Ascension
[You have obtained Blooddrain, the sword of Kan Rendio, Vice Commander of the Black Knight Order!]
[You have found all three dormant swords!]
[You have cleared the Legendary-grade Hidden Quest, Traces of the Black Knight Order!]
He threw an uppercut into empty air.
A Legendary Hidden quest.
It was such an absurdly brutal grade that he'd wondered how many years it would take to complete—yet it had ended far sooner than expected.
"Huuugh…!"
He let out a harsh breath through his nose.
The quest was complete.
All that remained was claiming the reward.
Hurry!
As if sensing his impatience, another message appeared.
Ding!
[You may receive your reward by entering the Sword Chamber on the 6th Floor of the Mythic Tower!]
No reason to drag this out.
Enter immediately.
[Entering the 6th Floor of the Mythic Tower!]
Perhaps because the final sword had been found—
Every statue in the chamber shifted its posture.
They knelt on one knee, paying homage to Seira standing at the center.
Saaaahhh—
Light poured forth from each statue.
Raven's green glow, Muramasa's violet radiance, and Blooddrain's crimson light.
The three colors intertwined, forming a brilliant yet weighty flash.
[Black Knight Order Commander, Seira Kincaiten's level increases!]
[Black Knight Order Commander, Seira Kincaiten's level increases!]
.
.
.
"Holy—"
Dozens of level-up messages surged upward, dizzying to behold.
Among card heroes, Seira had always been especially difficult to level—yet now she was rocketing upward in an explosive surge.
Even watching it happen, it felt unreal.
[Level 201 reached! Legendary ascension conditions have been met! To ascend, the Collector's Ascension Tome or equivalent conditions are required!]
Ding!
[The strongest knights who once dominated an era—their swords have gathered for Seira Kincaiten!]
[Conditions fulfilled!]
[Seira Kincaiten ascends to Legendary rank!]
The light filling the space flowed into Seira.
When it had all been absorbed, a pitch-black radiance erupted from her.
Blinded by the flash that filled the room, Jinhyeok closed his eyes.
A brief moment passed.
When he opened them, she stood before him.
In one hand, the demonic sword Tarkan; around her, Raven, Muramasa, and Blooddrain floating in the air—the Commander of the Black Knight Order.
[Ascension complete!]
[Seira's unique trait, Swordsmanship of the Black Knight Order, has risen to Legendary grade!]
[Unique trait Blessing of Thunder acquired!]
[Unique trait Curse of Blood acquired!]
.
.
.
Just like the leveling, an overwhelming number of messages flooded his vision.
Countless unique traits and skills enhanced or newly acquired.
At the end, even her stats skyrocketed to a jaw-dropping extent.
Gulp!
He swallowed hard.
She'd already been insanely strong—just how monstrous had she become now?
[Owned Relics]
Demonic Sword TarkanThunderblade RavenCursed Blade MuramasaBlooddrain, Curse of the Bloodfiend
[Upon reaching Level 301, ascension to the Transcendent rank will become possible!]
With a final notice listing her relics and next ascension milestone, the messages fell silent.
A brief stillness settled over the Sword Chamber.
Everyone was stunned by the overwhelmingly brilliant ascension spectacle.
Seira stared blankly at the swords floating in the air.
Even for her, the magnitude of the power increase was hard to grasp all at once.
'Power… it's overflowing.'
She lifted her head.
Then she looked at the one who had made such an impossible rise possible.
Jinhyeok, gripping Kancho and Momo's hands tightly, could only swallow dryly over and over.
When their eyes met, the three of them raised their thumbs at the same time.
A smile curved Seira's lips as she approached Jinhyeok.
'You have brought me to greater heights.'
Then she slowly bowed, paying him respect.
'So I shall take you to heights higher than the sky itself.'
"Master!"
"Boss!"
"Maasteeer!"
The four of them bowed together, creating a heartwarming scene.
Watching them, Dark raised the corner of his mouth.
'Now you're finally close.'
Dark had met Seira before she was imprisoned.
That was why he knew—
Just how monstrously overwhelming she had once been.
When they first reunited, that aura had been greatly diminished, but now—
That former presence was beginning to return.
"Tower climbing is going to be soooo much easier now!"
Jinhyeok straightened up and burst into laughter.
Momo beamed as well, saying she'd be able to collect items faster and in greater quantities.
"Alright then, let's head out and start the descent—"
Ding!
"Huh?"
A question mark practically popped over his head.
There shouldn't be anything left to pop up now.
[Collector Yoo Jinhyeok's Hero Card has ascended to Legendary rank!]
[The Collector's total combat power increases explosively!]
[Cards gain meaning only when gathered together into a hand.]
[Scattered cards have been collected by the Collector to form a hand.]
[A single outstanding card alone cannot make a great hand. All cards begin to chase the strongest card!]
[The Collector's hidden SSS+ unique trait, Level Matching, has been unlocked!]
[Heroes other than the highest-ranked card gain bonus experience upon earning experience!]
[The greater the rank and level difference from the highest card, the greater the bonus experience!]
[This effect also applies to the Collector!]
'What?!'
A dumbfounded Jinhyeok threw another uppercut into the air.
