Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Cleaning Fee (2)
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[Guardian Ring - E-Rank]
- Defense increases.
- Can store 2 skills.
- First stored skill: Final Shield E-Rank
Nullifies the opponent's attack skill upon activation.
Cooldown: 1 week
The rank of the Guardian Ring and Final Shield are fixed to be identical.
- Second stored skill: None.
'What is this?'
Kang Hyun-soo's expression was colored with astonishment.
'It absorbed the Final Shield option completely.'
He had never heard of an item like this.
'The Sword of Gluttony couldn't even do this.'
The Sword of Gluttony simply granted new options each time it grew.
In contrast, the Guardian Ring?
'It allows the use of absorbed skills.'
Only then did Kang Hyun-soo understand why Guardian God Lee Cheol-min had cherished the Guardian Ring so much.
'It's completely broken.'
To be able to use the skills absorbed into the Guardian Ring as they were?
On top of that, their ranks synchronized with the ring's grade?
'Now I get why that guy was so tough.'
Before regression, the Guardian Ring Lee Cheol-min used was EX-Rank.
How many skills must he have fed it to grow the F-Rank Guardian Ring to EX-Rank?
Out of all those countless skills, the two with the best options were preserved intact, and even upgraded to EX-Rank?
No cheat was as outrageous as this.
'What if the number of storable skills increases by one each time the rank goes up?'
He could use a total of ten EX-grade skills.
'Maybe it increases by two each time.'
Then he could use a total of 18 EX-grade skills.
'And it seems possible to swap skills depending on the situation.'
Even if he learned a skill from an F-Rank skillbook, once absorbed into the Guardian Ring, there was no need to raise its rank separately.
Because it would be fixed to match the Guardian Ring's rank, instantly turning an F-Rank skill into an EX-Rank one.
'If that's possible too, it's an absolute jackpot.'
Even limited to defense skills, he could freely swap and use anywhere from a minimum of ten to a maximum of 18 desired skills.
'I always thought it was weird how he was insanely tough yet had top-tier attack power.'
Lee Cheol-min was the strongest tank who earned the title of Guardian God.
Yet he possessed five SS-Rank attack skills.
Thanks to that, despite low strength and agility stats, he had attack power on par with bottom-tier damage dealer Rankers.
He had always wondered how that was possible.
'Now I get it.'
Kang Hyun-soo was dumbfounded.
'The guy was insanely lucky.'
As long as he had the Guardian Ring, tank skills would automatically rank up just by learning them from skillbooks.
That meant Lee Cheol-min had poured all his efforts into raising the ranks of his attack skills.
'And even then, he only managed five SS-Rank attack skills?'
One of the essential conditions for top Rankers was possessing SSS-Rank skills.
To become a top-tier Ranker, one needed multiple SSS-Rank skills.
With just five SS-Rank attack skills?
At best, that put him at mid-tier Ranker level.
'The guy hailed as the strongest tank was actually only mid-tier Ranker level at best.'
He never imagined that Lee Cheol-min had not a single EX-Rank skill obtained on his own merits.
'Thanks to the defense boosted by the Guardian Ring, he probably raised his attack skill ranks relatively easily too.'
Lee Cheol-min's actual skill was probably not even Ranker level.
'At most, bottom-tier Ranker.'
It was absurd.
Lee Cheol-min, humanity's strongest tank who earned the title of Guardian God.
The reason he could boast such a reputation.
'All because he luckily picked the Guardian Ring in the tutorial.'
Nothing could feel more hollow.
If another top-tier Ranker had gotten the Guardian Ring?
'They would've been far stronger than pre-regression Lee Cheol-min.'
Surpassing the level of the toughest tank with solid damage output.
It might have birthed history's one and only legendary damage tank with the ultimate attack and defense.
'Well, it worked out for me.'
If the Guardian Ring wasn't just one of the many reasons Lee Cheol-min was called Guardian God, but everything?
'By snatching just the one Guardian Ring, I've basically inherited the Guardian God's defense.'
He had preemptively taken the Guardian Ring to get revenge on the betrayer who backstabbed him.
Yet he had been slightly worried.
Whether he, Kang Hyun-soo, could replace Guardian God Lee Cheol-min's abilities as a tank.
'It was unnecessary worry.'
In fact, it was fortunate that he had claimed it first.
If Lee Cheol-min had gotten the Guardian Ring in this life too, like before regression?
'It wouldn't have realized its true potential.'
For the sake of all humanity, it was better for Kang Hyun-soo to have the Guardian Ring.
'I need to gather as many defense-type skillbooks as possible from now on.'
He had to raise the Guardian Ring's rank as quickly as possible.
Kang Hyun-soo sorted through the skillbooks piled in the warehouse, picking out the defense types.
Creeeak!
In the meantime, Song Ha-na and the Geo Guild's vice guild master appeared with the seal forger.
"I've brought him."
The Geo Guild's vice guild master pointed at the seal forger as he spoke.
'Native player.'
The seal forger was not a player from Earth or another dimension, but a native player of the Atlantis dimension.
The vast majority of Atlantis dimension natives were ordinary civilians.
However, a tiny fraction awakened as players.
The awakening rate among natives was about 0.1%.
