PlayerNet.
Countless users were waiting for the Impossible One’s Lv.10 Cooperative Battlefield record and the first eyewitness accounts from players who had actually fought beside him.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : If it’s the Impossible One, couldn’t he break the <Eternal Freeze Core> too?
[Korea/Lv.42] Jeju Always-Spring Black Pork : I was about to say “no way,” but then I remembered everything the Impossible One has done so far and couldn’t say it LOL.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Even so, that will be difficult. There’s a reason there hasn’t been a confirmed destruction record in the four years since the Infinite Tower appeared.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Right. It isn’t only because the core itself is hard. Even if you use every resistance method obtainable on the lower floors, simply reaching the core is difficult because of <Freeze>.
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : I won’t say the possibility is absolutely zero, but realistically, it won’t be easy.
Just as the opinions split.
Ding.
A World Achievement announcement appeared across all Eastern and Western channels.
[World Achievement: <One Who Ended Eternal Frost>]
[Achiever Public Name: Private]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +30,000]
The chat stopped for a moment.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : ……What? What is this achievement?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. It says he ended eternal frost?
Almost at the same time, the Lv.10 Cooperative Battlefield public record was updated.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Holy crap. The record board says the <Eternal Freeze Core> status is Destroyed. He really broke it!
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : WTF. He actually did it?
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Wow LOL. At this point there’s no way not to call him the Impossible One.
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : Thirty thousand points. World Achievements really are on a different scale. I thought this one would be difficult even for him, and he proved me wrong again.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. Look at Korea’s national status right now!
A captured image of the Republic of Korea’s national status was uploaded immediately.
[Republic of Korea Estimated Deficit Points This Quarter: 0]
[Current Estimate: Outside Rift Occurrence Zone]
[Korea/Lv.42] Jeju Always-Spring Black Pork : Whoa, zero! It really says zero.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Is this real? If the quarter ends like this, not a single Rift opens in Korea?
[Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing Starts Tomorrow : Oh, God! Korea finally, actually……!
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : Impossible One! Is he a god?! Impossible One! Is he a god?! Impossible One! Is he a god?!
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Is it real that some Lv.10 who’s only been climbing for ten days personally filled an entire country’s remaining deficit?
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : Ahem! “Some Lv.10”? How impudent before a god!
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Even when I look at it seriously, this still makes absolutely no sense LOL.
The quarterly settlement had not occurred yet, so nothing was final.
But if the present estimate held, not even a Small Rift would open in the Republic of Korea.
The players’ excitement quickly turned into an argument over just how far the Impossible One could climb.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Not even joking, isn’t this Heavenly Seat-level momentum? Once he gets into the Channel League, feels like he’ll shoot straight to Legend Tier.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : One Cooperative Battlefield does not prove that everything will work in the Channel League. His opponents there will be players, not monsters.
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : These are records worthy of discussing Heavenly Seat-level talent. Still, we’ll have to see his PvP performance on a public stage.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Korean players probably shouldn’t raise their expectations too far in advance. Though so far, the people lowering expectations have been wrong every time.
As praise and caution collided, attention naturally shifted toward the actual clearing process.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : No, but seriously, how did he break the core?
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Someone who was in the same party, please post a review!
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : There were three other participants. Someone should verify the run soon.
But no matter how long people waited, no participant verification appeared.
The three players who had entered the battlefield with Sang-hyeok refused to answer anyone’s questions.
All that was public was the first complete clear, the World Achievement, and the Private player’s first-place contribution ranking.
No one knew who had broken the core, how it had been done, or what the other three had done.
For the first time, there were actual witnesses who had stood on the same battlefield as the Impossible One.
Yet the mystery around him only grew deeper.
Then someone remembered the Impossible One’s next possible record.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Wait. The Impossible One has nine consecutive SSS evaluations in individual climbs right now, right?
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Oh, right. If he gets SSS on the individual 10th Floor too, doesn’t <Flawless Climb> open?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Correct. Cooperative Battlefield records are separate from individual climbs, so he only needs one more.
