Chapter 94

<How to Clear the Tower the Loser's Way 94>

Everyone heard it this time.

All seven billion people on Earth heard the world notices—translated into the language they used.

Some shouted in amazement, some cheered, some asked each other if what they heard was real, some said it wasn't their business and didn't care.

Reactions varied wildly.

The aftershock was enormous.

The stature of the Republic of Korea soared into the sky.

In fact, right after the President's special address,

opinions among Koreans regarding clearing the Korean Black Tower's 70th floor had been divided.

ㄴ I'm in favor. If we can do it, we should.

ㄴ Right. Whoever does it, the curse has to be lifted.

ㄴ It's about saving the world.

ㄴ Isn't it worth the sacrifice?

However, opposition far outweighed support.

ㄴ I'm against it! Absolutely against!

ㄴ Sacrifice my ass—look at this "hero." Are we suckers?

ㄴ Exactly. We haven't gotten anything, so why do we have to clear the 70th floor?

ㄴ Who gave the president the right to decide that? At least there should've been a referendum.

ㄴ And more importantly, is the real one really in the Korean Black Tower? What if it's not?

ㄴ Then they'd say, "Oh, wrong tower," and go clear a different one.

Then came the world notices delivered to everyone.

Kabalon defeated, the curse lifted, and benefits limited to the Korean Black Tower.

As if nothing had happened before, every internet forum and SNS united in pure national hype.

ㄴ It's hype! Pure hype!

ㄴ Ugh—this is intoxicating.

ㄴ Where's the bastard who called us suckers yesterday? Come out!

ㄴ What? Wrong tower? It was this one!

ㄴ Did we trust the president? We trusted the top player.

A complete reversal of attitude.

ㄴ This feels like a YouTube thumbnail.

ㄴ Like what?

ㄴ America in shock,

ㄴ oho,

ㄴ Japan trembling,

ㄴ China wailing,

ㄴ Europe feeling jealous,

ㄴ the whole world in awe,

ㄴ hahaha, got anything else?

It was a festival.

Players and ordinary citizens alike—everyone was celebrating.

Pure national pride.

That's what this world notice was.

Until now, world notices had never been welcome.

Slow tower progress, curses of the average, first-wave cursed nations, second-wave targets…

But this one was different.

You almost wanted to record it and listen again later.

The Korean Awakening Management Agency was on fire too.

Employees and players hugged each other and shouted in triumph.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

"Hooray!!!"

"Holy shit! This is better than sex!"

"Are we going out to celebrate?"

"Tonight, we're going all out!"

The building practically shook with cheers.

Even though the clearing progress had jumped from the 67th floor all the way to the 70th,

it was more than worth it.

Just look at the rewards.

High-grade mana stones limited to the Korean Tower, various potions and elixirs, and even weapons and equipment.

Jeon Gwang-il and Park Gyeong-su were swamped with congratulatory calls and inquiries.

"Ah! Yes, yes, thank you. You even called—I barely did anything, hahaha!"

"High-grade mana stones? It's only just been unlocked. Let's check once they start appearing as rewards and I'll get back to you."

Calls were calls—but work still had to be done.

Park Gyeong-su asked Jeon Gwang-il,

"So, Deputy Commissioner—how do you plan to deal with the French special envoy?"

"Well… the situation has completely changed, hasn't it?"

"Indeed."

"If the French Black Tower also unlocks restrictions after clearing the 70th floor, like Korea did…"

A bit of money wouldn't even come close.

The value of clearing the 70th floor had skyrocketed beyond comparison.

Naturally, the old contract terms had to change.

"Should we ask for the Mona Lisa?"

"Hahaha, we might actually get it. Better yet, what about Korea's national treasures currently in the Louvre?"

"That's the default. If they don't agree, there won't even be negotiations."

"Have Bong Juhyeok receive them, and we'll display them in our museums at the national level."

One more thing.

"Oh, right. We got a request from the U.S."

"Again? They want a meeting with Player Bong?"

"No. They want to re-rent the Holy Sword. Gerald says he wants to challenge it again."

Reattempting the 68th floor in this situation?

"He wants to see just how much weaker it's gotten."

"What do you think? Allow it?"

Jeon Gwang-il pondered.

He'd almost died—but he'd still brought the Holy Sword back safely.

That alone deserved praise.

"Allow it. I'm curious too—how much weaker it's become."

Countries staying in Korea also sprang into action.

With Kabalon's curse lifted, the rapidly shrinking clearing deadlines returned to normal.

Then what about the 68th floor?

They said Death Knight stats had dropped sharply—was that really true?

The United States moved first.

Gerald, who had been lying around in despair, leapt to his feet the moment he heard the world notice.

A mind tougher than steel—that was Gerald.

