Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Preparation and Speculation
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The next day.
Joo-hyuk prepared to conquer the 60th floor of the Korean Black Tower with his summoned beings.
It was the final conquest before Razix's promotion.
Fortunately, Gobang appeared to be in perfect condition.
The wounds from the previous day were nowhere to be seen.
I wish I could get him some boots, but nothing would fit anyway.
Joo-hyuk's current level was 61.
Meaning he could also enter the 61st floor.
But the 61st floor was on hold.
For now, he would enter the 60th floor.
Would the S++ rank conquest still apply for the 60th floor at level 61?
It was a coin toss.
At level 61, the 60th floor could be considered a repeat conquest.
'Then I wouldn't get it.'
However, for Joo-hyuk, the Korean Black Tower's 60th floor was an unconquered state.
Since it was a tower of a different nationality, maybe the rule would apply separately?
'Then I would get it.'
The same environment, the same mission.
And the same conquest method.
The only difference was the nationality.
"Let's go."
The Venomous Wyvern and the Wyvern Lord appeared together.
Squelch, squelch.
Gobang waded through the poison puddles.
Ah... my heart feelt heavy.
He shoutde that warriors didn't feel pain, but there's no way he didn't feel it.
He must have been enduring it.
I wouldn't conquer the 60th floor anymore.
This was the end.
Wyvern Lord hide?
Skinning that would be a hassle.
The environment wasn't suitable with poison puddles everywhere.
Besides, the Wyvern Lord hide wasn't special either.
It was just big, and the color was a dirty yellowish-brown.
It's not beautiful like the Rainbow Basilisk.
Regular wyvern hide was excellent enough; that would do.
As time passed, and after Kosak's slashes and Veronica's second large magic bullet hit, "Kek!" The Wyvern Lord collapsed, sinking its body into a poison puddle.
Conquest successful.
Would the badge... 'Will it be recognized?'
"Oh!"
It was a relief.
The conquest was recognized.
This brought the total Platinum Badges to 61.
Even though it was a 60th-floor conquest, one remained.
The next special privilege was on the 64th floor, Spot!
Joo-hyuk and the party returned to the penthouse.
The moment they arrived, Veronica passed out, Gyeon Dal-rae gracefully sat on the sofa, Gobang and Kosak peeked into the refrigerator, and Razix started cleaning first.
Now it was time to send Razix off.
We'd meet again after his promotion.
Gobang had jumped two grades through Blessing Enhancement.
From R to SSR. 'The "Summoning Disabled" status was for 4 days, right?'
Razix had a soul as pure as Gobang's.
It was highly likely that Razix would also trigger Blessing Enhancement.
"Mr. Razix?"
"Hue."
"Take this."
"...Hu, hueeeng?"
The Summoned Being Grade-Up Rune was placed in Razix's hand.
"Come back safely. I won't enter the Tower until you return."
"...Hueeeng, don't do the cleaning either. I'll do it when I get back. Don't bring back the robot housekeeper."
Razix's eyes welled up with tears.
Joo-hyuk tightly held Razix's very short hand and spoke.
"I'll absolutely never buy a robot housekeeper. I'll hold my breath and wait."
"Hue? You should breathe."
I was really looking forward to it.
What form will he return in?
His backpack capacity would definitely increase, right?
South Korea was in a state of chaos.
Yesterday, the global announcement message for the UAE's S++ rank conquest appeared, but Korea's still hadn't.
It should appear today; it needed to be proven that he didn't naturalize....
Was it possible we'd never hear it?
The anxiety only intensified.
Then, Crown Prince Binsala of the UAE's interview was abruptly released as a morning news flash.
The broadcasting media was CNM, an American news channel.
Binsala had an extremely excited face.
It was understandable.
Having dramatically come back to power after being stripped of his crown prince status and exiled overseas.
His popularity in the UAE had reached its peak.
The interview content wasn't particularly special.
Mainly his thoughts on the UAE Black Tower being conquered, the joy of escaping the tower's collapse.
Then.
"- I plan to visit Korea again as soon as possible."
Binsala said with a trembling voice, overcome with emotion.
'Why Korea again...?'
"- To express my gratitude."
'To whom? The Korean government? Are you saying the Korean government approved a specific player's temporary naturalization?'
