Juhyeok was on the phone with Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il.
“It's late, but congratulations on conquering the 63rd floor.”
- Hahaha, thank you. It's all thanks to Player Bong.
“Oh, it's because Player Nam Ga-eun is so skilled. Her talent is clearly superior to Player Yu Cheol-min's, isn't it?”
- It always has been. We were blind, throwing all the enhancement runes and everything else at that bastard, which is why she never got her chance to shine. Of course, she can't hold a candle to you, Player Bong.
“Since we're on the topic of Yu Cheol-min—was that bastard living in our officetel by any chance?”
- No. It was the △△ Apartments in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. The penthouse on the top floor.
Juhyeok had seen it in passing before. Thirty stories, an entire building as one residence.
The kind of place where top-tier celebrities, third-generation chaebol heirs, and IT CEOs lived.
“The top-floor penthouse at △△ Apartments in Cheongdam-dong, wow! He lived in a nice place. And after enjoying all those perks, he still renounced his citizenship for Japan.”
- Even now, just thinking about that bastard makes my blood boil.
“He must have left in such a hurry that he abandoned everything in the apartment.”
- Yes, he only took the valuables. It was such a mess that nobody's even cleaned it out yet. If you're interested in that apartment...
“Whoa, please, I'm fine. I'm satisfied with my officetel.”
Juhyeok chatted with Jeon Gwang-il about this and that before hanging up.
“You heard where it is, right?”
“Yep!”
“Go pick up a few of his used belongings. Ones where nobody would notice if they went missing.”
“How about a remote control? It's probably covered in hand oils.”
“That works.”
“Deploying now!”
Swoosh—the assassin Cossack vanished into stealth concealment.
The door would be locked, but could he get it open?
If not, he'd just cut through the iron door and go in.
Having sent off Cossack, Juhyeok prepared to go out as well. When he got down to the first floor, a staff member came out of the security office.
“Player Bong Juhyeok, going out?”
“Yes, I'm heading to my parents' place.”
“I'll have a car ready for you.”
“Thank you, as always.”
“Hahaha, not at all. That's our job.”
Juhyeok's new family home.
A new apartment received as part of his Elite Team contract.
Though still far below Yu Cheol-min's penthouse, it was a world apart from where they used to live.
His family had finished moving in.
Juhyeok punched in the passcode he'd found out in advance and stepped inside.
“Wow! Nice place. Ahem, that new-house smell.”
His mother, Hong Geum-ja, greeted him.
“You're here. Have you eaten?”
“No. I came here specifically to eat.”
“Alright, have a seat. I'll set the table right away.”
His father, Bong Su-cheol, was home too.
He'd been temporarily discharged from the hospital because of Juhyeok's visit.
“How's your health, Father?”
“I'm just getting fatter and fatter. The bones are almost fully healed. I should be discharged soon.”
“Hehe, you know who to thank for that, right? It's all thanks to having such a good son.”
In that instant!
His father and mother's expressions darkened.
“...What? Did something bad happen?”
“Bad? What bad? How can we feel good about ourselves, sending our own child to the gates of death and living in luxury?”
“Oh, come on, I'm perfectly fine! I'm being so careful when I climb.”
He really was.
If he tried to fight a monster, Cossack frowned, Gyeon Dallae cried, and just yesterday he hadn't so much as touched the tip of a troll's hair.
“You don't know me at all, Father. The moment things look even slightly dangerous, I pull out immediately.”
“Well, you take after me, after all.”
“Doesn't Mother's DNA get a little credit too?”
“Is that something to brag about?”
“Yes.”
In that instant!
BANG!
A blood-related bastard came kicking the door open.
“I heard you were here, hyung? Where are you? Hyuuung!”
“Stop hopping around like a puppy.”
“Oh! You're eating? Anyway, you're in the Elite Team too, hyung.”
“That's right.”
“Then have you seen Player Nam Ga-eun's face?”
“I have.”
I even hugged her, you punk.
“Get me her autograph. I want to take a picture with her too, but that might be asking too much.”
“An autograph?”
“What? Can't do it? Guess you're not close with her. Well, what would a hyung like you know about even exchanging words with Player Nam Ga-eun?”
