am-books Chapter 275 CHAPTER 274
Chapter 275 CHAPTER 274
Juhyeok took the elevator from the 6th floor of the White Tower up to the 17th floor.
He brought only Gyeon Dallae, Kosak, Rajiks, and Mari with him.
The rest stayed behind at the White Tower, either producing holy weapons and holy-attribute arms,
or resting, or having a drink.
Due to the decision to fully clear the Black Tower of Earth No. 843,
most of the summoned people had already relocated to the forward base on the 6th floor of the White Tower.
Only two people remained on the 17th floor.
Farmer Douu and Blood Wolf.
They were guarding the Sacred Tree and the World Tree.
"Summoner. Glad. Farmer Douu. Mission carried out faithfully."
"I'm sorry. You should've gone with us."
"No need. Sacred Tree. World Tree. Guarding faithfully."
"Grrr, grrr, grrr!"
"Yeah, yeah, our Rangi's been working hard too."
As soon as Mari arrived, she went straight to the World Tree.
How much they must have missed each other after being apart for so long.
Rajiks also headed into the warehouse to resupply, stuffing the necessary items into his subspace backpack.
The reason Juhyeok had come to the 17th floor was to meet Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il.
He had gone to Earth No. 843 without even getting a chance to talk to him.
So he sent a message on his smartphone.
Spot!
The moment the message was sent, Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il entered the 17th floor.
"Player Bong!!!"
His face was flushed red.
"Hello. Have you been well?"
"Hah… nothing happened to you, I see. You wouldn't answer no matter how much I called."
He must have been very worried.
"I was in another world. I should've told you before leaving."
"Ah, you mean Earth No. 675?"
"No, Earth No. 843."
"… What?"
What was he talking about?
Earth No. 843?
Jeon Gwang-il looked completely confused.
"Well, you see…"
Juhyeok explained why he had gone to Earth No. 843 and what the situation there was like.
As the story went on, Jeon Gwang-il's expression kept changing moment by moment.
When Juhyeok mentioned the three sinkholes that had appeared in South Korea on Earth No. 843,
his expression became extremely serious.
"Please don't worry too much. It'll return to normal soon."
"Yes, I have no doubt about that, but…"
Player Bong had gone there.
He had even obtained citizenship there.
That meant the complete conquest of the Black Tower on Earth No. 843 was a given.
Still, seeing another Korea in a parallel universe in that state was bound to be heartbreaking.
"Is there anything I can support?"
"Not yet. The Kabalon curse is over, and the infrastructure is intact. There's still the sinkhole wave, but…"
Jeon Gwang-il nodded, then cautiously asked,
"Um… is there really someone named Jeon Seong-il over there who's exactly the same as me?"
Kosak answered instead.
"Commissioner Jeon, Commander Jeon—looked like twins. Even a DNA test'd come out identical."
"… I see."
"But which is higher, four stars or agency commissioner?"
"Well… I suppose the martial law commander would be far higher."
"Our Commander Jeon—did he serve in the military?"
"… He was discharged after completing his term as a corporal?"
Kosak smirked slightly.
"Hah! Public service, then?"
The abolished conscripted auxiliary system—
now replaced by public service duty.
"E-even public service was very tough military life."
"Anyone'd think you were some kind of special-forces public service."
"… Not special forces, but it was harder than active duty anyway."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was."
Same soul, but completely different paths.
That's why environment matters too.
"Anyway, I'd like to meet him someday."
"Not a chance. Two identical people meet, they die."
"… What?"
"So don't even think about setting foot on Earth No. 843. Video calls are possible, though. Any message you want me to pass on to Commander Jeon Seong-il?"
A video call—yeah, right.
"Anyway, it'll be hard for me to come here for a while… nothing unusual going on?"
"No, nothing at all. And my family is doing well too."
That was a relief.
Still, he should show his face to his family at least once before leaving.
"And the results of the Japanese election are out."
"Oh! Really? Did the Minhyuk Party win? Was Prime Minister Maeda reapproved?"
"… Th-that is, it was a crushing defeat."
What?!
"The Japanese right wing, the Liberal Party, has taken power. The Tsushima handover has fallen through."
Wow.
He hadn't expected Tsushima in the first place, but still—
a right-wing government?
"And they've demanded a renegotiation of the Dokdo issue as well."
