Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Swoosh!
The Twin-Headed Venom Serpent's two heads shot in from left and right.
One aimed for Sang-hyeok's neck, the other for the horn hidden behind his back.
Sang-hyeok twisted his body, pulling his left shoulder back.
The head going for the horn bit empty air.
Sang-hyeok kicked away the head lunging from the other side with his right foot.
Crunch!
The creature's jaws slammed shut as its head snapped to the side.
The head that had bitten air immediately changed direction and struck down at Sang-hyeok's neck from above.
Sang-hyeok thrust his right hand into the creature's mouth.
His fingers grazed the sharply jutting fangs.
'<Erasure>.'
Hsssss!
Both fangs crumbled from the root into black sand and scattered.
The poisonous vapor gathering in its mouth lost its force and dispersed as well.
Sang-hyeok pulled his right hand free and drove his right foot down on the neck of the head he had kicked.
Boom!
The kicked head slammed into the ground.
The head that had lost its fangs reared back, shrieking.
The very next moment.
Graaah!
The Red-Eyed Saber Tiger leaped over the Venom Serpent's body.
Its fully extended forepaw aimed for Sang-hyeok's chest.
Sang-hyeok lifted his foot off the Venom Serpent's neck and caught the incoming foreleg.
Thud!
The razor-sharp claws stopped just short of his chest.
Sang-hyeok pulled the caught foreleg to the side and twisted his hips.
Unable to overcome its own momentum, the Saber Tiger flipped over beside him.
Whoosh!
The massive body spun once through the air.
Crash!
Dust burst high into the air.
The Saber Tiger lay slammed into the ground, its chest heaving.
It was not dead.
At that moment.
Rumble!
The Iron-Armored Mane Bear charged in with its head lowered, stopping right in front of him.
Its black mane bristled like iron plates.
Sang-hyeok did not dodge.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat.
Dark-red mana spread through both legs and his right arm.
Sang-hyeok caught the Mane Bear's forehead with his right hand.
Craaash!
The ground beneath Sang-hyeok's feet caved in.
Dust exploded outward in every direction.
Sang-hyeok's body did not move.
"Grruh?"
The Iron-Armored Mane Bear's eyes flew wide.
As the beast put more strength into its forelegs, red mana surged up between the iron plates covering its back.
Crrrack!
The ground split again beneath Sang-hyeok's feet.
That was the extent of the beast's resistance.
Sang-hyeok pressed down on the Mane Bear's forehead and took one step forward.
Thump.
The Mane Bear braced with its forelegs, but it was useless.
Long claw marks were left behind where the massive body was pushed back.
Sang-hyeok put more strength into his right arm.
Boom!
The Iron-Armored Mane Bear's right foreleg buckled, and its enormous body tilted to one side.
"Graaah!"
The Mane Bear tried to raise its head, but Sang-hyeok's right arm did not yield an inch.
Behind him, the Red-Eyed Saber Tiger staggered to its feet, and the Twin-Headed Venom Serpent raised both heads again.
Despite movements that looked ready to attack, the mana surrounding the three beasts flickered several times before finally going out.
They had used up all their remaining mana just to struggle back to their feet, but having already been beaten down once by Sang-hyeok, they could not hold out long.
Thump!
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat again.
Sang-hyeok spread <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance> even more strongly.
The 114 beasts lying prone pressed their bodies lower.
The Red-Eyed Saber Tiger's forelegs slowly bent as well.
The Twin-Headed Venom Serpent's two heads also lowered toward the ground.
Sang-hyeok spoke, still pressing down on the Iron-Armored Mane Bear's forehead.
"Down."
Boom!
Even the Mane Bear's remaining foreleg buckled and touched the ground.
Its head dropped, and its black mane swept across the dirt.
The Red-Eyed Saber Tiger dug in with its claws and resisted.
Scrrrape.
Its claws only scratched long marks across the ground; it could not raise its body again.
In the end, the Saber Tiger pressed its belly to the ground and lowered its head.
