novelraw Chapter 260 CHAPTER 259
Chapter 260 CHAPTER 259
It was an announcement that echoed across the entire world.
Anyone could hear it.
L Aaaaaaah! Bong Juhyeok!!!
L Bartender, what are you doing? It's the 98th floor!!! Bring out 98 bowls of national pride!
L I'll wait until the 100th floor. Gotta drink 100 bowls.
L I never thought I'd see a day like this. The 100th floor is right in front of us.
L Even China sent congratulations—says it all.
L Seven climbs in a single day?
L Just how many times a day can Bong Juhyeok climb the tower?
L That's what you're curious about? You're not even fazed that he cleared them back-to-back without a break?
L …Good point.
L I'm curious what the video will be like this time.
L What do you expect? Probably just blew something up with nukes again.
L But what actually happens when the 100th floor is cleared?
L No way the tower just disappears completely, right?
L Who says the 100th floor is the end? It might not be.
L I heard rumors that it is the end though.
L That can't be! Where are we supposed to mine magic stones then?
L Damn it, if I can't mine magic stones, I can't even pay my apartment loan.
It was ambiguous.
If the 100th floor really was the end, it would certainly be something to celebrate.
If the Black Tower disappeared without causing a collapse, that would be safe and good.
And yet, there was a contradictory feeling.
What if the Black Tower disappeared completely?
Then—
L Breaking news just dropped.
L Director Jeon Gwang-il himself is giving a statement?
L What's it about?
L Probably something about the Black Tower clear.
With only two floors left until the 100th, Director Jeon Gwang-il's announcement.
The venue was the press briefing hall of the Korean Awakened Management Agency.
All domestic and international media gathered.
A live broadcast transmitted worldwide.
Director Jeon Gwang-il stood at the podium.
Flash! Flash flash flash flash!
Camera flashes exploded nonstop.
"First, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Player Bong Juhyeok for achieving the tremendous feat of clearing the Black Tower up to the 98th floor."
Then he continued.
"Many of you are surely curious about what changes will occur after the Black Tower is cleared up to the 100th floor."
The audience leaned in.
Even the camera flashes stopped.
"I would like to clarify in advance that what I am about to say is based on the results of Player Bong Juhyeok's complete conquest of Earth No. 675's Black Tower."
Earth No. 675—complete conquest?
People already knew there were other parallel-world Earths.
They also knew some had been destroyed by the Black Tower.
But Player Bong Juhyeok had completely finished one of them?
When did that even happen?
"Yes, it was a success. The 100th floor was the end. And the player who reaches the 100th floor acquires the administrative authority of the Black Tower."
Administrative authority over the tower.
What exactly did that mean?
Reporters shot their hands up.
"We'll take questions later."
Jeon Gwang-il continued speaking.
"The scope of the tower's administrative authority is limited. You cannot alter missions, rewards, or difficulty. You also cannot change the requirement that the tower must be climbed solo, nor can you relocate the tower."
Why were there so many restrictions?
That made it sound like nothing would change.
"However, according to Player Bong Juhyeok, there are still many areas where authority can be exercised."
Such as?
"I'll start with the most important part. You can choose to delete or maintain the tower's collapse deadline."
What did that mean?
Delete or maintain?
"Yes. The authority to delete the collapse deadline. Even if no one clears higher floors for six months—or one year, or even ten years—the tower will not collapse."
A brief silence followed.
Then murmurs spread.
Exclamations burst out from all over.
Really?
This wasn't a lie?
Preventing tower collapse.
What did that imply?
It meant escaping extinction.
"Additionally, the tower itself can be dismantled from beyond the phase world—completely removed. Even in that case, no collapse will occur."
Another shocking statement.
Dismantle the tower—or let it persist.
"All of this is only possible by climbing to the 100th floor and acquiring the tower's administrative authority. The mechanism involves something called a crystal core—"
Before Jeon Gwang-il could even finish his statement, the world was already in uproar.
