◈ Episode 69. Akshan’s Legacy (3)[Quest: Break Through the Trap]
Reach the portal while avoiding the elaborate traps.
Rewards shall be granted according to ranking.─Current Rankings●1st: 1 min 01 sec●2nd: 4 min 41 sec●3rd: 4 min 50 sec[Break Through the Trap] quest.
The rewards for those rankings.
They were rewards that would directly help in the next quest, the [Tournament] quest.
When I checked my inventory, one small mechanical device caught my eye.[Quirnberg Ascension Lever - 3rd Floor][Grade: Unique][Restriction: None][Effect: When used in the Tournament, gain 9 points.][Description: An ascension lever that can be used in the central section of the Quirnberg Mechanical Tower. When combined with a mechanism, it can raise you three floors in one go. It looks simple, but a considerable amount of technology has been concentrated within it.]
To think I could get free wins—and three of them at that![Tournament] quest’s objective was 30 points.
Considering that, the item’s effect was quite remarkable in its own way.
But I wasn’t fooled.‘The reward for solitude is only this?’What good was starting me off with 9 points?
Every team I’d face would have three members.
Even if they gave me points, it was obvious I’d just lose them at this rate.
So I put my head to work.……
I would struggle to the very end.
I wouldn’t let a single thing go to waste.
I would drag in everything I had and didn’t have.
Just as my motto dictated.
That meant I hadn’t skimmed over the message in the description window, either.‘It looks simple, but a considerable amount of technology has been concentrated within it…….’If I had been Lee Hoyeol, former humanities student, I would have just passed it by.
I would have given the device a cursory glance.
Thought, It’s more complicated than it looks, and moved on.
But Grandfell was different.
If he opened a magic tome.
He would see it through to the end, even if he had to stay up all night.
If he took up a sword, he would not stop training until he was utterly exhausted.
For Grandfell’s body to see such a description and simply let it pass?
“How intriguing.”
That was impossible.
Yes.
I did not immediately use the [Quirnberg Ascension Lever - 3rd Floor].
Standing perfectly upright atop the mechanism.
In that posture, I began to examine it.
“A complex circuit. And the refined technology that realizes it.”
Grandfell’s talent and discerning eye were telling me.
“Impressive.”
Whoever made this, it was truly no ordinary object.
If it had been most other targets, the examination process would have ended quickly.
But as I said, the lever was exceedingly complex and intricate.
Even by the types of minerals alone, there were dozens.
The design of each individual part was so perfect it sent chills down my spine.
“A magic tool of unparalleled excellence.”
After a long examination.
That was the assessment I gave it.
I had focused so hard that my eyes felt stiff.‘If there hadn’t been a bye system, I might have been eliminated just like that.’Too absorbed in the lever to even counterattack properly.
But talent really was a good thing to have.
In any case, I had finished the examination process.
Thanks to that.
“I have been waiting for you.”
In accordance with etiquette.
I was confident enough to greet my opponents.
The source of that confidence?
Simple.‘I’ve grasped the basic structure and circuits.’In the manifestation of magic.
That meant I had finished the exploration, the part that required the greatest effort.
From now on, I could interfere with the Quirnberg Mechanical Tower.
Just as I could interfere with a rock once I had finished examining it.
It meant I could interfere with the mechanisms visible in my sight.
So.
“It seems you have no intention of returning my greeting.”
I didn’t know why they were making those faces.
But they had made a grave mistake.‘To think they refused my courteous greeting.’Grandfell’s impression of their breach of manners.
My mindset regarding the quest reward.
The moment those two opinions aligned.
There was no hesitation in me.
I drew up my mana.
The outcome would ultimately be decided by who claimed the cogwheel floating in the center. If it were a fight, that would be one thing, but wasn’t this a match that ended as soon as one secured the cogwheel?
Now that I could interfere with the entire mechanical tower, what were my chances of losing?‘Can’t I just put up a mechanical wall and take it?’Honestly, I was confident there were none.
“……
We admit defeat.”……
But what was this?
They were suddenly surrendering?
I flinched.
What, was there some discord within the team?
Their expressions had looked serious from the start.
It seemed they had their circumstances, but that was none of my concern.
“I respect that decision.”
Lest they change their minds.
I took the cogwheel.
Even until then, I had been half in doubt.
Clank─!
Whiiiiir─!
Only after watching the opposing team’s mechanism descend.
And confirming the quest window did it finally feel real.─Current Points (Win: +3p / Loss: -2p)●1st: 18p●2nd: 13p●2nd: 13pI had gained 3 points and taken sole possession of first place.
