Chapter 10
Trrrring.
A phone alarm echoed through the dark 20th floor.
Countless corpses and pools of blue blood, starting from the entrance of the 20th floor, indicated that something extraordinary had happened overnight.
Trrrring.
Following the sound of the alarm deeper inside, he found a place where an unusual number of orc corpses were piled up.
In the dim light, where only a silhouette was barely visible.
A black shadow swayed and moved, as if the source of the alarm was within it.
Click.
The alarm stopped, and a monster’s agonized scream reached its peak.
“Kuaaaargh!!”
As he drew closer to the center of the pile of corpses, he could see who was screaming.
A green-skinned monster, pinned under a man’s foot, had a dagger embedded in its heart.
It was an orc, known as a predator in the monster world.
Crunch.
A chilling sound echoed.
Along with the dull noise, like a bone snapping, the orc’s scream also ceased.
A man stood up from the middle of five corpses.
The man who had turned off his phone alarm with a blood-soaked hand.
It was Hyuk-min.
“Hoo, is it morning already?”
You couldn’t see the outside from within the Tower.
The fact that the alarm had rung meant it was morning.
“Time to wrap things up.”
It was time to tally up the results of his all-night hunt.
‘I’ve changed a lot in just a few days.’
Looking at the dead orc reminded him of the Dungeon where he had obtained his Inventory System a few days ago.
He had faced orcs back then, too, and had hunted them.
The only difference was that back then, it would have been impossible without using Regression Mode, and now, he could hunt them without it.
A smirk.
‘That Rogue Guild employee even misunderstood me as someone who couldn’t even kill an orc.’
Wiping his phone, Hyuk-min put it in his pocket and approached the last orc he had killed, pulling the dagger out of its chest.
Hyuk-min wasn’t the only thing that had changed.
The form of the Immortal Demon Sword, disguised as a dagger, had changed.
The blunt, shabby appearance of the Immortal Demon Sword was gone, and a clean, well-sharpened dagger was pulled from the orc’s chest.
Stab! Crunch.
Something else had changed from the all-night hunt.
Hyuk-min’s physical strength, which allowed him to drive the Immortal Demon Sword through the orc’s ribs, was different from before.
He lightly plunged the Immortal Demon Sword into the orc’s solar plexus and carved out the bone with ease.
Something that would have been unimaginable before his all-night hunt was now easily possible.
Shlick.
As he lifted the carved-out section, a Class B Magic Stone revealed itself.
There were dozens of orc corpses strewn about.
This was perfect, as he was in need of money.
The orc corpses were, in essence, the number of Class B Magic Stones.
In other words, there were dozens of Class B Magic Stones scattered right in front of him.
“Let’s get this over with.”
A faint smile formed on its own.
With his increased Stats, he showed no signs of fatigue. He picked up a bag he had prepared beforehand and began moving from one corpse to another, collecting the Magic Stones.
= = =
He stepped out of the Tower, greeted by the dazzling morning sunlight.
“Taxi.”
Getting into the taxi, Hyuk-min didn’t head home.
“To the Rogue Guild in Wolgok-dong, please.”
He decided to stop by the Rogue Guild in Wolgok-dong to sell the Magic Stones.
Black Label would probably contact him soon.
He needed to sell the Magic Stones quickly and buy the things he needed.
On the way in the taxi.
First, he opened his Inventory to check the spoils from his all-night hunt.
‘It’s true that specs beget specs.’
There was an old saying that money makes money.
Inspired by that, a new phrase had recently emerged: specs beget specs.
It literally meant that you needed a certain level of specs to get stronger that much faster.
Comparing the hunt from the day before to today’s hunt, he could see that the saying was more or less true.
‘It’s starting to take shape.’
He tapped on the Immortal Demon Sword, which now had the perfect shape of a dagger.
==========
[Class C] – Immortal Demon Sword.
-Sharp and suitable for stabbing and cutting. A true dagger with superior cutting power than a normal dagger.
-20% Lifesteal on all damage.
-EXP: 120 / 600.
==========
Killing the demon before had been a stroke of genius.
Along with the All Stats increase, the ridiculously overpowered damage reduction on all damage had incredible synergy with the Immortal Demon Sword’s lifesteal on all damage.
