Chapter 7 : No Takebacks

Chapter 7: No Takebacks

Most people instinctively chose red cards, especially the ones with flashy illustrations on the front.

They had probably picked skills that looked powerful to their eyes.

But…….

‘Choosing an active skill right now is a more dangerous choice than it seems.’

Of course, that didn’t mean active skills were weak.

Rather, because they consumed a lot of mana, their instantaneous destructive power could be called one-strike kills.

It was just that, in the early stages, he thought choosing skills that helped with survival rather than one-strike kills was the more rational choice.

Dohyeong had been keeping in mind yellow cards that allowed one to command summons, special summoning–type skills.

Or green cards that could reach late-blooming potential later on, ones among passive skills that contained powerful hidden pieces.

‘That was the stable early-stage Colossus growth method I had in mind. But…….’

The moment he saw this card radiating a golden glow,

He felt that all his worries had been pointless.

[Return of the Sovereign (Unique)]

= Upon activation, for 5 minutes, all of your stats increase by 150%.

Allies’ attack power and defense increase by 50%.

If he chose this card, such a description window would clearly be drawn before his eyes.

Among 572 types of cards, a card boasting an abysmal drop rate of less than 0.000001%.

Even Dohyeong, a ten-year veteran player, was encountering this from a draw at the very start for the first time.

‘They said it was a gift, and they really meant it.’

Now that this card had appeared in the draw, there was no need to consider anything else. However…….

“What’s this?”

Dohyeong glanced to the side.

A red card that looked shabby compared to the golden, radiant ‘Return of the Sovereign’ beside it.

There was even a ‘question mark’ drawn on the front of the card.

Even he, a veteran player, knew nothing about it.

‘What the hell is this?’

One was the best card obtainable from a card draw.

The other was an unidentified card he had never seen before.

After alternating his gaze between the two cards, Dohyeong shook his head.

“Hoo, there’s nothing to think about.”

He took a step toward the brilliantly shining ‘Return of the Sovereign’.

Unless one was insane, why would anyone choose an unidentified skill in this situation?

Just as he had thought at first, Dohyeong slowly extended his hand toward the card.

Swish.

‘Yeah, this is right. This is the right choice.’

If he stretched his hand just a little more, ‘Return of the Sovereign’ would be his.

He could assert with confidence that, because of this choice, his growth potential would accelerate even further.

But…….

Stop.

Dohyeong’s hand halted with about 1 cm left between it and the card.

A doubt arose in his mind.

‘Why did the developer even pass that thing to me as a gift candidate?’

Even someone who wasn’t a veteran like Dohyeong, if told to choose one of the two,

Would surely choose ‘Return of the Sovereign’, which boasted extraordinary effects.

But that was too obvious.

And precisely because it was so obvious, this thought kept creeping in.

‘Is it really right to choose this?’

Was he perhaps missing an opportunity that would never come again?

“…….”

Once that thought took hold, his heart wavered even more.

Whether to safely choose ‘Return of the Sovereign’, or to open an unidentified box whose contents were unknown.

Once again, the time to choose had arrived.

“…….”

Dohyeong took a deep breath and thought calmly.

Most people were already proceeding with their card selections without exception.

But the more so, Dohyeong exercised extreme caution.

Because he knew well how tremendous an impact this starting skill draw would have on his future growth.

After finishing that deliberation, he nodded and reached out his hand.

That choice was.

Thud……!

‘It’s certain.’

The card emitting a golden light, [Return of the Sovereign].

……Not that, but the unidentified old card next to it.

‘There’s definitely something there.’

What a veteran like Dohyeong had to be most wary of were variables even he didn’t know.

Identifying those variables was the most advantageous thing for his survival.

Of course, it was a pity that he couldn’t obtain [Return of the Sovereign] right away.

But that skill was merely something he had never obtained from a starting skill draw.

As for methods to acquire it later, everything from A to Z was already meticulously memorized in Dohyeong’s head.

“So for now, this is the right choice.”

Once the card selection was complete, the ‘Return of the Sovereign’ card transformed into light and slowly disappeared.

Unable to hide his lingering regret at the sight, Dohyeong cursed inwardly.

‘It better not be something trivial. That developer bastard…….’

The unidentified card began to emit light on its own.

Ding!

「Developer BUST DOWN’s perk selection has been completed. Please check it now」

No Takebacks.

The deed was done, and there was no turning back now.

His heart tightened with tension.

Dohyeong took a deep breath, forcibly calmed his mind, and slowly checked the skill.

Ding!

[Heroic Succession (?)]

: Inherits the power of heroes of the past.

A very intuitive skill name and a brief description.

Even the grade display was a ‘?’.

Because it was a skill he had never seen before, Dohyeong couldn’t grasp what kind of skill it was.

‘Inherit the power of heroes of the past? Who are they?’

It was just as that thought crossed his mind.

Ding!

「Moving consciousness to the [Hall of Heroes]」

The system rang out consecutively.

Zzzzzz…….

The surroundings began to be dyed in darkness, and before he knew it, it became complete blackness.

Dohyeong looked around with a flustered expression.

Paat!

At the suddenly switched-on lights, he slightly frowned around his eyes.

