Chapter 11
Chapter 11
When the white light receded, Sang-hyeok's feet touched solid ground.
Instead of the pit that had seemed endless, a pure white space stretched in every direction.
The pain that had been stabbing at his left shoulder and back was gone as well, so it seemed all the wounds he had suffered on the battlefield had healed.
「Settling the results of the 1st-floor conquest.」
At that moment, a new notification appeared before Sang-hyeok's eyes.
[<Heart of Collapse> completely annihilated]
[Battlefield ended with more than 25 minutes remaining]
「You have fulfilled the complete conquest conditions for the hidden battlefield <Battlefield of Collapse>.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.1 → Lv.2]
A warm energy spread from the tips of his toes through his entire body.
His stiff muscles loosened, and his depleted mana rapidly refilled.
[Physical output increases.]
[Mana capacity increases.]
[Mana recovery speed increases.]
[Authority duration increases.]
After confirming the messages before him, Sang-hyeok raised his right hand and focused his will.
'<Erasure>.'
Black energy bloomed between his fingers.
The energy was denser than before, and the mana required to maintain it at the same size had decreased.
'It's definitely improved.'
It was the result of having used <Erasure> several times on the battlefield combined with the level increase.
That was when it happened.
Thud.
A heavy resonance arose from deep within his chest.
In an instant, the white settlement space vanished from his sight.
A black land with neither stars nor moon.
At the end of that horizon lay a black dragon as massive as a mountain range, sprawled upon the ground.
It was the sight he had seen just before entering the 1st floor.
But this time, it was much closer.
Close enough to see each individual scale covering the enormous face.
At the center of that face, red eyes had been staring straight at Sang-hyeok from the very beginning.
A moment later, the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon slowly moved the foreleg covering its chest to the side.
Rumble.
As the massive leg scraped across the earth and shifted away, the chest hidden beneath it was revealed.
At the center of the black scales, caved in as though something had torn a chunk out of it, only a large hole remained where a heart should have been.
The Apocalypse Demonic Dragon's red eyes turned toward Sang-hyeok's chest.
Thud!
Sang-hyeok's heart pounded hard.
At that moment.
The black land and the massive dragon vanished all at once, and the settlement space spread before his eyes again.
When Sang-hyeok placed a hand over his chest, he felt a heartbeat no different from usual.
But no notification appeared regarding the sight he had just witnessed.
The empty space left in the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon's chest.
'Did it hand its heart over to me?'
Or else.
'Did a heart stolen by someone else come to me?'
He still could not know how the heart had come to him, or why the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon had chosen him.
However, as his level rose, the dragon's form had drawn closer and grown clearer, so once the heart awakened further, he would likely be able to see the next scene as well.
As soon as Sang-hyeok lowered his hand from his chest, the settlement resumed as though it had been waiting.
「The hidden battlefield core reward is being granted.」
Flash!
White light gathered beneath his feet and transformed into a pair of black boots.
Sang-hyeok immediately opened the boots' information.
[Item Information]
[Name] <Collapse Walker’s Boots>
[Grade] Heroic
[Effect]
- Corrects balance on unstable terrain.
- Assists with sudden changes in direction.
- Absorbs a portion of landing impact.
"Another Heroic-grade item."
It was Heroic-grade equipment that even rankers had trouble obtaining.
<Erasure> was strongest when it made direct contact, so even if he knew an enemy's weakness, it was useless if he could not reach that spot.
In this battlefield as well, he had only been able to finish it after crossing collapsing debris and ruined towers to cling to the heart.
These boots suited Sang-hyeok better than equipment that simply increased his speed.
If he did not lose his balance even on unstable footing, his chances of reaching an enemy increased accordingly.
As soon as Sang-hyeok put on the boots, the insides tightened to fit his feet.
After taking a few steps, he tried turning sharply, but the boots firmly supported his ankles and his balance did not waver in the slightest.
'Not bad.'
Even from that brief movement, he could clearly tell how well they performed.
But the rewards were not over yet.
「Complete conquest bonus reward is being granted.」
This time, light gathered above Sang-hyeok's palm.
Flash.
A dark-red fragment about the size of two finger joints appeared.
Inside the fragment, a faint red light blinked slowly.
[Item Information]
[Name] <Collapse Core Fragment>
[Grade] Rare
[Category] Material
[Effect]
- Possesses the property of weakening barriers and wards.
