novelraw Chapter 263 CHAPTER 262
Chapter 263 CHAPTER 262
Black Tower, 99th floor.
The ninth main stage of the Great Journey mission has two objectives.
One has been completed.
Destruction of the dimensional energy transmitter.
No—
it completed itself.
When the World Tree burned its own body away.
What remains is the destruction of the dimensional energy processing facility's control room.
The World Tree burned down, leaving only a concrete structure and a skeletal steel antenna standing alone.
Let's finish this with nukes.
Dump everything we brought and get out.
But—
"Those bastards… just thinking about it makes my blood boil."
"Truly a crime that enrages heaven and mankind."
"Compared to the Black Tower, even the great demons of the Demon Realm are mild."
It's tragic.
A World Tree that should have lived peacefully with elves
was trapped in an empty dimensional rift and threatened for ages.
What even is dimensional energy,
that a god-tier World Tree had to be treated like this?
It's easy to understand why it chose such an extreme end.
"At least we got a sapling. Saved a ton of money. One of those goes for two billion at auction—"
Wow.
There's another shameless criminal right here.
"In a situation like this, that's what you say?"
Ju-hyeok looked at Kosak with utter disbelief.
"Uh, well…"
Kosak lowered his head awkwardly, clearly feeling guilty.
"…Sorry."
Read the room, will you?
Anyway—
"When did you come back out, Kosak?"
"Before the World Tree started burning."
"…What about the control room?"
"Would've been bad if we were late. Those bastards were preparing self-destruction."
Just as he thought.
No wonder the top of his head kept tingling.
"So you saw everything, right?"
Saw what?
"You hugging Marie and rubbing against her like—"
"H-hey, wait!"
Where is this fake news coming from?!
"When did I ever rub against her, huh?! Get your eyes checked!"
"Hmm, guess I saw it wrong."
"Next time, look properly. Spreading fake news gets you expelled from the White Tower!!!"
"Gah!"
If he'd actually been rubbing, at least the accusation would make sense.
He just hugged her lightly and patted her back.
"Anyway, does that mean Lady Marie is the main wife now? Who's first in line for concubine? The succubus is curious."
"… "
"Lieutenant Colonel Be must be second, right? Third place will be a showdown between Fairy Princess Dallae and the succubus. Edge-of-your-seat stuff."
"When you eventually bring Jin-suk too, you really need to establish the hierarchy clearly. That's how you keep peace in the household."
Don't respond.
If you do, you'll get dragged in.
While all that was going on, Ju-hyeok noticed someone.
That guy looks familiar. Who was he?
"Who's that? Looks like an administrator."
"That's the controller. Head of the control room."
Ah.
He remembered.
The guy who tried to persuade him the first time he came to the dimensional energy facility.
"Looks completely gone."
The controller was grinning foolishly, staring only at Diamant.
The enchantment had gone in deep.
Well, of course.
Who could resist a great demon's temptation?
Even Ju-hyeok, who'd spent a long time with her, found his heart wavering constantly.
"Did you get anything out of him?"
"Nope. I only had him shut down the Creature Guardians."
"You should've asked at least a few things. Like the headquarters' location or the god's identity."
"Strangely, he won't answer. Just keeps smiling."
Enchanted, yet still not talking?
Seems the succubus's skill has limits.
"There's a wall in place. Like a strong defensive mechanism. Kind of like the one in your heart, Master."
Hmm.
That wall isn't really that strong, though.
Either way, let's find out directly.
He's high-ranking, so he must know a lot.
Ju-hyeok raised the Judge's Hammer
and pointed it at the controller.
"Confess your sins!!!"
"Huh?"
Wooooong—
Netherworld energy surged out through the hammer,
coiling tightly around the controller's body.
Diamant's enchantment shattered instantly.
"W-what? Why am I—ghk!"
Pop!
A vision rose behind the controller.
Countless sins were laid bare.