Seira's Legendary ascension alone was an insane boon beyond compare.
And now this absurd growth trait—one that even included the Collector himself?!
He felt like throwing both hands up and screaming in triumph.
"Huu."
He took a quiet deep breath to calm himself.
As the Sword Chamber began to fade, Jinhyeok smiled.
The quest was complete.
Seira had become absurdly powerful.
He'd gained an SSS+ growth-type unique trait.
Which meant—
Everyone, including Jinhyeok, was ready.
Ready to grow obscenely stronger than ever before.
'Let's go.'
He was already looking forward to the next tower climb.
[Exiting the 6th Floor of the Mythic Tower!]
[Entry to the 10th Floor of the Mythic Tower is now available!]
Player Hunter Administration, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
"Ughhh."
Cheon Seyeon stretched after returning from resolving a spatial distortion.
"Thank you for your hard work, Hunter Cheon Seyeon."
"Another clean sweep today."
"It was nothing. There weren't even any monsters on that floor."
Seyeon chuckled and headed into the lounge.
As if he'd been waiting, Team Leader Jin Yunho waved at her.
He and the other team members were busily setting up late-night food.
A blissful smile spread across Seyeon's face.
"As expected of Team Leader Jin!"
She'd been starving to death, and now late-night food—
And not just any food, but the classic combination of jokbal and bossam.
How could she not respect Jin Yunho?
After expertly mixing the buckwheat noodles, Jin Yunho pulled out a chair for her.
"Go ahead and eat. It just arrived, so it's still hot."
"Thank you! I was craving something tangy."
She bowed lightly and picked up her chopsticks.
Just as she was about to take a big bite, she seemed to remember something and spoke.
"Have you heard from Jinhyeok?"
"No. Not since he went to the UK. I hesitated to contact him first."
Jin Yunho scratched the back of his head.
What he wanted was not to keep Runner Yoo Jinhyeok under protective surveillance.
He worried it might come off that way, which made it hard to reach out.
"At this point, I think you're more worried than his parents are. I'll leave him a quick message after eating—UK time should still be daytime."
"Haha… thank you, as always. I'll sleep easier tonight."
"You haven't been sleeping?"
Jin Yunho shrugged.
Normally, he wouldn't be this concerned.
"But times are what they are. You've seen the news too, right?"
"I have. It was absolute chaos."
The sudden live stream by Queen Alicia Jerry Windsor.
That video shattered records, reaching tens of millions of views in the shortest time ever, spreading across the globe.
And for good reason.
An assassination attempt and coup against a queen in the 21st century.
For a modern world addicted to sensationalism, it was perfect content.
"Good grief. The world's gone mad. A yakuza organization wiped out in Japan, and now a coup in the UK. Terrifying."
Seyeon made a perfect bite—jokbal, bossam, buckwheat noodles, and kimchi—and ate with gusto.
While chewing, she tilted her head.
"Some kind of bad luck must be following him. Everywhere Jinhyeok goes, something happens. No wonder you're worried, Team Leader."
It was a thoughtless remark.
Yet for some reason—
An odd silence fell after those words.
Gulp!
Barely swallowing what she'd been chewing, Seyeon cautiously looked up.
Their eyes met.
Cheon Seyeon and Jin Yunho instantly knew.
They were thinking the exact same thing.
"N-no way! I mean, it's not like Jinhyeok's some Detective Conan, dragging incidents around with him."
"R-right! I did think it was an excessive theory. Guess I'm just sleep-deprived."
"The timing of his visits and these incidents lining up so perfectly is strange, but it's still too far-fetched, right?"
"Agreed. Let's refrain from wild speculation. Come on, eat—it's getting cold."
Their chopsticks resumed movement.
It didn't feel entirely reassuring, but what else could they do?
They could only hope.
Ding!
Both Seyeon and Jin Yunho froze.
Since the appearance of the Tower of Despair, the system had become a natural part of daily life.
But most notifications came through tower sites—
Direct, global messages like this were exceedingly rare.
[Player Runner has cleared a Legendary-grade quest '????'! The quest name remains hidden!]
[First Legendary clear among players of the Republic of Korea!]
[The Archive of Achievements has been updated!]
Slurp—
Buckwheat noodles slid out of Seyeon's mouth.
[The next monarch of the British Royal Family has been decided!]
The timing was too perfect.
No way. It couldn't be—
[Queen-to-be Sophia Marcia Windsor. Player Runner protected the sun of Britain by saving the new heir to the throne! The Archive of Achievements is updated with the titles Queen's Knight and Guardian of the Sun!]
Seyeon and Jin Yunho dropped their chopsticks simultaneously.
A Legendary quest alone was shocking enough—
But now the British royal family?!
And he'd saved the queen?!
Jin Yunho rubbed his eyes.
"Are my eyes working?"
"I was about to ask the same thing."
Seyeon rubbed her eyes too, shaking her head.
If this was a dream or hallucination, she wanted to wake up immediately.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
As his phone began ringing nonstop, Jin Yunho swallowed dryly.
The fickle system's message had surely been broadcast worldwide.
Which meant—
It had begun.
An utterly insane, world-shaking uproar.
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T/N:
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