Everyone except Be Officer—who was undergoing her rank breakthrough—and Alia Mari had been summoned to Juhyeok's family home.
Behind Juhyeok as he talked with his family, the summoned beings sat neatly gathered together.
The living room was completely full.
Still, the family looked uneasy.
Strangers had filled their living room—it was only natural.
Juhyeok did explain things.
From the moment he gained his summoning trait and first entered the tower, to how he cleared S++ and S+++ runs with the summoned beings' help, and how he came to be called the world's top player.
He summarized it simply, in an easy-to-understand way.
He left out the nonsense.
There was no need to explain every detail.
"So… these people are helping you, Juhyeok?"
"Yes."
"Th-they're… very kind people. Are you repaying them properly?"
"I always treat them well."
Minhyuk glanced nervously at the summoned beings and whispered,
"Wow. Our hyung really has it easy."
"…You're not wrong."
He also gave them permanent residence permits.
He had prepared them in advance.
As he handed one to each, they gained the skill to enter the White Tower's 17th floor, just like CEO Jung.
He didn't forget to tell them that if anything dangerous ever happened, they should immediately use the entry skill to go to the 17th floor.
"Hm… a-alright. I'll try it slowly."
"Me too."
The family still seemed burdened by the summoned beings.
That was understandable.
To them, these people were still strangers.
Maybe it was the pressure of their souls.
Just making eye contact made them shrink back.
And one of them was even claiming to be North Korea's Minister of the People's Armed Forces.
It couldn't feel pleasant.
For now, they were scary people.
"Minhyuk, if you're bored, come hang out often."
And help out a bit, too.
"Well… shouldn't I get familiar with them first?"
"You get familiar by coming often."
Meanwhile, Rajiks was still cleaning, carrying golden cleaning tools from room to room.
Rumble, scurry, scurry!
Swish swish, scrub scrub, roll roll, roll roll.
The family's gazes followed Rajiks.
Sometimes with curiosity, sometimes with warm smiles.
Rajiks had clearly succeeded in breaking down their wariness.
Anyway, faces had been introduced.
The family's safety was secured.
Now, even if the house caught fire, if they fell into the sea and were about to drown, if the tower collapsed and the world ended—
the family would be safe.
Just shout "White Tower, 17th floor," and that was it.
It would take time, but someday they would grow familiar with everyone.
They'd drop by once in a while, get used to faces, and slowly grow accustomed.
He had finally told his family.
After saying it out loud, his chest felt completely clear.
He should've told them earlier.
Even after coming out, daily life continued as usual.
While Be Officer trained in seclusion for her rank breakthrough at the White Tower landmark's 61st floor, bracelet production continued.
Rajiks Trading Company outsourced work to nearly every accessory subcontractor in Korea's precious metals district.
The massive number of bracelet bodies produced were transported into the 17th floor.
But they weren't sold outright—it was a subscription system.
Sales volume had to be controlled, and inventory always had to be prepared.
Just like before, this sale was limited to 3,000 units, first come first served.
Requests to increase sales flooded in, but they refused.
Even when they made more than enough, they simply stockpiled them.
If they sold too many, they wouldn't be able to handle the massive number of bracelet replacements that would return three months later.
So sales were staggered and sequential.
Once worn, the cursed artifact could never be removed.
Enchanting work continued day after day to maintain supply.
Workshop foreman Kosak drove the workers hard.
"Hey, Mister Mage! What are you doing? Hurry up and cast the enchantment spell and finish up."
"I've got a disciple."
"But Mage Jung has a high defect rate. Three out of ten are faulty."
"I'm handling the defective ones myself, so don't worry."
"If you did it from the start, there wouldn't be defects."
"Come on! If you only look for veterans, how are rookies supposed to gain experience?"
Juhyeok still wasn't satisfied.
If they kept working like this, when would they ever have fun?
"I think we need to bring in more people. Everyone's working too much."
KenDallae replied,
"I understand Young Master's benevolent heart, but you must be careful who you bring in. It could cause trouble…"
"That's right. MZ folks are hard to manage these days. Unless they're like Chief Jeon or CEO Jung."
True.
Was this an ordinary workplace?
You needed an experience pass, a lease pass, or a residence pass to even enter.
How could they bring just anyone?
Minhyuk would be nice, but… no, that wimp.
There was a plan to bring in one person.
The random summon date was approaching.
A new summoned being.
'The odds are low, but if I pull a magical engineer…'
They could build a factory.
A fully automated one.
Mass-produce bracelets.
'Still, Be Officer won't be back for another ten days.'
It had only been four days since she entered seclusion.
Yet her absence felt enormous.
The moment she returned, they'd challenge the 84th floor.
That bald eagle bastard—he'd smash it.
Thinking about how Rajiks nearly died made his blood boil.
They'd also avenge the blood wolf.
