Chapter 184
Chapter 184
Chapter 184: Minor Regulations (1)
Translation: godtl
[You have successfully cleared the arena 'Fortress of Savagery.']
[You demonstrated overwhelming performance alone in the Siege Warfare.]
[Clear rewards have increased based on your performance.]
[The Philosopher's Stone, an attribute bound to you, has distributed a portion of the experience.]
[Your level has increased by 12.]
[The Philosopher's Stone's level has increased by 10.]
[You have obtained 'Shackles of Savagery' as a clear reward.]
Messages scrolled up one after another.
Si-mun let out a low whistle.
"Damn, that's insane."
What caught his eye the most was, without a doubt, the level-up.
"Twelve whole levels?"
Once he had surpassed Level 100, leveling up had become excruciatingly slow.
No matter how outstanding his performance was.
The required experience had grown so massive that level-ups had been limited to single digits.
'But with the Philosopher's Stone included, that's a total of 22 levels...'
An astronomical leap of 22 levels—utterly staggering.
"No wonder it's Siege Warfare. The experience alone is worth it."
Even in his past life, Siege Warfare had been renowned for its exceptional experience efficiency.
This was a reward befitting the mode.
In contrast...
"The item reward is the Shackles of Savagery, effective against beast-types... Tch, an A-grade material."
The item reward he pulled from his inventory.
The Shackles of Savagery was, frankly, a mediocre drop perfectly suited for the Platinum-rank—nothing more than a basic, run-of-the-mill item.
Still.
"Hyun-ah, toss this into storage for me."
-Got it~.
For Si-mun, who was also part of the Production Class, even a seemingly useless item could find its purpose.
He carelessly tossed the shackles, engraved with magic circles, aside.
Clink.
As if it had eyes, one of the arms working nearby—
Clank.
—caught them midair.
Without even sparing the Shackles of Savagery a second glance, Si-mun moved on.
"Alright, let's dump all 12 remaining stat points into Transmutation Power..."
After allocating all 12 stat points into Transmutation Power, he muttered,
"Now, let's check the real rewards."
The next set of rewards appeared.
[You have defeated the first hidden boss related to the Main Arena.]
[You have earned 10,000 Achievement Points as a reward.]
[You have defeated the hidden boss 'Nemean Lion Cub' alone.]
[You have been awarded 'Nemean Lion Cub Hide.']
"Whoa!"
An exclamation burst out of him involuntarily.
And for good reason.
"Guess it's because it's the first clear? Even for a hidden boss, 10,000 Achievement Points is insane."
The first kill of a hidden boss tied to the Main Arena.
True to the Galaxy Arena's tendency to favor first achievers, it had granted him a whopping 10,000 Achievement Points.
"Let's see... That brings my total from 21,300 to 31,300 points."
The corners of Si-mun's lips curled up on their own.
Naturally.
'Even if I transmute the World Tree Seed Fragment, I'll still have 20,000 points left. I can use Ars Magna without worrying now.'
Achievement Points were a resource directly tied to both his growth and combat prowess.
'With the minor regulations opening soon, if I have the leeway, I should aim for something like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art at 5 Stars.'
Nodding in satisfaction, Si-mun checked the item reward.
[Nemean Lion Cub Hide]
Grade: X
The hide of a cub from the Nemean Lion's habitat.
-When used during arena matching, grants entry to the Main Arena 'Valley of Nemea.'
-Only Diamond-rank or higher players may enter.
-When processed, this item gains 'a fixed SSS-rank option.'
-When processed, this item loses the 'Main Arena entry option.'
"Hmm. Just as I thought..."
Si-mun clicked his tongue as he skimmed through the options.
'Exactly what Mal-suk told me in my past life.'
In his past life, Go Mal-suk had been the one to conquer the Main Arena, 'Valley of Nemea.'
Not only through her personal broadcasts.
But precisely because she had never been close to anyone.
Only Si-mun had known the details of the entry item, 'Nemean Lion Cub Hide.'
And just as she had told him back then...
'I got my hopes up when I heard it was a hide... but damn, this entry item's options are a pain in the ass.'
