Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 13

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

Episode 13. Blessing of Retry
–14 Intermediate Magic Stones, current price: 2,000,000,000 won
–Final bid: 2,000,000,000 won (2 billion won).
The fourteen Intermediate Magic Stones that Jung Ho had mined from the Chaos Gate sold for two billion won. He stared at the number, unable to believe it.
Two billion for one run through the Chaos Gate? And that was without the Epic item. The unrealistic figure left him unsettled, doubt overshadowing any joy.
‘Li Wei must be kicking himself for missing this.’
Two billion won—what couldn’t you do with that? Buy an apartment in Seoul. Pay off every loan. Clear his parents’ debts entirely with money left over.
But why were Intermediate Magic Stones so expensive? The market rate should be around fifty million per stone. Fourteen stones at two billion meant more than one hundred million each.
Something didn’t add up. Jung Ho searched HunterOn and found the answer quickly.
<Breaking: Korea’s Magic Stone Reserves Running Dry>
<Uncertain Future. Foreign Investors Begin Withdrawal>
<Hunter Industry Mobilizes to Secure Magic Stone Supply>
All of Korea was in upheaval over the shortage. On impulse, Jung Ho clicked on a video interview with an economic adviser.
–Hello, Professor. The fears have come to pass?
–Yes. Prices have already risen due to the effects of Li Wei’s Magic Stone Supply Suspension. There are still some reserves, but foreign investors have already begun pulling out.
It was the Professor and Announcer he’d seen before. Their familiar faces and voices drew his attention.
–What are the reserve levels?
–The exact reserves are classified, but at most we predict one quarter. And that’s for major enterprises. Mid-sized production Guilds will go bankrupt entirely.
–What kind of impact will this have on Korean society?
–From what I know, there are several Guilds in the middle of developing new products. Some quite innovative ideas. All will come to nothing. For at least years to come, Korea will be unable to develop new products.
–Korea will also fall behind in the Trial Tower Race.
–Before the Tower, there’s a significant possibility that Gates will fail to contain and explode. Immediately, the Potion industry is in recession as well. Rising Potion prices are forcing Hunters to pull back.
The Announcer ventured carefully.
–Is there any possibility that the EX-rank could resolve this?
–Not in the slightest.
The Professor cut him off cleanly. It wasn’t dismissal, but rather a cold, realistic assessment. If anything, the Professor seemed the saddest of all about it.
–Magic Stones only come from the Tower. The EX-rank has only recently cleared the tenth floor. No matter how fast they climb, the absolute supply is insufficient. The Tower operates on a one-entry-per-day principle.
–Korea’s future looks bleak. When will Li Wei stop this rampage?
The video ended. Jung Ho scrolled down and read the comments.
└This is truly hopeless. The EX-rank is hopeless too.
└Doesn’t the EX-rank enter the Tower twice a day if blessed at the fifteenth floor?
└Even so, it’s just the fifteenth floor. Just one person. Even Li Wei alone only supplies thirty percent of China’s Magic Stones, and you know he’s on the sixtieth floor, right?
└Right now all the Guilds and companies with money are scrambling to secure Magic Stones. It’s a matter of life and death.
So that’s why the Magic Stones sold so high. He could feel the ripple effect of Li Wei’s Magic Stone Supply Suspension hitting him directly now.
└Breaking!! Twelve Intermediate Magic Stones just sold at auction!!
└Twelve mid-tier stones?! That’s a whole year’s supply for a mid-sized Guild.
└Did the EX-rank show up? Did they?
└Don’t get excited. These are just stones that happened to come through. It’s nowhere near enough to solve the problem.
└Still though. What if the EX-rank keeps bringing Magic Stones?
└That’d be incredible. Li Wei would be finished. But will it happen? The EX-rank isn’t a god.
└Didn’t someone say they were?
└That’s just talk. In the end, there are limits to what one person can do alone. This wouldn’t be solved even if Ronald, the world’s number one ranked from the United States, showed up.
└What if we stripped Li Wei of all their Blessings?
└Even if we did, what good would it do? It’d take over a month at least. If we can’t run the factories this month, Korea will collapse entirely.
Even the normally laudatory comments about the EX-rank had grown dark. Jung Ho understood, and was even grateful. He didn’t want to burden the EX-rank.
‘But I can enter the Chaos Gate again.’
Combine the Blessing from the Trial Tower’s fifteenth floor with the Authority from the Hero’s Tower’s third floor. Dae Young, the Big Shadow at the dimensional shop Dapanda, would vouch for it.
Li Wei had limits too. Korea was a major client of Muk-ryong as well, which meant Muk-ryong was suffering losses alongside them.
And Muk-ryong’s Li Wei had also missed the Chaos Gate. With this much profit from the Chaos Gate, even they must have miscalculated.
Isn’t this worth trying?
* * *
<Kuku. What is it? That expression. Displeasing.>
The moment Jung Ho entered the Hero’s Tower with grim resolve, Dae Young, the Big Shadow, let out a chuckle. His crimson eyes shot up like a seagull’s.
“Give me a hint about Hero’s Tower Floor 3.”
<Why should I?>
“Suit yourself then. I’ll just eat this Ramen alone.”
Dae Young’s crimson gaze fixed on the pot of Ramen in Jung Ho’s hand. Today the pot had a lid on it.
<Kuku. You think I’m so simple. The essence of Ramen is noodles infused with broth. But if the noodles absorb too much broth, they fall apart, you see.>
“You know your stuff.”
<The core is moisture. But your Ramen has a lid on it. No doubt by now the noodles have swollen up like earthworms. No point eating it.>
“Is that so?”
Jung Ho lifted the lid. Whoosh! Brilliant crimson noodles, crispy and springy, golden yolks and rich melted cheese adorning a spicy chicken stir-fried ramen that gleamed up at him.

