Chapter 195.

Floor administrators were existences summoned using the immense magic power condensed in the Tower . Some, such as Medea, Eirene, and Heimdall, were mythical heroes, and others, such as Luke and Simad, were my original creations .

Mythical hero or not, they were far from perfect . They had their own obsessions and desires as they possessed self-consciousness far greater than any human . This was also precisely the reason that they helped or hindered Players from climbing the Tower .

At any rate, TP was an important asset to the administrators as well .

“Raise . ”

Medea threw an additional 5000TP on the table .

“Call . ”

I put down 5000TP as well .

“Hmm~”

Medea rested her chin on her hand, keeping a poker face .

…I was currently playing poker without any complicated rules like the high-low rule . It was just the traditional Texas hold’em where the Player with the better luck and guts won .

Surprisingly, we were evenly matched in the beginning . I didn’t get anything better than two-pair and I was often the one with a worse hand . I panicked a little thinking the administrators were scheming against me together .

But economies of scale and the law of large numbers finally played their part . Over time, as the number of rounds increased, I gained the upper hand .

“… . ”

And this was the result .

My opponents were Simad, the 7th floor administrator, Cadmus, the 5th floor administrator, and Medea, the 3rd floor administrator . Half of the money they had on the table was now in my possession, and the last two standing were Medea and me .

“How much did you win from me?”

Medea asked casually .

After two hours of playing, I had won quite a sum of TP from her, totaling at least 100,000 . That was the reason Medea had abandoned her formalities and started addressing me more casually .

“Oh, I don’t know . Maybe 130,000~140,000?”

“… . ”

Medea silently bit her lip .

Then she threw a golden bill worth 10000TP on the table .

“Will you keep going?”

I smiled at Medea .

“Yes, of course . ”

I had no idea what kind of cards Medea had . In fact, I didn’t even know the proper amount to bet and generally had no clue how poker worked .

Still, the only way I could lose at this point was if she cheated through ‘card forgery’ .

However, the cards we were using were made with great magic . Even I couldn’t see through them with my Gift . Medea couldn’t possibly forge cards like these . Well, perhaps she could, but the magic power needed to do something of that level would surely be noticeable .

“Really? Your must have a nice hand . ”

“… . ”

I put forward 10000TP in silence .

Currently, the money on the table was 148000TP . The bet was large enough that even Medea couldn’t casually glance over it . Yet, she added another 30000TP on top of that .

“You calling?”

I finally started getting anxious… or not . There was really no reason .

I pretended to think long and hard, scratching the tabletop with my fingernails to fake nervousness . Then, with a sigh, I took out all the TP I had in my inventory .

“I only have 23000TP left… . ”

I took off the robe that Medea had been eyeing for a while .

“Will this work?”

A small smile spread across Medea’s face but she buried it quickly and then nodded hesitantly .

“…Yeah, sure . That’s okay . ”

It was now time for us to reveal our hands .

Although I was a little nervous, I was confident that I wouldn’t lose .

The best Medea could have was probably a four of a kind .

“Please, go first . “

“…Pft . Sure . ”

Medea opened her hand with a smile .

Four aces, as expected .

It was a four of a kind made up of aces .

“…!”

I deliberately put on a shocked expression . I widened my eyes and shivered with my gaze fixated on her cards . In truth it wasn’t acting but a natural physiological phenomenon . To think that all this TP belongs to me now… .

“Well then, I’ll take them now . ”

Medea’s lips curved into a smile . She put both of her arms on the table and wrapped them around the 200000TP . She started raking in the money and the robe, when…

Squeeze!

I grabbed her .

“…What? Are you crazy?”

“Ah, a bummer . ”

I spoke in a trembling voice to the frowning Medea .

“Oh, I, I won . ”

I showed my hand .

Medea’s body stiffened instantly .

Her eyes which had been sparkling like diamonds just a moment ago were now robbed of their vitality . Every gesture of her hand and her body used to be so elegant but now she was nothing but a frozen statue .

“Oh?! A straight flush? Wow, this is, wow~”

Simad, who had been watching from the sidelines, expressed amazement .

“I played poker for 100 years and I’ve seen this hand only 1001 times . Uhahaha, congrats!”

“…I’m sorry . ”

I pushed Medea’s arms off the table . She moved without resistance and leaned her back against the chair . Her face looked as if her soul had escaped from her body .

But she only had herself to blame . There was no room for manipulation or fraud in this game . Medea probably knew better than anyone else that magic or a trick could never deceive them .

The game was played fair and square with only luck and skill as assets .

Medea was lucky enough .

