The prototype magic gun.

Even for Juhyeok, it was difficult to handle.

A gun’s performance had to be tested by someone who could actually shoot well.

So from the next Floor onward, he left it to Veronica Caliber.

All they needed to confirm was whether it worked.

She even lowered the mana output to match that of an ordinary Player.

“Veronica Caliber, reporting. I’ll inject even less mana than the commander did.”

The subsequent performance tests went as follows:

– 82nd Floor: Giant Serpent Apophis, using rotary saw-blade rounds.

– 83rd Floor: the giant queen spider Arachroid, using wide-area incendiary rounds.

All of them were successful.

However, it was still too much for ordinary Players.

It would need some refinement.

The handling was finicky, and users had to adapt to both the vibration during mana injection and the recoil at the moment of firing.

No matter how much of an ammunition-selling business it might become, it still had to be usable with some effort.

In any case, all the planned test firings of the magic gun were complete.

They had also confirmed the effects of each type of attribute-based round.

They could move ahead with the rental business.

The method could be applied exactly the same way as when they rented out holy swords.

Players from each country would enter Korea and rent them through the Korean Awakening Administration.

They would receive the magic gun and ammunition, enter the Tower,

and return everything after finishing the raid.

But how much should he charge per round?

Honestly, he had already made enough money.

Of course, more was always better—but this magic-gun rental business was meant to prevent Tower collapse, which was a matter of the greater good.

Should he just charge cost?

But the materials involved were no joke.

Special metals harvested from the Gigant, high-grade Magic Stones, labor costs for their shut-in alchemist Mari, Mackenzie, and magitech engineer El...

Charging too little didn’t feel right either.

He would think it over slowly.

There was plenty of time.

After all, many countries still hadn’t even cleared the 80th Floor.

Besides, once enough mana-sealing scrolls had been distributed and the Liberation Rune Necklace issue died down...

Still, that was one less thing to worry about.

The giant-monster Floors that had been considered impossible to clear—

until now, the only option had been clearing other countries’ Towers for them.

Now, simply renting out magic guns would be enough.

And so, today—

they had climbed the Tower a total of three times.

But he could still enter it one more time.

Juhyeok decided to fill out a fourth run.

The 84th Floor.

A Floor where high-grade Magic Stone veins existed.

Honestly, he wanted to see it.

He wanted to see the place where Rajix had been mining high-grade Magic Stones and naturally occurring top-grade Magic Stones.

So they entered the 84th Floor, left Veronica Caliber, Gyeon Dallae, Mackenzie, and the Mad Demon to deal with the Colossus Condor,

while Juhyeok went with Rajix, Meatshield, and Cossack to the icy cliff hidden in the snowy field where the vein was located.

Rajix rode on Meatshield’s shoulder.

PATPATPATPAT!

At last, they arrived at the ice wall—and the hidden mine.

So this was the place.

It was his first time here.

“Wow... what is all this?”

“I was shocked too the first time.”

“It’s dazzling.”

Everything sparkled.

An enormous amount of Magic Stones was embedded throughout the cave walls.

There was this much?

Soon after, Rajix pulled a matte platinum pickaxe from his subspace bag.

It looked like he was about to start mining.

So then—what did LSSR-level mining look like?

Rajix raised the pickaxe high and drew it back over his head.

Then—

“WAAH!”

THUD!

CRACK!

Instead of striking the crystal-studded wall, he slammed the pickaxe into the ground.

“...Why?”

In that instant—

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—CRRRRRRACK!

A wave of force burst from the pickaxe and spread in every direction.

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE!

The high-grade Magic Stones embedded in the walls fell free on their own.

With a single swing, countless high-grade Magic Stones carpeted the floor of the mine.

“WAAAH!”

Ah!

The greatness of an LSSR miner.

Cossack picked up one especially radiant stone and showed it to Juhyeok.

“Summoner Bong, look at this.”

“Oh!”

It was naturally occurring top-grade Magic Stone.

“This is a jackpot. This one alone must weigh over three kilograms.”

Worth three Residency Rights on White Tower Floor 17.

Or three shots of Veronica Caliber’s sub-light-speed rounds.

“Something this precious—”

At that moment—

SHASHASHASHASH! SHASHASHASHASH!

“Huh?”

What was that sound?

He turned toward it.

It was Rajix.

He was sweeping up the high-grade Magic Stones scattered across the floor.

How?

He simply stretched one hand forward, and the Magic Stones lying across the cave floor flew straight into his subspace bag.

SHASHASHASHASH! SHASHASHASHASH!

Even the top-grade Magic Stone in Cossack’s hand—

“Damn. Remote storage.”

That was right.

He could now store things in subspace from a distance.

Before, Rajix had needed direct contact.

This is insane.

Now they were going in nonstop, even without touching them.

This is like...

Only then did Juhyeok understand the secret behind LSSR Rajix’s cleaning ability.

He had just watched him clean earlier.

