The Heavenly Demon Destroys the Tower - Chapter 56

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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 56
After Lee Kang-han’s press conference.
[Already C-Rank? There was a reason behind the Incentive contract.]
[Domestic ranking top fifty is within reach. Lee Kang-han, moving with absolute confidence.]
[The power of Cheonma Body Constitution manifested in reality. Transcendent physical abilities on full display.]
The portal sites were plastered with headlines related to Lee Kang-han at the very top.
-How many news stories are coming out today lol
-The scary part is that all of these are stories the Cheonma broke…
-But seriously, that growth rate is insane… how is he already C-Rank when he only became D-Rank recently?
-Top fifty is possible? That’s insane
-Does Achievement count toward Score? Then isn’t he gonna rank first? lol
-But what’s this jumping power thing? Is that possible with just 10+ STR and DEX?
-That’s gotta be the Cheonma Body Constitution power applied… that’s absolutely nuts…
Having already achieved C-Rank Cheonma Body Constitution.
Lee Kang-han carried himself with unwavering confidence, claiming he could even reach the top fifty in Score.
Watching him, people finally began to understand why he’d chosen such an Incentive-focused contract.
And then.
[The truth behind “a single meal”? Representative Ju Yong-wan embroiled in controversy over involvement in Cheonma contract.]
News also trickled out regarding Representative Ju Yong-wan, whom Lee Kang-han had openly called out.
-Wow, openly calling out a powerbroker congressman lol
-I mean, when even President Alfred is calling, what does some Korean congressman matter?
-So many Players from Ju Yong-wan’s district came to introduce themselves, was he really playing games with the contract like this?
-What if Lee Kang-han just takes 30 billion and the contract ends?
-Then the Management Bureau would have to step back
The moment it became clear that Ju Yong-wan was backing this incomprehensibly unreasonable Incentive contract,
public opinion erupted in a firestorm.
A political operative and ruling party heavyweight he might be,
but he lacked broad popular appeal even among his own supporters.
So he began taking carpet-bombing criticism from every corner, regardless of political affiliation.
Behind all this, of course,
[Will Cheonma leave Korea? Hints at “new contract after current contract ends.”]
was the “new contract”
that Lee Kang-han had raised.
-Oh my god lol is he really gonna just take the Incentive and bounce, leaving us totally screwed?
-Why did they even put in a contract termination clause? Are they seriously that stupid? lol
-But honestly, watching him badger people over a meal like that… if I were in their shoes I’d be fed up too…
-If I were Lee Kang-han I’d already be in the US lol At his current standing, 30 billion a month is just baseline
-For real, how could anyone resist the home country Roulette benefit
From the moment Lee Kang-han achieved his feats in the Infinite Tower,
his standing had widened into a chasm compared to before.
If it were a superpower nation like the United States or China,
they wouldn’t be toying around with Incentive clauses—they’d pay that amount as a baseline.
Among all Players in the world,
Lee Kang-han had positioned himself as the most essential “Key Player.”
Meanwhile,
in Representative Ju Yong-wan’s office,
“This insane… this insane bastard…!”
Bang!
Representative Ju Yong-wan hurled an object across the room upon learning the news.
“This punk… he was already C-Rank? And he was pulling this stunt when he was already at that level?!”
He’d thought a twenty-four-year-old kid with no sense of the world would be something he could play with in the palm of his hand.
But it turned out he was the one who’d been played.
Recalling Shin Yu-ri from their last gathering—how she’d catered to his mood and revised the contract terms—Ju Yong-wan ground his teeth.
‘So it was all a setup from the beginning…? Damn it. These bastards have been making a fool of me!?’
No wonder they’d been so deferential.
They were hiding this scheme all along.
What was he supposed to do about these people?
Ju Yong-wan racked his brain for a response,
but Lee Kang-han’s standing had grown so enormously overnight that there was no straightforward countermeasure.
Then.
“Yes, Representative…….”
“What is it!”
“The President himself has called…….”
“What……?”
Ju Yong-wan took the phone from his Aide.
“Ah. Mr. President!”
He bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle without hesitation.
“Ah. No, that’s not it…… That reckless fellow……! Ah, yes. Yes…… Yes…….”
He kept his head bowed, maintaining that deferential posture.
Something about this situation felt connected to everything that had gone wrong.
‘Ah…….’
‘How did things come to this?’
‘Who could have predicted such an Achievement from the Infinite Tower…….’
‘This is driving me mad.’
Every time Ju Yong-wan bowed.
His Aides shifted uncomfortably, as though sitting on thorns.
The situation defied all conventional understanding.
The Achievement that the Player named Lee Kang-han had earned from the Infinite Tower was one thing.
But the media had openly singled out the politician Ju Yong-wan as the cause of all this.
