Administrator (1)
「Unique Skill <Predation> has been activated.」
One of the opponent's skills will be randomly acquired.
He'd acquired a skill, at least. Poison Immunity. It wasn't a unique skill, and it was even sold in the shop. But with a rank of C+, it might be better than most unique skills in terms of AP value.
One of the opponent's pieces of equipment will be randomly plundered.
Yun-seok didn't move a muscle as he waited for the next message. Had it always been this slow?
He wasn't sure if that could even be called equipment. He had no idea what effects it had. But its rank was a whopping B+. Yun-seok decided to gratefully accept it.
But what happens if you plunder someone's heart?
He decided not to dwell on useless thoughts.
A portion of the opponent's highest stat will be absorbed.
Stamina stat will be absorbed.
As expected, it absorbed the lowest-priority stat among the important ones: stamina.
Well, better than nothing...
Now it was time for promotion and moving to the next floor. Yun-seok quietly closed his eyes.
Huh...?
Adaptation period has ended.
Teleporting to the Proving Grounds.
But when he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in the swamp anymore. He stood in the center of that circular arena, which now felt like home.
What the hell was going on? Yun-seok scanned his surroundings with confused eyes. The stands were empty as always, and there was no sign of an opponent.
Just me...?
The circular arena, now feeling cramped, held only Yun-seok. But was that prickling gaze just his imagination?
Ignorance is the enemy. Reacting instinctively to the sudden unease, Yun-seok raised his twin swords and vigilantly surveyed all directions.
And then.
Suddenly, shadows began to creep over the arena.
"...?"
Even Yun-seok, who had endured up to two weeks in the arena, had never seen anything like this. The place never turned to night no matter how much time passed; the sky was always a cloudless blue.
Yun-seok looked up at the sky. It was still a clear, unblemished azure.
Except...
A solar eclipse.
He didn't know if there was a moon here, but the sun was gradually being devoured by some black entity.
A chill rose as the light faded. Yun-seok felt an inexplicable sense of some massive presence approaching.
And his intuition was spot on.
"...".
As more of the sun was obscured, the darkness deepened. No, the light was vanishing.
Soon, the sun was completely eclipsed. Not like Earth's total eclipse—this was absolute blackness, where not even an inch ahead was visible.
What the hell is happening...?
Yun-seok closed his eyes. Not knowing what was coming, he focused on his senses instead of his useless sight.
Then, suddenly, light seeped through his eyelids. Cautiously opening his eyes, he saw a yellow orb floating above the arena, scattering soft light.
The glow was subtle yet profound. And it revealed entities Yun-seok could never have seen otherwise.
"...".
The stands, always thought empty, were now filled with thousands, tens of thousands of beings. Humans, beastkin, demons, and races that screamed "fairy" at first glance. Countless unknown species with a hundred eyes or dozens of limbs.
They poured a scorching, fanatical gaze upon Yun-seok—like fervid madness.
Many seemed to be shouting, judging by their mouth shapes, but no sound reached his ears.
But the fist-sized, clown-like thing that popped out from the yellow orb was different.
"...".
It was muted and blurred like a censored broadcast, but Yun-seok understood its words.
Challenger Choi Yun-seok.
The Wish Auction will now begin.
「10 wins, 1 loss, 0 draws.」
"An unprecedented record among Earth challengers, but the score alone wouldn't have drawn such a crowd."
The fist-sized clown fairy chattered on about Yun-seok to the crowd. To Yun-seok, it just looked like a flapping mouth, but whether out of consideration or not, the fairy's words were translated into system messages.
It had to be, since the text only appeared when its mouth opened.
"Most of you have watched his duels from start to finish, so no need for details."
Wish Auction, was it? The clown fairy, acting as auctioneer, began explaining Yun-seok—like a salesman hawking wares.
There was no time for displeasure. Overwhelmed by the gaze of thousands looking down on him, Yun-seok felt an absolute presence.
"The sole challenger to defeat Cheonma, who set the previous auction record."
"Most opinions called it no real duel, but he proved his potential by pushing the SS-grade Steel King to the brink."
"Unprecedented in Tower of Heaven history. A self-assessed F-grade reversal. Challenger ratings rise often, but never with such variance or speed to S-grade, right?"
"...Enough, just start the auction? Fine, I don't want to die over this. Let's begin."
The clown fairy spun in the air and summoned a massive board.
"Esteemed Administrators! Show your wishes for this challenger as strongly as you desire him!"
"Starting bid: 10,000 WP!"
The numbers filled the once-empty board, its sole purpose to display them. They climbed rapidly as soon as they appeared, units shifting by the second.
