On the day Kim Hajun wrote a new chapter in the God Tree’s history, all of South Korea was thrown into an uproar.
Every media outlet rushed to report that the God Tree’s Hall of Fame rankings had changed for the first time in ten years.
1. Unknown (Korea)
The word ‘Korea’ was displayed beside the first-place entry.
The moment the people saw it, a surge of patriotic pride rose from the depths of their hearts.
* Hey, Japan and China. Can’t you feel the ground shaking?
* Did Korea really accomplish this?!
* Innkeeper! One bowl of national pride over here!
* The government must identify this person immediately and provide them with complete support!
* Has our chance to escape our status as a minor nation finally arrived?
* Excellent! We might finally possess an Ascender on the level of the Great Seven Ascenders!
Korea had long suffered from the absence of a world-ranking powerhouse.
It was only natural for the public to react with such enthusiasm.
Public excitement reached a fever pitch.
However, cold water was soon poured over it.
* Breaking News! The Chinese Embassy has issued an official statement.
The Chinese Embassy in Korea suddenly spoke out.
What it said was utterly absurd.
[We hereby announce that Unknown, whose first-place ranking became a major topic today, is a citizen of the great nation of China. As an Ascender destined to lead the next generation of China, this individual has been carefully cultivated with the full support of our nation…….]
In other words, the embassy claimed that Unknown was Chinese.
* This is ridiculous!
* What? Chinese? It clearly says Korea beside the name!
* China is openly fabricating things now.
* We don’t believe you!
* Why would one of your citizens travel all the way to Korea to enter the Sky Tower? At least make your lies believable.
* If you’re going to spout nonsense, leave our country!
Naturally, the Korean public erupted in anger the moment they heard the announcement.
How could it possibly make sense?
Why would a Chinese citizen travel all the way to Korea to undergo the tutorial?
The Chinese Embassy’s statement contradicted itself, and the Korean public responded with fierce criticism.
Most people believed that China was lying yet again.
However—
* Could it actually be true?
* Factional struggles in China are supposedly intense. There have been rumors that they secretly raise promising talents overseas.
* Would the Chinese Embassy really lie without any reason?
* Damn it. Was this really part of the Chinese Dream?
* I knew it… There was no way Korea could have accomplished something like this.
* At this point, we might as well become a Chinese vassal state! Perhaps that is the only way this country can survive!
Some people believed China’s claim.
No one knew the truth.
Since everyone interpreted the situation differently, there were inevitably people who trusted the Chinese Embassy’s statement.
After reading through everything, I stared at the screen in disbelief.
“This is insane. I was Chinese all along?”
Father. Mother.
Was Chinese blood truly flowing through my veins?
Then, beginning today, I must devote myself day and night to learning Chinese—
“—As if! Have these people completely lost their minds?”
Ugh.
My temper suddenly flared.
They were calling me Chinese!
Why were they arbitrarily turning a native-born Korean into one of their citizens?
Surely I could sue them for defamation over this?
* That country is truly peculiar. Why would they tell a lie that will inevitably be exposed?
Even Aleon, who was the truest outsider among us, could not understand the Chinese Embassy’s conduct.
I let out a deep sigh and answered.
“That is simply how things are. It isn’t only that country. The neighboring country is the same. Tearing at one another is practically routine.”
China claimed that kimchi and hanbok belonged to them.
Japan claimed that Dokdo belonged to them.
All of this happened because Korea lacked strength.
The conflicts had only intensified after the appearance of the <Sky Tower> and the great upheaval that followed on Earth.
Why?
‘The absence of a powerhouse.’
Japan and China had each produced one of the Great Seven Ascenders.
As a result, they belonged to the group of nations known as the S7.
S7 was an abbreviation of ‘Sky of 7.’ It referred to countries that possessed one of the Great Seven Ascenders, who were also known as National-Level Ascenders.
Korea, by contrast, had failed to produce an Ascender capable of rivaling them.
Naturally, Korea’s national standing was considerably lower than that of its two neighbors.
This was an era in which a country’s status rose in proportion to the number of powerful Ascenders it possessed.
* That is why the misconduct of those two countries has grown even worse.
‘Exactly.’
I nodded heavily at Aleon’s words.
Phew.
Situations like this occasionally left me deeply frustrated.
Was this patriotism?
I wished Korea could also become a nation renowned throughout the world for its Ascenders.
As I sighed, Aleon manifested his form for the first time in a while and stared at me.
* Why are you worrying over something so trivial? You merely need to rise above these so-called Great Seven Ascenders yourself. Were your claims that you would become the strongest in the world nothing more than empty words?
“Ah!”
Aleon’s words instantly cleared my mind.
Good grief.
I had awakened so recently that I kept thinking like the non-Ascender I used to be.
That was right.
As Aleon said, could I not simply rise above the Great Seven Ascenders myself?
Perhaps the dream I had last night—of surpassing them and becoming the strongest Ascender in the <Sky Tower>—had not been meaningless.
Perhaps it had been a prophetic dream.
“Fine. I’ll simply turn Korea into the nation that possesses Kim Hajun!”
It felt as though an even heavier burden had settled upon my shoulders.
Nevertheless, a pleasant smile appeared on my face.
“And just wait. The moment I reveal my name, I’ll make China apologize properly.”
Would the proud nation of China ever bow its head to a country like Korea?
It would be difficult now.
However, the stronger I became, the less choice China would have.
This was an era in which the power of a single individual could surpass that of an entire nation.
No matter how I considered it, there was only one conclusion.
‘I have to become stronger as quickly as possible.’
My desire for growth blazed fiercely.
* An excellent attitude.
Aleon folded his arms and smiled with satisfaction.
His gaze certainly seemed much gentler than when we had first met.
* Ahem. We have no time to waste like this, do we?
