Juhyeok decided not to worry any further.
It wasn't as if the North Korean Tower was about to collapse immediately, and there was no need to fret in advance over something that hadn't even happened yet.
The summoned ones' worries?
Those people tended to make a fuss to begin with.
So much so that they even tried to stop him from clearing the tower.
North Korea's threats—were they ever just once or twice?
They were the kind who would casually fire off ballistic missiles and talk about turning Seoul into a sea of fire.
By now, the citizens were so used to it that they just shrugged it off.
Juhyeok drove his Bentley toward the Korean Awakened Management Agency.
He took the wheel himself.
Once he hit the road, cars automatically moved out of the way.
They didn't really have to, but still.
It gave him a bit of a puffed-up feeling.
From now on, there'd be no more borrowing other people's cars to go out.
Why would he, when he had his own?
And besides, the time for hiding his identity had already passed.
Even now, he was on his way to meet the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Apparently, he had brought a handwritten thank-you letter from the U.S. President for rescuing Gerald.
A 25-year-old who had only a high school diploma and bounced from part-time job to part-time job—now driving a Bentley and meeting an American cabinet member.
Anyway, after driving safely, he arrived at the front gate of the Awakened Management Agency, where he met Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
"Welcome."
"Am I late?"
"Not at all! You're right on time."
After parking the Bentley, Juhyeok went inside the agency.
This visit by Secretary MacMillan was unofficial, apparently coming solely to meet him.
There were no official events.
Perhaps because of that, there were no reporters in sight.
Juhyeok entered the director's office together with Deputy Director Jeon.
And finally, he met Secretary MacMillan.
The very man he had seen on TV.
MacMillan broke into a bright smile and offered a handshake.
"So we finally meet. Player Bong!"
"…."
There was an interpreter beside him, but still, for the first greeting—
"…How do you do, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you."
MacMillan said this while gripping Juhyeok's hand firmly.
"I wanted to say this in person. Thank you so much. For saving Gerald."
"…You're welcome. It was just a fortunate coincidence. I suppose God helped."
"Hahaha! Just as I'd heard—so humble."
It was true.
It really had been a coincidence.
He had only wanted to find out what a Tower Invasion Ticket was.
MacMillan held onto Juhyeok's hand for quite a while without letting go.
And he kept talking on and on…
Haah.
I just want this to end quickly so I can go home.
"This is a handwritten letter from President Lloyd at the White House. Here…"
Right.
This was why he came.
Juhyeok carefully accepted the letter and unfolded it.
"…"
It was in English.
He didn't like that.
Why would you write a thank-you letter in English to a Korean?
Do you think all Koreans can read English?
"There's a translated version on the back."
"Oh! Yes, yes."
There wasn't anything special in it.
Just thanks for this, thanks for that—basically thanks for everything.
So, can I leave now?
Today he needed to go grocery shopping.
There were a lot of people in the household.
The monthly food expenses were no joke.
And Gobang would be coming back soon.
He needed to stuff the fridge full for that big eater.
Coming back as an LSSR rank—just how much would he eat?
"Oh! And also…"
Secretary MacMillan took something out of his bag.
"This is a small gift from the United States to Player Bong."
"…Thank you."
It really did look small.
A small metal box.
"You can open it right now."
Without any expectations, Juhyeok opened the metal box.
Click!
"Hm."
He'd seen this item a lot before.
What was it? It looked exactly like a Trait Enhancement Rune…
"Huh?"
What is this?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
There was no mistake.
With trembling hands, he picked it up and checked the item information.
< Trait Enhancement Rune >
Effect: When consumed, enhances the player's trait by one stage.
A simple, straightforward description.
There was no way to mistake it for a Trait Addition Rune.
This was a real Trait Enhancement Rune.
Wow, this priceless thing?
"I don't know if you'll like it. Hahaha."
Ahhh.
Minister—our minister.
I love it.
How could I not?
"We're not asking you to acknowledge it, but it was hard to get."
Of course it was.
It's hard to obtain.
If it were easy, I'd have enhanced my traits a hundred times by now.
"We purchased it through secret contact with the black market. I hope it proves helpful."
The loser's chest swelled with emotion.
Juhyeok walked up to Secretary MacMillan and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you very much! Big brother!"
"…What?"
"If you ever run into a difficult floor, let me know right away."
"Uh… a-alright."
As expected of big brother America.
So generous.
He should reflect on himself for ever doubting such magnanimity, even for a moment.
Well, the gift from the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates had been nice too.
A supercar wasn't bad.
But driving it around was dangerous.
How many traffic accidents happen every day, after all?
A wristwatch?
He had a metal allergy, so he didn't really wear one anyway.
So, he carefully put the Trait Enhancement Rune into his inventory—
And then, suddenly!
An itchy sensation at the back of his head.
At the same time, a gloomy aura washed over him.
What is it?
When he turned his head—
…Oh.
Two people stood there stiffly, like sacks of barley left behind.
Director Park Gyeong-su and Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
Their expressions were complicated.
Well, of course.
Seeing their nation's top player hugging and acting so chummy with a foreign minister—there was no way they'd feel good about it.
