Jeon Gwang-il was at Incheon Airport.
Hearing that his valued clients had finished their business and were departing, he had come to see them off.
"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the holy sword experience."
"To be honest, I can't say I was all that satisfied."
"Yes? What do you mean?"
"I rented it twice, and you didn't even give me a discount. That's rather disappointing."
It was a complaint laced with dissatisfaction from Director Antonio.
It didn't sound like a joke—he seemed serious.
Disappointed, my ass.
Who tries to haggle down the rental fee?
I'd felt it for a long time now, but Director Antonio really is a cheapskate.
Before, he'd shocked everyone by offering just one million dollars for the holy sword rental.
Still, thanks to Player Gerald, we managed to collect everything.
He must have fallen head over heels for the holy sword's effects.
He kept insisting—right in front of me—that he absolutely had to rent it one more time. How was I supposed to stop that?
"By the way, where did the holy sword's owner acquire such an item?"
"Well, who knows? Maybe as a Tower reward? At least above the 50th floor, I'd guess."
"Hahaha, what a tremendous reward. If you clear it with an S++ rating, do they really give out items like that?"
"I wouldn't know. The holy sword's owner isn't even an S++ record holder."
There he goes again, trying to fish for information.
He'd been like that since yesterday.
Subtly probing whether the Administration knew the identity of the S++ clear record holder.
Of course, Jeon Gwang-il never took the bait.
"If you're that curious, Director Antonio, why don't you find the S++ record holder yourself and ask? And if you do find out, please let me know too. We're genuinely curious who it is."
Director Antonio was persistent.
"Then, if the opportunity arises… would it be possible for me to meet the holy sword's owner in person and thank them directly?"
"At the airport? Your departure time must be close."
"It's a private jet, so I can leave anytime."
"Ah, I see. But the actual owner of the holy sword is also extremely busy. I only communicate with them by message myself. I'll pass along your thanks."
Antonio spoke with a thin smile.
"Yes, yes, please do."
I need to be careful.
America is more dangerous than Japan or China.
If Bong Juhyeok's identity were revealed, how would the U.S. react?
They'd use every means possible to take him.
"Oh! By the way, Mr. Jeon, I hear some good news…"
"Yes? What news?"
"Aren't you up for promotion this time?"
"How did you know that?"
"I have ears too. People here and there told me. Congratulations."
"…Thank you."
They're fast with information.
As expected of America.
That's right.
Thanks to the successful clear of the 66th floor, Jeon Gwang-il had been placed on the promotion list.
He was scheduled to be appointed to the vacant position of Vice Director of the Administration.
"So next time, I'll be seeing you as Vice Director."
"Hahaha, you flatter me. Well then, since you have your schedule, please have a safe trip home. I have some urgent business, so I'll take my leave."
"Yes. We'll see each other in a few months."
America was currently attempting to clear the 67th floor, where the Undead Phantom Reaper appeared.
There was still plenty of time, so they'd push a few times, fail, and eventually come back again.
They'd already tasted the holy sword.
As if they wouldn't come back.
Anyway, that made two holy sword rentals.
Twenty million dollars total.
2.6 billion won.
He wanted to share this happy news with Player Bong Juhyeok, but he couldn't get in touch right now.
They'd talked in advance.
Bong Juhyeok planned to meditate for two days.
It was something players often did.
For those who had to clear the Tower alone, mental stability was the most important thing.
Even elite team members did many things to recover mentally.
Yoga, listening to music, going camping, or like Player Nam Ga-eun, working out.
For Bong Juhyeok, it was probably meditation.
Don't disturb him. Just wait until he calls first.
※ ※ ※
Gyeon Dallae often referred to Gosak and Gobang as "farmhands."
But now a real farmhand had shown up.
After a cheering toss and exchanging greetings,
As soon as the welcome ended, Rajiks started cleaning the house.
"Ho-eo! Feet up, feet!"
Rajiks rolled around, wiping the floor with a rag.
It was hard to tell whether he was cleaning the floor with the rag or with his own body.
A man living alone usually doesn't keep a very tidy house.
Unless he's a germaphobe, and Juhyeok's studio apartment definitely leaned toward the messy side.
Yet it was being cleaned up in an instant.
It was so fast it felt like watching a time-lapse video at triple speed.
Since his arms were short, Rajiks used tools.
He pulled tongs out of his backpack and organized things with them.
Whenever he picked up an item that was out of place and tossed it lightly, it somehow found its proper spot.
"Is that a skill too?"
He wiped dust from the shelves, tossed scattered clothes into the washing machine, rinsed dishes and put them into the dishwasher, threw trash into the bin, and sorted cardboard boxes, PET bottles, cans, and glass bottles by type and bundled them neatly.
