Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 77

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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 77

“Tower Trial Arrives Sooner Than Expected; Public Anxious Without Kang Min-hyuk. Citizens Lose Sleep Over Gate Crisis!”
“This Trial a Forest Purification Quest? Exploration Team Faces Deceptively Difficult Mission Despite Moderate Difficulty Rating.”
“Association Mobilizes Personnel; Major Guild Representatives Gather to Discuss Mission Schedule.”

I checked my phone while savoring the breakfast Dduldduli had prepared.
The world was abuzz with talk of the Tower Trial that had surfaced yesterday evening.
Even though the Association had released an article saying I’d cooperate.
People wouldn’t feel at ease so quickly.
Regardless of what I’d already demonstrated, there was still a gap between an inexperienced newcomer and a seasoned veteran who commanded respect.
I was just popping a sausage into my mouth when it happened.
Neia spoke.

“Seon-woo.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Baek Jin-seong sent a communication request last night.”

Ever since Neia had gained access to external lines, I’d been entrusting her with simple communications.
“Last night? Then why didn’t you tell me right away?”

“Overwork is a primary culprit in diminishing quality of life. Sleep quality suffers, and it harms your health.”

“Fair point.”
Thanks to her consideration, I’d slept soundly last night without a care.
“But when you say communication, you mean a video call, right? What’s the reason?”
Yesterday evening’s byproduct came to mind immediately, but if it were that, a simple text would’ve sufficed, so there had to be another reason.

“Based on my analysis of the message, it appears to be a request from the Association.”

The article I was reading just now aligned with that.
Given what I’d said just a day ago, it wasn’t hard to guess what this was about.
Though I hadn’t expected them to come calling so soon.
“Got it. Tell him I’ll call back in thirty minutes.”
“Understood.”
I finished breakfast, showered quickly, and attempted a video call with him through Cryle.
Baek Jin-seong appeared on screen.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Never mind that—what did the Association say?”

“Yes, well, they seem to be hoping you’d lend your assistance with this trial.”

“Are they asking me to jump in right now?”

“They didn’t say that outright, but there was a clear sense of urgency.”

“I was planning to start climbing the Tower first…”
Usually, Tower Trials resurge roughly six months before or after the previous mission’s completion date.
There’s some margin for error, so it’s not unheard of, but this one came unusually early.
That throws my plans off.
Still, having already said what I said, I can’t very well back out now.
“Ask them if they can give me about ten days.”

“Understood.”

Over the next ten days, we’d systematically build up the City’s power to its maximum capacity.
The plan was to push our forces to their limits as well.
“Oh, and what’s Kang Seong saying about the special materials?”

『Ah, I nearly forgot to mention that. It’s been handled exactly as you specified. We’ve agreed that the payment for the secondary special materials will be split in installments like the previous contract, and in exchange, Kang Seong will hand over all the Mana Stones they’re holding as a priority.』

“Good. That works out well.”
Mana Stone sales were a solid revenue stream even for a major guild like Kang Seong.
But we were taking their entire reserve for it.
That stockpile included plenty of mid-grade and higher Mana Stones, not just the lowest and low grades, so it would be more than enough to boost the City’s power to roughly two hundred days’ worth right away.
“And squeeze out as many additional Mana Stones as you can. More is always better.”

『Understood!』

I needed to get cracking on mining those underground resources.
Leaning solely on Mana Stones was starting to feel tight.
“And this afternoon, let’s take delivery of the Mana Stones and do a broadcast.”
I’d already gone several days without streaming.
There were people itching to see what came next.
I was planning to dump out the massive stash of boxes sitting in my inventory.

『Ah, the time has finally come, hehe.』

“No point dragging things out.”
I needed to scrape together every last coin—whether Mana Stones or materials—and funnel it all into the City to stockpile. We had to be ready.
What I’d learned from this whole Resonance Stone situation
was that moving after anomalies are detected is always too late.
Stocking up in advance is the answer.
Either way, Baek Jin-seong’s expression softened into a smile at my words.

『The viewers have been clamoring for it, in any case.』

“Stop milking that old story, would you.”
I figured the viewers had every right to be restless.
I’d caught bits of his broadcasts now and then, and every single time he was running his battle with Celin over and over like some timeless classic.

『I’ll exercise better judgment going forward.』

“Anyway, see you this afternoon.”
I ended the call.
Then I pulled up some more detailed information about the Trials.
‘Still not that complicated, though.’
Purification meant clearing monsters inside the Trial Gates.
That seemed to be the basic concept behind it.
Of course, the real question was the difficulty level.

* * *

That same day, around midday.
I met up with Baek Jin-seong.
I took possession of the funds he’d laundered through gold conversions.
At the same time, I also received the Mana Stones.
Once I’d loaded everything into my inventory, I spoke.
“All right. Let’s get started.”

『Yes.』

Baek Jin-seong switched on the broadcast.
Viewers came flooding in.
The moment my face appeared on screen, the chat exploded with messages of joy.

– We missed you so much…
– I’m exhausted from watching all those fan-made videos.
– Anyone else was terrified today would be another video screening? Give this a like.

The suffering viewers erupted in cheers.
Baek Jin-seong, however, showed no signs of remorse whatsoever.
“I’ll play it at my own funeral service too. Please come in large numbers when that day arrives.”

– This guy’s actually insane…
– Peak content from beyond the grave lol

The influx of viewers accelerated steadily.

– Look at the viewer count climbing.
– SS-rank aggro is deadly.
– How does he hold back from opening boxes lol

While viewers streamed in, some began asking about matters beyond the broadcast itself.

