Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Whispers of the Interworld Competition
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After his body had recovered somewhat, Lee Soo-hyuk promptly left the 5th floor.
Now that he knew the circumstances, it seemed best to avoid Murim as much as possible. If he needed treatment, it would be better to come alone.
On the way to the 6th floor.
Once inside the carriage, Soo-hyuk fiddled with the innocent kit.
'It must be taking quite a bit of time.'
There had been no word from Greg.
Dark Map wasn't the type to scam him, so it looked like it was taking considerably longer than expected.
There was no reason to feel regretful.
If it was going to take time, he just needed to do what he had to do in the meantime.
Unhyang, who had been sitting across from him fiddling with her own kit, brought up a new topic.
"Who do you think will win this Interworld Competition?"
Interworld Competition.
A grand festival where representatives from each world gathered to compete.
The feast of abundance and despair, hosted by the Tower, was a topic of interest for all Players.
"Murim? Runeterra? Or maybe Elfrado this time?"
The worlds Unhyang listed were the top contenders for victory.
Though dozens of worlds' Players were mixed in this Tower, very few had actually claimed the championship.
Soo-hyuk, listening to her, asked out of curiosity.
"Who won the most recent one?"
"You don't know?"
Unhyang widened her rabbit-like eyes in surprise, and Soo-hyuk shrugged.
"Not really interested."
"Well, Earth isn't going to be in the lower ranks anyway..."
With a hint of hope, Unhyang asked.
"Soo-hyuk, do you have any plans to participate in the Interworld Competition?"
The Interworld Competition was a festival for Rankers.
It was still some time away for Soo-hyuk, but purely in terms of skill, it wasn't far off.
He already had the ability to face multiple Rankers alone.
"I have to."
Soo-hyuk nodded at Unhyang's question.
"Absolutely."
In his previous life, Soo-hyuk had been serious about the Interworld Competition too.
'Damn game. For real.'
The Interworld Competition sacrificed countless Players every time.
Players from the losing worlds were executed in order based on their rankings.
To fill those empty spots, the Tower pulled in people from other worlds.
It might be a festival for powerhouses, but for the weak worlds, it was a desperate struggle for survival.
Like someone's twisted game played with human lives.
The Interworld Competition operated in an utterly cruel manner.
'And besides...'
There was one more thing.
A phrase lingered in Soo-hyuk's mind.
"Interworld Competition."
Greg.
The hint from the Dark Map branch chief.
"The big guilds are all like that. Rotten to the core. Greedy as hell."
The guy seemed to know something. Or more precisely, it was likely internal Dark Map intel.
His betrayal was connected to the Interworld Competition.
Was it because they were monopolizing the wins?
But if that was the only reason, Kim Il-su's betrayal didn't make sense.
'The only way to find out is to dive in myself.'
Participating in the Interworld Competition would reveal something.
But his current power wasn't enough.
It was a tournament of each world's representatives.
He could handle Rankers, but not the stars of the worlds.
Much stronger than now.
Only when he could wield Lightning as his own could he shine in the Interworld Competition.
"The last winner was Pantera."
Cheongryang answered Soo-hyuk's question about the winner.
"As long as the Archmage holds out, Pantera will probably keep winning for a while."
"Hiels?"
Archmage Hiels.
She was someone even Soo-hyuk knew.
Twenty years ago, she was already a top Ranker, hailed as Pantera's greatest magical talent.
"Even if you're not into the Interworld Competition, you know the Archmage, huh."
Pantera's dominance wasn't a recent thing.
And more than half of it was thanks to Hiels.
"No one can match Hiels?"
"Unless the Heavenly Demon sides with Murim or Lee Soo-hyuk is alive, it's hard to find an opponent for her."
Heavenly Demon. Lee Soo-hyuk.
The names he mentioned were all ones that shook the Tower.
Just a personal opinion, but to put her on the same level.
It showed how massive Hiels had become.
"Pantera's odds are 1.1. Even if you bet on them to win, you only get 10% profit."
The betting system played a big part in making the Interworld Competition the Tower's biggest event.
Winner, runner-up, and third place. It was a gambling den drawing massive Player attention.
"You brat, when are you gonna quit gambling?"
Unhyang started nagging again at the mention of gambling.
Cheongryang flinched for a moment but persuaded her once more.
"Ah, this one's a sure thing. Pantera's guaranteed to win."
"There's no such thing as guaranteed in this world."
"Trust me. I'll take the 10% on first and nail second too."
"You're betting on second as well?"
"Ah..."
Realizing her slip, Cheongryang covered her mouth.
Soon, Unhyang grabbed Cheongryang's collar as usual, and Cheongryang tapped her arm in surrender.