Why, this little...
“Bring me some paper.”
“Here.”
Juhyeok scrawled his own signature across the paper in one sweeping stroke.
“...What are you doing?”
“Signing.”
“No, what a waste of paper.”
“Hold onto it anyway. Who knows? I might get more famous than Player Nam Ga-eun.”
“Hyung, are you serious?”
“Yep.”
What an idiot.
How can he not see the truth?
“Do you want one too, Father?”
“Put it to use somewhere.”
His mother also shook her head side to side.
Seriously? That's your son's autograph!
That honestly hurts.
“...Fine. I'll get Player Nam Ga-eun's autograph. How many do you need?”
And at that:
“One for me.”
His father too—
“Son, I want ten. No, twenty.”
His mother too—
'Sigh.' None of them understand.
Just how amazing their macho son Bong Juhyeok really is.
The man who pulled off thirty consecutive S++ floor conquests, no less.
But what can I do?
It's not like I can reveal it.
I guess I'll just get them her autograph.
Still, it felt good seeing his whole family living well.
The shackle of poverty had now vanished far, far away.
Time to set a date and show them what true luxury really is.
※ ※ ※
After spending time at his parents' place, Juhyeok returned to the officetel.
Beep—as he unlocked the door and stepped in, Cossack, who'd been watching TV, sprang to his feet.
“Chung! Back from your errand?”
“Yes, you finished already?”
“Mission complete.”
“Oh! How did you get the door open?”
“It was unlocked. There were police officers inside the apartment.”
“You weren't spotted?”
“Who do you take me for? I'm SSS-class. SSS!”
That's SSS-class Cossack for you.
Juhyeok took the everyday items from Yu Cheol-min that Cossack handed over and said,
“Sorry, but I think you should head back early today. I have something else I need to do.”
“Yep.”
He dismissed Cossack and opened his status window to check the Catalog.
[Catalog]: John Cossack / Barbarian's Flesh Shield / Gyeon Dallae
After awarding all three of them five stars—
“Designated summon: Gyeon Dallae.”
[Gyeon Dallae has been designated for summoning.]
“My lord, to bestow upon me so many stars—how could I ever repay this grace? I am at a loss.”
Gyeon Dallae glided over and bowed so deeply she seemed about to tip over.
Tomorrow, the plan was to conquer the 31st floor.
A mission to hunt a monster called the Minotaur.
It was the start of the large-monster section.
A new monster.
Half-man, half-bull, a hulking creature with a bull's head that walked upright.
They say it carries a massive axe around.
I want to face it.
It's been a while since I've used Shadow Steps.
At this rate, I'll forget how to use it.
The persuasion target this time is not Cossack.
Gyeon Dallae. I have to persuade her.
She's a woman, but she's a sub-summon.
So there's not much pressure.
I've studied up and practiced plenty.
Find her weak point and exploit it.
First, the rationale for why she must fight monsters—
“Ahem, Princess Gyeon Dallae.”
“Speak, Lord Bong.”
“Was I not born a man? Though I may not achieve 'ruling the realm and bringing peace to all under heaven' (治國平天下), surely I cannot be expected to cower before a mere monster?”
“Heavens, no. How could you say such a thing? Lord Bong is a gentleman fully capable of ruling the realm and bringing peace to all under heaven.”
“How can I be a gentleman if I can't even hunt a single monster?”
“...”
Gyeon Dallae had no answer.
She may be a princess, but she's still young.
If I can't even persuade a middle-schooler, what kind of macho man would I be?
So, wearing his most dejected expression—
“I have skills, plenty of defensive items, and my level has risen. Is it really acceptable that I can't face a single monster?”
“That's, that's not what I meant—”
“If people call me a coward, I wouldn't even be able to argue back.”
“...How can you say such things? My heart is being torn into a thousand, ten thousand pieces.”
It's working.
Next, the temptation strategy.
“...The ice cream was delicious, wasn't it?”
“What?”
Gyeon Dallae looked baffled by the sudden question.
“There's an ice cream shop I know well, and each flavor—there are as many as thirty of them.”
