[Notice: Electric Empress has cleared the 61st floor of the 25th Tower in the fastest recorded time.]

The unexpected system-wide announcement left the superhumans bewildered.

└ Huh? Electric Empress? Didn’t she just clear the 60th floor like two weeks ago?

└ Yeah, I thought she was taking her sweet time climbing. What’s the occasion?

└ Maybe she’s helping Soma out since he’s struggling?

└ Fair enough, Soma without Kkamangi is like a steamed bun without the filling lol

└ For real though, wyverns are OP! If things get dicey, just hop on the wyvern and stall until the time limit, right? That’s basically an infinite return ticket lol

└ Anyway, the gap between her and Soma is down to just one floor now! I hope she pushes straight through to the 62nd floor so we have two people parked at the top! Having only Soma up there is way too nerve-wracking…

└ Soma just needs to not go off half-cocked. Remember when ten rankers tried to catch up to him in the 50s and all got wiped out?

└ Yeah, Soma definitely egged on the top-floor rankers

└ I heard Japan and China put him up to it

└ Conspiracy theory much lolol

└ But has Aha not attempted the 60th floor yet?

└ If he wants the first-clear bonus, he needs the fastest clear on his first attempt, so he’s probably still preparing hard, right?

└ Nah, maybe he already tried and failed, then climbed back to the top floor

└ Wait, then does that mean the Three Emperors are competing again?

└ That would be completely screwed…

The announcement that Electric Empress Park Soyul had cleared the 61st floor in record time unleashed a flood of speculation.

She was trying to help Soma.

She was competing with Soma.

Yoon Changdae might have already climbed to the 62nd floor.

Perhaps, like the frenzied race through the 50th floors, that madness could unfold once more.

The worst-case scenario was an all-out rampage by the Three Emperors.

In other nations, governments maintained firm control over tower progression, advancing methodically step by step.

Korea, however, had lost all such oversight during the reckless race among ten rankers, leaving the Superhuman Management Agency completely powerless.

The early superhumans quietly knew among themselves that the one driving this trend was none other than Swordmaster Kim Taemin.

But since the Swordmaster was also a master of media manipulation, turning public opinion against him proved harder than conquering the tower’s highest floor.

In response to Park Soyul’s unexpected clear, Kim Taemin convened the Triumvirate once more.

It was partly a cause for celebration, and he intended to offer an appropriate item as an apology for the previous incident.

But Park Soyul refused to show herself, nor would she answer any calls.

Kim Taemin ended the unanswered call and hurled his phone down in irritation.

“If she’d just swallow her pride, she could at least pick up the crumbs. Tch.”

Yoon Changdae shrugged and spoke up.

“I already made peace with her.”

The way he said it carried the implication that he alone was at fault, which made Kim Taemin’s frown deepen.

“Made peace? You went and apologized to that crazy bitch yourself?”

“Well, that’s how it worked out. We were the ones in the wrong first, after all.”

Wait, now he was readily admitting his own fault?

If that was the case, why did the whole mess happen in the first place?

The way he cast himself as the only bad guy was utterly baffling.

“You were the one who planned this whole operation, Yoon Changdae.”

When Kim Taemin demanded to know how he could wash his hands of responsibility when it was squarely his, Yoon Changdae flashed an easygoing grin.

“Which is exactly why I went and apologized in person, yeah?”

…Ha.

Why was this bastard suddenly getting under his skin?

Kim Taemin’s eyes grew increasingly cold.

Something was happening that he wasn’t aware of. To detect that undercurrent, he needed to keep his head ice-cold despite the fury boiling in his chest.

“…Shin Jungho, was it? That part-timer isn’t even an awakener, let alone Mirinae?”

The root cause of this entire fiasco was Park Soyul’s attempt to investigate a part-timer she doted on.

Yoon Changdae had told him.

That there were definite suspicions pointing to Mirinae.

Moreover, Park Soyul’s desperate attempts to protect Shin Jungho had seemed inexplicably suspicious.

