Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Great Plains Tribe's Dumb Savage Meat Shield
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Black Tower, 69th Floor.
A powerful shockwave stretched out in a straight line.
A path was blasted right through the sea of undead that had filled the battlefield.
Like the miracle of Moses.
Thanks to that, Joo-hyuk and his summons walked leisurely down the cleared highway.
"Can't use it too often. It has a cooldown. But it can clear a path to the boss."
A skill to quickly reach the boss in boss battles where subordinate monsters appear in hordes.
As expected of our tank, leading the party.
But Gobang's greatness wasn't the shockwave.
"I wanted to upgrade the Gigantification skill, but I didn't. The body gets bigger but slower. Instead..."
Wooong!
Energy gathered around Gobang.
"KOOOOOO!!!"
The roar of a Lesser A-grade Taunt.
Instantly, aggro was drawn.
All remaining undead latched onto Gobang.
Mummies, zombies, skeletons, ghouls, dullahans, specters, phantoms, death knights.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kak!"
"Kiaak!"
"Krrrlng."
The most popular one here was Gobang.
As if confessing their love, every undead crazily clung to the gigantic Gobang.
Tapak, tak! Tadadadak!
On his legs, arms, torso, even climbing onto his shoulders and head.
His massive body grew even larger.
Still, it couldn't stop Gobang's advance.
Veronica stared blankly at the sight, utterly dumbfounded.
"It's like an assault mobile armored vehicle."
"With iron armor, it's a human tank."
Now, Gobang was no longer bare-skinned.
Pitch-black armor generated over his body.
The undead couldn't even leave a scratch on him.
Not even the sword of a death knight, thick with dark aura energy.
Thud thud thud thud.
Gobang advanced toward the Lich.
Undead desperately blocking his way.
But they were nothing but plastic bottles crushed under a human tank, flattened instantly.
"It's quite comfortable. The monsters can't even approach us, no, they aren't even trying."
Right.
Even with so many undead, they were only looking at Gobang.
They paid no attention to the others.
Veronica shot an undead clinging to Gobang with her magic gun, but it drew zero aggro.
Shoot or not, I'm gonna kill this guy.
Right now, to the undead, Gobang was no different from the one who killed their parents.
Meanwhile, Bardin wore a very dissatisfied expression.
Muttering to himself in a hurt tone,
"Why won't he pick me?"
No, why would he?
"Is it because I'm an S-grade and beneath him?"
The human holy sword Bardin seemed to think he had been abandoned.
Just then!
"Bardin!"
Finally, Gobang's call.
Bardin's face brightened.
"Light!!!"
Whoooosh!
Bardin's entire body erupted in radiance.
Shwaaaak! He ran, then stretched out his body and dived toward Gobang.
Grab!
Gobang seized Bardin by both ankles.
Gobang finally wielded a weapon.
'...'
Driving me crazy.
"Light!!!"
Bardin was swung.
Papa-papa-papa-papa...
Undead crumbled.
Ground to pieces by the torso and the flail.
"Hoe-eee,"
Meanwhile, Razix rode his Blood Wolf, searching here and there for items.
Well, this is Tower conquest.
Very familiar.
But are Mr. Kosak and the Demon of Light doing alright?
Please don't cause any major incidents.
If you do, let them be minor ones.
A dark night.
The leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Chairman Kim In-jung, could not sleep.
His wife lying beside him was already fast asleep, but he kept tossing and turning.
Those were the good days.
The time when he could just suck on honey.
Twenty years ago.
When Towers were generated by nationality.
The Republic had no Tower of its own.
It shared the Black Tower with the Republic of Korea.
Thus, the status window of a Republic player also belonged to the Republic of Korea, not the DPRK.
A shameful thing for a sovereign nation.
The Republic being a subordinate of South Korea?
There was no choice.
The system decided it.
No, even small nations with populations of 5 million had their own Towers generated, so why not the Republic?
But as time passed, he realized.
It wasn't all bad.
Without the burden of defending against Tower collapse.
Without climbing to higher floors.
Reaping the rewards of repeated low-floor conquests,
They could climb comfortably.
Then came the great upheaval.
The conquest of the 71st floor.
High-grade magic stones, which would be the rice grains of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, were exclusively produced only in the South Korean Tower.
Naturally, North Korean players also benefited.
Foreign currency rolled in like crazy.
But soon, the monopoly would end.
When the Black Towers of other nations also reached the 71st floor.
Only a few months remained.
So?
You have to suck it dry while you can.
So, he created a short-term temporary naturalization program.
Conquer the Black Tower of South Korea, where milk and honey flow, and reap the rewards.
Pay the money, and we'll change your status window nationality to the Republic of Korea as much as you want.
Indeed, the temporary naturalized players received high-grade magic stone rewards from the South Korean Black Tower, which had the highest reward probability.
Applications for short-term temporary naturalization surged like a tidal wave.
It spread like a trend.
The temporary naturalized players were also extremely satisfied.
