I Conquered the Tower with the EX-Class Character That I Raised - Chapter 37

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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 37
“Now we begin.”
-Yes, sir. Standing by.
I activated the Synchronization Ticket.
[Target?]
[Lee Ah-woon]
Flash!
The ticket dissolved in a burst of brilliant light.
“How is it?”
-Whoa! Sir?!
Lee Ah-woon’s astonishment came through clearly.
-Something just appeared in front of me! It says ‘Contract’? Huh? Wh-what? What is this? Time limit?
“What’s happening?”
-What… is this?
“?”
Thud.
“Lee Ah-woon?”
It wasn’t the sound of the call dropping.
The phone had fallen to the ground with a thud.
I focused intently on my hearing.
Crackle— crackle—
“….”
All I heard was a strange sound like static crackling.
It wasn’t the noise you’d hear from poor call quality.
Something… something was happening.
“Hello?”
The moment I cautiously called out to Lee Ah-woon.
[Agent.]
Whitey spoke carefully.
[Lee Ah-woon’s biometric signals have disappeared.]
“Disappeared? You mean he’s dead?”
[No. Literally disappeared. Missing.]
Did the Possession Ticket work as intended?
What did he mean by ‘contract’ and ‘time limit’ before vanishing?
‘I’ll get the details directly from Lee Ah-woon.’
I turned my attention to Lost Honor.
I had positioned Nebula in front of the Great Gate where I first met Han Seol-ah.
After waiting a moment.
[Whoa!]
Suddenly, light flashed in the empty air, and Lee Ah-woon tumbled down.
“…It’s really happening.”
A chill ran down my spine.
When Han Seol-ah arrived, I’d thought something like ‘an existing hunter got added as an NPC,’ but this was different.
The physical body of that ‘real person’ who’d been urgently chattering beyond the watch just moments ago had fallen entirely into my monitor!
[Huh? Wh-what?]
Despite my rough explanation of the situation, Lee Ah-woon was visibly flustered.
He checked that all his limbs were intact.
He felt around his body in various places.
His head moved ceaselessly as he frantically surveyed the unfamiliar medieval landscape.
Click.
I moved Nebula in front of Lee Ah-woon.
[Hm?]
The moment Lee Ah-woon felt the character approaching and lowered his gaze from the sky to stare at my character—
[KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!]
Lee Ah-woon leaped up like a frightened cat and began screaming.
[Hyung-nim, hyung-niiiiim!!!!]
“What, what’s wrong with him?”
[Haaaa…]
Lee Ah-woon collapsed to the ground.
He was terrified of this?
“Han Seol-ah wasn’t like this.”
My character was large and dark, sure, but it had style.
Just how cowardly was this guy?
I moved Nebula away and waited for Lee Ah-woon to regain his composure.
[Huff, huff.]
After trembling for a while, Lee Ah-woon squeezed his eyes shut and began muttering rapidly like someone chanting a spell.
[Hyung-nim, yes. That’s hyung-nim. The one who saved me. The one who gave me a new life… An angel. Behind that demon is hyung-nim.]
Most of it sounded like praise directed at me, so I let it pass… but one strange word stuck with me.
‘…Demon?’
[Huff. Yes. Okay. Good. I’m fine.]
Clap! Clap!
Lee Ah-woon slapped his cheeks until they turned bright red, then let out a sharp “Hah!” of determination.
[I’m ready, hyung-nim!]
“Mm.”
Lost Honor had no chat function.
Whispers had been unlocked this time and were usable… but there was a limit of three uses from the start.
Since I needed to save those for critical moments, the only perfect arrangement was to thoroughly drill my ‘plan’ into him beforehand, outside the game.
And the first step of that plan was…
[The contract… Yes. I saw it and clicked ‘yes.’ I was certain it would be an incredible opportunity, so I had no intention of clicking ‘no.’ But it’s strange. I can’t remember what the contract actually said.]
When I met Nebula, I would explain everything I’d experienced as it was.
‘A contract, an offer I can’t refuse… but the actual contract details are missing.’
Ugh.
Lee Ah-woon clawed at his head as if scraping together fragmented memories, but the result remained unchanged.
[And after I pressed ‘yes’… something, something incredibly significant happened. But I can’t remember that either. It feels like someone erased just that scene with an eraser.]
