Free Web NovelHe had been curious about this, actually.
What was the mission for Earth NO.843’s Black Tower in the 70s section?
On Earth NO.1001, his Earth, the Black Tower’s 71st Floor and above had been event floors designed for Juhyeok with his Summoner Trait.
Storytelling missions related to the summoned entities’ pasts.
Thanks to those, he had resolved their lingering regrets and raised their grades.
But what about here?
If a Summoner existed on Earth NO.843, then the 71st Floor here would also be a storytelling mission.
He had brought the veteran summoned entities as his party.
He still didn’t know what kind of mission it would be.
He had to bring his strongest team members.
[Entering Floor 71 of the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
A World Announcement appeared the moment he entered.
[World Announcement: A congratulatory gift set of 2 items is being delivered to the inventory of the first player to reach Floor 71 of the Black Tower.]
Ah, right!
There were gifts, weren’t there?
The difference was that it had changed from 4 items to 2.
[World Announcement: Delivering Disease Cure Potion to your inventory. It permanently cures all diseases.]
[World Announcement: Delivering Rejuvenation Elixir to your inventory. Upon consumption, you become up to 10 years younger.]
The Shape Transformation Ring and the Liberation Rune Necklace were excluded.
He thought he knew why.
What use were those two items?
Given the current state of the world.
Any Player could use their abilities in reality now.
Following that.
[World Announcement: With the climb to Floor 71, Black Tower Conquest Season 2 has begun.]
[World Announcement: From now on, upon successful mission completion on Floor 71 and above, 6 months of Tower collapse deadline will stack on top of the existing deadline.]
[World Announcement: The Tower Jumping Ticket exploit clear will not apply on Floor 71 and above.]
The collapse deadline stacking announcement too.
The outside world was probably shocked once again.
Because things had happened exactly as he had said, exactly as Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil had publicly announced.
So what was the mission?
What was this?
[Floor 71 Mission: Eliminate 3 large beasts, Giant Mountain Bears.]
[Completion Deadline: Within 15 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Giant Mountain Bear 0/3]
Huh?
Large beasts?
“What?”
“What is this?”
“...Large beasts.”
“Hoe?”
It wasn’t a storytelling mission.
That meant?
“So this dimension didn’t have a Summoner either.”
“Tsk tsk, even though it’s the same parallel universe Earth.”
“There was a reason it fell.”
There hadn’t been a Summoner on Earth NO.675 either.
That was why the 79th Floor mission when they first entered the Black Tower there had also been Large-Type Cerberus subjugation.
It would be the same here.
Anyway, let’s just clear it.
If they were large beasts, how big were they?
Right at that moment!
THUD THUD! THUD THUD THUD!
Three massive gray bears walked from far away.
Their appearance was just like.
“Oh, come on...”
“It’s Behemoth, but a baby.”
“Can’t even reach Behemoth’s knees.”
“However, even a cub is rather large.”
“Veronica Caliber! Leave it to me!”
“Hoeeek!”
Everyone seemed to think it was easy.
Of course they would.
Compared to the 81st Floor giant monster Behemoth, those were teddy bear plushies.
To the summoned entities who had pulverized Behemoth, they weren’t even a threat.
Well, the 81st Floor was way over the top.
The giant monster had been far too massive.
To the point where a normal clear was unthinkable.
But large beasts were a reasonable size.
It seemed like a buffer zone before the giant monsters.
It obviously looked easy.
Of course, being as big as a house, it would be difficult for regular Players.
“Then let’s begin the clear...”
That was when it happened.
BZZZZING!
A magic gun heated up.
CRRRRZZZZT!
A large-caliber round was fired.
WOBBLE!
SPLAT!
One Giant Mountain Bear exploded on the spot, scattering into fragments.
The remaining two as well.
WOBBLE! WOBBLE!
SPLAT! SPLAT!
“Veronica Caliber, firing complete!”
[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 71 clear successful! A player of Republic of Korea nationality has cleared Floor 71 of the Black Tower with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]
“...”
“Firing complete, my ass!”
“This is illegal snatching. As the ten-term White Party representative, I, Von Cossack, cannot tolerate this.”
“You can take Floor 72 then, can’t you?”
“Call! Sounds good. Everyone else, no touching.”
“What kind of rule is that? First come, first served.”
“Don’t push yourself, old man. You’ll get air in your knees.”
