Chapter 23
Chapter 23
PlayerNet.
Countless users were waiting for Impossible One's 10th-floor Cooperative Battlefield record and the first eyewitness accounts.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : If it's Impossible One, couldn't they even break the <Permafrost Core>?
[Korea/Lv.42] Jeju Spring Black Pig : I was about to say no way, but then I thought about everything Impossible One has done so far, and now I can't say anything lol
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Still, that one is difficult. There's a reason no confirmed destruction record has existed in the four years since the Infinite Tower opened.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Right. It's not just that the core itself is hard. Even if you use every resistance method available on the lower floors, the <Freeze> makes it difficult just to reach the core in the first place.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : I wouldn't rule out the possibility entirely, but honestly, it won't be easy.
That was when opinions were still divided.
Ding.
A world achievement notice appeared across all channels, East and West.
[World Achievement: <One Who Ended the Permafrost>]
[Achiever’s Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
[South Korea Achievement Points +30,000]
The chat window went still for a moment.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : ......What? What achievement is this?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. They ended the permafrost?
Almost simultaneously, the 10th-floor Cooperative Battlefield public record updated.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Oh my god. The record board shows the <Permafrost Core> status as destroyed. They really broke it!
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Holy shit. They actually pulled that off?
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Wow lol at this point you really can't not call them Impossible One.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : 30,000 points. World achievements really are on a different scale. I thought this one would be difficult, but they've defied expectations again.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. Look at Korea's national status right now!
Soon, someone posted a screenshot of South Korea's national status.
[South Korea’s Projected Deficit Points for This Quarter: 0]
[Current Estimate: Outside Rift Occurrence Range]
[Korea/Lv.42] Jeju Spring Black Pig : Whoa, it's 0! It actually shows 0.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Is this real? If the quarter ends like this, not a single rift will open in Korea?
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Oh, dear god! Finally, Korea is really......!
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : Impossible One! A god?! Impossible One! A god?! Impossible One! A god?!
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Is it real that some Lv.10 nobody who started climbing ten days ago covered an entire country's remaining shortfall single-handedly?
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : Hey! A Lv.10 nobody? Show some respect before a god!
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Even looking at it seriously again, it really makes no sense lol
It wasn't confirmed yet because the quarterly settlement hadn't been finalized, but if the current projections held, not even a single small rift would open in South Korea.
The players' excitement soon spilled into arguments over how far Impossible One would climb.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : No joke, isn't this a Celestial Seat-level trajectory? Once they reach the Channel League, it feels like they'll shoot straight to Legend tier.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : You can't conclude that one Cooperative Battlefield means they'll dominate the Channel League too. The opponents there aren't monsters, they're players.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : It's true that this is a record worth discussing Celestial Seat-level talent. Still, player-versus-player combat will have to be confirmed on a public stage.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Korean players probably shouldn't get ahead of themselves. Still, so far, the people who kept expectations low have been the ones proven wrong.
As praise and caution clashed, attention naturally shifted to how the conquest had been carried out.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : No, but seriously, how did they break the core?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Whoever was in the same party! Please post a review!
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : There are three other participants. Someone will verify the record soon.
But no matter how long they waited, no participant verification appeared.
The three people who had entered the battlefield with Sang-hyeok answered no one's questions.
All that was public was the first complete conquest, the world achievement, and the Undisclosed player's first-place contribution.
No one could know who had broken the core, how, or what the other three had done.
Even though eyewitnesses who had stood on the same battlefield as Impossible One had appeared for the first time, the mystery surrounding the player had only deepened.
Then someone remembered Impossible One's next record.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. Impossible One is on nine consecutive Solo Climb SSS ratings right now, right?
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Right? If they get SSS on solo floor 10 too, <Flawless Climb> opens, doesn't it?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Correct. The Cooperative Battlefield record is separate from Solo Climb, so only one more remains now.
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : After a world achievement comes Flawless Climb! I'll be waiting in front of the record board!
The eyes of those waiting for eyewitness accounts now turned to the solo 10th-floor public record board.
* * *
The next day.
While players had chattered about him all night, Sang-hyeok had already finished preparing to climb to the next floor.
Cooperative Battlefield ratings were separate from the Solo Climb streak record.
When Sang-hyeok opened the entry window, a new notification appeared.
「Confirming consecutive Solo Climb record.」
[Consecutive Solo Climb SSS Ratings: 9]
「A special record candidate is being generated.」
[Special Record Candidate: <Flawless Climb>]
[Unlock Condition: 10 Consecutive Solo Climb SSS Ratings]
[Current Progress: 9/10]
[Warning]
[If you receive an evaluation below SSS, the current consecutive record will end.]
Sang-hyeok gazed at the newly appeared name for a moment.
'Flawless Climb.'
Right after regressing, he had never imagined he would end up challenging this record.
But before he knew it, he had broken through all nine floors with SSS, and now just one more success would open a new special record.
Since he had come this far, he had no intention of being satisfied with ten.
This time, he planned to keep the SSS streak going even after surpassing the all-time record.
