Chapter 60 : Chapter 60

Chapter 60 - Invitation

Kim Kang-in. Nickname: [The Almighty].

And, Korea's strongest Climber in history.

If you delve a little deeper, he was a monster who ranked among the top in the world, but... whether he was truly the ‘strongest’ was a matter of debate among players.

After all, when compared to guys like [Siegfried] or [Grim Reaper] in the West, he had his pros and cons.

However, he was undoubtedly a terrifying person who could squeeze his way into the top tier.

In the first place, I attended this event because I remembered that this guy would be here at this time.

‘...That's true, but.’

In fact, from a player's perspective, he was a character with a slightly subtle impression.

What kind of person he was is clearly presented from the beginning.

A freaking strong NPC.

But that was it.

In reality, there was not a single situation throughout the game where the player could see his achievements.

‘No matter the circumstances...’

This person wasn't just lying low and living in seclusion for no reason.

There were various restrictions attached to him.

For now, it meant he couldn't unleash his full power from his active days. That was also why he was treated like a leisurely old man at the party, despite his fame.

But, even considering that.

In the lore, he was described as ‘a person who doesn't care about anything other than what seems fun to him’, but it still felt like he was going too far by not showing his face at all.

“...”

Unless you went to the late game, that is.

There was one event where that person was active.

Just once, throughout the entire game.

But the performance he showed there was a bit...

Awesome.

You could clearly feel that he wasn't someone who won the grand title of Almighty through gambling.

It wasn't for nothing that players who broke through to the ending praised him as Kang-in-jwa.

Anyway.

‘There are many advantages to building rapport with this guy.’

I was the one and only person who could learn all the skills in the skill tree through a bug, but the only person who could imitate a similar feat was this man.

Because he was a master who had reached the level of a master in both vanguard and rear guard, excluding the support class.

The nickname ‘Almighty’ also originated from that. It meant an all-rounder unprecedented in history.

In the first place, the setting was that most of the various subclasses and skill trees that the player cultivates while raising a character were already researched by this person.

In that sense.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, senior.”

Using such a title would not be inappropriate.

In fact, considering this person's status, it would be more appropriate to speak with much more courtesy.

Even Darien, who had tried to throw a killing blow at the bishop of Daeshinjeon without a moment's hesitation, was now sitting quietly and watching for cues.

“As expected of the Avatar of the Savior... to use such a title for the ‘Almighty’...”

...It seemed she wasn't just sitting still, but was moved by a strange point.

In the first place, considering the setting, he was a person who wouldn't care one bit what he was called.

“First, shall we introduce ourselves. I am...”

First, I started with a self-introduction.

Because he surely wouldn't know who I was.

“I know who you are. Junior Kim Gyu-sik.”

“...”

He knew.

No, this was really a bit unexpected.

Considering this person's personality, he would probably forget the name of the master of a super-large guild located in the west in an instant if he didn't seem interesting.

The fact that he remembered my name meant that he had been watching me carefully for a while.

There didn't seem to be any particular reason for it, but anyway, if this side also knew me, it wasn't very difficult to start a conversation.

“Seeing as you came all the way up here to join me, it seems you have something to say. What is it?”

In the first place, the fact that such a topic came up meant he was more than willing to talk with me.

Normally, if someone who didn't seem interesting spoke to him, he would run away without looking back.

So, as soon as those words came back, I smiled and replied.

“You saw that earlier, didn't you?”

I was talking about how I instantly dispersed the mana gathered on Darien's equipment.

In the first place, almost everyone in the party hall's attention was focused on it, so there was no way this person didn't see it. He had been looking down from above, so there was no way he didn't see it.

“...So?”

Seeing Kim Kang-in smile and reply, a broad smile formed inside me.

Yes, the fact that the conversation was continuing like this was a green light.

The Kim Kang-in I knew was not a person who would not fall for the sentence I was about to say next.

“You can't do something like this, can you, senior?”

The sound of Darien gasping was particularly loud.

But at the same time I said this, I could see Kim Kang-in's attitude change.

This old man.

He was born to like this kind of thing.

He was a person who could kill me in a few seconds if he put his mind to it, but because of that, he liked people who openly challenged him even more.

So.

‘Rapport building on.’

Let's try to talk my way through this.

***

Reigning at the top for a long time was, when you think about it, a pretty boring thing.

The guys who used to cheerfully challenge you to a fight would give up approaching you at some point, and idiots who only knew how to say flattering things would flock around you.

Sometimes, you even had to go to social gatherings you had no interest in and pretend to be social. I would have preferred if someone had picked a fight with me instead.

In that respect.

The bright young kid who had suddenly appeared now was nothing short of a savior to Kim Kang-in.

‘Kim Gyu-sik.’

From the first impression, he was a rather interesting student.

I clearly remember that he had enormous potential at the Boot Camp graduation ceremony.

In that sense.

This ‘prospect’ whom I had met after a long time had developed into a truly delightful guy.

“Junior. Are you provoking me right now?”

It was a voice devoid of any mana, but just those words alone made the face of the Saintess of Gusegyo, sitting next to Kim Gyu-sik, turn pale.

A single word from the ‘Almighty’ carried that much weight.

