Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 94
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 94
“Be careful from now on.”
– Bow before the lord.
– Phew…
– We made it.
The chat seemed to have settled down too.
‘Might as well take another look.’
I skimmed through the list again from top to bottom.
“I’m thinking of picking one of these two. What do you think?”
Unfortunately, there were no Skill Books.
When I examined them one by one, there were other things that caught my eye—even more interesting ones.
The first of those was this.
【Ancient Eye】
– Perfectly resolves all barriers of ancient languages.
* Single-use Artifact.
I nominated this because of a specific memory.
Ancient stone tablets.
Neia’s database should have the records from back then.
I thought I might try deciphering them myself.
‘But the single-use limitation is the catch…’
So if I was going to exchange for it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to gather all the tablets together and use it on them at once?
And the second option was this.
【Angel’s Breath】
– An angel breathes the breath of life into all physical defects, purifying and restoring them completely.
The reason I put ‘Angel’s Breath’ on my final shortlist was because of Neia.
Not my secretary AI Neia, but Neia recovering inside the pod.
If she woke up, I wondered if I could gain the city’s secrets all at once—there was something oddly compelling about that thought.
Anyway, I checked the chat.
I was looking to see if there were any other reasonable opinions worth considering…
– An excellent choice, sir.
– We are too foolish to advise. Please do as you wish.
– Though if we may venture an opinion, Angel’s Breath seems slightly superior.
Perhaps because they had survived the recent great purge.
They wore the masks of scheming ministers—the kind who’d toppled kingdoms.
‘In the end, I’m the one who has to decide…’
Buying and reselling a Skill Book would mean profit in the tens of billions.
But at that level of wealth, losing that amount wasn’t exactly a crisis.
So I made my choice lightly.
[I’ll exchange for ‘Angel’s Breath’.]
It wasn’t because of the chat’s dimly visible opinions.
Honestly, the limitation of just one use was a bit disappointing.
Besides, there’s already ‘him’ who’s been struggling hard with ancient language interpretation, isn’t there?
So investing in this right now felt wasteful.
“Well then, that’s all for today’s broadcast. Thank you all for your hard work.”
I gave Baek Jin-seong a signal with my eyes and began withdrawing the drones one by one.
After ending the broadcast, Baek Jin-seong asked cautiously.
“Do you have a specific date set for your next expedition, sir?”
“Hmm… not particularly right now. Though I’ve rested from tower climbing long enough. I should start as soon as possible. Why?”
“Ah, it’s nothing special—I just wanted to be prepared in case you need to depart at a moment’s notice. I was only asking for reference, so please don’t worry about it. At your service, sir!”
The kid’s stressed because there are so many people like me around.
While I’m thinking that, Baek Jin-seong offers me a farewell.
“You’ve worked hard. Please head inside!”
“You too—good work.”
[Departing the Tower]
That said, I part ways with Baek Jin-seong and exit the Tower.
I head straight back to the one-room apartment and slip into the Subspace.
I wanted to test out the Angel’s Breath right away.
* * *
After passing through the Gate and moving to the mountainside, I pause before heading directly to the Bio-recovery Chamber.
It’s because I encounter Krail, who’s been waiting for me just after passing through the Gate from the apartment.
The sight of the cat trapped in a cage no bigger than my forearm brings back a worry I’d forgotten.
“Right, I still have this.”
The creature that had been mewling and thrashing around just moments ago is now asleep.
“It’s cute enough, I suppose…”
But letting it roam free and keeping it is uneasy, that’s for certain.
The beast just watched its mother die at human hands, so it might have developed a strong resentment toward humans.
More critically, since it appeared on a trial floor, it’s currently classified as a monster.
“Ah, but that one might actually know something, wouldn’t she?”
Shurin.
If she, who likewise appeared during a Quest, has any knowledge about this—
Maybe she knows something.
“Neia, call Shurin for me.”
‘Understood.’
Neia responds to my voice and summons Shurin through the hologram screen. After waiting a moment—
I’d been sitting on a rock in the corner for about twenty minutes or so.
Shurin appears, dressed in distinctly modern attire.
“You called for me, Master?”
“I wanted to ask you about something.”
“Of course, please ask freely.”
I gesture toward the cage that Krail is holding.
“I happened to pick up something like this, and I wondered if you knew anything about it.”
Shurin peers into the cage and her eyes brighten slightly.
“Ah… let me see. Oh, it’s a Ruer cat, isn’t it?”
“You know what it is?”
“Yes, of course. More importantly, a juvenile Ruer rather than a full-grown one… how rare.”
She crouches down in front of the cage.
