Episode 232 Endless Dungeon (4)
Just then, a call came.
It was from Alain, who had been tracking Sanghyeon in Korea. He was a subordinate to whom Luca had specifically given instructions.
“Alain.”
[The tracking of Shin Sanghyeon has been cut off. He suddenly left the country.]
“Overseas? It doesn’t seem like it was long ago that he reported returning to the country?”
[Yes. I checked with my informants, and it appears he went to the United States. There are indications that he visited the Nobility Guild and entered the Endless Dungeon.]
“What…?”
Luca asked back in surprise at the sudden turn of events.
It is a common occurrence for a player to travel between domestic and foreign countries if they frequently visit dungeons.
Since Luca was traveling around the world himself, it wasn’t strange at all.
So, he understood that he went to the United States. After all, there are all kinds of dungeons there.
And visiting the Nobility Guild was also okay. He knew that he was interested in Sanghyeon.
But you granted him the opportunity to enter the Endless Dungeon? Coincidentally, at this very time?
According to my investigation so far, it is true that Sanghyun is highly skilled and is receiving a lot of attention.
However, he was not yet fully developed as a player to recklessly attempt to conquer the Endless Dungeon.
Moreover, the Endless Dungeon is a place where failing to clear it even once means being forced to sit idle for a full year.
Sanghyun entered a dungeon far too quickly, when it would not be surprising to enter with the utmost caution and even later.
It was as if he were being chased by something, or as if there was some compelling reason why he had to grow rapidly.
Luca said,
“Alaine. Did he really enter the Endless Dungeon? Are you certain?”
[They say he rode in a car driven by Frederic Villain himself in the direction of the Endless Dungeon.
You know, don't you? Just how remote the location of Frederic Villain's Endless Dungeon is.]
“There is no room for doubt.”
[That is correct.] " What should I do?"
“Stand by for now. If there are any further instructions, I will contact you separately.”
[Yes, understood.]
Call ended.
Luca’s eyes sparkled.
It must have been Frederick’s consideration that allowed Sanghyeon to enter the Endless Dungeon.
No, rather than consideration, it was clear that there was some kind of mutually agreed-upon contract or a matter requiring his attention.
If so, there is no way he wouldn’t have told Sanghyeon about the unique nature of the Endless Dungeon.
The fact that Sanghyeon hurriedly entered knowing that… … .
'Could it be him?'
He strongly suspected that Sanghyeon might be the player who contracted with the Storm God's Throne.
Right now, even the Eye of Calamity, the divine throne Luca serves, is telling him to prepare because things have gone awry. Just then
, the Eye of Calamity, which had been silent for a moment, continued the message.
[In the deep void of the Dimensional Rift, I was able to confirm the information of the contractor who contracted with the Storm God.
The 'Void' is a forbidden realm, but since there is no Mediator right now, it is not something to worry about at all.
Look it up.] "This is the dog you must kill, faithfully following the Storm God's commands.
You are the key to him, and he is the key to you. Kill this bastard."
What the Eye of Calamity showed through the message window was the unmistakable face of Upper Moon.
I had heard that even Constellations and Divine Thrones are forbidden from approaching the 'Void,' which disrupts the balance and order of the Dimensional Rift. Judging
by the fact that the Eye of Calamity moved even while ignoring that rule, he seemed quite impatient, too.
As a loyal contractor, it is only natural to understand the heart of his master and live up to his expectations.
"So… the puzzle is finally fitting together. The gluttonous instinct I felt while thinking of him must have been fated."
Luca said, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue.
When he first got to know Upper Moon, he had simply thought of him as a Constellation predator—a good catch to devour.
But looking back now, the relationship between Upper Moon and himself was one of destiny, destined to devour each other.
[I look forward to it.]
“Yes. There is nothing left to think about now. It is merely a pity that I did not know this sooner.”
Luca rolled up his sleeves.
He knew that Upper Moon was a contractor of the Storm Throne and had a connection to the Constellation tormenting the Eye of Calamity.
All that remained was to kill him.
[If I kill this contractor, the balance of good and evil that has maintained the Dimensional Rift will crumble.
Then, the rank of the Constellation will be bestowed upon those waiting outside the Rift to become my loyal subordinates.
From that moment on, everything will become your world and mine. That day is not far off.]
“I shall faithfully execute the traitor.”
Luca bowed his head.
And immediately, he booked a flight to the United States.
The plan ahead is simple.
Find Upper Moon and kill him.
That was the end.
* * *
Quite some time had passed since then.
“Ughhhh…”
And the boss monster of the 10th floor of the Endless Dungeon, who had just lost his life to Sanghyeon, was collapsing.
『Over Psychedelic』
■ Skill Level: Stage 5 (81.0%)
■ Skill Description: Instantly restores all HP the moment this skill is used and enters an Awakened state for 960 seconds.
(……omitted)
“To think the duration was doubled. If I had known it would be this efficient, I would have gritted my teeth and leveled up the skill.”
The duration of Over Psychedelic, which was originally 480 seconds, changed drastically the moment the skill level reached 5.
960 seconds. That’s a whopping 16 minutes.
