inspire-indiana Chapter 280 CHAPTER 279
Chapter 280 CHAPTER 279
Earth No. 843, Black Tower Administration Office.
The administrators let out sighs of relief.
[Whew.]
[Haaah.]
[Phew.]
Fortunately, the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
Just then, a dimensional transmission arrived from the main base.
They said they would find a solution, so hold out as long as possible.
Administrator authority was expanded as well.
That was how they contacted Partalon and sent him outside.
Do nothing.
Hide.
Absolutely do not get noticed by that summoner bastard.
[It's a stopgap measure, but it should be fairly effective.]
[That's right. How could anyone possibly find the 89th-floor free contractor, the Evil Dragon Partalon, on such a vast Earth?]
But—
[No, don't let your guard down. The administrators of Earths 675 and 1,001 must have tried all sorts of tricks to stop him too. And they all failed.]
[Th-then what do we do?]
[We make the 90th-floor free contractor withdraw as well. What we need is time.]
[Uh… but it's an ancient dragon. Its pride will be enormous.]
The 90th-floor overseer.
An Ancient Great Dragon, the Black-Horned Evil Dragon, Blackhorn Evil Dragon Brachios.
Evil, but unbearably proud.
Hide from humans?
The probability of refusal was extremely high.
[Fuck, pride at a time like this? Tell it to shut up and vacate the 90th floor. Let it enjoy itself on Earth.]
[Yes. Understood. I'll make contact.]
They needed more time.
A lot more.
In the meantime?
They had to plunge the entire Earth into chaos.
By increasing the frequency of undead Dark Waves.
How do waves occur?
As the tower continues to collapse, the concentration of ambient mana in certain regions rises, naturally triggering waves.
As time passes, higher-floor monsters begin emerging outside.
Eventually, even colossal beasts and dragons.
It was also possible to force waves to occur.
But that required consuming massive amounts of dimensional energy.
When they sent the previous dimensional transmission, they had also requested unrestricted access to dimensional energy.
However, full authorization had not been granted.
Only partial use was allowed.
[Fuck! Those main-base bastards.]
The tower was on the verge of collapse.
And they were saving dimensional energy?
Is this really the time to be stingy?
If this place gets conquered, both the tower and the energy will be taken anyway.
If only they could freely use dimensional energy, they would have unleashed colossal monsters outside already.
At present, all they could do was adjust the frequency of Dark Waves.
Still, they didn't give up.
Everyone always has a plan or two.
By making both the 89th- and 90th-floor dragons withdraw, they could block mission generation.
Then, squeezing every last drop of dimensional energy available in the administration office, they would trigger Dark Waves all across Earth.
While that bastard wastes time searching for the Evil Dragon Partalon—
If reinforcements from the main base arrive in the meantime?
[We can stop him.]
[And we'll get promoted.]
[If things go really well, we might even be granted top-grade immortal bodies…]
A rosy future unfolded before them.
Of course—only if the plan succeeded.
Juhyeok discussed future countermeasures with the summoned ones.
The 90th-floor raid was postponed for now.
On Earth No. 843, God-Baek—no, Whitey's influence was disappointingly weak.
They had to strengthen him somehow.
To do that, they needed to smash the administrators' dirty tricks.
Since the other side had broken the rules, the backlash would be significant.
Causality would take effect.
The Evil Dragon Partalon would be found—no matter what.
Before that, they needed to secure mobility by tightening control over sinkhole waves.
Three consecutive Dark Waves had occurred in Korea.
Administrator interference was undeniable.
The White Tower 6th-floor factory ran nonstop.
Anti-undead specialized weapons—holy weapons—were being produced at a near-duplication pace.
They were sent through logistics warp gates to external armories, repackaged, and exported worldwide.
Weapons weren't the only thing being made.
Holy armor and holy-attribute defensive gear also entered production.
Mass-production mode activated.
The terrifying output of the Integrated Crafting Center.
Juhyeok stayed busy as well.
Entering the 89th floor was pointless—no mission would generate anyway.
So instead—
Repeated runs of the 75th floor.