"- No. The person who deserves the gratitude of the Emirati people is someone else."
'Your Highness, could you explain in more detail?'
"- I cannot reveal the details, but this is all thanks to Mr. Gobang... Hmm, I think I'll end the interview here."
'W-wait a moment? Who did you just say? Gobang? Who is Gobang...'
Binsala abruptly stood up and walked off-camera.
'There are still many questions left. Your Highness? Your Highness?'
That was the end of the interview.
But the reaction was heated.
When the interview video was shared on Korean Tower climbing community forums.
The end of the interview was also a hot topic.
In his excitement, a name had inadvertently slipped from his lips.
Speculation about who Gobang was continued, and then.
Just as the forum atmosphere was turning gloomy, suddenly!
One-character replies poured in.
Reply comments flooded in.
The forum atmosphere changed completely.
Breaking news also erupted in the media.
And so, Korea became peaceful again.
Joo-hyuk also saw the breaking news.
He was startled.
Because a completely unexpected name had come up.
"...Gobang?"
Why that name?
But he soon realized.
Why Binsala had mentioned Gobang.
It was obvious. Who else could it be?
'Mr. Kosak, what on earth did you...'
It seems he tricked Binsala into thinking his name was 'Gobang' when he went to negotiate—no, threaten—him.
'Incredible. Absolutely incredible.'
Well, Kosak was still someone he couldn't hate.
Anyway, he planned to take a break from tower climbing for a while.
Until our worker and quartermaster returns.
Would Razix also be able to achieve a two-grade Blessing Enhancement like Gobang?
He said there was a chance if the soul was pure.
Even after sending him off with Summon Release, he felt anxious.
Time passed, and when he checked his status window.
Yes!
Just like Gobang,
"Summoning Disabled" had appeared.
That meant Blessing Enhancement was in progress.
Now all he had to do was wait.
For Razix to return having risen two grades.
Just then.
*Ding!* His smartphone notification chimed. - I've just arrived.
The vehicle number is... A message from Team Leader Lee Min-ah.
Joo-hyuk was scheduled to visit the Management Bureau today.
So she had come to pick him up.
'The car number changed again.'
Probably for security reasons. Joo-hyuk stepped outside the apartment.
There, he saw a car with dark tinted windows.
He opened the door and got in.
"Hello, Player Bong Joo-hyuk. Congratulations on the 60th-floor conquest."
"...Ah, yes, yes."
After that greeting, they didn't exchange a single word on the way.
From passing through the main gate of the Awakening Management Bureau until arriving at the tower material warehouse.
There were two women in the party.
There were no issues with Gyeon Dal-rae and Veronica, but honestly, he had nothing to talk about with them.
It'd get better.
Someday.
The car arrived at the Awakening Management Bureau.
Two people were waiting at the tower material warehouse. Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su and Deputy Bureau Chief Jeon Gwang-il.
Come to think of it, this was the first time meeting Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su.
Wasn't he a high-ranking official who even met with the President?
"...Ah, hello."
"Oh! Please come in. Nice to meet you. I'm Park Kyung-su."
They exchanged greetings, he heard words of gratitude, and talk of looking forward to working together.
He said he was always sorry for not being able to treat him better because his identity had to be hidden.
He asked him to bear with it a little longer.
Well, it was something Joo-hyuk himself wanted.
As they chatted, Park Kyung-su subtly probed.
"Player Bong, there's something I'd like to ask,"
"Ah! Anytime. And Bureau Chief, you can speak casually."
"Hahaha, I couldn't possibly do that. Should we judge people by their age?"
"Umm." I'd rather you did judge by age.
At that level, even if he's a bit of a fossil, it's fine.
"Forgive my impertinence, but the UAE Black Tower... it really was you who conquered it, wasn't it?"
He had expected this question.
When the call came, he was too distracted by the ladder-climbing privilege to give a proper answer and just brushed it off.
"Frankly, among UAE players, there's no one capable of such a thing.
No, I can't think of anyone in the entire world other than you, Player Bong."
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su seemed convinced that Joo-hyuk had conquered it.
"If it's difficult to answer..."
"Yes, it's a bit difficult. It's hard to say."
An ambiguous answer.
He didn't say yes or no.
