A Whole New Playing Field

In a realm drifting far beyond the mortal reach of Earth, within the expanse where High Transcendents walked—

Flash!

Twin pillars of light settled, revealing two towering figures. Cheok Jun-gyeong and Huang Zhong materialized side by side, their weathered faces wearing expressions of profound satisfaction.

"Heading directly to the Arcana Market was the right call after all," Cheok Jun-gyeong boomed, crossing his massive arms.

"My thoughts exactly," Huang Zhong chuckled, stroking his silver beard. "Truth be told, I found the excursion tedious at first, but looking back, we could not have made a better choice."

Cheok Jun-gyeong glanced sideways at the old archer. Sneaky bastard. He had never cared much for those who hid at a distance plinking arrows like cowards, but for once, the old general had hit the nail on the head. A stellar choice. The best possible outcome.

"I never imagined an old dog like me would encounter something so genuinely fresh," Cheok Jun-gyeong mused aloud.

Both he and Huang Zhong were Transcendents who had severed the mortal coil centuries—if not near a millennium—ago. In fact, that hoary archer might have walked eternity for far longer. In any case, when one lived that long, novel experiences were virtually nonexistent. Between the two of them, they had witnessed kingdoms crumble, worlds ignite, and gods perish.

Yet an unawakened mortal climbing the Tower of Transcendence?

That was something neither had ever witnessed. To be precise, it was something neither had even dared conceive in their wildest reveries. And the boy had not merely set foot inside—he was actively conquering it with his own two hands.

"The more I ponder it, the more bizarre his solution appears," Huang Zhong remarked, shaking his head with a faint smile. "To scale the Tower of Transcendence through such an unorthodox avenue..."

"Could anyone other than the lad who brazenly called us 'seniors' pull off such madness?" Cheok Jun-gyeong gave a hearty, thunderous laugh. It was a one-of-a-kind anomaly, and that made the future all the more tantalizing. "I wonder what delightful antics he will display the next time our paths cross."

Was there any certainty they would meet again? Honestly, no. That was simply the nature of the transcendental realm.

Countless Transcendents hailing from myriad dimensions filled this cosmos, alongside swarms of Pre-Transcendents endlessly battering against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tower's thresholds. Among that legion of powerhouses, was there ever a single one who had not been hailed as an unprecedented prodigy in their youth? Not a chance. Without exception, every being who had stepped into this domain was once a terrifying monster whose name shook worlds.

Even such monstrous geniuses routinely shattered and fell by the wayside during the climb. What hope did an utterly unremarkable mortal possess?

"Do you truly believe we will have cause to see him again?" Huang Zhong asked mildly.

Cheok Jun-gyeong shot him a look. "You went out of your way to handpick equipment for him. Doesn't that prove how fond of him you've grown?"

"Haha... A passing ripple in the stream of fate, nothing more. I pay it little mind."

Nonsense. Cheok Jun-gyeong snorted inwardly. He could read the old general like an open scroll. Huang Zhong was thinking the exact same thing: that the boy was an exquisite oddity, and that checking in on him later would make for splendid entertainment.

"Still, I was surprised you conceded so easily," Huang Zhong noted playfully. "You, who constantly preach to the heavens that the sword reigns supreme above all myriad weapons."

"Hah! Once he handles that bow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a bit, he will realize on his own that the crown of all weaponry belongs solely to the blade."

Concede? Not on your life. Cheok Jun-gyeong had already whispered a quiet word to Cassius on the way out. There was no way he would let an impressionable young sprout be permanently corrupted by the cowardly ways of an archer.

"What delightful gossip are the two of you sharing with such merry faces?"

Cheok Jun-gyeong turned his head at the sudden voice.

A figure swathed in an ornate, flowing robe glided into view, surrounded by a soft ripple of esoteric mana.

"Well now," Cheok Jun-gyeong grumbled, his brow twitching. "What brings you out here, of all people?"

This was an eccentric hermit who normally stayed holed up in his dusty laboratory for decades at a time. What sudden wind had blown him out into the open? Come to think of it, the immediate plaza was eerily devoid of other Transcendents.

The beings inhabiting this realm came in all shapes and varieties. There were humans like Cheok Jun-gyeong and Huang Zhong, alongside pointed-eared elves, scaled dragonkin, and alien aberrations. Yet even among that bizarre pantheon, the robed man standing before them was renowned for being an utter oddball—so obsessed with his craft that even the certified madmen of other dimensions went out of their way to avoid him.

"I happened to notice the two of you wearing the faces of men who had just witnessed an extraordinary spectacle," the Archmage said, leaning upon his staff. "Would you not enlighten an old friend?"

