Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Floor 16.
Twisted Waterway.
WHOOOOSH!
A narrow waterway sloped steeply toward the exit.
In the ceiling, three floodgates stood open at regular intervals, and beneath them water poured down like waterfalls.
The red handles that closed the floodgates were mounted where they could only be reached by passing through the streams of water.
Each time one was closed, the water pressure throughout the waterway dropped.
The standard approach was to break through the streams one by one, pull the handles, and advance.
Conversely, if you were swept back to the entrance by the current before opening the exit, every floodgate you had closed would reopen.
It meant starting over from the beginning.
[Current Water Pressure Stage: 3]
[Closed Floodgates: 0/3]
Sang-hyeok looked toward the exit beyond the three floodgates.
'I'll break through without closing them.'
As Sang-hyeok stepped toward the first stream of water, silver scales flashed within the violently flowing water.
Dozens of palm-sized fish bared their sharp teeth and burst out all at once.
[Blade-Scale Fish]
[Lv.16]
Riding the fierce current, they went for Sang-hyeok's face and neck.
Sang-hyeok swung his right hand into the center of the swarming mass.
'<Erasure>.'
Tssssss!
The front ranks of blade-scale fish crumbled into black sand.
The moment a gap opened in the middle of the swarm, Sang-hyeok drove into it.
BOOM!
The pouring water hammered both his shoulders and shoved his body back toward the entrance.
His feet slid backward for a moment, but thanks to the <Collapse Walker’s Boots>, he soon righted his stance.
Keeping his posture low, Sang-hyeok broke through the first stream head-on.
Beyond the stream, the first handle appeared.
Pulling it would lower the water pressure, and the blade-scale fish would stop appearing.
Sang-hyeok passed right by it.
Blade-scale fish poured from the open floodgate and chased after him again.
But they were no match for Sang-hyeok.
'<Erasure>.'
Tssssss!
The pursuing blade-scale fish vanished the instant they touched <Erasure>, swept away by the current.
The second floodgate he reached that way was wider than the first.
The water pouring straight down pressed against his chest, making even lifting a foot difficult.
Then a dark-blue back rose up, splitting the current.
[Iron-Armored Alligator]
[Lv.17]
An alligator massive enough to fill half the waterway opened its jaws and charged.
Thud.
Mana passed through Sang-hyeok's heart and flowed down both legs along <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow>.
Strength returned to his heavy legs.
Sang-hyeok pushed forward against the current and placed his right hand on the alligator's upper jaw.
Tssssss!
The head and forelegs, hard as iron armor, turned to black sand and scattered into the current.
The remaining body was swept along and slid past Sang-hyeok's side.
Even after passing through the second stream, he did not touch the handle.
The last floodgate was twice as wide as the previous two.
A wall of water covering the entire waterway blocked the path ahead like a massive barrier.
Within it, eight thick tentacles writhed.
A giant octopus clinging beneath the floodgate had spread its tentacles and completely sealed the way.
[Floodgate-Keeper Octopus]
[Lv.18]
The octopus was far larger than Sang-hyeok.
It was a monster so powerful that fighting it inside the waterway would be considered suicide.
But.
'<Erasure>.'
Fsssssh!
Starting with the tentacle that flew at Sang-hyeok's waist, all the way to its body, it crumbled into black sand.
The remaining tentacles blocking the path went limp and dropped into the water.
Sang-hyeok let out a short breath and pushed his body through.
WHOOOOSH!
The fierce water pressure forced his upper body low.
Still, <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow> circulated ceaselessly through his legs, and thanks to the boots, his planted feet did not slip.
Each time the current pushed him back, Sang-hyeok immediately stepped forward again.
At last, having broken through the third stream, Sang-hyeok pressed the control stone beside the exit.
Rrrrrumble!
The closed stone gate rose upward.
「Hidden objective achieved.」
[Floodgates Closed at Exit Opening: 0/3]
All that remained was to go back and close the three floodgates to complete the basic objective as well.
Sang-hyeok turned his back on the open exit and let the current take him.
This time the fierce water swept him quickly toward the entrance.
The moment the third floodgate's handle drew near, Sang-hyeok reached out with his right hand and pulled it with all his strength.