- Can be used as a crafting material for related equipment.
It was a material item.
'This is...'
Sang-hyeok's eyes gleamed.
If he entrusted this to Kim Seo-yun and the research team, they might find a way to create equipment that weakened barriers or wards.
'I should show it to Sis once she's had some rest.'
As soon as Sang-hyeok placed the fragment in his inventory, the national achievement settlement began.
「Checking the achievement status of your affiliated nation.」
[Republic of Korea projected deficit points for this quarter: 29,720]
Before entering the 1st floor, it had been 30,000 points.
It seemed that while Sang-hyeok was inside the tower, Korean players had earned 280 points across their respective conquests and slightly reduced the deficit.
At that moment, Sang-hyeok's 1st-floor conquest record also began to be settled.
「A new record is being registered in the 1st-floor Hall of Fame.」
The Hall of Fame.
It was a place where the records of players who completely conquered hidden battlefields and hidden trials for the first time remained permanently.
Once registration was confirmed, achievement points were also granted to the affiliated nation according to the value of the record.
[Battlefield: <Battlefield of Collapse>]
[Base Objective: Survive for 30 minutes]
[Achieved Record: <Heart of Collapse> completely annihilated]
[Record Name: First Early Termination]
[Achiever’s Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
Sang-hyeok had completely destroyed the <Heart of Collapse> in a battlefield designed to be endured for 30 minutes.
It was the first conquest to end the battlefield itself with more than 25 minutes left on the timer.
It was unlikely, but even if someone later cleared the same battlefield faster, the record of being the first to end it early belonged to Sang-hyeok.
Once the record was confirmed, the national achievement reward followed.
「The Hall of Fame record reward will be applied to the affiliated nation.」
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +300]
[Projected deficit points decrease from 29,720 to 29,420.]
The points Sang-hyeok had earned on a single floor exceeded the total reduction achieved by numerous Korean players combined.
[Republic of Korea projected deficit points for this quarter: 29,420]
Sang-hyeok took in the newly changed number.
There was still a large deficit to fill.
But Sang-hyeok had only just finished the 1st floor.
From here on, he simply needed to keep setting records no one else could, one by one.
'This quarter, I'll make sure not a single rift opens.'
That was the first goal Sang-hyeok had set after regressing.
「All settlements are complete.」
「Returning to reality.」
White light enveloped Sang-hyeok's body.
* * *
At the same time.
A 1st-floor Hall of Fame update notification appeared on the PlayerNet public records channel.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak: A new record just appeared in the 1st-floor Hall of Fame. The battlefield name is <Battlefield of Collapse>?
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken: There was still a hidden battlefield left on the 1st floor that no one had conquered?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack: Never even seen that battlefield name before. Post the record screen.
Hobak captured the Hall of Fame screen and posted it.
[Base Objective: Survive for 30 minutes]
[Achieved Record: <Heart of Collapse> completely annihilated]
[Record Name: First Early Termination]
[Achiever’s Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
The chat window went quiet for a moment.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken: They ended a 30-minute survival battlefield in under 5 minutes?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack: Looks like they destroyed the battlefield itself? Crazy! What kind of lunatic did this?
[China/Lv.33] Lin: Lately I keep feeling like I'm seeing records that make no sense.
[Korea/Lv.24] Minji: The 300 points that went to the Republic of Korea are the reward for this record too.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak: That's more than the 280 points domestic players earned in that time. Whoa.
The players who had checked the record began deducing the achiever's identity.
[China/Lv.33] Lin: Public name undisclosed. Affiliated nation Republic of Korea... Isn't this the player who achieved the impossible feat in the tutorial this time?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack: Seems right? The timing fits too, and after the Adamant Dummy and the Indestructible Guardian, now a hidden battlefield. It makes sense to assume they're the same person.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken: Looks like we've got a major new talent on our hands?
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak: Is it even possible to end a hidden battlefield within 5 minutes of starting? Who the hell is it!
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak: Since the name is undisclosed, let's just call them Impossible One from now on.
[Korea/Lv.24] Minji: Impossible One. That fits best.
At first it was a nickname thrown out as a joke, but no one could come up with a name that fit better.
Whenever the Hall of Fame screen spread to other channels on PlayerNet, the same name followed along.
