MDPS 41🔐

Chapter 41

My Dark History is Too Strong

Episode 8 Update (2)

[Mysterious adventurer declares: Taking responsibility for the Tower of Struggle incident. Will be refraining from activities for the time being.]

Through Ascend Management, Oh Hyun-woo released this statement to the press.
He announced that he would refrain from adventurer activities for the time being.

Along with that, he also halted distribution of strategy videos.

-Taking a break is fine, but why stop uploading guides too? I was enjoying those;;
└ Obvious the “guide addicts” threw a tantrum.
└ Maybe he just got scared and ran away?
└ If the guy who soloed the 100th floor got scared and bolted, then Earth is doomed.
└ Ugh, all the “Mysterious Adventurer” stans are gathered here. Don’t you realize this means we can’t get the 100th-floor rewards anymore?
└ And what floor are you on? Ever even earned the 100th-floor loot? Got proof that the mysterious adventurer really erased it?
└ He vanished right after clearing it, so it’s obvious. Other countries are happily milking the 100th floor, but we cleared it only to sit here twiddling our thumbs. You’re not pissed?

The community was completely split.

There was gratitude for the strategy guides he’d shared—
and anger at the fact that the top hunting ground had been erased.

Because of that, Son Tae-ha, CEO of Ascend Management, was worried.

“Mr. Hyun-woo… are you sure about this?”

“Well, what choice do I have? If the public opinion’s bad, you need to know when to bow your head. And the fact is, the 100th floor disappeared after I cleared it.”

Contrary to Son Tae-ha’s concern, Oh Hyun-woo seemed unbothered.
If anything, he looked like he was enjoying the situation.

…Should I ask?

Son Tae-ha couldn’t stop wondering what had really happened on the 100th floor.
Did it truly vanish because of Oh Hyun-woo?
If so, what on earth had he done to cause such a mess?

He debated asking, but shut his mouth.

It was written in the contract, after all.
Anything not included in the provided strategies was off-limits.
He himself had drafted that clause, so he knew it well.

“Then… is there anything we can do to support you?”

“Let’s just take it easy for a while. If you feel like you need to stay busy, have the management handle its own business.”

“You mean…”

“Yes. I’m preparing to establish a guild. I want to form it with people I can trust.”

That meant Ascend needed to start scouting adventurers.

Guild content required manpower.
Some items could only be obtained there, so participation was unavoidable.

“Then we’ll start by looking at current adventurers.”

“No. I don’t need existing ones. If possible, I’d prefer people who don’t know much about the Legend Seven.”

“…You mean, people like Go In-su?”

“Exactly. I’ll handle the interviews myself.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare accordingly.”

Son Tae-ha didn’t question Hyun-woo’s decision.
After all, the man had already shown power beyond imagination.

“Then… are you going to visit In-su now?”

“Yes. I feel like I’ve neglected him for too long.”

“Very well. I’ll work on narrowing down the list you requested.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Meanwhile, inside the Deathside Guild’s conference room.

All the major guilds in Korea were gathered, discussing with grim faces.
Of course, the topic never strayed far from “the mysterious adventurer” and “Ascend Management.”

Deathside Guild Master, Sun Sung-tae, was the first to speak.

“As you all know, tomorrow is the update for Episode 8.”

A new episode update was always a huge deal.
It was new content for every adventurer to sink their teeth into.

The disappearance of the Tower of Struggle’s 100th floor was regrettable,
but with fresh content on the way, that regret was fading.

“We all want to tackle it as soon as the update drops. I’m sure we agree. But you also know it won’t be easy.”

At his words, some guild masters exchanged looks.
Park Hee-young, master of the Rank-16 guild Sunshine, asked:

“Are you saying you want first dibs on the raid?”

“First dibs? Please watch your phrasing.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Noblesse oblige. The stronger guilds shoulder the risk, acting as the vanguard for the rest.”

“…What?”

Several guild masters let out bitter laughs.
His intent to monopolize the “First Clear Rewards” was painfully transparent.

“If you have complaints, you’re free to leave. But you won’t be able to participate until a safe strategy is established.”

“You’re saying you’ll control things?”

“Control? No. Ensuring safety. Safety.”

Lower-ranked guild masters’ faces twisted with disgust.
They’d failed to clear the 100th floor too, yet here he was still acting like a king.

But as they glared, Sun Sung-tae was studying them.

