Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Third Ruin (3)
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[Present for you]
[From. KIM GOD]
This playful message and the sender's name.
There was no doubt.
Kim Shin.
It was a message from him.
English at the entrance of a ruin?
Maybe it's a ruin someone has already cleared?
Ha Siyeon and Jia tilted their heads in confusion.
No. I don't think so.
Why?
...It's hard to explain why. But I'm sure. This ruin hasn't been cleared yet.
Because this wasn't a message left by another clearer.
Besides, 'Present for you.'
A message like that likely meant there was literally a gift waiting inside.
A gift from him... it made me strangely anxious.
But I couldn't just walk away.
Let's go in.
Really?
Yeah.
I decided to clear this mysterious ruin.
If this turns out to be some lame gift...
I swear I'll kill him.
* * *
Yes, sis. Things are going well over here.
Meanwhile, Yuhwa was on the phone with Meiden.
And the Vagabond situation? Is that going well too?
Of course. Shinhwa Group is helping out with that, so there isn't much for me to do anyway.
Right. Those guys will probably spoon-feed you everything. Your brand reputation has already shot up. Must be nice, huh?
Yes. For a superhuman corporation, image is everything.
Just two months ago, her company's image had been on the verge of hitting rock bottom because of the doppelgnger.
She never dreamed it would rebound like this.
You should bow in the direction of that kid's dorm every night before you sleep. If you have any conscience.
...Bowing might be a bit much.
Listen to this girl. He caught the doppelgnger for you. He personally took out the trash named Kim Shinwoo. And on top of that, he gave you the honor of dealing with the infamous villain, Vagabond. You can't even do that much?
...
Hearing it laid out like that, she had received a lot.
...Fine. Instead of useless gestures like bowing, I'll help him directly.
Ooh, look at our Hwa, so cool~
Meiden chuckled.
More importantly, sis. What's the status of the investigation into the national tournament attack?
Ah. That?
At the Ok-hwa Hall, Kang Seoyul had told them everything: that the Seekers of Truth would attack the national tournament, and how they planned to do it.
The problem was the lack of evidence to support his claims.
Therefore, Meiden had decided to investigate whether the information was true.
Looks like the kid was right. Their movements are suspicious. It seems there are actually some executives who've been bought off.
And as a result, Kang Seoyul's words were proven true.
...I see.
This meant it was even more certain that Kang Seoyul was a survivor of the testing ground.
I did some more digging on the Sunshine Orphanage, too. That seems certain as well.
Why do you say that?
She was already 99% sure.
But 99% and 100% were two different things.
I already told you that Soosung Group was involved in the Sunshine Orphanage testing ground incident, right?
Yes.
I got my hands on a more detailed report from Soosung Group. Are you at your computer? I'm sending it over, so take a look.
One moment.
Yuhwa quickly opened her guild account. She opened the email from Meiden and checked the attachment.
...This photo.
Yuhwa's eyes widened.
Looks like him, doesn't it?
A photo of a boy around ten years old.
His body was pierced with all sorts of needles, and his eyes were like those of a dying fish.
His face was much younger than it was now, and he had more scars, but it was undeniably reminiscent of someone.
Seoyul...
It was the moment Yuhwa's 99% certainty became 100%.
* * *
Inside the ruin, it was completely silent.
Isn't this just a cave?
It doesn't feel like a ruin at all.
No monsters, no traps, no strange structures.
The scenery, no different from an ordinary cave, had continued for twenty minutes.
Doesn't the silence make it more unnerving? Like something's going to jump out.
Don't jinx it.
Listening to the two women chat, I was lost in thought.
How did Kim Shin know I would find this place and leave a message and a gift here?
Why would he leave a message in such a ridiculous place?
I couldn't understand his thinking.
What was his purpose in throwing me into this world in the first place?
Huh? There's something over there.
Ha Siyeon's words snapped me out of my reverie. There was definitely something where she was pointing.
...A treasure chest?
A chest glowing with a faint golden light. Anyone could see it was a treasure chest.
Awesome. So this really was a ruin? What a cakewalk.
