Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Festive Atmosphere
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Everyone heard it again this time.
All 7 billion Earthlings heard the world announcement, translated into the language they used.
Some gasped, some cheered, some confirmed with each other if they had heard correctly, and some, claiming it wasn't their business, showed no interest—the reactions were varied.
The aftermath was enormous.
The national prestige of South Korea soared to the sky.
In fact, immediately after the President's special address,
Korean opinions on conquering the 70th floor of the Korean Black Tower were divided.
However, opposing opinions were far more dominant than supportive ones.
And then the world announcement delivered to all of humanity.
The conquest of Cabalan, the lifting of the curse, and the exclusive benefits for the Korean Black Tower.
As if it never happened, all internet forums and SNS united in a wave of national pride.
A complete shift in stance.
It was a festival.
Whether players or ordinary people, everyone was happy.
National pride was oozing out.
This world announcement was like that.
Until now, world announcements had contained unwelcome news.
Poor tower climbing progress, imposing an average curse, which countries were first-round curse targets, which were included in the second round...
But this world announcement was different in nature.
If possible, people wanted to record it and listen to it again.
The Korean Awakening Management Bureau also erupted in flames.
Employees and players alike hugged each other and shouted cheers.
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Hurray!!!"
"Holy shit! This is the real deal!"
"Are we having a company dinner?"
"Let's definitely go for it today."
The Management Bureau building seemed to shake with the resounding cheers of the people.
Even though the conquest progress had jumped from the 67th floor all the way to the 70th, it was worth it.
Just the rewards alone were incredible.
High-grade Magic Stones exclusive to the Korean Tower, various potions and elixirs, and even weapons and equipment items.
Jeon Gwang-il and Park Kyung-su were overwhelmed with congratulatory and inquiry calls.
"Ah! Yes, yes, thank you. You're all calling like this, but I just held up a spoon, hahahaha!"
"High-grade Magic Stones? They just lifted the restriction, so give it some time. Once they come out as rewards, we'll check and get back to you."
Calls were calls, but work had to be done.
Bureau Chief Park Kyung-su asked a question of Jeon Gwang-il.
"So, Deputy Chief, how do you plan to respond to the French special delegation?"
"Hmm... The situation has completely changed, hasn't it?"
"That's right."
"If the French Black Tower also has its restrictions lifted like Korea's after conquering the 70th floor..."
A few pennies were nothing.
The value of conquering the 70th floor had skyrocketed beyond imagination.
Naturally, the existing contract terms they had been discussing also needed to change.
"Should we ask for the Mona Lisa?"
"Hahaha, we might actually get it. Better yet, what about Korea's national treasure-level artifacts in the Louvre Museum?"
"That's the default. If they don't give them, we won't even negotiate."
"We can have Player Bong Joo-hyuk receive them, and at the national level, we can borrow them to display in a museum."
One more thing.
"Oh right! We have a request from the US side,"
"Do they want to meet with Player Bong again?"
"No, re-lending the Holy Sword. Gerald says he'll conquer it this time."
In this situation, re-conquering the 68th floor...
"They want to check how much weaker it's become."
"What do you think? Should we allow it?"
Jeon Gwang-il thought deeply.
Even though he almost died, he still managed to bring the Holy Sword back at the last moment.
He deserved praise for that.
"Let's allow it. I'm curious too. How much weaker they are."
Various countries staying in Korea also moved busily.
Cabalan's curse was lifted, and the rapidly shrinking conquest time limit returned to its original state.
Then what about the 68th floor?
They say the Death Knight's stats dropped drastically, but is that true?
The US was the fastest.
Gerald, who had been lying down in despair, sprang up from his spot as soon as he heard the world announcement.
Gerald's mentality was tougher than steel.
There was a reason he was America's top player.
"Director, get me a Holy Sword reservation right now."
"...Are you sure you're okay?"
"They said it's weaker. We need to check."
"Alright. I'll get it for you right now."
And so, back to the Korean Awakening Management Bureau's Holy Sword Lending Room.
Director Antonio requested a Holy Sword re-lend for Gerald, and the Bureau approved.
"But! There's a condition."
"Anything, just say it."
