Free Web NovelThe Chuncheon Sinkhole Wave was broadcast live via satellite.
A broadcast transmitted to the entire world for twenty-four hours.
A live broadcast?
It was effectively a world first.
What country in the world broadcast a war against monsters in real time?
Of course, they had captured footage with drones or reconnaissance aircraft before.
For reference later, when formulating tactics.
Even that had barely been manageable.
Survival itself had already been a struggle.
Yet Korea had boldly declared a real-time live broadcast.
Wasn’t this going too far?
Tower missions and Waves were problems of completely different dimensions.
Defending against a Sinkhole Wave wasn’t called a conquest.
It was called a war.
It was no different from a national total war.
If things went wrong, they might even have to consider using nuclear weapons.
They would manage to hold it off.
They always had.
But could they hold it off without casualties?
What if soldiers or players were taken down by monsters?
In any case, the live broadcast finally began.
Tower monsters crawled up in droves.
The Korean Awakened Army stood against them.
It went unexpectedly smoothly.
They defended well.
There were several dangerous moments, but they overcame them without major issues.
Had the Korean Awakened Army’s level improved?
Time continued to pass.
Around the time the Wave reached its peak.
The Awakened Army players suddenly began moving frantically.
Something had gone wrong.
And viewers around the world watching their TVs were horrified.
It was undead.
Dark aura was visible even on the screen.
The Seoul Sinkhole Wave had also been a Dark Wave, and now Chuncheon too?
How were they supposed to handle that?
Flying undead Specters, in particular, were practically immune to conventional weapons.
But then?
FWOOSH, FWOOSH, FWOOSH!
Brilliant clusters of light rose up here and there in an instant.
Those terrifying undead were retreating.
A single sword slash, and they burst into flames.
To think undead could be subdued so easily.
There was only one explanation.
Those weapons.
Glowing swords and spears, bows and staves.
Only now did they realize.
That was it.
The power that had allowed Korea to conquer the 70th Floor and end Kabalan’s curse.
***
The Awakened Army had been skeptical at first too.
Weapons supposedly specialized for undead.
It just didn’t feel real.
Of course, Tower reward items had excellent performance in their own right.
But these were undead they were talking about.
Tower monsters from the 60th Floor tier, much higher level than themselves at that.
Even without the dark aura, they were formidable enemies.
That was why they had prayed desperately.
Please, anything but a Dark Wave.
Let Chuncheon just pass without incident.
This was a war being broadcast live, after all.
What if their families saw them get killed or injured?
But now?
The situation had completely changed.
“Hey, hey! Where’s the camera?”
“It’s over there right now. There are drone cameras in the sky too.”
“Yeah? Then my face will definitely be on screen, right?”
“...Why didn’t you just put on full makeup?”
“I’m regretting that now... Oh! There’s a Dullahan over there!”
“Hm? Oh! That one’s mine! I’m taking it!”
“Says who?”
SLICE! SLI-SLI-SLICE!
Before the Holy Weapons, the undead were nothing more than mice facing a snake.
Brilliant light swallowed them whole.
It was easy.
Far too easy.
At first, they had avoided the cameras, but now they deliberately fought in front of them to get good screen time.
Every awakened player deployed to the eight defense units around the Chuncheon Sinkhole was doing the same.
Captain Nam Garam was also on fire.
He wasn’t even tired.
The light emanating from his weapon.
Giving courage to allies, instilling fear in enemies.
Colonel Lee Minseon joined in too.
Watching from the sidelines was making her antsy.
“Hey, Garam!”
“Ah, sis, why are you here again? Go rest at the command post.”
“Oh my? Look at this guy. Getting greedy for a promotion?”
“I don’t need a promotion. Just stop stealing my undead.”
“Nope! Let me have some fun too.”
SLICE, SLI-SLI-SLI-SLICE!
The two aces of the Awakened Army went wild.
Slashing and slashing again.
Whether Specter or Phantom Reaper.
“But, sis.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve met the Top Player in person, right?”
“Yep.”
“Was he decent?”
“...Hmm, a little?”
Even while talking, their swords never stopped.
“Then why not make a move on him?”
“I can’t.”
“Why? Not confident?”
“I’m not confident I can beat Brigadier General Veronica Caliber.”
“Wh-Who?”
“There’s someone like that.”
They had so much room to spare that they were chatting during combat.
That was just how it was.
With their dark aura neutralized, the undead were nothing but trivial low-grade monsters.
***
Chuncheon Wave Defense Headquarters, Temporary Command Control Room.
The military generals could only stand there with their jaws hanging open.
Initially, the command staff, except for Jeon Seongil, had been doubtful.
