I Became the 1st Floor Boss of the Tower - Chapter 181

[The suspect of the terrorist attack at Baratala Hindu Temple is a Korean?]

[A serious criminal incident exposed on Chinese internet.]

[Lee Shin turns out to be the terrorist.]

[Is Lee Shin, who returned to Earth, really Korean?]

[What is the true identity of the top ranker whom everyone has been waiting for?]

[Lee Shin immediately heads to the headquarters of the organization Reverse and rescues the kidnapped challengers.]

The broadcast from India spread globally, generating numerous sensational articles. People everywhere were curious to finally see Lee Shin, who had been shrouded in mystery.

[Lee Shin, who did not appear through the Dimension Gate, was first found in China.]

└ Wait a second! He didn’t appear through the Dimension Gate? Does that even make sense though?

└ What do you mean he appeared in China?

└ So Lee Shin is a Chinese challenger after all? Is this true?

└ Stop talking nonsense! Then why would he climb up from a Korean Tower?

└ Don’t you already know that the media here only writes positive articles about China?

└ Hahaha, there are still people who believe in the media here? LOL

[Was the Baratala Hindu Temple actually a hiding place for Reverse?]

└ Shit! Then shouldn’t we thoroughly investigate all Hindu people?

└ This is insane.

└ But how did Lee Shin know that this place is the headquarters of the Reverse?

└ I saw in another article that all the kidnapped challengers were rescued by Lee Shin this time.

Since the creation of the Tower, all sorts of incidents and accidents would pop up in the news. Especially this year, more major incidents occurred, leaving no time for boredom in people’s daily lives. These included the resurgence of the criminal organization Reverse, which had been quiet for a while, the kidnapping of Generation U challengers, and the shameful defeat of the Task Force from various countries by this one organization.

Besides, Cha Yu-Min, who was presumed dead by many people, was alive. Then, there was the appearance of Lee Shin, the talk of the town, whom people had been waiting for. So many events had unfolded in a short period of time. Among them, the appearance of Lee Shin garnered the most attention.

That was because Lee Shin had made the outstanding achievement of becoming a top ranker just after reaching the 50th floor. Even the most famous actors or singers in the world could not match Lee Shin’s fame at this moment.

As soon as what was deemed as an act of terrorism in India was broadcasted and the news of his return to Korea with an escort from WCA was spread worldwide, the prices of plane tickets to Korea soared several times.

The people who bought tickets were not ordinary people, but the elite, the wealthy, and challengers from various countries, who were all hoping to have even a short conversation with Lee Shin. They were all willing to spend any amount to get a seat, or even charter a private jet. In fact, they did not even hesitate to buy economy seats at exorbitant prices if they had to.

Currently, Lee Shin was the strongest human on Earth, displaying abilities far beyond others. If he managed to become the top ranker already on the 50th floor, it was almost certain that he would be able to climb to the top of the Tower, the 100th floor, with no problem.

It would not even be a problem for Lee Shin to become one of the most powerful and strongest beings among different dimensions.

Therefore, for those who wanted to gain Lee Shin’s favor, even spending way too much money to meet this person was not a loss. Thanks to this, the Korean government had a lot of work on their hands preparing for the arrival of this man of the moment known as Lee Shin.

“You can get off here,” said Ha Tae-Suk.

Following Ha Tae-Suk’s guidance, when they arrived at the rooftop of a building, other people were waiting to escort Lee Shin. While it was almost impossible that anyone would attempt to assassinate him, those who were there to protect him were more tense than ever, knowing that they had to accommodate his needs as much as possible.

“Don’t we have to go to the airport?” Lee Shin asked.

“It’s fine. If we go to the airport, you will attract too many people’s attention, so you might have to use magic or something. Haha,” Ha Tae-Suk replied.

“I see,” Lee Shin muttered.

At that moment, a man wearing glasses approached Lee Shin and greeted him.

“Hello, I am Kang Sang-Jun, the Deputy Director of the National Security Agency. I will be accompanying you from now on,” said Kang Sang-Jun, looking at Lee Shin.

“Then, I’ll be on my way. I would love to be with you until the end, but there are some things waiting for me to attend to,” said Ha Tae-Suk.

“It’s alright,” Lee Shin replied.

After saying that, Lee Shin followed Kang Sang-Jun out.

“Director Ha Tae-Suk is usually so busy that he can’t tolerate wasting a minute or even a second, so taking the time out for you is quite an effort on his part. I hope you understand,” Kang Sang-Jun, who seemed to feel sorry for Lee Shin, explained.

Kang Sang-Jun asked Lee Shin where his destination was.

