Monopolizing Skills to the 666th Floor - Chapter 88

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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 088

88. Words of Gratitude

“Tae Seong. I was really surprised.”

As the people from the auction house dispersed, Joshua came over to share his thoughts.

“I never thought you’d reveal your identity in front of all those people…”

“If I kept hiding it, the noise would only get louder. It would put Costech in a difficult position too.”

If I hadn’t revealed it, they probably would have kept complaining about wanting to know the supplier’s identity.

They might have found fault with every contract, citing the unclear identity as a reason.

In that sense, I had revealed my identity early on, and Joshua seemed moved by that consideration.

“To think that far ahead and personally step forward for our company… Tae Seong, you’re truly thoughtful.”

“No, well…”

“You visited the United States because you foresaw this would happen and prepared in advance, right? That’s why you could come so quickly.”

“…”

I should just let him think whatever he wants.

If I told him I could even use Instant Teleportation, he’d really be shocked.

“But now that you’ve revealed your identity, won’t people talk about it elsewhere?”

“If they’re smart, they won’t.”

After taking the elixir, I had clearly told the people:

―Now do you believe it? The fact that I am Amon.

―Of course, clearing the 100th Floor doesn’t prove I’m Amon. But I hope you’ll at least believe that I’m the owner of the E-Grade Magic Stones.

―And there’s one thing I’d like to ask of you regarding my identity. I revealed my identity honestly because I trust that you’ll keep your mouths shut.

―I believe you won’t betray this trust of mine, but if anyone happens to spread word or leak information, the disadvantages will be that person’s responsibility. I hope you’ll keep this in mind.

In a way, it was a threat.

That I wouldn’t let it slide if they leaked information.

Smart businesspeople couldn’t have missed the meaning of my words.

‘Rather, they’ll try their best to stay on my good side.’

People know.

How precious an Apostle who has reached the 100th Floor is.

Whether I’m Amon or not might be uncertain, but they won’t dare treat me carelessly since I’ve cleared beyond the 100th Floor.

‘Since Oliver is on my Parasite list, I’ll know if anything happens.’

Actually, even if someone leaked the secret, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

It would just be annoying to have flies buzzing around.

“Tae Seong. Are you going back now?”

“I should. My business here is done.”

Actually, my business wasn’t finished.

I had a different purpose for coming here.

“Don’t do that, stay for a few days. This time I’ll give you the full course treatment. I owe you a debt, Tae Seong.”

He seems to think making me come to the auction house was a debt.

“Then, should I think of it as a trip to the United States and look around a bit before leaving?”

“Haha! That’s a great idea. You couldn’t properly look around last time because of work, so this time I’ll definitely guide you properly!”

“Thank you.”

I’d traveled to the United States many times, but I didn’t bother mentioning that.

“Shall we start with a meal?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Oh, my friend wants to meet you, Tae Seong. Would it be okay to invite him to the meal?”

“Your friend?”

I had a feeling who it was, but I asked back on purpose.

Pretending not to be interested.

“It’s the friend I mentioned before, the one I gave the spear to. He wants to express his gratitude to you…”

“Ah, that friend. That’s fine.”

If he’s calling Jason, I welcome it.

His skill was the key to opening the Hidden Piece on the 107th Floor.

It was also the purpose of coming to the United States.

“Thank you for allowing it! I’ll contact him right away!”

Most Apostles are only interested in raising their stats.

Stats are the clear indicator of growth, after all.

But.

“Haat!”

Jason focused more on honing his technique.

He believed that technique was what could make up for his lack of physical specs.

That’s why he swung his spear in the training ground every day.

“Whew.”

Jason wiped his sweat and set his spear down on the floor.

When he checked his wristwatch, about 2 minutes had passed.

It’s the time it took to take down five virtual enemies.

“I should have taken them down faster… It’s not easy.”

Virtual Training is quite useful in real combat.

It helps prepare for unexpected situations and actually improves movement.

It also reduces hesitation.

“Still, I’m a bit scared to move to the next floor.”

Unlike Joshua who has passed Floor 30, Jason’s current progress is stuck at the 20th Floor.

He has sufficient talent, but it’s due to his perfectionist and cautious personality.

There was also the incident where he was severely beaten by the survival mission with all kinds of monsters swarming him.

“I panicked and couldn’t even kill a few… just ran around pathetically.”

With more than ten creatures chasing him, who wouldn’t panic?

Of course, since it was a survival mission, he could clear it just by running around.

However.

“Amon is really amazing. How did he even think to kill 366 of them?”

If he killed them for 1 hour, that’s about six per minute.

Basically one kill every 10 seconds.

Having a comparison made him ashamed of himself for just running around.

“I need to handle them within 1 minute like Amon. 2 minutes against five is too long.”

That’s why he doesn’t go up to the next floor and trains desperately.

To avoid repeating that situation through sufficient training.

Without much rest, he grabbed the spear shaft again.

To become stronger, honing technique is the only answer.

Then.

Buzz— Buzz—

A call came from a friend.

“It’s Joshua?”

