China (1)
Just moments ago — the instant Hajun had been swallowed whole by Atlantis.
"Ah...!"
Lee Joo-won trembled violently, his face frozen in shock.
What was this? Everything had been going so well — why had it suddenly turned into a catastrophe? He couldn't make sense of the situation, but one thing was painfully certain.
This time too... we've failed.
Without Unknown, this raid team was nothing but a husk of a squad. He simply couldn't imagine them beating Atlantis on their own.
"Ah, we're done for."
"I think Unknown's the first Ascender ever to get swallowed by Atlantis."
"Honestly, I didn't even know Atlantis could swallow people until now."
Hollow voices drifted across the field. Every one of them had reached the same grim conclusion — the climb had failed.
"Ah... and I really thought this was going to be the time we—huh?"
The Ascenders, still muttering in despair, looked up at Atlantis. Something about the creature's aura had turned strange.
Grrrraaaaaaahhh!
It was unmistakably a scream — one filled to the brim with agony.
What the...?
Lee Joo-won's mind began to race.
Ah!
And then he saw it. Unknown's familiars — Dryas and Snikle — had not yet been un-summoned.
And that could only mean one thing.
Unknown was still alive!
You fool! Open your eyes!
Cursing his own short-sightedness, Lee Joo-won stared at Atlantis as a fragile ember of hope slowly rekindled in his chest.
Graaaaaaaaahhhhh!!
Grrah! Grraaah! Grraaaauk!
Atlantis thrashed harder and harder, its agonized screams swelling in proportion.
And then, at last—
Grr... Graaaaaauk!
The creature snapped its head rigidly toward the sky and froze solid, like stone.
And then, in the end—
Crack, cra-crack-crack-crack!
Countless hairline fractures spiderwebbed across its entire body.
CRAK, CRAAA-BOOOOM!!
Like a porcelain vase shattering, the creature's body burst apart and scattered in every direction.
KWAAAAAAAHHH!
From the spot where Atlantis had exploded, radiant motes of five-colored light gushed skyward like a fountain.
And with them rose a system message.
A historic achievement will be recorded in the Sky Tower.
The 4th Floor Special Boss, Atlantis, has been hunted for the first time in history!
"Ah...!"
Lee Joo-won clenched both fists and shuddered, his whole body trembling fine as a wire. He couldn't believe it. They had killed Atlantis. No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, it refused to make sense.
Was Unknown really a Level 30 Ascender? The thought made him want to see the man's status window with his own two eyes, just once.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"We broke through! No — he tore straight through it!!"
"God-Known, I believed in you! Uraaaaa!"
"F-Finally, I'm on the 4th floor too... *hic*... *sob*... *hic*."
Watching the fountain of five-colored light erupt skyward, the entire field dissolved into pure bedlam. Some screamed Unknown's name like a prayer, while others dropped to their knees and wept ugly, pathetic tears.
No one could keep their composure. In the end, Lee Joo-won lost it too and threw himself into the throng.
"UUURAAAAAA! GOD-KNOWN!! MY LORD! MY SUNSHINE! MY GOD!!"
Until the moment he was expelled from the 4th Floor Climb Exam, Lee Joo-won's voice rang out hot into the sky, tangled amid the roar of madness.
The moment that system message appeared before the Ascenders of the 4th Floor Climb Exam Area—
"What?"
"Huh?"
"......??"
It didn't take long for them to grasp what had happened.
"Th-that lunatic Unknown... cleared the 4th Floor Climb Exam?"
"No way! How long has the exam even been running?!"
The shocking news spread through the Ascender Community in real time.
The Ascender Community recorded all-time-record traffic. Posts about Unknown were pouring in by the dozens every second. That was how far beyond legendary his record was — the first of its kind in history.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA my 10,000 points turned into 10,670,000 points HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
1,000,000 points → 1,000,000,000 points. Thank you, O God-Known. By the grace of the divine, I may finally pass into the afterlife in peace today.
Those who had bet on Unknown's success hit the biggest points jackpot in history. The ranks of Unknown's followers began swelling at a staggering pace once again.
For an entire day, the Ascender Community burned with his name.
But it wasn't just the community.
"What? Unknown beat our record in the 4th Floor Climb Exam?"
James blinked and turned to Sophie.
"Yes, that's what they're saying. Apparently he killed Atlantis."
"What the..."
For a moment, James found himself speechless. Still — Atlantis? That monster, killed at Level 30?
