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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 70: Making a Choice
“What are the conditions for the buffs?”
[First, the number of awakened beings added each month will double. Stat points gained per level up will increase by +1 up to level 100. Experience gain will triple, and Athena’s stats will receive a 20% boost.]
“Oh, that’s nice. Do stat points increase even for levels above 25?”
[Yes. You’ll also be compensated for the points you missed from previous levels.]
Wow.
That’s a great deal.
The difference between having an assistant and not having one is this big?
“Then, does that mean there won’t be any assistants?”
[There will be angels maintaining the passage to the Broken World. Angels will also be dispatched to supply magical items and notify you when dungeons appear.]
“So, only the assistants who cleared B and C-grade dungeons on Earth will be gone.”
[That’s correct.]
This really is a good deal.
Sure, at first, there will be casualties in higher-grade dungeons...
But a year later, when the angels leave, people will die anyway.
Wouldn’t it make sense to strengthen our forces before that?
[Also, there’s a special perk exclusive to you, Mr. Jiho.]
“A perk?”
[Yes. You were the key figure in restoring Kevrian, but you never received a proper reward. I strongly insisted that this was unacceptable, so I managed to secure a great reward for you. Haha.]
That’s true.
Olympus didn’t officially grant me anything.
I was intrigued.
“What kind of reward?”
[The title ‘Earth’s Number One’ will be granted to you. While wearing this title, you’ll receive 1% of the experience points earned by all Earth’s awakened beings for three years.]
“Wait, what? I can earn experience points from everyone?”
Wow.
That’s an incredible title.
Does that mean I can sit back, relax, and still accumulate experience points?
“Wow. Then I’ll become an A-rank in no time, right?”
[It’s still not easy to reach A-rank. The required experience is enormous, and the lower-ranked awakened beings don’t earn much experience.]
“But if it adds up, it’ll still be significant.”
[Yes, that’s why we’re giving it to you. Isn’t this a great deal?]
“The conditions are good.”
[Yes. This is yours even if you choose the angel assistants. But if you take the Earth buff, the experience points earned by Earth’s people will also increase, so it’s a win-win.]
The deal was so good that it made me suspicious.
Are they trying to push me to S-rank quickly because they can’t interfere with me until then?
“It’s almost too good to be true, so I’m a bit wary.”
[Oh? Are you thinking we’re trying to rush you to S-rank by giving you experience points? Haha. You can’t ascend to S-rank, or rather godhood, just by leveling up. There are special conditions. And since you’re a special class, your conditions will be extremely challenging.]
“There are conditions?”
[Yes. Each demigod has different conditions. In fact, most A-rank demigods remain at that rank because they can’t overcome those conditions.]
Hmm...
So it won’t be like last time, where I leveled up and got forced into a rank increase.
For now, I’ll take the title.
In Kevrian, I could level up quickly through massacres, but that won’t be the case here.
I should secure experience points while I can.
Not reaching A-rank means they keep throwing around secrets and draining my SP.
I need to rank up.
“Then I’ll gladly accept.”
[Good choice. What will you choose—angel assistants or the experience buff?]
“I’ll decide that with Earth’s leaders.”
[Understood. Let me know once you’ve made a decision.]
“Sure. By the way, I have a personal question. Is Heracles also a Soul Reaper? Someone mentioned Heracles when I used Soul Emission.”
[Heracles? Yes. He was one of the few soul wielders. Currently, though... he’s in Eshtar.]
Huh?
Eshtar?
The easiest Broken World?
“Wait, Eshtar?”
[Yes. Would I hide anything from you? He’s the Chaos Lord of Eshtar.]
“Heracles isn’t part of Olympus either?”
The legendary Greek hero Heracles defected too?
What on earth did these guys do?
[Hmm... Well, there were some issues. I’d explain, but since you’re not A-rank, it’ll just cost you SP.]
“Damn... Not all Chaos Lords are from Olympus, right?”
[No, not all. It just so happens that way sometimes.]
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few more showed up.
“But they say Eshtar’s big magic wipes everything out and starts over. Why is it the easiest zone?”
[The reason it’s the easiest is simple. The clear condition is to ‘withstand one strike from Heracles.’ That’s it.]
