The Strongest Player Hides His Identity (1)

"Tsk."

That was Choi Junseok's reaction upon seeing the utterly devastated second floor.

"Ha… I definitely used Magic Stone Detection."

Since the ground itself had collapsed, the magic stones inside the zombies had naturally been destroyed as well.

A massive crater had been gouged into the earth.

It looked as though a meteor had struck.

Of course, it wasn't a meteor that had fallen. It was the Holy Sword.

The ground around the sword that had pierced the floor was deeply excavated.

He had aimed as far away as possible.

He had even adjusted it to hover just a few centimeters above the ground, yet the shockwave alone had obliterated the horde of zombies approaching from afar.

Thud-thud-thud!

It was only natural that Choi Junseok was drenched in the dark red blood and entrails of the zombies carried by the shockwave.

He wiped away the sticky blood running down his face.

The blood clung and clotted unpleasantly.

Something half-mushy was caught in his palm—a burst, rotting tongue.

He had seen plenty of similar things before, but it was never pleasant.

The second floor was often called the floor that tested players' stomachs.

Because the opponents were thirty zombies.

Thirty might not sound like much, but imagining thirty people charging in a line was never a small number.

When Choi Junseok was in high school, a single class had just over thirty students.

Imagine that many people rushing at you at once in zombie form.

Some said it was harder than the third or fourth floor.

If your body didn't freeze and you managed to run, you were doing well.

In most cases, people couldn't even approach.

No matter how much someone had been hardened by videos and movies.

Zombies sat at the peak of the uncanny valley for humans.

Would you find it easy to face melting, decaying corpses charging at you with grotesquely twisted joints?

Without a doubt, it wasn't easy.

You could at least count on losing your appetite for several days after clearing it.

What if you tried to fight back?

Congratulations.

That meant you had the natural talent of a player.

I wish you luck in awakening your status window soon.

If you're reading this just in case, try shouting for your status window.

Did you actually shout it?

This is serious.

For your own safety, I'll retract my previous words.

Even if you have the qualifications to be a player, surviving long will be difficult.

'Following orders isn't exactly the easiest way to survive.'

Of course, Choi Junseok knew that too.

That was why he had created a smokescreen by clearing the second floor in record time.

'Operation Smokescreen.'

And the bigger the smokescreen, the better.

The larger the fire you burn, the bigger the smoke that rises.

The only message that appeared after the clear notification was one asking if he wanted to return.

"No. I'll leave in a bit."

Choi Junseok walked toward the crater among the former zombies.

"Summon. Lee Nayeon."

"…."

Choi Junseok extended his hand and poured his strength into the skill, but nothing happened.

Feeling something was wrong, he checked his status window, but the summon skill was still listed as a general skill.

There was only one conclusion.

The summon was refusing the call.

"So you don't want to come out. Heh heh heh."

"Summon! Lee Nayeon! Get out here!"

"…."

"Summon! Summon! Summon!"

"Why do you keep calling someone who clearly doesn't want to come? Stop looking for me."

Choi Junseok felt wronged.

"This is all because of you, you know."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Blaming others again."

Things could have gone very wrong.

The reason he had challenged the second floor.

First, he had trusted in the power of summoning the Holy Sword.

He had entered the second floor thinking he could summon Lee Nayeon if things went south.

'Of course, if it had been truly dangerous or an emergency, she would have responded to the summon…'

What if he hadn't been able to kill all thirty zombies with the Holy Sword summon?

It could have turned into a terrifying situation.

Against one zombie, he could probably win in a direct fight.

'Two or more, and the odds are against me.'

If many had survived, he had planned to summon Lee Nayeon to deal with them.

Fortunately, all the zombies were dead.

But at the same time, all the magic stones had been destroyed in the impact.

With a sigh, he activated Magic Stone Detection.

As expected, every magic stone reaction he had detected earlier was gone.

It meant they had all been destroyed.

The zombies had no other parts worth harvesting either.

"Anyway… it's not like I could sell the magic stones at the exchange. What's the point of finding them, right?"

"There's a limit to being a sore loser, you bastard."

From a distance, the location where the Holy Sword had fallen looked close, but walking there took quite a while.

He couldn't even begin to guess how powerful the Holy Sword truly was.

It wasn't simply about firing it.

He just summoned the sword in midair with its blade pointing downward.

That alone caused the sword, its center of gravity pulled downward, to slice through the wind and strike the ground.

A chill ran down his spine as he recalled the shockwave and sonic boom created when the Holy Sword fell.

"Is there no way to summon it weakly?"

"Do you know how to shoot a gun gently? Does getting shot gently hurt less?"

"…."

"It just fires at a fixed output when you press the trigger. Well… summoning it close to the ground like before is probably better."

