It was a clear late autumn afternoon.
“Kwah-rung!”
Like a sudden thunderbolt out of a clear sky, a thunderclap echoed abruptly.
“Sssss.”
The once endlessly high sky was covered by dark black clouds.
“Huh?”
“What’s with the weather?”
People on the street stopped in their tracks and looked up at the sky in surprise at the sudden change.
At that moment.
“Crack!”
The sky split open.
Like when heaven and earth parted at the beginning of time, the rift revealed a violet void.
An unfathomable realm beyond the understanding of current humanity.
From there—
“Kwahaaaa!”
Something began to fall at an incredible speed.
“D-dodge!”
“Eeeek—”
No one knew what it was.
But those who saw the red-hot object plummeting scrambled to flee the area.
“Ka-pow!”
Their desperate actions were crushed as the object slammed into the ground.
“Poof.”
A thick cloud of dust rose.
Those who had just barely escaped and those near the scene watched in stunned silence.
“Whoooosh!”
Just then, a breeze blowing between the buildings scattered the dust, revealing a horrifying sight.
It was an egg?
“What kind of egg is this big?”
It was unmistakably an egg.
But not an ordinary one.
It measured over five meters, roughly the size of a building.
“Crack!”
The hard-looking shell began to fracture.
The cracks were webbed like spider silk all over the egg.
“Cha-cha-chang!”
Soon shattered into countless pieces, scattering into the air.
What emerged from the broken fragments—
“Flap!”
Huge wings reminiscent of a bat.
Scales stained a deep crimson, as if soaked in blood, and reptilian eyes that sent chills down one’s spine.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!”
It let out an ear-piercing, unpleasant screech like nails scraping a chalkboard.
“Mo-monster!”
It was a monster.
No, a being even more powerful than a monster.
The Awakened called them Named, or Boss Monsters.
***
[Ikeda Kaito of Japan has used a Summon Ticket (Wyvern) targeting the nation of South Korea.]
[A designated summon, the Wyvern, a powerful Boss Monster, will appear in one of South Korea’s city centers.]
What had just unfolded was part of the process when a Summon Ticket is used.
The Summon Ticket.
It is a powerful national attack tool that can be obtained from Boss Monsters on the 60th floor or higher.
Called the Cataclysmic Nuclear Weapon, it had fallen upon South Korea.
This time, the summoned creature was a Wyvern, a mighty Boss Monster often called a small dragon.
“Nooo!”
“R-run away!”
Terrified, people fled en masse, gripped by primal fear.
But their frantic attempts were nothing more than struggling in vain.
“Fwoosh!”
Flames erupted from the creature’s mouth, sweeping forward like a flamethrower.
Screams?
There were none.
Living beings that had been moving moments ago turned to ashes, scattering in the wind.
“Ugh!”
The creature’s eerie eyes sought other prey.
Born from the void, this monster’s sole purpose was the annihilation of all life.
And right now—
“Eeeeeek—”
“Aaaargh—”
This was the perfect battleground for the beast to wreak havoc.
The crowds that had gathered in the city center scattered in all directions.
Flare!
Every time the flames shot out, death bloomed.
The sight of people turning to ash without even a cry was horrifying, almost grotesque.
And in those Wyvern eyes—
“Aaaaargh!”
A disruptive cry of life could be heard.
Every living thing born from the void reacted sensitively to life’s cries.
Just as its howl annoyed the people, the Wyvern could not help but respond to the living sound.
“Kyaaaak!”
It opened its massive maw wide.
“No, no!”
A woman holding a crying child.
Her knees were badly scraped and bleeding, evidence of her hurried run.
But even so—
“Screeech.”
Determined to save her child, she crawled over the cement floor, enduring agonizing pain as flesh tore away.
The woman was weak.
But a mother is strong.
As the saying goes, she displayed superhuman strength, moving forward despite the odds.
Sadly, it was all just struggling.
“P-please, just save the child!”
Realizing it was meaningless, she begged those running away.
But her cries could not pierce the veil of people’s terror.
Instead—
“Smack!”
People pushing past her, only concerned with saving themselves.
Then—
‘Fwoosh!”
Flames blasted from the Wyvern’s enormous maw.
The fan-shaped blaze, impossible to dodge, raced forward to wipe out all life.
“Hyein, I’m sorry…” The mother, sensing the end, lifted her child.
Meeting the baby’s eyes at the same level, she said, “…And I love you.”
Her smile was tear- and snot-streaked, but upon seeing it, the child—
“gulu gig gillu—” Giggled innocently.
A barely one-hundred-day-old infant’s smile.
And that beautiful smile brought about a miracle.
“Flash.”
A dazzling white light filled the arena.
Miracle.
People called phenomena they could hardly believe or explain by common sense miracles.
A common misconception was that miracles occur unpredictably.
But that is false.
Miracles happen as a result of careful calculation and inevitability.
Even now.
If the Wyvern hadn’t been summoned near the Tower—
[Congratulations!]
[Kim Si-won of South Korea has cleared the Very Hard 10th Floor (South Korea).]
[You have achieved the 3-star condition of the Very Hard 10th Floor for the first time.]
[By clearing Very Hard difficulty, you have gained dominion over the 10th Floor.]
[Kim Si-won has been appointed as the administrator of the 10th Floor (South Korea).]
If no one had passed the Trial of the 10th Floor, and if the Night Sword “Ure” had not been obtained by clearing that Trial then-
“Kyaaaak!”
If the Wyvern struck by Flash of Lightning had not writhed in pain and ceased its flames, then this kind of miracle could never have happened.
Everything had been planned, not a coincidence but inevitability.
***
With a flash of lightning, he appeared.
“Crackle, crackle!”
