SHIIIIING!
Golden light gathered before my eyes.
When the light faded, a golden talisman roughly the size of my palm rested in my hand.
“So this is the Talisman of the Celestial Dragonkin?”
Clouds and a dragon were engraved upon the talisman.
Unfamiliar geometric patterns were also carved across its surface.
‘The Celestial Dragonkin.’
I had heard a little about them before.
The tower was inhabited not only by monsters but also by intelligent indigenous races.
Among them were beings whose traces could only be glimpsed after reaching the higher floors.
They were the Celestial Dragonkin, known as the nobility of the Sky Tower.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
That talisman allows you to meet the Celestial Dragonkin, the most exalted bloodline within the Sky Tower. You must use it to conduct a transaction with them.
“A transaction?”
Correct. They possess the <Staff of the Sage>. You must retrieve it from them.
What?
What was that supposed to mean?
Since the <Staff of the Sage> was a weapon, I had assumed it would be the most important of the Three Sacred Treasures.
Why was it in their possession?
There are certain circumstances that I cannot discuss…. Ahem. In any case, you must retrieve it from them.
Aleon trailed off.
It seemed that he had an unpleasant—or perhaps embarrassing—past that he was reluctant to reveal.
In any case, all I had to do was negotiate with them, right?
Excellent. When it came to negotiation, there was no one better than me, Kim Hajun.
Let us go meet them immediately.
If I recovered the <Staff of the Sage>, I probably would not have to worry about finding a weapon while climbing the tower.
My blood began to race. The moment I left this place, I intended to find the Celestial Dragonkin at once.
However, my wish could not be fulfilled.
I understand your impatience, but that will not be possible for the time being.
“What? Why not?”
The earliest floor on which you can meet them is the fifth. Therefore, level up as quickly as possible and climb to the fifth floor.
Huh.
What a disappointment.
If I had to reach the fifth floor anyway, why had he insisted that I earn the highest rank in the tutorial?
It was not as though I could obtain the staff immediately.
That is incorrect. Think about it. Do you imagine the Talisman of the Celestial Dragonkin can be obtained easily elsewhere? It functions as a seal granted only to those who achieve results worthy of their attention during the Sacred Ritual. Had you failed to obtain it here, you would likely have needed to reach at least the seventh floor before another opportunity arose.
Hmm.
Now that he explained it that way, it did seem essential that I obtain the talisman during the tutorial.
Good.
I had a Mythic skill in one hand and Sage’s Aura in the other. How could leveling up possibly be a problem?
I would show everyone the true meaning of leveling up at a frenzied pace.
Grinning broadly, I imagined my glorious future—reaching the fifth floor at a historic speed.
The mere thought was exhilarating.
[Would you like to reveal your name?]
At that moment, the Sky Tower’s message rang out again.
Ah, right.
I still had to decide whether to reveal my name on the tutorial rankings.
After considering it for a moment, I reached a conclusion.
‘It is unfortunate, but I should remain anonymous for now.’
To be honest, I had wavered briefly.
The sites where floor-promotion trials were held also displayed all-time rankings, but the God Tree’s plaque was undoubtedly the most prestigious of them all.
What expression would Yeonhee make if she heard that my name was displayed at the very top of the God Tree’s plaque?
I nearly surrendered to the temptation and revealed my name.
Fortunately, I managed to swallow the words.
“I will be listed anonymously instead of revealing my name.”
[You will be registered anonymously. You may reveal your identity at a later date.]
Yes.
Well done, Kim Hajun.
I could reveal my name after becoming strong enough to protect myself.
Even if I registered anonymously now, I could change it later.
A wise decision. For now, strengthening yourself takes priority over exposing your identity to the outside world.
Yes, Master.
Precisely. I feel the same way.
Hmm? You seem far more obedient than before.
I gave a quiet laugh at Aleon’s words and answered.
“Of course. I have learned that following your advice brings considerable rewards.”
Just look at what had happened.
I had broken an unprecedented record during the Sacred Ritual.
I had only succeeded because I followed Aleon’s instructions.
Now that he had proven his abilities, it was only natural that I should listen to him from now on.
