Chapter 972 - xdd

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Chapter 93

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Observer (2)

The moment the golden Mana of the toy poodle completely wrapped around the tiny body, a system message rang out.

– [Observer's Eyes (Rank: SSS)] is attempting to access the user's information!

– Skill Superiority Judgement: [The Successor's Eyes (Rank: EX)] is of a higher grade. The skill effect of the opponent has been nullified!

– [The Successor's Eyes] blocked [The Observer's Eyes]!

'Observer's Eyes?!'

I had never encountered that skill before.

'But the name is so similar with my unique skill!'

My heart was beating insanely fast and loud.

On the other hand, that wasn't the only strange thing.

Having come into contact with the skill effect, [The Successor's Eyes] should've identified more information about that skill's identity.

However, the returning information disappointed my expectations.

The system message came up.

[Observer's Eye (Rank: SSS)]

– A skill given directly by the system to those who have met special conditions.

I was on the verge of laughter.

'What kind of explanation is that?'

It was worse than nothing.

In fact, it's like giving out no information at all. I could see an intentional attempt to conceal information.

"…!"

My eyes crossed with the observer.

The opponent showed a look so vivid I couldn't believe he was wearing a dog's shell over it.

The embarrassment slowly spread on its face.

"How? It can't be."

The poodle tried again, vibrating golden Mana around its body, but the result was the same.

– [The Successor's Eyes] blocked the [Observer's Eyes]!

The alien stared at me in bafflement.

"Pardon me for doing this the first time that I met you, but I have to ask you a question."

Its tone was filled with caution.

The following question surprised me even more.

"Are you really Seo Jin-Wook?"

What was that supposed to mean?

Did it notice that I possessed the original body?

But whatever the skill effect was just now, had failed. How?

Or did the fact that the skill failed gave it a hint?

I replied with a question of my own.

"What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"It's beyond my expectations that my observation skill doesn't work, but that makes my guess more solid."

Adam was visibly surprised by the conversation.

"Huh? Did you just use the 'eye' skill?"

Based on the situation, the reason why Adam called the observers as eyes might be because of their skill's name.

"But it didn't work?"

Whew.

Adam exclaimed as he whistled.

"Seo Jin-Wook, I don't know what you are, but you have a great skill."

Everything's going to be revealed that way.

I asked without affirmation or denial.

"I don't understand what's happening. You asked me if we had an equal relationship, but why is the conversation suddenly turning in that direction?"

The poodle pointed to Adam and answered me.

"It's strange that an Awakened being with that level of authority and ability developed a business relationship with the tutorial race. In fact, both of you are the targets I wanted to confirm with my own eyes here."

Adam spoke, scratching his chin.

"Oh, I don't know what you're thinking, but put aside the useless misunderstanding."

"It's reasonable to doubt you. If someone like you would cooperate with him, it means that he has that much power as well, right? My common sense tells me that a resident in this type of dimension can't do what you just did."

I frowned.

"Don't beat around the bush."

"Yes, then I'll change the question."

From the mouth of the small dog, a question flowed out once again with clear pronunciation.

"Are you really a species that originated in this dimension called Earth?"

What the hell did he mean?

I was dumbfounded.

The alien race in the shape of a dog continued to.

"Aren't you actually an alien species from a world whose tutorial has already ended? Aren't you an illegal immigrant who hid from the eyes of our observers and the Union? Just as he lives under the disguise of Adam, I can't raise my suspicion that you're acting as a native named Seo Jin-Wook without reporting to the Union."

I knew what he was talking about.

'Is that what he's tripping me over with?'

He thought I was an alien.

I was about to get a headache.

Meanwhile, as Adam heard that story…

"H, haha··· Hahahaha!"

A burst of loud laughter rang out.

Laughing, he pointed his finger at the small dog and spoke.

"Hey! You have a brilliant imagination. Well, borrowing a human identity is a method I used as well. But don't you think I would have checked that out when I decided to work with this guy?"

Eight small tubes rose from his collarbone.

They were body tissues that replaced the skill of [Penetration].

"I scanned his whole body with this!"

The poodle distorted his expression when he saw the tubes.

"The Dakegamas Mole's excrement tube… How could you implant something like that in your body?"

"How can you say that after excluding all the other details? It's the fecal tube, the genitals, the mouth, and the sensory organs of that beautiful creature! Do you know how hard it was to connect this to my nervous system?"

The alien muttered as if it was ridiculous.

"Anyway, your race…"

"You know what it is. The scanning results using the electromagnetic waves emitted from here are more accurate than the SS-Class [Penetration] skill. So I can guarantee you 100%. He's a native here. He's a human being!"

Adam made it clear that my body was not the result of polymorphism, nor was it a disguise worn.

But the observer didn't easily believe him.

"You two could have conspired. And his body itself could be made out of a real human being."

He surely had a lot of doubts.

While I was mumbling internally, it suddenly occurred to me.

'Wait, the reason why the poodle is a prick is that he suspects that I finished the tutorial, right?'

The way to resolve the suspicion was simple.

"Wait, this misunderstanding can be corrected very quickly and simply."

Just as I was about to raise my right hand, Adam spilled telepathy into my mind.

– Hold on. Wait a minute! I'll take care of it.

What's with him?

With a curious look, Adam shouted to the observer.

"Right. This misunderstanding is very easy to correct."

The poodle stared at Adam silently.

It was as if it sensed something.

He then continued.

"Are you kidding me? Why repress and threaten a species that has not finished its tutorial when there are easier ways to answer your question?"

"When did I oppress and threaten?!"

"Come on, let's get this over with. We can just ask the system about the guy in front of you right now… Let's make it hand over Seo Jin-Wook's 'species information'!"

"…!"

At that moment, feelings that could not be kept hidden came out of the poodle's eyes.

I felt like the poodle was hesitating for some reason.

Adam attacked with his words, aiming for that window of opportunity.

"Is there another method more certain than this? Only experience points equivalent to information fees are required. If Seo Jin-Wook has finished his tutorial here, the system will throw up race information. If the tutorial is still in progress, it won't give you any information. Isn't that the simplest way? Of course, either the former or the latter, the system will surely consume your experience points!"

I could only half agree with him.

It's definitely a verifiable measure, but was that the simplest way?

"… But."

Adam laughed and talked back at the hesitant poodle.

"What, you don't even have that many experience points? Or is it a waste? Does the Grand Union's observer tremble against only half a million?"

'Did simple questioning require 500,000 experience points?'

I didn't know because I didn't have any reason or instance to try such a thing in my previous life.

'The alien location information that I acquired through the system… If I had acquired that through a standard procedure, I would have consumed a tremendous amount of achievement points.'

If it's half a million, that was similar to what I received after completing the first screening quest.

Damn, I thought I saved a lot of points unexpectedly.

As I pondered silently, Adam continued as if to pressure the poodle.

"So, stop persecuting the poor weak species and check it for yourself! If an observer wants to arrest an illegal immigrant, he needs to get a confession or check for clear evidence, right? Since the truth can be uncovered if you just pay up the points, shouldn't the hungry person feed himself? It's not us who want to arrest and gain merits. It's you."

Only then did I realize what the observer was up to.

'Those points are a burden even for someone that had completed the tutorial.'

Instead of using up its points and checking with the system, it pressured me as if it was threatening me and encouraged me to confess.

'Isn't he just a bully?'

I could see why Adam hated the Union so much.

"…"

The poodle kept hesitating and eventually cave in as if it couldn't help it.

Adam was so bold that it couldn't keep its high-handed attitude.

"… Yes, there was that way. Let me check."

It was a clumsy pretense as if it was reminded of something it had forgotten.

'If his opponent comes out this far, he would be able to agree that I'm a real human being.'

The poodle eventually seemed to be reaching out to the system message and delivering its intention.

And there was a pause.

A loose remark leaked out.

"… Yes, Mr. Seo Jin-Wook. The system has refused to provide information about you."

It was an obvious result.

"That makes it clear that you're still a being in the tutorial."

It then sighed and murmured lowly.

"Sigh. It's blown."

Adam laughed.

"That's why you did such a shallow trick? You thought that he was going to turn himself in front of you because an illegal immigrant was caught?"

The poodle spoke in a teary voice.

"This can't be; I can't believe you're human! But how did he build up his ability to trade on equal grounds with someone like you at such an early stage?!"

It was 100% sure I wasn't human, so it tried to prove it by even sacrificing its points.

"K-k-k-haha! It was hard for me to believe at first, too, so I understand. How many points did the system require?"

The poodle replied as if it had lost its country.

"… 580,000."

"The price has gone up in that time."

Adam clicked his tongue.

The poodle turned weakly.

Its steps also seemed to stagger a little.

"Pardon me. I'll be on my way now."

"Oh, wait a minute."

I raised my hand and called the poodle.

"What is it?"

It couldn't just go like that.

I didn't know when that kind of opportunity would come again.

I had heard about the 'Union' to some extent from Adam.

But what he couldn't answer was the part about their intention.

