Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Two battlefield options unfolded before Sang-hyeok's eyes, one after the other.
[Candidate 1]
[Battlefield: <Abandoned Forge>]
[Danger: Normal]
[Primary Rewards: Rare metals / Forge embers]
[Candidate 2]
[Battlefield: <Masterless Spirit Vein>]
[Danger: High]
[Primary Rewards: Spirit vein crystals / Mana recovery equipment materials]
Sang-hyeok examined the rewards of both candidates.
The rare metals and forge embers could be used for Ilseong's equipment research.
The spirit vein crystals were also materials needed to grow the <Spirit Vein Bracelet>.
Whichever he chose, the rewards would be immediately useful.
Then.
Click.
A small metallic sound rang out from inside his inventory.
The <Seal Key of the Demonic Dragon Treasury>, with its first seal released, was trembling faintly.
[The <Seal Key of the Demonic Dragon Treasury> has detected traces of an entrance.]
[An unregistered candidate has been added to the Irregular Battlefield list.]
Bzzt.
A third entry appeared beneath the two candidates.
[Unregistered Candidate]
[Battlefield: Unreadable]
[Danger: Pending]
[Primary Rewards: Pending]
[Status: Passage severed]
[Estimated restoration time: 72 hours]
As the third candidate appeared, the key's trembling intensified.
Sang-hyeok immediately took out the key and held it up.
Fwoosh!
Dark-red light spread from the key and illuminated the third entry.
The unreadable information rapidly changed.
[Unregistered Irregular Battlefield]
[Battlefield: <Threshold of the Demonic Dragon Treasury’s Outer Vault>]
[Area: The outermost storehouse of the Demonic Dragon Treasury]
[Stored items: Records / Materials / Sealing tools]
[Status: Passage severed]
[Estimated restoration time: 72 hours]
[Selecting the third candidate will restore the passage leading to the <Demonic Dragon Treasury>.]
[If selected, the remaining candidates will disappear.]
Sang-hyeok's gaze lingered on the newly revealed third candidate.
The rewards from the forge and the spirit vein were certainly tempting.
But with the <Demonic Dragon Treasury> right in front of him, he had no intention of choosing somewhere else.
"The third one."
[You have selected <Threshold of the Demonic Dragon Treasury’s Outer Vault>.]
[Using <Irregular Battlefield Selection Ticket> x1.]
[Tickets remaining: 0]
Rumble.
Dark-red light surged up from the floor of the settlement space.
Where the light receded, an enormous doorframe stood.
But inside the doorframe there was only pitch-black darkness.
The path to the Demonic Dragon Treasury had not yet opened.
[Restoring the passage leading to the Outer Vault of the Demonic Dragon Treasury.]
[Time remaining: 72:00:00]
[Time remaining: 71:59:59]
[You may enter Solo Climb and the Channel League while the passage is being restored.]
Sang-hyeok watched the countdown begin to tick down for a moment.
The passage would now restore itself on its own.
There was no reason to stop climbing or pause the Rookie League in the meantime.
Sang-hyeok put the key back into his inventory and used that day's league entry pass.
A moment later, the format of his second match was decided.
[Iron Rookie League Match 2]
[Match type: 4-vs-4 Team Survival]
Sang-hyeok was placed in an impromptu team with three individual participants from the same country.
Once team assignments were complete, the battlefield for this match was revealed.
[Battlefield: <Collapsing Sky Fortress>]
[Victory Condition]
- The team with more surviving members when the time limit expires wins.
The sky fortress collapsed in various places throughout the match.
It was a battlefield where the number of teammates left alive at the end decided victory or defeat.
「Transferring to the battlefield.」
* * *
Fwoosh!
When the light cleared, enormous stone slabs and shattered ramparts floated in the empty air.
The slab Sang-hyeok and his three teammates stood on was tilted sharply to one side.
Beyond its edge, a dizzying void stretched out.
Rumble!
The fortress shook, and chunks of stone broke away in every direction.
Sang-hyeok immediately gathered mana into his eyes.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.'
In his gray-washed vision, he could see at a glance which footholds would collapse first.
"Three steps to the left."
Sang-hyeok crossed to the left slab first.
At the sudden instruction, the three teammates hesitated to move.
"To the left, all of a sudden?"
"The spot you're standing on is about to collapse."
Crack!
No sooner had Sang-hyeok finished speaking than the slab beneath the three of them split apart.
"Hurry."
The three teammates scrambled to the left.
Rumble!
The moment they cleared the spot, the place where they had just been standing broke away entirely.
The three looked down at the slab vanishing into the void, then immediately stuck close to Sang-hyeok.
"Where next?"
"Follow me."
This time, no one asked why.
Sang-hyeok launched himself along the cracks revealed by the <Demonic Dragon’s Eye>.
He chose only the slabs that would collapse soon after the four of them crossed.
"Step only where I step."
The three teammates followed, stepping only where Sang-hyeok had stepped.
