Is It Already Summit Day?
Seo Ryuin.
She was an utterly ordinary civil servant who lived buried under a relentless mountain of paperwork.
Every morning, she commuted at the exact same time to sit in a quiet office at the end of the hallway on the ninth floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sorting and organizing thousands of documents. That was her daily routine.
Still, she took comfort in the fact that because she had been a climber scaling the towers four years ago, her body was resilient enough to spare her from a herniated disc.
But even for someone like her, working overtime for two consecutive weeks was mentally draining.
The culprit was the appearance of a bizarre new structure, colloquially known as Naejibtap (My House Tower).
When she first heard that the government was suddenly attempting diplomacy with a tower, she thought it was a mere joke.
Yet, that absurd idea was rapidly turning into reality.
Since that day, she had been assigned to compile and organize the endless influx of data regarding Naejibtap.
Thanks to this, Seo Ryuin could confidently say she knew Naejibtap better than anyone else.
A hot spring filled with highly therapeutic carbonated water, a sleep hotel beneath a beautiful canopy of the Milky Way, the Malang Malang Restaurant serving incredibly soft and fluffy food...
Though she had never visited them herself, simply reading the descriptions in the documents painted a vivid picture in her mind.
She had resolved to take a vacation someday to experience those amenities firsthand.
...At least, until that happened.
"You're Ms. Seo Ryuin, correct? As of this moment, you have been assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Transcendent Entity Diplomatic Response Task Force. Please follow me immediately."
"...Excuse me?"
A sudden, unannounced notice that came out of nowhere.
It was an emergency transfer to a temporary department with a bizarre name: the Transcendent Entity Diplomatic Response Task Force.
"Wait a moment. I've never worked on a task force before, and I don't even belong to that department...?"
"It's a newly established organization for emergency response. You are the only person in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who can enter the tower. Your climber license is still valid, right?"
"...That was four years ago."
"The decision has already been made by the higher-ups. The paperwork is complete. From this moment on, you are a Government Special Envoy."
"What?!"
Before she could even process what was happening, she was guided by her superior to the Director General's office.
The Director General of Foreign Policy was waiting for her inside.
"Special Envoy Seo Ryuin."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"You will now represent the government in conducting talks with the tower's manager. I assume you know why?"
Honestly, she still couldn't wrap her head around it, but she at least knew the reason.
"...Is it because I'm a climber?"
"Exactly. You are the only civil servant in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who can enter the tower. And you are the only one who can sign documents under the government's name inside."
"But I have no experience with negotiations or treaties..."
"The government doesn't expect you to handle the entire negotiation alone. The talks will be conducted alongside other government officials and guild representatives. Even a major guild won't be able to act as they please right in front of government personnel."
In other words, once she delivered the diplomatic documents prepared by the government, the rest of the delegation would handle the actual negotiations.
"So, you just need to sit by, listen, and sign on behalf of the government when the time comes."
It sounded simple enough, but she still couldn't shake her doubts.
"...What if we fail?"
"Rest assured, the government will shoulder as much of the responsibility for failure as possible. However..."
A brief silence fell over the room before the Director General quietly continued.
"...Keep in mind that, depending on the circumstances, you may also be held accountable."
At the mention of being held accountable, Seo Ryuin gulped.
"So do not forget: from now on, you are the person representing the stance of the government."
Time passed, and the morning of the diplomatic talks arrived.
Seo Ryuin stood before the entrance of Naejibtap.
The name tag hanging around her neck read: [Government Special Envoy – Seo Ryuin].
The delegation assembled for the talks consisted of six people in total:
- Kim Hacheong, a climber from the Security Department
- Im Heonbeop, a climber from the Ministry of Justice
- Yoon Seojin, Vice Master of the Glory Guild
- Geom Heokbeom, Master of the Black Sword Guild
- Crow, ranked 7th among climbers globally
...And finally, Seo Ryuin, a climber from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs serving as the Government Special Envoy.
Is it really okay for me to be in a place like this...?
Squeezed between such giants, she couldn't hide her anxiety as she nervously toyed with the edge of her name tag.
From a distance, she probably looked like an ordinary desk-bound civil servant who had tagged along to the talks by sheer accident.
But the reality was quite the opposite.
In these negotiations, she was the sole individual vested with the authority to make final decisions on behalf of the government.
Yet, her presence was far too faint for someone carrying such a heavy responsibility.
The other five members of the delegation were already waiting nearby, each exuding their own distinct aura.
Among them, the first to catch the eye was Geom Heokbeom, the Master of the Black Sword Guild.
Wearing his guild-exclusive coat over a black suit, his gaze was intensely charismatic.
As the master of the Black Sword Guild, a man with significant political influence, he possessed an aura that completely dominated the surrounding air.
"Crow, you know why you were included in this delegation, right?"
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it."
Beside him stood Crow, a climber belonging to the Black Sword Guild, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
He had recently risen from 9th to 7th in the global rankings, and his true strength was completely unfathomable.
