Chapter 2
A mission truly completed in an instant.
I checked the timer.
[00:00:37]
Looking closely, only about 37 seconds had passed.
“Is this for real…?”
One after another, status windows popped up.
[Mission Complete!]
[New Record Achieved!]
[‘Shortest Time to Complete Mission’ Updated. 00:06:23 → 00:00:37]
A new record. And not just that—it shattered the previous record by an enormous margin.
It was then.
Kugung… Kugugung.
[Eliminate 30 Goblins. 36/30]
“The kill count is still… going up?”
Every time a flash of light appeared, the count accumulated.
I had heard of it before.
Overkill!
Not all monsters in a wide field are exactly the number required for a mission. When tackling party quests, it’s common to defeat more monsters than necessary. In the case of overkill, of course, it affects the rewards.
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Goblin 39/30]
…
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Goblin 41/30]
…
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Goblin 43/30]
Ding—
Snapped out of my daze at the newly appearing alarm.
[You will be moved to the 1st-floor waiting room shortly.]
“Moved to the waiting room?”
Thinking about it, now was not the time for that.
The drones were still happily slaughtering goblins. They needed to be called back immediately and brought inside the gate.
If I failed to recall them and they went out like this…
“They’d be lost…!”
I couldn’t afford to lose such valuable combat units starting from the 1st floor.
I shouted urgently.
“Rally!”
I was anxious, wondering if my voice would even reach.
Fortunately, contrary to my worry, the loud noise stopped abruptly.
I had worried that my command wouldn’t register if the drones were too far. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.
Buuuuuuung.
The drone flew at incredible speed, circling nearby, and I gave the command.
“Enter the city and wait.”
Vroom vroom.
One by one, the drones disappeared into the gate. Once all had passed, I closed it.
“Gate closed!”
And immediately after, the scenery in front of me shifted slightly to the previously gloomy tower.
We had moved to the waiting room.
“Phew… that was close.”
I vowed not to send them out so far next time.
“Anyway, how’s the record?”
I checked again the combat that completed all missions in 37 seconds.
[00:00:52]
The total time had been 52 seconds.
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Goblin 61/30]
I had defeated more than twice the target number of goblins.
I let out a hollow laugh.
“This is unbelievable. Is this even a possible record?”
Yes, it was possible. That’s why the numbers existed right in front of me.
No matter how much I pinched my cheeks or shook my head, the mission window remained unchanged.
[Excess Mission Achieved!]
[An Incredible Achievement Accomplished!]
[Calculating Achievement…]
[Strategy Rank SSS Achieved!]
[An Unprecedented Record!!]
…
[This record will be engraved in the Hall of Fame.]
[Reward Upgraded.]
[Reward Upgraded.]
[Experience Granted.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[(Floors 1–5) S-Rank Reward Box Added to Inventory.]
[(Floors 1–5) S-Rank Material Box Added to Inventory.]
…
Messages kept appearing endlessly.
I was completely dumbfounded.
Before even checking the rewards, one thought came first.
“Yeah… let’s go meet Neia…”
I needed to understand the civilization more deeply…
After leaving the tower, I immediately entered the subspace.
Arriving quickly at the Core Center, Neia greeted me.
『Congratulations on your victory, Successor.』
“Neia, what can I do right now?”
『Currently available modules are as follows.』
– Monitor Core Reactor Status
– Activate 1 Extermination Combat Drone
– View City Map
– Combat Records Module
– Engagement Data Access
– Emergency Response Device Call (Alarm Level Limited)
I read through them, but nothing seemed particularly special.
Then I noticed something strange and pointed it out.
“Wait, Neia, why is the number of extermination combat drones down to one?”
Earlier, I had safely returned three drones to the gate. But now, only one could operate. Where had the other two gone?
Neia answered calmly.
『Due to the previous engagement, the city’s remaining energy has sharply decreased. As a result, the number of drones that can currently operate is limited.』
“Energy… is insufficient?”
『Correct.』
“Explain the current energy status in detail.”
『Energy levels are at a critical threshold. The entire city is in a serious energy shortage.』
“So what exactly does ‘critically low’ mean?”
『If energy consumption continues at the current rate, in approximately two hours, the city cleansing modules will shut down. In three hours, the surveillance drones will become completely inoperable, and in five hours, the limited communication network will be cut off, ultimately causing the guidance module, Neia, to stop functioning as well.』
“So we only have about five hours left?”
『In summary, yes.』
Neia paused. That meant the loss of her capabilities. I had no idea how to supply the city with power.
“How should we supply energy?”
『Energy can be supplied through the following methods, for example…』
“Explain the most realistic and reliable method simply.”
I cut her off and asked firmly. Neia, her eyes glowing red, completed the calculation and presented the solution.