The dimension he lived in was not under the Union, but they were not particularly hostile. They remained neutral and had no interest in the Union's vision.

'But I'm interested.'

The people of Earth also had to climb the Tower of Choice later in the tutorial.

After climbing to the 100th floor, they had to choose between proceeding with the main quest or closing all dungeons and returning to conditions similar past Earth.

'In the end, we failed because of Angelica, but we decided to give up the main quest in our previous lives because of the Earth's devastating situation at that time.'

There was a lack of infrastructure to prevent the dungeons from collapsing, even if more connections were established.

A large number of humans had died, and the number of Hunters had dropped dramatically.

Therefore, they decided to return to the 'normal' world of the past, where Mana cores did not exist.

It was better than the destruction of humanity.

'But what choice should humankind make if we want to stay this way?'

It was not a choice to make myself, but I wanted to hear from those who had already finished the tutorial.

I asked.

"I heard that the Union is a dimensional organization that aims to remain within the framework of the system."

"Well, that's not all there is. It's a roughly correct explanation. What about it?"

"May I know why?"

What benefits could we get by continuing the main quest?

I heard about it through Adam, but I was curious about how the Union saw it.

Then the poodle answered as if I was asking about the obvious.

"That's an easy question. The system is a cradle of growth that helps all the worlds…. All the species move further and higher. Through some of the trials that the system gives us, we will all end up getting what we want."

The answer was focused extremely on the positive.

What the Earth was like in my previous life passed through my head.

"But the natives of dimensions could be exterminated in the process, right? Some races would have been alive if the gate hadn't opened in the first place."

"That can't be helped. They couldn't overcome the trials and competition. Hence, they've been culled.

"…"

The alien calmly defined the devastating end of the humankind that we had experienced in our previous lives as 'culled.'

I felt sick in my stomach and felt my anger rising.

Oblivious to my emotions, the poodle continued.

"It's one of the common misconceptions, but we're not the seawall that keeps the tutorial species from the tides of the current. We're the supporters that can stop more adults from getting involved in a child's fight."

The problem was that someone could die fighting between themselves.

Even if they didn't fight amongst themselves, they could drown in the waves of the currents.

'If kids are those in the tutorial dimension, and if adults are those in the main quest dimension.'

The bigger problem was that if one were to look at the situation that was going on at the moment, the adults didn't completely let go of their hands.

Suppressing my displeasure, I came up with one more question.

"So, what is the extent to which the species that finished the tutorial can intervene on Earth?"

"It's not that simple to explain."

"Let me give you a specific example."

It was the question that kept lingering in my head.

"What if some of them were behind the scenes controlling the people of Earth? Isn't that something that the Union should intervene in?"

What the hell did those observers do?

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Chapter 94

I Came Back And Conquered It All

[Extra chapters today! Please consider leaving a review and adding the series to your reading list on NU.]

How to Use Experience Points (1)

My question centered around the man who planted the [Mercadius' Seed] in the Celestial Dragon.

'He must be a subject under the watch of the Union since he is a being that finished the tutorial. But why was he left alone?'

The poodle replied.

"Again, it's not that simple. We need to look into the treaties according to the cases…"

He became lost in thought for a moment before continuing.

"If there is a report of such Awakened, the higher-ranking members of the Union will decide whether to punish them or not."

Huh?

"It's also important in which method and how much they intervened, but the key point is this: If the behavior of the Awakened ultimately leads to the entry to the main quests, I doubt we will need to intervene."

Upon hearing that, I completely erased the thought of revealing the presence of the 'man,' who was the owner of the seed.

The poodle looked at Adam as if it made a mistake.

"Of course, moderation is important. I'd like for Mr. Adam to keep this in mind, too.

"Tsk."

"Now, then."

The poodle approached the black-haired young man with a rattling pace.

Sitting and knitting, he put what he had in hand in his backpack and reached out to the small dog.

The alien gave some final words in the arms of the expressionless man.

"Lastly, don't forget that we're always watching."

Leaving those words behind, the alien and the young man entered the distorted space.

As soon as they completely disappeared, Adam spat very humanly, with a look of being caught of shit luck.

"Anyway…. The Union bastards are always assholes. Look how they talk."

I agreed with that part.

*

When the observer left, the People's Army seemed to have begun to enter beyond the barricade with great timing.

I could hear something heavy and thick breaking and collapsing.

"Shall we move?"

Swish!

I flew up in the sky with Adam as I organized my thoughts.

What that encounter convinced me of was that the aliens, who were called observers, didn't come to protect the Earth's people actively.

Rather, it's more like a referee who supervised the game for the sake of fairness.

'No, that's wrong, too.'

I soon shook my head.

'If a fair game is their goal, they should not let the others intervene at all.'

They were more like the power behind the curtains that manipulated the game to roll in the direction they wanted.

It's so secretive that no human being in the past had ever noticed their existence.

'Oh, right.'

I suddenly remembered something.

"Wasn't it on purpose that you led the observer to waste his experience points?"

I raised my right hand and asked Adam.

When I infused Mana, a complicated pattern was revealed on the back of my hand.

It was an insignia for those who had received the screening quest.

"This is clear evidence that one is still working on his or her tutorial. I heard that when you enter the main quest, the system changes?"

Showing the insignia on the back of my hand was the simplest and fastest way.

However, Adam deliberately pressured the observer to waste 580,000 points.

He grinned at me.

His smile was smeared with feelings of gloat over his misery.

"Yeah! Instead of necessarily telling him what he wanted, I encouraged him to self-destruct. He deserved it!"

His bitterness toward the Union seemed to have rooted deep into his heart.

"If I weren't around, He would have pressured you more instead of using his points. If it weren't for me, and it wasn't for that pattern, you'd be in bad shape."

"You said they're harmless if I didn't taunt them first!"

"That's how it's supposed to be. I didn't expect him to have a delusion of you being an alien."

My impression of the observer was gradually shifting to the worse side.

"Oh, yeah. You got the experience point, didn't you?"

He didn't even ask how much I got.

It didn't seem to matter to him, and he demanded the price that he wanted to receive.

"I propose 100,000 for this project. What do you think?"

Only that much?

Adam didn't know it yet, but the total amount of points I received that time was 2.68 million.

100,000 was less than 10% of that.

When he noticed my expression that it was unexpected of him, Adam gave an explanation.

"Consider that the first deal was discounted. And I didn't contribute much this time either, did I? Except for throwing out thousands of humans. It's not mutually moral to ask for more here."

Anyway, he's the alien that's most sensitive to mutual respect that I'd ever come across.

"Think of it as a stepping stone to maintain a smooth relationship. I'm looking forward to the future."

Snickering, he explained to me how to transfer the points.

I knew how, but I just listened.

In the past life, most of the points that our guild members received were transferred to Angelica.

I was used to it as I saw and heard how other colleagues did.

– Do you want to transfer the points?

When Adam made a deal, a message came to mind.

"I want to transfer 100,000 points."

– Transferred 100,000 experience points to the other party.

The points reflected by the system were reduced from 2.68 million to 2.58 million.

I asked out of curiosity.

"What are you collecting points for? You must already have enough to use it as a toll fee to go back to your original dimension."

He replied with a grin.

"The more experience points you have, the better. As you progress in the main quest, there will be many parts that cannot be solved with just the dungeons' items and skill cards. Now then, I'll stop by somewhere, so see you at home."

After waving his hand, Adam changed his route and moved away.

The direction was north.

'… He's not following the observer, is he?'

But I couldn't think of any motivation for him to do that.

It must be a coincidence that their directions were alike.

'Now, then.'

When Adam disappeared completely beyond the horizon, I asked the system.

"How much are the experience points required for purchasing the [Destructive Sword]?"

The dagger that Angelica was holding in my previous life was the only means to break the dimensional bird's egg.

After the SSS-Class break, most of the surviving Hunters forwarded their experience points to Angelica, and she exchanged them for the [Destructive Sword].

'Now that I think about it, it was all a show. It's as if we trashed our points away.'

That was when the guild members, including me, died in the past life, and the tutorial finally ended.

Angelica would've stayed on Earth and not only avoided accepting the main quest, but she wouldn't have broken the dimensioned egg.

She would've hatched the egg, opened a whole bunch of gates far more than before, and then left to a different dimension.

The fate of the hunters and humankind would've obviously been left behind with the helplessly innumerable gates.

'This life will be different.'

The system replied.

– That item cannot be purchased at this stage.

It seems that its item information wasn't disclosed until the Tower of Choice appeared.

'Well, I didn't mean to buy it now anyway.'

I wasn't even determined yet to break the egg in my current life.

The purpose was to check if the points needed were the same as my previous life, but it wasn't possible at the moment.

'Then, as originally planned…'

I inquired again.

"What are the experience points required for purchasing the [Aurora of Stability]?"

– 200,000 points at this point.

That's pretty good.

'It's a lot cheaper than the points it required in the previous life!'

If it's that way, there was no problem buying as much as I needed.

"I'll exchange eight for experience points."

– 1.6 million points are required in total. Would you like to purchase it?

