Earth No. 675 – Black Tower Control Room
[The contract has been signed.]
[Hah… so it's begun. What did he put on the scale?]
[A Rune of Trait Enhancement, 3,000 tons of High-Grade Magic Crystals, 1 ton of Top-Grade Magic Crystals, and 20 Platinum Badges. Four items total.]
[… Blinded by greed. He doesn't even know how heavy the counterweight is.]
[He succeeded once, so he thought nothing could stop him. He believed he could succeed again.]
[Stupid bastard.]
Before the contract, they had looked into the conditions of the equivalent-exchange scale deal he'd made on Earth No. 1,001.
Back then, he had put only one thing on the scale:
the liberation of Tower-bound souls.
Of course, allowing enslaved souls to leave the Tower was an enormous act that twisted causality.
That alone justified Hell Mode difficulty.
But this time, he had been far too greedy.
He had placed four rewards on the scale.
[How should we design this…?]
[The original monster on the 85th floor is Magnus Gigant, right?]
[Yes. But that one can't be strengthened.]
[Right. That's already the final version.]
[Let's design the mission without Gigant.]
The rules of Tower monster enhancement were clear.
You couldn't invent imaginary beings and place them there.
They had to actually exist.
For example, the Ultra-Giant Titan Behemoth—
the final evolution route of Behemoth.
It wasn't imaginary.
It truly existed in a certain dimension.
But Magnus Gigant was a manufactured construct.
There was no stronger Gigant golem than that.
So instead of altering the existing mission—
[… What about designing it like this?]
[Hmm… that tilts things too heavily in our favor. That would violate causality.]
[It's fine. Proceed as is.]
It was excessive.
The final condition they added was the real problem.
Without it, the scale would have balanced.
They could've taken a normal route—
simply designing the 85th floor as an uncleared floor and preventing further ascent.
But the summoner crossed the line.
He humiliated and disgraced them in front of his subordinates.
He would pay the price.
[The summoner will die on the 85th floor.]
[I can't wait to see him die.]
[This ends up helping the administrators of Earth No. 1,001.]
[Yeah. Solving their problem without lifting a finger.]
[I don't like that.]
[Annoying, but what can you do?]
*
Juhyeok moved fast.
It was a race against time.
If communication had already begun between the administrators of Earth No. 675 and Earth No. 1,001, they would soon understand why the equivalent-exchange deal would fail.
Before that—finish the nuclear strategy.
A patch would be a nightmare.
Juhyeok visited North Korea with Kosak and Rajiks.
At the underground nuclear facility in Yongbyon, ten medium-sized tactical nuclear warheads were ready, each fitted with timed-priest detonation devices.
"Whoa, isn't ten a bit much? When are we going to detonate all of those? Three or four should be plenty."
Even during Earth No. 1,001's equivalent-exchange deal, they had only detonated two.
"The rest are for emergencies. If we store them, they'll come in handy someday, won't they?"
True enough.
Better to have extra than fall short.
If they weren't needed, they could always dump them in a Tower later.
"Let's load them."
"Ho-e."
Swish.
All ten warheads vanished into Rajiks's subspace.
Next came bunker reinforcement.
To the existing shelter made of lead plates, steel plates, and concrete,
El installed shock-absorption circuits.
Gyeondalla added talismans.
Mackenzie layered barrier enchantment magic circles on top.
"That should be enough, right?"
"Nope. One thing left."
"What is it?"
"We need to film the nuclear explosion too."
"Oh. Right. Almost forgot."
This wasn't a normal clear.
It might even be the last one.
"Gotta leave a record."
Mackenzie immediately raised his hand.
"I shall film it from the air using Flight magic."
Kosak turned pale.
"Good grief, Elder Mackenzie. Filming a nuke explosion directly will get you killed. What are you thinking?"
Huh?
Kosak worrying about Mackenzie?
"I'm fine. So what if I die once? I've been hit by a meteor before. I can just revive later with a Resurrection Rune—"
"Who cares if you live or die? If the explosion melts your smartphone, we won't be able to watch the footage later."
Of course.
That was the real concern.
"... Do you have a solution?"