Hauling in Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
Three appeared per entry.
Five entries per day—fifteen units.
More than enough.
Once Dr. El produced and installed the Archangel Replication Engine Core, that was it.
The completed units were stored in Rajiks's subspace.
Finally, they would be delivered starting from the top of the golem reservation list given by Jeon Seong-il.
The whole world was included.
Except for exactly two countries.
The excluded ones?
Naturally—China and Japan.
At the Joint Chiefs Headquarters.
Juhyeok and Jeon Seong-il talked in front of the logistics warp gate.
"Why aren't China and Japan buying? Confident about Dark Waves?"
"No way. They're just testing the waters. Considering what they've done to Korea so far."
Tsk tsk.
You reap what you sow.
To be fair, Juhyeok didn't want to just hand things over either.
Petty people tend to hold grudges.
"China gets Baekdu Mountain and the Gando region. Japan gets Tsushima Island. Let's set that as the condition."
"…Excuse me?"
"As the prerequisite for exporting holy weapons and golems."
"Ah… a very wise decision."
Isn't that a simple condition?
They won't accept it?
China once demanded Jeju Island.
Japan secretly poached countless Korean players.
When distributing golems, other conditions were imposed too.
Britain and France had to return cultural artifacts taken from Korea.
Middle Eastern countries paid in crude oil.
The U.S. and Russia offered nuclear warheads.
Honestly, Tsushima, Baekdu Mountain, and Gando were generous terms.
If they didn't like it—too bad.
"…By the way, Summoner Bong."
Kosak, who had been making a lot of mistakes lately and was desperate to redeem himself, spoke up.
"Yes?"
"Before China hands over territory, I'll go to North Korea."
Huh?
"Once a Minister of People's Armed Forces, always a Minister of People's Armed Forces. I'll take over North Korea."
North Korea again?
What now?
"Players in North Korea on Earth No. 843 will probably have their status nationality set to the Republic of Korea. We definitely share the same Black Tower."
That's true.
"It means North Korean players should also participate in Seoul, Chuncheon, and Daegu wave defenses, right?"
Oh!
Right.
"Send me. I'll complete the mission and return."
"As expected of our most senior summoned one! Such deep thinking!"
"Hehehe, you flatter me."
"Hahahaha! Not at all."
All right—Kosak to North Korea later.
For now?
There was work to do.
"Crackers?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go deliver some golems."
Destination: France.
A sinkhole wave defense was about to occur in the Marseille region.
Honestly, Juhyeok had a bad feeling.
That tingling at the crown of his head.
Something felt off—not in the tower, but outside.
That was why he decided to deliver the golems personally.
He and the summoned ones headed to France.
With perception-blocking talismans attached, they flew toward Europe using infinite turbo blink flight.
"This is Captain Crackers of the Green Aircraft speaking. We will soon arrive in the Marseille region of France. Please check your seatbelts and power off electronic devices—"
Almost there.
Just deliver and leave.
But—
"What if we can't communicate? We have to teach them how to operate the golems."
Kosak puffed up with confidence.
"Summoner Bong's 'Bonjour monsieur, Eiffel Tower tall but lower than Summoner Bong, merci beaucoup, PSG number-one striker, baguette aura blade, Great Sage of Montmartre, Louis XXV Kosak' is here. No worries."
Oh! Language-genius Kosak.
Then we're safe.
"We're almost there. Landing now."
A massive sinkhole.
French soldiers deployed around it.
Flap, flap.
Crackers landed.
The soldiers looked fearful—but didn't raise their weapons.
They'd been notified in advance.
That a dragon would deliver golems.
Dragons were already public knowledge.
Thud!
As they touched down, a high-ranking officer approached.
Likely the local defense commander.
At Juhyeok's signal, Kosak stepped forward.
"Jumapello Kosak, bonjour! Foie gras sebong!"
"B-bonjour…"
"I am Korean, je t'aime, Crackers FedEx, this is golem, safe delivery, okay?"
"Oui? Oui? Non?"
What is he saying?
Is that even French?
In truth, the talking was a smokescreen.
