The Judge's Hammer that Yama exchanged back and forth in the Demon Realm.
On the outside, it looks like an ordinary wooden mallet.
Of course, the wood itself is anything but ordinary.
Considering that it struck a Sand Dragon and came out without even a scratch.
If this hammer had come from the Tower, he'd at least be able to see its item information.
But that wasn't possible.
Anyway, the effects of the Judge's Hammer.
First.
It binds the target and forces them to vomit out their sins.
In truth, this is the core of the core.
Calling it the fundamental function wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Any judge would want this.
Not only to ensure fair trials, but also to prevent innocent people from being wronged, and even peer directly into the minds of criminals.
Sometimes there are criminals like that, right?
The kind where you can't even begin to understand what they were thinking when they committed the crime.
Whether they knew exactly what they were doing, were just idiots, or were ordered by someone else.
If you smack them on the head with the hammer and shout, "Confess your crimes yourself!" everything would be laid bare.
And the second function.
Because it bears the touch of Yama, it's an outstanding weapon in its own right.
You designate a target.
Whirrr!
Throw it.
Screeeeech!
It flies like a bolt.
Thud! Kwaaaang!
It delivers a tremendous impact.
In terms of pure physical force, even a Sand Dragon—an inferior dragon said to be stronger than an adult dragon—was reduced to a near-death state in a single hit.
And then again.
Whirrr!
It flies back into Juhyeok's hand.
Clack!
Fun.
Even more so because it's ranged rather than close combat.
Take another hit, you bastard!
Whirrr!
Screeeeech!
Thud! Kwaaaang!!!
The Sand Dragon disintegrates.
The hammer returns once more—whirrr, clack!
Two-hit clear!
[Inferior Dragon Sand Dragon defeated 1/1]
[You have succeeded in the 88th-floor mission.]
Guess I worried for nothing.
When all it took was tossing the hammer from afar.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!
The blood-summoned beings applauded thunderously, gazing at Juhyeok with satisfaction.
"You threw it. How wise you are, Young Master."
"Throwing it keeps you safe."
"He threw it. Nothing to worry about now."
"Oh please, would the greatest genius summoner ever fight up close?"
"Huh? When did you get here?"
"Saw the hammer flying and came right over."
"Is that so? Hahaha."
Watching the blood-summoned beings chatting and laughing, Juhyeok smiled as well.
No need to eat the Great Demon's Heart, right?
Just five more floors to go for a complete clear.
From the 96th to the 100th floor, all in one go.
Who knows what kind of tricks the Black Tower might pull next.
That's why preparations had to be thorough.
The three members of the Magic Research Workshop gathered to begin studying combat equipment.
Rajiks sorted out the supplies needed for the Strategy and organized the subspace.
Meanwhile, the blood-summoned beings consumed enhancement elixirs made from the Great Demon's Heart.
Kosak, Gobang, Bardin, Diamat.
Jepet would do so later,
after finishing his dispatch duty in the soul world.
Juhyeok also had work to do.
Going back and forth to the auction house to secure top-grade magic stones.
Supreme magic stones had countless uses.
They were needed immediately as materials for magic research, and also for permanent residency permits.
Items usually listed at auction were electronics, vehicles, media devices—things that existed uniquely on Earth.
Because he listed them so often, the bidding prices gradually dropped.
Should he space them out a bit?
But he decided not to.
People wanted Earth items this badly.
So what if the price drops a bit?
Then even those without supreme magic stones might get a chance to buy them.
In the midst of that, one auction item caught Juhyeok's eye.
One of the most expensive items on display.
Namely—
Divine Artifact: Long Spear of the Godslayer
Current bid: 2,500,000,000 kg of top-grade magic stones
Wow!
Twenty-five billion.
Five billion more than a World Tree sapling.
In the past, he wouldn't have spared it a glance, but—
This might actually be more urgent than a World Tree sapling.
Because he might have to face a god.
"… Wait a second."
The Godslayer's Long Spear was a divine artifact.
Meaning an item of god-tier.
In fact, Juhyeok already owned something similar.
A divine artifact.
"What's its value?"
Let's try listing it.
