〈A Wimp's Tower Strategy Guide 126〉
The fate of the nine-tailed fox Haeryeong had only ever been one of two outcomes.
Die as a yokai.
Or sever all lingering attachments and ascend.
If she'd been an ordinary monster or human, she would've been dealt with easily.
But that was absolutely impossible.
She was our princess's master.
She couldn't be treated as a mere conquest target.
So what was the result?
Haeryeong came to her senses.
The yokai aura began to disperse.
As time passed—
From her body bloomed a mysterious, auspicious energy.
Spot!
The nine-tailed fox Haeryeong vanished in an instant.
"Master!!!"
"…Hm."
"Phew."
"…"
Ding.
[All missions on the 74th floor have been completed.]
Clear.
Honestly, whether it was a clear or not didn't really matter.
The only important thing was Haeryeong's condition.
Was this merely a successful clear?
Or had she ascended?
Then another message appeared.
[The soul of the thousand-year nine-tailed fox Haeryeong has been freed from the tower's binding.]
Freed from binding.
What did that imply?
"Yes!"
Juhyeok threw both hands up and cheered.
"It says soul liberation. That means ascension, right?"
"Without a doubt. She has escaped the tower."
"Everyone, great work."
"Hahaha, what a joyous occasion!"
"O light!"
"She endured it. Truly worthy of the princess's master."
"Hoe!"
"Congratulations, Princess."
Thud.
As if all her strength had drained away, Gyeon Dallae collapsed to the floor and began to cry.
Yet even then, a faint smile bloomed on her face.
How much anxiety had she endured?
Now, at last, she could rest easy.
Her master had been freed.
She had found freedom.
It was the best possible outcome.
The messages continued.
[All ultra-high-difficulty optional missions on the 74th floor of Earth's Black Towers have been changed.]
The ultra-high-difficulty mission changed.
The original mission had been:
[Defeat the thousand-year nine-tailed fox bound and restrained by knots.]
Of course it had to change.
Her soul had been freed—how could she remain a target?
It'd be nice if it changed to something easier…
[The revised 74th-floor ultra-high-difficulty optional mission is: "Destroy the Thousand-Year Fox's Formation Array."]
"Hm."
It hadn't gotten easier.
Even after the change, it was still basically impossible.
Who could destroy that formation array?
Ordinary players wouldn't stand a chance.
Even Kosak had nearly died fooling around.
And then—
[Achievement: First to free a soul bound to the tower.]
"…An achievement?"
Naturally! Honestly, he'd expected it.
There had to be an achievement.
The real issue was the reward.
[Achievement reward will now be granted.]
If it's another daily tower entry count reward, I'm flipping the table.
Not sure what table, but still.
[All summoned beings' manifestation durations are uniformly extended by 2 hours.]
"…Huh?"
That was actually amazing.
Absolutely cracked.
"What popped up?"
"All summoned beings' manifestation time extended by 2 hours."
"…What?!"
"Oh!"
"Jackpot!"
"Hoe!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The summoned beings lit up.
Everyone was delighted.
The Mad Demon in particular was beaming.
He clearly loved this reward.
[74th-floor clear rewards will now be granted.]
Ah! Right.
There were clear rewards too.
[Reward: 740 kg of high-grade mana stones / Fox Orb]
"…Fox Orb?"
What's that?
I'll check later.
Finally—
[World Announcement: You have achieved an S+++ clear rating on the Black Tower (Korea), 74th floor.]
[S+++ clear reward: 2 Platinum Badges granted.]
S+++ rating as well.
[You may now challenge the 75th floor.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
Spot!
It was truly a fulfilling clear.
Namyangju villa.
The 74th floor was done.
And he could already guess what the next mission would be.
Definitely hunting the bad nine-tailed fox.
On the 75th floor—or maybe the 76th.
Gobang had already had a three-floor linked quest.
Gyeon Dallae would be no different.
Still, our princess…
Any aftereffects?
PTSD or something like that?
"Ah, the moment I stepped on that line, my body went bzzzzz—then bam! I got flung back. I seriously almost died. I was this close to being out for a hundred days."
Gyeon Dallae smiled faintly.
"It's a shame. I was just a half-step short. Perhaps my strength was weakened because my master was harmed by that wretched fox… Otherwise, I could have sent Kosak off comfortably as well."
Kosak tilted his head.
"But Princess, did you really learn properly from your master?"
"Why?"
"Then you should've learned transformation arts."
"I didn't. I'm not a fox."
"Ah, such a waste. If you had, you could've made your chest as big as watermelons like a seven-tailed fox—"
"You—you insolent brat!!!"
She seemed fine.
That settled it.
One question still remained.
"…Lord Mad Demon, don't you want it?"