Since Rajix had always been good at cleaning, he hadn’t thought much of it.

He was sucking dust and trash into subspace exactly like this.

A vacuum cleaner.

Not sucking up everything indiscriminately, but selectively absorbing only what he wanted into subspace.

Then he could sort out the dust and trash later and dump them elsewhere.

That made cleaning trivial.

Juhyeok felt pleased.

He had always felt bad watching Rajix clean so diligently—

now that he knew Rajix was doing it comfortably, it made him happy.

In the early days of Tower climbing, Players’ circumstances had not been very good.

Inside the Tower, they were superhumans who wielded mana and killed monsters.

But in reality, they were no different from ordinary people.

So they often became targets of crime.

To the point that people said more Players died outside the Tower than inside it.

But as governments actively stepped in to protect Players, things changed.

Legal and institutional protections were established for them.

Among them, especially talented Players were directly managed with great care by their governments.

Guaranteed salaries, safe housing, personal guards.

The same applied to ordinary Players.

Weren’t they effectively industrial workers bringing back a new resource—Magic Stones?

They were not treated as highly as state-sponsored Players, but sufficient protections were put in place for them as well.

However, the Liberation Rune Necklace was a dangerous item that could nullify all those protections.

Once Players began to be perceived as enemies of society, no one knew what might happen.

That was why governments around the world were desperate to secure mana-sealing scrolls.

The scrolls began to be distributed first to government agencies—

police stations, substations, fire departments...

Not only in South Korea, but in North Korea as well.

Especially in areas bordering China.

Aside from China, things were still quiet.

For now, it was only happening inside China.

But there was one overlooked fact.

Players of a given nationality did not have to physically be in their home country to enter their Tower.

For example, even if a Player lived in the United States,

if the nationality listed in their Status Window was Chinese, they would enter the Chinese Black Tower.

People knew this.

That was why border closures or bans on Chinese nationals had little effect.

Eventually, the first Liberation Rune Necklace incident outside China occurred.

In the United States.

A Chinese student Player studying in America on a student visa.

A fight broke out on a university campus.

It started as a simple argument, but as usual, escalated into a racial incident.

That Chinese student Player possessed a Liberation Rune Necklace—

an item he had obtained as a reward from occasionally entering the Chinese Tower while living abroad.

When the argument turned physical, the student immediately activated the Liberation Rune Necklace.

However, he had no intention of killing anyone.

That was only natural.

Players, after all, were ordinary people too.

Killing monsters was one thing. Killing people was another.

The student’s specialty was magic.

After liberating his power with the necklace, he went on a rampage through the dormitory, firing fireballs.

American police responded immediately.

They tore a mana-sealing scroll, sealed his power,

and then subdued him easily with a taser.

Run into the Tower?

It wouldn’t matter anyway.

They could simply wait until he came back out.

The Chinese student Player who caused the incident was immediately detained in a Player-only prison on charges °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of property damage and arson.

There were no casualties.

No deaths, no injuries.

Secretary MacMillan and Director Antonio were extremely satisfied.

“That was close. What would have happened if we didn’t have the scroll?”

“What else? There would’ve been a shootout. The liberated Player would’ve resisted to the end.”

Exactly.

Casualties would have been unavoidable.

A liberated criminal firing off fireballs—police would have opened fire immediately.

“Make sure you understand that this was all thanks to me.”

“All of a sudden?”

“I moved fast and secured the scrolls early.”

“Ah... right...” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“We were first with the holy sword rentals too, weren’t we? And the 80th-Floor Dream Resistance Kit.”

“That one was actually my initiative—”

“But I’m the one who got the budget through the White House.”

Antonio snorted at MacMillan’s self-praise.

“From now on, just keep an eye on Korea. If they make a move, raise your hand first. We’ll do it together.”

“Yes, of course.”

Both MacMillan and Antonio knew.

All of this was thanks to the world’s strongest Player, Bong Juhyeok.

“Why don’t you call Mr. Bong and thank him?”

“I tried. He didn’t answer.”

“Then at least call Commissioner Jeon—”

“Already did.”

In any case, the incident had been neatly resolved.

What remained was—

“So what do we do with that student?”

“The investigation found that racial harassment was a major factor.”

“Hmph.”

“He’d been bullied regularly for being Chinese.”

“Damn racists.”

“Mitigating circumstances should be considered.”

Mitigating circumstances.

It was something worth considering.

Even after liberating his power, the student Player had not directly harmed anyone.

He had only displayed force.

There was even evidence that he waited for people to evacuate the dormitory before going on his rampage.

That was why the charges were limited to property damage and arson.

“Should we naturalize him as an American?”

“...Huh? He’s a liberated criminal Player.”

“He made a mistake at first, but he didn’t actually use skills on people. He seems to have self-control. We can manage him. Sending him back to China would be a death sentence.”

MacMillan nodded.

“There’s publicity value too. We can show that mana-sealing scrolls resolve problems peacefully.”

