Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 39

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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 39. Autonomous Growth Armory
Ronald was about to leave the hotel when he spotted journalists crowding the entrance and turned back.
“Ronald! Ronald! Is it true you’re attempting to climb the Tower of Trials to the 65th floor?”
“Without American support, how likely do you think a successful ascent would be?”
“Ronald! Just one word, please!”
Hotel security formed a barrier against the surging reporters. Ronald headed for the elevator to escape through the underground parking garage, but it was equally swarming with journalists.
‘Why are there so many reporters? Is this petty American retaliation? Roger’s last-ditch effort? Or a Chinese countermeasure? Maybe sabotage from those who oppose my climb.’
Ronald had disclosed his 65th floor challenge to exactly one EX-rank Hunter. The odds of Jung Ho leaking the information? Zero percent.
Then someone deliberately spread false rumors. It grated on him, but Ronald decided to ignore it for now. He did intend to challenge the 65th floor anyway.
‘Until now, I’ve failed. But now, I have this.’
In the center of Ronald’s inventory sat a black square box—different in design from the other Black Luminous Stone Boxes that Jung Ho had made for him.
It had the smooth texture of metal, and a faint sound emanated from within. Ronald caressed the box with satisfaction.
‘With this item the EX-rank gave me, it might actually be possible.’
He’d meant to have a quiet drink and center himself before the 65th floor attempt, but the moment Ronald touched the item Jung Ho had provided, his mind settled into calm focus.
‘All right. I can do this. Entering Tower of Trials, 65th floor.’
Pop!
[You are entering Tower of Trials, Floor 65.]
[Floor 65 Objective: Seize the enemy’s flag from their encampment.]
[Time Limit: 8 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds]
Upon entering the 65th floor, Ronald beheld a vast army of machines and golems. The moment he stepped out of the Safe Zone, the conquest began. The enemies stirred, and the time limit countdown started ticking.
As long as he didn’t leave the Safe Zone, thinking time was infinite. But Ronald needed no time to think. He stepped forward with absolute certainty.
Clang—!
Whirrrrr—!
Clockwork soldiers activated in unison, their mechanical frames clinking, and the magical runes carved into the golems’ surfaces ignited with blue fire. Before the ominous throng of monsters, Ronald opened his inventory.
—Autonomous Growth Armory (Epic): An AI device that grows autonomously, fabricating and operating appropriate weaponry on-site. Delivers efficient destruction and death.
An item Jung Ho, the EX-rank Hunter himself, had crafted. The moment Ronald tapped it, the jet-black cube began shifting with mechanical precision—click, click, click.
<Beep-boop. Greetings. Are you the new master of the Autonomous Growth Armory?>
“Presumably.”
<Beginning fingerprint and iris recognition. This unit cannot be operated by anyone other than the designated user.>
Ronald hesitated slightly as he placed his finger and eye against the scanner.
<Beep-boop-beep. Registration complete. Autonomous Growth Armory operational. Enemy contact detected—100,000 clockwork soldiers and 500 golems.>
Click-click-click! The Autonomous Growth Armory shifted its form like a transforming robot, spewing forth a torrent of weaponry.
<Initiating efficient destruction and death protocol.>
Boom!!
Missiles launched from the black cube, struck their targets, and a mushroom cloud erupted. The shockwave sent Ronald’s clothes and hair whipping wildly. Fragments of clockwork soldiers caught in the blast rained down like shrapnel.
‘What… what is this even… Epic-rank?’
<Beep-boop. Formation compromised. Area bombardment deemed inefficient. Transitioning to precision strike protocol.>
Click-click! Hundreds of different firearms emerged from the cube, clamped to mechanical arms. Targeting reticles blinked in sequence across each approaching clockwork soldier.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
The mechanical soldiers fell uselessly. The Autonomous Growth Armory alone held back an army of a hundred thousand.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The golems began to move in earnest. Some prepared massive spells from a distance; others advanced shielded in layers of protective barriers.
Ting-ting-ting-ting!!
The armory’s machine gun fire couldn’t penetrate the shields—the bullets ricocheted harmlessly. Ronald’s throat tightened with tension.
‘Can’t even the weapon an EX-rank gave me overcome the golems?’
Those golems were always the problem. No matter how many clockwork soldiers he destroyed, failing to break through them made seizing the flag impossible.
The armory didn’t halt its barrage; instead, it subtly adjusted angles. The ricocheting rounds went wild, shredding the clockwork soldiers in their wake.
‘Still takes down the clockwork soldiers well, but that’s not going to be enough….’
[Autonomous Growth Armory Experience: 100%]
[The Autonomous Growth Armory levels up!]
‘Level up? Was that the plan from the start?’
Ronald’s gaze snapped to his inventory. The black cube had grown noticeably larger.
<Beep-boop. Level increased. Authorization granted to access superior weaponry. Now deploying more appropriate armaments.>
Click-click! A massive cannon began assembling itself within the black cube. The moment Ronald saw it, he knew what it was.
‘A Railgun?! Even the US Department of Defense refused to supply them, citing insufficient capacity…!’
