It's been almost an hour since Player Nam Ga-eun entered the 62nd floor.
Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il waits anxiously for the results.
Player Bong Ju-hyeok said he had stepped out to the Player Shop for a bit to sell magic stones.
The more he interacts with him, the more of an enigma he becomes.
The reason he initially asked to see him was to request that he come up to the 60th floor range as quickly as possible, even if just a day sooner.
Of course, he'd assumed it would be impossible.
How could anyone climb from the 29th floor to the 66th in just three months? He'd even braced himself for the First Tower Collapse.
Thanks to the geographical advantage of being tucked away in the mountains of Gangwon Province, the collapse damage would be relatively smaller than in other countries, and though no one knew where the Second Tower would appear, by that time Player Bong Ju-hyeok might have entered the 60th floor range anyway.
But then he goes and brings back a holy sword?
He even acted annoyed, asking what kind of item it was.
Of course, part of it was that his mind and body were exhausted. 'What if he'd brought it just a little sooner... Then maybe Yu Cheol-min wouldn't have naturalized.'
No, wait.
That's dangerous thinking.
If that had happened, the holy sword would never have gone to Player Nam Ga-eun.
The Management Authority would have handed the holy sword over to Yu Cheol-min without question.
Because he was the official representative Player of Korea.
Besides, would that bastard have decided to naturalize to Japan overnight?
He mulled it over from every angle, and that's when the opportunity presented itself.
That bastard was clearly planning to take the holy sword with him when he naturalized to Japan.
Because of Yu Cheol-min, Commissioner Park Gyeong-su was currently at the National Assembly.
It happened to be during the regular session's government audit period, so he'd been summoned immediately.
He's probably getting hammered with attacks from the assemblymen right now.
He wanted to inform Park Gyeong-su of this fact right away, but nothing had been verified yet. 'A holy attribute.' Until now, he'd believed the natural predator of Dark Aura was the light attribute.
But there was a holy attribute too?
He'd never heard of it, never seen it.
Even America must not have secured a holy attribute item.
The undead section of the Black Tower. From the 61st floor onward, it's nothing but undead monsters.
According to what's been revealed: mummies on the 61st floor, zombies on the 62nd, skeletons on the 63rd, ghouls on the 64th, dullahans on the 65th, specters on the 66th, Phantom Reapers on the 67th... and that's as far as it goes.
America is currently conquering the Phantom Reaper on the 67th floor.
So he's saying it would work up to the 67th floor too?
If it's true, how much time could they buy?
Just then!
Knock knock. A careful knock on the door of Jeon Gwang-il's office.
"Come in."
The door cracked open, and Ju-hyeok poked his head through first.
"Ah! You're here. Did you sell the magic stones all right?"
"...Yes, but I guess Player Nam Ga-eun isn't out yet?"
"Haha, it's just barely been an hour. The time limit for the conquest is 15 hours."
"That's a long time."
Jeon Gwang-il smiled bitterly to himself.
Compared to whom?
Player Bong Ju-hyeok's average conquest time is about 20 minutes, and many times he's finished far faster than that.
So sure, one could say an hour over is a long time.
But then it happened.
Whooosh!
A cluster of light appeared in the center of the office.
This is the Player's return phenomenon.
There's no way she'd already conquered it, so... did she abandon the mission?
Even the holy sword wasn't enough?
Pop!
Player Nam Ga-eun appeared.
Looking utterly exhausted.
"Pl-Player Nam Ga-eun, h-how did it—"
"Hold on, let me drink these healing potions."
She was gulping down tower-exclusive healing potions from her inventory.
Did she get injured during the conquest?
If so, that figures.
"Whew."
Nam Ga-eun took a deep breath.
Then she turned her head, looked at Ju-hyeok, quickly approached him, and—
Hug!
She hugged him.
"Huh?"
What?
"... "
Ju-hyeok froze on the spot.
His mind went completely blank.
"Thank you so much. If it weren't for this holy sword, I would have failed again. It was truly the best!"
Jeon Gwang-il was startled by her words and asked.
"Th-then, could it be...?"
"Yes! I successfully conquered the 62nd floor!"
"Good g-gosh! H-how did you—"
"Aja! What matters is a heart that never gives up! I'm entering the 63rd floor tomorrow."
Tears streamed down Jeon Gwang-il's face.
How much emotional anguish must he have endured all this time.
"But isn't tomorrow too soon? You must be mentally exhausted."
"The holy sword's radiance means I'm fine. The Dark Aura isn't even that much of a threat."
"Ah! It's that effective?"
"I'm confident. With the holy sword, I think even the 66th floor is conquerable. Honestly, without the Dark Aura, undead are just ordinary monsters."
True enough.
"Oh, right! I recorded the conquest video, so please review it."
"Understood. ...Are we allowed to release this?"
"Go ahead. Freely."
Meanwhile, Ju-hyeok was still squirming.
"...Um, excuse me, if you're going to keep talking, couldn't you let go of my arm?"
