Anyway, passing the buck failed.
Tch! This is why quick-witted summoned people are such a pain.
Eh, whatever. I'll just open it.
If I step on a landmine, I'll get blamed—but isn't this Kosak, who's toughened up from countless insults?
And who says you have to step on a landmine?
The odds are actually low.
If I pull something good, it's a chance to be praised.
"P-please, I absolutely won't open it. Please…."
"I won't hold you responsible. Don't you trust me?"
"The other summoned people won't stay quiet. Look at those gleaming eyes. If I get cursed at again this time, I'll get traumatized."
Juhyeok agreed.
Was this his first or second time experiencing it?
Honestly, he could force someone to open it.
If he poured in just a bit more will, the Absolute Obedience principle would activate.
But demanding Absolute Obedience just to open a box felt petty and cowardly.
"Then why aren't you opening it, Summoner Bong?"
"I've got a bad feeling."
"Same here."
Oh? Then…
"Our reliable Mr. Gobang?"
"Summoner."
"Please spare me."
What can you do?
If someone begs to be spared, you spare them.
"What about you, Lord Mad Demon?"*
"…N-no. This old man has carpal tunnel syndrome, so I can't straighten my fingers."
"Ah, yes, yes."
The blood-drenched, peerless Mad Demon of all ages—carpal tunnel my ass.
Next was Gyeon Dallae.
As a fairy, wasn't there some way?
"Perhaps it is only natural. Young Master has been riding great fortune all this time. However, great fortune cannot last forever."
So?
"The flow of great luck has temporarily turned aside. It would be wise to accept misfortune now—think of it as a single step back for greater fortune later."
So accept bad luck now?
So that great fortune will come next time?
"What if we stick on a ton of luck talismans?"
"Hmm, not just talismans—even prayer rituals would be difficult… Waiting until the flow changes might be one option."
Wait?
So when exactly is that?
I want to open it now.
For a small man, immediate gains matter more than the future.
"Fairy Dallae should open it herself. If a fairy opens it, surely it'll be different—"
At that moment!
Gyeon Dallae's eyes fluttered.
"Ah—suddenly I feel dizzy…"
She collapsed with a thud.
"Princess Dallae!!! What do we do?!"
Veronica, who was beside her, quickly supported her and lifted her up.
"I'll support her and take her inside."
Bardin also put on a show of surprise.
"G-gasp! I-I'll help. O Light!!!"
The three of them fled at once.
Tsk, tsk, tsk—what perfect coordination.
So who's left?
The extremely extroverted Mage Tower Lord who loves to step forward.
How starved for attention must he be?
If he succeeds, he'll receive everyone's praise—let's shine the spotlight and have him open it.
But—
He's gone?
"Where did Lord Mackenzie go?"
"He already bolted. Blink magic."
What? No pop sound at all?
A silent Blink?
It was a chance to get attention—why run?
Not just Mackenzie.
Jephet and Diamat also ran away.
Seriously, no one is helpful at the critical moment.
How nice would it be if someone raised their hand and said, I'll open it!
Ding!
A tablet message notification, right on cue.
Right!
There was Mari.
Mari> Please don't come to me.
…
Whew.
Still, there was someone who didn't run away.
The Blood Wolf sat quietly beside him, tongue out, panting.
Should I make a dog do it?
When Juhyeok's gaze turned to it, the Blood Wolf whimpered, tucked its tail, and backed away.
Even the dog won't do it.
Meanwhile, Rajiks looked at Juhyeok with an innocent expression.
"Hoe?"
Oh! Our cosmic farmhand.
But—
…No, Rajiks won't do.
He didn't want to sully him.
What if he pulled something bad and got cursed at?
No choice.
He'd have to open it himself.
Juhyeok reached out to the box.
The bad feeling persisted.
Almost certainty.
If he opened it now, it would definitely be a multinational tower usage ticket.
…Let's hold off.
Fortunately, there was no condition saying he had to open it by a certain time.
He'd open it slowly.
For now, he should focus on making the bracelet.
Still no effect?
Chairman Kim In-jung and CEO Jung Dong-hoon, that is.