Only, I was the emperor of luck when it came to games of chance .

“Good game . ”

I put the 200000 TP in my inventory . Medea vacantly watched the money disappear into thin air .

“N-no way… . ”

Gambling is the path to ruin . That was probably right… for most people . Just not for me .

[363,324TP]

I had over 360000TP . Considering that I started with 25000TP, I really robbed them big time . About two thirds of the money I won probably belonged to Medea originally .

“A straight flush over quads… W-What’s going on? Just what is… . ”

Yet to recover from the shock, Medea buried her face in her hands .

It was such a pitiful sight that I set the robe back down on the table .

“…You can have this robe . ”

‘Think of it as a winner’s tip . ’

But I didn’t bother saying the last part out loud .

After all, nothing good would come from provoking an administrator too much .

**

I got out of the gambling house and stood in front of a sign in the corner of the 7th floor with the words [Upgrade Center] written across it . Now that I had the money, I was going to spend every last bit of it on enhancements .

—Welcome to the Advanced Neurotech Chip Upgrade Center .

A robot that looked similar to APG but with a more mechanical style of clothing welcomed me .

“Hi . I’m here to make enhancements . ”

— Please select what you would like from this list .

The robot projected the catalogue in the air .

[1 . Increase Strength by 1 point — 15,000TP]

[2 . Increase Dexterity by 1 point — 15,000TP]

[3 . Increase Endurance by 1 point — 15,000TP]

[4 . Increase Sensibility by 1 point — 15,000TP]

[5 . Increase Stamina by 1 point — 15,000TP]

[6 . Increase the unique function of Extra7’s Personal Chip, ‘Battle Sense’ — 30,000TP]

[7 . Add function ‘Connection & Synchronization’ — 120,000TP]

[8 . ……

—You can repeat the enhancements as many times as you’d like, but the price will increase by twofold with every purchase .

“Yeah, I know . For now, I want to do everything from 1 to 6 . ”

I could do anything now, but I noticed a subtle ambiguity .

“What does number 7, ‘add function’, mean?”

—I have detected something other than your personal chip wrapped around your body . You can connect and synchronize it to your personal chip, and you will be able to utilize it more easily .

“My body… Ah, you mean Aether?”

I gathered Aether surrounding my body onto the palm of my hand . The robot scanned the transparent ball of Aether that was about the size of a baseball .

—Yes . This appears to be the material . It is special and marvelous . It only adheres to you and makes your body stronger .

“Uh, so that means I can connect my personal chip to Aether?”

—Yes . Because the procedure is complicated, the price is high . However, after the initial sync, this ‘Aether’ will become much stronger .

Robots did not lie .

I couldn’t even dream of spending 120000TP under normal circumstances, but I didn’t have any reason not to undergo this procedure right now .

In other words— thank you, Medea .

“Then I’ll do everything up to number 7 . You’re the one performing the procedure, right?”

—Yes, that is correct .

“Before that, can you give me your hand?”

The surgeon robot stretched his arm towards me .

I grabbed his wrist and whispered .

“Scan . ”

Robots, despite their intelligence, were treated as objects . At my words, the number ‘22′ appeared on his wrist .

With this, he’ll be able to perform the surgery better .

“Here, 225000 TP . ”

After that, I paid 225000 TP in cash . The surgeon robot checked them for counterfeit and then opened the door which led to the operating room .

—Please follow me .

“How long will it take?”

—An hour should be enough .

“That’s good . Can you do it so that it doesn’t hurt?”

—That is impossible .

“… . ”

**

[3F, Prestige]

English Royal Court’s hideout was home to a total of 23 guild members .

The hideout was already at level 4—it even has an office for the vice-leader now—all thanks to Rachel whose reputation as an elementalist was growing day by day . Inside the hideout, the dignified vice-leader was browsing the public forum .

===

[Anyone see Black Lotus on the 5th floor?]

—I did . Too bad I didn’t have a Recorder on me 🙁

└How was it?

└I couldn’t see clearly . He shot arrows instantly killing the Djinns, then everyone stopped moving . He was like “I’m here to finish the war~!”

└Why didn’t they move though…

└;; To evade any arrows that might come their way? Have you never fought before?

[Seriously though isn’t this Lotus or whatever basically on the same level as Nine Stars in reality? It doesn’t make sense otherwise . ]

—Probably as strong as the Immortal, I’d say .

└But isn’t Chae Joochul stronger than the Nine Stars?

—Here’s my verdict as someone who’s seen the battle . Chae Joochul wins in close combat and Lotus wins in long-ranged combat .