"Oh my! Sorry. I was just so happy."
Only then did Nam Ga-eun release the embrace.
At the same time, she carefully handed the holy sword back to Ju-hyeok.
"You used it very well. But the blade is quite damaged in places."
"Hmm."
It certainly looked that way.
It was an old, worn-out sword to begin with.
"...It's fine. Hmm, they said it can be repaired, so I should leave it with them."
Jeon Gwang-il quickly stepped in.
"The Player Shop's workshop has many skilled artisans. I'll entrust it to them."
"The repair cost?"
"Of course, we'll cover it."
"While you're at it, why not just buy it? You'll need it to keep conquering."
"Ah, th-that's..."
Sell it?
How could anyone sell this?
You can't even put a price on it.
He needed to answer carefully.
Even assuming, as he said, that it would only work up to the 67th floor, the targets of that conquest weren't limited to Korea.
The entire world's undead sections were the target.
A hidden card that could prevent the Tower Collapse.
Jeon Gwang-il deliberated carefully.
What proposal should he make?
The answer soon came.
"In my opinion, you shouldn't sell this sword. You should keep ownership of it."
"...You're not going to buy it?"
Why all of a sudden?
And here he'd been thinking of selling it and buying a building.
"Instead, we'll rent it. 10 billion won per use."
"Sir?"
10 billion won per use?
"There are hundreds of towers around the world, not just in Korea. A few have reached the 60th floor range, but the majority haven't. We'll rent it out to the countries that make it up there. Naturally, charging a rental fee."
A rental fee, huh... Not bad.
This is a regular money fountain.
With rental income, building owner revenue would become a joke.
Instead of God above the landlord, should it be Holy Sword Owner above the landlord?
But he couldn't handle it himself.
"Don't worry. The Management Authority will handle the rental procedures on your behalf."
"Oh! I'd appreciate that. Then..."
Korea gets it for free?
Could he really charge money even to our own Management Authority? 'No.' He should charge what should be charged.
That way the relationship becomes comfortable for both sides.
But charging a lot would be a different matter, so "...The Management Authority's rental rate will be 1 billion. We lent it for free this time, so from the 63rd floor onward, 1 billion."
"Sir? N-no, you really don't have to."
"We'll make plenty from other countries. Just make sure you advertise well. To the whole world."
"Th-thank you. Thank you so much."
Ju-hyeok was also quite satisfied.
But he's earning this much money... what should he spend it on?
He's already getting scared.
"Oh, right! There's exactly one place where rental is prohibited."
"Of course! I was about to ask for that very thing."
What place would be prohibited from rental?
Japan, without a doubt.
"Heh! Yu Cheol-min, that bastard, he'll faint when he finds out."
Nam Ga-eun said, unable to hide her gleeful expression.
Jeon Gwang-il's eyes then turned sharp.
"We'll kill him before that happens."
"Wow! Team Leader, you're so intense!"
How can he live being cursed at like this?
He'd probably be afraid to even walk the streets at night.
Japan or not.
So what if he's a Player?
He's just a civilian outside.
Japan, too, will experience their blood draining away in the 60th floor range. Unless more holy items like this appear in the future.
That said, Player Nam Ga-eun had been glancing at him repeatedly since a moment ago, and it made him uncomfortable.
"Um..."
"Whoops! Look at the time. I have some busy work to attend to, so I'll be going."
If he stayed any longer, he'd lose his nerve.
But it wasn't a lie that he had busy work.
Really!
※ ※ ※
Yeouido, the National Assembly building.
The day Yu Cheol-min's naturalization to Japan broke out just happened to fall during the National Assembly's government audit period.
Every public official responsible for the affair had been summoned.
Park Gyeong-su, Commissioner of the Awakening Management Authority; Park Il-jun, Director of the National Intelligence Service; Kim Cheol-min, Commissioner General of the National Police Agency.
The assemblymen's barrage of questions continued.
"Are Player Yu Cheol-min's statements true? That there was no proper support, and that the Management Authority executives were only interested in political games?"
An absurd story.
The bastard who had sucked up every special privilege there was.
"That is not true. Among the Elite Team Players to date, he received the highest salary, runes for trait enhancement, and we also invested huge sums to provide him with numerous light attribute items."
"And yet he says that? Didn't he decide to naturalize? It's been revealed as a result."
"Yu Cheol-min simply fled out of fear of conquering the 66th floor. If I'm at fault, it's that my eye for judging people was lacking. If I'd known what kind of man he was, I would have long ago—"
"So you admit fault. And with that fault, the Republic of Korea is on the verge of ruin."
Park Gyeong-su gritted his teeth and answered.
"Plan B is also in place."
"You mean that female Player who has been stuck conquering the 62nd floor for 100 days?"
"... "
The National Intelligence Service couldn't escape unscathed either.
"How on earth were you handling security? When Japanese agents took Yu Cheol-min away, you just stood there staring blankly?"
Director Park Il-jun bit his lip hard.