<Firing.>
Boom!!! The golem—shield and all—was obliterated. Ronald stared blankly across the battlefield.
<Firing.>
Boom!!! The golems gathering their spells scattered into fragments. Fire. Boom. Fire. Boom. Rat-a-tat-tat….
<Operation complete. Efficient destruction and death achieved. The weaponry this unit has fabricated is available for your unrestricted use until its operational time limit expires.>
The Autonomous Growth Armory snapped and clicked back into its original cube shape. Thousands of machine guns, one unused missile, and a massive Railgun capable of just one more shot clattered to the ground with a heavy thud.
Ronald felt hollow. Losing weapons supplied by the US Department of Defense was genuinely troubling. He’d feared that Scorched Earth might never regain its former power.
‘But an EX-rank…solved it so easily.’
Ronald stuffed the fallen weapons into his inventory. Scorched Earth had actually grown stronger than before. It was almost unbelievable.
‘Right. The flag.’
Ronald was the only living thing left on the battlefield now. He trudged forward, pulled up the flag, and turned back.
[You have cleared Floor 65 of the Tower of Trials!]
[Clear Time – 00:44:06.]
[Clear Rank: S]
[Ranking 1st! You’ve set a new record!]
[Floor 65 Rank 1 Privilege: Blessing of the Unique Weapon]
-Blessing of the Unique Weapon: You obtain a Legendary-rank Unique Weapon created solely for you. Should the blessed owner change, the Unique Weapon resets and transfers to the new owner.
‘A Unique Weapon? I don’t need it. I already have the Autonomous Growth Armory given by EX-rank.’
Ronald stashed the Floor 65 ranking privilege—the Unique Weapon—into a corner of his inventory.
‘And the true Floor 65 Rank 1 is EX-rank. I’ll leave this weapon for him.’
* * *
“What?! Ronald?!”
The US President nearly had his eyes pop out of his head. A trembling voice came through the phone.
-Sir. It is confirmed. Ronald has successfully cleared Floor 65. His record is 44 minutes and 6 seconds—a reduction of approximately 13 hours and 40 minutes compared to the Floor 64 record.
“How?!”
The new American Hunter Management Bureau director, David, fell silent. The US President jumped to his feet, paced the room, then gulped down a mixture of cola and liquor.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it! How is this possible?! Floor 65 without the weapons supplied by the US Department of Defense, and not only that—a 13-hour time reduction?!”
-Perhaps it’s due to the unique environment of Floor 65…?
“Absurd. Of course, Ronald’s accomplishments benefit American interests. After all, Ronald is American, born and raised. But not like this. He should perform only as well as he did when he was in the United States. If he accomplishes more than that, what becomes of America?”
The President slumped onto the sofa like a man possessed. His hands, which had been staring vacantly into space, began to tremble slightly.
“Wait. Wait, David. Let me make sure we’re clear on one thing. The Tower of Trials curses those who fail to clear upper floors within the time limit, doesn’t it?”
-Yes, sir. France and England have been cursed. London is shrouded in thick acidic fog, and France—the melted Eiffel Tower stains all of Paris black.
“Ronald failed to clear Floor 65 two months ago. How much time does America have left?”
Director David hesitated, then answered quietly, as if wringing the words out.
-One week.
“One week! Can Taylor or Eric clear Floor 65 within a week?”
-Taylor needs another week just to repair his Ego Weapon. Eric is struggling, but he hasn’t even broken through Floor 64, let alone reached Floor 65.
“Both were the work of the previous director, Roger. Sigh…”
The US President dragged his bare hands across his face. In mere moments he seemed to have aged a decade, his wrinkles deepening.
“David. Hypothetically speaking—is there any possibility Ronald could become an American again?”
There was no answer from the other end of the line. The President himself had run out of words.
* * *
<Breaking News!! Ronald Successfully Clears Floor 65 Worldwide First!!>
└Really? The world’s 1st place is South Korea?
└Just checked the clear record board. It’s real!
└Floor 65 cleared in 44 minutes? After spending 14 hours on Floor 64?
└What’s going on? Is Floor 65 easy? Or did Ronald suddenly get stronger?
└If Floor 65 were easy, Li Wei would’ve cleared it ages ago. Ronald must have gotten stronger.
└How?
└How should I know?
└Don’t tell me—EX-rank again?
└Give EX-rank a break. Every time something happens, it’s always “EX-rank this, EX-rank that.”
Jung Ho glanced around the room again. No listening devices, no hidden cameras. People with sharp instincts really were frightening sometimes.
‘Ronald cleared Floor 65 safely. The items I gave him really did the trick.’
He’d melted down the malicious artificial intelligence he’d obtained as a special reward for clearing Floor 25 as EX-rank, then used it to create the Autonomous Growth Armory.
Honestly, he’d been uncertain about it—unsure if the malicious AI might suddenly turn on its owner. He’d given it to Ronald with stern warnings to be careful.
‘Thank goodness it wasn’t an item that killed its owner. Maybe my craftsmanship is actually decent after all.’
