Wimp's Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Chapter 268 CHAPTER 267

The tower collapses triggered by Kabalon's Curse of the Average.

Because of that, three sinkholes formed in the Republic of Korea on Earth No. 843.

Each one required wave defense.

It was only natural that martial law had been declared.

This was a situation equivalent to wartime.

Emergency martial law was meant for times like this.

Colonel Lee Minseon approached Commander Jeon Seongil, who had entered the barracks, and whispered quietly to him.

Jeon Seongil listened, nodding.

Then he flinched in surprise.

"… Five times a day?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"I heard it directly."

That reaction was strange.

What was so criminal about five times a day?

He'd said it was tower climbing.

Jeon Seongil's expression wasn't great either.

Still, as if nothing was wrong, he gave Juhyeok a crisp salute.

"Thank you for stopping the Seoul sinkhole wave."

"Oh, c'mon. It was nothing."

Between us.

"Jeon Seongil."

"Bong Juhyeok."

They shook hands.

Juhyeok couldn't explain how reassuring it felt.

In a land with no connections, it felt like meeting a close older brother from his hometown.

Just exchanging greetings already made him feel secure.

Jeon Seongil felt something similar.

He'd already heard from Lee Mina—no, Lee Minseon.

That this young man was the one at the very top.

Early twenties.

Didn't look particularly special.

'Strange.'

Why did someone he'd just met feel so trustworthy?

Had they met before?

"Mr. Bong Juhyeok, pardon me, but may I ask where you're from—your nationality as listed on your player status window?"

Of course.

"That's actually what I was talking about with Colonel Lee Mina—sorry, Lee Minseon. I don't have a nationality. That's why I'd like to obtain one."

Jeon Seongil nodded.

He'd received that report as well.

Still, it made no sense.

Without a nationality, you couldn't enter the tower.

Without tower entry, player status would be revoked.

'There must be some reason he can't reveal it.'

Nationality could be obtained.

It would just take time.

The real issue was keeping this man in South Korea.

"Mr. Bong Juhyeok."

"Yes?"

"I ask you this sincerely. Please stand with the Republic of Korea."

Oh!

Just like he remembered—decisive.

It reminded him of the past.

When he first awakened, Commissioner Jeon Gwangil had been like this too.

This man felt like someone he could tell everything to.

But first, questions.

"I heard from Colonel Lee Minseon that the naturalization process is extremely strict."

"That's correct. The procedures were tightened."

"Why? The country's on the brink of collapse—shouldn't you secure capable players by any means necessary?"

Jeon Seongil tilted his head.

"… Do you really not know?"

"No."

"It was a very famous incident."

"This world is new to me."

...

New to this world?

Was he an alien?

"… Alright. I'll explain."

Jeon Seongil let out a deep sigh and continued.

"Not long ago, Korea's Black Tower progress was floor 55 cleared, attempting floor 56."

Huh.

Even 61 was unimpressive—56?

"Then Kabalon's Curse was announced worldwide. Climb-acceleration nations were selected, and Black Towers that exceeded the collapse deadline began to fall."

What about Korea?

"We weren't selected in the first round. Nor the second. As you know, at the time, attempting floor 56 placed us in the upper-middle tier globally."

Was that so?

"But we still had to prepare. The curse could strike at any time."

So Korea's response?

"We pursued an aggressive naturalization policy. Securing talented players capable of breaking through the late 50s."

A perfectly reasonable approach.

Earth No. 1001 had done the same.

"At the time, a player applied for naturalization from China. Liu Chenming—a level 56 long-range specialist."

Uh-oh.

This sounded bad.

A Chinese player.

"A long-range specialist naturalized during the wyvern section. We had no choice but to welcome him. We treated him well."

Of course.

You'd recruit him no matter what.

"And then he showed his true colors."

Don't tell me—

"Five floors were cleared in a single day."

Ah!

Five floors at once.

That wasn't like Juhyeok's five daily entries.

"You can guess how he did it. Tower Jumping Tickets."

"That's right."

Now it made sense.

Why they reacted so sensitively to "five times a day."

"We launched an investigation. At the time Korea's progress suddenly jumped to floor 61, we checked who had climbed the tower."

