The World of Souls.

The souls were still anxiously worrying about the Summoner in the outside world.

But there was nothing they could do.

How were they supposed to know what was happening outside?

With the White Tower in place, even their last link to the outside world had vanished.

And then—

『Greetings, brothers and sisters. This is Jepetto, reporting in.』

『Jepetto? What is that supposed to mean?』

『Why are you asking me? How would I know who some nobody is?』

『Ah! Come to think of it, I have heard that name. Wasn't Jepetto that SS-rank true-blood vampire brat who used to go on about gourmet food?』

『A vampire? Then what is so special about him that he is making formal greetings like this?』

『He is probably just showing off because he is true-blood.』

『Get lost, brat! We are already on edge worrying about the Summoner in the outside world.』

Jepetto felt hollow.

They did not even know that he had been dispatched here.

Whether on Earth or in the world of souls, having no presence was the same.

『Um, you see, I was a resident of the White Tower.』

『What are you talking about?』

『Delusions are free, but do not get cocky. We are not in the mood for jokes.』

『I am a proud true-blood vampire. And I am a summoned entity chosen by the Summoner. I have merely been dispatched here temporarily for a task.』

The world of souls fell silent.

This was a place where communication was not done by voice, but through mental waves.

Lies were exposed instantly.

『Hmm. I can tell you are not lying. But then why are you here?』

『We also know about the White Tower. So if you have returned here, that means—』

『Did this guy screw up and get kicked out?』

『What kind of mistake did you make for the Summoner to abandon you?』

『That is not it.』

Slowly, and in detail, Jepetto laid out the story.

Starting with the abnormal reward system of the Liberation Rune Necklace, the events unfolding on Earth because of it, how he ended up here, and even why random summoning was currently impossible.

Then—

『Impressive, vampire Jepetto. I apologize for underestimating you.』

『Indeed. To reject the sweetness of White Tower Floor 17... I praise your restraint and spirit of sacrifice.』

『Truly a true-blood. Now I understand why you were sent.』

『You are a genuine loyal retainer. I acknowledge you.』

Praise poured in.

Jepetto felt good.

When had he ever received such praise before?

At the same time, criticism of the administrators followed.

Each soul spoke in turn.

『The new administrators have crossed the line again.』

『They take causality far too lightly. They do not understand how terrifying it is to violate the laws.』

『We cannot just leave this alone!』

『Still, it is fortunate for the Summoner that a magitech engineer has joined him. Waiting a mere hundred days is something we can tolerate.』

『Then shall we begin? We must pull down the administrators again, just like before.』

『I, Jepetto, place my trust in you, brothers and sisters.』

The souls' fervor merged into one.

The mental waves they released became a massive current that shook the infinite barrier.

The environment of Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 86th Floor was volcanic terrain.

In the distance, the crater of a volcano could be seen.

Above it, a flying monster burned with intense flames.

To fight that thing, do we have to go all the way over there?

There was no way to know whether pulling it was possible.

Not that it would make much difference even if it was.

A phoenix.

Or one of the Four Divine Beasts—the Vermilion Bird.

Originally, the phoenix's fire was fire that did not die.

With "phoenix" meaning an undying bird, it symbolized immortality.

But it also possessed another kind of fire—fire as an elemental attribute.

That was why its entire body was a mass of flame.

Phoenix ash and phoenix feathers were materials used in various elixirs.

They were also used for nectar.

They could be substituted with a Thousand-Year Fox Orb, but the more materials they had, the better.

FWOOSH—

Every time it flapped its wings, terrifying flames rippled through its entire body.

When Juhyeok first saw the phoenix, his honest impression was—

"...It's beautiful."

He meant it.

It hardly even felt right to call it a monster.

Nine-circle mage Mackenzie nodded in agreement.

"I'm not saying this just because I practice fire magic, but in many dimensions, fire symbolizes the soul. Unlike the rotting physical body, the essence of the soul is eternal. Thus, the phoenix is the incarnation of immortality, a spirit body made of pure flame—"

Snicker.

A mocking laugh came from beside him.

"Pure my ass!"

"What is your problem? If you have complaints, say them properly."

"Is this really the time to admire the phoenix? How are we supposed to deal with that thing?"

"Uh, th-that is—"

"Can your precious fire magic deal with it, old mage?"

It could not.

How were you supposed to fight fire with fire?

Especially against a spirit body that had no physical flesh.

If he unleashed hellfire on the phoenix, it would just absorb the flames and grow even stronger.

"Who was it that said we should challenge the 86th Floor... anyway, I'm out."

What?

"I'm not even a warrior."

"The old man was quiet at first too."

"This maiden only followed because the old mage sounded so confident."

"O Light! What can an SS-rank possibly do here? We only followed because you insisted we climb."

"Same here."

"Elemental Core Veronica Caliber—those who devised the operation must take responsibility."

"WAAAH!"

Traitors.

You really could not trust these people.

When it was about gathering nectar and elixir materials for the Summoner, everyone had been full of enthusiasm.

"So is there a method or not?"

"...If it were a Silver Dragon's Ice Breath, it could extinguish those flames."

