A Wimp's Strategy Guide to Conquer the Tower

Somewhere in a parallel universe.

The main base of the Black Tower.

A world ruled by Outer Gods.

There existed a group there that specialized in mining, managing, and distributing dimensional energy.

People usually called that place a company.

And just now.

Another emergency alert spread across the entire company.

Wiiiing, wiiiing, wiiiing!

A shrill emergency siren that felt like it would burst one’s eardrums.

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency! The 100th floor of the Black Tower on Earth No. 675 has been breached.

Effective immediately, all employees are to switch to emergency duty status.

Employees who heard the alarm paired up in threes and fours and ran toward their work sites.

[What? Earth No. 675, the 100th floor? So it finally happened?]

[Honestly, it was an expected outcome.]

[What about the administrators dispatched to Earth No. 675?]

[They’re probably gone. What else could have happened?]

[This is the first on-the-job death among dispatched staff. Recruitment for dispatch positions is going to drop.]

[Yeah. Black Tower assignments used to be popular since they were a fast track to promotion.]

Wiiiing! Wiiiing! Wiiiing!

The emergency alarm blared again.

Transmission of the Grand Archangel will be accelerated.

All ongoing projects are hereby suspended. Please terminate them safely.

All dimensional energy secured from project termination will be redirected to the Grand Archangel transmission.

[So they’re pouring in all resources. Just how strong is that bastard?]

[Haah... better be careful out there.]

[If you get sick or injured at a time like this, you’ll die without even recovering.]

[Still, the higher-ups can just swap bodies, can’t they?]

[Does that mean exploration of the newly developed Earth is also halted?]

[What have you been listening to? Everything’s shut down. We send the Grand Archangel no matter what and deal with that summoner first.]

[It won’t happen, but... what if it fails?]

[Then we’re completely screwed.]

[It’s fine. It’s the Grand Archangel. The so-called final weapon for humanity’s extinction—there’s no way it’ll fail.]

*****

Vrooom

Juhyeok’s penthouse.

The summoning work continued.

Pick one person, finish registration, then pick another.

[Random summoning will begin.]

Fwoooosh!

Papap!

The person who appeared this time—

Big.

Their head nearly brushed the ceiling.

At a glance, they looked like someone under a gigantification buff.

And yet.

“She looks like a woman?”

“She’s a female tank-type. Look at those biceps, traps, and lats.”

“A very reliable female summoned being.”

“Hmmm.”

Honestly, the summoned being’s appearance wasn’t the issue.

What did that matter?

But still—

Name: Dorothy Angelina

Rank: LSSR (Legend Special Super Rare)

Type: Saint (Human)

She was, unbelievably, a saint.

Her appearance and the catalog description did not match at all.

Benevolent and sacred?

With that massive build?

She looked like she’d spread doctrine with pure physical force.

“Kyaaaah! I’ve been summoned?”

“...Yes! Saint Dorothy.”

Since she was scary, polite speech it was.

“Thank you, Summoner!”

Thud-thud-thud!

Saint Dorothy charged over, trying to hug Juhyeok with her thick, bulging arms.

“Ghk!”

At that very moment—

“Wait! Stop right there.” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“What?”

“If you come any closer, I’ll cut you.”

“No, I was just grateful—”

“Tsk!!!”

Ziiiing!

An aura blade formed along Kosak’s dagger.

Gulp.

Dorothy swallowed hard.

“Sorry. I got too excited.”

“Y-yes! Totally understand.”

“Oh! Then dismiss my summoning right away—”

“Halt!!! For someone who hasn’t even participated in the popularity vote, you sure make a lot of demands.”

“Follow the orders of Jephet, who ranked 12th in the popularity vote.”

Why did everyone feel the need to brag the moment they showed up?

Well, it was understandable, but still.

Let’s hurry and summon them.

All the souls in Sector S-17.

For them, being summoned was joyful enough to want to brag after returning to that horrifying world of souls.

Better to get them out quickly.

*****

[Random summoning will begin.]

[Random summoning will begin.]

[Random summoning will begin.]

The summoning proceeded smoothly.

