Seo Ryu-in.
She was an utterly ordinary civil servant buried in endless piles of paperwork.
Every morning, she would arrive at the same time, sit in her quiet office at the end of the corridor on the 9th floor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and spend her day sorting and organizing thousands of documents.
At least being a former Climber who had ascended the tower four years ago meant her body was strong enough to avoid developing a herniated disc—a small consolation.
But even she found it mentally exhausting to work overtime for two weeks straight.
The cause was the appearance of a new anomalous structure called "My Home Tower."
When she first heard that the government was attempting diplomatic relations with a tower, she thought it was just a joke.
But somehow, that absurd idea was becoming reality.
Since then, she had been assigned to organize the endless stream of documents related to My Home Tower.
Thanks to this, Seo Ryu-in could confidently say she knew more about My Home Tower than anyone else.
A hot spring made of incredibly effective sparkling water, a hotel for sleeping with beautiful Milky Way floating above, the Squishy Soft Restaurant that served squishy food...
Though she had never visited in person, the descriptions in the documents painted such vivid pictures that she could almost see them.
So she had resolved to take a vacation someday and experience these facilities firsthand.
...That was before the incident happened.
"Ms. Seo Ryu-in? You've been reassigned to the Ministry's Transcendent Being Diplomatic Response Task Force, effective immediately. Please come with me."
"...What?"
A sudden announcement that came without warning.
An emergency assignment to an unfamiliar temporary department—the Transcendent Being Diplomatic Response Task Force.
"Wait a minute. I've never worked in a task force before, and I'm not even part of that department..."
"It's an organization newly established for emergency response. You're the only person in the Foreign Ministry who can enter the tower. Your Climber qualification is still valid, right?"
"...That was four years ago?"
"The decision has already been made from above. The paperwork is complete, and from now on, you're a government special envoy."
"What??"
Before she could gather her thoughts, she was escorted to the director's office by her superior.
The Director of Foreign Policy was waiting there.
"Special Envoy Seo Ryu-in."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"You will now represent the government in negotiations with the Tower Administrator. I assume you know why?"
Honestly, she still couldn't comprehend it, but she at least knew the reason.
"...Because I'm a Climber?"
"Correct. You're the only civil servant in the Foreign Ministry who can enter the tower. You're also the only one who can sign documents on behalf of the government inside."
"But I have no experience with negotiations or treaties..."
"The government doesn't intend to leave the entire negotiation to you. The meeting will be conducted with other government personnel and guild representatives. Even major guilds won't act recklessly in front of government officials."
In other words, after delivering the diplomatic documents prepared by the government, the rest of the negotiations would be handled by the other delegates.
"So you just need to sit there listening, and sign on behalf of the government when necessary."
It sounded simple, but she still couldn't shake her doubts.
"...What if I fail?"
"Rest assured, the government will take as much responsibility as possible for any failure. However..."
A moment of silence passed before the director continued quietly.
"...Keep in mind that, depending on the circumstances, you may also be held accountable."
Seo Ryu-in gulped at the mention that the government might hold her responsible.
"So don't forget, from now on, you represent the government's position."
---
Time passed, and on the morning of the diplomatic meeting.
Seo Ryu-in stood in front of the entrance to My Home Tower.
The badge around her neck read [Government Special Envoy – Seo Ryu-in].
The delegation assembled for the meeting consisted of six people:
- Kim Ha-cheong, Climber from the Security Department
- Im Heon-beop, Climber from the Justice Department
- Yun Seo-jin, Vice Master of [Glory] Guild
- Geom Heuk-beom, Guild Master of [Black Darkness] Guild
- Crow, World Climber Ranking 7th
...And Climber Seo Ryu-in from the Foreign Ministry, serving as the Government Special Envoy.
"Do I really belong in a place like this...?"
Feeling out of place among these prominent figures, she nervously fidgeted with her badge.
From a distance, she might look like an ordinary office worker who had somehow tagged along to the meeting.
But the reality was the opposite.
In this negotiation, she was the only person with the authority to make final decisions on behalf of the government.
However, her presence seemed rather insignificant for someone with such responsibility.
The other five delegates were already waiting nearby, each exuding their own aura.
The most eye-catching among them was Geom Heuk-beom, Guild Master of [Black Darkness].
With his guild-exclusive coat over a black suit and his charismatic gaze, he had an overwhelming aura befitting the master of [Black Darkness] Guild who also wielded political influence.
"Crow, I assume you understand why you're included in this meeting."
"Yes, I know, so don't worry."
Beside him stood Crow, a Climber from [Black Darkness], leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
He had recently risen from 9th to 7th in the rankings, and she couldn't even begin to gauge his abilities.
Just then, someone approached and spoke to her.
"Are you alright, Ms. Ryu-in?"
