Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 3

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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 3

I clicked on Kinol’s Lightning Flute in my inventory.
The flute’s grade appeared instantly.

【Kinol’s Lightning Flute】
《Grade: B》
-A flute taken from Kinol the goblin, struck by lightning. Possesses the ability to summon ominous lightning.
“B-grade? That’s genuinely incredible.”
Even the C to D-grade materials that dropped most frequently from material boxes traded for at least hundreds of thousands of won. With a higher grade, wouldn’t the price have another zero attached?
I searched the community forum for more posts about Kinol’s Lightning Flute.

[Buying Kinol’s Lightning Flute]
-Will anyone sell at 1.1 million? Please, I’m short on cash.

I’d assumed it would be worth around a million won.
It was far more expensive than that.
My fists clenched involuntarily.

[Selling Lightning Flute]
-I’m at 1.2 million. Won’t negotiate after tomorrow. Lucid Net cool trades only.

Lucid Net.
A website where countless tower-related items were auctioned or traded.
Most player-to-player transactions took place through this site.
“1.2 million?!”
As I reviewed past community posts, I logged into Lucid Net to verify whether transactions had actually occurred at those prices and checked the transaction history.
“The highest price is 1.5 million?!”
Of course, that was merely the peak; the average transaction price hovered around 10 million won.
Occasionally someone desperate would pay even more and still make the purchase.
For a moment, I felt like I’d struck gold.
“But why exactly…?”
I wondered why people were willing to pay such steep prices.

I dug deeper into the community forum.

[Got Kinol’s Lightning Flute]
-Lucky! Getting it Attribute Enchanted right away.
ㄴ Man, I’m so jealous…
ㄴ Why don’t you sell it to me instead? 10 million.
ㄴㄴ Thanks anyway

[Is Kinol’s Lightning Flute Really That Good?]
ㄴ It’s an Attribute Enchantment material. If you melt it down and apply the enchantment, up to floor 20 it’s basically smooth sailing.
ㄴ You can clear pretty much anything up to floor 20.

[How Do You Use Kinol’s Lightning Flute?]
ㄴ Just take it to the Association for processing. The commission fee’s a bit steep though—around a million won? Still, it’s a godsend early on.

“Ah, so this is a cash cow item.”
There were even videos of hunts using equipment outfitted with Kinol’s Lightning Flute.
Simple footage of cutting through trolls—monsters from floors 16-20.
With trolls, their regeneration is so formidable that ordinary attacks can’t kill them.
In the early game, dealing damage that outpaces their regeneration is so difficult that they act like an insurmountable wall.
“It applies a debuff to reduce their regeneration, and the lightning attribute seems to boost cutting power too.”
When you applied the lightning attribute, you could distribute stat points you’d normally invest in strength and mana elsewhere—into agility and mana efficiency instead—which also reduced the risk factor of tackling content.
“The price makes sense now.”
With effects like these, the price was entirely justified.
Kinol’s Lightning Flute.
It definitely seemed to be a good attribute material.
But it wasn’t something I particularly needed.
The drones handled combat for me anyway.
So when I’d settled on just selling it off casually, another thought followed in its wake.
A different consideration altogether.
“Hmm….”
I couldn’t help but think about how to dispose of the Kinol’s Lightning Flute.
Three main routes came to mind immediately.

The first was Lucid Net, which I was looking at right now.
I could simply register it for sale on their exchange.

The second sales route was the Association.
The Association building had an offline exchange set up in its basement arcade.
Their basic policy was unlimited purchase of materials that had demand.
The catch, though, was that they offered lower prices.
“At Kinol’s Flute prices, I’d probably get around 8 million won?”
Nearly half the maximum price by Lucid Net standards.
Of course, 15 million won had been a rarity in transactions, so I couldn’t judge it entirely by that.
In any case, it was accurate to say they’d sell at least 20% cheaper than Lucid Net.

And the last option was using a private exchange.
In that case, I’d definitely get better prices than the Association.
But what bothered me was that there was a real risk of problems arising during the transaction, even if it wasn’t technically illegal.
“Maybe I should just write a post on Lucid Net…?”
If a buyer showed up by tomorrow morning, I’d sell through Lucid Net.
Otherwise, disposing of it through the Association seemed wiser.
Private exchanges had risks anyway, so that was naturally out.
The Association’s exchange meant getting a bit less money, but above all else, it was safe.
If I got greedy trying to squeeze out a little more profit and ended up with nothing, that would be truly hopeless at this point.
“I should take my Awakening Assessment tomorrow, then.”
Once the problem was solved, the tension drained from me.
“Phew….”
Fatigue suddenly crashed over me, and sleep threatened to pull me under.
Now that I thought about it, I’d done the night-shift convenience store, then switched out at 8 PM yesterday, and half a day had already passed.
I checked the clock — around 7 PM.
“Money’s important and all, but maybe I should get some sleep first.”

