I Became a Disaster-Class Newbie by Stealing Abilities - Chapter 66

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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 66. Dungeon “Jamsil World Tower” (1)
[The light pattern in the World Tower has changed from usual. Over 24 hours, I observed three times how the original red-orange-yellow-green-blue-purple-purple shifted to red-orange-yellow-green-blue-purple-purple. Also, the lights in the restrooms on the 33rd and 52nd floors went out for 3 seconds. For reference, I’m a double major in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University.]
-Nonviolence Advocate [11-star verified + Founding member]: What the hell. You’re spouting absolute nonsense. Are you unemployed? Do you have so much free time on your hands all day that you’re staring at this stuff?
-Stagnant Water 1998 [4-star verified]: It’s kind of cringey to be rocking that founding member badge while saying that. Is this really the level of old-guard stagnant players?
-SexySecurityBastard [7-star verified]: Please don’t lump them in the same category as me. Not with that fossil.
The guy was getting beaten to a pulp in a group assault, barely able to breathe.
Was he maintaining that same persona even here?
That made me glad, oddly enough.
In a world where everything had changed, there was still something that hadn’t.
-Quite Well-Learned [2-star verified + Founding member]: Well, well, well. Back in my day, we were always grateful for even a single tip. If you keep being disrespectful, you’ll come to regret it.
He was doing his best to reply to the criticisms of over a hundred members one by one.
-Nonviolence Advocate [11-star verified + Founding member]: Yeah, if you’re mad about it, come find me. I’ll factor your limbs off for you.
-Yaksha Rule [1-star verified]: ㅋㅋㅋ. I’m an 11-star Dragon Knight. Yaksha in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris?
-Meat-Eating Monk [4-star verified]: But I heard that person used to be a famous stagnant player. Why don’t they get any respect?
There’s no business to be done against a group attack.
But Jeong Ju-sang caught something precious hidden between the lines of that unremarkable exchange.
The Dungeon Awakening of the World Tower.
An event that occurred only when conditions were met with astronomically low probability.
It had happened occasionally in super-tall buildings like the Empire State Building in America, the Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, and the Shanghai Tower in China.
‘On the other hand, in Korea, there had been only one instance of a high-rise tower’s Dungeon Awakening.’
And it had been a twelve-hour event at the 63 Building, not the World Tower.
That’s why no one had even noticed.
‘If I’d let this slip by carelessly, I would have missed out on a sweet reward opportunity.’
Out of gratitude, I bookmarked this user.
I also tagged them and left a greeting.
-Dubai Mill: Thanks for the good post. You really do live up to the founding member standard.
Ding!
A reply came back faster than expected.
-Quite Well-Learned [2-star verified + Founding member]: I should be the one thanking you for agreeing with my thoughts. The weather is quite chilly these days—do have a warm cup of tea. I shall return with more worthwhile stories for you.
I was liking this guy more and more.
What kind of job and appearance was he living with in this world?
‘If I survive, maybe I’ll get the chance to meet him later.’
If for no other reason than to find traces of old friends.
I made a mental note to keep using the community regularly.
* * *
Jamsil World Tower.
This place, commonly called a skyscraper, was one of Korea’s most iconic landmarks and was owned by the White Magic Tower, one of the Five Major Magic Towers.
To go there, I first had to earn the qualification.
The first place I sought out was the Empire Administration Office.
“You’re upgrading to April Rank?”
The female employee widened her eyes and read the application form several times over.
“Yes.”
“Wow. You were just promoted to March Rank not long ago, and this speed is truly extraordinary.”
It was fast, I’ll admit.
10,000 Merit Points from helping Hong Su-a, and another 50,000 Merit Points from the Empire for resolving the major incident that occurred at the Hall of Twilight.
I had secured a total of 60,000 Merit Points.
“I’ve been fortunate with my luck.”
“That’s too much to chalk up to luck alone. In any case, the Merit Points required for April Rank promotion is 30,000. Since your most recent submission was relatively recent and your identity is well-established, I don’t think we’ll need any separate review period.”
Fortune was smiling on me a bit here.
I remembered that the review period usually took quite a while starting from Jamsil onward.