As a Tower administrator, he had risen through the ranks by destroying worlds.
His achievements earned him promotion to controller of the dimensional energy processing facility.
He oversaw dimensional energy collected from three parallel Earths:
Earth No. 675, No. 1001, and No. 843.
"843? Where's that?"
Earth No. 843.
The place where dimensional energy extraction was most active.
Tower collapse was already severe there.
Meaning holes were opening all over the planet.
The boundary between the Tower and the world was nearly gone.
Which meant—
"…Damn."
Earth No. 843 was already undergoing annihilation.
How many people had died to monsters spilling out of the Tower?
Earth No. 675 might end up the same.
He wanted to go save them right now.
But there was no way to get there yet.
Those Black Tower bastards.
Even divine punishment wouldn't be enough.
Where the hell are you hiding?
"How do we get to the headquarters? And what exactly is the Devouring God?"
Talk.
Spill it.
"Th-the god? That damn, cursed bastard is—"
Right then—
Fwoooosh!
Heat erupted from the controller's torso.
"Ghk!"
Fssssss—
He crumbled into ash.
"…Hmm."
Dead?
"He's dead."
"Dead."
"Yep, dead."
"Could've held on just a little longer."
"Looks like a geas was placed on him."
A perfect tail cut.
They invade other dimensions without hesitation,
yet go to such lengths to avoid being exposed themselves.
Petty, hypocritical cowards.
Well, nothing to be done.
The missing pieces can be left to God-White, the White Tower.
"Let's finish it."
End it with nukes.
Drop five or six and bail.
The green bomber took off with Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings aboard.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Nuclear warheads dropped in succession.
BOOOOM—!
KRRRRRRUMBLE—!
[Dimensional Energy Processing Facility Control Room 1/1]
[The ninth stage of the Great Journey has been completed.]
[Rewards have been distributed.]
[Summoned Being Upgrade Rune Bundle has been delivered to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
Done.
[Returning to Black Tower NO.1 (Republic of Korea), 99th Floor.]
Back on the 99th floor—
[World Announcement: Black Tower NO.1 (Korea) has achieved an EX-grade clear on Floor 99.]
[EX Clear Reward: 2 + 30 Platinum Badges, total 32 awarded.]
Nice.
Clean.
Only one floor left.
White Tower, 17th floor.
The moment Ju-hyeok arrived—
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
The summoned beings waiting for him erupted in thunderous applause.
"Long live the Summoner!"
"Long live Ju-hyeok!"
"Great work, advance team!"
"So cool!"
He waved back proudly, chest out.
But no time to waste.
The World Tree needs to be planted.
Leaving a sapling unattended too long could be bad.
Plant it poorly, and a priceless sapling could wither and die.
Medicine goes to pharmacists.
Saplings go to farmers.
Ju-hyeok ran with Marie to Farmer Douu.
The moment Douu saw the small branch, he recognized it instantly.
"World Tree. Myth-grade. Sapling. Difficult."
Right?
Of course it is.
"Farmer Douu. Expert. Plant well. Grow well."
Reliable as ever.
"Planting location. Elf. Nearby. Behind Integrated Workshop Center."
It needs to be planted near the elf—Marie.
Step, step, step.
Douu walked carefully, holding the sapling.
He bent down, placed his hand on the ground,
then used all six arms to carefully examine the soil.
"Here. Optimal. Environment."
"Yes, please plant it."
Thump, thump!
Douu dug into the soil with his bare hands.
He placed the sapling in the hole, covered it back up,
then poured plenty of water from the watering can at his waist.
"Sacred tree. Blessing of the land. Safety. Peace. Prayer."
At that moment—
Parrrrrr—
The World Tree sapling trembled
and suddenly shot upward, growing rapidly.
In an instant, it grew vigorously.
Branches sprouted, leaves unfurled.
Before long, the World Tree had taken on the form of a proper tree.
It was far taller than an ordinary roadside tree.
But in truth, this was still considered very small.