“You want me to go level up now?”
* Correct. At your current level, you have no time to rest. Run to the tower immediately!
I knew he was going to say that.
I smiled at Aleon’s urging.
I had already intended to leave immediately, even if he had said nothing.
“But with my mana capacity this small, can I really clear dungeons alone?”
The most common method Ascenders used to level up was clearing the numerous dungeons found on every floor.
The first floor also contained countless dungeons.
Their recommended levels ranged from Level 1 to Level 10.
Since the power I possessed was so unreasonable, I had planned to clear the dungeons by myself.
However, there was a problem.
Could I truly clear them alone when using Thunderbolt only a few times was enough to exhaust my mana?
“If I had money, I could at least drink Mana Potions while clearing them.”
Unfortunately, even a Lowest-Grade Mana Potion cost hundreds of thousands of won per bottle.
It was embarrassing to admit, but several hundred thousand won was enough to cover an entire month of my living expenses.
* Regarding that problem, find some way to reach Level 5 first.
At that moment, Aleon—my teacher, my Daddy-Long-Legs, and my Sweet Orange Tree—spoke quietly.
“Huh? Level 5?”
* Correct.
Why Level 5?
* Once you reach Level 5, another Special Skill will be unlocked. It should provide a temporary solution to your current problem.
Wait.
What did he say?
A Special Skill would unlock at Level 5?
Special Skills were abilities derived from a Trait.
In my case, they included abilities such as ‘Sage’s Aura’ and ‘Sage’s Sight,’ which originated from my ‘Sage (10-Star ★★★★★★★★★★)’ Trait.
As my own experience demonstrated, Special Skills were extremely important to Ascenders.
They could completely determine both the direction of one’s combat style and the course of one’s growth.
Ordinarily, an Ascender received their first Special Skill upon Awakening, and additional ones were unlocked every ten levels.
‘Then why do I receive one at Level 5?’
* Huhu. Why do you think a ten-star Trait is considered ten-star? Your Sage Trait unlocks an additional Special Skill every five levels.
“……!”
Wow!
Was this for real?
That was incredible.
My Trait already possessed potential powerful enough to seem absurd.
And on top of that, it unlocked another Special Skill every five levels.
Just how powerful could I become?
The fact that the <Sage> Trait had been granted to me almost felt like a revelation telling me to reach the summit of the Sky Tower, a place no one had ever conquered.
“What kind of skill is it?”
* It would be no fun if I told you now. Obtain it yourself. It will serve as a temporary remedy for your pitiful mana capacity.
“Hehehe. Excellent.”
Now I had even more reason to enjoy leveling up.
Good.
For the moment, I would find some way to reach Level 5.
With my determination to level up blazing fiercely, I immediately ran toward the tower.
The Seolhwa Clan was one of the Five Great Clans of Korea.
Among the five, it was considered the weakest.
The reason was that the Seolhwa Clan had originated as a non-combat Merchants’ Guild.
It had joined the Five Great Clans not because of its military strength, but because of its immense wealth.
“We need powerful Ascenders who can elevate the honor of the Seolhwa Clan!”
The Seolhwa Clan had always thirsted for powerful fighters.
Although it was publicly regarded as a prestigious clan, its inferior military strength compared to the other four clans had always been a source of insecurity.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Had the heavens answered their prayers?
The second daughter of the Seolhwa Clan’s leader awakened an eight-star combat-type Trait.
“Bwahahaha! That’s my daughter!”
The Seolhwa Clan intended to present her as its flagship Ascender.
She possessed every quality necessary to become a star.
Background, talent, and beauty.
In particular, her beauty resembled a flower in full bloom. Even before she began climbing the tower, she attracted public attention and earned the epithet Ice Princess.
On the day she underwent the Sacred Ritual, she achieved the remarkable feat of placing within the hundred-range of the God Tree’s Hall of Fame.
Han Gain was an exceptional newcomer with tremendous star potential.
“Of all days, that monster had to appear on the very day our young lady underwent the Sacred Ritual. It stole all the attention that should have gone to her.”
“Exactly. The timing could not have been more unfortunate… What a shame.”
Because of the record Hajun had established, the situation was deeply disappointing for the Seolhwa Clan.
Had it not been for Hajun, Han Gain and the Seolhwa Clan would have been the center of public attention the previous day.
‘I’m curious.’
However, Han Gain herself felt more curious than disappointed.
‘How did that person manage to break the first-place record?’
She was confident that she had given everything she had during the tutorial.
Nevertheless, she had failed to break into the top one hundred.
That was despite executing everything perfectly, including her route and the distribution of her mana.
‘Does that person truly possess a nine-star Trait, as the rumors claim?’
That was probably the case.
They undoubtedly possessed a Trait of a higher grade than her own.
Only then could they have surpassed even the records of the Great Seven Ascenders.
However, she did not believe that the result had come solely from the superiority of their Trait.
The person must have endured grueling training from an early age.
That was how they had attained first place.
She imagined that even now, somewhere beyond her sight, that person was continuing to subject themselves to harsh training.
‘I refuse to lose.’
The thought of that person made her restless.
It was a sense of rivalry.
‘I may have fallen behind for now, but that does not mean I will remain behind forever.’
Only time would reveal which of them was truly superior.
She tightly clenched her pale, delicate hands.
‘But that person should also be starting with Level 1 dungeons. Could I encounter them while clearing one?’
Deep down, she felt a vague hope that she might coincidentally meet the mysterious Ascender while exploring the dungeons.
At the same time that Han Gain entered the first floor of the <Sky Tower>—
“Good. Let’s do this!”
Hajun arrived on the first floor of the <Sky Tower> and immediately ran toward a dungeon.
It was the beginning of his frantic push to reach Level 5.