Cheok Jun-gyeong supposed that hailing from the same fundamental sphere of existence made normal conversation slightly easier. There was no particular reason to conceal it.

"We just returned from the Arcana Market. Met the lad who recently shattered the first-floor record in the Tower of Transcendence."

"Oh?" The robed sage's eyes gleamed beneath his cowl. "I have been dying of curiosity! What manner of sovereign is he? What domain did he master to achieve Transcendence? Magic, surely?! It must be magic!"

Cheok Jun-gyeong sighed deeply. This magic-obsessed maniac. Just as one would expect from someone who proclaimed arcane sorcery to be the sole universal truth. But reality was bound to disappoint him.

"We hear he slings a spell or two, but he is no Transcendent."

"...Hooh?" The staff tapped lightly against the cobblestone, a telltale sign that his scholarly interest had been ignited. "A Pre-Transcendent, then?"

"If that were all, why would we be making such a fuss? He hasn't even hit a mortal bottleneck yet. He's just an ordinary kid."

Literally ordinary. An empty slate with no grand martial foundation. And yet...

"Incredibly, he has already grasped Primordial Force. Likely attained upon clearing the first floor."

"...Without even attaining the status of a Pre-Transcendent?"

"Aye."

"Has such a precedent ever occurred in recorded causality?"

Cheok Jun-gyeong shrugged. In a multiverse so boundless and chaotic, one could never declare anything an absolute impossibility. Perhaps some obscure dimension held an outlier. Still...

"At least within our realm of knowledge, not once."

"Fascinating... And you say he employs magic?"

A sly, inquisitive smile spread across the hidden face of Merlin, the ancient Archmage.

"I believe I must go pay him a visit myself."

Kim Haun, twenty-three years old.

Occupation: part-time convenience store clerk slash Awakened hunter. More precisely, a Climber.

Until today, my entire tactical arsenal had consisted of a single trick: Energy Bolt. A spell I could fire a grand total of four times before running completely dry. But now?

"Man... A premier bow set for four hundred mana stones? Talk about absurd cost-efficiency."

Well, maybe 'cost-effective' was pushing it. Four hundred medium mana stones translated to roughly twenty million won in cash. Just running the mental conversion gave me a brief wave of vertigo. Still, if twenty million won bought complete, permanent proficiency in a legendary weapon style, it was practically highway robbery in my favor.

"Mana stones can always be farmed back anyway."

The Kim Haun who had to clock out for the day after running a dungeon four times was officially dead and buried. As of today, a brand-new combat pipeline was open for business.

"Right, let's take it for a spin."

Since this was a maiden voyage, starting at the lowest difficulty was common sense.

A spatial tear rippled into reality. With the portal stabilized, I double-checked my inventory.

Equipping both essentials tightly, I stepped through the swirling veil.

Flash!

Ten goblins? Compared to hunting fifteen slimes, that was a third less work right off the bat. This was going to be a breeze.

"Kieeeek!"

Down the damp cavern, green skin flashed. Since I had never held a real bow in my entire life, my fingers felt slightly awkward as I knocked a shaft against the string.

Creak—!

I drew back slowly, breathing evenly as the wood arched.

"Human! Kieeek!"

A crazed goblin spotted me and came hurtling forward, jagged rusty dagger raised high. I tracked its bobbing head, found an instinctive center, and let go.

Twang—!

The release felt remarkably crisp. The arrow shot forward like a white beam of light—

KABOOOOM!

...Excuse me? Three of them evaporated in a single shot? When I've literally never touched archery before?

"Uh... what?"

Was that an arrow or an artillery shell? If someone had witnessed that from afar, they would have sworn I fired a field cannon. The cavern stone behind the blast site was deeply cratered, dust pouring from the ceiling.

"Kiek...?"

The remaining goblins further back froze mid-stride, their bloodshot eyes bulging in sheer bewilderment as they tilted their heads at the empty red mist where their comrades had just stood.

"Was that a fluke?"

Just to be sure, I reached into the quiver, knocked a second arrow, drew, and loosed.

KABOOOOM!

"Holy crap."

A Transcendent's personal recommendation was truly built different. The Green Wood Thumb Ring was doing all the heavy lifting. I didn't have the faintest clue how proper sight alignment worked, yet the moment I settled my grip, the arrow automatically magnetized straight to a monster's skull. And the destructive yield? An absolute artillery strike.

"And my mana pool hasn't dropped a single point."

If not mana, what was coating the projectile with such terrifying force? Right... Primordial Force again.

