Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 19

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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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Chapter 19

“You’ll be seeing a lot of me from now on.”
Baek Jin-sung was taken aback by Naia’s words.
The way she’d said it, as though she were enrolling as a fixed party member.
Naia was strong enough that one or two outings might be manageable…
But something about it felt risky.
A nagging question: was it right to be bringing a young child along?

– Ooh… a permanent partner?
– Eye candy, I approve.
– But why the fish face?
– Cute enough to deserve a double promotion.
– Damn… Naia, are you saying even your niece is flawless?!

The chat’s reaction was surprisingly positive, all things considered.
Still, Baek Jin-sung asked her with obvious concern.
“Are you sure that’s wise? Your niece is so young…”
“Huh? Oh… I can see why you’d think that. But she’s not my niece.”
Baek Jin-sung’s pupils dilated as he fumbled through the implications.
Not a niece, then… a daughter?
Argelayer chose that moment to deliver the final blow.
“I am not the Commander’s niece! I am a noble being created by the Commander!”
The chat erupted.

– Created? What does that mean?
– That’s a bit much…
– So it’s her son, not her niece lol

Baek Jin-sung jumped to his own conclusions about why Naia wanted to bring her along, nodding to himself.
“So she’s your daughter, then…”
Something about attachment anxiety or separation disorder, perhaps.
Or maybe she was just anxious about leaving her young daughter alone.
Not knowing the full situation, he wasn’t about to pry into family matters.
As he stood there nodding firmly to himself, resolving not to misstep, Naia sighed and clarified.
“That’s not it. She’s what you’d call a Humanoid. A machine, basically.”
“A… Humanoid? Her?”
Baek Jin-sung blinked, studying Argelayer intently.
Technology did advance rapidly—that much was undeniable.
But for current science to have created something that had so utterly transcended the uncanny valley seemed impossible.
The movement of her joints was fluid; her communication bore no mechanical edge; her appearance was, by any measure, utterly human.

– ???
– She jokes well, at least.
– But what if it’s actually true?
– Given the drones, it might not be impossible?

Baek Jin-sung relayed the skeptical mood in the chat to Naia.
Her response was simple.
“Showing is faster, Argelayer.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Combat Mode. We’re starting the 12th Floor clear now. If we drag this out any longer, we might not be able to pull off an SSS-rank Clear.”
Naia grabbed Baek Jin-sung’s collar and pulled him well back as Argelayer’s form shifted.
The chat descended into chaos.

– Wait, it’s real?
– This is insane. Insane.
– It was actually real?

I’d half-suspected it, but it’s really true.
Argelayer, transformed into a massive drone.
Naia issued orders toward the hovering aircraft.
“Second Lieutenant, your target is the carnivorous plant—the Poison Deathvine. Once it’s in sight, obliterate everything that moves.”

* * *

Argelayer launched confidently on her maiden sortie.
Baek Jin-sung watched the spectacle unfold on Naia’s command display, joining the viewers in real time.

– No way… it’s actually real.
– So she really WAS a Humanoid?
– My heart’s pounding watching that drone advance…

Baek Jin-sung recalled Argelayer’s form shift from moments before.
It strained belief entirely, yet he wasn’t fool enough to doubt the evidence of his own eyes.
He scanned the translucent command monitors and caught sight of the projection unit’s feed.
‘So this exists too.’
Sure enough, the chat erupted with commentary about it.

– The technology is insane.
– If she can do precision fire control on top of this, that’s genuinely broken.
– Thought stuff like this only happened in games and movies lol
– Wait, is Argelayer’s output actually that high? Felt like a grenade went off next to me??

Argelayer’s hunt began in earnest.
Viewers watching through the command display could barely contain their astonishment.
Ultra-long-range Precision Bombardment pouring from five cannon mounts.
Each burst split the air, sent tremors rippling through the ground.
The sense of presence channeled through Baek Jin-sung’s broadcast ability was extraordinary.

– Wait, isn’t that mob stealing?
– The player trying to hunt it earlier is totally confused lmao
– Step aside.
– Floating Garden field’s calamity has arrived—Argelayer. Please vacate the area~

The sheer overwhelming performance meant her kill count climbed at a staggering pace.
Through the projection unit’s lens, the battlefield sprawled in terrible clarity.
As she carved through rows with massed fire, escort drones flanked her position, sweeping the entire region.
Boom, boom-boom-boom.