“I’ll reach out to him.”

Thus, the American incident concluded as the first case of a liberated criminal Player being subdued peacefully.

The White House promoted it aggressively.

The entire arrest process, clearly captured on CCTV, was released around the world.

The true effect of the mana-sealing scroll was now unmistakable.

China could only stand there in shock.

They subdued him that easily?

With the performance tests of the magic gun complete,

and mass production of the mana-sealing scrolls in full swing,

the printing factory ran smoothly without interruption.

The only work left for the summoned entities was supplying special scroll paper and mana ink.

Even that could now be done in bulk, since Rajix had returned.

Juhyeok went alone with Cossack to the Pyongyang Presidential Palace

to meet Chairman Kim Injung.

They were about to begin full-scale business operations in North Korea.

At the very least, he should meet him in person and say a few words.

It wasn’t uncomfortable.

They already knew each other, and Chairman Kim Injung was one of the few people who clearly knew Juhyeok’s identity.

“You’ve made a wise choice. One warm word from the master makes the servant dance.”

“...He’s still the supreme leader of North Korea. Calling him a servant is a bit much.”

“You spared the man who tried to kill you. That’s a promotion, if anything.”

When they arrived, they met Chairman Kim Injung, who was stiff with tension.

“T-the greatest Player comrade, w-welcome.”

“It’s been a while. I’m always grateful that you allowed us to build factories in North Korea.”

“N-no, not at all. Use anything you like. I’ll even vacate the presidential palace if needed.”

“Oh, come on. The palace can wait until after reunification.”

“W-we’ll complete reunification swiftly!”

Hmm.

Why had such a nice person caused trouble before?

Launching missiles and all that.

Juhyeok sat down on the sofa.

Behind him, Cossack stood politely with his hands clasped.

“Cossack, you should sit too.”

“Much obliged, but I’m fine standing. Hehehe.”

Chairman Kim grew even more nervous.

Seeing the terrifying Minister of the People’s Armed Forces fawning like that—

I need to be careful.

One wrong word and I could lose my head.

“Ah, by the way. While touring the Pyongyang Black Tower factory, I noticed something.”

“Please speak.”

“We’re short on labor. We’ll need more people going forward.”

“Do not worry. I’ve issued a full mobilization order.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. How about gradually bringing in soldiers from frontline DMZ units to work instead—”

“Ah!”

“I’ll hire them all. At Korean-standard wages.”

Why DMZ soldiers?

There was no reason for war anymore.

“A brilliant idea, greatest Player comrade! I’ll act immediately.”

The labor problem was solved.

“I always feel indebted... If there’s anything you want, just say it.”

“Nothing. My only wish is to live a long life.”

“Haha. You will.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. Unless you suddenly fall ill.”

Gulp.

Kim Injung swallowed dryly.

A warning.

If he failed to stay in line, he would be eliminated.

A “sudden illness” could only mean one thing—

a heart attack, a stroke, some fatal condition.

A frightening man.

Cruelty hidden behind a gentle face.

And behind him stood the Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, staring coldly without expression—

a silent message that any funny business would mean instant death.

“I-I will work diligently with selfless devotion.”

“Haha. I look forward to our cooperation.”

Kim Injung jumped to his feet and raised both arms.

“Long live Juhyeok—”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t do that.”

No “Long live Juhyeok.”

Just hearing it made his skin crawl.

Cossack, on the other hand, looked disappointed.

Still, it had ended well.

No matter how cooperative he was, speaking face-to-face with North Korea’s supreme leader was no easy thing.

At least some goodwill had been exchanged.

“Then I’ll be going—”

At that moment—

BZZZ!

Juhyeok’s smartphone rang.

Who was it?

It was his father, Bong Sucheol—

calling by video.

South and North Korea had long been connected through communications networks,

ever since the Pyongyang branch of the Korean Awakening Administration had been established.

North Korean Players could freely use SNS and online forums.

“I’ll take this call for a moment.”

After excusing himself—

“Yes, Dad. What is it?”

—Just calling to see your face... Everything okay? The world’s been chaotic lately with all this liberation business.

He must have been worried because of the incident in China.

In the end, the only people who truly worried about him were family.

Well—aside from the summoned entities.

“I’m fine. Who do you think I am? Your son. If something’s dangerous, I don’t even go near it.”

—I know, but still... where are you right now?

“In Pyongyang, North Korea.”

—...What?

“I’m at the Presidential Palace meeting Chairman Kim Injung.”

On the screen, Bong Sucheol’s face went blank.

—That’s impossible.

Juhyeok turned the phone to show him Kim Injung’s face.

“Elder Comrade! I am Kim Injung. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

—Gah!

Bong Sucheol nearly jumped out of his skin, then stammered—

—T-treason... v-violation of the National Security Act...

“...What?”

What treason?

Click.

The call ended.

It seemed his father was extremely shocked.

Well, Chairman Kim wasn’t exactly an ordinary person.