If I calculated the 9 points secured through the [Quirnberg Ascension Lever - 3rd Floor]……
Only one more win.
If I won just once more, I would reach 30 points.
I could clear the [Tournament] quest in first place.[Currently searching for an appropriate opposing team…….][There are ‘0’ teams with the same points.][Waiting for an opposing team.]
Looking at the message that appeared, I thought.‘Won’t someone else surrender too?’But after having obtained not just a bye but also a victory by forfeit.
If I hoped to have things handed to me even more than this, I’d have no right to complain even if I got indigestion.*The two teams running in the lead.15p → 18p15p → 13pThe moment their points were reversed.
Those watching swallowed hard.
“First of all, one of those teams was Rox’s team, right?”
The master of Shining, Rox.
Including Rox, none of his team members streamed or did personal broadcasts.
The fact that they had become joint leaders was only revealed when the 4-win groups faced each other.
“I thought my heart was going to stop back then!”
Rox’s pressure had been vividly transmitted through the opposing team’s view!
Player ranking: an astonishing 2nd.
One of the few players in the 400-level range.
When that Rox appeared.
Those watching couldn’t help but be excited.
-Right, if Camilla’s there, then Rox is there too lololol-Seriously, I’m so jealous of Rox’s teammates lololol-For real lol There’s no carry more premium than thatAs if living up to those expectations.
Rox displayed overwhelming performance and seized the cogwheel.
Even if the balance system had been applied and the average levels adjusted.
Stopping Rox had been impossible.
“Huff, huff. He really lives up to all that experience. Rox, I mean.”
The higher the absolute level became.
The more exponentially the experience needed to level up increased in Arcana’s system.
It was only natural that skill would differ by that amount of experience.
“If you look at the members of the top teams—now! Each of them has at least one top-ranked player. Rox, Camilla, and even our Republic of Korea’s player Nam Taemin!”
Yes, even if a balance system existed.
It was impossible to achieve perfect balance.
That was why anticipation could only grow.
“Then the other team must obviously be Lee Hoyeol’s side, right?”
The overwhelming might he had shown during the demon king Decarabia raid.
There had been those who tried to estimate Hoyeol’s level based on that performance.
But there had never been an opportunity to gauge Hoyeol’s level as accurately as this one.
Clank─!
“……
Now, the mechanism is beginning to descend!”
A match fought over sole first place.
Just who had lost?
Amid concentrated attention, the one who revealed himself was.
“Rox?!”
It was Rox.
Rox, who had recorded a loss and fallen into the 13-point group.
Questions from the opposing team poured toward him.
“Lee Hoyeol was up there, right!! Right?!”
“No, was it really Lee Hoyeol? Someone would have had to see him.”
“……
But why do you all look like that?”
The countless experiences he had accumulated befitting his high level.
That meant he knew more than others.
Because one could see as much as one knew.
Rox’s shock did not easily fade.‘He was definitely alone.’Rox evaluated himself coldly.
Could I face three players by myself?
No, that was impossible.
Didn’t the balance system exist?
Rox wanted to ask back.‘A rift has an appropriate level.’[Quirnberg Mechanical Tower Rift].
Its appropriate level was a staggering 400.
Moreover, this place.
The central section where the tournament was taking place had an appropriate level of 450, even higher than that. Most players wouldn’t even have dared set foot here.‘You’d need to be at least level 300…….’No, even that was a figure set far too low.
Even so, Rox could not easily shake off the shock.
Because.‘Then Lee Hoyeol’s level, even at the lowest estimate, is……?’It meant he was at least the equivalent of level 900.
Immediately after the demon king Decarabia raid.
Rox had estimated Hoyeol’s level at 700.
He had thought he had not underestimated him in the slightest.‘I was far behind—far, far behind.’Level 900.
It was a number he did not even dare think of catching up to.
Compared to Hoyeol, he might be nowhere near enough.
But he, too, was one of the highest-ranked players.
That was why he knew the effort required to raise just one level.
Was that why?
Hoyeol’s actions until now began to make sense.
Above heaven and under heaven, I alone am honored.
His attitude, always overflowing with confidence.
His mental fortitude that lightly ignored demonic status effects.
Those flashy skills whose names he could not even know.
And finally, just a moment ago.
-I have been waiting for you.
Even the greeting he had offered so calmly.‘……
There was no reason to think it strange.’Considering Hoyeol’s level, all of it was natural.
