“What are all these?”
I swallowed as I looked at the countless symbols projected upon the golden leaves.
Many of the Special Skills were impossible to identify from their symbols alone, but some were intuitive enough to guess.
The symbols of a dragon, an angel, a demon, a sword, and a staff were obvious examples.
It seemed highly likely that selecting one would grant a skill related to the corresponding symbol.
‘Wouldn’t the dragon be the best choice?’
Records concerning these races could be found on the upper floors of the Sky Tower.
Among them, dragons were described as the strongest, largest, and most fearsome creatures upon the earth.
The progenitors of magic.
The rulers of Words of Power.
A single Ancient Dragon was said to possess power comparable to a Demon King, a sovereign of the Demon Realm. That alone was enough to imagine how extraordinary dragons were.
‘Even if I don’t choose the dragon, the angel or demon symbols look promising.’
I expected Aleon to tell me to select one of them.
However, his answer was completely unexpected.
Choose that one.
Aleon unfolded his arms and pointed toward a leaf at the very edge.
“That is……”
What was it?
An Erlenmeyer flask?
Yes.
It bore the same symbol as the Erlenmeyer flasks used by alchemists.
“You want me to choose that?”
A question mark practically appeared above my head.
Correct. You must select it.
Good grief.
What did it represent?
That symbol represents ‘Alchemy.’
Alchemy?
Did he mean actual alchemy?
Correct. Alchemy is an essential discipline for anyone seeking to become a Great Sage. You will need it to complete the Philosopher’s Stone, advance the grades of the Three Sacred Treasures, and temporarily remedy your pitiful mana capacity.
Wow.
I had not expected that.
The Sage Trait could even encompass alchemy?
Alchemy was a non-combat field, but it was also one of the rarest and most valuable disciplines in existence.
Despite possessing a combat-related Trait, I could also acquire the abilities of a non-combat field.
Even for a ten-star Trait, was this not outrageously overpowered?
Do you think Sage became a ten-star Hidden Trait without reason? The Sage Trait possesses the potential to embrace all things.
If Sage alone was already this extraordinary, I could not even begin to imagine what Great Sage was capable of.
In any case, my eyes began shining.
I felt as though I had won a lottery I had never even known I entered.
If you devote yourself to alchemy from this moment onward, you will be able to scatter the vitality of life across your withered Mana Circuits. Depending on how carefully you cultivate them through alchemy, your Mana Circuits may eventually transform into fertile soil capable of embracing even Yggdrasil when you consume the Philosopher’s Stone.
Yes, Master.
I had no idea your recommendation carried such profound meaning.
I humbly ask for your continued guidance.
‘Besides, I can obtain the other promising symbols every time I gain another five levels.’
Therefore, I should begin by establishing a solid foundation.
Without hesitation, I followed Aleon’s instructions and selected the golden leaf bearing the symbol of an Erlenmeyer flask.
[You have acquired the Special Skill ‘Sage’s Alchemy (10-Star).’]
WHOOOOOM!
Along with the System message, golden radiance erupted from my body.
‘Ah.’
Knowledge related to ‘Alchemy’ began circulating through my mind.
“Wow.”
At that moment, I understood what Aleon meant when he said that alchemy would become the foundation of my growth.
‘Potions, elixirs, and even the enhancement of magic tools and Artifacts…….’
Among the elixirs were several capable of gradually alleviating the condition of my mana-starved Mana Circuits.
‘Mana Potions might sustain me during the early stages, but their limitations will become obvious as my level rises.’
Because my level was still low, I currently occupied a range in which Mana Potions could restore a significant portion of my Magic Power.
Once I reached a certain level, however, the proportion restored by Mana Potions would gradually decrease.
Nor could I spend all day drinking Mana Potions while clearing dungeons.
Exceeding the daily recommended dosage could cause various side effects.
Elixirs created through alchemy, however, offered a fundamental method of gradually reviving my Mana Circuits.
There were also elixirs that could accelerate natural Magic Power recovery.
Even the path toward advancing the <Tome of the Sage> began with ‘Sage’s Alchemy.’
This was the Special Skill I absolutely needed to select at this stage.
What would have happened if I had failed to obtain it?
‘I would have been forced to take an enormous detour.’
As expected of Master Aleon.
Once again, I realized that I needed to listen carefully to your advice.
However, obtaining ‘Sage’s Alchemy’ did not solve every problem.
