A Wimp's Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Earth No. 1,001 Black Tower Control Room.

The administrators felt strangely relieved after giving up.

They already knew the Earth Summoner had appeared at the dimensional energy storage facilities.

They also knew he had destroyed every last warehouse.

But so what?

It was beyond their control.

Even the higher-ranked Controllers had been caught off guard and taken down.

Knowing did not mean they could stop it.

They did not even have proper defensive measures.

And then—

[Designer, j-just now, a communication came down from upper command.]

...What?

[Which upper command?]

[The main base. ...The Control Center.]

The main base was their homeland.

The Control Center meant God.

[Hmm.]

While working as tower administrators, would they ever receive a message directly from God?

Of course not.

In corporate terms, it was like the chairman of a conglomerate personally issuing instructions to a junior clerk at a subsidiary.

A bad premonition crept in.

They hurried to the communication device and checked the contents.

This is a notice to the administrators of Earth No. 1,001’s Black Tower.

Headquarters plans to dispatch a Grand Archangel shortly.

The transfer will be executed as quickly as possible, so take this into account.

[...What?]

A Grand Archangel.

The Designer knew that term very well.

The ultimate war machine in terms of physical power.

Its strategic and tactical execution ability went without saying.

[What exactly does the message say?]

[A Grand Archangel is being deployed.]

[What?]

[I-is this for real?]

[They say it’ll be sent as fast as possible.]

[Aaah...]

What mission would God assign to a Grand Archangel?

There was only one.

The annihilation of the Summoner.

[If a Grand Archangel comes, that guy’s finished.]

[Well... I’m not so sure.]

Deploying a Grand Archangel.

Given the current situation, it was the best countermeasure God could take...

But honestly, they could not judge it with confidence.

Could a Grand Archangel really eliminate the Summoner?

If it arrived now, yes.

If the Grand Archangel were here right now, the Summoner would die.

He would have no choice but to die.

But for a Grand Archangel to arrive normally took a year.

Even if massive amounts of dimensional energy were poured in, it would still take at least three months.

That was the biggest problem.

Who knew how much the Summoner would change in that time?

It had always been like this.

He was always one step ahead.

This time, he would die.

He could not dodge it anymore.

It was finally the end.

But what happened?

Through all sorts of bizarre methods and unbelievable coincidences, he survived—and even counterattacked.

Even God was not omnipotent.

The information He possessed was about the current Summoner.

But the Summoner three months from now?

Would he really be the same?

*****

White Tower Floor 17.

It was a silent space.

Only the occasional sound of wind drifted through.

The Mad Demon was immersed in enlightenment.

Soon, he came to his senses.

Yet the inner qi within his body was still circulating through a grand cycle.

The awakening brought by the immortal energy.

To be honest, even he was secretly shocked.

He had experienced small enlightenments before.

When he first encountered the Sword Immortal.

When he synchronized body and soul through memory regression techniques.

When he ate the immortal peach given by that being and received teachings in his subconscious.

Even those had been tremendous leaps.

He had believed there was nowhere higher to climb.

He thought the only stages left were ascension or liberation—

casting off the shell of humanity itself.

But that had been a grave mistake.

He had not even properly reached the pinnacle of humanity yet.

He had not attained true spiritual enlightenment, and even his physical advancement still had far to go.

And yet he had thought of shedding his human shell?

Utter arrogance.

The Mad Demon contemplated the inside of his body.

The tsunami of immortal energy that had suddenly surged in.

If he had been struck by this tidal wave of immortal energy without any foundation, it would have produced little effect.

But he had already paved the path by consuming immortal peaches.

The immortal energy surged in along that path like an occupying army.

Immortal energy of harmony and tolerance.

It arranged energies appropriately.

Tuned the body so it could exert maximum efficiency.

Converted and optimized heterogeneous elements.

And one more thing.

The wooden token in the Mad Demon’s robes—the Underworld Nameplate.

The energy of the Underworld reacted to the immortal energy.

As a result, even the Underworld energy melted into his body.

Absurd.

Originally, this should have been absolutely impossible.

There was a taboo everyone knew when learning martial arts.

Never accept energies of different natures at the same time—

unless you wanted to walk the straight path to demonic deviation.

Different powers inevitably clashed.

You might be fine for now, but sooner or later, the body would collapse.

