Chapter 238

===================

Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

===================

Activation of King Yama’s Judge’s Mallet.

Following the restraint of the hologram Manager, a karma video floating up from behind.

Looking closely from the beginning.

A world resembling Earth appeared first.

Probably Earth No. 675 before its destruction.

Then suddenly, Black Towers began to be erected in various places.

It also showed what kind of things the Black Towers were.

Structures occupying a certain volume of space, but unable to be touched or approached.

Could you say it’s like background graphics placed in a game space?

Meaning they are inactive objects.

That’s why they can’t be destroyed.

Even if you fire missiles, they deflect, and even if you detonate nuclear bombs, they remain intact.

Why is that.

It was because the Black Towers exist in a 4-dimensional space.

The so-called other side of the world (이면 세계(裏面世界)).

The Black Towers observed in the 3-dimensional, that is, the real world, are merely shadows.

Players enter the 4-dimensional Black Tower.

That’s why when entering the tower, they don’t enter physically, but they disappear spot! as if dimensionally moving and.

Meanwhile, there are times when the 4-dimensional towers hidden in the other side of the world appear in the 3-dimensional real world.

That is precisely the collapse of a tower.

If you fail to clear a Black Tower, the tower substantiates with mass and collapses into the ground.

No, I shouldn’t call it a collapse.

The accurate expression is insertion.

It’s stabbing a blood collection needle into the Earth.

Piercing through the Earth’s surface all the way down to the mantle.

“Is dimensional energy located inside the Earth?”

“It seems to probably be so.”

“The Black Towers were blood collection devices.”

“It’s a system where they store the energy extracted with the needle in the storages and.”

“Afterwards, they send that to the main base, sir.”

Main base.

Whether it’s the Earth No. 675 managers, or the Earth No. 1,001 managers, or the section chief class manager we encountered at the dimensional energy storage.

These guys are all from one world, a place they call the main base.

“These bastards, they’re setting up a multi (expansion base) in another world to secure main base resources, sir. The Black Towers are workers, sir. It’s exactly like mining minerals and mining gas, sir.”

Main base and multi.

It suddenly makes me think of a certain game.

But I can’t know where the main base is.

Because they didn’t illuminate that place.

Screen transition.

A single small room.

Three people sitting on chairs shaped exactly like massage chairs and conversing.

Respectively, Designer, Engineer, and Maker.

– It’s slowly approaching the time for our dispatch duty to end.
– It’s still far. More collapses need to proceed, and assuming even mining, we have to stay for 100 years.
– 100 years or so, we can sufficiently wait. Since it’s a promotion if we succeed and return to the main base.
– Is it an escape from being a low-level tower manager?

There was a hierarchy here too.

The Designer was the most senior.

“Titles like in a corporation exist.”

“Didn’t that guy we met at the dimensional energy storage last time say so, sir? That tower managers are deputy class and he is section chief class, sir.”

“If so, it is a bureaucracy. It seems they share various duties depending on the title, starting from the Black Towers to dimensional energy mining and management.”

The existence of a God (神) was also frequently mentioned in their conversation.

By the God, with faith towards the God, everything is for the God, what the God commanded…….

It seems to be the God (神) that ordinary people know.

Omniscience and omnipotence, divine power, creation, authority, the presider of domination and destruction.

“Does the existence called God need dimensional energy?”

“It seems so. Seeing how they say the Black Towers are the will of the God as well.”

“You mean an Outer God (外神) is rapidly extracting our Earth’s dimensional energy through the Black Towers, sir.”

“Very bad bastards.”

Screen transition again.

The Black Towers were collapsing one after another.

When one collapsed, another tower was generated, and inserted deep into the Earth again and.

The next stage.

Earth No. 675, monsters crawling out from the sinkholes where the towers collapsed.

Goblins, orcs, trolls, minotaurs, ogres, wyverns, and undead.

The monster armies began to destroy human civilization.

Of course, the surviving humanity resisted as well.

Armies mobilized, and fighter jets, missiles, and even nuclear bombs.

Additionally, players too.

In a world where boundaries disappeared, those who manifested the abilities from inside the tower exactly as they are in reality too.

However, they were heavily outnumbered.

They were no match starting from the sheer quantity.

Finally, dragons and Great Demons appeared as well.

These guys were the decisive blows.

The main cause of humanity’s destruction.

“The Great Demon bastards, did we kill them too easily? We shouldn’t have just pulled out their hearts, we should have pulled out their internal organs thoroughly too.”

