Chapter 154.

===

[The laptop update has been completed . ]

[Stigma recovery rate has been increased . ]

[You receive 3 Points . ]

*A few functionalities have been added .

[Overclocking]

—Using your vitality as cost, you can temporarily boost Stigma’s power .

—The boosted amount will depend on the amount of vitality used . Note, you can die from using all of your vitality .

[Equipment Link]

—You can link electronic equipment to the laptop (max: 4) .

—Linked equipment cannot be used by anyone else . You can operate linked equipment with your will .

[Spatial Modification]

—You can now modify environmental settings .

—However, the specified environment must be limited in scope .

[1000 SP has been consumed for the update . ]

[Current SP: 3053]

……

▷Variable Stats 「Usable Points: 3」

[Strength 6 . 4 (+6 . 000)]

[Stamina 6 . 435 (+6 . 000)]

[Speed 8 . 655 (+6 . 000)]

[Perception 9 . 235 (+6 . 000)]

[Vitality 6 . 105 (+6 . 000)]

[Magic power 3]

*Stat increase from ’Magic Dysfunction Physique’ has reached its limit (+6 . 000) .

▷Invariable Stats

[Intelligence – 4 . 470 / 10]

[Perseverance – 7 . 207 (+0 . 5) / 10]

[Luck – 9 . 100 / 10]

[Charm – 5 . 535 (+0 . 4) / 10]

▷Gift

1 . 「Master Sharpshooter」[Intermediate rank] [Spirit attribute] [Evolving] [Grade 4 – Proficiency EXP: 87%]

2 . 「Random Consolidation System」[Low-intermediate rank] [Spirit attribute] [3-stage consolidation]

3 . 「Dexterity」[Low-intermediate rank] [Null attribute] [Evolving] [Grade 5 – Proficiency EXP: 51%]

▷Physique (2/3)

1 . 「Magic Dysfunction Physique」

2 . 「Medicinal Memory Physique」

▷Art (2/3)

1 . 「Parkour」

2 . 「Charming Voice」

===

The information I’ve been dying to know popped up .

For the three years that the laptop was updating, I was still able to modify settings of objects and see their information, but I wasn’t able to see my status (other than my Gift) .

In other words, I was seeing my stats for the first time in three years .

“The heck . ”

My charm stat was only 5 . 535?

Aesthetic Greed raised by charm by 0 . 002 point every 24 hours up to a maximum of 1 point . I also made sure to use Random Consolidation System on Aether every day, so my charm increase should have been much bigger .

…Well, I guess that’s how it got to 5 . 535 .

Since it was originally around 4 . 1, assuming I was getting an average of 40% on each consolidation, 5 . 535 points came out exactly . Oh, for the record, I used 1500 SP one year ago to raise Random Consolidation System’s maximum limit to 54% .

But even with all that and the charm buff I got from the barber, my charm stat was only at 5 . 935 .

“Mm . ”

For some reason, I felt a bit bitter .

Jake Gyllenhaal… you’re too far away!

…Of course, I wasn’t being all that serious . It was just a little self-evaluation that everyone did once in their lifetime .

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing that I was staring at my smartwatch in a daze, Rachel asked .

I replied with a smile .

“Let’s go back now . ”

Rachel tilted her head, not knowing what happened . Meanwhile, I tried using one of the laptop’s new functions .

I clicked on the ‘Equipment Link’ button that was newly placed in my smartwatch . After scrolling through the list of available equipment that I owned, I clicked on a picture of a motorcycle .

[Kim Hajin’s ‘Agusta Vigilante’ has been found…]

[Equipment Link complete . ]

[Agusta Vigilante will now move according to Kim Hajin’s will . ]

I tried to send a thought .

‘Come to me . Come to me . ’

After about a minute, the parked motorcycle drove up to me with a cool engine sound .

Interesting .

Without much thought, I got on .

“Wait!”

Then suddenly, a powerful hand grabbed my hand .

“…?”

Obviously, it was Rachel .

“What’s wrong?”

“Hajin-ssi, wait a minute . ”

“Huh?”

Rachel pointed at my bike as she shuddered slightly .

“Didn’t you park your motorcycle by the road?”

“Uh, I did, but…”

“Who is it—!”

As soon as I said a few words, Rachel pulled out Galatyn .

“…Hello?”

“Sh, I think it’s an assassin . That motorcycle just drove here on its own . ”

She murmured in shock as she held her sword up . Her sword then shone in a golden light .

“Show yourself . ”

Her voice carried a hint of killing intent .

But obviously, no one answered her .

Rachel then repeated the same words in English .