That was why energy-devouring techniques were labeled demonic arts.

They consumed any energy indiscriminately.

But at this moment—

all energies were harmonizing within his body.

Internal energy, immortal energy, and Underworld energy fused into one.

All rivers returning to the sea.

The Mad Demon attained enlightenment.

It was a stepping stone toward transcendence.

If he were to face an Ancient Dragon right now, what would happen?

He simulated the battle in his mental realm.

He could crush it.

A Great Demon of the Demon Realm?

Worth trying.

Even alone, he would be enough.

And was he even alone?

The assassin, the mage, the magic gunner, the shrine maiden—

if they joined forces, there was nothing to fear.

He would not be the only one who had advanced.

His heart grew light.

At the same time, he wanted to show it to the Summoner—

his enlightenment, his elevated realm.

But just a little more...

The immortal energy had not faded yet.

There were still buds bursting.

It was a fortuitous opportunity gifted by the Summoner.

He had to make the most of it.

*****

The world of souls.

Jepetto was enthusiastically spinning tales as usual.

『...Can you even imagine it? Dimensional energy storage facilities. And the number matched exactly—146! What do you think that means?』

「That’s the number of Black Towers on Earth No. 1,001.」

『So each tower corresponds to one storage facility.』

『In the end, the towers are like energy extraction devices?』

「Then dimensional energy is...?」

『The force that makes up the world. The most fundamental power.』

『And if they extract it all?』

「The world is destroyed.」

『Damn it... so that’s how it was.』

『Either way, we’ve found a clue. If we climb Earth No. 1,001’s Black Tower, the secret might be revealed.』

『But it’s too dangerous. The Summoner needs even greater power.』

『Which means I have to go out there eventually. Fine. I’ll do it.』

「But, Jepetto.」

『Yes?』

『Your stories are entertaining, but they don’t seem to directly help the Summoner. Do you have a plan?』

『Right. What good is just talking?』

Did Jepetto really have no plan?

「Would I have come here without one? Soon, I’ll be returning to the White Tower.」

『And after you return?』

『I’ll consume royal blood and advance. I’ll become a True-Blood Vampire Lord.』

「Oh! A Vampire Lord? Then there’s nothing to worry about.」

『A Vampire Lord would be more than enough.』

Jepetto was confident.

A Vampire Lord was practically Demon King–class, even in the Demon Realm.

Becoming a Lord did not just mean raw power.

High-tier blood magic would be entirely at his command.

『I’ll be more than capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Mad Demon.』

『Hahaha, good. Hurry up and rise to Lord status and flatten that Mad Demon’s nose.』

『Before the Mad Demon, I plan to discipline the assassin first.』

「That weird-speaking fellow?」

「Yes. He’s a comrade, but I’ve got a lot pent up. I intend to repay all the disrespect I’ve endured so far.」

『Hahaha! Good. Future Vampire Lord, keep the sub-summoned entities in line until we head out.』

『Of course. If the sub-summoned entities are disciplined, it’ll help the Master—no, the Summoner too.』

Jepetto knew nothing.

Nothing about what was happening on White Tower Floor 17.

*****

After the immortal energy released from the flower buds subsided,

and some time passed—

everyone woke up.

Juhyeok opened his eyes as well.

He stretched his body, moving this way and that.

Had something changed?

It seemed so.

But he could not explain it in words.

If he had to describe it—

it felt like freedom.

“Um, you know...”

“Speak, Summoner.”

The one who answered Juhyeok was not the Mad Demon.

Nor was it Meatshield.

“Huh? What’s wrong? It looks like you have something to say to me.”

It was Cossack.

“Your way of speaking changed.”

“Hahaha, isn’t that only natural—ah, no, natural? Having ascended to Grand Master, I mustn’t act rashly... ahem, must not.”

...Sure.

“Honestly.”

There he goes again.

Whenever something changes, he immediately starts putting on airs.

Still, Juhyeok acknowledged it.

Now that he himself had changed, he could tell.

How strong Cossack had become.

But it was not just Cossack.

Everyone’s atmosphere felt different.

Except—

“Mad Demon?”

“I am listening.”

“...Um, did we get stronger?”

“Well, this old man isn’t sure whether I’ve grown stronger.”

It was strange.

With Cossack, you could tell at a glance.

The aura flowing from his body was completely different.

