Barely two days had passed since her summoning.

Yet in that short time, Maya had developed a considerable fondness for Shin Jungho.

A wise king, by her reckoning, required a constellation of virtues—fairness, wisdom, compassion, responsibility, and humility among them.

And by her own standards, Shin Jungho possessed the makings of a truly great king.

What was the title they used in Korea? President?

Her modest first goal, then, was to see him seated in that position.

No matter how she looked at it, placing Shin Jungho there seemed the surest way to ensure the stable management of the Seoul Tower.

As for Lea…

For now, she was a useful pawn.

Her skills as a knight were certainly reliable.

And her loyalty to Shin Jungho was admirable.

Maya’s only mild regret was that Lea currently appeared closer to Shin Jungho than she was herself.

But that was something time would resolve.

She would remain at His Highness’s side going forward.

While Lea would be stationed among the monsters.

Distance bred detachment—it was only natural.

Shin Jungho’s attention would inevitably gravitate toward her.

Yes.

That was the proper order of things.

Or so she believed—until she witnessed this.

“Lea, I’m going with Megastrum.”

“……I shall defend against it with every ounce of my being!”

Lea, standing at the vanguard, was far more tense than when she had faced seven or eight minotaurs simultaneously.

Just how powerful was this skill…?

Would it unleash a massive tornado right from the start?

It was wind magic, after all—the aftermath would be considerable.

Compared to elemental magic like fire, ice, or lightning, wind magic covered a vastly wider area of effect.

“Maya, you’re ready to defend, right?”

A skill powerful enough that even she, a mage, was needed for defense alongside the knight.

“I have deployed the Barrier of Atmosphere.”

As a 4th circle defensive spell, she was confident it could withstand moderate impacts.

At the forefront stood Lea with sword and shield alongside the Barrier of Atmosphere.

Behind her, Shin Jungho wearing the Ring of Protection.

At the rear, Maya holding her wooden staff to maintain the defensive spell.

The three of them stood in single file, fully prepared.

Maya wondered if this was truly necessary…

But Lea’s battle stance at the front was so solemn and grave, as if facing a final decisive battle, that she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

When all preparations were complete, Shin Jungho spoke.

“Meteor Summoning.”

……Pardon?

Meteor… Summoning?

Was this not… wind magic?

The true nature of the skill revealed itself immediately.

Far above in the distant sky, a massive dimensional boundary formed.

Through the exposed boundary, a meteor flying through the cosmos of another dimension peeked its way into view.

“44! 68! 74!”

That large…

“88! 97!”

And larger still…

“111! 121!”

And magnificent…

“133 meters!”

A meteor!

“It’s coming!”

“Maya! Maintain the Barrier of Atmosphere!”

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The earth shook.

Hwaaaaaaaaaak!

A fearsome shockwave erupted.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwag!

All manner of arboreal debris sprayed outward.

Leaves.

Branches.

Trees uprooted entirely!

Pababababang!

The initial shockwave mercilessly shattered the 4th circle defensive spell, the Barrier of Atmosphere.

“Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah! Hah…!”

Lea, right at the front, spread her body in a fan-shaped stance, frantically deflecting the remaining aftermath.

“Maya! Defensive magic!”

“Ah, understood!”

For the first time since her summoning, Maya felt profound bewilderment as she hurriedly concentrated to redeploy the Barrier of Atmosphere.

“Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap! Hap…!”

In the meantime, Lea swung her sword at blinding speed, cleaving through the wooden debris.

But the true highlight was elsewhere.

Kkung! Kkung! Kkung!

The uprooted trees began bombarding the surroundings like miniature meteors.

Looking up at the sky, the trees were on the verge of raining down like a meteor shower.

Ah…

Was this where she died…?

The moment that thought crossed her mind—

[You have re-cleared the 19th floor of the Tower 25.]

[An Armor Acquisition Ticket has been granted as additional reward.]

[Automatic return in 10 seconds.]

“Return!”

Pabad!

They safely returned to the studio apartment.

“Heok! Heok! Heok! Heok…!”

Lea repeatedly exhaled the labored breaths that had risen to her throat.

“I was worried without Tiamote’s Staff, but fortunately the Ring of Protection didn’t even need to activate. Good work, Lea, Maya.”