It's a huge amount of experience points that I'd never received or consumed in my previous life.

Furthermore, I had never heard anyone use up that many experience points before the Tower of Choice rose.

'There were so many competitors who received the screening quest.'

After experiencing the SSS-Class break, all hunters were united, but before the Earth was devastated, each country and guild's power was divided.

At that time, there were even fewer cases where one person had more than 500,000, let alone 1 million.

Therefore, it was unimaginable in my previous life to buy eight [Aurora of Stability], but…

I didn't think it was a waste.

'If we continue with the quest, we'll get more points.'

I answered without hesitation.

"Purchase!"

The moment I replied with determination…

Shhh!

A ray of light poured in front of me while I was flying.

I grabbed the item with my psychokinesis without stopping.

"I haven't seen you in a long time."

The eight crystals were similar in shape to tulip flowers processed from jewels.

'Now, shall I proceed with the next step?'

*

"Mr. Guild Master, you're back sooner than I thought. You said it could take a few days."

I responded by nodding my head to Secretary Kim, who welcomed me at the office building.

"It worked out quickly."

"What about Mr. Abrams?"

"He said he was stopping by somewhere. By the way, could you set up a meeting with the Hunter Management Department?"

"Even though you've just arrived?"

He looked boggled, but instead of asking more questions, Secretary Kim immediately prepared to take notes.

"I'm sure the person of interest for the talk is the Hunter Management Department Minister?"

"Of course."

"What should I say?"

I spoke in an indifferent tone.

"Just tell them it's related to every single dungeon gate in our country's territory."

Secretary Kim's eyes grew bigger.

*

As soon as Secretary Kim contacted them, the Hunter Management Department responded quickly.

The Hunter Management Department set the meeting for the very next day.

"… Is that true?"

The Minister of Hunter Management Department, whose face we saw after a long time, couldn't hide his trembling eyes as if he couldn't believe what he heard.

"Haha… My, my."

In front of the [Aurora of Stability], which I took out as a sample, a government-employed hunter accompanying the minister laid down a scroll.

"Please understand, Guild Master. Of course, we are not doubtful. However, to make what you requested happen, a lot of people will have to be on the move, so the basic verification is…"

I spoke with a smile.

"I understand. Go ahead and do it."

The Awakened tore the scroll.

The [Analysis] magic was invoked, and we read the system message that appeared.

Then the minister's face brightened.

"Oh, my God."

There were excitement and thrill in his voice.

"You're really, really amazing! It's a blessing to have someone like you in our country!"

I spoke calmly in front of the minister, who couldn't hide his astonishment.

"How long will it take to be ready?"

"Give me three days. That much time is enough for reporting and execution. I'll put my seat on the line to make this happen."

I nodded.

"Then, I will move quietly by myself on the day of implementation. I think that will be easier."

"At your convenience!"

I told the minister, who looked at me with a fascinating look on his face.

"As always…. I'll request you to do this without announcing this to the press, too."

If it's officially announced, I'll have to explain it in detail.

"Of course!"

The minister guaranteed it as if not to make me worry, but I was aware.

'The secret may be kept if it's done alone by the minister, but it is his subordinates who carry out the order anyway.'

Meanwhile, rumors were bound to spread.

There was no evidence to prove it, but rumors would spread so much that everyone had no choice but to listen closely.

That something that's going to happen in three days was related to Seo Jin-Wook of Celestial Dragon!

*

The day after Seo Jin-Wook visited the ministry, strange movements had been observed throughout the country.

"Why are there so many helicopters going back and forth today?"

Large-scale logging took place at the high mountain tops throughout the South Korean territory, and soldiers were seen guarding those areas.

The media also reported with interest and asked the government what was going on, but there were no replies.

One evening, when those open spaces on eight mountains all over the country that their identity and purpose were prepared, Seo Jin-Wook was flying across the sky while staying hidden with his [Stardust Wing] unfolded.

'Shall I start from here?'

It was the mountain top outside Gyeonggi-do.

Soldiers were maintaining strict security in the vacant lot surrounded by barbed wires.

As Seo Jin-Wook showed up, a public official of the Hunter Management Department bowed down to greet him.

"We're ready."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Expectations filled the eyes of the public official who raised his head after greeting.

"Then, this way, please."

A barbed-wire fence surrounding the vacant lot opened.

Seo Jin-Wook went inside and took out an item, and buried it in the ground.

He raised his body again after setting up a barrier so that people other than him couldn't touch it.

He then leaked Mana out so it could be triggered by itself as time went by.

"It's done."

"Already?!"

He nodded his head.

With his delicate control, he manipulated it in a way that the item would be activated by the Mana stimulating it at a certain time.

"Let's move to the next location."

"Yes, I'll notify them!"

Since then, the same thing had been repeated in seven places in the South Korean territory.

After installing [Aurora of Stability] in all the spots, Seo Jin-Wook waited for the right time.

"Let's see."

All of them activated the moment the set time he had been waiting for approached.

Paht!

Manas planted in [Aurora of Stability] installed in the eight locations were activated all at once.

The tulip's petal-like shaped object that seemed to be made out of jewel opened up as if it was blooming.

At the center, a colorful ball of light shot up the sky.

When the change began, it was still before the night fell. Seo Jin-Wook moved so fast it reached a point where most of the people were still awake even after he passed by all the 8 locations.

"Huh? What's that?"

People pointed to the sky from all over the country.

"Are those fireworks?"

shaped balls of light soared into the sky without a resistance.

When it reached a certain altitude, it spread in all directions and covered the black night sky.

And a feast of color unfolded above everyone's head.

The flash exploded and overlapped brilliantly in several layers.

Between many people, the same conversations were exchanged.

"T-that… Isn't that an aurora?"

*

The moment the auroras suddenly appeared all over South Korea, Destructional Blade exploration team 3 was about to enter a dungeon's Gate.

"The shift starts now!"

The exploration team 2, which had entered first, came out one by one with worn off faces.

"Wow, this dungeon doesn't get any easier as we go on. The internal structure is too complicated."

The handover continued among the team leaders.

After listening to the 2nd team leader that just came out from the dungeon, a shadow was cast on the 3rd team leader's face.

"That's a big problem. It's been three months since this Gate turned into 'slightly unstable,' hasn't it?"

Statistics showed a 95% chance of becoming very unstable within a month.

However, the estimated progress was presumed to be not even half.

"It feels like it's going to turn 'very unstable' while we are in it."

In that state, it was the worst scenario if the dungeon evolved to S-Class.

He felt his heart tensing up.

"If we don't Clear it as soon as possible…"

When he was about to stiffen his expression with worries, he heard a voice calling out for him.

"T-t-team leader!"

A team member who needed to enter the Gate as soon as the shift began ran towards him.

The 3rd team leader asked as if it was absurd.

"What? Why are you coming to me instead of going in?"

"The-the-the-the Gate… Gate…!"

His face was distorted with annoyance.

"What the hell is up with the Gate, you punk? Speak properly!"

"Team Leader, go and see for yourself!"

The team leader approached the Gate, swearing inwardly.

It was a circular, blue flash that seemed to be no different than the usual.

"What's wrong with the Gate? It's the same as usual!"

"Y-you have to get closer!"

He took a step closer as he said.

A system message came up in his view.

It was describing the state of the dungeon connected with the Gate.

Level: A

Maximum number of entrants: 5 (currently 0 entrants)

Clear Conditions: Annihilation of monsters in dungeons.

Time remaining until evolution: After 182 days, 8 hours, 2 minutes, it evolves into S-Class.

So far, it was no different from what he saw before.

"What am I supposed to…!"

He stops talking and suddenly froze.

"… ?"

He murmured with a bewildered voice.

"What is… this?"

Like other hunters, he read the message over and over again that appeared before him.

However, the characters that came up didn't change.

"This dungeon was clearly 'slightly unstable,' wasn't it?"

Very stable, slightly stable, normal, slightly unstable, and finally, very unstable.

The five stages representing the dungeon state always proceeded in one direction.

As time went by, it only became more unstable, and there was no concept of reverse regression.

Until that day, that was the logic.

But…

"What's wrong with the message all of a sudden?"

It was the same when he rubbed his eyes and looked at it again.

The team leader read the last line.

"Status… normal!"

The dungeon Gate that was definitely slightly unstable went back to 'normal,' regressing a step back.

Level: A

Maximum number of entrants: 5 (currently 0 entrants)

Clear Conditions: Destruction of monsters in dungeons

Time remaining until evolution: After 182 days, 8 hours, 2 minutes, it evolves into S-Class.

Status: Normal

Furthermore, underneath it, there was another sentence that didn't exist.

"… With the effect of a wide-area item, it suppresses the rate of change in status for a certain period? What is it talking about?"

The confused hunters hadn't noticed it yet.

Under the aurora that suddenly appeared, a similar phenomenon was happening to every Gate in the country!

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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 95

           

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Chapter 95

I Came Back And Conquered It All

How to Use Experience Points (2)

Adam flew north after splitting with Seo Jin-Wook in Beijing.