Damage was reduced, and he dealt damage equal to what he took, recovering his health and stamina.
As a result, he felt no great difficulty in hunting orcs that he shouldn’t have been able to hunt with his current Stats.
Was that all?
The synergy between these two effects was also why he wasn’t tired at all despite hunting all night, maintaining his vigorous stamina.
But these weren’t the only major contributors to his success on the 20th floor.
==========
[One Who Explores Dungeons]
-You are the first to attempt the 18th floor gimmick, ‘Forest of Endurance’.
-Information about the ‘Forest of Endurance’ will now be shared with everyone who enters the 18th floor.
-All Stats +4
[One Who Studied Goblins]
-You are the first person to attack all body parts and internal organs of a goblin. You gain a 10% damage increase against bipedal monsters.
-All Stats +3
[Forest of Endurance Expert]
-18th floor gimmick. You are the first to clear the Forest of Endurance.
-All Stats +3
==========
It was the stat boost from all the hidden pieces and Titles he had scraped together from the 10th to the 20th floor.
Overnight, he had gained a total of All Stats +10 from Titles alone.
“Status Window.”
== Status Window ==
[Name]: Bang Hyuk-min.
[Level]: 37.
[Class]: Immortal Warrior.
[Stats]
Strength – 91
Agility – 96
Intelligence – 72
Stamina – 78
Mana – 50
=======
Thanks to that, he now possessed incredible Stats that were unattainable at Level 37.
Just like at the end of his all-night hunt, he now had no problem hunting orcs.
‘Nice.’
Hyuk-min closed the Status Window with a satisfied smile.
Then, a sudden thought made his smile widen.
‘Still, the biggest prize from today’s hunt has to be this.’
He raised his hand and looked at his finger.
There, a strange ring he hadn’t seen before was fitted on it.
An elegant ring with a platinum base, finished with an unknown gem that emitted a white light.
-What’s that ring the Saintess is wearing?
Looking at this ring naturally brought back memories from his past life.
-It’s called the Pure Barrier Ring, an SS-Class artifact, I think. They say she got it from a hidden room on the 13th floor.
-There was a hidden room on the 13th floor? I grinded there a ton.
-Isn’t it just reality that only the destined ones get it? It was an item the Pope of the Vatican had, and it was recently passed on to the Saintess.
==========
[SS-Class] – Pure Barrier Ring.
-Passive Effect: Intelligence +10, Mana +10
-Active Skill: Cleanses all status ailments and deploys a Holy Barrier in a 30cm radius around the caster for 30 seconds.
-Hidden Effect: Can be automatically activated when the AI Status Window detects danger.
-Cooldown: 360 seconds.
==========
In his past life, it was an item he had only seen from afar.
He had assumed it was a good item just because the Saintess wore it and the Pope had gifted it to her, but this was the first time he had seen its effects and Skill for himself.
But now that he saw the details, it was an even more ridiculously overpowered item than he had imagined.
The passive effect was excellent, but more than anything, the Status Window would automatically detect unforeseen danger and activate the active Skill.
Simply put, just by wearing it, he would gain the ability to automatically detect nearby danger.
It was nothing short of an overpowered item.
‘Nice.’
He was growing stronger at an exceptional rate day by day.
From the Legendary Title the All-Master possessed to the Hidden Class.
And now, the SS-Class Pure Barrier Ring that the Pope of the Vatican had owned.
This different starting point from his past life made Hyuk-min’s heart race.
But what was even more amazing was that this was just the beginning.
The curtain on his monopoly of hidden pieces had only just risen.
‘Just wait. I’ll be coming for you all soon. Everyone.’
Hyuk-min recited the contents of the notebook he had just started, silently clenching his fist.
= = =
He had just arrived at the Rogue Guild.
Tiring.
As luck would have it, a text message arrived on the Black Label phone.
[Information compilation complete.]
‘Finally.’
He tapped the message, which contained a QR code, and a temporary website opened.
The blueprints of the Shrine Department Store and the additional information made Hyuk-min once again realize the capabilities of Black Label.
[It took a long time to find the blueprints that included the third basement level.]
[Seeing as all security is concentrated on the third basement level, it appears to be the reason for building the department store.]
