Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: The Second Night
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"H-He opened his eyes!"
"Hey! Are you coming around?"
A chilly breeze. A clamor of voices.
Kim Byung-han, barely managing to open his eyes, looked around.
He had definitely been on the 10th floor of the Tower of Arrogance just moments ago.
"Where...?"
"Outside the Tower of Arrogance!"
"People suddenly poured out of the entrance!"
"What the hell happened in there?"
A barrage of questions came flying at him without pause.
Reporters were among them.
They had come to the scene themselves to cover what had happened inside the tower.
'The tower entrance.'
It was a spot not far from the entrance.
The members of the Seoul Alliance who had climbed the tower with him were nearby too.
But their situations couldn't have been more different.
While Kim Byung-han had been left abandoned outside, Lim Chang-yeol and the real alliance members were being carried off on stretchers to somewhere.
Kim Byung-han's expression soured.
'These damn bastards. Does this mean I'm not even a real alliance member?'
This kind of discrimination was beyond the pale.
When they needed him to form a party for climbing the tower, they'd treated him like royalty. But now that he was used up, they wouldn't even glance his way.
'Wait. What about the rewards?'
He hurriedly checked his inventory and status window.
And let out a sigh of relief.
The rewards he'd earned climbing to the 10th floor of the Tower of Arrogance were all still there.
A ton of coins and Arrogance Boxes.
Just looking at them made his stomach feel full.
'Looks like we cleared the 10th floor too. Extra rewards show that much.'
When he'd reached the 10th floor, Kim Byung-han had 42 Arrogance Boxes.
Now his inventory held 50.
That meant the showdown between Kahnkun and Adora had come to an end.
Still, there were some puzzling parts.
'What the hell happened?'
...He truly couldn't remember a single thing.
He was sure he'd climbed to the 10th floor with Lim Chang-yeol and the Seoul Alliance.
The problem was everything after that.
He had no memory of how Kahnkun and Adora had fought or who won.
Not even who had won.
There weren't any system messages popping up either.
'...I saw the Prophet. He was there.'
The one thing he did remember was the Prophet.
The man who'd gained the upper hand against Game Master Andariel in the First Night and raised Lee Hyuk-soo.
The savior who'd rescued Kim Byung-han from the sniper Abyss afterward.
The Prophet had been with the Witch of Death, Adora.
And also...
Wait.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Kim Byung-han's mind.
'Right. I remember. Kahnkun and Adora fought. Kahnkun got caught by Adora, and then...'
Puuk!
The Prophet's heart was pierced.
By Kahnkun's invisible sword.
Kahnkun was a user of the Heart Sword technique.
But wasn't that strange?
Kahnkun hadn't targeted Adora—he'd gone for the Prophet.
Why?
'...Did the Prophet die?'
Everything after that had been completely erased from his memory.
But if what Kim Byung-han had seen was real, the Prophet couldn't have escaped death.
Kahnkun's Heart Sword was truly formidable.
No monster had survived it while climbing the tower.
So it made sense to assume the Prophet was dead too.
'No way. That can't be. The Prophet who toyed with Creators and demons wouldn't die to a mere Kahnkun.'
But Kim Byung-han tried to deny it.
The Prophet he'd met had worked miracles every time.
No matter how monstrous Kahnkun was, he couldn't kill a god-like being.
In a world where no one was trustworthy, the Prophet was the only one Kim Byung-han believed in.
Yet that final scene etched in his mind wouldn't fade easily.
Had the Prophet died?
Or had he pulled off another miracle and survived?
Who had won between Kahnkun and Adora?
And why had they been expelled from the tower?
What would happen to the Tower of Arrogance now?
'...Survival of the fittest. I need to survive first.'
This wasn't the time to wallow in confusion.
Kim Byung-han pulled himself together.
It was a world where even that great Prophet faced peril.
If he didn't stay sharp, someone like him would get swept away by the rough waves.
'The foundation for me to reach the top is already set.'
At least that was fortunate.
With the rewards from climbing the tower, all he had left was to rise high.
'Everyone's eyes are on this. If I open the Arrogance Boxes here and get ultra-high-grade gear, I can be the hero of this saga.'
The massive crowd gathered around the tower.
They were all dying to know what had happened inside.
One word from him would become breaking news across Korea.
Kim Byung-han intended to become the protagonist.
He would be at the center of this grand epic, the Tower of Arrogance.
No one could have gathered more 'Arrogance Boxes' than him, that much was certain.
"Everyone! I, Kim Byung-han, have conquered the Tower of Arrogance!"
"Gasp!"
"I-Is that true?"
"Could you tell us in detail what happened inside?"
"What happens next?"
"Does that mean the safe zones disappear too?"
The crowd surged forward.
Many reporters had whipped out notebooks, ready to jot down every syllable.
This was his chance.
The moment to become a hero, the protagonist.
No one knew the tower's secrets in more detail than him.
