I burned through it, white-hot.
I climbed like a madman.
Tomorrow, I'd be able to enter Floor 60.
Once we entered the wyvern section, I would clear the upper floor once a day.
The other run would be spent repeating the same floor to collect leather samples.
That was the plan.
I didn't intend to strip off much leather.
Basilisk leather was already piling up.
Just one piece each.
That was for sending as samples.
The rest of the time would go to harvesting magic stones.
While Juhyeok and the Summoned re-entered Floor 59 to skin a lightning wyvern—
Rajix's expression, however, was anything but normal. It had been that way since Floor 56.
"S-sorry, Quar-termaster, sir."
"Hoek!"
Sulking and sullen, Rajix.
Apologizing to him at rigid attention, Veronica.
Why were they like this?
It was nothing, really.
The reason: Veronica had fired magic-round shots to pull the wyverns, and had blown gaping holes clean through their torsos.
From Rajix's point of view, a grievance.
The leather was damaged.
Even if he only needed one piece for a sample.
"Hoeek!… Just hit the heads, okay?"
"I-I'll correct it!"
The reason Veronica was floundering before Rajix.
She was a soldier too, and she knew very well how terrifying a quartermaster could be.
Who cares about rank?
The billet is everything.
If you got on the wrong side of the quartermaster who procured most of your magic-stone ammunition, your military life was as good as over.
That was why, after Commander Bong Juhyeok, the one she watched most carefully was Rajix. Nothing to be done.
As commander, he couldn't just stand by and watch, either.
"Staff Sergeant Veronica?"
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber!"
"At ease."
"At ease!"
And to Rajix:
"From now on, I'll tell her to hit only the heads, so cool off."
"Hoe… okay."
"In return, I'll help with the leather work."
"…It's fine. I'll do it all."
"I want to. Me, I mean."
Because of their wings, wyverns were awkward to skin whole.
You had to cut the wings off first to make skinning easy.
Vmmm!
A blood-hued, translucent aura gathering at the tips of Juhyeok's fingers.
This was the Mad Demon's Blood-Jade Gangi.
His proficiency was still low, so for now he could only manifest the aura at the very tips of his fingers.
When he pressed his fingertips against the wyvern corpse's wing—shhk!
The wing membrane split like tofu.
"How's that? Clean, right?"
The cut surface had been rough at first, but after a few tries he'd gotten the hang of it.
Rajix seemed satisfied too.
"Hoeee?… So cool."
"It's nothing, really."
It really was convenient to have skills learned.
Like carrying a laser beam saber with a razor-sharp edge.
What would the Mad Demon think?
If he learned his legendary skill was being used to process monster corpses.
Well, what's so great about Blood-Jade Gangi anyway?
Maybe using it like this was far better than killing people.
'I'll hand over the samples this afternoon.'
Manager Lee Min-a—no, Team Leader Lee Min-a—would be coming.
Talking with her was still not easy.
Unless she was one of the Summoned, anyway.
***
The next morning.
The day of conquering Floor 60 had finally dawned.
Finish it in one go.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Only five days remained on the United Arab Emirates' conquest deadline.
How anxious must the people of that country be?
He had already researched Floor 60 in advance.
With just a little legwork on the internet, gathering information was quick.
A floor impossible for ordinary players to conquer alone, without national-level support.
In fact, that was true of the entire flying-monster section.
The floors where ordinary players could safely make a living through repeat runs topped out around Floor 40.
In any case, on Floor 60 you had to face the Wyvern Lord.
That was the only thing he needed to kill.
Not every kind of wyvern appeared.
But did the Wyvern Lord appear alone?
No.
A peculiar monster called the Deadly Venom Wyvern appeared alongside it.
The Deadly Venom Wyvern.
Something like the Wyvern Lord's summoned beast—the weakest wyvern to appear so far.
It wasn't even included in the mission completion conditions, for that matter.
Whether up close or at range, it died with a single tap.
Weak defenses, slow movement.
