Russia had plotted to kill every ranker of Seoul Tower and trigger a Tower Collapse.

But Kim Taemin, who was supposed to transfer to the Moscow Tower, had died.

They had lost the special-grade assassin superhuman dispatched to eliminate two other rankers.

Worst of all, the Sword of Svyatogor—Russia’s national treasure-grade weapon—had been shattered by a Korean superhuman.

Could they truly stand idly by and watch Korea’s triumphant march with this deep-seated grudge unresolved?

Fortunately, they had salvaged one thing.

The Kim Taemin List.

A roster of Seoul’s stealth superhumans that Kim Taemin had previously obtained by shaking down the Superhuman Management Agency.

During the various periods of turmoil Seoul had weathered, a particularly large number of superhumans had chosen to operate without revealing their identities.

Recently, the number of officially registered superhumans had increased thanks to the Grace of Evasion, but there were still a considerable number of stealth superhumans.

So what could be done with this Kim Taemin List?

“Didn’t China mention they needed some test subjects?”

Chief Secretary Andrey Kalinin answered President Igor Romanov’s question.

“Yes, they reportedly achieved remarkable results in recent experiments. Consequently, they’re requesting superhumans with decent skills as test subjects.”

Superhumans could only use their abilities within the domain of a tower.

So even if captured as test subjects, as long as they were within the tower’s radius, they could flee inward and attempt suicide.

Or they could keep clearing floors to grow stronger and then attempt an escape.

But that was only when they were within their own affiliated tower.

What if they were in a tower they weren’t affiliated with?

They might be able to use their abilities, but they couldn’t enter the tower, making escape altogether impossible.

That was why Russia and China had secretly forged an agreement.

Whenever either nation acquired disposable superhumans, they would exchange them for experimental purposes.

The corners of Igor’s lips crept upward.

“Send this list to China.”

“Do you think China will get their own hands bloody?”

Igor had a reasonable grasp of the situation at China’s Shanghai Tower.

They, too, were well aware that if Seoul Tower continued its triumphant ascent, the Shanghai Tower’s prestige would inevitably plummet.

Furthermore, since Korea was currently aligning with the United States alongside Japan, the fall of Seoul Tower would bring a cascade of ripple benefits.

“They will. The Shanghai Tower must find the Seoul Tower right next door as irritating as a thorn in their eye.”

Moreover, some of the superhumans on the list had their possessed skills disclosed as well.

Would China, already feverish over superhuman experiments, really pass up such a tempting bait?

And so.

The Kim Taemin List obtained by Russia was passed to China.

China, fully aware of Russia’s intentions…… complied anyway.

They had already spent 150 billion won to send two superhumans to Korea.

If they had merely wanted to develop superhumans, it would have been more economical to use that money to lease national-level weapons from other countries and continue breaking through the top floors.

The fact that they had invested such a massive sum meant they intended to extract that much value in return.

At the very least.

The lives of about a dozen or so Seoul superhumans would settle the account nicely.

And so the Kim Taemin List departed from Seoul, traveled through Russia, circled through China, and returned to Seoul once more.

In the hands of the kidnapping operatives sent from China!

* * *

Swordmaster Lea.

Though she had only taken a single step across the threshold for now.

That alone was enough to feel the unmistakable difference in her martial prowess.

Multi-dimensional Training Ground, 32nd floor.

Seogeok! Seogeok! Seogeok!

Lea roamed about, slaughtering griffins on her own.

It took roughly thirty minutes to clear all forty griffins.

If they charged at her in succession, the time could be shortened significantly, but without a Monster Lure Scroll, it was difficult to provoke blind charges.

“Maya.”

“……Understood, Your Highness.”

The card to play here was the wind mage, Maya.

Maya rode her wooden staff through the sky, unleashing wide-area wind magic to pull all the griffins’ aggro at once.

Then she joined Lea on the ground to face three or four of them simultaneously.

With that strategy, they reduced the clear time to around twenty minutes.

Indeed, there seemed to be no class as specialized in mob hunting and wide-area aggro control as a mage.

Maya, the mage, handles aggro.

Lea, the Swordmaster, handles tanking.

And he handles the mob hunting.

It felt like the roles were taking shape.

……Right?

After running a few practice sessions in the Multi-dimensional Training Ground, he felt confident.

That this level of preparation was more than sufficient for the next floor.

So he entered the 33rd floor right away.

[You have entered the 33rd floor of Tower 25.]

Fifty griffins.

This time, to conserve items as well, he dispatched Lea immediately without a Monster Lure Scroll.

“I shall round them up in the shortest time possible!”

Scanning the map, the griffins were clustered to the left.

So he sent Lea to the right.

{That should be about enough! Now head left!}

To quickly draw in the griffins from the sparse side and gather them in one place.

After Lea made a wide circuit of the battlefield, most of the griffins’ aggro had been pulled.

After that, she picked off the diving ones one by one as she waited.

# Remaining Monsters: Griffin (45)

{Lea! I’m going!}

When enough of them had gathered, he selected a meteor cluster from Copios Crumble and immediately unleashed a meteor shower upon them.

Kwagwang! Kwaaang! Kwagwang!

# Remaining Monsters: Griffin (36)

Since relatively large meteorites had fallen, he hadn’t been able to reduce their numbers by much.

But the griffin count was steadily decreasing in real time thanks to Lea, and when their density reached another sweet spot, he summoned the meteor shower once more.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwang!

# Remaining Monsters: Griffin (15)

This time, both the size and range were just right, taking out about twenty of them in one fell swoop.

With Lea holding her ground like a turret right in the center of the meteor summoning zone, there was no chance of aggro bouncing.

“Your Highness, I believe it is time for me to step forward.”

