Chapter 37: Player Hunt (4)

“What?”

“It’s likely… my former summoner from Japan is involved…”

A clear fear lingered on Song Hana’s face.

As she trembled uncontrollably, Lee Nayeon approached and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. 

Song Hana’s trembling eased slightly.

“If it’s Japan…”

“Matsumoto Hi-Hirobumi. A man known as Susanoo among players.”

An S-rank player from Japan.

“Could a single ranker… orchestrate organized terrorism against Korean players?”

“Matsumoto… he’s not just a ranker.”

“Then what?”

“He’s a descendant of a powerful military and political family… and serves as Japan’s Minister of Defense.”

A figure far more influential than imagined.

Even being an S-rank player already marked him as one of the most prominent figures in a country, but this was beyond expectation.

“The Minister of Defense… you mean like the Minister of National Defense?”

“Yes. But, of course, there might be other forces behind him. Like North Korea, for instance.”

Song Hana’s tone was unlike her usual self; her face was pale with fear.

“It’s definitely something he supported… I… I have to go to Japan… If I don’t…”

If I don’t…!

She shook with fear.

In this state, it was hard to imagine leaving Song Hana to enter the Magic Tower.

Choi Junseok gently held her shoulders to calm her.

“No matter what, you’re not going back to Japan.”

The country wouldn’t just stand by and watch that happen either.

Beyond that, neither Choi Junseok nor Lee Nayeon would allow it.

“Please call Kamdori. I think it’ll help.”

When Choi Junseok summoned Kamdori,

She let out a small cry, then smiled, seeming to regain her composure quickly.

The black baby dragon blinked twice at the unusual sight of Song Hana, tilting its head.

Then, without a word, it hopped into her arms and nuzzled her face.

Choi Junseok looked down at the street through the gap in the curtains.

There didn’t seem to be any additional terrorist attacks or provocations.

The city was enveloped in an eerie silence. Choi Junseok organized his thoughts.

“We can’t be certain whether Japan is involved or not. It’s possible they manipulated the prisoner’s memories to make it seem like Japan’s doing, right?”

After all, these are people capable of altering the system window to show Korean affiliation.

It had already been cross-verified through the NIS and Team Leader Kang Jinsu that the player in question wasn’t born in Korea.

“But there are three things I’m certain of.”

“One, I need to climb the Magic Tower. Two, you’re not going to Japan.”

Lee Nayeon grinned and nodded.

“And the last one is that I’ve decided to destroy the Kaesong Magic Tower.”

This was something Yoo Junhyuk, inside Choi Junseok, had already confirmed.

If it’s a Transcendent-grade holy sword, cutting down the Kaesong Magic Tower would be a piece of cake.

Research shows that while external materials can’t even scratch the Magic Tower, materials from within the Tower can damage it.

“You drive the holy sword horizontally into the Kaesong Magic Tower. Then, Lee Nayeon, you grab the sword and slice the Tower apart. That’s our retaliation.”

Choi Junseok entered the Magic Tower alone.

He felt the need to vent his anger somewhere, and the Magic Tower was the perfect place.

As if sensing his intent to enter the Tower, Lee Nayeon cautiously stood up from beside Song Hana.

Song Hana, holding Kamdori tightly, steeled her resolve.

“Summon me inside the Magic Tower. I want to smash everything!”

At Song Hana’s words, Choi Junseok nodded and entered the Magic Tower.

[Would you like to enter Floor 14? (Y/N)]

[You have entered Floor 14.]

[Time Limit: 1 hour 10 minutes.]

[Floor 14 Clear Condition: Defeat 20 Death Knights guarding the fortress.]

At the same time, twenty heavily armored knights guarding the fortress appeared before him.

Each rode a skeletal horse emitting a blue chill.

And, conveniently, they were charging toward him in a triangular formation.

“I’ll leave them to you.”

Lee Nayeon equipped the War God Lionheart King’s Gauntlet.

Song Hana drew the string of a bow made of light.

Click, click.

