The farm assassins were cleaned up quickly.
The missions were completed out of order.
Originally, the sequence was supposed to be: enter the farm's grazing fields, deal with the low-rank assassins, then move into the houses to take out the high-rank assassins, the elite assassin, and finally the guildmaster.
But Executive Bae blew one of the farmhouses away with a large-caliber shell.
That caused all the assassins to rush out at once.
The mission to eliminate the high-rank assassins was completed first.
Next came the elite assassin, Krook.
He tried to approach using stealth—but could he really escape Gyeon Dallae's notice?
A Binding Talisman was slapped onto him, immobilizing him, and then Gobang tore him apart.
The low-rank assassins were dealt with last.
Executive Bae's guided missiles, the vampire, and Bardin were more than enough.
Rajiks just rode around on the Blood Wolf, wandering here and there.
He went searching for treasure, but it seemed he didn't find much.
And finally—
Guildmaster Jericho.
"Gyaaaaaah! P-please, j-just kill me! Q-quickly! I-I'll tell you everything—no, I'll talk! I swear I'll talk!"
The Mad Demon's bone-crushing and tendon-tearing torture.
Honestly, he didn't deserve any pity.
The worst of the worst.
He sent a son to his father to be killed?
And condemned that father to a lifetime of agony as a result?
A shameless bastard.
The vilest of scum.
Guildmaster Jericho began spilling everything without restraint.
So who was really behind it all?
Shockingly—it was the imperial family.
The emperor himself was the mastermind.
The one who held the Cruel Assassination Guild in the palm of his hand.
The reason the assassination guild had survived for sixty years.
It was only possible because the imperial family had been backing them.
But why?
The Lexington marquis family had been part of the imperial faction.
They were the commander of the imperial army, the emperor's reliable sword.
And yet he destroyed that family in one stroke?
That dog of an emperor.
No matter what his objective was, he committed acts that even back-alley thugs wouldn't dare to.
Then did that mean the mission on the 79th floor would be the emperor?
Fine.
They'd do it.
It was about resolving Kosak's resentment, after all.
In any case, they had uncovered the mastermind.
And then—
Ding.
[All missions on the 78th floor have been completed.]
[Reward: 78 kg of high-grade magic stones / Multinational Tower Access Ticket.]
Along with the ticket and high-grade magic stones—
[World Announcement: You have achieved S+++ Clear Rank on the 78th Floor of Black Tower NO.2 (Korea).]
[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges have been awarded.]
This time, they didn't miss the badges.
They moved straight on to the 79th floor.
Emperor Kalios of the Baration Empire had dreamed of unchecked absolute imperial authority from the moment he ascended the throne.
The obvious obstacles to absolute imperial power were the nobles.
To him, the imperial faction and the aristocratic faction were no different.
The imperial faction?
Did they support the imperial family for free?
In the end, it was all about Interests.
You had to give them something.
Politics was a living, moving organism.
It wasn't fixed.
An imperial faction could turn into an aristocratic faction overnight, and aristocrats might support the imperial family for the sake of Profit.
That was just how nobles were.
All the same at the core.
It was better to maintain balance.
Two noble houses of comparable strength restraining each other, maintaining a tense equilibrium.
That way, neither side could grow too large.
The more they fought each other, the weaker both would become.
Then a variable appeared.
The Empire's strongest swordsman—Swordmaster Hartmann—threw his support behind the Lexington marquis family.
The scales tipped.
Neutral nobles flocked to the Lexington marquis house.
The imperial faction rapidly expanded its power.
Wouldn't it be good for the imperial faction to grow stronger?
Not at all.
Quite the opposite.
A noble faction stronger than the imperial authority itself…
He might have to run the Empire while constantly watching their reactions.
The Lexington family's power had to be weakened.
How?
By removing the one who had broken the balance.
Swordmaster Victor Hartmann.
But the man was strong.
There was no way to deal with him through force.
So Kalios decided to bring him down from the inside.
By kidnapping Hartmann's young child.
It worked.
The Empire's greatest Swordmaster collapsed.
The Lexington family fell with him.
The balance of power returned to its original state.
In truth, there was another reason Hartmann had to be dealt with.
Like any knight who wielded a sword, Kalios himself dreamed of becoming a Swordmaster.
