Chapter 46
The Footwork Is Different (1)
1.
It’s only been two years since Abyss University was established within Korea National University.
There are three main departments:
Department of Abyssal Materials,
Department of Abyssal Analysis,
Department of Abyssal Exploration.
The first two deal mainly with research, while the Department of Abyssal Exploration is where most players enroll.
You could call it a program that trains players.
Our Professor Oh Young-pil happens to be a professor in Abyssal Analysis.
“Alright, you two should introduce yourselves. This is Oh Su-rin, Guild Master of the Ivory Tower Guild. And this is—”
“You’re Streamer Meteor, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Oh Su-rin.”
We were standing in a vast field within Abyss University.
Normally, this was a training ground used by the Abyssal Exploration students, but Professor Oh had rented it for us.
I looked at the Ivory Tower Guild’s representative, who was smiling brightly at me, and awkwardly smiled back.
To be honest, when I heard “Ivory Tower Guild Master,” I expected someone academic or scholarly.
“Not quite what you expected, huh?”
“Excuse me?”
“People online always tell me I sound like a middle-aged man when I talk. So when they meet me in person, they get flustered.”
“I don’t have any prejudices.”
“Good to hear!”
Contrary to expectations, she was young—maybe in her late twenties.
She wore an oversized T-shirt and jeans that fit her perfectly, looking like she’d just stepped out of the house.
No perfume, just a faint scent of shampoo.
Come to think of it, she and Professor Oh kind of looked alike.
“Anyway, shall we take a look at the item first?”
When I said that slyly, she grinned as if amused.
“This feels kind of like we’re committing a crime. Fun.”
“Where’s Peanut?”
I’d summoned Peanut in the car earlier… where’d he go? Playing with squirrels again?
Rustle.
While I was looking around, Peanut suddenly popped out of my pocket.
Piiik?
『Master, you called me?』
“Hrrrgh.”
Oh Su-rin gasped the moment she saw Peanut.
Even Professor Oh clenched his fist and muttered under his breath.
“Put… put it in my mouth…”
Put what in your mouth?
…I mean, I get it. I sometimes want to pop Peanut in my mouth too. He’s just that cute.
I gently petted Peanut’s head and said,
“Remember that thing we ate and ran off with last time?”
『Yeah!』
“Take it out here.”
『Okay!』
Bzzzzt!
Electric sparks crackled from Peanut’s body, and in an instant, the massive stone statue from yesterday appeared before us.
“Oh! Ama— I mean, Peanut can summon things?”
“Of course not. He didn’t summon it; he just took it out of his mouth.”
“What?”
“He grew huge for an instant, took the statue out, and shrank again before you could blink.”
It sounded absurd, but it was true.
Look at Peanut, panting already.
Professor Oh blinked, then nodded slowly before stepping closer to the statue.
“Ohhh! So this is the statue stolen from Alberto. Mind if I take a picture for documentation?”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
He immediately whipped out his phone and began taking photos.
Maybe because a giant statue had appeared out of nowhere, people around us started whispering.
“Huh?”
“Was that magic?”
“Isn’t that Professor Oh?”
“Next to him—is that… Meteor?”
“Who’s Meteor?”
Having good hearing is a curse sometimes.
I could hear everyone talking—too clearly.
There are still students who don’t know me, huh… guess I’ll have to work harder.
Never forget your roots. Remember the small streamer days.
“Fascinating. The material looks like Abyss Stone.”
“What’s that, Professor?”
“It’s a type of rock commonly found in the Abyss. Unlike mana stones, it glows red—not with mana, but with some other unknown energy. The nature of that energy remains a mystery.”
He traced the statue’s surface carefully.
It depicted a robed woman kneeling in prayer.
“The structure resembles a divine effigy, possibly made for worship… Hmm. Su-rin, what do you think?”
Su-rin glanced at me before answering.
“What does the quest say?”
“It says to investigate the statue.”
“Usually, those quests update when you use an investigative skill. Mind if I take a look?”
A real professional.
So this was the aura of someone obsessed with the Abyss.
Su-rin scratched her head, stepped forward, and took a deep breath—then licked her lips with a satisfied expression.
…Why is she licking her lips?
“I’ll tell you something we haven’t published yet—our guild suspects the Abyss might be a kind of terminal.”
“Terminal?”
“Yes, a hub connecting multiple dimensions.”
“Su-rin, you never mentioned that to me.”
“Well, you never asked.”
“I always ask you!”
“Did you? Whatever.”
Ah. So they were related—father and daughter.
Ignoring her dad, Su-rin smiled at me.
“Then, may I investigate it?”
“Please do.”
“Alright, thanks for the meal.”
“…What?”
Before I could ask, Su-rin leaned in and licked the statue.
I could only stare in stunned silence.
“Wow.”
She said she’d investigate it, and then started eating it?
If that works, I’ll eat my own hand.
[You have investigated the statue.]
[Quest completed.]
[Transcendence level increased.]
[You have gained a large amount of Achievement Points. Current progress to 4th Floor Access: 400/1500.]
[Special Reward <Statue of the Waiting One> obtained.]
[You may now begin quest ‘True: The Immortal Army <2>’.]
…It worked?!
“Mmm, salty with a nice tang. Delicious.”
…Right.
Some players can only analyze things by getting hit.
So why not one who does it by tasting them?