Look at those expressions. Do they think they’re any different?

Even lower-ranked, the fact they were invited here said enough.
They too had clawed their way up by trampling the weaker.
For them to sneer at someone else’s tyranny was laughable.

Besides, he had justification for taking control.

“I hear some guilds have already made contact with Ascend.”

“……”

“But as you’ve seen, the mysterious adventurer has gone into seclusion. He claims to be reflecting on his responsibility. Why do you think that is? Because he’s scared. He doesn’t know how to tackle the new episode either.”

No one replied.
But they all knew:
Even for the conqueror of the 100th floor, the new episode would be an unprecedented challenge.

“That’s why—this silence of his is our chance. A chance to rally our strength and regain the people’s trust!”

He didn’t say it outright, but the implication was clear.
Pour every last resource into supporting the raid party.

And yet… strangely, no one responded.
No agreement, no encouragement.
It felt like everyone was waiting for someone else.

And then—

Creak—

Yoon Hae-jun, guild master of Radiance, stood up.

“If that’s all you have to say, we’ll be leaving.”

“The meeting isn’t over yet!”

“Let’s be honest. This isn’t a meeting—it’s a threat.”

“…What?”

“From now on, leave Radiance out of gatherings like this.”

“Do you understand what you’re saying? Radiance will be excluded from the vanguard!”

“Somehow… I doubt things will go the way you think.”

At his words, over half the guild masters stood up as well.

“If you think you can ‘control’ things with only half the alliance, then by all means, try. And thank you for exhausting yourself playing leader all this time.”

With Yoon Hae-jun leaving, the rest followed.

Those still seated began shifting uneasily.

Seeing this, Sun Sung-tae ground his teeth.

If you think you can get away with defying me, you’re sorely mistaken. I’ll make you regret today’s choice.

Soon, the chance to screw over Deathside was at hand.

《Time until Episode 8 update complete: 5 minutes 32 seconds.》

On update day, the major guilds had already gathered in Inje County.

「We’re here in the birch forest near Inje County. As you can see, the tall trees around us are rotting…」

Everyone was anxious to see how the update would unfold.
And I was curious too—
Would characters I knew appear?

Eldiran.

The Elf King.
A being who felt none of the emotions humans do.
Numb even to death, unable to feel fear, joy, or sorrow.
Like a robot.

Maybe that’s why he became king—
He couldn’t be swayed by emotions.

If Hertia sees him, she’ll go berserk.

After all, it was Eldiran’s father, the former Elf King, who had sacrificed Hertia’s child.
When Hertia killed the old king, Eldiran, who had already evacuated, survived and ascended the throne.
He then became an NPC supporting the adventurers—
for the sake of rebuilding the Elf faction.

Some still hoped the elves might remain allies.
But realistically, the chance was slim.

The subtitle of every episode always pointed to the main enemy.

If he shows up as an enemy, he’ll be a real pain.

Back in the days of Legend Seven as a game, some events let us receive buffs from “ally NPCs.”
In Episode 1, Eldiran had cast “Eldiran’s Blessing,” reducing all incoming damage by 30% for the party.

To fight such a great mage as an enemy—
the vanguard guilds would be hopelessly underpowered.

《Episode 8 “Return of the Elf Legion” update complete.》

At that moment, a massive magic circle appeared above the birch forest in Inje,
and a towering structure began to rise.

「It’s a tower! A new tower is emerging!」
「Wait, not just the tower! A massive fortress has appeared in front of it!」

A fortress in front of the tower.
The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but grin.

Hah, they’re in for some real pain.

This was a test.
A trial to see if you were even worthy to enter the tower.

I knew it—back in the game days, there’d been preview content just like this.

And sure enough, once the elf fortress fully manifested—

《Elf Tower update complete.》
《Elf Fortress update complete.》
《To enter the Elf Tower, you must first clear the Elf Fortress.》
《If you fail to clear the Elf Fortress within the time limit, a Dungeon Break will occur.》
《Due to Elf King “Eldiran’s Malice,” all summoned creatures’ base stats are reduced by 30%.》

The moment I saw that debuff, a smile tugged at my lips.

How many adventurers could withstand that?

Well, not that it matters to me.

All I had to do was make the strategy.

《Time remaining until Elf Fortress raid ends: 167:59:58》

The fortress had appeared.
Eldiran had appeared.
And thus, Episode 8’s tutorial began.