Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 80

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Skill Devouring to the 666th Floor Episode 080

80. Do You Acknowledge Me Now?

Now that most Apostles had surpassed the 20th Floor.

There was a party conquering the 10th Floor.

It was a support party consisting of Park Se Hee, Han So Ra, and Seo Mina.

“Found it! The last Flame Flower!”

“Great, now we can get out.”

“Everyone worked hard, phew.”

Starting from the 8th Floor up to the 10th Floor.

It took a total of six hours.

Among these, what took the longest was none other than the 10th Floor.

“We barely found everything with 30 minutes left on the time limit.”

“I know. We almost couldn’t get out.”

“To think it took 4 hours and 30 minutes…”

While the 8th and 9th Floors were relatively quick, the 10th Floor took quite a long time since it was a collection mission.

“It would have been easier if we had split up to search…”

“But thanks to staying together, we conquered it safely. That’s what matters.”

Being a party, they had no choice but to always act together.

If they scattered in the Labyrinth, how would they meet each other again?

It’s not like they could track locations with their mobile phones.

That wasn’t the only difficulty.

“The 9th Floor was difficult in its own way too.”

“It was. We couldn’t utilize the advantages of being a party…”

The 8th Floor, killing 100 Dark Goblin Warriors, went relatively smoothly.

They could defeat them without much difficulty by cooperating with each other.

However, on the 9th Floor, the Doppelganger section, they had no choice but to show reluctance.

There was a condition that they had to defeat them alone without help from others.

“Do you know how hard it was for me back then?”

“I know. When Mina got caught by Mind Control, I was thinking whether I should go help you.”

“We couldn’t intervene while a party member was struggling alone… It was really frustrating.”

That group had now cleared the 10th Floor.

And safely at that.

Not a single person was injured.

[You have cleared Labyrinth Underground 10th Floor!]

[As a reward for clearing the 10th Floor normally, ‘Very Weak Essence of Resistance’ will be provided.]

“Oh, the reward message appeared.”

“Me too.”

“Everyone check your Status Window. Your stats went up by 1!”

At first, everyone was worried.

Since they entered as a party, wouldn’t the rewards be distributed too?

But fortunately, there was no splitting of stats.

They all increased by 1 equally.

“My resistance stat went up. It would have been better if it was strength instead…”

“It’s frustrating that it increases randomly.”

“From what I know, all stats rise in a balanced way. They don’t lean to one side.”

“Oh, really?”

Stats don’t increase dramatically in just one area.

Even if it’s random, it tends to focus on lacking stats and eventually balances out.

This was already a shared fact through Transcendence Net.

Whatever the case, the most important fact for them was that they had survived.

“Being together makes nothing difficult.”

“Then, shall we go to the next floor with this momentum?”

“Uh… for that, the time is…”

“Right. I’m hungry, unnie.”

Han So Ra, who had been enthusiastic alone, smiled brightly.

“I was joking. Actually, I’m sleepy too.”

“So Ra unnie is finally treating us comfortably.”

“After fighting for several hours, I guess I’ve gotten more comfortable now.”

“If someone heard that, they’d think we were fighting among ourselves.”

The three people smiled as their tension was released.

Then a message appeared.

[Would you like to go down to the next floor? Y/N]

[If you select N, you can return to Earth.]

[The choice will be decided by majority vote.]

Though it was a different message from when conquering alone, no one was flustered.

They had already come up to the 10th Floor by majority vote.

“Then shall we postpone the 11th Floor for next time and head out now?”

“Yes. Let’s return.”

The three people who unanimously pressed N returned to Earth.

As they came out of the Sinkhole, they saw the Safety Officer who claimed to be Han So Ra’s fan.

“Oh! You made it out safely! Thank goodness!”

“This much was easy.”

“How many floors did you clear? I need to record this too.”

“We finished up to the 10th floor. All three of us.”

“Understood. I’ve entered it into the system. Go home and get some good rest!”

“Thank you. Keep up the good work.”

The three people moved away from the sinkhole.

Now it was time to part ways.

“The collection missions are quite tough. Each floor takes four to five hours, so we can’t clear many.”

“Then should we just clear one floor per day?”

