Black Tower 99th Floor.
The Great Journey’s ninth main mission consisted of two objectives.
One was complete.
Destroy the Dimensional Energy Transmitter.
No, it had completed itself.
By the World Tree choosing to burn her own body.
What remained was destroying the Dimensional Energy Processing Facility Control Room.
The World Tree had burned away, leaving only the concrete structure and the bare metal antenna standing forlornly.
Let’s finish this with nukes.
He would dump everything he had brought and leave.
But.
“Son of a bitch, just thinking about it pisses me off.”
“A shameless criminal who arouses the wrath of heaven and man.”
“Compared to the Black Tower, the great demons of the demon realm are mild.”
It was heartbreaking.
The World Tree, who should have been living peacefully with the elves, had been trapped in the gap of empty space and threatened all this time.
What exactly was dimensional energy?
That a god-class World Tree had to suffer like this?
He understood why she had made such an extreme choice.
“Still, we got an item. The sapling. Saved some money. It goes for 2 billion at auction, but we got it for free...”
Wow!
There was another shameless criminal right here.
“How can you say something like that in this situation?”
Juhyeok stared at Cossack with an expression of disbelief.
“Th-that’s...”
Cossack lowered his head with a slightly guilty expression.
Perhaps because even he felt a pang of conscience, he quickly apologized.
“...I’m sorry.”
Read the room, will you.
Anyway.
“Cossack, when did you come out?”
“I came out before the World Tree started burning.”
“...What about the control room?”
“It would have been bad if I’d been any later. Those bastards were preparing to self-destruct.”
As expected, his premonition had been correct.
No wonder his scalp had been tingling.
“So I saw everything.”
What?
“Master Bong Summoner was hugging Mari and rubbing, rubbing...”
“W-wait a minute!”
Where was this guy getting fake news from?
“When did I ever rub against her, huh? Is something wrong with your eyes? Huh!”
“Hmm, I must have seen wrong.”
“See properly next time. Spreading fake news is grounds for expulsion from the White Tower!!!”
“Huk!”
If he had actually rubbed against her, at least he would not feel wronged.
He had just lightly hugged her and patted her back.
“Anyway, so Mari has become the legal wife? Who’s the number one candidate for secondary wife? The incubi are curious.”
“...”
“Is Veronica Caliber second in line after all? Third place must be a showdown between Princess Fairy Dallae and the incubi. I’m on the edge of my seat.”
“...”
“Even if you bring Oh Jinsuk later, you need to clearly establish the hierarchy. That’s how there will be peace in the household.”
“...”
Don’t respond.
If he said the wrong thing, he would get dragged into it.
Meanwhile, one person caught Juhyeok’s eye.
The face was familiar, but who was it?
“Who’s that guy? He looks like an administrator.”
“He’s the Controller, the one in charge of the control room.”
Ah!
Now he remembered.
The one who had tried to persuade him to defect when he first came to this Dimensional Energy Processing Facility.
‘He’s completely gone.’
The Controller was grinning foolishly while staring only at Diamat.
It seemed the enchantment had taken hold properly.
Well, of course! How could anyone resist the temptation of a great demon?
Even he, who had spent quite a long time with her, found his heart wavering every moment.
“Did you learn anything?”
“Nothing. I only made him get rid of the Creature Guardians.”
“You should have asked him a few things at least. Like the location of the main base or the identity of the god.”
“Strangely, he won’t answer. He just grins.”
He would not talk even while under enchantment?
It seemed the incubi’s technique had its limits too.
“It’s because there’s a wall built up. Like a sturdy defense mechanism, similar to the one in Master’s heart.”
Hmm.
It was not that strong of a wall, though.
Anyway, he would find out directly.
Since the guy was high-ranking, he would know a lot.
Juhyeok raised the Judge’s Mallet.
After aiming it at the Controller.
“You Have Confessed Your Sins!!!”
[What?]
WUUUUUNG!
The energy of the underworld extended through the Judge’s Mallet.
It wound tightly around the Controller’s entire body.
And with that, Diamat’s enchantment shattered.
[Wh-what? Why am, am I? Kheuk!]
What were this bastard’s sins?