“Th-thirty flavors?”
“Strawberry, chocolate, cherry, cheese, yogurt, mint... whoa! There's so many I can't even remember them all.”
Gyeon Dallae swallowed hard.
“You've never had a macaron, have you? It's a Western pastry, chewy and so sweet. And what about cake? Soft fresh cream, just like, whoosh!”
Gyeon Dallae was, after all, a girl at heart.
She stared blankly at Juhyeok's mouth.
As expected, the food that captivates a girl isn't piping-hot gukbap—it's dessert.
“I'll only hunt five monsters. I'll preserve my honor as a gentleman, and you, Princess, can eat all the desserts I mentioned—”
Her lips parted and closed, hesitating.
And then.
“Th-then, just one monster—”
“Let's make it three! Clean and simple!”
“...I worry that you may be in danger, my lord.”
“You have Cossack and the Flesh Shield, don't you? Plus the sound of your war drums and your bells.”
“...”
Is she actually going for it?
“I accept, my lord. This girl shall follow your will.”
“It's a promise, then.”
“This girl always keeps her promises.”
She went for it.
“I always keep my promises too. I brought what I mentioned before—the personal items Yu Cheol-min used.”
Gyeon Dallae's eyes turned ice-cold in an instant.
“Do you speak of that wae-gu dog?”
“That's right.”
Juhyeok handed her the plastic bag containing Yu Cheol-min's everyday items.
“Please wait but a moment. It will be finished quickly.”
“Take your time. Take all the time you need.”
Gyeon Dallae suddenly drew a small silver blade from her sleeve and sliced across her own finger.
“Gasp!”
Doesn't that hurt?
Bright red blood dripping from her hand.
“Oh no, Princess! You said there would be no harm to you!”
How much must that hurt?
He scrambled to pull a bandage from the medicine cabinet, but—
“It is quite all right. It does not hurt at all.”
Then, with her other hand, she picked up the remote control from the bag.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Strange figures and symbols carved in blood across the plastic surface.
She filled it densely with the markings.
Moments later—
The figures and symbols began to glow red.
“It is finished.”
“...That was simpler than I expected. Aside from the bleeding part.”
“Can the casting of karma (業) be compared to the shedding of mere flesh? We simply leave it to the judgment of heaven.”
“Oh!”
“If his sins are light, it will end as mild misfortune. If his sins are heavy, great calamity shall find him.”
Fighting, Yu Cheol-min!
I sincerely hope your sins aren't too great.
Now, on to conquering the 31st floor.
Take it slow.
Tank, dealer, buffer—a three-person formation—we can safely climb up to the 40th floor.
No need to use the skill cooldown reset ticket right now.
We're taking it slow anyway.
No rush.
If I were in a hurry, I'd have used it already.
What about from the 41st floor?
Once the cooldown resets, I summon one more.
If the new sub-summon's grade falls short of expectations, I use the ticket to roll again.
There we go.
'Ha! A perfect plan.'
If a trait enhancement happens to pop up along the way, that's icing on the cake.
They say there are trait enhancement runes too—is there anywhere I can get some?
※ ※ ※
A major Japanese broadcasting station.
Yu Cheol-min appeared as a guest on a special broadcast.
When word spread that he—now a naturalized citizen and Japan's greatest player—would appear on TV, viewership ratings soared endlessly.
An announcer fluent in Korean was brought in, along with interpreters.
“Ryusang, thank you for agreeing to this interview.”
“Not at all.”
After the usual pleasantries—
“I understand you plan to conquer the 57th floor today?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“As far as I know, there's plenty of time left before the conquest deadline.”
“Hahaha, that's right. Taking it slowly poses no problem at all. However—”
Looking into the camera with practiced ease—
“I wished to send my encouragement to our citizens, who have been sunk in despair over all these recent incidents.”
The message was relayed through live interpretation.
“Remarkable! As a fellow Japanese citizen, I am proud.”
“Do not worry. Japan is safe. As long as I stand, the Tower's collapse will never come to pass.”
“My heart swells with pride. Then when and where do you plan to carry out the conquest?”
