Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 60

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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 60

The moment I stepped into the 21st Floor, I opened a Gate.
“Gate Opening.”
I felt the gazes of players who’d entered ahead of me and were waiting in the queue, but
I didn’t pay it much mind.
It was all within the scope of what I’d expected anyway.
The drones emerged.
Krail, Ar, and Sermin.
Pluto wasn’t visible, but he was somewhere out there.

[21st Floor – Waiting Queue 41 / 100]

Baek Jin-sung looked startled, glancing around before leaning in to whisper to me.
“Whoa—are you sure you’re alright?”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t gone into those details with him….
Going by his reaction, he thought I’d lost my mind or something.
“This was always the plan. Nothing to be surprised about.”
“Oh… if that’s the case, then I’m relieved.”
Baek Jin-sung relaxed, speaking as if nothing had happened.
“Still, this pretty much makes us invincible. Heh.”
I wasn’t sure about invincible, but as Neia had said before, I had to admit that the danger was essentially eliminated.
“I’ll start the broadcast.”
“Go ahead.”
While Baek Jin-sung was turning on the broadcast, I observed the humanoids, starting with Krail.
Krail was positioning the drones.
He was mainly assigning them to prevent people from approaching the Gate.
Ar and Sermin stayed close to me, their serious faces braced for any contingency.
There was something both adorable and reassuring about how they stuck to my side with those earnest expressions.
“Is the broadcast fully on?”
“Yes.”
The voice chat came through.

– So they’re finally showing their face…
– Please clear the Gates more often…
– If that’s Neia who just got back from vacation, upvote.

Naturally, I found myself reflecting on the recent vacation.
There were plenty of boring and tedious memories, but it was true that I’d been recharged in many ways.
“Well… sure. Upvote.”

– But the 21st Floor field is just normal…
– It’s the Red Plain. What’s going on?
– Honestly, things have been way too rigged against us lately.

I listened to the chat and took in the Red Plain beyond the Safe Zone.
Part of it was the effect of the sunset dyeing everything crimson,
but the influence of the monsters that inhabited this place played a role too.
Blood Ogres.
The theory that the flora and fauna of the field were red due to the influence of their red aura was currently one of the more compelling explanations.
At any rate, that wasn’t what mattered…

[21st Floor – Waiting Queue 53 / 100]

Once the waiting queue was done, I figured I’d clear it without much trouble given the low difficulty.

– But what’s with the Gate behind them?

Maybe that’s why I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
The viewers had begun to take notice of the Gate visible behind me.

– Oh… really? What is that?
– Looks like Krail’s controlling it. Could it be related to Neia?
– Wait, are they summoning drones from inside?
– So that’s what they’ve been hiding all this time.

I didn’t bother answering that.
Anyway, the players who witnessed it here today would start spreading rumors whether I said anything or not.
Word would reach the community in seconds.
There was no point in exhausting myself with explanations.
And so the Gate became nothing more than brief gossip.
The conversation naturally shifted to questions about the incident during my vacation.

– But what about that exclusive materials contract?
– Did Gangseong really hit the daily limit five days straight?
– Made a fortune thanks to that.
– Economy emperor confirmed.

If there was one major event still dominating the outside world right now,
it was undoubtedly Gangseong’s monopoly on special materials.
Major guilds were moving swiftly.
Even overseas corporations were visiting Korea to forge partnerships with Gangseong.
I’d somehow ended up revitalizing the entire economy.

– But why Gangseong specifically?

Of course, the chat wasn’t purely one-dimensional.
Some viewers expressed skepticism.

– I knew they were connected somehow, but isn’t this excessive?
– Right?
– Did someone secretly film Gangseong?

“Feel free to think whatever you like.”
When I stayed silent, the viewers started laughing and chatting among themselves.

– They definitely got caught on camera lol
– Lmaooo conspiracy
– Idiots! Cha Seon-a must’ve used her feminine wiles!

The conversation was veering off in a ridiculous direction.
I wanted to clarify that it had nothing to do with Cha Seon-a, but…

『That is not correct.』

Neia suddenly appeared on the hologram display and spoke.

– Whoa, Neia’s here!
– My heart just started racing.
– You’re so beautiful, unnie!

Ignoring the viewers’ reactions, Neia continued.

『The Commander has me.』

– Ooh, she’s jealous!
– Wifey keeping hubby in line!
– Damn it! Landlord, get me a whiskey!
– Ice, ice, ice. Lack. Chet.

That was when the conversation reached exactly that point.
Ding-

[21st Floor – Waiting Queue 100 / 100]

At last, the queue had filled to capacity.

* * *

The Quest assigned next was straightforward.

[Quest: Monster Elimination – Blood Ogre 0/60]

I checked the Quest and spoke up.
“Neia, activate the Siege Runner.”
To be honest, operating the Siege Runner is deeply inefficient.
An absolute power hog.
But if the broadcast goes well, that loss pays for itself easily.
Besides, I want to show the viewers this magnificent spectacle.
Behold the very essence of the City Nemesis’s firepower.

“Summoning the Leonis Siege Runner. Summoning now…”

I waited a moment after hearing Neia’s announcement.
The Gate, which had been roughly three meters wide, expanded dramatically, and then the Siege Runner emerged from within, stepping forth with impressive presence.

Whoosh- Boom-

The viewers seemed utterly shocked, the chat silent for a moment.

…

Then they erupted in admiration.