“…Show yourself . ”

“… . ”

“Stop hiding like a coward . ”

Rachel was shadow-boxing with an invisible enemy, but it felt like she was sure of her suspicion . From the looks of it, she must have experienced similar situations many times before .

Just how many assassination attempts did she go through to react like this?

I couldn’t help but feel sorry . However, I just continued on and got on my motorcycle .

“Hajin-ssi! That motorcycle is dangerous!”

“Don’t worry, it’s a self-driving vehicle . ”

“…?”

“Look . ”

I willed the motorcycle to move . At the same time, I voiced out my command for Rachel .

“Make a circle around us . ”

Vroom, vroom .

The motorcycle began to run through the sand at a frightening speed .

On the other hand, Rachel was staring at the motorcycle in a daze . Her pupils were suffering from miniature earthquakes .

“Ah… . ”

“I understand . Technology has improved a lot in the recent years . Just don’t try to fall behind the times too much . ”

“…Ah, uaah . ”

Rachel was at a loss for words from embarrassment . She covered her face with her hands and shook her head fiercely . What saved her from her embarrassment was a sudden call .

Tiriri—

“W-Wait one moment . I need to take this . …Hello?”

Rachel walked away, using the call as an excuse .

The call didn’t last long, and she quickly came back with a serious face .

“Hajin-ssi . ”

“Yes?”

“Apparently, strange papers came out of the Dungeon we conquered . ”

**

One week later .

[May Guild Rankings… The English Royal Court guild on the rise . Essence of the Strait maintaining rank 1 for three consecutive months . ]

[Creator’s Sacred Grace on the verge of revival . Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan, the world of Heroes is watching them . ]

Inside a luxury limousine, Yoo Yeonha was reading the Violet Times along with an ordinary newspaper .

“…Hnn . ”

For some reason, Yoo Yeonha was pouting .

She was jealous . The English Royal Court guild entered the top 20 with the help of Jeronimo, but this partnership was something Yoo Yeonha wanted for Essence of the Strait . It was just that she never had the chance to bring it up with Kim Hajin .

“We’re here . ”

The limousine stopped . Yoo Yeonha glanced outside the window . She could see a luxury cruise ship anchored to Han River’s dock .

Today, she had planned a gathering for Noble Society .

“…Thank you . ”

Noble Society . It was the name of a friend group Yoo Yeonha made .

She had started it as a fun project before she entered Cube, but starting from her second year, she began to expand the group proactively .

First, she invited high-ranking officials with the help of her father . Then, she donated to universities and charities under Noble Society’s name . Afterwards, she began to snatch up promising cadets with good family backgrounds .

Now, Noble Society had over 200 members .

All 200 of them were undoubtedly Korea’s future leaders .

“I will be waiting nearby . ”

“Alright~”

Yoo Yeonha got off .

Tak, tak .

Walking with high-heels that she was used to wearing by now, she arrived at the entrance to the cruise ship . The ship’s guards recognized her and let her in without verifying her identity .

Yoo Yeonha then walked onboard .

“…Hm?”

She scanned the deck and quickly noticed a guest who had arrived early .

This guest was leaning on the deck’s railing and staring intently at something . Yoo Yeonha held her bitter heart and slowly walked up to her .

“…Nayun?”

“Uwaah!”

Startled, the guest turned off her smartwatch .

The girl unnaturally leaning against the railing was Chae Nayun .

“O-Oh, hi . ”

“…What were you doing?”

Yoo Yeonha glanced at Chae Nayun’s smartwatch .

“N-Nothing . ”

Although that was what Chae Nayun said, Yoo Yeonha quickly found out about it through her own smartwatch .

[Master, a user by the nickname ‘imgosuda’ requested for a background check on Kim Hajin as well as his current whereabouts . ]

[For now, we’ve put the request on hold . ]

Yoo Yeonha read the message she received and looked back up at Chae Nayun .

“…hui, hui~”

She was whistling with a cold sweat .

Yoo Yeonha forced herself to smile .

She had already heard rumors that Chae Nayun was looking to investigate Kim Hajin . She also knew that Chae Nayun was scammed a dozen times because of her low Violet Banquet rank .

“Do you want to come inside? I prepared a private room . ”

“Y-Yeah . ”

Yoo Yeonha led Chae Nayun to a private room she prepared for her close friends .

“What is this place for?”

“We can hang out here . You don’t like parties anyways, right? The other guys will come soon . ”

“…I see . ”

Pool, VR, bowling, darts . The room was full of games .

Chae Nayun sat down on the couch without much thought .

“Oh right, what’s this on my nametag?”