“Sure. See you tomorrow, unnies.”

“I have work tomorrow, so I don’t have time…”

“I also have a schedule tomorrow…”

“I’m the only one with plenty of time. Hehe.”

Seo Mina scratched her head, looking embarrassed.

“Sorry, Mina.”

“I’ll leave the details in a text message.”

“It’s okay. But next time we meet, we’re dropping the formal speech, right unnies?”

“Well, that’s…”

“I’ll try my best.”

The three were still awkward with each other.

“I’m home.”

Han So Ra lived with her mother.

Home was the only sanctuary where she could escape from the stress and pressure of the entertainment industry.

But it wasn’t entirely comfortable.

“Where have you been until now? Do you know how much Tae Hwan was looking for you?”

“Manager oppa?”

“Yes! He called several times saying he couldn’t reach you. Even the CEO called!”

“The CEO… too?”

Her mobile phone had died due to low battery while in the labyrinth, and now things had escalated.

“I didn’t know because the battery was dead.”

“Then you should have come straight home. Where on earth were you and what were you doing?”

It would come out anyway.

She decided to tell the truth.

“I went to the labyrinth.”

“The labyrinth? Did the company already tell you to enter the labyrinth?”

“That’s not it…”

“Did you go in alone on your own again? Why did you do that? Mom always told you to listen to the company.”

This was exactly the problem.

The excessive management and control of every move she made.

When she wanted to have her own time but couldn’t, So Ra felt suffocated.

Still, in times like this, an apology came first.

“I’m sorry. Let me call Manager oppa first. Please lend me your phone.”

“But talk in front of me. On speakerphone.”

Her mother interfered as usual.

Han So Ra sighed inwardly and called Kang Tae Hwan.

On speakerphone.

―Hello? Mother?

“It’s me, Manager oppa.”

―Han So Ra? Why are you calling now? I was worried!

“I’m sorry. My mobile phone battery was dead…”

Then another man’s voice interrupted from the other end of the call.

―So Ra? It’s me, CEO Kwon.

“Ah, CEO.”

―A casting offer came in and I called to discuss it with you, but you didn’t answer for hours. Where were you and what were you doing?

“Well…”

“She was in the labyrinth.”

Her mother suddenly interjected into the conversation.

―Mother?

“Hello, CEO.”

―Yes, hello. But what did you just say?

“She was in the labyrinth, apparently. I kept telling her not to go in because it’s dangerous, but she wouldn’t listen and stubbornly went in. Alone.”

“It wasn’t alone.”

At Han So Ra’s words, both her mother and the agency CEO fell silent in surprise.

“I went in with a party. The three of us.”

“What? A party?”

―You went with a party?

The two spoke simultaneously.

“Oh my, look at this girl. Are you in your right mind? An actress who needs to be careful about her conduct going around partying with civilians?”

―Excuse me, Mother… I don’t think So Ra means that kind of party.

“Huh? She doesn’t?”

It wasn’t a party for fun, but it was right to be cautious about that part.

Perhaps that’s why CEO Kwon’s voice became much stiffer.

―Han So Ra. When were you planning to tell me about this?

“I was going to tell you once my mobile phone was charged.”

―Going into the Labyrinth with a civilian without permission was wrong. You know that, right?

“Yes… But they’re not civilians. They’re Apostles.”

―Whatever they are.

“Yes… I’m sorry for going in without saying anything.”

―Right. Well, you came back alive, so that’s what matters. Did you clear the 8th Floor and come out?

“No. We cleared up to the 10th Floor.”

―8th, 9th, 10th… three floors…?

CEO Kwon knew too.

That Han So Ra had been struggling to clear even one floor.

―The party definitely helped, it seems. Do you have any footage?

“Yes. I filmed everything.”

―Originally, we were planning to officially organize this and set up a promotional strategy, but you moved first. Who did you party with? Did you find other Apostles from the entertainment industry?

“It’s not that… they’re people I know.”

―Send me that footage at least. Since it’s come to this, I need to see how we can utilize it.

“Yes, I’ll send it right away.”

―Good. Next time, give us a heads up beforehand.

“I will. I’m sorry for acting on my own.”

―Let’s talk about the drama casting tomorrow when the sun comes up.

