Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Training and Preparation
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Korea Awakening Management Bureau.
The S+++ grade conquest of the 72nd floor by Player Bong Joo-hyuk, was announced in a worldwide notice.
Another 180 days had stacked.
The large LED display in the bureau's lobby flashed the words, 'Tower Collapse Countdown: 527 Days.'
A year and a half remaining.
Just looking at it felt reassuring.
The elite players coming and going at the bureau felt the same.
Because the burden of climbing un-conquered upper floors had largely disappeared.
No one could say anything even if they just farmed high-grade magic stones or items on floors appropriate to their skill level.
High-grade magic stones.
The price set by the bureau was double that of regular magic stones.
The quantity mined from the Tower was on the low side. That was, until Player Bong handed them over by the ton.
Now, a massive volume was secured.
Enough for commercial use.
Inquiries were already flooding in from various research institutes and companies.
Even from abroad.
Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il, summoned by Park Kyung-su, knocked on the Director's office door.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
"Director, did your visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs go well?"
The French special envoy group still hadn't left Korea.
Because the curse was lifted, leaving plenty of time.
Park Kyung-su opened his mouth with a displeased expression.
"Those French bastards still haven't come to their senses."
"Did the negotiations not go well?"
"They went fine at first. Things like the monetary part, cultural heritage repatriation, and tariff reductions for wyvern leather product exports."
"And then?"
"They started making unreasonable demands, despite being the ones receiving help."
Jeon Gwang-il tilted his head and asked.
"What did they..."
"The Rune Necklace of Liberation and the Ring of Shape Transformation."
"...What?"
"They asked us to conquer the 71st floor and hand them over."
"Ha!"
It was infuriating.
"These arrogant jerks, they think we're just going to hand them over? They should be grateful we're conquering the 70th floor for them, and now they want us to go up to the 71st and get the Rune Necklace for them?"
Director Park Kyung-su took another sip of water and continued.
"Well, I can understand France's position to some extent."
"In what way?"
"You see, the Rune Necklace of Liberation is like a kind of nuclear weapon."
A nuclear weapon?
What kind of nonsense is that?
"Let's assume two hostile countries are at war. What if a player who unlocked their abilities with the Rune Necklace of Liberation infiltrates the enemy nation and attempts to assassinate government officials or military commanders? Could they stop it?"
It would be impossible.
They'd be helpless.
Especially with the Ring of Shape Transformation in the mix.
"It might be a forced analogy, but it means the Rune Necklace of Liberation is similar in that it can only be deterred by another one."
The purpose of possessing the Rune Necklace of Liberation—
If your country's players use it for some mischief, we'll also send players equipped with the Rune Necklace of Liberation.
It was, of course, an unreasonable analogy.
How can you compare a nuclear weapon to a rune necklace?
But Jeon Gwang-il agreed there were similar aspects.
There was no denying it was a dangerous item.
"So they said they'd grant any wish if we just bring them the necklace and the ring, that we could even take the Elixir of Rejuvenation or Potion of Disease Cure."
"...What do you think, Director?"
Park Kyung-su shook his head vigorously.
"I'm against it. If Player Bong gets the necklace on their behalf and hands it over to France, we'll be implicated. What if an accident happens because of the necklace?"
Right.
Outright refusal is correct.
If they need it, they can go up themselves.
If they have no players to climb, they can use Tower Jumping Tickets or something.
"Oh right! When do we start selling the items?"
"We should release them to the Player Shop today."
The enormous amount of Tower reward items entrusted by Player Bong Joo-hyuk, things that couldn't even be compared to items crafted in workshops.
Where did he get so many items?
That's just the kind of person he is.
That paltry Elixir of Rejuvenation? Potion of Disease Cure?
Not even worth a glance.
He's a player who can even get his hands on the Rune Necklace of Liberation so easily.
The benefits he bestowed start with domestic players.
The number of players active in South Korea is around 10,000, excluding North Korean players.
Even though item drop rates have increased on all floors of the Korean Black Tower, it's still insufficient to meet demand.
Thanks to Player Bong, players can arm themselves with quality equipment and climb the Tower more safely.
