Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Siegfried's Recognition
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The portal Jeong Hoon had entered turned red.
And above it, the name Siegfried appeared.
The first Tower Lord... This is unfortunate.
Of all people, it had to be the first Tower Lord.
Getting caught by that madman meant passing was out of the question.
Now it was just a matter of how long he could hold out.
A week?
Kairos had watched Jeong Hoon train up close.
No matter what task he was given, he tackled it without complaintthat tenacity even left Kairos speechless.
Someone like Jeong Hoon wouldn't give up easily.
I'll watch.
A day inside the portal was one hour outside.
Seven days meant seven hours.
So the portal's color would change soon enough.
If he earned Siegfried's recognition, the red portal would turn blue. If he failed to gain approval and cried out in surrender, it would turn black.
And less than an hour later, the portal's color changed.
Kairos's face went slack as he checked it.
Blue...?
That was right.
The portal was glowing blue.
It meant he had earned Siegfried's recognition.
How...?
It was unbelievable.
Less than an hour meant he'd gained approval in less than a day.
Even Kairos himself had barely managed it after nearly two weeks.
And soon after, Jeong Hoon returned.
It's done.
...How?
Pardon?
The first Tower Lord appeared, and you're saying you got his recognition in a single day?!
Kairos bellowed.
He couldn't accept the reality right in front of him.
He was incredibly picky, that's for sure.
What kind of test was it?
Simple. He tested me on handling every weapon from every class, Martial Artist included.
...And you passed that?
Yes.
The Martial Tower's ancient records advised giving up the moment you encountered Siegfried.
Portals allowing re-entry after surrender only opened after five years.
Rather than testing one's martial spirit, Siegfried's disciples would visit, only for him to demand bizarre things until they quit on their own.
Thus, no one had ever earned Siegfried's recognition.
Even his own second-generation disciple failed to the end, with records noting Siegfried had foisted the Tower Lord position on him out of annoyance, leaving the disciple fuming.
Yet Jeong Hoon had shattered that history in under a day.
Time to hold up your end.
Jeong Hoon extended his hand.
A promise was a promise.
Kairos had no choice but to nod.
You have completed the quest.
You have acquired the Mark of the Perfect Martial Artist.
Now the Mark of the Perfect Martial Artist was in Jeong Hoon's hands.
You're saying she job-changed to a Hidden Class too...?
Yeo Sun-woo doubted his own ears at what he'd just heard.
Yes. The young lady told me herself.
Hah...
He'd handed over recruitment and management to his daughter at her request.
Bringing in the first Martial Artist to job-change into a Hidden Classfailure wasn't an option.
He figured it'd be great experience for her too, so despite his burning curiosity about the Hidden Class, he'd held back.
But what was this?
Not only the Martial Artist, but even her motherwho'd joined alongside himhad job-changed into a Hidden Class.
An Epic-grade one, no less.
A first-job-change Hidden Class at Epic grade? Future growth was guaranteed.
The young lady has impeccable judgment!
Yeah... That's my girl.
Yeo Sun-woo nodded in satisfaction.
Hidden Classes weren't called hidden for nothing.
Even in Hoyoung Guild, they were rare.
And now, two more had joined at once.
No one will have a peep to say now!
Why? Were there complaints?
Yeo Sun-woo's smiling face turned icy in an instant.
Daring to complain about his daughter?
Park In-tae broke into a sweat at that menacing expression.
No, not at all, but... with the parachute image, you know...
There were no real complaints, but the parachute label stuck.
That was no longer a concern.
Looks like I need to step in personally.
He'd left it all to his daughter, but things had changed.
With two Hidden Classes joining at once, Yeo Sun-woo needed to meet them himself.
Yes! I already mentioned it to the young lady.
What'd she say?
She'll ask their opinion first.
I see.
Getting rid of Kairos wasn't easy.
What?! You refuse to become my disciple? Why? You'd be the martial artist to succeed me one day!
Having aced every training, Kairos was now demanding he become his disciple.
I'll say it again: my answer is no. And I won't change my mind.
Becoming the Tower Lord's disciple meant training under Kairos directly.
That would derail him completely from his current goals.
Jeong Hoon had no intention of that.
No, why? What's wrong with this Martial Tower? Tell me, and I'll fix it right now!
In his life pursuing the martial path, he'd never seen a monster like this.
That only fueled his greed more.
If Jeong Hoon succeeded him as Tower Lord... he'd surely go down in history.
It's not that I dislike it. I just have no intention of living as a Martial Artist.
No intention of living as a Martial Artist?
Jeong Hoon shook his head and added,
Yes. The first Tower Lord was an All Master.
...He was?
Siegfried had founded the Martial Tower and all other towers.
The records confirmed he was an All Master.
