Chapter 147: I don’t remember

“In the kitchen preparing dinner, the plates rattle and clatter. At the front of the door, the bell goes jingle, jingle,” Yong Yong hummed while he sat in front of a floor table.

When did I teach him that song again?

I don’t remember.

Maybe that clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d taught him.

Yong Yong continued to hum the tune and color on drawing paper with a crayon.

Not too long ago, I sketched Disney animation characters on some drawing paper and made a coloring book for Yong Yong.

Since I had finished teaching Yong Yong magic, I’d teach him whatever he wanted now.

Yong Yong likes coloring books.

He really likes coloring princess characters like the Little Mermaid or Cinderella.

Also, he uses the pink crayon a lot.

I secretly felt anxious, even while petting his head.

You’re a boy, Yong Yong.

I checked everything.

I changed my mind.

It doesn’t matter what my son’s tastes are.

Yong Yong is my son regardless of his tastes.

Don’t become as uptight as your dad.

I lifted the newspaper instead of groaning and moaning about my problems alone.

This month, the newspaper was shocking starting from the first page.

[Lee Joon Seok has been judged as the first G-Rank Awakened.]

It’s definitely been a long time since Lee Joon Seok got out, but it likewise took just as long to decide his rank.

He finally received a G-Rank designation.

It must be considerably shocking even to the outside.

No, it’s just as shocking on the inside since the community’s making a fuss.

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: Does this make any sense? Was this fabricated?]

[Lee Gook , 99th floor: This is a ranking from the a.s.sociation. What do you mean by fabricated? Say something that makes sense. Seriously.]

[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: What level was he when he came out, to be G-Rank? From what I remember, the highest Awakened rank is SSS-Rank.]

Nowadays, the Awakened’s rank is generally determined by level.

In the beginning, clear difficulty determined ranks.

However, as the difference between the highest Normal-Difficulty Awakened and the lowest Hard-Difficulty Awakened continued to narrow, one’s rank would be readjusted based on the Awakened’s individual ability.

So now, the Awakeneds’ abilities vary continuously. Though it may be difficult to distinguish between the ranks, that’s how it is now.

When I was consulted by the government, I also agreed to it.

Truthfully, the Tutorial System also uses levels as its standard and adjusts the difficulty based on level.

The average level of Normal and Hard Difficulty Awakened who make it out of the Tutorial is 40 – 50. Awakened who are level 40 – 50 are considered S-Rank.

If they pa.s.s level 51, they’re recognized as SS-Rank.

The prominent members of the Hard Difficulty were all SS-Rank.

Amongst the members of the Hard Difficulty, there was a small special minority.

They progressed through the same stages and would perhaps discover a Hidden Piece. They were people with a strange fate.

These people were born with exceptional abilities.

Only those minority were a.s.signed SSS-Rank.

You become SSS-Rank at level 101.

But people widely believed that it was impossible to cross over the wall to SSS-Rank.

There were many people who were SS-Rank, since it encompa.s.sed a wide level range of 51 – 91. However, the problem was that you had to start from level 100 for SSS-Rank.

Of course, there was no one who was above level 110 amongst them.

Of course, there’d sometimes be people who expected me to break it when I clear the h.e.l.l Difficulty.

However, in the midst of all that, a monster from the Hard Difficulty showed up.

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: They say he’s level 201.]

[Kim Myung Min, 90th floor: Did you . . . say level 201? Is he human?]

[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: That’s crazy.]

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: I told you that I don’t make things up.]

[Park Joon, 90th floor: In any case, I’ve decided to leave next year. Even if I leave this year, I’m still old news.]

[Lee CheolJoong, 94th floor: What’s your level right now?]

[Park Joon, 90th floor: Me? Well, I guess I’m level 93.]

If you’re level 93, say that you’re level 93. What the h.e.l.l do you mean by, ‘I guess’.

In the community, Hard Difficulty challengers would converse amongst themselves regarding this or that.

Challengers who were at similar levels usually left the Tutorial at the same time and were typically friendly with one another.

