Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 38

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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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Episode 38. Legendary?
[You have entered Tower of Trials Floor 25.]
[Floor 25 objective: Survive as long as possible against the Evil Artificial Intelligence]
[Time limit: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
A flash of light dissolved, and Jung Ho stumbled backward in shock. A Medieval Fantasy Village sprawled before him—home to perhaps several hundred souls. The terrified inhabitants, clutching crude weapons, screamed at him.
“W-who are you?! Stop! Don’t come closer! You’re a monster too!”
“I’m not a monster. I’m actually here to hunt the monsters—”
“Sh-shut up! Now the monsters are wearing human skin! Get him!”
Terror numbs reason, and reason unmoored becomes madness. A handful of crazed villagers rushed at him.
“Ugh. Seriously. Fire Bolt.”
[Skill used: Fire Bolt (original)]
[You fire arrows of flame.]
[Hero Power Level 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt (original)]
Boom!!
A pillar of fire tore through the sky, punching a hole clean through the clouds. False terror cannot withstand true terror. The madness that had seized the villagers broke, and sanity returned.
“…P-please forgive us! Please spare our lives!”
“I’ll spare you. Just get up. What exactly is happening here?”
[Evil Artificial Intelligence activation initiated.]
[Wave 1 beginning.]
The status window answered before the villagers could. Jung Ho turned toward a suspicious disturbance. Through the clouds descended an airship, raining down clockwork soldiers and golems in a metallic cascade.
“Ah. So that’s the situation.”
Tower of Trials Floor 25 was a defense mission. But sacrifice? That hardly mattered. Had Big Shadow Dae-yeong lied to me?
“No! The western farm—it’ll collapse if this keeps up!”
“Some enemies are flanking north! My bonds and all my savings are in the northern bank! We have to protect it!”
“There’s a harvest-ready field in the south! Someone help!”
“Henry! Where are you going?! It’s too late if you go now! Come back!”
‘Ah. So that’s what sacrifice means.’
In other words: you can’t defend everything, so abandon some. The village was oversized for its population—strange. And the residents refused to listen, hurling themselves toward certain death instead.
‘In a situation like this, the textbook move is to save only a few. But whatever… Earth Manipulation.’
[Skill used: Earth Manipulation (original)]
[You manipulate earth, rock, and minerals.]
[Hero Power Level 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Earth Manipulation (original)]
A deafening crack—black mineral walls surged upward, encasing the entire village in a dome.
‘I’ll pen them in safely with Earth Manipulation and handle those things myself.’
“W-what is this?! Help! Let us out!!”
Several villagers pressed against the wall, drumming their palms against it uselessly. Jung Ho wiped a stream of blood from his nose with the back of his hand and replied.
“Stay safe in there. I’ll deal with those creatures.”
The villagers continued hammering and shouting, but Jung Ho ignored them. He scratched his ear and turned his attention to the enemy forces.
Click-clack. Click-clack. A disciplined throng of clockwork soldiers moving with mechanical precision. They formed a perfect rectangular formation as they approached, and once within range, the front row drew their swords in synchronized motion, then charged at him with identical movements.
“Fire Bolt.”
[Skill used: Fire Bolt (original)]
[You fire arrows of flame.]
[Hero Power Level 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt (original)]
Crack!!
Two red suns blazed into existence. One tore through the formation’s vanguard; the other incinerated its rear. An entire battalion of clockwork soldiers collapsed in an instant. Then the waiting golems’ eyes lit up with activation.
[Wave 2 beginning.]
This time, the golems thunder-boomed toward him with each trembling footstep, and a single thought crossed his mind.
‘No point waiting for them to arrive. I’ll go instead. Fire Bolt.’
[Skill used: Fire Bolt (original)]
[You fire arrows of flame.]
[Hero Power Level 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt (original)]
Sun. Flame. Flash. Explosion. As the smoke cleared, broken golems lay scattered across the ground. But roughly half remained intact, trudging forward with grim determination.
‘Fire Bolt held up? Well then, might as well fire one more shot.’
[Skill Used: Original Fire Bolt]
[Launches an arrow made of fire.]
[Hero Power Stage 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Original Fire Bolt]
Jung Ho wiped away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Wasn’t it said that humans were creatures of adaptation? Even with ninety-nine percent Mana Contamination, he’d grown used to it—like as a child swallowing bitter medicine you hated until it became familiar.
[Wave 3 begins.]
[Biochemical attack commencing!]
Hissssss!! A massive airship released enormous chunks of green gas. Grass and trees melted away just from brushing against it.
“What the hell is that? Water Shield!”
[Skill Used: Original Water Shield]
[Envelops you with a protective barrier of water.]
A blue shield of water wrapped around Jung Ho. The green gas came surging like a wave moments later, but Jung Ho was unharmed. The people he’d penned in with Earth Manipulation were equally safe.
The people who’d been tapping on the earthen walls begging to be let out had gone quiet all on their own. That incessant tapping sound had been irritating him for a while—good riddance.
