pertwk Chapter 276 CHAPTER 275
Chapter 276 CHAPTER 275
To be honest, he had been curious.
What kind of missions awaited in the 70s floors of the Black Tower on Earth No. 843?
On Earth No. 1001—his own world—the Black Tower from the 71st floor onward had been an event floor designed specifically for Juhyeok, who possessed summoning traits.
Story-driven missions tied to the pasts of the summoned beings.
Thanks to that, they had resolved long-held regrets from their pasts and raised their ranks.
But here?
If a summoner existed on Earth No. 843 as well, then the 71st floor here should also be a storytelling mission.
He had brought the summoned beings as a group of seasoned veterans.
They still didn't know what kind of mission it would be.
Better to bring the strongest possible team.
[Entering Black Tower, 71st Floor.]
The moment they entered, a world announcement appeared.
[World Announcement: Congratulations! The first player to reach Black Tower Floor 71 has received a two-item celebration gift set in their inventory.]
Ah, right!
There had been gifts.
The only difference was that it had gone from four items down to two.
[World Announcement: A Potion of Disease Cure has been delivered to your inventory. Permanently cures all diseases.]
[World Announcement: An Elixir of Rejuvenation has been delivered to your inventory. Upon consumption, it makes you younger by up to 10 years.]
"So the Ring of Form Transformation and the Rune Necklace of Liberation are missing."
He could guess why.
What use would those two be now?
Given how the world was,
any player could freely use their abilities in reality as well.
Then, another announcement followed.
[World Announcement: With the ascent to Floor 71, Black Tower Conquest Season 2 has begun.]
[World Announcement: From now on, upon successful mission completion above Floor 71, the tower collapse deadline will stack, adding six months to the existing timer.]
[World Announcement: Tower Jumping Ticket exploit strategies will not apply from Floor 71 onward.]
The collapse deadline stacking announcement too.
The outside world would probably be shocked again.
Just as he had said,
just as Commander Jeon Seong-il had publicly declared.
Then what about the mission?
What was it?
[Floor 71 Mission: Defeat 3 Large Beasts, Giant Mountain Bears.]
[Time Limit: 15 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Giant Mountain Bears 0/3]
Huh?
Large beasts?
"Huh?"
"What the hell?"
"… Large beasts."
"Huh?"
It wasn't a storytelling mission.
Which meant—
"So this dimension doesn't have a summoner either."
"Tsk tsk, same parallel Earth and all."
"There was a reason it went downhill."
Earth No. 675 hadn't had a summoner either.
That was why the first Black Tower mission there—on Floor 79—had been a Large-type Cerberus extermination.
Same deal here, probably.
Anyway, let's clear it.
If they were large beasts, how big were we talking?
Right then—
Thud! Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
From afar, three massive gray bears lumbered forward.
Their appearance was practically—
"Eh…"
"They're baby Behemoths."
"They don't even reach a Behemoth's knees."
"Even so, they are large, even as juveniles."
"Brigadier General Veronica Caliber! Leave this to me!"
"Hoooeeek!"
Everyone seemed to think it was easy.
And they weren't wrong.
Compared to the gigantic monster Behemoth on Floor 81,
these were teddy bears.
To the summoned beings who had reduced Behemoth to minced meat,
these weren't even a threat.
"Well, Floor 81 really was overkill."
A gigantic monster had been far too gigantic.
Normal conquest would've been impossible.
But large beasts were a reasonable size.
They seemed to serve as a buffer stage before true gigantic monsters.
Obviously easy—
though for ordinary players, something house-sized would still be difficult.
"Alright, then. Begin the clear—"
That was when—
Ziiiiiing!
A superheated magic cannon.
Pajujuzuzuk!
A large-caliber round fired.
Sploosh!
Boom!
One Giant Mountain Bear exploded on the spot, scattering into fragments.
The other two—
Sploosh! Sploosh!
Boom! Boom!
"Brigadier General Veronica Caliber, firing complete!"