The moment he realized that fact, his head actually felt refreshed.‘The bigger the goal, the better.’It felt as though he had finally taken off clothes that had never fit him.‘Since when did I ever look down on others?’Yes, he had always been someone from the bottom.
When he crawled up from the bottom.
He was an underdog who became even more motivated.
The look in Rox’s eyes changed.
“Still, it’s too early to give up.”
“……
Pardon?”
“The rule is ultimately to be the first to acquire 30 points.”
Above them, a massive wall called Hoyeol existed.
But there was no rule saying they had to break down that wall.
After all, they could gain the same 3 points by defeating other teams.
Had they understood Rox’s intention?
His teammates came back from their shock as well.
“……
That’s right! Lee Hoyeol has no choice but to wait too!”
At least one team.
Until an opposing team reached the same points.
Hoyeol, too, would have no choice but to stop there and wait.
Rox intended to use that system.
Rox smiled brightly at his teammates.
“It feels unfair, doesn’t it? That we’re the only ones who felt the terror of Lee Hoyeol.”
“Right. It was beyond words, that was…….”
“How could he greet us in that situation……!!”
Yes, the decisive point would be the moment they secured at least 27 points.
It would begin when only one win remained.‘We need a strategy.’The moment Hoyeol faced a team that had reached 27 points.
They, too, would face another team that had reached 27 points.
They would secure victory before Hoyeol did.
They would reach 30 points before Hoyeol did.‘This is the easiest way. No, it’s the only way.’Rather than hoping to win in a direct match against Hoyeol.
Adjusting the points of the other teams seemed easier.
Rox raised his sword.
“N-No! Mr. Rox. We don’t intend to fight out of nowhere……!”
They had only asked a question, yet instead of answering, he drew his sword.
The flustered players waved their hands in protest.
But Rox did not waver in the slightest.‘This is the last chance.’Now that he had guessed Hoyeol’s level.
Rox understood that competing with Hoyeol was meaningless.
No matter what rift, no matter what raid came in the future.
It would be impossible to make a greater contribution than Hoyeol.‘This may be my last chance to get ahead of Lee Hoyeol.’Flash─!
He could not let such a precious chance slip away.
Rox charged toward the cogwheel.
But Rox did not know.
That there existed a [Quirnberg Ascension Lever]
capable of gaining 9 points in one go.
That for Hoyeol.
All he needed was.
A mere 3 points.
And at the same time.
“You must have worked hard climbing up, but how unfortunate.”
That Hoyeol had already obtained the final cogwheel as well!...
Just as I had been confident, I won with ease.
I blocked the players’ movements with a mechanical wall.
And effortlessly took the cogwheel.
“……
Ho, Hoyeol. Mr. Lee Hoyeol, don’t tell me you came alone?”
“That is correct.”
“H-How did you get all the way here alone……?!”
“One must observe proper form and procedure.”
“?!!”
Last time, they surrendered.
This time, too, the players did not put up much of a fuss.
Only their expressions, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have, were the same.‘The result would have been the same anyway.’Well, even if they had gone wild, they wouldn’t have been able to bring down the mechanical wall.
That was no different from an alloy wall made by mixing dozens of minerals.
It was incomparably harder than a stone wall.
With this, I reached 21 points.
I did not hesitate.[Quirnberg Ascension Lever - 3rd Floor].
I combined the lever with the mechanism.
Clank─!
When I pulled the lever.
Shooooooong─!
The mechanism began to rise at a terrifying speed.
At the same time, the quest window flickered.[Quest: Tournament]
A platform that moves according to victory and defeat.
Obtain 30 victory points and be the first to reach the upper floor.─Current Points (Win: +3p / Loss: -2p)●1st: 30p●2nd: 16p●3rd: 15p[You have fulfilled the condition.]……
By the way, how long is this thing going to keep getting faster?
Is this a Gyro Drop or what?
How high, and how fast, was it rising?
My ears were getting plugged, damn iiiit?!
Of course, though I was inwardly amazed, I did not show it.
“The essence of brilliant technology indeed.”……
Yes, bluffing was better than retching.
It was while I was thinking that.
Soon, the scenery began to change.
“!”
As if looking outside through a glass window.
I could see the scenery outside the Quirnberg Mechanical Tower.
That sight was, as expected, [『Strange』].
But I knew.
A strange sight.
And yet that was reality and Arcana.
The appearance of two worlds mixed together.
That was why I realized it.‘……
That is the Arcana Continent?’Nam Cheolmin, Hakuna, Baek Iseol…….
The reason demons had been swarming into reality.
At that moment, the quest window flickered.
Two of them, no less.