Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: The World of Souls and a New Business Venture
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The world where souls reside is bleak.
Without physical bodies, their five senses are blocked.
They may communicate with each other, but is there any fun in that?
Yet, the reason they endure.
The mission given to the souls by a contract with an unfathomable law.
Help the summoner who called them forth and save the world.
Summoner Player.
The strength of that profession needs no further explanation.
Perhaps an irregularity, possibly a bug in the Tower.
Nevertheless, it had never succeeded before.
In any world, without fail, the Tower collapsed, and the boundary between the world and the Tower vanished.
They couldn't even climb high.
Usually, they crumbled under the curse of the 70th-floor Cabalan average.
Even in worlds where summoners existed.
Tower conquest is this difficult.
But this summoner is definitely different.
The number of summoned beings currently out is already over ten, and thanks to that, they are climbing at a rapid pace.
And then, an incident finally occurred.
It was a truly shocking event.
Rumors spread, one after another.
『I heard a nuke went off in the Earth Tower.』
『...Ah! Oh my!』
『Damn! I thought they were holding up well.』
『Tsk tsk, so is Earth finished now? Retaliatory nuclear strikes will soon fly in, and they'll be destroyed even before the Tower collapses.』
『No, what am I supposed to do if it ends before I even get a chance to go out?』
『Oh, come on. What was the Mad Demon doing? He should have killed those politicians playing with nukes first.』
『Sigh, am I going to miss my chance again this time?』
The telepathy of souls, mixed with frustration, pity, despair, and lamentation.
But then?
『Hey, guys, what did you think I said? Did you even understand?』
『You said a nuke went off, right? The start of a nuclear war, isn't it?』
『For goodness sake! I said it went off in the Tower! Inside, not outside!』
『...What?』
『What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this now?』
『Wait! Inside the Tower? Uh, that, you mean the place where you receive missions on each floor?』
『Yeah, I heard nuclear fission occurred on the 81st floor and blew away a giant monster.』
The souls were bewildered, unable to make sense of it.
『Th-that's impossible, why would a nuke go off inside the Tower?』
『Did a player with a nuclear bomb trait appear or something?』
『Is it that foul-mouthed Mari? Did she finally manage to synthesize a nuclear fission homunculus?』
『No, none of that.』
『Then how?』
『I heard the Earth summoner airlifted a nuclear warhead into the Tower and detonated it.』
Instantly!
Silence flowed through the infinite world.
It couldn't be helped.
This wasn't a joke,
『Th-that's for real?』
『It's certain. The story came from the Mad Demon's own mouth.』
『Co-could the Mad Demon possibly be lying?』
『The shrine maiden who was promoted to Legendary grade last time also confirmed it again. She doesn't lie, you know.』
Suddenly, the souls became noisy.
『Wow!』
『Hahaha!』
『That's awesome.』
『Hohoho, that's so satisfying.』
But there were also points of doubt.
『But was the Behemoth on the 81st floor strong enough to warrant setting off a nuke?』
『Right. The Mad Demon could have handled it.』
『Apparently there was a hidden reason.』
『What kind?』
『An Administrator revealed themselves before the summoner and dealt damage. They said, "Speak your desired reward by the law of equivalent exchange. If you succeed, I will give it to you. However, the mission will become more difficult."』
『...They tried to make a deal? That crazy Administrator bastard!』
『Have they lost their minds? This is a clear violation of causality. It's overstepping authority.』
『I'll tear them to death.』
『They put on an Administrator's hat but can't tell shit from bean paste.』
『Those fucking trash bastards, my wish remains unchanged from now on. To snap an Administrator's neck.』
Amidst that, one curious thing.
『By the way, what did the summoner want? Eternal life? Trait enhancement? World domination?』
『The liberation of souls bound to the Tower... it's like this...』
The explanation continued.
『Ah!』
『As expected... it wasn't for himself.』
『How altruistic. The title "Savior" fits him perfectly.』
『There was a reason he had to be strong.』
『Hmm, isn't he just lovely?』
『I want to go out and meet the summoner soon too.』
『Right, a Random Summon is coming up soon...』
『This time it's definitely me. Summoner! Wait for me!』
That was when!
A strange telepathy cut into the souls' communication.
