‘Lucky.’
It wasn’t about me.
It was about those who had tried to attack me just moments ago—the Awakeners from China and Japan.
If it weren’t for the current trial’s restrictions, I would have killed every one of them by any means necessary.
But.
“Additional rewards can be obtained depending on the time taken to defeat enemies.”
Reading this extra condition for the trial changed my mind.
[Congratulations!]
[Kim Si-won of the Republic of Korea has cleared the Very Hard 22nd Floor (Japan).]
[You are the first to achieve the 3-star objective on the Very Hard 22nd Floor.]
[By clearing Very Hard difficulty, you have gained dominion over the Tower’s 22nd Floor (Japan).]
[Kim Si-won has been appointed as the Administrator of the Tower’s 22nd Floor (Japan).]
[By the Administrator’s authority, entrance to the Tower’s 22nd Floor (Japan) is prohibited until entry conditions are applied.]
The Tower had classified the level of invading enemies as Very Hard or above.
Thanks to that-
[You have defeated a powerful enemy that invaded the 22nd Floor.]
[Calculating rewards for the Unfathomable achievement…]
[Bonus judgment added to the calculation.]
[Clear time: 1 second. Hits taken: 0…]
I received an unbelievable bonus judgment for clearing it in just 1 second.
The purpose of this trial was to eliminate the target by any means.
And that included forced ejection.
Even with two Knights at my side, fighting while my physical strength was reduced by 50% would have taken ‘a little’ time.
But forced ejection—the click they liked so much—allowed me to clear the trial far too easily.
[In honor of the Unfathomable achievement, you have been awarded the bundle of Everhart Arland, Knight No. 80 of the Empire.]
[As a bonus for the additional condition, you have been granted a ‘Ticket Bundle’.]
And the reward exceeded my expectations.
‘Everhart Arland!’
A familiar name.
A Knight bestowed with No. 80 in the Galas Empire.
One of the many names I had carried in the past.
Until now, I had only been given vague bundles labeled as Knights “approaching the pinnacle,” but this time, it was a bundle with a precise name.
From that, I could guess the Tower knew everything.
Everything I had done on the Gritia Continent, every name I had lived under.
‘Why?’
Was this reward meant for me?
Or could others also receive bundles containing my name as a reward?
Countless questions passed through my mind.
But.
‘There’s nothing I can find out right now anyway.’
I didn’t know what the Tower was trying to say.
There was no clue to unravel.
To desire something out of my reach was just wasteful.
I put aside the unsolvable questions.
Instead, I opened the bundle given as a reward, right in front of me.
“Swish.”
“Whoosh!”
A burst of radiant light.
And.
“Thud.”
Something fell at my feet.
“1.”
Looking down, I confirmed it.
A sleek, jet-black sword with the name engraved near the handle.
[Everhart Arland]
It was the sword I had used in the past.
The Knight Sword Exidium that Everhart Arland, the Empire’s Knight No. 80, wielded.
Being given a Knight Sword meant one thing.
“Vrrrrr!”
Through the cold handle of the sword, an energy flowed.
The sensation of every cell in my body activating made me realize one thing.
A full 5% of my strength had returned.
But the gift didn’t end there.
[You have acquired the Knight Sword Exidium.]
[You now have two Knight Swords. Weapons of the same quality will merge to become stronger.]
The Ure Exidium I originally owned became the material for strengthening.
But it didn’t turn into a new Knight Sword.
The reinforced Caligo now resembled the form of the sword used by Everhart Arland when he reached mastery.
Improved and refined repeatedly, it finally reached the pinnacle of ‘destruction’—the form known to the continent’s people as the Destroyer’s blade.
‘With this, 25%.’
I had recovered 25% of my peak power.
That meant safety was secured to some extent.
I reckoned there was no one on Earth, no human, who could handle my current strength.
‘Unless the Demon Clan got involved, that is.’
So I couldn’t be completely at ease.
I had to keep getting stronger and aim to recover the power I once had—my prime power.
To recover strength like this and deliver a clear warning to those who dared challenge me.
***
“Hahaha!”
Laughter came from inside.
While laughter blossomed beyond the door, outside was the exact opposite—a solemn, strict security guard.
It had to be.
This was inside the Chinese Awakened Command—the Special Awakened Public Security.
China was one of the countries with the strongest control over Awakeners.
Lu Hong, the top Awakened of China, even said there were monsters inside Special Awakened Public Security far stronger than himself.
