Juhyeok was at his parents' house.
Eating home-cooked food his mother had prepared, chewing on fruit.
"Everyone's been doing okay, right?"
"Can't you tell just by looking? It's so uneventful it's worrying."
That did seem to be the case.
His parents looked very healthy, and Min-hyeok had put on weight like a little pig.
"But Juhyeok, about reunification. Is that really happening? Is it decided that the Awakening Management Agency will set up a branch in North Korea?"
"Probably. I heard they've already selected all the personnel to be dispatched."
"Chairman Kim In-jung—so that man finally came to his senses."
In reality, he'd been forced to.
Min-hyeok joined the conversation.
"I heard it wasn't Chairman Kim In-jung so much as someone else's influence."
"Someone else? Who?"
"They say the real power in North Korea right now isn't Kim In-jung, but a new Minister of the People's Armed Forces. Apparently, he's the one spearheading reunification."
"Oh! Mr. Kosak."
"Kosak? You mean Gosageuk. Hyung, did you go abroad or something?"
Hmph. Clueless kid.
"How do you even know the names of North Korean high-ranking officials? Have you suddenly gotten interested in current affairs?"
"He's famous on the Tower Climbing Gallery board. North Korean players post there and leave comments too."
"And you still go there?"
"I followed a link once and it was pretty fun. It's the most popular board these days."
"Is that so?"
The Tower Climbing Gallery board.
Juhyeok had dropped by a few times early on to gather information.
"So is Gosageuk the most popular one there?"
"No."
"Then who?"
"The greatest player on the Korean Peninsula. S+++ rank record holder. Tower plunderer. The guy who climbs the Tower using Shrinking Earth."
Shrinking Earth, my ass.
Still, hearing he was popular felt nice.
His shoulders straightened a bit.
"Especially the North Korean players—they practically worship him like a god. Oh! And they keep chanting your name too."
"…Why my name?"
"'Juhyeok Manse!' They say it's short for 'self-reliant revolutionary spirit.'"
"…"
"If it were 'democratic revolutionary spirit,' it'd be 'Min-hyeok Manse.'"
This is driving me crazy.
At this rate, my name's going to become a global catchphrase.
"Anyway, eldest son."
"Yes?"
"Stop climbing the Tower already and just relax while collecting rental fees for the Holy Sword."
"Right. The top player will handle everything anyway, so you can retire now."
"…I'll decide that myself."
If I retire now, it'll be a disaster.
The world would be in chaos.
Forget reunification—we might end up at war again.
Things have gotten too big.
There's no turning back now.
"But Min-hyeok."
"What?"
"You don't want to awaken?"
"You'd have to make me."
"If I did, would you?"
"No! I'm never becoming a player. I'm definitely becoming a civil servant."
I knew it.
"…What kind of civil servant?"
"A district office clerk, obviously."
"What about the Awakening Management Agency? I heard the pay's better and promotions are faster there than elsewhere."
"Nope. I want a quiet, ordinary job, no spotlight, low rank, long service, and a peaceful retirement."
He really is a genuine loser.
At that moment—
Ding!
An SNS messenger notification rang on his smartphone.
"Hm."
"What is it? Loan spam?"
"No, a friend."
"…You had friends?"
"Yeah. Minister of the People's Armed Forces Gosageuk. He says we should meet ASAP."
"Definitely loan spam."
Even if I tell him the truth, he won't believe it.
Anyway, I should get going.
Seems like something urgent came up.
Kosak was riding in a car toward the Black Tower in Pyongyang.
He was supposed to meet Summoner Bong at the Black Tower.
How happy would he be when he handed over the Trait Enhancement Rune?
Screech!
The car arrived near the Black Tower.
From afar, he could sense Summoner Bong's presence.
"You can head back now, comrade."
"What? Then on your way back—"
"I'll take care of it myself. You go home and rest after work."
"A-alright. Juhyeok Manse!"
"Juhyeok Manse!"
After confirming the car had headed back toward Pyongyang—
Spot! Patpatpatpat!