Flying at a fast speed, he thought about the observer he met that day.

However, he wasn't chasing after the observer like Seo Jin-Wook suspected.

He recalled what he saw with calm eyes.

'That bastard, he was definitely a Ghenut.'

Just a while ago, when the observer, Adam, and Seo Jin-Wook had a three-way meeting, Adam deliberately took out the tubes from his collarbone in front of them.

Thanks to the advanced biotechnology developed by his species, he had transplanted tens of thousands of species of body tissues into his body.

Dakegamas mole's sensory organ was one of them as well.

Adam took the tubes out for a moment, pretending to show off, and scanned the alien disguised in a poodle shell to identify it.

'They have a very long history since they started the main quest.'

Their long history had created a high reputation.

There was a consequence that they suffered in return for a long time.

'The growth of their civilization has already been dampened. The whole species is suffering from a chronic point shortage. That's why they don't usually apply for observation jobs.'

It was in a position where it was difficult to build achievements in the Union and earn experience points as salary.

'The greatest achievement a being in an observative position can make is to detect and deport unique illegal aliens that rarely exist.'

It was the fundamental reason why he suddenly pressured Seo Jin-Wook and treated him as an alien.

Its species desperately needed merit and experience points in the Union.

They were beggars with a flamboyant appearance.

'He thought he had a case, so he just rushed in. When the observation skill failed to read Seo Jin-Wook's information, the doubt would have changed to conviction.'

Adam's eyes narrowed when he recalled that fact once again.

'The eyes skill failed….'

His train of thought had shifted from the observer to Seo Jin-Wook.

The scene he witnessed that day was unusual in many ways.

'Although I knew he was a peculiar one…'

It was a much more interesting subject than he thought.

In the first place, he stuck by him because he knew that he was that kind of a man.

'He must think that I'm still stuck with him because of that little piece of experience points, huh?'

Adam thought about the 100,000 points he had just received.

'The linked 2nd quest was the same in the sense that he did it all by himself. Summing up the two quests… Must he have received about 250,000 points?'

It was almost an accurate guess, with a little room for error.

'He must think of my request as a respectful gesture. Since I can't work for free, it's a reasonable offer of… Tip for the sake of it?'

But that wasn't true.

The 100,000 points to Adam wasn't even considered as an allowance.

'Well, at this stage, I'd appreciate it if he thought so that way.'

There was one thing that Seo Jin-Wook didn't know about Adam.

The alien was one of the richest beings in the world, a point tycoon.

Even the poodle, who was in charge of observation, if he knew the exact figures, it would've been enough for it to foam around its mouth and tremble with jealousy.

He checked the system message.

– Current Experience Points: 58,326,120.

The 100,000 he received that day made no difference to it.

He once acted in front of Seo Jin-Wook that the admission fee of 1.4 million was a huge price to pay.

When in fact, he already had enough points to take dozens of round trips between his home and Earth.

Nevertheless, he offered a deal, acting as if points mattered to him, to create a justification to stick around.

There was a reason why he decided to accompany him by using such means.

"…!"

Adam, who was crossing Mongolian territory, stopped flying.

Before him was a vast meadow that looked like there's nothing unusual at a glance.

He went down to the ground and reached his hand out.

Weeing!

The air fluttered, and the door to the barrier that only Adam could enter was opened.

Waiting for him inside was a subtle light-emanating gate.

It was the same as how Seo Jin-Wook had a gate in Korea and the U.S. where he only could enter without others knowing.

Adam had that type of gate all over the world.

– You entered the dungeon!

– You have already paid the entrance fee for the origin dimension. Re-entry does not consume experience points.

– Re-entry point exemption will be reset as soon as you enter another world.

Adam, who stepped inside the dungeon, opened an inventory item.

The tissue cut from the giant worm was so large that it filled to the capacity.

Wu-du-du!

From a black hole organs, muscles, and other end-of-body organs of various living things that were well kept by the storage skill poured out.

The dungeon served as a storage facility for Adam's collection.

A place where even the eyes of observers covering the entire planet didn't reach.

No one knew what Adam did with the 'materials' gathered there.

'Looking at it now, the number of observers dispatched to this world is also odd.'

Through the list shown by Seo Jin-Wook, it had already been known that there were six observers.

Although the number was large compared to the planet's area, he only thought six low-level ones were dispatched.

'But a Ghenut was mixed in among the observers! Due to the nature of the species, he must be able to cover an entire planet of this size… Having to necessarily dispatch six means that there is something here.'

Some of the peculiarities were already identified by Adam.

His attention was focused on the collection that was orderly being kept throughout the dungeon.

Stretched out in front of him was the reason why he stayed on Earth for a long time after more than ten years when he only stayed to a maximum of one year in other dimensions.

'Even if it's considered to be in the tutorial's early days, the dungeons' levels connected to it are too high. There are countless kinds of monsters as well. Moreover, SS-Class dungeons are already opening up… At this rate, the appearance of an SSS-Class dungeon wouldn't far away. The pace is way too fast. It's as if the system is in a hurry.'

There was one more peculiarity he noticed.

'Seo Jin-Wook's presence.'

The dazzlingly fast growth might be only considered as being a genius.

However, the interpretation of the characteristic changes as soon as it was connected to another discovery.

'He has a bizarrely large collection of Imperial Heritages.'

He even had the item that had stolen his attention the moment they first met, the [Door of Hope].

The process of acquiring items related to the Sebrarian Empire was not important.

Considering the results, the fact that the empire's heritage, whether by fate or by chance, were so concentrated on a single mortal reminded Adam of a certain possibility.

'If I go somewhere and tell people that the heritages are making their way back to their owners, I'll be treated as a lame joke. But have there been people who have gathered them to this point during the tutorial phase?'

Furthermore, he witnessed the scene of the [Observer's Eyes] failing to work.

He put all those together.

He couldn't help but remember a story that was considered lame lore whenever it was mentioned. It wasn't too known among the species in the main quest.

'Does it exist?'

It's been a long time since he had remembered that word again.

'Successor!'

A tale that only those nerds that had roamed around various dimensions, like Adam, would know.

'If it's real…'

It was like a ray of light that would help him achieve his long-cherished yearning.

Adam, who was so lost in deep thought in his personal space, renewed his determination to stay nearby Seo Jin-Wook for a while.

He wanted to build trust while maintaining a friendly relationship with him as much as possible.

'The biggest factor of interference would be…'

The first thing that came to mind was the Union.

He soon shook his head.

'It's unknown why the Union dispatched so many observers, but what is certain is that Seo Jin-Wook himself is not the goal. If he were, they would have made much bolder efforts. It couldn't have shown a mediocre reaction of misunderstanding him as an alien and tried to arrest him, then withdraw immediately after learning that he was not.'

In the end, it led to the conclusion that the being that Seo Jin-Wook was desperately looking for… The alien that had phenomenal skills, according to his words, was more dangerous than the Union.

'We need to put the risk factor away in advance.'

Not long ago, he had filed a search through his origin dimension, but the answer that returned was 'there is no information about species or beings that possess such abilities.'

Adam hasn't told Seo Jin-Wook about that yet.

'But there's another way.'

He pondered about it for a while before making a decision.

"System."

He proposed a deal toward the system.

It was a much more general form of transaction, different from what Seo Jin-Wook had tried before.

"Let's make a deal with the experience points."

Experience points were usually used to bypass and evade existing structures and laws.

For example:

Once opened, Gates became unstable over time, a concept that prevented them from returning to their previous state.

However, paying experience points not only regressed the status back to the previous level but also slowed the degradation rate for a certain period.

There was also a principle that the information of an Awakened couldn't be obtained through [Analysis] magic or [Atlas] items, and only the person himself or herself could check it.

However, if one were to pay with experience points, they could obtain the appearance, current location, and species' information on the condition that the being had completed the tutorial.

'In the previously unusual deal, Seo Jin-Wook only acquired the disguised appearance and location of aliens.'

He concluded that the system could only hand out that much.

'He's missing the rather important species information.'

Adam was about to spend the experience points that Seo Jin-Wook couldn't even attempt to do.

He thought of the list he showed him in his head.

"I want the race information about an Awakened."

A total of 30 million experience points were needed to see all of the information of more than 50 aliens.

Instead of revealing them all at once, Adam decided to point them out one by one and buy information about each of them.

He was thinking about stopping when he saw a suspicious one.

In a way, that was like a gamble where he had to spend points until he hit the jackpot.

Adam started a work that Seo Jin-Wook postponed because he couldn't handle it even with [The Successor's Eyes].

"First of all, this guy!"

Each time he read an alien's information, it consumed 580,000 points.

He read the information carefully.

He then clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, what a bummer. Next!"

In that manner, race information was released to Adam one by one.

"Again, next!"

Perhaps of bad luck, no unusual being was spotted after looking at more than 10 of them.

5.8 million points had already been consumed.

Even for the species working on the main quest, that amount made their hands tremble when they would try to spend it all at once.

But Adam thought those were points that he could earn again.

He said determinedly, thinking that that was also an investment.