"Set up camera lenses outside, run cables into the bunker, and record in real time on a laptop."
"Oh. I see."
"Use your brain once in a while. If you're on Earth, take advantage of Earth's technology. Always magic, magic… no progress that way."
"..."
So—
"Kosak, you handle the filming."
"Yes, sir!"
Kosak grinned broadly.
Mackenzie sulked.
All preparations were complete.
The day of the decisive battle had come.
Juhyeok gathered all his summoned beings and went to the 1st floor of the White Tower.
Even Mari—the stay-at-home type—was included.
She came along, crouched in a corner of the elevator, staring at the wall.
They formed the nuclear strategy party.
First team members:
Deliveryman Rajiks.
Gigant pilot El.
Camera operator Kosak.
Holy Knight Bardin.
Errand runner Mackenzie.
The rest stayed behind as reserves on the White Tower's 1st floor.
Juhyeok first cloaked himself in a Transcendent Concealment Shroud, went outside, and designated-summoned the first team.
Then they entered the Tower.
Spot!
[Entering the 85th Floor of the German Black Tower.]
At last.
The floor whose difficulty had been adjusted by contract.
Then—
[Due to the contract, the difficulty level of the German Black Tower's 85th Floor will be changed to Extreme Hell Mode.]
"… Huh?"
Extreme Hell?
What the hell is that?
Harder than Hell?
That's a problem.
[If the clear is successful, the difficulty of the German Black Tower's 85th Floor will return to Normal Mode.]
[Have you confirmed the contract conditions?]
"Hmmm…"
What now?
Back out?
Screw it.
We're already here.
Hell or Extreme Hell—what's the difference?
If it's impossible, we can quit after checking the mission. Or reset it.
"Confirm."
[The contract has been executed.]
[The mission of the German Black Tower's 85th Floor has been changed.]
[Upon completion, the Rune of Trait Enhancement, 3,000 tons of High-Grade Magic Crystals, 1 ton of Top-Grade Magic Crystals, and 20 Platinum Badges will be guaranteed rewards.]
Just hearing the rewards was intoxicating.
"So what if I got a little greedy?"
Just succeed.
Before taking the mission—
"Mr. Rajiks."
"Ho-e?"
"Take it out."
"Ho-eng!"
Swish!
Rajiks handed Juhyeok fireworks—the kind you see at beaches in summer.
He lit them with a lighter.
Tzzzt!
The fuse burned.
Shoooot!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Fireworks exploded, scattering multicolored sparks.
Gunpowder explosions still worked.
No patch yet.
"Beautiful."
The fireworks—and the rewards to come.
Meanwhile—
[The summoner has entered the 85th floor. He's confirmed the contract.]
[Really?]
The first step succeeded.
[Has he taken the mission yet?]
[He's still in the safe zone. The message should pop up soon.]
[He's not chickening out and running, is he?]
[No way. The rewards are practically dancing in front of his eyes.]
He had to take the mission.
Only then would the plan be complete.
Then—
[Huh?]
[What now?]
[They're setting off fireworks.]
Fireworks?
[Like… celebratory fireworks?]
[Are they congratulating themselves in advance?]
[Heh. Pathetic fools. Let's see if they're still doing that after taking the mission.]
After confirming that nuclear warheads were still effective, Juhyeok stretched out his arm and pointed forward.
"Advance."
"Yes, sir!"
Time to take the mission.
After that, depending on the situation, he'd summon Gobang, the Berserker Mage, Princess Dallae, Master Bei, Diamat, and Mari.
"Three or four nukes should be enough."
Even medium tactical warheads—
each was more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
No matter how much Gigant was strengthened, how could it survive nuclear detonation?
Then—
Ding!
The mission message appeared.
[85th Floor Mission: Defeat 1 each of the following—
Giant Golem Magnus Gigant / Ultra-Giant Titan Behemoth / Ultra-Giant Serpent Mega Mutant Apophis / Ultra-Giant Queen Spider Demonic Arachroid.]
[Completion Time Limit: None.]
… What?
Are they insane?