“Dragons are very bad guys too, sir.”

Then Cossack glaring sideways.

Crackus flinching.

“Excuse me, I wasn’t there at that time though? S, since I recently contracted.”

“If you were there, it probably would have been exactly the same.”

“It’s not though? I wouldn’t do that though?”

“Yeah right!”

“Who do you take me for when you say that? I love Earth’s civilization.”

“A civilization that destroys nature and causes environmental pollution?”

“What does it matter if we destroy a little bit of petty nature like that?”

Ah! Right.

Half-Demon Dragon Crackus.

Even though he’s a Green Dragon, he burned and trampled forests.

He probably wouldn’t even care about things like environmental pollution.

“I am a converted defector who was bestowed the mission as a guardian of Earth No. 1,001.”

“Yes yes, I’m sure you are.”

The conversation continued.

It seems to be recent.

– Fuck, because of that Summoner, far from a promotion, we’re going to face extinction.
– Unconditionally, an Archangel will be dispatched to Earth No. 1,001. The transmission complete is scheduled 90 days later and.
– Anyway, if the Archangel comes, that Summoner will be finished.

Archangel (大天使).

They say it will receive the God’s instruction and be transmitted over from the main base.

To Earth No. 1,001.

The purpose?

Player Bong Joo-hyuk’s obliteration.

“Archangel my foot, they attach ‘angel’ to any old place.”

“The bastard called God is the main culprit.”

“Both are sons of bitches.”

“I will kill them all.”

“Ten Thousand-Year-ie is also very angry, sir. It suddenly got cold, sir.”

“Ggya-at!”

“Ho-a-a-at!”

Um.

You mean the Archangel is an assassin?

Making people nervous.

‘If you were going to do this, why did you make me awaken from the beginning?’

Now that I think about it, I’m really pissed off.

Even though I didn’t even want an awakening either.

You shouldn’t have awakened me instead.

What is the God’s purpose?

Dimensional energy mining.

Then player awakening or whatever, they just need to viciously stab it in and they’d be done.

Why pull in players continuously…….

A hint came out from the karma video conversation.

Right, the mention about the White Tower.

– I heard from rumors that an anomalous phenomenon occurred in the dimensional connection of the Earth No. 1,001 Black Tower 91st floor.
– Is anomalous connection saying the Summoner didn’t go to the Demon Realm?
– Right. I heard the player approached the dimensional energy management facility side.
– Crazy! Just how?
– The probability that the White Tower intervened is very high.
– Damn it! Meddling in every single thing! I don’t know what the God is doing. We should have obliterated the White Tower.
– No matter if it’s the God, the White Tower is a bit… it has always been like that. Same with the player’s awakening.
– It was inseparable from the beginning. They’re basically one and the same originally.

“Is it a black-and-white confrontation?”

“I do not know well, but they are not on the same side.”

“It seems highly probable that they are mutually hostile.”

“Yet they don’t seem to be separately divided independent entities either, seeing as they say they were originally one.”

“They might still be one even now.”

“Anyway, the White one is on our side, sir.”

The Black Towers and the White Tower.

An inseparable one, they say.

Something like a single entity possessing two different purposes?

The Black Tower’s purpose is trying to destroy the world and extract dimensional energy, and the White Tower seems like it’s trying to save the destroying world.

Come to think of it, I understand.

Isn’t the White Tower itself a concept of a shelter?

A world that can create the exact same environment as Earth.

Moreover, the White Tower is not only on Earth No. 1,001.

It existed on Earth No. 675 connected by the elevator, and in other ruined dimensions too.

“It seems the player’s awakening is also related to the White Tower.”

“It must have even intervened in the world of souls as well. I mean us summoned entities.”

The continuing conversation.

– What do we do if that guy fully clears our Black Tower before the Archangel comes?
– It might probably end up like that. It’s over if he goes up just 5 floors.
– The order is blocking our tower first, isn’t it. If even one Black Tower fails, the White Tower’s influence will grow even greater.
– The God probably judged that even bearing that, killing the Summoner is better.
– Where will the 96th to 99th floors be connected to?
– I don’t know. The Demon Realm was a situation where we directly contracted with the Great Demons, so we could know.
– It will probably be one of the Highlands. A place higher rank than the human realm, where immortals exist.
– Anyway, that place will also get plundered. Like the Demon Realm.
– We just need to make that guy unable to do anything for only 100 days.
– Shall we try meeting him once?
– Can we do that? It’s a period of self-reflection.
– Fuck, when we’re on the verge of extinction, is this a time to discriminate between water and fire?

