Chapter 22: The Power to Read the Ruins

Around the same time, inside the headquarters of the US Awakened Management Department.

The director studied the file his subordinates had submitted, his expression grave.

"Are we certain this is the man?"

"Without a doubt, Director."

Attached to the front of the dossier was a photograph of Jeon Jaewoo. Ever since an unidentified hunter had conquered a Legendary-grade mana ruin in a staggering five minutes, the Awakened Management Department had poured all its resources into tracking him down. At last, they had succeeded in putting a name and face to the legend.

The United States had always been notoriously aggressive when it came to poaching foreign talent. Even in the wake of the Great Cataclysm two centuries ago, the nation had fiercely clung to its hegemony. In truth, when the world transformed and awakened hunters became the bedrock of global power, America had stood at a severe risk of losing its superpower status. Because awakening directly correlated to population size, nations with vast populations naturally possessed a demographic advantage.

Yet, confounding all predictions, the United States retained its supreme position. While other governments immediately clamped down on their awakened with ironclad regulations, America advertised near-total personal freedom and systematically lured elite foreign hunters to its shores. The policy had sparked furious diplomatic protests and led to considerable domestic strife, but it had yielded an undeniable bounty: a staggering concentration of the world's strongest awakened.

That talent-poaching machinery was still running at full throttle. And in that light, Jeon Jaewoo—a hunter who had blazed across the Korean peninsula like a comet—was a prize the Americans wanted at any cost.

The justification was overwhelming.

From his very first appearance, he had soloed a Legendary ruin in five minutes flat. Soon after, he had claimed the world's fastest record for an Ancient-grade ruin, conquering it entirely on his own. And just a few days ago, he had effortlessly cleared a ruin that multiple world superpowers had abandoned as untouchable. Going strictly by his record, he stood shoulder to shoulder with the premier Transcendent hunters of the globe.

Best of all, this extraordinary awakened held no official title or organizational post in South Korea.

Where else could we find an opportunity like this?

Setting the file down, the director looked up at his subordinate. "Well? Can we pull it off?"

"Our background checks indicate that Hunter Jeon Jaewoo does not share a particularly tight-knit relationship with his local Hunter Administration. Approaching him now yields a very high chance of success."

It was a reasonable deduction. Jaewoo was estimated to have awakened barely two months ago. Even after embarking on full-scale raids, he operated strictly as an independent contractor, signing no exclusive agreements with any domestic institutions. It was easy to assume he harbor discontent toward the Korean establishment—and that made him pliable.

"Splendid," the director remarked, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Conveniently enough, we have the ultimate leverage ready to entice a hunter of his caliber."

The leverage in question was merely a slender sheet of paper. Yet it was no ordinary document; it was a Ruin Extra Clear Ticket. Quite literally, it was a miracle slip capable of bypassing the universal biological quota placed on every awakened hunter on Earth, expanding the strict entry limit that governed their lifespans.

The director's lips curved into a confident smirk. "For the United States, let's make sure we bring this man home."

Meanwhile, Jeon Jaewoo was spending another grueling day diligently ingesting elixirs under the watchful eyes of Elder Lich and Myeolgeop.

"Whew..."

Sitting in the lotus position, Jaewoo circulated his internal mana before slowly opening his eyes and releasing a deep breath. He would swallow an elixir, spend an entire day refining and settling its turbulent energy, take a momentary breather, and then immediately absorb another. The cycle had continued without pause.

How many days has it been now?

Under Elder Lich's strict regimen, he had lost count of how many World Tree elixirs he had consumed. What proved maddening was that the medicine's restorative efficacy was so potent that he had no physical need to eat, drink, or sleep. As a consequence, Elder Lich ran him ragged around the clock, granting him not a single second of respite.

Even so, the results of devouring so many strategic-grade elixirs were unmistakable. Following his physical marrow transformation, his mana pool had swelled dramatically, and his body had developed comprehensive resistance to every manner of abnormal status effect.

Though in the end, my only actual trait is still Heaven's Box.

It was only natural. He had fortified his baseline physical parameters, not acquired new skills. Not that it bothered him; the autonomous constructs born from the box handled all the fighting anyway.

Elder Lich let out a dry, clattering cackle. "Solidifying the foundation prior to authentic discipline is of paramount import, Maker. We shall inaugurate proper training shortly, so anticipate it with zeal."

The pronouncement sent a cold shiver down Jaewoo's spine.

No, thanks. I'm perfectly happy kicking back and reaping the rewards from the rear!

Did these constructs genuinely intend to thrust their creator onto the front lines of a dungeon raid? Besides, the hellish regimen he had endured so far felt more than authentic enough.

Jaewoo turned his gaze back to his status screen. His raid quota was down to half—precisely six entries left.

This is giving me a headache.

Which ruins should he target next? With only six opportunities ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠remaining, he could no longer afford to conquer whatever random ruin caught his eye. Frankly speaking, almost no awakened hunter suffered from a shortage of raid limits early in their careers. Where else on the planet could one find an awakened who managed to blow through half their lifetime quota in just two months?

If only there were a way to peek at the clear rewards beforehand...

Moreover, having tasted the summit of ancient ruins, it was only human nature to look beyond Ancient-grade and yearn for Mythic-grade conquest. At present, humanity had uncovered precisely one Mythic-grade ruin on Earth. Yet across the two centuries since the Great Cataclysm, the global clear rate stood at an abysmal zero percent. Even a multinational joint task force pooling the mightiest hunters of the entire world had been brutally routed.