[World Announcement:Black Tower Floor 71 conquered! A nationality player has cleared the mission with astonishing ability, achieving an S+++ rank.]
"Firing complete, my ass!"
"This is illegal sniping! As the White Party representative and 10-term Assemblyman, Kosak, I cannot allow this!"
"Then you take Floor 72."
"Deal! Sounds good. Everyone else, hands off."
"What kind of rule is that? First hit gets the kill."
"Don't overdo it, old man. You'll get wind in your knees."
"O Light!!! The shield of my lord, I, Bardin—!"
It was too easy.
Not even near-light-speed rounds—
just Brigadier General Veronica's sploosh-grade shells were enough to blow them up.
[You may now challenge Floor 72.]
[Exiting Black Tower.]
Spot!
They were outside.
"Hurry! I need to enter Floor 72. The large beast there is mine!"
Kosak was impatient.
But—
"Everyone, good work."
"… Huh?"
"See you next time."
"What do you mean?"
"Brigadier General Veronica Caliber, did I hear that right?"
Juhyeok waved his hand.
"I'm switching players. Go rest—no, actually, hurry up and make holy-attribute equipment."
"W-wait!"
"Summoner! This old man hasn't even tasted combat yet!"
"The warrior feels the same. Please, leave some for us!"
"O Light!!!"
Without mercy, group summoning was canceled.
Spapapapap!
And then—
"Group Designated Summon No. 18."
Spapapapap!
New recruits appeared.
"Yes! A summon!"
"Thank you! I love you!"
"Summoner, this is Chunbok! I'll give my life!"
"Please keep calling us like this! Hehehe."
"Chuuung!!!"
This was how it should be.
Veterans couldn't hog everything.
At times like this, they needed to step back and nurture the juniors.
Alright, let's go to Floor 72.
What'll come out there?
Up until now, world announcements had been sounds of terror to people everywhere.
No one wanted to hear them.
Every time the ding! sounded, hearts dropped—
below-average performance,
this country designated as a climbing acceleration nation, and so on.
But after the Kabalon conquest, everything changed completely.
The sound was welcome—
whether people were working, playing, or sleeping.
Not noisy. Not annoying.
The ding! sounded like a beautiful melody.
This time too, the world announcement rang out without fail.
The content?
Floor 71 conquered.
Season 2 begins.
Breaking news exploded across the media—
though everyone had already heard it.
LOL, more national pride!!!
Bartender, serve seventy-one bowls of patriotism!
LOL, it's the age of heroes and champions.
LOL, raise the toast!!!
LOL, I'll fill the sinkholes before this drink gets cold.
LOL, Korea really is the best!
LOL, parallel universe, right? Then isn't that a different Korea?
What are you talking about? It's all the same Korea.
Just like that, world announcements had become the signal to start a festival.
Joint Chiefs Headquarters, Daejeon—Command and Control Room.
Commander Jeon Seong-il felt like he was living in a dream every day.
He even turned on the TV every morning just to confirm whether it was real.
Another world announcement echoed even now.
Summoner Bong Juhyeok had begun his five daily tower climbs again.
Collapse deadline stacking had been proven once more.
"At this rate, he'll reach Floor 80 by tomorrow."
Two days later, Floor 85.
After another three days, the long-awaited Floor 90.
"When it really reaches Floor 90…"
Will the sinkhole waves end?
Other countries had already been informed.
The media was reporting on it too.
Honestly, it still didn't feel real.
What would a world without sinkhole waves even be like?
"A peaceful world where everyday life becomes precious."
Like Earth No. 1001—the home world of Summoner Bong Juhyeok.
"Come to think of it… maybe I'll watch it."
The video message sent by Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il of the Awakened Management Agency,
said to share the same soul as himself.
He took out a spare smartphone and played it.
—Hello. Commander Jeon Seong-il, this is Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il. Um… I'm not really sure what to say, but… anyway, stay strong.
...