Wouldn't he understand with that much?
"Ah! I apologize. I overstepped."
"Not at all. When the opportunity arises later... Hmm, I'll explain in detail then."
Park Kyung-su waved his hands dismissively.
"Oh my, it's fine. I won't ask again."
There was a reason he couldn't speak clearly.
If he said he conquered it, he'd also have to mention the multinational tower conquest ticket.
But now, only one ticket remained.
And it was already reserved. Furthermore, there was a limit to the future privileges he could receive.
At most, one more time on the 64th floor.
Because he had to conquer the 69th floor slowly.
Who knew when he might get another ticket like that—it might never appear again.
Unless a few more came out.
So he glossed over it.
'Still, he's not asking who Gobang is.'
Even if he asked, he wouldn't answer, but...
"Right! There's something I'd like to ask of the Management Bureau."
"Please tell us anything. If it's something we can handle, we'll do our best."
At Park Kyung-su's gesture, Lee Min-ah took out a notepad, ready to take notes.
"Is it possible to buy some land near the metropolitan area? A quiet mountainous area would be nice."
"A mountainous area, not a bustling district?"
"Yes, a place as secluded as possible, where I can also put a few containers."
"We'll look into it."
He and his summoned beings had been cooped up in the house too much.
Sometimes, he needed a villa in the countryside to enjoy nature outdoors.
And one more thing.
"I want to gift some money to my parents, about 10 billion won, with tax handling."
"It's possible. If we entrust it to a law firm, they'll handle everything."
I should be filial too.
His business was done.
Just as he was about to leave, the scene inside the warehouse caught Joo-hyuk's eye.
"Hmm, there's a lot less basilisk hide?"
"HG Fashion took it. They're about to unveil a prototype, as they've scheduled a showcase."
"Is that so?"
While listening, he heard welcome news.
Now he could start skinning not just ores but hides in earnest.
When Razix got promoted, his subspace backpack would definitely expand. Now, let's go home and rest properly. Later, when he got bored, he could call people over to hang out.
HG Fashion.
The showcase date was the very next day.
CEO Go Yeon-ha, along with the design team and leather technician team, had worked through the night to complete the prototypes utilizing basilisk hide.
For now, it was bags.
Starting with this, they planned to diversify into wallets, shoes, and other products.
First, the mid-to-low price line was set between 5 million and 10 million won.
They used only materials of lower quality or with simple, faint patterns from the basilisk hide.
Still, it was much better than crocodile leather.
A bag with self-restoration ability and durability that could be used indefinitely as long as you didn't get tired of it.
The second was the high-quality luxury line.
The smallest items started at 40 million won.
Made only with the highest quality leather.
If it was a bit larger, it went over 100 million.
Finally, the high-end luxury line.
Starting at a base of 300 million.
The most design effort went into these.
Because the rainbow leather was used as a point of detail here and there.
Were the bag prices too expensive?
Would they not sell?
It was guaranteed.
The most expensive high-end luxury line would sell the best.
They would sell out quickly due to limited supply.
There would be an outcry from big spenders who couldn't get their hands on them.
"Let's proceed with the showcase as planned."
"Should we also sell simultaneously?"
"Just take pre-orders. Limited quantities."
"How many... The production facility isn't complete yet, so meeting demand will be tight."
"Only as much as we can make, no need to overdo it. Other luxury brand bags take over a year if you order them. We need to take our time and focus on quality control."
The important thing was scarcity.
They had to become a luxury item you couldn't buy even if you opened your wallet.
There were no plans for mass production either.
Even if they wanted to, they couldn't.
Because they had to be made purely by hand using tools made from tower metal.
The showcase would feature 10 mid-range bags, 6 luxury bags, and 2 high-end bags.
Invitations were sent to famous celebrities.
A YouTube live broadcast was also planned simultaneously.
Go Yeon-ha was already excited.
How would people react upon seeing these bags?
It was as clear as day.
Even she, if she weren't the CEO, would want one.
"Ah! Make two more high-end bags and send them to the Management Bureau. One for men, one for women."
"Yes, I'll send them right after the showcase."
She had to make a good impression on the person supplying leather to the Management Bureau.
Since she didn't know if it was a man or a woman, she'd make both.