Last was the Twin-Headed Venom Serpent.
It too resisted, raising its two heads in turn, but only for a moment.
Thump.
In the end, both of its heads touched the ground at the same time.
[Three resisting beasts have lost their will to fight.]
[The Iron-Armored Mane Bear submits.]
[The Red-Eyed Saber Tiger submits.]
[The Twin-Headed Venom Serpent submits.]
[Beasts subdued by <Demonic Dragon’s Dominance>: 117/117]
[Current beast deaths: 0]
The valley fell silent.
Sang-hyeok took his hand off the Iron-Armored Mane Bear's forehead.
The Mane Bear could not lift its head.
Sang-hyeok walked toward the succession altar.
The Fanged Wolf blocking his path dragged its belly and moved aside, and the Iron-Armored Boar and Red Lizard also lowered their bodies and cleared the way.
Whenever Sang-hyeok approached, the beasts parted to the left and right.
A path opened through the center of the valley.
Holding the horn, Sang-hyeok walked among the 117 beasts with lowered heads.
Countless eyes followed him, but not one of them could raise its body.
The altar on the far side of the valley drew near.
A horn-shaped groove was carved into its top.
When Sang-hyeok set the horn down.
Click.
The <Sealed Beast King’s Horn> locked into the altar.
Hummm!
Red light burst from inside the horn.
The light spread along the altar and then lit up the entire valley.
The prone beasts never raised their heads to the end.
「Basic objective achieved.」
「Transport of the <Sealed Beast King’s Horn> complete.」
「Hidden objective achieved.」
「All 117 beasts in the valley survived.」
[Beast King’s Horn damage: 0%]
[Player hits taken: 0]
[Beast deaths within the valley: 0]
[Clear time: 02:06]
「Floor 21 trial complete.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
New notifications followed immediately.
「First-ever SSS achieved on Floor 21.」
「A new special clear record has been registered.」
[Special clear record: <Submission of the Beasts>]
[All 117 beasts survived]
[All 117 beasts submitted]
[First Achievement]
「The achievements of the first-ever Floor 21 SSS and the special clear record will be credited to your affiliated nation.」
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +3,000]
A small flame broke away from the horn atop the altar.
The flame solidified before Sang-hyeok's eyes into a black fragment the size of a thumbnail.
「Hidden-objective exclusive reward granted.」
[Acquired <Beast King’s Horn Fragment>.]
[Category: Beast growth material]
[Effect: Aids the recovery and growth of a growing beast.]
'A beast growth material, huh.'
It looked like an incredibly valuable material for summoners who called beasts, but Sang-hyeok had no immediate use for it.
Sang-hyeok put the fragment into his inventory.
[Hidden objectives accumulated: 6]
「Hidden objective assembly reward granted.」
[Acquired 1 <Equipment Draw Ticket Fragment>.]
[Current Assembly Progress: 3/3]
Flash!
The three fragments stored in his inventory lit up at once.
The fragments merged into a single palm-sized ticket.
「Assembly conditions met.」
「<Equipment Draw Ticket> completed.」
[<Equipment Draw Ticket>]
[When used, select one equipment category to acquire 1 random piece of equipment from that category.]
'The Equipment Draw Ticket is complete too.'
The ticket fragments had come together faster than expected.
Still, Sang-hyeok did not use the ticket right away.
It was better to check what equipment remained in the Outer Vault first.
Then he could pick a category that did not overlap with what he got there.
'I'll use it after visiting the Outer Vault.'
Sang-hyeok put the ticket into his inventory.
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.21 → Lv.22]
As his level rose, the mana he had spent fighting the three leaders recovered quickly.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Demonic Dragon beat again.
At that, the prone beasts trembled and lowered their heads even deeper.
Then the notification he had been waiting for appeared.
