Fifteen barriers shattered in less than a second as the arrow descended like lightning and struck the ground. A huge explosion erupted and the wind swirled like a storm before shooting up into a pillar of fire. KWANG! Another explosion erupted inside the pillar as the vengeful spirit grenade tied to the arrow exploded. A breathtaking silence followed. The entire area had turned to ash and only a hot fog remained.

I calmly stared at the area. Time passed and the fog subsided.

“Whew.”

The World’s End Bridge remained unscathed even after several explosions. However, the djinns attempting to cross had disappeared without a trace. As expected of an attack that used 3.5 streaks of stigma. It did a fantastic job.

I even attached a vengeful spirit grenade to the arrow. Kim Hakpyo should’ve died at least once unless he had a special defensive skill.

“Argh.”

I overworked myself as well. I hadn’t used that much stigma in 6 months. My vision spun and my stomach churned.

“Auu…”

I sat on the ground and gripped the Orb of Regeneration. Spartan also flew down and sat on my shoulder.

“…”

I didn’t have the strength to say anything and hoped he wouldn’t bother me too much.

— Pieeek

Spartan unleashed his magic power and it warmly enveloped me like the Hot Spring of Peace. Wait a minute.

“Oh, right.”

I shouted the trigger word to enter my waiting room. The feeling of moving through space made me feel nauseous, but I arrived at a wonderful place.

[Welcome to Lv.7 Extra7’s Waiting Room.] [Your vitality will recover 50% faster here.] [Your magic power will recover 50% faster here.] [Light injuries will naturally heal and the waiting room’s clear air will loosen up tense muscles.]

My waiting room appeared 16 times larger than most waiting rooms and featured all marble floors. I decorated the interior with a luxury bed, couch, and other furniture I crafted. I even set aside a portion of the room for Sannuri to run and play. I went straight to the [Miniature Hot Spring of Peace].

“Ahh, amazing…”

I relaxed inside the warm water to restore my energy.

***

[8-1F, Field of Trials]

A longsword hung behind Chae Nayun’s back.

“I’m ready.”

The wind blew against her face as the dwarven supercar sped forward. She faced ahead and held her sword.

“Go for it.”

She unsheathed her sword at Yi Yeonghan’s encouragement. Sssssk— Blue magic power surrounded the blade. Concentrating magic power around an external object felt as easy as moving her finger now.

Chwaaaaa…

A wave of arrows dyed the sky black like a flock of starlings. Even so, Chae Nayun stood fearless and swung her longsword in full force.

“—!”

She shouted with her teeth clenched and the magic power around her blade roared. BOOM! A crescent sword qi shot out and burned the arrows to ashes.

Soon, the sky cleared up again.

“Damn.”

Yi Yeonghan muttered in astonishment. Chae Nayun’s sword qi completely engulfed the enemy’s attack. However, she didn’t stop and continued to slash out waves of sword qi.

No more arrows came their way. It seemed the attackers had given up.

“I heard you devoured the curse with your magic power, but this…”

Chae Nayun smiled at the shocked Yi Yeonghan.

The dwarven supercar safely reached the end of the field. A 6 meter metal fence blocked their path. Honestly, the fence should’ve been called a castle wall with watchtowers and artillery units behind it.

“Didn’t we succeed?”

“I think so. Where’s Aileen?”

The fence descended underground as Yi Yeonghan and Kim Suho murmured. Startled, they backed off. Jiing. A man in full plate armor appeared and they all checked his name.

[Lv.??? Kipha]

An NPC whose level couldn’t be seen. He seemed much stronger than most NPCs. Kipha scanned Kim Suho’s party with a heavy gaze and nodded.

“You have the qualifications. Your entry shall be permitted.”

Kipha turned around and left. Kim Suho’s party looked at each other in confusion before following.

They walked along a narrow pathway. Soon, a mystical scenery unfolded before their eyes. A staircase continued endlessly into the sky and clearly led to the next floor.

[8-2F, Ten Thousand Staircase to the Temporary Fortress]

“This is the Ten Thousand Staircase. You’ll reach your destination at the end.”

“…”

Kipha only briefly explained. Climbing the staircase didn’t seem complicated. However, Kim Suho felt curious about one thing. He had been thinking about Kipha’s name. The knight’s Eastern look and armor also confirmed his suspicion.

The ancient Silla epic, Praises and Songs, recorded this man’s legend. He must be Silla’s flowering knight, Kipha, whose tale remained in modern times.