He could always cancel afterward.
He placed Yama's Judge's Hammer into the locker registration slot.
Ding!
[You have applied for an auction.]
[Please set the initial bid price.]
[If you do not set a bid price, the auction house will assess the value at its discretion. Do you agree?]
Auction house discretionary valuation.
The starting bid varied depending on the item.
So how much would this be valued at?
Slide—
[The auction item has been registered.]
"Check auction status."
He summoned the menu
and tapped to confirm.
Divine Artifact: Judgment Hammer of the King of Hell
Starting bid: 5,000,000,000 kg of top-grade magic stones
"… What the hell."
A full fifty billion.
Twice the price of the Godslayer's spear.
Who would even buy this?
Still, just in case some insane senior decided to bid, he quickly canceled the listing.
[The Judgment Hammer of the King of Hell has been canceled. Since it was canceled within one hour of registration, no cancellation fee has been applied.]
Slide.
The hammer reappeared in the locker.
He quickly tucked it into his arms.
Thank you.
King Yama.
All I gave you were a few packs of cigarettes and some shoddy Earth items,
yet you so readily bestowed such an incredible divine artifact.
Juhyeok returned to the White Tower.
Now it was time to open his perks.
128 Platinum badges obtained from the simultaneous Demon Realm.
A total of 442 accumulated, 269 in hand.
Including the existing ones, that made 26 perk activations.
The perk system was probably also under the influence of the White Tower's "Whitedung."
Then give me something good.
The Black Tower broke the rules, so let's strike back properly.
"Confirm!"
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Countless perk messages popped up.
He ignored the trivial ones.
What he needed now were things essential to himself,
items absolutely necessary for the upcoming movement.
Then—
Ding!
[Blood-Summoned Penalty Removal Ticket has been delivered to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
"… Huh?"
What's this?
Ding!
Again.
[Blood-Summoned Penalty Removal Ticket has been delivered to the Tower-exclusive inventory.]
They came consecutively.
Ding! Ding! Ding.
Two, three, four… a total of five.
"Why five of these… Ah!"
He got it.
There was only one purpose for these tickets.
To compensate for the drawbacks of items obtained through achievements.
The Blood-Summoned Potential Explosion Whistle.
An item that explodes the abilities of one blood-summoned being for ten minutes.
After use, the summon is forcibly dismissed after ten minutes,
and a penalty prevents designated summoning for ten days.
But with this ticket, the penalty could be removed immediately.
"Well done, our Whitedung sir."
He should use honorifics.
After all this effort.
Let's keep working well together from now on.
Time passed quickly.
Then an incident erupted that would shock the entire world.
A video was suddenly released.
On the Korean Awakener Administration's YouTube channel.
It was the footage Juhyeok had handed over to Jeon Gwang-il.
**:
It was a compilation, multiple clips edited into one.
Cut what needed cutting, include what needed including.
The scenes featuring the Sword Immortal and the Golden Monkey clone of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven were excluded.
Naturally, so was Yama.
Immortals have portrait rights.
You can't just upload them without permission.
Of course, the Sword Immortal seemed to enjoy filming with an Earphone device,
but filming and distribution are separate matters.
The video was spectacular from the very beginning.
Enough to devour most blockbuster movies whole.
Look at this.
This kind of thing happened in the Tower.
Not just giant monsters—five ultra-colossal ones showed up.
L What are those things?
L Why are five giant monsters appearing together?
L The subtitles say "Extreme Hell Mode."
L There were difficulty modes for Tower?
L Is it related to S+++ or EX ranks?
L How are you supposed to kill five at once?
Don't worry.
We melted them all with nukes.
Gigant Unit No. 1 deployed.
A mushroom cloud rising.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-BOOM!!!
L A nuclear explosion?
L Ha! A Gigant walking around with nukes and self-destructing—what is this?
L Running around with nuclear warheads in both hands looks absurdly innocent.
L Seriously, nukes going off inside the Tower?
L The only one who can move a Gigant is Bong Juhyeok.
L So that's why the "nuclear fission prohibited world" notice went up.
L How did they even bring nukes into the Tower in the first place?
The 86th-floor firefighting.
