Pegasus Blood and Korea's Moment of Glory

The light faded, and what appeared in my hand was...

"Han-yak?"

A pack filled with a reddish-brown liquid.

It looked exactly like traditional Korean herbal medicine.

"Ah! Pegasus blood! I drank tons of this as a kid!"

"Pegasus blood?"

"Yeah. Even vampires who love blood don't usually drink it straight from the source that much. We consume all sorts of blood in processed forms like this!"

Hydra blood.

Griffin blood.

Basilisk blood, and so on.

There were ridiculously diverse types, like convenience store drinks, and among them were elixirs that boosted physical abilities.

"Just like this Pegasus blood! It's the rarest among elixirs! Huge demand but no supply—you can't buy it even if you have the money!"

Didn't she just say she drank a lot of it as a kid?

"You must've grown up in a wealthy family. No wonder it said 'princess' on your exclusive gear."

"We weren't that poor, I guess...? Anyway! The reason I hate blood now might be those forced memories from childhood."

Anyway, the rarest blood, huh.

Alrighty then—pop goes the seal.

"Oh."

"Oh."

Carmina and me.

Our exclamations meant slightly different things.

"I thought it was just a general combat booster, but as a Tower item, it's specified so precisely!"

Carmina was surprised by the system.

"All stats +5%? Is this for real?"

I was shocked by the performance.

B-rank? The standards here are way off from Earth's.

That's why it has the star?

"It feels a bit better than the original effect, but the system wouldn't lie, right?"

I was dumbfounded.

To the point where I doubted my eyes.

Handing out a precious option you could only get through achievements... for free?

And didn't she say items you've scanned once can be designated for repeated acquisition?

How much is left in the dimensional rift?

Insane. 431 units.

I could pull one out of the dimensional rift every day and boost all my stats by 5% each time.

Like grabbing herbal medicine from the fridge.

Chug a pack a day.

If I drink all 431 over 431 days?

All stats +2155%.

'High-level folks are already called superhumans.'

2155%?

Superhumans would look like kids.

"Whoa! Way more stock than I thought! If you diligently pull one out and drink every day, Master, your base physical abilities could match a vampire's!"

Carmina added,

"Ah! Of course, even without elixirs, you'll naturally get super strong later! Way beyond me!"

Of course I'll drink it.

But a pure question popped into my head.

Whoosh.

"Can't you have some too, Carmina? No restriction saying allies can't use it."

"Eek."

Carmina bolted away.

Her face twisted in utter disgust.

"No restrictions, but I won't drink it...! Never...! Anyway, Master's first...!"

I half-expected that.

'From my perspective, it's not exactly appetizing color-wise either.'

Before drinking, status check first.

All Awakener base stats start at 1.

Level-ups increase them by a percentage based on class type and rank.

'S-rank classes total +3 per level.'

For example, the Berserker—an S-rank class with only 5 known worldwide:

Other S-ranks differ only in which stats rise—the total +3 stays the same.

But mine totals +8.

Every stat +1.

'Perk of the EX-rank class.'

Like an all-rounder character in a game.

Even at level 50, all-stats 50.

Base stats alone are overwhelming.

And buffs to all stats?

My body takes them like a champ.

Slurp.

'Kinda fishy smell.'

But down the hatch.

Good medicine tastes bitter.

Gulp—gulp—

Hm? Tastier than expected?

Kinda like carrot juice.

I drained every last drop from the pack. Soon, a warm energy spread through my body.

Effect confirmed.

Clap clap clap!

"Ooh, impressive. Even vampires sip it bit by bit 'cause it's fishy, but you one-shot it."

More relieved the eyesore was gone than impressed.

One-shot? If it boosts stats, I'd chug it like water all day if I could.

'Seeing the effect right here makes me greedy. Can't I have another?'

Nope.

Item transfer: once per day.

But 431 days ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is too long.

No way to pull them all at once?

The tip popped up like it was waiting.

Scanning higher-grade items also scales with restoration rate.

If B-rank is this good, how insane are S or A?

One more reason to restore the ruined planet Nosferatu ASAP.

But...

Not yet.

Clear the 10th floor for level 10.

Just 5 more floors.

'The restoration method is key.'

Restoration—literally reclaiming lost land or rights.

And a planet's destruction means all its Towers rampaged, overrun by monsters.

'Using Planet Restoration means fighting those monsters directly?'

But does that even make sense?

Even if I wipe all monsters, no vampire residents left?

One question leads to another.

Whatever—I'll find out at level 10.

'And get my second skill then.'

Level 10: 2nd skill.

20: 3rd.

30: 4th.

One every 10 levels.

How? Completely random from the class's full skill pool.

Mine:

◈ Possible skills: Supernova Explosion, Black Hole, White Hole, Wormhole Link, Gravitational Wave Emission, Meteor Fall, Spatial Distortion, etc.

One will pop.

'Names give a rough idea of what they do.'

But power level? No clue.

Depending on what I get, I might start restoration right at 10 or not.

"Master! Farming! Farming!"

Carmina, who'd been bouncing around, returned.

Arms full of mana stones and rat byproducts.

Whoosh!

All into inventory.

The area was spotless now.

Today's work done.

"Time to head out? Gotta finish that chicken. Order more if needed."

"Yay! Chicken feast! Pizza feast!"

Internet slang she picked up?

Feels more like dealing with a bratty little sister every day.

Gotta train her right and climb the Tower.

Hitchhiker's 5th-floor clear.

The ripple effects were beyond imagination.

The communities were in chaos.

But the real focus was elsewhere.

The national score rankings.

That massive 300k score rocketed Korea straight to #1 in the early scramble.

And it held.

Longer than expected.

How long? A full half-day.

Pathetic compared to Tower powerhouses like the US.

But plenty to overdose Koreans on national pride.

People refreshed rankings obsessively, grinning like fools all day.

But amid the joy,

Unease crept in.

They mobbed the poster in frenzy—but deep down, everyone thought the same.

"What if Hitchhiker really leaves Korea?"

Rational fear.

Korea was a Tower weakling among weaklings.

Lagging in every Tower aspect.

Truth: Naturalizing to US, China, Japan meant better environments for climbing.

Intel on upper floors Korea couldn't reach.

Proprietary score research.

S-rank gear support.

Many high-rankers defected.

At first, they hesitated out of optics—but as Korea sank like a stone, mass exodus.

Patriotism appeals failed against powerhouse perks.

Left behind: Just 3 S-rankers!

Now, an ecosystem destroyer eclipsing them appeared.

Monster among monsters.

Would powerhouses sit idle?

National PTSD triggered...

Overseas, nations moved fast.

US Tower Climb Intel HQ.

"Find Hitchhiker and recruit at all costs. Contact Korea's agency for info first. They'll hide it, but offer terms they can't refuse."

Japan Awakener Management Agency.

Trembling with rage.

"A Korean scoring 300k? World-first achievements Japan couldn't do—twice? Impossible! Must be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠system exploit! Prove it's a bug and humiliate them internationally!"

China Tower Climb Intel Bureau.

"Hah, 300k on floor 5. Tempting talent. Hitchhiker will shake up Tower races. Get him—kidnap, imprison, threaten, whatever. Talents born in weak states like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Korea belong to great powers like us anyway?"

Each nation's reaction and approach varied by ties to Korea.

But one common thread.

All eyes on one man.

Hitchhiker.

The world rocked by a single Awakener.