「Special cumulative record <Flawless Climb> updated.」
[Solo Climb SSS Rating: 21 Consecutive]
[Previous public best record]
[Second Seat <Limitless>: 20 Consecutive]
[New public best record]
[Republic of Korea / Public Name Undisclosed: 21 Consecutive]
「All-time best record updated.」
「You have risen to sole 1st place all-time in <Flawless Climb>.」
An unfamiliar window opened over the existing notifications.
「All-time best record update reward granted.」
[New record privilege: <Footsteps into the Uncharted>]
[Effect]
- Each time you update the all-time best record for <Flawless Climb> with a Solo Climb SSS, 1 footprint is accumulated.
- Collect 10 footprints to open an <Uncharted Battlefield> that no one has ever entered.
[Caution]
- If you receive a rating below SSS even once in a Solo Climb, all accumulated <Footsteps into the Uncharted> will be lost.
- You will also permanently lose the qualification to acquire <Footsteps into the Uncharted> thereafter.
[Current Footsteps into the Uncharted: 1/10]
Nine more floors.
If he finished Floors 22 through 30 all with SSS, a battlefield no one had ever set foot on would open.
'Hmm.'
From here on, it was a path no one had ever walked.
Sang-hyeok's gaze lingered on the number 1/10.
'Let's clear them all with SSS.'
What was waiting at the end of it?
He was already starting to wonder.
* * *
The top line of the Floor 21 public record board changed.
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
[Beast deaths out of 117: 0]
[All 117 beasts submitted]
[Solo Climb SSS: 21 Consecutive]
[Sole 1st place all-time in <Flawless Climb>]
[South Korea / Public Name Undisclosed]
The moment that record appeared, the PlayerNet comments that had been pouring in paused for a moment.
The people who had kept the record board open and were waiting checked the numbers 21 and 117 back and forth.
[Korea/Lv.31] Refreshing the Record Board: It's up. 21 consecutive SSS.
[Korea/Lv.31] Refreshing the Record Board: No wait. Zero deaths and all of them submitted?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup: Wow... not a single death, and every single one submitted? Whoa... Impossible One really is built different.
[Korea/Lv.30] Ordinary Man’s Calculator: Gasp... I never calculated for full submission. This ordinary man's calculator has failed its prediction again. I'm going to throw my calculator away...!
Starting with those few lines, comments poured out all at once.
The final result also appeared in the poll window that had opened ahead of the Floor 21 challenge.
[Can Impossible One achieve SSS on Floor 21?]
[Yes: 49.6% - Correct]
[No: 50.4% - Incorrect]
[Korea/Lv.38] Bathroom Before the Boss Room: Where did that 50.4 percent go? Record Preservation Society, get out here. I have screenshots.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad: You definitely said you'd handle it yourself if 21 consecutive happened, right?
The Limitless Record Preservation Society did not answer for a while.
A moment later, a new post went up at the top of PlayerNet.
[Impossible One <Flawless Climb> Record Preservation]
[Current Record: Solo Climb SSS 21 Consecutive]
[Previous public best record: Second Seat <Limitless> 20 consecutive times]
[All-time ranking: Sole 1st place]
[Next record: 22 times]
[Author: Limitless Record Preservation Society]
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: Made a new post. Happy now?
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: I promised, so I'll be organizing Impossible One's records from now on too.
[Korea/Lv.47] Limitless Record Preservation Society: Honestly, it stings, but even Limitless couldn't make all 117 beasts kneel without killing them. This record goes to Impossible One.
The very person who had used Limitless's record to insist Sang-hyeok would fail had personally created the new record board.
[Korea/Lv.52] Only Watches Limitless Videos: I said it couldn't be done either. But Impossible One really did break Limitless's record.
[Korea/Lv.52] Only Watches Limitless Videos: Now I've got nothing to say if someone claims Impossible One is above Limitless when it comes to tower climbing.
[Korea/Lv.31] Refreshing the Record Board: The fight over whether Impossible One catches up to Limitless ends today too. Next is 22 consecutive?
