Power Leveling (1)
Yeong-sik's eyes sharpened as he confirmed the item's grade: A-rank. If this grading system matched that of rare items, then A-rank was an extraordinary tier. As far as he knew, there were only two A-rank rare items in existence. One was Yuna's Crimson Lotus Twin Swords, and the other was the Radiant Shield that Kim Gil-su had just inherited from Han Cheol-ho.
Both were items of immense value, ones even high-level summoners couldn't obtain lightly.
'Nice.'
A hot thrill shot up the back of Yeong-sik's neck, electrifying his entire body. His instincts told him that successfully analyzing this Black Cube's structure would unlock something more.
"Structure Analysis."
Structure Analysis of A-rank Memory Cube has failed.
Structure Analysis skill level is insufficient.
'A failure, as expected.' Yeong-sik swallowed a faint pang of regret. He had no idea what level his Structure Analysis skill needed to reach to decode an A-rank Memory Cube.
'But still.'
He turned to gaze at the thirty or so Black Cubes still remaining. With this many, raising his Structure Analysis skill level wouldn't be hard at all.
Yeong-sik set the A-rank Black Cube aside for now and began analyzing the others. There were a couple of C-rank ones in the mix, but aside from granting slightly higher stats than D-rank cubes, they weren't much different.
'Good.'
The Structure Analysis skill, which had stubbornly refused to rise before, jumped two levels in an instant just from using it on these Black Cubes. For him, the level of Structure Analysis—capable of unlocking security codes—was more important than anything else.
A thick smile crept across Yeong-sik's lips. He extended his hand toward the remaining ten or so Black Cubes.
Structure Analysis of B-rank Memory Cube successful.
Structure Analysis skill proficiency has increased.
Stat adjustments contained in the Memory Cube will be inherited.
Intelligence stat +2.
'Even with the level up, proficiency doesn't skyrocket.' Yeong-sik looked down at the Black Cube in his hand with mild disappointment. Just like summoner levels, skill levels yielded less experience as they rose.
'Can I hit level 6?'
Even gaining two levels already meant he could unlock two more security levels, but after striking such a massive "jackpot," it still felt insufficient.
'Human greed knows no bounds, huh.'
Yeong-sik let out a wry chuckle at the thought that bubbled up. It felt comically ironic for a being made entirely of machinery to refer to himself as "human."
"I'll test the A-rank last."
Muttering to himself, Yeong-sik continued analyzing the remaining Black Cubes. He wanted to raise Structure Analysis one more level before trying the A-rank again, but unfortunately, it didn't budge.
"Alright then?"
With a hint of tension, Yeong-sik eyed the very last Black Cube. When his Structure Analysis was only level 4, it had failed on this one. An A-rank item—something even high-level summoners struggled to acquire—lay before him.
He reached out and touched the A-rank Black Cube. The hard texture under his fingertips felt oddly endearing.
"Structure Analysis."
Yeong-sik activated the skill on the final Black Cube. A brighter blue light than ever before exploded from his hand.
"Ngh."
He grimaced as his mana drained rapidly. This was the first time he'd felt such a sensation while using Structure Analysis. The skill normally consumed so little mana that his recovery outpaced it.
But this time, his entire mana pool bottomed out in seconds. Yeong-sik squeezed out every last drop and poured it into the Black Cube.
Structure Analysis of A-rank Memory Cube successful.
Structure Analysis skill proficiency has skyrocketed.
'That's more like it.'
Yeong-sik grinned at the floating message windows. Success on the A-rank Memory Cube and the skill level up made his heart race.
Tzzzt.
A faint static noise hummed in his mind, followed by an image. Yeong-sik closed his eyes and focused on it.
A barren desert stretched out, the cracked, lifeless earth twisted under an unrelenting sun. Amid it all, a golem clad in white armor lay collapsed.
The white-armored golem lifted its head. Beyond its gaze loomed a massive "Machine Mountain."
-Quite the sturdy body. I like it. You'll do.
A low voice echoed across the wasteland. The golem looked up at the entity that had smashed it down. Its form was hazy, like fog-shrouded mist.
-Grraaaaaah!
The white-armored golem kicked off the ground, launching itself skyward. In its hand gleamed a shield radiating pure white light.
Boom!
A ferocious shockwave erupted from the shield. The hazy figure chuckled softly and flicked its hand.
-Kaboom!
The shockwave from the shield collided with a spatial distortion and detonated. Expending its full power, the golem collapsed once more. The hazy entity approached slowly.
