Chapter 215

CHAPTER 215

The Black Tower administrators of Earth No. 1,001.

Rage surged to the very top of their heads.

[W-Where did they get a dragon from?]

They brought a dragon, killed a dragon, and took the dragon’s corpse with them.

[Those fucking bastards! I’ll tear them apart and kill them!]

This was truly something no one had imagined.

At most, they thought the group might bring along a Gigant.

But the 89th floor had been cleared far too easily.

However, next was the 90th floor.

A floor overseen by an Ancient—an Elder Dragon.

The designer was certain.

The bastard would die there.

But then—

[Uh, I… I overlooked something, but after checking—]

[What is it? Say it.]

[T-The Summoner’s level is…]

[What about it?]

[It was level 91.]

[…What?]

The designer doubted his ears.

Did that make any sense?

At level 91, he should have already cleared the 90th floor.

[Could it be…?]

[Y-Yes. He already cleared the 90th floor. Probably on Earth No. 675.]

[…]

This is driving me insane.

[Hahahaha.]

All he could do was laugh.

The 17th floor of the White Tower was in a festive mood.

At long last, they had obtained the Dragon Heart they had so desperately wished for.

In the center of the plaza lay the corpse of the Supreme Demon Dragon Helcrasus.

Beside it, the corpse of the Mad Dragon Haspus.

“Dragon-specialist butcher, Majang-dong Kosak, commencing heart extraction.”

A tense moment.

Bzzzing!
Kosak manifested his aura blade.

Slice, slice, slice.
Carefully cutting open the Silver Dragon’s neck, then reaching into the gap and rummaging around for a long while—

“Oh yeah!!! This is the real deal!”

Kosak lifted the Dragon Heart—bigger than his own head—high with both hands.

“Excellent!”
“I am deeply moved.”
“You foul-mouthed elf, make the enhancement elixir right now!”

Daring!

<: Mari> : Drop it and you die, okay? Bring it over quickly before it picks up contamination.

“What about nectar?”*
“If all it does is extend lifespan, what good is that? He needs to be strong enough to never die in any situation.”
“What happens to Lord Summoner if he drinks the enhancement elixir?”
“At minimum, I expect Diamond Body. Bullets would bounce off his bare skin.”
“What about missiles?”
“Depends on the warhead. As long as it’s not nuclear.”

Kosak trotted over briskly and handed the Dragon Heart to Juhyeok.

“Lord Summoner should personally hand the heart over to the stay-at-home alchemist. Before that, take a victory lap holding it.”

Right.

A ceremony was in order.

Juhyeok accepted the Dragon Heart from Kosak.

“It’s cold.”

Very much so.

“That’s because it’s ice-attribute.”
“You should at least wear gloves—”

“Hoet!”

Swish!
He put on the gloves Rajiks handed him and lifted the Dragon Heart overhead like a World Cup trophy.

The summoned beings lined up in a row all the way to Mari’s house.

Juhyeok walked forward holding the heart.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
A storm of applause poured down.

“Am I safe now?”*
“You were safe from the start.”

Crackerus sighed in relief.

“Congratulations. This old one can finally rest easy.”

He received congratulations from the Mad Demon.

“I too have no regrets now.”

Gyeon Dallae bowed.

“Loyalty! On my lord’s glorious path, I shall follow forever.”

Bardin knelt.

“Hoet!”
“Woof woof!”
“The warrior is pleased.”
“Congratulations. Relief.”

Passing by Rajiks, Blood Wolf, Gobang, and Dou—

“Major Veronica Caliber, certain victory!”

After receiving a salute from Major Bae, then greetings from El, Diamat, Jephet, and Mackenzie.

“As expected of you, Lord Summoner.”
“Ah, Master, you’ve become even more reliable.”
“I wish to spread this joyful news to the other souls as well.”
“This mage recorded the entire process of acquiring the Dragon Heart. It will go down in history.”

And finally, Baek Dana.

Her complexion had improved a lot lately.

She had even put on some healthy weight.

It was heartwarming.

When she first arrived, she looked like she might die at any moment.

“Lord Summ—congrat—”

At that moment—

Slide.

Clasp!

“Huh?”
“Oh my?”

Baek Dana suddenly leaned in, almost clinging to Juhyeok.

“Umm.”
“I-I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention—my body just moved on its own.”

…

Juhyeok and Baek Dana stared at each other.

The distance between them was less than 1 cm.

They could clearly hear each other’s breathing.