As the last teammate reached the other side, the slabs they had crossed began to crack.
One more step from anyone and they would collapse outright.
At that moment, the area where the opposing team stood also began to tilt sharply.
"Cross over that way!"
To them, the path the Korean team had just crossed looked like the safest route.
But only Sang-hyeok knew that the inner part of the slabs was already on the verge of collapse.
The instant the four opponents leaped on, one after another.
Crack!
The slab the lead player stepped on split clean in two.
The connected cracks spread in an instant, and the remaining footholds collapsed one after another.
Crunch!
The four, already halfway across the path, could neither turn back nor leap to another spot.
The entire opposing team plummeted into the dizzying void along with the collapsing slabs.
Fwoosh!
[The entire opposing team has been eliminated.]
[Ending the survival match.]
[South Korea survivors: 4/4]
[Opposing country survivors: 0/4]
「South Korea has won.」
[South Korea Channel League Season Score +3]
「The match MVP has been selected.」
[South Korea / Public Name Undisclosed]
[Iron Rookie individual record: 2 wins, 0 losses]
[Win streak: 2]
[MVP: 2 consecutive]
When the three teammates checked the final line of the settlement window, they turned to Sang-hyeok almost simultaneously.
"Two wins, no losses, and MVP twice in a row..."
One teammate, who had been studying the Black Mask closely, asked cautiously.
"I thought it couldn't be, but are you really Impossible One?"
Another teammate chimed in, as if finding it hard to believe.
"There are so many people wearing black masks to copy Impossible One these days, I figured this time wouldn't be the real one either..."
When Sang-hyeok gave a small nod, exclamations burst from the three of them.
"It really was Impossible One!"
"MVP in the annihilation match and now the survival match, back to back. We were really lucky to end up on the same team."
"It's thanks to you all following without hesitation."
"We just moved the way you told us to. If we hadn't, we'd have been eliminated the moment the first collapse happened."
After exchanging farewells with the three teammates, Sang-hyeok closed the settlement window.
He immediately checked the restoration time for the passage leading to the Demonic Dragon Treasury.
Because the match had ended so quickly, barely any time had ticked down.
He would still have to wait for the Outer Vault to open.
Sang-hyeok closed the restoration notice and left the settlement space.
* * *
That night.
News spread across PlayerNet that Impossible One had kept the entire Korean team alive in the survival match and claimed a second MVP.
[Korea/Lv.24] Set Three Alarms: MVP in the annihilation match and now the survival match too? What can't Impossible One do!
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup: Impossible One dropped the whole enemy team without even fighting. So Impossible One isn't just some brainless brute. Whoa.
With the second match also ending in victory, people's attention soon turned to the next Solo Climb.
[Impossible One <Flawless Climb> Tracking]
[Current Record: Solo Climb SSS 20 Consecutive]
[Next challenge: Floor 21]
[If SSS achieved: New all-time solo record]
[Floor 21 Solo Trial: <Beast King’s Legacy>]
[Hostile beasts: 117]
[Current SSS achievers: 0]
[Public best record]
[Record Holder: Second Seat <Limitless>]
[Beast deaths in the valley: 1]
[Conquest Rating: SS]
To earn an SSS on Floor 21, he had to transport the Beast King’s horn while keeping all 117 beasts from tearing each other apart alive.
Even Limitless had been unable to prevent a single beast from dying, ending his consecutive SSS streak.
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: Floor 21 requires keeping all 117 beasts that are biting each other alive. No wonder there are zero SSS achievers lol
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad: But Impossible One has a record of stopping an entire demonic-creature legion from fighting on Floor 15 and also made the Beast King surrender on Floor 20. Isn't there a chance?
[Korea/Lv.52] Only Watches Limitless Videos: A legion with a Command Stone or a single beast is different. This time it's 117 beasts of different types.
[Korea/Lv.30] Ordinary Man’s Calculator: Even Limitless couldn't pull off this record, so this time I really don't know.
A poll opened beneath the comments.
[Can Impossible One achieve SSS on Floor 21?]
[Yes: 49.6%]
[No: 50.4%]
Since even Limitless had failed the condition, the vote didn't tilt easily in either direction.
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: If Impossible One gets 21 in a row, I'll personally compile Impossible One's climb record.
[Korea/Lv.38] Bathroom Before the Boss Room: Screenshotted. No backing out later.
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: Do whatever you want. It's not going to happen anyway.
Now people's eyes turned to the Floor 21 record board.
However, Solo Climb attempts could not be watched in real time.
Only after the trial ended and the public record board updated would they know whether he had succeeded.
Even so, countless players kept the record board open, waiting for Impossible One's new record to appear.
* * *
The next day.
Fwoosh!
When the light cleared, Sang-hyeok stood at the entrance to a valley carved between high cliffs.
On the black altar directly in front of him lay a horn as thick as a man's forearm.
On the opposite side of the valley, he could see the succession altar where the horn had to be carried.
Clank.