An era of great upheaval had arrived.
The White House, United States.
Cabinet members and advisors gathered in President Lloyd's office.
"Tower administrative authority… does that mean only Korea's tower? Or does it include all towers on Earth?"
The U.S. had already received the key points of Jeon Gwang-il's press conference beforehand.
"Individual control seems possible. After all, a single control room manages all 146 Black Towers."
Minister McMillan answered the president's question.
"That means some towers could be voluntarily dismantled, others could have their collapse deadlines removed, or some could simply be left untouched."
He shrugged.
"It's not certain, though. Earth No. 675 only had one Black Tower."
"Hm."
"We'll know for sure once our Earth's Black Tower is fully cleared to the 100th floor."
President Lloyd still found it hard to believe.
For nearly twenty years, the Black Tower had terrified Earth.
And now a single player was resolving it.
Not completely finished yet—but soon.
"What about changing missions? Making them easier, or removing them entirely?"
"That's not possible."
"Party clears? Letting more than ten people enter a floor?"
"That's also not allowed."
"Rewards? Increasing high-grade magic stone drops?"
"No."
"Removing nationality restrictions so anyone can climb any tower?"
"You heard the statement. The authority is fixed."
"Hmmm."
President Lloyd nodded.
A little disappointing, perhaps—but—
"Still, it's huge."
"It's massive. A revolution in tower conquest."
The entire paradigm of Black Tower conquest would change.
Towers without collapse anxiety.
Stable magic-stone mining sites.
"What happens if individual tower control is obtained?"
"What do you think? The entire world would have to watch Bong Juhyeok's mood."
"True."
By keeping a collapse deadline, one nation could be terrorized.
And the opposite was just as devastating.
If a nation's tower disappeared?
It would be safe—no collapse risk at all.
But magic stones could no longer be mined.
Not even basic ones, let alone high-grade stones.
Nationality-based tower entry wouldn't change.
That country's players would be stuck twiddling their thumbs—unless they changed citizenship.
If you got on Bong Juhyeok's bad side, there were two outcomes.
Maintained collapse deadline—or tower dismantlement.
"We didn't mess up with Player Bong, did we?"
"No way. The U.S. treats him very differently. Do you think we're Japan or China?"
"Fair enough. I even learned Korean."
"Hey, that's all thanks to me. I worked hard from the start to stay on Player Bong's good side."
"You're saying that like an achievement."
"It is an achievement."
McMillan answered shamelessly, as if there were no problem at all.
"Anyway, once Player Bong clears the 100th floor and gains tower authority, ask him to remove the western tower. Leave only the eastern one."
"I was planning to request that anyway."
There was no need for two towers.
Having two didn't increase high-grade magic stone output.
"We invested well, didn't we?"
"We did."
They had moved quickly the moment they learned of Player Bong Juhyeok's existence.
Consistently supporting Korea's position.
Being first to leave early-adopter reviews of new products.
Buying trait-enhancement runes on the black market and gifting them.
Providing nuclear warheads first.
"It feels satisfying."
"But Japan and China are going to have real headaches."
"Huh? Not really."
"What do you mean?"
"Japan, maybe—but China's reaction changed completely. Even with the nuclear contribution this time."
"Well, maybe China finally came to its senses."
In truth, it was all thanks to the great demon-level succubus Diamat.
The entire world was swept up in excitement over Bong Juhyeok's 98-floor conquest.
World leaders rushed to send congratulatory messages.
In nearby Japan, it was headline news every day.
On TV, they built cardboard models of the Black Tower and had panelists arguing loudly about what would happen if the 100th floor were fully cleared.
But Japan's political circles couldn't laugh.
They were in a very urgent situation.
Why?
In the past, as a reward for clearing the 90th floor, the sinkholes that had opened in Mumbai, India, and Mount Fuji, Japan, were restored.