Gyeon Dallae exclaimed in admiration.
"Of all the farmhands this maiden has seen, he is truly the finest. How diligent he is, even without being told!"
After finishing, Rajiks put both hands on his hips, puffed out his chest, and admired his work.
"Hoo-eng!"
His face was brimming with undisguisable pride.
Applause was inevitable.
Clap clap clap clap!
"That's amazing, Mr. Rajiks!"
"Splendid. Even granting you the title of Head Farmhand Supreme Servant would not be enough. Everyone should learn from you. This maiden shall give you a hug."
"Ho-eh?"
"He cleaned up everything Gobang messed up. Cool. He's a real farmhand."
"Ho-eeng!"
Juhyeok fell in love with Rajiks.
A mad demon?
If you took one along, he'd just roam around talking about world domination.
Threatening to kill fellow companions and all that.
But look at this diligent, well-praised labyrinth worker, the round and adorable Rajiks.
Is there even a comparison to be made?
—Rajiks was always considered one of the top workers among labyrinth adventurers. Bringing Rajiks along cut the difficulty of a labyrinth expedition by more than half—it was no exaggeration. Cooking, laundry, building camps, herb gathering, mining, tanning, weapon maintenance… there was nothing he couldn't do. However, during a labyrinth exploration, he was swallowed by the boss of the 93rd underground floor, the giant serpent Apophis.
Even the background description proved Rajiks's greatness.
But it was a pity.
From the 51st floor onward, they'd have to part ways.
Just a little while ago, they'd gathered separately with the summoned beings except for Rajiks and discussed things in hushed tones.
"Rajiks is cute, but he doesn't provide much benefit for climbing the Tower. We're not here to clean the Tower."
"He is cute, but this maiden agrees. It would be best to keep him for thirty days and then replace him when the random summon occurs."
"Rajiks is cute. He works well. But he is weak."
That was the consensus.
Bring him along only up to the 50th floor.
For an S++ clear on the 51st floor, they absolutely needed to add one more damage dealer.
A magic-type or long-range attacker would be ideal.
The basic framework of an S++ clear was mob-pull farming.
Up to the 50th floor, the monsters are terrestrial, so it's manageable.
No matter how big or fast they are, once Gobang—now grown massive—locks down aggro completely, Kosak pours in damage like a madman, and Gyeon Dallae's buffs are layered on top, the clear is over in the blink of an eye.
However, starting from the 51st floor, mob-pull farming against flying monsters is no easy task.
Because they can fly.
Even when they descend, they hover in the air and harass the player.
And when things look dangerous, they simply take flight and escape.
The absolute worst-case scenario is Kosak or Gyeon Dallae—both light in weight—being snatched by a wyvern's claws and carried off into the air. Juhyeok himself would also be exposed to that risk.
They need to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
The conclusion: burst damage.
If you have a magic-type or ranged attacker, you can damage them even as they descend, wearing them down in advance. And with just one more damage dealer added, pulling and wiping out four or five at once becomes easy.
In the next random summon, they absolutely must pull a damage dealer.
For that reason, from the 51st floor onward, the correct answer is to drop Rajiks.
Unless his traits get enhanced one more time, that is.
But that would be extremely difficult.
"For now, to celebrate the arrival of a new member, shall we go clear the 41st floor?" Juhyeok proposed.
"Chung! I'm confident in S++. Just trust this SSSR Kosak."
"There's SSSR Gobang too."
"This maiden shall always serve the young master with unwavering loyalty."
"Ho-eeng!"
Rajiks raised his short arms high as he responded as well.
…Responded to what, exactly?
※ ※ ※
[Entering the 41st floor of the Black Tower (Republic of Korea).]
From the 41st floor onward, giant terrestrial beasts appear.
The environment was a forest thick with short grass and trees.
[41st Floor Mission: Defeat 15 Ironclad Basilisks.]
Ironclad Basilisks.
Giant reptiles that looked like a cross between crocodiles and lizards.
Their size alone was terrifying.
About 7 to 8 meters in length.
If you met their gaze, your body would stiffen.
And then they would bite off your head.
The cause: a paralysis beam.
Once hit, you couldn't even run away.
You had to block the paralysis beam.
In the early days, many players fell to it, but now countermeasure items had been developed, making it relatively safe.
But for Juhyeok?
A paralysis beam was nothing.
He had three SSSR heroes.
Plus one macho man and one cute hamster.
"All right, let's clear this quickly and go out for a company dinner. A dinner! In that spirit, I'll take three basilisks. Deal? Too few? I'll take four."
Kosak shook his head firmly.
"Summoner Bong, that's a no."
"What? Why now?"
"Gotta protect Rajiks. Look! Ain't he cute?"