Jeon Gwang-il's condition was,
"Please make Player Gerald's bodycam conquest footage public. Both the dangerous footage from last time and the new footage you'll shoot this time."
Killing two birds with one stone, also advertising the Holy Sword.
"A before-and-after check, is it?"
"Yes, wouldn't it be fine to make it public?"
Director Antonio honestly didn't want to release the 'before' footage.
Wasn't it a record of failure?
But if the Death Knight was definitely weaker, and if Gerald could do well...
"Well, if the result is good... Let's do it."
And so, Gerald took the Holy Sword and entered the American Black Tower again.
Spot!
About an hour passed, perhaps?
Spot again!
Player Gerald exited the tower and appeared in the lending room with a flushed face.
At least he didn't seem injured.
"Gerald, how was it..."
"I wanted to kill all four, but I held back and only killed three before coming out."
"So?"
"Do you need words? Check the bodycam."
Right. We could just play it back and see.
First, the 'before' footage.
That is, before the original Cabalan was conquered.
It was devastating.
The terrifying might of the Death Knight.
The creature charging with fast, powerful, and masterful swordsmanship.
From a first-person perspective, Gerald's crisis was palpable.
Footage of him barely managing to flee.
But even that wasn't enough.
And the 'after'?
After the original Cabalan vanished and its influence disappeared?
The Death Knight was like it had lost a screw.
It was slow, clumsy, and utterly pathetic.
Gerald defeated it without much difficulty.
And the bodycam conquest footage was uploaded to YouTube.
Edited together, before and after.
People who saw the 'before' footage said,
Regarding the 'after' footage,
The before-and-after video achieved 50 million views in just a few hours, but the most popular video was actually a different one.
A video uploaded by a Korean player's YouTube channel.
Holding a stone tinged with a deep blue glow,
"Yes, this is a High-grade Magic Stone. The color is different, right? I got it as a reward right after the world announcement, from conquering the 28th floor."
The appearance of a High-grade Magic Stone.
Perhaps because the reward probability increased, it was quite fast.
"There are many other players who received rewards besides me. Of course, in the Korean Black Tower."
"It's definitely better than a regular Magic Stone, but to what extent is unknown. Doesn't it need research?"
"The price? The Management Bureau said they'd buy it at double the price, but I'm going to check the player shop today."
It wasn't just High-grade Magic Stones.
Another video also surfaced.
A person with dark skin, seemingly an African native.
But their nationality was as a player belonging to the Korean Black Tower.
They seemed to be a naturalized player.
"I naturalized two years ago. I'm Korean. Don't get it wrong."
"Know what this is? A Healing Potion? No. It's an Elixir of Strength Enhancement. Of course, it's Tower-exclusive, and according to the item description, it enhances Strength by over 50% for 5 hours."
"I'm not selling this. I need to climb. To the 50th-floor range. I'll use it and let you know my impressions later."
As the situation unfolded like this, players around the world became restless.
Change began to occur.
Perceptions about tower conquest, that is.
Governments of various countries were also seriously contemplating.
In this case, conquering the 70th floor like Korea might be worth considering.
The stats of the Death Knight, Lich, and copies had weakened, and with the Holy Sword, climbing seemed possible...
After dealing with the original Cabalan.
Joo-hyuk drove the camper van outside.
He did everything he needed to do, now it was time to enjoy himself.
He had been cooped up at home all this time and couldn't even get some photosynthesis done.
No wonder he wouldn't get any Vitamin D.
Now he could drive quite well.
Driving by the book.
Stopping at yellow lights.
Using turn signals when changing lanes.
Wasn't this the way of a true gentleman driver?
Gwang-ma was also busy sightseeing in Seoul.
"What a peaceful world."
"Is that so?"
"The skyscrapers aren't collapsed; they're standing perfectly fine."
Just what kind of ruined world was he imagining.
"Now that it's come to this, how about going to the Blue House? To rule the country and bring peace to the world, one must start with self-cultivation and family management. Let's take over Korea first."
"..."
If you let your guard down, Gwang-ma would just slip right in.
Not responding was the best method.
While driving around Seoul once, it was soon time for Gwang-ma to return.
An LSSR's summoning duration was 3 hours, after all.
"I'll summon you again later."