The world really has gone mad.
“That refreshing aftertaste… this is top-tier. Seriously tasty.”
…Completely mad.
2.
[True: The Immortal Army <2>]
Difficulty: Unique
Description: You’ve stolen a crucial statue from the Immortal Army’s strategist. The remaining troops, enraged, will hunt you down. Take a fragment of the statue and proceed to the Goliath Basin on the 3rd Floor. The path to a hidden fortress will open.
Objective: Enter “Unknown Location” from “3rd Floor – Goliath Basin.”
Reward: Large amount of achievement points and experience.
The quest had updated.
We were back in Professor Oh’s research lab.
Su-rin was munching on snacks while I asked,
“Is that… a special trait?”
“Yes. Gourmet. That’s my trait. I can analyze an item just by tasting it.”
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised? Most people freak out when I tell them.”
“Well, it’s tamer than people who can only understand others by getting punched.”
“Oh! Do you know Director Chun from the Mirage Guild? He’s my best friend’s older brother. We drink together sometimes. Don’t get the wrong idea, though.”
“Wrong idea?”
“There’s nothing between us! It’s always three of us hanging out.”
She was chattier than I expected.
Meanwhile, Peanut was winning her over with cute antics, stealing her snacks.
Professor Oh seemed inspired, typing rapidly on his computer.
Su-rin sighed as she looked at his back.
“I don’t usually come when Dad asks me to.”
“Why not?”
“I used to help often, but he started taking advantage of it. Oh, by the way—can I call you oppa? I’m twenty-eight, so let’s drop the formalities.”
“Sure.”
Informal speech is my specialty.
She sighed again and continued.
“Do you know what my dad does at home these days? He’s always watching your streams. Replays, clips, even writing posts about them online. On his laptop. In the living room.”
“Maybe he just wanted to share his interests with his daughter.”
“I just want some peace at home, you know?”
Somehow, I felt like I’d become her family counselor.
But after venting, she seemed more relaxed.
“My trait analyzes what I taste by extracting up to four keywords.”
“That’s unusual.”
“Yes. Four maximum, no matter how high-level the item is. The keywords from the Statue of the Waiting One are: <Fixation>, <Transmission>, <Summon>, and <Record>.”
She can get that much just from licking it? Incredible.
Then a thought struck me.
“This might be rude, but could I ask for a favor?”
“Give me your hand.”
“How did you know?”
“I owe you for putting up with my dad. You want me to analyze your ability, right? I don’t do this for just anyone—it shows me your core traits.”
“My core traits?”
“Yes. For example, if someone has the <Fire> keyword, focusing on flame-based skills gives them huge synergy.”
So she could assess potential. A truly powerful ability.
I cautiously held out my hand, and she activated her trait again.
Moments later—
“…No way.”
She yanked her hand back, staring at me wide-eyed.
“<Return>, <Mimicry>, <Attention-Seeking>, <Unknown>…?”
“Sounds kinda cool—”
“This is insane! I’ve never seen keywords this grand before! And one’s even hidden?! Usually, people with big keywords are total airheads—oh, sorry, oppa.”
“It’s fine.”
“<Attention-Seeking> fits since you’re a streamer, but <Return> and <Mimicry>? And that hidden one’s driving me crazy… maybe I should get closer to read it better? What do you think, oppa? Just say the word.”
…Let’s not.
Still, she was the real deal.
How did she figure all that out so fast?
While I was still impressed, she turned her gaze toward Peanut.
“Then let me analyze Peanut too—”
“Stop. That’s enough.”
“Aw.”
“Not happening.”
I had to protect Peanut’s purity.
Anyway, her ability was remarkable—worthy of an Ivory Tower Guild Master.
Even if she didn’t have much combat ability, her analytical power was broken-level strong.
And her show wasn’t over yet.
“This statue seems designed to be fixed in a specific location. Once set, it transmits, summons, and records data.”
Before I could even process that, she’d finished the full analysis.
King Su-rin indeed.
She sipped her water and spoke lazily.
“Basically, it’s a beacon. Someone licked a signal emitter from the 6th floor once—it had similar keywords.”
“Oh.”
So the Lucky Matryoshka’s effects were real.
The letter I’d read earlier came to mind—Bellua had asked me to find a signal device.
And here it was, right in front of me.
“Hmm, interesting.”
Apparently, Professor Oh had been listening while typing, because he adjusted his glasses and said,
“A large installation-type artifact, then. Fascinating. Something remarkable is bound to happen. My heart’s racing already. Did the quest specify where to place it?”
“It said to go to the Goliath Basin.”
At that, both of their expressions stiffened.
Professor Oh spoke cautiously.
“The Goliath Basin… you mean the third floor one?”
“Yes.”
“…Haa.”
“What’s wrong?”
He paused for a moment, then sighed.
“That area’s designated as a government-restricted zone.”
“Restricted?”
“Over a hundred players have died there. The government stationed safety officers nearby—entry’s forbidden without special permission.”
Now that’s a good sign.
“So, it’s dangerous?”
“Extremely.”
“Hehehe.”
Ah, yes. The sweet, irresistible scent of danger.
When someone says “dangerous,” what they really mean is—
“—if I get streaming approval, we’re hitting a million views easy!”
“…Dad, he’s just like you.”
“As expected. His footwork truly is… different.”
Or maybe not.
