Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Homunculus King
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Homunculus.
A high-end masterpiece that only high-level alchemists can synthesize.
They look like tiny humans, but they don't possess individual intelligence or life force.
They are merely a type of tool.
They move according to the user's will and power.
The will issues the command.
And to act on that command, magical power or internal energy is required.
That's right.
Homunculi consume energy.
Simple movements don't consume much.
However, even slightly complex actions require a considerable amount of energy.
Energy consumption.
A disadvantage?
No, an advantage.
A tremendous one at that.
The core of the Homunculus lies right here.
Each individual moves by receiving its own energy.
Naturally, they can also cast skills.
Joo-hyuk first put all the Homunculi into his inventory.
How convenient it is to carry them around.
He could store them like this and only take out the number he wants to move.
He was still a beginner, so he would just try out 100 for now.
Since they were only the size of ants, 100 wouldn't even fill a handful.
Well then, shall we begin?
Homunculi lined up in rows and columns.
'Forward march!'
Then the little homunculi started moving their feet, clack clack clack clack!
'Right face.'
Clack clack clack clack!
'Left face.'
Clack clack clack clack!
'Halt!'
Clack!
Starting with simple commands like these.
'Can you bring me my smartphone?'
Clack clack clack clack!
A Homunculus bringing the smartphone, balancing it on its head like a balancing pole.
Knowing what Joo-hyuk wanted and running that errand to fetch it.
Now for the highlight.
Joo-hyuk projected his will.
Subtle, but...
With a slight, draining feeling of his internal energy flowing out...
Huum... 100 Homunculi glowed red.
Blood Jade Astral Qi.
A skill displayed by 100 Homunculi, each 5mm tall.
For the experiment, Kosak had brought over a paving stone.
What would its power be?
The Homunculus infused with Blood Jade Astral Qi went dodododo charging at the block.
Crunch! Craaash! Grk, gurgk...
The paving stone shattered into pieces in an instant.
Clap clap clap clap!
The summoned beings who saw this cheered and applauded.
"Ooooh! So cool."
"My Lord! Magnificent."
"It is an incredible invention. Truly, you are worthy of being called an LSSR alchemist."
"Hoeh!"
Even Gwangma genuinely admired it.
"A foul-mouthed, crazy elf... but even this old man can't help but be impressed. How did you create such a device?"
It wasn't just Blood Jade Astral Qi.
What about movement speed?
Tested with Shadow Step.
Spot! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat...
The penthouse living room flashed.
Even though they were small, they could jump up to about head height.
It was truly a spectacle to see 100 Homunculi simultaneously performing Shadow Step.
They could also perform it together with Blood Jade Astral Qi at the same time.
'Not bad?'
The internal energy consumption wasn't that high either.
Well, it's only 100.
If I pushed it, how many could I move at once?
The real experiment would come later.
Finally.
'Primordial Thunderbolt Staff - Falling Thunder Soul Chaser.'
Pazik! Pachichichichichichichichichik!
100 tiny, minuscule sparks simultaneously filled the living room air.
"Eeek!"
"Hoehehek?"
"It's beautiful."
"The light!!!"
"Hahaha."
It was fantastic.
It was like watching a small fireworks display.
Truly, LSSR Alchemist-nim.
So what if he has anthropophobia? Huh? He can just type some harsh words on a keyboard.
Now he just needed to test it in the Tower.
To see if it's useful when hunting monsters too.
'An Orc should be about right.'
For several days, he immersed himself solely in repeated conquests.
Raising his Homunculus proficiency.
Inside the Tower, and in reality...
Time passed.
And so, the number of Homunculi Joo-hyuk could freely control reached about 3,000.
Even that wasn't much, but...
Only now...
'I can finally pull my weight too.'
Safely.
Just by clicking my fingers.
South Korea Awakening Management Bureau.
Jeon Gwang-il and Park Kyung-su were conversing.
"Did Gerald leave the country?"
