Undead Bone Dragon.
Its appearance when it first showed itself was utterly miserable.
It was such a wreck that it wouldn't have mattered if it had dropped dead at any moment.
The torso and wings were relatively intact, but the head was nothing but a skull, the tail was reduced to bare bones, and of its limbs, one side was fine while the other had rotted away and fallen off.
Even so, a dragon was still a dragon.
And true to its nature as an undead, its entire body was wrapped in a dark aura.
Even the dark aura of a pathetic zombie was hard enough to endure—so a dragon?
Because of that, he judged it too difficult and even considered giving up and leaving.
But it took only a single hit.
The Undead Bone Dragon was struck by a holy sub-light-speed projectile before it could even respond, and it came crashing down.
Bardin's Lrssal Radiance.
Bay Wonsa's attribute-absorbing sub-light-speed projectile.
A fantastic collaboration between the two.
"Collaboration, my ass!!!"
Bardin sprinted forward like a madman.
I mean, undead don't show up on every floor,
and he thought he'd finally landed a good catch after a long while.
That damn Bay Wonsa.
With innate physical talent, she's already top-tier even if she just stands still.
What more does she need?
"Snatching the kill like that—how cheap."
This was his first real combat since breaking through with Lrssal.
It was the perfect chance to show the summoner—no, his lord—how much he had changed.
And she was going to rack up achievements with someone else's Radiance?
That was just too much. Absolutely too much.
At least there was one saving grace.
It had fallen to the ground after taking a hit, but the Undead Bone Dragon was still writhing.
Papapot! Potpot!
Bardin charged straight at it.
A finishing blow with impact.
One that would naturally draw cheers and applause.
"Don't die yet! You must not die!!!"
The Undead Bone Dragon also noticed Bardin charging at it.
And beyond him, Juhyeok and the other summoned beings as well.
"Ku-e, ku-eek, ku-eeeee…."
The Undead Bone Dragon staggered as it stood up.
Yes! It's not dead yet.
"Grrrrk!"
Its throat swelled up dramatically.
A dragon's signature attack: Breath.
Being undead, it was a dark-attribute Breath.
The target was Bardin—and even Juhyeok's group behind him.
In a straight line, all at once.
Its mouth opened wide.
And—
Shwraaaaaaah!!!
Pitch-black flames poured mercilessly from the Undead Bone Dragon's mouth.
But before the Breath could fully fire, Bardin stopped in his tracks.
He planted the shield in his hand firmly in front of him.
"Light!!!"
Swoooosh!
The shield grew massive.
It kept expanding.
And brilliant radiance burst forth.
Ddddddddd—
The dark Breath was completely blocked by the wall of Radiance.
Bardin advanced resolutely.
Pushing back the overwhelming dark Breath with his shield.
Shwraaaaaah.
The dark Breath continued to pour out.
But it was stopped by the shield and fizzled out powerlessly.
Ahhh!
The majestic figure of Bardin, Paladin of Lrssal Radiance, blocking that terrifying dark Breath all by himself.
That is what true Radiance looks like.
That is what a proper paladin should be.
"Light!!!"
Moments later,
when the Breath attack ended—
Tspit!
Bardin hoisted the massive shield overhead and leapt upward with all his might.
"Disappear! Be annihilated without leaving even a speck of dust! Filthy thing that defies the natural order!"
Crunch!
The shield, thick with Radiance, crashed down onto the Undead Bone Dragon's head.
Crack-crack-crack!
The dragon's skull was smashed apart.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Is a shield only for defense?
Of course not.
Depending on how it's used, it's an excellent offensive weapon.
The Breath had been nothing more than a final struggle.
The dark aura was erased in an instant.
The Undead Bone Dragon couldn't even put up any resistance.
Crunch! Craaack! Crack! Thud-thud!
As the Radiant shield shattered the skull and crushed even the torso—
Fssssss.
The rotting body of the Undead Bone Dragon began to crumble into dust and vanish.
[Defeated Undead Bone Dragon that has lost its True Name 1/1]
[You have succeeded in the 87th-floor mission.]
[Level up.]
Lrssal Paladin.
Attribute-absorption-type holy gun lancer.