Entry items had a unique system of options.
"It's an item where you have to choose between two values—entry or material..."
Unless it was an Authority or an attack of equivalent power.
The Nemean Lion Cub had been impervious to all damage.
Naturally, the hide obtained as a reward would possess the same properties.
And wasn't it even labeled with a 'fixed SSS-rank option'?
But.
"If you process it, you'll lose the 'Main Arena entry option'..."
It was essentially telling him not to process it.
'Well, if I hunt the Nemean Lion, I can get a higher-grade hide anyway.'
As someone who already knew all the rewards thanks to Go Mal-suk from his past life, Si-mun thought:
"That hide is just a cub's hide. I can't settle for something so measly."
It would be no different from killing the goose that lays golden eggs just to get some meat right away.
"Let's keep this safe until we reach Diamond."
Si-mun carefully stored the cub's hide back in his inventory.
Just then.
Knock knock.
"Si-mun, are you there?"
Park Jin-uk knocked on the lab door.
The penthouse in Ranker Palace.
True to its value, the living room was spacious enough to host a party without feeling cramped, but...
"Everyone's here."
Looking at those gathered, it didn't feel quite so spacious anymore.
"Si-mun, you're here."
"Hoho. You called me at this ungodly hour, so I had some expectations... but of course."
Choi Chang-wook, the Iron Wood King's chief secretary, Lin, the owner of the Black Market,
and even the Night Hunter, Park Jin-uk.
Si-mun surveyed the assembled elite players.
"I assume you all know why I called you here so urgently at this hour."
At Si-mun's words, the others nodded.
Lin, who had sidled up to him at some point, smiled suggestively and asked,
"Is it because of the system announcement?"
Her subtle fingers brushed his shoulder, but...
"Correct."
Si-mun didn't flinch, merely shaking his head slightly and waving his hand dismissively.
"You've probably all checked your MMR eligibility, but let me bring up the announcement again."
[Temporary Regular Arena is only accessible to the top 10% MMR holders of each rank.]
[Eligible players can choose whether to participate.]
[Warning! Once participation is chosen, it cannot be changed.]
"Tch. How boring."
Lin clicked her tongue and stepped back, pulling up the announcement.
After confirming everyone had waved their hands to summon the notice, Si-mun checked the floating message before his eyes.
Temporary Regular Arena.
Literally temporary, it was also called 'Minor Regular' in his past life.
"Since 'Temporary Regular Arena' is a mouthful, I'll just call it Minor Regular."
Si-mun adopted the term outright.
"Minor Regular?"
"Makes sense. Rolls off the tongue."
"Short and convenient."
The three seated figures each nodded in admiration.
Amidst this,
"If our VVIP has gone so far as to name the Temporary Regular Arena..."
The sole woman among the three,
Lin propped her chin and gazed at Si-mun.
"I'm even more curious why you've gathered us here."
At that, Si-mun let out a small chuckle.
"As the owner of the Black Market, you must have some idea already. Don't you?"
"My~ I didn't know you thought so highly of me."
Lin smiled leisurely.
Si-mun mirrored her smile.
"If you truly haven't figured it out, you should leave now."
"Hoho. Just kidding! Really, Si-mun, you're impossible."
Lin raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
She continued,
"You've called the Association President's secretary and the Vice Guild Master of Simdrasil—two factions close to you—at this time. The topic is obvious."
"But there seems to be a question mark, no?"
"Perhaps~ you understand a woman's heart well. That's right."
She nodded with a suggestive smile.
Then,
"Why call me? Not that we're strangers, but... I'm hardly on the same level as these two."
Though her lips still curled upward,
Lin's gaze was steady, her eyes filled with clear doubt and suspicion.
Si-mun met her gaze calmly.
"Simple. I want the big players of the Black Market to hear what I'm about to say."
"What?"
Even after his answer,
Lin's confusion only deepened.
And for good reason.
"By 'big players,' you must mean the top guilds of each country..."
The big players of the Black Market—
Wouldn't that refer to the colossal guilds like American Dream, Continent Guild, or Seongsam Guild?