"Say something realistic. Where are we supposed to find a dragon here?"

"With nine-circle wide-area freezing spells like Blizzard, Frozen Storm, and Frost Orb—"

"Are you an ice mage now? Can you even cast Blizzard?"

Mackenzie was miserable.

How was he supposed to know a phoenix would show up on the 86th Floor?

"This is bad. We may end up using another Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket. If we use a ticket every time we climb, we'll go bankrupt."

Juhyeok felt sorry for him.

Poor old mage.

Why had he insisted on hosting the briefing?

"You pushed yourself too hard."

Quietly following along would have been enough.

This was why E-types were dangerous—they never realized how easily things could turn against them.

"Anyway, what we need is ice-element magic or some kind of freezing attack. I once learned a skill called Ice Spear—"

Gyeon Dallae hurriedly cut in.

"I do not mean to belittle Young Master, but such moderate freezing methods would not freeze even a single phoenix feather."

True.

Just looking at it made that obvious.

"So it doesn't have a physical body? If it's a spirit—"

"It is made of fire. However, it is said to leave behind feathers and ash when it is destroyed."

"How do we kill it?"

"By extinguishing the flames."

Should they throw water on it?

"Water would be insufficient. Unless you dropped it into the sea, it would turn to steam the instant it touched it."

So that would not work either.

"I knew this would happen. Fire magic is outdated! It has fallen behind the times! These days, cold noodles taste better than hot noodle soup!"

What was with Cossack?

He was bullying the poor old mage way too much.

"What we need is not someone who starts fires. We need someone who puts them out."

Mackenzie wilted.

Sniff.

"Don't be too harsh. There might be another way—like when we blew up the super-colossal monster Titan Behemoth with a nuke."

At Juhyeok's words, El's eyes widened in shock.

"...A nuke? You don't mean a nuclear explosion inside the Tower?"

"You didn't know? Well, back then, you were a Tower monster, and your mind wasn't exactly right."

That was true.

Back when her summoned-entity status had been stripped away.

She had been nothing more than a rampaging giant-class monster.

"Hahaha, that was the best moment."

"Indeed. Just thinking about it still gives me chills."

"It was a brilliant change in perspective. The administrators must have fainted."

"Though it's blocked now."

Mackenzie nodded.

The nuclear explosion on the 81st Floor.

"The world of souls was in an uproar back then too."

El still could not believe it.

Still—

a nuke?

Then she noticed Rajix.

And she understood.

How a nuke had been brought into the Tower.

With his subspace backpack, nothing was impossible.

No wonder he was number one.

The more she saw him, the more mysterious he seemed.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

His mind tingled.

It feels like something is about to click...

Thoughts flashed through his head.

Then—

"...Huh?"

Mackenzie's eyes snapped open.

What the assassin had said earlier:

What we need is not someone who starts fires. We need someone who puts them out.

And the nuclear strategy—a change in perspective.

Plus Rajix's subspace.

Then—

"S-Summoner!"

"Yes?"

"I've just thought of an idea."

"Go ahead."

"What if we bring a fire truck into the Tower?"

What kind of nonsense was that?

"...A fire truck?"

"Yes. I have always had an interest in fire, so I have seen them on the news."

Mackenzie elaborated.

"Some fire trucks do not spray water, but special chemical extinguishing agents."

Huh?

"...Chemical fire trucks?"

"Exactly. If we bring those into the Tower and spray that phoenix with them—"

Oh!

"That's actually a pretty good idea."

"With the dimensional farmhand being RSS-rank, transporting around ten chemical fire trucks should not be a problem."

"WAAH?"

Ten vehicles?

Make it twenty—no, thirty would be even better.

It was worth trying.

If dozens of fire trucks discharged chemical extinguishing agents all at once, that was basically dragon breath.

"Aw, our genius Archmage Mackenzie—truly worthy of the nine circles. Your mind is absolutely brilliant."

"Y-you flatter me."

At Juhyeok's praise, Mackenzie practically sparkled from head to toe.

"An 86th-Floor firefighting strategy—how could anyone come up with something like this!"

"Hahahaha! Starting fires is important, but putting them out is just as important. Shouldn't one always double-check even extinguished flames?"

"Absolutely! As expected of a professional."

Mackenzie was thoroughly encouraged by Juhyeok's praise.

Seeing the tide had turned, even Cossack chimed in.

"I was just about to suggest the same thing myself. The fire-truck strategy—good idea."

First, they exited the Tower.

[Upon use, you will automatically exit, the mission of this floor will be reset, and your entry record will be deleted.]

SCREEEECH!

[You have used a Tower Clearing Mission Reset Ticket. Exiting the tower.]

SPOT!

First things first—call Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.

If they were going to secure fire trucks, he was the man to talk to.

They also had to make sure it would not interfere with actual firefighting operations.

Back on White Tower Floor 17.

One of the great things about White Tower Floor 17 was being able to meet Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.

Send a message, and he would arrive within ten seconds.

As long as nothing urgent was happening.

That was why Juhyeok had granted him permanent Residency Rights.

Chairman Jeong Donghun too.

Thinking about Residency Rights suddenly reminded him of Jepetto.