"There is no room for excuses. I feel deeply responsible."
"Is that your answer? You need to come up with countermeasures."
"We will bring him back by any means necessary. First, we plan to contact Player Yu Cheol-min directly and ask him to cancel his naturalization."
"And if he refuses?"
"... "
Director Park Il-jun fell silent for a moment.
Then, with a grave expression:
"He must pay the price."
"...How? Are you saying you'd kill him?"
"If necessary."
"Ha! Director of the NIS! Where do you think you are, spouting such madness!"
Commissioner General Kim Cheol-min chimed in as well.
"The police are also investigating. Anyone involved in this affair, no matter who they are, will be thoroughly investigated and brought to justice."
"You should have done things right from the start! Do you think making such statements now lessens your responsibility?"
"I am prepared to be stripped of my position."
It was close to a public pillorying.
What could they do?
Their fault was plain to see.
Not only Commissioner General Kim Cheol-min, but Commissioner Park Gyeong-su of the Awakening Management Authority and Director Park Il-jun of the NIS were all at least considering stepping down.
But then. 'Commissioner.' Park Gyeong-su's secretary, seated behind the witness stand, quietly approached and whispered. 'What is it?' 'A message has arrived from Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.'
Why all of a sudden?
It wasn't as if he didn't know what he was doing right now. 'I'm busy, I'll check it later.' 'I think you need to check it now.' '...Hmm?' What on earth could it be?
Park Gyeong-su took the smartphone from his secretary.
Moments later,
"Gasp!"
His eyes went wide.
"Wh-what is it?"
It was a lengthy message.
The contents were described in detail.
But could he verify it just by reading text?
Even with the assemblymen glaring furiously, Park Gyeong-su immediately touched his smartphone.
"Hello, Team Leader Jeon... Is the content of the message true?"
The assemblymen went into a frenzy at the sight.
"What do you think you're doing? A phone call in the middle of testimony?"
"In the sacred halls of the National Assembly! Are we a joke to you?"
"No wonder your Player went off and naturalized!"
Park Gyeong-su paid them no mind.
"You checked the conquest video? Yeah? Oh! It's sufficient? How long do they estimate? Hehe, good. Good!"
He raised his voice, as if wanting them to hear.
"The item can be repaired, you say? Yeah? That's a relief. So she's entering the 63rd floor tomorrow? Spare no support, and do everything in your power to help her manage her condition. And Bong... no, I'll meet that person separately."
After hanging up, Park Gyeong-su looked considerably more at ease.
"What's going on? What was so important that you'd take a call in the middle of a government audit?"
"Was that a dismissal call from the President?"
"If you run, you'll be punished."
Park Gyeong-su smiled and said.
"I'm not running. I will take responsibility as well."
"How?"
"We will conquer Floor 66. We don't need someone like Yu Cheolmin."
The atmosphere grew even more hostile.
"What, are you making a mockery of the National Assembly?"
"Have you lost your mind? You think talk alone will solve this?"
"It seems it's not Yu Cheolmin who should naturalize, but the Management Bureau Director himself."
The National Assembly members sneered, but Park Gyeongsu simply smiled and said, "Two hours ago, Player Nam Gaeun of the Management Bureau's elite team successfully conquered Floor 62 of Korea's Black Tower."
Out of nowhere?
Director Park Gyeongsu of the Management Bureau continued speaking.
"Tomorrow, we plan to conquer Floor 63."
He's completely lost it.
The National Assembly members shook their heads and clicked their tongues.
"And within one month!"
Ignoring the assemblymen's reactions, he declared, "We will conquer Floor 66. I stake my neck on it. And I don't mean my position as Director. My actual neck."
He went all in, without hesitation.
Director Park Gyeongsu's bombshell statement dropped onto the National Assembly building.
Murmurs, murmurs.
Even the reporters at the Assembly whispered among themselves, wondering why the Director was spouting such nonsense.
Then, suddenly!
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz... The reporters' smartphones rang out all at once.
"...What?"
"Th-the official announcement is out?"
"Floor 62 conquered? And in just 1 hour and 20 minutes?"
"Confirmed?"
"It's a conquest video? Send it to me."
It was the beginning of a reversal.
The government audit, originally intended to hold someone accountable for the naturalization incident, had turned into a stage for the declaration of the Floor 66 conquest.
※ ※ ※
That evening.
Breaking news erupted from every media outlet in South Korea.
In an instant, the tables had turned.
And in the midst of all this, what was Bong Juhyeok doing?
He had set a small dining table with a bowl of pure water—well, clean water from a purifier—and summoned Kosak and the Barbarian Goebang.
"Please, oh please, let it be LSSR! Nothing but LSSR! I beg you, Legend Special Super Rare!"
He was offering a prayer to the moon beyond the veranda window.
"LSSR!"
"Definitely LSSR!"
"Uh, uhr, e-soo, e-soo... ahl!"
"You little rascal! Get the pronunciation right!"
Because the random summon cooldown was arriving tomorrow.