Wimp's Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Chapter 274 CHAPTER 273

The Chuncheon sinkhole wave was broadcast live via satellite.

A 24-hour broadcast transmitted to the entire world.

A live broadcast?

In fact, it was practically a world first.

Which country would ever air a real-time war against monsters?

Of course, footage is sometimes recorded with drones or reconnaissance aircraft.

For later use in tactical planning.

Even that usually isn't possible.

When just surviving is already difficult.

Yet Korea boldly declared a real-time live broadcast.

Wasn't that going too far?

Tower missions and wave defense were problems on completely different levels.

Sinkhole wave defense isn't called a "raid."

It's called a "war."

It's no different from a total national war effort.

If things go wrong, even the use of nuclear weapons must be considered.

They'd probably manage to stop it.

They always had.

But could they stop it without casualties?

What if soldiers or players were killed by monsters?

In any case, the live broadcast finally began.

Tower monsters crawling out one after another.

Facing them—the Korean awakened forces.

Surprisingly, it went smoothly.

They held the line well.

There were a few dangerous moments, but they overcame them without trouble.

Had the level of the Korean awakened forces improved?

Time passed.

As the wave reached its peak, the awakened players suddenly began moving frantically.

Something had gone wrong.

And the people watching on TV were horrified.

Undead.

The dark aura visible even through the screen.

They said the Seoul sinkhole wave had also been a Dark Wave—was Chuncheon the same?

How were they supposed to deal with that?

Especially flying undead Specters, which were practically immune to conventional explosives.

And yet—

Swoong, swoong, swoong.

In an instant, brilliant clusters of light erupted all over the battlefield.

The terrifying undead retreated.

With a single slash, they burst into flames.

Undead being subdued that easily.

There was only one explanation.

Those weapons.

Shining swords and spears—and bows and staves.

Only now did they understand.

That was it.

The power with which Korea cleared the 70th floor and ended Kabalon's curse.

Even the awakened forces had been skeptical at first.

Weapons supposedly specialized against undead.

It didn't feel real at all.

Sure, tower reward items were excellent by default.

But undead?

And monsters from the 60th-floor tier—far higher level than themselves.

Even without dark aura, they were hard to deal with.

So they had prayed desperately.

Please, just don't let a Dark Wave happen.

Let Chuncheon pass quietly.

This was a war being broadcast live.

What if their families saw them die or get injured?

But now?

The situation had completely changed.

"Hey! Where's the camera?"

"It's over there—there's a drone camera in the sky too."

"Really? Then my face is showing clearly, right?"

"…You should've gone full makeup."

"That's what I regret—oh! There's a Dullahan!"

"Huh? Oh! That one's mine! I'll take it!"

"Says who?"

Slash! Shrrrk!

Before the holy weapons, the undead were nothing more than mice facing a snake.

Brilliant light swallowed them whole.

It was too easy—ridiculously easy.

At first, they avoided the cameras, but now they deliberately fought in front of them to make sure they were seen.

All awakened players assigned to the eight defense units around the Chuncheon sinkhole did the same.

Captain Nam Garam was ecstatic.

He wasn't tired at all.

The light pouring from his weapon.

Courage for allies, terror for enemies.

Colonel Lee Min-seon joined in as well.

Watching from the sidelines, she couldn't hold herself back.

"Garam, hi!"

"Ah, geez—why are you here, noona? Go rest at headquarters."

"Oh? Look at you. Got ambitions for promotion?"

"Huh? I don't need promotion. Just don't steal my undead."

"Nope! Your noona wants some fun too."

Slash, shrrrk-shrrrk!

The two awakened aces went on a rampage.

Cutting and cutting again.

Specters, Phantom Reapers—it didn't matter.

"By the way, noona."

"Yeah?"

"You met that top player in person, right?"

"Yeah."

"How was he?"

"…Hmm. Kind of?"

Even while talking, their blades never stopped moving.

"Then why don't you make a move?"

"No."

"Why not? Not confident?"

"I'm not confident I can beat Brigadier General Be."

"W-who?"

"There's someone like that."

They were so relaxed they could chat in the middle of battle.

No wonder.

With dark aura neutralized, the undead were nothing but trivial low-tier monsters.