What rewards would be given while maintaining <Flawless Climb> was unknown.
But since the tower recognized ten consecutive floors of SSS as a separate special record, it wouldn't be strange for rare rewards like an <Authority Factor> to appear.
To confirm that possibility, he intended to go all-out on every floor while the record continued.
'Let's keep the record streak going.'
Sang-hyeok closed the notification and placed his hand on the door leading to Solo Climb Floor 10.
「Entering Solo Climb Floor 10.」
Fwoosh!
Ashen gray poured from the gap in the door and swallowed Sang-hyeok's body.
Thud.
His feet touched a solid stone floor.
Before him lay a corridor with no end in sight.
Ash fell from the ceiling like snow.
The walls and floor were entirely ashen gray.
Along the middle of the corridor, small altars embedded with blue crystals stood at regular intervals.
All of them were unlit.
The door Sang-hyeok had entered through closed behind him.
Boom.
At that moment, blue flames ignited in the braziers on both sides of the entrance.
Whoosh!
The two flames gathered in the air.
A palm-sized blue ember floated up before Sang-hyeok.
「Beginning the Floor 10 Solo Trial.」
[Trial Name: <Ashen Corridor>]
[Objective]
- Carry the <Guiding Ember> to the exit altar at the end of the corridor.
- The Guiding Ember remains lit only while it receives the player's mana.
- If the ember goes out, it can be relit at one of the ignition altars along the corridor.
[Evaluation Criteria]
- Relight count
- Mana supply interruption time
- Times hit
The <Ashen Corridor> was a trial of continuously supplying mana to the ember while breaking through the soldiers blocking the corridor.
Originally, the most difficult part was having to maintain mana for both the ember and combat at the same time.
If a player focused their power on an Authority, the ember went out; if they focused on protecting the ember, their attacks and movements slowed.
To aim for SSS, he had to reach the end of the corridor without letting either lapse.
But Sang-hyeok was the exception.
When Sang-hyeok extended his left hand, the blue ember descended onto his palm.
[Guiding Ember Maintenance Rate: 100%]
[Relight Count: 0]
[Mana Supply Interruption Time: 0.00 seconds]
Click.
The <Spirit Vein Bracelet: Budding> drew in ambient mana to replace what he fed into the ember.
The mana that had turned dark red after passing through the Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon spread through <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow> into both hands and both legs at once.
Thanks to that, even while maintaining the ember, the mana needed for <Erasure> and movement never ran dry.
As Sang-hyeok advanced into the corridor, the ash piles ahead heaved violently.
Crrrunch.
Soldiers rose one after another, pushing aside the ash piles.
[Ashen Soldier]
[Lv.10]
The soldiers immediately leveled their weapons and blocked the passage.
Without stopping his stride, Sang-hyeok swung his right hand.
Fwoosh!
Each time <Erasure> swept past, the weapons and soldiers blocking his path scattered into black sand.
The ember in his left hand never once shrank.
Sang-hyeok passed all three ignition points and went straight to the end of the corridor.
The gatekeeper guarding the end was no different.
[Ashen Gatekeeper]
[Lv.12]
The energy of <Erasure> spreading from his right hand erased the massive greatsword, then swallowed the red core in its chest as well.
Sang-hyeok stepped past the collapsing gatekeeper and placed the ember atop the exit altar.
Whoosh!
Blue flames surged above the altar, signaling the end of the trial.
For Sang-hyeok, it was a far easier trial than expected.
'The effect of <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow> is stronger than I expected.'
Reducing the effects of status conditions by 30% was already powerful enough.
On top of that, with the added ability to send mana throughout his entire body simultaneously, the constraint of having to fight while protecting the ember had become meaningless.
「The <Guiding Ember> has arrived at the exit altar.」
[Ember Loss: None]
[Relight Count: 0]
[Mana Supply Interruption Time: 0.00 seconds]
[Times Hit: 0]
「Floor 10 Solo Trial <Ashen Corridor> completed.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.10 → Lv.11]
Whoosh.
A warm energy spread through his entire body, and the mana he had used in the corridor rapidly refilled.
That was the tenth SSS.
But the settlement wasn't over yet.
In the place where the previous notification had vanished, a new window with a black border unfolded.
「You have achieved 10 consecutive Solo Climb SSS ratings.」
[Floors 1-10]
[Consecutive SSS Evaluations: 10]
「Special cumulative record <Flawless Climb> has been unlocked.」
[Current Consecutive Record: 10]
[If you receive an evaluation below SSS, the consecutive record will end.]
New information followed.
[Cumulative Record Benefits]
[15 Consecutive]
- Hidden additional objectives for Solo Climb will be revealed.
[20 Consecutive]
- Acquire one Irregular Battlefield Selection Ticket.
[All-Time Record Update]
- Reward hidden
Sang-hyeok's gaze lingered on the final benefit, 'All-Time Record Update.'
The reward was concealed, and to confirm it, he first had to surpass the all-time record.
Before that, if he missed SSS even once, everything he had built so far would end on the spot.
