Chapter 06

  The Blessing of Abundance

Jiang Taigong had promised to buy Jeongho a skill book for the Split Mind technique worth one trillion won.

It was an absurdly overpowered technique that allowed him to use two skills simultaneously. Yet the old man didn’t even want money. He had merely asked Jeongho to let him taste some ramen.

I should make him the best ramen possible.

But what exactly was the best ramen?

There were dozens, hundreds of varieties of ramen out there.

The best-selling ramen? The highest-rated ramen? The ramen praised to the heavens by gourmet critics? Wait, did such a thing even exist?

Jeongho thought so hard that he felt like he might suffer qi deviation.

Let’s change my approach. What kind of ramen would my master be expecting?

It was a meal prepared by his disciple. Surely, the old man wasn’t expecting some high-end cuisine. Someone as wealthy as him had probably already experienced the pinnacle of gourmet dining, just like Daeyeong.

Wouldn’t it be better to show him what it meant to be a disciple? Even if the result was a little lacking and clumsy, at least it would be sincere.

Ramen that represents me. The ramen I love most.

Once he let go of his obsession, the answer came to him naturally.

What if he started with a spicy ramen base, added a handful each of bean sprouts, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, rice cakes for tteokguk, and water dumplings, then covered everything with beaten egg like a lid?

“Slurp.”

Just looking at it made his mouth water.

Some people insisted that ramen tasted best with absolutely nothing added, but this was Jeongho’s idea of the perfect ramen.

Cooked ramen cooled down and turned soggy in no time, so he couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.

“Enter the Tower of Heroes.”

Flash!

[Skill Used: Enter the Tower of Heroes]

[Entering the Tower of Heroes.]

Jiang Taigong, who had been chatting with Daeyeong, turned his head. The moment he spotted Jeongho, his face lit up.

“My disciple! I thought I’d have to wait until I died of old age!”

“That just shows how excited I was. Is that ramen?”

Jeongho respectfully presented the pot of ramen with both hands.

“Yes, Master. One-trillion-won ramen… No, I mean, ramen offered by your disciple to his master!”

“Oh-ho. A hodgepodge of all sorts of random ingredients, is it?”

Stab!

Those words pierced Jeongho’s heart like a dagger.

He had heard that exact criticism countless times from ramen purists. He never expected Jiang Taigong to say it, too.

“Can throwing together ingredients that were never meant to go together really make them one?”

Stab, stab!

Struck by a second dagger without warning, Jeongho’s heart was left in tatters.

“Interesting. Let’s see how it tastes. Slurp, slurp.”

Jiang Taigong boldly scooped up a huge mouthful of ramen with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully.

“Mmm, mmm. Oh-ho. There’s a peculiar harmony to it. The ingredients run wild in my mouth like a cacophony. The slippery green onions, the crunchy bean sprouts, the rice cakes and dumplings coming apart…”

Daeyeong scolded him for no particular reason, but judging by the look in his eyes, he wanted some ramen himself.

Jiang Taigong knew it, too, and deliberately slurped even more noisily to tease him.

In no time at all, the ramen pot was completely empty.

Jiang Taigong smacked his lips contentedly beneath his mustache.

“My disciple. I understand what you’re trying to tell me. But listen, my boy. The path of bringing things together is a difficult one. Your skill in making ingredients that should never go together harmonize with one another is impressive, but…”

Jiang Taigong looked at Jeongho with concern.

“Are you truly determined to walk that path?”

“I just like mixing different things together. It tastes good to me.”

“Hmm? Hahaha! Hohoho! I see. So that’s how it is!”

Something about their conversation seemed slightly off, but Jiang Taigong laughed and gave Jeongho a few friendly pats on the shoulder.

“My disciple, this dish called ramen is rather delicious. I don’t regret spending money on a skill book for you at all.”

Jeongho had worried that the old-fashioned master might not like it, so he was relieved to hear that he had enjoyed it.

