Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 12

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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 12

Baek Jin-seong had descended into despair.
Even fighting at four-to-two odds, he honestly couldn’t be certain he’d subdue the Hunters cleanly.
Yet here he was, pinned down by one who’d closed the distance before he could react.
The Hunter had climbed onto his back and was wrenching his arm.
“Ha… this bastard’s just making this annoying, acting like he’ll actually escape.”
“Let go, you son of a bitch….”
“Don’t talk so tough, kid. It makes you look weak.”
Baek Jin-seong turned to the only rope of salvation—the man at his side.
“Please, help me!”
The Hunters barked a sharp warning at the man.
“Hey, vagrant—you value your life, you stay out of this.”
“Please! I promise I’ll compensate you properly!”
Baek Jin-seong strained with all his strength against the hold.
The Hunter wrenching his arm seemed to grow tired of it.
“Ha… this bastard’s actually pretty strong. I think I’ll have to jab him a few times, weaken him down a bit.”
Baek Jin-seong’s face drained of color.
“Leave it to me.”
It was just as the Hunters’ shadows deepened around them.
Whistle.
The Hunter who’d been drawing his knife and stepping forward—his head flew clean off.
Spray.
A fountain of blood erupted skyward.
Not a soul watching fully grasped what had happened until the corpse lost its balance and crumpled.
“What… what is this?”
Hiss.
This time, Baek Jin-seong saw it.
The moment the man’s index finger pointed at a flustered Hunter.
A Drone that had already begun hovering behind the man’s back took the target out in an instant.
Splurt.
Once again, blood sprayed upward.
This time, the Hunter who’d been pressing down on Baek Jin-seong collapsed lifelessly beside him.
Baek Jin-seong checked the chat window.

– What the hell?
– Did that man do that?
– Insane…
– Is that even possible? These Hunters had a reputation even in the tenth floor section—one shot?

Baek Jin-seong studied the man’s face again.
His flat gaze swept across the Hunters in a single, cold motion.
The Hunters, having lost two comrades in an instant, scrambled backward with desperate gestures of retreat.
“Wait… we’ll leave quietly, just spare our lives.”
“No, we can’t let them go. Those bastards….”
Whistle.
The man blew away another Hunter’s head—as if he’d intended this from the start.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
Realizing the man had no intention of compromise, the last Hunter let out a scream and charged.
Moving at tremendous speed, he soon found himself sliding across the ground.
He’d managed to predict the trajectory of the Drone that was already visible and dodge it, but two newly deployed Drones struck—and he lost both his legs.
“Gahhhhh!”
As the shrieking Hunter wailed, the man’s finger pointed slowly toward him.
Sensing the shadow of death creeping over him, the Hunter desperately spoke.
“Spare me…!”
Yet his piteous plea never reached its end.

– Insane, what the hell is this?
– I’m getting chills right now.
– Is that… Neia?
– Neia was on the 9th floor yesterday, though.
– Someone check the 10th floor Hall of Fame real quick.

Moments later, the chat exploded.

– No way, it really is Neia? The 10th floor’s showing as cleared.
– Even the Tower experts are freaking out about it right now.
– So it’s really Neia?
– Wait, come to think of it, they were speaking Korean earlier.
– Oh my god, meeting Neia in person…!

Baek Jin-seong’s pupils shook as he read the chat.
‘Neia…?’
Of course he knew about Neia.
How could he not?
A rising star who’d become globally famous.
The same Neia who’d appeared just ten days ago and was now bombing through the Tower like a madman.
Though he hadn’t realized he’d literally be bombing through it.
Baek Jin-seong, who’d survived by the skin of his teeth thanks to Neia, gave a sharp ninety-degree bow and spoke.
“Thank you so much, sir! But if I may ask, what’s your name?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Come now, is there really anyone without a name in this world?”
“You’re not reading the room. I said it doesn’t matter.”
Baek Jin-seong flinched at the man’s gaze.
Perhaps because of what had just happened, he found himself afraid of even the slightest gesture from him.
“Stop wasting my time and leave. You’re alive, isn’t that enough?”
“Ah…”
To be honest, Baek Jin-seong didn’t want to let go of this connection.
He’d instinctively sensed this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

[Viewers: 10,130]

The viewer count had surpassed ten thousand.
With Neia’s appearance, viewers were clearly flooding in from every direction.
“Well… rather than that, let me help you. I’m quite strong myself, actually.”
“Help me?”
“Yes!”
“Then disappear from my sight right now. That’s how you can help.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
“You heard me. Get lost.”
Neia’s voice, now low and menacing, was enough to strike fear into anyone.
Baek Jin-seong bowed hastily and spun around.
“Y-yes, I’m leaving right now!”
He hurried away, his steps quick, putting distance between himself and the safe zone just in case.
As he left, the chat began to burn.

