Japan's Tower Climbing Division was steeped in a heavy, gloomy atmosphere.
Administrator Tomoda was no different.
He had been promoted to the key position of Administrator of the Tower Climbing Division directly under the Prime Minister—thanks to the achievement of naturalizing Yoo Cheol-min. Yet look at the mess this had become.
The very accomplishment that had earned him his promotion had turned into a trap that now shackled him.
That was why he couldn't offer even a single excuse when Prime Minister Kawaguchi reprimanded him.
"What did they say was the cause? The reason the 57th floor—cleared just fine in Korea—keeps failing over and over in Japan."
"They said there was an issue with his condition…"
"He failed three times, and you're blaming his condition?"
"T-That is… even he himself says he doesn't understand why."
Prime Minister Kawaguchi felt stifled as well.
Public humiliation on a live broadcast, approval ratings dropping by the day, and the tower's collapse deadline drawing closer.
"The term 'chicken ribs' fits perfectly. You can't throw it away, but it's useless even if you keep it."
"I–I'm sorry!"
"Forty days is absolutely not a lot of time. What will you do if Yoo Cheol-min doesn't recover by then? How will you take responsibility?"
"We're preparing countermeasures."
"Tell me now. It had better be a plan that actually helps with tower. Otherwise, you might find yourself reassigned to the African embassy."
Gulp.
After swallowing his dry saliva—
"We'll request temporary naturalization of a player from the U.S. government. Just for about one week."
"That… is your plan?"
"I served as a diplomat, so I have some connections in the U.S. I'm confident. Please, just give me one chance."
"Connections, huh. Hahaha."
Prime Minister Kawaguchi mocked Tomoda as if it were ridiculous.
"More than me?"
"…Pardon?"
"I'm asking whether you have more connections in U.S. politics than I do—the Prime Minister."
"Uh—ah, n-no, that's not what I meant—"
"Leave for Congo, Africa, tomorrow. If you don't like it, submit your resignation."
You idiot,
Do you think I don't know that?
To officially request temporary naturalization, you have to pay an enormous price.
It can't be settled with a few million in cash.
At a national level, you'd have to concede countless interests to the other side.
And besides, the player would return to their home country anyway.
That's why they secretly brought Yoo Cheol-min over in the first place.
'Sigh…'
It felt like being trapped in a quagmire.
To be fair, Administrator Tomoda's words weren't completely wrong.
If Yoo Cheol-min didn't recover, they might have no choice but to use the temporary naturalization card.
At the very least, they needed to ask whether it was even possible before making a formal request.
After all, it would be disastrous to muster the resolve to request it officially—only to be rejected.
※ ※ ※
If a country has only one tower, you just enter it directly.
But what about countries with multiple towers?
When the system message appears, you choose which one to enter.
Like this:
[Please state the number of the tower you wish to enter.]
Thus, on the U.S. East Coast it's Tower No. 1, and on the West Coast it's Tower No. 2.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees tower climbing, pays more attention to the West Coast tower than the East.
For reasons similar to Japan's.
The West Coast tower stands along the San Andreas Fault.
If that tower collapses, the entire western United States is done for.
Currently, the world's strongest player possessed by the U.S. is focusing on clearing the West Coast tower first.
Secretary of Homeland Security MacMillan asked Antonio, Director of Tower Operations.
"So, you want to rent the Holy Sword?"
"Player Gerald keeps begging to try it as soon as possible."
"Tsk tsk. Figures. Another bout of item addiction."
"It's the only confirmed holy-attribute item so far, isn't it? They say the difference compared to light-attribute items is enormous."
"There's still plenty of time before the 67th floor deadline. Why rush to clear it?"
"He wants to repeatedly clear the 66th floor. For testing purposes."
In other words, he wanted to verify the item's effects—even if it meant paying an enormous rental fee.
Secretary MacMillan was curious too.
When they defeated the Specter on the West Tower's 66th floor, they had nearly used up the entire time limit.