“Will I be able to come back to this floor?”

Kim Suho felt awestruck at meeting one of his personal idols. He wanted to exchange swords with him. Kipha looked at Kim Suho with a steady gaze.

“If you want.”

Kim Suho felt more than satisfied.

“Thank you.” Kim Suho lightly bowed and caught up with his companions who went ahead.

“Ah, it’s going to take forever to climb these stairs.”

“We don’t need to walk.”

Kim Suho took out the dwarven supercar once again.

“Eh? You can ride that thing on stairs?”

“Yep.”

Terrain didn’t affect the dwarven supercar. Kim Suho shouted with confidence, “Get on!”

***

Boss and Tomer ate lunch together after 13 spars in a row. They didn’t even know each other a week ago, but a friendly atmosphere surrounded them because of Kim Hajin.

“It’s better if you talk casually. You’re older than me too.”

“Cough, if you say so.”

They quickly figured out how to address each other. Tomer looked at the beauty in front of her and lightly smiled.

“So, what’s your relationship with Kim Hajin?”

“Hm?” Boss suddenly stopped while picking up a lobster tail.

“I’m just curious.”

Tomer shrugged. Boss narrowed her eyes and suspiciously stared at her. She thought back to when Kim Hajin hugged Tomer. Their relationship seemed strangely close and Tomer kept showing interest in him.

“I’m just curious.”

She didn’t seem to be lying. Boss smiled bitterly and sighed.

“Our relationship is just between a boss and a subordinate.”

She could only think of that. However, she felt greatly indebted to him if she had to explain in detail. Of course, she still didn’t know a lot about him. She wasn’t even sure about the truth. Did she kill Kim Hajin’s parents? Did Kim Hajin know? If he did, why did he stay by her side? Boss didn’t know the answer to any of these questions.

If only I had an item that could read people’s hearts.

Boss agonized every night about how to apologize.

“I see. Well, I figured that out from how he kept calling you Boss.”

“…”

“Ah, but why do you talk like that? It sounds kind of boyish.”

Tomer casually asked about Boss’ manner of speech. Jain often pointed this out as well. Boss’ speech pattern, choice of words, and even her habits all came from the Chameleon Troupe’s previous boss. Of course, she didn’t do it on purpose. She naturally became that way with no one else to follow.

“…”

Boss remained silent. She wasn’t a talkative person in the first place.

“Was that too personal?” Tomer didn’t ask any further and gestured at the food. “Go ahead. You must be hungry.”

“Okay.”

Boss accepted her offer. Kim Hajin’s food tasted better, but she enjoyed the high quality meat. After that, the two of them became silent. Only the sound of utensils clacking could be heard. They finished their meal after 30 minutes and Tomer casually offered.

“Oh right, try a chant.”

“A chant?”

“Yep. You know, a spell chant like magicians.”

Boss tilted her head. Only magicians used such cumbersome skills.

“The tower has different laws than the outside world. Chants can directly affect skills. Even a simple one can have a huge effect on the skill’s output. It doesn’t need to be long like magician chants. For example…”

Tomer muttered, “Mi, luz.”

Nothing happened at first, but Boss’ eyes soon widened. The chairs, table, and every dish floated about 50 cm.

“Detailed psychokinesis is hard to notice.”

Tomer grinned and the floating objects landed.

“I just increased the power of psychokinesis by 50% with a simple chant. You should try it too.”

“I can just say whatever I want?”

“No, it has to be something meaningful or important to you. I guess you could say, Kim Hajin, my love?”

“What?”

Boss frowned at the lighthearted joke, but Tomer only snickered and waved.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“I don’t like jokes like that.”

“Okay, I won’t do it again.”

Tomer nodded and suddenly took out a pamphlet.

“What now?”

The cover read, [Martial Tournament].

“What’s this?”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. Try to get first place. You’ll win an amazing reward.”

Tomer smiled mischievously. Boss wasn’t pleased as she looked over the pamphlet.

[1st place prize] 1. Emotion Potion 2. Ancient Black Drake’s Leather 3. Thought Piercing Magnifying Glass or Inefficient Glove 4. 30,000 TP

“I can guess the others, but what’s this emotion potion?”

Boss asked while making it sound like she murmured to herself. Tomer briefly explained, “Think of it as a love potion.”

“Love potion?”

