Lea dreamed.

Countless wars unfolded.

Innumerable battles were fought.

Yesterday’s ally became today’s enemy.

A comrade who shared the morning meal vanished by afternoon, leaving behind nothing but a name.

What on earth was she fighting for?

Where did this war end?

Why must she take up the sword?

The deeper her thoughts spiraled, the more her blade trembled.

And that hesitation invited catastrophe.

Had her adjutant—a man who had stood beside her for years—not thrown away his own life to save hers, she would never have lived to dream this dream.

That was when Lea understood.

Ah… for a knight in service to her Lord.

Thought was entirely unnecessary.

From that point on.

Lea became a true knight—slaying her own emotions and executing nothing but her Lord’s commands.

Her blade, free of hesitation, mercilessly slaughtered every enemy soldier it met.

Before long, she came to be known by the epithet Frenzied Slaughterer.

Cut.

Cut.

And cut again.

Like a machine that needed no thought, she followed only her Lord’s commands.

Then one day.

The Tower appeared.

Lea’s dream ended there.

* * *

The cafe’s part-time wages had gone absolutely insane.

This time, claiming she would treat him like a business partner, the owner calculated his pay not as an hourly rate but as a percentage.

Thirty percent per member.

Currently, Prestige War Cafe had a total of three monthly members.

That brought monthly revenue to 3 billion won, meaning thirty percent—900 million won—had become his part-time salary (?).

…What on earth is this?

They say money attracts money—was this what they meant?

Running a cafe on a membership basis was absurd enough.

A monthly fee of 1 billion won per member was beyond reason.

Casually carving out thirty percent of that for him?

It so far exceeded the bounds of common sense that he simply could not adapt.

…Whatever.

It wasn’t his money to spend, anyway.

More importantly, he needed to see what Lea would look like now that she had completed her limit break!

Truthfully, using a Summon Limit Break Ticket didn’t change a summoned being’s appearance.

It broke through the level cap—it didn’t transform a level 60 into a level 80.

Still, unlike animal-type summoned beasts, this was the first time a human had emerged from a Summoning Stone, so there was no telling what changes might occur.

[Blessed Summoning Stone]

– Owner: Shin Jungho

– Summoned Beings: Lea (Limit Break in progress), Maya (Summoned)

– Summon Count: Twice daily

– Summon Duration: 8 hours

Was it still not time?

Did it have to be exactly one full week?

…She wasn’t going to stay an extra week because she didn’t like the results, was she?

“Maya, you must have been bored being alone all this time, right?”

“This one does not mind who is present, so long as she may serve Your Highness.”

“Still, wouldn’t you prefer having Lea around?”

“If Sir Lea were present, Your Highness could be attended to all the more perfectly. So I shall say as Your Highness says.”

Over the past week, he and Maya had fought hard against the griffin flocks.

But they always finished clearing the floor past the thirty-minute mark.

Even when aggro was drawn, the creatures hesitated, testing the waters before committing to attack, which kept eating up time.

Fortunately, he had managed to obtain two Monster Lure Scrolls through Han Donggeon.

Once Lea returned, climbing the 32nd and 33rd floors would be possible.

Then he just needed something good to come out of those two Random Boxes.

[The limit break of Summoned Being Lea has been completed.]

Oh!

At least the system was considerate enough to send a notification?

Since she was returning after a full week away, he planned to take the rest of the day off and relax.

He had already finished today’s climb with Maya and exhausted all his Meteor Summoning uses.

Everything from light snacks to picking a movie to watch together had been neatly arranged.

If someone came back from a week-long business trip, shouldn’t they get at least one day to enjoy themselves?

Shin Jungho summoned Lea with joyful anticipation.

“My Lord. I trust you have been well.”

Lea offered her greeting in an exceedingly calm voice.

Her outward appearance hadn’t particularly changed.

The fresh, youthful look of a girl in her teens remained the same.

Her golden blonde hair was the same length, and the equipment she wore was identical to before.

But Lea’s eyes.

Somehow, they carried a calm, quietly composed light that bore the weight of years.

“…Did something happen?”

“…I shall explain.”

Lea revealed the story within her dream.

Through countless battles, she had endured many heart-wrenching experiences, ultimately killing her own emotions and devoting herself solely to her Lord—that tale.

Honestly, it was not a pleasant past to hear.

