Holy Water Supremacy and Shattered Alliances
“I was so busy yesterday I didn't even have time to blink!”
“It's frantic, not citnarf. Yeah, we were slammed. Went straight into the tower after dinner and cleared up to floor 22.”
And today.
Tower 23rd floor world rankings have been updated.
Floor 23 cleared too.
In the process, testing it out on some trash mobs confirmed the holy water's effects were spot on.
Immunity to all status effects. For the full duration, no less.
What's the difference from existing remedies?
◈ Cures Paralysis status effect one time.
◈ Immunity to all status effects
◈ All stats +100%
◈ Duration: Proportional to intake (max 1 day)
'Uses' versus 'duration.' Worlds apart.
No need to keep pulling out holy water mid-fight—it's not a hassle like that.
Chug it fresh before entering the tower?
“Kyahaha! Die, you bastards!”
“You bitches! All of you, drop dead!”
Pshh! Pshh! Pshh!
Thud! Boom boom!
Full focus on the fight.
Gulp! Gulp!
“Ahh! Keeping it in my inventory preserves the carbonation perfectly!”
“Drinking booze at work? This hits different.”
Cola and beer.
Holy water. Whatever you call it.
Those two guzzle it like water inside or outside the tower anyway.
'Eh, doesn't matter.'
Holy water's infinite refill, after all.
Bottom line: Holy water is the perfect upgrade over all existing status remedies.
Functionality? Convenience? Not even comparable.
That's the key reason I can counter America's grand scheme.
Cha Minhyuk's report. Summarized, it's like this:
1. Exact route unknown, but America knows status effect countermeasures will be the meta for tower climbs soon.
2. They've swept up every status remedy and related materials worldwide—stuff that was previously ignored.
3. They'll control global tower progress by rationing supply. Hitchhiker included, of course.
The great upheaval hits.
World plunges into chaos.
America jumps in to hawk remedies.
But what if holy water shows up then?
“It's like a superior competitor opening shop right in front of a freshly renovated mega-franchise.”
“A bloody corporate war!”
“Hmm? Technically, aren't we small business owners? Just you, Pontiff, Carmina, and me.”
Fair point. And we're a proper home-industry operation, too.
Cha Minhyuk's report.
Holy Grail effects confirmed.
Now pouring every spare moment into holy water production.
Bulk-buying 2-liter water packs, holy-fying them, repackaging on repeat.
“Carmina! Line's backing up!”
“Ack! I'll speed up! Quick quick!”
“Pontiff! Bundle 14 done!”
Unscrew, pass, pour.
Refill, bundle six-packs with ties.
Hands moving like clockwork!
Ahh, so satisfying. This is division of labor, production line efficiency.
“Master! crank the work song to double speed?”
“Triple it.”
“Feels like my battle lust is surging!”
Sell it like this? Nah, no way.
Precious holy water for the world, sloshing around in plastic bottles? Come on.
Once it hits Cha Minhyuk, it'll be repackaged in premium glass—reborn.
As Korean Premium Holy Water.
Cha Minhyuk, briefed on the plan, said:
Translation: We can tango on their toes without major backlash.
“Master! Water's out!”
The 36 bottles stashed for personal use? Gone faster than expected.
“Want me to shop quick? Cool off my head too. Yulia, you haven't really been out yet, right?”
“First time.”
“Hehe! Change first! Yulia! This way!”
Slim-fit jeans that hug just right.
Sleek t-shirt design.
With a welcome spell, Yulia now looked like your average pretty Korean girl.
Piled into the new six-seater SUV, arrived at the big mart.
“This is heaven! I can't hold back!”
Carmina grabbed a cart and bolted to the snacks aisle the second we parked.
Yulia, mouth agape at the wonderland at first,
“Lord...! Mountains of booze by type...! Is this the paradise awaiting the faithful?”
Spotted the liquor section and charged.
Sigh, load up whatever. Hard workers deserve this perk.
Grabbed the cart, stocked up on label-free water bundles in essentials.
Overheard nearby chatter.
“We really broke 10 million points, right? Hands shaking from the thrill.”
“Hitchhiker's achievement. America's catching up fast, but we're #1 again.”
Right. Check my head.
So much to do, forgot to check scores after floor 23.
'And this too.'
Floors 22-23 extra rewards. Results?
Total: 4 tickets
Yes! Cooldown tickets!
Now got four total. Coming together nicely.
Might not need 'em, but theoretically, I could spam five meteors in a row.
Next up.
'Check rankings.'
Time to next rampage: 13 days, 7 hours, 7 minutes, 1 second
Starting score: -1,500,000 points
1st. Korea. +10,590,725 points
2nd. USA. +9,985,235 points
3rd. Japan. +4,412,625 points
4th. Germany. +4,072,135 points
Floor 22: ~570k points.