Right—why had Rajiks run off so suddenly back then?
What scent had he caught?
When Juhyeok asked,
"Hoe, it was a very strong smell."
"…What kind?"
"Strong. Hoe."
Then—
"Could it have been a high-grade magic stone vein?"
"Hoe… it was strong."
I see.
Now Rajiks's behavior made sense.
Juhyeok had been going on and on about needing high-grade magic stones to decorate the 17th floor.
From Rajiks's perspective, it was inevitable.
"Cosmic bald farmer… just you wait."
If they hit the jackpot on the 84th floor next time, he'd give Rajiks two badges immediately.
That would make twenty-five.
Five LSSR skills.
The minimum requirement to become an LSSR-ranked summoned being.
Each badge earned step by step.
The first summoned being to achieve it.
He was beyond excited.
What would an LSSR cosmic bald farmer look like?
In any case, the White Tower's 17th floor workshop ran nonstop.
Sometimes they skinned leather, sometimes they had group dinners after hard labor, and the heavy drinkers gathered for drinks.
"CEO Jung, you're improving steadily."
"Thank you, Master."
"Hahaha, it's all for our summoner's sake. How about it? Starting to want to learn other spells?"
"N-no, I'm fine. The enchantment activation spell alone is enough."
"No ambition, huh? Still, aim for 3-circle. To go around calling yourself Mackenzie Dronak's disciple, you need at least that much."
Everyone knew why Mackenzie taught Jung Dong-hoon magic.
No one was fooled—it was because he was convenient labor.
Still, the results were good.
CEO Jung was satisfied too.
Sometimes Minhyuk also visited the 17th floor.
He was extremely shy around everyone except family.
Even at his university, he was known as the "all-items unit"—a true bottom-tier man who avoided attention.
"Oh! Summoner Bong's brother is here. A precious Bong bloodline."
"Welcome, Second Young Master."
"Come often. This old man will teach you some usable martial arts—"
But—
…
After standing awkwardly for a while—
Spot!
Minhyuk disappeared.
Tsk.
It'd take a long time to get close.
Three more days passed like that.
They kept producing bracelets.
The more they worked, the more natural it felt.
Working in the workshop with the summoned beings, Chief Jeon, and CEO Jung—chatting as they worked—was surprisingly fun.
'Anyway, Be Officer should be back in a week.'
Juhyeok looked toward the building where she was undergoing her breakthrough.
'Should I go up?'
But he worried about disturbing her.
'Still, maybe I could quietly take a look—'
At that moment—
Hwaaaaaat!
The top of the landmark building shone like a lighthouse.
"Oh!"
"What's that?"
Something was happening.
A breakthrough?
'There's still a week left.'
What if something went wrong?
Rumble rumble.
Juhyeok and the summoned beings rushed toward the landmark building.
The moment they entered the lobby—
"Huh!"
"Mm?"
"I-it's moving."
On the elevator LED panel, the arrow was moving downward.
61, 60, 59
It was coming down.
40, 39, 38
Of course, it had to be Be Officer.
20, 19, 18.
How had she changed?
5, F, 3…
It was faster than expected—surely she hadn't failed?
…1, ding!
It arrived.
A tense moment.
Shrrrk.
The doors opened.
Be Officer stepped out.
"Senior Officer Veronica Caliber reports. By order of my commanding officer, I have been promoted to Sergeant Major as of 00:00 on 00/00. Victory!!!"
Be Officer—no, now Sergeant Major Be.
"I broke through faster than expected. It may be because I attempted promotion with a physical body inside the White Tower."
The environment must have affected the breakthrough duration.
It was definitely not a failure.
You could tell at a glance.
Name: Veronica Caliber
Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)
Type: Magitech Gunner (Human)
Manifestation Duration: 5 hours
Satisfaction Rating: None
Resummon Cooldown: 3 hours (applies after dismissal)
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
Thunderous applause erupted.
Her equipment had been upgraded across the board.
The magitech gun went without saying—
it now looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
Her defense and mobility also seemed to have increased.
The fabric tights she'd worn before had changed into glossy black latex.
'…Does that even breathe?'
It was dizzying.
Truly to the point of crushing allies and enemies alike.
Sergeant Major Be.
I'm going to die.
Black Tower Control Room
The designer was uneasy.
In a previous conversation, the maker had babbled something strange about bringing in a magical engineer.
What if they actually pulled a magical engineer?
A magical engineer wasn't, in itself, an especially extraordinary profession.
At its core, they were engineers—people who made golems and mechanical devices.
But what if a mage, an alchemist, and a magical engineer gathered in one place?
And what if all three worked together with full commitment toward a single goal?
The trinity of magitech-alchemy-engineering.
That terrifying synergy.
From the tower administrator's perspective, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
So he ordered the engineer to investigate—
whether there were any magical engineers currently waiting in the World of Souls.