In a way, they were guilds that represented their respective nations.
"You want them to get this information?"
Therefore,
"You're talking about Minor Regular-related intel, right? I don't understand why you'd just give that away."
Given the circumstances, Lin's suspicion was entirely reasonable.
Si-mun let out a hearty laugh.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something. I never said I'd release it for free. Of course there'd be compensation."
"Compensation?"
Lin tilted her head in confusion.
Then—
"Ah. So you're asking me to act as an information broker?"
She let out a small sigh.
Si-mun nodded.
"There's nowhere the Black Market's reach doesn't extend."
Of course, thanks to the World Tree's Growth Buff,
the Yggdrasil Guild could directly communicate with each nation's top guilds.
But—
'That would just make things troublesome for me in multiple ways.'
From Si-mun's perspective, it would become extremely inconvenient.
"Hmm~."
Lin hummed through her nose while tapping her chin.
"So insisting the information must reach the major players means you absolutely need your intel delivered to them, correct?"
"You catch on quick."
Si-mun nodded and immediately continued,
"As you know, the most critical aspect of the temporary regular arenas is the death penalty, no?"
"Indeed. To face the same death in reality as well..."
Lin glanced at the notice displayed before her:
[The 'Temporary Regular Arena' is a preparatory process to help participants adapt before entering the true Regular Arena.]
[Thus, participants will receive the same rewards and penalties as the Regular Arena.]
[Should you meet death in the arena, you will face the same death in reality.]
After reading the notice, Lin smirked.
"It's a penalty burdensome enough that only those with nerves of steel—or utter fools—wouldn't be intimidated."
Moreover, it's the exact same death experienced in the arena.
Deaths in arenas filled with weapons, magic, and grotesque monsters.
Many of those deaths were far from clean.
Wasn't the sheer brutality the reason some outright refused to participate?
But if that became reality...
There was nothing more to say.
Then—
"What if I told you that death penalty could be nullified?"
At Si-mun's follow-up question—
"Excuse me?!"
"Si-Si-mun-nim! What are you saying?!"
Choi Chang-wook and Park Jin-uk, who had been silently listening, jolted in shock.
Even Lin, mid-conversation, stared at Si-mun with a momentarily dumbfounded expression.
Then—
"That claim... is it true? No, wait—"
Shaking her head vigorously, Lin let out a hollow laugh.
"You're not one to spout nonsense. If anything, you'd make it true."
The gravity in Lin's eyes melted back into her usual sly glint.
"I won't ask why you're releasing this intel to other guilds. But if your words hold truth..."
She flashed a cunning smile.
"Under any conditions, I'll stake everything I have and sell it with my full might."
Her tongue flicked across her lips.
Clink.
Clank.
Sporadic mechanical noises, like white noise, echoed faintly.
Si-mun entered the lab and headed to his station.
Trailing behind him—
-Oppa. What on earth are you thinking?
—the Philosopher's Stone floating inside a flask followed.
"Me? Nothing particularly special."
-Nothing special, my foot!
Its curiosity must have been overwhelming—
-There must be a reason you're deliberately using the Black Market instead of the Yggdrasil Guild to distribute the intel, right?
The Philosopher's Stone widened its eyes and pressed closer.
To which—
"That's what you're curious about?"
Si-mun chuckled softly.
"If I do it this way, I get to keep all the profits from the information."
He gently stroked the Stone's head.
"But chasing pure profit alone would cost me too much."
-Cost you? Ah!
As if something clicked—
The mechanical arms surrounding it clapped in unison.
-You mean it'd be a hassle for you, right?
"Exactly."
Si-mun nodded at the Philosopher's Stone.
"If I use the Yggdrasil Guild, I'd lose my current daily life entirely."
Starting with how I obtained such information—
To my independent investigations of Korean guild members—
The top guilds of each nation would scramble through their own intelligence networks to uncover everything.
Beyond the American Dream's branch, countless other guild branches would establish themselves in Korea.
Naturally—
'My identity as the source of the Growth Buff would eventually be exposed too.'
After all, nothing stays secret forever.