But the problem came after it died.
A dead Venom Wyvern fell to the ground and melted on the spot, becoming a liquid of deadly poison.
The venom wasn't absorbed into the ground.
It pooled on the surface, forming puddles.
Poison puddles.
One spawned for every Venom Wyvern killed.
The funny thing was, even if you didn't attack it, it would hurl itself at the ground on its own, creating poison puddles all over the place.
And if you stepped in one?
You'd be poisoned, and the player's body would melt away.
It was deadly poison.
Chugging healing potions did nothing.
How were you supposed to avoid the poison puddles?
You'd cure the poison and get poisoned again.
"Can't you just not step in them?" No. Impossible.
Because the battle area was extremely narrow—think of it as a gourd-shaped gorge.
The battlefield was walled in by cliffs on all sides.
The traversable area was about half a school playground?
You had no choice but to step in the poison puddles.
The ones who shone in these circumstances were the state-supported elite players.
They entered the battle with their inventories packed full of poison-resistant gear.
Having made it this far, they had talent to begin with, and under national support they'd undergone trait enhancement at least twice.
With generous backing, they simply ignored the poison puddles the Venom Wyverns created and focused everything on taking down the Wyvern Lord as fast as possible.
That was why, even among tower-climbing powerhouse nations, only one or two players at most could clear Floor 60.
Now, shall we head in?
Juhyeok called the Summoned.
"Chung!"
"Victory assured!"
"Hoeng!"
Snap! Kosak's half-baked salute. Snap! Veronica's regulation-perfect salute. Snap! Rajix's bittersweet salute, short arms never rising anywhere near his eyebrows.
'Hmm…' Should I return it? Ah, whatever.
Snap!
Juhyeok quickly returned their salutes.
"At ease."
Only then did Kosak, Rajix, and Veronica lower their hands.
"I'm here, Summoner."
"Young Master. Did you rest well last night?"
At least Gobang and Gyeon Dallae were still normal.
"Today we enter Floor 60. The UAE's Black Tower."
"When do you intend to conquer Korea's Black Tower, sir?"
"We can take our time with that one, can't we?"
What's the rush with Korea?
And with Floor 60 came the thought of special privileges again.
Even if I couldn't manage a prayer, I should enter Korea's Black Tower with a reverent heart.
But then—
"Lord Summoner. I have a proposal to submit."
"What is it?"
"I prepared a briefing. Please review and approve it, if you would."
"…A briefing?"
This guy had gotten into briefings?
"Fine. Go ahead."
"Yes, sir!"
Kosak was thrilled at Juhyeok's approval.
He drew diagrams, demonstrated with the other Summoned, and launched into a long-winded explanation—
"…Are you serious?"
"Yes, sir!"
"You're saying this is possible?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Everyone agreed to this?"
"Yes, sir!"
Unbelievable. It wasn't like we were going to Floor 60 to film a transformation-combination routine.
"Can't we just conquer it the normal way? Melt it down with firepower, like we always do?"
"Of course that's possible. But it hurts very much. We all hurt."
Well, that was true.
That's why I always felt bad about it.
"Isn't it better that just one person hurts?"
"…?"
"I mean Gobang."
"Wow, that's dirty of you…"
"Yes?"
Absolutely shameless.
Kosak was cunning to the core.
"I'm not the only one saying this. Our lovely pack mule could also charge into a poison pit while supplying and die screaming."
"…Hmm."
Rajix would be in danger?
Then that wouldn't do.
"And with this method, there's no attack delay."
That gave me pause.
'Try it?'
When I pictured the run in my head, it was absurd, but…
"Fine. We'll do it as briefed. Shall we enter, then?"
"Hehehe, feels like leaving on an overseas trip."
Well, it was an overseas expedition to the UAE.
Juhyeok took out the multinational tower pass ticket.
The way to use it was, of course, to tear it.
Riiiip!
[You have used a Multinational Tower Pass Ticket.]
