How transactions in the black market work.
In the early days, payments were made in dollars, but now it's strictly coins only.
So how does item trading work?
If it's a low-priced item, a guild member goes out personally and hands it over.
But for expensive items like high-grade runes, delivery accidents can happen, so they mostly use personal bank vaults.
Even if you trust your fellow player guild members, if someone goes crazy, stuffs the rune into their inventory, and runs off, it would be disastrous.
First, the buyer pays for the item on the dark web using various coins such as Bitcoin, Tether, Ethereum, or Ripple.
Once the deposit is confirmed, a courier is sent to deliver the bank's personal vault key and password containing the item, and the transaction is complete.
What remains after that?
Managing things so the coin prices don't crash, and slowly converting them into cash.
"We just got word that the transaction is complete."
"Good work."
The trade of the Trait Enhancement Rune ended quickly.
It seemed the United States was in a hurry.
Two runes were sold.
The price: 19 billion dollars.
Well, it made sense. Gerald, once the best in the world, had been pushed aside by an S+++–rank Korean player and had fallen into being just another mediocre player. Of course he'd be anxious.
In truth, concentrating that many runes on a single player is a foolish move.
Who knows what might happen later?
If something goes wrong with them in the real world, that's the end of it.
Players are surprisingly fragile beings.
No matter how many times you enhance traits, it's useless if their mentality collapses.
Anyway, the Trait Enhancement Runes were sold.
Now only one rune remained.
This one would not be sold.
Just in case something happened later, it would be kept as an emergency reserve.
The guild master of the black market organization.
No one knew his name.
His nationality had never been revealed either.
Only that he was an early awakened player and in his mid-forties.
Of course, was it really possible that he had no name?
It was displayed clearly in the status window.
Even his recently changed nationality.
[Name]: Dmitri Romanov
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Republic of Korea)
[Level]: 61 LV
Dmitri was currently residing in Prague, Czech Republic.
After acquiring temporary naturalization through the North Korean embassy, he had conquered the Republic of Korea's Black Tower up to the 60th floor and was preparing for the 61st.
The undead section—something he wouldn't have dared attempt before.
Dmitri himself had been stuck on the 59th floor.
Since managing the black market was his main job, was there really any need to climb the unconquered upper floors?
He had only occasionally farmed the lower floors repeatedly.
But from now on, he would climb aggressively.
Breaking through the undead division.
He had holy water, after all.
I need to clear the 70th floor within a month.
The final floor of the undead section—the 70th floor.
The place guarded by the copy of Kabalon.
If he could just get past this, that was it.
The undead's dark aura had been nerfed, so it wasn't difficult.
All thanks to the Korean S+++–rank conqueror who had defeated the true Kabalon.
He had also heard that the 71st floor was very easy.
Was he climbing alone?
Not a chance.
For this operation, around thirty elite guild members had been carefully selected and temporarily naturalized as well.
All of them were players who had enhanced their traits at least once.
Once they properly got on track—
I can obtain the Necklace of Liberation.
And the Rejuvenation Elixir and Disease-Curing Potions as well.
Results were starting to show.
Not only high-grade mana stone mining, but all kinds of items were coming out as rewards.
The key is the Necklace of Liberation.
That would never be sold.
If they secured multiple rune necklaces, the black market guild's long-cherished dream would be fulfilled in one stroke.
Practical military power.
Liberated players above level 70.
Superhumans who could use the abilities from inside the tower even in the real world.
A powerful armed organization composed solely of players would be born.
In that sense…
Shall I get a taste of the 61st floor today?
There was plenty of holy water, so if things went well, success was possible.
Alright, then—entering—
At that very moment!
[World Announcement: Player overcrowding has occurred in a specific country.]
"…Huh?"
All of a sudden?
Another announcement followed immediately.
Construction of a Black Tower affiliated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea confirmed.
Climb progress set to 55 floors.
Affiliation change in the status window will be impossible for one year.
"…What kind of bullshit is this?!"
Dmitri hurriedly checked his own status window.