Cossack was a sword.

A finely honed blade.

Just meeting his gaze felt like SHHK—as if even your soul could be cleaved.

But the Mad Demon?

He felt like a hunched rural farmer.

Utterly ordinary.

Almost shabby.

Then Cossack spoke.

“Tsk, tsk. Old Mad Demon. So this is how it ends. You couldn’t even accept such a fine opportunity and ended up a senile old man in the back room.”

Hmm.

“But don’t be discouraged. This Grand Master will protect the Summoner.”

“Spend the rest of your days managing White Tower Floor 17. When I have time, I, the Grand Master, shall bestow teachings upon you.”

Cossack had grown arrogant.

The Mad Demon slowly shook his head.

“To think you would offer me teachings—how grateful.”

“No need to mention it. Though the gap in strength is obvious, we are still one team.”

“Then let me receive them now.”

“Is that even possible?”

The Mad Demon let out a crooked grin.

His hunched back straightened completely.

“The Grand Master’s teaching, that is.” 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

In that instant—

Suuuuuuuh.

A terrifying pressure flowed out from the Mad Demon’s body.

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!

The ground trembled.

KUUUUUUUNG!

The air grew heavy.

Whoa—what is this?

This old man had been deceiving everyone.

At a glance, you would think King Yama himself had descended.

The Mad Demon now was a massive mountain.

A great Mount Tai that no one could ever climb.

All he did was straighten his back and correct his posture, yet an overwhelming presence naturally seeped out.

It turned out the strongest one here was the Mad Demon.

Compared to him, Cossack was nothing more than a chipped blade.

“Come. Show this old man your sword.”

Cossack was impressive in his own way.

He looked at the Mad Demon with an indifferent expression.

...

Then he slowly began to move.

Step by step.

Slipping behind Juhyeok’s back.

“Why are you going behind me...?”

Was he trying to hide?

So Juhyeok moved sideways—

step by step.

Cossack followed right along.

He chickened out.

Just a moment ago, he had been so full of bravado.

“Aren’t you going to teach me? Grand Master?”

Cossack whispered softly, pressed close behind Juhyeok.

“Summoner Bong.”

“...Yes?”

“Please stop the old man.”

“Why?”

“At this rate, I might actually die.”

“If you die, I’ll revive you.”

“Ah, come on, why would you say that? The old man’s really angry. And earlier was just a joke, hehehehe.”

At least his sense of the situation was sharp.

So what now?

It was obvious everyone had changed.

“Let’s confirm it. How about we climb the 92nd Floor? Not ours—Earth No. 675’s.”

Cossack replied instantly.

“Yes! That sounds good. Why fight among ourselves?”

...

Testing our strength.

And carrying out revenge for the people who once lived on Earth No. 675.

The execution of a Great Demon.

Sorry, Duwoo, but please keep farming.

We’ll be back quickly.

Juhyeok and his summoned entities entered Earth No. 675’s Black Tower.

[Entering German Black Tower, 92nd Floor.]

Shall we head out?

Wait.

It feels like I forgot something.

“Ah! Right! We didn’t bring Jepetto.”

“Do we really need to bring him? He’s just an SSA and useless.”

“Still...”

“Just buy him some tasty blood sausage soup later.”

My heart feels heavy.

This feels like workplace ostracism.

He might get sulky at this rate.

When this assignment ends, I really should not send him back to the world of souls.

I’ll promote him with royal blood, tune his frequency with the memory regression technique, and even feed him immortal peaches.

[Would you like to accept the Great Journey Toward Completion quest, second stage?]

The 92nd Floor quest appeared.

The second stage of the Great Journey.

“Accept.”

FWAAAAASH!

SPOT!

[You have arrived at the starting point of the Great Journey, second stage.]

As expected, the environment was the same as the 91st Floor.

In other words, the Demon Realm.

The location was slightly different from the first time, but—

Ding!

[Quest: Reach the Crossroads.]

[Time Limit: None.]

[Completion Reward: Quest Save-Point Designation Ticket.]

Since the Crossroads Demon was dead, maybe that was why?

It just said to go to the crossroads...

Not sure why such a process was even necessary.

“Well, this quest probably wants us to kill a Great Demon again.”

“What else could °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° it be?”

“Quest or not, shall we just go straight ahead?”