[Korea/Lv.33] Impossible One Fanatic : After a World Achievement comes Flawless Climb! I’ll be waiting in front of the record board!
The people who had been waiting for eyewitness accounts now turned their attention toward the individual 10th Floor public record board.
* * *
The next day.
While players had spent the entire night talking about him, Sang-hyeok had already finished preparing for his next climb.
Cooperative Battlefield evaluations were separate from the consecutive record for individual climbs.
When Sang-hyeok opened the entry window, a new notification appeared.
「Checking consecutive individual-climb clear record.」
[Consecutive Individual-Climb SSS Evaluations: 9]
「Special Record Candidate generated.」
[Special Record Candidate: <Flawless Climb>]
[Opening Condition: 10 consecutive SSS evaluations in individual climbs]
[Current Progress: 9/10]
[Warning]
[Receiving an evaluation below SSS will end the current consecutive record.]
Sang-hyeok stared at the newly appeared name for a moment.
‘Flawless Climb.’
Immediately after his regression, he had never imagined that he would end up challenging this record.
Yet before he knew it, he had cleared all nine floors with SSS evaluations.
One more success would open a new Special Record.
Now that he had come this far, Sang-hyeok had no intention of being satisfied with ten.
He intended to keep the SSS streak going even after surpassing the highest record.
No public information existed about what rewards were given while maintaining <Flawless Climb>.
But if the Tower recognized ten consecutive SSS evaluations as a separate Special Record, it would not be strange for rare rewards such as <Authority Factors> to appear.
If only to confirm that possibility, Sang-hyeok planned to give every floor his full effort for as long as the record continued.
‘Let’s keep breaking records.’
Sang-hyeok closed the notification and placed his hand on the door leading to the individual 10th Floor.
「Entering Individual Climb, 10th Floor.」
FLASH!
Ash-gray light pouring from the gap in the door swallowed Sang-hyeok’s body.
Tap.
His feet touched solid stone.
Before him stretched a corridor whose end could not be seen.
Ash fell from the ceiling like snow.
The walls and floor were all the same dull gray.
Small altars containing blue crystals stood at regular intervals along the corridor.
Every one of them was unlit.
The door behind Sang-hyeok closed.
THUD.
At that moment, blue flames ignited in the braziers on either side of the entrance.
FWOOOSH!
The two flames gathered in midair.
A blue ember the size of his palm appeared before Sang-hyeok.
「10th Floor Individual Trial begins.」
[Trial Name: <Ashen Corridor>]
[Objective]
- Carry the <Guiding Ember> to the exit altar at the end of the corridor.
- The Guiding Ember is maintained only while the player supplies it with mana.
- If the ember goes out, it may be relit at the intermediate ignition altars within the corridor.
[Evaluation Criteria]
- Number of reignitions
- Mana-supply interruption time
- Number of hits taken
<Ashen Corridor> was a trial where the player had to keep supplying mana to the ember while breaking through the soldiers blocking the corridor.
Normally, the most difficult part was maintaining mana for the ember and combat at the same time.
If a player focused power into an Authority, the ember went out.
If they focused on preserving the ember, their attacks and movements became sluggish.
To aim for an SSS evaluation, they had to reach the end of the corridor without allowing either side to break.
Sang-hyeok was an exception.
When he extended his left hand, the blue ember descended onto his palm.
[Guiding Ember Maintenance Rate: 100%]
[Reignition Count: 0]
[Mana-Supply Interruption Time: 0.00 seconds]
Clack.
The <Spirit Vein Ring: Sprout> drew in surrounding mana and replenished what Sang-hyeok supplied to the ember.
Mana turned dark red after passing through the Heart of the Apocalyptic Demon Dragon, then spread simultaneously into his left hand, right hand, and both legs through <Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream>.
Because of that, even while maintaining the ember, the mana needed for <Extinction Devouring> and movement never broke.
As Sang-hyeok walked deeper into the corridor, the ash piles ahead began shaking violently.
