Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: 40. Master of the Myth (2)
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Unlocked straight to stage 2.
‘I had collected 20 of them. No, 21 if you count the cloak.’
Amid the ember storm, Youngwoo watched the equipment activation messages flash by endlessly before his eyes.
From the most recently acquired gear to the defensive items he’d left untouched for days, every dormant special effect was activating all at once.
【20% increased damage against enemies with abilities.】
【15% of attack power converted to ability damage.】
【Damage increased by up to 80% depending on the degree of limb loss.】
.
.
.
【20% cold resistance.】
【Can cling to walls or ceilings.】
And with that.
Flash!
|Fire Resistance: 35%
|Cold Resistance: 35%
|Lightning Resistance: 30%
|Poison Resistance: 15% 【Osmosis 35%】
|Ability Resistance: 30%
Youngwoo’s resistances surged dramatically, with the average exceeding 30%.
‘Wow, Osmosis is ridiculously good when you see it like this.’
「Osmosis」 - Saga Ring
【The lowest basic resistance value matches the highest resistance value.】
Just as the tooltip described, the lowest basic resistance—poison—had been boosted to 35% via the Osmosis effect.
‘Guess I don’t need to buy poison resistance gear anymore.’
From now on, his strategy for resistances would focus on bolstering fire, cold, and lightning—the three elements—while grabbing ability resistance if possible.
‘So far, the power commonly used across the universe is ability-based. Doggo was making ability damage gear too.’
That was why Youngwoo planned to collect as much ability-related gear as he could.
So that even if he clashed with some cosmic being, he wouldn’t be pushed around.
It was a kind of underdog instinct born from being a Grade 4 human, always lagging behind from the first day of the reset.
‘There’s no such thing as too much power.’
As Youngwoo took a deep breath of the ember-filled air, the armor codex finally completed its registration process and revealed the stage 1 and 2 collection effects.
「Each codex has unique collection effects. Exceeding a certain completion rate grants a blessing or skill with astonishing performance.」
[Armor Codex]
〔20〕
[Collection Effect: 10]
|All damage reduction 10%
[Collection Effect: 20]
|Designated equipment effects increased by 50%
“What……?”
Youngwoo’s gaze froze on the stage 2 collection effect.
‘Designated equipment effects? Does that mean I can boost Sense Theft or Golden Oath too?’
Probably.
It was a special feature that required collecting 20 armors to activate, after all. No way it wouldn’t work.
‘Holy crap, then…….’
「Golden Oath」 - Legendary Chestplate
【Enemy attack power reduced by 50%.】
Designating Golden Oath for the stage 2 effect would reduce enemy attack power by 75%.
‘That seals it.’
Youngwoo took off his chestplate and immediately stored it in the codex, applying the collection effect.
Then.
Flash!
The codex tooltip floating before him flashed, and the stage 2 effect changed.
[Collection Effect: 20]
|Designated equipment effects increased by 50%
【Enemy attack power reduced by 75%.】
“Whoa……!”
Shocking.
Youngwoo stood there with his mouth agape for a while, unable to speak.
Jeonggu, tightening his cloak, asked.
“What is it? Tell me too.”
In the middle of the ruins, with the ember storm raging fiercely.
For Jeonggu, standing there blankly staring into space was all he could do, leaving him feeling both anxious and bored.
“It’s nothing.”
“Seemed like a big deal.”
“Now no human can kill me easily, no matter who it is.”
“…That was true before too.”
Jeonggu tilted his head and pointed it out, then tossed another question.
“Then who can kill you?”
“Huh?”
“You said no human can kill you easily. So who do you think could—the ones that can kill you?”
Just how far ahead was he thinking to classify opponents by race?
“Well.”
Youngwoo finally replied.
“The Chairman could kill me, obviously…….”
Next, he thought of Giant God Gameta as an opponent.
He didn’t know what grade the thing was, but he was certain its might hadn’t originally been like today.
Even in a triple-weakened state, it had been a formidable threat.
‘If I’d lit just one less fire in the furnace, I couldn’t have guaranteed victory.’
So.
“Not sure if this is the right way to put it, but… a fairly well-known mercenary from out in space? Someone like that could probably kill me.”
“You’re that strong? I know you’re strong, but if some alien shows up, shouldn’t we just die? We’re humans.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I’d probably lose.”
Even as Youngwoo said this, he half-denied it inwardly.
Because the Chairman would soon bring him the weapon codex.
‘Now armor’s boosted too… If I get the weapon codex later, could I beat prime Gameta?’
Of course, this was an utterly reckless thought.
How could he even dream of comparing himself to a rebel from another world’s royal family?
“Anyway, we done now? I wanna go back and rest.”
Meanwhile, Jeonggu gazed longingly toward Gangnam with distant eyes.