Bennermorph must have given some kind of quiet signal.
Not the kind where you give one thing and get another in return.
‘What exactly is that guy scheming?’
It was something I’d need to keep an eye on going forward.
[You have achieved April Rank Citizen Status.]
[You may now access Upper Districts including Jamsil and Seongsu.]
[You may receive 12 additional benefits including tax exemptions and welfare services.]
There were quite a few worthwhile things among them.
What I liked most was the 50% tax exemption on subsidiary items like Potions and Scrolls.
Clearing the World Tower would require me to stockpile a large quantity of consumables.
“You two stay here. I think I need to begin this alone for now.”
“Master! You’re not leaving the girl behind and going off by yourself, are you?”
“If you abandon even Your Highness, then those of us who serve have nowhere left to go!”
No, that’s not what I meant….
“This makes no sense. Surely it’s not because you failed to catch that cat, Gung-gi? If you wish, I can go right now and bring back its head.”
“Your Highness, I beg you — take my life instead!”
Enough, you leeches!
The words surged up to the tip of my tongue, but I forced myself to keep smiling.
If these catastrophes truly went mad, I had no confidence I could stop them.
Better to steer things toward a new subject entirely.
“If you both keep being so stubborn about this, Amy will end up winning the wager.”
“…Amy? You mean that arrogant foreign woman?”
Baek Seol-gi reacted instantly.
It wasn’t like she was some name that must never be spoken.
But the moment that name came up, she absolutely lost it.
“Right. We were talking about determining the internal hierarchy of the guild Eoyeongsa based on who clears the most dungeons, weren’t we?”
The guild Eoyeongsa, having only just taken its first step.
But the significance held by the first shadow among those shadows that protect the sovereign — that was on an entirely different scale.
At least that’s what Baek Seol-gi, Amy, and Heuk-bi seemed to believe.
“…That some arrogant foreign woman would dare propose such a thing without knowing her place. I suppose I’ll have to teach her the meaning of hierarchy, down to her very bones.”
Cackle, cackle, cackle!
Murderous intent poured from Baek Seol-gi’s body beyond all imagination.
Shiver!
Fine hairs rose up across my skin.
My duel with Gung-gi flashed through my mind.
More precisely, she looked exactly a hundred times angrier than she’d been then.
Hmm.
I had a sinking feeling I’d made some terrible mistake.
In truth, Amy hadn’t been the one to suggest this in the first place.
‘I only tried it because back when I worked as an intern at the company, they said that pitting subordinates against each other like this would stimulate them and fire them up….’
But somehow the situation had spiraled out of control.
-I, I’ll do my best too. I absolutely don’t want to lose. Actually, I’ve already thought of several more methods up my sleeve.
Now that I thought about it, that had been roughly the mood when I’d contacted Amy as well.
And after that, news broke that criminals had begun vanishing near the Vatican at an exponential rate.
Articles appeared about prisoners in jails disappearing wholesale.
All accompanied by wild rumors — that they’d been taken for sacrificial purposes, for experiments, and other equally grotesque reasons.
Surely it couldn’t be….
No. It had to be coincidence.
“Seol-gi. I’m giving you a special task. Fuse the Ice Flame Divine Sword with Niflheim’s ‘Frozen Flame’ and create your own technique.”
The Divine Name Absolute — called the endpoint of what an individual can achieve — or a Secret Technique, one variety of ultimate skill.
“Master one of those two and return to me, and I shall grant your request.”
“Return to Your Highness…that you would grant such a thing…”
As the first shadow.
And as a trusted companion and partner in whom I can confide.
I grant it.
That you walk with me, forever.
Baek Seol-gi’s thoughts cascaded forward without hesitation.
“I shall succeed without fail. If necessary, I’m prepared to overturn all of Gangdong-gu itself.”
A glimmer of madness beginning to kindle in her eyes.
“Y-yes. Do your best.”
“If that still isn’t enough, I shall scour every demonic den in this entire world.”
Gulp — I was starting to get genuinely frightened now.
“Heuk-bi, go to the Agui Cave. When you clear that labyrinth, you should gain additional skills related to the Yin-Yang Five Elements Technique.”
