Chapter 30
Second Floor Promotion Quest (1)
1.
Around the time Abyss Korea’s 2nd floor administrator Kim Yoo-shin was being turned into a wreck by Meteor, a woman watching the scene unfold in real-time smiled as if entertained.
“He’s an interesting one.”
“Branch Chief. Are you just going to sit by while our intel is being leaked? This is extremely dangerous.”
“So what are you going to do? Go save him?”
“But…”
“He’s your subordinate. If you couldn’t manage him properly, then it’s your responsibility to take care of it.”
A quiet monitoring room in some unknown location.
The woman referred to as Branch Chief took a sip of wine and nodded.
“Besides, what kind of classified intel could some low-level employee possibly have?”
“…Even so.”
“Isn’t this a good chance to show our faces to the Earthlings? We can’t hide forever.”
She swirled her glass as she looked at Meteor on the screen.
Meteor.
She had never seen an Earthling live up to their name, but this one was different.
It was the same human she had seen mentioned in the memo from HQ not long ago—
the one who had returned from another world.
“A special case.”
The order had been clear: block Meteor’s climb at all costs.
At first, she hadn’t understood why, but now, watching him ascend, she understood naturally.
This man was a walking bomb.
“What good are orders to eliminate him without the means? They didn’t even provide tools for containment.”
The truth was, administrators weren’t particularly strong.
Their authority lay in their ability to interfere with the players’ systems inside the Abyss.
Until now, that had always been enough.
A player stripped of their system was no better than an ant in the Abyss.
But one thing had become clear—thanks to the sacrifice of that unfortunate employee.
They could not interfere with Meteor’s system.
If they could have at least checked his system, they might have gauged his potential.
But everything had failed.
Right now, they couldn’t even guess at what kind of countermeasures could stop him.
“Deputy Seo.”
“Yes, Branch Chief.”
“How much Karma has Meteor accumulated so far?”
“During the summoning of the Red Drake Elite on the first floor, the Scales tipped toward us. But as a result…”
“Skip the process. The conclusion.”
“…At present, there isn’t enough Karma to trigger a dangerous Transference Phenomenon.”
Karma. And the Scales.
A balancing mechanism devised by the higher-ups to keep the Abyss running stably.
Every act that threatened the system accrued Karma, which the Scales would measure, imposing penalties accordingly.
It had always kept the Abyss in order.
But this time, it only worsened the situation.
“So we have no further methods to deploy on the 2nd floor?”
“Because of the system modification incident, the accumulated Karma was just used up…”
“Used up—on sending down that idiot?”
“…Yes. It was only enough to dispatch a low-level employee.”
The Branch Chief shook her head in disbelief.
“Idiots. No wonder our branch keeps getting mocked for its management.”
“My apologies.”
“You think apologies are enough to survive in this company?”
She tapped her chair’s armrest with her fingers, then sighed.
“Forget blocking him on the 2nd floor. We’ll intercept him on the 3rd.”
“I’ll arrange immediate orders.”
“The Raid Event is coming up, right? Notify the other branches. Tell them we’ll be hosting this one.”
The Raid Event.
An event requiring players to hunt down a boss monster of terrifying difficulty.
The rewards were great, but so were the casualties.
“But the Raid was planned for the 6th floor this year.”
“Convince the China and Japan branches. Tell them if that monster crosses into the 3rd floor, he’ll threaten their jurisdictions next. Can they handle that?”
She didn’t even need to check the system logs.
The truth was obvious.
That man was a catastrophe.
Errors sprang up wherever he passed.
Normally, powerful climbers ascended quietly.
But this lunatic was streaming it live.
“You never know where a madman will jump.”
So it had to be handled quickly.
That was her conclusion.
“Schedule it for two weeks from now.”
“Isn’t that too soon?”
“At his pace, he’ll hit the Promotion Quest any moment now.”
“But the 2nd floor Promotion Quest isn’t easy. It’s notoriously harder than even the 3rd or 4th.”
The 2nd floor’s Promotion Quest wasn’t about smashing or exterminating things.
It was a masterpiece crafted by the quest designers.
A dungeon infamous among Earth’s players—both hated and praised.
The Branch Chief scowled at her subordinate’s timid explanation.
“The guy who screwed everything up thinks he can lecture me? Shut up and follow orders.”
“Y-yes, ma’am…”
She rose from her seat with clear irritation.
On the screen, Meteor was interviewing the hapless administrator.
She pointed.
“Force a recall. Lock him in the Punishment Room the moment he returns.”
“Do we erase him?”
“Why punish a lowly staffer? The one I want to kill right now… is you.”
The Branch Chief smirked faintly at the sight of Meteor on the screen.
“This might actually be my opportunity.”
It was a smile no one else there could understand.
2.
After my fiery little chat with Yoo-shin, I left the Abyss in high spirits.
Of course, I finished all my hunting and popped the 2nd floor Promotion Quest before logging out.
The next stream? The 2nd floor Promotion Quest.
This floor was way too cramped for me anyway.
Since no expensive capsules dropped, I just sold the others at the Ability Management Department’s appraisal office, along with some of the magic stones.
[Deposit Alert]
– Seoul West Branch, Ability Management Department: ₩14,500,000
Just seeing that pop-up on my phone made me feel full.
“Unc! Snaccs!”
“Go ahead, Ian. Uncle’s already stuffed.”
“Yay!”
Watching Ian munch happily on his snacks filled me up even more.
This was life.
Hard work, followed by sweet rest at home.
Today, my brother got off work early, so the four of us grilled Hanwoo beef together.