“I told you—ramen comes in all kinds of flavors. This is one of the trending ones these days. Too bad you don’t like it, Dae Young.”

Dae Young swallowed hard.
“A Doppelgänger? Come on, isn’t that the same as the tenth floor of Trial Tower?”

Dae Young’s shadow tendrils writhed with restless anticipation. He must really want to eat.

“Well, I’m not entirely convinced by that logic. Fine, here—your ramen.”

Dae Young was utterly captivated by the spicy chicken stir-fried ramen. Having eaten nothing but broth-based ramen for so long, the contrast of a dry-style noodle dish was eye-opening.
‘So a Doppelgänger. That’s something I could take on, isn’t it?’

Dae Young droned on even as he slurped the stir-fried noodles, but Jung Ho let it pass in one ear and climbed the stairs.
[Entering Hero’s Tower, third floor.]
[Third Floor Objective: Shatter the Mirror of Reflection.]
The third floor resembled the interior of a sorcerer’s tower in a fantasy film—a narrow chamber with a single mirror standing in its center. As it reflected Jung Ho’s image, the figure within the glass smirked and stepped out of it.
‘Different from the tenth floor Doppelgänger. This one is……!’
“Fire Bolt! Distraction Art! Fire Bolt!”
The Doppelgänger reached out its hand. A spark flared—matchlight flickering at its fingertips, igniting and extinguishing.
‘……Much weaker?’
“Uuuurgh.”
After casting once, it collapsed to the ground like a man with food poisoning, clutching its belly and swaying. Jung Ho was almost bewildered by how feeble it was.
‘Why is it so weak?’
–
Dae Young’s hint echoed in his mind. A reflection of his own inflated self-image. Ah, so that was it.
Jung Ho had never truly believed himself to be strong. His skills were strong, his potions were strong, and the interdimensional shop called DaPanda was excellent—but that was the extent of it.
In reality it was the same. Humility had rendered the Doppelgänger weak?
“Tch. It’s so pathetic I almost feel bad about killing it.”
Better to finish this before his resolve softens. Jung Ho gave the mirror a hard two-handed shove. Crash! It shattered against the floor in a thousand pieces, and the Doppelgänger vanished with it.
[Hero’s Tower, third floor cleared!]
[Clear Grade: EX]
[EX-rank Special Reward: You have awakened Hero’s Power!]
[Hero’s Power Stage 3 has been unlocked!]
Hero’s Power Stage 3. Stage 1 granted pure stat increases; Stage 2 had opened the Gate Navigator. What Authority would Stage 3 bestow?
[You have obtained the Resonance Power Authority.]
[Resonance Power: Hero’s Power resonates with portions of your existing abilities, causing those abilities to strengthen.]
Existing abilities strengthened? But there was no indication of anything changing. At the moment, he had no skills or blessings capable of resonating with it.
‘I won’t know precisely how much it’ll resonate until I receive a blessing at Trial Tower floor fifteen.’
* * *
“Fire Bolt.”
[Trial Tower, twelfth floor cleared!]
[Clear Time – 00:00:03 seconds.]
[Clear Grade: EX]
[EX-rank Reward: You have obtained 59 Magic Stones.]
[EX-rank Special Reward: You have obtained 1 Evidence of Hero.]
[Ranking Position 1 reclaimed! Record updated!]
The next day, Jung Ho ascended Trial Tower the moment midnight struck. He cleared the twelfth floor in a heartbeat, pressed his momentum forward, and bulldozed through floors thirteen and fourteen before the sun rose.
Nothing much had changed. Even farming the tenth-tier floors netted him only sixty Magic Stones a day at best—and low-grade at that. Even with Blessing of Abundance triggering for a two-times multiplier, it barely sufficed.
Making three million won alone per day was impressive, but it wasn’t enough to lift all of Korea. He needed Intermediate Magic Stones, at minimum.

