The Second Ancient Knowledge (1)

Interestingly, each piece of Harkan's gear was inscribed with fragments of a hidden lore concerning Harkan, the hero of Falcon City. When pieced together, those tidbits unveiled a fascinating piece of secret history.

Originally, Harkan had been one of the eight founding heroes of Falcon City who drove out the Legion of Death after it contaminated Mount Puyan. Yet during that ferocious struggle against the Legion of Death, a tiny Fragment of Utter Darkness had lodged itself in his heart. The trouble was that nobody noticed—not even Harkan himself.

Slowly but surely, that sliver of utter darkness corrupted him from within. The once magnanimous, righteous champion devolved into a narrow-minded, tyrannical megalomaniac.

Twisted by corruption, Harkan committed countless atrocities until he inevitably clashed with the other heroes. Formidable as he was, standing alone against seven other legends proved impossible, and he was gradually overwhelmed. Pursued relentlessly, Harkan fled until a Golden Sky Arrow loosed by one of the heroes pierced clean through his skull. By sheer happenstance, his corpse plummeted down into the construction site of the Falcon City sewers, swallowed into the subterranean gloom.

This tragic tale was the reason his equipment dropped inside the sewer dungeons. Aside from Sewer No. 77 that Sanghyuk had unlocked, Harkan's gear could also be obtained in the public dungeon, Falcon's Sewer.

Once players began clearing Falcon's Sewer in earnest, Harkan's equipment would naturally rise to fame. For a considerable time, it would be adored across the entire player base, even earning the nickname "the school uniform."

Of course, the final boss of Falcon's Sewer, Corrupted Harkan, was a raid-tier encounter that dropped a far superior version of his equipment. That, however, was a privilege reserved for an elite few.

Sanghyuk intended to sell off all his surplus Harkan gear at peak value before the market was flooded and prices cratered.

The equipment possessed solid, well-rounded base stats, while its set bonuses offered balanced increases across multiple attributes—making it an obvious favorite for the masses. Even so, through Sanghyuk's eyes, it was merely stepping-stone gear to be tossed aside soon enough.

In just ten days, Sanghyuk's level climbed all the way to 28.

In Eternal Life, progression moved swiftly up to level 20. Past that milestone, the pace gradually decelerated, and starting from level 25, the gates of hell began to loom into view.

Level 30 marked the start of the 1st Hell Range. At first, every player assumed this was the true leveling inferno. Only later, when the very first player to reach level 40 checked the Karma required to hit level 41, did everyone realize ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that the supposed nightmare between levels 30 and 40 wasn't even hell at all.

Level 40—that was where true damnation began.

Until the second planet was added years later, virtually every player suffered immensely in that bottomless pit of grinding.

Although Sanghyuk had yet to hit the 1st Hell Range at level 30, level 28 was by no means low given the current game climate.

While unverified, aggregating the data floating across various gaming forums suggested that the highest-level pioneers in Eternal Life were currently hovering around levels 34 to 36.

However, nearly all of them were One Soul users. While there were a sparse few Double Soul players among them, none could even begin to compare to Sanghyuk. Developing a Quadra Soul build, Sanghyuk was advancing at a velocity no ordinary player could hope to match.

Bzzzzzzzt!

A violent surge of electricity crackled once more from the monster's azure horn. Guarding Merlog's Treasure Warehouse, the boss monster—the Blue-Horned Merlog—lashed out in frantic desperation, refusing to go down so easily. Yet against Sanghyuk, its struggle was entirely futile.

Having deciphered the boss's attack patterns long ago, Sanghyuk dodged its death throes with an effortless sideward roll.

KABOOM!

The moment the lightning smashed uselessly into the stone floor, Sanghyuk's blade flashed three times in rapid succession.

Slash, slice!

Its health pool already depleted to the dregs, the creature could endure no more. The three razor-sharp strikes severed head from torso, sending the carcass collapsing to the floor.

In just ten days, Sanghyuk thoroughly completed every single run of Merlog's Treasure Warehouse. It was somewhat disappointing that a low-grade Secret Dungeon offered no special bonus for achieving a full clear, but having amassed an enormous haul of loot across one hundred runs, he hardly cared.

As for Sewer No. 77, roughly fifty clears still remained. Sanghyuk planned to hold onto it until public interest in Secret Dungeons surged, at which point he would find ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a deep-pocketed patron and sell it off for a hefty sum.

Whenever supply was scarce, speculative bubbles swelled; timed properly, a sale would yield exorbitant profits.

By now, his equipment setup was already fully decked out in Harkan's set: Harkan's Helm, Upper Armor, Lower Armor, Sword, Shield, Boots, and Cloak—a complete seven-piece set.

Equipping the full set finally gave him a respectable appearance. Naturally, to someone with Sanghyuk's memories, it still looked like a bundle of rags, but at this stage of the game, no better armor existed.

Except for the items he wore, he listed every spare drop on consignment. Putting them up all at once would drive down prices, so he posted them one by one, letting prospective buyers sweat in frantic bidding wars.

Only through such calculated pacing could he continuously liquidate his inventory at the highest possible rates.

Indeed, with EL's explosive surge in popularity, external platforms catering to the game were mushrooming outside the virtual world—including real-money item trading forums.