Beyond seven iron gates embedded in the cliffs on both sides, red eyes flashed.
Grrrr.
Krrrk.
The cries of starving beasts filled the valley.
「You have entered Solo Climb Floor 21.」
「The Floor 21 trial begins.」
[Trial: <Beast King’s Legacy>]
[Basic Objective]
- Transport the <Sealed Beast King’s Horn> to the succession altar.
[Hostile beasts: 117]
[Beast levels: Lv.19~23]
[Evaluation Criteria]
- Beast King’s horn damage
- Number of hits taken by the player
- Clear time
- Beast deaths in the valley
Soon, a hidden objective surfaced through the <Flawless Climb> cumulative bonus.
[A hidden objective has been revealed.]
[Subdue all 117 beasts in the valley without killing a single one.]
The difficult part of this trial wasn't the strength of the beasts.
To earn an SSS, he couldn't allow even one beast to die.
To achieve the hidden objective as well, he had to break the fighting spirit of all 117.
Sang-hyeok thought of the <Authority Enhancement Ticket> he still hadn't used.
He hadn't decided which Authority to use it on.
In this trial, he could confirm how many beasts the newly acquired <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance> worked on, and how strong an opponent could withstand it.
After seeing those results, it wouldn't be too late to decide which Authority to enhance.
Sang-hyeok picked up the black horn from the altar.
Hummm!
Red light flashed from inside the horn.
The cries coming from beyond the iron gates fell silent all at once.
Boom!
The seven iron gates rose simultaneously.
Over a hundred beasts burst through the open gates and charged into the valley.
In an instant, the dirt floor shook and clouds of dust shot up in every direction.
Fanged wolves and iron-armored boars.
Red-scaled lizards and black-hoofed mountain goats.
They were all different in type and size, but every one of them stared at the same thing.
The Beast King’s horn in Sang-hyeok's left hand.
Graaah!
The fanged wolf that had burst out first lunged at Sang-hyeok.
At that moment, the iron-armored boar running alongside rammed the wolf in the side.
Thwack!
The boar shoved the wolf aside and charged straight at Sang-hyeok.
Meanwhile, the red lizard pounced on the wolf that had tumbled to the ground, going for its throat.
The beasts shoved and bit each other, each trying to claim the horn first.
If left alone, some beast would die before it even reached Sang-hyeok.
Just as the lizard's teeth were about to sink into the wolf's neck.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat powerfully.
'<Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>.'
[Using the Authority <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>.]
Dark-red mana erupted from Sang-hyeok and pressed down on the entire valley.
It was different from when he had forcibly drawn out an incomplete Dominance on Floor 20.
Now, without wringing out his mana, the stature of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon reached the far end of the valley.
Even the lizard about to bite the wolf's neck froze with its jaws open.
The iron-armored boar charging at Sang-hyeok stopped right in front of him, trembling all over.
The surrounding beasts also lowered their bodies, trying to endure the <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>.
Crunch.
Claws and hooves dug deep into the dirt floor.
But they couldn't hold out for long.
The fanged wolf was the first to press its belly to the ground.
The iron-armored boar and the black mountain goat soon followed, lying flat.
The ones charging from behind also lost speed one by one.
Even the beasts farthest away stopped in their tracks and lowered their bodies.
Thump.
Boom!
Each time a large beast lay down, the dirt floor shook.
Bristling fur settled, and open jaws closed one by one.
In the eyes of the beasts that had been trying to kill each other moments before, only fear remained.
Not a single beast had died.
The horn in Sang-hyeok's hand hadn't taken so much as a scratch.
But it wasn't over yet.
Grrrr.
Among the prostrate beasts, only three leaders kept their heads raised, glaring at Sang-hyeok.
[Iron-Armored Mane Bear]
[Lv.23]
[Red-Eyed Saber Tiger]
[Lv.23]
[Twin-Headed Venom Serpent]
[Lv.23]
Red mana rose from the bodies of the three leaders.
Though their bodies trembled under the Dominance, not one of them lowered its head.
The <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>, now a proper Authority, had subdued 114 beasts at once, but it couldn't break the three higher-level leaders in a single blow.
The Iron-Armored Mane Bear slammed the ground with its front paw.
The Red-Eyed Saber Tiger bared its fangs and lowered its body.
Dark-red poisonous vapor seeped from both mouths of the Twin-Headed Venom Serpent.
All three still had their eyes fixed on the horn in Sang-hyeok's hand.
Sang-hyeok couldn't withdraw the Dominance.
If he did, the 114 prostrate beasts would rampage again.
But if he killed the three leaders, the hidden objective would fail.
He had to keep the 114 pinned down with Dominance and personally subdue the remaining three.
Sang-hyeok moved his left hand behind his back to conceal the horn and extended his right hand forward.
Whoooosh!
Black energy from <Erasure> bloomed around his right hand.
'Subdue them without killing.'
At that moment.
The three leaders lunged at Sang-hyeok simultaneously.