[Completion Condition 1: Giant Golem Magnus Gigant 0/1]
[Completion Condition 2: Ultra-Giant Titan Behemoth 0/1]
[Completion Condition 3: Ultra-Giant Serpent Mega Mutant Apophis 0/1]
[Completion Condition 4: Ultra-Giant Queen Spider Demonic Arachroid 0/1]
All of them?
Ultra-giant. Titan. Mutant. Demonic.
Even the modifiers sounded ominous.
He'd faced Titan Behemoth before.
But the others?
"Where the hell…?"
No need to look for them.
Just turning his head was enough.
Boom… boom… boom…
In the distance, colossal shapes writhed.
Grotesque.
So enormous they defied description.
The serpent, the spider—both obscene in scale.
Magnus Gigant was there too.
It was the smallest of them all.
Like a toy.
"… Should I give up?"
Even placing the nukes would be difficult.
Then—
[Mid-mission withdrawal is not possible. You may exit only after completing the mission.]
"What the hell?!"
So that's why there was no time limit.
It was a trap.
Fail the mission—and die here.
That possibility hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Hey, you dog-shit administrators!!!"
"You bastards!"
"To dare set a trap for our summoner… I cannot tolerate this."
"They're even more despicable than me. I'm impressed."
"Huuu…"
The summoned beings were furious.
Juhyeok was too.
"Wow! What the hell did I even do wrong…?"
Climbing the Tower as a player isn't a crime, is it?
Then why go this far?
Did they really want me dead that badly?
Sure, I've experienced no-withdrawal content once before, but still.
Can we kill them?
No—we have to.
No matter what.
"How many nuclear warheads did we bring again?"
"Ten in total."
"… That'll be enough, right?"
"It's more than enough."
Right.
No matter how big they are, they're still living beings made of flesh and blood.
Ten medium tactical nukes detonating at once would rival a strategic nuclear strike.
How are they supposed to withstand that kind of blast?
"That would be even more destructive than the meteor I dropped," Mackenzie said.
That was reassuring.
Mackenzie's meteor had erased even dragons—if this was stronger than that?
"Two wouldn't have been anywhere near enough."
Good thing we brought ten.
"Take them all out."
"Yes, sir!"
At this point, blow everything up.
"I'll start setting up the bunker."
Work began.
They dug deep into the ground.
A bunker with a thick steel door was buried inside.
Since they planned to film it, cameras were installed too—three in total.
To ensure filming until the very end, barriers were placed over the cameras, and wired connections were run into the bunker to a laptop for real-time recording.
Basic preparations complete.
[Got it. He's taken the mission.]
[Good. Put the video up.]
Now they couldn't escape.
They'd get to watch everything with their own eyes.
[Hehehe.]
On the hologram feed, the administrator's face was clearly flustered.
That's right—despair!
Cry and beg.
Who knows? Maybe I'll spare your lives.
But then—
[… Hm, what are they doing?]
[Looks like they're digging.]
[Why are they digging the ground?]
[Do they think they can reach another floor by digging down?]
[No way…?]
[That one's installing cameras all over the place.]
[What in the world are they…?]
They couldn't understand it at all.
Surely they weren't digging their own graves.
After checking the bunker's sturdiness and camera operation one last time—
"Dimensional farmhand, take out the nuclear warheads. We need to hurry if we're installing all ten."
"I'll help as well."
"This mage too—"
"Shouldn't we summon more?"
"… Hmm."
Direct installation was too dangerous.
If one went off prematurely, it'd be instant death.
A safe method—wait!
"Hold on."
An idea struck.
"Rajiks?"
"Ho-e?"
"Take out a Gigant."
"Ho-eng!"
Ssssssh!
A Gigant emerged from the subspace backpack.
Let the Gigant handle transporting the nukes.
Faster and more reliable.
"Oh! That's clever."
"My lord's brilliance impresses me," Bardin said.
"Oh my, Summoner Bong, how did you even think of this?"
But it hurt.
Tears even welled up.
My first Gigant.
Now a suicide bomber.
Don't misunderstand.
I'm not abandoning you just because I brought back newer models.
It's not because you're damaged here and there, scratched up, or only have an hour of fuel left.
