Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Man's Tower Conquest Strategy
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You should eat meat at a proper butcher's shop.
Sometimes it's nice to grill it outdoors, but that's mostly for the atmosphere.
Fortunately, there was a butcher's shop nearby.
A specialty Hanwoo (Korean beef) rib restaurant.
Looking at the signboard outside...
Fresh ribs, 200g for 100,000 won.
'...Hmm.'
This was a high-end place.
Of course, there were places that charged 150,000 or 170,000 won, but this one was no less impressive.
Gobang would probably devour over 10kg...
That meant we were starting at a minimum of 5 million won?
'Did I pick too expensive of a place?'
But turning back now would be a blow to my pride.
Especially with my Summoned beings already buzzing excitedly about "beef, beef..."
'Ah!'
What pointless worry was this?
Think of how much money they earn for me.
We entered the restaurant.
No one looked at us strangely.
In a quiet private room with floor seating...
"Gobang, you sit down slowly, slowly. You'll break the floor."
Ding-dong! After ringing the bell to call a server,
"...Um, could we get 20 servings of fresh ribs, please?"
"Twenty servings?"
"And 10 bottles of soda, and, uh, 4 plates of yukhoe (beef tartare)..."
"Yes, yes. Understood."
Whew.
Order placed successfully.
The first hurdle was cleared.
I'd ordered at restaurants before, but never such a large quantity.
'20 servings of ribs, 4 plates of tartare... That should be enough to start, right?'
I was holding my card, worried they might ask if we were ordering too much or if we could pay.
"Impressive, Summoner Bong. Do you frequent places like this?"
"Hahaha, not this one, but I used to go to similar places every day in the past."
"Hehehe, that's admirable! Eating such precious beef every day!"
Gobang looked envious, and Gyeon Dal-rae nodded with a look that said, "As expected!"
Could he have really gone to eat such expensive beef before?
He was probably just serving and cleaning grills.
A former part-timer at a butcher's shop.
That quit after becoming active as a Player.
"Hmph! Eat a lot. I'll do the grilling."
Gyeon Dal-rae flinched in surprise.
"No, that won't do. How could My Lord stoop to such labor? It's a lowly task... No, please leave it to us."
"I pride myself on grilling meat more deliciously than anyone. So no more arguments, just eat."
"But still..."
"It's an order."
"I humbly obey My Lord's august command."
What do they take a former butcher's shop part-timer for?
While they were chattering away...
Swish.
The door slid open.
The basic side dishes were placed, and charcoal fire was brought in.
Followed by the meat.
But...
'Huh?'
What's this?
'This isn't fresh ribs.'
Marinated ribs had arrived.
We ordered 20 servings, but the portion was much smaller...
'Hmm...'
An awkward situation.
Starting with marinated ribs is just wrong.
Eating fresh ribs first, then marinated ones, is the unspoken rule.
"Summoner Bong, what's wrong? You look troubled."
"The meat we ordered came wrong..."
"Gasp! How could this be? What shall we do?"
"I'm thinking about it."
"But this looks delicious too. Hrrrp!"
Really?
Should we just eat it?
'No.'
If the food is wrong, protesting was the customer's legitimate right.
This wasn't being a difficult customer.
"I should call the server."
"Right. If it's wrong, we must correct it. Show them clearly who Summoner Bong is!"
"Give them a good scolding, My Lord."
Ding-dong!
After ringing the bell,
"Did you need something, sir? Would you like some drinks?"
"...It's not that. I think the meat came wrong. Could you check..."
"Huh? Just a moment. Oh my? Why did this come here? I'm sorry. We'll bring you the right ones right away."
Whew.
The second hurdle was cleared too.
New meat arrived.
Meat sizzled on the charcoal grill.
The platter was emptied as soon as it was placed.
Savage Gobang grabbed five pieces at once.
"You rascal... Hmm, how can Gobang take five pieces at once? Your gluttony is unpleasant to behold, especially with My Lord present... Uhp!"
Joo-hyuk stuffed a pre-made lettuce wrap into Gyeon Dal-rae's mouth.
"Tasty, right?"