Temporary command and control room at Chuncheon wave defense headquarters.

The generals could only stare, mouths agape.

Except for Jeon Seong-il.

Light was appearing everywhere across the battlefield.

Light was overcoming darkness.

At that moment—

An aide rushed over to General Jeon Seong-il, face flushed red.

"Commander! An urgent call from the U.S. White House!"

"The White House?"

Why them?

"Ah… right. This is live, isn't it?"

Of course.

How could they stay quiet after seeing this?

"What did the White House say?"

"The U.S. President wants to speak with you, sir. They're also asking about the holy weapons."

Tsk.

The wave defense wasn't even over yet.

He understood.

If roles were reversed, he would've done the same.

Anyone would want to get their hands on holy weapons.

"Tell them politely we'll talk after the wave defense ends."

"Yes, sir."

The United States was only the beginning.

"Commander, the King of Saudi Arabia has requested to purchase holy weapons. He says price doesn't matter—oil or physical asset trades are possible."

Some in the command staff still doubted it.

Could those weapons really handle undead?

But Jeon Seong-il believed firmly.

And that belief was rewarded.

It was spectacular.

Even the oil-rich nations—

"The French embassy contacted us. They're coming directly to Chuncheon."

"India says they'll send a special envoy."

"The Canadian ambassador has arrived in Chuncheon."

"Commander, the UK Prime Minister—"

Calls flooded in.

Some even came directly to the temporary command center.

The world was ecstatic.

Countries already facing undead zones—and those not yet there.

Shining weapons.

Holy weapons.

Weapons that could neutralize dark aura.

Powerful weapons that made terrifying undead tremble.

The one and only reliable means to completely block sinkhole Dark Waves.

Everyone desired them.

The shining weapons.

And yet—

"China and Japan aren't calling."

They must be watching too.

And he knew exactly why they couldn't call.

China—the ones who brazenly demanded Jeju Island as the price for clearing the 61st floor.

And Japan—how many Korean players had they poached?

"If they had any shame, they wouldn't call…"

At that moment—

"Commander, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is calling."

Japan?

"What's it about?"

Holy weapon inquiries?

"It's a protest call."

"…What?"

"They say we illegally captured Ryuchenming, who defected to Japan, and demand to know how we infiltrated Japan—"

Damn it. Those idiots.

There's a limit to shamelessness.

They stayed quiet like rats during the press conference, and now they want to make an issue of it?

During a wave defense, no less?

He knew why.

They'd seen the holy weapons and were desperate.

But would Korea sell to them?

Not a chance.

Japan had secretly taken countless Korean players—

Right when Korea had three sinkholes.

All to defend their single sinkhole wave.

Stabbing them in the back at their most painful moment.

That was unforgivable.

They knew Korea's anger well.

So they were trying to stir things up, find leverage—anything to get a seat at the negotiation table.

"Tell them to stop spouting nonsense. If they keep this up, we'll land the awakened forces directly in Japan."

"Yes, sir!"

That response was a bit too spirited.

He wasn't going to relay it verbatim… right?

The 24-hour Chuncheon sinkhole wave.

Now nearing its end.

Juhyeok had worked hard too.

Rotating rookie summoned beings in and out.

At this point, almost everyone except non-combat types had experienced combat at least once.

So he summoned the veteran group.

But they stood by without intervening.

The awakened forces alone could finish it.

And they had to.

Otherwise, he'd be flying around the world on Green doing cleanup.

"The workers at the Integrated Offense-Defense Center have accomplished something great. You should summon them later and commend them."

He had already planned to.

Forge dwarves, magic enchantment labs, alchemy workshops, magitech facilities—

The result of nights spent without sleep.

But there was still a mountain of work ahead.

They had to produce more holy weapons.

Only then would things truly get easier.

At that moment—

Swoooooong!

Dark energy churned violently inside the sinkhole.

Shooot!

An armored black knight leapt out of the hole.

"…Death Knight?"

"That's right."

"They didn't appear in Seoul, did they?"

"No. Only Specters and Phantom Reapers."

That thing came out too?

Even with holy swords, they were tough opponents.

"Should we intervene?"

"…Let's wait."

Fortunately, their numbers were relatively small.