They didn't need to go to North Korea directly; they could just go in and out of the Tower in the country they originally lived in and snatch the items.
And then the incident exploded.
Player population over-saturation.
A newly established Democratic People's Republic of Korea Black Tower.
Even near Pyongyang.
Suddenly, a national Tower was born.
It couldn't be anything but bewildering.
Who could have predicted this would happen?
They were completely unprepared.
The Republic had no capacity to conquer the un-conquered higher floors.
They couldn't even control it.
And then some crazy bastards raised the Tower floor to the undead section.
They did catch the player who did that, but...
They had to come up with a solution.
The surest method was to nurture a state-sponsored player to undertake Tower collapse defense.
But at this point, it's impossible.
Lack of budget, don't know how to do it,
The only place to rely on is still South Korea.
The know-how of the Awakening Management Bureau, which made South Korea a Tower conquest advanced nation.
And the player-exclusive equipment being sold in the Player Shop.
He didn't even hope for an S+++ grade record holder.
If only he could bring talent like Deputy Chief Jeon Gwang-il to the Republic... it would be an opportunity, not a crisis.
Thinking about this and that, his eyelids slowly grew heavy.
Just as he was about to fall into sleep...
"This seems to be the right person."
Huh?
"Hmm, I see, looking at his appearance, it's exactly right."
"Wow, finally found him. We searched how many rooms..."
"If you were a little smarter, you would've found him already."
"Sorry. What about the woman sleeping next to him?"
"I pressed the blood-restraining point. She won't wake up until tomorrow morning."
What is this talk?
Could it be intruders?
Ah, no way!
Probably dreaming while in a light sleep.
The bedroom where Kim In-jung currently sleeps is the most secretive location within the office and official residence buildings.
Guards stationed at every corridor, every door, every corner.
Who could enter here?
Therefore, it must be a dream.
Or a ghost.
Only a dream or a ghost could explain the situation unfolding now.
He was convinced of that.
Until someone started slapping his cheek with a palm.
Slap slap slap.
"Comrade Chairman Kim In-jung! Wake up quickly. A nuke has fallen on the Republic."
Slap slap.
What on earth?
"The nuke of nukes, the Demon of Light nuke, don't you know?"
"You damn bastard,"
"...Sorry."
Kim In-jung slowly opened his eyes.
There were two people.
One was a young man, the other a white-haired old man.
"Who are you..."
But Kim In-jung couldn't finish his sentence.
Because his eyes met the old man's.
Gasp! Goosebumps rose.
Just from looking into his eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
His heart pounded madly as if about to explode.
"It will hurt a bit. But consider yourself lucky. How many humans survive after meeting me? You've caught fortune."
What is he saying?
In an instant!
The old man's fingers stabbed various points on his body.
'...Huk!'
No scream came out.
He couldn't sit up, his fingers, toes, his whole body stiffened rigidly.
And a moment later.
Kim In-jung faced agony he had never experienced in his life.
'Kuaaaak!'
It felt like his flesh was being sliced away.
Muscles tearing.
Bones dislocating, joints snapping in reverse.
But he couldn't even writhe.
His mind was clear, but his body was paralyzed.
"Oh, oh, too much. Couldn't we just persuade him with words? Was it necessary to go this far?"
When the young man spoke in a worried tone, the old man flared up angrily.
"You bastard! You want to die! You dare interfere with my proceedings?"
"No, not that, couldn't you just make his body unable to move?"
"Shut up! If you don't want to die."
"Yep."
"Tsk tsk, why am I going through this trouble? Just killing them all at once would make the world easier."
Kim In-jung felt like he was going insane.
Since childhood, he had lived under excessive protection.
If he even tripped while walking, the bodyguards protecting him would be reprimanded and fired.
Having grown up like a flower in a greenhouse, he had no immunity to pain.
It was the same as he aged.
The Supreme Dignity of the Republic.
A body where even a single scratch on the skin was absolutely unacceptable.
But such horrific pain...
Unbearable.
Silent screams flowed from his entire body.
He'd rather die.
Then he'd be at peace.
"Aigo, too pitiful. Please just remove the pain. How can we have a conversation like this? We need to negotiate."
The young man stamped his feet anxiously, but,
"Hmph! Traditionally, negotiations should be done with the opponent's head under your butt to go smoothly. What conversation with someone holding their head high and resisting?"
The old man wouldn't budge an inch.
"This seems more like torture than conversation."
"So what if it's torture?"
Even in his pain-addled, dazed state, Kim In-jung clearly heard the word "conversation."
Yes, conversation.
Let's do it now.
I'll agree to anything.
"Anyway, conversation today seems unlikely. We should come back tomorrow."
"Do that."
What? Tomorrow?
Why?
We could do it now.
"Let's go."
"Yes! Thank you for your hard work."
"Yeah, you too... Huh? But why do you tie a ribbon on this bastard's head?"
"Eeek? Sorry. It's a habit."
And then, spot!
The presences vanished.
They left?
Really left?
Leaving him like this?
Kim In-jung despaired.
The terrifying pain continued.