– Wait, isn’t he actually dating Cha Seon-a?
– I heard Cha Seon-a joined the Association too?
– What’s this second exclusive contract thing?
– Anyway, as long as the money keeps flowing, it’s all good! Kang Seong hitting the limit again today!

Similar sentiment arrived from Tower material processing company representatives, though they couldn’t hold their tongues.
Business-related talk was already banned—grounds for forcible removal.
Yet knowing this, they still couldn’t resist and were mass-kicked from the chat.

[… has been removed.]
[… has been removed.]
[… has been removed.]
…

There were also questions about the Tower Trial.

– So you’re really going to cooperate with the Association on the Trial?
– Neia is so reassuring.
– For a second I thought the Association was rigging this whole thing.

Plenty of voices expressed concern.
Everyone knows his power is real, but worry is only natural.
He’s still a newbie who hasn’t even properly cleared the 30th floor.
No matter how abnormally fast he’s grown, he’s not quite at the level of a Ranker who operates without Bonuses or Penalties.

– Are you confident?
– That place has no Bonuses or Penalties—it’s gonna be brutal.
– Honestly, I’m a little worried.
– I saw a lot of self-proclaimed experts saying Neia probably rigged something to help.

Reading the overall mood, I found myself agreeing to some degree.
Even if Humanoids move heaven and earth, standing out uniquely in a Trial where the vanguard operates is no simple feat.
Still, I was confident I could at least survive.
My Humanoids aren’t ordinary, after all.
“Well, at least I should be able to pull my own weight, right?”
I made sure not to show excessive confidence.
If I talked too big and then underperformed, I’d only catch flak for it.
Anyway, that wrapped up the pre-broadcast opener.
Once enough viewers had filtered in, I exchanged a quick glance with Baek Jin-seong.
Then Baek Jin-seong opened his mouth.
“Anyway, that’s enough for now. Shall we start opening boxes?”

31 B-rank Reward Boxes.
13 B-rank Material Boxes.
14 S-rank Reward Boxes.
13 S-rank Reward Boxes.
2 SS-rank Reward Boxes.
2 SS-rank Material Boxes.

Quite the haul.
“Then I’ll start with these.”
I reached for the B-rank Reward Boxes first.
Creak—
I began opening them one by one.

– Seriously, just pure Mana Stones?
– Oh wait, an equipment piece did drop!
– But it’s only Rare grade… damn.
– Still a bit underwhelming though?

The B-rank Reward Boxes were, frankly, a bust.
The viewers’ reactions reflected that disappointment.
Though I felt even less excited than they did.
That’s just how B-rank goes.
I’d never had high hopes to begin with.
“Next up, this one.”
I moved on to the B-rank Material Boxes.
The material boxes fared considerably better.
The reason being—

【Ogre’s Tendon】
【Red Snake’s Poison Fang】
【Resonance Stone, 10 Kg…】
…

The occasional Resonance Stones that dropped made all the difference.

– Resonance Stones are insanely expensive right now, so this adds up nicely.
– That’s already 30 Kg total.
– That’s gotta be, what, two billion won? Still beats the reward boxes though.

Factoring in the other materials, the total haul came to roughly four billion won in value.
I smiled wryly.
‘Why doesn’t this excite me?’
This was the kind of money that would have sent me bouncing off the walls before.
Now there’s no dopamine hit at all.
Once your body gets used to S-rank, I suppose only S-rank can satisfy it.
“This is where it really gets good. Starting with the S-rank Reward Boxes.”
Two Mid-grade Mana Stones dropped in succession, and then came the moment.
As the box opened, an equipment piece revealed itself amid an extraordinary light.

– It’s Hero-grade!
– Whoa… and it’s the most expensive weapon type too!
– Hero-grade is at least hundreds of billions, right?

No matter how poor the skills, that’s generally the case.
I confirmed it was a spear and decided to check the detailed options all at once later.
But the problem was what came after—mostly Mana Stones.
One more equipment piece did drop, but it was merely Special-grade.

– Tastes awful.
– Damn, it’s spoiled.
– Seriously, you’ve got zero luck with these. ㅋㅋㅋ

S-Rank Material Box.
Crack—
“Three A-grade materials in one box.”
Still, it was becoming painfully clear that rarity doesn’t always track with price.

– How is literally every single one garbage?
– Was the boss always this unlucky, or what?
– Last time he pulled some decent stuff though…
– That was just a fluke run. ㅋㅋㅋ
– Just not his day, that’s all.
– Why don’t you let Jin-seong give it a shot instead?

After striking out all day long,
the suggestion to let Baek Jin-seong open the boxes instead was starting to hit home for me too.
Watching all those boxes vanish until only four remained created a real sense of visual pressure.
“No—let me keep going, one at a time.”
I had my pride, after all.
I didn’t want to end this as the person with the worst luck imaginable.
Especially not with an SS-rank box—the first one ever.
Even if I failed, I wanted at least the chance to open it with my own hands first. The thought of missing that would haunt me.
“Understood.”
I decided to alternate with Baek Jin-seong and picked up a Reward Box first.
“I’ll start with the Reward Box.”
Crack—

– Whoa, it’s blinding!
– What is it? Something big?
– Red? What does that mean?
– No idea. Was there even such a thing?

Equipment had definitely dropped, that much was certain—
but I needed to check the rank.

Rank: 〈Legend〉

– The first Legend grade ever just dropped!!

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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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