While North Korea was in a frenzy and South Korea was bewildered, the person at the center of both Function and Quadratic Function, Choi Junseok, was leisurely hanging laundry while humming a tune.
The tune came naturally.
It was because of the hidden reward from the first floor of the Kaesong Magic Tower.
Item Name: Lethe’s Scissors (Mythic)
Category: Equipment – Accessory
Description: Scissors imbued with the power of Lethe, the goddess of oblivion.
Can release the soul-binding of any item and transfer ownership.
Beware of incurring the goddess’s wrath.
The moment he acquired it, the item’s effect was extraordinary.
It meant he could now transfer ownership of any item, regardless of its soul-binding.
In other words, the biggest obstacle climbers faced—item setting restrictions—was gone.
And that wasn’t all.
Before challenging the upper floors, he could avoid the grind of repeatedly farming mid-tier floors for good items.
On top of that, the frustration of being limited to one floor per day had recently been resolved.
How could I not hum a tune?
“You seem to be in a good mood.”
Lee Nayeon, sprawled bizarrely on the sofa, asked.
Her head hung off the edge, so the TV must have looked upside-down, yet she was watching it just fine.
“Yep. Even better than I expected.”
“I see.”
“Isn’t it uncomfortable watching TV like that?”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“When you watch like this, the camera angle switches—those fancy movements—look twice as amazing. It’s like the Kaesong Magic Tower is hanging upside-down.”
“Oh, sure.”
What she was watching on TV was the news.
The Magic Tower he had entered from Paju the previous night, right after midnight.
The TV news was covering it briefly.
A few days ago, regular vibrations were detected about 20 kilometers north of Paju, identified as precursors to a Magic Tower’s emergence, as studied abroad.
While under observation, a Magic Tower rose at around 7:54 PM yesterday.
The following segment was a discussion between an expert and the anchor.
They say this Kaesong Magic Tower is within reach of South Korean players, right?
Yes. That’s the direct reason North Korea is threatening long-range missiles or sending trash balloons…
…
I see. So it’s essentially a “stay away” warning?
Exactly.
But strangely, after a new record was set at the Suseo Magic Tower this afternoon, North Korea’s hostile military provocations stopped.
The anchor asked, puzzled.
“They stopped?”
Yes.
Details are still being investigated, but it seems they’re searching all their players around Kaesong, conducting a full sweep of residents.
In short, North Korea’s first floor record was updated by an F-rank in 0 seconds.
They initially thought it was South Korea’s Function.
Right.
They assumed it was Function.
But then, didn’t Function clearly show up at the Suseo Magic Tower’s 8th floor this afternoon, within less than 24 hours?
An anonymous F-rank cleared the 8th floor in 5 seconds.
Yes, exactly.
So there’s a theory that North Korea might have their own F-rank player like Function.
That’s why they’ve stopped provocations and are conducting a full search.
That’s how it’s being interpreted, but we’re still looking into the details.
North Korea seems convinced it’s their player and is broadcasting it widely, searching for them.
Both North and South Korea were steeped in misunderstanding.
The appearance of an F-rank who cleared the first floor of the Kaesong Magic Tower in 1 second.
North Korea initially assumed it was the work of South Korea’s Function.
But Function, who would have used an entry ticket to clear the Kaesong Magic Tower, went on to set a new record at the Suseo Magic Tower shortly after.
Less than 24 hours later—about 16 hours after the Kaesong clear.
Knowing the full story, Team Leader Kang visited Choi Junseok’s home immediately.
Junseok, I’m coming to your place.
Within five minutes of the text, Kang arrived.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“Maybe you should move downstairs instead of Song Hana.”
“I’m seriously considering it.”
Lee Nayeon, reacting to the outsider’s presence, sat upright to watch TV.
She pretended to be indifferent but was listening closely to their conversation.
“I’ll get straight to the point. The 8th floor F-rank Function… that’s you, Junseok, right?”