The plan is to sufficiently supply them first, then turn our eyes to overseas sales.
There's no danger either.
Since they're Tower-exclusive items, they're just ordinary cold weapons in reality with no option effects.
Then we'll move into overseas sales.
We plan to use Razix Trading.
The price should be set even higher.
"Director, did you look into the building Player Bong requested?"
"Ah, a decent building in Gangnam came on the market. It's a 61-story building, but the price is..."
"How much are they asking?"
"After negotiation, 1.3 trillion won."
"...Hmm."
Too expensive?
He might need to get a loan.
We should ask later.
Joo-hyuk rested thoroughly for a few days with his Summoned Beings.
He played at home, going out when bored.
The 73rd-floor conquest was continually postponed.
It wasn't that urgent.
Of course, he was curious to see what the mission content was... but Gobang didn't seem particularly desperate for it either.
Right now, he was at the Namyangju villa.
He made a vegetable garden with Razix.
Planted lettuce, potatoes, sweet potatoes, flowers, and trees.
Our versatile Razix.
Truly a handyman, good at farming too.
There's nothing he can't do.
Gyeon Dal-rae was also busy.
With help from Gobang and Kosak, she erected a sacred rope with talismans and a totem pole around the perimeter of Joo-hyuk's land.
"This is the sacred domain where the Lord resides. We shall ensure that miscellaneous beasts or outsiders cannot enter recklessly."
Truly our princess.
The desolate land was gradually becoming splendid.
He planned to install a few more prefabricated container houses equipped with utilities and electricity through a request to Deputy Director Jeon Gwang-il.
He also learned a new skill.
The rune received as a reward for defeating the 72nd-floor Super Monster Hydra.
🎯 Effect: Upon consumption, randomly grants one skill to the player. Usable only within the Tower.
So what he learned was...
On the status window,
[Combat Skills] : Shadow Step / Primordial Thunderbolt Staff / Blood Jade Astral Qi / Ice Spear
It's a magic skill.
Could this be used in reality too?
'Even the Mad Demon probably can't make this work.'
"Of course not. Shadow Step could be substituted with internal energy, but magic is a completely different domain..."
He understood.
'But still, I've acquired one long-range skill usable inside the Tower, right?'
Good.
It could help with conquest.
It's like having two long-range damage dealers.
He added a skill,
Actually, he didn't come to the Namyangju villa with nothing to do.
There was a clear purpose.
The thing he spent the most time on here was precisely,
Swish, swish-swish-swish!
Martial arts and skill training.
Shadow Step unfolded in the wide open space in front of the villa.
Joo-hyuk's afterimages left here and there.
It was a place spacious enough to move freely.
He unleashed skills he couldn't fully practice inside the Tower to his heart's content in reality.
Ran in zigzags,
Whoosh!
Kicked off the ground, leapt upward, then descended slowly.
Woong!
The internal energy of the Heaven and Earth Unity Art flowed ceaselessly and continuously.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch...
With the Thunderstorm Mace received as a reward,
Cr-crack!
Like a single streak of lightning, when it directly struck a large rock at the edge of the clearing,
Kwa-jijijik!
The boulder shattered into pieces,
And the falling stone fragments,
Zing!
Were cleanly sliced with a Swish! Swish! by the Blood Jade Astral Qi manifested in his left hand, creating clean cut surfaces.
How about that?
Wasn't this applause-worthy?
But...
'Huh?'
The Summoned Beings gathered in one spot, whispering to each other with serious expressions.
What's this?
Didn't you even watch?
And here he was moving his body diligently.
What trick were they trying to pull now.
Actually, there was a reason they were doing this.
Because they judged a threat was imminent.
The Rune Necklace of Liberation, the Ring of Shape Transformation, equipment items applicable even in reality, various potions and elixirs.
These things were starting to flood the world.
Reality-applicable items would put players to the test.
"When a Summoned Being's summon cooldown timer is active, you must be careful. You must always keep at least one person ready for immediate summoning."
"An energy shield is essential. You must make it a habit to activate it even for falling leaves."
"Victory! You must also try using the Blink Ring frequently. Considering the recharge time, once or twice every two hours; you must practice often to use it easily."
