Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Ladder
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"It actually worked."
"I told you it would. Hehehehe."
It wasn't just about successfully clearing the floor.
His level had increased, he had achieved an S++ clear using the multinational tower pass, and he had even received a badge.
Until now, players could only clear the tower belonging to their own country.
So naturally, everyone assumed you could only receive platinum badges from the Korean Black Tower.
The multinational use pass was only seen as a concept for support or travel.
But it actually applied.
'The pass... it's surprisingly good?'
If that was the case, the floor numbers for receiving special rewards would change from ending in 5 and 0 to ending in 4 and 9.
Meaning, the next special rewards would be on floors 64 and 69.
He had one more pass, so if he used that too, the endings would change to 3 and 8.
But he wasn't completely sure yet.
What if he was just receiving the badge for the Korean Black Tower's 60th floor early at the UAE Black Tower?
In other words, if it was duplicate, they might not give him the badge.
Ultimately, to find out, he'd have to clear the Korean Black Tower's 60th floor now...
'Ah, geez.'
Gobang's leg came into Joo-hyuk's view.
Having stepped in poison puddles, it was a complete mess.
The skin had melted away, revealing tendons.
He wondered if he could even walk like that.
"Are you okay, Gobang? It must hurt a lot."
"Warrior not flinch at such wounds. They heal completely soon."
And indeed they did.
The wounds were healing at a rapid pace, new flesh filling in.
His regeneration ability alone was truly top-notch.
"What shall we do? Shall we enter the Korean Black Tower's 60th floor right away?"
"..."
"We can use the same method there. All thanks to my brilliant strategy and tactics."
This sly guy.
He's saying it didn't hurt, so let's go in again.
Couldn't he see Gobang's melted calf?
"Hehehe, hehehe... Hehe?"
Kosak, sensing something unusual from Joo-hyuk's intense stare, glanced at Gobang's injured leg.
"Oh, oh. Per-Perhaps it's better to go in tomorrow, not today."
Right.
That's enough clearing for today.
To make them suffer that kind of pain twice in one day?
That was just cruel.
Let's check the special reward first.
To see if the UAE Black Tower platinum badge was recognized.
Joo-hyuk opened his inventory.
Upon checking the 60 badges:
"Oh!"
It's giving a reward. The badge is recognized. So then...
"...What the hell?"
Damn it! Is it messing with me again?
Vice Chief Jeon Gwang-il was meeting with Team Leader Lee Min-ah, who had recently been promoted, in his office.
"Team Leader Lee. Did your visit go well yesterday?"
Team Leader Lee Min-ah, who visited Joo-hyuk's penthouse every three or four days to collect tower materials, had also gone right after the S++ clear of the 59th floor.
"Yesterday, I met Player Bong and received the tower ore and four sheets of whole wyvern hide. He said he'd send one of each as a sample. I couldn't put them in the tower materials warehouse because I left work right after."
"R-really?"
He was secretly hopeful.
Because Player Bong had started the wyvern section.
He had no worries about the clear itself.
He naturally expected an S++ grade, and that's exactly what happened.
What Jeon Gwang-il had hoped for was the hide.
Could he bring wyvern hide too?
But that worry was also unnecessary.
"Let's take them out quickly. It's wyvern hide, something you rarely see even as a tower reward."
"Yes, I'll take out one of each."
Swish!
A deep black hide emerged from Team Leader Lee's inventory. Like the basilisk, it was a whole hide.
All parts except the wings were attached.
Earth Wyvern.
Compared to wyverns of other attributes, its defense was superb, making it perfect for crafting player armor.
"Hahaha, splendid. Amazing."
"Will you hand this over to HG Fashion too?"
"No, the Management Bureau will purchase it. Earth Wyvern isn't suitable for everyday items. It's better for making armor or bulletproof vests."
The second was Flame Wyvern hide.
"Look at this. The red color. It's so pretty."
"Its heat retention is excellent too. It would be incredibly warm in winter."
"You couldn't wear it in summer though."
"But we have Frost Wyvern hide."
"Ah!"
Frost Wyvern hide was pure white.
It emitted a faint chill.
What about Lightning Wyvern?
"Would wearing this make you feel a static shock?"
"Touching it, it doesn't seem like it. But the color is a radiant blue, so it will be very popular."
Four types of wyvern hide.
Each had distinct characteristics.
This is why wyverns are wyverns.
Suddenly.
"Huh?"
Vice Chief Jeon Gwang-il, while examining the hide, noticed something strange on the wyvern's head hide.
"...This."
Holes that looked like they were pierced by bullets.
Not just one, but over ten of them.
"They look like bullet holes, right? Or maybe arrows or magic?"
"It must be one of those."
Since it was a flying monster, using ranged weapons wasn't strange.
Even melee players had to carry pistols or crossbows for pulling.
But as Player Bong Joo-hyuk himself stated, his trait was Summoning.
Yet he perfectly penetrated this tough hide?
And it didn't even self-repair.