Yet he clutched the silver-white box he’d gotten as a dungeon reward tight to his chest.
“…You’re not gonna open it?”
When Youngwoo nodded at the box, Jeonggu hugged it even tighter.
“Gonna steal it? No way, this is my lifeline.”
“…….”
“I’ll open it back at the dorm. Too precious to open on the street, right?”
“Yeah, fair.”
Precious item.
Saga-grade gear was definitely worthy of the term.
Even Youngwoo didn’t have that many saga-grade items.
“Let’s go then.”
“…For real?”
“Yeah. I need some rest too if I’m gonna move tomorrow.”
It was true.
The dungeon last night had dragged on too long, leaving him with almost no sleep for two days.
“Right? Let’s head back quick. I’m sick of fire now.”
* * *
Parnass Hotel, Room 3233.
It was hard to believe he’d been waiting for nightfall inside there just hours ago.
It felt like he’d been gone for days at least.
“What time is it?”
“A bit before 1 a.m.”
Youngwoo glanced at his watch, then walked toward Room 3233.
Then.
Knock.
He rapped lightly on the door.
Footsteps came from inside right away, and Jonsu opened it to greet him.
“Ah, hyungnim! Good work out there.”
He flinched upon noticing Youngwoo shirtless outside, then stepped back to clear a path.
“P-Please, come in.”
“The kids? Asleep?”
“Ah, well…….”
Jonsu scratched the back of his head.
Youngwoo instantly sensed the kids had watched the dungeon events on TV.
Seok hadn’t kept them away.
Or maybe the kids hadn’t backed down.
‘Not my place to meddle anyway.’
Youngwoo blinked once, then asked Jonsu again.
“How far did it show?”
“You mean on TV…?”
“Yeah.”
As Youngwoo gestured for him to continue, Jonsu recounted what he’d seen on TV overnight.
Even after Youngwoo and Jeonggu left the room, they’d kept watching the Returnee’s Room channel, until suddenly.
“The ground just sank in like a pit, and the three of you got sucked right in.”
“Ahh.”
Probably right after Youngwoo blew the whistle.
“Then what?”
“After that…….”
Jonsu described how the darkened screen suddenly showed a massive monster.
‘Giant God Gameta. So the TV shows where my friends are.’
He’d thought it was fixed on the Returnee’s Room, but the channel actually focused on the people.
“So the rep getting kicked around was all on there too.”
“Yeah… Everyone watched intently.”
“…I see.”
At least it wasn’t a total bloodbath.
“So now it’s back to the Returnee’s Room?”
“Yeah. That’s what caused the uproar.”
“Why?”
Youngwoo asked flatly, and from across the room, Kim Tae-jun’s wife Seok rushed over with a loud fuss.
“Why?! Because they’re watching you over there!”
“……?”
Youngwoo made a confused face, then quickly caught on.
“No way.”
This time, Youngwoo’s steps quickened.
He bolted into the bedroom with the TV, where Seok’s kids—who’d been staring at the doorway—widened their eyes.
“Ah……!”
At first, he thought the “ah” was just surprise, but the real words they were trying to say were.
“Daddy!”
The word calling their own father.
“Daddy……?”
Youngwoo echoed them in a daze, following their gaze up above his head.
Then, sound came from the TV facing the kids.
—Oh, yeah! Daddy! Looks good now!
Kim Tae-jun’s voice.
Youngwoo took two more steps to peer at the screen. In a pure white yard sat Youngtae, Tae-jun, and Young-heum.
And in front of them sat a small TV.
A 9-inch black-and-white set, a bit small for three grown men.
Inside it, the view showed Room 3233’s bedroom, looking down obliquely from above Youngwoo’s head, just like they were overlooking the Returnee’s Room.
“Some kinda invisible camera stuck up here?”
As Youngwoo muttered while checking above his head, the three men on screen all spoke at once.
“Thanks, Youngwoo.”
Kim Tae-jun, grateful for getting to see his family directly.
“No, why’s that punk still shirtless in front of the kids.”
Soldier Kim Young-heum’s complaint.
And finally.
“Hyungnim! New item added to the menu! But something’s weird!”
Loyal retainer Hong Youngtae’s report on the Returnee’s Room status.
“Weird?”
Up to then, Youngwoo hadn’t thought much of it.
Youngtae was the type to make a fuss anyway, and above all, it was the Returnee’s Room.
The only items available inside were for easing prison life.
Things like hourglasses, chess, or TVs to alleviate the pain of waiting.
But what came out of Youngtae’s mouth this time was different.
“There’s a laser bombardment option here. What’s this? Surely hyungnim knows……?”
For the first time, Youngwoo paled and shook his head.
“N-No idea… What is that?”