The Spoils of the Hidden Floor

Seo Ian and Hong Jehun, who both possessed many skills with cooldowns, looked satisfied. Park Siwoo and Im Hyunjin, for whom a cooldown reduction wasn't particularly noticeable, smiled along as they watched the beaming Seo Ian and Hong Jehun.

As for me...

I felt a bit cheated.

I didn't have a single skill with a cooldown. They should've just increased the reward percentage instead!

"Ah. By the way, has anyone received their special floor rewards yet?"

Seo Ian’s expression turned sour in an instant. She looked around at everyone and asked.

"Not yet, for me."

"Me neither!"

"Same here."

"Me too."

We were all in the same boat. During the last special floor, the rewards had just naturally appeared in my inventory, so why weren't they coming in today?

Don't tell me... are they trying to stiff us?!

The moment that thought crossed my mind, *ding!*

The sound I’d been waiting for. Silence fell over the guild office once again. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the empty air. I was no different. I had to check my rewards.

The item that popped out of the reward box didn't fall into my hand; it was sucked straight back into the inventory window.

‘Oh. What’s this?’

An effect I’d never seen before. The box opened with a literal "rainbow" glow. Even the item border wasn't blue—it was gold.

Swallowing hard with anticipation, I tapped it.

I tilted my head for a moment. "...Ah." It was Legendary, but useless. Illusion patterns? They didn't seem to pop up often. I’d never been hit by one before, and today was the first time I’d even seen the pattern. Furthermore, the activation chance wasn't 100%—it was 50%. It might ignore it, or it might not. I guess even Legendary items have "duds."

Just as I was having that thought, *ding!* A notification sound rang only in my ears.

The final blow? I landed the last hit? Me?

I briefly retraced the situation. ‘Ah! It must have been the mist damage over time!’ I managed to find a plausible answer. Either way, there was no reason to refuse extra loot.

The reward was another box. I opened it immediately.

‘What kind of garbage is this-!!’

As soon as I confirmed the reward, my internal fists trembled. What? 1%? 30 seconds? 24-hour cooldown? I’m going to sue. The System Judge would surely side with me. No, how could they screw someone over twice in a row?

I swallowed my bitter feelings and looked at the other guild members. And the reason I was able to change my opinion on whether "Legendary items have duds" from "probably" to "definitely" was seeing the look of utter devastation on Seo Ian’s face.

‘Seo Ian was 1st in contribution, right? It should have come from the special floor loot box. So it should be at least Legendary, right?’

"...Huh."

Seo Ian, who had been staring blankly as if she’d forgotten how to breathe, suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

Everyone’s gaze turned to her.

"Damn it."

Seo Ian’s flat voice followed.

"What did you get?" Park Siwoo asked, and Seo Ian raised an eyebrow at the question. Then, she suddenly whipped her head toward Hong Jehun with a burning, fiery gaze.

"Hey, Hong Jehun! What did you get?"

"I got a potion that permanently increases a random stat by 1%. It said it would vanish if I didn't use it immediately, so I drank it."

"What stat went up?"

"Intelligence."

Hong Jehun’s lips curled up slightly. Seo Ian’s eyes narrowed openly.

"Wow. It went up in exactly what you needed, huh?"

"I was lucky."

I interjected. "That’s a total jackpot. Isn't it?"

"If you call it a jackpot... then it's a jackpot." Hong Jehun smiled.

"Mr. Hong Jehun. Want to buy a mask to celebrate the jackpot? It ignores illusion patterns with a whopping 50% chance!"

The reason I’d jumped between Hong Jehun and Seo Ian? To stop Seo Ian, blinded by jealousy, from tormenting Hong Jehun? That was part of it. To prevent the atmosphere from getting even worse? That was just a bonus. My main goal was a "hard sell."

Still, I kept my conscience. I wasn't trying to sell him that 1% garbage hat; I was offering a mask that boasted a 50% success rate.

"Oh? Can you sell things? Then I’m selling my whip too!" Seo Ian added her item to the mix. Apparently, she’d gotten a Legendary whip. For her, someone who only had sword-swinging skills.

However, Park Siwoo poured cold water on the idea. "Guild Master. You must not forget that items obtained from special floors cannot be traded, even if they are unequipped."

Forget it? I’d never even heard of that in my life. I whipped my head toward Seo Ian. Seeing her face, as sour as if she’d chewed on a cockroach, it seemed Park Siwoo was telling the truth.

"If you really feel like it’s not your item, you can just dismantle it and sell it to me!"

"...Park Siwoo, you’re very happy that Seo Ian and I hit the dud, aren't you? We’re good sources of materials, right?"

"Oh, how could that be?"

His bright voice couldn't be hidden. His smile couldn't be contained. His pearly white teeth, contrasting with his dark skin, were fully exposed. He was a handsome man with great teeth.

"By the way, what did you get, Im Hyunjin?"

Like a potato chip being scraped down to the very last crumb, Park Siwoo looked at Im Hyunjin with gleaming eyes. I’d felt it for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a while, but that man was a formidable merchant. Even a rabbit, whose default setting was to rip people off, would have to take a step back.

"I got a random skill book guaranteed to be S-rank or higher!" Im Hyunjin laughed brightly.

"Guild Master, it seems the jackpot was hit over there... wouldn't you say?" Hong Jehun asked. It was a question thrown at me, but everyone nodded in unison.

* * *

A luxury hotel room in Seoul. The chandelier on the ceiling flooded the room with light, but the eyes of the Chinese correspondents sitting around were dead.

"How did that much damage even get through? There’s still a barrier before you break the phase!"

"And to think they luckily triggered the weak point, too."