"Summoner, take care of yourself."
Spot!
To the other Summoned as well,
"See you later."
Spot, spot, spot....
First, let's do some shopping.
Most things were already in Razix's backpack.
Just needed to buy alcohol, drinks, snacks, and other treats.
While shopping at a large supermarket, he overheard people's murmuring conversations.
All about the world announcement.
It was a big topic even among ordinary people. Of course.
Since everyone heard the world announcement directly, their mouths were itching to talk.
Hey, the one who conquered Cabalan was that guy, you know?
Oh, you didn't know? It's not a lie.
He knew the Awakening Management Bureau Chief.
The French special delegation came to meet me, and I even got a call from the US Secretary of State.
The S++ grade conqueror is me.
He just took it down in one shot. Hahahaha.
Just thinking about it made him feel proud.
Anyway, after finishing his shopping,
Joo-hyuk arrived at the villa in Namyangju.
The access road had changed.
It used to be an unpaved road, but now it was a neat asphalt path.
Parking the car.
Alright, now let's bring everyone out again.
They'd summon Gwang-ma later, timing it right.
"...It's a villa?"
Kosak, who preferred lying on the sofa watching TV over going outside.
"There's a TV in the camper van over there, so you can watch it."
"Thank you!"
Gyeon Dal-rae as well.
"The air is good. For the Master's health, staying here for a few days seems fine."
Veronica,
"It's field operations. I'll start digging a trench."
"You can just hide anywhere and sleep."
"Y-yes, I'll follow orders."
Gobang and his soulmate, Bardin.
"I grill the meat."
"I'll light the charcoal! Let there be light!!!"
And Razix. As soon as he was summoned,
"Huhhhhhhh?"
He trembled violently and let out a scream.
"...Why?"
"Huh!"
Suddenly, he went rolling over there, then,
pulled out a broom from his subspace backpack, swish-swish,
busily sweeping up fallen leaves while cleaning.
He cleande whenever he got a chance.
Since he seemed to enjoy it, there was no point in stopping him.
'Hmm.'
It was pretty dirty after being left unattended for days.
A lot of grass had grown too.
But under the hands of the SSR worker Razix, the villa surroundings gradually became neat.
Joo-hyuk wore sunglasses and sat in a comfortable recliner, downing a can of beer.
"Ah!!! This is living."
He planned to rest thoroughly for a while.
Of course, he'd do some repeat conquests starting tomorrow,
Jeon Gwang-il had mentioned it before.
That Ilseong Apparel had separated into an independent company, that Joo-hyuk would own 90% of the shares, and that they'd soon start production.
Then he needed to diligently skin Wyvern hides and hand them over.
While also farming the newly unrestricted items.
He wouldn't climb the 71st floor.
The moment he entered, he'd have to conquer it somehow.
And with an S++ grade at that.
A new beginning.
Things must have changed a lot, that was certain.
The monsters, the conquest missions, the methods.
But the Summoned also said they still had no information about the 71st floor.
Because the restriction lifting method required someone to make the first climb.
Since the curse was gone, there'd be plenty of time.
And then, Random Summon.
A new family member would arrive soon.
There was one thing to ponder there.
Effect: When using Random Summon, calls a companion from an attribute other than the existing summoning trait. Can randomly summon from among Golems, Spirits, Magical Beasts, Phantasmal Beasts, or Divine Beasts.
📍 Limitation: Affected by the maximum number of simultaneous summons.
Should he use it or not.
If used, he could randomly summon one from among Golems, Spirits, Magical Beasts, Phantasmal Beasts, or Divine Beasts.
A ticket received as a special perk.
It seemed okay to use.
But.
'I heard summoned creatures or spirits are hard to control.'
It was also a weakness of summon-type players.
'Eh, I'll think about it when the time comes.'
The meat was cooking over the charcoal.
Razix also took out a wide table and chairs from his subspace bag.
Veronica, who had been hiding and sleeping, was lured by the smell of meat and crawled over stealthily on her belly.
Alright, shall we begin?
"Gwang-ma, Designated Summon."
Spot!
"Summoner."
"Gwang-ma."
A drinking buddy had arrived.
Let's have a fulfilling time.