Enough to frighten someone who would not hesitate to carry out a suicide bombing at a social gathering like this.

“In a way, yes.”

But, this kid didn't even blink and took the words.

He seemed to not care one bit about the background or status he had behind him.

“...What is there for you to gain by provoking me?”

So, instead of getting angry, I decided to listen a little more.

There was no reason to be angry.

To be precise, I was on the verge of bursting into laughter.

How long had it been since I met a guy with such guts.

“I can earn your favor, senior.”

“Favor?”

“Living life is boring as hell, isn't it?”

At the tone that showed not a single bit of formality, the Saintess' face turned pale once again, but conversely, an unconcealable smile appeared on Kim Kang-in's face.

This kid, he was doing this on purpose right now.

He ‘already knew’ how to earn favor from him.

There was no specific evidence, but at least his behavior conveyed that feeling earnestly.

Ah, right.

That feeling was based on familiarity.

This young kid who still had the milk on his lips.

He was terribly similar to Kim Kang-in himself in his youth.

Not just that he could handle various types of mana like himself.

More than that, the aura he wore.

The atmosphere that only a guy who thinks of the whole world as his toy box could wear.

Arrogance that could be proven.

‘...As expected.’

I felt it from the first time I saw him.

This kid was a kid who could grow much bigger than he was now.

“I can make it much more interesting for you.”

At the words that followed, Kim Kang-in felt his heart begin to pound a little.

“...Make it interesting, you say?”

“Let me ask you again. What I did just now, you can't do it, can you, senior?”

If you ask which one.

“...I can't.”

Kim Kang-in replied reluctantly.

Among the many combinations of skills he possessed, there was none that could produce such a feat as this kid had performed.

Even as the Almighty who could use almost every skill in the world, he was a person who couldn't do ‘everything’.

It was a bizarre technique whose principle he couldn't even guess. He hated to admit it, but he had to say so.

“So. You're going to teach me how to do it?”

“No, no. If it were such a trivial matter, I wouldn't have even spoken to you, senior. What I did earlier was just for show.”

“For show, you say?”

“I was letting you know that I can do things you can't even imagine, senior.”

The beating of his heart gradually accelerated.

Objectively speaking, this kid was being rude to him right now. Respect was nowhere to be found even if you looked for it with a magnifying glass.

But right now.

He was saying that he had proven he was in a ‘higher position’.

An F-class Climber stuck at the bottom of this world's ranks.

Against this Almighty who sat on the throne of the greatest in history.

‘Excellent.’

Normally, there would be no reason to be interested.

But at least I had to listen to what he was spouting.

“So. What's the interesting part for me?”

And the words that followed.

“There's something I'm planning. Its destination is...”

Never betrayed his expectations.

***

So.

I met Sepia, a character I would clash with often in the future, Darien almost committed a terrorist act, and I met Kim Kang-in and talked my head off.

I had pretty much finished what I had to do, so it was time to calculate what I had gained.

There were two big things.

First of all.

[ 1 skill share slot of the target ‘Kim Kang-in’ has been opened. ]

Thank you, God.

I barely managed to suppress such words from bursting out of my mouth.

All hail the bug. All hail the Share skill.

It was one of Kim Kang-in's skills, of all people. There was no need to even consider its value.

‘The use is already decided, but...’

The second trial that would open soon.

I planned to fill the slot along with it then.

Considering the effect of that skill... there was a high probability that learning it in advance would be a bad move.

And secondly.

“...Is this for real?”

Seo Ah-in asked, checking the document with a trembling hand.

“Would it be a fake then?”

What grudge would I have against you to hand you a forged document?

But looking at the contents, it was not hard to understand.

That was an invitation to a ‘Joint Subjugation’.

In the game, it was a content expressed in the form of a raid.

A Joint Subjugation referred to the act of large guilds forming a coalition to subjugate a ‘Special-Grade Demonic Beast’ that periodically appeared in the field around the tower.

Well, most of them boasted a size of about a building, and their combat power and destructive power were enormous. So, minor guilds couldn't participate even if they wanted to.

But more important was the item that dropped when you defeated it.

“This is something that a small guild like ours couldn't even dream of...”

That's right.

From the perspective of large guilds, they didn't want to give that up, so they conspired among themselves to regularly hunt that boss.

In the end, it was all a business matter.

However, if you received a ‘letter of recommendation’ handwritten by Kim Kang-in like I did, the story changes a bit.

No matter what, that person's influence could make even the notoriously stiff-necked guys a little more humble.

“So. What are you planning to do with this?”

“Huh? Of course, we have to go.”

We received an invitation, how could we not go?

Timing-wise, there was something I absolutely had to obtain in this ‘Joint Subjugation’.

And there was someone I had to meet.

It was an event I couldn't miss.

Seo Ah-in's expression, upon hearing that, was colored with astonishment.

“A-are you crazy?! If we fight a Special-Grade Demonic Beast with our specs, we won't even be able to find our bon...”

Seo Ah-in's words, which she was about to say, quickly faded.

Then she made a face as if she had understood something.

What.

I didn't say anything.

“...Ah, it's Mr. Kim Kang-in, isn't it?”

What does that mean.

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