“As you wish, Young Master.”

Good.

A real man goes straight ahead.

“There was no message saying this is a no-fly zone, so...”

Crackers stepped forward briskly.

“Ancient Dragon Air, Ancient Airplane—welcome aboard, esteemed passengers. This captain welcomes you.”

Crackers was also a beneficiary of the immortal-energy shower.

He called himself an ancient dragon now.

Meaning he had grown to ancient-dragon level.

Then what about the other converted defectors?

Juhyeok glanced sideways at Diamat.

“Whoa.”

Just looking made his head spin.

Even without using any skills, the Succubus Queen was radiating a dense, seductive aura.

She didn’t become a Great Demon too... did she?

At that moment—

“Master?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you looking sideways? You can look directly at me. Anywhere on my body.”

“...Uh.”

This was insane.

He wanted to look away, but he could not.

That enchanting smile was dangerous.

Then suddenly—

SSSK!

A talisman flew up and stuck itself onto Juhyeok’s body.

“Young Master, this talisman blocks lewd demonic energy.”

“Oh!”

His mind became calm and peaceful.

He could finally look away.

“Tch.”

Diamat clicked her tongue in disappointment.

I need to be careful around her.

One wrong move and I might fall head over heels.

So, shall we board the plane now?

Crackers had already transformed into his true form and crouched low.

“Can we get on?”

“Please board. The Summoner gets first class.”

SSSK.

Stairs formed out of thin air.

There were even magically created seats on his back.

This really is a plane.

Traveling like this would be comfortable.

Everyone took their seats.

“Where would the Great Demons be?”

“In the place with the strongest energy in the Demon Realm, wouldn’t you say?”

“True.”

FLAP, FLAP.

Crackers took flight.

WHOOOOSH!

He surged forward at a terrifying speed, befitting an ancient dragon.

*****

The Demon Realm’s central region—the Demon Domain.

Another emergency meeting was underway.

“Is Baal’s destruction confirmed?”

“Completely gone. Even his soul. He can’t resurrect anymore.”

Great Demons were fundamentally immortal.

Even if their hearts were destroyed, even if their bodies turned to ash,

as long as the soul existed, they could revive.

But the soul was gone.

Without a trace.

“...Could it have been the Great Demon God?”

“Who else could it be?”

“Damn it!”

The Great Demon God, the god of death from another world.

This crossed the line—by far.

Not just distorting the laws, but practically crushing them.

“He must have paid a price. He won’t be able to come here for a while.”

“Maybe never.”

“Or his power in the Demon Realm might be restricted.”

That was right.

Breaking laws—or heavenly principles—always demanded a price.

Even the Great Demon God could not escape it.

Just then—

“Hm?”

Asmodeus sprang to his feet.

“He’s here again.”

“Who?”

“The player from Earth No. 1,001.”

“Damn it.”

“What do we do?”

Mammon smiled wickedly.

“Kill him. Baal already went down. Balance must be restored. Erase him.”

“That’s right. The Great Demon God won’t be able to enter for a while.”

“Were we hiding because we feared him? It was all because of that damned Great Demon God.”

“Where is he? I’ll go.”

Mephisto tilted his head.

“He’s coming this way. Very fast.”

“What?”

“What a fearless bastard!”

“Where exactly is he?”

“Right above us.”

What nonsense.

Right above?

“...The Demon Domain?”

“Yes. He’s arrived in the Demon Domain.”

“H-how?”

The Demon Domain was protected by barriers.

A hidden realm even Demon Kings could not access.

If he had entered, that meant he broke through the barrier.

“How can a human—?”

At that moment—

FLAP, FLAP.

The sound of wings.

They looked up at the sky.

A green dragon was flying through the air.

“Hah... so it’s true.”

“He rode a dragon here?”

“How dare he! Does he know where this is?”

Then—

FLASH!

“Hm!”

“Gah!”

“Huh?”

Something streaked through the ranks of the Great Demons.

Then—

THUD!

“...Eh?”

Was it a breath attack?

No.

Breath could not possibly be that fast.

Even a Great Demon’s eyes could not track it.

What flew by?

They looked around.

“...Mammon?”

There was no answer.

Because the Great Demon Mammon’s head was completely gone.

CRRRRZZZZT!

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAANG!

The sound of a sub-light-speed round firing arrived afterward.