Chapter 634. Heh heh heh. Does This Mean I’m a Landlord Now?

 

The next morning.

"Ultimate Weapon Yuren, await my call," Sejun instructed.

"Hehehe. Yes, sir."

After breakfast, Sejun stationed Yuren in the tower, not wanting to risk any unexpected complications by bringing him along. Although Yuren’s speed in dealing with the Tears of Destruction was impressive, it didn’t yield anything other than tower coins. The Tears just self-destructed due to Yuren’s misfortune, providing neither experience points nor Tears of the Lesser God of Creation.

Thus, Sejun decided to reserve Yuren as his secret weapon.

"Alright, let's get going."

"Hehehe. Be careful!"

"Mohehe. Have a safe trip!"

Leaving Yuren and Poyo behind to manage his misfortune, Sejun and his companions set off to Jormungand’s camouflaged area.

Piyoot!

[I’ll be sure to assist Lord Theo well today!]

Piyoot, eager to accompany Theo for the first time in a while, spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Heh heh. You can rely on this mighty right paw, nya!"

Piyoot! Piyoot!

[Yes! Just leave it to me!]

Perched on Theo’s right shoulder, Piyoot scanned their surroundings with a fierce gaze, trying his best to stay vigilant.

Meanwhile…

Heehee. Squeak!

[Squeak! Captain Fartbox is on the move!]

Yol-yol…

[Yes… I’m ready…]

Thud.

The Kamangi family prepared to set the Fart Express in motion.

Poof poof.

As the Fart Express began its journey…

"Kuengi, that one."

Kuengi!

Sejun pointed out an easy target—a manageable Tear of Destruction—which Kuengi brought over, transforming it into a Destruction Sejun.

“Go on, get to work.”

He sent the Destruction Sejun off to plant the Destruction Predator seeds.

Smooth sailing.

“Let’s head back for lunch.”

When it was time for lunch, Sejun and his group returned to the tower, enjoyed a meal, and even took a nap.

Though their days were busy, the Sejun family always made sure to enjoy life.

"Back to work!"

Heehee. Squeak!

[Squeak! Just leave it to Captain Kamangi!]

As Sejun and his companions were about to return to Jormungand’s camouflaged area…

[The Administrator of the 10th Tower says the 10th floor has been cleared.]

Patrick spoke to Sejun.

“Yes. Oh? Patrick, how are you even talking to me like this?”

Usually, communication from outside the tower wasn’t possible, so Sejun was surprised.

[The Administrator of the 10th Tower says the opening of the 10th floor made it possible.]

“I see. So, which floors will you be using?”

[The Administrator of the 10th Tower says he plans to use the 9th floor himself, while Hamer and Stella want to use the 7th floor, and he asks if that’s okay.]

Ah, the floors with shrines.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Sejun readily agreed, having little use for the shrine floors himself.

But… Why is Patrick asking for my permission to use the floors in the 10th Tower?

Sejun recalled how Patrick had taken an unusually deferential tone before, when he’d asked Sejun to vacate a floor.

That’s strange…

Something wasn’t adding up.

"Guys, we need to head to the 10th Tower first. Summon the gate."

With that, Sejun and his companions headed to the 10th Tower.

And…

[You have arrived at the 10th floor of the 10th Tower.]

At last, they reached the top floor of the 10th Tower.

The floor was lavishly covered in marble, and at the center stood a massive circular white building.

Upon entering…

“Wow… it’s completely empty…”

Sejun’s voice echoed with disappointment. The interior was just an open, empty space.

Then…

Flash.

The building transformed into a colossal pillar of light.

“Welcome, prospective owner of the 10th Tower.”

A figure made of light appeared before Sejun, trapped within the pillar of light.

Though it had a human form, it was clear that it wasn’t human—its entire body was composed of countless points of light.

“Wow…”

Sejun couldn’t help but gasp as he looked closely at the figure.

Inside its body, he could see not only light but also suns, moons, stars, black holes—a miniature universe, with planets constantly forming and disappearing within it.

“It’s rude to stare so intently, prospective owner of the 10th Tower.”

The being holding the universe within its body gently chided Sejun.

“Oh, sorry. But, um, where are my companions?”

Realizing his companions were no longer beside him, Sejun asked.

“Do not worry. They are safe. I merely separated them so I could meet the prospective owner of the 10th Tower face to face.”

“Wait, so I’m supposed to be the owner of the 10th Tower? But it already has an Administrator and Deputy Administrator?”

It was only after the being had called him “prospective owner of the 10th Tower” three times that Sejun processed what it had said, his mind reeling.

“They merely manage the tower. They are not its owners, are they?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s true.”

When he thought about it, it made sense.

So that’s why Patrick was so deferential toward me.

"Heh heh heh. So, does this mean I’m going to be a landlord now?"

As Sejun chuckled with excitement…

"It’s too soon to celebrate. You must pass a test to become the owner of the 10th Tower."

The being of the cosmos doused Sejun’s excitement with a splash of cold reality.

“A test? What kind of test?”

Sejun asked eagerly.

“This is the test.”

He’s totally fallen for it.

The cosmic being grinned and replied.

Then…

[A Tower Master Quest has been issued.]

[Tower Master Quest: If you wish to be the owner of the 10th Tower, prove your qualifications.]

Defeat 100 billion locusts from Destruction’s First Calamity (0/100 billion)

Defeat 50 billion Giant Bloodsucking Leeches from Destruction’s Second Calamity (0/50 billion)

…

Defeat 100 billion Flesh-Eaters from Destruction’s Eighth Calamity (0/100 billion)

Reward: Recognition as the Owner of the 10th Tower

A message appeared before Sejun.

The quest required him to defeat a specified number of creatures from each of the Eight Calamities.