But he couldn't break through the wall.
He couldn't even come close.
Mediocre, unremarkable skill.
The realm of the Swordmaster was impossibly distant.
Kalios burned with jealousy.
Why could Hartmann do it, and he couldn't?
They were the same age.
Kalios had had even more opportunities to become a Swordmaster.
In any case, the plan succeeded.
Emperor Kalios extended a hand to the devastated Hartmann.
He acknowledged his succession to the marquis title and entrusted him with the position of imperial army commander.
At the same time, he subjected him to constant gaslighting.
Only with power could he keep the treacherous Duke Roland family in check.
Those who kidnapped his child must have been the Rolands.
Let's grow stronger together and uncover the truth.
Time passed.
Emperor Kalios gradually built up power of his own.
He secured funds, seized control of military authority, and laid the firm foundation of imperial power.
The time had come.
The time to sweep away both the imperial faction and the aristocratic faction in one stroke.
He sent the kidnapped son—raised as an assassin—to Hartmann.
Hartmann killed his own son.
After realizing the truth, he went mad.
He unleashed his burning hatred on the Roland ducal house.
Hartmann was exiled to Alto Island.
And the bloody purge began.
Absolute power, complete.
Whether aristocratic faction, imperial faction, or neutral—every noble house that seemed even remotely strong was eliminated.
Swordmasters?
What good was strength alone?
They lacked intellect.
They would never know until the day they died—
That he was the one who had planned all of this.
Emperor Kalios lifted a cup in a secret chamber, toasting alone.
He was exceptionally cautious.
He had a hundred such rooms.
He never slept in the same chamber twice.
He constantly changed his residence.
All to avoid assassination.
Having run an assassin guild himself, he knew—
A single moment of carelessness could bring about the worst possible outcome.
An emperor with absolute power was, by nature, a public enemy.
How many people would rejoice if he died?
And then, at that very moment—
Kwakwang! Kwakwang!
A thunderous crash echoed from outside.
At the same time—
"Enemies! We're under attack!"
"Capture them!"
"Where are the royal guards?"
"Release the hounds!!!"
Intruders?
How dare they enter the imperial palace!
'Assassins, perhaps?'
But Kalios wasn't worried.
The emperor's secret annex was built like a maze.
Twisting corridors, countless branching paths, one hundred rooms.
No matter how elite an assassin might be, they wouldn't even make it this far—and even if they did, how could they possibly find the one room he was in among a hundred?
Thud! Thud-thud!
So he calmly sipped his wine.
Thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
Even when the sound of something collapsing echoed—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even as the noise drew closer… huh?
'That's too close.'
Koooom!
A massive fist punched straight through the wall.
Woodddddk!
The wall was ripped apart violently, and a huge head popped through.
"Found you, Emperor."
What?
Juhyeok entered the 79th floor.
As expected, it was the imperial palace of the Baration Empire.
They moved to clear it immediately.
But then the worst possible missions appeared.
[79th Floor Basic Mission: Break through the main gate of the Baration Imperial Palace (Time Attack: 10 minutes)]
[79th Floor Additional Optional Mission: Break through the inner palace of the Baration Imperial Palace (Time Attack: 10 minutes)]
[79th Floor High-Difficulty Optional Mission: Enter the audience chamber of the Baration Imperial Palace (Time Attack: 10 minutes)]
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission: Defeat Emperor Kalios in one of the 100 secret chambers of the Baration Imperial Palace's secret annex (Time Attack: 10 minutes)]
"…Damn it."
Every single one was a time-attack mission.
Each with only ten minutes.
And the extreme-difficulty optional mission?
Defeat Emperor Kalios in one of the hundred secret chambers?
Within ten minutes?
Was this mission even meant to be cleared?
While he was agonizing over it—
Ding!
[79th Floor Basic Mission Remaining Time: 8 minutes 27 seconds]
Time kept ticking down.
"…Let's go."
First, the main gate.
Bzzzzing!
Pajujujuk!
A large-caliber shell fired by Executive Bae struck the main gate of the Baration Imperial Palace dead on.
Kwaaang!
The gate collapsed.
Guards fled in panic.
At the same time, Juhyeok and all the summoned beings broke through the gate.