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"Like Lady Haeryeong—being freed from the tower through ascension."
"Hahaha, ascension, my ass!"
The Mad Demon didn't even hesitate.
"If it were possible, I'd have done it already. But it's impossible. Find me someone with more lingering attachments than me."
Is that so?
Well, considering he's a martial-world public enemy, the most vicious menace of the jianghu, the architect of seas of blood—
"I'm stained by the mortal world beyond cleaning, and it won't wash off. I'm more than satisfied just having my manifestation time extended."
Fair enough.
As long as Lord Mad Demon is happy.
Anyway, that wrapped up the morning work.
They could enter the tower up to three times a day, but…
Too much hassle.
He wanted to rest.
Was there anyone busier than him?
Managing tower climbs, tracking domestic and international affairs—
When did a wimp's life turn into this?
Juhyeok took out the Fox Orb he'd received as a reward from his inventory.
Red.
About the size of a ping-pong ball.
〈Fox Orb〉
Effect: Crafting material item.
Just a short description.
A material, huh?
Since it might be related to Haeryeong—
"Um, Princess."
"Yes, please speak."
"A Fox Orb dropped as a clear reward. Would you like it? It might be Lady Haeryeong's keepsake."
Gyeon Dallae smiled gently.
"Perish the thought. It does not belong to me. Please consider it a token of my master's gratitude for the kindness you showed."
Then, alright.
Since it's a material, better find out what it's used for.
He went inside the camper.
"Dismiss Blood Wolf."
Spot! The Blood Wolf disappeared.
"Designated summon: Aliamari."
Spot! Mari appeared.
Click—Juhyeok closed the door and stepped back outside.
Conversations with their shut-in alchemist were always done via tablet.
It was inconvenient, but what could he do?
Severe social anxiety doesn't heal overnight.
〈Manly Man〉: Mari-nim.
〈Mari〉: Summoner!!! Something amazing happened. My manifestation time got extended by 2 hours!
〈Manly Man〉: You happy?
〈Mari〉: Super happy! That's two more hours to play with my tablet ♡♡♡
Honestly, he was curious.
What exactly did their reclusive keyboard warrior do on her tablet all day?
〈Manly Man〉: Got this from the tower—wanted to ask what it's used for.
He cracked the door open a little and rolled the Fox Orb inside.
〈Mari〉: Oh? That's a high-grade material.
〈Manly Man〉: Is it useful?
〈Mari〉: It's like an essence. Can be used as material for a Strengthening Elixir—serves as a substitute for a Phoenix Feather.
〈Manly Man〉: Ah!
〈Mari〉: It usually doesn't drop easily.
Which meant it was rare.
Since they'd unlocked an achievement, maybe that influenced the rewards.
〈Mari〉: Gather a few more materials and I can make a Strengthening Elixir.
〈Manly Man〉: Got it!
Time to head home?
After dropping Kosak off in North Korea.
Kosak prepared for his trip.
"Ready?"
"Sir! Heading out on assignment."
"Then let's go."
"Yes, sir!"
Pyongyang.
Chairman Kim In-jung was still in a vegetative state.
He couldn't move, open his eyes, or speak—but his mind was perfectly clear.
He was currently in an underground bunker somewhere in Pyongyang.
A facility that wouldn't even flinch if a nuclear weapon detonated.
Security tighter than the official residence.
Once the doors were sealed, not even a ghost could get in.
Hoo…
Feeling safe again, his mind finally calmed.
Who the hell were those guys?
Could it have been from the South?
The most plausible theory was that a South Korean player had infiltrated Pyongyang using a Rune Necklace of Liberation.
Honestly, it was almost a certainty.
An old man and a young man.
Both spoke Korean.
The real question was whether the South Korean government was involved—
or whether it was an independent action by players who'd obtained the necklace.
Either way, what could he do about it?
At most, lodge a protest with the South Korean government.
Or fire a ballistic missile or long-range artillery into the East Sea or West Sea.
That was it.
Actual war was impossible.
The military gap between North and South was insurmountable.
If war broke out, the Republic would be annihilated.
It wouldn't even be a fight.
Ground forces, air force, navy, intelligence warfare—even missile power had been reversed long ago.
Yes, they had nuclear weapons.
But those were tools of blackmail—or suicide.
Not instruments of war.
More political than military.
The moment a nuke was actually launched, North Korea would be finished.
Pyongyang would be reduced to ash.
No one would survive.
In any case—war or provocation—he needed to recover first to respond.
The supreme decision-maker wasn't dead.
He was alive and conscious.
Who would dare decide on war without him?
That aside—when would this paralysis wear off?
Kim In-jung couldn't see, but he could hear.
They'd done CT scans and MRIs.
Still no diagnosis.