They were overturning everything decided under the previous Maeda administration.
"Hng!"
Gyeon Dallae snorted as if she'd expected it.
"Even in two different parallel worlds, Japan is still Japan."
Of course it is.
There are even identical souls with just one letter difference in their names.
"Young master."
"Yes?"
"Japan has committed an admirable deed. Wouldn't it be fitting to bestow mercy now?"
He knew exactly what kind of "mercy" Gyeon Dallae meant.
"They're real bastards. Sinkholes pop up and they start poaching players."
That was Japan on Earth No. 843.
"You think this Japan's any different? They did the same here."
"… True. Now that I think about it, exactly the same."
"Japan's been stressing me out something fierce. Just look at Commissioner Jeon's face."
"Huh? What about it? He looks fine?"
"Then how about Commander Jeon Seong-il's face?"
Ah.
"He looks way older. Just how vicious must Japan on Earth No. 843 have been to age him like that?"
Poor Commander Jeon Seong-il.
Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il here still looked so young.
Juhyeok started to feel angry too.
"Bunch of real bastards, there and here."
"That's exactly my point. Bestow mercy."
"Please, make your decision."
Even Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il spoke up.
"I'll contact our allied nations in advance. The U.S. was already wary of Japan's election results, actually."
Everyone seemed to agree.
Well, might as well grant it.
It wasn't like he was collapsing it to create sinkholes.
It was a good deed, right?
Our Earth—Earth No. 1001—had fully cleared towers.
Juhyeok was practically the administrator.
So when entering the Black Tower control room on the 100th floor,
the daily five-entry limit didn't apply.
Meaning he could enter and exit the 100th floor as many times as he wanted.
Juhyeok touched the crystal core placed at the center of the control room.
Menus rose up in a cascade.
He selected Tower Dismantlement.
Tower dismantlement.
A function that safely removes a tower in the boundary world.
However, not all towers could be dismantled.
Towers whose 100th floor had been cleared—
that is, towers connected to the control room—could not be dismantled.
Out of the 146 towers across Earth No. 1001,
all could be dismantled except the No. 1 Black Tower of South Korea.
Juhyeok selected the Tokyo Black Tower of Japan.
Then—
[Do you wish to dismantle the Japanese Black Tower in the boundary world?]
Honestly, he'd been curious.
What would happen if he dismantled it?
… Dismantle.
[Dismantling the Japanese Black Tower.]
He'd done it.
Just as Gyeon Dallae said—he'd simply bestowed mercy.
A pristine Japan without a Black Tower.
May it be completely freed from the suffering of Black Towers.
True, they'd no longer be able to mine high-grade magic stones,
nor any other tower byproducts.
A small stone Juhyeok had thrown—
the aftermath was enormous.
Earth No. 1001
1
The Black Tower in downtown Tokyo.
As always, Japan's greatest landmark and tourist attraction.
Especially after the risk of collapse had disappeared,
the number of tourists visiting it increased day by day.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the foreign currency earned from Black Tower tourism kept Tokyo's citizens fed.
Spots with the best view of the city skyline blended with the Black Tower became the hottest hotspots,
with people lining up just to take photos.
Nearby land prices skyrocketed without limit.
Always packed with people.
Restaurants and bars in the area were always full, business booming.
Then one day.
Tourists were, as usual, taking photos with the Black Tower in the background.
Suddenly!
Tzzzt!
The Black Tower flickered like a broken TV screen.
"Huh?"
"Gasp!"
"Eh?"
"W-why's the tower doing that?"
"No way—c-collapse?"
And then—
Tzz, tzzzt! Tzzzzzzzt!
It flickered wildly.
Spot!
It vanished without a trace.
… Vanished?
For real?
That enormous tower was gone?
Tourists froze mid-photo, staring blankly at the sky.
Nearby merchants could only blink in disbelief.
What on earth just happened?
Where did the Tokyo Tower go?
Right then—
Ding!
A world announcement rang out.
[World Announcement: The Japanese Black Tower has been dismantled.]
[World Announcement: Japan is now completely freed from the threat of Black Tower collapse.]
The Japanese government and its people were stunned.
The tower was gone.
That Black Tower in the heart of Tokyo.
Was it a good thing?
No, it wasn't.
[World Announcement: Accordingly, the nationalities of all players affiliated with the Japanese Black Tower have been revoked.]