Did I make it too obvious how much I liked it?
I should've managed my expression better.
They seemed uneasy.
Maybe they were worried I'd switch nationality and move to the U.S.
Nah.
I'm not going to America.
I was just making a fuss because I was grateful.
Juhyeok left the Awakened Management Agency and headed home.
There wasn't even time to stop by the supermarket.
If he'd followed his heart, he would've liked to take Secretary MacMillan to a Dongdaemun one-chicken restaurant and treat him to a meal, but he was mindful of Park Gyeong-su and Jeon Gwang-il watching him, so he just left.
If I consume this rune, will that be my seventh trait enhancement?
The first special perk, encore perk, roulette perk, the reward for clearing the UAE Black Tower, the Restore Scroll from assembling the Rajiks fragments, Saudi Arabia's compensation for the damaged Holy Sword, and finally, the gift from the United States.
It was deeply moving.
Joy tastes best when shared.
Juhyeok summoned the summoned ones.
Seven in total, excluding Gobang and Blood Wolf.
"Summoner Bong, Kosak's here. When are we going to eat naengmyeon?"
"Young master, this humble girl greets you."
"Certain victory!"
"My lord!"
"Hoe,"
"Summoner, this old man has come as well."
Even Mari, who was over in the corner of the living room banging her head against the wall—
Ding!
< Mari >: Thank you for calling me ♡ Summoner.
She sent a message.
Man, with seven of them all talking at once, the living room was noisy.
Good thing Gobang wasn't here.
"Alright, everyone. There's something I want to show you."
"A good sword?"
"It must be something good, of course."
He took the rune out of his inventory and—
"Ta-da!"
When he raised his hand high—
"Hm?"
"…Gasp!"
"Oh!"
"Th-that is?"
"Hehehe! Good. Very good."
"Hoeeee!"
Ding!
< Mari >: Congratulations ♪
Clap clap clap clap!
Applause echoed through the room.
"My congratulations. However, this is something you rightly deserved."
"You've caught the momentum now. My worries are eased."
Kosak turned his head and wiped away the tears slipping down with his finger.
How important was trait enhancement to a player?
Especially for a summoner.
And yet, Summoner Bong, at only level 74, was already able to summon eight summoned beings.
"Princess!"
"Yes?"
"Play the music!"
"…"
Juhyeok brought the raised rune to his mouth.
Was there any reason to save it?
Better to use it right away.
Gulp!
[Awakened trait is being enhanced.]
What about the status window?
Now eight.
He checked the catalog too—
[Catalog]: John Kosak / Barbarian Meat Shield / Gyeon-dallae / Rajiks / Mad Berserker / Veronica Caliber / Lucius Bardin / Blood Wolf / Aliamari.
With one slot open, the person—no, animal—he could summon was—
"Designated Summon: Blood Wolf!"
Spot!
"Woof woof!"
"Hoe!"
Seven summoned beings, one dog.
All eight.
But Juhyeok wasn't satisfied.
He would keep moving forward.
Ten, twenty, thirty—until he could summon without limit.
Is there anywhere I can get another Trait Enhancement Rune?
Secretary MacMillan said he got it on the black market.
Then there might still be stock left.
I should find out later when I have time.
Korean Awakened Management Agency.
Secretary MacMillan finished his business and departed.
He planned to return immediately without stopping anywhere else.
In the end, meeting Player Bong Juhyeok and delivering the gift had been MacMillan's sole reason for coming to Korea.
The U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security acting as a delivery man.
But both Park Gyeong-su and Jeon Gwang-il knew why MacMillan went that far.
"Bitter."
"I'm angry."
"At this rate, someday Player Bong might—"
"Ah! Please, Director! Don't say things like that. Words have power!"
"Sorry. I'm just anxious."
The meeting between Secretary MacMillan and Player Bong.
That warm, friendly atmosphere.
It left a bad taste.
An ambiguous feeling rose up.
If one had to put it into words—
A sense of inadequacy.
Yes.
A searing self-reflection.
The inadequacy of the Awakened Management Agency, unable to even bring a single Trait Enhancement Rune to Korea's greatest player.
If Player Bong were to declare that he was changing nationality to the U.S.?
They'd have no justification to stop him.
"Should we try to get one too? What about the black market?"
"Actually, I tried accessing the dark web earlier using my identification number."
"Huh? Already? Did you talk to them?"
"No. I couldn't."
"Why?"
"Access was blocked. Looks like they cut their tail and went into hiding."
"Damn it! Again?"
It happened often.
The black market guild was thoroughly compartmentalized.
If even one executive was arrested by Interpol or an intelligence agency, all transactions were immediately cut off and they went into hiding.
That was how the black market guild had survived.
Once the dark web was blocked, item trading became impossible.
That was why nations usually pretended not to know about it.
"So we don't know when trading will resume."
"Yes."
"Hoo… alright. Oh, right! How was the effect of that elixir? Was it useful?"
"There's a mental strength enhancement elixir among the tower reward elixirs, but it doesn't even compare."
"Oh! Really?"
The item name itself was unusual.
Crafted by a sage.
