Chapter 121

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 121: Overwhelming

Before checking out what the nuke was all about,

He first looked at the title he had just obtained.

[1. Completer of Part 1]

[Completed ten items on the Part 1 list.]

[Effect 1. All stats increased by 10% (also applies to additional stats)]

Kim Minwoo blinked.

‘Huh.’

All stats increased by 10%.

It even applied to additional stats.

“Awesome.”

He nodded in satisfaction.

Even after all this time, the only title of this kind that Kim Minwoo had was ‘Indomitable Spirit’.

Now he had two.

It was true that the process of completing the Part 1 list was a bit tricky.

From ‘Heir to the Death Lord’ to the last one obtained, ‘Executioner of Vampire Duke’…

None of them were easy.

He looked at the newly opened Part 2 list.

[The Beginning of a Legend – Part 2]

[The Awakened One who writes legends. His second steps are recorded.]

[Effect 1. Upon completing all items on the Part 2 list, a very special effect will be added to the ‘Completer of Part 1’ title.]

[Effect 2. Upon completing all items on the Part 2 list, Part 3 can be created.]

‘It increased from 10 to 15.’

This would also be filled up one by one as he progressed.

There was one more title he had obtained.

[Executioner of Vampire Duke]

[Granted eternal rest to Duke Timorn, the head of the castle and a pure-blood vampire.]

[Effect 1. The power of the pure-blood vampire is applied.]

[Effect 2. Gives a strong sense of intimidation to lower vampires.]

‘…The power of a pure-blood vampire?’

Could it be referring to the Source of Blood?

The reason why pure-blood vampires were particularly notorious.

It was because they had a passive skill that prevented bleeding.

He lightly cut his wrist with the Command Sword. A stinging pain followed, and blood trickled down.

It was at that moment.

It was like watching time being rewinded; the blood was sucked back into the wound.

As a bonus, the wound healed smoothly as if there had never been any bleeding.

Cedric, who was staring at the sight, tilted his head.

―Master, wasn’t that the power of a pure-blood vampire just now?

Kim Minwoo nodded.

“It’s the effect of a title I just got.”

―You got something good. To think you could use the Source of Blood even though you’re not a vampire…

Cedric’s pupils gleamed with a strange light.

―With that level of recovery, you’d probably be at the level of a Baron amongst pure-blood vampires. It must feel like having a potion applied constantly.

“That’s right.”

It wasn’t quite at the level of a Highest rank potion.

It felt like having the recovery power of a high-rank potion applied all the time.

―Minwoo, that’s amazing! If that’s the case… I think Olivia will like it too!

“You think that vampire will like it?”

―Yeah! She really hates humans. But Minwoo is special now, right? You can even use the abilities of a pure-blood vampire. You’ll probably look much better than ordinary humans, at least?

Could he score points with the Legion Commander?

It was an unexpected bonus effect.

Anyway.

Duke Timorn gave generously, like a bountiful tree.

He was a monster worth two light bombs.

With this, the appetizer tasting was roughly over.

‘Time for the main course.’

It was time to utilize the real rewards for defeating the vampires.

[Would you like to use the VVIP Shop Opening Ticket?]

He nodded.

[The shop is upgraded!]

[New items are unlocked!]

[New!]

[6. Mark of Lightning (7,000,000 points)]

[7. Elu’s Tear (9,000,000 points)]

[8. Nuclear Bomb (10,000,000 points)]

Items that were previously hidden with question marks were now newly available.

He checked the details.

[Mark of Lightning]

[Rank: Unique]

[A mysterious mark. It is automatically engraved on the body upon purchase.]

[Effect 1. Allows you to wield lightning.]

‘Mark?’

A picture resembling lightning appeared.

It was about the size of a 500-won coin.

‘Wielding the power of lightning…’

Compared to other items with multiple effects, the mark’s effect was overly simple.

That’s why it was even more appealing.

In other words, it meant that all the effects of the mark were focused on the ability to wield lightning.

‘It doesn’t seem like getting the mark engraved on my body would increase my brain attribute either.’

If it did, it would have been written in the effects.

‘It’s like getting another card to play…’

He was a close-combat necromancer.

It would be hard for anyone to imagine a necromancer shooting lightning at close range.

It was definitely worth 7 million points.

Next, he checked Elu’s Tear.

[Elu’s Tear]

[Rank: Ancient]

[Level Restriction: 251 or higher, Summoner class.]

[A ring said to be made from the processed tears of the goddess Elu.]

[Effect 1. All stats +100]

[Effect 2. All recovery speed +100%]

[Effect 3. Once a month, you can use ‘Elu’s Miracle’. When the miracle is activated, something mysterious happens.]

‘Wow…’

Good.

Really, really good.