Undead were easier than a phoenix.
Mission complete.
Level increased.
Not on Earth No. 1,001, but on Earth No. 675.
And the reward?
[Reward: Dragon Heart Corrupted by Darkness / 1 kg of top-grade mana crystal]
"…Hmm."
A heart did come as a reward, but—
'This isn't a proper dragon heart either.'
Well, of course.
It was an Undead Bone Dragon.
Naturally, the dragon heart it gives would be rotten.
What am I supposed to use this for?
Just looking at it, it's obviously inedible.
Any other uses?
"…Can this also be used to make a magic sword?"
Then Maria replied.
Ssk ssk ssk ssk.
The heart of a demonic dragon and the heart of an undead have different attributes. You can't use them together, but you can make another sword with a different attribute.
Twin blades?
That didn't sound bad.
But rather than a sword, if you make it into a shield—
Huh?
A shield?
A shield of dark aura. If a living being holds it, they'll be corroded by the dark aura, but if a gigant holds it, there's no effect at all.
Right.
No problem.
If that's the case—
A completely opposite attribute to the paladin's shield.
A Radiant shield and a dark-aura shield.
However—
"I don't really like dark aura."
Even if he didn't hold the dark-aura shield directly, it would still be kept nearby.
Elle suggested an alternative.
"If you apply an on-off switch mana circuit diagram, you can keep the dark aura turned off normally, and switch it on during combat to manifest the dark aura…"
Ah-ha!
So it can be turned on and off?
"Alright. Let's push it forward."
And another reward.
1 kg of top-grade mana crystal.
If it were a while ago, he would've been jumping for joy.
But—
What's 1 kg supposed to do, 1 kg?
Who am I supposed to stick that on?
'Administrator, the reward's stingy.'
Anyway.
"Paladin Bardin, that was magnificent. Everyone, applause!!!"
As Juhyeok applauded Bardin, the summoned beings followed suit.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap.
They poured out generous praise and encouragement.
"A clean finish. Truly befitting a Lrssal Paladin."
"You've shown your presence after a long time. You deserve this lady's praise."
"You gotta keep working hard. Let your guard down and you'll get buried. You'll vanish without anyone even noticing."
"A paladin really is about the shield more than the flail. Yep, absolutely."
"This warrior is proud of the paladin."
"I graciously yielded the finishing blow."
"Hoeeeng!"
Mackenzie celebrated with magic.
A spotlight shining down over Bardin's head, bang-bang, brilliant fireworks bursting.
'Yes, this is the feeling.'
Bardin's chest swelled with emotion.
At last, he was receiving his lord's praise in full.
And recognition from his comrades as well.
At first, because of his misguided beliefs, he had been criticized a lot by the other summoned beings.
"Thud."
He dropped to one knee.
"Knight Bardin, I have finally lived up to my lord's expectations. It is all thanks to my lord. From here on, I will not become arrogant and will remain a single ray of light that brightly illuminates my lord's path."
Oh my, how reliable.
What would we have done if we hadn't come to the 87th floor?
"For my lord, light!!!"
Fwaaaaaaah!!!
Ah, my eyes.
However—
Tzzzzzzzt!
Snrk.
"…."
"…Ah, come on!!!"
Bay Wonsa shrugged and made an excuse.
"Just, reflexively. Sorry."
And then—
Ding!
[World Announcement: You have achieved an S+++ clear rank on the 87th floor of the Black Tower (Germany).]
[S+++ Clear Reward: 2 Platinum Badges awarded.]
Obtained 2 badges.
[Exiting the German Black Tower.]
Spot!
Juhyeok and his group emerged outside.
A very satisfying clear with nothing lacking.
'Since we're already up here, should we try the 88th floor too?'
No reason not to.
What's there to be afraid of?
"88th floor call?"
"Let's go. We're already here."
"There's no real burden anyway, so let's at least take a look."
"This time as well, my convictions will open the way."
"I hope something weak to fire shows up."
"This warrior wants to shine too."
"Wonsa Veronica Caliber, my magic gun is disabled, but I'll throw myself in with my whole body."
"Throw yourself at me."
"Hooah!"
Good.