"The next is…"

He pointed his finger as he sensed a hunch.

"This one!"

– The price is 580,000 experience points. Would you like to purchase it?

"I'm purchasing it!"

He continued to put 580,000 points in stakes as the gamble of 50 options continued, and the target is reduced one by one.

Adam's point decreased quickly, but he didn't seem to care.

He kept pointing at each of them without hesitation.

And while doing so…

"Next, this one!"

Another alien species information was revealed.

"…!"

After checking the information, he smiled as if he had finally found what he was looking for.

"Yes, this is him!"

He had already consumed more than 10 million experience points.

*

The day when a brilliant aurora covered the entire South Korean territory, there was a great sensation all over the country.

– Breaking news! An unprecedented phenomenon has been observed throughout the current domestic Gates!

"No way, am I dreaming?"

"All the dungeon conditions have stabilized to the previous level?"

The dungeon state is the most important factor in determining the order of Clear.

If the 'very unstable' dungeon is left unattended, it will lead to a dungeon break.

In particular, on the day that the rank was high, the government often tried to Clear it with all its might.

Siheung 8 Dungeon was the representative case.

"Oh, my God… The dungeons that used to be 'very unstable' have all changed to 'slightly unstable'!"

Thanks to that, the expedition teams, which were scrambling to stop a dungeon break, could take a breather.

"I was nervous about when this dungeon would go off, but now it makes me feel like I'm living again."

"The question is how long this will last. No, let's say that's the case…. Why did this happen all of a sudden?"

Causality was easy to find.

Everything started at the moment when the aurora covered the sky, after all.

Many people used their [Analysis] skill towards it.

Awakened who saw the results dropped their jaws.

[Aurora of Stability (Rank: System)]

– Item description: Stabilizes all gates in the range to the previous level and suppresses the rate of change in status for a certain period.

From the item's rank to the detailed description, none of it was a concept that humankind had ever imagined before.

There was a burst of exclamations among the Awakened.

"The item rank is… 'System?!'"

It was a rank that was unheard of.

The explanation was unusual as well.

For the people, systems, gates, and dungeons were like unpredictable natural disasters.

For the Awakened that had to move only within the set boundaries, there was only the concept of Clearing the dungeon to close it if it seemed like it would collapse, just as it was natural to mobilize a fire brigade to extinguish a forest fire immediately.

On the other hand, there was no means to slow down the spread of fire until the fire brigade was ready.

They only became aware of the new concept that day.

There was no immediate way to verify how much slower the rate leading up to the dungeon break sequence would be. However, it was clear that it would be effective, as although the system might have hidden the truth, it didn't lie.

Only time could prove it.

At first, citizens worried that Aurora might be an ominous sign, but they soon began to cheer after understanding the situation.

"What, so we don't have to be worried about the dungeon break for the time being?"

"We don't know that. The key is how long that item will last. There are also instantaneous dungeons…"

"But it's surely better than before!"

Foreign governments had flipped.

"Does this make sense? Why did that happen only in Korean territory?"

With the identity of the item [Aurora of Stability] revealed, the next question was who and how it was obtained…. And in what ways it could be obtained in the future.

While the world quickly exchanged communication.

From a certain point, one name began to be mentioned by those who focused on that phenomenon.

*

"Okay, it's as rowdy as I expected."

I mumbled as I watched the news continuously broadcasting about the Aurora and presenting their analysis.

There were two reasons why the 1.6 million experience points I spent were worth it.

One was to make it easier for the Celestial Dragon Guild to operate in Korea, its home base.

Guild members swept through the area. As I pointed out like a shaman, they continuously discovered the Gates, causing the number of dungeons being Cleared by Celestial Dragon to increase tremendously, causing the number of exploration team members to become insufficient.

Among them were 'very unstable' dungeons that couldn't be found in my previous life and led to break sequences.

If the dungeon that nobody found and collapsed in my past life were found by the Celestial Dragon and still collapsed in this life, it would've been extremely meaningless.

'I had bought time for enough hunters to be supplied.'

And the second reason.

I saw the breaking news on the T.V. that followed.

It was news of the arrival of notorious foreign Guild Masters who were famous all over the world.

– … In the midst of this, it was revealed that leadership and top-level hunters representing Britain's "Matap" guild arrived at the Incheon International Airport yesterday.

– The Matap Guild is notorious for practically monopolizing magic skill cards of S-Class or higher. Their secret is due to the uncommon dungeon in the U.K., which repeatedly expanded despite being Cleared.

– The British government prohibits anyone outside the Matap Guild from entering the mentioned dungeon…

In the midst of the reporter's explanation, the bad blood of my past life passed by one by one on the screen.

They were the aces of the Matap Guild.

They must have flown after hearing what happened in Korea like their ass was on fire.

Instead of closing the dungeon that's about to collapse, they're looking for a secret to keeping the door open and prolonging its life!

'Okay, they took the bait.'

Now it's time to take the next step.

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Chapter 96

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Matap (1)

On the day the aurora overcast the sky, the Korean Government made their official statements.

The summary was as follows.

– The current phenomenon is intended by the Government, and the public does not have to be anxious about it. The Government apologizes for not having disclosed it in advance, but it was a matter of national security, and they took the initiative of executing it before the announcement.

– [Aurora of stability] is an item acquired by a guild that has close cooperative ties with the Government, and the Government was aware of the effect through [Analysis] beforehand.

– The proposed idea of using all of the supply of the guild's item in South Korean territory was first offered by the guild to the Government.

– The Government inquired about the method of acquiring this item, but the guild refused to disclose it.

The Government didn't reveal the guild that first offered the proposal, but people already had a guild in mind.

The Internet went wild.

– Obviously, it's the Celestial Dragon, LMAO. What's the use of anonymity?

– I mean, why does everyone conclude that it was Seo Jin-Wook from the Celestial Dragons? There's also Destructional Blade and Grand Croix. Gate Keepers, too.

↳ Seo Jin-Wook was the one that received the SS-Rank at the fastest rate, stopped the A-Class break with only three people, and have scouted the SSS-Rank hunter who, even the British Government, failed to lure. Don't you see the lines connecting here?

↳ The common element is that it's an achievement that no one has ever done before.

↳ Grand Croix has recently gone to smithereens, and it's beyond the capabilities of other guilds for them to have done it.

↳ Yep, I agree.

Seo Jin-Wook's accomplishments had been so impressive that everyone seemed to be convinced that the event at that time was done by him.

Of course, there were doubtful voices among them.

– But why are they keeping their identity anonymous? I don't understand. It's an achievement worthy of being praised by sweet words and filling the Celestial Dragon's office with medals.

↳ This is also a theory… But there is a story that Seo Jin-Wook refused.

While numerous deductions were happening like that, other countries' governments were contacting the South Korean Government.

A fierce espionage and information war was happening in the private sectors.

Seo Jin-Wook was being requested for meetings from many foreign guilds, but he refused all of them through excuses.

But then…

"Guild Master, this is a request for an interview with the British Matap Guild. Just like the rest, should we…"

"Yes, make an appointment. Even if that's going to be today."

"Send a reply of decline while being polite with adequate reasons…. Wait, what?"

Seo Jin-Wook repeated was he told his secretary, who opened his eyes wide because of the unexpected answer.

"Make an appointment. I don't have any plans today anyway, so I'm free anytime."

Secretary Kim nodded in surprise.

*

The interview, which was undisclosed to the media, took place just past noon.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Arthur Clifford."

The silver-haired man extended his hand with a smile.

His appearance seemed like he's only in his early 20s, but he was actually an old man over 70 years of age.

He Awakened at the age of 50 and fully rejuvenated according to his Mana's activation rate.

It was Arthur Clifford, the head of the Matap Guild.

"It's a pleasure. I'm Seo Jin-Wook."

We lightly shook hands and sat down.

Arthur kept his eyes fixed on me with a relaxed smile.

I held back my anger that rose by seeing his face.

'The amount of trouble I've had in my past life because of him…!'

Arthur, who had no idea how I felt, spoke in a tone that manifested his years of living.

If someone looked at him without seeing his tainted soul, he seemed like a perfectly composed gentleman.

"Thank you for responding to this sudden request. It's an honor to meet the source of the issue which got everyone talking around the world these days."

Naturally, he laid down compliments for me. He was saying that he was surprised as well by my achievements.

However, as I listened silently without any change in facial expressions, he soon cleared his throat and moved on to the main subject.

"I'm sure you can guess why I've paid you a visit today, but a few days ago…."

I cut him off.

"That's not me."

I had to pretend initially.

"I know why you came here to talk. That aurora… it wasn't me. If you're here for that, please go back."

"Hahaha."

His lips drew a curve.

Arthur didn't even pretend to listen to me.

"I know what you're worried about. You must be afraid of the drafts. In the onset that you reveal it, the guilds aiming for the item worldwide will boldly rush in. Isn't the current situation already like this, even only with a sloppy rumor?"

He continued his explanation by pretending to have a wholesome face.