Soon, the all-time record unfolded.
[<Flawless Climb> All-Time Record]
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 20 Consecutive]
[Record Holder: Second Seat <Limitless>]
Second Seat <Limitless>.
A player who had belatedly distinguished himself after First Seat <Azure Heaven> had already reached the top.
His start was late, but his growth speed alone was faster than Azure Heaven's.
Defeat, defense, survival, mana management.
From his rookie days until he reached solo floor 20, no matter how the trial format changed, Limitless never once missed an SSS.
When he rose to the Second Seat, people still believed that place wasn't his final destination.
The only seat left above it was the First Seat.
The next First Seat.
It was a phrase that always followed Limitless, who was evaluated as having surpassed even Azure Heaven in pure talent alone.
But that expectation never came true.
Because before the Dimension League opened, Limitless entered a Cataclysm-Class Rift that occurred in the real world and never returned.
The announcement released at the time was short.
[Second Seat <Limitless>, died in an accident while clearing a Cataclysm-Class Rift.]
What kind of accident had occurred.
Why a Celestial Seat with the privilege of reconstructing his body even after death had failed to revive.
The details were never made public.
All Sang-hyeok knew was what had been announced at the time.
That was how Limitless had vanished.
But the record he left in the lower floors remained unbroken by anyone until Sang-hyeok regressed.
Twenty consecutive SSS ratings from Floor 1 through Floor 20.
Sang-hyeok stared at the two numbers side by side.
[Current Record: 10]
[All-Time Record: 20]
The current record was exactly half.
'Ten more to catch up, and on the eleventh, I surpass it.'
Before the regression, it had been a record he could only gaze at from afar.
This time, it was his turn to surpass it himself.
Sang-hyeok calmly closed the settlement window.
* * *
At the same time.
A new entry appeared at the very top of the Solo Climb public record board.
[Special Record <Flawless Climb>]
[South Korea / Undisclosed Player]
[Solo Climb SSS Evaluations: 10 consecutive]
The players waiting for the record to update immediately captured the screen.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : It's up. Floor 10 is SSS too.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : So this is that Flawless Climb?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Yes. It's a record that opens only after receiving ten consecutive SSS ratings in Solo Climb.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Impossible One has stepped onto the path the Celestial Seats walked too. Whoa.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : They've reached a starting line where they can be compared to the Celestial Seats.
Someone posted the all-time record board alongside it.
[<Flawless Climb> All-Time Record]
[Second Seat <Limitless>: 20 Consecutive]
[South Korea Undisclosed Player: 10 consecutive]
The rapidly scrolling messages paused for a moment.
The name of the Second Seat and a lower-floor player sat on the same record board.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Limitless's record is more awe-inspiring the more you look at it.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Seeing Impossible One's record on the same board as Limitless really hits different.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Even so, it's still only half. Ten and twenty are completely different records.
This time, no one immediately objected.
The higher the floor, the harder the trials became.
Having a high Trait Tier and a good Authority didn't guarantee SSS on every floor.
Each floor demanded different abilities, and you had to change your approach to match unexpected variables.
There had been several Celestial Seats who had earned <Flawless Climb>.
But the only person who had extended the record to floor 20 was Limitless.
That was why his 20 consecutive SSS evaluations were regarded as an absolute record that would never be broken.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : Most people's records end before they even reach floor 15.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : Even so, I just can't picture Impossible One failing.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : For real. They're clearing hidden trials and pulling off the first complete conquest of a Cooperative Battlefield while still maintaining one floor a day.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Which is exactly why they're being compared to Limitless's record.
In the past, merely comparing someone to Second Seat <Limitless> would have drawn a flood of responses calling it absurd.
But now, Impossible One had placed his name on the same record board as Limitless.
The very fact that the comparison had begun showed how much the way people looked at him had changed.
Soon, a new tracking chart was made.
[Impossible One <Flawless Climb> Tracking]
[Current Record: 10]
[Intermediate Benefit: 15]
[Second Seat <Limitless>'s Record: 20]
[All-Time Record Update: 21]
Just a few days ago, people had been arguing over whether Impossible One could enter the Iron Rookie League within this season.
Now, a new interest had been added.
They began watching closely to see when he would catch up to the Second Seat's record.
* * *
And at the same time.
A white-haired man sitting in a high-backed chair opened his eyes.
The thin metal ornament above his head reflected a faint golden light.
Second Seat <Limitless>.
The man who, on the day the tutorial's impossible achievement appeared, had ordered that South Korea's Undisclosed player be found.
Two records floated side by side before him.
[Second Seat <Limitless>: 20 Consecutive]
[South Korea Undisclosed Player: 10 consecutive]
An attendant cautiously spoke.
"When the fifteenth record appears, I will report again."
"No."
Limitless's gaze moved to the next slot, still empty.
[Next Record: 11]
"There's no need to wait until then."
Limitless tapped the empty slot with his finger.
"Bring me every record from the next one onward."
Second Seat Limitless.
He had begun to take a genuine interest in Impossible One.