Ha Siyeon was the first to rejoice.
For a treasure chest to be sitting here all by itself... could it be a trap?
Jia was suspicious.
And I...
It's not a trap.
I glared at the treasure chest with a thoroughly unenthusiastic expression.
At the same time, I reached for the chest.
S-Seonjonim!
It's fine.
There was no way this was a trap.
I grasped the lock on the treasure chest.
A lock that opened with a three-digit code.
Beneath it, an inscription read:
[An end that is not an end. One wrong guess and it explodes.]
'An end that is not an end?' Isn't it a bit hard to deduce three numbers from that?
Siyeon is right. It also says it'll explode. It's dangerous.
I said it's fine.
This was a code only I could solve.
Because I've already solved it.
...Already?
The title of the final chapter of the webnovel `[S-Rank Status Window]` was:
[Chapter 859: An End That Is Not an End.]
For a three-digit combination, the answer was as good as given.
I casually brought my hand to the lock.
[8, 5, 9]
After entering the numbers, I pressed the button on the side of the lock.
*Click*
The sound of the lock opening was heard, and at the same time, the lock vanished like mist.
*Flash!*
Aah!
A burst of light erupted as the treasure chest opened.
When the light subsided and I opened my eyes...
It's gone?
The treasure chest had disappeared.
...A book?
And in its place lay a single thick book.
* * *
After exiting the cave, we began searching for the ruin's entrance again.
We must have been searching for over two hours, but we still hadn't found it.
The sun's going to set at this rate.
Ha Siyeon remarked, looking up at the sky.
You're right.
The current time was 6:19 PM.
The sunset was just beginning to appear.
Let's take a break and get something to eat.
Physically, we were fine, but we needed to eat to keep our strength up.
I'm in!
Ha Siyeon instantly zipped over to my side.
Wouldn't it be better to find the entrance before the sun sets?
Jia said hesitantly.
Hmm. If we can't find it by sunset, we'll just call it a day.
Honestly, I hadn't expected it to take this long. I thought we'd find it right away.
Anyway, let's eat for now. You work more efficiently when you've eaten.
That's right. They say even a ghost who died from eating looks better.
Ha Siyeon chimed in, agreeing with me.
...
Jia still looked unconvinced.
I feel like we could find it if we just looked a little longer...
That was the look on her face.
I had no choice.
I decided to use my ultimate move, reserved only for Jia.
It's because I'm hungry.
Jia's eyes widened.
Ah! I'm so sorry. I didn't consider your hunger, Seonjonim...
No, you don't have to apologize.
I'll get everything ready as quickly as possible!
Jia promptly came to my side and secured a square, suitcase-sized machine to the ground.
Then she pressed a button.
*Whirrr*
The device unfolded, revealing a set of portable camping gear.
Dungeons, labyrinths, ruins, and more.
It was a camping set for superhumans who frequently engaged in outdoor activities.
Wow. Is this a new model?
Ha Siyeon's eyes grew wide.
Yes. We received a few samples from an affiliate company.
A futuristic table and chairs.
Even a makeshift shelter that could hardly be called a tent.
It was truly a product of cutting-edge technology.
Seonjonim. Everything's ready! Please have a seat!
Oh? Okay.
I never imagined she would have brought something like this.
The last time Siyeon and I cleared a ruin, we just spread out a mat and ate on the ground.
As I sat in the chair, Jia began to take out food and place it on the table.
They were all preservation rations, but the packaging looked somehow luxurious.
Are these samples too?
Yes. We established a new pipeline with foreign companies after dealing with Vagabond. These are things they sent for us to try.
So, it's like, try it and if you like it, we'll sign a contract?
Yes.
Once everything was set up...
Uh, they're preservation rations, so please understand if they don't taste great.
Jia said timidly.
They look perfectly delicious.
Ha Siyeon was the first to tear open a package and bring a piece of what looked like chicken to her mouth.
I followed suit, tearing open a random pack and taking a bite.
...What is this?
Why is it so good?
This is a preservation ration?
It lacked the dry texture typical of preserved food. In fact, it was moist.
