Chapter 11 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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Not just one, but two, no, three of them.

That start began from the 16th floor.

[Entering the 16th floor of the South Korea Black Tower.]

[Physical abilities have been enhanced according to your level.]

[Traits and combat skills can be used.]

Physical abilities that had ascended yet another level.

Cossack moved forward to receive the mission.

Joo-hyuk following closely behind.

However?

"Gobang! Why are you not following, what are you doing?"

Barbarian Gobang completely ignored Cossack's words.

He didn't even look at him.

Gobang, solely staring blankly at Joo-hyuk.

He has quite the temper, alright.

And it seemed he knew exactly whose words he had to listen to.

"Please follow us, Mr. Gobang."

"Understood. Gobang obeys the summoner absolutely."

Only then did the Barbarian Warrior Gobang tag along.

From now on, he would have to issue commands to him individually.

Even if it was bothersome.

[16th Floor Mission : Eliminate 30 Goblin Scouts.]

[Completion Time Limit : Within 5 hours.]

[Completion Condition : Goblin Scout 0/30]

[Failure Condition : Death or Mission Abandonment]

The moment the mission popped up, the forest inside grew bustling.

Rustle, rustle.

Something was moving around.

"Summoner Bong, Please activate your Energy Shield, sir. You must also prepare yourself to instantly use your Shadow Step skill, sir."

"Got it."

Right at that time!

"Kekek!"

"Keeeeek!"

Goblin Scouts appearing out of nowhere.

Because they had been lying in ambush, their numbers were numerous.

'It easily looks like over 50 of them.'

Spit! Spipipit!

Things resembling pitch-black needles flew towards the three people.

From the front, from behind, from the ground, from atop the trees.

"Please dodge, sir!"

Tap, tap, tap.

"I will block them for you, sir!"

Cossack deflecting the poison darts flying towards Joo-hyuk with his daggers as he charged towards the forest.

However?

'Eh?'

The Barbarian Warrior who simply stood still in place even while being struck by poison darts.

They hadn't even lodged in properly either.

When he shook his body once, the poison darts fell down like dead leaves.

"Mr. Gobang? What are you doing? Don't just stand there getting hit, go out and wipe them all out."

In that instant!

The Barbarian Warrior whose eyes glinted like a wild beast.

"Hearing command. Kill them all. Will kill human assassin too."

"Except for Mr. Cossack."

"Leaving assassin out."

A summoned entity requiring plenty of hands-on management.

However.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

"Kuwaaaaaaah!!"

The Barbarian Warrior let out a roar as he joined the battlefield.

The Goblin Scouts fired poison darts, but they couldn't penetrate his thick skin and bounced off.

Grab!

The moment a scout's head was caught in his massive grip.

Crunch!

Splat!

The Barbarian Warrior popped it exactly as it was.

"...What in the."

It was a terrifying grip strength.

Was that truly a human?

Cossack beheaded the goblins while weaving and dodging the poison darts nimbly, but the Barbarian Warrior Gobang did no such thing.

Whether poison darts or arrows flew at him, he sprinted at a terrifying speed, thumping along, grabbed their heads, and popped them.

Craaaaack! Bam! Crunch!

Alternatively, he snatched them by the legs and smashed them against the ground.

Whirl! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow!

A dreadful intensity.

Amidst all that, Barbarian Gobang looked at Joo-hyuk with an innocent expression, as if to say, "I'm doing well, right?"

"G-Great job. Gobang!"

"I received praise from the summoner. I do better than the assassin."

It was true.

At least when it came to combat alone.

'That Barbarian Warrior is only ranked Rare?'

He should at least be SR, no, SSR.

'Perhaps he is a Rare because he has poor intelligence.'

That must be it.

Because having poor intelligence was a fatal flaw.

Gobang was dominating the battlefield.

Goblins were flying through the air.

Not because they sprouted wings, but because they had been thrown by the Barbarian Warrior.

Thick trees were uprooted and sent flying as well.

Boulders the size of houses were flying too.

Goblins that couldn't dodge were crushed to death one after another.

Cossack almost got crushed by a boulder as well.

"Hey, you son of a b......."

Pulling him was a great decision.

The Barbarian Warrior absorbing all the poison dart attacks from the Goblin Scouts solely with his bare body.

With the aggro drawn to him, Cossack's newly freed attacks grew fiercer as well.

Joo-hyuk also pulled out the mace from his inventory.

The Energy Shield had already been activated.

Ting! Ting-ting-ting-ting!

The poison darts that hit the shield and fell.

'...Wow! What would I have done without the shield?'

It's amazing?

'To think I'd be experimenting with the Energy Shield here.'

Without exception, special privileges were absolutely killer.

That was why he couldn't give up on the Platinum Badges.

'Then what about the skill?'

So far he had only practiced it alone, but how would it fare in actual combat?