Tracking the suspect wouldn't have been hard.

There weren't many players capable of clearing floor 56.

"After checking CCTV and narrowing it down, we confirmed it was Liu Chenming. But he'd already gone underground."

That bastard.

"Did you catch him?"

"We issued a public manhunt, but failed."

That single incident was why naturalization became strict.

If someone used Tower Jumping Tickets and then disappeared—

"Was there a mastermind? … The Chinese government?"

"They denied it completely. Said it was individual misconduct. Claimed Liu Chenming wasn't even a state-sponsored player."

Even if it were true, China would never admit it.

"And during the third Kabalon Curse, Korea was selected as a climb-acceleration nation."

Damn.

"We couldn't stop it. The result was the collapse of the Gangwon Chuncheon Tower."

Tsk.

"The fourth selection—Daegu Black Tower. … Also collapsed."

Damn it.

"And the fifth selection as well—"

"Seoul Tower collapse?"

"Correct."

Three strikes in a row.

Once you're targeted, it doesn't end.

Earth No. 1001 had been the same.

"If we bring players in through temporary naturalization—"

"It's the floor 61 undead section. Globally, there aren't many players above level 61, and since Kabalon's Curse, temporary naturalization has practically stopped."

I see.

"After three collapses, the naturalization process became extremely strict. Verified identity and parliamentary approval became mandatory."

That was unavoidable.

"Regardless of ability, the key questions became: Is their identity reliable? What is their purpose for naturalization?"

If some unknown person showed up asking for citizenship and you just handed it over, that'd be a problem too.

Still—

"Liu Chenming—that bastard was truly evil!"

"Dogshit bastard."

"He deserves dismemberment and extermination of nine generations."

"Dying easily is too good for him."

"Hoaaat!"

Because of one man, the nation was on the brink of ruin.

A villain of the highest order.

He'd only torn up a few tickets—but the result was catastrophic.

How many people had died?

Mad Demon was right—he shouldn't be allowed to die easily.

That was why "five times a day" had become a taboo phrase in Korea.

And Juhyeok hadn't even known.

Time to explain.

Why he had no nationality.

"Commander Jeon Seongil."

"Yes?"

"Do you know about parallel universes?"

"… What?"

Jeon Seongil stared blankly.

"There are countless Earths in the universe."

"Ah… um."

"I came from Earth No. 1001. This is Earth No. 843. The numbering was done by someone else, though."

...

"I do have a nationality, actually. Bong Juhyeok, level 100 player of the Republic of Korea on Earth No. 1001."

Jeon Seongil stood frozen.

"On Earth No. 1001, there's someone who looks exactly like you. Commissioner Jeon Gwangil."

"We're very close. I even have photos we took together. Would you like to see?"

Juhyeok opened his phone and showed him a photo with Jeon Gwangil.

"Here."

"… What is this?"

It must have felt completely out of the blue.

So he showed more—raid footage Mackenzie had recorded.

Starting from the floor 81 colossal-monster zone.

Gulp.

Jeon Seongil swallowed hard.

Could the photos and videos be fake?

If they were fabricated—

But they were too natural.

And producing something like this would require enormous time and money.

And it'd be exposed quickly anyway.

...

"I'm in a bit of a hurry. I don't have time. I'd like the nationality process handled quickly."

"… "

Jeon Seongil wanted to believe him.

No—he already did.

Parallel universes?

They had to exist.

Only then did everything make sense.

The overwhelming power Juhyeok and his companions displayed, and the lack of nationality.

Earth No. 1001.

A world similar to this one, yet different.

"… What was the Republic of Korea like on Earth No. 1001?"

Kosak answered instead.

"The world's strongest tower-climbing nation. A lethal dose of national pride Korea that no country dares challenge."

"Oh!"

"It's even a unified Korea."

"R-really?"

"I was the Minister of the People's Armed Forces of the DPRK."

"I'm a spy. Kosak, flower of unification."

So that world was unified.

And this one?

Forget national pride—the country was on the verge of collapse.

Jeon Seongil made his decision.

He would grant the nationality.

If something went wrong?

He'd take full responsibility.

A Dark Wave had already struck.