Impossible One.
The undisclosed Korean player had been given a name for the first time.
Over the next three days, Sang-hyeok climbed one floor per day.
The 2nd floor was a hunting trial against predatory beasts hidden in a forest.
The creatures lunged at him from all directions, but Sang-hyeok deflected their attacks with the <Collapse Walker’s Boots>, then placed his hand on their necks and brought them down with <Erasure>.
「You have cleared the 2nd floor of the Infinite Tower.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +20]
On the 3rd floor, he had to find mana crystals within a rock face within the time limit, and when he opened the <Demonic Dragon’s Eye>, only the spots where crystals were buried showed up in red.
Sang-hyeok used <Erasure> only on the rocks surrounding the crystals.
Clatter.
Flawless mana crystals poured out from within the rock.
「You have cleared the 3rd floor of the Infinite Tower.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Lv.3 → Lv.4]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +25]
The [Undisclosed] record appeared on Korea's daily achievement rankings for two days in a row.
The records for the two floors were also posted side by side on PlayerNet.
[2nd Floor / Conquest Rating: SSS / Republic of Korea +20]
[3rd Floor / Conquest Rating: SSS / Republic of Korea +25]
[Korea/Lv.24] Minji: The player presumed to be Impossible One achieved SSS on the 2nd and 3rd floors back-to-back.
[USA/Lv.36] Jack: After the 1st-floor Hall of Fame, now the highest rating on two consecutive floors.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken: At this rate, aren't they going to break <Limitless>'s record?
[China/Lv.33] Lin: The public record for consecutive SSS is the 2nd Seat <Limitless>'s 20 floors. It's still too early to compare.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak: The start is the same though. We can just keep watching the next floor's record.
[Korea/Lv.24] Minji: Now I have a reason to check the record board every day. hehe
People's attention naturally turned toward the next record of the undisclosed player who had begun to be called Impossible One.
More and more people began waiting to see how long Impossible One would maintain the pace of one floor per day, and how many floors the SSS streak would continue.
And on the third day.
Sang-hyeok entered the circular battlefield of the 4th floor.
Groooar!
A massive demonic beast standing at the edge of the battlefield roared.
It was a creature clad entirely in dark-red carapace.
[Brood Mother]
[Lv.7]
At the center of the battlefield sat a massive demonic beast nest covered in dark-red flesh.
Every time the nest writhed, small demonic beasts crawled out ceaselessly through the gaps that opened.
The creatures lunged at Sang-hyeok from all directions.
Sang-hyeok placed his palm on the head of the first demonic beast to charge at him.
Hissss!
The demonic beast's body turned into black sand and scattered into the air.
At that, the nest writhed violently and spat out two new demonic beasts.
For every one he brought down, two more appeared.
Even as Sang-hyeok kept erasing the charging demonic beasts, their numbers did not decrease.
Ten.
Twenty.
Before he knew it, black sand had piled up thickly around Sang-hyeok.
He could easily bring down the small demonic beasts with <Erasure>, but his mana drained rapidly while dealing with the endlessly swarming creatures.
Eventually, even the black energy enveloping his hand visibly thinned.
At that very moment, a new notification appeared.
「You have discovered the hidden complete conquest conditions.」
[Destroy the demonic beast nest.]
[Slay the Brood Mother.]
Sang-hyeok quickly confirmed the two conditions.
If he brought down the Brood Mother, he could pass the 4th floor.
To obtain the complete conquest and bonus rewards, he also had to destroy the demonic beast nest.
The problem was his remaining mana.
He had no leeway to deal with the two separately.
'In that case, I'll end it in one go.'
Sang-hyeok passed beside the nest and slipped between the Brood Mother and the nest.
Turning with his back to the nest, he faced the creature head-on.
"Groooar!"
At that, the Brood Mother roared and lowered its head.
Its thick horns aimed at Sang-hyeok.
The creature kicked the ground hard with its forelegs.
Boom!
Its massive body charged straight at Sang-hyeok.
Just as the horns were almost on him, Sang-hyeok planted his right foot hard and twisted his body.
Flash!
Even with the sudden movement, his feet did not slip.
It was thanks to the <Collapse Walker’s Boots> doing their job.
Sang-hyeok slipped past the creature's side.
Crunch!