Jung Ho scrolled past the HunterOn alerts. Today was the day—the fifteenth floor awaited. There was supposedly a blessing that allowed two Tower entries per day.
‘A multiple of five. Boss monsters appear on those floors. Better check the strategy guides.’
As always, the strategy post was written by A-rank Hunter Baek Mi Na.
-Baek Mi Na (A): The 15th floor boss is a Golem. You’ll be shocked when a Golem suddenly appears after seeing nothing but goblins. It’s genuinely strong too.
-Baek Mi Na (A): Golems naturally have high resistance to all attributes. But if you strike their weak point, they fall easily. Their movements are slow though.
-Baek Mi Na (A): That said, a pure firepower exchange is absolutely forbidden. The Golem’s Magic Core absorbs damage and grows stronger with each hit. It’s a dangerous boss—the stronger the Hunter, the greater the risk, just like the Doppelgänger on the tenth floor.
-Baek Mi Na (A): Since it doesn’t use magic and relies purely on physical force, tricks won’t work. If you think you can’t break through, prepare thoroughly in advance.
A Golem. Fire Bolt will only make it stronger if used wrong. Deep Cloud won’t work either. Water Shield is just a defensive skill.
‘But I’ve got this.’
Jung Ho pulled the Bow of Falling Cherry Blossoms from his inventory.
-Bow of Falling Cherry Blossoms (Epic): A bow that fires magic instead of arrows. Strikes are guaranteed to land, and the target dies instantly upon the fifth hit to the same enemy.
Instant death regardless of health, defense, or resistance. Five shots and it’s done. Well, five shots means it’s not a one-shot, technically speaking.
[You have entered Trial Tower Floor 15.]
[Floor 15 Objective: Defeat 1 Fortress Golem]
[Time Limit: 8 hours]
Crunch-crunch-crunch!
Like a building sprouting limbs. The Golem—once a Goblin Fortress—cast an oppressive shadow over Jung Ho’s face as it loomed above him.
With each movement, glimpses of blue Magic Core showed through the cracks in its grotesque body. It would be difficult to land a direct hit, or so he thought.
Whoosh!
A cherry blossom-colored arrow swam like a fish straight into the Golem’s core. That was one.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Golem stamped its foot in fury. The tremor shook Jung Ho’s legs, throwing off his aim.
Whoosh—thunk!
Despite the poor shot, it landed. Even careless shots found their mark. Even when Jung Ho turned away and fired, the arrow curved through the air and homed in on target. As the enraged Golem brought its fist down,
Whoosh! Thunk!
The fifth shot hit. The Golem’s Magic Core bloomed in cherry blossom pink. The entire creature flushed a rosy hue before scattering into petals that drifted away on the wind.
‘Wow. Beautiful. I’m glad I didn’t sell this. Maybe I should never sell it—just rent it out instead?’
[You have cleared Trial Tower Floor 15!]
[Clear Time – 00:00:12 seconds.]
[Clear Grade: EX]
[EX-rank Reward: Obtained 149 Intermediate Magic Stones.]
[EX-rank Special Reward: Obtained 1 Evidence of Hero.]
[Reclaimed 1st Place Ranking! Record updated!]
Trial Tower Floor 15 cleared without incident.
[Floor 15 Ranking 1st Place Privilege: Obtained Blessing of Repetition.]
-Blessing of Repetition: You can enter Trial Tower twice per day.
Two Tower entries per day. Double the progress compared to others. Double entries meant double rewards.
And when you factored in the Blessing of Abundance from Floor 5, it meant he was earning nearly four times what others got.
‘So this is how Li Wei swept up all those Magic Stones. The man’s got no ambition.’
And for good reason.
[Resonance Power Authority resonates with Blessing of Repetition!]
[Blessing of Repetition transforms into Blessing of Retry!]
-Blessing of Retry: You can enter Trial Tower twice per day, or alternatively, challenge any battlefield you have previously conquered again.
Blessing of Retry. Challenge any battlefield you’ve conquered before. Not just the Tower—Gates too, presumably.
There was only one battlefield Jung Ho wanted to revisit.
“That small Chaos Gate from before!”
While Li Wei climbed the Tower twice, Jung Ho re-entered the Chaos Gate. Which made Li Wei’s restraint look positively ascetic.
Splash! The world around Jung Ho warped, and suddenly he was inside the Chaos Gate.
<You have entered the Chaos Gate.>
<Curse weighs upon you!>
<Curse! Constant Magic Contamination 90%!>
A welcome message. Goblins cackling with glee. The Chinese Hunters were nowhere to be seen.
‘I actually re-entered. They’d better give me rewards.’
He’d cleared this Gate once before. Jung Ho unleashed a barrage of Fire Bolts and charged straight for the boss room. 99% Magic Contamination was bearable. It’d be over soon anyway.
“Kyahahahaha!!!”
“Fire Bolt.”
Bang!! The dapper Hobgoblin boss fell in a single shot.
[Small Chaos Gate cleared!]
[Contribution: ???(100%)]
He cleared the Chaos Gate in three minutes flat, like slurping ramen.
‘Could another Bow of Falling Cherry Blossoms drop?’
Jung Ho’s mouth stretched into a seagull-like grin.
Continued in next episode ▶
Obtained the final item from one bowl of ramen
Author
White Persimmon
Publisher
Kim Seok Hwan, Choi Se Ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited. Violations may result in civil and criminal legal liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes submissions from writers.

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