Right after clearing the 71st floor,
Juhyeok met with Jeon Gwang-il and handed over the Liberation Rune Necklace and the Form-Transformation Ring.
They were to be delivered to the French special delegation via Jeon Gwang-il.
The French government faithfully upheld the contract.
After all, the entire core of the agreement was simply to reach the 71st floor and hand over the necklace and ring to the French government.
At Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Korea's cultural assets—already packed and waiting—were loaded onto a transport plane and departed for Incheon Airport.
Jikji Simche Yojeol, the Oegyujanggak documents, Wang Ocheonchukgukjeon, Kim Hong-do's paintings, and over 900 other ancient books and artworks—
All of them would become Juhyeok's private collection. The contract explicitly stated so.
The state would lease them and display them in museums.
Since a private individual owning national treasures could be problematic, they were officially declared as being "returned" to Korea.
Even this alone more than covered the cost of the building.
That is—if he could sell them.
The next day, Juhyeok once again entered a tower using a Multinational Tower Access Ticket.
Temporary naturalization?
He'd done it once—no need to do it again.
At first, the novelty had been fun, running around saying bonjour and merci as a joke,
But it got boring fast.
The naturalization process was a hassle,
And he'd have to meet embassy staff again.
Deputy Director Jeon also seemed to prefer that he not do temporary naturalization again.
How much pressure would it put on the Agency?
The nation's top player temporarily naturalizing again?
He could just get more tickets as rewards later.
They dropped surprisingly often.
He'd gotten one each from the Korean Black Tower's 71st floor and even the 3rd floor.
Was it because the reward probability had increased?
If I really get desperate, I can always take it easy and try assembling fragments on the side.
French Black Tower, 72nd floor.
Mission rewards included high-grade magic stones, weapons, equipment items, and more.
What—did he come here for the rewards?
He came to loot the treasure vaults.
The ultra-magic beast Hydra and the necromancer Noma weren't even threats.
Not in front of the Mad Demon, once he got serious.
The real question was the treasure vault—
Would it be there?
"Hoek!"
The plunderer Rajiks threw both hands into the air.
"Long live!!!"
"I am the Great Cosmic Thief Rajiks!"
"Truly the greatest divine thief in all the martial world!"
"Quartermaster, certain victory!"
Location shift complete—72nd floor Necromancer Dungeon Treasure Vault.
And then—
Location shift complete—73rd floor Norton Kingdom Royal Treasure Vault.
Fortunately,
The mass-slaughter "Crescent Boomerang Wave-Riding" incident in the 73rd-floor spectator stands did not occur.
Only the king was killed.
It was the Mad Demon's consideration for Juhyeok's mental health.
Spot!
Juhyeok and the group returned to the penthouse.
A truly imposing band of tower thieves.
A mere 1.3 trillion?
One big haul and it's done.
"Are we… becoming thieves now?"
"Lord Kosak, you were always a thief—no, a bandit—from long ago."
"Compared to the Great Cosmic Thief Rajiks, I am nothing."
"Hoeng!"
"Look at that shameless Cosmic Thief face reaching the heavens. If you're going to loot, you loot big."
There was a twinge of guilt about robbing another country's tower treasure vaults, but honestly—who but Rajiks could have taken those treasures in the first place?
Alright, time to quickly distribute rewards based on merit.
The badge ceremony.
They decided to go around and give them out one by one.
No need to be stingy.
Upgrading the summoned beings' skills was effectively upgrading Juhyeok himself.
This time, there were three targets for skill upgrades:
Kosak, Veronica, and the Mad Demon—five badges each.
Which skill did Kosak upgrade to LSSR grade?
Whoosh!
Five badges dissolved into his body.
"Stealth skill upgrade. No one can find me now. Even Elder Mad Demon would have trouble."
Sliiiide.
Kosak vanished.
"Oho! Completely seamless. You were right."
"Hehehehe."
There wasn't even a hint of his presence.
You could hear a sound, but had no idea which direction it came from.
"If Gobang wants to flick my forehead, he'll have to find me first."
Tsk, tsk.
