Chapter 220

CHAPTER 220

The day of the class reunion.

Oh Jin-sook decided to attend as well.

It wasn’t her intention, but the situation had arisen because of her mistake.

At the very least, she needed to help clean it up.

She first went to the company and met with CEO Jeong Dong-hun.

“Will it be okay?”
“I’ll take responsibility.”
“Th-then coordinate with the Agency staff and wrap things up properly.”

Honestly, she had thought that once she reported it to CEO Jeong, the reunion would be canceled.

Because it would reach Juhyeok’s ears.

But that didn’t happen.

Instead, he said he would attend.

“Um… may I ask something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Juhyeok… no, Player Bong Juhyeok. He’s that person, right?”
“That person?”

“The t-top player.”

“Hah… yes. He’s also the actual owner of Rajiks Trading.”

She had suspected it.

But hearing it directly made her heart pound.

I almost got into huge trouble.

Reporting it in advance had been the right choice.

She’d managed to escape unscathed.

Poor Jang Wan-seop.

What were you thinking?

You even awakened as a player.

You thought your life would finally turn around, didn’t you?

You should’ve lived properly.

There was still something bothering her.

Jang Wan-seop’s group might find out too.

“What if the top player’s identity is exposed like this? …Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
“It’ll be fine.”

CEO Jeong brushed it off.

“Everyone who needs to know already knows. Not just domestically, but overseas too.”

“The U.S., Europe, China, Japan… they’ve all figured it out.”

I see.

“We only hid it because it’d be annoying if ordinary people knew.”
“Then… are you planning to reveal his identity through this?”
“No. The NIS and the Awakener Management Agency will control it. Secretary Oh, just go and act like you don’t know anything.”

That was why Oh Jin-sook had arrived earlier than the appointed time.

The meeting place was in Sinchon, Seoul—an entertainment district slightly removed from the main hub, with relatively little foot traffic.

A plain beer hall tucked into an alley.

That was where the reunion would be held.

The owner and staff of the bar?

All Agency personnel—or people from the National Intelligence Service.

Rajiks Trading had rented the entire place for the day.

And that wasn’t all.

The restaurant across the street, the café next door—

Every shop surrounding the reunion venue had been rented out for the day.

All preparations complete.

This area was already under full control.

It wasn’t a class reunion.

It was a large-scale operation.

In a way, it was only natural.

Juhyeok was the top player, after all.

A moment later—

The door to the beer hall opened.

“Yo, Jin-sook! Been waiting long?”
“You came early?”
“Hehe, we’re going all the way today, right? No leaving halfway.”

The guys whose lives might very well be ruined today walked into the bar.

“Oh! You said you contacted Bong Juhyeok, right?”
“Yeah.”

“He coming?”
“Yeah. He said he’d come. Might be a bit late, though.”
“Okay. This’ll be fun.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”

Me too.

I’m really looking forward to it.

Floor 91 mission.

The Great Journey—First Stage.

Just hearing the name, it’s clearly not a simple mission.

“Journey.”

A word that implies a process of travel.

It sounded like going somewhere to carry out a mission.

On top of that—time limit removed, guaranteed EX rank upon completion, separation of time flow, save function.

This was definitely not a simple monster-hunting mission.

So slowly.

No rushing.

It’d be fine not to climb the tower for a while.

Let’s deal with the reunion first.

After checking out other floors of the White Tower too—

Then I’ll think about it.

White Tower, 17th floor.

Juhyeok and the blood-summoned beings finished preparing to go out.

All that remained was leaving.

“Not yet. The main character must arrive late.”

Sigh.

Main character, my ass.

As the time approached, he suddenly didn’t feel like going anymore.

“…Is it too late to cancel?”
“Nope. All preparations are complete. All that’s left is to flex.”
“Flex what?”
“Come on!”

Kosak waved his hands dismissively.

“Arriving in a Bentley, huh? Wearing a one-billion-won watch, huh? Cozying up with a succubus—imagine the reactions of those delinquent villains. That is flexing.”

Good grief.

What’s the point?

Honestly, attending the reunion was just an excuse.

He had no intention of pulling petty power plays or showing off.

Juhyeok simply wanted to walk around Seoul at night with his blood-summoned beings.

Go to bars, sing at a karaoke place, take life-four-cuts photos.

How nice would that be?