‘Wow. A backstab like that? I’d gathered all the villagers in what I thought was a safe place, and they almost got massacred. Li Wei really knew what he was talking about, didn’t he?’
If he’d simply wanted to kill them, every last villager would be dead and his Clear Rank would’ve plummeted to rock bottom. For someone from the Detection division, Li Wei was proving surprisingly sharp.
[Wave 4 begins.]
Clang! The airship’s hull opened at multiple points, and small drones flew out. As they approached, they fired magical beams and discharged razor-sharp blades like bullets, but the Water Shield blocked it all—useless.
‘How many Waves are there anyway? The airship itself seems to be the real problem. If I just destroy that, isn’t it over?’
The airship hung in the sky while Jung Ho stood on the ground. He had no wings and no flight skill, but he had something else instead.
“Earth Manipulation.”
Crash!! The ground beneath Jung Ho’s feet shot upward into the air. Like Sun Wukong riding clouds in Journey to the West—the version he’d seen as a child—Jung Ho rose into the sky.
“This should do it. Fire Bolt. Fire Bolt!”
[Skill Used: Original Fire Bolt]
[Launches an arrow made of fire.]
[Hero Power Stage 4 resonates!]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Original Fire Bolt]
Bang—!!
A relentless barrage of fire pounded the airship. Even with the original Fire Bolt, the armor seemed so thick that the impact wasn’t as satisfying as he’d hoped.
‘Can’t I blow this thing open more decisively? That looks like an exhaust port over there. Could I try Deep Cloud?’
[Skill Used: Original Deep Cloud]
[Envelops with cloud. The cloud’s nature can be altered through different elements.]
[Distraction Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Original Deep Cloud]
Whoosh! Thick, adhesive clouds snaked through the exhaust port and invaded the airship’s interior like serpents. Jung Ho reached out and touched the tail of the clouds, igniting them as if lighting a dynamite fuse.
“Fire Bolt.”
The clouds glowed red-hot. Time seemed to stop. The world went silent. Space compressed, and it felt as though the clouds were being sucked deep into the airship, and then—
BANG!!!
[Tower of Trials Floor 25 cleared!]
[Clear Time – 00:00:59 seconds.]
[Clear Rank: EX]
[EX-rank Reward: Obtained 371 Mana Stones.]
[EX-rank Special Reward: Obtained 1 Evidence of Hero.]
[EX-rank Special Reward: Obtained 1 Evil Artificial Intelligence.]
[Reclaimed 1st place Ranking! Record updated!]
[Floor 25 1st Place Benefit: Obtain Blessing of Courage.]
-Blessing of Courage: Possessing strong courage, you gain immunity to all mental status ailments.
[Resonating power harmonizes with Blessing of Courage!]
[Blessing of Courage transforms into Presence of Courage.]
-Presence of Courage: Those affected by your presence gain strong courage and immunity to all mental status ailments.
Jung Ho descended gently from the sky amid the burning wreckage of the airship. As he dissolved the dome he’d created with Earth Manipulation around the village, the villagers threw themselves prostrate as one.
‘If only they’d listened earlier. Wouldn’t that have been nice? But what’s this thing anyway?’
[EX-rank Special Reward: Obtained 1 Evil Artificial Intelligence.]
Evil Artificial Intelligence? What in the world am I supposed to do with this?
* * *
Back home after clearing Floor 25, Jung Ho reviewed his status screen as it scrolled down. He examined each reward one by one, starting with the Floor 25 blessing.
-Blessing of Courage: Possessing strong courage, you gain immunity to all mental status ailments.
[Resonating power harmonizes with Blessing of Courage!]
[Blessing of Courage transforms into Presence of Courage.]
-Presence of Courage: People influenced by your presence gain strong courage and become immune to all mental status abnormalities.
‘If my presence affects the entire population of South Korea, doesn’t that mean…?’
The courage of every South Korean citizen becomes amplified? Well, immunity to status abnormalities is good either way. Just try not to cause trouble by charging in recklessly.
-Evil Artificial Intelligence (Epic): An autonomous AI nucleus containing a self-aware intelligence that brings the most efficient forms of destruction and death.
This is the special reward for clearing Floor 25 at EX-rank, but no matter how I look at it, this is a cursed item. Where on earth am I supposed to use this thing?
‘Well, it could be. You can’t always get jackpots. Let me try opening an Evidence of Hero box too.’
[You have collected 5 Evidence of Hero.]
[You obtain 1 Evidence of Hero Box!]
Thump-thump—a random draw. This was the fifth time, but it still felt fresh. Who knows? Maybe something as amazing as a Hero’s Diary will come out?
-Perfect Parenting Guide (Legendary): You can raise any creature you care for perfectly well.
Jung Ho was speechless. On the cover of the parenting guide were cute illustrations of dragons, phoenixes, and all manner of adorable monsters, grinning as if mocking him.
‘This… is Legendary?’
* * *
After Jung Ho cleared Floor 25, HunterOn was ablaze with activity.
