Retaliation (1)
The underground bunker conference room of the government-led emergency response committee.
The President, the Director of the National Intelligence Service, and other relevant officials sat in a row as orders and reports flew back and forth in rapid succession.
“What is the status of the major players’ protection?”
“There are currently no signs of additional provocations or terrorist activities.”
“No S-rank or A-rank players have been harmed, but all of them have left their residences and are currently waiting in safe houses under the protection of their security teams.”
“…I see.”
The scale of the damage was small compared to the precision and planning of the attack. That was only because the targets had been narrowed down exclusively to players.
There had been civilian casualties, but most of them were family members of the players who had been attacked.
“This is grim.”
If the tools they had used had been turned toward indiscriminate slaughter, the death toll would have been on an entirely different scale. Even so, the number of lives lost was by no means small.
“As of now, seventy-eight players have been confirmed dead. Including forty-one civilian deaths… if we add the seriously and lightly injured, the casualty count will likely rise further.”
“Was this attack clearly directed at specific targets?”
“Given that it focused on particular targets, this was a meticulously planned terrorist operation prepared over a long period.”
They had deliberately avoided S-rank and A-rank players, whose security was always tight. Instead, their main targets had been B-rank and C-rank players living in ordinary homes with no bodyguards or security personnel.
“We have secured CCTV footage of the attackers who raided those players and identified the terrorists… but—”
The Director of the National Intelligence Service, who was briefing them directly, lightly bit his lip as his anxious eyes wavered.
“No North Korean agents have been confirmed. The attackers have been identified as Korean players operating within the country.”
“What did you say?”
Everyone in the room was stunned by the unexpected information.
“…You mean they weren’t North Koreans disguised as Koreans, but actual Korean players participating in the murder of other Korean players?”
“…Yes. That appears to be the case. After tracing the terrorists through the footage and cross-referencing their identities, we found that they are Korean players with no connection whatsoever to North Korea.”
A collective sigh of disbelief filled the conference room.
“Twelve of the domestic players mobilized for this attack were officially registered… along with six unidentified domestic players operating in the shadows. Three Chinese contract killers were also involved, bringing the total to twenty-one.”
“The Chinese contract killers. There must be someone who supplied them with money and weapons.”
The intelligence officer swallowed dryly before answering.
“…Surprisingly, analysis of the firearms and ammunition has failed to identify any traceable source—”
The firearms and ammunition used in the attack do not originate from any known manufacturer on Earth.
The President slammed his fist on the desk in fury. He had thought the moment for retaliation had finally arrived, only for that expectation to be brutally betrayed.
“That doesn’t make any sense! Are you telling me the guns and bullets just sprouted out of a Magic Tower?!”
“…Surprisingly, that is the conclusion reached by the National Intelligence Service, the Player Management Agency, and the CSI after cross-verification. Your Excellency…”
Everyone’s eyes widened at those words.
Every firearm and bullet produced in the world was assigned a unique serial number. Even if something had been manufactured in secret without a serial number, analysis was not particularly difficult. By examining the materials, components, or even the composition of the bullets, one could roughly determine where and when they had been made.
“Field analysis results… even after dozens of cross-checks, the conclusion remains the same. To rule out internal error, we conducted joint analysis with the United States… and the result is that these were not manufactured in any factory on Earth.”
“They made weapons inside a Magic Tower… and used them in reality?”
“…That is not all, Your Excellency. While the investigation is not yet conclusive, there is a high probability that summon beasts were used to mobilize Korean players into committing these crimes.”
Only then did the high-ranking officials simultaneously furrow their brows. They knew exactly what that implied.
“Are you referring to mind-control summon beasts… Does that mean their backers are North Korea?”
“If we follow the motive, that would be the case. However, Japan has surprisingly emerged as a strong suspect.”
“Japan? That makes no sense. What could they possibly gain by supporting this terrorism?”
“It is possible that North Korea and Japan cooperated…”
The President shook his head.
“There is not a single thing we can confirm. Nothing at all! Over a hundred of our citizens, including players, were mercilessly gunned down by terrorists, and we cannot even clearly identify the masterminds behind it! Do you expect me to believe you are competent?”
The Director of the National Intelligence Service lowered his head and continued, almost as if making an excuse.
“…What is certain is that this was an organized crime involving multiple factions…”
“Even a passing dog would know that! How could a terrorist attack of this scale possibly be the work of some domestic terrorist group acting alone?”
Given that two player rental housing units had been targeted and that the attackers had gone to individual players’ homes to spray them with gunfire, it was highly likely they had spent a long time gathering information and selecting their targets.
The President waved his hand dismissively, tired of the endless, inconclusive discussion.
“What happened to the prisoners we captured?”
“The interrogation results… indicate that Japan is behind this.”
