I Became the 1st Floor Boss of the Tower

Those from the Lostria Magic Empire had played a significant role in leading Earth down the path of destruction before Lee Shin’s reincarnation.

'They have indeed arrived, although this time earlier than the last.'

From the Gate that materialized on the beach, humans in peculiar attire walked out. A man with blue hair slowly scanned his surroundings and furrowed his brows.

“How vulgar,” the man muttered. It seemed like he made such a comment seeing the people on the beach in outfits that revealed too much skin.

There were only fifteen people who emerged from the Gate, but the mana waves they emitted were extraordinary.

'That guy...'

Lee Shin recalled that the middle-aged man with blue hair was undoubtedly the leader of the number one Magical Vanguard of the Empire. His skills were comparable to those of Cha Yu-Min in his shadow state. If Lee Shin’s memory of the man’s past skills served him well, he thought most of the current Earth challengers were not capable of defeating that single wizard in a one-on-one situation.

‘Earth’s strength lies in cooperation and teamwork. When everyone gathers, it will result in a synergy that is highly productive.’

Compared to the past, Earth's combat force was significantly stronger. Now that those who entered the Tower could exit whenever they wanted, they could also enter whenever they wished, to become stronger in response to how the events unfold.

Moreover, there were individuals who had experienced tremendous growth in strength and abilities due to Lee Shin’s intervention, and even those who should have died were now alive thanks to him.

He thought, at this moment, even without him, the current Earth would be able to withstand the invasion of the Lostria Magic Empire.

'And this time, I won't be just defending.’

The next moment, the man with blue hair approached Lee Shin. His name was Ade McNaois, and he was the Leader of the Dimensional Invasion Vanguard of Lostria Magic Empire, as seen in past videos.

"Are you the master of this world?" Ade McNaois asked. He seemed quite confident in his guess.

'Has he already sensed my mana wave?'

Lee Shin thought this way because he believed that he might be the only one among everyone in this place whom Ade McNaois would have difficulty accurately gauging the abilities of.

"No," Lee Shin replied with a cold voice.

"Then… Does that mean there’s someone stronger than you in this world?" Ade McNaois asked again.

Just as they had been in the past, these individuals from the Lostria Magic Empire were greatly underestimating this world, Earth. That was probably the reason why they were speaking so arrogantly.

"Hey, I think you are forgetting something here,” Lee Shin said, glaring at Ade McNaois.

After saying that, Lee Shin smirked and released his mana all at once in order to lift up all the sand on the beach. At such a sight, Ade McNaois seemed shocked, even though he tried hard to remain calm in front of Lee Shin.

"If you've intruded into someone else's dimension, shouldn't you first introduce yourself properly?" Lee Shin shouted at Ade McNaois.

Swoosh—! Thud!

As the mound of sand poured out all at once and blocked the front of the Gate, Ade McNaois gritted his teeth. It was quite a spectacle to watch.

"..." Ade McNaois could not say a word. 𝗯𝐞𝗱𝗻𝐨𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝗼𝗿𝐠

He simply stared at Lee Shin, because he probably did not expect such a thing to happen here. Besides, it seemed like he did not expect to be humiliated by Lee Shin from the start. Although he probably wanted to fight back, since he had come as part of the vanguard, he could not act as he pleased. Lee Shin could sense his frustration.

"Sorry, I apologize for my actions,” Ade McNaois apologized to Lee Shin.

He bowed his head and held a hand out, while folding the other arm behind his back—the Empire's greeting.

"It was just my curiosity about such a powerful wizard that led me to be impolite. Please forgive me and extend your understanding. This episode has nothing to do with the Empire's intentions," Ade McNaois explained in a reconciliatory tone, offering his hand.

The wizards who were standing behind him also bowed their heads. At this point, Lee Shin thought it was acceptable to accept their apology, because these individuals were still useful to him.

"Alright, I will forgive this time. However, if you belittle the people in this world again with your words, there will be no room for mercy,” Lee Shin replied.

"Yes sir, I will make sure that doesn’t happen," Ade McNaois said.

As they raised their heads, Lee Shin returned the sand to its original state in one motion.

Swoosh—!

Seeing the sand flow out like a wave in an instant, a look of astonishment crossed the wizards’ faces.

‘Since I’ve shown them this much, they probably won't act presumptuously like before.'

Lee Shin was aware that he needed to demonstrate a sufficient level of ability to prevent these individuals from belittling Earthlings.

"We haven't come here to fight. We just want to have a conversation."