Kosak was actually using gestures.
Hand motions, footwork—showing the control device and explaining operations.
As if that would work.
"This girl never believed he could speak French in the first place."
I did…
"I cannot endure this any longer. Send Kosak back."
Then who's going to talk?
"Summon Principal Harold. He is a genius. By now, he should have mastered every language on Earth."
Ah!
That man.
The most educated summoned one.
He'd also participated in golem research with El.
So—
"Kosak?"
"…Oui?"
"Summon release."
"Huh?"
Spot!
Sent back.
"Designated summon: Harold."
Spot!
"Heh heh, Summoner. Is this a dream or reality, to be summoned like this? Thank you."
"Oh, not at all. I'll call you often… ah! By the way, do you speak French?"
"A little."
"Then could you explain the golem controls to that gentleman?"
"I'll try."
Harold stepped forward.
And immediately unleashed fluent French.
You said a little?
That's practically native-level.
In any case—France delivery complete.
The tingling at the crown of his head faded.
The ominous feeling vanished.
On to the next delivery.
The green aircraft took off.
Passing through France, it delivered a golem to Turkey. From Turkey to Egypt, from Egypt to Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, then onward to India, Vietnam, and all the way to Brazil in South America.
One by one, deliveries were made to countries where wave defense was urgently needed.
As for how to use them, Principal Harold explained everything in each country's own language.
In truth, there was one more reason for delivering them personally.
To find the Evil Dragon Partalon.
The talisman arts Geon Dallae had learned from an immortal in her dreams.
An immortal technique that, once a target is specified, reveals its location no matter where it is.
But in this case, there were too few clues.
They didn't know the dragon's color, nor its appearance.
Still, it was worth a try.
At the very least, they knew the dragon's true name.
A true name defines a dragon's very identity.
If they got close enough, the talisman might react.
For that reason, Geon Dallae continuously performed talisman arts atop the green aircraft.
She kept drawing and casting talismans.
Until every last sheet of monster-yellow paper was gone.
However—
"…Hoo. Young master, I am deeply ashamed. This girl's abilities are too meager to pinpoint its location."
Oh come on.
Meager?
You're our supreme shaman.
"It's fine. We've only searched for one day. Let's change routes and try again."
"Yes, my lord."
Thus ended the day's deliveries.
And then, at the very French sinkhole where Juhyeok had made his first delivery—
A Dark Wave finally erupted.
But the French awakened players were already fully armed with holy weapons.
And with the Mechanic combat golems putting on a spectacular performance—
Dullahans, specters, death knights—even liches were annihilated the moment they appeared.
The French people went wild.
France had now joined the ranks of nations that successfully defended against Dark Waves.
Seeing this, people around the world cried out in unison.
Please deliver to us too, as soon as possible.
Holy weapons.
Mechanic Goliath combat golems.
China was in turmoil.
What kind of thunderbolt was this?
Bang!
Chairman Liang Fei slammed his fist on the desk and sprang to his feet.
"Damn it!"
A small country's player had finally begun tackling the late 80s floors.
They stormed through the 86th floor.
Cleared the 87th.
Even the 88th fell.
Only two floors remained.
If he could just clear the 90th floor—
If the sinkholes would only be sealed—
How wonderful would that be?
China would reap all the benefits as a free rider.
But what was this?
Because some Evil Dragon or whatever had withdrawn from the tower, the 89th-floor mission couldn't be generated?
So what now?
The sinkhole waves would continue indefinitely?
That wasn't all.
Out of nowhere, a Dark Wave erupted in France.
And the result?
A flawless defense, without a single moment of crisis.
France, of all places.
A country far behind China in tower progression.
Yet they nearly wiped out the undead entirely.
All thanks to holy weapons and those absurdly powerful splitting golems.
With those, any wave could be stopped.
No matter what appeared, there was nothing to fear.
China could no longer feel safe.
A Dark Wave could erupt at a Chinese sinkhole at any moment.
Chairman Liang Fei grew anxious.
If only they had holy weapons and golems, there'd be nothing to worry about.
