Chapter 022
[Chapter 022]
< Moment of Transcendence >
It had been strange all along.
I hadn't even properly realized how strong the Gorani had become.
“Kking?”
Under the coarse fur, its whole body was covered with muscles as hard as rock.
Even with a little strength, the muscle lines were clearly revealed like cracked marble.
Flap flap-!
Even those large ears fluttering in the wind seemed like pure muscle without a single bit of fat.
That abnormal hardness that easily shattered the arm bone of MK Sphere's Kim Min-jun when they collided.
And that breakthrough power and destructive force that reached the 10th floor of the Tower without hesitation.
The effect of the crops grown in the garden must have been significant, but this must have also played a part.
Splosh.
When I dipped my finger, a thick yet cold sensation like oil was felt.
On the surface of that liquid, a very faint black smoke was also rising.
Wait.
Black smoke?
[Warning!]
“!”
As I stepped closer, a system window popped up.
[It is ‘Polluted Stalactite Petroleum’. It has partially lost its primordial purity.]
[Description: Originally a legendary spiritual liquid that kept primordial purity, but its power has been diluted and partially polluted by mixing with the murky mana of the outside over long years. Most of its original mysterious efficacy has vanished, but it still possesses powerful life force and purification ability.]
[Caution: Since it is in an unrefined state, there may be side effects if consumed directly by a weak person.]
‘Polluted Stalactite Petroleum?’
I narrowed my eyes and looked closely at the pooled water.
Inside the transparent liquid, a black and ominous energy was faintly shimmering as if a drop of ink had been dropped.
Like a piece of chaos mixed into pure life force.
Stalactite Petroleum (Gong-cheong-seok-yu).
According to ancient documents, Stalactite Petroleum was a miraculous spiritual liquid created by the gathering of only the clearest and purest essences of the earth when all life in the world was budding.
A power that purifies any wound or curse and even saves the dead.
That was exactly the essence of Stalactite Petroleum.
‘No way, is this also because of the Tower.’
It was highly likely that it was polluted by the chaotic mana leaking through the gaps as the Tower appeared in the world.
It must have flowed through the veins of the earth and seeped even into this sacred spring.
It was as if ten thousand years of purity were defiled in just 20 years.
‘Come to think of it....’
The traces like black oil stains often left in the yard.
I thought it was just muddy water, but maybe it was the pollutants the Gorani spat out.
It seemed the Gorani had been drinking this polluted spiritual liquid by animal instinct alone, spitting out toxins harmful to the body and absorbing only the pure efficacy.
“Isn't it amazing?”
This means it passed through the barrier of this cave and was fine even after drinking the polluted spiritual liquid.
That would have been possible because the Gorani was a special spiritual animal that received the energy of this land, not being ordinary since birth.
And that spiritual animal offered its most precious secret place to me.
A sign of absolute trust and respect beyond obedience.
“Thank you, it's thanks to you.”
When I stroked the Gorani’s head, it dug into my hand even more and rubbed against it.
I ended up discovering something incredible I hadn't expected.
Anyway, since I took ownership of this place, no one else can come and there's no chance of being caught.
Drip, drip.
The blue liquid drops falling from the rock crevice.
And I stared blankly at the brilliant light pooled in the hollow.
* * *
Meanwhile, Hun-Tube (Hunter-Net) had been unable to cool down even after a day or two due to Muryong’s records.
The shock of all the history of the Tower's lower floors being rewritten overnight.
Thousands of analysis posts, conspiracy theories, and fan club recruitment posts derived from that shock were occupying the real-time popular posts 24 hours a day.
[Analysis] The real scary thing is not the record but the consecutive raid.txt
Everyone is only paying attention to records like 12 seconds and 15 seconds, but the real crazy thing is not that.
This guy climbed from the 2nd to 10th floor in a single day without resting.
ㄴ Why is this scary?
ㄴ Are you a newbie? Don't you know that once you enter the Tower, you're sluggish for at least a few days due to dimension foreignness? Even S-Ranks find it absolutely impossible to raid two floors consecutively in a day. But an E-Class did 10 floors non-stop? This just means the physical body is not human.
ㄴ True lol. No matter if it's the lower floors, if it's the 10th floor, the mana concentration is different so ordinary hunters usually stay in bed for a day when they return.
ㄴ Then Muryong doesn't receive the dimension penalty? Such a trait exists?
ㄴ It's a hack, a hack. Anyway, it's a hack.
The reason everyone was focused on Muryong was not just because of the overwhelming clear time and the unprecedented EX-Rank.
