Juhyeok stopped by his parents' home.
It had been a long time since he'd seen their faces, so he figured he should force himself to make time and at least go out to eat together as a family.
"Hm, you look better these days? Are you getting skin care or something?"
"I think I've heard that before."
"Have you?"
His father, Bong Cheolsu, smiled with satisfaction.
"As expected, my genes are doing all the work. You should live every day feeling grateful."
"I think I take after Mom, actually."
His mother chuckled softly beside him.
"Of course you do. He takes after me. Skin and all. Can't you tell just by how he's always running around being a player?"
His younger brother Minhyuk looked dissatisfied.
"Then what about me? Why is my skin so bad?"
"Minhyuk, you take after your father."
"Hey…"
"What, are you ashamed of looking like me?"
They exchanged brief pleasantries, then Juhyeok led his family down to the apartment parking lot.
"Let's take my car. I already made a reservation at the restaurant."
Minhyuk waved his hands in refusal.
"A camper van? Why would you drive something that embarrassing and huge? Parking would be a nightmare. Let's just call a taxi."
Brat. Did he think the only car his big brother owned was a camper?
"I've got another car."
"Oh? What is it? Did you buy a new one?"
Instead of answering, Juhyeok pulled a smart key from his pocket.
He pressed it.
Vrooom—
From the parking space across from them came a majestic engine roar.
The headlights flashed on.
"Gasp!"
"W-what the—?"
"Oh my?"
Juhyeok grinned.
"Get in. It's a Bentley."
His parents stared at their successful son's car.
"This is yours? Oh my… you really made it, didn't you, my son."
"Wow! Driving up in a Bentley really makes it feel real. Rich big bro."
"I knew it the moment I saw you. As the Holy Sword bearer, that's the kind of car you should be driving."
It felt good.
After loading everyone into the car—
"Mom, want me to get you a car too? How about a Ferrari?"
"Forget it. I get bad-tempered when I'm behind the wheel."
"…What about me? I can drive a Ferrari too."
"Dad, you already have a car."
"Then I'll take one."
"Get a driver's license first."
He said it like that, but he was planning to give them one each later.
The Bentley carrying the family rolled down Gangnam-daero.
Then came the finishing blow.
"You see that building over there?"
"Where—ah! The 61-story one?"
"It's actually mine."
Then—
"No way."
"That's a bit much."
"Do you know how much that thing costs?"
He'd expected disbelief.
"I'm planning to decorate an entire floor and open a museum. I'll be displaying my owned copies of the Jikji, the Oegyujanggak documents, The Record of Travels to the Five Indian Kingdoms, and paintings by Kim Hong-do."
"…"
"…"
"…"
This time, no one even responded.
Ahhh!
There's nowhere appropriate to flex, so I might as well do it in front of family.
It was a truly peaceful moment.
Sure, things were happening in North Korea, but did that have anything to do with ordinary people?
In running the black market guild, Dmitri dealt with two kinds of countries.
Countries that bought items, and countries that sold items.
They bought items in places like India and Africa, then sold them to the United States, Japan, and China.
So what about North Korea?
Naturally, a buyer.
A supplier for the black market distribution guild.
Which meant frequent contact with North Korean officials was inevitable.
Russian-born Dmitri had connections to a high-ranking North Korean bureaucrat.
His name was Ri Yong-tae, his rank vice director.
A broker of sorts, active mainly in Europe.
Of course, he too was a player.
They normally only spoke by phone.
They addressed each other only by titles—guild master, vice director.
Dmitri called him.
"Vice Director, this is the guild master."
—Guild Master comrade, it's been a while. I was actually about to contact you. I've been hearing some strange rumors.
"What kind of rumors?"
—That the black market guild has, on an organizational level, temporarily naturalized into our Republic.
So North Korea knew.
Not that Dmitri expected otherwise.
Was there any need to hide it?
"Yes, that's correct. We jumped in hoping to strike it big, but things have gotten very difficult."
—Haah… I see.
After a brief silence—
—Was the conquest of the 62nd floor of our Republic's Black Tower your doing?
Dmitri replied calmly.
"I swear it wasn't. If we were going to attempt it, we'd have contacted you beforehand. Even if we've temporarily naturalized, climbing unconquered upper floors is a serious matter."
—Hm.
This had to be concealed.
Deny it outright.
—Then why did you call?
"Does a merchant ever call without a reason? It's about items. I wanted to ask whether you possess any Tower Jumping Tickets."
—There's no way we'd have those. Even if we did, we'd have sold them long ago.