That was why he was America's top player.

"Director, reserve the Holy Sword for me immediately."

"…Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"They said it got weaker. We should at least check."

"Alright. I'll get it arranged right away."

So, once again, they headed to the Holy Sword Loan Room of the Korean Awakening Management Agency.

Director Antonio requested a re-loan of the Holy Sword for Gerald, and the Agency approved it.

"But! There is one condition."

"Name it."

Jeon Gwang-il's condition was this:

"Please make Gerald's body-cam footage public. Both the dangerous footage from last time and the newly recorded one."

At the same time, it would serve as advertising for the Holy Sword.

"A before-and-after comparison?"

"Yes. Wouldn't it be fine to release it?"

Director Antonio was honestly reluctant to release the before footage.

Wasn't it a record of failure?

But if it was certain that the Death Knights had weakened, and Gerald performed well this time…

"Well, if the results are good, then fine."

Thus, Gerald entered the American Black Tower once again, Holy Sword in hand.

Spat!

About an hour passed.

Spat!

Gerald reappeared in the loan room after exiting the tower, his face flushed red.

At least, he didn't look injured.

"Gerald, how did it—"

"I wanted to kill all four, honestly, but I held back and only killed three before coming out."

"Then…?"

"Do I even need to say it? Check the body cam."

Right. They could just play it back.

First—the before footage.

That was, before the real Kabalon had been defeated.

It was brutal.

The overwhelming presence of the Death Knight.

Fast, powerful, charging in with masterful swordsmanship.

Because it was first-person footage, Gerald's peril came through vividly.

A video of desperate retreat.

Even that had barely worked.

Then—the after footage.

After the real Kabalon had vanished and his influence disappeared—

The Death Knight looked like it had a screw loose.

Sluggish, dull, pitiful beyond words.

Gerald defeated it without much trouble.

And the edited before-and-after body-cam video was uploaded to YouTube.

People watching the before footage said:

ㄴ My God! How were you supposed to fight that thing?

ㄴ Holy radiance countered the dark aura, but the real problem was physical ability.

ㄴ Defense, evasion, attack power—no wonder it was impossible.

ㄴ Only Gerald could've survived that.

Watching the after footage:

ㄴ Is that really the same monster?

ㄴ What if the real Kabalon hadn't been killed?

ㄴ We should be thanking Korea's top player.

ㄴ Well… they did get paid for it, didn't they?

The before-and-after video hit 50 million views in just a few hours.

But in truth, the most popular video was something else.

A Korean player's YouTube upload.

Holding a stone glowing with a deep blue hue—

—Yes, this is a high-grade mana stone. The color's different, right? I cleared the 28th floor right after the world notice and got it as a reward.

High-grade mana stones had appeared.

With the increased reward rate, it happened surprisingly fast.

—It's not just me. Plenty of players got them too. Of course, from the Korean Black Tower.

—It's definitely better than regular mana stones, but how much better? That needs research.

—Price? The Agency said they'd buy them at double value, but I'm heading to the player shop today.

It wasn't just mana stones.

Another video surfaced.

A dark-skinned man who looked like an African native—

—but his nationality was listed as a Korean Black Tower player.

Likely a naturalized citizen.

—I naturalized two years ago. I'm Korean. Don't get it twisted.

—Know what this is? A healing potion? Nope. It's a Strength Enhancement Elixir. Tower-only item. According to the description, it boosts strength by over 50% for five hours.

—I'm not selling this. I'm climbing. I'll use it on the 50th floor range and post a review afterward.

At this point, players around the world began to stir.

ㄴ Should I naturalize to Korea while I'm at it?

ㄴ A lot of players are already moving, I hear.

ㄴ What are the requirements for naturalization?

ㄴ I heard as long as you don't have a criminal record, you're good.

ㄴ Go check with the Korean embassy.

ㄴ Hmm, I don't want to immigrate… would they accept temporary naturalization?

ㄴ If you were them, would you accept you?

ㄴ Or how about North Korea instead of South?

ㄴ North Korea? Huh… they have the same tower, don't they?

ㄴ You insane bastard! You want to kidnap yourself?

Change had begun.

In how people viewed tower clearing itself.

Governments around the world were also thinking seriously.

At this point, clearing the 70th floor—like Korea did—might actually be worth considering.

The Death Knights, Liches, and copy bosses had all weakened, and with the Holy Sword, climbing might now be possible…

After dealing with the real Kabalon,

Juhyeok drove his camper van out.

Everything was done—now it was time to enjoy himself.

He'd been cooped up at home for so long he hadn't gotten a shred of sunlight.

No wonder his vitamin D was nonexistent.

By now, he was a decent driver too.

Driving by the book.

Yellow light? Stop first.

Changing lanes? Turn signal, always.

