Chapter 29 - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

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Translated by Jinmu

Read more at hivetoons.org

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Joo-hyuk was on the phone with Team Leader Jeon Kwang-il.

"It's late, but congratulations on clearing the 63rd floor."

- Hahaha, thank you. It's all thanks to you, Player Bong.

"What do you mean? It's because Player Nam Ga-eun did well, but her talent was definitively superior to Player Yoo Chul-min's, wasn't it?"

- That's how it has been since the past. We were just blind and poured all the Enhancement Runes and everything else into into that scumbag, so she couldn't see the light. Of course, she can't be compared to you, Player Bong.

"Speaking of Yoo Chul-min, did that scumbag also happen to live in our officetel?"

- No. He lived in the �� Apartment in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. In the top-floor penthouse.

Joo-hyuk had also seen the exterior in passing.

A 30-story building, constructed as a single block.

A place purportedly inhabited by top-tier celebrities, third-generation chaebols, and IT CEOs.

"Cheongdam-dong �� Apartment top-floor penthouse, wow! He lived in a nice place. To think he naturalized to Japan despite enjoying such benefits."

- Even now, just thinking about that bastard makes anger surge up.

"He likely abandoned everything that was in his apartment when he fled in a hurry."

- Yes, he only packed his valuables. Because we have been frantic, we haven't even been able to clean it up yet. If you are perhaps interested in that apartment.......

"Oh, absolutely not. I am satisfied with the officetel."

Joo-hyuk chatted with Jeon Kwang-il about this and that before hanging up.

"Did you hear where it is?"

"Yep!"

"Go and bring back a few items he used. Something unnoticeable even if it goes missing."

"How about something like a remote control, sir? It probably has a lot of hand grime on it, sir."

"That sounds fine."

"I will mobilize, sir."

Swoosh.

The Assassin Cossack, disappearing via Stealth Invisibility.

The door will be locked, but can he open it?

If he can't, he'll likely cut through the iron door and enter.

After dispatching Cossack, Joo-hyuk also prepared to head out.

Upon descending to the 1st floor, an employee emerged from the security office.

"Are you heading out, Player Bong Joo-hyuk?"

"Yes, I intend to visit my family home."

"I will prepare a vehicle for you."

"Thank you, as always."

"Hahaha, not at all. That is our job."

Joo-hyuk's new family home.

A brand-new apartment received as a condition for contracting with the Elite Team.

Although it was far below Yoo Chul-min's penthouse, it was still a difference like heaven and earth compared to where they previously lived.

His family had completed the relocation.

Joo-hyuk unlocked the door using the password he had memorized in advance and entered.

"Wow! This is a nice house. Ahem, the smell of a new house."

His mother, Hong Geum-ja, welcomed Joo-hyuk.

"Welcome. Have you eaten?"

"No. I came to eat here."

"Okay, sit down. I'll set the table quickly."

His father, Bong Su-cheol, was also home.

He had temporarily checked out of the hospital upon hearing Joo-hyuk was coming.

"Father, how is your health?"

"I'm just continually fattening up like a pig. My bones have mostly knit together too. I think I'll be able to check out soon."

"Hehe, do you know who you have to thank for all this? It's all thanks to having a good son."

Suddenly!

The expressions on his father and mother darkened.

"...Why? Did something bad happen?"

"What bad thing could possess happened? Because I'm thinking of living in luxury while sending my child into a death ground, I'm doing it because I feel good."

"Hey now! I'm telling you I'm perfectly fine? Do you know how much I'm holding back while climbing?"

It's the truth.

Whenever I try to hunt a monster, Cossack frowns, and Gyeon Dal-rae cries.

Yesterday, too, I couldn't even touch a single hair on a Troll.

"Don't you know me, Father? The moment I feel the slightest bit of danger, I immediately withdraw my foot."

"That's because you take after me."

"My mother's genes are slightly mixed in there too, though?"

"Are you bragging?"

"Yes."

Suddenly!

Bang!

The blood relative bastard bursting through the door.

"You said Hyung is here? Where is he? Hyung, Hyung!"

"Don't scamper around like a puppy."

"Oh! You were eating? Anyway, Hyung is also on the Elite Team, right."

"That's right."

"Then have you seen Player Nam Ga-eun's face?"

"I saw it."

I even hugged her, you punk.

"Please get an autograph for me. I'd like to take a picture together too, but I guess that's asking too much."