One strike?
I think I can handle one strike.
[But that one strike could be a Soul Emission attack. Most people’s souls are destroyed by that. Their SP runs out.]
“Wow...”
[Well, Earthlings haven’t even reached that point, so it’s fortunate in a way. They were completely wiped out by Heracles’ roar alone. That wasn’t even big magic—it was just his shout.]
Everyone wiped out by a roar?
Why is he so strong all of a sudden?
“Isn’t that too much?”
[The one who made Hades flee... What do you expect? Heracles can’t beat Hades, though.]
“Really? It doesn’t seem that way.”
[Hades only used A-rank level power with his avatar. He probably didn’t bring much SP either. If he got hit by your Soul Emission, it would’ve been a big blow, so he ran. But Heracles uses S-rank level power.]
Hmm...
So Hades came with a handicap to scout me and bolted after seeing my Soul Emission...
But Heracles has no such limitations and wields full S-rank power.
“And they expect us to clear that?”
[But that’s still the easiest. Haha. An S-rank Hades can summon the underworld.]
“Restoring the Broken World really seemed like a long shot.”
[Haha. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to succeed.]
So they expected Earth to be destroyed.
“Did you think Earth would be doomed?”
[Pretty much.]
“Wouldn’t that be bad for you too? Hades just wants to destroy Earth.”
[We have contingencies. You’ll understand once you reach A-rank. Haha.]
“There it is again, A-rank... Well, since Kevrian is cleared, I won’t have to deal with Heracles, right?”
[No. Why would you face that monster after restoring one Broken World?]
I nodded at his words.
There’s no point in going back just to get myself killed.
“Hey, open the door! You’re leaving me behind?”
“It’s my friend. I’ll contact you later.”
[Of course. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll share what I know.]
It’s nice that I can contact him whenever I have questions.
I ended the call with Hermes and opened the door.
There stood Jinseong, panting and holding a load of alcohol.
“Good job, buddy.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
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“Damn journalists. They followed me even when I went to buy booze at the convenience store and all the way to your front door. The building security and association staff had to block them physically.”
“I’ll order the food, then.”
"Ha, damn it. Thanks, you bastard."
Lee Jinseong flips me off casually.
I toss a delivery flyer from the fridge at him, and he ends up ordering everything on the menu.
That’s how a drinking session started with 300,000 won worth of food delivery.
When I tell him about the proposal I got from the gods, Lee Jinseong answers immediately.
“Of course, the buffs. You can’t rely on the angels forever. You’ve got to get stronger on your own. And hey, they’re giving you stat points too—what a steal.”
Yeah, even if the angels help for a year, after that, it’s up to Earthlings to defend Earth.
So, it’s better to start adapting to dungeons now with all the buffs you can get.
“But you’re probably going to be crazy busy.”
“Me? Why?”
“What do you think? Who else is going to handle all the B-rank dungeons?”
“Oh...”
Right.
There’s no one else on Earth who can clear a B-rank dungeon?
Looks like my schedule might explode just when I thought I could take it easy.
“Sigh. Now that you mention it, if too many B-rank dungeons pop up, I might have to take the angel’s offer just for safety.”
“True. If they start appearing all over the world and monsters spill out, the casualties would be enormous.”
“That’s something I need to ask about—how often B-rank dungeons are going to appear.”
“Yeah, better check. Why don’t you call the association president?”
I called him, and the line connected instantly.
As soon as it does, the association president started lamenting.
[Ah, Mr. Kim Jiho. I’m terribly sorry. I’m trying my best to suppress the news articles, but awakened individuals keep uploading videos…]
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. It’s probably beyond control now. Anyway, I’ve received this proposal from the gods…”
The association president listened intently without a single sound of breathing as I explained the details of the gods’ proposal.
After I finished, I asked him.
“How many B-rank dungeons have appeared so far?”
The association president remained silent for a moment before answering.
[Globally, B-rank dungeons have been appearing at a rate of about one every two weeks. But moving forward, who knows... This seems like a critical matter. May I raise this issue with the World Awakened Association?]
“Yes, please do.”
[Understood. Mr. Jiho, please take care of yourself. The Hunters’ Guild will always serve you faithfully.]
