Checkmated China and the Tower's First Trial
Ma Chingdong hiccuped as he stared at the data on the screen.
"Hic!"
The hiccups wouldn't stop.
His mind went blank for a moment.
What the hell? Why is that list up there?
Data leak? No way. That's impossible.
China's espionage branches scattered across the world.
S-rank awakeners had been stationed at each one, operating flawlessly for quite some time now.
Just this morning, all the reports had been coming in perfectly, hadn't they?
So how the hell...?
"Hic!"
Thud!
Ma Chingdong collapsed back into his seat.
His hands and feet were trembling uncontrollably. It was clear who held the upper hand now.
The other Chinese officials were just as frozen in shock.
Cha Minhyuk's cold voice followed.
"Let me say it again. I won't drag this out. Korea demands ownership of the Manchuria region."
No one from the Chinese side could open their mouths.
The game was essentially over.
The assassination list included a massive number of American awakeners too.
Suspicion? Sure, they might have had some.
But hard evidence was a different story.
Incurring America's wrath was a dead-end choice, even for China.
Unless there was some wildcard like Korea's Hitchhiker that even America was wary of.
China was already a tattered rag from the Likansk Slope aftermath.
What happened next in the negotiations?
It was obvious without asking.
The Chinese side trembled in humiliation but had no choice but to accept every demand.
'The economic losses...'
'First at the assembly, now this—humiliated twice.'
Bam!
The stamp hit the agreement.
Everyone else left the meeting room, leaving only Ma Chingdong and Cha Minhyuk.
Snap!
Ma Chingdong snapped the handed-over USB in half and growled.
"Even if you have copies, you shouldn't think about leaking them to the world. If you do, China will resort to military action for real."
"No copies exist, so rest easy."
Cha Minhyuk flashed a sly grin.
Ma Chingdong seethed inside.
He wanted to tear the man apart right then, but he knew he couldn't win—as an awakener or as a politician.
What could he do now?
Just tremble, nothing more.
But a certain thought that popped into his head soon lifted his mood.
'The great upheaval coming soon.'
The world would revolve under the dominance of the US, China, and Japan, who controlled the status ailment cure supply.
Of course, America would stir the storm.
China and Japan would just ride the waves.
But still.
No country could climb properly without permission from the US-China-Japan trio.
'Then Korea's done for.'
America? China? Japan? Which country would sell cures to Korea?
It meant the days of Korea bluffing on Hitchhiker's backing were numbered.
Yeah, laugh it up now.
You'll be crying bloody tears soon enough.
Ma Chingdong left the room with a sneer of vicious glee in his heart.
And.
'Worse than Li Feng, what a loser.'
Cha Minhyuk sneered back inwardly.
The Chinese officials would return home and launch investigations immediately, figuring it out soon enough.
That Korea had secured the identities of Chinese spies like Jang Shin and others.
Was it a waste to reveal that card?
Not at all? Hell no.
The scheduled return date for the spies to the homeland.
It was a fact that would come out soon anyway.
He'd used the optimal card at the perfect timing to clear the deck.
'Hitchhiker agreed too.'
In fact, he'd suggested it first.
「Couldn't we use the Chinese spies as a blackmail card in negotiations? Their return date's coming up soon, so we should cash it in while we can.」
It was like he'd read his mind—perfect synergy.
Rustle.
He fiddled with the duplicate USB in his pocket.
Destroy it? What's that? Edible?
Lying was a basic skill for cultured, esteemed politicians, wasn't it?
He planned to keep that bomb as an ace up his sleeve for when the time came to drop it.
Of course, a cornered dog bares its teeth and lunges, so he'd have to watch carefully.
Anyway, China.
'All that's waiting for you is hell.'
He'd repay the damages Korea had suffered a hundred, a thousandfold.
And the current situation was all thanks to Hitchhiker.
Trembling with exhilaration, he offered deep silent gratitude.
The man was fulfilling his lifelong wish; the rest of his life would be devoted to serving him.
Wherever he was.
East, west, south, north—once each.
Bow. Bow. Bow. Bow.
Team Leader Cha Minhyuk.
He was steadily turning into a fanatic.
The sparks Hitchhiker had ignited across the world showed no signs of dying down.
Instead, chain reactions kicked in, making the flames burn even fiercer.
7.22 Korea-China Summit.
A flood of articles poured in.
But the hottest topic was undoubtedly one thing.
Territorial transfer?
That alone made it a massive event.
But the land wasn't just anywhere—it was the monster-infested Manchuria region.
More public opinion failed to understand Korea's position than China's.
"I can't understand Korea's choice. Conventional wisdom says infested zones take at least half a century to reclaim, right?"
"And that's the optimistic estimate. Towers and the system are unpredictable—they could throw any curveball. Even the best plans have a high chance of falling apart."
"From China's perspective, it's a hot potato they dumped on Korea—or the world—to avert disaster. They came out way ahead."
Of course, there were analyses like that.
That Hitchhiker might be involved in Korea's decision.