Soo-hyuk, listening to the two, asked.
"What about Earth?"
Among the winning candidates mentioned, Earth was absent.
Back when he was alive, Earth always took the Interworld Competition victory.
Now, it wasn't even in the running, let alone dominating.
"Mid-to-upper ranks, like 10th or so, urk-."
Cheongryang, the gambling enthusiast, knew the most about the Interworld Competition.
As the conversation with Soo-hyuk resumed, Unhyang released Cheongryang's collar.
"Earth's been around 10th lately. Even dropped to 11th or 12th recently."
"12th...?"
Soo-hyuk frowned.
The ranking was dropping. Even without him, this was too sharp a decline.
"What can you do? Not only did we lose Lee Soo-hyuk, but a whole top guild representing Earth vanished."
The guild Unhyang mentioned was, of course, Blue Eyes.
Twenty years ago that day, Blue Eyes fell. A few might have survived, but for some reason, they'd gone into hiding.
Intellectually he knew, but accepting it emotionally was hard.
'12th place...'
Not a dangerous rank.
But not one he liked either.
"You seem really hung up on the Interworld Competition."
Unhyang looked puzzled.
Not knowing Earth's rank or the last winner, yet determined to participate.
Hard to tell if he was indifferent or not.
"The Tower has three major systems prepared."
It wasn't hard to recall two of the three Soo-hyuk mentioned.
"Trials and the Interworld Competition."
"Yes. We raise our rankings through Trials, and sacrifice low-rank Players in the Interworld Competition."
It might look stable on the surface, but that peace was only for the strong worlds.
Players from weak worlds were risking their lives right now in Trials to climb ranks and prepare for the Interworld Competition.
This world's peace was built on corpses.
"In a big picture, this world is one giant Trial. One of survival. Trials and the Interworld Competition are connected that way."
This was an old thought of his.
Trial, rankings, Interworld Competition.
The Tower's system felt like one massive Trial.
"And if this is a Trial, it must have an end."
The Tower's three preparations.
The final one.
"The event that will someday begin."
Unhyang finally recalled it.
The message heard upon becoming a Player.
A word buried deep in memory, as if it would never happen.
"Exactly."
Soo-hyuk had consciously kept it in mind all these years.
"It's all connected. Trials, Interworld Competition. That someday event too."
As if living for that day.
Upon arriving on the 6th floor, the first place Soo-hyuk headed was Kindre's workshop.
According to Kindre's estimate, the item would take five days to craft.
Going down to the 4th floor and getting treatment from Jinwoon had taken over eight days, well past five.
More than enough time for completion.
"I'm excited to see what it'll be."
Unhyang bubbled with anticipation, like heading to an amusement park.
The Heart of Thunder was a lightning-related item. One so valuable even Asgard treasured it.
Soo-hyuk shared her excitement. His steps naturally quickened.
They arrived at Kindre's underground workshop.
Descending the stairs, Soo-hyuk felt a colder chill than before.
'Brr, chilly.'
Cold enough to freeze a regular Player's heart. Cheongryang, following, shivered and stopped.
"I-I-I'll st-stay h-here..."
"Go back up already."
Worried, Unhyang promptly sent Cheongryang back up.
What the hell was she doing down there?
Leaving Cheongryang fleeing up the stairs, Soo-hyuk continued down.
"You okay?"
"My stamina's top-notch."
Soo-hyuk shrugged at Unhyang's concern.
"This much is nothing."
Not empty words.
His stamina far exceeded most Rankers.
Not like diving into a furnace; this cold was no issue.
What was strange was...
'What the heck is she doing?'
He'd come right when the commissioned item should be done.
Yet this weird chill made him anxious and expectant.
Finally reaching the bottom.
"Guess you're the owner of this thing."
Kindre's voice rang out, noticing Soo-hyuk and Unhyang.
"Came right as it finished."
Kindre had tools like hammers, chisels, and needles scattered messily on the workshop floor.
Her under-eye bags looked sunken. Suspecting, Soo-hyuk asked.
"You haven't slept at all since, have you?"
"No way. I caught three hours midway."
No wonder the dark circles nearly touched the floor.
Soo-hyuk eyed the softly glowing blue gauntlets beside her.
The item made from Star Fragment and Heart of Thunder.
"It's done now?"
"Yeah. Took longer than expected."
Originally five days.
Yet it finished just barely as Soo-hyuk arrived, way overdue.
'That tough a job?'
Two possibilities.
Kindre's skills fell short of her fame.
Or the materials were harder to work than anticipated.
The reason was clear soon enough.
As if unable to hold back.
Kindre, reuniting with Soo-hyuk, sparkled with energy belying sleepless nights and asked.
"What the hell is this thing?"