Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 43

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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 43

The next day.
The commotion in Peronta was sweeping through various media outlets like a tempest.
The incident was being covered from every conceivable angle.
First, there was the matter of the Mysterious Stone Tablet that Eclipse had finally retrieved and taken away.

[So what exactly does that Mysterious Stone Tablet do?]
ㄴ Right? Like, why would Eclipse cause all that chaos just to take it?
ㄴ Is it like a treasure map or something?
ㄴ If only it were that simple. What kind of treasure scale warrants that kind of spectacle?

Then there was the matter of the dark, grotesque creature that Eclipse had unleashed.

[Eclipse isn’t just terrorists anymore?]
[Is this actually fine?]
[If they can control things like that, world conquest would be a breeze?]
[It’s a catastrophe worse than nuclear weapons.]

And there were those who shone a light on the entities who had ultimately benefited from the chaos.

[Arc Guild is about to surpass Tempest.]
[So who’s going to use Goddess’s Tears?]
[They’re probably giving it to Miller, right?]
ㄴ Nah, I think someone other than Miller will get it.]

Still, the greatest axis of interest was, inevitably, me.

『Peronta’s Great Turmoil — Once Again, It Was Neia Who Brought Order.』
『New Face Humanoid Sermin.』
『Korea’s Pride Upheld — The Monster That Even Japan’s Ranker Yamada Couldn’t Stop Was Dealt With Effortlessly.』

There were overwhelmingly more articles about me than anyone else.
The reactions were scorching hot.

[Are the Japanese finally waking up?]
ㄴ Lmaooo
[Can that one Japanese Ranker handle everything on her own?]
ㄴ Sermin’s where it cuts off.
[Neia is an army unto herself]
ㄴ Kaaah, the Blade Lord!!!
ㄴ Absolute reverence.

Of course, not all reactions were positive.
Like any celebrity, there were plenty of detractors.

[Neia’s fans, chill out…]
ㄴ Agreed
ㄴ Seriously, how long are you going to keep hyping up this coward who won’t even show her face?
ㄴ And Sermin was clearly just a matchup advantage.

[Neia’s fans have no logic and it’s hilarious]
– Yamada had a penalty, right? People don’t grasp how severe the Penalty is for a 70th-floor player in Peronta.
ㄴ It’s like 60%…
ㄴ Why are they even comparing a Ranker to that…
ㄴ Fans create antis.

Regardless, my own impression watching all of this unfold was simple.
It really did feel like I’d stepped into the world-class tier.
I’d caught a glimpse of the atmosphere overseas a moment ago by accident, and the same sentiment was rippling through there too.
I thought it was only happening domestically.
No matter what anyone says, I’d become world-class.

[But even I wouldn’t dare let my face be seen.]
ㄴ It’s not like raw strength is always a good thing.
ㄴ How many climbers have disappeared without a trace during tower expeditions?
ㄴ Could it be that they vanish after being targeted by those who envy and resent their rise?
ㄴ In times like these, do I really need to provoke foreign Rankers?
ㄴ It’s Neia who’s pitiable, what with all these senseless fans.

This was a part I agreed with myself.
Honestly, just looking at Baek Jin-sung’s case—didn’t North Korea send assassins?
So thinking ahead, I needed to ensure greater safety.

[But isn’t Neia at this level already building up a bad history with Eclipse?]
ㄴ Bad history? What bad history?
ㄴㄴ Wasn’t it Neia who interfered with that attack on the Mir Guild back then?
ㄴㄴ That’s just a rumor.

This too was something to be cautious about.
The Mir Guild incident came to mind.
What was Eclipse thinking about that incident?
Did they know for certain that it was me who did it?
If they did, a genuine bad history might actually be forming.
‘But this feels unfair, doesn’t it?’
If anything, I was just minding my own business when they came at me.
And that happened twice over.
Yet they’d hold a grudge?
“Status window.”