Could those weapons really handle undead?
But Jeon Seongil alone had firmly believed.
And his faith was rewarded.
It was fantastic.
Light appeared everywhere across the Wave defense sites.
Light was overcoming darkness.
Then!
An adjutant with a flushed face came rushing in to report to General Jeon Seongil.
“Commander! An urgent call has come from the White House in the United States.”
“The White House?”
Why from there?
Ah... this is a live broadcast, isn’t it?
Of course!
How could anyone stay quiet after seeing this?
“What did the White House say?”
“The US President wants to speak with you, Commander, and they also inquired about the Holy Weapons.”
Tsk!
The Wave defense wasn’t even over yet.
He understood.
If the situation were reversed, he would have done the same.
They would desperately want to get their hands on Holy Weapons.
“Tell them politely that I’ll speak with them after the Wave defense ends.”
“Yes! Understood.”
America was just the beginning.
“Commander, the King of Saudi Arabia has requested to purchase Holy Weapons. He says he’ll pay any price, and that barter with crude oil is also possible.”
The wealthy oil nation too.
“A message came from the French embassy. They’re coming directly to Chuncheon.”
“India says they’ll send a special envoy.”
“The Canadian Ambassador has arrived in Chuncheon.”
“Commander, the British Prime Minister...”
Calls came flooding in.
Some people even came directly to the temporary command post.
The entire world was in a frenzy.
Countries that had entered the undead zone, and countries that had not yet.
Glowing weapons.
Holy Weapons.
Weapons capable of neutralizing dark aura.
Powerful weapons that made the spine-chilling undead tremble in fear.
And thus, the only means to definitively block Sinkhole Dark Waves.
Everyone craved them.
The glowing weapons.
But even amidst all that...
No call from China or Japan.
They had to be watching too.
Of course, he knew why they couldn’t call.
China was the country that had shamelessly demanded Jeju Island in exchange for conquering the 61st Floor.
And Japan, how many Korean players had they poached?
If they had any shame, they wouldn’t be able to call...
Then!
“Commander, we’ve received a message from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.”
Japan?
“What’s the content?”
Was it an inquiry about Holy Weapons?
“It’s a protest call.”
“...What?”
“They’re saying Korea illegally arrested Liu Chenming, who had sought asylum under their protection, and are demanding that we reveal how we infiltrated Japan...”
These goddamn bastards.
The audacity to turn the tables like this was beyond the pale.
They had been quiet as mice during the press conference, and now they wanted to make an issue of it?
And they were sending a protest in the middle of a Wave defense battle?
He knew why they were doing this.
They must have seen the Holy Weapons and become desperate too.
But would Korea sell to them?
They probably wouldn’t even give them the time of day.
Japan, which had secretly poached numerous players from Korea until now.
Back when Korea had three sinkholes.
All to defend the Wave of their single sinkhole.
The ones who had stabbed them in the back during their most painful time.
This could never be forgotten.
They must also be well aware of Korea’s fury.
So they were trying to shake things up by any means, grasping at any excuse.
Just trying to get a seat at the negotiation table.
“Tell them to stop spouting bullshit. If they keep this up, the Awakened Army will land in Japan as is.”
“Yes! Understood.”
That response was way too enthusiastic.
He wasn’t going to relay that verbatim, was he?
***
The twenty-four-hour Chuncheon Sinkhole Wave.
Now it was in the final stretch.
Juhyeok had worked hard in his own way too.
Rotating newly summoned entities through swap summons.
By now, everyone except some non-combat types had experienced battle at least once.
So he summoned the veteran group.
But he didn’t intervene, just stood by for now.
The Awakened Army alone could handle this.
That was how it needed to be.
Otherwise, he might have to ride Crackus around the world doing cleanup duty whenever Waves occurred...
“The workers at the General Workshop Center have done a great job. Please summon them separately later to commend them.”
He had been planning to do just that.
The Blacksmith Dwarf Forge, the Magic Enchant Research Lab, the Alchemy Laboratory, the Magitech Engineering Workshop.
This was the result of their all-night work.
But there was still a mountain of work to do.
They needed to produce more Holy Weapons.
Only then could he worry less and rest easier.
Right at that moment!
SWOOOOOONG!
Dark energy churned from within the sinkhole.
FWOOSH!
An iron-clad black knight leaped up from the hole.
“...Death Knight?”
“That’s right.”
“It didn’t appear in Seoul, did it?”
“Correct. It only went up to Specters and Phantom Reapers.”
That thing was coming out too?
They were formidable even with a Holy Sword.
“Should we intervene?”
“...Let’s wait and see.”
Fortunately, their numbers were relatively few.