If someone had told him yesterday that such a thing would happen.
He would have dismissed it as pure nonsense.
“Yes! I understand! I will ensure this is resolved smoothly! I deeply apologize for the trouble……!”
Ju Yong-wan continued bowing, speaking of resolving the crisis peacefully.
Yet his Aides recalled the attitude Lee Kang-han had taken during that interview.
‘Will it really be resolved peacefully……?’
‘The Heavenly Demon was openly criticizing him.’
‘Was that just because he wanted to go abroad?’
‘Honestly, I’d leave too…….’
They sensed that the “resolution” Ju Yong-wan hoped for would not come easily.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Lee Kang-han returned home and opened the Demon Realm Territory.
“What is this……?”
He could not hide his bewilderment.
The Sacred Flame at the heart of the Demon Realm Territory.
That flame, which had swallowed the Sun Stone and glowed with golden light amid its white fire.
Had visibly weakened compared to before he entered the tower.
“……Where did all the fire go?”
Lee Kang-han pressed on the Sacred Flame first.
[Sacred Flame]
The primordial flame from which the Heavenly Demon Divine Church was born.
When a Player challenges the First Tower, the flame’s seed is passed to the Heavenly Demon once more.
As the flame grows stronger, the functions of the Demon Realm Territory are restored.
The TP required to establish the ‘Heavenly Demon Divine Church’ decreases significantly.
Currently in the state of ‘Faint Flame.’
The Sacred Flame’s power has been greatly depleted. It will take 101 hours to recover its original brilliance.
Should its power be further drained, the Sacred Flame will weaken from ‘Faint Flame’ to ‘Wicked Flame Seed.’
This was not the usual Sacred Flame description.
It warned that power had been severely consumed and that he should refrain from using it for 101 hours.
‘When did I use that much power?’
Lee Kang-han puzzled over this.
Then he suddenly recalled summoning the Spirit of Heavenly Sword earlier.
That blade had blazed brilliantly for two hours straight, aiding his ascent.
Could the power have been consumed then?
‘Let me check…….’
Lee Kang-han pressed on the Spirit of Heavenly Sword planted nearby.
Then.
[Spirit of Heavenly Sword]
[Status: Slothful, Comfortable, Sleeping, Recovering…….]
Beyond what he had seen before.
An additional status had been added: recovering.
‘I should try to get in touch.’
The status showed sleeping, but that wasn’t the issue right now.
That wasn’t what mattered at the moment.
Click.
Lee Kang-han opened a communication channel with the Spirit of Heavenly Sword.
[Ah…… Why……?]
Zzzzzziiing…….
A communication window materialized before Lee Kang-han’s eyes.
[I was having such a good sleep…….]
The spirit’s voice came through, even drowsier than usual.
It must be the recovery state doing that.
The Spirit of Heavenly Sword sounded more sluggish than ever.
“Sorry. But it’s urgent.”
[Urgent…… What is it……?]
“The Sacred Flame’s power has dropped sharply. Did you have anything to do with it?”
[Ah…… That? Yes…….]
In response to Lee Kang-han’s question,
the Spirit of Heavenly Sword answered immediately.
[Your disciple…… summoned my true form without a medium, so…… I drew quite a lot of the Sacred Flame’s power…….]
The blade of light he’d carried from the first floor through the two-hundredth.
Watching its formidable might, he’d thought it was worth using.
But it turned out it had been drawing on the Sacred Flame’s power all along.
“Did you need a medium for that?”
[Yes…….]
“You should’ve told me beforehand.”
[I…… didn’t expect the flame to weaken that much…… The Sacred Flame always felt like it would burn infinitely, so I thought it would be fine…….]
Given how fierce the Sacred Flame’s firepower had appeared,
the spirit must have judged that borrowing some of it wouldn’t be a problem.
“It’s still in a Faint Flame state, so we can’t do that.”
[I understand…… Next time, please summon me through a medium.]
“A medium?”
[Yes. If there’s a sword…… I can dwell within it.]
Dwell within the sword, he said.
“So instead of taking the form of a blade of light, the energy gathers like sword energy?”
[That’s right…….]
Lee Kang-han nodded.
Up to now, he hadn’t carried any items.
He’d better acquire a sword.
‘And while I’m at Bronze rank, I should start looking into equipment too.’
Even though the accessory slot had increased by one,
since he wasn’t wearing any accessories to begin with, the roulette benefit had been useless for Lee Kang-han.
Now that the tower levels would keep climbing, the difficulty would rise steadily.
He’d need to prepare items in advance and get ready.
As Lee Kang-han was thinking about equipment beyond just a sword,
[Oh, right. I…… can only dwell in swords of at least A rank or higher…….]
“What about below that?”
[I can’t stay in such shabby places even for a moment…… Even A rank is barely suitable…….]