"And no matter how good a hunter you are, isn't the Celestial Dragon Guild… Boldly speaking, just a small local guild when looking at an international level?"

Wouldn't you look at that bastard?

While placing my hands on my chin, I stared at him to provoke him to continue.

"Even if it's No. 1 in Korea, from an outsider's perspective, there are a lot of factors that it lacks. Especially if you look at the members…. There are only one SS-Class hunter and two S-Class hunters, right? On the other hand, we are a big guild with more than 20 hunters above the SS-Class."

One SS-Class and two S-Class, huh.

Although it was a count considering Hibiki, who was recently promoted to S-Class, the important part was missing.

"There's also one of SSS-Class."

"Oh, you mean Abrams? He's such a fickle friend. I've experienced it myself a few times."

Both of them were active in the U.K., so they must have encountered each other.

Arthur continued as if to guarantee.

"Staying in Korea for a while right now would be under the influence of his fickleness. If he loses interest, he'll leave again."

I didn't know. Would it be so?

I silently listened to him with a faint smile.

Like I wanted him to talk more.

Then Arthur let out a quick glance that seemed to say, 'won't you look at this bastard?' and immediately wrapped it up.

Hmph, no matter how hard he tried to taunt me, I wouldn't be playing his game.

"So what I'd like to say is that… Our Matap guild will be the help behind our Guild Master Seo Jin-Wook and the Celestial Dragon guild."

I sighed internally.

'How come you, bastard, isn't any different from my previous life?'

No, of course, he wouldn't change since that bastard was the same bastard in front of me.

It's a waste of time to listen to more, so I asked him a question that time.

"Is the Matap such a great guild?"

"… Haha! Well, I'm baffled to hear you say so."

An unpleasant feeling lingered around his eyes, who had maintained a gentle attitude and facial expression so far.

To lead the world's largest guild was a solid pride that drove the human being named Arthur Clifford.

By meddling with it, his true color was revealed.

He is polite and civil on the outside, but taking a look inside, he is ignoring the Celestial Dragon.

"As you know, we have a virtually exclusive distribution of Magic Skill Cards above S-Class."

There were no other note-worthy guilds in the U.K. besides the Matap.

That was because Matap destroyed or absorbed everyone.

In the process, they received full support from the British Government, and that's their secret.

As I pretend to act interested, I played as he wanted me to.

"I've heard of it. Shepherd 2 dungeon."

Thanks to the 'something' that existed there, the Matap Guild obtained many Magic Skill Cards of rare S-Class or higher Class every year.

Initially, magic was famous for being rare among the skill cards, but the probability of getting an S-Class or higher was wicked.

The probability of random acquisition converged to zero unless they chose the reward by looking into the reward content like I did.

However, there were so many of those cards in the Matap that most magicians had already learned. It reached the point where it created a 'surplus of S-Class cards .' Those were sold at a tremendously high price.

Since there was little supply even in the black markets worldwide, it was safe to say that the Matap was selling those products exclusively.

"I heard that they say it's the source of funds that enabled Matap Guild to grow this much?"

Arthur smiled happily.

He didn't confirm or deny my words.

But his face was horribly distorted by my words that followed.

"That the Shepherd 2 dungeon, that is so precious from the perspective of the Matap guild, had entered the state of 'very unstable'…"

After saying that much, I check his expression again.

Indeed, the old snake quickly reverted its distorted face to its original state.

But, the expression that collapsed even for a moment convinced me of one thing.

'It has already started. Sigh, you stupid bastards blinded by greed.'

The silence that hovered around my office for a moment was quickly broken.

"Haha, it's a calumny that's not worth listening to. Our guild closely observes the Gate of Shepherd 2 Dungeon. There's still no change in the 'slightly unstable' state. You can be assured."

"Oh? That's not what I heard."

"My, my… I'm curious about the source of this false rumor."

His expression that hid his expectation looked at me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I heard it somewhere, but I forgot."

I was assured once more of the reason that Arthur Clifford found me.

The Shepherd 2 Dungeon, which was solely managed by the Matap Guild without any British government personnel monitoring the Gate, had already progressed to a very unstable state.

And Matap hid the fact from the British Government.

'Because if they close the Gate, there will be no way to consistently 'make' magic cards of S-Class or higher!'

That's why they'd been holding out for so long.

They left the Gate, which could collapse at any moment, open.

In the middle of doing so, the aurora that appeared in Korea was enough to make Arthur Clifford, famous for his heavy buttocks, fly to the other side of the globe.

"Guild Master Seo Jin-Wook, you'd better ignore such false rumors. It can cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

Saying so, Arthur got up from his seat.

He must've decided that it was impossible to persuade me based on my attitude.

He looked down on me.

"Let me leave you one last piece of advice. Please consider this advice as something from an experienced person who has lived in the world a little bit more than you, Guild Master."

He had a calm flame in his eyes.

"Everything has to be done according to the place you belong in so that it doesn't hurt you. If you have something that is out of your league in your hands, then all the more for you to be careful."

It was a threat in which his intent was obvious.

I shook my hand to open the office door, pretending to not hear him.

Outside, Nate was waiting.

"Nate, show him the way out."

Arthur went outside with a cold aura without looking at me as if he held it in as much as he could.

Nate walked along beside him, guiding him in the direction.

After seeing the shadows of the two briefly overlap and part, I turned my glance again.

*

The head of the Destruction Blade Guild, Seo Moon-Ga-In, waited for the person who requested a secret meeting.

'Arthur Clifford? Why would such a great man suddenly…'

She didn't hear that he had already dropped by Celestial Dragon in the afternoon to meet Seo Jin-Wook, but she could guess.

'Does this mean that he is already done with the meeting with Celestial Dragon? It's incredibly fast considering that he entered the country yesterday.'

Currently, Destruction Blade was firmly established as the second-largest guild in Korea.

Grand Croix lost two of their S-Class hunters, Kim Kyung-Rok and Kim Ji-Hoon, in vain and was at the brink of a collapse.

Most of the rapidly escaping hunters hoped to transfer to Celestial Dragon, and people expected that Celestial Dragon would absorb them all and grow in size.

But the reality was a little different.

If hunters, who left the Grand Croix, were to be 10, Celestial Dragon accepted only three of them, but they didn't simply cut them in order of grade, so the standard was unknown.

People couldn't know that Seo Jin-Wook used his future memories to pick out only those who had large growth potential in the future and wouldn't cause large and worthless problems.

Thanks to that, the remaining 70 percent was almost all accepted by the Destruction Blade Guild. They preferred not to join the GateKeepers as they needed them to play a boring doorman and an unprofitable business.

'Nevertheless, the gap between Celestial Dragon, who is No. 1, has widened.'

That was because Celestial Dragon continued to scout hunters regardless of nationality by unknown standards, with their questionably large sum of money.

'Is it really going to be okay this way?'

The moment she asked herself that.

The door opened, and a silver-haired man entered.

It was Arthur Clifford.

"It was a sudden request, but thank you for seeing me."

The two sat down after exchanging a short greeting.

Arthur Clifford didn't do long greetings, unlike during the day.

He immediately spoke as if it's a waste of time to sit there for a long time.

"Guild Master Seo Moon-Ga-In, are you satisfied that the Destruction Blade Guild is ranked second in Korea?"

It was a sudden question that stabbed its way right in.

Seo Moon-Ga-In's face stiffened immediately.

'What is wrong with this bastard?'

She grits her teeth and answers.

"No matter what the Matap guild may be… this is a little rude."

"That doesn't answer the question."

Seo Moon-Ga-In avoided giving an immediate answer and thought about the intentions of the other person.

'What are his intentions?'

Then…

Arthur waved his hand and continued to talk.

"Nevermind, I'll get to the point."

When he touched the terminal on his wrist, a hologram popped into the air.

The scene where two hunters died with their swords stuck in each other.

Seo Moon-Ga-In stared into the video without looking away or frowning.

In her eyes wasn't the feeling of reluctance but the question of why he was showing her that.

"Do you recognize it?"

"Yes, Kim Kyung-Rok and… Dideric van Dyke."

The body was found in the office of Kim Kyung-Rok of Grand Croix.

Arthur spoke in a calm voice.

"In fact, most of the media, as well as the Korean government, have not noticed Dideric's true identity."

Seo Moon-Ga-In's eyebrows wriggled.

Dideric van Dyke was a Dutch-born SS-Rank hunter. The only information she knew was that he moved as a freelancer without belonging to a particular guild.

However, Arthur continued to reveal unexpected information.

"Dideric van Dyke was a hitman who kills Hunter for money."

"…?!"

Arthur put up a few more screens in the air.

They all depicted Dideric's real identity that even intelligence agencies in various countries didn't know.

The face of Seo Moon-Ga-In, who was reading the materials one after another, stiffened.

"Then… No way!"

Arthur nodded.

"That's right. Dideric van Dyke was forced to kill Kim Kyung-Rok due to someone's request, but he died together because the opponent had an unexpected skill level. It's murder commissioned with money. There were no resentment or profit arguments between the dead. The three missing Grand Croix must not have been involved in the incident and ran away but were slain by Dideric's hands."

