Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5. Hero’s Power — Stage 1
The Korean Hunter Management Bureau was working late into the night, day after day.

EX-grade Hunters exist. Three consecutive EX-grade clears from the 1st through 3rd floors? The notion that this was an error made no sense whatsoever.
The problem was figuring out who it was. Director O Seung-woo had combed through every scrap of information available, working with the National Intelligence Service, but there was no Hunter standing out from the crowd.
“Even ghosts would weep at this.”
“Why? You’re excited too, aren’t you, Director? How many more floors do you think this EX-grade Hunter will clear?”
Administrator Kim Min-jae slid a cup of instant coffee across the desk. Director O Seung-woo drained it in one gulp.
“At least up to the 65th floor.”
The current record for the Trial Tower stood at the 64th floor — the record of Ronald, the top-ranked Hunter in the USA.
Second place belonged to Li Wei of China at the 63rd floor, and third and fourth were France and England respectively, both in the low 60s.
“Korea might reclaim the world ranking.”
“Just thinking about it feels good, doesn’t it? And we could grab the Trial Tower Blessing in the bargain. China’s been hoarding those Blessings lately, and they’ve been working it for ages.”
“Working it for ages is one thing. They’ve been doing whatever they please with it. The Muryong Guild’s tyranny is well known.”
“Exactly. Last year one of our Magic Stone processing facilities nearly went under because Muryong suddenly cut off supplies and threw a fit.”
Just remembering it made Min-jae’s blood boil.
“Director. China controls the Magic Stone supply chain, and honestly it’s infuriating, isn’t it? They say Li Wei mines 10 Mid-grade Magic Stones a day, right?”
“No. Twenty. China enters the Tower twice.”
“The 15th Floor Blessing, that’s right? I really envy that. If we just had that…”
“And sometimes the rewards come in doubled because of the 5th Floor Blessing, too.”
A Mid-grade Magic Stone was worth roughly 1,000 Low-grade Magic Stones. You could break down a Mid-grade Stone into Low-grade ones, but you couldn’t do the reverse.
Li Wei alone brought in roughly a billion won in economic value per day. Setting aside Gate conquests entirely, he alone had enough influence to sway the global Magic Stone flow.
“And on top of that, China monopolizes the Trial Tower Blessings too.”
Director O Seung-woo smiled bitterly.
The Trial Tower granted permanent, lasting Blessings to the rank-one Hunter every 5 floors, and China held 12 such Blessings in its grasp.
China had locked down every Blessing. How was that possible? China never aimed for first place at every floor. They pursued first place only at multiples of five.
Never sending Li Wei out first — only updating the record leisurely once sufficient information and strategies had surfaced.
Cunning, if you wanted to call it that. Brilliant, even. Of course, it was only possible because Li Wei backed it all up.
Every single Stat was S-grade, his Unique Skills were extraordinary, and with the full backing of his nation — equipment, Elixirs, everything — there was no way to stop him from taking first.
‘But if there really is an EX-grade Hunter…’
Korea might seize those Blessings.
They could overturn China’s monopoly on the Magic Stone market.
The entire international order could be upended.
A new world order with Korea at the center.
Though Director O Seung-woo was ordinarily a pessimist, just imagining it made his heart race with excitement.
* * *
Li Wei, Master of Muryong, the strongest Hunter Guild in China and the top-ranked Hunter in China, stared at the screen.

Until moments ago, that record had carried his name.
A Korean EX-grade Hunter had stolen his place.
“See? Our fears have become reality. The Korean EX-grade Hunter’s seizure of the Trial Tower Blessing is materializing.”
Angry roars erupted from the Muryong Guild members.
“Lay Korea to waste at once!”
“Open the Gates wide!”
“Cut off the Magic Stone supplies!”
The Trial Tower Blessing was troublesome for one reason: record updates could only be achieved by Hunters of the appropriate level.
Even if Li Wei cleared the 1st Floor in a single second now, updating the record was impossible. A stolen record could never be reclaimed.
That’s why the root had to be crushed.
Whoever stood in the way of destiny.
“Enough. Ryu Je. What of the people you sent to Korea before?”
