Baek Jihoon was finding the current situation quite disagreeable these days.

Electric Empress Park Soyul.

A goddess for all men.

Yet a glacial beauty who smiled for no one!

Men willing to hand over their liver, gallbladder, and everything else just to see her smile once were a dime a dozen.

But whether it was a political heavyweight or a corporate titan, no matter who came or whose backing they had, Park Soyul never once bent her ferocious temperament.

And that was exactly what he liked about her.

Because before Park Soyul, whether you had power or wealth, every man was reduced to an equally worthless creature.

He had been overjoyed.

When he was selected as Park Soyul’s exclusive secretary.

He worked himself to the bone day and night for her, and even though she never acknowledged it, he felt no regret.

The simple fact that he was the one man who stayed closest to her was reward enough.

But Park Soyul had changed.

Ever since a man named Shin Jungho joined the Jeonjeon Cafe as a new part-timer.

When he had investigated, the man was clearly ordinary, the kind you could find anywhere.

Moreover, unlike other men, he didn’t seem to harbor any ulterior motives toward Park Soyul, which Baek Jihoon had found very pleasing.

But then……

As time passed, things took a strange turn.

To think that the cold, haughty Park Soyul would act coy and cling to a man!

Of course, he knew it was just her teasing.

But Park Soyul had never shown such a smile to anyone.

How could he stand by and watch the goddess he deeply admired degrade herself like that!

Soon.

Embracing the righteous cause of all men.

He had a feeling he might need to deliver justice’s retribution.

“Secretary Baek.”

Park Soyul’s cold voice came from the back seat.

He glanced at her face through the rearview mirror and found her usual vicious eyes watching him as if he were a bug.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

The corner of Park Soyul’s mouth rose slightly.

“You’re not having any improper thoughts right now, are you?”

Baek Jihoon swallowed dry and answered.

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

The corner of her mouth rose a little more.

“Don’t go kicking away the reason I employ you, Secretary Baek. I find you convenient, at least.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Right… he could still endure it.

As long as he was Park Soyul’s exclusive secretary. For now.

The car sped through the city and stopped in front of a building’s lobby.

The Superhuman Management Agency.

Since it was Vice Commissioner Han Donggeon who had convened today’s emergency meeting, she had to show up in person if only to find out what was being discussed inside.

Entering the building and finding the conference room, four people were already seated.

“Rough night? You’re certainly taking your time.”

Iron Heart Yoon Changdae chuckled as he threw out a jab.

“I’d appreciate it if you were punctual for such an important meeting, Ms. Soyul. As a superhuman representing our nation, shouldn’t you demonstrate a sense of responsibility?”

Swordmaster Kim Taemin delivered a light reprimand, wearing his good-guy mask.

The reason he put on his media-friendly face was simply because the Vice Vice Commissioner’s female secretary, who could be considered an ordinary civilian, was present.

It was truly nauseating.

“Now that Superhuman Park Soyul has arrived, let’s proceed with the meeting in earnest. Please, have a seat.”

Vice Commissioner Han Donggeon offered her a chair.

Park Soyul wanted to fire off her usual barbs, but acting without manners would be an undignified, petty display.

She was late, after all, so this time she simply shot them a cold glare and took her seat.

Seeing the atmosphere settle, Han Donggeon got straight to the point.

“It is true that the New York Tower’s attempt to recruit Mirinae represents the official position of the United States.”

It might have sounded like a sudden tangent.

But all three people gathered here knew exactly what it implied.

The world’s strongest superpower, the United States, was trying to take Mirinae.

Moreover, the United States knew that Mirinae was in danger.

In that situation, if they brazenly tried to eliminate Mirinae, wouldn’t their future become considerably complicated?

The implicit message was to stop their scheming at this point.

This was also the United States conveying its intent through Han Donggeon’s mouth.

A warning, essentially.

Being treated this way by another country was certainly a blow to their pride.

But the fact remained that the United States was the world’s strongest superpower, whether before the towers appeared or now.

The three fell into a heavy silence.

And began carefully weighing the pros and cons of how to proceed.

* * *

Skill Enhancement Ticket.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Shin Jungho decided to use this item.

The only difficult part was making the decision.

Once his mind was made up, action followed swiftly.

After finishing his afternoon cafe shift and returning home.

Shin Jungho carefully checked the door gaps, window frames, and other areas.

…No signs of intrusion.

Now it was time to use the Skill Enhancement Ticket.

[Meteor Summoning skill has been enhanced.]

He had expected as much.

There was no special visual effect.

He immediately opened the information window to check what had changed.

[Meteor Summoning]

– Usage Count: 2 per day

– Search Galaxies: Alpha Core, Megastrum

Following the Summoning Stone, meteors could now also be used twice a day.

If he had enough Tower Entry Tickets, it meant he could attempt top-floor climbs twice a day.

And in addition to the existing Alpha Core, a new galaxy called Megastrum had appeared in the search options.

The name was… slightly ominous, but it still meant a new possibility had opened up, which was worth welcoming.

He was itching to try out the enhanced skill right away.

Then 11:00 PM arrived.

“Greetings, my Lord.”

“I literally just saw you this morning.”

“My Lord’s precious well-being is what your humble servant must always keep foremost in mind.”

Lea’s demeanor had grown even fiercer than when she was first summoned, due to the minotaur incident the previous day.

Moreover, two rankers had come visiting(?) their neighborhood in the dead of night, so her concern wasn’t unreasonable.

