TRC 55

Chapter 55…

“…Huh? What the? Did the power go out, hyung-nim?”

“Tsk…”

With the lights dead, the entire interior was swallowed in darkness.

To be precise, only I was glowing—thanks to resonating with Freki.

It seemed the enemy had made their move; the building’s power had been cut.

The elevator was now unusable.

“…We’re switching to the stairwell.”

The building had 12 floors.

This was going to be rough.

“I’ll take the lead. You follow behind me and cut down anyone I let slip.”

“Yes, sir!”

We quickly headed for the stairwell.

That was when—

DADADADAK!

Footsteps came rushing down from above.

Far more than just one or two.

We’d expected this, ever since the lights went out.

Agents stormed down the stairs and appeared before us.

Hit first, win first.

Before the lead agent could even react, I moved.

Thunk! Wham!

They couldn’t keep up with my speed.

As my fist sliced through the air, agents went flying two or three at a time, hitting the walls and floor with heavy thuds.

I didn’t even bother activating sensory perception.

The ringing sound of blades behind me said everything.

My “sword” was mercilessly slaughtering every enemy I let past me.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Rrrrnnnn!

Even so, the agents charged in silence.

A pure meat–shield tactic.

We moved nonstop.

But in the middle of that, a strange déjà vu crept over me.

…Something’s off.

I knew these people were the highly trained “Awakened Security Bureau” agents.

But very few humans can remain calm in the face of death.

Yet these people were throwing away their lives like scraps of paper.

It was a familiar kind of disgust.

Where have I… ah!

Only fanaticism lets someone disregard death.

Followers of the underground Outer God.

The Cult of the Reverse Heaven.

But… no. I don’t feel even a trace of Outer God energy from them. What the hell?

My suspicion only deepened.

Enemies kept appearing, and we had to continue climbing.

And as the same motion repeated, I noticed a pattern.

These guys aren’t trying to kill us—they’re stalling.

If true, then the chances of Park Jong-hwan waiting at the top floor were high.

They were likely buying time for his escape.

We need to hurry.

I stomped upward and drove a knee into the charging agent’s face.

“Huff… huff… Hyung-nim… what floor are we on?”

“10th. Hang in there.”

“I’m dying here…”

“Drama queen.”

“You brat! You’re not even doing anything!”

“Shh. I’m still a kid.”

“Y-you little— Hyung-nim! Look at this brat—”

“If you can talk that much, kill one more.”

As we climbed, blood and sweat soaked our clothes and weighed us down.

Unlike Kim Pyeong-on, my movements remained clean. (Rebecca didn’t even count.)

All thanks to my resonance with Freki.

Training with Seong-sik helped, but Freki really is easier to sync with.

BANG!

I crouched low and slammed my fist into the last agent’s chest.

He flew backward with the door—

And finally, the 12th floor revealed itself.

Kim Pyeong-on sprawled flat on the floor.

“Holy crap! I thought we’d never make it! I’m gonna die!”

“Drama queen.”

“Kid, get lost.”

At long last, we reached the top floor.

I ignored the bickering duo and looked around—

And immediately felt something wrong.

Damn it… was the intel wrong?

The 12th floor was wide and completely empty.

No walls—only rows of thick pillars.

No Park Jong-hwan.

Not even a single agent.

“Uh… this isn’t… a failed operation, right?”

Kim Pyeong-on’s face paled as he realized.

I exhaled slowly.

Then why did they buy time? For what?

My brain spun fast.

Something was here—good or bad.

“Ah!”

“What is it, hyung-nim!?”

A lightning bolt struck through my mind.

…A trap. They were buying time to set up a trap.

We needed to get out.

We had walked right into Park Jong-hwan’s trap.

“Run! We’re jumping out the window!”

“Yes!”

Kim Pyeong-on moved instantly—
But Rebecca just stood there blankly.

I urged her.

“Hey! Move!”

“Too late.”

“…What?”

“It’s already too late. And no need to leave.”

No need to leave?

What is this kid saying—

Once tricked, you run.

But Rebecca repeated herself, unmoving.

Then she spoke again, slow and calm.

“Bulgogi master, behind you.”

“She keeps saying—urk!”

SWISH—

I grabbed Pyeong-on by the collar and leapt backward.

CRASH!!

Every window around us shattered.

And massive beast-like rodents poured in.

The kind whose strength multiplies exponentially with numbers.

Rodent-type…

The infamous swarm that leaves nothing behind—

The Armored Rat Legion.

They were here.

“Damn it! The gate farm must’ve exploded! Hyung-nim, what do we do!?”

Park Jong-hwan…
I knew he was sly, but this was next level.

He must have lured us to this gate farm for this exact moment.

“Bulgogi master. What are you doing?”

Rebecca spoke casually, like she was on a picnic.

“Hurry up and clean up so we can go.”

“Hey, you say that like it’s easy! Those things live in a Green Gate! Don’t talk if you don’t kno—”

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat meat.”

