Before Sang-hyeok could even check the three rewards, the Republic of Korea’s national achievement status updated.
[Estimated deficit points decrease from 150,000 to 30,000.]
[You have exited the expected Large Rift occurrence zone.]
Sang-hyeok’s gaze stopped on the second notification.
The 20,000 points he had earned by destroying the Adamantine Scarecrow.
The 100,000 points he had earned by defeating the Unbreakable Guardian.
Together, they totaled 120,000 points.
If the deficit exceeded 100,000 points when the quarterly settlement ended, a Large Rift could occur.
Immediately after his return, Korea had been short by 150,000 points, well beyond that threshold.
That number had now fallen to 30,000.
It did not mean every Small and Medium Rift that would open this quarter had disappeared.
Even so, he had erased the possibility of a Large Rift capable of putting an entire city in danger.
The first day after returning.
He had only completed a single tutorial.
“Whew.”
Sang-hyeok let out a long breath.
The corners of his mouth had risen, and they did not easily come back down.
The future had changed.
It was not a vague hope.
The numbers displayed by the system had actually changed.
If he filled the remaining 30,000 points as well, then for the first time, not a single Rift might open in Korea this quarter.
He would repeat the same thing next quarter.
The difference that accumulated like that would save Korea’s players and cities.
Sang-hyeok closed the notifications floating before him.
FLASH.
The light scattered through the air gathered over Sang-hyeok’s palm.
A black stone slab the size of his hand and an old dark-red key appeared.
Sang-hyeok picked up the black stone slab first.
A pattern resembling a closed eye was engraved on its surface.
[Item Information]
[Name] <Demon Eye Record Stone>
[Grade] Hero
[Bound] Kim Sang-hyeok
[Description]
- Can record structural information observed with <Demon Dragon’s Eye>.
- Recorded information cannot be viewed without the user’s permission.
“Hero Grade?”
Sang-hyeok’s eyes lit up.
Items in the Infinite Tower were divided into six regular grades.
Common. Elite. Rare. Hero. Legendary. Mythic.
Separate from those were two special classifications that did not belong on the regular grade table.
<Seat> and <Taboo>.
A <Seat> was the power of a Seat given the form of an object.
A <Taboo> was something even the Tower itself sealed and monitored.
Neither was a simple measure of strength.
In any case, eight out of ten items obtained from the Tower were <Common>.
Even an <Elite> item was excellent main equipment for an early-stage player.
Starting from Rare Grade, guilds and corporations joined the bidding at auctions.
A single Hero Grade piece of equipment could change how an entire guild was evaluated.
There were plenty of rankers who had never obtained a Hero Grade item.
And Sang-hyeok had obtained one in the tutorial.
He flowed mana into the Record Stone while recalling the Unbreakable Guardian he had just fought.
Ssssk.
The closed-eye pattern opened.
The Unbreakable Guardian appeared over the black stone slab.
‘How much does it show?’
Sang-hyeok activated his newly opened Authority.
‘<Demon Dragon’s Eye: Structural Analysis>.’
The moment he used the Authority, heat spread through both eyes.
At the same time, the guardian’s left ankle and forehead glowed red inside the stone slab.
They were the two weaknesses he had found with <Demon Dragon’s Eye> during the battle moments ago.
Short descriptions appeared beside each one.
[Left ankle: Balance maintenance]
[Forehead: Outer-shell regeneration and full-body control]
During the battle, they had looked like nothing more than red weak points.
Now he could even see what role each weakness served.
‘So this is Structural Analysis.’
When Sang-hyeok moved his will, the section he wanted enlarged.
Within the range he had observed, he could even rewind changes in the target to any moment he wanted to review.
The record did not disappear after he deactivated the Authority either.
As long as he granted viewing permission, other people could examine the same record again and again.
‘I can bring back exactly what I saw.’
Before his return, Ilseong had money and factories.
