Chapter 4: I Cleared an S-rank Gate
Thirty minutes earlier.
Pyongyang Presidential Palace, North Korea.
"Snore... Hoo... Snore... Hoohoo-kgh...!"
Kim Jong-un, who nearly stopped breathing in his sleep as usual.
"C-Chairman Comrade! Wake up! Chairman Comrade!"
If the Pleasure Squad attendant lying beside him hadn't panicked and woken him up, he might really have stopped breathing.
"Huff! Huff! Th-Thank you. You saved my life."
"I'm relieved, Chairman Comrade. If something happened to you, I would... Sob."
When the woman began acting as if she were crying, Kim Jong-un smiled.
I should make this woman one of my favorite mistresses. Hahaha!
Then...
RUMBLEEEEE!
"W-What is that?!"
A tremendous tremor shook Pyongyang.
Crash! Bang! Smash!
Furniture collapsed in every direction.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling fell and shattered.
The Presidential Palace violently swayed from side to side.
It was an earthquake powerful enough to shake the very ground beneath them.
"A-An earthquake! It's an earthquake!"
"Aaaah! Chairman Comrade!"
Trying to keep her balance, the woman grabbed Kim Jong-un's thick double chin.
"What the hell are you doing, you crazy woman?! Aaaagh!"
The ceiling above the luxurious bed collapsed.
He barely managed to try hiding beneath the bed.
Rather, he tried.
But there wasn't enough room for Kim Jong-un to fit.
Bang!
"E-Excuse me! Chairman of the State Affairs Commission! You must evacuate immediately!"
The North Korean Minister of State Security rushed inside with his subordinates.
Coincidentally, the earthquake died down at that exact moment.
"...Did it stop?"
"There may be aftershocks. You need to evacuate, Chairman!"
"Fine."
But then...
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Gunfire rang out.
It was extremely close.
"What bastard is firing guns inside this sacred palace?!"
Kim Jong-un hurriedly crouched down and shouted while trembling all over.
His belly shook.
"We don't have time for this! You need to evacuate immediately, Chairman!"
But it was too late.
BOOOOM!
"H-Huh?"
With a violent explosion, the floor collapsed.
Through the thick cloud of dust, a huge body approached with metallic footsteps.
Clank. Clank.
Green skin.
A massive, muscular body.
Fierce eyes.
Breathing like a wild beast.
"A-An Orc...?"
Why was a monster from the Tower here?
While Kim Jong-un stared in disbelief, the dust settled.
Dozens more Orcs entered behind the first.
Every single one carried heavy weapons.
"Did they raid the armory?"
No.
The Orcs were clearly carrying firearms.
But they were completely different from the weapons used by the Korean People's Army.
For one thing, the Korean People's Army didn't have ordinary infantry carrying miniguns like these Orcs.
"Fire! Protect the Chairman!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The State Security soldiers opened fire at the Orcs.
However...
Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!
The Korean People's Army's automatic weapons simply bounced off the Orcs' body armor.
Thud!
"Urgh."
One soldier was even struck by a ricocheting bullet and collapsed.
The leading Orc was easily twice the size of those behind him.
He snorted.
"Grrrr. Humans. You wage war with toys like those?"
The Orc who had spoken strode toward Kim Jong-un.
"I am Krog, Great General of the Orcs. From this moment onward, I am the ruler of this land."
Kim Jong-un crawled backward.
Then he shouted with a trembling voice.
"Y-You worthless monsters dare... D-Do you even know where you are?!"
Clack.
Orc Great General Krog pointed the barrel of his minigun forward.
Vrrrrrr!
The barrels began spinning rapidly.
"A place where the gates of hell have opened."
The minigun roared.
BOOOOOOOM!
Thunderous explosions erupted one after another wherever the minigun rounds struck.
A gigantic factory appeared in the center of Pyongyang.
The area transformed into Floor 80 of the Tower of Fate.
Orc Great General Krog's Munitions Factory.
My house.
After hearing the news that Kim Jong-un had died, I launched my game.
Why?
Because I still hadn't finished this week's raid.
You have to do what you have to do.
I didn't need to farm gold anymore.
But there was no point discussing why someone played daily and weekly content in an MMORPG.
It's like breathing.
You simply did it.
It was part of life.
I wasn't strange.
Look.
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Guys, did you see the breaking news?
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Yeah. Feels like martial law might get declared.
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Holy shit, are we really going to war? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
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But it's not even a war against North Korea anymore. Looks like we're going to war with Orcs.
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Why are monsters that should be inside the Tower suddenly appearing outside?
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A million players were logged in and calmly chatting in the game just like always!
Should I close the Gate now?
Kim Jong-un was already dead.
Maybe I should close it.
While I was considering it...
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This might actually be a good thing.
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What's good about it?
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We should advance north and reunify the peninsula. It's finally time to fulfill the Korean people's long-held dream.
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When I read that chat message, it felt like I'd been struck in the head with a hammer.
"That's right... Now is the perfect time to achieve national reunification!"
We even had justification.
We could liberate the northern lands illegally occupied by the Orc army!
But then...
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Would that mean we have to join the army?
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Oh shit. You're right.
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Apparently soldiers already lost all their leave, overnight passes, and vacations. Everyone better prepare themselves...
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I clicked my tongue and started typing.
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If you're a young Korean man, of course you should be willing to sacrifice yourself to defend the country and reclaim the northern lands. Teacher Shin Saimdang must be watching us from heaven.