Considering the cooldown is 30 minutes, it also meant that if you use the skill, you can use it again after 14 minutes have passed.
『Skill Reset』
■ Skill Level: Stage 5 (82.2%)
■ Skill Description: Resets all skills with a cooldown, excluding this skill.
The range for Skill Reset is within a 9m radius, and you can select a total of five targets within this area.
There is no cooldown, and an instant reset is possible once the mana requirement of 10,000 is met.
Skill Reset has changed as well.
Originally, it was a skill that generated a significant amount of skill experience with each use. This was because the cooldown was on a daily basis.
However, when I used Skill Reset twice in the Endless Dungeon, my level jumped to 5.
While the original limit was once a day, now I could use it continuously as long as I had enough mana. The
10,000 mana requirement does not mean that your stats must be 10,000.
It means that when you decide to use the skill, a mechanism is activated to inject 10,000 mana and replenish it.
You can think of it as filling the Skill Reset container with mana, much like filling an empty container with oil.
“Dark Whisper becomes guaranteed blind at level 5. Weakness Enhancement is always active. Sage's Whisper can be used once every minute. It's insane. It's insane.”
Thanks to leveling up his skills to level 5 one after another, many of them had become significantly more useful than before.
“Frenzy. Mortal Fury. Steel Storm… Every single missing part of my skills has been filled, and the parts that were already appealing have been further strengthened.”
That was precisely what made Sang-hyun happy. It wasn’t just a matter of acquiring something good.
Weaknesses were compensated for, strengths were reinforced, and characteristics diversified.
Simply put, he had ceaselessly experienced each and every skill becoming a complete entity.
These were skills that he had already heard called overpowered to the point of being ingrained in his ears. The overpowered nature of those skills had become even more pronounced.
If he were to show his entire list of skills, how many players would believe this was reality?
Sang-hyun was absolutely certain that none would. In fact, it would be a relief if they didn't just feel jealous.
“Let’s not think of it as luck. Taking advantage of it is also a skill. There’s no way I would have made it to the 10th floor without skill.”
Sang-hyun encouraged himself.
Even though he had experienced rapid growth, Sang-hyun had, in his own way, stumbled and struggled through many things along the way.
However, this time, I climbed the Endless Dungeon without facing any significant crisis, at least up to the 10th floor.
Nevertheless, the rewards I obtained were beyond imagination.
It wasn't just once or twice that I wondered if this was a bug-like place that the system shouldn't have created.
In gaming terms, it felt like using a cheat code—and every single moment at that.
A cheat code is a special move limited to single-player mode, allowing you to gain an advantage in your own world and be done with it.
But the Endless Dungeon was different. It was a cheat code given to Sanghyeon in a legitimate form within a world where countless players interacted.
“Level 430… and all my artifacts are set to at least Epic rarity. The boosted stats are beyond words, phew…”
A sigh of overwhelming emotion escaped me.
At least for now, I felt like the protagonist of a novel.
The feeling of being a hero and protagonist to whom the entire world poured its hopes and power to stand against the final enemy.
The protagonists of the fantasy novels Sanghyeon used to enjoy were just like that. They
would consume a flood of fortuitous encounters and luck—enough to make one wonder if it was even allowed—become incredibly strong, and become the greatest in the world.
With my rather cynical reader sensibility, I used to think it was absurd that the world favored only the protagonist like that.
But now that I was actually the one experiencing that 'absurdity,' I couldn't have felt better. It was completely satisfying
. Readers must be experiencing vicarious satisfaction when they see the protagonist like this. Suddenly, Sang-hyun found himself perfectly understanding that psychology.
"I want to rest, but…"
He desperately wanted to lie down on a flat surface and take a deep nap, but he couldn't.
Even at this very moment, the late-blooming model student Seong-gwa was likely still being chased.
And the Goddess of Fortune, Lee Si-yeon, was probably praying for his safe return.
Under these circumstances, he didn't want to just sleep peacefully. Even if pushed to sleep, it felt like he wouldn't be able to.
Until he truly felt like he was about to collapse, until he was so exhausted he couldn't hold on any longer.
Until then, he intended to struggle desperately to climb one more floor.
That was his courtesy and duty to those who believed in him and were waiting for him.
Tighten his grip.
Sanghyun tightened his grip on the Nameless Sword and stepped forward with a confident stride.
Entering the 11th floor of the Endless Dungeon.
The beginning of a new hierarchy.
* * *
Around that time.
“Still not coming out? That’s impressive for a first entry.”
Frederick was marveling after receiving a report from his subordinate regarding the Endless Dungeon.
Quite a long time had passed since Sanghyun entered the Endless Dungeon.
Since the Endless Dungeon has a maximum time limit per floor, one cannot stay for long.
After all, failing to clear the level or giving up results in unconditional 'banishment' to the entrance outside the Endless Dungeon.
If Sang-hyun had died or given up on the raid, his subordinates should have spotted him at the entrance.
Yet, there was still absolutely no news of him. In other words, it meant the raid was proceeding smoothly.
I had thought Sang-hyun was a formidable opponent ever since our first meeting, but seeing him at this point, his skills surprised me even more.