Compared to being stuck in the White Tower’s 17th floor all the time.

The blood-summoned beings currently registered in the catalog and defector list:

Kosak, Gobang, Gyeon Dallae, Rajiks, Gwangma, Major Veronica, Bardin, Marie, Gepetto, Diamat, Mackenzie, El, Do-woo, Baek Dan-a, Crackers, and the Blood Wolf.

Sixteen in total.

After using the Rune of Trait Enhancement they’d received yesterday as the Floor 91 entry reward on Earth No. 675, Juhyeok’s status now showed:

The number fit perfectly.

If you excluded the Blood Wolf.

But his companion, the Blood Wolf—

The more he looked at it, the more it tugged at his heart.

Even now.

“Blood Wolf.”
“Woof!”
“Do you want to go out too?”
“Woof!”

Alright.

Decision made.

Let’s bring him along.

Our Blood Wolf needs outdoor walks too.

Mark territory, sniff other dogs’ scents.

To do that—

He needed one more Trait Enhancement Rune.

“Mr. Kosak.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Before the reunion, let’s make a quick trip to Korea’s Black Tower Floor 91. We’ve got time, right?”
“Of course. In and out in under five minutes.”

Black Tower Floor 91 entry reward.

One Trait Enhancement Rune per person.

He’d already gotten one on Earth No. 675, so he wasn’t sure if he’d get one again on Earth No. 1001—

But if he did, his simultaneous summon limit would become sixteen.

He could go out with all his blood-summoned beings.

Ahhh!

Just thinking about it made him feel good.

So he brought only Kosak, Gwangma, Bardin, and Gobang.

“Enter!”

[Entering Republic of Korea Black Tower (No. 1), Floor 91.]

The background was identical to the Black Tower on Earth No. 675.

A room of pure white walls.

Come to think of it, this must be a waiting room.

Once you accepted the Great Journey mission, you’d probably be transported elsewhere.

“I hope we can grab the Trait Enhancement Rune quickly and head to the reunion.”
“…You’re that excited?”
“Of course! Elder Ma is going to be the reunion’s filming director.”

He was completely hooked.

With him like this, how could Juhyeok not go along?

Then—

Ding!

[World Announcement: A player has reached Black Tower Floor 91 for the first time.]

A world announcement appeared.

Just like with the Black Tower on Earth No. 675.

People would be surprised, right?

It wasn’t even an S+++ message—just a simple entry notice.

And then—

Ding!

[World Announcement: We introduce to Earth’s survivors the player who is beginning the Great Journey from this moment.]

“…What?”

This was a message he hadn’t heard on Earth No. 675.

[World Announcement: The greatest player who climbed beyond Floors 1 to 90 and reached Floor 91. He has stepped onto a path no one has walked before.]

The greatest?

“Could it be…?”

[World Announcement: Earth’s survivors, please give your heartfelt applause and encouragement to the top player, Bong Juhyeok.]

Whoa!

So that’s what this was?

[World Announcement: May luck and blessings follow the top player, Bong Juhyeok, until the final floor he climbs.]

This was absurd.

So this was how his name became known.

Come to think of it, the announcement on Earth No. 675 had been canceled.

Because the conditions weren’t met.

The condition must have been—

“Survivors.”

That made sense.

This message was a global announcement delivered to each Earth’s survivors.

Earth No. 675 had none.

Earth No. 1001 did.

Everyone had survived.

The blood-summoned beings were stunned too.

Especially—

“D-don’t tell me Summoner Bong’s name is known to the world now?”
“Yes. It seems so.”

Kosak stared blankly, mouth hanging open.

Then—

“Uaaaaaah…”

His face went pale.

“We’re doomed.”
“What is?”
“The reunion.”

Even now, he’s worried about the reunion?

“Why? We can still go.”
“It’s meaningless.”
“What do you mean?”

Kosak let out a deep sigh.

“The ‘hidden powerhouse nerd’ setting has collapsed. The soda’s gone flat.”

Just what kind of scenario did he write?

[World Announcement: All players who reach Black Tower Floor 91 will receive one Rune of Trait Enhancement each as a celebratory gift.]

Fortunately, he received one more Trait Enhancement Rune.

And since his name had already been revealed and all the hype had gone flat—

I should contact Director Jeon and tell him the class reunion plan is canceled.

It was a world announcement.

A message broadcast to everyone on Earth.