“Correct.”
“And the North Korean first floor—I saw you do it.”
“Yep.”
Kang frowned instantly.
“How? It’s only been 16 hours since the Kaesong Magic Tower clear.”
“You’re asking how I climbed two floors?”
“Yes.”
“Oh… I forgot to mention the hidden reward from the North Korean first floor.”
Choi Junseok mixed in a bit of deception.
There was no need to reveal all his cards.
Even if trust had been built to some extent.
“I got a Magic Tower extra entry ticket and a Mythic-grade item.”
“A Magic Tower extra entry ticket…
…
That explains it.”
“Curious about the Mythic-grade item?”
“I’d rather not know unnecessary details if I want to live long.”
“Still, I think it’s better to tell you.”
Kang sensed there was a reason for Choi Junseok’s insistence.
“If there’s a reason, I’ll listen.”
“It’s an item that releases soul-binding. And it’s not a one-time use.”
Gulp!
Kang’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth.
It was enough to jolt him awake.
Players instinctively knew the value of an item that could “release soul-binding.”
As a player himself, Kang Jinsu could naturally grasp it.
It was truly an item worthy of the Mythic grade.
“That’s a terrifying item. If it had fallen into North Korean hands, it would’ve been a catastrophe.”
It could release the soul-binding of all items, redistributing them on a national level.
Starting with severing all player soul-bindings and collecting items for the state.
Not just North Korean items.
They could covertly access South Korea’s soul-bound items, release them, and steal or buy them.
Conversely, a black market for exporting player items could flourish, centered in North Korea.
Kang sincerely thanked Choi Junseok.
“You’ve done a great service for the nation.”
“Then the nation should do something big for me.”
“Of course. We’ll do our best.”
To some, it might seem trivial.
But with the nation managing that item, it could dominate the black market or reap massive benefits.
“I’ll keep the fact that you acquired this item a secret, even from the higher-ups.”
“That’d be great.”
Kang instinctively knew.
The item Choi Junseok had obtained could fundamentally disrupt and defy the Magic Tower’s system.
Such items often sparked major conflicts when revealed.
Something similar happened during the Incheon Magic Tower.
Like the Hephaestus’s Forge Entry Ticket that the Sword God had.
That ticket allowed players to melt down unnecessary soul-bound items or monster materials to create new gear.
Conflicts arose among major guilds over the rights and shares of that ticket.
Armed private soldiers, thugs, and even summoned beings were mobilized in a war that broke out in broad daylight in Ilsan.
A temporary martial law was declared, and military forces were deployed within five hours.
In those five hours, 782 people, including civilians and soldiers, lost their lives, with even more injured.
Choi Junseok’s item wouldn’t be limited to mere player conflicts.
It was a national-level power item.
This has to be kept hidden.
Kang knew this better than anyone.
“Then, report it to the higher-ups as such… Oh, and Team Leader Kang, could you discreetly compile a list of useless soul-bound items? Like those from retired players.”
“Understood.”
It was as if he’d become a personal assistant.
In truth, Kang wasn’t far from being Choi Junseok’s personal assistant.
He had been relieved of all other duties to focus solely on supporting, reporting on, and monitoring Choi Junseok.
“I’ll do that.”
Their gazes turned to the news Lee Nayeon was watching.
Residents from Kaesong were all out for a full inspection.
North Korea’s frontline soldiers were seen lining up, heading somewhere.
“They say North Korea is thrilled, thinking they’ve got a Function-level player. You’ve caused quite the confusion with a clever disguise. Well done.”
“Hope is the scariest thing.”
Kang smirked with satisfaction as he watched the news.
“Will South Korean players keep tackling the North Korean Magic Tower?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Function, we’ve blocked the first floor’s hidden reward. North Korea has recalled their S-rank and A-rank players stationed abroad. It seems they’re going all-in on a national level.”