“What?! How is this fair?! Where am I supposed to find these calamities to defeat?!”

Unaware that the next wave of Destruction had already begun, Sejun protested to the cosmic being.

He was determined to become the owner of the 10th Tower.

“Do not worry. There will be plenty of calamities to hunt.”

“Huh?”

Plenty to hunt?

Sejun didn’t understand, but…

“And this is a gift for clearing the 10th Tower.”

The cosmic being had no intention of explaining further. In time, Sejun would figure it out.

With that, a sudden beam of light shot down from the sky, enveloping Sejun.

Sizzle.

Unidentifiable characters etched themselves into Sejun’s pupils.

“Ow! Hot!”

As Sejun cried out from the burning sensation in his eyes…

Clink.

“Chairman Park, are you alright?! Did you just scream?!”

Theo burst through a crack in the pillar of light.

Kuengi!

Squeak!

Piyoot!

Following the hole Theo created, the rest of the group poured in.

And…

“Great Hybrid Chairman Park, are you hurt, nya?!”

Kuengi?!

[Daddy, are you okay?!]

Squeak. Squeak?!

[Butler! Who did this?! The Great Kamangi will make them pay!]

They all gathered around Sejun, checking to see if he was injured.

“Vice-President Theo, check my eyes. They felt like they were burning just now.”

Sejun asked, holding his eyes open.

“Nya?! I understand, nya!”

Theo examined Sejun’s eyes quickly.

But…

“Chairman Park, they look fine, nya!”

The mysterious characters in Sejun’s pupils had vanished.

“Look carefully. It felt like they were searing!”

“They’re perfectly fine, nya! How many fingers am I holding up, nya?”

“Two.”

“Heh heh. That’s right, nya! Chairman Park’s eyes are fine!”

Sejun’s eyes were in perfect condition.

“Heh heh. As expected, Chairman Park can be quite the complainer, nya!”

Theo praised Sejun’s “overreaction” with a teasing smirk.

“I am not complaining!”

Of course, Sejun assumed Theo was teasing him and fumed.

But then…

Heehee. Squeak! Squeak!

[Heehee. That’s right! Butler isn’t just complaining!]

Kamangi, uncharacteristically, sided with Sejun.

Squeak! Squeak. Heehee.

[He’s really hurt! Butler’s as fragile as a sunfish, so even a small injury hurts him. Heehee.]

It was all just a setup to tease him.

“Who are you calling a sunfish, you little sunfish!”

Squeak?! Squeak!

[Who else? You’re the sunfish, Butler!]

As Sejun and Kamangi playfully argued over who was the real sunfish…

“…How did they break through my barrier?”

The being of the cosmos—the Thought of the Primordial God—looked at Theo, astonished.

Even as a mere thought, it was by no means weak. Not even the God of Creation could force his way through this barrier.

And yet, Theo had broken through…

What is this?

Intrigued, the Thought of the Primordial God focused intently on Theo.

Flash.

Its eyes gleamed with golden light.

“So that’s why…”

Realizing the reason, the Thought of the Primordial God chuckled incredulously.

To think such devotion and obsession could breach a barrier.

An absolutely absurd reason, but it had worked.

“Time is up. I leave the 10th Tower in your hands, prospective owner.”

“Huh? Wait! You can’t just leave! Change the quest conditions first!”

Sejun tried to stop the Thought of the Primordial God from leaving, but…

“My time is up. Farewell.”

With that, the Thought of the Primordial God vanished coolly.

As it disappeared, so did the pillar of light, leaving Sejun and his companions back inside the empty building.

Then…

[You have cleared the 10th floor of the 10th Tower.]

[As a reward for clearing the 10th floor, all stats increase by 3,000.]

[As a reward for clearing the 10th floor, you gain 500 billion tower coins and 2 trillion experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

…

A series of messages displayed his rewards for clearing the 10th floor.

And…

[Congratulations!]

[You have achieved the Great Feat of clearing the 10th Tower, following the Nine Towers.]

[As a reward for this Great Feat, you have obtained the Title: Master of All Towers.]

[As a reward for this Great Feat, your residence fee in the Black Tower’s 0th floor has been reduced by 0.1%.]

Sejun had conquered all ten towers, earning him the prestigious title of Master of All Towers.

“Heh heh heh. Let’s see how good this title really is.”

Sejun grinned and checked his new title.

<Title: Master of All Towers>

This title is awarded only to those who have conquered the peaks of all ten towers.

You can instantly travel to any tower where a waypoint is saved.

You gain invincibility for 10 seconds after each tower transfer.

Amplifies the effects of the title <Backtracker> by tenfold.

All stay cost reductions (56.3%) now apply across all worlds connected to the towers.

The most significant change was that the residence fee reduction, previously applicable only when traveling to Earth, now extended to all worlds.

“Well… that’s not really necessary…”

Of course, since Sejun only ever went home, it wasn’t that valuable to him.

Additional changes included not having to pass through the 99th floor when traveling between towers, invincibility duration extended from 5 to 10 seconds, and the <Backtracker> effect increased from 9x to 10x.

“Alright, everyone, let’s go home.”

Having conquered the 10th Tower, Sejun and his party returned to the Black Tower.

“Good day, Sejun!”

Elka greeted him, carrying a massive spider leg on his back.

It was a leg from the Fourth Calamity, the Petrifying Spider.

“Oh?! Elka, where did you get that?”

Sejun asked excitedly.

The existence of a calamity corpse meant someone had hunted it, which in turn meant the calamities had appeared.

I might actually become a landlord!

“Heh heh heh. I’ve already set up floors for the 7th and 9th… Once I fill the rest, I can start collecting rent…”

Sejun started daydreaming again.

Completely forgetting that he was the only one able to enter the 10th Tower.