Chapter 305
Chapter 305
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 305
>Chapter Title: The Platinum Box
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The size and value of a normal reward box depend on what's inside.
And the quantity and quality of the contents depend on the experiences from this adventure.
'Platinum...'
Commonly known as the Platinum Box.
Kang Seol gazed at the platinum box with surprising calm.
In cases where a Platinum Box was given as an adventure reward, it usually contained one or more peerless items.
'Not two peerless items, I hope...'
There had been such cases, but not this time. If it had two or more peerless items, it would have been a platinum chest instead of platinum.
'A peerless item is definitely included...'
It was known that a Platinum Box was given when the average quality of rewards excluding the peerless item was treasure grade or higher.
In the reward boxes Kang Seol had obtained so far, there were many rare equipment pieces, some treasure equipment, and occasionally a peerless item.
Kang Seol ignored rare equipment entirely, but normally, rares made up about 70% of drops. The remaining 30% were treasure and peerless.
In other words, the quality of acquired equipment had been closer to rare than treasure.
Though the number of items he actually equipped was all treasure grade or higher because he got so many.
'Did briefly acting as the Warden of All Things make the difference?'
This reward seemed worth looking forward to a bit.
"Let's see..."
He flung open the platinum box from this adventure.
Click...
Click...
No, he tried to.
'...A lock? Oh!'
Kang Seol tilted his head at the box that only rattled without opening, then remembered something.
Platinum Boxes and above had locks. And the keys to unlock them could only be obtained from higher reward boxes.
- Huh?
- Deep sigh;; What's this?
- Mommy, open the door. Huh, key's under the flowerpot?
- So what now?
While viewers raged at the inexplicable situation, Kang Seol waited silently.
'If it's the first platinum box...'
Soon, the message he was waiting for appeared.
[Opening a platinum box for the first time.]
[Achieved first achievement 'Clicky-Click'.]
[Obtained first title 'Platinum'.]
'No, not that one.'
[Opening a platinum box for the first time.]
[Opening boxes platinum grade or higher requires a key.]
[Keys can be obtained from reward boxes at very low probabilities.]
[The probability of obtaining a key increases with the reward box's grade.]
Having confirmed a platinum-grade box or higher, he now qualified to collect keys.
In other words, he couldn't open the box right now.
- Lololol
- You need to install the public certificate.
- You need to install ActiveX... Disable popup blocker...
- Stop! Stop itttt!
Choices appeared.
[You discovered a treasure box radiating immense energy. However, it doesn't respond, as if a special lock is in place. How will you proceed?]
1. [Req: Immense Strength][Risk: Loss of rewards] Rip the lock off with brute force.
2. Don't open it until you find a way.
3. [Req: Skilled Lockpicking, Lockpicking Tools] Force the lock open with tools.
4. [Req: Key of Unknown Use] Unlock it with the key.
...
Scanning down the choices, Kang Seol found the phrase he was looking for. A related message followed.
[You are extremely wise.]
'Yes!'
Those with lockpicking skill of a certain grade or higher, or wisdom of a certain level or higher.
[High wisdom instantly comprehends the lock's mechanism.]
[Injecting mana will unlock it.]
If either condition was met, no key was needed for platinum-grade boxes or higher.
Click...
Whooo...
The box emitted a strange glow.
[Confirming lost item from the Myriad.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Acquired ability points.]
[Acquired ability points.]
[Albuja's special ability activates.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[Sly Blood Serpent activates.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[I Am That Guy's special ability activates.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[Acquired additional ability points.]
[Acquired 'Blade That Can't Laugh Freely'.]
[Acquired 'Calm Clown's Dagger'.]
[Acquired 'Chilling Manor Pants'.]
[Acquired 'Cold Snap'.]
[Acquired Myriad (萬象) – Librarian's Seal.]
[Acquired 50 platinum coins (kan).]
[Acquired 2 Keys of Unknown Use.]
[Acquired 1 Hot Breath Potion.]
...
'Ah! That's why...'
As befitting a platinum box, the rewards were splendid.
The Blade That Can't Laugh Freely and Calm Clown's Dagger were treasure-grade weapons with excellent performance, but unfortunately, neither Kang Seol nor his summons could use them.
He'd store them and auction them off or send them to acquaintances later.
That excluded two treasure items' worth from the rewards.
Normally, he might have clutched his head and lamented his misfortune, but not this time.
There were still many rewards left to check.
First, the pants radiating a sharp chill.
[Chilling Manor Pants]
Grade: Abomination
Appropriate Level: 45 - 53
Defense: 170
Durability: 140/140
Weight: 0.3kg
Pants woven from chill-infused fabric.
The energy runs wild, tormenting the wearer.
Base Stats: Intelligence +32, Wisdom +39, Vitality +35
Special: High chance of Frostbite status during combat, but inflicts Frostbite on enemies in range each time. Ignores some resistance.