Choi Junseok walked while mentally organizing the things he needed to improve.

"Come to think of it, your body is down there, so how are you talking to me?"

"Our souls are already bound as one. Soul binding, remember?"

"…Is that so?"

"That's right. Isn't it surprising that I'm seeing and hearing the world through your eyes?"

"Ah, I see? Wait a second. What about when I go to the bathroom…"

"It's fine. We're both men."

"…Ha. No privacy at all."

There were several things he needed to check, so he walked toward the sword at the center of the crater.

A few minutes of silence passed.

During that time, Yu Junhyeok returned to his serious tone and asked.

"There's a question I always asked whenever I trained a successor."

"What is it?"

"Why do you want to climb the tower?"

"The reason for climbing the tower… why?"

"That question alone tells me how far someone can go."

"I thought limits were determined by rank or skills."

"Of course those factors matter too. My most trusted companion was C-grade. With enough training, even E-grade or D-grade can surpass A and B."

"You left out F-grade."

"…Ahem! No matter how many derived skills you acquire based on your awakening skill, F-grade has clear limits."

"…."

"But there are also cases like you who use the Inventory ability in an absurd way. Don't be too disappointed."

"What, are you trying to back out if you don't like my answer?"

"No. Our souls are already bound. There's no way out."

"The tower? I'm climbing it to make money and satisfy my selfish desires. Isn't that what everyone does to survive?"

"Hmm?"

"For money, fame, happiness, and love."

"How terribly common."

"Is there anything more straightforward than that?"

"Fair enough. So what happens after you become that rich?"

"I become even richer."

"Well… at least you didn't hide it. That's a passing grade. People who try to hide their desires are the ugliest of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all."

People who claim they don't want money are usually the ones obsessed with it.

"I have exactly three reasons for climbing the tower. Money. Fame. Women. I'll climb solely for those three things."

"The reason for drawing a sword should be simple. That's a good thing."

It was a statement that stung a little.

But Yu Junhyeok seemed to like it.

"Honesty isn't a bad trait."

"You saw how my family lives. I just want to improve our situation first. I don't plan on being overly greedy. Just… a high-end apartment with a Han River view, or a penthouse?"

"Small dreams."

"I never said that was the end. It's just the beginning."

"…."

The desires and dreams that flowed from Choi Junseok's mouth were honest ambitions any man might have.

"I've never seen someone with such blatantly common desires."

"Since we're sharing everything anyway, what's the point of pretending?"

"That's true."

"Well… it wouldn't be bad to save some people along the way if possible."

Honestly, the last part was half sincere and half said to please Yu Junhyeok.

An altruistic mindset and positive influence.

Those two traits were exactly why he had become a national icon even before clearing the 100th floor.

"You really say things you don't mean."

Choi Junseok arrived at the crater and looked down at the sword embedded in the ground.

It was a proud sword.

Just by looking at it, a warning appeared.

That wasn't all.

Ding!

Before he could even reach out to retrieve it, another warning appeared while he was descending into the crater.

In the end, Choi Junseok had no choice but to shout from a few steps away.

"Retrieve! Come back! Into the inventory!"

"Heh heh heh… You have the lungs of a summoner, at least."

"I'm not a summoner. I'm an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Inventory Master."

"Since you're joking, you must still have some composure. Let's compromise and call you an Item Summoner."

"…Rising Star of the Porter World. Rising Star of the Porter World. Nuclear Weapon Holder of the Porter World. Asymmetric Power of the Porter World. If you're going to give me a title, pick one from these."

"…Enough."

Still, there really was no other Excalibur like this.

It was a sword that couldn't even be pulled out once embedded in stone.

"Summon! Lee Nayeon!"

"…."

Still no response.

'Is the only way to retrieve the sword through automatic recovery when leaving the tower?'

If so, that meant the Holy Sword summon could only be used once per floor.

It was far too restrictive.

If Lee Nayeon could pull out this sword and fight with it…

He could summon her onto the devastated ground where the Holy Sword had been driven and let her unleash her full power.

'She probably won't listen unless the situation is really bad…'

Shouldn't a summon normally obey their master's orders without question?

While Choi Junseok was deep in thought, stroking his chin, Yu Junhyeok suddenly spoke up.

"A~ Is there no strongest swordsman who can wield the Sword God's Excalibur?"

It was a shameless, stiff, and childish theatrical tone.

'…Don't tell me he actually thinks she'll hear this?'

Regardless, Yu Junhyeok's voice continued to echo near Choi Junseok's solar plexus.

"A~ Is there no one who wants to try holding Korea's only Transcendent-grade sword that opens new realms the moment any swordsman touches it~?"

Choi Junseok stayed silent for now.