-You were the guardian of some ancient ruin, right?
The hazy figure smirked wickedly. It raised the hand clutching the Black Cube toward the golem.
-This won't be much different from what you've done before.
With those words, it pressed the Black Cube to the golem's head. The vision warped amid horrific noise.
"Ngh!"
The image shattered in Yeong-sik's mind. He pressed a hand to his forehead, swallowing a groan as heat surged through his skull.
'This? Because it's an A-rank Memory Cube?'
This vision contained more information than any before.
'That golem's shield... was it the Radiant Shield?'
Yeong-sik recalled the shield in the white-armored golem's grasp. It was unmistakably Han Cheol-ho's Radiant Shield, symbol of the Light Shield Guild.
'So Han Cheol-ho must've gotten the Radiant Shield from that golem.'
That seemed the most plausible explanation.
Yeong-sik's eyes gleamed sharply.
'That hazy figure in the vision.'
The blurry entity appeared flawlessly in every Memory Cube vision. Closing his eyes, Yeong-sik replayed the footage from the forty-odd lower-grade Black Cubes in his mind.
"...Not just one."
His eyes opened slowly, cold light flickering in them.
Though all were indistinct blurs, their speech patterns differed slightly.
'Come to think of it, even the first time with Lutherak's Memory Cube, they were talking to each other.'
Yeong-sik's expression hardened as he recalled his initial Structure Analysis on a Black Cube.
'Does that mean the monsters' creators aren't just one being?'
That was the most logical conclusion.
Yeong-sik let out a short sigh.
He'd sensed it from this A-rank Memory Cube too—these "creators" wielded power beyond comprehension. An A-rank boss monster reduced to scraps with a mere gesture.
If there were multiple such creators, conquering the North—summoners' ultimate goal—would be even more distant.
'...Pointless worries for now.'
Salvatore Guild was barely scraping by as fugitives; they couldn't even protect themselves, let alone conquer the North. With a blade at their throats, such talk was nonsense.
'But someday!'
Yeong-sik's mind burned hot. The fierce will to grow Salvatore into one of the top three guilds—or beyond—and march north shook his body.
"Hm...?"
He blinked in confusion at his own surging resolve. He'd felt this strange familiarity before.
Why did he crave greater power, expand his influence, and head north? Unlike other summoners, Yeong-sik had no desire to return to Earth—not even a shred of nostalgia for it.
Yet his determination to conquer the North was unshakable. The conflicting thoughts tangled his mind.
Yeong-sik sensed a ghostly "self" from his lost memories clinging to his body.
Stat adjustments contained in the Memory Cube will be inherited.
Level cap +3.
Acquired skill 'Radiance Lv.1'.
Yeong-sik, who rarely startled, widened his eyes. The message held shocking information.
'Radiance skill...'
He recalled the forced liberation incident. It was the skill that summoned three shields of light—powerful enough to briefly halt even his own assault.
The skill embedded in the A-rank rare item, Radiant Shield, had transferred directly to him.
And it wasn't just the skill. For summoners, levels were the measure of power itself. Even his level cap had risen.
"Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped Yeong-sik's lips. Finding dozens of Black Cubes had sparked a premonition of jackpot, but he'd thought it merely meant boosting Structure Analysis to unlock higher security levels.
Yet decoding them yielded far more: not just skill levels, but intel that the monsters' creators numbered more than one; stats unattainable without leveling; a raised level cap; and new skills.
The Black Cubes had given him absurd rewards.
Yeong-sik's lips twisted into a smirk.
'The answer was the Black Cubes.'
This ordeal had crystallized what he truly needed for growth. Raising Structure Analysis via Manufacture? Pathetic compared to the Black Cubes' massive payoffs.
'But boss monsters don't just drop out of thin air.'
Yeong-sik clicked his tongue in regret. The advantage of Manufacture was endless scaling with materials and gold.
'And Manufacture is finally getting useful.'
He wasn't aiming to be a lifestyle master crafting appliances forever. As its level rose, the skill allowed more practical creations—like the drone he planned next.
'Still, if there's a way to get them, Black Cubes first.'
With that thought, Yeong-sik placed his left hand over his right arm. The rewards so far were mere "bonuses" beyond his expectations. What he truly sought wasn't stats or skills.
"Structure Analysis."
He turned the skill on himself. Brilliant blue light radiated across his body.
Click.
Gears meshed inside him with a resounding chime.