“Let’s head to the Challengers Association,” Lee Shin said.

“Understood,” Kang Sang-Jun replied.

Their way to the Challengers Association was not as congested as Lee Shin had expected. It was because the government had managed the traffic in advance to prepare for Lee Shin’s arrival.

“Well… There was no need to go this far,” Lee Shin commented as he noticed the arrangements that went into this.

“If we made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize for that. This part of the city is usually very congested, but because of the news of your arrival, people flocked here. So there was nothing we could do,” Kang Sang-Jun explained.

“Okay then,” Lee Shin replied.

Feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the extraordinary treatment, Lee Shin approached the Association.

The surrounding area was bustling with numerous people who wanted to catch a glimpse of him. As they entered the Association, they saw that the Chairman, Jeon Jae-Yong, Deputy Chairman Shin Hyun-Woo, the Director of the National Security Agency, and the Prime Minister were all present. Before coming to Korea, Lee Shin had asked Ha Tae-Suk to arrange a meeting with them, so they waited for him in the Association’s office.

“Hello, I am Lee Shin,” Lee Shin introduced himself to these people.

***

After exchanging greetings, Lee Shin got straight to the point. The atmosphere was not particularly bad. If they were the kind of people who would be upset or argue just because he was the one who had summoned them, he would not have called them in the first place.

“The Dimension Gate will soon close. And a new gate will open,” Lee Shin said.

After hearing his words, their expressions stiffened. They were wondering what he meant by this. Lee Shin continued with the explanation.

“Until now, the Dimension Gate served as a passage for challengers from the Tower to return to their homeworlds. But now, it will be different,” Lee Shin said.

“What do you mean?”

“Challengers from other dimensions as well as those who are not challengers will also come to Earth,” Lee Shin replied.

Their expressions turned grave. Among them, the Prime Minister Shin Jae-Ho seemed to be the most skeptical and furrowed his eyebrows.

“What you’re saying is too absurd. Do you realize that?” Prime Minister Shin Jae-Ho commented.

In response to his question, Lee Shin just nodded slowly because he could understand their reactions. He should have tried to build trust and persuade them, but unfortunately, there was no time for that. Those gods who were upset due to Lee Shin’s Dimension Gate may decide to open the Gate leading to other dimensions tomorrow, or they might use Earthlings as a hostage to force Lee Shin’s obedience.

Whether it was because of Lee Shin or not, the original Dimension Gate should have already closed and the other Gate should have opened. Time was not on the side of Earthlings.

“But don’t you think my existence itself is absurd?” Lee Shin asked back.

Shin Jae-Ho fell silent.

“I understand that you may not be able to believe me and have doubts about me. However, we really don’t have much time. Please think about the possibility. If the original Dimension Gate closes and the other Gate opens up on Earth… what do you think will happen?” Lee Shin asked them.

His words made all of them tense up and think seriously. All of them did not look so great, because it was difficult for them to envision a positive future.

“But aren’t these just your assumptions? Such a thing has never happened before,” said Shin Hyun-Woo.

“Then have any of you been able to predict the rapidly changing situation of the Tower? Do you think it’s possible to predict it logically?” Lee Shin intended to challenge all their questions.

“Well no… It’s impossible,” Shin Hyun-Woo replied.

“Exactly. Ever since the Tower appeared, everything has deviated from what would seem like common sense on Earth. It is impossible to predict it logically. We have to predict the future with abilities that are as unrealistic as magic,” Lee Shin explained.

After hearing Lee Shin’s explanation, they nodded as if they could understand his point.

“Have you seen the future?”

“Yes. I can’t tell you all the details for now, but Earth was destroyed in the future. The other Gate was opened, and the original Dimension Gate was closed forever. Hordes of invaders came wave after wave to attack Earth endlessly,” Lee Shin explained. “Think about encountering the monsters that you encountered on the 50th floor or higher. Imagine one of them appearing in Seoul. What do you think will happen?”

“Well, if the challengers of Earth along with our military weapons could be deployed to defend against—” Shin Jae-Ho was the first to voice his thoughts, but Lee Shin quickly interrupted him and asked the rest for their opinions.

The others could not answer easily.

“You two should know what it would be like because you were challengers yourselves, Chairman and Director,” Lee Shin said, looking at them.

They smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Humans, or rather, Earthlings, are considered among the weakest in the Tower. Based on the abilities alone, they are even comparable to Goblins. They have potential to excel, but that is all. Besides, there are significantly fewer challengers from Earth compared to other dimensions. Ordinary people who are not challengers will not stand a chance, even if only the Orcs invade. Even if we activate the military, there will definitely be limitations,” Lee Shin continued.