Meanwhile, the awakened forces wielding holy weapons were many.

"They can win. There's no beating numbers."

It did seem that way.

The awakened forces concentrated their attacks on the Death Knights.

Ranged attackers first.

Holy Bows, Holy Crossbows, and magic users with Holy Staves suppressed them.

After weakening them—

The melee units charged in to finish the job.

No matter how strong a Death Knight was, how could it endure hundreds of holy weapon attacks?

One-on-one would be different, but this wasn't that.

"Our side is quite organized."

"Of course. They're players—but also soldiers."

Then—

Uuuuuuuuuu—

Something was rising from the center of the sinkhole.

Too far away to see clearly—just a dot.

"It's a Lich."

"That's a Lich."

"A Lich."

Damn it.

They were all crawling out now.

That thing's ability was undead troop summoning.

"Can the ranged awakened forces handle it?"

"It's too far—"

"And Liches are mages. Barriers, blink, curses—they'll spam everything."

That was right.

For now, it was too much.

If the distance were closer, maybe.

The Lich would float there, endlessly summoning undead.

If things went wrong, the entire sinkhole area could be overrun by undead.

No other choice.

"Brigadier General Be."

"Brigadier General Veronica Caliber."

"Let's take it out."

"Yes!"

Brigadier General Be turned her weapon toward Bardin.

"O light!!!"

Flash!

"Attribute absorption, activate."

Then, without hesitation—

"Load one large-caliber round. Activate guidance system."

Pajujuk!

Whooom!

A holy-attribute large-caliber round shot forward at lightning speed.

Blinking wouldn't help—it was a guided projectile.

Boom! The Lich exploded.

"It's over."

As expected of Brigadier General Be.

With even the Lich defeated, was it finally finished?

Time passed.

At last, the Chuncheon sinkhole wave defense came to an end.

"Waaaaaaaah!!!"

Soldiers embraced one another, shouting victory cries.

Their second Dark Wave defense.

And this time, they had personally exterminated the undead.

The cheers didn't stop.

Commanding generals and staff came out as well, joining in the celebration.

And this entire scene was broadcast across the world via satellite.

A perfect victory.

Casualty reports followed.

Deaths: 0. Injuries: 25. No critical injuries.

All recoverable with a single healing potion.

On the other hand, Juhyeok was displeased.

If even Liches were coming out, what was the plan?

Did that mean he'd have to go on tour every time waves broke out around the world?

Just then—

"Summoner Bong!"

Martial Law Commander Jeon Seong-il approached.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, we achieved a perfect victory."

"…Not exactly perfect."

Because of the Lich.

"Calls are flooding in from all over the world. They want to purchase holy weapons."

"Oh yeah?"

That was good news.

Seems everyone liked them.

"The U.S., Europe, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada, Brazil…"

A long list of countries poured from Jeon Seong-il's mouth.

But—

"China and Japan haven't made any inquiries."

Don't they want to buy?

Jeon Seong-il replied awkwardly.

"Uh… Japan did call, actually."

"So they did."

"What about?"

"A protest call."

"…What?"

"They're complaining that we illegally detained Ryuchenming, who had defected to Japan. They're demanding to know how we infiltrated Japan."

Those bastards.

They should be grateful we didn't drop a nuke.

"What did you say?"

"It wasn't worth responding. I ignored it."

As you should.

"Good job."

"Yes. Those sons of bitches. If it weren't for wave defense, we would've clashed hard."

Anti-Japanese sentiment on this Earth seemed even worse than on the other one.

Even Gyeon Dallae, the anti-Japanese summoned being, was red-faced with anger.

"My lord, we must punish them immediately. Teach those Japanese a lesson."

The summoned beings agreed.

"Madmen need a beating to learn."

"How about summoning a meteor? A natural disaster. No one would know."

"Hear, hear!"

"The dimensional farmhand is right. Just drop a nuke."

Jeon Seong-il looked troubled.

He knew Juhyeok really did possess nuclear-level power.

"Uh, let's calm down. Nukes are a bit—"

Then Kosak exploded again.

"Gal!"

Sigh. He's gotten a taste for it.

Shouting "gal" anytime, anywhere.

