The judges, reapers, and messengers who worked in the Underworld—the Realm of the Dead—possessed a unique ability.

Opening “doors.”

Given the nature of their work, it was an absolutely essential skill.

After all, they frequently had to descend to the human world and bring back the deceased.

And among them, the door-opening ability of Yama, ruler of the Underworld, was especially extraordinary.

He could open doors to other worlds entirely.

There was, however, a prerequisite.

A bond of fate had to be connected.

That was how Yama was able to open the door to the Demon Realm.

So how had that bond formed?

It happened while he was judging a sinner destined for Hell.

That criminal was a black magician who had sold his soul to a Demon King of the Demon Realm.

During the process of judging the sinner’s crimes, Yama came into contact with the Demon King.

Naturally, that created a karmic link with the Demon Realm.

And what did Yama do then?

Out of sheer boredom, he opened the door to the Demon Realm.

That was how he first set foot there.

Yama—the god who governed death, reincarnation, and the afterlife.

No matter that it was another dimension, the moment he descended, the Demon Realm was thrown into chaos.

Still, whenever he grew bored, he went back.

He even visited the deepest heart of the Demon Realm.

He captured and beat up beings who called themselves Great Demons.

*****

Right now, Yama was lounging sideways on a sofa, watching a drama on a large monitor—a story about the fourth son of a conglomerate family.

“Refreshing.”

The protagonist was a reincarnator.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a dream ending.

Well made.

A properly concluded drama, created in another world.

“...Juhyeok the Hero, was it?”

Through his connection with the Sword Immortal.

The man to whom Yama had personally taught the memory-regression technique.

The dimension where that man lived.

“I wonder if he’s doing well.”

He, too, bore the fate of saving his world.

“How heavy that burden must be.”

He had only taught him a single technique.

If there had been more time, he would have given him a few more things.

But forming a deeper bond was not a good idea.

Juhyeok’s world still operated under strict laws.

Interference by an Outer God would distort those laws.

Unless they met in a completely unrelated world—

*****

The Great Journey.

The destruction of the Dimensional Energy Repositories.

Juhyeok collected yet another cylindrical rod, planted explosives, and exited the repository.

BOOOOM!

RUMBLE—!!

The repository collapsed.

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 15/146]

There was still a long way to go.

Only fifteen.

“Hm.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Save here?

Maybe stop, rest at home, and come back to continue later.

He was also curious how the save ticket actually worked.

Would everything really pause at this exact point?

Even though time was clearly passing?

“Maybe I should test it...”

But the ticket was precious.

He only had one.

Who knew when he would get another.

At the same time, he was worried about the summoned entities.

The longer this dragged on, the more exhausted they would become.

Magic Stone bombs were not infinite either.

“I believe it would be best to conserve the ticket,” Gyeon Dallae said.

“...Aren’t the others getting tired?”

“Well... they still look quite lively.”

She wasn’t wrong.

They were still rampaging like fish in water.

True enough.

They hadn’t had a proper fight in a long time.

“Dr. El?”

“Yes.”

“How many Magic Stone bombs do we have left?”

“We’ve nearly exhausted them.”

“What?!”

No bombs?

Then should they stop?

“We can make more. I brought the fabrication equipment in Rajix’s subspace. Alchemist Mari is here too.”

CHAAARRR—

– We can make them quickly. We have plenty of materials.

This was tricky.

For now, he decided to ask.

What did the summoned entities on the front lines think?

“Blood Wolf!”

“Woof!”

“Run over and call Cossack.”

“Woof!”

FLASH!

Blood Wolf dashed off.

Moments later, Cossack came running back.

“Did you call, Summoner Bong?”

“Yes. I’m thinking about pausing the mission. What do you think? Should we continue?”

“I’m fine. Still good to go.”

“How about the others?”

“Give me a moment. I’ll gather opinions.”

SPOT! SPOT!

Cossack ran to each summoned entity fighting the centipede-scorpions and asked ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) them directly.

Then he returned.

“Everyone says they’re fine. They’ve got energy to spare.”

“Still...”

“They even say the monsters are getting weaker. I feel it too.”

“...They’re getting weaker?”

“From the perspective of the second-greatest genius after Chief Genius Summoner Bong—me—it seems destroying the repositories is weakening them.”

Really?

“Better to push through to the end. It’s a good chance to stretch our bodies. Of course, the decision is yours.”

Then—

“Let’s continue.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Mari, Dr. El—keep producing Magic Stone bombs.”

“Understood.”

Since they were already committed—

“If we make the Magic Stone bombs with top-grade Magic Stones, they’ll be stronger, right?”

“It’s not even comparable.”

“Use as much as you want.”

Right.

Save the ticket.

Use it when another one dropped.

*****

The controller gnawed at his fingernails.

Repository after repository collapsed.

At the same time, the guardian creatures weakened.

That was only natural.

The creatures were created from dimensional energy.

When repositories collapsed and the energy supply faltered, fewer creatures appeared—and those that did appear became weaker.