Their gourmet vampire.

He said he wanted to drink my blood, didn't he?

When I get the chance, I should draw some blood and bottle it for him.

With a straw included.

SPOT!

Jeon Gwangil entered White Tower Floor 17 at Juhyeok's call.

"Mr. Bong Player, I'm here."

"Ah! Sorry for making you come back and forth all the time."

"Not at all. Please feel free to call me anytime."

Juhyeok showed him footage of the 86th-Floor monster in Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1)—the Superheated Cataclysm Phoenix.

"Th-this thing?"

"Yes. Floor 86. A phoenix."

"...A gigantic bird made entirely of flames. The opposite of the Colossus Condor."

"They say it's a spirit body."

A spirit body.

Meaning it had no physical flesh.

"Can it be defeated?"

"I'm not completely sure, but we do have a method worth trying."

Juhyeok explained the plan—fire suppression using chemical fire trucks.

"...What?"

Jeon Gwangil looked dumbfounded.

"F-fire trucks? You mean the fire trucks I'm thinking of?"

"Yes. Those fire trucks."

Then he pointed at Rajix.

"This is only possible because we have Mr. Rajix."

That was right.

It was absurd, but no one else could possibly replicate it.

"So we need to secure chemical fire trucks. Not water trucks—ones that spray special extinguishing agents."

"How many?"

"At least twenty to thirty. Preferably more."

Jeon Gwangil nodded.

"That's doable. I'll contact the National Fire Agency."

"We need to make sure this doesn't interfere with actual firefighting operations."

"Don't worry. If vehicle availability becomes an issue, I'll put in a request to US Forces Korea."

USFK?

"They operate their own firefighting units."

Oh!

US military equipment would be big and high-quality.

"Will that work?"

"One phone call should do it. They'll cooperate."

Right.

He could ask Secretary MacMillan.

Anyway, they could not borrow everything for free.

There had to be compensation.

What would be appropriate?

Money was the only thing he really had.

"Um, Commissioner."

"Yes, go ahead."

"I was thinking of making a... donation to the Korean Fire Agency."

Now he understood how important extinguishing fires really was.

Korean firefighters—

No, firefighters all over the world—

They fought monstrous disasters like phoenixes in the real world.

Borrowing fire trucks without offering anything in return would have been shameless.

"Ah, yes. Then may I ask roughly how much you're considering donating?"

How much should it be?

He honestly had no sense for that kind of thing.

It's not like I've ever donated before.

One hundred million won?

That felt cheap.

Ten billion?

Still didn't feel right.

Commissioner Jeon knew exactly how much money Juhyeok made.

The anti-obesity bracelet, mana-sealing scrolls, dream-resistance kits, all kinds of item sales—

Soon they would even start renting out magic guns.

Money was overflowing.

So much that he did not even know how much was sitting in his accounts anymore.

It was probably well into the trillions by now.

Ah, whatever.

He had casually bought a 1.3-trillion-won building in Gangnam before.

Firefighters—

I'll cover it this time.

Buy plenty of good equipment and stay safe while fighting fires.

So instead of stingily donating a few tens of billions—

"I'm thinking of donating around one hundred billion won."

A true alpha-male donation!

"...Pardon?"

The summoned entities reacted instantly.

"Wha—!"

"Wow!"

"That is blazing hot!"

"As expected of the Summoner."

"Truly magnanimous."

"WAAAH."

Juhyeok felt his chest swell with pride.

"Well, it isn't strictly necessary—"

"What's the point of making money if you don't use it at times like this?"

"U-understood. I'll contact the Fire Agency and arrange the donation under the Top Player's name."

Perfect.

Now his conscience was clear.

And so the operation to secure [N O V E L I G H T] chemical fire trucks began.

The arranged trucks started arriving one after another in the parking lot of the Korean Awakening Administration.

Whenever he had time, Juhyeok summoned Rajix, had him store the fire trucks in his subspace, and then transfer them to the White Tower.

In total, they secured thirty fire trucks.

Did they all fit?

Of course they did.

He was RSS-rank, after all.

They also placed orders for special extinguishing agents.

The more, the better.

Among them was liquid nitrogen.

Not absolute zero, but still enough to drop temperatures to minus 196 degrees Celsius.

It was fairly common—

used even in schools for demonstrations, or in cooking.

What would happen if they sprayed enormous amounts of it onto the phoenix?

They purchased liquid nitrogen in bulk, stored it in metal tanks, and stacked the tanks inside the White Tower.

Now all that remained was learning how to operate the firefighting equipment.

They obtained manuals and videos, then practiced diligently until they became proficient.

Almost all the summoned entities participated in the drills.

Mari joined too.

Though she could not enter the 86th Floor herself, once she heard that the monster was a phoenix—

Ding!

<Mari>: I'll try making cold-based potions too. Strong enough to seriously harass a phoenix.

Magitech engineer El began researching the potion auto-injector belt that Rajix had "borrowed," then moved on to crafting special ammunition.

She applied inventory-magic mana-circuit diagrams to bullets so they could support the firefighting strategy.

Time passed.

Preparations for the raid advanced smoothly, step by step.