Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Ordinary Guy's Tower Conquest Method - Chapter 86
The next morning.
Second day of French nationality.
Again today, instead of the Korean Black Tower, we'll be conquering the French Black Tower.
Like a true Frenchman, Joo-hyuk poured himself a glass of wine and took a bite of a baguette he bought yesterday, slathered with gooey cheese.
'...Hmm.'
His tongue felt rough.
It didn't go down his throat easily.
Wine in the morning, for that matter.
'What's with the bread?'
Indeed, a Korean-French person runs on rice power.
Having eaten his meal, it was about time to prepare for the tower conquest, right?
Spot!
The summoned beings appeared one by one.
"Bonjour to all!"
"Bonjour, indeed."
"Summoner, a strong and powerful morning to you."
"My lord, were you at peace last night?"
"Cool."
"Hweh?"
Alright, everyone's gathered.
Starting today, the real French Black Tower climb.
There was one thing we needed to clarify before moving on.
"How should we handle the tower entries? There are two per day."
The two conquests from yesterday.
The 61st floor didn't get an S++ rating recognized due to the level difference, but the 62nd floor was recognized.
A global announcement even popped up.
What should we do today?
Go for S++ on both entries?
Opinions among the summoned beings were divided regarding Joo-hyuk's question.
The speed faction wanted to start from the 67th floor and climb two floors per day, both with S++ conquests, to finish quickly.
The practicality faction wanted to climb one floor with an S++ conquest and use the other entry for repeated exploration missions to gather items, ascending slowly.
They were sharply opposed.
Kosak and Veronica were in the speed faction, while Gyeon Dal-rae and Razix were in the practicality faction. Gobang remained neutral.
The so-called Tower Song Debate.
The leader of the speed faction, Lord Kosak, argued:
"That bastard, the original Cabalan. He puts forward a copy as a puppet while he himself hides and casts curses."
"We all know how angry Summoner Bong is. Starting from the 67th floor, two floors a day, we'll reach the 70th floor by tomorrow. We must capture him quickly and give Summoner Bong some peace of mind."
He's right.
No flaws in his logic. As expected of Kosak.
The sage of the practicality faction, Gyeon Dal-rae, said,
"This is the French Black Tower. And the high floors at that. Who knows how many treasures lie dormant here. Runes and tickets are practically strategic items."
"If we use one entry for an S++ conquest and the other for repeated exploration missions, gathering items frugally as we ascend to the 70th floor, it will be of great help to Lord Bong."
Wise and intelligent.
The foremost shrine maiden of the Celestial Empire. As expected of Gyeon Dal-rae.
Then, the divine being of the speed faction, Sergeant Major Veronica, retorted,
"The war has already begun. War is a battle of speed. We must climb quickly to prevent that bastard from doing anything else and shove a gun barrel down his throat. That is the correct tactic. Victory!"
The valor of a special forces sergeant major.
Her spirit was as expansive as her chest.
As expected of Veronica.
The practicality faction's space butler, Razix, said,
"Hweh-ehng! Items! Hweh-eheh, let's explore. Hweh-eh..."
He wasn't of much help.
There was a limit that couldn't be overcome by cuteness alone.
The neutral faction's Gobang also chimed in.
"Speed good, but if we climb two floors a day Summoner's level will also be 70."
"If that happens, no more easy Platinum Badges. Warrior agrees with princess."
A rebellion from the neutral side.
Does this tip the scales in favor of the practicality faction?
Was the speed faction about to be purged?
The leader of the speed faction, Kosak, glanced around subtly.
"...Ahem, come to think of it, there might not be a need to climb so fast. How long will our Summoner Bong be stuck cleaning up after other countries? It's time for each nation to develop its own crisis management abilities."
Veronica was also quick.
"A commander who fails to supply his troops cannot be forgiven. Advancing with sufficient supplies is correct."
Right.