Shin Jungho offered words of encouragement as if nothing remarkable had happened.

“T-thank… you! Heok! Heok! Th-thank you! Heok! Heok!”

Shin Jungho chuckled and said,

“Lea, catch your breath before talking.”

Maya simply could not accept what had just transpired.

That was why she voiced the first thought that came to mind.

“Your Highness… did you not say… it was wind magic…?”

Shin Jungho answered with a slight upward curl of his lips.

“Ah, I suppose my explanation was lacking, leading Maya to misunderstand. It’s not that the skill only has wind magic—it’s a skill that also has wind magic.”

……Where?

It was an utterly absurd remark.

One that even stirred a hint of irritation.

Still, the fact that the lord she served possessed such overwhelming power was, as a vassal, something to be celebrated.

“……This humble maiden is utterly awestruck by Your Highness’s omnipotent power…! One capable of performing such miracles as Your Highness—there is none other in this world but Your Highness alone.”

It was power far too vast for any single individual to possess.

And the one who wielded such fearsome power was none other than Shin Jungho.

Ah!

What a truly magnificent lord!

He was indeed the stuff of which rulers of Korea—nay, the world—were made.

Watching Maya’s visibly delighted reaction, Shin Jungho felt he had come to understand her on a deeper level.

People’s true natures revealed themselves through such unexpected events.

She could have complained about not being warned beforehand.

Instead, she rejoiced as if it were her own fortune and offered praise—telling him that, like Lea, this summoning had been a success.

It would be the icing on the cake if the two of them grew closer through this.

Though that seemed about as likely as a Universe Phone and an Apple Phone getting along.

Shin Jungho set aside that thought and examined the additional reward he had obtained.

Armor Acquisition Ticket.

The Weapon Acquisition Ticket he had previously obtained covered both weapons and defensive equipment.

The Armor Acquisition Ticket, however, produced only defensive gear.

Well then… shall we test this one too?

“Maya, would you like to try drawing from this?”

“What might that be?”

The person being asked inquired casually, but Lea, who had only been listening, flinched.

……That trauma really lingers.

“It draws defensive equipment, and I have a feeling something good might come out if you’re the one to draw it.”

“Is that so? Then this humble maiden shall receive Your Highness’s wishes and attempt a draw.”

Oh?

She certainly differs from Lea in personality.

Shin Jungho handed over the Armor Acquisition Ticket.

However, Maya, despite holding the paper, could not use it herself.

It appeared that as a summoned being, she could not use superhuman-exclusive items.

Which made sense—ordinary citizens who weren’t awakeners couldn’t use them either.

He’d have to let her open a random box later!

After returning the Armor Acquisition Ticket, Maya clasped her hands together neatly and prayed.

“This humble maiden shall offer all the winds she has gathered with her whole heart to Your Highness. Please obtain a precious item.”

A precious item.

Her Korean localization was impressively fast.

“This humble servant also prays that our Lord draws a miraculous piece of armor capable of even blocking meteors!”

If something like that came out, people would call it completely broken.

In any case, it was now time to conduct the draw with the hopes of two—no, three people concentrated in one place.

Come out!

Something good!

Pong!

[You have obtained Leather Sandals of Fair Wind.]

A single pair of yellowish-brown leather sandals appeared.

With straps across the instep, they offered virtually no defensive value for armor.

But with equipment, options were what truly mattered!

[Leather Sandals of Fair Wind]

– Level Requirement: 3

– Built-in Skill: Footsteps of Fair Wind

– Increases movement speed.

– Description: Sandals made of leather straps. The weight of the footwear has been minimized for swift movement. Footsteps of Fair Wind can be used every 60 minutes.

Oh?

This was a jackpot!

The shoes themselves had a built-in movement speed enhancement, and they even came with a skill attached.

For equipment items, the presence or absence of a skill could change the number of digits in the selling price.

Footsteps of Fair Wind, in particular, ranked among the upper-tier movement skills.

Sure, it offered zero defensive value—but was defense really what mattered?

Not getting hit in the first place was what mattered!

“Lea, Maya. Your prayers must have worked—something really good came out.”

The two offered congratulations as if competing with each other.

“Congratulations, Lord! This reward is fitting for your outstanding achievements and results!”

“I offer my congratulations. Seeing Your Highness so overjoyed fills this humble maiden’s heart with warmth as well.”