No external or internal injuries, no organ issues, brain perfectly normal.
They brought in masseurs to knead his body, administered oxygen therapy, injected narcotics.
Nothing helped.
He couldn't even twitch a finger or toe.
Fury boiled inside him.
All because of a security failure.
How could the chairman's residence—the safest place in the Republic—be breached so easily?
Once he recovered, every security officer responsible would be purged.
But would they really come again?
They'd said they couldn't talk today and would return tomorrow.
They wouldn't be able to.
No matter how liberated those players were, it was impossible.
This underground bunker was a perfectly concealed fortress.
They probably didn't even know he'd been moved here.
The entire bunker was blanketed with armed troops.
Inside the room, outside the room, in the corridors.
Not even a ghost could enter.
Even if it took time, once he recovered here—
Then—
Spot!Thud!Thump!
What was that?
Thud!Thump!
Thud-thud-thud, thump, thump, thump…
The sound of impacts.
Someone getting beaten and collapsing.
What…?
And then—
"They ain't dead. Just knocked 'em out."
Gah!
"I almost died today and realized how precious life is. Now I truly know how dangerous stepping on forbidden lines is."
It was that man.
How does he know I'm here? Is there a traitor?
"You thought an underground bunker meant safety? Chairman-comrade, wherever you go, you'll never shake me off."
Aaaah.
"Don't believe me? Try it. Surround the place with troops if you want."
Just who the hell…?
Suddenly—
"Chairman-comrade!!!"
"Intruder!"
"You idiots, what're you doing? Hurry and hit the alarm!"
Wiiiiing!
The underground bunker went into emergency mode.
Chairman Kim In-jung was moved somewhere else again.
But—
"See? No one can find me, can they?"
"..."
That was right.
He was standing right beside the bed.
Yet no one recognized him.
After upgrading his stealth skill to LSSR using five badges, Kosak had been staying beside Chairman Kim the whole time.
For quite a while now.
Sometimes even talking to him.
And then—
"You might become my superior, so I'll at least let you move your body."
Superior?
"Don't worry. I learned how to release acupoint seals from the old man."
Poke poke poke poke.
After pressing various points on Chairman Kim's body—
"I'll come again tomorrow."
Spot!
Kosak vanished.
A moment later—
Huh…
Chairman Kim realized his condition had changed.
Wiggle. Wiggle.
His body moved.
His mouth, too.
He sprang up.
"H-hey! …No one's here?"
"Ch-Chairman-comrade!!! You're awake?"
Guards came rushing in.
"Prepare a car immediately."
"…Yes?"
"We're leaving Pyongyang! Absolute secrecy!"
And a day passed.
He was now in Wonsan, on North Korea's east coast.
Surely they wouldn't come all the way here?
But late at night—
"Chairman-comrade, what were you thinking coming all the way to Wonsan? You thought Wonsan would be safe?"
"..."
"My legs almost gave out coming all this way."
This was insane.
"…What do you want from me?"
"I'll come again tomorrow."
"W-wait!"
Spot!
The next day—
"Wow! This time Sinuiju? Trying to bolt into China?"
"Damn it!"
"I'll come again tomorrow."
Spot!
"You wretched bastard! I'll rip out your tongue—"
Spot!
"What did you just say?"
"…N-no, nothing. Not a word."
"Watch yourself. I might bring our scary Senior Officer. You might even get a red dot on your forehead."
Senior Officer… what?
Spot!
Another day passed.
Kim In-jung gave up.
No matter where he moved, the man found him.
Now he was back in Pyongyang.
Alone in the chairman's residence.
All guards dismissed.
What choice did he have?
Nothing he did could shake the man.
Sssrrrk!
Kosak appeared.
"Good job. Ready to talk now?"
Chairman Kim nodded.
"Good. Let's begin."
"Why are you doing all this…?"
"To live better. Don't the people of our Republic deserve white rice and meat soup too?"
Kosak grinned and continued.
"Chairman-comrade, you've eaten way too much. Look at that belly. You'll die of lifestyle diseases before you even get a ribbon."
"..."
Gulp.
Chairman Kim swallowed dryly.
"First, hand over the Tower. The Republic needs to resume producing high-grade mana stones too, doesn't it?"
"How exactly am I supposed to hand over the Tower… d-don't tell me, unification?"
"Tsk tsk. Big dreams you've got."
Kosak clicked his tongue.
"Even unification needs matching levels."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Nothing at all."
"What?"
"Just kidding. No matter what happens, do nothing. After that, just do exactly as I tell you."
At last, the final day of Kosak's plan arrived.
[World Announcement: A player affiliated with the Republic of Korea's Black Tower has declared a Tower Stronghold against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.]
The world announcement rang out.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://shinchangreat.sellfy.store/