[Mission: Monster Elimination – Poison Deathvine 31/60]
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Poison Deathvine 40/60]
[Mission: Monster Elimination – Poison Deathvine 47/60]
…

The Deathvine kill count climbed rapidly.
Less than three minutes after sortie, she’d likely hit her target count within moments.
As the kills crested toward the goal, Naia abruptly spoke.
“Wait here.”
“Pardon? Where are you going?”
“I’d rather not explain. There’s something I need to attend to.”
Naia said this and left her post.
Baek Jin-sung stood awkwardly in place, making conversation with his viewers.

– Follow Naia
– What? She told you not to follow her.
– But I’m curious what’s going on.
– If she’s gotta pee she’s gonna feel awkward anyway.
– Long trouble is four meters.
– Honestly, Jin-sung, aren’t you curious too? Let’s go.

Baek Jin-sung was honestly curious.
But Naia’s orders were absolute.
At least, if he wanted to stay close to her, he couldn’t afford to forget that.
“Well… I suppose we should still hold back.”

– There goes the cowardly Jin-sung
– If he weren’t scared, he wouldn’t be Jin-sung.
– ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Look at his true colors showing.

He didn’t mind the teasing, honestly.
If they could brush past it with good humor, that’s exactly what he preferred.
“I’ve said it before—I’m not a coward, I’m cautious.”
Ding—

[Mission: Monster Elimination – Poison Deathvine 60/60]
…

By the time Naia vanished, all sixty were dead.
The kill count kept climbing.
It wouldn’t stop.
An overkill, once again.

– Where is this going to stop?
– At this rate, what kind of reward are we looking at?
– Wait, it stopped.

[Mission: Monster Elimination – Poison Deathvine 81/60]

Then, from beyond the distant horizon, the drones came back into view.
They formed a formation around Argelayer at the center and flew in perfect formation.
They were heading toward the spot where Naia had disappeared.

[Moving to the 12th Floor Waiting Room shortly.]

Baek Jin-sung watched the path where Naia had vanished with an uneasy gaze.
She’d told him to wait, yet she hadn’t returned.
If the drones disappearing meant something urgent had come up…?
‘Ah, what could it be.’
Naia had a cautious disposition too.
Even if she looked unguarded, she’d probably handle unexpected situations to some degree.
Besides, the Party was still active.
Even if he moved to the 12th Floor Waiting Room like this, they’d meet there, just like last time.
Flash.

[Moving to the 12th Floor Waiting Room now.]

The text before his eyes vanished and he was transported to the Waiting Room.

* * *

Shortly after returning to the Waiting Room.
‘Good, I made it in time.’
The drone retrieval had been delayed because she was checking to see if anyone was watching.
The field had expanded dramatically from the 11th Floor onward.
So recovering the drones had come down to the narrowest of margins.
‘Next time, maybe I should squirrel Jin-sung away in a corner instead of moving myself.’
In any case, after finishing those brief thoughts, his impression of the 12th Floor crystallized into a single word: satisfaction.
‘It was more impressive than I expected.’
The 12th Floor had essentially been a field test of Argelayer’s practical capabilities.
He’d already run preliminary tests, but real combat could reveal differences.
And because he’d watched closely, the results spoke for themselves.
Argelayer had exceeded his expectations.
‘She really was something.’
There was a reason she wasn’t just any unit.
Using her in actual combat, the spec gap between her and standard drones became unmistakable.
He’d thought the main difference was simply the installed AI intelligence.
But her base output was higher, her range longer, and her accuracy was astounding.
‘I’d like to see the others in action.’
Other Heroic units.
Beyond combat drones, there had to be Heroic-tier units among the other categories as well.
What would those look like?
What level would they be at? He wanted to find out soon.
The answer was mass production.
He was just wrapping up these thoughts when it happened.

[SSS-rank Clear Achieved!]
···
[This record has been inscribed in the Hall of Fame.]
[Rewards have been adjusted upward.]
[Your Level has increased.]
[2 S-rank Reward Boxes (Floors 11-15) have been added to your inventory.]
[2 S-rank Material Boxes (Floors 11-15) have been added to your inventory.]