Floor 23: ~600k points.
Up about 1.3 million from yesterday.
The extra 130k? Rest of Korea's awakeners, Agency included.
Mid-cycle performance rivaling top-10 nations.
Impossible normally with our low awakener rate, but...
National achievement milestones turned the impossible possible.
Most nations' mid-to-low awakeners are stuck, climbs blocked.
But Korea?
Trickle-down from national feats—blasting through floors smoothly.
Momentum building: 10-20s floors, even 30s. Score acceleration out of control.
S-ranks in rehab return? Scores go nuclear.
“Still peanuts next to what Hitchhiker racks up.”
“He's a real god.”
“Wonder what he's like? So grateful, wanna do something for him.”
“Any Korean who doesn't feel that way?”
Praise and worship everywhere. Should be used to it by now.
'Ahem. Still gets me every time.'
Dopamine rush has me perking up anyway.
But America. They'll catch up again.
10 million national cap means pure bleed-fest beyond.
'How much they gonna burn?'
Right on cue.
2nd. USA. +10,035,235 points
Yup. Up another 50k.
#1 rewards must be insane for this obsession.
Won't stop me. Gotta claim round 1 top spot.
Then, unexpected message.
Hidden Achievement Unlocked
Two Leaders Preparing for the Future
📍 The top scorers from the two nations hitting 10 million points will each receive unique info on one event in the next round.
What the—?
No time to read fully before the next.
Voting, Unification, One Person One Vote, Multiplier Proportional to Gratitude
Event? No clue from this.
Then Yulia barreled over, cart rattling.
“Pontiff—! Just grabbed 50 bottles lightly. This okay?”
Hitchhiker fans turned our way.
With suspicious glares.
“Pontiff...?”
“Heard there're lots of cults lately. That it?”
“Sigh, looks normal enough.”
Whispers.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Whoa, no.
Not what you're thinking.
For real!
Japanese communities flooded with rabid China-bashing.
Every nation's doing it now, but Japan—always growling at China—dials it up extra.
But neither nation's people knew.
That China and Japan had been coordinating.
To catch America. An on-off alliance.
But.
“......”
“......”
Tokyo backroom meeting between reps: ice cold.
“Our China.”
Ma Chingdong, deputy director, spoke first.
“Suffered unimaginable losses. Director Li Feng's half-paralyzed in a coma. Chairman Bin Hao's decided on a Korea trip tomorrow for talks—public pressure's insane.”
Hitchhiker's nation? Confirmed or not—irrelevant now.
World's arrows raining down. Only fix: massive national reparations to Korea.
“Carving flesh from bone. But know the real problem?”
Crunch!
Stainless tumbler crumples.
Opposite, Nakayama flinches.
“China's knocked out for good. Lost most elites to the unsummoned Lycanslope.”
Clunk! Crushed cup drops.
“Plenty high-rankers left, but all showboaters. No top-tier return for at least a year.”
Pulls up rankings.
(...)
72nd. China. +1,231,775 points
(...)
Elite gap dropped them from yesterday.
“And you think Japan colluded with Korea to screw us? Just my paranoia?”
“Impossible. Collude with slave-minded Korea? Deputy Ma, you're overreaching.”
Tried tough, but Ma's glare unflinching.
Nakayama bites lip.
'Damn...! That Hitchhiker bastard...!'
How could Japan predict this?
Lycanslope in 1 second.
No intel on Hitchhiker, let alone assassination.
Wasted precious ticket shoving Korea to #1!
Boiling inside.
'Filthy cheats, exploiting system bugs...!'
Unless some system favoritism—no way.
Small mercy: Caution kept Japan out of China's spot.
But these continentals—so rude!
Nakayama cautiously:
“We sympathize with China's losses and anger, but ticket use was mutual agreement...”
Then, recorder on table.
“For the prosperity of China and Japan.”
“Haha, and Korea's downfall.”
“......!”
Li Feng convo recording.
Proof: Japan's the ticket source.
They'd jammed anti-recording gear—how!?
Nakayama's eyes shake.
Ma pockets recorder.
“Don't underestimate Chinese tech.”
“...What do you want?”
“Chairman Bin Hao wants Japan to show resolve.”
Resolve? Then Ma pulls an item.
“This...”
◈ Not awakener-sniper like Lycanslope.
◈ Devastating to Korea, Japan, or random nation.
“Perfect for Japan, no? Kamikaze style.”
“......”
Cold sweat on Nakayama.
In Hitchhiker's storm, China-Japan alliance cracking.