‘I don’t even know how the possession happens. Hmm. Did someone erase my memories? Who? And how?’
Considering Whitey’s ‘missing person declaration’ as well.
It seems that when possessing into the game, I’m judged as completely vanishing from Earth.
And then reappearing inside Lost Honor.
‘Then, dimensional travel?’
Lee Ah-woon’s briefing continued.
[Ah, when I came to my senses, I was here… Um, I’m sorry, but your character, hyung? It looks incredibly fierce and terrifying.]
“What’s scary about this? It’s cool. Black and gleaming.”
I can tolerate insults directed at me.
But I cannot tolerate insults directed at Nebula!
“I’ll just—”
I was about to challenge him to a duel and smash his head in.
[It doesn’t feel like a game at all. My body, my mana hole, everything is exactly the same as it was on Earth. Rather than being inside a game, it feels more like I’m in some kind of set or theme park.]
“That’s how realistic it is.”
Anyway, Lost Honor is a game after all.
The rest of the briefing was just meaningless exclamations.
I opened a portal and brought Lee Ah-woon to the Safe House.
It was to resolve the Epic Quest that began the moment I confirmed Lee Ah-woon’s existence.
[Urgent Epic Quest]
[Save South Korea from the Brink of Destruction 3]
[Quest Objective]
[Awaken ‘Lee Ah-woon’ to EX-rank]
The quest objective was simple.
The same goal as Han Seol-ah before.
[Quest Reward]
[Constellation Corridor – ‘Possession’ Enhancement]
[Possession Ticket]
“Possession enhancement.”
It seems the Possession Ticket becomes stronger.
The Possession Ticket possessed tremendous power—it could forcibly possess someone into Lost Honor—but target selection was quite demanding.
The system could only recognize the target if the affiliated nation, Hunter rank, alias, and real name were all written down accurately without omission.
Additionally, only Hunters affiliated with the same nation could be possessed.
The reward of ‘Possession’ being enhanced likely meant these conditions would be relaxed.
While selecting an elixir to feed Lee Ah-woon, I pondered the method to awaken him to EX-rank.
“The difficulty is… still unknown.”
It wasn’t clear exactly how much wealth and time I’d need to invest.
I need to understand just how dangerous the curse afflicting Lee Ah-woon is before I can provide an estimate.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
“This should do it.”
I retrieved a luxurious glass vial filled with golden liquid from Warehouse 98, which contained only legendary-grade elixirs.
An elixir—’Pure Elixir Containing the Divine Blood of the Great Golden One’.
The descriptors preceding this elixir’s name alone placed it in an entirely different dimension from the ‘Red Elixir’ Lee Ah-woon had consumed earlier.
If the Red Elixir were a 10-point elixir, this ‘Pure Elixir’ would be roughly an 800-point elixir.
Its effect was simple and straightforward. Just one.
Complete curse removal.
Not some pretentious tiered curse removal effect.
‘Complete’ curse removal.
In Lost Honor, the modifier ‘complete’ literally means everything without question or exception.
There exists no curse in this universe that this elixir cannot dispel.
This was a specialist elixir, created by channeling all of the elixir’s functions into a single curse removal ability.
I tossed the Pure Elixir in front of Lee Ah-woon.
Without hesitation, Lee Ah-woon downed the Pure Elixir in one shot.
* * *
“Wow, this tastes amazing.”
Is this what celestial flavor tastes like?
A sweetness I had never experienced before washed over my palate.
I savored the lingering taste.
‘But…’
Recalling what my brother explained beforehand, he said that the moment I drank this, my body would flash with golden light and all curses would be healed…
‘Why isn’t anything changing?’
Maybe the elixir hasn’t taken effect yet?
I stood there blankly.
“Brother?”
In that instant.
Thump!
A tremendous vibration that seemed to shake my entire body erupted from my heart.
A heartbeat at a level that no human heart should produce.
“Gaaaahhh!”
Simultaneously, agonizing pain tore through my entire body, and I collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh, ughhhh!”
Disgusting clumps—whether blood or something else—spewed violently from my mouth.
Though Lee Ah-woon couldn’t see it, a sinister black mist was now seeping from every pore of his body in thick, roiling clouds.
‘I’m… dying…! I’m dying!’
