Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 98

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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 98

– SSS+ …???
– So SSS wasn’t the ceiling after all?
– Even the system must be stunned at this point.

The highest record since I began climbing the tower.
SSS Rank.
But even at first glance, a Clearance Rank higher than that had been calculated.

[Clearance Rank SSS+ Achieved!]
[An unprecedented record!!]
…
[This record will be inscribed in the Hall of Fame.]
[Rewards have been increased.]
[Rewards have been increased.]
[Experience Points awarded.]
[Level increased.]

My level has now reached 47.
Already far surpassing the recommended level for the current floor.
And yet my level still went up…
Must be the power of SSS+ if it’s that demanding?

[S+ Grade Reward Box (Floors 26-30) added to Inventory.]
[S+ Grade Material Box (Floors 26-30) added to Inventory.]

…
The surprise extended to the rewards themselves.
In the past it would have ended with ‘S’.
But there’s a ‘+’ attached.
Of course, having received SS grade boxes before, the dopamine hit was tempered.
Still, rewards above the usual tier never failed to feel good.
The viewers’ anticipation spilled into the chat.

– Expecting Legendaries from an S+ box is a bit much, no?
– But we got two Legendaries from an SS box, so it’s not entirely impossible?
– Unless you’re Neia with her unlucky hands?
– Unlucky!
– Hands!

Frustrating as it is, they’re not wrong.
From the SS grade boxes I did pull all Legendary gear.
But the results from the other boxes have been, frankly, lackluster.
I was enduring the violence of what they call facts.

– So? When are you opening this one?

One viewer posed that question, and…
I answered as vaguely as possible.
Honestly, if I said I’d open it right now and then couldn’t follow through, there’d be no way to recover.
Better to lay some groundwork beforehand.

“Whenever I have the time, I could open it today itself.”

– Translation: you’re not opening it.
– I’m betting two weeks this time.
– When is the waiting ever going to end…

It’s the accumulated karma, in a sense.
But that wasn’t what I meant this time.
I’ll get to it eventually, once I have the time.

I decided to placate the viewers who were complaining of vertigo.
Let me think…
What’s the soonest window I could find time in?

“I have an appointment in Olia around lunch today. If I have a free moment after I arrive, I’ll stream it then.”

– For real???
– I thought she was ghosting us!
– Kyaa, thank you so much!
– Let’s go, come on!
– What are you doing, Boss Neia! We’re wasting time!!

The chat’s mood shifted in an instant.
I turned to Baek Jin-seong.
“Floor 27? You coming?”
“Yes!”

[Entering Floor 27.]

* * *

At this moment.
Neia’s existence was shaking the entire world.
Especially the countries neighboring Korea were in a state of heightened sensitivity.
Just a few months ago, she was nothing more than a high-potential rising star.
But recent developments had changed everything entirely.
Only a few months had passed.
First on every recruitment list.
A treasure that had to be brought to one’s own country by any means.
She had been reborn as a presence that could never be made to look unfavorable or treated as an enemy.
“Stop spouting off about things you don’t even understand!”
Masashi, the head of Japan’s Hunter Association, was indignant as he watched such public opinion.
Everyone was just speaking their minds carelessly.
Without understanding Japan’s true situation.
The truth was far more cruel than the public knew.
“Not let her look unfavorably on us? Are you insane?!”
But honestly, it was already too late.
The milk had already been spilled.

If we trace back the story a few months.
When he first emerged as a rising star.
The relationship had shattered when Masashi tried to extract the drone technology.
Of course, others didn’t know about it.
Neia had kept her mouth shut.
“Bring her to Japan?! That’s insane!”
Of course, Masashi had his reasons for acting that way.
Neia’s power was concentrated solely in her drones.
He had judged that the moment he understood the drone’s structure, she would fall apart catastrophically.
So rather than spend good money bringing her over, he had tried to subtly extract the technology instead…
But he never thought the snowball would roll this far.
“Back then, it was definitely the right call!”
There was even a time when he had tried to kill Neia.
The Black Track.
He had arranged a hit on her there.
But then, at some point, the subordinate who had been ordered to carry out the hit was found dead…
Not long ago, the top-tier player from the neighboring country, Kang Min-hyuk, was discovered dead.
He’d been killed in much the same way as the subordinate.
The work of the same killer.
According to what he’d learned, similar incidents were occurring in various places around the world recently.
This was why Masashi had come to a particular conclusion.
‘I don’t know how she obtained the information, but…’
It had to be Neia’s doing.
She was clearly singling out those who had plotted against her directly.
This wasn’t mere baseless speculation.
The text message that arrived about half a month ago served as proof.