Jiang Taigong patted Jeongho on the shoulder once more, then boarded his little boat and opened a portal made of water.

“Daeyeong. I’ll come visit again sometime.”

“Really? Then I suppose I’ll never be able to come back. My disciple! If you ever need anything, pester Daeyeong! He may not look like it, but that fellow’s heart is as vast as the sea.”

Jiang Taigong disappeared through the portal.

All that remained in Jeongho’s hands was an empty pot.

“How much does my master owe you in unpaid liquor bills?”

Hmm. His master would surely pay it back himself. It would be rude for a disciple to overstep his bounds in front of his master. Paying off his debt on his behalf, for example… Yes, yes. That was out of the question.

“The Split Mind technique lets you use two skills at the same time, right?”

“You catch on quickly. What would you recommend?”

The Interdimensional Shop, Daepanda, was a place where you couldn’t buy anything if you didn’t know what you wanted.

Fortunately, Jeongho knew exactly what he wanted.

“Do you have any magic skill books related to water?”

He had learned Fire Bolt and gained the ability to hear the voice of fire. Thanks to that, he could control the heat when cooking ramen with almost artistic precision.

As a ramen lover, it was only natural that he would want to control the amount of water just as precisely.

Daeyeong pulled a skill book out of his shadow.

[Skill Book: Original Water Shield (Legendary): Learn Water Shield (Original).]

Jeongho’s eyes widened.

It was a water skill, and a defensive spell at that!

Considering the power of his Fire Bolt, wouldn’t this essentially be an invincible protective barrier?

“This looks great. How much is it?”

Jeongho opened his inventory.

Jeongho’s hand froze awkwardly in midair.

“…Is there a discount if I make you ramen?”

And so, Jeongho cooked another pot of ramen.

Daeyeong devoured it greedily, slurping up the broth and splashing it everywhere.

After polishing off the entire bowl, he finally spoke.

Jeongho was reminded once again just how generous the ramen discount was.

But five intermediate magic stones?

Intermediate magic stones only started appearing from the 50th floor of the Tower. How long would it take him to climb that high?

“Can I pay with low-grade magic stones instead?”

At 50,000 won per stone, 550 stones came to approximately 27.5 million won.

It was expensive, but not entirely out of reach.

At present, he earned 19 magic stones per floor of the Tower of Trials, and the rewards increased as he climbed higher.

“Thank you!”

[Skill Used: Enter the Tower of Trials]

[Entering Floor 4 of the Tower of Trials.]

[Floor 4 Objective: Eliminate all Clockwork Soldiers.]

Jeongho had climbed the tower to collect magic stones, but today, his mindset was different from usual.

The power of a hero is a higher-order stat. It exists on a higher plane than all other stats.

First, there was Heroic Power, Stage 1. Jiang Taigong’s words came back to him naturally.

If Heroic Power existed on a higher plane than all other stats, what would happen if he learned the Split Mind technique as well?

[Skill Book: Original Split Mind (Legendary): Learn Split Mind (Original).]

As he rapidly flipped through the bamboo slips bound together with string, the knowledge was automatically absorbed into his mind.

[Skill Acquired: Original Split Mind (Legendary)]

– Original Split Mind (Legendary): Allows you to use two skills simultaneously.

Now it was time to test his newly acquired power.

Outside the safe zone, the Clockwork Soldiers stood in neat rows and columns. They looked like a European musket regiment from the Renaissance era.

Each was a small robot less than a meter tall. Despite their size, they were armed with guns and even had a commanding officer, making them resemble a proper army.

Their accuracy was terrible, and they were tiny, but those were real guns. Getting caught in a volley could mean instant death.

But…

“Fire Bolt.”

[Skill Used: Original Fire Bolt]

[Shoots an arrow made of fire.]

A blazing red fireball rose into the air.

But then—

[Heroic Power, Stage 1, resonates!]

The fireball grew even larger.

And that wasn’t all.

[Split Mind activates!]