“No reason to drag it out, is there? Let's head up right here and be back before you know it.”
“Ooh!”
This broadcast was planned by the Kawaguchi cabinet government.
Yu Cheol-min's need for recognition and the Kawaguchi cabinet's desire to boost its approval ratings aligned perfectly.
And so, from his entry into the Tower to his exit, followed by the release of his body-cam footage, every step of the conquest would be broadcast live.
A program planned as a total of ten hours of live broadcasting.
While Yu Cheol-min conquered the 57th floor, singers and celebrities would perform until the conquest was complete.
They even played highlight videos of his successful clears of Korea's Black Tower, Floor 57, from back when he was Korean.
When Yu Cheolmin cleared Korea's Black Tower Floor 57, his clear record was about 8 hours.
He's leveled up since then, so it'll be much faster than that. Around 5 hours should do it.
We can't show the clear in real time, but as soon as he exits the tower, we'll immediately connect the body cam footage we've recorded and broadcast it across all of Japan.
The Kawaguchi cabinet, whose approval ratings have fallen, will be brought back to life by this show.
It was truly a perfect plan.
"Then, I'll be off."
The moment those words left his mouth, the studio audience, the announcer, the panelists, and the staff all erupted into cheers and applause.
Yu Cheolmin wore a proud smile. 'Yes, this is it.' It had been such a long time since he'd heard cheers like these.
These days, Korean bastards flooded his social media accounts with all kinds of mockery and hate comments, but there had been good times in Korea too.
When he joined the elite team and blazed through tower climbs faster than anyone else, the Korean people had cheered for him as well.
He was treated like a hero, of course, and on top of that he received a salary he'd never even dreamed of touching before, a spacious apartment with a view of the Han River, a nice car, and even immunity privileges.
When he committed his hit-and-run drunk driving incident, they stepped in and smoothed it over for him, and when he punched a room salon host who said he wouldn't go to the second round and got arrested by the police for assault, the law firm hired by the Management Authority handled it for him.
He committed plenty of other petty crimes besides, but none of them ever made it onto his record.
Those were truly good times. If there had been even the slightest chance of him clearing Floor 66, he would never have renounced his citizenship.
Well, it's the same here.
When he signed his contract with Japan, the immunity from arrest for crimes and immunity privileges were written explicitly into it. 'Shall I head in slowly?' But right at that moment. 'Hm?' Yu Cheolmin tilted his head.
Because he felt strange.
A tingling sensation in both hands, and a slight headache as well. 'Is my condition off?' I'll rest well after I get back. Floor 57?
What's so hard about that?
The only question is how much time I can shave off.
Just pop in and pop out—it's the floor he'd successfully cleared back at level 57.
Besides, through countless repeat runs, he'd memorized all the patterns.
He was now level 66.
When you enter the tower, your physical abilities are adjusted not to match the floor, but to match your level. There was no way he could fail a mission nine floors below his level!
Spot!
It was a live broadcast.
In an instant, Yu Cheolmin vanished from the TV screen.
The moment Yu Cheolmin disappeared, the announcer spoke.
"To all Japanese citizens watching, please lend your strength to Ryujo."
Japanese singers came out and sang while shouting "Ganbare, Ryujo!"
Clips of Yu Cheolmin's exploits played between segments, and about an hour passed?
Suddenly!
Fwaaaaah!
A swirl of light gathering inside the broadcast studio set.
No way? Only an hour had passed—had he already cleared it?
Papat!
Yu Cheolmin, as if he had exited the tower, reappeared.
But something was a little off.
An unmistakable look of utter defeat was written across Yu Cheolmin's face.
The announcer hurried over. "Ryujo, h-how was the clear?"
Yu Cheolmin let out a deep sigh, pulled a healing potion from his inventory, and gulped it down.
"It seems it was quite a difficult fight."
"...Son of a bitch!"
"Pardon?"
Yu Cheolmin simply turned around and walked off the set. "Ryujo! Ryujo! Wh-where are you going?"
He didn't respond.
In the end, the broadcast was cut off.
Instead, an anime began playing on the TV screen.
And a few hours later, breaking news began spreading across all of Japan.