Now we were enjoying dessert—snacks and fruit.
“By the way, bro. You investing in anything?”
“Investment? Out of nowhere?”
“Gotta make the money work, right?”
I’d already repaid the money I borrowed using his card, so no debts.
Since I’d be grinding Abyss runs for the foreseeable future, finding a decent investment might not be a bad idea.
My brother bit into an apple, then sighed, shaking his head.
“Didn’t you sink all your part-time pay into crypto before?”
“Yeah.”
“And how’d that go?”
“Got delisted.”
“Exactly. Sung-woo, let’s just earn money honestly, okay?”
“…Yes, sir.”
What a learned man.
I’d been logically defeated.
“Oh, Sung-woo. You free two Wednesdays from now?”
“If it’s urgent, I can skip streaming. Why?”
“Both Bin-na and I have to work that day. But Ian’s daycare is hosting a parents’ event. Could you go in our place?”
“I was going to ask too.”
Normally, they insisted on handling anything related to Ian themselves.
So if both said they couldn’t make it, it had to be important.
And that meant… time for the semi-unemployed uncle to step in.
I glanced at Ian. Would he be upset his parents couldn’t come?
“Unc! Yaaaay!”
“…Hmph.”
Not sure if he understood, or if he was just excited my name came up.
But hey, Ian’s happy.
So of course I’ll go.
“You sure it’s okay if I go?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m in. A date with Ian? I’m down.”
Ian was my healing potion.
No matter how rough my day, his face melted the stress away.
Better jot this into my schedule just in case.
Relieved, my brother nodded—then gave me a look.
“Oh, and starting next month, pay rent.”
“…Wow, family’s cold.”
“Family should be stricter. You’re making more money than us, aren’t you? Even if we ignore your stream income, the Abyss profits alone are insane.”
“Hey, I’m just a 2nd floor player.”
“A 2nd floor player who massacres monsters. Don’t whine.”
“Can you stop watching my streams? Having family as viewers is… weird.”
“Why? Your streams are fun.”
“Just don’t let Ian watch, Bin-na. It’s not exactly kid-friendly.”
“Don’t worry, I know. Ian won’t see any of it.”
So this was what it felt like when family tuned into your streams.
My face felt hot.
After dessert with the family, I headed back to my room.
When I first moved in, I only had a bed and a wardrobe.
Now I had new furniture—desk and computer.
Naturally, I went all out for a top-spec PC.
Not for gaming, but hey, buy the best and it lasts longer.
Right?
Bzzzt—!
“Mm-hm.”
Fast boot times. Even more satisfying.
Alright, let’s do some ego-searching.
Typed “Meteor” into the search bar.
Clicked the top result.
Abyss Streaming Gallery?
Ah, the infamous cesspool full of trolls.
<Title: Why do people hype Meteor so much?>
Post: Why’s everyone overrating some nobody who hasn’t proven himself on higher floors? lol. From what I see, he’s just another Da-ho level. Da-ho could stomp 2nd floor mobs too. Unlike the rankers, Meteor hasn’t proven a thing. What’s he done? Farming low floors? lol stop overhyping, clowns.
– Still Da-ho fanboys here, huh.
– Anyone defending staff-abusing scum already failed the IQ test.
– Meteor vs Da-ho? Is the legendary Korea “Meta-ho Wars” back?
– Concept-streamer 2nd floor player VS record-holding 6th floor Da-ho. Easy choice, right?
– Meteor’s gonna break the Abyss anyway lol.
– Cockroach spotted.
– Me-men.
– Me-men.
Spicy, spicy.
Apparently, they were comparing me to Da-ho, a famous streamer.
Da-ho.
A 6th floor player, Korea’s #1 streamer.
Constant scandals about his behavior, but his skill carried him.
Personally? I hated the guy.
Why? Because of what Tae-oh told me:
“The streamer I sued was Da-ho. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I filed. But I lost in court instead…”
Turns out Da-ho had hired high-end law firms with his mountain of money.
If my brother had been his lawyer, maybe things would’ve been different.
But back then, my brother was busy searching for me.
Anyway, trash is trash.
So I dropped a comment.
– Me) Comparing a rising star like Meteor to literal garbage is insane. Give it a month and Meteor will leave Da-ho in the dust.
Instant replies:
– lol typical fanboy, wouldn’t dare say that to King-ho’s face.
– Look at this guy projecting his entire identity onto Meteor.
– What are you, his family? lol.
– Exterminate the Meteor-roaches already.
– Me-men.
– Me-men.
Ego-searching really was fun.
After browsing a few more communities, I opened my MeTube channel.
No stream today, so I’d need to go live tomorrow.
Let’s post a notice.
<Title: Going live tomorrow at 11 AM>
Post: Already unlocked the Promotion Quest today. Took a lot of work lol. Turns out it’s a famous one—Theater of Dimensions. Entering tomorrow.
The Promotion Quest praised as a “well-made masterpiece”: Theater of Dimensions.
It reinterpreted Earth’s fairy tales into dungeons, randomly assigned each run.
Even the concept was fun.
Now, let’s check the comments.
– Whaaaaat???
– lol stop speedrunning the Abyss already
– Promotion Quest??? Outta nowhere???
– This guy’s nuts
– If he clears this, it’ll be another world record for 3rd floor entry, right?
– Madman madman madman madman
– Theater of Kings lololol
– This is guaranteed hype
– Which fairy tale will it be?
– Isn’t Red Riding Hood & the Wolf the hardest?
– Please let him get Red Riding Hood lol
Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
Fifth stream? Ready to launch.