"But, who the hell…!"

"You already know the answer, don't you?"

In the mind of Seo Moon-Ga-In, Kim Ji-Hoon, who disappeared before Kim Kyung-Rok, came to mind.

Seo Jin-Wook had a conflict with the S-Class hunter.

"He's young, but he seems to be much crueler than as heard from the rumors, that man named Seo Jin-Wook. He would even kill his competitors without mercy."

In fact, it wasn't that Seo Moon-Ga-In didn't think of that possibility.

There was little information about the unexpected character of Dideric van Dyke, which clouded her suspicions.

But now that she knew van Dyke was a contractor…

Since she didn't make the request herself, there was only one suspect left.

"But there's no evidence!"

"Instead, there is a clear motive."

"···"

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Arthur spoke as if with a good heart.

"I came here because we have a common goal. I'm planning to take Seo Jin-Wook to the U.K."

"What is that supposed to mean–"

"Of course, Seo Jin-Wook's opinion is not important in the process."

"…"

Arthur intended to kidnap Seo Jin-Wook.

He judged that it wouldn't be easy for the Matap Guild to kidnap, torture, and let an SS-Ranked hunter spit out the information they wanted, but it was not impossible.

What he was trying to find out, of course, was the method of acquiring the Auroras.

Arthur was convinced through that day's encounter.

Seo Jin-Wook knew something!

"Even if it hasn't been a year since he Awakened, he's still an SS-Rank hunter. Instead of ambushing without any knowledge about him, I would have to figure out at least his ability in advance… The information was strangely insufficient."

Other than during the promotion test, there were almost no instances where he revealed his skill in front of people.

"I thought you might have some information from a competitor's perspective, as you've observed. What do you think? Tell me everything you know about Seo Jin-Wook so that I can get rid of him from Korea."

Seo Moon-Ga-In's pupils trembled.

Arthur Clifford was one of the few SSS-Ranked hunters in the world and a veteran among veterans.

No matter how much Seo Jin-Wook was, he seemed unable to escape from his grasp as long as he was determined to.

In the end, Seo Moon-Ga-In finished her short contemplation and opened her mouth.

"… Seo Jin-Wook's unique skill is believed to be the ability to copy other people's skills."

"Hmm?"

Seo Moon-Ga-In began to explain his ability shown by cutting off Kim Ji-Hoon's legs during the promotion test.

Seo Jin-Wook mimicked the skill that Kim Ji-Hoon was believed to have mastered alone on Earth.

"What happened at the time when the unique skill was activated was…"

Seo Moon-Ga-In and Arthur continued their conversation for some time after that.

Neither of them ever imagined that something hidden in the shadow was overhearing their conversation.

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Ranobes » Updates » I Came Back And Conquered It All » Chapter 97

           

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Chapter 97

I Came Back And Conquered It All

Matap (2)

It was late in the night. After I had a short and unpleasant meeting with Arthur Clifford, the Senator called.

"That was you, wasn't it?"

It was a question that was direct to the point.

Instead of contacting me immediately on the day that the aurora spread across the sky, he waited several days.

The meaning of that interval was that he obtained some reliable information by using the appropriate information network.

'It means that he has a string in the Korean government, too.'

I had a big smile.

"That does not belong in auctions."

The old man's face was distorted in the hologram.

He replied in a tone to depict that he's not that kind of a person.

"Couldn't it just be that I called you because I wanted to use it for fun?"

That meant he didn't intend to increase the value by controlling the volume and price in front of a large number of buyers like the case of [Vital Flame].

I spoke as I nodded.

"We agree on that, too."

If even those items were released in that way, they would inevitably be installed preferentially in areas where the urgency was low by residents with high purchasing power or selected on a subjective basis.

Any treasure tended to be involved in politics if it landed in the hands of politicians or capitalism if it landed in the hands of capitalists. There were many cases where both sides overlapped, too.

"I plan to control this item myself from now on."

I had information in my head about which dungeons will collapse, but I have one body, and I can't roam around Clearing all those dungeons.

Relying on my past life's memories, only when an area was considered in danger but required me to buy some time, will I then release them abroad.

"Surely, you wouldn't tell me how you got it, would you?"

"Even if I do, it would be meaningless right now."

Even if I taught him how, no Awakened could activate it except for me.

"If you say so, it must be so. I got it."

The Senator was simply convinced by my words and asked no more questions about where it was from.

However, it seemed that he couldn't completely let go of his regrets over the other thing.

"If I asked you if you had any plans about moving your base to the U.S. right now…"

"I have no plans at all."

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue as if he was truly disappointed.

"You're not only going to install it on Korean grounds, are you? It's your home ground, after all."

"No, it was just a show-like concept when I let it cover up the whole territory."

"Yes, it had been quite an extravagant show."

He spoke as if he were interested.

"It seemed to have caused quite a fuss within Korea. You're being treated like a hero, aren't you? It's impressive that the reactions are like this by the circulating rumors alone."

He then added on to it.

That time, he talked about external reactions.

"Of course, other countries' reaction only reached this point only because you didn't officially give a statement."

I nodded.

Currently, the Korean government was suffering from inquiries from all over the world.

Celestial Dragon and I took a step back from being officially involved and entrusted the country with the aftermath.

But of course, some requests flew directly into me as the government couldn't filter them, and only one of them was followed up with an interview.

The Senator put up the name right in his mouth.

"I noticed that Arthur Clifford stopped by your house today."

The Korean black market's information power, led by Oh Jin-Hwa, seemed to be quite usable.

The movement of the head of the Matap Guild, which wasn't disclosed to the media, was revealed.

"That's right."

The Senator frowned.

"Be careful. The word 'foolish' is not enough to describe that grim bastard. If he says something good about you in front of you, doubt it first. The man is made out of nothing but his concern for his fragile ego and material benefits."

Oh, he got him analyzed pretty accurately, didn't he?

Arthur seemed to have continuously built his notoriety in the present era.

The deeds must have been quite annoying if it even got the Senator grinding his teeth.

Indeed, several well-known Awakened went missing in the process of unifying Britain's leading Hunter Guilds into Matap. According to the revelations in the future, most of them were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by Arthur's instructions. His cruel way of dealing with things to provoke fear from his opponents was also famous in my previous life.

"Well noted."

The Senator asked what kind of conversation Arthur and I had that day, and I answered him honestly.

Then his face became distorted.

"It feels very wrong. It means he bluntly targeted you as an enemy."

He thought about it for a while with a serious look on his face before continuing.

"If you want, we can cause something big for the British side. So that Arthur and the other Matap members in Korea at the moment will have no choice but to hurry back to England. I can create an urgent situation so that he would no longer keep an eye on you."

It wouldn't be impossible by using his resource of people hiding all over the world.

I knew he was saying that out of consideration for me.

But I shook my head firmly.

"No, please don't."

If he did that, my plan would go sideways.

"… You must have a plan. Well, yes, you're not someone who would be waiting for that to happen with your eyes wide open."

He lit the cigar and spoke as he blew out smoke.

"This information just came in, and it was reported that Arthur bastard was said to have headed to a guild called the 'Destruction Blade' a few hours ago. He would probably be visiting the Guild Master. I don't know what they're going to talk about, but…"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, wouldn't they be talking about me?"

He gave a deep puff of cigar smoke and spoke as if he were wrapping things up.

"Adam Abrams, he's still in Celestial Dragon, isn't he? Make good use of him. He might have better knowledge than I do about the capabilities of the Matap Hunters."

The Senator once again reminded me to be careful and terminated the call.

I turned my head when the hologram connected to the terminal disappeared.

From the blind spot of the Senator's perspective, Nate was looking at me.

He asked me a question with sparkling eyes.

"By the way, when is Uncle Adam coming?"

The last telecommunication from him after parting ways in Beijing was that it could take a few more days.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know yet, but why are you looking for Adam?

"…"

Nate mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"He made… A promise with me."

He still seemed to have failed to give up his grand ambition to implant a giant Mantis's rake in his arm.

I spoke with strong determination.

"Hey, Adam hasn't explained the exact principles of the transplant technology yet. It might be dangerous, so you can't have the surgery as you please, okay? It's my instruction as a Guild Master."

"Tsk."

We then moved on to the main topic.

"Anyway, how's it going? It's already been an hour since Arthur and Seo Moon-Ga-In parted ways."

The information obtained by the Senator was good in terms of accuracy, but it was less updated.

I could assume that a spy from the Black Market couldn't report the situation in real-time.

On the other hand, I received real-time broadcasting of Arthur's meeting with Seo Moon-Ga-In through Nate.

Nate tracked him through the undead in his shadow even when the two parted ways after their meeting.

He relayed the information he gained through his subordinate.

"That man named Arthur… He called a few more people from England besides his subordinates, who are already in Korea. All are above the SS-Class. Some of them can't come because of events like dungeon exploration, so I think there are about ten people who can gather."

About ten people above SS-Rank, huh.

I'm lost in thought, and Nate continued as if he saw something again.