A phoenix approaching.
Fire trucks lined up in a crane-wing formation to face it.
L Wait, is something wrong with my eyes? There are fire trucks inside the Tower.
L It's not the Tower. Look at the writing on the trucks—Seoul Fire Department.
L You're right. So it's not the Tower.
L A phoenix just showed up.
L We've decided to call that CG.
The screen zoomed in.
People came into view.
People with strange appearances and outfits, climbing onto fire trucks and aiming chemical sprayers.
Firefighting agents sprayed all at once toward the phoenix.
And the reaction?
Not to the phoenix raid—but impressions of the people themselves.
L Sigh, I knew it. Fake. Totally fake.
L They hired actors and shot a movie.
L CG? I focused for nothing.
L Why would they even film something like this?
L So they're saying Bong Juhyeok beat the phoenix like that?
L Fire truck raid, my ass. No way that's real.
The blood-summoned beings began to appear clearly on screen.
L Look at that—obvious costumes. They're all actors.
L Rookie actors maybe?
L Huh? Cute hamster!
L No way that's real—cosplay? CG?
L Cute hamsters are super popular, so of course they'd include one.
L That giant's copying the hotel terror guy.
L But who's the actor with wings and a tail?
L I didn't say it earlier, but did you see that sniper girl pulling aggro on the phoenix?
L Damn, I'm not sleeping tonight.
L Screenshot. New wallpaper.
L Same here.
Honestly, who would believe this video was real?
At the very least, it definitely wasn't a Tower raid video.
Why?
Because only one player is allowed to enter each Tower floor.
That's a basic rule and common knowledge of Tower climbing.
So the video had to be a deepfake.
Or an AI-generated video.
Either way, it was fabricated.
That's how people watched it.
So no matter how bizarre the content was, it was just entertaining and novel—not something to truly be shocked by.
Even when a pyramid-shaped dimensional energy storage facility appeared.
Even when grotesque monsters guarding it showed up.
As the video reached the later half—
When the Demon Realm raid appeared.
When dragons flew and spewed breath attacks.
When dazzling flame magic poured down.
When the Demon Realm army was annihilated.
"Well made."
"It's fun."
"They must've spent a ton of money filming this."
That was all.
Even when another Earth from a parallel universe appeared, people just accepted it.
Even though subtitles explaining Earth No. 675 scrolled by in detail.
They just assumed it was a typical movie plot.
Then came the Administrator.
His true identity.
As he was subdued, a video appeared behind him—
Showing the destruction of Earth No. 675.
The Black Tower's purpose.
Dimensional energy.
Archangels.
Gods.
L This came out of nowhere.
L Did they hire a web-novel writer for the script?
L What's with this ending?
L Anyone actually understand the story?
L So the Black Tower exists because of gods, and the world's doomed?
L The plot coherence is trash.
L They keep saying they'll kill the summoner—are they talking about Bong Juhyeok?
The video ended.
The ending credits rolled.
Names and photos of specific individuals appeared—
Presumably the actors who had appeared so far.
Martial-and-civil Kosak, Meat Shield Gobang, Guardian Mad Demon, Holy Knight Bardin, Chief Gunner Gyeondallae, Dimensional Farmhand Rajiks, Director of Photography Mackenzie, Baek Dana, Mannyeoni, Diamat, Crackers.
L Wait—hold on! Rajiks? The hamster's name is Rajiks?
L That Rajiks from Rajiks Trading?
L Why slap a company name onto our cutie?
L The giant's name was Gobang—I remember. During the hotel terror incident, one of them was called Gobang.
L That old man who disciplined the anti-Korean protesters in Japan is Mad Demon.
L Wait—what if they aren't actors, but real people?
L And the movie's setting is actually inside the Tower?
L I seriously don't know what to think anymore.
The credits finished rolling.
All that remained was the post-credits scene.
Director Jeon Gwang-il appeared.
With a very serious expression.
The video you have just watched was filmed directly inside the Tower without any fabrication or manipulation.
It was provided by the world's top player, Bong Juhyeok, and is guaranteed by the Korean Awakener Administration. Everything is true.