The nation was already heading toward ruin.

What difference would one more risk make?

"I'll take responsibility and convene a naturalization hearing immediately."

"Uh… is that really necessary?"

"It's a procedural issue. Changing the law would take even longer."

"So citizenship approval absolutely requires a parliamentary hearing?"

"Yes."

Fair enough.

That was how player naturalization worked.

It had to be registered through proper legal procedures.

"The National Assembly isn't acting in bad faith. That's just the law."

A good National Assembly?

"Can you trust the lawmakers?"

"Yes. At least the ones who remain. Out of 300, about 100 have already fled."

Some ran away, huh.

But it seemed the core remained.

Then—

He'd go through with it.

"Understood. I'll take the hearing. But please make it today."

"We'll do our utmost."

Let's wait.

No matter how fast they move, it'll take at least a few hours.

But just sitting around would be boring.

"By the way, you said that Liu Chenming guy still hasn't been caught, right?"

"Embarrassingly enough, we haven't even pinpointed his whereabouts."

"I'll catch him for you."

"… What?"

Jeon Seongil's eyes widened in shock.

"… You'll catch him?"

"If you've got his appearance and personal information."

"Uh, we do have documents…"

"Give them to me. I'll catch him and deliver him."

"Uhh…"

Jeon Seongil desperately wanted to catch that bastard too.

He had to be held accountable.

But could he really be caught?

They hadn't managed to find him even after mobilizing the police and military.

Tower raiding and manhunts were completely different matters.

Still, with that level of confidence, there had to be a way.

"Adjutant!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Do we have Liu Chenming's photo and personal data?"

"I have them."

"Show him."

Juhyeok opened the folder.

A photo, name, age, and brief personal details.

"Most of it should be accurate. The name's his real one, and some of the information came from the Chinese government."

The photo from the documents.

Somehow, it felt familiar.

'… Wait.'

Liu Chenming.

That name sounded similar to Yoo Cheolmin—a guy who had once been Korea's top player before fleeing to Japan.

The face, too.

Same guy?

Did it matter?

You bastard.

You're dead no matter what.

"… But he's still listed as a Korean national?"

"Yes. We never released him."

The first nationality change is free.

From the second onward, it requires mutual consent.

Why they hadn't released him was obvious.

"You planning to throw him into the 61st floor?"

"He needs to take responsibility."

Wasn't it tragic?

A man who committed the worst crime imaginable, yet the only option was to throw him into tower raids.

"Fairy Princess?"

"Give the order."

"We've got his photo and personal info. Can we activate a tracking talisman?"

"As easy as eating cold rice."

Good.

Let's find that bastard and drag him back.

"Commander, I'll catch him and head straight to the hearing venue. Just tell me where to go."

We need to move fast.

Total allowed stay: 24 hours.

About 4 hours had already passed.

Catch him and get nationality within 20 hours—

and take over the White Tower at the same time.

'Who knew getting citizenship would be this hard.'

Anyway, tracking Liu Chenming began.

The first talisman, carefully drawn by Gyeondallae, was thrown into the air.

It ignited on its own—

"To the east."

Tracking talismans aren't omnipotent.

The first only gives a rough direction—

like a single point.

But if you keep narrowing the distance and repeatedly draw and use them?

The range keeps shrinking.

In the end, it points straight to the target's dwelling.

Juhyeok and the group ran east.

If a dragon appeared right away, people would panic.

So they waited until—

Empty Seoul.

No people around.

"Green aircraft, ready."

"Let's go!"

Screeeeech!

Pa-bat! Pa-ba-ba-bat!

Infinite turbo blink flight engaged.

Destination: east.

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.

A luxury mansion.

Liu Chenming had just exited the Black Tower.

Even in hiding, he still had to collect magic crystal rewards.

With the world falling apart, currency value had collapsed.

Physical assets were king.

Especially magic crystals—they were materials for all kinds of weapons.

The floor he'd just cleared: 43.

Level: 61.

Was he insane enough to enter the undead zone?

Of course not.

Those floors were climbed through exploits.

He had neither the ability nor the will to clear them properly.

When he first got a Tower Jumping Ticket, he knew he had to use it.

Five floors at once.