—I believe your agreement will overcome things as well. I-if you ever need support, please reach out anytime.
Click.
Jeon Seong-il stopped the video.
Honestly, it was a bit hard.
Seeing someone who looked exactly like himself talking—
even the speech patterns and voice were identical.
And somewhere deep down, jealousy too.
How was his counterpart on that Earth so young?
Even his hair was thick.
Jeon Seong-il looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.
His hairline steadily retreating.
Why were there so many wrinkles too?
"Haa…"
At last, Jeon Seong-il made up his mind.
The thing he'd been putting off—he'd do it now.
From his pocket, he took out a small stone and a metal badge.
The Player Awakening Rune.
A gift from Player Bong Juhyeok.
It was said to awaken an ordinary person into a player.
The trait granted would be random.
"… Let's try it."
Player awakening.
In the past, even if he awakened, there wouldn't've been much difference.
But now it was different.
Just like inside the tower, one could possess mana outside as well.
And those abilities applied immediately in reality.
"… Will I get younger?"
It didn't matter even if he didn't.
The biggest reason Jeon Seong-il wanted to become a player—
He had seen too many of his awakened soldiers die in sinkhole waves.
Each time, the pain had been unbearable.
But from now on, he would fight with them.
On the very front lines of wave defense.
The badge was pinned to his chest.
Gulp.
Jeon Seong-il swallowed the rune.
In an instant—
Srrrk.
The badge melted away and vanished.
Ding!
[Jeon Seong-il has awakened.]
Awakening successful.
So then—what trait did he get?
No, more importantly—
Upon awakening, there was something else he could check besides the Player Status Window.
"The Republic of Korea Black Tower Conquest Progress Window."
Ding!
[Location]: Republic of Korea Daejeon Black Tower
[Completed]: Floor 71
[In Progress]: Floor 72
[Time Limit]: 358 days 12 hours 14 minutes 18 seconds
"Hahaha!"
Six more months added for clearing Floor 71—
a total collapse deadline of 358 days.
Reassuring.
He felt full even without eating.
[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower, Floor 72.]
Juhyeok entered with the rookies, excluding all veteran summoned beings.
The mission on Floor 72 was—
[Floor 72 Mission: Defeat 3 Large Beasts, Adamant-Scaled Silk Pythons.]
Oh!
Snakes.
Tasty, maybe, and possibly good for the body.
"A downsized version of Apophis from Floor 82."
Adamant scales.
If skinned, they could be used as metal materials—
But was this the time for resource gathering?
That was why he hadn't summoned Rajiks, the dimensional pack mule.
"Quick clear!"
At Juhyeok's command, the rookie summoned beings charged fiercely.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Only three of them.
It ended quickly.
[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 72 conquered! A Republic of Korea–nationality player has cleared the mission with astonishing ability, achieving an S+++ rank.]
Group swap again.
Enter Floor 73.
Mission?
[Floor 73 Mission: Defeat 3 Large Insects, Great Mantises.]
Giant mantises.
Insects were a bit much—
they looked creepy.
"… Floor 83 was the Giant Queen Spider, wasn't it?"
Come to think of it, similar enemies kept appearing.
Floor 81: the bear-type gigantic monster Behemoth.
Floor 71: Giant Mountain Bears of a similar type.
Floor 82: the giant serpent Apophis.
Floor 72: the reptilian Adamant-Scaled Silk Python.
Floor 83: the Giant Queen Spider Arachroid.
Floor 73: insect-type Great Mantises.
Perfectly mirrored.
Then—
"Floor 84 was the gigantic beast Frozen Colossus Condor, so Floor 74 should be a flying bird-type."
And Floor 85 had been the Magitech Empire's ultimate weapon, the giant golem Magnus Gigant.
"… Huh?"
A sudden thought struck him.
…
"This can't be…?"
No good.
He was getting anxious.
Climb fast.
First, deal with the Great Mantises.
Quick clear, done.
Floor 74 next.