Should he swallow his pride and beg Korea?
But Baekdu Mountain was out of the question.
And Gando was unthinkable.
Not even a single square meter of land could be given up.
It was a matter of national pride.
"I should've helped clear the 61st floor back then…"
If they had, China would've been first in line for holy weapons and splitting golems.
"What if we kidnapped him and brought him to China?"
Liang Fei shook his head.
Impossible by force.
How do you capture someone who rides dragons and drops nukes like confetti?
In the end, he would have to bow his head.
But he absolutely didn't want to.
Even if China were to fall.
At that moment—
Knock knock knock.
A knock on the office door.
"Come in."
A secretary entered, face flushed.
"What is it?"
"A Dark Wave has erupted."
"What? France already finished."
"…Not France. Turkey."
Again?
"Th-the result?"
"Defense complete. Fifty golems eliminated the lich almost instantly."
This was driving him insane.
Turkey's highest cleared floor was what—55?
That meant there weren't even players above level 56.
And yet they stopped a Dark Wave?
Knock knock knock.
Someone knocked again.
"Chairman!"
This time it was the Director of the State Intelligence Bureau.
"A Dark Wave has just erupted in India."
India too?
"What's the situation?"
"The defense isn't over yet. But if you look at the drone footage…"
Liang Fei watched the video on the tablet.
Undead crawling out of the sinkhole.
Indian players in turbans and soldiers standing against them.
They weren't being pushed back at all.
Brilliant light was driving the undead away everywhere.
And there they were again—the golems.
Undead crushed underfoot, torn apart.
"India will stop it too."
"Yes, most likely."
Then—
"Chairman!"
"What now?"
"A Dark Wave has erupted in Vietnam—"
Haaah.
Dark Waves erupting one after another.
"Does Vietnam have holy weapons and golems too?"
"…Yes."
They'd stop it easily.
But that wasn't the real issue.
Dark Waves were erupting everywhere, all the time.
The frequency had skyrocketed.
And China?
The Hangzhou sinkhole wave defense was scheduled in two days.
And they had nothing.
"This is madness."
What should they do?
At this rate, China would fall.
Like Australia.
Liang Fei clutched his hair with both hands and collapsed back into his chair.
Should he give up Baekdu Mountain and Gando?
In Japan—
Prime Minister Kurokawa urgently convened cabinet ministers and senior officials.
Their plan to piggyback on Korea's 90th-floor clear had collapsed.
And now this?
Dark Waves erupting one after another.
France, Turkey, India, Vietnam.
What was even more absurd was how effortlessly these countries were stopping them.
Because of holy weapons.
Because of splitting golems.
Divine tools supplied worldwide by Korea's top player.
Time was running out.
With Dark Waves erupting in succession, Japan could be next.
The Hokkaido sinkhole wave was scheduled for three days from now.
They needed a countermeasure.
Otherwise, all of Hokkaido would be overrun by undead.
Kurokawa urgently dispatched Japan's ambassador to the martial law command.
Yes, there had been various unsavory incidents before.
But that wasn't his concern.
It was Japan's Foreign Ministry that had made poor judgments.
After throwing out a few "sumimasen" and "gomen nasai," they barely managed to meet Commander Jeon Seong-il.
"So? You met him?"
"He told us to deliver just one message."
"What did he say?"
"Tsushima Island."
"…What?"
"Tsushima."
"He wants the island?"
"Yes… that was the intent."
"Bakayaro!!!"
Those insolent bastards.
Damn Joseon—
Kurokawa stopped mid-sentence.
War was impossible.
Why?
Because he had seen the video.
The nuclear dragon video.
At first, he thought it was fake.
But it wasn't.
That same man was flying around the world on a dragon even today.
What should he do?
Should he give up Tsushima?
"If a Dark Wave erupts at the Hokkaido sinkhole, can we stop it?"
"With holy weapons…"
"Assume we don't have them!"
"Then we can't."
Damn it.
What now?
Give up Tsushima?
...
Prime Minister Kurokawa could barely keep his head straight as a crushing headache surged in.
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