"Yes, he conquered the 71st floor of the American West Tower yesterday and left for the US."
"He's a truly amazing player. After nearly dying, he jumped right back into conquering."
There's a reason Gerald is America's top player.
His mental recovery was extremely fast.
When you think about it, that's also an incredible talent.
"Did he say anything else?"
"He asked to send his regards to Player Bong. Said he'll come back soon to repay the favor."
"And?"
"He said he was glad he could make up for the mistake he made on the 71st floor."
"What mistake?"
"How would I know?"
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su chuckled.
"Anyway, Gerald aside, shouldn't the US government compensate Player Bong in some way?"
"I gave them a hint. About what Player Bong might want."
"What did you say?"
"Naturally, a Trait Enhancement Rune."
"Good job. That's the best thing, better than a bit of money. Did you tell Player Bong?"
"Not yet. I should tell him once it's confirmed. It might not be obtainable."
It was a difficult item to acquire.
What if they told him in advance and it fell through? How disappointed would he be?
"That aside, about your visit to the Blue House...?"
"Ah! That?"
Park Kyung-su had attended an emergency cabinet meeting today.
The agenda was the rapidly changing situation in North Korea.
"What is there for me to say? I just listened to an explanation of how the situation is developing."
"How is the situation?"
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su explained the contents discussed at the meeting to Jeon Gwang-il.
"...Haa, it's really unbelievable."
"I feel the same. It's something we've never experienced before."
How many players are there in Korea?
Players whose status window nationality is set to the Republic of Korea.
They had known it was roughly between 7,000 and 10,000.
But that was old news.
The number was exploding.
They didn't even know the exact count anymore.
The reason?
South Korea was the country that conquered the True Kabbalah.
As a benefit, the item reward probability had greatly increased.
It was the highest in the world.
Moreover, the demand for high-grade magic stones was trending upward.
Just a week ago, the price of high-grade magic stones, which was double that of regular ones, had now jumped fourfold.
For these reasons, Republic of Korea status window nationality was the world's players' 'want-to-be'.
The quantity of high-grade magic stones mined was also superior, and equipment items, new elixirs, potions, etc., were frequently appearing as rewards.
Although prices had dropped due to the Player Shop, equipment items were still expensive.
A single throwing dagger starts at 100 million won.
But in the Korean Black Tower, you could get them for free.
Because of this, naturalization requests were flooding into the Korean government and embassies.
However, the Korean government was not accepting naturalization either.
So what was the alternative?
Was there no way to enter the Korean Black Tower?
There was.
Is only South Korea considered Korea?
North Korea is also Korea.
North Korea.
A different country, but one that shares the same Tower.
If South Korea doesn't work, then to North Korea.
Naturalization requests surged at embassies of North Korea in various countries.
The type of naturalization?
Temporary short-term naturalization.
Naturally, it came at a cost.
You had to pay the North Korean government money under the condition of being granted temporary naturalization for one month.
Even so, people lined up.
Because you could hit the jackpot by mining high-grade magic stones and acquiring equipment items.
Also, since it was a status window nationality change, there was no need to physically go to North Korea.
You could climb the Tower comfortably from the country you originally lived in.
"The North Korean government is raking in money with this naturalization business. They must be grinning from ear to ear."
How great would it be if that money went to the North Korean people?
But that possibility was absolutely zero.
"How much has the player count increased?"
"Well, they said it's so many that it's impossible to grasp."
"...Insane."
They couldn't help but be bewildered.
Had there ever been a case like this since players began awakening?
"India, China, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, South America... Anyway, all countries with North Korean embassies are like that. It's spreading like a trend."
What about other countries?
Even if it's temporary naturalization, their own players were flowing out to North Korea. Would they just stand by?
Amusingly, they weren't imposing any particular regulations.
Some countries were even encouraging it.
Why?
Because it helped the economy.
Even if players temporarily naturalized to North Korea, the high-grade magic stones, by-products, and items had to be sold in their original home countries.
Nothing would change.
