I’d been pushing myself too hard.

I needed some time to regroup.

The decision had been made to craft a magic sword using a demonic dragon’s Dragon Heart.

The first priority was building the frame.

Since the magic sword would be wielded by a Gigant, it had to be made on a super-large scale to match.

The facilities on White Tower Floor 17 wouldn’t do.

Why struggle to make it myself?

It would be better to make it outside.

Outsource it.

On Earth, the Republic of Korea’s steelmaking technology was extremely advanced.

Their skill in handling Tower metals was also at a very high level.

Mari acknowledged it too.

She said they made things better than those dwarf runts.

Embed a heart filled with demonic energy into the massive sword’s frame, then add enchantments, alchemy, and magitech to the blade, body, and hilt, and it would be done.

But there was no need to rush.

Take it slow.

First, go to the 85th floor and bring back a Gigant.

Juhyeok was in the penthouse.

He hadn’t been able to summon Jepetto because he had taken the elevator to another dimension.

The world of souls must have had it rough.

He couldn’t even ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) enter the White Tower.

He used Designated Summon and told Jepetto what had happened on the 1st floor of the White Tower.

They chatted idly for a while.

“Then get some rest and head back on your own.”

“It’s already thrilling. I can clearly picture all the souls jumping in shock.”

“Hahaha, is that so?”

“Heh heh heh, indeed.”

Jepetto had become a major star in the world of souls.

The stories he brought back from the outside world.

Thanks to that, the souls were no longer bored.

How entertaining was this dimensional-travel incident involving the elevator on the 1st floor of the White Tower?

A player from a parallel universe, inheriting his legacy, taking over the 1st floor of the White Tower, killing a dragon, and—

‘Acquiring nationality.’

That’s right.

He had become a citizen of another world.

One that had already been destroyed.

“Is this also part of the inheritance?”

At first, he had simply accepted it and moved on.

But when he checked his Status Window—

[Affiliation 1]: Black Tower (Earth No. 1,001 – Republic of Korea)

[Affiliation 2]: Black Tower (Earth No. 675 – Germany)

It had changed like that.

“So this was Earth No. 1,001.”

He was only finding out now.

He had known about parallel universes for a while, but still.

Meanwhile, Max Kruger’s world was No. 675.

Did they number every parallel universe?

“How rustic, using numbers.”

It might have been the simplest naming method, though.

Anyway.

“This is dual nationality.”

Originally, players weren’t allowed to have dual nationality.

Yet there it was, clearly stated in the Status Window.

“Impossible in the same dimension, but possible across different dimensions?”

If that was the case, then there had to be a Black Tower on Earth No. 675 as well...

He could check later.

Whether it really existed.

If it did, he could climb it.

For now, he would rest without thinking too much.

He had been through a lot in a short time.

Juhyeok entered White Tower Floor 17.

The fun little party began.

A badge award ceremony was also held.

Total accumulated badges: 144.

Physical badges: 45.

One went to Mackenzie.

He had planned to give him two, but because Cossack and Gyeon Dallae said that obtaining a demonic dragon’s Dragon Heart was not such a major merit—unlike obtaining a pure heart—he gave him only one.

Even so, Mackenzie was beaming.

The 9-Circle Archmage couldn’t hide his smile.

And then Bardin.

Let’s stop this “human holy sword” nonsense, okay?

People should live like people.

“Break through your rank and come back—as a Holy Knight of Lerssal.”

Only one Summoned Entity Rank Breakthrough Rune remained.

And since Bardin already had five badges pinned to his chest, Juhyeok slapped twenty more onto him at once.

“Even if you fail, just come back safely, understood?”

“Yes! This humble one will immediately carry out my lord’s solemn command. O light!!!”

“I’m not telling you to go right now. Hang around a bit longer.”

“No, my lord. Time is gold.”

And so Bardin bravely set off to climb alone.

That left 24 badges.

They had dropped fast.

Well, he would just gather them steadily again.

It would be nice if he got a random lucky box.

Getting around 50 badges from that would be perfect.

Suddenly—

BZZZ!

His smartphone vibrated.

It was Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.

He said there was something urgent to discuss.

Perfect timing.

Juhyeok had needed to meet him anyway.

The meeting place was, as expected, White Tower Floor 17.

SPOT! Commissioner Jeon appeared.

“Player Bong.”

“Hello, Commissioner.”

“I was worried when I couldn’t reach you. You weren’t around this morning either.”

“Haha, I went somewhere for a bit.”

Another dimension.

You wouldn’t believe it.

Maybe we could go together sometime when there was time.