He wasn't even sure if the conversation would reach her since she hadn't been summoned, but even if it did, he doubted she would fall for such a low-level provocation.

Yet she really did take the bait.

'Wait, she was listening to the entire conversation?'

In that moment, a cluster of yellow light gathered in front of Choi Junseok, and Lee Nayeon appeared.

Shaaa…

She glanced at Choi Junseok as if she had no choice but to greet him, then immediately turned her gaze to Excalibur.

- See? What did I tell you! Even just combining the players I trained…

It was Yu Junhyeok's voice echoing in his mind, but it wasn't surprising.

After all, he had been Korea's greatest transcendent.

Communicating through thought wouldn't be difficult for him.

Anyway, since Lee Nayeon had come out, that was enough.

"No warning windows or anything?"

"No."

"Want to try pulling out the sword?"

Before Choi Junseok even finished speaking, Lee Nayeon's hand was already moving.

It felt like she had moved first because she didn't want to follow orders.

'If no warning appears… maybe?'

The moment Lee Nayeon carefully grasped the sword.

Choi Junseok instinctively lowered his stance, sensing danger.

Whoosh!

Just by gripping the hilt, a powerful shockwave erupted.

Thanks to his danger-sensing ability honed as a porter, Choi Junseok was only pushed back and not sent flying.

Blood trickled from Lee Nayeon's lips as she bit down hard from the pain.

"Are you okay?"

"…I'm… fine… ugh…"

However, soon a golden light began to emanate from Lee Nayeon's body.

Shaaa…

Yellow light fragments scattered like flower petals in the wind.

Lee Nayeon had been dispelled simply from the exhaustion of holding the sword.

'Does this even make sense?'

A summon being dispelled because their stamina ran out just from gripping the sword's hilt.

"What on earth have you been swinging around to fight with?"

His speech had unconsciously become formal out of fear.

"Do you trust me a little more now? There are stages even in Sword-Body Unity… Oh?"

The sword Lee Nayeon had tried to pull out.

Its blade had risen ever so slightly upward.

That meant even though she had been dispelled from exhaustion while trying to pull it, it was possible to draw or use it.

He instinctively felt that summoning Lee Nayeon again would require about a day.

"There's potential."

If he could find a way to close the level gap.

The insane situation of a summon using a summon to defeat enemies.

It might actually be possible.

And the answer came immediately.

"From now on, tell her to use the gauntlet. That should offset some of the Holy Sword's repulsion at the Mythic grade."

"…Huh?"

"What do you mean 'huh'?"

"Wasn't the summoning catalyst consumed?"

Because it had clearly disappeared from Choi Junseok's inventory.

"Did you think the gauntlet became her, just like I became a sword? You really don't understand the tower's mechanics at all. There's so much to teach you."

After all, Choi Junseok had never even come close to hidden rewards or special rewards like summoning rights in his previous life.

Especially since such information was only shared among those who benefited from it and rarely became public knowledge.

It would be stranger if he knew.

"Anyway, that means the time I can use the sword will increase."

If he used Mythic-grade to wield Transcendent-grade.

Then there was definitely potential.

"But… why didn't she come out wearing it?"

"Tsk tsk tsk. That's obvious."

"…?"

Yu Junhyeok clicked his tongue and said something else nonsensical.

"It's proof that you haven't won her heart."

"…What nonsense is this now?"

"A woman's makeup is like her armament."

"…Excuse me?"

"For a martial artist, arming herself is the same as a woman's makeup. That means if she liked you, she would have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠come out fully armed."

He definitely thought it was nonsense.

Yet strangely, it had a peculiar persuasiveness.

Choi Junseok found it ridiculous that he himself felt persuaded.

Instead of answering, Choi Junseok sighed and said.

"I'm going back outside the tower."

Even as the notification appeared, Yu Junhyeok's nonsense continued.

"Before swordsmanship or climbing, you should first learn how to win a woman's heart…"

"Yes, yes, I understand~"

"And it seems you have the ability to converse with items in your inventory."

"…Yes?"

"That means you have a hidden skill."

"…Really?"

"What? Don't tell me you didn't know? You foolish… Did you really think everything displayed in the status window was all there is?"

"Is that so? Could you explain what hidden skills you've seen in me?"

He had thought Yu Junhyeok was going to call the useless skill of talking to items a hidden skill.

But from the perspective of Yu Junhyeok, who had reached the pinnacle, it seemed there was more than one.

"I've seen at least two."

As Choi Junseok's body began to glow during the return process.

At Yu Junhyeok's next words, Choi Junseok's eyes widened.

"Both of them have the potential of A-grade skills or higher."

Choi Junseok blinked.

'So winning the Powerball wasn't the end?'

It seemed they were even going to match the bonus numbers and give him the bonus prize.