A nervous-looking young man answered.
“I-I shall report. We sent intelligence, recruitment, and assassination teams to Korea, but we found nothing.”
“Truly nothing at all?”
“All we found was that a Hunter named Gwon Min-gi used Inferno in some Gate, and there’s nothing else of note.”
“Gwon Min-gi? That parasite who clung to the Red Mage.”
Li Wei’s lips twisted.
“Gwon Min-gi can’t even use Inferno and isn’t EX-grade. Tower rankings can only be updated by Hunters of the appropriate level. The Hunter who cast Inferno that day might be EX-grade. Find them.”
“Even if we search, we have no information… I-I apologize! This might be our only clue to the EX-grade…”
“Looks like I’ll have to go myself. Worthless lot.”
Every member of the Muryong Guild hung their head in unison.
Li Wei grew even more displeased at the tacit agreement.
“But, Master. If I may be so bold, how could mere sparrows like us ever hope to match your abilities?”
Only Ryu Je found the courage to speak.
Since it was not flattery but simple fact, Li Wei’s displeasure eased.
“Tsk. It seems Korea hasn’t found him yet either. I’ll wait until I find him myself.”
The Korean Hunter Management Bureau was quite cunning in its own way.
Playing weak to move others, profiting through their actions—they had a talent for pulling strings from the shadows. He’d give them that much.
“If I go in person, will they launch a terrorist attack? I can’t move according to Korea’s script. So I’ll cut off their supply of Magic Stones.”
“But, Master, there’s a large transaction scheduled for the end of this month…….”
“Cancel it. All Magic Stone transactions with Korea are suspended until they find and deliver an EX-grade Hunter.”
The Muryong Guild members stirred restlessly.
Some were shocked, but most praised Li Wei.
Of course—the man who single-handedly controls the international Magic Stone market.
Only Ryu Je couldn’t join the mood, his caution keeping him apart.
“Master. If I may venture to ask—what if we do find an EX-grade Hunter?”
“We kill him. The larger powers will handle the cleanup. It’s right to eliminate unpredictable variables. For humanity’s future, all blessings must flow to the great powers.”
Ryu Je hesitated, then forced out his words.
“Master, if I may be so bold—must we truly kill an EX-grade Hunter?”
Every member of the Muryong Guild gasped in horror.
“Who’s his direct superior?! Who’s his supervisor?!”
“Good heavens! Master, I apologize on his behalf!”
“Call security! Get him out of here now!”
“Ryu Je—he’s going to cause an incident after all…….”
“Quiet!”
At Li Wei’s single word, the Muryong Guild fell silent.
Li Wei rose and approached Ryu Je.
“Ryu Je. Give me one reason I should let an EX-grade Hunter live.”
Ryu Je’s lips felt numb with fear and tension.
“Because the EX-grade Hunter might be stronger than you, Master. As the old saying goes, the best victory over a strong enemy is to avoid fighting him altogether.”
Li Wei stared at Ryu Je for a long moment, then let out a soft, contemptuous laugh.
“There cannot exist a Hunter stronger than me. Ryu Je. You will spend one day in isolated meditation to reflect. This is your punishment for doubting me.”
Li Wei meant every word.
The world’s strongest Detection-type Hunter? Everyone on the planet believed it. Even his own countrymen.
‘Foolish fools. The true power of a Detection-type Hunter lies elsewhere.’
What could detection abilities actually detect?
Items? Monsters? Skills? The flow and concentration of Magic Power?
All of these pointed toward a single truth.
‘I can predict Gates. I must be the strongest—I have no choice but to be.’
Because he monopolized the items and Elixirs that came from Gates.
Li Wei quietly clenched his fist.
‘All of this is for humanity’s sake.’
* * *
While Korea and China each sank into their own thoughts.
Son Jung-ho had cleared the first floor of Hero’s Tower and returned.
[Name: Son Jung-ho]
[Unique Skill: Hero’s Tower Entry]
[Stats] [Level: 4]
-Strength: F -Agility: F
-Constitution: D -Perception: F
-Magic Power: F -Luck: F
-Hero’s Power: Stage 1
[Common Skills: Trial Tower Entry, Original Fireball]
Having gained a new, mysterious ability called Hero’s Power Stage 1.