[Lv.25 Kang Seon-woo]
Class: Space Manipulation User
Rank: EX-rank
Strength: 20 (+10)
Agility: 20 (+10)
Mana: 66 (+20)
Magic Power: 66 (+20)

As expected, what was lacking here was level.
Once today—which had become practically a forced day off—passed, I decided I’d set aside time for climbing the tower.
‘And if possible, I should work on boosting agility and strength a bit more.’
I’d already obtained a considerable sum of money this time.
Equipping myself with gear would provide some solution to protecting my body, though it wouldn’t be a fundamental fix.
“So that’s the answer, then?”
The special composite unit of the Hunter Drone that hadn’t yet revealed itself.
I was thinking that would become the thread to unravel my safety concerns.
Since ancient times, the greatest assassins have possessed the qualities befitting the greatest bodyguards.
Therefore, I had no doubt that the Hunter Drone’s special unit would resolve my current dilemma.
I was also thinking that the moment I’d begin using my real name, Kang Seon-woo, rather than the alias Neia, would be then.
‘But I never expected this would drag on so long.’
In fact, just as it had been with Ar, with Sermin, with Krail—
I’d thought that without me even aiming for it, when the time came it would reveal itself.
Yet the Hunter Drone’s special unit still hadn’t shown itself.
“If that’s how it is, concentrated production is the only answer.”
I happened to have plenty of money.
If I ran a small-scale factory temporarily and mass-produced them like stamping out hotcakes, wouldn’t it eventually reveal itself by the laws of probability?
“Let’s do it now.”
I opened a Gate and headed to the Core Center.

“Welcome, Seon-woo.”

It was a visit with a clear purpose.
Yet I didn’t rush straight into instructions about the Hunter Drones.
First, I surveyed the state of the city.
That was the mark of a true successor’s responsibility.
“How are things running after bumping up the operational rate?”
Neia answered.

“Overall conditions are satisfactory. If we continue receiving Mana Stones at the current supply rate, we should be able to move forward with a plan to increase the operational rate to 1% in the near future.”

“Good. What about production status on the Seizee Runners and Long Hale Turtles?”

“Roughly twenty and thirty-four days of production time remaining, respectively.”

The Long Hale Turtle—the first unit the small-scale factory had been scheduled to produce.
It would take about two weeks longer than the Seizee Runner to complete.
“Neia, I’m thinking of activating a new ultra-small factory temporarily.”

“Understood.”

“I want that new facility to produce only Hunter Drones—until we get a specialized unit.”

“Acknowledged.”

I nodded and turned to leave, then paused.
“Actually, since there’s nothing pressing, maybe I should get some fresh air.”
I’d been forced into this unexpected break anyway.
So I decided to take Ar and the others outside for a while.
Sure, bringing along such prominent figures would be like announcing my identity to the world.
But with Krail around, I could count on a baseline of safety against threats.
On the way back, I could always drop everyone off in the city and slip away alone—minimal risk.
Of course, if I made a habit of this, even considering cognitive suppression, there was always the chance that tailing would eventually expose something.
But one outing? That should be fine.
“Neia, what about Krail and Ar?”
The decision was made.
But of course, I had no intention of forcing today’s outing on anyone.
It only worked if they wanted to go.
If either of them needed rest, I’d let them be.

“Krail is currently reviewing combat records in the Data Center, and Ar is undergoing special training with Sermin. Shall I summon them?”

“Yes, but leave out Sermin—just the two of them, please.”
Sermin’s contributions in the last incident had been immense.
But I knew Ar would be uncomfortable if Sermin joined us today.
I’d arrange something separate with her later.
“You called for us?”
“You… called for us!”
A moment later, Krail and Ar appeared.
Krail regarded me with eyes full of unwavering devotion.
Ar looked at me with tears brimming in her eyes.
Had she been in the middle of special training with Sermin?
I could guess the reason well enough, so I patted Ar’s shoulder reassuringly.
No need to ask Ar anything.
She’d follow along instantly.
“I asked you here because I thought we might take a brief outing together.”
“You mean… escort duty, sir?”
Krail’s eyes lit up.
“The goal is to enjoy ourselves together, but you wouldn’t be wrong to see it that way either.”
I have to rely on Krail for safety after all.
“Does that displease you?”
“Not at all, it’s an honor.”
“Trust only in me.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange a small party focused mainly on Hunter Drones so it can be as comfortable an outing as possible.”
In truth, I’d planned this as a way to unwind on a day off.
It would defeat the purpose to burden him with too much responsibility.
But he seems genuinely pleased, so it doesn’t matter.
“Ar’s coming too, right?”
I asked it more as a formality.
Ar’s face lit up with barely contained joy.
Though I could sense she was trying to suppress that excitement, perhaps worried Sermin might catch a glimpse of it from somewhere.
“Come on, we’ll grill meat, buy snacks, play games… you’re really not going?”
“I…”
I gave a command to Ar, who wavered between reason and desire.
“Ar, say you want to go.”
“I want to go.”
Ar surrendered to the demon of domination.
Leaving the delighted Ar behind, I turned to Neia, whose expression remained unmoved.
“Next time, you’ll come with us too.”