With such world-class Awakeners guarding this place, the atmosphere had to be heavy and oppressive.
“Of course!”
The two figures responsible for the tight security were sitting face to face across an oval table.
The broad-shouldered man with a receding hairline was Mao Xi, head of the Special Awakened Public Security.
Opposite him was Fujimoto Isao, Minister of Japan and leader of the Japanese Awakened Authority.
The heads of the Awakener commands from China and Japan were quietly discussing.
This was not an official schedule but a secret meeting.
The reason for the secrecy was clear.
“Thanks to you, Kim Si-won—the troublesome problem—could be handled. I thank you again.”
“Haha! Isn’t it premature to be giving compliments when it’s not yet over?”
“Premature? The ace of China’s Special Awakened Public Security, Kwon Liang, has taken action. Plus, Japan’s top experts have joined in. There’s no way we can fail.”
They were joined in a common goal: to eliminate Kim Si-won, a growing nuisance for both China and Japan.
Recently, Lu Hong and his party were killed on the 65th Floor.
The culprit was none other than Kim Si-won.
Everyone knew from the Tower’s message that he had caused the incident.
Yet strangely, Chinese public opinion had been quiet.
No, various media outlets screamed for punishment of the Republic of Korea, but the government had taken no action and remained silent.
But that was the calm before the storm.
China never forgets grudges.
Especially when it involves a small country like the Republic of Korea.
They couldn’t let it slide.
They sharpened their blades and prepared thoroughly to stab that neck firmly.
One of those preparations was joining hands with Japan.
An enemy’s enemy is an ally.
It was only natural to cooperate to handle a common enemy.
“By the way, I envy the sheer numbers China has. Large-scale invasion, ability weakening, and even No Return Tickets. We never imagined dozens of Ability Weakening Tickets on Return Stones, let alone the use of No Return Tickets.”
The reason they were so confident about Kim Si-won’s death?
Of course, they had selected Awakeners from their countries, but the main factor was the tickets prepared for this battle.
They detected Kim Si-won ascending the Tower via a Tracking Ticket.
And as soon as he approached the Japan Tower, a powerful group of Chinese and Japanese Awakeners invaded using a Large-Scale Invasion Ticket.
On top of that, dozens of individual Ability Weakening Tickets and a total blockade by No Return Tickets sealed off his escape.
It was almost impossible to believe all these resources were deployed for just one person.
Both leaders were humble outwardly, but inwardly, they were convinced Kim Si-won would die.
“Is it possible he found some way to obtain tickets…?”
A question?
No, it was certainty.
Even if it was their own talent harmed, deploying this amount of tickets without spare was impossible unless they had an edge.
Even Japan alone would shake their head at investing this many tickets on just one target.
But China did it.
As if it was nothing.
One might think it was bluff, but Fujimoto Isao, experienced at reading people, understood it was confidence based on truth.
‘There must be a trick.’
They must have discovered a route to mass-produce or acquire tickets.
“Trick? No such thing exists. Just think of China’s determination in this battle. That’s all.”
Yet Mao Xi, speaking, seemed to underestimate the other side.
‘Japan could never match China.’
China had found a route to mass supply Ability Weakening Tickets used this time.
Of course, not everyone could do it.
It required preparations.
Among them, the most essential was the Purge Ticket obtainable from the 30th Floor.
The Tower held many secrets.
Even if the same floor was conquered, the rewards differed depending on achievement and the path taken.
And if a Chinese Awakener completed the hidden quest, they received a Purge Ticket as a reward.
So what was a Purge Ticket?
Normally, once a Tower floor was conquered, it could never be challenged again.
But with a Purge Ticket, that changed.
It allowed one to gain the rewards again from a floor previously cleared.
But there was one condition: achieving at least 3 stars.
By fulfilling all these conditions, it was possible to ‘purge’ floors above the 60th Floor and obtain tickets.
But that route was China’s secret alone. (Although surely the U.S. or Russia knew, they wouldn’t tell Japan, their eventual adversary.)
“Haha!”
“Hahaha!”
They laughed, exchanging veiled barbs in their probing.
It was truly a case of “smiling while hiding a knife.”
Though laughing, they showed the demeanor of seasoned politicians wielding concealed blades.
But it wasn’t just a game of probing.
Because such meetings were rare, they had to ensure to gain tangible benefits.