Clank!
THUD!
[Closed Floodgates: 1/3]
He pulled the second and first handles in turn.
THUD!
BOOM!
Once the last floodgate closed, the current that had raged through the waterway quickly subsided.
[Floodgates Closed: 3/3]
[Times Hit: 0]
「Floor 16 Solo Trial <Twisted Waterway> completed.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.16 → Lv.17]
「<Flawless Climb> consecutive record updated.」
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 16 Consecutive]
「A hidden objective bonus reward is being granted.」
[You have obtained 1 <Authority Enhancement Ticket Fragment>.]
[Current Assembly Progress: 1/3]
[Collect 3 fragments to complete an <Authority Enhancement Ticket>.]
[An <Authority Enhancement Ticket> enhances one Authority below stage 5 by one stage.]
'So this is the hidden objective's bonus reward.'
The look in Sang-hyeok's eyes changed.
If an <Authority Factor> was a resource for discovering the possibility of a new Authority, then an <Authority Enhancement Ticket> was a reward that directly grew an Authority already unlocked.
Whether <Erasure> or <Demonic Dragon’s Bloodflow>, reaching the next stage would make them far stronger than now.
He had not awakened before the regression, but through countless players' accounts, he knew well how greatly an Authority's stage determined combat power.
And such an enhancement ticket could be completed with just three fragments.
'From now on, I'll need to secure not just SSS but every hidden objective too.'
* * *
Three days after that.
Having secured his first hidden objective, Sang-hyeok continued climbing one floor per day.
The hidden objective on Floor 17 was to never step on a single safe foothold.
Sang-hyeok reached the exit stepping only on slanted walls and collapsing pillars.
[Hidden Objective Achieved]
[Acquired 1 <Equipment Draw Ticket Fragment>.]
[Current Assembly Progress: 1/3]
[Collect 3 fragments to complete an <Equipment Draw Ticket>.]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Lv.17 → Lv.18]
It seemed each floor's hidden objective yielded a different fragment.
If he could aim for not just Authority enhancement but random equipment as well, the hidden objectives were worth even more.
On Floor 18, he had to avoid defeating even one of the pursuing guardian soldiers.
Sang-hyeok erased only their weapons and ankles with <Erasure> to block their path, then seized the trial's core first.
[Hidden Objective Achieved]
[You have obtained 1 <Authority Enhancement Ticket Fragment>.]
[Current Assembly Progress: 2/3]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Lv.18 → Lv.19]
Floor 19 was a labyrinth without a single point of light.
To achieve the hidden objective, he had to reach the exit without lighting any of the braziers placed throughout.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.'
Even in the darkness, only the passage leading to the exit stood out clearly.
Sang-hyeok never took a wrong turn and never encountered a monster as he made his way out of the labyrinth.
[Hidden Objective Achieved]
[Acquired 1 <Equipment Draw Ticket Fragment>.]
[Current Assembly Progress: 2/3]
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.19 → Lv.20]
「<Flawless Climb> consecutive record updated.」
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 19 Consecutive]
[Hidden Objectives Achieved: 4]
[<Authority Enhancement Ticket Fragment>: 2/3]
[<Equipment Draw Ticket Fragment>: 2/3]
[Until the record of the Second Celestial Seat <Limitless>: 1]
Only one individual Floor 20 remained to stand level with Limitless's 20 consecutive.
Haaah.
The mana gained from the level-up filled his body.
Thud.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon in his chest beat heavier than before.
Before the reverberation had even settled, a new notification appeared.
「You have reached Lv.20.」
「You have acquired a Floor 20 entry pass.」
「You are automatically assigned to Iron Tier.」
「The Iron Rookie League is now open.」
[Iron Rookie Activity Range: Lv.20~30]
[Daily Participation Limit: 1]
[Until Current Channel Season Ends: D-22]
A participation window Sang-hyeok had never seen before appeared.
[Iron Rookie League First Match]
He had already used today's Solo Climb challenge pass on Floor 19.
But the Rookie League participation pass was separate from Solo Climb.
It meant he could join the Rookie League today.
Sang-hyeok opened the newly available league guide.
