Commander Jeon Seong-il's official statement.
The Korean public was watching it live as well.
At first, everyone thought he would lash out at the Chinese and Japanese governments—telling them to stop spouting nonsense and to keep their promises properly.
Judging from Jeon Seong-il's usual behavior, that was a perfectly reasonable expectation.
But the prediction was wrong.
Out of nowhere, he said he would accept China and Japan's demands.
Well, up to that point, fine.
It was infuriating, but if it was truly for world peace, people could understand.
No one wanted sinkholes to open up, even in countries they despised.
But then what the hell was that?
An apology?
"I'm sorry"?
Did Jeon Seong-il take the wrong meds?
L Fuck!
L Is he insane?!
L What the hell?!
L What kind of bullshit is this?!
L No, why is he apologizing?
L Damn it, my hands are shaking.
L I'm seriously pissed off.
Angry posts poured onto the message boards.
If that wasn't humiliation, then what was?
Then—
Ding!
A world announcement notification.
Did they really delete the collapse deadlines?
Were they telling us to choke on sweet potatoes?
No.
This was soda. Pure soda.
L Huh?
L Holy shit!
L What?
L What the hell?
L Tower dismantled?
L It's just… gone?!
And on top of that, player nationalities revoked.
An outcome no one had even imagined.
Yes, the threat of tower collapse was gone—but still.
L So what happens now?
L Is this good?
L Hard to say.
L But if there's no tower?
L You can't mine magic stones. The magic-stone-based industry is basically dead.
Ever since the Black Towers appeared, magic stones had been an essential industrial resource.
They were used in almost every field.
China and Japan's magic stone industries were also among the largest in the world.
Their consumption was enormous—and even then, they still had to import more.
…
And then, without warning, their domestic magic stone supply was completely cut off overnight?
And not just any stones—high-grade magic stones.
A new energy resource that couldn't even be compared to regular magic stones.
They had only just begun actively mining them.
And suddenly—supply halted.
You couldn't even import them from anywhere else.
L So that's what it was. There was a plan all along.
L Hahaha, that wasn't an apology—it was preemptive teabagging.
L Damn! What a crazy twist.
L What happens to the players if their nationality's revoked?
L Well, they'll have to escape and naturalize somewhere else.
On TV, Chinese and Japanese reporters looked completely flustered.
Their earlier swagger was nowhere to be seen.
L Hah! Bartender!!! Have you reopened for business? You'd been closed for a while!
L We reopened when the Curse of Averages was lifted.
L During the 90th-floor event, we even expanded the bar.
L Currently operating a full-blown national-pride chain franchise.
L Then what are you waiting for? Pour me a bowl!
The towers really were gone.
Three towers on the Chinese continent, one tower in Japan.
Many people had witnessed the moment the towers vanished.
Tzzzt, tzzzzzt! Tzzzzzzzzzt!
With flickering lights and an irritating noise, the Black Towers shook—
and in an instant, poof! Gone.
The Chinese and Japanese governments were dumbfounded.
They had no idea how to respond.
The attitude Commander Jeon Seong-il had shown at the initial press conference—
clearly lowering his tail, even apologizing.
As it turned out, it had all been an act.
"W-what happened? Did you confirm it?"
President Liang Fei urgently asked the head of China's Player Administration Department.
"…Yes. The Black Towers are gone, and the players' nationalities have been deleted."
On top of that, player traffic to magic stone purchasing centers across the mainland had completely dried up.
They couldn't even enter—where were they supposed to mine magic stones?
What had China's position been in the tower byproduct market until now?
The world's largest trading nation.
The number of Chinese-nationality players alone exceeded 200,000.
They had maintained an almost monopolistic position.
But if they could no longer produce magic stones?
President Liang Fei gnawed on his fingernails.
To think he'd be blindsided like this.
"Jeon Seong-il, you son of a bitch, how dare you lie—
ngh…"
No.
If you thought about it carefully, he hadn't lied.
The threat of tower collapse really was gone.
Jeon Seong-il had only said that tower collapses would never happen.