“And what does China think of this proposal?”
“If you mean the colonization of the small country Korea?”
Since the illegal occupation of Dokdo, Japan had been grinding its teeth.
The war had been considered to shake internal issues caused by the deaths of the Prime Minister and cabinet members.
Of course, the target was the Republic of Korea.
“In the past, Joseon was under the control of our Great Japan. Since independence, there was no justification, but now it’s clear. The illegal occupation of Dokdo, and the assassination of the Prime Minister and cabinet members.”
There was no evidence linking the Republic of Korea to the assassination or tragedies at the funeral.
But evidence could be fabricated.
The world was already on Japan’s side.
And if influential China confirmed it?
“The Prime Minister said that if we give a portion of the resources and profits gained by taking Korea into our hands as proposed, China wouldn’t need to intervene. But making it clear that this war is just for Japan would be a great help.”
Japan was aiming for more than mere revenge.
Just like in the past, they planned to colonize the Republic of Korea.
Once Kim Si-won, who stood in the way, was eliminated, they intended to execute the plan immediately.
“I can’t give a definite answer. But here’s some good news—the Chairman seems to be thinking quite positively about it.”
China was also viewing Japan’s plan favorably.
They would gain significant profits just by helping form public opinion.
After all, Korea couldn’t stand up to Japan.
Once the troublesome Kim Si-won was removed, war would break out, and Korea would raise the white flag.
Gaining resource profits by just supporting them was like blowing one’s nose without touching it.
“A summit meeting will happen soon. I hope Mao Xi-san will do his best so both sides gain much from the meeting.”
“Of course. Anything beneficial to both countries.”
Convinced of Kim Si-won’s death, the two men shook hands.
And at that moment, suddenly, a bright light filled the room.
“Flash!”
“Oh!” Both men exclaimed.
The Awakeners who had invaded the Tower were returning with the encouragement of the two leaders.
“Welcome back…”
Mao Xi had to stop mid-sentence.
Because the faces of those returning were utterly distorted, like they had bitten into excrement.
It was a look no one who had succeeded in their mission could wear.
“What’s the matter?”
The question went to the group’s representative, Kwon Liang.
“I’m sorry… we failed the mission.”
“Failed?”
Failure meant one thing.
“You couldn’t kill Kim Si-won? This entire group?”
“Well…”
“And the tickets? You were surely given dozens to ensure success?”
“…We used them. But the target used a Forced Ticket that canceled all of them.”
“Ha!” A sigh escaped Mao Xi’s lips.
“You’re telling me you used all those tickets and couldn’t even handle that one person? Should I believe that?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Silence engulfed the hall.
No one dared to breathe.
The only sound was:
[Kim Si-won has been appointed Administrator of the Tower’s 22nd Floor (Japan).]
[By the Administrator’s authority, entrance to the Tower’s 22nd Floor (Japan) is prohibited until entry conditions are applied.]
[Administrator Kim Si-won has applied the entry conditions.]
[All Awakeners from Japan are prohibited from entering the 22nd Floor.]
News of Kim Si-won’s control over the 22nd Floor (Japan).
“Haah!”
This time the sigh came from Fujimoto Isao.
But that wasn’t the end.
Minutes later,
[Kim Si-won has been appointed Administrator of the Tower’s 23rd Floor (China).]
[By the Administrator’s authority, entrance to the Tower’s 23rd Floor (China) is prohibited until entry conditions are applied.]
[Administrator Kim Si-won has applied the entry conditions.]
[All Awakeners from China are prohibited from entering the 23rd Floor.]
And minutes after that,
[Kim Si-won has been appointed Administrator of the Tower’s 24th Floor (Japan).]
[By the Administrator’s authority, entrance to the Tower’s 24th Floor (Japan) is prohibited until entry conditions are applied.]
[Administrator Kim Si-won has applied the entry conditions.]
[All Awakeners from Japan are prohibited from entering the 24th Floor.]
The messages echoed one after another, minute by minute.
[Kim Si-won has been appointed Administrator of the Tower’s 25th Floor (China).]
[By the Administrator’s authority, entrance to the Tower’s 25th Floor (China) is prohibited until entry conditions are applied.]
[Administrator Kim Si-won has applied the entry conditions.]
[All Awakeners from China are prohibited from entering the 25th Floor.]
It was as if Kim Si-won was mocking them, controlling the 20-floor region shared between China and Japan with his actions.