But when they finally looked into it…

Not Mirinae, not anything—just an ordinary civilian?

Beyond disappointment, rage surged through him.

“Well, I’ll admit my mistake this time. The coffee was just that incredible.”

…What the hell is this bastard on about now?

The urge to drive his fist into Yoon Changdae’s smug face boiled over.

“What kind of… bullshit is that?”

“You’ll understand once you try it. You won’t believe an ordinary person could brew coffee like that. Keukeuk!”

Since when did the conversation about Mirinae turn into a coffee lecture?

He’d always had a screw loose, to be sure.

But Kim Taemin genuinely questioned whether including Yoon Changdae in the Triumvirate had been the right choice.

Still, if he could resolve one thing for certain.

All these petty mistakes would be forgivable.

“Huu… Fine. Good. We have two weeks left. You’ll find Mirinae—my Summoning Stone—within that time, right?”

Yoon Changdae spread both arms wide across the sofa, exuding casual confidence.

“If the target’s an ordinary civilian, there’s no way we can’t find him.”

Kim Taemin immediately caught the strange undertone.

“…Sounds like you’re changing your tune?”

He had boldly claimed a 100% success rate.

His skills were trustworthy enough that Kim Taemin had even paid a Skill Enhancement Ticket upfront.

And yet…

Now he had the audacity to announce he’d take the money and run right to his face?

But Yoon Changdae wasn’t without his rebuttal.

“If you have eyes, you’d know too. The theory that Mirinae is a chaebol. You’re not telling me to dig into that side as well, are you?”

Kim Taemin knew it well himself.

The hypothesis that Mirinae might be a chaebol.

And it was a fairly credible theory, which made it all the more headache-inducing.

If Mirinae was a chaebol, he’d be difficult to touch, and he probably wouldn’t want to transfer to the New York Tower either.

Which meant his beloved Kkamangi would be gone forever, at least until Mirinae died.

…Huu!

His chest burned with bitterness.

They were currently tracking the transaction records of Tower Entry Tickets, but if the other party was truly a chaebol, the gap in resources was insurmountable.

No matter that he was ranked first in the Seoul Tower, he was still just one individual.

Besides, if the Tower Entry Tickets had come from overseas rather than domestically, there was no easy way to trace them.

The United States would probably know something, but they hadn’t provided any relevant information yet.

If Mirinae had just asked for help transferring to the New York Tower, they could have at least offered proper support!

“By the way.”

Yoon Changdae spoke up as if something had just occurred to him.

Kim Taemin stopped his train of thought and glared quietly with both eyes, signaling him to continue.

Yoon Changdae slowly curled the corners of his mouth upward and continued.

“Mirinae. Come to think of it… isn’t he kind of cool?”

Kim Taemin’s expression immediately soured.

* * *

└ Is Mirinae going to attempt the 20th floor today?

└ Not today, probably tomorrow morning? He cleared the 19th floor early this morning, so he’ll probably enter after midnight. Or maybe after 11 PM tomorrow.

└ But why does he always climb around midnight?

└ That’s when he has free time, lol. The fact that he never climbs in the morning or afternoon suggests he might have a really busy job. Or maybe he’s a business owner.

└ If he’s a chaebol, he probably wouldn’t be constrained by time.

└ Night is best for hiding your identity. Chaebol or whatever, if Mirinae’s identity gets revealed, it won’t just be a problem for Korea—the whole world would go crazy lol

└ Yeah, if I were Mirinae, I’d hide it for the rest of my life lol

└ T_T Everyone, hide your identities well T_T Don’t end up like me, showing off and getting leeches from everywhere ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ

└ Seriously, in our country, the moment someone does well, you get contacted from all sorts of places you’ve never even heard of. Like, becoming a superhuman isn’t winning the lottery! We risked our lives fighting for these rewards!

└ But if you only play on floors below 30, it kind of is like winning the lottery. Just go in for two or three hours a day to blow off stress, and you make ten million won just like that.