So it was just to avoid getting flicked?
He could just not do things that deserved it—
Though the duration didn't seem very long.
Before long, sliiiide, Kosak reappeared.
The Mad Demon smirked.
"Premature. The duration is short."
"Of course, isn't it? An SSR-grade body using an LSSR-grade skill—my legs'd tear apart."
"At least you know your place."
"Yes, sir!"
Next—Veronica.
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber, magic-gun marksmanship. Overall attack power increase, accuracy correction, and reduced ammunition consumption."
An efficient choice, just like a proper soldier.
If you're a soldier, you should shoot well.
"I like it. There's only Sergeant Veronica."
Veronica snapped her heels together and raised her right hand sharply in salute.
"Certain victory!"
Boing!
Then—what about the Mad Demon?
Something was odd.
Kosak and Veronica's five badges were absorbed the moment they reached five—but the Mad Demon's just stayed there.
Why weren't they being absorbed?
Was LSSR grade on a whole different level?
"You need a skill to upgrade. All of mine have already reached the ultimate."
What?
Then why take them at all?
There was no need to give them to him.
"Still, don't take them away. They'll be useful someday, won't they?"
Hmm.
Useful for what?
That sounded a bit suspicious.
It felt like there was something more to it.
Well, maybe he's just wearing them for symbolic reasons.
The Mad Demon could do as he pleased.
It didn't feel like a waste.
Now, the final remaining step—
Platinum Badge cumulative total: 91.
It was time to check the perk.
"Honestly, I'm not even expecting anything anymore. They just keep giving weird items."
The Mad Demon tilted his head.
"Hm? What did you receive as your previous perk?"
"…Uh, nothing good. Trash, basically."
He couldn't reveal the Tower Dominance Proclamation Loudspeaker to the Mad Demon.
If he did, the old man would immediately insist on using it to seize another country's tower.
"Trash, you say… I have an idea. Whatever comes out, it won't be the same as before."
The Mad Demon's expression turned grave.
"Now that the Liberation Rune Necklace has been released, the tower's tricks will only grow more extreme."
Hey, even if it plays tricks, it should still give something worthwhile.
At this point, shouldn't it be time for a trait enhancement?
If they gave him dice or a loudspeaker again, he'd flip the table.
A new family member would be arriving soon, too.
With a tense heart, Juhyeok opened his inventory and checked the newly acquired badge.
[You have accumulated 90 Platinum Badges. A perk is granted.]
"Please, trait enhancement!"
"Trait enhancement, come on!"
"Trait up!"
"I pray for Young Master's success."
"My lord! May you seize a trait enhancement!"
"Hoe!"
[Perk: Trait…]
"Uaaaaah, traaai—!"
[Perk: Rune of Trait Addition has been delivered to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
"…Huh?"
Not trait enhancement, but trait addition.
He'd almost shouted at the word trait before stopping himself.
…What is this now?
An item he'd never seen before.
Effect: Adds one additional trait, evolving you into a dual-trait state.
Limit: The added trait is random. If the same trait appears, the existing trait is enhanced.
Dual traits?
So it meant adding one more trait.
For example, if he randomly obtained the trait [Swordsmanship], Juhyeok's status window would become:
[Traits]: Summoning (Simultaneous Summons: 7) / Swordsmanship (Enhancement Level 1)
Like that?
That's… ambiguous.
The limit actually looked more appealing.
"If the same trait appears, the existing trait is enhanced."
If he got lucky, he could achieve trait enhancement one more time…
"What did you get?"
"A Rune of Trait Addition."
"Oh!"
"And?"
"Hm."
The summoned beings didn't look too happy.
"Is this trash too?"
The Mad Demon answered for them.
"It's not bad. If a trait is added, you'll gain more skills, and that means the summoner becomes stronger."
That was true.
It didn't replace or remove anything—it added to it.
"However, the timing is questionable. With the Liberation Rune Necklace unleashed… this could be another trick."
The Mad Demon continued,
"There are countless types of player traits. Among them are many that affect a person's emotions. [Berserker], [Blood], [Heavenly Slaughter Star], [Monstrous Strength]—what if something like that were added as a trait?"