“Oho! Is an ice beauty your type, Lord Summoner? Jinsuk will be disappointed.”
“I approve. The Ice Palace’s young mistress suits a Summoner’s stature more than Jinsuk.”
“Then we should bring Ice Palace martial manuals as the dowry.”
“When should the families meet?”
“The sooner the better.”
“But can a summoned being and a summoner even date?”

“If there were no White Tower, maybe not—but right now, it should be possible.”

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

His heart pounded like crazy.

Juhyeok had a congenital deficiency in immunity to women.

Even when pinning a badge on Major Bae’s chest, his hands had trembled.

Now they were practically pressed together.

“Could you step back a little?”
“Umm, I-I want to, but my body…”

Juhyeok was holding the Silver Dragon’s heart above his head.

And Baek Dana’s hand was also on the Dragon Heart… huh?

“Why is she touching the Dragon Heart?”

Then—

Woooooong!
Tzzzzzzzz—

Baek Dana’s body began to be covered in pure white frost.

At the same time, the Silver Dragon’s heart began to dissolve.

“Huh?”
“Hey!”
“Crazy!”
“T-That is…?”
“Uaaah…”
“No!!!”

Baek Dana screamed, eyes rolled back.

“Aaaah!”

It was the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal.

That thing was controlling Baek Dana, greedily devouring the ice-attribute Silver Dragon Heart.

Suuuuuuuck!
Tzzzzzzzz!

There was no time to react.

The heart melted at a terrifying speed.

Baek Dana tried to pull her hand away, but it was already too late.

The dense ice-attribute mana of the heart was absorbed into her body at an alarming rate.

In the end, it vanished without a trace.

Like cotton candy dissolving in water.

Baek Dana, who had been clinging to Juhyeok—

Thud!
She collapsed.

…

An absurd situation.

No one spoke.

Juhyeok included.

Only after some time passed—

“It’s gone?”

Looks like our Ice Palace young mistress ate it all.

Or rather, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal did?

I wonder if it digested it well.

<Catalog: Human Heart Ice Crystal Containing a Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal and a Dragon Heart>

• Name: Baek Dana
  
   
• Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)
  
   
• Type: Murim Practitioner (Human)
  
   

“…Digested well, I see.”

When first summoned, Baek Dana was Egg (R).

She rose to SR, then SSR using summoned-being rank-up runes.

And now—

Without badges, without breakthrough runes—LSSR.

Probably because she absorbed the Dragon Heart.

Well, that’s fine.

I’m a Summoner.

A trait that grows stronger through summoned beings.

Using the Dragon Heart to raise our Ice Palace young mistress’s rank is good enough.

Very satisfying.

But the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal also grew stronger.

They’re practically one body anyway.

And it even controlled Baek Dana’s flesh.

“I need to separate the Ice Crystal from our young mistress’s body…”

Not easy.

Even now, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal was lying low after devouring the Dragon Heart.

“Isn’t there a way?”

Just then!

The summoned beings rushed over in a huff, surrounding Baek Dana’s fallen body.

“Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal, right?”
“Spit it out right now!”
“Fuck! Get out of Baek Dana’s body right now or I’ll suck you dry!”
“This is intolerable—how dare a mere trifle gulp down the heart meant for the young master!”
“I can no longer endure this. You wicked Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal!”
“Spit it out! Or I’ll rip out my own heart!”

Daring!

<Mari>: $#%@#&& !!!

Daring!

<Mari> : This is your fault! You should’ve stopped her when she threw herself at the Summoner! You idiots!!!

Yes, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal was at fault—

But Baek Dana was sitting on the ground, sobbing.

She looked pitiful.

It wasn’t really her fault, was it?

Ding!

<Mari> : Someone bring Crackerus. Since it turned out like this, we’ll just—

No.

I have to intervene.

“Alright, quiet down. I did this on purpose.”

“What nonsense is this…”
“Young master, please do not let this slide. It must be punished severely.”
“I shall personally conduct mental discipline training for Cadet Baek Dana—”
“Ahem!”

He raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence.

“I wasn’t planning to eat the Dragon Heart in the first place.”

“I hate cold food.”
“But you eat cold noodles just fine.”

Kosak shook his head.

Then—

“Tch! Can’t be helped. Then I’ll just extract the green vegetarian’s heart instead.”
“Hey! Let me finish talking!”
“S-Sorry.”

Anyway—

“Everyone, who am I?”
“You are the Summoner.”
“That’s right. I am a Summoner accompanied by no less than thirteen LSSR summoned beings.”

