The tower administrators' conversation.
[They did use the Tower Stronghold Declaration Loudspeaker.]
[Yes. Perfectly clean—without a single dispute or conflict.]
[I've felt this for a while now, but the synergy between this Savior and the Helpers is incredibly good.]
[People whose soul wavelengths match tend to be summoned together in the first place, but this is unusually smooth. Has there been any trouble so far?]
[They're handling even the insane Berserker Mage better than anyone.]
[Changing the tower's nationality this time is an achievement in itself, but I'm worried. What kind of achievement reward will be given?]
[No need to worry too much. Achievement rewards are probability-based anyway—at most, it'll be something like an increase in tower entry attempts or an extension of the Helpers' manifestation period.]
[Whew. At this point, all we can do is hope they quickly clear the 70s and move on to the 80s.]
[Up to the 79th floor is an event zone, so that's fine, but from the 80th floor onward, we'll need proper design.]
[Well, from then on, we'll have some leeway with causality, so we can install this and that.]
[If there's a variable, it's the alchemist Aliamari… but she'll probably just stay holed up making potions again, right?]
[She absolutely must. If that woman directly participates in the Tower, it becomes a headache.]
No matter how you look at it, players' main source of income is magic crystals.
Of course, if you receive an equipment item or an item without a tower-exclusive modifier as a reward, that's hitting the jackpot.
But even if you climb the tower every day and repeat clears, the only thing that provides steady, reliable income is magic crystals.
Then, one day, the existence of high-grade magic crystals was revealed for the first time.
High-grade magic crystals that could only be obtained as rewards from the Black Tower of a country that had successfully cleared the 71st floor.
At first, their value wasn't understood.
So when nations or corporations bought them up, they were priced at only about twice the usual rate.
However, through repeated research, the uses of high-grade magic crystals were uncovered—their value as room-temperature superconductors.
Prices skyrocketed.
Demand surged, mainly from corporations, universities, and government research institutions.
From double to triple, quadruple, tenfold.
They were so scarce that people couldn't sell them even if they wanted to.
You had to make a killing while prices were high.
That's why countless players attempted temporary naturalization to North Korea, where the Black Tower yielded the best high-grade magic crystal rewards—and due to an unforeseen incident, nationality transfers were ultimately restricted for one year.
Today was the day.
The day it would be decided.
If the Black Tower's nationality changed, what would become of its affiliated players?
Ding!
[World Announcement: The nationalities of players previously affiliated with the Black Tower of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will be changed en masse to the Republic of Korea.]
It appeared!
The naturalized players cheered.
It was the best possible outcome.
A nationality change to the Republic of Korea.
Ordinary players from various countries who had jumped in seeking a big score, and black-market players who had naturalized en masse for new business ventures—
All hoped to reap the benefits in the Black Tower under South Korean nationality.
But then what was going on?
The nationality in the status window didn't change.
Did it take time to update?
Soon, they realized why.
The target of the initial announcement was players originally affiliated with the DPRK Black Tower—in other words, native players, not temporary naturalized ones.
Then what about the temporary naturalized players?
A moment later, another world announcement rang out.
Ding!
[World Announcement: The nationalities of temporary naturalized players affiliated with the Black Tower of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been annulled.]
What?
They doubted their ears.
Annulled?!
What does that mean?
Then came the updated status window.
None.
If you have no affiliation, you lose the tower you can enter.
What in the world is this?
At the same time, ding.
[Please acquire a new nationality within 10 days.]
[If nationality is not acquired, player qualifications will be revoked.]
Ah! So that's how it works.
When annulled, it doesn't automatically revert—you have to create a new nationality.
But acquiring a nationality isn't that hard, is it?
You just sign a contract with a country again.
There's no reason for a country to cast aside players who are essentially industrial laborers.
But what about the money invested for temporary naturalization?
It looked like not a single penny would be recovered.
Disappointed players, angry players, irritated players, players hurling curses.
Were they all furious?
Not at all!
In fact, only a tiny fraction of players held negative feelings.
Most of the temporary naturalized players felt relieved.
And they cheered and gave thanks.
Why?
They thought they'd be stuck in the North Korean Black Tower for a whole year without moving an inch.
Meanwhile, other countries were racing toward the 70s at breakneck speed.
Soon, it was obvious that most players would be receiving high-grade magic crystal rewards.
And what about them?
They would've had no choice but to keep clearing only the North Korean Black Tower for a year.
Receiving nothing but ordinary magic crystals whose prices had already hit rock bottom.
But now, it was different.
They were miraculously freed.
They could change nationality to any country they wanted.
All thanks to Korea's S+++ rank record-holding player successfully declaring tower stronghold control.
How could they not be grateful?
They felt like they wanted to meet them in person, hug them, and thank them.
So the players whose nationalities were annulled went to Korean player community sites and left messages one by one.
Using translation tools, of course.
Thank you. I will not forget this kindness.
Escape, change, successful. Very grateful.