[Skill duplicated: Original Fire Bolt]

Another fireball appeared beside the first, like its twin.

The Clockwork Soldiers were left speechless as they stared at two suns in the sky.

KABOOM! KABOOM!

[Floor 4 of the Tower of Trials Cleared!]

[Clear Time: 00:00:03.]

[Clear Rank: EX]

[EX-Rank Reward: Acquired 19 magic stones.]

[EX-Rank Special Reward: Acquired 1 Proof of Hero.]

[Reclaimed Rank 1! New record established!]

He had cleared the fourth floor in three seconds.

It took one second to leave the safe zone and another for the fireballs to appear, meaning the actual battle had ended in just one second.

Split Mind really does duplicate skills.

The two fireballs had fired their flaming arrows twice as fast, cutting his clear time by a full second.

Heroic Power was more impressive than I expected, too.

The fireballs had grown larger, but the individual fire arrows had actually become smaller.

At first, he thought their power had weakened. Perhaps some unconscious brake had kicked in to prevent mana contamination.

But that wasn’t it.

Instead, the slender fire arrows pursued their targets like guided missiles, unleashing attacks that were far more precise and delicate.

And finally, there was the biggest change of all.

[Warning! Mana Contamination: 99%!]

[Warning! Mana Contamination: 99%!]

[Warning! Mana Contamination: 99%!]

His mana contamination was still at 99%, but he wasn’t vomiting blood or feeling dizzy. All he had was a mild migraine.

However, when he tried to use another skill, a sudden wave of nausea rose from his stomach.

“Ugh.”

Even with Heroic Power, he was only at Stage 1. That was probably why.

To endure more, he would need to improve his constitution or raise his Heroic Power to a higher stage.

Still, they said Heroic Power was a higher-order stat. They might have been right.

His skills had become stronger, and the penalties had diminished.

If this was what he could do now, how powerful would he become in the future?

Even so, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down. A boss monster appeared every five floors of the Tower of Trials.

Jeongho logged into HunterOn to look for a strategy guide.

He had cleared Floors 1 through 4 with EX ranks without needing any special strategies, but the bosses that appeared every five floors each had their own unique traits. Having a strategy guide was practically essential.

Charging in without one could get even an S-rank Hunter killed.

However, a news report immediately caught his attention as soon as he logged in.

—Breaking News! China’s Black Dragon Guild has cut off all magic stone supplies to South Korea.

China has cut off its magic stone supply?

China was one of the largest suppliers of magic stones in the world. South Korea, in particular, relied heavily on Chinese imports.

What would happen if China stopped supplying them?

Even though Jeongho usually paid little attention to world affairs, he was curious enough to click on the report.

—We’re now connecting with Dr. Choi, an adviser to the Korean Hunter Administration. Dr. Choi, what would happen if China stopped supplying magic stones?

—Magic stones are the rice of the Hunter industry. They’re like steel. Without them, the production of every Hunter-related item, starting with potions, would grind to a halt.

—What would happen to Hunters without potions?

—It’s simple. They wouldn’t be able to recover from injuries sustained in towers and gates. As their injuries accumulated, more Hunters would die or be forced into retirement.

—Hunter Kwon Mingi recently suffered severe injuries as well. With the threat posed by gates increasing day by day, South Korea would be left defenseless.

—That’s right. The Black Dragon Guild knows this and is using its control over magic stones to threaten us. And that’s not all.

—There’s more?

—Magic stones are a strategic resource in greater demand than oil. If things go wrong, South Korea could even face an electricity shortage. To put it simply, the very foundations of the country could be shaken.

The elderly professor expressed his concern.

—Thank you, Doctor. Now, let’s connect with our reporter Choi, who is on location. Reporter Choi?

—This is Reporter Choi. The Black Dragon Guild has sent an official letter to South Korea. Here it is.

At the reporter’s signal, Ryu Je, a representative of the Black Dragon Guild, spread open a scroll in front of the camera.