It had been brutally difficult.
For Player Gerald, and for the support team as well.
They had cleared the East Tower earlier thanks to accumulated experience—but—
What if they repeatedly challenged the 66th floor while equipped with the Holy Sword?
How much time would they save?
"What about the rental fee? Have you set an amount?"
"We offered one million dollars, but they laughed it off."
"Hahaha! That's on you. Think about how many countries will want to rent it—why would they let it go cheap from the start?"
"I was just testing the waters."
Even a single light-attribute item carries a base rental fee of three million dollars.
If the performance is good, it easily exceeds five million.
"If we assume we're renting the Holy Sword, what's the maximum we can offer?"
"I think up to ten million dollars is acceptable. If the performance is good, that's still cheap."
He was right.
Some countries couldn't rent it at all.
Japan, for instance.
"You can rent it at a national level?"
"Yes."
"Then rent it. I'll make the official request through diplomatic channels."
This was a good chance to test it.
In preparation for clearing the 67th floor later.
"Anyway, this surprise naturalization stunt was Japan's fault. Doing something like that just to clear their own tower's 57th floor? Not very honorable. They should've negotiated first."
"As it happens, the Japanese Prime Minister's Office contacted us."
"About what?"
"They made an unofficial inquiry about the possibility of temporary naturalization for a player under the Department of Homeland Security."
Secretary MacMillan smirked.
"Looks like the player they naturalized didn't live up to expectations."
"You know about the incident in Japan, sir."
"It could be temporary maladjustment. A change in environment, or psychological pressure from the naturalization itself."
That sort of thing happened quite often.
No matter how high-level a player was, many died on lower floors due to psychological issues alone.
"If it were just that, they wouldn't be asking for temporary naturalization. It must be more serious than expected."
"Heh heh heh. Then tell them temporary naturalization is possible—no problem at all."
"And the conditions?"
"We squeeze them dry. We can extract the Holy Sword rental fee from Japan too. Drag out the negotiations all the way to the collapse deadline. The more desperate they get, the more we can take."
The tower is something humanity should face together.
But in reality, international relations are nothing like that.
Just look at what Japan did this time.
"Anyway, now that the existence of holy-attribute items is confirmed, we should secure some ourselves, right?"
"We've already sent messages to all domestic players. If they have an item suspected to be holy-attribute in their inventory, or obtain one as a reward, we'll buy it at a high price."
"Good! Keep that going—and let's verify the Holy Sword's performance first."
Item rental had existed for a long time.
So had temporary player naturalization.
The U.S. also maintained players who specialized in naturalization.
None of this was possible without mutual trust.
Without it, no one would even dare attempt such things.
And accidents happened frighteningly often.
Item rentals where someone bolts after stuffing the item into their inventory, or a temporarily naturalized player who never comes back.
Such things do happen.
However, from the United States' perspective, those stories don't apply at all.
If anyone dared to pull something like that?
They'd have to worry about bombardment from U.S. fighter jets carried by aircraft carriers—long before worrying about a tower collapse.
※ ※ ※
The day after clearing the 32nd floor.
Juhyeok summoned all the blood-summoned beings.
As soon as they arrived, Gyeon Dallae sat at the dining table, calmly drawing talismans.
Four in total.
She dipped her brush, soaked in red cinnabar ink, onto yellow talisman paper and drew strange symbols and characters.
"So just carrying this is enough?" Juhyeok asked.
"Yes, indeed. It is a perception-interference talisman. Others will recognize you as human, but they will not be able to discern your true nature. They will simply think, 'Ah, just an ordinary passerby,' and move on."
It sounded impressive enough just hearing about it.
"The late Emperor—this girl's father—used them often as well. He would attach a perception-interference talisman and slip out alone into the marketplace incognito."
Juhyeok understood.
How stifling must it have been for an emperor to stay inside the palace all the time?
Juhyeok's reason for doing this wasn't much different.
