C386
The 99th Floor Trial was special.
A trial conducted uniquely for each individual. The 99th Floor Trial brought before the Player's eyes the entity they feared the most.
However, that was only a visible form.
YuWon, who had already passed the Trial once, knew that the entity before him was not real.
Beeeh...
With an unpleasant bleat, a gigantic goat appeared.
YuWon looked at his enemy, which appeared as if drawn on a white background.
"Shub-Niggurath?"
The fact that the entity he feared the most was Shub-Niggurath was surprising. Undoubtedly, Shub-Niggurath was one of the strongest opponents YuWon knew, even more so than Foolish Chaos.
However, he should not be fooled by appearances.
"Anyway..."
Swish...
YuWon unsheathed his sword.
['Kusanagi Sword']
"It's just a Trial to overcome fear."
Slash...
It was a single stroke.
That sword was the sharpest in the entire Tower, and that was enough to undo the fake Shub-Niggurath that appeared before him.
From the beginning, those who felt no fear were not so strong.
A red line was drawn on Shub-Niggurath's body.
At that moment...
Fssss...
Shub-Niggurath, split in two, disappeared completely.
[You have passed the 99th Floor Trial]
[You have obtained 1,000,000 points]
[You have passed all the Tower Trials]
[...]
YuWon looked at the Administrator. Looking like an ordinary elderly man from the neighborhood, he stroked his long beard and hunched with an unpleasant smile.
"Aren't you afraid of anything?"
He had seen many Rankers.
In fact, all Rankers had passed their Trials.
Odin, Zeus, Son OhGong, Hercules, and many other Rankers who had left their mark on the Tower had also passed this very Trial.
But this was the first time the Trial ended so easily.
"Anyway, it's a fake... What is there to fear?"
"If it were that easy, anyone could be a Ranker."
"Then, let's make it interesting."
YuWon also knew.
He knew how challenging this Trial was.
But in reality, this was the easiest Trial for YuWon.
"It's just a fake. The hard part is realizing that what's in front of you is fake and being sure of it."
Moreover, YuWon had already passed this Trial before.
Back then, he also passed it quite easily.
"As they say, you have many secrets."
YuWon was famous even among the Administrators.
While he seemed to have many secrets, they had not been properly revealed.
"Does Odin know anything about you?"
Recently, Odin's movements had also caught the attention of the Administrators.
With the appearance of the Outer God, the King of Asgard gathered the guilds scattered throughout the Tower. The Gathering Day was approaching, and that event was worthy of the Administrators' attention.
"I'm intrigued."
The Administrator glanced at the spot where the fake Shub-Niggurath had disappeared from YuWon's hands.
"We'll see if what I just witnessed happens or not."
Ssshhhh-.
The space around YuWon and the Administrator gradually became blurry.
[You have reached Floor 100.]
At the same time, as his stomach churned a bit, the scenery disappeared completely and was replaced by a completely different landscape.
There were clouds in the sky, thick and oily land below, towering castles and buildings that rose high enough to tilt your head to see them, and a world filled with fresh air.
YuWon closed his eyes for a moment, admiring the newly arrived scenery.
"Finally, I've arrived."
At the top.
---------
[Kim YuWon, Ascended to the Top in the Shortest Time! Will His Ranking Increase?]
[He has become a Ranker, but there have been no changes in his ranking. The Administration says, "It holds no special significance."]
[Kim YuWon's Future Moves. Which Guild is Interested?]
[Murim Guild: "Now is the time to focus on Asgard's harmony."]
As if they had been waiting, countless articles arrived.
It was already expected that YuWon would become a Ranker. From the beginning, YuWon had been classified as a High-Ranker, demonstrating the Administration's faith in his growth potential.
No one was surprised.
In fact, some thought it took longer than expected.
Furthermore, no one doubted YuWon's ability at this point.
"That guy is already a High-Ranker."
"At first, I thought the Administration made a mistake, but..."
"At this point, too many people have seen him."
YuWon's ability had already been demonstrated through many events.
From destroying Olympus, Ragnarok, the Great Heaven Demon War, to his recent confrontation with Shub-Niggurath on the first floor.
YuWon had showcased his skill in countless battles.
Although he was currently ranked 28th, no one doubted that YuWon would become one of the Tower's Kings, much like Odin, in the not-so-distant future.
"There's been a lot going on."
YuWon chose a place to stay on the 100th floor.
Although the last Trial was not difficult, constantly climbing the Tower had exhausted him. Besides, he hadn't been too concerned about worldly affairs.
As if arriving in a dream-like world, the first thing YuWon did upon arrival was book a good room like in a hotel, take a bath, and lie down on the bed.
"It's truly a wonderful world."
YuWon looked at the world reflected in the window.
Always a clear sky with no sign of darkness, not even a drop of rain falling. The land was prosperous and rich, and the city was filled with luxury shops and entertainment.
There was a reason why this world, blessed by the gods, was the best place to live. The best quality of life in the Tower was found at the highest point.
