Russian Presidential Office.

Chief Secretary Andrei Kalinin reported the failure of a secret operation to President Igor Romanov.

“So Cipher is dead…….”

President Igor fell silent, mulling over the codename of Sergei Volkov, the agent who had failed his assassination mission.

A stealth ranker and agent raised in secret by Russia.

The current top floor of the Moscow Tower was 65. With Sergei having reached the 58th floor, the gap was close enough to bridge with a strong push.

He had been Russia’s dark hero.

Recognizing his extraordinary talent and devotion to the motherland, Russia had spared no resource in supporting him.

They had even laid plans for him to eventually assassinate rankers in New York.

And yet.

In a country called Korea.

He had failed to kill a single target and had been gunned down instead?

Seoul’s third-ranked superhuman.

No—second-ranked now. Iron Heart.

Was he…… truly that dangerous?

Why Sergei Volkov had targeted Yoon Changdae first was unknown.

All matters related to carrying out assassination operations had been left to individual judgment.

Presumably, he had assessed Yoon Changdae as the most dangerous and struck first.

But the dead tell no tales, and the truth would remain forever unknown.

The fact that a superhuman they had poured their heart and soul into cultivating was dead was grim enough.

But having to extend a hand to such an adversary was an exceedingly awkward position.

“……How is Nikitin’s Seoul Tower affiliation transfer proceeding?”

Dmitry Nikitin was Russia’s rising hero.

He was still challenging the 55th floor, but with his talent and ability, he was more than capable of becoming Russia’s top ranker.

However, since the Tower required breaking through the top floor once a month, at his current pace it would be a struggle to catch up even when the Moscow Tower reached the 70th floor.

That was why Seoul Tower’s Grace of Evasion was more necessary than anything.

The more superhumans residing on the top floor, the more the city’s safety was guaranteed.

And the massive high-floor rewards would increase accordingly, making Dmitry Nikitin’s rapid ascent all the more urgent.

“The Korean Superhuman Management Agency has been pitting the competing nations against each other, and the contract terms keep climbing. At this rate, we will exceed the ceiling our side has set.”

The thought of mighty Russia bending the knee to that insignificant little country was deeply wounding to national pride.

But pride alone would not lead the nation down the path to prosperity and military strength.

Igor gathered his thoughts for a moment before putting forth a countermeasure.

“Offer the Sword of Svyatogor.”

If the United Kingdom had Excalibur.

Then Russia had the Sword of Svyatogor.

A tremendous weight that no ordinary person could lift.

A greatsword imbued with transcendent power said to cleave mountains.

He knew the Korean Superhuman Management Agency was scrambling to acquire a weapon for Lee Seoah.

The Sword of Svyatogor was, as legend had it, an exceedingly heavy sword that even the most muscular warriors could not wield with ease.

Particularly as one climbed to higher floors, monsters became far more agile, so raw destructive power alone was not the answer.

That was why almost none of Moscow’s superhumans could make use of this weapon.

It was, in essence, a white elephant.

So offering the Sword of Svyatogor could serve as a reasonably good bargaining chip.

“I believe Commissioner Jung Woojin is looking into weapon rentals and purchases from Germany.”

When there was only one buyer but two sellers, a price war was inevitable.

But the solution to such a situation was simple.

“Contact Germany. Tell them we’ll purchase those weapons at twice the price.”

Simply eliminate the competition entirely.

Unlike his hot-tempered public persona, Igor Romanov was inwardly a man of meticulous cost-benefit calculation.

Though he would bend the knee to Korea this time.

Korea would come seeking Russia again before long.

With both hands full of lavish tribute.

Until then.

With the resolve of one passing through thorns to reach the stars.

He would chew on this incident over and over, and endure.

* * *

{Lea, there should be five slimes to the right. Go and dispatch them.}

{Maya, there are three on the left and seven straight ahead. I think you can gather them and deal with them all at once.}

Floor 29 of the Tower.

The floor with the most slimes scattered everywhere, making it quite a struggle to round them up within the time limit.

But right now, there was no need to worry about Amazing Achievements.

And no need to fret about slimes slipping past Lea and Maya.

He simply needed to survey the battlefield at a glance through the map.

And issue commands to his two summoned beings, who were like ultimate weapons. That was all.