She nodded while chewing.
Kosak also said,
"The Princess is right. That one, named Meat Shield, seems intent on filling his entire body with meat."
Well, so what?
If I don't spend money here, where will I spend it?
With a 2 billion won annual salary, plus magic stone sales, and even a steady 1 billion won deposit from the management bureau for the Holy Sword rental fee... and what if I start receiving Holy Sword rental fees from other countries too?
I could even buy a Hanwoo ranch.
"Alright, alright. Talking here means losing. Instead of talking, we should eat the meat. Look at Gobang. He's not saying a word, just stuffing meat into his mouth."
He was practically mechanical.
He even grabbed undercooked meat and swallowed it whole.
"Meat fine, not cooked, no get sick"
What do you mean "fine"?
It was only because he's a savage warrior.
We kept ordering.
True to his name, the meat shield Gobang ate a lot.
At super speed.
I felt almost sorry for ringing the order bell.
Before I knew it, we had passed 70 servings.
Then, the restaurant owner came over with a worried expression.
"Um, you're ordering too much meat..."
I was waiting for this moment.
I had been anticipating it.
I tapped my card on the table and said,
"Let's settle the bill midway. You can charge more in advance."
"Oh! Thank you."
Flex!
This is the fun of spending money.
As we kept eating, the meat started running out again.
We also kept changing the menu.
Ribeye, tenderloin, rib meat, chuck flap, marinated ribs...
And even that wasn't enough, so they started bringing meat from other shops or wholesalers.
Still not enough?
No, why are they eating so much?
We had already exceeded the expected expenditure.
"Um, should we order more?"
"...Are we eating too much?"
Kosak looked disappointed, Gobang too, and Gyeon Dal-rae as well.
How can I stop here?
I even told them before we came to order as much as they wanted.
Ah, whatever.
"...S-So what! Let's, let's bankrupt the restaurant! Order more!!!"
With a trembling hand, I rang the bell. Ding-dong.
"Yay! That's awesome."
"Truly, My Lord is magnanimous."
Gobang kept shoveling it in amidst the chaos.
The amount of meat the four of us devoured that day was roughly 150 servings.
Since each menu item had a different price, the total came to 12,680,000 won.
No matter how fun it was to spend money, 12.68 million won was too much.
The restaurant owner even handed me his business card and asked us to come back next time we film a mukbang video for YouTube.
A YouTube mukbang? What nonsense.
Will we ever come back?
Next time, we should go somewhere cheaper.
After finishing the meat, we went for a walk, had dessert, went to a coin karaoke room where I sang for them.
Later on, Joo-hyuk got even more excited.
When was the last time I had such an experience, hanging out and having fun with people?
I never had one in the past either.
Now it was time to go back.
Each Summoned being had their own time difference, but I released them all in a secluded, dark place.
Joo-hyuk returned alone to the officetel.
Pulling down the cap I had prepared beforehand, I tapped the card key on the officetel's main entrance reader.
Beep! I went inside.
It's practically unheard of for an elite Player to come and go alone without bodyguards, but none of the security guards seemed to notice.
They just thought I was one of the residents.
Some of them might even be police or bureau employees.
CCTV?
That's only checked after an incident happens.
'Ooh, this is thrilling.'
It felt like I was a spy.
Like the protagonist in a spy movie.
'Home really is the best.'
We ate and drank lavishly, so tomorrow we start conquering the 33rd floor.
And the next day...
"We ate meat, so let's get moving."
"Chung! So much energy is left!"
"I shall repay your grace with all my heart and soul."
"The meat warrior has arrived."
Oh dear,
Look at their faces.
Beef fat was practically dripping down.
The Awakening Management Bureau was bustling from the morning.
Section Chief Lee Min-ah and Team Leader Jeon Gwang-il were anxiously waiting for Player Nam Ga-eun to exit the 65th floor.
Surely Player Nam Ga-eun would manage without issue this time too, right?
The long-awaited 66th-floor conquest was scheduled to begin in three days.
That's right.
Soon, the 66th floor.
The conquest schedule had been moved up.
The remaining time was now about two months.
