Chapter 190
Chapter 190
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: The Giant Sandworms
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Thud, thud.
A man was walking across the desert terrain.
His face was so exhausted that not even a trace of emotion could be found.
Whoosh.
The pouring sunlight had dried him out completely.
He looked like he could collapse at any moment without it being strange at all.
This place was.
-49th floor.
It was the 49th floor of Babel.
The notification sound, which came every time he started to forget, seemed to remind him where he stood.
-49th floor.
The moment his lifeless eyes regained their spark at the voice embedding itself directly into his mind, transcending language.
Puffffffff.
Noise came from all around.
Pshhhhhhh!
It was as if darkness had suddenly descended upon the scorching world.
“Cool…”
The man unwittingly let out a voice of admiration at the newly formed shade.
But.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The sight of thousands of teeth rotating like saw blades—those saws.
Rooooar!
Began charging toward him all at once, as if to swallow him whole.
Giant Sandworms—their size was immense enough to disregard something like a mountain troll, and their regenerative power and strength rivaled that of mythical beasts.
They had yet to reveal themselves to the world even once, but by past standards.
'SS-rank.'
Absolute monsters capable of sinking nations just by their existence.
Their primary prey was the desert itself.
Even in the desert kingdom of Trabania, they were revered as guardian deities.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The three Giant Sandworms seemed capable of destroying anything without exception.
Boom!
Finally, the Giant Sandworms swallowed the man and vanished deep into the desert.
Srrrrk.
The desert filled the hole as if no man had ever stood there, returning to utter silence.
It looked just like the world wrapped in stillness once more—until.
Boom!
The desert exploded again.
“…Hoo.”
It was the man who had been walking through the desert.
In one hand, he gripped a sword crudely fashioned from a drake's tooth.
His entire body appeared soaked in the sandworm's digestive juices.
“Hoo…”
The man muttered something as he gazed down at the desert from high in the sky.
Bubble bubble.
From the boiling desert, the corpse of a Giant Sandworm emerged.
“Hooo…”
The man kept exhaling like heavy breaths, then steadied his falling form.
It looked sloppy, but it was a stance so solid it was hard to pierce.
And.
Pshhhhhhh!
As another Giant Sandworm burst forth and thrust its maw toward him.
Clang clang clang!
Sparks began to fly.
“Saint…”
There was a reason the desert kingdom of Trabania revered Giant Sandworms as guardian deities.
The incident where a Giant Sandworm, deep in long hibernation, awoke during the desert kingdom's coming-of-age rite.
And that day.
“…Hoo…”
The royal castle of the desert kingdom was chewed up.
Literally, shaped like the maw of a Giant Sandworm.
Later, they had recovered one specimen that died in battle with other sandworms.
-Their teeth have a hardness comparable to adamantite!
The people had shouted that its teeth rivaled the legendary metal adamantite in strength.
Clang clang clang!
It wasn't because of the drake's tooth that he withstood the clash with such Giant Sandworm teeth.
It was the man's mana and his ability to wield it.
A stance learned through real combat, though sloppy, and the distribution of his power.
And.
Shrrrrk!
His ability.
The drake's tooth in the man's hand suddenly extended like a whip.
“Saint…”
And then.
Crunch crunch crunch!
It hardened in that state, transforming into a greatsword several times his own height.
Slash!
The sandworm's head, gaping toward the man, split in half.
Another sandworm charged at the falling man behind it.
Slash!
But that battle's end was the same.
Three Giant Sandworms—if this were the desert kingdom of Trabania, he might have become a sinner for slaying the guardian deities, or perhaps donned a crown as a new guardian surpassing them.
The man.
“Saint…”
Park Dong-wook stepped onto the ground and uttered the name he had been muttering once more.
-49th floor.
His eyes sparked with life again.
He couldn't properly remember how much time had passed or how grueling it had been.
Before he knew it, his mind was filled with just one name.
“Park Sung-hoo. My son.”
Just his son's name.
He advanced for that.
-Would you like to enter the 50th floor?
At the familiar voice he had heard so many times, Park Dong-wook nodded mechanically.
*
*
*
“The Association Chairman's group probably arrived first, right?”
Go Minji looked like a desert warrior woman.
Thick leather covered her body to block the sunlight, and even her head was wrapped in a hood woven from desert silkworm threads to keep out the sand.
Go Woojin, standing beside her, was the same.
“The Association Chairman?”
“Choi Chang-su.”
Only then did Go Woojin nod.