Even to the beer hall in Sinchon, Seoul, where the Daechang High School reunion was being held.

As for attendees, it was only Oh Jin-sook and Jang Wan-seop’s group.

True to a reunion, they chatted casually about school memories.

“I’m going to the restroom.”
“Yeah, go ahead.”

As Oh Jin-sook left her seat—

“When’s that Bong-shuttle coming?”
“Man, do you know how much trouble I had because of that loser?”
“What kind of trouble?”
“I told him to buy cigarettes, and he refused like his life depended on it.”
“Cut him some slack. He was a broke bastard.”

The trash talk about Bong Juhyeok began.

“He’s a player now, though. Must be making decent money.”
“True. His pockets should be full.”
“We should borrow some cash from him. That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Oh! Good idea. But are you actually going to pay it back?”
“Eh… probably not.”
“Heh. Sometimes in life, you just can’t pay back.”

A plan to extort money.

“What if he gets cocky since he awakened?”
“Then I’ll knock him around a bit.”
“Handle him carefully. If he gets hurt, it could cause trouble.”

Planning assault.

“He’s a player, so he can’t enter a tower freely. Let’s keep him with us for a while.”
“Should we get a motel room?”
“Somewhere quiet.”

Planning kidnapping.

They’re digging their own graves.

Oh Jin-sook had left her smartphone on the table when she got up.

So she could hear everything through her earbuds.

She’d turned on the recording function from the start.

Her own voice was recorded too.

Do they even realize everything they’re saying is being recorded?

Plotting against the top player.

This was a violation of national security law.

Even if they hadn’t known who he was beforehand.

But when was Juhyeok coming?

She wanted to apologize at least.

He’d gotten dragged into this mess because of her.

Then—

Ding.

Everyone inside the beer hall snapped their heads up.

The sound of a world announcement.

[World Announcement: A player has reached Black Tower Floor 91 for the first time.]

“Whoa, 91st floor?”
“Just an entry message.”
“Damn, already Floor 91.”
“So what? I’ll catch up soon enough.”

“Oh! As expected of our talented player, Jang Wan-seop.”

And then—

Ding!

Talk of the Great Journey, Earth’s survivors, and—

Ding!

[World Announcement: Earth’s survivors, please give your heartfelt—]

Bong Juhyeok’s name appeared in the world announcement.

“…Huh?”
“Wh—what?”

“Uh?”
“Did I hear that wrong?”
“You guys heard it too, right?”
“I swear I heard Bong Juhyeok.”
“W-wait… that Bong? Bong Juhyeok?”

Jang Wan-seop and his group stared at each other, blinking.

Meanwhile, the other “customers,” staff, and the bar owner began moving busily—making calls, sending messages.

“No way.”
“Yeah. Must be someone with the same name.”
“That loser Bong Juhyeok being the top player? No chance.”

Then—

“No. It is that Juhyeok. Top player Bong Juhyeok.”

Oh Jin-sook said calmly as she walked back to the table and sat down.

It’s him?

The Bong Juhyeok from the world announcement?

Jang Wan-seop frowned.

“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I knew.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“I only found out recently myself. And there was no reason to tell you.”
“You fucking bitch!”

Jang Wan-seop shouted, his face twisting in rage.

But Oh Jin-sook remained calm.

“And you guys are in serious trouble now. You dared to try and exert force against the top player.”
“…What?”
“N-no, that’s not—”

Only now did they seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.

Jang Wan-seop stammered as he tried to explain.

“I—I never—”
“You did. There were plenty of ears listening.”
“D-do you have proof?”
“Of course. I recorded everything on my phone.”

What is this?

What’s happening right now?

Best thing to do is leave.

“You crazy bitch! Just you wait!”

Jang Wan-seop jumped to his feet.

“Hey! Let’s go. This place killed my buzz. Let’s go somewhere else.”

That was when it happened.

Chairs scraped everywhere as customers and staff stood up at once.

They blocked the exit and surrounded Jang Wan-seop’s group.

One man stepped forward.

“Mr. Jang Wan-seop?”
“Uh—yeah, I’ll pay before I leave.”
“I’m not staff. National Intelligence Service.”

What the hell—

“W-what? NIS?”
“We received intelligence about a plot to attack the top player and were lying in wait.”

Lying in wait?

All eyes turned toward him.

