Obtained End-Game Gear for a Bowl of Ramen - Chapter 6

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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 6. Blessing of Abundance
Gang Tae-gong had promised to buy Jung Ho a Divided Mind Technique Skill Book worth one trillion won.
A cheat-level martial technique that let him use two skills simultaneously—no money required, just asking for a taste of ramen.
‘I need to make the best ramen for him.’
But what was the best ramen, really? There were dozens, maybe hundreds of varieties out there.
The best-selling brand? The highest-rated one? Something praised by food critics? Did such a thing even exist?
Jung Ho’s mind began to spiral, and he felt obsession creeping in.
‘Let me think differently. What kind of ramen would my master expect?’
It was a meal a disciple was offering—he wouldn’t expect haute cuisine. The man was wealthy enough to have seen the heights of culinary refinement, like what Dae-young enjoyed.
What if he showed his devotion as a disciple instead? Even if it was imperfect and clumsy, so long as it was sincere.
‘Ramen in my own style. My favorite kind.’
The moment he let go of his fixation, the answer came to him naturally.
Spicy ramen base with bean sprouts, scallions, shiitake mushrooms, a handful of rice cake and boiled dumplings, and finally a cracked egg draped over the top like a lid.
Slurp.
His mouth watered just looking at it.
Some people swore plain ramen was best, but this—this was Jung Ho’s masterpiece.
Cooked ramen cooled and swelled quickly, so there was no time to hesitate.
“Tower of Heroes entry.”
Pop!
[Skill activated: Tower of Heroes Entry]
[Entering the Tower of Heroes.]
Gang Tae-gong, who had been chatting with Dae-young, turned his head and spotted Jung Ho. His expression brightened instantly.
“My disciple! I thought this old man would starve waiting for you.”

“That means your expectations were high. Is that the ramen?”
Jung Ho presented the pot respectfully with both hands.
“Yes, Master. One-trillion-won ramen… no, rather—ramen that your disciple offers to his master!”
“Hmm. A mishmash, thrown together with all manner of things.”
Stab. The words pierced Jung Ho’s heart like a dagger.
He’d heard this from ramen purists countless times, but he never expected it from Gang Tae-gong.
“Can things that don’t naturally go together ever truly become one, just by being mixed and boiled?”
Stab again.
Jung Ho’s heart was shredded by this relentless barrage.
“Intriguing. Let me taste it. Slurrrrrp.”
Gang Tae-gong boldly took a large chopstick-full of noodles and shoved it into his mouth, chewing loudly.
“Mmm, mmm. Oh my. There’s a peculiar harmony here. Like dissonance, the ingredients dance wildly on their own in the mouth. The slippery scallions, the crisp snap of the bean sprouts, the rice cake and dumplings unraveling…”

Dae-young chided him without rancor, though his eyes betrayed hunger.
Gang Tae-gong noticed and teased him, slurping loudly.
The pot emptied in an instant. Gang Tae-gong smacked his lips with satisfaction.
“My disciple. I understand your heart now. But my disciple, the path of blending is a difficult one. Your skill in making ingredients that don’t naturally harmonize work together is impressive, truly.”
Gang Tae-gong looked at Jung Ho with concern.
“Are you certain you’ll walk that path?”
“I just found the mixture tasty.”
“Eh? Heh heh. Ha ha ha! Yes, yes indeed!”
It felt like their words had passed each other, but Gang Tae-gong laughed and patted Jung Ho’s shoulder encouragingly.
“My disciple. This dish called ramen—it’s quite delicious indeed. The skill book I’m giving you is well spent.”
Jung Ho had worried about an old man’s tastes, but was relieved it turned out well.
Gang Tae-gong patted Jung Ho’s shoulder once more, then climbed into a small boat and opened a portal made of water.
“Dae-young, I’ll be back next time.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll never come back. My disciple! If anything troubles you, press Dae-young about it! This oaf’s heart may look sour, but it’s wide as the sea.”

Gang Tae-gong vanished beyond the portal.
In Jung Ho’s hands was only the empty pot.

“How much did Master owe you in drink tabs, if I may ask?”

Well, his master would settle the debt himself. It wouldn’t be fitting for a disciple to act up before his teacher like that. Paying back debts on his behalf, for instance—no, that wasn’t right.

“The Divided Mind Technique lets you use two skills at once, doesn’t it?”

“You’re quick on the uptake. What would be good?”

The Dimensional Shop was a place where, if you didn’t know what you wanted, you couldn’t buy anything at all. But Jung Ho knew exactly what he was after.
“Do you have any magic skill books related to water?”
He’d learned Fire Bolt and heard the voice of flame in it, and as a result could control the heat under his ramen pot like an art form.
For someone who loved ramen as much as Jung Ho did, it was only natural that he’d grow curious about controlling the amount of water just as precisely.

Dae-young pulled a skill book from his own shadow.
-Skill Book: Water Shield Original Edition (Legendary): Learn Water Shield (Original Edition).
Jung Ho’s eyes went wide.
A water skill and a defensive spell? Considering Fire Bolt’s power, wouldn’t this essentially be an invincible shield?
“That’s nice. How much?”

