Chapter 35 : Long Wei’s Collapse

After Seolha and Dohyun’s press conference, Japan maintained a neutral stance.

They started with a formal apology.

But excuses followed.

Before launching a full-scale investigation into the Seryu Group, they insisted on confirming the cause-and-effect relationship.

Even when faced with overwhelming evidence right before their eyes, their attitude remained the same.

They must have some backing they trust.

After all, it wouldn’t be the same country if they apologized without resistance.

I didn’t expect anything from the start.

The Association’s side told me the same story.

They express regret but take no significant action.

They just keep repeating that they will verify the reliability of the evidence.

There’s no helping it.

The more things go like this, the calmer we have to be.

Growth comes first.

The retaliation against the Seryu Group is just beginning.

– 3,000 tons of magic stones have just arrived at the harbor.

The outstanding payment for the flower-petal spear to the United States has finally been settled.

A whopping 3,000 tons.

Combined with the amount stored in the mines, it easily exceeded 4,000 tons.

Looking at the mountain of magic stones, I felt full even without eating.

How much is all this worth?

Almost 1 trillion.

An amount I could never spend even if I splurged for a lifetime.

Of course, that’s for an ordinary person.

Today’s plan had two goals.

First, to climb the 20th floor.

Finally, it was time to receive the next special reward.

Special rewards never betrayed me.

They were incredible.

Especially the land.

Having land inside the tower was an enormous advantage.

In the Pyeongya, the magical beasts lived peacefully, creating a favorable environment.

The returns we got from that were plenty.

The diet radishes were so popular that even pre-orders were fully booked.

Small fish and magic stones were just bonuses.

What about the mine?

It was a real gold mine.

Thanks to that, the supply of magic stones flowed smoothly.

Without all these magic stones, we wouldn’t have developed nearly as much as we have.

So, what would the fourth special reward be?

I was already looking forward to it.

I hurried to enter the 20th floor.

[Entered Tower 20th Floor]

Mission: Defeat the Giant Queen Spider 0/1

Time limit: 12 hours

The moment I entered, a forest filled with thick spider webs spread out before me.

Goosebumps ran all over my body.

Eight legs bigger than a human’s arm.

Twelve red eyes rotating independently.

I thought I had built some resistance up to the 19th floor, but this was a bit much.

Let’s finish this quickly.

I burned all the spider webs that hindered movement.

They blazed up beautifully with Bbyak’s fiery sparks.

Kiiieeek!

Then, the terrifying creature rushed at me.

Seeing its home on fire only made it angrier.

It rapidly moved its eight legs in succession to approach.

I wasn’t the only one scared.

The grim expressions on Somi and Toto were frozen.

It looked like they didn’t even intend to fight.

Bbyak, please help me again.

No matter how big and disgusting a hornet was, to Bbyak it was just a protein-packed snack.

I drew out a red flame.

Kiiieeek—

With a horrible screech, the giant spider was torn apart and killed.

Soon after, the reward notification appeared.

[Notice] You are the world’s first to clear Tower 20th Floor with an SSS grade.

[Reward] Golden Ticket obtained.

[Reward] 60 kg of magic stones.

[Reward] 3 Shabby Hybrid Potions.

[Reward] 1 Spider Web Shooter.

[Notice] 20 Golden Tickets special reward granted immediately.

[Reward] 1 Sweet Honey.

Not land this time.

A bit disappointing.

But well, it can’t be bad.

[Spider Web Shooter] A portable device capable of shooting the Queen Spider’s web. You can freely adjust the length.

Oh.

Does this mean I can shoot spider webs like the spiders in movies?

I strapped on the shooter, which looked like a clock, and pressed the button.

Click.

A white spider web flew out and stuck to the ground.

Then—

Whoosh.

Pressing the button again shortened the web’s length.

It was a bit different from what I imagined, but useful enough.

Considering it as a means of movement in the tower, it was a decent reward.

What about the other rewards from the special reward?

I checked the info immediately.

[Sweet Honey] A sweet honey that attracts various insect-type magical beasts.

Kind of disappointing.

Have I been receiving too many good things until now?

Anyway, let’s head back to the Pyeongya.

I had to achieve the second goal planned for today.

“Pyeongya Entry.”

Pop—

Another peaceful day in the Pyeongya.

The Earth Rabbits were working hard as always.

But somehow, their numbers had increased a bit.

Come to think of it, rabbits have a good reproductive ability.

It should be fine.

The Pyeongya is vast, and Earth Rabbits are small.

Anyway, that’s not the problem.

The second plan was about magic stone usage.

There were 4,000 tons on hand.

How should I use them so people say I used them well?

What came to mind immediately was upgrades.

The shop was 3,000 tons.

The blueprint, 2,000 tons.

Both were enormous costs.

I couldn’t buy both.

If I had to choose only one?

Of course, the shop.

There were still many buildings left to be built.

I wasn’t particularly lacking.

But the shop?

Even just the fountains had brought huge benefits.

There was no telling what else might come out.

“Shop level up.”

I touched the screen, and the purchase list changed.

[Magic Stone Shop] Level 2

Guaranteed Magical Beast Food Draw: 200 kg

Random Magical Beast Equipment Draw: 20,000 kg

Random Magical Beast Toy Draw: 20,000 kg

Random Egg Draw: 500,000 kg

Magical Beast Egg Synthesizer: 5,000,000 kg

Advanced Workbench: 50,000 kg

Weather Remote Control: 20,000,000 kg

Shop Level Up: 30,000,000 kg

[View Shop Level 1 Items]

It was brutal.