Son Jung-ho returned to the dimensional shop [Dapanda] on Floor 0 of Hero’s Tower.
“Dae-young. I have a question—who is that?”
An unfamiliar old man sat in a rowboat within [Dapanda].
Normally there wouldn’t be water, but beneath the boat, a transparent water surface rippled faintly.
<Kuhuhuh. Shall this one explain himself directly?>
The old man seemed to know Dae-young, and he nodded faintly before adjusting his straw hat.
“Welcome. I am an old fisherman who catches time. You may call me Gang.”
A fisherman named Gang who catches the flow of time?
‘Gang Tae-gong?!’
He’s not even from the historical era—he’s practically a mythological figure, isn’t he?
Of course, I’m not sure if that’s his real name or a nickname,
–
Dae-young had mentioned something, and I wasn’t entirely sure if this was the real Gang Tae-gong himself.
“Are you really him?”
“Hmm? Of course I’m me. Who else would I be? But never mind that, Son Jung-ho. I heard you just climbed the Hero’s Tower.”
Gang Tae-gong leaped lightly from the wooden ferry.
His footsteps made no sound at all.
It was as though he weren’t of this world—present beside us, yet giving off no sense of presence whatsoever.
“Might this old man take a closer look at you?”
Gang Tae-gong examined Son Jung-ho from every angle, then grinned, baring his teeth.
“You’ve unlocked the Hero’s Power! Excellent. I can teach you right away!”
“Wait. I was meaning to ask about that anyway—what exactly is Hero’s Power? Why did a new Stat appear in my status window?”
Gang Tae-gong stroked his beard.
“Hero’s Power is a higher-order Stat. It’s a force that transcends all other Stats. That’s why people climb the Hero’s Tower.”
“Better than Magic Power?”
“Far better! With Hero’s Power, even if your Magic Power is weak, you can cast spells with abandon. Though it won’t be easy, mind you.”
Dae-young sighed heavily beside me.

What in the world was this old man planning to do?
“Haha. You’re startled, I see. But this isn’t bad news. Son Jung-ho, I hear your aptitude is rather poor?”
“My Stats are mostly F-grade, yeah.”
“That’s precisely the kind of person I’ve been looking for. Interested in learning the Divided Mind Technique?”
The Divided Mind Technique? Not Clone Technique, but Divided Mind Technique—what was that?
As if reading my thoughts, Gang Tae-gong’s demeanor shifted 180 degrees.
Son Jung-ho flinched at the sudden, saintly aura.
“It’s a skill that divides one mind in two, allowing you to use two skills simultaneously. There’s no harm in learning it.”
Being able to cast two skills at the same time? It seemed simple, but the effect was enormous!
Double the skills meant double the firepower. Or you could use different skills to cover each other’s weaknesses.
It was simply overwhelming. Trivial stat boosts and single skills paled in comparison.
It changed the entire strategy for Towers and Gates.
“Why would you teach me such a rare skill?”
There had to be stronger people out there.
Son Jung-ho was grateful at the offer, but skeptical.
“If your aptitude is excellent, you cannot learn the Divided Mind Technique. Exceptional aptitude makes people arrogant, clouds the mind, and leads to endless torment.”
Gang Tae-gong spoke like a sage imparting wisdom.
“That’s why you cannot master it. Think of it like drawing a circle with your left hand and a square with your right. How could you manage it while lost in distracting thoughts?”
Son Jung-ho tried drawing a circle and square in the air. Hmm. It worked just fine.
“Haha! Son Jung-ho. Perhaps this old man has lived this long just to meet you. Look at this.”
Gang Tae-gong fished something from his sleeve.
-Skill Book: Original Divided Mind Technique (Legendary) : Allows you to learn Divided Mind Technique (Original).
“My disciple. Study this book whenever you have time and make it your own. It won’t be easy. You’ll likely hit obstacles often and need many Elixirs, but if anything comes up, pester Dae-young about it.”