At the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Tower Climbing Bureau,
Secretary MacMillan, Director Antonio, and Gerald Player were watching the 83rd-floor monster footage sent by the Korean Awakened Management Agency.
"Now it's giant spiders… and this time they've even got minions."
"Damn it! One of them alone would be impossible."
Antonio asked, glancing at Gerald.
"Gerald, what do you think?"
"About what?"
"The 83rd-floor Arachnoid."
"It's big. Creepy. And there are baby spiders too."
"That's all you've got to say?"*
Gerald shrugged.
"What else should I say? It's already decided that the 83rd floor is impossible to clear."
Gerald's current level was S1LV—
Meaning he had cleared the 80th-floor monster, Nightmare the Nightmare Steed.
He had cleared the relatively easy 70s, then used a dream-resistance kit purchased from the Korean Awakened Management Agency to achieve it.
The 80th floor.
Nightmare's greatest unique ability was plunging players into dreams—but since that was blocked from the start,
After clearing the 80th floor, Gerald gained confidence.
He entered the 81st floor with high spirits—only to exit immediately.
The 81st-floor giant beast, Behemoth.
Just facing it shattered his mental state.
A body so massive that the idea of "clearing" it never even crossed his mind.
Good grief!
It has to be at least somewhat comparable to even try charging in.
Before Behemoth, his sword was as pathetic as a toothpick, and his magic as feeble as a firefly.
"The 81st floor is impossible. Same for the 82nd. That applies not just to me, but to all players."
Gerald spoke self-mockingly.
"Except for that person—my lifesaver, and the world's greatest player."
MacMillan and Antonio remained silent.
They already felt it, even without Gerald's confirmation.
"So the limit for ordinary players is the 80th floor."
"Yes, unless a miracle happens."
"Haa…"
From the 71st to the 80th floor—
Ten floors total.
If all were cleared, the overlapping collapse deadline would be 60 months.
Five years.
After five years, towers around the world might collapse one by one—
Except for the two Korean towers.
The prototype obesity-escape bracelets numbered two.
One was worn by Chairman Kim In-jung of North Korea,
and the other was delivered to CEO Jung Dong-hoon of Rajiks Trading via Jeon Gwang-il.
About two days had passed.
Mackenzie said you could notice bodily changes after just one day of wearing it.
Is it still too early?
At that moment!
"Summoner Bong!"
Kosak appeared in the White Tower after his automatic summoning was lifted while in North Korea.
"Welcome."
"Chairman Kim lost weight. I checked on a scale—he lost over 600 grams in two days."
"Oh! Really?"
600 grams in two days.
Well, not a lot.
What mattered was that he'd worn only the bracelet and done nothing else—
And still lost weight.
What about CEO Jung Dong-hoon?
He was only mildly obese compared to Kim In-jung.
They said the more severely obese, the better the effect…
Was mild obesity why the effect hadn't shown yet?
Then—
Bzzzt!
A smartphone rang inside the White Tower.
He answered.
—H-hello? This is Jung Dong-hoon.
"This is Bong Juhyeok. CEO Jung, have you been well?"
—Yes, th-thanks. Actually, I contacted the former commissioner first, but he told me to call Player Bong directly.
"Ah! I see."
Jung Dong-hoon continued.
—That bracelet worked. I had about a 300-gram weight change in two days.
"You didn't try to lose weight on purpose, did you?"
Jung Dong-hoon's voice grew more excited.
—No. Quite the opposite. I got hungry at night and even ordered late-night food.
Nice.
If it worked, there was no need to wait.
"Does Rajiks Trading have a distribution department that handles jewelry or accessories?"
—Of course. Despite the name 'Trading,' our main sectors are fashion-related.
Perfect.
Time to start production.
But before that—
"CEO, if you're not too busy, would you like to come to my place? There's something urgent I'd like to discuss."
—I'll head over immediately.
It had been on his mind for a while.
Rajiks Trading—
A company named after their cosmic farmhand.
If you're the CEO running that company, you should at least know where its roots come from.
Of course, it wouldn't matter if he didn't—but there were things to confirm while he was at it.