Ignoring him entirely, Rebecca tugged at me to go home.

Sharp kid…

She noticed what others wouldn’t.

She knew I wasn’t even tense.

Truth was—I wasn’t just calm.

I was excited.

Park Jong-hwan… thank you. Thank you so damn much.

Because monsters were my specialty.

If it had been that many agents, things would’ve been annoying.

But this?
This legion was a treasure chest.

And I hadn’t had time to visit a Gate lately.
He’d solved that issue for me.

“Pyeong-on.”

“Yes, hyung-nim! I’ll clear the path this time! Follow me—!”

“Enjoy.”

“…Sir?”

“It’s EXP fever time.”

Leveling had stalled for a while.

But now?

The gate farm was all mine.

Green Gate monsters might be tough for Pyeong-on… but I’ll help.

I had more than enough leeway.

Sure, my actual level was 42.

But with “Talent That Found the Light” and all my titles, my stats rivaled level 100.

My aura exploded for the first time since the White Gate.

BOOM! FWOOM—

A shockwave rippled outward.

[The user activates the talent: “□ of the Beast (?)”.]
[All monsters in the area freeze in fear.]
[Cooldown: 72:00:00]

The entire Armored Rat Legion stopped as one.

Time itself seemed to freeze—except for us.

“…Hyung-nim? What is this…?”

“No idea when it’ll wear off. Kill as many as you can! Otherwise I will!”

“I’m coming with you!”

I dove into the rat swarm, and Pyeong-on followed.

Armored Rats had insane defense.

But—

They’re a bad matchup for me.

FWOOSH—

Freki’s flames wrapped around my entire body.

Their armor melted like wax under the heat.

“Ahhh! This is the stuff!”

I crushed rats like watermelons.

Hunting had never been easier.

[Lv.72 Armored Rat defeated.]
[Lv.72 Armored Rat defeated.]
…

Is Pyeong-on doing okay?

I glanced over—
He was holding his own.

His training wasn’t a bluff.

Even with the huge level gap, he was performing admirably.

Breaking through armored skin with blades wasn’t easy—
But he was pulling it off.

S+ grade talent. Of course he’s fine.

South Korea had no better talent than him.

Then I’ll focus.

And I dove back into farming.

[Large EXP gained…]
[EXP adjusted due to level gap.]

As expected.

This was the balancing penalty.
It was why I didn’t randomly clear gates.

Still, with this many kills, I had hope—

Ding!

[Your level has increased by 10!]

What? 10 levels?! Absurd!

Even expecting a lot, this was crazy.

True power-leveling.

But I had killed a ton.

Still—10 levels!?

Everything—from rare odds to stat synergies—had stacked in my favor.

1. Massive level gap

2. Attribute advantage

3. Park Jong-hwan’s generous “meal”

4. My nameless talent

Maybe my Luck stat finally kicked in?

I felt grateful enough to bow toward Park Jong-hwan.

But my good fortune wasn’t done.

Ding!

[You’ve slain 300 monsters with a 30-level gap!]
[Incredible achievement.]
[9,999 achievement coins gained.]

Another achievement? Then a title…

[Title acquired: Pest Killer]
[Title acquired: Level Breaker]

[Pest Killer] — Rare

• You have eradicated the sources of disease and decay. Survivors call you “The Sanitizer.”

• Damage to pest/rodent-type monsters +35%

• Resistance to corruption/poison/disease +40%

[Level Breaker] — Epic

• Level cannot define you.

• Granted only to those who shatter system limits.

• EXP +10%

• +1 bonus stat per level

• If leveled up twice within a short time, can enter Berserker Mode (30s, +20% combat stats, 1h cooldown)

Whoa. That second title is insane.

“Pest Killer” was decent…

But “Level Breaker”?

A complete cheat.

Never saw this even before regression…

Well, who else but a regressor could kill 300 monsters 30 levels higher?

It was basically impossible normally.

Now, my growth had sprouted wings—no, a jet engine.

And achievement coins are stacking again. Still far from buying that item, but…

I needed that important object to reclaim the talent I had lost.

It was only purchasable in the Achievement Shop.

I should have enough before entering the Tower.

As I pondered—

Hm?

A familiar scent tickled my nose.

I hadn’t noticed earlier among the army of rats, but now everything was ash…

This smell…

New, yet familiar.

I immediately knew:

Freki resonance lets me sense this.
It’s the smell of my own mana.

My own lingering trace.

“That guy…”

“Huh? What guy?”

I stared at a pillar at my ten o’clock.

No doubt.

Someone had masked themselves from even my sensory field—
Watching our entire battle from the shadows.

“Come out.”

My voice was short and absolute.

“……”

“……”

After a brief silence—

Heavy footsteps emerged from behind the pillar.

A huge man in a suit like the bureau agents.

Wearing a wry smile.

“You still fight disgustingly well. Annoying as ever.”

It was Krather—
The man who escaped thanks to Rebecca’s sacrifice.