What it lacked was accurate material for studying the monsters and devices inside the Tower.
There were limits to what could be learned from players’ memories and combat footage, and as that gap accumulated, Ilseong fell behind in the equipment industry as well.
But now the Record Stone could fill those missing pieces of information one by one.
A path had opened for Ilseong to compete in the equipment industry again.
Of course, a single record would not immediately become a blueprint for equipment.
Even so, Kim Seo-yoon and the researchers would be able to begin their work with far more accurate data than before.
‘I bring the data back, and Noona finds the answer in it.’
The first record was the Unbreakable Guardian.
For now, it was closer to strategy material than a piece of engineering research, but it was enough to confirm what the Record Stone could do.
From now on, every time Sang-hyeok encountered new equipment, materials, or devices while climbing the Tower, the records would continue to accumulate.
Ilseong’s research would be able to begin from a completely different starting point as well.
Sang-hyeok sent out his will and finalized the first record.
[Observation record of <Unbreakable Guardian> saved.]
Sang-hyeok added even the newly confirmed order of mana movement to the Record Stone.
The red lines shone once more, then sank into the stone slab.
Next was the dark-red key.
Cold metal met his fingers when he picked it up.
Sang-hyeok opened the key’s information.
[Item Information]
[Name] <Seal Key to the Demon Dragon’s Treasury>
[Grade] Judgment Pending
[Status] Sealed
[Bound] Kim Sang-hyeok
[Usage conditions not met.]
Sang-hyeok spun the key once between his fingers.
Grade: Judgment Pending.
It meant Sang-hyeok’s current qualifications were insufficient to determine the item’s grade.
‘Demon Dragon’s Treasury.’
A treasury.
A storehouse where treasures were accumulated.
And the name attached before it was Demon Dragon.
The Trait Sang-hyeok possessed was <Heart of the Apocalyptic Demon Dragon>.
It was not a combination he could dismiss as coincidence.
For now, he did not even know where the door was.
The conditions for using the key were blocked as well.
Still, now that it was in his hands, he would be able to confirm it someday.
“A treasure storehouse, huh.”
Sang-hyeok laughed quietly.
The first Authority was not the only thing he had gained from the tutorial.
He had reduced Korea’s deficit points and obtained research assets he could build up inside Ilseong.
And at the end of it all waited the Demon Dragon’s Treasury, whose true nature he did not yet know.
Sang-hyeok stored the Record Stone and key in his inventory.
And at that same moment.
As if by agreement, PlayerNet’s Eastern and Western channels stopped at once.
[All Eastern and Western Channel Announcement]
[Impossible Achievement Accomplished]
[A player affiliated with the Republic of Korea has defeated an existence that was not a target for defeat.]
[The Unbreakable Guardian has vanished.]
[Republic of Korea achievement points +100,000]
No messages appeared beneath the announcement.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The first person to break the silence was an American player.
[United States/Lv.52] Raven : Wait. Vanished?
[Germany/Lv.61] Eisen : The Unbreakable Guardian is an entity that can’t be defeated…… or should be?
[United Kingdom/Lv.58] Gray : The announcement itself says it wasn’t a target for defeat. What is this? Did the announcement bug out?
[Japan/Lv.64] Tsubaki : I have never once heard of the system bugging out. More importantly, is this the same Korean player who broke the Adamantine Scarecrow?
[China/Lv.63] Yunliu : Judging by the affiliated nation and the time it occurred, there is a high chance it is the same person.
[United States/Lv.56] Johnny : They broke the Adamantine Scarecrow and even killed the Unbreakable Guardian in the tutorial?
Only then did the channel explode.
New messages instantly pushed the previous ones away.
Dozens of languages covered a single screen.
The Unbreakable Guardian.
Even the current Sixteen Heavenly Seats had passed that entity during their tutorials without fighting it.
The objective itself was to survive for ten minutes, not defeat it.