An extremely troublesome option.
Frostbite came with slow debuff—a truly vicious status. If it inevitably struck mid-battle, no one would wear these pants forever.
However.
Kang Seol had a miraculous ability to ignore abomination penalties.
'Excellent!'
The frostbite penalty would only affect enemies.
And abominations always brought great effects to Kang Seol.
Especially with five parts now, the effect would be substantial.
'Let's see...'
Kang Seol quickly changed into the pants.
[Currently equipped with 5 abominations.]
[All stats +10 additionally.]
[All ability mana costs -10% additionally.]
[Shadow space +1,000 additionally.]
[All stats +20 additionally.]
[Shadow space +30% additionally.]
"......"
The last line was the fifth abomination's effect—an enormous bonus that left Kang Seol stunned.
- Abominations! Bring 'em all!
- Selling unused abominations~
- At this rate, even lowbies should blindly buy the next abomination!
- Doomsday option ㄷㄷ
It started off great.
Next, the ring.
A band engraved with letters.
[Myriad (萬象) – Librarian's Seal]
Grade: Treasure
Appropriate Level: 45 - 55
Resistance: 140
Durability: 130/130
Weight: 0.1kg
Commemorative ring for the Myriad Librarian position. Custom-made, wearable only by qualified individuals.
Base Stats: Wisdom +28, Vitality +33, Mental Strength +40
Special: Stats rise with good reading. Up to +100 stats possible. Grants 'Reading' talent. Special stat Dignity +50. Wearable only by 'Myriad (萬象)' title holder.
'This is... unique-grade!'
Even same grade items varied in quality, and treasures were no exception.
This treasure fell into the superior category.
Items with 'restrictions' were top-tier within their grade.
If the restriction was met, they performed beyond their grade.
The Librarian's Seal would surely rate near peerless if conditions were met.
'No, talent grant... it's even better.'
Not singular like peerless, but strict condition of having served as Librarian.
For non-unique items to surpass peerless performance, acquisition had to be extremely restricted or conditional.
This met both.
- ...Is this really treasure?
- Special got super long suddenly;
- A ring! Finally a ring dropped!
The platinum box probably appeared because of this ring and the prior abomination.
'Now for the last one.'
He could guess the final item's grade.
Kang Seol checked the iridescent ring.
[Peerless: Cold Snap acquired.]
[Obtained an item that did not exist in the world.]
As expected, peerless!
- It's hereeeee!
- Another ring?
- Even better! Both were crap rings lololol
- Jamad: ...Dad not sleeping. Bring ring.
Peerless (不世出): Cold Snap
Grade: Peerless
Appropriate Level: 45 – 55
Resistance: 150
Durability: 150/150
Weight: 0.1kg
Ring said to have been worn by mage Azran, imbued with chilling energy: Frost.
Cold Snap is a replica modeled after that mysterious ring Frost.
However, its quality is so high for a replica that it was stored deep in the Myriad.
Base Stats: All stats +20
Special: Freezing (Unique) active, Hot Reason (Unique) active, Corny Joke (Unique) active. Adapts to cold without winter gear. Special stat Dignity +100.
- Huh? It's a fake?
- You carry fakes around?
- But this fake's worth 100 million;;
- Love the frugal life.
- ㄷㄷ No longer a fake....
- Hidden power fake... PowerHideFake...
- Sounds like ass crack, hehe.
- Full set!
- Fr real, Kang Seol main full set complete lololol
The moment Kang Seol saw the two rings' stats, he decided to equip them himself.
His previous rings had such low level requirements.
'What's this peerless ability?'
[Freezing (Unique)]
- Frostbite status now comes with Freeze status.
[Hot Reason (Unique)]
- Status durations on wearer reduced by 10%.
[Corny Joke (Unique)]
- Cold attribute ability cast times greatly reduced.
Modeled after the Duke of Frost's ring, perfect for ice mages.
Of course, great for Kang Seol too.
No direct ice abilities, but the options would apply to Jamad post-Branca absorption and future Ur growth.
Swapping gear shot his zero Dignity to 150.
[Irrepressible dignity overflows.]
[You may become an object of awe.]
- O;; Force is insane now;;
- What? What's changed? Why so cool?
- Cologne? Teeth whitening? Brazilian wax? Nose job? What'd he do?
- But nose job's obvious, right?
Visually unchanged, but the aura was different.
Something subtly leaking out marked him as extraordinary.
Kang Seol checked the titles from this adventure.
[First Title: Myriad (萬象)]
Related Achievement: New Hire (Adventure: Solemn Library)
Special: Greatly increases reading comprehension and speed.
Perfect match for the new ring.
