Translator: Seven

  Editor: Ana_Banana

  There was something like this.

  The assumed probability of a successful dungeon clear could be gauged by looking at the number of reporters waiting outside the dungeon gate.

  Based on that, if we were to calculate the probability of a successful clear of the 4 Floor dungeon, Black Goblin tribes, that had appeared in Tokyo, Japan, without hesitation, it would be 99 percent.

  “Looks like there are more reporters than yesterday.”


  “That’s only because it’s the 20th day now. There will probably be even more tomorrow.”


  There were so many reporters gathered in front of the dungeon that they formed a long line.

  “This is because of Isaac Ivanov.”


  And of course, it was Isaac Ivanov’s name that made it possible.

  After all, it would be strange if people weren’t very interested in the world’s new hero.

  “Well, it’s not only because he’s here, but it’s also because this is his comeback.”


  Moreover, Isaac Ivanov’s attack this time was his comeback.

  “It is certainly his comeback.”


  “It’s like he returned from the brink of death.”


  And it wasn’t an ordinary comeback.

  It was the return of someone who had experienced a near death experience during their previous attack.

  “That’s right. Because usually, they’d just give up,”


  “Well, it’s not strange to give up after something like that.”


  Despite receiving applause and suggestions to retire, Isaac Ivanov once again set out to clear a dungeon.

  “It was even said that this dungeon is the test to give them the free pass they requested after the attack on Kim Woo-jin.”


  “That means he still wants to clear dungeons.”


  In the end, Isaac Ivanov proved that he was not just after fame, and that he sincerely wanted to clear dungeons.

  “Isaac is definitely different.”


  “He’s a real player.”


  Even daily gossip journalists who were used to writing untrue news reports, could not help but acknowledge Isaac Ivanov.

  “He’s not just Lee Se-jun’s successor.”


  “No way, the value of Isaac Ivanov’s name is already becoming compared to the Messiah Guild.”


  Furthermore, Isaac Ivanov was beginning to be treated in the same way as the Messiah Guild.

  Of course, no one actually considered Isaac Ivanov’s value to be more than, or even equal to the Messiah Guild.

  However, it was clear that Isaac Ivanov was already on a level above the rest.

  “I’m really curious about Isaac Ivanov’s next move.”


  And now, everyone’s attention was on Isaac Ivanov’s next actions.

  It was at that moment.

  “It’s a player!”


  “The dungeon has been cleared!”


  Isaac Ivanov appeared before these reporters.

  …


  Isaac Ivanov’s return and debut in 4 Floor dungeons couldn’t be more perfect than this.

  [Isaac Ivanov finally debuts in 4 Floor dungeons!]

  [Japanese players admit that Isaac Ivanov is on a completely different level!]

  [Isaac Ivanov has gotten stronger!]

  The world praised his return.

  [The Japanese government qualifies Isaac Ivanov for the Free Pass!]

  [Isaac Ivanov can now attack any dungeon in Japan!]

  Naturally, the Japanese government also had no choice but to issue the Dungeon Free Pass to Isaac Ivanov.

  [The world’s first Free Pass!]

  [He’s done what even the Messiah Guild couldn’t do!]

  It was a historic moment when an achievement that even the Messiah Guild had been unable to accomplish had been completed.

  The news was so sensational that it even suppressed the news of the Messiah Guild postponing their attack on a 7 Floor dungeon.

  Even the Messiah Guild was surprised by this turn of events.

  ‘As expected.’


  However, from Kim Woo-jin’s perspective, this is exactly what he wanted to happen.

  ‘Now I’m qualified to play in the game.

  It was only at that point that Kim Woo-jin had finally obtained the minimum qualification to play at the table where the true movers and shakers of the world, like the Messiah Guild, sat.

  Of course, the difference between them was still quite large.

  Also, the risk was comparatively high.

  Gamblers might not care what onlookers did, but gamblers at a table paid attention to each other’s every action, even a cough.

  ‘For now, all I need to do is attack dungeons…’


  So he laid down his plans even more steadily.

  He intended to lay the groundwork to raise the stakes amidst the checks(1) going on around him.

  Collect items, earn qualifications and gather teammates to make Isaac Ivanov’s party more solid.

  The only left would be to use that party to clear dungeons.