“Oh! By the way, is the firefighting-agent restock finished?”

“Yes, we prepared even more than before. We also secured five additional fire engines.”

“Thank you so much. It must have been a hassle.”

“Not at all. It’s related to the Tower.”

With that, preparations for the second Phoenix raid were complete.

“And please take this.”

“Oh, a ticket?”

“The Japanese Prime Minister sent it as thanks for exporting the magic-power suppression scroll.”

“What the—huh?! A skill reset ticket?”

“That’s right.”

Wow!

Good things just kept happening.

With this, he could draw one more summoned being in the next random summon.

“Oh, thank you... please convey my gratitude in return.”

To think he would get this kind of help from Japan.

Saving the Prime Minister really had been the right call.

“By the way, what about China? Still no response? Don’t they need magic-power suppression scrolls?”

“No contact. I suppose they’re still managing.”

Well, they could do as they pleased.

Now for the main business.

“You remember I mentioned having a strategy for the giant-monster zone in the 80th floors, right?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I think we can proceed with that.”

“Oh!”

“We’ve made a decent weapon. As for what it is...”

Juhyeok explained in detail to Jeon Gwangil about the magic gun and its specialized ammunition for dealing with giant monsters.

Then—

“On your way out, meet Magitech Engineer L and pick up the magic gun and the ammunition.”

“Ah, understood.”

“We should be able to clear up to the 85th floor without much trouble. Handling the magic gun will be difficult at first... but practice will take care of that.”

At first, the shots wouldn’t land well.

So the ammunition would sell extremely well.

Honestly, he wasn’t that greedy for money.

Even if he did nothing, money kept flowing into his account.

Take the Anti-Obesity Bracelet, for instance.

The mass-production facilities at the Pyongyang factory were nearly complete.

It would be finished within half a month.

North Korea’s economic development centered on Pyongyang.

CEO Jeong of Rajix Trading was making massive investments.

Lastly, the magic sword crafting.

Mackenzie, Mari, L, and Rajix had already created a separate group chat just for it.

The trinity of magic, alchemy, and engineering.

No—since Rajix had joined, was it a quaternity now?

Juhyeok had been invited too, but what would he even understand?

Then—

Ding!

<Mari>: Summoner, I’m thinking of using a Diamat’s Eye as an additional material when making the magic sword. Is that okay?

It was an alchemy-material reward from defeating a copy of Diamat when it had been the 80th-floor boss in the past.

<alpha male>: If you need it, use it.

<Mari>: Yes♥♡ ... Speaking of which, I really hope Diamat can break through its rank soon and regain its status as a Nightmare Lord.

Ah...

Kind-hearted Mari, always looking out for Diamat.

<Mari>: That way we can use its eyeballs when making medicine, and also when crafting weapons.

Yeah, Diamat’s rank breakthrough wasn’t happening.

The world of souls.

A place so boring it was called the Infinite Prison.

But these days, every day was filled with anticipation.

The stories about summoning that the summoned entity Jepetto brought back were endlessly entertaining.

But today’s story was no joke.

The White Tower elevator?

A device that crossed dimensions?

And it actually operated, going down to the 1st floor?

“L-lies.”

“Come on, you know it’s true.”

“I was just too shocked.”

“Well, that’s understandable.”

But the aftermath left a heavy feeling in the chest.

A completely ruined dimension.

An unfortunate player who took his own life.

The summoner who inherited his legacy.

“Has anyone ever been to Earth No. 675?”

“Probably not. Not every world has a summoner.”

“I think I heard an announcement that it had entered the destruction phase.”

The souls grew uneasy.

Even if it was an unrelated world, hearing that it had been destroyed couldn’t feel good.

“Then, brothers and sisters, shall I tell you a story that’ll really clear things up?”

“Go on. After that story, my chest feels all clogged up.”

“Got any refreshing soda?”

“Heh heh, of course.”

“What is it?”

“The Summoner has acquired the title of Dragon Slayer.”

“Hmm.”

“I see.”

“Nice.”

“Tell him congratulations for us—wait! What?”

“Huh?”

“W-what?”

“Dragon Slayer?”

“That means he killed a dragon.”

“What happened was...”

Jepetto went into a detailed explanation of what had happened outside the 1st floor of the White Tower.

An unbelievable fact: while attempting meteor strikes across multiple dimensions, a passing dragon had coincidentally died.

“Kahaha, insane, right? Awesome, right? The dragon came over and stuck its head in on its own!”

“That fallen demonic dragon bastard died a good death.”

“Mackenzie really pulled it off.”

“As expected of a 9-Circle mage. I envy him greatly.”

