Chapter 32: The Flame of the Yeon Family (1)
Five Months After Reaching the 3rd Floor
20th Floor
This is where the Regulars are filtered once again.
A place where those who breezed through the "Floor of Tests" suddenly crash into genuinely difficult exams—and where the crushing cost of retries forces countless Regulars to give up.
A place where losers become prey for the monsters lurking in the trenches.
"But once you get past this floor, you're officially recognized as an E-Rank Regular and receive tons of privileges. So this place is commonly called the needle hole leading to heaven."
"…at least that's what the guidebook says."
"Yeah, don't mind it. That's not our story."
I reassured Luf as I confidently walked toward the 20th-floor test site. Not that he looked nervous anyway. Hwarang didn't either.
For ordinary Regulars, this floor may be a "needle hole to heaven," but for gifted members of the Ten Great Families like us, it's more like "the front door to the next floor."
....
"Arie Hoaquin, Yeon Hwarang, Tu Perie Luf. You're all registered. Your team number is 7."
After checking in, we entered the waiting room.
We'd only been on the 20th floor for two days.
Our climbing rhythm so far was simple:
Clear a test
Rest for one full day
Take the next test the day after
Sometimes win bonus games and skip multiple floors at once
With that tempo, we managed to reach the 20th floor in just five months—a remarkable speed.
.....
- Vicente's been down lately, so Anna and I have been cheering him up~ hehe
Albeda sent a message through Pocket, teasing as usual.
Attached was a picture: Vicente standing awkwardly,
Anna hugging a teddy bear, and Albeda smiling brightly in front of them.
Looks like they're doing fine without me.
Vicente, though… what's with that gloomy face?
Guess things have been tough for him lately.
Cute photo lol. Anna's adorable.
And hey—take care of Vicente for me.
I answered lightly and stared at the familiar faces.
Only five months apart, but seeing them again like this… I kind of missed them.
....
"Team 7? Please enter the testing area."
"Hyungs, it's our turn."
"Yeah."
Ten teams in total. After everyone entered, the examiner's voice echoed.
.....
"Today's test is a Trench Warfare battle."
"A vast field filled with interconnected trenches.
Each team has their base located at the start of a trench path. You may fight enemies head-on or avoid them entirely—strategy is up to you. Your goal is to locate enemy bases and destroy them. The team that eliminates all bases wins. You must remain inside the trenches. Leaving them counts as an instant disqualification. However! Lighthouses may float above the trenches. Good luck, everyone."
....
Certainly trickier than the easy tests we've had since the Floor of Tests.
But to us?
This was basically a mini-version of the Special Climbing Exams we'd crushed multiple times to skip floors.
And frankly, any test based on raw combat isn't even a "test" for me anymore.
During these 5 months, all three of us improved dramatically.
But the standout was—unsurprisingly—me.
....
My "Root" Technique
My unique Shinsu control skill, Root, evolved.
At first: an active skill
Now: practically a passive, always-on ability
Shinsu continuously flows into me like a never-ending river.
My body, forced to handle this ridiculous influx, began auto-reinforcing itself, boosting my physical stats.
My Shinsu control and output soared, and so did my mastery.
Combined with the training I've done for the past 2 years and 5 months…
In short: I have a constant Shinsu supply, and all my abilities—control, output, even physical strength—
are on a completely different level now.
....
"Luf, raise your lighthouse and support me."
"Yep!"
His lighthouse shot up.
Other teams were doing the same—watching us, watching each other.
Through shared lighthouse vision, I spotted several other Ten Family Regulars.
They probably gathered all the strong teams here.
"Sending enemy base coordinates now, Hyung."
"Thanks. Now help Hwarang."
Hwarang was already throwing spears to take out enemy lighthouses. Luf backed him up, while I reviewed the coordinates.
Roughly… here.
Time to bombard them.
I summoned nine Shinsu blades around me.
They absorbed the surrounding Shinsu, raising pressure and density.
I didn't increase their size to avoid detection—but their internal tension was monstrous.
Each blade was a silver mass of compressed, violent Shinsu.
One look at the energy they emitted and no one would think "just a flying attack."
When all nine were fully formed, I lifted them high into the sky.
....
"Hey—what's that?! Somebody shoot those down!"
The enemy bases finally noticed the nine blades—but far too late.
"Fire."
I lowered my hand.
All nine blades instantly aimed down at the bases.
Then—
BOOOOOM—!!
Explosions and screams erupted as each base was obliterated.
All nine enemy teams eliminated almost simultaneously.
....
BEEEEEEEP—
"…Uh—w-well. Good work, everyone. The winner is Team 7."
"Let's go."
"Yeah."
The test ended in three minutes.
We received permission to advance and immediately moved to the next floor.
....
21st Floor
The first thing we did: check into a luxury 5-star hotel.
Total cost: several hundred thousand points.
But who cares?
Three direct descendants of the Ten Families traveling together means:
Ordinary Regulars: "How do I earn money…?"
Us: "How do I spend this much money…?"
We're rich, basically.
We booked the most expensive rooms and rested until the next test in two days.
....
Somewhere on the 20th Floor.
The test administrator who had arranged Hoaquin's exam was exchanging messages through his Pocket in a secluded area.
He spoke respectfully, while the person on the other end spoke down to him.
"It failed. The whole thing ended in three minutes, request and all."
— …I didn't expect it to be that fast either. I only heard rumors that they climbed quickly. The next floor is under our control anyway. This is a good opportunity to make sure of things. What does the Workshop say?
"Nothing in particular. They'll handle the aftermath, nothing more. I suppose they judged that completing the task comes first."
— Good. I'll contact the 21st Floor. That faction is on our side. I should begin my preparations for our young lady. Your role is over. Good work.
"Understood."
The connection ended.
In the quiet stillness, the test administrator's lips curled faintly.
....
"So that's what you meant by 'your role is over.'"
A Ranker stood behind him—no doubt an assassin sent to silence him.
....
"Even if I'm an outsider hired temporarily and not of the Yeon family… treating people like this is a bit much, don't you think?"
The assassin lunged with a dagger—yet the test administrator didn't move.
Even if the assassin was weaker, he was still a Ranker.
He should've reacted. The assassin frowned, puzzled—And just as the dagger was about to pierce the administrator's heart—
A massive Shinheuh erupted from underground, biting off the assassin's leg in one snap.
Thrown off balance, the Ranker toppled over—
—only to become fresh meat for the Shinheuh.
....
"Hah… so that was your plan, hitting me from behind…"
He burned the chewed remains to ash, erasing all evidence, then casually walked back to his post as if nothing had happened.
"I'll have to contact the Workshop on my end as well."
Everything was for FUG.
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