It used to be twelve—one more was added just now.

“And you expect me to drink an elixir made from a mere adult Dragon Heart? Doesn’t suit my status. Especially when it’s a Silver Dragon weaker than Mr. Crackerus.”

The summoned beings blinked, not understanding what he was getting at.

“Mr. Crackerus.”

Crackerus tensed up.

Don’t tell me… my Dragon Heart instead?

“Y-Yes, S-Summoner.”

“The free-contract dragon on the 90th floor is an Ancient, a High Dragon, right?”*
“Yes. On our Black Tower, it was a Supreme Demon Dragon.”
“…By any chance, what’s the disposition of the 90th-floor High Dragon here? Demon Dragon? Or Mad Dragon?”
“I’m not completely sure, but if the 89th floor was a Mad Dragon, there’s a high chance the 90th floor is also a Mad Dragon.”

Good.

“Did you all hear that? The Black Tower dragon on our Earth is a Mad Dragon. The heart will be clean.”
“W-Well, it’s not necessarily—”
“Shh!”

He quieted Crackerus and continued.

“Listen. I’m a Summoner with thirteen LSSR companions. So, huh? Would an elixir made from some mere adult dragon’s heart really satisfy me?”

Everyone nodded.
They agreed.

“At minimum, I should be drinking an elixir made from a High Dragon—an Ancient Dragon—heart. Only then can I say, ‘Ah, now that’s a proper enhancement.’”

Then Gyeon Dallae spoke.

“Then shall we attempt the 90th-floor conquest—”
“Yes! Let’s go. Right now! We can do it, can’t we?”

But the Mad Demon looked cautious.

“Though our power has grown thanks to the Sword Immortal, there are still shortcomings.”

Shortcomings?

“It may be difficult to achieve the kind of conquest the Summoner desires. O-Of course, we can kill it. But it would take time, and some among us may not come out unscathed.”

They can kill it.
But don’t expect an S+++ clear.
Someone might even die or be injured.

That worried Juhyeok too.
Still, he had something to rely on.

“El, is Gigant Unit No. 3 operational?”

Unit No. 3—the one whose core engine had been modified using the Supreme Demon Dragon’s heart.

“It is. But it has no weapons.”
“So the sword and shield aren’t finished yet?”
“Correct.”

“Still better than Unit No. 2, right?”
“Incomparably so.”

“Good.”

Bring in the Gigant.
And there was one more thing.

Another trump card worth trusting.
In fact, this was what he was most excited about.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this alone pushed him to decide on the 90th-floor conquest.

“Let’s prepare.”
“Understood!”

Thus, the 90th-floor conquest was decided on the spot.

The blame aimed at Baek Dana had been deflected, but—

‘Can we really kill it?’

We have to.
That’s the only way this ends happily.

[Entering Black Tower (Korea, No.1) 90th Floor.]

Juhyeok and the summoned beings entered the 90th floor.
They left Dou and Blood Wolf behind, but brought Baek Dana along.

She was still wracked with guilt.
Leaving her alone might lead to dark thoughts.

“Try to take it easy. This could turn into a blessing in disguise.”

She kept her head lowered, saying nothing.
This was all that bastard Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal’s fault.

After clearing the 90th floor, the next target would be that Ice Crystal bastard.
Deal with it one way or another.

Anyway, the 90th-floor environment was a vast grassland.
Let’s see the mission.

‘As long as it’s not a Demon Dragon. Please—anything but that.’

Please let it be a mad one.

Ding!

The mission appeared.

[90th-Floor Mission: Defeat the Ultra-Extreme Mad Dragon Kaluminus.]
[Time Limit: 15 hours.]
[Clear Condition: Ultra-Extreme Mad Dragon Kaluminus 0/1]

“Oooooh!”

This is it!

“Mad Dragon!”
“Yes!!!”
“Heaven itself aids the Summoner.”
“And it’s a High Dragon.”
“Even better—it’s clean.”

And then—

Daring!

[World Announcement: Ultra-Extreme Mad Dragon Kaluminus has appeared.]

Seriously, a world announcement?
Anyway, where is it?

Sharp-eyed Major Bae spotted something.

“Commander, over there…”
“A dragon?”

In the middle of the grassland stood an old man with his hands clasped behind his back.
Golden hair—blond.

The Green Dragon Crackerus had green hair.
So that means—

“…Gold?”
“It’s gold.”
“Gold indeed.”
“Gold it is.”
“A Gold Dragon is good.”