"100,000 WP in just 3 seconds! Impressive!"
100k, 200k, 300k... The acceleration slowed around 500k, pausing at 1 million WP.
"...".
Even without hearing voices, an invisible battle of nerves rippled among the bidders.
"1.5 million! 1.5 million WP broken—for the first time for an S-grade self-assessment. They see high potential, huh?"
A brief lull, then competition reignited, prices soaring.
"Just as I finish speaking, Heavenly Martial Artist bids 1.6 million WP. A Murim native who rarely joins auctions—must sting missing Cheonma last time..."
"One more word and you'll kill me? Yes, sorry..."
He apologized hastily, but threats seemed routine; the clown fairy remained chipper. The auction continued, with lulls amid nerve wars, but prices steadily rose.
"3, 2, 1! Wish Auction for Challenger Choi Yun-seok ends now!"
No gavel bang. With the cry, it ended. The board showed...
3.7 million WP. He had no clue if that was huge, but per the fairy, it was rare high.
Not that it felt good. No slave rejoices at a high price.
"Challenger Choi Yun-seok looks unhappy. He doesn't realize his luck yet. Display message!"
The Wish Auction is a ritual for challengers who surpass the 5th floor.
You may now select one of the top 7 bidding administrators to contract with.
Upon contracting, you acquire WP equal to their bid and can purchase their unique authorities with it.
However, you must act to fulfill that administrator's wish, gaining extra WP as you progress.
As Yun-seok blankly read the floating explanation, the clown fairy asked, 'Understand?'
Yun-seok nodded and spoke.
"Is it possible not to contract?"
"Yes! As the saying goes: Even led to the stream, only the donkey drinks!"
A roundabout way of saying no contract means your loss. True or not, who knew.
"Time to choose! Sorry, auction's over—non-participants, you're out!"
The fairy clapped sharply once. The thousands vanished instantly—except seven.
The yellow orb spotlighted the remaining seven, scattered across the vast stands.
"Starting from 7th place at 1.9 million WP—state your wish!"
The spotlight dimmed, focusing on one: a blue-yet-red flame hovering over a seat. Peering in, Yun-seok felt its unique will through his body.
Judge of Terrifying Flames
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Vengeance', 'Purification', 'Fire', 'Spirit', 'Immortality', 'Creation'
A brutal wish. What sin had the 'El-Thus' bloodline committed to earn such vengeance? No time to ask—the spotlight moved after the wish.
"Next, 6th place at 1.95 million WP."
Madness of the Battlefield
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Massacre', 'Large-Scale Combat', 'Conviction', 'Sword', 'Destruction', 'Loyalty'
The wish of a mysterious figure in a bizarre mask. Things progressed swiftly.
"5th place at 2.1 million WP."
Avatar of Hatred
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Envy', 'Hatred', 'Vengeance', 'Magic', 'Modification', 'Mental', 'Holy'
No different? What fresh misunderstanding. The keywords didn't appeal anyway—no contract here. Even unprejudiced Yun-seok felt visceral revulsion at the six-armed human covered in marks.
"4th place at 2.15 million WP."
Heart of the Little Giant
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Crafting', 'Equipment Mod', 'Durability', 'Martial Skill', 'Conviction', 'Comrades'
The wish of a burly dwarf about 130cm tall. His expression screamed, Can you refuse this flawless wish? It appealed most, but keywords lacked allure.
3rd place at 2.3 million. No appealing keywords. The wish seemed restrictive.
But 2nd differed. Bid jumped to 3 million—a raise tactic? Unnecessary for top 7.
Wait... If 2nd is 3 million, 1st bid 3.7 million?
Not standard auction, but their rules. Spotlight hit a swordsman, revealing authorities.
Heavenly Martial Artist
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Sword', 'Martial Arts', 'Internal Energy', 'Strength', 'Agility', 'Supreme', 'Beyond Heavens'
There it was. Pure combat authorities—no dud keywords. Even the wish appealed.
If contracting, he'd pick this without hesitation. Gazing at the seven-sworded Heavenly Martial Artist...
Spotlight shifted to 1st at 3.7 million.
Liberation Witch
Unique Authority Keywords: 'Freedom', 'Growth', 'Dimension', 'Will', 'Unexpected', 'Salvation'
Hooded, face hidden, but curves and title revealed female. The Liberation Witch spoke calmly.
The most straightforward wish ended. Spotlights illuminated all. The six stared not at Yun-seok, but her.
Their gazes screamed: What kind of shameless lunatic is this bitch?