Still slightly stunned, I loosed two more arrows down the tunnel. The outcome was swift and merciless.

"Aha... Haha..."

A breathless chuckle slipped past my lips. Who on earth said the sword was the supreme weapon? One test run was all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it took to see the light. Archery was the indisputable king of kings!

"This is totally insane."

Every single transaction at the Arcana Market ended with the exact same realization: completely and utterly broken. I mean, how could anyone not be awestruck? It took a complete amateur and transformed him into a long-range death dealer in sixty seconds flat. Pinpoint accuracy, apocalyptic firepower—flawless across the board.

More importantly, it unlocked an entirely different operational paradigm from Energy Bolt. Spells required extensive mana recharge breaks every four rounds. The bow had no such bottleneck. As long as my stamina held, I could grind dungeons indefinitely without pause.

"Man... Just imagining the farming efficiency is sweet."

A lingering thought sparked in the back of my mind.

"If an elven beginner's bow is this ridiculous, what about the other weapons?"

Mana stones could be gathered whenever. Someone once wisely said that a warrior could never have too many offensive options. Naturally, that adage only applied if one possessed the talent to wield them effectively—but anything purchased from the Arcana Market practically came pre-packaged with mastery. If an ordinary wooden bow felt like this, how would legendary armaments handle?

Furthermore, this Green Wood Thumb Ring was just an unranked utility accessory. What kind of world-ending nonsense was packed into those transcendent skill manuals I had browsed earlier?

At first glance, I had written them off as unattainable pipe dreams far outside my league. My reaction back then had merely been an awed whistle. But now?

"I might actually be able to buy them someday."

It would demand a staggering mountain of effort, of course.

"I wonder how many stones manuals like that even cost..."

Low-grade or medium stones probably wouldn't cut it; they might demand high-grade gems. Even so, hoarding every scrap of wealth was the only path forward. Oh, and there was one more vital currency to collect.

Marks of Transcendence. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I still needed to gather enough to crack open that mystery ten-token gacha box in Cassius's shop.

"Alright, plan set."

Starting today, the towers and dungeons were getting swept clean.

From the moment I resolved to sweep everything clean, my daily itinerary became blissfully streamlined.

Beep—!

The instant the clock struck midnight, marking the entrance reset, I dived straight into the Tower of Despair.

One quick blitz up a floor, followed immediately by local gate hunting to hone my archery form and harvest resources.

Just like that, medium mana stones tumbled into my spatial pouch like loose change. The hunter forums were in an uproar complaining about an extreme 'dungeon drought' ahead of the upcoming quarterly Special Dungeon, but that hardly affected me. Thanks to my unrestricted Climber authority, any gate within travel distance was fair game.

Floors seven, eight, and nine fell in rapid succession over the following days. As expected from early-floor data, nothing posed a serious roadblock before the tenth-floor threshold boss.

Four days zipped by in a flash.

Beep—!

Midnight arrived once more, resetting tower clearances. But as the interface materialized before my eyes, an unfamiliar timer flickered beneath the standard menu.

"Hmm... Three hours and forty-seven minutes?"

I scratched my chin. That was more than enough breathing room to knock out Floor 10 in the meantime.

Beijing, China.

The vast inner training grounds of the Heavenly Martial Alliance compound.

"How much time remains?" a cold, imperious voice echoed across the courtyard.

"Three hours, thirty minutes, and twenty-seven seconds, Alliance Leader," reported Liu Wei, an S-Rank detection-type Awakened, bowing respectfully.

"Soon, then."

Luo Qin, the self-proclaimed 'Heavenly Emperor' and China's supreme number one ranker, nodded with supreme composure.

"Are the preparations finalized?"

"Top-tier buffing elixirs and our premier elite support specialists are on standby," Liu Wei replied smoothly. "Furthermore, spatial movement specialists are stationed at our projected coordinate zone. The very instant the dungeon tears open, you will step inside without losing a single second."

"Good."

A condescending smirk tugged at the corner of Luo Qin's mouth. This was the undeniable might and organizational supremacy of a great power. He had heard whispers of how the pathetic worms in smaller nations scrambled—during the previous quarterly Special Dungeon, those backward fools had squandered dozens of vital minutes simply pinpointing the dimensional coordinates.

Today would be no different. Which meant the nationwide continental buff and first-clear treasures were destined to fall into China's rightful grasp once more—

Chime!

Luo Qin's eyes widened into saucers. His breath caught in his throat.

"...What?"

Twenty-three seconds? Out of nowhere? Wait... if the tenth-floor world record had just been usurped...

My blessing?!