Hard Difficulty, in particular, felt like a club.

[Kim Myung Min, 90th floor: What level was Ho Jae back in day? It might have been several years ago but I think he was over level 200.]

[Lee Gook, 99th floor: … I thought you were just making stuff up but I feel like you’re telling the truth.]

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: What level was he? Why haven’t I heard about this?]

[Jung So Rim, 85th floor: I remember.]

[Choi Min Hwan, 81st floor: I also remember that he was over level 200.]

[Lee Cheol Joong, 94th floor: Even if there’s a difference, aren’t those two on a similar level? They’re both over level 200.]

[Choi Min Hwan, 81st floor: But that was several years ago.]

[Lee Ho Jae, 60th floor: I’m level 351 right now, kids.]

I drove the community into chaos and let them go at it.

Now that I think about, I remember telling the community that I was level 251.

Lee Joon Seok might’ve made that his goal. I don’t know.

If that ‘monster’ to level 201 without leveling up but by modifying his level, it meant his actual level was around level 250.

I thought they might’ve caught up by now.

Until they heard my level.

They were more shocked than Lee Joon Seok thought.

Even so, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Let’s just finish reading the newspaper.

The next headline was about Lee Joon Seok.

He had joined up with Kim Min Hyuk’s clan.

It looks like Korea will go crazy over this.

Kim Min Hyuk is acting contrary to my expectations.

I didn’t expect him to enter politics.

Yeah… I’m sure he’ll do fine.

There’s nothing that a person can do inside but stay still and wait, even if there’s something ma.s.sive happening on the outside.

On the contrary, there was something outside the 60th floor. Its’ presence was even stronger this time.

I felt a small hand poke my side.

It was Yong Yong.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Yong Yong?”

At some point, he had finished coloring and covered up his drawing paper.

Yong Yong looked at me, lifted my arm, and snuggled into my chest. He sat on one side of my lap and hugged me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Dad, when will uncle come back?”

He was talking about my clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

That guy went to the 61th floor, running away from home like a little girl, and still hadn’t come back.

“I wonder. Shouldn’t he be back soon?”

Although there hadn’t been any word yet, I wasn’t really concerned.

In any case, I created that b.a.s.t.a.r.d using myself as a model.

He was in the process of developing his own personality, so he was different from me and liked different things, but his very nature didn’t change.

I soothed Yong Yong but I detected a strong magical shockwave.

Someone was trying to enter the 60th floor against my will.

An unwelcome guest.

It’s really surprising.

Lee Yeon Hee hasn’t even come close yet.

Most of the G.o.ds can’t enter inside the Tutorial.

The G.o.ds were shackled by several restraints, so they couldn’t just do whatever they wanted with the Tutorial.

If one of them wanted to act directly, they’d need the consent of all 100 G.o.ds.

Not too long ago, the Earth Server had over 3000 G.o.ds watching over it.

But now, no G.o.d could thoughtlessly take part in the Earth’s server.

Therefore, the uninvited guest wasn’t a G.o.d or their disciples.

There was only one thing it could possibly be.

“Let’s go, Yong Yong. I think your uncle is back.”

“Really?”

I carried Yong Yong and arrived in the vicinity of the portal.

When I got near, the s.p.a.ce started to distort.

My defense mechanisms and my clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s strength were clashing.

You s.h.i.tty b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

I told you to train your magic.

It looks like Yong Yong will catch up soon.

I drew on my magic and lifted some of the barriers.

The distortion in the room ceased and the portal began to activate.

“Uncle!”

My clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d appeared above the portal.

He seemed like he was the same as he always was.

Anyway, now I know why the barriers activated.

What could he have been doing until now? He came covered with the G.o.ds’ power.

My clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d didn’t even greet or say anything to Yong Yong. He just strutted over.

I’m feeling uneasy.

That guy’s not just some normal crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

In the future, I expect a grave situation to occur.

I wondered whether I should block Yong Yong’s eyes and ears or whether I should stop my clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d from walking.

In the end, I couldn’t come to any decision and the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d stopped right in front of Yong Yong and me.

