The Heavenly Demon Destroys the Tower - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 31
One day earlier, at the Director’s Office of the Tower Management Bureau.
There, with Bureau Director Shin Gyeong-cheol.
“Quite an impressive player, indeed.”
A middle-aged man with streaks of white hair watched through the monitor positioned in the Director’s Office.
He was observing Lee Kang-han’s accomplishments.
“It’s just such a shame about the limited-term aspect.”
The middle-aged man sipped at the coffee sitting on the desk as he spoke.
He was Ju Yong-wan, a member of parliament who had come to review the Tower Management Bureau’s budget.
“Director, when you mentioned establishing an exception clause in the Special Management Target criteria…… was that because of this Cheonma?”
Special Management Target.
A special contract arrangement the state proposes to players who achieve a Trait Grade of S or higher.
It included free lodging in newly constructed apartments.
Base compensation starting from a minimum of 300 million won.
Along with bonus stipends awarded upon Tower entry and extraordinary tax benefits on top of that.
Certainly the conditions were packed with preferential treatment for players.
Such terms could not be extended to just anyone.
So the criterion of Trait Grade ‘S’ had been firmly established for Special Management Targets.
But.
‘Even without an S-grade Trait, there’s no shortage of exceptional talent.’
Even aside from the Cheonma displayed on the monitor.
Below S-grade, there were a select few players whom the state needed to manage specially.
To prevent these individuals from being poached by other countries.
An exception clause had to be added to ‘Special Management Target’ status.
Only then could they be retained and kept within Korea.
“The Cheonma is certainly an important player, but among A and B-grade players as well, there are many whom the nation must secure. So I’d like to add a bureau-recommendation clause to the Special Management Target criteria.”
“Hmm. I understand your desire to nurture talent, Director…… but the nation’s budget is hardly overflowing. Given the enormous public funds poured into Special Management Targets, shouldn’t the criteria at least be clear?”
“But…….”
“And that Cheonma—ultimately has a limited term, doesn’t he? Sure, he’s made great contributions now…….”
A slight smile crossed Ju Yong-wan’s face.
Ju Yong-wan lifted the corner of his mouth subtly.
“Eventually he’ll lose his abilities and become an ordinary person. Then wouldn’t it be even crueler to revoke all the benefits given to a Special Management Target in one fell stroke?”
“…….”
“It’s better to end without ever having those benefits than to have them and lose them.”
Shin Gyeong-cheol’s expression hardened at those words.
So Lee Kang-han’s abilities would end soon due to their limited-term nature.
The real intent was to drag things out rather than include him unnecessarily in Special Management Targets.
“For him, wouldn’t presenting a commendation and perhaps awarding some prize money suffice? The reward could be…… yes, let’s measure it at around ten million won. Perhaps from the Cheonma player’s perspective, this might actually be better.”
Ju Yong-wan was trying to make a show of generosity with the prize money.
A player who destroyed one Tower across the entire world.
And increased score acquisition by twenty percent over six months.
For such a player, the treatment being offered was terribly meager.
“……But what if foreign nations extend a naturalization offer to the Cheonma? I think it would be appropriate to at least designate him as a Special Management Target.”
“Foreign nations? To a limited-term Cheonma?”
Ju Yong-wan chuckled as if hearing something amusing.
“They all have their wits about them—why would they recruit a player with a finite span?”
“But…… due to this recent performance, many nations have begun watching him. There will certainly be countries offering naturalization.”
“Well then…… we just pretend to hold him back and let him go. Since he’s a player who’ll lose his abilities anyway, how could we waste public funds?”
Ju Yong-wan emphasized the public funds.
Yet he, an influential figure even among ruling-party representatives.
Was known for squandering and misusing his district’s budget abundantly.
‘If public funds mattered so much to you, you’d economize in your own district too…….’
That’s what Shin Gyeong-cheol thought.
“Rather, I hear many players among the Special Management Targets aren’t diligent in their Tower activities. Shouldn’t we restructure the compensation system?”
Dealing with Ju Yong-wan, who was trying every angle to cut the Tower Management Bureau’s budget.
Shin Gyeong-cheol couldn’t pursue the conversation about the Cheonma any further.
After that first budget review ended.
Having seen off Congressman Ju Yong-wan, Shin Gyeong-cheol let out a sigh in his office.
“Phew…….”
In the end, designating Lee Kang-han as a Special Management Target had failed.
As for matters related to that.
The absurd reward of ten million won was simply raised to one hundred million.