“Yeah, probably.”
The new Korea's Association Chairman, Choi Chang-su.
It was something they had already figured out—that he had long been Go Yohan's confidant.
And those who teamed up with him.
“They're the real wild cards. Where did they even come from?”
“You didn't know? They're famous rankers from way back.”
“Huh?”
Go Woojin said.
“Iron Sword Park Do-young, ranking 31. Starlight Shin Sol-hye, ranking 28…”
The words from Go Woojin's mouth.
“Black Crown's Kang In was a famous ranker once too. No Choi Chang-su back then, so it must've been someone else.”
“…? Really?”
The age gap between Go Woojin and Go Minji.
Their player experience.
That difference played a part.
“It must be true. Dad said so.”
It was also thanks to the current Saint's abilities, Go Jaehan.
Even though their appearances, abilities, and identities had all changed, Go Jaehan had seen through it.
“They were rankers back then?”
“Yeah, they retired due to illness.”
“Oh.”
Go Minji let out an exclamation as if understanding.
“Go Yohan, that bastard… So that's how it is?”
Anyway.
“The point isn't that they were rankers. It's that they looked the strongest among us and probably reached the 50th floor first.”
Go Woojin nodded at Go Minji's words.
Standing together, they could instinctively sense it from the Mage Tower group.
'They're different.'
They had gone through slaughterhouses too, but this was something entirely else.
“Goldian is strong, but without items, the sanctuary side has the edge.”
Go Minji said.
“But that lone guy bothers me.”
Park Dong-wook, was it?
Go Woojin shook his head at Go Minji, who seemed lost in thought.
“What does it matter who they are?”
“Huh?”
“This isn't a competition. Whether we're late or not, nothing changes.”
He focused solely on arriving.
“You must've felt it coming here—Yohan just wants people who have the strength and will to reach the 50th floor. The order doesn't matter.”
“Oppa, are you really an idiot?”
Go Minji pulled down the hood covering her face, looking exasperated.
They had already reached the end of the 49th floor, so the sandstorm had stopped.
“New players, new environment, right? You've never played games, have you, oppa?”
“Huh?”
“No matter what, first place gets special privileges, and top ranks get rewards. You know the player system had that too—why don't you know?”
“…….”
“Babel's voice—that announcer, Yusewa or whatever? It's similar to the system but different. This part's for sure.”
Go Minji suddenly took a stance and said.
“There are definitely first-clear bonuses. Otherwise, I would've taken it easy.”
“R-Really?”
“I'm going first. From what I see, sanctuary and us are about even. Gotta get at least second.”
And.
Bang!
With a sonic boom, Go Minji shot forward.
“Hah.”
Go Woojin shook his head again, stunned by her incredible speed and the gust it kicked up.
“She's been so busy, yet when did she even play games?”
And.
“…I think I heard about it.”
The system's first-clear bonuses—he definitely remembered learning about them while studying.
That they existed, boasting immense power, and were the driving force behind the legendary old-generation players.
But Go Minji's tone was like.
'Has she experienced it herself?'
As if she had gone through those bonuses personally.
Well, that was Go Minji for you.
“Man, what amazing siblings.”
Muttering that, Go Woojin began to move.
Truth be told, he had also expected first-clear bonuses to exist.
But.
'I'm not the type to take the lead.'
He intended to yield them to others.
It was a realization he gained climbing Babel while spending this much time with Go Minji for the first time in his life.
“Yohan. If you're watching, I hope whatever you give me can go to Minji instead.”
Go Woojin's voice.
“You know it too, but Minji already.”
The reason he could send Go Minji ahead first and stay relaxed now.
“Has surpassed what she already had by leaps and bounds.”
Outside, she wasn't ignored but called heaven itself.
The time spent here, climbing to the 49th floor—she had shattered her limits long ago.
He was certain of it.
'If Minji leaves Babel.'
She could now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the players called legends.
She who had strived harder than anyone to grow stronger deserved that reward.
“No matter how much I'm yielding, I can't dawdle too much.”
Go Woojin now hurried after the vanished Go Minji.
'50th floor.'
And he noticed his own heart pounding.
The early floors were truly hellish, but from the mid-floors, it got decent.
As enemies grew stronger, so did they—reminiscent of their early player days.
And what awaited on the final 50th floor? How much stronger would they become after?
Thump.
His heart raced.
Finally.
-You have entered the 50th floor.
Go Woojin opened his eyes at the voice.
“……!”
He was stunned.