Aleon, from this day forward, you are my personal guide to growth!!
I shall extract every last drop of your vast knowledge until there is nothing left to give!
I believe I just saw something disrespectful in your eyes.
“Ahem. That could not possibly be true. You must be imagining things.”
Startled by Aleon’s observation, I quickly looked away.
Perhaps it was because he was a sage, but his perceptiveness was extraordinary.
HUMMMMM!
At that moment, clusters of light gathered in the distance and formed a portal.
It was the exit leading outside.
“Let us go out and see how the rankings have changed.”
Although I had registered anonymously, the thought of seeing the altered rankings still excited me.
However—
At that moment—
[You have fully internalized ‘Sage’s Sight.’]
[The passive skill ‘Sage’s Senses’ has been activated.]
“Huh?”
What is this?
Aleon and I cried out simultaneously at the unexpected messages.
The people gathered before the God Tree witnessed an astonishing sight.
HUMMMMM!!
A brilliant light suddenly erupted from the God Tree’s plaque, whose rankings had remained unchanged for many years.
“Ah!”
“W-What is happening?”
“The Hall of Fame rankings… changed?”
“Good heavens!”
“This is breaking news!!”
[The God Tree’s Hall of Fame rankings have changed.]
1. Unknown (Korea) - New
2. James Smith ▼1
3. Ivan Petrov ▼1
4. Haruto Tanaka ▼1
5. Arjun Patel ▼1
6. …….
7. …….
Unknown.
In other words, anonymous.
Someone had broken the record without revealing their identity.
It was the first time in ten years.
Naturally, the Ascenders were thrown into an uproar.
“The new first place came from Korea!”
“Could they be Korean?”
“Wouldn’t that be the most likely explanation?”
“Wow! Are we finally going to have a national-level Ascender in our country?”
When someone registered anonymously, the name of a country appeared beside their entry.
Did it represent the person’s nationality?
No.
It recorded the country that controlled the portal through which the Ascender had most recently entered the <Sky Tower>.
Even so, there was a reason everyone assumed that the mysterious person was Korean.
A newly awakened Ascender was unlikely to enter the Sky Tower through a foreign country’s portal.
“Emergency! Tell every scout on the first floor to gather in front of the God Tree immediately!”
“Find out who it is!! They must be unaffiliated if they chose to remain anonymous. The Sea King Clan will recruit them at any cost.”
“Team One, remain here! Team Two, return to Korea and begin preparations for recruitment!”
The scouts from various clans were also thrown into a state of emergency.
They became desperate to find the Ascender who had attempted the tutorial.
Foreign clans even prepared to dispatch representatives to Korea in an effort to recruit the mysterious newcomer.
That was how enormous the impact was when someone replaced the God Tree’s first-place record for the first time in ten years.
Everyone began growing impatient as they stared at the unknown name in first place.
The same was true of Shin Myeongjun, an executive of <Tiamat>.
“Find them immediately!!”
He shouted urgently at his subordinates.
The person who had just shattered the record had to be the existence foretold by their master.
‘I should have found them before they underwent the Sacred Ritual.’
Now, everyone would become aware of the person mentioned in the prophecy.
His plan to abduct the target in secret had just fallen apart.
‘It is not too late. There should be no one here with a Detection Trait of a higher grade than mine.’
He drank a High-Grade Mana Potion worth tens of millions of won per bottle and rapidly replenished his depleted Magic Power.
‘They must still be nearby. I have to find them quickly.’
Since the Sacred Ritual had ended, the person would soon attempt to leave.
Once that happened, finding them would become even more difficult.
‘Is it this one?’
A novice Ascender standing ahead of him was smiling brightly for some reason.
FIZZLE!
Shin Myeongjun immediately activated the Eye of Detection.
‘No. Why is that fool grinning?’
The man possessed a mere two-star Trait.
Shin Myeongjun had been deceived by his foolish smile.
He had only wasted precious Magic Power.
Scowling fiercely, Shin Myeongjun resumed his search for other Ascenders.
‘Not this one. Not that one either.’
Damn it.