Five levels gained instantly.

And the boost in real-world power went without saying.

A high-level player treated well everywhere.

How could you not use it?

The world was ending.

But he didn't want to die early.

He had to survive—tenaciously.

To do that, he needed power.

But he couldn't use the ticket in China.

If it was exposed there, he and his family would all die.

So he found an alternative.

A soft target—Korea.

He applied for naturalization.

Then used the Tower Jumping Ticket.

Of course Korea descended into chaos.

He would obviously be caught.

But what was there to worry about?

Before using the ticket, Liu Chenming had already defected to Japan.

In fact, he'd even entered Korea's 56th floor from Japan.

Even now, his nationality was still Korean.

Korea would never release him.

They must still be bloodshot-eyed, searching for him.

Idiots.

The country was doomed anyway—what difference did it make if it collapsed a bit earlier?

Why did Japan accept him despite the risk?

Because defending the Hokkaido sinkhole wave was the condition.

Outside the tower, nationality didn't matter.

And he was level 61, long-range specialized.

He was useful.

In short, he had successfully settled in Sapporo.

He'd take it easy for now.

When the Hokkaido sinkhole wave hit, he'd go block it.

That was the plan.

Japan still had room to breathe.

It was far from collapse.

Liu Chenming sat on a plush sofa, gazing at the snowy Sapporo skyline.

He sipped a cup of gently warmed sake.

Peaceful.

Ah—what a tranquil life.

But then—

"… Huh?"

What was that?

Someone was plastered against the mansion's panoramic glass window.

A Westerner, by the looks of it.

'That bastard…'

A player?

Spider-Man?

A thief?

Then—

Scrrrrk, scrrrrk.

"Huh?!"

The Westerner was cutting through the thick glass with a dagger.

"W-what the hell?!"

A perfectly cut opening large enough for a person.

"Nǐ hǎo ma?"

With atrocious Chinese pronunciation, the man greeted him casually as he stepped inside.

"You crazy bastard!"

Swish!

Liu Chenming pulled out a bow from his inventory and aimed at the intruder's eyes.

"I'll pierce your eyeballs!"

Tspit!

The arrow was fired.

He activated two trait skills—

Perfect Accuracy and Piercing.

"Die!"

There was no way to dodge at this distance.

That's what he believed—

Until he saw the arrow clenched between the man's teeth.

"… W-what the hell?"

Catching a mana-infused arrow with his mouth?

Was that even possible?

"Xièxiè."

Spot!

The distance vanished in an instant.

"Huh—?"

Smack!

A palm exploded against his face.

Clatter! Teeth flew everywhere.

"Guhhh…"

Just one slap.

And yet Liu Chenming's entire body went numb.

He couldn't even dodge.

And he was a level 61 player.

"Liu dàgē, nǐ qù pá lóu ma? Dǐng hǎo!"

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

Kosak slapped him repeatedly with an expressionless face.

Honestly, the hand feel wasn't great.

It would've been better to cut off his head.

Liu Chenming lost consciousness and went limp.

If they hit him any more, he'd die.

Kosak grabbed the subdued man, exited through the broken window, and went up to the mansion rooftop.

"Caught him."

"Why is he such a bloody mess?"

"I just slapped him lightly…"

Gyeondallae exploded in anger.

"Utterly foolish! Do you think your slap is normal? Do you know how merciful it would be if he died like this?"

"… I'm sorry."

She was right.

Letting him die easily wouldn't do.

"Rajiks, just splash some healing potion on him."

"Hoeng!"

Swish.

Rajiks pulled out a healing potion—

and smashed the bottle straight onto Liu Chenming's head.

Thud!

Crash!

Potion streamed down his head along with shards of glass.

Technically, it was splashed.

"Let's move. Green aircraft captain?"

"Ready. Please board."

Heavy snow reduced visibility.

They might appear on radar—

Didn't matter.

No one could stop them anyway.

"Should we leave Japan alone?"

Rajiks tilted his head.

"Hoe… nuke?"

Good grief.

Always nukes when he got bored.

That habit was getting bad.

"Not now."

… He wasn't having nuclear withdrawal symptoms already, was he?

No—

he probably already was.

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