The Veteran Player Already Knows

Ch. 10



Chapter 10 - Mysterious Forest (2)

[ You have conquered the ‘Mysterious Forest’! ]

[ Ownership of the floor is granted to you. You are entrusted with control over the internal Field. ]

Just as that message appeared, a coin-shaped object slowly descended from above.

The Conquest Token.

It was proof that I had become the ‘Conqueror’ of this floor.

I smirked and rolled the token in my palm.

Well, they called it just a token.

To be precise, this was a ‘control panel’.

It was an incredibly useful item, but for now, before I checked its effects, there was something else I needed to take care of first.

[ Level Up! ]

[ Lv.3 → Lv.6

Stat Points +6

Skill Points +3

All status abnormalities are cured. ]

[ You have completed the quest with an EX grade! ]

[ You have achieved the accomplishment: ! ]

[ Additional rewards will be provided! ]

Oh.

So an accomplishment was unlocked too.

It was a kind of trophy system put in to give users things to delve into, separate from the main game progression.

I didn't know this would also work properly.

‘Well, if I think about it...’

Conquering a floor was typically scheduled on a monthly basis, but I had completed it in less than a few hours.

I had also met the original 5-day condition with plenty of time to spare.

It wasn't strange for an accomplishment like this to be unlocked.

While I was thinking that, 30 potion bottles wrapped in blue light dropped from the air.

Good.

The reward that had been announced beforehand should have been 20, but it seemed more were added as an additional reward.

I neatly packed them away in my duffel bag for now.

These recovery potions were all-purpose consumables that restored a target's health to its maximum ratio, no questions asked.

I had no immediate use for such a precious item, and more importantly, I had plans to use this for something better later.

In the first place, this wasn't the core reason I had rushed to the Mysterious Forest.

“Hmm...”

I approached the main body of the Dryad, which had withered away as soon as I detonated the core.

I was able to find what I was looking for quickly.

A fist-sized crystal embedded in the middle of the withered tree. At a glance, it sparkled so much it looked like a jewel.

Of course, this was an item I had no intention of selling, even if someone brought a diamond of the same size.

[ Fairy’s Core / Grade: Advanced ]

[ A core in which the energy of a fairy has accumulated over a long period. If consumed, your Mana capacity will permanently increase. Upon consumption, Mana Stat +3 ]

Nice.

The item's settings were just as I remembered.

The effect of permanently increasing a stat just by consuming it was of course attractive, but the true value of this core was revealed not when used alone, but when combined with other items.

In this world, the energy of a fairy held immense value when paired with a ‘catalyst’.

‘I don't know about other things, but I must raise my Mana.’

Of course, all elements were important, but if I had to pick the highest priority for me right now, it was the Mana stat.

Given my characteristic of having several times more skills to use than others, it meant I would consume several times more Mana as well.

And probably.

If I could just utilize the Fairy's Core properly, I wouldn't have to worry about anything related to that.

‘These too...’

I picked up a few items scattered around.

If this were a game, these would have been fixed drops for defeating this boss.

And just as I was about to examine them closely, I felt a presence nearby.

‘Is it about time for them to show up?’

There was only one type of person I would encounter here.

The subjugation team that was preparing to enter a little while ago.

“...Good.”

In any case, the reason I was so desperately trying to get stronger was ultimately to properly intervene in the ‘main scenario’.

And creating the opportunity to get a foot in that door.

It started right here.

‘It was definitely... that guy, right?’

I recalled who the leader of the subjugation team was now, and what his ability was.

Yes.

I was certain I could make a pretty good ‘connection’ here.

What I had to do for that was simple.

Keep my mouth shut and stay still.

The other party would take care of the rest.

I sat down, leaning against the Dryad's corpse with a broad smile.

All that was left was to just wait.

***

Kim Jae-han of the Hunting Alliance was a man who rarely showed his emotions.

It was no wonder the nickname his peers gave him was ‘Stone Statue’.

Of course, his history as an executive of the Hunting Alliance made him seem like a cool and intellectual person, but it wasn't that Kim Jae-han acted that way to cultivate such an image.

Kim Jae-han was truly, truly a man of few emotional expressions. By nature.

So.

This current situation could certainly be called exceptional.

“What in the world is this...”