– Whoa, is this really a weapon?
– How the hell is it that big?
– I told you! I said it couldn’t just be drones!
– The waiting pays off!

The chat flooded with joyous messages.

“Final Battle Weapon Siege Runner summoning complete. Awaiting your orders.”
– Did you hear? It’s calling it a final battle weapon.
– Honestly, I got chills.
– This is bigger than when Ar showed up.

Ar’s ears perk up.
Why would they say that right in front of him?
He’s so easily hurt.
Still, the overall reaction was satisfying.
Just the appearance alone had everyone’s hopes soaring.
But I’m confident what comes next will be even more impressive.
I gave the Siege Runner a command.
“Siege Runner, bombard the forest faintly visible to the northeast.”
At the far edge of the vast plain.
The Crimson Forest that exists in that corner.
There was reason in specifying that place, barely visible even to a player’s sight.
There are plenty of ogres on the plain itself, but most of the creatures don’t seem to appear there—wouldn’t they be gathered in this forest instead?
“Wipe away every trace.”
Sisyphus charged its energy and fired a violet shell high into the sky.
Then came a meteor barrage that ravaged the forest without mercy.
Boom-boom-boom-boom—
The forest that had existed in vivid clarity lost its shape in a violent spectacle of violet light.
The viewers forgot to type in chat, staring blankly before pouring out their belated reactions.

– Insane…!
– Why doesn’t Neia just conquer the world?
– Are you dumb? If she conquered the world, there’d be no one left to stream for.

Chat from users presumed to be Japanese chimed in right on cue.

– Dokdo really is Korean territory…
– Calm down, at least there wasn’t a mushroom cloud.
– Kyaaah, that… it’s like our ancestors’ memories are awakening.

Some even invoked nightmares of being test subjects for new weapons.

– The Japanese are cute.
– Self-deprecating humor is unstoppable.
– Yeah, that’s a familiar taste.

I ordered Sisyphus to return through the Gate as I listened to the voice chat.
And for good reason—

[Quest: Defeat Monsters – Blood Ogre 1021/60]

I’d expected something, sure, but the Overkill achieved in a single strike far exceeded even that.
This way it doesn’t count as wasted power, does it?
The Overkill number was unprecedented.
I’m already looking forward to the rewards.
Whoooosh—boom—
“Gate closed.”
Once Sisyphus had passed through as well, I sealed the Gate.

[Moving to 21st Floor Waiting Area.]

And there before my eyes appeared the familiar scenery.
I had returned to the 21st Floor Waiting Area.
The tallies began, and the rewards were distributed.
The Clearance Rank was, naturally, SSS.

[Clearance Rank SSS Achieved!]
…
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]
[Level increased.]

In that process, my Level jumped by three tiers.
Compared to when I’d cleared five floors before and gained just one level, it was a vast difference.

[Lv. 29 Kang Seon-woo.]

Just one more Level until I reached 30.
The Reward Boxes were generous too.

[(21st–25th Floor) S-Rank Reward Box] x 3
[(21st–25th Floor) S-Rank Material Box] x 3

Watching this unfold, I feel a sensation I’d forgotten stirring awake.
Yeah, it’s coming back to me now.
This was always the taste of tower climbing.
Effortless clearance. Overwhelming rewards.
The selfish kind of achievement that makes effort seem like a fool’s errand.
I’d resigned myself to never tasting this level of dominating rewards again, not as my Level climbed higher.
“It really is a good feeling.”
Baek Jin-sung’s voice drifted over.
Though his joy wasn’t really about the rewards—it was the broadcast’s growth that made him giddy.
“You’re killing it, I’m telling you. The viewership numbers are insane!”
“What was our last peak?”
“Two million or so, but don’t freak out—we just hit three million. And it’s still climbing!”
The look on Baek Jin-sung’s face as he said it wasn’t ordinary.
I’d known he was obsessed with broadcasting, but…
The guy was genuinely obsessed.

– Neia, come join the Knights Guild. We’ll restore the glory of the empire where the sun never sets…
– Neia, we’d like to discuss a collaboration regarding special materials. We can offer double Gangseong’s bulk price…

“You kicked them, right?”
“Yes, doing it now.”

[Removed …]
[Removed …]

Collaboration offers got preemptively blocked as a matter of course.
I’ll admit the terms tempted me.
But letting every self-interested offer through on stream would poison the chat atmosphere.
Culling out a few viewers dripping with ulterior motives like that actually made the whole thing feel cleaner.

– I was shocked when the forest vanished earlier.
– I can’t forget the expression on that other player’s face standing outside the perimeter…
– Wait, they’re not actually quitting tower climbing, right?
– Even if they were, nobody could blame them. Honestly, the demoralizing factor would be off the charts.
– You killed them! You killed them! You killed them!

The viewers chattered among themselves for a moment, then broke into coordinated chanting as if on cue.

– Neia, will you show us the Sisyphus again on the next floor?
– One more time…
– One more time!
– One more time!

Just like Baek Jin-sung had been moments ago.
The viewers were thoroughly marinated in dopamine.
I took a moment to deliberate.
Honestly, the rewards were better than expected.
If I could keep striking at dense clusters like I just did, I’d earn more than enough to cover the Sisyphus operating costs.
“Sure, why not. Let’s see what happens.”

– Kyaaah!
– Fan service from the queen herself, as expected.

I entered the 22nd Floor in high spirits.

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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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