On the other hand, there were many Awakened Army soldiers armed with Holy Weapons.
“They can win. There’s no beating numbers.”
So it seemed.
Attacks from the Awakened Army concentrated on the Death Knights.
Ranged attacks first.
Players with Holy Bows, Holy Crossbows, and Holy Staves were intercepting the Death Knights.
After draining their strength that way.
The melee fighters rushed in to finish them off.
No matter how powerful a Death Knight was, how could it withstand the attack power of hundreds of Holy Weapons?
Maybe in a one-on-one situation, but not like this.
“Our side is quite organized.”
“Of course. They’re not just players, they’re soldiers too.”
That was when it happened.
WOOOOOOOO...
Something was rising from the center of the sinkhole.
It was too far away and looked like a dot, but...
“It’s a Lich.”
“That’s a Lich, alright.”
“A Lich indeed.”
Geez, these guys.
Everything was crawling out.
That thing’s ability was undead troop summoning.
“Can the ranged Awakened Army deal with that thing?”
“The distance is too far.”
“And a Lich is a mage. It’ll have barrier shields, Blink, and it’ll be throwing curses around too.”
That was right.
It was still too much.
Maybe if the distance were closer.
The Lich would keep floating in the air like that, continuously summoning undead.
If things went wrong, the entire sinkhole area could be overrun with undead.
There was no other choice.
“Veronica Caliber.”
“Brigadier General Veronica Caliber.”
“Let’s take it out.”
“Yes!”
Veronica Caliber turned her gun barrel toward Bardin.
“By the Light!”
FWOOSH!
“Initiating attribute absorption.”
Then, assuming a standing shooting position.
“Loading one high-caliber round. Activating guidance function.”
CRRRRZZZZT!
BANG!
Veronica Caliber’s holy-attribute high-caliber round flew with lightning speed.
Even if it tried to Blink, it was a guided round.
BOOM!
The Lich exploded.
“It’s done.”
Veronica Caliber, as expected.
With the Lich down, was it finally over?
Time passed.
At last, the Chuncheon Sinkhole Wave defense battle came to an end.
“Waaaaaaahhhh!”
Soldiers embraced each other and roared in victory.
The second Dark Wave defense.
And this time, they had eliminated the undead themselves.
The cheering wouldn’t stop.
The commanding generals and staff came out to cheer along too.
Furthermore, this scene was broadcast via satellite to the entire world.
A perfect victory.
The casualty count came in as well.
Zero deaths, twenty-five injured, and none of them seriously.
The kind of injuries a single healing potion could easily cure.
Meanwhile, Juhyeok was not pleased.
Even a Lich came out?
If this happened, he might have to tour the world every time a Wave occurred.
Then!
“Summoner Bong!”
Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil had approached him at some point.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we achieved a perfect victory.”
“...It wasn’t that perfect.”
Because of the Lich.
“Calls are flooding in from various countries. They want to purchase Holy Weapons.”
“Is that so?”
That was good.
Seemed like everyone liked them.
“The United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada, Brazil...”
Numerous countries came from Jeon Seongil’s lips.
But then?
“No inquiries from China or Japan.”
Did they not want to buy?
Jeon Seongil answered with an awkward expression.
“Um, Japan did call, but...”
So they did call.
“It was a protest call.”
Huh?
“Why are those bastards protesting?”
“They made an issue out of the Liu Chenming arrest. They said they had granted him asylum and were protecting him, but we illegally took him.”
These bastards?
They should be grateful he didn’t drop a nuke on them.
“What did you tell them?”
“They’re not worth responding to. I just ignored them.”
As he should.
“Good.”
“Yes, those bastards deserve to be torn apart. If it weren’t for the Wave defense, we would have had a major confrontation.”
The anti-Japan sentiment on this Earth seemed even stronger than on his Earth.
Their summoned anti-Japan advocate Gyeon Dallae’s face had turned beet red.
“Young Master, we must punish them immediately. Show those Japanese dogs what we’re made of.”
The other summoned entities chimed in, agreeing with Gyeon Dallae.
“A beating is the best medicine for crazy people.”
“How about summoning a meteor for once? It would be a natural disaster. No one would know.”
“Eek!”
“The Dimensional Steward is right. Just drop a nuke on them and be done with it.”
Jeon Seongil looked uncomfortable.
He also knew.
That Juhyeok possessed nuclear weapons.
“Um, please calm down. The nuclear option is a bit...”
Then Cossack burst out again.
“HALT!”
Man, this guy was really enjoying himself.
Randomly shouting “halt” all the time. What was this, halt-halt?
“General Jeon!”
“Y-Yes?”
“General, has there ever been a time in your life when you were hot?” fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
“W-Well.”
