I Conquered the Tower with the EX-Class Character That I Raised - Chapter 20

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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 20
The spot where Scathach, transformed into ‘Ice Dragon Mode’, had exploded.
Beyond the hazy cold mist, a luminous blue orb gleamed into view.
‘As expected, it dropped.’
I picked it up and examined it closely. Within the sphere, I could discern a peculiar mark—like the vertically slit pupil of a reptile.
The ‘Eye of the Ice Dragon’.
Among the rewards for defeating Scathach, it was what they called the ‘second prize’, obtainable through only one method.
Defeat Scathach after forcing her into ‘Ice Dragon Mode’.
‘I had to obtain this.’
The true best reward was the first prize: the ‘Heart of the Ice Dragon’.
The very item used to create Eternal Winter.
But that had a drop rate less than 0.0001%—a lottery no one should play.
This wasn’t a game. It was reality.
A reality where an entire nation’s survival hung in the balance, where my own life teetered on the edge.
In such circumstances, I couldn’t gamble on odds so infinitesimally small.
The ‘Eye of the Ice Dragon’, however, was different.
Force Scathach into phase two—’Ice Dragon Mode’—and defeat her, and it drops with 100% certainty.
This was precisely why I’d taken the risk of pushing her to that second phase.
In a strategy where failure cannot be tolerated, variables must be controlled.
Relying on luck is gambling, not strategy.
I wanted a ‘guaranteed reward’, and by my design, this item now rested in my hands.
This was the key item for my next operation.
But the broken man before me couldn’t see this hope.
“…Apostle, does stopping this even matter?”
Jin Cheon-jin’s gaze wasn’t fixed on my hand, but on empty air.
[3 days until commencement]
A countdown flashing in crimson.
That number was crushing him.
“Merely… three days?”
His voice carried the weight of profound despair.
I understood his despair.
This time, through my intervention, we’d achieved the miraculous ‘zero casualties’, but ordinarily, three days would be woefully insufficient to treat the wounded or rebuild shattered defenses.
He was sensing it—the meaning behind this drastically compressed preparation window.
Even if we withstood this, the next might be ‘one day’.
He’d deciphered the Tower’s ‘predetermined annihilation scenario’—to keep grinding until nothing remained.
‘Though really, it’s more “ascend the Tower or everyone dies”.’
“It’s over then. Everything…”
Jin Cheon-jin lowered his head.
His shoulders seemed unusually small in that moment.
Jin Cheon-jin.
The middle-aged man who bowed his head before my eyes was the king of the ‘1st Generation Hunters’—those who had sustained the era before Han Seol-ah.
The Tower’s emergence and the great chaos. The miracle man who resuscitated South Korea from the brink of 99% annihilation.
A living legend who endured that hellish three years with bare fists until the ‘Guardian’ Han Seol-ah appeared.
That Jin Cheon-jin had been broken.
‘…Truly, a cruel world.’
But.
“It is not the end.”
“…Pardon?”
Speaking to Jin Cheon-jin, and to Min Ji-hee who was listening through the microphone.
I decided to instill certainty.
“There is a way.”
“…!”
Jin Cheon-jin’s eyes widened as if they might split.
“You, and all of you, asked. To save South Korea.”
“…Yes.”
“I declared. Your Quest has been accepted.”
I continued firmly.
“The Quest is not yet complete.”
“….”
“Killing Scathach? That is merely the first objective. The true purpose of the Quest is….”
I pointed to the crimson warning message that Jin Cheon-jin had been staring at.
“To sever that unreasonable cycle of annihilation.”
“Is that… truly possible?”
“Yes.”
I spoke as golden luminescence began to gather around my body.
“Once I accept a Quest, I clear it no matter what.”
“A-Apostle! What on earth is… please explain further…!”
Jin Cheon-jin reached out desperately, trying to ask something more, but I did not answer.
I waited for the golden luminescence to be sufficiently absorbed into my body…
Then, after leaving the clearing with unhurried steps and disappearing from Jin Cheon-jin’s sight.
I ran toward home.
Argh!
The synchronization is cutting off!
“Just hold on until I get home!”
Please!
* * *
The moment I arrived home, the synchronization cut off.
“….”
I waited tensely for the backlash to come…
“Phew.”
Fortunately, my fears never materialized.
‘Absorbing luminous dust produces no aftershock.’
I could confirm this fact once more.
“Well then.”
I examined the monitor displaying Lost Honor.
[Emergency Epic Quest]
[Saving South Korea from the Brink of Annihilation 2]
[Quest Objective]
[Eliminate Frost Dragon Scathaha] (Complete!)
The Quest window displayed a meaningful change.