Which made destroying repositories even easier.

Which caused even more repositories to collapse.

A domino effect.

[Did headquarters give any additional orders? Reinforcements?]

[No, sir.]

“Fuck.”

Once a mission was in progress, intervention was impossible.

If the summoner used the save ticket and exited, they might still be able to do something on Earth No. 1,001.

But if he completed the destruction?

Then dimensional energy extraction from Earth No. 1,001 would be permanently lost.

One man doing something this absurd.

Even accounting for summoning Traits—

“...Just like the rumors.”

The summoner who cleared Earth No. 1,001’s Black Tower with an S+++ rank.

The one who had toyed with the Black Tower of the already-destroyed Earth No. 675.

He lived up to his reputation.

It sent chills down the controller’s spine.

“How did he make his summoned entities grow like that?”

LSSR rank.

People mistook it for the highest rank, but it had a hard ceiling.

System-created bodies could not grow further.

Regression would have been more likely.

But they had broken through.

They were not Transcendents—but they had undeniably surpassed the limits of LSSR.

Soon, the repositories would be completely destroyed.

The only consolation was that Earth No. 1,001’s Black Towers had collapsed only twice.

So the amount of dimensional energy stored was not massive.

“Controller, shouldn’t we do something...?”

“And what? Fight them in person instead of through a hologram?”

“......”

“If you don’t want to die a dog’s death, shut up.”

Direct confrontation was impossible.

The Black Tower system would have to deal with it.

This situation was not his fault.

It was the system’s fault for allowing the White Tower’s intervention.

“At least this will serve as a good excuse in the report.”

And after taking this much damage, the Black Tower system would not stay quiet.

“Next ascent...”

Death was guaranteed.

The moment they entered the Tower.

*****

The summoned entities were right.

The repositories were falling one after another.

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 51/146]

As they did, the monsters weakened further.

With El and Mari producing top-grade Magic Stone bombs, destruction became even easier.

BOOM!

CRASH—!!

Still, continuous combat began to wear down the summoned entities.

That would not do.

Even in battle, rest was essential.

They now had enough leeway that one or two could step out.

So Juhyeok pulled out the camping set, lit a fire, and grilled meat.

Various drinks.

Mental-strength potions made by Mari.

Mana-boosting elixirs.

Stamina potions.

He laid everything out.

“Alright, rotate one at a time. Eat and rest.”

At his call, Cossack rushed over first.

He grabbed a piece of meat and washed it down with soda—

“BUUUURP—!”

A massive belch.

“Feel refreshed?”

“Sorry.”

“Aren’t you tired? I can take your place—”

“Why would I be? It’s been ages since a real fight. I’m having a blast.”

Is that so?

“There’s competition now. I gotta kill more than that green guy.”

“You don’t need to compete—”

“Yes I do. If we let Green get cocky, he’ll get out of hand.”

Can he really?

That poison breath was no joke.

“Uraaaaaah!”

Cossack dashed back in.

Next was Mad Demon.

“Meat is fine. Bring booze. Strong stuff.”

Juhyeok handed him a bottle of 60-proof gaoliang liquor.

He drained it in gulps.

“Excellent!!!”

Straight back into battle.

Then Veronica Caliber.

She saluted Juhyeok.

“I’ll sleep five minutes.”

“Go ahead.”

Rajix pulled out a bed from subspace.

Snore.

Exactly five minutes later, she was back in action.

Meatshield stuffed his mouth full of grilled meat and left.

And the 9th-circle Archmage Mackenzie—

“I’ll smoke a few cigarettes and then go back in.”

SNAP!

He sparked a flame in his hand and lit up.

“Ssssh—whew... I’ve set more fires today than in my entire life.”

Come on, no way.

After smoking a few nicotine-packed cigarettes, he rejoined the battle.

Following him, Bardin, Crackers, and Diamat also took a breather before diving back into the fray.

Time passed.

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 74/146]

Once the number of destroyed repositories passed the halfway point, the battle became even easier.

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 105/146]

After crossing 100, the monsters fell into disarray—no coordination, no threat.

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 122/146]

So this was all the Great Journey amounted to?

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 140/146]

Way too easy.

And finally—

[Dimensional Energy Repository Destroyed 146/146]

Mission complete.

Ding!

[All dimensional energy repositories have been destroyed.]

[You have completed the first stage of the Great Mission.]

[Rewards are being distributed.]

[Tower Mission Save Ticket has been delivered to your Tower-exclusive inventory.]

Oh!

A second ticket.

See, tickets like these only felt good when you had a stockpile.

But was that it?

No more rewards?

That was stingy.

[Returning to Black Tower Floor 91 of Earth No. 1,001.]

Huh?

That was really it?

SPOT!

Juhyeok and the summoned entities were all transferred at once.

They were back in the white room of the 91st Floor.

“What, no badge or anything—”

Just then—

Ding!

[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank for Black Tower NO.1 (Korea), Floor 91.]