But Lea recounted what she had seen without emotion, as though describing someone else’s life, and at the end, she even spoke of the Tower.

“I do not recall the exact details, but it seems I entered into a contract with some entity of my own will, binding my soul to the Tower.”

The contract had been made long after she reached adulthood.

However, there were constraints on bringing forth her peak abilities and memories intact.

So she surmised that she had taken the form of a young girl who had lost most of her memories.

“Then how old were you when you were alive?”

“I believe I was perhaps around the same age as you, my Lord. However, since I seem to retain more memories from after that point, I may have been older.”

Uh….

Then had he… been telling a woman in her thirties or forties to call him “oppa”?

Uhh…?

As if reading Shin Jungho’s inner turmoil.

Lea offered a faint smile, communicating her intent through her eyes alone.

Let us bury this, my Lord.

…Agreed, Lea.

By mutual accord, all of that ceased to exist.

…If only one person weren’t here?

At Shin Jungho and Lea’s untimely glances.

Maya felt an inexplicable chill.

“…Do you have orders for me, Your Highness?”

Shin Jungho lowered his voice and asked.

“Maya… you can keep a secret, right?”

“Not a single matter pertaining to Your Highness shall ever pass these lips. That, I swear.”

“Right… I’ll trust you.”

Wait.

Then did that mean Maya’s actual age was also…?

Shin Jungho.

Resolved then and there never to bring up the matter of titles or speech patterns with either of them again.

“My Lord, when do you plan to resume the Tower climb?”

Even if her demeanor had grown calmer, Lea was still Lea.

“I used all my Meteor Summoning charges today, so I’m planning to start tomorrow.”

Besides, she had just returned after a rare week away—shouldn’t they catch up on her dramas?

That was what he thought as consideration on his part, so he had already finished the day’s climb with just Maya.

“Is that so? Then I shall conduct personal training until that time.”

“Where?”

“If I were to swing my sword in the Dimensional Room, I thought it might disturb your rest, my Lord.”

It was a space barely three meters wide, long, and tall.

Standing in place and swinging a sword was one thing, but could anyone actually train in such a cramped space?

“It’s only been a week. You’re not going to watch your dramas?”

“What I need now is to build the strength to be of use to you, my Lord. I ask that you please reconsider.”

Well, it wasn’t like he was forcing her to watch….

“If that’s what Lea wants, go ahead.”

“Thank you, my Lord.”

Her appearance, her voice—everything was exactly the same.

Yet her far more composed bearing felt somehow unfamiliar.

He would get used to it eventually, but.

Had that fresh, innocent demeanor vanished forever?

Lea entered the Dimensional Room and began her swordsmanship training.

As if facing an imaginary enemy, she shifted her body this way and that in place, swinging her sword and shield with genuine intensity.

And perhaps inspired by that sight.

Maya switched off the iPhone screen she had been staring at for some time and abruptly began meditating.

“Wouldn’t training be pointless for you, Maya?”

“I thought I might rehearse my mental discipline in advance, for the future.”

Did that sort of thing require rehearsal too?

Hmm….

Watching both of them dedicate themselves to training.

He felt like the only useless one—having filled the entire day with plans to just hang out together.

…Did he make a mistake triggering the limit break?

Shin Jungho chuckled and decided that since things had come to this, he might as well tackle some postponed matters.

One Skill Enhancement Ticket received from Lee Seoah.

And one One-time Skill Enhancement Ticket remaining from the exchange with the Russian assassin.

Currently, there were six skills he could enhance, excluding Meteor Summoning.

If a better skill came along later, saving the tickets for that would be a fine strategy.

But he also wondered whether hoarding the enhancement tickets too long might be stunting his current growth.

In that case, which skill would be best to enhance?

First, among Exclusive Skills, there were Quest Insight and Slime Skin.

Quest Insight would certainly help with battle command, but he wasn’t sure it had reached the level where enhancement was necessary yet.

Slime Skin was too unpredictable in its effects, and defense could be left to Lea and Maya, so there was no real need.

Next, among Universal Skills, there were four: Summoner’s Complete Healing, Dimensional Room, Slime Form, and Telepathy.

More healing uses would be nice, but he hadn’t felt any shortage yet.

He had no idea what Slime Form would become if enhanced, so he steered clear of that one.