'Let's go.'

Joo-hyuk took a step forward.

'Shadow Step.'

Swat!

Joo-hyuk, disappearing in a flash.

The afterimage left behind in that spot.

The poison darts struck the shadow and simply passed right through it.

Pipipipit!

Swat! Swawawat!

'It's a total cheat sheet.'

Could there be a better skill than this for running away?

There was a reason Cossack had told him to learn this first.

He gradually grew proficient.

To the point where poison darts weren't frightening.

Although the scouts concentrated their poison darts on Joo-hyuk.

Swat! Swat! Swat! Swat.......

They were pointlessly toyed with by his swift movements and the illusion-inducing afterimages.

'This is fun.'

Even more so than he anticipated!

'Do I perhaps have talent?'

No way!

That was a nonsensical story.

Ultimately.

[Notice : You have achieved the clear rank S++ for the 16th floor of the Black Tower (South Korea).]

[S++ Clear Reward : A Platinum Badge is awarded.]

Two was definitely better than one.

Wait, make that three?

* * *

Hannam-dong, Seoul.

Director Park Kyung-soo and Team Leader Jeon Kwang-il conversing while drinking warm tea.

The S++ Rank clear record holder, Player Bong Joo-hyuk.

They even sold equipment to him at a bargain price for his sake.

"Phew, I feel relieved now. Was Player Bong satisfied?"

"Yes, it seems so. He notified me that he would be climbing the 16th floor around this evening."

"Is that so? It feels rewarding."

He earnestly hoped he would begin climbing.

And set a record as well.

"By the way, what should we do about Player Bong's affiliation? Should we just keep feigning ignorance?"

"I believe feigning ignorance is a good method."

"Why?"

"Firstly, it allows us to conceal the existence of the S++ clear record holder, and secondly, considering Player Bong's personality, this method is effective."

"Hmm."

"We can simply observe him quietly, and if a situation requiring our support arises like this time, we can resolve it immediately."

Director Park Kyung-soo nodded as well.

Honestly, he still couldn't understand it.

To think he wouldn't even bat an eye when they poked him with the offer to shower him with benefits.

"Let us leave work now. What about you?"

"Since Player Bong mentioned he'd be clearing the 16th floor today, I will verify it before heading home."

"Will it be possible this time as well? It gets incredibly difficult starting from the 16th floor."

"Who knows. If we wait just a little......."

Right at that time!

Knock, knock.

A person opening the door to the Director's office and entering.

It was Manager Lee Min-ah, a player and an employee of the Management Agency.

"Ah, Manager Lee, what is it?"

"I-It just popped up."

"What... ah! Don't tell me?"

"Yes, it's the Black Tower 16th floor S++ Rank clear record."

"Hoho."

We sell him a few pieces of equipment cheaply, and he immediately clears it just like that?

"16 consecutive S++ floors... Is this even possible?"

Manager Lee Min-ah answered.

"In baseball terms, it is equivalent to a single pitcher throwing a perfect game for 16 consecutive matches."

"It's a crazy record."

It wasn't something to simply celebrate.

With this level of achievement, would neighboring countries sit still?

"We must conceal the information thoroughly. Especially keep an eye on movements from China or Japan."

"Yes."

They also had to continue building a relationship of trust.

"Form a dedicated team. And include Player Bong and his family in the target list for support."

Providing benefits not just to him, but to his family as well?

Perhaps it might be even more effective.

"However, don't act condescending or take credit for it."

"...If we don't take credit, how will they know it was us who did it?"

"Player Bong will naturally realize it. He's just timid, not stupid, right?"

"Yes. I will take responsibility and push forward with it."

Director Park Kyung-soo gained an objective.

During his remaining term, he would absolutely enlist Player Bong Joo-hyuk into the Elite Team without fail.

* * *

South Korea's tower climbing record was the 65th floor.

Tied for 2nd place globally alongside Norway and Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, fellow East Asian countries China and Japan were far below.

In fact, since information about each floor of the tower was recognized as a public good shared by all mankind, figuring out what appeared where and what typed of missions existed was not arduous.

The problem was the players.

Since the fate of a nation relied on a single player, securing skilled players was the key.

Therefore, fierce scouting wars would erupt, or talented players would be classified as national assets and thoroughly protected.

Yoo Chul-min, who was clearing the 65th floor of the South Korea Black Tower solo and challenging the 66th floor, was a player coveted by nations all over the world.

China and Japan's attempts to recruit Korean players were particularly persistent.

It was akin to a silent war.

Because if Player Yoo Chul-min changed his nationality, that country would unconditionally shoot up to the 65th floor.

China had a massive population.

Therefore, the number of players was also proportional to that.

China's tower climbing progress was merely completing the 58th floor and challenging the 59th.

It was an immense contrast to South Korea, which had completed the 65th floor and was challenging the 66th.