“Mackenzie has completely secured his position now.”

“He’ll earn the Summoner’s deep trust.”

“Of course—he killed a dragon.”

“He might even have surpassed the beastman laborer. Mackenzie could be the top confidant, with the laborer next.”

“He’ll be standing right beside the Summoner, drawing the envy of all the other summoned beings.”

“The Summoner shouldn’t rely too much on Mackenzie.”

P.

What pointless worries.

Just because he killed one dragon—earning the Summoner’s trust?

Not a chance.

In Jepetto’s eyes, every mage was still lower tier.

They couldn’t compare to Alchemist Won-sa or the Fairy Princess, let alone Mad Demon or Meatshield.

Maybe slightly better than the perverted paladin.

But he didn’t bother saying that to the souls.

They would only understand once they experienced it themselves.

The Tower Climbing Bureau under the Department of Homeland Security.

Today again, Secretary MacMillan, Director Antonio, and Player Gerald were gathered in one place for a meeting.

The agenda was the strategy for clearing the 81st floor—Behemoth.

They simply couldn’t find a solution.

The floors in the 70s had been ridiculously easy.

Even the 80th floor had been cleared without trouble using the Dream Resistance Kit.

But in the giant-monster zone on the 81st floor, the difficulty spiked sharply.

Behemoth was simply too huge.

Approach carelessly, and you got stepped on and died.

“Whew... even magic doesn’t work?”

“I tried using skills while moving, but couldn’t deal any effective damage. And even though it’s slow, its stride is so huge that escaping was difficult.”

“Not even with ultimates?”

“It hesitated for a moment... I recorded it on my body cam, so you can review it if you want.”

But would reviewing it really help?

Unless they could bring a pile of anti-tank missiles into the Tower.

“At this point, we have no choice but to rely on the top player.”

That’s right.

Only he had the answer.

Whether through temporary naturalization or using a Multinational Tower Access Ticket.

Honestly, even if they somehow cleared the 81st floor—

what about the 82nd? The 83rd?

And wasn’t the 86th floor a Phoenix? A Phoenix.

How were they supposed to kill a creature that only existed in legends?

But the top player had already surpassed even that.

It was Player Bong Juhyeok, who had cleared that very Phoenix.

At that moment—

BZZZ!

Director Antonio’s smartphone rang.

“Excuse me, I’ll take this call for a moment.”

“Who is it? Your ex-wife?”

“Come on, don’t say such unlucky things... It’s Commissioner Jeon Gwangil.”

“Mr. Jeon? Perfect. Ask him when the Anti-Obesity Bracelet will be mass-produced.”

“Haah... At a time like this, when we’re discussing how to clear the 81st floor...”

Antonio shot Secretary MacMillan a glare and answered the call.

“Hello? Mr. Jeon! Long time no see.”

—Everything going well, Director?

“As always. But why the call? Is it about the Anti-Obesity Bracelet mass production?”

—Ah! That will be ready soon as well, but that’s not why I called.

Antonio focused on the call.

Then—

“W-wait a moment. You found a strategy for the giant-monster zone?”

Secretary MacMillan and Player Gerald, who were listening nearby, were also shocked.

A strategy? How?

.....

“Yes, yes. We’ll fly over and meet you right away. Yes. Player Gerald will come too.”

Antonio’s face flushed red with excitement.

So did Secretary MacMillan.

This was urgent—very urgent.

“A, a plane—please arrange one immediately.”

“Got it. I’ll have one waiting at the airport right away.”

“You heard that, Gerald? Go home and pack.”

“Pack what? We can go as we are.”

That evening.

A private jet carrying Director Antonio and Player Gerald took off from Washington Airport.

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.2) 86th Floor.]

The superheated cataclysmic-flame Phoenix firefighting raid in Black Tower NO.2.

They had already done it once.

They just had to do the same thing again.

Alchemist Won-sa pulled aggro.

Fire engines took crane-wing formation.

Firefighting agent sprayed out.

Then Mackenzie and Rajix flew overhead and dropped tanks of liquid nitrogen.

SHHHH! SHHHSHHHSHHH!

Mad Demon unleashed crescent-moon energy.

SLASH! SHRRRK!

A shower of liquid nitrogen followed.

[Superheated Cataclysmic-Flame Phoenix 1/1]

[You have successfully completed the 86th-floor mission.]

[Reward: 860 kg of high-grade Magic Stones.]

[World Announcement: You have achieved clear grade S+++ on Black Tower NO.2 (Korea), Floor 86.]

[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges have been granted.]

“So no feathers or ashes.”