The Iron Rookie League was the first competitive stage for players from Lv.20 to Lv.30.
It was a place where players of the same level range faced each other in various formats such as annihilation battles, survival battles, occupation battles, and defense battles.
In Iron, winning did not raise a player's tier.
Instead, wins and losses, win streaks, MVP selections, and battlefield achievements were recorded and reflected in the first Regular placement after Lv.31.
The Regular League began at Bronze and continued through Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster, Challenger, and Legend.
The top sixteen Legend seats were currently held by the Sixteen Celestial Seats.
From Bronze onward, each tier increase also unlocked additional privileges such as exclusive exchange lists and training battlefields.
The specific benefits could only be confirmed after reaching the relevant tier.
The rewards from matches were also substantial.
Winning earned league currency and individual ranking points, and being selected as MVP or achieving special battlefield merits could also yield growth rewards like an <Authority Factor>.
Sang-hyeok currently needed one more <Authority Factor> to check a new Authority candidate.
It was not a guaranteed reward, but it meant one more path to obtaining an <Authority Factor> had opened.
Match results were also added to the player's affiliated nation's season score.
The league season ranking was separate from the official national ranking, but the higher the ranking, the more advantageous it was for National Achievement Points, channel resources, and rare material allocations.
The achievement points earned as season rewards were then reflected in the official national ranking and the next quarter's national buffs.
South Korea was at the very bottom of both the official national ranking and the league season ranking.
With few skilled rookies and rare fixed teams that had worked together for a long time, they had failed to steadily accumulate season points.
If Sang-hyeok had been filling the National Achievement Points deficit through tower clears so far, now it was time to raise the league season ranking as well by directly defeating players from other countries in the Channel League.
Even if the opponents changed from monsters to players, he was confident.
He just had to find weaknesses with <Demonic Dragon’s Eye> and land <Erasure>.
Also, unlike Solo Trials, the Channel League was open to spectators from the beginning to the end of combat.
The Authority and combat style of Impossible One, known until now only through records, would be revealed to the world for the first time.
But the only thing Sang-hyeok needed to conceal was his real-world identity as Kim Sang-hyeok.
As long as he could protect the identity beneath the Black Mask, there was no reason to hide his power.
The Channel League was the first public stage where the name Impossible One would be firmly etched into the world.
'I'll show them clearly from the first match.'
* * *
At that moment.
A new entry appeared on the Floor 19 public record board.
[South Korea / Undisclosed Player]
[Floor 19 Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 19 Consecutive]
[Current Level: Lv.20]
[Floor 20 Entry Pass: Acquired]
Within seconds of the record appearing, captured screenshots spread across PlayerNet.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : It's up! Floor 19 is SSS too. That makes 19 consecutive!
[Korea/Lv.24] Set Three Alarms : SSS on every floor from 1 to 19? Does that even make sense?
[Korea/Lv.36] Always Reads the Rules : Limitless's record is 20 consecutive, so now there's exactly one left. If Floor 20 is also SSS, it's a tie.
[Korea/Lv.28] ChickenBeforeMatches : 19 consecutive while also grabbing impossible achievements, hidden trials, and complete conquests of Cooperative Battlefields? Seriously, are they using some kind of cheat? Whoa.
If it had been SSS once or twice, people could have thought the trial happened to suit his abilities.
But across nineteen different trials, he had not missed the highest rating even once.
Each time Impossible One set a new record, the amazement and anticipation of the players watching grew along with it.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad : At this rate, aren't they going to break records and actually climb all the way to Legend tier?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : If they reach the top of Legend, they could even aim for a Celestial Seat. Is South Korea's first Celestial Seat about to appear?
[Korea/Lv.24] Set Three Alarms : This is insane. Just thinking about it gets me so hyped?!
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : South Korea's first Celestial Seat! The day Impossible One writes new history is not far off!
When the word Celestial Seat came up, players from other countries joined the conversation.
[Japan/Lv.48] TwoStreamWindows : I want to laugh and say it won't happen, but looking at the records so far, it really seems like it might, which makes it even more infuriating. Why does it have to be a Korean player? If only they'd appeared in Japan.