They had tried all sorts of methods.

Bestowing the title of Hero upon the first climbing player, showering them with prize money.......

The Mana Stone production was astronomical.

As a result, the Chinese economy was flourishing.

But the problem was the sluggish tower climbing.

The Black Tower erected near the metropolis of Shanghai, with a mere two months roughly left until the deadline for clearing the uncleared upper floors.

What if the countdown to destruction began at this rate?

They couldn't just sit back idly doing nothing.

They needed proactive countermeasures.

Namely, drawing superior players into their own nation through a naturalization policy.

If so, where would they bring these talents from?

The neighboring country, South Korea.

There were loads of talented players.

Even without necessarily winning over Yoo Chul-min, South Korea's top player, if they could just naturalize any Elite Team member, they wouldn't have to worry about the tower collapsing.

"Greater China" prestige and pride didn't matter.

Such things had crumbled long ago.

However, a news from South Korea.

Because they had heard there was an individual who recorded 16 consecutive S++ clears?

Such a player had never been heard of or experienced before in history.

Could they just sit still?

Since there were practically no pro-Chinese politicians in South Korean political circles, they couldn't operate behind the scenes, but they still had a reliable corner.

Although their nationality was South Korean player, they were Chinese-Koreans of Chinese descent, which naturally meant they were cooperative with China.

Even now, they were pouring their absolute utmost efforts into coaxing the Elite Team and discerning information on the S++ clear record holder.

* * *

In Japan's case, they were more desperate than other countries.

The tower was one thing, but the overarching problem was its location.

Japan's Black Tower was situated west of Mount Fuji.

Although it was far away from major metropolises, the observation was that if the tower collapsed, it would affect the earthquake zone.

A Kanto Earthquake the likes of which had never been experienced before could occur.

The sinking of the Japanese archipelago becoming a reality.

Furthermore, they said the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant wouldn't be safe either, so a tragedy matching Fukushima might repeat itself.

South Korea was comparatively fortunate.

Because it wasn't a metropolis, nor was it an earthquake zone.

Therefore, Japan harbored tremendous jealousy toward South Korea.

Why was our Japan's tower located in an earthquake zone, while South Korea's tower is on a rural hill with hardly any people?

Why were Korean players superior to Japanese players? Wasn't Japan universally recognized as a gaming powerhouse.

When the towers first appeared, Japan was confident.

Tower climbing was akin to a game system.

In a situation where "hikikomoris" who didn't even work and shut themselves at home solely playing console games were scattered everywhere in Japan.

When they awakened as players, they thought something like climbing a tower would be easy.

However, the result was catastrophic.

Tower climbing progress, 56th floor.

Dead last among the three countries of South Korea, China, and Japan.

Even if they somehow managed to get past the 50th floors, what would happen when the 60th arrived?

The collapse of the tower was as obvious as seeing fire.

Japan's choice was the same as China's.

Bringing South Korea's Elite Team players over to Japan.

Or inviting over the S++ Rank clear record holder who was making headlines these days.

Fortunately, there were numerous politicians with pro-Japanese tendencies stationed in South Korean political circles, so if they utilized them, they would soon attain favorable results.

* * *

The 16th floor clear was also successfully S++.

Cossack said there would be no problems up to the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th floors.

"Summoner Bong, sir, I almost pissed myself, sir. To think you'd turn that Barbarian Gobang idiot into a useful human being, sir."

He honestly wanted to say, 'He seemed stronger than you, Mr. Cossack?' but.......

"Phew! It was all possible because you, Mr. Cossack, led us from the front."

"Hehehe, you flatter me, sir."

"Hahaha!"

Then, looking at the Barbarian Warrior.

"Gobang, you bastard! Stop stuffing your face!"

"Kitchen tastes good."

"Chicken! Is this a kitchen? Chicken!"

"Yeah, kitchen."

A party after a clear was practically a given.

So he ordered some fried chicken.

Considering the Barbarian Warrior's massive size, he had ordered 10 whole chickens, but they were disappearing in a flash.

It was over once he lifted a box and poured it into his mouth.

Crunch, crunch!

He chewed and swallowed even the bones.

"Summoner, is a good person. If you feed me kitchen, I offer my life."

"Chicken!"

"Right. Kitchen."

"Ugh, fuck!"

A mere chicken like this was nothing.

The 20th floor was right before their eyes.

Assuming they received Platinum Badges for all of them.

'What will the privilege reward be.'

Skill? Item? Trait Enhancement?

Anything was fine as long as it made him safer.

There had been danger to himself as well during the 16th floor Goblin Scout subjugation mission.

If it hadn't been for Shadow Step and the Energy Shield, he unequivocally would have been struck by a poison dart.

What if he had been barehanded and possessed no skills?

Ever cautious.

Arrogance was absolutely forbidden.

He would take care of the 17th floor first and see from there.