Unable to slow down, the Brood Mother rammed into the demonic beast nest.
Its thick horns pierced deep into the center of the nest.
Crack!
The dark-red flesh split apart where the horns had embedded.
The crack widened rapidly, and then the entire nest swelled up.
Boom!
The demonic beast nest burst into pieces.
Caught in the explosion, the Brood Mother staggered badly.
The carapace covering its chest shattered away, revealing the red heart inside.
Thud!
As the nest collapsed, the small demonic beasts remaining on the battlefield all collapsed at once.
Sang-hyeok kicked off the scattered nest debris and leaped up to the creature's chest height.
Before the Brood Mother could right itself, Sang-hyeok's right hand touched the exposed heart.
'<Erasure>.'
Hissss!
From the spot where his palm touched, the red heart began turning into black sand.
Soon the entire heart lost its form and scattered.
Thud!
The Brood Mother shuddered violently, then collapsed limply onto its side.
「You have achieved the hidden complete conquest conditions.」
[Demonic beast nest destroyed]
[Brood Mother slain]
「You have achieved a complete conquest of Floor 4 of the Infinite Tower.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.4 → Lv.5]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +30]
「Complete conquest bonus reward is being granted to your inventory.」
As his level rose, his depleted mana filled up again.
Feeling the mana rising, Sang-hyeok clenched and unclenched his right hand.
It was the first battle since becoming a player where he had felt the limits of his mana.
This time, he had cleared the battlefield by cleverly making the Brood Mother ram into the nest.
But there was no guarantee he could pull off the same kind of tactic in the next battlefield.
Next time, he might discover the complete conquest conditions and still have to give up.
'I need to solve the mana problem first.'
* * *
After returning to reality, Sang-hyeok immediately began looking for a way to replenish his mana.
The most readily available option was Mana Recovery Potions.
But even a single bottle was not cheap, and they were consumables that only briefly filled mana when drunk.
The recovery amount was also fixed, so their efficiency dropped the higher he climbed.
They could not be a fundamental solution.
Therefore, what Sang-hyeok needed most right now was an artifact that aided mana recovery or increased his total mana capacity.
The problem was availability.
Mana-related artifacts were bought up by major guilds and player powerhouses the moment they hit the market.
At the Heroic grade, they were hard to obtain even with money.
'Is there anything whose value hasn't been discovered yet?'
Sang-hyeok retraced his memories from before the regression.
Artifacts that had not yet been discovered, or that had been neglected because no one recognized their true value.
Then one item came to mind.
'Ah! That's right.'
<Spirit Vein Bracelet>.
A Heroic-grade mana recovery artifact.
However, at this point in time, the <Spirit Vein Bracelet> was an artifact sleeping in Taeseong's warehouse because of a powerful curse placed upon it.
A curse that, when worn, drained all of the wearer's mana.
Taeseong had called in renowned purification-type players for years, but no one had been able to break the curse.
In the end, they ruled it unusable and sealed it deep in the warehouse.
But Sang-hyeok knew the future of that item.
After Korea collapsed before the regression, the <Spirit Vein Bracelet> had passed to Japan.
There, a high-level player broke the curse, and the hidden original function was revealed as well.
An artifact that rapidly restored the wearer's mana and also grew by feeding on the absorbed mana.
After that, the <Spirit Vein Bracelet> became renowned as one of the finest mana recovery artifacts.
Sang-hyeok did not know exactly how the curse had been broken in Japan.
Still, he had a method worth trying.
'Use the <Demonic Dragon’s Eye> to locate the curse, then erase it entirely with <Erasure>.'
Whether it would actually work, he would have to confirm directly.
Still, it was worth attempting.
The problem was how to get his hands on the <Spirit Vein Bracelet>.
Its current owner was Taeseong Group.
It was a sealed item that had not even been put on the market, so it could not be bought with money.
Buzz.
At that moment, the phone on the table rang.
[Yun Chae-rin: That meal we talked about before, let's do Saturday lunch this week!]
[Yun Chae-rin: I'll decide on a place and send it to you.]
After reading the message, Sang-hyeok thought of the <Spirit Vein Bracelet> again.
If he could not buy it with money, he could obtain it through another price.
Conveniently, there was something he needed to receive from Taeseong.
'I'll take the <Spirit Vein Bracelet> as compensation for breaking off the engagement.'