“And their connection to North Korea?”
“We have not uncovered anything concrete.”
“This is driving me insane. The terrorists mentioned Japan, yet there is no evidence?”
“…That player is indeed a Korean player who awakened in Korea. He has no record of ever leaving the country, let alone visiting Japan. Even after extracting every record and memory through special drugs and interrogation, we found no contact with any specific individual. It appears as though he was under some kind of influence, or that his memories related to the crime have been completely erased.”
Everyone looked bewildered and troubled by those words.
“If we strongly assert that North Korea and Japan are behind this based on such flimsy evidence, we may face backlash. Your Excellency.”
The President nodded.
“We must find that summon beast suspected to be behind this. It is undoubtedly hiding somewhere within Korea.”
After a brief pause, the President nodded again.
“In that case, we have no choice but to deploy our asymmetric forces to apply pressure.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Mobilize all domestic S-rank and A-rank summon beasts, including Function. Through Function, I will also permit the conquest of Japan’s Magic Towers.”
“…Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Let them see the power of Function—an unprecedented asymmetric force in the player world.”
The nation entered a period of mourning. In his address to the people, the President announced the results of the investigation into the terrorist attack but did not explicitly name North Korea or Japan as suspects. However, by mentioning suspicious circumstances surrounding North Korea and deliberately requesting Japan’s cooperation—something they had never sought before—he left a meaningful implication.
North Korea responded that same day with an official statement filled with provocative rhetoric.
The Korean government answered by deploying fifteen Magic Tower re-entry tickets, instantly setting a new record by clearing up to the fifteenth floor of the Kaesong Magic Tower in one go.
The top raid team that had been scheduled to conquer the Suseo Magic Tower formed a joint expedition and began climbing fifteen floors in the Paju Magic Tower with fury, implicitly threatening that they could sweep away all hidden and major rewards from North Korea’s towers at any moment.
Magic Tower re-entry tickets and high-value consumables like potions were sometimes prioritized even over magic stones by guilds and nations worldwide.
Since North Korea could not afford to spend such resources climbing the towers, this was a clear warning: behave yourselves.
During the two days it took for the situation to settle, Choi Junseok’s status window had changed as follows.
Over those two days, as the situation gradually settled, Choi Junseok consecutively cleared the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth floors of the Suseo Magic Tower.
Of course, these were all new records. Upon clearing the eighteenth floor, he received another five-consecutive shortest record reward box. The reward inside was a Skill Breakthrough Ticket.
As always, Choi Junseok used the ticket on himself, and a new ability was added to his skill.
Skill: Inventory Master
Classification: Non-combat
Grade: F-grade
Description:
- Can equip any bag, converting it into an inventory upon equipping.
- Optimizes space utilization.
- Can remotely summon items from the inventory.
- Can summon multiple items from the inventory simultaneously.
- Can rotate and summon items from the inventory. (NEW)
Honestly, at first he had no idea what this was. The long-range item retrieval function he had wanted did not appear. Yu Junhyeok had clicked his tongue, saying, “A breakthrough befitting an F-grade skill, how disappointing.”
However, once they tested its performance, they had no choice but to be satisfied.
After picking up a dozen or so stones from an empty lot and storing them in his inventory, Choi Junseok immediately rotated them toward the front and summoned them with acceleration.
Tatatatatatatatang!
For a moment, Choi Junseok thought someone was firing a machine gun right above his head—using bullets the size of anti-tank rounds.
Simply storing stones in his inventory and summoning them all at once with acceleration produced firepower comparable to a machine gun. It was as if the stones had gained rifling, increasing their air resistance and penetrating power.
Rotating weapons in a circular motion before driving them down further amplified the Holy Sword’s destructive force.
With his final remaining Magic Tower entry ticket, Team Leader Kang granted Choi Junseok a three-day, two-night vacation in Shibuya, Japan. Hotel accommodations and a flight were arranged, along with a forged passport.
“It has been nearly a month since you began climbing the Magic Tower. It might be good to take a vacation at this time.”
After examining the plane ticket, Choi Junseok immediately understood the meaning behind it, but replied leisurely.
“Haha… not a first-class seat?”
“…It would draw too much attention. I booked you a business-class seat.”
“I was joking.”
“Here is some spending money I exchanged in advance. It would be best if you return immediately after finishing your work, but there should be no issues with your identity or safety.”
And he understood the meaning right away. The moment Choi Junseok arrived at the airport, National Intelligence Service agents dispatched to Japan, dressed in plain clothes, began tailing him with ironclad protection.
As Choi Junseok rode in a taxi, a massive Magic Tower came into view.
The Magic Tower that had appeared in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
Function had been secretly dispatched there.
It was a clear and unmistakable warning from the Korean government.