‘If they treat him so poorly and his ability doesn’t disappear, what exactly are they thinking……?’
In truth, Shin Gyeong-cheol understood it well enough.
The Cheonma Physique was among the strongest of the SSS-grade Traits.
There had to be some kind of condition—like a limited term—that accounted for the E-grade rating.
But what if.
What if, against all odds, Lee Kang-han’s ability remained intact.
What if he went abroad and made a name for himself.
How could they possibly manage the fallout.
Especially.
“Director, there’s been contact from FIPA.”
“From FIPA?”
“Yes. They want to hold a special commendation ceremony for the player Lee Kang-han at the federation level. It seems they’re evaluating his recent achievements very highly.”
“Hmm…….”
In stark contrast to South Korea.
FIPA appeared poised to reward Lee Kang-han’s accomplishments far more lavishly.
This was going to look bad in comparison.
‘I’ll have to go out and persuade him properly myself……. I’ll make sure he becomes a Special Management Target, and I hope he won’t be thinking about emigrating.’
Shin Gyeong-cheol, Director of the Tower Management Bureau and South Korea’s top player.
He decided to leverage his position fully.
To persuade Lee Kang-han gently and reasonably.
So he arranged the meeting through his daughter, who had become the man’s agent.
But.
“Director!”
What he hadn’t anticipated.
“As his agent, I cannot accept what you’re saying.”
Was that his own daughter—his proxy—would be the problem.
* * *
Before meeting the Tower Management Bureau Director.
Inside the car that had picked him up from GLASS agency.
“Master, whatever proposal you receive today, don’t accept it too readily.”
“A proposal? I thought we were meeting about the commendation.”
“Yes. But while bringing that up, they might also discuss your future plans.”
My future plans?
“Because of clearing this recent achievement, people around the world are paying attention to you. Until now, we didn’t encourage emigration because your Trait Grade was low…… but now proposals could come in.”
Shin Yu-ri then asked Lee Kang-han.
“By the way, have you received any proposals from other countries?”
“No. And I don’t have any particular interest in emigrating.”
“Ah…… Even if the conditions were significantly better, you wouldn’t consider it?”
Significantly better conditions.
He didn’t know exactly what counted as “significant,” but.
‘Right now, with my mother’s situation and all, I don’t really want to uproot my life and environment.’
After finding his mother’s whereabouts, perhaps things would be different.
But until then, he had no intention of leaving Korea.
However.
“For example…… if Country A offered ten billion won, but Korea gave the exact same terms…… would you still not go?”
“Ten billion won?”
That was quite a sum.
Lee Kang-han had been about to refuse outright, but he hesitated for a moment.
Korea was only treating him like any ordinary player.
If a foreign country dangled an offer that large, it would be hard not to waver.
He’d never been particularly money-hungry.
‘But you need money to strengthen your abilities.’
The Manma Arena was like a money-eating monster.
For now, he could manage with what he earned.
But once he started upgrading the Manma Arena’s facilities, Tower Points would eat through funds quickly.
So more money was always better.
“Of course, they won’t pay it all at once. They’ll be mindful that your Trait Grade is E…… so they’ll probably plan for installment payments. But if I negotiate well…….”
“Ah. My Trait Grade has been raised to D.”
“What? D, D-grade?”
“What? Seriously?!”
Lee Kang-han answered matter-of-factly that his Trait Grade had risen.
Both Shin Dong-seok in the driver’s seat and Shin Yu-ri beside him
spun around in shock.
A rise in Trait Grade was extraordinarily rare.
And it was only supposed to happen if the Trait description itself contained a phrase saying the grade could rise.
That was what was known to be possible.
But the Cheonma Physique didn’t even have such a clause, and yet it had risen……?
“When…… did your grade rise, sir?”
“A few days ago. I woke up one morning and it was already higher.”
“Wow, that’s insane…… Does this mean you might not be temporary after all?”
“Uncle, I’ve told you multiple times—that’s not it.”
“You saw what he did yesterday with your own eyes. Do you really think that’s a normal Trait? Where do you find an E-grade who can burst a hundred orcs with a single punch?”
Lee Kang-han listened to their exchange and reflected silently.
‘No point mentioning that I lose a grade each time I die.’
Besides, he had no intention of dying anyway.
There was no reason to reveal his own weaknesses.
Once Lee Kang-han had disclosed his rise to D-grade,
“Then…… the situation has changed completely.”
Shin Yu-ri’s eyes sparkled.
“Sir, would it be alright if we made this widely known?”
“You mean the rise to D-grade?”