[EX Clear Reward: Platinum Badges x32 (2+30).]

“At least they give badges.”

A full thirty-two of them.

“Heh heh heh.”

A grin spread across his face.

It was not just the badge count going up.

There were already six cumulative perks.

[Exiting Black Tower NO.1 (Korea).]

SPOT!

They were back in the place where they had first entered—the penthouse living room.

*****

Juhyeok checked the time first.

The Great Journey mission had taken over ten days.

So had Earth’s time really stopped?

“Wow.”

It had barely moved.

Honestly, he had expected as much.

During the dimensional energy repository mission, none of the summoned entities were forcibly Dismissed due to manifestation time limits.

That was because their manifestation duration was tied to Earth’s time.

Anyway, they had worked hard—time to rest.

Even if real-world time had barely passed.

“But this mission was really strange.”

“I agree. It felt fundamentally different from the Tower climbs we’ve done so far.”

“I feel the same. It was a very alien kind of mission.”

“Would the 91st Floor of Earth No. 675’s Black Tower be the same?”

“That... I’m not sure.”

Too many things didn’t add up.

Were all 91st Floor missions across Earth’s Black Towers like this?

For example, if they entered Korea’s NO.2 Tower, would they also have to destroy 146 dimensional energy repositories?

Then what about Earth No. 675’s Black Tower?

Would Black Towers in other worlds give the same mission?

There was no way to know right now.

They would have to go and see.

By climbing it themselves.

Not now.

Later.

*****

White Tower Floor 17.

SPOT!

Commissioner Jeon Gwangil appeared.

“...Already gone?”

He had heard they were scheduled to clear the 91st Floor today.

He had hurried to finish his work so he could come see them off.

But it looked like no one was here.

“Should I come back later?”

It was a mission called the Great Journey.

No way it would be easy.

“...Duu stayed behind.”

In the distance, Duu was plowing the fields.

Well, his class was Farmer.

Even now, he was fully focused on agriculture.

Thanks to that, the crops were growing lush and strong.

......

If he could get some lettuce as a gift, he would gladly take it.

His wife and kids had been making a fuss.

Where did you buy that lettuce last time?

They said they didn’t care how expensive it was—just bring more.

Just then—

SPOT!

“Hm?”

A man appeared in the White Tower.

“Who...?”

Not a summoned entity.

Not CEO Jeong Donghun either.

A member of Player Bong’s family?

He walked closer to take a look.

“Huh!”

He froze.

“...Since I’m here, might as well say hello.”

Jeon Gwangil stopped.

The other man also flinched and stopped short.

Gulp.

Why was that man here?

What should he say?

The other side seemed just as unsure.

Both were visibly flustered.

As they stood there staring at each other—

[World Announcement: You have achieved EX clear rank for Black Tower NO.1 (Korea), Floor 91.]

“Ah!”

“Ah!”

The World Announcement rang out.

And then—

“Long live Juhyeok! Long live Juhyeok! Long live Ju—”

Chairman Kim Injung raised both hands high and shouted before awkwardly lowering them.

“Ahem!”

“......”

Jeon Gwangil felt awkward.

So did Chairman Kim Injung.

How were they supposed to react?

After a moment, Chairman Kim Injung finally spoke.

“H-how did you end up here...?”

“Mm.”

As if remembering something, Chairman Kim Injung pulled a stiff cardboard card from his pocket.

“I received a monthly lease pass. What about you, Commissioner?”

Ah.

The lease pass.

Jeon Gwangil pulled out a shiny plastic card of his own.

“I’ve got permanent Residency Rights.”

“Oh? Permanent?”

“Yes. A real one—no renewals needed.”

“......”

If permanent was real, then what—was monthly fake?

Chairman Kim Injung felt slightly annoyed.

“So... how do you get one?”

“You have to work hard and earn recognition, I suppose.”

“I see... well then, good work.”

SPOT!

Chairman Kim Injung disappeared.

“Phew.”

Jeon Gwangil rubbed his chest.

That startled him.

Of all places, to see that man here.

But he could guess why Player Bong had given Chairman Kim Injung a White Tower Floor 17 lease pass.

He had heard about the recent assassination threats.

It was for his safety.

That man needed to stay alive for a while longer for the reunification process to proceed smoothly.

“...But still. EX rank?”

He had heard such a rank existed.

“But this will cause an uproar again.”

Everyone in the world would have heard it.

A World Announcement—not S+++, but EX clear rank.

And indeed, the reaction was explosive.

L Juhyeok!

L The great Bong Juhyeok of the 91st Floor EX clear!

L Juhyeok!!! I love you!!!

L Bong Juhyeok! Bong Juhyeok! Bong Juhyeok! Bong Juhyeok! Bong Juhyeok!

L Wait, is EX rank good?

L Ex-what? Dunno, idiot! Just shout hooray!

L Long live Juhyeok.

L Long live Juhyeok.

L You bastards, where’s your spirit in the comments?! Smash those keyboards! Long live Juhyeok!!!