Black Hole and the Triple Kobold Slayer
Once the Kobold Lord was down, the remaining minions all dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
Our trio happily chatted while picking up the loot.
"Yulia! That was so cool! Standing your ground in front of the kobold legion! It wasn't quite as epic as when Master drops a meteor, but I almost yelled jumonim!"
"Hehe. You're too kind. But what's jumo?"
"Yeah! It's Master's country's signature exclamation. I'll explain it in detail once we're out!"
Hey, don't teach her weird stuff.
Anyway, loot pickup complete.
Overwhelming high score achieved. Additional rewards granted. (Confirm)
Now it's standard additional rewards per floor.
Dududududu. Results?
"Aw."
"Mana stones!"
"Hmm, judging by your reactions, not a great reward?"
Carmina explained.
"Feels like a dud, but not bad! Each one's worth 500 million. Three make 1.5 billion! That's 65,217 Gold Olive chickens!"
"How much is a bottle of makgeolli usually?"
"Around 1,700 won?"
"That's enough for 882,000 bottles of makgeolli. Impressive."
What the heck, you two. Why are your math skills so sharp?
Anyway, from my perspective wanting tickets, mana stones were a bit disappointing.
But it's fine.
I still have more scratch-off lotteries left.
Scroll down the message list.
Sudden Quest Occurred
You can accept multiple quests based on stat conditions.
Clearing each quest guarantees additional rewards.
Sudden quests that only appear probabilistically for high scorers from floor 20.
Quest list.
1. Kobold Swordmaster Defeat
📍 Accept Condition: STR/VIT total 100+
🎁 Reward: 1 Additional Reward
2. Kobold Archmage Defeat
📍 Accept Condition: INT/WIS total 100+
🎁 Reward: 1 Additional Reward
3. Kobold Master Thief Defeat
📍 Accept Condition: AGI/LUK total 100+
🎁 Reward: 1 Additional Reward
It says you can accept multiple, but it's basically pick one matching your specialization.
For a level 20 S-rank awakener.
Even with gear bonuses, specialized stat totals barely hit 100.
But I'm not worried.
Each individual stat already exceeds 100.
All three quests.
I can take them all.
Difficulty might be insane, but with my two allies, no big worries.
But first.
20th Floor Clear Special Privilege: New skill acquisition available.
Check this first.
Carmina turned to me at that moment.
"Ah! Master! Keeping something fun to yourself!"
"Hurry over. Time for unboxing."
"Your Majesty's exclusive skill?"
Carmina mimed a massive object plummeting with her fist.
"Drop a meteor with a single gesture—boom!"
"......? Meteor?"
"You gotta see this one yourself later, Yulia! That's when to yell jumo too!"
"Well, if there's no big issue, we could use meteors for Lumentia restoration too."
The new skill could be hugely helpful depending on type.
Yulia tilted her head at "planet restoration," but explanations later.
"Acquire skill."
Black Hole
"Ah, Black Hole."
"What kind of skill is it?"
In some ways, a way more dangerous name than Meteor Fall.
Black Hole Lv.20
Creates a black hole that sucks in everything in range.
Effects scale with skill level, INT, and SPI.
Can link with White Hole skill if acquired.
Usage Limit: 1/day
Simple description, just like Meteor Fall.
Closing my eyes and focusing, detailed usage imaged in my mind.
Absorbs living or non-living indiscriminately.
Completely sucked in?
Instant deletion.
Can specify/include/exclude targets.
No risk of me or allies getting sucked by accident.
Feels like a super vortex with black hole skin.
But infinite absorption? No.
Black hole has internal "space."
Absorbed items stack tightly by volume.
Space full?
Black hole auto-closes. Resets next use.
And current space capacity...
5m x 5m x 5m cube.
Not small at all.
If my theory's right, conditional one-shot kill skill.
Plus.
Growth coefficient is insane.
System replayed high-level black hole scene.
Plains filled with endless orcs, ogres, trolls charging.
Fleets of dragons flying in.
Black hole at center.
─────.
Space warped into vortex, sucking them all.
Next: cosmic black hole devouring a planet.
What did I just see...?
No way it grows that big later?
Gulp.
Under premise of full growth, way higher tier than Meteor Fall.
Summary.
For now.
"Opposite positioning from Meteor Fall. Can't handle massive hordes, but guarantees kill on small numbers regardless of strength."
"Whoa! Master! Boss-killer skill? Epic!"
Instant reply in one second.
Full Korean gamer now. Comprehension skyrockets for this stuff.
Yulia, back in saintess mode unarmed, looked expectant too.
Accept all three quests.
Flash!
Scenery shifted to arena.
1. Kobold Swordmaster Defeat (Started)
2. Kobold Archmage Defeat (Started)
3. Kobold Master Thief Defeat (Started)
Analysis data checks out.
Hit start, monster spawns on arena.
No cases, but.
Multiple quests? Sequential clears safer.
Why waste time?
Cold-blooded skill made actions bolder.