If the mission looks doable, we clear it. If not, we pull back.
So, gripping the tower-clear mission reset ticket tightly in hand—
Spot!
[Entering the 88th floor of the German Black Tower.]
The ascent into the uncharted upper floors began again.
The environment was a desert.
A flat sand desert without a single rise or dip.
Things are most fun when they're easy.
Not just tower climbing—work, studying, games, everything.
So-called one-click clears.
If the strategy had been difficult, they wouldn't have made it this far.
Could the 88th floor also be a one-click clear?
A moment later—
Ding!
The mission appeared.
[88th Floor Mission: Defeat the Sub-Dragon Sand Dragon.]
[Time Limit: Within 15 hours.]
[Completion Condition: Sub-Dragon Sand Dragon 0/1]
"Huh?"
What?
"Another dragon."
"Another dragon, huh."
"Is it another dragon?"
"It's another dragon."
"It's another one. Another drag."
"A Sand Dragon…"
"That thing doesn't have a True Name either."
In that instant—
Confirmed!
From far away, a massive body burst through the sandy ground and shot up into the sky.
It was a Sand Dragon.
A torso covered in scales, a long tail, and short limbs.
Its wings were degenerated—just two small ones attached to its back.
At least its head looked somewhat dragon-like.
"Ugh…"
It was truly grotesque.
That thing is a dragon?
A sub-dragon.
Something similar to a dragon, but lacking.
"A Sand Dragon… this mage has heard of it before."
"What kind of thing is it?"
Mackenzie explained to Juhyeok.
"It has no True Name, no proper wings so it can't fly, and it can't use magic either—basically a half-baked creature. But its physical body is far tougher than most dragons, boasting the strongest raw physical power."
Ah!
In other words, it's insanely tough.
"Let this old man poke it once."
Ziiing!
A crescent-shaped blade of qi rose into the Mad Demon's hand.
Tspipipip!
It shot toward the sub-dragon Sand Dragon at terrifying speed.
But—
Tang!
With a sharp sound, the crescent qi bounced right off.
"Tch."
"Seriously…?"
"How disappointing."
"Not even a scratch."
"Hoee."
"So the Mad Demon isn't that special after all."
"Aren't you embarrassed?"
"You little—!!!"
It dealt absolutely no damage.
All it did was draw the Sand Dragon's aggro.
"Guuueeek!"
In an instant—
The creature plunged straight into the sand!
Then burst back out—phwoosh!
Dive! Phwoosh! Dive! Phwoosh! Dive! Phwoosh!
Is this the ocean or the desert?
It was like a dolphin.
Swimming through the sand, it was charging toward Juhyeok's group at terrifying speed.
"We can't catch it, right?"
"…Not right now."
"The sub-light-speed projectile is still on cooldown."
"Even if we could fire it, it'd probably be difficult."
It certainly looked that way.
Even the Mad Demon's qi didn't work at all.
"With a magic sword, it might be possible."
Right.
There was the magic sword.
Then—
"Let's pull out for now."
Juhyeok grabbed the tower-clear mission reset ticket in both hands.
[Would you like to use the Tower Clear Mission Reset Ticket?]
[Upon use, you will automatically exit. The mission for this floor will be reset, and the entry record will be deleted.]
Screeeech!
[The Tower Clear Mission Reset Ticket has been used. Exiting the tower.]
Spot!
Juhyeok and the summoned beings emerged outside.
Just wait a little longer.
We'll come back with the magic sword.
In every parallel universe that has a Black Tower, does a player with the summoning trait exist?
There are dimensions with summoners—and dimensions without them.
Like Earth No. 1,001 and Earth No. 675.
In truth, Earth No. 675 might once have had a summoner.
Because every dimension is guaranteed to give birth to at least one human with the potential for the summoning trait.
The Administrators destroy worlds through tower collapse.
By erasing the boundary between the world and the tower, they terraform it into a world of their choosing.
On the other hand, worlds invaded by the Black Tower are also granted the power to prevent its collapse.
That power is the law of causality.
When the Black Tower appears, players awaken.
And because players exist, the Black Tower can be conquered.
Where there is yin, there must be yang.