Sparks flew from a peculiar sword and armor inscribed with shining patterns.
He turned around.
“Are you alright?”
His voice carried concern for the woman and child.
“Y-yes, I’m fine. Thank you, truly. Sniff.”
Are you okay?
Such a simple phrase.
But for her, who had just realized the cruelty of the world, that warm word brought forth a heartbroken sob.
“You’ll be safe now.”
Normally, she wouldn’t have believed those words.
After all, that savage monster was still hunting for their lives, so there was no way she could be okay.
But for some reason, that single word made it feel as if all the threats had vanished.
It was…
“Kyaha.”
The child felt it too.
Tiny little hands—
Grabbed firmly.
The man’s thumb.
Warmth passed between them.
A grin.
Confirming the warmth, the man turned away.
“Ahh!” The mother watching his back gasped.
She felt a strength she had never known before—like a vast mountain, a broad shield—that, in this situation, seemed sure to protect both her and her child.
‘Not too late. Thank goodness.’
Everything fit perfectly, as if destined, just as she had hoped.
At the same time as the Night Hawkin Layer, the Knight guarding the 10th Floor, was defeated, a message came about Ikeda Kaito’s national attack and Summon Ticket.
Even though the Wyvern appeared near the Tower, if not for the Night Sword earned from clearing the 10th Floor, and the enhanced Ure gained thereby, the damage would have been much worse.
The Wyvern summoned in the city would have caused a massive massacre, and that was on me.
No matter the desire for revenge, provoking Japan and Ikeda Kaito into using a Summon Ticket was my doing.
I am no monster.
If casualties occur because of my mistake, I have no choice but to bear the heavy burden of responsibility.
Fortunately, that did not happen, and I arrived on the scene before the damage worsened.
And then—
“Kwahaaaa!”
That fury was fully directed at the Wyvern before me.
“Kyaaaak!”
The creature, which had writhed in pain from the surprise attack of Flash of Lightning moments ago, flapped its wings again, showing it was still strong.
It had to be.
No matter how fast the attack was, it was still a Wyvern, called a small dragon.
“Ahh!”
Though I had grown stronger through clearing the 10th Floor, even now piercing its scales was beyond me.
Of course—
‘Killing it is another matter.’
The Wyvern was one of the monsters inhabiting the Gritia Continent.
Thousands of years since the continent formed.
During that time, research continued on monsters threatening humanity, with one of the main targets being the Wyvern.
Inevitably, because its tough scales were the most threatening aspect.
Nothing in this world is perfect.
It left footprints behind.
Scholars, monster hunters, and many others suspected it must have a weakness.
After a long search, they finally found it.
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
Flapping its wings high in the air, the creature opened its giant maw.
Flare!
Flames spewed out its throat.
But even at that threatening moment, I did not move.
‘Focus.’
An acceleration of thought occurred from intense concentration.
‘One-zero-zero-zero-one.’
I could clearly feel the flow of air around me.
But not only that.
As if time itself slowed, a distortion created by accelerated thought.
But it had not completely stopped.
“Fwoooosh!!”
Just before the Wyvern’s fire was shot at me—
‘I see it!’
I finally confirmed it.
A blue scale beneath the Wyvern’s jaw.
That was the reverse scale.
The only soft, differently colored scale among the hard ones.
It was the sole weakness that only appeared in the instant the Wyvern unleashed its flames.
But that moment was extremely brief.
Because the scale showed itself through the heat of the flame as it passed through its throat.
Once the flames were unleashed, the reverse scale would vanish, and the creature would return to its flawless monstrous form.
What I was allowed was that single moment.
‘Hold on.’
Ouch.
Even bending my lower body slightly made muscles and bones scream in protest.
The Flash of Lightning ability within Ure could not be used recklessly.
Even having regained some strength through clearing the 10th Floor, once was the limit.
Yet I planned to use it repeatedly.
Only Flash of Lightning, the power that could stretch a moment into an instant, could lead me to the reverse scale.
“Pzzzt!”
As a spark flew from Ure.
“Pop!”
I was already airborne, having left that spot.
The next moment, I locked eyes with the terrifying Wyvern.
And—
“Ure!”
While my body screamed in pain, I unleashed Ure for a lightning-fast strike.
The speed of Flash of Lightning combined with Ure’s strike—
“Poke!”
Precisely pierced the reverse scale revealed by the heat.
“Kyaaaaaaaaah—!”
The primal roar of the top-tier monster Wyvern exploded at that moment.
“Shoooosh!”
And, becoming one with it, I fell toward the ground.
Instant death.
What confirmed this was—
[South Korea has defeated the summoned Wyvern.]
[The Wyvern’s curse falls upon Japan, which used the Summon Ticket.]
[Wyverns will occasionally appear in Japan’s Tower and attack those who climb it.]
The message appeared.
But there was no time to rejoice.
I was falling.
Normally, no matter how high, I could soften the impact and land safely.
But—
“Thud!”
My battered body collided with the ground, bouncing once.
The only saving grace was that I had landed atop the Wyvern, absorbing some of the impact.
“Ache, ache.”
The overuse of Flash of Lightning left me exhausted.
My right hand, which had wielded Ure, had long lost sensation.
I could lose consciousness at any moment, but I held on.
“I…… what comes must go.”
The “gift” from Ikeda Kaito was well received.
Though I had already sent a modest return gift, was this enough?
Goodwill for goodwill.
Malice with greater malice.
“Ssskkk.”
So, I tore the black ticket earned from clearing the 10th Floor.
At that moment—
[Kim Si-won of South Korea has used a Knight Summon Ticket (Hawkin Layer) targeting Japan.]
[A designated Knight (Hawkin Layer) will be summoned in one of Japan’s city centers.]
A nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese archipelago.