└ lololol fr

└ Sigh, none of you have any ambition to climb to the top, just fattening your own wallets. Our country needs the Seoul Tower to collapse to come to its senses!

└ Sure, why don’t you risk your life and climb up there yourself lol

└ TBH from the 30th floor up, even surviving until the time limit is hard, so it’s basically risking your life for real

└ Everyone, the doors of the Superhuman Management Agency are always open! The Superhuman Management Agency provides various support for safe climbing, including equipment rentals, item distribution, and strategy know-how transfer. Not only regular superhumans but also stealth superhumans can receive support benefits, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if interested. This was Glass Mentality Cha Hyunsung from the Superhuman Management Agency’s Strategy Team (ว˙∇˙)ง

└ Oh, Hyunsung, long time no see lol

└ Does the agency have money these days? I heard Soma bled them dry and they’re basically broke lol

└ fr, it seems like even the government is abandoning the Management Agency and playing the naturalization card now lol For the money going into the agency, you could recruit one top-tier superhuman haha

└ Would Soma really just stand by and watch that happen?

└ Right lol He kept pushing through the top floor like a lone wolf precisely to prevent that lol

It was a thought he’d always had, but.

Time really did fly when browsing the Tower Chat Room.

Shin Jungho resisted the temptation to keep reading and took stock of his current situation.

For now, it seemed safe to say the life-threatening situation had mostly passed.

His biggest concern had been Swordmaster Kim Taemin, but based on what he’d heard from Yoon Changdae and Park Soyul, the United States seemed to have reined him in, making it difficult for him to act recklessly.

If that was the case, he could probably start summoning Lea a bit earlier, but…

Nothing was certain yet.

Yoon Changdae had been forced onto his side.

Park Soyul had also seemingly split from Kim Taemin.

Still, there were many complications if Mirinae’s identity were exposed.

First, global attention would strip away his freedom.

Second, Park Soyul’s intentions to court Mirinae were unpredictable.

Third, once his identity was confirmed, there was no telling what schemes Kim Taemin might hatch.

So he had to keep his awakening a tightly guarded secret going forward.

If they discovered he was an awakener, not only Park Soyul but even Kim Taemin would take interest.

And if the Summoning Stone in his home was discovered, his alias would be exposed immediately.

As he organized his thoughts, eleven o’clock arrived.

“Greetings, Lord.”

“Yes, have you been well, Lea? Isn’t it stifling inside the Summoning Stone?”

“The Summoning Stone is merely a medium that calls me forth. I exist in a spirit state, so I experience no discomfort whatsoever.”

Existing as a spirit in a mental space where all sensation was severed.

It sounded terrifying to imagine, but she said there was no passage of time, no concept of space, and no feeling of any emotion—only waiting to be summoned once more.

Hmm… Now that I hear it, I should probably summon her more often.

Would another Summoning Stone Enhancement Ticket ever drop?

Shin Jungho looked at Lea.

Brilliant golden hair that seemed to flow like liquid gold.

Beautiful eyes tinged with cobalt blue, a gracefully prominent nose, and lips like demurely folded red petals.

If she stood still for just five minutes in a bustling Seoul district.

She’d walk away with two or three business cards from famous entertainment agencies, naturally.

And dozens of men would approach to ask for her number.

Her slightly fierce impression and youthful appearance, looking around her teens, were minor obstacles.

But Lea’s beauty was so exceptional that those obstacles were entirely beside the point.

Such a pretty girl…

Only loved swordfighting like one of the boys…

Well, everyone had their own way of living.

Shin Jungho asked without high expectations.

“Have you thought of a title?”

What other title could Lea, a paragon of medieval knighthood, possibly consider besides Lord?

“Yes! I’ve found a title that I’m certain will satisfy not only me, but you as well, Lord!”

Lea answered with a bright smile as if she’d been waiting for this.

She was so confident that he found himself genuinely looking forward to it.

What title could she have possibly found?

“What is it?”

Lea paused to draw a breath.

Then, gazing at Shin Jungho with solemn eyes, she spoke.

“Master?”

…Excuse me?