The purpose of conquering the French Black Tower wasn't singular.
Tracking down where the original Cabalan is and acquiring Platinum Badges.
Cabalan's curse was also a factor.
If countries paniced and lost their minds over a mere 70th-floor boss's curse, what would they do on higher floors?
They needed to overcome crises on their own.
Let's proceed with the French Black Tower conquest just like we always did with the Korean one.
One S++ conquest, the other for exploration.
"Let's enter."
A cave terrain, conquering Dark Ghouls. A floor we've already been through.
We've done repeated conquests a few times too.
'The Tower Exit Ring setting is...'
France, one of Europe's biggest tourist destinations.
Now that I'm French, I thought I'd at least get a whiff of France, but...
'Sightseeing later.'
The world was in chaos.
Sightseeing is fun when your mind is at ease.
He summoned the Holy Sword as well.
Spot!
"Summoner! Return to the embrace of Lord Nigel!!! I, Lucius Bardin, shall guide you..."
"Shh!"
Our Holy Sword sure talks a lot.
Whoosh! The enlarged Gobang grabbed Bardin by both ankles.
"Divine Radiance."
"Light!!!"
Whoosh! The shining Bardin.
"Commencing attribute absorption."
Slurp!
Veronica's magic gun sucked in the holy attribute like a mosquito's straw.
Conquest began.
Gobang swung Bardin around and charged forward.
It'd be over in an instant.
No one else besides Gobang and Veronica even needed to participate in the battle.
"Light!!!"
Crush! Smash! Splatter!
The Dark Ghouls were torn apart like paper.
Beaten by the Holy Sword, pierced by the holy-attribute magic gun.
"Hweh-ehk!!!"
Roll roll roll! Razix shot forward.
His eyes lit up as he began searching for items, but,
Finished.
Spot!
Back at Joo-hyuk's penthouse. We rested a bit before the repeated conquest.
We could go right away, but the Holy Sword was tired.
The Holy Sword Bardin, was dangling from the hand of the enlarged Gobang, his face and hair soaked in sweat.
'At least his expression is alive.'
Of course.
Judging the undead is also a paladin's calling.
I even caught a glimpse of a proud expression.
He definitely seems to be enjoying it.
But,
'Huh?'
Kosak picked up a towel, approached Bardin, and began meticulously wiping his face and armor.
'Oh...'
They seem to have gotten close already.
Well, even though he's a mad paladin of zeal, Bardin is someone who throws his whole body into practicing self-sacrifice.
"Mr. Kosak,"
"Yes?"
"Do you feel sorry for Mr. Bardin?"
"Haa."
Kosak let out a deep sigh.
"That's not it. His light seems to have weakened. The Holy Sword repaired by worker Razix was so dazzling it could blind you, but our Holy Sword's light is comparatively dim."
"..."
"So I thought if I polished him, his light might get stronger."
I knew it.
No way Kosak would feel pity.
"We must wipe, tighten, and oil it to use it well."
He was really polishing it with care.
To the point where the armor was gleaming.
"Our Holy Sword is also very much needed to kill the copy of Cabalan on the 70th floor. We can't do without him. You know his original profession."
A merciless and cruel Inquisitor of Heresy.
Current grade: Super Rare (SR).
Since his profession was discerning heretics, he must surely have interrogation skills.
"If we want to extract information from the 70th-floor Cabalan without killing him, we'll need Bardin's skills."
Right.
We don't plan to conquer the French Black Tower's 70th floor.
The plan is to keep him alive and interrogate him.
Of course, we'll lose out on one badge.
But as a Frenchman, I have to consider France's situation too.
It's already a problem that we climbed to the 70th floor. If we conquer that too, we'll have to challenge the 71st floor.
"Hmm, come to think of it, our Holy Sword is SR, right?"
"It's a pity. If he were an SSR Holy Sword, his performance would be amazing."
That's a given.
Can an SR Holy Sword even compare to an SSR Holy Sword?
