Meteor Annihilation and the Alliance Revolution

Before the round ended.

The United States, having used their 1.5 million point potion, laughed as they watched Korea's stagnant score.

"Haha, didn't I tell you? Korea will surely regret it. No matter how much they struggle, second place is their limit. They should have just accepted the leash when we offered it—they must be beating their chests in frustration now."

The undisclosed national buff they would receive as first-place reward.

This round, it would stack to a certain number of times, doubling the growth rate.

And the point potions? More than a third remained.

They would be a useful card for fine-tuning the board even in the next round.

They couldn't miss the chance to dominate the world through new equipment sales and pressure Korea.

The United States was the hegemon.

That fact was unchangeable.

Japan laughed too.

"At least we didn't drop out of the top 20. We can still get the minimum mana stone buff. We can aim for a comeback in the next round based on that."

Of course, the fact that Tartarus had a second phase was a variable among variables.

But time had only been extended.

The raid itself was proceeding without issues.

Successfully defeating it before Korea and China was a predetermined future.

They could steal 2 million points each in the next round and surge ahead.

And China? They laughed as well.

"The Hitchhiker is just an outlier. Korea as a country is utterly worthless."

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Their military power had plummeted sharply at the tower's initial outbreak. They didn't even have decent nuclear weapons.

A prime example: they couldn't respond at all to the warships deployed in the Yellow Sea right now.

How long could they maintain that stubborn attitude of refusing to sell holy water to China?

Thus, each nation's leaders dreamed their dreams.

Each with their own ulterior motives, painting grand pictures of the future.

Their sweet dreams seemed unbreakable.

Because...

Until a certain anomaly was captured on the satellite screens.

"Wh-what the hell is that?"

"A-an unknown phenomenon has been observed over Korea's Jeju Island!"

"Analysis team! What the hell is the analysis team doing?!"

The night sky bright as daylight.

A black hole yawned open there.

The thoughts of people worldwide watching the footage froze in an instant.

What the hell is that...?

What's happening...?

The pitch-black void and the sparkling star clusters beyond evoked a certain scene.

Outer space...?

There was no time to properly process the thought.

Because something flying out from beyond the hole had already revealed itself in the sky overhead.

A rugged surface.

A size beyond comprehension.

It was a meteor.

Whoosh!

The flying monsters soaring high to avoid Tartarus's gas all melted away.

The atmosphere shimmered wildly from the heat, identifiable even in the low-quality footage.

The impact point seemed clear.

"N-no way! It can't be! It won't be!"

"This is impossible!"

Emergency alerts rang out in the situation rooms of the US, China, and Japan, but there was nothing they could do.

And then.

KABOOOOOM────!

The exploding shockwave.

Vision went beyond bright.

Eyes blinded, unable to see.

When sight returned, nothing remained on Jeju Island.

Not the monster Tartarus.

Not the hundreds of thousands of monsters.

All had vanished without a trace.

Only a massive crater remained as evidence of the event.

A scene transcending the surreal, utterly transcendent.

In that moment, no one thought it might be an Awakener's skill.

Even though it was the natural conclusion since the monsters had been annihilated.

They snapped out of it with the next alert.

The meteor was a skill just now...?

And Hitchhiker...? Does that mean Hitchhiker is the owner of the meteor...?

The legendary tower record.

Lycanslope subjugated in 1 second.

The rumored owner of the holy water.

All the feats that had shaken the world flashed through minds.

At the end, the meteor skill fit like the final puzzle piece, amplifying shivers and goosebumps.

Korea's surprise 4 million point gain.

The situation had completely reversed.

The US score started skyrocketing in units of 1, 3, and 5 million, insanely climbing.

But...

Catching up was impossible.

In the long history of tower competitions, the unchanging first place had finally changed.

Around the world, tension and silence shattered, erupting into massive cheers.

And in the Republic of Korea?

"Hitchhiker! He's a god!"

"He's a real god! Korea took first!"

In a frenzy of madness, cries of "Hitchhiker" echoed through the night without end.

At that moment, each nation's leaders' minds were spinning wildly.

'Wiped out hundreds of thousands of monsters with a single skill use?'

'If we could borrow his power, do we even need to buy US equipment?'

Hearts pounded.

Instinct told them.

All the feats Hitchhiker had accomplished so far.

They were merely the beginning.

"Kyaaaa! Master! First place! We got first!"

Carmina screamed.

So excited she hugged him from behind, trying to swing him around.

As if.

His strength and vitality stats had risen quite a bit, so he could easily withstand it.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Kyaa! Master! First! World first!"

Or not.

Carmina grew along with his Awakener level, after all.

In his spinning vision, Yulia's flushed cheeks came into view.

"It's the expected result with Your Majesty here, of course, but I can't help getting excited. Looks like I need to release the alcohol limiter today and drink till I drop."

That sounded dangerous.

He knew her drunken antics all too well.

Escaping the Carmina coaster, he spun three full turns before collapsing onto the sofa.