And such an existence had been brought down for the first time.
[United States/Lv.52] Raven : Wait. At this point, isn’t this seriously a Tier 10 Trait?
[China/Lv.63] Yunliu : It is true that the record is difficult to explain using the existing tiers.
[United States/Lv.56] Johnny : Then a Tier 10 player appeared in Korea???
[Germany/Lv.61] Eisen : It is too early to say for certain. But now that the Unbreakable Guardian has vanished, we have to leave that possibility open.
At that moment, a Korean player’s message appeared.
[Korea/Lv.48] White Tiger : National status updated. Estimated deficit points: 30,000. We’re out of the Large Rift occurrence zone.
The messages that had been racing upward slowed once again.
A Tier 10 Trait.
An Impossible Achievement.
A record not even the Sixteen Heavenly Seats had established.
To the Korean players, the number 30,000 mattered more than any of those words.
[Korea/Lv.41] Iron Sword : Wait…… That new player filled 120,000 points alone? Am I reading this right?
[Korea/Lv.48] White Tiger : Right! Thanks to that person, the Large Rift danger for this quarter is gone!
[Korea/Lv.41] Iron Sword : Aaaah! They stopped our country’s Large Rift with a single tutorial? I don’t know who they are, but thank you so much! T_T
Starting with Iron Sword’s final message, posts marked [Korea] poured in all at once.
Some people checked the number 30,000 over and over again, while others thanked a player whose name they did not even know.
For Korea’s players, the most important fact was that a Large Rift capable of threatening a city had disappeared from this quarter’s future.
After the cheers and gratitude came new questions.
Which guild did the player belong to?
Was this someone the Korean Association had been secretly cultivating?
Would they be able to earn national achievement points again in the future?
No one knew the answers.
Only two pieces of information had been revealed.
Affiliated nation.
Republic of Korea.
Public name.
Private.
[United States/Lv.52] Raven : By the way, didn’t we forget something? There were people who bet things on the guardian not going down.
[United States/Lv.56] Johnny : Ah, Tyrant Sword?
[United States/Lv.52] Raven : Right. He said he’d bet his entire fortune.
[China/Lv.69] Tyrant Sword : Shut up.
[United States/Lv.56] Johnny : Haru also said he’d bet one of his two precious things.
[Japan/Lv.51] Haru : That wasn’t me.
[United Kingdom/Lv.58] Gray : The record remains unchanged.
[Japan/Lv.51] Haru : My account was hacked.
[United States/Lv.56] Johnny : LOLLLLL.
Messages making fun of Tyrant Sword and Haru continued for a while.
But no one discovered the identity of the anonymous Korean player.
***
At the same time.
When the announcement across all Eastern and Western channels ended, a separate notification appeared before the Sixteen Heavenly Seats.
[A Tier 10 suitability reaction outside the Seat Path has been detected.]
[Not a registered candidate of the Sixteen Heavenly Seats.]
[Classification: Non-Seated Candidate / Irregular]
[Result transferred to upper judgment system.]
A white-haired man sitting in a high-backed chair opened his eyes.
The metal ornament set above his head reflected a faint golden light.
The man’s finger stopped before the third notification.
Non-Seated Candidate.
Only an extreme few could obtain the power of Tier 10.
The Sixteen Heavenly Seats had kept one another in check for the sake of seizing those few opportunities.
Even one additional official candidate would change each of their plans.
The one who had appeared this time was not even on the candidate list.
The Tower had classified the unknown player as both a Non-Seated Candidate and an Irregular.
The white-haired man read the achievement record that followed beneath the notification.
[Achievement Name: The One Who Achieved the Impossible]
[Achiever: Private]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
“They defeated the Unbreakable Guardian?”
The man’s gaze remained on the final two lines.
Private.
Republic of Korea.
An attendant who had been waiting behind the chair stepped forward.
The white-haired man pointed to the line reading Republic of Korea.