In return, India handed over all of its nuclear warheads to Player Bong Juhyeok.
But Japan?
They stopped at lip service—empty words of gratitude.
They had no choice.
They couldn't meet what Korea was demanding.
Because of that, Japan couldn't even make reservations for magic guns needed to clear the giant-monster zone.
Meanwhile, other countries were steadily climbing toward the 81st floor.
The Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
An emergency meeting was underway.
Prime Minister Maeda and the cabinet ministers.
All of their expressions were grim.
"Maintaining the collapse deadline is still tolerable. There are five years left, and we might be able to find a solution somehow…"
"But the real problem is tower dismantlement. Complete removal."
"Yes. If the Tokyo Black Tower disappears, we won't be able to mine magic stones at all."
As a result, Japanese players would attempt to change citizenship en masse.
Japan's magic-stone industry would inevitably collapse.
"What's the stance of the Korean Awakened Management Agency? Are we still in contact?"
"Of course we are, but we haven't received a definitive answer."
"Haa…"
"On the surface, they're not making any explicit demands. However…"
Prime Minister Maeda knew very well what Korea truly wanted.
"Ceding Tsushima Island…"
"It seems they benefited quite a bit after receiving Mount Baekdu from China."
"Damn it!"
In the past, territorial cession demands like this would have been unthinkable.
But since the appearance of the Black Tower, the situation had changed.
In exchange for allowing temporary player naturalization, borders were adjusted, disputed territories were yielded—territorial transactions had become fairly common.
All to prevent tower collapse and regeneration.
Especially for countries where towers were erected in densely populated urban areas, anxiety was unavoidable.
From that perspective, the demand to cede territory wasn't unusual.
Japan could comply.
The problem was that the recipient was Korea.
Hand Tsushima over to Korea?
Would the Japanese people stand for it?
But if they held out to the bitter end?
Player Bong Juhyeok might do this instead:
"From a humanitarian standpoint, and for Japan's safety, I will delete the Black Tower in downtown Tokyo."
There's a justification, isn't there?
It's "for Japan's sake."
And so Japan might become the only country without a Black Tower.
A completely new form of retaliation.
Honestly, Prime Minister Maeda leaned toward agreeing to the cession of Tsushima.
Aside from maritime boundary settings, it was a largely useless island.
Was there a way to hand it over while minimizing public backlash?
And keep the Minhyuk Party in power?
"There's only one way."
"What is it?"
"Announce the cession of Tsushima to Korea and dissolve the Diet."
"Dissolve the Diet?"
"Yes. Go to a general election."
"Hoo…"
Japan is a parliamentary cabinet system.
If the cabinet dissolves the Diet, a snap election follows immediately.
The purpose of dissolving the Diet?
To seek renewed confidence in the Minhyuk Party cabinet.
'The Maeda administration will cede Tsushima to Korea. If you agree, vote for the Minhyuk Party. If you oppose it, don't.'
If they won the election and retained power, relations with Korea could be redefined.
But if they lost and the right-wing seized control?
The outcome was obvious.
The Black Tower would be dismantled "for Japan's peace."
Magic-stone mining would cease.
Japan's future would become uncertain.
Prime Minister Maeda was a former player.
If he failed to regain power—
'There's no reason I have to keep living in Japan.'
He could just change citizenship.
White Tower, 17th Floor.
Only the 99th and 100th floors remained.
Let's rest a bit before going.
Resupply nuclear warheads as well.
Then Kosak said he had something to show.
He put a video on the large screen.
Out of nowhere, he claimed some "mental training" was necessary.
It was footage from the 92nd-floor clear.
The moment when the new bound summons couldn't even properly kill a single monster as a seven-person party.
Magic didn't work.
Blades didn't pierce.
Panicking, being chased around, and finally getting help from Juhyeok—
That miserable moment played out vividly on the screen.
"White Tower company commander, I, Kosak, am disappointed in all of you."
