Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 10

Since awakening as a Player, my days had settled into a pattern.
Wake up in the morning, climb the tower.

[Quest Complete!]
……
[Clear Grade SSS Achieved!!]
[1 S-Rank Reward Box has been deposited to your inventory (Floors 6-10).]

Then dispose of whatever I’d obtained that day.
“Just Magic Stones today.”
No material boxes dropped.
No equipment from the reward chest either.
Normally that would’ve meant a trip to the Core Center to turn in the stones.
“Did I pack everything?”
But today was different.
I was preparing for an outing—not a visit to Neia.
“Has it been almost two years…?”

* * *

I took the bus to Daejeon, where my parents lived.
[Kumho House]
I arrived at the Chinese restaurant my parents ran and stepped inside.
The place was packed around lunch hour.
Word had spread that it was one of the neighborhood’s finest restaurants, drawing people from out of town—this time slot was always hectic.
Seeing my parents so busy, I naturally pitched in.
A delivery order had just come in; I took it myself.
My mother glanced at me with a look of mild surprise, then quietly found other things to do.
Once the rush hour passed, the customers trickled out.
When things quieted down, my mother took a seat in the dining area and spoke.
“What brings you by?”
My father emerged from the kitchen and sat down as well.
I naturally settled into the chair across from them and answered.
“I used to help out here a lot before.”
“That’s true—and you took your pay, too.”
My father said it warmly, yet with finality.
“Seon-woo, your dad doesn’t have money. You know how much Si-woo costs us—even with the restaurant doing well, it’s not cheap.”
Si-woo was my younger brother, eight years my junior.
He’d been playing baseball since childhood—a money-eating machine.
My father, groaning about expenses, then asked tentatively:
“Has work been rough? Though I’m relieved to see you healthy at least.”
“You mean you’d be happy if I got hurt?”
“When did I say that?”
Two years ago, I’d left for Seoul with grand ambitions to become a Player.
So to show up suddenly without a word had clearly set them on edge.
“I’m not here because of work troubles today.”
“Then what?”
“Just wanted to see you both.”
It wasn’t an empty phrase.
Now that I’d established myself as a Player,
something in me—like a salmon fighting its way upstream—had pulled me back to visit my parents.
Rather than their worries being justified, I withdrew money I’d earned and gave them spending money.
Both of them checked their envelopes and were visibly stunned at the generous sum.
“Can we really take this?”
“Yes—it’d mean a lot to me if you accepted it with joy.”
His father laughed heartily.
“Kha-ha-ha, I’ve raised at least one son well, haven’t I?”
“Now if only Si-woo does well, things will be perfect, won’t they?”
“That’s right, absolutely.”
Si-woo hadn’t been drafted when he finished high school, so he’d gone to university instead.
Now he was trying once more to carve a path into the professional ranks.
“Use this if Si-woo ever needs money for something.”
His father accepted it gratefully, though worry hadn’t entirely left his face.
He’d given his mother and father two million won each.
For Si-woo, he’d set aside double that—four million won.
There was no wonder his parents reacted this way.
“Can you really spend it like this?”
“Truth is, I’ve been doing quite well lately.”
And there was nothing ahead but more success.
His father beamed at the pride in his voice, as if it were his own triumph.
“Does that mean I can brag to people when I go fishing next time that my son is a remarkable Player?”
“Just don’t overdo it, please.”
Too much bragging tends to invite problems.
The odds were slim, but why invite needless complications?
His father rose from his seat, pulled on a chef’s hat, and said with a grin,
“You wait—I’m going to make a delicious bowl of jjamppong for this future accomplished Player. Kwa-ha-ha!”
He must be tired from working all this time.
Seon-woo was about to say there was no need, but his mother stopped him.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen your father this happy. Just let him be.”
Glancing into the kitchen, his father’s smile never faded even as he worked.
Something warm bloomed in Seon-woo’s chest.
“Here, try it.”
A steaming bowl of jjamppong appeared.
“How is it?”
Sharp, fiery jjamppong.
After the first spoonful, his nose prickled strangely.
“Sniff… it’s delicious.”
The kind of taste even a Player would weep over.

* * *

That evening, he set off on the bus ride home.
His parents had urged him to stay, saying he should see Si-woo’s face too.
But since today’s visit was really just to see them in person, he turned back with a promise to return soon.
Rather than feeling the visit was too short, he found himself genuinely glad.
Because next time, he wanted to surprise them even more.
“Damn, this thing just won’t sell.”
With nothing to do on the bus ride back, he pulled up his listings.
The moment he checked the sale post on Lucid, a grumble slipped out.

【Dense Cold-Resistant Robe】

Even though he’d priced it at the standard market rate, there were so many listings for similar items that no trade requests were coming in.
It was already the second day he’d been watching it.
“Should I just wear it myself?”
The skill wasn’t useful for him, but since there were no equipment restrictions, he could use it directly.
He could always sell it cheaper and it would move.
But somehow that felt like taking a loss, and he wasn’t keen on it.
Besides, there might come a time when he’d need cold resistance.
Keeping it as a spare piece of equipment wasn’t a bad idea.
It wasn’t as if he was short on funds right now.

[Delete this post?]

He deleted the sale listing for the cold-resistant robe and entered Tower Well-Knower.
He’d wanted to delete the sales post he’d written there too, but the moment he logged in, he was hit with a chaotic atmosphere at a glance.