FLASH!
An image rose up from behind the Controller.
His numerous sins were exposed.
How he had risen through the ranks as a tower administrator by destroying worlds.
How he had been recognized for that achievement, promoted, and assigned as the Controller of the Dimensional Energy Processing Facility.
He had been in charge of processing dimensional energy collected from three parallel universe Earths.
Earth NO.675, Earth NO.1001, and Earth NO.843.
‘NO.843? Where’s that?’
Earth NO.843, a parallel universe.
The place where dimensional energy was being extracted most actively.
The tower collapse had progressed considerably there.
Meaning holes were being punched through the Earth left and right.
Also, the boundary between the tower and the world was almost disappearing.
What did this signify?
‘Haa.’
Earth NO.843’s destruction was currently underway.
How many people had been sacrificed to the monsters that had emerged from the tower?
It might soon end up like Earth NO.675.
He wanted to go there immediately and save the people.
But currently, there was no way to get there.
Those Black Tower bastards.
Scum who deserved divine punishment.
Where exactly were they?
“How do I get to the main base? And what is the identity of the God of Gluttony?”
Speak!
Spit out the information.
[G-God? That damn ba-bastard is...]
Right at that moment!
FWAAAAASH!
Heat surged from the Controller’s torso.
[Kheuk!]
PSSSSSS.
The bastard crumbled into ash.
“...Ahem.”
He’s dead?
“He’s dead.”
“Dead.”
“He died.”
“Should have died a little later.”
“It appears he had a gag order placed on him.”
Tsk tsk.
Tail-cutting executed perfectly.
They invaded other dimensions so easily, yet they did everything possible to avoid being discovered themselves.
Petty, hypocritical cowards.
Well, there was nothing he could do about it.
He would leave the lacking parts to the great White Tower brother.
“Let’s finish this now.”
The finale would be nuclear.
Drop five or six and run.
The Green Bomber carrying Juhyeok and his summoned entities took flight.
THUDUDUDUK!
Nuclear warheads dropped in succession.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG!
KUGUGUGUGUGUGUGUGU!
[You have completed the ninth stage of the Great Mission.]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[A Summon Upgrade Rune Bundle has been deposited into your tower-exclusive inventory.]
Done.
[Returning to Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 99th Floor.]
Upon returning to the 99th Floor.
[World Announcement: Black Tower NO.1 (Korea) 99th Floor has been cleared with grade EX.]
[EX Clear Reward: Awarding 2+30, a total of 32 Platinum Badges.]
Ahh.
Nice and clean.
Just one floor left.
***
White Tower 17th Floor.
The moment Juhyeok entered.
CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!
The summoned entities who had been waiting for him welcomed him with thunderous applause.
“Long live the Summoner!”
“Long live Juhyeok!”
“Great work to the advance party.”
“Amazing!”
After puffing out his chest and waving in response.
He needed to hurry.
He had to plant the World Tree.
This was a tree too, and if he left the sapling too long, something might go wrong.
If he planted it carelessly, the precious sapling might wither and die.
Leave medicine to the pharmacist.
Leave saplings to the farmer.
Juhyeok ran to Farmer Duu with Mari.
When he showed the small branch he had brought, Farmer Duu recognized what it was at a glance.
“World Tree. Mythical-grade. Sapling. Finicky.”
Right?
It would be finicky, wouldn’t it?
“Farmer Duu. Expert. Plant well. Raise well.”
As expected, reliable.
“Planting location. Elf. Nearby. Comprehensive Workshop Center. Behind.”
He said it needed to be planted near Mari, the elf.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
Duu walked carefully while holding the sapling.
Then he bent down, placed his hand on the ground, and with his six arms carefully touched various spots.
“Here. Optimal. Environment.”
“Yes, please plant it.”
THWAK, THWAK!
Duu dug the soil with his bare hands without any equipment.
After placing the sapling in the hole, covering it back up, and generously watering it with the watering can at his waist.
“Sacred tree. Earth’s blessing. Peace. Comfort. Prayer.”
Right at that moment!
RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE.
The World Tree sapling trembled its stem and shot up.
It grew rapidly in an instant.