* * *

I washed up lightly and collapsed onto my bed.
Half-asleep, I habitually reached for my phone.
No matter how exhausted I was, I couldn’t resist checking my phone before sleep.
I opened the internet and browsed through posts on Top Jal-Al, the player community.
Since anyone — players or civilians alike — could post and access content here without signing up, it was a site with solid domestic standing in the player community.
This was also the place where I’d searched for information about Kinol’s Flute earlier.
But today the posts seemed to be regenerating unusually fast.
“What’s going on?” I wondered, and when I looked closer, I couldn’t hide my shock.

[Is this a bug user? Really rank 1? Is that record even physically possible?]
[EMERGENCY!! A Monster of Historic Proportions Has Appeared!!!]

I think I saw it among the flood of notifications earlier.
But back then, I hadn’t thought to check right away.
“What’s the situation that’s making this happen?”
Going into the tower and checking would be the most reliable way to find out.

The problem is that the Sky Tower limits entry to once per day.
Once inside, you’re free to clear as many floors as you wish.
But if you enter and then leave, you can’t go back in until the next day.
I was a bit uneasy, wondering if word of me had somehow gotten out.
If that were the case….
“This is more pressure than I’d like.”
I’d always admired top-tier players.
But this much attention right from the start felt like too much.
Besides, players with exceptional potential often become targets for abduction by hostile nations.
I wanted no part of that.

[But why didn’t you register a name?]
[Oh right, if you don’t input one it shows as ‘Unregistered’ lol]
[Didn’t know that?]
└ How could you not know?
[But honestly, doesn’t matter—this level will catch up to Miller soon right?]
└ Miller to you? Lol

“Fortunately, that’s not the case.”
Contrary to my worries, when I checked the community forums a bit, there were no signs of that.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like my name had been entered anywhere.
‘Unregistered’
It appeared that’s how it was marked because I hadn’t done anything special.
“Should I change it when I go in tomorrow?”
I thought for a moment about what might be good if I did.
And then a name came to mind.
“Neia.”
Yeah, that would be nice.

* * *

Awakening Assessment.
It wasn’t such a grand thing.
It was just confirming the stat points of a player who had completed their Awakening.
Of course, if I actually possessed stat points befitting an ‘EX Grade’ rating, I would’ve been somewhat nervous.
Right now, when interest in ‘Unregistered’ was growing.
If a rookie with absurdly high stat points appeared, it would be like confessing to being an SSS Grade clear-holder.
Miller, the world’s number one player, was a prime example of this.
For reference, Miller was a monster who obtained a total of 140 stat points during his assessment.
In the Sky Tower’s system, where each level only grants 3 points, obtaining 140 points right from the start meant.
Starting with a significant advantage—easily 30 levels or more—compared to ordinary players, which was immense potential indeed.
Meanwhile, I had only an EX Grade designation, and my stat points were no different from those of ordinary Awakened ones.
My high Grade came from my Subspace ability, and individual Awakening Assessments don’t reveal what specific abilities a person has developed.
If my stat points themselves had matched an EX Grade level, there would’ve been no way to hide it—but I was truly fortunate that wasn’t the case.
“Here is your certificate, Kang Seon-woo.”
The certificate I received, just as expected, without a shred of suspicion.
The Grade listed was F.
I felt no particular disappointment.
With Neia’s power, I was confident I could raise my Grade whenever I wanted.
Since I’d already anticipated this, I took it calmly and walked out with it.

Ding—
After the assessment ended, I headed down to the Association’s basement.
The main reason for visiting here today was ultimately to sell materials.
Right now, my mind was entirely focused on the Exchange.
“So this is the underground market….”
It had been two years since my Awakening.
Yet I was only now visiting for the first time.
I walked through the quiet, secluded Exchange stalls and entered the Materials Exchange.
“Welcome.”
I headed toward the counter where a clerk greeted me.
“I’d like to sell this.”
“Oh… Kinol’s Lightning Flute, is it?”
He asked carefully.
“How much can I get for it?”
“We’re currently purchasing Kinol’s Lightning Flutes at a flat rate of 7.9 million won. Supply has increased dramatically lately.”
“I see….”
So that’s why there were no buyers on Lucid Net—the market had been flooded with inventory.
The price had dropped a bit lower than I’d expected, but not enough to derail my plans.
“Will you be selling?”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
I provided my account information, confirmed the deposit, and left the exchange.
“Now I need to buy some Mana Stones….”
I headed down to the Mana Stone exchange, also located in the basement.
“What brings you in today?”
“I’d like to purchase some Mana Stones.”
The clerk pointed to a table beside the counter.
“Here’s the price list.”
He was asking me to check the prices and tell him how much I wanted to buy.
I scanned the price list carefully, then clicked my tongue.
‘These bastards are total thieves.’
They bought at 98,000 won but sold at 105,000 won per stone.
“I’ll take 8 million won worth for now.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll prepare that right away.”
After paying for the Mana Stones, I headed straight home.
Neia was consuming energy continuously every moment, so there was no time to waste.
“Gate Opening.”
I opened a gate and sprinted directly to the Core Center.