– Jin-seong’s got no sense, does he?
– What are you doing, Jin-seong? It’s Neia! You should at least get their contact info!
– Wow… that was a real chance to make it big as a professional streamer, and he just threw it away.

To their eyes, he must have looked like an idiot.
But Baek Jin-seong believed he’d made the right call leaving that spot.
Neia’s serious expression had genuinely frightened him.
And he had a pretty good idea of why Neia had driven him away.
“It’s probably because of the SSS-Rank Clear.”
Neia remained an enigma wrapped in mystery.
It was strange how someone at such a low Level possessed such overwhelming power.
And what was that mysterious Drone?
It was hard to predict whether there might be other secrets lurking beneath the surface.
Which meant his presence there could have felt like a burden.
The moment he voiced these thoughts, viewers flooded the chat with messages saying how unlike him this was.

– Jin-seong, you’re being so weird right now.
– Pretty sharp thinking though?
– So you’re giving up on Neia?

Baek Jin-seong caught sight of a chat message that had just rolled up and let out a short laugh.
“Come on, folks—this Baek Jin-seong has ambitions. Give up? Never.”
He hadn’t given up yet.
He’d simply made a tactical retreat because holding that position would only earn him resentment in the end.
Besides, he genuinely needed time to think things through clearly.

– So you’ve got a plan?
– Just tell us already before I get vertigo.
– But if you back off now, how do you even meet Neia?

“Well, here’s the thing—I’m on Neia’s team, aren’t I? I can see how fast he’s progressing right through my Quest Window.”
As he spoke, he shared his Quest Window with the viewers.

– Huh?
– Ohh…
– Oh yeah, that’s right.
– Whoa, what—the kill count’s climbing crazy fast!
– ㅋㅋ This is insane.
– Is he hunting with those Drones from before?

[Team Mission Complete!]
[New Record Achieved!]
[‘Fastest Mission Completion Time’ updated: 3:07:31 → 00:26:11]

Baek Jin-seong had parted ways with Neia about fifteen minutes ago.

[Complete the mission in the Floating Garden with your team members and earn points. 100 / 100]
– Collected Herb Polana +3 points awarded
– Hunted Death Vine +1 point awarded
– Recovered Temple Relics and returned them to their original locations +10 points awarded

Yet Neia had cleared the entire team mission alone in that short span of time.
Truly a performance worthy of being called a monster.
The chat was on the verge of exploding at the sight of something bordering on miraculous.
– I never thought I’d witness this indirectly.
– Did you hear those explosions earlier? How strong is he exactly?
– ㄹㅇ The ground’s practically shaking.
– Ugh… with firepower like that, he’s gotta be a level-40-plus player…

It was right then that the chat erupted.

[Extraordinary Achievement Unlocked!]
[Calculating achievement……]

[SSS-Rank Clear Achieved!]
[An unprecedented record!!]
[This record is inscribed in the Hall of Fame.]
[Rewards have been upgraded.]
[Rewards have been upgraded.]
…
[You will be moved to the Level 11 Waiting Room momentarily.]

Baek Jin-seong took a deep breath and steeled himself.
The moment he entered the waiting room, his first task would be to cast aside his pride and prostrate himself flat—he had to remember that.
And as for receiving the rewards….

– Wow, why is so much pouring out at once?
– No way… you’re saying two whole levels from a single clear?
– What kind of world are we living in? What about Neia?
– Seriously? An S-Rank Reward Box?
– And a Material Box too? That’s insane.

The rewards were staggering enough to leave his mouth hanging open.
Two levels gained was nothing short of shocking.
He’d placed first in the Team Mission, of course, but the windfall clearly stemmed from completing an SSS-Rank Clear.

[(Floors 11–15) S-Rank Reward Box]
[(Floors 11–15) S-Rank Material Box]

– Jin-seong, open them already. I’m starting to feel dizzy.