Click! Click! Click!
Three start buttons simultaneous.
Arena: three light orbs forming kobold shapes.
"Master! Ready to throw spears?"
"I'll re-arm─."
Sigh, both of you stand by. Black Hole's enough.
Aimed skill at center of three orbs.
Like Meteor Fall, absorption range simulated ahead.
Soon.
───────.
Black hole appeared.
Distorting space, slowly swirling in midair.
"Light and shadow...? Texture...? Nothing registers!"
"Never seen a phenomenon like this."
True black hole—no light escapes.
Structure different, but menacing look convincing.
Allies peeked around it, half fear, half curiosity.
"Once sucked in, no escape."
"Eek."
"......!"
They scurried back at my half-joking warning.
Light orbs nearing completion.
Whew. Deep breath.
Will it work? Obviously.
Theory's perfect.
Classic global tradition: skill on mob spawn point.
Finally.
Orbs faded, three massive kobolds appeared.
Spin acceleration.
Spawned and instantly sucked into black hole, gone.
Ferocious roars? Attacks?
No chance.
Pure deletion.
So instantaneous, momentarily stunned.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Kobold Swordmaster Defeat Complete
Kobold Archmage Defeat Complete
Kobold Master Thief Defeat Complete
Quest Rewards Settled
Acquire 3 Additional Rewards
Notifications snapped back to reality.
Yes, this thrill.
Plan success visualized—pure dopamine.
"Ooooh! Master! Amazing!"
"Wh-what just happened?"
Carmina seal-clapped.
Yulia frozen in shock and awe.
Was about to check rewards.
Ding!
Took a bit for achievement.
Guess system created new one.
Normally one kill each.
Anyway, quests + achievement?
Acquire 6 Additional Rewards
Lifetime tower climbers rarely see even one.
I'm numb from so many.
Plus, if sudden quests scale with score.
They'll keep popping frequently?
Lottery supply endless.
"Two notifications each."
"Ready!"
"Random pulls? Can't resist."
Choi Yuseong style: win first prize by scratching till you do.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
*
Meanwhile.
Somewhere in Beijing, a private room.
China Management Director Li Feng.
Japan Management Director Nakayama.
The two nations' reps held secretive talk under crimson lighting.
"No idea how much damage Korea's stunt cost us yesterday."
"Japan too. We'd rerouted maritime exports to new seas—totally ruined."
Clink!
Ice-filled premium glasses touched.
China and Japan. Publicly rivals for 2nd/3rd.
But secretly allied to push out America.
"Sigh, America's headache enough, now Korea surging."
"All because of that damn Hitchhiker."
"That Hitchhiker, Hitchhiker."
Nations tailor tower strategies to strengths.
China, India: low avg floors/scores, but horde tactics via population.
Japan, Germany, Canada: smaller pop, research for high floors/high scores.
Korea now?
Pure Hitchhiker strat. No other explanation.
One monster dragging nation by hair, sprinting wildly.
Nakayama asked.
"Thoughts on Korea claiming they can't find the Hitchhiker?"
"Probably true. Tiny nation couldn't spot him. No signs from our spy network inside Korea Management either."
Spy: HR Director Jo Hyun-ho.
Of course, Li Feng unaware he's already gone.
Silence flowed.
Nakayama's piercing gaze.
Spy there—why no advance warning on Korea's stunt?
Li Feng's forehead twitched.
Daring island nation upstart eyeing me like that?
Voice laced discomfort.
"Spie's position in Korea Management isn't high. Needs Cha Minhyuk's level for instant intel."
Silence again.
Now Li Feng's piercing gaze.
Japan tried recruiting Cha Minhyuk, backfired with heavy losses, right?
Nakayama's lips twitched.
Not just Japan.
Cha Minhyuk watched from early days by many nations.
Assassinations, kidnaps galore.
But tough.
Beyond shrewd human nature, A-rank high-level physical enhancer.
One shot traded each.
"......"
"......"
Uncomfortable silence. Nakayama spoke first.
"Can we recruit the Hitchhiker?"
"Opportunity will come. Anyone with ambition won't stick to Korea forever."
"True. Early awakening, focused on climbing now. Later, eyes open—Korea pales vs powers."
But problem.
"Damage till his defection massive."
"Yes. Ranking drops one by one already."
"So, a proposal."
"What?"
Nakayama pulled item.
◈ Designate nation to summon "Mad Lycanslope."
◈ Spawns before affiliated awakener with highest score contribution.
◈ Success kill: User’s nation steals 3M points from target.
◈ Fail but uncaught in 30min: Steal 2M points.
◈ Caught in 15min: Lycanslope reappears before user, strengthened inverse to defeat time (max 5x), points reversed.
◈ World announcement on use.
◈ Req: Lv.50+, nation top 3 rank.
"China's 2nd rank got similar. You know. No awakener-sniper type before."
Success: remove Hitchhiker.
Fail: massive damage to Japan/China.
Gamble with national scores.