Chapter: 05
A heavy silence settled over the area, so dense that even the sound of a pin dropping would have seemed as loud as thunder.
The players had no idea what had just happened. All they could do was tremble in fear.
Even Didascalia was so shocked that he couldn’t say a single word.
Only one person remained completely calm.
Yoojin.
With an indifferent expression, he stared into empty space.
He was checking the description of the new Trait he had just received as an achievement reward through the Akasha System.
『Body Blessed by a God [S]』: Greatly increases the body’s overall capabilities.
“Heh… this time it’s ‘greatly.'”
It was a modifier he had never even seen during his first life.
Normally, descriptions said things like “slightly” or “a little.” Only exceptionally good rewards were described as “considerably” or “quite.”
But “greatly”…
And it was even ranked S.
He couldn’t begin to imagine just how powerful this Trait really was.
“Well… it’s bound to be amazing.”
A smile spread across Yoojin’s face.
Compared to his first life, he had started from a point that wasn’t even comparable.
When he eventually reached the finish line—the 100th Floor—
Just how different would he become?
“Maybe I’ll become strong enough that I won’t even need to raise those guys… No, that’s not right.”
He shook his head.
If he kept monopolizing opportunities like this and continued growing stronger, he might actually be capable of preventing the world’s destruction all by himself.
But…
“Or maybe not.”
What if things didn’t go according to his expectations?
What if the apocalypse still came again?
“That would be a problem.”
Could he really guarantee that the Akasha System would once again grant him a skill like 『Chronos’s Hourglass [EX]』?
To avoid any unforeseen disaster, he had to stick to his original plan.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone worth recruiting here anyway. I’ll thoroughly search from the First Floor onward.”
Having organized his thoughts, Yoojin closed the Trait window.
Immediately, he noticed all the players staring at him with lifeless, dead-fish eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
Rustle.
At those short words, everyone quickly averted their gaze.
After witnessing what had happened, they were afraid that getting involved with him might get them killed like Jin Taeho or the Black Darkness.
Yoojin frowned in annoyance at their pathetic behavior before looking up at Didascalia.
“Hey. Come down here. My neck hurts.”
“Eek!”
Didascalia ground his teeth.
But there was nothing he could do.
After all, Yoojin had just crushed Black Darkness as casually as stepping on an ant.
Even a Tower Administrator couldn’t help fearing someone like that.
Reluctantly, he flapped his wings and descended.
“Good. You’re a good listener.”
Yoojin liked it very much.
Seeing the arrogant Administrator obey his commands without a word was deeply satisfying.
“Player Sung Yoojin. The power you’re currently using is extremely abnormal.”
Of course it was.
Did Didascalia think Yoojin himself didn’t know that?
So what?
『Afterimage [S]』 had been officially awarded by the Akasha System through legitimate means.
“I’ll investigate the circumstances. If I determine that illegitimate methods were involved… there will be appropriate punishment.”
When an Administrator spoke of punishment…
He meant death.
In other words, if Didascalia found even the slightest excuse, he’d use it to kill Yoojin.
“Do whatever you want.”
Yoojin answered lazily before taking a step closer.
“So now that the thing you summoned is dead… is it over?”
“Surely… not.”
Didascalia shook his head.
His frozen face relaxed into another disgusting smile.
“There’s still one more stage remaining.”
The corners of his lips twitched.
He was trying to act calm, but it was obvious he was still shaken.
Originally, around thirty players should have died before things reached this point.
Instead, only one had.
Even Jin Taeho hadn’t died to Black Darkness—
He had died at Yoojin’s hands.
The players now feared Yoojin more than the Administrator himself.
That alone was enough to badly wound Didascalia’s pride.
“Now then!”
As if refusing to admit his own humiliation, he shouted loudly.
“Next up… it’s a treasure hunt!”
Right.
This was it.
The treasure hunt.
If this had been a school trip or company retreat, cheers would have erupted.
Unfortunately…
No one here looked excited.
Well—
Except Yoojin.
“All throughout this Tutorial Floor are countless treasures hidden just for all of you players!”
Watching Didascalia enthusiastically speak like some recreational event host, Yoojin chuckled.
“He’s not wrong, though.”
The Tutorial Floor really did contain quite a few valuable rewards.
Skills.
Items.
Even Rune Fragments that granted Traits.
They were essentially rewards for those who had survived Black Darkness.
But naturally…
“If there were only good treasures, where would the fun be?”
His smile turned cruel.
“Unfortunately, some of the treasures are duds. So be very careful before opening them!”
A dud truly meant a dud.
There was no consolation prize.
No “better luck next time.”
The instant someone picked one up—
Boom!
It exploded.
The blast was far beyond what a Level 1 player could survive.
Death was guaranteed.
“Back then, around twenty people died here too, didn’t they?”
Even during his first life, nearly fifty people had ultimately died on the Tutorial Floor.
Between Black Darkness and the treasure hunt, half the summoned players had perished.
“You only have thirty minutes! Thanks to someone, there are fewer treasures than expected, so you’d better move quickly!”
As Didascalia subtly blamed Yoojin, the players cautiously began moving.
After witnessing everything that had just happened, they realized standing around would only get them killed.
“At least they’re taking initiative.”
That was better than wasting time hesitating while someone else claimed everything.
Still…
It was dangerous.
If Yoojin simply watched, fireworks would start going off all over the place just like they had during his first life.
“Can’t allow that.”