The out-of-common-sense consecutive raid ability of breaking through 9 floors in a single day.
That was the strongest evidence that this existence was an irregular following completely different laws from existing Hunters.
“Team Leader, are you looking at Muryong-related data again?”
When the researcher asked, a woman in a white coat replied while adjusting her glasses.
“Yeah. It's interesting. Seeing the world only cheering for that combat power.”
Yu Seo-jin.
The No. 1 guild in South Korea at the moment, Valhalla.
She was the chief researcher overseeing the guild's R&D center and the top-tier artifact crafting master in South Korea at the moment.
“Hee-hee-hee~”
She casually brushed back the side hair that flowed between her tightly tied long straight hair.
The small mole right below her lip gave an intelligent yet somewhat stubborn impression.
On her wrist, a silver bracelet where dozens of personally made mana circuits were complexly intertwined was fastened.
“I heard rumors that MK Sphere has already formed a contact team. Shouldn't we move too? If it's a talent of that level, the Guild Master will surely show interest.”
“Of course we should move. Such an interesting thing happened, we can't just watch, can we?”
At the researcher's impatient words, Yu Seo-jin replied with a bright smile.
The desolate atmosphere of the research lab seemed to instantly become bright.
“Then as expected, we should also propose an exceptional contract fee....”
“But we won't mindlessly push bundles of money first. That's not polite.”
Valhalla was an organization fundamentally different from MK Sphere or other large corporation guilds.
It wasn't a place built with the capital of a specific corporation, but a place established by the power of like-minded top-tier hunters who survived since the early days of the Tower.
It truly felt like a guild of orthodox Hunters.
They built immense wealth and influence by processing mana stones and rare materials obtained from the Tower to make artifacts and sell them to guilds and governments around the world.
Their technology and information power far surpassed an average state institution.
“We should propose a different value from other guilds. Things that cannot be bought with money.”
Yu Seo-jin’s eyes twinkled playfully.
“If you are someone who recognizes the value of a true jewel, shouldn't you propose something suitable for that jewel? We are the only guild that can turn any raw stone into the world's most brilliant diamond, aren't we?”
It was a remark showing the absolute confidence of the No. 1 guild.
In fact, Valhalla's R&D center was famous for providing customized growth routes and dedicated artifacts by analyzing the characteristics and potential of its hunters.
A value that could never be bought with money alone, only Valhalla could provide.
That was precisely the dignity of Valhalla, which was maintaining the 1st place.
“And that's not our goal right now.”
When Yu Seo-jin lightly tapped the bracelet on her wrist, a giant data screen unfolded in the air.
It was the data of all Rifts that occurred throughout South Korea over the last month.
“Look at this. Isn't it strange?”
Yu Seo-jin pointed to a specific graph on the screen.
“In the last month, the occurrence frequency of B-Rank or lower Rifts throughout South Korea has been exceptionally exploding. Especially in the outskirts of Seoul and Gyeonggi-do area, which are the Bureau's main jurisdictions.”
The researcher tilted his head.
“Isn't Rift occurrence originally random?”
“No. This isn't random. It's the result of prediction failure. It's the clearest evidence that a serious defect has occurred in the Bureau's Rift prediction and preemptive response system.”
The Bureau had been predicting areas with a high probability of Rift occurrence through the database built up over the last 20 years and performing prior mana stabilization work.
That was the Bureau's reason for existence and most important mission.
But now that system is clearly collapsing.
“But what... does that mean for us?”
Yu Seo-jin pointed to another screen where Muryong’s ranking record was displayed and said.
“It means it's a good opportunity.”
“Pardon?”
“Right now, every eye in the world is on Muryong. Thanks to that, no one is properly focusing on how incompetently the Bureau is acting. Not the media, not the government, not even other guilds.”
“I saw articles pouring out saying it's rather a favorable factor.”
“I’m asking seriously, you don't just believe that, do you?”
When Yu Seo-jin looked at him as if he were pathetic, the researcher's face turned bright red.
“N-no, ma'am!”
At that answer, Yu Seo-jin showed a satisfied smile again.
The small mole under her lip moved attractively.
“Anyway, Muryong cannot be found right now. Looking at the raid patterns up to the 10th floor, the most likely speculation right now is that an entity presumed to be a summon processed everything instead of the hunter themselves, right?”
“Ah, that's true.”
“In this case, skill pattern analysis itself is impossible. Data is also lacking because it's the lower floors. They will never find them until they come up above the 30th floor and leave proper data.”
Yu Seo-jin’s analysis was accurate.
Compared to the overwhelming results, there was no data on the process.