[Emergency Epic Quest Complete!]
[Will you accept your reward?]
[Reward]
[Constellation Corridor – ‘Achievement’ Unlocked]
[Possession Ticket]
The Possession Ticket was an item I’d already experienced firsthand—I’d awakened Han Seol-ah to EX-rank with it and tasted its absurdly broken performance.
But the other reward, ‘Constellation Corridor – Achievement’…
I suspected it was undoubtedly some tremendous ability related to unlocking a new class, but I couldn’t be certain until I saw it with my own eyes.
Click. Click.
I clicked the mouse several times just in case, but no additional explanation appeared.
‘Of course.’
Below that.
[1. Yes] [2. No]
The ‘Yes’ button gleamed in gold, urging me to press it quickly.
Pressing it would grant me the reward immediately.
So naturally, here I would.
Press No.
“I haven’t cleared the hidden quest yet, you bastard.”
Accepting the reward now would be convenient.
But I knew better.
‘Only after completing that task will the system unlock its true treasure.’
This wasn’t the time to lay down my spoon.
I slumped back in my chair.
“Ugh, I’m dying…”
My mind felt sluggish.
The luminous dust apparently couldn’t heal the internal injuries I’d sustained.
I was confirming this right now.
“Hngh.”
It hurt.
I considered activating Synchronization to heal the internal damage, but…
No matter how much pain I’m in, I need to think clearly.
If I do something reckless, I’ll die.
If I had to describe my current state, I’d say I’m a cracked vessel.
If I activate Synchronization in this condition, I’ll end up like Han Seol-ah did when she overloaded during magic training and exploded.
‘I pushed myself too hard this time….’
I understand the situation was unavoidable.
But pushing myself was still pushing myself.
When using magic through Synchronization, it calculated everything automatically.
All I had to do was hold the intention to cast magic, and Synchronization would distribute the mana and compute the complex spell formations for me.
Magic was like a car, and Synchronization was an autonomous driving system that conveniently and safely handled everything for me.
But this time was different.
Synchronization handled the activation of ‘Absolute Zero’ on autopilot.
But after that—pouring mana like fuel into that engine was entirely my responsibility.
It was my will that poured out an absurd 300,000 MP, mocking my maximum capacity of 50,000 MP.
I had turned off the autonomous system and seized the steering wheel myself, sending the car into a rampage.
Without Synchronization’s aid, handling those vast calculations raw nearly killed me.
But because of it, I learned something.
I can directly control output that exceeds Synchronization’s limits with my own hands.
I dove onto the bed.
I swallowed a painkiller I’d stolen from Chul-soo’s place and immediately fell asleep.
* * *
The next day.
The moment I woke up, I headed to the Appraisal Center, which had become an operational camp.
I still couldn’t activate Synchronization.
I was fortunate to have recovered enough to move around at all.
Before arriving at the Appraisal Center, I checked myself in a mirror and composed my expression.
What I had to do now was simple.
Complete the operational briefing flawlessly!
The climax of my plan was, of course, capturing Scathaha.
It’s a mission only I can accomplish.
That’s why I did it myself.
However, since I anticipated I wouldn’t have the energy for ‘cleanup’ afterward…
I designed the subsequent operations to a difficulty level Han Seol-ah could handle.
Is it easy?
No, it isn’t.
It’s difficult.
And if it fails, Han Seol-ah dies, and the country falls.
‘Ugh, it hurts.’
My face in the mirror had become the face of a patient who looked like they were dying from pain.
The mask’s excessive performance had become a liability at this moment.
Mind control. Phew.
I am the Apostle… the Apostle.
My opponent is Min Ji-hee.
If I showed weakness honestly before her, she might effortlessly compile a report titled “100 Truths and Lies About the Apostle’s Existence.”
The fact that I shouldn’t step forward—Han Seol-ah must.
I had to convince Min Ji-hee of this.
Without revealing that the Apostle had suffered a grave wound!
I had to maintain an iron grip on my sanity.
The authority of the Apostle as a transcendent being could not crumble yet.
“Fine.”
Let’s go.
* * *
Min Ji-hee possessed a sharp intellect.
An exceptionally sharp one at that.
So from the beginning, she understood the advantage of pretending not to notice the “trivial inconsistencies” surrounding the Apostle.
Yet she never truly forgot those questions.
For instance.
Why did the Apostle live in such a place?
Min Ji-hee, who had memorized maps of all Incheon in her mind.
She knew the Apostle’s gait. His speed.
She knew the direction he appeared from and the direction he departed.
With that knowledge, she could calculate it.
Where the Apostle currently resided.
…It was a shabby villa where B-rank Hunter Kim Chul-soo lived.
Happiness House B Building.