『Not a chance. Everyone, wake up from your dreams. You guys are not fit to be summoned.』
Huh?
Who speaks in this tone and sends telepathy?
『Oh!』
『You're an assassin, aren't you.』
『Finally, the protagonist has appeared.』
『Congratulations. I'm envious.』
『But what do you mean? Why do you say we won't be summoned?』
『The catalog is full.』
『Huh? If the catalog is full, an expansion ticket will come out, right?』
『That's the thing, it's not coming out.』
『Why isn't it coming out?』
『Right. Originally, when the catalog slots are filled, it comes out automatically.』
『The probability for a catalog expansion ticket is very high, you know. 20, 30, 40 slots, you can increase it as you wish.』
『But it's not coming out. Even if you receive three or more special rewards at once, it doesn't come out. Isn't that strange?』
It's not coming out?
That can't be.
Only then did the souls realize the seriousness.
『This, could it be those Administrator bastards?』
『That's it. It must be probability manipulation.』
『These bastards, they used such a despicable trick?』
『Ha! Not enough with dealing damage to the player, they even manipulate item probabilities?』
『These fucking petty scumbags...』
Souls originally dislike Administrators.
They recognize them as almost mortal enemies.
『Are we just going to sit still? We should rise up.』
『How?』
『Just lash out wildly! Until the infinite world turns upside down.』
『Lowering item probabilities? And daring to deal damage to a player? Run things properly. ...Like this?』
『Harder!』
『I accuse the Administrators of overstepping their authority. You bastard sons of bitches!』
『Is causality your family dog's name? Equivalent exchange? Go fuck yourself!』
『Cheap bastards! Do you have any conscience?』
『Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck...』
『Administrator, get lost! Administrator, get lost! Administrator, get lost! Administrator, get lost! Administrator, get lost! Administrator, get...』
『Hey, you bastards! Hey, you bastards! Hey, you bastards! Hey, you bastards! Hey, you bast...』
『Meem, meem, speio, speio! Meem, meem, speio, speio! Meem, meem, speio, speio! Meem, meem, speio...』
『Who's making that cicada sound?』
The outcry of the souls filled the infinite world.
Endlessly, spreading like an epidemic,
The roar of the enraged souls.
It was a massive flow.
It showed no signs of stopping.
It was natural.
If there's no catalog expansion, even Random Summoning itself might come to a halt.
Could there be anything more important to the souls than this?
Beijing, China.
Recently, the newly appointed Chairman Liu Zhao of China has been grinning from ear to ear.
All three Chinese Towers have climbed into the 70s floors.
They have finally broken through the supposedly impregnable Undead section.
This is all thanks to the Holy Water and Tower reward items.
Furthermore, climbing through the 70s has been very smooth.
It was truly easy, as they say.
Once past the hardships of the Undead section, a flowery path unfolded before their eyes.
Of course, that's limited to the basic missions.
Well, just doing the basic missions is enough, isn't it?
Starting with conquering the 71st floor, then 72nd, 73rd, 74th...
All three Towers are cruising smoothly,
Now the 80th floor is in sight.
How good does it feel?
They don't have to worry about Tower collapse for a while.
However, there are things that irritate Chairman Liu Zhao's mood.
It's because of those small country bastards on the peninsula.
South Korea and North Korea.
Not knowing their place, they have started discussing unification with each other.
An absolutely intolerable matter.
They must stop it before unification is achieved.
"Is the outreach work finished?"
"Yes, we have contacted North Korean People's Army Player Major Jang Chang-su. We safely handed over the item as well."
"Is he a trustworthy guy?"
"You can trust the money. We promised him 30 million yuan. We've already brought his family to China and paid an advance of 5 million yuan."
30 million yuan is almost 6 billion in Korean won.
"What if he changes his mind at the last minute?"
"Major Jang Chang-su has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He's a guy with not many days left to live. He will definitely do it for his family."
Chairman Liu Zhao nods his head, seemingly satisfied.
Both South and North Korea need to be punished.
If the two countries unify, China's security will be threatened.
Korea possessing nuclear weapons.
What if nuclear warheads are mounted on Hwasong missiles that can reach Beijing?
And what about dominance in East Asia?
Korea, already stretching out as an advanced Tower conquering nation, is even seeing whispers about seating Korea on the UN Security Council.