That was his impression of Elu’s Tear. It was already a hard-to-find accessory. Plus, there wasn’t a single effect to discard.

Increasing all stats was a near-universal buff.

Increasing recovery speed by 100% was also a tremendous effect.

It meant that mana and health would regenerate twice as fast. In terms of combat sustainability, it was hard to imagine a better option.

‘The miracle is…’

It seemed that something mysterious would happen when used, but anyway, it would be a great effect.

‘I have to see the last item.’

It was even more expensive than this ring.

A nuclear bomb.

He was very curious about what it was.

He checked the description.

[Nuclear Bomb]

[Rank: Unique]

[A mysterious bomb. No radiation. But whatever you imagine, its power will likely exceed your expectations.]

[Effect 1. Causes a super-powerful explosion in the surrounding area.]

[Effect 2. Does not harm the user or allies.]

The description was quite simple for a 10 million point item.

But the fact that it was the most expensive meant…

‘It means it’s really powerful.’

Of course, it was questionable whether it would work on monsters like the Outer Gods…

‘But it seems like it would work on anything below that level.’

A vampire slightly weaker than Vulcan was wiped out by two light bombs.

Judging by the price, its power would be at least 20 times stronger.

It was an item that could even work on Death Lord-level monsters.

‘Not bad.’

Kim Minwoo’s eyes sparkled.

It was very expensive for a one-time use item.

But it had an overwhelming advantage that other items didn’t have.

It could be a game-changer in a desperate crisis.

The ‘Miracle’ in Elu’s Tear had a similar effect, but it would definitely be far inferior to the nuclear bomb.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

‘In other words…’

It was like having an extra life.

It was an item that could turn the tables in an unfavorable situation.

There were about 4 days left.

Even if he worked hard to earn points, he would be lucky to buy one VVIP item.

‘Let’s go all-in and buy the bomb.’

The decision was quick.

‘There’s still the second exam.’

The VVIP shop, like the VIP shop, could be used until the second exam.

It meant that the opportunity to earn points wouldn’t end with the first exam.

‘If it ends, it can’t be helped.’

He had to choose one anyway, so there was no point in dragging it out.

The ancient accessory was good, but it wasn’t more attractive than an extra life.

His mind became busy.

The must-buy list.

He had to buy the recipe for the highest rank potion if he didn’t want to be dragged around by the US. If he bought one nuclear bomb, that would be 11 million points.

‘It’ll be a bit tough to aim for the equipment gacha box here.’

If there were some points left over, it wouldn’t be bad to stock up on some light bombs.

“I need to earn a lot of points.”

Kim Minwoo’s eyes sparkled.

The scenery in front of him changed.

He immediately tore the next mission.

[Starting a ‘High-Level’ difficulty mission.]

[Exterminate all Cyclops groups.]

Before the materials arrived at the guild, he would farm the Cyclops for all they were worth.

* * *

150 participants.

There were many different nationalities, but they all had one thing in common.

It was astonishing.

“…What the hell are these guys?”

It had been like that since the second day, when the scores were first tallied.

Even Liu Wei, a well-known druid, only had 120,000 points.

Naturally, most of them didn’t even exceed 100,000 points.

But, the top three were different.

3rd place, 360,000 points.

2nd place, 530,000 points.

Honestly, even these scores were astonishing.

‘2.13 million points?’

‘What the hell is this guy doing?’

The 1st place was earning points on a completely different level.

“…Did he find some kind of trick?”

That’s how much suspicion there was. Naturally, the Awakened didn’t just sit still.

They had already combed through the entire city, but just in case, they searched the city again. Some Awakened even went outside the city to look for hidden elements.

And they realized.

“…There’s nothing like that?”

There didn’t seem to be any way to earn points secretly.

‘No matter how I look at it, there’s nothing to do but hunt for points.’

Whether it was carrying out requests from the Mercenary Guild or defeating monster groups,

There was nothing better than hunting to earn points.

‘It’s not like there are any non-combat classes participating anyway.’

It was a life-threatening competition.

Naturally, no country would send production classes.

Everyone was dispatched as a combat class.

In the end, it meant they earned points by fighting.

‘What do you have to do to earn 2.13 million points? Did they participate in a war or something?’

Questions continued to arise.

Curiosity about who the top rankers were also grew.

“…Are they Korean Awakened?”

The guild battle with Ilsung Guild.

The performance they showed there was truly amazing. They were even rumored to be a strong contender for the championship.

It was a fact that most of the Awakened who participated in the tournament acknowledged.

‘Indeed…’

‘If it’s the Divine Archer, it’s possible to take 2nd place.’

‘Park Siwoo. He was also a great talent. 3rd place is okay too.’

It wouldn’t be too strange for either of them to take 2nd or 3rd place.