Meaning he dealt significant damage.
"He seems like a Spirit Summoner. Someone who enhanced their summon's grade at least three times."
"If he can shoot arrows, it would be Wind or Water attribute."
"Yes, if it's an Elaim or Silpherion, they might be able to pierce it."
If you enhance a Water Spirit Undine three times, it becomes an Elaim. If you enhance a Sylphid three times, it becomes a Silpherion.
"If he enhanced his trait, he would have summoned multiple spirits. Once for two, twice for three."
"Yes, while achieving an S++ clear, he must have gotten trait enhancement runes as tower rewards once or twice."
Among summoning traits, Spirit Summoning was relatively rare.
Of course, being a Spirit Summoner didn't mean achieving an S++ clear was easy.
Spirit handling was incredibly difficult.
Summon grade enhancement wasn't easy either. Even if you used runes, enhancement often failed.
Also, there were various types of runes.
Spirit Grade Enhancement Runes, Beast Grade Enhancement Runes, Golem Grade Enhancement Runes...
If they knew exactly what Player Bong Joo-hyuk's summons were, they could at least provide support.
"Anyway, the 60th floor is coming soon."
"Sigh, that's what worries me."
Things were about to get very troublesome.
When it was below the 50th floor, it was somewhat manageable.
Most countries were around the late 50s or early 60s anyway.
But now?
Player Bong's climbing floor was now above the average for all countries.
It was no exaggeration to say he'd become a guarantee for tower clearing.
Other countries wouldn't just sit still.
Theyd do anything to figure out his identity.
The Awakening Management Bureau absolutely couldn't let that happen.
Suddenly!
Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
Smartphones rang.
Both Vice Chief Jeon Gwang-il's and Team Leader Lee Min-ah's phones.
What was going on?
He answered the call.
"It's me, what's the matter... What?"
Jeon Gwang-il shot up from his seat.
"Say that again. Uh..., r-really? No, why would a global announcement message come from that country? Y-you confirmed it? Are you sure? Ah, ah, I see."
It was chaos.
His heart pounded wildly.
He felt dizzy enough to collapse.
"No way, it couldn't be. It must not be."
He needed to check the facts immediately.
News of the UAE 60th floor S++ clear reached South Korea about an hour later.
Of course, with the development of SNS, it spread much faster, but fact-checking took time.
Breaking news flooded in.
Angry people flocked to the Management Bureau's website, paralyzing the bulletin board.
Over 100 related petitions were posted on the Blue House's national petition platform.
And amidst all this, where was Joo-hyuk?
Joo-hyuk was on the phone with Vice Chief Jeon Gwang-il.
"No, Vice Chief. It's not naturalization. I've never even been to the UAE embassy. I haven't acquired citizenship."
He was asked if Joo-hyuk had naturalized to the UAE.
It was a perfectly understandable misunderstanding.
"The UAE tower? Well... someone must have done it. And done it very well."
Revealing the existence of the multinational tower pass would simplify things, but he didn't want to do that.
It wasn't something you got often, and he only had one left now.
And by contract, he had to use it on the UAE's 61st floor.
"I'm not going anywhere. The Korean Black Tower's 60th floor? I plan to clear it tomorrow, so don't worry and just wait."
Naturalization? What naturalization?
He was busy enough as it was.
Joo-hyuk hung up and checked the floating message in his mind again.
"For crying out loud."
What? A ladder?
First a roulette, now a ladder?
'Just when things are going well, it throws something weird at me.'
First, let's see what the ladder looks like.
Then, a holographic video appeared before his eyes.
'I knew it.'
Eight vertical lines were drawn with wide spacing.
Each line was numbered.
From 1 to 8.
The final square at the bottom of each line was a prize.
200kg of Magic Ore, Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune, 50kg of Sectorium, Smash Skill Rune, Wyvern Hide Armor, 100 Healing Potions, Multinational Tower Use Ticket (1 use), and finally, Trait Enhancement Rune.
'At least there's no dud.'
But the horizontal lines connecting the numbers and prizes weren't visible.
They were obscured like fog.
Probably, choosing a number would reveal the horizontal lines.
This way, no one knows where the ladder will descend.
He squinted, trying to see if the horizontal lines might be visible...
'Tch! Can't see a thing.'
The best result was the Trait Enhancement Rune.
The next best was the Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune.
He didn't need the others.
Wait, the multinational tower use ticket might be okay too?
Joo-hyuk drew the ladder's shape and all the prizes on a piece of paper the size of a wall calendar.
He wanted to show his summoned beings what this damn special reward nonsense was all about.
"So, you mean you can't see at all how the horizontal lines are drawn in the middle?"
"That's right."
"Wow, man. We might end up with Magic Ore."
"Kosak, pick one. Which number seems good?"
"How about number 7? Lucky seven."
That seemed okay.
"The Summoner is a man. A man is number 1."
Right.
The alpha male.
What was Gyeon Dal-rae's opinion?