No idea who that person actually was, though.
"It's far more potent than holy water. When used together with the holy sword, it creates a synergy effect, making it even better."
Because of that, starting today, Korean elite players planned to begin climbing the upper floors.
Reservations for borrowing the holy sword had thinned out.
Until now, it had mostly been loaned to foreign players, but currently there were empty slots here and there, giving Korean elite players a chance as well.
"Don't forget to collect the rental fee every time it's used."
"But Player Bong said he wouldn't charge rental fees to Korean players."
"No. We couldn't even get him a Trait Enhancement Rune—this much, at least, we should do for him."
And so, Juhyeok's bank account never had a chance to run dry.
The Engineer, the Maker, and the Designer.
The Tower administrators were in discussion with one another.
[Has he still not used the Tower Stronghold Declaration Loudspeaker?]
[This Savior seems extremely cautious by nature. I thought he'd use it at least once out of curiosity.]
[Tsk. At this rate, will it even become a proper trial?]
[Forget trials—he's only going to keep getting stronger. In truth, weren't the floors up to the 79th designed for the Savior anyway?]
[Hoo… right. Three summoned beings will overcome hardships and strengthen their own ranks.]
[One has already broken through, so two remain.]
[That's not all. The Mark of Salvation can also strengthen the grade of the soul, can't it?]
[In the end, we'll have to settle things in the 80s.]
[Honestly, even the 80s feel unstable.]
[Should we shake things up a bit?]
[No. We've already interfered too much. Any more meddling will distort causality.]
[It seems this Earth's Savior is being helped by the entire universe.]
The Designer, the Engineer, and the Maker all agreed.
The developments so far proved it.
Time passed quickly.
Black Towers across the world were being cleared one after another.
Countries that possessed Tower Jumping Tickets climbed only up to the 66th floor with the help of holy water, then took elevators straight to the 71st floor.
Countries without tickets also came to Korea and, fully buffed with holy swords, holy water, and various elixirs, climbed to the 71st floor.
As a result, the global average Black Tower floor count approached nearly 70.
All thanks to the authentic Kabalon clear, which had weakened the dark aura of the undead sections.
Of course, the North Korean Black Tower was excluded.
Things were going smoothly.
Earth had officially entered the era of high-grade magic stones.
Juhyeok was at his villa in Namyangju.
He planned to welcome Gobang here.
That's right.
Gobang was coming.
He would return in glory as an LSSR-ranked summoned being.
Meanwhile, in one corner of the villa, two summoned beings were whispering to each other in secret.
"Lord Mad Berserker, is it really okay to just leave North Korea as it is?"
"Are you insane? That place is the most dangerous right now. It must be dealt with as soon as possible."
"But what do we do? Summoner Bong-nim doesn't really like killing people."
Mad Berserker nodded.
Still, he didn't think that was a flaw of the summoner.
It was simply his nature.
And that was precisely why he liked him even more.
"Then there's no choice. We remove the danger without killing anyone."
"Huh? How?"
"Assassin, what's your manifestation time limit?"
"Nine hours."
"…I'm jealous. I'm still stuck at three hours."
"That initial one-star rating was big. You should've been more careful. You started releasing killing intent everywhere the moment you appeared."
"Ahem!"
At Mad Berserker's fake cough, Kosak flinched.
"Anyway, you'll have to be dispatched to North Korea."
"Dispatched, you say?"
"Subdue the North Korean chairman and turn him into a puppet."
"Hmm, I don't have a mental domination skill."
"Then threaten him. You're good at that, aren't you?"
"It's not threatening. It's negotiation. I'm Kosak, a master negotiator and creative strategist."
North Korea was a dictatorship.
National policy was decided by a single word from the chairman.
If that chairman were controlled—
The threat would vanish instantly.
They could even look toward reunification.
And it would be absurdly easy.
Who could handle Kosak?
Stealth, infiltration, intimidation, assassination, lock-picking, smashing the back of someone's head…
There was no person or force capable of stopping him.
Even if a level-70 liberated player charged at him, it'd be over in one slash.
Like swimming on land. Child's play.
But there was one biggest problem.
Would the summoner allow it or not?
"Lord Mad Berserker, you should suggest it to Summoner Bong-nim. That we deal with North Korea."
"…I can't."
"Why not?"
"I finally managed to get on good terms with the summoner. If I get on his bad side, it's over."
"Ugh."
"Soon, that barbarian will return as a Legendary rank, and in another two weeks, there'll also be a random summon opportunity. My position is getting shaky."
That was the most frightening situation for Mad Berserker.
Before, he was the only LSSR-ranked summoned being, but soon there would be three.
His value was clearly going to drop.
And if he were to irritate the summoner even slightly—
"You suggest it."
"…Uh, no thanks. I don't want to either. You do it, Lord Mad Berserker."
"Tch! Are you trying to die?"
"I'd rather die."
"You little—"
That was when—
"What are you two doing over there? The meat's burning."
At Juhyeok's call, Mad Berserker and Kosak replied,
"Ah, got it. We'll be right there."
"Yes, sir! I'm coming too."
And they shuffled over with awkward steps.
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