They were talented enough to defeat anyone under level 500.

But 1st place…

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

The Divine Archer?

Honestly, it was doubtful whether even the Divine Archer’s grandfather could earn that many points.

Park Siwoo, who was weaker than her, was even more out of the question.

‘It doesn’t seem like Kim Minwoo either…’

If the Divine Archer and Kim Minwoo were to fight one-on-one, more people would still bet on the Divine Archer.

Although Kim Minwoo’s summons were great, it was hard to imagine them defeating the Divine Archer, a high-level and experienced Awakened.

But earning almost four times the Divine Archer’s points?

It didn’t make any sense.

That’s why the Awakened started to get headaches.

‘Who is it?’

The situation was a complete mystery, with no way to know who it was.

Was there a dark horse who participated while hiding their skills?

Meanwhile, the anomalies continued.

Not only did the Vampire’s Castle mission disappear from the Mercenary Guild, but the 1st place score started to rise like crazy.

[Day 3, rankings are revealed.]

[Score Leaderboard]

[1st place: ??? – 3,133,800 points]

[2nd place: ??? – 812,300 points]

[3rd place: ??? – 562,130 points]

.

.

Still, the score, which had been rising at a somewhat human pace of 1 million points per day until Day 3…

[Day 4]

[1st Place: ??? – 6,172,300 Points]

[Day 5]

[1st Place: ??? – 9,637,400 Points]

[Day 6]

[1st Place: ??? – 13,212,300 Points]

[Day 7]

[1st Place: ??? – 15,211,230 Points]

“…What the hell is this guy doing?”

The gap had widened to the point where it was almost laughable.

15 million points?

That was the amount of points one would get from defeating 1,500 Cyclops, the most lucrative point-earning activity.

How can we even try when there’s no chance?

No matter how they looked at it, the first exam was a complete loss.

“Damn it, forget it. You can have it all.”

The awakened ones spat on the ground in frustration.

* * *

[Current points held: 13,211,230]

Four days ago.

He set out to earn points, determined to not even breathe. He hunted down Cyclops and spent three days crafting nonstop.

Thankfully, it seemed the merchants were serious this time, sending over 30,000 materials.

He finished all of those and earned the points above from some mercenary work.

The reason it’s different from the 15 million points shown in the ranking is because the ranking system adds up all the points he had earned so far.

’13 million points…’

He opened the shop.

[VVIP store is now open!]

[A store assistant will visit you!]

“Greetings.”

—Yes, hello.

“I’d like to buy some things. First, this. And this.”

[10,000,000 points will be deducted!]

[1 nuclear bomb has been added to your inventory!]

[1,000,000 points will be deducted!]

[1 recipe for the highest rank potion has been added to your inventory!]

This left him with about 2,000,000 points.

He was originally going to buy light bombs, but he had been working so hard that he had more points than he had expected.

“Hmm. A random equipment box…”

That’s when it happened.

—Ahem! Ahem!

He saw Popo clearing his throat out of the blue.

His eyes sparkled.

“On second thought, buying equipment doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

—Is that so?

“Yeah. I’m wondering if I should save my points…”

Should he save them?

Shake head.

Or not?

Nod.

This guy.

He must have learned something from their last conversation because he’s reading him like a book.

—That must be a tough decision.

“Yeah, but I think I’ll just use them. Who knows what will happen in the second exam.”

—As an assistant, I always respect the buyer’s choice.

“Potions are…”

Shake head.

“Not really. I’m thinking of buying all the light bombs.”

—Is that so?

“Yeah. Explosions are art, right?”

Popo and he had a symbiotic relationship. They were the kind of comfortable friends who pushed and pulled each other without having to say anything.

There was no reason to refuse his helping hand.

[Purchasing 4 light bombs!]

He immediately bought them all.

—Have you finished shopping?

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work. Let’s have a meal together sometime.”

He patted Popo on the shoulder.

—No problem. It’s my duty. Hehe… I wish you the best of luck in the second exam. Well, I’ll be going now…

After Popo left.

A message popped up soon after.

[The first exam has ended!]

[The results are being tallied!]

[Total participants: 150]

[Deaths: 12]

[Current survivors: 138]

[You are currently in 1st place.]

[As a reward, you will receive some information about the second exam!]

[Cursed Land]

[Sacrifice]

[Survival]

[Would you like to enter the second exam?]

[* Your life may be in danger.]

[* If you refuse, the offer will go to someone outside the top 50.]

Cursed Land?

Now he understood why Popo acted the way he did.

Since ancient times, light has been known to defeat evil curses, hasn’t it?

Buying all the light bombs.

He was already feeling reassured.

“I’ll participate.”

Soon after, his figure disappeared.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]