"Is the Trait Enhancement Rune, which I've dreamt of, at the bottom of the far-right line, number 8?"
"Yes."
"What if there are no horizontal lines between the lines, and it's just a simple straight-line ladder?"
A valid point.
That trick was often used.
But would they play such a trick here?
What about Razix?
"...Huek?"
He trembled and avoided eye contact.
Don't ask. What about Veronica?
"Hrrrup, slurp, snore..."
As expected. Don't wake her.
Summarizing the opinions so far: Man is 1, Lucky 7, and maybe they played a trick, so the line with the Trait Enhancement Rune, number 8.
1, 7, 8.
But Joo-hyuk had no intention of choosing from these three.
Better not listen to the summoned beings.
If the number they chose didn't win, someone would get lynched.
If you're Korean, it's number 3.
"I'm going with number 3. Let's finish this quickly."
You damn ladder.
Give me anything.
'You think I'll get scared like with the roulette?'
Not a chance!
He faced it boldly.
He'd accept it coolly.
He took the Ladder Climb Ticket from his inventory.
Poking the number 3 written on it, the ticket vanished with a pop!
Number 3 selected.
The ladder climb begins.
Simultaneously, the obscured parts were revealed with a whoosh!
How were the horizontal lines drawn?
'...Huh?'
The horizontal lines were densely packed.
There were so many it was dizzying.
"You've got to be kidding me!!!"
Then.
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Is it my turn for guard duty?"
Veronica, who had been sleeping, shot up at Joo-hyuk's shout.
"...You don't have to stand guard. Sleep tight."
"Th-thank you."
Snore snore snore snore.
She really had it good.
Finally, it began.
A red dot blinked and slowly descended the line.
Joo-hyuk picked up a pen and traced the red dot's path on the paper.
"So it's descending like this?"
"Yes."
"Ahh, my heart is trembling."
People gathered around Joo-hyuk, watching where the pen would go.
The red dot descended along line 3.
It met a horizontal line and turned.
Descended further, turned again.
Back and forth.
It had to go all the way to the right.
That's where the Trait Enhancement Rune was.
"No, it should go right. Why does it keep going left?"
"I'm just tracing it."
"Can't we force the direction to change?"
"This maiden's heart is too weak to watch."
"Ooh, turning, turning! Going right now."
"Yes, go, let's go! Let's gooo!!!"
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! Preparing for duty!"
"...Don't get up. Sleep."
"Huek!"
"Ooh, good. Keep going right..., Huh? Why the opposite again?"
"Ack! No, don't go there!"
"Hueeng."
"Ooh! It turned again."
"Yes, the mood is good."
"Keep going that way."
"Change the direction by force. Oof!"
"You punk! Why are you enlarging in the living room?"
"Descending straight down..."
"Huh? Why left again?"
"Uwaaaah!"
"Ahh, this maiden is about to faint."
"No!!!"
"Sergeant Veronica Caliber! I must have misheard."
"Just sleep, I said!"
"It's, it's reached the bottom."
"That's not the place. Ugh!"
"Ch-change the direction!"
"I'm not controlling it."
"Left is no good! That's Magic Ore!"
"Goddammiiit!!!"
"Smack!"
"Sergeant Veronica Cali..."
Halt!
It reached the very bottom. Joo-hyuk's pen also stopped.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Oh!"
"Ah!"
"Hueee..."
And the prize there was...
"A Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune?"
"It's an enhancement rune."
"Is, is that good?"
It was good.
Not the best result, but the next best.
Whew.
Anyway, he dodged a bullet.
"Worker Razix!"
"Huek!"
"Are you ready for promotion?"
"...Hueeng?"
SR.
Or SSR.
He was very curious.
About the changed Razix.
Vice Chief Park Kyung-su, arriving at the Awakening Management Bureau, entered while being bombarded with questions from reporters swarming the entrance.
"Chief! Is it true the S++ clear record holder has naturalized?"
"Is it permanent or temporary naturalization?"
"If it's temporary, was there a backroom deal with the UAE?"
"Please answer."
"The public wants to know."
"Where are you going? Chief? Chief!"
Chief Park Kyung-su's face was tense.
He walked briskly to Vice Chief Jeon Gwang-il's office and flung the door open.
"So, what's the situation?"
"He says he hasn't naturalized."
"...Really?"
"Yes, I confirmed it myself. He's currently at the penthouse. He says he plans to clear the 60th floor tomorrow."
"Hah, I aged ten years in a moment."
Park Kyung-su walked to the sofa and plopped down.
All the tension drained from his body.
At least he hadn't naturalized. What a relief.
He thought he was really going to have a heart attack.
Suddenly!
Bzzzzt! A call came in.
"Is it the President?"
"Yes, what should I say?"
"I'm not sure either..."
If he said not to worry, it might signal that they knew who the S++ clear player was. If he dodged and said he didn't know, he'd look incompetent.
"Sigh."
What could he do?
He had no choice but to keep his mouth shut until the 60th floor clear message came tomorrow.