The blueprints the Volcano Blacksmith had handed down to him had been excellent, but the creator’s skill had to back it up too. Jung Ho felt a rare surge of pride.
└So South Korea’s tower upper floor record is Floor 65?
└65, that’s right. South Korea takes 1st place worldwide! Man, this is intoxicating.
└The next upper floor clear target starts from Floor 66?
└Wait. What floor was our country at originally?
└Floor 54. We pushed that far before Shin Gun Woo disappeared, and S-rank 2nd place Cho Jae Hyung is working on Floor 51.
└Wait? The Tower of Trials curses you if you don’t update your upper floor record every three months, right?
The euphoric atmosphere of HunterOn shifted in an instant. The intoxication vanished, and people’s minds snapped into focus.
└Within three months we have to clear floor 66? Ronald! Take floor 65 slowly!
└If we can’t clear it, we’ll be cursed. Baekdu Mountain explodes or something like that, right?
└Ronald suddenly seems unreliable?
└What are you worried about? Our country has an EX-rank hunter.
The HunterOn forum, which had been murmuring like a flock of mice startled by thunder and lightning, quieted down again.
└Anyway, our country’s Upper Floor Clear is no problem. An EX-rank can climb two floors of the tower per day.
└Since we’re at floor 25 now, we should be able to clear floor 66 in about three weeks? That’s plenty of time, right?
└The country with real pressure is the United States. Their Upper Floor Clear Time Limit is almost up, and they lost Ronald anyway.
└But that’s strange? If their Time Limit is almost up, why did they give Ronald to Korea?
└They gave up on Ronald. After seeing him fail floor 65, they thought he was hopeless. That’s why they let Roger manipulate Ronald like that too.
└Isn’t that reaping what you sow? Suddenly don’t hate America so much?
└If you’re really sorry, just join as South Korea’s second main. It doesn’t matter if America becomes Korea, right?
└Are you a genius?
The HunterOn conversation shifted to talk of the American Hunter Management Bureau. Jung Ho was leisurely scrolling when a message suddenly popped up.
-EX. This is Ronald. I’ve successfully cleared floor 65.
-Really? The malicious artificial intelligence didn’t stab you in the back?
-My back is intact. If you’re suspicious, you’re welcome to check it yourself.
A photo of Ronald’s back, taken by him personally, arrived immediately.
‘His back looks fine. Fortunately, the item I made didn’t cause any casualties.’
-More importantly, EX. The United States has secretly contacted me. They asked if I’d consider returning to America.
-Because of clearing floor 65?
-How did you know? As expected, your information-gathering ability is EX-rank too.
-No, people have been talking about it on HunterOn anyway. Are you going back?
Ronald didn’t respond for about a minute.
-I’m not sure. I want to stay in South Korea where you are, EX, but I also feel indebted to the United States that raised me.
-Then just go and clear the Upper Floors, and come back. Tell the US to handle floor 66 and beyond on their own.
-Would that be acceptable? However, changing nationality would require enormous time and expense…….
‘Ronald, really. Why are you the one worrying about that?’
Jung Ho answered simply.
-That’s something the US should handle themselves.
Ronald didn’t respond again. With so much silence, even Jung Ho was getting anxious. Had he misspoken? Ronald was American after all—had he been too harsh?
-You’re right. It’s something the US should handle. I understand. EX, I’m grateful for your help. And I’m deeply grateful for the items you created.
The conversation with Ronald ended there. Jung Ho didn’t know at the time.
Just how sincere Ronald truly was.
* * *
<Breaking News! Ronald Naturalized as American Citizen in Just One Day!>
In response to America’s earnest plea, Ronald agreed to become an American citizen for exactly one day. Of course, the US bore all the complicated procedures.
<Breaking News! Ronald Clears Floor 65! Time Required: 46 Minutes.>
<Why Did It Take Longer Than Usual? Was It to Maintain South Korea’s Number One Ranking?>
Some brave reporter raised the question, but it generated no response whatsoever, as if silenced by lies. When people faced the curse of failing to clear floor 65, who cared about such things?
In fact, Americans welcomed and cheered Ronald. At least on the surface they did. Maybe if they treated him well enough, he’d come back?
“Ronald. Five Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng roots, thirty Hundred-Year Fleece Flower roots, one Thousand-Year Lingzhi, and three Ambrosia Fruits. Plus full access to all items, medicinal elixirs, and skill books that the Management Bureau has been keeping. With this level of sincerity, surely you’d consider returning to America…….”
David, the newly appointed chief of the American Hunter Management Bureau, threw open the treasure vault the bureau had accumulated.
“I am a hunter of South Korea.”
“No! America needs you! In the operation to eliminate the stronghold of the Ones Who Welcome, you are essential……!”
“In that case, I will participate with South Korean nationality.”
Ronald brushed off the offer lightly and boarded a flight to Korea.
Ramen and final-tier gear from a single bowl
Author
Ha Yean Gop-gam
Publisher
Kim Seok Hwan, Choi Se Ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying is prohibited. Violation of this restriction may result in criminal and civil legal liability.
※ Pentagram looks forward to your precious manuscript.

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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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