Nationality acquisition and forward operating base completion.

The time it took was nearly a day.

With all this happening, it was now the crack of dawn.

He needed to coordinate the schedule first.

Juhyeok was conversing with Jeon Seongil.

“Today, I plan to go up 5 floors first.”

“Ah! Yes, understood.”

“And tomorrow, up to Floor 70...”

At that moment, Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil hesitated.

It seemed like he had something to say.

“Um, tomorrow...”

“Why? Is something the matter?”

“The Chuncheon Sinkhole Wave...”

“Ah!”

That was right.

Korea had three holes.

Since Seoul had collapsed last, going back to the beginning meant it was Chuncheon’s turn.

“What time does it start?”

“From noon until noon the next day.”

A total 24-hour wave.

He would have to handle that too.

If it was not a Dark Wave, the Awakened Army alone would be enough to hold the line, but...

‘Undead will appear again.’

He had a strong premonition about that.

He was busy. So busy.

Tomorrow morning was Tower climbing.

Afternoon was Sinkhole Wave conquest.

If this kept up, even ten bodies would not be enough.

‘I need to figure something out.’

Juhyeok discussed a few more things about the schedule with Commander Jeon Seongil, then.

‘First, let’s bring the people over.’

Juhyeok entered White Tower Floor 6 and took the elevator up to Floor 17.

He explained to the summoned entities waiting there about the existence of Earth NO.843 and the current situation.

There was also a Black Tower on parallel universe Earth NO.843.

Their decision was total Tower conquest.

The summoned entities immediately began preparations to relocate.

The Summoner had decided.

They would follow unconditionally.

Everyone was excited with anticipation.

The Black Tower of Earth NO.1001 had been completely conquered, but they themselves had not really contributed much.

They had just holed up on Floor 17 raising their grades.

But now the opportunity had come.

The chance to save a world suffering from the Black Tower.

The summoned entities relocating from White Tower Floor 17 to Floor 6.

Due to elevator capacity limits, they operated in groups of 30.

Everyone brought their own belongings and equipment.

“Oh? It’s really exactly like Floor 17.”

“The landmark suddenly became a twin building.”

“By the way, when do we get to enter the Tower?”

“I heard we might be deployed not just for Tower missions but also for Sinkhole Waves.”

“Since even the veterans have manifestation duration limits, what if Summoner rotates us in shifts?”

“Haah, I just want to be summoned, even if it’s outside.”

“Me too.”

Juhyeok was also discussing the Earth NO.843 Black Tower conquest with Cossack, the White Tower Strategist, Gyeon Dallae, the White Tower Grand Steward, and Mad Demon, the Veteran of Seasoned Experience.

“Shall I send the newcomers to wave defense?”

“No, we need to give them opportunities in the Tower conquest too.”

“Even if it is the undead zone, we have the Saint, and since everyone has acquired some measure of holy power through training, it should not be difficult.”

“Hmph! What danger could there be? Those younglings will pull their own weight.”

It was heartwarming.

Seniors looking out for their juniors.

“That aside, shall we head up starting today?”

“Yes, let’s interview Kabalan first.”

Some nobody hiding in the Tower spreading curses everywhere.

They needed to find the true version and resolve the curse.

He had acquired nationality.

Thus, Black Tower entry was now possible.

The place that had cleared Floor 70 was the US Eastern Tower.

“I’ll use the Multinational Tower Access Ticket.”

“How many people?”

“Just the veterans.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I shall prepare at once.”

Tower conquest would start from the US Tower.

***

The forward operating base for Black Tower conquest was White Tower Floor 6.

However, they also needed a base of operations in the Earth NO.843 real world.

For now, it would be in Seoul.

They would move to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters later.

Seoul.

An empty city.

Here, he summoned the summoned entities and.

SPOT!

Juhyeok used the Multinational Tower Access Ticket to enter Floor 70 of the Eastern Tower.

High-ranking demon Duke Kabalan.

But a soul bound to the Tower.

Think of him as an in-game AI NPC.

An entity pre-programmed to respond according to each Player’s actions.

That was why his dialogue differed for each Player.

The Kabalan of Earth NO.843’s Black Tower was the same.

An antique-looking mansion standing alone on Floor 70.