Where there is darkness, there must be light.
For that reason, summoner players are the natural enemies of the Black Tower.
From the Administrators' perspective, if no summoner player exists, the job is extremely easy.
Even if they do nothing, the world collapses around the 60th-floor undead zone—or the 70th floor at the latest.
So why is there no summoner on Earth No. 675?
The reason is simple.
There might have been one in the past who died early.
Or someone who gave up climbing, losing their player status.
The causes of death could vary.
They could have died outside the tower, or inside it.
They might have died before awakening, or awakened as a summoner only to recklessly charge monsters and die.
Maybe they suffered an accident in the real world.
Or became the target of a crime.
The reasons for giving up are also many.
Tower climbing didn't suit them.
They saw no reason to remain a player.
Or external circumstances forced them to quit.
For reasons like these, Earth No. 675 had no summoner.
Which made tower management extremely easy.
And then—
Out of nowhere, a summoner who didn't exist suddenly appeared.
From another dimension, no less.
And not just any summoner—
One who possessed the strongest power across all dimensions.
There was no summoner anywhere who had grown this much.
The same went for his summoned beings.
At first, they thought only a single laborer might pose a threat.
How did he manage to draw monsters like those?
Now they understood.
How the Administrators of Earth No. 1,001 must have felt after experiencing him.
[In short, he's a disaster.]
[Fortunately, he stopped at the 88th floor.]
[…Hmm.]
True—but it was still unsettling.
[We have to assume the 88th floor will be cleared too.]
[Then what do we do?]
[Focus on the 89th floor. The one where a real dragon appears. Find a dragon that can replace Karatos as soon as possible.]
[Got it. I'm already negotiating with a suitable candidate.]
Everything had become tangled.
Clearing the 87th floor stacked the tower-collapse deadline by another 48 months.
That meant the project was delayed by four years.
Well, four years was an extremely short time, all things considered.
[How about trying another equal-exchange deal?]
[No. If that fails, things will spiral completely out of control. It's better to leave it alone.]
The Administrators function as observers.
Directly confronting or interfering with players is forbidden by causality.
If they break the rules, the backlash only makes the player stronger.
Just like that one.
[Fine. The 90th floor will be difficult anyway.]
Will it really?
串串
Juhyeok and the summoned beings returned together to the 17th floor of the White Tower.
A fruitful conquest of the 675th tower.
Even though they stopped at the 88th floor.
All that was left was to craft the magic sword.
And the shield as well.
Sword and shield as one.
Weaken monsters with the dark-aura shield, then slash with the magic sword!
Just thinking about it made his heart race.
"What should we make Unit No. 2 look like?"
"Doesn't it all end up the same anyway? Just pick anything."
"Still, let's decorate it a bit. Paint it, too."
"Yes, sir!"
In that instant—
Spot!
Right on cue, Commissioner Jeon Gwang-il entered the White Tower.
"Player Bong."
"Oh! Commissioner, perfect timing. I actually had something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"While we're making the sword, I was thinking of making a shield too."
Gulp.
Jeon Gwang-il swallowed dryly.
He had actually come to announce that the Baekdu Mountain border agreement with China had been finalized.
"…A shield, you say?"
"Yes."
"For a gigant to wield?"
"Yes."
"Then it'll have to be big."
"Yes."
"Made from tower metal…?"
"Yes."
Supplying tower metal wasn't an issue.
They could dismantle a gigant with Rajiks, or mine ore and bring it over.
"Understood. I'll have it made as quickly as possible."
Spot!
Jeon Gwang-il vanished again.
With the shield commissioned—
What now?
Simple.
Let's rest.
We worked hard, didn't we?
Casually repeat tower floors, gather hides, collect alchemy herbs, mine ores.
And when bored, maybe clear the 87th floor of the Korean Black Tower again.
By the way, when will random summoning resume?
The penalty incurred by accepting the magitech engineer Elle.
Random summoning suspended for 100 days.
No regrets.
Look at how much Elle has accomplished.
'About a month left now.'
Get new summoned beings, then head back to clear the 88th floor.
Perfect timing.
READ ALL CHAPTERS ON OUR WEBSITE-https://beastnovels.com