Shall we try greeting him first?
Catching him is the goal, but another approach might work.

If we can communicate, we could persuade him to defect.
Honestly, recruiting him would be better than killing him, wouldn’t it?

An Ancient High Dragon joining the summoned ranks would practically mean the Tower is finished.

“Hello! I’m Bong Juhyeok!”

Ultra-Extreme Mad Dragon Kaluminus scowled deeply at the greeting.

[An insect. I didn’t permit it—how dare a human bug speak to me?]

“Insect.”
“Human bug.”

That’s hate speech.

Recruitment canceled.
You’re out.

[So you cleared the 89th floor. You must have killed Haspus.]

That’s why we’re on the 90th.

[It makes my skin crawl. A dragon falling to a mere human bug.]

This bastard’s irritating.
Human bug every other sentence?

[You will die here. I’ll cut off your fingers and toes one by one, sever your limbs, rip out your tongue, gouge out your eyes, and make you writhe in endless despair. Then I’ll annihilate your world.]

……

[You, your family, your lover, every human bug you know—this world will vanish with them.]

Oh, really?

“Rajiks.”
“Hoeng?”
“Bring out Unit No. 3.”

“H-Hoek!”

Sssssssss!

Gigant Unit No. 3 rose majestically over the grassland.

Yet the Gold Dragon, Ultra-Extreme Mad Dragon Kaluminus, didn’t even blink.
That confident, huh?

“Don’t worry about S+++ rank. We don’t need the badges. Just make sure it’s safe—no one dies.”
“Understood!”
“I shall do my utmost.”
“Have no concern.”
“Certain victory!”

At that moment, Kaluminus quietly intoned:

[There is another way to deal with insects. Arise, all of you.]

Then—

Rrrrkkkk!
The grassland trembled.

At the same time—
From beneath the earth, shwoop, shwoop, shwoop—figures emerged.

‘Skeletons?’

No.
Completely different.

They wore ominous, heavy equipment and looked far sturdier.

Above all—their size.
Enormous.
Each one nearly the size of an enlarged Gobang.

“Those are…?”
“Dragon-Tooth Soldiers. Dragon guardians summoned using dragon teeth.”

The Dragon-Tooth Soldiers that replaced conquered floors whenever a dragon was slain.
So that’s what they were.

Dragon guardians.
And made by pulling out teeth?

“Must’ve pulled all his teeth out. Is he wearing dentures now?”
“Looks like it. A denture dragon—old-man dragon. Clacks when he talks.”

But the numbers were no joke.

Even a rough count put them in the hundreds.

“If it were just one High Dragon, maybe—but with Dragon-Tooth Soldiers joining in… this will be difficult.”
“We must stay alert.”
“This maiden shall host a most spirited ritual.”
“This mage is also prepared.”

It’s not that I don’t trust them, but—

‘So it’s a numbers game?’

That’s how you’re playing it?

‘Then I’m in too.’

As always, what Juhyeok wanted was an overwhelming conquest.
If they bring numbers, we answer with numbers.

‘Finally using this.’

The item that most decisively influenced his declaration to conquer a High Dragon.
Honestly, he’d really wanted to try it.
Kept wondering when he’d get the chance.

Juhyeok reached into his waistband and rummaged around.
Kaluminus frowned.

[…Disgusting insect. What are you doing now?]

“Ah, hold on. This doesn’t go into the inventory.”

Rustle—

What Juhyeok pulled out was a thick clump of fur.

“Ta-da!”

[Heh heh heh, absurd. You dare pluck fur before me?]

“Not my fur.”

The Great Sage’s fur.
A gift from the Sword Immortal.

He said it would help him in a crisis.
That even using half would be enough.

But Juhyeok pulled out all of it.
Was this a time to be stingy?
Use it all—right here.

He brought the fur close to his mouth and blew gently—whoosh.
Then—

“Hey, mutt.”

[…Were you speaking to me?]

“Yeah. You.”

[You lunatic!]

“Goodbye. I’ll put your heart to good use.”

[What?]

Juhyeok flung the Great Sage’s fur forward.
Hundreds of strands scattered on the wind.

At that very moment!

Bang! Bang! Ba-bang! Bang bang bang!

Each strand transformed into a radiant golden monkey.
Even more golden than the Gold Dragon itself.

The Great Sage’s clones.
Dozens from a single strand.
They split—and split again.

Ba-bang! Ba-bangbangbangbang! Bang bang bang bang bang!

And just like that, golden monkeys flooded the vast grassland, covering it completely.