When he entered, Kabalan was sitting in an ornate chair.

What would this one say?

Would he even remember him?

“Welcome.”

Do you know me?

We’ve met before.

“Dimension Summoner, a dimensional summoner.”

Hmm.

In a way, he spoke as if he knew him, but.

“His lines are exactly the same as that other one’s.”

“It appears he was created to respond according to Young Master’s Traits.”

“He’s an NPC. He’s reacting exactly as programmed.”

Kabalan smirked.

“You’re overflowing with confidence. But did you know this? You’ve been caught. In other words...”

This line was also exactly the same as back then.

Kabalan spread his wings and shot to his feet.

“You’ve fallen into a trap.”

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The iron gates slammed shut.

Based on his experience from Earth NO.1001, the true version would soon descend into the copy.

[The soul of True Demon Realm Duke Kabalan descends into the body of Copy Kabalan.]

Back then, Bardin and Mad Demon had captured and interrogated him.

It had taken quite a while.

But now there was no need for that.

“You insolent wretch!!!”

Juhyeok pulled out the Judge’s Mallet.

“Your sins have been revealed by your own hand!!!”

In that instant!

TZTZTZTZTZTZT!

The energy extending from the mallet coiled tightly around Kabalan’s body.

“Hurk! Th-This, wh-wha, what, what is? ...Ah, why? Grrk, kik?”

There was nothing better than the Judge’s Mallet for interrogation.

Even an NPC should have a soul.

Because his true nature had been a demon of the Demon Realm.

But having been bound by the Black Tower, his soul had been overlaid, reset, copied, and put through all sorts of processes.

‘Can I even interrogate him?’

Of course he could.

Was Juhyeok’s mallet an ordinary mallet?

It was none other than Yama’s Mallet.

A divine tool that thoroughly revealed every sin committed throughout one’s life.

The effect was certain.

Like digital forensics, it thoroughly scoured Kabalan’s soul and restored it.

FLASH!

An image rose up from behind the demon.

“...Grrrk? Grrrrrrrrr...”

It started from the Demon Realm.

Though he had been a high-ranking noble, Kabalan had the ill fate of being offered up to the Black Tower by the great demons.

Originally, there was only one original source.

So why did countless Kabalans exist? 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He had existed simultaneously in Earth NO.1001, Earth NO.675, and Earth NO.843.

The reason was simple.

Because true versions had been differentiated from the original source.

In fact, even the true versions were copies.

Then what was a copy?

Not a soul copied once from the original source, but a soul copied twice from the true version.

A copy of a copy.

So when the Black Tower was first established, a true version soul was brought over by copying once from the original source.

Then the true version was copied again for the number of Towers and placed on each Black Tower’s Floor 70.

That was why each entity’s soul was connected to each other.

This was actually information he did not need to know.

What Juhyeok wanted was the location of True Kabalan within Earth NO.843’s Black Tower.

“Where did you descend from?”

The sin projection continued playing.

The scene from when he first spread the curse also appeared.

A Player with American nationality.

The encounter with Lumitri Romenkuv, CEO of a massive distribution company.

He observed the world through Romenkuv’s eyes and cast the Curse of Average.

“That Player Lumitri, I heard he enhanced his Traits 25 times, but he’s weaker than I expected.”

Indeed.

A second-order copy, an extremely feeble Kabalan, and he did not know what to do when faced with him.

“He is nominally a high-ranking demon, after all, and his talents don’t appear to be particularly outstanding either.”

Tsk tsk.

A nobody who only had money to his name.

If the 25 Trait Enhancement Runes he had consumed had been given to different Players, the situation would have been quite different.

“Still, he managed to escape somehow.”

After using a few skills to no effect, Lumitri quickly fled to the safe zone and abandoned the mission.

He had seen the footage of the curse being spread.

Was this the end?

Kabalan’s distorted face.

His expression seemed deeply bewildered.

That made sense.

An unidentified, irresistible force was probing his soul.

And then.

“...Huh?”

“Hm?”

“Ah.”

“Oh ho.”

Now he knew where.

“It’s Korea.”

“It’s Korea.”

“Korea.”

“Korea again?”

“The true version is in Korea. This seems to be the default value.”