The Spirit of Heavenly Sword had said it required at least an A-rank sword.
An A-rank sword.
The Goblin Chieftain’s horn he’d obtained before had been S-rank.
For an A-rank sword that people commonly used, the price would be considerable.
“Once I earn a bit more money, I’ll get a sword first.”
[Money……? It seems your world is still quite affluent……? Shouldn’t you simply be given an A-rank sword, as the hope of your race……?]
“Who knows? I haven’t been a Player for that long anyway.”
Lee Kang-han chuckled.
The Spirit of Heavenly Sword poked its head out from the sword.
[Still…… I think summoning my true form back then was a rational choice…….]
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
[In the end…… you climbed to the two-hundredth floor without difficulty, but there were indeed dangerous moments along the way.]
A dangerous situation indeed.
[If I’d really clashed with that giant Heracles, I would have needed your full power. The fact that he was strangely lenient with you is the only reason we made it through unscathed.]
“Hmm.”
Fair point.
We ascended easily because Heracles withdrew willingly.
If he’d actually tried to fight in earnest back there…
I would have had to marshal everything I had.
‘Since there’s no way to predict what might happen during an ascent of the Infinite Tower… using full power was the rational choice.’
It’s unfortunate that the Sacred Flame’s firepower diminished.
But when I advance tiers and face the Infinite Tower proper,
going all out seems like the right approach.
‘When I advance from Bronze to Silver, I’ll need to summon the Spirit of Heavenly Sword itself.’
Having made this decision, Lee Kang-han
said, “All right. I understand. Rest now.”
[Yes…]
He ended his communication with the Spirit of Heavenly Sword.
‘Now I should probably check if there are any buildings in the Demon Realm Territory worth upgrading.’
His TP reserves were quite substantial.
Of course, he’d need to convert it to currency at a 120% rate and then buy TP back again.
Still, to get a sense of how much TP various upgrades would cost, Lee Kang-han began inspecting the Demon Realm Territory buildings.
First.
[To upgrade ‘Goblin’s Black Market’ to Lv.2, the following conditions must be met:]
1. Average Goblin level 30 or higher
2. Player Rank Bronze or above
‘The goblins haven’t reached an average level of 30 yet.’
[To upgrade ‘Orc Shaman’s Altar’ to Lv.2, the following conditions must be met:]
1. Five or more Gersh Empire Orcs residing here
2. Player Rank Bronze or above
‘I’ve never even laid eyes on a Gersh Empire Orc.’
[To upgrade ‘Heavenly Demon Tower’ to Lv.2, the following conditions must be met:]
1. Heavenly Demon Divine Church founded
2. Player Rank Gold or above
‘That one requires Gold tier at minimum. Upgrading it will take a while yet.’
All three buildings.
None of them could be upgraded right now, as their conditions weren’t met.
‘At least the goblin requirement seems somewhat achievable.’
The Goblin Chieftain was currently level 24.
The rest of the goblins ranged between levels 18 and 20.
Since Lee Kang-han often cleared encounters solo, the goblins hadn’t seen much direct combat themselves.
‘But thanks to the training grounds, their levels have been climbing steadily.’
Thanks to the “Merciful Master” setting,
the goblins worked eight-hour shifts at the black market and then spent their free time diligently training at the grounds.
The only reason they hadn’t kept pace was because Lee Kang-han’s own level had skyrocketed.
If he maintained their training regimen, they’d reach level 30 before long.
‘So for now, I won’t need to spend anything on the Demon Realm Territory facilities.’
Taking this into account, what if he aimed for the Incentive instead
and went for establishing the Heavenly Demon Divine Church?
Of course, founding the Heavenly Demon Divine Church cost 50 million TP.
In Korean won, that was 6.5 billion—still a long way off even if he claimed every Incentive available.
‘But if I keep steadily accumulating TP, it might become achievable.’
Back then, people used to say, “With that much money, you could buy a Gangnam skyscraper,” when discussing founding the Heavenly Demon Divine Church.
At that time, the cost had seemed so prohibitive that he dismissed it as impossible.
But now, just two weeks after becoming a Player,
Lee Kang-han’s sense of scale had shifted enough to consider it seriously.
‘Good. Let me try accumulating TP properly.’
Having resolved to establish the Heavenly Demon Divine Church, Lee Kang-han closed the Demon Realm Territory interface.
And the next day.
“Wow… thanks to you, I actually get to board an FIPA chartered aircraft!”
Lee Kang-han had come to the Airport
to attend a special awards ceremony hosted by FIPA.
The Demon Lord Shatters the Tower (Serialized)
Author │ Yeom Bi
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelyung Post Tower 1st)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Yeom Bi 2025
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the contents cannot be used in any form or by any means without permission from 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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