That figured.
North Korea sold anything that could make money.
"And one more thing I wanted to ask—how does the government plan to respond to this situation?"
—There's an emergency in the Republic as well. For now, everyone agrees that we must reach the 71st floor no matter what, but the method…
This was where Dmitri got to the real point.
"I've obtained a video. I'll send it to you first. Watch it, and then we can talk again."
Dmitri sent the 62nd-floor bodycam footage to Vice Director Ri Yong-tae in North Korea.
After waiting a bit, he called again.
"Did you see it?"
—Isn't this bodycam footage? It looks old. The zombies are far too strong.
"It's not old. I also just confirmed it on SNS. It was filmed on the 62nd floor of the Black Tower affiliated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."
—…What?
Dmitri had already instructed a guild member in the U.S. to upload the bodycam footage to YouTube.
Titled: North Korean Black Tower 62F Dark Zombie.
So the source couldn't be questioned.
—Th-this…
He could feel the shock through the phone.
—Our Republic's tower?
"Yes. You're a player yourself, Vice Director, so you know—this is an unweakened dark aura. Pre–true Kabalon undead."
—How could this be… then our Republic's Black Tower is—
"At present, it's effectively unconquerable. Even if you climb, you'll be stopped at the 68th floor. Unless you have Tower Jumping Tickets."
—Hmm…
He was probably flustered.
It wasn't as if North Korea had any real capacity to prevent tower collapse.
—Why are you showing me this?
"I have a proposal."
—A proposal?
"Don't we need to conquer the tower? We also need to resume high-grade mana stone mining."
—How? Is there a way?
"We'll help. We'll need the North Korean government's cooperation. Not just for tower-collapse defense—let's try climbing to the 71st floor. First—"
—Ah, such an important discussion, and you want to do it over the phone?
Then?
—We should meet face to face, shouldn't we? Let's meet. I'm currently staying in Berlin. Where are you?
Meet in person?
Dmitri hesitated.
—If you intend to keep this over the phone, I won't hear your proposal. This isn't about buying and selling items.
Should he meet him?
Or not?
At that moment, Dmitri still didn't know—
He had underestimated the North Korean government far too much.
And that was a very big mistake.
This was a matter that required negotiations with the North Korean government.
Borrowing a holy sword, securing Tower Jumping Tickets, and obtaining the 71st-floor four-item gift set—none of these could even begin without trust.
But was it worth taking such a risk?
Was there really any need to rush?
Giving up would be easier.
After all, he only needed to wait one year.
He could rest during that time, maybe travel somewhere.
…No. It has to succeed.
The reason he was pushing forward—
This new business had been his own decision from the start.
And yet it had been derailed before it even began.
He had mobilized all of the guild's assets to launch this venture, and if it failed without achieving anything—
He'd have to step down as guild master.
That wasn't all.
He would also be held responsible for the losses.
If things went badly, even his life could be in danger.
He himself had always done the same.
Guild members who caused losses were executed without mercy.
All in the name of "maintaining discipline."
That was how things worked.
Which meant this business had to succeed—no matter what.
"Alright. Let's meet. Tomorrow, in front of Prague Station. Around lunchtime."
—Understood. Let's do that. Will you be coming alone?
"If you come alone as well, Vice Director."
—Good.
They set the time and place, then ended the call.
The next day—
Dmitri headed to Prague Station.
With crowds of people and tourists everywhere, it was relatively safe.
If something happened?
He could always escape into the tower.
In the distance, he spotted Vice Director Ri Yong-tae.
After lingering for a while and confirming he was alone—
"Vice Director."
"…Guild Master?"
"Yes."
"So we finally see each other face to face. Let's walk. Sounds like this will be a long discussion."
"Sounds good. I know Prague well—follow me."
Dmitri took the lead.
Deliberately choosing roads with heavy foot traffic.
Ri Yong-tae walked alongside him.
"So. What's your proposal?"
Dmitri explained his plan.
To break through the undead section, borrowing a holy sword was essential.
This was a transaction between states.
They didn't even need to go all the way.
Just up to the 66th floor.
After that, using a Tower Jumping Ticket would take them straight to the 71st floor by elevator.
Securing the tickets and selecting the player to wield the holy sword would all be handled by the guild, and so on.
"Anyway, once we succeed in climbing to the 71st floor—"
Ri Yong-tae's eyes gleamed.
"You receive the four-item gift set, is that right?"
"That's right. The problem is borrowing the holy sword, which would require negotiations with the South Korean government at the national level—"
"Ah, wait a moment."