The rookies bowed their heads deeply.
"What were you even doing? Huh? Can't even kill one monster and you're flailing around? And you call yourselves LSSR anywhere you go? Huh?!"
Ahhh!
How humiliating that must be.
They had nothing to say.
No room for excuses.
Even the Saintess was in tears.
She looked tough, but her heart clearly wasn't.
"Don't cry. Tears are a luxury for you. Is this the time to show weakness?"
The remaining 300-plus bound summons pointed fingers and criticized the rookie summons who had been selected for the advance party.
"Tch, are they really LSSR?"
"They're embarrassing all the rookies."
"I'm only SR right now, but once I rank up, I'm sure I'll do better than them."
"Calling himself an emperor, making such a fuss."
"The Sword Demon should change his title. Sword Worm fits better."
Here we go again.
They'd let it slide when there were only 17, but now there were 355.
If left alone, factions would form, divisions would spread, and infighting would run rampant.
Camaraderie would collapse, the White Tower would fall apart, Korea would be endangered, and eventually the world would end—
Okay, maybe that's too far.
Anyway.
"Cameraman Mackenzie."
"Yes, Summoner."
"You recorded the Archangel fight, right?"
"Uh, well, I always keep the camera running, so of course…"
So he had filmed it.
"But Kosak said we shouldn't show that one."
Oh?
So he was hiding his own mistakes?
Classic Kosak hypocrisy.
"Play it now."
"…Yes."
The previous footage cut out, and pop! a new video began playing.
"Take a look. That's the Archangel. At that time, Commander Kosak was… um."
Kosak whipped his head around toward Mackenzie.
"Hey, old man, didn't I say not to play that one?!"
No chance.
The playback continued.
The Archangel charging.
Juhyeok fleeing at insane speed.
The camera shaking wildly, focus completely off.
People screaming, veteran bound summons frozen in confusion.
In the end, Juhyeok handled it alone.
Using items to hide, summoning golden monkey clones, and finally calling forth the Great Sage Equal to Heaven through transcendent summoning.
Kosak stared blankly like a mute who'd swallowed honey.
Mad Demon looked awkward.
Gobang lowered his head.
Bardin wore a heavy expression.
Gyeon Dallae's face turned red.
Juhyeok took the microphone.
His tone was calm.
"You saw it, right? The veterans were the same. So don't be disappointed. It was your first tower clear, but you rookies did extremely well."
Silence fell over the White Tower, 17th Floor.
"You can get better. Honestly, at the beginning, neither I nor the veterans were anything special. We got here thanks to Godbaek, the White Tower's support, and the help of transcendent beings like the Sword Immortal, Yama, and the Great Sage."
A solemn atmosphere settled in.
"That doesn't mean you have to push yourselves too hard. Try what you can, and it's okay to give up. No one will blame you for it."
That was true.
Juhyeok meant it sincerely.
They were people who had been trapped in the world of souls for countless ages.
Now they deserved to live happily.
"Of course, that doesn't mean doing nothing. I won't spare any support until you reach LSSR rank."
Then—
"First, we'll distribute rank-increase runes to volunteers. Anyone interested?"
Without hesitation, the rookies raised their hands.
"Good. We'll start the rank-up process with the SR bound summons first. I'll hand out the runes."
Juhyeok raised his hand and pointed toward a building.
"You see that landmark over there? That's our training facility. Once you receive the runes, go in there, rank up to SSR, and come back out."
The first goal: promote all bound summons at SSR rank or lower.
"LSSR bound summons, prepare to begin the memory regression ritual."
No rushing.
Build the fundamentals slowly.
Someday, they would have to advance into the main base.
If that place wasn't cleared, the threat would remain.
And if the opportunity came, he planned to try it once—
Summoning every single catalog bound summon at once.
An all-LSSR bound-summon bomb drop.
Damn.
Just imagining it made his chest swell.