Chapter 27: Dokdo Occupation Battle (1)

[Congratulations!]

[Kim Si-won of South Korea has cleared Very Hard Floor 14.]

[He has achieved the 3-star objective of Very Hard Floor 14 for the first time.]

[By clearing the Very Hard difficulty, South Korea has gained sovereignty over Tower Floor 14.]

[Kim Si-won has been appointed as the Administrator of Tower Floor 14.]

[According to the Administrator’s authority, entry to Tower Floor 14 is prohibited until the entrance conditions are applied.]

The Tower’s messages rang out one after another.

“…How long did it take?” Awakening Bureau Section Chief Chaun Kim asked.

“Pardon? Ah! Yes! That is… Just a moment.” Flustered, he opened his smartphone to check the time.

Watching him intently, the thought crossed one’s mind.

‘Why on earth did they choose a guy like this…?’

Section Chief Chaun Kim.

He was somewhat notorious within the Awakening Bureau.

Of course, not in a good way.

He was so slick and cunning that every team leader who had him on their team had nothing but complaints and grievances.

If those complaints had reached the Minister’s ears, it meant the situation was serious.

Yet, for five years, he had not been fired and still reported to work at the Bureau.

That was because his unique ability, Assimilation, was more useful than expected.

By holding his breath, he could assimilate with his surroundings and conceal his presence.

Unlike typical stealth, this was complete Assimilation, blending perfectly.

That was why he had never been caught in the act—except by Kim Si-won, an exception.

Thanks to that, he was able to carry out special missions like investigating important figures and tailing targets, earning steady promotions until he reached Section Chief.

And now, that infamous slick operator stood right before him.

They weren’t supposed to be on the same level, but there was no choice.

Kim Si-won had chosen him as his contact.

“All communications with the government will be conducted through Section Chief Chaun Kim.”

The Awakening Bureau, recognizing Kim Si-won’s potential, had established a close cooperative relationship with him.

And Section Chief Kim had been selected as the contact.

Thanks to this, he rose rapidly in importance within the Bureau and now stood like a secretary beside Minister Jeong Hosik.

“…It took a total of four hours to conquer Floors 11 through 14. Exactly one hour per floor,” he reported after checking the time belatedly.

“One hour per floor…”

That was subtle.

Of course, he was pleased that an Awakener from South Korea was clearing the Very Hard difficulty.

But on the other hand, he felt a bitter taste.

He wasn’t the only one feeling this way; the entire world probably was.

Floors 1 to 10 were known to be relatively easy, so clearing Very Hard was expected.

But starting from Floor 11, it was the real test.

Naturally, it was assumed there would be difficulties, but—

He broke through.

And at an astonishing speed.

Clearing one floor per hour, he advanced all the way up to Floor 14.

Did that make sense?

Wasn’t consecutive clearing impossible due to entrance restrictions?

But Kim Si-won seemed unaware of such impossibilities, breaking all common sense as he raced ahead.

“So… you plan to clear up to Floor 20 within half a day?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I conveyed that we would break through to Floor 20 within half a day, so please consider this proposal carefully.”

Just moments ago, through Section Chief Chaun Kim, Minister Jeong had received Kim Si-won’s message.

No matter what the proposal was, they would have accepted it under normal circumstances.

But this matter was far more critical than anticipated.

Even Minister Jeong couldn’t make decisions lightly.

Naturally, he had contacted his superiors.

But only negative replies came back.

However, in this situation, the story was different.

‘Maybe he can pull it off.’

The seemingly impossible feat.

Perhaps he could reverse the most humiliating moment in South Korea’s history.

“Hoo…”

He lit a cigarette he had put out earlier.

It was proof of how much anxiety burned within.

But soon after, he extinguished it in the ashtray.

Because he had made up his mind.

“I think… I have to stake my neck on this.”

“Pardon?”

“The idiots upstairs won’t move at all. No matter how much I try to persuade them, they just don’t listen. So shouldn’t I be the one to put my neck on the line?”