└Can an EX-rank clear Floor 25 at EX-rank or not?
└Yes.
└100% yes.
└I’d say 200% yes.
└Who in their right mind would bet against it? Li Wei?
└Honestly, I’m more curious whether Ronald can clear Floor 65 or not.
└Breaking news!! An EX-rank just cleared Floor 25 at EX-rank!!
The bet on EX-rank never materialized. The hunter had proven it before anyone could even place their stakes. The topic on HunterOn shifted rapidly.
└Seriously though—can Ronald clear Floor 65 or not?
└Of course he will. Does the world’s number one look like a pushover?
└I don’t think so. After all, Ronald hasn’t cleared Floor 65 in three months already.
└The Korean naturalization is also a handicap for Tower of Trials Climbing. He can’t get the military weapons support he used for Scorched Earth anymore.
Ronald frowned as he scrolled through HunterOn.
‘The Koreans judge reality coldly.’
Even without the forum, Ronald had been deeply troubled by Floor 65. Over the past three months, he’d challenged it sixty times, and failed every single attempt.
The Floor 65 trial was a flag capture—pull the flag from the center of the enemy position and bring it back to the starting point. The problem was the sheer number of enemies and their individual power. Golems that hurled magical barrages, clockwork soldier puppets with superhuman strength and speed.
Both were inanimate, so they felt no fear, and their materials were so hard that their defense was formidable—Scorched Earth barely worked on them. The best strategy Ronald had found was attrition: picking off enemies one by one.
Luring them gradually from the edges of the circular formation guarding the flag and disposing of them. It was a high-survival strategy, but the time limit was too tight, and every attempt ended in failure.
‘This strategy has too short a time window. To clear Floor 65, I need to charge boldly into enemy territory and fight with everything I have. Do I have that strength? That courage?’
Ronald was the only hunter in the entire world attempting Floor 65. He couldn’t confide in anyone, and even if he did, they wouldn’t understand.
Management Bureau Director Roger just pushed the same worn-out platitudes about willpower. And he couldn’t consult with Li Wei, a competitor from a rival nation.
‘If this EX-rank could give me advice… it wouldn’t be a bother to reach out first, would it?’
Ronald hesitated for about thirty minutes before finally summoning his courage.
-EX. There’s something I’d like to consult with you about.
Ping! The reply came in less than a minute.
-Ronald? What is it?
The mere fact that he’d received a response lit up Ronald’s face with joy. He was no longer alone.
-It’s about Tower of Trials Floor 65.
Once the floodgate opened, everything came pouring out. The weight he’d carried as the world’s number one. The loneliness. Stories buried deep in his heart tumbled out like sausage links from a sausage maker—and then Ronald suddenly stopped himself.
-Please forget what I just said.
Relieved to find a hunter stronger than himself, Ronald had let his guard down completely, speaking without filter. Mixed in were military secrets and Management Bureau classified information.
-Yes. So, what’s the problem?
-I can’t find a breakthrough for Floor 65. Insufficient firepower, insufficient survivability, and above all, insufficient resolve. EX, I need your counsel. Please give me courage.
Jung Ho filled a pot with water for instant noodles and thought it over. Firepower. Survivability. Resolve.
‘That’s funny. I just solved the resolve problem when I got the Blessing of Courage on Floor 25.’
Presence of Courage. Ronald is Korean too, so the courage effect should work on him. For survivability, maybe I can craft another Black Ore Set?
‘The firepower is the issue. How can Scorched Earth not have enough firepower?’
Jung Ho asked for more details. A detailed explanation came back.
-Scorched Earth is indiscriminate by nature. Against enemies with precise weak points like golems, its power drops dramatically.
-With your help, EX, I’m only now beginning to practice precision strikes, but I’m still outmatched. My brain is one, but I have hundreds of gun barrels.
‘That makes sense. It’s not something that can be solved just by increasing weapon items. I’d like to help if I can.’
Ronald and Jung Ho shared a bowl of instant noodles, the broth thicker than blood flowing between them. Rummaging through his inventory, Jung Ho picked up a bundle of worn pages.
-Original Blueprint of Volcano Blacksmith (Legendary): A design showcasing the imaginative wings of a mythical craftsman who first sprouted them.
The blueprint that the Volcano Blacksmith senior had given him. He’d found it useful when improving the Black Ore Set, but one unused design had remained.
‘Self-growing weapon. I gave up on it because the autonomous part was impossible with my current skill level… Autonomous?’
Jung Ho pulled out the reward he’d just received from clearing Floor 25.
-Evil Artificial Intelligence (Epic): A core housing an autonomous artificial intelligence capable of wreaking the most efficient destruction and death.
What if he embedded the Evil Artificial Intelligence into a self-growth item? What about Ronald’s Scorched Earth?
‘Maybe I should try making one.’
To be continued in the next episode ▶
Got an endgame item from a single bowl of ramen
Author
White Persimmon
Publisher
Kim Suk-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
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※ Pentagram welcomes your precious manuscripts.

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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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