That’s me, isn’t it? They want me to go to China?

While Jeongho sat there in a daze, the news anchor concluded the report with a grave expression.

The whole thing was so absurd that he decided to check the public’s reaction.

└ Wow. I’m speechless. Is this really the twenty-first century?

└ China is pulling this crap again? They did the same thing last year.

└ What difference would finding the EX-rank Hunter make?

└ Li Wei would kill them, obviously. How many Hunters have gone missing over the years? The Black Dragon Guild has been crossing the line for ages by monopolizing those blessings.

Kill me? They want me to go to China so I can get killed?

The comments continued.

└ What are we supposed to do now?

└ What do you think? Hand over the EX-rank Hunter, or learn to live without magic stones.

└ This is the misery of being a weak country.

└ If only Grandfather Dangun had founded our country on slightly better land. No resources, either…

The comments were depressing just to read. Everyone seemed exhausted by the guild’s tyranny and had resigned themselves to their fate.

But Jeongho was seething with anger.

Look at these bastards. If they’re going to act like this, I have no choice but to take Li Wei’s Floor 5 Blessing!

The United States had once declared that it would not negotiate with terrorists.

The Black Dragon Guild’s tyranny was an unmistakable act of terrorism against South Korea. This was the perfect opportunity to knock some sense into them.

How dare an S-rank nobody threaten someone who held an EX-rank record?

All right. First, let’s check the strategy for Floor 5.

Jeongho searched for a guide to the fifth floor of the Tower of Trials.

Since he had decided to take action, he might as well prepare thoroughly.

—Baek Mina (A-rank): Never let your guard down on Floor 5. Just because it’s the first boss floor doesn’t mean it’s some kind of tutorial.

—Baek Mina (A-rank): The boss on Floor 5 is a lycanthrope. It gains resistance to the element of the last attack that damaged it, cutting damage from that element in half.

—Baek Mina (A-rank): Hunters who fight using only a single element need to be especially careful. Make sure you bring a secondary means of dealing damage with a different element. This applies even to high-ranking Hunters.

It was a strategy guide Baek Mina had left behind for younger Hunters.

The boss gained resistance to the element of the last attack it suffered. Resistance meant halving the damage received.

In other words, attacks of that element would be only half as effective, making the boss a formidable opponent.

But…

“Fire Bolt.”

[Skill Used: Original Fire Bolt]

[Shoots an arrow made of fire.]

[Heroic Power, Stage 1, resonates!]

[Split Mind activates!]

[Skill duplicated: Original Fire Bolt]

If the damage was halved, why not hit it twice as hard?

[Floor 5 of the Tower of Trials Cleared!]

[Clear Time: 00:00:03.]

[Clear Rank: EX]

[EX-Rank Reward: Acquired 39 magic stones.]

[EX-Rank Special Reward: Acquired 1 Proof of Hero.]

[Reclaimed Rank 1! New record established!]

The next morning, Jeongho climbed the Tower of Trials’ fifth floor as soon as he opened his eyes and cleared it with an EX rank in just three seconds.

Boss monsters also handed out more magic stones, but that wasn’t the end of the rewards.

[Record Updated! The owner of the Blessing has changed.]

[Floor 5 Rank 1 Privilege: Obtained the Blessing of Abundance.]

– Blessing of Abundance: Luck increases by three grades, and there is a chance to obtain additional rewards.

The Blessing that had belonged to Li Wei, the previous number-one-ranked Hunter on Floor 5, had safely fallen into Jeongho’s hands.

But there was more.

[Blessing of Abundance activated!]

[Additional Reward Obtained: 39 magic stones.]

“Double rewards?!”

He had heard that tower blessings were powerful, but he hadn’t imagined they were this good.

No wonder Li Wei alone had been able to control the supply of magic stones.

What an infuriating bastard. Something this good should be shared.

Li Wei had been keeping all these benefits to himself?

That wouldn’t do.

He would have to go and take the blessing on Floor 10, too.