Crrrrack.
Soldiers pushed through the ash and rose one after another.
[Ashen Soldier]
[Lv.10]
The soldiers immediately leveled their weapons and blocked the passage.
Sang-hyeok continued walking and swept his right hand forward.
FLASH!
Every time <Extinction Devouring> passed, the weapons and soldiers blocking his path scattered into black sand.
The ember above his left palm never once shrank.
Sang-hyeok passed all three ignition altars without stopping and headed directly for the end of the corridor.
The gatekeeper guarding the final stretch was no different.
[Ashen Gatekeeper]
[Lv.12]
The power of <Extinction Devouring> spreading from Sang-hyeok’s right hand erased the enormous greatsword before swallowing even the red core in its chest.
Sang-hyeok passed the collapsing gatekeeper and placed the ember on the exit altar.
FWOOOOSH!
Blue flame surged above the altar, signaling the end of the trial.
For Sang-hyeok, it had been far easier than expected.
‘<Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream> is even more effective than I thought.’
Reducing status-effect effects by thirty percent was powerful enough on its own.
But with the additional ability to send mana throughout his entire body at the same time, the restriction of having to protect the ember while fighting had practically lost all meaning.
「<Guiding Ember> has reached the exit altar.」
[Ember Loss: None]
[Reignition Count: 0]
[Mana-Supply Interruption Time: 0.00 seconds]
[Hits Taken: 0]
「10th Floor Individual Trial <Ashen Corridor> completed.」
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
「Level increased.」
[Lv.10 → Lv.11]
Whoosh.
Warm energy spread throughout his body, rapidly refilling the mana he had used in the corridor.
His tenth SSS.
But the settlement was not finished.
The existing notification disappeared, and a new window with a black border unfolded in its place.
「10 consecutive SSS evaluations in individual climbs achieved.」
[1st Floor–10th Floor]
[Consecutive SSS Evaluations: 10]
「Special Cumulative Record <Flawless Climb> opens.」
[Current Consecutive Record: 10]
[Receiving an evaluation below SSS will end the consecutive record.]
New information followed.
[Cumulative Record Privileges]
[15 Consecutive]
- Hidden additional objectives for individual climbs are revealed.
[20 Consecutive]
- Acquire 1 Irregular Battlefield Selection Ticket.
[New All-Time Record]
- Reward hidden
Sang-hyeok’s gaze stopped on the final privilege, “New All-Time Record.”
The reward was hidden.
To see it, he first had to surpass the current highest record.
And if he missed even one SSS before then, the record he had built up so far would end on the spot.
Soon, the all-time record appeared.
[<Flawless Climb> All-Time Highest Record]
[Individual-Climb SSS Evaluations: 20 Consecutive]
[Record Holder: Second Seat <Mugeuk>]
Second Seat <Mugeuk>.
He was a player who had drawn attention relatively late, after First Seat <Azure Sky> had already reached the summit.
His start had been later, but his rate of growth had been even faster than Azure Sky’s.
Defeat.
Defense.
Survival.
Mana control.
Until reaching the individual 20th Floor as a rookie, Mugeuk had not missed a single SSS evaluation no matter how the style of the trial changed.
Even after he rose to the Second Seat, people believed that position would not be his final destination.
Only the First Seat remained above him.
The next First Seat.
Those words had always followed Mugeuk, whose pure talent was considered superior even to Azure Sky’s.
But that expectation was never realized.
Before the Dimension League opened, Mugeuk entered a destruction-grade Rift that had appeared in reality.
He never returned.
The public announcement at the time was brief.
[Second Seat <Mugeuk> died in an accident while clearing a destruction-grade Rift.]
What kind of accident had occurred.
Why a Heavenly Seat who possessed a privilege allowing their body to be reconstructed after death had failed to revive.
The details were never made public.
That announcement was all Sang-hyeok knew as well.
Mugeuk disappeared like that.
But until before Sang-hyeok’s regression, no one had ever surpassed the low-floor record he left behind.