If his grade is raised, his light will shine even brighter.
No need for polishing.
'Then we need a rune...'
Well, maybe it'll come as a special reward, or Razix, whose Exploration skill had been enhanced to LSSR grade, might find another sizable fragment.
'Should we raise our Holy Sword's grade this time?'
Let's watch a bit more first.
Starting with the repeat mission.
And there was one person more determined than anyone else.
"Hweh-eh,"
The woroker aiming for item acquisition.
It would be perfect if he could find even one rune fragment.
There's also an event scheduled for tomorrow.
Getting one more badge would make the cumulative total 70.
That's right.
The day to receive the special reward.
Élysée Palace, France.
President Macron was in a meeting with his advisors in his office.
France had become a global nuisance.
No matter the circumstances, it was French player Guillaume Levalet who brought Cabalan's curse upon them.
There was room for excuse.
There was no physical way to prevent a player from entering the tower, and no way to know what was in their inventory either.
Who could have predicted that player Guillaume would enter the tower and use a Tower Jumping Ticket?
And reaching the 70th floor.
Tower climbing for each country was decided by that country's government.
Every country was scheduled to climb to the 70th floor anyway.
What could they do if they climbed a bit early?
And it's not like they knew in advance that the 70th-floor boss was such a guy.
Of course, hiding his depression was wrong, but there were records of advising him not to climb the tower for a while due to his poor condition.
Despite this, statements of condemnation poured in from various countries.
Approval ratings were falling.
It felt like walking on thin ice every day.
The biggest problem was the death of Guillaume Levalet.
Even if he suffered from depression, he was France's top player.
Even though there were six months left before the conquest deadline, there wasn't a single player currently capable of conquering the 70th floor.
Not just in France, but in the entire world.
And what if they get hit by Cabalan's curse?
Fortunately, France's name was omitted in the 1st and 2nd rounds, but what about the 3rd?
President Macron's biggest worry.
That there was no player to solve the 70th floor.
Six months later, or perhaps even sooner.
The tower's collapse was certain.
But what is this?
The global announcement that rang out for French players yesterday.
62nd floor S++ grade conquest.
Why is this happening in France?
This isn't Korea.
For what possible reason?
What's the cause?
A state of emergency was declared at the Élysée Palace.
And they finally found it.
"Bong Joo-hyuk. The player whose 15-day temporary naturalization we approved yesterday at the request of the Korean Awakening Management Bureau."
A document and a single photo placed on the desk.
"Also, he has long been suspected of being the true owner of the Holy Sword. Considering everything, the likelihood that he is the one who achieved the S++ grade conquest is very high."
President Macron picked up the photo, stared at it intently, and then spoke.
"But his face is different. From the ones we saw in the hotel terror incident."
"Couldn't it be an item that changes one's appearance?"
"Hmm."
Anyway, that's not the important part.
The important thing is that he is currently French.
"Can we permanently settle Bong Joo-hyuk in France?"
"...Well, that depends on the player's will."
"What if we don't cancel his nationality on paper?"
"The backlash would be severe. Korea might immediately declare war."
Is war the problem?
When the Black Tower is on the verge of collapse right now.
"What's the stance of the Korean Awakening Management Bureau?"
"We asked if he was the S++ grade conqueror, but they flatly denied it. Then they said not to worry since he won't be conquering the 70th floor..."
How amusing.
When it's obvious to everyone.
Anyway, greed arose.
'Maybe we can win over Bong Joo-hyuk's heart.'
Such incidents were commonplace in the past.
When a player was temporarily recruited through naturalization, they usually visited that country in person.
Because when they visit, they receive immense hospitality.
Naturally.
They were saviors coming to help conquer that country's tower.
Treat them so lavishly they lose their senses, intoxicate them with pleasure and luxury, and then subtly suggest it.
To naturalize permanently.
To completely transfer their nationality.