[World Announcement: You must acquire a new nationality within 30 days.]
[World Announcement: Failure to acquire nationality will result in the loss of player status.]
The worst possible outcome.
In a completely different sense from collapse,
Japan was ruined.
Earth No. 1,001 – Japan.
After Juhyeok achieved the unprecedented feat of completely clearing the 100th floor of the Black Tower.
In Japan, the Diet passed a vote of no confidence against the cabinet over the issue of transferring state-owned land on Tsushima Island, and the cabinet responded by dissolving the Diet.
Thus, a general election was held.
The Minhyuk Party, led by former Prime Minister Maeda.
And the Liberal Party, led by right-wing leader Arai Genji.
The outcome had already been decided.
The younger generation still not going to the polls.
The middle-aged and elderly, unable to forget past glory, casting their votes for the right wing.
The Minhyuk Party suffered a crushing defeat.
The Liberal Party returned to power in less than a year.
The new cabinet's direction was clear.
Restore the pride of Great Japan.
Hand over Japanese territory to a country that was once a colony?
Not a chance.
The Arai Genji cabinet raised a toast.
Drunk on victory, celebrating the return to power.
That was—until the Black Tower in downtown Tokyo was dismantled.
The moment the world announcement rang out, it vanished.
In an instant.
And then came another world announcement.
The revocation of nationality for all players affiliated with the Japanese Black Tower.
A recommendation to acquire a new nationality within 30 days.
Japan as a whole was thrown into turmoil.
Politics, players, and ordinary citizens alike.
Prime Minister Arai Genji was furious.
"Damn it!"
"Those damned Joseon bastards!"
"We can't just sit still."
"We must lodge an immediate protest—!"
"We need to issue a statement right away—!"
However, Korea was one step ahead.
Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il of the Awakened Management Agency appeared on TV news.
"Congratulations on the dismantling of the Japanese Black Tower. From now on, Japan no longer needs to worry about the threat of tower collapse. From Korea's perspective, we can only envy you."
A blatant teabagging remark.
"As for high-grade magic stones, please don't worry. We are willing to export them at reasonable prices from neighboring Korea."
Open mockery.
"Additionally, our Awakened Management Agency plans to grant opportunities for Japanese players who have lost their jobs to acquire nationality. Permanent naturalization will be required, and residences will be prepared in North Korea, which will soon be unified…"
Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il's statement.
Depending on how one looked at it, it could even backfire.
And sure enough—
An announcement was made that U.S. President Lloyd would soon issue an official position.
Prime Minister Arai Genji was full of anticipation.
The U.S. and Japan were solid allies, after all.
Surely the U.S. would express concern over this unprecedented situation—
At least some sympathy for Japan.
How pitiful.
Wasn't this going too far?
They would also feel threatened by Bong Juhyeok of Korea.
After all, it had been proven that he possessed the power to ruin an entire nation.
They would surely try to restrain Bong Juhyeok.
And Japan would take the lead in resisting him.
That was Prime Minister Arai Genji's calculation.
President Lloyd stepped before the media.
And his statement was—
"The United States fully and consistently supports the decision made by top player Bong Juhyeok."
What?
"Japan should accept the dismantling of the Black Tower calmly."
Damn it.
"If conflict arises over this matter, the United States will not remain idle."
The U.S. went even further.
"Any attack on player Bong Juhyeok will be considered an attack on the United States. If this principle is ignored, we will retaliate with full force."
The European Union issued a similar statement.
Whatever Bong Juhyeok does—don't touch him.
If he did something, there was a reason for it.
Accept it graciously.
The Japanese government panicked.
There wasn't a single country taking their side.
"… H-how did this happen?"
Prime Minister Arai Genji was completely stunned.
So were the cabinet officials.
They had touched something they should never have touched.
It would have been better to just hand over Tsushima Island.
"It was just that stupid island…"
Only now did Japan's right wing grasp reality.
But it was already too late.
Former Prime Minister Maeda felt hollow.
He had worked so hard for Japan's revival, yet in the end, it was the people who ruined Japan.
No matter how fearful of change the national character might be… wasn't this practically ritual suicide?
Still can't decide who to side with?
What was so precious about that stupid island?
They were all fools.
They fell for the right wing's divisive tactics and agitation, and ended up making the worst possible choice.
Even now, the Japanese stock market was in free fall.