‘Welcome, Seon-woo. It is an honor to meet you again.’

“The honor is mine.”
I gave Neia a brief greeting, then poured out the Mana Stones.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
“Use all of these for energy charging.”

‘Energy Management Robot Unit 1 approaching. Please wait.’

After Neia’s announcement, a moment later—
The robot I’d seen before approached, loaded the Mana Stones, and disappeared.
“Once those are used up, can you give me an estimate of our available power?”

‘Current Energy Charging Rate: 0.003%. Based on remaining energy, we can maintain basic system operations without external activity for approximately 203 hours.’

“So roughly eight days, then….”
I’d anticipated something like this, but hearing it from Neia herself put my mind at ease.
“Can I borrow the combat drones for a moment?”

‘Shall I permanently transfer command authority to you?’

“No, just temporarily. Better to be safe.”
Neia’s eyes gleamed, and after a moment came the reply.

‘Command authority has been transferred to you temporarily.’

“All right, got it.”
Now I was prepared to fight whenever I needed to.
I casually asked Neia about information concerning the city.
“Do you happen to have information about this city you can share with me?”

“This city has been implemented using the Nemesis-9 model. It is not an actual city where civilization once thrived, but rather understood to be a specialized city created for a specific purpose.”

“Then why does this city exist inside my Subspace?”

“That question can only be accessed at Security Level 1 or above. You do not currently have access to that information.”

“So it’s not just coincidence.”

“That is correct.”

I paused for a moment, then asked.
“You mentioned Security Level 1—how many levels are there, and what authority do I currently have access to?”

“The city’s security system consists of seven tiers in total, and your current level is Grade 6, the lowest tier of authority.”

With that, Neia brought up a window as a hologram before my eyes.

《Conditions for Grade 5 Authority》
– Lv. 20
– Magic Power: 50
– Mana: 50

Looking at it all together, the message was clear: raise your level.
The road ahead is long.
Very long.
I set the city’s secrets aside for now.
“Besides the Drones, are there other combat units available?”

“Currently, there are three operational combat Drones. To acquire additional combat units, you must activate the production facility to manufacture new units.”

“I can produce them?”
I asked with barely concealed interest.

“Yes, that is possible. However, operating the factory consumes considerable Power. Shall I activate the adjacent small-scale facility for emergency production?”

“How much is ‘considerable’?”

“Temporary operation of the small facility’s production line would consume ten times your current standard Power consumption.”

That meant roughly twenty hours of operation before Neia’s power would be exhausted.
I exhaled deeply.
“Forget it. Leave it alone.”

“Command acknowledged. Awaiting further instructions.”

For now, I decided to focus on leveling up.
“Keep the Drones on standby so they emerge immediately when I open a Gate.”
“Understood. I shall see to it.”
I exited the Subspace.
Then I entered the tower at once.

[Previous record exists.]
[Do you wish to enter Sky Tower Floor 1?]

The first thing I did upon returning inside the tower was open my Status window.

[Lv. 4 Kang Seon-woo]

Class: Subspace User
Grade: EX
Strength: 10 (+)
Agility: 10 (+)
Magic Power: 10 (+)
Mana: 10 (+)
Stat Point: 9

【Skills】
– [Subspace]
「Available commands: Gate Opening, Gate Closing」

Truth be told, I’d spent considerable time deciding how to allocate my Stat Points ever since clearing the first floor.
But now it seemed all that deliberation had been unnecessary.
“Magic Power and Mana. That’s what I need.”
Raising my Authority requires Magic Power and Mana both.
For now, concentrated investment in those two alone would suffice.

Magic Power: 14 (+)
Mana: 15 (+)

I distributed my Stat Points appropriately, then opened the Hall of Fame.

[Hall of Fame (Floor 1)]
– 1. SSS Please register your name (00:00:52)
– 2. S Miller (00:06:23)
– 3. B Cain (00:15:23)
– 4. B Kyoichi (00:16:42)
…

I selected the entry and edited the name.

-1. SSS Neia (00:00:52)

After confirming the change, I closed the Hall of Fame.
At last, all preparations were complete, and the time to ascend had come again.

[Will you repeat Floor 1 of Sky Tower?]
[Will you challenge Floor 2 of Sky Tower?]

I stretched and spoke.
“I’m challenging Floor 2.”

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