[First Title: Retiree]
Related Achievement: Off to Chase Dreams (Adventure: Solemn Library)
Special: 10% resource refund if attack misses.
[First Title: Platinum]
Related Achievement: Clicky-Click
Special: Keys of Unknown Use always drop 1+ from platinum boxes or higher.
All new titles had smile-worthy options.
Actually, everything from the Myriad Library was top-notch.
Ur got the Duke of Frost's grimoire, Jamad absorbed ancient shaman Branca's sorcery, Kang Seol got powerful gear.
He was evolving faster than any frontline player.
* * *
Time passed since Kang Seol left the Myriad.
The Myriad Library vanished that day.
Ask if the Ghost Realm has weather, and every ghost would say yes.
Sun rises and sets here too.
Just less pronounced than the human realm.
A woman stared wistfully into the distance, face gloomy.
Seolhong in human form.
Swish...
Chui approached in wolf form and sat beside her.
"...Where's Jinryeo?"
Seolhong asked Chui, who shook his head.
"Still sleeping."
"That's her."
"Consistent, right?"
"Jinryeo loves sleeping in."
"No! She sleeps a lot, that one."
"Ahaha..."
"Unlike some... Kang Seol barely slept compared to Jinryeo."
"......"
"So Bban always... that guy... hmm... should I stop?"
Seolhong bit her lip.
Chui, reading her expression, offered comfort.
"There must be a reason he can't come back soon."
"...It's been weeks with no word."
"Distance to here too."
"......"
Seolhong gazed toward where the Myriad Library had stood.
It vanished a week ago.
What happened to Kang Seol inside?
Why no news?
"Seolhong, are you struggling?"
"No, scared."
"Scared?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Don't know."
Chui spoke calmly with her.
"You've grown strong, Seolhong."
"......"
"Tons of people help you now. Like... this handsome, valiant Chui here... or Jinryeo oversleeping over there...."
"I know."
"People recognize you now? The empire will welcome you back. You're that kind of existence."
"Yeah...."
"Still... scared?"
Nod...
Seolhong nodded.
"Been helped since having nothing... suddenly gone, feels like back then."
"......"
"Back to that me with nothing...."
Thwack-!
Chui headbutted Seolhong's thigh.
"Chui..."
"Snap out of it! Seolhong!"
The one person she could trust uniquely.
For Seolhong, she'd name him without hesitation.
Kang Seol.
Compared to before, she'd grown mentally and physically.
But his absence now tormented her immensely.
If she'd known, she'd have gone with him.
All addictions breed unexpected issues, but addiction to a person is most dangerous.
Seolhong was losing her goal unnoticed.
She didn't realize her judgment clouded, but Chui beside her did.
"Seolhong! He promised!"
"...Promised?"
"Yeah! He'd return!"
"...Ah!"
"Remember?"
"But..."
"Ever broken a promise?"
Seolhong tilted her head, then said.
"No."
"Huh? Really? See! Kang Seol keeps promises, so he'll be here soon. Just wait a bit."
Chui lifted his head confidently. Seolhong smiled faintly and hugged him.
"Thanks, Chui."
"Ahem... If I vanished, you'd mope too, right?"
"......"
"I'll kill him when he returns, Kang Seol."
As they sat in the yard, someone approached.
Rustle...
"Hm?"
"Duyeokssini?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Breathing fresh air before morning training... but why?"
The girl-formed Duyeokssini said with hands behind back.
"He's back."
"...What? What'd you say?"
"Back. Inside with Teacher Cha..."
Flash-!
Flash-!
Seolhong and Chui vanished like lightning.
Duyeokssini watched them go.
"Tsk tsk... Too dependent isn't good."
Smirk...
"Inevitable. He's trustworthy."
...
At that moment, guests visited Hamin's abode.
"Glad you're safe."
"Really dangerous this time."
"You risk danger every time, don't you?"
"This was too much."
"Haha... Sounds like exaggeration now. Anyway... your aura's changed a lot."
"...Has it?"
Hamin nodded at his guest's words.
"Going to the Myriad was close to the right answer."
Then.
Slide-!
"Huff... huff..."
"Hah... hah..."
Golden wolf and Seolhong burst in, staring at Hamin's back. Then they saw the guest beyond.
Seolhong's face froze in shock.
The guest eyed her leisurely.
Kang Seol had returned.
Unsure how to greet his changed aura, Seolhong hesitated.
"...You're late."
Kang Seol smiled at her awkward greeting.
"A bit late."
"...Thought something happened."
"Something kept happening."
Seolhong finally smiled brightly.
"But you came back."
Kang Seol nodded.
"Promised, didn't I?"
Shadow wolf blocking the upper floors, revived ancient glacier shaman gone berserk, malfunctioning Warden, and encounter with Duke of Frost's phantasm.
Through unbelievable trials, Kang Seol returned.