Chi-chik!

The screen disappeared.

Manager’s karma video ended.

And.

Spot!

The disappearing Manager’s hologram.

“We can’t get to the verdict.”

“You’re right, sir. Defendant Manager is sentenced to death! It’s not complete until this comes out, sir.”

Anyway, what we can know from the last part of the conversation.

If we go up just 5 more floors, the Black Tower is fully cleared.

The missions from the 96th to 99th floors will proceed in a specific dimension.

Even the managers don’t know where it is.

We can only guess that it’s a Highland like the Demon Realm, a world of immortals.

And if it’s a full clear up to the 100th floor, Black Tower failure, manager extinction, White Tower influence increase.

But we still lack information.

The identities of the main base and God, up to the reason why the tower’s identity is two.

A method to find this out?

Ultimately, the uncleared upper-floor climbing.

“The goal is fully clearing the Black Tower 100th floor. We’ll process from Earth No. 675 first.”

“Yep!”

“This will become those guys’ first failure.”

“Oh-oh-oh! You look somehow cool, sir.”

It seems so.

The lines seem cool.

“Are you planning to go up to the 100th floor right now?”

“Is there any reason we can’t? We’ll process it off before the guy called Archangel comes.”

“Kya-a! Macho man Bong Joo-hyuk.”

“…I’m not quite a macho man.”

At least a mid-level man maybe?

“Shall we go?”

“Yep!”

“As the Summoner intends.”

“Light!”

“Pil-seung!”

“Ho-e-et!”

To the mission area connected to the 96th floor.

[96th floor mission : The Grand Journey Towards Completion – Sixth.]
[Will you accept The Grand Journey Towards Completion mission, that sixth stage?]

“Accept!”

Spot!

Joo-hyuk and the summoned entities moving.

And.

Spot!

They appeared again.

“Uh?”

“Euum.”

“Here is?”

“…It’s the 96th floor.”

What?

Why is it like this?

It was our original spot.

Not the connected area, but the 96th floor waiting room.

Did I say it wrong?

I clearly said accept though.

‘…An error?’

[Will you accept The Grand Journey Towards Completion mission, that sixth stage?]

The mission popped up again.

This time with clear pronunciation.

“Accept!”

Spot!

We disappeared, but.

Spot!

Again?

“…It’s the same spot.”

“We did not move.”

“It’s a repeat sign, sir.”

[Will you accept The Grand Journey Towards Completion mission, that sixth stage?]

The third time.

“Accept!”

Spot! Spot!

The 96th floor again.

“…….”

The fourth time.

“Accept!”

Spot! Spot!

‘Fuck?’

Just what in the!

Even if we do it five times, even if we do it six times.

Movement impossible, same spot.

Surely?

“…Wow! By any chance, did they block entry?”

“They blocked it, sir.”

“It is obvious they blocked it.”

“They blocked it.”

“They did block it.”

“Ho-e!”

It’s astounding.

They entirely made entry itself impossible.

So that we cannot move to the mission area connected to the 96th floor.

If it’s intentional…….

“Cheap, so cheap.”

They’re just doing whatever now, huh.

“Did the managers do it?”

“Rather than those guys, the bastard called God, who can be called the main culprit of the Black Towers, is suspected.”

Even the word ‘bastard’ came out of Gyeon Dal-rae’s mouth.

“What do we do, sir?”

“Hmm.”

If they blocked it, there really is no method, but.

“Let’s go back to our Earth. Let’s find out if the Black Tower there is like this too.”

What about the Earth No. 1,001 Black Tower?

If that place is also like this?

Joo-hyuk returned to our Earth again.

To the Earth No. 1,001 Black Tower.

Here, the 92nd floor is the upper floor.

[You are entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (NO.1) 92nd floor.]

Waiting room arrival.

[92nd floor mission : The Grand Journey Towards Completion – Second.]
[Will you accept The Grand Journey Towards Completion mission, that second stage?]

“Accept!”

Spot!

Spot!

Same spot.

“…….”

“These fucking (sit-pal)!”

“Sons of bitches!!!”

“I’ll kill you all!!!”

“How truly cowardly.”

“Ho-a-a-a-a!!!”

Wow, this is really not it.