While I was still bewildered, I heard the sound of someone gobbling down food beside me.
I glanced over to see Ha Siyeon inhaling her food without a word.
She must have been really hungry.
Is it to your liking?
Jia looked at me with worried eyes.
Huh? Oh. It's really good. I think it's even tastier than regular food.
I meant it.
That's a relief.
Jia let out a sigh of relief.
After that, we focused solely on eating, without a word of conversation.
Seeing Jia quietly concentrating on her food, it seemed she was quite hungry as well.
Hah.
I looked around.
The tranquil scenery of the mountainside.
The air was fresh, and the view was beautiful.
It felt like we were on an outing.
Oh, right. Seoyul.
Ha Siyeon, who seemed to have had her fill, put down her food and asked me.
What was that book from before? You looked really serious reading it.
She was referring to the thick book I got from the treasure chest in the cave.
...Hmm. Just some encyclopedia, nothing special.
Though it was something special.
An encyclopedia?
Yeah. Want to see?
I took the book out of my bag and handed it to Ha Siyeon. It was ridiculously thick, with a hardcover.
It really did look like an encyclopedia.
It's in Korean?
Yeah. It was in Korean.
Ha Siyeon tilted her head and opened the encyclopedia.
Beside her, Jia also snuck a peek at it.
...Table of contents. A list of traits by race?
Huh? This is...
Ha Siyeon tilted her head again.
Jia's eyes widened.
Is this the all-races version of the book you borrowed from me, Seonjonim?
The book I borrowed from Jia, which detailed the traits of the Elf race, was written in Elvish, so I couldn't read it.
That's right.
An encyclopedia recording the traits of all sorts of races.
To anyone else, the contents might be worth a simple, Hmm, so there are traits like this. But to me, this encyclopedia held great meaning.
*Flip Flip*
Ha Siyeon quickly flipped through the pages.
Her eyes were sparkling, so it seemed she was looking for something specific.
Judging by her occasional glances at me, I guessed she was searching for the page on the Celestial race.
Here it is. Celestial.
I was right.
Beside her, Jia was also staring at the page with bright, curious eyes.
Celestial Wings. A flight organ unique to the Celestial race. The greater one's strength and stamina, the longer they can fly, and the higher their agility, the faster they can fly. It is also an organ exceptional at circulating magic, with the function of raising one's magic rank by one level when spread. Ooh.
Ha Siyeon nodded, looking back and forth between me and the book.
Then she flipped the page again.
Ah. Is this that lightning strike from back then?
What is it?
Divine Punishment.
Sharp.
That's it.
I knew it.
Ha Siyeon excitedly began to read the description of Divine Punishment.
A sacred lightning bolt combining holy and lightning attributes. Deals massive damage to the evil () attribute.
...Damage amplification based on magic content. With enough magic, it can even kill a dragon in a single strike.
Jia was now openly reading along beside her.
With one shot of this, demons wouldn't stand a chance.
No. According to historical records, angels and demons have similar combat power. There must be a trait equivalent to this Divine Punishment for the Demon race as well.
Jia countered Ha Siyeon's statement.
Ah. That could be true.
The two excitedly flipped through the pages.
See. There it is.
You're right.
They were like children at a zoo for the first time. I smiled as I watched them.
As I said, that book held great meaning for me.
Until now, this was how I had been using my racial traits:
If a trait was mentioned in the original story, I used my memory to guess how to use it.
If a trait wasn't mentioned, I had to figure it out through repeated trial and error.
But now that I had this encyclopedia, the need for trial and error was gone.
Seonjonim. This book... I think it will be a great help in the upcoming Second Great War.
You're right.
And that wasn't all.
Since the traits of all sorts of races were recorded, I had gained an advantage in future battles against various other races.
Information is power.
This encyclopedia would become a great power for me.
Ah, Seonjonim. This trait called 'Wind Arrow,' can you use it too?
Yes. I can.
Wow.
And finally, and most importantly...
I could now use my traits with much greater precision.
That's incredible. To be able to condense wind into an arrow.
I smiled.
I think so too.
Until now, I had been using my racial traits incorrectly.
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