Upon hearing those words, Lee Shin turned his head to look behind. The government officials were already present. As soon as they noticed Lee Shin’s gaze upon them, Kang Sang-Jun approached him.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kang Sang-Jun," one of the government officials introduced himself to Ade McNaois.

"Hello, my name is Ade McNaois."

After exchanging casual greetings, they immediately proceeded to the negotiating table.

***

Sami Harrison could not contain her happiness as the viewer count suddenly surged due to the unexpected opening of the Gate. Keeping the citizens informed was something that brought her joy, and capturing scenes like these in real-time was a delight.

‘But... Why is that annoying blue-haired guy acting that way toward Mr. Lee Shin?’

Unlike before, Sami Harrison found herself increasingly empathizing with Lee Shin, though she was not aware of it yet. This sentiment was mirrored by the viewers, who were also growing more empathetic toward Lee Shin.

# Go fuck yourself! We should throw all these scums down Niagara Falls!

# They don’t even know their place and are trying to mess with Lee Shin!

# Lololololololol just throw them into that sandy beach!

# Lol look at Lee Shin’s face. That relaxed face that seems condescending. He’s so cool!

# Bro, please teach them a lesson this time!

Viewers who had seen Ade's tone, expression, and actions could also feel that these individuals from the Lostria Magic Empire were belittling this place.

When Lee Shin lifted up the sand, Sami noticed Ade’s expression change and immediately zoomed in to capture his stiff expression on video.

# Hahahahah

# Is he scared? Huh?

# Mr. Lee is really great!

# Oh holy shit! He is insane!

# Damn! This is insane. How can such a thing be done by a human?

# I love you so much, Lee Shin!

At the sight of Lee Shin who humbled the wizards at once, the people went into a frenzy. These people were satisfied to see Ade lower his head in front of Lee Shin.

"Ah, sorry everyone, but unfortunately it seems like the broadcast should end here. They will soon have a meeting with the people from the Lostria Magic Empire, but I’m not allowed to accompany them,” Sami Harrison said, expressing her disappointment.

At Sami’s comment, people were about to go mad with curiosity, but she just ignored such comments and ended the broadcast there.

‘I won't be able to enter for sure if I keep the live broadcast on, so there is no other choice.’

Sami Harrison changed her clothes right away, turned on the pencil-shaped recording device hidden in her front pocket, and secretly followed them. The car that carried the wizards from the Empire entered a large building. Government guards, who filled the area, were defending the entrance.

'Well, I'm not the type to give up at this stage.'

Sami Harrison was known for traveling all over the place and successfully bringing reports from various places. This time, even if she could not do a live broadcast, she still wanted to listen to what these wizards from the Empire were discussing with the government officials.

'But with Mr. Lee Shin here… Will it be alright? It should be fine… right?’

Sami thought that it would not matter even if she were caught by others, but she was a bit worried that Lee Shin might catch on to her eavesdropping and have negative feelings toward her.

'Maybe… I shouldn't do this... Ah, no. I think I need to know about this. Yeah.'

The next moment, Sami Harrison climbed to the rooftop of the opposite building and tried to sense the presence of the individuals from the Empire using her [Presence Detector].

‘Are they heading to the conference room on the thirtieth floor?’

Having located them, she held a thin thread covered with a sticky substance on one end and threw the sticky part onto the window of the conference room they had entered.

[Vibration Detector]

[Sound Amplification]

Although the inside of the room could not be seen because of the curtains that covered the window, she could hear the sounds coming from inside.

- Welcome. My name is Jeon Jae-Yong.

‘Has the Chair of the Association arrived already?'

Sami Harrison cautiously eavesdropped on their conversation. Meanwhile, Lee Shin, who was already in the conference room, knew that Sami Harrison was following them from the beginning, but chose to leave her alone.

'After all, these things need to be revealed.'

They were going to discuss their cooperation with the Empire. In this meeting, Earth and the Empire would form a temporary alliance and exchange their knowledge and technologies.

Besides, Lee Shin wanted the Korean citizens to know how much effort and sacrifice the Korean Government had been making in the process and how much they cared about Earth’s future. That would influence the citizens to be willing to listen to the Government’s words.

"We, the Lostria Magic Empire, have come to seek an alliance with this planet called Earth," said Ade McNaois.

However, Lee Shin was aware that the tactic of the Empire was to pretend to form an alliance with Earth to gather enough information. Then, when they were confident that they could win the war, they would stab Earth in the back.

The politicians here on Earth were skilled in scheming and manipulation themselves. Although they were well aware of the intentions of the Empire, they accepted the proposal.

"... Very well," someone from Earth replied.