– This is your final chance.
– Who are you?!
– How could I possibly tell you that? Don’t ignore the warning….
– (This number does not exist.)

He’d tried every method to trace the sender, but it had been futile…
Given the circumstances, he’d recently resorted to writing all important communications by hand and delivering orders only in person.
He had no idea where information was leaking from.
Even with all his intelligence resources mobilized, he couldn’t find a trace of her.
So suspicion fell on Neia alone.
“Neia… just you wait. I’ll put an end to your rise and bring ruin down upon you!”
Masashi, in fact, had a plan in mind.
He picked up the receiver and issued instructions to his secretariat.
“Send Mizuki in.”
Knock-knock-knock.
Moments later, Mizuki entered at the sound of the knock, and Masashi handed him the handwritten operation plan.
Once Mizuki accepted the documents and reviewed them, Masashi spoke.
“Can you manage it?”
“If not me, then no one else could pull this off.”
“A fine answer.”
To summarize the operation Masashi had outlined, it was as follows.
Investigation inside the Gate.
It was only natural that he would issue such a directive.
Neia’s weakness remained unchanged.
If only he could uncover the secret of the drones.
He could mount the same kind of counter-response.
“I’ll wait, trusting in you alone.”

* * *

Tower climbing that had begun after some time.
The process was smoother than ever.
Unless there was a particularly demanding mission assigned, it took less than a minute.

[Floor 27 cleared.]
[Clearance Rank SSS+ achieved!]

After clearing floor 27 and moving on.

[Floor 28 cleared.]
[Clearance Rank SSS+ achieved!]

Floor 28 was no different.
With the boost in output, Crail was a god, an absolute god!

[Floor 29 cleared.]
[Clearance Rank SSS achieved!]

Aside from the time it took to collect Flame Plants on floor 29, it was nothing short of a lightning-fast ascent.
I’d reached the thirtieth floor in a single stretch.
By this point, the viewers’ reactions were explosive.

– What’s with the wait queue taking longer than the clearance time?
– Is this real? This isn’t the tutorial floor!!
– And then he’s gonna just push five floors like usual and clock out, right?
– Do you have to keep going even after the promised amount?

First, I want to tell them not to worry about that part.
I have something else to do today.
Something a bit special, actually—another tower climb.
Anyway, I’m clearing faster than I expected, which is honestly surprising.
‘If I finish this, does that mean graduating from Grace?’
Unlike Peronta, my time here was running out before I’d made many memories—graduation was already here.

[Entering Floor 30.]

Ding—
After the usual queue, a quest is assigned.

[Quest: Defeat Monster – Lava Hound 0 / 1]

The quest was nothing special.
Just take down the floor boss, that’s all.
Though come to think of it, the last stretch was odd.
This is how it should be.
How could something like that happen once every ten floors?
As for the Lava Hound—if the Volcanic Zone comes up in the 40s, it’s just a common mob.
But here, as you can see, it’s a boss monster.
And I’d already faced a Lava Hound before.
‘This fragile thing is a boss monster…’
The Lava Hound was a creature whose sharp claws and fangs looked threatening, but its defense was surprisingly low.
Even a single drone’s attack could dispose of it with ease.
“Grrrowl—”
Whoosh—
A beam from one Hunter Drone shoots toward the charging Lava Hound.
Its head pierced clean through, the creature breathes its last.
It was so disappointingly simple that I almost felt I owed an apology to the viewers.

[Quest cleared.]
[Moving to waiting area shortly.]

I gathered the drones and arrived at the waiting area.
Naturally, I wanted to head to Olia.
Since I’d arrived early…
‘I could probably farm chests.’
I didn’t need to check my watch to know.
It hadn’t taken very long, at least by feel.

[Enter Olia?]
That’s what I was thinking when I chose to enter Olia.
The transition paused, and a window appeared before my eyes.
Flash—
‘Right, I’d forgotten about this.’
The Enhancement Event that always showed up when I wasn’t expecting it.
Every Skill Card I owned appeared right in front of me.
I chose Special Assembly without hesitation.
The reason was simple: I was already enjoying a level 4 Special Assembly through Blessing.
The activation rate was improving by quite a margin, so this was to prevent the sharp drop in effectiveness when the Blessing ended.

[Special Assembly V]
– 30% chance to produce a Special Unit.
– 15% chance to produce a Hero Unit.

Special Assembly at Level 5.
It was good, but not as satisfying as the leap from Level 3 to Level 4 had been.
Next time I’d have to pick something else.
“Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
Baek Jin-seong seemed to have made his choice as well, so we entered Olia.

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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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