  ‘The situation has changed.’


  Or at least that was what he had intended to do.

  But now Kim Woo-jin felt that he would have to revise his plans.

  There were two reasons for this.

  [Ruler of the Battlefield]

  – Rank: EX

  – Effect: Whenever a summon gets a kill, it will receive a kill point and become stronger. The summon with the most kills becomes the Incarnation of the Battlefield.

  – All stats +10% per kill, stacks up to 50 times

  – The Incarnation of the Battlefield burns with fiery will, further doubling all stats.

  One was the Ruler of the Battlefield skill which had become his new transcendent rank skill.

  The moment a skill reached the transcendent rank, he knew that its power had entered an entirely new dimension.

  However, in the case of the Ruler of the Battlefield skill, its merit became even more pronounced.

  ‘Double…’


  Further double.

  This meant that it wasn’t just becoming two times stronger, but receiving an additional twofold increase.

  This meant that if all of the effects of Ruler of the Battlefield were stacked, it would become 12 times stronger.

  ‘If a Skeleton Knight were to receive the effect they might become stronger than me.’


  Above all, there was one thing that surprised Kim Woo-jin greatly.

  ‘If this effect was applied to a Death Knight…’


  Death Knight!

  What would happen if such a monster that was already horrific in its normal state, gained the effect of Incarnation of the Battlefield? (TL:……plus berserker…plus that golden buff that I forgot the name of…)

  It was a horrible thing to imagine.

  Moreover, this was not the only thing Kim Woo-jin gained this time.

  [Pharaoh’s Treasure]

  – Rank: None

  – Effect: Magic Power is strengthened by the number of legendary items in your possession.

  A newly acquired legendary skill, Pharaoh’s Treasure. (TL: they say legendary here, but not in the skill window, oddly enough)

  Just like a Pharaoh’s power depended on the number of items buried in his grave, it was a skill that strengthened the user’s magic power based on how many legendary items they were in possession of.

  ‘Possessing means what you’re wearing and what’s stored in your inventory.’


  However, the thing, in Kim Woo-jin’s opinion, that truly made the skill powerful was that it did not only consider equipped items.

  ‘Items worn by my skeletons are also counted.’


  The fact that the items worn by Kim Woo-jin’s skeletons would also be counted, meant that Kim Woo-jin could enjoy the skill’s effects without limit.

  These were the two reasons.

  ‘I became much stronger than I expected.’


  His power had grown more than he anticipated.

  This wasn’t bragging or narcissism either.

  Kim Woo-jin had never been a person who tolerated such feelings.

  ‘If it’s this much then I can clear 4 Floor dungeons with just Isaac Ivanov and Lee Jin-ah without having to add Kim Woo-jin.’


  What Kim Woo-jin was paying attention to, was the fact that he would be able to handle 4 Floor dungeons without needing the card called Kim Woo-jin.

  This was in fact very important.

  When winning a gamble, it wasn’t always necessary to win with strong cards.

  If you could save a card, then it would be smart to save it.

  Then you could use the card you saved in another situation.

  While his thoughts ran wild, Kim Woo-jin finished revising his plan.

  He immediately picked up his phone-

  What’s up?

  He’d called Oh Se-chan.

  “I have a request, is that alright?”
-

  You don’t want to borrow money, do you?

  “Not that.”
-

  Then anything is possible. So what do you need?

  “I’ll have to kill him again.”
-

  Huh? Who? Lee Jin-ah? Ah, I thought you’d say something like that. Did you do something stupid again?

  …


  There were two reasons why the Messiah Guild received special treatment.

  One was that they were recognized as the saviors who would save the world.

  The other was that they were always the first to attack high ranked dungeons.

  In fact, the latter reason was the true reason why the Messiah Guild received special treatment.

  There were many who claimed to be saviors, but only the Messiah Guild consistently showed true results.

  On February 21, 2024, the Messiah Guild once again tried to prove that fact.

  [The Messiah Guild begins an attack on a 7 Floor dungeon!]

  [Lee Se-jun is saving the world once again!]

  The Messiah Guild’s team, led by Lee Se-jun, started the first ever attack on a 7 Floor dungeon.

  Everyone in the world was paying attention to this moment.

  And those who were in control of the world began to feel a bit nervous.