"An autograph?"

"Why? Can't you? Guess you aren't that close. Then again, given it's Hyung, would you have even mixed words with Player Nam Ga-eun?"

This bastard.......

"Bring me a piece of paper."

"Here."

Joo-hyuk scribbled his autograph on the paper in a single continuous stroke.

"...What are you doing right now?"

"My autograph."

"My word, what a waste of paper."

"Just hold onto it for now. Who knows? I might become more famous than Player Nam Ga-eun."

"Hyung, are you serious?"

"Yeah."

You foolish punk.

Why don't you comprehend the truth?

"Should I give one to Father too?"

"What would I use that for."

His mother also vigorously shook her head.

Wait, it's my autograph though!

This really is disappointing.

"...Understood. I'll get Player Nam Ga-eun's autograph for you. How many do you need?"

Thereupon.

"One for me too."

His father as well.

"Son, 10 for me, no, 20."

His mother too.

'Haa.'

None of them have a clue.

Just how incredible of a person their macho son Bong Joo-hyuk is.

A person who accomplished 30 continuous S++ clears.

What can I do?

Since I can't even reveal it.

I'll just get the autographs for them.

Still, seeing my family living well puts me in a good mood.

The shackles of poverty have vanished far, far away now.

I really must treat them to proper luxury one day.

* * *

Joo-hyuk spent time at his family home before returning to his officetel.

Beep, as he opened the door and entered, Cossack, who had been watching TV, sprang up.

"Loyalty! Have you returned, sir?"

"Yes, did you finish already?"

"Mission accomplished, sir."

"Oh! How did you open the door?"

"It was already open, sir. There were police officers inside the house, you see."

"You weren't caught, right?"

"Who do you think I am? I'm an SSR, an SSR!"

As expected of the SSR Cossack.

Joo-hyuk spoke as he received Yoo Chul-min's everyday items that Cossack handed him.

"I apologize, but I think you'll have to return early today. I have something to take care of separately."

"Yes, sir."

He dismissed Cossack through Summoning Cancellation, opened the status window, and checked the catalog.

[Catalog]: John Cossack/ Barbarian Meat Shield/ Gyeon Dal-rae

After rating all three with 5 stars.

"Designated Summoning, Gyeon Dal-rae."

[Gyeon Dal-rae has been designated and summoned.]

"Young Master, to bestow so many stars upon me, I am merely at a loss as to how to repay this grace."

Gyeon Dal-rae, walking nimbly and bowing deeply as if she were about to take flight.

Tomorrow, he was scheduled to clear the 31st floor.

A mission to hunt a monster called a Minotaur.

It was the large monster section.

A new type of monster.

Half-man, half-bull, a bipedal cow-headed monster.

He heard it wields a giant axe.

I want to face it.

It's been a long time since I used my Shadow Step.

At this rate, I might forget how to use it.

Now, the target to persuade isn't Cossack.

It's Gyeon Dal-rae, I have to persuade her.

Even if she's a woman, she's a summoned entity.

So there isn't much pressure either.

I've studied and practiced a lot too.

I should dig into her weak points and attack.

First, the necessity of hunting the monster.

"Ahem, Princess Gyeon Dal-rae."

"Please speak, Young Master Bong."

"Being born a man, even if I cannot achieve 'Governing the State and Pacifying the World,' it's unacceptable for me to cower before a mere monster, isn't it?"

"Not at all. How could you say such a thing? Young Master Bong is a gentleman more than capable of 'Governing the State and Pacifying the World'."

"What kind of gentleman can't even hunt a single monster?"

"......."

Gyeon Dal-rae, unable to answer.

Although she is a princess, she is still young.

If I can't persuade a mere middle or high schooler, how can I call myself a macho man?

Therefore, with an utterly despondent expression.

"I have my skills, plenty of defensive items, and my level has increased, yet to say I can't even face a single monster, does that make sense?"

"T-That's not it......."

"I'm at the point where I couldn't even refute it if someone called me a coward."

"...How could you say such a thing? My, this humble girl's heart feels as though it is being torn into a thousand, ten thousand pieces."

It's working well.

Next, the seduction tactic.

"...Was the ice cream delicious?"

"Excuse me?"

An expression from Gyeon Dal-rae showing she couldn't comprehend the reason behind the sudden question.

"There's an ice cream parlor I know well, and there are a whopping 30 different flavors."