Ranks and classes varied widely.

As expected, Rare ranks were the most common.

Then SR, SSR, and LSSR in descending order.

When Juhyeok called, Jephet guided them, Mackenzie took photos, El wrote the roster, and Gyeondallae handed out residency permits.

Mad Demon and Kosak stood guard around Juhyeok in case of emergencies.

Guard duty.

Was it really necessary?

What danger could there be in summoning people?

But Mad Demon and Kosak didn’t think so.

Summoned beings who followed the Three Principles might be safe, but—

“I simply don’t trust the Black Tower. I worry they might be plotting something.”

“The old man’s right. They might’ve planted spies.”

Come on.

Would they really go that far?

And even if they did—

How strong do they think I am now?

He couldn’t personally fight, but still.

The random summoning continued.

They kept pulling people—no idea how many.

The summoned beings were genuinely happy.

They said the souls were gradually disappearing, which had been terrifying.

Well, it wasn’t like they’d expect everyone to be summoned.

“Name?”

“Sword Demon.”

“You know Mad Demon?”

“I’ve only heard the name in the soul world. We weren’t from the same era.”

“That old guy over there. Rank 14 out of the top 15.”

“And you?”

“...Y-you don’t need to know.”

Martial artists.

“I was really, really scared. Thought I was going to disappear.”

“With that face, you get scared? Your race is... a dwarf.”

“Please call us dwarves.”

“Yeah, dwarf. Maybe shave the beard.”

“Our beards are a dwarf’s life.”

“Everyone looks the same. Same height too—like acorns. No point taking photos.”

Dwarves.

“Name?”

“Sanazawa Kimari.”

“A foreigner, huh.”

“I’m a woman, you know? And in my world, it’s not ‘foreigner’ but ‘Eastern Barbarian.’”

“Class?”

“Ninja.”

“Huh? Kimari-san! You were a ninja? Stick close to me from now on. Isn’t this harmony between East and West?”

“What are you even saying?”

A ninja too.

“I’m a dragonian swordsman.”

“Dragon half-breed?”

“That’s right. A dragon played around in the human world and left me behind—that’s me.”

“Green, maybe? True name’s Crackus—could be your father. We can do a genetic test.”

“Nope. My father was a red. Never even saw his face.”

“Tsk tsk. Dragons are so irresponsible. There should be a green one on the 17th floor—feel free to curse him in your father’s place.”

A demi-human dragonian as well.

It felt like over an hour had passed already.

Soon, it’d be two.

At first, things were clumsy and slow.

But the registration process grew smoother with time.

Continuous summoning.

The summoned beings lined up in orderly fashion for registration.

Should we take a break?

Leave the rest for tomorrow?

Then, right at that moment—

Ding!

“Hm?”

What’s this?

[Achievement: For the first time, the number of permanent residents of the White Tower has exceeded 100.]

“Oh!”

So that’s an achievement too.

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

The reward?

[A new item has been added to the basic menu of the 17th floor of the White Tower.]

A new item.

The most recent addition had been the elevator.

What was added this time—C?

He’d have to enter the White Tower to check.

But that wasn’t all.

Ding!

[Achievement: As a summoning-specialized player, you are the first to reach 100 catalog-registered individuals.]

Double achievement unlocked!

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

[Player trait enhanced.]

Whoa, what’s this?

Trait enhancement.

Now simultaneous summoning up to 22 people.

“Heh heh heh...”

Juhyeok laughed inwardly.

Control your expression.

New summoned beings were still coming in—would it be right to grin foolishly just because of one more trait enhancement?

Be serious.

Maintain your dignity.

Honestly, it was a natural reward.

After all, it was a first-ever achievement.

Right now, Juhyeok felt like he was walking alone across a pristine white snowfield.

A land no one had ever stepped on.

Each footprint he left became an achievement, a piece of history.

Summon, get an achievement.

Rewards followed.

Good.

Since he’d started, he’d finish—even if it meant pulling an all-nighter.

It took less than two hours to summon 100 people.

According to Kosak, Sector S-17 had around 300 individuals.