Branches sprouted and leaves appeared.
Before they knew it, the World Tree had taken on the proper form of a tree.
It was far bigger than a typical street tree.
But in truth, this was still considered very small.
It was a young tree.
An actual World Tree was large enough to pierce through the clouds.
“Sapling. Settled. 17th Floor environment. Suitable. Expect rapid growth.”
“Aaaaah!”
Mari was overwhelmed with emotion.
How happy must she be?
The World Tree was now growing in the space where she lived.
Right at that moment!
Ding!
Could it be an achievement?
[A World Tree has been planted on White Tower 17th Floor.]
It was not an achievement.
[The White Tower’s environment will help the World Tree grow rapidly.]
Yes, please help.
[With the World Tree taking root, an optimal environment for elves to live in has been established.]
The White Tower residents gathered around the World Tree.
They knew too.
Just how significant of an event this was.
It was essentially the same as a being of divine rank descending upon the White Tower.
Would the World Tree’s grace only reach the elves?
It affected other races as well.
The energy the World Tree contained.
Additionally, the byproducts obtained from it.
For example, the fruit was the finest alchemical ingredient.
Though not for reproductive purposes, it was a medicinal material brimming with the World Tree’s energy.
The World Tree’s leaves were just as precious as the fruit.
Simply gathering the leaves that naturally fell as it grew was enough to make medicine.
There were also the branches.
Being a tree with divine spirit, it pruned itself as it grew.
Those branches could be used to make staffs or enchanted magical items.
“Standing under the World Tree, I feel like my internal energy is increasing.”
“Because it’s a sacred tree.”
“My body and mind are being purified.”
“Howeee.”
“The Dimensional Supreme Servant seems very pleased as well.”
Everyone was delighted.
Even.
“Now that we’re here, I’ll tell you—my blood has elf genes mixed in too.”
Saint Dorothy’s random confession.
“...You?”
“Yeah. Apparently one of my ancestors was an elf.”
“Ha! Bullshit.”
“What do you mean, Muscle Saintess?”
“These days, do elves have to bench press 1,000 for the big three lifts?”
“Unless you have at least some resemblance to an elf.”
Dorothy showed her ears to everyone with an indignant expression.
“Look at my ears. Aren’t they pointy?”
“They’re round as can be.”
“Those are straight-up Buddha ears.”
“What’s a saintess doing with Buddha ears?”
Veronica Caliber joined in as well.
“I also heard from my grandmother. She said our Caliber family was originally founded by a half-elf ancestor.”
Cossack stepped forward, eyes wide with disbelief.
“That’s nonsense.”
“Why? I’m pretty, aren’t I?”
“It’s not about being pretty or not.”
“Then what?”
“What’s the characteristic trait of elves? They’re good at archery, aren’t they?”
“Right. And I’m Veronica Caliber of a Hundred Shots, Hundred Hits.”
“Is a bow the same as a magic gun?”
Cossack refuted passionately.
“Elves shoot bows. But if you have a big chest, it gets in the way when you draw the bowstring.”
“...”
“There’s no problem shooting a magic gun, but a bow won’t work. When you pull back like this, it gets caught, like this.”
There was a point.
Perhaps that was why Veronica Caliber could not refute.
“Traditionally, elves have had small chests for generations. Just look at Mari.”
Hmm.
WHOOSH, WHOOSH.
The summoned entities turned their heads to look at Mari.
They’re small, all right—everyone nodded in agreement.
“This bastard...”
Mari glared at Cossack with a sharp, piercing look.
“You can curse at me. I only spoke the truth.”
“...”
What an impressive Cossack.
To have the skill to shut down both Veronica Caliber and Mari simultaneously.
Anyway, the goal of planting the World Tree had been accomplished.
The only regret was that Mari was the only elf.
Were there any wandering elves who had lost their homes?
It would be nice if they came to the White Tower and lived together.
In that instant!
JIIING!
His smartphone rang.
A call from Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.
Probably wanting to congratulate him on the 99th Floor clear and ask about the 100th Floor schedule.
He should tell him to come to the White Tower.
Team Leader Lee Mina too.
They could discuss the clear schedule, and he could brag about planting the World Tree.