After receiving the call, CEO Jung Dong-hoon arrived quickly at Juhyeok's house.
"P-Player Bong, I'm sorry—I came in a hurry and brought nothing."
"Oh, it's fine. What gifts between family?"
Family?
Jung Dong-hoon felt strangely at those words.
Didn't that mean he was being acknowledged?
By the owner of Rajiks Trading and the world's greatest player.
His mood lifted slightly.
"Um, there's something I'd like to ask."
"Yes, go ahead."
"This bracelet—is it a tower reward item?"
"No."
"Th-then?"
"It's a crafted item. It's called the Bracelet of Escaping Obesity."
Crafted item.
He figured as much.
What Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il had said when he handed over the bracelet came back to him.
It was an item, but not a tower reward.
Try wearing it, and if anything changes, give immediate feedback—especially regarding weight changes.
And the reason he'd been summoned here.
If it was a crafted item, then sales were obviously being considered.
This outrageous, jackpot-level bracelet.
Ahhh.
A bracelet that lets you control your weight just by wearing it.
He couldn't even begin to predict how massive the demand would be.
This had far more impact than tower leather products ever did.
If mass distribution became possible, Rajiks Trading would rise to the ranks of the world's greatest conglomerates.
"S-so, how exactly is it made…?"
Jung Dong-hoon was visibly fired up.
"To show you that, there's a procedure."
"A procedure?"
"And we need to maintain security."
"Don't worry. I may not look it, but I'm very tight-lipped."
Juhyeok took out a sheet of paper from his inventory.
A White Tower 17th Floor – 1-Day Trial Pass.
"This is…?"
"Take it. Then you'll understand."
Jung Dong-hoon looked confused.
What could possibly be written on such a thin sheet of paper?
But the moment he accepted it—
Tsst tsst tsst!
Letters were engraved onto the paper.
"Complete!"
— White Tower Visitor: Jung Dong-hoon —
Ding!
At the same time, a system message rang out in his mind, as if it were a world announcement.
[The designated visitor is a non-player.]
[A temporary skill window has been activated. Valid for 24 hours.]
"What?!"
Jung Dong-hoon's eyes went wide.
Then—
[Temporary Skill]: Enter / Exit White Tower 17th Floor (Valid for 24 hours)
"Do you feel anything different?"
Juhyeok was curious too.
Wasn't this the first ordinary person to ever receive a one-day trial pass?
"Y-yes. A temporary skill window appeared, and…."
Jung Dong-hoon explained the messages he'd heard and the temporary skill window that had appeared.
"Ah-ha."
So that was how it worked.
Even ordinary people could have their skill window activated.
Unlike players, though, it was limited to a single skill.
And only for 24 hours.
Then my family too…?
Inviting them to the White Tower 17th Floor was now possible.
I should give them residence passes.
Even if the world ended, it would be a safe place.
But…
Before that, something had to come first.
His true identity—and the existence of the summoned beings.
I probably should reveal it.
Honestly, it wasn't much of a secret anymore.
Most reasonable people already knew.
Of course his family should know too.
He'd pick a day and tell them properly.
Introduce the summoned beings as well.
Turning back to Jung Dong-hoon, Juhyeok said,
"Shall we try entering?"
"E-enter where?"
"You said it's in your temporary skill window. White Tower, 17th Floor."
"Ah—do I just say 'Enter White Tower 17th Floor'?"
"Yes. Exiting works the same way."
And so—
"Enter White Tower 17th Floor!"
Spot!
Jung Dong-hoon entered the White Tower.
The moment he arrived, one structure caught his eye.
A massive high-rise building soaring straight into the sky.
"Huh?"
What was that?
He'd seen it plenty of times before—on his commute, no less.
Is this Gangnam?
No.
On the White Tower's 17th Floor, there was only one building that tall.
The rest were all detached houses.
And over there—something that looked like a communications tower.
"Surprised?"
Player Bong was suddenly standing beside him.
Of course he was surprised—how could anyone stay calm?
"T-that building, is it by any chance—?"
"That's right. Rajiks Trading's headquarters. Think of it as twin towers—one in Gangnam, and one here in the White Tower."