“While everyone is chasing Muryong, we will quietly dig into the Bureau's weakness. Building up data on why and how the system broke. At the decisive moment, we prove their incompetence and create the perfect justification to bring the Rift management authority to our Valhalla.”
Rift management authority.
It was a powerful public power granted only to the Bureau by the government.
“The important thing is the monopoly.”
Not just having the honor of public power, but the immense interests that could be obtained by exclusively securing Rifts!
It was the last piece being chased by Valhalla, which already held money and fame.
“There must be a reason why the Bureau is rotting like that.”
“Hmm··· Like a screw went missing? Ah, this is a bit nonsense, right? There's no way that would happen just because one person left the organization....”
At the researcher's words, Yu Seo-jin’s eyes flashed sharply.
“No, don't exclude such parts either. Every possibility should be kept open. All the individuals who recently retired from the Bureau. Especially people who were in field support or the data analysis part, list them all up.”
Yu Seo-jin instructed her adjutant.
“And, you know the person I’m keeping an eye on, right?”
“Ah, you mean that Old Man No from the equipment team?”
“Right, investigate his surrounding relationship network thoroughly too.”
After giving the instructions, the researcher looked at Yu Seo-jin’s appearance reflected in the window for a moment.
Even with an indifferent expression, she looked like a perfect painting.
Intelligence, beauty, and ambition.
She was a person who would use all of that to get what she wanted.
* * *
I stared intently at the blue spring before my eyes.
[Item: Polluted Stalactite Petroleum]
[Description: Over long years, its power has been partially polluted by mixing with the murky mana of the outside. It still holds powerful force in its current state, but it will gradually evaporate and disappear once it leaves this cave.]
The spiritual liquid falling drop by drop from the rock crevice was only pooled enough to be slightly scooped by hand.
[It does not accumulate beyond this.]
It seemed there was a law where once a certain amount pooled, the excess naturally evaporated and disappeared.
‘I can't even take it out.’
Doesn't this mean it just disappears if not used?
In the end, it meant I had to drink it here if I wanted to.
“Fine, even the Gorani drank it, there's no reason I can't.”
[Caution: Since it is in an unrefined state, there may be side effects if consumed directly by a weak person.]
‘Looking at my body state, I can cover that much side effect.’
I scooped the blue liquid with both hands and gulped it down without hesitation.
In that instant.
All sounds of the world disappeared.
“...!”
The feeling of a giant darkness covering my vision.
I desperately endured even the feeling of my eyeballs being cold as if they were falling out.
Then, things that were never visible before began to be visible.
The minute energy of the earth flowing along the texture of the rocks.
The movement of water molecules held by the moss.
Even the vibration of the air felt by the antennae of a small insect crawling far away.
All senses were amplified to an unimaginable level.
“Heugh...!”
Inside my body, the existing Internal Energy (Naegong) and the energy of the Stalactite Petroleum collided and mixed violently.
Even the last impurities embedded deep in the bones were forcibly squeezed out of the body, and the sensation of every single cell repeating destruction and regeneration.
──!
What remains in the place where the pain passed.
Was 100% pure power.
* * *
Outskirts of Gyeonggi-do, C-Rank Rift site.
“...Kugh.”
“Oh! Se-senior? Are you okay?”
A blonde woman who was searching the surroundings suddenly knelt and sat down.
Her forehead was soaked with cold sweat.
Despite the junior hunter's worry, B-Rank Hunter I-hana could not regain her senses.
‘Just now... what was that energy?’
I-hana stared at the deep mountain on the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do while sweating.
Did someone cross a boundary?
By consuming a top-tier pill or spiritual herb that holds powerful energy?
Naturally, she couldn't know.
What was certain was that it was an overwhelming sensation difficult to explain.
Prickle!
It was a feeling that made the hairs of her entire body stand on end.
An intimidation she hadn't felt even from the S-Rank Mutant Chimera that had once driven the guild she belonged to to the brink of collapse long ago.
‘It's similar to the feeling I felt then... no, should I say it's an even more fundamental and giant energy of an existence?’
The junior hunter next to her was looking worriedly, but she had no mind to care.
Cold sweat was flowing on her forehead, and her heart was beating as if it would burst.
But soon, the calmed I-hana stood up from her seat.
“Yeah. I’m okay now.”
“You’re really okay, senior?”
“Yeah. Probably.”
She reassured the junior hunter and then organized the emotions she felt a moment ago.
It was an instinctive awe like feeling a giant existence of the abyss opening its eyes in the deep sea in the middle of the night ocean.
< Moment of Transcendence > END