[You have completed the 79th Floor Basic Mission.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: 1.9 kg of magic stones / 6 kg of high-grade magic stones]
As expected, the basic mission wasn't difficult.
Next—
[The additional optional mission will now proceed automatically.]
[If you declare mission abandonment, you will exit the tower with mission success.]
Abandon it? No chance.
[79th Floor Additional Optional Mission Remaining Time: 9 minutes 59 seconds]
"Alright, let's go!"
"Where's the inner palace?"
"Just follow the road, I guess."
"Ho-e!"
"This old man will take a look."
Whoosh!
The Mad Demon floated into the air using air-walking.
"That way!"
Rumble—
They charged forward together.
Imperial guards and knights blocked their path.
Kwang!
Crescent-shaped energy attacks rained down from the sky—Mad Demon's strikes.
"Go on ahead! I'll provide cover!"
Spot! Spapat!
Juhyeok and Kosak used Shadow Step, Gyeon Dallae levitated, Gobang carried Bardin, Executive Bae moved tactically, Jepet transformed into a bat, and Rajiks rode the Blood Wolf.
[79th Floor Additional Optional Mission Remaining Time: 5 minutes 32 seconds]
They broke through the inner palace.
[You have completed the additional optional mission.]
[Reward: Tower-exclusive Strength-Enhancing Elixir.]
[The high-difficulty optional mission will now proceed automatically.]
From here on, it got messy.
Entering the audience chamber.
There wasn't just one or two buildings inside the inner palace.
They were similar in size, and with it being night, everything looked the same.
"Where's the audience chamber?"
"Split up and just barge into any building."
"Rajiks, you worker! This is not the time for treasure hunting. We need the audience chamber first!"
"Hueh?"
"Woof woof!"
"It's kind of dark."
"Light!!!"
[79th Floor High-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 6 minutes 38 seconds]
"This isn't it!"
"Opposite side!"
"Huh! We've been here already."
"Is it this one?"
"No, no—get out again!"
"Grab someone and ask!"
"Ho-e?"
"No time to search! We're running out of time, you treasure-obsessed hamster!"
[79th Floor High-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 1 minute 55 seconds]
"T-time!"
"It's fine! Worst case, we reset."
"Over there!"
"Oh!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
[79th Floor High-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 0 minutes 19 seconds]
"This one, right?"
"Seems like it."
[You have completed the high-difficulty optional mission.]
"Whew."
"That was close."
"I already pissed myself."
They had found the audience chamber by the skin of their teeth.
[The extreme-difficulty optional mission will now proceed automatically.]
They entered the audience chamber.
The imperial throne where the emperor received his subjects.
Behind it, a passageway.
"Let's go."
Rumble—
Juhyeok ran with the summoned beings.
The Mad Demon was still outside.
He was drawing attention alone.
Thanks to that, not many guards were chasing them.
They reached the entrance to the secret annex.
'…Good grief.'
Even a quick glance told him how difficult this would be.
Maze-like corridors.
Branching paths everywhere.
Doors scattered throughout.
'Are those all rooms?'
One hundred rooms.
How were they supposed to find him?
Open every single one?
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 8 minutes 54 seconds]
Just looking around had already cost them a minute.
At this rate, failure was guaranteed.
'Haa…'
Were they going to end without even seeing the emperor's face?
Even if they reset and came back, they wouldn't find him.
There had to be a way—wait!
"Princess!"
"Please command me."
"Let's go back to the audience chamber."
Rumble—
They returned to the audience chamber.
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 7 minutes 16 seconds]
"This is the chair Emperor Kalios sat on."
Then he raised his hand and pointed at the wall.
"And that's Emperor Kalios's portrait."
"Ah…"
"Can you use a Tracking Talisman?"
"I believe I can do it."
Gyeon Dallae took out a Tracking Talisman made of yellow talisman paper from her robe.
The information they currently had:
The target's name, the face in the portrait, and the audience chamber throne where the emperor had sat.
"Pinpointing the exact location will be difficult, but I believe I can determine the direction."
That was more than enough.
Gyeon Dallae sat on the throne.
Like a queen.
Murmuring softly, she raised the Tracking Talisman and chanted a spell.
Fwoosh!
The talisman burst into flame.
It turned to ash and drifted upward.
"A direction has been revealed."
One problem solved.
