Episode 55
When I opened my eyes, I saw the red sky symbolizing the Abyss.
A different type of atmosphere from Earth.
Magical energy, which can be called the air of the Abyss, entered through the nose and mouth.
It felt familiar, as if I had inhaled it just yesterday.
"long time no see."
This was the first Abyss I visited after returning.
A self-mocking smile appeared at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery.
The depths of the Abyss.
An area where A-class monsters appear frequently and S-class monsters begin to appear in earnest.
Unlike the entrance area, which had the appearance of a village to some extent, the player zones located throughout the deeper part were so empty that it was appropriate to describe them as desolate.
As far as Taehyeon could see, there was almost no floating population except for a roughly built wooden hut and people standing guard here and there.
'It will be like this for the next 10 years.'
Nearly 100 years have passed since the existence of the Abyss became known to the general public.
As with space exploration, the great powers recognized the Abyss as a land of new opportunities, and numerous players jumped into exploration activities.
The Player Zone or Safety Zone is created after many people lost their lives to roaming monsters and hunted them countless times.
That exploration and pioneering has reached the level it is today.
A guild association affiliated with the World Players Association.
Although they are working hard to expand the warp gate, it is a common occurrence for many places to be taken back by monsters.
'I won't be able to last here for long, but… I guess I'll have to be satisfied with this for now.'
From the beginning, what Taehyun wanted was a deeper place, but at this point, this much seems like a good idea.
At that time, Taehyun was looking around with an expression of new emotion.
The man in charge of the warp gate approached.
It was a Westerner wearing some guild mark uniform.
It was the first time in a long time that the warp gate had been activated while serving as defense elsewhere.
"This is Paul Becker, Gate Officer for Deep Area 22, affiliated with the Blazer Guild. Please identify yourself."
Taehyun handed the license he had prepared to Paul Becker, who was holding out an American player license.
"This is Kim Tae-hyun, a player from New Korea."
A look of awe appeared in the man's eyes when he was shown the S-class license proving his identity.
Regardless of country, holding an S-class player license was something worthy of respect.
"What is your business?"
The man asked with expectant eyes.
"It's an exploration."
The man nodded and handed the license back.
Compared to the beginning, it was an extremely lax procedure.
But that's true, this is the deep end.
If you don't have skills, you will die on your own, so there is no need to worry about it.
Simply confirming that the person using the warp gate was not Mine, a publicly wanted person, was sufficient for identification.
'But just in case... .'
The man simply added more advice than necessary to the fact that Taehyun was an S-rank player.
"This is a place where not only A-class monsters but also S-class monsters are frequently found. "I do not recommend walking around alone."
"I know."
"Would you like to use a guide and porter? "There is a player waiting at the moment."
Guides and porters are indispensable when exploring the Abyss.
The man's question was natural, but at least it did not apply to Taehyun in front of him.
"You don't even need a guide to go for a walk."
"… … ."
"I'll see you when I get back."
For a man who was at a loss for words.
Taehyun leisurely left the player zone.
* * *
"Oh, Mr. Association President. "You seem to be in a good mood."
Ayoung asked Ji Jin-hee playfully as she opened the door and came in.
"haha. This is true. "When I came to visit, I looked terrible."
Ji Jin-hee smiled awkwardly as he placed the fruit basket he brought next to him.
Actually, I was a little excited about the report I received from the car.
"It's because of Taehyun, right?"
Ayoung asked as if it were obvious.
She had also just received information that Taehyun had used the Alchemist Guild's warp gate to head to the depths of the Abyss.
She knew that the reason Ji Ji-hee had been showing such a happy expression recently was related to Tae-hyun.
"Huh. How... No, rather than that, you mean Taehyun? "Could it be that the rumors were true?"
"You say you don't know about relationships between men and women?"
Yoo Ah-young slyly responded to Ji Jin-hee's mischievous reaction.
This is because she also does not know that she and Taehyun are the hottest gossip in the player industry these days.
Ji Jin-hee cleared her throat when she saw that confident appearance.
Ayoung, who thought of them like a daughter, and Taehyun, who thought of them like a late son or early grandchild.
There's nothing wrong with the two being connected, but considering Ayoung's personality that we've seen so far.
It was true that I felt worried about Taehyun.
"Hmm. In any case, there is no harm in having the two people responsible for the future of New Korea stay close."
"Hehe. President of our association. "I heard you're really bad at managing your facial expressions."
Ji Jin-hee quickly changed the topic of A-young's joke.
"This is the name of the double dungeon that the two of you conquered this time. It was decided to call it the 'Temple of the Phoenix.'"
"It's the Temple of the Phoenix… "It's not a bad name."
Is it because the impact of the 50th floor was so much greater than the impact of the 1st to 49th floors?
I thought it was a fitting name.
"So, how was the strategy with Taehyun?"
Because Taehyun usually works alone, not much information was known.
Meanwhile, the head of the information guild was with us, so Ji Jin-hee had a lot of questions.
"I can understand why the president of the association is so happy."