As you have seen, Player Bong Juhyeok is steadily advancing toward the complete conquest of the Tower together with his companions on a great journey.
We appeal to everyone around the world. Please send Player Bong Juhyeok your sincere encouragement and applause.
L What?!
L Huh?
L ?
L ??
L 222
L 2 ??!!!
L So… it's all real?
…
L No way.
L But the Director himself said it.
L This is insane.
L My head's spinning.
L I need to watch it again.
Calls flooded into the Korean Awakener Administration.
Everyone asking whether the video was real.
The answer was always the same.
It was filmed directly. Everything was real, with no CG.
Player Bong was climbing the Tower together with his companions, and parallel universes truly existed.
The world was stunned.
Turned upside down.
The Korean Awakener Administration didn't upload the video only to YouTube.
They also sent more detailed explanations to governments around the world.
Along with requests.
At the White House in the United States,
an emergency national security meeting was convened under President Lloyd.
"So parallel universes really exist?"
"We've confirmed it multiple times. They're even willing to prove it if requested."
"Prove it? You mean they can go directly to a parallel universe?"
"Yes."
"This is driving me crazy."
Another Earth that had already been destroyed.
Earth No. 675.
Just like ours, it had a Black Tower—and it collapsed in the 70th floors.
The cause was Kabalon's Curse.
They failed to meet the average floor requirement and couldn't defeat the true form.
"If our Earth didn't have Player Bong, more than a hundred Towers would've collapsed by now."
A hundred?
It would've been practically an extinction event.
Just like Earth No. 675.
"And take a look at this."
Minister Macmillan placed a long steel container on the table.
"What is it?"
"In the video, there's a dimensional energy storage facility. You saw the subtitles, right?"
"The pyramid-shaped structure?"
"Yes. This was taken from there. It's like a battery."
"Hm."
"We're researching it now. They say this rod is the reason the Black Tower exists."
What is dimensional energy,
that it could plant Black Towers across the land and doom entire worlds?
"Setting that aside, what should we do about Director Jeon Gwang-il's request?"
"… The nuclear warheads?"
They're supposedly needed for the great journey.
They'd be used in a completely different world—not on Earth.
Of course, they wanted to cooperate as much as possible.
It was for the complete conquest of the Tower—why refuse?
And if what the video showed about the Black Tower, administrators, and outer gods was true…
This was something the entire world needed to respond to together.
But were nukes too precious for that?
Still—
"The White House can't decide this unilaterally. We need congressional approval. It'll take time."
"How long?"
"At least a month or two."
Unless the U.S. were a dictatorship, exporting strategic weapons required extremely complex procedures.
"We'll hurry as much as we can. Tell them to be patient—"
That was when—
"Mr. President."
A security advisor at the far end of the room raised his hand.
"What is it?"
"India's prime minister just held a press conference."
"About what?"
"Declaring full trust in Player Bong Juhyeok and offering unlimited support."
"That's it? They've said that before."
"There's more. They said they'll immediately load nuclear weapons and send them to Korea."
"… What?"
India is the world's sixth-largest nuclear power.
It seemed they intended to repay the debt of restoring the Mumbai sinkhole by providing warheads.
"And—Pakistan too."
"Hm?"
"They released a statement supporting Player Bong Juhyeok and offering nuclear weapons as well."
India and Pakistan—
countries that had competed fiercely in nuclear armament for decades.
Now competing to export nukes?
"Russia's president is also preparing a press conference."
"… "
"They'll likely announce their intention to provide nuclear weapons as well."
"Hm."
The situation was taking a strange turn.
If this continued, the U.S. would look like it was backing out.
That wouldn't do.
There was national pride at stake.
In supporting Player Bong Juhyeok, the U.S. needed to take the lead.
"Prepare our own press conference. We'll get congressional approval later."
"Yes, sir."
"Tell them we'll send the biggest and flashiest ones."
In addition, nearly every nuclear-armed nation conveyed their intent to provide warheads to the Korean Awakener Administration.
Thus, Juhyeok obtained firepower capable of destroying Earth dozens of times over.
The world's greatest nuclear power holder.
That was Bong Juhyeok.