Even the people who had scoffed at the very idea of putting Sang-hyeok on the same level as Limitless now admitted that he had surpassed Limitless's record.
The Republic of Korea's national status updated immediately as well.
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +3,000]
[South Korea’s Projected Deficit Points for This Quarter: 0]
[Excess Contribution Beyond Stability Requirement: +4,000]
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup: Wow, I'm actually seeing the day our country fills its entire deficit and still has points left over.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Protection Squad: Impossible One filled it all alone and stacked 4,000 more points on top? Does that even make sense.
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow: Last quarter we were counting how many rifts would open T_T I can't believe a day like this finally came.
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic: All hail Impossible One T_T Thank you for saving the Republic of Korea T_T
[Korea/Lv.55] Cheongwol: I don't know your face or your name, but truly, thank you. May no one die to a rift this quarter.
[Korea/Lv.51] Gangnam Iron Fist: The Association needs to find Impossible One first and protect them. That person is saving the country alone right now.
The chat window was instantly buried in posts calling for Impossible One.
Korea had borne rifts and casualties equal to its achievement point deficit every quarter.
Now, for the first time, that country had filled its stability requirement and still had points left over.
To the people of Korea, Impossible One was no longer an unidentified rookie.
Impossible One was the savior who would hold back this quarter's rifts.
* * *
Sixteenth Seat <True Dragon>.
Amane Ren stared at a single line on the public record board for a long time.
[Special clear record: <Submission of the Beasts>]
[Beast deaths: 0/117]
[All 117 beasts submitted]
The anonymous Korean player who had handed the True Dragon Society its first defeat.
This time, Impossible One had subdued every beast on Floor 21 without killing a single one.
Amane immediately used a personal challenge ticket.
It was to re-enter Floor 21, which she had cleared long ago.
[Starting repeat clear of personal Floor 21.]
[Experience and National Achievement Points cannot be obtained in repeat clears.]
As her vision shifted, the beasts filling the valley raised their heads all at once.
Including the three leaders, there were 117 in total.
Amane had yet to use the Authority of <True Dragon>.
First, she released a portion of the mana accumulated in her body.
The mana of a Celestial Seat who had reached Lv.84 blanketed the valley.
Rumble!
The beasts were slammed into the ground.
Unable even to straighten their legs, they clawed at the floor.
Even so, they bared their fangs and growled low.
"Hmph. Even then, you won't lower your heads."
Amane's eyes narrowed.
The beasts could not even stand under the weight of her mana.
And yet the hostility did not leave their eyes.
When she withdrew her mana, the beasts staggered back to their feet.
The Twin-Headed Venom Serpent at the very front glared at Amane with both heads and bared its fangs.
After seeing that, Amane invoked the Authority of <True Dragon>.
Rumble!!!
The dominance of the dragon blood imbued in the Throne spread through the valley.
At that, the beasts that had been baring their fangs trembled and one by one withdrew their hostility.
Soon, all of them lowered their heads on their own.
It was perfect submission.
Amane lifted her chin slightly.
"Yes. That is the proper posture for a beast before me."
The reason Amane could produce such a result was clear.
She had the Sixteenth Seat and the Authority of <True Dragon>.
But Impossible One was Lv.21.
Impossible One obviously had no Celestial Seat Authority, yet had subdued not only same-level beasts but even the Lv.23 leaders.
That meant Impossible One also possessed a certain stature before which beasts instinctively lowered their heads.
Whether that standing came from a Trait, from a bloodline, or from some other power was still unknown.
But there was one thing that bothered her.
When the Black Mask had touched Tokyo Golden Dragon’s mark, the power of True Dragon had clearly reacted to the Black Mask.
"A dragon-lineage power, then."
She could not be certain yet.
But there was more than one suspicious point to dismiss as coincidence.
"Hmm. For a mere Iron, you've caught my eye. Not bad."
Looking down at the 117 beasts with lowered heads, Amane raised the corner of her mouth slightly.
"Impossible One. Just what kind of power are you carrying?"