Kim Jae-han let out a flustered voice as he looked around.

Mysterious Forest.

It was a well-known fact that, contrary to its ethereal name, the inside was filled with vicious man-eating plants and Demonic Beasts.

But now, those Demonic Beasts and plants were rolling around peacefully nearby as if they were pets.

There were even some who were occasionally spotted acting cute towards the subjugation team.

For the subjugation team, which had entered with grim determination, it was a scene so far from their expectations that it was shocking.

“...No way.”

It wasn't that he had no idea what was going on.

In the first place, there was only one possibility for Demonic Beasts to react as if they had been ‘tamed’ like this.

When someone had claimed the floor’s Conquest Token first.

‘But...’

Even the Hunting Alliance, one of the top guilds in all of Korea, had only just now formed a subjugation team and entered the floor. Who on earth could have gotten ahead of them?

They had been closely monitoring the movements of other guilds, yet they hadn't sensed any sign of another subjugation team being formed nearby.

“We will proceed with the floor boss subjugation at full speed without rest. Everyone, get ready.”

Either way, it was a given that they had to explore to the end to get a clear grasp of the situation.

Kim Jae-han urged on the forced march without batting an eye at the sighs erupting from those around him.

Yet, no one could voice a complaint against him.

Because Kim Jae-han was a B-rank Climber.

Unlike D~F-rank Climbers who were treated as ordinary, the evaluation criteria for C-rank Climbers and above became incredibly strict.

About half of all Climbers retired without ever even reaching C-rank.

Let alone B-rank, he was an elite who could be treated as a VIP wherever he went.

‘As I thought.’

And the deeper they went into the floor, the hypothesis he had formed earlier was gradually turning into certainty.

Someone had ‘conquered’ this floor before the subjugation team.

Otherwise, there was no way they could pass through here without any threat like this.

Of course, at the same time, he was in a situation where he couldn't even form a proper hypothesis as to who had done such a thing.

‘And also...’

The more they proceeded with the subjugation, another fact amplified Kim Jae-han's doubts.

There wasn't even a decent trace left throughout the entire floor.

Clearly, a large number of people would be needed to conquer a floor, and if so, there should have been traces of their passage.

But there were no remnants, as if a ghost had passed through.

There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from this.

‘Their skills are not ordinary.’

It was standard for Climbers to avoid combat as much as possible.

The deeper one went into the Tower, the harder resupply became, so being able to reach the top floor with as little damage as possible was a measure of competence.

In that respect, to have proceeded this smoothly, it was highly likely they were top-tier Climbers whose hiring fees were literally whatever they named.

‘Could Jeokpungdae have moved faster than us? Or maybe Daeshinjeon?’

As he mentally sorted through a list of groups that could hire such Climbers without hesitation, a huge door appeared before Kim Jae-han’s eyes.

It was the boss room, guarded by the floor boss.

“I will enter alone.”

Even if there was something dangerous inside, he could handle it.

Having others come would only be a burden.

At his words, which stemmed from such confidence, the surrounding members nodded their heads with reluctant expressions.

“...”

However, as soon as he entered the boss room, Kim Jae-han couldn't help but become tense.

As expected, there was no boss.

But there was something that looked more dangerous than a boss.

“Oh. Hello.”

Kim Jae-han’s face hardened as soon as he saw a man waving his hand casually as he spoke.

“...”

He was an excruciatingly ordinary-looking man.

It wasn't just his looks; his overall feel strongly exuded an aura of being an ‘unremarkable person’.

Probably.

Anyone would have agreed if such a man hadn't been leaning against the corpse of a giant Demonic Beast.

A colossal tree that covered the entire vast room, and on top of it, the upper half of a woman sprouting forth.

It was a Demonic Beast Kim Jae-han knew well.

‘Dryad.’

A Demonic Beast ranked C+.

And a C+ grade Demonic Beast was an opponent that even he, an executive of the Hunting Alliance, could barely defeat only by mobilizing all available means.

“I am Kim Jae-han of the Hunting Alliance. What is your affiliation? Where are your colleagues?”

When Kim Jae-han asked with a frown, the man replied with a smirk.

“I am Kim Gyu-sik of Renegade. I don't have any colleagues.”

“...You're alone?”

Was this guy messing with him?