[Name]: Dmitri Romanov
[Affiliation]: Black Tower (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
[Level]: 61 LV
"..."
It had changed.
His nationality had changed.
Just moments ago, he had been affiliated with the Republic of Korea.
Was this for real?
"T-the Republic of Korea Black Tower, entering the 61st floor!"
[You cannot enter a tower with a different affiliation.]
"My God!"
Just like that?
It didn't feel real at all.
Why?
At that moment, the door burst open.
"G-guild master!"
Vice guild master Anton rushed in, his face deathly pale.
"Anton… don't tell me you too?"
"I-I was in the middle of clearing the 59th floor when I was forcibly ejected, saying it was a tower that didn't match my nationality."
"…Ah."
Dmitri quickly checked with the other guild members as well.
It was the same for all of them.
Every single one had their nationality changed.
They could no longer enter the Republic of Korea's Black Tower.
The only tower they could enter was the Black Tower of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
A place where the upper floors were unconquered past the 55th floor, where reward rates were abysmally low, usefulness was poor, and only ordinary mana stones—now worth dirt cheap—could be mined.
"Damn it all!!!"
Dmitri's hands trembled violently.
His breath caught in his throat.
He could barely stand upright.
It's completely… over.
How much money had he invested in this operation?
It was all about to be lost.
Everyone heard the world announcement.
At first, no one could grasp the situation.
What kind of nonsense was that?
A newly constructed tower?
Only after the players who had temporarily naturalized through the North Korean embassy checked their status windows did they finally realize the truth.
Why can't I enter the Republic of Korea Black Tower?"My nationality changed?""I got kicked out in the middle of a run.""Damn it! This is a scam! Give me my money back!""Do you know how much the temporary naturalization cost?!""Wow! I'm lucky. I was just about to sign."
The area in front of the North Korean embassy was crowded with players.
Some demanded their temporary naturalization be canceled, others demanded refunds.
But how could that possibly happen?
Black Tower–related internet communities and SNS around the world were also in an uproar.
The Korean Tower Climbing Gallery, in particular, saw an explosion of posts.
ㄴ Welcome to the North Korean Black Tower!
ㄴ Easy to come in, but not so easy to leave.
ㄴ Long live the Black Tower of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea!
ㄴ You capitalist bastards, we'll show you the people's Black Tower!
ㄴ Hmm, reporting you to the NIS.
ㄴ Hahaha, looks like your straw just got pulled out.
ㄴ The true inter-Korean division starts now.
ㄴ Are there any level 55 players in North Korea right now?
ㄴ Probably none among the original players. Maybe among the temporary naturalized ones.
ㄴ The dignity of North Korea! The world's highest number of players per capita.
ㄴ I want to climb the Republic of Korea's tower… huh? This isn't it?
ㄴ A bolt from the blue.
ㄴ What choice is there? Might as well mine normal mana stones.
ㄴ Can you even make a living selling normal mana stones? Probably won't even cover potion costs.
ㄴ By the way, where exactly is the new Black Tower?
ㄴ They say it's near Pyongyang.
ㄴ Close to the Kumsusan Palace? Like Japan—
ㄴ No, not downtown Pyongyang, but if it collapses, wouldn't it still fall within the impact zone?
ㄴ What a waste.
ㄴ Hey! Aren't you guys worried? There could be a hole punched through the Korean Peninsula.
The South Korean government also went into emergency mode.
The National Intelligence Service moved frantically to assess the situation, and the entire military was placed on high alert in preparation for possible contingencies.
The Awakened Management Agency was in chaos as well.
Director Park Gyeong-su was on the phone nonstop.
"…About 15 kilometers east of Pyongyang, you say? What about civilian casualties? Ah! Still unknown? Hmm. Please contact us immediately if there are any updates."
A Black Tower had risen near Pyongyang.
Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il wore an expression of disbelief.
"It's a strange feeling. I feel like laughing, but this isn't something to laugh about."
"Same here."
South and North Korea had shared a single tower until now.
But with this world announcement, a Black Tower exclusively belonging to North Korea had been created.