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Why did Shin Saimdang suddenly enter the conversation?
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Are you insulting Teacher Shin Saimdang, one of the greatest figures in five thousand years of Korean history?
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?????
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"Young people these days have no patriotism at all. Tsk, tsk, tsk."
I continued typing.
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If the Ministry of National Defense calls me, I'll immediately rush north and sacrifice this body for the country.
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Then you go by yourself;;
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Unfortunately, I'm exempt from military service.
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Um... Can I ask the reason for your exemption?
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Why are you asking?
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No reason haha; just curious.
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Asking someone why they were exempted from military service is an extremely serious violation of human rights, and the severity of such a violation cannot be understated.
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Ah... Okay.
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What a rude bastard.
This is why our country has problems.
This was why everyone needed military service.
And anyone who failed to straighten themselves out after serving should be sent back for another round.
Therefore, I decided to leave the S-rank Gate alone.
The people fighting the war right now might suffer.
But future generations inheriting a reunified Korean Peninsula would all be grateful to me.
"Exactly."
Absolutely.
But then...
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Breaking news. The Military Manpower Administration has decided that Grade 4 social service personnel will receive military training. They will not immediately be deployed to combat zones, but there is a possibility they may be converted into reserve forces in preparation for emergencies... Accordingly, there are also concerns that Grade 5 wartime labor service personnel may be mobilized.
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"They're mobilizing wartime labor service personnel?!"
This was a sign the country was doomed.
Then...
As a descendant of the Korean people, I should naturally dedicate myself to fighting for my country.
I solemnly prepared my heart.
If the Military Manpower Administration called me, I would rush over at once.
But then...
Sparkle, sparkle.
I saw something through the slightly open zipper of my bag.
The gaze of Teacher Shin Saimdang!
She seemed to be staring directly at me.
As if she were saying...
"Child, you must not go."
"What? B-But as a Korean man, I have a sacred duty to defend the nation..."
"Losing you would be a national loss."
Urgh.
I imagined a battlefield filled with gunfire and explosions.
A comrade lay before me, bleeding to death.
"Private Choi Hyunwoo. You alone... must complete the great task of national reunification."
"Sergeant!"
"My consciousness is fading... Private First Class Choi, could you give me some morphine?"
"Yes... Here."
"Thank you, Corporal Choi. Now... I can finally rest."
"No problem. But why does my rank keep increasing?"
"A crisis is also an opportunity... Naturally, those who distinguish themselves on the battlefield are promoted. Sergeant Choi."
"You're right. That makes sense, Sergeant."
"Staff Sergeant Choi Hyunwoo... You are the future of the Republic of Korea, no, the entire Korean Peninsula."
"Urgh."
"You must survive, Colonel Choi Hyunwoo."
"I won't forget your sacrifice, Sergeant."
"It is enough... that you remember me. Congratulations on your promotion to general, Division Commander Choi Hyunwoo."
"Indeed. It seems we should stop talking now. The difference between our ranks has become far too large. By the way, what was your name again?"
A glorious future awaited me.
I would return home as the youngest corps commander in Korean history.
Therefore, I had no choice but to answer my country's call...
"You're a man worth four billion won an hour."
"...!"
I clenched my fist tightly.
If this was truly Teacher Shin Saimdang's command...
Then I have no choice but to obey.
Suppressing my overwhelming emotions, I solemnly spoke.
"Close the Pyongyang Gate."
[Closing "Tower of Fate Floor 80, Orc Great General's Munitions Factory (S)."]
[Consumed "S-rank Gate Close Ticket."]
This absolutely wasn't because I didn't want to join the army.
Teacher Shin Saimdang had personally ordered me not to go.
If I had enlisted, I would surely have become a general.
But...
With the power of a man worth four billion won an hour!
Contributing to the economy would benefit the Republic of Korea even more.
I finally understood Teacher Shin Saimdang's profound wisdom.
I was careless.
These were the words of one of the greatest figures in five thousand years of Korean history.
Therefore, they were automatically correct.
For the millions of reservists and active-duty soldiers trembling with anxiety, I wrote another post on HunVen.
[Title: Big Bro Took Care of North Korea.]
[Author: DivineMan]
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Went to Pyongyang to catch a pig and actually found one. Wasn't the pig I was expecting though lol... Anyway, I killed some Great General? guy and the Gate? disappeared. Everyone can relax and get back to your normal lives. Later.
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Then I asked...
"But what happens if I close an S-rank Gate now? Do the Orcs go back?"
[When a generated Gate is closed, the real world and the Tower of Fate are disconnected.]
[Entities remaining inside the Tower of Fate will remain in the Tower of Fate.]
[Entities that have already descended into the real world will remain in the real world.]
Wait.
Anything that had already crossed over stayed in reality even after the Gate closed?
"Eh. It'll work itself out somehow."
Surely our military wouldn't lose to a few Orcs.
Then...
Ding!
["Orc Great General Krog" has been defeated.]
[You have cleared Tower of Fate Floor 80, "Orc Great General's Munitions Factory"!]
[Congratulations!]
[You are the first person in the world to clear Floor 80 of the Tower of Fate!]
[Calculating First Clear Reward...]
[You have obtained "Krog's Munitions Factory Control Authority (S)" as a reward!]
[You have obtained "Krog's Gatling Laser (S)" as a reward!]
[You eliminated only the Boss Monster without being detected by anyone.]
[You have obtained the title "Silent Assassin (S)"!]
"Hm?"