Using Shadow Steps, he sprinted over in a single dash.
"Summoneeeer Boooong!!!"
Juhyeok saw Kosak charging toward him at terrifying speed.
What emergency could there be for him to come running like that?
"Why did you call me? Did something happen—"
"No sir! Nothing happened!"
"Then?"
"Tr-trait! It's a trait!"
A trait?
Did he have hangover soup or something?
"Wait just a moment. It should be in my pocket… huh? Where did it go?"
Kosak fumbled frantically through his pockets.
"I-I'm sure I put it in here. Huh? Th-this—?"
Tsk tsk, so careless.
Must be stressed from his North Korea assignment.
Understandable.
It's not like he gets paid extra for overtime.
"Oh! Here it is. Please take it. It's from my heart."
"…"
In any case, Juhyeok accepted the small, darkish object Kosak handed him.
Hm.
It was hard.
A stone.
Strange patterns were carved into its surface.
It looked exactly like—
"Holy shit!"
Are you kidding me? Why is this here?!
"I-is that it?"
"Yes sir. It's the Trait Enhancement Rune."
"How did you get a rune…?"
"I traded for it."
Traded?
"You didn't threaten someone and steal it, did you?"
"What do you take me for? I'm the master of negotiation—the man with an offer no one can refuse, the shadow behind the scenes, a seasoned negotiator. I am Kosak."
From whom, exactly?
Kosak continued his explanation.
Apparently, the head of a black-market guild had been kidnapped and held at a North Korean player detention facility.
In exchange for freeing him, Kosak received the rune.
"Oh! Truly an outstanding Minister of the People's Armed Forces!"
"I'm embarrassed. You reap what you sow—plant beans and you get beans, plant red beans and you get red beans. Isn't it only natural that a great summoner has great blood-summoned beings under him? Hehehe."
"Oh my, beans beget beans, red beans beget red beans—that's the perfect expression. Hahahaha!"
I honestly never could have imagined this.
Another Trait Enhancement Rune.
Just the runes Kosak brought on his own already made two.
"I really don't know how to thank you."
"This Kosak knows Summoner Bong's heart very well. Between real men, words ain't necessary, ain't that right?"
That's true.
An exchange of looks is more than enough.
But—
"Alright then, how many badges should I pin on you?"
"Ayoo, why burden my chest like that? Badges are too precious."
Even as he said that, Kosak puffed his chest out boldly.
This is definitely a three-badge situation.
One badge, two badges, three badges.
"Loyalty!!! From now on, I will repay Summoner Bong's grace with an unending supply of runes. Juhyeok Manse!"
"Gosageuk Manse!"
"Hehehehe."
"Hahahahaha."
So satisfying.
What would I have done without our founding contributor?
I probably wouldn't have even made it this far.
"Our founding contributor, Mr. Kosak—I will never, ever delete you from the catalog."
"Huh?"
Kosak tilted his head in confusion.
Suddenly talking about catalog deletion?
"The catalog is already full with ten entries. They say if I do one more random summon, the oldest blood-summoned being gets deleted."
"…Huh?"
Kosak looked flustered.
"Who do you think the oldest entry is? It's you, Mr. Kosak. If I do a random summon, you'd be deleted from the catalog."
"…Y-yes?"
His hands and feet began trembling.
"Hahaha, don't worry. Do you really think I'd ever abandon you?"
"Uh… th-then?"
Kosak's face turned as pale as the vampire Jepet's.
"Hey, why are you so scared? I'm serious—I won't do that!"
"Y-yes sir…"
How could I ever abandon Kosak?
Anyway, if I use this, does that mean ten simultaneous summons?
I can summon the entire catalog at once.
Once Princess Gyeondallae clears her breakthrough and returns, let's try climbing the 77th floor together.
As befits an advanced Tower-climbing nation, Korea's Awakening Management Agency is a hub where all kinds of Tower-related information are shared and circulated.