Countless messages flooded in.
His level had risen, and thanks to the overkill, he received two reward boxes and two material boxes.
The material boxes especially sparked hope—last time they’d yielded significant profit.
Everything else was familiar by now, so he dismissed the messages without ceremony.
“Sister.”
At Baek Jin-sung’s voice, he turned around.
The young man extended the 12th Floor rewards as promised.
“Here you go.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Baek Jin-sung looked excited.
“That was incredible just now. The viewers are going absolutely wild.”
Of course—they’d been waiting to see how he fought.
Placing Baek Jin-sung in the prime seat beside him had been a strategic choice made precisely for this reason.
If his broadcast did well, it was good for him too.
Now that he was confident about it, he was actively helping.
“At this rate, we’ve just hit a million concurrent viewers—I checked a moment ago and couldn’t believe it myself.”
“That’s working out well.”
“Though the numbers have dropped a little now that the fight’s over.”
“Anyway, should we move on?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean leave? Well, we could talk about this in Peronta too, come to think of it…”
“No, I mean let’s head to the 13th Floor.”
[Do you wish to challenge Tower Floor 13?]
“You agree, right?”
He asked once more as he entered the 13th Floor.
*
The 13th Floor.
The moment Baek Jin-sung entered, he surveyed the field.
The 12th Floor had felt like an abandoned garden, neglected and unkempt.
The 13th Floor, by contrast, radiated something sinister.
The sudden progression might have unnerved Baek Jin-sung, but it didn’t frighten him or make him tense.
Because he was doing this with Naia.
He’d come to accept that, more or less.
A voice full of admiration came through the voice chat.
– I mean, with combat like this, we’re pushing through several floors a day.
– I’m just in awe.
– But how can there be a no-risk ability like this? It’s absolutely broken.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely risk-free.
There was the risk of Energy Management.
But from Baek Jin-sung’s perspective and that of the viewers, it was natural to perceive it that way.
Baek Jin-sung glanced around regardless.
With so many players present, the waiting queue would fill up soon enough.
‘At this rate, there won’t really be any sniping either, will there?’
Of course, Baek Jin-sung’s face was already well-known.
So he kept his head down and moved to a corner, staying out of sight.
– Man, this field is kind of eerie though.
– Will Monster Elimination be the main objective again?
– Statistically speaking, that’s the most likely outcome.
As Baek Jin-sung monitored the viewers’ reactions, the quest finally materialized before him.
The waiting queue had filled.
[Purify the Garden by Sprinkling Water from the Lake—Corrupted Areas 0 / 5]
Baek Jin-sung’s pupils trembled.
This was the quest most dreaded at the Floating Garden.
If it were simply a matter of Monster Elimination, it would be one thing.
But this quest was different—if you failed to complete the purification within the Time Limit, it would never truly end, separate from Monster Elimination altogether.
On top of that, there were countless cases of players getting injured or dying in monster ambushes.
Most chose to give up.
– Look, Jin-sung freaked out again
– Two scares in one day? That’s rare.
– Season 15315, let’s do this, come on.
“You keep framing me like that—it’s just sad, you know.”
He responded to the viewers’ chat appropriately and scanned his surroundings.
As expected.
Players were disappearing one by one.
Even those doing repeat clears had given up the attempt.
The party members the system had forcibly assigned were gone too—only Naia and he remained.
‘Is this impossible even for her?’
Purifying the garden was separate from combat.
Hunting would be swift enough with the drone’s power.
But individually defeating each monster and sprinkling Purification Water to cleanse the garden—
Each corrupted zone was roughly the size of a mountain range.
‘I should tell her and give up.’
We’d take the Re-entry Penalty, but it wasn’t that significant anyway.
That’s what Baek Jin-sung had decided when—
– Wait, where’d Naia go?
– Yeah, where is she?
– Did she bail already?
Baek Jin-sung checked the Party window, but that wasn’t it.
As he looked around searching for her, a few viewers spoke up.
– That… isn’t that Naia?
– No way.
– That’s Argelayer, isn’t it.
Quite a distance away.
In front of the Lake that held the Purification Water to be sprinkled on the garden, a faint humanoid form stood.
When Baek Jin-sung saw the enormous drone hovering around her, he confirmed it was Naia.
– Huh…?
– What’s that?
– Whoa, why’s it shining so bright all the way out here?
A massive cannon barrel that hadn’t been visible when clearing the 12th Floor.
At its end, light gathered so intensely it stung the eyes.
And when that light reached its peak—
Whoosh—
The colossal beam fired toward the Lake struck the Lake’s edge with tremendous force.
Kaboom.
A massive explosion erupted, shaking the ground beneath them.
And immediately after.
Pitter-patter-patter.

– Is this… rain?
– Looks like it might be?

Rain made of Purification Water began to fall across the field.

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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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