"The tower had a total of 10 floors. Countless traps and monsters that choked the life out of you. And the Witch of Death, Adora! After overcoming every trial, I obtained legendary treasures."
What's more, Kim Byung-han had a whopping 50 'Arrogance Boxes'.
If the message that appeared at the start of the climb was true, the more boxes you gathered, the better the rewards.
And 50 was an unprecedented number.
'At least Legendary. Maybe even higher.'
The grades of treasures in the Abyss.
The highest known so far was 'Legendary'.
And even that didn't officially exist in Korea.
If he pulled a Legendary-grade or higher treasure here, becoming a superstar would be easier than falling off a log.
Given the tower's scale, it dwarfed any Abyss seen before.
The rewards would match.
"The Witch of Death!"
"Legendary treasures?"
The crowd focused on Kim Byung-han without exception.
The hundreds of thousands fell silent as if on cue.
"From today, Korea's history changes. By my hand, Kim Byung-han! I promise you! I will protect you all!"
Kim Byung-han was set on reaching the pinnacle.
This was the beginning.
'Open.'
Kim Byung-han pulled all 50 boxes from his inventory and opened them at once.
'...Insane!'
The impossible had happened.
At least Legendary grade!
And Eternal grade?
'I've never even heard of Eternal grade!'
Thump thump thump!
His heart pounded like mad.
His mouth went dry.
He was already on the express train to stardom.
'Am I going to be the first to get an Eternal grade item?'
More than anything, if he got an 'Eternal grade' item...
He could become the true master of Korea.
Just imagining it was thrilling.
The dream every man has at least once.
Aaah!
A shiver ran through him.
A pink, golden future unfurled brilliantly before his eyes.
Royal Road.
The path to emperor was right there.
It was done. All done!
Kim Byung-han widened his eyes.
And then.
"...Huh?"
The next day, the Tower of Arrogance vanished.
It evaporated like a lie, along with news of its bankruptcy.
The Abyss's encroachment began anew.
And Park Chan-woo was finally able to return home after so long.
Kyuu!
Kyuuing!
Excited, Fluffy leaped from his arms and scampered around the house.
It made sense—since this was where Fluffy had been born, it must feel like home to him too.
Park Chan-woo chuckled watching Fluffy, then washed up and started cleaning.
Of course, being a divine beast, Fluffy didn't get dusty no matter what, so no bathing needed.
Afterward, he sat on the bed and pulled out the 'Star of Arrogance'.
'No matter how many times I look, I can't get used to it.'
The detailed info on the Star of Arrogance.
He'd checked it a hundred times on the way home, but each time it filled him with awe.
Moments later, a related window floated in the air.
(1) Restores all mana once per day.
(2) Mana regeneration +250%.
(3) Magic casting speed -25%.
(4) Magic critical hit chance +25%.
(5) Magic double cast chance +25%.
(6) Magic effects enhanced by 25%.
Whoa, options so perfect they made him gasp.
No wonder the Black Witch treasured it.
Each one was beyond description with mere words like "insane."
'As levels rise and mana grows, full mana recovery becomes harder.'
For mages, mana regeneration becomes crucial at higher levels.
A single high-grade spell could leave mana unrecovered for a week sometimes.
But this restored all mana once a day.
And boosted regen by 250% to boot.
That wasn't all.
'Casting speed reduction, double cast chance...!'
Magic crits and effect boosts were amazing, but these two stood out more.
The dream of every mage.
An endless barrage of spells without casting time.
Even chantless magic had some delay.
Time for mana to convert to phenomena.
This reduced that time itself.
'I've rarely seen gear with options like this.'
And when it existed, effects were 1-5% at best.
25%? Insane!
'Quarter. One-fourth.'
An ultimate sacred relic, a "god fragment."
Maybe three more like this existed.
Quarter God grade was new, but sensing it wasn't the end left Park Chan-woo breathless.
'Come to think of it, that winged egg restored my mana. Does it hatch?'
He didn't know.
Every time mana restored, the winged egg appeared, circled once, and vanished. No hatching signs.
Maybe gathering more Stars of Arrogance would do it?
No way to tell now.
Anyway, Park Chan-woo smiled lightly.
What he'd gained from the tower wasn't just the Star of Arrogance.
'Eternal Sword, Eternal Magic. And Fame points.'
He had a good grasp on those too.
Especially the 'Fame' from opening the codex—it was overwhelming.
In the Abyss, Fame had two main uses.
First, high Fame unlocked special Abyss areas.
Or Fame-based quests, where higher Fame meant better quests.
Finally, spend Fame at the 'Fame Shop'.
Rare event shop for trading Fame for good stuff.
And the Fame Shop appeared tonight.
'I've prepared a lot for today.'
Star of Arrogance, Magic Swordsman class, Eternal Sword and Magic, etc.
100 coins, sky-high Fame.
Preparation perfect.
Park Chan-woo looked up at the sky.
It was evening now.
A night with a full moon.
Finally.
The moment he'd awaited so eagerly had arrived.