For example, information on the fox yokai of the 74th floor, the earthbound spirits of the 75th floor, and the Korean-style yokai of the 76th floor.
Also advice like: if possible, stick to the basic mission only; still, on some floors, even the optional additional missions are worth attempting.
And one more thing.
Refrain from climbing the 80th floor.
It's better to go up as late as possible.
Avoid the 80th floor.
Everyone had already noticed.
That the 80th floor wouldn't be normal.
They'd experienced something similar before.
The curse of the 70th floor's cabal average.
If the 80th floor triggered a similar phenomenon?
The country that climbed first would undoubtedly bear the brunt of it.
So there was an unspoken agreement.
Park at a reasonable floor.
But does the world ever go as planned?
It all started with a single video uploaded to YouTube.
In the video appeared around ten people wearing animal masks.
They introduced themselves as the "Apostles of Devotion."
In the video, they made a single demand to the U.S. government:
Shut down and burn every church and religious facility in the United States.
If the demand is not met, we will climb the U.S. Western Tower to the 80th floor.
That was all.
An absurd demand.
Shut down and burn every religious facility in the U.S.?
And if not, climb the Western Tower to the 80th floor?
Was this a threat?
Even if you only did the basic missions, the 70s weren't exactly an easy zone.
The video's ridiculous content was talked about for a short while, then soon forgotten.
But then it resurfaced.
Because it actually started happening.
The U.S. Western Tower's progress stood at: 73rd floor cleared, 74th floor in progress.
And yesterday, that 74th floor was cleared.
Was it done by a top player?
But it wasn't Gerald.
An unknown individual.
Could it be… the Apostles of Devotion?
The media began paying attention.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security went on high alert.
The next day—
Another threatening video was uploaded to YouTube.
A single person wearing a lion mask demonstrated entering the Tower, vanishing with a spot.
Shortly after—
The Western Tower's 75th floor was cleared.
The United States was thrown into chaos.
There are two kinds of players.
Those under government control.
And those who are not.
The former are state-sponsored players.
They sign contracts with the government, receive meticulous management from professional personnel, and aim for high-floor progression.
The latter are general players.
They are free.
They have no obligation to climb higher floors.
Their main goal is to repeatedly clear floors and collect mana stone rewards.
By sheer numbers, general players are far more numerous.
Over 95% are general players.
Then what about talent?
Are general players less talented than state-sponsored players?
Absolutely not.
State-sponsored players are strong because they receive government support.
Items, potions, Trait Enhancement Runes, and so on.
In terms of proportions, it's even possible that more talented individuals are scattered among general players.
It's just unknown because they haven't been revealed.
The U.S. was like that in the past.
There had been players who climbed unexplored higher floors faster than state-sponsored players.
Back when collapse deadlines didn't stack—
When you had to wait out the full six-month limit before climbing to the next floor—
In just one month, three unexplored upper floors of the U.S. Western Tower were cleared.
Uncontrolled progression.
And there was no way to stop it.
In a situation where no one even knows when or where a player enters the Tower.
As one ascends to higher floors, the difficulty gradually increases, so incidents like that had disappeared.
But now—
The same kind of thing was happening again in the U.S. Western Tower.
The difference this time was that there was a clear purpose.
An act of terrorism, using the climb to the 80th floor as a means.
The FBI launched an investigation.
But with nothing more than the videos and the group's name, it was impossible to uncover their identities.
Minister McMillan and Director Antonio spoke with grim expressions.
"This is driving me crazy. The Apostles of Devotion? Who the hell are these people?"
"A run-of-the-mill cult."
"You're telling me a mere cult has players capable of clearing the 70s?"
"If they didn't, they wouldn't have cleared them."
"Haah…"
Of course, because climb deadlines overlap, this had nothing to do with Tower collapse.
In a way, that was good news.
But what if they actually managed to clear the 80th floor?
Who could say what would happen then?
For instance, a curse descending upon the entire Black Tower, like the Kabalon Average Curse on the 70th floor.