With the Holy Sword, there was no need to rush.
But they decided to conquer the 66th floor as soon as possible.
Why?
The repeated failures of Japan's Black Tower 57th-floor conquest had a big impact.
While they secretly felt gleeful that the protagonist of that failure was Yu Cheol-min, seeing and hearing about the despair of a neighboring country right next door, how could they remain unaffected?
In Korea too, public anxiety was rising.
The political sphere also wanted it handled quickly.
And the bold promise by Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su to handle it within a month also played a part.
So, after lengthy discussions, they decided.
Let's conquer it early and buy six months of time.
By then, Player Bong Joo-hyuk should have had enough time to enter the 60th-floor range.
Coincidentally, an inquiry about Holy Sword rental had come from the United States.
The plan was to quickly conquer the 66th floor, buy six months, and then start the full-fledged Holy Sword rental business.
The rental fees would all go to Player Bong's account, but the sweet benefits gained through other negotiations would be the nation's share.
Perhaps they would be more lucrative than the money itself.
For these various reasons, an early 66th-floor conquest was decided.
Now, all that was left was for Player Nam Ga-eun to finish the 65th-floor conquest, but...
"Will it be possible even without the Holy Sword once Player Bong Joo-hyuk enters the 60th-floor range?"
"Look at Yu Cheol-min. Even that pathetic guy conquered up to the 65th floor without a Holy Sword. America's Player Gerald Watson made it to the 66th..."
"Ah!"
"Do you think Player Bong's talent is inferior to Gerald Watson's?"
"Absolutely not. Of course not."
"That man is an outlier. If he just equips a few light-attribute items, he'll probably shoot straight up to the 70th floor in one go? A Player who conquered the Black Tower with S++ rank 32 times in a row..."
Suddenly!
Lee Min-ah's expression went blank.
"Wait a minute."
"Why?"
"Team Leader, you're wrong."
"What?"
Wrong?
About what?
"It's not 32 times in a row."
"What are you talking about? The whole nation knows he conquered it 32 times in a ro... Ah!"
Right.
Section Chief Lee Min-ah is a Player.
So that meant?
"...Another one popped up?"
"Yes, the record for 33 consecutive S++ rank conquests just popped up."
"Hmm, right. I was mistaken."
"Anyway, the fact that he's an outlier is accurate."
Suddenly!
Whoosh!
A halo of light gathered,
Spot!
Nam Ga-eun appeared.
It had been only 6 hours.
"...Ta-da!"
Player Nam Ga-eun, smiling brightly with the Holy Sword in one hand and making a V-sign with the other.
But she looked somewhat fatigued.
She took a healing potion from her inventory and drank it.
"Whew, I feel alive. Burp!"
After a refreshing burp,
"It was a bit tough today."
"...Then shall we postpone the 66th floor?"
"I said a bit! Just a bit!"
Still, saying it was tough made her seem pitiful.
It would have been great if we could have enhanced her trait one more time.
"Let's hang in there a little longer."
"Yes!"
Anyway, she had succeeded.
"PR team, prepare the press release. Start editing the body cam footage."
The next conquest was the Korean Black Tower's 66th floor.
Once we conquered this, we'd have bought six months of time.
Most countries, including South Korea, did not force contracts with Players.
They left it entirely to individual will.
Whether it was an elite team contract or a general contract.
It's also prohibited by law, and coercive methods could backfire.
However, there was a country that forcibly conscripted Players for Tower conquests.
That place was India, the first country where a Tower collapsed.
Blinded by the magic stones coming from the Tower, the Indian government lured Players, detained them in one place, and threw them into conquests.
They beat those who resisted with clubs or sticks.
In this situation, there was nothing they could do.
Even if they entered the Tower and exited, they'd be right back in the same spot.
At first, it was effective.
Magic stone production surpassed China's.
But would the Players receive proper compensation?
Getting three meals a day was considered lucky.
The result?
Indian Players either died to monsters inside the Tower or committed suicide.
Because that was the only way to escape.
Newly awakened Indians hid the fact that they were Players.
Simultaneously, they fled to other countries.