By now, these people gathered in the Association office would already be aware that Lee Shin’s proposals were not to benefit himself. That was why his words had credibility.

“Nations should not fight against each other right now. The whole world must unite. And we must strengthen the defenses of each nation to prepare for potential enemies,” Lee Shin appealed to them.

“I think I can understand now. I can finally understand why you were acting this way until now,” The Director of the National Security Agency Yoon Sang, who had been saving his words, spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Shin Jae-Ho asked, looking confused.

“Our National Security Agency analyzed your actions through the reports we received. And we always found it very strange that you never killed enemies with high abilities, especially when they were Earthlings,” Yoon Sang started to explain.

Lee Shin listened to his analysis intently.

“The way you acted in different stages was cold—killing enemies mercilessly and making purely rational choices if you thought they would cause problems in the future. However, your attitude toward Earthlings was always somewhat different. I noticed that you saved some of them whom you would have killed under normal circumstances. Well, I guess you also saved some who seemed useful even if they were not challengers from Earth…” Yoon Sang explained.

After finishing his explanation, Yoon Sang looked at Lee Shin as if he had finished organizing his thoughts.

“I’ll support your opinion, because I believe you’re telling the truth,” Yoon Sang said.

“But Yoon Sang…” the Prime Minister muttered.

“Dear Prime Minister, I have full conviction in my judgment and analysis,” Yoon Sang replied.

The Prime Minister looked at Yoon Sang with a mixture of concern and trust. Then, a moment later, he nodded. In response to that, Jeon Jae-Yong smiled and extended his hand to Lee Shin.

“The Challengers Association places our trust in you, Mr. Lee Shin,” said Jeon Jae-Yong.

Although it was Jeon Jae-Yong’s first meeting with Lee Shin, he had somewhat trusted Lee Shin because he had heard a lot from other challengers in the past.

“It will still be difficult though… Unless such a situation arises, other countries may not trust us nor follow our lead,” Shin Jae-ho cautioned.

“It’s okay. What I wanted to ask you was to please find countries that are willing to work with us as much as possible. And Korea will be the starting point for forming Earth’s defense,” Lee Shin explained.

The Dimension Gate that Lee Shin had worked with Sevrino was currently connected to China, but changing the coordinates to move the destination to Korea would not be difficult. Lee Shin planned on building the world’s best defense centered around Korea so that the monsters from other dimensions could not even think of invading Korea.

“But wait a minute… Where are Cain and Pleta?” Lee Shin asked because he had thought they would be at the Association, yet they were not here.

“Oh… actually…” Jeon Jae-Yong seemed a little uncomfortable.

***

Cain and Pleta were at Road World in Jamsil, which was located in Seoul. New Atlantica was the most thrilling and fun ride here in this amusement park. Cain and Pleta were standing in front of it with excitement.

“Um… Cain and Pleta, I feel like you two would find this ride boring.” A man who followed them as their assistant felt anxious every moment, because he was afraid that they might cause trouble.

“If this ride was boring, why would so many people wait in line?” Cain asked.

“Yeah. It looks fun, doesn’t it?” Pleta commented.

“I guess we should wait here until Lee Shin arrives,” Cain muttered.

“Yup! It seems like they have a lot of rides here!” Pleta replied with excitement.

“Alright, but make sure you don’t get in trouble, okay?” the man warned them.

“Don’t worry,” said Cain.

“Yeah, Lee Shin is going to kill us if we do. Trust me, we won’t get in trouble. I promise!” Pleta replied.

Cain and Pleta sat at the very front of the ride and the assistant sat behind them.

“This is exciting,” Cain muttered.

“The safety bar is coming down,” said the staff.

With the staff’s announcement, the safety bar passed over their heads and was about to press down on their shoulders.

Crack—!

Just as it was coming down, Cain and Pleta frowned and broke the safety bar.

“Ahhh—!” People screamed.

“Tsk. I don’t need this!” Cain shouted.

“Oh sorry. We don’t like being restrained like this,” Pleta explained.

“Hey! But you cannot just break things!” The staff started to panic.

“Just start the ride already!” Cain shouted again.

The staff members were taken aback by their actions, and in the distance, security guards came running toward them. The assistant, starting to have a headache, got off the ride and approached the staff.

“Why aren’t we starting already?” Cain complained.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” Pleta shouted.

The two of them seemed excited about riding the roller coaster, but the assistant watching them was exasperated.

‘Ugh, these rascals…! I’ll tell Mr. Lee Shin about all of this when I meet him!’

Thinking that to himself, he grinned and replied when his eyes met Cain’s.

“Hahaha, it will be done soon. Hahaha…”