He had never once mentioned deleting collapse deadlines.
He kept his promise.
No one had expected it to be done this way.
"…What's the countermeasure?"
"W-we have no choice but to protest. Demand that it be reversed."
"Haa…"
"We could also apply strong pressure—"
But the situation was different now.
First of all, there was no justification.
They had asked to prevent tower collapses for the sake of world peace.
And that's exactly what happened—peacefully.
To ask for it to be reversed now?
The whole world would laugh at them.
No—people were probably already laughing.
Damn it.
How do we clean this up?
Japan's cabinet was also thrown into crisis.
While watching the press conference, Prime Minister Kurokawa had mocked Jeon Seong-il.
Stupid Chosun bastard.
China threatens him and he immediately grovels and submits.
That was the kind of country Korea was.
If a player from a parallel universe hadn't appeared, it would've collapsed long ago.
That parallel-universe player probably wasn't even pure Chosun blood.
There was likely more Japanese blood mixed in.
In any case, they'd relaxed after hearing the towers wouldn't collapse.
But what was this now?
Japan's Black Tower deleted?
This was bad.
The worst-case scenario.
Research on high-grade magic stones had been in full swing.
Japan had planned to overcome its lost thirty years with its cutting-edge technology and revive its economy.
But if the tower was gone?
Where were they supposed to obtain high-grade magic stones?
"Request a call with Commander Jeon Seong-il immediately."
"We already did, but he said he's busy right now and declined."
"After pulling something like this, what excuse does he have?"
The Chief Cabinet Secretary stammered as he reported.
"H-he lifted martial law and stepped down from his post—he's being fully discharged from service."
"What? Discharged?"
"And the Korean president has also announced his resignation. A presidential election will be held in Korea soon."
They were busy too.
That was what it meant.
The channel for dialogue was gone.
They had to wait until the election ended?
"Chikushō!!!"
…
Prime Minister Kurokawa exploded in rage.
There was nothing else he could do.
Both China and Japan were facing national crises.
Normally, situations like this would be resolved through diplomacy.
You'd join forces with friendly nations, persuade neutral ones, build a coalition, and respond together.
But—
The international community completely turned its back on China and Japan.
And that wasn't all.
They were applying pressure—don't even think about doing something stupid.
North Korea was rampaging too.
In any case, the world was truly peaceful.
Except for those two countries.
At the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters in Daejeon,
a smile never left Jeon Seong-il's lips.
Of course it didn't.
He had landed a beautiful punch.
In truth, Jeon Seong-il didn't want sinkholes forming in China or Japan either.
There absolutely could not be any more holes.
If that happened, it would cheapen the meaning of Summoner Bong's 90th-floor conquest achievement event.
The problem was solved in an extremely peaceful way.
As a result, China and Japan now had no towers.
This was a terrifying punishment.
Only two countries in the entire world could no longer produce magic stones domestically.
With this, East Asia's leadership belonged to Korea.
Not just Korea—
a unified Republic of Korea.
All of it was thanks to the man standing right in front of him.
A player whose very existence was a miracle.
"How are China and Japan reacting?"
"Hahaha, total chaos. Ambassadors from every country are begging to meet us—we're having to dodge them."
They were probably begging for it to be undone.
Well, it was possible to recreate the towers.
In the current situation, if Korea said,
"We'll build new towers for you, so give us Mount Baekdu, Gando, and Tsushima,"
they'd probably rush to sign the treaty on the spot.
But for now, he had no intention of doing that.
Maybe once the pent-up feelings of the Korean people were finally relieved, and a bit of sympathy started to grow toward the collapsing states of China and Japan—maybe then.
"Oh! Summoner Bong."
"Yes?"
"Congratulatory gifts have arrived from various countries."
Yes!
Gifts!
"Here…"
Jeon Seong-il handed him a silver metal briefcase.
"Please open it."
Must be something good.
His expression was full of confidence.
Click!
The moment the case opened—
"…Gasp!"
Small stone fragments lay inside.
But there was no way they were ordinary stones.
Now that he thought about it, he remembered.