Until now, the blood-summoned ones had only been at home or inside the tower.
Except for Kosak, who had visited Yoo Cheol-min's penthouse.
Come to think of it, hadn't he gone to Smile Cash without being told as well?
He wanted to show them Seoul.
Go out together, eat a meal, stroll the streets, maybe hit a karaoke room or a PC café and have fun.
Honestly, if he hadn't signed the elite contract, he wouldn't have needed to go to this trouble.
He could've just come and gone freely from his old semi-basement studio without worrying about appearances.
Of course, the wild barbarian was an issue.
But what could he do?
The contract was already signed.
"Princess, won't Mr. Gobang stand out because he's so big?" Juhyeok asked.
"The perception interference will apply. He will merely appear as a tall individual. Just be careful not to bump into anyone…"
"So that's how it works."
"Mr. Gobang, be careful not to shoulder-check people while walking."
"Bread? Is it food?"
Kosak stepped in, looking exasperated.
"He means don't crash into people, you idiot!"
"Understood."
Let's just try it.
See if the talismans really work.
There had to be limits.
For example—CCTV.
Judging by the nature of the talisman, perception interference clearly wouldn't apply to camera footage.
Still, CCTVs weren't installed everywhere in an officetel.
At the very least, there were none inside the units or hallways—only at the building entrance and outside for security.
Privacy concerns.
Who would like it if strangers could clearly see who came and went from their home?
Juhyeok slipped the talisman into his pocket.
Kosak did the same.
So did Gyeon Dallae.
And so did the wild Gobang.
"All right. Let's head out."
"I am very nervous. Especially worried that Gobang might be exposed. This guy's build is no joke."
"Do you dare belittle this one's sorcery?"
"No, I'm just saying there's a possibility. Please don't misunderstand."
"You little—!"
Juhyeok raised his hand to stop them.
"Shh! Please keep it down."
Gyeon Dallae and Kosak—
Their personalities were so distinct that clashes of opinion had been happening more often lately.
"Let's not fight among ourselves. When you two argue, my heart sinks."
At Juhyeok's reprimand, both lowered their heads.
"And Princess Gyeon Dallae, don't speak so harshly to Kosak either. He speaks politely, but you calling him 'this one' and 'that one' all the time isn't a good look."
"This girl shall gladly accept punishment for disturbing the young master's peace of mind."
Gyeon Dallae had been born a princess.
Of course, speaking down to others must have come naturally.
But was this the Celestial Empire?
When she raised her voice, even Juhyeok sometimes found himself startled.
Maybe it was a good chance to rein her in a little.
"Then try speaking politely to Kosak."
"…Pardon?"
"Hurry."
"Hmm…"
As a blood-summoned being, she had no choice but to obey Juhyeok absolutely.
After hesitating briefly, Gyeon Dallae opened her mouth.
"Kosak-nim. I think I was too harsh. I'll be more careful in the future."
"Yes, sir!"
"But! I will never tolerate disloyalty or rude, reckless behavior toward Young Master Bong!"
"…Yes."
Whoa.
Her momentum didn't falter at all.
Must be her nature.
All right—now let's really go out.
Juhyeok opened the officetel door and stepped outside.
The three followed behind him.
They took the elevator down to the first floor and passed by the guard office where the security staff were gathered…
"Huh?"
They really don't recognize us?
"Wow!"
Normally, the moment an elite player went out, guards would ask where he was headed and offer an escort.
But they must be perceiving him as just another ordinary resident.
This officetel housed elite players, regular contracted players, and even civilians.
Still, better not assume anything until they were fully outside.
"Have a good day."
"Yes."
That settled it.
The perception-interference talisman.
Jackpot.
It felt strange.
No one looked at them oddly.
"It truly is amazing, Princess Gyeon Dallae."
"It is not particularly difficult."
"The talisman's effect is incredible. As expected of an S-rank summoner."
"Is that so?"
Gyeon Dallae smiled proudly at the praise.