“Yes. Good night.”

When the call ended, Han So Ra immediately turned on her computer.

She sent the video files from the action camera to the CEO’s email.

Meanwhile, her mother’s nagging continued.

“Forming a party with civilian Apostles, do you even have a brain? What if there had been an accident? What would happen to the company? What about your image?”

“Anyway, there were no problems.”

“No problems? The CEO had original plans and they all went down the drain. Because you went into the Labyrinth with weird people!”

“They’re not weird people.”

“What do you mean they’re not? Aren’t they just random people you picked up from the internet?”

Han So Ra usually endured well, but she couldn’t stand hearing her colleagues being badmouthed.

“Those people are kind and good people. Don’t talk about them carelessly.”

“Oh my, look at those eyes? Are you talking back to me right now?”

“You’re badmouthing them without even knowing them.”

“Don’t tell me you partied with men?”

“…”

“So that’s why you’re protecting them like this?”

“What are you talking about…”

“Good grief, falling for men. Well, you’re young so that can happen. You must be frustrated only working all the time. But don’t go into the Labyrinth with those people anymore. It’s bad for your image, and if it gets out that you went into the Labyrinth with men, it’ll be a disaster.”

“Come on, in a Labyrinth where you risk your life to clear it, what does it matter if they’re men or women…”

“Do as you’re told! Are you going to cause trouble for the CEO again?”

Sigh… There’s no getting through to her.

Who knew talking with Mother would be this exhausting.

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“Now you’re kicking me out? I really didn’t see you as this type…”

Then the phone rang.

The CEO’s name appeared on Mother’s mobile phone.

“Oh my, it’s the CEO? Hello?”

―Ma’am, is So Ra there? If she is, could you put her on?

“Yes, I’ll put her on. Just a moment.”

Now, as if it were natural, she switched to speakerphone and handed the phone to Han So Ra.

“I’m on the phone.”

―So Ra. I watched the footage you sent… who exactly are these people?

“Why? Is there some problem?”

―It’s not that… your party members’ skills are no joke. Plus their teamwork seems decent and they have good tiki-taka?

“Really?”

―Yeah, the footage is dynamic and I like it. Most of all… their visuals are incredible. These people aren’t celebrities, are they?

“No.”

―Where on earth did you find such beautiful women? They’re so pretty?

“…”

Han So Ra remained silent.

She couldn’t say that Amon had found them.

―This level is good enough to publish on the channel. We’ll need to do some editing though.

“Really?”

―Yeah. Good visuals and good skills. Looking at their skills, they seem to be Support like you, right?

“Yes, that’s right.”

―A Support party… Even better, it’s fresh. Finding people like this, you did really well.

“Th-thank you.”

Han So Ra was bewildered by the sudden praise.

―I immediately contacted the marketing team to change the proposal. Party with these people next time too.

“Is that really okay?”

―Yeah. This would be much better than what we had planned. Those party members, you have their contact information, right?

“Yes.”

―Then bring them to our company tomorrow. I’ll have the contracts ready.

“Contracts?”

―Right. We’re going to produce a Labyrinth clearing content series with your party. If the response is good, let’s make it a regular program.

“I’m fine with it… but we need to hear what the party members think…”

―Of course we do. You ask them once.

“Yes, understood.”

―And So Ra. Your mother is listening next to you, right?

Han So Ra glanced sideways at her mother.

Mother’s expression was gradually hardening.

“Yes, I’m listening.”

―Ma’am, please trust Sora’s judgment. I’ve seen what kind of people she chose as party members, and she has truly excellent insight. Even our Marketing Team couldn’t think of such a combination. With a party like this, we’re planning to continue supporting them.

Mother seemed at a loss for words and couldn’t say anything.

―Well then, Sora, I’ll see you at the Company tomorrow. Make sure to ask your party members’ opinions too.

“Yes, CEO. Thank you.”

After hanging up the phone, silence filled the room.

Sora looked at Mother’s face.

“They were female party members. They’re people with good character as well as skills.”

Mother was about to say something but closed her mouth.

“The people I chose, will you acknowledge them now?”

Mother’s expression as she nodded was tinged with resignation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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