Episode 81
81. Episode 81
“Do you know the location of the ‘Garden of Eternity’?”
“If you didn’t know, would you have made such a suggestion?”
“But how… … . The existence of the ‘Garden of Eternity’ is a place that has been passed down from generation to generation only to the guardians of the World Tree!”
“If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t. I have no intention of forcing you to believe it.”
There was no evidence to begin with. If she believes it, she believes it. If she doesn’t, that’s the end of it.
Just by throwing out those words, she will come back to Se-un.
No matter how much you jump from the tower, you will never know the location of the ‘Eternal Garden’.
‘I was barely able to find it thanks to the itinerary guide.’
Seun before his return lacked fighting ability, but his exploration using the guide map of the journey was by far the best among the players.
Thanks to that, I was able to find various hidden pieces and use them to increase my fighting power, allowing me to survive until the end.
“… … I will believe it.”
“huh?”
Riel nodded with a serious expression.
Honestly, I didn’t expect her to believe me.
“Because you beat me. And I don’t think you’d lie.”
– The constellation smiles gently as it looks at the two of them, who have become closer to the ‘Fifth Day’.
“but…….”
After nodding for a moment, Riel opened her mouth again with a hardened expression.
“For now, I will try to find the Eternal Garden in my own way. After I have tried my best, when I think it is impossible on my own, I will come to you.”
“Well, whatever.”
“I won’t be a nuisance. When I come to see you, I will definitely take the appropriate price.”
It seemed like it wasn’t just a matter of pride.
On top of the heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he probably doesn’t want to burden someone else with debt.
I was worried that she might disappear while looking for the flower garden like the rumors before her return, but that would happen after she passed the middle level of the tower anyway.
Unless the future changes drastically, it’s not something to worry about right now.
“Okay, I’ll go in first.”
“See you next time.”
“I will never give up next time.”
Se-un made an embarrassed expression at Riel’s final greeting full of determination.
Somehow, without realizing it, I felt like I had become her rival.
“hi!”
“see you again!”
“Let’s play again!”
“nice person!”
“hi.”
After greeting the four spirits following her behind, her body disappeared into thin air as she entered the entrance of the tower.
I was planning to enter the Seundo Tower anyway, but there was still something I had to receive.
‘It’s a reward for being ranked number one.’
The reward Seun received before his return was truly pitiful.
It was a pair of shoes whose name I don’t even remember, but they had the ability to increase movement speed by being imbued with the power of the wind.
Although I used it to my advantage on the lower floors of the tower, it was equipment that I could have gotten anywhere if I wanted to.
Well, that would be the case, since the points Seun had collected before returning were only a little over a hundred thousand points.
The ranking was so low that I don’t even remember what place I was in.
‘Even if you heard it, you never know what you might have received.’
The first place reward is not the same every year. It is given differently each time depending on the player’s disposition or the achievement points earned.
So to speak, player-tailored rewards?
We don’t know what kind of rewards will be given, but one thing is certain: the past tutorial ranking 1st place winners have each achieved great things at the top based on these rewards.
Se-Woon, who had finished thinking, walked towards the entrance of the tower.
A tower so huge that just looking at it was overwhelming. Beneath it, a pitch-black entrance with no visible interior was visible.
As he approached the entrance, the expected messages appeared before Seun.
– Passed all the trials in the tutorial.
– Complete all the trials in the tutorial perfectly to receive an additional 100,000 points.
-Congratulations! You have earned the right to challenge the trials of the Great Tower.
-You can enter the first floor of the tower through the entrance.
Earn extra points.
I thought that since I had already passed all the trials in the tutorial, this would be the end of my achievements… … Well, it had nothing to do with Seun anyway.
Even if we gave him additional public service now, Seun’s ranking would not have changed.
And finally, the message Se-un had been waiting for came to mind.
– Individual public service rankings are calculated.
-Player ‘Jeong Se-woon’: 1,520,080 points
-Congratulations! You have achieved 1st place in the tutorial’s personal achievement ranking.
– We are currently working on designing the most suitable reward options for players… … .
– When your personal public service value exceeds 1,000,000 points, the level of rewards increases even further.
– When your personal public service value exceeds 1,500,000 points, the level of rewards increases even further.
-You have achieved the highest personal achievement score ever. The level of rewards has increased even further.
…
Countless messages come to mind.
‘Before, there was no such thing as planning time.’
As the level of compensation continued to increase and the message that it was under consideration became longer, I felt strange.
That’s understandable, because when I received a pair of shoes before the regression, I received the reward immediately, in less than a second.
Se-Woon looked at the message quietly with anticipation, but the planning time took longer than expected.
Just when I was wondering if something was wrong.
The loading of the message suddenly stopped, and a new message appeared.
– The level of compensation is so high that it does not exist in existing cases, and the self-concept fails.
-Call the tutorial manager.
“… …Tutorial Manager?”
Se-un also knew of the existence of the manager.
Most players may not even be aware of the existence of the Administrator, but as they begin to progress through the middle floors of the tower, they will gradually begin to become aware of its existence.
Even so, there were few instances where we actually saw the manager in person.
Of course, Se-un had never met the manager in person.
That kind of manager is being called.
‘Well, I did accumulate a lot of public service points.’
Seun’s current public service value was over 1.5 million.