Thud!

"Phew."

Tension melted away.

The fatigue accumulated over the past month knocked all at once.

"Gonna rest for 5 minutes."

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"Yes! You worked too hard, Master!"

"You've earned a few days ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of solid rest."

Before he knew it, his two allies had set up heated eye masks and a foot massager.

Suddenly!

"Let's check the rewards."

"Ack! Only 5 seconds passed!"

"As expected of omnipotent recovery speed."

Fatigue? Gone.

A pile of gift boxes to open—how could he sit still?

He pulled up the message list immediately.

Pause.

So radiant.

Gazing mesmerized for a moment, he returned to his purpose.

Swipe, swipe.

Found it. Start here.

Sweet enough to rot teeth.

2 and 3? Obvious.

But the real prize was 1.

In simple terms, all Korean Awakeners would get 100 times more mana stones from towers.

"Ah, Master! Is it good?"

"Not just good. Mana stones are used everywhere in industry."

Demand was always high.

Supply always short.

In his room, they were just poker stakes, but regardless of grade, they were precious.

Especially a key condition for advanced nations.

Whether they could meet national demand solely with domestic production.

"Most countries can't. They import at high prices from top nations."

In that situation, mana stone production ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠100x?

Korea's dead economy would spring back to life.

And on top.

With the Tartarus first subjugation buff compounding?

"100 times multiplied by 1.5..."

Carmina's serious face.

Folding and unfolding fingers repeatedly.

"How many gold chickens for 100 million won?"

"5,555 and a half!"

"Multiply 100 by 1.5?"

"Ugh... math... problem..."

"225 million 30 thousand won. Gold chicken."

"12,516 and two-thirds!"

Something seemed off.

Anyway, next.

Tooth decay inevitable.

Check the new items first.

He doubted his eyes for a moment.

Base stats increase?

Unprecedented item.

Absolutely insane performance.

Especially for him.

With his abnormal buff levels.

Current total stats around 2300.

Eat these and one mission clears.

Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

"Ooh! Refreshing one-shot!"

"Your Majesty becomes even more omnipotent!"

Gulp. Results of 5 one-shots.

Only one left unachieved.

Time to prepare for stage 2 mission.

Next.

He knew this one.

Diplomatic item usable only on other nations, literally.

Stockpiling would be useful.

'Next, tactical item... Huh?'

Scrolling down, he spotted a message needing priority.

Time limit?

This was it?

The first-place nation's secret perk.

Scanning the list, he understood instantly.

Why the US had an absurd high-rank Awakener ratio per population.

'They've been stacking 1 all along?'

Exact rate undisclosed.

But definitely not low.

Others were strong too.

He thought to discuss with Team Leader Cha Minhyuk.

Ding!

Alliance War?

Reward enhancement? Reward split?

Goosebumps over his whole body.

Tower competitions had never deviated from individual nation wars.

"Master! Call from Octopus Uncle!"

Chatted via Carmina.

"Agent, confirmed?"

"Yes. Hitchhiker too."

"Global situation will face massive upheaval."

He sounded excited, unable to calm down.

Changes worldwide.

Countless scenarios arose.

If US allies up?

If European nations join hands?

If Africa's myriad small nations unite?

Or alliances by factors beyond geography.

Competition dynamics would change entirely.

Whoa, no joke.

Blood rushed to his head.

"Master! What about Korea? What do we do?"

"Is there any nation that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Korea, Your Majesty's domain?"

Not a decision to make lightly.

However.

This line stuck powerfully.

He was the type to always play hell mode for max rewards.

Of course, this was reality, not a game.

For now.

"Management Agency will hold a meeting. Summarize analyses and opinions afterward."

"Understood."

"And an option to choose."

Sought opinion on secret national buff.

"High-rank Awakener manifestation increase seems most efficient. 2-4 can be substituted somehow with resources, but Awakeners can't."

His thought too.

Manpower is national power.

Talent drain risk? Exists.

But leaving Korea with Hitchhiker now? Hard decision.

Confidence in himself.

And trust in Korean Management Agency's Awakener care.

This means busier times ahead?

"No real rest, huh? You okay?"

"No problem! Better than sitting idle—love staying active!"

"Same here."

Reliable as ever.

Pulled bundle from inventory.

Heap of tickets.

Enough to use some.

Especially with alliance decision time tight.

Ticket gains could hugely sway choices.

Plus Yulia's buff still active.

Jumped to Lumentia, unleashed meteors.

BOOM─! KABOOOM─!

And at that time, in Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Germany! Contact from Germany's Foreign Ministry!"

"Iraq too! Requesting alliance proposal! Negotiation terms they can offer—"

"Canadian Management Agency officials are flying in on a private jet right now!"

"Singapore too!"

"These crazy bastards! Who flies in without warning like this?!"

All phone lines were on fire.

Reason? Just one.

They had to beg for alliance with Korea, Hitchhiker's nation.

End