The person was nowhere to be found.
Had they already left?
No. They could not have escaped so easily.
Even now, crowds who had heard the news were rapidly converging upon the God Tree.
It would be difficult for anyone to leave immediately through such a tidal wave of people.
Of course, that also meant the crowd was growing larger.
However, most of the new arrivals were clearly experienced Ascenders, making it easy to distinguish them from novices.
BUMP!
At that moment, a man collided with his shoulder.
‘What?’
Shin Myeongjun turned his head and scowled.
“Ah! I’m sorry.”
It was the same man he had now encountered three times.
The Ascender who possessed the worthless ‘Breath-Holding (1-Star ★)’ Trait.
“Damn it.”
He was already busy enough.
Why did this insignificant pest keep wandering into his path?
Shin Myeongjun abruptly turned away.
He had no time for someone with such a worthless Trait.
He had to find Unknown, who had most likely awakened a nine-star Trait.
Biting his lip, he pushed deeper into the crowd.
I will find you, Unknown.
No matter what it takes!
‘Good grief.’
After leaving the Sacred Ritual, I clicked my tongue when I encountered that heavyset brute yet again.
Had we shared some connection in a previous life?
Why did I keep running into him?
He looked deeply suspicious, so I wanted nothing to do with him.
And look at him glaring at me.
This time, you were the one who was not watching where you were going!
I could not tolerate it any longer.
I should say something.
I was the man who had achieved first place in the Sacred Ritual.
Therefore, I should no longer cower before that brute’s unpleasant glare. I should display the dignity of the alpha male I was destined to become and say exactly what needed to be—
‘Wait. He is Level 71?’
That was insane!
I covered my mouth and immediately lowered my head.
“Ah! I’m sorry.”
Phew.
That had nearly become a disaster.
He was an extraordinarily high-level Ascender.
Someone of that level could easily serve as an executive in one of the world’s most prestigious clans.
Why was a person like him wandering around here?
Now that I knew his level, he seemed even more suspicious.
‘Still, Sage’s Senses is certainly useful.’
There was a reason I had been able to see the brute’s level.
By fully internalizing <Sage’s Sight>, I had awakened a passive skill called <Sage’s Senses>.
What was Sage’s Senses?
It was an ability that allowed me to see a target’s level when I focused my awareness upon them.
I still cannot believe it. How could you fully internalize Sage’s Sight after using it only once? Perhaps you are……
Aleon had been staring into space as though he had seen a ghost.
Was it truly so astonishing that I had internalized Sage’s Sight after only one use?
To be honest, I did not know how I had done it either.
All I had done was use it once.
In any case, leaving the stunned Aleon behind, I looked toward the <Hall of Fame> plaque floating around the middle of the God Tree.
A smile naturally spread across my face.
‘First place!!’
I had truly taken first place!
People said that the world was full of unexpected turns.
Who could have imagined that my name would one day rise above those of such legendary figures?
‘When I look at it this way, was getting dumped by Yeonhee actually a blessing?’
Hehehe.
Thank you, Yeonhee.
Because of you, I awakened as a super rookie.
Just wait a little longer!
You will soon discover that the man you abandoned was the true alpha male of this era!
That night, I had a wonderful dream.
I dreamed that I surpassed the Great Seven Ascenders and became the strongest Ascender in the <Sky Tower>.
And I dreamed of Yeonhee looking at me and regretting what she had done!
“Haaah! I slept well.”
I welcomed the morning feeling thoroughly refreshed.
How long had it been since I enjoyed such deep, satisfying sleep?
After stretching lightly in my cheerful mood, I immediately picked up my smartphone and searched for articles about myself.
How many more reports had appeared overnight?
With mounting excitement, I searched for ‘Unknown First Place.’
(Breaking News) The Identity of Unknown, the New First Place, Revealed!
Unknown, Who Wrote a New Chapter in the God Tree’s History—Identity Confirmed!
Is This the True Identity of Unknown, the New First Place?
The Chinese Embassy Claims That Unknown Is a Chinese Citizen……
“Huh?”
What was all this?
My identity had been revealed?