Kosak too—
"It's the best! Summoner Bong has acknowledged you! Very cool!"
Gyeon Dallae replied to Kosak with a peculiar smile.
"Kosak-nim, I accept your praise with gratitude. However, you too must continue to cultivate yourself—again and again. Sweet words that tickle the ear may please Young Master Bong, but at times, providing tangible help is the true way to serve him."
"…Yes. Yes, ma'am."
Oof.
That hit the mark.
What she really meant was probably this:
Kosak, what exactly do you even do?Aside from flattery, do you contribute anything?Don't just cover things with words—be useful.
Honestly, yelling would've hurt less.
That was brutal.
Maybe telling her to use honorifics was a mistake?
…Wait.
Are there other kinds of talismans too?
For example—
"Um, do you have talismans that improve health as well?"
"Of course. There are health talismans. They allow one to live out their allotted lifespan in good health, free from minor illnesses."
Oh!
"Later, just three of them…"
"Simply give the order."
For my father, mother, and younger sibling.
"Um… what about something like luck?"
"There is such a talisman. The effect isn't very strong, so it only applies to small, everyday luck."
"Then three of those as well."
"Understood."
Ahhh!
Gyeon Dallae looks completely different to me now.
She's an absolute treasure trove.
I regret it.
Why did I scold her earlier?
Honestly, Kosak kind of deserved it.
Always flattering like some sycophant, you know.
"I have one more thing to ask."
"Yes."
"Well… um… uh… is there a talisman that helps you get a girlfriend?"
"Do you mean a Fate-Binding Talisman? It increases the probability of finding a lifelong partner. I shall prepare one for you."
"I see. …It's not that I need it. I was asking for my younger sibling."
"..."
"I'm serious."
Kosak immediately jumped in.
"Dat's right! Of course it's for yer younger sibling. Why would Summoner Bong need a Fate talisman? Just existing, he radiates brilliance. If I were a woman, I'd ask him out on a date instantly. Hehehehehe."
Nod, nod.
As expected, Kosak has a good eye for people.
Sometimes, he's surprisingly wise.
Anyway, thanks to this, Juhyeok was now able to walk comfortably through the streets of Seoul together with his three blood-summoned companions.
Juhyeok and the group wandered around, gawking at everything like country bumpkins.
Gobang, who had been warned in advance, lumbered along while trying to avoid people—
"Hey! That's the road!"
"This place is the widest."
"You'll crash into something!"
"A warrior is sturdy."
"Do you think I'm worried about you? I'm worried about the car that'll hit you and get totaled!"
Gobang scratched his head and moved back onto the sidewalk.
Kosak seemed quite familiar with modern civilization, clearly distinguishing between the road and the sidewalk.
"Kosak, was the world you were summoned from like this too?"
"Yes. Similar, but nothing was intact. Buildings were collapsed, and cars were all rusted. Seeing cars actually running like that—I only saw that after coming to this world."
"Ah."
He did say his world was ruined.
Gyeon Dallae, meanwhile, calmly surveyed the streets of Seoul—
and the people passing by.
"Everyone seems to be living very busy lives. They don't look relaxed."
"That's just how this world is."
"It is abundant, yet the hearts of its people seem poor."
She keeps hitting the nail on the head.
Anyway, since they were already out, they might as well enjoy themselves.
In truth, this was also a first for Juhyeok.
Walking freely down the street with friends(?).
And what kind of friends were these, anyway?
A cold-blooded assassin, a barbarian warrior, and the empire's foremost royal shaman.
"So what do we do now?"
"Let's go eat meat. Beef!"
"Oooo! Expensive meat! I'll be mindful while eating."
"You can eat a lot."
"U-Um, Gobang is here too, you know?"
"So what! Let's order like crazy! Huh? Don't chicken out!"
"Sounds good! I trust you, Summoner Bong!"
How much could they really eat?
If they ate too much, they'd just get sick of it anyway.