This……

Kind of feels like a real-time strategy simulation game?

Now that he could deploy Lea and Maya independently.

The tactical variety had expanded accordingly.

……Though who knows how often he’d actually get to use this.

{Both of you, come back now.}

After the surrounding area had been more or less cleared.

Shin Jungho recalled the two to test a new possibility.

“I have returned safely as my Lord commanded!”

“It is deeply humbling to know that Your Highness watches over me wherever I may be.”

Lea and Maya both looked to have good color in their faces, as if they had gotten a proper warm-up.

It must have been frustrating for them, since the Tower was still the only place where they could move their bodies vigorously.

Should he expand the Dimensional Room using Source Stones and set up a training area inside?

“Get ready.”

At Shin Jungho’s command, both of their expressions hardened.

Because the highlight of this climb—and the final showdown—was about to begin.

Namely…… surviving the meteor!

Shin Jungho couldn’t bring himself to offer any words of encouragement as he looked at the two, who had grown quite solemn.

Honestly, he had no idea what was going to happen either!

First, he spread his hand and retrieved the One-time Skill Enhancement Ticket stored within his body.

What he wanted to test this time was the potential of the Meteor Summoning skill.

In its current state, achieving an Amazing Achievement against Griffins—the flying monsters of the 30th floor range—would be difficult.

They were far more widely dispersed than slimes.

And even if herded together, they could quickly escape by flying, making it hard to hit them all at once with meteors.

He figured the solution might lie in the Meteor Summoning skill, so he wanted to experience the enhanced version firsthand.

[Would you like to enhance the Meteor Summoning skill?]

Yes, please enhance it.

The One-time Skill Enhancement Ticket in his hand vanished in a flash of light.

Skill enhancement complete.

[Meteor Summoning (Temporary Enhancement)]

– Usage Count: 3 per day (enhancement removed after 1 use)

– Search Galaxies: Alpha Core, Megastrum, Copios Crumble

Oh ho.

As expected, another search galaxy appeared.

Copios Crumble, huh…….

What kind of meteor would be summoned, I wonder?

Shin Jungho summoned a meteor from Copios Crumble.

……

And then, wearing a thoroughly satisfied smile, he returned from the Tower.

* * *

Commissioner’s Office, Korean Superhuman Management Agency.

Jung Woojin, who had expected a rosy future to unfold regarding the temporary Seoul Tower affiliation transfers for overseas superhumans, vented his frustrations with a face full of concern.

“What! Why is Russia buying up the German weapons we were going to purchase! And at two or three times the price on top of that!”

Han Donggeon replied with a mild reproach.

“I told you we should have just signed the contract right away for superhuman Lee Seoah’s sake.”

“No! We had a five-way battle going between the US, Japan, China, Germany, and Russia! If we’d just played them against each other a little more, we could have bargained them down much further!”

“*Sigh*, so what does it matter? It’s already done.”

Jung Woojin’s diplomatic skills were admittedly impressive.

Given another day or two, he would likely have reached an agreement on quite favorable terms.

But then the sudden incident of a Russian assassin attempting to kill Seoul’s superhumans had erupted out of nowhere.

Naturally, the Korean government had delivered a formal letter of protest, and Russia had issued an official statement denying any involvement, as expected.

It was fortunate that Sergei had been caught with illegal weapons, revealing him as an assassin. Otherwise, they might have demanded to know why Korea had killed an innocent Russian citizen.

So that’s how you see Korea, huh?

You’re out.

And so Russia was excluded from the negotiating parties.

Except Russia had gone ahead and bought up every German weapon Lee Seoah might have purchased, effectively eliminating Germany from the competition.

Germany had nothing else to offer compared to the other competing nations besides weapons.

With Russia the only country left that could provide a usable weapon for Lee Seoah, it felt like catching the scent of something burning in a stew that had been simmering along just fine.

Argh!

If it were up to him, he wanted to just kick the whole thing over!

Lee Seoah needed to grow quickly and reach the top floor!

It looked like they’d have to bite the bullet and sign a contract with Russia.

“This is frustrating, so frustrating!”

If they signed with Russia now, the public would criticize the Superhuman Management Agency for being played for fools yet again!

