Chapter 13

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 13

Chapter Title: Legendary Skill Book

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Golden light shimmered.

A legendary skill book floated before my eyes.

"Gasp..."

My mouth wouldn't close.

Legendary grade. This wasn't something you could just dismiss as "rare."

The most recent one discovered had been two years ago, in the United States. Even that came at the cost of dozens dying on the 50th floor or higher.

The whole world had lost its mind back then—news alerts everywhere, total chaos.

And now, it was floating right in front of me on the nameless tower's 6th floor in the outskirts of Cheonan.

'Is Nightmare Difficulty just that broken? No... it's the ??? bonus. That's the real cheat. But what the hell was that thing just now? What's the deal with all the question marks...'

I glanced to the side and saw Little One staring at me with wide, sparkling eyes.

When I tentatively reached out toward the skill book, Little One nodded vigorously, stamping its feet in excitement.

"Yeah, let's open it first and think later."

I swallowed hard and extended my hand.

The moment my fingertips touched it, a dazzling burst of light erupted—on a whole different level from the hero-grade one.

The golden glow swiftly shifted to a cool, profound blue, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sucked into my body. A tingling current raced through me.

"...Butterflies?"

I'd expected some destruction beam or massive summon beast from a legendary skill, but butterflies? And the description was way too simplistic.

But the options listed below caught my eye.

'Infinite duration. No cooldown.'

Infinite? No cooldown?

This was some cheat code. The description didn't give me much clue. I'd have to test it out.

That was when it happened.

Ding-!

"...?!"

My brain froze.

Global announcement? My name? To the entire world?

"W-what is this! How do I turn it off?!"

I flailed at the air, trying to close the system window in panic, but the tower showed no mercy.

My vision flashed, and when I opened my eyes, I was already outside the tower.

"Huff... haa..."

Ragged breaths burst out.

The thought that my name 'Blanc' was now floating in hunters' systems worldwide made me dizzy.

Sunlight poured down, stabbing my eyes amid the chaos.

"Ah... right. It was morning."

I'd forgotten I'd entered at dawn.

It was midday now.

I quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was nearby, but my heart still pounded.

I needed to run, but my feet wouldn't move.

I wanted to check it out. What this legendary skill really was.

I glanced around cautiously and raised my trembling hand. Instinctively, I gathered mana at my fingertips.

I thrust my hand toward the sky.

"Azure Sea Butterfly."

Slender and smooth.

A single blue, translucent butterfly emerged from my fingertip like rising mist.

"...Wow, it's really pretty."

Its wings sparkled in the sunlight, utterly unreal.

Little One circled the butterfly in fascination, marveling at it...?

"Hey! Little One, Stealth! Use Stealth!"

I pointed urgently and yelled.

Little One startled and vanished.

"Let's get home first. Hurry."

I pulled my hat low. Like a stray cat, I slipped out of the park.

The moment I got home, I locked the door. Double-checked it, then finally exhaled in relief.

I focused again and activated the skill.

A blue butterfly popped out from my fingertip. Being legendary-grade, no incantation needed.

As I blankly raised my hand, another butterfly slipped out from my fingertip.

"Oh, it's not just one?"

I wondered what the limit was.

Ten, a hundred.

As the number grew, the room filled with blue light.

The cramped space brimmed with ethereal blue glow, like being underwater in a dream.

Even after surpassing a thousand, filling the room so walls and furniture vanished, the summoning didn't stop.

'Infinite duration, huh? No penalties at all?'

No way.

Then, I felt mana subtly draining from my body.

'Ah, that's it.'

A toggle skill. It continuously consumed mana while active. Maintenance cost per butterfly.

Fortunately, my mana regen was insane, so a thousand barely registered.

"Give some explanation at least. So unfriendly."

I snapped my fingers to dismiss them.

The butterflies scattered like mist in unison.

Little One, who had been giggling and chasing them, looked up at me in bewilderment at the sudden emptiness. It was so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cute I chuckled.