***
Yet another World Announcement rang out.
└ Let’s gooooo!!! The tables have turned!
└ But if that really happens, won’t Bong Juhyeok’s power become too strong?
└ So what if he gets stronger? He’s already Earth’s top nuclear holder.
└ That’s right. If he felt like it, he could make any decent country disappear without a trace.
└ You couldn’t even stop him, right? A dragon drops the nukes.
└ Isn’t that crazy? How do you even keep a dragon?
└ There’s talk that he brought that from the tower. They say the dragon was the boss monster of the 89th or 90th Floor.
└ You guys heard of Diamat? The 80th Floor boss—Bong Juhyeok seduced her too.
└ Ah! That succubus who escaped was Diamat?
└ Taming tower monsters.
└ Player Bong Juhyeok with his demonic charm.
└ Oh! Did you guys buy the figures? The ones from Rajix Trading.
└ Those are already sold out.
└ The supply can’t keep up. They’re harder to buy than the Obesity Escape Bracelet.
└ Well, the bracelet’s mass production process is established now, so it’s stable.
└ You can buy the Cossack Hero Figure though. There’s lots of stock.
└ Cossack is kinda...
The whole world was in a frenzy.
Bong Juhyeok’s heroes.
Heroes summoned from another world to save an Earth in crisis.
└ But the 100th Floor clear isn’t just going to pass quietly, right?
└ No way. If he succeeds, that day absolutely needs to be designated a national holiday.
└ Just one day?
└ No way. At least three days.
└ It should be designated as a worldwide commemoration—three days off for everyone.
└ Shouldn’t we prepare for the celebration ceremony first?
└ Right. It’d be boring to just hear the World Announcement at home.
This was such a historic moment—shouldn’t there at least be a festival?
Demands from citizens flooded the government petition board and the Korean Awakening Administration’s website.
And so.
“A street rally?”
“Yes, the format is a rally, but it’s closer to a festival.”
Commissioner Jeon Gwangil made a request.
To delay the 100th Floor ascent by just three days.
He wanted to turn the moment of the World Announcement declaring the complete conquest of the Black Tower into a nationwide celebration.
Juhyeok agreed.
By anyone’s standards, it was a special day.
“Well, let’s do that then.”
“Thank you. Please just give us three days.”
Three days later, the 100th Floor would be cleared.
That day, there would be a celebration event for the complete conquest of the Black Tower at Gwanghwamun Square.
Delaying was fine.
The bastards had cut their tails and fled anyway.
Still, just in case.
The day before the scheduled clear.
[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 100th Floor.]
He entered the 100th Floor.
“Nothing special, right?”
The same environment as Earth NO.675.
As expected, nothing had changed.
“It’s the same. Just clear it tomorrow and do the car parade.”
What car parade!
Why would they do something like that?
Well then.
Time to leave.
This floor was not connected to another world anyway.
Juhyeok pulled out a Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket and tore it.
[You have used a Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket. Exiting the Tower.]
Goodbye.
I’ll be back tomorrow.
***
Earth NO.1001 Black Tower Control Room.
SPOT!
Someone entered.
[He’s here.]
[It’s the Summoner.]
[It’s over now.]
They knew too.
That the main base had abandoned them.
The only way out of here besides death was... nothing.
[Did you write your will?]
[Fuck! What’s the point of writing one? Dimensional communication is cut off.]
[But isn’t your speech too casual? I’m your senior...]
[You’re worried about rank when we’re about to die? Fuck off, bastard.]
[You son of a bitch. Designer, this is all because of you. Didn’t you raise that Summoner yourself?]
[Th-that’s! The administrators from Earth NO.675 are more to blame.]
[That’s why if you had just cooperated instead of fighting each other, it would have been fine! You fool, because of your stupid pride.]
[Y-you all...]
[What? What are you gonna do?]
[Lower your eyes, bastard! Before I beat you!]
[...]
Right at that moment!
SSRRRK.
The Summoner exited the Tower.
[Huh?]
[Hmm?]
[...He, he just left?]
Was he messing with them?
If he was going to end it anyway, he should at least kill them quickly.