It was a young tree.
A true World Tree is said to pierce through the clouds.
" Sapling. Stabilized. 17th-floor environment. Suitable. Rapid growth expected."
"Aaaah!"
Marie cried out in joy.
How happy must she be?
A World Tree was growing in the very space where she lived.
Just then—
Ding!
Could it be an achievement?
[ A World Tree has been planted on the 17th floor of the White Tower. ]
So, not an achievement.
[ The environment of the White Tower will help the World Tree grow rapidly. ]
Yes, please help.
[ With the World Tree taking root, an optimal environment for elves to live has been established. ]
Residents of the White Tower gathered around the World Tree.
They all knew.
How extraordinary this event was.
It was no different from a divine being descending upon the White Tower.
Would the World Tree's blessing affect only elves?
No.
It would influence other races as well.
The aura held within the World Tree,
and the byproducts gained from it.
For example, its fruit—
the finest alchemical material.
Not for reproduction, but a medicinal ingredient filled with the World Tree's essence.
World Tree leaves are just as precious as its fruit.
Even gathering the leaves that naturally fall as it grows is enough to make potent medicine.
There are also branches.
As a tree with divinity, it naturally prunes itself as it grows.
Those branches can be used to craft staves or enchanted magical tools.
"Standing under the World Tree, it feels like my inner power is increasing."
"It's a sacred tree, after all."
"My body and mind feel purified."
"Hoeeh."
"Even the dimensional bumpkin seems to like it a lot."
Everyone was happy.
Even—
"Now that I think about it, there's elf blood mixed into my lineage too."
Saintess Dorothy's sudden confession.
"…You?"
"Yeah. Apparently one of my ancestors was an elf."
"Ha! Bullshit."
"A muscle saintess, of all things?"
"Do elves nowadays bench a thousand on the big three or something?"
"If there were even a single thing about you that resembled an elf."
Dorothy, looking indignant, showed her ears to everyone.
"Look at my ears. Aren't they pointy?"
"They're round."
"Straight-up Buddha ears."
"What does a saintess have to do with Buddha?"
Lieutenant Colonel Be joined in.
"I heard it from my grandmother too. The Caliber family was originally founded by a half-elf ancestor."
Kosak glared as if it were nonsense.
"Not a chance."
"Why? I'm pretty."
"That's not the issue."
"Then what?"
"What's an elf's defining trait?"
"Archery."
"Right. I'm a crack shot too."
"Is shooting a bow the same as shooting a machine gun?"
Kosak launched into an impassioned rebuttal.
"Elves shoot bows. But if their chest is big, it gets in the way when drawing the bowstring."
"With a machine gun it's fine, but with a bow it's not. When you pull like this—thunk! It gets caught."
That was… surprisingly convincing.
Lieutenant Colonel Be couldn't refute it.
"Elves have traditionally had small chests. Look at Marie."
Hmm.
The summoned beings all turned their heads to look at Marie.
Small indeed—everyone nodded.
"This bastard."
Marie shot Kosak a sharp glare.
"You can curse me if you want. I'm just stating facts."
Truly impressive, Kosak.
Managing to roast both Lieutenant Colonel Be and Marie at the same time.
Anyway, the goal of planting the World Tree had been achieved.
The only regret was that Marie was the sole elf.
Aren't there any homeless, wandering elves out there?
It'd be nice if they came to live in the White Tower together.
Just then—
Bzzzt!
Ju-hyeok's smartphone rang.
A call from Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il.
Probably to congratulate him on clearing the 99th floor and ask about the 100th-floor schedule.
He should tell him to come to the White Tower.
Along with Team Leader Lee Min-a.
They could discuss the schedule—and brag about planting the World Tree.
Another world announcement echoed.
< Player Bong Ju-hyeok clears the 99th floor, only one floor left to 100 >
< Korea Awakening Management Agency: Complete ascent to the 100th floor likely soon >
< What awaits the world after the complete conquest of the 100th floor? >
< Will Player Bong Ju-hyeok become the master of the Black Tower? >
L Let's goooo!!! The game's flipped!