"Antonio, what do you think? Do you believe they'll succeed in climbing the 80th floor?"
"At first I thought it was impossible, but now that they've cleared up to the 75th floor…"
The conditions were in place.
The barrier of the undead section was gone.
The relatively easy floors of the 70s, along with the supply of Tower reward equipment.
It might actually happen.
The possibility was more than sufficient.
As if to prove it—
The next day, a new video was uploaded, and a person wearing a tiger mask entered the Tower.
And the 76th floor was cleared.
The United States was in an uproar.
An uncontrolled ascent into the upper floors.
The 80th floor drawing ever closer.
Juhyeok watched the breaking news on TV together with his blood-summoned beings.
It was what he had feared.
But he never expected it to happen this way—let alone in the United States.
"Do you think they can really make it up there?"
Gwangma nodded as if it were obvious.
"You've experienced it yourself, Summoner. The basic missions of the 70s are quite easy. With a certain level of talent and equipment, they can certainly be cleared."
That was true.
Even the basic mission of the 76th floor—the human-faced birds—was on the level of wyverns, or perhaps even easier than wyverns.
…Should I stop them?
I do have one Tower Floor Interference Ticket.
If I maneuver well, I might be able to stop them on the 77th floor.
But the ones climbing right now weren't individuals.
They were an odd organization called the Apostles of Devotion.
What if there were two or more climbers?
Even if I caught one, what about the others?
"May this old man share his thoughts?"
"By all means."
"I do not think it matters whether they succeed in climbing the 80th floor or fail. We could simply leave them be."
"Hm."
"It is a floor that must be climbed eventually. If we could stop it, that would be one thing—but if not…"
Gwangma's stance was to let it be.
Since it was a floor that would have to be reached someday anyway.
"If something happens, can we respond to it?"
At Juhyeok's question, Gwangma smiled and said,
"Summoner."
"Yes?"
"I have personally encountered many summoners, and heard of many more indirectly… but among them all, past and present, there has not been a single one as strong as you."
"…"
Even Gwangma was laying it on thick.
"Who else could command ten blood-summoned beings, and make them act with one heart and one will?"
"…"
My face felt hot.
"This is no empty praise. You are the strongest. There will never be another summoner like you."
"…"
Even my chest started to swell.
"So do not worry, no matter what happens. You will surely be able to overcome it."
Well, if he puts it like that…
Since it happened in the United States, they'll deal with it themselves.
The other blood-summoned beings didn't seem particularly concerned either.
Rajiks was playing catch with Blood Wolf, Veronica was taking a nap, Bardin and Gobang were doing physical training, and Kosak was giving Jepet a lesson in discipline.
"Repeat after me. Summoner Bong's blood tastes bad."
"It tastes bad!"
"Just smelling it makes you want to puke."
"It makes you puke!"
"The most delicious blood in the world is Gobang's blood."
"Gobang's blood is the tastiest!"
Jepet was completely whipped.
In truth, even though they were the same rank, he couldn't defy Kosak.
Not with Gwangma and Gobang glaring at him with murderous eyes from the side.
"We must do well. We must be perfect."
"Perfect!"
"So that Summoner Bong never needs to use random summoning again."
"No random summoning ever!"
"Good. You're doing well."
It was such a peaceful world.
And then, at last, the thing everyone had feared finally happened.
[World Announcement: Humanity encounters the Lord of Monsters, Diamat (Copy), for the first time.]
At last, the 80th floor had been cleared.
[World Announcement: The Lord of Monsters, Diamat (Copy), observes the world through the player who climbed the 80th floor.]
[World Announcement: The world's information is transmitted to the true Diamat through the copy.]
[World Announcement: The Lord of Monsters, Diamat (True), manifests outside the Tower.]
Manifests?
Like blood-summoned beings?
But wait—
That's it?
Yes.
There were no further world announcements.
No curses or anything?
One day passed.
Then two.
Then three…
And yet—
The world remained quiet.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://shinchangreat.sellfy.store/