He wished this situation would be resolved quickly.

To do that, he needed to keep preparing more reliable countermeasures.

Through climbing the Tower.

“I’ll tackle the 12th floor today.”

“Understood, my Lord.”

Right… let’s take this one step at a time.

Shin Jungho picked up Tiamat’s Staff… no, grabbed it, and entered the Tower.

[You have entered the 12th floor of Tower 25.]

= Objective: Defeat 10 Bronze Armored Minotaurs.

= Time Limit: 2:00:00

True to their name, these minotaurs were clad in sturdy armor.

The count dropping from 20 to 10 meant the challenge was that much harder.

At this level, letting Lea handle it directly could be one option.

But he wasn’t confident how well Lea would fare, and he would obviously hold her back, so it made sense to play his most reliable card first.

“Meteor Summoning.”

Unlike before when the universe simply unfolded, a step to select which galaxy had been added.

The area shimmering with white light was Alpha Core, which he had been using all along.

Beside it, the area with a faint pink glow was the new galaxy, Megastrum.

Naturally, he selected Megastrum this time.

A different galaxy unfolded, one he had never experienced before.

Something… a more grandiose feel?

The meteorites here were tinged pink, unlike the white ones he had initially seen.

Now, what should he pick here?

Curiously, the sizes of the lights here were distinctly more categorized than in Alpha Core.

They could roughly be classified into three tiers: large, medium, and small.

Was this an ability gained from the skill enhancement, or was it because the galaxy was different?

Since he couldn’t go back to the galaxy selection process, he would only know the answer after choosing Alpha Core next time.

Now it was time to choose Megastrum’s fateful first meteorite.

He had already made his decision on what to pick.

The one with the smallest light.

He could already summon meteors twice a day.

Even if the meteorite that fell was only the size of a baseball, let alone an apartment building, he could simply use Meteor Summoning again.

…Oh, this one looks good.

After examining carefully, Shin Jungho selected the meteorite with the faintest pink glow.

His view shifted, and he saw a massive hole forming in the sky above the forest.

…Huh?

If there was one difference from the usual black holes.

It looked almost two to three times larger than when he had summoned a small island-sized meteorite.

A vast hole tore open in the sky.

Through that hole, the edge of the meteorite revealed itself.

Even at a glance.

It was an extraordinary size.

“35! 67! 77! 83!”

Lea called out numbers in rapid succession like a power level scanner, watching the portion of the meteorite emerging from the hole.

“89! 93! 96! 98! 99.9 dong!”

What appeared to be an island the size of three small islands combined slowly emerged from the hole and immediately plummeted straight down.

…Should he start counting in islands instead of apartment buildings now?

Kkwaaaaaaang!

Lea’s foot stomping and everything else was completely useless.

All he could do was grip the heavy staff bouncing on the ground and somehow hold on.

“Shockwave! It’s coming!”

Kuaaaaaak!

“Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat!”

The fierce shockwave swirled like a storm, but Lea’s Hat-Hat Defense with her shield raised somehow managed to block it.

But that wasn’t the end.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!

Dozens… hundreds of trees were uprooted, painting the sky in shades of brown.

And dozens of those trees were raining down toward them like missiles.

Wow… this is going to kill me.

“I’ll block them!”

Tadak!

Lea soared into the air again and intercepted the tree missiles with her white-glowing sword.

Kwagwagwagwagwang!

The massive tree trunks split in half bombarded the ground on either side, repeatedly shaking the earth.

I-is th-this r-really o-okay?

One misstep and he was dead.

Still, with Lea giving it her all, he decided to trust her as much as possible.

With one hand tightly gripping a Return Ticket, ready to use at any moment.

[You have cleared the 12th floor of Tower 25.]

[12 Magic Stones will be provided.]

[You will automatically return in 10 seconds.]

“Return!”

Just as Lea, who had landed on the ground, was about to leap up again.

He safely returned from the Tower.

“Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah!”

Perhaps because the desperate situation had passed, Lea finally let out ragged breaths in succession.

[Announcement: Mirinae has cleared the 12th floor of Tower 25 in the fastest time.]

[As a special reward for the Amazing Achievement, 1 Random Box has been provided.]

Shin Jungho sat before the Random Box and fell into thought for a moment.

He had selected the meteorite with the faintest glow in Megastrum.

And this had happened.

Then if he selected the brightest light in Megastrum…

What would happen?

One thing was certain, at least.

He would absolutely never make that choice anytime soon.

“My Lord…! That was a truly magnificent achievement…!”

Seeing Lea struggle to offer praise even as she gasped for breath tugged at his heart.

There was really no need for that.

To distract himself, Shin Jungho immediately unwrapped the Random Box.

Peong!

[You have obtained 1 Tower Entry Ticket.]

For some reason, following yesterday, he had gone two days in a row without drawing a blank.

Was his luck finally turning?

Thinking that, stopping here felt somehow regrettable.

After all… you should strike while the iron is hot, right?

Shin Jungho waited until Lea’s breathing calmed down.

“I’m thinking of attempting the 13th floor too. Are you okay with that?”

“Even if both my arms and both my legs were broken, I shall always remain by my Lord’s side!”

When it came to sheer fighting spirit, no one could likely match Lea.

Shin Jungho chuckled and said.

“Thank you.”

“It is merely my humble duty.”

“Yes, then… let’s go.”

To the 13th floor of Tower 25.