[We've investigated.]
[Please tell me this is good news.]
[Hahaha, rest assured. It's exactly as you hoped.]
[I want to hear it quickly.]
[Long ago, there was one LSSR-rank magical engineer.]
[And?]
[After the summoner from Earth No. 442 died, the engineer couldn't overcome the loss and their soul collapsed. It was immediately recycled.]
Collapsed souls were recycled into the tower—that was protocol.
[Then?]
[Yes. There are currently no magical engineers in the soul waiting room.]
Thank goodness.
Honestly, even one would have been worrying.
That summoner with insane luck might have actually pulled them.
But there were none in the World of Souls.
Which meant it was impossible to summon one.
He could finally relax.
And yet—
[I'm still uneasy.]
That lingering discomfort wouldn't fade.
Why?
What was it?
Wait.
[What floor is the summoner currently challenging?]
[They are attempting the 84th floor.]
84th floor.
Which meant the next was the 85th.
The boss of the early 80s giant-beast zone.
[The 85th floor… is this a premonition?]
At last, the designer realized the source of his unease.
[N-no. That's impossible. From the start, it can't—]
No.
It could happen.
That bastard had always been like this.
[Damn it.]
But there was nothing to be done.
Even an administrator couldn't directly interfere with tower conquests.
All he could do was pray it didn't happen.
There was no need to wait.
Juhyeok and his party moved immediately for revenge.
[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1), Floor 84.]
You bastard condor.
I brought Sergeant Major Be.
You're finished today.
[Floor 84 Mission: Defeat 1 Giant Beast, Frozen Colossus Condor.]
[Time Limit: 15 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Frozen Colossus Condor 0/1]
After receiving the mission—
"Sergeant Major Be."
"Sergeant Major Veronica Caliber."
"Let's finish this in one shot."
"Victory!"
The upgraded magitech gun had a very clear drawback.
A potentially serious one.
It could only use high-grade magic stones as ammunition.
As a result, the maintenance cost was beyond imagination.
That said, its power had increased explosively—
befitting LSSR-level attack power.
More importantly, the gun had a hidden secret.
With a 48-hour cooldown, it could use its ultimate skill.
<: Sub-Light-Speed Round>
A bullet fired at near-light speed.
Only one shot.
But the drawbacks were even more severe.
It required 1 kg of top-grade magic stone as ammunition.
Top-grade.
Through alchemy, producing 1 kg of top-grade magic stone required 1 ton of high-grade magic stone.
In other words, a single sub-light-speed round unleashed the power of 1 ton of high-grade magic stone.
Overwhelming firepower.
But a 48-hour cooldown.
And during that time, even heavy rounds were sealed—
the gun couldn't handle the strain.
Guidance functionality was also disabled.
It was simply too fast.
There was a risk of missing.
Even so—
how could anyone not fire it?
That was why Juhyeok had asked Mari with difficulty to obtain one piece of top-grade magic stone.
Click.
The chunk of top-grade magic stone was loaded into the magitech gun.
"I will aim. Beware of the backblast upon firing."
Gulp.
A tense moment.
The Frozen Colossus Condor was gliding leisurely through the distant sky.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
The magitech gun glowed white-hot.
"Countdown… 3, 2, 1—fire! For the commander!!!"
An immense backblast—
Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuung!
He almost got blown backward.
At the same time—
Pop.
The Colossus Condor burst apart in the sky.
The sound of the gunshot arrived after the monster exploded.
The bullet had traveled faster than sound.
Pshuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!
Kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak kwak…
…
It just exploded.
Like a giant balloon popping.
Bang.
That was it.
It was anticlimactic.
So much so that it was hard to believe that was the same space-battleship-like Frozen Colossus Condor that had tormented them.
Sure, the thing had been huge and slow, making it easy to aim—
But the summoned beings had forgotten even to applaud.
"Th-this is insane!"
"No, seriously—"
"It exploded? In one shot?"
"…Turns out it was a pushover."
"Truly terrifying. Even for an ultimate skill."
"Hoe—"
"Grrrr, woof woof!"
This level of power.
It was like a supermassive railgun.
'I kind of want to see that again.'
…
Should we try the 85th floor?
There's no reason we can't.
I'm curious.
Would the sub-light-speed round work on the 85th-floor giant beast too?
'We'll think about the 85th floor later.'
For now—
repeat the run.
Let's see what our Rajiks brings back this time.
[Defeated Giant Beast Frozen Colossus Condor 1/1]
[You have successfully completed the 84th floor mission.]
[Level Up!]
[Reward: High-Grade Magic Stone ×84 kg / Multinational Tower Access Ticket]
[World Announcement: Black Tower NO.1 (Korea) 84th floor cleared with rank S+++!]
[S+++ Clear Reward: Platinum Badge ×2 awarded.]