Until now, North Korea had enjoyed the benefits of the Republic of Korea's Black Tower without bearing any risk of collapse.
But now, they had to bear that risk themselves.
Tower collapse was no longer someone else's problem.
They had no choice but to stand on their own.
"How do you think the temporarily naturalized players feel? They can't even change nationality for a year."
Of course, it was only the status window affiliation that changed, so nothing physically changed in reality.
"What do you think? If they want to survive, they'll have to climb the North Korean Black Tower for a year. If they don't climb, their awakening gets revoked."
That's right.
If a player doesn't enter a tower for three months, the system strips them of player status.
The temporarily naturalized players were bound.
They had no choice.
They had to climb, no matter what.
"They got greedy and bit bait they shouldn't have."
"A full haul. We caught a whole netful."
"The problem is that the North Korean government doesn't have the ability to resolve this crisis on its own."
That was true.
Up to now, North Korea hadn't even considered nurturing players at the national level.
They had only focused on how to exploit them.
"I hope the North Korean government comes to its senses now, at least."
"Ha! As if that would ever happen."
Even if they tried, it was far too late.
The North Korean government lacked the capacity to manage players.
"In the end, the tower climbing in North Korea will probably be led by the naturalized players."
Those players had no choice.
If they wanted to recover their investment, they had to climb.
"They'll rush to reach the 70th floor to mine high-grade mana stones."
The establishment of the North Korean Black Tower.
In a way, it was satisfying.
A refreshing outcome.
But could anyone really laugh?
There were now two towers on the Korean Peninsula.
Penthouse.
Juhyeok was in conversation with the summoned beings.
Gyeondallae spoke calmly.
"I expected this would happen. There is no such thing as pleasure without responsibility."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, the Mad Demon said,
"While we're at it, let's conquer North Korea. Three hours should be enough. We even have the Ring of Exit."
As if he'd been waiting, he proposed a northward unification.
Well, it was only natural to expect something like that from the Mad Demon.
"Leave it alone. North Korea will deal with it themselves. It's not like they're short on players."
The North Korean government wouldn't be that foolish.
They wouldn't just let the tower collapse.
"I believe it will be difficult."
"Why?"
"The undead section may become an insurmountable wall."
"Hm, they can get holy water, and the undead section has become easier, hasn't it?"
That was true.
Overall, the dark aura had weakened.
Even ordinary players could attempt it now.
"Do you truly think that's the case?"
"Huh?"
Was it not?
"Why do you think the undead section of Earth's Black Towers became easier?"
"…Because the true Kabalon was defeated and the curse was lifted."
The content of the world announcement at the time.
The influence of the true Kabalon, which had affected Black Towers worldwide, disappeared.
And the stats of the 68th-floor guardian Death Knight, the 69th-floor gatekeeper Lich, and the 70th-floor copy Kabalon were greatly reduced.
"Correct. Thanks to the summoner bestowing mercy, Black Towers across the world benefited simultaneously."
Then what was the problem?
"However, the northern Black Tower is newly constructed. It was never affected by Kabalon's curse, and therefore there was nothing to be lifted."
"…What?"
"Because it is newly formed, there is a high chance it was not affected by the curse's removal."
"No way. Surely it was applied."
"We won't know until we open the lid. The undead's dark aura may be at pre–true Kabalon levels."
If the Mad Demon's guess was correct—
"They might somehow get through the early 60s. But the mid-to-late 60s…"
They wouldn't be able to climb.
Even Gerald, wielding the holy sword, had nearly been killed by the 68th-floor Death Knight.
"Therefore, the only player in the world capable of conquering the late 60s floors of the North Korean Black Tower would be you, Summoner."
"..."
This just became a headache.
Do I really have to worry about the North Korean tower collapsing too?
"Heheh, at times like this, it would be nice to have a Tower Seizure Declaration Loudspeaker."
…Huh?
Juhyeok's body twitched.
So did the other summoned beings.
"A l-loudspeaker? …What is that?"
"What else would it be? You take the tower away from a country that lacks the ability to conquer it."
"…Wow! That's an interesting item."