The fortress, which he had seen when climbing Floor 11 with Park Suho, was now drawing closer.

Close enough to be within the range of summoning the holy sword.

There was something to test.

Choi Junseok imagined the holy sword striking diagonally toward the fortress from the sky near the structure.

He aimed a laser pointer at the target location.

Though the red dot wasn’t visible on the wall, it clarified the angle and position where the sword would land.

Then he shouted,

“Summon!”

Thwoong—

Ripples spread through the air as the dark clouds parted, revealing the holy sword.

Following Choi Junseok’s intent to imbue it with maximum acceleration, the holy sword plummeted toward the fortress at top speed.

Lee Nayeon and Song Hana stared at the spectacle in a daze.

What was surprising was the undead knights.

They simultaneously turned their skeletal horses in another direction.

What’s that?

Soon, the holy sword struck the fortress, shattering the outer watchtower and plunging into the structure.

TUKWAAAAAANG—!

A massive explosion shook the ground.

PWHOOOOOSH!

The stones of the collapsed fortress walls burst outward as if swelling.

The knights’ heads were crushed by the debris, and their skeletal horses shattered.

Song Hana had to redirect the arrows she’d aimed at the knights to intercept the flying debris.

When the aftershock subsided, no knights remained amid the ruins of the fortress.

Song Hana had sensed it while intercepting the debris.

The Floor 14 clear notification had appeared.

[Congratulations!]

[You have cleared Floor 14.]

[Clear Time: 12 seconds.]

[Would you like to register anonymously in the Hall of Fame? (Y/N)]

“Register anonymously.”

[Registered anonymously.]

[Clear rewards will be distributed.]

[The additional effect of Fairy’s Harvest has been activated.]

But just as he found it odd that the return notification didn’t appear,

An unexpected notification popped up.

[Congratulations!]

[You have achieved the Hidden Clear Condition for Floor 15!]

[Hidden Clear Condition: Destroy the fortress on Floor 14.]

[You have cleared Floor 15.]

[Clear Time: 12 seconds.]

[Hidden Reward Condition: Achieved the fastest solo clear.]

[Hidden Clear Rewards will be distributed.]

[Hidden Rewards and Hidden Clear Rewards will be distributed.]

[Would you like to return? (Y/N) You will automatically return in 30 minutes.]

It seemed he had inadvertently cleared Floor 15 at the same time.

“I’ll return.”

Back at the hotel, Choi Junseok felt somewhat dazed.

“The naming is complicated.”

Hidden Clear Reward.

Hidden Reward.

The former was likely a perk for clearing Floor 15 with the hidden condition.

The latter was probably a reward for achieving the hidden condition of being the first to enter and setting the fastest solo clear record.

The Hidden Reward was, as usual, a box.

But the Hidden Clear Reward was different.

“What’s that paper?”

“…”

“It’s the Hidden Clear Reward.”

“Exactly! It’s a supermarket flyer!”

Song Hana, who seemed to have regained her energy, spoke as she usually did, but it wasn’t quite the same.

True to her words, it did look like a supermarket flyer.

Items were listed in a row.

“It’s a reward selection ticket.”

Indeed.

It allowed him to choose one of all possible rewards from Floor 15.

Like a supermarket flyer, nothing immediately caught his eye.

But there was something he was looking for.

An item Haetaesik had asked for.

Didn’t he say he wanted the head of the Floor 15 boss…?

But wouldn’t that mean he’d have to go and cut it off himself?

As expected, the closest item to the “Immortal King’s Head” on Floor 15 was the Immortal King’s Crown.

The crown was likely meant to utilize the cooling effect of the Immortal King in a forge, but taking the crown would be pointless.

Treating it as a free reward, he considered whether to climb Floor 15 again to retrieve the head.

Then, an item caught Choi Junseok’s eye.

Immortal King Summoning Ticket…

Summon the Immortal King… and take its head… infinite refills?

Whether it was possible aside, he wondered if it was ethical.

But there was no choice. This was the closest to the “cooling function” the Immortal King’s Head would have.