Minister Jeong fell silent briefly, apparently surprised by the harsh words directed at his superiors.

“Tell them to proceed. No matter what happens, I’ll cover for it. Don’t worry.”

Failure?

Of course, he wasn’t thinking about it.

If it failed, it wouldn’t be solved by just sacrificing his own life.

There could be international conflict, or even war.

A heavy responsibility he had to bear on his shoulders.

***

But he bet everything.

‘Damn it, a true man is born once, dies once or twice.’

He put everything he had on Kim Si-won.

A trembling ran through his body.

“Why…?”

He gently wrapped his arms around the woman’s shoulders from behind.

But she did not respond.

He quietly forced her to turn around.

Tears like chicken droppings fell, confirming her sobbing.

Her bare face before sleep.

Streaked with tears and mucus.

By some standards, it might have been an ugly sight.

Yet, at that moment, Ikeda Kaito thought her face was the most beautiful in the world.

At the top in Japan.

Naturally, he had countless women vying for his attention.

Among them were women objectively more beautiful than Ha Yeon Lee.

But none could match her charm.

How to describe it—

Demonic allure.

Yes, that expression suited her.

Like a drug that could never be quit after one taste, he too could not let go of Ha Yeon Lee.

Her skin.

Her scent.

Intoxicated by it all, he kept searching for her.

And now, she was crying.

Pitiable.

Adorable.

He wanted to protect her.

Even if the whole world pointed fingers at her, he vowed to be a steadfast pillar for her.

“Why are you crying? Is something upsetting you?” He asked in a gentle voice uncharacteristic of him.

“Sniff, well, it’s just that…”

“Don’t cry.” He wiped the tears flowing from her eyes with his hand.

“I feel like I’m causing you trouble… I’m sorry.”

She wasn’t wrong.

The damage was severe.

The assassination team, planned as a decisive strike, had been blocked by a Defense Ticket and hadn’t even been able to attempt their attack.

Thanks to that, the news outlets turned against them.

The media, previously bribed, had now turned to fiercely attack Ikeda Kaito, the Oni Guild, and Ha Yeon Lee.

They claimed it was a mistake to bring Ha Yeon Lee, who had a grudge against Kim Si-won.

Of course.

“Don’t cry over that. This is just the beginning. It won’t happen again, so don’t worry.”

He hadn’t expected the enemy to hold that many tickets.

It was complacency.

No matter how someone cleared the world’s only Very Hard difficulty, he was just an individual, and a bit of complacency had crept in.

But now it was different.

They treated Kim Si-won as a major power among the four largest guilds and would use all their resources.

Though complacency had caused some bitter lessons early on, from now on it would be different.

“And the media noise? You know it doesn’t matter. You’re so useful. Your value will soon be recognized, and that kind of public opinion will quickly die down.”

That was not just comforting words from a lover.

Ha Yeon Lee’s abilities were exceptional.

She had even pushed out Fumiko, the main Supporter of the Oni Guild.

That wasn’t just about displacing a main Supporter.

She increased battery capacity and attack power, the strongest abilities of a Supporter, and through continuous effort, she enhanced all stats and even critical hit rates.

Supporters usually have at least one weakness, but Ha Yeon Lee had none.

She was truly a hexagonal Supporter in talent.

Not only in Japan but worldwide, she was one of the top-tier Supporters.

“Right…?”

Looking up with tear-filled eyes.

“Of course!”

Ikeda Kaito said firmly, pulling her into a strong embrace.

Ha Yeon Lee gently nestled into his arms.

At that moment, a violet mist thickly filled the room.

The amazing fact was that Ikeda Kaito didn’t notice this change at all.

Moreover, the shadows cast on the walls by the light began to shift.

From the spot presumed to be Ha Yeon Lee’s shadow, two horns, wings, and a long tail emerged.

But it was only for a fleeting moment, so Ikeda Kaito remained unaware.

As the two confirmed their feelings for each other and felt each other’s warmth, suddenly, the message struck their ears.

[South Korea is attacking Dokdo, the territory occupied by Japan!]