Absolutely not.
You know how I feel, right?
You don't have a soul, so it won't hurt when you explode… right?
At El's command, the Gigant stood up, holding all ten nuclear warheads in its hands.
Time to move.
The solemn march of a suicide-mission Gigant.
—Mobility command. Mode input: Advance.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
The Gigant marched forward.
The summoner's loyal warrior, carrying ten medium tactical nukes, advanced proudly to clear the 85th floor's Extreme Hell Mode.
"… Gigant!"
No response.
"I—I'm sorryyyyy!!!"
My first unit.
I'd grown attached.
"You should enter the bunker now."
"Haa…"
Juhyeok looked one last time at the Gigant's back as it marched onward.
"I'll remember you."
"Let's go in."
They entered the bunker.
The summoned beings followed.
El stayed behind until the very end, gauged the distance and timing—
Click!
The timed detonators activated.
"Sixty seconds remaining."
El sealed the hatch and came inside.
The bunker went dark.
"O Light!!!"
Hwaaaah!
Warm radiance spread outward.
At the same time—
Whoooosh!
Bardin's shield expanded, covering the entire interior of the bunker.
"Barrier, barrier, barrier…"
Mackenzie layered protective spells over Juhyeok and the others.
"Designated summon: Aliamari."
Spot!
The moment she was summoned, Mari deployed her defensive homunculi.
Shrrrrrr…
They spread densely throughout the bunker.
Swung, swung, swung…
Mari's homunculi activated their shield fields, filling the bunker tightly as shock absorbers.
Now then—
"Ten seconds remaining."
Juhyeok zoomed the external camera feed on the laptop.
On screen: ultra-giant monsters charging toward the Gigant holding nuclear warheads.
The Gigant walked steadily.
Finally, it stood face-to-face with the monsters.
It almost looked like it was politely offering them the nukes.
Here you go.
What is this? Food?
Yes. It'll be delicious.
"Three… two… one… detonation."
Then—
Flash!
KOOOONG! KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU—
The bunker shook violently.
The explosion flashed across the screen, then—
Zap! The laptop went dark.
And then—
KRAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK!!!
The terrifying shockwave of the nuclear explosion reached even inside the bunker.
"Ugh!"
"Ghk!"
"Hng…"
"Haa…"
It was a massive detonation.
Ultra-high-temperature plasma approaching the sun's core melted everything on the 85th floor.
The heat felt like it reached inside the bunker.
That alone was enough.
PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAPAK!!!
A second, overwhelming shockwave followed, finishing off any ultra-giant monsters that might have survived.
Ten nuclear warheads detonated simultaneously.
A colossal mushroom cloud rose.
The result?
[ Giant Golem Magnus Gigant 1/1 ]
[ Ultra-Giant Titan Behemoth 1/1 ]
[ Ultra-Giant Serpent Mega Mutant Apophis 1/1 ]
[ Ultra-Giant Queen Spider Demonic Arachroid 1/1 ]
[You have successfully completed the 85th floor mission.]
Damn. That was exhilarating.
I could get addicted to this.
The administrators of Earth No. 675 were speechless.
[…]
[…]
[…]
They didn't know how to express their emotions.
Stunned.
Shocked.
Angry.
Empty.
Resigned.
A storm of conflicting feelings.
[… So that's why he set off fireworks earlier.]
It must've been a test.
Checking whether gunpowder explosions still worked.
[Did the administrators of Earth No. 1,001 know about this?]
[… O-of course! They must've cleared it like that too.]
[Those bastard dogs!!!]
They hated the summoner.
But they hated the 1,001-world administrators even more.
[Connect communications.]
The administrators of Earth No. 1,001 were idly killing time.
Nothing to do.
Whether players climbed the Tower or not.
Whether they rented mana-guns and cleared giant monster zones.
How easy life was if you just gave up.
At least until the 90s floors, they planned to do nothing but wait.
Then—
[Designer, Earth No. 675 is requesting a connection.]
Tch. These guys are really annoying.
No idea what they want this time.
[Don't accept it.]
[Yes.]
Why do they keep calling and making a fuss?