Sungyoon directed his attention toward the other Frost Wolves .

  His sword disappeared, and the halberd appeared in his hands . He swung it at the nearest Frost Wolf .

  Suh-guhk!

  The halberd easily cut the Frost Wolf into two, and at the same time, Sungyoon felt something flow into his body .

  If he were injured right now, his wounds would have completely healed .

  This was the ability the halberd had gained when it became Platinum rank .

  It was a healing ability .

  If Sungyoon cut a monster with the halberd, the number and depth of his wounds would quickly diminish .

  When he had used it for the first time, he had felt a warm energy enter his body, but he hadn’t been able to identify what was happening .

  However, just before that fight, Sungyoon had cut his finger while preparing food at the camp . It had been a minor wound . Sungyoon had later found out that his wound had completely healed after fighting with his halberd .

  If Sungyoon used it well, this weapon would be useful in a protracted battle . It would also give him a great advantage in a situation where he had to attack knowing he would take damage .

  Sungyoon killed two Frost Wolves, and Tim took care of the last one .

  The Frost Wolves had died in a manner too futile compared to their fierce charge .

  The party moved once again .

  The next monster they encountered was the Snow Tiger . It resembled a saber-toothed tiger . Two fearsome canines protruded from its mouth, and its fur was white . Three of these monsters were running through the snow toward Sungyoon’s party .

  They looked very cool . However, they only looked cool in their outward appearance . They weren’t animals, but tyrannical and brutal monsters .

  Puh-uhk!

  Tim stepped forward and swung his shield . He squarely hit one Snow Tiger on its head and forced it to retreat .

  Sungyoon took out his ax and swung it .

  Hoo-oong!

  The ax ripped through the Snow Tiger’s side .

  Koo-huh-uhng!

  The monster let out a scream as it fell .

  Its innards spilled out, but it didn’t lose its will to fight . It flashed its sharp canines and tried to stand back up again .

  Kang!

  However, the Snow Tiger started to act weird . Its body shook, and it fell onto the snow . Foam leaked out of its mouth .

  The region where it was wounded rapidly decomposed and emanated a foul stench . The monster was in extreme pain as it died .

  ‘This one changed into something terrible . ’


  Sungyoon looked at his ax .

  The ax had also acquired a special ability when it was upgraded to Platinum rank like the halberd . Its ability was poison based .

  Its poison would enter the opponent’s body through the wound and spread all over . Moreover, the region near the wound would rot away, and the monster would writhe in pain . The monster’s mobility and ability would also be decreased .

  ‘The only downside is the grotesque mess it leaves behind . ’


  His party members didn’t voice it, but Sungyoon could tell that they hated the ax .

  Two Snow Tigers were still left, and this time, Sungyoon summoned his hammer .

  Tim had been occupying the two Snow Tigers up until now, but one of the monsters realized that its comrade had fallen . It left Tim’s side and charged at Sungyoon .

  Sungyoon just swung his hammer .

  Kwahng!

  As the hammer closed in on the Snow Tiger, a large explosion rang out .

  Puh-uhng!

  The Snow Tiger was swept up in the explosion, and its body was ripped apart into pieces that were sent flying into the surrounding . It looked as though the Snow Tiger’s body had said goodbye to its four feet .

  Tuhl-suhk!

  The head of the Snow Tiger fell on the ground in front of Sungyoon . Its luxurious white fur had turned red .

  Tim killed the remaining Snow Tiger shortly after .

  “Amazing . ”


  As Tim checked the completely-obliterated body of the Snow Tiger Sungyoon had brought his hammer upon, he shook his head from side to side . However, he consciously avoided looking at the corpse of the poisoned Snow Tiger nearby .

  ‘It’s all thanks to evolving my Amplification Gem to Jade rank . ’


  Sungyoon looked down at his Jade rank Gem, which had saved his life several times in the past . When he had received it from Jimin, it had been a Gold rank Gem . And in no time, it had risen to the Jade rank .

  This Gem’s amplification ability was the reason Sungyoon could display such power .

  “Every time we get a little closer to you, you pull away further . You’re amazing . ”


  When they had met for the first time, Sungyoon had been much weaker than Tim and Emily . However, at some point in the past, he had leapfrogged them, and now, he was far ahead of them .

  Tim felt as if Sungyoon always pulled away every time they worked hard to close the gap a little bit .

  ‘He really is an amazing person . ’


  Tim thought .

  If he had considered Sungyoon his rival, Tim would have probably lost his mind from a sense of inferiority .

  “I was just lucky . ”


  Sungyoon tried to be modest . Tim anticipated this kind of answer . He didn’t think it was true, but he couldn’t say otherwise since Sungyoon was the one stating it . So, Tim just spiritlessly nodded .

  “We’ve roamed around most of the snowy fields . ”


  Grace approached the two men .

  “What should we do? Should we go immediately to the next floor?”


  “Wouldn’t we hold Mr . Sungyoon back? We aren’t as strong as him . ”


  Emily sounded worried . However, Grace shook her head from side to side .

  “It’s fine . According to the information I have, the floors above the 9th are the intitial floors of the Great Labyrinth . Our Gems and Devices will be effective on these floors . What happens after we clear the 9th floor is a problem, but Mr . Sungyoon is taking care of that problem with our Gems . ”


  Emily accepted Grace’s reasoning .

  “What would you like to do?”


  Grace let Sungyoon make the final decision .