“Um… But these materials……”
Even the ingredients required to create a single bottle of the most basic elixir for improving Mana Circuits cost far more than I had expected.
I might have acquired a large quantity of gold coins from the Treasure Goblin, but even that wealth would not sustain the expense for long.
‘In that case…….’
I glanced at the contacts saved on my phone.
There were not many.
My gaze settled upon one I had added recently.
‘Han Gain……!’
The daughter of the Seolhwa Clan’s leader.
She had told me to contact her whenever I needed something.
‘Should I try calling her?’
The <Mana Circuit Improvement Elixir> only produced results through long-term use, so it would be best to begin taking it immediately now that I possessed alchemy.
Good.
Then—
I would contact her tomorrow.
Han Gain.
Recently, she had been unable to sleep at night.
Even tonight, she had spent a long time turning restlessly beneath the blankets.
‘Why do I keep thinking about him?’
Not long ago—
A man had displayed power that defied all common sense.
The overwhelming might of the Thunderbolt he had shown was so vivid that she doubted she would ever forget it.
‘I think he really is Unknown.’
THUMP!
The thought that the man might truly be Unknown—the mysterious figure who had become the center of attention after the God Tree incident—made her heart pound for no reason.
She knew the identity of Unknown when no one else did!
‘He seems to be concealing his identity deliberately, so I should keep my mouth closed as well.’
She had also warned Lee Naksu not to speak of it.
Unknown’s identity would probably remain hidden for the time being.
It would undoubtedly be revealed someday, but until then, she found herself wanting to be the only person who knew his secret.
God Tree Unknown search.
When she searched for God Tree Unknown on her phone, countless articles appeared.
Every one of them speculated about Unknown’s identity.
Some had accepted the Chinese Embassy’s claim that Unknown was one of its citizens and were attempting to identify him under the assumption that he was Chinese.
‘Hmph. As though he were Chinese.’
She snorted and opened a popular Ascender community.
As expected, she found countless posts concerning Unknown.
Title: They still haven’t discovered Unknown’s identity, right? I’m dying to know who it is.
He’s Chinese.
└ Chinese? Nonsense.
└ The Chinese Embassy says he’s one of their citizens. Why wouldn’t he be?
Most of the posts debated whether Unknown was genuinely Chinese.
Han Gain smiled as she read them.
I know who Unknown is.
Still smiling faintly, she continued browsing through the remaining posts.
Title: I’m more curious about how long it will take Unknown to reach the second floor.
One particular post caught her attention.
She immediately opened it.
Around one hundred days.
I say around eighty.
└ Eighty is excessive. James took eighty-nine days. You think Unknown will do it in eighty?
James Smith.
One of the Great Seven Ascenders from the United States and the man currently regarded as the strongest Ascender alive.
It had taken him exactly eighty-nine days to rise from the first floor to the second.
Before him, no one had broken the barrier of one hundred days.
James had established an unprecedented record.
As a result, he possessed a considerable number of devoted followers throughout the world.
James is James, and Unknown is Unknown. Eighty-nine days isn’t some sacred, untouchable record. Why couldn’t it be broken?
└ Exactly. Unknown already surpassed James’s record in the God Tree’s Hall of Fame.
└ Getting lucky with the initial skill selection isn’t the same as developing enough to pass the Ascension Trial. If you want to compare them, wait and see whether Unknown can surpass James’s record in the Ascension Trial’s Hall of Fame.
└ That’s fair. I’m curious about how long it will take Unknown to reach the second floor, but I’m even more curious whether he’ll break the second-floor Ascension Trial record too.
The discussion continued at great length.
Would Unknown surpass James’s record, or would he fail?
It had become a matter of unprecedented interest.
Some even believed—though the probability was low—that Unknown might never reach the second floor.
It was not a completely absurd claim.
Occasionally, an Ascender encountered a growth barrier on the first floor and could no longer level up.
Park Changwon, who had recently entered a dungeon with Han Gain, was a representative example.
‘But Mr. Hajun is different.’
He had defeated five Level 10 Hidden Bosses with only three Thunderbolts.
Could someone like that truly encounter an insurmountable growth barrier?
Even if he did, he seemed like the kind of person who would simply smash through it.
She placed her delicate fingers upon the phone’s keyboard.
TAP, TAP, TAP!
One month should be more than enough for Unknown to reach the second floor.
Replies appeared almost immediately.
└ One month is going too far.