Their conversation was going in circles and neither side revealed their true intentions. Bargains and negotiations to gain advantages were exchanged between the two parties endlessly. Lee Shin clicked his tongue at the thought that he might have to take a step back.

‘Though I kind of expected it from Shin Jae-Ho, the Prime Minister, I did not expect Yoon Sang, the Director of the National Security Agency, to be at this level.’

Lee Shin had heard that Yoon Sang had a background as an academic, having been a researcher, but he was not aware that Yoon Sang possessed such political acumen. He wondered if that was what brought him to this position.

"The scientific and technological advancements of our world include the ability to breach fortifications and bombard the farthest reaches of continents, even without wizards. They will undoubtedly become a significant source of power for the Empire," said someone from Earth.

"I really want to see them. Hmmm… the intercontinental ballistic missiles... Even the name carries an immense grandeur," replied someone from the Empire.

"Hahaha, we never even thought that ordinary people would be able to use magic."

"It was a tremendous discovery that developed our Empire."

It was obvious to Lee Shin that these individuals were having a pointless conversation that had no substance. The technologies that Yoon Sang mentioned were not something one could master overnight. Therefore, to those lacking the knowledge, the point he made was nothing more than hollow, flashy information.

It was also the same for the point about the discovery of magical talents. The people from the Empire made it sound like most ordinary people could become wizards, but the reality was different. Majority of the people did not have magical talents.

Lee Shin simply listened.

"Next time, we will invite you guys to our Empire,” said Ade McNaois.

"Sounds good. Thank you," Yoon Sang replied.

Earth would provide the Empire with scientific technologies and hextech advancements, while the Empire would offer technology to help train wizards on Earth. Even though these arrangements would not come to fruition immediately and would take time to be implemented, it did not matter to Lee Shin.

"Well, to be honest, I wonder if I’ve done the right thing,” Yoon Sang voiced his concerns as the individuals from the Empire left.

Although he had gone along with it due to Lee Shin’s request, there were certainly unsettling aspects to this negotiation.

"It's fine," Lee Shin said.

"I think national security issues can easily arise from this negotiation," Yoon Sang replied with a voice full of worry.

"But there was no other choice because Earth is in its transition period right now,” Lee Shin said.

If the people on Earth were able to awaken magical abilities in ordinary individuals with the help of the Lostria Magic Empire, the chances of survival at the Tower would dramatically increase. Therefore, they had to take advantage of the Empire as much as possible.

"If two more Gates were to open, where do you think they would be?" Jeon Jae-Yong asked.

Ade had clearly mentioned that two more Gates would open.

"I think it will probably open in the United States and China," Lee Shin replied.

The first Gate normally opened where the dimensional energy was the highest, followed by the next two in the next two highest places. Besides, that was why Ade had asked Lee Shin if he was the strongest person here, when he saw Lee Shin.

"Hmm… So it’s just as I thought."

"We should come up with what to say in advance."

"When you are crossing over to the Empire, it would be wise to first send representatives from the WCA," Lee Shin suggested.

"Are you not going, Mr. Lee Shin?”

"No, but Lostria would not play any tricks,” Lee Shin replied.

Since Lee Shin had demonstrated his skills adequately this time, the Lostria Empire would not underestimate Earth and act recklessly. Furthermore, in the past, invading Earth had taken them quite a while. This time, they would be more cautious.

"On the contrary, I will climb the Tower,” Lee Shin said with determination.

Lee Shin thought he had spent too much time on Earth. The dimensional energy here was getting stronger over time, and as a result, stronger enemies would keep appearing. He thought it was necessary to ascend the Tower and increase his combat force while he had the time.

‘And I must discover the secret of my strength.’

This body belonged to Gene Ebrium. To fully unlock this sealed body and to resolve the issues around divinity class, transcendence and chaos, Lee Shin ultimately had to climb the Tower.

‘The 90th floor... I must get there to uncover the secret of Gene Ebrium.’

This was only Lee Shin’s assumption, but he was somewhat confident about his assumption.

‘And also the God of Destruction… I have to figure out his intentions.’

Lee Shin used to think that the God of Destruction was trying to kill him on the 20th floor, but judging from subsequent events, it seemed not to be the case. It almost seemed like the God of Destruction was pushing Lee Shin into hardships on purpose. As a result, he was able to discover the power of chaos and obtained clues to Transcendence on the 20th floor.

Was this his intention? Did the God of Destruction want to help Lee Shin grow? Or was there some other reason? Besides, the Apostle of the God of Destruction saved Lee Shin in the Fourth Realm even though it was a situation where he could have killed Lee Shin.

‘The God of Destruction is definitely trying to do something.’