Just then, someone approached and spoke to her.
"Are you alright, Ms. Ryuin?"
It was Yoon Seojin, the Vice Master of the Glory Guild.
"I'm just... a bit nervous..."
"Anything can happen inside a tower. Please stay cautious at all times."
At his words, Seo Ryuin nodded carefully.
Normally, the Master of the Glory Guild should have attended in person, but the situation was a bit complicated.
Park Yeonggwang, the Master of the Glory Guild, had been hospitalized due to injuries but had recently made a swift recovery after drinking holy water.
However, instead of returning to the guild, he had dumped all his authority onto Yoon Seojin and departed for an overseas trip with his wife.
As a result, Yoon Seojin stood here representing the Glory Guild.
Meanwhile, someone was muttering to themselves a short distance away.
"Why am I a representative...? I told them so many times I didn't want to do this...!"
His name was Kim Hacheong, a climber from the Security Department.
Contrary to his timid appearance, his mission execution capability was second to none.
Even though he himself couldn't understand why, the government placed immense trust in him.
The "Naejibtap Jajangmyeon Incident" that had occurred a week ago.
While the exact details remained undisclosed, Lee Woncheong had testified that without Kim Hacheong's swift response, they wouldn't have even been able to schedule these talks.
Thanks to that, an unspoken consensus had formed within the government that Kim Hacheong was the most reliable figure in the Security Department. Consequently, he ended up here as the climber representing them.
The only one who had remained silent until the very end was Im Heonbeop, the climber from the Ministry of Justice.
Standing so quietly that it was impossible to tell how long he had been waiting, he looked like a man who had completely excised all emotion.
Three from the government, three from the guilds.
Entrusted to this six-member delegation was a diplomatic summit of such gravity that it would surely be recorded in the pages of history.
Just then, the silent Im Heonbeop finally spoke.
"Preparations are complete. Let us head inside."
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone nodded and stepped toward the tower.
Seo Ryuin clenched her trembling hands and took a deep breath.
There was no running away, no backing down.
Amidst her worry and anxiety, the moment her foot crossed into the tower's interior, a bright light flashed.
You have entered the 1st Floor - Lobby.
And the very first thing that caught their eyes there was—
★ Naejibtap warmly welcomes the government's diplomatic delegation! ★
"...?"
The members of the delegation wore utterly bewildered expressions as they read the banner hanging before them.
Only a week ago, the tower had threatened to postpone the talks for a hundred years, and now it was "welcoming" the government?
While the entire delegation looked around in confusion, one of the tower's maids rushed over to Seo Ryuin and greeted her!
"Hello! Are you the diplomatic delegation from the government?"
"Ah? Yes, that's us..."
The tower's maid smiled brightly and began to guide them.
"Wonderful! You must have worked so hard to get here! Since Naejibtap prioritizes fatigue recovery above all else, I will guide you to our resting floors first!"
"Wait a moment, we came here to hold talks—"
"Oh, don't worry! The talks are scheduled to begin this evening. Until then, most of our resting facilities will be open to the delegation entirely for free!"
"...Free?"
The moment those words registered, a sharp gleam flashed in Seo Ryuin's eyes.
However, the government delegation was currently here on official diplomatic business.
Geom Heokbeom, the Master of the Black Sword Guild, spoke to the maid.
"I appreciate the gesture, but we did not come here for a vacation. Could you move the time of the talks forward?"
At that moment.
"Absolutely not."
The one who boldly cut him off was none other than Seo Ryuin.
Suddenly adopting a solemn expression, she looked at the delegation and said, "Now is the time to respect the manager's wishes. No matter how powerful the government is, we must not ignore the will of the tower."
"...Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
"To demand we move the talks forward right now—is that not defying the tower's intent?"
"No, that's not..."
"The government's final diplomatic authority has been delegated to me. Therefore, I must ask you all to act in accordance with my judgment."
Seo Ryuin had suddenly switched into a cold, calculating Government Special Envoy mode.
Her abrupt shift left the delegation speechless for a moment.
But thinking about it rationally, there was no reason to cause unnecessary friction by forcing the talks early.
It was better to avoid any needless conflict with the tower's manager.
"...Indeed, it seems I spoke out of turn. My apologies," Geom Heokbeom said, admitting his misjudgment and offering an apology.
And so, it was decided that the entire delegation would rest inside Naejibtap until the evening talks.
At the core of that decision... lay the resolute judgment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Government Special Envoy.
...A short while later, on the 37th Floor, the Carbonated Water Hot Spring.
"Huaaaaaah...!!! It's real! It's actually real! It's exactly like the hot spring described in the documents!"
Soaking in the carbonated water hot spring with a towel wrapped around her head, Seo Ryuin cried out with eyes full of pure ecstasy.
"And it's all free! Every single bit of it! No matter what... I have to enjoy everything I possibly can today!"
Though her decision was clearly driven by 99.9% personal greed—
The delegation had absolutely no idea.