"T-Thirty kinds?"

"Strawberry flavor, chocolate flavor, cherry flavor, cheese flavor, yogurt, mint... whew! There's so many I can't even remember them all."

Gyeon Dal-rae audibly gulped.

"You've never had a macaron before, right? It's a Western confectionary, and it's remarkably chewy and incredibly sweet. And what about cake? The soft fresh cream is just!"

Gyeon Dal-rae was a young girl from heaven too.

She was just blankly staring at Joo-hyuk's mouth.

As expected, the food to enchant a young girl is dessert rather than a piping hot bowl of gukbap.

"Let me just hunt exactly five. I'll salvage my dignity as a gentleman, and Princess, you can eat all the desserts I just mentioned to your heart's content."

Gyeon Dal-rae parting and pressing her lips together, hesitating.

Then.

"T-Then, just one......."

"Let's make it three! Nice and clean!"

"...I worry that Young Master might be in danger."

"Cossack and Gobang will be there too. We'll also have the Princess's drum and bell sounds."

"......."

Is she yielding?

"I understand. I, this humble girl, will uphold Young Master's will."

"It's a promise."

"This humble girl always keeps her promises without fail."

She yielded.

"I, too, unconditionally keep my promises. Here is what we discussed before. The personal belongings that Yoo Chul-min used."

In an instant, Gyeon Dal-rae's gaze turned chillingly cold.

"Are you speaking of that Waegu (Japanese Pirate) bastard?"

"That's right."

Joo-hyuk handed her a plastic bag containing Yoo Chul-min's everyday items.

"Please wait but a moment. It will conclude shortly."

"Take your time. Slowly."

Gyeon Dal-rae abruptly took out a small silver ornamented dagger from her sleeve and slit her own finger.

"Gasp!"

Doesn't that hurt?

Dark red blood trickled down from her hand.

"Oh my, Princess! Didn't you say there wouldn't be any harm?"

How much it must hurt.

Flustered, as he was about to take a band-aid from the medicine cabinet to put on her finger.

"I am perfectly alright. It does not hurt either."

Then, with her other hand, she gripped the remote control inside the bag.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Incomprehensible drawings and symbols etched with blood on the plastic surface.

She drew them densely.

A moment later.

The drawings and symbols emitted a crimson light.

"It is all finished."

"...That was simpler than I thought. Apart from the bleeding."

"How could launching Karma (Karma) compare to launching a Death Curse (Death Curse (Sal)) (Death Curse)? It is merely leaving it to the judgment of the heavens."

"Ah!"

"If his sins are light, it will end in minor misfortune; if his sins are heavy, a great misfortune will visit him."

Fighting, Yoo Chul-min!

I pray the sins you committed aren't too heavy.

Then, now for the 31st-floor clear.

Let's take it slow.

Tanker, dealer, buffer, a 3-person party.

We can safely proceed up to the 40th floor.

There's no need to use the Skill Cooldown Reset Ticket right now.

I'll be climbing slowly anyway.

There's no rush.

If I were in a rush, I'd use it right away.

From the 41st floor onwards?

When the cooldown returns, I'll pull one more person.

If the new summoned entity's rank doesn't meet expectations, I'll use the ticket to pull again.

That should be fine.

'Heh! A perfect plan.'

If I can get a Trait Enhancement in the meantime, that would be the icing on the cake.

I heard there are Runes of Trait Enhancement too, isn't there anywhere I can procure one?

* * *

A major broadcasting station in Japan.

Yoo Chul-min appeared as a guest on a special broadcast.

With the news that the player who naturalized to become Japan's highest-ranking player was appearing on a broadcast, viewer ratings skyrocketed endlessly.

Announcers fluent in Korean, and even interpreters, were mobilized.

"Ryu-san, thank you for agreeing to the interview."

"Don't mention it."

After exchanging customary greetings.

"I heard you plan to clear the 57th floor today?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"From what I know, there remains a lot of time left on the clear time limit."

"Hahaha, that's right. There is absolutely no problem taking it slow, however."

Skillfully looking directly at the camera.

"I wanted to send encouragement to our citizens who must be disheartened by various miscellaneous incidents lately."

Upon relaying his intent via real-time interpretation.

"How impressive! As a fellow Japanese citizen, I am proud."

"Do not worry. Japan is safe. As long as I am here, a collapse of the tower will absolutely never occur."

"My heart is swelling. Then, when and where do you plan to clear it?"