But the maze—and the limited time—
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 5 minutes 14 seconds]
So then—
"Princess, tell us the direction."
"This way…"
"Understood. Everyone, follow the warrior."
Swoosh!
Gobang grew gigantic.
He took a step back—
Shwaaaak!
Bang!
And charged forward, smashing through the wall blocking the path.
"Amazing! He's a tank!"
"Hoeng!"
"Though he cannot compare to you, Young Master, it is indeed exhilarating."
"Light!!!"
Shwaaaak!
Bang!
Crash—
A maze?
Why bother following paths?
Just smash straight through.
This was the true manly way to escape a maze.
Shwaaaak!
Bang!
Crash—
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 4 minutes 03 seconds]
The time kept shrinking.
Gobang's bodily charge grew faster and faster.
Bang! Kwa-bang!
Crash—
Looking back, a perfectly straight tunnel had been carved out.
Bang!
Crash—
Bang!
Crash—
"We are very close. Just one more and—"
Bang!
A hole punched open by Gobang's fist.
And beyond it, a single man came into view.
He looked exactly like the face in the portrait.
"Found you, Emperor."
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 2 minutes 36 seconds]
There was no time to check background information.
At a glance, it matched Jericho's confession almost exactly.
"Is there even a need for words? I'll take care of it quickly."
Kosak approached Kalios, radiating a chilling killing intent.
"You wretches!!! Do you know who I am? I am the ruler of Baration, the father of all, the holy—"
"Shut the fuck up."
Kosak sneered and continued.
"Then who do you think I am?"
"How should I know?"
"Rian Hartmann."
"…What?"
"The son of Victor Hartmann, the Empire's strongest Swordmaster. You sent me to assassinate my father."
"H-how is that—?"
"Jericho spilled everything."
"..."
What was this?
Hartmann's son?
Wasn't he dead?
And yet—he looked exactly like him.
A perfect copy of Victor Hartmann in his youth.
"No time to chat, so I'll ask this once. Why did you do it?"
Kalios did not waver.
"For the sake of the Empire. To eliminate nobles who only sought their own gain while ignoring the suffering of the people, and to establish a powerful imperial authority."
"Fuck."
[79th Floor Extreme-Difficulty Optional Mission Remaining Time: 0 minutes 57 seconds]
"A powerful imperial authority. Fine. Politicians love that excuse. But then you should've done it cleanly. You should've killed me outright. Instead, you kidnapped me, raised me as an assassin, and sent me to my father to be killed? You demon bastard. You probably put the Demon King out of a job."
Kalios's eyes trembled like shaking reeds.
"I am the emperor. I had to protect the Empire. There was no normal way to kill Hartmann. This was all for the greater good—"
Kosak let out a short laugh.
"The greater good, huh? Fine. I'll kill you for a greater good too. For something bigger than this pathetic empire."
"What?"
"To prevent the destruction of the entire world."
Kosak raised his dagger.
"W-wait! If I die, the Empire—"
"So what?"
Slash!
Thud!
Kalios's head fell.
Shashak!
Before it hit the floor, a red ribbon knot was tied around it.
[All missions on the 79th floor have been completed.]
[Reward: Summoned Being Rank Breakthrough Rune (Conditional) / Tower Conquest Mission Reset Ticket.]
Nice items.
[World Announcement: You have achieved S+++ Clear Rank on the 79th Floor of Black Tower NO.2 (Korea).]
[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges have been awarded.]
They got the badges too.
Three tower entry opportunities per day.
One still remained.
The climb to the 80th floor.
They received the mission.
[80th Floor Mission: Defeat the Lord of Monsters, Diamat (Copy).]
[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]
The goal was not only to clear the 80th floor, but also to identify the true form of Diamat.
And then hunt down the original hiding somewhere on Earth.
A short while later—
[Lord of Monsters Diamat (Copy) defeated: 1/1]
[80th Floor Mission Success.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Reward: 80 kg of magic stones / Diamat's Eye]
A world announcement rang out.
[World Announcement: You have achieved S+++ Clear Rank on the 80th Floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges have been awarded.]
[World Announcement: The Lord of Monsters Diamat (Copy) has been extinguished on the 80th Floor of the Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2).]
Now—
Let's go hunt the original.