Rather, what country would refuse the release of high-grade magic stones, which could only be obtained by conquering the 70th floor?
Furthermore, the people requesting temporary naturalization were mainly ordinary players.
Not the elites the state invested in to nurture.
The government only needed to care about the state-nurtured players.
With a few well-raised players, defending against a Tower collapse was entirely possible.
"Haa, damn, I can't help but curse. The bear does the tricks, but some other bastard makes the money."
At Park Kyung-su's swearing, Jeon Gwang-il also smiled bitterly.
How could they stop it?
There's one Tower, but two governments.
Frankly, it's infuriating, but since it's not directly related to a Tower collapse, they had to endure it.
Unless they were going to war.
"Let's put aside the headache-inducing talk. About the gift entrusted by Crown Prince Bin Salman of the United Arab Emirates..."
"Ah! That one?"
"Is it still in the warehouse?"
"Yes, it's being kept safely."
The recipient was Gobang.
Namely, Player Bong Joo-hyuk.
"When will you deliver it?"
"We're meeting tomorrow."
"Is that so? Anyway, keep up the good work."
Twenty years had passed since the Black Tower's creation.
Therefore, it had also been 20 years since players began awakening.
In the first few years after the Tower's creation, players were free.
Government agencies or policies to manage them in reality hadn't even been established.
Magic stones, Tower by-products, and items brought by players were also traded naturally.
Supply was woefully insufficient compared to demand, so early Tower reward items sold at quite high prices.
Given this situation, what happened?
Players became targets of crime.
Since they couldn't properly use their power in reality...
They were kidnapped, tortured to have all items in their inventory forcibly taken, or even killed.
Numerous crimes targeting players and Tower by-products arose.
Existing gang organizations, drug smuggling rings, unethical corporations, and terrorist groups also participated in the crimes.
In response, players also banded together.
They united to form guilds or clans, hired bodyguards, secured safe places, and climbed the Tower.
Later, after experiencing the nightmare of Tower Collapse and with magic stone research becoming active, things improved as countries began managing players at a national level.
With state intervention, criminal organizations targeting players were almost all wiped out.
Private guilds and clans also disappeared into history.
However, one organization still remained robust.
The magic stone and item distribution guild formed by players gathering in the past.
Created in the early days of Tower climbing to protect the rights and interests of players worldwide and facilitate smooth transactions.
All players traded through that distribution guild.
Because it was safe and guaranteed anonymity.
That distribution guild remained robust even in 2024, 20 years later.
That was the Black Market Guild.
The world's largest Tower by-product and item trading distribution organization.
They usually brokered or directly sold goods through the deep web or dark web.
But now, it had transformed differently from its founding purpose.
Its original goal was to confront criminal organizations, but currently, the Black Market Guild itself was a criminal group.
Countries around the world had known of their existence for a long time.
But they couldn't touch them.
They were so vast that there were guild members in every country.
Even among a country's top players, there were guild members.
Eradicating them was impossible.
Even if you caught and investigated one person, the trail would end there.
Even if you grabbed the tail and followed it, it was the same.
Especially since governments were secretly trading through this place.
"Guild Master, we've been contacted from America wanting to buy a Trait Enhancement Rune."
"America... Antonio?"
"Judging by the assigned identification number, it is Antonio."
The man called Guild Master smiled and spoke.
"Planning to feed it to Gerald."
"That seems to be the case. He said he wants to buy two if the quantity is available."
"Two, huh."
Trait Enhancement Rune.
A representative item whose reward probability plummeted to the lowest level at some point, though quite a lot poured out in the early days of the Tower's creation.
"How many do we have in stock?"
"Only 3 in inventory."
"The offered price?"
"He said he wants to buy two for 5 billion dollars each."
"Tell him not to even dream about it. 10 billion dollars each... hmm."
He paused for a moment.
"If he buys two, give him a 5% discount and settle at 19 billion dollars."
"Yes."
He would use this opportunity to unload the Trait Enhancement Runes.