Just as Lee Ah-woon was about to lose his grip on consciousness from that overwhelming agony and torment.
Shhhhiiiiing!
A golden mist erupted from Lee Ah-woon’s entire body.
The golden mist devoured the black fog in an instant, enveloping Lee Ah-woon’s entire body in a gentle embrace.
“Huh—”
The pain vanished.
Lee Ah-woon’s muscles went slack as the tension drained from every fiber of his being.
But it wasn’t completely gone.
My insides were still being torn to shreds in absolute chaos, yet because that initial agony had been so overwhelming, I could only feel the pain as a dull ache now.
Moreover, the Elixir’s power was rapidly healing the wounds from within.
Therefore, the pain I was experiencing now was…
Like the refreshing sensation of receiving a massage.
‘This feels good… ahhhh.’
Paradise.
It was as if a superhuman masseuse was directly massaging my internal organs…
Lee Ah-woon cautiously opened his eyes.
Whether from tears of blood, his vision was crimson and his eyes felt parched.
Beyond his blurred sight loomed an enormous black knight, gazing down at him with indifference.
A form that inspired breathless terror.
Yet Lee Ah-woon looked up at that entity with bloodshot eyes and forced the corners of his mouth upward.
‘Yes… this pain and this monstrous form are the trials the angel has prepared for my rebirth!’
Lee Ah-woon smiled with rapturous joy, foam flecking his lips, before losing consciousness.
* * *
“Ugh, disgusting. I seriously thought a demon was about to burst out of him.”
Phew.
I pressed a hand to my startled chest.
Lee Ah-woon had let out horrific screams.
Blood had erupted across his entire body.
And when he spewed that pitch-black fog everywhere, I thought he was possessed by some malevolent spirit.
Honestly, it looked like something straight out of a horror game.
The golden Elixir was forcibly stitching together Lee Ah-woon’s body as it crumbled into meat, reshaping it back into something vaguely human.
It resembled a god with golden hands sculpting humanity from clay.
‘I never thought I’d actually witness that metaphor about molding people from dough.’
It’s enough to make a believer out of anyone, honestly.
My character’s always worked great with that instant sparkle-and-shine effect.
‘If the Elixir’s power and the curse’s power are clashing right now?’
Either way, it seems like a positive sign.
It means the curse is that powerful.
‘Hmm.’
Lee Ah-woon is sleeping soundly.
He seems to have entered a stable phase.
‘It should be fine.’
I can’t just keep watching over Lee Ah-woon forever.
Time is running short.
“Whitey.”
[Yes, Agent.]
“See this? Keep a close eye on it, and let me know if anything unusual happens.”
I propped up the smartphone—now rendered obsolete by Whitey’s appearance—at an angle.
“You can monitor through this phone’s camera lens, right?”
[If you grant permission, yes, I can.]
“Go ahead. Permission granted. Do it.”
After two beeps—beep, beep—
Whitey’s voice emanated from the smartphone’s speaker.
[Installation complete. I will now monitor the display.]
“Thanks for your work.”
Now I could leave without worry.
I had much to do.
I needed to elevate Lee Ah-woon to EX-rank. I had to complete all the Hidden Quests in the process.
I needed to design what abilities I’d gain through synchronization.
I needed to devise a strategy to capture Resonar.
And countless other matters.
“How does an unawakened person survive in this ruined world…”
Sigh.
Surviving in South Korea was this exhausting.
“One step at a time.”
The more urgent things are, the more carefully I must proceed.
“It’s about time.”
I turned my attention to Chul-soo’s television.
[Good evening. This is Han Seol-ah.]
Right on schedule, Han Seol-ah’s press conference began.
The moment Han Seol-ah finished her greeting, a reporter’s question pierced through.
[Is it true that you’ve become an EX-rank Hunter?]
Immediately after.
Silence blanketed the Press Conference Hall.
Han Seol-ah seemed to be choosing her words carefully.
Or perhaps she was seizing control of the atmosphere.
She let out a soft hum.
[It is true.]
[…!]
The Press Conference Hall erupted into chaos.
[This can’t be!]
[W-wait, really? It’s true?]
“Han Seol-ah…”
With everything demanding my attention, the first thing I must do is…
Push Han Seol-ah to her limits.
Han Seol-ah must grow stronger.
“You’re not ready yet.”

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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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