At most, seven hours total.

*****

[Random summoning will begin.]

[Random summoning will begin.]

[Random summoning will begin.]

Nearly four hours had passed now.

Shouldn’t it be close to 200?

Ding!

[Achievement: For the first time, the number of permanent residents of the White Tower has exceeded 200.]

Ah, the pressure.

I know it’s a first-ever achievement, but still—

Thank you, Teacher Baek.

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

[A new item has been added to the basic menu of the 17th floor of the White Tower.]

The White Tower rewards just kept adding things.

[Achievement: As a summoning-specialized player, you are the first to reach 200 catalog-registered individuals.]

So what was the catalog achievement reward?

[The following have been added to the trait skill list: Group-Designated Summon, Group Summon Release.]

It was a skill addition.

After opening the status window to check—

“Ah.”

You could designate groups in advance.

Summon them all at once—and likewise dismiss them all at once.

Skill usage had become extremely convenient.

No need to summon each one individually anymore.

As six hours passed—

Ding!

Yes, yes, of course you should give it.

Isn’t it 300 people now?

[Achievement: For the first time, the number of permanent residents of the White Tower has exceeded 300.]

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

[A new item has been added to the basic menu of the 17th floor of the White Tower.]

“I don’t know what was added, but as always, thank you.”

[Achievement: As a summoning-specialized player, you are the first to reach 300 catalog-registered individuals.]

[Achievement reward will be granted.]

[An ‘All Catalog Summoned Beings Summon Ticket’ has been added to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]

“So it’s an item. Is it good? Of course it’s good, right?”

A ticket he had never seen before.

The item information read—

Effect: Summons all summoned beings registered in the catalog at once, regardless of the simultaneous summon limit.

Limitation: Summon duration is fixed at 3 hours. Once the time expires, all will be forcibly dismissed.

“...Holy crap!”

What is this?

What kind of insanely good item is this?

Regardless of the simultaneous summon limit, it lets you call all catalog-registered summoned beings at once?

And for a full three hours?

For example, if there are 300 people registered in the catalog, using the ticket would instantly summon all 300.

You’d be fighting alongside an army.

Not just ten thousand—maybe even a hundred thousand troops would be possible.

A crazy option.

It couldn’t compare to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven’s furball, but it was still a way to overcome numerical inferiority in one stroke.

Hey, Teacher Baek.

You’re not overspending just because your influence went up a bit, are you?

At this rate, you’ll go bankrupt.

*****

Harold Lightman had once been summoned into the outside world by a summoner a very long time ago.

A summoned soul whose name had been entered into a catalog.

He was even ranked LSSR—Legend Special Super Rare.

But he had only been summoned once.

After that, Harold was left abandoned in the world of souls.

Why?

Even though he was an LSSR-rank summoned being?

It was because of his class.

He had the title of Sage, but... in actual combat he was useless—a scholar-type. At least a porter could carry luggage.

He wasn’t a magic-system sage.

Not an alchemy sage.

Not a magitech sage either.

He was just a scholar.

A sage of pure academics.

For that reason, he didn’t suit a summoner’s tastes.

Dead weight that only took up space in the catalog.

Of course, Harold Lightman’s achievements in life had been brilliant.

He was a genius from birth.

Insight that pierced reality, an eye for accurately judging the value of objects—or people—and wisdom born of infinite knowledge.

Harold was the founder and first headmaster of the continent’s greatest academy.

He nurtured countless talents; even the emperor and the crown prince had been his students.

Chancellors and generals, civil and military officials—among the empire’s notable figures, there were few who hadn’t passed through his teachings.

However, after entering into a posthumous summoned-being contract, his former glory vanished like a mirage.

Immediate usefulness mattered.

His job class was useless.

Honestly, even when the name of a new Earth summoner, Bong Juhyeok, began circulating in the soul world—along with praise—Harold didn’t have high expectations.

Even if summoned, he’d just be abandoned again.

Better not to be summoned at all.

So he didn’t join the conversations of the other souls.

As he always had, he remained quiet, meditating while reviewing the academic achievements he had built up in life.