“Light! I, Bardin, shield of the Lord...”
Hmm.
Too easy.
It wasn’t even a sub-light-speed bullet, just Veronica Caliber’s wobbly large-caliber round was enough to blow them up.
[You can now challenge Floor 72.]
[Exiting the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
SPOT!
After coming outside.
“We need to enter Floor 72 quickly. The 72nd Floor large beast is mine.”
Cossack was getting impatient.
But.
“Thank you all for your hard work.”
“...Nem?”
“See you next time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Veronica Caliber, did I mishear?”
Juhyeok waved his hand as he spoke.
“I’m making a player substitution. Go rest... no, please hurry up and make that holy-attribute equipment.”
“W-Wait!”
“Summoner! This old man hasn’t even gotten a taste yet!”
“Same for this warrior. Please let me stay.”
“Light!”
He released the group summon without mercy.
SPA-PA-PA-PAT!
And then.
“Group 18 Designation Summon.”
SPA-PA-PA-PAT!
The rookies appeared.
“Yes! It’s a summon!”
“Thank you, I love you!”
“Summoner, I, Chunbok, will work myself to the bone.”
“Please keep calling me like this. Hehehe.”
“Loyalty!”
This was the right way.
If the seniors were just going to be greedy.
Times like these were when they should step aside and nurture the juniors.
So, shall we head to Floor 72?
What would appear there?
***
Until now, World Announcements had been the sound of dread for people around the world.
They hadn’t wanted to hear them.
Every time the Ding! sound rang out, their hearts sank.
That they were below average, that some country had been selected as a Climb Promotion Nation.
But everything had completely changed after the Kabalan clear.
How welcome the sounds were now.
Whether working, playing, or sleeping.
They weren’t noisy or annoying at all.
The Ding! sound was like a beautiful melody.
This time too, a World Announcement rang out without fail.
The contents?
Floor 71 clear successful.
Season 2 begins.
Breaking news exploded.
Everyone had already heard through the World Announcements, but.
<Floor 71! A New Beginning! Collapse Deadline Stacking!>
<Korea’s Mysterious Top Player, Is He a Prophet?>
<The Parallel Universe Hypothesis Seems Certain. What Earth Did He Live On?>
<Great Interest in the 2 Floor 71 Entry Gifts: Disease Cure Potion and Rejuvenation Elixir.>
<Entry Gifts, Does Everyone Who Climbs Get Them?>
<Players Rush to Floor 71, Obstacle is the Undead Zone.>
<Undead Dark Aura, Said to Be Weakened But Still Difficult.>
<Impossible to Clear Undead Above Floor 65 Without Holy-Attribute Weapons.>
<What Will the Prices Be? Expected to Be Sold Through Contracts Between Nations.>
<Will Sinkholes Recover Upon Floor 90 Clear? Is It True?>
<Everything Has Come True So Far. Naturally High Probability It’s True.>
<5 Times a Day, Not Much Time Left Until Floor 90 Clear.>
<Global Expectations Rising, World Stock Markets Rising Together.>
└ It’s national pride again!!! Innkeeper, bring seventy-one bowls of patriotism!
└ It’s the time of heroes and great men.
└ Raise your glasses!!!
└ Before this drink grows cold, I shall fill the sinkholes and return.
└ As expected, the Republic of Korea is the best!
└ It’s a parallel universe though. Isn’t that a different Korea?
└ What’s the difference? It’s all Korea.
Like this, World Announcements were transforming into signals to start a festival.
***
Daejeon Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters, Command Control Room.
Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil too felt like every single day was a dream.
Each morning when he woke up, he would turn on the TV first to check if it was a dream or not.
The World Announcement coming in now too.
Summoner Bong Juhyeok had started today’s five daily Tower climbs.
He had also proven the collapse deadline stacking.
He’ll reach Floor 80 by tomorrow.
Floor 85 two days after that.
Then, three days later, the awaited Floor 90.
When it really becomes Floor 90...
Would the Sinkhole Waves end?
He had already informed the other countries.
It was being reported in the news too.
Honestly, he was still in a daze.
What would a world without Sinkhole Waves be like?
A peaceful world where everyday life becomes precious.
Like Earth NO.1001, Summoner Bong Juhyeok’s home.
Now that I think of it, should I take a look?
