Proof of Courage (1)
As every media outlet clamored about the Steel Skin Potion and Hajun, his name began to be mentioned nonstop on the Ascender Community as well.
As the fact that Hajun had succeeded where even Hermagnon had failed was thrust back into the spotlight, his name burned hot all over again.
And then, his name began to rise and fall on the Divine Rookie list.
The interesting thing was that not a single non-combat-type Ascender had ever appeared on that list before. The Divine Rookie list — dominated by combat types, with Unknown holding down the overwhelming number-one spot — could only accommodate a non-combat type like Hajun for one reason: alchemy was, evidently, a non-combat discipline respected enough to break the mold.
There were many reasons alchemy earned such recognition, but one of the biggest was simple: alchemists made the most money.
Posts analyzing exactly how much money Hajun stood to earn from the Steel Skin Potion began flooding in, and to everyone's surprise, those posts became even bigger news. The story of Hajun spread faster and faster, gathering momentum with every hour.
Hajun's name was spreading overseas too. At an astonishing pace. It was only natural, then, that within South Korea there was nowhere left where his name hadn't reached.
Among those swept up in it were people who already had ties to Hajun.
"Whoa, when I heard the name Kim Hajun I thought, no way — he's from our department?"
"This is insane. When did this oppa get this big?"
"Wow, Hajun-hyung's unreal. Apparently all five Great Clans are showing up at his door with stacks of cash, trying to sign him."
"Unbelievable... I'm so jealous."
"Is anyone here still in touch with Hajun-oppa, by any chance?"
"Last time I talked to him was three years ago."
"Same here, I think."
"Ugh, I should've stayed closer to him back in the day."
"Let's set up an alumni reunion and invite him next time! We've got to see his face again!"
It started with his old university classmates, then spread to his high school friends, the neighbors from his old neighborhood, even relatives back in his hometown.
And given how things were going, the news could hardly fail to reach Lee Yeon-hee, Hajun's ex-girlfriend.
"M-my goodness. He's rising as a supernova rookie......?"
Lee Yeon-hee's hands trembled as she stared at the article about Hajun on her phone screen.
"Babe, what is it?"
Kim Min-sung, her boyfriend, leaned over to look at the article about Hajun.
"Wait, isn't that the neighborhood oppa you knew back then?"
"Yeah."
"Hold on, he was an alchemist?"
Kim Min-sung's eyes went wide.
"Oh — then was that thing back then just gear-carried?"
The power that had crushed a Level 40 boss in one blow. Knowing nothing about Hajun's true strength, gear-carried was the most reasonable conclusion Min-sung could reach.
"Gear-carried?"
"Yeah. If he had items that could put out that kind of firepower... wow, come to think of it, the gear he was wearing back then wasn't exactly ordinary."
"What? What do you mean, not ordinary?"
At Min-sung's words, Yeon-hee's voice sharpened a few degrees.
"Why are you getting all worked up?"
"N-no, you're the one who made me curious."
"I was going to tell you anyway. Gear like that requires approval from at least a main-roster member of one of the five Great Clans' first teams before it can even leave the vault. Though I guess this guy might have bought it himself with alchemy money."
Yeon-hee mentally ran the numbers on that price tag. It was a sum so vast it made her head swim.
"S-so that oppa's market value is really that high...? Main-roster level for a Great Clan...?"
"Yeah. Kid was going places, huh."
"......"
Yeon-hee chewed on her lower lip at those words.
"Babe?"
"...Oppa."
"Hm?"
"Is the first team completely out of reach for you now?"
"I'm satisfied with where I am. Besides, I was never first-team material in the first place... What, are you saying you wish I were?"
"Wouldn't it be nice if you were?"
"Nice, sure. But I don't have the ability."
"......"
Yeon-hee's expression soured rapidly. Even Min-sung could feel the mood turning ugly by now.
"Babe, what's with the face?"
"...What face."
"It's frozen solid right now."
"Haah."
"Haah? Did you just sigh at me?"
"What? Why are you picking a fight out of nowhere?"
"Who's picking a fight?"
Their relationship, already souring for a while now, saw the seeds of that discord take root and swell all the wider that day. Just how far those seeds would grow, no one could yet say.
While the whole world burned with talk of Hajun, the fanatical Unknown devotees known as the Unsullam were waiting anxiously for news of their idol's next move.
The Square of Courage.
This was where Ascenders took the Proof of Courage, the trial that granted a Floor 4 Ascender their initial skill.