Ah.
He understood immediately.
"Reason cannot overcome emotion. Humans are emotional creatures, are they not?"
If Juhyeok used the Rune of Trait Addition and randomly gained [Berserker]—
He'd become a summoner who went mad and rampaged.
The kind who charged in first whenever a battle started.
And he wouldn't even be able to invest in trait enhancement properly.
If he had a strengthening rune, he'd obviously use it on the Summoning trait—why waste it elsewhere?
"It's not something we really need."
"Exactly. You could use it for amusement, but as I said, if this is a trick, a strange trait could be added."
Those bastards had laid traps everywhere.
In the tower, and in reality.
Right now, focusing on his main trait was far more urgent.
What good was adding one more trait?
Let's not use it for now.
If the same trait came out and led to enhancement, that'd be the best outcome—but the odds were slim, and the risk was too high.
Just like the loudspeaker, this was going into inventory storage.
Tsk… should I hire a shaman or something before the next perk?
Anyway, everything was checked.
He'd hand over the looted items to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il for sales and take a good rest.
Until the random summoning cooldown reset.
And time passed quickly.
The landscape of tower conquests around the world was changing.
Collapse deadlines no longer mattered.
Everyone's eyes were on the land of milk and honey—the 71st floor.
In the United States Department of Homeland Security,
Secretary McMillan and Director Antonio were deeply troubled by this shift.
Originally, they had planned to raise only the Eastern Tower to the 71st floor.
They had judged that the Western Tower was too dangerous if it collapsed, so it shouldn't be pushed too high.
The Western Tower was truly a headache.
What was the point of having multiple towers?
There was no benefit.
It just meant adding another collapse-time bomb.
The same went for high-grade magic stone production.
That depended purely on the number of players and their activity.
There was one benefit to having multiple towers.
The four-item gift set awarded upon first reaching the 71st floor.
Anyone who cleared it first would receive it.
Currently, the only player capable of reaching the 71st floor of the Western Tower was Gerald.
The undead zone around the 60th floor blocked the way.
It functioned as a kind of defensive line.
Though the difficulty had dropped significantly compared to before, it was still extremely hard for ordinary players to clear.
They couldn't lend out the Holy Sword to just anyone, either.
But lately, the atmosphere felt ominous.
Player activity was exploding.
Especially after the full opening of the Korean Player Shop—
Players around the world flocked to the Korean Awakened Management Agency's Player Shop, buying items like it was a trend.
The effect of items on players didn't need explaining.
Players grew stronger.
Some were even breaking through the undead zone using nothing but holy water.
As a result, the undead defensive line was collapsing.
For the United States, this was a major threat.
What if an uncontrolled player cleared the 71st floor?
"Where's Gerald?"
"He's repeatedly clearing the 71st floor."
The Korean government had distributed information worldwide.
They advised everyone to finish the 72nd and 3rd floors with only the basic mission—especially warning never to attempt conditional clears.
They even explained the detailed reasons.
Because of that, Gerald's attempt to climb the 72nd floor was currently being blocked.
"Did he comply?"
"Not at all. He was offended. Said we were underestimating him."
That was understandable.
When Korean players had cleared up to the 73rd floor with S+++ ranks—
"Hm. Then we'll also clear the Western Tower up to the 71st floor. The White House has approved it. Tell Gerald."
Director Antonio nodded and asked,
"What about borrowing the Holy Sword? Should we prepare to go to Korea?"
"No. This time, we'll test whether it can be done with holy water alone—without the real Holy Sword."
"It should be possible. As long as there's enough holy water."
The U.S. government, too, was feeling a sense of crisis.
The four-item gift set on the Western Tower's 71st floor was still unclaimed.
They had to secure it before someone else did.
Peaceful days continued.
Lazing around at home, and when bored, going out to laze around some more.
Occasionally, Juhyeok entered the Korean Black Tower as well.
Just in case the treasure vaults had respawned—
But while all the targets had regenerated, the treasure vaults had not.