"Well... it's expensive here too."
Despite how good it was, the cost for one night in this room was 200 points.
A price that far exceeded that of any other world.
"But it's so nice to live here."
Thanks to this rest, YuWon could catch up on some news from the world.
"The Asgard Gathering?"
An event organized by Odin.
He didn't even know there was such a thing; he had really rushed up.
YuWon also obtained additional information.
Interestingly, half of the recent reports were related to him.
"Rank 28..."
Apparently, his battle with Satan had influenced his ranking.
Of course, if that were the case, he should have been at least in the top 10, not the top 20.
"Well..."
YuWon looked at the Egg on his bed.
"I guess I more or less understand why."
Not much had happened apart from that.
Most of the articles were centered around the appearance of Shub-Niggurath on the first floor, but none of them provided useful information.
It was natural. At this point, it was unlikely that there would be journalists who knew anything concrete about the Outer Gods.
Mostly, the articles were speculative and ended in fruitless conjecture.
"Some of them have their own guesses, more or less accurate."
YuWon refocused on the Asgard Gathering.
December 31st.
"About a month from now."
The deadline was quite generous. Probably, that much time was needed for all the Guilds to gather.
"Will I be able to finish it by then?"
On the 100th floor, YuWon had two things to do.
YuWon got up from his place to address the first of them and left his lodgings.
The city streets were quite crowded.
Among the people walking the streets, all those who could be considered players were Rankers.
Some of them, like residents of other floors, had their own shops or acted as mercenaries.
Even though they had rankings, not everyone paid attention to their rankings.
"Isn't that Kim YuWon?"
"They said he recently ascended..."
"Is he here to watch?"
Curious glances towards YuWon.
But that was it. Most of the Ranker Players were part of quite large Guilds and had seen High-Rankers before.
As a result, interest faded quickly.
At that moment, YuWon moved towards a corner, then deeper into another corner.
The towering buildings that seemed to touch the sky disappeared, and the atmosphere became dark and foul, with narrow alleyways.
And in places like these, there were always troublesome types.
"Rumble-."
Growls that rumbled beneath his feet.
"Pich, pach, pich, pach!"
Sharp, thick teeth dug beneath YuWon.
YuWon halted his steps and looked up. At the top of a building in the alley, a group of people was watching him.
"Is that the guy?"
"Oh..."
"Good choice to wait. At least we've done something."
Swish.
Several guys emerged into view in the dark alleyways.
But unlike their scruffy appearances, they were all Rankers.
They were like a gang of thugs from the first floor, devouring another Ranker who had reached the 100th floor.
YuWon looked around, surveying every corner of the alley.
There were quite a few of them.
If all those scattered nearby gathered, they would probably easily surpass twenty.
"I've never seen that face before..."
"Wait a minute."
"This seems like a mistake..."
The Rankers who approached to inspect YuWon's face felt uncertain.
Even if they were Rankers who had given up their rankings, they at least knew a bit about the world's affairs.
Especially lately, if you asked who the most famous person in this Tower was, they would probably mention one name.
"Is that really Kim YuWon?"
"Damn..."
"You see? That's what happens when you unleash your abilities without warning."
"Why do you always have to be so annoying?"
The Rankers scrutinizing YuWon's face sparked a division within the group. Suddenly, amidst the discussion unfolding before their eyes, fragments of blue ice began to emerge beneath YuWon's shadow.
"Arturo."
-Yes.
"Finish this and come back."
YuWon resumed his steps with those words.
And at the same time...
Crunch, crunch.
The ground began to freeze.
Arturo, who was fully armored in blue, raised his head.
-I accept the orders.
With a wave of his hand, Arturo conjured an ice sword next to Excalibur.
To him, being one of the top-ranked, the twenty Rankers in front of him weren't even a light exercise.
Crash~.
Ugh!!
"Ahh!"
"M-my leg!"
"It's ice! Someone with fire abilities, attack him!"
Chaos erupted.
In any corner of the Tower's alleys, there were always thugs. Stealing others' possessions to earn points was common and not much different between Players on the lower floors and Rankers.
There was no time to get involved with these people.
YuWon advanced deeper into the alley and headed towards a hidden staircase in a corner.
Step~
The smell of dampness permeated the place.
Due to the narrowness of the staircase, the sound of his steps reverberated against the wall several times.
As he continued down the stairs.
"Who goes there?"
Fffr~
A small lamp appeared in the dark staircase.
"Entering here is a bit expensive. And what's inside is even more costly."
"If it's about points, I have more than enough."
Points earned as a reward every time he cleared a Trial.
Furthermore, he set a new record on each Floor, earning a substantial amount of points.
At least 100,000 per Floor.
And sometimes, even several million points.
So far, the amount of points YuWon had accumulated was enough to make journalists trying to guess it make astounding estimates.
And, since acquiring Adamantium, YuWon had been accumulating most of the Points.
"After all, I'm quite rich."
[You have: 152,478,900 points]
All of this, just for today.
Tags:
LWTG (Novel)