This guy, with the loyalty line.
Though, come to think of it...
If I’m the only one who can clear B-rank dungeons in the world, I’ll probably get an avalanche of offers to defect.
Maybe that’s why the association president’s acting so deferential.
“Hey, isn’t the association president known for being super strict? You must be something else.”
“They’re just doing what they have to.”
“If you monopolize the B-rank dungeons, that’s total domination, isn’t it? Honestly, if a B-rank dungeon popped up in the U.S., you could say, ‘I’ll clear it for a billion dollars,’ and they’d pay you. Who else can handle it?”
“True, but playing with people’s lives like that feels wrong. I might take some C-rank hunters to see if they can clear it.”
“Man, you’re such a goody-two-shoes. You should rake it in before more B-rank hunters show up!”
“Money’s not an issue anymore.”
It keeps piling up in my account.
Among the world’s top-tier classes, my reputation is already so high that they’re lining up, money in hand, begging me to take it.
There’s no need to tarnish my global reputation for a few extra bucks.
Especially now that my identity is public.
As we kept drinking, we ran out of booze.
Thanks to my high physical stats, I didn’t get drunk easily, and even Jinseong, now a C-rank after surviving the Kevrian ordeal, held his liquor well.
We kept replenishing our supply from the convenience store and drank until dawn.
Then, I got another call from the association president.
[Mr. Jiho, have you rested well?]
“What’s with the formalities? Please don’t make me cringe.”
Formalities like those feel like something out of a historical drama.
[Haha, understood. I contacted the World Hunter Association about your proposal, and it seems world leaders are already boarding planes to Korea.]
“What? Already?”
Ugh, I didn’t even get any sleep.
But it is an urgent matter.
Why are they coming to Korea instead of convening at the U.N. like last time?
[They said they didn’t want to inconvenience you, so they’re coming directly. There will be a meeting at the association building tomorrow. Can you attend?]
They’re coming here just for me?
“Of course.”
[Thank you. I’ll contact you again tomorrow. Please rest well today, Mr. Jiho.]
* * *
[The world’s strongest awakened who saved Earth, Mr. Kim Jiho, is entering the room.]
“Welcome! The. World’s. Strongest!”
“Ugh, shut up.”
After the meeting, I come home to find Lee Jinseong lounging on my couch in just his underwear like it’s his own house.
On the TV, there’s footage of me in a suit walking into the guild’s conference room.
Hmm.
I do look pretty sharp in a suit.
“Is that going to be on the news forever? Seeing Trump and Putin groveling has everyone in Korea screaming, ‘Bring out the drinks!’ Hahaha.”
The scene played on TV, showing world leaders lining up to shake my hand, bowing and praising me.
Honestly, if I were someone else, I’d be looking for a celebratory drink, too.
“What’s the online reaction to the meeting results?”
“Most people seem to approve. Awakened folks obviously agree, and even non-awakened people are happy about the doubled chance of becoming awakened. They’re hoping they might get a shot.”
“That’s good to hear. I’m going to change.”
“Sure.”
I headed to my room and contacted Hermes.
“Hermes, open communication.”
[Mr. Jiho, have you made your decision?]
“Yes, I’m going with the second option.”
[An excellent choice. Let’s proceed with that. I’ll also grant you the title now.]
[You’ve obtained the title, ‘Earth’s Number One.’]
[Earth’s Number One]
[Grade: A]
[A title bestowed upon the Earth’s top awakened individual recognized by the gods. Gains 1% of experience earned by other awakened individuals on Earth. Effect ends upon reaching A-grade.]
Nice and clean—just an experience buff.
But only up to A-grade?
“Only up to A-grade?”
[Yes, but it’s no easy feat to reach A-grade in three years. Haha. If you do, I’ll extend the buff for you.]
“Well, okay.”
[The global buff will activate tomorrow. Rest well until then.]
The communication ended.
I took off my now-useless “Kevrian’s Hero” title and replaced it when another communication came through.
[The God of Mischief, Loki, has contacted you: ‘Jiho, it’s Loki. The soul mediation reward is ready. Can we talk?’]
Oh, that was quick.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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