Twenty SSS evaluations from the 1st through the 20th Floor.
Sang-hyeok looked at the two values side by side.
[Current Record: 10]
[All-Time Highest Record: 20]
His current record was exactly half.
‘Ten more to catch him. The eleventh after that to surpass him.’
Before his regression, it had been a record he could only watch from afar.
This time, Sang-hyeok would be the one to cross it.
He calmly closed the settlement window.
* * *
At the same time.
A new entry appeared at the top of the individual-climb public record board.
[Special Record <Flawless Climb>]
[Republic of Korea Private Player]
[Individual-Climb SSS Evaluations: 10 Consecutive]
The players who had been waiting for the update immediately captured the screen.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : It’s up. 10th Floor SSS too.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : So this is Flawless Climb?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Yes. It only opens after ten consecutive SSS evaluations in individual climbs.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : The Impossible One has stepped onto the same road the Heavenly Seats once walked. Damn.
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : At the very least, he has reached a starting line where comparison with the Heavenly Seats is possible.
Someone uploaded the all-time record board beside it.
[<Flawless Climb> All-Time Highest Record]
[Second Seat <Mugeuk>: 20 Consecutive]
[Republic of Korea Private Player: 10 Consecutive]
The rapidly rising messages paused for a moment.
The name of the Second Seat and that of a low-floor player sat on the same record board.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Mugeuk’s record looks more insane every time I see it.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Seeing the Impossible One on the same record board as Lord Mugeuk really puts it into perspective.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : He is still only halfway there. Ten and twenty are completely different records.
This time, no one immediately argued back.
The higher the floor, the more difficult the trials became.
Even a player with a high-tier Trait and strong Authorities could not receive SSS on every floor.
Every floor demanded different capabilities, and unexpected variables forced players to change their clearing methods.
Several Heavenly Seats had obtained <Flawless Climb>.
But Mugeuk was the only one who had maintained it all the way through the 20th Floor.
That was why his twenty consecutive SSS evaluations had been regarded as an absolute record that would never be broken.
[United States/Lv.61] IronJack : Most people lose their streak before they even reach the 15th Floor.
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian Squad : Even knowing that, I still can’t picture the Impossible One failing.
[Korea/Lv.42] Soju in Rice Soup : Seriously. He’s still maintaining one floor a day while clearing Hidden Trials and setting first complete clears in Cooperative Battlefields.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Which is precisely why people are comparing him to Mugeuk.
In the past, simply comparing a rookie to Second Seat <Mugeuk> would have brought an avalanche of ridicule.
But now, the Impossible One had placed his name on the same record board.
The mere fact that the comparison had begun showed how much the way people viewed him had changed.
Soon, a new tracking chart was created.
[Impossible One <Flawless Climb> Tracker]
[Current Record: 10]
[Intermediate Privilege: 15]
[Second Seat <Mugeuk>’s Record: 20]
[New All-Time Record: 21]
Only a few days ago, people had been arguing over whether the Impossible One could enter the Iron Rookie League before the current season ended.
Now another point of interest had been added.
They had begun watching to see when he would catch the Second Seat’s record.
* * *
At the same time.
The white-haired man seated in a high-backed chair opened his eyes.
A thin metal ornament above his head reflected faint golden light.
Second Seat <Mugeuk>.
He was the man who had ordered his people to identify the private Korean player on the day the Impossible Achievements appeared in the tutorial.
Two records floated side by side in front of him.
[Second Seat <Mugeuk>: 20 Consecutive]
[Republic of Korea Private Player: 10 Consecutive]
An attendant spoke carefully.
“I will report again when the fifteenth record appears.”
“No.”
Mugeuk’s gaze shifted to the still-empty next space.
[Next Record: 11]
“There’s no need to wait that long.”
Mugeuk tapped the empty space with one finger.
“Bring me every record starting with the next one.”
Second Seat Mugeuk.
He had begun taking a serious interest in the ‘Impossible One.’