"Former General!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you ever been truly hot even once in your life?"

"W-well, I'm not sure."

"Japan was hot twice, eighty years ago."

"It's time for the third."

What is he even saying?

Suddenly, another thought crossed Juhyeok's mind.

"Japan aside—did China say anything?"

"No official statement yet, but we should be cautious."

Cautious how?

"Does China kidnap players too?"

"Huh? How did you—"

Just as expected.

"Is there a chance China might try to kidnap Summoner Bong?" Kosak asked.

"Well, I can't guarantee there's zero chance, but rest assured. Our martial law forces will thoroughly handle security—"

Kosak's eyes flashed.

"Leave it be."

"…Excuse me?"

"Don't stop the Japanese or Chinese if they come to kidnap Summoner Bong."

"W-what? I don't understand—"

"This is a cliché."

"…A cliché?"

There he goes again.

"The conditions for a cliché are fully met."

"Why?"

"Isn't this a world where the boundary between towers and reality has collapsed? They'll come charging in, fearless because they have some power."

He had a point.

"China's top player will come swaggering in, saying, 'How dare a player from a petty nation defy a great nation,' and attack in a group."

And then?

"That's when Summoner Bong steps in. He shows the overwhelming difference in strength and says, 'Look—this is the gap between you and me!' Kaah! How cool!"

So I fight?

"One hammer swing and they're all dead anyway."

True.

Even China's top player would be under level 70.

Juhyeok was level 100—with Dao energy, dragon-heart elixirs, and the Judge's Hammer.

He could picture it.

Clueless puppy players charging in, only to be casually crushed by Tiger Bong Juhyeok.

"…Hmm.

That's not bad.

Anyway.

"Commander Jeon Seong-il."

"Yes?"

"Could I borrow a warehouse?"

"A warehouse…?"

"I'm planning to install a logistics warp gate. A device for two-way item transfer."

Jeon Seong-il tilted his head.

Logistics transfer? Between where and where?

Still, if he wanted a warehouse, he'd provide one.

Whatever a logistics warp gate was.

"I'll prepare one right away."

Warehouse settled.

"And take this."

"…What is this?"

Juhyeok handed Jeon Seong-il a rune item and a platinum badge.

"A rune for player awakening. Pin the badge on your chest and consume the rune—you'll awaken as a player."

Jeon Seong-il blinked, confused.

Awakening him?

"…What…?"

He didn't doubt it.

If he consumed it, he would awaken.

But—

"I'm already old. Wouldn't it be better to give this chance to younger soldiers who haven't awakened yet—"

Kosak exploded again.

"Gal !"

Startled.

"…Sorry."

Kosak glanced nervously at Juhyeok, then turned to Jeon Seong-il.

"What's wrong with your age? It's the perfect age to awaken."

"…."

"Don't think, just be brave and take it. You'll get a good trait. On Earth No. 1,001, Chief Jeon Gwang-il awakened using a rune given by Summoner Bong."

"…All right. I will."

Jeon Seong-il nodded.

That's right.

Is there really an age limit for awakening?

When war breaks out, only the young are sacrificed.

It's always been that way.

Even now.

Rather, the older generation should awaken and fight the monsters.

Jeon Seong-il put the badge and rune into his pocket.

Juhyeok watched with satisfaction.

"Jeon Seong-il, Jeon Gwang-il—both players now."

…Wait.

Come to think of it, he never told Chief Jeon Gwang-il that he'd gone to Earth No. 843.

Or his family, either.

"They must be worried."

The wave was over—maybe he should go back.

Tell them what he experienced.

He had plenty of time.

Different parallel Earths, but very close for Juhyeok.

Like taking a stroll around the neighborhood.

Just an elevator ride away.

Might as well go now.

"Commander Jeon Seong-il."

"Yes?"

"I'll head home briefly before clearing the 71st floor."

"H-home?"

"Earth No. 1,001."

"…Ah."

Jeon Seong-il's face went pale.

The thought of Juhyeok going home terrified him.

What if he didn't come back?

"…Y-you'll return, right?"

"Of course."

Reassuring the worried commander,

Juhyeok headed for Earth No. 1,001.

He could clear the tower after coming back.

He'd probably be back by evening anyway.

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