Was it because of parallel universes?

He had been hiding in Korea on Earth NO.1001, and now Korea again on Earth NO.843.

Thanks to that, it became easier.

Let’s go catch him.

He would not kill this one.

Why would he help them clear it?

The US Kabalan was for the US to handle on its own.

He would use a Mission Reset Ticket.

If he exited without using one, his entry uses would be consumed, leaving him with only 4 possible entries.

Then he would not be able to finish up to Floor 70 within two days.

Actually, processing things quickly was important, but being too hasty would not do either.

Since the barrier between the Tower and reality had collapsed, he could not afford to focus solely on Tower conquest.

The Sinkhole Wave was a case in point.

There were many things he wanted to try.

Things he could not do because Earth NO.1001 had been completely conquered.

He needed to apply them on Earth NO.843.

RIIIIP!

Juhyeok tore the Mission Reset Ticket.

***

The current situation in the Republic of Korea.

A wartime state due to three sinkholes.

The communication network was still operational.

Even during war, the national system needed to function normally.

That was how they prevented falling into a state of panic.

Well, if they failed to defend against a wave and the Korean peninsula became overrun with monsters, communications, electricity, everything would stop.

The day after Bong Juhyeok acquired nationality.

One hour after Juhyeok finished interrogating Kabalan and came outside.

Jeon Seongil, as Martial Law Commander, issued an emergency address to the entire nation.

It came as breaking news during the morning broadcast.

It was probably an announcement regarding the inclusion in the 11th round of climbing promotion target nations.

└ What could the content be?

└ Obviously it’s about being selected for the 11th climbing promotion target, right?

└ This is driving me crazy. How are we supposed to clear Floor 61?

└ Another hole is going to appear.

└ Maybe he’s telling us to evacuate?

└ Whew, should I leave Korea?

└ Where would you go? Korea is basically an island. If you wanted to leave, you should have left ages ago.

└ Still, we succeeded in defending the Seoul Wave. There was even talk about it being a Dark Wave.

└ Come on, how can you believe that? If it was a Dark Wave, we’d all be done for by now.

The Daejeon Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters media briefing room.

Jeon Seongil took the podium where reporters had gathered.

“Respected citizens, yesterday our Republic of Korea successfully weathered the Seoul Sinkhole Wave thanks to the efforts of our Players and the Awakened Army.”

But the atmosphere was subdued.

The reporters also had very anxious expressions.

What good was succeeding in the Sinkhole Wave?

They had been selected again as an 11th round climbing promotion target nation for the Curse of Average.

The same went for the waves.

They were not ending, and would possibly continue forever until the world was destroyed.

“I have one more piece of good news besides this.”

Good news?

“We have apprehended Liu Chenming, the shameless criminal who used a Tower Jump Ticket to raise the Republic of Korea’s Tower progress to Floor 61, making conquest impossible, and ultimately causing the Tower to collapse.”

Liu Chenming had been apprehended?

“This is the man.”

Liu Chenming, bound in ropes and dragged out to the briefing room.

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK!

Camera flashes fired continuously.

“I want to skip the trial and tear him limb from limb right now, but we must follow proper procedures. However, do not worry. He will definitely be sentenced to death.”

Liu Chenming had been caught.

The online communities exploded.

└ That f*cking bastard!!!

└ You piece of sh*t! You’re dead!

└ We can’t let him die painlessly. He needs to be tortured until he dies.

└ Let’s start by pulling out his fingernails. His toenails too, and then castrate him.

└ Pull out his tongue and his eyeballs too!

└ I’m worried he’ll escape into the Tower.

└ What can he do if he enters? He’ll just come out at the same spot anyway.

└ No, I’m worried he’ll get himself killed by monsters in the Tower.

The citizens’ fury was immense.

The current state of the Republic of Korea was all because of Liu Chenming.

If that bastard had just not used the Tower Jump Ticket, the Republic of Korea would not have fallen to this state.

They did not know how he was caught, but caught he was.

It was something to celebrate.

But they could not be entirely happy.

If only they had not been selected as an 11th round target nation, they could at least manage a smile.

“That’s not the only good news.”

What?

There was more?