The terrain housing the Square of Courage was a vast expanse of scattered rock beneath sheer, sheer cliffs — and it held one peculiar distinction. The appearances of the Ascenders who had made the Hall of Fame Top 10 were carved into the rock as statues, enshrining their glory for all to see.
The number-one holder of this trial, the Proof of Courage, was China's Seven Ascender, Li Shang. Since statue size scaled with rank, Li Shang's face had been carved the largest of them all — and Unknown's fans were hoping he would claim the top spot this time too, replacing that statue once and for all.
And then.
At that moment, one individual appeared and posted a thread that trampled all of the Unknown faithful's hopes into the dirt.
After a long, meticulous analysis of Unknown's patterns, I, ProfessorHa, have concluded that achieving 1st place in this Proof of Courage will be difficult.
Why, you ask? Listen carefully. Explanation incoming.
1. Unknown has always charged straight into the trial the moment he arrived on a new floor. That's not all — same with the Ascension Exams. This man's charm is that he never hesitates. Straight in, full heat, no brakes.
2. Which means, normally, he should have taken the Proof of Courage the instant he set foot on Floor 4.
3. But days have passed. Total silence.
4. Why? Because he judged it wouldn't be easy. Analyze Unknown's combat style and you'll see he fights with magic and summons. What stands out most is that both his magic and his summons carry overwhelming firepower. What does that tell you? Unknown's stat build is a mana-stacking glass cannon.
5. Meanwhile, the Proof of Courage tests Spirit. We all know this, right? Unknown knows it too. "Ah! In the Proof of Courage, I won't even crack the Top 10, let alone 1st place." And so his pride takes the hit. If he can't make the rankings anyway, he simply won't take the test at all. That is very likely his mindset.
6. And as it happens, James is sponsoring him, no? Even without a top-tier skill from the Proof of Courage, he can just bulldoze Floor 4 on the back of his sponsor's support. It's a perfect trade-off, no?
As Unknown's activity went quiet, murmurs about his whereabouts began churning beneath the surface — a sure sign that interest in him had grown immeasurably compared to before.
"...Don't tell me he skipped this place and went somewhere else?"
A man, having just read the post by one calling himself ProfessorHa, stood in the Square of Courage and tilted his head. He pressed his robe down low, only his mouth visible, and his lips moved dryly.
"I'll have to search the nearby dungeons first, then."
Just as the man turned to leave —
Whoooosh!
A fierce wind came whirling down upon the Square of Courage.
"Ugh!"
"My eyes!"
"Aw, I got sand in my mouth."
Sand carried on the wind flew in from every direction, stinging the faces of the Ascenders lingering in the square, and a few of them spat and grimaced as if they'd swallowed a mouthful of grit.
The robed man, too, had no choice but to suffer the sudden gale like everyone else.
"Tch."
His robe, half torn off at some point. Clicking his tongue low, the man pulled it back over himself.
"Huh?"
Just then, an Ascender standing nearby tilted his head. The man's face had looked strangely familiar.
Where have I seen him before?
The Ascender's gaze drifted, unbidden, toward the statues gathered along the cliff face — toward the largest carving among them. The face on that statue and the face of the man he had just seen were strikingly alike.
"Li... Shang?"
He whipped his head around — but the robed man had already vanished into the crowd.
"Nah, I must've seen wrong. Why would Li Shang be here?"
He chuckled and shrugged it off, certain his eyes had deceived him.
"Must've gotten dust in them."
At that very moment.
"It's here."
I raised both hands high. The Flower of the Wind, sent by the Seolhwa Clan, had finally arrived.
"Heh heh. All I have to do is upgrade it right away, yes?"
"Excellent."
Grinning, I transformed the Sage's Tome from its ring form back into its true shape — a book. The time had finally come to advance the Sage's Tome to 3-Star.
Upgrading an item of Mythic grade — my heart had already started pounding.
Would you like to upgrade the Sage's Tome?
"Yes."
With my resolute answer, a soft golden glow began to seep from the Sage's Tome.
Proceeding with the upgrade of the Sage's Tome.
Up to this point, everything followed the same standard process as before.
But then—
The Administrator's Blessing has been detected.
The Sage's Tome will undergo Limit Break.
What? Excuse me?
The Administrator's Blessing?
The face of the 3rd Floor Administrator, with his generous features, flashed through my mind. When on earth did he place a blessing on me?
Aleon's voice rang out in my mind at the same instant, thick with astonishment!
And together with it—
FLASH—!
An unbearably brilliant golden radiance erupted from the Sage's Tome.