The time in the double dungeon was not short.
Ayoung smiled with satisfaction as she recalled the strategy they had worked out together.
When was it?
There were times when she acted recklessly.
Using my immediate emotions, I tracked down the demon and hunted the monster.
But those are all memories from past times.
After becoming the leader of the Night Walker guild, he lived a life that pursued safety rather than adventure.
Getting older means getting used to that kind of life.
I had forgotten the vibrant emotions of my twenties.
'I thought that was natural.'
By conquering the dungeon with Taehyun, I crossed the border between life and death.
A feeling experienced only by those working on the front lines of the Abyss.
The trust that can only be felt when you entrust your back to a trusted colleague.
It's been a long time since I was able to experience a variety of excitement.
Ji Jin-hee, who felt the heat from Ayoung's words, made an envious expression.
"This is so… . If only I were 10 years younger... No, no, no. Anyway, Taehyun's ranking rose to 15th. Of course, you also rose to 7th place. "If this continues, I don't know if you will return to the field."
Because she had no opportunity to be active on Earth, she was ranked 10th for several years.
Ayoung burst out laughing when told that her ranking had risen by three places just by conquering the dungeon with Taehyun.
"Huh~ I have no intention of participating in a friendly match, but this will make me interested, right?"
"haha. I won't stop you if you want to participate, but don't overdo it. "Taehyun is enough to surprise my heart."
"The president of the association, too. "I am not a child."
Contrary to what she said, Ayoung was looking for an opportunity to be with Taehyun again.
'It's deep... This time, I'm going to do something sneaky again.'
'hmm… If this continues, I wonder if I will be officiating sooner or later.'
New Korea's S-rank players Ji Jin-hee and Yoo Ah-young.
Each of them representing one organization looked excited for different reasons.
* * *
Climate and nature exist in the Abyss.
The place Taehyeon wanted was deep within the depths, where players and monsters do not come and go.
It took me an hour to get to that place after passing the safety zone.
The corpses of the monsters that attacked Taehyeon were piled up around him.
Taehyun swallowed the magic potion and fatigue potion he took from his backpack and checked the status window.
Name: Taehyun Kim
Age: 19
Grade: B
Strength: 121 Stamina: 140 Speed: 104 Horsepower: 200 Charisma: 30
Fatigue: 5%
Remaining horsepower: 200/200
[skill]
Predation (B) – Can prey on the desired target. Horsepower: 40
Stone Skin (B) – Can strengthen the body. Horsepower: 30
Stealth (B) – You can hide your body. Horsepower: 25
Paralysis (B) – Restrains the subject's body. Horsepower: 20
Lord's Heart (B) – Increases party members' abilities. Horsepower: 30
Knight King's Awe (B) – Designate an opponent and overwhelm them with your agility. Horsepower: 35
Chain of Binding (B) – Designates an opponent and binds them. Skill tracking and cancellation are possible. Horsepower: 27
Contract with the Devil (B) – Can open the gate to the Abyss. Magic Power: 200 (1/1)
Since I didn't have enough magic power, I filled it with potions and lowered fatigue to less than 10%.
Additionally, he took out ten additional magic stones from his backpack and placed them nearby.
'I wish you would pay me a high price.'
I don't know what Narendra Nehru, who was the master of skill, was like.
The 'contract with the devil' registered with Taehyun was likely to be expendable.
'You can open the gate to the Abyss' means that Taehyun must go to the Abyss to make a contract related to summoning monsters.
Taehyun, who had already awakened gate-related skills once, could not help but make that kind of reasoning.
'Obviously back then it was clearly stated as the gate to the king, but this time it simply says it is the gate to the Abyss.'
The reason why 200 magical power was used was because it was the minimum magical power needed to get to the place where the monster that could be contracted was located.
When considering the cases of those who awakened contract skills in their past life.
With 200 magical power, you should be able to make a contract with a suitable monster among the monsters in the area you moved to.
Taehyun shook his head here.
What would happen if, instead of opening the gate from Earth to the Abyss, you used the skill in the depths of the Abyss, which is said to be teeming with high-level monsters?
What if you use a magic amplification stone to increase the distance you can travel to the gate?
Since it is a skill that can only be used once, it was an attempt worth trying at least once.
Taehyun took a deep breath after placing ten top-class magic amplification stones around him.
It would be a lie if I said I wasn't nervous because it was a moment that took a lot of effort.
'Now, it's showtime.'
Tiring.
[Skill Contract with the Devil (B) has been activated.]
Dark red magical power gushed out from Taehyun's body.
At the same time, the amplification stones installed nearby reacted, creating a vortex of magical power.
[Explore possible contract targets.]
[Search is complete. Create a gate.]
Fazizik. Pajijijik.
It is different in size from the warp gate I used a while ago.
A gate overflowing with ominous energy opened before my eyes.
Taehyun quickly emptied the magic potion and entered the sparking gate.
My vision reversed several times along with a familiar feeling.
And after a while.
"This place… ."
Chapter 55
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