“Yes. And it would be even better if you showed it openly at the next match.”
“Hmm. Truth be told, I was leaning toward staying in South Korea.”
“I’m Korean too, and I’d like for you to remain here. But you should still receive proper treatment.”
With that, Shin Yu-ri opened up.
“The thing is, given the Bureau’s nature, there’s a high chance they’ll just take credit without actually treating you well. They’ll say there’s no need for long-term investment in an E-grade.”
“Yu-ri! Would your father really do something like that?”
“He wouldn’t. But last night at home, he was lamenting over drinks about how much the budget was being cut.”
“Hmm…….”
Just as Shin Dong-seok let out a small sound of understanding,
she continued.
“My father will probably appeal to patriotism today. He’ll say he’ll work to improve your treatment and ask for more time.”
“Well, I suppose I could wait for that much…….”
“No, you can’t. In this world, if you’re willing to wait like that, they treat you like a fool.”
Shin Yu-ri wore a bitter smile.
“Like my father.”
“There you go again…… Hey, come on—your father has power, doesn’t he?”
“Is it really power when you have to neglect urgent work and curry favor with politicians just to secure a budget?”
“Well…….”
“Even now he’s handling all the dirty work, and the guild my father founded has been made a state-run organization, so they just use him. Everyone tells my father, ‘We only trust you, please sacrifice for the country,’ but…….”
Shin Yu-ri seemed to have built up a lot, and she let it pour out.
“Working as an agent, I’ve learned for certain. That’s not respect—that’s treating someone like a fool.”
“…… Hey, your initial success as an agent was actually thanks to your father, you know. But if you keep going on like this about him being used, isn’t that just…… ?”
“I think it’s less than one-tenth of what my father has sacrificed for the country. And what I have was earned through my own active effort.”
Tower Management Bureau Director Shin Gyeong-cheol.
Despite receiving an SSS-grade Trait, he had remained in South Korea to stabilize the Bureau.
He was a player with exceptionally high public support,
but when you looked at the reality,
the nation had simply exploited Shin Gyeong-cheol’s patriotism and dedication over and over.
“So I’d like for you not to lower your own value the way my father did. Once they see you as a formidable opponent rather than an easy mark, that’s when you get real treatment.”
“So you want me to actively promote that my grade rose, and listen to proposals from foreign powers as well?”
“Exactly. You can’t let them treat you like a fish already caught, right?”
“Sigh…… Isn’t your daughter overdoing it?”
“Not at all. I’m Sir’s agent, after all. I need to keep business and personal matters separate. Which reminds me——”
Shin Yu-ri’s lips curved into a sly smile.
“When I call him ‘Dad~’ to my father, it’s a good offer. When I say ‘Father,’ it’s an ordinary offer. And when I say ‘Director,’ he can just ignore it if he wants.”
“…… What?”
“Pay close attention to how I address my father. If I shout ‘Director!’ like that, he can just stand up and leave.”
I see.
So it’s a sort of sign.
Lee Kang-han nodded.
And then.
After arriving at the Tower Management Bureau.
“Lee Kang-han, your performance was magnificent—truly impressive.”
He shook hands with Shin Gyeong-cheol, who smiled with an affable expression.
Lee Kang-han exchanged pleasantries with him for a moment.
And then, shortly after.
“Lee Kang-han, truthfully, the reason I wanted to meet with you isn’t merely about a commendation.”
The real matter surfaced.
“I understand there’s also the FIPA matter.”
“Ah, yes, there is that as well… but in fact, the Bureau has recommended you as a Special Management Target.”
With that.
The document Shin Gyeong-cheol slid forward bore.
A title reading “Special Management Target Player Registration Notice.”
‘This is the same one I saw before.’
The notice that offered various benefits in exchange for a six-month travel ban.
Lee Kang-han stared quietly at the document.
“However, since this is unprecedented for players without an S-grade Trait… the benefits won’t be disbursed immediately. But we’ll process everything as quickly as possible, so please trust me, the Director, and….”
What?
So in the end, I don’t get the benefits given to Special Management Targets.
I’m just supposed to comply with the ‘travel ban’?
‘This doesn’t sit right with me.’
The Special Management Target conditions don’t seem all that favorable either.
Lee Kang-han’s brow furrowed.
“Director.”
Shin Yu-ri stepped forward with a cold expression.
“As an agent, I cannot accept what you’re saying.”
The Cheonma Wrecks the Tower (Serialized)
Author │ Yeom Bi
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st Building)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Yeom Bi 2025
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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