"My Lord, do not trust the Ring of Shape Transformation too much. You could be detected by a liberated player with a Seeing Eye skill."
This was like treating a grown man like a child put out to dry.
It's not that he didn't understand the Summoned Beings' feelings.
"It's not time to relax and let your guard down. Danger can strike anytime, anywhere. What if a sniper targets you from 1 km away? What if someone poisons the water?"
They keep trying to scare people.
"Right. You could be ambushed while taking a shit. Summon one Summoned Being and go to the bathroom."
Couldn't he even go to the bathroom freely?
"Public bathhouses are also a no-no. You could be attacked while picking up soap in the shower."
No, that's a terrifying thing to say.
He guessed he shouldn't go to public bathhouses either.
It wasn't just nagging with words.
There was also practical training.
Joo-hyuk and Kosak stood facing each other in the wide clearing.
In Joo-hyuk's right hand was the Thunderstorm mace, in his left was Blood Jade Astral Qi.
Kosak held a metal round shield.
"Try hitting me just once. I'll block it with my shield."
Looking down on people, huh.
"If I land one hit, you'll admit it?"
Kosak chuckled in response.
"Are you confident? You won't even be able to touch me."
Ha!
Kosak definitely had a talent for getting under people's skin.
No wonder Gyeon Dal-rae yelled at him all the time.
"Alright. Don't cry when you get hit."
"Hehehe, if I get hit, I'm Gobang's son. Call me Gosak."
Suddenly, Joo-hyuk turned his head to look at the Mad Demon,
"...Huh? Mad Demon, what did you say?"
Kosak also turned around as if something happened.
Swish!
Joo-hyuk shot forward like a beam of light,
However,
"Hmph! I knew you'd do this."
He failed.
"I knew it wouldn't work either."
"But I'll give you praise. It was a nice move."
Even if it's cheap, there's nothing to be done.
He was just an ordinary guy.
Kosak leisurely stepped back.
Joo-hyuk closely followed.
Swish-swish-swish! Swish-swish!
The two chased and were chased.
The distance gradually narrowed.
'Got you.'
Ch-chich!
Kwa-jik! Primordial Thunderbolt Staff was unleashed with the mace.
But,
"Huh! That's just my afterimage."
Kosak appeared behind Joo-hyuk out of nowhere.
"How can you be this slow?"
His face was full of mockery, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Ah, this crafty bastard!
"Well, I figured it out when you were driving. Still doing 50 km/h on the highway, right?"
"...It's 80!"
I'd really land one hit and be done with it.
Pa-pa-pat! Swift!
"Even Razix would be faster than this."
"Huh?"
Sigh, fine, keep scratching, scratch away.
Internal energy swelled throughout his body.
Energy concentrated in his lower body.
Ch-pi-pi-pi-pit!
He leaped up, then dove sharply.
Peng-grrr, spinning, then instantly darting out.
"Eek! That was close."
This time it was truly a shame.
A hand's breadth difference.
If he could just overcome this difference, he felt he could catch him.
But Kosak was a genius.
A genius among geniuses, at that.
The one who even attempted Swordmaster assassination because he was too talented.
Of course, he died due to arrogance.
Could he land even one hit?
How long had it been since he learned martial arts in reality?
And against an SSR-grade Kosak.
Twenty-five years of an ordinary guy's life.
A quick surrender when things seem impossible was one of his life's mottos.
But now was he was different.
He didn't want to give up.
He wanted to confirm.
If he had talent or not.
'Let me land just one proper hit.'
He moved with the resolve to collapse here if needed.
A sweet smell emanated from his mouth.
His heart pounded as if it would burst.
Immersion came quickly.
Only Kosak was visible in Joo-hyuk's eyes.
Nothing else even entered his vision.
Ch-pit!
A flurry of Primordial Thunderbolt Staff opening moves,
Falling Thunder Soul Chaser, Scattered Lightning Strikes.
Kosak dodged left and right.
It seemed like he was just wasting internal energy, but the swings weren't meaningless.
He was changing the field.
Simply chasing wouldn't catch Kosak.