Ri Yong-tae raised a hand to stop him.
"My shoelace is undone. Let me tie it first, then we'll continue."
"Go ahead. Take your time—"
Ri Yong-tae bent down.
Dmitri subtly stepped back.
That was when—
Srrrk.
A black van pulled up beside them and stopped.
"…Hm?"
A van? All of a sudden?
Dmitri felt a surge of unease.
Don't tell me—
In the next instant—
Clack!
The van's sliding door opened.
At the same time, Ri Yong-tae—who had been bent over—lunged forward and slammed Dmitri into the van.
"Ugh!"
Thud!
Dmitri was helplessly shoved inside.
Two thugs already inside the van pounced on him.
"D-damn it!"
Instinctively, Dmitri activated the Tower Entry skill.
Spot!
His body vanished in an instant.
Ri Yong-tae clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"The bastard's fast."
They'd lost their target.
"Vice Director, what do we do?"
"So what? Park here and wait. Turn the engine off."
A player who entered the tower.
Was he gone for good?
No.
They could catch him.
All they had to do was wait.
Eventually, he would come out.
The entry point was also the exit point.
"You think this is our first time kidnapping a player? We're more experienced than China."
Ri Yong-tae took out a cigarette and lit it.
"Looks like we'll be waiting a while. Get some rest."
Time passed quickly.
The van didn't move an inch.
Parking enforcement be damned.
Then—
Spot!
Dmitri reappeared inside the van.
"Damn it!"
He was caught, with no escape.
Tower entry was limited to once per day.
This was why he'd needed the Necklace of Liberation.
"You little shit, always scheming. Thought you'd be safe if you ran into the tower?"
A North Korean agent jabbed a syringe into the back of Dmitri's neck.
The drug took effect almost immediately.
Thud.
"Looks like I caught myself a golden goblin. Hahaha."
Ri Yong-tae laughed loudly, satisfied.
The guild master of the black market.
Just how many treasures would his inventory hold?
"Let's head home. You've got our Republic's nationality now—might as well step on our soil, right?"
What a joke.
A mere player dared to negotiate with a state?
This guy had definitely cleared the Republic's Black Tower 62nd floor.
They could extract the truth through torture.
Either way, there was plenty to do.
From borrowing a holy sword to securing Tower Jumping Tickets.
And even if that didn't work, there were countless other methods.
After all, South Korea was right below them.
Borrowing a holy sword? Tower Jumping Tickets?
Why go through such complicated processes?
They could simply demand it.
From the South's S+++–rank conqueror.
Sure, there would be a bit of coercion involved.
But if the North Korean tower collapsed, everyone would die anyway.
And the Republic's nuclear fire sticks would fly south.
How many players had their nationality locked due to this new Black Tower incident?
No one knew.
Only the North Korean government had that information.
Their levels varied widely.
From newbies to veterans.
After all, the South Korean Black Tower had been a treasure vault of abundance.
In the midst of this, a video was uploaded to YouTube.
Titled: North Korean Black Tower 62F Dark Zombie.
Zombies shrouded in thick, oppressive dark aura.
Undead from before Kabalon—now long gone.
Was it an old video?
No.
The upload date was just the day before yesterday.
So the undead really hadn't been weakened?
Then how were they supposed to fight that?
Didn't this mean the collapse of the North Korean tower was inevitable?
Yet North Korea made no official statement about the situation.
Instead, South Korea became the bigger topic.
News poured out every day.
A panelist who was a former player appeared on a terrestrial broadcast debate program—
"The North Korean tower will be difficult to conquer. If it's the dark aura from before Kabalon, they won't be able to get past the undead section."
"Even with a holy sword and holy water?"
"Didn't you see it? The footage where Gerald nearly died on the 68th floor."
It was a pessimistic outlook.
"At this rate, the tower might collapse in six months. Pyongyang would fall within the impact zone."
"Then the solution is…?"
"There isn't one from the North Korean government. If it were us, maybe—but not them."
"Oh! You mean the Republic of Korea's S+++–rank conqueror?"
"The only method. I can say that definitively. There is no other."
Then what actions could be expected from North Korea?
"First, they'll make an official request. They'll talk about being one people, one nation, and ask for help conquering the tower—perhaps by requesting temporary naturalization of Korea's top player."
The news anchor frowned deeply.
"Temporary naturalization? If you change nationality to North Korea now, you wouldn't be able to leave for a year."
"Exactly. Absolutely impossible. Our government wouldn't accept that either."
