Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 7

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

Chapter 7

[Strategy Rank SSS Achieved!!]
[An unprecedented record!!]

After clearing the fifth floor, I challenged the sixth.
I’d expected it, but it was almost absurdly easy.
The boar-type monster, unable to find any way to strike at the Projection Unit hovering dozens of meters above, stamped and thrashed about in frustration before becoming nothing but meat without landing a single counterattack.

[Will you challenge the seventh floor of Sky Tower?]
[The Safe Zone will soon be disabled. Prepare for combat.]
[Mission: Defeat Monsters – Black Boar 0/30]

The monsters on the seventh floor were reinforced versions: Black Boars.
Even so, nothing changed.
The Black Boars still had no means of striking from the air.
So my orders upon entry were simple.
“Annihilate them.”
Auto-attack command initiated.
The hunt was so straightforward it felt like I’d dropped back to the first floor.
I watched the slaughter unfold on the screen fed by the Projection Unit.

[Mission: Defeat Monsters – Black Boar 41/30]
…
[Mission Complete!]

The kill counter maxed out and the strategy was finished just as easily.
“Now that I think about it, the Hunter Drone…”
There was one thing I’d learned while clearing the sixth and seventh floors additionally.
Its combat performance was far better than I’d anticipated.
To be honest, when I’d cleared the fifth floor, I’d only registered it as a stealth-capable unit.
But even setting aside the concealment, its engagement capability was exceptional.
While each individual shot lacked power, the rate of fire was substantial enough that it demonstrated performance superior to standard combat drones even in annihilation-type battles.
“If I had my way, I’d push straight through to the tenth floor…”

[Your level has increased.]
[One S Grade Reward Box (Floors 6-10) has been added to your inventory.]
[One S Grade Material Box (Floors 6-10) has been added to your inventory.]

“There it is—a material box!”
I cleared the messages and prepared to exit.
I’d fed Naia twelve million won worth of Mana Stones yesterday, but I’d burned through considerable power climbing the tower today.
Before entering the tower this morning, I’d checked Naia’s power reserves: roughly nine days remaining.
The power consumption had ballooned to about 1.5 times the baseline, so exiting here after clearing three floors was the right call.

[Exiting Sky Tower.]

“Open the Gate.”
Once back in the room, I headed straight for the Core Center.
On the way there, I distributed my stat points.

[Lv. 8 Kang Seon-woo]
Class: Subspace User
Grade: EX Grade
Strength: 10 (+)
Agility: 10 (+)
Magic Power: 19 (+)
Mana: 19 (+)
Stat Point: 3

I distributed the ability points the same way as before—into Magic Power and Mana.

Magic Power: 19 → 20 (+)
Mana: 19 → 21 (+)

After closing the status window, I opened my inventory.
I checked the climbing rewards I’d earned today.

【(1-5) S-Grade Reward Chest】 1
【(6-10) S-Grade Reward Chest】 2
【(6-10) S-Grade Material Chest】 1

Since there was nothing to do on the way, I decided to open the chests.
I started by opening the reward chest from Floor 5.
Twenty Lowest-Grade Mana Stones were added to my inventory.
“So next is this one.”
Then came the chest from Floors 6-10.
It was also Lowest-Grade Mana Stones.
Only the quantity had increased.
Thirty pieces.
“Not bad at all.”
The number of Drones had grown, and with it, my combat power consumption had risen.
The increase in Mana Stones helped ease that burden.
So when I opened the remaining chest without much hesitation, something unexpected appeared.
“Hmm…?”
I’d naturally expected more Mana Stones, but something different emerged instead.

【Dense Cold-Weather Robe】
-Grade: Advanced
「Additional Stats」
+Mana: 5

“A robe? So it’s for magic users?”
Though the grade was a bit ambiguous.
Advanced grade was technically advanced, but it was just one tier above Common, so it was relatively common.
“Still, the skill is pretty good though?”

「Special Skills」
+[Fast Calculation]
-Casting Speed +10%

+[Healing Breath]
-Mana Recovery +10%

As befitted low-grade equipment, the stat bonus was just a measly 5 Mana.
But the skills attached to it were quite solid.
It boosted both casting speed and mana recovery—critical attributes for mages—by 10% each.
“I wonder how much this goes for.”
Even though it was Advanced grade, its efficiency was clearly worth more.
The stat bonuses within the same grade tier were all roughly equal, but skills were completely different—they were random.
Even identical equipment could have different random skills!
And this particular robe, with its effects on casting speed and mana recovery, was the kind of piece that would have decent demand despite the modest numbers.

Either way, it was equipment that dropped instead of thirty Lowest-Grade Mana Stones, so….
As long as I sold it for a bit more than three million won, I’d be happy enough.
“I should’ve opened it in the room before I came out.”
I wanted to check the price, but I was already almost at the Core Center.
It would be a waste of time to go back now just to check one item’s value.
Given the situation, I decided to hurry to the Core Center, supply the Mana Stones, and then head out to confirm the prices properly.
I quickened my pace.
“Next should be the materials box, then.”

【(6-10) S-Grade Materials Box】

This was the third materials box I’d obtained.
Materials boxes had never let me down before.
Because they were S-Grade.
So part of me felt anticipation.
But another part of me felt a creeping anxiety.
“Please be B-Grade or higher!”
I opened it with the same hopes I’d had for the Lightning Flute—expecting a windfall.
Creak.
The item appeared in my inventory as the box opened.

【Blood Boar’s Tusk】

The Blood Boar is one of the Floor Bosses from the boar section of Floors 6-10.
Just like Kinol.
I pressed the item to check its grade.
B-Grade.
The same grade as Kinol’s—B-Grade.
“The real question is the price…”
Just because two materials shared the same B-Grade didn’t mean they’d fetch the same price.
I’d heard that values could vary widely depending on use and application.