If it’s about dueling, that would be perfect timing.

Even though there’s a big skill gap, dueling with a strong opponent is always helpful.

“Hey. What’s up? Want to duel together?”

But the response was different from what he expected.

—I called to ask if you want to have a meal.

“Ah… a meal?”

Come to think of it, it was dinner time.

“Sorry, but I’ll pass. I want to focus more on training.”

—Are you sure you’ll be okay? That person is here too.

“That person?”

—You know, the person you’ve been wanting to meet.

‘Who is he talking about… Ah!’

Looking at the spear in front of him, it suddenly came to mind.

“You don’t mean that person, do you? Your business partner?”

—Yeah. You always said it. That if you got the chance, you’d like to express your gratitude.

“I, I did say that.”

—I think now is that chance.

Gulp, after swallowing once.

“I’ll come. Where is it?”

—I knew you would. I’ll text you the location.

Even after hanging up, he felt dazed.

The benefactor who gave him the spear.

That person came to the United States?

‘Of course I have to go meet them. I’ve been wanting to see them so much.’

He needs to meet them and express his gratitude for giving him the spear.

Even though it was given to Joshua, not himself.

‘Thanks to that, I’ve been using it incredibly well.’

After finding out the location, he hurriedly got into his sports car.

This isn’t the time to be doing this.

Time to meet his benefactor.

‘I can’t go looking shabby.’

He went home, took a shower first, and changed into a neat suit.

Then he headed to the meeting place.

‘What kind of person will they be…? At least stronger than Joshua, right?’

Information about the partner was limited.

The fact that they’re a business partner who trades magic stones with Joshua.

The fact that they have a high floor count enough to obtain rare items.

The fact that they’re strong enough for that.

Aside from that, there was no other information he knew.

Not their name, age, gender, or nationality.

Thud!

We arrived at a restaurant in a luxury hotel.

After handing over the valet, I entered with a nervous heart.

“I have a reservation.”

“Name?”

“Jason.”

“Yes. I’ll guide you.”

Following the staff’s guidance, I could see Joshua who spotted me first and waved his hand.

“You came? What’s the occasion for dressing up?”

“Well, given the occasion…”

“This is the person.”

Next to Joshua was an Asian man of average build.

No, he was definitely smaller in build than Joshua or myself.

Anyway, this must be him.

“Ah, hello. I’m Jason Potter.”

“I’m Lee Tae Seong. Nice to meet you.”

A light handshake.

To be honest, I was a bit surprised.

‘His pronunciation… is quite good?’

If I closed my eyes and listened, I’d mistake him for an American.

Though surprising, the first impression wasn’t as much as I expected.

‘I thought he’d look incredibly strong… His aura isn’t that sharp and his build is…’

Well, I’m nearly 190cm tall so I’m probably the big one, but it was still disappointing.

I didn’t particularly feel like he was a strong person.

‘Did he just get lucky and obtain the spear?’

That’s possible.

Just because someone cleared high floors doesn’t guarantee items will drop, right?

Regardless of skill, it could have just been good luck.

“I heard you do business with Joshua.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And you gave him a Labyrinth weapon called the Worn-out Spear.”

“I did. But I heard you gave it to a friend as a gift.”

“Yes… That friend is me. Maybe he felt sorry for me making spear shafts every time I entered the Labyrinth, so he gave me the spear to use. Thanks to that, I’m using it well. Despite its name, it’s really a good spear. Haha!”

“Is that so?”

The other person smiled with satisfaction.

He was gentler than I thought.

‘I was nervous for nothing.’

The tension was released.

On one hand, I felt disappointed too.

I thought he was a strong person, but it didn’t seem like it.

‘Ah! First, I should thank him…’

Jason bowed his head politely.

“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to use such a good spear.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m happy to hear you’re using it well.”

“I really wanted to meet you once. In a way, you’re like my benefactor.”

“Is that so? How do you find me now that we’ve met?”

At the other person’s question, Jason hesitated slightly.

Should I be honest about this?

But there was no time to think.

“Did I seem weaker than you expected?”

“…!”

Because the other person had seen right through my mind.

“You thought I’d be a strong Apostle since I gave you an item, but I don’t look that strong, right?”

“Uh… well, that’s…”

“You can speak honestly.”

“Um… honestly, yes. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all, so don’t worry about it.”

To think he noticed my thoughts.

I felt like he wasn’t an ordinary person, and on one hand, I was curious.

“If it’s not rude to ask, could I know what floor you’ve cleared up to?”

Tae Seong answered honestly with a smile.

“Floor 106.”

“Ah… I see. That’s quite high… Wait, what floor?”

“I’ve cleared up to Floor 106.”

Is this person joking right now?

He should say something that makes sense.

“Joshua. I heard that right, didn’t I?”

“You heard right. Floor 106.”

“Really?”

Joshua nodded.

But he can’t believe it.

“That doesn’t make sense. If you’re not Amon, how could you clear Floor 106…”

“I am Amon.”

“What?”

Lee Tae Seong spoke again in a serious voice.

“I am that Amon.”

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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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