Then, she asked Yoo Yeonha .

“Nametag?”

“Yeah . Over here, it says ‘executor’ . Shouldn’t it say low-intermediate rank hero?”

[Essence of the Strait’s Hero, Chae Nayun]

「Executor」

“Oh~ that?”

Executor was a new title Yoo Yeonha created for Chae Nayun . Although Chae Nayun easily surpassed low-intermediate rank Heroes in power, she couldn’t be promoted due to a lack of results .

“The Association classifies Heroes based on a rank and a grade, but I don’t plan on following their system indefinitely . I tried creating one myself . ”

In reality, not many people were happy with the Association’s rank and grade system .

Thus, Yoo Yeonha created new titles to match Heroes’ diverse characteristics .

For now, she had five titles: Executor, Destroyer, Guardian, etc . Of these, the Executor title was the highest .

“Yep, that would be the rank most team leaders are in . ”

“Oh? That’s surprisingly good . ”

Tok, tok—

At that moment, a knock rang out from the door .

—Guests have arrived .

“Looks like they’re here . ”

Yoo Yeonha smiled at Chae Nayun .

“Yeah . ”

Chae Nayun nodded nonchalantly .

“Come in . ”

With Yoo Yeonha’s invitation, the door opened, and three familiar faces walked in .

Shin Jonghak, Kim Suho, and Yi Yeonghan .

They were three superstars who had risen to fame at only 21 years old .

“Hey~ it’s been a while~”

Kim Suho waved his hand with a bright smile .

“Move it . ”

“Whoa!”

Shin Jonghak pushed Kim Suho aside and stood in front of Chae Nayun .

“…How have you been?”

His voice was wistful and emotional . Yoo Yeonha shook her head as she watched Shin Jonghak .

“So-so . What about you? You look even more creepy now . ”

“…Hahaha, that’s a funny way to say I’m handsome . ”

“You crazy?”

“Ah, I’m so tired . ”

Yi Yeonghan ignored Chae Nayun and Shin Jonghak and trudged up to the couch . After jumping down on his back, he wriggled around like a giant cockroach and murmured .

“Ah~ Creator’s Sacred Grace is too cut-throat . They’re sending me to three Dungeons a month~”

“…Didn’t you say you wanted to go? You said you wanted to buy that Lambo something”

Feeling guilty, Kim Suho poked Yi Yeonghan’s back as he muttered back .

“It’s Lamborghini . Oi, Team Leader Kim, you think you’ll be safe if I report you to the Association for overworking me?”

“Oh please, you got what you wanted, right?”

“…I did put in an order . ”

Kim Suho had already become a team leader . Yi Yeonghan was a member of his team . When there was a big difference in rank between two people who joined a company or guild at the same time, there were often minor tensions that broke out between them . However, there was nothing of the sort between Yi Yeonghan and Kim Suho .

“Chae Nayun, do you want to spar later?”

“Sure, but I’m letting you know, you might lose . ”

“…We’ll see . ”

While Chae Nayun and Shin Jonghak were planning a spar, Yi Yeonghan turned on the huge flat-screen TV on the wall .

—…Emergency report .

“Hm?”

“What’s up?”

“There’s apparently an emergency . ”

The sudden news report grabbed the party’s attention .

—A mysterious Tower has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean . This Tower of unprecedented size seems to have risen from the depths of the ocean . Nearby sea monsters are also reported to be acting more violent…

**

The same time . After hearing about the emergency report, Yun Seung-Ah quickly turned on the TV .

—A mysterious Tower has appeared in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean…

A newly discovered Tower was being shown on TV .

“…What the hell?”

Yun Seung-Ah was almost shocked to the point of fainting . Just 10 minutes ago, Violet Banquet had no reports about a new Tower . The fact that there was little delay between the release of information to the public and Violet Banquet indicated that this was sudden and completely unexpected .

—There is currently nothing known about this Tower . It seems to have risen from the deep-sea earthquake that occurred eight minutes ago .

“… . ”

Yun Seung-Ah stared at the Tower in a daze .

She could only think about one thing .

That was the only scenario in which Creator’s Sacred Grace’s can revive perfectly, the only way for Creator’s Sacred Grace to reclaim the coveted rank 1 spot .

**

===

[Chameleon Troupe’s Hideout] [Comfortable]

—Comfortable Space

You will become rejuvenated the more you stay in this area .

*Staying here for more than 8 hours will cleanse your mind .

*Staying here for more than 24 hours will make you happy .

*Staying here for more than 96 hours will increase all stats by 0 . 5 point at most .

—What a Great Air .

The area’s high mana density keeps the air fresh .