『Welcome back, Seon-woo.』

Before I knew it, lost in thought about the Blood Boar’s Tusk, I’d arrived at the Core Center.
I immediately dumped the Mana Stones from my inventory.
Tumble, tumble, tumble.
“Convert these to energy.”

『Thank you.』

“After charging, I’ll have about five days of power left, right?”

『That is correct.』

I nodded and turned back the way I’d come, speaking as I walked.
“And temporarily transfer authority over the Drones to me.”

『Authority transfer confirmed. Beginning transfer.』

“I’ve got somewhere urgent to be, so I’m heading out first. See you later.”

I heard Naia’s small voice from behind me, then turned and headed for my studio apartment.
Once I arrived, I sat straight down at my desk.
I searched for information on the robe first.
I’d expected it to fetch a decent price, but the number surprised me.
The Dense Cold-Weather Robe went for a full ten million won.
The skill enchantment was one thing, but the cold-resistant material itself seemed to command serious money.
Which made sense—it was perfect as backup gear to wear in frigid regions.
“Next is the Blood Boar’s Tusk.”
I searched the price and nearly fell out of my chair.
I rubbed my eyes and double-checked.
“One… hundred million won?”
Since it was rare for two B-Grade materials to differ tenfold in value, I searched for the reason behind such an unusual price.

[Obtained Blood Boar’s Tusk]
└ Wow… I’m so jealous.
└ I’ve cleared it repeatedly for two months and still haven’t gotten it.
└ So there really are people who get this drop.

[Why is Blood Boar’s Tusk so expensive?]
└ It’s a material for Skill Replacement. From what I know, the skill you can swap it for is Berserk, which is pretty solid.

If Kinol’s Lightning Flute had been an attribute-granting item.
Then this material would be a skill material.
It would be possible to replace a skill attached to equipment with that item.
Equipment with failed options could be revived.
“Berserk, huh.”
I searched a bit about Skill Replacement as well.
I happened to find a post from someone with a similar question.

[Is Skill Replacement material actually good?]
ㄴ Depends on the skill, honestly.
ㄴ If it’s a usable skill, it’s good. There are a lot of equipment with garbage skills but high tiers.
ㄴ By the way, if the replacement succeeds, the skill adapts to the equipment’s tier, so there’s always high demand.

And Berserk turned out to be quite a valuable skill material by what I could tell.
A skill that consumes the caster’s blood over a certain duration in exchange for gradually increasing attack and defense power.
It seemed to be a fairly popular skill among close-combat players.
Of course, the higher the equipment tier, the lower the success rate.
But because it could breathe life back into equipment that would otherwise be discarded, it was trading at quite a high price.
“Worth a hundred million won, no question.”
I posted a sales listing right away.

* * *

Blood Boar’s Tusk.
Being such a hot item, trade requests came in quickly.
Even though I’d listed it twenty million won higher than the average market price, it sold in less than twenty-four hours.

[Balance: 120,323,101]

The full amount minus the 1% transaction fee went straight into my account.
“Is this really my money…?”
The corners of my mouth kept trying to curl up.
Less than ten days since I’d awakened.
Honestly, I never imagined I’d lay hands on money in the nine-figure range so quickly…
Luck really had been on my side lately.
“I should be allowed to spend about ten million won, right?”
Of course, I was planning to reinvest the remaining 110 million or so.
Buy Mana Stones and secure my power base immediately.
Of course this wouldn’t completely overcome Power Saving Mode, but just getting past the anxiety of energy running out during every fight would be enough for now.
“Let me go pick up some Mana Stones.”
I prepared lightly and headed out.
Today’s destination wasn’t the Association, but somewhere else.
When making bulk purchases of over a hundred million won, dealing through a guild rather than the Association was far more profitable.
Not only could you buy a larger quantity at once, but the purchase price was cheaper.
With a difference of just a few thousand won per unit adding up to over a million won difference, there was no reason not to visit.

* * *

“Got the right place, Mir Guild.”
I’d finally arrived at a major guild in the top ten domestically.
In truth, while hundred-million-won transactions happen, not many guilds have that much inventory.
You really need a guild of Mir Guild’s caliber for smooth dealings.
I stepped into the gleaming Mir Guild building and submitted an inquiry about purchasing Mana Stones.
The guide who ushered me into the reception room bowed politely.
“If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll have someone from our department come meet with you.”
Left alone, I found myself mulling over a pleasant problem.
What would I do once I had secured full power?
But such thoughts didn’t last long.
Crash-boom.
An impact traveled up the building’s outer wall, the tremor strong enough to rattle the table beneath my hands against my skin.
An earthquake?
But the shaking faded almost as quickly as it began.
Then came the sound of furnishings breaking somewhere.
“Something’s definitely happened out there.”
I reached for the doorknob to get a look for myself.
“Ahhh!”
“Help…!”
Screams echoed through.
This was the Mir Guild — a place where skilled hunters gathered, the kind of people you’d call formidable.
Yet these screams were reaching my ears.
Something decidedly wrong was unfolding.
I pushed the door shut again and stood in thought.
“I could send the Hunter Drone.”
A Hunter Drone equipped with stealth capability.
It would handle the reconnaissance without issue.
But as I moved to open a Gate, something nagged at me.
“Are there any security cameras?”
I scanned the ceiling and underneath the furniture quickly, but fortunately found nothing of the sort.
Reassured, I opened a Gate and summoned the Hunter Drone.
I sent the drone out to scout the lobby.
Through the Projection Unit, I glimpsed the devastated state of the lobby and flinched.
Then I recognized who occupied it, and flinched again.
“Eclipse?”

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