“We need to really squeeze Russia for all they’re worth!”

What could be done?

Money was innocent, so they’d have to soothe their frustration with money at least.

“We have a second round of negotiations with the Russian representative in a few days, right?”

“That’s correct. We plan to have a superhuman participate as well, to finalize the agreement this time.”

They must be just as anxious to receive the Grace of Evasion benefits as soon as possible.

Every day spent in Korea was a day they couldn’t climb the Tower.

“Just watch. I’ll clean out their entire storehouse!”

“……Let’s not go overboard. Russia is the only place left to acquire a weapon for superhuman Lee Seoah.”

“……Nngh.”

He’d thought all he needed to do was play a little hardball.

And now another precarious tightrope walk had begun!

* * *

└ Did you guys hear? Russia bought up all the German weapons the Agency was trying to purchase.

└ They eliminated a competitor for transferring to the Seoul Tower.

└ But Russia is the same bunch of bastards who sent assassins this time. Is there any reason to deal with them?

└ Apparently Russia is the only place left that can provide a usable weapon for Lee Seoah.

└ Whoa… So we have to accept Russian superhumans?

└ Yeah, no other choice at this point.

As Shin Jungho read through the Chat Room discussions, a quiet anger began to simmer within him.

Russia was the country that had sent an assassin to kill him.

Sure, he had traded that assassin for two One-time Skill Enhancement Tickets.

But even though he had profited, there was a lingering sense of emotional loss.

Truthfully, he had wanted to sell Tiamat’s Staff, which he kept stored in the Dimensional Room, to Lee Seoah.

Though it was only level 2, it seemed like it could serve as a reasonably tailored weapon for Lee Seoah, who was famous as a Weapon Breaker.

But if they acquired a weapon from Russia, his staff would be left high and dry.

That was why he decided to resolve an issue he had been pondering for a while, here and now.

Namely, registering with the Superhuman Management Agency as a stealth superhuman!

Recently, the number of stealth superhumans officially registering with the Seoul Tower had increased noticeably.

<I was a stealth superhuman on floor 36 and I just officially registered>

<If you hide your whole life, you’re basically certifying yourself as a loser, right?>

<Maybe this is our chance to shift the culture like they did in the US>

<5 tips for sweetening the deal with official superhuman registration>

Even as a stealth superhuman, one could still trade with the Superhuman Management Agency.

But registering as an official superhuman came with several perks—equipment rental priority, discounts, and other benefits—so the number of people choosing to register officially had surged.

└ I had no idea our country had this many stealth superhumans, damn…

└ That’s because there’s a culture of people rushing at you like rabid dogs everywhere just for being a superhuman lol

└ Still, the Agency has been stepping up lately—protecting portrait rights and stuff—so it seems better than before

└ Should I quit being a stealth superhuman too? They say there are special benefits for weapon rentals if you register officially this time

└ Beloved superhumans of the Seoul Tower! The Superhuman Management Agency is currently running a special event! For the next 10 days, those who register as official superhumans will receive up to 3 equipment rentals at a whopping 50% discount! Additionally, those with outstanding climbing records over the course of a month will receive various rewards including Tower Entry Tickets, assorted potions, one-time items, and more! For details, please refer to the <Superhuman Management Agency Official Superhuman Registration Special Event Notice> post! That’s all from Glass Mentality Cha Hyunsung of the Agency’s Strategy Team! ⁽⁽٩(๑˃ᗨ˂)۶⁾⁾

└ Whoa…… this is actually pretty tempting

└ I don’t really have anything to lose staying stealth haha. Using the Agency as a stealth superhuman isn’t bad either lol. But passing that test won’t be easy lolol

└ legit lol Isn’t it harder than the civil service exam now? Praise me for passing it (pat pat)

There were various opinions, but registering with the Superhuman Management Agency as a stealth superhuman didn’t seem like a bad idea.

However, doing so required clearing a rather high hurdle.

That was namely.

14. You are a high school teacher. One day, you discover that one of your top students is a victim of domestic violence. The student earnestly pleads with you to keep it a secret. Reporting the abuse could negatively impact the student’s academics and future, but as a teacher, you have a legal obligation to report it. What would you do?

No less than dozens of…….

Personality assessment questions.

And handwritten, at that.