……If another summoned being joins later, are they going to go up to three verses?

Or since the national anthem has four verses, should they go all the way?

“Thank you, both of you. Anyway, let’s wrap up today’s climb here and discuss how we should tackle the 21st floor.”

“Understood!”

“Please speak your mind freely, Your Highness.”

Shin Jungho first turned to Maya, who could be considered the key to this climb.

“Maya.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Would you gather up some mobs on the 21st floor?”

Maya’s serene smile froze solid.

A mage, by definition, was a strategic weapon that shook the battlefield with powerful magic from the safety of the rearmost position.

And to such a being…

Did you just say mob gathering?

* * *

Seupat!

Iron Heart Yoon Changdae exhaled ragged breaths upon returning from the Tower.

“Huu! Huu! Huu!”

The floor he had cleared was the 59th.

A floor he had already cleared dozens of times.

Yet he still hadn’t challenged the 60th floor for one reason and one reason only.

To seize the 60th floor special privilege held by Swordmaster Kim Taemin.

It had once been a goal driven purely by personal ambition.

But now.

It was solely!

For Mirinae.

A determination to accomplish it at all costs for the elder Shin Jungho!

He had poured every effort into proving his worth with his life held as collateral.

In the Tower Chat Room, he had even staged one-man performances to cultivate an atmosphere where no one would dare speak ill of Mirinae.

But who could have known?

That the great Mirinae would bestow the Grace of Evasion upon him!

At first, he had carried out his duties half-forced, his life held hostage.

But now, praising Mirinae had become a daily routine.

And a joy.

The Grace of Evasion—allowing him to exit the Tower at any time.

It was nothing short of a tremendous blessing tailored for an assassin like himself.

The 60th floor was a boss battle.

Which meant that eliminating the boss alone would complete the clear.

If he could use stealth to hide himself, evade the escort guards, and launch a surprise attack from behind the boss—

Game over.

However, the escort guards were exceedingly perceptive, and even with stealth, shaking off their detection was no easy feat.

Especially if his stealth accidentally dropped in the middle of a monster pack—that would be instant death.

That was why he had desperately needed a Return Ticket.

Testing the limits of his stealth skill meant staking his life to infiltrate the heart of a monster horde.

But Return Tickets were nearly impossible to obtain.

He had felt despair, convinced that clearing the 60th floor in record time was impossible.

But-but-but!

At that very moment!

The Grace of Evasion, allowing unlimited Tower exits, had activated!

Yoon Changdae immediately overhauled his 60th floor strategy.

And little by little, he began to identify the gaps in the monsters’ defenses.

Hehehehe…!

All of this was thanks to the grace of the great Mirinae!

Of course.

Even if he obtained the 60th floor privilege, that was only until Mirinae arrived.

He would merely be borrowing it for a brief while!

Still, stripping the 60th floor privilege from Kim Taemin would undoubtedly benefit Mirinae.

What could Kim Taemin possibly do after losing his wyvern summoned beast and the 60th floor privilege, the Skill Reset Ring?

Yoon Changdae offered a devout prayer to receive Mirinae.

Then, as usual, he entered the Tower Chat Room and began his missionary work.

└ Mireluya! Fellow believers of God Miri! The time has come to unite our hearts in prayer! What has our God Miri done? Yes! He has bestowed the miracle called the Grace of Evasion!

└ lol here we go again lol

└ Mireluya!

└ I believe in God Miri!

└ Give it a rest lol

└ If you have even a grain of conscience left in you, you must never forget God Miri’s grace! You broke through the 30th floor? That’s thanks to God Miri! You broke through the 40th floor? That too is God Miri’s miracle!

└ fr fr I actually broke through the 30th floor this time because of the Grace of Evasion. Normally I’d bolt at the slightest danger, but with the Grace of Evasion, I’m not scared anymore?

└ I also cleared the 20th floor following Mirinae’s lead lol But I don’t think I can keep up with his climbing speed T_T His clear speed is in another league omg

└ At this point we need to designate Mirinae as Korea’s National Treasure No. 1 lol

└ Agreed

└ Me too

└ lol are you guys seriously about to start a petition lol

……Keuhehehehe!

No one would ever know.

How many people he was playing by himself, and how many posts he was churning out!