Trading there could have fetched him a tidy sum of real cash, but Sanghyuk refrained. He still had more than enough funds left over for living expenses. Right now, what mattered far more than real cash was gold, the in-game currency.

At long last, EL had truly exploded onto the scene.

Just as the headlines predicted, within a single month, EL would completely eclipse all other DN titles, cementing an unassailable reign that would last for the next fifteen years.

"Looks like Raon Soft is finally putting their oars in the water."

Scanning the articles competing for the spotlight across countless gaming outlets, Sanghyuk murmured with a faint smirk.

"Which means guilds will start stepping onto the stage soon enough."

Guild content remained almost entirely unknown to the general public. Crucially, though, being unknown did not mean it did not exist.

Which guild claimed the first kill on Corrupted Harkan in Falcon's Sewer? Was it Terriculum, led by Kun? Or Shooting Star's Rising?

Sanghyuk sifted through memories of the prominent guilds that had made names for themselves in EL's early days, but he couldn't quite recall who had secured the first kill.

"Well, not that it matters. I'm skipping that dungeon anyway."

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. Obsessing over content he had already decided to bypass was not his style.

"Compared to what comes next, Harkan is child's play..."

Sanghyuk thought back on the countless nightmarish dungeons and raid bosses etched into his memory. Many of them had inflicted hardship so brutal it still made his teeth grind.

Though he had never belonged to a top-tier guild in his previous life, the gold farming sweatshop where he had toiled as an exploited laborer was practically on par with a massive guild in sheer headcount, regularly organizing large-scale raids. As a result, his raid experience was extensive.

Either way, while they're beating their heads against Harkan, I should prepare for the next step.

Sanghyuk sensed that the time had come to claim his second Ancient Knowledge. Up until now, he had left his second Soul Hole empty simply because he lacked the prerequisites to obtain it.

Now, however, his level exceeded 25, and his purse bulged with ample gold. The conditions were fully met.

In many ways, this second Ancient Knowledge ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠formed the ultimate linchpin of his envisioned Quadra Soul build.

It was the very power that had crowned "Crash" Choi Sangyeol as one of the strongest in his past life! Although it was Choi Sangyeol who had realized its full potential in practice, the one who had formulated the underlying theory and built its foundation was Sanghyuk.

In his previous life, knowing his ruined body could never bring the build to fruition, Sanghyuk had been forced to surrender it to someone else. But things were different now. He was no longer a cripple.

And there was no reason he ever would become one again.

In his past life, overworked like a slave in an illicitly modified VR capsule without proper rest, he had eventually contracted a rare, obscure neurological disorder known as VR Over-Immersion Syndrome.

Afflicted by this condition, daily life remained unaffected, but the moment one connected to virtual reality, every sensory impulse warped into chaos, rendering their VRA virtually unmeasurable.

In short, within the realm of VR, it turned a person into an invalid.

Up until his regression, Sanghyuk's condition had never shown the slightest improvement. It was treated as an incurable new-age ailment, leaving no hope for recovery.

This was precisely why Sanghyuk, even while obsessively diving into the game, meticulously looked after his physical body and enforced strict rest schedules. He knew firsthand the catastrophic toll of neglecting one's health.

Back then, the damage had been compounded by crushing external stress and coercive exploitation, but regardless, Sanghyuk had no intention of ever becoming a wreck again.

"Up we go!"

Having finished a set of push-ups while browsing the internet on the tablet resting on the floor, Sanghyuk pushed himself up briskly.

He had downed a bland yet nutrient-dense meal and completed his regular workout. Having already caught enough sleep earlier, his condition was peak.

"Alright, time to get back to work."

Wearing a satisfied smile, Sanghyuk turned toward the capsule VR device resting in the center of the room.

By rarity alone, the Ancient Knowledge Sanghyuk sought ranked among the high-grade tier. In terms of popularity, however, it was absolute bottom tier—easily ranking among the five most shunned in the entire game.

Of course, that was according to the standards of his past life. In this era, no one even knew such Ancient Knowledge existed.

Logging into EL, Sanghyuk made his way directly to Six Nine Street, the entertainment district of Falcon City. Bearing an unabashedly explicit name, this district offered travelers the ultimate sensory pleasures.

EL was an adult-rated game. Because DN networks required strict biometric verification through fingerprint and facial scans before granting access, minors had no way of entering EL in the first place.

Consequently, the adult content in EL was remarkably bold.

While nothing illegal was permitted, the district brimmed with experiences pushed right to the legal edge. However, because law strictly regulated the allowable duration for adult DN experiences, players could not linger indefinitely.

Being a red-blooded man himself, Sanghyuk had naturally indulged in such content before. Not excessively, of course—just the ordinary amount any typical guy might explore.

And today, he hadn't come for carnal entertainment; he was here on business.

Now, where was that casino again...?

Sanghyuk searched for Falcon Casino, widely counted among the three major landmarks of Six Nine Street. Before long, weaving past scantily clad NPCs touting their services, he stepped through the grand entrance of Falcon Casino.

His reason for coming to the casino was simple:

It was the only place where he could acquire the Ancient Knowledge he sought.

The Ancient Knowledge: Card User.

The very foundation that would eventually evolve and synthesize into Card Master could be claimed nowhere else but here.