The locations themselves had vanished completely.
It wasn't disappointing.
There were 145 Black Towers on Earth.
Another opportunity would come someday.
The four treasure vaults Rajiks had looted—
The high-quality items that came out of them—
Were selling at a frightening speed.
Juhyeok's bank account grew richer accordingly,
And it wasn't just good news for him alone.
Players' abilities skyrocketed.
Repeated clears became safer, and climbing previously uncleared upper floors progressed smoothly.
The United Arab Emirates also purchased dozens of items from the Player Shop.
While they were at it, they rented the Holy Sword and managed to clear the 60th and 61st floors without Juhyeok's help.
Crown Prince Bin Salah had entrusted a gift for Juhyeok, as a token of gratitude, to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il—
He could receive it later.
So many good things were happening—
Yet Juhyeok's penthouse was awash with tears.
"Gobang, make sure we meet again in two weeks."
A warrior is the summoner's shield. Just wait a little longer. The summoner is the reason a warrior lives, the meaning of their existence."
Aaaah!
How could anyone hold back their tears?
Juhyeok slowly pinned badges onto Gobang's chest—until the count reached twenty-five.
Then he placed the Rune of Summoned Being Rank Breakthrough into his hand.
It was time for Gobang to depart for his LSSR-rank breakthrough.
Gyeon Dallae lowered her head, wiping tears with her sleeve, while Bardin clutched Gobang's hand and refused to let go.
Veronica and Rajiks snapped to attention and saluted, showing respect to the departing Gobang.
Even the Mad Demon patted Gobang on the shoulder.
Only Kosak looked sullen.
"Anyone'd think we lost our country. Ain't we seeing him again in two weeks?"
"You're really heartless. At least pretend to be sad."
When Juhyeok nudged him, Kosak reluctantly said,
"T-take care."
"Please look after the summoner in my stead."
"…Got it. Trust me."
Despite his outward attitude, he was surely worried about Gobang.
Then—
"Dismiss Gobang."
Spot!
With Gobang gone,
Juhyeok shook off the gloomy mood completely.
"Shall we welcome a new family member?"
The random summoning cooldown had reset.
Let's summon quickly.
He took out the ticket first.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"I trust that a fine person will arrive."
They had to.
Riiip!
Juhyeok tore the ticket.
[You have used an LSSR Guaranteed Summoning Ticket.]
[The next random summon will guaranteed summon an LSSR-rank summoned being.]
"Random summon!"
It began.
Fwoooosh!
Clusters of light appeared everywhere.
Brilliant, multicolored hues—
Then, in an instant—pop pop!
The lights vanished.
Did they appear?
Where were they?
No one was there.
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but still couldn't see anyone.
"Um… are there cases where summoning fails?"
"That cannot be, my lord. Who would dare refuse your call?"
But what was this?
There was no one there.
At that moment—
"Hoeh…."
Rajiks raised its short arm and pointed in a direction.
Then someone came into view.
In the corner of the living room, a person was crouched down with their head pressed against the wall.
Their face wasn't visible.
Only their back could be seen.
Judging by the hairstyle and clothes, they seemed to be female.
Name: AliamariRank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)Type: Alchemist (Elf)Manifestation Time: 3 hoursSatisfaction Rating: NoneResummon Cooldown: 6 hours (applies after dismissal)
…What on earth??
An LSSR that's a shut-in recluse?
And she's an elf, no less.
"Um…"
When Juhyeok spoke to her—
She flinched!
Her body trembled as she slid a piece of paper with writing on it across the living room floor.
Of course, it was written in Korean.
The paper read:
I'm sorry. It's hard to respond. I haven't spoken out loud in a very long time.
Hmm.
What should he do?
So Juhyeok wrote on the paper as well.
Nice to meet you, Aliamari. Welcome.
He slid it over.
She scribbled something, then slid it back again.
I'll do my best. Please call me Mari.
Well, communication worked—thankfully.
She didn't seem to have any severe mental disorders.
That aside—
An alchemist.
A production class?
And for some reason, he liked her.
Maybe it was a sense of shared suffering.