It was Yun Seo-jin, Vice Master of [Glory] Guild.
"Just... nervous..."
"Inside the tower, nothing is too strange to happen. Always be careful."
Seo Ryu-in nodded cautiously at his words.
Originally, the Guild Master of [Glory] should have attended in person, but the situation was complicated.
Park Young-kwang, the Guild Master of [Glory], had been hospitalized due to an injury but recently recovered quickly after drinking holy water.
However, instead of returning to the guild, he transferred all authority to Yun Seo-jin and went on an overseas trip with his wife.
As a result, Yun Seo-jin was representing [Glory] Guild here today.
Meanwhile, someone was muttering to himself in the distance.
"Why am I a representative...? I've said so many times I don't want to do this...!"
His name was Kim Ha-cheong, a Climber from the Security Department.
Despite his seemingly unconfident appearance, his mission performance was second to none.
Although he couldn't understand it himself, the government trusted him greatly.
The "My Home Tower Jajangmyeon Incident" that occurred a week ago.
While the details weren't disclosed, according to Lee Won-cheong's testimony, without Kim Ha-cheong's prompt response, it would have been difficult to even schedule this meeting.
Thanks to that, an implicit recognition formed within the government that Kim Ha-cheong was the most reliable person in the Security Department, which led to his selection as their representative Climber for this occasion.
The only one who remained silent was Im Heon-beop, a Climber from the Justice Department.
Standing so quietly that no one knew how long he had been waiting, he appeared to be someone who thoroughly excluded emotions.
Three from the government, three from guilds.
This six-member delegation was entrusted with a diplomatic meeting significant enough to be recorded in history.
Then, the silent Im Heon-beop finally spoke.
"The preparations are complete. Let's go in now."
With those words, everyone nodded and began walking toward the tower.
Seo Ryu-in clenched her trembling hands and took a deep breath.
A position from which she could neither flee nor retreat.
As her toes touched the inside of the tower amidst worry and anxiety, there was a flash of light.
"You have entered the 1st Floor -《Lobby》."
And the first thing that caught her eye was—
"(★) Everyone at My Home Tower sincerely welcomes the government's diplomatic delegation! (★)"
"......?"
The delegates wore bewildered expressions upon seeing the banner before them.
Just a week ago, the tower had threatened to postpone the meeting for 100 years, but now it was "welcoming" the government?
While the entire delegation looked around in confusion, a tower maid rushed over to Seo Ryu-in and greeted her!
"Hello! Are you perhaps the delegation from the government?"
"Huh? Yes, that's right..."
The tower maid began her guidance with a bright smile.
"I see! Thank you so much for coming all this way! My Home Tower prioritizes recovery from fatigue! First, let me guide you to the rest floor!"
"Wait, we're here for a meeting—"
"Oh, don't worry! The meeting is scheduled to begin this evening, so until then, most of the recreational facilities are open to the delegation 'free of charge'!"
"......Free?"
At those words, Seo Ryu-in's eyes changed dramatically.
But the government delegation was here on official diplomatic business.
Geom Heuk-beom, Guild Master of [Black Darkness], spoke to the maid.
"I'm sorry, but we didn't come here for recreation. Could you move up the meeting time?"
Then.
"No, we cannot."
The one who firmly cut off his words was none other than Seo Ryu-in.
She suddenly looked at the delegation with a solemn face and said:
"Now is the time to respect the Administrator's wishes. Even the government shouldn't disregard the tower's will."
"...Isn't that a bit of an overreaction?"
"Isn't asking to move up the meeting time now equivalent to going against the tower's wishes?"
"No, that's..."
"The government's final diplomatic authority is currently delegated to me. So I ask that you all act according to my judgment."
Seo Ryu-in had suddenly switched to cold government special envoy mode.
The delegation was speechless for a while due to her unexpected behavior.
But thinking calmly, there was no reason to create problems by pushing to move up the meeting.
It was better to avoid unnecessary friction with the Tower Administrator.
"...Indeed, I seem to have misjudged. I apologize."
Geom Heuk-beom acknowledged his mistake and apologized.
Thus, it was decided that the entire delegation would rest inside My Home Tower until the evening meeting.
And at the core of that decision... was the firm judgment of the Government Special Envoy from the Foreign Ministry.
...Shortly after, at the 37th Floor 《Sparkling Water Hot Spring》.
"Aaaaaahhh...!!! It's real, it's really here!! It's exactly like the hot spring described in the documents!!"
Seo Ryu-in, with a towel wrapped around her head and her body submerged in the sparkling water hot spring, shouted with eyes full of joy.
"And it's all free, completely free! No matter what happens... I have to enjoy everything I can today—!!"
Her decision was clearly 99.9% self-interested—
But the delegation still didn't realize that fact.