“What…?!”

That happiness was shattered into pieces.

How had Japan become an Awakening Powerhouse?

Was it because their government responded quickly?

Because they had luck with awakening candidates?

Of course, all of those were factors.

But the reason the United States, Russia, China, and Japan stood as the four pillars of the world was because of their ‘territories.’

A typical territory was a region occupied by a particular nation or force.

But since the upheavals began, a special meaning had been added.

Places where rare metals, herbs, and leather could be gathered.

Just as Towers suddenly appeared, these territories suddenly emerged around the world.

The biggest reason why the four nations—United States, Russia, China, Japan—could become the top powers was because they quickly occupied these territories.

Among them, Japan, arguably the weakest base, had become one of the four pillars largely because it occupied Dokdo.

Dokdo was a strategic stronghold.

Ordinarily, territories produced only one type of resource.

If it was minerals, minerals only; if herbs, herbs only.

But Dokdo was special in that it produced both minerals and herbs simultaneously.

Realizing the value of this territory early, Japan illegally occupied Dokdo, which had been guarded by the South Korean military, and incorporated it into Japanese territory.

Of course, this was by force.

There were serious casualties among the soldiers defending Dokdo at the time.

Naturally, controversy arose.

But Japan, rising as an Awakening Powerhouse and wielding tremendous influence worldwide, bribed nations and leveraged mutual interests to evade global condemnation.

Thus, Dokdo, one of the largest resource territories, became part of Japan.

There, for the first time in 50 years, a Korean set foot.

Kim Si-won.

He stood alone atop the territory occupied by Japan.

“…They are strict.”

He sensed it through his widely spread senses.

As expected of an important territory, a massive number of troops and Awakeners had gathered.

He looked far into the distance.

What appeared was a gigantic fortress, like a castle.

He had only heard of such a territory fortress before.

Only by capturing it could they reclaim this land as South Korean territory.

‘Is it possible?’

After clearing Floor 20, he had recovered about 15% of his strength, but unfortunately had not succeeded in upgrading his Knight Sword and Armor.

The probability was, ‘Less than 30%.’

Learning at the Intelligence Bureau, the first lesson was self-objectification.

With his current level, the chance of capturing Dokdo, guarded by Japanese forces, was no more than 30%.

A low probability requiring a stroke of luck to succeed.

‘If the chance is low, just raise it.’

But his purpose here wouldn’t change.

Low probability means just raising the odds.

“Swish.”

He took out a bundle of tickets from his pocket.

“Screech!”

He tore the first, a green ticket.

[Kim Si-won of South Korea has used a Block Ticket on the territory (Japan’s) of Dokdo.]

[For the next 30 minutes, all movement attributes used in Dokdo will be nullified.]

Block Ticket.

A ticket that prevents approaches with abilities like portals or teleportation.

This would block any reinforcements from arriving.

Then, he tore a second, brown ticket.

“Screech.”

[Summon Designation Ticket (Place) has been used.]

[For the next 10 minutes, all summoned entities can be summoned to the desired location.]

[Please select a location.]

Several words appeared before his eyes.

From the nearest places listed in order,

[Dokdo has been selected.]

Naturally, Dokdo was selected.

He tore two black tickets.

[Kim Si-won of South Korea has used a Night Summon Ticket (Blansia Bellamin) targeting the territory (Japan’s) of Dokdo.]

[A designated Knight (Blansia Bellamin) will be summoned in the territory of Dokdo (Japan).]

[Kim Si-won of South Korea has used a Night Summon Ticket (Agamemnon Saglayer) targeting the territory (Japan’s) of Dokdo.]

[A designated Knight (Agamemnon Saglayer) will be summoned in the territory of Dokdo (Japan).]

A brilliant flash!

Two Knights were summoned on both his sides.

“Clink, clink.”

Donned in red and blue armor, the two Knights stood at his flanks.

With this…

“…It’s 100%.”

With the arrival of these two Knights, the probability of capturing the territory had risen to 100%.