Were all these people NIS agents?

“As of now, you are under emergency arrest for attempted assault, kidnapping, and extortion against the top player.”
“I—I didn’t do anything!”
“We’ve already secured video and audio evidence.”
“T-that—”
“You can give your statement later.”
“W-wait! P-please! I didn’t know!”
“I didn’t say anything! Wan-seop did it alone!”
“Please! If my parents find out, I’m dead!”

Oh Jin-sook let out a dry chuckle.

Just moments ago, they’d been bragging loudly.

Then again—how would fresh-out-of-school kids know?

They were bullies in school, sure.

But in society, they were at the very bottom of the food chain.

Even if they weren’t formally detained, their player registration was definitely canceled.

Did they think the Awakener Management Agency would let them stay registered?

Even if they mined magic stones in towers, they wouldn’t be able to sell them.

Branded as dangerous individuals, they wouldn’t even be allowed to leave the country.

Their lives were over.

White Tower, 17th floor.

The class reunion scenario that had been so grandly planned collapsed into nothing.

Still, the outing was on.

It was rare that all sixteen could go out together.

But Kosak hadn’t recovered from the shock.

With a dazed expression, he’d started muttering nonsense.

“Vroooom… the Bentley pulls up in front of the Sinchon entertainment district beer hall. All eyes of the Daechang High School Class of ’21 gather in one place.”

Hmm.

“Summoner Bong steps out of the Bentley. At the same time, the technical genius succubus—no, Mong-sook—steps out with him.”

Kosak’s soliloquy.

Others listened intently.

“At last, Summoner Bong opens the beer hall door and walks in. Mong-sook twists her body and says, ‘Aww, oppa, why’d you bring me to a place like this?’”

Good grief.

“Summoner Bong replies, ‘Just bear with it a bit, Mong-sook. Oppa’s just meeting friends briefly, then I’ll take you somewhere nice. I booked fine dining.’ ‘Okay, oppa! I’ll wait!’”

“Summoner Bong checks the time on his one-billion-won wristwatch, then speaks to his classmates. ‘Sorry, guys. Did I keep you waiting?’”

It kept escalating.

“The delinquent loser villain Jang Wan-seop’s face begins to rot. ‘Tch, who the hell is this guy? He came in a Bentley? How much is that watch? And that girlfriend…’”

Was he dissociating from the shock of failure?

“She’s too pretty. It’s driving me insane. That smiling face—Bong Juhyeok with a girlfriend like that? I can take her. I will take her.”

Disturbingly vivid acting.

“The trash delinquent villain Jang Wan-seop is blinded by jealousy. He commits the unforgivable. ‘Hey! You’re too cocky! Get over here. Let’s start with a punch.’”

He even stood up and acted it out.

“Summoner Bong’s gaze turns sharp. But he has no reason to waste effort on such a villain. How merciful he is! As he tries to leave gracefully—”

Reaching the climax.

“The villain charges. ‘You bastard!’ But Summoner Bong remains calm. With an annoyed expression, he swats his right hand like brushing away a fly—”

Smack!

Kosak’s palm struck Gobang’s face.

“The loser villain goes flying and slams into the wall. His gang rages and calls the police. And just then, Director Jeon Gwang-il happens to visit the beer hall.”

The Awakener Management Agency director just happens to show up?

“He bows deeply upon seeing Summoner Bong. ‘Isn’t this elite player Bong Juhyeok?’ ‘Ah! Director!’ ‘Why are the police here?’ ‘Just a small misunderstanding with friends.’”

This is insane.

“Director Jeon’s expression turns icy as he looks at Jang Wan-seop’s group. ‘With such pitiful talent, you dare treat our precious elite player like this?’ Then he orders the police: ‘Arrest these bastards immediately!’”

How many roles is he playing?

“Jang Wan-seop’s gang trembles, bowing their heads in apology. They were worthless trash, not worth engaging. Enough to regret attending the reunion at all.”

Then why did you make us go?

“Summoner Bong departs magnificently with the overly affectionate Mong-sook. The classmates watch his retreating back. Jin-sook’s expression turns dreamy. ‘So cool!’”

So that was the plan?

Good thing I didn’t go.

Still, the blood-summoned beings listening seemed deeply moved.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

He even got applause.

In any case, the name of the top player—revealed through a world announcement—

Sent shockwaves across the entire world.