“Find out who this player is.”
***
[All rewards have been confirmed.]
[Tutorial ends.]
[Returning player Kim Sang-hyeok to real-world coordinates.]
White light surged from beneath Sang-hyeok’s feet.
The gray space and system notifications vanished into the light.
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
When the light faded, he heard his phone vibrating.
Sang-hyeok stood in the same room he had been in before entering the Tower.
The phone on the desk shifted slightly each time it vibrated.
Unread breaking-news alerts had piled up on the screen.
[Breaking News] Anonymous player affiliated with the Republic of Korea achieves Impossible Achievement
[Breaking News] Unbreakable Guardian defeated…… first in tutorial history
[Breaking News] Republic of Korea estimated deficit points decrease to 30,000
[Breaking News] Korean Player Association begins locating anonymous player
Sang-hyeok skimmed the articles from the top.
Speculation about the Impossible Achievement and a Tier 10 Trait.
Statements from Association and government officials saying the anonymous player had to be found.
Even analysis that Korea had escaped the Large Rift occurrence zone this quarter.
The results he had confirmed inside the Tower moments ago were spreading through reality as well.
The Association and government had begun searching for him, but for now, Sang-hyeok had no intention of revealing his name.
To protect his family and keep foreign superpowers away, he needed to become stronger than he was now.
Korea also needed to become a country capable of protecting its own players.
The 120,000 points he had earned this time were only the beginning.
The remaining deficit was 30,000 points.
There was still time to earn more before the quarterly settlement.
‘I just have to climb the Tower more.’
He could confirm for himself how many points he was capable of earning.
Sang-hyeok moved a finger to clear the breaking-news notifications.
[Ilseong Group, Standard Mana Defense Equipment first delivery review D-1]
[Related Article] “Defect Allegations” ahead of Association Field Suitability Verification
[Industry Insider: “A major variable in Ilseong’s return to the player equipment market”]
Sang-hyeok’s finger stopped.
The article photo showed Ilseong Group Headquarters together with a wrist-guard-shaped prototype.
The Ilseong mark at the top of the building was still shining brightly.
Seeing that light brought back the dark testing wing from before his return.
The prototypes had been discarded across the floor, and every case had been covered in red seal stickers.
The wall display had shown the final test result.
[First Field Suitability Verification: Unsuitable]
Before his return, Ilseong failed the verification scheduled for the very next day.
No problems appeared in ordinary testing.
But the moment monster mana touched the device, the barrier shook violently, the equipment overheated, and then it shut down.
That single failure cost Ilseong even its qualification to participate in the second comparative performance evaluation.
The follow-up evaluations and contract opportunities passed to its competitor.
That was when Ilseong’s equipment business began to collapse.
The defect had not been an accidental malfunction.
Someone had planted a trap inside the prototype.
It caused no problems under normal conditions, but the moment monster mana entered, it shut down the barrier.
Taeseong Group had been behind it.
Before his return, rumors suspecting Taeseong’s involvement spread only after Ilseong had already failed the verification.
By then, the evaluation and every follow-up opportunity were already over.
But now, one day remained before the verification.
This time, there was still time to act.
Even Sang-hyeok did not know exactly where inside the equipment the trap was hidden or how it shut down the barrier.
But he had a way to find out.
Sang-hyeok took the <Demon Eye Record Stone> from his inventory.
The black stone slab engraved with a closed-eye pattern appeared over his palm.
Looking down at the slab, Sang-hyeok organized what he had to do.
First, he would find the trap with <Demon Dragon’s Eye>.
Then he would record the moment it activated and show the record to Kim Seo-yoon.
With that record, she should be able to find a way to repair it.
Sang-hyeok returned the Record Stone to his inventory and slipped his phone into his pocket.
After putting on his outerwear, he opened the door to his room.
Sang-hyeok headed for Ilseong Group’s underground research wing to find the trap Taeseong had planted.