[State the nation and floor of the tower you wish to enter.]
"UAE Black Tower, Floor 60."
[Entry conditions have been met. Would you like to enter now?]
"Entering."
Shwoop!
[Entering the UAE Black Tower, Floor 60.]
At last, he had entered a foreign nation's tower.
He felt nothing in particular.
The tower's environment wouldn't change just because the country was different.
"Victory assured! We will now commence the Wyvern Lord extermination operation!"
"Chung! Just trust this Kosak. Hehehe."
"Hoek! Hohehehe!"
"Please take care of yourself, my lord."
"Everyone, trust me. I will protect you."
Leaving the narrow safe passage behind, they emerged into a space that spread out round like a colosseum.
[Floor 60 Mission: Defeat 1 Wyvern Lord.]
[Time Limit: Within 12 hours.]
[Completion Conditions: Wyvern Lord 0/1]
From the far edge of the sky, the Wyvern Lord came flying in alongside hundreds of Deadly Venom Wyverns.
Fwoooosh!
Gobang enlarged his body.
He grew and grew.
He'd become enormous.
They arranged their formation just as they had rehearsed.
First, Kosak climbed onto Gobang's right shoulder.
Veronica took the left shoulder.
And Rajix?
He rode the neck saddle.
With his two short legs he locked firmly around Gobang's neck, and with his two short arms he wrapped around Gobang's head.
His plump, bouncy bottom.
Rajix's fatally vulnerable rear, fully on display.
This was the Summoned's four-stage transformation combination.
Kosak's devious insight, built on Gobang's sacrifice.
Juhyeok and Gyeon Dallae climbed up onto the cliff.
To avoid the poison puddles.
They couldn't join the battle, but buffs and cheers were possible.
"Fightiiing!"
Well, cheering was about all I could do.
What else could I do?
The conquest began.
Zzzzaaaazeng!
The instant Gyeon Dallae shook her bell furiously—
Ratatat! Ratatat! Rrrrratatatatat!
Veronica, on Gobang's left shoulder, opened fire with her magic gun.
Tuduk, tududuk! Tududududuk!
Venom Wyverns plummeted like rain.
Poison puddles forming all over the place.
The core of this run was Gobang himself.
Without ever closing directly with the Wyvern Lord, he kept a fixed distance, dragging the thing around in circles.
Splash, splash—casually stepping through the poison puddles, endlessly provoking with taunt skills to hold aggro.
The ground?
What's a little ground, anyway?
If this were a role-playing game, he'd be excluded from the loot distribution list.
Gobang's regeneration was outstanding.
His body hardened with Diamond Skin.
Practically total poison immunity.
Kosak, the little weasel, crossed between Gobang's right shoulder and the Wyvern Lord's back, dishing out damage.
Veronica, comfortably camped on Gobang's left shoulder, blazing away with her magic gun.
Rajix, riding the neck saddle, hooing and hawing as he supplied Veronica with magic-stone rounds.
Our dependable Gobang.
A savage-meat shield of Ssual—blade jutting from the right hand, bullets firing from the left.
A transformation-combination robot complete with its own self-supply.
He looked ridiculous, but in practice there was not a moment of attack delay.
Whenever aggro slipped, a fist flew out to hold the provocation in place.
'This actually works.'
It was real.
The scheming demon king—Kosak, that sly weasel—his plan unfolded exactly as intended.
And finally—
[Wyvern Lord defeated: 1/1]
[You have succeeded in the Floor 60 mission.]
[Level up!]
[Reward: 6 kg of magic stones.]
Easy as anything.
We could take Korea's Black Tower's Floor 60 the same way—
Just then.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating for Floor 60 of the Black Tower (United Arab Emirates).]
"Huh?"
[S++ Clear Reward: A Platinum Badge is granted.]
'…I got a badge.'
I could get rewards from other nations' towers too?
So the global notice rings out for that as well?
Don't tell me there are special privileges too?
***
The Supreme Federal Council of the United Arab Emirates.