Foreign capital was steadily withdrawing from Japan.
He, too, had to make a decision.
For the future.
Former Prime Minister Maeda picked up his smartphone and dialed a number.
"Yes, Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il. It's me."
The decision he made.
"I would like to request naturalization with the Korean government. I don't mind where I live. Yes, yes, there too. Oh! And it's not just me—there are many players I'd like to bring with me as well… Ah! Thank you."
Naturalization to Korea.
There was no other option.
Japan would only become more isolated.
Its collapse was obvious.
It wasn't just Maeda.
Japanese players began emigrating overseas in droves.
If Japan wanted to survive, what should it do?
Stick close to Korea.
At least then, they might clear towers and mine high-grade magic stones.
But would that really work?
Probably not.
Never.
After dismantling the Japanese Black Tower.
Juhyeok briefly stopped by his family home.
"Oh! My son! Coming to this humble place—have you been well?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I've been busy protecting parallel universes."
"… Which one this time?"
"Number 843."
"Oh dear, our son's been running all over—675, 843—everywhere but home."
"..."
Juhyeok chatted idly with his family.
The topic was Earth No. 843.
Suddenly, he grew curious.
Were his parents there too?
"If I were there, I definitely would've married your mom."
"Oh! True love!"
"Hm, more like survival instinct. I was sure I'd live better sticking close to your mom."
Ah—
The essence of a beta male.
My father.
After talking with his family and having dinner, it was time to go back.
To save Earth No. 843.
Before getting on the elevator, he spoke to Jeon Gwang-il.
"I'm heading out. If anything comes up, you can contact Mr. Douu."
"Yes, have a safe trip."
"Do you have anything you'd like me to pass on to Commander Jeon Seong-il?"
"Hmm, I recorded a video message. Could you deliver it?"
"Of course. Please."
He also accepted the smartphone Commissioner Jeon handed over.
Then he boarded the elevator to the 6th floor.
After heading outside, he met Martial Law Commander Jeon Seong-il.
"Oh! Y-you're back?"
Jeon Seong-il looked relieved.
He must have been anxious—
worried Juhyeok might not return.
"Nothing happened, right?"
"Nothing major, but it's chaos everywhere. Because of holy attributes and holy weapons…"
Requests were pouring in from all over the world.
Please, sell us weapons.
"Hmm. I told you before, right? That once the 90th floor is cleared, a sinkhole restoration event would occur."
"Yes, we've informed all governments."
Timewise, it would be over in four days.
"And yet they're still requesting that many weapons?"
"Holy weapons won't only be used for undead defense. We still have to break through undead sections of the Black Tower. And tower reward items themselves are rare."
True enough.
You had to clear undead sections to earn high-grade magic stone rewards, after all.
"We'll run the factories harder, so please set priorities and take orders."
"… Understood. I'll try to sell them as expensively as possible."
"I heard currency values have been dropping lately…"
"The dollar's actually gone up. Because people believe the U.S. has no reason to collapse."
True.
If the U.S. collapses, the whole world goes with it.
Good.
Let's take dollars.
"And we've prepared a military logistics warehouse within Joint Chiefs Headquarters."
"Really? Then I'll install a logistics warp gate."
"… Ah, yes."
Just like Commissioner Jeon—
Fast and decisive.
Juhyeok went to the logistics warehouse.
He extended his hand and installed the gate.
Ziiing!
A three-meter-tall oval transparent membrane appeared inside the warehouse.
"From now on, you'll be able to send and receive goods through here."
"I-is that so?"
Jeon Seong-il's eyes trembled.
He probably still didn't fully grasp it.
Once goods started moving back and forth, he'd get used to it.
"Then I'll head off to clear the 71st floor."
"What? At this hour?"
"I need to finish quickly. Once I hit the 90th floor, I can finally relax a bit."
Another wave defense was scheduled for tomorrow.
After Seoul and Chuncheon, the Daegu sinkhole wave.
Start time: noon.
Finish up to the 75th floor today, and clear up to the 80th floor by tomorrow morning.
Then move to Daegu.
He had to watch over the Daegu sinkhole wave too.
Other undead weren't a concern.
The problem was the lich.
It was extremely difficult to kill it with holy weapons alone.
If he could just deal with that thing, he could finally breathe easy.
Well—
He'd find an answer soon enough.
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