He needed to play dumb.
It was an item he supposedly didn't know about.
If they realized he'd received it as a privilege, they'd start pestering him to use it immediately.
"If you seize a tower, what happens to the players of that country's nationality?"
"That, even I don't know. We'll find out once we take one."
Hmm.
That gave him pause.
If the North Korean government truly lacked the ability to conquer the tower, then taking it might not be such a bad option.
But what has Kosak been doing all this time?
Not saying a word.
When Mr. Kosak goes quiet, it makes me nervous.
Kosak was searching for something on his tablet.
Sneaking a glance—
Who is the North Korean Supreme Leader?Location of the North Korean Kumsusan PalaceLocation of North Korean nuclear missile bases
Seriously…
"Mr. Kosak?"
"Yes'm?"
"What are you going to do with those searches?"
"…Uh, just general knowledge."
"Anyway, it's pointless. That kind of information wouldn't come up from a simple search."
"I-is that so?"
Then Gyeondallae clicked her tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. Lord Kosak, do you truly lack all sense of judgment? How can you do something so foolish?"
That's right.
As expected of the wise Gyeondallae.
"The location of the Kumsusan Palace is just one phone call away to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il."
"Oh! I didn't think of that."
"And do you think killing just the Supreme Leader would solve everything?"
"…Wouldn't it?"
"You must target the Supreme People's Assembly. A place where high-ranking Communist Party officials and People's Army generals gather. They must be dealt with all at once. Only then will there be no future trouble."
"My goodness, I was a fool."
This is driving me insane.
"You should move together with Sergeant Bae. You already have experience conducting operations together."
"Yes, Sergeant Veronica Calibur. If I just know the location of the assembly hall, three high-explosive shells will be enough to wipe them all out."
"Understood. I'll stick close to Sergeant Bae! Absolutely!"
The Mad Demon smiled with satisfaction.
"So you've finally come to your senses. Yes, it's better to quickly eliminate future threats. For the Summoner's sake."
"Hehehe, this Kosak thinks of Lord Summoner day and night. Mad Demon, you have nothing to worry about."
"Indeed. Though Lord Kosak may seem lacking, when it's time to act, he does act."
Even Rajiks chimed in.
"Ho! I'll go too. I've got a pickaxe."
What is wrong with everyone?
Have they been hanging around the Mad Demon so much that they've been corrupted?
Why are they fixated on the North Korean leader?
It's not like that guy created the Black Tower himself…
…Wait.
"Hm."
Thinking about it again, he wasn't completely blameless.
If they hadn't run the temporary naturalization racket in the first place—
At that moment!
Clack!
The door of the corner-room alchemist opened.
And then, sliding out of the room, a huge water dispenser jug.
Inside the jug was a yellow liquid.
"Oh!"
Juhyeok immediately had a homunculus bring the jug over.
Clatter clatter clatter!
A potion made from samples created by the alchemist Mari.
The volume was enormous.
The jug held 20 liters.
A standard potion bottle obtained as tower loot was 100 mL.
That single jug was equivalent to about 200 potion bottles.
And the potion type?
Effect: Upon consumption, greatly increases mental strength for 10 hours.
A brief description.
There was no "tower-exclusive" qualifier.
No stated limitations.
Which meant—
It worked in reality and on ordinary people as well.
Still, there was no way it would be supplied to civilians.
There wouldn't even be enough for players.
Should I try a drink?
Pour—
He filled a cup.
Gulp.
"…Mango flavor."
Mental fortification.
It wasn't like the Potion of Courage, where your chest swells with boldness or grandeur.
It simply calmed and stabilized the mind.
It felt like you could endure any stress thrown at you from the outside.
This would be nice to drink whenever I'm stressed.
So what if another tower appeared in North Korea?
If there's something to conquer, you conquer it.
And there are Platinum Badges, privileges, and treasure vaults too.
…Should I use this chance to test the Tower Seizure Declaration Loudspeaker?
Why not?
It used to be one country anyway.
It's not about unification.
Just taking the tower.
Just the tower.
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