Jung Ho opened his inventory.

Jung Ho’s hand froze awkwardly mid-motion.
“……Is there any discount for ramen?”

So Jung Ho made ramen again. Dae-young slurped noisily, broth splattering as he devoured it with gusto.

He finished the whole bowl with a satisfied slurp.

The discount rate for ramen was something else, he thought to himself.
But five intermediate Mana Stones—those only started dropping past the 50th floor of the tower. How long would that take to climb?
“Would low-grade Mana Stones work instead?”

Five hundred fifty stones came to roughly twenty-seven million won. Expensive, but not impossible to afford.
Right now the Tower of Trials was yielding nineteen Mana Stones per floor, and the rewards increased as you climbed higher.
“Thank you!”
* * *
[Skill Used: Enter Tower of Trials]
[Entering Tower of Trials, Floor 4.]
[Floor 4 Objective: Annihilate all clockwork soldiers.]
Jung Ho had climbed the tower to gather Mana Stones, but today his mindset was different from usual.
-Hero’s Power is a higher-tier ability. A force operating on a dimension beyond all other attributes.
First, Hero’s Power Level 1. Gang Tae-gong’s words came back to him unbidden.
If there was a power operating on a higher dimension than all other abilities, and he also learned the Divided Mind Technique…?
-Skill Book: Divided Mind Technique Original Edition (Legendary): Learn Divided Mind Technique (Original Edition).
He flipped through the bamboo slip book bound with cord, and knowledge flowed directly into his mind.
[Skill Acquired: Divided Mind Technique Original Edition (Legendary)]
-Divided Mind Technique Original Edition (Legendary): You can use skills simultaneously twice.
Now it was time to test this newfound power.
Outside the safe zone, the clockwork soldiers formed ranks in perfect formation. They had the air of a Renaissance-era European musket regiment.
They were small robots, less than a meter tall, yet they carried rifles like proper soldiers and even had commanders among them.
Their accuracy was abysmal and their size was negligible, but those were real guns. A volley at close range would mean instant death. And yet—
“Fire Bolt.”
[Skill Used: Fire Bolt Original Edition]
[Shooting a flaming arrow of fire.]
A blood-red sphere of flame rose into being. But then—
[Hero’s Power Level 1 resonates!]
The fireball grew even larger, and that was just the beginning.
[Divided Mind Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt Original Edition]
A second fireball rose like a twin. The clockwork soldiers fell silent, staring up at two suns overhead. Boom-boom-boom-bang!
[Tower of Trials Floor 4 cleared!]
[Clear time—00:00:03 seconds.]
[Clear Grade: EX]
[EX-Rank Reward: Obtain 19 Mana Stones.]
[EX-rank Special Reward: You have obtained 1 Hero’s Evidence.]
[Rank 1 Reclaimed! Record Updated!]
Fourth floor cleared in three seconds. One second to exit the safe zone, one second for the fireballs to rise—the actual strategy took just one second.
‘So the Divided Mind Technique really does let me copy skills.’
The two fireballs fired arrows twice as fast, shaving another second off the clear time.
‘Hero’s Power was unexpected too.’
The fireballs grew larger, but the arrows themselves shrank. At first, he’d thought the damage had weakened—perhaps an unconscious brake engaging to prevent Mana Corruption.
That wasn’t it. Instead, the thinner arrows pursued enemies like homing missiles, delivering far more precise and delicate strikes.
And the biggest change of all.
[Warning! Mana Corruption 99%!]
[Warning! Mana Corruption 99%!]
[Warning! Mana Corruption 99%!]
The Mana Corruption was still at 99%, but he wasn’t coughing blood or dizzy—just a dull migraine, if anything.
Yet the moment he tried to use a skill again, sudden nausea rolled up from his stomach.
“Urgh.”
Even Hero’s Power, at only level one, had limits. To endure more, he’d need to raise his constitution or level up Hero’s Power itself.
‘Still, they say Hero’s Power is a transcendent ability. Looks like that’s true.’
The skill grew stronger and the penalty shrunk. If this was where it stood now, how much more powerful could it become?
But complacency was dangerous. The Tower of Trials spawned boss monsters every five floors.
* * *
Jung Ho logged into Hunter On to search for a strategy guide.
He’d cleared floors one through four in EX-rank without much trouble, but the bosses that appeared every five floors each had their own quirks—strategy guides were practically essential. Even S-rank hunters with talent died rushing in blind.
But the moment he logged in, a news story caught his eye.
-Breaking news! The Muk-ryong Guild in China has cut off all Mana Stone supplies heading to Korea.
‘China’s cutting off Mana Stones?’
China was one of the largest Mana Stone suppliers in the world. Korea especially depended heavily on Chinese Mana Stones—what would happen if they were cut off?
Even Jung Ho, who normally paid no attention to world affairs, found himself clicking to read more.
-We’re connecting now with Doctor Choi, an advisor to the Korean Hunter Management Bureau. Doctor, what happens if China stops supplying Mana Stones?
-Mana Stones are the rice of the hunter industry. They’re like steel. Without Mana Stones, everything stops—potions, all hunter equipment manufacturing grinds to a halt.
-Without potions, what becomes of hunters?
-Simple. They can’t recover from injuries sustained in towers and gates. Injury accumulation will increase death and retirement rates among hunters.
-Kwon Min-gi suffered a serious injury not long ago. With gates multiplying daily, Korea will be completely defenseless.
-Exactly. The Muk-ryong Guild knows this and is using Mana Stones as leverage. But that’s not all.
-Not all?
-Mana Stones are a strategic resource with demand exceeding oil. If things go wrong, Korea could face an energy crisis. Simply put, the nation’s foundation trembles.
The elderly doctor expressed his concern gravely.
-Thank you. We’re connecting now with Choi in the field. Choi?
-This is Choi reporting. The Muk-ryong Guild has sent an official letter to Korea. Here it is.
As Choi gestured, Liu Jie from the Muk-ryong Guild unfurled a scroll before the camera.