└Is Chae Joochul or Lotus your friend? Who are you to judge them?

[Has anyone been to Earth recently? Is there a bounty on Black Lotus??]

—What bounty? He hasn’t committed any crime yet; And even if there was, who the hell is going to kill him? ㅋㅋ They’d be dead long before they even get to see his face .

—lololol what can you do even if there was a bounty lolol

—Black Lotus is gonna come and find you now after reading this ㅋ

===

“… . ”

Rachel had just returned from a castle attack, but everyone was only talking about Black Lotus .

Rachel put on a sullen expression and pursed her lips in a pout .

“…Hmm . ”

After scrolling through the forum a bit, Rachel checked to make sure there was no one nearby and searched for her own name .

「Search ▷ Rachel, Elementalist」

[How did the castle attack turn out this time? Heard there was an elementalist . ]

[Elementalists must be super effective in castle attacks for the top guilds to be letting that lousy English Royal Court guild keep participating . ]

“… . ”

However, it just made her feel worse .

‘If you’re gonna compliment me, do just that, but don’t talk bad about my guild . ’

She regretted looking herself up .

Afterwards, Rachel pulled up the Guild Alliance group chat .

「Guild Alliance (25/25)」

This was a chat room consisting only of the leaders and executives of each guild .

There was a new announcement .

[Before we capture the 5th castle, there will be 2~3 days of rest . Everyone can return to Earth or do what they want in the Tower . ]

WeaponMaster: 「Essence of the Strait will leave behind 7 members and return to Earth . 」

Youngfly: 「Desolate Moon will leave behind 6 members . 」

The purpose of this announcement was to prompt everyone to take a break together . If some took a rest while others worked, then the ones taking a break were likely to feel left behind . To prevent this, everyone would rest at the same time .

Rachel agreed readily . It was about time she went back to England anyways .

Ding—

Suddenly, she received a message .

It was from 「Extra7」 .

He finally replied back to the message she sent two days ago .

“…36 hours . ”

A reply in 36 hours .

Rachel narrowed her eyes and stared at the message .

Extra7: 「Oh, rest days? Yeah, I read about it on the public forum ㅋㅋ There was even an announcement . I plan on heading out then, too . 」

The Guild Alliance was actively encouraging participation in the rest days .

They even asked the individual Rankers for cooperation .

‘You worked hard until now and it’s about time you take a break’ was what they wanted to say .

「Where are you now, Hajin-ssi?」

As she sent the message, she sulkily thought to herself:

‘Will the reply take about 48 hours this time?’

Extra7: 「Me? I’m on the 4th floor . I’m just grinding away because there’s something I need to make . 」

But to her surprise, the reply returned quickly .

“… . ”

She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly and wrote her message in a more lighthearted tone .

「Aha =) Then come see me in England . There’s a festival on Clancy Islet around this time of the year (๑＞‿＜๑)」

Extra7: 「ㅋㅋㅋ Okay . You said things were going well in England?」

「Yes ◕‿◕ . Please give me a call when you arrive . I’ll send someone to pick you up . 」

Then, a minute passed .

5 minutes…

10 minutes…

“… . ”

As expected .

The reply stopped shortly after .

She had already gotten used to it . Something probably came up, or maybe he ran into somebody .

Rachel turned the messenger off and opened the auction house .

“…?”

Immediately, something caught her eye .

「Lv . 4 Black Suit (J – Green Order)」

Rachel didn’t know this, but the real name of this suit was 「Lv . 4 Black Messiah’s Horrible Suit」 . Kim Hajin had been using it for a while and he put it on the auction house to switch to a better piece of gear .

“Ah… . ”

The moment she laid her eyes on the suit, she gave an involuntary exclamation .

The design was beautiful .

It was cool and efficient and had great effects as well .

Rachel swallowed her saliva and slowly moved her finger towards the [Bid] button .

**

The next morning .

The third tutorial had ended and Players had arrived on the 2nd floor .

“… . ”

Jin Sahyuk was hiding herself thoroughly . She put on a robe she bought in Tutorial Town and even applied stealth oil all over her body .

She even had that skill she got from the black ticket, survival shouldn’t be too difficult . It was humiliating to have to hide like a cockroach, but she consoled herself with the thought that she had only taken a step back now in order to move forward two steps in the future .

And things were going well in the beginning .

She didn’t place her magic power on display like she stupidly did last time . Instead, she concealed it just like a wild beast . During this time, strange men calling themselves ‘Newbie Hunters’ attacked her, but she easily fought them off and even stole their TP .

Really, everything was going smoothly .