The United Arab Emirates had said they would give him a special reinforcement rune.
"Special reinforcement runes?"
"That's right."
Not just one.
There were many.
One, two, three, four… twelve, thirteen, fourteen…
"…Fifteen?"
"Yes. There's also a list of the countries that contributed."
Fifteen special reinforcement runes?
He never would've imagined it.
Even on Earth No. 1001, he hadn't received this many.
It made sense.
They had survived a world that had nearly been destroyed.
The sinkholes had been sealed, and the collapse deadlines deleted.
The impact must've been far greater than on Earth No. 1001.
"Man… is it really okay for me to take all of this?"
"Compared to what you've done, this still isn't enough. I'd like to get you about a hundred, honestly."
"Oh come on, a hundred is a bit much…"
It had been a truly worthwhile dimensional trip.
Just how many special reinforcement runes had he gained on Earth No. 843?
Five from the 90th-floor clear, three from the Lumitri, thirty from the 100th-floor clear, and fifteen as gifts.
A total of fifty-three.
He had already consumed eight, leaving forty-five.
'Should I just eat them all here?'
Calm down.
No rush.
Anyway—
"Things are mostly settled now, so I'll head home for a bit."
"…Ah! Y-yes, you'll… come back, right?"
"Haha, don't worry. I'll be back."
And so he returned to Earth No. 1001.
The summoned beings came along as well.
They had made a large-scale migration with the summoned beings to clear the Black Tower on Earth No. 843, but now it was time to return to the 17th floor.
That didn't mean cutting ties forever.
They could go back and forth.
Just take the elevator—it was quick.
The White Tower, 17th floor, after a long absence.
Guigok Immortal came along too.
The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Guigok ran off to one side.
Apparently, a Seondo Tree—normally native only to the Immortal Realm—was growing here on the 17th floor. Of course he'd be curious.
"Hoh… it really is a Seondo Tree. Where is it getting immortal energy from? …Hmm, is it supplied from the roots?"
Tilting his head, he asked Juhyeok,
"What's under the roots?"
"Oh, that? It's called an Omnipotent Aether Conversion Stake Totem…"
Juhyeok explained the totem to Guigok.
By injecting a specific energy into the totem, omnipotent aether would convert into that energy. It was driven into the ground and used that way, and so he had injected immortal energy received from Sword Immortal.
"I see."
Guigok placed his hand beneath the Seondo Tree's roots and focused for a moment.
Then—
"This is unbelievable. It's over 99% identical. Calling it a perfect copy wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"…What?"
Ninety-nine percent?
He thought it was exactly the same—was there a 1% difference?
Was that a problem?
"A treasure that copies immortal energy… truly wondrous. A divine artifact. The one who made this must be a being on par with the Heavenly Emperor or Yama."
The totem was an achievement reward.
Achievements were related to Whitey—no, Godbaek.
Meaning Godbaek was a deity on the level of the Heavenly Emperor or Yama.
He'd always thought Godbaek was incredible.
Just look at the White Tower—
a place where the authority of creation itself breathed.
"The Seondo Tree is also 99% identical to those in the Immortal Realm. Same with the Seondo fruit. You may harvest and eat freely—the effects won't be inferior."
Oh!
What a relief.
Different by 1%, but practically indistinguishable from the real thing.
Still… why hadn't Godbaek shown up?
Was he dead or something?
"At least send a signal or something…"
Well, he'd show up eventually.
Saving Earth No. 843 wasn't the end of everything.
Anyway, since they were back on Earth No. 1001, it was time to shop again.
He needed to stuff Guigok's infinite space full of gifts.
Not just small items—he even gave him a top-tier electric supercar equipped with a high-grade magic stone battery.
Thus, Guigok Immortal became the person who hauled away the largest quantity of goods from Juhyeok's world—
industrial products from two different worlds.
Parallel universes with similar civilizations—so what, 843 or 1001, same difference?
Not at all.
They differed in the details.
Cultural content in particular showed stark contrasts—
movies, dramas, novels.
For example, Earth No. 1001 had the Beatles.