At that very moment—
Spapapap!
"Salute! Summoner Bong, you've arrived, sir!"
Kosak appeared in an instant, moving with shadowed footsteps.
"Oh, say hello. This is CEO Jung Dong-hoon."
"Oh! Is that so? I've heard a lot about you from the Commissioner. I'm Kosak."
"…Y-yes."
Who was this?
Was he another visitor?
The badge on his chest looked like some kind of employee ID—it seemed to say Resident Pass.
Questions just kept piling up.
"And our cosmic farmhand?"*
"He's cleaning, sir. Look over there—he started from the 61st floor and is cleaning downward. Only the lobby's left."
"As expected of the Rsss-al Cleaning Skill."
"There's probably no one who can match our farmhand's cleaning."
Farmhand…?
In the 21st century, not the Middle Ages?
Was this some place where people were kidnapped and forced to work like salt-field slaves?
Then—
Juhyeok shouted loudly toward the building.
"Rajiks!!!"
Jung Dong-hoon doubted his ears.
W-who?
Rajiks?
He definitely heard it.
He said Rajiks.
"Farmhand Rajiks, come here for a moment!"
Right then—
"Hoeeeee!"
Degurururururur—
From the distant building lobby, a white fluffball came rolling toward them like a maniac.
Jung Dong-hoon was half-dazed.
Finally—
"Hoeng!"
The fluffball revealed itself right in front of him.
…A hamster? No—a person?
It felt familiar somehow.
Ah! The live broadcast of the Pyongyang terror incident!
Juhyeok continued,
"CEO Jung, say hello. This is the foundation and founder of Rajiks Trading—its spiritual pillar, supreme existence, and cosmic farmhand, Rajiks."
At last, Jung Dong-hoon came face to face with the very "Rajiks" his company was named after.
….
Originally, the Black Tower had three administrators.
The Designer, the System Engineer, and the Item Maker.
Among them, the Designer held the highest authority.
That's why, this time, only the Designer was replaced.
The Engineer and the Maker remained.
[They even recruited Mackenzie Dronak. There's no stopping this now.]
[This is serious. The alchemist is already out, and now a 9th-circle mage like Mackenzie has joined them.]
[The synergy will be beyond imagination.]
[Indeed. Crafted items that affect tower progression may soon be released in large numbers.]
A mage and an alchemist.
Different fields—but when they cooperate, the amplification is enormous.
[Still, Mackenzie's specialty isn't enchantment magic, is it? The effect should be minimal.]
[No. Mackenzie is a genius. He'll master simple enchantment magic in no time.]
[Ugh…]
[If a magitech engineer joins too, then…]
[Shut up! Don't say such unlucky things. Want to get fired? Magitech engineer, my ass!]
[…]
If they really recruited a magitech engineer too?
There would be nothing they could do.
Only then did the new administrator understand
why the previous administrator had taken such a reckless gamble.
There was no choice.
He had to act as well.
[We'll have to adjust the items.]
[W-what? That would interfere with causality—]
[Relax. I'm not talking about tampering with probability.]
[Then h-how?]
[I'll adjust the direction of rewards. Funnel them into specific towers. The overall item drop rates won't change.]
[Ah!]
[There are countries with severe conflicts between governments and players, right?]
[There are a few.]
[Concentrate the reward items there.]
[Which items?]
[Necklaces of Liberation Runes, and items without tower-exclusive modifiers—things ordinary players can use.]
The intent was clear, but—
[However, Liberation Rune Necklaces normally only drop from the 71st floor and above. Ordinary players won't have access.]
[Exactly. Players above level 71 are mostly those raised by governments. They're cooperative. If such a necklace drops, they'll hand it over to the state.]
[Then just make them drop on lower floors too. From levels 30 to 70. That way, ordinary players can obtain them.]
[…Will that be all right?]
[Minor anomalies like that happen all the time when managing towers. It's fine. Well within acceptable limits, and it won't affect causality.]
[Understood.]
Let's see what happens.
How the seeds you've sown will take root.
READ COMPLETE CHAPTERS HERE-https://pokemon-translation-2.myshopify.com/