“Japan was hot twice eighty years ago.”
“...”
“It’s time for them to be hot a third time.”
What was he saying?
A sudden thought occurred to him.
Japan aside...
“Has there been no word from China?”
“There’s no official comment yet, but we need to be careful.”
Careful how?
“Does the Chinese government here also kidnap players and stuff?”
“Huh? How did you...”
He had expected as much.
“Is there a possibility that China might try to kidnap our Summoner Bong?”
Cossack asked.
“Hmm, I can’t say for certain that there isn’t, but please don’t worry. Our martial law forces will thoroughly handle security...”
Cossack’s eyes flashed.
“Leave them be.”
“What?”
“I’m telling you not to stop the Japanese or Chinese from coming to kidnap Summoner Bong.”
“I-I don’t understand why, but...”
“This is a cliché.”
“...A cliché?”
Here we go again with the cliché obsession.
“All conditions for a cliché to be established are in place.”
“How so?”
“This is a world where the boundary between Tower and reality has crumbled, isn’t it? They’ll charge in recklessly just because they have some power out here.”
He had a point.
“China’s top player will come to Summoner Bong and say, ‘How dare a mere player from an insignificant small country defy players from a great nation?’ Then they’ll attack in a group.”
And then?
“That’s when Summoner Bong steps up. Demonstrating an overwhelming difference in ability, ‘Look! This is the difference between my level and yours!’ Ahh, that would be magnificent.”
He wanted Juhyeok to fight them?
“One swing of the hammer and they’ll all be dead anyway.”
That was true.
China’s top player was at most under level 70.
He was level 100.
With Seonist energy, elixirs made from Dragon Heart, and the Judge’s Hammer.
He could picture it.
Ignorant puppy players charging at him recklessly.
And Bong Juhyeok the tiger, effortlessly subduing them.
Hmm...
Not bad.
Anyway.
“Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil.” freewёbnoνel.com
“Yes! Please speak.”
“Could I borrow a warehouse?”
“A warehouse...?”
“I want to install a logistics transfer warp gate. It’s a device that can send and receive goods bidirectionally.”
Jeon Seongil tilted his head.
Logistics transfer?
Between where and where?
But if he wanted a warehouse, they should provide it.
Whatever a logistics transfer warp gate was.
“I’ll have it prepared quickly.”
The warehouse was settled.
“And please take this.”
“...What’s this?”
Juhyeok handed Jeon Seongil one rune item and one Platinum Badge.
“It’s a Player Awakening Rune. Wear the badge on your chest and take the rune, and you should awaken as a player.”
Jeon Seongil just blinked, not understanding.
He was going to awaken him?
What on...
Of course, he didn’t doubt it.
If he took it, he would awaken.
But.
“I’m too old. It would be better to give the opportunity to young soldiers who haven’t awakened yet...”
Then Cossack burst out in anger.
“HALT!”
That startled him.
“Goodness!”
“...My apologies.”
Cossack glanced nervously at Juhyeok’s face.
Then spoke to Jeon Seongil.
“What does your age matter? It’s the perfect age for awakening. Don’t think about it, just bravely take it. You’ll probably get a good Trait too. Commissioner Jeon Gwangil of Earth NO.1001 also awakened with a rune he received from Summoner Bong.”
“...Yes, I will.”
Jeon Seongil nodded.
That’s right.
Was there an age limit for awakening?
When war came, only the young sacrificed themselves.
It had always been that way.
And still was.
Rather, the older generation should awaken and fight monsters.
Jeon Seongil put the badge and rune in his pocket.
Juhyeok watched him with satisfaction.
Jeon Seongil, Jeon Gwangil, both of them are Players now.
...Wait!
Come to think of it, he hadn’t told Commissioner Jeon Gwangil that he was going to Earth NO.843.
Same with his family.
They must be worried.
Now that the Wave was over, should he make a visit?
Go and tell them about his experiences.
He had plenty of time.
They were parallel universe Earths in different worlds, but to Juhyeok, they were very close.
Like taking a stroll around the neighborhood.
Just riding the elevator back and forth.
Since it came to mind, he should go.
“Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil.”
“Yes! Please speak.”
“Before conquering the 71st Floor, I’m going to stop by home briefly.”
“H-Home?”
“Earth NO.1001.”
“Ahhh.”
Jeon Seongil’s expression turned pale.
Juhyeok saying he was going home was terrifying.
What if he went and didn’t come back?
“...You’re coming back, right?”
“Of course!”
Reassuring the worried Jeon Seongil.
Off to Earth NO.1001.
He could tackle the conquest after visiting home.
He would be back by evening anyway.