The video letter sent by Director Jeon Gwangil of the Korean Awakening Administration, who was said to be his identical soul.
He took out a burner smartphone and played it.
—Hello. Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil, I’m Director Jeon Gwangil. Um, hmm, I’m not sure what to say but... anyway, hang in there.
...
—I believe your Republic of Korea will get through it too, just like ours did. I-If you need any support, anytime...
CLICK!
Jeon Seongil stopped the video.
Honestly, it was a bit hard.
Watching someone who looked exactly like him speak.
Especially since even the manner of speech and voice were identical.
And on the other hand, he felt jealous too.
How was the version of himself on that Earth so young?
With such a full head of hair.
Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.
His own forehead, gradually receding further back.
And why were there so many wrinkles?
“Haah.”
Finally, Jeon Seongil made a decision.
Let’s do now what I’ve been putting off.
Jeon Seongil took out a small stone and a metal badge from his pocket.
Player Awakening Rune.
A gift from Player Bong Juhyeok.
It was said to have the effect of awakening ordinary people as Players.
Traits were said to be randomly assigned.
Let’s take it.
Player Awakening.
In the past, even if he awakened, there would have been no difference from an ordinary person, but now it was different.
Outside too, one could possess mana just like inside the Tower.
And that ability applied immediately in reality.
Will I become younger?
It didn’t matter if he stayed the same.
The biggest reason Jeon Seongil wanted to become a Player.
He had watched too many of his Awakened Army subordinates die in Sinkhole Waves.
How painful had those moments been?
But from now on, he too would fight alongside them.
On the front lines of Wave defense.
He pinned the badge to his chest.
GULP.
Jeon Seongil swallowed the rune.
In that moment!
SSSSSS.
The badge melted away and disappeared.
Ding!
[Jeon Seongil has awakened.]
Awakening successful.
What was his Trait?
No, more importantly than that...
There was one more thing he could check upon awakening besides the Player Status Window.
“Republic of Korea Black Tower Clear Progress Status Window.”
Ding!
[Location]: Republic of Korea Daejeon Black Tower
[Completed]: Floor 71
[In Progress]: Floor 72
[Deadline]: 358 days 12 hours 14 minutes 18 seconds
“Hahaha!”
With the Floor 71 clear success, 6 months had been added for a total of 358 days until collapse.
It was reassuring.
He felt full even without eating.
***
[Entering Floor 72 of the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
Juhyeok entered with the rookies, excluding all the veteran summoned entities.
What was the 72nd Floor mission?
[Floor 72 Mission: Eliminate 3 large beasts, Adamant Scale Pythons.]
Oh!
Snakes.
He didn’t know if they tasted good or were good for the body.
It’s a miniature version of the 82nd Floor’s Apophis.
Adamant scales.
If he stripped those off, they could be used as metal materials.
But was now the time for resource gathering?
That was why he wasn’t even calling their Dimensional Supreme Servant Rajix.
“Quick clear!”
The moment Juhyeok’s order dropped, the rookie summoned entities charged ferociously.
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!
There were only 3 of them.
It was over quickly.
[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 72 clear successful! A player of Republic of Korea nationality has cleared Floor 72 of the Black Tower with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]
Another group switch.
Enter Floor 73.
The mission?
[Floor 73 Mission: Eliminate 3 large insects, Great Mantises.]
Large praying mantises.
Insects were a bit...
They looked creepy.
...Floor 83 was the giant spider queen, right?
Come to think of it, similar creatures were appearing.
Floor 81 was the bear-type giant monster Behemoth.
Floor 71 was also a similar type, the Giant Mountain Bear.
Floor 82 was the giant snake Apophis.
Floor 72 was also a reptile, the Adamant Scale Python.
Floor 83 was the giant spider queen Arachloid.
Floor 73 was also a bug type, the Great Mantis.
They corresponded perfectly.
Then?
Floor 84 was the giant bird Frozen Colossus Condor, so Floor 74 should have a flying bird type too.
Since Floor 85 was the Magical Empire’s ultimate weapon, the giant golem Magnus Gigant...
Huh?
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
Could this be?
This wouldn’t do.
He was getting anxious.
Let’s climb quickly.
First, clean up the Great Mantises.
Easy clear done.
Floor 74?
A bird would appear.
He needed to call ranged units.
He switched in the rookie LSSR-grade hunter Minok and the mages.