However… when she was wandering about the Jungle in search of the elevator, she suddenly felt a chill .

At the same time, a wind blew that shook the atmosphere .

Before she was even aware of the attack, Jin Sahyuk had thrown herself on the ground out of instinct .

“Kuuk!”

Something that had shot toward her brushed her side . Even though it was only a graze, a lump of her flesh had been cut off .

She stopped the waterfall of blood with magic power and thought to herself:

‘He’s here . ’

Her body trembled and her heart rate went up .

‘Where is he?’

She scouted the area by infusing magic power into her eyes but found nothing .

Streaks of light, much stronger than before, began pouring down on her again .

KWAAAANG—!

Jin Sahyuk shrouded herself in magic power and rolled on the ground . The air pressure cut her hair and left a scar on her cheek .

“…Fuck . ”

Jin Sahyuk couldn’t predict the attacks . She couldn’t point out where he was . The black trajectories made it difficult for her to track their source . The shooting from afar was tens of thousands of times more threatening than a blade out in the open .

With no other choice, Jin Sahyuk ran .

She ran with all her strength, making her way through the bushes and jumping over swamps .

She could feel her hands and lips tremble .

Not out of excitement nor exaltation .

Not happiness, joy, nor delight .

She had never felt this way before . She didn’t want to admit she was having this feeling, yet the streaks of light poured down again as if to ask for her recognition .

KWAAAANG—!

Arrows caused explosions all around her .

Jin Sahyuk managed to jump into an animal hole in the ground in time .

“…Haa, haa . ”

She covered the hole with a barrier and caught her breath .

Then she checked her HP .

[Vitality: 33/100]

The situation was dire .

It was only a matter of time before she was killed .

She would die once again at his hands .

Anger and resentment brought tears to her eyes .

Her lungs filled with blood and her nose reddened .

“That fucking bastard… . ”

Jin Sahyuk whispered in a trembling voice .

Then suddenly, a pillar of unknown magic power shot up from the ground .

The wave of magic power slowly began to take the form of a man .

Jin Sahyuk was well aware of the phenomenon taking place before her eyes .

“…Bell!”

She called his name out loud .

The magic power completely materialized shortly after, and its owner gave a small smile .

But Jin Sayhuk was more furious than welcoming .

“You son of a bitch!”

“Don’t get so upset . I came to help you, after all . ”

The first thing Bell did was put up a barrier . Sssss— A dome-shaped barrier engulfed the hole they were in .

“You asshole, if you hadn’t taken my ticket in the first place… . ”

“Shh . You’ll break the barrier if you create a disturbance . “

KWANG—!

The next explosion shook the hole . It was the arrows again, but Bell’s barrier managed to block them just once .

And that was enough .

A violet light filled the hole .

It was Bell’s skill— ‘Mass Teleport’ .

“What the hell is this? You, you fucker . ”

“Teleportation . ”

“…What?”

“Let’s go home . Even I can’t win against him right now . ”

Bell said that with a grin .

Jin Sahyuk clenched her teeth . Bell was right .

She needed to escape right now .

“I’m gonna kill you . I’m gonna kill you for real . ”

“…I know . I said it myself, right? That someday, you’ll have to do so . ”

Bell and Jin Sahyuk .

They shared words that could be either a greeting or a curse and then turned into violet magic power and flew away .

…About 3km away .

Atop a tall zelkova tree, a man tilted his head .

“Woah . ”

Kim Hajin put his bow and arrows away without much deliberation .

It didn’t really matter that the target had escaped .

From the start, his goal today had been to make sure that she ‘didn’t notice’ .

As long as she didn’t realize what was on the arrow that grazed her, or if she realized too late, she would, without a doubt, face death .

“Return . ”

He collected the dark ore arrows with a murmur .

The arrows took about 3 seconds to fly back . He had shot his arrows from an incredibly long range .

The only reason Jin Sahyuk could survive the initial shot was because of the distance between them .

“… . ”

Although he failed to kill his target, Kim Hajin looked at the tip of an arrow without a hint of regret . A small amount of dark, sticky liquid was there .

[Lv . 4 Liquified Banshee’s Curse Crystal]

This was a solution made from the crystals that Kim Hajin collected on the 4th floor by deliberately being cursed by 13 banshees .

After extracting them from his body, he had put it on the arrowhead . By now, the curse should have seeped into every part of Jin Sahyuk .

“I wonder how long she’ll last . ”

Mercy was never an option to begin with .

The moment he did, he would be the one to be killed in the future .

He stared at where Jin Sahyuk was, then tore up the entrance ticket to the 8th floor .

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