“Didn’t you dislike drawing monster aggro?”

“……It was not so much that I disliked it, but rather that I was unaccustomed to it. As Your Highness’s true vassal, I, too, wish to fulfill my role.”

Perhaps feeling anxious watching Lea’s outstanding solo performance, Maya volunteered to step up herself.

Alright, then shall I save one meteor shot?

After Maya quickly pulled the griffins’ aggro and joined Lea to dispatch them, the cleanup was over in a flash.

At this rate, wouldn’t he soon have nothing to do?

It was naturally a good thing for his summoned beings to grow stronger, but if a floor could be cleared without him launching a single meteor, he’d feel oddly disappointed for some reason.

[You have cleared the 33rd floor of Tower 25.]

Returning from the tower, he opened the Random Box to find three Healing Potions inside.

To ordinary superhumans, they were items as precious as life itself.

But for someone who had yet to take a single meaningful hit from a monster, it didn’t particularly feel like a lucky drop.

Besides, they were superhuman-exclusive items, so he couldn’t even use them on Lea or Maya.

Should he keep one and sell the rest?

Shin Jungho steadily cleared the thirtieth-floor range, one floor per day.

[Announcement: Mirinae has cleared the 34th floor of Tower 25 in the fastest time.]

On the 34th floor, Steel Feather Griffins made their appearance.

As the name suggested, they had considerable defensive capabilities.

Still, they were no match for the steady Sword Aura of Lea, who had become a Swordmaster.

Above all.

What creature could withstand a direct hit from a meteor falling from the sky?

This Random Box yielded five Tower Entry Tickets.

Since he was only clearing one floor per day these days, he didn’t really need that many of these either.

Should he sell these too when the price is high?

They used to go for a few thousand, but lately he’d heard the prices had climbed to the hundreds of millions.

[Announcement: Mirinae has cleared the 35th floor of Tower 25 in the fastest time.]

The 35th floor gave him a bit of trouble.

He never expected Copios Crumble to summon fingernail-sized meteor showers twice in a row.

Still, it wasn’t entirely without effect—quite a few griffins had their wings damaged and crashed to the ground.

Moreover, the third and final meteor shower produced proper meteorites, allowing him to achieve an Amazing Achievement with three minutes to spare.

Otherwise, he would have used a Monster Lure Scroll or a Skill Reset Ticket, but managing to clear it without consuming any items counted as a solid result.

The item from this Random Box was.

[You have obtained the Ring of Arcana (Maya Exclusive).]

[Ring of Arcana]

– Usage Restriction: Summoned Being Maya

– Magic Charge Capacity: 3 spells (6th circle or below)

– Description: A ring believed to have been used by Maya. It can store three spells and manifest them instantly without incantation.

It was an elegantly designed ring with emerald-colored bands intricately woven together.

“Maya, do you perhaps remember anything about this ring?”

Maya gazed at the ring for a moment before a faint smile curved her lips.

“I believe I shall need to try it on to know for certain.”

“Is that so? Here you go.”

When Shin Jungho picked up the ring with his thumb and index finger and offered it, Maya quietly extended her left hand.

Palm facing downward.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

All three lost their words in silence.

Maya was the first to speak.

“Your Highness, I would be most grateful if you would place it on my ring finger.”

“……Wouldn’t it be more convenient to put it on yourself?”

“My right hand must hold this staff. If Your Highness would personally go to the trouble for this humble servant whose body is unwell, I would be profoundly honored.”

Couldn’t she just lean the staff against something?

It was an obvious ploy.

But these were summoned beings who devoted their bodies and souls to serving him. As their summoner, there was no reason he couldn’t do this much for them.

Shin Jungho took Maya’s slender, soft hand in his and, as she wished, slipped the Ring of Arcana onto her ring finger.

“I shall remember this moving and historic moment for the rest of my life.”

It seemed as though a faint blush had graced Maya’s pale face for the first time.

Was putting on a single item really that wonderful?

“Lord.”

Lea suddenly approached with a solemn expression.

“What is it?”

“Actually, I believe I, too, once had a ring.”

“……Is that so?”

“If I recover my ring as well, I beg that you place it on my left ring finger yourself, Lord!”

Hmm…….

He had brushed off Maya’s behavior as her still having a girlish side.

But putting a ring on a woman around his own age.

Even imagining it felt slightly dangerous.

“Sir Lea, are you not causing His Highness distress? Though your body has grown, you still fail to grasp His Highness’s feelings.”

Maya wore the smile of a victor who had conquered the world.

“Ah…… I apologize……!”

Shin Jungho cut off Lea’s words and answered.

“I will.”

“……Pardon?”

“If Lea’s ring shows up, I’ll put it on for you too, Lea. Of course, only if you want me to.”

“Thank you! I shall await that day with an overflowing heart!”

Lea was delighted…… not quite like a child promised a Christmas gift, but like a new employee promised a year-end bonus.

Truthfully, who wouldn’t welcome a situation where two beautiful women like Maya and Lea doted on him alone?

At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.

Was it simply because he was a summoner that they, as summoned beings, were programmed to unconditionally adore their summoner?

That was why the active affection the two showed him was welcome.

Yet he couldn’t fully accept it with a pure heart, thinking it might simply be the treatment one received as the owner of a Summoning Stone.

People might say he was overthinking things.

But what could he do…… this was simply who he was.

And so, beyond climbing the tower, he found himself with one more goal.

To fully restore the memories of both Lea and Maya.

Right now, they were merely summoned beings bound to obey their summoner’s every word.

But if they recovered all their memories, perhaps his relationship with them would become more natural than it was now.

And for that to happen.

He would have to keep climbing to the top floor of the tower, wouldn’t he?