Earth No. 843 didn't.
There were bands with similar names, but their albums contained completely different songs.
Guigok was extremely satisfied.
And then, it was time to part ways.
"Thank you, Brother Bong! I will never forget this kindness."
Oh my.
You flatter me.
I'm the one who received far more.
"And about that Demon Immortal—don't worry. We'll definitely find a countermeasure in the Immortal Realm."
Yes, yes.
I believe you.
"Please summon me again."
Of course.
If I can, I absolutely will.
And so Guigok—
Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
With the farewell applause of all the summoned beings behind him—
Spot!
He vanished.
—
The Immortal Realm.
Immortals lay sprawled about here and there, their faces drained of motivation.
"Building an Immortal Realm Tower, my ass! Scrap the whole thing!"
"Damn it, some bastard gets to go out, and I can't even catch a whiff."
"They say the fated succeed—royalty really is born different."
"What royalty? He just went to Brother Bong's world once."
"Just look at Honse."
"…Hmm."
That was right.
The insignificant demon king was now the top influencer of the upper realms.
Everyone deferred before Honse.
Even Yama used half-polite speech just to get a cigarette from him.
"No matter how I think about it, I don't get it. Guigok goes out and does what?"
"That scrawny guy could barely catch a Western dragon."
"Hah! He'll probably draw pictures on the ground, then—ow!—throw his back out and collapse."
Then Sword Immortal, glancing at the others, spoke up.
"I've hunted dragons—Western ones—and they're not that strong."
"Well look at that! Who asked Sword Immortal to butt in?"
"N-no, I was just—"
"So now you're taking Guigok's side just because you went once?"
"Must be nice, having nothing to lack."
"Doesn't Sword Immortal still have stuff left in his infinite space?"
"Really? Then let's share."
Sword Immortal looked indignant.
"There's nothing left. How long has it been since I went to Brother Bong's world?"
"Really nothing?"
"I said there's nothing!"
"Let's check. If we find anything, one punch per item!"
"You sons of bitches—!"
Just then—
Vrooooom!
A supercar rolled into the Immortal Realm along the paved road.
Matte black, sleek curves, smooth cornering.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"…Never seen that car before."
"Who is it?"
Click!
The door opened.
A pair of top-tier limited-edition sneakers appeared first.
Then a matching tracksuit that looked like it had been hand-stitched by an Italian master artisan.
Over it, a coat made from a single piece of rainbow basilisk leather.
A snapback cap on his head.
Luxury sunglasses on his face.
An unlit Cuban cigar in his mouth.
Five luxury watches dangling from each wrist.
A bottle of vintage wine in his right hand.
A top-grade mahogany staff in his left, embedded with a massive diamond.
It was Guigok.
The pinnacle of showing off wealth.
The flex immortal.
"T-t-that vulgar—"
"A textbook example of a nouveau-riche capitalist."
"That's hip. Guigok's a hip immortal."
"He really hit the jackpot."
"Yeah… jackpot."
"…Jealous."
"Me too."
The immortals were on the verge of exploding with envy and jealousy.
"So, Guigok—did you even help while you were out?"
"Just look at him. Probably caused trouble the whole time."
"Tsk tsk, looks like a con artist."
"No doubt he sweet-talked Brother Bong with nonsense and fleeced him dry."
"Should we strip Guigok while we're at it?"
Guigok remained calm.
He knew how to handle immortals.
Show weakness, and they'd tear you apart.
Immortals in name only—no better than executioners.
He had to seize the initiative.
And he had a card that could do just that.
"Good, you're all here. Then let me tell you something."
The immortals glared, wondering what trick he was up to.
"I found traces related to our Immortal Realm in Brother Bong's world."
Related traces?
What?
"Demon Immortal."
What?
The immortals' eyes widened.
Demon Immortal?
Why was that name coming up?
"So here's what happened…"
Guigok began recounting how he'd been "accidentally summoned, then stumbled upon traces of the Demon Immortal in the Black Tower and got his mood ruined."
He was a gifted storyteller.
And so the tale was extremely gripping.
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