└ Hahahaha. Thanks for the laugh.
└ Are you writing a fantasy novel?
└ One month is ridiculous… I support Unknown too, but that’s realistically impossible.
Every reply criticized her prediction.
‘But it genuinely should be possible.’
She frowned.
‘This won’t do. I should help him too. He may need something besides the reward I already prepared.’
She turned her phone over in her hands.
Kim Hajun’s contact information was displayed on the screen.
‘I’ll call him as soon as I wake up tomorrow.’
At that same time, an executive meeting was being held at <Tiamat>’s Korean branch.
“The existence foretold by our master was present there that day.”
“Correct. Unknown. It must have been him.”
“We were incompetent. Since he escaped our notice, there is a strong possibility that he was equipped with a top-tier Artifact.”
“Then he may belong to a prestigious clan.”
“The Chinese Embassy claimed he was one of their citizens.”
“Hmm. Isn’t that strange? Did our master not specifically mention Korea?”
“It is unclear whether he meant that the location was Korea or that the person was Korean.”
“We should ask him more precisely the next time he awakens.”
“In any case, the possibility that Unknown is Chinese remains considerable. We should keep it in mind during our pursuit.”
They had gathered to discuss how to track Unknown.
“Finding him inside the tower will be difficult for the time being.”
The tower was vast.
Even the first floor covered an area far greater than the entire African continent.
“If we want to find him within the tower, we’ll have to wait for the Ascension Trial. That will take at least three months. It will be far too late by then.”
“While investigating the community, I saw someone claim that he would ascend within one month.”
“Isn’t that complete nonsense? Tell them to save their nonsense for the doghouse.”
“Oh! That’s a good response. I should leave it as a reply.”
“In any case, for the time being, we’ll focus on tracking his movements outside the tower. If he is being protected by a prestigious clan or the Chinese Embassy, we should concentrate our search on the S District or A District.”
“Good. I’ll redirect our personnel there immediately.”
Unfortunately for them, their reasoning was nowhere near the truth.
However, they had no possible way of knowing that.
They began moving diligently according to their conclusions.
The following day—
Just before entering a dungeon, I suddenly found myself with an appointment.
‘I didn’t expect her to contact me first.’
Han Gain had called me early that morning.
When she asked whether I needed anything, I requested the ingredients required for alchemy.
I had expected it to take several days.
Instead, she said that if she could provide them immediately, we should meet that very day.
That was how the sudden appointment came about.
‘Am I supposed to wait here?’
She had said that she would send a car to pick me up.
I had arrived slightly early, so it seemed the car had not reached me yet.
While I was waiting, I encountered someone unexpected.
“Hey, aren’t you Hajun?”
His hair was swept straight back.
His eyes were narrow and sharply slanted.
He was Kim Hakseon, one of my high school classmates.
‘Why is this bastard here?’
He was not someone I was pleased to see.
Korea was currently divided into regions ranked from S to F.
I had lived in an F District since birth.
During high school, I attended a school for residents of the D, E, and F Districts.
Kim Hakseon had frequently looked down upon me simply because I lived in an F District.
“Hey, I guess you’re still living around here.”
The gaze he directed at me was openly condescending.
“Well, it isn’t easy for people like you to escape a place like this. What have you been doing lately?”
“I’ve been getting by. What about you?”
I answered casually while examining his clothing.
I could sense faint Magic Power from him, and he was dressed in combat gear.
It appeared that he had become an Ascender.
“Can’t you tell from my clothes? Ah, perhaps you wouldn’t know. I’m an Ascender. Have you heard of the Hanbit Clan? The Seolhwa Clan is one of the Five Great Clans of Korea, and Hanbit is one of its subordinate clans.”
In other words, he worked for what could effectively be called a subcontractor of the Seolhwa Clan.
It was still something he could reasonably feel proud of.
“Tsk tsk. Do your best. You should try to escape this place someday too, shouldn’t you? Here’s my business card. Contact me if you ever find yourself in trouble.”
He withdrew a business card and held it out to me.
Good grief.
This was unbelievable.
I shook my head and was about to refuse—
GLIDE.
A massive black limousine approached us.
The Seolhwa Clan’s emblem was displayed upon it.
“T-The Seolhwa Clan?”
Kim Hakseon recognized the emblem and recoiled in shock.
‘It finally arrived.’
I immediately realized that the limousine had been sent by Han Gain.