Min Ji-hee remembered every “Hunter” living in Happiness House B Building.
And she knew there was no one there with the same or similar personal information as the Apostle.
Which meant… the Apostle.
Was someone living in Happiness House B Building in disguise.
That someone was…
“This far.”
Min Ji-hee cut off her thoughts there.
Knowing the Apostle’s true identity.
Would that help prevent South Korea’s destruction?
Perhaps it might…
But the Apostle was a transcendent being—the terminal of a transcendent and a supreme force capable of reducing an entire city to dust.
Such carelessness displayed by him.
Was it truly carelessness?
Or was it a camouflage deliberately laid out to appear that way?
Min Ji-hee believed the latter was far more likely.
What would happen if I tried to lift that disguise?
Just imagining it, even slightly, made Min Ji-hee’s blood run cold.
So whenever Min Ji-hee thought of Apostle, the countless questions that arose, she simply pretended not to know and buried them.
She thought that was enough.
And by emptying her mind to that extent, time spent with Apostle became genuinely enjoyable.
Conversation with someone who understood her was far more entertaining than she’d expected.
“….”
But then…
“Um, Apostle.”
“Is that so….”
“…?”
Why ever since earlier.
“Did it become that way….”
…Why do you keep repeating only those words?
“Apostle…? Is there something you wish to tell me…?”
“That is… no. No, it is not. You need not know.”
“Pardon?”
“….”
“….”
Surely not.
‘Did you read my doubts?’
* * *
Dealing with intelligent people is exhausting.
Because I cannot calculate how to outmaneuver them.
Moreover, Min Ji-hee is a Hunter famous for being extraordinarily clever.
Even less calculable.
…So the method I chose was simple.
Exploit my alias as ‘Apostle’!
So I stared intently at Min Ji-hee while muttering only cryptic words.
Impressive-sounding phrases like ‘is that so’, ‘do I not know’, ‘was it that way’, ‘you need not know’.
‘Add a spoonful of silence to that, and it’s perfect.’
Min Ji-hee seemed to believe my words contained something momentous, and began pondering intensely.
Finally, she blurted out a single statement.
“…Apostle, I swear, the only one who knows—no, suspects—that fact is me.”
“….”
‘That fact?’
Chills ran down my spine.
‘What is that?’
“I swear. I will never reveal it.”
“…Is that so.”
I glanced sideways at Jin Cheon-jin and Han Seol-ah.
Jin Cheon-jin had already realized this wasn’t something he could comprehend, so his mind was elsewhere.
Han Seol-ah, on the other hand, was flustered—unable to follow the conversation.
‘You don’t understand either. What am I even talking about?’
I don’t understand it myself!
I gazed down at Min Ji-hee quietly and opened my mouth with weight behind my words.
“Is that so….”
“Yes. I swear by my name.”
“Then….”
“…I will harbor no further questions. No—I will forget this entirely.”
Min Ji-hee’s composed expression crumbled.
She wore the look of a child caught misbehaving by a stern teacher.
‘…Oh no.’
This wasn’t what I intended!
“Let’s drop this matter.”
“…Thank you for your mercy.”
Min Ji-hee bowed her head, cold sweat beading on her brow.
Then she quietly stepped backward.
‘….’
“….”
The interior of the building had grown frigid.
The back of my neck felt cold too.
What thoughts were churning inside Min Ji-hee’s head right now?
…Enough.
Don’t force yourself to understand what you don’t.
‘At least I succeeded in getting a meal out of it. Let’s have a drink.’
“…I’ll explain the strategy.”
I pulled out the ‘Frost Dragon’s Eye’ I’d packed in my backpack.
“This item is called the Frost Dragon’s Eye. It’s a reward drop from defeating Scathaha.”
The three of them fixed their gazes on the luminous blue orb.
“Normally it’s used as a material for equipment crafting, but if a Frost Seal class user employs it as a mana catalyst, it can serve other purposes.”
I looked at Han Seol-ah and grinned.
“To put it simply: this is a ‘mana nuclear bomb.'”
“A-a nuclear bomb?”
Han Seol-ah’s eyes widened in shock.
“Han Seol-ah. This is your mission as well.”
I glanced at Min Ji-hee’s expression.
Perhaps because the psychological pressure from moments ago had worked effectively… Min Ji-hee raised no objections.
‘Nice.’
“When the boss break begins, there will be a point where the boss appears. Correct?”
“Yes. I have it.”
It was Jin Cheon-jin who answered.
“Take this to that location. You don’t need to match the exact coordinates.”
“Understood.”
This time, Han Seol-ah responded with a resolute voice.
“And then detonate it.”
“….”
No one answered this time.

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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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