L But if it really happens, Bong Ju-hyeok's power will be insane.
L So what? He's already Earth's biggest nuclear holder.
L True. If he wanted, he could erase a country without a trace.
L You couldn't even stop it. A dragon dropping nukes, for real.
L Isn't it wild? How do you even walk around with a dragon?
L Heard he brought it out from the Tower. Floor 89 or 90 had a dragon boss.
L You guys know Diamant, right? The 80th-floor boss—he charmed her too.
L Oh! That escaped succubus was Diamant?
L He's taming Tower monsters.
L The devilish player, Bong Ju-hyeok.
L Oh! Did you guys buy the figures? From Rajiks Trading.
L Already sold out.
L Supply can't keep up. Harder to buy than the obesity-escape bracelet.
L Bracelets are mass-produced now, so they're stable.
L You can still buy the Kosak hero figure. Tons of stock.
L Kosak's mid.
The entire world was in a frenzy.
Bong Ju-hyeok's heroes.
Champions summoned from other worlds to save Earth in its time of crisis.
L But clearing the 100th floor won't just pass quietly, right?
L No way. The day it happens should be a national holiday.
L Just one day?
L Don't be ridiculous. At least three days.
L Make it a global holiday—three days off worldwide.
L Shouldn't we prepare a ceremony first?
L Yeah. Just hearing a world announcement at home would be boring.
Demands poured in.
Wasn't this historic moment worthy of a festival?
Petitions flooded government boards and the Awakening Management Agency's website.
And so—
"Street cheering?"
"Yes. It's cheering in name, but closer to a festival."
Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il made a request.
To delay the 100th-floor ascent by just three days.
He wanted the moment of complete Black Tower conquest to become a nationwide celebration.
Ju-hyeok agreed.
Anyone could see it was a special day.
"Well, sure."
"Thank you. Just three days, please."
Three days later, the 100th-floor conquest.
On that day, a Black Tower Complete Conquest Celebration at Gwanghwamun Square.
Delaying was fine.
The enemies had already cut their tails and run.
Still, just in case.
The day before the planned conquest—
[ Entering Black Tower (NO.1, Republic of Korea) 100th Floor. ]
Inside the 100th floor—
"Nothing special, right?"
The same environment as Earth No. 675.
Just as expected—nothing different.
"Same as before. We'll handle it tomorrow and then do a car parade."
A car parade, my ass.
Why would we do that?
Anyway.
Let's leave for now.
This floor isn't connected to another world.
Ju-hyeok took out a Tower Conquest Mission Reset Ticket and tore it.
[ You have used a Tower Conquest Mission Reset Ticket. Exiting the Tower. ]
Bye.
I'll come back tomorrow.
Black Tower Management Office, Earth No. 1001.
Spot!
Someone entered.
[ You've come. ]
[ Summoner. ]
[ It's over now. ]
They knew too.
That headquarters had abandoned them.
There was no way out of this place except death.
[ Did you write your wills? ]
[ Fuck! What's the point? Dimensional comms are cut anyway. ]
[ Hey, you're being rude. I'm your senior— ]
[ We're about to die. You wanna pull rank now? Fuck off. ]
[ You piece of shit. Designer, this is your fault. Didn't you raise that summoner? ]
[ I-I mean, it was the administrators of Earth No. 675— ]
[ If only we'd cooperated instead of fighting! You idiot, over that pathetic pride— ]
[ Y-you bastards… ]
[ What? What are you gonna do? ]
[ Lower your eyes, asshole! Before you get punched! ]
[ … ]
Just then—
Slide.
The summoner exited the Tower.
[ Huh? ]
[ What? ]
[ …He just left? ]
Is he messing with us?
If he was going to end it, he could've killed us quickly.
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE-https://beastnovels.com