It wasn’t because he pitied those idiots.
There was a far more important reason.
“The good stuff belongs to me.”
Honestly, how valuable could Tutorial Floor treasures really be?
Even if you combined every single one of them, they still wouldn’t compare to the 『Body Blessed by a God [S]』 Trait he had just obtained.
Still…
Even mud could hide pearls.
Most of the treasures were junk.
But among them were a few things that would definitely prove useful.
“About five minutes left?”
Roughly ten minutes had passed since activating 『Afterimage [S]』.
He had killed Black Darkness, checked his Trait, and even spoken briefly with Didascalia.
“That’s plenty.”
The Tutorial Floor was roughly the size of a small city.
An ordinary person would need months to thoroughly search such a place.
“But I’m not ordinary.”
Yoojin kicked off the ground and shot into the sky.
“『Detection [B]』.”
At the same time, he activated a skill he had learned during his first life.
Instantly, his senses spread across the entire area.
A tidal wave of information flooded his mind.
The locations of every treasure Didascalia had hidden appeared inside his head in real time.
“Seventy-two altogether?”
It took only ten seconds to locate every hidden treasure.
“Perfect.”
He could easily collect them all before time ran out.
“『Swift Speed [B]』.”
The moment he activated another skill—
He tore across space at a speed incomparable to before.
With a single step, he covered more than a kilometer instantly.
The other players, who had barely traveled a hundred meters, couldn’t even follow his movements with their eyes.
“Wish I had a little more time.”
The treasures were scattered across a much wider area than expected.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough time to carefully distinguish the real treasures from the duds.
“I’ll grab everything first. I’ll sort through them later.”
Decision made.
Yoojin began not a treasure hunt—
But a treasure collection.
“Oh, definitely taking this.”
“That’s a dud.”
“Hmm… this one’s questionable.”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Massive explosions erupted one after another behind the path Yoojin traveled.
The hidden duds exploded as he passed.
Yet Yoojin wasn’t harmed in the slightest.
The instant each explosion occurred—
He had already moved far away.
Not that a direct hit would have left so much as a scratch on him anyway.
Exactly five minutes later—
As the duration of 『Afterimage [S]』 came to an end—
Yoojin finally stopped moving.
“Ugh… I’m exhausted.”
The overwhelming power that had been overflowing through his body disappeared.
His entire body suddenly felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, Yoojin sat down where he was and began examining everything he had gathered.
“I’ll keep this… this… and this.”
Out of fifty-three real treasures—
Only three interested him.
The other fifty were worthless to him.
“Let’s see…”
『Instant [E]』: Once per day, allows a short-distance movement.
The first item was an E-Rank Skill Book with an odd description.
But Yoojin knew exactly what it really was.
“Teleportation.”
Granted—
Calling it teleportation right now was a bit generous.
Its range was only three meters.
And it could only be used once a day.
Even so—
He chose it because it possessed limitless growth potential.
As Skill Mastery increased, both its range and number of uses would improve.
And if fully mastered…
One could practically appear everywhere at once.
East one moment.
West the next.
“Man… I really wanted this.”
It was a skill he had never acquired in his first life.
Instead, he had watched a Japanese player named Sasaki use it.
Sasaki had mastered 『Instant [E]』 so well that he became the first person ever to escape Yoojin’s pursuit.
“It’ll take time to master… but it’s worth every bit of effort.”
He had never imagined he’d find it on the Tutorial Floor.
His mood improved considerably.
“Next…”
『Flame Dragon Blade [E]』: A sword containing an infinitesimal portion of a Flame Dragon’s power.
It was a single-edged blade faintly wrapped in a crimson aura.
The first item Yoojin had touched since returning to the past.
It was only E-Rank, so its performance wasn’t exceptional.
Still, it would be quite useful until around the Tenth Floor.
“Besides, it can be upgraded if certain conditions are met.”
Of course, even then, he’d only use it on the lower floors before replacing it with something better.
“And finally…”
『Unity of Mind and Body [E]』: Aligns the body perfectly with one’s thoughts.
An E-Rank Trait Rune Fragment.
“…It’s good to see you again.”
During his first life…
This had been the only treasure Yoojin found here.
And it was the greatest contributor to making him who he eventually became.
To everyone else, it was worthless.
A useless Trait not even worth a single coin.
But for Yoojin…
It was different.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that learning 『Unity of Mind and Body [E]』 had made it possible for him to tear the apocalypse apart with his own hands.
You have learned the Skill 『Instant [E]』.
You have acquired the Trait 『Unity of Mind and Body [E]』.
As the notification windows appeared, the Skill Book and Rune Fragment crumbled into dust.
“I’ve gotten everything worth taking.”
No—
He had obtained far more than he’d originally expected.
Throwing the remaining treasures into the air, Yoojin addressed the players who had been standing around doing nothing.
“Take them if you want.”
There were ninety-eight surviving players.
Only fifty treasures remained.
Just as Didascalia had said, the Tutorial had never expected so many people to survive.
But that didn’t mean Yoojin was going to compensate for the shortage.
“Those destined to get one will get one. Those destined to lose one will lose it.”
He had no intention of involving himself any further.
He quietly watched the players scramble toward the treasures raining through the air.
Then he shifted his gaze.
Didascalia.
Their eyes met in midair.
The Administrator was still trembling.
“If you’ve got time to glare at me, hurry up and finish this, bastard. I’m busy.”