[USA/Lv.61] IronJack : Plenty of rookies have stood out in Solo Climb and then collapsed after entering the Channel League. To talk about a Celestial Seat, they have to prove themselves in the Channel League too.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Right. Whether they're really worthy of aiming for a Celestial Seat, we'll have to watch from their first match.
At those words, people's attention turned to another item on the record board.
[Korea/Lv.28] ChickenBeforeMatches : Now that you mention it, they're Lv.20 right now. Doesn't that mean the Iron Rookie League is open to them too?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : We can finally see Impossible One fight directly, not just through records!
[Korea/Lv.24] Set Three Alarms : But wait, they're not going to skip the league, are they?
[Korea/Lv.36] Always Reads the Rules : Rookie League results are reflected in the first Regular League placement. Someone aiming higher has no reason to skip it.
[Korea/Lv.24] Set Three Alarms : Right? Please show up. I'll be waiting with bated breath from now on!
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : At last, we can see Impossible One fight in person! Starting today, I'm living in the Iron spectator channel!!!
Confirmations that people had the Iron spectator list open filled PlayerNet.
People kept refreshing the list, waiting for a match involving a South Korean Lv.20 Undisclosed participant to appear.
Whether they were singing their praises or still withholding judgment, everyone was equally curious about what kind of power Impossible One, who had existed only in public records, would show on an actual battlefield.
Everyone's attention focused on Impossible One's first Iron Rookie match.
* * *
Sang-hyeok opened the Rookie League participation window and checked the public settings first.
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Protective Appearance: Black Mask]
When he confirmed the settings, the Black Mask covered his face.
At the same time, the participation option that had been inactive lit up.
Sang-hyeok looked at the glowing participation option.
It was a stage he had only watched through spectator screens before the regression.
Now it was his turn to step onto it himself.
Sang-hyeok placed his hand on the participation option without hesitation.
'Participate.'
「Using Iron Rookie League Participation Pass.」
「Drawing the match type for the first match.」
Ding.
「Match type determined.」
[Match Type: 4 vs 4 Team Annihilation]
「Beginning individual participant team assembly.」
「Individual participants are assembled into impromptu teams with other individual participants from the same country.」
[South Korea / Impromptu Team]
[Current Members: 1/4]
Sang-hyeok's participation information filled the first slot.
Soon, new participants entered the three empty slots one after another.
[Current Members: 2/4]
[Current Members: 3/4]
[Current Members: 4/4]
「South Korea team assembly complete.」
「First match spectator channel is now open.」
The people who had been refreshing the spectator list discovered the newly opened channel.
The participant information displayed on the new channel was South Korea, Lv.20, Public Name: Undisclosed.
That information alone was not enough to confirm it was Impossible One.
Still, people entered one by one on the chance it might be, and the spectator count quickly rose.
Sang-hyeok watched the rapidly climbing number for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the participation window.
It did not matter who they had come expecting to see.
Once the match started, they would find out soon enough.
「Searching for first match opponent.」
A moment later.
Ding.
「Opponent team determined.」
[South Korea / Impromptu Team]
VS
[Japan / Fixed Team <True Dragon Society>]
[All Team Members: Lv.20]
[Sponsoring Faction: 16th Celestial Seat <True Dragon>]
The South Korean team Sang-hyeok belonged to was made up of four people who did not even know each other's abilities.
In contrast, the True Dragon Society was a Japanese fixed team that had already been working together.
Of all possible opponents, their first match was against Japan.
Japan was a powerhouse defending the upper ranks of the Eastern Channel, while South Korea had never escaped the bottom of the rankings.
When the two countries clashed, matches mostly ended in one-sided Japanese victories.
Japanese players brought up the gap between the two nations every time, and Korea could not even properly counterattack.
This time, the opponent was a rookie fixed team sponsored by the 16th Celestial Seat <True Dragon>.
It was a matchup where anyone would predict South Korea's defeat.
But Sang-hyeok smirked inside the Black Mask.
'Perfect.'
Sang-hyeok was not the least bit tense.
Just because a Celestial Seat sponsored them did not mean the Celestial Seat themselves was fighting.
To Sang-hyeok, who possessed the <Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon>, the True Dragon Society was ultimately just four Lv.20 players.