So he made me master not just fist techniques, but every weapon? I handled them all perfectly, and that's how I barely got his approval.
...Hah.
So that's why no one could pass Siegfried's test, as the records claimed.
No detailed accounts had survived, so Kairos hadn't known.
That's why I want to focus on everything, not just one thing.
Kairos clamped his mouth shut at Jeong Hoon's earnest gaze.
This was a man recognized by the first Tower Lord himself.
He must have seen All Master potential in him.
Realizing that, Kairos lost the will to press him further.
I might be clipping this outsider's wings.
Regrettable, but letting him follow his path was right.
After some thought, Kairos nodded.
...Fine. I won't ask you to be my disciple anymore.
Thank you. More importantly, do you know anything about this robe?
Jeong Hoon showed him the mukho he'd received from Siegfried.
At the sight of it, Kairos's pupils trembled wildly.
Is that... the Mukho?
As expected, he knew it.
Yes, the Mukho. It's sealed, though.
...Hah, to think you'd receive the very robe the first Tower Lord wore, straight from him.
The Mukho.
The robe Siegfried favored, which he personally sealed away before his death.
Bestowing it meant more than mere approvalit proclaimed him his successor.
Anyway, I want to unseal it. Do you know how?
Hmm... Sorry, but I only know the stories. Nothing about the seal.
Unfortunately, Kairos had only heard tales of the Mukho.
He knew nothing of the seal.
I see.
Oh, but it's not hopeless. The archive on the sixth floor might have something on it.
The Martial Tower's sixth floor held the archive of records penned by past Tower Lords.
Only Tower Lords could access it, including Siegfried's own records.
They likely contained info on the Mukho too.
To view them, one had to become a Tower Lord's disciple.
Then no dice.
Jeong Hoon decided to give up cleanly.
Becoming a disciple for the Mukho would hurt his future plans.
It wasn't even in his original plans.
Abandoning it wouldn't derail his future.
No, it's fine. You can look.
Really?
Yeah. If I go with you, even non-disciples can access it.
...Then may I ask you to?
Of course. But in return, grant me one favor? I won't ask you to be my disciple.
...I'll hear it out first.
Good. Let's go.
Kairos led Jeong Hoon to the sixth-floor archive.
Security was airtightonly the Tower Lord could unlock it.
The process was tricky.
The Tower Lord had to infuse mana into the controller, releasing securities one by one.
The first security has been released.
The second security has been released.
...
The final security has been released.
After sixteen messages, security fully disengaged. The door slid aside, revealing a staircase.
Is this the archive?
Stairs to the archive. Watch your stepfall, and you'll get stuck in a dimensional rift.
Beside the ascending white staircase lay pitch-black darkness.
It felt like outer space.
So these stairs bridged dimensions.
That explained the heavy security.
Hm? Not coming?
Jeong Hoon started up, but Kairos stood stock-still like a statue.
Yeah. I'll wait here. You go ahead.
I thought you brought me because you were curious about the Mukho?
He'd assumed Kairos's interest in the Mukho prompted opening the archive door.
Curious, sure, but you're recognized by the first Tower Lord. Go on.
Kairos stepped back as he spoke.
...Thank you.
Appreciating the gesture, Jeong Hoon ascended leisurely to the archive.
The archive was one vast library.
Impressive.
What Jeong Hoon had found before were just a few record sheets Kairos left behind.
Probably because the paths connecting to the archive severed when it became a dungeon.
The first Tower Lord's records...
Finding them wasn't easy.
The record sheets, draped in white cloth, bore the Tower Lord's name in tiny script.
And in the farthest corner, one white cloth caught his eye.
Siegfried
Black letters spelled Siegfried on the cloth.
Conveniently, even these details were in Korean, thanks to the game.
Jeong Hoon tore open the sealed cloth and checked the records.
Just a hundred sheets, but apparently too lazy to writeonly three pages were filled.
-The first Tower Lord, Siegfried.
Future Tower Lords, record and leave everything in detail.
For reference, I'm perfect, so I keep it short. Deal with it.
Or conquer all the other towers and stand above me if you hate it.
Arrogance pierced the heavens from page one.
Jeong Hoon skipped the fluff and turned the page.
-I'm sealing the Mukho and taking it. You lot couldn't handle it.
Black-haired beasts aren't the only ones that bite their masters. This one bites harder.
I'll give it to someone I approve of.
The next page was all about the Mukho.
Jeong Hoon read it intently.
-Unsealing the Mukho is simple.
Just wear it.
The rest depends on the Mukho earning your approvalthen the seal fully releases.
The method was absurdly straightforward.
Earn its approval.
How many approvals did he need, anyway?
Jeong Hoon chuckled and donned the Mukho.
What is this, a lowly human?
A gruff voice echoed in his mind.