“Yep, make Kim Hajin drink it. If you set the potion’s target to you… voila! He will…”

Tomer stopped halfway as Boss’ face contorted into a frightening frown. She looked like an Asura from hell. Tomer instinctively felt like she would have to give up parts of her mansion if she teased her any more than this.

“I’m kidding.”

Tomer backed off for now.

“But isn’t it better than someone else taking it?”

Tomer had been the primary culprit behind Rachel and Kim Hajin’s awkward relationship at Cube. She also wanted to tease this woman known as Boss.

“What if some strange woman takes the potion and uses it on Kim Hajin?”

“…”

Boss remained silent at Tomer’s monologue. However, her eyes slightly trembled.

“Okay, I’ll be leaving now.”

Tomer left feeling content with herself.

***

[8-3F, Crevon Mainland]

Another week passed. Many players arrived in Crevon Mainland and I returned to wearing my hooded robe everywhere.

“Lady Aileen, cheer up. It’s been a whole week. Forget about it and move on.”

The restaurant I just entered contained several familiar faces. I spotted Aileen and Jin Seyeon comforting her.

“Why does this keep happening to me… I’m just curious…”

Aileen slouched at the table in tears. What’s wrong with Aileen? Did something happen? I strained my ears out of curiosity.

“We’re not going to the 9th floor, right?”

The topic quickly changed as Yi Yongha asked the other members.

“Are you talking about the bridge that Black Lotus is protecting?” Jin Seyeon asked. News about the World’s End Bridge had become quite famous. The public forum and even news stations outside reported on the archer protecting the pathway to the 9th floor. I also gained 200 SP as a result.

“Yep. I refuse to go even if I die. Haha, I don’t want to die even once. I promised my wife.”

Yi Yongha scratched his neck with a wry smile. Jin Seyeon agreed with his words, which could be taken as a sign of fear.

“I agree. Six parties challenged the bridge and all failed. It wouldn’t be any different if we went. Let’s focus on growing stronger for now.”

I sighed in relief since Aileen’s party scared me.

“Auu, auu, auuuuu…”

Aileen began to squirm and flop her arms. What happened to her?

“You’re right. What can an idiot who always loses her money even do? I should just go die…”

“Come on, just forget about it. We can make lots of money on this floor.”

“Like what?”

“The martial tournament, craftsmanship tournament, smithing tournament… This floor has all sorts of events.”

Jin Seyeon took out a pamphlet and read the contents. Aileen glanced at it as well.

[Crevon Martial Tournament], [North River Craftsmanship Tournament], [South River Smithing Conference], [Magic Seminar], etc. Crevon also hosted a bunch of random events. Of course, I skipped most of them in the original story. Tiring— My messenger suddenly rang.

PhantomThief: Hajin, it’s Phiunel, right?

It came from Jain.

Me: Yep.

I couldn’t stop players from reaching the 9th floor forever. Their growth speed would accelerate in Crevon and I couldn’t restrain them for long.

Me: Keep an eye on what he’s doing.

I planned to take what I could from Crevon until the players broke through.

PhantomThief: Okay. I’m following him around as one of his maids right now.

I stood up from my seat. I almost left after paying for my meal when I felt Aileen glance over me. Her sharp gaze made me wary for a second, but I sighed in relief at her words.

“I wonder how much that costs.”

***

“I wonder how much that costs,” Aileen murmured enviously.

“What are you talking about?” Jin Seyeon asked.

“The guy that just left wore such a nice robe. It looked so pretty… like it had a magic power effect too.”

“Oh, the man that sat over there? I saw him too. He caught my attention when I walked in.”

“Right? Ah, if only I didn’t lose my money.”

Aileen sighed again as Jin Seyeon smiled wryly. Then Jin Seyeon looked over at Shin Jonghak busily scrolling through the community.

“Oh right, Jonghak, is it true Chae Nayun joined some group?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.” Shin Jonghak nodded.

“Essence of the Strait joined as a whole. They’re focusing on earning TP since the path is blocked.”

“Is that so? Aren’t the NPCs on this floor powerful? Will we be able to compete with them?”

“Surprisingly so.”

Shin Jonghak displayed a post on the public forum.

“[Outsiders receive special treatment… Crevon’s high level NPCs are absurdly powerful, but players are stronger than most NPCs.] It’s like that. By the way, Essence of the Strait already has a client.”

“Already?”

“Yep.”

Shin Jonghak glanced at his messenger and nodded.

“The client’s name is Phiunel. He’s a rich businessman from the South River region.”