If a lowly native awakened as a player?
It was like hitting the lottery.
'For someone like that, he's unlucky.'
Even after awakening as a player, partnering with criminals to forge seals meant his unique skill and talents were all below average.
"I heard you're a seal forging expert. Besides slave seals, can you do others?"
At Kang Hyun-soo's question, the seal forger glanced at the Geo Guild's vice guild master.
"Answer honestly. This is someone who will take on an important role in our Geo Guild from now on."
At the vice guild master's words, the seal forger opened his mouth.
"It's possible."
"What kinds?"
"Anything except forging noble status seals."
Kang Hyun-soo's eyes sparkled at the seal forger's confident words.
"Rokto Empire free citizen status too?"
"Of course."
"How precise are the forgeries?"
"They can pass all the seal authentication devices operated by every country."
"You're certain?"
"I was the one forging seals for players graduating from training camps in the Rokto Empire."
"Then why are you in the Terra Kingdom? Did one of your forgeries get caught?"
"No way! My seal forgeries are perfect!"
Offended by Kang Hyun-soo's words, the seal forger furrowed his brows and raised his voice.
"Then?"
"My skill was too good, that's the problem. Even if it's perfect, if the tail is too long, it gets stepped on, right? Thanks to the seals I forged, the number of players enlisting in the Rokto Empire army plummeted. Not only that, a bunch of already enlisted players mass-retired. How could that not cause issues?"
'If that's true, it's understandable.'
Players needed to serve 3 years mandatory duty to gain Rokto Empire free citizen status.
If they could get free citizen status without suffering 3 years in the military?
'They probably swarmed like bees.'
"I almost got my head chopped off after getting caught by the Rokto Empire army. I barely escaped to the Terra Kingdom, pouring in all the money I'd made from forging."
"With skills like that, changing Terra Kingdom free citizen seals to Rokto Empire free citizen ones should be a piece of cake."
"I can do it, but... You're not thinking of assigning me to forge Rokto Empire free citizen seals instead of slave ones, are you? No thanks. My life motto is safety first."
The seal forger had learned the lesson of excess through his Rokto Empire days.
He had also experienced bone-deep how terrifying the Rokto Empire's pursuit squads were.
So no matter how much money, he didn't want to get tangled with the Rokto Empire again.
"If you force me, I'll leave the Geo Guild."
He chose Geo Guild because it was safe.
Turning free citizens into slaves was blatant illegality.
But Geo Guild maintained solid partnerships by bribing higher-ups.
As a result, even if issues arose and investigations came, only small fry got caught—Geo Guild took no hits.
"I have no intention of assigning you that. I just need two Rokto Empire free citizen statuses."
At Kang Hyun-soo's words, the seal forger tilted his head.
This was the Terra Kingdom.
No matter how versatile Rokto Empire free citizen status was, Terra Kingdom naturally favored its own free citizens more.
"The guild master is planning to expand business abroad, and I'm the vanguard."
At Kang Hyun-soo's explanation, the seal forger nodded as if finally understanding.
"To the Rokto Empire?"
"No, starting with neighboring kingdoms. To do business in various foreign countries, Rokto Empire free citizen status is the best."
"That's true."
The seal forger nodded as if it made sense now.
He didn't doubt Kang Hyun-soo's words at all.
The reason was simple.
"The guild master always talked about advancing abroad, and now he's actually doing it."
Geo Guild's guild master Oh Deok-gu had constantly sung about expanding to foreign countries.
'And he actually did expand.'
Before regression, Oh Deok-gu became Atlantis dimension's top notorious slave trader, beyond Terra Kingdom.
"Can you forge them right now?"
"Of course."
"Then get started."
"I'll go get my tools."
The seal forger brought tools from his workshop and began forging seals for Kang Hyun-soo and Song Ha-na.
'I can't learn it myself.'
The seal forger used various tools and chemicals to change the seal patterns from Terra Kingdom to Rokto Empire.
Though aided by multiple skills.
Forging seals relied entirely on the seal forger's technique and handiwork.
'Wish there was a skill for it.'
Then he could have copied it perfectly via Replica.
'Too bad, but can't be helped.'
Instead, he should count it as luck meeting such a skilled seal forger so quickly.
If Geo Guild's seal forger could only change Terra Kingdom free citizen seals to slave ones?
'It would've delayed moving to Mulan Kingdom.'
It was a good thing for Kang Hyun-soo.
"Done."
The seal forging finished quickly.
"Good work."
"Hahaha, just give me a fat bonus."
The seal forger burst into hearty laughter at Kang Hyun-soo's words.
"Will do."
After the forging, Kang Hyun-soo sent the seal forger back.
Then he grabbed the skillbooks and headed to the guild master office Oh Deok-gu used.
And.
Stab!
He drew his sword and began stabbing everywhere in the guild master office.
The Geo Guild vice guild master, watching, broke into a cold sweat on his forehead.
How much did he tear it up with the sword?
Clang!
Instead of the sound of sword piercing wood, metal clashed against metal.
Slash!
Without hesitation, Kang Hyun-soo enveloped his sword in mana and swung.
At that moment.
A safe hidden between wooden walls revealed itself, half-sliced.
Continued in the next volume.