Countless naturalizations occurred.
To Pakistan, Malaysia, Europe, China, Japan, and even South Korea...
The number of Players kept dwindling.
How could unconquered upper floors be conquered?
Eventually, the Mumbai Tower collapsed.
Only then did the Indian government go "Oops!" and withdraw the conscription, granting Players freedom and paying proper compensation, but it was already too late.
But there was still another country maintaining forced conscription.
That was North Korea.
How was that possible?
North Korea had no Tower.
North Korean Players belonged to South Korea's Black Tower.
For North Korea, which claimed to be a sovereign state, this was a huge blow to their pride.
However, North Korea saw it as an opportunity.
Tower collapse defense is done by the South, they just needed to ride along.
What need was there to climb unconquered upper floors?
The South would take care of everything.
South Korea also had no choice.
They couldn't exactly stop North Korean Players from entering the South Korean Black Tower.
The magic stones North Korean Players acquired as rewards naturally became state property.
Those who obeyed well were elevated with Communist Party cadre positions and medals, while those who resisted were thrown into collective camps to extract magic stones.
So, what did newly awakened Players in North Korea do?
Of course, they defected.
A small number went to South Korea, but the majority crossed over to China.
So, what about China's case?
They operated similarly to other countries.
Players freely active in the private sector, Players supported and nurtured by the state.
But there was another kind of Player.
Forced naturalization Players.
The Chinese government absolutely did not acknowledge their existence, but...
In a room decorated in lavish gold.
A man was sitting in a chair reviewing documents.
A gaunt body, with an expression that made it impossible to feel any hint of humanity.
So, those dealing with him couldn't help but be extremely cautious.
"Vice-Director. You summoned me."
The man called Vice-Director tossed a bundle of documents to his subordinate.
"This is...?"
"A list of Players belonging to the Korean Elite Team."
"Huh? Wh-where did you get this?"
"What do you need to know that for?"
"S-sorry."
The Vice-Director took a cigarette from a red pack, *click* lit it,
Hoo, and exhaled a cloud of pale smoke.
"Pick suitable ones and bring them. Focus on Players capable of conquering the 59th floor, or those recently contracted. Exclude well-known names."
"Yes!"
"As always, leave absolutely no evidence. We will deny any connection, of course."
"Chung!"
The subordinate saluted and left.
Xiao Jun, Vice-Director of China's Special Intelligence Department, didn't even glance at him.
China's Tower climbing progress was at 58 floors completed, challenging the 59th.
Only 48 days remained until the deadline for conquering the unconquered upper floors of the Black Tower erected near the major city of Shanghai.
If the Shanghai Tower wasn't conquered, the worst situation would unfold.
The remaining two Towers would collapse one after another.
And three more Towers would appear elsewhere.
But among the Chinese Players managed by the state, there was no talent capable of conquering the 59th floor.
It had been like this since the 56th-floor wyvern section.
In a desperate crisis, what was China's choice?
Naturally, it was the naturalization policy.
But there were several types of naturalization.
Voluntary naturalization, temporary naturalization, and forced naturalization.
They approached talented foreign Players, presented conditions, and if negotiations broke down, they send elite intelligence department teams to bring them in.
Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Bhutan, African nations... Mainly Players from countries weaker than China were targeted.
Forced naturalization, or rather, abduction.
It was effective.
From the 56th floor, they pushed up and now reached the 59th.
But from the 59th floor, progress had stagnated.
Even the Players brought in for their talent couldn't overcome that wall.
So recently, they included South Korea in the list of target countries for abduction.
Frankly, they should have done it sooner.
They watched Japan's mistake too.
It was ridiculous.
Vice-Director Xiao Jun muttered to himself with a sneer.
"We don't do stupid things like Japan. Publicly naturalizing them? No wonder they got humiliated."
Players are nothing but ordinary people.
Abduct them, torture them a few times, coax them gently, then have them stamp the nationality acquisition documents and throw them into conquests. That was it.
In Xiao Jun's view, it was the most effective method.
What if we got caught?
Who would dare touch China?
Maybe Russia or the US, but...