“The Republic of Korea’s Black Tower has finally been selected as an 11th round climbing promotion target nation for Kabalan’s Curse.”

What?

This was good news?

Had Martial Law Commander Jeon Seongil lost his mind?

“However, the 11th round will be the last curse. Today, our Republic of Korea Martial Law Command declares the conquest of Black Tower Floor 61.”

What!

So suddenly?

A declaration of Floor 61 conquest?

Did they have that ability?

The briefing room grew noisy with murmuring.

Then reporters raised their hands and asked questions.

“Is conquest really possible? You’re not lying just to reassure the citizens...”

“Not at all. This is not a lie. I stake my life on it.”

“Is it temporary naturalization? China? Jeju Island perhaps?”

“No. It’s a Republic of Korea Player. And there will absolutely be no cession of Jeju Island.”

“Um, as far as I know, Korea’s top Player is Colonel Lee Minseon of the Awakened Army at Level 57...”

“That changed recently.”

“Who...?”

“I’m afraid I can’t say, but.”

The reporters were bewildered.

Jeon Seongil’s virtue as Martial Law Commander was well known.

He was not the type of person to lie.

Was he bluffing?

What benefit could there be in that?

Another reporter raised their hand.

“If you do conquer it, when approximately would...”

Right at that moment.

Ding!

“Huh?”

“Ah!”

“Hm?”

“...An a-announcement?”

“Hmm.”

Everyone in the briefing room heard it.

If so, it could only be a World Announcement.

[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 61 conquest successful! A Republic of Korea national Player has cleared the Black Tower Floor 61 mission with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]

“......”

“......”

“......”

Silence fell over the briefing room.

No one opened their mouth.

After a moment.

“Holy sh*t!”

“Th-There was a World Announcement like this?”

“I didn’t know either, it’s the first time I’ve heard one.”

“What in the world?”

The only World Announcements they had ever heard were about Kabalan’s Curse of Average.

So what on earth was this?

A Republic of Korea national Player with extraordinary ability?

“V-Verify it! Has it been cleared?”

“Is there a Player here? Is the clear progress real?”

“H-Hold on, let me make a call.”

“Hey, it’s me, what happened... Really?”

“Has it really been cleared?”

“Are you saying we’ve really escaped the curse?”

The press conference hall was in an uproar.

While the reporters were making a commotion, saying they had breaking news and filing articles.

Ding!

The second World Announcement.

“Wh-What,”

“Again?”

“What kind of...?”

[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 62 conquest successful! A Republic of Korea national Player has cleared the Black Tower Floor 62 mission with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]

...All the way to Floor 62.

Why did it ring twice?

Jeon Seongil continued his announcement in a clear, resonant voice.

“Today’s planned climbing floors go up to Floor 65.”

If it was Floor 65, that meant 5 times in one day.

Surely again?

“...Is it a Tower Jump Ticket?”

“No, this is completely different from that.”

“That’s right. If it was jumping, it wouldn’t proceed like this.”

“There’s no Tower Jump Ticket that triggers a World Announcement.”

“Plus, the time difference between conquests.”

Indeed.

It was definitely not a Tower Jump Ticket.

“Citizens, please do not worry. This is not a shortcut conquest using a Tower Jump Ticket. This is legitimate climbing.”

Additionally, with a confident tone and expression.

“As Martial Law Commander of the Republic of Korea, I declare once more to the citizens of nations around the world. Our top Player will climb 5 times per day, and will therefore climb to Floor 70 tomorrow.”

He drove the point home.

“Within two days, Kabalan’s Curse of Average, which tormented us so greatly, will be ended forever by a proud Player of the Republic of Korea.”

“And tomorrow’s scheduled Chuncheon Sinkhole Wave will also be successfully defended. Please make sure to watch.”

Ding!

As soon as he finished speaking, the third World Announcement.

[World Announcement: Republic of Korea Black Tower Floor 63 conquest successful! A Republic of Korea national Player has cleared the Black Tower Floor 63 mission with an S+++ grade through extraordinary ability.]

Messages for Floors 64 and 65 conquest rang out in succession.

At intervals of approximately 10 minutes.

It was shocking.

The entire world was stunned.

Governments of every nation turned their attention to the Republic of Korea.