Since his uncle didn’t respond, Yong Yong looked taken aback and looked back and forth between me and the clone.

The clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d looked a little flushed.

His eye were shining brightly, so it looks what I had feared had come to pa.s.s.

“I felt the sunlight on my ears until sunset, a joyous trip”

You crazy f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

That’s what you say when you’re parting ways.

” … C’mon, just do it.They’re my favorites lines. ”

I should’ve covered Yong Yong’s ears earlier.

d.a.m.n it. d.a.m.n it. d.a.m.n it.

Hey, do you really need to do this?

[Please.]

“… I laughed and with a smile just like when I had departed, I returned and found peace.”

…I felt like my organs had just been gouged out.

Truthfully, I had already experienced it a few times, so I knew exactly what it felt like.

My mood soured while the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d rejoiced.

“Did you really want to try that that badly?”

The clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d nodded and took Yong Yong, who was nestled in my arm, and lifted him up.

“Yong Yong, were you well?”

“Yep!”

I left them to converse between them.

I confirmed that the G.o.ds’ lingering presence couldn’t communicate through the 60th floor.

You have to be meticulous in situations like this.

Also…

“Hey, what could you have possible been doing in the 61st floor that you’d be so thickly covered with the G.o.ds’ power?”

I wanted to let him have some more alone time with Yong Yong but I couldn’t help asking him.

The way the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d laughed was far too triumphant.

It rubs me the wrong way.

“Well, not much happened.”

“Put down Yong Yong for a minute.”

I want to sock him once.

Rather than putting him down, he cuddled him instead.

“Nothing really happened. Yep. As soon as I got to the 61st floor, they all began to observe me.”

“Watching you? It shouldn’t be possible since you’re not a challenger.”

“Well, I got a message that they seemed to be in agreement on something and it seems that even I could see it.”

“And?”

“And it seemed like I had gained the rights of a challenger, and I went in front of the Boss Room and checked.”

“What was the result?”

“I didn’t.”

” … You aren’t even a challenger, but they sent you a message that they’re curious?”

“Yeah. I don’t have any idea either.”

I had something that I had to have Park Jung-Ah figure out.

Could a non-challenger progress this way?

Could it be a unique case?

“Also, well . . . Since they were interested, I took a little bit of their power. I moved silently and nabbed some. That’s why I was bit late. Hoohoo.”

“How much?”

“1263.”

I was momentarily speechless and stared at the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

This guy said that he’d messed with over 1200 G.o.ds?

“What did they want?”

“They wanted me to become their disciple.”

There was no way the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d would accept their request.

I said this before, but his nature is similar to mine.

He rejected my offer to become my disciple so there was no way he’d become a disciple some other G.o.d.

“I did well, right? Right? Say something. Main body b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Hurry up and bow your head and say thank you.”

You did well.

Congratulations on becoming a cosmic swindler.

“Louder. Even sweeter! Say it out loud!”

“Good job, Lee Ho Chi.”

The man whose face looked like a blooming flower was no more… Lee Ho Chi’s face turned dark.

[If you call me that name again . . .]

“Let’s go.”

I ignored his warning and walked back.

For a while, the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d droned on about something and followed behind me.

“Where are we going?”

“What do you mean by ‘where’? We’re going to the lab.”

A G.o.d’s power isn’t simply a high-ranking skill.

Through the process of becoming a G.o.d, they gain an ‘authority.’

Their authority is their ident.i.ty as well as their core.

Just by digging them up one by one, I can raise greatly raise my level.

I had already dissected the authority skills and I succeeded in modifying them.

That’s why, the general magic I created had been able to advance to the next level.

However, I can’t create authorities on my own yet.

My limit was modifying authorities that already existed.

When I was blocked by a wall, I needed new ideas or new materials and the clone b.a.s.t.a.r.d had brought me some materials just in time.

There were more than 1200 authorities inside.

Therefore, we obviously had to go to the lab.

“Hey, I just came back. Can’t we start tomorrow?”

“Nope. We’re working through the night starting today.”