But it was just speculation.
Nothing concrete.
Korea was sticking to the line that they had no connection to Hitchhiker.
Meanwhile, the Korea-US race for first place raged on fiercely.
Tower 24F World Ranking Updated.
Tower 25F World Ranking Updated.
Hitchhiker racks up points.
America chases with 50,000-point jumps.
Time to Next Rampage:11 days 9 hours 5 minutes 2 seconds
Starting Score:-1,500,000 points
1st. Korea. +12,150,555 points
2nd. USA. +12,148,715 points
3rd. Japan. +4,572,525 points
4th. Germany. +4,205,135 points
(...)
78th. China. +1,261,575 points
(...)
Back and forth.
A true clash of dragons and tigers.
National achievements capped at 10 million.
Now it was a straight sprint for sole first place.
The world could only watch the two behemoths in bated breath.
Admiration and shock for Hitchhiker.
Speculation and hypotheses on America's score surges.
And for Korea?
The entire nation was swept in madness.
Korea's Red Devils reaching the semis for the first time in the 2002 FIFA World Cup?
Not even comparable.
This was at least a hundred times that.
And then.
The unforeseeable upset happened that very afternoon.
US-affiliated awakener 'Killdragon' has become the first in the world to clear the 69th floor.
With one Earth-affiliated awakener entering the 70F range arbitrarily, the first ordeal is imposed on all of Earth.
Trial: All Status Ailments
📍 All awakeners entering the tower will receive random status ailments.
📍 Additional random status ailments stack every set interval thereafter.
S-rank: 5 stacks on first entry, +5 every 3 minutes
A-rank: 3 stacks on first entry, +3 every 30 minutes
B-rank: 1 stack on first entry, +1 every 3 hours
C-rank: No initial stacks, +1 every 6 hours
(...)
The tower's trial?
The world plunged into shock.
B-ranks and below take minimal hits.
The problem was S- and A-ranks.
One status ailment? Fine.
But stacking changes everything.
Blindness plus freeze?
Burn and poison together?
Horrifying to imagine.
Regardless of an awakener's strength, it could spell life-threatening danger.
Plus, upper floors take anywhere from hours to days.
In other words.
Management agencies worldwide went into red alert.
They checked their exchanges immediately, but not a single cure was left.
Why?
America had swept them up long ago.
Some countries had caught on to America's hoarding and grabbed what they could late.
But.
"5 ailments on entry, +5 every 3 minutes?"
"W-with our stockpile, we won't last days!"
Realizing the insane consumption, they panicked.
The world fell into utter chaos.
What kind of ridiculous trial is this?
How long does it last?
Did America entering 70F range know this beforehand?
If this is the first trial?
Are there second, third ones too?
Right then, a US broadcast aired.
[Liberty Hall]
— According to the US government, this is an item shop accessible only to authorized government officials from permitted nations worldwide! But purchases aren't unlimited—only approved quantities after screening!
The camera panned inside the shop.
The world, holding its breath, gaped.
Piles of status ailment cures of every type.
Price tags below.
At least 100 times market rate.
— Banned countries are as follows.
The anchor checked her documents briefly.
And.
— Korea. Just Korea. That's it!
The broadcast ended.
Government officials worldwide boarded flights to America immediately.
To assess the situation on-site.
And to secure cure supplies first.
America's hoarding was confirmed—plenty to go around, seemingly.
But the situation was unpredictable.
Swift decisions and action were key.
Following that.
[Tokyo Rising Sun Plaza]
[Beijing Golden VIP Shop]
Japan and China aired similar broadcasts.
Japan's shop looked decent.
China's? It drew snickers.
Shoddy compared to US-Japan, revealing their short prep time.
Anyway.
China and Japan's cure stocks were a drop in the US bucket.
It made sense, really.
Japan got a tiny fraction from America to begin with.
Split with China, minus their own awakeners' share.
But at this rate.
Even that would net them massive profits.
Reps from both countries declared on-screen.
— Banned country: Korea.
— Korea? Obviously no sales.
Broadcasts ended.
Carmina and Yulia exploded in rage.
"Master! Those jerks are so annoying! Who are they to ban us! We weren't gonna buy anyway!"
"Profits nearing 100-fold, truly lacking in business ethics."
True enough.
Detox potions that were 400-500k won now over 50 million.
First launch, so high prices expected.
Even accounting for that.
'Scamming at absurd levels.'
Mad? Nah, not at all.
Dopamine bubbling over, couldn't stop grinning.
Ah, the corners of his mouth.
Kept rising.
Holy water could sell for way higher than thought.
"But Yulia."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
"I'll have even less business ethics."
A brief silence.
"Hehe, business ethics are useless values that hinder human progress. Your path forward is advance, advance again."
Yulia replied with a holy smile.
"Heh heh heh heh."
"Heh heh heh heh."
Carmina flinched.
Two devilish laughs...!
At that moment.
Well-packaged holy water samples were en route to governments worldwide.
Of course, just enough quantity to check the item info.