Well, the 86th floor wasn’t the main event.

It was just the opening act.

Still, let’s check the privilege first.

With two more badges, the total reached 146.

[You have accumulated 145 Platinum Badges. A privilege will be granted.]

[Privilege: Transcendent Concealment Shroud has been added to your inventory.]

“Oh?”

A privilege item, for the first time in a while.

When he took it out of the inventory, it was a cloak.

<Transcendent Concealment Shroud> Effect: Conceals appearance and presence. Duration: 10 minutes / Cooldown: 10 minutes. Limitation: The user is revealed upon attacking. Feature: No one can perceive you.

“...So it’s an invisibility cloak?”

It felt pretty decent.

And it wasn’t tower-only, either.

Plus, the option description was short and clear.

Straightforward, not vague.

Still—

“Tsk, they gave me some cowardly item.”

Were they telling him to sneak around like a weakling?

He was already more than worthy of being called a real man.

Rewards received.

Now for the highlight.

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 85th Floor.]

Hello, Gigant.

You’ve been well, right?

I’m kidnapping you wholesale.

If it works, that is.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! SWOOOOOSH!

The automated Magnus Ego Gigant rose from underground.

First, immobilization.

“We’ll begin.”

The unfailingly accurate Alchemist Won-sa raised the magic gun.

A specially crafted weapon using magic-power EMP rounds.

Because it was a long-range EMP, L wouldn’t be affected.

CLICK! CLACK! THUNK!

The magic EMP round hit the Gigant square in the torso.

FLASH! CRACK! POP-POP-POP-POP!

A powerful wave of light burst out.

The Magnus Ego Gigant froze instantly.

“Let’s begin the operation.”

“Preload!”

“This will be over quickly.”

First up was Meatshield.

“GRAAAH!”

With overwhelming strength, he shoved the immobilized Magnus Ego Gigant over.

BOOM!

Sword Master Cossack and Mad Demon climbed onto its chest.

SLASH! SHRRRK!

They cut through the armor plates with aura.

CRACK!

Meatshield tore them off by hand.

Five parallel-linked magic-core engines were exposed.

Next was L.

After manipulating the engines and circuits to disable movement—

SPOT!

Rajix appeared.

SNIFF! SNIFF! With hot breath snorting out, he stood proudly before the fallen Gigant.

Rajix stretched his short arms forward.

SWOOOOONG!

The entrance slowly opened.

It was the first time Juhyeok had seen it.

The opening of a subspace backpack.

Normally, items didn’t go in like this.

Most things would simply slip in with a touch.

But this was different.

It was the largest item he had ever tried to store.

So the entrance had to be opened to its maximum.

“WAAH!”

With the entrance wide open,

Rajix slowly moved forward.

Waddle, waddle!

With each step—

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

The Gigant’s head disappeared.

He kept moving forward.

Waddle, waddle, waddle.

SWOOOOOO—

Rajix’s face was full of concentration.

“Hang in there! Rajix, god-tier dimensional porter!”

“WAAH!”

“Smoothly, like it’s sliding in!”

“WAAH!”

“You can do it!”

“WAAH!”

“Lerssal subspace, let’s do this!”

“WAAH!”

At last—

SWOOSH!

The head was completely inside.

Now the shoulders were the key.

The most critical part.

If the shoulders went in, it was game over.

But—

RRRIP! RRRIP!

The shoulders got stuck at the entrance.

Rajix couldn’t advance easily.

“Open it wider!”

“Spread it wider!”

“Force it in! The subspace backpack won’t tear, right?”

“WAAH!”

RIP! SHHK! RRRIP! SHHK!

It was going in.

It was moving.

Waddle, waddle—he kept advancing.

He stretched the entrance of the subspace backpack with all his might and pushed forward again and again.

“In! Get in!”

“In! It’s going in!”

“In! In! In!”

“In! In!”

“In!”

“In!”

“In!”

“In!”

Just a little more. Just a little.

“WAAH!!! WAAH! WAAH!”

In!

The Gigant’s shoulders slipped inside.

SWOOSHSHSH!

There was no resistance now.

Rajix reached forward and advanced.

Each time, more of the Gigant’s massive body vanished.

Eventually, the upper body, then even the lower body—

SWOOSH!

“Hooray!”

“Hooray!”

“Well done!”

“Long live Rajix, dimensional porter!”

“Long live Juhyeok!”

The gigantic Gigant vanished in an instant.

“WAAAAH!”

Rajix’s roar echoed across the 85th floor!

And then—

Ding!

A message announced the successful clear.

Success.

The body of the Magnus Ego Gigant had been captured whole.