*Staying here for more than 8 hours will cure light illnesses .

===

As shown above, Chameleon Troupe’s hideout was turned from hell to heaven . Four members of the troupe, Setryn, Jain, Boss, and Cheok Jungyeong, were now living here as well .

Sitting on the couch I made, I was watching TV .

—There is currently nothing known about this Tower . It seems to have risen from the deep-sea earthquake that occurred eight minutes ago .

—The Hero Association has already deployed investigators, but because of how deep the Tower reaches, it is thought to be impossible to enter the Tower in a normal way…

The Tower of Wish .

A Tower that was huge as though it contained all of humanity’s hopes, wishes, and resentments .

“Oh? What’s that?”

Setryn, who was in the middle of receiving a back massage from the goblins, asked .

“Newbie, is the entrance ticket you were talking about…”

On the other hand, Jain turned to me with widened eyes . She really had sharp senses .

“Yep . ”

I nodded .

Currently, I had an entrance ticket in hand .

It was the ticket into the Tower of Wish .

The entrance ticket I had was an orange-tier ticket .

“…Let me see . ”

Jain took the entrance ticket .

“What is it? Let me take a look too . ”

Boss woke up from her nap and glanced up at the entrance ticket .

Jain read the words written on the back of the ticket .

“By having this ticket in your possession, you can enter a designated place on a promised date . The promised date is…”

July 1st .

After July 1st, all entrance tickets will disappear, and new tickets will be issued . The next promised date will be September 1st .

*Note – participants entering this place will undergo a small ‘balance change’ to even the playing field .

“Oh? This sounds fun . Little Apprentice, are you going to use this?”

“No . ”

Entrance tickets had different tiers . Although the orange-tier was above average, it wasn’t the one I wanted .

“Why not?”

“This color isn’t the one I want . ”

“…Color?”

“Yep . ”

Entrance tickets had the following tiers .

White .

There was no benefit to having a white ticket . Consequently, white tickets were even rarer than red tickets .

Green .

Green ticket owners could choose the difficulty level of the Tower’s tutorial .

Yellow .

In addition to green ticket’s benefits, yellow ticket owners were also given an additional tutorial-only food supply .

Orange .

In addition to yellow ticket’s benefits, orange ticket owners could receive a basic weapon .

Red .

In addition to orange ticket’s benefits, red ticket owners could choose one companion to enter together . Of course, they could enter alone if they wished .

“I’m looking for a black ticket . ”

The entrance ticket I wanted was black .

Without the black ticket, there was no reason to enter the Tower early .

“Black?”

Boss asked .

“Yes, black . ”

The black ticket worked a bit differently than other tickets . Black ticket owners didn’t receive benefits from the previous tier tickets . In fact, they could only choose the highest difficulty tutorial . In this sense, they were at a disadvantage .

However, the black ticket had a benefit that far outweighed its disadvantages .

‘Skill’ .

The concept of ‘skills’ didn’t exist in this world .

However, it existed in the Tower of Wish .

If used properly, you could win against someone you normally would never beat and achieve a goal that would be impossible in the real world .

That was why it was called the Tower of Wish .

In a way, this Tower was a chance for those abandoned by heaven to shine .

In that regard, the black ticket was the VVIP ticket .

By entering the Tower of Wish with a black ticket, I would obtain a ‘bonus skill’ at no cost .

“Black ticket?”

“Yep . ”

“Do color of tickets matter? How do you know that in the first place?”

“I have a good source of information . That said, I don’t know too much about it either . ”

The distribution of entrance tickets had already begun .

They could appear anywhere: sandboxes children played in, corpses of monsters killed by hunters, treasure chests found in Dungeons .

And on the promised date, these tickets would become Portals linked to the Tower of Wish .

“Even if you have a good source of information, it’s only been… no, nevermind, I won’t nitpick . ”

“Thank you . ”

“It’s my policy to not nag . ”

“I see… so, did we hear anything from Pandemonium?”

Because of the series of terror incidents, there were many organizations in Pandemonium who were fearful of the Chameleon Troupe . Using this to my advantage, I made an open declaration that I would reconsider attacking them if they offered any entrance tickets they found .

“Nothing so far…”

The moment Jain shook her head…

Woong—

Her smartwatch suddenly rang .

Jain looked down at her watch without a change in her expression .

“Hm?”

I could tell that my luck was working in full .

“I just received a message . Apparently these guys found a ticket…”

Jiing—

Jain projected the picture of the entrance ticket someone sent .

“…Haha . ”

A smile emerged on my face .

The black ticket inside the hologram was just as beautiful as I thought .

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