“That means…”
“Exactly. A pride-fueled battle over the North Korean Magic Tower is about to begin. By the way, Junseok.”
“Yes?”
“What’s your plan for clearing the 10th floor of the Suseo Magic Tower? It’s split into three paths… requiring a three-person strategy.”
It was expected that he’d tackle the 10th floor in two days.
Song Hana had moved in downstairs, but she was only registered as a player to secure her identity in Korea—she didn’t have an entry ticket.
More importantly, she wasn’t Choi Junseok’s summoned being, so they still needed one more person for the three-person 10th floor strategy.
“As I mentioned before, each of the three paths on the 10th floor has a mid-boss. All three must be defeated simultaneously within one minute to summon the final boss.”
“I remember.”
“If needed, we can secretly provide a disposable player.”
A disposable player…?
What a chilling term.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Disposable player? Sounds brutal. Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”
“Understood. I apologize for disturbing you when you’re tired. I’ll take my leave. Contact me anytime if you need anything.”
As he put on his shoes, he added as if remembering something.
“Oh, I’ll likely reduce direct visits to you from now on.”
“Because of North Korea?”
“Exactly. We don’t know where or how spies might be embedded. They’re still assuming it might be South Korea’s doing.”
After Kang left, Choi Junseok belatedly thought of a couple of ways to use Lethe’s Scissors.
“Hey, hey…”
“No way.”
At Choi Junseok’s grin, the Sword God Yoo Junhyuk, catching his intent, swallowed hard.
Among the items in the Sword God’s Leather Bag, three were listed as restricted.
Summonable Items:
1. Excalibur, the Promised King’s Sword (Transcendent)
2. Perfect Healing Potion x 11
3. Restricted (Legendary)
4. Restricted (Mythic)
5. Restricted (Legendary)
“No… you can’t!”
Can’t what!
The moment he selected the three restricted items in the system window, a prompt appeared.
[Would you like to use Lethe’s Scissors? (Y/N)]
Choi Junseok’s answer was clear.
“Use them all!”
[The soul-binding of the ‘Fairy’s Harvest’ item has been released.]
[The soul-binding of the ‘Hephaestus’s Forge Entry Ticket’ item has been released.]
[The soul-binding of the ‘Teleportation Summoning Circle’ item has been released.]
“You hid items like these?”
The items were incredible.
[Fairy’s Harvest (Legendary)]
Automatically collects monster parts, items, and magic stones from defeated monsters.
In short, a pet that assists with auto-looting.
[Hephaestus’s Forge Entry Ticket (Mythic)]
Grants access to the divine forge.
The divine forge?
He wasn’t sure what it was yet.
But he had a strong feeling it would be perfect for boosting his core attack power.
The final item was [Teleportation Summoning Circle (Legendary)].
Memorizes two coordinates and allows instant teleportation to them at any time.
This could be incredibly useful for the North Korean Magic Tower, key locations, or escaping in a pinch in the real world.
How did he hide such amazing items?
“You’re just looting everything, aren’t you?”
[These items are not soul-bound. They will become soul-bound upon acquisition. Would you like to acquire them? (Y/N)]
The ownership of the three items transferred to Choi Junseok.
“Don’t feel too bad. This is all to fulfill your dream of sword-body unity.”
…
“If I could talk, I’d… Fine. I was going to hand them over eventually anyway. The Fairy’s Harvest was about to be passed on.”
“Thank you.”
And Choi Junseok knew there was one more entity whose soul-binding could be released.
That entity was walking into his house right now.
He thought the door was locked, but she opened it as if it wasn’t.
It was Song Hana.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Hana, you’re supposed to ask before coming in.”
She was already inside, taking off her shoes while asking. What was the point?
“Hehe…”
Anyway, it worked out.
He was about to test whether he could release the soul-binding of a summoned being.
The possibility was immediately confirmed in the system window.
A prompt stating he could release Song Hana’s soul-binding.