A man continued with a bitter expression. The weak point. A debuff that sometimes triggered if you were lucky enough while attacking. They couldn't bring themselves to believe it was something he’d aimed for "on purpose."

Eventually.

"The key is definitely Kim Uju. He’s the one who passed the phase after he appeared, and today, he even cleared it."

"A 15% reward increase for a month... South Korea’s Tower climbing speed will become even faster."

They hadn't figured out anything properly. Even though they’d watched the entire clearing process from start to finish via the video feed from the spy they’d planted. They saw it, but they didn't understand it.

Still, they had figured out one thing—.

'Kim Uju.' And furthermore, the guild 'Outlaw.' If they couldn't stop them, they wouldn't be able to prevent South Korea’s runaway success.

"Kim Uju is the key, so we must bring him in. We haven't even made proper contact with him yet, have we?"

"Right. The answer lies with him. Kim Uju. We must bring him in."

"Seo Ian and Hong Jehun have already rejected the authorities' proposals several times."

With that, some of them transmitted the situation to someone via communication devices. Park Siwoo and Im Hyunjin, whose names hadn't appeared on the damage meter, didn't make it into their conversation.

* * *

"Ah. I’m glad I came in person!"

A pension in Donghae. A man threw off his black wig and sunglasses, smiling contentedly. His blonde hair, draped over the windowsill, scattered coolly in the sea breeze.

"This place is fun. I gave up the special floor contribution I was supposed to get and came all this way, so I would’ve been disappointed if it were below expectations. Wouldn't you agree, Dylan?"

The US #2 ranker. 'Rian Carter' spoke as if asking for agreement from his exclusive manager and bodyguard. However, his manager, who had a fierce expression, maintained a blank face, as if he didn't agree at all.

"Giving up the special floor contribution is still a problem."

"But I hit it at the very end, so I got the clear reward, didn't I?"

He laughed, and his manager didn't like it.

"Please, for the love of god, try thinking before you act. I spend dozens of times a day thinking about quitting as your manager."

"I am thinking! That’s why I came here for a field trip!"

"That’s not a field trip; that’s an escape, or in common parlance, skipping work."

"Anyway, Korea! It’s more interesting than I thought! Especially that man, Kim Uju—his footwork is a bit different, isn't it? Anyway, there’s something about him. Especially how he didn't use a single special skill this time and just beat it with basic skills from start to finish... it feels like he’s hiding something. My gut is telling me so."

He tapped his temple lightly with his fingertips. "I need to track him."

One sentence added. At the same time, a vein popped on the forehead of his manager, Dylan.

"Are you insane? What are you going to do about the climb?"

A chilling voice leaked from his mouth. But Rian wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, he smiled brilliantly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠without blinking an eye.

"Isn't it worth taking the risk, even if it means taking a loss right now? Dylan, as you said, I just thought about it and reached this conclusion."

Rian laughed slowly, brushing his wind-blown blonde hair back with one hand. "Dylan, aren't you curious about what kind of guy Kim Uju is? There’s no better source of information than checking for yourself."

Manager Dylan hardened his face and let out a long sigh. "Three days. I’ll turn a blind eye for exactly three days."

"A week!"

Just as the two of them started raising their voices, in the hotel conference room in Seoul, the Chinese correspondents were already shouting, their voices sharp enough to stab one another.

"It would be good if he defected to China. But what if he refuses?"

"Kim Uju’s very existence is a variable. There’s a high possibility he’s not just a simple dealer."

One correspondent said, tapping on his laptop. Someone quietly added to that.

"And 'Outlaw' has already started to stand out internationally. This won't end with just this special floor incident."

The air in the conference room grew heavier. "The longer it takes, the more disadvantageous it becomes. Everyone from small-timers to big shots will start greedily swarming Kim Uju. Whatever happens, the authorities must be the first to act."

The man’s eyes slowly sank as he swept his fingertips over Kim Uju’s basic information on the monitor. Of course, it was the basic history that Team Leader Oh Wontaek had faked and registered with the Association.

* * *

"Benefactor, your phone is going to explode."

Seo Ian pointed with her fingertip at my phone, which was vibrating like a living organism. "...I’m ignoring it on purpose. Most of the unknown numbers are spam anyway."

"So there’s nothing urgent?"

I saw it. Seo Ian’s eyes narrowed, just for a split second. The look she got when she was up to something. I took evasive maneuvers.

"No. There is something urgent. Everyone worked hard today. I’ll contact you all individually later. I’ll be going now."

"Wait."

Seo Ian approached me in an instant, blocking my exit. She held out her palm toward me.

"Why?"

"You have to leave the card, right?"

Wow. Look at how confident she is. Anyone would think I’d left it in her care.

"And why would I do that?"

"You’re going to run off without even having ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a company dinner after we performed so well?"

I think my contribution to today’s clear was the highest. Of course, I was only able to clear it because of the help of the other team members, but wasn't I the one who brought out their potential to that level?

As I raised my head to retort, I sensed the expectant gazes pouring down on me. If I’d said something like, "But my contribution was the highest?", I felt like Outlaw, which I’d worked so hard to make into a "guild," would turn into a one-off "TF team."

That couldn't happen. I’d run around so much to recruit guild members.

"A company dinner is fine. But wouldn't your wallet, as the 1st in contribution, be the fattest?"

Have some conscience, Ian.

"Actually, the audacity to try and fleece the wallet of a Master who hasn't been Awakened ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for long... is quite surprising." Hong Jehun took my side.

Seo Ian, looking back and forth between the two of us, snorted. Then she added one more thing.

"Then, who’s going to buy a very amazing and cool whip for the 1st in contribution?"

The immense resentment and anger implied in that one sentence. And in that moment, I felt a strange sense of camaraderie with Seo Ian.