  “What if the Messiah Guild actually succeeds in the 7 Floor Dungeon?”


  “Their influence will increase again.”


  That was because the ripple effect that would be caused by the Messiah Guild’s attack was inevitable.

  However, the opposite was equally as bad.

  “But what if they fail?”


  What if the Messiah Guild failed to clear the 7 Floor dungeon?

  No one knew what would happen then.

  “It would be extremely chaotic.”


  However, it was clear that it would cause unspeakable chaos and confusion, which was why all the leaders of the world focused on the result of this 7 Floor dungeon.

  “Is that the end of your report?”


  “Yes, sir?”


  However, the Sword Saint was different.

  While everyone was paying attention to the Messiah Guild, he was only paying attention to one person.

  “Isaac Ivanov…this guy is pretty amazing.”


  All of his attention was focused on Isaac Ivanov.

  Of course, it was not because he actually thought he was amazing. In fact, the Sword Saint had never looked at him in a positive way.

  “So, do you think you can kill him?”


  If one was to use an analogy, it was the same gaze that one would give to a cockroach that you felt deserved to die.

  Miyazaki Sakura answered his question calmly.

  “I don’t think it would be easy.”


  It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but the sword saint didn’t blame her.

  He could see it for himself.

  The report on Isaac Ivanov had been surprising. Honestly, the Sword Saint had never expected Isaac Ivanov to be that strong.

  Therefore the Sword Saint asked one more question.

  “Do you think it would be possible with the Sealed Dungeon?”


  The Sealed Dungeon.

  It was an A+ rank 4 Floor dungeon located near Mount Fuji that had appeared in 2021.

  It had been attempted 11 times before, and failed every time.

  “That dungeon should be enough to deal with Isaac Ivanov. After all, even Master gave up at that time.”


  And the Sword Saint was among them.

  The Sword Saint, called Japan’s Messiah, had personally led a team to attack the dungeon.

  Furthermore, he had even stood in front of the dungeon gate.

  However, he didn’t attack it in the end.

  There was only one reason.

  He wasn’t confident he could clear it.

  That was because it wasn’t a simple A+ rank dungeon.

  Like the skilled players in the Messiah Guild, the Sword Saint usually only searched for A series dungeons.

  Nevertheless, the reason he’d given up was because of the dungeon’s title.

  “I’m sure even Isaac Ivanov can’t handle a Hellhound.”


  Hellhound.

  To face one of the worst monsters that could be found in a 4 Floor dungeon in an A+ rank dungeon was something that even the Sword Saint was not confident he could do.

  And of course, Miyazaki Sakura did not think that Isaac Ivanov was so amazing that he could surpass even the Sword Saint.

  “The problem is Isaac Ivanov’s teammates.”


  But when his teammates were also added then the story would change.

  “Among them, Kim Woo-jin’s existence is probably the trickiest.”


  Miyazaki Sakura closed her eyes as she said these words.

  It was as she’d said.

  No matter how powerful Isaac Ivanov was, it was impossible to clear a dungeon alone.

  It didn’t matter even if the number of players increased. After all, the success of a dungeon attack wasn’t dependent on the number of players.

  Quality was definitely better than quantity, especially when dealing with boss monsters like the Hellhound.

  And in that regard, Kim Woo-jin’s value was quite high.

  “Moreover, the Blood Golem skill is now in Kim Woo-jin’s hands. If you add Kim Woo-jin’s power to Isaac Ivanov’s then it’s hard to determine the result.”


  And it was actually none other than the Yamato Federation who gave Kim Woo-jin such a weapon.

  “Ah, one moment please.”


  Suddenly, Miyazaki Sakura stopped speaking and focused her attention on what she was hearing from an earphone in her ear.

  Her expression changed.

  “Master, we have a problem.”


  “What is it?”


  “That…it seems Kim Woo-jin died.” (TL:…woah…)

  In truth, the Sword Saint was not surprised by these words. Instead, he spoke in a cold, subdued tone.

  “If that’s true, then I’ll have to speak to Isaac Ivanov personally.”


  (Note:——

  In Poker, checking is what one does if they wish to pass the action to the next player, but keep their cards. Checking gives one the option to raise, call, fold or even check again later on in the betting round.)