That left Dimensional Room and Telepathy.

Between the two, the most promising was without question Dimensional Room.

Expanding the space already required a separate Origin Stone.

Which meant.

Enhancing the Dimensional Room wouldn’t simply expand the space—it would add entirely new capabilities.

The skill that had neatly stored his Summoning Stone and proven itself an invaluable workhorse was none other than the Dimensional Room.

What new abilities would it grant once enhanced?

The only way to find out was to use the One-time Skill Enhancement Ticket.

But!

If he was going to enhance it anyway, why waste the One-time Skill Enhancement Ticket?

Since Meteor Summoning couldn’t be enhanced, the Dimensional Room appeared to have the highest utility by far.

As the most likely enhancement candidate, there was no reason to hesitate—just enhance it right away.

Shin Jungho watched Maya swinging her sword diligently within the cramped Dimensional Room and made his decision.

Let’s go!

[The Dimensional Room skill has been enhanced.]

Now then, what additional options had appeared?

[Dimensional Room]

– Space Expansion: 1 Origin Stone

– Add Door: 1 Origin Stone (Tower domain only)

– Add Multi-dimensional Training Ground: 1 Origin Stone

– Influence Range: 5km (Based on the original door; usable while the door is closed)

– If the entrance is destroyed, items inside will be ejected into the surroundings. Communication connections are possible from within the Dimensional Room.

…This is incredible!

It no longer merely expanded space.

New doors could be added, allowing access from different locations.

And it could even create a special area called a Multi-dimensional Training Ground.

The catch was that each option required one Origin Stone.

He currently possessed only a single Origin Stone, so he could choose just one of the three.

After going through the trouble of enhancing the skill, this felt like a mere tease.

But the most important part of the enhanced Dimensional Room was the last two lines.

– Influence Range: 5km (Based on the original door; usable while the door is closed)

The influence range had jumped from 5 meters to 5 kilometers—a staggering 1,000-fold increase.

Whoa?

And being able to use it with the door closed made it essentially an inventory.

Living creatures still had to be placed inside through the physical door, like the Russian assassin, and there was the restriction of being based on the original door.

Even so, this was nothing short of a spatial revolution.

If he stored everything inside the Dimensional Room.

Then outside, whenever he suddenly thought “Ah, that’s right!” and remembered something he forgot.

He could pull the forgotten item straight out of the Dimensional Room!

From now on, he’d only need to carry his house keys?

Thinking that, the size of the Dimensional Room—which had seemed so spacious—suddenly felt a bit disappointing.

If he poured all sorts of items inside like a convenience store, wouldn’t he feel prepared no matter where he went?

Hmm….

Then again, if there were too many things, would searching for what he needed take even longer?

Besides, the range was still only 5 kilometers, so he’d think about that later.

And the next line.

– If the entrance is destroyed, items inside will be ejected into the surroundings. Communication connections are possible from within the Dimensional Room.

The internet.

Was now accessible from inside the Dimensional Room!

At this point, he seriously wondered whether setting up his living quarters in the Dimensional Room rather than a studio apartment might be the better choice.

Electricity wasn’t an issue since it could be supplied through Magic Stone Batteries.

Unaffected by the seasons—spring, summer, autumn, winter.

A space with perpetually pleasant temperature, humidity, and clean air—that was the Dimensional Room.

Should he actually set up house inside?

No air conditioning costs in summer.

No heating costs in winter.

No maintenance fees.

Good for the Earth’s environment.

But the problem was.

He had only one Origin Stone!

Truthfully, he had already made his decision about which facility to build.

– Add Multi-dimensional Training Ground: 1 Origin Stone

Space expansion was good, and adding a door was good too.

But if he could watch Lea training diligently in that cramped space without feeling anything, he’d be a failure as a summoner.

Farewell, my Origin Stone.

You served well all this time, helping me hide my identity.

Do one last meaningful deed, and we’ll meet again!

Shin Jungho offered a grateful farewell and sent his Origin Stone on its way.

[A Multi-dimensional Training Ground has been added to the Dimensional Room.]

A new door materialized opposite the bathroom door connected to the Dimensional Room.

With that, the Dimensional Room’s description text changed as well.

– Multi-dimensional Training Ground: 3 times daily. Can generate floors you have cleared within the Tower.

…What?!

This was incredible too?