‘Ugh, what the hell?’

Just a moment ago, it had clearly been the Seogyo-dong Community Center.

But the place revealed through his hazy vision was a grand hall with an extremely high ceiling.

And there, countless wax figures were lined up in perfect order.

“Uh, uh?”

Dohyeong found their attire extremely familiar. And no wonder, because they were…….

“They’re the characters I raised.”

A Lightning Mage with lightning effects constantly bursting around him.

A red-eyed Blood Swordsman boasting bulging muscles and a massive sword.

Various other characters of all kinds. And…….

‘Jin Aragon.’

Even the character that contained the entirety of his ten years of dedication.

All the characters that embodied the full history of Dohyeong’s Colossus unfolded before his eyes.

As Dohyeong blankly stared at each of them, a sudden thought struck him, and he flinched hard.

‘N-no way?’

The system had clearly said it would inherit the power of past heroes.

And what he was seeing were all the characters he had raised in the past.

Which meant…….

Could it be saying that he could inherit and use the power of all of these characters?

Every character he had played until now.

Brilliant traces of the past spread endlessly before his eyes,

And as he looked at them, Dohyeong swallowed hard.

“……Jackpot.”

Inside the unidentified box Dohyeong had chosen was a diamond.

And not just any diamond, but a massive chunk of one.

After understanding the situation, Dohyeong immediately kicked off the ground and jumped.

Tat-tak!

At the very top seat of the hall where countless characters were placed, one character exuding an extraordinary presence stood out.

A swordsman standing upright with a single antique sword planted beside him.

It was ‘Jin Aragon’, the strongest among all the characters Dohyeong had ever raised.

As he swallowed and was about to reach out his hand toward him.

Ding!

「This character has not yet been unlocked」

「Each character’s unlock method can be checked after the tutorial ends」

‘Unlocked?’

When he carefully examined Jin Aragon,

Locks were fastened all over his lifeless, black-and-white body.

‘So they won’t give me the final boss from the start.’

Near Jin Aragon, the same was true for the ‘seven characters’, including the particularly eye-catching Lightning Mage and Blood-Crazed Berserker.

Smacking his lips in regret, Dohyeong let out a quiet tsk.

‘Hmm, is there no character that’s unlocked?’

Dohyeong slowly looked around.

Before long, he discovered a single character that alone had color in this gray hall.

Dohyeong immediately headed that way.

“…….”

Carrying an absurdly ‘giant crossbow’ on his back.

A sniper wearing a glasses-shaped scope.

It was the archer character Dohyeong had raised when he first started Colossus.

‘……This guy.’

Only ‘his right hand’ had its lock mark released,

And it was emitting a vivid light.

Feeling that this was it, Dohyeong swallowed hard and stretched out his hand.

At that moment, a cheerful notification appeared.

Ding!

「As a perk, the first lock of Acute Archer [Giga Checkron] is unlocked」

「You inherit ‘a portion’ of Acute Archer [Giga Checkron]’s power」

「Strength +2 Mana +1 permanently increases」

「You can now use the exclusive skill, [Giga Checkron–Manifestation (Unique)]」

.

.

.

「Unlock all remaining locks of the hero to inherit all of their power」

“Gah!”

Dohyeong, having returned from the character selection screen, looked around.

It seemed his body hadn’t actually moved; the people in the Community Center paid no attention to him.

They were simply absorbed in checking their own skills.

Dohyeong also hurriedly checked his status window.

Ding!

§Owned Skills : Heroic Succession(?)

: Inherits the power of heroes of the past.

Move to [Hall of Heroes]

[Hero Manifestation (Unique)]

= An unlocked hero manifests by borrowing the player’s body.

= Upon activation, the hero’s possessed skills can be used

Heroes currently able to manifest : Giga Checkron (LV.47)

Currently, only a portion of Giga Checkron’s power is unlocked. Some abilities are restricted.

???

His heart pounded violently.

Even if he couldn’t inherit Jin Aragon’s power right away, it didn’t matter.

Giga Checkron alone was a character well above level 40.

‘This is enough.’

It meant he now had the power to protect himself from most dangers through the tutorial and even the early-to-mid stages of play.

Dohyeong forcibly calmed his surging chest.

Moreover, if he could eventually obtain the power of all those uniquely distinctive alt characters.

In Colossus, a game that could be called a trash game, it might be possible not just to survive, but to reign at the very top.

‘First, I’ll finish the tutorial.’

They said they would tell him the methods to unlock each character afterward, so that became the top priority.

Just as a smile naturally formed on his face despite his pounding heart.

“Alright, alright. Everyone, don’t space out! Those who are done choosing skills, hurry over here. I’ll send you to the tutorial map one by one.”

No sooner had the rabbit finished speaking than a gigantic iron gate appeared in the middle of the lobby.

Those who had finished their selections began moving one by one, reading the room.

Having calmed himself, Dohyeong also tried to head that way.

But then.

“Hm?”

The thirteen cards he thought had disappeared along with the ‘Return of the Sovereign’ card were still floating in midair.

‘Why are these still here?’

As Dohyeong tilted his head in confusion, the system window blinked as if urging him on.

Ding!