You are an angel. Blessings upon you!
I will live without greed. Thank you for giving us a chance.
Korea is the best. I'll visit someday.
S+++ rank conqueror, I respect you. A cool and strong player.
Take this chance to unify with North Korea. I support it.
Korean players responded as well.
LOL, I was wondering who these guys were. They just copy-pasted machine translations.
Hey! This is the dignity of Korea's S+++ rank player.
They're thanking us for getting their nationality annulled.
They must've been suffocating—stuck for a whole year.
Yeah, they were basically the worst Black Tower-affiliated players during that time.
Let's all do better from now on, okay? Don't get greedy.
I'm getting weirdly patriotic over this.
It was a happy ending.
All except for one person.
Who?
A player whose nationality had been annulled but who couldn't acquire a new one within ten days.
Dmitri, the black-market guild leader imprisoned in North Korea's player cooperative detention facility.
"Fucking!"
All he could do was spew curses.
Could he acquire a new nationality within ten days?
If his player qualifications were revoked, what would happen to the treasures in his inventory?
After the world announcement about the North Korean Black Tower's nationality change went out,
the news exploded in South Korea as if on cue.
These were matters the two governments had already discussed in advance.
Media outlets had been placed under embargo, agreeing to release breaking news the moment the announcement dropped.
Follow-up reports continued to pour in.
At the Korean Awakening Management Agency,
the atmosphere was just as heated.
The amount of work to be done had suddenly increased.
"Honestly, I'm more shocked that North Korea has changed than that the tower's nationality changed."
Director Park Gyeong-su, his face flushed red, spoke.
"The President keeps calling me whenever he's bored to ask about it."
"About what?"
"Whether we can really trust North Korea."
"Hahaha, and how did you answer?"
"I told him that the current Chairman Kim is someone more trustworthy than anyone."
Jeon Gwang-il nodded.
Park Gyeong-su was right.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't Chairman Kim himself he trusted, but the Kosak—no, Minister of the People's Armed Forces Gosageuk—standing beside him.
"By the way, who's going to North Korea? If we're setting up an Awakening Management Agency branch there, we'll need to decide on the working-level staff to dispatch first."
This was part of what had been agreed upon with North Korea.
Passing on the Korean agency's player training know-how.
"Should I go? Team Leader Lee Min-ah is indispensable to the agency."
"No, you stay put. I'll go."
"You, Director?"
"Yes. This works out nicely. I'll step down from the director position and take on the role of North Korea branch chief."
"Uh…"
Well, if it was Director Park Gyeong-su, there wasn't much to worry about.
"This also means your promotion is settled. Congratulations in advance. Director Jeon Gwang-il. I look forward to working with you."
Promotion?
Jeon Gwang-il stared blankly, his mouth hanging open as if he hadn't even imagined it.
After finishing the banquet at Okryugwan in Pyongyang, Ju-hyeok used the tower to return home.
The default saved destination was the penthouse.
The declaration of tower stronghold control.
Kosak's dispatch to North Korea using the Ring of Departure,
and the start of the groundwork.
There had been unavoidable casualties in the process, but—
In any case, everything had fallen neatly into place.
They had taken over the North Korean Black Tower without any major conflict.
And then began the discussions on improving relations.
Unification wasn't far off.
It felt almost within arm's reach.
To the point where it wouldn't be a problem to do it right now.
Naturally, an achievement popped up.
And the achievement reward was granted.
But that reward was extremely bewildering.
'They give this kind of thing too?'
[Achievement reward is being granted.]
Something completely unexpected.
[You have been allotted the 17th floor of the White Tower.]
He received real estate.
'The 17th floor of the White Tower?'
Not the Black Tower?
Was there even a tower like this?
It wasn't "entry," but "allotment."
Did that mean they were handing over an entire floor of a tower?
[Player Bong Ju-hyeok has become the owner of the 17th floor of the White Tower.]
[The 17th floor of the White Tower is a completely independent, separate space from Earth's Black Tower.]
Independent.
[It will never collapse. It will exist permanently.]
It wouldn't collapse either.
[As long as the owner is alive, they may remain without restriction.]
He could stay there too.
[An entry skill for the 17th floor of the White Tower has been registered in the status window's General Skills.]
So he checked.
[General Skills]: Tower Entry (3 times per day) / Tower-Exclusive Inventory / Enter and Exit White Tower 17th Floor.
There was no limit on entries.
He could enter whenever he wanted.
Did the summoned beings know about this?
"Have you ever heard of the White Tower?"
"The White Tower? Not the Black Tower? …Hmm, this is the first I've heard of it."
"This girl has never heard of it either."
"Same here."
He asked Mari as well.
[Mari]: No. It's my first time hearing about it too.
No one knew.
Then how could he confirm it?
There was only one way.
"Enter the White Tower, 17th floor."
Spot!
"Oh!"
Now he understood why it was called the White Tower.
Everything was pure white.
Because of that, he couldn't even judge how wide the place was, or how high it extended.