I opened the status window again.

"Hm, as expected."

The number had gone up post-clear.

And that red timer pressuring me earlier was gone.

Did it give me a pass until the next floor, or did clearing 6 make it vanish? Either way, I survived for now.

Tension melted away.

Deferred fatigue crashed over me like a tsunami. No energy left to wash up—I collapsed onto the bed clothes and all.

Little One soon snuggled into my side.

"Little One, good work today..."

I wanted to say more, but my eyelids won. I plunged into deep sleep.

At that moment, South Korea was in utter pandemonium.

That player 'Blanc' was Korean? Already taken as fact. The nickname was in Hangul.

And Blanc had snagged a legendary skill book. On just the 6th floor.

News, communities, SNS—all crashed. Servers on the brink.

Debates raged over fake vs. real, with no end in sight. Tower doesn't lie vs. statistically impossible, conspiracy theories flying. Total mess of praise and paranoia.

But the real storm brewed elsewhere.

The private ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠community for Korea's A-rank+ hunters: Tower Gallery.

The air there was leaden.

A legendary skill. It was a national-level nuke.

An unaffiliated hunter with one lurking somewhere in Korea?

All guilds' eyes sharpened.

Dawn Guild Master's office.

The room reeked of booze.

Choi Se-hee gnawed her nails anxiously, glaring ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the monitor.

The Tower Gallery feed was plastered with 'Blanc' talk.

She hurled the crumpled report aside.

Blanc wasn't in Seoul—they'd confirmed that early. She'd ordered a sweep of every rural backwater.

Results: zero.

Like a ghost, no trace.

"...Nothing at all?"

Her voice cut sharp.

Other S-rank guilds, even the conservative government, were issuing official memos. Total frenzy.

"Damn it, I was the first to hunt..."

She spat curses. Bounty time?

Irritation surged. She grabbed the soju bottle on the desk and chugged straight.

Burn slid down her throat, warming her gut.

"Hoo..."

Time for a call.

"Secretary."

Se-hee sank into her chair, red-eyed, and ordered her aide.

"Pull everyone, even dungeon teams. Redirect all to finding Blanc."

One hunter with a legendary skill outweighed dozens of dungeons.

At that hour.

Park Si-hoo, master of Shadow Guild—one of Korea's big three—narrowed his cool eyes.

Shadow Guild was on high alert.

Execs raved over the legendary skill book news.

But Park Si-hoo's mind lingered on that 'girl.'

The mystery kid spewing deep mana stones.

Telekinesis floating a greatsword mid-air.

And crucially, the legendary acquisition notice right after encountering her.

Timing too perfect.

Logically impossible, he denied it. But his gut, forged from street to guild master, stabbed relentlessly.

"...Worth checking."

Park Si-hoo twisted his sly lips and picked up the receiver. Direct line to his most trusted subordinate.

"Cheonan. Deploy around that tower. Quietly—no eyes from other guilds."

New York, Manhattan.

Manhattan's nightscape sprawled beyond the penthouse's floor-to-ceiling windows.

World Rank 1, Vance, sipped wine while staring at the hologram screen.

At first, he ignored the news of presumed Korean player 'Blanc' shattering his low-floor records.

"Low-floor scores mean nothing."

Conquering 60s already, such feats barely registered.

But the follow-up shattered his calm.

[Player 'Blanc' has acquired a legendary-grade skill book!]

Vance's brow furrowed.

Even he, the world's strongest, had just one legendary skill.

Two years ago. Price: fifty elites ground to dust.

"And on mere floor 6...?"

His voice dropped low. The penthouse air grew heavy.

Aides held their breath.

No mere luck explained this.

"Something's up. Not just fortune."

Vance's blue eyes gleamed cold. He pierced the 'Blanc' on screen.

"Send elite agents to Korea. Uncover who Blanc is, every trick used."

His gaze turned east—to Korea.

"There’s... definitely something we don’t know."