"Then perhaps a multinational tower-access ticket?"
"Most likely. That's the most plausible option."
"And if even that is refused?"
There was also a military expert on the panel.
"It will inevitably lead to military provocation. That's how North Korea operates."
"In what way?"
"Well, launching ballistic missiles into the East Sea, or subtly crossing the Military Demarcation Line."
Even without being a military expert, it was easy to predict.
"Then they'll approach for talks. If that doesn't work, they'll conduct artillery fire toward the West Sea to create tension—then come back asking for dialogue again."
That was North Korea's style.
The so-called carrot-and-stick tactic.
They provoke to make the public anxious, then throw tantrums behind the scenes—
and in the end, they get what they want.
A close yet most distant country: North Korea.
Juhyeok and the summoned beings were watching the news in the living room.
Juhyeok was sprawled across the sofa, yawning loudly while idly moving a homunculus around.
The summoned beings, however, were quite serious.
Kosak watched the news with a cold, hardened expression.
Gyeondallae was sharpening a blade on a whetstone—shhk, shhk.
Rajiks stood up and sat down repeatedly, unable to stay still.
Veronica took out her heavy rifle and began maintaining it.
Bardin quietly radiated a faint holy glow.
Then Kosak spoke.
"Lord Summoner."
"What is it?"
"It's very hot today."
"So?"
"At times like this, how about a refreshing bowl of cold noodles?"
"Oh! Cold noodles sound good. Want to order some?"
Kosak shook his head.
"Delivered cold noodles get soggy and are inedible."
"Then?"
"Cold noodles must be eaten in their homeland to taste right."
Their homeland?
"After all, cold noodles are best at Pyongyang's Okryu-gwan."
"…"
"I'll use the Ring of Exit to come out through the Pyongyang Black Tower. Then we go straight to Okryu-gwan and slurp down a bowl of icy noodles! Ahh!"
I knew it.
"Mad Demon should come too. You've been lacking vitality lately—it pains me to see. As a summer restorative food, cold noodles are the best. Summon yourself in Pyongyang. And while we're at it—"
"Enough."
"Yes, sir."
Cold noodles, my foot.
Gyeondallae chose the straightforward approach.
"If we leave North Korea as it is, it will surely bring future calamities. And not only that—please take pity on the North Korean players who are being exploited."
Hmm.
North Korean players…
He had been thinking about it for a while now.
Ever since he helped kidnapped players escape from China.
The reality of North Korean players.
It had been well known for a long time.
Testimonies from defected players, bodycam footage they'd brought out—
They might be the most pitiful players in the world.
Stripped of freedom, constantly monitored, forced to enter the tower once a day.
They risk their lives conquering the tower, only to have all mana stones and items confiscated by the state.
And does the government at least support their conquests properly?
Not a chance.
No North Korean player would be entering the tower with proper equipment.
What's the point of receiving gear as a tower reward?
They have to hand it over immediately anyway.
For North Korean players, bodycams aren't tools for strategy analysis.
They're surveillance devices—to check whether they really entered the tower, whether they're doing anything unnecessary inside, whether they're secretly using items instead of handing them over.
They really are pitiful.
If players are treated like that, tower conquest will suffer immediately.
And on top of that, they have to break through an undead section from before Kabalon.
Interfering in North Korea's affairs might be overstepping.
Who was he, after all?
But he had helped players kidnapped in China escape.
He had stormed the American tower and saved Gerald's life.
If he was going to meddle, he might as well do it evenly.
Why should North Korean players be any different?
He had the power to do it.
And now that a tower had appeared in North Korea—
Juhyeok could go there freely.
And when Juhyeok went, that meant—
Kosak, Bardin, Veronica, the Mad Demon, Gyeondallae, and Blood Wolf would go too.
Except for Gobang, who was off in the other world for advancement, and the corner-room alchemist.
Tower seizure was also something to seriously consider.
If they lacked the ability to conquer it, then it should be taken.
Temporary naturalization was impossible, and there were only a few multinational tower-access tickets.
The best option was to seize the tower and change it to Republic of Korea affiliation.
Then he could come and go freely.
Should I use the loudspeaker or not?
But he also had to consider the risks that might follow.
North Korea was a nuclear state.
If things went wrong, it could mean war.
This is getting big.
What would the Mad Demon think?
Honestly, there was no need to even ask.
It would definitely be a full northward unification.
…Maybe it was time to set a date soon and have a drink with the Mad Demon.
Should he invite the corner-room alchemist too?