But today, something was strange in the soul world.

The mental waves of the souls—normally chattering endlessly—began to diminish.

Their very existence was disappearing.

Souls panicked.

And then those panicking souls vanished as well.

『A-another one’s gone.』

『Good heavens!』

『Does making noise cause us to vanish? Is that it? Answer me!』

『...T-terrifying. To experience this even after death...』

It grew quieter and quieter.

Now it was nearly silent.

The remaining souls were seized by terror.

Harold was no different.

Fear that he too might disappear.

He tried to communicate by sending out mental waves.

『Hello? Is anyone there?』

There was no reply.

『Where did everyone go?』

A hollow cry.

『Please answer. It’s me—Harold!』

What in the world was happening?

Was the entire soul world collapsing?

Or random summoning?

No—that didn’t seem right either.

The scale of disappearance was different.

Then suddenly—

One hypothesis flashed through Harold’s mind.

A capable summoner.

Already challenging the late 90th floors.

And with five Tower entry attempts per day.

That meant the 100th floor was right ahead.

『Could this be...?』

That was when—

『Gah!』

He felt his consciousness being sucked somewhere.

At the same time, everything went black.

And then there was nothing.

*****

A short while later.

Harold opened his eyes.

“Hm?”

Light poured in as his eyelids opened.

“It’s bright...?”

What did that mean?

It meant he had eyes.

Not just eyes.

Zap—zap!

Sensation spread through his entire body.

Smells, surrounding sounds, the feeling from the soles of his feet.

A body had formed.

And standing before Harold was a young man.

“Summoner...”

“Welcome. Headmaster Harold Lightman.”

“A-ah, hello.”

It really was random summoning.

“Please go over there and complete the registration process.”

“Come this way—we need to take a photo.”

Harold shuffled forward.

A photo? Why take a photo?

Click!

“Dr. El, what number is he?”

“Registration number 338.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll summon one more.”

The summoner spoke and began chanting.

“Random summon! ... Random summon! Huh? Random summon?”

Then he tilted his head and tried again.

“Random summon!”

Why was he doing that?

Was the summoning not working?

“Is it not working?”

“Seems like we summoned everyone.”

“Then is the headmaster the last one?”

At that, a shrewd-looking assassin stepped forward.

“Sir Harold.”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“Besides you, is there anyone left in the soul world?”

“Ah.”

The guess was correct.

“There was no one left. I caught the last train.”

Complete conquest of the 100th floor.

Liberation of souls.

Everyone released into the world.

And thus, he had been the final soul.

Harold trembled with emotion.

The souls hadn’t disappeared.

They had been summoned.

They had been freed.

“Yes! All random summons completed.”

Only then did Juhyeok’s expression finally relax.

Total number: 338.

Including the existing summoned beings, 355 in all.

“Everyone, good work.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“See you on the 17th floor.”

“Yes, sir!”

All were dismissed.

*****

Juhyeok was left alone in the penthouse.

A grueling journey of about seven hours.

But he was satisfied—he had summoned everyone.

“First, I should wash up...”

During random summoning, he hadn’t even been able to properly greet them.

Honestly, he couldn’t remember their faces.

He’d get to know them slowly.

Later, he could make name tags for them—then even the summoned beings wouldn’t feel awkward not knowing each other’s names.

The family had grown a lot.

From 17 to 355.

“Living expenses are going to be huge.”

So what?

That’s what money is for.

Shall we head in?

Entering the 17th floor of the White Tower.

Spot!

At that very moment, Kosak boomed loudly—

“Summoner Bong is entering! Please welcome him with thunderous applause!”

All 355 summoned beings gathered together to greet Juhyeok.

“Hooray!!!”

“Long live Juhyeok!!!”

“Long live the Summoner!!!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you for freeing us!”

“We believed in you!!!”

Clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap!

The loudest and longest applause he had ever heard.

Ahhh!

A sense of accomplishment, pride, satisfaction, relief.

It just felt good.

Refreshing, down to the core.

And then—

“Did something get in my eye?”

Tears suddenly started flowing.

The tip of his nose stung too.