‘That’s me, isn’t it? They’re telling me to go to China?’
As Jung Ho sat in stunned silence, the anchor wrapped up the segment with a grave expression.
The absurdity was so complete that he scrolled through the comments.
└Wow. I’m speechless. Are we really in the 21st century?
└China doing it again. Did the same thing last year.
└What difference does finding an EX-rank make?
└Li Wei will kill them. How many hunters have gone missing? The Muk-ryong Guild crossed the line ages ago monopolizing that blessing.
Kill? They’re telling me to go to China and die right now? The comments just kept coming.
└What’s going to happen to our country?
└Either find the EX-rank and hand them over, or live without Mana Stones.
└This is what it means to be a weak nation.
└Grandfather Dangun should’ve built the country on better land. No resources at all……
Even just reading it made you depressed. Everyone seemed worn out by tyranny, resigned to despair. But Jung Ho’s blood boiled.
‘You bastards. If you’re going to play it like this, I have no choice but to steal Li Wei’s fifth-floor blessing.’
America had said it: no negotiation with terror. The Muk-ryong Guild’s extortion was outright terrorism against Korea. Time to shake them awake.
How dare an S-rank try to extort an EX-rank record holder?
‘Fine. First, let me check the fifth-floor strategy.’
Jung Ho searched for the Tower of Trials fifth-floor strategy guide. Since he’d decided to do this, he’d do it thoroughly.
-Baek Mi-na (A): Don’t let your guard down on Floor 5. There’s no tutorial here just because it’s the first boss.
-Baek Mi-na (A): The Floor 5 boss is a Lycanthrope. It gains resistance to the last damage type it took, halving all damage of that attribute.
-Baek Mi-na (A): Hunters who rely on a single attribute are especially vulnerable. You have to bring a secondary damage type—and that applies to high-rank hunters too.
Strategy notes left by Hunter Baek Mi-na for her juniors.
Resistance to the last damage received. Damage resistance means halved damage. You only take half the harm—so your damage output gets cut in half too. That makes it a formidable opponent.
But?
“Fire Bolt.”
[Skill activated: Fire Bolt Original]
[You fire an arrow made of flame.]
[Hero’s Power Stage 1 resonates!]
[Divided Mind Technique activates!]
[Skill copied: Fire Bolt Original]
If it halves the damage, just hit it twice as hard.
[Tower of Trials Floor 5 cleared!]
[Clear time – 00:00:03 seconds.]
[Clear rating: EX]
[EX-rank reward: You obtain 39 Mana Stones.]
[EX-rank special reward: You obtain 1 Hero’s Evidence.]
[Rank 1 reclaimed! Record updated!]
The next morning, Jung Ho woke and ascended Floor 5, clearing it in EX-rank time in just three seconds.
The boss monster was generous with Mana Stones, but that wasn’t all.
[Record updated! The Blessing’s owner has changed.]
[Floor 5 Rank 1 privilege: You obtain the Blessing of Abundance.]
-Blessing of Abundance: Luck statistic increases by 3 grades, and you probabilistically gain additional rewards.
The blessing that Li Wei had held as the previous Rank 1 on Floor 5 now rested safely in Jung Ho’s hands. But it didn’t end there.
[Blessing of Abundance activates!]
[Additional reward obtained: 39 Mana Stones]
“The rewards doubled?!”
He’d heard tower blessings were good, but he never expected this. No wonder Li Wei had kept the Mana Stone supply all to himself.
‘That smug bastard. Some people need to learn to share.’
So Li Wei had been hoarding all this for himself? Not on my watch. I’m going after the Floor 10 blessing next.
Continued in the next episode ▶
Got end-game gear for a bowl of ramen
Author
Hayan Gotgam
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact
[email protected]
Publication date
August 24, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260423069
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited, and violation thereof may result in criminal and civil legal liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes the precious manuscripts of authors.

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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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