"Huh? He opened a hologram, and they're having a meeting or something!"

After a while, I got a rough sketch of Arthur's plan.

There was one thing that was the most important part at that point.

"So, Arthur is planning to stay in Korea?"

Nate confirmed.

"Yes, he said he'd wait for his men to come here."

Alright.

"You've done a good job."

After sending Nate back, I armed myself and held the devil's sword in my hand.

One of the purposes of creating such a grand show was to keep Arthur Clifford in Korea.

I didn't think he'd go back to London today right away, so it's a success.

I earned at least a few days.

Weeing!

I activated the [Door of Hope] to create a blue gate.

– Please enter the coordinates.

Telepathy flowed from the artifact, and I entered the coordinates.

– Coordinate verification complete. A Mana core containing 12,000 Mana is required to transfer one human species to the user's destination.

I frowned.

It was more expensive than transferring myself to the Botarch dimension.

'But it's not something I can't handle.'

I inserted the Mana core, causing waves to course along with the cluster of blue light.

– It's now ready to be used.

As soon as I threw myself into the luminescence, the next telepathic message flowed in.

– Please specify the transport location within the dimension.

The secret of the Matap Guild's regular 'manufacturing' of S-Class or higher magic skill cards was their exclusive Shepherd 2 Dungeon.

According to the internal regulations of the Matap, the Guild Master, Arthur Clifford, would be mandatorily accompanying teams when entering Shepherd 2 dungeon.

That's how doubtful and persistent he was, that man named Arthur.

'While Arthur is in Korea, other guild members are not allowed to enter the Shepherd 2 Dungeon!'

In a word, it became a treasury without an owner.

I planned to rob that treasury right now.

'But I don't have to necessarily go to the gate in England to enter the dungeon.'

First of all, teleportation within a dimension was impossible with my item.

For example, if I wanted to go to Shepherd, England, I would have to move by fixing Shepherd's coordinates when I crossed from another dimension while returning to Earth.

But I didn't intend to waste the core like that. Never.

Also, even if the dungeon's interior were empty, guild members would be guarding the Gate's front, so I wouldn't be able to go straight into the main Gate.

No matter what the method might be, didn't it only matter that I got to the destination?

– Please specify a transport location within the dimension.

I saw the image of the destination that the [Door of Hope] put up for me.

The destination set in exchange for paying 12,000 Mana cores was a middle dimension.

'This is the middle dimension where the Shepherd 2 Dungeon exists!'

The dimension map that I saw when I made a deal with the ministry spirit recorded all the dimensions located nearby, centering around the Earth.

Among them were middle-dimensional coordinates that connected dimensions, unlike those intact dimensions such as the Earth or the Botarch world.

If it was a dungeon that was connected with the Earth, it surely remained in my memory.

"Show me a Gate open within this middle dimension which connects to the Earth."

The screen changed immediately.

Among the specific areas separated by boundaries even within the middle dimensions was an area that was equivalent to Shepherd 2 Dungeon.

'It's definitely wide.'

The dungeon boundary was unusually wide compared to other dungeons.

After Clearing the dungeon, instead of closing the Gate with the obtained key, the Matap bastards expanded the dungeon and secured more monsters within the boundary.

After the incident was repeated five times, the dungeon grew to half the size of the Korean Peninsula.

'Let's see.'

The place I needed to go in that big area was…

"Okay, send me over there!"

The light flashed, and the surrounding scene completely changed.

'Successfully infiltrated!'

It was a wide plain.

Stone structures built in an unfamiliar style extend beyond the horizon.

I was inside the Shepherd 2 dungeon.

I couldn't hear the automatic message, perhaps because I didn't cross the Gate.

So I requested it myself.

"System, dungeon information!"

A text string came up right in front of me.

Level: A

Maximum Entrants: 200 (Current Entrant: 0)

Clear condition: Annihilation of monsters within the boundary.

Time left to evolve: 1 year, 27 days, 10 hours, 41 minutes.

Status: Very unstable

'Okay, I came to the right place.'

I checked two things.

First of all, the number of entrants was currently marked zero.

The number of entrants would only count the number of people who crossed the opened Gate on Earth.

Just as the alien that invaded by crossing the dungeon boundary wasn't counted on that number, I, who had moved directly through the [Door of Hope] from dimension to dimension, didn't count as well.

'It's such an overpowered item.'

Matap guild members would be guarding the Earth's Gate to that dungeon even at that moment.

They would've checked the Gate's status message regularly to see if there were any unauthorized intruders.

However, the contents would be the same no matter how many times they checked it.

Since their Guild Master was away, they should be ignorantly thinking that no one had gone inside.

'And one more thing.'

There was one more thing that I confirmed through the message.

'I guessed it right. It's very unstable.'

I gritted my teeth.

I suffered in my previous life because of those bastards.

'These bastards have the same pattern of thinking and behaving.'

Arthur, who couldn't give up his secret of having raised the Matap to where it was now and his desire for the S-Class magic cards, risking the worst of the worst possibilities, chose to leave the gate open instead of closing it. He just left a bomb that might explode at any time, as it was.

His judgment was based on the fact that while the dungeon that would collapse in a 'very unstable' state would collapse immediately, there were some dungeons that held out for an odd amount of time.

'In the meantime, he was lucky that it maintained like this for at least three years. By a hair's breadth.'

But it couldn't last that way forever.

After all, what else could have happened?

It collapsed.

As the dungeon expanded five times and widened enough as it could, the monsters that gathered were enormous.

It was too much to handle for the hunters in the U.K., so they invited hunters worldwide.

Since all kinds of monsters, including ones that weren't visible in the eyes of common hunters, had gathered, I had been dispatched even if I had low to no battle capability and participated with my guild members with my [The Successor's Eyes] discreetly.

I was dispatched to the chaos when I had no combat capability, so I was put to the brink of death a few times.

The situation was so difficult that even I, the guild's secret weapon, was mobilized. The break of Shepherd 2 dungeon was that dangerous.

'There's a reason why I grit my teeth so hard when someone mentions the name of Arthur Clifford.'

When I thought of it, he died too easily compared to what he had done in my previous life.

He was one of the first to lose his life in the early days of the break.

"Grrrrrr!"

While I was thinking so, walking through the dungeon's strange structure style, monsters that didn't match the surrounding landscape rushed in.

A group of Orcs charged in with bloodshot eyes.

I held up the handle of the sword.

Ta-ta-tat!

The purple sword energy weaved through the air, and an Orc's body was sliced apart, spilling blood.

Every time the sword was swung, the mutilated bodies of monsters accumulated around me.

"K-aaargh!"

However, the unusual characteristic of that dungeon was already noticeable.

The monsters' density was that compact, but there were no signs of dead bodies in the land except for the ones I killed.

There seemed to have been battles, considering there were many scorched marks across the place that the Matap Guild members must've made, but the monsters that should be naturally lying around were nowhere to be found except for those I made.

That only meant one thing. They were hunting there, but they collected all the useless orc bodies and stored them somewhere else.

Of course, there was a reason for going through such trouble.

Shhhhhh!

There were some strange ones that I saw in my previous life among the monsters that broke out. They were the kind that ordinary human eyes couldn't capture.

Instead of relying on physical vision, I looked at the Mana pattern fluttering in the air.

A ball of blue light, identified by [The Successor's Eyes], overflowed.

Sh-sh-swish!

Arrows of light pour into the air along with the driven sword.

Squeaal!

A monster pouring out blood appeared in the empty space in the air.

The 'Flying Lizard,' with its wings pierced, screamed, and limped. The ability to naturally melt into the surrounding landscape and create camouflaged colors like a chameleon went into overdrive. The body covered with camouflage flashed like a broken traffic light, going back and forth between white, black, green, and the surrounding buildings' colors with inverted shades.

Phuk!

The lizard's head was decapitated, and its body fell to the ground at the might of the lightly wielded blade.

The monsters were easy to catch, but they were difficult to hunt unless one had the magic skills or had special tracking-type abilities.

Turning my gaze from the dead body that fell on the stone floor, I gripped the sword handle tighter.

"How is it? Do you feel it?"

'…'

From my point of view, it was a monster that I didn't have to pull out my sword to hunt.

However, there was a reason why I kept using the devil's sword.

It was like a compass that would show me the way through the dungeon that I had never been into in the previous life.

"Are you ignoring me? I'm asking you if you feel it."

'…'

After waiting for a moment, its mental wave, which was filled with displeasure, replied.

'… Yeah. I feel it– the unpleasant energy.'

There was only one energy that the devil's sword, which had demonic properties, felt unpleasant against.

Those were from great beings beyond the limitations of mortals.

Immortals revered as 'gods' in many civilizations showed off their presence in the worlds that had completed the tutorial. Their existence was close to a supreme being.

It's their energy.

"You mean that you feel the sacred energy over there, don't you?"

I kept walking in the direction that the devil's sword reacted to.

The treasure that the Matap Guild wanted to protect until the end but eventually failed to take out of the dungeon was waiting there.

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