It's a terrifying prospect.
"When is the execution date?"
"In a few days, there will be an event in Pyongyang to establish a branch office of the Awakening Management Bureau. That day is D-day."
The world's top Tower climbing and conquering organization.
The Republic of Korea's Awakening Management Bureau.
And now they're building a branch in North Korea.
South Korean civil servants starting work on North Korean soil, for North Korean players?
If that's not unification, what is?
"At the event, high-ranking officials from both Koreas will attend, including Chairman Kim In-jung, People's Armed Forces Minister Ko Sa-geuk, and soon-to-be-appointed Pyongyang Awakening Management Bureau Branch Chief Park Kyung-su, and Bureau Chief Jeon Gwang-il."
In fact, China had also received a request to attend.
But they didn't even bother.
"It must not fail."
"Major Jang Chang-su is a Player. And his level is quite high."
"Didn't you say he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer? Even if he uses the Rune of Liberation Necklace..."
"That's not it. The moment he uses the Rune of Liberation Necklace, his abilities inside the Tower are applied as is. It will definitely succeed."
One more thing.
"What's the risk of our involvement being exposed?"
"Absolutely none. It's a Russian-made item airlifted from Pakistan anyway. Only Major Jang Chang-su knows, and if he dies, it will be buried forever."
"Good."
Even if the incident occurs, there aren't many reasons to suspect China,
Especially given North Korea's very unstable political situation lately.
Since something like terrorism is entirely possible.
Suddenly, Chairman Liu Zhao recalled the global announcement made a while ago.
The content that nuclear fission and fusion reactions would not occur inside the Tower.
Well, it was a laughable announcement.
You can't even bring nuclear weapons into the Tower, so why bother?
'But outside the Tower is different.'
This is reality.
A nuclear backpack is quite portable and will explode if set off.
They've given North Korea enough chances until now.
If they still won't listen?
They have no choice but to suppress them by force.
Joo-hyuk decided to conquer floors 77 to 81 of Korean Black Tower No. 1.
He had to balance things out.
People were already talking a lot.
Suspicions that he only conquered the North Korean Tower, asking if he defected to the North, if he became a commie.
'No, why would I be a commie?'
They're Towers of the same nationality.
When he brought them over using the Tower's strong points, they talked about northward unification and whatnot.
So he decided to do a consecutive climb.
While also securing Platinum Badges and special rewards.
First, floor 77, where the ultra-high-difficulty optional mission had changed.
Eliminate the Serial Killer Swordmaster Jordic.
"A chance to use Hartmann's Sword Style!"
He boldly declared a frontal confrontation.
He slipped into the prison where Jordic was hiding, stealthily tiptoeing with Invisibility.
Swish,
Chit!
Clang!
He finished with a sneaky ambush.
Clap clap clap clap!
A shower of applause poured down.
"Ahem! I am Swordmaster LSSR. L-S-S-R."
It's all good, but...
"You said it was a frontal confrontation?"
"This is an assassin's frontal confrontation."
"What about Hartmann's Sword Style?"
"I used it when slicing his neck."
"..."
Well, whatever,
No matter how much of a Swordmaster he is, an assassin has his own ways.
Floor 78 was also carried by Kosak alone.
Ultra-high-difficulty mission: Eliminate Cruel Guild Guildmaster Jericho.
Wasn't it his theme floor anyway?
Floor 79 was eliminating Emperor Calius in the Imperial Palace Maze's detached palace.
A time-attack mission, but they easily found him using Gyeon Dal-rae's Tracking Talisman.
Kosak dealt with Calius as instructed by his father.
If possible, don't kill him in one go, but slowly imprint pain on him.
Floor 80?
The Nightmare Black Knight, replaced by Diamat's defection.
This guy is also a dream demon type.
True to his name, Nightmare delivers nightmares.
So dream attacks began the moment they entered.
But they didn't fall for it.
Jin-sook no longer had business to see in dreams.
Because Mari had made a drug that allows one to avoid a dream demon's unique skill, Dream Domain.
If you take this, you don't sleep.
Your eyes become wide awake.
So there's no reason to dream.
The side effect is that you can't sleep for about 3 days, but that doesn't even count as a side effect.
Additionally, Gyeon Dal-rae's Evil-Repelling Talisman.