Betray, backstab, and steal like this.
Of course, if there's a gap in national power, they wouldn't dare try.
'But Korea...'
If it were the US or China, maybe not, but Korea was manageable enough.
Just then!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A smartphone notification sound rang out in the Élysée Palace presidential office.
"It's up."
"...What is?"
"The French Black Tower 63rd floor S++ grade conquest record."
President Macron made a decision.
"Contact the French Embassy in Korea. Tell them to attempt to make contact with player Bong Joo-hyuk."
It was an opportunity to save France from crisis.
News of the French Black Tower S++ grade conquest spread across the world.
Naturally, Korea knew as well.
The public was starting to get anxious.
After the UAE, now France?
Moreover, with the global announcements, the risk of tower collapse was growing day by day.
Jeon Gwang-il was also extremely worried.
Although he trusted Bong Joo-hyuk, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"This feels like getting dumped."
"Don't worry. Love has a way of coming back."
It's a time-limited temporary naturalization anyway.
If player Bong Joo-hyuk's will remains firm, there's no risk of him being taken away.
There's also a gift for him.
Soon, Minister Majed from the Saudi Tower Climbing Management Department will personally crawl over with the Rune of Trait Enhancement.
Furthermore, the Holy Sword lending fee for a level 62 player is...
Assuming he conquers up to the 67th floor, that's 50 million dollars for the Holy Sword lending fee plus the Rune of Trait Enhancement.
I can say with certainty that player Bong Joo-hyuk will absolutely not permanently naturalize.
By the way, among the 10 countries selected in the first round, there was one country that still hadn't gotten its act together.
In fact, the country with the shortest remaining time until collapse.
"Japan must be at a complete loss. Even the US seems to be ignoring them."
"The late 50s were always ambiguous."
"What if a request comes to us?"
"Well, from a humanitarian perspective, we could temporarily naturalize one of our elite players to Japan."
"Team Leader Lee Min-ah?"
"Yes."
Team Leader Lee Min-ah was both a Bureau team leader and a player.
Her level was a whopping 61.
She successfully completed the conquest of the 60th floor not long ago.
"Of course, there must be a price."
"Right. Negotiations with Japan shouldn't be viewed solely in terms of money."
If we conquer it for them, there's a lot we can gain.
Take the recent incident of forced share transfer demands on a Korean company, for instance.
The most popular SNS platform in Japan was actually created by a Korean company.
The situation is that Korean and Japanese companies jointly own 50-50 shares of the SNS platform.
But the Japanese government stepped forward and demanded the Korean portal service company forcibly transfer its shares.
Those who know no business ethics.
What right did they have to tell a Korean company to transfer or not transfer its shares?
If the Japanese government requested temporary naturalization, they planned to bring up this issue first.
"But they still haven't contacted us. I heard they can't handle the decreasing conquest deadline."
"They'll contact us soon. If even the US won't help, where else can they turn but here?"
"I'm not sure. I think Japan might be about to make the wrong choice."
Park Kyung-su tilted his head.
"What choice?"
"The Kawaguchi cabinet's approval rating has dropped significantly. The right-wing supporters are barely holding it up, but asking Korea for help in this situation? If that happens..."
"It would plummet even further."
"Yes. They might be prepared for collapse instead. They might even think that's the better option."
Park Kyung-su also agreed with Jeon Gwang-il's words.
In some ways, Japan was crazier than China.
In truth, Japan was in a desperate crisis.
Collapse was imminent.
The Japanese Black Tower, located west of Mount Fuji.
A global announcement was ringing out for Japanese nationality players.
[Notice: Japanese Black Tower climbing progress is sluggish.]
[Notice: Tower collapse countdown has been activated.]
[Notice: The countdown will stop upon successful conquest of an unclimbed upper floor.]
[Notice: Time remaining until tower collapse: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]
Japan was given only a single day.
A tragedy was unfolding.