.
[The conditions for a conditional clear have been met.]
[You have entered the Royal Palace Circular Arena.]
[Withdrawal is not possible.]
[The ultra–high-difficulty optional mission will also proceed automatically.]
[Withdrawal is not possible.]
Wow.
So it was a trap.
What we thought was a prison was actually beneath a circular arena.
The ceiling fully opened.
Beyond it, spectator stands came into view.
Judging by their attire, most of them looked like nobles or wealthy merchants.
And at the very highest seat—
A middle-aged king, wearing a radiant crown, resting his chin on his hand with a bored expression.
The king stood up.
With a greasy smile, he raised his thumb—
Then slowly turned it downward.
"Kill them all!"
A roar erupted.
"WOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The crowd went mad.
"Kill them!"
"Tear the intruders to pieces!"
"Fresh blood!"
At the same time—
BOOM!
A giant holding a massive axe dropped down into the arena from above.
Thud. Thud.
A knight in full plate armor, as massive as Gobang even after gigantification.
And he wasn't alone.
Grrrrrr—
More than thirty battle chimera hounds poured in—
Along with over twenty knights entering the arena.
"This is amusing."
The Mad Demon smiled brightly.
Meanwhile—
Rrrrrrrr—
Rajiks rolled rapidly through a dark passage.
Spot! Spapapapat!
Kosak chased closely behind.
"Rajiks the worker, slow down a bit."
"Hoe! Hoeeeee!"
"Oh, if we're late we won't be able to take everything? …Take what?"
"Hoeeee!"
"Ah, got it. I'll follow quietly."
Still, Kosak felt pleased.
Seeing Rajiks exercise so enthusiastically.
Following Rajiks, they entered deeper into the royal palace.
Through maze-like corridors, subduing soldiers whenever they encountered them.
Suddenly—Rajiks stopped short.
"Ho-o-e!"
He tapped the floor with his short foot.
"Hm."
Kosak carefully examined the ground.
"There's a mechanism. A secret passage. Smell items?"
Rajiks nodded.
"Ohhh, so that's why you brought me, our worker. This Kosak happens to be a mechanism-disabling expert, you know?"
Kosak grinned and pulled out his twin daggers.
Then he pressed his ear flat against the floor.
"Let's see—break here,"
Thrust! A dagger pierced into the stone slab.
"Slice here."
Scrrrk.
"Slice there."
Scrrrk.
"And break these two spots too and—"
Slide.
The floor opened.
A pitch-black hole appeared.
A slanted passage like a slide.
"Hoe!"
"Don't mention it!"
Rrrrrrrr—
Rajiks and Kosak rolled down the newly opened passage.
They descended for quite a while.
Then Rajiks stopped again and began knocking on the wall—tap tap.
"Smell here too? …Another mechanism?"
Nod nod.
Thud thud!Scrrk, scrrk!
Another door opened.
This one was different.
Not a narrow corridor, but a fairly wide underground passage.
Ahead stood a massive iron gate, guarded by four sentry soldiers.
"Take them out?"
Nod nod.
Spot!
Kosak appeared behind the soldiers in an instant.
Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack!
One blow to the back of each head—every soldier collapsed on the spot.
"I didn't kill them this time. Soldiers aren't at fault, right? I may look like this, but I know when to kill and when not to."
"Hoe."
Rajiks tapped the iron gate impatiently.
Less talk—open the door.
"A master lockpicker stands before you. There's even a locking spell, but this is child's play."
Tap tap!Tadadadak!
After fiddling with the entire gate a few times—
Click.
With the sound of the lock disengaging—
Creeeak—
The iron gate opened.
Kosak and Rajiks went inside.
"Hoeeeeeee…"
Rajiks's face went slack with bliss.
"Eek?"
Kosak jumped in surprise.
No wonder.
The entire room was glittering brilliantly.
The Norton Kingdom's underground treasury.
More than twice the size of the necromancer dungeon's treasure vault.