"This is the man who drove off João, after all. Compared to him, Atlantis was really just a very large turtle."
"Ah... now that you put it that way, it does somehow make sense."
James nodded slowly, recalling the unfathomable abilities Unknown had displayed. He'd been at a loss for words only because it was something he'd never even imagined. But once he attached the name Unknown to it, the impossible flipped into the possible with unsettling ease. Was this the so-called Unknown Magic?
Regardless — remarkable. Genuinely remarkable.
The corners of James's mouth climbed higher.
Our record, you say? Frankly, he was grateful to have it broken. When an unbeatable enemy had left him sinking into a swamp of despair, Unknown had become the seed of hope in his heart. If it was Unknown — maybe that creature really could be faced.
So then.
Keep growing. Grow faster still.
Clicking his tongue at Unknown's climbing speed — faster than anyone had predicted — James was just about to hurry preparations to support Unknown on the 4th floor when—
"James, you need to see this."
Sophie held out her phone. The screen was crowded with articles, dozens deep.
"This is..."
James's eyes narrowed.
China. The country was churning out article after article of utter nonsense.
Zha Jin-feng. The current President and State Council Premier of China.
The articles flooding out of China all carried the same photograph: a masked Ascender in a traditional Hahoetal mask, receiving an award from Zha Jin-feng's hands.
In an instant, the mood collapsed. People were reeling from the "revelation" that Unknown was, in fact, Chinese.
The Chinese Embassy and the mainland had been running a relentless media campaign for ages, so more than a few people had already, subconsciously begun to wonder — maybe he really is Chinese? And then the killing blow: today's photograph of the masked Ascender receiving an award had slammed the door shut on the debate.
The atmosphere of worship that had surrounded Unknown mere moments ago turned into a funeral. Thick disappointment, a sense of betrayal, and hollow defeat filled every thread.
The skeptics multiplied at a blistering pace, and fights broke out across every corner of the community. The whole thing had descended into utter chaos — and the same was true inside the South Korean government, at the Blue House.
"M-Mr. President. China has filed a damages claim against Korea with the ICJ — the International Court of Justice."
"I beg your pardon?"
President Kang Dae-ro of the Republic of Korea furrowed his brow deeply at the Chief Secretary's words.
"On what grounds is China suing Korea for damages, exactly?"
"They claim that Unknown — or 'the Hahoetal Ascender,' as they call him — has repeatedly made clear that he belongs to their Ascenders, yet Korea has shown no response whatsoever and has instead stood by as though Unknown were a Korean Ascender. They allege that this has caused widespread misunderstanding and damage to their national prestige, resulting in massive intangible losses."
"And that is supposed to be anything short of absolute nonsense?"
The Chief Secretary had no reply. Even by his own judgment, this was transparent Chinese strong-arming. But geopolitics ran on the logic of power. If China pushed this pretext hard enough, Korea would inevitably be forced into concessions.
"What are they demanding?"
"They are arguing that Jeju Island was originally their territory, and that Korea must either return it or pay one thousand trillion won in damages."
"Those lunatics!"
Of course, they had no real intention of taking back Jeju Island or extracting a thousand trillion won. They would make an outrageous demand, then use the negotiation process to extract whatever it was they actually wanted.
But President Kang Dae-ro couldn't hold back the profanity. The Chief Secretary nodded, his face grim.
"Our past refusal to issue a formal position statement when the Chinese Embassy demanded one has become a serious vulnerability for us."
"This is outrageous. Truly. Are we certain that Unknown — that Ascender — is not Korean?"
"The photos circulating through Chinese media certainly do show a figure who appears to be Unknown receiving an award from President Zha Jin-feng. However, their authenticity has yet to be definitively..."
"Then if it has not been definitively proven, there is still hope. Contact the Five Great Clans immediately and send an official request for their cooperation in verifying whether Unknown really is not a Korean."
"Yes, Mr. President."
The Blue House sprang into frantic motion.
Unknown. Was he really not Korean — but Chinese?
Just as President Kang Dae-ro swept a hand across his face in frustration—
BRRRRRING!
The direct line in the President's office shrieked to life.
"This is President Kang Dae-ro. What is it?"
The caller was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Why would they be calling now of all times? Surely China wasn't pulling some other stunt?
The call he answered with a note of unease carried news he never could have expected.
"You're telling me Ascender James has requested a private meeting with me?"
The Ascender who stood as the voice of the United States government. James had made clear his intent to visit the South Korean Presidential Office in person.