[You have entered the 17th floor of the White Tower.]
[Calling up the Owner Menu.]
"Huh?"
A menu?
Ssssh!
Items appeared as a hologram before his eyes.
[Basic] [Layout] [Grant Residency Rights] [Resident List]
Four categories in total.
It looked like a game interface.
Could only he see it?
"Can you see it? That hologram over there—"
At that moment!
'What?'
A sense of unease washed over Ju-hyeok.
It was quiet.
There was no presence of anyone else.
He looked around.
'…Don't tell me I came in alone?'
That was exactly it.
There was no one here but him.
Then—
"Exit the White Tower, 17th floor."
Spot!
"M-Master Summoner!"
"Summoner! Where did you disappear to?"
"Young Master, thank goodness. We were worried when you vanished."
"Fuuuh…"
He had entered, but the summoned beings hadn't followed him in.
It was definitely different from the Black Tower.
If he summoned them directly from there…
"For now, I'll release the summons. I'll call you again in three hours."
All summoned beings were dismissed at once.
Then he waited three hours.
Until he could resummon them.
And then—
"Enter the White Tower, 17th floor."
Once again, the white space.
"Designated summon: John Kosak!"
But—
Ding.
[John Kosak is not a resident.]
[Only registered residents may enter the 17th floor of the White Tower.]
"Ah!"
So that's what the resident menu was for.
Ju-hyeok reached out and touched the [Resident List] displayed as a hologram.
[Current residents: 0.]
Zero people.
Then how do you grant residency?
Tap!
[Grant Residency Rights]
Residency rights can be granted to any being that possesses a soul.Residents may stay here at any time, for as long as they wish, with no time limit.Cost: 1 kg of top-grade magic crystals per individual.
If you become a resident, you can enter.
And you can live here.
However, the cost.
And it was 1 kg of top-grade magic crystals.
Since high-grade magic crystals had already appeared, it wasn't like top-grade magic crystals didn't exist, but—
'Where am I supposed to get those?'
Could he obtain them after climbing to higher floors?
In any case, without top-grade magic crystals, the 17th floor of the White Tower was a place only he could enter.
'That makes it pointless.'
What was he supposed to do alone here?
In a white space with absolutely nothing.
"Tch."
He had cleared an achievement, yet the reward wasn't welcome at all.
They could've at least extended the manifestation time.
'Let's leave.'
No—before that, he should check the remaining two menus.
First, [Basic].
Tap!
[Basic]
Three sub-menus are currently unlocked.Determines the environment of the 17th floor of the White Tower.The first environment selection is free of charge.
Environment selection, huh.
It was probably similar to Black Tower environments.
Deserts, jungles, snowfields, plains, and so on.
It seemed like he could recreate such environments on the 17th floor.
'What should I choose?'
Ju-hyeok imagined a world of green plains with a river flowing through them.
Then—
Ssssh!
The empty white space transformed into a beautiful plain you'd only see on a travel postcard.
'Wow!'
It was a vast plain stretching all the way to the horizon.
Not an illusion, but real.
The earthy scent filled his nose, and in the distance, a river flowed gently.
'It really changed like this?'
Then what about the other two items under Basic?
Establishes a network within a certain range.Can also be connected to Earth's network.Cost: 10 tons of high-grade magic crystals.
'…'
And the last one.
Generates electricity.Once constructed, all electronic devices within a certain range can be used without directly connecting cables.Cost: 20 tons of high-grade magic crystals.
These were the three currently unlocked Basic sub-menus.
Environment, communication, electricity.
If all of this were implemented, you really could live here.
There was still one thing left to check.
[Layout]
When he tapped it with his hand, two sub-menus appeared.
Copies up to 100 object items.Copy can also be used outside.No cost.Pastes copied objects for placement.Costs high-grade magic crystals proportional to height, volume, and value.
A helpful example video appeared.
Like watching a movie.
A building copied from outside was pasted into a specific area here.
Was it just buildings?
Daily necessities inside a home, furniture, electronic appliances.
Cars, bicycles, motorcycles, roads, airports, harbor facilities, gyms, and more.
And then a city was formed.
A perfect city with all infrastructure in place.
'This is like…'
A city-building simulation game.
Copy something from outside and paste it into the 17th floor of the White Tower.
Thus creating all the foundations and conveniences needed for humans to live.
'It's basically a kind of shelter.'
A place where you could survive through self-sufficiency even if the world collapsed.
But there was one fatal drawback.
Resident registration.
And the cost of registration: top-grade magic crystals.
If he couldn't obtain top-grade magic crystals, he'd have to live alone.
Lonely and isolated.
'…Still, should I try decorating it?'
It could be fun.
Like playing a game.
Besides, the costs for Basic and Layout used high-grade magic crystals.
The amounts were enormous, but still obtainable.
Let's take it slow.
Bit by bit, while clearing the tower.
As for resident registration?
He'd have to somehow get his hands on top-grade magic crystals.