A talisman that blocks one instance of bad energy coming from outside.
With just these two, there's no reason to dream.
If you don't dream?
The Nightmare Black Knight is just a slightly strong horse.
Physically, it's easier than a wyvern.
Finally, floor 81.
In Tower No. 2, it was the super-giant monster Titan Behemoth, strengthened by the result of equivalent exchange.
So, what are the specs of the changed monster after the difficulty returned to normal?
The "Super" and "Titan" were gone.
The time limit was also within 15 hours.
It's easy.
Because the Behemoth's size, which was as big as a mountain, has shrunk pitifully.
To put it metaphorically, what was once an elephant has now become a mouse.
Though it was still very huge.
Thump thump thump thump!
The Behemoth, now smaller than before, was moving.
But...
'It'll be tough.'
Of course, not for him, but for other players.
Even though the bubble has burst, the difficulty is no joke.
It will be hard to catch.
Actually, the 70s have been too easy until now.
This level is what high-floor climbing should be like.
Joo-hyuk had a hunch.
This was the new weekly hotspot.
Almost every player on Earth except himself will taste despair before this wall of the 81st floor.
"This old man thinks differently."
"Huh?"
Thinking differently?
"The players' despair will probably start from the 80th floor."
"Ah!"
He understood what he meant.
"If you fall into the dream, it's over. You can't even give up on conquering it. Without defenses, players will probably die one after another on the 80th floor."
That's true, but.
"We have the Elixir of Sleep Control and the Evil-Repelling Talisman,"
"Right. With those, it'll be easy. Just like the holy sword in the Undead section."
Kosak rubbed his fingers together frivolously.
"The holy sword was once a reliable cash cow. Now that its popularity has waned, it's time to switch to a new source of revenue. Hehehe."
Creating a new profit-making business.
Meaning they should sell the Elixir of Sleep Control and the Evil-Repelling Talisman.
"What should the price be?"
"We must sell it expensively. It's the price of a player's life, isn't it?"
Right.
Without this, they'd just die.
Stuck in a dream state, unable to wake up.
"I advise against selling to those who don't listen. It could be used for taming or even for world domination."
"..."
Has this guy's illness flared up again?
It seems his obsession with world conquest still remains.
Anyway, they'll get past floor 80 with the elixir and talisman.
What about the Behemoth on floor 81?
'There's really no answer.'
Even though it shrank, it's still too big.
Joo-hyuk picked up his smartphone and filmed a video of the Behemoth moving.
Thump thump thump thump!
Even if he can't show a conquest video, this should at least raise awareness.
Anyway, the conquest began.
Giant-sized Gobang blocking the path of the normal Behemoth.
Back then, they couldn't even attempt it, but now it's a size where they can somehow grab onto one leg and hang on.
And Gyeon Dal-rae's talisman arts.
The Mad Demon's and Kosak's DPS.
The conquest was over quickly.
Thus, the Republic of Korea's NO.1 Black Tower was also completed up to the 81st floor.
The final tally?
Accumulated badges: 128.
Physical items: 23.
And the special rewards?
'Damn it,'
'...Still no expansion ticket.'
Bastards.
How petty and cheap.
Are they sulking because he set off a nuke inside the Tower?
But another Defector Grade-Up Rune came out.
'Why does this come out so well?'
Is it a balloon effect?
It seems like an intention to shift direction here since one side is blocked.
"Ms. Diamat?"
"Yes."
"I'll give you the rune, go and raise your grade."
"Umm, ...again?"
"Let's meet again as an SSR."
If it just keeps going like this, being a defector isn't so bad,
"Understood. Master, I will tell Vice Minister Ko that I cannot attend tomorrow and then come back."
Tomorrow?
"Ah!"
Come to think of it, the event is tomorrow.
The Pyongyang Awakening Management Branch Office opening ceremony.
Former Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su is taking office as Branch Chief, and Bureau Chief Jeon Gwang-il is also attending.
Vice Minister Ko, People's Armed Forces Minister Ko Sa-geuk, Kosak too.
"Then go after attending the event. I'll talk to Vice Minister Ko."
"Thank you, Master."
Of course, Joo-hyuk also plans to attend the event.
Even if he doesn't step forward himself, he should at least offer congratulations from behind, shouldn't he?