Wasn't that the proper way for a real man to drive?

The Mad Demon was busy sightseeing around Seoul.

"A peaceful world indeed."

"You think so?"

"The skyscrapers still stand, uncollapsed."

Just what kind of world had he lived in before?

"At this rate, why don't we head to the Blue House? To govern the world, one must first govern the self—let us conquer Korea first."

"…"

The Mad Demon slipped things like that in whenever you let your guard down.

Best not to respond.

After circling Seoul for a while, it was time for the Mad Demon to return.

An LSSR summon only lasted three hours.

"I'll call you again later."

"Summoner, take care of yourself."

Spat!

To the other summoned beings as well—

"See you later."

Spat, spat, spat…

Should I grab groceries first?

Most things fit in Rajiks's bag anyway.

Just need snacks—alcohol, drinks, chips.

While shopping at a big mart, he overheard people chatting nearby.

All of it about the world notices.

It was a huge topic even among ordinary people.

Of course it was.

Everyone had heard the world notices directly—tongues were itching.

Hey, you know… I'm the one who cleared Kabalon.

Oh, you didn't know? I'm not lying.

I'm even on a first-name basis with the Director of the Awakening Management Agency.

The French special envoy came to see me, and I even got a call from the U.S. Secretary of State.

The S++-rank clear record holder—that's me.

I just took him down in one shot. Hahahaha.

Just thinking about it makes me feel proud.

Anyway, after shopping enough—

Juhyeok headed to his villa in Namyangju.

The access road had changed.

What used to be a dirt road was now neatly paved with asphalt.

He parked the car.

Alright—time to call everyone back out.

The Mad Demon would come later, when the timing was right.

"…Is this a villa?"

Kosak, who preferred lying on the couch watching TV to going outside.

"There's a TV in the camper. You can watch that."

"Thank you!"

Gyeon-dallae too—

"The air is pleasant. For the young master's health, it might be good to stay a few days."

Veronica said,

"A field operation, then. I'll start by digging trenches."

"You can just crash anywhere and sleep."

"Y-yes, understood."

Gobang and his soul-bound partner, Bardin.

"I'll grill the meat."

"I'll light the charcoal—Light!!!"

And then Rajiks. The moment he was summoned—

"Fuaaaaah?!"

He trembled violently and screamed.

"…Why?"

"Fuaaah!"

Suddenly he rolled away over there—

Pulled out a broom from his subspace backpack and—swish swish—

Started frantically sweeping fallen leaves, cleaning nonstop.

He cleans whenever he gets the chance.

Since he enjoys it so much, there's no stopping him.

'Hmm.'

After being neglected for a few days, it was pretty dirty.

The grass had grown a lot too.

But thanks to cosmic farmhand Rajiks's touch, the area around the villa gradually became neat and clean.

Juhyeok put on sunglasses, sat back in a comfortable lounge chair, and downed a can of beer.

"Ahhh! This is living."

He'd rest properly for a while.

Of course, starting tomorrow he'd do some repeat clears—

And earlier, Jeon Gwang-il had mentioned this:

Ilsung Apparel had been spun off into an independent company, Juhyeok now owned 90% of the shares, and production would begin soon.

That meant he'd have to diligently skin wyverns and deliver the hides.

At the same time, he'd farm items now that restrictions were lifted.

He wouldn't climb the 71st floor yet.

The moment you enter, you have to clear it—no matter what.

And it has to be S++ rank.

A new beginning.

Things would definitely be different.

The monsters, the missions, even the methods.

But even the summoned ones said they had no information about the 71st floor yet.

Because the restriction only lifts once someone makes the first climb.

With the curse gone, there was plenty of time.

And then—random summoning.

A new family member would be coming soon.

One thing gave him pause.

<Summon Attribute Change Ticket>

Effect: When performing a random summon, you can summon an ally outside your existing summon traits. One will be randomly selected from golems, elementals, magical beasts, phantasmal beasts, or spirit beasts.

Limit: Affected by your maximum number of simultaneous summons.

Should he use it or not?

If he did, one of those—golem, elemental, magical beast, phantasmal beast, or spirit beast—would be summoned at random.

A ticket received as a special reward.

It seemed fine to use.

But—

'I heard summons and elementals are hard to control.'

That was one of the weaknesses of summoner-type players.

'Eh, I'll think about it later.'

Meat sizzled over the charcoal.

Rajiks even pulled out a wide table and chairs from his subspace bag.

Veronica, who'd been holed up sleeping somewhere, was drawn by the smell of meat and crawled over low to the ground.

Well then—

Shall we start?

"Summon: Mad Demon."

Spat!

"Summoner."

"Mad Demon."

My drinking buddy has arrived.

Let's have a proper good time.