"Is there any need to drag this out? Let me go and return straight from here."

"Oh!"

This broadcast was organized by the Kawaguchi Cabinet Government.

Yoo Chul-min's desire for recognition and the Kawaguchi Cabinet's intent to boost approval ratings aligned perfectly.

Thus, they decided to broadcast the entire process of his successful clear live, from entering the tower to exiting, and subsequently revealing the bodycam footage.

A program planned for a total of 10 hours of live broadcasting.

While Yoo Chul-min was clearing the 57th floor, singers and entertainers would perform until the clear was complete.

In between, they would broadcast a timeline of his successful clear of the 57th floor in the Korean Black Tower when he was still Korean.

Back when Yoo Chul-min cleared the 57th floor of the Korean Black Tower, his clear record was approximately 8 hours.

Since his level has increased, he should be much faster than that.

Allocating about 5 hours should be sufficient.

While they couldn't watch the clear footage in real-time, once he exited the tower, they planned to immediately connect the recorded bodycam and transmit it across Japan.

The Kawaguchi Cabinet, whose approval ratings had plummeted, would revive through this show.

It was truly a flawless plan.

"Then, I will be back."

As soon as his words fell, the audience, announcers, panelists, and staff all cheered and clapped their hands.

Yoo Chul-min's smile of pride.

'Right, this is exactly it.'

A cheer he hadn't felt in quite a long time.

Lately, those Korean bastards had swarmed his SNS accounts, pouring out all sorts of mockery and malicious comments.

In truth, there were good times in Korea as well.

When he pertained to the Elite Team and broke through the tower climb faster than anyone else, the Korean citizens also cheered for him.

Not only was he treated like a hero, but he also received an annual salary he could have never touched in his life, a spacious apartment overlooking the Han River, a nice car, and even diplomatic immunity.

They even stepped forward and covered up the drunk driving hit-and-run incident he committed, and when he was arrested by police on assault charges for beating a room salon escort who refused secondary services, the law firm hired by the Management Agency handled it.

Besides those, he frequently committed petty crimes, but they didn't leave a single mark on his record.

It truly was a good era.

If there had been even a slight possibility of clearing the 66th floor, he never would have naturalized.

Well, it's the exact same here.

When contracting with Japan as well, he explicitly delineated immunity from arrest and diplomatic immunity for crimes.

'Shall I slowly make my entrance?'

But right at that moment.

'Huh?'

Yoo Chul-min tilted his head.

Because his condition felt bizarre.

A tingling sensation in both hands, coupled with a slight headache.

'Is my condition poor?'

I should rest well after returning.

The 57th floor?

What's difficult about that?

The only issue is entirely reducing the time spent.

I just need to pop in and back quickly.

It's a floor I successfully cleared at level 57.

Moreover, I've familiarized myself with all the patterns through countless repetitive missions.

Right now, I am level 66.

Upon entering the tower, your physical abilities aren't adjusted according to the floor; they are adjusted according to your level.

There's no way I could possibly fail a mission that is 9 floors or beneath my level!

Swish!

It was a real-time live broadcast.

In an instant, Yoo Chul-min vanished from the TV screen.

As soon as Yoo Chul-min vanished, the announcer stated.

"To all Japanese citizens watching, please gather your strength for Ryu-san."

Japanese singers appeard, belting out songs while delivering "Ganbare (Do your best) Ryu-san!" comments.

Intermittently, footage of Yoo Chul-min's exploits also played.

About an hour had passed?

Suddenly!

Whoooosh!

Light coalescing inside the broadcasting station studio.

Could it be?

Only 1 hour has passed, yet a successful clear already?

Pop!

Yoo Chul-min, seemingly exiting the tower, reappeared.

But there is something slightly odd.

A look of visible dismay was written all over Yoo Chul-min's face.

The announcer hastily approached.

"Ryu-san, ...the, the clear?"

Yoo Chul-min breathed a deep sigh, then.

He took out a Healing Potion from his inventory and gulped it down.

"It seems it was quite a difficult battle."

"...Fuck!"

"Eh?"

Yoo Chul-min turned his body around exactly as he was and exited the set studio.

"Ryu-san! Ryu-san! Where, where are you going?"

He didn't even reply.

Ultimately, the broadcast was suspended.

An anime began playing on the TV screen instead.

And a few hours later.

Breaking news began cropping up all over Japan.