With the collapse of their nation's Black Tower five days away, Crown Prince Binsala attended the Federal Council alongside Player Omar Hassan.
A hearing and final judgment were to take place.
The crime of handing over the trait-enhancement runes without a formal contract.
The crime of thereby exposing the UAE to the peril of the tower's collapse.
"Crown Prince Binsala. Do you acknowledge your guilt?"
"I do not."
"Arrogant to the last, just as they say."
"A pity. You were so brilliant as a child."
Even so, Bin Sala maintained a dignified posture.
"Will you insist on your innocence to the very end?"
"It was merely an act of loyalty to the nation."
"Ha!"
The revocation of his crown prince title and his overseas exile were already predetermined outcomes. The emirates, save for Abu Dhabi, had secretly been hoping for just such an opportunity. Though it was a federation of seven emirates, it was Abu Dhabi that effectively ruled the United Arab Emirates.
The gap in national power was simply too vast. And so the six emirates, including Dubai, had been scheming to diminish Abu Dhabi's influence and seize control of the UAE for themselves.
With things having come to this, Sala Mohammed bin Aziz—the King of Abu Dhabi, and King and President of the United Arab Emirates—did not even attend the federal council meeting.
Bin Sala appeared resigned, but he had not given up. He had staked everything on Gobang, hoping only that he would turn the situation around.
But the anxiety still lingered. Would he truly keep his promise?
"How convenient. This will make the verdict easy. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Let us reach a decision quickly. We must make a public announcement as well, and there is also the provisional naturalization agreement to consider."
The Supreme Federal Council of the UAE had decided to sign a provisional naturalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The King of Dubai had taken the lead in the negotiations. The enormous price to be paid remained unchanged, but one of the conditions of the agreement with Saudi Arabia was the expulsion of Crown Prince Abdul Bin Sala.
He had handed over a trait-enhancement rune that would have come to him anyway if he'd simply stayed quiet—and to some stranger, no less. How could he not be furious?
"Then, gathering everyone's opinions, I shall deliver the verdict. Crown Prince Abdul Bin Sala leaked a precious national asset abroad."
Bin Sala slowly closed his eyes.
So it would end like this after all?
"This is an act of treachery—a shameless crime bordering on treason. Accordingly, the Supreme Federal Council hereby resolves that, effective today, Abdul Bin Sala shall be exiled from the United Arab Emirates—"
At that instant!
"Gasp!"
Player Omar, seated right beside Crown Prince Bin Sala, shot to his feet and shouted.
"What is the meaning of this? Shouting out in the middle of a verdict?"
"I-It's just that..."
"Do you mean to say you oppose the crown prince's exile?"
Omar Hassan the player opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
"The, the UAE's Black Tower's 60th floor—"
"What about the tower? Is it collapsing or something?"
"It—It was just cleared. We heard the global announcement."
"...What?"
"With an S++ grade, at that..."
What kind of nonsense was this? Out of nowhere?
It made no sense. The truth would have come to light soon enough anyway...
Could it be?
In an instant, the conference hall fell silent.
Then.
The attendants seated alongside the Supreme Federal Council began whispering into the ears of the members while showing them their smartphones.
The faces of the attendees changed color rapidly.
The journalists and high-ranking officials who had come to observe scrambled to their feet as well.
Each of them hurriedly made calls somewhere, moving about in a flurry.
The conference room turned into utter chaos, yet no one moved to stop it.
At last—
"Y-Yes, it's the global announcement. Every player belonging to the UAE heard it."
"...We've also confirmed the S++ grade clear record of the UAE's Black Tower 60th floor, and the current progress of the tower's conquest."
A low murmur rippled through the room.
Everyone wore expressions of utter disbelief.
No, not just a clear—an S++ grade clear? And this wasn't even Korea.
Only then did Bin Sala smile faintly and speak.
"Please, continue the verdict. What crime have I committed, exactly?"
Of course, no one could answer.