Baek Jin-seong felt the urge to tear open the reward boxes in his inventory surge through him.
Yet he resisted, quickly retrieving them and striding forward with measured steps.
Truth be told, he’d already decided what to do with them before clearing floor eleven.
Baek Jin-seong approached Neia and prostrated himself flat on the ground.
As he did, he offered the reward boxes to him.
“Please use these well, sir.”
He felt Neia’s gaze upon him.
Baek Jin-seong swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
The voice was questioning.
Don’t be nervous—hadn’t he already planned how to answer if asked like this?
“I wish to become your subordinate.”
“Tell me—why go to such lengths?”
“Well… isn’t it because I stand in debt to you for saving my life?”
Of course, it was partly a lie.
Hearing Neia’s scoff, it seemed he likely thought the same way.
In truth, given the nature of personal broadcasting, the benefits of staying close to Neia—a bankable draw—were almost absurdly immense.
But Baek Jin-seong understood that the world operated on give-and-take.
Judging by the pattern of Neia’s actions, his reliance on secrecy—he would never keep someone at his side unless they offered him equal merit.
“So, you’ve figured out who Neia is?”
“Yes, sir! To think my future master is the Neia himself! It’s an honor beyond measure.”
“Right, I am Neia. But what benefit do I gain by taking you on?”
“If you’ll permit me to travel with you, I shall give you all the reward boxes, just as I have now.”
Truthfully, Baek Jin-seong hadn’t expected this alone to convince him.
Neia was not a man preoccupied with money.
If he’d needed wealth, he would have revealed himself long ago rather than hide.
‘But surely he won’t stay hidden behind that alias forever.’
Neia was Korean.
There would come a day when his real name would replace the pseudonym he’d established.
Building his reputation through streaming in the meantime was one of the few things that would satisfy him.
It was a proposal from which both could benefit.
Baek Jin-seong was even considering handing over a share of the broadcast revenue to Neia.
An extreme ratio—nine parts to Neia, one part to himself.
Of course, even if he surrendered everything to Neia, there was no guarantee it would win his favor.
Still, it was with a “let’s see how this goes” frame of mind that he’d been about to propose these terms.
“Fine.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll accompany you up to floor fifteen, at least.”
Baek Jin-seong glanced upward, seeing Neia smile as he gazed at the reward boxes.
‘Is he… a miser?’

* * *

Shortly after, Baek Jin-seong and Neia parted ways.

[Returning to Peronta.]

Back in Peronta, Baek Jin-seong felt oddly disoriented.
He immediately checked his viewer count.

[Viewers: 60,143]

An absolutely staggering number of viewers.
This was the sort of viewership that only appeared when a player was clearing the upper reaches of the tower — and even then, it was rare.
But amusingly, the numbers kept climbing.
They showed no sign of stopping, still rising even now.
So he checked his Traits.

[Current Applied Ability Points: +36]

Originally, he should have gained 1,800 Ability Points.
But his current applied points were a mere 36.
The reason was simple.

[You cannot possess Ability Points that exceed your Level.]

That was what it meant.
At Level 13, the only Ability Points he could utilize were the 36 points he’d accumulated through his leveling so far.
Though he faced a humbler ability ceiling than he’d hoped for, he harbored no resentment.
His latent potential hadn’t gone anywhere.
If he judged purely by stats, by the time he reached the tower’s frontlines, he would possess Ability Points that even the current top-ranked Hunter, Miller, would be unable to surpass.
‘It feels like a dream.’
Meeting Neia had been a stroke of providence for him.
A providence that would bring immense growth.
And somehow, he’d earned the right to journey alongside him.
Of course, he’d sacrificed much in the bargain.
Some might call it foolish, but Baek Jin-seong had deliberately surrendered his broadcasting profits to Neia.
He’d only given up broadcasting rights because he hadn’t known about the ‘Messenger’ Trait at the time.
It was only a matter of time before it would be discovered anyway, so he’d decided to offer it preemptively.
True to his intuition, Neia was someone burdened with many secrets — he’d muttered something complicated and eventually agreed, though not without reluctance. But in the end, what needed to be given was given, and what was seized was seized.
Beep-beep-boop.
Baek Jin-seong was lost in these thoughts when—

—Hey, why’d you suddenly end the stream just now?

Before speaking with Kang Seon-woo, Baek Jin-seong had briefly ended the broadcast.
The viewers, curious about this, were asking through high-value Super Chats.
But that had been precisely what he’d been counting on.
“Oh, thank you so much, Schnelchicken! I really appreciate it!”
He’d wanted to properly showcase his abilities to Neia.
‘Now, so to speak, begins the monetization phase.’

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