A bird would appear—better bring ranged units.
He swapped in rookie hunter Minok of the Lrssal race and some mages.
Spapapapat!
Entered Floor 74.
Mission?
[Floor 74 Mission: Defeat 3 Large Beasts, Cloud Vultures.]
Just as expected.
Cloud Vultures—eagles of the clouds.
"Those are harmful birds."
Tzzip!
Hunter Minok's mana arrow shot out.
Far inferior to Brigadier General Veronica, but still a ranged summoned being of Lrssal rank.
Thwack!
It pierced straight through the head.
Swoooosh!
The Cloud Vulture fell.
Then the mages followed up with attack spells.
Kaboom! Kaboom!
The Cloud Vultures died as they crashed down—
all three of them.
Now Floor 75.
All existing summoned beings were sent home.
[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower, Floor 75.]
So?
If his guess was right—
[Floor 75 Mission: Defeat 3 Large Mechanics, Goliath Combat Golems.]
"Yes!!!"
Exactly as expected.
A downgraded version of the Floor 85 giant golem Magnus Gigant—
Large Mechanical Goliath Combat Golems.
"The size?"
There they were.
A degraded Gigant.
Gigant's son.
Gigant's mini-me.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
They were patrolling over there.
"Still pretty big."
Slightly larger than Gobang when he enlarged himself.
In that case—
"Designated Summon: Rajiks! Designated Summon: El!"
Spot! Spot!
"Huh?"
"Summoner."
Rajiks hopped around in front of Juhyeok on his short legs.
"Huek! Hoeeek! Hoaaaah!"
Clearly delighted, wobbling around and enjoying his long-awaited return to the tower.
El must have been in the middle of work—
grease stains dotted her body.
"Dr. El."
"Yes!"
"Look over there. Floor 75 golems."
El turned her head toward where Juhyeok pointed.
"… Oh?"
"What do you think? Can you use them?"
El immediately understood what he meant.
She stared closely at the three golems.
"They're fine. Actually, they look better than Gigant. Much more versatile."
True.
Gigant had been too big for its own good.
That severely limited how it could be used.
"At that size, I can apply my research results."
"… Your research?"
Research?
She'd been working on something?
"There was the Great Archangel's body that our dimensional pack mule brought back before."
"Ah!"
He remembered.
Calling it a body was a stretch—
it was more like a mechanical mass.
An android, essentially.
"I studied it extensively, combining my magitech knowledge with help from Principal Harold."
"Principal Harold?"
"Yes. A very wise scholar."
Juhyeok knew him.
The last person to escape the world of souls.
He knew he was a scholar, but—
"I thought he was humanities."
"Rather than humanities or sciences, he possessed insight that transcended specific fields."
The dignity of non-combat summoned beings.
They always came through at critical moments.
"Anyway, let's take them."
"Yes. I'll immobilize them first."
Click-clack!
El dashed forward with swift movements, holding an EMP magic gun.
The Goliath Combat Golems detected her.
Beeeeeep!
Their eyes glowed red.
Zzzzztt!
Destruction beams scorched the air.
Zzztt, zzt! Zzzzztt!
Three red laser beams fired simultaneously.
But El dodged them effortlessly.
Thoom!
She fired a mana EMP round and retreated.
Flash! Papap! Papapat!
A powerful wave of light spread outward.
Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!
All three Large Mechanical Goliath Combat Golems stopped at once.
Tap-tap-tap!
El nimbly climbed onto the chest of one immobilized golem.
Zzzzztt!
El was a golem herself.
Using her own destruction beam, she cut open the chest and manipulated the mana circuits—
one by one, all three.
"Done."
Next—
"Mr. Rajiks?"
"Huh?"
"Please store them."
"Hoeng!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Storage complete.
Ding!
[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 75 conquered! A Republic of Korea–nationality player has cleared the mission with astonishing ability, achieving an S+++ rank.]
Just what on earth were El's research results?
Now he was really curious.
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