The world had changed now.
He needed to conceive a new business plan to keep pace.
"How is the temporary naturalization process for guild members going?"
"Completed. They are currently inside the Tower, conquering."
The new business was none other than securing items without the 'Tower Exclusive' modifier.
Especially the Liberation Rune Necklace, Shape Transformation Ring, Rejuvenation Elixir, and Disease Cure Potion.
They were also gifts for entering the 71st floor, but they also came as rewards from conquering floors above the 71st.
Purchase requests through the black market were skyrocketing.
The price was whatever the buyer named.
With Trait Enhancement Rune inventory now depleted, these items would become the black market's main future sales products.
Where do you have to go to get these items?
Countries that have completed the 70th-floor conquest.
Thus, the Black Towers where entry to the 71st floor is possible.
Korea, China, France, and America.
Among these, which has the highest reward probability?
Naturally, Korea.
Not just Korea, but North Korea.
If you temporarily naturalize to North Korea, your status window nationality becomes the Republic of Korea.
The entire Black Market Guild membership had temporarily naturalized to North Korea.
Thus, the current nationality of the Black Market Guild Master and Vice Guild Master was also the Republic of Korea.
There was no need to worry about getting rewards.
Black Market Guild members were almost all early awakening players.
Since they had been living as players for nearly 20 years, they were elite members.
The Republic of Korea's Black Tower was no different from an item supply source for the Black Market Guild.
Joo-hyuk was sprawled long on the sofa.
He had trained too hard these past few days.
So he didn't want to do anything.
And he didn't have to do anything.
Crunch, crunch!
Kosak was munching on popcorn.
Eating all by himself.
'Should I try some too?'
Then he sent a few Homunculi to the popcorn bag.
"Huh? Thieves!"
They carried them one by one, heave-ho, heave-ho, and delivered them.
It closely resembled ants transporting food.
He didn't even need to use his hands.
If he just lay there with his mouth open, they dropped them in one by one.
Plop plop plop plop.
Crunch, crunch.
"It's savory."
"...Are you the Ant King?"
"Please call me Homun King."
Changing the TV channel was also easy.
The Homuns climbed onto the remote and took a running start.
Click!
The screen changed.
Gyeon Dal-rae watched this scene with a worried look.
"...young master."
"What is it?"
"I'm worried you might become lazy if you get used to this. You must move your body directly."
It couldn't be helped.
He was already lazy.
But to make an excuse...
"Our homunculi movement is also training. Do you know how difficult this is?"
"It doesn't look difficult, which is why I'm saying this."
"It's harder than you think."
"Is that so?"
Haa, our princess's nagging.
There's someone who sleeps all day, you know.
You don't say anything to Sleeping Beauty.
Just then, news started playing on the TV.
The hottest issue these days.
The explosive surge in temporary naturalization to North Korea.
A bypass temporary naturalization to conquer the Republic of Korea's Black Tower, which had increased reward probability.
People are really clever, aren't they?
How did they come up with that idea?
Well, it's not like they're parasites.
North Korea, happily doing its naturalization business, was despicable, but...
"Was there a case like that in other worlds?"
"I don't remember one. Besides, the world ended before that."
"Usually, they failed to overcome the Kabbalah's curse."
Will everything be fine?
He couldn't help but worry.
What does Gwangma-nim think?
Let's summon him and ask.
"The System won't just sit still. For lower floors maybe, but now that you've entered the 71st floor..."
That's right.
From the 71st floor, even Tower Jumping Tickets were blocked.
"Will there be sanctions?"
"I don't remember well, but there probably will be, right?"
"What kind?"
"For example..."
That was the moment.
"Huh?"
A sudden world announcement.
Overcrowding phenomenon?
What is this?
Is this a new city construction announcement?
Instantly!
Grrrrr...
A tremor that reached even the Seoul penthouse.
"Wow!"
It was absurd.
Now even the Tower had been divided into North and South.
Anyway, once again, the world was turned upside down.