Curious, Jaewoo glanced at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠metallic golem standing beside him. "What do you think, Myeolgeop? Could you conquer a Mythic-grade ruin on your own?"

[Should you command it, I shall obey unconditionally. However, securing a Mythic ruin for you proves difficult, Creator.]

Jaewoo's eyes widened at the blunt admission. Even when facing an Ancient ruin, Myeolgeop had only warned that it would consume time, never declaring it difficult.

"Difficult means there is still a chance, right?"

[It is not entirely impossible. Were I to enter alone, my probability of successful conquest would stand at roughly thirty percent, generously estimated.]

Hmm. That's not negligible.

"What if all of you entered together?"

[I estimate our odds would climb to slightly over forty percent.]

Jaewoo fell silent. Even if Myeolgeop, Elder Lich, and Novum combined their full might, they still faced unfavorable odds against a Mythic ruin. And that was despite Myeolgeop wielding two Transcendent-grade traits and Novum possessing one.

Elder Lich clattered his jawbones, chiming in with an explanation. "Maker, the Corrupted World Tree that served as the boss of that Ancient ruin was a tier beneath Myeolgeop."

Yet even then, Myeolgeop had spent considerable time and required Elder Lich's tactical sorcery to barely scrape out a victory. Just what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kind of monstrous existence guarded a Mythic ruin? Still, if he continued crafting new companions, the goal was far from unattainable. Looked at another way, having a forty percent solo clear rate against a Mythic ruin—a site that had slaughtered an entire coalition of the world's finest—was already staggering.

Once he grew stronger, tipping the scales in his favor would be entirely feasible. The problem was that to achieve that, he needed to feed superior materials into Heaven's Box to birth more formidable creations. And as noted, he had a mere six raids left.

Now I'm kicking myself for wasting a raid on that Normal-grade golden palace just to test Myeolgeop's combat specs.

Noticing the troubled furrow on his master's brow, Novum poked its translucent white head out from Jaewoo's embrace and piped up innocently.

"Master! Couldn't we just forcefully snatch raid quotas from other hunters?"

"......??"

Jaewoo froze, wondering if his hearing had failed him. Coming from Myeolgeop or Elder Lich, such ruthlessness might have been expected, but hearing the purest, sweetest creature in his entourage propose violent extortion so nonchalantly caught him completely off guard. Or does being innocent mean it lacks any moral filter? In any case, the system did not permit the voluntary transfer of entry quotas between hunters.

...I can't just let the box's creations run on instinct. I need to teach them basic ethics.

Elder Lich, who had been listening quietly, rasped thoughtfully. "I have heard whisperings that items known as Ruin Extra Clear Tickets manifest as clearance rewards from certain ruins."

Jaewoo's ears pricked up. He had heard rumors of Ruin Extra Clear Tickets before. Word was that under exceedingly rare conditions, conquering a ruin yielded a consumable scroll that granted additional raids. While the international community never officially corroborated their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠existence, active high-ranking hunters treated the rumors with deadly seriousness. Every so often, a world-class veteran whose quota was supposedly exhausted would abruptly emigrate and participate in fresh foreign raids. The suspicion was widespread: had they renounced their homelands in exchange for smuggled clear tickets?

"Even if they really exist, the problem is we have no idea where to find them."

Until a dungeon was fully cleared, its ultimate rewards remained an absolute mystery. Hunters could only make rough guesses based on the internal ecology. For instance, if a ruin resembled a mine bristling with superior magic crystals, one could deduce that magic crystals formed the primary haul. Moreover, if Extra Clear Tickets existed as clear rewards, their drop rate had to be astronomically low. Jaewoo had already conquered four Legendary ruins and an Ancient one, yet he had never glimpsed anything resembling a ticket.

Would it be faster to just shove blank paper into Heaven's Box and wait for a miracle transmutation?

Just then, Novum wriggled entirely free of Jaewoo's arms and bobbed its squishy form enthusiastically.

"I can find out where the Extra Clear Tickets are, Master!"

"Huh?" Jaewoo blinked, caught off guard. "You can sniff out ruin rewards? How could you possibly do that?"

Did an artificial elemental possess sensory divination? He had never seen such an ability listed on its status sheet.

"If I become one with nature, I can assimilate directly into the ruin!"

Become one with nature?

Elder Lich provided the mechanical breakdown. "It intends to utilize its Transcendent-grade trait, Natural Realm, to dissolve its consciousness into the very fabric of the mana ruin."

"Ah...!"

By blending seamlessly into the environment, Novum could perceive the ruin's core structure and foresee the exact spoils awaiting conquerors.

"Master, please grant me permission!" Novum chirped, radiating absolute devotion. "I promise I will track down exactly what you need!"

"......"

Jaewoo stared down at the eager, shimmering slime.

Our little slime really does possess a Transcendent trait, doesn't it?

At first glance, Natural Realm had sounded rather vague for a Transcendent-grade ability, but in practice, it was utterly overpowered. Jaewoo mentally begged for forgiveness for failing to recognize its true worth earlier.

From that day forward, Novum set off to scout every uncleared ruin within reach. Merging into their dimensional leylines through Natural Realm, the little spirit began divining their deepest treasures, unraveling the mystery of Earth's hidden rewards.