“In any case, it’s not a creature that will harm you, Master. Adult Ruers are quite formidable demon beasts, but as a species they’re not inherently aggressive.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes, I’ve never heard of one attacking humans unless provoked first. Though it would have been difficult to encounter one under normal circumstances…”
“Why? Are they really that rare?”
Rather, Shurin responds to my question with apparent puzzlement.
Her expression and tone suggest she finds it strange that I don’t already know this.
“Not so much rare as… Ruers naturally spend their time in the Deep Forest with their mother until they reach adulthood. Because adult Ruers create an Illusion Mist to protect their young, it’s nearly impossible to approach them in the first place. Without actually mobilizing an army, seeing one would be quite difficult.”
Illusion Mist…
Something comes to mind.
The thick mist that blanketed the forest during my infiltration.
I hadn’t realized it had such an effect.
‘Then does that mean the forest’s high concentration of magical power was also because of the Ruer?’
In any case, if it’s not dangerous…
Can I raise it?
Truth be told, I’d been wanting to keep a pet anyway.
“Krail, release it in the Commander Room.”
“Understood.”
If I raised it until it matured, it might become a decent asset in its own right.
“Anyway, thanks for the information.”
“You’re too kind.”
“You’re not uncomfortable with life here, are you?”
“No, thanks to your consideration, I’m having a wonderful time.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Indeed, from her very clothes she’d already been completely swept up in the secular world.
The flowing dress and pristine hat gave the impression of some wealthy family’s innocent young lady.
There was even a hint of perfume about her.
“Oh, by the way—how’s the blood crystal coming along?”
I asked, meeting her eyes briefly.
Shurin looked away.
“That might… take a bit longer than expected, I’m afraid.”
“Is that so? I imagine you must be eager to return to your clan as soon as possible. A shame.”
“Ah… yes, that’s true, but it’s not really an urgent matter…”
“Still, you’re the queen of your clan—it must weigh on your mind. In any case, I have some busy matters to attend to myself.”
With that, I retreated into the Commander Room.
Once out of her sight, I spoke to Neia.
“What did you make of that?”
『After analyzing her facial expressions in detail, she appeared reluctant to leave.』
“I thought as much.”
Perhaps my plan to have her as a resident who could produce blood crystals indefinitely wasn’t mere fantasy after all.
She was, after all, the queen of the Vampire Clan.
I’d assumed it would be impossible—she had subjects to protect and a clan to care for.
Yet the situation seemed to be unfolding far more smoothly than I’d dared hope.
“Oh, and one more thing—if there’s anything else you need, just call for me. Neia, keep doing your job.”
『Yes, Seon-woo.』
Neia’s monitor went dark.
Then I finally stepped out of the Commander Room.
My destination: the Bio-recovery Chamber on the second floor.
To be honest, bringing her along felt awkward for some reason.
Hiss—
As I stood before the Bio-recovery Chamber entrance, the door slid open.
Inside, Neia was still asleep in the pod, just as she had been before.
I pulled the Angel’s Breath from my inventory and held it up.
[Use Angel’s Breath on target?]
An alert materialized before me.
I pressed the use button without hesitation.
The Angel’s Breath blazed with brilliant light, and the radiance that poured forth took the form of an angel.
I was focused intently on what was about to unfold.
Ding—
[No physical abnormalities detected.]
A message materialized before my eyes.
The radiant angel’s form faded away.
“No physical abnormalities?”
Then why…?
Asleep?
The question lingered for a moment.
But the answer came to him quickly enough.
Something beyond external damage.
As a Player, it was familiar ground.
“A curse, then. Or a seal of some kind?”
【Angel’s Breath】
In his palm, the unused Angel’s Breath had reformed into its original shape.
A flask-like body, its surface etched with the silhouette of angelic wings.
“I suppose I should be grateful it counts as unused.”
That much, at least, was a mercy.
Still, the ending felt strangely hollow.
He’d been half-hoping for something else, if he was honest.
“Nothing ever comes easy, does it?”
And what was he supposed to do with this?
Another dead-weight item cluttering his inventory—just what he needed.
* * *
At that same moment.
Tower Well-Knows was in the grip of a dopamine-fueled frenzy.
[Live Spire Status]
– (image)
ㄴ Neia’s got an instant cult following lmao
ㄴ lol true, worship practically springs out of its own accord at this point
ㄴ Neia just broke into the top 10 Player power rankings in real time!
ㄴ Absolutely S-tier, no question.
The first man in history to clear a Trial virtually alone.
A feat unprecedented until now—unprecedented anywhere in the world—it set the entire internet ablaze.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————