Then, of course, there'd be hundreds of recruitment offers pouring in daily.
It was obvious that foreign media would jump into the mix.
And once that happened.
"At that point, even stepping outside Ranker Palace might become impossible."
"Exactly. On top of that—"
Most crucially.
"For the sake of Earth's combat strength preservation, we'll have to disclose some essential information going forward."
The minor league—only accessible to the top 10% MMR of each rank.
At a glance, it might seem like a system designed to favor the elite, but...
Having lived through it once before, Si-mun knew better.
'We have to preserve as many promising talents and proven fighters as possible.'
Just how dangerous this minor league could be.
One misstep, and—
"Key players who should be active in the major Arena could get wiped out prematurely."
In his past life, small nations like the Vatican or Monaco...
Had lost their top players during the minor league.
Some collapsed entirely before the major Arena even began.
So to prevent such tragedies—
Critical information, like death penalties, needed to be disclosed in advance.
-Hmm~ So you're planning to use that sly fox to drip-feed the info slowly?
"...To ensure stable and controlled dissemination, I'll leverage the Black Market from the start."
Si-mun's eyes crinkled as he answered.
Then—
"Hyun-ah, what have you been watching lately? Since when did your mouth get this sharp? Want a spanking?"
He grabbed the flask and shook it violently.
-Aah! Oppa, I'm sorry! I take it back!
The Philosopher's Stone teared up with puppy-dog eyes, signaling surrender.
Only then did Si-mun release it.
-Tch! Anyway, the first step is crucial then.
"Right. Using the Black Market means I won't be exposed as the source."
-That sly— I mean! The Black Market's owner would keep the source confidential to serve her own interests, right?
"Exactly."
Si-mun shot a glance at the hastily backpedaling Philosopher's Stone and nodded.
-So Lin's basically a meat shield? Even the Black Market can't stop the big shots from demanding sources, right?
"That's why we pay a brokerage fee. Lin accepted the deal knowing that."
From the moment he proposed entrusting the minor league intel to her...
Lin must've seen through this far.
No wonder she runs the Black Market.
-Fine. Let's say Lin's handled. Why'd you tell Choi Chang-wook?
"Korea's Association needs to know. Major Arena introduces national rankings."
-Ah! Even though it's still the minor league, you're prepping national management now?
"Thanks to this, the Association's prestige skyrocketed. And my aunt will fully take control of Seongsam Guild."
With only the Big Three Guilds capable of opposing the Association President or Do-hu...
"If those two collaborate to steer public opinion, most Korean Awakened will fall in line."
Even if it takes...
Some degree of coercion.
The number of rogue Korean Players would drop significantly.
"That alone could cut domestic minor league casualties by more than half."
-Wooow~ All that struggling finally pays off?
"Sure does."
-But Oppa.
The Philosopher's Stone poked his side.
-Selling the Death Exemption Talisman's shop release in a week as "intel" is kinda scummy, no?
"Only we know it's scummy. Right now, I'm the only one on Earth who knows?"
-Well, the fewer who know, the more valuable the intel.
"Plus, it's life-or-death."
-Hehe! True that!
The Philosopher's Stone bobbed its head with a grin.
-Then Oppa! Let's demand orichalcum and adamantium as payment instead of money!
"Already planning to. Precious materials over cash—we don't need money anyway."
-Kyahh! So excited!!
The Philosopher's Stone bounced midair.
Si-mun stroked its adorable form, then suddenly froze.
'But the minor league was supposed to open next January... Why now?'
A six-month acceleration from his past life.
What caused this change?
After brief contemplation, Si-mun shook his head.
'No point overthinking the inevitable. This works in my favor anyway.'
Platinum—the stagnant phase of growth.
One minor league reward could reignite the explosive leveling of Bronze-Silver-Gold days.
Si-mun picked up his goggles.
-Huh? What, jumping into the minor league now?
"Obviously."
He grinned at the Philosopher's Stone's question.
"I delayed most Players by a week. Gotta grab those first-achievement bonuses."
With that...
Goggles on, Si-mun vanished.
Only the Philosopher's Stone's muttered words lingered in the empty space.