“Thank you. I will be waiting.”

Even setting aside the matter of the Biomedical Recovery Chamber’s existence.
What I’d asked Neia about before—
She’d said that manufacturing a basic Humanoid itself wasn’t particularly difficult with the city’s current technological level.
But naturally, since it wasn’t an essential facility,
it was naturally excluded from this city expansion, though things would change once serious investment began in earnest.
When that time came, creating a Humanoid linked to Neia’s AI would also be feasible.
“Then I’ll be going.”

“Travel safely.”

Was it my imagination that her voice seemed a little happier than before?

* * *

I headed to the reserved barbecue restaurant with Krail and Ar.
There, Baek Jin-sung was waiting with a determined expression, having received advance notice.
The moment he saw me, and then Ar and Krail beside me, he threw himself flat on the ground in a bow.
“It is an honor to meet you, sir!”
“Get up, you fool.”
At least we were in a private room.
He was acting embarrassingly.
He must have thought seeing me in reality was different from seeing me in the Tower every day.
Though there was no real difference.
“Is the broadcast on?”
“Yes, sir… Should I turn it off?”
“No need for that.”
The viewers were delighted at my words.

– A rare sight of Ar eating meat on camera.
– It’s strange seeing her do something other than combat for once.
– Does Krail eat meat well too?
We each took our seats.
Krail picked up the tongs as if it were only natural and responded through the voice chat.
“The Field Manual—in the tactical treatise titled ‘How to Become a Skilled Instructor’—also contains guidance on the technique of grilling meat deliciously. You may look forward to it.”
Somehow hearing him put it that way, I find myself anticipating it.

– Why isn’t Mechanical Gorilla here?

Mecha Gorilla.
It was oddly fitting, I had to admit.
Still, she was a lady first and foremost—calling her Mecha Gorilla felt a bit much.
Even so, there were people looking for Sermin.

– I wanted to see if she’d show that stiff expression in front of Kang Seon-woo too.
– Officer, I’m here.
– Clack-clack.

Surprisingly, there were people looking for Neia as well.

– Where’s the real Neia?

I hadn’t realized it before.
Neia was quite popular.
Though that was likely because of her cold impression and businesslike demeanor.
Judged purely on appearance, she was strikingly beautiful.
In medieval times, you could’ve convinced anyone she was the daughter of some great northern nobleman.
“We’ve decided to arrange a separate gathering for the two of them later.”
Anyway, that was enough small talk.
We’d come to a meat restaurant; we ought to eat meat.
In any case, there were four of us men,
so I ordered generously—about ten servings’ worth.
“Three servings of loin cap, three servings of striploin, and four servings of ribeye, please.”
A moment later, Krail was sizzling meat over the flame.
At the same time, a viewer posed a question.

– Can Humanoids actually eat meat?
– Won’t there be problems with machinery?

“They said it’s fine. The digestive system has decomposition functions, and thermal energy converts naturally into fuel. In Ar’s case, she seemed to enjoy Choco Balls just fine.”
Hearing that Ar liked Choco Balls, the viewers reacted.

– So you like Choco Balls?
– Yeah, yeah, I’ll buy you more snacks later.
– Ar is my son… anyway, it’s true.

Krail grilled the meat and served me first, placing it on a plate.
“Here you are.”
“Ah, thanks. You eat plenty too—don’t just cook. Jin-sung, you eat a lot too. Ar, everyone.”
Truth be told, this meal was as much for Baek Jin-sung, who’d worked without complaint at my side,
as it was for Krail and Ar, who’d performed brilliantly.
But if I didn’t eat first, the gathering wouldn’t really feel like it was starting.
So I took a bite of Krail’s ribeye.
“It melted away.”
I’d harbored some doubts because of the book’s title, it’s true.
No matter how good meat could be, this flavor was hard to believe.
“To that extent?”
“Yeah, you all try it.”
Baek Jin-sung and Ar took bites almost simultaneously, their eyes widening.
Even Krail seemed greatly surprised by the meat’s flavor, having grilled it himself.
Ar especially was so shocked by the taste that she shoved meat into her mouth frantically, her cheeks puffing out as she broke into a delighted smile.
The meat disappeared rapidly.
“I think we need to order more meat.”
Happily, I picked up the menu.

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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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