Taking away the ball because we scored too many goals?

It’s no different from breaking the opposing team’s mouse and keyboard to win in a game.

That’s a rule violation, isn’t it.

Even so, you shouldn’t break the rules.

* * *

White Tower 17th floor.

A general meeting of Joo-hyuk and the summoned entities is currently being held in the plaza.

The agenda is a discussion of countermeasures following the intention of path-blocking the uncleared upper-floor climbing.

“Um.”

“Keum.”

“Hmm.”

“Haa.”

“Hyu-u.”

“Hu-e.”

Honestly, there was no special method.

Cossack said he’d give a briefing, but perhaps because there was no clever plan, he just kept sighing.

Both the Earth No. 675 Black Tower and the Earth No. 1,001 Black Tower are blocked.

If entry doesn’t work out, how do we clear the upper floors?

Is there a method if we meet King Yama by any chance?

If we stay in the Demon Realm, we might be able to meet King Yama.

If we’re lucky, we can see the Sword Immortal elder too.

‘No. Going to the Demon Realm is probably blocked too.’

Since, originally, repeat clears have been impossible from the 91st floor and up.

We can’t do this, and we can’t do that.

It’s frustrating.

A situation where the guy who presides over the game shattered the board.

Do we have no choice but to be taken down like this?

The indignant Cossack.

“Just what is the White one doing, sir? Is it just sitting by and watching the Black bastard do that, sir?”

Right.

It’s a remark that smells slightly of racial discrimination, but since it’s directed at a tower and not a person.

“Let’s think slowly for now. Since it might be a temporary phenomenon.”

It definitely has to be.

If the uncleared upper-floor climbing doesn’t work out, we might have to watch the tower collapse with our eyes wide open.

This is a serious problem.

Since I witnessed the scene of Earth No. 675 ruining in real-time through the manager’s karma video, my anxiety increased.

‘There might arise a case where we have to evacuate all Earthlings as a last resort method.’

To the White Tower shelter.

Assuming we evacuate the entire 7 billion population of Earth, the Topmost-Grade magic crystals consumed would be approximately 7 billion kg.

If it were the past, it would be an impossibly massive amount, but it’s not impossible right now.

7 billion? We’d gather something like that quickly if we just sold a few tablets and electronic devices.

‘Was this the reason it opened the auction house for me in the first place?’

By destroying the rules and completely blocking the tower climbing itself, Earth’s future has nothing but destruction left after all.

Then we have no choice but to evacuate.

As long as we have enough magic crystals, we can decorate the White Tower exactly like Earth too.

In that sense.

‘What happened to the auction?’

The electric car should have been successfully bid on.

Opening the auction status board and checking.

– Mount : ZV 900 Electric Off-road SUV Electric Car.
– Winning Bid Price : 2,502,225 kg Topmost-Grade Magic Crystals

A whopping 2.5 million.

‘Heol.’

It’s tremendous.

Exactly a level of just scooping it up.

If I convert this into permanent residency tickets?

Selling one car grants permanent residency tickets to 2.5 million people.

If I combine all that I’ve gathered so far, it’s over ten million people.

‘…Wait! Could it be that these bastards even blocked the auction house?’

I need to check it.

Joo-hyuk went to the elevator.

I opened the door, went inside, and checked if the button to go to the 5th floor was alright.

“Hyu-u.”

The button is alive.

The 5th floor trip works.

It was then.

The elevator operation panel that entered Joo-hyuk’s eyes.

“…Uh.”

One more button I hadn’t seen before was created.

Right above the 17th floor button, that is.

The number is…….

“96th floor?”

At that moment!

Tti-ring!

[A temporary operation floor has been emergently generated in the elevator. The destination is the Earth No. 675 Black Tower 96th floor connected dimension.]

“Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!!!”

At Joo-hyuk’s exclamation of joy, the summoned entities swarming over.

“What is it?”

“Ho-e?”

“Wh, what is going on, sir? Was there an accident, sir?”

“Could there be a problem with the elevator.”

Joo-hyuk pointed at the panel with his finger and said.

“The elevator opened a back door.”

“Euing?”

“Oh!”

“Assa!”

“As expected!”

“That’s great.”

“The White one, it’s definitely on our side, sir.”

Back door.

If we can’t enter through the front door, we enter through the back door.

That’s how it should be.

Would it do to just obediently be taken down?

Our White Tower, the White one.

You did well!

To a rule breaker, answer with a rule breaker.