Prices were at least doubled, some over a hundred times more expensive.

Especially the remote control.

Its price was almost equal to the Shop Level Up.

Can it really control the weather?

I must buy that someday.

For now, I’d buy only what I could afford.

The random food price went up but was guaranteed instead of random.

That was better.

No leftovers.

I’d buy food for everyone, even the Dudermoles who worked hard in the mines.

But the other items were things I’d never seen before.

All seemed to be of a gambling nature.

If it was random draws, luck would matter.

I’d just sample the taste today.

I started with equipment draws.

Purchased with 20 tons.

[Earth Rabbit’s Finest Fishing Rod]

So this is how it goes.

Bought a few more.

[Earth Rabbit’s Finest Hoe]

[Dudermole’s Steel Pickaxe]

[Dudermole’s Safety Helmet]

[Earth Rabbit’s Finest Watering Can]

It seemed only magical beasts related to me were appearing.

Nothing unrelated came out.

That was good.

One day, I’d get exclusive items for Bbyak and Toto.

I’d save up and try a big draw then.

For now, I’d conserve magic stones.

One day, I’d be able to spend them freely without worrying about running out.

Just as I was about to check the list to purchase the next items, I heard a faint buzzing.

Bzzzz—

A small winged creature with a yellow body.

A plump rear end and a sufficient number of stingers.

It was a honeybee.

Attracted by the scent of the sweet honey, it must have flown in from somewhere.

Could this mean a new magical beast was settling in the Pyeongya?

***

What’s the point of being stingy with magic stones?

That’s why I hate the Association.

There’s no helping it.

I’ll climb up myself.

I’ll prove it by climbing all the way to the 50th floor.

Not long ago, I used another rune for skill enhancement.

It was like inheriting the fortune of the continent.

I’d already gotten two of the runes that only about ten people worldwide had used.

So I was confident this time.

Lu Bu was famous for wielding the Fangtian Huaji as if it were part of his body, but in truth, he showed exceptional skill with all weapons.

There’s that famous story, too.

Setting up the Fangtian Huaji and shooting arrows at targets.

The reason I’d been stuck at the 46th floor until now was because my skill mastery was insufficient.

Bats flying around in the dark cave.

Now, they no longer frightened me.

As soon as I entered, I drew my bow and aimed at them.

Ultrasonic attacks in the dark were no match for a strong mind.

I released the tightly drawn bowstring.

The sharp sound cut the air, and an arrow struck a bat’s head.

Seeing them fall to the ground without even letting out a screech filled me with exhilaration.

To think I had struggled so much against such creatures.

That’s why mastery is important.

But now?

Mastery had already been reversed a long time ago.

Using the skill enhancement rune, my archery skill soared, boasting a 100% hit rate.

Phew.

Phew.

The monsters, sensing my strength, no longer dared to charge head-on.

Darkness and time favored them.

There was no helping it.

I had to seek them out myself.

If I didn’t, the time limit would pass, and I’d fail the climb again.

I couldn’t endure such humiliation.

“Summon Red Hare.”

Heeiing.

At Long Wei’s call, a horse with red fur was summoned.

Red Hare.

The legendary steed that could run a thousand li in one breath.

It wasn’t very effective in the narrow cave, but Long Wei mounted the Red Hare anyway.

Then—

Heeiing—

Grasping the reins tightly, he spurred it forward.

Whenever he spotted a cave bat, he immediately sniped it.

After moving like that for a while—

Purr.

Even the Red Hare began to tire.

Moving in such a narrow, damp cave was difficult even for Red Hare.

Then it happened.

As the Red Hare stopped, a bat suddenly flew in from somewhere.

Normally, such an ambush wouldn’t work.

But because the situation was going so smoothly, Long Wei let his guard down.

For the first time, the bat attacked directly instead of using ultrasonic waves.

Its sharp claws pierced the flesh.

Crimson blood flowed.

Long Wei frowned.

How could he make such a basic mistake?

He quickly pulled himself together and fired arrows.

He took down the last remaining bat.

At last, he had cleared the 46th floor.

As he emerged with a blue glow, his attendant greeted him warmly.

“You finally did it.”

“Yeah. You worked hard too.”

Long Wei patted the attendant’s shoulder with a happy expression.

But something felt off.

The attendant stared at his face suspiciously.

“Did you get injured, perhaps?”

“Just a minor wound.”

“But you look unwell.”

Long Wei’s complexion was pale as if he were dead.

A bluish tinge and dark circles hung around his eyes as if he might collapse at any moment.

“Maybe it’s because you’re tired.”

Now that I think about it, my body did feel chilly.

My throat was sore, and I had a fever.

I had been pushing myself lately.

For three days straight, I challenged the tower climb without sleep.

It was strange not to catch a cold during this change of seasons.

If I just slept it off, I’d be fine as always.

Cough cough cough. “Today, I want to rest. You can leave now.”

“Huh? Y-Yes. Understood.”

Unable to shake his worry, the attendant hesitated before leaving the room.

Left alone, Long Wei—

At that moment—

Cough cough.

His coughing worsened, and his head grew dizzy.

He felt like he was about to collapse.

His chest burned fiercely.

His hand, which tried to stifle the cough, was stained with sticky red fluid.

Blood.

Long Wei collapsed right there.