[The only entrance to the third basement level is through a secret lift located on the first basement level. Considering the establishment of a private prison on the third basement level and the equipment being brought in, it is presumed that an illegal laboratory will be built.]
“This is why…”
Black Label had meticulously written down exactly what Hyuk-min wanted.
But that wasn’t why he was so impressed with Black Label.
It was the additional thoughts from Guild Leader Hwang Ji-young written below.
“I’m getting greedy.”
Those words made Hyuk-min covet Black Label.
[Client Jang Han-bit is the CEO of Hanbit Real Estate and has recently been confirmed to have a close relationship with Haeundae Guild’s raid leader, Park Chung-ho.]
[It has been confirmed that Park Chung-ho and all former members of his Azure Lake Guild have been involved in the department store’s construction.]
[It has been confirmed that Park Chung-ho and Jang Han-bit became close after spending a long time together as prison mates. End of report.]
Even though he hadn’t mentioned it, Hwang Ji-young had found out about his connection to Park Chung-ho.
She had even discovered how Park Chung-ho and Jang Han-bit had become close, something even Hyuk-min didn’t know.
She was truly a formidable ally.
A force he didn’t want to lose.
‘They are essential for the wars to come.’
Now that he had received satisfactory information, it was time to give a gift to match.
He made the call immediately.
[Is the information to your…?]
“Hallingstuene Restaurant in the Geilo region of Norway.”
[…..]
“If you go there, you’ll be able to meet your husband.”
[What are you talking about….]
“You know it too. Your husband was a good cook. You can meet him if you go at 5 PM, so keep that in mind.”
Before hanging up, he added one more thing.
“Oh, and this information is only about your husband. I’ll tell you about your daughter depending on how things go from now on. So wait.”
[Hey! Bang Hyuk-min! How do you know about my husband….]
Click.
He hung up.
The phone rang again immediately, but of course, he didn’t answer.
He let out a snort.
“She already found out my name? Or did she know from the moment we first made contact?”
He shrugged.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.”
Ignoring the constantly ringing phone, he stood before a Rogue Guild employee to sell his Magic Stones.
And just like any other time, he took out the Magic Stones from his Inventory and handed them to the Rogue Guild employee.
It seemed the employee was still amazed at how items appeared out of the Inventory.
“Yes, I’ll process this for you right away.”
However, the employee no longer asked any questions about it.
It was something he would find out eventually as time passed.
He didn’t feel the need to explain it.
After some time, the employee returned with two bags of cash.
“You have a huge number of them. Did you hunt orcs again? Phew, that must have been difficult. You’re amazing.”
Unlike before, the employee was full of admiration.
“You must have a team, right?”
“I don’t have a team. How much is it?”
“D-Don’t tell me you did it alone…. Ahem, the total amount comes out to this.”
It was understandable that he was surprised.
To think he had single-handedly slaughtered dozens of orcs, a mob that would normally be seen in a Class B Dungeon.
The surprised employee didn’t know what expression to make and had a strange look on his face.
He opened one of the bags and took out two 50,000 won bills.
“Here.”
“Thank you!”
“The receipt, please.”
“Here it is!”
For a mere 100,000 won, the employee’s attitude became exceptionally polite.
He put the receipt in the money bag and closed it.
Then he put both money bags into his Inventory and said.
“See you again. Well then.”
“Goodbye, sir!”
Leaving the employee, who was bowing at a 90-degree angle, behind, he walked outside.
On his way out, he could feel the intense gazes of the Rogues.
On top of that, his heightened Stats allowed him to even hear the whispering voices of the Rogues.
“I just saw him, he had a whole pile of Magic Stones. He said he hunted them alone.”
“Didn’t the employee say they were orc Magic Stones? He soloed orcs?”
“Yeah, he soloed dozens of them.”
“That’s insane. Wow, I want to party with him.”
“Should we go ask him?”
“Forget it. You can tell just by looking that we wouldn’t be good enough for him. Look at his stride. He’s so confident.”
“Too bad.”
Unlike the past when he was ignored and looked down upon, Hyuk-min felt an unfamiliar emotion from the gazes of the Rogues as he left the Rogue Guild.
On his way to catch a taxi.
He took out the Black Label phone, which was no longer ringing, and made a call.
“Text me the location of the black market dealer in Wolgok-dong. There’s something I need to buy.”