In martial arts terms, it was a kind of feint.
Simultaneously, he analyzed Kosak's behavior patterns.
Too fast, as expected of an SSR assassin.
It was absolutely impossible to catch with his eyes alone.
Then?
He had to act one step ahead.
There was no answer except predictive attacks.
He needed to know how he would react if hit like this.
Kosak needed to be in a predictable direction.
Only then.
Pa-chichik!
The final three moves of Primordial Thunderbolt Staff.
Extreme Speed, One-Hit Kill ultimate skill.
Because he could deliver one Falling Thunder Flash.
Pa-chik! Cr-ack!
"...Huh?"
Kosak's eyes widened in apparent panic.
Falling thunder descending from above at a completely unexpected moment.
This was dangerous.
Even if he dodged now, he was within the attack range.
The hand holding the shield was already moving upward.
Kwa-jik! Chae-chae-chang!
It was an intense impact strong enough to crack the shield.
Kosak twisted and fell on his backside.
"Ouch!"
"Got you!"
Joo-hyuk stood triumphantly before the fallen Kosak.
Right then!
"Aww..."
Lying down, he was twisting his body grotesquely, with a pitiful look on his gace.
"S-s-spare me?"
Why was he like this again?
"I have a wife and children. Please spare me. Please!"
"..."
"If you let me go just once, I'll live righteously."
Where does he have a wife and children?
Then the Summoned Beings shouted in unison.
"Finish him. Even if he became my son, I don't care."
"You must hit him. Correct his habits."
"Commander, the vital spot. Precisely between the legs."
"My Lord! Smash him. He won't die anyway!"
"Hmm... Wouldn't dying be better? Then this old man could also securely claim a spot."
"Huh?"
Even so, that's going too far.
How can you hit a Summoned Being?
That's when!
Kosak sprang up.
Pounding his chest as if frustrated.
"Summoner Bong, this won't do. You finish everything but why don't you finish the job?"
"..."
"A person must have a suspicious mind. Haven't you seen movies? You get counterattacked if you get complacent."
"..."
"Half-baked sympathy is worth a hundred sweet potatoes."
Damn it!
Whoosh!
Kwa-jik!
"Kgh!"
Kosak, hit on the forehead by the mace, fell backward,
Lying flat on his back, he fainted.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
Only then did the Summoned Beings give applause.
"A splendid strike."
"It's a pity you didn't use a skill, but well done."
"If you were just a bit stronger, it would have been perfect."
"You should have hit between the legs, not the head."
"Hoo-heck!"
He could guess why they staged this.
It must be to harden his resolve.
To not hesitate when facing an enemy.
"...Get up now. Don't pretend to be unconscious."
Kosak quietly opened his eyes and got up,
"Hehehe. Impressive. Summoner Bong."
"It didn't even hurt, did it?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Can't you see this bump? It's one-tenth the power of Gobang's flick."
That much?
'A person could die if I'm not careful.'
He gained confidence.
At this level, he could handle even a level 70+ player who liberated their abilities and rushed at him.
As long as they didn't attack while he's taking a dump,
But!
If such a situation actually occurred, could he kill a person?
In a situation where if he didn't kill, he would die.
'...It's not easy.'
Should he try it once in the Tower?
"Let's conquer the 73rd floor."
"I shall prepare."
"Victory!"
"Mr. Gosak ready too?"
"It's Kosak."
"Weren't you adopted as Mr. Gobang's son?"
"...Huh?"
"Huh?"
Anyway, regardless,
Please take good care of us again, Mr. Razix,
Swish!
What kind of place is the 73rd floor?
A royal palace?
'Doesn't seem like it.'
It seemed like an underground space.
However, it wasn't dark because torches hung on the walls.
'A dungeon?'
That seemed right.
Iron-barred cells arranged left and right.
"Let's go."
Gobang stepped forward.
Instantly! Ding!
The mission appeared.
73rd Floor Basic Mission
📍 Objective: Defeat 20 Battle Chimera Hounds.
The basic mission appeared.
Defeat Battle Chimera Hounds.
What about the optional missions?
'It is a royal palace.'
The moment of decisive battle was approaching.
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