“I, Heuk-bi, shall obey Your Highness’s command.”
And so the sovereign, having just unleashed an invasive species upon Gangdong-gu, set out at once for Jamsil.
Though far more stringent security and towering walls stood in the way, there was nothing to worry about — as long as the identification wasn’t forged.
“Aaaaahhh!”
“P-please, spare me!”
A considerable number of those with forged papers were apprehended this time as well.
Such is the hunger in a human heart to ascend to the upper district.
Even the penalty of death cannot stop it, it seems.
How far had they traveled by then?
At last, Jeong Ju-sang arrived at Jamsil World Tower.
‘Incredible height.’
The White Magic Tower had layered all manner of spells upon it, making it far more dazzling and grand than it had been on Earth.
Seokchon Lake, stretching before it, had expanded several times over as well.
Whoosh!
“Ooooooh!”
A colossal whale-like sea creature glided through the waters, and there were even sightseeing boats floating about to observe it — what more was there to say?
It struck him anew: this was not Earth.
As he approached the World Tower entrance, he saw masses of people crowded together.
Drawing a little closer, he heard many voices raised in distress.
“The Magic Tower is closed? What does that mean?”
“It’s true. I came from far away to learn a new skill today!”
“I have an item I left for commission. It’s essential for entering the Labyrinth, but—”
A place where thousands passed through daily had been sealed; confusion was inevitable.
“We apologize. We’re still assessing the situation on our end, so we’d be grateful if you could bear with us a little longer.”
The young apprentice mages of the White Tower fumbled through their responses.
They, too, had not yet grasped what had happened.
Such things did not occur often, after all.
Jeong Ju-sang’s gaze turned toward the windows of the World Tower.
Flicker. Flicker.
The lights blinked on and off.
As if heralding the catastrophe soon to come.
One second.
Flicker.
Two seconds.
Flic…ker.
And three seconds.
Darkness.
The entire World Tower was swallowed by shadow.
[Dungeon Awakening of the World Tower has been completed.]
Now it begins.
* * *
An old fortress in Europe.
The sight of elaborate, archaic décor stretching endlessly was nothing short of magnificent.
And in its center, a drawing room held seven figures—men, women, young and old.
They were the Cardinals of the Immortal Order.
“All seven of us assembled? Isn’t that a record?”
The pink-haired girl giggled.
As if they had been waiting for this, all of them spoke at once.
“I too received an emergency summons and dropped everything to come.”
“Could it be because the high-ranking Demon Race Barkan has perished? There are rumors he was a confidant of one of the Demon Lords.”
Various theories were being tossed about when—
“Lucian is dead.”
The middle-aged man seated at the head of the table spoke.
The shockwave that single statement unleashed was beyond imagination.
“What?”
“That old fool is dead?”
“Impossible. He took the Harlequin and our best rankers with him.”
“I cannot believe it.”
Words poured out like machine-gun fire.
The death of an irreplaceable cardinal was that catastrophic.
“The Cult Leader is most displeased. He has expressed great fury that we are not doing our part.”
An ambitious plan to shake the Empire’s rear lines using the Four Inauspicious Beast Gung-gi and simultaneously establish a sacred site for the Evil God’s descent had come to nothing.
Worse still, they had lost the Order’s Sacred Artifact.
In nearly a hundred years, had there been such humiliation?
To make up for this blunder, they would need to achieve results that surpassed it.
“What is the status of Project ‘Requiem’?”
“Over 80% complete. Even Los Angeles, which was one of the most troublesome areas, is almost resolved. Thanks to our contact with the Jianghu, the Namgung Clan should be wrapped up within a month.”
The pink-haired girl’s lips twisted as memories of the hardship flooded back.
A massive project targeting twelve major cities across the globe.
After five years of preparation, failure was simply not an option.
“Pay special attention to Gangnam.”
“What? You want to pour more resources into some backwater region?”
“Yes. Double the personnel and triple the security budget.”
Was it Jeong Ju-sang who had orchestrated all this?
She’d dismissed him as unremarkable, a minor player not worth her concern.
Her assessment had been wrong.
He was dangerous.

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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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