Will this work?

He asked Yoo Junhyuk, but Yoo Junhyuk only smacked his lips and said he didn’t know.

What else could he do? 

If it didn’t work, he’d have to use the fully charged high-pass ticket to climb Floor 15 again.

Choi Junseok immediately selected the Immortal King Summoning Ticket.

Item Name: Immortal King Summoning Ticket (Unique)  

Category: Consumable – Skill Registration Ticket 

Description: Summons the LV. 64 monster Immortal King.

A single ticket rested in Choi Junseok’s hand.

[Would you like to use the Immortal King Summoning Ticket? (Y/N)]

“I’ll use it.”

The skill was immediately registered.

What was surprising was that, despite being a summoning skill, it wasn’t a general-purpose skill.

It felt unfamiliar to have it registered as a Magic Tower-exclusive skill.

Name: Choi Junseok  

Affiliation: Korea  

Level: LV.42  

Trait Skills:  

– (Omitted) [Summon Ally] (NEW)  

General Skills: Magic Tower Entry (Once per day), Summon Ally

The sensation was different too.

Unlike Song Hana and Lee Nayeon, this one could only be summoned inside the Magic Tower.

“I’m going to wash up first.”

Lee Nayeon briskly headed toward the bathroom, followed by Song Hana, who giggled as she trailed behind.

Both Song Hana and Lee Nayeon seemed uneasy about having stepped on ground littered with undead corpses.

In the meantime, Choi Junseok entered Haetaesik’s forge.

Clang! Clang!

The sight of Haetaesik hammering, flattening, and tempering the materials Choi Junseok had provided all day long.

Choi Junseok felt a pang of guilt.

But what could he do? 

With the threat of war looming around the Magic Tower.

“Haetaesik! I got what you wanted, but…”

Clang—!

With a final, crisp hammer strike, Haetaesik turned around.

“You got it? Perfect timing!” 

“But it’s… a bit different.”

“Different?”

With an “oh well” attitude, Choi Junseok summoned the Immortal King.

Then,

Shhh—

White smoke spread widely, and a bare skeleton with blue bones emerged.

Without any equipment, the Immortal King looked far smaller and shabbier than Choi Junseok remembered.

“It’s… calling me…”

KRRRAAAAK!

It must have been hot.

Probably its weakness. 

When Choi Junseok had followed as a porter, he recalled the attack team fighting with fire-attribute magic imbued in their weapons.

Back then, it felt terrifying and massive…

Now, transformed into a summon and reduced to human size, without the greatsword, crown, or robe, it looked like just another skeleton soldier.

But Haetaesik clapped in excitement.

“Excellent! I asked for just the head, and you brought the whole body!”

He seemed extremely satisfied.

“You! Get into this tempering vat right now!”

It was about the size of a large bathtub.

“I… only follow the summoner’s orders…”

“Get in.”

Immediately, swoosh… the Immortal King glided through the air and slipped into the tempering vat.

“Grrr… I feel alive.”

It seemed less hot in there.

Watching the vat cool rapidly, Haetaesik nodded with confidence.

“You brought a fine one. If it was just the head, I’d have to keep putting it in and taking it out. Does it listen to commands?”

…I only follow the summoner’s orders…

“Immortal King, from now on, you obey Haetaesik absolutely.”

…I will follow the command.

“Good. This will cut down the time even more.”

“Glad you’re satisfied.”

“Satisfied? This isn’t just satisfaction. With this coolant, my art can advance to the next level.”

Nice.

Haetaesik plunged a heated sword into the vat—no, the tempering tank—like he was showing off.

Tsssss—

In the brief moment it was dipped, a strange wavy pattern appeared on the once-red blade.

“Insane. This is insane!”

Checking the summon’s status, the Immortal King seemed quite pleased too.

It leaned back in the vat, arms resting outside like it was in a bathtub, tilting its head and letting out an “Ooh…” sound.

“Well… as long as both sides are happy.”

It was time to claim the remaining reward.

Along with climbing Floor 16.