"Ho-eeng?"
"If he rushes forward and gets killed by a monster, what then? Summoner Bong, you protect Rajiks."
Now they were blocking him from fighting using Rajiks as an excuse?
"Then why doesn't Mr. Kosak look after Mr. Rajiks?"
"If I get tied down, how're we supposed to get an S++ clear?"
"…"
Gyeon Dallae chimed in as well.
"This maiden too wishes to protect Mr. Rajiks, but I must shake my bell. Young master, please take on this crucial duty."
What terrible people.
They'd clearly said he'd be participating from the 41st floor onward.
Should I just summon the Mad Demon one more time?
Honestly, he was worried about Rajiks.
What if he died to a basilisk, just like when he'd been swallowed by the giant serpent?
A weak, fragile hamster worker—
He absolutely had to protect him.
But then he thought about it.
Was this how the summoned beings felt when they looked at him?
"…Hmm."
Nah, no way!
I'm a talented macho man.
Anyway, just for today, he'd step back.
Because he was worried about Rajiks.
The raid began.
Gyeon Dallae's bell-buff rang out.
Gobang, body rapidly expanding, grabbed a basilisk by the tail with one hand and slammed it into the ground.
Then came Kosak's finishing blow.
With a dagger, he pierced the basilisk's head and scrambled its brain.
Paralysis beam?
It had no effect whatsoever.
Gyeon Dallae's buff neutralized the paralysis beam and applied a debuff to weaken it.
The kill count climbed in an instant.
Ah…
Juhyeok wanted to join the fight too.
Wasn't he level 41?
And he'd just received a full set of special perk items, yet hadn't even gotten to use them.
It couldn't be helped.
If it was to protect the cute worker Rajiks…
"Huh?!"
Where did he go?
Rajiks had vanished in an instant.
Juhyeok looked around frantically.
He was right next to me a moment ago.
Just then—
He spotted a white ball of fur on a dead basilisk's corpse.
…When did he get over there?
Spot!
He dashed toward the spot using Shadow Step, but—
…Gone again.
Unbelievable. He was elusive.
A speed Rajiks's short legs should never be able to produce.
Did he have some kind of teleport?
"Ho-eeeeng!"
He heard a sound.
Turning his gaze—
"…Hahaha."
This time, the ball of fur was under a tree on the opposite side.
What on earth?
He couldn't understand why it was scurrying around like that.
He ran again, but once more he was too late.
Balls of fur spotted here and there.
When he finally saw how it was moving—
It was rolling.
Wow! So that's how he moves.
Roll-roll-roll-roll, roll-roll-roll-roll—
It was so fast Juhyeok couldn't keep up.
Given how round his body was, rolling had to be far faster than walking on those short legs.
Anyway, while he was busy chasing—
[Ironclad Basilisk defeated 15/15]
[You have succeeded in the 41st floor mission.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Reward: Magic Crystals 4.1 kg]
The clear was complete.
As expected, the reward was just magic crystals.
[Notice: You have achieved an S++ clear rating on the 41st floor of the Black Tower (Korea).]
[S++ Clear Reward: You are awarded a Platinum Badge.]
Spot!
Juhyeok and the summoned beings returned to the officetel once more.
"Good work."
"You've all worked very hard."
"Thanks to the Summoner, it ended well."
"…"
Good work, my ass.
I didn't even get to test the set items.
But then—
"Ho-eeeng…"
Rajiks was sobbing, tears streaming down his face.
…Why is he crying now?
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"Ho-eeng, no."
"Then why are you crying?"
"The clear ended too quickly."
"Isn't it good if it ends quickly?"
"I could only gather this much. I'm so sorry. Ho-eeng."
Gather?
Rajiks rummaged through his small backpack and pulled something out.
Thud!
A huge, single-piece hide from an Ironclad Basilisk.
"…I-it's hide."
"A whole hide."
How did he bring that?
It wasn't a mission reward.
Even if you got rewards, they wouldn't give something like a full hide.
At best, they'd toss you a small scrap of leather.
Next—
Thud-thud-thud!
Magic crystals that looked to weigh at least 20 kilograms.
"…."
And then—
Thudududud!
Countless strands of unidentified grass.
"…Herbs?"
Normally, the herbs you got as mission rewards were just a few bundles of dried grass.
These looked like freshly harvested, raw herbs.
How on earth?
Just a moment ago, Rajiks had said "gathering."
'So these aren't reward items…'
He gathered them inside the Tower?
'That was possible?'
That couldn't be right.
If gathering inside the Tower had been possible, there would never have been a shortage of materials.
Juhyeok realized something.
'I underestimated him.'
The ability of a worker.
Suddenly, the small Rajiks looked larger than Gobang.
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