He broke through the floor by himself and even subdued the floor boss alone?

Even he, a B-rank Climber who was never looked down upon wherever he went, couldn't do such a thing.

“...”

Kim Jae-han frowned even more and scanned the area around the man.

‘...A battle took place just a moment ago. The residual Mana is very thick.’

That meant the Dryad was alive until a short while ago.

‘But, to have caught it alone doesn't make any sense no matter how I think about it... What method did he use?’

There were weapons presumed to have been used in the battle scattered around.

But none of them looked like they could be used for hunting a Demonic Beast.

They were scraps that anyone would scoff at if a Climber claimed to use them.

‘...He's hiding something.’

Having made that judgment, Kim Jae-han immediately gathered Mana near his eyes.

Being an executive of the Hunting Alliance was a position impossible to reach simply by having high combat ability.

Being a director of a large guild was a seat one could only ascend to if they had ‘something’ that clearly differentiated them from others.

And the differentiating factor Kim Jae-han possessed was ‘analysis’.

The ability to grasp most information just by glancing at a target was the sharpest weapon that had placed him in the position of a trusted executive among many talented individuals.

Even the highest-ranked Climbers or Demonic Beasts, which could surely tear him apart in seconds, couldn't obscure his analytical power.

So, whatever this man was hiding.

His ability would reveal the truth in its entirety.

And so.

“...?!”

As soon as Kim Jae-han understood the results of his analysis.

He couldn't help but be horrified.

[ Strength: 1

Agility: 1

Durability: 1

Health: 1

Luck: 1

Mana: 1 ]

‘...What in the world.’

The result was far below that of even an ordinary person.

This man.

He was a ‘weakling’ of a level that couldn't be explained unless he was born with a curse.

No rock-bottom life he had ever seen had such pathetic analysis results.

As if someone had manipulated it with a heap of malice.

“...!”

And the moment that thought crossed his mind.

A realization struck him like lightning.

‘This guy...’

Kim Jae-han gritted his teeth.

This ordinary-looking man before his eyes.

Was deceiving his ‘analysis ability’ entirely.

Because otherwise, this analysis result couldn't be explained.

It was an undeniable fact that this man had reached the top of the Tower alone and faced that Demonic Beast, but there was no way that was possible with these stats.

To so easily neutralize one of his absolute weapons, which even monsters akin to natural disasters couldn't deceive.

He couldn't even fathom what level of being this man was.

‘And so...!’

If he was a master of that caliber, everything this man said could be explained.

Climbing the Tower with ease without a single colleague, and subduing such a powerful Demonic Beast with ridiculous weapons.

It was possible simply because he himself was a monster.

“...”

Kim Jae-han unknowingly broke out in a cold sweat as he looked at the man named Kim Gyu-sik.

He didn't know where a guy like this suddenly popped out from or what he wanted, but.

One thing was certain.

‘I must win his favor. At the very least, I must get on speaking terms with him.’

He didn't know what this person's intentions were in conquering the Tower alone, or what he hoped for by waiting for them.

But if he were to make a bad impression and sour the relationship, the loss would be immense.

Having made that judgment, Kim Jae-han carefully watched Kim Gyu-sik's expression.

“I see. My apologies. You said you are from the Renegade guild, correct?”

“Well, I'm affiliated with them for now.”

“I understand. I will remember it.”

Renegade. The Renegade guild.

It was a place he had never heard of, but as long as this man was there, it was a name he must remember.

Kim Jae-han nodded as he thought so.

“It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope we can see each other often for good things with our guild.”

“A good relationship? In what way?”

To this, the man named Kim Gyu-sik replied with a grin.

There weren't many people who could be this relaxed with him, a B-rank Climber, but Kim Jae-han decided to be even more certain from that attitude.

This man was definitely not an ordinary human.

“...Let's talk about that in more detail later. If we meet again, I will be sure to treat you in a way that you won't be disappointed.”

“Does that mean I can look forward to a story that's favorable to me?”

“You may look forward to it.”

“Do you know what I might demand?”

“...I've already told you.”

Kim Jae-han continued, his voice still calm.

“That I will treat you in a way that you are ‘by no means disappointed’.”

At those words, Kim Gyu-sik grinned.

As if everything had gone according to plan.


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