SPA-PA-PA-PAT!
Enter Floor 74.
The mission?
[Floor 74 Mission: Eliminate 3 large birds, Cloud Vultures.]
He knew it.
Cloud Vultures, cloud eagles.
“Those are harmful birds.”
TSHHT!
Hunter Minok’s mana arrow was fired.
Though far inferior to Veronica Caliber, he was also an LSSR-grade ranged summoned entity.
POW!
When he pierced its head in one shot.
SHWOOOOOSH!
The Cloud Vulture plummeted.
Following that, the mages’ attack spells too.
POW-POW-POW-POW-POW! POW-POW-POW!
The Cloud Vultures died while falling.
All 3 of them.
Now it was Floor 75.
He sent all the existing summoned entities back home.
[Entering Floor 75 of the Republic of Korea Black Tower.]
And then?
If his guess was right?
[Floor 75 Mission: Eliminate 3 large mechs, Goliath Battle Golems.]
“Yes!!!”
Just as expected.
The Goliath Battle Golem, a downgraded version of the 85th Floor giant golem Magnus Gigant.
“What’s the size?”
There they were.
The Gigant’s degraded version, the Gigant’s son, the Gigant’s mini-me.
THUD THUD THUD THUD!
They were patrolling around over there.
Still pretty big though.
A body slightly larger than when Meatshield giantified.
In that case.
“Rajix Designation Summon! El Designation Summon!”
SPOT! SPOT!
“Hoe?”
“Summoner.”
Rajix hopped up and down in front of Juhyeok on his short legs.
“Huek! Hoeek! Hoaaa!”
Looking very happy, Rajix waddled around, savoring his first Tower entry in a while.
El seemed to have been in the middle of work.
Judging by the grease stains here and there.
“Dr. El.”
“Yes!”
“Look at that. It’s the 75th Floor golem.”
Dr. El turned her head toward where Juhyeok pointed.
“...Ah?”
“What do you think? Can we use it?”
El understood what Juhyeok meant.
After observing the 3 golems carefully.
“They’re fine. Actually, they look better than the Gigant. They’re more versatile.”
That was right.
The Gigant had been pointlessly huge.
So the situations where it could be used had been limited.
“At that size, I could apply my research results.”
“Excuse me?”
Research, she said.
Was there something she had been working on?
“There was an archangel corpse that our Dimensional Supreme Servant brought back before.”
“Ah!”
He remembered.
It couldn’t really be called a corpse, actually.
It was a lump of machinery.
An android, so to speak.
“I’ve been diligently researching based on that. Combined with my magitech engineering knowledge, and with help from Headmaster Harold.”
“Headmaster Harold?”
“Yes, he’s a wise scholar.”
Juhyeok knew too.
The last person to escape from the Soul World.
He knew Harold was a scholar, but.
I thought he was humanities, but he was science.
“More than science, he’s the possessor of insight that doesn’t discriminate between specific fields.”
The dignity of a non-combat summoned entity indeed.
They always came through at critical moments.
“Anyway, let’s take them.”
“Yes, I’ll immobilize them first.”
CLICK!
Carrying the EMP magic gun, El dashed out with quick movements.
Then the Mechanic Goliath Battle Golems recognized El too.
BEEEEEP!
Their eyes turned red.
CRACKLE!
The golems’ destruction beams blazed. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
CRACKLE, CRACK! CRACKLE!
Red laser beams fired by 3 golems.
But El dodged easily.
THWOONG!
She fired the mana EMP round and fell back.
FLASH! PA-PAT! PA-PA-PAT!
An intense wave of light spread out.
FREEZE! FREEZE! FREEZE!
All 3 large Mechanic Goliath Battle Golems stopped simultaneously.
TA-DA-DA-DAK!
El nimbly climbed up onto the stopped large golem’s chest.
CRACKLE!
El was also a golem.
Using her destruction beam, she cut open the chest area and manipulated the mana circuit.
All 3, one by one.
“Done.”
Next.
“Rajix?”
“Hoe?”
“Please store them.”
“Hoeng!”
SSSSSS! SSSSSS! SSSSSS!
Storage complete.
Ding!
[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 75 clear successful! A player of Republic of Korea nationality has cleared Floor 75 of the Black Tower with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]
What exactly was El’s research result?
He was really curious.