[Wait, Neia’s Korean…?]
[…I’ve even heard that Neia was the one who cleared Eclipse this time?]
[So that means Neia’s affiliated with the Mir Guild?]

Until this morning, the community had been nothing but Eclipse talk.
“Hm…?”
But mentions of Neia, which had died down before, now wallpapered the entire feed.
There were even concrete theories linking the Eclipse incident directly to him.
When he checked why.

『The Association finally opened its mouth. “Neia is definitely Korean.”』
『Player Association still struggling to pinpoint Neia’s identity—please bear with us a little longer.』
『Association official: we received a system mail from Neia; details cannot be disclosed.』

“I see…”
It seemed to be because of those articles that had popped up at just the right moment.
Sending the system mail had been entirely his own choice, so he felt no discomfort about it.
And above all, the fact that he was entangled in the Mir Guild incident.
It seemed people had simply pieced together that he was a mysterious figure—it didn’t look like they actually knew anything concrete.
“At this level…”
His personal information hadn’t been identified either.
He was satisfied enough.
He deleted the post as originally intended.
And opened Mitube to kill some time.
But lately, with various Player video content becoming increasingly popular,
the Mitube algorithm wasn’t all that different from the community situation.
“Might as well see what people are saying about this.”
He clicked on a suitable news video and checked the comment section.
The comments were flooding in at a torrential rate in real time.

└ Is this seriously real?
└ Neia clearing Eclipse.
└ Need the follow-up article, hurry up
└ But couldn’t Neia be someone else?
└└ Right, Neia should only be around level 10 at most?

Fundamentally, the Tower had recommended Clear Grades for each floor.
Floor 1 at level 1, floor 10 at level 10.
So the analysis was that Neia’s current level, having cleared floor 9, would be somewhere around level 10 at best.
And that was actually accurate.
“Lot of foreigners in here too.”
The news comment section wasn’t filled with only Koreans.
Foreigners were swarming in as well.
Languages he’d never seen before had made a full appearance.

└ Where can we see Neia’s face? (translated)
└ Please disclose more specific information. We want it. (translated)
└ Is the Mir Guild deeply connected to Neia? (translated)

More specific information…
Certainly, the Mir Guild would have that kind of information.
Security camera footage of the drone would have been recorded.
But after looking into it somewhat, the Mir Guild had never disclosed the relevant information.
Were they hiding it?
Whatever the reason…
“Then it works in my favor.”

* * *

The morning after.
I reheated the sweet and sour pork my father had packed in the air fryer and filled my stomach.
He’s good with seafood noodle soup too, but his sweet and sour pork is really something special.
Once hunger was satisfied, I headed into the tower.

[Challenge Sky Tower Floor 10?]

“Already at Floor 10?”
Finally, the tutorial’s finale.

[Entering Sky Tower Floor 10.]
[Complete the assigned mission within the time limit.]
[The safe zone will soon be disabled. Prepare for combat.]
[Mission: Eliminate Monster – Blood Boar 0/1]

“Gate Open.”
I confirmed the mission and summoned my drones.
Multiple drones poured through the gate.
Three Hunter Drones.
Two Assault Frames.
Three Combat Drones.
One Aegis unit.
With the newcomers added to the roster, my force had grown considerably, and I felt the satisfaction of that strength.
“There’s just one thing I regret.”
Aegis’s maiden sortie.
But there was no real opportunity to test its abilities, which felt like a waste.
“Well, the chance will come soon enough.”
I ordered one Hunter Drone and one Combat Drone to hold position for defense, while the rest were tasked with hunting the Blood Boar.
From the drone feeds, I could see the forest was full of boars.
“I need to find it quickly….”
An SSS-Rank Clear Grade was on the line.
That made me hesitate about spreading the drones thin to search.
Still, once we locate it, finishing it won’t take long.
I was about to order a dispersed search when—
Crack!
An ominous sound crackled through the camera feed.
For a moment, an uneasy memory surfaced.
I quickly checked for damage.
“It’s fine….”
One of the drones had taken a direct hit, but thanks to the protective barrier Aegis had deployed, there didn’t appear to be any real damage.
I exhaled in relief and assessed the situation.
“But what hit it?”
The camera immediately panned to a scarlet boar.
The Blood Boar.
Watching closely, it jabbed its snout into a nearby rock, and then—
Crunch-snap!
—whipped its head up sharply and hurled the stone.
I’d made the mistake of assuming boars couldn’t attack from range; without Aegis, I would’ve suffered another power loss.
“All units, climb and commence bombardment.”
The higher the drones ascend, the lower their accuracy becomes.
Normally that’s wasted energy and not worth doing.
But with this much firepower at my disposal, the calculation changes.
The relentless carpet bombing found its mark on the Blood Boar.
“Kugh… kugh….”
The boar rasped out a harsh cry and closed its eyes.
I watched the kill count tick up, then recalled the drones.
And then the notifications flooded in.

[Mission Complete!]
[New record established!]
…
[Clear Grade SSS achieved!]
…
[Level increased.]
[One (6-10) Reward Box granted.]

After dismissing the messages one by one and checking the rewards, an alarm materialized before me.

[Will you enter the neutral zone Feronta?]

It was just after I confirmed the question asking whether I would enter Feronta.

Flash—

A card materialized before my eyes, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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