『Energy can be supplemented through the following realistic resource acquisition methods.』
– Mining Rajanite Crystal Deposits
[Volatile energy ore located deep in subspace. Risk: Medium, Efficiency: Very High]
– Recovering Residual Energy from Abandoned Zones
[Retrieve distribution cores and condensed power devices from inactive machine zones. Radiation exposure risk exists]
– Release and Reuse Remaining Fuel Rods in the Central Reactor
[Emergency high-density plasma fuel. However, may damage urban power grid when used.]
– Infusing Magic Stones as Fuel
[High-density energy crystals. Immediately deployable. Efficiency: High]
“Wait, magic stones? That’s possible too?”
『Correct. Magic stones are a high-efficiency energy source, one of the resources capable of quickly solving the city’s power shortage.』
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
The reason players currently hold high value is because magic stones obtained in the tower are high-density energy resources. That’s why even lower-ranked players are highly valued. It was fascinating that such a transcendent civilization also developed resources using magic stones.
“Wait a moment.”
I had a fast way to obtain magic stones—rewards from clearing the 1st floor. These reward boxes usually contained magic stones.
[S-Rank Reward Box Opened]
With a bright light, the box disappeared, revealing a neat pile of magic stones.
I counted them.
The total was…
“…20?!”
Although they were the lowest grade, it was a large number for an S-Rank reward box. On average, a C-Rank box gives only about five low-grade magic stones. Now, four times that amount had entered the inventory.
In this desperate situation, the value was incredible.
“Each low-grade magic stone is worth about 100,000 won.”
While others might earn 500,000 won, I had earned 2,000,000 won.
“Phew…”
I wondered how effective this would be. I poured the magic stones onto the floor.
“How much can this cover?”
Neia scanned and said:
『This quantity is far from enough to resolve the power shortage.』
“Tsk…”
Just as I made a frustrated face, Neia continued.
『However, it is possible to restore the energy to the previous level before the last battle.』
Relief washed over me like a tide.
I scolded Neia.
“Next time, tell me all at once.”
『Command acknowledged. I will remember.』
“Use this to supply power quickly. Or do I need to do it myself?”
『Successor’s intervention is unnecessary. The Automatic Power Refinement Module is one of the city’s core technologies.』
Shortly after Neia spoke,
Drrrr…
A rusty mechanical robot approached, collected the magic stones, and disappeared.
A moment later,
『Power recharge complete. Based on the current status, city maintenance is possible for approximately 48 hours. Thank you for your support, Successor.』
I sighed and fell into thought.
Should I buy magic stones with the money in my account? Of course, then I’d be living on instant noodles for a while.
But it wasn’t the time to be picky while the city risked shutting down.
“I’ll step outside for a bit. Save electricity while I’m gone.”
『Command confirmed. The system will remain stable until the next return as per Successor’s instructions.』
“Sunwoo. My name is Kang Sunwoo.”
『Understood, Mr. Sunwoo.』
I had originally entered subspace to collect information about the civilization.
Yet coming out, I only had bigger concerns.
“Neia’s life support is somewhat secured, but… getting information isn’t a priority right now.”
I didn’t even know how to refill Neia’s energy; if all power went out, it would be game over. I might have to return to the convenience store and endure a hard time.
I let out a deep sigh and opened my phone app to check my balance.
[3,032,433]
“Ah, do I really have to spend this? If I do, it’s instant noodles from tomorrow…”
About 3 million won in balance.
Buying all the magic stones would allow the city to survive roughly five days, but my own energy resources would become scarce.
“Maybe I should just go back to the tower?”
Given the earlier reward calculation, I could barely maintain Neia’s energy with the magic stones from the boxes and continue climbing.
“No, that’s risky. What if I mess up?”
Magic stones aren’t guaranteed in every reward box. Sometimes equipment or accessories appear instead. If an item is worth more than a magic stone, it could be a game-changer. But if not…
“Too risky.”
I thought of another way and remembered an item obtained as a reward earlier.
【(Floors 1–5) S-Rank Material Box】
“Oh, right, I have this.”
An item in my inventory. Lucky.
The chance of getting a material box is usually 10%. But this appeared as a reward from an SSS-rank reward, which was fortunate.
“Hope I get something good.”
Unlike reward boxes, material boxes are pure luck. Some materials are worthless. Even with an S-Rank box, there’s still a chance of getting junk.
“Especially floors 1–5 are goblins.”
Those materials were especially likely to be junk.
“…Please!”
I opened it desperately. The next moment,
A green glow and fireworks sounded.
【Kinol’s Lightning Whistle】
“Eh? Wait, this is!?”
I urgently checked online.
“Won… I won?!”