It’s a number that makes no sense for a player in the tutorial to have collected. It’s an unprecedentedly high public value, and it seems like even the system is confused.
The system called the administrator, and shortly after, the message began to stretch like a door, and a human figure began to appear inside.
“Haa… … . It’s coming out in the end. No matter how much shit is better, what is this?”
Before I could properly see the manager’s appearance, I heard a weak voice first.
It wasn’t something Seun said for him to hear, but it seemed like he was just mumbling to himself, but thanks to ‘Kobold’s Pair of Ears’, which was currently activated as a passive skill for Seun, even the small mutterings were clearly audible.
“Big, ahem.”
Before exiting the door, he took a moment to clear his throat, and the manager finally appeared.
A somewhat shabby-looking suit, a slightly loose tie, and disheveled hair. He looked like an office worker returning home at dawn after working all night.
He was smiling broadly, his face sporting sagging dark circles, but given the muttering he had heard earlier, it was clearly a forced smile.
A kind of sales smile, I guess.
“Hello! Player Jeong Se-woon.”
It was my first time seeing the manager, but he seemed more ordinary than I thought.
Se-un nodded lightly.
For a moment, the area under his eyes seemed to twitch, but he soon continued talking as if nothing had happened.
“You’re truly amazing! You achieved 1.5 million points of public service in the tutorial! This is a first in the long history of the Tower!”
“okay.”
“… … Haha! It seems like you still can’t believe it! Anyway, to celebrate, I, Tuning, the tutorial manager, have come to personally give you a reward!”
Although he continued to speak energetically, Se-woon did not react much.
Although I didn’t know much about the administrator, I knew one thing well from the various events and rumors I had heard before the regression.
‘The manager is not trustworthy.’
At first glance, they may seem like people who are dedicated to the players, but they are people who manage the ‘top’ and not people who manage the ‘players’.
If I had to say, I would say I care more about the constellations than the players.
So there was no need to focus on such sugar-coated words.
“I have prepared the best reward especially for players like that!”
Shhhhh!
The moment when the manager finishes speaking and snaps his thumb and middle finger.
With a bang, various items fell out of the door he had come out of.
They slowly rotated in a circle, showing off their appearances around Seun, as if they were in a fashion show.
There were about twenty items, including swords, shields, armor, and all sorts of accessories and jewels, each with their own unique characteristics.
These items are outstanding even at first glance.
These were items that seemed comparable to, or even more valuable than, the staff that Riel was holding.
Even though they are just rewards for completing a tutorial, they are all top-notch items that are not easily obtainable even in the Tower.
“First, I’d like to recommend this! That’s right, the ‘Black Tortoise Shell’! It’s a peerless shield that can block any attack, comparable to the legendary shield, Aegis!”
The shell of the black tortoise, known as the guardian deity of the north.
To that extent, it is clearly an excellent object, close to being a holy relic.
The shield’s surface was imbued with the energy of water and ice, so it seemed like it would be able to exert great power not only in defense but also in offense.
However, Se-Woon’s expression was not very good.
The manager, sensing the mood, moved his hand urgently toward the next item.
“Then how about this? ‘Dragon Scale Armor’! This is the strongest armor made purely from dragon materials! Not only does it have defensive power, but it is also imbued with the dragon species’ unique magic power… … .”
In addition, the manager’s recommendations continued.
Dragon Heart, which allows you to acquire mana powers that surpass those of humans simply by consuming it.
A martial arts book written by a former ranker of the tower who has now disappeared.
Although they belong to lower-level gods, they are actually sacred relics used by the constellations.
Even if a player who didn’t know the value of the items saw them, they would be immediately tempting… … .
‘Anyway, those things can be easily covered with the power of greed.’
These were not things that Se-un really wanted.
Even though they are said to be intangible, the level of treasures currently in Mammon’s treasure vault is superior to those.
Of course, if you choose those, you will be able to greatly increase your immediate combat power.
However, I didn’t necessarily want to obtain things that could be countered with the power of greed as tutorial rewards.
furthermore…….
‘Those are probably the usual #1 ranking rewards.’
Although not everything, Seun had a rough idea of what the reward for being ranked 1st in the tutorial would be through his memories from before his regression.
The items you see right now are exactly at that level.
While these were certainly great items, they weren’t the ‘next level’ level rewards that had popped up three times in the system messages.
As evidence, the manager was explaining the items urgently, as if he were a home shopping show host.
That wasn’t a kindness to Seun, it was a ploy to somehow get the first place reward with those items.
“What do you think? Whichever of these you choose, you will be able to grow to the level of a high-ranker in the Tower in no time!”
He kept showing Seun after he finished explaining all the items floating around.
However, Seun could see.
I’m talking about the corners of the manager’s mouth and a streak of cold sweat running down his cheek as he flinches at Se-woon’s expressionless reaction.
“Is there anything you like? Just tell me and I will choose the best reward for you!”
“No, I did recommend it.”
“……yes?”
Even if you receive recommendations like this, the result will be the same.
so.
“I will choose it myself. Show me all the items I can receive as a reward.”
“Look, there are hundreds of different types of rewards! And rather than asking players who don’t know much about the situation inside the tower to choose… … .”
“No, I will choose it ‘myself’.”
“but…….”
Even though it was a bit of a hassle, the best way was to directly select the reward that was three levels higher.
fantasy,