  Sungyoon turned his head . He could see a dark cave through the flurry of snow in the distance .

  “Let’s go down . ”


  ***

  Hwahk!

  As soon as they entered the 4th floor, they felt the intense heat . The unusually high temperature made the party stop in their tracks .

  “The 4th floor should be . . . ”


  “It’s the volcanic region . ”


  The Ross siblings sounded nervous . They were from Canada and were strong against the cold, but the heat was their bane .

  “.…… It’s really hot . ”


  Grace was also weak against the heat .

  London wasn’t that hot, so she wasn’t used to it .

  Still, the party couldn’t just twiddle their thumbs at the entrance .

  “Let’s go . ”


  Sungyoon was the first one to step forward .

  The first thing he saw was the smoke emanating from various locations, and then, the caustic smell of burning sulfur hit his nose . But the heat irritated his skin .

  However, the most unique feature of this floor was the lava .

  Puhk!

  A bubble popped up as lava splashed into the surroundings . It had happened quite far away, yet everyone flinched when they witnessed it .

  “The environment itself is our enemy . ”


  Grace fanned her robe with her hands .

  The snowy plains on the 3rd floor had also been a hostile environment, but the party now preferred it over the volcanic region .

  “Do you think a Connector could survive falling into the lava?”


  “Even if it’s possible, I don’t want to test it . ”


  Tim and Emily were in consensus when it came to that topic .

  Sungyoon led his party through the lava region . Thankfully, the floor had a large swath of land where they could walk on .

  Still, they couldn’t let their guard down . The party made sure they didn’t go anywhere near the lava .

  ***

  They didn’t stay long in the volcanic region . A month had passed, and it was time for them to take a break in Armstrong .

  After killing a couple of monsters, the party scoped out the region near the entrance . Then, they returned to Armstrong .

  “We’ll have to bring thin clothes next time . ”


  “I agree . ”


  Grace wholeheartedly agreed with Tim’s suggestion .

  All of them had suffered under the heat of the volcanic region . Emily and Grace had kept fanning their robes, and Tim had just groaned . Sungyoon had also suffered a lot .

  When they returned to their lodging, they found it empty . It seemed Sukhwahn had gone to the Beginner’s Labyrinth .

  The party decided to have a drink together at night, but the night was still far away . Sungyoon entered his room .

  “Huh?”


  The communication device displayed two short messages . The first one was from Jimin, and the other one was from Armstrong .

  Sungyoon carefully went over the two messages . He read Armstrong’s message with an expressionless face, but his face crumpled when he read Jimin’s .

  ‘I’ll have to iron things out with the higher-ups of Armstrong first . ’


  Sungyoon looked at his watch .

  ‘There’s still some time before the drinks . ’


  He took up the communication device, and after a short delay, he was connected to the city hall of Armstrong .

  Sungyoon had a brief conversation, and then, he left his room .

  ***

  The city hall building was as magnificent as before . A clerk at the information desk guided Sungyoon to the sitting room where he had met the Mayor the previous time .

  “Welcome . ”


  The Mayor was already waiting for him inside .

  “I’ve heard reports about you . You did great things this time around . I’m the one that recommended you, so it feels very good . I can hold my head up high . ”


  “The others worked and accomplished more . ”


  “How should I say this? Please don’t take this the wrong way . I found Koreans have a propensity of being too modest . You should be proud of your achievements . Of course, the others achieved much, but Mr . Sungyoon performed very well too . You might be in the top five in terms of accomplishments in this venture . ”


  “Thank you very much . ”


  The Mayor uproariously laughed as he gestured Sungyoon to sit .

  “One of the reasons I called you here is the rewards . You contributed too much in the mission, and your company building isn’t enough of a reward . ”


  The Mayor had to think about Sungyoon’s power, fame, and reputation . It would be more beneficial for the Mayor if he could forge a closer bond with Sungyoon . He took out a tablet and opened an app .

  A map appeared on the screen . It was the map of Armstrong .

  “As I promised before, we’ve handed over your company building to you, Mr . Sungyoon . ”


  He used a stylus to draw a circle around the place Sungyoon’s company building was located .

  “Aside from that building, we had to think hard for your reward . Since Mr . Sungyoon performed so well, we decided to give you a big reward that matches your accomplishments . ”


  The Mayor was deft with his fingers as he moved the map .

  “First, we’ll give you a villa that’s the best luxury house in the fifth sector . And the fifth sector is populated by many high rank Connectors . ”


  The Mayor touched a location on the map, and a photo appeared .

  It was a picture of a luxury house built on a large tract of land .

  Land was a limited resource in Armstrong . One could roughly guess the worth of this villa by the large piece of land it was built on .

  “Secondly, we’ll give you a permanent room at the Armstrong Hotel . ”


  Sungyoon was surprised . The hotel was located at the heart of Armstrong, and it basically signified the power and wealth of Armstrong city .

  It was just a room, but he could’ve never imagined he would be given such a reward .

  “Whenever you want, you will be able to use the room and the hotel’s service for free . The only time you won’t be able to use it is if someone made a reservation beforehand, and any profit generated from the room will be given to you . I hope you understand . And this is the last location . ”


  The Mayor tapped on the map, and it brought up a building in the first sector .

  “This is a fourteen-story building . As you can see, the nearby region is a prime location that has the airport and other major buildings of Armstrong . If you rent this place out, you’ll be able to make a good amount of money . Of course, you can use it for yourself too . ”