This was wrong.
He couldn't last until tomorrow.
He wanted to bite his tongue and die right then.
But right at that moment!
Ssut!
It was the sound of a presence right beside him.
Who is it?
"Aish, that old man, this was too much."
It was the young man.
"He could have just made his body unable to move, why torture him? This poor person."
Quite right.
Torture was an outrageous, heinous act.
If his body were free, he would make torture disappear from the Republic.
"Comrade Chairman! Don't worry. I'll make it painless for you."
Oh!
"How was it done again. Press here like this?"
Kkeok!
Ah, no, not there, ah, no.
"Ah! I pressed here."
Kuk kuk,
"Press here too..."
Ahhh.
A miraculous thing happened.
The excruciating pain that felt like it was gnawing his entire body vanished in an instant.
But he still couldn't move his body.
Like a vegetable.
But that was something.
He was free from pain.
The young man tightly held his hand and spoke in a pitiful voice.
"You must endure. Comrade Chairman."
Such a grateful person.
"I want to give you a ribbon to cheer you up... but that's for next time. Anyway, we'll meet tomorrow."
Leaving behind Chairman Kim In-jung with grateful eyes, Kosak exited the room.
Bodyguards collapsed in the corridor.
Of course, they weren't dead either.
The Demon of Light had just pressed their blood-restraining points to put them to sleep.
Probably, all of Pyongyang would be turned upside down by tomorrow.
As he slipped outside the official residence, the Demon of Light was waiting for Kosak.
"Did you release the tendon-binding bone-locking technique?"
"Yep."
"I don't know if we really need to go through all this trouble."
"Don't worry. It's an effective method. It's a rapport-building technique with a name: Good Cop Bad Cop."
The Demon of Light tilted his head.
"Good Cop Bad Cop?"
"Good detective, bad detective."
"...You're the good detective, and I'm the bad one?"
"Yes!"
"Tsk tsk,"
The Demon of Light was utterly displeased.
If you kill them as you see them, there are no future troubles and it's clean.
He didn't understand why they were taking such a roundabout way when there was an easier method.
Awakening Management Bureau.
Park Kyung-su listened to the story Jeon Gwang-il laid out, his mouth agape in a daze.
Only after the story ended did he speak.
"So... unification?"
"Yes."
"That, the person named Kosak is negotiating with Chairman Kim In-jung?"
"Yes."
"Unify the Tower first, then complete unification long-term?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Yes."
It was a perfunctory answer, but what expression could be more certain than that?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, it'll work. It'll definitely work.
"...I think so too."
Park Kyung-su had no choice but to agree.
What's impossible?
People who could annihilate the North Korean communist party leadership overnight if they wanted.
But dialogue?
Even though there's no need for it.
A very moderate and peaceful method.
"Player Bong's influence must be at work, right?"
"Yes."
Of course, they wouldn't just have a real conversation.
"But how do we really report this?"
"What?"
"How do I report this to the Blue House?"
"Hmm."
"Do you want to do it?"
"...Absolutely can't. I have no idea what excuse to give."
Right.
To report, they'd have to disclose Player Bong's abilities to some extent.
But would the state accept it?
A player who can use abilities freely in reality without even using a Liberation Rune necklace.
"...Better not to do it."
"For now, watching seems to be the best choice."
Until the nationality of the North Korean Tower changes.
The next day.
Joo-hyuk's penthouse.
Frankly, Joo-hyuk didn't want to know what was happening in North Korea.
From an ordinary guy's perspective, it's an issue of too grand a scale.
For the summons, it probably wasn't like that.
They were people who played on a cosmic level.
People who had experienced all sorts of battles and seen all sorts of things in worlds other than Earth.
They must have a clear reason for doing this.
So, they must have done something and come back, so how could he not ask?
"...Nothing major happened, right?"
"Don't worry. Not a single person died."
A relief, but,
"So, the negotiation with the North Korean Chairman?"
"Comrade Chairman? He's probably in a coma right now. Conversation starts tomorrow."
Huh?
They didn't kill him, but put him in a coma?
"I just used pressure points. I also pressed the restraining point,"
Ah! Pressure points.
Joo-hyuk also knew what that was.
One of the martial arts techniques that paralyzes the body, making one like a vegetable.
"His mind is fine. He just can't move his body or make a sound unless I release it."
Well, he expected some show of force,
"Don't overdo it. Slowly, minimizing side effects."
"Aiyo, please don't worry. Who do you think I am? The Good Cop of rapport building, 'Our Child Has Changed,' custom-fit solutions, Dr. Kosak."
Right.
He had to believe.
Had Kosak ever failed at anything he did so far?
He always brought the best results.
This time would be the same.
Today, he planned to climb the higher floors after a long time.
Since Gobang was back, as a commemoration.
He was curious.
What kind of mission would the 74th floor be?
It was a two-track strategy.
Tower climbing in the morning, North Korean dispatch work at night.
'These next few days, will be hectic again.'
What could he do?
He chose it himself, so he had to endure it.